Amid Transfer Speculation, Some Things to Remember
Sunday, 14 June 09, 05:05 PM · Comments(0)
It's just a nut house in the transfer market right now. Then again this is nothing new really, because it's always like this after a season. Perez of Los Merengues, however, is doing nothing new either. Absolutely nothing. In fact, as he burns the Madrid club's funds away in the search of his galacticos nuevos one is assured that history will likely repeat itself. If that's how the Madridistas want it, fine. Let them travail the circle of suffering once more. I thought better of Florentino when he stepped down as president of Real Madrid in late February of 2006. He appeared a man willing to take the fall for a road of ruin that was his legacy. But this ... this is just unbelievable.
As a culé it's somewhat unsettling to see that the Nemesis has already secured the services of Pellegrini as coach, as well as Kaka and Ronaldo. The Chilean is a master of the elegant game, and the recent acquisitions from AC Milan and Man Utd should stand to prosper under his guidance. Or at least under normal conditions, but Real Madrid are anything but normal these day, or for most of this decade for that matter. It seems a club that strives for excellence in spite of itself and its leadership. When this unfortunate predicament will end is unknown, but certainly not any time soon under Señor Perez Rodriguez.
And just as in last summer, Barcelona have come out of the gate at less than breakneck pace, with no new signings to date. There has been talk of Ribery, Ibrahimovic, Forlan and even Villa, but nothing definitive so far. Ah well, we do still have the best team in Europe. Yes, Gudjohnsen and Hleb look to be leaving, and maybe Eto'o as well, but the fact remains: Pep has his treble winning squad largely intact come 2009/2010. We will need to find replacements for those leaving, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to add a little depth to the back line, specifically the central defenders.
The good thing about Barça is that it's a club grounded, not on marquee players, but on a philosophy of play. This philosophy demands skill and creativity of its practitioners, and not as individuals alone. Their abilities must work within the collective, dictated by Guardiola. In so doing, the individual's contribution is magnified and ones efforts are enhanced. The whole become greater than the sum of its parts. And it goes beyond tactics and formations too. Rather, it's about how the ball is played. Something as simple as that. As elemental as that. It's not easy to do even for skillful players, but what FC Barcelona does is as effective as it is a joy to watch.
So, amid the chaos that is the transfer season, am I worried? No. Let Florentino dig himself into a great money pit once more. A gaggle of galacticos is nothing compared to what we call Barça.
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Tim said:Please do never compare Ronaldo to Messi because he doesn't worth that. No one ...
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Pequito
seattle, US
Over 30 years ago, this American came to love the sport by way of Guam. It may have been pivotal that his first coach was a Spaniard with the self-declared moniker of 'Don Pedro'. Since then, the love of tiki-taka and all things La Liga has been foremost. This especially applies to Barça.
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