Beckenbauer

Orr

Chinaglia

Espo

Pele had retired the year before and I had no clue what I had missed. It didn’t matter, though. Before the first half was over, I was hooked, drawn in by the combination of Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia. I was amazed at how Beckenbauer, with casual grace, controlled the whole game from the back.  He reminded me of the great Boston Bruin defenseman, Bobby Orr, and Chinaglia of Orr’s teammate and fellow Hall Of Famer, Phil Esposito. He was a hulking forward who loved to play with his back to goal and muscle his way through any number of defenders.

When we went home to Canada, I started high school and played soccer whenever the weather allowed.

My first World Cup, then, was Spain 1982.  I watched the tournament on the CBC in my friend Stavros’ basement. His parents were Greek immigrants and neither spoke a lick of English. His father watched the games with us when he wasn’t at work and his mother cooked all the time.  I had a voracious appetite.  My mother constantly complained that I was eating us out of house and home and threatened to put a lock on the fridge. Stavros’ mom, though, was only to glad to have another mouth to feed. She would look at me with a smile and hold her hands about three inches apart, moving them in an up and down motion.

“She says you’re too skinny,” Stavros told me when I inquired.  Go figure.

Stavros and I spent June of ’82 rooting for Italy on the CBC. According to Stavros, since the Greeks weren’t playing, the Italians were obviously the best team in the tournament. At first, Italy didn’t respond to our exhortations. They squeaked through the first group stage pretty much asleep at the switch, then, in a gruppo di morte with Argentina and Brazil, barely held off the Argentines and Diego Maradona.

The classy Brazilians thoroughly dismantled Argentina. In a prelude to the Hand Of God in Mexico, a petulant Maradona drew a red card for a vicious kick on a Brazilian when it was obvious that Argentina’s reign as champions was at an end.

It would be the Azzurri and the Selecao in a showdown to move on to the semifinal.  Brazil looked unstoppable to me.  The Italians seemingly had no scoring threat whatsoever and there was no way they were going to keep their opponents off the board for ninety minutes.

When I suggested this to Stavros, his face darkened with scorn and derision.  What did I know?  The Italians were the best team in the world, next to the Greeks of course, and they would win this tournament, wait and see. Ever mindful of his mother’s fine table, I quickly agreed that yes, this was so. I was fully prepared to commiserate and offer condolences after the Brazilians mopped the floor with the Azzurri and went on to the semifinals.

Paolo Rossi

Despite a strong start by Italy, it certainly looked as though sympathies would be called for. The Brazilians dominated almost the entire match, playing keep away with the ball, stretching and misdirecting the Italian defense but never quite breaking it down. Their confidence was obvious and victory seemed only a matter of time. Then a little fellow named Paolo Rossi woke from his four game nap and decided to get involved.

He latched onto a casual back pass and, in the blink of an eye, put it past the startled Brazilian netminder. This had the effect of putting some urgency into the Selecao attack and they soon equalized, twice in fact. Each time, however, Rossi would swoop in,  intercept another pass and, as Tommy Smith is fond of saying, bury the ball in the old onion bag.

I had learned an important lesson about tactics that day.  Solid, patient and determined teamwork on defense could cause even the most potent attack to overreach and quick strikes on the counterattack might catch a stronger side by surprise.  As I stuffed a boureki into my mouth, I happily listened to Stavros’ fifth or sixth I told you so.

Italy would go on to win the Cup and Rossi would become the only player at the top level to claim the World Cup Trophy, the Golden Boot and Golden Ball all in one tournament. All for picking up a few scrapes in the last three of seven matches.  Never mind all the work in the back by the legends Franco Baresi, Guisepe Bergomi and Dino Zoff.

While Brazil has weaved their offensive magic to win five World Cups, it is hard to argue with the Italians taking the opposite road to earn four.  Most say that “parking the bus” is not as attractive as opening up the game but I beg to differ.  It can be very thrilling to see a hard working side lay it all on the line to outrun a thoroughbred side like Barca or Arsenal.

The Confederations Cup match between Spain and the USA last year is a perfect example of what I mean. The Spaniards threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Americans yet the Yanks were always in the right place to make a perfect tackle or cut out a dangerous pass. If the Spaniards did find enough space to take a shot, someone would throw themselves in front of it before it could reach the goal.

The sensation was like escaping certain death every few seconds. If that’s what it feels like to be a woman and have multiple orgasms, then I can certainly understand their frustration with men. Think of the inevitable letdown a team goes through after a goal has been scored. The job is done and you can roll over and take a quick nap.  Give me good defense every time.

The trouble in Serie A and with the Italian national team now, is that well timed tackles and fearless play are not what win the ball away from the opponent anymore. Instead, defensive tactics have devolved into endless obstruction, shirt tugging and tripping, not to mention the blatant diving in hopes of fooling the referee.

Would you rather win like this?

Or this?

The decay first became evident at the last World Cup. In the final against France, Marco Materazzi draped himself over Zinedine Zidane, the most dangerous player on the pitch, tugging and pulling like a two year old begging for a cookie, nattering away at the Frenchman for 110 minutes. Finally, he said the right (or wrong) thing about Zizou’s maman and Zidane snapped. Yes, he should have known better than to rise to the bait but it was still a classless thing for Materazzi to do. In the ensuing four years, Materazzi has basked in his infamy and others have followed his example.

Almost four years later, in Rome on Wednesday evening, all that is wrong with Italian football was on display at the Coppa Italia final. The top two clubs in the race for the Scudetto were meeting to take the first step towards a possible domestic double and in Internazionale’s case, a European treble.

Deceitful

Unfortunately, the bevy of foreign stars was overshadowed by the antics of the homegrown talent.  Isn’t that a sad bit of irony?   The foreign players should be the spice added to the soup, not the meat and potatoes. Instead, it was the Italian players who soured the broth, their antics overshadowing the good play of, on this night, Diego Milito Javier Zanetti, Taddei and Mirko Vucinic.

For every time that Maicon or E’to made a dazzling run, there was Nico Burdisso, bundling over every blue shirt within striking distance, then arguing each foul with the referee, or the ex Bayern bench warmer, Luca Toni now too old to outrun defenders and consigned to trying to outwrestle them. In one instance, after a prolonged tug of war with Ivan Cordoba, Toni broke free and then executed a perfect single axel that would have made Evgeny Plushenko blush with fatherly pride. Fortunately, the only judge scoring remained unimpressed.

Sadistic

In the second half, Francesco Totti came on to try to spark the Roma attack. If Luca Toni has slowed with age, though, then Totti has certainly been petrified. He spent much of the match standing still, waiting for the ball to happen by. When it did, he was unable to do much with it. Finally, after it became evident that Diego Milito’s first half strike was going to stand up, Totti churlishly kicked Balotelli in the calf as the youngster beat him to the line and made for goal. The resultant red card was the closest thing to fire that the Roma number ten was able to kindle. It was also shades of Maradona in ’82. Classless.

It was Zidane’s old nemesis, Marco Materazzi, though, who easily won the villain of the match award. Somehow, despite throwing himself into several late tackles, spikes up, the clown prince of instigation managed to escape with just a single yellow card. Thankfully, the referee ignored the several flops that Materazzi took whenever an Inter player so much as tapped him on the shoulder.

The Clown Prince who...

...secretly wishes he was...

...Dennis Rodman.

Most amusing was the prolonged spasmodic thrashing went into beside the Roma net after Phillipe Mexes had delivered a weak sort of half punch, half shove to the ribs trying to reach a lazy header that eventually drifted out of bounds. If any of you have ever taken a good shot to the ribcage, you know that it has a paralyzing effect, knocking the wind out of you. Painful yes, seizure inducing no.

Of late, Serie A matches have been my last choice when viewing football, whereas five years ago they would have been among the first. Italian matches are so full of stops and starts and dead time that they might as well be like American football and show commercials during play. It is the only competition I watch where I recognize the referees. When that happens, you know there’s something wrong with the quality of play. I even find myself tuning in to MLS matches rather than watch the whistlefest that Serie A has become.  If the half empty stadia around the league and the exodus of stars like Kaka and Ibrahimovic are any indication, I am not alone in my opinion.

It would be a shame if it were to take the Serie A becoming a second tier league before any changes are made. The rot is deep-seated now. League officials and club owners need to take a deep breath, smell the air and begin cleaning house before it’s too late.

Martin Palazzotto

Martin Palazzotto’s day job is in the yachting industry.  Having to live in close quarters with Brits, Scots, Kiwis, Aussies, Saffers and various Europeans for much of his adult life has irreversibly encoded the culture of football into his DNA.  He currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, where, unfortunately for you, his access to soccer is limited to cable and the internet.

During the summer the movie mogul managed to keep his star studded squad intact despite alluring bids from overseas while spicing it up with six promising arrivals consisting of Morgan De Sanctis, Hugo Campagnaro, Juan Zuñiga, Daniele Mannini, Luca Cigarini and Fabio Quagliarella. The signings cost him a total of €30 million, but splashing the cash was no problem if they were to reach the forthcoming season’s objectives.

De Laurentiis had his sights on a top six finish, but with only eight points collected in the first seven outings along with a 15th place in the standings, the Napoli owner finally booted the widely criticized Roberto Donadoni during the first week of October.

The replacement was named former Sampdoria coach, Walter Mazzarri.

There was no doubt that the club had a very talented squad at their disposal but it had been dragged under the guidance of a coach who didn’t know how to get the best out of his players or what system to utilize for a long time running.

Would the turnaround come with Mazzarri?

Despite much skepticism from pundits and supporters alike, the newly appointed coach’s arrival would come to change things rather drastically at the club.

After his first 15 games in charge, Mazzarri has recorded eight victories and seven draws – earning the club a total of 31 points along the way as they now proudly sit on a Champions League spot.

Mazzarri’s arrival has seen the team undergo quite a renaissance as underperforming players such as Fabio Quagliarelli, Michele Pazienza and Paolo Cannavaro are once again showcasing their best. On top of that he has inserted a winning mentality which sees the team play with the kind of joy and confidence that has been lacking for a long time.

Unlike his predecessor, Mazzarri is more flexible when it comes to knowing how to get the very best out of his players as well as showcasing great tactical ability.

The formerly shaky backline has improved drastically seeing as Napoli has gone a whopping six league games without conceding a single goal. However, there needs to be some improvements in the offense as the Azzurri often tend to dominate the game, but lack efficiency when entering the final third.

Things are finally looking bright again for Napoli and considering that the season is far from over, the objectives De Laurentiis put ahead of the season can be reached – if not exceeded. However, there is still a lot of work to do and many potential slip-ups to be made.

After the dismal start to the season few believed that Napoli would be in contention for the Champions League spots come the second half of the season. Although it’s too early to say whether the club will qualify for the European cup come next season, it’s definitely safe to say that Napoli is indeed alive and kicking once more.

The current Barcelona team exemplifies this. Guardiola allows all 10 outfield players to participate in the game – give the ball and make runs into spaces. Iniesta and Messi are experts at this simple play despite their abilities on the ball, a true testament of a great footballer.

It is a former Barcelona player that brought this play to Barcelona under Frank Rijkaard. Football is currently missing him, especially AC Milan in the permanent absence of Kaka. Ronaldinho was one of the best players at bringing his teammates into the game – purposely to draw away attention from his own game so he could also find space in which to hurt the opposition.

It’s been a torrid two years for Ronaldinho. The 2006 World Player of the Year has come under heavy criticism as he continues to drop off the radar. Some may blame his off the pitch lifestyle but others are simply angry that they have been robbed of one of the most dazzling players ever to play the game. His spell at Milan has been much of the same as the last season at Barcelona. Unfit and in turn slower and less able to pull off that miraculous skill we were treated to week in week out. There’s also the other element of Ronaldinho. He’ll take the ball, control it perfectly and then lay it off to a team member. Watching him lately though he seems once he’s made that first pass it is job done. The fitness really is key here – a drive to get on the end of a pass and to find space – Ronaldinho has lost this.

Milan medical staff has received high praise – if anyone can get him fit then it’s Milan. At the end of last season however, we were still stuck with the same Ronaldinho – one who is not only unwilling to track back, but sometimes incapable of doing so, much to the misfortune of his teammates, even the smile had disappeared.

People have often wondered if his time was up and he was past his best. His attitude showed signs of nonchalance, instead flying back to Barcelona seemed to be the reason he played football in the first place – for the lifestyle.

You can imagine the excitement then that built up inside of me then in a recent pre-season friendly against Boca Juniors when I saw Ronaldinho receive the ball in the middle of the pitch, turn and the proceed to sprint towards the goal – a quick turn of pace, immaculate ball control skills and then a one-two with Pato unfortunately ending up with the move breaking down.

Regardless of the end result, it’s about the ‘Give and Go’ – it’s about Ronaldinho finishing the same move he starts. Now that Kaka has moved on the role down the middle of the pitch for him is all but set up for him – this is Ronaldinho’s last chance to shine. I may be jumping the gun here and Ronaldinho may just fade into the background, but I am, at times, a purist. In the Boca game I saw not only the drive to ‘Give and Go’ but the disappointment rather than frustration that he didn’t do better. More importantly though I also saw a smile. The same one as I saw in Cataluña? Let’s hope so.

“Manchester City’s culture is about cash”.

I was finding it hard to express how money could be the primary factor in a club’s culture, but Ferguson just has that way with words doesn’t he?

I’m a Manchester United fan and I do agree with Alex Ferguson but please don’t stop reading – bear with me. Not only do I agree with his statement but I also feel that this is the same for most top-flight English teams – money is becoming their culture. It’s a subject I feel strongly about – the fight English clubs have to secure talent from South America and Europe has now been made much easier thanks to their financial supremacy.

The English Premier League now boasts an abundance of talent, attracting the world’s top players. For every Rooney there’s a Torres – for every Carragher there’s a Vidic and it is this compliment (or intrusion) of foreign talent that has enabled English clubs to rise back to the top – something our European counterparts can’t seem to accept. My question is why do they continue to object to the nature in which England have come to dominate European football?

After all, Spain and Italy have always had unrivalled access to the top talents in South America; Kaka and Messi are prime examples of this. The matter of fact is that English clubs never had a chance in signing these players as they were always going to be heading to the Mediterranean to ply their trade. With this in mind, and the national team’s demise, England had to find a way to compete.

A fine example of this is Ronaldinho. Close to signing for United, Barcelona came in at the last minute and sealed the Brazilian. Manchester United were in no worse position than Barcelona at the time, in fact probably a better team, but it was the culture of Barcelona and the previous connections with other Brazilians and South Americans that gave Barcelona the edge. Back home in Brazil, Barcelona are one of the teams that the players dream to play for; always have been, always will be. In addition the Barcelona culture (i.e. the nightlife) was right up Ronaldinho’s street. In comparison – a night out in Manchester? Maybe not so appealing.

England has not caught up culturally. London is a European hotspot and even it still struggles to attract top players – with many of the teams situated away from the capital the pull for these foreign players is even weaker.

Example one – Daniel Alves. Chelsea gave him the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, offering big money to Sevilla and big wages. Despite this Alves held out for a move to Barcelona, where despite a slow start he has fitted in very well – something he may have failed to do at Chelsea despite their cosmopolitan nature.

Money didn’t talk in January when Kaka refused to join Manchester City despite the embarrassing fee – again the heart spoke louder.

Is it then a matter of English clubs having to find another way to compete?

As I wrote about recently England have the monopoly on Europe’s top young talents. Signing the players at that crucial stage eradicates the culture of the county as they are ecstatic that they’re on the money they’re on. This is in turn means that players are coming over and staying and in ten years it’s going to be more normal for these foreigners to come over. By the time European clubs have corrected this law, English teams may already have their foot in the door.

Amongst this turmoil an image of Manchester United players surrounding the referee or Martin Keown throwing a wobbly may stick out in your mind as similar past experiences, but with the ‘RESPECT’ campaign being released in light of that then you wouldn’t have expected that response from Chelsea players – would you?

Unfortunately as footballer’s wages are increased, they start to believe their own hype – that they are untouchable, above the law. Due to their status in the game, they feel that they can question refereeing decisions more so than others – the measures that UEFA are attempting to impose simply miss out on this level of footballer – these players struggle to respect their opponents at times, how are they ever going to respect the referee?

Although physical violence on referees is kept to a minimum (except some leagues in Europe and South America), the verbal tirade of abuse thrown towards referees is simply too much – they’re going to be pushed out the game. We think we have bad referees now but imagine the next tier of referees if these ones quit; the likelihood is we’d be in trouble.

All in all the players are responsible for this – it is them who berate referees and cause major talking points, but they’re only human and frustration is an emotion that people deal with very differently.

The one-way nature of the refereeing of the game must also be a factor in this frustration; players cannot change decisions, nor must they question them – they are even punished, as Jermaine Jenas recently found, when they speak out against them. But rarely do we see or hear the referee’s side of the story.

It is of some people’s opinion that the referee should explain important decisions but refereeing is not solely based on facts and rules, it’s based on the view they have on the pitch and interpretation. This results in differences of opinion from one referee to another and if referee’s start to question others this brings their level of judgment into further questioning – something that UEFA or FA simply don’t want the hassle of defending.

The lack of retrospective action is also another frustrating element of the game. Penalties that are wrongly given must be marked against a referee – and red and yellow cards must be rescinded more often. It’s the lack of flexibility of the system that is causing the problems, because in the blink of an eye a decision may be missed, but add that to the injustice that is carried out throughout the season then frustration runs to an even higher level. Tennis, Rugby and Cricket have seen video replays introduced in the last ten years but with the frantic pace of football as well as the flowing nature that referees are told to enforce this is becoming something of a pickle for the top men at FIFA and UEFA.

Then there’s the punishment. Each time an FA hands out a punishment they must consider all consequences, not those just linked with the incident. The opportunity is there for a player to sue if he feels the punishment is too harsh so the FA must be cautious – this is why the punishment hardly ever fits the crime.

In saying that though the FA must start to hurt these players who bring the game into disrepute – a deterrent to make sure no others follow. In the event of the Chelsea game last night – why not ban them for the group stage of the Champions League qualifiers next season? They then may not qualify for the knockout stages – and surely lesson learnt? The ban does not mean Chelsea can’t compete, it just means the people who intimidated the referee are excluded.

As we await the verdict, which will no doubt come after a long process, lets hope UEFA make an example of the Chelsea fiasco – the more examples we have the more lessons can be learnt and the less chance we have of repeat incidents. As for the referees well maybe they need to be given a higher status in the game but for starters at least somebody could say sorry to them so we still have some for next season.

What actions would you like to see FIFA/UEFA take? Please leave your views in the comments below….

Last week Lazio defeated the Bianconeri with a total of 3-1 in the Coppa Italia semi finals and sent the Turinclub crashing out of their last shot at silverware.

While they exited the Champions League against Chelsea with their heads held high after giving the Blues a real run for their money the same can hardly be said for the Coppa exit. The performance against Lazio, the second leg in particular, was a pathetic display of football and there is no doubt in my mind that the Bianocelesti deserve their place in the finals against Sampdoria.

Juventus has been hailed in the Peninsula this season due to their exciting mix of promising youngsters. In the second leg against Lazio Claudio Ranieri fielded no less than four products from the clubs youth academy but considering that the Coppa was Juventus’ last shot at glory it was hardly the time to experiment from Tinkerman’s side.

Putting the poor tactical choices aside, I want to know what has happened to the team’s renowned winning mentality.

Juventus is a top club but by the looks of the displays on the pitch it seems the players have lost the hunger, aggressiveness and strength. It is not the defeats or the draws in themselves that frustrates the Juventus angry these days; it’s the players’ approach and attitudes to the games that makes one question what they’re actually doing on the field.

There has been much criticism aimed towards Claudio Ranieri for his lack of passion on the sidelines and many question whether or not he really is the right man to guide a team like Juventus. At times it has been painfully obvious that the former Chelsea manager hasn’t able to motivate his players and what would one really expect when he seems to accept defeat without a second thought?

Imagine the fear in the Manchester United and Inter locker rooms just after they’ve lost a game? I hardly think that Sir Alex Ferguson and José Mourinho lets their players get away with a pat on the shoulder.

While many agree with the criticism, others say he has done well considering the mediocre squad he has at his disposal – although none can really defend his sometimes questionable tinkering.

This obviously touches on another sore point – the squad and the sporting director Alessio Secco. Last summer’s player market activity yielded a handful of mediocre players that wouldn’t normally even be warming the benches in other top European clubs – yet he received a contract extension not long ago.

The fans have reached their boiling point and have showcased their displeasure over how the club is managed on several occasions in the last couple of weeks by staging demonstrations outside of the training grounds as well as the Juventus headquarters.

Things got from bad to worse in the fan camp as according to the latest reports from Turin it seems that former Juventus centre back Fabio Cannavaro is set to make a return. Despite heavy criticism from the supporters it seems that the move is most likely going to go through.

There are raging debates over what changes need to be made ahead of the next season and the general opinion seems to be that both Ranieri and the entire Juventus board should be replaced. Whether or not that is the best way to cope with the club’s issues remain to be seen but if they don’t change their attitude to a more competitive one, it’s hardly going to change for the better next season.

Juventus returned to the top flight two seasons ago the excuse of the team “being under construction” is getting old. Nobody expected the Bianconeri to win the Scudetto in their first season back in Serie A or a Champions League final in the following one. But they have to do better than this. Juventus need to reclaim their renowned winning mentality – their identity. After all, they are a top club – even if they aren’t really acting like one at the moment.

Germany has never been a small footballing nation. Internationally they’ve been there or there abouts since the start of the modern footballing timeline but recently their club football has been languishing behind somewhat.

The Bundesliga has often been compared to English football, drawing fewer comparisons with the slow, crafted Mediterranean style and more with the quick nature of the Premiership. In the early nineties the English Premier League took off – Italian and Spanish teams were already in a position of authority but Germany were left behind.

The nineties saw Germany as a country that not only exported beer and cars, but also football players. Klinsman, the country’s top striker played for Inter Milan and then Tottenham Hostpur, Andreas Moller for Juventus and of course Rudi Voller at Roma.

Bayern Munich, always a threat in the eyes of Europe, have solemnly been complimented by other German teams in the Champions League. Borussia Dortmund, the only other winners of the Champions League from Germany have seen little Europe glory since they beat Juventus in the 1997 final and although exciting, Klaus Toppmöller’s Bayer Leverkusen only enjoyed temporary success.

Nearly twenty years later and German teams finally seem to be turning the corner. The clubs’ openness to the involvement of investors has shown the pragmatic nature of the German psyche  – one in which Spanish and Italian clubs will be quick to criticise but would be foolish to ignore. Coupled with the financial prowess of the German clubs there are also markets opening up in Eastern Europe of which they have tapped especially well into – the Bosnian league a prime example.

One thing that has always played to the German’s advantage is the interest that football generates in their country. The 2006 World Cup was a resounding success – they’re a country set up for football.

The statistics support this – Germany boast the highest attendances in world football with an average of 38,975, slightly above the Premier League (36,076) and far ahead of La Liga (29,124) and Serie A (23,180) – the stats are compelling and are reason enough for some people to believe that the Bundesliga is already in the top three leagues in Europe.

The 2008/2009 season has produced two German semi finalists in the UEFA Cup and Bayern Munich returned to the Quarter Finals – derailed by the mighty Barcelona. Some may scoff that neither of these are great achievements but when you look at Italy’s contribution then it’s not only the rise of Germany but the demise of Italy that may contribute to a top three becoming a top four.

The Bundesliga also boast undeniable excitement. A new team could be top of the league each week; Hoffenheim had an early charge, and Hamburg seem to be flourishing under Martin Jol. Add that to the entertainment the current table topping Wolfsburg supply – as demonstrated by their 5-1 thrashing of Munich – and there’s clearly something to get exciting about.

The one thing that could be holding the Bundesliga back is the lack of big name players. Can people look past this? Probably not – Europe may look affectionately towards the German league but few fear any potential revolution. Even if Germany do start to turn heads in Europe they will then have to tap into global markets to compete with the cream of Europe – they’ve done it with beer and cars – can they do it with football?

So why highlight these three now? People have been talking about these three for well over a decade now. Well, they all have something in common – they are all going through a revival.

Alessandro Del Piero

Del Piero moved to Juventus at the age of 19 and became student to the great master Roberto Baggio. It didn’t take Alex long to make an impact; scoring a hat trick on his full debut for the Old Lady – 15 years later and it’s no surprise he’s Juve’s all time goal scorer. Del Piero isn’t just a goal scorer though. He has great vision and has remarkable creativity  – something that David Trezuquet will vouch for as their partnership and Trezequet’s goal scoring record is the most prolific in Serie A.

A knee injury ended his 1998/1999 season early and in the following years struggled to make the same impact. It’s no coincidence again though that as Del Piero gained in form, Juventus captured two more Serie A titles in 2002 and 2003. Zidane came and went, Nedved stole the limelight temporarily, but through all this Del Piero remained the constant. He’s a true symbol of Juventus and Italian football and his resurgence mirrored that of Juventus’ after the Calciopoli scandal.

Many thought Del Piero’s time in Serie B would be his final contribution to the Bianconari; those doubters felt that Del Piero had lost a lot of his pace and struggled against stronger opposition – but following Juve’s promotion the cynics have been proved wrong. He helped Juventus clinch a Champions League spot with 21 goals in Serie A and his Champions League form has been exceptional; recently earning a standing ovation in the Bernabeu after scoring a goal and providing an assist. The standing ovation follow the match were not just for that goal and assist however, Alessandro Del Piero has worked his adult life to receive those exclusive plaudits.

Raul Gonzalez

Raul’s effort to the Real Madrid cause has been second to none. Although people negatively talk of his influence in the politics of the club there is no doubt he still weighs in with a fair haul of goals and assist over the season.

He recently beat Di Stefano’s great record. His secret? Apparently a low oxygen tank which allows his body to recover faster each game, however one senses there’s more to it than meets the eye. Raul has always had an incredible amount of guile and instinct and has never had to rely on his pace to produce the goods. This has given him the ability to still pull through fast games where other 30 plus year olds would fall behind. The crowd appreciation is there for all to see. The crowd boo when he is substituted, cheer when he scores – it’s a manager’s responsibility to put him first on the team sheet.

Raul also holds the distinction of never receiving a red card. He does this though through passion and not anger, through competitiveness and not being hot headed. Players today could really look to Raul as a role model as Real Madrid’s club captain hasn’t found himself where he is today by accident.

Ryan Giggs

Manchester United’s youth team of the nineties will always be remembered for the class of 1995 – the kids; consisting of Beckham, Scholes, Butt and the Nevilles. However maybe the greatest find came five years earlier when a young skinny boy signed for the Red Devils. He quickly became a regular in the starting line up and when Alex Ferguson ousted Lee Sharpe it was clear where his preferences lied down the left flank.

He will always be remembered for his goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi final in 1999. A quick, tricky and direct run resulting in a goal says it all about Ryan Giggs. However in years to follow Giggs’s performances fell away as age took a toll on his pace through numerous hamstring injuries. Many thought it was time for him to move on to keep playing first team football, but Alex Ferguson thought different and it’s to his testament we have the Ryan Giggs of today.

The reinvention of the Welsh winger has earned plaudits from many corners of England, his recent shortlist on the PFA player of the year award has resulted in negative murmurs from some quarters but the masses cannot be wrong. Some feel that Giggs deserves some kind of trophy – one that represents the most decorated player in Premiership history. Alex Ferguson has called for his knighthood but Giggs doesn’t need an accolade as such as he’s already the knight in shining armour at Manchester United. He plays fewer games now but has been highly effective on each outing this season for Manchester United. So often has Giggs offered a plan B to Manchester United which may see them edge over the finish line where Liverpool and Chelsea may have faltered – experience is key, but the flexibility, work ethic and pure class of Giggs as well as Raul and Del Piero will ensure they are never forgotten.

Macheda, a product of the Lazio youth academy, is yet another example of how Italian and Spanish clubs are struggling to keep their top youth players and are losing out to English teams.

In England, once a player turns 17 he can sign a professional contract, however the age is 18 for Italian and Spanish teams. That year make a huge difference.

A professional contract means a bigger wage, an earlier start and quite possibly a bigger chance of success – it also means stability for the player and his family. Macheda was offered a reported £70,000 a year to sign – a decision of which he and his family were unlikely to turn down.

Most people hadn’t heard of Federico Macheda – and why would they? Six more months until he even turns 18, the impact he has made already is bigger than some players make in their first three or four years at a club. But whilst Lazio fans are angry, Roma fans will be outraged – robbed of the heir to the Totti dynasty, Davide Petrucci will be another introduced into the Manchester United team within the next year. It’s a kick in the teeth for Rome and Italy – comparable to Manchester United getting deprived for their next Ryan Giggs or David Beckham – there’s undoubtedly an element of unfairness.

Marcello Trotta of Napoli has voices his concerns over losing a bunch of players to Manchester City.

“There are rules that don’t safeguard clubs”

And he’s right, the current rules in place don’t.

Italian clubs aren’t the only ones losing out. Even top youth academies such as Barcelona’s fail to hold onto their youth as big contracts come in from across the channel. Cesc Fabregas is the obvious one, but there are a lot more and Spanish clubs will be totalling the damage done.

All that the clubs are entitled to financially is a ‘training fee’ – a nominal amount. It won’t, however, be the money that is driving these clubs crazy – it’s the fact that they’re losing out on their brightest starts – they’re losing the future of their clubs.

Is this just a case of what goes around comes around though?

Italian and Spanish clubs have unrivalled access to the South American players of which they can nurture into their team easily with smaller language and cultural barriers – the players are born to play in Italy and Spain. English clubs however face this culture barrier coupled with the struggle to gain a work permit – the problem stretches beyond football and is evidence of an ever-increasing political aspect to the modern game.

This situation does no good however for England producing their own talent, and the national team will suffer, but as the focus shifts more and more towards the club teams it’s English teams and the Premier League who will prosper.

From Serie C1 to the European stage in four seasons—that’s the impressive feat former Partenopei coach Edy Reja managed to accomplish during his time at the club.

Despite beginning the season in a fashionable way—when even the prospect of Champions League seemed highly possible—a string of disastrous results after the turn of the year has seen Napoli freefall in the table down to 12th place.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the club with stubborn reports of late night parties and fistfights in training. At one point during the season representatives of the Napoli Ultras sat down with players, coaches, and club representatives to discuss a plan of action.

The aim was to bring back the team spirit that had seen the team flying high ever since Reja took over the reins at the Naples club.

The result? A ritiro supervised by the Ultras themselves which in the end yielded no positive results at all.

To say that the club was in crisis is probably an understatement.

The poor results persisted and the growing anger from the supporters started to mount pressure on owner Aurelio De Laurentiis.

On March 10 De Laurentiis finally succumbed to the pressure to take a plan of action and decided to sack Reja after five years at the helm. According to the film producer the shock would straighten the players out.

Former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni was named new manager of Napoli. Although it remains somewhat of a questionable choice, most of the Azzurri faithful were just glad to see some form of action taken by the board.

Donadoni’s first game in charge ended in a 1-1 draw away against Reggina—quite a feat considering Napoli had lost eight away games on the trot prior to that.

The players’ approach in the first half was very careful, but the fear started to evaporate in the second as a goalkeeping howler allowed Ezequiel Lavezzi to equalize.

Even though the 4-3-1-2 has been tried out and even looked promising, the newly appointed coach preferred to stay true to Reja’s classic 3-5-2.

The former Italy coach’s debut at the Stadio San Paolo against Milan should have ended in a victory for the home side but much to their disappointment an incorrect offside ruling from the linesman saw the game end in a goalless draw.

Things have started to look much better on the field but there is still a very long way to go. Daniele Mannini showcased fine form as he made his comeback from his suspension against Milan while waiting to hear from the disciplinary commission.

The winger put in a fantastic performance and the co-operation with Marek Hamsik looked nothing short of brilliant at times.

Despite Hamsik being Napoli’s top scorer thus far, the midfielder has undoubtedly lost his fine form of last season. Along with that, striking-duo Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marcelo Zalayeta have—despite their hard work—looked very ineffective in front of goal lately.

Donadoni’s main target for now has to be to change the players’ almost submissive state of mind and make them release their fearful approach to games.

In other words, the former Napoli player will have to be the one that brings back the level of confidence the team possessed during the start of the season.