Forgive the brevity of this weekend’s review. This writer has been out of action for the last few weeks and it’s a case of having to get back into the swing of things.

So the end of February comes and it is a time when European football begins to catch up with itself. In all the major leagues, barring the self-certified Barclay’s Best Premier League In The World Ever, all teams have no games in hand. We are now at the point of no return: the point where the winners, loser and all those who like to just mingle in the middle all become clear

Firstly, the game between AC Milan and Napoli. This was considered a battle for the Scudetto and perhaps, whoever ‘they’ are were right. Milan ran out 3-0 winners thanks to goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic who scored a penalty, Kevin-Prine Boateng and Alexandre Pato. Pato’s goal in particular was spectacular. He picked up the ball and ran, solo at the Napoli defender only to slow down, obviously take in the air and think about his decisions in life, only to decide to curl the ball through the defender’s legs and into the net past the diving keeper.

Napoli were not at the races and this is perhaps a demonstration that although they are up amongst the big boys of Serie A, their squad still isn’t as strong as it should be for a full title challenge. In saying that, there are still plenty of games to go and Milan and Inter – more on them later – could falter in their race for the title. But, given the calibre of both Milanese clubs, especially in terms of holding their nerve when things become tight – this is starting to sound like an 80s action script treatment – you wouldn’t be forgiven in thinking that perhaps it is now down to two.

Massimiliano Allegri, Milan’s manager stated after the match: “We didn’t allow Napoli to have one shot on goal and I think our victory is deserved. We did very well in the first half, but we made a lot of errors in attack. I liked our character though, I’m happy with what the lads did, seeing as the boys played in Napoli’s half for 90 minutes.”

We really are at the business end of the season – forgive the cliche. This weekend started with, perhaps wryly, an element of schadenfreude for in football fans in Italy, as Juventus fell to Bologna at home on Saturday. Marco Di Vaio’s two goals sank Gigi Del Neri’s Juve into yet further despair. Such form also comes in the wake of news that the club are in financial trouble, also, with a €39.5m deficit recorded for 2010/2011.

Juventus have recently recorded a 35 million Euro loss for 2010/11 and even the opposition coach, Alberto Malesani couldn’t fathom just what kind of decline The Old Lady are in: “It seems impossible to me that this is the real Juve. Perhaps it is a psychological block that is making them play this way. I like Juve, in my view they bought some real champions and once they break through that mental block, they’ll be very strong.”

The scorer of both goals commented: “This is the proof that football is unpredictable. We are continuing to play well and remain solid, then of course everyone needs that little bit of luck. We have achieved something nobody expected and are very happy,” said, Di Vaio.

Napoli manager, Walter Mazzrarri conceded his side’s ineffectiveness: “We wanted to try a few things in the second half, but we couldn’t manage it,” he mused, then proving his own open-mindedness by exposing his belief in the concept of space/time manipulation, “Milan are a phenomenal side and they stopped us from playing. If possible, I would have liked to stop the game completely and got the side to just think about a few things for three minutes. We weren’t brilliant and the pitch wasn’t at its best. Our desire to equalise then allowed them too much space and we were punished.”

Napoli are now on 52 points, 6 points behind Milan who have 58. In second, lie Internazionale, whose weekend couldn’t have been better in the wake of their mid-week 1-0 home loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Leonardo’s side conquered the miss-firing Sampdoria 2-0 away; Wesley Sneijder and Samuel Eto’o providing the goals in the second half and once again the men in blue & black are providing some of the most entertaining football around Europe. Sneijder scored a wonderful free-kick from 20 metres out and Eto’o as ever, took his strike with aplomb as he rounded two defenders before slotting the ball past Gianluca Curci.

The magnificent seven. Well, it was for Udinese, who utterly battered Palermo 7-0, but not for the now former Palermo manager Delio Rossi, who lost his job following his side’s slaughter at the Stadio Renzo Barbera. There is an old Italian proverb, or at least I assume it’s old, which goes: A correre e cagare ci si immerda i garretti or, as a direct translation: By running and defecating at the same time, you’ll get crap on your heels. Which is exactly what Palermo did by obviously trying to both score goals, and stop them going in at the other end, but all they did was…well. Perhaps they should have just defended against what is one of Italy’s prime attacking sides who lay claim to following the ‘Barcelona Model’ of play. Alexis Sanchez – who will most likely be on his way at the end of the season to a rather large club that that play in blue but shall remain unnamed at this time – was on fine form in this game, scoring four goals while Antionio Di Natale fired in the other two; one being a penalty. Udinese are now up to 5th place, and just one point behind Lazio who still occupy the Champions League qualification spot.

Lazio lost 1-0 away to a tough Cagliari and Roma, under the stewardship of their new manager, Vincenzo Montella, drew 2-2 at home to Parma. Montella’s appointment follows Claudio Ranieri’s sacking. Montella, a former Roma player himself, has a good record with the Roma youth team and seemed an idea candidate to step into the big job in Rome. It is a move that echoes Pep Guardiola’s appointment at Barcelona; he too was a youth coach and ex-player. No one is making assertions that Roma will follow the same path, but with an inside man in charge, perhaps their erratic form – 3 losses, 2 draws and a win can be steadied.

Talking points:

It is wholly possible, that Milan’s machismo won them the tie against Napoli. With the ever-present and potent manliness of Ibrahimovic, who seemed to use the San Siro pitch as a one-man walkway for his 6ft5in frame, almost akin to the wild and ready Led Zepplin frontman Robert Plant back in the 70s, Napoli seemed to shrink into nothing as the minutes rolled by. This was helped, in part, by Marc Van Bommel. Now, Van Bommel maybe an absolute monster of a player, mush like an apologetic Rino Gattuso, but he really is the best at what he does; which is just hang around the midfield being harder and tougher than everyone else. After scoring his penalty, Ibrahimovic seemingly held up half of the team on his shoulders while screaming aloud to the Gods of fortune. That kind of power is impressive, no end.

Not that this column wishes to show any kind of bias, given that it would be wholly unprofessional and not representative of this site’s opinion overall, but should Inter’s second-half season of revival result in either early disqualification from Europe or a faltering run of form that leaves them from the top 4 in the table, it would be a crying shame. The sheer enthusiasm Leonardo shows in his players’ attacking talent is something to be applauded and he is just such a nice guy. Well, apart from that elbow in the World Cup in 1994. We can forgive you, Leo.

Read above, but for Udinese. It’s a pity Sanchez will probably end up at *cough cough* for X amount of millions of pounds but talent and money talks, and right now hands are being shook.

Serie A table: Week 27

Serie A Table courtesy of www.skysports.com

Publicly available quotes courtesy of www.football-italia.net

Photo courtesy of www.guardian.co.uk/football

The playmaker. Yeah, that guy. He’s the one who operates in behind the forwards or striker/s, pulling the strings and using an almost ethereal view of the football field in order to make himself available for a pass and in return, he then feeds the attack. Does it sound easy? Well, it isn’t. In fact this is the position that is so difficult to fill lots of teams don’t even bother to have a playmaker.

You can have attacking midfielders, you can have central midfielders, you can have defensive midfielders, you can have wide midfielders – which is different from a winger, wing-forward and a chicken wing thrown on the pitch by an aggrieved fan – but a playmaker is a genius, and a genius is hard to find.

You would almost have to view the movement of every player on the pitch as a conflict of two fluid organisms. It may sound a little new-age, because in reality football is about a bunch of men, a sphere and a white line, but the game at the highest level is in fact such a complex operation built up of tactics, runs, fitness, teamwork, decisiveness, defensive acumen, set-pieces and technique that to simply label it ‘a game’ is way short of the mark. So to be able to take into consideration all of that at any one time and then be able to function on your own individual level requires something special. They are the ‘fly boys’ of football and over the years they have been responsible for the most amazing passes the game has seen.

Yes the game is about goals, and there’s nothing like a Lionel Messi run and strike, a Cristiano Ronaldo thunderbolt, a Diego Milito clinical finish or a Pippo Inzaghi ‘how the hell did that go in?’ but every goal has a gift of a pass behind it.

It’s no coincidence that Zinidine Zidane, Juan Román Riquelme, Juan Sebastián Verón, Luka Modric, Mesut Özil have been or are some of the most famous in world football. In fact the playmaker is so important, Barcelona FC have two of them: Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández. Yes, that is greedy and yes, they should definitely sell one of them. Ah, Catalan through and through you say?

Serie A has seen some wonderful playmakers. Zvonimir Boban, Andrea Pirlo, the aforementioned Zidane, Maradonna – if he counts as such, as oppose to a whirlwind of footballing talent – are among the many. But what of today’s crop of creative players, who are the men teams rely on to dictate their teams attack?

Playmakers 2010/11

1. Stefano Mauri
The Monza-born Italian has a grand total of 7 assists up to now. He spent two years at Udinese before moving on to Lazio in 2006, where he has been ever since and his contributions for the club this season have not been unnoticed.

Playing in behind two strikers, Mauri has been key in making waves for his side’s forward play and Lazio have scaled up to fourth in the Serie A table and are now pushing hard for a Champions League place. He is also capable of making finesse finishes and hammering shots on goal.
See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7-eg94iJzg

2. Anderson Hernanes
Perhaps not technically a playmaker as such, operating at times either ‘in the hole’ or in central midfield, but with 5 assists and 5 goals this year and a season’s worth of good performances his ability is not to be dismissed. The 25-year-old Brazilian plied his trade at São Paulo before moving to Italy at the start of the 2010 season. Naturally, he has a good first touch, an eye for goal and a fiery flare for the game. He is also not the last Lazio player in this list.

It’s a testament to Edoardo Reja’s knowledge of the game that Lazio are pushing for the Scudetto, playing some fantastic football and showing the world how it’s done with a 3-4-1-2 formation. You wouldn’t see that on a cold Wednesday night in Stoke. Although with ‘King’ Kenny back at Liverpool, they seem to be doing alright with it too. Still, Chelsea is one thing, The Potters are another. See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQJrsHPZCAk – forgive the music. One day people will stop listening to things like this.

An example of how Mauri and Hernanes line up for Lazio.

Image courtesy of www.football-lineups.com

3. Javier Pastore
Palermo’s pretty in pink Javier ‘El Flaco’ Pastore, the 21-year-old Argentinian who made it to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 has recently been the subject of much transfer speculation. It is said, that Manchester United and Chelsea FC are amongst the speculators interested in his services. His 3 assists don’t tell the full story. Pastore’s ability lies in spreading the play and making that scything pass when the times comes – whether or not that leads to a direct assist isn’t all that important, much like it is to most playmakers. The aim is to facilitate and that he certainly does.

This video, from the home tie against Juventus this year demonstrates my point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WARq01xRBA4

4. Andrea Cossu
Serie A’s top assist merchant with 11. The 30-year-old Italian is perhaps still young enough for one last, big move, and with Cagliari sitting in mid-table and looking set to stay there, which is an improvement on their 16th placed finish last year, perhaps if a larger side came knocking with the right offer, he could be tempted. See him here, against AC Milan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-LbDWRK5PU

5. Ezequiel Iván Lavezzi
OK, so he may be more of a forward but with 10 assists he’s certainly been making more play than most. He also has 7 goals in all competitions so he knows how to finish them too. Often bearded, always up for it, the Argentinian has played for Napoli for 3 and a half seasons, having scored 27 goals. Napoli are currently second in Serie A, and it’s no coincidence that along the likes of Marek Hamsik and league top scorer Edinson Cavani, Lavezzi’s drive and energy help make up one of Europe’s most dynamic front 3. Look at this gem of a goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIKKhlLL9f4

A special notice has to go to this particular player, whose idea of playmaking is perhaps a little different to everyone else’s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1OrdQvwds0&feature=related

A wave of black and blue. A counter-current of white. Yet more surge forward, demanding the heads of their foes, screaming and snarling and appearing as wild and as fast as a hoard of Vikings that smell blood. The scary thing is, they’re not animals, barbarians or those with a lust for the kill and they know what they’re doing. They’re working together, they’re plotting, planning and executing with a distinct, dispassionate ethic. In return those on enemy soil do not back down or falter but they roar back and lunge in hope to upset the seemingly predestined loss at the hands of their oppressors.

This isn’t Joey Barton and company versus a squadron of police in riot gear at around 2am on a Sunday morning, or even a wild-eyed ‘gone mad’ Gennaro Gattuso getting violent with sea life at a marine centre: but the best possible way to describe what was possibly the game of the weekend in Serie A.

Internazionale’s phoenix-like rise from the ashes out of the bog of mediocrity is complete. It would be tempting to change a synonym into an eponym, if it wasn’t too post-modern and futile, but to dissect and describe what Leonardo: The Passion of the Pitch, has done should in effect break the rules, so we’ll stick with an epithet instead and stop messing about. This was Mourinho’s pragmatic team of careful assassins, dragged into the mire by Raphael Benitez. The team looked dead, gone, buried. But then three days after their final salute the rock rolled back from their tomb and out came a cleansed and freshened side; one ready to show the world their new technicoloured dreamcoat. Leonardo – artist, Inter – artists.

The game finished 5-3 to an Inter side that took all those who witnessed it on a ride that should not be forgotten in some time. AS Roma, Claudio Ranieri’s team played their part too.

The scoring started early through Wesley Sneijder after 3 minutes, with a wonderful long-range strike from outside the area only for Roma to come back through Fábio Simplício on 13 minutes with a near-post tap. Both sides were going at it hammer and tongues and the technique on display here was a breathless as the pace. Samuel Eto’o made it 2-1 with a goal not wholly unlike the one he scored against Manchester United in the Champions League final in 2009. He cut in from the right side, made a dummy then hammered the ball past Julio Sergio Bertagnoli, the Roma keeper.

The first-half came to an end perhaps more out of pity to those watching than anything else but the second-half then exploded into life and in the 63rd minute with Eto’o again, putting his name on the scoresheet after Nicolas Burdisso fouled Giampaolo Pazzini in the area – earning himself a red card in the process – and the referee awarded a penalty which was slotted away with ease. Thiago Motta made it 4-1 with a header in the 71st minute after Eto’o knocked the ball into his path about a yard from the goal line and the game seemed to be put to bed, but being a man down only seemed to inspire Roma to simply go for broke.

Mirko Vucinic benefitted from debutant Yuto Nagatomo’s failure to catch him offside after Roma were awarded a free-kick outside the area. He placed the ball past Juilo Cesar to make it 4-2. Simone Loria made it a rather nervous 4-3 in the 81st minute after a penalty area scramble but it was down to Esteban Cambiasso to finally castrate Roma’s chances of earning a point in the 90th minute when Samuel Eto’o – yes, him again – made light work of the Roma full-back in order to squeeze through a pass to Javier Zanetti, who in turn fed Cambiasso out to the left only for him to finish with ease.

It’s hard to explain just how thrilling this encounter was. In fact, every game between Roma and Inter is thrilling but surprisingly Inter have failed to win this fixture at the San Siro since 2005. You can just imagine Leonardo’s wife checking his hands for signs of the Stigmata while he sleeps later tonight.

Credit must go to Roma, though, who put up as much fight as anyone could against this onslaught, showing themselves to be more than adept a last-ditch defending, attacking and giving out the odd play-stopping kick or shove. It must also be mentioned, if anyone can find the counter-attack played by Inter in the 68th minute, make sure you watch it. Witnessing a team go from one end of the pitch in roughly 3.9 seconds flat is incredible.

These results leave Inter in 3rd and Roma in 7th and the title run in should now be one of the most exciting in years. It is one thing to assume teams will just play for the Champions League spot, but with the points gap now so close, perhaps any of the top four could take the Scudetto. Your money would be best placed on one of the teams from Milan, which makes the next derby a mouth-watering prospect.

So, what of the other title contenders?

AC Milan played away to Genoa and boy didn’t they know it. They were held to a 1-1 draw which leaves them with 49 points. Alexandre Pato opened the scoring in the 29th minute after eluding his defender and getting on the end of a very composed Zlatan Ibrahimovic pass. Genoa’s Floro Flores equalised at 45 minutes to make it level at half-time. This is the second consecutive draw for Massimiliano Allegri’s men.

“We did fairly well in the first half, less so after the break,” Allegri said, “during the week we should get some more players back from injury and we know that we must improve. When things seem too easy, we tend to rest on our laurels. Cassano [Antonio] is out of shape, but we played every three days this month and so needed to field him.”

3 points indeed.

Second-placed Napoli saw off Cesena at the San Paolo thanks to Edinson Cavani and substitute, Jose Sosa. They sit just three points behind Milan and now look like serious contenders for the title. A benefit perhaps, is that no one expected them to hit the heights they have, so there could be a certain degree of, almost relaxation in their minds about the final run of games. Of course, they’re professionals and they will now be thinking ‘what if’ as oppose to hoping they aren’t thinking ‘what could have been?’ when the season is at its end.

Palermo kept up their push for 4th with a 4-2 away win at Lecce. Their performances are rather impressive with media-speculation favourite Javier Pastore putting in another good show. Udinese continued their FC Barcelona impression by winning at home to a seemingly tootheless Sampdoria. This is the sixth straight game in which Francesco Gudolin’s team of flying internationals have failed to lose.

Word has recently been spread that Alexis Sanchez is set to leave at the end of the season, so to those who have yet to catch a glimpse of the Bianconeri, do so now, or fear being as distraught as those tabloid journalists who missed the announcement of Elton John’s child adoption because they were doing something much more worthwhile with their time, only to realise that they in fact didn’t care about handing out blankets to the homeless and should have been lying on a pavement with a camera trying to take pictures of what lies up Elton’s trouser leg.

Award of the week for services to ‘what, really?’ goes to Juventus, who managed to win a game of football 3-1 away to Cagliari. Alessandro Matri scored twice either side of Robert Acquafresca’s equaliser before maybe he who would be better off scraping plaster from a ceiling favourite Luca Toni scored Juve’s final goal in the 83rd minute to earn The Old Lady their first 3 points in three games.

Other results:

Bologna 1-0 Catania
Parma 1-1 Fiorentina
Brescia 2-0 Bari
Lazio 1-1 Chievo

Publicly available post-match quotes courtesy of:

• http://www.soccerway.com/

Serie A table available at and courtesy of:

• http://www.skysports.com

Related Posts:

• 5th February Weekend Preview

• What has happened to AC Milan?

A record breaking weekend in the English Premier League again added to claims that the competition is the most exciting in European football.

While La Liga arguably boasts better players, with a superior level of technical excellence, Serie A lays claim to much better defences (most of the time), with a superior level of technical excellence and the Bundesliga has better atmospheres, a more competitive league (maybe not this season), with a superior level of technical excellence, the English equivalent showed all of its great strengths on a manic weekend.

Unpredictability, controversy, poor defending and the inability of teams to hold on to a lead all helped to leave fans across the country as breathless as Mike Ashley when he heard he’d have £35m to spend on his next trip to a Tyneside casino. These characteristics all contribute to the dire state of the national side, but that’s another debate for a different time. This is all about the Premier League and what has to be one of the most memorable weekends in this already-thrilling season.

First of all, when top of the league travels to the side propping up the rest, you’d expect a more one-sided contest than David Haye/Audley Harrison, but not this week. Despite taking the lead early on through Nani, Manchester United put in a woeful display, allowing Wolverhampton Wanderers to inflict the leaders’ first defeat of the season. United showed once again their ineptness to perform on the road – not a sign of champions – while Wolves added Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to their list of scalps, alongside Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool – not the sign of relegation candidates.

When the leaders slip-up, the chasing pack have to take advantage. Arsenal seemed all set to move to within two points as they led Andy Carroll-less Newcastle 4-0 after just 26 minutes. In this situation, Barcelona would not allow the opposition a sniff of the football and pick them off when the situation arrived. Abou Diaby, however, decided to take matters – or Joey Barton’s neck – into his own hands. A swift dismissal later and Arsenal were on the back foot. You would still have been labelled crazy for foreseeing what happened next, though. Two Barton penalties, the second one a terrible decision, sandwiched an opportunistic strike from Leon Best and a wrongly disallowed goal from Best to get the hosts back to within a goal.

Still, you’d expect Arsenal to see off the spirited comeback with their quality, but Arsene Wenger’s men completely capitulated and the brilliant Cheik Tiote scored a goal that must win goal of the month. Finally, Newcastle had taken part in a classic EPL fixture that didn’t end in a 4-3 defeat, but Arsenal’s humiliating collapse showed their frailties as they attempt to win the title for the first time in seven years.

These results were just the window a Fernando Torres-led Chelsea needed to get them back into the title race. A Torres winner against his old club would have completed the perfect script for the Blues, but while Carlo Ancelotti failed to find a system to complement his three strikers – and left out Florent Malouda – Kenny Dalglish and Steve Clarke got their game-plan spot on to complete Liverpool’s league-double over the reigning champions. After the scintillating Saturday, Sky Sports’ Super Sunday was a damp squib in comparison but the result had a major say on the title-race and the chase for European places. Liverpool are now very much in the hunt for a Champions League spot, leaving Chelsea nervously looking over their shoulder instead of focusing on reeling in Man United at the top for the time being.

The only team in the league to put in a clinical, professional and trouble-free performance was Man City. Carlos Tevez netted a hat-trick, his second goal being set-up sublimely by the ever-excellent David Silva. City took advantage of their most hated-rivals’ slip to put them back in the title-hunt ahead of next week’s Manchester derby. A red win would end City’s dreams of silverware in the league; a blue victory will emphatically end United’s dominance this season.

Tottenham Hotspur kept their hopes of a first-ever Premier League title alive thanks to a late, late Niko Kranjcar winner in their 2-1 defeat of Bolton. With Luka Modric off having his appendix removed, it was fitting another Croatian would step up to the plate to stop Spurs dropping further adrift at the top. A second-straight Champions league appearance remains the ultimate target, but they will need Modric and Gareth Bale fit again as soon as possible.

Owen Coyle was critical of referee Mark Clattenburg for not giving his side a penalty, after awarding two to the home side in the first half, while Rafael van der Vaart was also left displeased after being asked to re-take his second spot-kick due to encroachment. However, the Dutchman should have turned his ire to his idiotic team-mates who failed to follow the most simplest of rules.

If only more refs would follow Clattenburg’s lead and make the players get the basics right, the game would be better off. Harry Redknapp’s insistence that it was “unusual” and that it would lead to “all penalties being pulled up” is the wrong attitude to set to youngsters. All it takes is consistency from refs to enforce the rule and there would no longer be a need to pull up the penalties.

Elsewhere, Everton/Blackpool played out an eight-goal thriller, with the Toffees coming out 5-3 victors. Any other weekend and it would have been the best game in Europe. Unfortunately, the events at St. James’ Park and the San Siro have overshadowed the North-West derby. Ian Holloway’s side desperately need a win, as their alarming slide down the table shows no sign of stopping, though their kamikaze football gives the fans brilliant entertainment.

Amid all the excitement, Birmingham City beat West Ham United 1-0. Now it wasn’t the best game, nor was it the most exciting, but it was the result with the biggest ramifications this weekend. Avram Grant’s side are now rock-bottom, replacing Wolves on goal difference, while Alex McLeish’s boys move up to 16th though only have three more points than the Hammers while just seven-points separate the ten teams in the bottom half of the table.

This peculiar season has only been made possible by the sheer lack of quality from the big teams. Whichever team ends up winning this league will probably be the poorest side to pick up the trophy. Though if their problems gives the fans more weekends like this one, you won’t hear too many complaints. At least not until Europe’s finest steamroller the English teams in Europe.

This tournament has been historic. It will always be remembered as the first World Cup to go to Africa, in particular, to South Africa – a country that has suffered so much oppression, that has fought to show the world that it is safe and that has shown the world that white people and black people are co-existing in peace.

The competition started slowly as teams seemed to be still adjusting to the conditions and there were clearly some nerves. The first round of group stage matches produced only two games where three or more goals were scored (out of a possible sixteen games). The first round was so dull that two games ended 0-0; there were six 1-0 wins; and four 1-1 draws.

The first round of games did produce some special moments though. The opening goal of the World Cup was fittingly scored by a South African – Siphiwe Tshabalala. It was a fantastic goal that got the country dancing – their competition had finally started. Elsewhere both finalists from 2006 were held to draws, France by Uruguay and reigning champions Italy had to come from behind against Paraguay. There were shocks as New Zealand scored a last minute equaliser against Slovakia; and no one foresaw that Spain would lose to Switzerland.

My favourite game of the first round was Brazil vs. North Korea. The Brazilians played some brilliant football in patches but it was the North Koreans who intrigued me. They were incredibly disciplined and were not at all in awe or afraid of the five time winners. North Korea kept possession well, defended with passion and had the confidence to shoot from any distance. The North Koreans deserved Ji Yun-Nam’s fantastic late goal and very nearly snuck a draw.

The individual performance of the first round belonged to Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama. The goalkeeper pulled off save after save after save to thwart Argentina who could never add to Heinze’s early goal. If it wasn’t for Enyeama then Argentina may well have hit double figures!

The second round of group stage fixtures saw some normality return to the results. The higher ranked nations started to grind out wins but not everyone was having it their way. The French followed up a draw against Uruguay with a 2-0 loss to Mexico; whilst Germany lost against Serbia by a single goal after Klose was harshly sent off. Like France, Italy were still finding it tough and they once again had to come from behind to draw with New Zealand.

Argentina provided an attacking masterclass to beat South Korea 4-1, but the game that everyone will remember from the group stages was the 7-0 drubbing that Portugal handed to North Korea. It was the largest winning margin and the game that product the most goals in the tournament. North Korea held their own for an hour and looked like they may find an equaliser to Meireles’s first half strike. However, the wet conditions and slick pitch allowed Portugal to play quick attacking football and the North Koreans fell apart.

The last round of fixtures in the group stages became a knockout situation for some countries. South Africa bowed out of the tournament, becoming the first host nation failing to progress from the group stage. They did however give the country a reason to party as they beat France 2-1, extinguishing the World Cup campaign of the 1998 winners as well as their own.

Nigeria disappointed at the tournament but at least walked away with a point as they drew 2-2 with South Korea in a game that provided the miss of the tournament. Somehow Yakubu put the ball wide from no more than 4 yards out, in the centre of an open goal and under no pressure. Elsewhere, the USA left it till the last minute to get a winning goal against Slovenia that meant they topped their group. Serbia just needed to win to qualify but fell to a surprise defeat against Australia – both teams went home.

One of the most exciting games of the tournament could have been Portugal vs. Brazil. Portugal were confident after annihilating North Korea, and Brazil had been comfortable so far. What was witnessed was a dull 0-0 that meant both sides qualified. Spain were the last team to qualify. They beat the 10 men of Chile 2-1 but were arguably given a dose of their own medicine as Chile even reduced by one, passed the ball well and used space fantastically. Both teams qualified.

The biggest surprise of the last round was Italy’s 3-2 defeat against Slovakia. It meant the 2006 champions were sent back to Italy having been knocked out at the earliest possible opportunity with only two points from three games.

I haven’t mentioned the trials and tribulations of England until now. I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time discussing the fortunes of my country over the past month and didn’t want to drag myself into the details of it all over again. So, if you didn’t already know…England qualified second in their group having played poorly in the group stages. They ended with a record of played three, won one and drawn two. It meant a date with Germany awaited in the last 16.

Off the pitch, both France and England ensured that drama ensued. The French sent Anelka home and so the players revolted and refused to train. As if that wasn’t enough, Ribery decided to interrupt a live interview with Domenech and he emotionally addressed the watching French nation himself. Meanwhile, in the England camp, John Terry lead a very English revolt – in which no players actually revolted. Terry told the media that some of the players were not convinced by Capello’s tactics and they would confront him in a team meeting. It became apparent that there was no player confrontation and Capello publicly said that Terry had made a “very big mistake”.

With the group stages over a look at the teams in the last 16 showed that Africa’s sole representation now lay with Ghana. In the meantime all the talk was of how impressive the South American teams had been, all five had made it through beyond the group stages.

The South American success at the tournament continued as the knockout stages began. Uruguay beat South Korea whilst Ghana kept the African dream alive as rising star of the World Cup, Asamoah Gyan scored in extra time to knock out the USA.

The games on the 27th June will be remembered for three things: German ruthlessness; English disappointment; and linesmen. England were outplayed, outclassed and emphatically beaten 4-1 by old foes Germany. Argentina removed the Mexican threat by beating them 3-1. Both games hinged upon incorrect decisions by a linesman. With Germany winning 2-1, Frank Lampard’s shot clearly crossed the line but the linesman did not see it. At 0-0 in the Argentina vs. Mexico game, Tevez was incorrectly considered onside (by some margin) and he put Argentina ahead. These two events lead to an apology from Sepp Blatter and Fifa admitted that technology may have to be seriously considered after the World Cup.

The World Cup managed to continue without Mexico and England. The Netherlands progressed by beating Slovakia 2-1. They had gone rather unnoticed through the early stages of the tournament and along with Argentina were the only other nation to have won three from three in the group stages. Brazil ended Chile’s run by beating them 3-0. Chile became the first South American nation to be knocked out.

Paraguay vs. Japan lasted for 120 minutes and not a goal was scored; so the competition had its first penalty shootout. Paraguay won 5-3 and ensured that half of the teams in the quarter finals would be from South America. Spain were the last team to secure a quarter final spot as they beat neighbours, Portugal, by a single goal.

Even before the last 16 games were completed, the inquest into English football had started. Whilst a lot of the focus had been on brilliant Brazil and awesome Argentina, Uruguay had confidently stridden through to the quarter finals and the prospect of a first semi final in 80 years was just one game away.

Whenever a World Cup comes around, Brazil are always considered a team who have a good chance of winning the competition. This year was no different. I was a little bemused by the confidence that the media had in them. This was a Brazilian side whose star player was underperforming and who had only produced patches of good football. Brazil in my mind were there for the taking, but I did not expect the Netherlands do be the team who troubled them. Brazil were excellent for 55 minutes and then a Sneijder goal for the Dutch signalled the end of the Brazilian challenge. The Netherlands controlled the remainder of the game and Sneijder whose influence on the tournament was growing, got his second. Brazil, unthinkably, were out of the tournament at the quarter final stage.

Uruguay and Ghana were paired in the least attractive of the four quarter finals. Ghana had the backing of the neutrals as Africa’s last nation. A poor game had one of the most dramatic of finishes. In the last added minute of extra time Ghana pressed for a final chance. Stephen Appiah had an effort blocked by Luis Suarez, following up was Dominic Adiyiah who thought he had scored until Suarez blocked his attempt, but illegally with his hands. Suarez was sent off and Asamoah Gyan had the chance to put Ghana into the semi finals. The image that will remain with me, is of Luis Suarez celebrating like a martyr as he walked down the tunnel having seen Gyan’s penalty thunder away off the crossbar. The game went to penalties and Uruguay triumphed 4-2.

Ghana come out of the World Cup as one of the success stories. Without their star player, Michael Essien, they found new heroes in Kevin Prince-Boateng and Asamoah Gyan (even after missing the penalty). This Ghana side will have inspired a new generation of African football fans as one of their teams made it to the last 8 in the world.

The quarter finals threw up a classic match, a game where two footballing giants would meet. Argentina vs. Germany is a game with a lot of history, pride and passion. This year it pitched the form side, Germany; against a team managed by a footballing icon and legend, containing the best player in the world, Argentina. Maradona’s men were quietly fancied by a lot of people as favourites to win the competition. They found themselves up against a young, hungry and typically disciplined Germany side though. I would imagine that watching this game made English fans feel a tiny bit better about losing 4-1 to Germany. Schweinsteiger dominated the midfield and in ruthless fashion, Germany won 4-0. For Argentina, history repeated itself and this loss will now add to growing list of defeats that Germany have inflicted upon Argentina in recent World Cups. Miroslav Klose bagged two goals to equal Gerd Muller’s record of 14 goals at World Cups for a German player.

Paraguay took on Spain in a closely fought and intense last semi final. Both sides missed penalties (although Spain did score their penalty it had to be retaken and was then missed) and it took a late goal from David Villa to seal a place in the semi finals for Spain.

Having had a South American dominance in the quarter finals, the semi finals saw a shift of power towards the European teams. There was now a real possibility that the final would be an all European affair, as it was in 2006. Only once before had two successive finals been all European, 1934 and 1938. Another final like this would break a curse that seems to hang on European countries – never before had a nation from Europe won the World Cup in another continent. Now there was a real chance of that.

The World Cup manages to go in stages where the public, often swayed by the media jump on the bandwagon of a certain country, believing they will get to final and surely won’t be beaten. In this tournament Brazil and Argentina were the two sides that couldn’t be beaten. Then, after beating Argentina it was Germany. Going into the semi finals there was a real belief that Germany could upset the European champions, Spain.

The first semi final saw the Netherlands take on the last non-European nation left, Uruguay. The progress of the Dutch had gone rather under the radar. In a way they were fortunate in the group stages, winning a game through an own goal and another through a goalkeeping howler. Their progression though had highlighted the importance of Robben and Sneijder to their team. Uruguay would be without the suspended Luis Suarez, but talismanic captain, Forlan, was in great form at the tournament and would try and lead his side unbelievably to the final.

This first semi final produced for me, the goal of the tournament. Dutch captain, Gio van Bronkhorst was high up the pitch from his left back area. There seemed to be nothing on for him, so with a little shift of the ball in front of him he decided to give it an almighty whack. From 35 yards out, on an angle, the ball flew into the top right corner. It was stunning. The much criticised, World Cup football didn’t even wobble about that much, no keeper was ever going to have stopped that shot.

Uruguay gave as good as they got and were level before half time. Forlan continued his form with another good goal. Holland controlled the game, but until the 70th minute, Uruguay were never troubled. However over the course of the next three minutes the game was over. Two quick Dutch goals from Sneijder and Robben meant the Oranje were all but in the final. A late second goal for Uruguay was not enough and the Netherlands were in their first World Cup final for 32 years.

Semi final number two saw form side Germany (minus suspended Thomas Muller) take on tournament favourites, Spain (minus Fernando Torres who was dropped for Pedro). Whilst Germany had found the perfect balance in their recent performances, Spain had not hit form yet. David Villa’s goals had got them this far and at times they had looked vulnerable. Fernando Torres had not scored at all and whilst still recovery from an injury he had none of his usual sharpness. This game was a repeat of the Euro 2008 final fixture.

The game turned out to be another close one. Spain, as they so often do, controlled large patches. Once again though, they failed to create good chances. The longer the game went on, the deeper Germany sat, allowing more Spanish pressure. Spanish persistence and possession eventually paid off, but from a set piece. A Xavi corner was met with a bullet header from Puyol and with 17 minutes to go, the game had its only goal. Germany may regret not pressuring Spain as hard in the second half, but the Spanish did produce a masterclass in how to keep the ball.

Spain have been the best side in the world over the past four years and their place in the final was richly deserved. It is a testament to the individual quality of their players that the team had not really performed that well in the tournament but still had made it to the final. A final of Spain vs. Netherlands awaited, and the tournament was guaranteed a first time winner.

Spain’s progress, playing their possession football has reignited the debate about whether it is the best type of football. Like, club side, Barcelona, Spain can keep possession for long periods of the match and when they need to, they can unlock a team with swift, deadly passing. This type of football has been labelled by some to be boring. Watching Spain in the tournament had at times been a nit painful – mainly due to the fact that the team hadn’t actually been playing well. There is something dull about watching a ball move between players in the middle area of a pitch for five minutes. At the same time it is incredibly admirable that Spain can do that. Few nations are able to keep a ball so easily. Is this the elite form of the game though? Germany are able to soak up pressure with a disciplined formation and then counter attack at great pace – arguably due to the patience, discipline and speed of attack, that type of football at its best is equally impressive, maybe not as easy on the eye though. I believe that because the way Spain play football is so rarely tried and achieved, it becomes slightly overhyped in that it is the best way to play. A nation should play the way that best suits the players available; in Spain’s case, this is the way to get the most from their players. It had got them to the final where they would hope to finally hit top gear and win in the fashion that many had expected before the tournament – with style and a sense of entertainment.

Before the final, there is the slightly meaningless playoff for third place. Germany changed their line up and withdrew Klose who wouldn’t have the chance to get a 15th World Cup goal and pull alongside Ronaldo as the tournaments greatest ever goalscorer. Uruguay and Forlan wanted to be able to say they are the world’s third best team and named a strong side. The game that followed was very watchable and entertaining. Germany took an early lead through Muller but went in level at half time due to a Cavani equaliser. In the second half Forlan volleyed Uruguay into the lead but Germany were level within five minutes as Jansen equalised following an error from goalkeeper, Muslera. Khedira got the winning goal for Germany, eight minutes from the end but there was still time for Forlan to hit the bar in injury time. Germany won the ‘bronze medal’ and ended finishing the tournament third.

The third place playoff is often considered a waste of a game but this year it turned out to be very entertaining with both sides wanting to win it. Uruguay exceeded all expectations in finishing fourth. Germany have a young, talented team that will be together for the next few years. The signs are that German football is in a good place at the moment and can only get better.

And so to the final…Netherlands vs. Spain

The big news ahead of the final was that Fernando Torres would once again be only on the substitutes bench. The game was tense and cagey. Howard Webb, the referee in charge had to stop play more often than anyone would have liked as the Netherlands gave away their tactics early on. Some would call it ‘anti-football’ but the Netherlands realised they would have to break up the Spanish possession however possible.

The first half was feisty. Five players had been booked after half an hour and no clear openings had materialised for either side. Sergio Ramos came close twice in the opening five minutes but otherwise long distant efforts were saved well by both goalkeepers. Nigel de Jong was lucky to escape being sent off after he planted a foot into the chest of Xabi Alonso.

The best chances in the second half fell to Arjen Robben. Twice he was played through clean on goal and twice he missed. Iker Casillas has come in for some criticism during the tournament but he was truly in form to deny the Netherlands on a couple of crucial occasions. The Netherlands learnt from Germany and made sure they pressed Spain high up the pitch. The problem with doing that however is that fouls and free kicks are inevitably given away.

As the game went into extra time, John Heitinga made on foul too many and he received his second yellow card of the match, followed by a dooming red card. With four minutes remaining, substitute Fabregas was able to slide a ball through to Iniesta who drilled the ball into the net to seize the winning goal for Spain. As the final whistle went, the jubilant Spanish players poured onto the pitch, some shedding a tear, some not knowing how to celebrate at all other than to hug the nearest person.

The final was not a classic. The football played was not exceptional. What is important is that the best team, the most consistent team over the past four years came out victorious. Spain may not have played some of the football that everyone is aware they are capable of, but there is no doubting their quality. It was fitting that Andres Iniesta got the winning goal. He has arguably been one of the best players in the world over the past few years and no one is as important to Spain as he.

The Netherlands in my opinion overachieved in this tournament. Their squad was strong but not as good as some. Apart from their match against Brazil, they had an agreeable route to the final. On the night they simply didn’t take their chances. Their tactics of fouling the Spanish worked until deep into injury time when one of their players was eventually sent off. Their squad is not old, and they will be able to bring through a few young players to solidify what they already have. This was sadly their third defeat in a World Cup final, but if they were to lose to anyone it would have had to have been this talented Spanish side.

As it all comes to a close, congratulations must go to Spain for winning the competition; Diego Forlan for winning the best player award, the Golden Ball (with nearly a quarter of the vote); and to Thomas Muller for winning the Golden Boot (5 goals and 3 assists). Spain won this tournament by only scoring 8 goals in 7 games, but that was enough. I am proud to say I predicted that Spain would win the competition (I’m less proud about some of my other predictions!). The competition ends with a first time winner and amazingly the only unbeaten side in the tournament was New Zealand!

Now the World Cup is finished until Brazil 2014. We have learnt that performances count for little; individuals put together don’t make a team; Africa can host a major tournament; European nations can win the tournament on another continent; the best team always wins the competition; Spain are the best team in the world…and of course, always believe an octopus called Paul!

Congratulations to worthy winners Spain, and see you in 2012 for the qualifiers!

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That weekend felt draining. I don’t think I’ve experienced so much footballing information in such a short space of time. Saturday started with the England hangover. Everyone has their own opinion as to why England continued their poor form with another failure. England fans weren’t the only ones feeling angry. The USA’s fans awoke to their own frustrations. They felt, quite rightly, that their side had been denied a 3-2 victory against Slovenia which would have capped an excellent turnaround having been two goals behind. Maurice Edu’s late goal was harshly ruled out by the referee.

Having had 5 goals on Friday, Saturday went one better and delivered 6. The opening game of the weekend saw the Dutch beat Japan 1-0 thanks to a Wesley Sneijder goal. The Dutch were impressive without seemingly getting out of first gear. Dutch fans might be concerned that they couldn’t add to their goal tally but the performance of Dirk Kuyt and an impressive substitute cameo from Ibrahim Affelay will keep morale high.

The second game saw an African heavyweight, Ghana meet the Socceroos, Australia. As in their first game, Australia harshly went down to ten men when Harry Kewell was sent off. This happened when Australia were already a goal up thanks to Brett Holman poking home after Wigan’s Richard Kingson spilled a shot. The game’s key moment happened on 25 minutes when Kewell handled on the line. It seemed a combination of arm and chest that could not be avoided. Kewell was shown red and Asamoah Gyan confidently scored the penalty as he did in Ghana’s first game. It proved to make for an exciting game. Australia worked very hard and had some excellent chances to get a second goal. Ghana were the more dominant side and had more chances than Australia but few were particularly good. The game ended with Ghana topping group D and Australia bottom.

Saturday ended with Denmark beating Cameroon 2-1 in an exciting game. Cameroon took the lead through Eto’o but that was pegged back by Bendtner. Rommedahl got the winning goal. The result was significant as Cameroon became the first country to be knocked out of the World Cup.

Along came Sunday…the England debate still rolling on with no sign of ending or answers. Then the French decided the World Cup needed drama.

The French Football Federation announced Nicolas Anelka had been sent home from the World Cup after a bust up with coach Raymond Domenech. Anelka has always liked an argument and a sulk, at least he can now finally say he’s played at a World Cup. That news broke on Saturday. The French took it up a notch on the Sunday. Domenech was in the middle of doing a live interview on TF1 whilst into the studio in flip-flops and shorts strolls Frank Ribery. Ribery, on the verge of tears wanted to deny any suggestions of a bust up with teammate Gourcuff that was alleged to have happened on board a flight.

The host of the interview was Bixente Lizarazu, the former French full back. He then engaged in an argument with Domenech after the French coach insisted the French players boycotted the press in 2000. Lizarazu accused him of being a liar (true – only Deschamps boycotted the press then).

As if the French had ended their drama for the day!? A rumour emerged that the entire French squad had pulled out of training and walked onto their bus. News filtered through that French captain, Patrice Evra had clashed with fitness coach Robert Duverne. Domenech had to separate the pair as Duverne stormed off and the players went onto their coach. Within twenty minutes, Jean-Louis Valentin, a French official quit his role citing that it was all getting ridiculous and was too much for him.

Another thirty minutes passed and a brief statement from the French players said they refused to train as they opposed Anelka’s exclusion from the squad. The French players were annoyed the Anelka-Domenech row had become so public and believed there was a traitor amongst the squad. Evra confirmed the squad don’t believe Duverne is the traitor and Duverne confirmed Evra was not rude or abusive but that he was merely trying to convince Evra to train.

The day began with Ribery’s unexpected apology to the French nation live on TV and ended with President Sarkozy calling the entire French squad to account.

England don’t like living in the shadow of the French and so John Terry’s press conference pulled England into the headlines alongside the French. John Terry gave an honest and frank press conference. He admitted England were not good enough. He admitted England were bored due to Capello’s strict rules. He admitted players’ would be speaking out at the team meeting on Sunday evening. John Terry suggested that the some of the player’s suggestions at the meeting that evening might upset Capello and that if that was the case it wouldn’t bother the players. This meeting that was to review the Algerian nightmare soon got spun by the press into a ‘crisis’ meeting. Terry suggested that the players may hint that they’d like a change of shape and personnel in the England starting XI.

Terry acted as if he was still England captain. He acted like a leader. It was probably what England needed – someone to give them direction. Terry was rash, he said some clumsy things, he contradicted himself a few times but the emotion he showed will have gone a long way to convince fans that the players care and want to fix the situation.

The question of player power must also be asked. Some of the world’s top managers would not have accepted some of the things Terry said. Terry openly said that he didn’t care if Capello would be upset by some of the things the squad would say to him later that evening. At a time when Terry emerged as a leader, Capello must stamp his foot down to remind the squad that he is in charge.

(I should point out that having suggested Terry was a hero yesterday, the press today seem to be suggesting that Terry has made a complete mess of the situation and have taken a very negative slant on it).

(Additionally, Lampard is speaking live now and suggesting that the meeting didn’t quite follow the path Terry suggested it might. Lampard is desperately trying to save Terry’s blushes after admitting the meeting was almost entirely about the Algeria game and that what Terry said was wrong and didn’t happen).

There was also some football played on Sunday!

I enjoyed Slovakia vs. Paraguay. The South American side won 2-0 and played some good football. It was refreshing to see an actual 4-3-3 formation with three clear forwards. Slovakia were surprisingly negative and were outplayed. Both of Paraguay’s goals were good finishes, from Vera and Riveros (who is to join Sunderland after the World Cup).

The second game saw Italy take on New Zealand. Unbelievably New Zealand took the lead through Shane Smeltz – a player who has played non-league football in England. Arguably Smeltz was offside but I’m not sure that anyone bar Italian fans cared. We had ourselves an amazing story. It took just over 20 minutes for Italy to equalise. Tommy Smith pulled down Daniele De Rossi, a soft penalty given and Vincenzo Iaquinta scored. That’s how it remained. Italy dominated the game but like England failed to excite or create good chances. The European curse continued. Do European players play too many games?

The final game saw Brazil take on Ivory Coast in a potential corker of a game. Brazil won 3-1. They played well and showed flashes of brilliance but the Ivory Coast were poor. They looked too reliant on an unfit Drogba and had no clear plan b. Luis Fabiano scored two very good goals and a third was rounded off by Elano after a good move. Drogba did get a late conciliation goal for Brazil. The game however was marred by the sending off of the under-performing Kaka for two bookable offences. Both offences were yellow cards but the second yellow card was for an elbow to Keita in the stomach, yet the Ivorian went down holding his face. Cheating from the Rivaldo school of ‘going-down’.

So the weekend closed with the South American teams doing well. Italy making England’s position look not so bad. The French and the English in ridiculous situations but for once not involving each other. The former best player in the World had been sent off. And a European had actually won a Major Golf tournament (well done Graeme McDowell).

The new week starts with sunshine in London for the beginning of Wimbledon and the prospect of two more big upsets today as Portugal play North Korea (looking to emulate 1966) and Spain play Honduras…bring it on!

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I’ve always been fascinated by the world of Italian Football – right across the board from the elegant players that grazed the turf of the San Siro (or the correct title ‘Giuseppe Meazza Stadium’) to the more cynical form of Catenaccio. I was pleased to find a book written by John Foot entitled ‘Calcio: A History of Italian Football’ and I was intrigued to find out more about Vittorio Pozzo (who I always believed to be aligned with the fascist regime enforced by Benito Mussolini) and the corruption that has always been rife within Italian football – from top to bottom. I wasn’t disappointed at all.

The book displays a great insight into the conflicts between different parts of Italy – highlighted no more than the North/South divide – and the different sets of fans. ‘Calcio’ also covers the darker side of the Italian game – with detailed accounts of extreme violence, in and outside the football stadium. There are also accounts of altercations on the pitch – with the most graphic and horrific account involving Lazio in the early 70′s, ironically against English opposition. Characters such as Giorgio Chinaglia (Lazio’s controversial frontman) are analysed – which are quite fascinating.

As a child in the late 80′s I was always besotted with Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan side. At the time I was unaware of the ‘un-Italian’ nature of his system and tactics, however as I matured and got more involved in the tactical side of the game – it was apparent; Sacchi had changed modern day football as we knew it. A side containing a trio of Dutchmen in Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Marco Van Basten ruled Europe for two seasons – winning back to back trophies in 1989 and 1990, the latter the year of the finals in Italy for the first time since 1934, where a Vittorio Pozzo inspired Azzurri lifted the Jules Rimet trophy for the first time. It is no cover up that the arrival of Silvio Berlusconi transformed the fortunes of the Rossoneri – after years of financial meltdown and relegation. Love him or loathe him, Berlusconi understood the passion of Italians for football and used Milan as a political catapult to smash his way into power – and it worked. The more successful AC Milan were, the better Berlusconi and his television network looked. For everything that AC Milan owe Berlusconi for resurrecting the 1963 and 1969 European Cup winners, Berlusconi owes his personal success down to the quality of the side his funds (and knowledge – apparently) helped mold.

Milan’s rise to the top of the Serie A pile was briefly interrupted from a small bloke from the south – Diego Armando Maradona. Foot highlights Maradona in a positive light stating that his ‘genius can really only be understood through images – his goals were never ugly or dull’. The Argentinian number ten, for me, was the greatest player of all time. Its easy to compile a list of top players that graced the World Cup. Maradona, Cruyff, Zidane, Beckenbauer, Charlton, Garrincha, Ronaldo, Eusebio and of course Pele – but in terms of overall technical, physical and mental ability, surely you can’t look no further than the trouble Napoli hero? He could win matches on his own through his unique dribbling that would result in an assist or beautiful goal. I once saw a clip of him scoring from the half way line for Boca after doing a few kick ups. It wasn’t that Maradona had to be flash or extravagant to prove how good he was – this skill and grace epitomized everything Maradona stood for. His rebelious nature was an endearing feature of the adopted Neapolitan.

Foot really captures the feeling and love towards Maradona from the Neapolitans – often looked down upon from the more wealthy North. He also clearly demonstrates the impact Diego had on Italian Football – which is clear to see when scrolling down the honours list of the Southern minnows. Two Serie A titles – 1987 & 1990 – along with a UEFA Cup – all in the Maradona era. His genius broke the stronghold of the North and brought Napoli their first major honour. His ability inspired those around him and Foot is quick to state that Napoli were not just about Maradona but were ‘Maradona dependent’. Other players such as current Juventus boss Ciro Ferrara, Fernado De Napoli, Andrea Carnevale and a young Gianfranco Zola – were touch along the way by the genius of Maradona. With any genius like Maradona there is always a darker side – a side that is always on the edge. His drug abuse and fulled orgies combined with weight problems later in life on touch the mad world of Diego. For all his troubles and drawbacks as a man – as a footballer he was simply the best.

The view of Juventus is captured brilliantly – with Foot taking a similar view to that of Manchester United in England. Loved by millions throughout the land – but despised in equal measures. Success usually breeds jealously, however in the case of Juventus and, thankfully, not in the case of Manchester United – many Italians clubs feel aggrieved by the cheating of the Old Lady throughout the years. From match fixing to doping to bribing – Juve have been guilty of it all. Prior to the emergence of Calciopoli, I did always wonder how a team like Juventus could win so many Scudettos – but yet fail so miserably in the European Cup when they reached major finals. Two European Cup wins out of seven attempts is a pretty poor showing for a club that has provided a home to some of the greatest players in the history of the game. Platini and Zidane are the obvious two – however, Liam Brady is still worshiped by the Bianconeri faithful for his decision to take on a penalty on the last game of the season – even though the Irishman knew he’d be leaving to make way for Platini. Its interesting to read about the overwhelming examples of situations where the decision has ‘gone the way of the Old Lady’ – none more famous than the disallowed goal scored by Turone in the 1980/81 Championship.

I must say that I am deeply impressed with the author’s knowledge of Serie A and the way in which the facts are presented. It is a very enjoyable read – for any football enthusiast and I would recommend immensely.