Jose Mourinho has a successful season in charge of Real Madrid. The Spanish side have become the deserved winners of the La Liga and fell just short in the Champions League.

Despite this, the Portuguese manager will look to strengthen his squad even further going into next season, as Madrid seek European glory.

Especially with the likes of Higuain and Di Maria both expected to leave the club.

Below are various players Madrid have been linked in recent weeks.

Transfer Targets

Sergio Aguero – Manchester City – Striker

Real Madrid want to fund a multi-million pound bid for Sergio Aguero. President Florentino Perez is desperate to sign the Manchester City striker and is willing to part with whatever money it takes to lure the Argentine to the Bernabeu according to the Daily Mail.

To fund the ambitious offer, which City would be very reluctant to accept, Real want Higuain to move to Stamford Bridge.

Aguero has been a sensation for Roberto Mancini’s side, scoring 22 goals in 33 Premier League games.

Edison Cavani – Napoli – Striker

Reports have emerged that Real Madrid are watching Napoli striker Edinson Cavani’s situation.

The Uruguay international has emerged as the game’s hottest young striker and his performances in the Champions League have led to him being linked with Chelsea and Manchester City in recent weeks.

However, Real president Florentino Perez is also monitoring Cavani’s form and willing to put £35 million towards buying the Uruguay international at the end of the season.

Robin Van Persie – Arsenal – Striker

Real Madrid will make an offer for Robin van Persie in the summer as they join the £30million race for the Arsenal striker.

Manchester City and Barcelona are also keen on the Dutchman, 28, who has 12 months left on his Arsenal contract and is yet to commit to another deal.

Mourinho feels Van Persie would be a perfect fit into his evolving Madrid side.

Glen Johnson – Liverpool – Defender

Real Madrid are targeting Glen Johnson and Kyle Walker to fill their problem right-back position.

Officials at the Bernabeu were trying to sign promising Brazilian Mario Fernandes but have not even come close to agreeing a fee with Gremio.

So Jose Mourinho has turned to ‘Plan B’, according to Madrid newspaper Marca, and is planning to raid the Barclays Premier League for a player to fit his system.

It is thought Johnson, 27, would not cost more than £12.5million and is ready-made to match the wing-raiding prowess of Marcelo on the opposite flank.

Kyle Walker – Tottenham – Defender

21-year-old Kyle Walker is another right back being linked with a switch to Madrid. The young Tottenham star has been highly impressive since establishing himself as a first team regular in Harry Redknapp’s side.

Real boss Jose Mourinho has been tracking the Tottenham right-back ever since he shined on England duty against Spain at this summer’s European Under-21 finals.

And the manager of La Liga’s leaders has been impressed with Walker’s superb displays for club and country this term

Mourinho wants Walker to provide competition for Real right-back Sergio Ramos.

Walker is contracted to Spurs until 2016 but boss Harry Redknapp is braced for a bid from his friend Mourinho – which would need to be at least £20million to tempt chairman Daniel Levy into selling.

Edin Dzeko – Manchester City – Striker

Manchester City have decided to offload Edin Dzeko at the end of the season in a move that had already alerted Juventus and Real Madrid.

City manager Roberto Mancini has let it be known he will listen to offers for Dzeko after noting the striker’s unrest over limited opportunities in the starting line-up and sensing they will become even scarcer. Jose Mourinho is a firm admirer of the 26-year old.

Raul Meireles – Chelsea – Midfielder

Reports have emerged that Real Madrid have joined Juventus interest in Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles.

The Daily Express says Real Madrid want to take unsettled Portuguese midfielder Meireles to Spain in a £10m move.

Gareth Bale – Tottenham – Midfielder

Bale, 22, has been linked with a switch away from White Hart Lane – and claims a big-money transfer to one of Europe’s top clubs is appealing.

“If you are talking about Barcelona or Real Madrid, two of the biggest clubs in the world, then it’s a bit like Harry and England, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime dream,” he said.

“If you said to any young player that you could play for Barcelona or Real would they turn it down? Probably not.”

This will no doubt alert Mourinho who would love to bring Bale to the Bernabeu.

Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva  – Sao Paulo – Midfielder

The La Liga winner’s scouts have been monitoring Lucas for some time and have apparently now recommended him to the directors.

Manager Jose Mourinho is also said to have given his approval to bid for a player widely regarded as one of the rising stars of South American football.

Lucas, who is also a target for Inter Milan and Chelsea, broke into the Sao Paulo team in 2010 and made his debut for Brazil last year. He was included in the squad for the 2011 Copa America and already has ten caps to his name.

Papiss Cisse – Newcastle – Striker

Recently, Cisse has been falsely linked with Madrid. The Senegal international has refuted the claims in the media that he is after a move to the Spainish giants, instead pledging his continuing commitment to the Magpies.

Also See:

• More Real Madrid News.
• More Transfer Rumours.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Real Madrid wrapped up the La Liga title last weekend, with Jose Mourinho leading the Santiago Bernabeu outfit to their first Spanish top-flight success in four years. A convincing 3-0 away win over Europa League finalists Athletic Bilbao sealed the triumph, and broke Barcelona’s stranglehold over the game in Spain.

The achievement has not gone unnoticed in west London, as former employer Roman Abramovich is reportedly eager to bring ‘The Special One’ back to Chelsea. The latest success is Mourinho’s 19th trophy in his managerial career, a quite unbelievable achievement.

2002-03

From taking over at Portuguese giants Porto in 2002 until now, Mourinho’s record has been exemplary. The Setubal-born trainer started as he intended to carry on in his first season at the Estadio da Dragao, winning the Primeira Division at a canter, the Taca de Portugal and the UEFA Cup in a momentous season. In the league the total of 86 points out of the possible maximum of 102 was a Portuguese record, whilst Mourinho’s men beat his former club Leiria in the cup final and Celtic in the European finale.

2003-04

Mourinho and his Porto team really shot into the limelight the following season, by retaining their Primeira Division title and against the odds lifting the Champions League. Porto sealed their domestic title with five weeks of the season still to play, and after eliminating Manchester United in Europe, lifted the Champions League crown with a 3-0 win over Monaco.

2004-05

Porto’s elimination of United drew English attention to Mourinho’s achievements, and the successful trainer took over the Chelsea managerial position. After proclaiming himself ‘The Special One’ in his first press conference, Mourinho went on to put his money where his mouth is, lifting the Premier League crown in his debut season, the Blues’ first in 50 years. Chelsea also beat Liverpool to lift the Carling Cup.

2005-06

With the Blues team given self-belief by boss Mourinho, Chelsea went on to retain their Premier League title the following season, with a 3-0 win over Manchester United proving their dominance. They also lifted the Community Shield by beating Arsenal 2-1, but the Champions League remained all-elusive.

2006-07

Mourinho’ last full season at Chelsea saw his men relinquish their Premier League crown to Manchester United, and they were eliminated from the Champions League by Liverpool. Despite this, the Blues still lifted the FA Cup and League Cup in a domestic double.

2008-09

After being shown the door by Abramovich in the 2007-08 season, Mourinho took over at Inter after an eight-month spell away from the game. Similar to his time at Chelsea, he wasted no time in laying down a landmark, and won the Serie A title at the first time of asking and the Supercoppa Italiana. Despite winning the Scudetto by a ten-point margin, elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Manchester United was a major frustration for the perfectionist coach.

2009-10

Arguably Mourinho’s most successful season in management, Inter were unstoppable in 2009-10. The Nerazzurri retained their Serie A crown in impressive form, beat Roma to claim the Coppa Italia trophy and after defeating Barcelona in the semi-finals, lifted the Champions League crown with victory over Bayern Munich. The next day Mourinho admitted that the win would be the last game in charge of the Italian giants.

2010-11

Mourinho was announced as the replacement for Manuel Pellegrini at Real Madrid for the 2010-11 season, with the capital-city side looking for a solution to Barcelona’s dominance at home and on the continent. In this first campaign in Spain the Portuguese coach failed to stop Pep Guardiola’s men achieve glory in La Liga and the Champions League, but did beat the Catalan giants in the Copa del Rey final.

2011-12

This season has been a different story for Madrid, who have been comprehensive and deserved winners of La Liga. The main criticism aimed at Mourinho’s men was their inability to beat Barcelona in a clash between the sides, but a 2-1 victory at Camp Nou got this monkey of the team’s back and all-but secured the division title. Although Champions League still eludes Mourinho at Madrid, the Portuguese coach will look to dominate all competitions next season.

There are increased rumours over Mourinho’s future and a potential move back to England, but this is unlikely, as the proud coach will feel that he has unfinished business in Spain. Next term Madrid will have a transitional Barcelona side to deal with, and the Santiago Bernabeu fans will crave that Mourinho deliver the Champions League back to this great club.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Real Madrid clinched the La Liga title for the first time since 2008 after their 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night.

A little over one week later after their Champions league misery, Jose Mourinho’s side have recovered to take the title from holders Barcelona.

Gonzalo Higuain smashed home a superb 16th-minute opener after Cristiano Ronaldo had earlier missed horribly from the penalty spot.

But the Portuguese attacker recovered to beautifully create a second for Mesut Ozil in the 20th minute and got on the score sheet himself five minutes after the break with a simple header from Ozil’s corner, his 44th league goal of yet another prolific season.

The win kept Madrid seven points ahead of Barcelona with two games to go, Barca’s 4-1 win over Malaga earlier this evening merely delaying the celebrations of a 32nd title by a matter of hours.

Barcelona’s Messi broke the European club scoring record with a hat trick, in this match, raising his season total to 68 goals. This broke the record of 67 goals Gerd Mueller had set for Bayern Munich in 1972-73.

The success means Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has now won the league title in four different countries following his triumphs with Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, Athletic, who perhaps had their minds on other things with Europa League and Copa Del Rey finals to look forward to, finished with 10 men following Javi Martinez’s harsh sending off for two handballs.

The Portuguese manager now becomes the third ever coach to win league titles in four different countries after triumphs with Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan. He joins Austrian Ernst Happel and Italian veteran Giovanni Trapattoni in the elite club.

Jose Mourinho:

“I won the league title in Portugal, Italy and England, but this one has been the toughest”

“I’ve won seven league titles overall and I know what it feels like. Barcelona won all their games, as befits the great team that they are. They’ve been winning to the very last day.”

“They are a club with great tradition that knows we deserved to win this title.”

Cristiano Ronaldo:

“The players are all very happy after 10 months of fighting, of training, of games, the objective was to be champion so we are happy to have achieved it,”

“To have beaten a team like Barca makes this league win more difficult. It’s much better to win against one of the best teams. It makes it better.”

The way Madrid took La Liga was more than just a point’s win, it was much more impressive than that. Just 11 days before this match, Real defeated Barca in El Clasico with a 2-1 win. They won it away, part of a potentially record-setting year for wins away from home.

The only negative moment in the home stretch of the season for Real was the loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi. I’m sure there’s more than enough consolation for Real fans in their taking down their main rival, and now they can set their sights on next season.

The momentum will now be with Mourinho’s Madrid after the Portuguese masterminded the club’s first title for 4 years. When his sides start winning, that’s usually an ominous sign for their rivals. Mourinho has already signalled his intentions to stay for a third term in Spain and will set his sights on winning the Champions League for Madrid, as well as a second successive Liga title.

Feel free to visit my independent blog for similar articles http://chrisslinnell.wordpress.com/

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

When Sir Alex Ferguson finally decides to close the curtains on his long and glorious career there will certainly be more than a few managers in line to replace him. Below are the Sky Bet current favourites:

1. Jose Mourinho 2/1

Will the special one end up at Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson decides to call it a day? Manchester United is not just a club, but a global brand. The current Premier League Champions need a big personality at the helm. Mourinho has a bigger personality than nearly anyone in football and this is a great opportunity to prove himself as the World’s best manager. There will be plenty of pressure on whoever takes the United job, with Sir Alex leaving some big shoes to fill, it will not only take a very talented manager to replace him, but also someone with great confidence. The Mourinho looks likely to give Real Madrid one more season, however he would see it as the ultimate accolade to take over from Sir Alex Ferguson, a manager he admires immensely.

2. David Moyes 5/1

Moyes has done a great job at Goodison Park. If offered the United job he would almost certainly accept the position. People claim the likes of the Everton manager would not be able to play the attractive football demanded by United. Why not? What he has done at Everton is get the best from what he has had and been able to acquire. With better players he would play better football. It’s a major decision for United but in Moyes lies the potential for Ferguson’s successor. David Moyes is the best of the British at the moment, although he has done a great job at Everton he would appear to be a bit of an underwhelming choice to follow the great reign of Sir Alex

3. Ole Solskjaer 6/1

The former Manchester United winger is highly respected by the fans and the club. Solskjaer is currently manager of Norwegian Premier League Side Molde. When the Ferguson era comes to an end at Old Trafford, the club would ideally turn over the team to a young manager with a future bright enough to have another 25-year reign as boss. Solskjaer possesses the necessary qualities to do just that, and when the Super Scot steps down, he would be smart to hand the job over to the super-sub.

3. Pep Guardiola 7/1

Pep Guardiola would be a good choice for Manchester United. He has achieved a great deal with Barcelona but it remains to be seen what he will do with a less talented group of players (even one not too far off Barcelona like Man United. Ferguson has indicated the Barcelona coach is the right man to take charge at Old Trafford when he finally decides to retire. The outgoing Barca coach should easily be able to handle the transition to the Premier League.

5. Ryan Giggs 10/1

 A Manchester United legend. Currently approaching an amazing 900 appearances. It’s not difficult to see him becoming manager at the club in the future.

6. Martin O’Neill 12/1

It’s no secret that Martin O’Neill is desperate to manage Man United when Alex Ferguson retires. Sunderland’s current manager is experiencing a good run of form with his new team. After previous success with Celtic in the Scottish Premier League, he’s used to being in control of a countries dominant team.

7. Laurent Blanc 16/1

Currently at the helm of the French national team, depending on how Les Bleus perform at the European Championship the timing could be perfect.

8. Mark Hughes 20/1

Having been dismissed by City, Hughes could find himself crossing the city to succeed Ferguson. However, in the past he has made a few comments regarding United which will not endear him to the fans.

9. Mike Phelan 20/1

Sir Alex Ferguson’s current assistant manager. He’ll know the way Ferguson thinks through and through. He’s also a former player who has won the Premier League, the European cup winners’ cup, The FA cup, The League cup and the community shield with the club. He has had a lot of success under Sir Alex Ferguson at United. If the fans want to see the survival of Fergie’s ideas and tactics, then Phelan would be the ideal replacement.

10. Brendan Rodgers 25/1

The current Swansea manager has enjoyed a brilliant first Premier League season with Swansea. His teams play very attractive, passing football. Perhaps it’s too soon to judge his performance as a manager at the moment. But in a few season’s time he could definitely be an option for United when Sir Alex retires.

11. Joachim Loew – German National Team 25/1

12. Fabio Capello 25/1

13. Steve Bruce 25/1

14. Paul Lambert – Norwich 25/1

15. Chris Hughton – Birmingham 33/1

16. Roy Keane 33/1

17. Carlos Queiroz – Iranian National Team 33/1

18. Ottmar Hitzfeld – Swiss National Team 33/1

19. Gus Hiddink – FC Anzhi Makhachkala 33/1

20. Eric Cantona – New York Cosmos 33/1

21. Paul Scholes – Current Manchester United Player 33/1

22. Gary Neville 33/1

23. Alex McLeish – Aston Villa 33/1

24. Martin Jol – Fulham 33/1

25. Darren Ferguson – Peterborough United 33/1

Please comment with your opinions!

Feel free to visit my independent blog for similar articles http://chrisslinnell.wordpress.com/

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

On 28^th May 2010, it was confirmed Jose Mourinho would be taking over from Manuel Pellegrini at Real Madrid. ‘The Special One’ arrived at the Bernabau with a huge task on his hands. Since 2008, Barcelona had become the dominant force in Spanish football; it was his job to change this.

Before joining Los Blancos, Mourinho had already enjoyed an extremely successful managerial career. Having won the Portuguese Liga, Portuguese Cup, Portuguese Super Cup, UEFA Cup and the Champions League with Porto. As well as, the FA Premier League, League Cup, FA Community Shield and the FA Cup with Chelsea. He then went on to win the Treble with Inter. Clearly he had a lot to live up to as he took the new job in Spain.

Mourinho acted quickly to improve the squad, signing 4 new players Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira, Ricardo Carvalho and Angel Di Maria, following the 2010 World Cup. His first season at Madrid had a poor return as far success in competition is concerned. Domestically, his side fell short of Barcelona by 4 points in the league. However, a win in the Copa Del Ray final, after a 1-0 win against Guardiola’s side, gave Mourinho his first trophy in Spanish football and ended Madrid’s 18 year-long cup drought. On top of this, they suffered a cruel defeat to their domestic rivals in a Champions League semi-final full of controversy.  The domestic cup win was probably the biggest highlight in a year full of transition for Los Blancos. Clearly Barcelona still held the monopoly when comparing the strength of the two sides, but the 2011-12 season has seen a dramatic shift in power.

When Mourinho was appointed manager of Madrid he stated that his teams always improve in his second season. It appears he was right. Over time his team has had a chance to gel. This, plus a few new signings has given Madrid the strength and confidence they had previously been lacking.

This season, Real Madrid are currently run away leaders of La Liga, having beaten Barcelona at the Nou Camp last weekend. Although, they were defeated by Barca in the Copa Del Rey quarter final, the priority for Mourinho is clearly the league. Arguably, Cristiano Ronaldo has been the key to Madrid’s good fortune. Having passed 100 goals in just 3 seasons for the club, the midfielder has carried his team in games when they have struggled to perform.

This has been a record breaking season for Madrid, in a roller-coaster year for the club. Many, including myself, would argue that they now have the upper hand over their Catalan rivals. Success domestically this season has proved this. When looking at the numbers, one would almost instantly conclude that no team in La Liga history is better than Real Madrid.

In addition to this, Mourinho’s side looked on course for European success following Barca’s defeat to Chelsea on Tuesday night. However, Madrid lost to Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu yesterday evening, in a closely fought match. Before the game, the papers were flooded with speculation regarding the Portuguese manager’s future at the club. Many suggested failure to reach the Champions League final in May would result in Mourinho leaving the Spanish giants.

The only question that remains this season: Will Jose stay at Madrid? He’s always hinted at a move back to England, perhaps a return to Chelsea or as a potential replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson at United. Being such a prolific manager, he must feel he has unfinished business at his current club. Madrid still have much more to play for domestically if they are to steal Barca’s crown permanently. Plus, I’m sure he will look to improve on his teams’ failure to progress past the semi-final stage of the Champions League, for the past two seasons.

Mourinho still has a lot to do if Real Madrid plan to re-establish themselves as the most successful club in football. It would be a perfect way for the current manager to complete his legacy. Although in the future I would love to see him return to the Premier League, preferably as Man United manager. Regardless, wherever he ends up, it’s clear to see, he has enormous amounts to offer.

For similar articles, visit my blog chrisslinnell.wordpress.com and follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/ChrisLFootball.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The anti-football of Mourinho and Capello can reap rewards, but more is needed for England to be contenders for EURO 2012.

On the face of it, it was not overly surprising. The 7th best team in the world, England, beat the best team in the world, Spain, 1-0 at home in a friendly international. Bearing in mind that Spain also lost friendlies to Italy, Portugal and Argentina since they won the World Cup last summer, it certainly is not a result that will cause too many ripples in world football.

It was the manner of victory that was far more interesting. Some commentators have suggested the victory paid homage to Capello’s ultra-defensive catenaccio ways so successfully employed in the 1990s with Milan, with a solid back four and protection from deep lying and combative midfielders frustrating Spain. Along with much of the Spanish team, Cesc Fabregas labelled England’s gameplan as “negative tactics”, lambasting them for “lacking in talent” and setting up to defend for nearly the entire 90 minutes.

However, the whole scenario has parallels with far more recent events. Given the core of players who make both Spain and Barcelona tick and the similarities in style, to all intents and purposes it is the Barcelona influence (supplemented by the best of Real Madrid) that has made Spain both European and World champions. And the only man who has been able to find the methods to challenge the Barcelona way in the past few seasons has been a long time friend of the English, Jose Mourinho. Two series of fixtures in particular spring to mind.

April 2010 witnessed a Champions League semi-final between Mourinho’s Internazionale and Barcelona. The first leg demonstrated a Mourinho masterclass of defensive pressing and swift counter attack as Inter won 3-1. The 2nd leg, despite Inter losing 1-0, was in truth even more impressive. Down to 10 men for over an hour, Inter soaked up everything Barcelona could throw at them. The statistics were bewildering. Inter managed just 67 passes as opposed to Barca’s 548 and over 80% possession. There were even charges (though denied by Mourinho) that Inter were happy to give the ball to Barcelona so as to not disrupt their own defensive shape.

Fast-forward a year to the latter end of last season. Mourinho’s Real Madrid held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in La Liga followed swiftly by a 1-0 victory in extra time over their archrivals in the Copa del Rey. In both these matches, Mourinho operated with a ‘trivote’ system, sacrificing an attacking player in favour of a defensive midfielder.

Mourinho used Pepe, a natural central defender, as a midfield enforcer alongside Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira, all focusing on defensive tasks and keeping Barcelona largely at bay. The use of Phil Jones in a side also containing James Milner, Frank Lampard and the imperious Scott Parker on Saturday bore considerable resemblance to this strategy.

Over these two fixtures, Real Madrid registered a mere 22% possession and 65% pass success as opposed to Barca’s 78% possession and 90% pass success. Yet it reaped dividends for Mourinho – and almost continued to work in the Champions League semi-final between the clubs until Madrid were reduced to 10 men and Messi ran riot.

To anyone who watched England soak up the Spanish possession (71%) and pressure continuously on Saturday evening, this may make familiar reading. This is not to suggest this is the way football should be played all the time. It is definitely not what England should look to repeat too often. And it certainly will not work every time it is tried. But under the right circumstances the methods employed by Capello on Saturday can be very effective.

Ultimately the most important question is whether England can be contenders at EURO 2012. Much has been made of England’s ongoing attempts to emulate the Spanish style, assurance on the ball and technique with the next generation of players. Nevertheless to be contenders in the short term, England must not necessarily look to Spain. The gulf in class is too great at present. In fact we should look to Germany for inspiration.

England should build on the defensive prowess and determination that they have long been renowned for and personified by Scott Parker against Spain. The challenge for England is to add the power, pace and counter-attacking devastation of the type displayed by Germany at the last World Cup to a steely defence. If Bent and Walcott are not the answer, then the likes of Sturridge, Welbeck, Adam Johnson, Ashley Young and Aaron Lennon could well have parts to play in the absence of Wayne Rooney and the increasingly injury plagued Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere.

If Capello manages to blend the right personnel before EURO 2012, England might be able to compete with the top nations next summer.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

It seems that in almost every aspect of the game, two clubs dominate the footballing world. They are Spanish super heavyweights Real Madrid and Barcelona. Any team boasting multiple stars is said to echo Real’s Galactico era, while teams – from League Two to the K-League – are said to be a mini-Barcelona. Even the duopoly of Spain’s La Liga is now also increasingly becoming the template in other major European football leagues.

The two clubs are, in a very true and clichéd sense, storied, expecting every year to be contenders for UEFA Champions’ League title. Both teams appear stronger than last year. Only an idiot or a savant would predict against either side’s success and going by online bookmakers, these two will be contesting the Champions League final this year.

2011 Summer Transfers

Real Madrid have spent rather inconspicuously over the summer when compared to their past two sprees. The major buys were Turkey’s Nuri Sahin, of Borussia Dortmund; and Portugal whizz-kid Fabio Coentrao to reinforce the left side. Other purchases have been smaller (eg. Hamit Altintop) and aimed at providing depth at positions 15-25, rather than at supplying instant first-teamers. It seems José Mourinho is content with a power lineup; even Madridista rumour-mongers have been quiet. Impressive names (Canales, Adebayor, Garay, Dudek, Gago) were shunted through the Bernabéu’s exits, but only Adebayor and perhaps Garay had any hope of seeing significant minutes.

Barcelona have further strengthened their attacking prospects by signing Europe’s favourite Chilean, Alexis Sánchez. They also ended to the longest saga of unrequited love since Shakespeare and purchased Cesc Fabregas. These creative midfield and forward types arrive at the expense of youngsters Oriol Romeu, Jeffren, Keirrison and Bojan; while defenders Henrique and Gaby Milito have returned to South America. It’s unlikley that any of these players were to feature prominently – Keirrison and Romeu, especially – but Bojan provided a certain thickness to the squad. The defensive reserves have implied (rather than obvious) quality, meaning Barca’s backline looks oddly thinner on paper than on the field.

Squad structure

Barcelona’s squad has undergone their first summer without significant addition-by-subtraction since Pep Guardiola took over in 2008. In his first offseason in charge, he farewelled Deco and Ronaldinho, before the year after trading Samuel Eto’o and cash for Zlatan Ibrahimovic in hopes of giving Barca’s attack a different look. Ibrahimovic lasted only one year, replaced by David Villa. Their back four – which at times featured Javier Mascherano, looks especially susceptible to infirmity given their relative ages and lack of proven backups. Carles Puyol – half teddy-bear, half grizzly-bear – leads the defence alongside the best young Centre-back in the world, Gerard Piqué. In midfield, the Catalans are well-stocked; the forward corps will upon the incredible Lionel Messi, Villa and Sanchez to score goals.

Real’s defence highlights their effective central defenders, Ricardo Carvalho and Pepe. Carvalho, at 33, remains the commander of Los Merengues‘ defence and allows his counterpart to occasionally rampage further upfield. Carvalho’s ageing must be of concern to Mourinho, even given his recent retirement from international duty; should he be injured, replacements Raul Albiol and Raphael Varane (or Alvaro Arbeloa when Ramos shifts into the middle) will have more athleticism but less positional ability. Mourinho has often opted for 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations; this enables him to focus play through whirlwind talents Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Özil, who can then score or create for the likes of Gonzalo Higuain or Karim Benzema.

Champions’ League Group Stages

Both clubs perhaps breathed a little easier after the Champions’ League group stage draw. Real were dealt a trip to former bogey-team Olympique Lyonnais alongside a signficantly weakened Ajax and Dinamo Zagreb. All three clubs are adept, but imagining them defeating los blancos is an act of admirable and misguided fantasy. The travel involved in such a group is also quite reasonable.

Barcelona are faced with a lengthy away trip to BATE Borisov, as well as a matchup with Czech outfit FC Viktoria Plzen, whose stadium fits only 8,500 fans. A match against AC Milan without Guardiola’s arch-nemesis Zlatan Ibrahimovic looms as their first game; the return leg at Giuseppe Meazza on November 23 is their trickiest tie of the group stage.

How can these two clubs not succeed?

The questions for Real Madrid don’t concern their outfield, but goalkeeper and manager. Jose Mourinho has the chance to win the Champions’ League with a fourth club and appears driven almost to megalomania by the desire to defeat Barcelona. Should his personality become too much of a distraction, he could attract the attention of UEFA or even President Florentino Perez and find his club suddenly in the hands of a different, less able manager – temporarily or permanently.

Spain captain Iker Casillas has been his country’s best goalkeeper for almost the entire millennium. Defensive blunders for club and country have increased in recent seasons, indicating perhaps his powers as a goalkeeper could be on the wane. He’s still of the utmost quality, but one mishap in the second phase could be destructive.

It’s amazing that there are three linked questions for the popularly-acknowledged “Best Team in Europe’s history”; all concern Barcelona’s durability. Considering Abidal’s health and Puyol’s age, is their defence deep enough to stand up to another punishing campaign? Secondly, can they overcome the Curse of the Repeat and claim an unprecedented* second straight win? Thirdly, will Guardiola, who has made noises about the high levels of stress he is under, be the first one to burn out?

Barcelona and Madrid – alongside United and City, if you turn your head to the side and squint really hard – have the best teams in Europe, yet both appear to have their weaknesses in defence. Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on your perception – both midfields are so strong that even weakened defences are likely to get absolutely the best protection. Both will make the semi-finals; this year’s Champions’ League victor is likely to again come from Spain.

* No team has repeated as winners of the Champions’ League since its inception in 1992-93; several teams won its predecessor, the European Cup, twice – or more – in a row.

Also See: Champions League Preview: Manchester Plots European Domination

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Jose Mourinho has many gifts. For organisation, for having team buy into a philosophy, for quick quips and irritation. It’s perhaps fitting that a master of hyperbole has been pilloried by the more rampant sensationalists in the British media concerning his antics during and after the Spanish Supercup.

As the four Clasicos in seventeen days last season proved, these teams have no love for each other – on or off the pitch. After their loss in the Champions’ League Semi-Final in (April/May), Mourinho made statements which, if he had his time again, would probably re-consider. Barcelona thought about legal action, but opted against it.

After a horrendous tackle by Marcelo on Barcelona new boy Cesc Fabregas, benches cleared. Mourinho is now under scrutiny for an incident involving Barcelona assistant Tito Villanova (bear in mind this analysis does come from the Daily Mail, well known for sensationalism). The Sun – also known for siutational amplification – also suggested Mourinho is approaching Real’s tolerance threshold. Even the more moderate Daily Telegraph and The Independent questioned The Special One’s tenure at the Bernabeu.

Comments branding Barcelona “a small team” didn’t help and, alongside his paranoiac mania following their Champions’ League exit, contribute to an image of a man either on the edge or who plays mind games at a black belt level. His comments more and more mimic those of dictators – strong, usually charismatic leaders with a firm grasp on a tiny part of the world – but from the outside viewed as small-time.

In today’s Guardian, a spokesman for Los Merengues’ manager says his role in the stoush was “defending Real Madrid’s interests”. The Independent – and Paul Hayward – have asked if Jose is still worth his antics. When each match between the two best teams in football descends into a melee, it is a fair question.

Even Real Madrid, a club not known for patience and lenience with their managers, would be rash to fire the man who has transformed them from also-rans into an outfit who will challenge Barcelona. The side has apparently improved markedly over the offseason, fuelled by more spending (Fabio Coentrao and Nuri Sahin) and another year’s acclimation to Mourinho’s tactics. In the match in question, most observers had them slightly edging the match until defeated by a typically classy Messi goal.

Jose may feel pressure to succeed and consequently just be acting out more. This is unlikely given his past posts and the high expectations he must have shouldered there. He may feel the mindset of his squad is so fragile it can’t bear a defeat to Barcelona without attendant, media-diverting controversy. Maybe his ego has become so large that he’s lost some perspective. Any increase in his antics is due to a combination of all three factors.

It would be folly to ignore the lack of discipline and leadership Jose Mourinho has received from the Real Madrid front office. Perhaps more than anything else, this has empowered Mourinho to say and do what he likes. Given his results so far, it would be wrong if he were made to fear for his job. But he should be made to respect discipline – UEFA’s, La Liga’s or from Perez himself.

Since his Chelsea days at least, Mourinho’s modus operandi has been to instill a siege mentality about his players, defending them from media scrutiny and removing any pressure from his boys by deflecting or absorbing it himself. By doing so, he’s produced remarkably successful units at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and now Real. At the Bernabeu, however, once former General Manager and blatant Jose-antagonist Jorge Valdano was removed, he’s received only minimal leadership from the front office. He has not been censured for his actions, some of which should have desperately deserved it.

Indeed by removing Valdano, Mourinho’s only internal source of dissent, Real President Florentino Perez has actually served as an enabler. Corporate, family or political leadership – real leadership – comes not from money, but from making tough decisions. In this, Florentino Perez has failed as Real Madrid President. While Jose Mourinho is mandated to bring success to Real Madrid on the pitch, it is Perez’s responsibility to make sure he does so in a manner worthy of his institution.

To draw parallels from politics, were Perez the head of a government and failed to adequately discipline a general he would risk his own career. In a non-entertainment business role – well, just look at what happened at the News of the World. When people whose job it is to get results don’t get guidance from above their practices can slip into the unorthodox, unpleasant and sometimes the illegal.

Jose Mourinho hasn’t done anything illegal during his status at Real. What he has done, though, is get (some) results and inflame an already-heated rivalry by being boorish. If Florentino Perez is happy to make that tradeoff, theirs shall be a match made in heaven. The only alternative is for Perez to man up and act like the leader his position says he should be.

Matthew Wood regularly contributes to Soccerlens.  You can read more of his analysis and commentary at Balanced Sports or follow him on Twitter @balanced_sports.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

2008/2009 was all-in-all Barcelona’s season. Pep Guardiola led his childhood club to glory like no other manager had done before him.

United on the other hand, weren’t too bad the whole season. They were back again in the UEFA Champions League final to defend the title that they had won last year against Chelsea.

08/09 Champions League for Manchester United

In 2008/09, Manchester United were in a rather easy group with Villarreal, Aalborg and Celtic. Four draws and two wins saw them top the group and move on to the first knockout stage.

They had Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan in the Round of 16. Julio Cesar saved the day at San Siro but United was too much to handle at the Old Trafford. United went through 2-0 on aggregate.

Porto caused some concerns for Alex Ferguson when they managed a 2-2 draw in Old Trafford in the quarterfinals. But a 1-0 away win guaranteed a place in the semifinal.

Arsenal was the semifinal opponents and United supporters were sure that United have the Gunners in their pocket for this one. United lived up to expectations and a 4-1 aggregate win awarded them a place in the final against the mighty Barcelona.

2008/2009 Champions League Semifinal: Manchester United vs Arsenal

08/09 Champions League for Barcelona

Barca, however, had a relatively easier start to the Champions League. Sporting, Shakhtar Donetsk and Basel didn’t cause them much trouble in group stages and a 6-3 aggregate win over Lyon in the Round of 16 meant it was all a walk in the park.

The quarterfinal opponents were Jurgen Klinsmann’s Bayern Munich. 4-0 at Nou Camp meant Guardiola’s men could just defend in the away leg. Aggregate score was 5-1.

The semifinal against Chelsea saw a lot of drama as Champions League was closing in on another all-English final. Actually a replay of last year’s final to be exact.

But Andres Iniesta’s late goal in the second leg meant Barca goes through to the final on away goals with the scores tied 1-1 over two legs.

2008/2009 Champions League Semifinal: Chelsea vs Barcelona

The Final

The final saw the beautiful Barca undone the moment of magic from Paul Scholes a year ago in 90 minutes.

Except the first few minutes of attack from the Red Devils, it was mostly one way traffic – the other way.

After a slow start, Barcelona had taken control of possession and Samuel Eto’o struck on the ten minute mark with a close-range near-post shot going just past Edwin van der Sar.

Then as the legs got tired, Barcelona’s young ace Lionel Messi rose between two of the best defenders, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to meet a cross and seal the game 2-0.

Whistle was blown and the Barcelona was crowned the 2009 UEFA Champions League champion.

2009 Champions League Final: Barcelona vs Manchester United

Teams in 08/09

Back in 08/09, Barcelona had a make-shift defense with Dani Alves and Eric Abidal missing. Yaya Toure was moved back to fill out the central defensive duties as Carles Puyol covered for Alves. Youngster Sergio Busquets was given the opportunity to perform at such a huge stage, so early in his career.

Xavi and Iniesta completed the midfield with Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry as wide forwards and Eto’o up ahead.

Manchester United, to start off with, still had Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. CR started and Tevez was brought on in the 46th minute for Anderson (because unlike in the FIFA game, Anderson can’t take on the prowess of Xavi and Iniesta).

Also van der Sar, Ryan Giggs and Scholes were young-er. Dimitar Berbatov was considered a very expensive goal-scorer. His going rate at that time was something like five or six million a goal.

Teams in 10/11

Since the match hasn’t been played yet, I will not be able to glorify Barcelona even more in a handful of paragraphs. So lets jump to the current squads:

Barcelona squad:
As we have noticed during the El Clasicos that Barcelona lack the depth in their squad. Throwing lots of high-importance fixtures their way seems to be the only way to beat them; as Real Madrid conducted the experiment.

In the final on 28th May, however, we expect that Barcelona will not have that problem.

Samuel Eto’o, Theirry Henry and Yaya Toure might be missing but Gerard Pique will be playing (hopefully) and up front, we have witnessed Pedro to have taken the step up. Also, the addition of David Villa to the ranks will somewhat fill the space Eto’o left behind.

Busquets will be available as well and now he has picked up a couple of years of experience and taken some acting classes.

Manchester United squad:
Squad depth is certainly not the issue with United.

Ronaldo and Tevez might not be here but they have been replaced with Berbatov and Javier Hernandez. Also, Wayne Rooney is coming back to form.

Nani and Antonio Valencia have both done a fine job on the wings. Two players who didn’t take the part in the 2009 final. Nani was on the bench and was left on the bench.

This year Ferguson has a fantastic team. A team full of talent and flair. But the actual question is, will Ferguson’s tactics this time be good enough to overcome Barcelona’s?

United fans will say yes and come up with a hundred theories, Barca/United haters will say yes/no and add a hate-comment to it and Barca fans will say no and come up with a hundred theories.

One thing that should be learned from the 08/09 final is that if you’re going to attack Barca early then you better as hell score. If they get the ball off you, you’ll be running around like a dog all day.

What else has changed?

In 08/09, Guardiola was new and no one had quite figured it out how to play against Barcelona. It has been three years since and we have seen Barcelona get defeated at the hands of a very few.

But one thing is for sure. Teams are building confidence in what little hope they see of beating Barcelona. They have realized that no matter how well rehearsed and efficient Barcelona are, they can be beaten.

Their terrific form over three seasons is also getting on other people’s nerves topped up with the on-field theatrics of Busquets and Pedro – mainly Busquets.

Alex Ferguson is one of the most experienced and seasoned tactician and with rumors circulating of his retirement, he will definitely want to give fans the Champions League glory to top off the 19th title and rub it in Liverpool’s face a bit more.

And Guardiola knows that very well.

Road to London

Barcelona had Copenhagen, Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos in Group D, where they eased through to the Round of 16. The much debatable match against Arsenal ended in a close 4-3 aggregate to Barca’s favor.

The quarterfinal was a rather easy draw, Shakhtar Donetsk were no match for the Catalan giants as they won the two-legged tie 6-1.

The semifinal was a part of the four El Clasicos to be played in 18 days. With Madrid drawing the first and winning the second, it seemed like Mourinho has finally overthrown Barca.

Barcelona won 2-0 at Santiago Bernabeu and drew 1-1 at home. Theatrics from both side saw people flame the two teams and mainly Barcelona between the two legs. I know that doesn’t sound right, but that is what happened.

The away leg surely made the critics silent as Barcelona players stayed on their feet (or tried to) and Madrid players repeatedly got away without getting a second booking.

On the flip side, Manchester United had a relatively tougher group. In Group C, they were joined by Valencia, Rangers and Bursaspor. But it was like a piece of cake.

In the Round of 16, Marseille fell to United 2-1 on aggregate. United won both legs of the quarterfinal against Chelsea and won the tie 3-1.

The semifinal was won before the first whistle blew. Even though Schalke had overcome defending champions Inter Milan but so did Tottenham.

United made the win official right in the first leg away from home by winning 2-0 at Veltins Arena. The two-legged match ended 6-1.

Semifinal decides the winner?

Let me take you back to 2008 UEFA Champions League final. Manchester United vs Chelsea. I won’t talk about the 2007 final because justice was done that day to AC Milan.

United faced Barcelona in the semifinal and won with just one goal scored by Scholes from long range. Chelsea faced Liverpool in the semifinal and they managed to overcome the Reds 4-3 in extra time. United won.

In 2009, Barcelona faced Chelsea in a crunching 1-1 draw over two legs and away goals rule deciding the winner. United scored three away goals against Arsenal in their semi. Barca won.

In 2010, even though Bayern Munich had won the Round of 16 (against Fiorentina) and the quarterfinal (against United) on away goals but both the time they managed three away goals. In the semifinal, Bayern won 4-0 over two legs against Lyon. Inter Milan on the other hand had to stop Barcelona from scoring two goals at the Nou Camp. Inter won.

Non-football reference: India beat fierce arch rival Pakistan in the 2011 Cricket World Cup semifinal and went on to win the cup. Like you care, right?

The 2011 CL Final

Barcelona have played against Real Madrid in the semifinal and came away as 3-1 winners after being considered slight underdogs in a long, long time. United has had an easy road to the final comparatively. You can argue but you know Schalke starts with a Madrid-reject (so did Inter though).

Prediction: Odds point towards Barcelona taking the trophy again but all I know is that it will be a tightly contested match with Barcelona somehow winning the night.

Lets just say that it will be kind of like Spain vs England.

Disclaimer: Forgive me, I am a Barcelona fan.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The debate about who is the world’s greatest player has revolved for nearly five years now around two names: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who now leads the line at Real Madrid after emerging as a tricksy winger at Manchester United. Only two other names are mentioned: Messi’s Barca teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta. Opinion is divided on the subject, often down party/club lines. But our recent spate of Clasicos may have provided us with an ultimate answer.

While overshadowed by Jose Mourinho’s manic rants, Pepe’s debatable red card and Messi’s magical goals, Cristiano Ronaldo toiled like a workman in his role as Real’s forward fulcrum. He was effective in the second match – scoring the deciding header from Angel Di Maria’s cross – but as the third match devolved into a shouting match and the fourth saw Real’s Champions’ League hopes fade as Javier Mascherano theatrically won a free kick outside his area, Ronaldo’s penchant for forward play was thrown into sharp relief.

Cristiano Ronaldo, deservedly, is the focus of most of Real’s attacking verve as he’s their best player. According to ESPN Soccernet he’s scored a remarkable 42 goals on the season, created a further twelve – scoring or creating 43.2% of all his club’s goals this term. Since he arrived at Carrington in 2003, he and his game have evolved a remarkable amount. He started at United as a wide forward with exceedingly tricky feet and a thunderous shot.

Now, Cristiano Ronaldo has evolved into the all-purpose forward: he’s tall enough and good enough in the air to act as a target man, has the same remarkable footskills as when he arrived, and his neck musculature must be seen (and gawked at) to be believed. He delivers “bullet headers” like almost no-one else. Physically, there may not ever have been a more perfect footballing specimen.

These qualities allowed him to become the centrepiece of a United squad which bullied the Premiership for three years before departing for pastures blanco. Now on the other side of the fence he has dominated La Liga, much like Messi has from Catalonia. But, since his evolution into such a dominating forward force, in the most important games he has yet to take the game consistently by the throat. His recent big match performances have been consistently solid and workmanlike, rather than those blistering games which Messi has so recently delivered.

It is obviously extraordinarily harsh and incorrect to suggest that United’s, and now Real’s failures lie at the feet of the Varnished One. When competing against Barcelona, very few clubs are able to cope and eleven players maketh a team, not one. He hasn’t been positioned as well as Messi – having players nearly, but not quite the same calibre as an Iniesta or Xavi. Tactically also, los Merengues have been set up to counterstrike, as is coach Jose Mourinho’s wont – a position which rankles football’s most expensive player.

But given his dominance both United and Real have been built around him, rather than his slotting in to upgrade a position. This isn’t meant to be criticism – if anything, it’s a compliment as very few athletes are able to walk into such a large club and have their skills demand the club be shaped around them. While both he and Messi are essentially now forwards without strict positional definition, you Messi would fit into any team in the world without that squad having to remodel around him. With Ronaldo, that’s not the case.

One example of this reshuffling – an on-the-fly job, even -which easily springs to mind was during his last match in a Red Devil shirt: the 2009 Champions’ League final which saw Wayne Rooney shunted out to the left so Ronaldo could weave his magic down the centre. Where each had come to United to play one position, Cristiano Ronaldo’s skills grew so much that on the biggest stage, his game forced Sir Alex Ferguson into making a tactical decision (again, an understandable one given Ronaldo’s scoring prowess) where he and Rooney switched roles.

Perhaps he finds chances to impose himself on the biggest matches limited because as he’s grown into such a fantastic player, his role has become less defined. Over their recent Clasico binge Mourinho favoured a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation with Ronaldo alternatively being charged with creating, or finishing – but never starting in the same “position”. He is the utility forward, told to “make stuff happen”. While Gonzalo Higuain and now Karim Benzema have been effective playing alongside Ronaldo, it appears as if his presence so dominates the front half that other forwards are either overshadowed or are forced to get out of his way.

In simple terms, it seems as if other players share the game with Messi. With Ronaldo’s combination of physical and mental gifts, it seems it’s his game and he lets you join in. Sometimes. This is ultimately frustrating for such a player – Michael Jordan went through the same process in Chicago – but rewarding. For the moment, Lionel Messi’s ability to blend with all types and impose his will without dominating others makes him an irresistible choice as “World’s Best”. It may be a matter only of circumstance that denies Ronaldo his claim at that title. Or it could be that his game evolved so much he won’t approach that level until used in a definite position which matches his unmatched skill-set.

For more analysis and opinion, shoot across to Balanced Sports.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News