Friday, June 5, 2009
DOWN TO THE WIRE
The Bundesliga, on the other hand, packed more excitement than England, Spain and Italy put together. VfL Wolfsburg secured their first ever Bundesliga title with a win on the last day – a day when any of the top three could have won the championship. Ten points was the gap between the top two at the end of the Serie A campaign, while an equal number was all that separated the Bundesliga top six. And that was after newly promoted side TSG Hoffenheim led the league in the first half of the season. It was, overall, a more competitive league than the EPL, La Liga and Serie A, going by the difference between the average points earned per game by the top and the bottom teams.
In Spain, Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o scored 30 goals in 36 games, while Lionel Messi netted 23 in 31. In contrast, Wolfsburg’s attacking duo, Brazilian Grafite and Bosnian Edin Dzeko, scored a goal more than the Catalan pair’s total, in 10 fewer appearances. And if you thought only the Cristiano Ronaldos of this world had tricks down their shin-pads, check out the video below.
True, the English, Italian and Spanish clubs are likely to prove too strong for Germany’s representatives in next season’s Champions League, but for pure it-ain’t-over-till-the-fat-lady-sings thrill this season, you simply couldn’t beat the Bundesliga.
Friday, May 29, 2009
LABOURING UNDER THE MONOPOLY DELUSION
But that was before Wednesday night. Lionel Messi’s magnetic control and electric pace, Samuel Eto’o’s clinical finishing, and the mastery of Xavi and Andres Iniesta in midfield simply mesmerised Manchester United as
True, every final in the last five seasons has featured at least one English club. True, 12 of the 20 semi-final slots in those seasons went to English teams. Such erstwhile behemoths of Europe as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Inter Milan no longer found themselves favourites against opposition from that little island off the coast of
Then again, if this is a stranglehold, how would one describe the sheer invincibility of the Real of the Fifties and the Dutch, German and English sides of the period from 1970 to 1984? These teams, built on the individual brilliance of men like Alfredo di Stefano, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Kenny Dalglish, represent the zenith of dominance, of greatness, of monopoly. Having said that, John Bull’s veritable omnipresence in the Champions League definitely merits some applause – and closer examination.
Obvious immediately is the fact that the so-called English dominance has managed only two titles in the last five editions, whereas the great teams aforesaid won at least three European Cups back-to-back. The current scenario is therefore not one of dominance but of simultaneous development. Things have just been turning out for the English Premier League’s Big Four as they would have liked them to. United’s strike force – deadly as ever, and a lot more mature – has been complemented exceedingly well by a solid back four and a dependable man in goal.
While the Big Four have used this period to consolidate themselves, clubs elsewhere have lost much of the advantage they held at the turn of the century. Real, Juventus, Inter and Lazio had signed their most expensive players between 1999 and 2002, when spiralling television rights sales had fuelled a “transfer bubble”. But the bubble soon burst and the superstars of the period gradually faded into oblivion. It’s no coincidence that Real have been knocked out in the last 16 in each of the last five seasons, the latest defeat coming at the hands of Liverpool in a 5-0 aggregate drubbing. The absence of Juventus,
But despite all that has gone right for the EPL’s leaders, their task remains only half done, as Barca proved quite authoritatively on Wednesday. Depending less on big-money signings and more on home-grown talent and intelligent scouting, the Catalans showed why they deserve their numero uno status on UEFA’s rankings. Whether the Big Four, all of whom look set to qualify for next season’s group stage yet again, can go back to the drawing board and come up with plans to neutralise Barca’s prowess remains to be seen. Until then, the stranglehold will be but an illusion.
(Published by The Shillong Times dated 31 May 2009)