After another calendar year of football, there have been some fantastic goals and LiberoFootball is back to look back on some of the best:
Martin Palermo – Best Header (04/10/09)
Before this goal, in a 3-2 win against Velez Sarsfield, Martin Palermo was most famous for missing a trio of penalties in a 1999 Copa America first round tie against Columbia in a 3-0 loss. He never wore the Argentina shirt until a call-up this year by a desperate Diego Maradona, where his last-gasp winner against Peru gave their faltering campaign a much needed boost.
Velez Sarsfield goalkeeper German Montoya came out of his box to clear the ball, which sailed harmlessly, at head height, towards the centre circle, where Palermo was standing, 38.9 metres from goal. The rest is history. The veteran striker said afterwards, “It always happens to me. When I look for similar stories of other players there aren’t any. Things happen to me that I can’t explain”.
Yet again, England is being placed as strong contenders for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. All after two giants of world football were dispatched in the Ukraine and Slovakia. Patrick Barclay, now of The Times, has claimed only Spain present a viable threat to England’s quest for global supremacy.
To return from Wembley late on Wednesday night, turn on the television and find Argentina being mangled by Bolivia was to be reminded of just how close England are to world supremacy.
This idea is flawed, with the closest contenders all masters of possession football – a style which England undoubtedly struggle against. Brazil, Argentina, Spain all play a ‘tiki-taka’ or ‘pass and move’ game, and even Lippi’s Italy can play fluid counter-attacking that can expose the holes in a static England. The Germans always perform on the big stage, while a number of other sides are also capable of defeating England in a one-off game and vice-versa. Holland, Russia, Turkey are also strong contenders and it would be logical to place England below that bracket currently, given the failure to qualify for Euro 2008 and the inability to play against sides who can starve England of the ball.
The whole racism issue in Spain was apparently set to be eradicated after the initial furore about former Spain coach Luis Aragones calling Thierry Henry ‘a black s**t’ in a bid to motivate his then team-mate Jose Antonio Reyes. The measly fine awarded for the incident was a day’s wages in £2000. And the Spanish FA declined to take any action initially, before being forced by the Spanish anti-violence commission.
The Russian side has been the most vocal in the January transfer window, alongside Garry Cook and his failed attempt to sign Kaka and Adriano Gaillani’s desire to keep David Beckham. From the various voices at the club, vastly differing news has come out of St. Petersburg. Together with Andrei Arshavin’s talkative agent Dennis Lachter (the Guardian compiled evidence of his tendency to speak when a mike is put before him); the move of the Russian playmaker has led astray the media who appear to be changing the state of the move to Arsenal with every passing day until the February 2nd deadline.
If Liberofootball.com was an employee of BSkyB or ITV, it would be looking for every single angle to sensationalise yesterdays Champions League draw for the round of 16.
The Anglo-Italian ties have made the headlines as Claudio ‘Tinker-man’ Ranieri returns to Stamford Bridge to face his former side Chelsea with Juventus. The 54 year old Italian tactician has been heavily criticised for his moment of madness against Monaco in 2004: Hasselbaink on the right wing? Clearly the tabloids haven’t gotten over the fact that managers make mistakes.
Well, they did say a week is a long time in football. How relevant that statement is for Real Madrid. After losing 3-4 at home to a Sevilla comprehensively dismantled by Barcelona the week before, and the manager Bernd Schuster intent on relieving himself of his duties by claiming there is no hope of even at draw in the Nou Camp, the fans of los Blancos had the handkerchiefs out in force.
Last night, Predrag Mijatovic announced in a press conference that Bernd Schuster had been given the dreaded vote of confidence. The German coach has been under pressure following defeats to Juventus at the Bernabeu, as the Turin side recorded their first victory in the Spanish stadium for 46 years.Even worse was the defeat to third division Spanish side Real Union, the first time Madrid lost a cup tie against a lower league side. The minnows went through on away goals after a 4-3 defeat at the Bernabeu (6-6 on aggregate). The Real Madrid defence had World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro and a spattering of internationals throughout the side.
Real Madrid have a championship-winning attack and a relegation-suffering defence. Barcelona seem to have excellent quality in both departments. The results of both sides this weekend only strove to emphasise this idea. Barcelona thrashed real Valladolid 6-0, while Real Madrid laboured to a 4-3 success in a whirlwind of a game against Malaga. The stunning parallel between both games was that strikers Samuel Eto’o and Gonzalo Higuain both scored 4 goals.
Real Madrid 4 Malaga 3
The latter was a source of ridicule for a small section of the Bernabeu crowd for his inability to hit the target regularly (and that doesn’t been scoring, but actually not skying his shots over the crossbar). Yet over the last few seasons, the Argentinean has improved his accuracy and his impact on the team. Scoring the title-winning goal last summer for Madrid to win their 31st title has been the catalyst Higuain has needed. When Real Madrid signed Fernando Gago and the River Plate youth product, many assumed that it was the former Boca Juniors man, who was the better signing. These pundits claimed Gago would replicate the legacy of Fernando Redondo. Instead, it has been Higuain, who has taken on the mantle of rescuer.
This is a new feature on Liberofootball.com, looking at all the latest talent cropping up in world football at the moment. Here are a number of prodigous talents, ranging from powerful defenders to lightening-quick wingers:
Mario Balotelli – Inter Milan (ST)
The young striker made such an impression in his debut season at the San Siro, that he began taking all the set pieces. Under Roberto Mancini’s tutelage, the black Italian scored a number of key goals in the Coppa Italia, including a brace away to Juventus. His height, pace and strength, combined with exquisite technique has made him a feared opponent for any side. Of Ghanaian heritage, he has committed to his adopted Italy, with the Azzurri desperate to recruit ‘Super Mario’ to their cause. Now with Jose Mourinho, Balotelli is having to play the waiting game.
Los Blancos were looking to bounce back from another defeat in Turin against a Juventus side, which is fast becoming a ‘bogey’ team for Bernd Schuster’s side. Atletico Bilbao arrived to face to team with a point to prove. All eyes were on Raul, who was only seven goals behind the record of the great Alfredo Di Stefano, yet the captain was anonymous when on the ball and also off it. It was left to the erratic Gonzalo Higuain to step up and the Argentine definitely did exactly that.
