Spain Football

Spain Football

Argentina Football Team Picture

Argentina Football Team Picture

Inter wall stands firm

Once in a while we get reminded that there are lies, damned lies and statistics, and the return leg of the Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Inter may well be added to the list of events triggering such a cliché.

Valdes has shown his fiery side this season

Possession, for example, was overwhelmingly in favour of Barcelona, as it had been last week, but can you name another instance where it counted for less? Once Inter were reduced to ten men, midway through the first half, tactics became less important than focus - which in itself makes up a lot of the scope which you prepare tactics for - and heart, of which the Nerazzurri showed a lot.

It may be said Inter went through on points, having won the tactical battle in the first leg and cancelled out Barcelona's numerical advantage in the second, and one cannot help but think that it was Jose Mourinho again showing his character, his thoroughness in preparing for the opposition and his ability to channel his aggressiveness to the players.

He defiantly stood in the middle of the Camp Nou pitch one hour before the game, once again inviting and absorbing abuse - there had been a lot of El Traductor jibes in the week leading up the game, with a nod to his experience as Bobby Robson's translator in the late 90s - and taking in the breathtaking view of a ground that was filling up with noise and colour.

Then, as soon as the game started, his preparation showed again: when Goran Pandev failed a fitness test right before kick-off, he had to switch from his chosen 4-2-1-3 to a 4-3-1-2 with a peculiar look. Cristian Chivu was deployed on the left of Thiago Motta and Esteban Cambiasso, helping out Javier Zanetti whenever Dani Alves wandered into the area while also keeping an eye on Lionel Messi inside. Samuel Eto'o and Gabriel Milito were frequently seen wider than they usually would in a two-striker set. Meanwhile, Wesley Sneijder was anchored in the middle of the park, acting at times as a withdrawn centre-forward rather than a trequartista, and also tracking back in Xavi's footsteps.

Once again, despite some early trouble when Cambiasso was booked for a foul on Messi who had beaten him in a one-on-one situation, Inter provided a steady dam in front of the central defenders. Rarely did Messi or one of his team-mates threaten to shoot (on one chance, Julio Cesar tipped the ball wide with a great save), and it must be noted how Inter did not concede free-kicks from dangerous positions throughout the game, an encouraging display of discipline.

When Motta - who ironically had warned Inter about the Barcelona players' penchant for theatricals - was sent off for a slap to Busquets' face, the Nerazzurri quickly reorganised. Chivu was moved inside to partner Cambiasso (and was lucky not be shown a red card for a retaliatory foul near the end of the half), Eto'o effectively moved outside to left winger and the result was a 4-4-1-1 with Sneijder and Milito switching responsibilities in the centre and on the right.

The amount of dirty work the three forwards did was later shown in the fact they were all taken off once it became more a matter of keeping men behind the ball than threatening to score, although one can make a case for always keeping at least one man up front to prevent an opponent from pouring forward with all available bodies.

Barcelona never had a real chance to up the tempo and to accelerate, as they like to do, because there was simply no room to do that, and because Inter had possession for such a short amount of time that you could not really take the ball away from them and start a break before they had reorganised.

Samuel Eto'o celebrates Inter's win

Forced to carry the ball around the very visible wall that had been erected at the 25-metre line, the home side were frustrated in their attempts to find a direct channel, as they managed to do very late when stand-in striker Pique scored despite the addition of Ivan Cordoba as a third central defender.

Reopening play with a pass to the flanks, trying to pull the edges of Inter's defence apart, was not effective, as Maicon and Zanetti were given a lot of help from their team-mates, among them the late subs Sulley Muntari and McDonald Mariga.

A classic match, it was not, with goal attempts few and far between. The more spectacular, brilliant side were stifled over two games, and the more consistent, aggressive, determined team went through.

Perspective will be reversed for the final, as Inter will be clear favourites and will then have a different mental game to play with. But, as a calm, and collected - but clearly elated - Mourinho said right after the final whistle, attention must immediately be turned to Sunday's Serie A clash at Lazio, then next week's Italian Cup final against Roma. Bayern, for now, are a distant thought.

Diego Milito now signed until 2014

It wasn't Camp Nou. It wasn't the second leg of a tie you are leading 3-1, but Inter again enjoyed far less possession than their opponents (20 minutes and 39 seconds to 40 minutes and 12 seconds), and ended up having an even better game than the semi-final second leg against Barcelona.

Diego Milito

One reason, of course, is that Bayern are not as creative with the ball at their feet and nimble without it as the Catalans are, but one constant in both matches was Inter's willingness to go against man's basic instinct - everyone wants to kick a ball, not run into imaginary positions where it may go - and cause things to happen, wait for them to develop and then react.

Catenaccio, the bolted door of the 1960s and '70s, used to be the operative word, but its negative tone would be too much on this occasion. The passing of time has elevated coaching to something more than rolling footballs across the pitch and watch as 22 men chase them. This in turn has meant coaches and managers have acquired a higher profile than ever before, so even considering that it's still the players who go out there and make things happen, praise must indeed be given to those who set things up.

It was, indeed, as much Jose Mourinho's triumph as Diego Milito's, whose sensational season can now continue with the World Cup.

The purest of the Argentinian's gifts, as shown recently in the Coppa Italia final, is a good first touch, close control while keeping his body between the ball and the defender and getting a shot in, and it was there for all to see on 35 minutes.

It is funny how such a tactically tense game should be broken open by something resembling route one football, though. Taking a leaf out of long-ball guru Charles Hughes' tome, Julio Cesar's clearance was helped on by Milito with his head and the ball fell perfectly for Wesley Sneijder, who killed its momentum with the sort of snake-bite reflexes great players have and in one motion slotted it through for Milito to do his job.

Milito even hesitated for a fraction of a second before shooting, a la Michael Thomas circa 1989, and this may have caused Inter's heart to flutter for a moment before the net was shaken by the ball. Someone in the Italian media mentioned this as a goal "on the break", but it was hardly so, as you can rarely expect a defence to be readier and more compact than when the ball is at the opposing goalkeeper's feet.

Once ahead, Inter, who had shown some brilliant one-touch football very early on, were quite happy to play keep-the-shape (4-2-1-3, but it was constantly changing to 4-1-2-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-4-1 depending on the position of Bastian Schweinsteger and Thomas Muller), perhaps whispering "come on, make my day" any time a Bayern player had the ball.

Not that everything went the Italians' way. Lucio and Samuel had to make timely interceptions early on, and in one of the more predictable developments in the game, Cristian Chivu was having trouble against Arjen Robben on Inter's left. Some pre-game talk had focused on whom Inter should deploy on that side. Chivu is the younger, perhaps more talented player, but he's not a great turn-and-run defender, which leaves him vulnerable to wingers who can change direction and accelerate.

Zanetti, the only other candidate considering Davide Santon's long-term injury, is slower but can somehow keep his body closer to his opponent and channel their moves into less dangerous positions. Mourinho went for Chivu, believing he still had more to gain than by moving Zanetti outside and inserting Dejan Stankovic as a holding midfielder.

But the move had its negative effects, and Chivu's yellow card after half an hour might have put him in a dangerous situation. That's when Goran Pandev began tracking back even deeper than before and Esteban Cambiasso, who played on the left of the withdrawn midfield duo, often shifted to Chivu's side.

Inter somehow managed to save the day there, and the fact Robben saw a lot of the ball but whirred and whizzed and ultimately produced little, might have reminded some of that movie scene where the bad guy shows off move after move including, in this case, a curled shot that Julio Cesar did very well to turn away, until Indiana Jones sends him to showboat heaven with a single, direct shot.

On the other side, Samuel Eto'o rarely crossed midfield unless Inter attacked in numbers, and it was Sneijder - who also moved to the left in the early stages, to help keep Philipp Lahm back - supporting Milito more than anyone else, as the two chances the Argentinian created for his team-mate proved.

Hamit Altintop's presence on that side, where Schweinsteiger also threatened to run in the inside channel, also meant Maicon had to cover more than push forward, and it wasn't until late in the game that he produced one of his typical runs.

With Bayern replacing Altintop with Miroslav Klose, who joined Ivica Olic up front with Muller moving to the left, Bayern showed more intent, but it was on the break, just as by design, that Inter scored the second. And the way Milito undressed poor Danny Van Buyten one-on-one you'd have thought the Belgian defender was a streaker trying to grab a moment's celebrity.

The final ten minutes went by with barely a moment of danger for Inter, and the Italians' end of the ground could be heard, almost quivering with increasing anticipation as the final whistle approached.

As everyone will know by now, the occasion was momentous and among the thousands of stories one could save from the day there is the tale of Sergio Scariolo, the Italian basketball guru who coached Spain to European glory last year and whose day job has him coaching Russian side Khimki.

He travelled across the continent to be at the Berbabeu before catching a flight back to Moscow, where he has a play-off game on Sunday, right after the final whistle. This of course does not mean Scariolo is more of a fan than those who could not afford the trip and suffered in front of the TV or in bars, but gives an idea of how historic the occasion was perceived to be by Inter supporters, who will now turn their attention to whether Mourinho goes or stays.

Inter's anthem, played to ear-splitting effect right after Javier Zanetti lifted the Cup, centres around the words "Pazza Inter" ('Crazy Inter'), dating back from a time when nothing ever seemed to go right for them. Perhaps it's time to change the lyrics: is there anything more rational, more coldly and coolly practiced than this Mourinho-ed version of the Nerazzurri?

Spurs get holders Inter, Real's group of death

Inter Milan

Tottenham will face reigning champions Inter Milan in the Champions League group stages, while they also face German side Werder Bremen and Steve McClaren's former side FC Twente. Spurs' first attempt on European club football's top prize is not an easy task with Rafa Benitez now at the helm at the San Siro and Bremen, who finished third in the Bundesliga last season.
Manchester United face up against Rangers in another 'Battle of Britain' after their last clash in 2003-04 and must contend with Valencia as well - although the Spanish side have been weakened by the summer exits of David Villa and David Silva - and shock Turkish champions Bursaspor.

Didier Drogba gets a reunion with former club Marseille as Chelsea are drawn in a group with the French champions, but they also face a tough trip to Spartak Moscow and Slovakia's MSK Zilina. Marseille boss Didier Deschamps got the better of Chelsea in 2004 when in charge of Monaco but, having lost two of their first three league games, will have to turn things around.

Arsenal will be reunited with Eduardo after the striker moved to Shakhtar Donetsk, while they also face Braga - who hammered Sevilla in the play-offs - and Serbian side Partizan. The Gunners lost 3-0 in Donetsk back in 2000, but turned it around in the second leg as they sealed a thrilling 3-2 win thanks to Martin Keown's two late goals.

The group of death is undoubtedly the one containing AC Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax and Auxerre. Real and Milan clashed last season in the group stages, with Milan coming out 3-2 winners at the Bernabeu, but Milan will have extra motivation this year as former Inter coach Jose Mourinho is now at the helm of the Madrid side.

Conversely, Barcelona have been granted one of the easiest groups ever seen in the Champions League. They have a tough trip to Rubin Kazan - who beat them at the Nou Camp in the group stages last season - but Copenhagen and Greek side Panathinaikos shouldn't prove too much of a test for Lionel Messi and company.

DATES: September 14-15, 28-29; October 19-20; November 2-3, 23-24; December 7-8.

Group A
Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Inter Milan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Werder Bremen	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tottenham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FC Twente	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group B
Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Lyon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Benfica	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Schalke	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hapoel Tel Aviv	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group C
Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Manchester United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Valencia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rangers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bursaspor	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group D
Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Barcelona	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Panathinaikos	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Copenhagen	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rubin Kazan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group E
Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Bayern Munich	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Roma	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Basel	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
CFR Cluj	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group F
Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Chelsea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Marseille	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Spartak Moscow	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MSK Zilina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group G
Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
AC Milan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Real Madrid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ajax	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Auxerre	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group H
Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Arsenal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Shakhtar Donetsk	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Braga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Partizan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

T-shirt Inter Milan 2010

T-shirt Inter Milan 2010

Manchester United Sign Aon to Replace AIG as Shirt Sponsor

Manchester United signed a shirt sponsorship deal to replace AIG with with insurer Aon believed to be worth £20 million a year (about $33 million). Bonus payments could add a further £5 million a year, according to the FT.

The deal ends Man Utd’s dependence on U.S. taxpayer dollars. AIG spent about £14 million of its bailout money on the final year of its sponsorship, The Sun noted. Neither Man Utd nor Aon gave details of the deal. However the FT said:

Man Utd received a strong bid from a betting company, which enabled them to pitch three to four suitors against each other, said to include Standard Chartered.

That explains the Sahara Group rumors of a few days ago. (Looking back, wasn’t that bizarre?)

The deal means two things for Man Utd: First, it will increase its sponsorship revenues at a time when many clubs are expected to see theirs decline due to the recession. Second, it puts some relief on their spiralling player budget costs.

To give you an idea of how bad the latter is, striker Carlos Tevez is currently demanding £25.5 million to stay at Old Trafford; and Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance reports that the team spends £121 million per season on players.

As for the former, the AP reported:

… that is about 40 percent more than AIG was paying and 17 percent more than Bayern Munich’s shirt sponsorship with mobile phone provider T-Home.

The good news for United didn’t end there. The Manchester Evening News reported that the club has shaken off some of its debt expenses on higher revenues, and made a profit.

The Premier League champions made £71.8m for the season 2007-8 to put them at the top of the money tree globally.

Their revenue of £257.1m also saw them outperform the rest of their Premier League rivals - with figures suggesting they are bucking the global economic crisis.

Side note: How far behind, business-wise, are Americans when it comes to sport sponsorships? Check this out for the answer. Practice shirts, indeed!