"Real"ity is gonna turn "Special"

A brand new season is about to begin,and mind you, with a brand new Set-up as well.There have been plenty people moving around,with Manchester City doing most of the business.But, I believe the most important transfer this summer has to be the "Special One" arriving at the Santiago Bernebeu.Real Madrid have had so many Galacticos in recent times,but this is what precisely they have been lacking,a Galactico manager.

We all know Jose Mourinho is a Winner.You can call him Defensive minded,or arrogant or whatever you like,but you just have to agree he is probably the best manager currently out there.Yes,there are Sir Alex Fergusons and Pep Guardiolas, but no one can match what Mourinho has achieved while working under immense pressure to deliver the results.And we can't deny Real need exactly that.After his heroics with FC Porto,winning the Champions League,he came to Chelsea,where he just had to win the league in his very first year.He had just seen his predecessor sacked for finishing 2nd in the League.And he did it in an amazing fashion,finishing the season with highest number of points ever scored in the Premier League,backing it up with another League title very next season,and the Domestic Cup double in season after that.It was all the same with Inter Milan,delivering the Champions League that the Italians craved for almost 50 years,and he did it in just 2 seasons.Now he has arrived in Spain,where he not only needs to conquer the Mighty Barcelona,but also take Real Madrid closer to the Historic 10th European Title.

For the last 6 seasons,Real have failed to get past the Round of 16 in the Champions League.What's worse, they have done it with 6 different managers.For a Club of the magnitude of Real Madrid,this is shambolic stuff,after investing so many millions to capture the World's best players.So, Jose has a huge challenge ahead of him,and he knows that.He has seen Fabio Capello sacked even after winning the Spanish La Liga,because fans thought his style was too defensive and boring.He has seen Vicente Del Bosque,the man who led Spain to World Cup Glory this year, removed after winning the Champions League, just because Real didn't think he was the Right "Image" for the club.But,I believe Jose is going to be different.He is a no-nonsense manager who believes in his Work Ethics.He is the most flambouyant manager right now in world football.

People say he is a Defense-minded manager whom Real fans won't like.Just go and see the matches in which his team has fallen behind.I have seen him throw 4-5 strikers on the pitch to get the Results he wants,and importantly,he gets them most of the times.Just see how he took Inter from average performers to the Kings of Europe.He is strikingly disciplined with his team.He has already warned Real players that he would "Rather play with 10 men rather than the One who comes late ".That's why he never has ego problems even in star-studded teams,when Mourinho is around,you just know who the Boss is.

What's most exciting is his Battles with Barca.Barca may be called the Best team around for last few years.But,Jose has always managed to silence them.Barca fans just love to hate this guy.No one can forget his diving on the knees,celebrating,when Didier Drogba scored an equalizer at Camp Nou in stoppage time,almost forcing the Catalans out in the Group Stages.He has even openly accused Lionel Messi of playacting to win free-kicks.Barca fans held out the banners saying " Go to the Theatre" when Barcelona beat Inter in the Group Stages of the Champions League.But, Mourinho triumphed in the end,when he brought the "Seemingly" invincible Catalans crashing down to Earth in the semifinals in the same season.

Jose has already done his study about what has been lacking in this star-studded Madrid Team.Mourinho has already changed the transfer policy in the Spanish Capital.Madrid have not signed any Galacticos this summer,but rather the tough characters like Ricardo Carvalho,complimenting them young guns like Smmy Khedira and Di Maria.

Yes, Barcelona have been way too powerful for Real Madrid in last few seasons.True,they have bolstered their squad massively by Bringing in David Villa.But, I just believe Real will triumph this season.Because,Jose just doesn't lose,not even against the mighty Barcelona.And that's why he is the "Special One".

The Carnival

So,the World Cup began an enthralling fashion,with South Africa sharing the spoils with Mexico in the opener.But,somehow most of the games have not really managed to live up to the expectations.There have been just too many of these 0-0 and 1-0 scorelines.So far, only Germany have managed to win in style and with something to spare.

Yes, the opening match was also a draw,but it was full of the "End to end" stuff,and anyone could have got 3 points in that game.Now,compare that to the France-Uruguay match,which didn't even have 5 shots on goal.It was almost boring to watch that game.France just lacked the creativity to beat the "not so great" Uruguayan defence.I think they sorely missed Malouda.The tactics were baffling,who the hell prefers Abou Diaby to in-form Florent Malouda?? France will have to do a lot of hard work to match their last World Cup's heroics.

And then there was this England's draw against USA.Yes,Rob Green made a bad mistake,but lets be honest,how many times did England really threaten Howard's goal?? You can almost remember no such instance.In fact it was US who came closest to winning the tie,with only a combo of Green and the goalpost denying them. Aaron Lennon was lively on the right,but he simply can't deliver any good crosses that England frontmen craved for.Left side was poor,with Capello trying two right-footers in Milner and Wright-Phillips in that slot.Neither was at all effective.And why Peter Crouch is so under-rated by England is a huge puzzle.His goal-scoring record is way better than that of Emile Heskey,and he is also better in the air,but still,for reasons only known to him,Capello has always preferred the aged,and too slow Heskey.

After all those frustrating games,it was refreshing to watch Germany in full flow yesterday.The way they passed the ball,made those runs off-the-ball,and simply bamboozled the Australians was awesome to watch.Although Klose and Podolski got the praise,I fell the young Brigade of Mesut Ozil, Muller,and Badstuber was brilliant.Especially the sublime touches that Ozil showed and the stinging runs he made in the Penalty-area were superb.This is guy is really going to end up at a big Club,sooner rather than later.Thomas Muller exactly showed why he was preferred over Klose and Mario Gomez for Bayern Munich throughout the season.But,one think I didn't like about them was the role Bastian Schwinesteiger played.Yes,he controlled the midfield well,alongside Khedira.But,that role doesn't really do justice to his Sublime skills and Dazzling pace.He did his job with thorough efficiency,yes,but it was rather like a Jon Obi Mikel or Toulalan,rather than a Ronaldo or a Messi.We don't want Schwini to play that unspectacularly,but we want to see him bursting through the defences,unleashing his fierce shots.Only after that,Germans will be The Most feared and Respected Opponents in this World Cup.

Transfer Trivia-II

The World Cup fever is already spreading around the world,with almost everyone having their own favourites.And amidst all the talks of the Brazils and the Spains, Club Football has taken a back-seat. But,I still have a job unfinished here. So,as I promised this is the Transfer Trivia-II ,about the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool.

Starting with Real,the Spanish giants couldn't have found a better coach than the "Special One" Jose Mourinho.A big name manager hasn't been a thing Madrid has always had.There is no doubt Mourinho is one of the best in the business,but we'll have to see how the fans react to his style of play,remember these are the same fans who forced Fabio Capello to be sacked,even after winning the league,just beacause they found his style of football very "dull".And many aren't aware Real sacked Vicente Del Bosque,te current Spain manager,even after winning the Champions League,just because they didn't find him suitable to be the face of the Brand of Madrid.So, Mourinho has a tough job at his hand.The one thing Real need most is a few quality defenders.Last year,they did sign Raul Albiol and Arbeloa,but they aren't really in the same League as Ronaldo and Kaka,are they?? Now,the rumours suggest Maicon is all set to move to the Bernebau,but I think they need a decent Leftback as well,as Marcelo is simply not good enough for them.If Ashley Cole can't be signed,they may be they should try for Patrice Evra or Yury Zhirkov,although both will be difficult to price away from their clubs.They could also do with a world-class cenre-half to partner Sergio Ramos.If Mourinho can manage to sign Lucio or even Carvalho,it will make a big difference.Madrid have shown they have enough talent in attack,but they mostly falter in the Defensive duties.But,still Mourinho may try to get Diego Millito as an alternative to the "moody" Gonzalo Higuain.Mourinho and his Real will be under immense pressure this year,but I still expect Jose to triumph,he has always delivered the good when put into such demanding situations.

Moving over to Liverpool,they are in a complete contrast situation to Madrid.Having lost a manager,they are in search of a new one,and alternatives are the likes of Roy Hodgeson of Fulham,and Martin O'Neill of Aston Villa ,rather than the Guus Hiddinks and Mourinhos.Liverpool need to stregthen a lot,if tehy are to challenge for the title,but they just don't seem to have the money.In fact,they are struggling to keep their stars,with Gerrard and Torres thinking of leaving the "Sinking Ship".What Liverpool really need is the Fighters,someone like Scott Parker,rather thanThe Aquilanis they are used to sign.Yes,Aquilani may have tons of talent more than Parkers and Barrys,but these people have the fighting spirit ,to go for every ball,to win the tackles,to fight till the last moment,which Liverpool haven't really got at the moment !!! I know they might not really sign many players.But,still they need a strike partner for Torres.Players like David N'Gog and El Zhar are simply not good enough for Liverpool to even try for the Fourth Place.Someone like Roque Santa Cruz or Carlton Cole would do nicely for them.Then someone like Scott Parker sould be signed as well,as he is kind of player who will allow Gerrard to paly in a more advanced Role.They could also do with a better centreback.Liverpool's biggest problem in the League hasn't been the lack of quality,but the Rotation System,hich disrupts their rhythum.Players like Benayoun,if he stays,need to play every game to be more effective tahn sitting on the bench for every other game.I really think Liverpool are going to find it tough to compete against Tottenham and Manchester City for the Fourth Place,just forget the title !!!

We will resume the Club discussions after the World Cup.So,let's now get ready for the World Cup,as Africa prepares to host the Biggest Festival of Football !!!

Transfer Trivia-I

So,the European Season has come to the close,with no major upsets at the final hurdle,with Chelsea,Barcelona,Inter and Bayern Munich wrapping up their domestic titles,and waht only remains to be seen is who is crowned Europe's Best in the Champions League Final.But,most big clubs are already starting to re-build for the next season,with many Big name transfers looking possible this summer.So,in this blog,I'm just trying to analyze who these clubs really need to sign,what they have lacked this season.It'll be a brilliant discussion if you can post your ideas in the comment box as well.

Starting with Barcelona,the Catalan giants have been heavily linked with a move for Franck Ribery and Cesc Fabregas,both of them highly creative playmakers.But,do Barca need any more creativity??? They really have enough of it,with the likes of Xavi,Iniesta,Pedro,and the best player in the World in Lionel Messi.What they really need is an Outright Goalscorer.Zlatan Ibrahimovic has not been good enough to justify his massive transfer fee,and just if Barca had someone like David Villa instead of him,they could have destroyed every other team in Europe.Yes,Ibra has scored goals,but he has missed too many chances for anyone's liking.Against Arsenal in First leg,a lot was made of his 2 goals,but I really feel any Decent striker could have had much more than that,with Barca's creative brains putting Gunners to the sword that night,but thanks to Ibra,Barca could only manage a 2-2 draw.So,someone like David Villa or even a Luis Fabiano would be really handy for them.

As far as the English Champions Chelsea are concerned,they have really got an in-depth squad.The fact that players like Joe Cole and Kalou and Deco can't get into first-team speaks for that.They have the best striker in the World in Didier Drogba,who when on song is simply unstoppable !!! Carlo Ancelotti wouldn't want to swap him for any other Forward in the world,not Wayne Rooney,not Cristiano Ronaldo,perhaps not even Lionel Messi !!!

What Chelsea really need is a magic-player,someone who can create something out of nothing ,when things are not going right for the team.And Carlo seems to have acknowledged that,as there are talks of Kaka arriving in London,next season.If that doesn't happen,may be they should go for Luka Modric,the brilliant Croatian playmaker,with excellent ballcontrol.They don't really need a striker,after breaking all the scoring records in EPL this season.But,still,the prospect of a Drogba-Torres combo is still magnificent.

ManUtd should really sign a striker,as Dimitar Brabatov is simply not good enough for them.Yes,he is brilliant when on song,but he doesn't really suit United's all action approach.They need Hard-workers,people like Darren Fletcher,who may not be highly gifted,but have an immense work-rate.They may also do with a defender.We have seen how injury-prone Vidic and Ferdinand are, this season.

So,I will leave all the transfer talks about remaining biggies like Madrid and Liverpool in part 2.Do remember to leave your coments.

The Comparison: Drogba versus Rooney

Well,I agree I am entering a never-ending debate,but after learning that Rooney was chosen as Barclays Player of the Season, I really start wonderiong what basis these guys use for such awards.No doubt,Rooney is one of the finest strikers in the League,But frankly,there have been better,in fact only this season,I feel Drogba performed much better than him.

Manchester Utd are now rueing that Rooney was injured,which robbed him of the chances to increase his goal-tally to win the Golden-boot,and lead United to the title.But,Didier Drogba missed One full Month of League Football due to African Nations Cup,and he also hardly has had an Injury-free season.In fact,Drogba and Rooney made exactly same number of appearances in Premier League this seasons.Rooney scored 26 goals in 32 appearances,while Drogba scored 29 in the same number of games.Close, you say? In fact,the figures that really show who is more useful to their team is the number of assists they made to their teammates.Rooney's 4 assists are woefully short of Drogba's 13 assists,and that's where Drogba wins hands down as a Footballer.

Just after Rooney scored 4 goals vesus the likes of Hull City and AC Milan (a pretty pathetic Milan,I have to say,they even lost a match to 9-men Inter!!!),He was already being compared to Messi,as the best player in the world.But,I don't think there is really a competition between the two.Lionel Messi has proved enough at the moment to be called the Best player of this Generation,alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.Although Barca failed to retain the Champions League Crown,they are almost certain to hold onto their Spanish League title,while All Rooney has managed to lead ManUtd to is the Carling Cup.

I agree Drogba hasn't got best of the disciplinary records,but thats just because he just passionate about the game,he has been criticized so many times for Diving on the slighetst touch from the defender,but come on,we see every other striker in world football doing that,and people always end up villifying only certain individuals.Last year,Bosingwa was suspended by UEFA for calling the refree a "thief".We see people getting yellow cards for showing dissent at the referre,but how many times has Rooney been punished for openly abusing the referee with the F-word??? I hardly remember any incident.

I think Messi and Ronaldo are unmatched at the moment in the race for the best PLAYER,but I really feel Drogba is the best Forward in the world right now,just because of his versatility .He not only is an excellent Target-man,but he can anytime drift wide on the wings to produce sublime crosses for his team-mates.And the biggest advantage is he always go back to help out his defence in Set Piece situations,Most forwards just go back to make upthe numbers doing nothing else,but not Drogba.He puts himself on the line to every header,in the either half !!! Thats why Carlo Ancelloti said he wouldn't swap Drogba for any other forward in the world.

So,I really believe that It's time the world sees Beyond ony the Bad things about Didier Drogba,because only then they will find that what lies beneath is one hell of a footballer !!!

All hail the Lords of London

Chelsea won the Premier League title in the most emphatic fashion on Sunday,beating Wigan Athletic 8-0,their biggest ever top-flight win,to fend off Manchester Utd's challenge by one point,in the process breaking innumerable records.

Manchester fans are already queueing up with the excuses,ranging from missing Ronaldo,to not getting refreeing decisions(they are so used to big decisions ,whether wrong or right,going in their favour!!!). But,anyone can hardly say Chelsea didn't deserve to win the title,not surely after scoring a massive 103 goals in the League this season (no team has ever managed that in EPL History!!!)

Man Utd goalie Van Der Sar was saying that Chelsea were just lucky!! ya ya,just check out the facts yourself, Utd needed six and seven minutes of stoppage time to salvage points twice against ManCity and once against Sunderland,and they are just unfortunate that Chelsea got "lucky" to beat a stubborn Aston Villa 7-1!!! While Chelsea scored 7 or more goals in a single match 4 times this season,while second highest source of goals for Utd after Rooney was Own Goals against them!!!(wonder what 30million-man Berbatov has to say about that?) and still it's Chelsea who just got lucky to win the title,right??

So many Red Devils are moaning about Didier Drogba's winner against them from an Offside position,but the same guys conveniently forget that The only goal United managed in that match was literally punched (by hand) in the net by Federico Macheda,which is hardly "Legal" in Football.They also cry that Liverpool just rolled over to prevent United winning the title,but United had the chance to beat Chelsea for the title,and they miserably failed.Chelsea were way better than Manchester Utd and all other teams.The fact that they scored 17 more goals than the second-highest scores highlights the gap.

In the Sunday's games,the outcome was never in doubt as early as 6th minute,when Anelka opened the scoring to calm any pre-match nerves,and afterwards it was a all too familiar story !!!

I can't really understand that why Arsenal are still considered to play the most beautiful football,Carlo Ancelloti's Chelsea put some of the most sparkling performances the League has ever seen,just look at the sleek passing in any of those 8 goals they scored on Sunday,finally banishing the image of being a physical side,showing some of the best football,that even the mighty Barca would struggle to match . It was delightful to watch them celebrate wildly,after seeing Utd take the glory for last 3 years, In the end, the Roar from Stamford Bridge was very clear " All Hail The Lords Of London" !!!!

The Final Hurdle

One point......thats all that separates Chelsea and Manchester Utd going into the last week of an enthralling Barclays Premier League Season.And that one point will be enough for Chelsea to win their first title since the "Jose Mourinho" era at Stamford Bridge,if they can beat Wigan at home on Sunday.

Chelsea are the clear favourites going into the weekend,as the Blues have amassed an amazing 49 points out of 54 at Stamford Bridge,but this season has taught us to expect only the unexpected.Especially.with Wigan having nothing to lose,and and ManU clear favourites versus Stoke,we could be in for a nasty surprise.

End of the season games are always tough,with relegation threatened teams upsetting the big boys,and it can really get tense,as Sir Alex Ferguson is known to have said frequently " Football, Bloody Hell" !!! So,what are the scenarios possible on Sunday?? A Chelsea win on the evening will win them the title,irrespective of the outcome of United's match.But,a draw or a defeat,paired with a United win,will hand the Red Devils their Record 19th title.But,it will take nothing short of a miracle from Wigan to achieve that,looking at Chelsea's terrific form ,which has seen them scoring an amazing 95 goals so far in the league,just 2 short of the record in the Premier League.

Although it should be a straightforward game for the Blues,there will be immense pressure till they take the lead.Just imagine the scenario of Image of Rooney just scoring Utd's 5 th goal versus Stoke flashing at Stamford Bridge,with Chelsea leading 1-0 with3 minutes to go,imagine the pressure!!!! The ball falls to Hugo Rodallega 10 yards out,he produces a fierce drive aaaaaaaand Cech parries it away.that's what tends happen again and again anyways,but it's an absolute nightmare for Chelsea fans like me!!!!

So,I can't wait for tomorrow's game ,because as much tension I feel in the adrenaline,I can't wait to watch John Terry lifting the Premier League Title to the heavens after 4 years !!!!!!!!