Life is a Game…

Real Madrid and Barcelona are the two marquee clubs in the World football, never mind the La Liga. The rivalry between these two clubs is not only because of the football but also because of the various cultural aspects. Barcelona are a Catalunya based club and their language is Catalan while the Madristas have made a little secret of their dislike towards the Catalans.

When Real Madrid was winning every trophy that was available during the 1950s, Barcelona began to assemble their own team. This dates back to the days of Spanish General Francisco Franco who was a fanatic fan of Real Madrid CF. During 1950s, both Barcelona and Real Madrid were involved in a fierce battle regarding the signing of Alfredo de Stefano, who would then become Spain’s all time leading scorer. It’s thought that Franco’s intervention helped Real Madrid to sign him and he singlehandedly won five champions league trophies for Real Madrid.

This further aggravated the rivalry and the El Clasico or The Classic Battle became an integral part of the Calendar. In 1960s, the boiling point was reached as the two clubs faced off each other in the European Cup with Real Winning in 1960 and Barcelona following it up in 1961. Their head to head record stands at Real Madrid 68-30-60 Barcelona. During the 1990s, Johan Cryuff’s dream team began to create history for Barcelona and Real Madrid was struggling to keep pace with their rivals. The tables turned and Florentina Perez assembled a Galactico era in 2002 which helped them to win the champions League. Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 6-2 at the Santiago Bernabeau this season and that has broken the hearts of the Madristas.

This rivalry brings the best out of both the teams and let’s hope that this remains a healthy rivalry till the end.

When Florentino Perez regained his throne, many believed that he would assemble a Galactic era again and he did not disappoint them. When he brought in Kaka and Ronaldo for record fee, he made his intentions clear. Win the Champions league at any cost.  But can they win it?

They have the best free kick taker in Ronaldo, best attacking mid in Kaka and a promising forward in Benzema. Add the evergreen Raul and the youthful Higuain and you get a dangerous combination that can unlock any defence with ridiculous ease. And you can never discount the Dutch contingent – Sneijder, Robben, Van der Vaart and Huntelaar can find a place in the starting eleven of every team in the world. Even in the defence, they’ve got a promising prospect in Raul Albiol as a replacement for Cannavaro who is way past his expiry date. But then another important aspect of any team is missing there – Team Chemistry. Raul has been the undisputed leader in the dressing room and how he perceives the arrival of Kaka and Ronaldo remains to be seen. Casillas is a comforting presence in the dressing room but Ronaldo has a knack of spoiling any atmosphere. And then you have the estranged Dutch players. They would not be commanding the respect that they deserve and are destined to be bench warmers and impact subs.

But if they could strike chemistry between them, then Madrid will no doubt scale the heights of the previous decade.

The World Champions Italy are out of the Confederations cup and the saddest part is that they surrendered meekly. Having lost to a lowly Egypt in the previous match, Italy were expected to fight back against the Brazilians. But the Italians flattered to deceive and were thoroughly outplayed. Does this warrant a completely overhaul of the team?

This defeat is not a one-off thing. It has been coming. Italy under Donadoni was pathetic to say the least and it came as no surprise when they were dumped out of EURO 08 by the eventual champions Spain. Even after Lippi took charge as the coach of the Azzurri, there wasn’t much improvement. Italy faltered against Brazil at the Emirates in February and their traditional dominance in defence has become a thing of the past.

But all is not lost for Italy and they have one solid year before the World cup. Lippi must first get rid of the players who are way past their peak – the likes of Toni, Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Grosso and De Rossi. Some exciting prospects like Rossi, Giovinco, Santon must be inducted into the squad and should be provided with enough playing time. And Italy must go back to the basics. Their strength is defence and they must tighten it up if they harbour any hopes of retaining their title.

All is not lost for the Italians, but if they do not concentrate on rebuilding their team, then it’s curtains for the World Cup holders!

Now that the Ronaldo to Real saga has ended, let us look into the consequences of the deal. ManU would be thanking their stars for getting astronomical cash for a player they captured for €12 million. But will he really shine in Madrid?

Ronaldo was at his magical best in the 07-08 season when he scored 42 goals. This helped ManU to win the Premier League as well as the Champions league. In the next season, though he scored 21 goals, he was considered a flop. Such was the expectation that surrounded him in England. When he wears the Real Madrid shirt, every eye’d be on him and he will be expected to convert his transfer fee into goals. And moreover, the Spanish Media’l be waiting to pounce on him and blow up even the trivial issues.

The pointers suggest that Ronaldo has all it needs to succeed in the La Liga. If he could cope up with the physical demands of the EPL, then he can adapt in every league in the world. Since the La Liga don’t have physical approach towards the game, he may find it easier to score. With a player of Kaka’s calibre alongside him, he can unlock any defence in the world. But the only problem is his ego. He may throw tantrums if things are not going his way. Madrid is a place where all the high profile stars co-exist and he may find it difficult to gel with them. And the Madrid nightlife is highly contagious and if he is not careful, he may find himself in the Page 3 of the Spanish dailies.

Ronaldo can really be a smash hit in Madrid but there is only one who can stop that- it’s Ronaldo himself!

In the late 80’s and the early 90’s, Italian sides and Serie A had been dominating the world football. The UEFA Champions’ league trophy never moved out of Italy and it was a dream for every player to play for AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus or Roma. Italy was the favourite destination for most players and the quality of Serie A in turn skyrocketed.

Come Calciopoli scandal in 2006 and the image of Italian football was shred into pieces. The match fixing allegations led to Juventus being relegated to Serie A and they were stripped off two titles. Many players moved out of Italy and Italy was no longer captivating. Subsequently, Serie A became boring with the standard of play dropping to alarming levels. England and Spain continued to pour in some unbelievable money and soon Italian Serie A was destined to older players and the Brazilians.

But Kaka was the saving grace till last season. The FIFA 2007 player of the year is hailed as a bio-engineering marvel that incorporated every fine point of football. He was playing for AC Milan and he reiterated his commitment to the Milanese club every week. So, just like EPL had Ronaldo, La Liga had(s) Messi, Serie A had Kaka.

Now that he’s in Madrid for a record 60 million Euros, a new question arises. Who can replace Kaka in Serie A? Sadly, the answer is NONE. Not even a single player in Serie A has technical skills and pace comparable to that of Kaka. And no player in the other leagues is willing to go to Serie A, for they know that they can get more fame and money, if they play in England or Spain.

The tables will turn and Serie A may turn attractive in the future but as of now, Serie A is indeed in dire straits. And only if the quality of play and the standard of refereeing are improved, Italy can reach the dizzy heights of 90’s.

Back in the early 1990s, Arsenal Football club was deemed the most boring side in the English Premier League. With their stringent defence and the notorious Offside traps, they were looked down with scorn. But George Graham didn’t mind and continued with his policies.

In 1996, Arsenal signed a relatively unknown manager named Arsene Wenger from Japan. The Frenchman was an immediate super-hit. He introduced strict diet control and fitness programmes for the players. He changed the style of play to an attractive passing football – albeit weakening the defence. The full backs were encouraged to bombard forward and more young players were inducted into the side. He went on to win a double in 1998 with Sky Sports hailing that “If you want to get your money worth, watch Arsenal”. And in 1999 Wenger pulled off a masterstroke when he signed Thierry Henry, who would then go on to become the club’s all time top goal scorer.

Though heavily criticized for his over indulgence on the youth, Arsenal continued to thrive due to his penchant for the young talents. He’s also known for his miserly spending in the transfer market. He never goes for big money signing and in his words, “Buying a star player is killing the youth”. Only because of his efficient man management, despite the limited resources, Arsenal are constantly vying for the top honours. Recently, Arsenal have moved into a new stadium and a state-of-art training ground is also constructed.

Many people have a doubt whether Wenger’s first name Arsene has anything to do with Arsenal. No, it is a strange coincidence and it can be said that Arsenal and Arsene are inseparable and this marriage is made in the heaven!