Neymar’s suspension is a blessing in disguise for Brazil

It was approximately one year ago when Luiz Felipe Scolari’s managerial tenure as Brazil’s head coach looked in tatters. Some would argue that partially through no fault of his own, Scolari’s stint was left in a sorry state. Neymar’s campaign was over after having his back broken in the latter stages of their World Cup quarterfinal against Colombia courtesy of a cynical challenge. Such was the loss that the players all donned snap backs in support of their injured warrior, a move Dunga at the time was highly critical of. Forget about Neymar and get on with the job was the message.

Fast forward 12 months and Dunga himself found himself in a similar career defining moment. Ironically, once again, it was Colombia who had ended Neymar’s participation in a major international sporting competition, this time through a four match suspension handed down for the 23-year-old’s antics.

Neymar, of course, had acted like a spoiled kid who was dissatisfied with everything that went against him. His frustration at being unable to break down Colombia’s stubborn defense clearly evident as he was lucky to escape a booking towards the end of the first half after protesting against the referee and subsequently punching the ball away. He would later try to headbutt an opponent and strike another with the ball, all of which culminated in a dramatic downfall. A monster had been unleashed, so they said.

Although Dunga faced criticism for his move in naming a still immature Neymar as captain of world soccer’s most successful side, Dunga largely dealt with the situation with class and didn’t allow such a controversial scenario to derail the Selečao’s attempt to reach the knockout stages. The fans too accepted Neymar’s suspension with grace.

Read more of this article at World Soccer Talk

Australia’s historic win against Brazil breeds confidence and self belief

The caption of a graphic that Nike Soccer uploaded onto their social media channels recently read: Strong Alone. Unstoppable together. If anything, Australia’s history-making quarter-finals berth into the Women’s World Cup was the manifestation of exactly that.

While the Matildas cannot exactly boast high-profile players the likes of five-time World Player of the Year Marta, United States’ own superstar Megan Rapinoe or France’s star-attacker Eugenie Le Sommers, the Aussie line-up isn’t quite bereft of talent.

Australia goalkeeper Lydia Williams has been assured in between the sticks ever since replacing Melissa Barbieri in the starting line-up; Laura Alleway has proven to be lethal in the air; while Lisa De Vanna has proven to be a nightmare for opposition defenses.

But the key to the Matildas’ stunning rise is not simply the result of strength in depth in a roster that boasts a hybrid of youthful flair and experienced exuberance, but rather the cohesiveness of a side brimming with confidence, all that under the tenure of a youthful, yet tactical adept and organized coach.

Pitted against the might of the United States, Sweden and Nigeria, a positive result in the Group of Death seemed unlikely. But instead of being caught up in the hype surrounding the difficult task of qualifying from their group against such strong nations, the Matildas, let their work on the pitch do the talking. And the Aussies have proven to be worthy opponents.

Read the rest of my article on World Soccer Talk

Barca make Berlin history

It was a match which perfectly summarised Barcelona’s treble-winning season, a match which, in itself, encapsulated not only the highest of highs, but also the lowest of lows. And in the end, as Gerard Pique so rightly pointed out, the addition of the European crown, the club’s fourth in the space of decade, to their La Liga and Copa del Rey titles, was perfection.

But it very nearly wasn’t.

Jittery as if they’d forgotten how to approach finals, upon kick-off, the Blaugrana were immediately placed on the back foot. Juventus’ proactive pressing saw Luis Enrique’s men cough up possession and concede a corner early on. And yet, true to form, Barcelona found their feet, and subsequently, the back of the net as an incisive through ball from Neymar carved up a depleted Juventus defence, before Andres Iniesta’s square ball to an unmarked Ivan Rakitic saw the Catalans draw first blood.

In many ways, the manner in which the Camp Nou outfit scored their first was apt. So much had been made of the fact that Enrique had started to change Barcelona’s tiki-taka approach. And yet, the way the Catalans carved up Juve’s usually-sturdy defence was exactly in that same vintage vein they had so often done. Their use of possession, quick transitions and intricate short passing led to a goal which involved all 10 of Barca’s outfield players.

While the scoreline at half-time failed to do Barca’s dominance justice, the fact remains that as the Blaugrana ambled towards the break, they continued to create openings, and had it not been for Gianluigi Buffon’s first-half heroics, for the Bianconeri, their dreams of a fairytale would’ve turned into a disastrous nightmare.

Read the rest of my piece on Football Espana

Barcelona’s road to the CL final

As the curtain closes on 10 or so months of blockbuster Champions League action, it all comes down to this. With the treble on the line, arguably the two most consistent sides in Europe this season, Barcelona and Juventus, will scrap it out for the continental crown when the whistle blows in blows in Berlin.

In many ways, Berlin presents itself as an ideal backdrop for two sides whose background is draped richly in history. Like Berlin, the two sides set to take to the field have experienced eras of unrivalled success juxtaposed with scandals. Saturday’s fixture, though, presents a completely different theme. One of redemption, or as Pique put it, perfection.

As Gerard Pique noted, the Champions League final presents an opportunity for Barcelona to acquit themselves of recent bad publicity which has plagued the club off and on the pitch and to create history by becoming the first club to win their second treble.

Indeed, the final presents an opportunity for the club which, quite simply, could very well not have occurred. Just five months ago, La Blaugrana found themselves on the brink of collapse. The ongoing Neymar transfer scandal in culmination with Lionel Messi’s spat with Luis Enrique threatened to leave the club in disrepute.

While that proved to be the turning point of Barcelona’s season, it’s fair to say that single incident came as a result of accumulated pressure and frustration from the club’s unconvincing start. And Enrique’s rotation policy only left players even more demoralised and disillusioned.

Read the rest of my piece on Football Espana

Ter Stegen finally comes of age

As fireworks lit up the Barcelona skyline in celebration of La Blaugrana reaching the Champions League final, over at the Allianz Arena, their former Coach Pep Guardiola marched across the sideline towards his old friend. The man who had often gotten the better of Luis Enrique as the ‘better’ player and the ‘better Coach’ finally fell short. Sportsmanlike, Pep embraced his opposite number, and in doing so, one would think, offered Enrique his heartfelt felicitations.

Barcelona, of course, had just sealed their tie against Bayern Munich with a 5-3 aggregate win, a result which will see them travel to Berlin, the capital of Germany which lies 600 km north of Munich, for the final. And judging by their sub-par performance, the Catalans, literally, and perhaps metaphorically, have a long way to go before potentially being crowned champions.

Bathing in the success of their first-leg 3-0 win at Camp Nou, Barca seemed content to take their foot off the pedal in the most crucial of times. Bayern, yet again depleted due to injury, began the match with a bang, and exposed Barcelona’s deficiencies with set-pieces as they hit the lead on the seventh minute from a corner. Mehdi Benatia, who himself was ruthlessly criticised for his inability to handle crucial moments, ironically, became a figure of hope for the Bavarians.

And just as Bayern seemed as though they would somehow miraculously claw their way back into the tie, Barcelona hit back through the triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. The two goals in the 15th and 29th minute followed the same pattern - Messi would provide the incisive pass to cut open the Bayern defence and Suarez would set up Neymar - strikes which all but ended Bayern’s hopes of a comeback.

Read the rest of my piece on Football Espana

FFTASIA50: The Jedi Enforcer: How captain Mile Jedinak made himself indispensable to Socceroos

With the first half in its late stages, Australia were on the ascendency, searching for their second goal to give the side the lead heading into half-time of their opening encounter of the Asian Cup.

As far as starts to matches go, this was arguably not the Socceroos at their best — Kuwait had scored from a set-piece in the opening eight minutes and Melbourne’s AAMI Park fell silent. While Ange Postecoglou’s troops somehow managed to fight their way past Kuwait’s high-pressing play to equalise through Tim Cahill, as if to add insult to injury, the home side suffered another shock blow. Mile Jedinak injured his ankle.

The skipper, though, was not about to give up. Despite lying motionless on the turf for a good few minutes, agony visibly etched across his battle-hardened face, the “Jedi” soldiered on ruthlessly. He did so not with the help of painkillers but by sheer adrenalin, to lead his troops to victory, not only in their opening Asian Cup match, but ultimately as Champions of Asia.

Such stoicism is hardly the result of some pre-match pep talk Postecoglou delivered minutes before kick-off, nor the tactical training the team had undergone weeks prior to the tournament proper. Rather, Jedinak’s display of courage to play on for the glory of the nation is a result of a lifetime of hard-work, dedication to the task at hand, and, in some respects, patriotism.

Read the rest of my analysis on FourFourTwo

FFTASIA50: How former Bayern Munich recruit Takashi Usami is making up for lost time back home

"The Japanese are disciplined, hard-working and obedient toward the team. They have speed, technique, and discipline" - Felix Magath

For many football fans, Japanese starlet Takashi Usami is not exactly a household name. While most Asian youngsters continually dream of plying their trade amongst Europe's elite in the near future, the versatile attacker has been there and done that. For a player who is only 22 years of age, the realisation of his potential no longer lingers upon the hypothetical 'if', but the imminent 'when'.

How the tables have turned.

Nowadays, there seems to be an air of expectancy when it comes to producing talented footballers for the European stage. One does not need to look any further than Yasuhiko Okudera. While many may know of him as the former president of English side Plymouth, in the eyes of Japan's footballing fraternity, Okudera was a pioneer for the local game — a Messianic figure in many respects.
Indeed, Okudera's feats most notably at FC Koln, Hertha Berlin, and Werder Bremen opened the floodgates for the continual influx of local talent on the European stage. Japanese football, for that matter, is all the better for it.

The consistency of Keisuke Honda and the meteoric rise of Shinji Kagawa at Borussia Dortmund are just two modern examples of Okudera's legacy in action.

So while in some respects the aforementioned duo continue to struggle with consistency on the pitch, it seems almost coincidental, if not fateful, that their natural successor, Usami, would be creating shockwaves back home. With each performance, the attacking phenomenon finds himself edging closer to a permanent European move.

Read the rest of my analysis on FourFourTwo