VIDEO: Old Lady shows Pique some skills!

Check out the very cute video for Sky Italia. Pique dressed as a monk gives the old lady a drink from the cup or trophy and the footy skills are fantastico! All the old folks want a sip! Enjoy. Sweet commerical with clever appeal.

Spain - one year after winning World Cup 2010

Spain lifting the World Cup 2010

July 11th, 2010

Spain was crowned the World Champions of football for the first time in history. It took them 80 years since the inaugural World Cup was played in 1930. Better late than never – as the old adage goes.

Prior to the Euro 2008, the thought that Spain would win a big trophy was almost unthinkable. They almost always brought a talented squad to all the big tournaments. But somehow they always seemed to under-perform at key moments and bow out. So the challenge was more psychological than anything else. Can Spain seize the moment and overcome their mental blocks? They answered that question emphatically in Euro 2008 when they overcame a cagey quarter-final match-up against old nemesis Italy in a penalty shoot-out and following it up with convincing wins in the semifinals against Russia and against the Germans in the final.

The World Cup is as big as it can get. It is a much bigger stage than Euro Cup. Despite the shock defeat to the US in Confederations Cup 2009, Spain entered the World Cup as the strongest favorites. With Brazil in a rebuilding mode under Dunga, an Argentina team managed by the maniac Maradona plus the fact that Italy and France were on the decline, Spain was expected to reach the final and anything less would have been considered a failure.

Spain couldn’t have had a worse start, a shock defeat to Switzerland. Criticism rained on the players and Coach Vicente del Bosque home and abroad. Losing the first group game in a World cup means there is no margin of error anymore. They had to win the remaining two games to top the group and avoid a potential run-in with Brazil in the 2nd round. Del Bosque showed calm and composure in the tempest of criticism from all and sundry in Spain leading up to the 2nd game against Honduras, which Spain won comfortably. They went on to beat Marcelo Bielsa's Chile in the final group game after some anxious moments in the initial part of that game.

Spain went on to beat Portugal in the 2nd round, Paraguay in the quarterfinals, Germany in the semifinals, and the Netherlands in the final with 1-0 victories. While Spain didnt score as freely as they did in the Euro 2008, they controlled the tempo in all these games.

The lack of goals can be attributed mostly to the defensive posture adopted by the opponents. Barring Chile, who played their usual attacking style, the rest of the teams made significant adjustments to counter the Spanish passing game. In many cases they would give two-thirds of the pitch and the possession to Spain to try smothering them in the final third. The lack of contributions from the centre-forwards didn’t help either.

They persevered and believed in what they were doing despite being less flashy and less attractive. I believe this is where Spain has improved the most from Euro 2008 to World Cup 2010. The calm with which they took the loss to Switzerland and how they continued to display the same composure throughout the tournament bodes well for the future of Spain and doesn’t bode well for their opponents.

July 11th, 2011

One year away from that memorable moment when Andrés Iniesta slotted home the winner in the final, the future of Spain looks as bright as it has ever been. Despite a few reverses in the friendlies following the World Cup, Spain has a 100% record in the Euro 2012 qualifiers, a shoe-in for Ukraine-Poland 2012. The core of the team that won the World Cup 2010 is intact plus a bevy of exciting new players ready to renew and re-invigorate, Spain looks set for a deep run in the Euro 2012 next summer.

I sign-off with a couple of links to the Spanish campaign in South Africa 2010.

1. Summary of Spain in WC 2010 – the final is at the beginning and then the video takes us from the first group game through to the semifinals. Includes shots of Spanish papers in between.
2. Spain past and present – a nice summary of what Spain lacked in the past culminating in WC 2010 triumph. Slightly low quality but I loved the idea and the nice touch at the end of the video
3. Casillas – El Salvador -  a summary of Casillas’s  saves in the World cup, not fully captured in the video #1 which I believe were as important as the goals of Villa & Co

The New Look Azzuri vs Ivory Coast

Italy 0 - Ivory Coast 1

Much has been said about this match. Some say it is still the old Italy, nothing new, the results haven't changed. The defense was not great but the midfield with Cassano looked promising. If Balotelli, Quagliarella, Cassano and Amauri can make things happen in the offensive end Italy will be once again be fun to watch which in the last few years they haven't been. The defense needs a lot of work, they have been giving too much space and too many chances. Giorgio Chiellini needs to take charge of the defense and make it his. We all know Chiellini is a great defender when his game is on, now Italy need him to step up. Hopefully he will.

Serie A 2010-2011 Important Dates

The 2010-2011 Serie A season starts on Sunday, August 29, 2010 and ends on Sunday, May 22, 2011.
The midweek rounds will be: Wednesday 22/09/2010, Wednesday 10/11/2010, Thursday 6/01/2011; Wednesday 2/02/2011. The break weekends are: Sunday 5/09/2010 (qualif. Euro 2012), Sunday 10/10/2010 (qualif. Euro 2012), Sunday 26/12/2010 and Sunday 2/01/2011 (winter break), Sunday 27/03/2011 (qualif. Euro 2012).

WC Final 2010: Netherlands vs Spain Promo

Italy - Paraguay Italy Goal

Gene’s Serie A Review

Gene's Serie A Review

ITALY 2 BULGARIA 0

The Azzurri completed a very successful World Cup Qualifying week with a 2-0 win over Bulgaria in Torino last night the Goals were both scored by Juventus players, not a surprise since there were 7 Juventus players in the lineup. New Juventus player Fabio Grosso scored in the 10th minute off a great pass from Andrea Pirlo . Then in the 39th Vincenzo Iaquinta scored on a give and go pass from Alberto Gilardino. The win means that the Azzurri need 1 point from their last 2 games in qualifying to stamp their passports to South Africa.
The Azzurri's final 2 games are on October 10 in Dublin against Giovanni Trappatoni's Ireland and then October 14 at the Alberto Tardini in Parma against Cyprus

Gli Azzurri hanno completato una settimana di successo nelle qualificazioni ai mondiali Sudafricani con un secco 2-0 sulla Bulgaria ieri sera a Torino. Entrambi le reti sono state segnate da Juventini, la cosa non mi sorprende, visto che ce n'erano 7 giocatori Bianconeri in campo dal inizio della gara. Il Neo-Juventino Fabio Grosso va in gol al 10' sul delizioso assist di Andrea Pirlo. Poi al 39' Vincenzo Iaquinta chiude il conto segnando sul assist di Alberto Gilardino.
La Vittoria porta Gli Azzurri vicinissimi alla qualificazione, La squadra di Lippi ha bisogno di un solo punto nelle ultime 2 gare di qualificazione, per timbrare il passaporto nel Sudafrica 2010.
Le ultime 2 gare di qualificazione si giocaranno il 10 Ottobre a Dublino con L'Eire del Trap, ed il 14 Ottobre al Tardini di Parma con il Cipro.

ROMA SPALETTI TODAY IS DECISION DAY

This morning at 11:30 in Rome ex Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri was seen leaving the headquarters of the Sensi Family. A decision on the future of Luciano Spaletti is expected later today. Considering that by his own admission Spaletti has "lost the team" expect Ranieri to be the new Giallorossi coach by the end of the day.

ROMA-SPALETTI OGGI GIORNATA DECISIVA

Stamattina alle 11:30 a Roma L'ex tecnico della Juventus Claudio Ranieri e stato visto che lasciava l'uffici della famiglia Sensi. Una decisione sul futuro di Luciano Spaletti si aspetta nella giornata d'oggi.
Considerato che Spaletti stesso aveva dechiarato "La squadra non mi segue piu" Credo che entro la Giornata, la panchina Giallorossa verra affidata a Ranieri.

MILAN ARE BEATEN BY BENFICA ON PENALTIES IN THE EUSEBIO CUP

The Negative preseason of the Rossoneri continues, as they lose to Benfica on Penalties 5-4 Milan had only tied the game on a Portuguese Own-goal in the 86th minute . In the Penalties Andrea Pirlo Marek Jankuloski and Marco Borriello scored while Ronaldinho, Thiago Silva and Zambrotta and Antonini missed.
I guess they miss Ricardo Kaka, good thing they didn't sell Andrea Pirlo too.
The Loss is the 6th Consecutive in the preseason for the Rossoneri.
How long will Leonardo last???? (what if they lose to Siena?)

Il precampionato negativo del Milan continua. I rossoneri battuti ai Rigori dal Benfica perdono 5-4 (dcr) la Coppa Eusebio.
Il Milan aveva pareggiato 1-1 solo grazie ad una autorete dei Portoghesi al 86' solo per essere condanatti dal dischetto
Per Il Milan hanno segnato dal dischetto Andrea Pirlo Marek Jankuloski e Marco Borriello mentre hanno sbagliato Ronaldinho, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta e Antonini
Credo che gli manca Ricardo Kaka, menomale che non si sono privati anche di Andrea Pirlo.
La sconfitta e la sesta consecutiva per il Milan in questo precampionato.
Leonardo quanto durera sulla panchina???? (e se perdessero col Siena?)

Italian Super Cup

Lazio edged Inter Milan at the Bird's Nest Stadium in China for the Italian Super Cup today. Inter 1 Lazio 2, Samuel Eto'o had the only goal for Inter while Matuzalem and Rocchi were on the mark for Lazio scoring two goals in three minutes to take the lead into the match and Inter were only able to pull one goal back.


Line ups:

Inter Milan: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Chivu, Zanetti; Muntari, Cambiasso, Thiago Motta, Stankovic, Milito, Eto'o
Subs Used: Vieira, Balotelli and Suazo

Lazio: Muslera; Lichtsteiner, Siviglia, Diakitè, Kolarov, Brocchi, Baronio,, Mauri, Matuzalem, Rocchi, Zarate
Subs Used: Cruz, Cribari and Dabo

Call Ups: Azzurrini

The Azzurrini have a friendly against Russia on August 12th in St Petersburg. Manager Pierluigi Casiraghi has called up his squad. I am really looking forward to seeing how Macheda does in the u-21 side.

Goalkeepers: Fiorillo (Sampdoria), Seculin (Fiorentina)

Defenders: Ariaudo (Juventus), Brivio (Vicenza), De Silvestri (Lazio), Gentili (Varese), Ogbonna (Torino), Ranocchia (Bari), Rispoli (Brescia)

Midfielders: Barillà (Reggina), Bolzoni (Genoa), Mancosu (Empoli), Poli (Sampdoria), Signori (Sampdoria)

Forwards: Balotelli (Inter), Di Gennaro (Milan), Macheda (Manchester United), Mustacchio (Sampdoria), Paloschi (Parma), Tiboni (Atalanta)

Alberto Aquilani signs for Liverpool

In the ongoing saga of Xabi Alonso signing for Real Madrid, there were dozens of conversations between the two sides about money, the transfer fee and the personal terms between the player and his new club, but few people in England were talking about who would replace Xabi in Liverpool. Everyone assumed that Gareth Barry (ex of Aston Villa) would finally make the move over to the Reds, fortify the midfield and allow Rafa to continue playing Steven Gerrard as Fernando Torres's support striker. When Barry took the Manchester City money at the beginning of this transfer window, there were many who doubted (I was one of them) that the Xabi Alonso transfer to Real Madrid would ever be finalised. Instead the deal is done and Xabi is going to be formally introduced tomorrow, but even more surprising is that concurrent to the most recent negotiations for Xabi, Liverpool have also been talking with cash-strapped AS Roma to secure the services of future fantasista Alberto Aquilani.

Xabi Alonso is a know commodity, a regular since signing from La Real at Merseyside, but Aquilani is a bit of a conundrum. Not very well known in England or even outside Italy, the kid has been a bit of an enigma even for Romanistas. He has a powerful shot, he loves making those speculative long-range shots from midfield, but he's also a superb passer in the mold of captain Francesco Totti; a guy Roma have been grooming Aquilani to replace. Alberto has a good first touch, and he's pacy, but is often very inconsistent with his midfield play and is often poor in his decision making. Most of all though, for the last few seasons, he has been extremely injury prone.

He's been out with an ankle injury since March, had surgery on it shortly after, and has yet to return to action. This is just one of a bundle of niggling injuries that have taken up a full handful of the youngster's best seasons. In fact at 25 Aquilani (or Il Cocodrilo) as he is known, isn't really all that young anymore. He should be taking off as a player, reaching his most productive years, becoming one of the next generation of Italian stars like Riccardo Montolivo or Gianpaolo Pazzini, but he's been stuck on the runway with engine trouble much of his twenties. He played in parts of 34 games in 2004-2005 and has yet to equal that game tally in all competitions in the years since. These are make or break years for the guy and he hasn't been able to submit himself to a full season in Italy. How is he going to survive the pace and physicality of the Premier League?

I like him as a player, Liverpool have a great set-up, Rafa Benitez will ensure that the kid follows a strict diet and exercise plan and will assess the injury problems that he has been having at AS Roma. It could be, considering the injury problems that Roma have had for years now, that getting away from the Eternal City is best for Aquilani's career and he becomes a Liverpool legend. More likely is that he'll follow a similar path to the Reds that Andrea Dossena had: a talented but flawed addition to a contending Premiership side.

Italy Failed To Impress

Aside from their first match against the USA Italy the current World Champions failed to impress at the Confederations Cup. There has been much said in the past week that Italy were just there to get used to South Africa these games didn't mean anything. While that is all well and good as an excuse it shouldn't be stood for. The press here in Italy have been calling for squad changes. Cannavaro was wonderful during the 2006 World Cup but his best days seem to be behind him. Chiellini looked lost and Dossena was unlucky. Inter's young defender Davide Santon was brought but barely used. If Lippi wasn't going to use him he should have let him go to the U-21's which are going on in Sweden where he would have featured.

Camoranesi looked alright though at 32 he sometime looks closer to 36. Camoranesi has been one of the better players for the Azzurri but he is getting older and slower. Daniele De Rossi wasn't bad though I was expecting more out of him during the Brazil match. He is a player that needs to pick up his game more while playing for the Azzurri. Pirlo had a nice first match against the USA but after that seemed to fall off.

After starting the first match against the USA Gilardino didn't feature much. Instead Luca Toni was given the green light and did nothing with it. Luca Toni hasn't been thrilling anyone lately while he has been playing for the Azzurri and Gilardino had a better season then Toni as well. Iaquinta missed some wonderful opportunities during the Egypt match though he was stopped in a large part by the Egyptian goalkeeper. Iaquinta was a bright spot for me for Italy. Rossi didn't have a bad tournament but in the matches against Egypt and Brazil got pushed off the ball too easily.

Though I don't think that Italy are in a crisis as some papers in Italy have said I do think they need some new ideas. They need to bring in some youngsters. Why wasn't Del Piero on the squad? Pirlo's free kicks were pathetic. I'd like to see Amauri called up for a qualifier as well as Pazzini. Acquafresca and Giovinco are on the brink of the Azzurri I have a feeling Giovinco might not get called up soon enough due to his size. One player that should not enter the squad is Balotelli who is a hot head and can not even control himself at U-21 level and was lucky to get away with only a one game ban after his red card against Sweden. Cigarini needs to be put into the middle next to De Rossi.

Though these changes are nice coming out of my mouth I doubt many changes will happen by the next year and the World Cup. The players that Lippi constantly calls up are his favorites and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Pirlo, Cannavaro, Toni and Gattuso are all four years older than when they won the World Cup and their game has fallen with their age, it is time for an injection of youth.

Who would you like to see added to the squad and who would you leave out?

Italy: A Necessary Revolution

One of the truest definitions of insanity, as Albert Einstein once said, is doing something over and over again and expecting different results. While I won't call Marcello Lippi insane, one wonders though when he sees his squad struggle to get out of its group at the Confederation's Cup, then bowing out to a top side like Brazil, and then offers defensively that no major changes for next year's World Cup are in order. "The best team I could choose was the one standing on the field tonight. If I do have any regrets it is that this was not the correct image of this team for the world to see. I know our performance was disappointing and we have to go home, but it was not the real Italy tonight." Is he really seeing what we all are?


Let's go back three years. Italy had just won the World Cup, their fourth in their history, the players had gone off on holiday and Marcello Lippi took off on a wine tour of Tuscany. All I could think of, instead of enjoying the winning moment for a squad that I had followed since I was a kid, not to mention the hundred duckets I won off them in an office pool, was what now for these players? You follow, you project, and you wonder how the act can continue in four years considering how old these players were and how poorly they played overall in Germany. South Africa was a ways away sure, but who would have thought that so little would have changed since that final in Berlin.

Compare the two squads. In Goal, Gigi Buffon is still the number 1 and at 32 no longer the unquestioned number one keeper in the world but there is no true #2. Marco Amelia is hanging in there but after 3 years should he be more than a perennial #3. In defence, Fabio Grosso, Fabio Cannavaro, and Gianluca Zambrotta were still playing and only Giorgio Chiellini was having an impact on a geriatric backline. In midfield, Gattuso still snarls around but with a little less bite, Pirlo directs traffic with a few yards of pace less than he had (what little he had to begin with) and Mauro Camoranesi still can't remember the Italian national anthem, but is it now more from a looming, aged dementia or is it really that he still bleeds albiceleste and not azzurri beneath that shirt? The remarkable part is that at 25 Daniele DeRossi is still at the prime of his international career. It speaks to how quickly the young Romanista came into his own 4 years ago. Up front, the nursing home is full effect: Luca Toni and Vincenzo Iaquinta are still involved, but until recently even Alessandro Del Piero, and one-legged Francesco Totti were still in Lippi's plans. Up front, only 26 year old Alberto Gilardino is an energetic holdover from the World Cup squad. In short the team has needed a major overhaul for years. The critics, and I was one of them, rightly lambasted Roberto Donadoni for his tactics but the one thing you couldn't fault him was on his selection. The ex-Milan midfielder took pretty much anyone with an Italian passport and could still kick a ball. Lippi's selections however have been as hardened as the arteries of his starting 11. A necessary revolution is needed.

Gigi Buffon may not be the best anymore, but he's certainly still the best in Italy. Davide Santon needs time on the wing. Giorgio Chiellini is set at one centerback but is Fabio Cannavaro still an option at 35? Gamberini might not be a Baresi or a Maldini but he's been a quality centerback for Fiorentina. Fabiano Santacroce can even help out the back and Marco Motta can play on the wing opposite of Santon. In the midfield, I'd rather see three quality players there who are great two way players like Daniele DeRossi, Riccardo Montolivo and if he can fix the injury problems Alberto Aquilani, rather than specialists like Gattuso. If you want to fix the problems in defence, alleviate them by strengthening the midfield. Hold possession, regain it when you lose it and attack. If you must get a rottweiler in the middle I'd choose Angelo Palombo; a younger version of Rino. Up front, Italy are old, slow and one dimensional. Lacking a fantasista, they haven't been able to link their midfield and their attack so including Antonio Cassano here would be ideal. Short of that, then I'd settle for Sebastian Giovinco. His passing is extraordinary, he's lightning quick, and while most would look down on his size and lack of physical presence, I'd give up a little of that for a bit of transcendent skill. Up front, without question, Giuseppe Rossi needs to be in the mix with his U21 partner Gianpaolo Pazzini. Add Robert Aquafresca, Antonio DiNatale, Alberto Gilardino, Fabio Quagliarella, in fact there are so many younger strikers plying there trade in Italy that you don't have to be a genius to put combinations of them together to find the right mix. In fact, with such a heady mix of great, young Italian attacking talent, it is Lippi's greatest failure not to have developed them more.

It may not be a time to panic, Italy were close enough then to give Spain a run for their money, and some veterans must stay on to give some semblance of continuity for the World Champions, but Italy cannot take this loss lightly. They have 11 months.

Italy 0 v 3 Brazil

"Una goleada" is what the announcers called it. A less than stellar Azzurri were found out by a solid if unspectacular Brazil squad yesterday in the Confereations Cup. The first, a garbage goal threaded through three gawking Italian defenders to an opportunistic Luis Fabiano, put the selecao ahead. The second highlighted the first major weakness of the Italian squad, where Brazil flooded the Italian midfield, pressured their attack there, and released to Kaka and Robinho at pace. A few quick exchanges between them and Luis Fabiano, trailing into the area, received an uncontested pass to slot it past an overmatched Buffon. The last goal, Andrea Dossena's boneheaded own-goal, highlighted the other major weakness for the Azzurri. The defence.

Now that we've had a quick look, let's delve a little deeper. On paper, these are the world champions, but Italy have not been "Italy" since just after Lippi left for his Roman Holiday in July of 2006. Here were the keys for that World Cup squad. In attack: Luca Toni is just not the same player. A late bloomer at Palermo and Fiorentina, he didn't start making his mark in Italy until well into his 20's. He was 29 when the Azzurri won the World Cup. He got his big contract to Bayern Munich that year but even that now has soured. 32 years of age is not old for a forward, and Toni's game is less reliant on pace than it is grit and determination, but age doesn't just take away speed and acceleration, it also takes away coordination and skill on the ball as well. He's not finishing because his body is just not firing like it used to. Also, Vincenzo Iaquinta was a key sub in 2006 but whereas he had a defined place in a Udinese squad then, he gets few quality minutes in a Juve team overstocked with big forward. Gilardino? He's a specialist in need of a provider.

In short, their attack is toothless, but in midfield the dropoff has been even worse. Francesco Totti received loads of criticism for his inability to define himself in big games, but his contribution to Italy 2006 was crucial. His passing and ball control allowed other midfielders to specialize in key roles. With his retirement, there is no one yet who has defined the number 10 role for the new Azzurri. Giuseppe Rossi is too young, as is Montolivo, and the ideal candidate is serving a life sentence from the National squad because Lippi questions his dedication. Antonio Cassano may be a lot of things, l'enfant terrible is a good word for him, a destabilizing force is another, but Italy are not in the position to be all that picky with their squad positions. Simone Pepe and Angelo Palombo aren't ready for prime time, and unfortunetaly Lippi continues to trust an aging core Pirlo, Gattuso and Camoranesi to win the ball and begin the attack. Daniele DeRossi is young and able but he is wasted in one of the least capable Italian midfield's on record.

As for the defence? There has been a generational turn in their vaunted defending. Where are the Maldini's and Baresi's? Chiellini is top drawer quality, but Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta, and Fabio Grosso have lost it. Andrea Dossena, Alessandro Gamberini, and Nicola Legrottaglie never had it and the new jewel in the armor Davide Santon of Inter Milan is still a ways away from the big time.

The Azzurri are stuck. World Cup holders, they (like their 1982 brethren) won't defend it. Roberto Donadoni was clueless, a victim of the Lippi shadow, but even the rehired Lippi is under that same spell. The one saving grace is that the Azzurrini are very good, they play well together and may be forced into the senior squad sooner rather than later.

Cissokho to Milan?

No, I guess Aly Cissokho will not play in Milan next season because the French left back did not pass the medical examination in Milan. Here's the interesting thing:  it's because of his dental problems.

Whuh? Now I realize the signing of the 21 year old from FC Porto is risky, considering the fact that the player plays in wilderness of Portugal, oh and he played in t he French second division before that, but please will people stop making up stuff? Since when are dental issues linked with "muscle injury and specifically with hernias."1

And since when is Milan all that concerned with dental issues?

Giuseppe Rossi: a ripe obscenity?

I know it's an old topic, which is what the title refers to actually, but the last few days have opened up a can of worms that's as ancient as any in the professional side of the sport. Giuseppe Rossi, Joe Red as we call him in the podcast, born in the United States in a fascinating place called Teaneck, New Jersey, who played with the USMNT mascot Michael Bradley in his youth, and is under contract along with lead striker Jozy Altidore at Villareal, but spent his formative years both in the Parma youth system in Italy, and under the watchful eye of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, scored a come from behind brace at the Confederation's Cup in South Africa the other day for Italy; leading his father's Azzurri to victory over the country of his birth.

Then the obscenities started coming. He's a traitor. Brainwashed by his father at the age of 13 to give up his allegiance and travel to Parma, Italy for a longshot chance at glory; a glory that isn't even his or so they say. Bruce Arena tried to get him to play for the U.S, especially when his career stalled on-loan at Newcastle United, but the kid had a dream: he wanted to play in that famous blue kit and he wanted to be the fantasista; heir to Baggio, Del Piero and Totti. He made it. Against all odds. We should be celebrating him.

Is he any different from Lukas Podolski or Miroslav Klose who both play for Germany instead of their native Poland? Ethnically they're German or so say their passports. Are you truly Argentinian if you're raised there but born in France like David Trezeguet? Should Mauro Camoranesi be derided because he bleeds Abiceleste instead of Azzurri? Omar Sivori was another in a long line of Oriundi playing in the belle paesi. So was Brazilian Jose Altafini. Or what about the greatest: Alfredo DiStefano; who played for his native Argentina, a bit part for Colombia and finally for his adoptive Spain? Should they have given up their dreams for some nationalistic idiocracy? Tab Ramos could have played for Uruguay. Ernie Stewart could have for Holland. Thomas Dooley couldn't even speak English but like his foreign born team-mates, he accepted citizenship and played for another country not of his birth. Mehmet Aurelio, Cacau, Pepe, Deco, even Euro 2008 winner Marco Senna, all of them were born in Brazil. Are they continually criticised because they gave up their slim chance at the selecao?

Why then is Giuseppe Rossi any different from 4 generations of his compatriots who played for national teams other than that of their birth? He's not. Rossi made the best choice for himself and his family. Some choose an easier route to the World Cup, some choose a stronger ethnic connection, others offer themselves to the highest bidders, but we have no right to question that decision.

Minute+5 Podcast:Ibra Should He Stay Or Should He Go?

Dov joins me as we discuss the possibility of a Zlatan Ibrahimovic move to La Liga and Barca.  It has been suggested in some circles he is worth Cronaldo and Kaka combine. Listen to this Minute+5 and tell us at Forza Futbol what you think.

The Next Minute+5 with Kevin and Dov - Inters Ibra Flying the Coop For the direct download try this link, Min+5 Player Profile Ibra