Free Kicks - 26 April 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Champions League
The final is set. Barcelona and Arsenal will lock horns at the Stade de France on May 17. Once again the results in the first legs of each semifinal held up. While the folks at UEFA will be happy with both participants rated in the top-5 among most supported clubs in the world, the final will feature a number of exciting storylines. Ronaldinho will be gunning for his first European trophy. Likewise, Arsene Wenger is looking to prove that his team can get it done on the European stage. Arsenal's young Spaniards, Fabregas and Reyes, will take on one of the giants from their homeland. And, to steal an American sports phrase, the game may very well turn out to be the "Henry Bowl," with the winner getting the prolific striker's services next season. We'll have plenty of coverage leading up to the final in the weeks ahead.
Madrid is a Mess
Just when things couldn't be any more of a mess, our friends at Real Madrid are at it again. The club's new President, some guy named Martin, was voted out of office today, just two months after taking over for the previous president. Five managers and four directors of football have come and gone since 2003. This past season alone has seen nine new players come into the team while 10 have been shown the door. Raul hasn't been good since before the 2002 World Cup. Roberto Carlos and Beckham are past their best. Zidane is retiring and Ronaldo will certainly be shown the door. Real Madrid might be great at brand marketing and selling shirts, but the current regime is awful at building a football club. The team is old and stale, and needs to rebuild. But it's unlikely that the club's supporters will give the administration time to rebuild a successful club. I don't envy the next man to sit in the president's chair.
The Tears of Cassano
Speaking of Madrid, one of their newer signings, Antonio Cassano, is fearful that he will not be called into the Italy squad for this June's World Cup. While he has had a run of games lately, Cassano has not played much for Madrid since making his January move. Before that, he pouted his way through the last year and a half in a contract dispute with AS Roma. Italy has a number of options up front - Gilardino, Toni, Totti, Inzaghi, Del Piero, Vieri, and Iaquinta - which could see the temperamental Cassano left out of the squad. I hardly feel sorry for the lad. He put in minimal effort for Roma for 18 months and caused numerous problems for the club. While he was arguably Italy's best player at Euro 2004, his poor attitude and lack of commitment at Roma show that Cassano is not a team player. If he's left out of the squad, he'll have gotten what he deserved.
Professionalism is a 24-hour Job
It was extremely disappointing to read last week that USA midfielder DaMarcus Beasley was charged in Holland for drunk driving. Beasley, who caught the world's attention with his fearless and athletic play at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, will be heavily relied up this summer by the US team. For much of his young career he's been a model of hard work and good behavior. Plus, he has the one attribute his US colleague Landon Donovan lacks - ambition. He earned a big-money move to PSV Eindhoven, and was an instrumental member of their team that went to the Champions League semifinals a year ago (becoming the first American to play in that stage of the competition). Beasley has made all the right moves up until this point. Let's hope he regains his focus and makes smarter decisions. A lot of people will be counting on him this summer.
Did You Know?
40-year old AC Milan centerback Alessandro Costacurta, who started Wednesday's Champions League game against Barcelona, was a teammate to both team's coaches, Carlo Ancelotti and Frank Rijkaard, nearly two decades ago.
And Finally...
My favorite story of the day comes from Brazil, where former Real Madrid manager and current Santos coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo has been handed a 60-match ban by Brazilan authorities. His crime, you ask? Luxemburgo accused a Brazilian league referee of flirting with him during a match. "He was flirting with me," said Luxemburgo during the post-match media conference. "He blew his whistle and looked at me with every decision he made....Maybe it was because of my pink shirt." Apparently the authorities take flirting accusations very seriously. This is yet another example of why men shouldn't wear pink shirts.
Please send us your emails at bookableoffense@gmail.com
The final is set. Barcelona and Arsenal will lock horns at the Stade de France on May 17. Once again the results in the first legs of each semifinal held up. While the folks at UEFA will be happy with both participants rated in the top-5 among most supported clubs in the world, the final will feature a number of exciting storylines. Ronaldinho will be gunning for his first European trophy. Likewise, Arsene Wenger is looking to prove that his team can get it done on the European stage. Arsenal's young Spaniards, Fabregas and Reyes, will take on one of the giants from their homeland. And, to steal an American sports phrase, the game may very well turn out to be the "Henry Bowl," with the winner getting the prolific striker's services next season. We'll have plenty of coverage leading up to the final in the weeks ahead.
Madrid is a Mess
Just when things couldn't be any more of a mess, our friends at Real Madrid are at it again. The club's new President, some guy named Martin, was voted out of office today, just two months after taking over for the previous president. Five managers and four directors of football have come and gone since 2003. This past season alone has seen nine new players come into the team while 10 have been shown the door. Raul hasn't been good since before the 2002 World Cup. Roberto Carlos and Beckham are past their best. Zidane is retiring and Ronaldo will certainly be shown the door. Real Madrid might be great at brand marketing and selling shirts, but the current regime is awful at building a football club. The team is old and stale, and needs to rebuild. But it's unlikely that the club's supporters will give the administration time to rebuild a successful club. I don't envy the next man to sit in the president's chair.
The Tears of Cassano
Speaking of Madrid, one of their newer signings, Antonio Cassano, is fearful that he will not be called into the Italy squad for this June's World Cup. While he has had a run of games lately, Cassano has not played much for Madrid since making his January move. Before that, he pouted his way through the last year and a half in a contract dispute with AS Roma. Italy has a number of options up front - Gilardino, Toni, Totti, Inzaghi, Del Piero, Vieri, and Iaquinta - which could see the temperamental Cassano left out of the squad. I hardly feel sorry for the lad. He put in minimal effort for Roma for 18 months and caused numerous problems for the club. While he was arguably Italy's best player at Euro 2004, his poor attitude and lack of commitment at Roma show that Cassano is not a team player. If he's left out of the squad, he'll have gotten what he deserved.
Professionalism is a 24-hour Job
It was extremely disappointing to read last week that USA midfielder DaMarcus Beasley was charged in Holland for drunk driving. Beasley, who caught the world's attention with his fearless and athletic play at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, will be heavily relied up this summer by the US team. For much of his young career he's been a model of hard work and good behavior. Plus, he has the one attribute his US colleague Landon Donovan lacks - ambition. He earned a big-money move to PSV Eindhoven, and was an instrumental member of their team that went to the Champions League semifinals a year ago (becoming the first American to play in that stage of the competition). Beasley has made all the right moves up until this point. Let's hope he regains his focus and makes smarter decisions. A lot of people will be counting on him this summer.
Did You Know?
40-year old AC Milan centerback Alessandro Costacurta, who started Wednesday's Champions League game against Barcelona, was a teammate to both team's coaches, Carlo Ancelotti and Frank Rijkaard, nearly two decades ago.
And Finally...
My favorite story of the day comes from Brazil, where former Real Madrid manager and current Santos coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo has been handed a 60-match ban by Brazilan authorities. His crime, you ask? Luxemburgo accused a Brazilian league referee of flirting with him during a match. "He was flirting with me," said Luxemburgo during the post-match media conference. "He blew his whistle and looked at me with every decision he made....Maybe it was because of my pink shirt." Apparently the authorities take flirting accusations very seriously. This is yet another example of why men shouldn't wear pink shirts.
Please send us your emails at bookableoffense@gmail.com
posted by Brian at 4/26/2006 02:56:00 PM 
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