Liverpool up, Chelsea down

Jurgen Klopp's long-awaited first victory as Liverpool manager came with a 1-3 away win against the defending champions of Chelsea. This will surely put expectations even higher for Liverpool, who looked confident and organized. There is much work to do though, and while I firmly believe that Klopp is the right man to make Liverpool better over the next year, I do not believe in immediate short term success.
As deserved as Liverpool's victory was though, one can only look in wonder at Chelsea and Jose Mourinho. Last season's awesome champions are a shadow of themselves. This was their third home defeat this season, and their third defeat in a week. It is not just that they are losing, but that they are playing dreadful! The commonly strong defense looks insecure and slow (Christian Benteke's third goal for Liverpool was an example of this), while players such as Eden Hazard, John Terry or Diego Costa, who were so strong last season, seem reduced to second-rate players.
Everyone is perplexed (if not a certain "Schadenfreude" at Chelsea). But the one who seems most perplexed is Jose Mourinho, whose normal arrogant confident makes him seem more and more like a man who does not have what it takes to lift his team from below. Perhaps he has been too long at the top, and this should be a test of whether he really is one of the greatest manager in the world.
Rumours of Mourinho being fired abound, although he seems to have the support of the fans and the players. But in Chelsea only Roman Abramovich decides, and he may not have patience with Mourinho, as he has never had patience with any managers. At the same time, this is his most winning coach ever, and it is not clear that there is anyone at his level to replace him.
So expect the Chelsea struggle to continue...

Top-ten reasons for Mourinho leaving Chelsea

And just as I am starting to read football news again, a bomb-shell falls in the world of football news: José Mourinho, undoubtedly one of the best but also controversial coaches in the world, is leaving Chelsea, whom he made double Champions after almost 50 years, FA cup winners and League Cup winners. There has been talk of disagreements between José Mourinho and Chelsea-owner Abramovich, and disappointment at the late performance of the team. However, I have my top-10 reasons for Mourinho leaving Chelsea.

10. “Abramovich never lets me try out his cool mini-sub”

9. José Mourinho still refused to be re-dubbed Josef Mourinovitch…

8. His text-messaging bill was swallowing up his entire salary.

7. “I can always retire to a more quiet life of becoming coach of a national team like the Portuguese.”

6. “I want another striker or I will tell my Mommy…!!!!”

5. “Why does Princess Diana still get all the attention!?”

4. There are plenty of billionaires buying second-rate teams that Mourinho may make champions with just buying players and no coaching.

3. Portuguese haircuts just never caught on in London.

2. It was lonely for him to be the only super-star in the club.

1. God needed a coach for his team, and Mourinho was the most able candidate.

Top 10 coolest football people pf 2005

I have before made a top 10 of coolest football personalities of the year. This category is about people, or groups of people, whom I have found have brought positive attention upon themselves in the World of football:

• 10) Gambia fans: I have to include these on the list due to the stupid stunt the made during the U-17 World Cup in Peru in September: they pretended to have engine problems in a plane, in order to catch a match with their national team. It was stupid, but worthy of a high degree of football fanaticism.

• 9) Liverpool fans: They were great, and deserved the victory they were given this year with their Champions League triumph.

• 8) Real Madrid fans: A lot of people will be smiling, knowing my antipathy towards Real Madrid. However, I feel the fans of this team deserve to be on the list due to the display of fairness they showed when Real Madrid lost 3-0 to Barcelona at home in November. The fans simply clapped of Barcelona, in admiration of the amazing football display they had been witness to. Not many fans in the world would do that.

• 7) Roman Abramovich: The billionaire owner of Chelsea belongs here, because he is a huge football fan. He has done what I would do if I was a billionaire: buy a team, get some great players, the best coach, and try to win everything!

• 6) Diego Maradona: I have long admired Maradona. He is the main reason I started watching football as I was a child in Argentina. Therefore, I was always sad to see how he was going down the drain. But this year it seems Mr. Maradonahas gotten his act together: he hosts a popular TV show and seems fit. This is probably the greatest battle he will ever win!

• 5) Rafa Benitez: The Liverpool coach had made Valencia UEFA and domestic champions in 2004. That was apparently not enough for Valencia's leadership to make him stay. But Mr. Benitez took the offer from Liverpool, and in 2005 they have been one of the best teams of the year, notably with their Champions League triumph in Istambul.

• 4) Jose Mourinho: Mr. Mourinho is arrogant indeed. But he is has a reason to be: he is an amazing coach. At the same time, by his sheer personality, he is taking all the burden off his players, and carrying it all himself. In a world of football, where stars shine shortly, this is very risky, and you have to be a strong personality to do it.
  

• 3) Adrian Mutu: The former Chelsea striker almost ruined his career because of cocaine. I have no doubt he has had to fight his way back to the pitch, but he is indeed back on a strong Juventus side.

• 2) Manchester Fans: My experience with Manchester United fans is very positive, and I have always admired them. This year, they faced the takeover of their team by the media-magnate Mr. Malcolm Glazer. They rightly fear that Mr. Glazer will turn the clud into a money machine, in place of the symbol of the city it is. Although in the end, Mr. Glazer has managed to take over the club, the fans feeble attempts at hindering the takeover were an admirable feat of the fans against the money. At least somebody is trying to show that football belongs to the fans, although this might be a dream long gone...
  

• 1) Rene Temmink: Racism in football continues to be a disgrace. All over the pitches of Europe, racism thrives, as a rotten sympton of sick societies. Although UEFA has made feeble attempts at solving the problem, it just seems to grow. Therefore, it was admirable when a Dutch referee, Mr. Temmink stepped in and stopped a match because of the racist chants by the fans. It is seldom a referee shows such character, and Mr. Temmink is a friend of football, and a decent human being. There seem to be too few of both around in the world these days...

This is my list. I was close to being very arrogant and nominating myself. As usual, I have identified everything with football this year: I ditched a cocktail with a Danish Minister for a football game, and I remember my fight with malaria because of a football game. Although I think people consider me a decent guy, I have concluded that football for me has moved beyond passion, and become an addiction...

Football fanatic of the year nominees 3 and 4

There are some fans I have been waiting to nominate as Football Fanatics of the year for a while now.
Firstly, the owner of Chelsea Mr. Roman Abramovich. I do not know anything of his background - just that he is a Russia oil billionaire, with whatever that entails. What I do know however, is that Mr. Abramovich is a football fanatic of first class. I firmly believe that any football fanatic who had as much money as Mr. Abramovich, would spend them on buying a football team. Certainly I would... - and I would also spend millions and millions on getting the best coaches and players. In the end, I would be sitting on the stands, looking at my team win every week. What a dream!
Secondly, Manchester United fans. I have long admired them, as my experience with them is that you can have a few friendly pints of beer and talk about football with them, even when they are playing my team (something that seems utterly impossible for Arsenal fans to do). Recently, in spite of their futile efforts, they have resisted the takeover of their beloved club by American millionaire Mr. Malcolm Glazer. He is certainly not a football fanatic like Mr. Abramovich. While I am not completely aware of the football implications of this takeover, my instinctive scepticism of big business taking over the dominion of common man, makes me support the Manchester United fans who will suffer the pain of increased ticket prices, as well as a team that will become part of a global business empire. Money rules almost everything, but certainly not the hearts of football fans. Manchester United fans have become a living proof of this.

Bayern Munich-Chelsea

I do not dislike Chelsea at all. I rather admire what Mr. Abramovich has done (if I was a billionaire, first thing I would do was probably to buy a football team), and the team's great capability of changing styles: from attacking, counter-attacking and ultra-defensive. But yesterday evening, I found myself strangely supporting Bayern Munich.

Firstly, it was because in Champs Sports Bar in Accra, where I watched the match, I had to listen all night to the world's most annoying football fan, frantically (and not fanatically) cheering for Chelsea.

Secondly, I found the spirit the Germans put into the match very refreshing. Even when the game, at 1-2, was obviously lost, they kept pushing for the victory, which came, although bittersweet indeed. But again Chelsea showed why they are the favourites for this season's CL title: they were lucky in many situations, but like most great teams, they also search for their luck, and deserve to be where they are.

I look forward to next Chelsea match. Just hope I can avoid the wanna-be annoying fans!

Chelsea-Barcelona

What a game! The two top teams of Europe in the moment did not disappoint! In a great clash, full of drama, intensity, fight, technique, amazing goalkeeping, controversial refereeing and great goals, Chelsea progressed to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, after defeating Barcelona 4-2.
But it could have gone to either side. In the first game, Chelsea had to scramble to avoid a defeat larger than 1-2. At home in Stanford Bridge, an early 3-0 lead did not shake an ever-attacking Barcelona side. A dubious penalty and an amazing goal put them temporarily into the second round. Barcelona continued attacking in the second half, but a great Cech in the Chelsea goal showed why he is presently the world's best goalkeeper. And then, Chelsea captain John Terry made the goal which gave Chelsea a part in the quarterfinals.
Only bad things in the game were the pretty bad defending and the ungraceful behaviour by both coaches after the end of the match. If football is not for gentlemen, Mr. Mourinho and Mr. Riijkaard must be prime examples. But don't mind them...
It will be a joy to see Chelsea in the next round. But it is also sad to see such a great attacking team as Barcelona out of the tournament. I would have preferred a final between these two teams.
Congratulations to all Chelsea fans (foremost the super-football fanatic Mr. Abramovich).