The second part should be easier to predict as Rafa has already been linked with a move to Inter Milan as replacement for Jose Mourinho, and while I imagine that is the most likely destination I also wonder how much Benitez will rue missing out on a return to Spain with Real Madrid, now that he is a free agent.

As for his replacement, Kenny Dalglish does not appear to be in the frame at all, but favourites in the press are Martin O’Neil, Roy Hodgson and Guus Hiddink, despite the latter signing a contract to coach the Turkish national side.

Former Manchester City boss Mark Hughes has been mentioned as a candidate in the past and would, I expect relish the opportunity of joining Liverpool, if only to settle old scores with rivals City.

In his favour there would be no compensation to pay out for his services, he is honest and hard working and expects the same from his players. He has also handled business in the transfer market pretty well prior to joining City, where the wheeling and dealing was taken on by the board.

He will feel he has something to prove after the way he was treated by City and his incredible record with Blackburn Rovers on a tight budget proved that he can get the best out of his players as a team.

And right now team spirit at Liverpool appears to be at an all time low, ensuring that the time was right to dispense with Benitez and inject some new blood into the managers hot seat.

I am sure Liverpool could do a lot worse than offering the vacancy to Mark Hughes, but let us know who you would like to see take over at the club.

Looking for a new manager to take them to the next level, and backed by Roman Abramovich’s millions, Chelsea was very quick off the blocks to offer Jose Mourinho the chance to earn and spend big money. Following his arrival in 2004 he won the Premier League two seasons in a row in 2005 and 2006. This was a great achievement and nothing should be taken away from what is an exceptional man manager & football tactician with his minute attention to detail.

But its often overlooked that in the proceeding season Claudio Ranieri took Chelsea to second place, missing out on winning the Premier League title for the first time in Chelsea’s history only by an amazing unbeaten season by Arsenal; a feat never before or since achieved.

Furthermore, it was the likeable Claudio Ranieri who built the foundations of Mourinho’s winning Chelsea team as he was the manager who signed Frank Lampard, Claude Makele, Joe Cole, Petr Cech, William Gallas and Arjen Robben among others, as well as nurturing the young John Terry.

After being sacked by Chelsea in September 2007 he joined Inter Milan in 2008.  But again, the team he inherited was a successful one as Robert Mancini had led them to three consecutive Serie A League titles. Absolutely amazing to think Inter Milan sacked Robert Mancini.  That is until last week when Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan won the treble (European Champions League, Serie A League Title & domestic cup) for the first time in their history.  It was Inter Milan’s first European Cup/Champions League victory since 1965.

So now Jose Mourinho is about to move to Real Madrid to complete what seems to be his destiny: to win league titles in England, Italy and Spain.  But Mourinho will inherit a side low on morale, with no big team spirit and a trophy cupboard that has been gathering dust while their bitter rivals, Barcelona are winning silverware and fans alike for playing the beautiful game.

Jose Mourinho will inherit a side high on flair and low on defensive duties.  Players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka are not known for their work horse attitudes and unselfish work for the good of the team.  It will be very interesting to see how long the Real Madrid president, and indeed the Real Madrid fans will give Jose Mourinho to deliver results.

Personally, I think this is going to be the hardest challenge of Jose Mourinho’s career. If he fails to win the La Liga title at the very least next season he will probably be sacked for the second time in his career.  If he brings European success back to Real Madrid then he will rightly earn the self anointed title of “The Special One”.

Florentino Perez and Jorge Valdano should surely know that this man will not lie down and be told who, or indeed how to play. He is his own man, much to the chagrin of Roman Abramovic, whose own ego couldn’t allow Mourinho to dictate matters at the club Roman so lovingly bought with his ‘dirty money’.

Moratti in a sense was the perfect owner for Mourinho, a powerful, yet understanding owner who knew when to open his wallet to keep Jose happy, and knew not to tamper in personnel issues on the pitch; are you listening Berlusconi, concentrate on embarrassing your people and leave Milan alone.

Alas the Italian press, combined with Mourinho’s satisfaction at having done all he can do at Inter Milan, means Mourinho will go from a situation where the club, owner, players and supporters loved him; to a situation where only the supporters and some players will love him.

As far as Perez sitting back while Jose does his thing, don’t think for one second Marca won’t get on his back and wedge a rod between manager and board. This is the same paper who forced the removal of Manuel Pellegrini, even though Real Madrid achieved a record number of goals and points this season.

Only Barcelona’s near perfect performances kept them from winning La Liga. They had decided long ago that Pellegrini should go, and they didn’t want to lose face by changing their minds. Marca are so narrow minded, that even if Real had brought home the league; they would have still called for his head, and Perez is too weak not to listen to the press.

But it gets worse, players like Cristiano Ronaldo don’t do defensive football, and Mourinho had Samuel Eto’o tracking back all the way through the Champions League final; and all season for that matter. Here is a proven goal scorer who has been relegated to a defensive wide forward playing under Mourinho. Sure he did it, but can you see Ronaldo and Kaka chasing down opposition full backs in their own half?  Come to that, as football fans, do we want them to?

These are gifted attacking players who provide magic and get you goals, but not for Mourinho.

Things are about to get very tense in the Madrid, and given that I don’t see Portugal going far in the World Cup this summer, there is going to be one unhappy Real Madrid number 9 come the start of the season, and if Mourinho doesn’t manage things just right, one of them will have to go; and given Real Madrid’s record with managers, Jose Mourinho might find himself back in the English Premiership sooner, rather than later.

Oguchi Onyewu

AC Milan and USA centre back Oguchi Onyewu who is in the preliminary USA squad for the 2010 World Cup despite missing most of the season with a serious knee injury, has extended his contract with the Serie A club, but there is a strange twist.

In an age of overpaid footballers asking for yet more money to sign new contracts with their clubs, Onyewu has totally bucked the trend by agreeing to play for twelve months with no salary.

The 28-year-old was in his first season with the Italian club when he tore a knee tendon in October playing for the U.S. in a World Cup qualifier.

How reassuring then that the player feels that he owes the club who have paid his salary during his recuperation and has actually signed a contract to play for nothing for a year.

In a statement from the AC Milan website, it says:

“Onyewu asked for, and received, a one-year contract extension from Milan, from June 30, 2012 to June 30, 2013, during this extra year, Oguchi Onyewu, by his choice, much appreciated by the Rossoneri club, has asked not to receive any kind of salary. This is an exemplary gesture which deserves sincere congratulations.”

It is unclear whether Onyewu will play any part in the World Cup finals as he has only just recovered from the injury, too late to gain match fitness in the Serie A run in.

AC Milan finished third in Serie A this season.

Two very different teams of course, and both with a chance of  making it through to the final of the competition. From a purists point of view it of course there is only one possible outcome, that Barcelona make it to the final and dazzle us all with their beautiful football skills to win the Champions League for a second consecutive year.

The Castrol Performance data champions league stats show that Barcelona pass the ball more than any other team in the competition, completing over 6,000 passes so far, and comfortably ahead of  Bayern Munich with 4,120, with Arsenal in third place.

Four of the top five passers in the Champions League this season all play for Barcelona. Xavi is head and shoulders above the rest, with 950 successful passes in nine games, that’s more than 100 successful passes per game.

Dani Alves has been creating havoc as usual with his runs up the field from full back, along the right flank. 19 of the Brazil international’s crosses have found a teammate, the most in the competition this season.

And what can you say about Messi. His goals against Arsenal moved him above the previous top scorer this season Cristiano Ronaldo and the Barcelona player has a conversion rate of one goal for every four attempts. His dazzling skills with the ball at his feet show that he is the player most likely to dribble, with 49 successful dribbles during the cup run.

So what can Inter Milan bring to the game. Well despite expecting Barca to have the lions share of possession, Milan will remain safe in the knowledge that they have only conceded one goal in the knock out stages and offer the best defence of any of the remaining teams.

The rock at the heart of Inter Milan’s central defence is Lucio. The 31-year-old Brazil international has only missed one game in the Champions League this season (the first-leg win against CSKA Moscow due to suspension), winning more tackles than any other player in the competition.

So Barcelona have to stick at their game and find a way past the aging Inter defence, while keeping a keen eye on the speed of Milan’s counter attack play.

Jose Mourinho knows that his players will have to work hard to close Barcelona down, the two teams met in the early stages of the cup drawing 0-0 in Italy and Barca winning 2-0 in Spain.

I loved this from Mourinho, ” I am not interested in the possession of the ball. If the team that has the most possession wins, then we have already lost.”

It will be an intriguing battle over the two legs, lets hope that it is also a great advertisement for the game.

dope

Former Chelsea player Adrian Mutu, who was kicked out of the club following his use of cocaine, has not learnt his lesson it seems as the player now with Italian team Fiorentina has just received a nine month ban following positive dope tests in January.

Mutu was twice tested positive in Italy, following the games against Bari on January 10th and then again against Lazio on January 20th.

The case was heard by the Italian Anti Doping Tribunal today who heard that Mutu had been found positive on both occasions for the banned substance sibutramine.

Sibutramine is supplied with a drug prescription that is prescribed for weight loss. Mutu confirmed that the drug had been given to him for use by his mother.

The 31 year old who has been at the top of his game since joining Fiorentina from Italian rivals Juventus, scoring 50 goals in 91 games, apologised to the club and the fans for letting them down (again) and said;

“I feel this is a harsh punishment, It seems too much. I expected less because, yes, the mistake was made, it’s right to pay, but not so much.”

By half time the Lionel Messi show was in full swing, and the best player in the world had scored another two goals to put the tie well and truly out of Arsenal’s reach, and in the process scoring his third hat-trick of 2010.

Messi’s fourth goal in the 88th minute was nothing more than icing on the cake.  By then everyone watching the game had surely agreed that this was one of the most amazing performances by any one individual footballer, possibly on par with Maradonna’s single-handed (forgive the pun) defeat of England in the 1986 World Cup Quarter-final.

And for those of you who listen to cricket legend and football pundit muppet, Darren Gough, on Talk Sport, I wonder if he will still be comparing Lionel Messi to Aaron Lennon tomorrow – a good player but not a great player, is his usually comment when asked about Lionel Messi.

I can’t imagine Messi ever leaving Barcelona while he is still in his prime because of the debt he owes Barcelona.  But how I would love to see him perform weekend in and week out in the Premier League.

After tonight’s match Arsene Wenger, Nicklas Bendtner and Manuel Alumina all  said they were simply beaten by the better team, and praised Lionel Messi’s amazing performance.  Wenger added he was the best player in the world “by a long way”.

Wenger knows his onions and tonight I am in total agreement with him.

Barcelona beat Arsenal 6-3 on aggreagate and will play Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan in the semi-finals after the Italian champions beat CSK Moscow tonight 1-0 away from home, 2-0 on aggreagate.

jose mourinho

At this moment, his attention is fully invested in the return to his old employers Chelsea in the Champions League, but José Mourinho is continually being linked with his next managerial position. However, despite the links with money-bags Manchester City and Real Madrid, the greatest motivation of all for the self-confident Portuguese would be to take up the challenge at Anfield.

This is of course providing the position at Liverpool becomes available, should current boss Rafa Benitez fall on his sword and admit defeat, after a semi-successful but ultimately failed period. Despite last season’s league campaign, the wheels tumbled off at an early stage this season and, in truth, Liverpool have never recovered.

Of course Liverpool fans have had their problems with the fiery ex-Chelsea boss, but if they saw past the frayed relations, they’d see that he is logically their greatest saviour. Manchester United have already matched and are now threatening to surpass Liverpool’s record of eighteen league titles. The power has vastly shifted and Mourinho is the obvious candidate for someone who can rapidly turn the tide and, on a personal note, wouldn’t he just love it?

The Inter boss has become increasingly frustrated by the resentment from the Italian press. He replaced a cherished Italian in Roberto Mancini and has been more increasingly speculating a conspiracy theory against him and his side (see the recent handcuffs gesture; typical Mourinho pantomime). It seems regardless of the Nerazzurri’s success or lack thereof this season, he will walk away from them and the Italian League. Despite his bravado, this is still a man who craves the love and respect of his peers and those that make judgements on his team.

He is undoubtedly an ambitious individual who has made no effort to disguise his desire to return to work in Spain and win the title there; clearly given his managerial track record, this can easily be narrowed down to the big two: Real Madrid and Barcelona. The current European champions are currently operating at the height of their powers under the darling of Catalunya, Pep Guardiola, so there will be no shifting him for the time being, even if they end up empty-handed at this season’s finale.

Of course Mourinho’s name was heavily linked with Real following their shock exit in the Champions League.  Although he managed to respond to the pressure and cultivate instant success at Chelsea with Roman Abramovich’s millions, one feels the Galacticos’ football philosophy is simply too distant from that of the Portuguese, who never fails to mention teamwork as the key to success, instead of the superstar personnel; he may also find it disconcerting that at least one of the players’ profile is bigger than his own, in the form of World Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo. Although entirely conceivable to see José strut his managerial stuff at the Bernabeu next season, it seems more plausible to see Rafa Benitez go there and for the self-titled “Special One” to take the Spaniard’s place at Anfield.

Mourinho clearly enjoyed his time in the Premiership and recognises it as the most competitive league, given the consistency of the English sides in the Champions League. In England he didn’t feel  the extent of the isolation that he does in the Italian league, this may be down to the higher percentage of foreign managers in the Premiership compared to Serie A. So despite any issues and problems he had with certain people and press criticism, he still felt the English media understood and respected him for his endeavour and performance.

The war of words between Mourinho and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger reached such a level of spite that José made a “voyeur” comment that he actually apologised for at a later stage.  Furthermore, he hardly experienced a cordial relationship with Carlo Ancelotti when the current Chelsea boss was top man at AC Milan, not to mention the fact he’s currently working at Mourinho’ beloved Chelsea, working with a squad that to a large extent was constructed by him.

Then there’s the master, Sir Alex Ferguson, at Manchester United. Despite their three season rivalry, there was a sustained mutual respect between the Scot and the young Portuguese “gun-slinger.” However, you’d imagine there is a sense of unfinished business in Mourinho’s head, as United managed to wrestle back the Premiership title back from Chelsea following two glorious league seasons at Stamford Bridge.

It’s this little community of managers whose sides currently reside in the top three of the English league that would represent a huge personal motivation for the Portuguese. He would love to be among such company again, returning armed with Italian silverware added to his CV. Then there’s the (possible) prospect of Roberto Mancini at Manchester City, whom he replaced at Inter, and in whose managerial shadow he still resides, according to the Italian press.

There is a strong belief that Mourinho would love to replace Fergie at Old Trafford. But Ferguson doesn’t appear to want to go anytime soon, and Jose doesn’t seem like a man who will wait. If he can’t replace him and continue the glory there, why not take control of a title rival and wrestle back both the league title and re-write the history books again after the Old Trafford chief has spent over two decades putting  them right?

Liverpool is as flat as it’s been in a long time; there’s a feeling of decay and a lack of spark. Who better to bring it back with a bang than the Special One? José’s not really bothered about one particular club. Sure he loves Chelsea and the differing challenges at the Manchester clubs would fascinate him. But Liverpool’s potential return to glory will give him all the potential spice he needs to concoct another Premiership recipe for success.  He wants back in the Premiership, when the going’s still good and he has personal scores to settle in true José fashion. Liverpool should come calling and Jose should say yes; just watch the sparks fly.

david beckham

David Beckham’s dream of making a record breaking fourth appearance in the World Cup finals is in tatters following an Achilles tendon injury endured in AC Milan’s 1-0 win over Chievo on Sunday.

Beckham will fly to Finland today to undergo surgery and face s a lay off off at least three to four months, effectively ruling him out of the this years World Cup Finals in South Africa.

He pulled up as he prepared to kick the ball and allegedly called to the bench ‘It’s broken,’ as he collapsed to the ground in agony.

While he is no longer a first choice in the England team, Beckham has offered total commitment to the team whenever he has been selected and offers a valuable option to the squad as he has proven time and time again.

At 34 years old he had set his heart on  appearing for England in South Africa and his absence from the squad will not help England’s chances of winning the cup.

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alex ferguson greatest achievment ever?

As his Manchester United past swept past a weary and punch-drunk AC Milan side, inspired by the imperious Wayne Rooney, team manager Alex Ferguson is edging ever closer to what could be regarded as his greatest ever achievement in football.

In light of what he has already conquered, that in itself seems an unimaginable concept. His re-construction of the Old Trafford club in the 1990s and the subsequent continued success this century is nothing short of inimitable. Indeed, with eleven league titles, two champions league victories and countless other Cup successes, the man’s decorated career history is hardly short of treasured memories and notable accomplishments.

Of course the 1999 treble will go down in the club’s history as the most spectacular success story to date, whilst another noteworthy conquest was the 2007 re-capturing of the Premiership crown following  the three-year drought amidst the London backlash in the form of Arsenal’s 2003/04 “Invincibles” and of course the subsequent arrival of the Russian mega-millions and Jose Mourinho  at Chelsea.

Fergie’s had great teams and world class players and memorable performances throughout his twenty-four year reign, yet with everything he’s developed to date and in particular all that he’s had to deal with this season in particular, he could be making his greatest mark yet.

Consider just what he’s had to face this last nine months and how on earth he’s managed once again to line his team up for the two biggest pieces of silverware available, with the League Cup already in the bag. Last summer saw the sale of megastar and top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo; he wanted to leave the club a year earlier but Ferguson shrewdly managed to effectuate another fruitful season out of him.

Yet Ronaldo was never replaced; only a fraction of the mammoth transfer fee received for the Portuguese was re-invested in players, particularly Antonio Valencia. Now, although he has improved as the season has progressed he is not nor ever will be the same class of player as his predecessor, yet somehow Ferguson has managed to harness the combined skills of the Ecuadorian with Nani and Ji-Sung Park and of course Wayne Rooney to heal the gaping wound inflicted by such a potentially devastating departure.

Tactically, he has disproved the doubters who refuted the impact of Rooney as a lone-striker at the head of the 4-3-2-1 formation, with the England striker currently on the form of his life, leading the line, also now scoring headed goals and singling himself out as the hottest striker in Europe.

Of course, the United boss has relied heavily on the fitness of Rooney in a season where his team has been decimated at times by injuries, particularly in defence, and the fact that United are still very much in the thick of the title race is testament to the Scot’s ability to get the best out of a player in an unfamiliar position. He has persevered and rewarded the industry of players like Park and Darren Fletcher and now they are rewarding his faith with moments of inspiration to add to their irrefutable endeavour.

As has been highlighted particularly with the David Beckham homecoming, his ability to support and sustain the consistency of the senior professionals like Giggs, Scholes and Neville is a testament to the core values central to his managerial ethos. Whereas Arsène Wenger at Arsenal tends to show players the door at 30, Ferguson actively encourages an omnipresent core of senior professionals to set the example and maintain the motivational standards of the club.

The final minutes of the Milan match illustrated the Old Trafford chief’s latest footballing headache, as the United supporters continued their fervent opposition to the Glazer family’s ownership of the club. This storm has threatened to sweep up Ferguson in its trail, and he has thus far managed to stay loyally respectful to his employers whilst at the same time voicing his empathy to the disconcerted fans’ perspective; meanwhile the club charge relentlessly towards the top honours once again.

A Premiership title this season would be a momentous nineteenth league title and knock Liverpool into second place in the history books, not to mention what would be a record fourth successive League success, with the prospect of a third successive Champions League final entirely conceivable.

He has steadied the Old Trafford ship countless times now and has fought the fires that threatened to engulf the club’s success and ambition.  After the catalogue of crises and circuses that have plagued the club this season in particular, he may soon be able to look upon this 2009/10 season as his greatest campaign to date and his most monumental achievement ever.