The Boy From Basque Country

Reading the headlines recently i chanced over a report that Juventus were trying to booster their squad with acquisitions from all over the continent, they have been linked with the powerful forward Amauri, Frank Lampard and Xabi Alonso recently and it was the latter that struck me as chilling. As an emoter of the beautiful game and also a hardcore Liverpool fan, the idea that Liverpool would part with their playmaker is unthinkable. Casting my mind back to pre-Benitez and at the end of Houlliers reign, the on field turmoil was plain to see. Our saviour of many seasons Steven Gerrard had pulled us through to Champions League football even though we had Bruno Cheyrou, Diouf and Diao all trying their best to deny us that right. Thankfully, Houllier was sacked, he had come to a natural end of his powers. Rafa Benitez arrived to sort out Liverpool's over reliance on Gerrard's ever growing abilities and his first port of call was to sign quality as foil for the talisman. His first act was to bring Alonso in as a balance for Gerrard for £10.5 Million and the squad has grown better ever since. In that first season, along with Luis Garcia, Xabi Alonso showed why Rafa had faith in him, in his deep play making role, his vision and passing garnered praise from around the world labelling him as one of the best passers of the ball in the modern game. Jan Molby, who could pick a pass once commented that 'Once,I was watching him play for Real Sociedad and just kept saying, Yep,that's the right pass, that's the right movement of play'.

Xabi's range of passing and shooting ability has spectacular moments such as his 65 yard goal against Luton and then a year later from behind the halfway line beating Steve Harper. Xabi himself has preferred the latter goal as it went straight,no bouncing involved. He has grown in maturity since his arrival in England and though now having to compete with Mascherano for the midfield slot, Xabi is such a valuable addition. His footballing intellect is one that not many can achieve with such consistency, as good at the short as well as the long pass, Xabi's control over games much like conductor can often be seen as he always plays deep to help out defenders, his stocky build makes him hard to push off the ball and with space he can pick a defence splitting pass from nowhere. This coming summer, Alonso will be playing in Euro 2008 as a back up for Xavi and the Younger Fabregas but his quality is unquestioned, he signalled the start of the Rafalution, and with it the grand prize of the Champions Cup in which he along with Gerrard and Hamann were instrumental. He is well loved by fans for his exploits and commitment as well as the odd goal from the halfway line or two. If he is allowed to leave, I believe the Rafalution will be taking a step back and regret losing one of its main characters.

The Price Of Success

John Terry will get the chance to captain England tonight for their international friendly against the USA. A week on from captaining his club side in the European Cup which was a spectacle for every football fan and showed England's true dominance of club football, English representatives present in the finals for the past 4 years in a row and boasting 2 titles shows that the English Premier League is the strongest league in Europe at the moment, and the most commercially viable. However, tonight will show the cost of such a success, ahead of Euro 2008, England's players who all participate and make the Premier League what it is will have the summer off and watch as all their compatriots duel for the European Championships. Sadly, the only newsworthy story for the buildup for this game is whether or not Terry should get to captain the country after his breakdown last week, personally, from a coaching perspective, Capellos job is to psyche and encourage his players for any match, even friendlies. So, giving John Terry the armband is a good move, it allows fluidity and does not disrupt the team spirit but rather, encourage the team to stick by their captain. The matter about his tears is unfair, his determination and doggedness are unquestioned so of course the despair of not winning is going to hurt, but he will get over the self loathing and train harder for next year.

These are times of rebuilding for England at the moment, knocked out of Euro 2008 and constantly chastised for failure, whats next for them? Capellos regime hasn't really had a long enough time with the players to measure any outcomes just yet but Capello will feel the pressure come September when the World Cup Qualifiers get underway. The pressure he will undoubtedly feel then as he does now is the need to stop the 'rotting' of English pride and talent. The 'rotting' as it has been commented has probably coincided with the start of arguably the best league in the world. Although not immediate, the pressure of having to achieve by any means necessary to succeed at club level has suffocated English talent for the past 10-15 years. The need for success under constraints from the board and budget means having a scouting system to scour the world for talent is an invaluable tool. The plight of the English game has long been debated, the increase of Foreign players going back to when David Ginola and Eric Cantona were strutting their stuff already had an unconsciously xenophobic footballing nation worried, years on and the top four teams are managed by a Scotsman,a Frenchman, a Spaniard and however you look at it, an Israeli and a Portuguese. Starting punchlines for jokes aside, the Chairmen themselves are either from the Wild West or from the Eastern Bloc with a history shrouded by a blanket with the initials K.G.B. Through such an evolution, what about the players? in recent history we have unearthed Micheal Owen, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, all proudly displayed as England's finest along with Frank Lampard and John Terry. Their exploits are all well known but for a footballing nation with a population of 60 million, we seem to have a problem finding 16 World Class players. Look to France,Spain,Portugal,Holland and Germany(all of them will be in Austria by the way) they have such depth with enough players playing at the highest level to give their National managers a serious headache when it comes to selection. England just does not have a big enough talent pool to seriously choose from, the threat of further damnation from the press by choosing a relative unknown and failing as well, does not give a manager such as Mclaren a chance.

Capello is strong enough to make the tough decisions though and once you get over the fact he is Italian(Shocking!) you feel he can achieve something with the team. He does need help though, and this should come in the form of more options given to him by the club managers as they ultimately have the best chance to unearth the best English talent. Tonight, thanks to Martin O'Neill and others, players he can seriously consider are Gabriel Agbonlahor,Ashley Young, Theo Walcott,Joe Hart,Gareth Barry,Micah Richards,David Bentley,Leighton Baines,Mark Noble and Micheal Johnson. All should be given a lot of playing time over the international friendlies to freshen up the squad. Speaking of fresh, I expect David Beckham will get his 101st appearance as the poignancy of it being against the USA, his new adopted country, will appeal to Capellos soft side. In terms of the game, the purist in me wants Capello to engage an attacking formation with three up top and the midfield given licence to roam and leaving a holding midfielder such as Hargeaves or Carrick,to protect the back four. Peter Crouch is an ideal target man but the formation should be flexible enough to allow Ashton or Rooney even to play in the central striker role. Wembley is in need of beautiful football and it shouldn't have to be brought over from Rio. John Terry and Rio Ferdinand should stay as Englands defensive partnership as they have been amazing all season from start to finish.

With Moscow behind us, Richard Scudamore has pushed fresh plans for that 39th game to take place as the game indeed succeded as a 'game of games'. The FA seem smitten with the idea as it will undoubtedly boost the Premier Leagues status and commercial revenue. The businessmen who control the FA will benefit aswell as the Premiership will expand lending more extravagant money making ideas. Just to be Old school, the point of the Football Association is to oversee the development of the sport from the bottom right to the top, business management is encouraged but not at the expense of the basic aims. Its always easy to finger point but the FA is the leading body of the countries sport, regardless what happens below it, it has aims and targets that must be met. Adding another game to a sport that really doesnt need it wont help, a managers ineptitude is forgiveable but appointing them in the first place is not. Serious planning is needed across the board to improve the situation, although the Premiership since its inception in 1992 has grown to become the most exciting and lucrative league, at what cost has it come?

The Gift and the Curse

After the dramatics of last nights penalty shootout, Manchester United acheived a glorious double to cap off a magnificent season for Alex Ferguson and his men. Cristiano Ronaldo started the proceedings outjumping an out-of-position Essien to draw first blood halfway through the first half. Cech should have done better but it seemed a fitting way to cap off Ronaldos season to get on the scoresheet in the final. Cech redeemed himself with a quick double save which kept Chelsea in the game, Van Der Sar, later to be the saviour, also had to be at his sharpest to keep Ferdinands own goal bound header from a difficult cross. However, there was nothing he could do for Lampards equaliser, after some lucky ricochets, Chelseas source of inspiration in the latter stages of the European Cup arrived late to steer home the ball and spark off an emotional celebration pointing to the black Russian Sky thanking it for his gift.

For Alex Ferguson, his gift other than his tactical nous and Govan like mentality, would have to be Ronaldo, the English Premier leagues best player. The second half paled into comparison with the first as both teams were back at square one, initiating the belief that this could turn into a cagey affair as it was dubbed. But with Ronaldo, United had a trump card that constantly threatened Chelsea, they couldnt give him an inch, as he has proven 42 times. His skill is undoubted but many saw him as a diver and a too many trick pony. his passing distribution in the previous seasons were a source of frustration and never turned up for the big games. However this season he has stepped up from a novelty to a superstar. Like Joe Cole who showed glimpses of his ability last night, Ronaldo excels in criticism. His trickery has been perfected and well timed, along with his searing pace and eye for goal, he has set a benchmark for others to follow.

The Madeira born stars confidence on the pitch is unsurpassed like Drogbas ego,who may have played his last match for the Blues following his red card for slapping Vidic over a throw in. The Curse, like an Achilles Heel, which has affected so many players in finals as it did Drogba,was set to reign on Fergies crown jewel as penalties were used to decide the victor. Ronaldo, either afflicted by a moment of weakness or just to clever for his own good,stuttered his run up giving Peter Cech all the time he needed to judge his save. On the worlds biggest stage, the hero was set to fall as the script all non United fans wanted had happened, nobody is perfect. However, John Terrys slip which would have sealed a perfect set of penalties gave United the opportunity they needed.Anelka, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but in Russia, missed to help United claim their third European title and among other things, cement Ronaldos claim as the Worlds best player, a title given to few but earned through victories such as last nights. Looking back, the future Ballon d'or winner should follow Frank Lampard and look to the sky giving thanks for his gift, and for the curse to select another victim.

The 'European' Final

Tonight the world will see the two best sides in Europe and the English Premier League go face to face as fans from both sides descend upon the Russian Capital to cheer on and hope to see their clubs to glory. Some go with a glimmer of hope of being able to see anything but all in all particpating in the whole event.

There is immense talk in the Chelsea camp with Key players either distracted or injured such as Lampard, Drogba and Ashley Cole. On the other side the only worry for Alex's men is withstanding the pressure of being the favourites and sweating over Prince Ronaldo's next destination. Should he succeed, there is every chance the winger will be elevated to the higher echelons of footballing legends, it would be hard to see him bettering his phenomenal season which could see him amass a goal tally unsurpassed by any wingers after him.

However, tonight as the majority of the worlds population watch the events unfolding, think back a couple of months and Richard Scudamore's proposal for a 39th game to be played abroad. The main aspects of the plans were :

1) An additional round of Premier League fixtures, extending the season to 39 games, from January 2011
2) Four clubs to travel to one of five host cities, with two games taking place in each venue over a weekend
3) Cities would bid for the right to become a host, not for individual matches
4) Points earned from the games would count towards the final Premier League table

Although tonights game would be attended by fans from Lancashire and Chelsea, this is probably as close to 'The Scuds' dream. Two English Premier sides competing for a prize on the last day of their season in a foreign country. Russia bid to host the competitions final with the FIFA and UEFA Board which is probably the same format he would like to use so that countries could engage in old school bidding to attract the Premier Leagues best. All the rhetoric aside of the months after the proposal was announced and nearly every fan accusing the FA of being run by 'Money Hungry' Executives, tonight is a chance to imagine what football could be evolving into.

According to experts, the growth of the Premier League has been impressive in the last 15 years thanks to the sale of television rights in this country,but now the market in the United Kingdom is becoming saturated and it is the overseas market which is now the big target area."
This is a chance for the Premier League to showcase its product around the world, the Premier League's income from the sale of overseas TV rights has already increased from £178m in 2001 to £625m for the current deal that runs until 2010. "Globalisation is a challenge for all sports because the whole world seems to be interested in the very best of sport wherever it comes from," added Scudamore.

The idea may be completely offensive to die hard fans and the issue of footballs soul being sold may be questioned but the final is a big reminder that football is beginning to evolve this season, from outscoring wingers to ever changing managers and the legacy of ever present chairmen to foreign owners that oversee tactics and see football as great business sense. Maybe after the final whistle tonight and the curtain falls on another season, fans will not look back with regret but look forward to the future with open arms but others will be worried.