ARCHIVE - MAY 2011
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XAVI ENGINEERS BARCA SUCCESS Will C, 30/05/11
'The Lionel King' and 'King Messi' are a just a few of the headlines from the Champions League Final. Saturday's game was a prime demonstration of just why Lionel Messi is head and shoulders (in talent, not height) above any other player on the planet and also why Barcelona are simply untouchable.
To many, Messi is Barca's talisman; the driving force behind their success, a player like no other in this generation, a magician. Suggestions that Cristiano Ronaldo is in fact the best player in the world fall on deaf ears in the Catalan region, to them there is no question; an opinion that is echoed around the globe.
But for me, there is one major absentee from the headlines. If Messi is the magician, then Xavi is most certainly the engineer. The man who holds the accolade as the world's best passer also provides a strong case for the player with the best engine. While Messi steals the headlines with his astounding close control and majestic dribbling, Xavi takes a back seat and provides a master-class in the field of 'pass and move.' The Spaniard and graduate of 'La Masia,' the club's academy and never-ending talent pit, constructs triangles all over the pitch, gracing every blade of grass with his subtle presence.
The truth is, without modern day statistics and devices, the work of Xavi Hernandez would go almost unnoticed, such is his nature and style. But thankfully, the architect of Barca's 'total football' is now appreciated as one of the greats and I challenge you to deny him this after hearing these stats from Saturday. Xavi covered 11.95km of Wembley turf, more than any other player on the pitch. Added to this, he attempted 148 passes, of which 141 were successful, leaving him with a pass completion rate of 95%, again more than any other player.
Xavi has the Barcelona DNA; he passes, he moves, he creates. He also possesses fantastic ability from free-kicks making him of optimum value to Barca and not far off matching the value of Messi.
Together with his partner in crime, Andres Iniesta, Xavi is the technician of Barca's current reign over the footballing world. A great squad, a great history and a great manager who has promised at least one more season at the Nou Camp, so for the minute, there is no sign of a changing of the Guard(iola).
To many, Messi is Barca's talisman; the driving force behind their success, a player like no other in this generation, a magician. Suggestions that Cristiano Ronaldo is in fact the best player in the world fall on deaf ears in the Catalan region, to them there is no question; an opinion that is echoed around the globe.
But for me, there is one major absentee from the headlines. If Messi is the magician, then Xavi is most certainly the engineer. The man who holds the accolade as the world's best passer also provides a strong case for the player with the best engine. While Messi steals the headlines with his astounding close control and majestic dribbling, Xavi takes a back seat and provides a master-class in the field of 'pass and move.' The Spaniard and graduate of 'La Masia,' the club's academy and never-ending talent pit, constructs triangles all over the pitch, gracing every blade of grass with his subtle presence.
The truth is, without modern day statistics and devices, the work of Xavi Hernandez would go almost unnoticed, such is his nature and style. But thankfully, the architect of Barca's 'total football' is now appreciated as one of the greats and I challenge you to deny him this after hearing these stats from Saturday. Xavi covered 11.95km of Wembley turf, more than any other player on the pitch. Added to this, he attempted 148 passes, of which 141 were successful, leaving him with a pass completion rate of 95%, again more than any other player.
Xavi has the Barcelona DNA; he passes, he moves, he creates. He also possesses fantastic ability from free-kicks making him of optimum value to Barca and not far off matching the value of Messi.
Together with his partner in crime, Andres Iniesta, Xavi is the technician of Barca's current reign over the footballing world. A great squad, a great history and a great manager who has promised at least one more season at the Nou Camp, so for the minute, there is no sign of a changing of the Guard(iola).
THE RETURN OF DI CANIO - YOU KNEW HE'D BE BACK Nick, 21/05/11
In
celebration of their newly acquired status as a League Two outfit,
Swindon Town have appointed Paolo Di Canio as manager. Swindon, a high profile
club compared to many of their League Two counterparts, have gone against the norm. Usually for a
big club punching well below their weight, a tried and tested manager
with promotion pedigree is prime candidate. Di Canio, with a lack of managerial experience and an uncanny knack of surrounding himself in controversy, seems a bizarre choice. He is a man who will undoubtedly bring a laugh to the changing
room - had he come a decade later, his antics would have infected
YouTube in a similar way to Jimmy Bullard or David Luiz. Yet there must be something about this man that has
brought his potential as a manager into board room discussions across
the country. Fresh Air Football takes a look at what the divisive Di
Canio is bringing to the English management scene. Will he succeed?
Or will he just bring the Wiltshire Gazette & Herald something
else to write about every week other than the tales of Wootton
Bassett?
Lazio, Juventus, A.C. Milan and Celtic (amongst others). Swindon Town Football Club have never had a member of staff with such a history. However, this list of some of Europe’s most prestigious clubs doesn’t put a scratch on the dense and colourful history of Paolo Di Canio.
Undoubtedly Di Canio was a talented footballer and the transfer fees he commanded across his career are testament to this. Sheffield Wednesday paid Celtic £4.2 million for the striker in 1997. Di Canio was there for two seasons and scored 23 goals. A reasonable record considering he spent 11 games watching from the sides after receiving a ban for his infamous push which instigated the stumble of the century from referee Paul Alcock.
It is the Di Canio of the early West Ham years that Swindon will largely be hoping they have invited to lead their club back to League One. It was here he guided West Ham into the UEFA Cup, won player of the year in 2000 and scored that famous 'Goal of the Decade' volley against Wimbledon. In 2001, still at West Ham, the angel that is Paolo Di Canio even managed to pick up a FIFA Fair Play Award for refusing to pull the trigger on a goal scoring opportunity when the helpless Everton keeper Paul Gerrard was down injured, praying for mercy.
So was Paolo Di Canio maturing, turning into a wise footballer and a sporting man? Not really. The attributes that could label Di Canio as a great manager, aside from enthusiasm, are still largely absent. Upon moving back to his beloved Lazio in 2004, on a massively reduced salary to help their financial troubles, he once again immersed himself in controversy. Di Canio, who apparently associates with a 'neo-facist' section of the Lazio fan-base, thrust himself into the spotlight of the world media when photographed performing a fascist salute to the Lazio 'Ultras'. Though some argue the gesture to be a cultural salute of Roman Italy, it seems curious that a man should be freely allowed to hold a position of authority within football following the open expression of fascist (though not racist) views.
It not Fresh Air's tact to get involved in such heated politics but maybe Swindon will have something to answer for in the future. It would certainly be interesting to gauge the response of both the faithful at the County Ground and the FA should Di Canio's ugly straight-armed, flat-palmed salute make an unlikely reappearance in Wiltshire. Perhaps the local troop of the Countryside Alliance will welcome the Italian with open arms on their next fox hunt in the Cotswolds?
Some may say there are already too many egos in English football management. For the Premier League this is perhaps true, and maybe Di Canio will one day be amongst them with his beloved West Ham. However, down in League Two there are few managers that will grab the spotlight as much as he will. Only perhaps Lawrie Sanchez at Barnet has the pedigree, the tough job and the London postcode to attract the attention of the national press. Whether Swindon as a football club, and as a town, regard this attention as a beneficial or not is unclear.
On a positive note, Di Canio does bring a spark of light to a place that to many, is nothing more than a sign on the M4. On the other hand, Swindon Town, along with fellow relegation companions Plymouth, Bristol Rovers and Dagenham & Redbridge, are going to have to put in some gritty performances at some dreary places. If they can't do this then the free-fall of Luton or Stockport, or the stagnation of Southend, is a definite possibility. I don’t believe the Italian flair and passion of Di Canio is ever going to be successful for Swindon. It worked for West Ham, kicking some animation into a club with a great fan base and a group of underachieving players. However, League Two is a gladiator's arena in which only men with the nouse of Gary Waddock or John Sheridan will prevail.
So you heard it from Fresh Air Football first: Di Canio will be a bigger flop than Paul Alcock. By late February 2012, Di Canio will be back in his aviators, driving his Lambo around Lake Como and shuddering over the thought of Swindon Town.
Lazio, Juventus, A.C. Milan and Celtic (amongst others). Swindon Town Football Club have never had a member of staff with such a history. However, this list of some of Europe’s most prestigious clubs doesn’t put a scratch on the dense and colourful history of Paolo Di Canio.
Undoubtedly Di Canio was a talented footballer and the transfer fees he commanded across his career are testament to this. Sheffield Wednesday paid Celtic £4.2 million for the striker in 1997. Di Canio was there for two seasons and scored 23 goals. A reasonable record considering he spent 11 games watching from the sides after receiving a ban for his infamous push which instigated the stumble of the century from referee Paul Alcock.
It is the Di Canio of the early West Ham years that Swindon will largely be hoping they have invited to lead their club back to League One. It was here he guided West Ham into the UEFA Cup, won player of the year in 2000 and scored that famous 'Goal of the Decade' volley against Wimbledon. In 2001, still at West Ham, the angel that is Paolo Di Canio even managed to pick up a FIFA Fair Play Award for refusing to pull the trigger on a goal scoring opportunity when the helpless Everton keeper Paul Gerrard was down injured, praying for mercy.
So was Paolo Di Canio maturing, turning into a wise footballer and a sporting man? Not really. The attributes that could label Di Canio as a great manager, aside from enthusiasm, are still largely absent. Upon moving back to his beloved Lazio in 2004, on a massively reduced salary to help their financial troubles, he once again immersed himself in controversy. Di Canio, who apparently associates with a 'neo-facist' section of the Lazio fan-base, thrust himself into the spotlight of the world media when photographed performing a fascist salute to the Lazio 'Ultras'. Though some argue the gesture to be a cultural salute of Roman Italy, it seems curious that a man should be freely allowed to hold a position of authority within football following the open expression of fascist (though not racist) views.
It not Fresh Air's tact to get involved in such heated politics but maybe Swindon will have something to answer for in the future. It would certainly be interesting to gauge the response of both the faithful at the County Ground and the FA should Di Canio's ugly straight-armed, flat-palmed salute make an unlikely reappearance in Wiltshire. Perhaps the local troop of the Countryside Alliance will welcome the Italian with open arms on their next fox hunt in the Cotswolds?
Some may say there are already too many egos in English football management. For the Premier League this is perhaps true, and maybe Di Canio will one day be amongst them with his beloved West Ham. However, down in League Two there are few managers that will grab the spotlight as much as he will. Only perhaps Lawrie Sanchez at Barnet has the pedigree, the tough job and the London postcode to attract the attention of the national press. Whether Swindon as a football club, and as a town, regard this attention as a beneficial or not is unclear.
On a positive note, Di Canio does bring a spark of light to a place that to many, is nothing more than a sign on the M4. On the other hand, Swindon Town, along with fellow relegation companions Plymouth, Bristol Rovers and Dagenham & Redbridge, are going to have to put in some gritty performances at some dreary places. If they can't do this then the free-fall of Luton or Stockport, or the stagnation of Southend, is a definite possibility. I don’t believe the Italian flair and passion of Di Canio is ever going to be successful for Swindon. It worked for West Ham, kicking some animation into a club with a great fan base and a group of underachieving players. However, League Two is a gladiator's arena in which only men with the nouse of Gary Waddock or John Sheridan will prevail.
So you heard it from Fresh Air Football first: Di Canio will be a bigger flop than Paul Alcock. By late February 2012, Di Canio will be back in his aviators, driving his Lambo around Lake Como and shuddering over the thought of Swindon Town.