.
Monday, August 1, 2011
La vaselina de Buonanotte.
01.08.2011 - Buscando rodaje, el nuevo Málaga de Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Thani venció (1-2) al Roda en el Parkstad Limburg Stadion de Kerkrade con un penal convertido por Baptista y, en la última jugada del partido, una vaselina de Buonanotte.
Los € 58 millones invertidos en refuerzos hacen del Málaga el segundo equipo de Europa en gastos del rubro (después del Manchester City , € 64.750.000): Sergio Sánchez, Joris Mathijsen, Nacho Monreal, Jérémy Toulalán, Joaquín, Isco, Diego Buonanotte, Ruud Van Nistelrooy y Santi Cazorla ya están en plena adaptación.
.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thiago Alcántara, blessed problem
You did not need to be a genius to realize that Thiago Alcántara is the player of La Masia with more potential, at least in the short term. He had been amazing everyone since he joined the youth system of Barcelona and it was evident that the kid had all the talent to triumph in football if he kept everything else in the right direction. Aside the talent, Thiago seems to have an infinite ambition. Last year, he started the season with Barcelona Atlètic in Segunda División, but his football was too good for the cathegory and the club was "forced" to make him part of the first team during the season, automatically activating a clause to raise his buyout price in order to avoid surprises, since he already was in the agenda of half Europe. The same ambition that betrayed him when he said that he wanted to triumph in football, not necessarily in Barcelona. Words that forced him to apologize fast... but also the kind of words that made people doubt about his head, since he would not be the first player to lose track in the progression for thinking too high too soon.
At the end of last season, Pep Guardiola set the objectives for this summer and, once again, Cesc Fàbregas was in the list. Many people made a logical interpretation: Xavi is already 31 and will be 32 early next year and, last year, the injuries were hauting him. Despite he did not show signs of decline, it is evident that he will have to start to save efforts pretty soon. Andrés Iniesta is in the peak moment of his career and is Xavi's perfect partner. But then, there was a gap between the fantastic duo and Thiago Alcántara. No one had doubts about his talent, but it was normal to have doubts about the capacity of such a young player to drive the most exigent midfield of the World so soon. Thiago was good, very good, but too young to be compared with the 2 best midfienders of the last years. And this is why, the logical reasoning asked for Cesc, a player with La Masia DNA, experience and leadership skills. It would be perfect for Barcelona and for Thiago's development.
Before the U-21 Euro, Luis Milla, the Spanish NT's coach and someone who knows Johan Cruyff's psychological methods too well said about Thiago: "If Thiago wants to be like Xavi or Cesc, he needs to be humble". A kind of attack on his star, which suggested that Thiago still had a lot to learn, trying to cool all the hype about him. Thiago responded with a magnificent tournament driving Spain to the victory, showing great football. Later on, Thiago joined Barcelona's pre-season and, if there is a name that is shining above the rest is Thiago Alcántara's.
Cesc is not in Barcelona yet and, once more, Thiago is going very fast, jumping stages in his career. With the signing of Cesc to be decided, Thiago is making people have doubts about the necessity of the player of Arsenal, considering the huge amount of money Arsenal is asking for. The debate is in the streets, is Cesc necessary having Thiago in the pocket? When at the end of May, most of the barcelonisme was convinced about Cesc, now things are not that obvious and there is an important sector that defends to give the #4 to Thiago Alcántara... the guy is prepared for it.
There are 2 possible scenarios: If Cesc joins Barcelona, will it be a problem for Thiago? Barcelona would gather 4 fantastic players for 2 or 3 positions (Iniesta can still be a fake winger) and Pep Guardiola would have to drive the situation very well, since it is hard to keep 4 players of very high level happy, if they do not enjoy all the minutes they want. In that situation, it is likely that Thiago would be the one enjoying less minutes and the club already knows the hot mouth of the Spanish-Brazilian player.
The 2nd possible scenario is Cesc staying in London. Then the question that arises is: Is Thiago prepared for the big games? One thing is to shine in pre-season games and a different one is to do it in the important matches of the official season. Xavi and Iniesta had to work and fight a lot to be where they are. In that sense, as much as Thiago is impressive, he also needs to keep in mind that things are not always that easy and sometimes you need to clash against the floor to get up stronger. It is not stupid to think that Thiago still has a lot to learn and do to compare his career with Xavi's and Iniesta's ones... even with Cesc's.
At this point, probably, Thiago is going faster than Pep Guardiola would have thought at the end of May and two possible scenarios seem to open long debates in Can Barça. Guardiola definitely has a problem and he will have to find a solution... but blessed problem!
At the end of last season, Pep Guardiola set the objectives for this summer and, once again, Cesc Fàbregas was in the list. Many people made a logical interpretation: Xavi is already 31 and will be 32 early next year and, last year, the injuries were hauting him. Despite he did not show signs of decline, it is evident that he will have to start to save efforts pretty soon. Andrés Iniesta is in the peak moment of his career and is Xavi's perfect partner. But then, there was a gap between the fantastic duo and Thiago Alcántara. No one had doubts about his talent, but it was normal to have doubts about the capacity of such a young player to drive the most exigent midfield of the World so soon. Thiago was good, very good, but too young to be compared with the 2 best midfienders of the last years. And this is why, the logical reasoning asked for Cesc, a player with La Masia DNA, experience and leadership skills. It would be perfect for Barcelona and for Thiago's development.
Before the U-21 Euro, Luis Milla, the Spanish NT's coach and someone who knows Johan Cruyff's psychological methods too well said about Thiago: "If Thiago wants to be like Xavi or Cesc, he needs to be humble". A kind of attack on his star, which suggested that Thiago still had a lot to learn, trying to cool all the hype about him. Thiago responded with a magnificent tournament driving Spain to the victory, showing great football. Later on, Thiago joined Barcelona's pre-season and, if there is a name that is shining above the rest is Thiago Alcántara's.
Cesc is not in Barcelona yet and, once more, Thiago is going very fast, jumping stages in his career. With the signing of Cesc to be decided, Thiago is making people have doubts about the necessity of the player of Arsenal, considering the huge amount of money Arsenal is asking for. The debate is in the streets, is Cesc necessary having Thiago in the pocket? When at the end of May, most of the barcelonisme was convinced about Cesc, now things are not that obvious and there is an important sector that defends to give the #4 to Thiago Alcántara... the guy is prepared for it.
There are 2 possible scenarios: If Cesc joins Barcelona, will it be a problem for Thiago? Barcelona would gather 4 fantastic players for 2 or 3 positions (Iniesta can still be a fake winger) and Pep Guardiola would have to drive the situation very well, since it is hard to keep 4 players of very high level happy, if they do not enjoy all the minutes they want. In that situation, it is likely that Thiago would be the one enjoying less minutes and the club already knows the hot mouth of the Spanish-Brazilian player.
The 2nd possible scenario is Cesc staying in London. Then the question that arises is: Is Thiago prepared for the big games? One thing is to shine in pre-season games and a different one is to do it in the important matches of the official season. Xavi and Iniesta had to work and fight a lot to be where they are. In that sense, as much as Thiago is impressive, he also needs to keep in mind that things are not always that easy and sometimes you need to clash against the floor to get up stronger. It is not stupid to think that Thiago still has a lot to learn and do to compare his career with Xavi's and Iniesta's ones... even with Cesc's.
At this point, probably, Thiago is going faster than Pep Guardiola would have thought at the end of May and two possible scenarios seem to open long debates in Can Barça. Guardiola definitely has a problem and he will have to find a solution... but blessed problem!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Sorteo de grupos clasificatorios continentales para Brasil 2014.
30.07.2011 - Más allá del altercado público en el que participan directa e indirectamente, Dilma Roseff, Joseph Blatter, Pelé, Ricaro Teixeira y el Daily Mail inglés, se llevó a cabo en Río de Janeiro el sorteo de los grupos clasificatorios que integran 166 selecciones de 5 confederaciones continentales de los que saldrán la mayoría de los 31 equipos que acompañarán a Brasil en 2014.
Siendo la Conmebol la única confederación que no participó del sorteo (otorga 4 plazas directas y un repechaje entre las 9 participantes), debemos saber que dicho repechaje sudamericano salió sorteado para enfrentar al país que termine en la misma posición (5º) de la zona asiática por la plaza final.
Así mismo el cuarto clasificado de la zona Concacaf (Norteamérica, Centroamérica y el Caribe) jugará la repesca contra el primer clasificado de la zona de Oceanía.
Los grupos continentales quedaron conformados de la siguiente manera:
ZONA AFRICANA
Fase 1:
1. Seychelles vs. Kenia
2. Guinea-Bissau vs. Togo
3. Yibuti vs. Namibia
4. Mauricio vs. Liberia
5. Comoras vs. Mozambique
6. Guinea Ecuatorial vs. Madagascar
7. Somalia vs. Etiopía
8. Lesoto vs. Burundi
9. Eritrea vs. Ruanda
10. Suazilandia vs. RP del Congo
11. Santo Tomé y Príncipe vs. Congo
12. Chad vs. Tanzania
Fase 2:
Grupo A: Sudáfrica, Botsuana, República Centroafricana, Ganador 7
Grupo B: Túnez, Cabo Verde, Sierra Leona, Ganador 6
Grupo C: Costa de Marfil, Marruecos, Gambia, Ganador 12
Grupo D: Ghana, Zambia, Sudán, Ganador 8
Grupo E: Burkina Fase, Gabón, Níger, Ganador 11
Grupo F: Nigeria, Malaui, Ganador 1, Ganador 3
Grupo G: Egipto, Guinea, Zimbabue, Ganador 5
Grupo H: Argelia, Malí, Benín, Ganador 9
Grupo I: Camerún, Libia, Ganador 2, Ganador 10
Grupo J: Senegal, Uganda, Angola, Ganador 4
ZONA ASIÁTICA
Grupo A: RP China, Jordania, Irak, Singapur
Grupo B: República de Corea, Kuwait, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Líbano
Grupo C: Japón, Uzbekistán, Siria, RDP de Corea
Grupo D: Australia, Arabia Saudí, Omán, Tailandia
Grupo E: Irán, Qatar, Bahréin, Indonesia
ZONA NORTE, CENTROAMERICA Y CARIBE
Fase 2
Grupo A: El Salvador, Surinam, Islas Caimán, República Dominicana
Grupo B: Trinidad y Tobago, Guayana, Barbados, Bermuda
Grupo C: Panamá, Dominica, Nicaragua, Bahamas
Grupo D: Canadá, Saint Cristóbal y Nieves, Puerto Rico, Santa Lucía
Grupo E: Granada, Guatemala, San Vicente y las Granadinas, Belice
Grupo F: Haití, Antigua y Barbado, Curazao, Islas Vírgenes Estadounidenses
Fase 3
Grupo A: Estados Unidos, Jamaica, Ganador E, Ganador F
Grupo B: México, Costa Rica, Ganador A, Ganador B
Grupo C: Honduras, Cuba, Ganador D, Ganador C
ZONA OCENÍA
Grupo A: Vanuatu, Nueva Caledonia, Ganador Ronda 1, Tahití
Grupo B: Fiyi, Nueva Zelanda, Islas Salomón, Papúa Nueva Guinea
ZONA EUROPEA
Grupo A: Croacia, Serbia, Bélgica, Escocia, ARY Macedonia, Gales
Grupo B: Italia, Dinamarca, República Checa, Bulgaria, Armenia, Malta
Grupo C: Alemania, Suecia, República de Irlanda, Austria, Islas Feroe, Kazajistán
Grupo D: Países Bajos, Turquía, Hungría, Rumanía, Estonia, Andorra
Grupo E: Noruega, Eslovenia, Suiza, Albania, Chipre, Islandia
Grupo F: Portugal, Rusia, Israel, Irlanda del Norte, Azerbaiyán, Luxemburgo
Grupo G: Grecia, Eslovaquia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lituania, Letonia, Liechtenstein
Grupo H: Inglaterra, Montenegro, Ucrania Polonia, Moldavia, San Marino
Grupo I: España, Francia, Bielorrusia, Georgia, Finlandia
.
El libro de Martín Palermo: Titán del gol y de la vida.
30.07.2011 - Editado por Planeta, saldrá a la venta en los próximos días (08.2011) con prólogo de Diego Maradona y palabras invitadas.
“De Palermo sólo hay buenas referencias: es un jugador que tiene todo a favor. En un ambiente con mucho individualismo y donde la mayoría vende humo, él es leal, deja su corazón en la cancha y está tocado por el Barba con una varita mágica a la que nunca se le termina la pila”.
Diego A. Maradona
“Los detractores lo nutrieron. Las lesiones lo hicieron descubrir sus reservas morales. Su carrera fue un eterno recomenzar y logró conseguir lo que se había propuesto gracias a su convicción. Se convirtió en el mejor y el más regular goleador de los últimos quince años en los campeonatos argentinos”.
Carlos Bianchi
Visto en eblog
.
When the ball rolls, the Sheikh should be Manuel Pellegrini
In June 2010, the Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Thani came from Qatar to Málaga to buy the club of the city from Lorenzo Sanz for 36M euros. At that moment, not many people knew him and the arrival of the Sheikh Abdullah made the local fans swim between skepticism and illusion. The Qatari Sheikh did not have much time to start his first project, which was put in the hands of Jesualdo Ferreira, successful former Porto coach, who was unable to put the team in the right direction in a mix of incompetence and the lack of good players. The new rich Málaga was flirting with relegation positions and, in November, the Sheikh finally decided to give the step forward the club needed.
Fernando Sanz, ex-president and the Sheikh's assistant, recommended the signing of Manuel Pellegrini, who was unemployed since the moment he was fired from Real Madrid by Florentino Pérez. At the same time, the club made important investments in the Winter market, signing experienced players like Enzo Maresca, Martín Demichelis and Julio Baptista and young talent like Ignacio Camacho or Sergio Asenjo (on loan). The face of the team had a radical change and found the regularity they needed to save the season.
This summer the Sheikh Abdullah has decided that he wants to put Málaga in the top positions of La Liga and, in order to do it, he did not hesitate to invest whatever it takes to change the horizon of the club. At this point of the season, Málaga spent more money in signings than Real Madrid and Barcelona. Everything started with the arrival of Pichichi Ruud Van Nistelrooy for free. Well, not impressive, no one denies the quality of the Dutch striker, but it is not that he is in the peak of his career. The signing had the effect they probably expected though and 10,000 people went to the presentation of the player and the selling of ticket season started to work well. The 2nd one was Ignacio Monreal, Osasuna's full back for 6M, international player and one of the best in his position. The next to come were Jerémy Toulalan from Lyon for 10M, Joris Mathijsen from Hamburg for 1M, Diego Buonanotte from the relegated River and Sergio Sanchez from Sevilla. Every single presentation was a party in Málaga, with thousands of people in the stands of La Rosaleda to welcome their new idols. The state of euphoria was declared... and the Sheikh announced that the best was yet to come.
And they did not hesitate to pay the 6M buyout clause of Isco, the best prospect of Valencia's youth system, which was an earthquake in the Ché club. But Málaga had not stopped fishing in Valencia and they also brough Joaquín Sánchez, the veteran winger who seems to keep his old prestige... 15,000 were in his presentation. But if there is a player who definitely attracts the attention of everyone is Santi Cazorla, one of the best midfielders of La Liga, signed from the Champions League Villarreal for 20M euros, giving him a star contract of 3M euros per year.
For now, it's just a description of facts. But the season starts in a couple of weeks and I always had doubts about this kind of projects. For now it's a bubble of names. All of them sound good. Some of them are in the decline of their careers, like Van Nistelrooy or Joaquín, but overall the club seems to have the right names to do an important season. In that sense, the exigences are going to be high. But this is not always that easy, since it always takes time to adapt and learn the mechanism of a system and a idea. Lots of new faces and not much time, since everyone will ask for good results since the very first day in a team that is not used to fight for important goals. Europe is a must and, given the level of investment, the Champions League should be the objective in a near future... if not this season, the next. It would not be the first time that a huge project like this one fall, so it is important to keep the feet on the ground and be patient.
In my opinion, the key of the project is not the big names, but Manuel Pellegrini. The Engineer is a good coach with high prestige in Spain, a man who knows La Liga and the job, coherent and humble in his work. In Villarreal, Fernando Roig gave him time and stability and we all recall the semifinals of the Champions League of 2006, when the Yellow Sumbarine were a penalty away from the final of Paris. I am skeptical about the results in the short term. As I said, big names do not assure success. Yes, they are important, but it is also essential to set a solid ground to grow from. Manuel Pellegrini is the right man to do it, but we still do not know how the Sheikh and the fans will react if the results are not as good as they expect in the first games.
We must keep in mind that the rivals of Málaga have solid and long term projects, like the ones of Valencia, Villarreal or Athletic, or teams that are used to be in top positions, like Sevilla or Atlético. It is not going to be that easy. The Sheikh must be patient, the fans must remember where they come from. If they do it, I will start to believe in it. But if they get blind for the money they spent, the whole project may end up being a boomerang that slaps them in the face. The Sheikh did what he had to do, but now he must give a step backwards and let Pellegrini work, with time, without pressure... in that case, I will be a believer too. For now, I declare myself skeptical.
Fernando Sanz, ex-president and the Sheikh's assistant, recommended the signing of Manuel Pellegrini, who was unemployed since the moment he was fired from Real Madrid by Florentino Pérez. At the same time, the club made important investments in the Winter market, signing experienced players like Enzo Maresca, Martín Demichelis and Julio Baptista and young talent like Ignacio Camacho or Sergio Asenjo (on loan). The face of the team had a radical change and found the regularity they needed to save the season.
This summer the Sheikh Abdullah has decided that he wants to put Málaga in the top positions of La Liga and, in order to do it, he did not hesitate to invest whatever it takes to change the horizon of the club. At this point of the season, Málaga spent more money in signings than Real Madrid and Barcelona. Everything started with the arrival of Pichichi Ruud Van Nistelrooy for free. Well, not impressive, no one denies the quality of the Dutch striker, but it is not that he is in the peak of his career. The signing had the effect they probably expected though and 10,000 people went to the presentation of the player and the selling of ticket season started to work well. The 2nd one was Ignacio Monreal, Osasuna's full back for 6M, international player and one of the best in his position. The next to come were Jerémy Toulalan from Lyon for 10M, Joris Mathijsen from Hamburg for 1M, Diego Buonanotte from the relegated River and Sergio Sanchez from Sevilla. Every single presentation was a party in Málaga, with thousands of people in the stands of La Rosaleda to welcome their new idols. The state of euphoria was declared... and the Sheikh announced that the best was yet to come.
And they did not hesitate to pay the 6M buyout clause of Isco, the best prospect of Valencia's youth system, which was an earthquake in the Ché club. But Málaga had not stopped fishing in Valencia and they also brough Joaquín Sánchez, the veteran winger who seems to keep his old prestige... 15,000 were in his presentation. But if there is a player who definitely attracts the attention of everyone is Santi Cazorla, one of the best midfielders of La Liga, signed from the Champions League Villarreal for 20M euros, giving him a star contract of 3M euros per year.
For now, it's just a description of facts. But the season starts in a couple of weeks and I always had doubts about this kind of projects. For now it's a bubble of names. All of them sound good. Some of them are in the decline of their careers, like Van Nistelrooy or Joaquín, but overall the club seems to have the right names to do an important season. In that sense, the exigences are going to be high. But this is not always that easy, since it always takes time to adapt and learn the mechanism of a system and a idea. Lots of new faces and not much time, since everyone will ask for good results since the very first day in a team that is not used to fight for important goals. Europe is a must and, given the level of investment, the Champions League should be the objective in a near future... if not this season, the next. It would not be the first time that a huge project like this one fall, so it is important to keep the feet on the ground and be patient.
In my opinion, the key of the project is not the big names, but Manuel Pellegrini. The Engineer is a good coach with high prestige in Spain, a man who knows La Liga and the job, coherent and humble in his work. In Villarreal, Fernando Roig gave him time and stability and we all recall the semifinals of the Champions League of 2006, when the Yellow Sumbarine were a penalty away from the final of Paris. I am skeptical about the results in the short term. As I said, big names do not assure success. Yes, they are important, but it is also essential to set a solid ground to grow from. Manuel Pellegrini is the right man to do it, but we still do not know how the Sheikh and the fans will react if the results are not as good as they expect in the first games.
We must keep in mind that the rivals of Málaga have solid and long term projects, like the ones of Valencia, Villarreal or Athletic, or teams that are used to be in top positions, like Sevilla or Atlético. It is not going to be that easy. The Sheikh must be patient, the fans must remember where they come from. If they do it, I will start to believe in it. But if they get blind for the money they spent, the whole project may end up being a boomerang that slaps them in the face. The Sheikh did what he had to do, but now he must give a step backwards and let Pellegrini work, with time, without pressure... in that case, I will be a believer too. For now, I declare myself skeptical.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Brasil 2014: el Maracaná y las favelas.
29.07.2011 - Siguiendo de cerca los movimientos brasileños hacia 2014, Brasileirao incluído, encontramos que, como viene pasando desde los años 80, las monstruosas inversiones y mejoras retroalimentan el ejercicio económico de los grupos multinacionales en desmedro de la misma población que recibe los megaeventos deportivos.
Serán años de mucho movimiento para la economía brasileña y las inversiones extranjeras: u$s 18.000 millones para el proyecto olímpico (2016), u$s 14.000 millones para las obras del Mundial (2014) (ni contamos la Copa América 2015) y otros u$s 14.000 millones para mejora de infraestructura y red de transportes (también el famoso tren bala podría llegar a Brasil para unir San Pablo y Río de Janeiro).
El 70% de las obras proyectadas para el Mundial ya empezó o empieza este año y los tiempos no son suizos. El Ministro de Deportes, Orlando Silva, dice que los megaeventos consolidarán a Brasil como "un país marcado por la diversidad, la tolerancia y la cultura de paz". Y el gobernador de Río, Sergio Cabral, que las olimpíadas traerán a Río “inclusión social”.
Pero de las 34 instalaciones que contempla el proyecto olímpico (18 ya están funcionando), casi todas se concentran en el sur y oeste de la ciudad que vienen experimentando la revalorización inmobiliaria desde hace unos años y las principales inversiones la recibirá uno de los barrios más caros, Barra da Tijuca (residencias de lujo en 38 bloques de departamentos sobre un terreno de 48 hectáreas).
La pregunta que se hacen los brasileños de a pie es hasta qué punto ellos, que pagarán las facturas de los elefantes previstos, terminarán beneficiándose de alguna manera.
Los Panamericanos de 2007 dejaron como legado edificios innecesarios, facturas infladas y todo tipo de irregularidades fiscales sin siquiera haberse construido las infraestructuras prometidas (1.5 millón de personas viven en las 950 favelas de Río).
Mientras tanto, el humo festivo de ser anfitrión, acelera las licitaciones, esconde los debates y erosiona el planeamiento urbano en pos de llegar a tiempo.
Las expulsiones y desalojos forzados ya son la previa instituida de los Mundiales y JJOO (35.000 familias de Nueva Delhi para los Juegos de la Commonwealth y 20.000 personas del asentamiento Joe Slovo en Sudáfrica son los últimos registrados, 2010).
Los riesgos son evidentes en el caso de Río de Janeiro, donde el lujo de barrios como Ipanema y Leblón convive con la omnipresencia de las favelas en los morros. Algunas, como la Maré (al norte de la ciudad), fueron tapiadas con muros (2008) como otra decena.
La ley establece que los afectados deben recibir una vivienda igual o mejor y en un lugar próximo. Pero, en el mejor de los casos, se les dio un cheque de (insuficientes) 5.000 reales.
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)