Highlights

EPL - Liverpool 4 - 4 Arsenal

DFB POKAL - Leverkusen 4 - 1 Mainz

La Liga - Real Madrid 3 - 2 Getafe

KNVB Cup (Eredivise) - FC Twente 3 - 1 NAC Breda

Coupe De France - Grenoble 0 - 1 Toulouse

La Liga - Valencia 3 - 1 Sevilla

Synopsis Russia : Zenit's Zenith, Loveless Moscow and a New Czar

Zenit St. Petersburg was the straw that broke the Camel's back. Rubin Kazan let the cat out the bag. In 2007, after years of domination by Moscow teams - Spartak, Lokomotiv and CSKA - Dick "the little General" Advocaat coached the Sine-Byelo-Goluboy (Blue-White-Sky-Blues) to its first ever Russian Premier league title, followed suit by winning the UEFA Cup and the rather innocuous UEFA Super Cup.

Since Zenit secured its place on the World football map, the club's players have been subjects of numerous transfer rumors; Pavel Pogrebnyak to Blackburn or Bolton, Pavel Pogrebnyak to Munich (that has a nice ring to it), Arshavin to Arsenal, Tottenham, Barcelona, Man City, etc.

Even Scotland tried to get Arshavin nationalized following his man of the match performance against Rangers in the UEFA Cup final. OK, maybe not but after a year of the "Arshavin-saga", the club is finally at calm and are out to prove they can compete with the loss of their Owl eyed star.

Five games into the Russian Premier League season, the team's richest club courtesy of bottomless-pit-of-cash owners Gazprom (the same financiers of German club Schalke) have made a good start but committed a major faux pas during this past weekend tie at Lokomotiv Moscow. Against the Railroaders, Dick Advocaat fielded 7 foreign players at once - Fernando Meira, Danny (Portugal), Ivica Križanac (Croatia), Kim Dong-Jin (South Korea), Anatoliy Tymoschuk (Ukraine) and Szabolcs Huszti (Hungary). With the league cap at 6, Zenit face a fine and the possibility of points deduction. The tie finished one goal a piece.

It's shaping up to be a rather tough season for newly promoted sides Rostov and Kuban Krasnodar. Russian First division winners Rostov have found hit hard to hit the back of the net with 2 goals in 5 games so far but are proving to be sound defensively by conceding the same number of goals. Meanwhile the Canaries, following a momentous win in round 2 against Spartak Moscow, have slipped down the table and are without a win in 3 games with a weekend loss to Amkar Perm. It's still early days though i reckon if the first few games are anything to go by, Rostov are better suited to remain in the Premier league whilst Kuban might find it hard to resist to drop.

No Love, No problem. Without talisman Vagner Love, the Zico reign at CSKA marched on as MIlos Krasic took advantage of defending by FC Khimki. His hat-trick sunk the beleaguered hosts who have yet to record ceding in a whopping 11 goals - the same number CSKA have tallied. In weekend's Moscow derby, FC Moscow's shaggy Argentine striker "Braca" secured hero status with his lone goal. In a feisty match which resulted in a late sending off of the Caps' Dmitri Tarasov, Saturn came ever so close to leveling the game in the final minutes but were unable to break down a compact FC Moscow side. The home loss sees Saturn drop to 13th while their city rivals are up to 6th.

The new Czar's of Russian football Rubin Kazan have continued last season's exploits by drubbing a dynamite-less and dynamic-less Dynamo Moscow. Roman Sharonov put last year's league champions ahead in the 10th minute which was followed by on loan Zenit player Alejandro Domiguez' penalty. The game was signed, sealed and delivered when Dynamo midfielder Kirill Kombarov scored an own goal 15 minutes from time. Rubin occupy top spot and have let in just one goal all season.

Rubin Kazan and CSKA Moscow look early favorites for the league title and the latter welcome Rostov next week while Rubin host another Moscow team, Spartak.

Valencia and the Trojan Horse

We all know the story of the Trojan Horse - after a fruitless 10 yr siege of Troy, the Greeks built a figure in shape of a horse in which a select group of soldiers hid. The Greek army then pretended to sail away which tricked the Trojans who pulled the horse into their city in a show of victory.

Under the cover of darkness, the army sailed back into town, their hidden soldiers emerged from the horse statue and opened the city gates for waiting Greek soldiers.

While Valencia is neither a Greek army nor engaged in a siege against fellow La Liga teams, the team has finally turned the tide following a tumultuous 3 months.

“The only thing we want is to win to reach second spot and reduce the points advantage that Barca have…” Those were comments made by club goalkeeper Renan Brito in the new year prior to the team’s mauling of Atletico Madrid and the subsequent downturn in fortunes. Yet almost midway through this season, things looked rosy for Los Che; they sat in 2nd place, looked heavy favorites in the UEFA Cup and looked assured of Champions league football the following season.

Then the well dried up. The bottom came falling out. Valencia was in a financial meltdown, the club was effectively doomed. Idiomatically, Valencia was a fool who soon parted with her money as she had put all her eggs in one basket, resulting in her becoming as poor as a church mouse leaving a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. Ex club President Juan Soler’s ill conceived plan sunk the club to a tune of over €600m.

In 4 years, fresh off from winning the league and UEFA Cup in 2004, the club had gone through five sporting directors, spent €30m on getting rid of 3 managers, banished its 3 longest serving players, faced a €60m lawsuit by one of its players and quintupled its debt with no trophies to show for it.

Furthermore, Valencia were stuck with 2 stadiums - an old one it couldn’t sell and a new one it couldn’t afford to finish, - 2 training grounds, - one it desperately needed to sell and a new one it might never get to use. In addition the club owed €60m to the banks, due ASAP. The players hadn’t been paid in 2 months, the club was without a win in 9 games and lay 8th in the table. As Tommy Smyth would say, “The club has nothing left in the old onion bag”.

But it did. Not in the old onion bag or any other porous pockets but in the shape of local business group Fomento Urbano de Castellon. The club secured a €50m loan from the construction magnet which was set aside to pay outstanding wages. Three months after receiving their last paycheck, a hapless locker room turned jubilant and the club began to win once again. The agony and grin on player’s faces were gone, replaced with joy and congratulatory hugs. Since then, the club has won 4 on the trot and occupy a Champions league spot on the table.

Golden boy a la world’s best striker David Villa looks magnificent on and off the pitch with 5 goals in his last 4 matches. David Silva is playing out of his skin, former Real Madrid cast away Juan Manuel Mata just earned himself contract and Joaquin’ s petulance is at an all time high as evident by his sheer pubescent reaction following his substitution during the weekend’s theatrical performance against Sevilla at the Mestalla.

Theatrical performance you ask?

Yup, the Valencia - Sevilla encounter swung along the lines of a Shakespearean novel rather than a football match, needless to say it was a sight for sore eyes. Oscar winning performances - check! Animosity against fellow stage actors - check!! Inept authority figure – checkaroo!!! In what Guardian journalist Sid Lowe referred to as “a game that was a cheat-fest, packed with scything challenges, dreadful dives, utter lunacy, appalling refereeing, and some shameful play-acting,” Valencia and Sevilla’s ill-tempered affair resulted in 15 yellow cards and a solitary disappointing red card.

Here’s a recap of the drama aptly titled:

Stacking the Deck

Act 1, Scene 1

With 8 minutes on the clock Jesus Navas’ right field corner finds the head of Escude, 15 - Love to Sevilla. A little later Jesus Navas earns a silly yellow as he blocks David Silva from taking a quick free kick.

Act 1, Scene 2

Mere minutes later Valencia captain Albelda leaves a flailing arm which conveniently finds the head of Renato. Blood streamed out. Albelda professed his innocence, the referee bought it. Albelda plays the role of good Samaritan by kicking the ball straight at Renato following the restart. No harm, no foul.

Act 1, Scene 3

Seconds later, Rojiblanco midfielder Duscher fouls Silva. The yellow card is shown. Right after, Villa nutmegs left back Adriano. Adriano is called for the foul and receives a yellow card. Sebastian Squillaci protest earns him nothing but a card. Tempers continue to flare as Baraja adds a sore ankle to Renato’s sore head. He gladly accepts a booking. Valencia right back Miguel receives a yellow card for … well for being himself.

Act 1, Scene 4

A minute till half time and Adriano received his marching orders following a rough challenge from behind to David Villa. Interestingly enough Sevilla manager Manolo Jimenez reckoned he’d wait till the second half to make a defensive substitution but sees his plan goes awry when Mata, doing his best effort to levitate feels the effects of gravity by a not so grave clip by Escude. Valencia 1 - Sevilla 1, thanks to a David villa penalty. Immediately after, Manolo chucked out left winger Perotti for defender Aquivaldo Mosquera - better late than never.

Act 2, Scene 1

€25m record signing turned flop Joaquin is put out of his misery with the introduction of Pablo Hernandez 10 minutes into the second half. Joaquin isn’t happy, neglects a pat on the back by Coach Unai Emery and heads straight down the tunnel with heavy eyes. Did someone once say grown men don’t cry?

Act 2, Scene 2

Valencia continued to press 10 man Sevilla and are rewarded when Fernando Navarro relives the memories of Paco Hervas - the famous Spanish Volleyball player - by volleying the ball in his own box. Mata slots in the penalty to give the home side the lead.

Act 2, Scene 3

Sevilla’s night gets much worse as manager Manolo Jimenez receives his marching orders after chastising the referee for not allowing him to make a quick change in personnel.

Act 2, Scene 3

With injury time left to play, the newly introduced Luis Fabiano gets in on the violent spree as he catches Valencia’s Raul Albiol with a high boot.

Act 2, Scene 4

Morientes reckons it’s best not to be the last kid to get chosen during a pick up game and gets his name in the book.

Act 2, Scene 5

Pablo Hernandez secured all 3 points for punch-drunk Valencia with a near post strike 3 minutes into added time. Valencia run out 3-1 winners.

The win puts David Villa and co. five points behind 3rd place Sevilla with 7 games left to play. And for the 1,250th time, Villa stated his desire to remain at the club. Stick that where the sun don’t shine Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and a bunch of other clubs i can’t seem to recall.

(Article published on Soccerlens on Apr21, 2009)

An Unwanted French Kiss and A Pleasant Brazilian Wax

Bordeaux 1 - 0 Lyon

No Cavegol, no problem. French international and ex-Lyon player Alou Diarra's 43'rd minute poke gave Les Girondins a deserved win against a rather lackluster Lyon side; adding misery to manager Claude Puel's future and potentially kissed away Lyon's title hopes. In the biggest game of the Ligue 1 season, Laurent Blanc's men outpaced, outfoxed, and outshone their opponents and the home fans outroared Lyon's outmoded travelling supporters. Once again Les Gones €18mil record signing Kader Keita produced another lethargic performance which left Benzema isolated up front and the young striker's night didn't get any better when the apathetic Frederic Piquonne replaced Keita in the second half.

The away team missed a glorious chance to equalize when Benzema found himself alone with Bordeaux goalkeeper Ulrich Rame but his lob was a tad too heavy as the ball sailed over the bar. Likewise Chamakh failed to make Lyon rue their chance when his close range low shot was saved by Hugo Lloris. Bordeaux's fifth straight saw them climb above the defending champions to second place. Lyon have 2 wins and one clean sheet in their past 10 games, and the prospect of the club playing in the Champions league looks increasingly unlikely.

After rejecting a formal approach to coach his home country this past week, former Belgian football great Eric Gerets moved a step further to cement his legacy amongst the Marseille faithful as the club strengthened its hold at the helm of the table. L'OM went a goal down to Lorient in the 8th minute courtesy of lax defending which saw Kévin Gameiro round a hapless Steve Mandanda and slot the ball into the net. Eric Gerets half time team talk coupled with Slyvian Wiltord's introduction paid off as his cross found Renato Civelli whose tap in levelled the match. The away side continued to press and were rewarded 11 minutes from time when newly arrived uncapped Brazilian striker Brandao scored his 4th for the club, ensuring Marseille stayed top of the league for another week. Ah, the glare from the Ligue 1 trophy's wax has never shone so brightly at the Stade Veledrome.

Grenoble assured themselves of another season of top domestic league football with a 1 - 0 win over Toulouse. The away loss all but shut Toulouse's title aspirations and Alain Cassanova's men must now focus on securing a Europa league spot for next season. Like Toulouse, Lille saw its slim title hopes draw to an end as Ilan and Batafemi Gomis sunk the Mastiffs. Goal shy striker Nicolas Fauvergue first league goal in the latter part of the second half wasn't enough to as AS Saint Etienne held on to win the match 2 - 1. The much needed 3 points sees the 10 time Ligue 1 champions briefly ease relegation fears as they occupy 18th spot, tied on points with 17th place Sochaux.

Nancy's consecutive wins has seen secure a 4 point cushion above the drop spot. Yousouff Hadji's 2nd minute strike, second goal in as many matches, gave the visitors a shock lead against Caen. The hosts crawled back with a late first half goal but were left broken hearted with a late winner by French youngster Geoffrey Adjet's goal four minutes before the final whistle. On the same front, FC Nantes were inhospitable when Nice paid a visit. The hosts comfortable two goal win margin leaps them off the relegation spot. Caen's disastrous form - 1 win in their past 17 league games saw them swap places with Nantes, a far cry from their promising start to the season.

Goals from Giuly, Rothen and Hoarau effectively meant Havre - or in this case Have-nots will ply their trade in Ligue 2 next season. The Parisians are whiskers from securing Champions league football and are within a shout of the league title. Paul le Guen returns to the Stade de Gerland ( the place where he won 3 league titles) on Friday as PSG travel to Lyon, a must win for both teams.

(Article published on Soccerlens on Apr 20, 2009)

Lyon : Falling from Grace?

“I am not the coach but it’s true that with all those changes we sometimes find it difficult to get our bearings… It would be a catastrophe of the prospect of Lyon not winning an eighth consecutive title.”

Those words, by Lyon ace Karim Benzema, adequately describe the club’s state of mind. As the recently deposed table toppers travel to Lauren Blanc’s Bordeaux this weekend, a loss for the Les Gones would spell a trophy less season.

What a difference a year makes, in Lyon’s case, add to that managerial changes. Last year, the club won its seventh consecutive title, and did its first ever double by winning the Coupe de France. Despite being heads above shoulders in Ligue 1, the had club failed to win any Cup titles - Coupe De France & Coupe de la Ligue - during its run of league coronations.

After the departure of Gerard Houllier, Alain Perrin was appointed club manager. It was a short lived one as things didn’t go according to plan. The ex-Portsmouth man never took charge of the dressing room, and more frighteningly never received the full support of the club’s hierarchy. His double winning season as Lyon manager did little to save his job and was promptly fired at the end of the season, mainly due to a Dutch-like dressing room unrest.

The locker room malaise resulted in a player vs rest of the squad squabble, player vs coach conflict and a player vs self skulduggery. Hatem Ben Arfa, one of the club’s brightest ever talent, was the thorn in the side, with persistent rumors of a feud with untouchable boy wonder, Benzema. The ongoing petulance between both players irked teammates who castigated Ben Arfa, further ostracizing him. Manager Alain Perrin’s bullish approach to the situation didn’t bode well for both player and coach which culminated in the turbulent playmaker to boycott training, claiming his egotism - the very thing that makes him special - was being used against him. He was fined, suspended and effectively put on the transfer list for his actions. As the club was concerned, that chapter was over.

And as they say, the rest is history.

Or was it?

At first glance the removal of an agitated unmotivated player will do wonders for squad harmony. Yet, the sloughing of such player or any other player at any cost to caress the club’s jewel is sanity at worst, foolish at best. In an interview given by former goalkeeper Gregory Coupet, the Atletico Madrid man shed light on the power struggle in the Lyon locker room. According to the Frenchman, “… today’s system gives too much to the very young players, it cedes them everything. If Karim were better supervised, better helped, if he ever had an authority figure around him, he wouldn’t have this attitude. Besides, if I were in charge of his communications, I’d ask him to smile more, because everytime I see him in a photo, he has a nasty look! And I’m sad to see him like that because I know him well and he’s a great guy. But at 20, he’s already a big shot. And yet today, Karim is more withdrawn into himself, more into the business side. And this is where the sport is beginning to die a little, because that doesn’t bring happiness to people.”

Coupet’s alleged comments - he has since claimed he was misquoted, right!, - caught fans and media off guard. Most were 100% positive Benzema was the innocent party in his altercation with Ben Arfa, but Coupet remarks raised flags about Benzema’s influence at Lyon, and worryingly what role club president Jean-Michel Alaus played in Ben Arfa’s departure.While it would be pathetic for anyone to slander Alaus; the club plied its trade in Ligue 2 when he took over in 1987 and in a span of 15 years turned it into the envy of French domestic football, he is only human, not perfect, and i reckon it would be shameful journalistic duty to ignore his flagrance's.

In all honesty, Alaus indulged and continues to indulge in errors he could easily avoid.The ever present binoculars worn around the collars by scouts of European giants Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Man Utd and co has mounted pressures on the Chairman. Gone are the likes of Essien, Abidal, Diarra and Malouda - all for extravagant sums, - which has put Alaus between a rock and a hard place. Should Lyon be run as a feeder club or should it hold on to its best player at all costs to compete against Europe’s elites?

Veering off topic to briefly assess the wealth disparity amongst Europe’s various leagues, French football as whole is quite well run, second only to the Bundesliga. Still, domestic heavyweights such as Lyon or minnows like Le Havre will find it hard to hold onto players due to the greater financial incentives in Italy, Spain, England and even Germany.

To his credit, Alaus has managed to find a balance during his time at the helm but the previous two seasons has seen the beloved Chairman go off kilter. Lyon, like Bayern Munich, exerts its dominance on fellow domestic counterparts by foraging the league’s best talents. Unlike Bayern, Lyon doesn’t possess the funds to pay over the odds for star players. Therefore the club cannot, and must not pay, €18 mil for the very over-rated turned absolute dross 26yr old record signing Kader Keita without a view to make profit or break even by selling him to Europe’s top guns.

Alaus’ brilliant transfer nuance appears to be waning as he continues to spend aimlessly by crowding the midfield with players of the same abilities (Bodmer, Makoun, Ederson, Anderson, Fabio Santos), replace a young promising striker (Loic Remy) with and old “shit on a stick” (Frederic Piquionne), and fail to sign adequate defensive reinforcements to cover the injury suffered by Cris in the mold of Boumsoung, or the departure of Squillaci with the former Rennes man Mensah.

Like his predecessor, current manager Claude Puel appears to have lost the dressing room. Benzema’s statement is corrugated by comments made 3 months earlier by vice captain Cris and club veteran Govou. The Brazilian center back stated the team had no leader and French international Govou followed suit by stating “You either have the unity or you don’t and we don’t”.

As the club stutters to end of the season, sources close to the club whisper rumors of a possible change in management; ah crap! this is starting to look a lot like Chelsea. When Puel gets the sack, sooner rather than later, he will be leaving a squad in major need of an Alex Fergurson-like hairdressing. Ego’s need to be put in check, the extra odd squad man needs to be let go and crap players need to be shown the exit, a la Keita et Piquonne.

Lyon are not in a crisis, but the club needs a gust of fresh air if it is to live up to the billing as potential Champions league dark horses, and continue its reign in French football.

However, this season might be a lost cause.

(Article published on Soccerlens on Apr19, 2009)