"More than just a club"...as Barcelona so proudly call themselves.Not only are they considered the greatest ambassadors of the Catalonia,but also seen by many as staunch defenders of Justice and Freedom,in contrast to the "Dark Emperor"-like image of their fiercest rivals,Real Madrid.The best football-playing team,who believes playing the game cleanly, but that has rarely been seen in last few years.
Okay, let me make myself clear, I have no personal hatred against Barcelona,never have I doubted their Footballing genius.I totally agree there are few players in the world who can reproduce the magic,that Xavi creates with his silky passes from mid-field, or the spectacle Lionel Messi exhibits,when at his absolute best.I think I have made my disclaimers, now let me dive straight into the controversy.
Even Victor Valdes ran down the pitch to pressurize the referee to brandish the Red card!
27 April 2010, the day when I penned (or should I say,typed...) my first blog! So, this is the first anniversary of my blog, and this post is just to say "Gracias", or a heartfelt "Thank you" to all of you.
You may find it a bit sentimental, but I have got attached a lot to this virtual space of my creation,almost like we get attached to our favourite Football Club.And this wouldn't have been possible without all of you.
Even being a hard-core Chelsea fan, I have always tried my best to analyse the game neutrally while commenting on other clubs on this platform, and I hope I have been able to do that, sincere apologies for any mistakes I may have inadvertently made.
No particular footballing topic in this post though, just wanted to thank all of you from my heart. I'll leave you with a classic video-it's the Introduction song to FIFA 06,many of us may already have seen it,but I still get excited watching it anytime....for the words in the background resonate with our thoughts about football perfectly!
Thank you again...and of course hope you continue to read and enjoy, too!!
There they stood, dejected and bruised, facing the taunts from 60,000-strong unforgiving opposition crowd,long after the victors had already left the field.Some of the finest players of this generation,as Green Day had so aptly put it, standing on the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".
Chelsea were thrown out of the Europe's elite competition in the late stages again, this time, the Theatre of Dreams proved to be the graveyard for their European ambitions.The analysis has already begun in full flow already,there will be a lot of finger-pointing by the experts,on tactical decisions,on players' qualities too perhaps, but few realise the impact it might have had on some of the biggest players of the current era.
Didier Drogba, unarguably one of the finest footballing talents produced by Africa may never lift the Champions League trophy. One of the greatest goal-scoring mid-fielders the world has ever seen, Frank Lampard may finish his career, still craving the tag of a European Champion.Florent Malouda, the brilliant French winger, whose heroics in 2006 World Cup made Chelsea splash14 million pounds on him, may have to end up without Europe's most coveted Silverware.The predatory talent of Nicolas Anelka,who wandered around the world with Arsenal, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Fenerbahce, finally to settle at Chelsea still has that elusive piece of Silverware missing from his medals.These are not just like any other players, but some of the best of this era.They surely deserved better,if Michael Carrick and John O'shea can win the Champions league,then Frank Lampard surely deserves to be the winner too. If Juliano Beletti and Luis Garcia can have the Champions League winning medals, then Didier Drogba sure as hell deserves one.
Will Chelsea ever find such a moment,to win the title that has become their "Holy Grail"??
But then,fate operates in it's own funny way.Chelsea have suffered some terrible misfortunes in the competition,but that can no more be put up as an excuse.For the second year running, the Blues were knocked out, not because of Refereeing decisions, but because of tactical inefficiencies.(Yes,there was this penalty not given,and hint of offside in the 1st goal in 2nd leg,but that's too less to call Injustice these days,according to Chelsea's current standards in UEFA,isn't it?) Last year, Jose Mourinho completely outfoxed Ancelotti in sheer tactical battles,to eliminate his old Club.This year, Chelsea found ways to self-destruct.Now call me a loser or a cry-baby or whatever you like,but I'm never going to accept that this Manchester United team was a Potentially better team than Chelsea.But, at some positions Chelsea were terrible,and United made them pay for it.I have never been convinced by Jose Bosingwa's performances in Chelsea colours.Yes,he makes those terrific runs from the right,but 99 percent of his crosses fail to find what is needed: A Blue Shirt in the opposition Penalty box.And better not talk about his defensive skills! It was solely his fault that United took a priceless away lead into the 2nd leg and that came to haunt Chelsea, badly.
Lot has been talked about already about the decision to start Fernando Torres, keeping Drogba on the bench for the crunch game at Old Trafford.The move completely backfired on Chelsea.Now, there are talks of revamp of the ageing side,it's been long due I feel. That's why so many of Chelsea's ageing stars may never have the chance to fight for the ultimate prize in European Football again.Roman Abramovich, or for that sake, owners of many big clubs over the world may have sympathy, but they're unlikely to have a place for these waning stars in their team.
Chelsea's two frontmen, along with Frank Lampard have failed to light up the stage this year
Finally, the debates will run on for some time, whether Chelsea made the mistake of not trusting their best forward in pressure situations, whether the denied penalty had any impact on the outcome, whether Manchester United were simply overwhelming for the reigning English Champions,. The reality however is, Manchester United are in the semi-finals and deservedly so.It just keeps niggling in the mind sometimes though, had Didier Drogba played the whole game, instead of the 45-minute cameo he was allowed, Chelsea could've had a much better chance to get closer to their "Holy Grail". Instead, what they got was another European Nightmare!
Football's not just played with feet,but also with your head (and it's more than just using your head as some sort of a baton to hit the ball,mind you!). I thought of doing something different from usual for this blog.We always come across many catchy quotes in the footballing world,sometimes genuinely funny moments,while some are the attempts at mind-games.Anyways,here are some of the best I have come across.They are not all of same type,some are teasing,some classy quotes,while some plain dumb ones.Feel free to add your own,if you have come across better.So,here they go.
1.One of my all time favourites,this comes from the Liverpool Legend, Bill Shankly,and I think it sets the tone nicely for what football means to us. "Some people think "Football is a matter of Life and Death.Well,they are wrong.I can assure you it's much more important than that."
Resonates with most of us,doesn't it?
2.This one comes from the "Special One" himself,and the guy is know for giving out "Special Quotes" too.Here's what he said,when he was asked about toughness of his job at Chelsea, when he had just taken over:
"If I wanted an easy job,I could have stayed at Porto-a beautiful Blue chair, the UEFA Champions League trophy, God, and after God, me!"
Jose Mourinho hasn't been media's darling for nothing,his witty comments always making the Headlines.
3.Now,here's a funny one.It comes from a Liverpool Legend, Ian Rush, who was transferred to Juventus from Liverpool. Here's what he had to say about his stint in Italy:
"I couldn't settle in Italy - it was like living in a foreign country." Hmm,Italy WAS a foreign country for an Englishman, wasn't it, Mr. Rush?
4.Now,here's what Norther Ireland midfielder Steve Lomas had to say about his team's defeat vs Germany: "Germany are a very difficult team to play - they had 11 internationals out there today." Err, what else can you expect from an International team,guys?
5. Now, here's one more from Bill Shankly, that sums up the Merseyside rivalry between Liverpool and Everton: "There are two Great teams on the Merseyside, Liverpool, and Liverpool Reserves."
6. Here's one more classic quote,although it comes not from a prominent Footballing personality,but from one of my dear friends, Akash Nair. This was his take on Lionel Messi's almost magical goal vs Arsenal in this season's Champions League: "People struggle to dribble with the ball on the ground.This guy does it in air!!"
7.Now,here are Sir Alex Ferguson's general views on Football.No wonder that guy has stayed in the sport so long. "Football. Bloody Hell!!"
8. I can't resist putting one more from Jose Mourinho here.Catania President Pietro Le Monaco claimed he wanted to "smack Mourinho in the mouth" following Inter's win over his team in 2008,here's what Mourinho had to say upon that: “As for Lo Monaco, I do not know who he is. With the name Monaco, I have heard of Bayern Monaco (Munich) and the Monaco GP, the Tibetan Monaco (Monk), and the Principality of Monaco. I have heard of any others.” Classic Mourinho this one,isn't it?
9. Here's another cool one from Duffy Daugherty..... "Football isn't a Contact sport.It's a collision sport.Dancing is a contact sport." I'm sure Roy Keane and Nigel de Jong will agree!
10. Finally to finish off,it's a Bill Shankly one again.He was accused of staying at Liverpool only during their good times.His reply? A classic. "It's not true,not at all. I was here (at Anfield) when we finished Second."
So, these are the ones that caught my eye the most.I'm not, by any means, claiming these are the catchiest ever.Please feel free to add yours in comments too.But each one is here,is a little gem, I think. Hope you enjoyed them. Till next time, Goodbye.
Sports-persons are always divided into distinct categories.Some are Cricketers,some are Footballers,some Tennis players,may be a few athletes.And then there are Legends.They may be playing a particular sport only,but their influence extends far beyond the boundaries of that game.The Peles,the Tendulkars,the Federers,they are not just the great players,but the real Heroes in this Morally-disabled world of ours,shining brighter than ever when the entire world succumbs to the darkness,showing the courage when the universe is falling apart around them.On Saturday,we had the honour to witness one such Legend finally realizing his long cherished dream,after the massive wait of,mind you,21 long long years.The image of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar lifting the World Cup,with a joy only a small innocent child can display,will be etched in the memories of billions forever.
This was the image every Indian wanted to see.
On Saturday,it became a reality!
Cynics will be quick to point out that he still failed to create a mesmerizing knock in the final,when it mattered most,that the young Brigade of India was the real reason India became the World Champions.Critics (if there are still any left!) will point out,he was lucky to survive so many times vs Pakistan in the Semi-final,and still failed to build on that foundation in the final.BUT,DOES IT MATTER ONE BIT?
Players can be mesmerizing at times,showcasing skills never seen before,creating an aura around themselves as the Invincibles,the Best in the business.But in case you haven't noticed,the Finals,the games which matter most,are almost never won because of Brilliance,they are won with grit,with determination to outlive your high-class opponents in the battle for survival.
Roger Federer did not win the coveted French Open by defeating his nemesis,Rafa Nadal.All the hard work was done by Robin Soderling to send Nadal packing,Federer came and did what was required to be done,not anything fancy,not spectacular,but effective.FC Barcelona,the best Football playing team in the world,who were clinically destroying even the big teams with ease,had to literally scrape past Chelsea in the Semi-finals.But,it did nothing to diminish the spectacle they created for whole of that season.Even Lewis Hamilton,became youngest F1 Champion,only because a certain Timo Glock crashed his engine inches away from the finishing line.Call it Luck,call it Destiny,call it whatever you like,but it all matters.In a way,the most important knock in this tournament arguably was Sachin's error-prone 85 vs Pakistan.Yeah,it was far from spectacular,filled with lady-luck,but what mattered was Sachin stayed there.He could've easily got frusrated for not being able to play efforlessly vs bowlers like Saeed Ajmal and Hafeez,and given his wicket away,under pressure to create a spectacle.But his sheer grit showed his burning desire to win the Cup that counts.
For a man,who has achieved so much in Cricket nobody can even dream of,this was the One piece of jigsaw missing form the puzzle.Yes,Geniuses can be imperfect.The legendary Pete Sampras failed to triumph in the Red clay of Rolland Garros,despite being one of the greatest the world has seen,George Best,considered by many, as good as Pele and Maradona,never managed to get his hands on the FIFA World Cup.But,being the Maverick he is,Sachin still had the hunger after 21 mammoth years,to go and achieve the One missing piece of Silverware from an otherwise perfect career.Almost every contemporary cricketing great has one,Gavaskar,Border,Muralidharan,Jayasuriya,why,the Pontings and Shane Warnes have three for that sake.But it wasn't just to join the elite club that Sachin wanted it,it was the final confirmation of his Greatness,the official stamp of being the World-beater that his nation craved.You may think it shouldn't matter that much,just the official tag,but then you'll have badly mistaken the Sportspersons' mentality.The World Cup is the ultimate prize that every player craves.Sachin finally got it on Saturday after 5 failed attempts,and it will not be exaggeration to say,the Cup was honoured to be in the hands of the Little Master.
But then,it's not just his cricketing genius that gives him almost a God-like status in the hearts of billions.It's his unwaivering trust in his principals,that sets him apart from the rest.The unflinching walk vs West Indies even when a record 100th century was beaconing,showed what value he puts on honesty.Watch any sport,and you'll get the same.See Pele,see Federer,they are much more than just great players.They are the ambassadors of the Great human values,showing us all that you can be great with sporting brilliance.But it takes much more than that to become a Legend,to become a God.Countless people have wrote on his Greatness,those catchy quotes, I don't have any more of those,what I have is just pride,which resides withing every Indian's heart,for being able to witness the marvel called Sachin Tendulkar for so many years.I'll leave you with an unforgettable statement by Andrew Symonds,one of the fiercest competitors when on the field,which he wrote on a shirt specially autographed for Sachin,for it not only is one of the biggest compliment by an opponent,but it's precisely the thought that resonates with our entire world,
