Italy are notorious for their nonchalant attitude towards friendlies, an opportunity to test new players and tactics but no reason to arduously seek a good result, but this performance will put them in good stead for their World Cup qualifier against Malta next week.

In these non-competitive games we have become accustomed to witnessing dour contests lacking both intensity and personality, however the match in Geneva showcased two teams with World Cup winning ambitions, and both will gain confidence from proceedings.

Mario Balotelli and Neymar exchange shirts after the friendly in Switzerland.

Brazil, once again managed by 2002 World Cup winning manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation which initially struggled to grasp the game. The intensity of the Italians, led by pressing from Emanuele Giaccherini and Daniele De Rossi, managed to stop the likes of Oscar and Hernanes (employed in a deep-lying role) from dictating play.

The movement and interchanging from the Seleção however made it hard for Neymar to be negated, with the precocious forward constantly drifting from his left-wing to adopt the centre forward position whilst Fred and Hulk pushed to the vacated flanks.

Fred grabbed his third goal in successive games after a cross from Filipe Luis wasn’t initially dealt with by Christian Maggio. Leonardo Bonucci flicked the ball on and debutant Mattia De Sciglio was not close enough to the Brazil number nine who impressively volleyed in.

Italian Line-up which faced Brazil.

Indeed De Sciglio could also be held accountable for the second, which was a magnificent counter-attack where Neymar demonstrated his unique capabilities with a football. The AC Milan full-back had a cross blocked and in the resulting counter-attack did not track back fast enough, allowing Neymar to delightfully play a reverse pass into Oscar, who finished with aplomb past Gianluigi Buffon with the outside of his boot.

Prandelli tinkered with the formation at half-time and the introduction of Stephan El Shaarawry and Alessio Cerci allowed Italy to play with two inside forwards who could attack the susceptible full-backs Filipe and Dani Alves. The Torino winger Cerci was the man who made a bigger difference and helped create room down the right for Maggio to exploit.

Italy’s first goal came from a corner which was poked in by De Rossi. Alves missed contact with the delivery and with nobody placed on the far-post; the Roma midfielder scored his 14th International goal. The equaliser however was a cracker.

Neymar’s dribbling at speed demonstrated his incredible talent.

With David Luiz bringing the ball out of defence, a one-two with Chelsea team-mate Oscar faltered when the midfielder under hit his pass, which ended up in the feet of Mario Balotelli. Up to this point the forward had been impressive, but his potency had not been up to scratch. Sprinting down the pitch and surrounded by four yellow jerseys, the former-Manchester City player unleashed a ferocious shot from about 25-yards out which Julio Cesar helplessly attempted to stop.

The remainder of the game petered out somewhat in comparison to the first hour, with Bonucci coming closest with a header just wide of Cesar’s goal.

Both Neymar and Balotelli illustrated in Switzerland why they are held in such a high manner. Mainstream perceptions of them in England are quite stale, with the Brazilian failing to live up to the hype after being relatively quiet in the nation’s encounter last month while Balotelli never quite fulfilled his potential in Manchester.

Both Italy and Brazil will have learnt a few answers from this game and with the foundation of both nations in set, there is no doubt that they will be contenders for the 2014 World Cup.

Rooney’s Future Is In Doubt

Highs

1. 31/08/04 – Four goals at Euro 2004 convinced Sir Alex Ferguson to spend £27m on the precocious 18-year-old. The sum was a world record spent on a teenager; eclipsing the previous record of £20m that A.S. Roma spent on Antonio Cassano. “I think we have got the best young player this country has seen in the past 30 years,” Ferguson said.
2. 28/09/04 – After sustaining a metatarsal injury in the European Championships, Rooney’s long awaited debut was against Turkish side Fenerbahce, and it was worth the wait. The number 8 scored three splendid goals past the helpless Rüştü Reçber.
3. 27/02/06 – A brace from Rooney helped The Red Devils to a 4-0 victory over Wigan and gave the former Everton player his first professional trophy. He was also named man of the match.
4. 05/05/07 – Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty ensured they won the Manchester derby 1-0, helping United to their first league title in three seasons after Chelsea’s failure to beat Arsenal the following day. Rooney scored 14 league goals in 2006/07.
5. 22/05/08 – A dramatic penalty shoot-out victory against Chelsea earned United their third European Cup. Rooney however is substituted for Nani in extra-time. Overcame early season niggles to score 18 goals in all competitions and also won a successive League title.
6. 25/04/10 – Rewarded for his imperious form by being awarded PFA player of the year, four years after winning the young player award. Playing more as a poacher, he scores 34 goals in all competitions, including four against Hull City. Also recorded his 100th Premier League goal ironically against Arsenal; the side he first scored against as a 16-year-old for Everton.
7. 12/02/11 – After a tumultuous season, Rooney redeems himself to the Old Trafford faithful by scoring an overhead kick against Manchester City in a 2-1 victory. Ferguson speaks glowingly “I can’t ever remember a better goal at Old Trafford.”
8. 11/02/12 – Rooney marks his 350th Manchester United game with a double as they defeat Liverpool 2-1. The game is surrounded by controversy as Luis Suarez refuses to shake Patrice Evra’s hand.

Sarcasm Gets Rooney Nowhere

Lows

1. 14/09/05 – Kim Milton Nielsen is infamous to England fans for sending David Beckham off against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup, but he is also remembered as the first man to send Rooney off in a United shirt. The forward was shown a second yellow card for sarcastically applauding the Danish referee in a European tie against Villarreal.
2. 16/09/05 – Advised to see an anger management specialist after a series of outbursts cause concern. Aside from the Villarreal debacle, that same month he loses his head in England’s defeat to Northern Ireland where even David Beckham can’t negate his rage.
3. 29/04/06 – The pursuit for a first Premier League in two seasons was ended after a 3-0 defeat away to Chelsea. To add to the despair, Rooney fractured a metatarsal after an innocuous challenge from Paulo Ferreira, putting his World Cup aspirations in doubt.
4. 21/03/09 – Shown a second yellow card against Fulham for hurling the ball in the direction of referee Phil Dowd. Liberates his anger by punching the corner flag on the way to the tunnel.
5. 20/10/10 – Hands in a transfer request after concerns the manager will not invest heavily in the squad. However two days later he signs a new five-year contract. Ferguson is heavily praised for his stance in the fiasco and he states “I think Wayne now understands what a great club Manchester United is.”
6. 02/04/11 – An illustration that Rooney still possesses a fiery side is witnessed by millions at home as the Englishman swears down a television camera. Recovering from 2-0 down, Rooney scored a hat-trick against West Ham but his outburst leads the FA to issue him a two-game ban.
7. 01/01/12 – Dropped for the Blackburn fixture after breaching club rules by going out for dinner with his family, accompanied by Jonny Evans and Darron Gibson. Fined a week’s wages and made to do an extra days training. United lose 3-2 at home to a team who started the game at the foot of the table.
8. 05/03/13 – Left out of the starting line-up for the second leg fixture against Real Madrid. Despite scoring against Norwich City at the weekend, the 27-year-old is only a second-half substitute regardless of being renowned as a player who can do a disciplined role for the team. “Maybe the writing is on the wall for him,” says former captain Roy Keane.

The idea of discrimination still persisting in today’s world is hard for anyone to comprehend. Over a process of time, education has been important to try and abolish prejudices which have stemmed down from the past to help establish equality. With its working class roots, football grounds have previously been the place in which people from ethnic minorities have suffered vile abuse. Most had felt those days were a thing of the past until the recent John Terry and Luis Suarez racism scandals, which has prodded the question ‘Is there still racism in football’?

Firstly, it is important to actually define what racism is and how it affects people. Hylton defines its mainstream definition (2009, p.10) ‘Racism is considered as a popular analytical concept that many imbue with little credibility in its potential to interrogate the social and historical reasons for the developed hierarchies and transhistorical advantages accruing to particular socio-economic groups.’ The process of this prejudice stems downs from ancestors and how the previous use of black people as slaves for example is still exemplified by some to perceive they are a ‘superior’ race. Tomlinson (2007, P.307) expressed how sport is important to bring people together ‘Sport has been a major factor in breaking down racial and religious barriers… Sport can bring about a situation of oneness regardless of colour’.

To try and understand the social problems, the critical race theory (CRT) (Hylton, 2009) has become a popular academic study to establish why there is inequality. The study has focused on white supremacy and the possibility of achieving racial liberation and anti-subordination. A brief summarisation by Hylton on CRT is a (2009, P.22) ‘ Framework from which to explore and examine the racism in society that privileges whiteness as it disadvantages others because of their ‘blackness’. The theory initiated in America and was used around the time of the civil rights movement, with the problem being far more contemporary and common over there than in England. Despite laws being in place, the theory points out that white people will do anything to bypass that regulation and discourage the involvement of somebody from an ethnic minority background.

Racism In Football Topic Was Rekindled After The Suarez And Evra Incident.

The idea of the theory is (WiseGEEK, 2012) ‘It looks at how racial pride in being white can manifest in acceptable ways, and how it can manifest as white superiority. Additionally, it may consider what whites can legitimately do to assist the critical examination of race, without abusing their position of power.’

Looking into racism you have to take into account somebodies social background which can help apply why they are/are not racist. Hylton talks about how sport is the same as many other social integration points (2009, p.24) ‘Societies are constituted of individuals who have internalised the dominant worldviews and hegemonic practices that have found their expression in key institutions such as education, politics, health, housing, law and the arts, and sport is not exempt from this.’

Another theory which is important when talking about racism origins is the Functionalist theory. Talcott Parsons believed (Sociology Guide, 2011) ‘that order, stability and cooperation in society are based on value consensus that is a general agreement by members of society concerning what is good and worthwhile.’

This theory explains of a divide in society – the majority and minority. The theory suggests that racism is just one way in how society works. Despite the wish for equality, there will always be a divide. Just like there are the rich and poor. Even though these classes would have been more applicable in the past, the theorists believe it still persists today in some quarters. The superior complex is the main crux of the argument here and racial differences do not seem to be the main protagonist in this theory. The believers of this model consider society acts as a whole, so when immigrants come to an area, they will have their benefits and will gradually fit into the ‘working circle’.

Importance Of Black Role Models Like Eubank Has Helped To Quash Racism

It is argued by Tomlinson (2007, P.144) that this theory does not work within sport, or only for an initial period ‘Sport offers forms of membership and participation in collective action and experience which may be temporarily strong but which are transient and ultimately weaker and more vulnerable than those on offer in the rest of modern culture, economy and politics’.

The functionalist theory can be used for the perhaps ‘colour-blind’ nature of football in England. Despite the perceived equality, if you look across the 92 professional clubs in the country, only two are managed by someone of ethnic minority. It was not until 2008 that the Premier League had its first black manager in Paul Ince. Should we perceive this as racism? Across the board most chairman and board of directors are white middle-class men. Perhaps with their heritage, linking in with CRT, they might have a racial prejudice stigma and sub-consciously are opposed to black managers.

A study by football journalist Oliver Holt (Mirror, 2011) looked into this suspect inequality. As of September last year ’25% of our players are black but only 2% of our managers are.’ Ex-footballer Andrew Cole said he gave up his coaching badges because he felt he would not be given a chance. Stats like this are hard to understand, and lack of encouragement and opportunities are surely to show for this.

So what is the proposed plan to help eradicate this? The Rooney rule has been discussed in some quarters, something which has been successful since its introduction in the NFL and has the support of the public. A decade ago the league was in a similar position to the Football League and the Premier League (Channel 4, 2011) ‘While 75 per cent of American football players were black, of 32 clubs just two had black head coaches.’ The way the rule works is when a club conduct interviews for a new coach it is compulsory to interview one person of ethnic minority background. The rule has proved a success in the rise of black managers (Channel 4, 2011) ‘In seven years, a near 300 per cent increase in black head coaches.’

The only argument against this rule is it would feel like a sympathy vote. The ethnic minority coaches would be given an interview perhaps not on merit. It can also damage morale. If a club is ruled by privately racist members, even if it’s compulsory to interview you, it still will not change their mind. This could see an increase in the number of coaches retiring from lack of self-belief. The idea has for now been ruled out by the Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore (Guardian, 2011) ‘We have to make sure the grassroots system in place means there are no barriers or difficulties for coaches coming through. When there are only 20 jobs, you cannot imagine filling quotas. It’s impossible.’

The way in which ethnic minorities have become such a significant part of English football is a paradox to what happened in the past. It was not until 1978 that England had their first black representative, Viv Anderson, at International level, (England Football Online, 2011) the 936th player to represent England. As expressed by Cashmore (2005, P.206) ‘Tens of thousands of young African Caribbean’s who grew up in British inner cities in the 1970s and 1980s are now reflecting on a sports career that never was.’ England could now field an entire 11 with people from ethnic backgrounds. If this had happened 20 years ago perhaps it would not have been socially accepted and fans would have questioned the lack of ‘whiteness’. Abuse players were subject too from verbal to banana throwing was psychologically damaging, yet in general the public’s perception on race is not as radical as previously was. New generations of fans, mostly well educated, have no issues anymore, unlike what would have happened in the past when it might have felt like an ‘invasion’.

The reason why these racial inequalities persist is because of a historical context. Cashmore (2005, P.216) explains how past mentalities have not altered during the generations ‘The origins of this hostility lie in the European colonial expansion of the seventeenth century. Slavery meant that white masters maintained their dominance over black slaves and so kept a rigid inequality’. Perhaps people still with racist views have those past powers at the forefront of their beliefs and struggle to accept equality. Cashmore explains ‘The inequality has been modified and lessened in the decades following emancipation, but black populations have never quite shed the remnants of their shackles and white people have passed on their colonial mentality.’ As generations pass these “shackles” will gradually wear off because perceptions have evolved.

What has helped to eradicate these views has been the success of the black athletes in all sports. From boxing champions like Frank Bruno, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank to contemporary stars like Lewis Hamilton and Rio Ferdinand, race has not become an issue like it once was. Perhaps the most logical explanation for this is because people have become more acceptant towards other ethnic backgrounds. Before it may have been seen as black people were intruding. Views like this are still prominent in the BNP’s guidelines, but in comparison to our European neighbours, England should be proud at how it changed and still wants to make a difference. Instances such as racist chanting to Mario Balotelli when he was in Italy to Roberto Carlos having a banana thrown at him show our European counterparts are going through a similar stage of evolving as we once did 30 years ago, as for them this is a new issue.

Rehman – A Rare Asian Figure In English Football

The way in which the black players are perceived in England has changed greatly. Previously it had been said by chairman that black players were important for their physical superiority but where intelligence was needed on the field, white players would be employed there. Cashmore explains why he thinks there are a lack of midfield players in the 1980′s (1982, P.177) ‘I propose that this is partly due to coaches’ and mangers’ stereotyped view of black’s intellectually capacities.’ Looking at the modern game although there are a vast amount of black players now in this position, compared to Remi Moses in the 1980′s, you would have to question if there role has changed. The standout attributes of the black players in this country is his: energy, tackling and strength. Do the same problems exist like they did in the 80′s? Cashmore also attributed this problem to the black kids and how they idolised players who generally played in positions like forwards. Perhaps the lack of true role model for this creative midfielder is the reason for the lack of creative black players here, but it would be hard to attribute this to racism. The importance of a role model is signified by Boxhill (2003,P.315) ‘The purpose of a role model is to provide an example to black people of personal success achieved within the laws and customs of the realm.’ With a lack of an idol, ethnic minority children may have been put off from pursuing a career in sport as well as the racism taunts.

A foundation which has been implemented to fight against racism is Kick It Out. As discussed by Carrington and McDonald, racism seems to on the decline in stadia (2001 , P138) ‘There is persuasive evidence that a long way has been travelled from the ‘bad days’ of the 1970s with a decline in the overall frequency, and a significant decrease in the amount of racist chanting.’ The reason for this has been the introduction of schemes such as Kick It Out which have been supported from everyone within the game. The scheme was founded in 1993 and their purpose is it (Kick It Out, 2012) ‘works throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and work for positive change.’

Campaigns like these have gone a long way to turn the country around and make us frown at places like Spain and Russia which are still struggling with cultural acceptance. The situation that this country was in makes you proud to see the turn around. Take John Barnes for an example, who explains the abuse he received (Guardian, 2011) ‘In his 1980s pomp – and that’s not so long ago – he had to endure racism on a daily basis. Not just racism from opposing supporters, he stressed, but racism from inside his own team dressing room, on the training pitch and even in the players’ canteen.’

Wagg however believes that racial prejudice occurs to black players who have to adopt a “white mask” which helps blend them in with their white peers (2004, P.169) ‘This need to perform to the expectations of the white men who design the stages, and dictate the language and the social norms that define whiteness in the context of coaching qualifications, is executed by adopting the ‘white mask’.

One ethnic minority group which might have a cause for concern is the Asians. The amount of British Asians in the Premier League over the years has been scarce, with Zesh Rehman being the only one while Michael Chopra is half Indian. One club trying to address this problem is Chelsea, who run an Asian Soccer Star scheme. Children aged 8-13 attend a May bank holiday weekend trial and one winner from each age group is given a week’s training session with the club during the summer. The general attendance is encouraging with children from Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi backgrounds (Chelsea, 2010) ‘Last year’s initiative saw 350 young people attending the Cobham training ground. Two of last year’s winners have since gone to be signed by Leyton Orient and Southend. ‘

This scheme follows in the path of CRT and try’s to fight back against the lack of opportunities offered to the Asian community. Despite most of these kids never making it at Chelsea, the idea of working within the community is important to show the club understands the lack of provision and will offer opportunities while other clubs have not.

Yet the issue might be more to do with their parents rather than racial prejudices. Asian families are known strongly to favour education, and in general if they following a sporting path it will be either cricket (Monty Panesar, Ajmal Shazhad) or boxing (Amir Khan, Naseem Hamed). Perhaps the Asian parents have a bad perception of football (Daily Mail,2011) ‘Many still display similar scepticism to that initially shown by Mr and Mrs Bharma in the 2002 hit film Bend it Like Beckham – which illustrated, albeit in a light-hearted fashion, how many Asian parents perceive sport not to be a viable career path for their children.’

Rehman, who played for Fulham, had a similar ordeal as a kid, but was recommended to forget the career by his coaches. He was told (Daily Mail, 2011) ‘To take up cricket instead of football. I was told directly to my face by an FA coach that I would not make it because I had the wrong diet, was scared of the weather and that I liked cricket more than football.’ Solid evidence like this is worrying, and discrimination is clearly evident here. Seeing as this incident happed in 1994, you would presume these sorts of views were being eliminated from the game because as a country we have changed our ways. Another example of stereotyping around this time was by Sheffield United manager Dave Bassett, who argued that (Burdsey 2007, P.29) ‘the Asian build is not that of a footballer. It may well be that Asian ingredients in food, or their nutrition that they take, [are] not ideal for building up a physical frame’. Rehman however agrees to this idea after saying his mum had to change his diet to pasta after a recommendation sheet from Fulham.

The Terry Case Has Made People Questioned Whether Racism Is Still Evident Amongst The English

The accusation from the higher authorities is that Asian kids would rather play in their own leagues and are not mixing with other kids, so it will be harder to get scouted. Rehman created his own foundation in 2010 to help the Asian kids have a better pathway into football. The foundation has identified there is a clear lack of representation and is hoping to make a difference (Zesh Rehman Foundation, 2012) ‘It is evident that Asian communities are still under represented at all levels of the game, as players, officials, coaches, administrators, within the media and even at grounds as supporters.’

While black people have become socially accepted, the Asian community seems to still struggle. Carrington illustrates the shift of exclusion (2010, P.150) ‘If the 1990s marks a moment of tentative inclusion for black communities in Britain, the decade when ‘there ain’t no black in the Union Jack’ begins to lose its purchase and popular hold, then the same period signals the beginnings of a new racialized subject of exclusion: the Asian Muslims.’ A lot of this is pointed to the terrorist attacks which occurred in 2005 and 9/11. People are more sceptable towards Asian people and perhaps this is why we are seeing the exclusion in sport. As Carrington points out (2010, P.15) ‘The Asian subject that was previously understood to be docile, subservient, even weak, yet potentially assimilable, and, but for tone of skin and spice of food, almost one of ‘us’, is now seen to have ‘turned’.

The feeling in the mainstream media was racism was at an all-time low. Cases had been scarce and incident involving crowds were to a minimal. Then Luis Suarez abused Patrice Evra. The Uruguayan had said (Guardian, 2012) ‘”negro” during his confrontation with Patrice Evra at Anfield and maintained he used the word once and not in the derogatory manner that resulted in an eight-match ban plus £40,000 fine for racist abuse.’ His plea of cultural differences was rubbished and was gladly punished. What would be pleasing is he is not English, so that keeps some cleanliness to our game, until John Terry was caught up in his own case. After an altercation with Anton Ferdinand he was judged to have used racist language. Now if the England captain is charged, what does that say about the state of English football? The big problem would be if he remained captain if found guilty.

Of course total eradication of racism has not occurred, and it would be hard to ever remove it completely, but the stance and the disgust against the offenders shows how dramatic the shift is. Zero-tolerance polices embodied by the FA in the Luis Suarez case go to show this discrimination is getting clamped down and if people are stupid enough to persist, you will be charged.

Looking into education is a key idea to prevent stereotyping happening. As discussed by Giulianotti, teachers would push black kids towards sport as they thought they would have natural ability while (2004, P.162) ‘teachers posses the equally racial assumption that Asians are not ‘natural’ athletes, and so discourage them from competitive sports’.

The policies in place to tackle these problems have proved to a success, and the more support they can receive can only help with the progression of a functionalist society. Personally, I think racism in this country is not a severe issue, but the problem will always persist in some capacity. Despite the recent on field problems involving specifically Liverpool, if you compare England to the rest of Europe, we have become one of the most cosmopolitan countries and are continuing to tackle discrimination through education. However there are still some issues which should be a concern, especially the lack of coaches from ethnic minority backgrounds and the perceived racial stereotypes which were highlighted by the likes of Rehman.

Bibliography
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Burdsey, D, 2007. British Asians and football – culture, identity, exclusion. Oxon: Routledge
Carrington, B., and McDonald, I, 2001. ‘Race’, Sport and British Society. London: Routledge
Cashmore, E., 1982. Black Sportsmen. London: Routledge
Cashmore, E., 2005. Making sense of sports. 4th edition. Oxon: Routledge
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Averaging a goal every four and a half games since his transfer down south, Torres seemed to have the role as no.9 nailed on this season, aided with the departure of Didier Drogba and Romelu Lukaku’s loan to West Brom. The club have supported him continually and suspension has been the only obstacle preventing him being involved in every game. However being relegated to the bench for the must win clash in Turin against Juventus has fuelled the rumour-mill once more that The Blues will be back in for a forward come January. With Daniel Sturridge the only serious competition for his position (despite being more effective on the right), Torres seems to have another six weeks to convince he still has the quality to lead the frontline for the European Champions.

The demise of Torres coincided with his injuries and the burden of such an overbearing transfer fee. Pressure was immediately upon him and at times during his spell in London it has seemed he has tried too hard. Bereft of confidence in front of goal, Torres has almost become a defensive forward at times, putting in a shift but not providing the goals. His overall game is arguably as strong as it was when at Anfield, but once he gets in a shooting position he lacks that predatory instinct which made him so prolific. Belief in him waned towards the end of the last campaign and Drogba got the nod in the Champions League and FA Cup finals.

Torres’s Position Is Under Threat

His spell at Chelsea has had brief moments of buoyancy, perfectly summarised with his winning goal in the Camp Nou last April which secured a place in the Champions League final. A hat-trick against QPR and this wonderful strike against Newcastle demonstrate he still has the capability, but just lacks the consistency. The support from the fans has helped to keep him positive, especially at times last season where he openly stated how dark times got “They lifted my spirits so many times. Not even my team-mates succeeded in doing that in this way. Whatever I do from now on will be for the fans. At times I was thinking ‘I will sit here on the bench, I won’t make any noise, I don’t even want to play.’ But they are demanding that you jump on the pitch and play.”

Come the end of the winter transfer window, you would expect Chelsea to have invested in a new striker. Radamel Falcao idealistically appears to be the man to replace Torres, but Edinson Cavani is another alternative; who impressed when he helped dismantle them in Europe last season. Falcao has been stupendous since he left River Plate for Europe, scoring 121 goals in three and a half seasons, and his treble in the European Super Cup in August against Chelsea only enhanced the desire for the English side to sign him. As for Torres, his career is at a crossroads. 2012/13 appeared to be the time where the Torres of old would return. A Golden Boot which helped Spain retain the European Championship, as well as the departure of the imperious Drogba enabled the perfect platform; however the Spaniard has not embarked on this challenge. With Abramovich famed for his short patience, a departure from Chelsea might come quicker than expected unless Torres can rediscover his shooting boots.

Radamel Falcao Seems To Be Interesting Chelsea

The boys grew up on a farm in Norfolk and were always destined to play rugby. Their father Nick played scrum-half and represented the Red Roses on six occasions. Ben Youngs told fond anecdotes at the team’s hotel in Surrey on Thursday how the two brothers would play ‘attack vs. defence’ out in the fields. Tom’s younger brother happily admitted he did not have the farming endeavour of his sibling, and how this grit and fortitude drove him to make it as a professional. Tom recollects how his first game at hooker went “I remember playing my first 90 minutes for Nottingham and just running around like a headless chicken. I wanted to become the best hooker in the Championship, and making sure I set little goals has been important in my career.”

Remarkably, his career has not followed the archetypal rugby path because Youngs converted from playing as a centre to the front-row. After the suggestion from former Leicester Tigers Coach Heyneke Meyer’s that both he and the club would have faith in him if he made the move, Youngs was given a few weeks to deliberate the decision “My dad said: ‘It’s your career, your life. Go ahead and do it if you want to give it a shot.” A move to Nottingham on dual registration allowed him the freedom to learn the arts in the lower division. “It was a matter of setting small targets and taking small steps. I had my head shoved up my arse on more than one occasion, but I was always able to go back to Leicester and talk things through with the top players there.” He also ensured his coaches reviewed tapes of his games and were analytical on his performance; keen to seek out where he was making mistakes. Was there much hesitation in his decision to alter position? “I was a hard-running centre who enjoyed tackling and knew how to pick a decent line, but I couldn’t kick. I didn’t have the skills to really make the grade in midfield. I’m glad I made the switch, although I wouldn’t say it’s been easy.” His first outing as a number two was actually against his parent club in a friendly; an occasion he is not likely to forget in a hurry “The Leicester front row that day was Marcos Ayerza, George Chuter and Martin Castrogiovanni, all of them internationals. I was on painkillers for a week.”

Brothers In Arms – Ben and Tom Youngs.

This transition to the forwards only occurred in the 2008/09 season, but he expressed his desire to start his career again and found it appealing because it would make him a better person and he adores the physicality involved in the pack. Injury to regular hooker Dylan Hartley has paved the way for Youngs to make his debut at a 82,000 sell-out at Twickenham this weekend, in a starting XV which averages 14 International appearances per man. Critics point out Youngs is weak with his throwing, but with Tiger’s team-mate Geoff Parling calling in the line-out, hopefully this familiarity will calm any nerves. The 25-year-old however does not read too much into the criticism “I’m not too far off being a world-class hooker if you look at the percentages.”

Already part of the summer tour to South Africa, Youngs has shown enough to warrant the trust of Lancaster. During that trip he also encountered former Coach Meyers, whom he shared a handshake and a quick word with. He has shown the desire to succeed at the top, and this feeling is palpable in his company. He has had to cope with the adversities of a broken leg to dropping down a division to change his career path and now Tom Youngs has the opportunity to conquer another goal; playing for England.

Tom Youngs Gets His Opportunity Thanks To Dylan Harley’s Injury.

Last weekend was also one of pride for the seven time world champion. Not only was this his 300^th Grand Prix weekend, but he was also made an honorary citizen of Spa to commemorate his anniversary; a worthy accolade for the six time Belgian GP winner. Pre-race weekend Schumacher spoke about how special the track in the Ardennes forest is to him “It all happened to me here in Spa. First race, first victory, some beautiful victories and interesting races and in 2004 the seventh title, last year the 20th anniversary and now number 300 and being honoured. So it’s a full package. Spa has always meant a lot to me. I always called it my living room – now I can officially call it my living room. “During the drivers parade he still commanded the largest cheer from the diverse crowd. Yet since his return in 2010, it is fair to say the legend has struggled to replicate his former greatness.

His partnership with Mercedes has been thoroughly disappointing, not only from a personal aspect but from the team.  Since the new ownership, after the German manufacturer purchased Brawn GP, they have not been able to compete frequently enough with the top teams. But when they have, it has been Schumacher’s compatriot Nico Rosberg who has been the commanding driver. Rosberg scored three podiums in 2010, compared to Schumacher’s best position of fourth, which he recorded on three occasions.  The following season was forgettable for the whole team, with Schumacher scoring the best result in fourth in Canada, but still finishing behind his teammate in the final drivers’ standings in eight. Following in the trend, Mercedes have not been able to provide the perfect car for the Germans in 2012, despite pre-season optimism that they would be the dark horses. Generally the car has been sharp in qualifying, however still underachieving, but come race day they struggle to convert this to big points. The double DRS concept caused panic elsewhere, but a car which seems to struggle for grip, along with reliability issues for Schumacher, has seen the team gradually stall as the season has enhanced.  Positively, Schumacher has scored his first podium since his return this season at the European Grand Prix, but he has been overshadowed once more by Rosberg who recorded the team’s first victory since 1955 in China, displacing the great Juan Manuel Fangio as the last winner for the Silver Arrows.

It is an old adage that you should never return, and the Schumacher case augments this statement. His reputation can never be tarnished, as statistically he is the greatest driver of all time. Records such as: 91 wins, 155 podiums, 1,522 career points, 68 pole positions and 77 fastest laps demonstrate just how dominant he has been since his debut 21 years ago. The only noticeable record in his sights would be one of old time Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello, who stands as the man with the most races at 326, the last being at Brazil in 2011. Schumacher’s future is set to be resolved in the impending months, with his contract up at the end of the season, with Mercedes making it clear there is an option for an extension. At 43, the Hürth born man knows his career is curtailing, and perhaps the season finale in São Paulo at the end of November is the perfect opportunity for him to finally hang up those gloves, and let everyone pay homage to a true great. His passion for the sport is still unquestionable, but with a car not quite where he would like it to be, and perhaps with his skills not as sharp as they once were, it might just be time for Michael Schumacher to gracefully leave the sport for the second time, knowing his legacy is intact and his head held high.

Also seen on Huffington Post

Athletic have a unique viewpoint in the way they run as a club. The notion of the squad only consisting of players with Basque heritage helps connect themselves with the fans and keep regional identity alive. This was a policy mirrored by their rivals Real Sociedad, who eventually adopted the traditionalist format after become furious with Athletic for buying their players. Notably John Aldridge was the first non-Basque player to represent Los Txuri-urdin. Despite the policy being admirable, albeit slightly more flexible nowadays, it has not always been successful. As recently as five years ago the club only stayed up with a last matchday victory over Levante. A trophy has not been paraded around San Mamés for 28 years, since their domestic double in 1984. Historically, Los Leones are one of the greatest teams in Spain. Throughout the 1930′s they amassed seven trophies, including three league titles. They also hold the prestigious award, along with Real Madrid and Barcelona, of competing in every top flight season since the inauguration of the league in 1929.

The style Bielsa has imposed on his team is a mitigating factor in the popularity for Athletic. El Loco, before taking the rein in Bilbao, had used a 3-3-1-3 formation in the World Cup with Chile, which provided an exciting tactical deviation from the norm of 4-2-3-1. The Argentine was hired at La Catedral to enthral everyone with an offensive philosophy. Previous coach Joaquín Caparrós had a more pragmatic approach and despite the stabilisation he instilled, he did not show enough to promise he could progress the team.

A Lot Depends On Whether Bilbao Can Retain Llorente

Tactically Athletic generally set-up in a 4-3-3 formation, but the change in playing style is the main reason for Bielsa’s approval. Known for his methodical analysis and to crouch down to get a unique vantage point during matches, he got the team playing with the ball on the ground once more, and the acquisition of Ander Herrera from Real Zaragoza helped with ball retention. The youthful consistency of the squad is one for optimism. Players who were on the fringes the past few seasons like: Óscar de Marcos, Ander Iturraspe, Jon Aurtenetxe and Iñigo Pérez became permanent fixtures in the squad. The reinvention of Javi Martinez by dropping him into the centre of defence allowed for another attack minded player in midfield and gave them two centre-halves who could play from the back. Iturraspe would replicate the role Martinez had sturdily done before in protecting the defence while the likes of de Marcos, Markel Susaeta and Iker Muniain would have freedom to interchange and trouble the opposition defence by floating behind the authoritative Fernando Llorente.

Since their imperious Europa League charge to the final, where they lost 3-0 to Atletico Madrid, their league form suffered horrendously and Athletic ultimately finished in 10th position. Over reliance on a core group of players, as well as playing too many games affected Bilbao excessively and the feeling is that they might not get a better opportunity to win a long desired trophy for a while. The start to the 2012/13 season has seen them carry on this disjointed form, with the low point being the 4-0 trashing at the Vicente Calderon by Atletico on Monday night.

The axiomatically dependable Javi Martinez, after a summer linked with every major European club, joined Bayern Munich after they paid his €40m buy-out clause. Additionally the instrumental Llorente has informed officials he won’t renew his contract and has currently been isolated and made to train alone until the end of the transfer window when his situation is resolved. Because of Athletic’s philosophy, they don’t have as much freedom to invest this money on anyone of their choosing. The best Basque players in European football are: former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and Chelsea’s latest recruit César Azpilicueta, but none of these are realistic signings. The recuperated money from sales could either be channelled through the academy, which is currently under reconstruction with the club rigorously studying the set-up of the Lezama facilities and/or used to fund the new stadium, San Mamés Barria, which is expected to be opened by 2014.

Javi Martinez Has Left For Germany

The hope for Athletic fans is the club can continue to use its Cantera wisely to produce the next generation of Spanish internationals. They already have current Spanish youth internationals Jonas Ramalho and Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta making sturdy strides into the first team while: Iker Undabarrena , Sergio Mendigutxia, Enric Saborit and Aymeric Laporte could be the next batch of Basques ready to explode onto the scene. Some prosperous news for Athletic is Muniain looks to be staying, a player heralded as the ‘Spanish Messi’. Able to play off the striker or on the left, the Pamplona-born wonderkid made his first competitive appearance at just 16 and within three years has already won the U21 European Championship with Spain and made his senior debut for the national team in February.

Last season should be heralded as a success for the overachievement of Athletic Bilbao, a team which helped bring some romanticism back to football. Historically this club will always be one of the biggest names in Spain, and if they can continue to produce players like former greats Julen Guerrero and Joseba Etxeberria, then perhaps once more we might see Los Leones fight for titles.

Iker Muniain – The Future Of Athletic

Also seen on: Huffington Post

The Azzurri come into the Championship embraced in turmoil back on the peninsula in uncannily similar circumstances to six years ago. Investigations have undergone surrounding match fixing which has seen a few of the squad’s players become implicated. Gianluigi Buffon and Leonardo Bonucci have been mentioned while defender Domenico Criscito has been omitted from the final 23 man squad, with police searching his room at Coverciano at 6am. With conditions in 2006 being precarious pre-tournament with the likes of AC Milan, Lazio, Juventus and Fiorentina all implicated in the initial Calciopoli report, the squad used it as extra incentive to reward the tifosi. That same determination and feeling of invincibility perhaps could reoccur in Poland and Ukraine.

One player Prandelli wanted to symbolise the new regime was Antonio Cassano, a fantasista who like Fabrizio Miccoli, had not been awarded with enough chances with the National team. The importance of ‘Fantantonio’ is undeniable, as proven by being the top scorer with six in qualifying, but after suffering a stroke at the end of October, the Milan forward has only been back in first team action since April and his fitness could be an issue. Attacking options are short with main hope Giuseppe Rossi being riddled with a severe knee injury. A cruciate ligament injury he sustained against Real Madrid in October had initially made it a race to be fit in time for the Championships, but he damaged them once more in April upon his return to training.

Claudio Marchisio Needs To Carry His Club Form Into Euro 2012

With the likes of Alessandro Matri and Fabio Quagliarella struggling for minutes in 2012 thus missing out on Euro 2012, Antonio Di Natale never being able to replicate his club form at international level and Giampaolo Pazzini having had a difficult season and also not making it, the expectancy of goals rests on the shoulders of the enigmatic Mario Balotelli. The mercurial player scored 17 goals in his second season for Manchester City, but his indiscipline again brings the expectancy for him to get sent-off, which even saw Prandelli dropping him in February as a warning. However his new attitude and public declaration that he would not let his country down impressed his coach “When I heard Balotelli say that he wouldn’t ever leave Italy with 10 men, I believed him one hundred per cent”.

In recent years there was world class talent in abundance, ranging from Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro at the back to Gennaro Gattuso in the middle with the likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti and Filippo Inzaghi up front. However this current generation has a noble work ethic and experience in the right place – the core of the team – with Juventus trio Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Pirlo helping to create a sturdy fundamental basis to a winning team. There have even been murmurs of a tactical switch to replicate the three in defence that Juventus have used to great success in 2012, which would incorporate a system which most of the starting line-up know and also spring a tactical surprise on most nations who use the standard 4-2-3-1 system which is so common in European football. This Azzurri squad follows the same characteristics as the previous generations in containing a mean defence. During qualifying they only conceded two goals but showed the attacking intent Prandelli wanted to instil by scoring 20. This expansion in style was implemented by the manager because “The feeling was that we needed to evolve our style, to try and play a little more on the front foot”.

A group consisting of defending champions Spain, Croatia and Ireland is easier in comparison to a few others, but the Italians need to get a positive result in their first match against the Spanish if they are to progress from the group. The Croatians have the capability to pull off upsets – just ask England – and their game will revolve around the basis of playmaker Luca Modric. As for the Irish, they come into the tournament with a manager their Italian opponents will know very well. 73-year-old Giovanni Trapattoni became manager in July 2000, replacing Dino Zoff who was in charge when Italy lost to a golden goal from David Trezeguet against France in the finals of the European Championships. The stalwart expressed disappointed about how his country is portrayed amongst the rest of Europe “I, who have travelled abroad for some time, must say that we give an ugly image of our football. As an Italian, the first feeling is that we are mocked abroad; we are always linked to illicit dealings and are considered mafia members.”

Italy No Longer Have A World Class Forward Like Del Piero

On the back of the current allegations, it will be no surprise that Prandelli should use it as an impetus for the players to win against all the odds. “There is a great atmosphere in the team and there is a big awareness that something significant can be achieved. The players know this is an exceptional opportunity for them, they are taking responsibility and they will not fail.” Despite a 3-0 defeat to Russia on the eve of Euro 2012, the Italians will enter this tournament with the knowledge that nobody gives them a chance, and this is when they are at their most dangerous.

This post was originally seen at Back Page Football

Ever since he spun the car going into turn 6 in Melbourne in the first practice session of the year, after oddly putting his tyres on the grass, the Brazilian has seen his status questioned ubiquitously. The amplified pressure has occurred mainly because he has struggled to show pace since his horrific accident in 2009 at the Hungaroring when he was struck in the head by an unattached suspension spring from his compatriot Rubens Barrichello’s car.

Upon his return in 2010 his form was varied, but this is a man who can just as easily fail to score a point as secure a place on the podium. Five podiums and a sixth place finish in the Championship was not a bad return to racing for Massa, but it was his inability to build on this the following year when heads began to be scratched in Italy and patience began to wear thin.

Felipe Massa Is Fighting For His Ferrari Future

The highest position he could amass last season was just fifth (on six occasions) and the year would be shrouded in frustration with his frequent battles with good friend Lewis Hamilton, which saw them collided six times on track, and Massa even confronted the McLaren driver in the media zone after the Singapore GP mockingly saying “Good job, man” after Hamilton had clipped him in the race, resulting in a puncture for the Brazilian.

So far this season Massa has struggled to come to grips with a car which seems to be heavy on the tyres, with Pirelli making it a hard enough job by making the compounds softer and therefore more degradable. Before last weekend’s race in the glamorous Monaco, the Ferrari driver had only achieved one points finish with his ninth place in Bahrain. In comparison Alonso had scored points in every single race, including a victory in Malaysia and a second in his home race in Catalunya.

After Sergio Perez’s impressive start to the season, specifically his second place in Malaysia, the Sauber driver has been hotly tipped to be promoted to the Scuderia Ferrari team as early as this season. “Checo” is part of the Ferrari Driving Academy, an initiative which was created in order to nurture immense talent, and ironically it originated after Ferrari’s relationship with Massa at the start of his career. Perez is driving for the Swiss team, and after mediocre début season where he amassed 14 points, the Mexican has shown far more promise in 2012, which is why the Italian media have supported him.

Sergio Perez Is The Favourite To Replace Massa

There is no doubting the potential of Perez, and he brings financially attractive backing from Telmex; the telecommunications company, but the 22-year-old is still showing he needs time to settle into F1. The first two races of the season he qualified in 22nd and ninth respectively, and managed to convert those into an impressive eighth and a second. This blistering start helped the ‘tifosi’ jump on the bandwagon, especially when Massa in the opening couple of rounds qualified 16th and 12th, and was pointless with one retirement and 15th place. Since then however Perez has gone four races without scoring a point, and despite his strong pace and comfort in handling the suspect tyres, has perhaps shown that the speculation and expectation is getting to him.

When Massa first started out, just like Checho at Peter Sauber’s team, he was given three years to learn the ropes before replacing Barrichello as Michael Schumacher’s partner. The least that the Italian team can do is allow Perez to complete this season (which is already his best points tally in F1) and see if Massa can continue his improvement. In the south of France Massa set the fastest time in Q2 and became the first person to break into the 1:14’s. Despite this he actually showed slower pace in Q3, blaming traffic preventing him from a clear run, something which is notorious around the streets of Monte Carlo.

A six place finish might not sound great on paper, but sticking with the front five for the second half of the race showed primarily that the car looks enhanced, and secondly Massa might actually be regaining some confidence. Team principal Stefano Domenicali reflected positively on his driver’s performance “I think he did a great weekend. It was the weekend he deserved after a lot of big pressures. He was there in the first six cars which were very close. He was there, so that’s for me the best thing and I’m sure that this will be a turning of his season because he needs that.”

After being within a point of being World Champion in 2008, it is palpable that Massa needs to up his performance if he wants to remain at the Maranello based team next season. No victory since Brazil 2008 axiomatically needs to be corrected if he does not want to drive for an uncompetitive car again, and with the likes of Mark Webber being available from next season, there is a burden on Massa to return to his title challenging best.

This article has also been published at The F1 Times

Grimaldo was signed as a 13-year-old from Valencia in 2008, where he played for Los Che as a left winger wearing the number 10 shirt. His progression has been rapid and he is part of a select group of superstars who are progressing at Barcelona at the moment. Some of his teammates over the past few years have included current Arsenal pair Jon Toral and Hector Bellerin as well as Juventus defender Pol Garcia. The ‘1995 generation’ has swept everything before them at ‘Juvenil’ level including the Nike Premier Cup in Manchester.

Alejandro Grimaldo – The Latest Gem At La Masia

Grimaldo first came to prominence in the 2011/12 pre-season where he played in the 3-0 defeat to Espanyol in the Copa Catalunya, but did not look out of his depth against Thievy Bifouma and Pirulo. This made him the third youngest player in the history of Barcelona (including unofficial matches), behind Paulinho Alcantara and Haruna Babanginda. It did not take long for his performance to intrigue the club, and was awarded his Barcelona B debut by Eusebio Sacristán in the 4-0 win against Cartagena. At 15 years and 349 days, this made Grimaldo the youngest ever player to play in the Segunda Division, surpassing the record set by Babanginda in 1998 when the Nigerian was 16. It was an eventful debut, with him being the recipient of a nasty tackle from former Liverpool defender Josemi, who was shown a straight red card. Grimaldo also played a big role in Rafinha Alcantara’s second goal.

The 16-year-old seems to possess all the attributes to make it at Barcelona. Despite being short and frail, Spain does not seem to hold a prejudice unlike most European leagues so bulking up is not a necessity. Despite starting out as a winger, Grimaldo looks adept defensively and his tenacious approach sees him continuously regain possession. He constantly looks to push forward to use his pace, dribbling and passing to full effect. After already representing Spain at U16 and U17 levels this season, the Valencian looks set to represent La Roja at the U19 ranks this summer in pursuit of qualifying for the tournament in Estonia in July. A debutant in the Segunda, trained with the first team in November, and part of a promising generation alongside Sergi Samper and Jean Marie Dongou, the name Alejandro Grimaldo is certainly one to look out for, as long as Barça nurture him through progressively, otherwise his career could be unfulfilled and a failure like Babanginda’s.

To read more on this series of promising Spanish youngsters, check out Football Cantera

The Left-back Shows His Athleticism

Fighting at Aintree, in his home-town of Liverpool, Price secured his 13th career win to keep his record as an unbeaten fighter intact. Already impressing at amateur level with medals at the Olympics and Commonwealth games, the 28-year-old showed why he has been touted as a future world champion, with talks of a fight against either of the supreme Klitschko’s next year.

He possesses all the capabilities of a top class fighter, and the contest against Sexton allowed him to demonstrate more of his aptitudes. A dominant jab kept his Norwich opponent pinned back and the use of fast combinations and switching to the body saw him put in a flawless display.

David Price Makes it 13-0.

He had troubled the former Commonwealth Champion in the third round when knocking him down just before the bell, but in the fourth he dismantled Sexton and knocked-out his opponent at the third time of asking with a ferocious right hook.

A trip to Germany earlier this year to see Dereck Chisora’s valiant effort against Vitali Klitschko was used as an appetiser, an opportunity to show the 6’ 8” giant of where he should be fighting in the near future.

Vitali’s brother Wladimir has already spoken highly of Price, but a world title fight should be held off for at least another 18 months. The British heavyweight scene will not offer him much competition any more, with Tyson Fury already avoiding Price, so a promotion to European level would be the perfect nurturing scene.

His promoter Frank Maloney reflected highly on Price’s performance: “David has the best jab since Lennox Lewis as a heavyweight. That was a 10 out of 10 performance. He is a credit to British boxing.”

Price comes across as an articulate man, who respects his opponents and understands he has the potential to be great, but he needs to continue this smooth progression and not be pushed into a premature title shot.

“Now we can look forward. I felt like I boxed the perfect fight. I knew I’d have to be patient, but I’m ready to step up and face the best out there. I won’t rush – I’m not the finished article yet – but I feel I am destined to be a world champion. This feels like the end of the beginning.”

Price is the heavyweight Britain has sought for since Lennox Lewis, and after becoming the first British Champion from Liverpool, it could be the start of something special.

Coco moved to the province of Legnano, Milan, at the age of three, and after a few years in Como’s academy playing as a striker, was signed by Milan. When making his debut against Padova in 1995, goalscorer and Captain Francesco Baresi dedicated his winning goal to Coco, hoping to bless his new career. Sicilian born Coco was not like most traditional full backs. Despite playing on the left, his preferred foot was his right which played favourably into his hands when facing an inside forward, but not much so when pushing up-field. Known for his pace, physicality, determination and stamina, Coco also had the ability to cross with both feet which left the Milanisti excited about how good he could become.

Loan spells to Vicenza (hampered by a knee injury) and Torino allowed the Sicilian to gain valuable match experience and upon his return in 2000 he made his Azzurri debut in the 3-0 win against Romania. After this successful 2000/01 campaign he was given the surprise opportunity to play for Barcelona, thus becoming the first Italian to play for the Blaugrana. He impressed the Catalans with his performance in the 2-0 win at the San Siro the previous season where he scored the first and assisted Oliver Bierhoff for the second. Fatih Terim had no reluctance in letting him move to Spain on loan, with the Turk preferring Serginho ahead of the Italian.

Francesco Coco During His Azzurri Days

His spell in Spain was mixed. He battled with crowd favourite Sergi for a place in defence and made over 20 appearances, but Barça had a poor season under Carles Rexach and only finished fourth. Despite this, Italian manager Giovanni Trapattoni included him in his World Cup squad to play in Japan and South Korea. He did not make his first appearance until the final group game against Mexico, where his introduction added energy and saw the Italians qualify for the knockout tie against South Korea. With Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro unavailable, this provided Coco with an opportunity, and despite the Italians dubious exit from the tournament, the Italian press were supportive of Coco’s performance. His displays did not go unnoticed and during the competition in the Far East he made a controversial switch.

A swap deal to Inter saw Clarence Seedorf go in the other direction, in a move estimated to be worth €28m, and it seemed Inter were more pleased with the outcome. Seedorf around this time was regarded as inconsistent and Milan fans were puzzled to his signing when they already had Andrea Pirlo and Manuel Rui Costa in his position. Coco however had no intentions of leaving, but felt he was forced out “I was hoping to stay forever but the club decided not to pursue a youth policy, just think of the sale of [Cristian] Zenoni and [Gianni] Comandini.”

Unfortunately for Coco, the switch to the Nerazzuri proved to be a failure. Chronic knee problems were the crux of the problem, but the defender succumbed to the nightlife of the capital. He is notorious for having relationships with models, and when asked by Milan what his favourite hobby was, he answered “women”. He would constantly be seen in the tabloids for his playboy lifestyle, and he seemed to relish it, even appearing in the Italian version of Celebrity Love Island.

Coco During His Internazionale days.

The ending to his time at Inter was not very civil. He accused the club of treating him poorly and not giving him the right treatment. After undergoing back surgery in 2003 thanks to the clubs recommendation, his return was not a month as predicted, but two years. Here he reflects on his relationship with Roberto Mancini

“He has never given me a chance, from day one. He brought [Giuseppe] Favalli from Lazio, and Favalli had to play, always”

It was rumoured Mancini froze him out by not allowing him to have a club locker, to train with the first team or even attend their Christmas dinner. He went on loan to Livorno and Torino to escape the problems, and he nearly moved to England after his contract was terminated in 2007. Initially Coco had been linked to Everton in 2005, and two years later had a trial at Manchester City, although it is reported he was not signed because he was caught smoking before a fitness test. A move to Newcastle broke down over personal terms and he was also close to joining QPR under the leadership of Flavio Briatore. Despite this, he could not find a new club in spite of being linked to American sides New England Revolution and New York Red Bulls and a move to Brazilian side Botafogo with Christian Vieri.

After his failure to find a new club, Coco retired from football in pursuit of an acting career, which also has not turned out well. He then decided to become a businessman, and along with his father owns some shops in Catania and Milan as well as setting up his own fashion label Urban 77. Since retirement ironically Coco’s private life seems to have been quieter, with him doing punditry for Sky Italia during the Champions League and reportedly becoming an estate agent after a spell living in Hollywood. Coco is an example of how a lack of application along with ill-fortune can prevent a prodigious talent from becoming a success.

This article was originally seen on In Bed With Maradona

The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas proved a telling venue for a fight which will be remembered as a true classic, with Mayweather having to overcome his toughest opponent yet. In a month’s time Manny Pacquiao will face Timothy Bradley in the same ring, and Mayweather laid down a marker for ‘Pacman‘ with his most inspiring performance for a while.

Leading up to this fight ‘Money’ was continuingly respectful of Cotto’s credentials, labelling him as a future Hall of Famer and in his opinion an undefeated fighter, because of certain circumstances in his two professional defeats to Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito.

Mayweather Celebrates With The Belts

“Miguel is a true warrior, a tough champion and to go into the Hall Of Fame you have to face the best opponents. I will be at my best. I have been here so many times that I know what it takes.”

The Puerto Rican did not disappoint and despite the 117-111, 117-111, 118-110 unanimous decision, he gave the formally named ‘Pretty Boy’ a bloody nose and mouth half way through the fight.

Mayweather has only stepped up into the 154lbs division once before in his flawless career, in the split-decision victory over Oscar De La Hoya five years ago. That match was to become the most lucrative fight ever, and early indications are that last night’s fight against Cotto surpassed the pay-per-view record. In what will be Mayweather’s last fight until he starts his 90 day prison sentence on June 1st for domestic assault, a guaranteed $32m (likely to rise to $50m) will help soothe Mayweather’s bruising and impending punishment.

‘Money’ Faces His Toughest Opponent To Date.

The initial rounds went to Mayweather, who used his supreme boxing skills to pick off Cotto when he came in. Despite covering his face constantly, Mayweather was able to work on the outside expertly well and left Cotto with a trademark bruised face. The American was happy to sit against the ropes, use his perfect elusive defensive tool of hiding his chin under his left shoulder to nullify the shots and weaved expertly.

Despite this, Cotto eventually upped the antics and from round six started to get the upper hand on Mayweather, landing more shots than fans have come to expect and making the strategist miss more punches than normal. Neither man hit the canvass, although Cotto was rocked by a left uppercut in the final round. In the end despite the high work rate from Cotto, Mayweather’s punching accuracy of 26% proved too much, and he recorded arguably his greatest victory to date, one which he dedicated to the PPV fans who deserved the entertainment.

“When you fight on pay-per-view you have to give the fans what they want, and that’s excitement. Sometimes I thought I was breaking him down, but then he came back strong. I was like damn, he’s in shape.”

Some experts before the fight said Cotto was on the decline, but a spirited performance like this will show the 31-year-old still has a future in the sport, and his new scientific centred trainer Pedro Diaz will keep the faith.

“The judges said I lost the fight, I can’t do anything else,” Cotto said. “I’m happy with my fight and performance and so is my family. I can’t ask for anything else.”

Cotto Gets Caught By A Lovely Shot

‘The Money Team’, the entourage which included usual sidekick 50 Cent and also Justin Bieber and WWE superstar Triple H, will reflect on a challenging evening for Mayweather, but the 35-year-old, who many argued looked in his greatest shape ever pre-fight, on this performance looks good for his word that he has a few years left in him.

Post-match he did not avoid the inevitable discussions of Pacquiao, but once more laid blame at the Filipino’s feet.

“This fight right here, I was looking to fight Manny Pacquiao. The fight didn’t happen; I don’t think the fight could happen because of Bob Arum. Bob Arum was in the way – he stopped the Pacquiao fight. Let’s give the fans what they want to see. They want to see Mayweather-Pacquiao.”

Mayweather said in the build-up to the fight he would capitalise on the mistakes Cotto would make from his pressuring, and despite the buoyant effort from the Puerto Rican, ‘Money’ showed why he is regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

The attraction of ‘El Clasico’ is humongous, but with it sees a Spanish Primera Division struggling for competition because of the financial equality. Television rights are negotiated individually, which has led to the giant separation in revenue, a system which saw Sevilla President Jose Maria del Nido label La Liga as “not the biggest mess in Europe, but in the world.”

Malaga, like Manchester City and Paris St Germain in recent times (although not Getafe) have been lucky enough to be acquired by an eastern tycoon. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Thani, a member of the Qatari Royal Family, bought the club from former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz for around €25 million last year, and has given the club a whole new feel.

Ruud van Nistelrooy Is One Of A Number Of Big Name Signings For Malaga

The revolution needed a manager who could use his wealth of experience to guide the team slowly towards glory and Jesualdo Ferreira seemed a good candidate. At 64, the Portuguese manager came with a glowing reputation after his success at Porto and ability to nurture talent like Ricardo Quaresma and Lisandro Lopez. He lasted just under five months and left a team lacking confidence and quality. A few decent players had been signed in the summer like the impressive Salomon Rondon from Las Palmas and the impish Sebastian Fernandez, but the squad lacked leaders and depth to challenge for European football.

However it is still a world away from times as recent as 2008 when they were in the Segunda Division and hardly revelling in financial freedom. From that squad who got promoted to La Liga only: captain Jesus Gamez, Apono and defenders Eliseu, Helder Rosario and Weligton remain.

At the second time of asking the Andalucian outfit appointed a coach to lead them in the right direction. Manuel Pellegrini had been sacked from Real Madrid at the end of the previous campaign despite seeing his team set a new club record of 96 for most points accumulated in a season and having a win percentage of 75%. The Chilean however is highly regarded in Spain, and is fondly remembered for his tenure at Villarreal. He has made the mission clear:

“Here in Malaga we’re starting a new project this year and it’d be great if we could be successful from the off. But the aim of this project is to improve year on year and close the gap as much as possible within a reasonable time frame.”

Isco Is One Of Spain's Most Promising Youngsters

In January came Sergio Asenjo on loan from Atletico, who was trying to rebuild his career after a long-term knee injury, but succumbed to the same type of injury in his other knee. Astute, cheap, experienced players like: Enzo Maresca, Julio Baptista and the eccentric Martin Demichelis were signed and helped guide the team to a stable but underwhelming 11th place.

This campaign however is the season of expectation for Malaga. Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro was appointed General Manager in July and his sporting vision – the former Sporting Director of the Spanish FA – could be pivotal to help his hometown club establish their name amongst Europeans elite. The owners gave the Chilean coach the freedom to invest, and he obliged without being profligate, spending near enough €60m.

Only six years ago Joaquin Sanchez was regarded as one of the most exciting wingers in the world. A failed move to Chelsea saw him join Valencia where he achieved moderate success, but the ability to attract the 30-year-old for €4m and wages excess of €80k-a -week is a coup. Experienced Internationals like Jeremy Toulalan, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Joris Mathijsen have also been signed to guide some of the younger players and improve the squads quality.

Los Boquerones have also been able to attract several of Spain’s best players. Left-back Nacho Monreal joined for €6m from Osasuna, Sergio Sanchez was signed for a modest €2.8m from Sevilla after a difficult two-year spell which saw him have a heart scare and a year away from the game. The exciting attacking midfielder Isco, likened to David Silva, joined for €6m from Valencia. As well as these signings the club have embedded a few youngsters from the B side, Atlético Malagueño, into the team over the past year such as Jose Recio, Francisco Portillo and Juanmi Jimenez but the biggest signing shows just how powerful this club looks to be getting.

Malaga's Attraction Is Symbolised By Cazorla

Santi Cazorla was an integral part of the Villarreal team, who over the past few years have been a permanent fixture in European competitions. The creative midfielder is a marquee signing who can conjure mesmeric masterpieces with a swoosh of the boot. The €21m acquisition was reluctant to leave El Submarino Amarillo but the club on a modest budget could not refuse money like that. Cazorla has been joined in the creative department by Diego Buonanotte, a talented Argentine from River Plate, who will be glad to leave Argentina after recent personal problems. The 5’3″ forward joins as an unfulfilled talent, but his unpredictability is an exciting trait.

The 2010/11 campaign has seen mixed results. After 10 games Malaga sit sixth in the table, but inconsistent form has seen them lose four games already. Van Nistelrooy has looked half the player he was when he was previously in Spain, with Real Madrid, but he is not the only player struggling for goals.

Like the Dutchman, forwards Rondon and Baptista have only scored one league goal while the Uruguayan Fernandez has yet to score. The top goalscorer is Cazorla on four and it’s clear to see this newly moulded team needs time to gel. Indeed the manager is having problems finding his best eleven. Eliseu, naturally a winger, has been given the nod over Monreal so far at left-back. A spearhead for the team has yet to be fully instilled and they have Baptista still to come back into a side with Joaquin, Cazorla, Duda and Isco all looking good in the advanced roles.

How far can this side go? It is too early to say, but the potential is there. Pellegrini has invested well but they lack a top quality keeper with Willy Caballero currently being the main man between the sticks. As long as mercurial characters such as Quincy Owusu–Abeyie are kept away, this squad can challenge for a Champions League spot within the next 18 months. The fans will hope the club do not lose their way on producing talents from the cantera with the new found temptation to just purchase players.

Dan Brennan is a freelance football journalist who currently writes for highly respected publications such as FourFourTwo, World Soccer, When Saturday Comes and the official Arsenal magazine. Being based up in Scotland has its merits, with Brennan being the Scottish correspondent for World Soccer, as well as having written pieces for The Scotsman.  But he stumbled into the industry by luck.

“I got into it by chance really, and very much through the back door. I’d been working abroad – in the former Soviet Union – for a couple of years in my mid-20s, in a completely unrelated field. When I came back to London, casting around for a job, I applied for a post as editor of the monthly publication of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce. They wanted a Russians speaker, but didn’t need someone with previous journalistic experience. It was basically a one-man operation – I did everything from writing the editorials, to commission features, laying out the pages and selling the adverts. I did it for about three years, but my heart wasn’t really in the world of business and commerce. I wanted to write about football. I’d had a sideline as English teacher for Sergei Rebrov (Former Ukraine and Tottenham Hotspur player) for a while, and as I recall my first major break was a piece on him for The Guardian. The Arsenal Magazine and When Saturday Comes were also kind enough to take my work when I was still finding my feet – I still write for both of them 10 years on.”

Andrei Kanchelskis And Dan Brennan Battle It Out Over A Game Of Chess.

With the current economic climate still instable after the recent recession, the media industry has been hard hit. Many journalists have been made redundant at newspapers to help with cost cuts. Being a freelance journalist means the demand for work has increased, and an already competitive industry has only strengthened.  Having already built a respectable relationship with many publications, Brennan has not been hit as hard, although the need for new ideas and subject pieces needs to be continually fresh to attract job opportunities.

“As a freelancer, the recession has definitely had a tangible impact on the amount of work around. There are fewer scraps being thrown from the table, so you have to work harder to get stuff published. That said editors are always in the market for good ideas for interviews and features – and it helps to have established a bit of a name for yourself. That said I am doing much less for newspapers than I was until about two years ago. Almost all of my writing these days is for a handful of magazines in the UK and abroad.”

And whether you are a staffed or freelance journalist, the financial security in the job is still worrying. Having already built bridges with his publications prior to the financial meltdown, he was lucky that they stuck with him.

“I have two-three regular monthly gigs (a column for the Arsenal magazine, stuff for World Soccer and content for a South African magazine), but everything else is ad hoc, so that means a fair degree of uncertainty. Staff journalists don’t have the same kind of security as they had until a few years ago either, given the stringent cutbacks that have hit most papers. I’ve had a few ex-staffers coming to me looking for help getting their work placed after they’ve been laid off”

Luckily he does not rely solely on journalistic work to make a living. He runs a sport translation agency called Libero Language Lab, which has a network of over 100 interpreters with the diverse knowledge of 40 languages spreading over 15 countries. It is an agency which is making a reputation for itself, with regular clients such as: Manchester City, Arsenal, The football association of Ireland, FourFourTwo and the manager of the Indian football team. Top journalists such as Ben Lyttleton – who is a columnist for Sports Illustrated and a European football writer, Alex Bellos – author of Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life and Oliver Fowler – who is currently assisting Faustino Asprilla with his autobiography, are translators for the agency, which is proving to be a sustainable business. “It has been more or less stable in the last few years, and I would have to say that without that to lean on, I think it would have been lean times relying solely on freelance journalism.”

The security of being a journalist for a national newspaper was once seen as the dream job, but with work amounts increasing and demand higher than ever, perhaps the broader aspect of being a freelancer is more appealing now, with there being little restrictions on the content you produce.

“Most turn freelance after building up experience and contacts working as a staffer for a good number of years, on at least one national publication.  I think there was a time – maybe 20 years ago – when being a staff journalist on one of the nationals would have been an exhilarating experience, but in the current deflated times, I get the impression that it wouldn’t be much fun.”

The Likes Of Fabregas Can Help Tutor English Talents Like Wilshere

Brennan’s football interests are slightly different to your mainstream fan. Instead of following the norm and writing specifically about the English game, he has a strong interest in Russian football, and likes to write about a variety of topics to help prevent himself becoming tedious with a specific topic.

“I started out by carving a niche for myself writing about football in Russia and the former Soviet Union. It’s a part of the world I know very well, and I speak Russian, which helps. Since then I’ve kind of built up an eclectic mix-and-match portfolio.  I do a lot of Arsenal-related stuff – they are ‘my’ team, and I’ve written a regular interview column for the club’s magazine for the last eight years.  Being based in Scotland, I’ve also turned that into a niche, and am World Soccer’s Scottish correspondent.”

The problem being a journalist is you have to hide your affection to a team, to prevent criticism for bias you may give off. For some people this is fine, and perhaps they are more critical towards ‘their team’. Brennan does not seem to have this problem, although he is pleased to be writing for his team’s official magazine.

“Arsenal are my team, and given that I write for the club’s publications I can’t hide my partisan leanings entirely, though I would like to think that when writing for others on Arsenal-related themes, I am pretty neutral – I am certainly not a full-time cheerleader.”

In recent times football finance has been a big issue affected some of Britain’s major clubs. Recently Liverpool looked in turmoil with the joint ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett while their rivals Manchester United have a bleak future with the Glazer family in charge. The reason for the fans disgruntlement over the ownership is that the club was bought with money borrowed from the bank. In doing so, the owners have just loaded their debts onto the clubs, leaving them in a financial mess.  So what, if any, club should be the model which the British clubs aspire to be like?

“At the risk of undermining my last answer, I would say that, in terms of Premier League clubs, Arsenal offer a much saner model for long-term development and financial stability, on and off the pitch. They have not got themselves knee-deep in debt and they have not tried to buy their way to success. I think there is something commendable in that. More broadly, I think the Premier League could learn a lot from the way the Bundesliga is run.”

The demands of being a journalist mean people want to hear the opinions of people, and the process is not always an enjoyable experience. Players are now trained with how to deal with the media, therefore meaning their answers are rarely controversial, unlike the past where there were colourful characters such as Brian Clough.

“Modern stars tend to be too ‘media-savvy’ and self-censoring. Interviews can often be bland and cliche-ridden – though I also accept that we, the journalists, must take some responsibility for this. Clarence Seedorf is interesting, opinionated and articulate. That’s a relative rarity among players at his level, I would say. Andrey Arshavin is another, though I sense he has become less forthright since moving to England.”

There could not be an interview without finding out Brennan’s favourite footballers.

“The two players who have given me most pleasure personally are Thierry Henry and Eric Cantona. I started watching football just as Liam Brady was coming to the end of his time in England – he made a big impression on me as a young kid. To state the bleeding obvious, Leo Messi is by far the greatest player in the last 20 years.”

Clarence Seedorf - One Of The More Interesting Footballers

With England once more flattering to deceive at an International tournament, the old jibes of having too many foreign players in the Premier League was brandished. Spain reached the World Cup final with their league containing 77% of Spanish players. Compare that to the perennial underachievers England who had just under 40% of English players in the Premier League in 2009/10. With stats like that, there is a correlation that the more home based talent in the league will be healthier for the national side. But a reason for the Premiership being so attractive is the foreign talent here in England, which also means that the players have to play to a higher standard if they are to compete against these luxury foreigners such as Fernando Torres. Is the foreign player argument just a poor excuse?

“I think it’s a dangerous argument. I think most people want to watch good football and good footballers – they are not interested in the colour of their passports. Nobody can argue that English club football has not been enhanced by the arrival of foreign players. And I would also argue that young English players have benefited from their presence. Would Jack Wilshere be the great talent he is today if he was learning his trade at a club with the Arsenal midfield of the 1980s rather than the one that contains Cesc Fabregas? Probably not.”

There have been frequent discussions about whether Rangers and Celtic should withdraw from the Scottish Premier League and play down south in England. The two Glasgow clubs continually dominate the league and the last club outside them two to win the title was Aberdeen back in 1985. The move has never materialised, mainly because Scottish fans feel it will affect the commercialisation of the league. Brennan feels the transfer would be positive for both parties.

“Yes, I think it would (be a good move) – not least as it would allow us to put to bed what has become a very irksome pub debate! I can’t see the Groundhog Day duopoly of the Old Firm ever being broken in the SPL, which makes things very tedious for a neutral. And I think both clubs would, eventually if not immediately, make a decent impact in the Premier League.”

The profession of sports journalism is becoming more popular now more than ever, especially with university’s targeting the sector as an individual subject, unlike before when students only had the opportunity to study solely journalism. Brennan’s established himself in the industry and is only helping to improve his profile by using the social networking tool Twitter, so if there was any advice he could pass onto to aspiring sports journalists, what is it?

“Now, more than ever, there is no excuse for not getting your stuff out there. If you want to write and have other people read what you write, start a blog. Don’t hang around for someone else to publish your work – do it yourself. It’s a great way to hone your skills and get noticed.  Write about what you know. And, if you can, develop an expertise in a particular niche.”

You can follow Dan on Twitter – @DanBrennan99 and check out his Libero language lab here

The difference between the other European nations was drastic. With UEFA implementing new financial regulations next season in which clubs cannot spend more than their annual turnover, it seems the powerhouses of England – riddled with debt – wanted to make one last splurge. Overall in January a reported £225m was spent in the Premier League, a record amount which even surpasses the previous milestone of £175m which was set back in 2008, mainly due to Manchester City’s spending. The Citizens would be part of proceedings once more, but the big spenders were Chelsea. Russian oligarch Roman Abramovic has been reluctant in the past few seasons to invest, hoping the influx of youth signings under Frank Arnesen would be promoted and provide an ending to the Jose Mourinho years of economically draining investments.

Over in Spain money was spent, but not in large quantities. Barcelona’s sole purchase was young Dutchman Ibrahim Affelay from PSV Eindhoven who cost roughly €2m, while Real Madrid’s recruitment was the flimsy loan signing of Emanuel Adebayor from Manchester City. Malaga, under the ownership of a Qatari millionaire, helped spice up the transfer window signing six new players, the most costly being former Arsenal forward Julio Baptista who returned to Spain from Italy for  €3m.

Giampaolo Pazzini Celebrates After Scoring A Goal For His New Club

It seemed to be a trend amongst the rest of Europe. Most clubs had invested in their important players in the summer, and new additions in the winter window would be in small quantities to aid them with their personal pursuits of success. Reigning European champions Inter Milan and fallen giants Juventus were the busiest in Italy, with their new centre forwards being the most expensive acquisitions. Long term Juve target Giampaolo Pazzini completed a €13m move to the San Siro from last season’s surprise package Sampdoria, with fleet footed Jonathan Biabiany going in the opposite direction. While the Turin giant’s best signing was Cagliari hitman Alessandro Matri, who joined on loan, and has a €22m purchase clause which will seemingly be triggered come this summer; after his impressive start.

With the worldwide recession, clubs have not been affected as much as initially suspected, but reluctant and wise transfer strategies are important at a time when their owners are not assured about financial security (unless backed by the oil tycoons from the east). While all the mad money was spent on the final day of the window, the two willy old managers in the Premier League must have been chuckling to themselves over a bottle of Chardonnay watching the rivals splashing the cash. Both Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson barely dipped their toes in the transfer water, with Manchester United recruiting Danish keeper Anders Lindegaard for £3m and the North London club making no additions to their squad. Their policy of investing in promising youngsters, although a lengthy and patience testing procedure can be the most rewarding, and their owners must be rolling around in the money in glee at their philosophies.

Abramovic hopes that will be him one day.

Biggest signings in top European Leagues

Italy – Giampaolo Pazzini – €13m + Jonathan Biabiany to Inter Milan from Sampdoria

Spain – Elias – €7m to Atletico Madrid from Corinthians

Germany – Luiz Gustavo – €15.5m to Bayern Munich from Hoffenheim

Portugal – Lionel Carole – €750,000 to Benfica from Nantes. (Few others undisclosed)

France – Razak Boukari – €4m to Rennes from Lennes

England – Fernando Torres – £50m to Chelsea from Liverpool

The Foundation Samuel Eto’o (FSE) has outlined these three principles for the scheme:

• - “Ensure the minimum conditions for survival and health that will permit further development, in our fight to eradicate poverty.

• - Provide quality basic education, they can complete and will serve as a tool to achieve a secure social integration.

• - Promote the opportunity to develop the individual abilities of each child through training grants and aid to support their cultural activities or sports skills.”

The most interesting aspect is the footballing project, with the inaugural academy based in the coastal town of Kribi. Prior to the opening, Eto’o expressed his desire was to expand the idea and locate more academies across the country, stating his yearning to offer opportunities to deprived children:

“As a footballer, the best I can do for youths in Cameroon is to give them a platform where they can learn how to play football and make a living out of it, and be successful in life, for a better tomorrow.”

Gael Etock Was The First Player To Join Barca From The Academy

The plan is to recruit the 300 best players who are aged 10 to 13 and train them in specialised camps to help maximise their potential “The most promising boys will be moved to Europe for professional careers” the founder clarified.

Eto’o used his contacts wisely when he created the FSE in 2006, and managed to get his then club Barcelona to agree a partnership with the football academy. FSE’s briefing of the commitment is: “The organisation maintains an agreement with FC Barcelona, which enables a complete player-team harmony in this act of solidarity.”

Both parties were in agreement that this project was firstly a good cause, and secondly both could reap the potential successes.

Since then 16 African players have been offered a chance to train at the remarkable La Masia complex, with many of these kids coming to fruition immediately. Prior to this summer only one, Paul Tina Tina, had moved on, with a switch to Inter Milan.

Eto’o Is The Mastermind Behind This Project

Many of the youngsters have made an impression in the ‘Juvenil’ scene, but whether they can continue that form once they reach 18 is the issue. The majority of these players are bigger (almost twice the height), stronger and faster than their opponents at junior level, which naturally gives them an advantage. Players like Gael Etock, Jean Marie Dongou, Armand Ella and Lionel Enguene have been standout players, but once their peers develop the necessary technique, can these Africans take it to the next level?

It is already been said privately that the youth sector are contemplating the link-up and want more control, and this summer no African players were granted a youth contract out of the 80 that were signed by Los Blaugrana. As well as this, three youngsters, including the humorously named Nelson Mandela, were released.

Furthermore the first player to graduate from the system, Gael Etock, has recently left Spain and joined Sporting Clube de Portugal, after initial interest from Chelsea. Etock was seen as the latest star of the cantera, somebody who was playing with people three years his senior at one stage and was expected to progress to the Atletic side last season. Stagnation in development as well as his teammate’s improvement saw the club willingly let him leave. Will his case become the trend or the exception?

The FSE have wisely inserted a clause into all the players’ contracts that move to Catalonia, which sees a certain percentage of the players transfer fee return to the foundation, which will instantly be put back into the project.

The last two contract renewals have only been for a year, which is a contrast to the initial four year agreement that expired at the end of the 2009/10 season. With Eto’o and Barca in court in recent times over unpaid money, as well as him no longer being at the club, the collaboration’s future has looked in doubt. However the last extension was agreed when the striker visited the Ciutat Esportiva training complex last October. He confirmed he had a meeting with Sporting Director Andoni Zubizarreta and important men in the youth sector regarding the partnership. There also seems to be good news on the horizon and the suggestion from a report in Spain indicates a new deal will be signed in September.

This month has seen the latest developments of the FSE which has expanded its foundation to Gabon, which is good timing with the African Cup of Nations being hosted there in 2012. Eto’o addressed the locals with a clear message:

“I came to Libreville among other things to kick off the La Foundation Eto’o in Gabon. I’ll be coming back with my fellow African players Didier Drogba and Michael Essien to inaugurate the foundation very soon. I’ll be coming with many of my footballer friends to raise the funds for the organisation so our little brothers could have pleasure playing football and studying as well in their environment.”

Dongou – Barcelona’s Most Promising African

He might now be playing in Russia, where he will certainly be branded a sell-out, but what hopefully will be remembered about Eto’o is he has given back to his country. Not only is he an icon, but also a pioneer. The FSE is more than a football project, but the opportunities it offers in sport will make it easier for these young Africans to get a break, and Eto’o is an advocate of people giving chances:

“I couldn’t have made it this far if someone hadn’t rendered the help I needed then. A certain rich man gave me the chance to play football and you can see where I am today. So it’s my turn to help those who need it to succeed in their career.”

As seen on In Bed With Maradona

The strategy has consisted of thorough scouting. South America is a hotbed for talent, with abundance to choose from and players being relatively cheap and Villarreal have found the perfect model to make money. The likes of Diego Godín, Gonzalo Rodríguez, Birmingham flop Luciano Figueroa, Martín Cáceres and Antonio Valencia have all become successful internationals that have been sold for a profit or in Gonzalo’s case, stayed and become a proven talent. With such a vast array of talent, the B team helps to nurture these prospects, and they are now in their third consecutive season in the Segunda Division. Of course by signing youngsters in profusion, you are bound to sign the odd flop. Players like Sebastián Battaglia, Damián Escudero, Mariano Barbosa, Sebastián Viera and American Jozy Altidore did not live up to their potential, but the scheme is generally successful, and you only have to look at the current crop making strides in La Liga like Jefferson Montero, Matteo Musacchio and Marco Ruben to see that the production line is continually developing new faces.

The next stage to help aid these talents in development is sign experienced players who have the hunger, and whose wages won’t strain the club’s budget. Boca Juniors legend Martín Palermo was one of the first to travel, along with teammate Gustavo Barros Schelotto at the turn of the Millennium, but both proved unsuccessful. Juliano Belletti, the man who scored the winning goal for Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final, got his first taste of European football at Villarreal. Then you have one of the greatest signings in El Submarino Amarillo’s history, Marcos Senna. Plucked from Brazilian football as a relative unknown, the holding midfielder eventually became captain in 2005. His biggest impact perhaps was for the national team. Nationalised in 2006, he became a key figure for Los Rojo for four years, with his greatest moment winning Euro 2008, Spain’s first title in 44 years.

Riquelme Was A Maestro When He Graced El Madrigal

Going into their 12th successive season in La Liga, the quality that has been at the club is notable. Juan Pablo Sorin impressed in his short stay at the Camp Nou a year before, and the future Argentina captain provided competition for the left-back spot with Rodolfo Arruabarrena. Astute free transfers like Robert Pires, who only a few months earlier had helped Arsenal knock Villarreal out of the Champions League semi-final, showed even at 32 he had a few more good years in him.  Joan Capdevila came with a proven reputation and established himself on the left hand side for the national side during his time there.  Juventus fan favourite Alessio Tacchinardi helped give steal to the midfield in a two-year loan spell and forwards Nihat Kahveci and Jon Dahl Tomasson joined with good reputations, although had rather dubious spells and the latest player to follow in this trend is Carlos Marchena, the defender-come-midfielder notorious for his aggressive style and provocative antics.

Yet the clubs most successful ploy has been giving people a chance. Not just anyone (although Pascal Cygan managed a sustained run in the team), but promising talents who need first team opportunities. Look at Pepe Reina, who is regarded by most as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. Prior to his move to Anfield, Reina established himself as a talented goalkeeper at Villarreal. He had broken through into the first team at Barca before, but a change of manager and the emergence of Victor Valdes meant he needed to leave to get playing time. His path is similar to former Real Madrid reserve keeper Diego López; Villarreal provided them with the platform, and as a result they are both senior Spanish internationals. Reina was not the only Barca player to follow the same path.

Reina Impressed At Villarreal

Juan Román Riquelme is an Engance, a footballer who needs the freedom to have a role where he can dictate the game. An €11m signing for Barcelona, he did not fit into Louis van Gaal’s plans and was often used out of position on the left. Once Ronaldinho joined, Barca shipped him off with the squad consisting of too many non-EU players, and the romance of Riquelme and Villarreal began. Not blessed with speed, Riquelme preferred to play at his pace. He was always a second ahead of everyone, with skills in his locker that would have impressed even Ronaldinho. If a free-kick was around the D, you knew this man would nonchalantly lift it into the top corner. His greatest moment was his influence in guiding Villarreal to a Champions League semi-final. Unfortunately he had a last minute penalty kick saved by Jens Lehmann, stopping their dream, and seeing Arsenal progress to the final in Paris. After that moment the relationship broke down, Coach Manuel Pellegrini grew frustrated and Riquelme returned to Argentina. However ‘Román’ will always embody a true Villarreal signing, a gifted talent who needed trust to show he was made for European football.

Even two Manchester United forwards needed the move to Spain to get their break. Diego Forlán joined as an unfulfilled talent, but needed only three seasons and 59 goals to prove his worth and subsequently joined Atlético Madrid for €21m. On the other hand Giuseppe Rossi was at a different stage in his career. Eager for first team opportunities, Sir Alex Ferguson reluctantly sold the Italian to the Yellow Submarines for around €10m, a price you would have to triple to sign the forward today.

Cazorla – An Example Of The Impressive Youth System

Lastly, have faith in home-grown talent. Of course sometimes the pressure gets to them, and the result can be the likes of: Marquitos, Héctor Font, César Arzo, Xisco Nadal and Jonathan Pereira who have turned into mediocre players. Or you get a gem like Santi Cazorla – a nimble, quick winger who has become a permanent figure in the Spanish squad and eventually left for €21m to join Malaga this summer. Another example is Bruno Soriano, the man who has replaced Senna in the team and become a senior international. With Juan Carlos Garrido being promoted from the B team to manage the first team, the philosophy is clear, show your talent, and you will get a chance. With his experience working with the youngsters, he has helped nurture the likes of Joan Oriol, José Catalá and Mario Gaspar into the first team.

The strategy which started with giving a young David Albelda a chance on loan to offering Forlan an opportunity, Villarreal have a transfer policy which has been a success. Losing Cazorla and Capdevila will make it a tough campaign, but securing Borja Valero on a full transfer, defender Cristian Zapata and with Rossi and Nilmar now likely to stay, the club based in a town with a population of roughly 50,000 look set to continue the trend of punching above their weight.

As seen on: Spanish Football

Their latest cycle in the Primera Division was the most successful in the clubs history; three Spanish Super Cups, two Copa Del Reys and their first La Liga trophy that they won in 2000. In the past 20 years ‘Super Depor’ became everyone’s second team. The Galician side of the early 90’s consisted of experienced players like Luis Lopez Rekarte, Donato, Nando and Adolfo Adana and blended that experience with the youthful legs of Fran, and Brazilian internationals Bebeto and Mauro Silva. In only their second season back they showed how good they would become by qualifying for Europe for the first ever time and consisted of the Pichichi (Bebeto) and Zamora (Paco Liaño) holders.

That form transferred to the next season and they were a minute away from that first La Liga title. Regular penalty taker Donato had been substituted and eventual World Cup winner Bebeto shied away from the pressure having missed his last spot-kick. So up steps Serbian defender Miroslav Dukic, whose timid effort was saved by Valencia keeper Jose Luis Gonzalez. Bribe accusations followed after Valencia’s joyful celebrations; perplexing as they had nothing to play for. Irony and fate made sure that Dukic would get his hands on the title, not with his Depor teammates, but with Valencia in 2002.

Deportivo Celebrate Super Cup Win

Coach Arsenio Iglesias’ reign was over the following season, and the Copa Del Rey was the perfect send-off. The following few seasons saw mixed success under John Toshack, Jose Manuel Corral and Carlos Alberto Silva, but Los Turcos would become a force in Spain and Europe following the appointment of Javier Irureta in 1998.

Great teams succumbed to defeat. This was a time when thrashing Real Madrid 4-0 or winning in consecutive seasons at the Camp Nou was deemed the norm. Deportivo would go to Old Trafford, Highbury and the Olympiastadion and win in the Champions League and people were not that surprised. The team gradually transitioned, and the experienced stalwarts like Djalminha, Fran, Mauro Silva, Noureddine Naybet, Romero and Donato were slowly edged out. Youngsters like Lionel Scaloni, Aldo Duscher, Walter Pandiani, Cesar and Joan Capdevila were signed to gradually edge themselves into the team. The Riazor was not just a foreigner’s playground. The team was gifted with many Spanish internationals during that period like: Juan Carlos Valeron, Jose Molina, Victor, Sergio, Manuel Pablo, Diego Tristan, Cesar, Capdevila and Albert Luque.

Players like Luque and Tristan might be a laughing-stock in England because of their poor spells at Newcastle and West Ham, but they were key ingredients in this team. In the three seasons Makaay and Tristan were together they formed a potent partnership, destroying defences with 131 goals between them. It is a shame Tristan’s time in the limelight was so short-lived because he had all the attributes of a top striker, and was just adept dropping off and driving from deep as he was scoring one-on-ones.

Luque joined as a promising prospect from Mallorca in 2002 in a deal costing roughly €15m. Just as comfortable playing on the left as he was up front, the Barcelona reject was renowned for his thunderous left-foot, mazy dribbling and El Matador-esque celebration, but it was his inconsistency in the second half of his career that stagnated his development.

They possessed the flair of Djalminha, a showman of a midfielder who could do the spectacular and ridiculous. The purchase of Valeron from Atletico Madrid along with head-butting Coach Irueta helped edge him out of the club, but his technical qualities such as his free-kicks, chipped penalties and knack for pulling off ridiculous tricks like this saw him as a symbol for this beautiful side.

Djalminha Could Be Described As A Character.

Then there was the midfield enforcer in Mauro Silva. Believe it or not, but pre-Claude Makelele there were defensive midfielders, and few better than this Brazilian. An imposing player who would sit back while Valeron roamed free, the ’94 World Cup winner had remarkable reading of the game. He could rampage forward with powerful runs and had quick feet to get himself out of tight situations. Here are former Coach Toshack’s thoughts: “He’s the best in the world on his position. When he’s in form, he works like a horse.”

The final cog was the captain and home-grown lad Francisco Javier Gonzalez Perez, better known as Fran. He saw the transition from a financially troubled Segunda team to Champions League stardom. Despite injuries and competition denying him his starting place, he was seen as god for the Deportivo fans. Standing at 5’9”, he gradually developed from a free-roaming attacking midfielder to a winger. At the top of his game he had many admirers, and came close to joining Real Madrid in 1991.

The 2003/04 campaign is sketched in everyone’s mind as the season when Deportivo should have been champions of Europe. After scrapping out of the group stage thanks to a goal advantage they had over their two matches with PSV, they would conquer two Italian giants to reach the Semi-finals. If winning 1-0 in the Stadio delle Alpi isn’t enough for them to gain respect, then the historic triumph over AC Milan is. After taking the lead through Walter Pandiani in the first leg, Depor got destroyed in an eight minute period where they conceded four goals. The home tie was deemed as a chance to restore pride; to bow out on a high. But an amazing 4-0 victory, with veteran Fran scoring the all important goal, saw the stuff of miracles. Defeat to Jose Mourinho’s Porto in the semis however ruled Irureta’s men out of the chance to compete in the final in Gelsenkirchen.

Depor Celebrate Their Infamous Victory Against AC Milan

And that was the end of an era. Irureta remained for another season, but an 8th place finish and group stage elimination saw the end of ‘Jabo’ and with that, the end of ‘Super Depor’. The team slowly began to demise, with the likes of Pandiani, Luque, Naybet and Scaloni all departing for England while Mauro Silva and Fran retired. The gifted Valeron would never be the same force again after a knee injury in 2006 which saw numerous set-backs and Molina, a former testicular cancer sufferer, returned home to retire with Levante.

The 2006/07 season was the regeneration period. The recycling of the team had reached its third major episode, but this time the team would not be able to replace their stars. Spending under Chairman Augusto César Lendoiro had caught up with the club and debts of €100m+ had amassed, leading to the transfer budget being cut gradually. The man who had saved the club in 1988 when he took full ownership of Deportivo, who were 500 million pesetas in debt, had made the finances quiet for a while, but it meant eventually the big stars would leave, with the likes of Makaay joining Bayern Munich for €18.75m and Luque leaving for Newcastle in a deal worth €14m.

Successful B team players like Alvaro Arbeloa, Joan Verdu, Cristian, Rodri, Javier Arizmendi, Filipe Luis and Real Oviedo forward Adrian Lopez were signed with hope that this long-term strategy would be the best financially speaking. However the best new manager Joaquín Caparrós could muster under this group were successive Copa Del Rey semi-final appearances, which wasn’t enough.

The club however was not the platform it once was, and the better players departed. Arbeloa and Antonio Barragan would join Rafa Benitez at Liverpool. Capdevila and Verdu left because of their poor wages. Fabricio Collocini and Jorge Andrade left for big money to Newcastle and Juventus respectively, while some of the big wage signings like Mista, Omar Bravo and Ze Castro proved to be disappointments.

Fans Say Goodbye To Fran & Mauro Silva

It is hard to see Deportivo returning to La Liga quickly, especially with the lack of quality in the squad. Lendoiro has promised the fans seven new signings, with Ayoze being the first, and Jesus Vazquez touted to follow. Remaining assets like Andres Guardado and Adrian are in discussions to leave the club, but the fees will be low because of expiring contracts.

The transfer strategy now will be free transfers and hope that the Canteranos like David Rochela, Juan Dominguez and Álex Bergantiños can form the nucleus of Jose Luis Oltra’s side.

So was the Champions League a curse for Deportivo? Like Real Betis, Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo in the last 10 years, the qualification to the prestigious tournament has resulted in relegation. The rise to the top propels the team’s best names to the rest of Europe, and with that comes the cost of losing star players. Just as Betis lost Joaquin, Sociedad lost Nihat and Darko Kovačević and Celta lost Peter Luccin. The success makes players eager to experience this again, which can either lead to overspending and debt, or failure to cope with multiple competitions on a tight budget.

From a period where they could attract a young Rivaldo to play at the Riazor to possessing World Cup winners in Bebeto and Mauro Silva, times have changed. Whether Deportivo can return to the Primera Division is a difficult question, and Oltra will have a tough time trying to build a squad when his chairman has tightened the purse strings. Whatever happens, and despite their fall from grace, they will still be remembered as ‘Super Depor’.

You would refer to him as a normal guy. He is not flashy, is not covered in tattoos and tries to avoid the public attention. His favourite pastimes are hiking and snorkelling. He thanks his brother Jonathan for getting him into football and how he learned from playing against him and his older friends. His nature is thanks to the traits his family instilled in him. “I come from a family of hard-working people. My parents told me: Pay attention and you’ll learn. Putting desire into something I like is easy. I saw my parents labour to pull us through, so I’m fortunate to have this as a job.”

The 23-year-old from Santa Cruz on the island of Tenerife has had a meteoric rise in the past few years from being a B team player to starting a World Cup final and becoming the only player to score in six different tournaments in a calendar year in 2009. Here is his team-mate Pique’s evaluation on his development “He has shown how much he can do in the last two years, though it took him a while to get going in the first year. The last two years have been something to see. Everything he has touched has gone in. He’s always on the lookout and at key moments he is always there.”

However his path to the four-time European champions was something of an accident.

Pedro Rodriguez has become an important player for Barcelona.

Barça scouts were sent to the annual international youth tournament held in Adeje for Under 18-year-olds. They had been made aware there was a talented winger from Venezuela called Jeffren Suarez playing. In the end both ended up signing and Pedro was transferred from CD San Isidro in 2004. However it was not an easy process moving to La Masia. He struggled with the culture and the language in the first three months, and his mother suffered from depression. He even contemplated leaving with two other offers on the table. But since then he has just continued to improve.

His development has been aided from working with current coach Josep Guardiola. They first met in the 2007/08 campaign when they achieved promotion to the Segunda Division with the reserve team, and Pedro played a key role scoring seven goals. Pedro refers to Guardiola as a father and is appreciative of the ex-captain for giving him his chance “He has been everything to me. He has trusted me since the day I got here, and has giving me the chance of playing for the first squad. I owe him a lot. I would like him to stay at Barça for many years, and I hope he keeps trusting me as he has until now”.

Yet his first team début occurred under then Coach Frank Rijkaard against Murcia in 2008. When Guardiola was promoted to first team manager he gave the fleet-footed player a chance to shine in the 2008 pre-season, and he duly impressed. Despite not being promoted to the senior team immediately, 10 goals in 17 games forced Guardiola’s hand and the Canarian stayed with the first team squad for the remainder of the 08/09 season. In the two campaigns since, Pedro has established himself as a key player for Los Blaugrana. His manager does not hide his importance to the side “Pedro has become vital for us, absolutely fundamental. He is a role model, a great. He always exceeds expectations.”

Pep Guardiola Has Become A Father Figure For Pedro.

106 games and 45 goals have followed in those two seasons. A World Cup, two La Liga’s, two Spanish Super Cups, Champions League, Super Cup and a Club World Cup have all been won since Pedro has become a first team player. The ambidextrous player has grown into a man. Whether his former adopted name of Pedrito was dropped for marketing purposes or because the player had finally grown from the little lad into a focal point in the first team is debatable, but his feet are still firmly rooted to the ground. He is not allowed to get big-headed; his father makes sure of that. He still calls him Pedrito, and he is a proud man. Working in a petrol station in Tenerife he has framed photos of his son. He is something of a local celebrity. He is continually stopped and asked about his son, but he does not mind. “He’s given out some photos. A lot of people come to talk to my father, to spend some time with him, and he likes that.“ Pedro could not believe it when he had been picked by Vicente Del Bosque to play against Germany in the World Cup Semi-Final. What did Pedro do? Sent his father a text message. “I’m starting!”

Someone like Pedro would be labelled as ‘lightweight’ if he was in England. Standing just over 5’6” and not weighing any more than 65kg, being at Barça in this period has been perfect. The team consists of mainly nimble players. Pedro suits the attributes for Guardiola’s style of football, and his partnership with Leo Messi and David Villa, labelled MVP, has to be the most potent and feared strike force in European football.

However is the winger getting the recognition he deserves? In the build-up to the Champions League final the majority of the English press focussed on Xavi Hernandez, Messi and Andres Iniesta. Rightly so you would argue, they are the three best players in the world. Despite rejecting the claims, it was reported that Cristiano Ronaldo did not even know who was, asking in an El Clasico fixture “And who are you?”

But not recognising Pedro was a mistake. He scored the opening goal in the game. His impact on the game was slightly different to the 2009 final against Manchester United where he was an injury-time substitute, but perhaps now he will attract more plaudits.

Pedro Scores The Opening Goal Of The 2011 Champions League Final.

Barça play with high pressure and intensity when they lose possession and Pedro embodies that belief. His work rate is incredible, and the effort he puts into winning the ball back is a reason why he only played the full 90 minutes 15 times in his 39 starts this season. With so much of Barca’s play going through the centre, the width Pedro and Dani Alves bring to the right-hand side allows Xavi to recycle possession and stretch the opponents easier with a continual outlet.

To get the best out of Pedro, he needs to start. Not once did he score in his 13 substitute appearances in the 10/11 season. With an expensive signing destined for the Camp Nou this summer, Udinese winger Alexis Sanchez is the favourite to join while Giuseppe Rossi has also been heavily linked, it would be a crime to see him become a rotational player. People queried why Fernando Torres was not wanted by the Catalans in January, and despite probably not being able to fit him in the side to utilise the best out of Messi, a big factor was the importance of Pedro.

The role of the squad is important in modern football and the impact of a short squad was felt by Barca for a few months in the turn of the year. It’s not in Pedro’s nature to kick up a fuss if he sees himself occupying the bench a lot more next season, but he knows he will still get games because of how highly his coach rates him “If Pedro was Brazilian, he’d be called Pedrinho and we wouldn’t have enough money to afford him.”

Pedro might be too humble for his own good. Guardiola has told him to be more selfish, to stop looking to pass to Messi. He even identifies his dribbling as a weakness. It is nice to see somebody who stresses the importance of the team, and unlike in post-match interviews where you can tell players have been instructed to say “That the win was the most important thing”, when you hear Pedro say it, you believe it, because he is genuine.

Pedro's Workrate Is Invaluable.

His reason for his goals? His striking partners “How can you not score goals in Barça! While defenders have trouble dealing with Messi, Villa and Bojan, they forgot about me. That’s why I could score those goals. A lot [of chances] came my way, taking advantage of a move made by my teammates or a pass.”

That sums Pedro up, he is too humble, but unlike the famous motto of good guys getting nowhere, Pedro looks to be the exception.

United come into this match after a title-winning campaign brandished as lacking ‘fantasy’, but perhaps that will put them in good stead against a team who have it in abundance. Trying to play Barça at their own game will generally result in defeat, but with dogged determination, team full of energy and a potent striker, United have a great chance of reversing the disappointment from 2009.

Despite claims that we might be witnessing one of the greatest teams ever in the Catalans, they still have their flaws, and Ferguson knows if he can exploit them and more importantly take their chances, then United are one of the best teams to sit back and play on the counter-attack when protecting a lead.

Busquets Needs To Be Prevented From Playing

Barcelona’s Weaknesses

After a gruelling season, and despite Pep Guardiola resting his players in the past few games, fatigue has hit the La Liga champions since the start of the year with their small squad. Captain Carles Puyol has had a troublesome knee injury which has disrupted his second half of the season, and with his questionable fitness, Javier Mascherano could be played in that role. The rusty Puyol/out of position Mascherano will need to be targeted and that right side could be a great chance for United to cause damage.

With Barça encouraging their full-backs to play as wingers, the two centre-half’s push out wide, allowing Sergio Busquets to drop deep, making a 3-4-3 formation when in possession. Wayne Rooney’s role will be important to making sure Busquets cannot influence the game. Busquets role within the team is incredibly underrated, and his one touch football is integral for the teams ‘tiki-taka’ style. By Rooney dropping deep to annul the Spaniard’s influence, it exposes a huge gap between the two centre-backs. One thing both Puyol and Gerard Pique lack is pace, and Javier Hernandez can exploit this with ease. Ferguson might be tempted to play Rooney up top instead and employ another midfielder in the middle, but by using Hernandez, it will help to retreat Barça knowing their high pressure and high defensive line system will be incredibly risky against Chicharito’s raw speed.

Chicharito's Pace Can Cause Barça Havoc

A place where the Red Devils can really get at their opponents is on the wings. Ji-Sung Park and Antonio Valencia will be used because of their tactical awareness and fitness, but their attacking influence on the game will be important. Despite David Villa and especially Pedro Rodriguez being great at pressuring the opposition’s defenders when without the ball, they are not the best at tracking back. With Dani Alves marauding up field as a second winger, there will be huge space left behind him, and Patrice Evra will need to be disciplined with his offensive runs, but on the counter-attack he can utilise this well.

Left-back is hard to identify who will play as there are three contenders, but with Eric Abidal’s recent medical problems, Maxwell should be given that role. Despite whether those two or Adriano play, they are not the strongest going forward, and with Villa playing as an inside-forward, Valencia will have an easier job than usual. After his fantastic performance neutralising Ashley Cole, the Ecuadorian is more likely to play ahead of Nani because of his consistency. His raw pace and crossing ability will make him a danger man, but unlike Nani, he does not possess a goal threat.

Chalkboard of Park & Valencia’s tackles vs Chelsea

Barcelona’s Strengths

Ferguson recently said failing to take their chances was the biggest disappointment for United in Rome and giving away sloppy goals. The triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez are world-class, and if you can nullify one of them, then it can go a long way towards winning you the match. “What we have to do is find a solution to the Xavi-Messi-Iniesta problem. Everyone is searching for that because they are outstanding footballers, but we have our share too.” Said Ferguson.

Messi playing in the ‘false 9’ role will cause the biggest problems for United. Does one of the centre backs follow him? Does Carrick decide to stick with him and thus leave Xavi free? A man marking role could stop him to a certain point, as Pepe recently demonstrated in the ‘El Clasicos’, but United do not have anybody who could play that role. The importance of stopping Xavi dictating the game however will be the likely priority. If Carrick or even Rooney can stop him having much time on the ball it will help to encumber his threat. This will lead to Messi dropping deeper because of the lack of service, and despite his obvious gift of dribbling at pace, United would rather he was on the halfway line than their penalty box.

Iniesta’s role within the team is almost as a deep-lying attacking midfielder. He will start alongside Xavi, but will look to support Messi or even move into Villa’s role once he cuts inside. Fletcher’s energy will be tested with his movement, and it would not be a surprise to see Anderson come on late in the game to continue that role once the Scot becomes understandably tired.

Despite Villa’s recent struggles in front of goal, only 2 in his last 19 games, he could be the match winner at Wembley. In the recent big games Fabio da Silva has been given the nod over his brother Rafael da Silva, but both of them would seem a risky choice to play, especially with their tendency to give away silly free-kicks, although the former is not as bad a culprit as the latter. The experienced John O’Shea would seem the more logical choice because of his consistency, but with his lack of pace, Villa can expose him when cutting inside. This may lead to Ferdinand pushing out wider or Valencia having to play far deeper, which can expose a huge gap for probably Messi to exploit.

Despite Poor Form, Villa's Movement Will Be a Problem For United

Key Battle

The most important battle will be in the middle of the pitch. Ferguson has said he has learnt from his mistakes, but the tough decision will be who to use. With Rooney playing in that defensive ’10 ‘role, he can act as another midfielder, so United can get away with two players to try to stop Xavi and Iniesta. Ryan Giggs and Anderson have both put in some fantastic displays in the past month, with the former noticeably being the match winner in the Quarter-Final tie against Chelsea, while the latter was on song against Schalke in the second leg of the Semi-Finals.

Tactical Diagram Of The Likely Line-ups

Despite this, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher are the likely two to be picked. Despite a recent bug, Fletcher completed 90 minutes against Blackpool and his energy and tackling ability will make him pivotal. He was sorely missed in the 2009 final, and despite Anderson having the attributes to play that role, the experience of the Scot will be important; a man who has become the Red Devils big game player.

Carrick’s role will be to sit deep, stay in the key territory zones and hope to use the gap between Barça’s midfield and defence to spray long-range passes. Despite not being a natural defensive midfielder like Owen Hargreaves, Carrick has the discipline to sit deep and help retain possession, something which United will need to ensure they use strategically, because Barca do not give it up without a fight.

The top clubs are always on the prowl for young talent. With the reward of watching players develop into stars and being a cheaper alternative in the inflated transfer market, the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have become notorious for this modus operandi.

The latest prospect on everyone’s lips is playing down at Southampton. With the recent success of Theo Walcott and especially Gareth Bale in North London since their moves, and Premier League legends like Matt Le Tissier and Alan Shearer being produced by the South Coast side, there is now an element of expectation when the Saints promote a new youngster to the first team. In Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, it looks like they have a new prodigy to add to the list.

Alex Chamberlain Is Attracting Interest From Premier League Sides

The son of former Portsmouth and England winger Mark Chamberlain, Alex was signed up by Southampton at the age of seven thanks to his dad getting him a six-week trial. His father was a youth team coach for Southampton for seven years, and encouraged the coaches to have a look at him. However the development of the winger has not all been plain sailing. He was apparently held back for a year because the coaches feared he was physically inferior to his peers, but they noticed a dramatic improvement in his dribbling ability and in the past few years he has specifically worked on bulking up:

“I’m not afraid of hard work. When they said I was too small to make the grade, I went off and worked harder in the training ground and in the gym to put on the body weight.”

Now standing at 5’11” and considerably built for someone so young, Chamberlain has the physical attributes to adapt to the Premiership easier than Theo Walcott, who did not even feature for Arsenal in his first six months since joining in January 2006.

After making his début for Alan Pardew’s side against Huddersfield in March 2010, the wide man was only brought on off the bench one more time in the 09/10 season, but the fans knew they had a new hero to worship. Under the guidance of Nigel Adkins this season, Chamberlain has been instrumental in Saints promotion to the Championship, and has scored nine league goals in his first full campaign. The 17-year-old has been surprised at how quickly he has established himself as a senior footballer:

“I didn’t think I would get into the first team at Southampton as quick as I did. I’ve been working really hard all year to keep my place and make myself a better player. I’ve tried to take everything in my stride and play as well as I can and see where that takes me.”

Despite being deployed on the wing, Chamberlain’s natural position is down the middle, and with his versatility of being able to play anywhere in midfield, his importance to Saints next season will be crucial. He shows his natural desire to play down the middle by continually cutting in from the right flank. With the ability to mix it up when he faces defenders, Chamberlain shows he has the ingredients for a top winger. Blessed with rapid pace and confidence in his dribbling, the Portsmouth born star attracted praise from Ferguson prior to their FA Cup tie in January:

“Alex Chamberlain is only young, but he has potential. Southampton have done very well bringing young players through over the years.”

Gareth Bale Didn't Have Initial Success At Tottenham

Unsurprisingly his rise to prominence has not gone unnoticed, and Southampton fans were resigned to seeing him leave in January, with Liverpool and Manchester United keen on him. Privately it is said his father’s preference is Arsenal, but with the Gunners offering below his valuation -£5m bid with £3m instalments – and more specifically, with Saints being in a strong financial position now, they are in no position to sell.

After signing a three-year contract at the start of the season, Chamberlain now has a tough decision on his hands. Does he make the move to the Premiership with the knowledge that Walcott and Bale initially struggled to cement a first team place, or does he continue his career down on the South Coast?

If Southampton failed to be promoted from League 1 then the likely scenario was he would leave, but now they have been promoted, perhaps the Premiership clubs would rather bide their time and analyse how he does in a tougher division.

After making his début for the England U-21’s against Italy earlier in the year, he looks set to miss the European tournament in June after being left out of the preliminary 40 man squad because of his recent ankle injury, which gives the youngster a chance to really consider his options over the summer. It has been a surprise how quickly he has been fast tracked into that age group, but he has enjoyed the experience:

“I was a bit apprehensive coming into [the U21’s] because I watch the guys on Match of the Day every week, but everyone’s been friendly and relaxed, so it’s been good.”

After Southampton celebrated promotion, Chamberlain helped to ease any doubts in the fans minds about him leaving:

“It’s been a great season, the boys are quality, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and I look forward to next season now. Southampton is such a great club and I am so happy to be a part of it.”

Despite his convincing words, if, as expected a bid surpassing £10m is made for him in the summer, both the club and player will have a tough choice to make. Will he follow the path to his boyhood idol Thierry Henry’s former club Arsenal? It is likely they will make another approach in the summer, but for the lad who also cherished watching Gianfranco Zola, Chamberlain has a big decision to make.

Real Madrid have a history of great players from Ferenc Puskas to Hugo Sanchez, yet some of the most important have been graduates from their academy such as the famous La Quinta del Buitre, translated as “The Vultures Squad”, who were five homegrown players that were key to Madrid’s dominance in the 1980’s; which won five La Liga’s, two UEFA Cup’s and a Copa Del Rey in that decade.

Butragueno Is One Of The Greatest To Emerge From The Academy

The nickname derives from Emilio Butragueno, the legendary forward who scored 217 goals in 463 games, who was nicknamed “The Vulture”. The other four players were Manolo Sanchis, Martin Vazquez, Michel and Miguel Pardeza; who enjoyed more success at Zaragoza. The group was famous for their strong influence as well as ability, and the likes of Sanchis and Michel were controversial figures that fell out with the likes of John Toshack and Javier Clemente.

In the last few years Iker Casillas, Guti Hernandez and Raul Gonzalez (although some credit goes to Atletico, who he played for until 1992 but moved to arch rivals Real after controversial chairman Jesus Gil disbanded the academy) have been the latest stars to play the majority of their careers for Los Merengues. The homegrown Madridistas are generally the fans favourite, and with the playmaker in Guti, the incredible goalscorer in Raul and one of the best keepers in the last 20 years in Casillas, Real have had symbolic figures to drive them to victory.

Other famous Spaniards like Jose Antonio Camacho in the 70’s/80’s and Santiago Bernabeu, who was one of the earliest stars and later president, were pioneers for the club, with Francisco Gento, Fernando Hierro and Amancio playing the majority of their careers also for the team, but joining from their other respected clubs. There has been a continual trend of great Spanish players who have ran out in front of 80,000 fans in Chamartín over the years, knowing how special it means to play for the club because they joined at an early age.

There have also been plenty of players who failed to make the grade at Real, but went on to become successful and International players elsewhere like Ismael Urzaiz, Santiago Canizares, Mista and Luis Garcia, showing the depth of talent the academy actually has produced over the past twenty years.

The importance of nurturing players from La Fabrica was signified when Florentino Perez became President in 2000. Although he will be remembered for his “Galacticos” scheme, he also expressed the importance of homegrown players and created a strategy called Zidanes y Pavones, meaning the canteranos brought up supporting the club and played in the ‘style’ would then implement that in a team alongside the superstars such as Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham. In hindsight the scheme failed to work, and the likes of Oscar Minambres, Alvaro Mejia and Francisco Pavon failed to develop into the hoped superstars, but the principles of the scheme were opportunistic and could have been the perfect formula for dominance.

Pavon Did Not Quite Live Up To His Potential

The current crop of home-grown players produced by Barcelona recently however are on another level to Real’s. If you look at the Spanish squad which won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, 10 are graduates from La Masia, while Real only had three in Juan Mata, Casillas and Alvaro Arbeloa. So although the team from the Capital might be churning out more players, the quality seems to be coming from the Catalans, something which has not been played down in Catalonia.

However a promising sign in recent times has been the prospects from the Castilla team in the past five years that have emerged as Spanish internationals. Strikers Roberto Soldado and Alvaro Negredo and midfielder Ruben De La Red have all played for La Roja since leaving the club. Then there are the likes of Esteban Granero, Miguel Torres, Daniel Parejo, Borja Valero, Javi Garcia and Diego Lopez who have also emerged as solid players with realistic prospects of representing the national team. This group of ex-Real players shows the club can produce not only quantity but also quality, it is just a shame the majority do not get a chance to show that at the Bernabeu.

The trend is these players have only fulfilled or are starting to fulfil their potential now since leaving Real. Getafe have acted as a feeder club over the past few seasons, and since the appointment of former Castilla manager Michel, have helped the likes of Soldado, Granero and De La Red to get the game time they could not get for Los Blancos. Michel helped use his contacts with his former club, and actually managed Granero and the now retired De La Red in the 06/07 seasons when Castilla were in the Liga Adelante. Current star Parejo could be returning to Real in the summer, following the same route as Granero two years ago, but the fans will hope he sees more minutes than El Pirata.

Raul Symbolised Real Madrids Beliefs

As ever there are emerging prospects such as Alvaro Morata and Pablo Sarabia, who are talented individuals, but the likelihood for the Madridistas is they will fulfil their promise elsewhere or be sold like Marcos Alonso and Rodrigo were last summer. It is an annoying tendency, but with the demands of needing to challenge with Barcelona, perhaps the management think the youngsters are better off learning elsewhere rather than being propelled into the senior squad in demanding circumstances.

So perhaps Real are not quite on the same level as their rivals as Barca in terms of the standard produced, but Los Blancos have used their facilities to develop promising players in their academy, and although not every Javier Portillo will conclude into a Raul, they are at least helping to produce new players for the National Team, and will as time shows, produce legends who will lead them to success.

Current former Real Madrid graduates in La Liga:

Almeria – Corona, Atletico – Juanfran, Deportivo – Riki, Espanyol – Jose Callejon,  Getafe – Borja, Jordi Codina, Daniel Parejo, Pedro Mosquera, Miguel Torres, Hercules – Javier Portillo, Levante – Valdo, Malaga – Fernando, Mallorca – Ruben, Osasuna – Aranda, Racing – Adrian, Sevilla – Alvaro Negredo, Sporting – Diego Barral, Alvaro Rivera, Valencia – Juan Mata, Roberto Soldado, Villarreal – Diego Lopez, Borja Valero.

Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona & Zaragoza – N/A

When he signed in 2006 from Tottenham Hotspur for a potential £18.6m, many fans were apprehensive with the price tag for a consistent, yet unspectacular player. However Carrick was the man who helped inspire United to three consecutive Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008. Playing as a deep-lying playmaker, Carrick was key in sitting deep and intercepting play in a way which Sergio Busquets does for Barcelona, yet his passing meant he was a perfect deputy with Paul Scholes’ injury problems around that time. His form was so good that people were surprised he was not a regular in the England set-up.

Carrick's form has dropped since the 2-0 defeat to Barcelona

Yet since the 2-0 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League final in Rome 2009, his confidence has gone. Both him and Anderson were made to look like fools against Xavi and Andres Iniesta, and after receiving a lot of blame for the defeat, Carrick has not been the same consistent figure since. His passing has become wayward and seems more content on passing backwards or sidewards than forward. He seems inferior when alongside Scholes, and is happy to pass on the attacking duties. Even Ferguson, despite continual vocal support, has been slightly cautious with overplaying the midfielder, and it looked as if he was going to be sold in the summer; with Sunderland keen.

But a commanding performance against Chelsea in the Champions League Quarter Final first leg showed the Red Devil fans the old Carrick. His pinpoint diagonal ball to Ryan Giggs for Wayne Rooney’s goal was trademark Carrick. He has the ability to pull the strings in the centre of the pitch, but that player of two years ago is rarely seen nowadays. Defensively he was in the right areas all game and the likes of Frank Lampard and Michael Essien did not have as much impact as the Stamford Bridge faithful would have liked.

The West Ham graduate has a big list of admirers too, and these glowing comments from arguably the best central midfielder in the world Xavi reflect Carrick’s ability:

“Carrick gives United balance and can play defensively too. He passes well, has a good shot and is a complete player. United have a very good midfield at a high level and they’re strong physically and technically.”

Will Old Trafford Now See The Carrick Of Old?

Former captain fantastic Bryan Robson pinpoints his importance in a defensive capacity:

“He reads the game so intelligently and protects the back four with interceptions rather than crunching challenges. I think that goes unnoticed sometimes, but he brings a lovely sort of balance to more attacking players like Rooney, Scholes, Giggs and Nani. He allows them to go on and get on with attacking, while he takes care of everything else.”

With Fletcher’s illness and both Anderson and Scholes missing recently with niggling injuries, Carrick has had a chance to cement himself in the side for the end of season run-in, and if he can replicate the performance against Chelsea, Manchester United fans will think they have a new signing, because the old Michael Carrick is someone the team have been crying out for.

When a player makes his debut at the age of 15, he is regarded as a prodigy. But when he breaks a 27 year old record set by Diego Maradona, there is an expectation of excellence. Other young prospects like Freddy Adu and Nicolas Millan may have faded into anonymous realms since their breakthroughs, but the man they call ‘Kun’ has gradually developed into one of the most wanted forwards in Europe.

The link with Maradona does not end there however. The legendary former captain was Aguero’s manager at the World Cup last summer, although the 22-year-olds impact on the tournament was restricted to just two substitute appearances. However he did assist Gonzalo Higuain with a goal against South Korea. Opportunities for Argentina have been tough with competition from the likes of Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito and Higuain, but Aguero will be a key element alongside his best friend Lionel Messi in the future if he can replicate his form at youth level for La Albiceleste. He has been part of the 2005 and 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup winning teams, and won the top goalscorer award in Canada 2007, and was also an Olympic gold medallist in Beijing in 2008.

At domestic level, the player who cost €23m from Independiente in 2006 was an important figure in a team which won Atletico Madrid’s first major trophy since 1996. A Europa League triumph over Fulham saw the Argentine win his first major trophy for the Spanish side, and he was a key man in the final. He assisted both Diego Forlan’s goals to ensure Los Rojiblancos overcame the English side.

He has recently signed a contract extension with Atleti, and despite the reported interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid, is happy to stay at the Vicente Calderon until 2014, a huge boost for the club, who are hoping their prized asset becomes as symbolic as Fernando Torres.

Great with the ball at his feet, an extra yard of pace to leave defenders in his tracks, and also remarkable strength for such a small player, Aguero has all the assets to mature into a world class player, and it seems Atletico will be the platform for him to demonstrate his ability.

Kun Aguero - 44

Gerard Pique

It has been a monumental rise to stardom for Gerard Pique in the past three seasons, one which has seen him develop from a promising back-up at Manchester United to being regarded as one of the best central defenders in world football since his return to Barcelona.

His partnership with club captain Carles Puyol has been important for providing defensive stability in Barcelona’s recent success, and their partnership has been replicated at international level, as seen in Spain’s World Cup victory in South Africa last July. Pique’s ability as a ball playing defender and an immaculate reader of the game has seen him combine well with the more tenacious defender in Puyol. The defender’s form has been so impressive that the likes of Rafael Marquez, Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Henrique have left the club in search of first team football.

The past year has seen Pique cement himself in great sides. He played every minute in the World Cup, and was a key figure in a defensive line which only conceded two goals as the Spaniards secured their first World Championship. He was part of the historic Barcelona side which won six trophies in 2009, and played 32 league games in La Liga to help beat rivals Real Madrid to the title with a record points tally of 99. Despite a goal in the Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan, it was not enough and the defending champions were eliminated to the would be Kings of Europe, however his displays did not go unnoticed, and in January was named in the UEFA Team of the Year along with five of his club teammates.

At only 24, Pique has the best years of his career ahead of him and is already being touted as the future captain at the Camp Nou. Potential for greatness beckons for the Catalan, who is part of a Barca team which is regarded as one of the best ever. Pique will hope to ensure his name will be remembered amongst fans for generations, and can emulate the success of his idols: Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and Fernando Hierro.

Gerard Pique - 9

Diego Forlan

The scene was a wet Port Elizabeth, and a free-kick offered a chance of hope, and personal glory. It was the last kick of the game, and would take Uruguay into extra-time in the World Cup third place play-off if the ball ruptured into the net. A man, who was renowned for being the butt of the jokes when he played in England, hit the ball and winced in agony as it struck the crossbar, and thus saw him miss out on the Golden Boot.

The World Cup used to be a platform which offered opportunities for fans across the globe to see new players, and those opportunities only arise every so often. In the modern day this is not the case with global broadcasting of every league and the magical world of the internet, but in South Africa it presented a chance where Diego Forlan helped to mould a new reputation for himself.

After the arrival of Quique Sanchez Flores as the coach, 2010 proved to be a fantastic year for the Atletico Madrid striker. Despite finishing runner-up in the Copa del Rey after a 2-0 defeat to Sevilla, Forlan was inspirational in their Europa League campaign, giving his old Manchester United fans pleasure by scoring twice in the semi-final against Liverpool. His rampage continued at the courtesy of another English side in Fulham, and scored the two goals to defeat Roy Hodgson’s men in Hamburg. It was Atleti’s first major silverware since the double winning side of Radomir Antic in 1996.

The 2010/11 campaign has not been as enjoyable for the man from Montevideo, who even went on a 12 game streak without scoring. Speculation of his future may have been a distraction, although Forlan himself has not helped the cause stipulating he would be open to a move to a bigger team, and was reportedly subject to bids from Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur in January.

The past year has been one to remember, and Forlan, playing in the trequartista role, has helped bring a smile back to the Uruguayan fans faces, helping the two times World Cup winners put their name back on the map.

Diego Forlan - 7

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