Footballing Cycles - The Sine Wave that brings about change

It is FCB again that took the trophy home!

Though not the familiar one in Barcelona but the Bavarian giants Bayern Munich, who on Saturday were crowned UEFA Champions League winners of 2013.

Bayern Munich’s victory marks a return to the centre-stage for German football and the Bundesliga after being in the wilderness for some time. Ever since Porto won the competition against all odds in 2004, the Champions League has come to be dominated by English teams and Barcelona.

En route to their conquest of Europe, Bayern pounded the dominant power in Europe, Barcelona into submission. Though nobody expected the scale of the defeat, it was construed to be the match where the baton changed hands, from the dominant force of the last half a decade to the force of the future. A situation akin to when the Germanic tribes reached the gates of Rome and brought about the end of the Roman empire.

Is this the end of Barcelona’s dominance in Europe?

Are they no longer top dogs in the continent?

Could this prove to be the death-knell for tiki taka?

All of the above were pertinent questions after Barcelona’s campaign came to a grinding halt against the Bayern machine. It is not often that you see the Catalans humbled in such a manner – Bayern didn’t just crush Barcelona, they crushed a footballing philosophy as they hit 7 unanswered goals past Lionel Messi and co.

What the future holds for Barcelona or for Bayern Munich is a debate that will go on for long into the summer, however, that is a subject for another day. Before that, a quick peek at footballing cycles.

FOOTBALLING CYCLES

The game of football, like most other sports operates in cycles – both at club and at national levels. These cycles exist because football and the various teams involved continuously strive to evolve in search of a winning formula. It is not so much a straight line time graph, but merely a carousel of footballing philosophies, playing style and coaching.

Sport rarely operates in an inertial environment such as the one in our PlayStation's and Xbox's.

Footballers are human beings , they’re performances over time become subject to the wear and tear of competition and the many bruises and niggles that they carry. The other key word in all of it is ‘familiarity’ – eventually they figure you out. That goes for a player, a system , a strategy. Those that continually work to keep adding to their game are the ones that end up being successful in extending their cycle. And in today’s day and age, where technological aids and analysts are available to every team, it makes it that much harder.

THE EUROPEAN FOOTBALL SCENE

The UEFA Champions League is a true testament to this. Shifting the scene to 5 years ago, in the summer of 2008, Barcelona under Pep Guardiola had their very own ‘changing of the guard’ match. The Blaugrana defeated Manchester United 2-0 in the final that year in Rome. United were defending champions and were looking to become the first club in the Champions League era to retain the title. That victory set Barca on their way to European dominance for the next 5 years, while also setting back the progress of English teams.

Hence, the 5-year period between 2008-2012 belonged to Barcelona – they won 2 titles while making the semi-finals every year. The previous spell of domination (2004-2007) belonged to the English clubs – Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal who together made it a habit of blocking out the semi-final spots every year capped off by a title each for Liverpool and United, and finals appearances for Arsenal and Chelsea.

Real Madrid, both pre and post Galacticos had their run in the competition before the English clubs between 2000 and 2003. We can take only the period from 1998 onward into consideration, for previously only the winners of each league made it into the competition, which meant only 1 team from each country. Madrid beat Manchester United and Bayern Munich on the way to claiming the trophy in 2000, the winners and runners-up respectively from the previous tournament.

DOCUMENTING THEIR SUCCESS

Each of these teams adopted their own set of tactics to foster success in Europe’s premier competition.

Outgoing Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes guided Real Madrid to their 7^th European Cup in 1997. Following that, Vicente Del Bosque and his Los Blancos side won it in 2000. It was just before the dawn of the Galacticos era, a team led by a young Raul, Fernando Morientes and Steve McMannaman. Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, David Beckham and Claude Makelele joined forces with Roberto Carlos and Raul and the Galacticos era was born. That star-studded squad went on to claim another prize in 2002 with that memorable Zidane volley in Glasgow.

A simple strategy of buying the best players around that ensured instant success. Trouble was, those stars were picked up in their late 20’s and after a period of time with age their impact waned. And since Real did not have a system that they played to or stuck to religiously, there was a problem when they departed and Real could never recreate the success from earlier in the decade.

The English teams came in with good defences to fend off the attacking threats of the Spaniards. They brought in a certain level of physical effort with their powerful defenders and midfielders, who were very good in the air in defence as well as attack. The English teams’ play was very direct employing wingers to good effect to deliver crosses into the ball along with judicious use of the long ball out of defence. Technical brilliance was not the greatest, but they made up for it in effort and work rate. Hard-working units with just the right amount of attacking talent served them very well in the ensuing years.

Before Guardiola arrived at the Camp Nou, Frank Rijkaard managed to win one Champions League final against Arsenal in 2006. His was an all-attacking group, equally direct, centred around the talents of Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho and Deco. They got that one win, but they had a traditional Barca failing in the form of their defence and their dominance didn’t last long. They may have had superior attackers, but since their attacking styles were familiar, they proved easy to contain.

Then came the tiki-taka, the hogging of possession for long periods and accurate passing of the ball from Guardiola’s stable. Whether it was intended that way, nobody will know, but the tiki-taka hit the English teams in an area where they were vulnerable. They were superb clearing headers and defending long balls and did well to cut out the through passes. Part of the reason was their tight defensive organization. What Barca’s system did was stymie their English foes, deny them the ball to get their forward players frustrated and patiently pass the ball around, waiting until a member broke the line after which they could play in that killer final pass. Slow in their lateral movement, the system wore them down as they spent large portions of the game tracking the ball. The high pressing game, 8 passes or less in which they tried to regain possession was also classy. Creating space for their players to run was central to Barca’s success plan.

And now, Bayern have brought their own heavy duty arsenal over the past 2 seasons – a combination of high intensity pressing to peg back the opponents and fast, direct attacks. Whether this means a new era of Bayern dominance, we’ll have to wait and watch; Inter and Milan have had successful winning campaigns in the past without kicking on to extend it further. Also, there will be a change in management - Guardiola will come in for Heynckes – a completely different approach may be taken by the Spaniard; in which case the lack of continuity could hurt them. Inter won the trouble under Mourinho, before having a disappointing season the next term after the Portuguese left.

What is certain is that we have witnessed the end of one footballing cycle and the beginning of the next!

Talking Tactics: How Bayern Munich have wrestled back some of the advantage from their rivals this season

The all-German final awaits us at Wembley tonight when Borussia Dortmund will meet Bayern Munich to decide who gets to take home this season’s UEFA Champions League crown.

SEASON HEAD TO HEAD

Games: 4 |Dortmund: 0 | Bayern: 2 | Draws: 2

In their successful Bundesliga run this year, Bayern pretty much obliterated every side in the league. Dortmund though defied them forcing draws in both of their encounters. Yet, Bayern have managed to wrest the advantage slightly from their rivals this term.

Bayern beat Dortmund 2-1 in the DFL Supercup (equivalent of the English Community Shield) right at the beginning of the season. Mario Mandzukic and Thomas Müller were the scorers on that occasion. Bayern also dumped them out of the DFB Pokal Cup in the quarterfinals, a superb Arjen Robben strike taking care of business. Both league meetings ended 1-1; the first was in December in which Mario Götze cancelled out Toni Kroos’ strike to earn a point for his current team. The second was a dead rubber in May, with the league title already wrapped up and both teams fielding reserves ahead of the big clash in the Champions League final.

This is a match up that the Black and Yellow have had the upper hand in during recent seasons. Ever since Jürgen Klopp’s arrival at the Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund have enjoyed much success against their more illustrious counterparts. Of the last 10 meetings between the 2 clubs, Dortmund have won 5 of them while losing just 2. Last season, they secured 1-0 wins home and away in the league, while dishing out a 5-2 thrashing, that included a Robert Lewandowski hat-trick, in the final of the DFB Pokal Cup (German Cup). In 2010-11 too, their first title winning season under Klopp, they did the double over Bayern winning 2-0 at home and 3-1 at the Allianz with Nuri Sahin having an outstanding game on both occasions.

CHANGE OF PERSONNEL & LEARNING FROM MISTAKES

So what did the trick for Bayern? How have they managed to get better against Dortmund while also becoming a more dominant force in the league?

Three reasons – Javi Martinez, Mario Mandzukic and Dante.

You have to appreciate how Bayern went about their summer transfer business. All buys were strategic in nature executed with a specific objective in mind and to cover up major weaknesses. And these 3 players have fitted in as the missing pieces of the Bayern puzzle in their respective roles.

JAVI MARTINEZ

There were gasps of breath that went around Germany including Bavaria when news broke that Bayern Munich have activated the release clause of Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez. The Spaniard is a World Cup & European championship winner, but €40 million was an exorbitant sum, and was met with mixed feelings. His immense contribution in this Bayern team’s success will no doubt have pleased those 

Bayern fans while being a source of consternation for the rest of the Bundesliga and Europe.

Martinez plays as the holding midfielder along with club vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger. Previously, Schweinsteiger used to partner with Luiz Gustavo and at times, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk. Schweinsteiger is easily one of the best in his position in the world, but when they played Dortmund, he would end up facing the potent combination of Nuri Sahin/Lars Bender and afterwards Lars Bender/Ilkay Gundogan, after Sahin 

left for Real Madrid in 2011.

Dortmund’s high tempo attacking game with high energy pressing has caught the everyone's eyes. Up against them, Schweinsteiger used to get swamped by the yellow shirts because neither of Tymoshchuk or Gustavo could ever keep up with them. As a result, the German international spent a lot of time combating that midfield engine room of Dortmund’s which limited his participation in Bayern’s attacks.

Now he has a riding partner in Martinez, and the guy is an absolute terrier. At your heels all the time, the Spaniard has a terrific work rate and does not afford time and space to opposition midfielders when they have the ball at their feet. We got to witness this in both the semis and quarters, during Bayern’s games with Barcelona and Juventus respectively.

Lionel Messi was not 100%, true, but there was still the threat of Andres Iniesta to be met with. Even in games where Messi is well-marked, Iniesta has often popped up with the goods for them. Iniesta didn’t even have so much of a sniff as Martinez and Schweinsteiger cleaned crop. Against Juve, he did such a stellar job on Claudio Marchisio, that the Italian merely ghosted through the 2 legs as failed to get anything going for his team. The 2 together along with Ribery, Robben and Muller outworked and out-hustled Juve’s industrious midfield which is no easy task.The duo work very well in tandem as Martinez predominantly goes about winning the ball back and providing it to the German, who then recycles it and initiates a Bayern attack. So, now Schweinsteiger does not get overrun anymore and Bayern are able to combat Gundogan and Bender.

DANTE

Holger Badstuber, Jerome Boateng and Daniel Van Buyten used to take care of centre-back duties for Bayern in previous seasons. All 3 are good in the air, but neither was really a top level defender; Badstuber is essentially a left-back who started playing at centre, Boateng while good with aerial ability, is slow off the ground and lacks the pace to keep up with quick forwards. Van Buyten, now a veteran falls pretty much in the same category. In addition, Badstuber and Boateng were not the best in keeping their defensive shape, be it playing for offside or sitting deep with zonal marking. Dortmund with Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic held the upper hand here.

The Afro sporting Brazilian Dante was bought for €4.5 million from Borussia Mönchengladbach. Dante has come in and provided a ready fix to all of Bayern’s teething problems in defence. Thanks to him, the Bavarian giants have new found solidity at the back. Very good in organizing the defence, Dante is superb in the air, always a threat from set pieces and reads the game very well. He also has the quickness to deal with pacy strikers. In the past, Robert Lewandowski and Lucas Barrio have had the better of the Bayern defence often bullying them into submission. Last year’s Champions League final too was a fine example as we saw Didier Drogba boss Boateng, Van Buyten and Badstuber.

Finally, as is the case with most Brazilians, Dante is an excellent ball playing defender like David Luiz and Thiago Silva. And that’s an added quality which none of the other three can provide Jupp Heynckes with. With excellent full-backs on either side, Dante has plugged a major loophole that previously existed in the middle of defence.

MARIO MANDZUKIC

Croatian striker Mandzukic is the other major signing that has had an impact in the change of fortune for Bayern. Bought from Wolfsburg for €13 million, the striker has had a remarkable debut season with 21 goals. But more than his goals, it is the way he attacks the centre-backs of the opponent that often leads to stray passes and Bayern winning the ball back in dangerous areas of the field. Relentless and tireless is how the Croatian can be described. He does not boast of any extraordinary skill, but he is a top notch poacher. He is very good in the air, can win most aerial duels and makes fine runs to get into good positions in the box.

One would say that in Mario Gomez, Bayern already had that 20-goals-a-season striker. But, Gomez was never really active on defence and committed to pressing. Also, the Croatian can make his own shot, while Gomez used to rely on service into the box. In short, in Mandzukic, they have a striker who replicates the work that Lewandowski puts in for Dortmund. Against Juventus and Arsenal, Mandzukic constantly kept harrying and harassing the defenders and sums up how Bayern have adopted Dortmund’s ‘gegenpressing’ style, from front to back.

THE FULL BACKS & WINGERS

For Bayern Munich, their predominant outlet of attack is the wings, where Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Thomas Müller can use their pace and guile to good use. Their full-backs Philip Lahm and David Alaba make for one of the best pairings in the world and they constantly bombard forward to support their wingers.

What’s changed is that the 2 wingers, Robben and Ribery, are now tracking back to help out their colleagues in defence. Müller has always been committed on defence, but the dedication of the other 2 to Heynckes’ system has just made Munich that much harder to beat.

Again, they have taken a leaf out of Dortmund’s book, because that is exactly what Jakub ‘Kuba’ Blaszczykowski and Kevin Grosskreutz used to do for their defence and something which newcomer Marco Reus has continued. They are by no means, defensive-minded; ‘Kuba’ has 14 goals and 12 assists this season, Reus has 19 goals and 11 assists. But, their double-teaming on defence meant that Robben and Ribery were kept quiet in previous seasons and on the defensive end, Lahm and Alaba often found themselves with a 2-on-1 mismatch as Lukasz Piszczek and Marcel Schmelzer joined the attacks.

And that’s how Jupp Heynckes has managed to get his side to match up with Dortmund. As Jürgen Klopp pointed out, his team are still one of the few in the continent who can hurt Bayern. But, that gap has been bridged, with smart buys and by adopting some of their rival’s best practices. Together, the combination has worked wonders for Bayern and victory tonight will cement that shift of power that they have managed to achieve in the past 12 months. 

Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich: The showdown between ‘Kloppo’ and ‘Osram’

Germany’s top 2 clubs will face off in the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley tomorrow. Guiding them to the finals have been 2 managers who stand at opposite ends of the spectrum. Jupp Heynckes and Jürgen Klopp have masterminded their team’s successful runs to the showpiece final each with his own unique style.

The final is as much about the 2 managers as their teams; Heynckes is 68 and into his 25^th and final managerial season and coming to the end of a highly successful career as coach. Klopp is 45, into his 10^th season in management, is one of the finest young managers around and has a long way to go in his career. Both managers are hard task masters, but while Heynckes represents a more sullen, traditional serious approach, Klopp has a more modernistic, exuberant side to his management. It’s a battle of contrasting styles on the touchline in Wembley tomorrow night.

‘Kloppo’

Jürgen Klopp and his Borussia Dortmund side have become the darlings of the footballing world. Part of it is down to the brand of football that has been on display and part of it due to the charismatic nature of their manager. ‘Kloppo’ as he is affectionately called by his players has become an object of fascination for the media with his open and informal approach, especially at interviews. With his rugged looks, goofy smile & light-hearted humour, Klopp is a manager with something of a ‘rockstar’ image. He even resembles a stand-up comedian at times in his discussions with the press and has received as much attention and coverage as his team, perhaps even more.

Dortmund was Klopp’s first ever club outside of Mainz where he spent 19 years - 12 as a player and after retirement went on to serve as manager of Mainz for another 7 years. From 2005-2008, before he took the Dortmund job, Klopp was in a media role with German television network ZDF as an expert commentator for games involving the German national football team. In his 6 years at Dortmund, he has won 2 Bundesliga titles back to back and 2 German Cups. Wolfgang Frank, Klopp’s coach at Mainz is his role model and inspiration. Frank himself imbibed a lot from the work of Arrigo Sacchi at AC Milan and Klopp holds the Italian in high regard.

The ‘gegenpressing’ style of play, as it has come to be known, is what Klopp brought to the Ruhr valley club after he took over in 2008 and in the 5 years since, it has brought the club up the ladder to reach the very top. With a high work rate Dortmund work tirelessly with and without the ball and rapidly press and close down the opposition to try to regain possession all the way from centre-forward to centre-back. Although their pressing style resembles that of Barcelona, they attack with greater speed and intensity than the Catalan side whose priority is to retain possession of the ball and build up attacks in a more measured way. Klopp believes that open, exciting, attacking football is what Dortmund's loyal fans expect and deserve.

Klopp is never overly concerned about being politically correct. Of late, he has engaged in a bitter battle with Bayern Munich over the Bavarian giants poaching his best players and copying their style. "What can I say?" Klopp said with a shrug when asked about Bayern poaching his best players. “We are not a supermarket but they want our players because they know we cannot pay them the same money. If that's what Bayern wants... It's like James Bond – except they are the villain." He also compared them to China in their quest to be the best saying, “Right now, it’s a bit like what the Chinese do in economics or industry. Watch the others and plagiarize what they do. Take the same path, only with more money and other players. And for the moment, you will be better again.”

Captain Kloppo is on a mission as he looks to inflict a damaging loss on his bitter rivals to leave them with a third final defeat in 4 years as a means of some retribution after being forced to part with not only their Bundesliga and German Cup titles, but also their talismanic playmaker in Mario Götze, whose services he will be without in tomorrow’s final.

‘Osram’

As much coverage that Jürgen Klopp has received from the electronic and print media, Jupp Heynckes has received zilch. It is not exactly Klopp’s fault for he is not an attention seeking man, unlike the ‘Special One’, but it’s just got to do with the media houses who tend to be a little unfair in shutting out the unglamorous characters of the footballing world.

The nickname for Heynckes, borrowed from the German lighting company, came about for the way in which his face tends to redden or bear a reddish glow when he gets agitated on the sidelines. It was first used by Rudi Gores, a former German footballer and coach. That’s about all the emotion the veteran German coach exhibits during a game as opposed to the myriad expressions that one can see from Klopp. A stoic, low profile man, Heynckes is one of the most decorated coaches in German football.

A well-travelled man, the wily German has managed clubs in Germany, Spain and Portugal and is one of the most experienced hands around. He has won 3 Bundesliga titles, 3 German Cups (all with Bayern Munich) and 1 Champions League (with Real Madrid) in his long tenure, this is his 27^th season in management. The silverware maybe less when compared to some others, but that’s not accounting for the work that he has done at some of the smaller teams in Spain and Germany such as Athletic Bilbao and Schalke, where he led them from mid-table obscurity to qualifying for European competition.

He was also a predator of a forward in his playing days and has both a European Championship (1972) and World Cup (1974) winners medal to his name. At club level he won 4 Bundesliga titles, 1 German cup and 1 UEFA Cup with Borussia Monchengladbach, a club where he played 12 of his 15 seasons as a professional footballer. And yet, despite all that he has done, Heynckes has never received the credit due to him.

Heynckes of course has not let any of that affect his performances on the field, be it as player or manager. There has been untoward criticism hurled at him by fans and media in the various countries that he has been, yet the man has managed to keep his head and continue doing what he does best – deliver results.

When he came back to Bayern for a third stint in 2011, the team was in a shambles ridden with internal squabble and indiscipline and also defensive frailties. Heynckes has gone about carefully rebuilding this team since then and after being outgunned to the Bundesliga title the last two years by Borussia Dortmund, Bayern have returned with a bang conquering all in their path as they romped to the title this year.

Bayern too under Heynckes are pressing the ball a lot better allowing teams very little time on the ball. During their 7-0 mauling of Barcelona in the semis, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi constantly found themselves shackled and harassed by a player in a red shirt and the various channels that Barca constantly use were expertly cut out.

“You have got to analyse how an opponent plays, where they run, how they attack. Then find something you can hold against that.” – said Bayern’s coach after the Barca win. That is vintage Heynckes; who is known to be a master tactician and a manager who spends an incredible amount of time in meticulously preparing for a game.

A FINAL TO RELISH

Borussia Dortmund are in uncharted territory, most of this season's Champions League campaign has been. It has been 16 years since they won their only European Cup in 1997 and this run marks a return to prominence for Borussia on the European stage. For Bayern Munich, it is an opportunity to right the wrongs of previous finals. The pain of those 2 finals losses still lingers, especially the one last year in front of their home crowd, and Heynckes will be keen to set that record straight. 

Dortmund have come to dominate this rivalry in the past few years - Bayern have won only 2 of their last 10 meetings, losing 5 and drawing the remainder. This season, Bayern brushed past every other club in the Bundesliga save for Dortmund. The one win they did have was a narrow 1-0 victory in the DFB Pokal Cup. 

If he wins tomorrow night, he will become only the 4^th manager to win the Champions League with different clubs – after Ernst Happel, Ottmar Hitzfeld and Jose Mourinho. And if Bayern follow that up, as they are widely expected to, with winning the German Cup, he will have achieved an unprecedented treble, something never done before by a German club and achieved only thrice previously in history – PSV Eindhoven in 1988, Manchester United in 1999 and Barcelona in 2009.

History beckons for Heynckes as he looks to leave Bayern Munich on the highest pedestal possible. While the man in the opposing dugout, Jürgen Klopp, is looking to challenge the dominance of mighty Bayern on the European stage, Heynckes knows that victory tomorrow could well be the starting point of a new era of dominance for Bayern Munich, not just over Dortmund, but the whole of Europe.

Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich.

Klopp’s ‘Band of Merry Men’ vs Heynckes’ ‘Mean Machine’!

It is truly an occasion to savour!

The 3 previous Intra-national UEFA Champions League finals

Tomorrow’s UEFA Champions League final showdown between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich will be the 4^th instance of an intra-national final, where 2 teams from the same country have met in the championship clash. Each of the 4 instances has belonged to a different country with Spain, Italy and England represented on the previous 3 occasions. Germany will make its bow tomorrow. 

            Real Madrid 3-0 Valencia, 1999-2000 Final @ the Stade de France, Saint-Denis

The very first instance was when Real Madrid met Valencia in the 2000 final. This edition saw the introduction of the second group phase, where the top 2 teams from the 8 groups would again be divided into 4 groups and another run of round-robin matches.

This was the pre-Galacticos era at Real under Vicente Del Bosque and they had a fine team made up of a lot of Spanish talent led by the likes of Raul, Fernando Morientes, Michel Salgado and Iker Casillas. Current Real Madrid assistant manager Aitor Karanka was also part of this team. Real Madrid topped their group suffering just one loss and in the second group phase finished runners-up behind Bayern Munich. They finished strongly though as they got past 2 very strong teams en route to the final - Manchester United, who were the defending champions, in the Quarterfinals and then Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.

Valencia weren't doing so badly themselves with arguably their ‘Golden Generation’ of Gaizka Mendieta, Miguel Angulo, Claudio Lopez and Santiago Canizares. Just like Real, they would win the first group phase, ahead of Bayern Munich and finish runners-up in the second, behind Manchester United. They trounced Lazio and Barcelona in the quarters and semis respectively scoring 5 goals against both over the 2 legs.

The final had a tight beginning before Madrid began to exert themselves on the game and took the lead through Morientes. Steve McManaman had a marvelous game for Los Blancos and he scored the 2^nd with a spectacular volley. Raul then rounded it off with a 3^rd goal on 75 minutes when Real caught Valencia napping on the counter. It was Real’s 8^th European Cup.

Steve McManaman was voted the Man of the Match. Incidentally, he became the first Englishman to win the tournament with a foreign club. Raul finished joint top scorer with 10 goals. Valencia finished runners-up again the next year when they lost on penalties to Bayern Munich after it ended 1-1 in regulation and extra time.

AC Milan 0-0 Juventus, 2002-03 Final @ Old Trafford, Manchester

Juventus came into the final fresh from being crowned Serie A champions; Milan on the other hand had finished 4^th, 16 points behind the Turin club. In the season head-to-head, Juve had won the home game while drawing away at the San Siro. They had also beaten Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals.

The 2-group phases structure was still on; Juventus topped their first group while finishing runners-up to Manchester United in the second. They ended Spanish hopes in the competition as they beat Barcelona in the quarters and Real Madrid in the semis. Influential midfielder Pavel Nedved though would miss the final after picking up a booking in the 2^nd leg against Real.

Milan came in winning both the groups including a strong second group phase pitted with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. After beating Ajax, they had to contend with neighbours Inter in a Milan derby semi-final. It ended level 1-1 on aggregate with Milan progressing on the away goals rule.

The final was a game of few chances and one of the dullest of the last decade and a half. Both teams had excellent defences which ensured that chances were at a premium. Andriy Shevchenko had a goal disallowed in the first half though replays showed that Rui Costa had not been in an offside position. 

Current Juve manager Antonio Conte came on as a sub and saw a header clatter the crossbar in what was Juve’s best chance of the game. Andrea Pirlo too struck the post for Milan.

With no result even after extra time, the match went to penalties and It was a tense, tense affair. Juventus only made 1 of their first 4 penalties as Dida saved the efforts of David Trezeguet, Marcelo Zalayeta and Paolo Montero. Gigi Buffon was doing his best to keep Juve in the game as he saved from Clarence Seedorf and Kakhaber Kaladze. Alessandro Del Piero converted the 5^th spot kick for Juve, but so did Shevchenko to clinch the trophy for the Rossoneri. It was Milan’s 6^th European Cup.

Paolo Maldini was named the Man of the Match for the final. Filippo Inzaghi was the 2^nd highest goal scorer with 10 goals behind Ruud Van Nistelrooy who bagged 12 for Manchester United. Shevchenko became the first Ukrainian footballer to take home a European Cup winners medal. 

Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea, 2007-08 final @ Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow

England’s top 2 teams met in the Moscow final of 2008. Manchester United had just won their 17^th league title finishing 2 points ahead of their final opponents Chelsea. Each team had won their home game in the league, while Chelsea had the latest win after beating United 1-0 in the FA Cup final days earlier.

Man United went unbeaten the whole tournament. They drew just 1 game in winning their group comfortably. They then beat Lyon in the Round of 16, which had now replaced the previous format and Roma in the quarters. Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona stood between United and their 3^rd European Cup final. The teams had identical records going into the semi-final, each having won eight and drawn two of their ten games, scoring 18 goals and conceding just 5. Cristiano Ronaldo missed an early penalty in the 1^st leg at the Camp Nou and that leg ended 0-0. United edged into the finals with a tight 1-0 home win thanks to Paul Scholes’ long range stunner.

Chelsea had seen a change of manager after Jose Mourinho parted ways in between the season. Interim manager Avram Grant did a good job though as he kept the Blues in the title hunt in the league and guided them to the FA Cup and Champions League finals. Chelsea lost just the one game in the tournament, against Fenerbahce in the quarterfinals. After getting past Olympiacos and Fenerbahce, Chelsea took on Rafa Benitez and his defending champions Liverpool. This was the fourth year in succession that these teams had met in the Champions League. After drawing the first leg 1-1 away, the Blues won a tense 2^nd leg 3-2 after extra time to make the team’s first visit to the Champions League final.

After taking time to feel each other out, the final picked up pace with Ronaldo’s opener on 26 minutes. United had 2 good chances to extend the lead, but Petr Cech came to Chelsea’s rescue with some magnificent saves. Frank Lampard equalized for Chelsea in the closing minutes of the first half after Michael Essien’s initial shot had deflected off Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

The goal swung the momentum in Chelsea’s favour and the Blues dominated for much of the second half. Drogba went close to giving them the lead when his effort hit the post. Ryan Giggs had a chance to get the winner for United, but John Terry made a last ditch tackle to prevent it. It was end –to-end in extra time as both teams went looking for the winner. Late in extra time, Drogba was sent off for a slap on United’s Vidic.

In the shootout, Ronaldo missed his penalty which gave Chelsea the advantage. Blues captain John Terry stepped up to take the 5^th penalty, but he would miss as he lost his footing which saw his mis-hit shot hit the outside of the right post and go wide. In sudden death, Edwin Van der Sar saved Nicolas Anelka’s shot to win it for United.

Van Der Sar took the Man of the Match award. Cristiano Ronaldo finished top scorer with 8 goals.

Borussia Dortmund  vs Bayern Munich, 2012-13 final @ Wembley, London

One-sided final like the 2000 edition or nail biters like the other two? We will find out on Saturday. The 2 league meetings between the sides both ended 1-1 and Bayern beat Dortmund 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the DFB Pokal Cup.

Dortmund will be without star play-maker Mario Götze due to injury which means he has already played his last game for Dortmund; he will be joining Bayern Munich in the summer.

MANCHESTER UNITED: 2012-13 SEASON REVIEW

2011-12 saw Manchester United lose their league title to cross-town rivals Manchester City on goal difference. In one of the most dramatic endings ever to a Premier League season, United had completed a 1-0 win away at Sunderland and on the verge of celebration when news trickled in of Sergio Aguero’s 94^th minute winner at the Etihad. Sir Alex Ferguson promised to the footballing world that his side would never ever lose the title again in such circumstances.

In the season promo, Ferguson addressed the fans asking them to gear up for the new season and assured three things –

1. “A possible heart attack”

2. “Incredible excitement till the last minutes of the game”

3. “We’re going to win the Championship back”

And his team delivered on all 3!

TRANSFER MARKET

The first battle in the war to reclaim the title came in the transfer market where United went out and bought goals in the form of a £24 million deal that saw Robin Van Persie trade London for Manchester, the red of Arsenal for the red of United. Ferguson and Edwin Van der Sar’s convincing and the “little boy” inside him eventually saw Van Persie reach Old Trafford.

Shinji Kagawa was signed from Borussia Dortmund, the Japanese attacking midfielder had been a mainstay of the Dortmund side for a few years. Alexander Buttner came in from Vitesse Arnhem as the back-up left back and youngsters midfielder Nick Powell and striker Angelo Henriquez were signed from Crewe Alexandra and Universidad de Chile respectively.

For all the talk about RvP, it was Brazilian sensation Lucas Moura and Belgian starlet Eden Hazard that United went after early and were engrossed in for much of the transfer window. They were to lose both battles after Moura signed for PSG and Hazard went to Chelsea. It wasn't until late July that the Van Persie rumors actually picked up pace. 

Dimitar Berbatov ended his troubled stay at Old Trafford with a move to Fulham, veteran Park Ji Sung also moved to London with QPR. French midfielder Paul Pogba though was the one that got away from United when he left on a free transfer to Juventus citing lack of playing opportunities under Ferguson.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester United clinched the title when they beat Aston Villa 3-0 at home courtesy of Robin Van Persie’s 2^nd hat-trick of the season on April 22. Van Persie continued from where he left off last season; the Dutchman was simply irrepressible early on ensuring Man United got off the blocks quickly. Defensive frailties made for a somewhat tentative start but once that came together, the Red Devils went on a fantastic run where they lost just 1 game in 6 months between October and March effectively sealing the title.

Man United won 25 of their first 30 games, leaving room for some leisure in the final stretch. 

One of the features of United’s campaign that was truly remarkable this season was the number of points that they salvaged from losing positions – a league best 29 points followed by Tottenham who were second best with 23. Though Van Persie bagged 26 goals, United were in no way a one man team - the league champions had 20 different goal-scorers this season, a new record. United full backs Patrice Evra and Rafael also had vastly improved seasons. Evra was back to his attacking best, though still defensively suspect, and Rafael's game too improved vastly. It helped United account for the failings of its wingers.

UEFA Champions League

Pitted with Galatasaray, SC Braga and CFR Cluj, a 100% return in their first 4 games saw United clinch qualification early. In the round of 16, Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United went face to face with Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid. After coming away from the Bernabeu with a 1-1 draw, there was to be heartbreak for United in the home leg. Leading 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate, Nani was shown a straight red by Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir for an innocuous looking challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa, an incident that turned the game on its head and saw Real overturn the deficit to win 2-1 on the night and progress. The tie also coincided with Van Persie’s drought period of the season and he missed 2 very good chances at the Bernabeu that could very well have killed the tie after the 1^st leg.

FA Cup and Carling Cup

Chelsea beat Man United 1-0 in a 5^th round replay thanks to a spectacular goal from Demba Ba. The Blues had earned a rematch after fighting back to draw 2-2 in the original fixture at Old Trafford. The result concluded the most disappointing week of the season for United after they went out of the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid just a few days earlier.

League Cup duty was handed over to the backup players. After getting past Newcastle, it was Chelsea once again that ended their campaign in yet another cup competition. United went down 4-3 after extra time in a thoroughly entertaining game at Stamford Bridge.

TOP PERFORMERS

Robin Van Persie

The Dutchman’s arrival at Old Trafford transformed the club. His goals aside, his presence lifted the morale of the entire team getting them to raise their levels as well. Ferguson even compared his impact to that of Eric Cantona when he arrived on the scene in 1994. 30 goals for the season, 26 of them in the league which gave him the Golden Boot and 15 assists to boot meant Man United after a really long time had a superstar in their ranks especially as Wayne Rooney’s star had been on the wane in recent seasons.

Michael Carrick

Underrated and under-appreciated when United play well, admonished when they do badly, Michael Carrick had one of his best seasons ever at Old Trafford. He had a hand in all things good that the club did as he dictated the tempo of the games from his deep lying midfield role. Criticized in recent seasons for merely passing the ball sideways and not releasing the ball quick enough, Carrick did precisely all of those as his forward passing was a joy to watch. The spike in Carrick’s form can be attributed to the presence of Van Persie and the huge goal threat that he carried.

David De Gea/Rio Ferdinand

Close one, but David De Gea and Rio Ferdinand both deserve a share of the honors  This was a break-out season for De Gea, panned for not being physically up to it for the Premier League, the Spaniard had a wonderful season between the sticks. He was always a superb shot-stopper and made countless saves to help United through some turbulent patches in games. He also improved at set pieces and has cut out the errors firmly grasping the No.1 keeper’s role; easily the best keeper of the season in the league. He had a shots to save ratio of 77% and made just 1 error leading to goal.

Rio Ferdinand provided a measure of calmness and solidity at the back for United. With Nemanja Vidic hampered by injury, Rio along with Jonny Evans were the first choice centre-backs for much of the season. Ferdinand has lost the electric pace which he possessed when younger, but his reading of the game is second to none. In the big match situations, he stood up to the test for United. A key reason why Ferguson likes to keep him in the line-up is because he’s a ball-playing defender. His ability to initiate attacks form defence with the cross-ball up field to the wingers or to the forward are exemplary and were on full display this season. Evans too had a fantastic season but Rio made 28 appearances over Evans’ 23.

WORST PERFORMERS

The Wingers – Nani, Ashley Young, Antonio Valencia

The biggest disappointments were United’s 3 wingers. Ranging from average to absolutely abysmal, this was one of the worst showings ever in that department. The 3 of them put together accounted for just 2 goals and 14 assists. The quantitative stats aside, they also displayed a visible lack of creativity and failed to provide any significant cutting edge. Rafael’s and Patrice Evra’s increased contributions as overlapping full-backs bear testimony to this.

NEW SIGNING WHO SHONE THE BRIGHTEST

Robin Van Persie – By a country mile!

NEW SIGNING WHOSE BEST IS YET TO COME

Shinji Kagawa – The Japanese international featured prominently early on before suffering an injury that kept him out for a major part of the season. Once he returned, he put in some sensational performances towards the end that showed glimpses of his exceptional talent. Jürgen Klopp in a recent interview said he was sad at how Kagawa had been only a bit-part player this season playing out of position on the left. Kagawa likes to play in the hole behind the main striker and that’s where he is at his best, creating and scoring goals. Ferguson lavished praise on Kagawa saying that he would form a key cog of the team in years to come and the departure of Wayne Rooney, if it does happen, may just leave the canvas open for Kagawa to leave his mark.

AND THE CURTAINS FELL ON

Paul Scholes

Typically passed by under the radar thanks to Sir Alex’s retirement, the Ginger Prince said farewell for a second time, this time you reckon for good. After coming out of retirement to answer the club’s SOS last season, Scholes felt comfortable in moving on this season convinced that the next batch of players are ready to take over. A superb professional who never admired the limelight, but one of the most loved and respected players around by both fans and peers.

Sir Alex Ferguson

He finally said goodbye. As ‘#ThankYouSirAlex’ did the rounds on Twitter following the announcement of his retirement, Manchester United and football fans alike were grappling with the magnanimity of the situation. A 26 year reign drew to a close in a way that only Fergie could conjure up – a 20^th league title snatched back from rivals Man City and a final masterstroke in the signing of Van Persie in the summer that handed his side the advantage.

If Cantona’s arrival heralded the beginning of the Ferguson’s era of dominance, Van Persie marked the final chapter.

VERDICT

The 2012-13 batch was definitely a whole lot better than the team that won the league in 2010-11, however this was one of Ferguson’s more functional rather than flamboyant teams. It was a team centred around the passing ability of Michael Carrick and the brilliance up front of Van Persie. As such it was well suited to the daily rigors of the Premier League and they managed to grind out results on a consistent basis.

Ferguson, 26 years in the job knew the formula to success in the league and managed to produce just that by adding some quality to a very industrious team. David Moyes will have to improve the squad with some fresh influx of world-class talent along with a clear out of players who have received more than their fair share of opportunities to build on this, especially for if greater success is to be achieved in Europe.

Roberto Mancini's contribution to his demise at Manchester City

 

A full page ad in the Manchester Evening News thanked the fans of Manchester City for 3 amazing years in the job. Bearing the words '3 Unforgettable years, you will always be in my heart' the show of gratitude was put out by the now former City manager Roberto Mancini. After having been shown the door by the City owners, the Italian took to the papers to thank the fans in an ad that featured a photo of him along with the 3 trophies that he won in his time – FA Cup, Premier League and Community Shield – in front of him. It was a nice touch from a manager who has always been known to wear his heart on his sleeve.

Mancini was well-liked by the fans, even on the day of the FA Cup final, numerous banners were seen around Wembley expressing their support for the manager. This was amidst growing rumors that a deal had already been struck with Manuel Pellegrini to take over next term. City would go on to lose to Wigan Athletic in that final and a couple of days later, Mancini would go on to lose his job. The FA Cup final disappointment to many may have been the final nail in the coffin for Roberto, but contrary to that belief the Italian had dug himself a deep pit out of which there was no getting out.

The official line post Mancini’s sacking talked about the Italian’s failure to “meet objectives” as the reason for his exit. A 3^rd place finish in his first season along with the capture of the FA Cup, League Champions the next with that dramatic last gasp winner from Sergio Aguero and 2^nd this season will tell you that the results on the pitch have been anything but underwhelming. Mancini though paid the price for a bucket full of other factors that came to be a constant during his tenure at the Etihad.

SQUAD MANAGEMENT & DISCIPLINE

‘Confrontational’ would be one word that could best be used to describe some of the fiery Italian’s ways during his stint. Numerous incidents, most notably the highly publicized ones with Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli showed the Italian’s man management skills in poor light. He would come out and openly slander his players in the media and was never reluctant to engage in fisticuffs with his charges. There have also been reports of a fallout with Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure.

The Italian failed to instill a healthy team culture at the club and towards the end of his reign, it was apparent that he had lost the faith of the dressing room.  So much so, that after City’s game against Reading last Tuesday, 2 City players joked that they could not celebrate the event of Mancini’s dismissal as they had a game coming up against the Royals. Obviously, the Italian’s departure has brought about some joy in sections of the City squad. Balotelli came out to say that he was the least bit shocked that his former manager got the boot.

The tussles didn't end with just the players, the Italian would often come out and pan the management like the innumerable number of times he’s pinned the blame on City’s lackluster title defence on the work that was done in the summer transfer window. The saga of how the signings he desired didn't come to fruition became a constant thread of admonishment for Mancini.

FAILED TO GET THE BEST OUT OF HIS PLAYERS

The lack of a strong team unity in a group with some very headstrong personalities meant that City came to resemble Real Madrid, a team with a lot of talented individuals who failed to bring it together collectively. When each of these players hit their strides, the team played well, but they failed to do it on a consistent and regular basis.

Last season, City should have been out of sight with the Premier League title instead of putting their fans through the nerve-wracking tension that came their way during the final day fracas. The Sky Blues had a much better team than their city rivals and started off the season brilliantly only to stutter towards the end and hand Manchester United the advantage which they in turn ended up surrendering. And this year, the less said about their abysmal title challenge, the better.

The fact is that Man City are a team that’s been put together with plenty of heavy investment – player fees alone have totaled in excess of £200 million – as a result of which they will play well and will always be up there in the Top 3, but it is the coaching that has made the difference between just 1 Premier League title and possibly 3. Just imagine for a moment, Manchester City in the hands of Jose Mourinho, Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger. With the kind of squad at their disposal, the title may have been well sewn up with daylight in between them and the chasing pack.

Sadly, Mancini hasn't been able to create that sizable gap between City and the other contenders that with the resources available could and should have been done.

EUROPEAN STRUGGLES

Finally, their woes in the UEFA Champions League were always going to come back to haunt Mancini. Two years in a row they have failed to get out of the Group stage. Of some consideration is the fact that on both occasions they were pitted in the Group of Death, but to not even register a single win is something that a club of the magnitude of Manchester City simply could not accept. And, this wasn't a first; even when at Inter Milan, Mancini received his fair share of criticism as Inter suffered early exits many a time.

Ultimately, by the time that Roberto Mancini received his P45, it was evident that he had lost the confidence of the dressing room as well as that of the Man City hierarchy. Pellegrini, widely tipped to be the next manager has made it clear that he would not shy away from putting his foot down to quell squad indiscipline.

A failure to address precisely that, sometimes contributing to it even, and the inability to build on City’s success from last year and push them further ahead of their rivals coupled with their continued struggles in European competition made for a heady concoction, one that ultimately forced the powers to be at City to  wield the axe and opt for a fresh brew next season.