The Roberto Martínez effect

Saturday 21st May 2011 - Six sides battled it out to remain within the Primera Division. One side lost that battle - Deportivo La Coruna. The next day another Spaniard had he's own relegation fight on his hands in England. A one-off match; winner takes all and even that might not be enough. This time five teams were vulnerable but two could fall through the trap door, a seasons worth of games boiled down to ninety minutes of football. Wigan survived, Martínez was a hero !

Roberto Martínez was born in Balaguer, a small town in Catalonia. In 2009 the census came back with a population of around 17,000, a little more than what can be expected at the DW stadium on match day. He signed for his hometown club and learnt his trade through the ranks for the 3rd division club until the team he supported as a child Real Zaragoza came calling. Following in his fathers footsteps of playing for both Balaguer and Zaragoza, he made a number of appearances for the B side but only one for the first team of the Blanquillos in his three years at the club. He then returned to his local side, it was here he got his first taste of management as he ran a football school for the club as an alternative to military service alongside his first team duties.

In 1995 he joined Wigan Athletic who at the time were in England's 3rd division, with chairman Dave Whelan then owner of JJB Sports owning four shops in Spain. The general director was based in Zaragoza and played a key role in bringing the midfielder to the Latics. Roberto couldn't have asked for a better start as he finished the season as the Fan's Player of the Year and the club's leading goalscorer. His next season wasn't bad either as the side gained promotion, six years in total the Spaniard spent at Wigan. A short spell in Scotland with Motherwell followed, where he met his wife, and then to West Midlands side Walsall, both times rarely making an impact. A move to Wales revitalised his career once more as he joined Swansea City. He wrapped up his playing career with a year at Chester City having spent three seasons at the Swans.

In 2007 he was offered the Swansea City managerial position, his first appointment at just 33 years old. In his first full season he won promotion to the Championship gaining 92 points over the season, the highest ever by a Welsh club in the Football League. In 2008/09 they finished 8th in the Championship. It wasn't just the results that were good, a style of football was pushed onto the club which is still evident to this day. Quick passing and possession based football when in the ascendancy, with high pressing looking to win the ball back quickly when without the ball; sound familiar ! His win percentage for the club only being bettered by current manager Brendan Rodgers who has taken the side into the Premiership for the first time. Martínez certainly left the foundations for which Rodgers has built on, with an indifferent Paulo Sousa in between. Roberto was critical of players that wanted to leave for more money or other clubs but this came back to bite him.

In 2009 he joined Dave Whelan once again at Wigan, obviously Swansea fans were not best pleased, some going as far as to label him 'El Judas'. Whilst he certainly owed Swansea for giving him his first opportunity as a coach, he had left them in good condition. He also felt that he owed Whelan as much if not more for bringing him to England in the first place. The lure of the Premier League being the deciding factor. Wigan had previously been in the Premiership for four years prior, two under the tenure of Paul Jewell and two under Steve Bruce. Average attendances at the side have dropped 3,400 since their first season in the top flight as the recession has took hold. Four out of there six seasons they have been bottom of the attendance statistics, with only Portsmouth and Blackpool ever having had marginally less. With a town that is more known for its Rugby and neighbouring giants Manchester United and City, it's an uphill battle for it to improve. Despite having the lowest win percentage of the three managers at the club, Roberto last season achieved Wigan's lowest amount of defeats in one season since being in the top flight. Going against the media clichés for a team in their position, "keeping a team organised" or "playing scrappy football to get results" neither have been applied here. Just being in the Premiership is a success for a club of Wigan's size.

The money has hardly been flowing either, using the figures from transferleague.co.uk Martínez has both a smaller gross and net spend than he's predecessors. Under Jewell they had a gross spend of £27.05 million, whilst Bruce had one for £27.01m leaving Martínez trailing behind having just spent £15.8m. At a club like Wigan where players will come and go in order to survive, then buying low and selling high has to be part of the realistic ambitions. In terms of net spend Jewell parted with £9.25m, Bruce spent £0.65m and Martínez was £7.95m in profit. Roberto clearly benefiting from Manchester United's decision to part with £16m for Antonio Valencia (in the interests of fairness - 2 years in charge of Wigan at the top each - I haven't included the recent signing of goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi believed to be for a fee of around £4 million). It's not just at his own club where he has had less money, when comparing the last two seasons net spend of -£7.95m against their relegation rivals of last year he also scores favourably. With Blackpool (£4.175m), West Ham (£17.7m), Wolves (£25.4m) and Birmingham an unbelievable (£36.525m). It's clear to see why Aston Villa wanted to take the Spaniard to the Midlands this summer.

But is it shrewd business moves on Roberto's part or has he been assisted by a number of good signings from Steve Bruce. Perhaps it's a bit of both with top players Hugo Rodallega, Charles N'Zogbia and Maynor Figueroa having arrived before Martínez took charge but all benefiting from his style of play. The signings of current captain Gary Caldwell (free) and young highly rated Liverpool target James McCarthy (£1.2m) shows it wasn't just his ability to attract his wife that he learnt whilst in Scotland. The signing of Argentine striker Mauro Boselli (£6.5m) last summer suggests he has some learning to do in the mid-range transfer fees (although looking at Boselli's record in Argentina it's clear to see why he made the signing). Martínez has himself admitted that 'loan signings' will be key this summer whilst youngsters will be keen to fit into the passing system as United's Tom Cleverley did last season. "Getting young local players into the squad is my ambition; youngsters born in Wigan being in the squad will show a great sign of improvement." The progress of youngsters such as Callum McManamen, Lee Nicholls and Jordan Mustoe, all from the Merseyside area not to far away, show a willingness to build for the future.

So what does the future hold for Señor Martínez ?

Well another season at Wigan is the immediate aim having turned down Randy Learner's advances and once again a realistic finish for Wigan is just to stay in the Premiership. Talk of five-year plan where Wigan aim to crack the top ten is both ambitious but achievable. Next year will be crucial to Martínez in terms of profile, if unsuccessful then he would be relegated from the potential pool of top young managers. His friendship with Dave Whelan is so good that he allowed him to speak with Aston Villa. Whelan has said that he would allow Martínez to leave for a top club, whether that's in England or Spain only time will tell. He is clearly happy in Great Britain and doesn't seem to be looking for a path home. It's difficult to see a club of a top six stature taking the punt on a manager from Wigan, so he may have to move to another league. Perhaps opportunities may present themselves at Tottenham or Everton in the coming seasons only time will tell. A move to one of the Old Firm in Scotland would seem to be a good fit for all parties.

Which League is the best in Europe?

A few days ago, I was having a conversation with a friend about football, as you do. Now, it is no secret that I am a big Barca fan. With this in mind, the whole Premier League vs La Liga debate raised it's head. He asked me, in a fairly patronising way, when the last time a team other than Real Madrid or Barcelona won the Spanish title. This immediately prompted a question in response - "When was the last time a team other than Manchester United or Chelsea won the Premier League?"

This has since led me to have a look at various leagues across Europe, in order to try and get a handle on how competitive they really are, year on year. The answers to the questions above by the way are: Arsenal won the title in 2004, after that Manchester United have won it four times (including 2010/11) and Chelsea have won it on three occasions. In Spain, Valencia were the last champions outside the Big Two, ironically also in 2003/04. And, just like in England, there is a 4-3 scoreline, this time in favour of FC Barcelona.

So, back to the task at hand. For the purposes of this article, I am going back as far as the 1992/93 season, as that is when the Premier League era began (or football altogether according to a certain broadcaster!). In these nineteen seasons, there have been five different champions of La Liga: FC Barcelona (9 times), Real Madrid (6), Valencia (2) and Atletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna with one title each. In England, I don't need to do any research to know that there have been only four winners in this period: Manchester United (12), Chelsea and Arsenal both have three titles, and Blackburn Rovers have a solitary success, in 1994/95.

If anything, the stats above show that La Liga is more competitive year on year than the Premier League. And if Chelsea hadn't been acquired by a Russian billionaire, they wouldn't even be on this list.

So, what about elsewhere on the continent? Well, a cursory look at the Scottish Premier League doesn't really bring any shocks. The last time a team outside the Old Firm to win the league was way back in 1984/85, when Aberdeen finished top ahead of Celtic. The manager of Aberdeen at the time? Sir Alex Ferguson.

In Portugal, it is largely the same as England and Spain. FC Porto have won 13 out of 19 titles since 92-93, with Benfica (3), Sporting Lisbon (2) and a solitary success for Boavista making up the numbers. In Germany, FC Bayern have won ten of nineteen titles, Borussia Dortmund four, Werder Bremen two, and Wolfsburg, Kaiserslautern and Stuttgart all winning one league apiece.

Serie A, on the other hand, is very interesting. There have only been eighteen titles awarded in the last nineteen seasons. The 2004/05 title was not awarded due to the Calciopoli scandal, and the 2005/06 Scudetto was stripped from Juventus and awarded to Inter Milan. In total, AC Milan have won six titles, while Inter and Juve have five titles each. The two Rome clubs, Roma and Lazio, have both won one league each.

In fact, the most varied league in terms of winners seems to be France's Ligue 1. Like Italy, there have only been 18 titles won in the last 19 years, after Olympique Marseille were stripped of the 1992/93 title after being found guilty of corruption. Lyon are far and away the most successful team over this period, after winning seven in a row between 2002-2008. There have been seven other winners of Ligue 1, and there could be another different winner this season, as Lille are currently top of the table.

Going back to the England v Spain debate, next season could provide a different champion, as Manchester City are likely to splash the cash after securing Champions League football for next season. Also, Arsenal have to spend to bring in some experience and proven winners. And Liverpool are sure to be resurgent next season under Kenny Dalglish, especially if they carry on spending this summer.

In Spain, though, the 2011-12 title will inevitably be won by Real or Barca. Especially if the TV rights are not begun to be divided equally among the clubs, instead of the clubs negotiating individual deals. This has to happen, otherwise the current 25 point gaps that regularly appear between the top two and third will only grow. Barcelona and Real Madrid currently have the last three winners of FIFA's World Player Of The Year award, and this year's top three all play at Camp Nou. How can the rest of the league compete unless something is done to even out the playing field?

So, which is the best league in Europe? That is the question that I set out to answer in this article, but in the end I don't think there is a definitive answer. I guess fans will always stay loyal to the league they follow. For me, the Premier League and La Liga are on a par with each other. I watch both every week, and enjoy both products. Although, the Premier League could pull away if the situation in Spain is not addressed urgently.

Agüero to leave for Chelsea?

Every year, there are always reports that Sergio Agüero may be on his way to Chelsea. Most people may feel reading the topic that this is just another year where eventually el Kun ends up staying at Atletico. This summer though, may be different. As Chelsea look to splash the cash to develop a team around Fernando Torres, there has been talk of a strike partner for el Niño.

Atletico has continued to say that he will not leave the Vincente Calderon and that his contract runs till 2014. CEO Angel Gil Marin revealed that they'd receive offers from arch rivals Real Madrid over the sale of both Kun and Diego Forlan. He also revealed that Kun has a buy out clause of €45 million.

However as we saw with Torres, Roman Abramovich could splash the cash for Kun and a decent offer can see the Atletico striker move on to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea may look to offload their ageing stars such as Drogba, Anelka, Essien and Malouda. Some have already began to speculate that Carlo Ancelotti may go to Roma (a club he has wished to manage for some time) where their is another rebuilding project in progress and may take Drogba with him. On Chelsea's list are said to be the likes of Neymar, Sneidjer Ganso and the Atletico duo of David de Gea and Sergio Aguero.

Though Chelsea are looking at Neymar from Santos, they may elect to go for Aguero which would bring back the strike partnership of Torres and Aguero from the Atletico days which ended when Torres moved to Liverpool. Whatever happens in the summer, we already know that Atletico has got a tough time ahead in trying to keep their two stars : de Gea and Aguero

TV REVENUES - A Comparative View

There were threats of a strike in Spain by the club owners, but it never happened. The Spanish clubs are still pursuing laws that will ensure that the clubs get a piece of the internet gambling pie. In addition, the clubs will revisit the weekly free to air game in the summer.

But lurking in the background were the G6 or 7, depending who you ask, who stood up against the strike. The middle class clubs (Villarreal, Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Real Zaragoza, Espanyol and Malaga) making a stand against the current individual TV revenue distribution and the proposed collective deal, that maintains the status quo.

Mando has quite eloquently covered the this whole situation, but I thought it was time to take a look at the big European markets and compare and contrast the various TV deals. (Source: Futebol Finance) These figures are only for Domestic markets.


PREMIER LEAGUE
Domestic TV Licensor: Sky Sports
Television contract: from 2009-10 through 2012-13
Total Value: 3.538 million euros
Annual breakdown: 1,179 million euros
Teams: 20

SERIE A
Domestic TV Licensor: Sky-Italia and Mediaset
TV Contract: 2010-11 through 2011-12
Total value: 1,822 million euros
Annual breakdown: 911 million.
Teams: 20

LIGUE 1
Domestic TV Licensor:Canal Plus and Orange
TV Contract: 2008-09 through 2011-12
Total value: 2,672 million euros
Annual breakdown: 668 mill.
Teams: 20

BUNDESLIGA
Domestic TV Licensor: Premiere AG
TV Contract: 2009-10 through 2012-13
Total value: 1,648 million euros
Annual breakdown: 412 mill.
Teams: 18

LA LIGA
Domestic TV Licensor: Mediapro
TV Contract: 2009-10 to 2011-12
Total value: 1,500 million euros
Annual breakdown: 500 mill. (280 To Real Madrid and Barcelona)
Teams: 20

EREDIVISIE
Domestic TV Licensor: RTL-Nederland
TV Contract: 2008-09 through 2010-11
Total value: 300 million euros
Annual breakdown: 100 mill.
Teams: 18

What is wrong with this picture? The Spanish League earns less in Domestic TV Revenues than Serie A and Ligue 1, and the Bundesliga is not far behind. This doesn't even take into account that the lion's share of the revenues from Mediapro goes to the big two giants. It seems that La Liga is selling their product short.

The disparity between the top and bottom of the league is enormous in Spain. 140M Euros of Domestic TV revenues goes to Real Madrid and Barcelona, where as bottom dwellers, Sporting and Malaga received 12M in 2010. Look at the competition during this same time period. In England, Manchester United received 58.2M Euros, where as Middlesborough received 34.9M. In Germany, Bayern received 28.1M compared to Hoffenheim at 13.3M. In France, Marseille received 49.9M versus relegation battlers Le Havre at 13.9M.

Redistribution of tv rights needs to be a priority. A competitive league makes a strong, financially stable, league.


Another factor that needs to be taken into account is the debt of the Spanish clubs. As reported by Punto Radio, La Liga clubs as of June 2010 were 3.526 million Euros in debt. This includes unpaid transfers, player salaries, social security, and back taxes.

Here are the top ten clubs:

-Real Madrid: 683 millon €

-Valencia: 550

-At. Madrid: 511

-F.C. Barcelona: 489

-Villarreal: 240

-Espanyol: 165

-Racing: 137

-Sevilla: 122

-Deportivo: 120

-Mallorca: 85


Catch 22? I am not anti-debt, it is a part of life, but Spanish teams need to start living within their means. A league wide austerity plan is way over due.

Improvements are needed in the earnings and spending arenas. Where is the Federation and League wide leadership when you need it?

PREMIERSHIP RUMORS: Summer Transfers

Rumblings and rumors out of Spain are pointing towards several tasty transfers that could take place this summer. What are your thoughts on the following speculation?


Raul Albiol to Chelsea?
The central defender is no longer a starter for Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid. As expected, the Valenciano is chomping at the bit for more playing time. He also wants to solidify his spot as the heir apparent in the Spanish National team, for the aging Marchena and Puyol. Chelsea needs a younger replacement for John Terry and has a strong desire to shore up the backline. Possible?


Nacho Monreal or Jose Enrique to Liverpool?
The team from Merseyside is in desperate need of a left back. Monreal is young and talented and let's get real, Osasuna is a selling club. If the right offer comes along, and it is not from Athletic Bilbao, then they are more than willing to part ways and rebuild. Monreal is on the fringes of the Spanish National team and is looking for ways to advance his career and become a big star. On the other side you have Jose Enrique who is already playing in the Premier League with Newcastle. He has the experience of playing in the physical, fast paced rhythm and dynamism of the PL. The only downside is his price tag, which will be vastly inflated. (See Andy Carroll) Do you go for potential and a more reasonable price tag? Or do you vie for experience and less risk at a steep price?


Fernando Llorente to Tottenham?
Harry Rednapp came to Spain midwinter, in search of a "bride", but came away empty handed. Speculation is that he will return in the summer for the big prize and with the big bucks. Unfortunately, this time he will need to compete with Real Madrid. The Athletic Bilbao striker is the Lion King at his current club. He is used to being the top dog. However he does pine for bigger things and has mentioned the Premier league quite often, as the style is much to his liking and talent. T'Ham would be a good match, provided the club is involved in European competition. ACB President Macua could sell, if the price is right, especially after the summer elections. Probable?


Diego Lopez to Manchester United?
All the transfer rumors are talking about David De Gea to ManU to replace the retiring Van der Sar, but the young Atletico player still lacks the big game experience, particularly in Europe. That said, a goal keeper with the experience of the underrated Diego Lopez would fit in perfectly, in my opinion. A solid offer could sway the Villarreal hierarchy. A transfer in the making?

The Top 50 Most Influential people in World Football for 2010

Don Balon has come out with their 50 Most Influential People in World Football of 2010. Please note that this is a Spanish paper/magazine/media source and is very Spanish and Latin centric. Well here are the powers that be, the movers and shakers in the beautiful game. They were selected for their ability to influence the present and future of the sport, as well as their global, regional, and local reach.



1 Joseph Blatter (president FIFA)
2 Michel Platini (president UEFA)
3 Ángel María Villar (president RFEF Spanish Football Federation)
4 Ricardo Teixeira (president CBF Brasil Football Federation)
5 Julio Grondona (president AFA Argentina Football Federation)
6 Nicolás Leoz (president CONMEBOL)
7 Issa Hayatou (president CAF)
8 Jack Austin Warner (president CONCACAF)
9 Chung Mong-Joon (vicepresident FIFA executive committee)
10 Geoff Thompson (vicepresident FIFA executive committee)
11 Jaques Rogge (president IOC Olympic committee)
12 Mohamed Bin Hamman (president AFC)
13 Vitaly Mutko (president Russia 2018)
14 Mohammed Bin Hamad (president Qatar 2022)
15 Giancarlo Abete (president Italian Football Federation)
16 Theo Zwanziger (president DFB, German Football Federation)
17 Herbert Hainer (president Adidas Group)
18 Mark Parker (executive president Nike)
19 Richard Scudamore (CEO Premier League)
20 Jaume Roures (president Mediapro)
21 Marcus Agius (president & chairman Barclays)
22 Sandro Rosell (president Barcelona)
23 Florentino Pérez (president Real Madrid)
24 Joel & Avram Glazer (presidents Manchester United)
25 Franz Beckenbauer (member of FIFA executive committee)
26 Peter Hill-Wood (president Arsenal)
27 Roman Abramovich (Chelsea majority shareholder)
28 J. Henry & T. Werner (Liverpool majority shareholder)
29 Andrea Agnelli (president & chairman Juventus)
30 Massimo Moratti (president Inter)
31 Silvio Berlusconi (Milan majority shareholder)
32 Nicolas Ericson (TV division director FIFA)
33 Joseph V. Tripodi (executive vicepresident Coca-Cola)
34 Steve Easterbrook (president McDonald's Europe)
35 Vicente del Bosque (España national team manager)
36 José Mourinho (Real Madrid manager)
37 Pep Guardiola (Barcelona manager)
38 Alex Ferguson (Manchester United manager)
39 Mano Menezes (Brasil national team manager)
40 Sergio Batista (Argentina national team manager)
41 Arsene Wenger (Arsenal manager)
42 Leo Messi (Barcelona player)
43 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid player)
44 Xavi Hernández (Barcelona player)
45 Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona player)
46 Jorge Mendes (Agent)
47 Giovanni Branchini (Agent)
48 Rainer Holzschuh (president ESM European Sports Magazine Germany)
49 Andrea Monti (director La Gazzetta dello Sport)
50 Françoise Morinière (chief executive L'Equipe group)


What do you think of the list? My personal opinion, is that the list is pretty much spot on. It is really interesting to see the power and influence of the big national teams, clubs, leagues, and confederations on the footballing world. One might call this group the iluminati of the footballing world or just the business footballing elite. Big responsibility as we entrust them with the keys to the beautiful game.

Silva finding his feet at City

It is often hard to make conclusions from the festive football period in England. With players understandably physically and mentally tired from playing four games in 10 days results often come down to a survival of the fittest or, as results over the past week have shown, to those with the biggest squad.

However, Manchester City's three wins over the past six days have demonstrated the increasing influence of one La Liga old boy. After a disjointed beginning to his City career, David Silva is starting to show his full range of abilities.

For Saturday's 1-0 win over Blackpool, City manager Roberto Mancini started all three of Silva, Carlos Tevez and Adam Johnson, who scored the game’s solitary goal, for only the second time in the league this season. For onlookers who have waited for the Italian to give this, his most creative, triumvirate a start it made for an interesting spectacle.

Silva undoubtedly adds another dimension to City’s play. He is the sole player amongst a near billion pound squad with the ability to play as an old-fashioned number 10, behind the main striker. For the past three years I have maintained that his old teammate David Villa is the world’s best striker (assuming you don’t class Leo Messi as an out and out striker). However, Villa would not nearly have hit the same heights at Valencia without his namesake playing just behind him. Given more time to gel Tevez could similarly take advantage of this supply line, although there is the question of whether the Argentine and Silva are truly compatible given the former’s tendency to drop deep and into the same positions that the Spaniard likes to occupy.

Some critics have also argued that Silva is too lightweight to play this central position in the Premier League. Thankfully in recent weeks these fears have been dispelled, particularly after a stellar performance in the 4-0 win over Aston Villa. The man from the Canaries again demonstrated why even some in the English press have fallen in love with the Spanish tiki-taka style. BBC Radio 5live’s John Murray describing Silva’s performance as “the essence of the Spanish World Cup winning side”.

Indeed Silva arguably made the greatest sacrifice of his football career so far when signing for City. By concluding his transfer from Valencia during the World Cup, specifically against coach Vicente Del Bosque’s orders for no deals to be concluded during that period, Silva was dropped from the starting XI after the loss to Switzerland and only made a brief cameo during the semi-final against Germany in La Roja’s run to World Cup glory.

Ideally for those who want to see Silva thrive in the Premier League he will be permanently deployed in the central attacking-midfield role in a 4-2-3-1, with Johnson on one side and either James Milner or Mario Balotelli (after all he is the second best player in the world – at least in his own head) on the other.

However, Mancini has been reticent to deploy Silva and Johnson together for any length of time this season, indeed many see them as playing in the same ‘inverted winger’ on the right-side position. But that is to miss Silva’s greatest quality as a central player slightly off the main striker. Johnson is quite the opposite, a winger who likes to start wide, pull the full-back out and away from the centre-backs and then run in behind to expose that space. Silva is the most capable of finding these runs with defence splitting passes, as Jonhson’s goal against West Ham recently demonstrated (at 1.30).

Mancini has often been labeled as a negative coach. His decision to continue with Nigel De Jong, Gareth Barry and Yaya Toure behind Silva, Johnson and Tevez against Blackpool is testament to that accusation. Indeed playing these six together tends to unbalance the side with Silva nominally chosen as the wide-left player in a 4-3-3 but moving inside so regularly that Barry has to move from a central position to cover the left-side when City lose the ball. This inbalance can leave City vulnerable to attacks by opposition full-backs.

In any case any chance of seeing Silva playing in his natural position more often may be scuppered completely with the imminent arrival of Edin Dzeko to Eastlands. Presumably Dzeko will play as the furthest forward in a front two with Tevez, the Argentine then dropping deeper to play in the role Silva has been playing. This would in all likelihood force Silva to play more from a wider position and further limit Johnson’s opportunities in the first-team.

Dzeko may provide a more physical presence, but his and Tevez’s opportunities will be curtailed if Silva and Jonson’s ammunition is ultimately sacrificed.

Spanish Armada in the EPL

The English Premiership has seen a lot of improvement since foreigners started playing in the league. Recently we have seen more players from countries that have not been too successful playing in England and making a big statement, Players from Brazil, Argentina, and Spain have not been too hot, leaving the stage to French, Dutch and Germans to achieve the successful headlines.

But now things have changed over the last 5 years and the Spanish players are hitting it big in the EPL. Players like Fabregas, Torres, Arteta have all attained “Untouchable” status. If you have any doubts about Spanish domination in England, ask Liverpool fans who are still feeling the loss of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid. Today I’m going give kudos to some of the Spanish ambassadors in the Land of Queen Elizabeth. Also I’ll be giving shot outs to some La Liga Imports who are not Spanish.

We begin with the players who needed a huge upgrade in their games. Some have received decent playing time and yet can’t raise their game. Others have some factors hindering their progress, though not of their own making (injuries etc). Top of the List is Enrique of Newcastle and Salgado of Blackburn. They have seen a lot of games and playing time, but they may be in the wrong teams. Or perhaps, it’s not just not right for them to keep battling in the EPL. Salgado has achieved it all and should be in MLS or the Middle East enjoying a break, while Enrique still has a few years left in him and may need new scenery to get it right.

Players such as Pacheco (Liverpool), Rodrigo and Marcos Alonso (both Bolton) simply are not getting the required playing time and need a new scenery to showcase their talent. Amongst the Madrid faithful Marcos Alonso had plenty of admiration, so it was a surprise to see the young lad head to the North of England to Bolton, of all places. No offense meant but he could have developed more in France, Germany or Portugal (checkout Szalai or Javi Garcia). Rodrigo has had a few games, but way to few with an Elmander in form and Klasnic not doing to bad, chances have come very few for him. Both youngsters may be better off in a different team or league. As for Pacheco, well with a Torres, Ngog, Babbel amongst others leading Liverpool’s attack, I would be mad to say he should keep waiting for his turn. I got two words for him “GET OUT!”


I also need to mention imports who are struggling. Maxi Rodriguez is not looking anywhere near his potential. He has completely faded from the player who once played for Atletico Madrid. Fabio Aurelio is one suffering from the misfortune of too many injuries since he left Valencia. He is a very skillful player who could be deployed on the left wing of attack or defense and excellent with set pieces. I think it’s best he come back to La Liga. The question is, can he stay fit? Fabricio Colocini is a player I never admired during his La Liga days, so he can stay in England and keep giving inconsistent displays. But even he is not close to the biggest FLOP from La Liga and that is Giovani Dos Santos. Funny enough he is a flop for one reason, he moved to the wrong team in the wrong league. Giovani dos Santos left Barcelona for Tottenham Hotspurs 3 seasons ago. (It feels like ages ago, right?) I bet you he slaps himself everyday he thinks of this decision. He is better off in any country other than England. He had an amazing world cup, only to return to the killer of his dreams, Spurs. Right now his agent should be going around begging La Liga teams such as Malaga and Zaragoza. Surely, they could offer him playing time.

Now just before I get into the top EPL stars, I need to talk about a star who is not shining, El Niño Fernando Torres, who is having a struggling season. Honestly I can’t blame him. As if last season was not bad enough, with Benitez gone and Roy Hodgson in, this season started in such a disastrous manner so much confusion from the management and niggling injuries still popping up here and there. All these factors have lead to a weakened performance from El Niño. But as his performance against Chelsea showed, he still can deliver under the right circumstances. If only Chelsea had shown some balls and made that move for him, he would have been reinvigorated and scoring by now. He has to leave Liverpool unless they bring in a Coach who can take Liverpool back to a title contending position.

Now let’s leave all the gloomy tales and move on to the Heroes. This season we had a new arrival, well two and they were big money moves (rightly so if I may add). Yaya Toure and David Silva left Barcelona and Valencia for a new challenge in England. Both started very slow but have warmed their way into the league. Yaya Toure was not going to be a concern due to his physical strength, vision and goal scoring. This has only added to his accolades. The league transition was expected to be easier for him. Silva was the main concern due to his physique, but he has been hitting the strides and even getting into some challenges, what a sweet sight I tell you. Both players deserve a huge round of applause. Also amongst the Manchester city adventurers is an unsung hero in Zabaleta, not a headliner, but a versatile player who has been there at right back and left back, whenever he has been called upon. He is one player who if he wants to leave the EPL I would suggest a return to La Liga. The Ex-Espanyol player would be received with arms wide open.

Other notable heroes are Fabregas who anytime he isn’t on the field for Arsenal, makes them look like 3 man short and a bunch of 16yr olds. He is still in the wrong team if you ask me. But the maturity he brings to a side that doesn’t know how to kill games, is amazing. Pepe Reina is another player who has been amongst the bright spots in a Liverpool team worth forgetting about. Oh yes his incredulous errors do happen! (But aren’t the best guilty of such?) He is still without any doubt, in the top 3 best goalies in the EPL.

The Best Spanish player in the EPL so far this season it goes to a player who will never play for La Roja, Mikel Arteta. He is the man who when he is off his game, Everton falters. Too bad Atletico Madrid couldn’t get him back to La Liga. He deserves to be playing for a much bigger side. He is the lynchpin in Everton. Their season would have been even worse, if he wasn’t available. Good vision, eye for goal and excellent delivery from set pieces. If the English were not too proud to admit he is better than all their midfielders and grant him citizenship, he would have been a member of the 3 Lions. But wait I think he played for Spain at youth levels. Nevertheless, he is a standout and my top pick for Best Spanish player in the EPL.

Finally the best overall non Spanish player from La Liga, who moved to the EPL is Rafael Van der Vaart. He just started like he has been playing in England forever and brought an extra class to Totienham Hotspurs. Such a smooth transition. In the UCL, he has been on fire. In the EPL, he has netted 8 goals in 12 games. This says it all. Unfortunately, he has had a few injuries to deal with. Even so, he has shown the same class for which he has been known for, back in the day at Ajax. He is the buy of the season in the EPL and he was sold for only 8 mill euros. Amazing isn’t it? VdV is excellent at set pieces, a master dribbler, creates neat passes and can get in a tackle or two. I don’t know any Coach who doesn’t want such a player.

Did I miss anyone? What Spanish player or former La Liga player has impressed you in the Premiership?

Article by Raphael Harry for Forza Futbol

Is this the League you Want?

Well, well, well, 12 games in and guess who is on top? The title race is basically a foregone conclusion. Real Madrid or Barçelona will take the spoilers and the Clásicos will decide it. So sad, that there is little chance that anyone else can vie for the title, once again (!) and that it is decided way too early.

Sure the competition between 3 - 8 is intense for European spots and the relegation battle is always tasty in La Liga. Anyone from 10th on down can fall into the abyss. But the gap between the top two aka duopoly, and the rest of the league is glaring, disturbing and threatening the competitiveness of the league.

And it's no wonder! if you look at the way the TV Revenues are distributed or lack there of, in Spain. Compare Spain to the other big leagues in Europe, you will see that it is so unfair. In fact is is a joke.

Look at the diagram below (source ligajusta). Real Madrid and Barcelona receive 50% of the TOTAL kitty. No wonder no one can compete for the title.





In England, revenues are well distributed, the same applies to France and Germany. And look at the bottom of the table in the chart. In this particular year the bottom in France, Germany and England grossed more monies than the bottom half of the table in La Liga. In fact the last place team in England earned more than 5th place (!) Villarreal - outrageous.

Sure the beautiful passing and possession based football on display in Spain is sublime. The youth development is second to none. Spain is the world champions. But with the emergence of the financial fair play rules in European competitions and the continuation of the same old TV revenue rules, as proposed by Barça and Real Madrid, the future looks quite bleak and boring. Spain will lose their co-efficient to Germany and possibly even France. La Liga will start to become even more predictable and non competitive than it will hurt the big two. Do you really want a league where there are only two competitive matches a year for the title?

A strong league top to bottom is what is needed. The proposal by the "renegade" group lead by Sevilla's Jose Maria Del Nido is what is needed. 40% evenly spread to each team. 60% based on audience, league performance, and legacy points. This model is based on the Premiership, France, Germany, and Russia's model. Even Italy has changed to a collective, equitable basis with a portion based on results. I don't even want to bother outlining Real Madrid and Barcelona's proposal, because it is the same old thing. Check out Mando's previous posts if you are still interested.

The depressing thing is that Madrid and Barça have convinced most of the Second division teams to go along with them, because of the offering of a parachute payment. Anything is better than nothing? Live for the moment? I guess these teams don't see a future competing in La Primera. Not good.

The power of the people and the internet is ours and our voices of disapproval must be heard. The future of the beautiful game in La Liga is at stake. Is this the League you want? The Status Quo? Barça and Real Madrid the perpetual winners? I doubt it...

Premier League Nonsense: Mis-Director of Football

This Director of Football nonsense will never work in England. Let the manager bring in his own players. If it worked for Cloughie and Sir Alex, or Shankly and Bob Paisley then it can work today.

That may have been true, once before the Premier League, the high-salaries and the expensive imports tainted the first division, but nowadays it just doesn´t stand to reason to continue the status quo. Look at Manchester City. Three ownership groups and four managers in 5+ years. Stuart Pierce, Sven-Goran Ericksson, Mark Hughes and Roberto Mancini. One Englishman full of blood and thunder followed by a Swede more Italian than Scandinavian of temperament. One Welshman schooled in the rough-and-tumble Northwest followed by the measured continental grace of an Italian from the shores of the Adriatic. What differences in styles, tactics, management, and even communication between them. It´s no wonder despite the talent on that huge squad, they still haven´t been able to crack the top four.

The papers say it´s money that keeps all others out, but what is City´s problem? Is it always the manager´s fault? The players rule, and with the sort of contracts given to them, it almost assures mediocre performance. The managers are fired and the club yo-yos between British and Continental and back-again. The papers say they should have given them more time or more money even, that stability is the key and it takes awhile for a Wenger or a Sir Alex to build a juggernaut, but I contend it´s much easier than that. Hire a Director of Football. Liverpool just did. Your club should too.

You´ll save money in the long run. Take Sevilla and Villarreal for a start. Both have cost-conscious owners with a penchant for frugality. They both have innovative front-offices and scouting structures in place scouring mid-level leagues in Europe and in South America. Nine different countries are represented for the nervionenses (Sevilla). 6 for the Yellow Submarine (Villarreal). They both have active and productive youth-team set-ups. Sergio Ramos, Jose Antonio Reyes, Dani Alves and many others have come out of the Sanchez-Pizjuan. Villarreal B are one of the strongest sides (let alone B-squads) in the Second Division. If they would have had anywhere near what Real Madrid and Barcelona make from television contracts or merchandising, we would have been celebrating wins from either squad in league and in cups over the last five years. 

You´ll keep up with the times. Some would say that this is an extension of Moneyball; where clubs in baseball changed the status-quo using statistical analysis to evaluate talent, sell players at a profit and constantly change and adapt to the marketplace first rather than following tried and true, old-boy´s network strategies of doing business. It wasn´t just attempting to run a club like any other business, nobody really believes that the usual rules of profit and loss apply to sport in the strictest sense, but running it effectively considering how poorly your competition was running theirs; that´s the key to Moneyball or Sabermetrics or whatever you want to call it. It´s not about statistics, but about intent and applying it by beating your opponent before they even step out onto the pitch.

You´ll stop waiting for saviors. I realize that the English game is steeped in the history of the innovative manager, the genius who comes to town and creates history: Chapman, Shankly, Revie, Clough, Ferguson or Wenger, but those days are over. In today´s game it is almost impossible to assert yourself at a club to the extent that they did. It takes years to build a club from the ground up to suit your intent; you´ll get fired before that happens. Think of all the fuss over Kevin Keegan returning to Newcastle or Kenny Dalglish being almost willed by an entire city, or at least the red-half, to return to the Liverpool bench. How many clubs are waiting for Jose Mourinho to pick them from amongst the wallflowers and dance with them for awhile until he tires and even he doesn't work alone. He has a a group of trusted advisors that he takes with him wherever he goes and he requires an investment of capital that few clubs can aspire to. Are you willing to hand him the keys to your Aston Martin knowing that he'll be trading up to next year's sports-car sooner rather than later? Even his is no long term fix. His Chelsea squad endured but has Inter's? Porto´s? The jury is still out as it is at Real Madrid.

Now that's not to say that the Director of Football is a panacea that works at all times in all situations. That's just wrong, but consider the cases of Juande Ramos and Manuel Pellegrini. They were instrumental in leading Sevilla and Vilarreal respectively. Both left their comfortable niches, one more cordially than the other, to secure big salary positions. They left their respective clubs reeling, but because the organizations were in place, the wage scales and contracts had already been negotiated, and the youth teams were stocked, there was only a slight blip in form. There was no mass exodus of players and the new coach did not plunder his former club for expensive signings. The reason for this continued stability is the Director of Football. Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo or "Monchi¨ for Sevilla and José Manuel Llaneza Durá for Villarreal (amongst others in their charge) have allowed both clubs to continue fighting for titles and trophies despite the fact that either club are miles apart financially from their immediate rivals.

You think I´m wrong? Look at the latest hire at Chelsea FC made. Txiki Begiristain, architect of the latest incarnation of Barcelona FC, and cast-off of President Sandro Rosell, has landed with his feet firmly in place. The London-Blues realize that even an infinite amount of money cannot buy Championships. Someone must be in charge, and it might as well be a Director of Football; or do I have to remind you of Luis Felipe Scolari and Avram Grant?

IN THE TRADITION OF SANTIAGO BERNABEU

It's time for a rant on Real Madrid's youth policy and treatment of Spanish players. Particularly under the recent Florentino Perez and Ramon Calderon regimes, the policy has been piss poor. What sparks this rant, is the latest rumors in the Spanish press that Florentino Perez wants Fernando Llorente at Real Madrid! "Floris" is the hottest property in Spain right now, prolific in both La Furia Roja (aka the Spanish National team) as well as at his club Athletic Club de Bilbao.

But is Real Madrid really a good place for Llorente to excel? Floris is accustomed to a club that develops, and mentors it's players at the core. At Athletic Club, the team is more important than the individual. This is the antithesis of Real Madrid's Galactico philosophy.

At Athletic Club, the principles of a strong unit, collective, is the focus. The squad is more like a brotherhood of players which symbolizes more than just a football club. It represents the identity of the region. The little shepherd boy from La Rioja, who does not speak Euskara, was welcomed into the clan, also known as Athletic Club. The cantera is of utmost importance. It is the life and blood of the club due to it's strict Basque only policy. The culture shock and transition to Real Madrid could be a career killer for Llorente.

Just look at Real Madrid's track record of late. The number of cantera players who make it to the first team is few and far between. The number of Spanish Internationals or players who ply their trade with the club, keeps dwindling. Fernando Llorente just hit his zenith as a player. He is very close, but still not the finished product. Real Madrid will need to foster and hone his talent, which is a scary thought. Why? Let's take a closer look at the recent youth development at Chamartín.

The cantera philosophy lacks purpose and has lost it's way. The mandate of Santiago Bernabéu, who advocated youth development from the cantera all the way to the first team, is now an illusion. Players such as Casillas, Raul, Guti are now a novelty. I remember the days when Vicente Del Bosque and Rafa Benitez ran the youth squad. Those were the days that cantera players knew they had a chance at playing for the first team. This policy goes further back to the days of the Quinta del Butre, the amount of homegrown players in the first team was as high as 50%, sound familiar?

Real Madrid's youth system still produces plenty of players at the present time, but for other teams in La Liga. Here's a brief list of active players: Filipe Luis (At. Madrid), Luis Garcia (Espanyol), Miguel Torres (Getafe), Negredo (Sevilla), Rivera (Sporting), Mata (Valencia), Dani Parejo (Getafe), Diego Lopez (Villarreal), and Borja Valero (Villarreal), just to name a few. Can you tell me honestly that Borja Valero or Filipe Luis couldn't play at Real Madrid, let alone Mata? I sometimes wonder, is the purpose of the cantera to produce players for neighboring Getafe?

People say that this is the golden generation of Spanish football, Spanish youth development, Spanish coaches, and Spanish football players. A Euro Cup and World Cup is the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, due to Real Madrid's Galactico policy, they have failed to capitalize on any of it. Too focused on branding and stars of the moment, Real Madrid doesn't produce Spanish Internationals, they buy them. (Exhibit A: Sergio Ramos, Exhibit B: Xabi Alonso) Iker Casillas, truly is the "last of the mohicans". His canterano story has gone the way of the dodo.

Sadly, I don't see any change in the current policy on the horizon. What will come of young Sergio Canales? Will his career flourish in the White House? Will he ever reach his potential in the cauldron of Madrid? Will the powers that be loan him out again, to get the proper nuturing and development elsewhere?

Back to Llorente, I doubt that he will be sold prior to the Athletic elections in July 2011, unless a scandalous offer is received for his buyout clause - 36M Euros. This is a huge sum in the current economic climate. I really do not see anyone coming up with the cash in the winter transfer market. Real Madrid normally doesn't like to pay that kind of money, especially for a Spanish International, which is not as "marketable" as foreign stars abroad. The "Casa Blanca" might need to offload Kaka or Benzema to find the money and space for Llorente. Both actions would leave some egg on the White President's face, because they were handpicked as part of the Florentino revolution.

Madrid politics aside, Llorente seems to be a perfect fit for the Premiership style of play. Big imposing, excellent header capability, good with his back to goal, and good with his feet. He could easily fit into Manchester United (especially with Rooney's unhappiness), Chelsea (with an aging frontline) or Tottenham Hotspur. He would be more prolific than Berbatov, Crouch or Anelka, in my opinion. I believe a move to the Premiership would improve his game, invigorate his career, and bring even more versatility to the Spanish National team. Just as Silva has started to reinvent his game, with the change of pace and style in the EPL, Floris could do the same. But Llorente at Real Madrid...I just have no faith that Real Madrid can properly manage Spanish talent at the present time.

Is the Premier League Outshining La Liga?

With the start of the new Champions League campaign, one of the topics that has frequented Spanish commentary and blogs is - Is the Premier League outshining La Liga? Is La Liga are 2nd Tier League? (I don't want to go there, but the same Spanish rags claim that Serie A is a retirement league and will get worse should Ibra or Kaká leave.)



OK, the yahoos from the Spanish rages, exaggerate, freak out and love high drama. They need to fill up their dailies and create news. But it's been awhile since a La Liga team has won the Champions League, Spanish clubs are in debt, and people are worried.

Does the Prem brand better than La Liga? Is the Prem moving towards the NBA mega-sensation and is La Liga far behind? C'mon, La Liga still shows their games at 10pm at nite. This is not conducive to Asia and the the other foreign markets. Do the Spanish teams do a good job of promoting themselves overseas other than the Big Two? Look, Everton has been coming to the US every year and West Ham came over to play this past year. Pompey went to China. These teams are spreading the Prem love and they are NOT the Big Four. Is La Liga doing enough to earn fans and sell shirts? We have the best fútbol, shouldn't that be enough?

Also what about the provincial, club media deals? Is this archaic? Is a league-wide agreement as used in England, more conducive to a strong league?

Deportivo La Coruña's President has said that the future of Spanish football is foreign investment? Do you agree?

Here's my two cents, I think Spain can learn a lot from the Premiership, particularly the media deals and distribution of wealth (even though the richer clubs still get more money due to more appearances on TV and attendances). I also adore the parachute package for teams promoted and relegated. Spain needs something like this drastically. I also think the branding can improve of La Liga, but in moderation. The league as a whole should try and assist in this matter. Why don't they produce and offer Friday preview shows in Spanish? Why aren't some of the Spanish football opinion shows made available, with dubbing or translation to foreign markets?

The infrastructure and organization in Spain needs vast improvement. Why are the games decided sometimes 3 hours before kickoff? How is that conducive to coach potato fans? The technology, camera angles, and TV picture, needs to get to the 21st century. The visuals are appalling. Have you ever compared a Prem or CL game to a La Liga game. The La Liga game pales in comparison.

We need access to more La Liga games on TV or via broadband. Why not offer the other games at a more moderate price? It's difficult for Spaniards to watch non local games, let alone foreigners. This has got to improve. Also access to kits, merchandise, magazines, daily rags would be awesome. Do you know how hard it is to find an Athletic Bilbao kit?

But I like the provincial nuances and local flavor of La Liga and I for one, don't want them to lose this. The play on the pitch is amazing, along with the parity and strength of the mid table teams. The cantera or youth academies keep producing wonderful talent. And there are players that are loyal or don't want to go abroad - see Cazorla, Villa, Silva, Casillas. I don't want foreign investment to come in and ruin La Liga or great an artificial market. We don't need billionaires, just better marketing and business savvy. The Spanish owners already do a fine job sticking their clubs in the red. I also feel that the last remaining socio clubs, need to stay that way - Real Madrid, Barçelona, Athletic Bilbao, etc. It keeps accountability.

But where there is talent on the pitch and in the back office ie managers and technical directors, some will want to go abroad where the money is IE England. But I am not worried about the level of play or the trophies, to me it's all cyclical. The money is in the Prem, but that is a bubble that will burst and a recalibration or reallignment will take place. The Premiership will not always be at the top. Relax.

And honestly I don't want a super league. I don't want to watch just the top leagues or the same teams always winning. That's boring and not what football is all about. We already have the Champions League, World Cup and other tournaments where the cream of the crop rise to the top. Isn't that enough?

OK, those are my thoughts, but I want to hear from you. What do you think? Give us your comments and we'll read them on the podcast. We'd love to hear from you. It's a fascinating topic, that won't go away.