When the tournament started in Poland and Ukraine, there was no doubt that Spain were the huge favourites. They had won the European Championship of 2008 and the World Cup in 2010, and were favourites to make history by taking their third major title in a row.
With a base from FC Barcelona, complemented by some of the strongest players from Real Madrid, Spain's style of retaining the ball through passing (inspired from FC Barcelona) was proving highly efficient, although critics did point out repeatedly that it was boring football that did not seek goal enough (in 2010 they became world champions scoring the least goals of all time). The team largely consisted of players from the two big clubs in Spain: Iker Casillas was the captain on goal, behind his Real Madrid teammates Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol and Alvaro Arbeloa, as well as Barcelona's Gerard Pique. Perhaps the best midfield in the world included a luxury choice of players such as FC Barcelona's Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso, Manchester City's David Silva, and Arsenal's Santi Cazorla. Up front was surely Spain's least strong link, with Barcelona's Pedro Rodriguez, Chelsea's Fernando Torres and Sevilla's Alvaro Negredo all having been tried by coach Vicente de Bosque, but with him often preferring to play without a striker at all.
Spain had been awesome in qualification with eight victories in as many matches and scoring 26 goals. In the first round they had opened with 1-1 against Italy before defeating Ireland and Croatia to take first spot in the group. A poor French side had been dispatched with 2-0 in the quarterfinals and in the semifinal Spain defeated Portugal on penalties after a long 0-0 match. With only one goal scored against them and only six goals, Spain seemed to be confirming their defensive credential before they were to face Italy in the final.
Italy had for many years been a hindrance for Spain's advances, but in 2008 this had changed when Spain finally had defeated them after penalty kicks in the quarterfinal and gone to win the final (until then it had been 88 years since Spain had defeated Italy in a competitive match). Since then Italy had changed a lot under coach Cesare Prandelli, who was implementing a more offensive style than Italy had normally been used to. In qualification they had overwhelmingly won their group and had started the tournament well with 1-1 against Spain. They then tied Croatia 1-1, but a 2-0 win over Ireland put them in the quarterfinals where they defeated England on penalty kicks, and in the semifinals they defeated the German favourites 1-2.
The captain of the side was the veteran Juventus goalkeeper Gianluca Bufon. The team was otherwise built around Juventus midfield general Andrea Pirlo, who had at the time been the best player of the tournament, barely failing any of his many passes. Additional weight was given to the midfield by Paris St. Germain's Thiago Mota, Juventus' Claudio Marchisio, Fiorentina's Ricardo Montolivo or Roma's Daniele de Rossi. The team also had some quality strikers with Udinese's Antonio Di Natale and AC Milan's Antonio Cassano, as well as Manchester City's controversial Mario Balotelli.
In spite of it all it was somewhat surprising to see Italy in the final. They had fought hard, and it seemed like a bizarro world when Italy were not favourites against a defensive Spanish side. Coach Vicente de Bosque again started the match without an outright striker, instead playing the midfielder Cesc Fabregas as a type of striker.
Spain took the lead early on with a goal that bore the Barcelona trademark: after a long spell of possession Xavi made a perfect deep pass to Cesc Fabregas, who ran to the backline and passed the ball backwards where it hit David Silva in an awkward header, but making it 1-0 for Spain. Interestingly, David Silva was the only player in the starting lineup who was not from Barcelona or Real Madrid.
More bad luck struck Italy when they were forced to subsitute the experienced Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini due to an injury. In spite of this Italy tried to fight back, but Spain's domination was proven yet again when FC Barcelona's Jordi Alba made it 2-0 on a goal that looked very easy: Iker Casillas kicked out the ball to the left side where Jordi Alba passed it to Xavi, and then Alba himself rushed forward to receive a deep pass from Xavi on the right side of the offside trap. Alba's composed finish went past Bufon.
It was 2-0 at halftime and it barely looked like Italy had a chance. Prandelli replaced Antonio Cassano with Antonio di Natale, and soon after the start of the second half also put in Thiago Mota for Ricardo Montolivo, but after only a few minutes he had to be carried off on a stretcher. With all substitutions done, Italy had to play with only ten men for half an hour, and it was clear that all hope was gone by then.
Six minutes to the end of the match Xavi took the ball from Andrea Pirlo in midfield, perhaps symbolizing that Pirlo had been in his shadow the entire match. Xavi immediately found Fernando Torres with a deep pass and the Chelsea striker scored as he had done in the European championship final four years ago.
It almost seemed a repeat three minutes later when Xavi again found Fernando Torres with a deep pass, but this time Torres passed the ball to his Chelsea teammate Juan Mata as Bufon was coming towards him. Mata had just come on for Andres Iniesta and hammered the ball into an open goal.
The humiliation of Italy was total, and in spite of only a few minutes left one could see goalkeeper Casillas tell his players not to score more goals. In this match the Spaniards almost doubled their tally of goals in the tournament. It was the biggest victory in the history of European Championship history and Spain had become the first European team to win three major tournaments in a row with the 2008 Euro, the 2010 World Cup, and this. They were undoubtedly the best team in the world.
Kiev, July 1st 2012
Olympic Stadium
Attendance: 63,170
Referee: Pedro Proenca (Portugal)
Spain-Italy 4-0
Spain: Iker Casillas (c); Alvaro Arbeloa, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fabregas (Fernando Torres, 75), David Silva (Pedro, 59), Andres Iniesta (Juan Mata, 87). Coach: Vicente del Bosque
Italy: Gianluca Bufon (c); Ignazio Abate, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini (Federico Balzaretti, 21), Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, Ricardo Montolivo (Thiago Mota, 57), Daniele de Rossi, Mario Balotelli, Antonio
Cassano (Antonio di Natale, 46)
Goals:
1-0 David Silva (14)
2-0 Jordi Alba (41)
3-0 Fernando Torres (84)
4-0 Juan Mata (88)
Showing posts with label Fernando Torres. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fernando Torres. Show all posts
Friday, June 03, 2016
Thursday, May 26, 2016
The Greatest Euro Matches: Spain-Germany (2008)
The final of the 2008 European Championships saw the clash between
the old superpower in European football, Germany, clash with the new
superpower, Spain.
Spain had always been a contender for titles but without ever fulfilling its potential. Their only title was the 1964 Euro, won at home after only two matches, in a tournament where many nations in Europe did not participate. So Spain had been hungering for the success that its club teams were getting. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid were among the best clubs in the world, and in particular the Catalonian side was providing the Spanish national side with a hugely talented generation that played a characteristic style of football based on possession and passing. The two FC Barcelona midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta were already important players of the team alongside the more experienced Villarreal midfielders Marcos Senna and Joan Capdevilla. But also players who had gone to England were pushing their way into the team such as Liverpool's Xabi Alonso and Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas. In defense Spain had one of the best in the world, FC Barcelona's Carles Puyol, alongside Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos and Valencia's Carlos Marchena. And behind them these defenders had arguably one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Iker Casillas from Real Madrid, who also captained the team. Up front Valencia's David Villa, Mallorca's Dani Guiza and Liverpool's Fernando Torres fought to be the starting striker.
All in all Spain was a team combining experienced with an incredibly talented young generation that would come to dominate European football.
Spain had qualified ahead of Sweden, Northern Ireland and Denmark. In the first round they made clean sheet by defeating Russia, Sweden and defending champions Greece. In the quarterfinals they had to go into a nerve-wrecking penalty contest to defeat Italy. This was hugely important for Spain, who had always had a complex about losing to Italy in important matches (this would indeed be a tournament that would destroy a lot of Spanish complexes). In the semifinals Spain trashed Russia 0-3, and were ready to face the historically greatest European side, Germany.
Germany had a strong combination of youth and experience. The undisputed captain and star of the team was Chelsea's Michael Ballack. In goal was the 38 year old veteran Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann. Hertha Berlin's experienced Arne Friedrich in defense played along Real Madrid's Cristoph Metzelder and the already experienced youngsters Philipp Lahm from Bayern Munich and Per Mertescaker from Werder Bremen. Another youngster with huge experience was Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteigger in midfield. Up front different players disputed the positions: Stuttgart's Mario Gomez, Schalke 04's Kevin Kuranyi, and the two veterans, Oliver Neuville from Borussia Monchengladbach and Miroslav Klose from Bayern Munich.
Germany were hungry for Euro success. While they had reached the 2002 World Cup final and the 2006 World Cup semifinals, they had been eliminated in the first round of the European championships in both 2000 and 2004. Still, they were confident that the more offensive style introduced by Jurgen Klinsmann in 2006 and continued under the new coach Joachim Low, would prove effective with a team that had become very popular in Germany proper.
Although qualification was never in doubt for Germany, they only made it through on second place behind the Czech Republic. In the first round they defeated Austria and Poland, and although losing to Croatia, they went through to the quarterfinals on second place. There they defeated Portugal 3-2 and in the semifinals they went through another thrilling match defeating the surprising Turkey 3-2. They were in the final on strong fight and will, but captain Michael Ballack was doubtful for the final with an injury.
The final took place in Vienna in a tournament that had been co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland. And the final was completely dominated by Spain, who from the start but pressure and dominated possession. In the first 20 minutes Andres Iniesta came close to scoring, and Fernando Torres had a header on the post. And after half an hour it was indeed the Liverpool striker who brought Spain deservedly ahead: Xavi made one of his through-passes through the defense, where Philipp Lahm hesitated for one moment, and Fernando Torres rushed past him and elegantly lobbed the ball over the outcoming goalkeeper, Jens Lehmann.
If anything, Spain's lead was too small at halftime, but in the second half Spanish dominance continued. But Xavi, Iniesta and Sergio Ramos all missed big chances to give Spain a second, maintaining Germany's feeble hope for an equalizer. But in reality they never came really close. Instead, Marcos Senna also had a huge chance in the final part of the match.
Spain won 1-0, which was none too small, as Spain had been absolutely dominant throughout the tournament and had sealed their superiority in this match.
Two years later the two nations would face one another again in the World Cup semi-final, with the exact same result; one that sealed Spain's total dominance of world football.
Vienna, 29th June 2008, Ernst Happel Stadium
Attendance: 51,428
Referee: Roberto Rosetti, Italy
Spain-Germany 1-0
Spain: Iker Casillas (c); Sergio Ramos, Carlos Marchena, Carles Puyol, Joan Capdevilla, Marcos Senna, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas (Xabi Alonso, 63), David Silva (Santi Cazorla, 66), Fernando Torres (Dani Guiza, 78). Coach: Luis Aragones.
Germany: Jens Lehmann; Arne Friderich, Per Mertesacker, Cristoph Metzelder, Philipp Lahm (Marcell Janse, 46), Torsten Frings, Thomas Hitzlsperger (Kevin Kuranyi, 58), Bastian Schweinsteiger, Michael Ballack (c), Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose (Mario Gomez, 79). Coach: Joachim Low.
Goals:
1-0 Fernando Torres (33)
Spain had always been a contender for titles but without ever fulfilling its potential. Their only title was the 1964 Euro, won at home after only two matches, in a tournament where many nations in Europe did not participate. So Spain had been hungering for the success that its club teams were getting. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid were among the best clubs in the world, and in particular the Catalonian side was providing the Spanish national side with a hugely talented generation that played a characteristic style of football based on possession and passing. The two FC Barcelona midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta were already important players of the team alongside the more experienced Villarreal midfielders Marcos Senna and Joan Capdevilla. But also players who had gone to England were pushing their way into the team such as Liverpool's Xabi Alonso and Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas. In defense Spain had one of the best in the world, FC Barcelona's Carles Puyol, alongside Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos and Valencia's Carlos Marchena. And behind them these defenders had arguably one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Iker Casillas from Real Madrid, who also captained the team. Up front Valencia's David Villa, Mallorca's Dani Guiza and Liverpool's Fernando Torres fought to be the starting striker.
All in all Spain was a team combining experienced with an incredibly talented young generation that would come to dominate European football.
Spain had qualified ahead of Sweden, Northern Ireland and Denmark. In the first round they made clean sheet by defeating Russia, Sweden and defending champions Greece. In the quarterfinals they had to go into a nerve-wrecking penalty contest to defeat Italy. This was hugely important for Spain, who had always had a complex about losing to Italy in important matches (this would indeed be a tournament that would destroy a lot of Spanish complexes). In the semifinals Spain trashed Russia 0-3, and were ready to face the historically greatest European side, Germany.
Germany had a strong combination of youth and experience. The undisputed captain and star of the team was Chelsea's Michael Ballack. In goal was the 38 year old veteran Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann. Hertha Berlin's experienced Arne Friedrich in defense played along Real Madrid's Cristoph Metzelder and the already experienced youngsters Philipp Lahm from Bayern Munich and Per Mertescaker from Werder Bremen. Another youngster with huge experience was Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteigger in midfield. Up front different players disputed the positions: Stuttgart's Mario Gomez, Schalke 04's Kevin Kuranyi, and the two veterans, Oliver Neuville from Borussia Monchengladbach and Miroslav Klose from Bayern Munich.
Germany were hungry for Euro success. While they had reached the 2002 World Cup final and the 2006 World Cup semifinals, they had been eliminated in the first round of the European championships in both 2000 and 2004. Still, they were confident that the more offensive style introduced by Jurgen Klinsmann in 2006 and continued under the new coach Joachim Low, would prove effective with a team that had become very popular in Germany proper.
Although qualification was never in doubt for Germany, they only made it through on second place behind the Czech Republic. In the first round they defeated Austria and Poland, and although losing to Croatia, they went through to the quarterfinals on second place. There they defeated Portugal 3-2 and in the semifinals they went through another thrilling match defeating the surprising Turkey 3-2. They were in the final on strong fight and will, but captain Michael Ballack was doubtful for the final with an injury.
The final took place in Vienna in a tournament that had been co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland. And the final was completely dominated by Spain, who from the start but pressure and dominated possession. In the first 20 minutes Andres Iniesta came close to scoring, and Fernando Torres had a header on the post. And after half an hour it was indeed the Liverpool striker who brought Spain deservedly ahead: Xavi made one of his through-passes through the defense, where Philipp Lahm hesitated for one moment, and Fernando Torres rushed past him and elegantly lobbed the ball over the outcoming goalkeeper, Jens Lehmann.
If anything, Spain's lead was too small at halftime, but in the second half Spanish dominance continued. But Xavi, Iniesta and Sergio Ramos all missed big chances to give Spain a second, maintaining Germany's feeble hope for an equalizer. But in reality they never came really close. Instead, Marcos Senna also had a huge chance in the final part of the match.
Spain won 1-0, which was none too small, as Spain had been absolutely dominant throughout the tournament and had sealed their superiority in this match.
Two years later the two nations would face one another again in the World Cup semi-final, with the exact same result; one that sealed Spain's total dominance of world football.
Vienna, 29th June 2008, Ernst Happel Stadium
Attendance: 51,428
Referee: Roberto Rosetti, Italy
Spain-Germany 1-0
Spain: Iker Casillas (c); Sergio Ramos, Carlos Marchena, Carles Puyol, Joan Capdevilla, Marcos Senna, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas (Xabi Alonso, 63), David Silva (Santi Cazorla, 66), Fernando Torres (Dani Guiza, 78). Coach: Luis Aragones.
Germany: Jens Lehmann; Arne Friderich, Per Mertesacker, Cristoph Metzelder, Philipp Lahm (Marcell Janse, 46), Torsten Frings, Thomas Hitzlsperger (Kevin Kuranyi, 58), Bastian Schweinsteiger, Michael Ballack (c), Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose (Mario Gomez, 79). Coach: Joachim Low.
Goals:
1-0 Fernando Torres (33)
Saturday, August 31, 2013
The Supercup title
Perhaps it is a symbol of a season to come that Pep Guardiola's first title with Bayern Munich was the one title they have not won before.
But before lifting the trophy Bayern Munich had to suffer in the feet of Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, a side that already seems changed under the Portuguese. Mr. Mourinho is surely not a very sympathetic figure (and I am quite sure he cares less about people saying this about him), but the magic touch he did not have in Real Madrid, is something he seems to have brought back to Chelsea. All players fight hard, with spirit, something that was not the case last season. Also, their disciplined organization in the back, combined with excellent striking power (the arrival of Samuel Eto'o is in my view exciting news for all of us fans of the Cameroonian! Does he still have it in him?), makes Chelsea one of the contender for both the Premier League and the Champions League title, in spite of many people disliking it (I am not fond of it, but I surely still admire Mr. Mourinho as a fantastic coach).
When Fernando Torres brought Chelsea ahead things already looked difficult for Bayern Munich. When Eden Hazard brought them ahead in extra time after Frank Ribery's equalizer, it seemed that Chelsea, even one man down, was going to get a sweet victory. However, one thing to admire in Bayern Munich's super side, is the tenacity with which they continued creating chances, only to be hindered by a splendid wall in the form of Petr Cech! What a splendid goalkeeper he continues to be! Javi Martinez last minute equalizer was well-deserved, if not disappointing for Chelsea and Petr Cech in particular.
Penalty kicks are a lottery, and the loser in the final was the young Romelu Lukaku. It showed strength that he was willing to take that last crucial kick. But he will surely be at the forefront again together with the rest of Chelsea.
In the meantime, another title for Guardiola and another for Bayern Munich.
But before lifting the trophy Bayern Munich had to suffer in the feet of Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, a side that already seems changed under the Portuguese. Mr. Mourinho is surely not a very sympathetic figure (and I am quite sure he cares less about people saying this about him), but the magic touch he did not have in Real Madrid, is something he seems to have brought back to Chelsea. All players fight hard, with spirit, something that was not the case last season. Also, their disciplined organization in the back, combined with excellent striking power (the arrival of Samuel Eto'o is in my view exciting news for all of us fans of the Cameroonian! Does he still have it in him?), makes Chelsea one of the contender for both the Premier League and the Champions League title, in spite of many people disliking it (I am not fond of it, but I surely still admire Mr. Mourinho as a fantastic coach).
When Fernando Torres brought Chelsea ahead things already looked difficult for Bayern Munich. When Eden Hazard brought them ahead in extra time after Frank Ribery's equalizer, it seemed that Chelsea, even one man down, was going to get a sweet victory. However, one thing to admire in Bayern Munich's super side, is the tenacity with which they continued creating chances, only to be hindered by a splendid wall in the form of Petr Cech! What a splendid goalkeeper he continues to be! Javi Martinez last minute equalizer was well-deserved, if not disappointing for Chelsea and Petr Cech in particular.
Penalty kicks are a lottery, and the loser in the final was the young Romelu Lukaku. It showed strength that he was willing to take that last crucial kick. But he will surely be at the forefront again together with the rest of Chelsea.
In the meantime, another title for Guardiola and another for Bayern Munich.
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Falcao's Super Cup
In 2007 Atletico Madrid sold Fernando Torres to Liverpool, who had a great season there. In 2011 Torres signed for Chelsea, where he mostly has been complaining.
Today Torres was facing his old club in the final of the UEFA Super Cup. As winners of the Champions League Chelsea were probably slight favourites, and Fernando Torres is set to take over the role of goalscorer from Didier Drogba.
But perhaps Chelsea should look to Atletico Madrid for a quality striker.
Radamel Falcao has been a scoring machine in every club he has played. First in River Plate, and then moving to FC Porto in 2009, where he scored an unprecedented 72 goals in 85 matches, among them the winning goal in the 2011 Europa League final. For the 2011-2012 season he moved to Atletico Madrid where, in the shadow of the great Spanish teams, he has continued pouring goals in, among them two goals in the 2012 Europa League final.
Today Falcao again sealed himself as perhaps the best striker in the world at the moment (and one must consider that he is not playing in one of the best teams!), when he scored three goals against Chelsea, who were humiliated by the Europa League winners 4-1. Torres completely disappeared in an extremely poor Chelsea side, but the true star was Radamel Falcao.
Today Torres was facing his old club in the final of the UEFA Super Cup. As winners of the Champions League Chelsea were probably slight favourites, and Fernando Torres is set to take over the role of goalscorer from Didier Drogba.
But perhaps Chelsea should look to Atletico Madrid for a quality striker.
Radamel Falcao has been a scoring machine in every club he has played. First in River Plate, and then moving to FC Porto in 2009, where he scored an unprecedented 72 goals in 85 matches, among them the winning goal in the 2011 Europa League final. For the 2011-2012 season he moved to Atletico Madrid where, in the shadow of the great Spanish teams, he has continued pouring goals in, among them two goals in the 2012 Europa League final.
Today Falcao again sealed himself as perhaps the best striker in the world at the moment (and one must consider that he is not playing in one of the best teams!), when he scored three goals against Chelsea, who were humiliated by the Europa League winners 4-1. Torres completely disappeared in an extremely poor Chelsea side, but the true star was Radamel Falcao.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The fall of Barca
After losing 0-1 in Chelsea, I was personally expecting (though not hoping) that Barcelona would pull through at home. And after leading 2-0 and being one man up after John Terry's pretty silly red card, it looked as if Barcelona were on their way to a new final. But then Lionel Messi, the "best" player in the world, missed a penalty, and with a 1-2 goal by Ramires, Chelsea was suddenly in the match again. Barcelona needed another goal to get through, and pressed on in the second half, but only to see Fernando Torres score the equalizer in the last minutes of the match during a counterattack.
Last weekend Barcelona lost the league after also losing at home to Real Madrid, and only a few days later, is now out of the Champions League. They may also lose the Cup final to Athletic Bilbao, and this will be the end of the Barcelona dream team. Used to winning at will over the last few years, Barcelona does not have the mentality or the style to rise above these disappointments. What it needs is a major overhaul and build up a new team.
I am happy for Chelsea!
Last weekend Barcelona lost the league after also losing at home to Real Madrid, and only a few days later, is now out of the Champions League. They may also lose the Cup final to Athletic Bilbao, and this will be the end of the Barcelona dream team. Used to winning at will over the last few years, Barcelona does not have the mentality or the style to rise above these disappointments. What it needs is a major overhaul and build up a new team.
I am happy for Chelsea!
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Yawn...
As I was at work, and leaving late, I recorded one match. I didn't know which one in fact, but I made sure I heard no results, and quickly put on the match as I came home.
Chelsea-Manchester United was a bore! Manchester United won 0-1 on a Wayne Rooney goal, and will probably make it to the semifinal, but the most notable thing about the match was how lousy Chelsea played, and Ancelotti's very strange insistence on keeping a toothless little boy called Torres on the pitch, instead of what would seem like a deadly striking force in Drogba and Anelka.
It turned out the other match, between FC Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk was much more interesting! Shakhtar Donetsk are usually outstanding at home, so it was important for Barcelona to pull a solid result before going to Ukraine. And indeed they did with a 5-1 victory. No matter how good Shakhtar are at home, it looks like Barcelona and Real Madrid will be facing each other in the CL semifinal. In fact, they will be likely facing one another for a period of ten days in all-crucial matches!
Chelsea-Manchester United was a bore! Manchester United won 0-1 on a Wayne Rooney goal, and will probably make it to the semifinal, but the most notable thing about the match was how lousy Chelsea played, and Ancelotti's very strange insistence on keeping a toothless little boy called Torres on the pitch, instead of what would seem like a deadly striking force in Drogba and Anelka.
It turned out the other match, between FC Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk was much more interesting! Shakhtar Donetsk are usually outstanding at home, so it was important for Barcelona to pull a solid result before going to Ukraine. And indeed they did with a 5-1 victory. No matter how good Shakhtar are at home, it looks like Barcelona and Real Madrid will be facing each other in the CL semifinal. In fact, they will be likely facing one another for a period of ten days in all-crucial matches!
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Millionaire transfers!
By the amounts some of the Premier League clubs have been spending in this transfer window one would never guess that there is an economic crisis going on! One year ago, the clubs spent 29 Mio pounds in the transfer window, something that couldn't even pay for what Chelsea paid for Fernando Torres! All in all, Premier League clubs have spent more than 200 Mio Pounds!
Chelsea, who seems to be living off Mr. Abramovich' billions to get out of its current slump, beat all Premier League record by the signing of Fernando Torres, who seemed to be in need of a transfer from Liverpool. Still, I personally do not think Mr. Torres is worth such amounts! Sunday's Chelsea-Liverpool match in the Premier League, where Torres is set to get his debut!
Liverpool has also been out spending money on two very interesting signings who will arrive at the struggling Anfield side with great expectations: Ajax' outstanding (and some places infamous) Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, and the hugely talented and controversial young Newcastle striker Andy Carroll. What Liverpool paid for Mr. Carrol makes him the most expensive English player ever, thus sealing another record.
Amid Liverpool's and Chelsea's spending, many people may have overlooked one of the most interesting transfers, namely Manchester City's signing of Wolfsburg's outstanding Bosnian player Edin Dzeko. Dzeko was surely one of the best players in the world during his time in Wolfsburg, perhaps overlooked by him being from a small country and in an overlooked cup. Still, he was part of one of the most goal-scoring teams in the Bundesliga and was instrumental in leading them to their first Bundesliga title in 2009. Dzeko will be hugely interesting to follow under Roberto Mancini in Manchester City!
Chelsea, who seems to be living off Mr. Abramovich' billions to get out of its current slump, beat all Premier League record by the signing of Fernando Torres, who seemed to be in need of a transfer from Liverpool. Still, I personally do not think Mr. Torres is worth such amounts! Sunday's Chelsea-Liverpool match in the Premier League, where Torres is set to get his debut!
Liverpool has also been out spending money on two very interesting signings who will arrive at the struggling Anfield side with great expectations: Ajax' outstanding (and some places infamous) Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, and the hugely talented and controversial young Newcastle striker Andy Carroll. What Liverpool paid for Mr. Carrol makes him the most expensive English player ever, thus sealing another record.
Amid Liverpool's and Chelsea's spending, many people may have overlooked one of the most interesting transfers, namely Manchester City's signing of Wolfsburg's outstanding Bosnian player Edin Dzeko. Dzeko was surely one of the best players in the world during his time in Wolfsburg, perhaps overlooked by him being from a small country and in an overlooked cup. Still, he was part of one of the most goal-scoring teams in the Bundesliga and was instrumental in leading them to their first Bundesliga title in 2009. Dzeko will be hugely interesting to follow under Roberto Mancini in Manchester City!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Prelude to boredom
The Confederations Cup 2009 in South Africa started yesterday with two matches in group A: South Africa-Iraq and Spain-New Zealand. The most characteristic thing of these two matches was how boring they were, and although there is nothing else to watch, this does not make one feel like watching football!
It is quite notable that the home-side, the cricket-nation of South Africa, cannot even fill their stadium for an important match. Is this really a football nation that will host a world cup!?!? And furthermore, that they proved unable to score against an overly defensive Iraqi side (who is unlikely to qualify for the World Cup), just shows that we are talking second-rate football.
There was not so much second rate about the Spanish European champions against the third-rate New Zealanders. It was barely 17 minutes into the match when Fernando Torres scored a hat-trick, and Spain barely broke a sweat in the rest of the match to win 5-0.
Spain has not lost for 33 matches and is looking very strong, so it is perhaps unfair to compare them to such a country as New Zealand. But truth is that watching these types of matches is as exciting as watching Sdr. Omme's 12-year old girls's side play against FC Barcelona. The difference is simply enormous!
The more interesting matches are only bound the be the ones involving Brazil, Italy and Spain. The rest of the teams in the Confederations Cup are just there as well-paid spectators.
It is quite notable that the home-side, the cricket-nation of South Africa, cannot even fill their stadium for an important match. Is this really a football nation that will host a world cup!?!? And furthermore, that they proved unable to score against an overly defensive Iraqi side (who is unlikely to qualify for the World Cup), just shows that we are talking second-rate football.
There was not so much second rate about the Spanish European champions against the third-rate New Zealanders. It was barely 17 minutes into the match when Fernando Torres scored a hat-trick, and Spain barely broke a sweat in the rest of the match to win 5-0.
Spain has not lost for 33 matches and is looking very strong, so it is perhaps unfair to compare them to such a country as New Zealand. But truth is that watching these types of matches is as exciting as watching Sdr. Omme's 12-year old girls's side play against FC Barcelona. The difference is simply enormous!
The more interesting matches are only bound the be the ones involving Brazil, Italy and Spain. The rest of the teams in the Confederations Cup are just there as well-paid spectators.
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