Hmmm .... Could it be that the tobacco lobby influenced releasing this on World No-Tobacco Day?
To be clear - tobacco has been PROVEN to cause cancer and heart disease, while they are saying cell phones MAY cause cancer.
Breaking News Alert: Cellphones are possibly carcinogenic to human's, agency saysMay 31, 2011 12:50:21PM
-------------------------------------An international panel of experts says cellphones are possibly carcinogenic to humans after reviewing details from dozens of published studies.The statement was issued in Lyon, France, on Tuesday by the International Agency for Research on Cancer after a weeklong meeting of experts. They reviewed possible links between cancer and the type of electromagnetic radiation found in cellphones, microwaves and radar.
The agency is the cancer arm of the World Health Organization and the assessment now goes to WHO and national health agencies for possible guidance on cellphone use.
The group classified cellphones in category 2B, meaning they are possibly carcinogenic to humans. Other substances in that category include the pesticide DDT and gasoline engine exhaust.
http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/QJTXP3/LQ3F6J/UGYG4E/FGZ7QO/VYGOL/SN/h
For more information, visit washingtonpost.com
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Coaching Changes for Chicago & Vancouver
With coaching changes made in Major League Soccer this past weekend with both Teitur Thordarson (Vancouver) and Carlos de los Cobos (Chicago), Ives Galarcep looks at the moves by both teams.The 2011 season started off with so much promise for both the Vancouver Whitecaps and Chicago Fire, two teams who came into the season with question marks and coaches who seemed like prime candidates to be replaced if things didn't go well.
After an encouraging March that saw the teams go 2-1-1, Vancouver and Chicago went on horrid runs, combining for a 0-9-11 record, with few signs that things were going to turn around for either club.
So it really shouldn't have come as a surprise that both Teitur Thordarson and Carlos de los Cobos would be the first two coaches fired, and both before the month of June began. Both men were fired on Monday.
The Barcelona Way - Part II
Paul Gardner hit another home run in his 'The Barcelona Way - Part II'.Aspects of 'the Barcelona Way' that I definitely agree with are:
* What are normally not associated with teams that stand out for thir ability to keep possession and ball control - work ethic and defending when the other team has the ball - are what makes Barcelona so unique. Teams should try to mirror and emulate the things that Barcelona do so special, but as great as they are in keeping possession, they are equally adept in retaining the ball once they lose it. The idea of transition - they are the best transition team in the world on both sides of the ball.
* In regards to the work ethic and ground they cover during the match, you don't have to be a blue-collar worker bee to extend a lot of energy. Normally associated with a grunt - I have always referenced the phrase of 'piano players and piano carriers' - Barcelona has clearly shown that special players can be both creative artist ('piano player') and battler and hard worker ('piano carrier'). Not only does Barcelona keep the ball longer and complete more passes than their opposition, but they also cover more ground and do more running than anyone else - perhaps the difference is that their running is more constructive, both on and off the ball, and both in attack and in defense.
* 'They play the right way...' - Sir Alex Ferguson echoed that statement in his post-game comments in reference to the style and substance with Barcelona. Teams like Brazil (in the modern era) and Arsenal (over the past 5 years) have played 'the beautiful game', but haven't been able to claim the titles that go with the truly special teams. For Barcelona to claim the ultimate prize with putting a premium on possession and ball control, doing so with players that aren't hulking in size - they have created a new era and way of thinking in the modern game.
Reading Gardner's second installment (below) will make you see that Gardner's rants of the past have come to fruition - his quest in finding 'the beautiful game' will now be realized, as a new era and revolution in the game is ready to begin.
The day before last Saturday’s Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United, an irritating article appeared in the Wall Street Journal, which told us that we -- meaning, one gathers, almost everyone except the authors -- don't know what we're watching: “But here is something most people don't know about Barcelona: Unlike every other famous soccer team in the world that thrives on possession and ball control, they do something unique during matches. They run as if their bikini briefs are on fire.”
This far from original observation was backed up by a totally unconvincing stat which held that, during its six knockout-round games in the Champions League, Barca’s players had run a total of 390 miles, while its opponents had run “only” 380 miles, a difference of a mere 3 percent, surely not statistically significant, but which was then built up into a claim that Barca’s “central weapon, and perhaps its defining strength, is what happens when the other team does get its cleats on the ball ...” In other words, Barca’s strength is defense.
In the sense that attack is the best form of defense, that may well be true. But only if, as with Barcelona, the attack is sustained, intelligent, skillful. Are we supposed to ignore the beauty that involves while we tick off, from our handy list of coaching essentials, work rate and tackles?
But those are the sort of observations, backed up by bad stats, or by badly interpreted stats, that occur so easily to people who seem intent on downplaying the skillful side of the game. People to whom the success of a team like Barcelona will remain a mystery -- and evidently an annoyance -- unless it can be explained in puerile defensive terms.
What Barcelona has been doing these past few years is to emphasize that in soccer it is a mistake to even think that offense and defense are separate compartments of the game. The two are intertwined in almost every move of the game, a mutual reliance that involves the inevitable problem: to bolster one aspect is to deprive the other. It is the abiding curse of the modern game that it is now enveloped in a cloying mist of cautious play brought about by an overemphasis on defense.
Barca, for sure, has its defensive qualities. Separating them out from the team’s overall attacking style is not an easy -- nor necessarily a useful -- exercise. To acclaim them as the bedrock of Barcelona’s style and of its success is simply fatuous.
Equally absurd -- and another of the carefully constructed coaching myths, most of them designed to underline the importance of coaching -- is the idea that star players are somehow damaging to a team, that star players are always selfish, that a team is better off with out them.
Barca is the greatest example we have right now of a team that plays as a team, as a tightly knit unit that knows how to play -- simultaneously -- offense and defense. It is also a team that has a collection of superb individual stars. Including, of course, the greatest individual player to be seen in today’s game, Lionel Messi.
Analyzing Messi is like dissecting Mozart or Rembrandt or Tolstoy -- the results are always unsatisfactory, always counter-productive, for they leave us with something so much less impressive than what we started with. Is it helpful, or in any way rewarding to separate Messi into a sequence of muscular movements, of lightning synaptic connections? Or to make him sound like a coaching manual, nothing but a collection of tactical platitudes, which will inevitably end up praising him because he does his defensive duties, because he tracks back?
If it is agreed that Messi is a soccer genius -- and this seems now to be the widely held opinion -- then any sort of materialistic analysis is not going to bring understanding. Genius does not abide by the accepted guidelines, the usual measuring sticks, the standard scientific norms. Speaking of Messi, his coach Pep Guardiola said, somewhat tautologically, “I think his genius is impossible to describe. That’s why he is a genius.” Which is more or less what the 19th century essayist William Hazlitt had in mind with his “rules and models destroy genius and art.”
The message is that Messi, the superstar on this wonderful Barcelona team, should be left alone to do what he instinctively does. But genius in soccer cannot be an isolated talent, it can only flourish in the group, in the team. A fact that gives the macho brigade yet another opening to downgrade skill as they claim that the star’s life is made easy by others who are doing “the dirty work” for him -- a phrase clearly meant to position the star as an effete Little Lord Fauntleroy and the “workers” as brave heroes who should really be getting the praise.
That is another coaching shibboleth utterly laid to waste by Barcelona. Who are the “workers” on Barca, these industrious slaves whose only purpose is to spend all their time feeding the ball to Messi? Xavi and Iniesta, maybe? Oh, come on -- two players who, while not in the Messi class, have considerable claim to dwell among the second tier of soccer geniuses. Where was this “dirty work” anyway, in a game during which Barcelona committed only five fouls?
ManU’s Alex Ferguson, right after he had seen his champion team made to look very ordinary indeed, praised Barcelona as the best team he’s ever faced in all his long coaching career (it began back in 1974) and gave us, in five monosyllabic words, a terse but all-embracing comment on their style: “They play the right way ...”
One can hear a certain wistfulness in that praise, a regretful look back by Ferguson to the glory days of Scottish soccer, the soccer he must recall from his boyhood or from the tales told by his elders of the traditional Scottish soccer of highly skilled attacking players and an on-the-ground, short-passing style. That was the right way, but as far as the Scots are concerned, it has sadly faded away, to be nothing more than a romantic memory.
But not for Ferguson -- there’s no doubt that his ManU teams have always been more skilled than the average English team, have always included a greater emphasis on talented attacking players.
Ferguson’s teams undoubtedly try to play soccer the right way, but within a hostile environment he has had to compromise to live with the traditional thud-and-blunder requirements of the English domestic game.
Last Saturday, Ferguson saw -- well, suffered, I suppose -- the beautiful, majestic power of Barcelona. “They do mesmerize you with their passing,” he said. He praised Barca’s style laconically, but with real feeling. This was “the right way.”
So where do we go from here? A more skilled, closer-to-Barca, ManU? Possibly. A much wider attempt by coaches everywhere to adopt Barca’s style -- which has shown that it is not only a delight to the eye, but is a winner, too? Alas, that seems doubtful -- the dead mass of conventional coaching opinion and what passes for original thinking within the profession will find proof, yet again, either that the Barca way doesn’t really work, or that it is a fluke, and we shall be back to the glutinous platitudes of the coaching manuals, the very ones that ... “destroy genius and art.”
No one is saying that playing “the right way” is the easy approach. It is, in fact, the greatest of soccer’s challenges and, as such, it is the only worthwhile one. Ferguson says he is ready for it. How many other coaches will follow his lead?
Monday, May 30, 2011
Gardner hails 'The Barcelona Way'
Paul Gardner sums up the UEFA Champions League Final perfect in his rent piece on 'The Barcelona Way'-
Barcelona 3 Manchester United 1. How can a game between the champions of England, the legendary ManU, and the champions of Spain, the equally esteemed Barca, possibly turn out to be a mismatch?
But such was the superiority of Barca, such the increasing tameness of ManU’s response, that the word drowns out one’s attempt to resist it. If Barcelona was playing soccer, then what was ManU playing, because there certainly did seem to be a fundamental difference in what each team’s players did with the ball.
When Barca was in possession the ball stayed mostly on the ground, mostly nursed and cuddled and prodded and yes, sometimes, caressed, by Barcelona feet. The caressing came, mostly, from the sublime Lionel Messi.
This is the point at which one can always expect a baying interruption from those irritating macho types whose troublesome hormones demand that they mock those words, that they insist, as Italy’s Claudio Gentile once famously did, that soccer is not a game for ballerinas, and that, as they sing the praises of red-blooded soccer, they are also proving that any less robust style -- the classic Brazil, or Barca for instance -- lacks the super-necessary physicality.
The argument is, of course, pathetic. Neither Brazil nor Barca lacks a strong physical presence, and no one is saying that you can play top class soccer without that. What Barca was saying - shouting - on Saturday was that physicality is merely the foundation, a given, in fact, to which the unique soccer skills must be carefully added . . . to produce a game that is recognizably soccer and not merely a test of strength and stamina and machismo, a game in which the skills and artistry of soccer are paramount, a game in which those qualities are what you notice, a game in which the physical element is always secondary, always the means, not the end.
I shouldn’t say always -- we know there’s no such word in soccer. There are bound to be occasions when muscle alone suffices, but for a team determined to play skillful soccer, those occasions will be infrequent.
A team such as Barcelona, in other words. How many times on Saturday did we see the Catalans powerfully belting the ball any-old-where, or committing crudely physical fouls? Or even simply running frenetically about, as though determined to prove that they have that current coaching solve-all, a high work rate (another physical measure, incidentally, not necessarily connected to any known soccer skill)?
This is not to say that ManU were guilty of all those gaucheries -- merely to point out that they were a lot closer to them than Barcelona. Why would that be?
We can start to probe ManU’s ineffective performance by casting an eye over the starting line up -- where what strikes one immediately is the lack of brain-power in midfield. Muscle, yes, from Michael Carrick -- and work rate, yes, from the non-stop Park Ji-Sung -- -- and speed and trickiness, yes, from Antonio Valencia. Which left the brainwork to the 37-year-old Ryan Giggs -- a role that he comprehensively flunked, partly because he looked his age, but mostly, I think, because it was beyond him in the first place. Giggs is yet another of those good players whom the Brits turn into great players -- simply on the strength of performances within the English league.
You also know that buried in the selection process by which that midfield came about was the perceived need for at least one ball-winner, those rugged, hard-tackling midfielders so typical of the English game. Enter Carrick.
Which was something of a joke. To win the ball you need to be able to tackle, or to move quickly enough to pull off interceptions. So, seriously, one has to wonder just what sort of scouting report Alex Ferguson was working on when he decided to rely on Carrick, Park and Valencia to first win the ball and then to hold on to it when confronted with an opposing midfield that is notorious for its dizzying passing patterns and its tenacious and skillful possession.
Pause for a momentary glimpse of the stats: Possession - Barca 63 percent, ManU 37 percent.
Enough said? No, not at all -- because there is possession that is nothing more than repeated lateral and backward passes, easy passes, that accomplish little other than to improve the stats -- and there is possession with purpose, attacking purpose. If that factor can be built into the stats, if the stats are re-named Attacking Possession, or if we could have -- which I have not seen -- the “Possession in the Attacking Third” stat -- Barca’s advantage would be even more overwhelming.
The failings of ManU’s banal midfield are brutally revealed by the contrast with what went on in Barca’s midfield. Who was Barca’s ball-winner? Did they need one? Maybe it was Sergio Busquets, perhaps the least skilled of the Barca squad, but he was never called upon to exert any physical presence, it simply wasn’t necessary for a team that has Xavi and Andres Iniesta buzzing around in the crucial area. You can, should you feel so inclined, sit back and admire the phenomenal work rate of those two players ... but it is more than likely that their superb ability to keep the ball rolling smoothly along the grass, their passing skill and accuracy -- their playmaking ability, the very ability that went missing in the ManU midfield -- is what will dazzle you. As it should.
In particular, that bit about the ball being kept on the ground. It is a banal observation that Barca is “not a big team.” Its three key players -- Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta -- are comparative midgets. Confronting them, at the heart of the ManU defense, stood two imposing center backs, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, both 6-foot-2 tall. Yet that huge height advantage, considered so important for English Premier League play, counted for nothing on Saturday. Barca kept the ball where it surely belongs in soccer -- on the ground. The build-up to all three goals was on the ground, two of the scoring shots were ground balls. Only David Villa’s curling shot for the third goal was airborne.
You could say that Barca plays to its strength -- that it gets the best out of its wee players by keeping the ball on the ground. Possibly -- though it is much more intriguing to view things the other way round. What if the vision of a style, of a quick-moving ground-based game, came first? What if it was that vision that allowed those three wonderful players to develop? Players who, without Barca’s devotion to the ground game, might well, given the current obsession with size, have been rejected as “too small”?
Barcelona 3 Manchester United 1. How can a game between the champions of England, the legendary ManU, and the champions of Spain, the equally esteemed Barca, possibly turn out to be a mismatch?
But such was the superiority of Barca, such the increasing tameness of ManU’s response, that the word drowns out one’s attempt to resist it. If Barcelona was playing soccer, then what was ManU playing, because there certainly did seem to be a fundamental difference in what each team’s players did with the ball.
When Barca was in possession the ball stayed mostly on the ground, mostly nursed and cuddled and prodded and yes, sometimes, caressed, by Barcelona feet. The caressing came, mostly, from the sublime Lionel Messi.
This is the point at which one can always expect a baying interruption from those irritating macho types whose troublesome hormones demand that they mock those words, that they insist, as Italy’s Claudio Gentile once famously did, that soccer is not a game for ballerinas, and that, as they sing the praises of red-blooded soccer, they are also proving that any less robust style -- the classic Brazil, or Barca for instance -- lacks the super-necessary physicality.
The argument is, of course, pathetic. Neither Brazil nor Barca lacks a strong physical presence, and no one is saying that you can play top class soccer without that. What Barca was saying - shouting - on Saturday was that physicality is merely the foundation, a given, in fact, to which the unique soccer skills must be carefully added . . . to produce a game that is recognizably soccer and not merely a test of strength and stamina and machismo, a game in which the skills and artistry of soccer are paramount, a game in which those qualities are what you notice, a game in which the physical element is always secondary, always the means, not the end.
I shouldn’t say always -- we know there’s no such word in soccer. There are bound to be occasions when muscle alone suffices, but for a team determined to play skillful soccer, those occasions will be infrequent.
A team such as Barcelona, in other words. How many times on Saturday did we see the Catalans powerfully belting the ball any-old-where, or committing crudely physical fouls? Or even simply running frenetically about, as though determined to prove that they have that current coaching solve-all, a high work rate (another physical measure, incidentally, not necessarily connected to any known soccer skill)?
This is not to say that ManU were guilty of all those gaucheries -- merely to point out that they were a lot closer to them than Barcelona. Why would that be?
We can start to probe ManU’s ineffective performance by casting an eye over the starting line up -- where what strikes one immediately is the lack of brain-power in midfield. Muscle, yes, from Michael Carrick -- and work rate, yes, from the non-stop Park Ji-Sung -- -- and speed and trickiness, yes, from Antonio Valencia. Which left the brainwork to the 37-year-old Ryan Giggs -- a role that he comprehensively flunked, partly because he looked his age, but mostly, I think, because it was beyond him in the first place. Giggs is yet another of those good players whom the Brits turn into great players -- simply on the strength of performances within the English league.
You also know that buried in the selection process by which that midfield came about was the perceived need for at least one ball-winner, those rugged, hard-tackling midfielders so typical of the English game. Enter Carrick.
Which was something of a joke. To win the ball you need to be able to tackle, or to move quickly enough to pull off interceptions. So, seriously, one has to wonder just what sort of scouting report Alex Ferguson was working on when he decided to rely on Carrick, Park and Valencia to first win the ball and then to hold on to it when confronted with an opposing midfield that is notorious for its dizzying passing patterns and its tenacious and skillful possession.
Pause for a momentary glimpse of the stats: Possession - Barca 63 percent, ManU 37 percent.
Enough said? No, not at all -- because there is possession that is nothing more than repeated lateral and backward passes, easy passes, that accomplish little other than to improve the stats -- and there is possession with purpose, attacking purpose. If that factor can be built into the stats, if the stats are re-named Attacking Possession, or if we could have -- which I have not seen -- the “Possession in the Attacking Third” stat -- Barca’s advantage would be even more overwhelming.
The failings of ManU’s banal midfield are brutally revealed by the contrast with what went on in Barca’s midfield. Who was Barca’s ball-winner? Did they need one? Maybe it was Sergio Busquets, perhaps the least skilled of the Barca squad, but he was never called upon to exert any physical presence, it simply wasn’t necessary for a team that has Xavi and Andres Iniesta buzzing around in the crucial area. You can, should you feel so inclined, sit back and admire the phenomenal work rate of those two players ... but it is more than likely that their superb ability to keep the ball rolling smoothly along the grass, their passing skill and accuracy -- their playmaking ability, the very ability that went missing in the ManU midfield -- is what will dazzle you. As it should.
In particular, that bit about the ball being kept on the ground. It is a banal observation that Barca is “not a big team.” Its three key players -- Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta -- are comparative midgets. Confronting them, at the heart of the ManU defense, stood two imposing center backs, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, both 6-foot-2 tall. Yet that huge height advantage, considered so important for English Premier League play, counted for nothing on Saturday. Barca kept the ball where it surely belongs in soccer -- on the ground. The build-up to all three goals was on the ground, two of the scoring shots were ground balls. Only David Villa’s curling shot for the third goal was airborne.
You could say that Barca plays to its strength -- that it gets the best out of its wee players by keeping the ball on the ground. Possibly -- though it is much more intriguing to view things the other way round. What if the vision of a style, of a quick-moving ground-based game, came first? What if it was that vision that allowed those three wonderful players to develop? Players who, without Barca’s devotion to the ground game, might well, given the current obsession with size, have been rejected as “too small”?
5 Lessons that needed to be learned by Manchester United
Sachin Nakrani of the Guardian writes of 5 lessons felt weren't learned by Manchester United between the two UEFA Champions League finals versus Barcelona in 2009 and now in 2011-Failed to stop Dani Alves marauding forward
Of all the errors Sir Alex Ferguson made in the 2009 final, few were greater than deploying Wayne Rooney on the left wing. Not only was the forward ineffective out there but he failed to help curb Barcelona's attacking threats from full-back. On Saturday, the principal figure in that area was Dani Alves, who is renowned for spending more time in the opposition's half than his own and adds greatly to the relentless nature of his team's play. This time, Park Ji-sung was stationed wide left and it was felt he could not only pin back Alves, but also exploit the Brazilian's defensive frailties. But Park was overwhelmed, allowing Alves to run free and add to the state of siege United found themselves under during the second half.
Ferdinand did not harass Messi enough
When a player's skills are as captivating as Lionel Messi's it is perhaps futile trying to come up with a plan to stop him; but what is certain is that the forward operates best when allowed time and space between the opposition's back line and midfield. As he dropped into that area Rio Ferdinand needed to go with him, using his pace and agility to harass the Argentinian whenever he was in possession and force him away from goal. It would have been a brave move but given Barcelona are not prone to playing balls over the top, it would not have badly exposed United's defence. Ferdinand, though, was passive, allowing Messi, as he had done in Rome, to score the goal that put United on the rack. Unsurprisingly, he struck from just outside the area.
No one had task of keeping Sergio Busquets quiet
He may be the least heralded of Barcelona's midfield trio but Sergio Busquets has a key part to play in the functioning of the side, picking up possession from deep and, with simple regularity, passing it on to the more creative Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. Keeping him quiet would have disrupted Barcelona's rhythm from the outset, but no one in United's central area, whether Rooney, Ryan Giggs or Michael Carrick, did so to a sufficient degree, allowing a player who has demonstrated he can become irritated if put under pressure to dictate proceedings. He played a small role in Barcelona's first goal and a key one in their third, winning the ball and laying it off to David Villa to bury United's hopes.
The men in white allowed themselves to lose belief
There are many clubs, at home and abroad, who can testify to United's refusal to roll over and die. Under Ferguson they have developed a well-earned reputation for coming from behind, so much so that it is often said the worst thing opponents can do is take the lead against this team; it just makes them angrier. But twice now in two years these men of resolute spirit have been crushed by Barcelona, losing not only the tactical battle but also the psychological one. United never looked like recovering after going behind to Samuel Eto'o's opening goal in the 2009 final and, despite cancelling out Pedro's 27th‑minute strike on Saturday through Rooney, did not appear capable of repeating the feat once Messi made it 2-1. A complex appears to have formed in Rome and, after Wembley, may be difficult to shift.
A top midfielder has not been signed since Rome
It is accepted that this is not a vintage United side and nowhere is the relative lack of quality more apparent than in midfield. The 1999 treble winners were imperious in that area but, more than a decade on, Barcelona's own central powers exposed those charged with filling the void left by Roy Keane, David Beckham and, in their peak years, Paul Scholes and Giggs. After Rome, and following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure to Real Madrid, Ferguson needed to invest, but instead he stuck by the likes of Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and the ageing Scholes and Giggs. Wembley showed the folly of that decision as Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta yet again reigned supreme.
From my initial reflections of the UEFA Champions League final, Nakrani brought up some similar key points - shutting down Busquets in midfield; staying up Messi and not giving him as much time and space in between the lines; keeping Alves from bombing forward down the left flank.
It seems easy to point out possibilities or tactical options after a match to play Monday morning quarterback, but after failing in two attempts versus Barcelona on the biggest stage, you are left to wonder if Sir Alex Ferguson (or anyone) has answers to the key questions on how to battle against Barcelona.
The stats behind the match - Barcelona dominance in Champions League Final
Most of the past 48 hours since the UEFA Champions League Final have been spent breaking down the brilliance of Barcelona.The most important statistics measured in their 3-1 victory over Manchester United was the scoreline, but Robin Bairner of Goal.com shares more statistical insight into Barca's victory.
The final score failed to paint the entire picture of the match, in which Barca enhanced their reputation as the greatest side on earth today, but the statistics at full-time helped to portray the utter dominance Pep Guardiola’s side enjoyed over the course of this memorable encounter.
63 – The ball was Barcelona’s for a great proportion of the match, and at their peak they were pushing 70 per cent possession. When full-time arrived, a late surge from United had seen them claw some ground back in that regard, but they were still well short of their Catalan rivals, having had to spend the majority of the evening harrying their opponents, who controlled play for 63 per cent of the time.
19 – Over the course of the evening, the Blaugrana mustered an impressive 19 shots on goal, 12 of which found the target. The English club managed only five attempts at Barcelona’s goal, and their only shot on target was Wayne Rooney’s first-half equaliser.
5 – Though he was being employed as a midfielder, Andres Iniesta racked up five strikes – as many as the entire side from Old Trafford.
12 – It was an evening to remember for Lionel Messi, who scored his 12th goal of the Champions League campaign this season, thereby equalling Ruud van Nistelrooy's record. Ironically, the Dutchman set the mark while playing for United.
0 – Corner kicks were expected to be a source of weakness that United could potentially exploit, yet the Blaugrana did not have to face this type of set play once all evening. At the other end of the field, they won five of their own.
662 – It is commonplace for Barcelona to pass their opponents into oblivion, and that was certainly the case on Saturday night as they totalled 662 passes completed from 772 attempts. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, by comparison, managed only 301 completions from 419 tries.
124 – Xavi was Barca’s maestro in the heart of the midfield, successfully channelling the ball to a team-mate on 124 occasions. Manchester United’s best player in this regard was Rio Ferdinand with a mere 40 – a tally bettered by eight of the champions’ starters.
45 – The midfield duo of Iniesta and Sergio Busquets exchanged 45 passes during the game, more than any other two players on the field. Meanwhile, United's struggle to retain possession is emphasised by the fact that it was Ferdinand and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar who combined most frequently on their part with 17 relays.
108,085 – Barcelona’s movement off the ball should not be underestimated. Despite controlling possession for the majority of the game, they clocked up over 108km of running, more than their opponents by 4km-plus.
3 – For all of their dominance in the other aspects of the game, the vital statistic after 90 minutes was Barcelona’s goal tally, outstripping their opponents in the crucial area 3-1.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Jamaica Night Sky for June
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
UEFA Champions League Final - London 2011
Well... Where do I start? What a fantastic game of football. Definitely one of the best matches I've seen, let alone one of the best finals ever. Am I over exaggerating? Not one bit in my honest opinion.
I found the final captivating, and couldn't take my eyes of the Television for one minute. Both teams wanted to win so much, and both managers pledged before the game that both their respective sides would stick their own particular styles of play, their attacking mentalities and their football philosophy.
The result, we were treated to an open, expansive attacking match, between undoubtedly the two best football sides in the world, and the two best managers in the modern game. Sir Alex Ferguson; an established great, and Pep Guardiola; a future great in the game.
Barcelona, as some expected, were clear favourites, although not many people would’ve begrudge Manchester United victory. Barca did however, somewhat unexpectedly, lined up with Javier Mascherano pairing Gerard Pique at centre-back, Dani Alves (who missed the 2009 final due to suspension) playing right-back, and Eric Abidal was lining up a left-back. We all know his inspirational story in the lead up to this final. The rest of the Barcelona side picked themselves.
Manchester United lined up in a 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 formation, with Fabio given the nod at right-back as part of a familiar Manchester United back five, Antonio Valencia on the right side on midfield, Park Ji-Sung on the left, ahead of Nani, and Ryan Giggs pairing Michael Carrick in centre midfield. Darren Fletcher wasn’t deemed fit enough to start, and only made the bench, while Javier Hernandez was giving a starting berth up front with Wayne Rooney.
Manchester United started the game, and came flying out of the blocks, but were unable to really test Victor Valdes. It was a case of having all the possession, but failing to really make any real use of it. As what happened in 2009, Barcelona started nervously, but managed to finally get a grip of the game and managed to put considerable pressure on Man United.
The breakthrough for Barca came 27 minutes, whereby Xavi managed to break through the United midfield, and with the defence backing off the midfield maestro (something that was set to be the tone for the rest of the match) Xavi picked out a lovely diagonal pass into Pedro, who calmly side-footed the ball past Edwin Van Der Sar to give the Catalan side the lead.
After taking the lead, Barca released their foot off the pedal, and allowed Manchester United to come back into the game. After 34 mins, capitalising on a Barcelona throw it, Englishman Wayne Rooney picked up the ball mid way through the Barcelona half, played a one-two with Carrick, then a one-two with Giggs, and hit a rasping curling shot into the back of the Barcelona back. A great goal to finish off a great United move.
Level at 1-1, with Barcelona pressing, and around a minute to go before half time, one of the most interesting things I’ve ever seen, was Sir Alex Ferguson giving no less than can be described as a “bollocking” to striker Wayne Rooney on the sideline. He had been fuming at Rooney for dropping so deep. Naturally Rooney drops deep, and wants to be involved all the time. That’s how Rooney has grown in to one of the best forwards in the game today, but Ferguson was clearly frustrated.
At half-time, Barcelona had 67% total possession, with 8 attempts on goal, compared to Manchester United two.
The story of the game so far, was Xavi was getting too much space in midfield, Lionel Messi was dropping off the Manchester United defenders and finding space and having a huge influence on the game. Gerard Pique was dominating defensively, while Javier Hernandez was possibly offside more times than he actually touched the ball. Positively for United, Wayne Rooney looked like he could win the game single handily, as he was so amped up for the game. Fifteen minutes for us all to gather our breaths.
The second half kicked off, and unfortunately for Manchester United, it had looked like a long season had finally taken it’s toll. A fatigued looking United side were no more match for the Barcelona side who had just seemingly notched it up to another gear and began to dominate in every area of the pitch. And it due course, nine minutes after half time, Lionel Messi’s growing influence finally took charge, powering home a left footed shot past Edwin Van Der Sar. Barcelona ecstatic, Man United; deflated.
Not for resting on their laurels, Barca poured forward and continued to pummel United. With a brief moment of respite, Ferguson made his move, bringing on Nani for Fabio, with the terribly anonymous Antonio Valencia dropping into the right back position. It’s was to prove a poor move, as immediately coming on, and clearly no switched on, the dazzling feet of Lionel Messi zoomed past the Portuguese winger, and broke down the right hand side, and laid the ball to Busquets who cut it to David Villa, a man who had been criticised for his lack of goals and sloppy performances recently, picked an absolute beauty of finish, bending the ball into the top corner. A sensational finish, and the final nail in the coffin.
The final twenty minutes saw Barcelona do what they do best; keep possession. Manchester United’s only real shout of getting back into the game being a hand ball claim by Ryan Giggs against David Villa, but referee Viktor Kassai wasn’t interested.
After three minutes added time, the ref blew the whistle for full time, and brought down the curtain on one of the best Champions League finals in recent memory. Barcelona players were overjoyed, with every trophy win as important as the last, while Sir Alex Ferguson managed a wry smile on his face, as he clearly felt that Barca was the better side and that his Manchester United side had done him proud. They were indeed, just beaten by the better side.
The full time stats were as follows:
Barcelona 68% possession to Manchester United's 32%
Barcelona had 12 attempts on target, 4 off target, to Man United's 1 on target, with 2 off
Manchester United had 0 corners, compared to 6 by Barcelona
Manchester United committed 16 fouls to Barcelona's 5
Manchester United attempted 350 passes, completing 280. That's 80% completion rate
Barcelona attempted 773 passes, completing 692. That's 89% completion rate
The average age of the Manchester United squad was 29.6 years old
The average age of the Barcelona squad was 27.2 years old
The individual stats are as follows:
Lionel Messi had 5 attempts on goal, with 3 on target, scoring 1 goal
Wayne Rooney had 2 attempts on goal, with 1 on target, scoring 1 goal
The passing stats are in the photo below
Below is how both teams individual's influence in different area's of the pitch
Xavi was the best passed on the pitch, completing 141 of an attempted 148 passes. That's an astonishing 95.3% completion rate. If it wasn't for Messi's influence over the match, he would of been my man of the match. Below is a graphic of all his passes.
All stats courtesy the TotalFootball iPhone App
The reason this game was such high-quality, in my opinion not only because of calibre of players on show, but the way in which both sides conducted themselves. There was no play acting. No long ball tactics. No persistent fouling, no red cards and no surrounding of the referee debating every decision. The latter we saw creeping more and more into Barcelona's methods, evident in previous games in this Champions League campaign, that of which I lost a little bit of respect for them for. However in this game, there was a great degree of sportsmanship from both sides, and this is something that has not been publicised as much as the media, as sometimes it's just too easy to highlight poor behaviour on a football field.
This game of course is a demonstration that at my age, this Barcelona side is the best side I’ve ever seen. The way they attack, press opponents, and the way they just implement their own philosophy on the football field is a joy to marvel at.
Also, let’s not take away from the English side in this final. It’s testament to Manchester United, who played their part, and gave it a real go. Sir Alex Ferguson could have easily packed the midfield with five midfielders, sat deep and waited till the last 20 minutes to throw on both Nani and Hernandez and take an educated risk. In the beginning, he took a small risk playing two forwards, and it unfortunately didn’t pay off.
Barcelona had too much space in midfield, and the United defence were too deep for my liking. When Arsenal beat Barcelona this season, they pressed really high up the pitch, squeezed the midfield, and took risky sharp short passing in order to surpass the Barcelona pressure, and eventually hit them on the counter attack. Ferguson had his own game plan and it just wasn’t the right one on this occasion.
What next for both clubs?
Well this Barcelona team could definitely regain the Champions League trophy, and be the first to do so since it’s reformatting in the early 90’s. There is a mix of youth, experience and match winners in their squad, as well as an outstanding football philosophy and a hungry talented manager in charge. I would be happy to see them dominate over the next few years, because if you love football, then you must appreciate how fantastic this Barcelona team play, and just sit back and take it some the things they do on the pitch.
As for United, Ferguson is not done. He says he still feels good, and isn’t going anywhere. The club have been successful this season, and this defeat is only a small set back. They will surely need to rebuild, as some of the most senior players are reaching the end of their careers. Paul Scholes will probably retire this summer, Ryan Giggs probably has one year remaining at the top, goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar is now retired, along with Gary Neville. Considerable areas of the pitch, which require some considerable investment.
No matter what happens this summer, and next season, both teams can look back on this game with a proud sense of achievement, both of how far they came, and at participating in an incredible game of football. Would we take the same final again next season? I know I could definitely sit down and enjoy a third instalment of these two heavyweights in years to come.
Real Talk Football
I found the final captivating, and couldn't take my eyes of the Television for one minute. Both teams wanted to win so much, and both managers pledged before the game that both their respective sides would stick their own particular styles of play, their attacking mentalities and their football philosophy.
The result, we were treated to an open, expansive attacking match, between undoubtedly the two best football sides in the world, and the two best managers in the modern game. Sir Alex Ferguson; an established great, and Pep Guardiola; a future great in the game.
Barcelona, as some expected, were clear favourites, although not many people would’ve begrudge Manchester United victory. Barca did however, somewhat unexpectedly, lined up with Javier Mascherano pairing Gerard Pique at centre-back, Dani Alves (who missed the 2009 final due to suspension) playing right-back, and Eric Abidal was lining up a left-back. We all know his inspirational story in the lead up to this final. The rest of the Barcelona side picked themselves.
Manchester United lined up in a 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 formation, with Fabio given the nod at right-back as part of a familiar Manchester United back five, Antonio Valencia on the right side on midfield, Park Ji-Sung on the left, ahead of Nani, and Ryan Giggs pairing Michael Carrick in centre midfield. Darren Fletcher wasn’t deemed fit enough to start, and only made the bench, while Javier Hernandez was giving a starting berth up front with Wayne Rooney.
Manchester United started the game, and came flying out of the blocks, but were unable to really test Victor Valdes. It was a case of having all the possession, but failing to really make any real use of it. As what happened in 2009, Barcelona started nervously, but managed to finally get a grip of the game and managed to put considerable pressure on Man United.
The breakthrough for Barca came 27 minutes, whereby Xavi managed to break through the United midfield, and with the defence backing off the midfield maestro (something that was set to be the tone for the rest of the match) Xavi picked out a lovely diagonal pass into Pedro, who calmly side-footed the ball past Edwin Van Der Sar to give the Catalan side the lead.
After taking the lead, Barca released their foot off the pedal, and allowed Manchester United to come back into the game. After 34 mins, capitalising on a Barcelona throw it, Englishman Wayne Rooney picked up the ball mid way through the Barcelona half, played a one-two with Carrick, then a one-two with Giggs, and hit a rasping curling shot into the back of the Barcelona back. A great goal to finish off a great United move.
Level at 1-1, with Barcelona pressing, and around a minute to go before half time, one of the most interesting things I’ve ever seen, was Sir Alex Ferguson giving no less than can be described as a “bollocking” to striker Wayne Rooney on the sideline. He had been fuming at Rooney for dropping so deep. Naturally Rooney drops deep, and wants to be involved all the time. That’s how Rooney has grown in to one of the best forwards in the game today, but Ferguson was clearly frustrated.
At half-time, Barcelona had 67% total possession, with 8 attempts on goal, compared to Manchester United two.
The story of the game so far, was Xavi was getting too much space in midfield, Lionel Messi was dropping off the Manchester United defenders and finding space and having a huge influence on the game. Gerard Pique was dominating defensively, while Javier Hernandez was possibly offside more times than he actually touched the ball. Positively for United, Wayne Rooney looked like he could win the game single handily, as he was so amped up for the game. Fifteen minutes for us all to gather our breaths.
The second half kicked off, and unfortunately for Manchester United, it had looked like a long season had finally taken it’s toll. A fatigued looking United side were no more match for the Barcelona side who had just seemingly notched it up to another gear and began to dominate in every area of the pitch. And it due course, nine minutes after half time, Lionel Messi’s growing influence finally took charge, powering home a left footed shot past Edwin Van Der Sar. Barcelona ecstatic, Man United; deflated.
Not for resting on their laurels, Barca poured forward and continued to pummel United. With a brief moment of respite, Ferguson made his move, bringing on Nani for Fabio, with the terribly anonymous Antonio Valencia dropping into the right back position. It’s was to prove a poor move, as immediately coming on, and clearly no switched on, the dazzling feet of Lionel Messi zoomed past the Portuguese winger, and broke down the right hand side, and laid the ball to Busquets who cut it to David Villa, a man who had been criticised for his lack of goals and sloppy performances recently, picked an absolute beauty of finish, bending the ball into the top corner. A sensational finish, and the final nail in the coffin.
The final twenty minutes saw Barcelona do what they do best; keep possession. Manchester United’s only real shout of getting back into the game being a hand ball claim by Ryan Giggs against David Villa, but referee Viktor Kassai wasn’t interested.
After three minutes added time, the ref blew the whistle for full time, and brought down the curtain on one of the best Champions League finals in recent memory. Barcelona players were overjoyed, with every trophy win as important as the last, while Sir Alex Ferguson managed a wry smile on his face, as he clearly felt that Barca was the better side and that his Manchester United side had done him proud. They were indeed, just beaten by the better side.
The full time stats were as follows:
Barcelona 68% possession to Manchester United's 32%
Barcelona had 12 attempts on target, 4 off target, to Man United's 1 on target, with 2 off
Manchester United had 0 corners, compared to 6 by Barcelona
Manchester United committed 16 fouls to Barcelona's 5
Manchester United attempted 350 passes, completing 280. That's 80% completion rate
Barcelona attempted 773 passes, completing 692. That's 89% completion rate
The average age of the Manchester United squad was 29.6 years old
The average age of the Barcelona squad was 27.2 years old
The individual stats are as follows:
Lionel Messi had 5 attempts on goal, with 3 on target, scoring 1 goal
Wayne Rooney had 2 attempts on goal, with 1 on target, scoring 1 goal
The passing stats are in the photo below
Below is how both teams individual's influence in different area's of the pitch
Xavi was the best passed on the pitch, completing 141 of an attempted 148 passes. That's an astonishing 95.3% completion rate. If it wasn't for Messi's influence over the match, he would of been my man of the match. Below is a graphic of all his passes.
All stats courtesy the TotalFootball iPhone App
The reason this game was such high-quality, in my opinion not only because of calibre of players on show, but the way in which both sides conducted themselves. There was no play acting. No long ball tactics. No persistent fouling, no red cards and no surrounding of the referee debating every decision. The latter we saw creeping more and more into Barcelona's methods, evident in previous games in this Champions League campaign, that of which I lost a little bit of respect for them for. However in this game, there was a great degree of sportsmanship from both sides, and this is something that has not been publicised as much as the media, as sometimes it's just too easy to highlight poor behaviour on a football field.
This game of course is a demonstration that at my age, this Barcelona side is the best side I’ve ever seen. The way they attack, press opponents, and the way they just implement their own philosophy on the football field is a joy to marvel at.
Also, let’s not take away from the English side in this final. It’s testament to Manchester United, who played their part, and gave it a real go. Sir Alex Ferguson could have easily packed the midfield with five midfielders, sat deep and waited till the last 20 minutes to throw on both Nani and Hernandez and take an educated risk. In the beginning, he took a small risk playing two forwards, and it unfortunately didn’t pay off.
Barcelona had too much space in midfield, and the United defence were too deep for my liking. When Arsenal beat Barcelona this season, they pressed really high up the pitch, squeezed the midfield, and took risky sharp short passing in order to surpass the Barcelona pressure, and eventually hit them on the counter attack. Ferguson had his own game plan and it just wasn’t the right one on this occasion.
What next for both clubs?
Well this Barcelona team could definitely regain the Champions League trophy, and be the first to do so since it’s reformatting in the early 90’s. There is a mix of youth, experience and match winners in their squad, as well as an outstanding football philosophy and a hungry talented manager in charge. I would be happy to see them dominate over the next few years, because if you love football, then you must appreciate how fantastic this Barcelona team play, and just sit back and take it some the things they do on the pitch.
As for United, Ferguson is not done. He says he still feels good, and isn’t going anywhere. The club have been successful this season, and this defeat is only a small set back. They will surely need to rebuild, as some of the most senior players are reaching the end of their careers. Paul Scholes will probably retire this summer, Ryan Giggs probably has one year remaining at the top, goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar is now retired, along with Gary Neville. Considerable areas of the pitch, which require some considerable investment.
No matter what happens this summer, and next season, both teams can look back on this game with a proud sense of achievement, both of how far they came, and at participating in an incredible game of football. Would we take the same final again next season? I know I could definitely sit down and enjoy a third instalment of these two heavyweights in years to come.
Real Talk Football
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)