Good Player Guide #6 - Samir Nasri

Samir Nasri

(Arsenal / France)

As a gifted young French footballer of Algerian descent playing in an attacking-midfield role, it was perhaps to be expected that certain elements of the press would waste no time in dubbing Samir Nasri ´the new Zinedine Zidane.´ Such comparisons are of course unfair, but it says a lot about the early promise shown by the 21-year old during his time at Olympique Marseille that people have been quick to elevate him amidst such esteemed company.

A product of the streets of La Gavotte Peyret, a gritty suburb in Northern Marseille, it was in this tough environment playing alongside kids far older than himself that Nasri´s obvious talent was born. ´He used to play in our games and would get stuck in with the biggest of us´ his cousin Farid recalls. ´Technically though he was by far the best´ adds a friend of Farid who also grew up in the area. His experiences of this rough-and-ready art of street football, the game in its purest form, taught him a lot but while this honing of skills took place Nasri also toughened up mentally. While keen to get involved when it came to football he was less interested in the other, perhaps less beneficial social activities of his peers. ´He matured very quickly. When we were older we would go out at night, but he would stay indoors working. Before joining Marseille´s academy he was doing very well at school,´ offers another childhood friend.

At Marseille, Nasri soon established himself as a talent that could cut it at professional level thanks to the string of successes he enjoyed as a junior player coming up through the academy, and by the age of seventeen he was deemed good enough to make his senior debut. This came during the 2004/2005 season, a campaign in which he made twenty-four appearances and scored one goal. To be relied on to this extent while just seventeen at a big club in one of Europe´s top leagues demonstrates the enormous amounts of belief the hierarchy at the south-eastern French club placed in his prodigious talent. Such faith no doubt derived in part from his headline-grabbing performances for the France U-17s team, with whom he helped deliver the nation´s first European Championship crown at this age group in 2005. Elected Player of the Tournament, Nasri also scored the winning goal.

For Marseille, Samir Nasri was often deployed in the ´number 10´ role, that of creator and provider for his teammates, though he can also play on the wing from where he likes to cut inside. His stylish technique and astute vision quickly made him a fans´ favourite at the Stade Velodrome, and he is considered throughout France as one of the country´s great hopes for the future. In 2006/2007 he was named French Young Player of the Season, pipping Karim Benzema to the post, and in 2007/2008, the last of his four years representing Marseille at senior level, he was joint leader of Ligue Une´s assists table. He has also broken through into the French national team and was part of Raymond Domenech´s EURO 2008 squad.

After 160 appearances for Marseille (a remarkable tally for a player so young) Arsenal decided they had seen enough potential in the attacking midfielder to warrant forking out a fee rumoured to be £14.3 million for his services.

Samir Nasri seems in many ways to fit Arsene Wenger´s prototype for midfielders perfectly. All feigns and shimmies, he is effortlessly comfortable with the ball at his feet and has a good eye for a pass. His playing style is comparable to that of Aliaksandr Hleb´s in the way that they both peskily twist and turn constantly in order to try and create space, but Nasri offers more pace and a tendency to shoot much more often than the Belarusian. To his advantage he is also stronger and more tenacious. He may need to toughen up slightly in order to adapt to the rigours of the English Premier League, but for now it appears Arsenal have bought themselves a player with the mentality and skill to develop into a fine player.

Wireless LANs, Football And Other Technological Jargon

We live in an internet age. If previous decades ultimately came to be almost unanimously defined by the cultural, economic and political standpoints of its people at the time (in a similar way that the 60s are defined as the age of free love, for example), then for now our generation is most certainly open to being branded the age of mass multimedia. This site is as much a testament to that as anything.

These days most everyone can cast their pebble into the vast pool that is our globalised society and have their say on all manner of topics, no matter how small the ripples they create. Cameraphones are everywhere, immortalising even the most trivial of day-to-day occurrences in the lives of millions of people, and together with wi-fi, high speed internet connections and usb ports, the world is almost literally at your fingertips. A man in Coventry could spill a pint of milk on his kitchen floor at 10.08am, and by 10.12am a small village in China could know about it, read about it, hear it accounted first hand by the culprit, watch blocky highlights of the mess created and have its people vote collectively on how best to remove milkstains from a carpet.

In his book ´A Strange Kind of Glory´, Eamon Dunphy writes that football ´reflects society at the time´ and I am inclined to agree with that analysis. As such it is not unreasonable to imagine that football would on occasions intertwine with this new age of McCommunication. You cannot be considered much of a football player these days if you do not own your own personal website offering hordes of fans your wife´s view on how to form a smoothly functioning midfield, surely?

Despite this however it is still difficult not to cringe at the recent revelation that a player plying his trade in England´s second division, The Championship, put his future career prospects and the chance to play in the Premier League in jeopardy by revealing details of his impending transfer on the social-networking website Facebook. Ashley-Paul Robinson, an 18-year-old winger who has spent five years coming through the ranks at Crystal Palace, recently wrote a message on the site announcing that he was having a trial with Fulham.

Unfortunately for him the status updates intended to fill his chums in on the latest goings-on in Ashley-Paul´s life were also unwittingly made available to more than 2.7 million users of the London network of the site meaning that, at a crucial stage of negotiations between the two clubs, a delicately poised dream move to a Premiership club was placed at risk by the following words: "Ashley-Paul is goin fulham on monday. If i pull dis off im on dis ting." This was followed by another message that read, "Ashley-Paul is travling 2 Bath With Fulham Fingers Crossed." After news of the move spread he then lamentably posted a new message saying: "Ashley-Paul has been very naughty lol!" The hierarchy at Crystal Palace did not find it so ´lol´ however. Having made his Palace debut in March 2008 against Preston North End, manager Neil Warnock was previously keen to secure Robinson on a longer contract and a new offer was on the table. This Facebook furore appears to have put paid to that, with a parting of the ways now inevitable. "We feel it's probably better that he looks elsewhere to further his career," said Warnock, news that will no doubt leave Robinson far from ´lmao´ ´lol´ or ´rofl´ing´.´

Though this particular story is quite laughable for all those not directly involved, it does highlight the growing correlation between the internet age and football. You need only look as far as Ebbsfleet United FC and the myfootballclub.co.uk experiment for evidence of this increasingly prominent link. Ebbsfleet is the club bought by the myfootballclub.co.uk community, whose 21,000 members around the globe stumped up the £35 necessary to be able to enforce a takeover, making each member a sort of mini-chairman that can, supposedly, ´pick the team´ and ´vote on club decisions´ as wide-ranging as ticket prices and stadium development.

While many keyboard fans consider the chance to sit at home and play this real life version of Championship Manager a thrill, the fantasy is shattered somewhat when the reality of the situation comes to light. In Liam Daish, Ebbsfleet already have a manager and one who just this season happened to guide them to victory at Wembley in the FA Trophy at that.

Additionally, the influx of new members (it is hard to refer to them as fans, for now) has resulted in a feeling of resentment from a vast number of the club´s real fans, the ones who were there in the days of the Isthmian League before the club became en vogue. When the club played Torquay United at Wembley in May one fan remarked that, instead of two paths up Wembley way for fans there should be three - one for Torquay, one for Ebbsfleet and one for those from myfootballclub. He makes a cutting point.

Where the relationship between football and the internet goes next is anyone´s guess. With the quite ludicrous news filtering through that UEFA are looking to rebrand the UEFA Cup and endow it with a snazzy new name, perhaps fans will be offered to vote on the new name Big Brother style. UEFA could rebrand their product under whatever name receives the most SMS votes in a 24hr period, eliminating the least popular suggestions each week. Simon Cowell could host it. That would be ´lol´ indeed.

Spain Actually Won EURO 2008? How? Why?

In the 78th minute of the EURO 2008 final it became quite clear to anyone still unsure that Spain were and are simply a better side than Germany. While Luis Aragones took off goalscorer and matchwinner Fernando Torres to replace him with the Primera Liga´s Pichichi Daniel Guiza, Joachim Loew responded with an attacking substitution of his own, replacing the anonymous Miroslav Klose with VfB Stuttgart´s Mario Gomez. Now, Mario Gomez is not a bad player at all. He can easily hold a candle to Guiza, at least in terms of scoring records for 2007/2008, having finished just behind Luca Toni as the Bundesliga´s second highest scorer. Indeed, as the subject of transfer speculation linking him to clubs as distinguished as Bayern Munich and AC Milan, he certainly appears to have a bright future. However as Klose left the pitch, shoulders hunched and looking quite anonymous as he had done all tournament, Gomez ran onto the pitch, he too with shoulders hunched and an unconvincing look on his face. Appearing bereft of confidence after some indifferent performances in the group stage, he then went on to produce what was a quite ordinary and...well, anonymous shift on the field.

As for the man he replaced you would be hard pressed to convince anyone that Klose was a World Cup Golden Boot winner two years ago based on his largely lacklustre showing. When you bear in mind that Guiza might not have even played had David Villa been fit, it offers an insight into the relative strength in depth of the two squads, and when looked at from this angle Spain are the better team.

You need only glance at the two squads to realise just how strong this Spain squad really are. In goal for instance, Joachim Loew had to choose between Jens Lehmann and Timo Hildebrand, neither of whom shined last season with their clubs. Lehmann was not even first choice for Arsenal. Meanwhile Aragones could call upon either Iker Casillas, in my opinion the world´s best keeper, or Pepe Reina, another competent stopper who is at least a regular for club. Two of the German Nationalmannschaft´s best players during the tournament, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski, are far from automatic choices at Bayern, yet were key components of their national side´s route to the final. Spain on the other hand could only really find a place for Cesc Fabregas, the Premier League´s Young Player of the Season 2007/2008, when Golden Boot winner David Villa got injured. Players like Ruben de la Red and Xabi Alonso while important for their clubs struggled to secure any vast amount of playing time. And in attacking areas, as if to solidify the point, Spain could afford to leave out the Primera Liga´s breakthrough sensation Bojan Krkic and its most renowned statesmen and second top league goalscorer of all time Raul. The decision to omit the superstar, though heavily criticised in the Spanish press before the tournament ultimately proved a brave and wise choice. Germany have good strikers, but none as technically brilliant and cerebrally clinical as the duo of Fernando Torres and David Villa.

The closer you assess the Spanish squad the harder it becomes to fathom that, before the tournament, Germany were favourites and the Iberians were wallowing freely in their own shell of doubt and pessimism while people poked fun at their repeated inability to produce the goods at major competitions. In England, Sky Sports presented an ´Im Supporting Spain´ campaign for those fans of home nations that had failed to qualify, and in it the piece happily mocked the fact that, like England, Spain would surely fall at the quarter finals stage as they always do. In an edition of World Soccer magazine prior to the tournament Xabi Alonso implored Spanish fans ´not to create too much expectation.´ Even when la seleccion made it to the quarter finals to face Italy, the media´s almost unanimous verdict on the prospect of facing the world champions was - ´Oh No,´ Luis Enrique´s bloodied face from USA 1994 plastered all over the papers. This incredible inferiority complex, based on years of failure, appears to have seeped deeply into the national psyche and was prevalent even before proceedings in Austria and Switzerland began, the result of which effectively masked Spain´s enormous amount of talent and promise.

Praise the manager, begrudgingly

In victory, praise must also go to the manager Luis Aragones for gelling together a young squad that also boasted a togetherness that has been so lacking from previous Spain squads riddled with divisions, often based on a Barcelona-Real Madrid divide. High-profile veterans like David Albelda and Raul were left out and a youthful squad was intricately constructed and allowed to grow into a unit that could deliver a prize the nation was so desperately seeking. The tiki-taka style of pass and move and an emphasis on possession football suited the game of players like Andres Iniesta and Xavi, while use of the excellent Marcos Senna (certainly one of the tournament´s best players) as a shield in front of the defence allowed the more expressive players freedom to roam as well as giving Joan Capdevila and Sergio Ramos the opportunity to break down the flanks where necessary. This tactic was used to devastating effect against Germany particularly, with Ramos seemingly everywhere. Whether Aragones should have even been in charge of Spain given racist comments about Thierry Henry in 2005 is a subject for debate, but the Spanish Football Federation stuck by him in handing out a pitifully small fine, and the rest is history.

As Brian at the Run of Play correctly points out, in winning EURO 2008 and delivering the nation´s first major football honour in 44 years, Spain were also at the heart of more or less every major story in the competition. They eliminated the world champions and broke their Italian jinx. They destroyed Russia once and then again, just when Guus Hiddink´s men began to be spoken about as the real deal. They made Andrei Arshavin look ordinary (though lets be honest, he is not the second coming of Maradona people made him out to be after the Holland game). And finally, they beat down a German side that simply could not find a plan B to thwart their impressive gameplan. Throughout the tournament they were tactically spot on.

For Spain now, all the disappointments and self-doubting can finally be forgotten. They are European champions and deservedly so.

Photo, Shoot - 29.6.2008 - Sergio Ramos Shows His Class

After 44 years in the wilderness a jubilant Spanish side celebrate their EURO 2008 triumph after beating Germany 1-0 in the final. With the eyes of the world on the festivities in Vienna, Sergio Ramos removes his Spain shirt to reveal a tribute to his dear friend and former Sevilla teammate Antonio Puerta, who died tragically while playing for Sevilla early in the 2007/2008 season. The t-shirt read ´Siempre con Nosotros´ or ´Always with us´ and had number 16 on the back - Puerta´s old shirt number. A heartfelt gesture that shows that Ramos has not forgotten his friend. A thoughtful and poignant tribute from a fantastic player.

photo courtesy of Real Madrid website

Italian Serie A Team Of The Season 2007/2008

Unfortunately for fans of the Azzurri, Italy´s EURO 2008 campaign is now little more than a distant and shabby memory. While the nation licks its wounds, our resident Italian football correspondant Henry N. consoles himself by taking one last look back at the 2007/2008 Serie A campaign and compiling his Team of the Season:

GK: Sebastian FREY (Fiorentina)

Sebastian Frey’s heroics this season helped Fiorentina to their first Champions League place since La Viola’s glory days of the late 90s. On top of an impressive domestic campaign the Frenchman was also a key player in the club‘s UEFA Cup run and hero of the dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Everton in the Quarter-Finals. He then muscled his way into Raymond Domenech’s French squad for Euro 2008. The big question for Fiorentina fans however is whether or not he will remain at the Artemio Franchi next season with AC Milan reportedly in the hunt for his signature.

LB: Giorgio CHIELLINI (Juventus)

The tough Juve defender has excelled this season and in doing cemented his place in Roberto Donadoni's Euro 2008 squad. His performances during the tournament, particularly against Spain, were nothing short of first class and because of this his stock has certainly risen. No doubt he will benefit from some more Champions League experience next season, presently he is considered to be one of the future cornerstones of the national team’s defence.

RB: Christian MAGGIO (Sampdoria, now at Napoli)

Christian Maggio may not be a name familiar to those who do not avidly follow Serie A but his displays for Sampdoria in the past season have been consistently brilliant. His dramatic last minute winner in the derby match with Genoa indicate he is able to perform even in high pressure situations and he has been touted as a possible entry into the Italy squad post- Euro 2008. Napoli, a club with a huge fan base and even larger ambitions for next season have already secured his signature on a permanent basis, seeing him as the perfect addition to their relatively youthful squad.

CB: Philippe MEXES (Roma)

Since his arrival from Auxerre in 2004, Philippe Mexes has quietly gone about improving his game and in doing so ended up arguably the strongest defender in Italy last season. The departure of Christian Chivu has only sped up his progress and the fact Roma were still in the Scudetto race going into the final game of the season was down in no small part to the imperious French centre back.

CB: Alessandro GAMBERINI (Fiorentina)

Although slightly less bold and brash than Mexes, Alessandro Gamberini was Fiorentina’s stand-out performer in defence last season and it was no surprise that when Fabio Cannavaro had to withdraw from Italy’s Euro 2008 squad due to injury Gamberini was chosen by Donadoni as a replacement. He will be looking to continue to make a name for himself next season and with La Viola participating in the Champions League there is a chance for his skills to be on show to a more international audience.

LM: Antonio CASSANO (Sampdoria)

Ok, I realise that Cassano is a striker but recently Cassano’s best work has come from the left side of attack in an attacking midfield-cum-striker role. Despite his almost trademark histrionics, his performances have been of such quality that even strict disciplinarian Roberto Donadoni was practically forced to pick the ‘Brat from Bari’ in his squad for the summer’s main tournament. He managed an impressive 10 goals in 22 outings for Sampdoria last season but this doesn’t tell the whole story as his contribution to the team goes far deeper than just being a finisher. He is the player all his teammates look to when they need a flash of inspiration or a moment of magic to break the deadlock of a match. If Cassano, now permanently owned by Samp, can keep his ego under control then the club may well be able to build on their impressive season and challenge again for a Champions League spot.

RM: Riccardo MONTOLIVO (Fiorentina)

Hugely unlucky not to make the cut for the EUROs, he was the only person cut from Donadoni’s provisional squad. Despite this, Montolivo has been brilliant for Fiorentina with an eye for a pass that has forced comparisons, and rightly so, with Andrea Pirlo. He will have a chance to shine further next season as Fiorentina get a taste of Champions League football.

CM: Daniele DE ROSSI (Roma)

If last season proved anything it is that Daniele De Rossi is currently one of the best all round central midfielders in the world. He is a ferocious opponent, tackling back and protecting the area in front of defence as if his life depends on it. His range of passing is first class and his shooting from distance is both accurate and powerful. To compare him to Steven Gerrard would maybe be seen as cliché but the similarities are there. It should also be noted that De Rossi (like Gerrard) is playing for his hometown team and draws huge amounts of inspiration from this fact. He held the team together in Totti's absence and is most certianly the permanent Giallorossi captain-in-waiting. Roberto Donadoni has also noted his leadership potential handing De Rossi the captaincy most recently in friendlies against South Africa and Portugal.

CM: Esteban CAMBIASSO (Inter Milan)

The tireless Argentine has once again been at the heart of Inter's success this season. He has managed to add a goalscoring element to his sterling defensive duties which has proved crucial to Inter several times this season. Given Mourinho’s love of a true holding midfielder, Cambiasso should surely be a key component to his side next season.

FW: Alessandro DEL PIERO (Juventus)

Even after a great 2006/2007 season in Serie B following the Calciopoli scandal, not many would have tipped Del Piero to carry the same form over to Serie A but the Juve skipper has proved his critics wrong with a fantastic season, hitting 19 league goals and finishing the division's topscorer, (barring the 1997/1998 season, this is his highest tally to date in the top flight). Despite seemingly disappearing from Donadoni's plans for the summer during the qualifiers, his form since the turn of the year forced Donadoni’s hand into including him for the Euro 2008 squad. Can he maintain the same level next season? It would be foolish to write him off.

FW: Adrian MUTU (Fiorentina)

Perhaps Adrian Mutu would have been considered a rank outsider for a Serie A team of the year before the season started but there has been little doubt that, without Luca Toni alongside him, Mutu has taken up the reins and spearheaded the Fiorentina attack with aplomb. Despite injury he has scored more in 2007/2008 than 2006/2007 and in fewer appearances (17 in 26 in 2007/2008 compared to 15 in 33 in 06/07). On top of that, he has been vital to Fiorentina's progress in the UEFA Cup with an impressive 6 goals in 8 outings. Having been fined more than £9m for his positive cocaine test during his time at Chelsea, a move away from La Viola had been touted but it would now seem that he is going to commit his short term future at least to the Tuscan outfit with an improved contract reported to be on the table.

Subs:

Gianluigi BUFFON (Juventus) - If the team had been made to include Euro 2008 performances Buffon would have certainly been a starter. He remains in this writer's opinion the best goalkeeper in the world so his inclusion as a substitute only serves as testament to Frey‘s performances last season in the league.

Mario BALOTELLI (Inter Milan) - Young and immensely talented. If Mourinho is prepared to give him a chance to prove himself again next season he could play a big part in Inter‘s season. If you haven’t heard of him now, you soon will (or you can get ahead of the game by checking Just Football’s ‘Good Player Guide’).

Marek HAMSIK (Napoli) - Arrived last season at Napoli from Brescia and immediately became a key player in their return to Serie A. Already attracking the interest of the ‘big 4‘ in Italy, Hamsik has a fierce shot and a good range of passing. A fantastic prospect who will only improve next season.

Alexandre PATO (AC Milan) - Given the hype around the young Brazillian before his arrival at AC Milan many felt he would inevitably disappoint as he bedded into the European game. It was not to be as Pato put in a stunning debut performance capped off with a goal at home to Napoli and continued to be the outstanding performer for Milan as the season progressed. Milan chairman Adriano Galliani‘s predicition that he would be European Golden Boot Winner in 2009 was perhaps premature but there is little doubt that the magical Pato will be a star on the world stage in the coming years.

Sebastian GIOVINCO (Juventus) - The young man from Juve was sent on loan to Empoli for the season to gain experience and he certainly did that, becoming Empoli‘s most exciting player in the process. Such was his progress that the Bianconeri have decided to keep him and he may well feature more prominently in the first team next season.

Javier ZANETTI (Inter Milan) - The Inter captain’s continuing zest and enthusiasm for the game shows no sign of depleting despite his age, as Zanetti had another outstanding season with the Nerazzurri. He was perhaps the only player to emerge from their Champions League campaign with any credit and continues to be hugely important to the club both on and off the field.

Or Down You Fall - On Ronaldinho, Eto´o and Deco

`The world is just a simple circle,

You´ve got to keep on turning...´

While EURO 2008 continues to dazzle in Austria and Switzerland, with Spain basking in the glory of eliminating long-standing rivals and world champions Italy, over in the Iberian nation´s second largest city the fallout from FC Barcelona´s miserable season continues following the recent public declaration by new coach Josep Guardiola that Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto´o and Deco are surplus to requirements at the Camp Nou.

At his official unveiling as Barcelona coach Guardiola had this to say on the three stars.

"All of the players in the first-team squad last season are of a very high level. But with the technical secretary [Txiki Begiristain] we are forming a squad and Deco, Ronaldinho and Eto'o are not in our minds."

This final, damning verdict on the trio´s future at the Camp Nou was as crystal clear as it was brief.

For a triumvirate of players that together formed the central, creative hub of one of the most entertaining European sides seen this century, Guardiola´s statement dots the ´i´s and crosses the ´t´s on what represents a remarkable fall from grace. It is one thing to no longer be wanted at a particular club, for whatever reason. Transfers happen all the time. But for these three players to be publicly named and shamed, and more or less held up as symbols of everything that has gone wrong at Barcelona over the last two years is another matter altogether.

At this stage one might jot down some hard stats detailing their various individual and collective achievements while defending the blaugrana of the Catalan giants. In this case I don´t think I need to. Anyone with even the slightest interest in football will be well aware of the magic these three created, along with their teammates. For two years they well and truly ruled Spain. They bewildered opponents. They were electrifying. No-one could get near them.

They played football with a beauty and a carefree joy that provided an enchanting antidote to the climate of suffocate-the-opposition-with-bodies-and-nick-a-draw football that pervaded much of the European psyche. They took on Jose Mourinho, master of the tactical war of attrition and the Frankenstein-like monster created by Abramovich and won, eventually, after some mammoth tussles that made headlines around the world. Together they helped deliver the European Cup to Barcelona, only the second in the club´s history. And they did it all with smiles on their faces, encapsulated in that loveable, buck-tooth grin that became Ronaldinho´s hallmark. I mean for crying out loud, even Real Madrid fans were won over.

These three were at the very epicentre of all that Barcelona achieved. And though of course it is largely irrelevant, it is worth noting that if goal difference were used to separate teams in La Liga, Barça would have won the league for a third year running in 2006/2007 too.

Ultimately, as the saying goes, all good things come to an end. However it is the speed of the demise that is most shocking when analysing the trio´s Barcelona careers. In fairness to Samuel Eto´o it is injuries that have most affected him in Barça´s last campaign, and personally I expect him to move to another club and prove himself yet again, if he stays injury free.

But in the cases of Deco and Ronaldinho the picture is more blurred. Deco started just 14 league games in 2007/2008, Ronaldinho just 13. Though the club regularly covered up for them by claiming the pair were injured, by the end of the season those in charge appeared to lose patience with the smokescreens, and no longer seemed to bother with the cover-up. The worst kept secret in Spain was out. Reports that both players often went out partying and seldom made it to training the next day were finally no longer denied, and the rumours became largely accepted as truth. And with Guardiola´s final condemnation it seems the Barcelona hierarchy have now run out of patience with the duo´s antics.

Where now?

Looking to the future, then, and it seems that Deco, at the centre of a transfer tussle between Inter Milan and Chelsea, should have no troubles in finding a new home. Samuel Eto´o remains one of the world´s most feared strikers and major clubs in both Italy and England are reportedly fighting for his signature.

Ronaldinho however, may find it more difficult. One of the most damning and, for those who remain fond of the player, worrying statements from Guardiola´s press conference was the hint that he does not feel the Brazilian superstar remains capable of motivating himself to hit the Everestian heights he once managed.

"If I felt that he wanted to be the player he was again, he would be here," he stated.

That is some criticism. Thus far, with huge wage demands and Guardiola´s words still echoing in the minds of chairmen everywhere, it is perhaps no surprise that only Manchester City have shown any real interest.

At 30, 28 and 27 years of age respectively, Deco, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto´o are more or less at the peak of their careers. These are not past-it superstars ready for the scrapheap. Nor are they once promising youngsters who sadly failed to fulfil their talent. These are world renowned and on their day quite brilliant footballers who, for whatever reason, took their foot off the pedals and slipped off the track. Now their job is to prove to the world they can get back up. You´ve got to keep on turning. Or down you fall.

EURO 2008: Coachwatch

UPDATE 24/6/08 - Another one bites the dust

With Holland eliminated having been knocked out by Russia, Marco Van Basten´s reign as Dutch coach comes to an end. For so long they looked like the team to beat, but unfortunately for fans of the Oranje, they crumbled when it came to the knockout stages. Another managerial casualty is Josef Hickersberger, who has resigned from his post as Austria coach claiming to be ´empty and tired.´ Somewhat like the team he was coaching then. Roberto Donadoni has also shifted dangerously towards the exit door as Italy coach after a rather lacklustre tournament, as is now in our ´In The Balance´ category. Will Marcelo Lippi replace him at the Azzurri helm? Have your say in the comments field.

COACHWATCH BACKGROUND: With minutes remaining in Basle, and Germany heading towards victory over Portugal, Luiz Felipe Scolari glanced down at the ground looking flustered, lowered his brow and let out a long, sorry sigh. Hoping for a miracle and yet simultaneously aware that as the minutes ticked by his side´s exit from EURO 2008 was imminent, he looked forlorn. Alas there was to be no great escape, and as the final whistle blew it not only secured Germany´s triumphant passage to the semi-finals but also brought to a close Scolari´s five-year tenure in charge of Portugal.

The charismatic, sometimes temperamental Brazilian has for the most part been successful at Portugal. Though failing at the final hurdle at EURO 2004, he has competently overseen the development of the Iberian nation into one of European football´s stronger sides, and he was also responsible for guiding them to only their second ever World Cup semi-final in 2006. He now heads off for pastures new in West London at Chelsea.

One of the givens of international football tournaments is the unavoidable fact that, as sure as night follows day, the international manager merry-go-round swings furiously into action as the competition unfurls. It is with this in mind that we introduce EURO 2008 Coachwatch to keep track of the teams and coaches that end up going their separate ways during and after the tournament. Here at Just-Football, like the CCTV cameras that perenially survey the streets of London we will be keeping a close eye on the sixteen coaches that led the nations they represent into battle in Austria and Switzerland, and pointing out those who fall by the wayside as the competition proceeds.

At the present moment some are gone (Kobi Kuhn, Scolari), some are wobbling (Domenech) and some still stand tall (Van Basten, Bilic) but all this may change as the days go by. Van Basten for example, has already announced he will be departing the Oranje post at the end of the competition, likewise Luis Aragones with Spain. Just how many coaches will still be in their current roles come June 29th when one side proudly lifts the trophy in Vienna?

As at June 24th 2008:

GONE:

Kobi Kuhn - Day 8*
Karel Bruckner - Day 8
Luiz Felipe Scolari - Day 12
Marco Van Basten - Day 14
Josef Hickersberger - Day 17

IN THE BALANCE:

Roberto Donadoni
Raymond Domenech
Otto Rehhagel

SAFE...?

Lars Lagerback
Leo Beenhakker
Slaven Bilic

SECURE:

Luis Aragones
Fatih Terim
Guus Hiddink
Joachim Low
Victor Piturca

(* = Number of days passed since the tournament began)

Who will be next to pack their bags, go a bit loopy and walk out the door or, depending on the circumstances be booted out? Leave a comment, let us know your thoughts...

Holland In A Nutshell...?

Holland are like that guy at the party. You know the one. He turns up, delights everyone with his presence and is the life and soul of the party. He makes everyone smile. He is flamboyant and exciting. But at the end of the night, when all is said and done, he goes home alone, again.

Football in Peru - Los Incas´ 2010 Hopes Shot Down by Uruguay

If ever you are to read a Lonely Planet guidebook for information on a particular country, you will find a section titled ´National Psyche´ that essentially tries to capture the general mindset of a population of millions. In the most recent guide to Peru, the people are described amongst other things as ´stoic´ ´humorous´and full of ´hope.´ If, like myself, you arrived in this most diverse of lands in time to witness the 6-0 beating dished out to Peru by Uruguay in the latest round of South American World Cup qualifiers however, this choice of adjectives would be way down the list of descriptive words used to encapsulate the emotions currently coursing through the veins of fans.

´Embarrassment!!´ roared leading daily newspaper Peru 21. ´How do we rescue our national game?´ asked Correo fearfully. The frenetic sense of angst and injustice was summed up perfectly by one journalist. ´It is not fair that our children are forced to watch such a disgrace as this,´ he wrote, as if the humiliating performance produced by the national team was some sort of disgusting, preordained insult aimed at the people of Peru.

It certainly was a shameful display though, whichever way you look at it. The result leaves Las Rojiblancas rock bottom of the qualification group with just three points from six games and more or less guarantees that they will not be invited to the party in South Africa come June 2010. In ninety minutes they managed just 15% (fifteen!!) possession. And though they have only ever qualified for the World Cup four times, with their last appearance as far back as 1982, the nation´s current, pitiful predicament has caused outrage amongst supporters.

From Montevideo the team were welcomed back at Jorge Chavez airport in Lima to a barrage of insults. Fans hurled eggs and orange peels at the team bus. Pockets of angry Peruvians furiously attempted to breach the police blockades in order to make their feelings known to the players. Even Alan Garcia, President of Peru, felt incensed enough to weigh in with his two cents worth. "I'm not the one to ask the officials or the coach to leave, but if I were one of them, I'm sure I would have been thinking about that. This is shameful" he stated. And all this after the national press had built up to the Uruguay game with such bravado, as shown in the headline picture. El Bocon´s ´Kill or be killed´ slogan clearly failed in its desired effect. If anyone it was the men in red and white whose hopes died away, and the post-mortem is now being publicly and graphically played out in the public domain.

Though far from one of South America´s superpowers, football is a source of great passion in Peru and people clearly take their interest in the game very seriously. On the streets of Lima, children and adults alike don football shirts of the top European clubs, while shirts of the local clubs Alianza Lima, Universitario and Sporting Cristal are also commonly on display. Though the country has few renowned international stars (one of their greatest and most important players - Nolberto Solano, has just been discarded by West Ham, one - Claudio Pizarro, is well and truly out of favour at Chelsea), this has in no way dimmed the enthusiasm for the game in Peru, and often one of the first things friendly locals are keen to discover upon meeting Europeans is exactly what team they support. Though clasicos between the two most successful and best supported clubs Alianza Lima and Universitario are often sell-outs, that the domestic league and national team are not as distinctive as people would perhaps like affords them the opportunity to cast their eyes further afield at the game around the world, and this results in a set of people that are generally quite well-informed about football across the globe. It was a Peruvian taxi driver, for example, that I witnessed inform a Danish Arsenal fan about AC Milan´s approach for Emmanuel Adebayor.

Time for reform

In recent months, the Montevideo debacle has not been the only time that the Peruvian national team has disgraced itself. Prior to Los Incas 5-1 loss to Ecuador in Quito back in November 2007, four players were indefinitely suspended from international duty by coach Jose ´Chemo´ Del Solar over a hotel party scandal. Peru has a strong tabloid press, and it no doubt delighted in breaking the story that Jefferson Farfan, Andres Mendoza, Santiago Acasiete and Claudio Pizarro were caught hosting an alcohol-fuelled party with several women after a 1-1 draw with Brazil in Lima. Currently all four of them still remain suspended from action (on the pitch that is).

At present, with the recriminations and finger-pointing reminiscent of England´s own national team crisis circa November 2007, it remains to be seen in which direction Peru heads as it attempts to get its house back in order. Del Solar will almost certainly lose his job on the back of a thus far dreadful campaign. Other coaching personnel may also leave the national setup. But the problems run far deeper than just a simple cosmetic managerial change. The whole system is being scrutinised, from the country´s youth teams and colleges right up to those in charge at the Peruvian football federation including president Manuel Burga. Juvenal Silva, the head of the country's World Cup Commission, has already announced his intention to resign and with the public angrily searching for answers, a few more people in power may well fall by their swords before the air of acrimony and malcontent dies down.

As one other leading sports journalist in Peru put it, ´The whole system must be changed, now.´

The Reggaeton So Loud, The Screen So Small

Out here in Trinidad, Cuba, the excitement for Sunday's big game is tangible. People's eyes light up when the subject is touched upon. Wild gestures and outlandish curses are passionately and freely flung about whenever the match is mentioned, such is the intensity of debate. Nobody dare miss it. Its going to be huge. The game in question however is not Germany vs Poland or even Austria vs Croatia. Rather, its a baseball match between Cuba and Venezuela, to be held on a hot summer's afternoon in Havana. Enthusiasm undiminished, I try one or two bars lined up along one strip of this quaint, sleepy town and eventually find a tiny screen in what appears to be the kitchen at the back of a loud bar. Germany vs Poland plays out in front of me.

Reggaeton blares out from the massive speakers all around the establishment, but intermittently I hear the odd bit of commentary. Germany are constantly referred to as 'The Powerful Machine.' Every time Michael Ballack is in possession the three others in attendance look up from their card game, smile excitedly and proudly shout out his surname. 'BA-LLACK!!' they cry, heavily emphasising the second syllable. All three work at the bar. I strain my retina and decipher that, in the first half hour, the Germans manage 58% of the possession. They dominate the play quite majestically I think to myself, and just as I do, as if to confirm it the Germans carve open an organised but at times flat-footed looking Poland and Lukas Podolski makes it 1-0, which is how it remains at half time.

At the start of the second half the commentator rolls his tongue for a good thirty seconds, perhaps attempting to drum up some enthusiasm for the spectacle. I have no idea why, but its the most exciting thing that happens until Smolarek's not-so-contentious offside goal and the consequent lively jockeying of Poland coach Leo Beenhakker urging his side to press forward for an unlikely equaliser. A man in a Daddy Yankee T-shirt ambles into the bar with his son just as Artur Boruc makes a magnificent save from Michael Ballack. The man looks up at the screen and walks out. 'BA-LLACK!!' the card-players once again enthuse. Podolski then scores a quite brilliant goal oozing technical mastery, but barely manages a smile. Something to do with the Polish born player's split loyalties, perhaps? In Roger Guerreiro, Poland have their own player of dual-nationality on the field and he looks lively as a second half substitute, laying on a great ball for Marek Saganowski late on, but with a two-goal lead the Germans' begin to play more expansively, pressing home the obvious gulf in class between the two sides before eventually running out clear and deserved 2-0 winners.

I have not quite made up my mind as to whether or not I am such a big fan of the EUROs. Either the technical ability the players and the all-round tactical organisation is so good that teams cancel each other out, hindering excitement levels prevalent in competitions like the African Cup of Nations and the Copa America where end-to-end football is more regularly displayed, or the fear of losing has so manifested itself into the majority of teams' style of play that is has created a slightly more dour brand of football lacking in self-expression. When I see Germany vs Poland I see the fear of making mistakes and fear of being caught out of position more than I see the joy of just playing the game. Am I the only one? I hope as the tournament goes on the nature of the football offers me the opportunity to change my opinion. I want to see an intriguing competition full of excitement, one that lives in the memory for years to come. But from what I have seen so far, and from what I gather of the first four matches, EURO 2008 is yet to ignite.

Upon leaving this dank kitchenette of a bar, I notice the drastic change of temperature. Cool showers have replaced blistering heat. Cuba are beating Venezuela 5-1. I head off into the rain. Behind me, the reggaeton plays on.

Minutes witnessed: 82