Ronaldinho Off To Man City?
The future of F.C. Barcelona forward Ronaldinho has come into question in recent weeks after he was told by Barcelona that he could leave at the end of the current La Liga season. In an unexpected turn of events, what was once one of the worlds most highly regarded players is facing a possible move to Manchester City.
After an impressive World Cup campaign in 2002 he joined F.C. Barcelona shortly after they attempted to prize David Beckham away from Old Trafford. At the time Barcelona needed a player who could really take them foreword and to the next level, and after losing out on David Beckham Ronaldinho was seen as the next best thing. Irony then played its part as he helped Barcelona to two La Liga titles and to one Champions League title, whereas David Beckham and the ‘Galacticos’ of Real Madrid had to leave it to his last season at the Bernabeu to win a trophy ( La Liga)
So why is Ronaldinho constantly being linked to a move to Manchester City? Many would argue that they can not offer him the Champions League football he craves.
On a recent visit to Eastland’s, Ronaldinho’s brother and agent Roberto de Assis Moreira was given the V.I.P treatment by Eriksson and others. City are apparently ready to offer Ronaldinho a £100,000 a week package. This would be far higher than what he currently receives at Barcelona and something Thaksin Shinawatra would want to bring the team to the next level. There is however a lot of speculation that Eriksson will lose his managerial job at Manchester City very soon, so whether this will have a bearing on the proposed transfer move of Ronaldinho we will have to wait to see.
So what are the other options for Ronaldinho? As always the big name – Chelsea will always be in the frame. Here is a team with copious amounts of resource and somewhere where Ronaldinho would fit in. With the attraction of the Premier League and its financial stability, it seems to be the number one choice for the best players in the world to earn a living.
Other European natures still offer competitive transfer players, due to other factors as better weather and a different style of play than what is seen in England. AC Milan is also believed to be interested in acquiring the services of Ronaldinho. He himself has stated a number of times that he would be interested in securing a move to a club that realizes his ambitions and goals as a player.
Who’s Next For The Chelsea Job?
There has been a lot of speculation in the media as to who the new Chelsea boss will be. A host of world class managers have been linked to the post, and the opportunity to lead one of the biggest and resourceful clubs in world football.
Avram Grant was relieved of his duties after losing to Manchester United in both the Premiership and Champions League. A John Terry penalty miss is what blew it for Chelsea and Avram. It was a disappointing season to end up with no silverware, however many in the media and football world were supporters of Grants achievements taken into consideration that he had to follow in the footsteps of Jose Mourinho.
One of the hot favourites to take over at Chelsea is Phil Scolari. He is a manager with a wealth of experience having managed Portugal at international level. Although originally from Brazil, Scolari’s skills are far fetching and have been proven at the highest level. Nicknamed ‘Big Phil’ he has experience at managing big name players such as Ronaldo and Deco. Ronaldo, who currently plays for European champions Manchester United has on numerous occasions mentioned his respect for Scolari’s managerial abilities.
Another high profile manager to be linked with the Man City post is Sven-Goran Eriksson. If reports are right in suggesting he will be sacked from Manchester City, his C.V. will surely result in him being a contender for the post. He will be a candidate as he knows English game, players and more importantly the language. Some do however rank Eriksson as an outsider, because his time as England manager was seen by many as a period of underachievement with world class players such as John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham.
Didier Deschamps, the former Chelsea player is also a contender due to his close ties to the club. He was a former Chelsea player who was loved by the fans. He has also managed AS Monaco and has got them to the Champions league final.
The former contender, although very speculative is Jose Mourinho. Although sacked by Abramovich, he was loved by the fans for his personality and the way he conducted himself in interviews. Although sacked his record was remarkable, having never lost a home league game and winning a number of trophies.
What ever manager is named as the new Chelsea boss, they will have a tough task ahead of them in pleasing the different number of stakeholders in Chelsea F.C. The Chelsea owner, Abramovich is a man who knows what he wants, and normally goes all out to get it. Having lost the European cup and Premiership last season the new manager will be expected to produce instant success.
Capello’s ‘New Look’ England
The recent 2-0 win by England over the USA has firmly established a new era in English national football led by Fabio Capello. Fabio has had a very successful career in club management, managing Real Madrid twice, Roma, Milan and Juventus, having won league titles with all, and one European cup.
So far Capello has managed two wins and one defeat as England Manager. With no involvement in Euro 2008 he has time on his hands to rearrange the England side and play the tactics he has been preaching for his whole career. The past would show that Capello’s tactics are more defensive in nature, and rely more on the technical ability of the players in the team. After adopting the unusual 4-5-1 formation for England in the two matches against Switzerland and France, England played a 4-4-2 formation against USA. Many critics have stated that this is the only way England knows how to play, however only time will tell for this.
Fabio Capello himself had a successful playing career. He made his debut in 1964 and moved to Roma three years later. He then went on to play for Juventus and AC Milan, and rounded of a successful playing career by being capped 32 times for the Italian national team, and scoring the only goal against England at Wembley. As a manager he adopts a very authoritarian approach in order to get the best out of his players. At Real Madrid he was known for banning woman associated with the club from wearing low cut tops in order to not distract the players. Perhaps for England the most notable change in philosophy is that the players have to call him by his surname, and vice-versa. This was a significant change compared to that of former England boss Steve Mclaren, who tried to be the player’s best friend gain respect that way.
The task ahead for Capello now is to qualify for the World Cup in 2010. The first qualifier is in September against Andorra, to be played in Barcelona. So far, many players from the senior squad have been impressed by how Fabio has been coping as manager. Peter Crouch recently stated that his tactics and intentions are starting to get through to the players and show in Englands performances. John Terry has stated that off the pitch Capello is a leader and constantly looks to get the most out of his players.
Perhaps one of the biggest issues from Capello’s short spell in management so far has been whether David Beckham is good enough to cement a place in the starting line-up. At Real Madrid Beckham was famously dropped from Capello’s team after he announced a move to LA Galaxy in the summer. Beckham then won over Capello and was recalled to the squad. Against France, Beckham won his 100th England cap for England. Whether he will still be around to lead out England in 2010 is still a matter of uncertainty.
The future for England is definitely an interesting topic of discussion. The main question that remains is whether they can adopt a completely new style and approach to football that Capello has started to implement, and whether it will work.
Sven To Manage Mexico?
Recent reports in the football world have hinted that Sven-Goran Eriksson may be on his way to manage Mexico after it a likely release from his contract from Manchester City. Eriksson has had a successful career in football management, managing league clubs such as Benfica, AC Roma, AC Fiorentina, SL Benfica, U.C Sampdoria, S.S Lazio, the England national team and most recently Manchester City football club.
International management will not be a strange place for Eriksson, who led England to three quarter final’s in major tournaments as Manager. He was deeply respected by a host of the senior players, such as John Terry, David Beckham, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney. The option to hire a foreign coach by international teams is one thing that has become more popular in recent times. Fabio Capello has recently been made manager of the England national team, and is thought to be someone who can bring a wide range to experience to the set up.
However, a number of Mexico players have expressed their concern at the seemingly imminent arrival of Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager. In Mexico, there is a strong public opinion towards the coach having to be from Mexico. Many of the Mexico players speak little or no English and there is a lot of doubt as to whether Eriksson has any prior knowledge of the Mexican league.
With other jobs now coming on the market, such as Chelsea and possibly Inter Milan, Sven Goran-Eriksson can still cling on to the hope of managing a top European club side once more. His record is impressive, but recent events have made him prove unpopular. A notable turning point was bringing the youngster Theo Walcott to the 2006 world cup, but not using him at any of the fixtures.
Eriksson’s future is likely to be the centre of media attention in the weeks to come. Chelsea would be the ideal move for him, but with managers such as Scolari, Deschamps and Mancini in the frame, he is likely to have a lot of competition on his hands. Thaksin Sinatwa, the Manchester City owner is set to make a decision regarding Eriksson’s future this weekend, so his future may still be to be decided a for a few weeks yet.
Newcastle’s Emre Off To Fenerbahce
Emre Belözoğlu, Newcastle United and Turkish International 27 year old midfielder has agreed terms with last season’s Champions League hopefuls Fenerbahce, according to the Turkish top flight team.
Emre made the relocation to St James’ Park in 2005 for £3.8 million from Italian side Serie A contenders Internazionale. Despite his seven years of experience in top flight European football, as well as in 2004 being selected by footballing legend Pelé for inclusion to the Fifa 100 list of greatest living players, it appears that he doesn’t factor much in to new boss Kevin Keegan’s plans for the coming season.
Fenerbahce have confirmed the deal on both their official website and club television channel, stating that “Fenerbahce reached an agreement with Newcastle United in order to sign the Turkish superstar Emre Belozoglu.” It will be a welcomed return to Turkey for the one-time Galatasary footballer, who despite some 46 starts within the English Premier League never quite managed to find the required consistency to bridge the gap from being a good player to a great one.