Soccer 101

2007 - My Favourites

2007-12-28T12:13:00.000-05:00

* Most Disappointing Game: Copa

America

Final - July 15th

without question the 3-0 loss by

Argentina

Brazil

in the Copa America final was the year’s most heartbreaking. Despite being the class of the tournament AND fielding a full strength squad, Argentina were simply played off the pitch by a Brazil side that showed little of the brilliance of that country’s famed footballing history. It was the worst kind of loss imaginable; lousy defence, an own goal, and the disappearance of top players Riquelme, Messi and Tévez. All of Argentina would do well to sweep that disaster under the rug and focus on 2010, but like their early exit in last year’s World Cup, it was another reminder in which an Argentine squad loaded with world-class talent was unable to get it done when it really mattered. A distant second: As a Congolese fan I was appalled by their embarrassing ouster from the upcoming African Nation’s Cup by drawing at home with

Libya

. While I won’t take anything away from the team from Tripoli, The Leopards looked like 11 players who were playing together for the first time, and barely able to show any signs of life. A fitting way to end a forgettable year for the Leopards.

* Best Performances: Cristiano Ronaldo

Without a doubt the best player I saw all of last year was Ronaldo. Simply look at what he was able to accomplish with Manchester United and Portugal in 2007.His performance in the EPL makes me my clear choice as the world player of the year. Considering the he was booed in every Stadium he played in except for Old Tafford and Portugal for much of the year and his accomplishments are even more impressive.Under great stress that he endured shortly following his “hand” in the Rooney sending off at the World Cup. Ronaldo literally won the title for Man United in 2007 and 20 years from now we will all remember the 2007 trophy as Ronaldo’s title.

* Best Goal: Lionel Messi v Getafe April 18th

The best goal that I saw in 2007 had to be Messi’s goal against Getafe in the Copa del Rey. It’s hard not to pick that goal, considering the beauty of his run past the defenders and its comparisons to Maradona.

* Breakout Player - Juan Juan Román Riquelme
I’m going to have to sound like a skipping record and go with Riquelme. I think many people, including myself, felt that his loan back to Boca was a sign that he was washed up, but you can’t argue with the results.

* Next big player:
My pick will have to be Argentina U20 striker Sergio Agüero is my pick to be the star of tomorrow. I had the chance to see him play in Canada in july and I think that he was a man playing with boys and with that I think that he will be the player with the most impact in 2008

2007 African player of the year

2007-12-13T08:48:00.000-05:00

The shortlist for the 2007 African player of the year is out, and current holder Didier Drogba is in contention again. The five players shortlisted are:

Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
Michael Essien (Chelsea and Ghana)
Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal and Togo)
Frederic Kanoute (Seville and Mali)
Mahamadou Diarra (Real Madrid and Mali)

The coaches of all 53 nations in the Confederation of African Football will vote, and the winner will be announced at a fancy dinner on Februaury 1st in Togo next year. Bizarrely, that’s in the middle of the African Cup of Nations so the players shortlisted will hope to be busy around that time (with the exception of Emmanuel Adebayor, since Togo failed to qualify.)

Drogba stands every chance of holding onto the award, looking unstoppable in a Chelsea shirt until his recent knee surgery. Last years runner up Samuel Eto’o is out of contention for the 2007 award having spent most of the season on the injury list. Kanoute is an interesting inclusion, as he’d be the first European born winner having been born in Lyon and represented French youth teams before switching to Mali, where he’s teamed up with Mahamadou Diarra, “the heart” of Real Madrid’s midfield. Not sure about Emmanuel Adebayor’s chances. He’s been good on his day for Arsenal, but hasn’t contributed much to Togo thanks to the infamous row over bonus payments that nearly ruined Togo’s World Cup. So I’ll be pulling for Michael Essien. This will be the third time in a row the Ghanaian midfielder has been shortlisted, finishing behind Eto’o and Drogba in 2005 and 2006, so it’s about time he finally got his hands on the award.

Champions League format scrapped

2007-12-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

The current format of the Champions League is set to be scrapped.

The new set up would see the league winner from Scotland gain automatic entry into the group stages with the Cup winner going into a mini knockout phase that would see a further 10 clubs join the 22 teams who already gained automatic entry into the group stage.

The runner up in the league would immediately go into the UEFA Cup group stage.

It is said the SPL are not in favour of this new structure, nor are the Dutch, because they fear that the divide in the domestic league would become too much if one team won the league a couple of years in succession.

The financial rewards of being in the Champions League are such that the winning team would then have so much more money that the other clubs in the league would find it difficult to compete.

I think this will be a great change and put a breath of fresh air into both the domestic league and the Champions League.

Mtupu soon to be a gooner ?

2007-11-28T14:37:00.000-05:00

Arsene Wenger has confirmed that the Congolese youngster Tresor Mputu is on trial at Arsenal's London Colney training ground and by the sound of what Arsene is saying, he could be added to the squad in January.

“He is on trial and I have to go down to test him,” Wenger told the official Arsenal website. “He is a creative player and wants a chance in Europe. He has impressed so far.”

Mputu is just 22 in a fortnight's time, but he is one of the African continent's hottest talents, being the star player for both his club, TP Mazembe and his nation, the Democratic Republic of Congo .

He was the top scorer in African’s version of the Champions League as Mazembe reached the last 16, while he has also hit five goals in 10 appearances for Congo.

Whether Wenger would be willing to disrupt the squad by bringing in a new striker when his team are so clearly unified is questionable. But there is the option that he could sign Mputu with the proviso that he moves to London in the summer rather than risk jeopardizing dressing room confidence when it is obviously so healthy.

But with a price tag of only about £500,000, the risk in financial terms is negligible and it could well be that Arsene Wenger has found yet another diamond in the rough that he can help shape into a footballing superstar.

My Top 10 all time greats

2007-11-19T16:26:00.000-05:00

After reading the now infamous list of the 100 best palyers, i decided to make my own list but instead of
100 i decided to make a list of my top 10 greatest football players.

1. Diego Maradona (Argentina)
2. Zinedine Zidane (France)
3. Edson Arentes de Nascimento (Brazil)
4. George Best (Nothern Ireland)
5. Franz Beckenbauer (West-Germany)
6. Bobby Charlton (England)
7. Ronaldo de Lima (Brazil)
8. Ruud Gullit (Netherland)
9. Ryan Giggs (wales)
10.Romario (Brazil)

Maradona Autobiography

2007-11-14T10:04:00.000-05:00

Diego Armando Maradona is without a doubt the game’s most controversial character. Like Best, Garrincha and many others, Maradona was in the news for his off field antics as much as he was for his exploits on the field. In my eyes Diego is the best player to grace the football pitch, even better than Pele. Various football pundits have questioned the circumstances behind some of his actions, and although various theories have been propounded, none have been actually clarified.

The English version of Maradona’s autobiography is now available for his fans to read. It provides an insight into his life- right from the streets of Buenos Aires to his Goal of the Century to his near death battles with obesity.

Yours truly happened to read a particular chapter, where Maradona candidly admits that the quarterfinal clash in the 1986 World Cup was more than a simple football game between two nations. He says that the Falkland Islands war was at the back of their minds when they took the pitch, and describes the way he dribbled past England’s defence and beat Peter Shilton to score a goal that has, so far, found no threats to its status as ‘ Goal of the Century.

The 100 Greatest Footballers (My Arse)

2007-11-13T16:21:00.000-05:00

Before I start with this list, I just want to clarify that I had no say in this list….DUH!!! First of all Maradona would be numero uno. I was reading ESPNsoccernet this past weekend and came up on this an article about the 100 greatest footballers . Personally I think that this is the most ridiculous list that I’ve ever seen…erh…Figo ahead of Zizou and Diego…ahahahahah

The list was compiled by The Association of Football Statisticians and used a points based all time player ranking system. The AFS' system of awarding points for goals scored by forwards, clean sheets from defenders and honours won - including cups and caps, but there are so many variables in football that their method appears more flawed than FIFA's world rankings for national teams. They also made a best team list according to AFS. I fully don’t understand how they compiled the list but either way they made it points system, honours, etc they did a pretty poor job from what I see. There are players that are ranked too high and some too low, and some great players aren’t even on the list, and then there are some that shouldn’t even be on the list.

Those in Red should not be on that list according to me.

The List

1.Pele (Brazil)
2.Ronaldo (Brazil)
3.Romario (Brazil)
4.Luis Figo (Portugal)
5.Zinedine Zidane (France)
6.Diego Maradona (Argentina)
7.Lothar Matthaus (Germany)
8.Gerd Muller (Germany)
9.Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
10.Cafu (Brazil)
11.Roberto Carlos (Brazil)
12.Marco van Basten (Holland)
13.Michel Platini (France)
14.Rivaldo (Brazil)
15.Paolo Maldini (Italy)
16.Zico (Brazil)
17.Raul (Spain)
18.Ruud Gullit (Holland)
19.Eusebio (Portugal)
20.Ferenc Puskas (Hungary)
21.Johan Cruyff (Holland)
22.Alfredo di Stefano(Argentina)
23.Bobby Charlton (England)
24.Jurgen Klinsmann (Ger)
25.Kenny Dalglish (Scotland)
26.Ali Daei (Iran)
27.Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Ger)
28.Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)
29.Michael Laudrup (Denmark)
30.Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
31.Dennis Bergkamp (Holland)
32.Frank Rijkaard (Holland)
33.Thierry Henry (France)
34.Pavel Nedved (Czech Rep)
35.Gheorghe Hagi (Romania)
36.Peter Schmeichel(Denmark)
37.Andrei Shevchenko (Ukraine)
38.Sepp Maier (Germany)
39.Didier Deschamps (France)
40.Lilian Thuram (France)
41.Enzo Francescoli (Uruguay)
42.Hakan Sukur (Turkey)
43.Paolo Rossi (Italy)
44.David Beckham (England)
45.Jean-Pierre Papin (France)
46.Kevin Keegan (England)
47.Marcel Desailly (France)
48.Oliver Kahn (Germany)
49.Alessandro Costacurta (Ita)
50.Clarence Seedorf (Holland)
51.Dino Zoff (Italy)
52.Patrick Kluivert (Holland)
53.Jari Litmanen (Finland)
54.Daniel Passarella (Arg)
55.Bixente Lizarazu (France)
56.Gary Lineker (England)
57.Ronaldhino (Brazil)
58.Sylvain Wiltord (France)
59.Bebeto (Brazil)
60.Alessandro Del Piero (Italy)
61.Davor Suker (Croatia)
62.Ryan Giggs (Wales)
63.David Trezeguet (France)
64.Demetrio Albertini (Italy)
65.Patrick Vieira (France)
66.Jurgen Kohler (Germany)
67.Laurent Blanc (France)
68.Michael Owen (England)
69.Youri Djorkaeff (France)
70.Frank De Boer (Holland)
71.Emilio Butragueno (Spain)
72.Hugo Sanchez (Mexico)
73.Rudi Voller (Germany)
74.Djalma Santos (Brazil)
75.Giacinto Facchetti (Italy)
76.Kanu (Nigeria)
77.Franco Baresi (Italy)
78.Gianni Rivera (Italy)
79.Roberto Baggio (Italy)
80.Oscar Ruggeri (Argentina)
81.Gheorghe Popescu(Romania)
82.Jon D. Tomasson (Denmark)
83.Raymond Kopa (France)
84.Carlos Valderrama (Colombia)
85.Rui Costa (Portugal)
86.Gary Neville (England)
87.Edgar Davids (Holland)
88.Claudio Taffarel (Brazil)
89.Paul Scholes (England)
90.Diego Simeone (Argentina)
91.Bryan Robson (England)
92.Roy Keane (Rep of Ireland)
93.Brian Laudrup (Denmark)
94.Henrik Larsson (Sweden)
95.Fabien Barthez (France)
96.Michael Ballack (Germany)
97.Jan Koller (Czech Republic)
98.Edwin van der Sar (Holland)
99.Robert Pires (France)
10.Johan Neeskens (Holland)

African Nation's Cup

2007-11-12T19:57:00.000-05:00

The issue concerning the African Nation’s cup is something that I always talk about and get mad because of the fact that CAF doesn’t change the timing of the tournament and this stubbornness by Hayatou and his men has gone too far now. A lot of players are being put in a very difficult situation from both Club and country.

Most Major European teams now have one or two African players on the roster and unlike 10 or 15 years ago when those players where really not impact players, now we have Eto, Drogba ,Essien ,Adebayor, Toure, Zokora, Aphiah and Yakubu just to name a few. These players are put in a situation where they have to fulfill their role as a squad member for their teams in Europe who pays the bills or turn your back on your country and get branded a “Judas” for the rest of your playing career.

I think that it’s about time that CAF wakes up and realize that they need to change the timing of this competition. The reasons are clear that by changing the tournament from January – February to June – July will not only help make this tournament more attractive to worldwide viewers but it will also generate more money from TV rights and ads.

With the tournament being moved to the summer will generate more money from TV rights and ads because with the lack of football during the summer, the African Nation’s cup could gain a lot of visibility if it was played in the summer because all of the players would be there and they will receive a good TV deal from Europeans televisions. Just imagine watching a tournament with players like Eto , Mido ,Kalou ,Adebayor ,Kanu, Benjani ,Drogba , Toure , Eboue ,Diouf,Appiah , Lualua and Camara competing for their respectable countries.

I hope that Hayatou will listen to our cries and change the timing of the tournament or they will lose the tournament‘s credibility which is slowly dissolving.

Matumona Zola - Quits Team after racist attacks

2007-11-02T16:29:00.000-04:00

Congolese midfielder Matumona Zola has quit FC Brussels due to racism remarks made to him by the club's Chairman Johan Vermeersch.
The Chairman called an emergency meeting with the team on Wednesday and in the meeting he attacked couple of players and when he got to Matumona "Rhoum" Zola he told the player to " go climb trees and eat bananas" , with all the players and technical staff present .
Matumona "Rhoum" Zola as he is know in the Congo, soon told the coach that he couldn't play under these conditions where African players are mistreated and racially abused all the time, so he quit. Personally i think that this is the most courageous act that a black player has taken in the "LET'S KICK RACISM OUT OF FOOTBALL" campaign .
The Chairman was interviewed by FC Brussels website and he went on rumbling about how "these (Africans) players just don't realize how good this opportunity (play in Europe) is"....and he goes on saying that " we (players) should not forget why we are here and why we are given this opportunity to represent FC Brussels...he even has the audacity of saying that "he came here and now he has integrated well in the society and now he wants to leave" . He pretty much said that "this is a team sport and you have to shallow your pride"...wow...anyways Mr Vermeersch ended up by saying that he said those comments in a joking way and was hoping to get a reaction out of Matumona....well he defenetly got a reaction, two i might add. Soon after Matumona announced to the Belgian Media of his departure from the club, The team sponsors South Korean car maker KIA Motors ended their partnership with the club saying that they do not want to be associated with FC Brussels any longer. Kia's communication manager Marc Coopmans replied by saying " that for us is really a bridge too far" and continued by saying that "Kia Motors Belgium and Kia Motors as such cannot associate their image, their principles, their values, with a club which is represented by its president in such a way." I bet that this is not the reaction that the Chairman was hoping for.

FIFA 2018 rule = BULLSHIT!!!

2007-11-01T13:55:00.000-04:00

Ok before i start with this i would just like to say that i think that FIFA has once again proven to me that they are racist bastards only in it for the money...
Firstly this new rule http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/7067187.stm
how can they do that? seriously i mean this is killing the "beautiful game" about 10 years ago Fifa had a new rule which said something like they will rotate the hosting of the tourney to each continent ..so that the major countries in the football world won't have to host it every time.....LIES!!!!!! i mean sure they gave it to Korea/Japan in 2002 and then they gave it to South Africa for 2010, and now that Brazil will get the 2014. Fifa now scraped the idea , just so that the games will only be staged in Europe and for the Europeans to win it and sh*t like that.
some of you might disagree with me but i think that there is no other explanation but that, they simply don't want the "world cup" to be a lil tainted or should i say a lil colourful.
How do you explain that a Continent like south America with TWO countries (Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay) have won the world cup a total of 9 times between the 3 ....BUT the last time South America hosted the tourney was 30 years ago......And while Europe with (Germany,Italy,France and England) have won the cup a total of 8 times....but i can tell you that since Arg 78 , Europe has hosted the cup 4 out of 6 (82,90,98,06), and now with this new rule i bet you they will host everything else.
F*** FIFA....racist bastards.

Paul Scholes - Injury blow for United

2007-10-30T10:53:00.000-04:00

Man United have been dealt bad news that the influential play-maker Paul Scholes will sit out the rest of 2007 due to a knee ligament damage. United will really miss Scholesy durring the long and hard Christmas season, but personally i think that the Genius sir Alex brought in the new players for situations like this. This gives Fergie a chance to try out new partnership for the future with maybe Hargreaves and Carrick in the middle or even Anderson helping out ...if not ousting Carrick. so personally i think that United will cope well with Scholes out....BUT that doesn't diminish the fact that he will sorely be missed.

Cesc Fabregas - The next Zizou?

2007-10-29T09:20:00.001-04:00

A lot has been said about Arsenal's 20 years old Spaniard Cesc Fabregas and all i can say is that Fabregas deserves every single praise that has been coming his way this season.With Thierry Henry leaving Arsenal for the Nou Camp this past July, a lot of people including myself thought that this will be the demise the Gunners and that they will need at least 2 seasons to cope with the loss, kinda the same way as the departure of Roy Keane at Old Trafford...BOY WAS I WRONG.Perhaps the departure of Henry from Highbury was the best thing that happend to Arsenal since the 3 years ago when they went on a 49 game unbeaten run.With Henry gone, Fabregas quickly took the leadership role and raised his profile within the EPL and Champion's League.Fabrigas is by far the best youngster that i've seen since the emergence of one Lionel Messi. Not only has he raised his game as the best Attacking midfielder in England but also in the Champion's League. Last year Fabregas scored a total of 4 goals in 49 games while so far this year the youngster has 6 in the League and 5 in the Champion's Leauge...oh yeah it's only October.My prediction for Fabrigas is that he will be the European or World player of the year by 2009....if he stays away from Injury.

Welcome

2007-10-29T09:08:00.000-04:00

A lot of people have told me that i have a great knowledge for the beautiful game....and i on the other hand have believed them, to a point that i feel like my soccer knowledge is worth sharing with the world.
On my Blog i will talk mostly about the English Premier League, The Champion's League , International Games , some La Liga and some MLS. I will have my top 10 European team of the month and also my EPL team of the week and player of the month....and a lot more...stay tuned