Our weekly video podcast series comes back today focusing on the hottest topics making the airwaves featuring 2 Manchester United faithfuls talking about the future of Jose Mourinho & Success and failures of Ed Woodward . PS – This was recorded the weekend of 9/22
Archives for September 2018
Marco Asensio: The New Spanish Golden Boy
Spain has had a plethora of top players in the last 15 years which has enabled them to win both the World Cup and Euros. The famous Spanish sides of 2008, 2010 and 2012 were brimming with world class players in every position and they haven’t stopped producing talents. After producing the likes of Iker.Xavi,Iniesta,Puyol,Pique,Villa,Ramos, Xabi Alonso,Buesqets,Senna,Silva etc Spain has been continuously producing a crop of top players.Today the Spanish squad has Ramos,Buesqets,Silva and Alba remaining from the old guards and they are supported by a group of players in their prime like Carvajal, Isco,Thiago,Costa,Rodrigo,Alonso,Azpulicueta,Koke,De Gea,Nacho,Gaya etc and supported by upcoming (and already established in some cases) huge talents like Asensio,Saul,Odriozola,Ceballos and Co. The Spanish teams from 08,10 and 12 had Barcelona forming the core but now the role has reversed with Real Madrid forming the core with as many as six Real players playing in their recent 6-0 thumping of the World Cup finalists Croatia. But the one name which is shining bright is the boy from Palma, Marco Asensio, being touted as the golden boy of Spanish football.
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Looking back : How Ancelotti, Kaka and Pirlo gave rise to the 4-3-2-1
Football managers always keep on looking for ways to tinker and adjust with their teams’ style and structure to cope with the continuous challenges rising every day in footballing arena. The Italian and the Dutch (and later Spanish) football schools have always remained the hot bed of football innovations in regards of tactics. Today we shall discuss an Italian Manager who has won three UCLs and is one of the most revered names in football, Carlos Ancelotti. Once a stalwart in the midfield of the famed AC Milan under the legendary Sacchi, Carlo came into football management with stints at various clubs, but it was at his beloved Milan that he truly established himself as a great. When he started management , he was a firm follower of the styles and methods of Sacchi. So ingrained was the influence that he played only one formation , a flat 4-4-2,and refused to change his system passing on the chance to acquire some great players. But with time he started experimenting and reinventing himself and when he started his stint as the manager of AC Milan, he was far more flexible and experimental than his early managerial days.
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Fun Fact x Trivia
A Recent History of Ronaldos.
Followers of football in the past couple decades definitely know there was a prominent Ronaldo long before Cristiano CR7 came on the scene. Many would think that O Fenômeno was the original holder of the rights to that name. However, the Brazilian Ronaldo did not even originally bear the name Ronaldo on his shirt. Join us as we explore the phenomenon behind the ”Ronaldo” name.
When Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima first emerged at Cruzeiro and PSV Eindhoven there was already another Ronaldo in the Brazil squad named Ronaldo Rodrigues de Jesus. In typical Brazilian fashion of aggregating multiple names into one, a solution had to be found.
The older player in the squad became known as Ronaldão (Big Ronaldo) and the younger Ronaldo – the one who went to achieve greatness – became known as Ronaldinho. He kept that name for the 1996 Olympics, when he was in the squad alongside a third Ronaldo, the defender Ronaldo Guiaro. Ronaldinho at the 1996 Olympics inspired Brazil to the semis and with a 3-2 lead against Nigeria in place 5 minutes to the end, he was subbed off by his manager, Mario Zagallo That act proved to be an error as Nigeria came from behind to end Brazil’s quest for an Olympic gold medal.
That did not stop Ronald(inh)o’s star from rising rapidly and he went on to become arguably the greatest Number Nine the football world has ever known. However, he only became known as Ronaldo when Ronaldão and Ronaldo Guiaro stopped playing international football.
Just in time for a fourth Ronaldo to emerge: Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, or Ronaldinho Gaúcho as we came to know him at PSG, Barcelona and Milan. He also went on to achieve fame and greatness while bringing a charming sense of fun to the beautiful game.
Thankfully, we have only one prominent Ronaldo currently playing nowadays. No further confusion involved, it is black and white. Fittingly so too, as he now plays in black and white.
Oladimeji Sapoloso.
Scouting Lautaro Martinez : How good is he
Argentine youth system has dried up some what in the recent years with various drawbacks such as immense corruption, lack of proper organisation and long term planning etc being the attributed reasons. In fact things were so bad during Copa 2017, that it was said that Lionel Messi was paying the security staff of AFA from his own pocket during the entire tournament. Argentina have not produced a world class defender after Roberto Ayala left the scene in 2007, they have not produced a world class full back after Zanetti, a world class CM has not come out from Argentina for decades, Cambiasso and Mascherano were the last two famous No 5 from Argentina and both have retired, they have not produced a WC goalkeeper for ages,but one position Argentina was never short of is the CF/SS/ST position which they have never stopped producing. Apart from one of the all time bests in Lionel Messi operating in current era , the baton from Batigol,Crespo etc has been passed down to the likes of Milito, Higuain, Aguero etc and which is being carried forward by the likes of Icardi and Dybala. However, a new name which has burst on to the scene in recent times and is causing a lot of ravings is Lautaro Martinez, the boy from Racing Club who has now joined Inter.
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The “Unserious” Podcast
Our weekly video podcast series is out. This episode is the “unserious” podcast where we banter and discuss the recent UEFA awards, UCL Draws & Spurs title chances