“A certain 17-year-old kid from Brazil, more specifically Santos, has been doing the rounds in the footballing world over the past few months. Here’s a Scout Report on the latest sensation from the nation that produces the most exciting talents in the world. His name is Gabriel Barbosa, commonly known by the nickname Gabigol.” Outside of the Boot
“The World Cup is only 37 days away, with the opening match between host nation Brazil and Croatia taking place in Sao Paulo on 12 June. BBC Sport, with the help of European football expert Andy Brassell, is taking a weekly look at happenings from across the world of football and what impact they could have on the tournament in the summer.” BBC
“‘I see the enthusiasm outside Brazil,’ said Ronaldo at the end of March in his capacity as a member of the World Cup Local Organising Committee. ‘I’m very happy when I see that same enthusiasm here as well.’ The very statement hints that the commodity might be in short supply; that the apparent dream relationship between the World Cup and the Brazilian people is on the rocks and in need of marriage guidance.” World Soccer – Tim Vickery
“Last Sunday, the title race took yet another crazy twist as Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea abruptly ended Liverpool’s eleven game winning run, throwing the league title right back into City’s hands. Following Mourinho’s first ever league loss at Stamford Bridge just a week before, against the then bottom team in the league of all opposition, many expected another routine victory for a Liverpool team seemingly destined to win their first premier league trophy on the year of the 25th anniversary of one of the darkest days in footballing history.” backpagefootball
“In December 2013, Bundesliga Fanatic published my first article about Bayern München entitled Bayern’s Lost wunderkinds and while the response was rather positive, most of the readers wanted to me to accept the current situation because the results were going the right way and because Bayern were already cruising towards the Bundesliga title and the Champions League Round of 16. However, after the trashing Die Roten just received at the hands of Real Madrid, I feel that I have the duty to highlight what a lot of the fans knew quite early in the season: The results were going the right way but the performances weren’t. So what really went wrong for Pep Guardiola’s Bayern? Was his tenure overhyped or was it a case of unwanted arranged marriage?” Bundesliga Fanatic
“The oldest continental competition in the world, the Copa America, was first played in 1916. Four countries participated — one of them was Chile, who have still never won it. The others were Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, who between them have gone on to accumulate nine World Cup wins. The seeds for such triumphs were planted in the early years of the Copa America — played almost annually until the Great Depression.” ESPN – Tim Vickery
“Brendan Rodgers says Daniel Sturridge is in with a chance of returning to Liverpool’s starting lineup at Crystal Palace on Monday night. The England international, 24, is recovering from a hamstring injury sustained during the 3-2 win over Manchester City on April 13. The striker missed the following Sunday’s 3-2 victory at Norwich, but returned to action as a substitute seven days after that off the bench as Chelsea won 2-0 at Anfield.” ESPN
“Playing first out of the three title contenders, Barcelona needed nothing less than a win to keep any title aspirations they have alive. After a moving tribute to Tito Vilanova, including a minutes silence, Barcelona started the game on the front foot.” Barca Blaugranes
“People are unhappy. They’re unhappy at teams like Bayern Munich who keep the ball, preserving possession and looking to pass opponents into submission, and they’re unhappy at teams like Chelsea who defend deep, allow opponents to have the ball and try to pick them off on the break. People, over the past fortnight, have declared themselves bored by – and opposed to – both proactive and reactive football. That’s not actually as contradictory as it sounds. We live in an age of extremes. When Barcelona first started to play tiki-taka under Pep Guardiola, they began to achieve unprecedented levels of possession. For the first time probably since Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan almost two decades previously, there was a new philosophy about.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson
Why ‘tiki-taka’ was not to blame for Bayern’s loss
“For some reason, narratives need to be dumbed down and simplified, while judgments must be sweeping and absolute. Bayern are humiliated over two legs by Real Madrid and it becomes a case of the “end of tiki-taka”: evidence of the futility of wanting to keep possession at all costs. It’s the triumph of athleticism over skill, destruction over creation, pragmatism over idealism, simple over baroque, the rumpled suit, down-home country gentleman ways of Carlo Ancelotti versus the skinny-tie, urban metrosexual over-sophistication of Pep Guardiola.” ESPN (Video)
Verzweifelt und Verflixt
“On the way to work this morning I’d be stuck in traffic, and and after fiddling a bit with the car’s in-built MP3 player I’d randomly spin the control to a random track. It would land on the Tyrolean folk group Die Ursprung Buam – and a typically foot-tapping ditty called Verzweifelt und verflixt – crudely translated, ‘desperate and confounded’. These two words would sum up my mood completely having witnessed FC Bayern being torn apart by Real Madrid in what had been billed as another night of glory at the Allianz Arena, where my dreams of seeing Bayern in another Champions’ League final would turn into ninety minutes of sheer hell I would never be able to get back.” Bundesliga Fanatic
Bayern Munich 0-4 Real Madrid: Tactical Analysis | Set Pieces & lack of penetration
“This is the time of the year when the going gets tough, and the teams that eventually go on to claim the honours in May, really take their game to a different level. The Champions League semi final is a match that needs not only preparation and hard work in training, but also a bit of luck, and some performances that are at another level. Last season, Lewandowski stole the show against Real, and Bayern’s collective brilliance was too much for Barcelona. This season though, the tables have been turned on Bayern Munich, as Real Madrid, led by Carlo Ancelotti, executed a devastating counter attacking plan to leave Bayern on the wrong end of a 5-0 aggregate score line. Guardiola’s possession based approach, which has certainly had it’s day, now looks like a bit outmoded.” Outside of the Boot
Real Madrid Slam the Door on Bayern Munich
“The three, three chief weapons of the Spanish inquisition are speed, set piece headers, Cristiano free kicks, and … and I think it’s probably time to stop the extended Monty Python metaphor. But, rest assured, I could go on and include things like how Luka Modric is developing into the evolutionary Xavi right before our eyes, or how Angel di Maria has once again been asked to change positions and roles and managed it with total aplomb.” Grantland
“ose Mourinho’s Champions League semifinal misfortune struck for a fourth consecutive year, as Atletico Madrid beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge to earn a final place in Lisbon against neighbor Real Madrid. It will be the first time two teams from the same city have competed in a European cup final. Here is what caught our eye from Wednesday’s result in London’ There was not quite the fanfare surrounding the return of Tiago Mendes to Stamford Bridge that we saw in the round of 16 when Didier Drogba returned with Galatasaray, but the effect was altogether more decisive.” SI
“Throughout his tender, yet turbulent, career, the boy they simply call ‘Savio’ has veered off-the-grid towards the lonely space of forgotten capability. But if you squint, you’ll notice that the former West Ham United teenager is still there, still cutting in from the left, looking for space to shoot. Savio Nsereko was born in war-ridden Kampala, Uganda in 1989, before fleeing for Germany with his family when he was just a baby. His father died when he was only two years old, leaving his mother a single parent struggling to raise five kids. As with so many impoverished children throughout the world, Savio found relief on the football pitch. At 15 he entered 1860 Munich’s youth academy, from which he attracted the attention of Brescia’s sporting director, Gianluca Nani, who had famously been behind the developmental progress of Andrea Pirlo and Luca Toni. Savio signed with the Serie B club in 2005.” In Bed With Maradona
“Safet Susic will face journalists next Monday and recite 23 names that will be on the passenger list on the flight to Rio. However, not many surprises are expected. On more than one occasion, the man himself admitted that his selection is very limited and that he has to rely on the team that he had in the qualifiers. The difference in quality between first-choice players and their alternatives is huge, so Susic has pinned his hopes to a nucleus that has been built in the previous three campaigns. This is the same generation that lost to Portugal in the play-offs twice, but also had France on the ropes in Paris in 2011 when a controversial Samir Nasri penalty denied them a place in Poland and Ukraine.” Bleacher Report
“Last summer, I said I thought Liverpool should sell Luis Suarez. There were a lot of reasons behind it, but most of it boiled down to the fact that Suarez was one of the worst high volume shooters in Europe when it came to converting shots into goals. A non-penalty conversion rate of 8.7% in his first season in the league, followed by another of 12.3% in his second season weren’t impressive enough for me to think his dribbling (also inefficient) and ability to create his own shot were enough. Liverpool were already near the limit in how often teams can generally shoot in a game (19.4 in 2012-13), and in my opinion, Suarez’ inefficiency was keeping Liverpool from taking the next step and competing for a Champions League place.” Stats Bomb
“Two points separate the five teams fighting to avoid finishing second bottom in the Scottish Premiership and the relegation play-off position. With three games remaining – and bottom-placed Hearts already relegated – time is running out for St Mirren, Hibernian, Ross County, Partick Thistle and Kilmarnock to win the points that will bring relief from the fear and anxiety of an end-of-season contest with a Championship side. BBC Scotland examines the strengths and weaknesses of each team, the joker in their squad that could prove pivotal, and their chances of avoiding the play-off position.” BBC
“Earlier this week, during a raid in the port city of Alicante, Spanish police confiscated a batch of hallucinogenic chocolates that had been molded into the shape of the FC Barcelona crest. The chocolates, which were allegedly laced with marijuana and mushrooms, had been disguised as soccer-themed candies by the only person arrested in the operation, a master confectioner nicknamed ‘Willy Wonka.’ The incident gave rise to a whole host of significant questions. For instance: Isn’t ‘Willy Wonka’ pretty much the only possible nickname for any master confectioner freelancing in black-market drug work? Was there even a fallback option for this guy? Is ‘master confectioner baking controlled substances into candy products’ the topic heading of basically the shallowest nickname pool known to humanity? Is the phrase ‘my candy guy, Willy Wonka’ inevitably followed by a bemused chorus of ‘which one?’ at drug-kingpin summits? How does the fraternal organization of master confectioners keep its narcotics mailers straight?” Grantland – Brian Phillips
“Reaction to Fulham and Hull’s 2-2 draw in the Premier League. 1. Magath pays for his initial caution. On paper, Fulham appeared as if they were replicating Hull’s back three, with Felix Magath’s side featuring three natural centre-backs plus John Arne Riise and Sascha Riether, both buccaneering wing-backs.” ESPN – Michael Cox
“Success came early to Manuel Neuer, so it’s perhaps no surprise to learn that he was only 2 when he was given his first ball. He was born and grew up in Gelsenkirchen, attending the Gesamtschule Berger Feld, a school that has become famous for the number of footballers it has produced. Neuer was a classmate of Mesut Ozil — which added a frisson when he saved a penalty from Ozil while playing for Bayern Munich against Arsenal in the Champions League this season.” SI – Jonathan Wilson
“The World Cup is only 45 days away, with the opening match between host nation Brazil and Croatia taking place in Sao Paulo on 12 June. BBC Sport, with the help of European football expert Andy Brassell, is taking a weekly look at happenings from across the world of football and what impact they could have on the tournament in the summer.” BBC
“Chelsea scored breakaway goals in stoppage time at the end of both halves. Brendan Rodgers named an unchanged side from the nervous win at Norwich last week. Jordan Henderson was still suspended, Daniel Sturridge fit only for the bench. Jose Mourinho named a heavily changed side, preserving his best players for the return match against Atletico in midweek. Chelsea’s defensive performance was highly effective, and Demba Ba capitalising on Steven Gerrard’s error meant they were able to continue with this strategy into the second half.” Zonal Marking
Title Hopes Dented, Not Destroyed
“Expecting to win a 12th game in a row is perhaps the new definition of insanity. We had to wake up sooner or later, eh? Still, it’s quite nice to wake up and find ourselves still top of the table. Man City may now be favourites, but they have to win their game in hand, and that’s not a foregone conclusion in a season of twists and turns. It’s fair to say that Chelsea had every right to play the way they did; although Jose Mourinho presumably can’t accuse anyone else of playing like it’s the 19th century or parking the bus.” Tomkins Times
“… Time for a slice of humble pie, Manuel? If the Manchester City manager is to win a first-ever league title in Europe this season, he will owe a large share of gratitude to Jose Mourinho. Unable to beat his rival on two occasions and unable to out-think Liverpool with a better team than Sunday’s patch-work Chelsea side, Pellegrini has relied on Mourinho to afford City another chance.” Football 365
“Breaking up the soccer club they loved was hard for fans of Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem. Putting it back together may prove even more difficult. But for many Katamon fans, a reunion with the club they left, Hapoel Jerusalem, has been the goal all along after they walked away from the more established Hapoel in 2007 to form Katamon, the first fan-owned club in Israel. The new team started over in the fifth division, and as it won promotion after promotion, and even as Katamon played its first emotional matches against Hapoel this season, a reunion was still the goal.” NY Times
“You will remember that classic scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indiana Jones is confronted by a smirking, cackling thug-assassin swathed in black and red and clutching a scimitar. The blade is shuffled from hand to hand, teased and flipped and twirled, its edge directed at every point of the compass whilst never threatening a kill. And then Indy pulls out a gun and shoots.” Guardian
“These are unexpectedly heady times for San Lorenzo. They are the Argentinian champions, and Wednesday night’s 1-0 over Grêmio in the first leg of their last-16 tie took them a step closer to winning the Copa Libertadores for the first time. There’s a long way to go yet, but this is a ferociously competitive side blessed with an exceptional young forward in Ángel Correa and, moreover, they are playing with a self-belief that defies rational explanation.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson
“With 14 Champions League titles between them, this match was always going to be special. Two of the biggest, most decorated and in-form teams in World football faced off at the Sanitago Bernabeu in the 1st leg of their Champions League semi-final. It was a closely fought battle, and a contrast of two different approaches. While one dominated, the other emerged victorious.” Outside of the Boot
“I grew up in the dark yet magical Liverpool of the 1980s, a time when Liverpool FC won so many trophies that the team seemed to be on a permanent victory parade through the city’s streets, showing off their latest piece of silverware (watch the Super 8 footage here.) As a third-generation Everton fan in his formative years, witnessing Liverpool’s stars perpetually cruise by aboard an open-top bus was a searing sight. The players lolling casually around the cup on the front of the upper deck, a pose that suggested winning had really been no sweat at all.” ESPN (Video)
“While Egyptian football was sent into turmoil against the backdrop of the country’s revolution, Al-Ahly played as though nothing traumatic was going on at all. They racked up leagues titles — extending their run to seven in succession — and registered back-to-back triumphs in the CAF Champions League. Nothing could stop them, or so it seemed. This season, that changed. For the first time since trouble hit Egypt, its champion club had issues of their own. Al-Ahly suffered a shock exit from the CAF Champions League at the hands of namesakes Al-Ahly Benghazi. They have since made it their mission to become the first Egyptian club to win the secondary continental competition, the CAF Confederation Cup.” ESPN
“On Sunday, an Everton fan dressed as the Grim Reaper, an inflatable scythe in his hand, sat behind the manager’s bench at Goodison Park. For David Moyes, the symbolism was all too apt. His Manchester United team proceeded to put in a lifeless display, being comfortably dispatched 2-0 by the Everton side he used to manage to confirm there is no mathematical chance of the Red Devils qualifying for the Champions League. That it should be the club he stabilized in the Premier League to inflict the fatal blow felt cruel, but it was indicative of how this season has gone for Moyes, who was unceremoniously axed by Manchester United Tuesday morning.” SI – Jonathan Wilson
“For advocates of supporter-ownership, the current standings in League Two will make pretty grim reading. Two of the division’s fan owned clubs, Exeter City and Wycombe Wanderers are in the very heart of the fight to avoid relegation to the Conference, while another two, AFC Wimbledon and Portsmouth have had dismal seasons.” backpagefootball
“I ambled into a random bar near the center of the Spanish capital on September 18, 2005, looking to catch Atletico Madrid, which was hosting Barcelona at Vicente Calderon Stadium in a Sunday nightcap. There was a television bolted in the upper-left corner of the room, and rarely did eyes stray from it. It was standing room only in this old man’s bar. There were men who were born during the Spanish Civil War; men who were born to parents who lived through the war; almost everyone inside was alive during Franco’s reign. It was like stumbling into a house of worship on a holy day. Everyone knew why they were there.” Grantland
“Atletico Madrid and Chelsea went head-to-head at the Vicente Calderon in the Champions League semi-finals. It was a tactical battle that was certainly not pleasing to the eyes, it was never going to be. Both sides are in their respective title races but Atletico Madrid are in a much better situation while Chelsea’s contention could come to a halt this weekend. Mourinho has been desperate for a Champions League with Chelsea, and a record third with a different club while Atletico Madrid are looking forward to a first final in 40 years.” Outside of the Boot
“Fabio Coentrao was excellent at left back, keeping Arjen Robben relatively quiet and getting forward well to link with Cristiano Ronaldo. Right back Daniel Carvajal dealt superbly with Franck Ribery, and Karim Benzema led the line with great intelligence, but for Real Madrid this was a victory rooted in defensive discipline. As ever Xabi Alonso was a mode of calm, sitting just in front of the back four, but the key for Madrid was Modric.” SI – Jonathan Wilson
“Raheem Sterling is a player whose sense of adventure and willingness to try the unusual brings a sense of glee. No neutral fan could watch him running with abandon at the Norwich City defence on Sunday and not feel a warm glow, while his goal against Manchester City, nonchalantly sending Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany to chase an imaginary foe, was breathtaking. There is something very special about those rare, still moments in football, when the goal suddenly emerges before a player and you know he has to score—those moments of potential fulfillment when the goal is inevitable.” Bleacher Report – Jonathan Wilson
Natacha Pisarenko
“Argentina has a reputation as a footballing giant for a good reason. With the possible exception of Brazil, no other country exports so many wonderful talents across the world, giving leagues from Spain to Sweden and Italy to Israel a South American flavour. As the Torneo Final reaches its closing stages, many of the latest generation of youngsters are already being watched attentively by European scouts, hopeful of finding the next Messi or Kun Aguero. But who are the top young players currently playing in the Primera Division?” Bleacher Report
“When Thiago Silva lifted the Coupe de la Ligue trophy, high in the main stand of the Stade de France just after 11pm on Saturday night, the Paris Saint-Germain captain and his teammates celebrated with gusto. There was no tokenism, no sense that this was a mere trinket of consolation – just roars of joy. It was, evidently, a moment that PSG needed after the challenging spell that has followed their Champions League exit to Chelsea. The defeat at Stamford Bridge hit to the heart. It was a night on which, after André Schürrle’s opening goal for the hosts, the swagger drained out of Laurent Blanc’s side alarmingly quickly. The team with the third highest average proportion of possession in this season’s Champions League retreated into their shells to such a point that they ended up with just 48% in the match that they had bossed in the opening 20 minutes.” Who Scored
“After ten months of fighting against the inevitable, David Moyes cleared his belongings from his desk at Carrington, which Internet memes have consistently sought to show he didn’t look quite right sitting at from the very start. Given the long-standing success of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Scot always seemed doomed to fail, but his sacking will only temporarily damage the image of Manchester United football club. The resounding silence from Old Trafford despite media reports telling of Moyes’ dismissal lacked class on a human level, but the Red Devils’ managerial hotseat now represents a good opportunity for a top class coach, as opposed to an untenable position where David Moyes wittingly rested himself half-knowing the eventual consequence of his decision.” simonhfootball
“Wednesday’s Copa del Rey final defeat by Real Madrid, coming on the back of a Champions League exit to Atletico Madrid and a La Liga upset at Granada, marked the first time Barcelona have lost three consecutive games in more than a decade. More importantly, it left Barca’s chances of claiming a major honour this season hanging by a thread, meaning they are likely to end a campaign without serious silverware for the first time since 2008. It has been a disappointing few weeks for the Catalan club, who face a period of uncertainty and a likelihood of significant changes in the near future.” BBC
“Liverpool stand three steps from Premier League heaven after all the qualities required to win titles were put to the test by Norwich City at Carrow Road. Brendan Rodgers’s side – it is still just too early to call them champions-elect – showed their attacking brilliance, resilience and enjoyed a little good fortune to hold out for a win that at one stage looked a formality. Early goals from Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez were examples of the fluidity and brilliance that have become Liverpool’s trademark this season, but those other factors were at work as they dug in to go five points clear at the top of the table with a 3-2 victory.” BBC
“Needing to use up some holiday time and in desperate need of some sun, beaches, countryside and football I elected to visit Malta. What little knowledge I possessed of the lonely island came from several chapters of Thomas Pynchon’s haunting novel V and I was uncertain of what to expect. Happily, I got on extremely well with Malta and while the tourist sites, ranging from ancient wonders to Second World War bunkers, were remarkable it was the miles of picturesque countryside and sun-drenched, arid farmland in between charming towns untouched for countless years that really impressed itself on me.” backpagefootball
“When Lionel Messi received the honour of a fourth successive Ballon d’Or in January 2013 the record books had been rewritten. The Argentinian forward had surpassed Michel Platini’s haul of three successive FIFA World Player of the Year awards with Juventus and cemented his place as one of footballs all time greats at a mere 25 years of age.” backpagefootball
“Football is always, ultimately, about compromise. Everything had been looking rosy for Argentina, who had qualified for the World Cup – for once – with games to spare and the sense of a cohesive team coming together, but then the injuries began. When the draw is made, the World Cup exists in a world of perfect possibility and you imagine every player at peak form and fitness, but it is never like that, and the job of a manager is always to balance the idea with what is possible.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson
“What, you didn’t catch Liverpool storm back against Manchester City last week? You missed Wayne Rooney’s 58-yard wonder goal against West Ham United? There was a time not long ago when Americans — even worldly New Yorkers who regularly logged on to The Guardian website and claimed knowledge of the best little out-of-the-way pub in Shoreditch — could float along in a happy bubble of ignorance, pretending for all practical purposes that the world’s favorite sport, soccer, did not exist.” NY Times
“This is a story about timing. Two weeks ago, Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc had enjoyed the best victory of his coaching career, the 3-1 Champions League quarterfinal first leg win over Chelsea. It was better than the 1-0 away win in Caen, back in May 2009, which clinched the Ligue 1 title for Bordeaux (that was its 11th straight league win), and the following season’s double over Olympiakos that took Bordeaux to the Champions League last eight; it was also better than France’s 2-0 Euro 2012 win over Ukraine, which sealed its quarterfinal place at the tournament.” SI
“German clubs, and Bayer Leverkusen in particular, have a long tradition of acquiring Brazilians. The latter club has also been very successful in doing so. Lúcio, Zé Roberto, Paulo Sérgio, Juan, Jorginho, Renato Augusto, França and Emerson each played over 50 matches for Die Werkself, most of them have even featured in over 100 games. Robson Ponte, another canarinho who had two periods in the outfit from North Rhine Westphalia, even got a techno tune of his own. Considering that only the most successful Brazilians are mentioned here, it’s safe to call Leverkusen a good destination for the boys from Brazil.” Bundesliga Fanatic
“Having just returned from our third successive pre-Christmas trip to Germany, my brother and I had no desire to wait another year for our next dose of live Bundesliga action. The upcoming “English Week” in March was too big an opportunity to miss and when the fixtures were finalised our preferred Bavarian excursion fell perfectly into place. We were fortunate to find a direct flight to Nürnberg and having arrived on Friday afternoon we set about familiarising ourselves with the city that would provide a base for the opening five days of our stay. As has become customary, our attention primarily focussed on the local Brauhäuser so our first port of call was the nearby Hausbrauerei Altstadthof, where the traditional red beer proved a treat. We then moved on to the large cellar location of Barfusser to sample some more Franconian specialities that went down equally well.” Bundesliga Fanatic
“A service marking the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster has ended with the crowd uniting to sing You’ll Never Walk Alone. The song has long been associated with Liverpool Football Club and has also come to symbolise the families’ campaign for justice. The tribute was led by singer Gerry Marsden, with 96 balloons released, one for each of the people who lost their lives.”
YouTube: BBC – Hillsborough anniversary: You’ll Never Walk Alone, Bells rung to mark anniversary
Guardian: Families and fans mark 25 years since the Hillsborough disaster (Video)
Independent: Hillsborough disaster anniversary: 25th anniversary of tragedy that claimed lives of ‘The 96’ marked as nearly 25,000 attend Anfield service (Video)
W – Hillsborough disaster
SI: 25 years later, Hillsborough disaster resonates more than ever – Jonathan Wilson
YouTube: HILLSBOROUGH DISASTER LIVE NEWS COVERAGE OF THE DAY 1989
YouTube: Hillsborough – Searching for the Truth (2012) | Part 1, Part 2
NYT: When a Game Turned Into a Disaster
ESPN: HILLSBOROUGH Directed by Daniel Gordon
“In a last-gasp attempt to get the stocky Juventus striker on the plane to Brazil, an Argentine musician has written a tango for Carlos Tevez. Daniel Ursini is using the medium of music to send a message to national team coach Alejandro Sabella, once an elegant midfielder for Leeds and Sheffield United. Entitled ‘Sabella, you’ve forgotten Carlitos’ the song’s melancholy tones accuse the coach of having taken the wrong path. ‘You can’t be so stupid as to leave out one of Argentina’s most popular players,’ argues Ursini. A year ago, Ursini wrote a song to mark the birthday of Lionel Messi, and separate songs for the two stars may well have been a wise move because it could boil down to a choice between one or the other in the Argentina national team. And that is not a particularly difficult decision to take.” BBC – Tim Vickery
“Nike. Carlsberg. Samsung. Familiar sponsors flash past on electronic billboards. At the same time, red-letter propaganda banners line the pitch, proclaiming: ‘The Chinese Dream. You, I, Gather Together. You, I, Advance Together.’ Apart from its name—the ‘Workers’ Stadium’ — and the socialist realist statue outside the entrance, Beijing Guoan’s home ground shows no signs that it was first erected at the height of the Maoist era in 1959. Today the renovated stadium is ringed with slick bars and clubs; posters advertise an upcoming Bruno Mars concert. China may have not yet made much of an impact on to the world soccer stage. But it is not the country it once was. Along with the meteoric rise of its economy, Chinese soccer has developed rapidly over the past two decades.” Roads and Kingdoms
“Philippe Coutinho’s late goal handed Liverpool a crucial victory in a superb match. Brendan Rodgers named his expected XI, which meant Joe Allen – often an option in big games – only on the bench. Manuel Pellegrini played Gael Clichy ahead of Aleksandar Kolarov because of his his defensive discipline, and decided Sergio Aguero wasn’t fit enough to start the game, so continued with a 4-2-3-1 and Edin Dzeko upfront alone. This was the classic game of two halves – Liverpool were dominant in the first period, Manchester City were superior after the break.” Zonal Marking
Steven Hero: Liverpool–Man City, the Premier League Title, and Tears of Joy
“In what lived up to its ‘Game of the Year/Century/Epoch’ billing, Liverpool beat Manchester City 3-2 at Anfield. Raheem Sterling toyed with City’s defense, tilting the field with a swivel of his hips, and suddenly looking like the next great attacking midfielder in a game filled with guys who already are. After another flurry-of-punches first half from Liverpool put them up 2-0, City — without Yaya Toure, who went off injured in the first half and might be done for the season— flipped the game back to even and nearly past it, thanks to the introduction of the brutalist architecture that is James Milner and David Silva deciding to remind Sterling that, yo, you can play this position without all that running. …” Grantland
Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City: Tactical Analysis
“It’s not often that you have Liverpool playing at Anfield, with just four weeks of football left, and have them in the title race. It’s not often that Steven Gerrard sheds a tear after the game. The occasion got the better of the captain, as Liverpool overcame their close rivals Manchester City in the title race, and took a huge step forward towards realising that dream.” Outside of the Boot
“In the final of the 2004 Copa America in Peru, Argentina dominated an experimental Brazil side. With three minutes to go La Albiceleste went 2-1 up. Surely the title was won. But with the last kick of the game, Brazil scored the equaliser. Argentina blundered into the penalty shootout with the air of men who had been blinded by the light, and Brazil kept its nerve to lift the trophy.” The World Game – Tim Vickery (Video)
“In the career of Kwadwo Asamoah is written a parable of the tactical history of African football. When he emerged, making his international debut in 2006 when he was just 17, he was hailed as the first great Ghanaian playmaker since Abedi Pele. Until a decade or so ago, West Africa specialized in technically gifted attacking midfielders or second strikers – as well as Pele, there were the likes of Ni’i Lamptey, Theophile Abega, Jay-Jay Okocha and Kanu, players who dropped deep from the front line and had the patience and skill to hold the ball up, wait for a runner and deliver the pass.” SI – Jonathan Wilson (Video)
“Atletico Madrid’s triumph over Barcelona (2-1, on aggregate) might seem like a Champions League Cinderella story. But is it really a Cinderella story when a team does exactly what it was designed to do? What Diego Simeone’s side accomplished against the Catalan giants was hardly the stuff of scrappy underdogs; this was about the imposition of a defense perfectly constructed to neutralize Barcelona’s possession-based attack. And that’s what Atletico did.” Grantland
“Pep Guardiola played an unusual system, but it didn’t help Bayern break down Manchester United. Guardiola fielded Toni Kroos in the pivot role, with Thomas Muller in midfield and Mario Mandzukic returning upfront. David Moyes brought Shinji Kagawa and Darren Fletcher into his midfield, and recalled Patrice Evra and Chris Smalling at the back. The pattern of the game wasn’t significantly different from the first leg, and the major talking point was Guardiola’s use of his two full-backs.” Zonal Marking
Bayern Munich 3-1 Manchester United: Tactical Analysis | Guardiola’s smart use of Lahm & Alaba
“Bayern Munich came into the game at Allianz Arena as clear favourites having been slightly disappointed with just a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. A 0-0 would have been enough, but certainly Bayern Munich were always going to go for the win. Man United knew they had to score atleast once to stand a chance of progressing, a task in itself. Despite a dominating performance from Bayern, the sides went in 0-0 at half time. Patrice Evra gave United a surprise lead early in the second half, only for it to be tied again 22 seconds later as Mandzukic equalised. Goals from Muller and Robben saw Bayern comfortably through to the semi-finals with the final score being Bayern Munich 3-1 Manchester United.” Outside of the Boot
“Borussia Dortmund came into the game knowing that they had to pull off nothing short of a miracle to stand any chance of getting past Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. They knew that even a repeat of their 4-1 triumph last season at home, wouldn’t be enough. Jurgen Klopp had to go for the win, while a Ronaldo-less Real Madrid knew that even one goal would be enough. It was vital then that Dortmund came out the stronger attacking side, they needed the victory more than their opponents and were ensuring that they controlled the game. When Madrid received a penalty, it seemed like ‘game-over’ but the save from Weidenfeller spurred the side on. Two quick goals by Reus before half-time changed the complexion of the game, and if it wasn’t for some poor Mkhitaryan finishing, Dortmund would have (at the very least) ensured extra time.” Outside of the Boot
“It was a goal, one of many. Vincent Kompany took the ball out of the center circle. Jesus Navas was loitering ahead on the right wing, totally unmarked. No man is an island, John Donne says, but Donne never saw Navas play against Southampton. Kompany rolled the ball up to his Spanish teammate, not with any real urgency — their Manchester City side was already up 3-1 at home, with 10 minutes left in the match — but just, you felt, to get his winger re-involved with mankind. Navas ran onto the pass and flicked a casual cross into the area. The ball did that juddering scythe thing it does sometimes, skipping ahead of three defenders by a few inches each. Southampton’s goalkeeper, Paulo Gazzaniga, tried to fall on it and failed. So it dropped at the feet of City’s Stevan Jovetic, who dinged it into the empty net. 4-1. From the center circle to the goal, the ball was touched three times. Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for midtable Premier League defenses.” Grantland – Brian Phillips (Video)
“… Liverpool have of course spent some money to get into the hunt, but nothing compared with that spent by Chelsea, Man United and City in winning their titles of the past decade, during which time football became about billionaires and even trillionaires. Liverpool have five huge games left, but if they win the title it would make them the ‘cheapest’ champions in many a blue moon.” Tomkins Times
“Can Atlético Madrid last the pace? Will Pep Guardiola’s tinkering harm Bayern Munich’s hopes? Does José Mourinho have the right gameplan and will Real Madrid’s forward line be too strong for everyone? Here we analyse all four teams” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson
“With his ability to fill in at right-back as well as his more customary position higher up the flank, Luis Antonio Valencia is an extremely useful member of the Manchester United squad. For Ecuador, though, he is much more than that. A year ago national team coach Reinaldo Rueda referred to him as ‘the main reference point for Ecuadorian football, as a result of everything he has achieved’. A British readership might be unaware how special it is for Ecuador to have one of their own playing at one of the world’s major clubs, and in action in the closing stages of the Champions League. Less than 30 years ago Ecuador was a Latin American Luxembourg in footballing terms.” BBC – Tim Vickery
“All through the second half, there was a sense of pressure mounting, of Paris St-Germain’s belief ebbing and Chelsea’s correspondingly swelling. And then, with four minutes remaining, a Cesar Azpilicueta shot scudded across the box and was deflected into the path of Demba Ba, who forced the ball over the line from six yards. It was Chelsea’s day to reach the Champions League semifinals, doing so via away-goal tiebreaker after a 3-3 aggregate draw. It wasn’t the prettiest of goals, but it didn’t matter. Off went Jose Mourinho charging down the touchline as he had 10 years ago at Old Trafford when he announced himself to the English game with his exuberant celebration of Porto’s late winner over Manchester United in the last 16 of the Champions League.” SI – Jonathan Wilson
“It’s because of football that I know what the capital of Cameroon is. Football has also taught me to make quick mental calculations when working out the possible permutations for final group standings in World Cups. I also understand how football can be hijacked to serve the purposes of totalitarian propaganda, how it can assimilate all manner of scientific breakthroughs to enrich it as a spectacle and how it can rival any form of dance when it is executed with exquisite precision. In short, football has educated me in ways that transcend the narrow parameters of the pitch or the screen. It’s because of football that my understanding of the world is a little better.” Dispatches From A Football Sofa
“In anticipation of the massive Champions League ties in the Quarter-Final stage, we’ve done something special for our build-up. Eight teams, eight experts, each giving us their insight into their team’s chances, tactical set ups and bold predictions. Euler is the expert for this piece which focuses on Barcelona and their Champions League campaign.” Outside of the Boot
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