Chelsea to swoop for Unneeded Trio

Chelsea only really made one notable signing this summer. That being Russian international Yuri Zhirkov who looked to be useful against AC Milan (but who hasn't) in the preseason World Football Challenge in the United States, scoring the winner in the Blue's 2-1 victory. Of course they have Sheva back from his loan at Milan. However, everyone at Stamford Bridge would rather pretend he just didn't exist. Pizarro has returned as well. After failing to impress in his last stay at Chelsea, he was shipped off to the Bundasliga on loan where he was a goalscoring hit with Werder Bremen. Recent reports have seen Chelsea finally make 3 massive swoops in the transfer market. It's a bit late in the summer for huge transfers but it's never too late when you have the money of Roman Abramovich behind you. According to Goal.com Chelsea has their eye on three potential new blues. Who are they and how would that affect the current squad? Let's take a look.

Before I get started, I think that Chelsea look fine as it is. They have so many solid and high class players that I don't think signing anyone else is necessary because then someone big is going to have to take a pine role, be upset and want a transfer when it's to late, disrupting the flow I already believe the team possesses. However, I'm not the boss, or owner. The first target rumored to be wanted by the West London club is Atletico Madrid's heavily sought after Sergio Agruero, a forward. The club seems to be making way for him by loaning out promising young Di Santo to Blackburn. Di Santo scored his first goal for the Chelsea in the World Football Challenge only a few weeks ago. Aguero looks to be a coveted prize but with Drogba, Anelka, Pizarro, Sheva, and a returning Joe Cole, is he really that necessary? The young Argentine is only 21 years of age and has plenty of time to grow. I don't think Chelsea need him quite yet with no real exits. Manchester United have also been interested in the youngsters services, and Sir Alex continues to heap praise on him but has yet to make his move.

A deal that seems all but out in the open is Andrea Pirlo to Chelsea. AC Milan president said the move would shock him if it happened. However, recently when Pirlo was asked about the Chelsea move by the press he just said he had nothing to say. Is he hiding the fact that he is leaving? It wouldn't surprise anyone if he fallowed Carlo Ancelotti to Chelsea but again, do they have the room for him? Everyone knows the midfield at Chelsea is bolstering already. As read in Managerialism 250 coaches tend to like to bring in players of their own nationality and one thing that Chelsea don't have a lot of is Italians. Nonetheless the club already has Lampard, Ballack, Essien, Mikel, Deco who already play in the center of midfield. Perhaps Ancelotti rates Pirlo better than some of the players he already has, but for a center midfielder, Pirlo hasn't scored from open play in over a year. Think to yourself where you might put him. It's difficult isn't it?

The last but I believed to be the most unlikely, however most useful in Chelsea's case, is Franck Ribery. Why is this unlikely? Clubs such as Manchester United and especially Real Madrid have been trying to get their hands on him all summer. Real Madrid are rumoured to have put in a bid greater than the one they put in for Ronaldo but it was still turned down. The Chelsea triple swoop we are analyzing right now was said to be only £100 million for all three of these players. Roman has the cash, but what has been reported on Goal.com just wouldn't be enough to lure Franck away from the tight clutches of Bayern Munchen. If he somehow did land at the bridge, he would be a good winger option. I certainly think he is more useful than Belletti, that's a given.

I'll be interested to see how this plays out over the next couple days, and remaining weeks in the transfer window. Do I see Chelsea grabbing all 3? No way. The most likely to go I believe is Pirlo. What the Chelsea boss plans on doing with the side after that is a mystery

Viva el futbol y Hala Madrid,

Bobby

Managerialism Course 250

Being a manager at a top football club can be tricky. There is all the pressure of succeeding by managing your team to good results, team selection, transfer sagas, press conferences and heat of the moment substitution decisions. We all know how good Sir Alex can be at those. We all remember the super sub Solskjaer story. He scored 4 goals after coming on as a sub. Breathtaking. However today I'm not going to be looking at the greatest super subs. We'll save that for another time.

Over the last couple years, I've began to notice a trend. Managers, especially in the EPL, are very nationalist, if that is the correct word. They tend to search for players of their own heritage in the transfer market or players who happen to speak their same language. Is it because they feel more comfortable, can bond more with the players? Do they enjoy a sense of home comfort. Perhaps the manager has trouble explaining tactics in a certain language so exiles good player in place of players that he can communicate more clearly with. After all the better the team understands the tactics, the more efficient those tactics will be when match day rolls around. So is there a reason for the players of their homelands? I'm going to do my best from observation to come up with a hypothesis. A prime example and perhaps one of the best examples of this phenomena is Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger. He is French. Okay we have that established. I'm going to look at last season's roster of usual first teamers and give you the names of all of the French and French-speaking (African Players who speak French as a primary language) players. Here we go: Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna, Gael Chichy, Alexandre Song, Emmanuel Eboue, Abou Diaby, Mickael Silvestre, and William Gallas. You could put the 10 of them on the field in whatever position you'd like, with the exception of keeper, have one to spare, and see a fluently french speaking squad on the pitch in the English Premier League. It really isn't just last year either. Of course their all time leading goal scorer, Theirry Henry who left for Barcelona a couple seasons back, is French. Patrick Viera, who has been rumoured to be perhaps on his way back to North London with the Gunners from a spell at Inter Milan, is French, and captained the infamous "Untouchables" in the 2003/2004 season with Arsenal. Okay so Arsenal has a bunch of French players and a French coach. Big Deal. Let's take a look at last year's Liverpool squad as well. It's common knowledge to know that Rafa Benitez is Spanish. So what about Spaniards and those who speak the language in his squad. It is interesting yet again. They were Fernando Torres, Javier Macherano, Alberto Rierra, Alvaro Arbeloa, Emiliano Insua, Pepe Riena, and Xabi Alonso. That's quite a number of Spaniards and players who possess the ability to speak Spanish in one English first team. And again, that's an English squad we are talking about. They obviously lead the EPL for players of this sort. It seems where ever a manager may go in his career, he wants to bring something or someone(s) with him. Early last season when Scolari ended his post as boss of Portugal and took on the roll of Chelsea manager, he scooped up two of his Portuguese national team players and brought them to the bridge, Deco and Bosingwa. Not unlike Murinho who brought Portuguese players such as Carvalho and Ferriera to West London after managing Porto to a Champions League success. Sir Alex Ferguson is Scottish. Okay so their aren't many Scottish players on Manchester United. If you think about it there aren't many Scottish players on any major European sides nowadays, besides Celtic and Gers if you even count them as major European sides. However. Fergie does have Darren Fletcher, a Scot, who he seems to enjoy throwing in the line up. He knows in order for Manchester United to be successful, he cant buy predominately Scottish players because in all do respect to Scotland, the players wouldn't be able to get the job done. So arguably, he has the best of the best out of Scotland with Darren Fletcher. Real Madrid have had so many managers over the last few years, most of them can't get their bags unpacked before they're sacked. That being said, they still manage to bring in some homelanders. For Example Bernd Shuster brought in Metzelder, both German. Fabio Capello brought in Cannavaro, both Italian. So there are plenty of managers to seem to be a bit biased toward their homeland, if their homeland has sufficient amount of talent. I've noticed one special case though at Chelsea. Owner, Roman Abramovich is very hands on. He is a wealthy Russian businessman. When Scolari failed to impress him and was done away with, he hired pal Gus Hiddink who was national team coach of Russia. So your saying that may be a coincidence. However, it seems a bit odd that this summer Chelsea's main signing was Yuri Zhirkov, A Russian international midfielder when the club is already loaded with midfielders. For example, Lampard, Ballack, Essien, Mikel, Belletti, Deco, and Malouda. Perhaps he's the real boss in control of what goes on at the field at Stamford Bridge. It would be a bit annoying being micromanaged if your the coach. In conclusion I believe that this phenomena contributes to why the English Premier League is currently and has been for the last couple years, the strongest league in the world.

It seems to me that coaches like a little bit of their own flavor if their flavor is good enough to be tasted. Profound, right? Rafa and Wenger come from predominately strong footballing nations so it is easy to pull form those countries. Whereas Sir Alex comes from a nation where is more difficult to find top class players, so he only pulls what he can in my eye. This has been Advanced Managerialism Course 250.

Viva el football y Hala Madrid

Bobby

Peace Cup Semi-Final. Juventus vs Real Madrid: 2-1

Real Madrid fell to Juventus in the Peace Cup semi-final today 2-1. I have plenty of thoughts to share on this match. I think it was a good way to see how Real Madrid has been stacking up to other big sides during preseason. Put some players under more pressure than against Al Ittihad or LUDQ. Some reacted well to the pressure, some did not unfortunately.

First off, am I disappointed about the loss? Always. Is it the end of the world? Not at all. Yes, the match was obviously a failure not progressing through to the final, but it was only a preseason match and I believe there are plenty of positives and even more lessons to learn from the Juve match up. My number one concern for the Merengue and has been all preseason is defending set plays. Both goals today were scored off set plays. To make it worse, the first happened only 4 minutes into the match. To make it even worse than that, it was tiny little Cannavaro that left the Bernabeu for Juve this summer with a header, completely unmarked, held onside by Ronaldo, who was far to deep on the back post side. Thats the 5th goal Los Blancos have conceded in the preseason and also the 5th from set plays. Defending free kicks and corners has to get better if Madrid are going to succeed. Simple as that. In a sense, if Madrid would have been tidy on defending set plays and corners, they could be unscored upon at this point. Interesting, yeah?

I'm gonna mix it up a bit now and throw in a couple pros rather than concentrating on the cons all at once. I'll mix and match them for you. Drenthe was full of energy today and I was completely impressed by his performance. He found plenty of free space on the left wing from his defending position and contributed to the attack often. He looks to be very fit for preseason, racing up and down, tracking back and starting forward. He is still young and has plenty to learn, but with confidence I have a feeling he and Marcelo will be dueling it out on the left wing all season for a spot now that Hienze has moved onto Marsielle. The partnership worked out well with Lass and Granero behind Guti in the midfield, at least for the first half anyway but I'll get to that in a minute. The more I watch Granero, I become more fond of him. I really think he was quite a deal coming from Getafe. He is a play maker. His vision is fabulous. He can really pick out players, but also keeps it simple. If the ball isn't on he doesn't force it, easily turning out and restarting the attack by going backward or square. Enjoyed him a lot today. For being the older veteran striker on Real Madrid, Raul still causes plenty of trouble. He drew the penalty from Chiellini, who I don't rate as a great defender. However, nonetheless, Raul still had a handful of chances throughout the match. Benzema didn't standout today like in previous matches. He drifted in and out of the game. He was brilliant for the first 15 minutes, very involved. However, he slowly slipped off until he was substituted midway through the second half. What is odd, that I noticed not once but twice is that the French striker, didn't even look at the goal before taking his shots that missed by a fair distance. It's very difficult to shoot blind. Perhaps it was just the two shots I witnessed but the fact that he doesn't really know where he is aiming could be detrimental to his career in general. Everyone is upset with Ronaldo's free kick form. Today he missed wide, hit the very center of the wall, and pretended he was Dani Alves with souvenir for some lucky fan in the third tier. He just needs to find his niche again. He can feel the pressure being put on him to score those, and the more he misses, the more he feels it. As soon as he catches his lucky break, they will start to find the net. That's my prediction. For his play other than the free kicks today, I thought he was useful. He wasn't just glued to the right flank all match. I spotted him in the center, up top, on the left. That's what he needs to do. It's very easy to mark a player that plays in one area of the field, but if he is constantly running around, different people will constantly have to pick him up. Eventually, someone will miss their cue, or he will open up space for somebody else. With Torres at right back, I'm so anxiously awaiting the return of Ramos or even newly, but pointlessly signed Arbeloa. He did not play well. foolishly gave up the free kick that lead to the first goal and fouled constantly. Madrid needs that Ramos energy back. The last individual performance I want to pick out of the crowd is Pepe. He was a mammoth today. I giant big defender. He gave no ground to anyone, picked up players, won headers and 1v1s, tracked back and frustrated Amuari all match. Pepe did scare me with the back pass that was picked off, but he and Metzelder quickly made amends. Superb from the Portuguese international today.

I've had enough of the individual stuff for now at least. Let's look at the game play. First off, the offsides trap seemed to be working. I didn't count the amount of time Juve were called off but it had to have been at least half a dozen. When Madrid were scored on so early, I was shocked, but wasn't going to remain so sour with 86 minutes still to play. I was right for the first half. Real Madrid looked the better team and even the most stubborn Juventus supporter's eyes. The possession was great. The quick fluent passes, the changes of directions, clever balls and fast pace was difficult to deal with. I quickly forgot about being a goal down and redirected my concentration to not if but when our equalizer would come. It came shortly before half with Raul drawing his penalty and Ronaldo fooling Buffon by easily placing the ball in the center of the goal from the spot. I was absolutely thrilled. This was the kind of football I had been waiting for, Real Madrid football, and it had finally arrived. Or visited should I say. The second half was a totally different story. The Merengue enjoyed the same type of play for about 10 or 15 minutes until one by one the wheels began to fall off the wagon. The scoring of Juve's second goal off the corner didn't worry me at first because I thought the squad would rebound the way they did so perfectly after the first goal but I was wrong. Panic mode set in and we got away from the basics and the possession. Without the ball, you cannot score (with the exception of fluke own goals). The wing play began to deteriorate and balls were being forced through the middle and over top. Those are mental errors. When los blancos needed to be patient they weren't and resorted to forcing it. The introduction of Higuain and Negredo did absolutely nothing for the team, both failed to make an impact or even be noticed at all. The game grew to be a little chippy and Lass always falls into that category when that happens but I was shocked at the tackle by Grygera in the closing couple of minutes that took Ronaldo out of action temporarily. The replay showed his standing tackle go studs well up into the number 9's knee and drag down his leg. It was very late. A yellow card was generous. Perhaps the Peace Cup isn't as peaceful as it may sound.

I would like to give me approval to both Camoranesi and Giovinco. I thought both were acceptional today. Very tidy, the two of them. Camernasi just created problems all match long and made Torres look a fool at times. Giovinco is young and has a lot to offer. He looks to be a promising player of the future.

I had a lot to say about this one. Hopefully you didn't need a water break to finish it. I will be looking forward to Madrid's trip to the States in hopes that they will not embarrass themselves against and MLS side but even more excited to see Kaka make his debut and the rest of the Confederations Cup players return.

R.I.P. Sir Bobby Robson

Viva el futbol y hala Madrid

Bobby

Kit Review 2009-2010

Preseason football is always difficult to judge with an entire season ahead. It's an arduous task to predict how a squad will fair in the season because so many things change. However, one thing that the team's are stuck with, whether they like it or not, is their kits. I've watched a lot of preseason football over the past couple weeks and have noticed, some good looking, interesting, and some shocking uniform design selections. What kit will sell and what kit will not? There are certain ones that make players look sharp. There is also a select few, that if put on a scarecrow, would be be mighty affective. Lets take a look.

Manchester United's Nike kits have caught eye with black a "V" like design on the center of their traditionally red jerseys accompanied by contradicting white shorts with a red stripe on the outside of the outfit. Most people I've spoken to said they think it's ugly. However, most people I speak too are anti-United people. Up until today, I thought United we're wearing their same away strip as last year. That would be kind of boring. However today online, I discovered the away shirt is the same pattern as the home strip only it is all black with an interesting blue "V" instead. I believe it looks a far cry better than the home jersey. Interestingly enough, about a week after the Owen transfer was completed the Manchester United Official store stated that they had 0 requests for his shirt. Maybe it was due to the fact that he had not been issued a number yet. Or maybe, just maybe, the fans don't accept the former Liverpool star.

Chelsea's home jersey's have been the criticism of many people. The Adidas template used for a lot of their 09/10 kits seems to be paneled on the chest with a tight collar with a line running down from the neck. A lot of people say they look like vests. The sleeves are shorter and smaller to give the shirt a snug look. It certainly is an interesting and caviller aproach. The Chelsea jersey that has people buying is the away kit. It seems to be a hit. The team was seen equipped with it in the World Football Challenge, which they won, in the United States. It has navy blue and black horizontal stripes with a light yellow trim, sponser, and numbers. It gives them an interesting look. It might top their highlighter away kit from two seasons ago.

Liverpool have gone expectingly classic with their home kit, the traditional red, nothing outragous. It suits the club very well. Their away kits have had people buzzing this summer. The black away kit seems to be very interesting. It's solid black with gold and red detail. Surely many people will be interested in it. Liverpool have sported it on their Asian tour already this summer. The other Liverpool away kit is solid white from head to toe. The only part that isn't white is the infamous "3 stripes" that Adidas lines their jerseys with and the black "L.F.C." on the socks. Surely on away strip will be used domestically and the other for Europe.

Arsenal too, have released their three Nike kits. The classic home jersey has taken hardly any dramatic changes from last year, but I for one am happy to see them rid their away jersey of the yucky yellow we all saw last season. The away strip is navy blue with pinstripes. It's an interesting look that seems to have paid off. It looks sharp. Their third jersey is white with pinstripes as well. I'm not sure which away kit will be used domestically or in Europe but a good look for the Gunners this season.

The new Everton home kit grabbed my attention. I haven't seen them play this preseason but I have seen pictures of their traditional blue with a long and narrow, white "V" from the neck down the front of the jersey. I don't know whether to like it or not at this point. Odd.

The Aston Villa home kit is their traditional colors but as in most cases, the away kit is what all the attention is migrating towards. Its simple really. All white with navy blue collar and sleeve cuffs. It looks like the stole Spurs' home jersey. The "acorns" sponsor remains. The body of the uniform has light pin stripes but the sleeves are blank. It seems to be growing on me though.

I just had to throw this in here. Newcastle's away kit? Give me a break! Like they aren't embarrassed enough that they are in the Championship, but to be fooling around away matches with a yellow and white striped jersey as well? It's pretty far out of the way to humiliate themselves when that's not a typical team color either. Just awful.

Spurs certainly have gone an interesting route this year, also implementing yellow into the equation. The yellow trim under the arm sure is bright, however I can see it working. When I watched them draw with Barcelona 1-1 in the Wembly Cup, the kit didn't look as rancid as it may sound. I did see the rest of the bench wearing all yellow tracksuits. That blurred my screen a little bit but the jersey might work for them. I'm no fashion expert, but for some reason I didn't hate it.

That's enough of the EPL let's jump over to Scotland real quick so I can let u know what the new Celtic away kit looks like. I'm not surprised because the home looks as it always does but talk about bumble bee for the away strip. All black with neon yellow/green hoops or horizontal lines on it with matching socks. It's a badass approach. It will be kind of embarrassing if they don't win wearing those jerseys. I wish them the best of luck and I might buy one cause my bug zapper broke.

Over in Italy, the Juventus home jersey seems to be as classic as always on the top. The zebra stripes with the yellow numbers. Nothing too crazy but they've got an interesting little short detail. Along the seams, there looks to be a thin black and white candy cane pattern that lines the outside of the short. It looks kind of cool. However, I'm not a fan of their away strip. It doesn't get any more boring than solid light grey. Has a diagonal black and white striped through the center but I'm not impressed. Nike did a dull job there.

I was really impressed with Inter Milan away kit. I saw them wear it in the World Football Challenge over the last couple weeks. It's solid white with a thick black and blue stripe that goes horizontally under the chest that the Pirelli sponsor goes on top of. The Italian crest sits in the middle of the jersey with the Nike and Internazionale logo on either sides of it. It has a small foldible collar and blue cuffs on the sleeves, but what made it really stick out to me was the big blue size of the number and names on the back. It really makes the jersey stand out. If your going to get one, get one with a name on the back. For the home jersey, you could probably create a picture in your head and be pretty close to what it actually looks like, classic Nerazurri. Well done Nike.

AC Milan kind of have a pop to their home jersey. The red and white stripes as always but the collar is what really makes it stand out. The collar is white. They too were in the Football World Challenge but are not having the greatest of preseasons considering they failed to make a difference here in the US and also fell to a Ribery-less Bayern Munchen. No trend is being broken with their away kits. One is solid white and the other is solid black. From what I understand the black one is the third jersey and will be used if there is no other alternative.

Despite, knocking Madrid out of the Champions League two seasons ago, I have always been a fan of Roma's colors. That trade mark cardinal red and the yellow orange just go together so well. It's rarely duplicated by any team. If you're a Roma fan who loves the tight sleeve look, than you won't be disappointed. Kappa created practically the same jerseys as last year except for the white which I really do like. It has their team colors in two bold stripes across the upper chest with an interesting red collar on it. Roma will once again be looking sharp next season.

Real Madrid. Being such a big fan and all I had to put off doing them toward the end so it didn't look like I was putting favorites first. However, I am very impressed with the new work. It's often hard to fail on the solid white home jersey. I watched a video on how they designed it this year and it has a little something extra. They've added a gold stripe that is seen on the sleeves and runs down the back. The collar is tight an old school. The team that designed the shirt also wanted to add a little history too it. It seems that on the opposite side of the Real Madrid crest there always is some other emblem of some sort. This year it is a Santiago Bernabeu stadium crest that looks like the stadium from above with E, S, and B (Estadio Santiago Bernabeu) artistically designed in it. The stadium logo appears on both the home and the away jersey. The away jersey is a deep dark navy blue with sky blue details. I've yet to see them wear it. The third jersey remains a mystery to me but I'm sure there will be one. There always is.

Over the past few seasons the Barcelona classic Blaugrana has decreased and decreased in stripes until last year where it was just half red and half blue. They couldn't decrease anymore this year so it's time to start over. The new kit is lined with plenty of stripes and has the Unicef on the front once again. The numbers look good in yellow as usual but its the away jersey that worries me. It's pink. Enough said. If the team has a repeat performance of last year it will be a kit for the ages, but if they fail to win trophies, its a little bold, and might be a kit to be forgotten. The image of Zlatan Ibrahimovic wearing pink just makes me laugh in a mental image but who knows. They say that only real men wear pink. Let's see if Barcelona are real men this year.

Valencia have dropped Nike as a shirt designer this season and have picked up Kappa, who sponsors AS Roma. The tight sleeves are noticeable for the side. The jersey is white with black sleeves. Certainly a different look for the Eastern Spanish side but it's about time something changed at the club. These are the jerseys that I've selected to review.

It would take me to about this time next year to do every jersey. If you have comments on jerseys I didn't look at or shouldn't look at, feel free to leave your comment. It's all in my opinion and I almost hope you disagree, so I can get some feed back here. Whatever the case may be, these teams have these jerseys for the next year, and we all need to get used to them.

Viva el futbol y Hala Madrid

Bobby

Real Madrid vs Liga Universitaria de Quito: 4-2

This was the performance I have been looking for this preseason with Real Madrid. I'm delighted at the result and even more so that we are into the Peace Cup semi-finals against a strong test being Juventus. There is a lot to be proud of in this performance but still a few key notes that worry me. Let's take a closer look.

There weren't many things that bugged me in this match but two or three sore issues stick out. Despite being held scoreless in the first half, I'm concerned to see Robben go off before the half time whistle. We all know how prone he is to injury. I wish him a speedy recovery. Benzema too, seemed to go off with a knock after being clipped fallowing a shot he took early in the second half. It seemed to be an impact injury rather than a strain or tear, but I worry anyways because he has been great in preseason for Madrid and looks promising for the upcoming campaign. In the first half more than the second half, I become angered when 50 and 60 yards ball hit out of their back third can find forwards over top or on the flanks of our defense. Now on the flanks, I don't care as much. If they're game plan is to launch missiles across the boarders into areas where Real Madrid can easily recover, let them. The balls that worry me or the one's that get over top and in behind the back line, I don't like. If the center backs want to force the forwards offsides, then step. If not, they better be tracking. It didn't happen often but against Juventus, we could be caught. The issue that even a blind man could see is defending set pieces. Dudek could do nothing about the goals but the rest of the team could have. Madrid have let up 3 goals in this tournament, all from set plays. We have the size. Pepe, Metzelder, Ronaldo, Gago, they aren't small. Put little Marcelo, Drenthe, or Lass, on the posts and let the big guys take care of big threats. Yes, the first goal scored against us was a bit unlucky with the unorthodox bike for a secondary cross, but nonetheless, a goal off a set play. The one player that seems to have worried me quite a bit in preseason is Higuain. I don't know if it's because he needs to get back in the swing of things from the off season but his first touch was very noticably off today as it was against Shamrock Rovers. I'm so used to stand out performances from him, that it seems wrong if I couldn't tell you if he was playing or not because he is making such a minuscule impact on the match. Again, it's only preseason. My faith in Higuain will not be conflicted because of 3 preseason matches but I'm anxious to see last seasons form surface again.

Let me first start off some positives with Gago. In the last few matches have really eaten him alive, saying their are better players Madrid have in the midfield than him and he gives balls away constantly, but I was impressed by his performance today. He looks a much better player when he just changes the point of attack and finds simple passes that keep our football flowing and moving. He is very good at that and could be of some value if he continues what he started today. He still is a little wild and reckless when defending but that can change as well. Much better today from him. The moment we have all been waiting for finally arrived today, and it will surely grab the headlines. Cristiano Ronaldo gets off the mark at Real Madrid. Okay, so the goal didn't come from a 40 yard lash, or a cheeky flick. It came from a penalty. However, he drew it himself in typical Ronaldo fashion, skinning two defenders and being fouled by the third. It seemed as if he provided the spark and set a tempo all on his own with the first goal. It goes to show what his performances can do for a team's momentum. He is a special player, but you don't need me to tell you that. Granero has played probably less than 90 minutes for Real Madrid total since he arrived last week but he is quickly becoming one of my favorites. He was there to clean up Ronaldo's rebound for the second goal, which he seemed just honored to score. For an absence at Real Madrid for 2 years, you can tell his madridista passion has always been with him. He really caught my eye against Al Ittihad because he was so composed with the ball at his feet and never tried anything he knew he couldn't do. Not to mention that cross bar blast had me dying for a second look. Today, he didn't fail to excite again with the goal of his own and the delicious corner ball he served in for Metzelder who glanced it in the top corner for goal number 3. I thought Salgado was going to find a rare goal when he made his triumphant run out of the back and continued into the box. Raul scooped the ball perfectly for him. He took it down on the chest but his rocket volley was sadly parried away with a great save from the LUDQ goalkeeper. Salgado was all over the place today. Quite a work ethic for 90+ plus minutes, defending pesky, crafty, Liga wingers and forwards all match. Pepe was nothing short of a beast today. He was simply an animal. A brick wall 1v1, and noting short of solid, almost grabbing a goal of his own there toward the end of the match. I was delighted with him today. Marcelo is beginning to resemble former Real Madrid Brazilian, Robinho, with his step overs and ability to penetrate the defense from the left. He does well offensively, but a little more to be desired on the defensive half of the game. Not a bad outing for his 90 minute performance either. The goal for every coach when he brings on substitutions he wants the play to increase and not drop. He got just that from subs, Negredo, Drenthe, and Lassana Diarra who combined for the fourth Madrid goal. Lass clipped the ball down the line for a scampering Drenthe who curled the ball low across the box for the oncoming Negredo to poke in from close range, marking his first goal for the club since returning from his loan spell. Madrid have scored 6 times this preseason with 6 different goal scorers, Benzema, Raul, Ronaldo, Granero, Metzelder, and Negredo.

Pellegrini has much to be pleased with. If I'm proud, he damn well better be too. And to think that he still has Kaka, Sergio Ramos, Casillas, and Raul Albiol at his disposal. I hope this marks the beginning of more good results. We'll find out when the squad meets an on form Juventus side on the 31st.

Viva el futbol y HALA MADRID

Bobby

Celebration Station

Some people say the best part about scoring is the celebration. We've witnessed some wild ones over the years. The goal celebration certainly has transformed from the the classic 70s, jump straight up into the air with both hands trying to pull down a couple stars out to the night sky. The celebration has become so popular that FIFA09 even added it into their game play, where as soon as you score, you continue controlling your player and select from a wide variety of dances and motions. It really adds an extra element to any game. There are all sorts of celebrations. I would like to just take this time to look over some of them.

So many celebrations end up at the corner flag now-a-days. Let's just hope you don't pick the corner flag where the oppositions fans are throwing missiles at you a jeering your hard earned goal. As a player myself, there just seems to be a gravitational pull that attracts goalscorers to the corner flag. I feel as if when I score, I effortlessly float in that general direction. Perhaps professionals do it to celebrate with their fans as we often see. For instance I, for one, have seen Inzaghi, as well as many others, hurdle over the advertising boards and right over to the supporters who at this point are dangling over the separation bars just to get a touch. It's nice to see a player who is so dedicated to his supporters. Another celebration that we see often but will forever remain a classic is the knee slide. When the field is nice and slick, the knee side is almost a garentee. It really is a tribute the the grounds keeper in my eyes. If he didn't keep such a luscious well maintained pitch, the goal scorer would have to leave the field because of the blood all over his knees. Fernando Torres did his own version in the 2006 World Cup when he finished it off by arching back and pointing to the heavens, which was then copied by his best friend Sergio Ramos last season. However the knee slide has been used by so many names, it would be impossible to name them all. How about acrobatics? Obafemi Matrins isn't afraid to put on a gymnastics display for the people. If you can do it, why not? If you can't, why embarrass yourself trying? So many of these talented athletes possess the skills to do cartwheels, flips, and all sorts of aerial tricks. Although once in a while we get someone who simply just fails in their moment of glory and lands flat on their nose, neck, back, or arse. When done correctly though, they are a thrill to watch. What is a celebration that is popular but frowned upon? Oh yes, the removal of the shirt. Now it earns players no less than a yellow card for their antics but it has been popular nonetheless. Lots of players find the celebration worthy of the punishment and do it anyway. Some players just take it off in the heat of the moment. When the United States Woman's National Team won the World Cup in a penalty shoot out over China in 1999, many people remember the scene of final penalty taker, Brandi Chastain, ripping off her jersey in celebration when winning the match for the US. Even Cristiano Ronaldo has done it, to the delight of every female watching. It is considered unsportsmanlike in the eyes of referees at this point in time. Which is odd because it IS sporting to take off one's jersey and exchange it with another player of the opposite team after the match concludes. Many players such as Cisse and Kaka have displayed messages on an undershirt expressing feelings for their family or their religion. At time's the shirt doesn't come all the way off, but leaving the arms in the sleeves and stretching the front of the shirt over one's head and running around blindly is another classic. Getafe of La Liga took that celebration even further this year. The team's shirt sponsor is Burger King. On the inside of the shirt is the mascot, "the king's" face. So when the shirt is pulled over the head, "the King" replaces the player's face. Now that ladies and gentlemen is creativity.

How about group celebrations? Yes indeed, they have those too. The nation of Senegal was loved for the celebrations in the World Cup 2002 in Korea/Japan. Every goal was fallowed by a team celebration. I remember a couple vividly. The player that scored took off his jersey and layed it on the pitch near the corner flag, soon joined by the rest of the team, they all began dancing around it. Another Senegal celebration that had me holding my stomach in laughter was after the goal was scored, the player ran toward the supporters, and got down on his knees. He was quickly fallowed by two others who put one arm around him and flexed with the other arms all brought together by great big smiles posing for pictures, priceless. A couple years ago when Real Madrid was made up of what seemed like 95% Brazilians, four of them, being Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Robinho and Julio Baptista, all laid on their backs and kicked their feet in the air. Do I know what that means? No, as many of celebrations are inside jokes thought up on the training ground at one point or another. I've seen it plenty of times and it never gets old. Rock the Cradle. Some players do it to signify a new bundle of joy in the family and some players just do it simply because it's a classic. The player runs toward the sideline and begins to swing their arms in a rocking motion, the rest of the team joins in an they all do it in unison. Great fun and thrilling to watch.

The footballing world knows every sort of culture, and where there is culture there is a cultural dance of some sort. Many Brazilians and Brazilian impersonators do the samba dance , made famous by Ronaldinho in his glory days. Everyone remembers the ridiculous dance Henry and Adebayor would do together after scoring at Arsenal. When asked about it, Theirry Henry said the only reason he uses Adebayor as a partner for the dance is because he is the only one that could do the steps. Kind of odd, but understandable in that respect. Enough with the humorous for right now. Football is a sport all about passion. There are certain things that fuel certain footballers. When Frank Lampard scored in the 2008 Champions League final, you could tell there was something more on his mind. He began a slow trot to the corner flag with both hands pointing the the heavens accompanied by a glazy shine in his eye. The goal undoubtedly was dedicated to his mother who passed away a couple of days before the match. The fallowing year in the 2009 version of that same final, Samuel Eto'o praised his father by smacking his forearm over and over on his trek away from the goal he just scored on. This symbolized that he used his father's blood to score that goal.

There are players that have really pattented celebrations. They have really made certain celebrations their own. Of course there are celebrations that will never belong to anyone, like the kissing of the ring finger, but some celebrations just belong to certain players. Alan Shearer has his trade mark one hand raised in the air with a open palm as he runs about the pitch. Ronaldinho coined the double hang loose hand jesters. I have a poster of Thierry Henry in my room of the air plane he made famous before he got so good he hardly had to celebrate. Los Blancos golden boy always points to the name on the back of his jersey. Everton and Austailia ace, Tiny Tim Cahill, always manages to give the corner flag a good bruising with a couple of K-O punches. Peter Crouch adopted the robot there for a spell but has seemed to abandon it to the dismay of so many fans that adored it.

So many celebrations that light up the pitch after goals, that it would be impossible for me to name them all. I would love to hear peoples comments on their favorite celebrations or maybe some that I left out. For now I've provided this video for you to watch on some celebrations. Enjoy.





Viva el futbol y Hala Madrid!

Bobby

Real Madrid vs Al Ittihad: 1-1

As a Real Madrid supporter it is important for me to be patient. A lot of people, me included, have to look at Al Ittihad as a guaranteed win for a prestigious side like Real Madrid. We had a starting line up, that in mid season form would put the Saudi side to shame with Ronaldo, Raul, Benzema, Sneijder and others. However, los blancos skidded into a pretty evenly matched 1-1 draw. I watched the game online and struggled to find a feed that satisfied me. Although my expectations are high because I'd love to see it crystal clear. I missed much of the first half. The lag was dreadful even for spells in the second but there are a few things that caught my attention. I'm only giving my opinion on what I saw, there was plenty I would have missed. So please feel free to comment and tell me what you think.

Once again, Gago frustrated me. As soon as I got the feed to start working, my first image of the match was Gago giving the ball away. I sighed in dispare but continued to watch. It's my opinion but I think there are so many more solid midfielders at the club, that Gago really shouldn't have a spot, yet he started the match. He was definitely the player marking the Al Ittihad goalscorer on the set piece, which seemed to be scored in a sloppy fashion. Just terrible marking in general. Of course, I can't blame the entirity of the goal on Gago. Lass was the player who gave away the free kick which lead to the goal. That leads me to my next point. I only saw the match in segments as you know, but out of the few short clips I saw, Lassana Diarra was a frequent fouler. I think he is a great player with a lot to offer and very technically gifted, but he is a sloppy reckless defender. He brings plenty of pace and creativity, but doesn't hold down the fort in front of the back line very well. As a holding center mid, I'd love to see him composed and solid. I can see why Pellegrini still wants Xabi Alonso because he can do just what Lass doesn't. He isn't to fancy, but a solid player who plays the role he is given very well. That is what Madrid has missed dearly ever since the knee injury last season to almost forgot Mahamadou Diarra. He really did that holding job well and was just a driving physical force behind midfield. Occasionally he got forward, but only when there was the opportunity, much like Yaya Toure at Barcelona. I would hate to see Lass out of the line up but he is certainly a different kind of holding center midfielder than what I am used to seeing.

Back to the match. Madrid's back line has been somewhat makeshift in their first preseason matches. I know Pellegrini is trying to find the right partnership at the center back positions and with the absence of one of my favorite players, Sergio Ramos, right back has been up for grabs as well. However, no matter which players are working together back there, the defending has been sketchy? If that is the correct word. Especially on the flanks, far to many balls AND players get in behind the back line and aren't always dealed with in a tidy manor. That worries me because Madrid might be able to get away with it against Shamrock Rovers and Al Ittihad, but against solid La Liga and Champions League sides the Merengue won't be so lucky. I continue to heap praise on Benzema who had the eye to find Raul for the goal. I'm not too impressed with Raul's finish but that's only because I already know he is capable of that skill and so many more. For what I could see, Ronaldo didn't have a typical Ronaldo performance but I'm not going to doubt his abilities as everyone knows what he can do, he just needs time to settle in. I didn't know much about Granero, who returned to Real Madrid earlier this week for a 2 year spell at Getafe. I was surprised he was in the squad list so soon, especially because it appeared he bumped Van der Vaart out , who played very well for me against Shamrock. I soon found out what kind of player he was. I liked him at a first look. He seemed to be composed, although he only had 15 minutes or so. He manage to almost break the cross bar from a whopping 35 or so yards out too. Even though Robben came on late I thought he provided a spart to the team, a new energy. He had a couple chances and really helped strengthen the attack. Well done on his part.

Real Madrid is a team full of new faces and faces that haven't returned yet from International duty. Even though I'm disappointed with a draw I can accept it. There are so many players that need to find out each other's playing style and the coach needs to find the right mixture and formation with so many options. I'm convinced they will be able to make it work. The season is still over a month away and it's just a preseason match. Greatness doesn't come over night and I know that. I'm patient and accepting and eagerly awaiting the next match in two days time. i hope he isn't one to make way for new players.

Viva el futbol y Hala Madrid

Bobby