Once upon a time there was a “big three” in Holland’s Eredivisie, consisting of Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord. This trio dominated the league and made the title race an exclusive game to which others were not invited.
Today there is still a “big three” sitting on top of the Dutch football tree. However, the deep financial crisis that has gripped Feyenoord since the first years of the millennium has caused the Rotterdam giants to drop out of the country’s elite. The void left by the Rotterdam club was first filled by AZ Alkmaar, whose rise was bankrolled by banker Dick Scheringa until the owner’s DSB Bank collapsed and AZ sailed close to bankruptcy, just four months after winning the Eredivisie.
One year later there was another entrant to the “big three” as English coach Steve McClaren led Joop Munsterman’s FC Twente to the first title in their history. And so, the Dutch elite is in a state of flux, with the coming of further ambitious owners, such as Merab Jordania (Vitesse) and Frans van Seumeren (Utrecht), determined to barge their way into the reckoning. For the time being however the 2011/12 Eredivisie season seems set to see a fight between Ajax, PSV and Twente, just as last year.
Reigning champions Ajax were defeated 2-1 at the Amsterdam ArenA by Twente in their first official game of this season, the Johan Cruyff Shield (Dutch Super Cup). But despite Frank de Boer’s men failing to hoist the first silverware on offer there was a common consensus that the Amsterdam side dominated the game from beginning to end, registering 16 shots on target to Twente’s two – unfortunately for Ajax, both Twente’s found the back of the net.
Last season De Boer led his men to the title and also reached the Dutch Cup final with a squad comprising at least 18 players from Ajax’s youth academy. But this new era of home-grown talents needs to go one step further according to the legendary Johan Cruyff, who returned to Amsterdam last February in an advisory role. Cruyff is clear: Domestic success is not enough, Ajax’s youngster must be able to compete in Europe, as the club’s great sides of the past have.
In the summer transfer market Ajax have made two masterstrokes, signing midfield maestro Theo Janssen from Twente and Icelandic striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson (15 goals last season) from AZ. The champions have suffered a key loss too though with 2011 Player of the Year Maarten Stekelenburg heading to take up a spot between the sticks for Roma. However, last season’s second choice keeper Kenneth Vermeer has proven himself an able replacement. With rising stars like Christian Eriksen, Vurnon Anita, Lorenzo Ebecilio, Toby Alderweireld, Gregory van der Wiel, Siem de Jong and Nicolai Boilesen, plus new academy product Rodney Sneijder (Wesley Sneijder’s younger brother), boss De Boer can be confident about a successful 2011/12.
Over at last season’s runners-up Twente the arrival of disciplinarian coach Co Adriaanse is the most exciting news for the club’s supporters. Adriaanse is well known in Holland for his attacking philosophy, but even more so for his iron-handed approach to training. Chairman Munsterman has banked on the 64-year-old keeping Twente at the top of the Dutch game just as Steve McClaren and Michel Preud’Homme before him. Twente are expected to be one of the most entertaining teams to watch throughout 2011/12.
In recent years the Tukkers have continued to fight at the top of the Eredivisie despite consistently selling their best players. That trend has halted this summer though – except for the farewell of local icon Theo Janssen to Ajax. With only two uninspiring signings in right back Tim Cornelisse and defensive midfielder Marcell Janssen, Twente will count on their key performers. And if the likes of Luuk de Jong, Nacer Chadli, Bryan Ruiz, Douglas, Nikolay Mihaylov and Wout Brama are in form, Twente have a chance of bringing the title back to Enschede.
Elsewhere in the “big three” PSV Eindhoven are facing a personality crisis, seeming to have lost their identity. During the last two decades the Philips-backed club triumphed on the firm foundation of a strong scouting network which saw talents like Ronaldo, Mark van Bommel, Arjen Robben, Phillip Cocu, Heurelho Gomes, Alex and Jefferson Farfan grace the Eredivisie. This positive cycle, with a scout-develop-win-sell-invest plan, has fallen apart in the last two seasons as PSV regularly failed to qualify for the Champions League. Too few top players were developed as well.
Without an income from the Champions League, PSV were forced to raise money on the transfer market with the aim of building a new competitive team that can challenge for the title. The sales of Hungarian winger Balazs Dzsudzsak (to Anzhi Makhachkala) and Mexican central defender “Maza” Rodriguez (to Stuttgart) have allowed the club to sign vital reinforcements; Belgian winger Dries Mertens, Dutch international Kevin Strootman (both from Utrecht) and the attacking-all-rounder Georginio Wijnaldum (from Feyenoord). PSV still boast experienced players in the likes of Ola Toivonen, Jeremain Lens, Andreas Isaksson and Wilfried Bouma and will be aiming for the new recruits to settle in quickly and a title challenge to be sparked. Indeed, this is the last chance for coach Fred Rutten.
The 2011/12 Dutch Eredivisie campaign should be full of thrills and spills, packed with goals galore and competitive until the end. Yet the “big three” will prove that, just as much as things change, they always stay the same.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
martedì 9 agosto 2011
venerdì 5 agosto 2011
Finnish legend Jari Litmanen still weaving magic
Jari Litmanen’s career is threatening to be a never-ending story. Last April the Finnish football legend signed a one-year deal with current Veikkausliiga champions HJK Helsinki, thereby ushering in his 24th season in the professional game. With the capital city club bossing Finland’s top flight in 2011, in much the same manner as 2010, Litmanen is well on the way to picking up what would be a 21st trophy of his lengthy career.
In 2010 HJK Helsinki proved their strength, bustling to the title and, with only Inter Turku and JJK Jyväskylä putting up any sort of fight this year, history looks likely to repeat itself. Indeed, both Inter Turku and JJK cannot boast half of HJK’s budget, meaning the Helsinki side’s domination could be set in stone.
In his homeland of Finland, Litmanen is accorded a status that no other sportsman who participates in a team sport has reached. As 2004 rolled around, the forward was included in the 100 Greatest Finns of all-time. Then, in 2010, Litmanen became the first Finnish footballer to have a statue erected in his honour – it is located at Kisapuisto (Lahti) where he took his first steps into the game in the 1970s, combining it with another sport, ice hockey (Finland’s national sport). A symbolic date was chosen for the unveiling of the €80,000 monument; 10-10-10 (10th October, 2010).
For Litmanen, being honoured has almost become a daily event. Recently the former Ajax schemer saw his face printed onto a new Sampo Bank credit card that featured some of Finland’s most famous people. Images of Urho Kekkonen (the country’s longest serving president), Lasse Viren (a former Finnish long distance runner who picked up four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics) and Uuno Turhapuro (a Finnish comedy character) all saw their faces receive pride of place with Litmanen. The player’s face will be elsewhere too, as Finnish director and producer Mika Kaurismaki is making a documentary about, in his own words, “the man behind the football god Jari Litmanen”.
Litmanen is one of the few players in the world to have played professionally in four different decades, the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Yet despite being 40 years old, the Finn has yet to write the last word on the book of his international career. Even with 137 caps for his country, the most recent coming against San Marino last December, 21 years and 26 days after his debut, time has not been called on the magic boots just yet. Litmanen also netted a penalty against the international minnows, breaking a record held by Irishman John Aldridge as the oldest goalscorer in a European Championship qualifying game; Aldridge was 39 years and 270 days old. It remains unclear whether and for how long Litmanen might continue to play for Finland. If he chooses to go on, then it will be an unwritten rule that Finland coach Mixu Paatelainen “must” pick him.
However, even a national idol cannot avoid his fair share of criticism and the Finn came under fire when announcing his controversial return to HJK after 20 years. Since Litmanen left Finland in 1992 to join Dutch giants Ajax (he was scouted by Ton Pronk during the Finnish Cup final he won with MyPA 47 against Jaro) the forward has returned to his country’s top flight twice, only to play with Lahti – a club founded in 1986 after a merger between Reipas Lahti, a team for which both Litmanen’s parents played and the man himself turned out for too from 1987 to 1990, and FC Kuusysi. Both sides enjoyed a strong rivalry with Helsinki’s HJK, the peak of the battles with Reipas taking place in the 1960s and 1970s, while Kuusysi chipped in from the early 1980s to mid-1990s.
The bad blood between the teams explains why Litmanen’s decision to sign for HJK was considered a betrayal by some sections of Lahti’s supporters. Litmanen had failed to help Lahti survive, with the club dropping out of last season’s Veikkausliiga and into the second tier, the Ykkonen. The forward still produced a number of memorable moments, including a breath-taking bicycle-kick away to FC Oulu; it was not enough though.
Last January Litmanen turned out for Lahti in the Uusi Lahti Cup – a five-a-side tournament – before joining HJK’s summer camp in Spain, where he demonstrated his fitness to earn a one-year deal. Living in the Estonian capital of Tallinn with his girlfriend Ly Jürgenson, Litmanen revealed that it would have been too hard to travel to Lahti every day to train and Helsinki is closer to his home. These words though were not enough to heal the wounds opened by his move. Last April a group of vandals damaged Litmanen’s statue by burning plastic and other flammable materials underneath it, lighting up the Lahti night.
Litmanen made his professional debut with Reipas on 3rd May, 1987 against Koparit, and is still weaving his magic nearly 25 years later. The forward’s stops have befitted his talent with a move to Ajax yielding a memorable Champions League and Intercontinental Cup. Spanish giants Barcelona, English powerhouses Liverpool, with a spell at another Premier League outfit, Fulham, have been complemented by time at Germany’s Hansa Rostock and Malmo in Sweden. Litmanen’s passion for football shows no sign of dimming and HJK Helsinki may not be the last stop in this supremely naturally talented player’s incredible journey.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
In 2010 HJK Helsinki proved their strength, bustling to the title and, with only Inter Turku and JJK Jyväskylä putting up any sort of fight this year, history looks likely to repeat itself. Indeed, both Inter Turku and JJK cannot boast half of HJK’s budget, meaning the Helsinki side’s domination could be set in stone.
In his homeland of Finland, Litmanen is accorded a status that no other sportsman who participates in a team sport has reached. As 2004 rolled around, the forward was included in the 100 Greatest Finns of all-time. Then, in 2010, Litmanen became the first Finnish footballer to have a statue erected in his honour – it is located at Kisapuisto (Lahti) where he took his first steps into the game in the 1970s, combining it with another sport, ice hockey (Finland’s national sport). A symbolic date was chosen for the unveiling of the €80,000 monument; 10-10-10 (10th October, 2010).
For Litmanen, being honoured has almost become a daily event. Recently the former Ajax schemer saw his face printed onto a new Sampo Bank credit card that featured some of Finland’s most famous people. Images of Urho Kekkonen (the country’s longest serving president), Lasse Viren (a former Finnish long distance runner who picked up four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics) and Uuno Turhapuro (a Finnish comedy character) all saw their faces receive pride of place with Litmanen. The player’s face will be elsewhere too, as Finnish director and producer Mika Kaurismaki is making a documentary about, in his own words, “the man behind the football god Jari Litmanen”.
Litmanen is one of the few players in the world to have played professionally in four different decades, the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Yet despite being 40 years old, the Finn has yet to write the last word on the book of his international career. Even with 137 caps for his country, the most recent coming against San Marino last December, 21 years and 26 days after his debut, time has not been called on the magic boots just yet. Litmanen also netted a penalty against the international minnows, breaking a record held by Irishman John Aldridge as the oldest goalscorer in a European Championship qualifying game; Aldridge was 39 years and 270 days old. It remains unclear whether and for how long Litmanen might continue to play for Finland. If he chooses to go on, then it will be an unwritten rule that Finland coach Mixu Paatelainen “must” pick him.
However, even a national idol cannot avoid his fair share of criticism and the Finn came under fire when announcing his controversial return to HJK after 20 years. Since Litmanen left Finland in 1992 to join Dutch giants Ajax (he was scouted by Ton Pronk during the Finnish Cup final he won with MyPA 47 against Jaro) the forward has returned to his country’s top flight twice, only to play with Lahti – a club founded in 1986 after a merger between Reipas Lahti, a team for which both Litmanen’s parents played and the man himself turned out for too from 1987 to 1990, and FC Kuusysi. Both sides enjoyed a strong rivalry with Helsinki’s HJK, the peak of the battles with Reipas taking place in the 1960s and 1970s, while Kuusysi chipped in from the early 1980s to mid-1990s.
The bad blood between the teams explains why Litmanen’s decision to sign for HJK was considered a betrayal by some sections of Lahti’s supporters. Litmanen had failed to help Lahti survive, with the club dropping out of last season’s Veikkausliiga and into the second tier, the Ykkonen. The forward still produced a number of memorable moments, including a breath-taking bicycle-kick away to FC Oulu; it was not enough though.
Last January Litmanen turned out for Lahti in the Uusi Lahti Cup – a five-a-side tournament – before joining HJK’s summer camp in Spain, where he demonstrated his fitness to earn a one-year deal. Living in the Estonian capital of Tallinn with his girlfriend Ly Jürgenson, Litmanen revealed that it would have been too hard to travel to Lahti every day to train and Helsinki is closer to his home. These words though were not enough to heal the wounds opened by his move. Last April a group of vandals damaged Litmanen’s statue by burning plastic and other flammable materials underneath it, lighting up the Lahti night.
Litmanen made his professional debut with Reipas on 3rd May, 1987 against Koparit, and is still weaving his magic nearly 25 years later. The forward’s stops have befitted his talent with a move to Ajax yielding a memorable Champions League and Intercontinental Cup. Spanish giants Barcelona, English powerhouses Liverpool, with a spell at another Premier League outfit, Fulham, have been complemented by time at Germany’s Hansa Rostock and Malmo in Sweden. Litmanen’s passion for football shows no sign of dimming and HJK Helsinki may not be the last stop in this supremely naturally talented player’s incredible journey.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
giovedì 4 agosto 2011
Bundesliga 2011/12: qualità sostenibile
“Qualità sostenibile”. Lo slogan migliore per la Bundesliga lo ha coniato Klaus Smentek, direttore della rivista kicker, la bibbia del calcio tedesco. “Il calcio in Germania è in pieno boom. Stadi pieni, spettacolo di alto livello ma anche bilanci sani. Il miglior biglietto da visita per entrare nell’era del fair-play finanziario”. Conti in regola ma anche risultati sul campo. La novità più grande della 49esima edizione della Bundesliga riguarda infatti i club che andranno in Champions; non più tre ma quattro, con tanti ringraziamenti all’Italia e alle reiterate figuracce europee dei propri club (milanesi escluse).
Le carte alla nuova stagione, al via venerdì con Borussia Dortmund-Amburgo, le fa Thomas Berthold, ex difensore di Verona e Roma, campione del mondo a Italia 90. “Per ragioni di blasone, e di budget, la squadra favorita non può che essere il Bayern Monaco. Le qualità di Robben, Ribery e Gomez le conosciamo tutti. I dubbi però non mancano, specialmente sulla solidità difensiva. Hanno acquistato Neuer, è vero, ma i centrali sono gli stessi che lo scorso anno vennero ridicolizzati dall’Inter. E l’arrivo di Rafinha dal Genoa non è certamente una bella pubblicità per gli scout del Bayern. In giro per il mondo non c’era niente di meglio di questo brasiliano che nello Schalke 04 non aveva mai brillato per disciplina?”.
Il Borussia Dortmund detentore del titolo ha però perso il miglior giocatore della scorsa Bundesliga, Nuri Sahin, passato al Real Madrid. “Non ne risentiranno molto, perché il tecnico Jürgen Klopp ha dotato la squadra di una precisa identità, capace di prescindere dal singolo giocatore. Anche perché la qualità della rosa del Borussia rimane elevata. Sarà invece più dura per il Bayer Leverkusen, anch’esso impegnato in Champions, convivere con l’assenza di Vidal. La Juventus ha fatto un gran colpo. Il cileno era un giocatore che avrebbe fatto molto comodo al Bayern. Forse per questo se la sono presa così tanto”.
Spazio poi per qualche outsider. “Squadre come Stoccarda, Werder Brema e Amburgo, tutte reduci da un’annata disastrosa, hanno le potenzialità per risollevarsi. Mi intriga soprattutto l’Amburgo targato Chelsea, con il nuovo direttore generale Frank Arnesen che ha portato tanti giovani (tra cui anche l’azzurrino under 19 Jacopo Sala, nda) dal club londinese. Poi c’è lo Schalke, dove un signore che ha vinto tre Champions come Raul gioca accanto al 17enne Draxler. Lui, Götze, Gündoğan, Schürrle e Holtby sono il nuovo che avanza”. Tutti figli della qualità sostenibile targata Bundesliga.
Fonte: Il Giornale
Le carte alla nuova stagione, al via venerdì con Borussia Dortmund-Amburgo, le fa Thomas Berthold, ex difensore di Verona e Roma, campione del mondo a Italia 90. “Per ragioni di blasone, e di budget, la squadra favorita non può che essere il Bayern Monaco. Le qualità di Robben, Ribery e Gomez le conosciamo tutti. I dubbi però non mancano, specialmente sulla solidità difensiva. Hanno acquistato Neuer, è vero, ma i centrali sono gli stessi che lo scorso anno vennero ridicolizzati dall’Inter. E l’arrivo di Rafinha dal Genoa non è certamente una bella pubblicità per gli scout del Bayern. In giro per il mondo non c’era niente di meglio di questo brasiliano che nello Schalke 04 non aveva mai brillato per disciplina?”.
Il Borussia Dortmund detentore del titolo ha però perso il miglior giocatore della scorsa Bundesliga, Nuri Sahin, passato al Real Madrid. “Non ne risentiranno molto, perché il tecnico Jürgen Klopp ha dotato la squadra di una precisa identità, capace di prescindere dal singolo giocatore. Anche perché la qualità della rosa del Borussia rimane elevata. Sarà invece più dura per il Bayer Leverkusen, anch’esso impegnato in Champions, convivere con l’assenza di Vidal. La Juventus ha fatto un gran colpo. Il cileno era un giocatore che avrebbe fatto molto comodo al Bayern. Forse per questo se la sono presa così tanto”.
Spazio poi per qualche outsider. “Squadre come Stoccarda, Werder Brema e Amburgo, tutte reduci da un’annata disastrosa, hanno le potenzialità per risollevarsi. Mi intriga soprattutto l’Amburgo targato Chelsea, con il nuovo direttore generale Frank Arnesen che ha portato tanti giovani (tra cui anche l’azzurrino under 19 Jacopo Sala, nda) dal club londinese. Poi c’è lo Schalke, dove un signore che ha vinto tre Champions come Raul gioca accanto al 17enne Draxler. Lui, Götze, Gündoğan, Schürrle e Holtby sono il nuovo che avanza”. Tutti figli della qualità sostenibile targata Bundesliga.
Fonte: Il Giornale
venerdì 15 luglio 2011
Swiss Super League 2011/12 Season Preview
At the recent UEFA Under-21 Championship in Denmark, Switzerland finished runners-up, losing out only in the final to Spain – and with seven players from the country’s domestic Super League in the starting eleven. This statistic is a clue to the improving nature of Switzerland’s top flight and, especially, the nation’s ability to develop young talent. Rising stars like Xherdan Shaqiri, Admir Mehmedi, Granit Xhaka, Innocent Emeghara and Fabian Frei showed in Denmark that enjoying regular football with Basel, Zurich, Grasshopper and St. Gallen was a wise choice, rather than heading abroad to warm a bench.
The Swiss Super League therefore is the right place to discover hidden footballing treasures, unpolished gems that could burst onto the big stage. Thanks to the return of traditionally large clubs Servette and Lausanne, 2011/12’s Super League looks set to be more competitive than ever. We preview the new season:
Basel
Basel boss Thorsten Fink knows how to win at the death. For the last two years the German has led Switzerland’s richest club to the title in the very last round, pipping Young Boys (in 2010) and Zurich (in 2011) to the post. This season again Basel look favourites and could claim their third title in a row.
Fink has shown that he can mix veteran performers with young talents with skill at St. Jakob Park. The club’s experienced players are best represented by Alexander Frei, a goal-machine few defences in Switzerland are able to stop. Moreover, Basel have a productive youth system that fills, year after year, holes left in the first team by departures to bigger leagues. Goalkeeper Yann
Sommer and midfielder Granit Xhaka are two of the finest in the current crop. At present the only dark cloud on Basel’s horizon is the future of Shaqiri. One of the standout players at the Under-21 Championship, the midfielder has been linked with a move away from the club. If the 19-year-old stays, Basel’s rivals look set to be playing for second place.
Key arrivals: Fabian Frei (St. Gallen – loan return); Radoslav Kovac (West Ham);
Joo-Ho Park (Jubilo Iwata)
Key departures: Franco Costanzo (Olympiacos); Behrang Safari (Anderlecht)
Prediction: 2nd (1st with Shaqiri)
Grasshopper
The good news for Grasshopper is just to be lining up in the 2011/12 Super League. Despite serious financial troubles, coach Ciriaco Sforza managed to keep the show on the road while the board struggled to keep the club alive.
After a poor start, Grasshopper moved away from the bottom of the table and ended last season in seventh. Many new impressive recruits have given fans cause to hope for a better campaign this time around, with an eye even cast upwards to a European spot. Striker Innocent Emeghara is expected to continue to develop and lead the team to a much improved season.
Key arrivals: Daniel de Ridder (Wigan); Frank Feltscher (Bellinzona); Iacopo La
Rocca (Bellinzona); João Paiva (Luzern)
Key departures: Milan Gajic (Zurich); Vincenzo Rennella (Cesena)
Prediction: 5th
Lausanne
Challenge League (Switzerland’s second tier) champions, Lausanne hit the headlines in pre-season for their marketing strategy, as they signed deals with two main sponsors (a bank and a supermarket) and opted to switch shirts at half-time.
The club lost two key players in the transfer window, forward Carlos Silvio and Brazilian midfielder Rodrigo Tosi. Consistency and hard work were Lausanne’s strongest attributes last season and coach Martin Rueda hopes this can continue against even better opponents in the top flight. Experienced goalkeeper Fabio Coltorti could be crucial in helping the team to survive – their task looks tough
though.
Key arrivals: Fabio Coltorti (Racing Santander); Frédéric Page (Nuechatel Xamax)
Key departures: Carlos Silvio (Union Berlin); Rodrigo Tosi (Tractor Sazi Tabriz)
Prediction: 10th
Luzern
Luzern have ordered new manager Murat Yakin to instil consistency in the team and aim for Europe after a rollercoaster campaign last season – Luzern topped the table as the winter break arrived, before suffering a slump and ending sixth.
Yakin can count on his younger brother Hakan, who remains the most talented player in Luzern’s ranks and one the best passers in the Super League; despite often seeming to operate in slow motion. The main beneficiary of Yakin’s creativity will be Romanian forward Christian Ianu, fully recovered from a bad leg injury that ruled him out of much of the 2010/11 campaign.
Key arrivals: Xavier Hochstrasser (Padova); Jérôme Thiesson (Bellinzona)
Key departures: João Paiva (Grasshopper); Dusan Veskovac (Young Boys)
Prediction: 6th
Neuchatel Xamax
Neuchatel Xamax come into the season under new ownership, led by the controversial Chechen Bulat Chagaev (last May the broadcaster Teleticino reported that the owner had stepped into the dressing room at half time in the Swiss Cup final shouting “I’ll kill you all” to the players, who were two goals down against Sion).
Despite the billionaire businessman stating he has great ambitions for the club, the team does not look much stronger than last year’s outfit; last season Neuchatel only avoided relegation in the last round of games. This season looks set to be another struggle to survive, with new boss Francois Ciccolini (Monaco’s former Under-19s coach), under pressure from almost the first match.
Key arrivals: Logan Bailly (Borussia Mönchengladbach); David Navarro (Valencia);
Victor Sanchez (Getafe)
Key departures: Raphaël Nuzzolo (Young Boys)
Prediction: 8th
Servette
The Geneva-based outfit is the second most successful Swiss side behind Grasshopper. Servette ended their season just one month ago, defeating Bellinzona in a playoff to return to the Super League for the first time since being declared bankrupt in 2005.
Chairman Majid Pishyar, an Iranian businessman, kept the promise he made upon becoming owner of the side. “I’ll take Servette back to where they belong”, said Pishyar. Now he must keep them up. The lack of new recruits should not worry Portuguese coach Joao Alves, as his team looks to have enough talent, with Brazilian free-kick master Marcos de Azevedo, left winger Matias Vitkieviez and striker Julian Esteban arguably too good even for the Super League.
Key arrivals: Issaga Diallo (Locarno)
Key departures: None
Prediction: 7th
Sion
Step by step, the ambitious and volcanic Sion president Christian Constantin is building a team able to compete with the Swiss giants. After a satisfying 2010/11 season, in which the club won their twelfth Swiss Cup and ended the Super League with the tightest defence, Sion are ready to improve again.
And it appears Constantin has learnt from his mistakes. In recent years the president brought big names to the club, such as Essam El-Hadary, Emile Mpenza and Olivier Monterrubio, but the average quality of the side at the Stade Tourbillon was poor. Things are different now, with former international stars like Gabri and Pascal Feindouno, who have joined a team full of solid performers, boasting Giovanni Sio, Michael Dingsdag, George Ogararu and Andris Vanins. Sion can make a splash this season.
Key arrivals: Guilherme Afonso (Lugano); Pascal Feindouno (Monaco); Gabri
(Umm-Salal); Mario Mutsch (Metz)
Key departures: None
Prediction: 3rd
Thun
In the last two seasons Thun’s star was coach Murat Yakin, who first led the club to promotion and then to a comfortable mid-table finish in the Super League. New boss Bernard Challandes has a difficult task to follow, with the aim of transforming Thun into a team able to cement a mid-table spot as quickly as
possible.
There are high expectations surrounding the return of Mario Lustrinelli, who was the star of the greatest team in the club’s history that, in 2005, reached the group stages of the Champions League. Last season, Lustrinelli’s goals were not enough to save Bellinzona, but at 35 years old the striker has still proven himself capable of taking enough chances to help Thun survive.
Key arrivals: Mauro Lustrinelli (Bellinzona); Christian Schneuwly (Young Boys)
Key departures: Timm Klose (Nurnberg); Nick Proschwitz (Paderborn); Ifet
Taljevic (released)
Prediction: 9th
Young Boys
Young Boys are aiming for a first title since 1986 and chosen to make real the dream is Christian Gross. The former Tottenham Hotspur manager dominated the last decade in Swiss football, winning four championships, four cups and mounting a fairytale run in the Champions League in 2002. It therefore came as little surprise to see Young Boys turn to Gross to replace Vlado Petkovic,
sacked after failing last season.
The club have been busy in the transfer window as they attempt to bridge the gap between themselves and reigning champions Basel. Standing out above all others though is starlet Nassim Ben Khalifa. Voted best player at the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, Ben Khalifa returns from a disappointing time in Germany, where he warmed the bench for both Wolfsburg and Nurnberg.
There are great expectations too surrounding Danish midfielder Alexander Farnerud, who had a superb impact in Swiss football upon arriving last January from Brondby. Young Boys are undoubtedly Basel’s main opposition for the title.
Key arrivals: Nassim Ben Khalifa (Nurnberg); Raphaël Nuzzolo (Neuchatel Xamax);
Michael Silberbauer (Utrecht); Dusan Veskovac (Luzern)
Key departures: Thierry Doubaï (Udinese); Senad Lulic (Lazio); Christian
Schneuwly (Thun)
Prediction: 1st
Zurich
Last season Zurich were surprisingly in the title race until the very last round. The main reason the side could not hit the target was the real lack of a prolific goalscorer. This problem, Zurich hope, will be solved by Admir Mehmedi, who shone at the recent Under-21 Championship and is expected to enjoy a breakthrough season.
Alongside Mehmedi, coach Urs Fischer can count on experienced performers like right back Philippe Koch, playmaker Xavier Margairaz and all-round midfielder Dusan Djuric. Whether this is enough of an improvement to win the title is open to question; Zurich will give it their all though.
Key arrivals: Milan Gajic (Grasshopper)
Key departures: None
Prediction: 4th
Fonte: Inside Futbol
The Swiss Super League therefore is the right place to discover hidden footballing treasures, unpolished gems that could burst onto the big stage. Thanks to the return of traditionally large clubs Servette and Lausanne, 2011/12’s Super League looks set to be more competitive than ever. We preview the new season:
Basel
Basel boss Thorsten Fink knows how to win at the death. For the last two years the German has led Switzerland’s richest club to the title in the very last round, pipping Young Boys (in 2010) and Zurich (in 2011) to the post. This season again Basel look favourites and could claim their third title in a row.
Fink has shown that he can mix veteran performers with young talents with skill at St. Jakob Park. The club’s experienced players are best represented by Alexander Frei, a goal-machine few defences in Switzerland are able to stop. Moreover, Basel have a productive youth system that fills, year after year, holes left in the first team by departures to bigger leagues. Goalkeeper Yann
Sommer and midfielder Granit Xhaka are two of the finest in the current crop. At present the only dark cloud on Basel’s horizon is the future of Shaqiri. One of the standout players at the Under-21 Championship, the midfielder has been linked with a move away from the club. If the 19-year-old stays, Basel’s rivals look set to be playing for second place.
Key arrivals: Fabian Frei (St. Gallen – loan return); Radoslav Kovac (West Ham);
Joo-Ho Park (Jubilo Iwata)
Key departures: Franco Costanzo (Olympiacos); Behrang Safari (Anderlecht)
Prediction: 2nd (1st with Shaqiri)
Grasshopper
The good news for Grasshopper is just to be lining up in the 2011/12 Super League. Despite serious financial troubles, coach Ciriaco Sforza managed to keep the show on the road while the board struggled to keep the club alive.
After a poor start, Grasshopper moved away from the bottom of the table and ended last season in seventh. Many new impressive recruits have given fans cause to hope for a better campaign this time around, with an eye even cast upwards to a European spot. Striker Innocent Emeghara is expected to continue to develop and lead the team to a much improved season.
Key arrivals: Daniel de Ridder (Wigan); Frank Feltscher (Bellinzona); Iacopo La
Rocca (Bellinzona); João Paiva (Luzern)
Key departures: Milan Gajic (Zurich); Vincenzo Rennella (Cesena)
Prediction: 5th
Lausanne
Challenge League (Switzerland’s second tier) champions, Lausanne hit the headlines in pre-season for their marketing strategy, as they signed deals with two main sponsors (a bank and a supermarket) and opted to switch shirts at half-time.
The club lost two key players in the transfer window, forward Carlos Silvio and Brazilian midfielder Rodrigo Tosi. Consistency and hard work were Lausanne’s strongest attributes last season and coach Martin Rueda hopes this can continue against even better opponents in the top flight. Experienced goalkeeper Fabio Coltorti could be crucial in helping the team to survive – their task looks tough
though.
Key arrivals: Fabio Coltorti (Racing Santander); Frédéric Page (Nuechatel Xamax)
Key departures: Carlos Silvio (Union Berlin); Rodrigo Tosi (Tractor Sazi Tabriz)
Prediction: 10th
Luzern
Luzern have ordered new manager Murat Yakin to instil consistency in the team and aim for Europe after a rollercoaster campaign last season – Luzern topped the table as the winter break arrived, before suffering a slump and ending sixth.
Yakin can count on his younger brother Hakan, who remains the most talented player in Luzern’s ranks and one the best passers in the Super League; despite often seeming to operate in slow motion. The main beneficiary of Yakin’s creativity will be Romanian forward Christian Ianu, fully recovered from a bad leg injury that ruled him out of much of the 2010/11 campaign.
Key arrivals: Xavier Hochstrasser (Padova); Jérôme Thiesson (Bellinzona)
Key departures: João Paiva (Grasshopper); Dusan Veskovac (Young Boys)
Prediction: 6th
Neuchatel Xamax
Neuchatel Xamax come into the season under new ownership, led by the controversial Chechen Bulat Chagaev (last May the broadcaster Teleticino reported that the owner had stepped into the dressing room at half time in the Swiss Cup final shouting “I’ll kill you all” to the players, who were two goals down against Sion).
Despite the billionaire businessman stating he has great ambitions for the club, the team does not look much stronger than last year’s outfit; last season Neuchatel only avoided relegation in the last round of games. This season looks set to be another struggle to survive, with new boss Francois Ciccolini (Monaco’s former Under-19s coach), under pressure from almost the first match.
Key arrivals: Logan Bailly (Borussia Mönchengladbach); David Navarro (Valencia);
Victor Sanchez (Getafe)
Key departures: Raphaël Nuzzolo (Young Boys)
Prediction: 8th
Servette
The Geneva-based outfit is the second most successful Swiss side behind Grasshopper. Servette ended their season just one month ago, defeating Bellinzona in a playoff to return to the Super League for the first time since being declared bankrupt in 2005.
Chairman Majid Pishyar, an Iranian businessman, kept the promise he made upon becoming owner of the side. “I’ll take Servette back to where they belong”, said Pishyar. Now he must keep them up. The lack of new recruits should not worry Portuguese coach Joao Alves, as his team looks to have enough talent, with Brazilian free-kick master Marcos de Azevedo, left winger Matias Vitkieviez and striker Julian Esteban arguably too good even for the Super League.
Key arrivals: Issaga Diallo (Locarno)
Key departures: None
Prediction: 7th
Sion
Step by step, the ambitious and volcanic Sion president Christian Constantin is building a team able to compete with the Swiss giants. After a satisfying 2010/11 season, in which the club won their twelfth Swiss Cup and ended the Super League with the tightest defence, Sion are ready to improve again.
And it appears Constantin has learnt from his mistakes. In recent years the president brought big names to the club, such as Essam El-Hadary, Emile Mpenza and Olivier Monterrubio, but the average quality of the side at the Stade Tourbillon was poor. Things are different now, with former international stars like Gabri and Pascal Feindouno, who have joined a team full of solid performers, boasting Giovanni Sio, Michael Dingsdag, George Ogararu and Andris Vanins. Sion can make a splash this season.
Key arrivals: Guilherme Afonso (Lugano); Pascal Feindouno (Monaco); Gabri
(Umm-Salal); Mario Mutsch (Metz)
Key departures: None
Prediction: 3rd
Thun
In the last two seasons Thun’s star was coach Murat Yakin, who first led the club to promotion and then to a comfortable mid-table finish in the Super League. New boss Bernard Challandes has a difficult task to follow, with the aim of transforming Thun into a team able to cement a mid-table spot as quickly as
possible.
There are high expectations surrounding the return of Mario Lustrinelli, who was the star of the greatest team in the club’s history that, in 2005, reached the group stages of the Champions League. Last season, Lustrinelli’s goals were not enough to save Bellinzona, but at 35 years old the striker has still proven himself capable of taking enough chances to help Thun survive.
Key arrivals: Mauro Lustrinelli (Bellinzona); Christian Schneuwly (Young Boys)
Key departures: Timm Klose (Nurnberg); Nick Proschwitz (Paderborn); Ifet
Taljevic (released)
Prediction: 9th
Young Boys
Young Boys are aiming for a first title since 1986 and chosen to make real the dream is Christian Gross. The former Tottenham Hotspur manager dominated the last decade in Swiss football, winning four championships, four cups and mounting a fairytale run in the Champions League in 2002. It therefore came as little surprise to see Young Boys turn to Gross to replace Vlado Petkovic,
sacked after failing last season.
The club have been busy in the transfer window as they attempt to bridge the gap between themselves and reigning champions Basel. Standing out above all others though is starlet Nassim Ben Khalifa. Voted best player at the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, Ben Khalifa returns from a disappointing time in Germany, where he warmed the bench for both Wolfsburg and Nurnberg.
There are great expectations too surrounding Danish midfielder Alexander Farnerud, who had a superb impact in Swiss football upon arriving last January from Brondby. Young Boys are undoubtedly Basel’s main opposition for the title.
Key arrivals: Nassim Ben Khalifa (Nurnberg); Raphaël Nuzzolo (Neuchatel Xamax);
Michael Silberbauer (Utrecht); Dusan Veskovac (Luzern)
Key departures: Thierry Doubaï (Udinese); Senad Lulic (Lazio); Christian
Schneuwly (Thun)
Prediction: 1st
Zurich
Last season Zurich were surprisingly in the title race until the very last round. The main reason the side could not hit the target was the real lack of a prolific goalscorer. This problem, Zurich hope, will be solved by Admir Mehmedi, who shone at the recent Under-21 Championship and is expected to enjoy a breakthrough season.
Alongside Mehmedi, coach Urs Fischer can count on experienced performers like right back Philippe Koch, playmaker Xavier Margairaz and all-round midfielder Dusan Djuric. Whether this is enough of an improvement to win the title is open to question; Zurich will give it their all though.
Key arrivals: Milan Gajic (Grasshopper)
Key departures: None
Prediction: 4th
Fonte: Inside Futbol
venerdì 8 luglio 2011
Il fantasma di White Heart Lane
Prima di Roy Makaay, un altro “Fantasma” si aggirava sui campi d’Europa. Accadeva nei primi anni Sessanta, quando John White e il suo Tottenham Hotspur dettavano legge in patria, riuscendo anche a mettere in bacheca un trofeo internazionale di prestigio. White era ribattezzato “The Ghost” perché in campo correva talmente tanto da sembrare in grado di “materializzarsi” sempre nei pressi del compagno in possesso del pallone per ricevere il passaggio. Un giocatore che ragionava in termini di spazio ben prima che Johan Cruijff, il suo Ajax e la sua Olanda mettessero questo concetto alla base di una delle ultime grandi rivoluzioni nel mondo del calcio. Avrebbe potuto diventare un grandissimo, John White da Musselburgh, paese a una manciata di chilometri a est di Edimburgo. Lo ha tradito un destino crudele e la passione viscerale per una delle più innocue discipline sportive conosciute: il golf.
Non promettono niente di buono i nembi color grigio scuro che la mattina del 21 luglio 1964 si profilano all’orizzonte sui campi da gioco del golf club di Crews Hill, Enfield, sobborgo metropolitano a nord di Londra. Pioverà cani e gatti, così dicono gli inglesi quando si aspettano acqua a catinelle. White però non ha voglia di rientrare subito. Ancora un tiro, dice. Vuole completare la buca. Magari sarà un birdie, oppure addirittura un eagle, o forse dovrà accontentarsi del par; nessuno lo saprà mai, perché inizia a diluviare. White tenta di trovare un riparo sotto un albero, ma viene colpito da un fulmine. Muore sul colpo. Ha 27 anni, lascia una moglie – Sandra, figlia dell’allenatore in seconda degli Spurs Harry Evans – e due figli piccoli. In realtà il numero corretto dei suoi bambini è tre, ma dell’esistenza di Stephen Roughead-White, concepito da John nel cui periodo in cui prestava servizio militare a Berwick nel KOSB (King's Own Scottish Borderers, divisione di fanteria dell’esercito britannico, sezione scozzese), si verrà a sapere solo quarant’anni dopo.
White viene acquistato dal Tottenham nell’estate del 1959 per 22mila sterline, nonostante il manager degli Spurs Bill Nicholson non fosse rimasto particolarmente impressionato dal ragazzo quando lo vide all’opera nel Falkirk. “Troppo magro, non reggerà a lungo i ritmi e la fisicità del nostro campionato”. Lo convincono Dave Mackay, compagno di squadra del ragazzo in nazionale, e la notizia che durante il periodo nel KOSB White era uno dei più forti corridori di corsa campestre di tutto il paese. In poco più di dodici mesi uno dei talenti più promettenti del calcio britannico passa così dalla seconda divisione scozzese, nella quale aveva vestito per tre anni la maglia a strisce giallo-nere dell’Alloa Athletics, alla First Division inglese. A Londra White trova un Tottenham reduce da un disastroso piazzamento al 18esimo posto (il campionato era a 22 squadre) dopo aver perso nel corso della stagione il tecnico Jimmy Anderson per problemi di salute. Lo aveva sostituito Nicholson, che dopo aver debuttato con un roboante 10-4 ai danni dell’Everton non era riuscito a mantenere elevato il livello di prestazioni della squadra, rapidamente eclissatasi nella mediocrità. Un inizio davvero poco memorabile per colui che sarebbe diventato uno degli allenatori più longevi e vincenti di sempre nella storia degli Spurs.
Oggi White sarebbe definito un calciatore totale, di quelli che riescono ad offrire un rendimento elevato in qualsiasi posizione del campo vengono schierati. Lui inizia come interno sinistro di centrocampo, poi passa all’ala destra per terminare, nella stagione del double campionato-FA Cup, interno destro. Da lì non si sposta più. Lo scozzese garantisce corsa, dinamismo, visione di gioco, creatività, profondità e un’ottima capacità di calcio con entrambi i piedi. La sua stagione d’esordio si chiude con un bottino di 28 presenze e 5 reti, unito alla soddisfazione di far parte dell’undici titolare che nel replay del quarto turno di FA Cup travolge 13-2 il Crewe Alexandra, stabilendo il primato (tutt’oggi imbattuto) della più larga vittoria di sempre degli Spurs. L’anno successivo è già tempo di double: il campionato viene vinto con 8 punti di vantaggio sullo Sheffield Wednesday, mentre nella finale di FA Cup gli Spurs, pur favoriti, devono sudare parecchio per piegare il Leicester City di Gordon Banks, rimasto oltretutto in dieci dalla metà del primo tempo per l’infortunio di Len Chalmers (all’epoca non erano consentite sostituzioni). Terzo club a centrare la doppietta dopo Preston North End (1889) e Aston Villa (1897), il Tottenham è la squadra dello scozzese Dave Mackay, polmoni d’acciaio e grinta da vendere; del nordirlandese Danny Blanchflower, capitano della squadra, fonte primaria del gioco degli Spurs, mirabile dispensatore di assist e giocate di classe; dell’ariete Bobby Smith, 176 reti con i londinesi; e ovviamente di John “The Ghost” White, l’uomo-ovunque.
Nicholson rinforza ulteriormente la squadra nella stagione successiva con l’acquisto dal Milan di Jimmy Greaves, ex bomber del Chelsea che a Milano aveva impiegato poche settimane per pentirsi di aver lasciato Londra. Oltretutto il feeling con il tecnico Nereo Rocco, ma anche con al dirigenza rossonera, non decollava, e pertanto alla prima occasione il bomber fa le valigie e torna a casa. Nicholson versa nelle casse del Milan 99.999 sterline perché non vuole che “Greaves senta la pressione di essere un giocatore da 100mila sterline”. Il bis però arriva solo in FA Cup (3-1 al Burnley in finale), mentre in campionato è l’Ipswich Town di Alf Ramsey ad aggiudicarsi la volata finale. Una delusione per gli Spurs che si somma a quella dell’eliminazione in semifinale di Coppa dei Campioni contro il Benefica: i lusitani vincono 3-1 a Lisbona e passano in vantaggio anche a White Heart Lane, salvo poi subire il furioso ritorno dei padroni di casa. A pochi minuti dalla fine però i sogni del Tottenham di andare al replay si infrangono sulla traversa colpita da Mackay. Finisce 2-1. White e compagni devono però attendere poco più di dodici mesi per diventare la prima squadra inglese a vincere in Europea. Il 15 maggio 1963 al De Kuip di Rotterdam gli Spurs travolgono 5-1 l’Atletico Madrid nella finale di Coppa delle Coppe. La rete del raddoppio la firma White, con un sinistro chirurgico che passa attraverso una selva di gambe prima di insaccarsi in rete.
“White era un grande talento”, ricorda il compagno di squadra Cliff Jones. “Potrei paragonarlo a Glenn Hoddle, con la differenza che John non aveva giornate storte nelle quali non riusciva a entrare in partita. La sua filosofia era semplice: se non hai la palla, mettiti nel posto giusto per riceverla. E andava proprio così: ogni volta che alzavi la testa, vedevi John White pronto a dettare il passaggio”. Nel corso della sua carriera con gli Spurs, White ha totalizzato 183 presenze e 40 reti in campionato, più 17 (con 6 gol) nelle coppe europee. Con lui la squadra ha centrato due terzi posti, un primo, un secondo e un quarto. Poi è arrivato quell’incidente tanto assurdo quanto inaspettato…
Fonte: Guerin Sportivo
Non promettono niente di buono i nembi color grigio scuro che la mattina del 21 luglio 1964 si profilano all’orizzonte sui campi da gioco del golf club di Crews Hill, Enfield, sobborgo metropolitano a nord di Londra. Pioverà cani e gatti, così dicono gli inglesi quando si aspettano acqua a catinelle. White però non ha voglia di rientrare subito. Ancora un tiro, dice. Vuole completare la buca. Magari sarà un birdie, oppure addirittura un eagle, o forse dovrà accontentarsi del par; nessuno lo saprà mai, perché inizia a diluviare. White tenta di trovare un riparo sotto un albero, ma viene colpito da un fulmine. Muore sul colpo. Ha 27 anni, lascia una moglie – Sandra, figlia dell’allenatore in seconda degli Spurs Harry Evans – e due figli piccoli. In realtà il numero corretto dei suoi bambini è tre, ma dell’esistenza di Stephen Roughead-White, concepito da John nel cui periodo in cui prestava servizio militare a Berwick nel KOSB (King's Own Scottish Borderers, divisione di fanteria dell’esercito britannico, sezione scozzese), si verrà a sapere solo quarant’anni dopo.
White viene acquistato dal Tottenham nell’estate del 1959 per 22mila sterline, nonostante il manager degli Spurs Bill Nicholson non fosse rimasto particolarmente impressionato dal ragazzo quando lo vide all’opera nel Falkirk. “Troppo magro, non reggerà a lungo i ritmi e la fisicità del nostro campionato”. Lo convincono Dave Mackay, compagno di squadra del ragazzo in nazionale, e la notizia che durante il periodo nel KOSB White era uno dei più forti corridori di corsa campestre di tutto il paese. In poco più di dodici mesi uno dei talenti più promettenti del calcio britannico passa così dalla seconda divisione scozzese, nella quale aveva vestito per tre anni la maglia a strisce giallo-nere dell’Alloa Athletics, alla First Division inglese. A Londra White trova un Tottenham reduce da un disastroso piazzamento al 18esimo posto (il campionato era a 22 squadre) dopo aver perso nel corso della stagione il tecnico Jimmy Anderson per problemi di salute. Lo aveva sostituito Nicholson, che dopo aver debuttato con un roboante 10-4 ai danni dell’Everton non era riuscito a mantenere elevato il livello di prestazioni della squadra, rapidamente eclissatasi nella mediocrità. Un inizio davvero poco memorabile per colui che sarebbe diventato uno degli allenatori più longevi e vincenti di sempre nella storia degli Spurs.
Oggi White sarebbe definito un calciatore totale, di quelli che riescono ad offrire un rendimento elevato in qualsiasi posizione del campo vengono schierati. Lui inizia come interno sinistro di centrocampo, poi passa all’ala destra per terminare, nella stagione del double campionato-FA Cup, interno destro. Da lì non si sposta più. Lo scozzese garantisce corsa, dinamismo, visione di gioco, creatività, profondità e un’ottima capacità di calcio con entrambi i piedi. La sua stagione d’esordio si chiude con un bottino di 28 presenze e 5 reti, unito alla soddisfazione di far parte dell’undici titolare che nel replay del quarto turno di FA Cup travolge 13-2 il Crewe Alexandra, stabilendo il primato (tutt’oggi imbattuto) della più larga vittoria di sempre degli Spurs. L’anno successivo è già tempo di double: il campionato viene vinto con 8 punti di vantaggio sullo Sheffield Wednesday, mentre nella finale di FA Cup gli Spurs, pur favoriti, devono sudare parecchio per piegare il Leicester City di Gordon Banks, rimasto oltretutto in dieci dalla metà del primo tempo per l’infortunio di Len Chalmers (all’epoca non erano consentite sostituzioni). Terzo club a centrare la doppietta dopo Preston North End (1889) e Aston Villa (1897), il Tottenham è la squadra dello scozzese Dave Mackay, polmoni d’acciaio e grinta da vendere; del nordirlandese Danny Blanchflower, capitano della squadra, fonte primaria del gioco degli Spurs, mirabile dispensatore di assist e giocate di classe; dell’ariete Bobby Smith, 176 reti con i londinesi; e ovviamente di John “The Ghost” White, l’uomo-ovunque.
Nicholson rinforza ulteriormente la squadra nella stagione successiva con l’acquisto dal Milan di Jimmy Greaves, ex bomber del Chelsea che a Milano aveva impiegato poche settimane per pentirsi di aver lasciato Londra. Oltretutto il feeling con il tecnico Nereo Rocco, ma anche con al dirigenza rossonera, non decollava, e pertanto alla prima occasione il bomber fa le valigie e torna a casa. Nicholson versa nelle casse del Milan 99.999 sterline perché non vuole che “Greaves senta la pressione di essere un giocatore da 100mila sterline”. Il bis però arriva solo in FA Cup (3-1 al Burnley in finale), mentre in campionato è l’Ipswich Town di Alf Ramsey ad aggiudicarsi la volata finale. Una delusione per gli Spurs che si somma a quella dell’eliminazione in semifinale di Coppa dei Campioni contro il Benefica: i lusitani vincono 3-1 a Lisbona e passano in vantaggio anche a White Heart Lane, salvo poi subire il furioso ritorno dei padroni di casa. A pochi minuti dalla fine però i sogni del Tottenham di andare al replay si infrangono sulla traversa colpita da Mackay. Finisce 2-1. White e compagni devono però attendere poco più di dodici mesi per diventare la prima squadra inglese a vincere in Europea. Il 15 maggio 1963 al De Kuip di Rotterdam gli Spurs travolgono 5-1 l’Atletico Madrid nella finale di Coppa delle Coppe. La rete del raddoppio la firma White, con un sinistro chirurgico che passa attraverso una selva di gambe prima di insaccarsi in rete.
“White era un grande talento”, ricorda il compagno di squadra Cliff Jones. “Potrei paragonarlo a Glenn Hoddle, con la differenza che John non aveva giornate storte nelle quali non riusciva a entrare in partita. La sua filosofia era semplice: se non hai la palla, mettiti nel posto giusto per riceverla. E andava proprio così: ogni volta che alzavi la testa, vedevi John White pronto a dettare il passaggio”. Nel corso della sua carriera con gli Spurs, White ha totalizzato 183 presenze e 40 reti in campionato, più 17 (con 6 gol) nelle coppe europee. Con lui la squadra ha centrato due terzi posti, un primo, un secondo e un quarto. Poi è arrivato quell’incidente tanto assurdo quanto inaspettato…
Fonte: Guerin Sportivo
giovedì 7 luglio 2011
Man Utd legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes waves at Molde
It is often said that there is no place like home. And perhaps this is truer nowhere more so than in management, where patience and the support of a partisan crowd are often crucial for a rookie boss. This is something to which Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can easily attest.
Last January the former Manchester United striker left the Red Devils, ending a 14-year association to take up the job of head coach with Norwegian Tippeligaen outfit Molde. Widely known as “the city of roses” due to its thriving and lush rose gardens, Molde is where Solskjaer began his initial trek towards stardom, representing the club for the first two seasons of his professional career. 31 goals in 42 games secured a dream transfer to Old Trafford as Manchester United paid £1.5M for the, at the time, almost unknown striker on 29th July, 1996. 15 years later, Solskjaer has gone back to his roots.
Solskjaer’s introduction to the dugout was far from easy, with Molde heavily beaten (3-0) by newly promoted Sarpsborg 08. Little by little however, the new coach has been able to put his side back on the right track, instilling his philosophy – an attacking attitude mixed with consistency and a winning mentality.
A lack of cautiousness had cost Molde the title in 2009 despite the team playing the best football in the Tippeligaen and in 2010 the club’s results were too up and down to avoid a disappointing mid-table finish. The troubled season was summed up by a 3-3 draw grabbed by Lillestrom at the Arke Stadium after Molde had amazingly led 3-0 heading into injury time.
One of Solskjaer’s main aims at Molde has been to help the club rediscover the superb football last played two years ago – but this time without falling away at the business end of the season. It is a mission that is half-accomplished, with MFK currently leading the league after 15 games, three points ahead of Tromso and Alesund at the time of writing, albeit having played two matches more than the first. A 2-0 win over Sogndal on 19th June put Molde top of the Tippeligaen pile on the same day as the club’s 100-year anniversary was celebrated. And momentum has not been lost. In their last two outings, Solskjaer’s men proved once again that they must be considered as serious title contenders by beating domestic giants Valarenga in Oslo, before following up that performance by crushing Alesund 5-2 at the Arke Stadium – with four goals from Senegalese striker Pape Pate Diouf.
Deployed as a left winger in a 4-3-3 system, Diouf is one of Molde’s key players. Two years ago he formed a perfect partnership with countryman Mame Biram Diouf, who was later sold to Manchester United following several scouting excursions from Solskjaer back to his homeland; at the time the Norwegian had been serving as United’s reserve team boss. Pape Pate Diouf could not follow up his blistering 2009 however, with a number of physical problems interrupting his progress in 2010. The Senegal man hit the ground running this year though, rediscovering his touch in front of goal, scoring 12 goals in 14 games.
Molde can also be grateful for keeping hold of another Senegalese – Makhtar Thioune – as an outstanding 2009 campaign was not enough to seal a departure from Norway’s top flight. Like Diouf, Thioune struggled to repeat his heroics in 2010, but Solskjaer’s arrival has reinvigorated the 24-year-old. The midfielder is now crucial to MFK’s play, ruling the centre of the park along with veteran Magne Hoseth (Molde’s top scorer four times and the club’s top provider in 2010).
In recent years Molde have striven to build a tradition of developing good strikers. After Mame Biram Diouf, last year the club took in another Senegalese, Baye Djiby Fall, on loan from Lokomotiv Moscow and the 26-year-old duly finished as Tippeligaen top scorer. To fill the hole left in the middle of the attack by Fall’s departure, Solskjaer raided relegated outfit Honefoss and captured Ivorian Davy Claude Angan. The striker had arrived in Norway in 2008, joining Lyn (the former club of Molde team-mate Daniel Chima Chukwu; a 20-year-old forward with breathtaking vision and a big future in the game). Angan has made an impact at the Arke Stadium, finding the back of the net seven times in the current season.
Solskjaer attracted some scepticism within Norway when he announced he had returned home to collect silverware with Molde. “I signed a four-year contract with an ambitious club”, declared the former Champions League final-winning goalscorer. “I am satisfied because we have a good team with loads of potential and I am confident that we can win the league in my time at the club.” If Solskjaer makes good on his promise it will be a first ever national title for Molde, who have won two Norwegian Cups and finished as top flight runners-up seven times.
While Sir Alex Ferguson was Solskjaer’s mentor as he took his first steps into coaching (“Twenty seconds after I told Ferguson I couldn’t play anymore”, said the Norwegian, “he offered me a new job, asking if I would join his coaching staff”), the former Norway national team boss Egil “Drillo” Olsen also played an important role in the striker’s development. “Olsen is fantastic at motivating players and making them believe they can do it”, remembered Solskjaer, who was in “Drillo’s” Norway side that defeated Brazil at the 1998 World Cup.
“If a player has the right attitude, he can learn a lot from Olsen’s way of coaching and managing – and that’s what Solskjaer did. He has a good football brain and he’s down to earth”, commented Stale Solbakken, another former Norway international who played under “Drillo”. Last season Solbakken led Danish giants FC Copenhagen to an impressive march to the Superligaen title, setting four records along the way, and to the Round of 16 in the Champions League; another good example for Solskjaer to follow. It seems that, regardless of whether Molde can maintain their momentum, the former Manchester United man is looking every inch a diamond in the rough in the dugout.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
Last January the former Manchester United striker left the Red Devils, ending a 14-year association to take up the job of head coach with Norwegian Tippeligaen outfit Molde. Widely known as “the city of roses” due to its thriving and lush rose gardens, Molde is where Solskjaer began his initial trek towards stardom, representing the club for the first two seasons of his professional career. 31 goals in 42 games secured a dream transfer to Old Trafford as Manchester United paid £1.5M for the, at the time, almost unknown striker on 29th July, 1996. 15 years later, Solskjaer has gone back to his roots.
Solskjaer’s introduction to the dugout was far from easy, with Molde heavily beaten (3-0) by newly promoted Sarpsborg 08. Little by little however, the new coach has been able to put his side back on the right track, instilling his philosophy – an attacking attitude mixed with consistency and a winning mentality.
A lack of cautiousness had cost Molde the title in 2009 despite the team playing the best football in the Tippeligaen and in 2010 the club’s results were too up and down to avoid a disappointing mid-table finish. The troubled season was summed up by a 3-3 draw grabbed by Lillestrom at the Arke Stadium after Molde had amazingly led 3-0 heading into injury time.
One of Solskjaer’s main aims at Molde has been to help the club rediscover the superb football last played two years ago – but this time without falling away at the business end of the season. It is a mission that is half-accomplished, with MFK currently leading the league after 15 games, three points ahead of Tromso and Alesund at the time of writing, albeit having played two matches more than the first. A 2-0 win over Sogndal on 19th June put Molde top of the Tippeligaen pile on the same day as the club’s 100-year anniversary was celebrated. And momentum has not been lost. In their last two outings, Solskjaer’s men proved once again that they must be considered as serious title contenders by beating domestic giants Valarenga in Oslo, before following up that performance by crushing Alesund 5-2 at the Arke Stadium – with four goals from Senegalese striker Pape Pate Diouf.
Deployed as a left winger in a 4-3-3 system, Diouf is one of Molde’s key players. Two years ago he formed a perfect partnership with countryman Mame Biram Diouf, who was later sold to Manchester United following several scouting excursions from Solskjaer back to his homeland; at the time the Norwegian had been serving as United’s reserve team boss. Pape Pate Diouf could not follow up his blistering 2009 however, with a number of physical problems interrupting his progress in 2010. The Senegal man hit the ground running this year though, rediscovering his touch in front of goal, scoring 12 goals in 14 games.
Molde can also be grateful for keeping hold of another Senegalese – Makhtar Thioune – as an outstanding 2009 campaign was not enough to seal a departure from Norway’s top flight. Like Diouf, Thioune struggled to repeat his heroics in 2010, but Solskjaer’s arrival has reinvigorated the 24-year-old. The midfielder is now crucial to MFK’s play, ruling the centre of the park along with veteran Magne Hoseth (Molde’s top scorer four times and the club’s top provider in 2010).
In recent years Molde have striven to build a tradition of developing good strikers. After Mame Biram Diouf, last year the club took in another Senegalese, Baye Djiby Fall, on loan from Lokomotiv Moscow and the 26-year-old duly finished as Tippeligaen top scorer. To fill the hole left in the middle of the attack by Fall’s departure, Solskjaer raided relegated outfit Honefoss and captured Ivorian Davy Claude Angan. The striker had arrived in Norway in 2008, joining Lyn (the former club of Molde team-mate Daniel Chima Chukwu; a 20-year-old forward with breathtaking vision and a big future in the game). Angan has made an impact at the Arke Stadium, finding the back of the net seven times in the current season.
Solskjaer attracted some scepticism within Norway when he announced he had returned home to collect silverware with Molde. “I signed a four-year contract with an ambitious club”, declared the former Champions League final-winning goalscorer. “I am satisfied because we have a good team with loads of potential and I am confident that we can win the league in my time at the club.” If Solskjaer makes good on his promise it will be a first ever national title for Molde, who have won two Norwegian Cups and finished as top flight runners-up seven times.
While Sir Alex Ferguson was Solskjaer’s mentor as he took his first steps into coaching (“Twenty seconds after I told Ferguson I couldn’t play anymore”, said the Norwegian, “he offered me a new job, asking if I would join his coaching staff”), the former Norway national team boss Egil “Drillo” Olsen also played an important role in the striker’s development. “Olsen is fantastic at motivating players and making them believe they can do it”, remembered Solskjaer, who was in “Drillo’s” Norway side that defeated Brazil at the 1998 World Cup.
“If a player has the right attitude, he can learn a lot from Olsen’s way of coaching and managing – and that’s what Solskjaer did. He has a good football brain and he’s down to earth”, commented Stale Solbakken, another former Norway international who played under “Drillo”. Last season Solbakken led Danish giants FC Copenhagen to an impressive march to the Superligaen title, setting four records along the way, and to the Round of 16 in the Champions League; another good example for Solskjaer to follow. It seems that, regardless of whether Molde can maintain their momentum, the former Manchester United man is looking every inch a diamond in the rough in the dugout.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
martedì 5 luglio 2011
Vado in Messico (e gioco bene solo lì)
Quando giocavano nella cantera del Barcellona gareggiavano nel numero di iperboli ricevuti. Discutere su chi tra loro due fosse il più forte era come interrogarsi sul sesso degli angeli. Poi è arrivato il momento più delicato, quello del passaggio definitivo nell’età adulta del calcio. Dove non si gioca più solamente contro i coetanei, la pressione si decuplica e alle proprie spalle spuntano già i nuovi fenomeni del domani. Una giungla nella quale il talento, se non adeguatamente coltivato e incanalato, rischia di perdersi in mille rivoli.
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi).
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi).
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