6 Feb

Deschamps’ rises Marseille again.

Posted by redjiblog in Football. Tagged: , , .

If there is a man who can turn around the fortunes of Olympique Marseille at any point in time, look no further than Didier Deschamps. Deschamps captained Marseille to the Champions League crown in 1993, as well as winning two league titles. Since returning in 2009, he has overseen the club’s first league triumph in 18 years and picked up the Coupe de la Ligue twice as well as two Trophées des Champions.

The early months of this season looked chaotic with no league win after nine rounds of games with Marseille at rock bottom of the league. It was no surprise to see some passionate Stade Velodrome faithful asking for the head of their head coach. During the mini-crisis, some disillusioned fans attempted to invade the pitch a pitch with a banner calling for the return of former coach Éric Gerets. This despicable act was followed up with a clash between Deschamps and sporting director Jose Anigo in the press, club owner Margarita Louis-Deryfus delivered a devastating blow with a poorly timed reminder that Champions League qualification was “imperative” and warned that she could walk away from the role that she had taken over from her late husband, Robert Louis-Dreyfus, in July 2009.

The prospect of a long season of in-fighting and under-achievement loomed, but he has been able to turn the corner.

So what went right?

Steps were taken to improve the harmony within the changing room. Scores were settled at a crisis meeting between Louis-Dreyfus and the players in a bid to hurl themselves out of their misery.

After club president Vincent Labrune fined him for criticising Deschamps, Anigo distanced himself from the squad and focused his attention on recruitment (with Deschamps and Anigo barely on speaking terms, Labrune has been forced to act as a go-between in discussions over potential signings).

Summer recruits Jérémy Morel who joined from Lorient to replace Taye Taiwo, Cameroonian stopper Nicolas Nkoulou a promising and youthful successor to Gabriel Heinze, Gennaro Bracigliano, Alou Diarra and Morgan Amalfitano all took some time to fit.

Deschamps has also made efforts to get closer to his players, distributing uncharacteristic on-pitch embraces after matches and joining in with ball exercises in training. Required tactical adjustment were made while under-performing stars like Lucho Gonzalez and Mathieu Valbuena were dropped from the starting XI momentarily.

All these changes have impacted positively. Three straight wins in late-October steadied the ship, before OM’s campaign exploded into life with a 3-0 humbling of PSG and a magnificent comeback at Borussia Dortmund that took Deschamps’ men into the Champions League last 16.

They have been flying ever since.

Valbuena has returned to the starting line-up after his sensational winner against Borussia Dortmund. The departure of Ghanaian brothers André and Jordan Ayew, Charles Kabore to the Africa Cup of Nations has only reduced Deschamps’ options but their absences were barely noticed in the 2-0 defeat of champions Lille recently. Marseille are now dominating their opponents and playing attractive football. Even maligned striker Brandão, back at the club after an exile in Brazil following his arrest on rape charges in March last year, has been granted a warm reception by the Vélodrome.

Rémy’s burgeoning partnership with Valbuena has been a key factor in the revival. Five of Remy’s nine league goals have been created by Valbuena who tops Ligue 1 assists chart with 11 decisive passes. Rémy said;

“Sometimes, it feels like we’re the only ones playing and that everything will come off”

Champions League qualification remains the minimum requirement this season, but the current run means supporters’ eyes are beginning to linger on the eleven-point gap separating them from leaders and sworn enemies PSG in the league table.

“As the manager of the club, you could say that my role is to expect the worst,”

says Labrune.

“But you could also say that we can always dream.”

The were 2 goals up against Lyon on Sunday, but ended the game with 1 point, thanks to a fight back from Lyon.

With OM still in contention for four major honors having made it to final of Coupe de la Ligue where they can retain their title for the third straight year.  They are also in the round of 32 in the French Cup, eleven points behind leaders PSG in French Championnat and are in the round of 16 knock-out stage of UCL.

President Vincent Labrune’s courage must be commended for keeping faith in a manager who is a proven winner and has never let Marseille down in the past.

Didier Deschamps’ Marseille has risen like a phoenix from the ashes.

6 Feb

Underrated Bent joins the Centurions

Posted by redjiblog in Football. Tagged: , , , .

100 and counting...

Last Wednesday, Darren Bent joined the exclusive class of players who have scored at least 100 premier league goals. This is not mean feat considering the quality players who have played in the Premier League with only 20 scoring over a hundred goals.

The 27 years old England poacher said

“It meant the world, It was fantastic to score my 100th in a Villa jersey. That meant a lot to me. It meant the world to me actually.”

Bent is one of the finest strikers in terms of goals-to-games ratio, he has been consistent at all of his clubs, but endured a nightmare spell with Tottenham before finding his feet again.

A product of Ipswich’s youth system, he broke into the first team in 2001-02 and he banged 18 goals in all competitions. Two more solid years saw him emerge as a real talent before Charlton Athletic came calling. The striker joined the Addicks during their struggling period in the Premier League, he still bagged 32 goals in 68 starts for a team which was eventually relegated in 2007

He moved on to Tottenham Hotspurs for a club record fee of £16.5 million. It proved to be a frustrating experience as he found first team opportunities hard to come by and he failed to hit the net with the same regularity, bagging 18 in his two seasons at White Hart Lane.

Sunderland snapped him up for £12 million in 2009 and his career was back on track again with a career high of 24 goals in 38 games in his first season which saw him finish as the 3rd top scorer in the Premier League. However, a shock bid from Aston Villa saw him move south in January 2011 for a record fee of around £24 million.

Bent hasn’t been accorded the respect he deserves. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp once made this comment after a Bent miss

“You will never get a better chance to win a match than that. My missus could have scored that one”.

Despite finishing third top scorer behind Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney in the 2009-10 season, Fabio Capello couldn’t find a place for him on the plane to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The fast, powerful, quick and incisive striker said

“If I could get another 100 in the Claret and Blue I’d be happy, delighted. It would really be fantastic.“

An affirmation of his commitment to Aston Villa.

Congratulations to Darren Bent!

Here are the other exclusive members of the illustrious group.

  1. Alan SHEARER –  260 PL goals
  2. Andy COLE – 187 PL goals
  3. Thierry HENRY – 175 PL goals
  4. Robbie FOWLER – 163 PL goals
  5. Les FERDINAND – 149 PL goals
  6. Michael OWEN – 149 PL goals
  7. Frank LAMPARD – 148 PL goals
  8. Teddy SHERINGHAM – 147 PL goals
  9. Robbie KEANE – 148 PL goals
  10. Wayne ROONEY – 132 PL goals
  11. Jimmy Floyd HASSELBAINK – 127 PL goals
  12. Dwight YORKE – 123 PL goals
  13. Nicolas ANELKA – 123 PL goals
  14. Emile HESKEY – 117 PL goals
  15. Ian WRIGHT – 113 PL goals
  16. Dion DUBLIN – 111 PL goals
  17. Ryan GIGGS – 111 PL goals
  18. Paul SCHOLES – 103 goals
  19. Matthew LE TISSIER – 101 goals

3 Feb

Group stage round up AFCON 2012

Posted by redjiblog in Football. Tagged: , .

Despite the absence of some big names at this year’s African Cup of Nations, the excitement and quality of play from participant in Equitorial Guinea and Gabon has been top quality, projecting African football to the highest level.

...even the array of attacking options couldn't save them

Group A:
The biggest shock of the tournament till date is the embarrassing exit of one of the tournament’s favorite, Senegal. The Teranga Lions lost their three group games thus leaving Equitorial Guinea with no points, much to the chagrin of their supporters and many bookmakers.

Libya should be proud of their campaign which ended with a solitary victory.

The Zambia won the group with seven points while co-host Equitorial Guniea finished as runners-up.
The game between Knights of the Mediterranean (Libya) and the Chipolopolo (Zambia) was the only draw recorded in  group A while the remaining five had winners and losers.
A total of 15 goals was scored in Bata and Malabo

Group B:

Kolo Toure marshalling the Ivory Coast...

Cote d’Ivorie have left no one in doubt of their mission in Equitorial Guniea by securing maximum nine points. The Elephants started slowly with a narrow victory over Sudan before dispatching Burkina Faso and Angola respectively. Didier Drogba and company may not have hit top gear but the Kolo Toure marshaled defense has been resolute with no goal conceded.

Les Etalons (Burkina Faso) and Palancas Negras (Angola) were expected to jostle for the second spot behind Les Elephants but the Falcons of Jedaine (Sudan) grew stronger after their opening game to secure the quarter final ticket ahead of the other two competitors.

Burkina Faso exciting brand of attacking football was a joy to behold. AJ Auxerre’s Alain Traore pulling the strings upfront but their weakness at the back conceding six goal caused their downfall.

Recent host Angola exit the tournament after round one despite Manucho’s goals.

Five victories and one draw was recorded in this group too with a total of 15 goals scored in Malabo and Bata.

Group C:
My team of the tournament so far – Les Panthers of Gabon haven’t failed to light up the stadium on their match day. The co-host attacking brand of football has yielded three victories including a last gap winner against the Atlas Lions of Morocco on match day two. Crowd favorite and homeboy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who the locals call “Neymar” has shone like a million stars.

My team of the tournament, so far

2004 winners, Tunisia finished in second ahead of their fellow north African brothers Morocco who have disappointed their fans once again while the Mena of Niger leave without a single point but a solitary goal to cherish.

It was a case of winners and losers in here with six victories and no draw. 15 appears to be the number for goals in Libreville and Franceville too.

Group D:
The Syli Nationale (Guinea) turned on the style in Franceville in their make or break game against AFCON debutant Botswana by crushing 6-1. It’s a shame such a emphatic win wasn’t enough to help secure their passage to the next round. A loss to Les Aigles (Mali) in their first match and a draw against tournament favorites The Black Stars of Ghana condemned them to third position on the log.

The Black Stars haven’t been spectacular so far but they have been professional in getting the job done. Emmanuel Badu’s unstoppable belter from outside the box was Ghana’s 100th Nations Cup goal in their 1-1 draw against Guinea. Mali have Seydou Keita to thank for keeping them alive in the tournament but had to endure a nervy five minutes wait for news of a favorably result to filter in from Franceville.
Five victories and one draw settled the round robin games here with a total of 16 goals scored in Franceville and Libreville.

The sub-region of West Africa is the biggest loser in the first round with four teams (Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea) crashing out.

The stage is set for quarter-finals.

The first game is between the Chipolopolo of Zambia and the Falcons of Jedaine from Sudan in Bata.

The second game sees tournament favorite Cote d’Ivoire tackle co-host Equitorial Guinea in Malabo for a place in the semis.

Perhaps one that offer more intriguing sight is the game between co-host Gabon and Mali in Libreville. Mali coach Alain Giresse coming face to face with the country he managed before being succeeded by current Gabon coach Gernot Rohr while another favorite the Black Stars of Ghana will take on the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia for a place in the last four.

30 Jan

What next for Carlos Tevez?

Posted by redjiblog in Football. Tagged: , , , , .

No Love Lost

I got my first glimpse of Carlos Alberto Tevez during the FIFA u-17 World Cup hosted by Trindad and Tobago in 2001. His goal celebration caught my attention during their semi-final loss to France. He pulled his shirt off and to my surprise, I saw a full grown man with a hairy chest at age 17.

Carlos’ professional career has been hugely successful but it has also been accompanied with its bags and bags of controversies and issues. His protracted ownership right alongside his country man Javier Mascherano who both moved from Corinthians to West Ham in the summer of 2006 couldn’t be resolved until Manchester City acquired his full rights in 2009.

During his second season of his loan spell at Manchester United, he showed a lot of animosity when he dropped down the pecking order. One of his famous act of cynicism was him standing right in front of the Man Utd dug out with his hands to his ears (a gesture to SAF to listen) as the Old Trafford fans were chanting his name after his goal against Manchester City. A few months later, he was on the other side.

Tevez was signed by Hughes but was made captain by Mancini when the Italian replaced the Welsh man. The Argentine was arguably City’s best player in his first two seasons at the club despite his numerous outburst of being unsettled in England and had his fixed eyes on the exit door.

The day it all went south...

Manchester City managed to deal with his tantrums quite well and the manager even appeared to be a partial with the way he handled Carlos’ case when one compares it with the situation of Emmanuel Adebayor and Craig Bellamy who were turned to outcasts. Every beginning they say must have an end so it is in Tevez’ case. His Munich refusal to warm up and play in a UCL game against Bayern appeared to be the final straw that broke the camel’s back. He has been suspended indefinitely from the first team and in a bid to force his way out of the club, Carlos went AWOL in November and vowed never to return to the club.

Livin' Lavida Loca?

His club responded by freezing his salary account at the end of November. A total of £9.3m has been taken away from the Argentine in fines, lost wages and bonuses since the start of this season.

The final resolution to the problem is for both parties to part.

AC Milan and a host of other clubs signified their intention to sign the embattled striker but City have refused to be bullied into selling a disgruntled star at a cut price.

Manchester City have warned Milan that they are “not an option” for Carlos Tevez unless the £30m price-tag is met, despite their “misplaced sense of confidence.” According to reports, the AC Milan’s negotiating team have agreed personal terms with the players and hope to use that as a means for City to lower their asking price.
The usually quiet Abu Dhabi owners have finally broken their silence on the matter to express their anger about what they regard as Milan trying to engineer a way to sign Tevez on the cheap.
On the other hand, PSG, another front runner for Tevez signature look to have pulled out of the race. Their Sporting Director, Leonardo told L’Equipe,

“We’ve ended the talks, there was an opportunity to sign him, but it is over. We did our calculations, we made a good offer but we’ve been unable to reach an agreement. We don’t intend to overpay in order to sign him.”

With just a day left in the January transfer window, it appears all parties involved in the Tevez saga have reached an impasse.

Manchester City have refused to budge. Milan who can’t match City’s demand have opted to sign another Argentine, Maxi Lopez from Catania. This may signal the end of their pursuit.

All interested clubs have in one form or the other backed out, what becomes of Carlos Tevez from now till the end of the season if no one comes to bail him out of his wilderness by 11:59pm, January 31, 2012?

23 Jan

In Arsene We Trust?!

Posted by redjiblog in Football. Tagged: , , , , .

In Arsene We Trust? Or Rut?

Over the years, a large percentage of Arsenal followers have always put their faith in the “professor” and believed his judgment.

Pundits and skeptical fans have criticized his philosophy but everyone appears to agree that Arsene Wenger knows his onions and his decision should be respected if not necessarily appreciated.

The verbal assault has come in different form. His transfer recruitment policy, his preferred formation/tactics, perceived lack of hair-dryer treatment and now his substitutions.

In the midst of all this, the die-hard Gunners faithful always have a response to give – IN ARSENE WE TRUST.

Something strange happened at the Emirates stadium during Arsenal last league match against Manchester United. BIZARRE in the sense that in Wenger’s over 15 years reign in the North London, the entire stadium has never in unison chorused their disagreement like the one that happened when starlet Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain was substituted and replaced by Andrey Arshavin.

The moment that made the fans go mad

Chamberlain was the surprise name on the team sheet as he was included in the starting XI for the first time in the EPL and the young English man justified his inclusion with an awesome performance. His direct runs and dribbles gave seasoned veteran Evra a lot to ponder upon while switching to the other flank to torment Rafael da Silva. He capped his performance with an assist before he was substituted.

The decision to remove him was greeted with disapproval from the crowd, the expression of team captain (Robin Van Persie) and many who watched the game. In a contrast of fortune, Arshavin who replaced him showed his defensive vulnerability which led to the winning goal for the visitors – a defeat which leaves Arsenal in an uncomfortable position considering how their season has panned out so far.

After the game and in the mix zone, Arsene Wenger tried to defend himself;

“I’ve been a manager for 30 years and have made 50,000 substitutions. I don’t have to justify every one. I can understand that the fans are upset about the substitution, especially when it doesn’t work, but he had started to fatigue”.

This particular decision appears to have incurred the wrath of probably the most loyal Arsenal fan including the popular CNN man Piers Morgan as they are beginning to lose faith in Arsene.

1/10000th of what @piersmorgan had to say about the substitution and the boss

Football fans are as dynamic as the game itself. It keeps evolving. One bad decision however costly isn’t enough to make me doubt Professor Arsene Wenger.

IN ARSENE I STILL TRUST…… What about you? Lets hear your opinion on the Professor in the comment box.

20 Jan

Who will win the Africa Cup Of Nations?

Posted by redjiblog in Football. Tagged: , .

As Africa prepares for the start of its most prestigious football championship, everyone is predicting who will win the 28th edition of the continental fiesta that starts on January 21.

Purely as an academic exercise, without going into a full player-by-player, team-by-team, grooup-by-group analysis, I shall look generally at the teams from a helicopter standpoint and shall hazard an opinion as to which of the 16 participants I think will leave Libreville with the trophy. My judgment is based on their history in the tournament and from what I saw about them in qualifying for the championship.

I’ve tried to group them into three categories of those who won’t win, those with remote chances and those expected to be challenging and can win


THE NUMBERS

In football, nothing is impossible but the teams in this category will not win the AFCON 2012. I mean no disrespect by listing them here.

NIGER Republic.

They have no historical antecedence to justify any higher expectation than playing in the group stages and nothing more.

MALI.

They are not complete and they do not have enough quality players needed to compete for higher glory.

BOTSWANA.

They are still too ‘young’ and inexperienced in African football to win the highest trophy in the continent now. Even with their investment in grassroots football development in recent years.

MOROCCO.

They will win a few matches but I don’t see them lasting. Their ability to falter when least expected is their undoing.

BURKINA FASO.

The 1998 host of this same tournament couldn’t win even as host and with better players then. They are a minor in their sub-region(West Africa)

ALGERIA.
Playing against The Pharaohs of Egypt always brings out the best of them. In the absence of their arab brothers, we could be left with little sparks but no fire.

TUNISIA.
They do not have enough quality to win.

LIBYA.
They have achieved more than enough by qualifying. They are nothing more than a featherweight.

ANGOLA.
They couldn’t win it when they hosted and now it will be the same. The team has too many fault lines, too many weakness, and not enough quality players.

REMOTE POSSIBILITY

GABON.

Because they are hosts some will give them a distant chance of winning the championships. But as co-hosts, they start to lose a substantial part of the support that a single host nation brings. Their recent performance against Cameroon and one truly starts to appreciate the very faint possibility of this tiny country going some distance maybe with some luck. The players to deliver aren’t just there.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA.

It is co-host. What else? The country has been making recent appearances in age-grade international competitions and even the female championships. There is something good happening in the country’s football to produce its recent results and exposure. Progressing beyond the group stages will do and anything more is a bonus. Winning would be too far fetched.

ZAMBIA

It may be unfair to include them here considering how they performed in the last edition. They show the desire and capability to win but never do as they do not know how to cap or close critical matches.

CHALLENGERS / CONTENDERS

The absence of some of the continents heavyweights at this year’s AFCON has made this group very narrow and direct.

GHANA.

Most analyst rate the Black Stars as one of the favorites for the title that has eluded them for 30years. Their performances in the last few editions and their exploits at the last two FIFA World Cup gives enough point to justify that position. The team is very balanced albeit without a prolific striker should Asamoah Gyan fail to reach full fitness. The expectation at home in Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi, Takoradi etc will be nothing short of the trophy for the 2010 AFCON runners up.

COTE D’IVOIRE.

This West African giant parades some of the very best African footballers at the moment. Unfortunately even when everyone thought they had the best team in the continent in the past two editions of the African Cup of Nations, they faltered. Their talisman, skipper and great centre-forward Didier Drogba who may be well past his best has not delivered for Cote D’Ivorie with all his talent.

This is a reason why doubt their mentality and fighting spirit to win it. Without question, on paper they should be winners. But then it is not the country with the best players that wins, it’s the one with the best team.

SENEGAL

Like their French speaking West African brothers Cote D’Ivoire, they have only one victory to show for the abundance of talent available to them. Also, they boast of an arsenal of forwards such as Mamadou Niang, Papiss Cisse, Moussa Sow, and Demba Ba.

They are a disciplined and athletic side. I would not be surprised one bit if they spring a surprise.

From the above, I can draw a conclusion on who will win. You also can…

15 Nov

How Long Will Stephen Keshi last? – by Segun Odegbami

Posted by redjiblog in Football.

Hey all… Like you have noticed from the header, we have a guest writer today.. a VIP Guest Writer for that matter!

Following the sack of Samson Siasia and the subsequent appointment of  Stephen Keshi, I was considering writing a post with the exact same heading as above, then while going through the dailies, I saw that the Legendary Segun Odegbami has already done justice to the topic.

After seeking and getting permission from the Icon, I have the pleasure to present his article to you.

Enjoy

___________________________________________________________________

In the history of Nigerian football only two coaches have ever survived the axe of the NFA. Even then, both of them left in circumstances that are not far from being sacked. Clemens Westerhof, touted to be the most successful coach in the country’s history, abandoned the Eagles in America following ‘mutiny’ by the players and never returned to his job.

Incidentally, he was at the tail end of his contract and Nigerians seemed to have had enough him with a section of the media already complaining that his assistant was the doing all the work and should be hired in his place.

Othman Calder, the German coach that was hired to raise a new Green Eagles following the shocking and humiliating defeat of Nigeria by Zambia in 1974 absconded from the country after working for just a few weeks as coach of the senior national team. Nigerians woke up one day to find that his room at the Eko Hotel was empty and Othman had vamoosed without informing his employers, the National Sports Commission.

No one can tell specifically till this day what made him run away from Nigeria. Otherwise, every other coach, Nigerian or foreign, that has had the opportunity to handle the national team has suffered the ‘indignity’ of being sacked from the job. It is the life of coaches to be hired with fanfare and relieved of the same job with ignominy. If that really is the case, it makes sense, therefore, to assume that Stephen Keshi, with all the ceremony of his appointment, some time into the future, will also suffer in the inevitable fate of being sacked; and in his own case, being a Nigerian with no where else but Nigeria to abscond to when things go awry, as they inevitably would do some day, he would sit back at home and face the ‘music’ as Samson Siasia and all those before him have had to do.

It is ironic that some of those that were themselves sacked from the same position for lack of productivity now find themselves making grandlocotous speeches and sitting in judgement over Siasia.

The title of this article must not be misunderstood, therefore, because it will not be out of place to peer into the future and see Stephen Keshi also facing a sack. The only question now should be: ‘How long will Stephen Keshi last?’

Let me start by dispelling any notion that I have anything against Stephen Keshi and his employment as coach of the national team. Far from it; my respect for him has always been. He is my friend. We played together in the national team when I was captain. Indeed, but for political intrigues that ruined our chances at the last hurdle of Nigeria’s quest to attend her first World Cup in 1981, Keshi would have played the final two matches against Algeria and, probably would have helped the country qualify for the World Cup of 1982.

Professor Otto Gloria that led Nigeria to win the 1980 African Cup of Nations became a victim of political manipulation, when he listened to politicians, abandoned principles for sentiments, replaced a young and effective Stephen Keshi for a retired Christian Chukwu and threw away Nigeria’s chances of making history. Many believed that Nigeria would have won with Keshi at the heart of the Nigerian defence. He was Nigeria’s best centre-half at the time and for the next 13 years.

At his best as a player, Keshi was in a class of his own – a great captain and motivator, who led by example. He was an organizer of his team, directing, almost as a coach, how the team played, taking on responsibility to cover up for his co-defenders when they faltered, and joining the attack when goals failed to come early. Even as a centre-half he scored 10 goals in his 64-match national team career.

As a coach he has proven his mettle with his stints outside Nigeria, coaching Togo and Mali, the first Nigerian with that distinction. Keshi will make a good coach any day anywhere. He knows the game and has since acquired the necessary professional qualifications to coach any team, with his vast and varied experiences playing under renowned coaches at all levels of the game standing him in good stead. So, Stefan (for that’s what I call him) is well qualified for the national team assignment and will get my own unequivocal support as he embarks on this journey!

My question, therefore, is meant as a warning to him to ‘beware the ides of March’

Stephen Keshi is taking up a most difficult job. He is stepping into the national team job at a very challenging time in the country’s football history. The team, under Amodu Shuaibu, steadily became weak and unattractive. It may have qualified for the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations but did not do so in a convincing manner. The standard of performance did not reflect the high expectations of the people who became so disenchanted and disappointed that the clamour for Shuaibu’s removal after the dismal outing at the Nations Cup in Angola, before the World Cup, was unanimous. Lars Lagerback came and failed to light a candle in the wind leaving behind the trail of anger and more disappointment.

Maigari, Siasia and Keshi

When Siasia arrived he was heralded as the long-awaited messiah, riding on the back of the disenchantment with Amodu and the failure of Lars Lagerback. The public support he received was unprecented. No Nigerian coach before him had enjoyed that level of support and confidence.

Even Stephen Keshi that was interviewed alongside Siasia backed off and conceded that it was the Bayelsan that the people wanted, and for good reason too.

Nigeria needed a new team. Siasia, for five years had been building one from junior level in 2005. He had taken the core of that same team to the Olympic Games and came within touching distance of winning the Gold medal. It made absolute sense at the time that the right way to go was with Samson and his emerging team. So, whatever happened to derail the train that appeared to be so much on course?

The body that employed Samson, and that has now employed Stephen, has not changed. The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has been, and still is, in deep physical and metaphysical crisis since it illegally assumed power following the annulled election process of August 2010 that was so brazenly conducted against the grain of morality and justice.

Do you notice that everything the body has ‘touched’ since then has been haunted and blunted by failure? All the national teams one after the other have been falling and failing. The domestic clubs representing the country, one after the other, have been falling and failing.

The domestic game has lost its once-growing shine, Public interest has waned and the sponsorship of the professional league has suffered irreparable and incalculable damage to its image.

Unanswered corruption charges litter the football administrative scene. The leadership of the Professional league that the NFF seeks to control has been infected with a plague and has dallen on bad times. It is in disarray and embroiled in its own circle of legal crisis, like the NFF itself, without an end in sight. Nigerian football administration has never been this bad and this poor in the country’s history. That is the atmosphere Stephen Keshi is stepping into.

9 Nov

Bielsa and his Los Leones project

Posted by redjiblog in Football. Tagged: , , , .

Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa moved to the North of Spain last summer as the new Head Coach of Athletic Club in an agreement struck with Josu Uruutia who emerged as the new President of The Cathedral club.

The general question popping on minds was how will El Loco perform at club level after a 13 years hiatus from day-to-day club activities. His last club spell coincidentally was in Spain with Espanyol. He left after just six games in charge of the Barcelona-based club leaving them languishing in 18th position on the log.

Now, it’s a different scene. Athletic’s fortune improved greatly under the guidance of departed Joaquin Caparros with the club finishing eight and sixth position respectively in the last two campaign including a runners-up medal in the 2009 Copa del Rey final. A high precedent had been set and the jury will be out on Bielsa considering how the new Mallorca coach (Caparros) had to leave his post.

For a historic club like Athletic, finishing in the top-eight shouldn’t be a huge achievement, however, the club’s tradition of playing cantera players and only signing players with Basque origins makes it challenging in this modern era.
The composition of the young dynamic team inherited by Bielsa has a solid spine in Fernando Amorebieta, Andoni Iraola, Javi Martinez, Carlos Gurpegi and Fernando Llorente while not forgetting the talented Iker Muniain.

How will the master tactician achieve his set objective?

Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa...

Bielsa built a reputation with his 3-4-3 formation when he was in charge of both the Argentine and Chilean national teams respectively. Only Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona has played with such formation in some games this season while the traditionally spanish game has thrived in a balanced 4-2-3-1 system with the regular back four, two central midfielders (depending on various role assigned to them) two wingers, an attacking midfielder and a striker. It prognosticate how his 3-4-3 format will work with his team expected to pressure higher up the pitch and run a risk of being caught on the break with a counter attack.

El Loco has tinkered his team with various formations since his arrival during the pre-season, during the Europa league qualifiers and right up to the league matches too. With three wins, five draws and three defeats in his first eleven league games, it appears his team is still in a learning process but they impressed in last Sunday 2-2 draw against champions Barcelona.

Athletic’s approach to the game was commendable though I wasn’t totally surprised since they hosted the Blaugrana’s at the Lions den. They were unlucky not to snatch a victory in the end. Their pressing game made their visitors uncomfortable on a raining night at San Mames, Los Leones covered plenty of ground around the park and their man marking approach was immaculate forcing Barca into making hazardous mistakes, one of  which led to Bilbao’s second goal.

His philosophy appears to be yielding positive outcome judging by the last game, however, a lot still has to be done. Players need to play in their original position where their potentials can be maximized – Javi Martinez who is a gifted central midfielder with the ability of a deep-lying playmaker is presently playing as a centre half whose primary job is to stop opposition attack therefore limiting the team’s capabilities.

Bielsa’s project requires time and I’m sure he will get it from the President and hopefully from the fans too.  Their dispaly against Los Cules is an epitome of El Loco’s Athletic vision. Les Leones fans’ optimism can be as high as the skies – for them, the return of Rafael Moreno Aranzadi aka Pichichi great days back in San Mames as he (Bielsa) intends to take them steps higher than eight and sixth position of the last two campaigns without any significant purchase and promoting more canteranos into the first team.

7 Nov

How much time can Enrique buy?

Posted by redjiblog in Football. Tagged: , , , , , .

Feeling the heat already?

Dreams do come true and so was the belief of the Giallorossi fans when Thomas Di Benedetto got his hands on AS Roma. It was time for i Lupi to flex financial muscles and compete with heavyweights in Italy and Europe for world class players.

Have they fans woken up to reality? Quite a number should have. The new American owners decided to invest in talented youngsters with the aim of building for the future. The same can be said with the appointment of a rookie coach in Luis Enrique as the tactician who is expected to bring Barcelona’s brand of football to the Olimpico.

The idea and early signs look promising but thats about where it ends.
The money spent during the summer and the look of the team on paper might make one to believe in fresh start, however, the defense still looks unconvincing. Maarten Stekenlenburg is a good buy but Jose Angel appears to be more of a liability – his performance during their last match against Milan was miserable. Juan isn’t getting any younger and the acquisition of Gabriel Heinze as a replacement for departed Philippe Mexes isn’t good enough.

A poor pre-season was followed up with their exit from the Europa league in the qualifying stages against a lowly rated Slovan Bratislava. Four defeats in nine Serie A league matches including a loss to eternal rival Lazio and defending champion Milan suggest Enrique’s Roma might not finish any better than the sixth position achieved last season byMontella.

..one of the many exciting prospects, but...

Another reason why this exciting project has not really bloomed might be the behind-the-scene issues in Rome. Mercurial midfield man Daniele De Rossi is yet to renew his contract with a few months left for it to run out, Marco Borriello has already fallen out with the coach, 35 yeras old club hero Francesco Totti still harbors the desire to play 90minutes every game as long as he’s fit so he isn’t happy to sit on the bench.

With the old guards bickering, the weight of expectation rests  on the shoulders of Simon Kjaer, Fernando Gago, Miralem Pjanic, Bojan Krkic and Erik Lamela- some of the young talents who moved to the Italian capital during the summer. Erik Lamela, a talented attacking midfielder is exciting to watch with the ball at his feet but needs time to settle and adapt to life in Europe. He is an epitome of the shortcomings frome the youngsters too.

After last weekend’s loss to Milan, Franco Baldini, the new general manager backed their coach and appealed to fans to support their team.
He said

 “We are a young team and it’s going to take patience. The important thing is to grow, which we can only do through good football. Luis Enrique has the full faith of the club and we’ll carry on along this path.”

“The Giallorossi crowd have realised the value of our project. We want to build a great squad and the future is ours. At the moment, though, we cannot afford to sign big champions.

“If we lose, then the fans are only right to protest, but I am happy with their attitude.”

Luis Enrique wants to build his own Barcelona in Rome, but he doesn’t have the same tools at his disposal. The Spaniard is being exposed against experienced Italian tacticians – he has promising youngsters to work it not established talents to make him competitive.

Roma may have a bright future, but the present doesn’t look so rosy, because their project needs time and plenty of it.

How much of that time will the Romans give him even when they know that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

28 Oct

More headache for Sir Alex?

Posted by redjiblog in Football. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

The stench of the defeat... too much for Fergie to bear?

Last May, Manchester United were taught a football lesson which lasted 90 minutes at Wembley in the UEFA Champions league final. Sir Alex Ferguson’s comment after the game was commendable – he praised the victors and set himself a target to build a Manchester United side using Barcelona as the benchmark.

In his over twenty years at the helms at Old Trafford, the Red Devils manager has fought for supremacy with Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea etc domestically and the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus etc on the continent but he has never had to battle for it in Manchester. It has been United all the way

Last Sunday’s 6-1 thrashing by their “noisy neighbours” at Old Trafford is United’s biggest home loss since 1955 and their first loss at home since Chelsea won 2-1 in April 2010 is the alarm bell the Knight wouldn’t want to hear.

“Super Mario” Balotelli scored the opener with a brilliant finish and the controversial lad gave us a quote for the week – “why always me“. Johnny Evans red at the start of the second half didn not help United case. “Wario” as some would call him scored his second and it was followed by Kun Aguero’s goal. Fletcher pulled one back and all anticipation of another great United comeback was extinguished with Dzeko’s goal. The man of the match, man of the moment and arguably the best player in the Premier league till date David Silva included his name on the scorers sheet with another aplomb finish past his helpless country man, Dzeko completed the rout with his second of the game.

Scoreboards don't lie..

United were dominated and outplayed by City. An unbelievable score line or was it a mistake?

The Blue side of Manchester have made a massive statement with this victory. It’s not just the three point but the bragging rights and the self-belief that wasn’t there during the Community shield.

Is power about to change hands in Manchester? I bet a lot of United fans will disagree but with the quality of players at Mancini disposal and the strength-in- depth that City boast of which can’t be rivaled by any side in England at the moment. There is a reason for concern, virtually all positions have two top players vying for a starting XI shirt which gives the manager an opportunity to use different personnel and tactics as he decides. An example was James Milner’s role as the box-to-box midfielder which was executed perfectly by the England international. That’s a luxury Manchester United can’t boast of at the moment. The once upon a time Vidic-Ferdinand combination which was MUFC backbone is no more with Rio’s fitness (or lack of it) and his  steady poor performances against Liverpool and Man City while his partner is either injured or suspended.

I reckon that SAF’s team won’t go down like that  because the wily old Scot has all the experience to get his team back on the right track in order for his dynasty not to collapse right in front of him. One of his old comment during the emergence of the Abu Dhabi Manchester City when he said,

“over my dead body will City be the dominant team in Manchester”

must be playing on his mind now as he buries his head under his pillow once again like he did when City beat United 5-1 at Maine Road in 1989.

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