http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=428836&root=europe&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos3&cc=5901
Valdano puts Real back in headlines
Dominic Raynor
It's hard to ignore Real Madrid. We can overlook the fact that David Beckham's return from exile is suddenly being hailed as the catalyst for Los Blancos' new found team spirit. We can also ignore the fact that Beckham has become so important that Madrid managed to get his suspension for the crucial match with Sevilla overturned, amid the suspicion of their peers.
Let's forget the fact that despite all of Real's well-documented troubles their 3-1 defeat of Sevilla has them only two points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona and within touching distance of their first title since 2002/03. And we can even pay scant regard to the fact that the once doomed Fabio Capello could now cling on to his job at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
But when former Real Madrid coach and World Cup winner Jorge Valdano compares Liverpool and Chelsea to 'a shit hanging from a stick' then you have to take notice.
Writing in his column in Marca, Spain's biggest selling newspaper, the well-respected football intellectual expressed his exasperation at the brand of football on display between the two English clubs during their Champions League semi-final in typically colourful style.
'Football is made up of subjective feeling, of suggestion - and, in that, Anfield is unbeatable. Put a shit hanging from a stick in the middle of this passionate, crazy stadium and there are people who will tell you it's a work of art. It's not: it's a shit hanging from a stick,' Valdano lamented.
'Chelsea and Liverpool are the clearest, most exaggerated example of the way football is going: very intense, very collective, very tactical, very physical, and very direct,' he added. 'But, a short pass? No. A feint? No. A change of pace? No. A one-two? A nutmeg? A backheel? Don't be ridiculous. None of that. The extreme control and seriousness with which both teams played the semi-final neutralised any creative licence, any moments of exquisite skill.'
What Valdano is saying is that football should be as much about form as it is function. Liverpool and Chelsea fans may enjoy the results that their teams churn out but are they really entertained? Do they actually enjoy watching this attritional, combative style?
There will always be blinkered supporters who can't see any deficiencies in their own team. Their way is the best way and they are happy to have the shitty end of the stick. However, many supporters of the Reds and Blues have openly admitted that if they were neutral fans they would prefer to watch Manchester United, Barcelona or Lyon because the football is much more artistic - it is only the results that keep them happy.
I am totally in the Valdano camp in terms of attractive football and the dire nature of that woeful semi-final (I actually allowed my wife to change channel) but I disagree that it is an example of the way football is irretrievably heading.
The system is self-policing. If a club play a style of football that depends solely on results to make it palatable then that very same benchmark for success works as a catalyst for demise when results are not forthcoming.
For instance, Arsene Wenger's slick, attacking style at Arsenal has brought him leniency with the supporters and critics. The Gunners have failed to invest heavily in the squad for two seasons and have failed to win any silverware for two years but still there are very few dissenting voices.
Conversely, Chelsea, who, according to Valdano, play a style bereft of creative licence, invested over £45million in the summer and scooped the Carling Cup but having failed in Europe and wilted in their defence of the Premiership title they have suffered an increasing barrage of criticism.
And it is this very balance which will continue to ebb and flow through football - with neither vanquishing the other.
The former Argentina international must look at his own beloved Real Madrid as a microcosm of this theory. Following three season's of self-proclaimed galatico football without a major honour - and there could be a fourth if they fail win the title this year - the board turned to the abrasive talents of Capello to get results at all costs, even if it went against the club's ethos.
Madrid were certainly well aware of the Italian's style from his first unpopular stint in charge at Madrid when he won La Liga in 1996/97. Indeed he made his name with AC Milan's 'invincibles' in the early 90's with his defensive catenaccio approach.
Maybe Valdano's comments were prompted by a shared disdain with the Madridstas for this grating un-Real like approach by their club. Fuelled by Capello's comments that the beauty of attacking football is old fashioned. 'Those days are over', he insisted. Adding that results are much more important than playing beautifully.
And that brings us full-circle. If Capello fails to get those results the contempt the fans and critics have for his modus operandi will undoubtedly prompt Madrid to quickly administer the anti-dote and bring in a coach that embraces free-flowing attacking football.
Yet how many of those disaffected Real Madrid fans would sign up to Capello-ism if during their barren spell they had matched the achievements of the clubs that Valdano admonished? During the same period Liverpool have won the European Cup and will play in another final later this month, whilst Chelsea have scooped two league championships and two League Cups.
There is room in the game for both pragmatic and stylistic approaches, indeed that is what makes the game so interesting. Valdano was right to lambast Liverpool and Chelsea's semi-final but last season's final between Arsenal and Barcelona proved success and artistry can go hand in hand.
Whilst the turgid affair at Anfield may make the majority of fans appreciate the fact that they don't possess a season ticket for either team it does not herald the decline of football.
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Clown prince Fabien Barthez has been forced to quit Ligue 1, at least temporarily, after the Nantes goalkeeper became embroiled in a fight to defend his Porsche from irate fans.
GettyImages
Is it the end for Fabien Barthez?
The former France international and World Cup winner quit Les Canaris after he was attacked by a group of the club's supporters after a 2-0 home defeat to Rennes. The 35-year-old was forced to stop his car as he was driving out of the Stade de la Beaujoire, and ended up trading blows with a supporter who had attempted to get inside the Porsche.
The eight-times French champions have since been relegated for the first time since 1963, ending a record 44 consecutive years in the top flight, and many supporters see the error-prone keeper - who spilled a seemingly harmless cross into his own net to hand relegation rivals Sedan a 1-0 victory - as the scapegoat upon which to vent their fury.
Although the incident forced the 1998 World Cup winner to leave Nantes for security reasons, he insists it does not signal the end of his career.
'I am hearing people say: 'It is a shame his career has finished like this'. But that couldn't be further from the truth,' he said.
'I think I still have two good years in my legs. It isn't playing in front of 50,000 people that I will miss. It is the game. It is more the human adventure.'
'I am not looking for a job. But if there is something good that comes up, I will do it.'
Barthez quit the game in October 2006 after failing to earn a contract with a Ligue 1 club following last summer's World Cup but later returned to life between the sticks by joining Nantes.
Hopefully he will be handed another chance to entertain football fans with his antics... as long as it is not at my club.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=428836&root=europe&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos3&cc=5901 Valdano puts Real back in headlines Dominic Raynor It's hard to ignore Real Madrid. We can overlook the fact that David Beckham's return from exile is suddenly being hailed as the catalyst for Los Blancos' new found team spirit. We can also ignore the fact that Beckham has become so important that Madrid managed to get his suspension for the crucial match with Sevilla overturned, amid the suspicion of their peers. Let's forget the fact that despite all of Real's well-documented troubles their 3-1 defeat of Sevilla has them only two points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona and within touching distance of their first title since 2002/03. And we can even pay scant regard to the fact that the once doomed Fabio Capello could now cling on to his job at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. But when former Real Madrid coach and World Cup winner Jorge Valdano compares Liverpool and Chelsea to 'a shit hanging from a stick' then you have to take notice. Writing in his column in Marca, Spain's biggest selling newspaper, the well-respected football intellectual expressed his exasperation at the brand of football on display between the two English clubs during their Champions League semi-final in typically colourful style. 'Football is made up of subjective feeling, of suggestion - and, in that, Anfield is unbeatable. Put a shit hanging from a stick in the middle of this passionate, crazy stadium and there are people who will tell you it's a work of art. It's not: it's a shit hanging from a stick,' Valdano lamented. 'Chelsea and Liverpool are the clearest, most exaggerated example of the way football is going: very intense, very collective, very tactical, very physical, and very direct,' he added. 'But, a short pass? No. A feint? No. A change of pace? No. A one-two? A nutmeg? A backheel? Don't be ridiculous. None of that. The extreme control and seriousness with which both teams played the semi-final neutralised any creative licence, any moments of exquisite skill.' What Valdano is saying is that football should be as much about form as it is function. Liverpool and Chelsea fans may enjoy the results that their teams churn out but are they really entertained? Do they actually enjoy watching this attritional, combative style? There will always be blinkered supporters who can't see any deficiencies in their own team. Their way is the best way and they are happy to have the shitty end of the stick. However, many supporters of the Reds and Blues have openly admitted that if they were neutral fans they would prefer to watch Manchester United, Barcelona or Lyon because the football is much more artistic - it is only the results that keep them happy. I am totally in the Valdano camp in terms of attractive football and the dire nature of that woeful semi-final (I actually allowed my wife to change channel) but I disagree that it is an example of the way football is irretrievably heading. The system is self-policing. If a club play a style of football that depends solely on results to make it palatable then that very same benchmark for success works as a catalyst for demise when results are not forthcoming. For instance, Arsene Wenger's slick, attacking style at Arsenal has brought him leniency with the supporters and critics. The Gunners have failed to invest heavily in the squad for two seasons and have failed to win any silverware for two years but still there are very few dissenting voices. Conversely, Chelsea, who, according to Valdano, play a style bereft of creative licence, invested over £45million in the summer and scooped the Carling Cup but having failed in Europe and wilted in their defence of the Premiership title they have suffered an increasing barrage of criticism. And it is this very balance which will continue to ebb and flow through football - with neither vanquishing the other. The former Argentina international must look at his own beloved Real Madrid as a microcosm of this theory. Following three season's of self-proclaimed galatico football without a major honour - and there could be a fourth if they fail win the title this year - the board turned to the abrasive talents of Capello to get results at all costs, even if it went against the club's ethos. Madrid were certainly well aware of the Italian's style from his first unpopular stint in charge at Madrid when he won La Liga in 1996/97. Indeed he made his name with AC Milan's 'invincibles' in the early 90's with his defensive catenaccio approach. Maybe Valdano's comments were prompted by a shared disdain with the Madridstas for this grating un-Real like approach by their club. Fuelled by Capello's comments that the beauty of attacking football is old fashioned. 'Those days are over', he insisted. Adding that results are much more important than playing beautifully. And that brings us full-circle. If Capello fails to get those results the contempt the fans and critics have for his modus operandi will undoubtedly prompt Madrid to quickly administer the anti-dote and bring in a coach that embraces free-flowing attacking football. Yet how many of those disaffected Real Madrid fans would sign up to Capello-ism if during their barren spell they had matched the achievements of the clubs that Valdano admonished? During the same period Liverpool have won the European Cup and will play in another final later this month, whilst Chelsea have scooped two league championships and two League Cups. There is room in the game for both pragmatic and stylistic approaches, indeed that is what makes the game so interesting. Valdano was right to lambast Liverpool and Chelsea's semi-final but last season's final between Arsenal and Barcelona proved success and artistry can go hand in hand. Whilst the turgid affair at Anfield may make the majority of fans appreciate the fact that they don't possess a season ticket for either team it does not herald the decline of football. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clown prince Fabien Barthez has been forced to quit Ligue 1, at least temporarily, after the Nantes goalkeeper became embroiled in a fight to defend his Porsche from irate fans. GettyImages Is it the end for Fabien Barthez? The former France international and World Cup winner quit Les Canaris after he was attacked by a group of the club's supporters after a 2-0 home defeat to Rennes. The 35-year-old was forced to stop his car as he was driving out of the Stade de la Beaujoire, and ended up trading blows with a supporter who had attempted to get inside the Porsche. The eight-times French champions have since been relegated for the first time since 1963, ending a record 44 consecutive years in the top flight, and many supporters see the error-prone keeper - who spilled a seemingly harmless cross into his own net to hand relegation rivals Sedan a 1-0 victory - as the scapegoat upon which to vent their fury. Although the incident forced the 1998 World Cup winner to leave Nantes for security reasons, he insists it does not signal the end of his career. 'I am hearing people say: 'It is a shame his career has finished like this'. But that couldn't be further from the truth,' he said. 'I think I still have two good years in my legs. It isn't playing in front of 50,000 people that I will miss. It is the game. It is more the human adventure.' 'I am not looking for a job. But if there is something good that comes up, I will do it.' Barthez quit the game in October 2006 after failing to earn a contract with a Ligue 1 club following last summer's World Cup but later returned to life between the sticks by joining Nantes. Hopefully he will be handed another chance to entertain football fans with his antics... as long as it is not at my club.