Great Players Part 1

In a week where a lot has happened in soccer, racism, goals, Liverpool getting their first league win, Arsenal going back to losing ways, etc, it is hard to come up with something that interests people. Anyway, here I go....
Do you have that one player who you believe that no matter how hard the game is, no matter how pressured they are, no matter how shitty the team plays, they always come out on top? Hmm? There's that one player who you would clear your whole day's schedule for... Or just to watch the team, at least. These are the players who influence games so much, you would not miss the game. They make the game so beautiful you would tell your girlfriend you're staying at work late, just so you can hang out with the boys watching it, or lie to your boss the following day that you're feeling ill, just 'cause you stayed up late enjoying the game and catching pints. I can't pull that stunt though. That's just.... not right. I have a few players I enjoy watching play though. I will mention them.

We start with the usual suspects. CR7 and Leo. They are La Liga. ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY mention Spanish football and not mention how great (or whatever superlative you wish to insert) they are. They set the record... in the last two seasons, in the number of goals scored in a single La Liga season. For more stats about these two, see http://messivsronaldo.net/

It is the fans that are 'enemies' not the players

Messi: Incredible player, living legend. 188 goals, 70 assists for Barcelona in his last 180 games . 71 goals and 22 assists in 54 games in 2012 so far with3 months left. 268 goals for Barcelona in total including 21 hat tricks. Legend, eh? This guy creates goals out of nothing. Forget the fact that he is in an already great team... he always comes up shining brighter when things look gloomy for Barca. Case in point... his third goal in the 5-4 win against Deportivo.

CR7: Also made from the same stuff that creates legends. Not really the team player but you cannot blame him as he always delivers the goals. He wins matches, brightens up the atmosphere with his flair, and basically makes opposing players look very lazy. Ronaldo scored 46 last season. 12 appearances this season, 15 goals, no assists. Messi has bettered him by 5. Goal.com say at worst, he is the second best player in the world. His selfishness and ambition are what make him who he is. He recently has developed a certain understanding with Marcelo and most of his teams attacks come from the two. His stats and Messi's speak for themselves though so we cannot expound anymore

Zalatan Ibrahimovic. He was nicknamed Ibracadabra by his Inter Milan team mates. He rose into the limelight from playing in Italy. Won the Eredivisie twice(Dutch PL), Serie A 6 times(3 with Inter, 2 with Juve and 1 with AC Milan) and 1 La liga. Not to mention the Cup victories and personal awards. This is a player who has managed to shine, consistently at that, in some of the world's toughest leagues. He played for Ajax and starred, his performances leading him to be sold to Juventus, where he also starred. And when the team was relegated in 2006, he left for Inter Milan. He was, as expected, the star there too. He played the hitman, him and Adriano(remember him?). He was nicknamed Cereal Killer. Ninja grew too fat and unfit and eventually left Inter. But he's not Zlatan. So, after Inter, Zlatan was traded for Eto'o and went to Barca. he didn't have his usual season but he scored some good goals while there and then went back to Italy and played for AC Milan. he was again, their star man, overtaking the Brazilian duo of Robinho and Pato in the pecking order.

I read a blog somewhere that he is always that arrogant in real life. And that he is funny. I think Zlatan is a great player, no doubt. he is just at the wrong club, at the wrong time. You simply cannot overshadow Messi and Ronaldo. No way. He scores sublime goals, as demonstrated in the Euros, has some nice skills on the ball, and his power is just amazing. No matter how poor his team plays, national or club team, he always plays his game a notch higher and better than his team mates. You can read some of the Zlatan's quotes here http://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewArticle/160084. He's a funny guy

For the sake of not lengthening this post too much, and also because today is a Champion's league night, I will stop there. I will mention the others in future posts on the same topic. I look forward to watching Wanyama go against Song/Busquets or whoever plays at the centre of midfield.

AUGUST TWEET UP: The Result

Saturday 4th August...And the long awaited day of the Tweet Up is upon us. What looked like the beginning of a boring day began. Only few people had arrived(five to be exact) by midday and the weather didnt look that friendly. On the pitch at that moment.. @kevin_seth @doogie @shiroh101(who wasnt playing but yes, there are soccer loving mamis), myself and two other guys.

The mamis present that day

12:30 ninjas began arriving, one by one and before we knew it.... GAME ON!!

And the soccer was played... Dimba ikagaragazwa. By halftime... @kevin_seth's side led 5-3. Free scoring bagas....

Ki_Bet... Luis Nani on the Wings

Halftime... Doogie provides energy drinks. Shiroh101 provides soda and everyone is re-energized. Then, enter @sirfender and the game changes. From being one-sided to... The other-sided. If there is anything of the sort. My point is, power shifted.

The control was back in our posession as Sir Fender controlled affairs from midfield going forward, and Artur being able to help out elsewhere on the wings. Kibet was our Luis Nani, with Flair on the wings and his brilliant passes. To be fair though, Kevin Seth's team were also a real threat coming forward... With Kevin, Doogie and @Sleven_kalevra aka Anto running riot at times.

SirFender... asset in any team

There were moments of panic though when the game had to stop because of what threatened to be horrifying injuries. DingoKG looked to have passed the test of metal by chesting a huge stone... Him and another friend of ours, Davie. Tali also felt that since he wasnt getting enough of the ball, he had to kick at something. Poor boy, he took a rock to the shin. All in all, all injuries were minor and manageable.

The remaining crew.. after most had left

Later on, we all headed to Cactus... An eatery joint near Yaya Centre for lunch. All in all, it was a good day, well spent. Sad we couldnt capture the moments on the pitch as we all were involved in play. Many thanks to all who showed up, mentioned, unmentioned... And even those off twitter(Tali, Davie, Mike, DingoKG, Joel and the rest) and the ladies too.

The only downside was the body pains that came afterwards from three straight hours of play. I hope everyone is fine now

GREAT PLAYERS WIN, GOOD PLAYERS AFFECT GAMES

Lets talk about Cristiano Ronaldo.
Did anyone see his celebration? I think the boy was fondling a pair of imaginary boobs, or telling people that he is a monster. Sublime performance by the guy last night to put his team in the semi finals. That was a brilliant header. And I think he intended to score like that. Remember Croatia versus Spain in their final group game? They had two chances to score with headers but ended up heading straight at Casillas. My point... Ronaldo is a genius. Lets just put Messi out of the picture for a second here. He is class but Ronaldo is class too. How many players can do that? Not many. And that goal was the difference. I read a lot of BBC Sport articles everyday, and one of them had Czech republic manager saying that his team failed in stopping Ronaldo. Yes... this man is hard to keep a mark on. He runs, he jumps, he shoots... sometimes dives but very few can argue about his talent. My friend @DingoKG wanted me to do a piece that recognizes this man's skill... he does. I could say much more to convince, but I know even his haters know too much of him, even Barca players if asked will admit that marking him is hard. Let's not forget he is now joint top scorer in the Euros with 3 goals alongside Gomez(Germany), Mandzukic(Croatia) and Dzagoev(Russia). He led his team well beyond the Dutch with a double and his header against the Czech.

Elsewhere, Germany face Greece. This is supposed to be a great match for Greece. For the rest of us neutrals, Germany is gonna have an easy day on the field. But for the Greek, who are seeking funds for an economic bail out from germany, I hear its a big thing. Loved the cartoon depicting the Greek players wearing German jerseys on (just because the Germans funded them)BBC SPORTS earlier today. I predict a low score. Germany could win this with a one-goal margin.

I personally think the Spain vs France match will be a good match. Both teams can pass the ball around. Spain have a reputation to maintain while the French want redemption from their recent shortcomings.Of course Spain have gelled seeing as most of them play in the same league, so they know each other. France... well, you saw how they played against England and Ukraine. They are not too bad. I foresee a 2-1 win for Spain

England versus Italy. This could be a boring affair. But then again, the midfield battles look promising. Since both teams are practically not flare-playing teams, and they both defend, I see a midfield duel will win or help to win this match.
ENGLAND: Gerrard and Parker. 
ITALY: De Rossi and Pirlo.
Gerrard/Pirlo is the genius who does the fancy delivery. De Rossi/Parker tough tackler who breaks up the beautiful play.
And then they both rely on their wings for speed. I won't predict the score for this one

Before I sign off, a few words about the maestro that is Cristiano Ronaldo aka CR7:

Czech Rep. manager, Michal Bilek: We really prepared hard to cope with Ronaldo, but he is a player of the greatest class
"There have been a few good players but, if we are talking great players, then ronaldo is a great player. Great players can WIN a game, good players AFFECT the game." a former England player when asked about any bright players in the EUROs

In other news... Shinji Kagawa is officially a Manchester United player today. Mark the calendars people. Keep enjoying the games people. More football another time.

After the leagues, then what?

All the major leagues have concluded, Titles have been won, we've seen winners, we've seen losers. We've seen new champions (congrats to Montpellier and Manchester City), and we have witnessed the return of former greats to power (Real Madrid, Dortmund and Juventus back after lengthy spells from power)... and relatively new champions get back to winning ways. Am talking about Borussia Dortmund of Germany. They used to be huge back in the 90's. I know, I've mentioned them twice, eh? I'll explain why in a few. But congratulations to all champions.

I'll start with the French. Montpellier. They've been doing really well for themselves lately. They had some worthy competition in the name of Lille and PSG, and could have lost it too if the former hadn't gone one to sell the stars that took them to the title victory in 2010-2011. Marseille.. I wont even talk about them. thay started so bright. Lyon just keep outdoing their record of doing bad... Anyway, Lille went on to sell Gervinho to Arsenal, who didn't really flourish there. Then in January they sold Musa Sow. For those who don't know, he was top scorer in the 2010-2011 and was also the leading goalscorer before he was sold off to Fernabahce in the January transfer window. Am not sure how he is faring there now, I don't follow the Turkish league. And now they want to sell their most prized asset, Eden Hazard. And the kid is now so absorbed in this limelight shone on him. I hope he fails really... proud kid. Anyway, back to Montpellier... they did themselves good and held on to their stars but only time can really tell whether they will keep them any longer, especially with Premier League clubs looking hungrily at their stars(Giroud, Belhanda and captain, Yanga-Mbiwa).

The Italian connection: Juventus have won the title for the first time since 2006, and that last time they did, they were stripped of the title and another they had won the previous year, relegated to Serie-B and deducted 9 points due to a match fixing scandal they were involved in then. They were promoted back into Serie-A the following season... strong team this, though they couldn't really get back up there, especially having sold off some of their stronger players(Ibrahimovic and Vieira). They are Serie-A champions now, and did it in outstanding fashion having sealed it unbeaten. They had a relatively young team, but they also had their veterans to thank for the experience. Alessandro Del Piero, Buffon, Chiellini just to name a few... and the midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo. Del Piero won't be playing with them next season though as the club think he is too old for them now. he played an emotional last game for them. But you can see why for Juve, it was so important to win this title. AC Milan and Inter have had 'up and down' seasons, it was only right for Juve to win, but I think the Italian giants are back in it next season. And so are Napoli and Lazio. Interesting, eh? I know

Borussia Dortmund: Remember the days of 'Football Mundial' back in the 90's? The German show that was centered the Bundesliga... Yeah? No? Well, that was when I got to know of Dortmund. I really didnt know jack about football then, all I know is they were great to have been featured on almost every episode then. At some point I think they got relegated, then Bayern took the spotlight for a while, but then got back their form and have been trying to clinch the title for the past few years, and voila!! They have now won it twice in a row. They have some really talented young players too, and all of European football's greats will be looking to tempt them away with some great offers. Shinji Kagawa, Mario Goetze, Subotic just to name a few... are some the young players who could be snapped up by these hungry European giants.

Spanish La Liga: These guys are the current legends of soccer. I can't even discuss them because everything has been said already. But i wouldn't be doing justice to the legends in that field wither... if I dont mention how Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are tearing up the record sheets there. Cristiano Ronaldo is class, skill, pace, and goal scoring machine put together in one human being. The guy has scored 60 goals this season, 46 in La Liga. WHO DOES THAT????
Enter Leo Messi...and then we talk of a super human. 72 goals... dont forget he still hasn't played the King's Cup final, so there is space to add on to those. Last season, he, and Ronaldo broke the record for most La Liga goals in a season. Then this season, they shatter their own records?

These are the undisputed footie-gods, and they deserve a tip of the hat. They make our football watching experience different.

THE MESSI VERSUS RONALDO FACTOR

The Premier League is coming to an end. So is La Liga. Manchester United are yet to relinquish the title to City... completely, although we all know we gave it up with that Everton game. The minute Fergie substituted Scholes, that game changed and we started playing defensive. By this time am sure you are aware am a Man United fan. But we are not here to speak of Man United, or Everton... or Manchester City.

Real Madrid won their first league in 4 years. Am sure they are very happy. I was happy for them too. Barcelona had become too much with their "All I do is win" mentality. Hell, they were taking it far, even. But they are yet to capture the Champions League trophy two time in  a row... no ona has yet, since 1990.

It is interesting to note that they were strong favourites this season too, and Chelsea got VERY LUCKY to have beat Barca being a man down. Not many teams could have done that. In fact... I think none. Credit to Chelsea. But despite Barca being a strong TEAM, there is one man who single-handedly carries their weight on his shoulder... if you like feet. MESSI. The kid is a god. Simply put.

Goal.com usually have this week-in-week-out player rating where they rate players and it is interesting to note that this Messi guy usually does very well on it. Cristiano Ronaldo does very well too. But in some games, he has been accused of not stepping up to the occasion. Especially during EL CLASSICO. So goal.com did a half-season tally and Messi's average was something close to an 8 while Ronaldo averaged a mere 6.75.

Needless to say, they may have been miles apart then, but I think Ronaldo took that criticism as fuel for his fight back and look where he has gotten his team now. Second top scorer, after Messi of course, and a La Liga title bagged. they may have exited the Champions League in the semis at the hands of Bayern but he was instrumental in every bit, including their exit for missing that penalty.

Messi on the other hand.. there are little things, people included, that can stop this guy. He scores when he wants, however many times he wishes. he now hold the record for the most goals in a single Champions League match, having scored 5. Its a shame they went down against a lack-lustre Chelsea side though. It kind of even beats you how it happened. The kid has 71
goals this season in all competitions, 49 in La Liga. I mean really... is this guy brilliant or what?

It is worth noting that La Liga may already have been won, yet the contest between two of the the world's best players continues... in the search of all that is great in the eyes of football. messi clearly has an upper hand, with 4 goals over Ronaldo in La Liga, and his other goals just show his immense contribution elsewhere. Ronaldo on the other hand ha shelped his club gain their first title in years so his contribution is as big, if not bigger.

Am just waiting for the end of the La Liga season to see who wins the PICICHI award(that's the Top Scorer's Award in Spain for those who didn't already know) and the Footballer of the Year award by FIFA. No one really can tell, but we can only wait.

Lets talk some more football another time.

Champs League Thus Far

Wouldn't know how to welcome you people to the blog as this isn't a house... at least I know how to entertain guests at my mother's house. That's barely the point here though. We're here to talk about football, and your reactions (those especially), but this is our first blog. You must be wondering who WE is, Kevin and Arthur. 

Right... lets talk football then.

So here we are. Waiting for the Champions League final... In Munich. Chelsea and Bayern of course making it there at the expense of Barcelona(didn't we all enjoy that) and Real Madrid(sadly).

The lead-up to the Chelsea game, I'd say, was more intense, if you asked me. It was supposed to be a duel between the greatest football team of our time against... well, Chelsea. I will not go into details about the huge difference in quality, class, skill or otherwise that separate these two teams. It is key to note though that Chelsea felt hard-done by their last encounter with Barca where Iniesta scored the ghost goal of that fixture in injury time, and am pretty sure Chelsea wanted revenge for that. 

The denied penalties in that game were behind them and they were facing a different Barca, albeit still as good, if not better. And so came the encounter, that am sure many would have labelled a night of negative football. Chelsea played 10 men behind the ball with the eleventh, Drogba, playing as a lone striker. 

Eventually Chelsea came out victorious after beating Barca 1-0 at Stamford bridge and eventually drawing 2-2 at Camp Nou, having played one man less for over an hour. I had stopped watching that game to be frank.. right after JT's red card. I expected Barca to be favored but didn't see Chelsea players pulling any stunts as John Terry's on the night. They got through though. Thanks to a good chipped goal by Ramires right at the stroke of halftime. Then Torres, an unused sub in the first leg coming on in the 80th minute to round the keeper beautifully before tucking home the equalizing goal of the night. I can imagine the headlines the following day.

Real Madrid versus Bayern Munich: 
This was always going to be a boring encounter. two teams that play the same brand of football and equally matched. Ended up in penalties. Shitty game really and a waste of time if you ask me. I feel for all of you(and myself) who stayed up to watch 'stars'(Kaka and Ronaldo) waste penalties while another(Ramos) sent one into orbit. At least we have another planet from that encounter. Hehe

Worth noting though was the fall of Barca. I, (Arthur) loved that. I wish David Villa a quick recovery though. Barca though... they should just stay second.. for a few years. Arsenal fans didn't want them to win anything of course, so that Fabregas stays as trophy-less as their lousy selves. Haha!

Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid fans(if there are any), just wanted Barca to lose. Well, because of their unjust self. Always depending on the refs.... and UEFA. And whats with that Messi kid winning the Ballon D'oR everytime?

Am done hating for now. Lets talk more football another time