Thursday, July 28, 2005

Brøndby in the CL 3rd qualifying round draw

It has been six years ago since I watched Brøndby play in their only Champions League ever in the 1998-99 season. How much I would like to see them there again!
After defeating Dynamo Tbilisi 0-2 in Georgia, Brøndby is only one step away from participating in the draw for the 3rd Qualifying round for the Champions League season 2005-06. However, it will not be easy. As an un-seeded team, the Danish Champions will be up against one of the following teams:

It certainly does not look easy at all, although I believe (as an optimistic fan...) that Brøndby could possibly defeat the following teams on a good day: Rosenborg, Glasgow Rangers, Anderlecht, Club Brugge. Also, although Artmedia Bratislava is unknown and has defeated Celtic 5-0, they would not seem as a scary opponent to the Danes.

However, most teams are very difficult indeed, and thus, for a team like Brøndby, a lucky draw can be a giant leap towards the Champions League.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Spanish pre-season

I must admit that I know next to nothing about Japanese football. But last night I got introduced to a team from the Japanese capital: Tokyo Verdy. They are apparently second last in the J-League, but that is not the reason they came to prominence. Last night they defeated Real Madrid 3-0. And not that Real Madrid was not in its strongest: Zidane, Beckham, Raul, Roberto Carlos, Michael Owen, Ronaldo... They were all made to look ridiculous, once again. Admittedly, the team came from many tiring hours of travelling, but that also shows the strange disposition of the Real Madrid leadership, putting marketing and promotion above the sporting qualities of their players. And that is certainly also part of having a good team.
In another context, FC Barcelona is looking much better. On their tour to Denmark, the Catalonians defeated Aarhus GF 4-0. While AGF were not looking that bad, Barcelona's striking force is looking at least as awesome as last year.

Monday, July 25, 2005

Michael Essien, Chelsea and Lyon

Michael Essien had a great season with Olympique Lyon. This put the young Ghanaian in the forefront of rumours for bigger clubs. Notably Chelsea has been connected to Mr. Essien. But so far, Olympique Lyon has rejected the offers for the young player. Apparently, the French side wants around 30 Million Euros, well above the offer of 17 Million coming from Chelsea. Is Mr. Essien worth such an amount? It is hard to say, but either Lyon wants to make a lot of money, or they have a great desire to keep Mr. Essien in the team for another successful season. And here, the role of Mr. Essien himself has been rather strange: He has clearly expressed his desire to leave Lyon for Chelsea, even stating that he hopes Chelsea will accept to pay the high amount asked by Lyon.
Is this wise? If he is not sold, his position in the Lyon team next season may be in jeopardy. He would not be motivated to play, while Lyon could surely not have a player not dedicated 100 pct. to the team. If he is sold to Chelsea for the said amount, he would be under enormous pressure to perform well in a club already swamped with super-stars.
While his desire for greater glory in bigger clubs is understandable, he should stay quiet and play his best wherever he is.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Champions League 05-06: First qualifying round

First round of the qualification for the Champions League 2005-2006 has just ended. I must admit, that most teams at this stage are barely known to me, and so much less the leagues they come from. But a couple of things are worth observing:
- The defending champions of Liverpool have started the campaign to defend their title, with an unsurprising but sure victory against Llansantffraid from Wales (what a name for a club! What do you call their followers?).
- Dudelange, from Luxembourg, made Luxembourg football history: defeating Zrinjski from Bosnia, they are the first team ever from Luxembourg to go to the next round of a European tournament.
There are two more qualifying rounds to go, and the tournament will start for real!

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Ryan Giggs to Real Madrid?

Real Madrid is always good for a story on transfers. Now the newest one is that Manchester United's Ryan Giggs could be on his way to the Spanish team. With the recent arrival of Ji Sung Park to Manchester, Mr. Giggs' position could be in jeopardy. At the same time, Real Madrid is eagerly looking for a left-wing player. Another option being considered is Albert Luque from Deportivo. But apparently Mr. Giggs could arrive in a possible deal including Michael Owen...
These are all rumours. Mr. Giggs has been a very important player in Machester United for many years. He has been crucial in many victories, and a joy to watch. He is already 32 years old, so probably heading towards the sunset of a glorious career. It would be sad to see him end it on the Real Madrid bench.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Steven Gerrard to stay in Liverpool

The soap opera about where Steven Gerrard would be playing next season seems to have ended. Mr. Gerrard has now apparently confirmed that he will stay in Liverpool. I do not understand the intricacies of the whole affair, but I certainly think this is the best for both Liverpool and Mr. Gerrard. Why leave the success he is having in a great club like Liverpool, to go to Real Madrid or Chelsea? In Madrid, he would probably just become another marginal superstar in a team that has won nothing for two seasons (which team is the greatest: non-winners Real Madrid or CL Champions Liverpool?). In Chelsea, he would be fighting for his position.
No, as a football fan, I am happy that he is staying in Liverpool. With new players and renewed motivation, Liverpool will continue upwards next season - both defending their CL title, but also fighting for the Premier League title. Mr. Gerrard will certainly be central in this, and continue showing his skills for Liverpool fans in particular and football fans in general.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Lots of practice

It was the day for the most important game of the season, between Brøndby and FC Copenhagen. Copenhagen defender Ole Tobiasen had to get to Brøndby for the match. On his way there, he got lost. Realizing that he was getting late, he suddenly saw Brøndby coach Michael Laudrup, and decided he would ask for directions.
"Excuse me Mr. Laudrup? How do I get to Brøndby?"
"Lots and lots of practice and many hours of training, kid".

Monday, July 04, 2005

FIFA World Youth Champions 2005

Last Saturday, the final of the FIFA World Youth Championship was played in the Netherlands. I did not have the fortune to watch the match, because I was rocking and drinking at the Roskilde Festival. However, I was glad to hear that Argentina won a tight match 2-1 against a well-playing Nigeria team. Both Argentinean goals were scored on penalty by Lionel Messi - a rising 19-year old Argentinean star, who plays for Barcelona. I do not think this is the last time I will be writing about Mr. Messi.
This was the 15th final of a tournament which started in 1977, and was won by the USSR. The tournament has largely been led by the two South American giants, Brazil and Argentina. Brazil has won four times, and with this year's victory, Argentina has won five. The following table gives a full overview of the tournament:

Tunisia 1977

USSR

Mexico

Brazil

Uruguay

Japan 1979

Argentina

USSR

Uruguay

Poland

Australia 1981

West Germany

Qatar

Romania

England

Mexico 1983

Brazil

Argentina

Poland

South Corea

USSR 1985

Brazil

Spain

Nigeria

USSR

Chile 1987

Yugoslavia

West Germany

East Germany

Chile

Saudi Arabia 1989

Portugal

Nigeria

Brazil

USA

Portugal 1991

Portugal

Brazil

USSR

Australia

Australia 1993

Brazil

Ghana

England

Australia

Qatar 1995

Argentina

Brazil

Portugal

Spain

Malaysia 1997

Argentina

Uruguay

Ireland

Ghana

Nigeria 1999

Spain

Japan

Mali

Uruguay

Argentina 2001

Argentina

Ghana

Egypt

Paraguay

UAE 2003

Brazil

Spain

Colombia

Argentina

Netherlands 2005

Argentina

Nigeria

Brazil

Morocco


The next tournament in 2007, will be hosted by Canada. It will again be a good opportunity to see the rising stars of international football. The matches are usually very entertaining, and the tournament is beginning to attract much greater attention! And surely, we might already see some of the players in next years World Cup in Germany!