A true life lesson as Art triumphs over Economics
Last night Barcelona handed Jose Mourinho's Chelsea FC their dinner. In every single aspect of the competition FC Barcelona gave the economic might of South London their biscuits and sent them off to bed. Good night and good luck!
This was the biggest advertisement for the beautiful game in all it's purest forms anyone could have hoped for, and I for one, went to bed smiling.
Let's look at the two teams, their tactics and the outcome in a little more detail. This is more than a football lesson, this is a life lesson.
Barcelona are the only top flight European football team without a shirt sponsor. They are a football club in every sense of the word. The fans elect the president. They are not listed as a plc on any stock exchange and they don't hawk the latest airline company or electronics multinational on their player's chests. The president is voted in based on how the club is performing on the pitch, not based on the stock exchange figures. Their ethos is grounded in football and fandom and as a reult they continually attract the style of player who revels in the atmosphere of the passionate Catalan crowd. Ronaldinho, Messi, Deco and Eto'o could have their pick of any club in the world. Much wealthier clubs like Real Madrid have all vied for their services but they play their football in Barcelona because of the structure of the club. They play for a football club not a team that is fronted by a football business. As a result, Barcelona have only one thing on their mind (because the president wants to get re-elected) and that is to play football!
Chelsea, on the other hand, are not a club built on the backbone of supporter power. They were quite literally bankrupt three years ago when their Russian benefactor, Roman Abramovich, bought the ageing whore and sent her to the plastic surgeon. With Abramovich's billions, Chelsea assembled quite literally a team of mercenaries from around the globe. Players who's principal motivation was the lure of the almighty Euro. Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Aarjen Robben, Assier Del Horno, Ricardo Carvalho, Hernan Crespo, Shaun Wright Philips and Petr Cech all clambered aboard the good ship Abramovich, enticed by the soulless and single minded Jose Mourinho. The greatest evil ever unleashed on the game of football.
Jose Mourinho is an opportunist. A man who rose through the ranks of the football business from being an interpreter at Sporting Lisbon. He was marched out of Barcelona at one stage in his career for his attitude and arrogance. He is a man who has a single minded vision to get the result at all costs. He has no conscience. His tactics against the artistry of the Catalan visitors last night showed the depths of how low he would sink to get his precious result.
Firstly, he sabotaged the pitch. He continually watered a rain soaked Stamford bridge playing surface turning it into a quagmire. He felt that by turning the pitch into a mudbath he couldn't force the Spanish into mistakes. When the two teams took to the field of play last night, there was no field, just mud. He clearly instructed Assier del Horno to physically intimidate the young Argentinan magician Messi. In the first ten minutes, del Horno had physically abused the winger on at least 3 occasions. The fourth time saw the referee rightly send Del Horno to the dressing room. Barcelona were still too good for the bully boy tactics and even after going one nil down against the run of play, the artistry of Messi, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o shone through against the hod carriers of South London.
Mourinho has taken away all individuality of the players in his team. he instructs them, not in football, but in his dour version of the game. He plays them as a collective instead of nurchering the individual talent into a greater vision that infects the entire team. It is Team Mourinho, a team built around one man's ego and another man's deep pockets.
He is ruthless in his criticism of defectors. Carvalho, Crespo and Robben have all suffered indignities at the merest hint of revolt. It is his way or the highway. He is a man too rigidly true to a system. He, has in effect, no plan B. Plan A, works against his week in, week out premiership opposition in England. But take the team to a different level. a stage where football is played at the highest level and he fails to step up to the mark.
Football like life is best played honestly and within the rules of the game. The arena is a metaphor for life and not always will honesty and style and grace prevail. More often than not the guttersnipe tactics of intimidation and brutality will edge the contest. But when the cream rises to the top and achieves something of beauty it is revered and admired throughout the world.
Last night we saw what can be achieved, and damn, it felt good
This was the biggest advertisement for the beautiful game in all it's purest forms anyone could have hoped for, and I for one, went to bed smiling.
Let's look at the two teams, their tactics and the outcome in a little more detail. This is more than a football lesson, this is a life lesson.
Barcelona are the only top flight European football team without a shirt sponsor. They are a football club in every sense of the word. The fans elect the president. They are not listed as a plc on any stock exchange and they don't hawk the latest airline company or electronics multinational on their player's chests. The president is voted in based on how the club is performing on the pitch, not based on the stock exchange figures. Their ethos is grounded in football and fandom and as a reult they continually attract the style of player who revels in the atmosphere of the passionate Catalan crowd. Ronaldinho, Messi, Deco and Eto'o could have their pick of any club in the world. Much wealthier clubs like Real Madrid have all vied for their services but they play their football in Barcelona because of the structure of the club. They play for a football club not a team that is fronted by a football business. As a result, Barcelona have only one thing on their mind (because the president wants to get re-elected) and that is to play football!
Chelsea, on the other hand, are not a club built on the backbone of supporter power. They were quite literally bankrupt three years ago when their Russian benefactor, Roman Abramovich, bought the ageing whore and sent her to the plastic surgeon. With Abramovich's billions, Chelsea assembled quite literally a team of mercenaries from around the globe. Players who's principal motivation was the lure of the almighty Euro. Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Aarjen Robben, Assier Del Horno, Ricardo Carvalho, Hernan Crespo, Shaun Wright Philips and Petr Cech all clambered aboard the good ship Abramovich, enticed by the soulless and single minded Jose Mourinho. The greatest evil ever unleashed on the game of football.
Jose Mourinho is an opportunist. A man who rose through the ranks of the football business from being an interpreter at Sporting Lisbon. He was marched out of Barcelona at one stage in his career for his attitude and arrogance. He is a man who has a single minded vision to get the result at all costs. He has no conscience. His tactics against the artistry of the Catalan visitors last night showed the depths of how low he would sink to get his precious result.
Firstly, he sabotaged the pitch. He continually watered a rain soaked Stamford bridge playing surface turning it into a quagmire. He felt that by turning the pitch into a mudbath he couldn't force the Spanish into mistakes. When the two teams took to the field of play last night, there was no field, just mud. He clearly instructed Assier del Horno to physically intimidate the young Argentinan magician Messi. In the first ten minutes, del Horno had physically abused the winger on at least 3 occasions. The fourth time saw the referee rightly send Del Horno to the dressing room. Barcelona were still too good for the bully boy tactics and even after going one nil down against the run of play, the artistry of Messi, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o shone through against the hod carriers of South London.
Mourinho has taken away all individuality of the players in his team. he instructs them, not in football, but in his dour version of the game. He plays them as a collective instead of nurchering the individual talent into a greater vision that infects the entire team. It is Team Mourinho, a team built around one man's ego and another man's deep pockets.
He is ruthless in his criticism of defectors. Carvalho, Crespo and Robben have all suffered indignities at the merest hint of revolt. It is his way or the highway. He is a man too rigidly true to a system. He, has in effect, no plan B. Plan A, works against his week in, week out premiership opposition in England. But take the team to a different level. a stage where football is played at the highest level and he fails to step up to the mark.
Football like life is best played honestly and within the rules of the game. The arena is a metaphor for life and not always will honesty and style and grace prevail. More often than not the guttersnipe tactics of intimidation and brutality will edge the contest. But when the cream rises to the top and achieves something of beauty it is revered and admired throughout the world.
Last night we saw what can be achieved, and damn, it felt good
posted by Derek Keogh | 4:17 PM
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