Battle royal as Dortmund battle Real

They meet again *** image courtesy of zimbio ***

[A Champions League semi-final preview of Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid. For Bayern vs Barcelona, click here]

When Santiago Bernabeu became President of Real Madrid, this was exactly what he envisioned. As Madrid went on to win the first five European Cups from 1956 to 1960, it was done with a galaxy of stars who invoked fear as they went about conquering Europe.

As such, it defined what a club from Madrid would eventually come to be associated with. So, nothing at the moment is bigger at Real Madrid than the fact that finally, the 10 year wait for a European Cup seems likely to be over.

It is so big it papers over the cracks of the civil war that has existed

The Myth: AVB needs to play two strikers upfront for Tottenham Hotspurs

Andre -Villas Boas needs to play two strikers. Or does he? *** image courtesy of zimbio ***

There has been criticism.  Andre-Villas Boas has been attacked for his apparent lack of attacking bite. With two well accomplished strikers in Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor, the question has been why he doesn’t play both. When he did play both, it seemed to work until Adebayor’s needless dangerous tackle earned him a sending off.

The reasons for criticism though are clear. The English mentality is simple; fewer strikers connotes negative intentions. It is commonplace to find teams in England playing in this way – two strikers at home (where it is expected that they will take the initiative) and one striker away from home (where it is expected that the home team will take the initiative). The one striker policy is also used against teams of superior quality who have enough to take the initiative whether at home or away.

Less is negative, more is positive.

This thinking probably has foundations in history. In 1872,

Classic Clasico

“Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma! . . . guardi la stelle che tremano . . .” *

Giacomo Puccini

*(None shall sleep! None shall sleep! . . . watch the stars that tremble. . .)

 

No one could save them now.

Not even Messi.

Not even Guardiola.

Not even the memories of past successes in the clasico.

‘Som I Serem’.  The mosaic as the players walk onto the Camp Nou turf.

‘We are, and we will be.’

On this night, they tried to be. In the end, just like the Prince of Denmark, they couldn’t.

Ping, ping, ping.

Tiki, taka, tiki, taka.

Pass after pass after pass.

AVB: A Very Brilliant decision, or A Very Bad mistake

Andre Villas-Boas

I believe it was Albert Einstein who once said, “Logic gets you from A to B. Imagination takes you everywhere.” In this light, I would wish, with your permission of course, to indulge your imagination as we travel into the future.

The year is 2014. It is the 24th day of May. The Camp Nou is in awe, not at FC Barcelona, but at the soon to be crowned UEFA Champions League champions, Chelsea FC. In the Director’s Box, Sandro Rosell shakes the hand of Roman Abramovich. It is a handshake that signifies the conceding of defeat. With one minute left on the clock, Chelsea are leading Barcelona 2-0. Chelsea and England captain, Gary Cahill rallies his troops for one final effort. He knows he is on the brink of receiving the ‘trophy with the big ears’ from Michel Platini. The fans chant the players’ names; Meireles! Ramires! Torres! The biggest chant is reserved for Mata. On the bench, everyone is up, ready to celebrate. Apart from one man. Andre Villas-Boas sits comfortably tucked in his seat. He is calm and composed, but at the ends of his mouth, you can see a smile forming.