Odd man out

The epl is a very unpredictable league.....and then there's the top 4. These clubs need no introduction, but ill do it anyway. Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea. The top 4 have finished in the top 4 slots of the table 5 of the last 6 years, with only everton breaking through in the 04/05 season. These clubs have benefited from massive money takeovers and champions league revenue. This has separated them from the rest of the league. But thanks to the billions of an abu diabi billionaire....manchester city now has a chance to shake things up. Let's take a look at these 5 clubs and see how they stack up.

MANCHESTER CITY F.C.

• 08/09 finish: 10th
• Honors: none
• Manager: Mark Hughes (1 yr)
• Top Scorer: Robinho (14 goals)
• Player of the year: Stephen Ireland (Midfielder)
• Key additions: Carlos Tevez (Man United), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn), Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal)
• Key Departures: Jo (on loan to everton)
• Points taken against the top 4: 4 (Manchester City 3-0 Arsenal) (Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool)
• Needs: top class defender/leader
• Keys to success in 09/10: No european football, cut down on defensive mistakes, establish a definitive starting 11 and team leader
• Predicted starting 11 and formation:

Shay Given

Richards---Dunne(C)--Onuoha---Bridge

Ireland--Kompany--Barry

Robinho--Adebayor--Tevez

• Strength: Attacking and midfield depth
• Weakness: Defense, mental strength(conceded 13 goals between the 75 and 90 min marks), away form (-14 goal difference)
• Breakout player: Carlos Tevez, when ever he is on the pitch he is a force and will benefit from consistent playing time. May not lead the team in goals but his work ethic should have a positive effect on the whole squad

MANCHESTER UNITED F.C.

• 08/09 finish: 1st
• Honors: EPL champions, FA Community Shield, FIFA club world cup, FA league cup, Champions League and European super cup runners-up
• Manager: Sir Alex Furgusen (23 yrs)
• Top Scorer: Cristiano Ronaldo (18 goals)
• Player of the year: Nemanja Vidic (Defender)
• Player additions: Michael Owen (Newcastle), Antonio Valencia (Wigan), Gabriel Obertan (Bordeaux)
• Player Departures: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Carlos Tevez (Man City
  ), Fraizer Campbell (Sunderland)
• Points taken against the other 4: 11 (Man United 1-1 Chelsea) (Man Utd 3-0 Chelsea) (Man Utd 0-0 Arsenal) (Man Utd 1-0 Man City) (Man Utd 2-0 Man City)
• Needs: Replace Ronaldo's goals, a midfield creater, Ben Foster to show progress
• Keys to success in 09/10: Back 4 remains strong, young players step-up, Michael Owen's ability to stay fit.
• Predicted starting 11 and formation:

Edwin Van Der Sar

Rafael--Ferdinand--Vidic--Evra

Valencia--Anderson--Carrick--Giggs

Berbatov----Rooney

• Strength: Championship Mentality, Strongest back 4/keeper in England(only conceded once every 142 mins), Talented youth players on the bench
• Weakness: lack of midfield creativity, CB's have trouble with speedy strikers
• Breakout player: Rafael, the brazilian is coming off his first full season at united and terrorized defenders with his flair. Should match up well with Valencia. Also look out for Wayne Rooney to shine now that the spotlight is on him

LIVERPOOL F.C.

• 08/09 finish: 2nd
• Honors: none
• Manager: Rafa Benitez (5 yrs)
• Top scorer: Steven Gerrard (16 goals)
• Player of the year: Steven Gerrard (Midfielder)
• Key additions: Glen Johnson (Portsmouth)
• Key departures: Jermaine Pennant (Zaragoza)
• Points taken against the other 4: 18 ( LFC 2-1 MUFC) (LFC 4-1 MUFC) (LFC 1-1 MCFC) (LFC 3-2 MCFC) (LFC 4-4 AFC) (LFC 1-1 AFC) (LFC 2-0 CFC) (LFC 1-0 CFC)
• Needs: more consistent play
• Keys to success in 09/10: Fernando Torres returns to the 07/08 Fernando Torres and remains fit, continue scoring goals (most in epl 08/09 with 77) and continue home form (0 losses in the epl at home), better record against inferior opponents
• Predicted starting 11 and formation

Reina

Johnson--Skrtel--Carragher--Aurelio

Kuyt--Alonso--Mascherano--Riera

Gerrard(C)

Torres

• Strength: Can counter attack like no other(scored 26 goals between 75 and 90 min mark), no selection headaches, Gerrard provides top leadership
• Weakness: inability to beat the bottom teams cost them the title, Reina can be shaky at times, lack of overall squad depth
• Breakout Player: Fernando Torres looks ready to take liverpool to the next level. If he can stay healthy he will win the epl golden boot

CHELSEA F.C.

• 08/09 finish: 3rd
• Honors: FA cup
• Manager: Carlo Ancelloti (month)
• Player of the year: Frank Lampard (Midfielder)
• Key addition: Yuri Zhirkuv (CSKA Moscow), Daniel Sturridge(Man City), Carlo Ancelotti (AC Milan)
• Key departure: none
• Points taken against the other 4: 10 (CFC 4-1 AFC) (CFC 1-0 MCFC) (CFC 1-1 MUFC) (CFC 3-1 MCFC)
• Needs: Play maker, depth defensively
• Keys to success in 09/10: Start the season strong, bard starts have cost them the last 2 titles, Deco to be the player he once was, Drogba and Joe Cole to stay fit
• Predicted starting 11 and formation:

Cech

Bosingwa--Carvalho--Terry(C)--Cole

J. Cole--Lampard--Essien--Malouda

Anelka--Drogba

• Strength: Strong leadership, Big strong defense and 2 solid strikers, essien and lampard are 2 of the best midfielders in the world
• Weakness: way too inconsistent, suffer mental breakdowns at times, Cech can lose confidence in a hurry, everyone in the 11 has injury problems.
• Breakout player: Branislav Ivanovic, a player who gives solid performance. made a name for himself in the champions league against liverpool, could step in for carvalho if his injury problems continue

ARSENAL F.C.

• 08/09 finish: 4th
• Honors: none
• Manager: Arsene Wenger (13 yrs)
• Player of the year: Robert Van Persie (Forward)
• Key additions: Thomas Vermaelen (Ajax)
• Key departure: Emmanuel Adebayor (Man City)
• Points taken against other 4: 11 (AFC 2-1 MUFC) (AFC 2-1 CFC) (AFC 2-0 MCFC) (AFC 4-4 LFC) (AFC 0-0 MUFC)
• Needs: defensive depth, holding midfielder
• Keys to success 08/09: Quality play from back, eduardo staying fit, cesc to be a true captain, Theo Walcott being the player he can be
• Predicted starting 11 and formation:

Manuel Almunia

Sagna--Toure--Gallas--Clichy

Walcott--Cesc(C)--Nasri--Arshavin

Van Persie--Eduardo

• Strength: have enough pace and skill to feed the needy, Van Persie is top class, Clichy and Sagna could be the greatest fullback combination in the world
• Weakness: No holding midfield, lack mental toughness(conceded 62% of all goals conceded in the 2nd half), are very young(avg player age 22), tend to get injuries during crucial stretches
• Breakout player: Andrey Arshavin, first full year with Arsenal, showed brilliance while scoring 4 goal against liverpool....in one game!!!

Manchester City, on paper, are a side that can do things. Are they top 4 as we speak? I think not. They lack a key defender and leader. Scoring goals wasn't city's problem....it was conceding them. So until they add defenders its hard to see them jump into the top 4. Everton is the more likely at the moment. City will take time. I say in 2 yrs they will be in the champions league. But for now, the citizens will have to have patients.

GUELINHO

COPA

LIGA

CHAMPIONS

Mes Que un Club

Thoughts on the Gold Cup

Every 2 years our great soccer confederation, also known as CONCACAF, comes together to see who is the best in these parts in what is known as the gold cup. Around the world CONCACAF is like the fat kid at the beach...it gets NO love. Some experts would say that it is the 2nd worst confederation in the world behind the oceanic. The region is dominated by 2 rival nations, the U.S.A. and Mexico. The US have been the overall more successful squad in recent years. This being ironic considering that soccer in this country rates slightly above checkers and well below video games. The 2009 edition has sparked my interest and has me wanting to dig a little bit deeper.

The gold cup isn't the beginning of the story for CONCACAF. There has been a championship tournament since 1963. To understand that, you must understand this. CONCACAF was formed in 1961 and is the youngest major confederation (excluding Oceana). It is actually 3 regions in 1. It is the combination of North America, Central America, and the Carribeans. 'CAF also has a couple of overseas territories that aren't even in FIFA....but i'll hit that up at a later time. Each region has its own nation of traditional dominance. For north america its Mexico, for central america its costa rica, and for the carribeans its the island nation trinadad and tobago.

The year is 1961 and the heads of the 3 confeds meet and for the glory known as CONCACAF. Qualifying for the first regional championship began in '62 and the tourney, named the Campionato de Naciones, kicked off in El Salvador '63. Costa Rica came home champions of the 6 team championship. The campeonato then took a interesting turn when in 1973 it was declared that the winner would receive the regions only world cup spot. This led to host Haiti shocking the world by winning the tournament and earning a birth to west germany '74. Because of this shocking upset, the championship was moved to mexico (in order to ensure that the regions most dominate team, mexico, would represent CONCACAF at the world cup). The touney eventually lost a host all together in its last 2 editions. Costa Rica and mexico dominated the pre-gold cup era of the championship winning 3 titles. The dominance was a surprise too little as costa rica were already a giant force in their former central american region. Their success didn't carry over to the world stage (a common theme amongst CONCACAF). They failed to reach a world cup final until 1990. This and many other failure have caused the region to lose respect around the world. Mexican triumphs were so easy to predict that even Tommy Smyth couldn't get it wrong. They are (this has changed recently) the team that the world thinks of when they think of CONCACAF. Mexico has also hosted 2 world cups, but have failed to win the trophy. They are one of only 5 nations to have hosted a world cup and never win it in their history. Another 1 of those 5 nations just happen to be in CONCACAF.

In 1990, CONCACAF decided to create a showcase tournament seperate from their world cup qualifying. Similar to uefa and conmebol. The first edition of the newly founded "gold cup" was held in the US....southern california to be specific. The americans would recieve their 1st international honer in that tournament, defeating honduras on penalties. Since then, the golden trophey has never been south of mexico....with the americans, mexico and canada being the only victors. Also, 4 teams from outside concacaf have participated in the gold cup, columbia, south korea, peru, and brazil. The two shining moments of the tourney are ironically 2 upsets over brazil. One of those were a famous win by the US in '98 when kasey keller had the game of his life....a brick wall couldn't have been as effective. The other was in the '03 final when mexico defeated the five time world champions. The championship has lately turned into more of an american soccer showcase if anything else. The US have hosted the last 7 and won 3 of the 4. The winner of every other tournament receives a spot in the lucrative confederations cup. The US won over many fans in the recent confeds cup. And in 1999, Mexico defeated brazil to win the confederations cup....which to date is the region's only inter-confederation honor. That includes the olympics, futsal, beach soccer.....you name it and concacaf have not won it (excluding women's soccer)

Now that we're finished with the history lesson, i want to give explain my love for the gold cup. For starters, it's concacaf. Anything and everything can happen. Teams have more mood swings than a pregnant women. Mexico can go from looking like Brazil to looking like a 6th grade team in a span of 15 minutes. The US can light up the score bored in one half and fail to complete 3 consecutive passes in the 2nd half. So while the gold cup hasn't been what you would call unpredictable, its been exciting. It is also fun to watch differnt footballers at work. Sometimes it is good to see football from a non european/south american perspective. The football may not be silky smooth but it never lacks heart. Players leave everything on the line for their nations who don't always have a platform to showcase themselves. Players want to show their homelands, like grenada or guadeloupe, off to the world. Speaking of '07 semi-finalist guadeloupe, they are an interesting story. For starters, guadeloupe is not a country at all, in fact it is an overseas extension of france. To put it in perspective, it would be as if hawaii had their own team and played in the asian football championship. Many french footballers have root from guadeloupe, including, thierry henry, william gallas, eric abidal, and many others. Guadeloupe is not a part of FIFA so they can not qualify for the world cup. This means they must settle for the next best thing, the gold cup =).

The gold cup is home to some very rare occurances in the world's game. First of all, its the only tournament where every supporter holds their breath during a back pass. Nothing is done the easy way. Defenders will do a triple back flip to clear a ball....when a simple header is sufficient. Strikers will score on a 40 yard volley with a blind fold on, but they will send an empty net chance clear over the bar. The goalkeepers are known for some of their intersting play as well. 'Keepers will make the spectacular save, but minutes later let a slow roller right into their net. The refs are also quite interesting. Just because it's football played in america....doesn't mean it's american football. Sometimes i think a player has to be literally shot before a foul is called. Even the hair is different with the style of choice being long dreads because of the heavy african influence. Also I think the gold cup is the only place where a cross that kisses the moon can land down in the box and lead to a goal. And i lost count of haw many times ive seen a player go on a legendary run and then proceed to trip over the ball.

Sometimes football becomes too negative. All people seem to do is put others style down. The spaniards play too soft, the english have no skill, the italians are too defensive....everyone puts each other down in today's world. Critics call concacaf the weakest confederation and cast the gold cup to the side. But to me that's what i like to call antifootball. I am not a negative person and will look to the bright side of the compition. It's exciting and to the players it means everything. And to other fans of the game living in the concacaf region i leave you with this....it may not be the best football....but it's OUR football

GUELINHO

COPA

LIGA

CHAMPIONS

Mes Que un Club

FIFA 10....almost hereeeee

EA sports FIFA series is one of the most addicting things on earth. Ahead of crystal meth and Megan Foxx. You cant just play one game. And in my case, I cant just play ten games. The game game has the same effect on people who are not yet fans of the beautiful game. FIFA's last effort, FIFA 09, was a game for the ages. It had so much quality but still has a lot of room to improve.

FIFA 09 was the perfect game when I first started playing it. I thought there was nothing wrong, but as I had time with the game, I found many things that could use a fix'n.

The game play in '09 is very fast and allows very little time on the ball. This makes a fixture between Barca and Real Madrid look like Bolton v Sunderland. Its hard to play the beautiful game with people all over you. And you would think the player fatigue would have more of an effect on the game itself but it doesn't. Subs are rarely used. Because of this lack of fatigue effect, games turn into a track meet rather then a football match. The team with the faster players will win 80% of the time. Also, defensive lines are way too high up the pitch which leads to speedier attackers zooming right by defenders for a one v one chance

The player and ball physics are also kinda off and in some cases.....wayyyyy off. THE NUMBER 1 most frustrating thing in FIFA are the shooting physics. Professional footballers don't miss open nets regularly. In FIFA 09 the ball sails to the moon on any shot that taken outside of the 6 yard box. It's sad that a chip shot is easier than an actual shot. Also the ball moves way to slow when passing the ball. It is very tough to play one touch football when the ball goes a half mile an hour. And don't try a cross-pitch pass.....they are suicide. Player physics also disappoint me. In FIFA '09, little players have little chance. They are pushed off the ball as soon as the attempt to make a run. Maradona was small, But did he get knocked of the ball as soon as he touched it? I think not. Also collision are pretty extreme. Players do 30 back flips when they are touched and yet there is no foul....either cut out the back flips are show some cards

Player Urgency is the last part of game play that upsets me. Keepers jump and dive at the ball when nobody is in sight, but when a ball is rolling across the six, he just looks at it like a deer in a headlight. Defenders don't show any urgency to clear the ball when it comes into the area which leads to cheap goals.

Now on to everyone's favorite.....Manager Mode. Manager Mode in '09 really let me down because it saw no new additions. In fact, it saw things like number selection taken out. European games in MM are played in the day....which is very upsetting. Clubs now-a-days play very few games in the light of day and in FIFA they are all played that way. Also the fatigue needs to be balanced. Lower teams are too tired to play after 2 games, while the big clubs can go game after game without a drop of fatigue and not have one injury. Two things that bother FIFA fans like no other are the un-realistic champions league team and transfers. Never in life will the champions league semi-finals be an all Scandinavian affair. And im also sure that messi and ronaldo will never head to the k-league in the prime of their career.

I thought be a pro mode was enjoyable. It was a little too easy to become a superstar player. Also, there should more than 4 years to play. This was a solid game mode overall.

Like I said before, FIFA '09 was outstanding, but it has a long way to go. Its good to know that FIFA was that good while missing important parts. I can not wait for the new version to be released in early October.

To get a close look at what the boys at EA are doing, check out fifasoccerblog.com

GUELINHO

COPA

LIGA

CHAMPIONS

Mes Que un Club

Week in Football 7/16/09

Transfer wheel has been spinning around like clock-work. A lot of rumors have been flying around so grab a pen and pad while i break down the rumors and other news in world football.

After a quite first few weeks in the transfer market, Barcelona has now begun to make some real noise. First thing first is the report from goal.com saying that Brazilian wonder kid Keirrison have all but finished the deal. Barca plan on loaning him to Valencia once the deal is approved. The treble have also confirmed the signing of Brazilian and Inter Milan leftback Maxwell. He made 79 appearances in the Serie A, but fell out of favor under Jose "special one" Mourinho. The biggest news has been the re-ignition of the swoop of Eto'o and Ibrahimovic. The deal could see Eto'o, Hleb, and cash go to Milan with Ibra going to Barca.

As for the signing of Keirrison, I like the move. You never know what you get with these young Brazilians....he could be the next Ronaldo or the next Jo. Barca have had good luck with Brazilian strikers in the past with Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho. The thing i could see being an issue is the loan situation. Let's say he goes to Valencia and shines. It will be a tough process to bring him back because he might want to stay. Maxwell will be good for a depth in the back-line and a replacement for the departure of Sylvinho. He is a player that can play all up and down the left side and has tasted success with both Ajax and Inter

Now to the big story. The swap of Eto'o for Ibra has always been a sensitive subject for me cause I think it's a horrible idea. Ibra is a world-class talent, but doesn't fit Barca's pass and move football, for starters he doesn't pass or move. He is a brilliant one on one player and can score from anywhere, but that all he brings to the game. Eto'o is not as clinical as Ibra in front of goal and may also lack the technique that the big swede has. What Eto'o does bring to the table is a non-stop work rate. That is vital for a striker in a 4-3-3. As for Inter and Eto'o, it looks like it will take tame for him to adjust to the Serie A and Inter. Eto'o relies on quality service to score. At Inter, the service will be nowhere near as good as Barca. And Eto'o will have to become more accurate between the post. In the end, if the move takes place it will grow on me. Eto'o will be missed and loved at the nou camp for his service and Ibra's skill will be welcomed by me and many others when he makes that ball cross the white line.

Now to other transfer news.

Manchester City has become July's flavor of the month, taking over for Real Madrid. They have just completed a deal to bring Carlos Tevez to the blue half of Manchester. Tevez will bring a fire to the Man City attack that already includes Robinho, Gareth Barry, and Roque Santa Cruz. City has also been in talks with Jolean Lescott and Emmanuel Adebayor. The Adebayor deal is waiting a medical but reports have claimed that Ade is having cold feet. The Lescott move is the sensible one in my opinion. City have to get stronger at the back. And speaking of the man city back, an interesting named has popped up.....JOHN TERRY. Terry has been tight-lipped about the move that would see him earn 300,000 pounds a week. Personally, I feel Adebayor and Terry would be crazy to give up European football for a hopeful project, especially at the prime of their careers.

In the Serie A Juventus has signed Midfielder/Beast Felipe Melo from Fiorentina. The move along with the purchases of Brazilian Diego and azzurri captain Fabio Canavarro. These additions along with the lack of movement in the Serie A, instantly put Juventus up there as the favorite to steal the scudetto from Inter. AC Milan have been linked with many players but have only been able to sign American standout Oguchi Onyewu. He will help sure up the back of the rossoneri. Milan are still in talks with Sevilla for Confed Cup golden boot winner Luis Fabiano. They have also been linked with striker Adriano which would further the case to change their name to AC overweight Brazilian. Brazil captain Lucio has also confirmed a move to Inter from Bayern Munchen.

Non transfer info:

• Much love to Argentine side Estudiantes for their fourth copa libertadores win. They defeated Brazilian side Cruzeiro 2-1 on aggregate. Juan Sebastian Veron stood out for the argentines as he pulled all the strings and was a difficult mark all night. Estudiantes striker Mauro Boselli, who scored the winner, took home the tournament's golden boot. At 25 he will be on the mind of many of Europe's top clubs.

• David Beckham made his return to the mls today and his first game was against NY red bull. The galaxy dominated the game (Red Bull are dreadful) and beckham played a solid 69 mins. He look semi-interested but everyone knows that he can't wait to get back to the highest level of football.

• Workers in South Africa have ended the strike that struck fear in FIFA. The workers have agreed to a 12% raise that is a less than their demanded 13%. Some of the workers were earning as little as a $100 a month. With the construction resumed, the world cup looks to go on as scheduled

• FIFA 10 has created a set-piece creator which allows user to design their own runs. It will be interesting to see how this is used online because I know people will take advantage of it....as in cheat with it

• Uefa Europa cup has gotten underway. The first round qualifier has ended while the the return legs of the second round will be coming soon

• Superliga is down to only two sides. Chicago Fire (USA) v UANL (Mex). The final will take place Aug. 5th. Players to watch: Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Fire) and Batista (UANL)

• Uefa President Michel Platini has mentioned the possibility of a financial fair play system that could go into effect in 2012.

GUELINHO

COPA

LIGA

CHAMPIONS

Mes Que un Club

T.A.M.C. (Them Awards Mad Crucial)

Football is a game of stars. Players come and go with the speed of light. In honor of my coming 19th anniversary of life, I will make a team of the greatest footballers and name some of the best of the last 19 years.

'KEEPER

OLIVER KHAN

• The man deserves the number 1 shirt. It was a tough choice between him and Gigi Buffon but I had to go with the Munich and Germany star. He has won 8 German titles, 1 champions league medal(of had 2 if it wasn't for an absolute miracle in '99), euro'96, a eufa cup, and a world cup runners-up

LEFT BACK

ROBERTO CARLOS

• The man is a legend. He has won the world cup in the yellow of Brazil and the champions league 3 times in the white of Madrid. He could beat you in the attacking third and shut you down in defense. His free kicks were hit with the power of 10 legs. This list would lose credibility of he wasn't on it

CENTER BACK

PAOLO MALDINI

• The man who made defending at art. The best defender from the best defending nation. The Italian has been a staple for AC Milan for 25 years. He has won the champions league 5 times in the fashion capital. Il capitano was a dominating force way back in world cup'94 where Italia finished runners-up

CENTER BACK

MARCEL DESAILLY

• Strong as a rock. Intimidated attackers from the moment he stepped on the pitch. The Ghanian-born French defender won the first ever edition of the Champions League with Mareille and stared in the AC Milan side that dominated the dream team of FC Barcelona in '94. He also won the world cup in '98 at home with France and then euro '00.

RIGHT BACK

CAFU

• This was another difficult one with Lilian Thuram breathing dow his neck. Cafu edges the Frenchmen out because of his accomplishments on the international scene. He has played in 3 world cups and won two of them in '94 and '02 and is the most capped player in Brazil history. On club level he has one every honer in both South American and European football. Winning 2 libertadores and 1 champions league

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER

CLAUDE MAKELELE

• He was so good they named the role after him. He dominated midfields in the new millenium. From box to box he was everywhere. Zidane labled him the driving force behind Real Madrid and he also helped Chelsea claim numerous honors, including 2 EPL titles and a champions league final 2nd place medal. He claimed another 2nd place medal in the '06 world cup with France

LEFT MIDFIELD

RONALDINHO GAUCHO

• A contreversial pick but who can argue his greatness. He had a four year stretch with bothe Barca and Brazil that could not be matched by anyone. He did things on a pitch that players wouldn't dare think of much less do. He has a won both FIFA WPOY and the Ballon D'or. He also has a world cup and champions league medal

RIGHT MIDFIELD

LUIS FIGO

• He may be a traitor but he was a hell of a player. He represents the essence of Portuguese football with his style and flair. He dazzled crowds in the blaugrana of Barca and the white of Madrid. A winner of the '01 FIFA WPOY and '00 ballon d'or

ATTACKING MIDFIELDER

ZINEDINE "ZIZOU" ZIDANE

• Nothing he couldn't do. Pulled strings like no other. He saw moves 10 minutes before they happened. Had a supreme knowledge of the game. Madrid made him the most expensive player in the world until recently. He won the UCL with Madrid and the world cup with france in '98 and a runner-up in '06. One of only 2 players to win WPOY 3 times. He scored possibly the greatest goal ever in the '02 UCL final

STRIKER

Thierry Henry

• The greatest player in EPL history. Henry had it all. He had pace, skill, and the ability to finish. On his day nobody in the world could mark him. He could create a goal from nothing. Has won all that England and Spain can offer and captured the UCL with Barca. He also has a World Cup medal from '98

STRIKER

RONALDO

• Known as " O Fenomeno " ,the phenominon, in his native Brazil. He is the striker of the moder game. Could score a goal if it was 1 v 11. Made the game look too easy. The other football to have one WPOY 3 times, Also the all-time leading scorer in world cup history. He has too many tropheys in his case to list

MANAGER

SIR ALEX FURGUSON

• Simply knows the game. Very rarely has the wrong tactics. Could spot talent better than any other gaffer in the world. Has dominated what some call the greatest league in the world. No other manager is even close to taking his spot on the list

BENCH

• DAVID BECKHAM
• GIANLUIGI BUFFON
• LILIAN THURAM
• ALAN SHEARER
• RIVALDO
• RAUL

FORMATION

KHAN

CAFU---MALDINI---DESAILLY---ROBERTO

MAKELELE

LUIS FIGO-------RONALDINHO

ZIDANE

RONALDO----HENRY

BEST CLUB

MACHESTER UNITED FC & FC BARCELONA

• 2 clubs that have ruled football over the last 19 years. Featured some of the best players in the world and are too difficult to seperate

BEST NATIONAL TEAM

BRAZIL ( Sorry France )

• Tough choice but I had to go with Brazil. They have won 2 world cups and finished runners-up in another. This also goes along with their recent domination of the copa america and the confederations cup

BEST FOOTBALLER

RONALDO ( Sorry Zidane )

• Another tough decision. Ronaldo can do everything. He is a top-ten all time footballer

BEST ATMOSPHERE

OLD TRAFFORD

• Edges out anfield. The "theatre of dreams" provides an atmosphere that gives even television viewers chills. The list of greats that have played there is toooo long

BEST DOMESTIC LEAGUE

SPANISH FIRST DIVISION (LA LIGA)

• The best players in the world have all tried their luck in la liga. The football is smooth and stylish. They also have dominated the champions league

BEST RIVALRY

FC BARCELONA v CF REAL MADRID & MANCHESTER UNITED FC v ARSENAL FC

• El classico has been a top match in the footballing calender for a long time. Featured 7 of the 11 players on the list
• Arsene Weneger v Sir Alex. This fixture was and still is a must watch.

BIGGEST RISE TO FAME

CHELSEA FC

• Went from the desert to a current top 3 club

BEST GAME

LIVERPOOL FC v AC MILAN

• Game that had everything. thrilling comeback by 'pool that will live on for all time.

BEST NON-EURO TEAM

SAO PAOLO FC

• Sao paolo edges Boca Junior because of their domestic league sucess

And there it is. The 19th anniversery edition of T.A.M.C.

Joga Bonito...Finished?

The early days of Football were a celebration of goals and attacking. Players had amazing technique and managers pulled no punches in their attempt to out score the opponent. Alfredo Di Stefano, Eusebio, and Pele played with a style and flair that could not be matched. Brazilian Samba and Dutch Total Football were king.

Fast-forward to today, what is known as anti-football has now become the style of the majority. Anti-football is an extremely defensive strategy. Some clubs go into games with no intentions of going forward or scoring.

Why is this? Why would a manager refuse to play the beautiful game.....beautiful. Well, there are many reasons. For starters, some teams simply can not compete. Some clubs are outclassed from the moment they leave the bus. So they have the mind-set of not losing instead winning. Is it smart for Sunderland to attack Manchester United or for Stoke to attack Arsenal? The answer is simple: no. The only way the minnows have a chance against the giants of the game is to "park the bus".

Another reason is the massive amounts of money that is in the game. Clubs are under pressure to get RESULTS. Not to play beautiful, not to entertain, to put on a show but to get RESULTS. At the end of the day, its where you are in the table that counts. Whats the goal for every top club in europe? hmmmm let's see.....The Champions League!!! Most clubs put champions league qualification over winning their own league. And why is that? because of MONEY. Managers are constantly being sacked because of POOR RESULTS. So why play with flair and possibly lose when you can pack up shop, go on the counter-attack and win 1 nil?

Is joga bonito, winning football?. Even the Brazilians who created the expression lack the style and grace they once had. Their first 3 world cup victories were won with an incomparable flair. But after 1970, they failed to win a world cup for another 24 years!!! Why is that? Because teams became wise and realised they couldn't out attack the Brazilians, so they decided to use smart defensive tactics, and it worked. Brazil then learned that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. During their world cup win in '94, guess what position was most important to them. Not a play-making number 10 but a defensive-midfielder named Dunga. In '02 Brazil won the world cup again with a strong defense and what some would call negative play.

Now let's look at the Dutch. Their revolutionary Total Football system changed football but guess what it has won since 1971?....3 european cups and 2 world cup runner-up medals. That's it. That's all total football has to show for itself. Holland then had to abandon their trademark style to win their only international title, euro '88.

"Those days are over," this is a quote from Fabio Capello that infuriated fans of real madrid, when asked about attacking football. Are they really over Fabio? With the help of key rule changes, such as, the change in the back-pass rule and the cut-down on simulation, otherwise known as the ronaldo, football has been able to see the negativity that dominated the early '90's turn a little more positive. With the recent events of Spain winning euro'08 ,Barcelona winning the champions league, and Real Madrid building an attack sicker than swine-flu, there are hopes that football could return to its glory days of offensive attitudes.

The truth is, soccer will never return to the days of the 8-3 scoreline or when one player scored 14 goals in a single world cup. The once feared line-ups of Hungary in the '50s, the madrid of the '60s and Brazil 1970 are for the history books. Now-a-days defensive midfielders are king and we are lucky to see a player score 6 goals in the world cup.

But is it fair to call defensive football, negative football? Maybe it's smart to absorb pressure and use the counter-attack. Maybe it's stupid to leave yourself exposed in the back.

Joga Bonito will never die. There are 2 styles of football...to attack or to defend. Teams will always be on one side of the fence or the other for various reasons. But as a fan of the game, I hope the style and flair that made me fall in love with the game will always remain. Long Live The Football.

Guelinho

Copa

Liga

Champions

Mes Que un Club

Dont Worry, Be Happy

As a supporter of FC Barcelona, this summer can seem like a nightmare. For starters, two of the best players in the world have signed for our eternal enemy, R**l M****D. Ricky Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo are two footballers that can give even the top managers a sleepless night, and that was when they were playing for Milan and United respectively. Now they will be in the same starting Xl. After getting over the initial shock of those signings, I then wake up to the news that M****D have signed Karim Benzema, some argue the best striker of his generation. Overall, they have signed four players to our....wait a minute......ZERO players signed

These signings have not only added to their product on the field, but there name off of it. At the end of the first Galactico era, the M****D brand wasn't worth the paper it was written on. Five early exits in the champions league, with the latest being the most humiliating, have left los merengue furious. Those events and countless others have led to the end of the Calderon regime and the return of Florentino Perez. Millions of euros later.... the blancos are back in the business. They are all over ESPN, even my soccer-hating friends tell me about M****D.....SICKENING!!!!!!!

Meanwhile, the Blaugrana half of Barcelona is becoming restless. The beginning of the summer brought the potential of Zlatan Ibrahimovic ( Golden Boot winner of the Serie A). After weeks of speculation, there looks to be no presentation of the big Swedish international at the Camp Nou. Then our sights were turned to David Villa. Despite various sums of euro being offered, all indications point to no Villa in blaugrana. The latest news links us with Pichichi winner Diego Forlan (Why?) and Liverpool enforcer and Argentine captain Javier Mascherano(Pointless). As of now, all we have to show for this transfer season is (a POSSIBLE deal with) Keirrison, who is young and was the 2008 top scorer in the Brazilian Serie A with 21 goals. But don't we already have a young gifted striker?, what's his name?......BOJAN!!!!

Along with our problem of adding player, we are ruining relationships with our current bunch. We took forever to sign Victor Valdes and YaYa Toure to extensions and the relationship between Barca and Samu Eto'o seems to be damaged beyond repair (which ironically was the case a year ago). Other players such as Gudjohnsen and Hleb could be on their way out as well. And our "genius" (cough, cough) president Joan Laporta isn't making us any friends in the media.

All of this and the movements of our rival may have the average Barca fan worried, but a wise supporter sees no cause for concern.

Do I have to remind anyone of what happened last season? Lets have a quick review. We won the copa del rey, la liga, and the last one is on the tip of my tongue...the trophy that every team is after, you know....the big silver one...oh wait......THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. Not only did Barca win it, but they beat what some were calling the greatest 11 in EPL history, along with Sir Alex....we all know what he has accomplished. And better yet, we did it our way, the pass and move football as orgasmic as Megan Foxx. The same way Barca played all year from The Bernabeau, to Stamford Bridge.

Saturday Nights at the New Camp displayed the finest footballers on earth. The legendary 4-3-3 struck fear in all opposition. The 3 leaders of the attack were Leo Messi, Samu Eto'o and Thierry Henry, who scored 99 goals between them in all competitions.....you couldn't do that on FIFA if you tried. Holding down the midfield was Xavi, Iniesta, and the Yaya. Xavi is a throwback, the true representation of Spanish football and football's current number 1 puller of strings. Iniesta has it all. There is NOTHING on a pitch that he can't do and now that the goals are coming, he is showing his true potential and guess what?....he's 25, the sky is the limit for him. Yaya is what you might call.....a BEAST....he is feared throughout la liga and Europe. Not only is he a player who can add to the attack from the defensive midfield but he can play center back....effectively even, and not just against a Sunday league squad but against Chelsea and United. Once again, the sky is the limit for him. The back four and Valdes are often ridiculed but step up in big occasions. Victor Valdes single-handily won Barca the Champions League, not Iniesta or Messi or the refs( as most haters and Chelsea fans would think). He made saves that were superhuman at times and showed confidence. And then there's Pep....The Man....The Myth.....The Treble

After remembering what we accomplished last season, lets play a game. Did R**l win a trophy last year? if so, what was it?.....Believe it or not they did....The supercopa. It went down hill after that for the blancos. Despite a late rally in the 2nd half of the season, which saw them play great football, they crashed out of the the champions league and were outclassed by Barca in the Bernabeau. Even a bat could see the problem was a poor defense, and that's with a top 2 world class 'keeper. So what does M****D see as the solution to their defensive problems? More attackers.

And don't forget people, switching leagues takes time to adjust. Just ask our on Thierry Henry! It's difficult at the moment to say whether Kaka and Ronaldo(Portuguese one) will be able to make the adjustment. Kaka hasn't been the same player that danced all over Manchester United in the Champions League. As for Benzema, the question has to be asked, is he that much better than Gonzalo Higuian? And with Van Nistelroy and R**l Gonzalez, they will have the selection problems that once plagued us. M****D did add Raul Albiol, the former Valencia defender, but is he the answer?

The truth is that nobody knows for certain what will happen this season. Barca could win everything again or we could be easily pushed aside as los merengue steal our accolades. The only certain thing is that no one raises a trophy for most money spent. The message to all followers of The Futbol Club Barcelona is to relax and have patience, we have three trophies that speak for us.

Guelinho

Liga

Copa

Champions

Mes que un club