Libero Football Magazine April 2013 by Libero Football

EXCLUSIVE: FRANCO BARESI TALKS TO US MILAN UNCOVERED BALAGUE

LIBERO #1 April 2013

@libero_football

www.liberofootball.co.uk

+ CHAMPIONS

WONDERKIDS Who’ll top our list of the twenty two top talents in Europe?

LEAGUE + DEADLY DERBIES + BARCA EXPLAINED

CONTENTS

The Run In

Talent Scout

26 The Twenty Two

ho is better, Isco or Draxler? Eriksson or Thiago? Do they even make the list? We rank our top twenty two talents in Europe at this moment in time.

Movers & Shakers

With the domestic season coming to an end, we look at each league and see who’s battling for what and which teams are already planning thier summer holidays.

Champions League

The biggest cup competition in the world is heating up and with only eight teams left, we preview the four ties and the players to watch.

In Discussion

46 The Interview

30 Franco Baresi

Guillem Balague

The football expert tackles everything from Spain’s recent success to the financial trouble that’s hit La Liga.

ranco Baresi is an AC Milan legend who helped define the term ‘Libero.’ We speak to him exclusively and ask him about his penalty miss.

Other

Deadly Derbies

Libero analyses the 5 biggest derbies in Europe. But which is the best?

Milan 48 AC Uncovered

Ben Rebuck talks to AC Milan director Umberto Gandini and delves deep into AC Milan’s past.

Bayern 57 Munich Check out the best ever Bayern Munich team from 1974. liberofootball.co.uk

“ Editor Simon Baystead Assistant Editors Ben Rebuck/Bill West/ Mike Trusler Features Editor Ben Rebuck Art Director & Designer Mike Trusler Cheif Sub Editor Dean Mears Staff Writer/Sub Editor Bill West Cheif Excecutive Tommy Wilkinson

Thanks to.. AC Milan, Andy Scott, Ian McGarry, Tony Evans, Guillen Balague, Soccerway, Simon Clarke, Tim Pilgrim, BBC Sport, Sky Sports, ESPN, Getty Images, Goal, UEFA, Franco Baresi, Umberto Gandini, Andy Brassell. Tweet us @Libero_Football Like us Facebook.com/liberofootball Read us www.liberofootball.co.uk Disclaimer We do not own any of the images within this publication. This magazine is part of a student project and is a non-profit publication. If you have any issues with the images used please email bill@ liberofootball.co.uk

WELCOME TO LIBERO

LIBERO So, here we are. Just over a year and a half after creating LiberoFootball.co.uk we release our first ever e-magazine. From the live updates of Ajax vs Feyenoord on a Sunday morning to the David Villa/Heathrow rumour (sorry), we’re glad you’ve stuck with us. The challenge of producing a website and magazine on European football is no mean feat. But as a team of football fanatics we pulled through and have truly delivered despite our limited time, and lack of a budget. We have exciting features, exclusive interviews, and a wealth of interesting insight for you to sink your teeth into. How many publications will you read this month with words from AC Milan legend Franco Baresi, the analytical views of Guillem Balague, and the ultimate list of young talents in European leagues? The aim of Libero has always been the same; spread the knowledge of the top European leagues whilst avoiding the over-saturated English Premier League. For a group of aspiring journalists all based in England, it’s a huge challenge, but we think you’ll be more than happy with the result. The Libero Team Simon Baystead Tommy Wilkinson Bill West Ben Rebuck Dean Mears Mike Trusler

La Liga

Catalonia Celebrates: Barcelona have run away with La Liga this season, while Mourinho’s Madrid have struggled WORDS Tommy Wilkinson

Due to the emotional exit of Pep Guardiola and the

increasing force of Real Madrid, a tough battle was in store for Barcelona in their quest to return as champions. A theory that they rubbished after a near perfect and dominant start to the campaign, which left their main rivals out of sight in third. BARCA TAKE LEAGUE BY STORM From week one Barca hit the ground running, a refreshed and motivated team that would demolish anyone who got in their way. Despite their great start, they fell short in the Spanish Super Cup, where they were well beaten by a superior Real Madrid side. But this was to have no impact on what was to follow, as Barcelona raced into a commanding lead at the top. For the majority of the season it has in fact been the other Madrid, Atletico, who have been the team on the tail of Vilanova’s side. However even they’re superb efforts, inspired and lead by Falcao’s goals weren’t enough to destabilize Barca. Despite improved squad strength from the previous campaign, Atletico after an impressive start to the season were still unable to maintain the level of the

liberofootball.co.uk

league leaders. The injury to Falcao on the 20th of January against Levante both highlighted his importance to the team, and all but ruled out any chance of catching the Catalan giants. Barca’s start to the season was so strong and comprehensive that it resulted in a record breaking first half to a season. Their victory over Malaga before the winter break meant that they had won 55 points at the halfway point. This was a big moment as this Vilanova side surpassed Guardiola’s record set in the 10/11 season and became the highest points tally at this stage to ever be recorded in the clubs history. Like whenever mentioning Barcelona it is hard not to talk about Madrid. It is fair to say that Madrid’s lack of hunger, desire and ambition domestically this season has been a crucial factor to the Barca’s success. Not to take anything away from the Catalan’s, but having a determined and efficient Madrid side lead by charismatic leader Jose Mourinho, can be a harrowing experience. Without this, their season journey at the top has been considerably smoother and more comfortable than what they maybe would of expected. Due to the extent of Barcelona’s lead, Mourinho declared the title was lost even before the turn of the year. But while Madrid have lacked in domestic motivation,

Barca have played this domestic campaign with a huge desire as they look to win back their title. But stronger than the Madrid factor, there has been the human factor. On the 19th of December it was revealed by the club that manager Tito Vilanova was to undergo surgery and face a second battle with cancer. The number one strength of Barcelona is the family and group culture which exists. A unique bond between the players and staff that is so strong, that when one individual suffers, everyone involved suffers. Vilanova has always been a much loved and well-respected member of the Barcelona team, even before his appointment as manager in the summer. While fulfilling the role as number two to Guardiola, he remained very close to the playing staff and was regarded very highly by everyone at the club. Despite a mixed run of results which included both a Copa del Rey exit and a league defeat to Real Madrid, Barca are back on track. They remain a distance above both Madrid sides in top spot and have also recently progressed to the Quarter Finals stage of the Champions League after defeating AC Milan. WILL DEPORTIVO BE THE NEXT TO DROP?

THE RUN-IN

Highest Scoring Game Deportivo 4-5 Barcelona Overachievers Real Sociedad Underachievers Athletic Bilbao Signing Of The Season Jordi Alba (€14m)

TOP SCORERS Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 42 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – 27 Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid) - 21 Álvaro Negredo (Sevilla) – 15 Roberto Soldado (Valencia) - 14

Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo, Real Betis, Deportivo, Villarreal. One common factor these teams have, is that in the past decade they have all represented Spain in the Europe. The second is that all have suffered relegation from the top flight and into the Segunda division. And it looks like the pattern is set to continue as Deportivo once again find themselves in a worrying league position. As like in some recent season another exciting Spanish relegation finale is set to unravel. And as like before there are some of Spain’s big teams involved and struggling to stay afloat. Deportivo looked like they were to be the first certainty to make the drop, as they went into the round of up against in 19th place Celta Vigo. However Deportivo playing at home in the Raizor, were able to secure a vital 3-1 victory over their relegation rivals, keeping alive their survival hopes. The win was their fourth of the season! All four have come at the Raizor stadium, which indicates how important their remaining home games will be if they are to avoid the drop. Other teams in the mix include Mallorca, Grenada, Osasuna and the possibility of Athletic Bilbao, who still yet could be drawn into the scrap for safety. Very much unlike Barcelona, Bilbao got off to the worst possible of starts. It was pre season and Javi Martinez had just left for an expensive transfer to German powerhouse Bayern Munich, when a bust up between Fernando Llorente and Marcelo Bielsa broke out. The outcome has involved Llorente spending the majority of the season so far sitting on the bench, whilst also looking for a new club, which he has recently found in Italian champions Juventus. Understandably the absence of a player with such quality is going to decrease the performance level of the team. But it was the deeply effected team morale as a result of the altercation, which was the main reason to the Bilbao slump. Bilbao’s biggest strength in the extremely successful 11/12 season was not Javi Martinez, neither was it Llorente and neither was it Bielsa. It was team togetherness. It was a close group bond, one that could almost be described as a family. So when the fellow players saw one of their brothers treated unfairly, then their season was over even before it had begun. There was no chance of Bielsa improving on or even replicating the amazing scenes of the lasts season. COMPETITION STILL HIGH IN LA LIGA Despite what has in fact been a very difficult year for Spanish football, in terms of the financial difficulties, the quality and excitement levels fortunately haven’t been affected. Even though the La Liga title winner is all but

confirmed, the rest of the league is once again extremely competitive as the season reaches is climax. We have already examined the relegation battle and the teams included, but this is not the only league section to keep a close eye on. The fight for European qualification is once again tightly contested, with the 4th, 5th and 6th spots still all undecided. Beginning with the two Europa league positions. They are currently both filled by two of this year’s Champions representatives; Valencia and Malaga. Both though are hopeful of a fourth place finish and are waiting in the wings for the final Champions League spot, which is filled at the moment by the season’s surprise package Real Sociedad. But with the margin between 4th and 9th being only six points, there are sure to be several changes yet between 4th and 9th being only six points, there are sure to be several changes yet between now and the end of the season.

JOSE HINTS AT CHELSEA RETURN Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho hinted that he may return to one of his former clubs. “It’s not easy to choose a new destination after working in England, Portugal, Italy an Spain. Maybe i could return to somehwere i’ve already been. Watch out for surprises”. The Portuguese’s feature has been a topical subject recently, despite winning the La Liga title last season and while still going strong in the season’s Champions League.

VILANOVA SET FOR BARCA RETURN Barcelona have revealed on their official club website that their manager Tito Vilanova will return home this week. The 44 year old has spent the past two months in New York recovering from surgery cancer surgery. While he has been away, Jordi Roura has been in charge of first team duties and now will return to his role as assistant coach.

NO BAYERN DEAL FOR BENAT Real Betis star player Benat has been linked with several top clubs, such as English champions Manchester City. Add now to that list Bayern Munich. The Bavarian giants announced in January that former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola will take over in June and it is reported that Benat is one of his top transfer targets. Something which is agent denies “Neither the club nor the player haven contacted by Bayern”, he told Estadio Deportivo.

Serie A

TABLE TOPPERS : Martin Caceres scores the opening goal for Juventus in the two-nil win over Napoli in October WORDS Bill West

uventus are comfortably leading Serie A with less than ten games to go. The Turin side have kept up their league form from last term where they went the entire season unbeaten. Despite Antonio Conte being banned for four months at the start of the season for failing to report alleged matchfixing two seasons ago, Juventus surged into a lead and haven’t looked back, only losing their first game in November against Inter Milan. The Bianconeri may have lost four games already compared to last season but they are still comfortably nine points ahead of Napoli and look well set to win their second consecutive title. Their foundations have been set by a rock solid defence led by Giorgio Chiellini and have only conceded 18 goals this season. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon seems to be improving with age and has kept up his great form for club and country, keeping 14 clean sheets. The back three of Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci has been like a brick wall. Meanwhile, Paul Pogba has been a terrific signing. Juve are the second top scorers in the league and although no players are in the top 5 scorers, the goals have been spread throughout the team. Fabio Quagliarella, Sebastian Giovinco and Mirko Vučinić

liberofootball.co.uk

all have seven goals in Serie A this season, but the midfield has regularly contributed with goals, with Pogba and Andrea Pirlo chipping in with five goals each so far. Napoli are sitting in second place, but haven’t been consistent enough to seriously challenge Juventus for the championship. Edinson Cavani’s have performances has shown why he is wanted all over Europe after scoring 20 goals so far. But the side from Naples side have drawn too many matches which has stalled their title charge. They are on course to seal an automatic Champions League place but need to be wary of AC Milan, who are only two points behind in third. TIGHT BATTLE FOR EUROPEAN PLACES The battle for the European spots is more intriguing than the title race, with up to six teams still in contention for the two remaining Champions League positions. AC Milan have recovered from their horrific start to the season after hovering around mid-table in the first few months of the campaign. Wonderkid Stephan El Shaarawy has been vital to Milan’s resurgence; his 16 goals have propelled the Rossoneri into third place and are only two points off an automatic Champions League place.

New signing Mario Balotelli has made an instant impact at Milan, having joined from Manchester City for €20 million at the end of the January transfer window. The Italian has hit 7 goals in only 6 games and has already struck a deadly partnership with El Shaarawy. Surprise package Fiorentina, led by Vincenzo Montella, have rapidly improved from their 13th place last season and currently hold one of the spots for Europa League qualification. Stevan Jovetić’s 12 goals have been key to their success in this campaign. As things stand, Inter Milan hold the remaining Europa League place in fifth position. The capital side have been in decline in recent years and this season has been no different. But if they win their game in hand, they can close the gap to Napoli to only four points. Lazio have been okay this season but their lack of goals has hindered their progress. The Rome club have only scored 37 goals in 29 games which has meant they have struggled to put away teams all throughout the campaign. Miroslav Klose has been the main man for Lazio with ten goals in twenty games. Hernanes has also chipped in with eight goals but apart from that no-one in the Lazio team has continued regularly with goals which has been their downfall. Roma have certainly underachieved this season. They

THE RUN-IN

TOP SCORERS Edinson Cavani (Napoli) - 20 Stephan El Shaarawy (AC Milan) – 16 Antonio Di Natale (Udinese) -15 Erik Lamela (Roma) – 13 Giampaolo Pazzini (AC Milan) - 13

have been thrilling to watch at times but have fallen well short of expectations with the talented squad they have at their disposal. Despite the likes of Daniele De Rossi, Erik Lamela and Francesco Totti in their ranks, they look unlikely to qualify for the Champions League and may not even qualify for the Europa League. One club who were flying last season but struggling in this campaign is Udinese. The Zebrette finished third, thus qualifying for the Champions League play-off. But this term they are in mid-table obscurity in ninth place and are highly unlikely to play in Europe next season. Antonio Di Natale has been banging in the goals year after year and this campaign has been no different. He’s the third top scorer in Serie A with 15 goals in 25 appearances. But like Lazio, Udinese have struggled to put the ball in the net apart from Di Natale. Last summer, Kwadwo Asamoah and Mauricio Isla were sold to champions Juventus, and their attacking prowess has been badly missed. BATTLE AT THE BOTTOM It’s not looking good for Palermo, who are at the foot of the table having won only three matches all season. It looks a tall order for the Rosanero, who are five points off safety with nine matches to play. Their upcoming fixtures are tough, with Sampdoria and Inter Milan coming up in the next few weeks. Pescara are not much better off and like Palermo are five points adrift from Genoa in 17th and are highly unlikely to beat the drop, having lost nine of the last ten matches and with Juventus and Roma to come, the writing is surely on the wall. The bottom two look like they will be playing their football in Serie B next season, but the other team in the relegation zone, Siena, have a fighting chance of escaping the drop. Their recent form has been okay with seven points won from 15. The Bianconeri have a huge relegation sixpointer away to Genoa on March 30th, where the winner could potentially relegate the loser.

Highest Scoring Game Cagliari 4-3 Torino, Pescara 1-6 Juventus Overachievers Fiorentina Underachievers Roma Signing Of The Season Riccardo Montolivo (€0)

Thoughts on the Serie A season so far from European football expert Andy Brassell: “The overall standard has been enjoyable but it’s left me a little disappointed. Juventus had a year off completely from European competition last year and won the title unbeaten. I think there was a real opportunity for their competitors to go after them this year because they were tying to balance a very high quality Champions League group and maintain their position at the top of the league. If Napoli had been a little more consistent, they could be closer than they are. AC Milan and Inter are both rebuilding, Lazio are probably punching a little bit above their weight, Fiorentina is a tremendous project but it’s a new project so Champions League football is probably the limit of their ambitions. It’s disappointing that a consistent challenger hasn’t emerged to Juventus. In the relegation scrap, I think Palermo and Pescara will definitely go down. The other team will either be Siena or Genoa. It will be tight but I think Genoa will be relegated.”

CAVANI UNSURE ON FUTURE Napoli striker Edinson Cavani admits he is unsure where he will be playing next season and says it is up to the club whether he stays in Naples. Cavani told Uruguayan publication El Observador: “Football is a business. In Napoli I am fine as I have the love of the fans, but in football you never know where you play in the future. Much also depends on the club and the decisions of the president.”

GALLIANI INSISTS ALLEGRI WILL STAY AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has rejected reports that manager Massimiliano Allegri will leave the San Siro at the end of the season. Milan’s recent good form has seen Allegri linked with a move to Roma, but Galliani says he’s going nowhere. “Allegri? There is no problem, he is happy to stay at Milan and that is exactly where he’ll stay.”

TONI ADVISES JOVETIC OVER POSSIBLE SUMMER MOVE Fiorentina striker Luca Toni has called for team-mate Stevan Jovetic to ignore interest from Arsenal and join a bigger club if he is to move to the Premier League over the summer. Instead, he has claimed the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City or Manchester United would represent a better career move for the 23-year-old.

ON THE SPOT : Mario Balotelli scores on his debut agaisnt Udinese in January

Bundesliga

FRANKTASTIC: Frankfurt were promoted from the 2.Bundesliga last year and have shocked everyone this year.

WORDS Simon Baystead

ans of the Bundesliga will be all too familiar with the dominance of Bayern Munich over not just recent years, but the almost the entire history of the competition. Clear in front (20 points at this stage) of the chasing pack with months left of the season is commonplace for The Bavarians, and after two years of watching Borussia Dortmund claim the league title, Bayern have returned to reclaim their spot at the top of the pile. BRILLIANT BAYERN So what has changed this year? The hunger of two years out of success has really kicked Bayern Munich into form. They became Europe’s nearly men last season coming so close but ultimately missing out on the key major honours up-for-grabs. With Jupp Heynckes stepping aside for Josep Guardiola at the season’s end, this team is desperate to give their manager a send-off worthy of the great man. Meanwhile, the focus for Dortmund has certainly been Europe. Last year they dropped out in disappointing fashion in the group stages, but this season, despite falling behind Bayern in the league, they find themselves in the Quarterfinal stage of Europe’s number one club competition, and have a realistic chance of repeating their famous 1996/97 Champions League win.

liberofootball.co.uk

The biggest surprise at the top of the table has certainly been the amazing form of Eintracht Frankfurt. The newly promoted team currently sit 4th in the league above Schalke on goal difference. They began this season undefeated in their first six games. A couple of slip ups against Borussia Monchengladbach and Stuttgart were bound to happen, but they pushed on and have held their position for much of the season. They have come unstuck against the big four of Germany with only one win, two draws, and three defeats so far. Stefan Kießling has notched 16 goals so far this season and propelled a talented Leverkusen side to fight with Dortmund for second place, and are currently just four points off that spot. The Lions, under the guidance of Sami Hyypia, have shown they have the quality to battle in the Champions League next season. Further down the table, it’s been a year of consolidation for Borussia Monchengladbach. After such a great season last year, we were right to think this could be the awakening of ‘gladbach, the heroes of the 1970’s, but with the loss of three key players in Marco Reus, Roman Neustadter, and Dante, it was always going to be difficult for The Foals to bounce back. The acquisition of Luuk de Jong is certainly a positive one, but his early season injury has hampered his first year in Germany. We’ve enjoyed some

magic moments from Juan Arango this season and with the likes of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Patrick Herrmann, and Granit Xhaka making their way through at the club, there’s still reason for ‘gladbach fans to be excited. Hamburg SV have been in a similar position to Monchengladbach this year. With some top quality players in their squad, it’s a shame they are not pushing further up the table, but there are positives to take out of a stuttering year. In particular the return of Rafael van der Vaart has boosted confidence and the emergence of Heung-Min Son has kept them in a safe position. The 20-year-old South Korean has netted nine times this season, and despite a recent dip in form, will be the subject of numerous bids in the summer from abroad. FURTH HURT AT HOME SpVgg Greuther Furth will be wondering what they did wrong compared to Eintracht Frankfurt this season. Furth were promoted with Frankfurt and Fortuna Dusseldorf last year, with Furth top of the 2. Bundesliga. But it’s last year’s top team who find themselves rock bottom of the Bundesliga, with little to cheer about. At this point they are without a single win at home, a fact that will sap their confidence for the remaining games at the Trolli Arena.

THE RUN-IN

Highest Scoring Game Schalke 5-4 Hannover Overachievers Eintracht Frankfurt Underachievers Wolfsburg Signing Of The Season Mario Mandzukic (Undisc.)

TOP SCORERS Robert Lewandowski (Dortmund) - 19 Stefan Kießling (Leverkusen) – 16 Mario Mandzukic (Bayern Munich) -15 Vedad Ibisevic (Stuttgart) – 12 Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich) - 12

The simple lack of goals has let them down. Their top scorer has only two goals, which tells you all you need to know about the lack of firepower and creativity in this team. Dusseldorf are just five points clear of the relegation playoff positions, and may be safe. Surprisingly, TSG Hoffenheim find themselves in deep trouble at the bottom end of the table. A team which finished 11th last year, relegation would be an unwelcome surprise for Marco Kurz men. Kevin Volland and Roberto Firmino would surely leave the club; it’s a worrying time. It’s been an equally under-achieving year for VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg, and Werder Bremen. All well-known German teams, but sit in 12th, 13th and 14th respectively. Bremen are simply not the team they used to be, with on loan prodigy Kevin de Bruyne probably the best player at the club, it says a lot about their hopes of pushing up the table. Wolfsburg’s problem this season was arguably Felix Magath. The 59-year-old was kicked out after a 3-0 loss to Schalke in October. Wolfsburg lost their next game 2-0 to Freiburg and were rock bottom. Dieter Hecking took over in December and has restored some pride to the club, but they should be doing so much better. They have a squad with players of the quality of Diego, Bas Dost, Ivica Olic, Vierinha, Ivan Perisic, and Diego Benaglio. It’s fair to say they are under-achievers, but next season could see them challenging the big teams. Only two points separate these three teams, and Stuttgart as the highest placed team, are doing well considering the weakness of their squad is similar to Bremen. That’s not to say there isn’t good talent in both squad, because they wouldn’t be Bundesliga teams without it, but for clubs of their stature, you expect a lot more. This season is a writeoff for these three, but that’s not to say they won’t be battling up the top once again in the near future. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BATTLE The Bundesliga Champions League places are reserved for Germany’s best four teams, which are certainly Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, and Schalke. However, Frankfurt have captured the imagination this season and have a great chance to snatch that 4th spot. If they fail in that particular battle, a place in the Europa League will go down well with the fans. Some big games remain, but not too many for the battle for Champions League positions. Schalke, recently dumped out of Europe by Galatasaray, have two huge games against Leverkusen and Frankfurt in April. The Royal Blues host Leverkusen in Gelsenkirchen first, which could effectively end Schalke’s hopes, or propel them into

the Champions League spots. It may be considered to be in their hands, as if they overcome Leverkusen, they travel to Frankfurt for a huge game that could be the decider for who gets that last spot. Frankfurt have a tough tie with Bayern Munich to come, and we have one more derby between Bayern Munich and the reigning champions Dortmund to enjoy. Bayern may well have secured the Bundesliga already, but on May 4th they’ll hope to rub it in the faces of their rivals in Dortmund with a win in the Signal Iduna Park. At the bottom end of the table, Hoffenheim and Dusseldorf will battle it out very soon, which could be very telling as to how they finish this season, but the big highlight is on the final day; Augsburg Vs. Greuther Furth. Who knows where these teams will stand come the final day, but with both hoping to survive, this game could be huge in determining who may escape from the relegation play-offs.

LEWANDOWSKI MAY LEAVE DORTMUND Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski is the subject of a huge transfer story in the Bundesliga. The Poland international has found the net 27 time sin all competitions this season and has been openly admired by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. However, a more recent twist has seen Bayern Munich enter the race for his signature as he turns down a new contract at Signal Iduna Park.

HEYNCKES FUTURE STILL UNDECIDED Bayern Munich manager Jupp Heynckes has revealed that he may not retire at the season’s end as he makes way for incoming coach Josep Guardiola. The 67-year-old still believes he can still do a job as a football manager, but has not alluded to where his future may lie. The former Borussia Monchengladbach legend said: “I am only going to reveal my future after the end of this season.”

ON TARGET: Lewendowski tops the charts

TRAPP BREAKS HAND IN BIZZARE INCIDENT Eintracht Frankfurt’s talented goalkeeper Kevin Trapp has broken his hand in a bizarre accident which occurred during a publicity shoot. The 22-year-old tripped over whilst walking towards the camera for one of the actions, landed on his hand, and fractured his metacarpel. The Germany Under-21 shotstopper will miss the remainder of the season, which is a big blow to Champions League hopefuls Frankfurt, who are playing through a bad spell. Oka Nikolov is set to replace him between the sticks.

Ligue 1

DEAL OF THE DECADE?: At 20m Zatlan wasn’t cheap, but if PSG take the Ligue 1 title he’ll look a shrewd acquisition

WORDS Dean Mears

s expected, Paris Saint Germain lead Ligue 1 as we come into the final stages of the season, however, their five point lead over second placed Lyon, is hardly the gap you would expect for a team that has spent €151 million since the summer transfer window. Having lost the title to Montpellier on the final day of last season, PSG’s mega rich owners decided to splash the cash in order to win PSG’s first league title since 1994. In come the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Ezequiel Lavezzi, while Brazilian wonder-kid Lucas Moura and David Beckham joined in the January window. PSG’s spending amounted to 70% of the entire Ligue 1 clubs put together during the summer of 2012, so it was expected that the title would be a certainty this season. However the league has been a tightly contested battle between the Parisians, Lyon and Marseille all occupying the top spot at some point during the season. In the head-to-head battles this season, only three points separate first and second place in the ‘mini league’, however Marseille’s faltering title challenge can be examined in games against the top two, with ‘Les Phoceens’ picking up just two points. For Lyon, their continued stay at the top of Ligue 1 has come as a surprise to many. Since winning the title in

liberofootball.co.uk

2008, Les Gones have fallen from European football’s top table. The squad has gradually broken up, with defender Anthony Reveillere the only remaining member of that title winning squad. However, with stars such as Yoann Gourcuff, Lisandro Lopez and Bafetimbi Gomis in their ranks, Lyon have scored the second highest amount of goals this season, beaten only, by the league leaders. EUROPE The battle for the European places in perhaps the tighest of all the European leagues, with any team from 2nd place Lyon, right down to 7th placed Montpellier in with a realistic chance of qualifying, with just 8 points separating them. With two-thirds of the season completed the campaigns surprise package AS Saint-Etienne, currently hold the fourth placed spot, and the Europa League qualification that comes with it. Behind them sit Nice, 2011 Ligue 1 winners Lille, and the holders Montpellier. Saint-Etienne have based their successful campaign on a

solid defence, which has seen them concede just 23 goals so far this season, and only PSG hold a better record with 20. The star of the defence is 18-year-old Kurt Zouma; whose performances this season have seen him selected for the national squad, and the subject of transfer interest from Manchester United and Manchester City. At the other end of the pitch, another youngster has been catching the eye of the scouts. 23-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the league’s second highest scorer with 16 goals, second to PSG’s €20 million striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Les Verts’ early season form saw them go on a league record 10 game unbeaten run between September and November. ASSE’s away form is also part of the reason the club have been dreaming of Champions League football, with just two of the six defeats this season coming away from the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. In the chasing pack however, this campaign cannot compare to the recent success enjoyed by Lille and Montpellier. Lille lost arguably the hottest talent in European football, Eden Hazard, in the summer, replacing him with Salomon Kalou, while a host of other star players have left for for-

THE RUN-IN

Highest Scoring Game Lorient 4-4 Ajaccio Overachievers AS Saint-Etienne Underachievers Montpellier Signing Of The Season Z. Ibrahimovic (€20m)

TOP SCORERS Z. Ibrahimovic (PSG)- 25 P. Aubameyang (Saint-Etienne) 16 B. Gomis (Lyon)- 12 D. Cvitanich (Nice)- 12 J. Aliadiere (Lorient)- 11 eign shores. Likewise Montpellier, the title win has showcased their best players to a host of clubs around Europe, just as Lille lost talent. The loss of these players has seen the French clubs provide a very poor showing in the Champions League, in the 2011-2012 season, Lille managed just a solitary victory as they finished bottom of their group. While Montpellier’s exploits in the clubs first ever Champions League campaign saw them finish with an even worse record, as they picked up just two points in their six games. THE DROP The league literally splits in half between 10th placed Rennes and 11th placed Toulouse, with both the top half and the bottom half of Ligue 1 extremely congested. Rennes sit just 7 points from 4th placed Saint-Etienne, while Toulouse are just 10 points away from the relegation places. Realistically, the relegation battle consists of the teams occupying 13th place, through to 18th, the final relegation spot. Ajaccio, who had three points deducted before the start of the season, sit in 13th place with 33 points, while Sochaux are currently heading into Ligue 2, on 28 points. Between those two are, 17th place Brest on 29 points, 16th place Reims on 30 points, 15th place Evian also on 30 points and 14th place Bastia on 33 points. Any one of those six clubs could conceivably find themselves in the drop zone should a few results not go their way. For Troyes and Nancy, the teams occupying 19th and 20th place respectively, relegation looks almost certain, with a five point gap between them and safety. The teams, situated just South-East of the capital, have managed just 9 wins between them all season, while Troyes holds the most number of draws (12), the same total as Bordeaux, and only 17th place Brest (16) have lost more games than the basement club Nancy (15). Nancy also hold a couple of unwanted records, the first, the league’s longest losing run, with six consecutive defeats between 25th August to 5th October. The second, the league’s longest winless run, stretching from 17th August through to the 26th January, a 20 game run. The 2-1 victory over Lorient in January was Nancy’s second win since the opening day win against Brest, in between that time, Nancy have changed managers, but haven’t moved from the foot of the table. With the top end of the table very close, the remaining eight weeks of the season sees key clashes nearly every weekend.

GAMES TO GO On Sunday 31st March, Marseille travel to fifth place Nice, in a game that could end Nice’s hopes of European football with Saint-Etienne taking on lowly Troyes the day before. Towards the end of April, Saint-Etienne travel to Lyon, Les Verts incredible away form so far could see them move into a Champions League place. Then on the 11th May, Lyon again hosts a massive match, when they welcome PSG. That game could wrap up the title for PSG, should other results go their way. On the penultimate weekend, there are two big fixtures for the European chasing teams, Nice host Lyon, while Marseille travel to Saint-Etienne. For the clubs desperate to avoid relegation, the deciding matches could come on the final weekend of the season, when the current bottom club Nancy take on Brest, Bastia host Sochaux, and Riems, who may need three points to keep them up, face title chasing Marseille. While most leagues around Europe will be done and dusted early on, Ligue 1 will still be very much up-for-grabs come May, and its shaped up to be even more drastic than the final day finish last season.

THIAGO SILVA WARNS TEAMMATES ABOUT LOSING LEAGUE FOCUS Thiago Silva has urged his PSG teammates to remember the importance of winning the league title. “We have to understand that while the Champions League is a big competition, the league is just as important. Don’t forget, Paris haven’t won the league for 18 years!”

NICE NOT MATURE ENOUGH Claude Puel has claimed his Nice team lack the maturity for a European finish. “We’re not mature enough yet to mix it in the race for the top spots, “The bar is pretty high to make the next step.” Puel also revealed that star striker Dario Cvitanich has returned to full training.

MARTIN: NO REGRETS Lille player maker Marvin Martin insists he has no regrets about signing for the 2011 Ligue 1 winners from Sochaux in the summer. “I have never regretted my choice, “It was my first transfer and I admit I was a bit lost. But you learn from your hardest moments. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

Primera Liga

TWO HORSE RACE: Porto and Benfica have dominted this season’s Primera Liga, but who will triumph? WORDS Simon Baystead

s far as top European leagues go, Portugal isn’t considered one of them. This year in particular hasn’t been a good one of the Portuguese Liga. Benfica and Porto are yet to be beaten this season, which speaks volumes of the quality throughout the league. All European leagues are guilty of having a top 2 or 3 teams that run away with the title race, but Portugal have this to an extreme. Add to this the fact that it’s only a 16-team league set-up, the Champions League teams all drop out early on, and you have an overall poor league. Having said that, there’s some real quality talent in Portugal, the league has a habit of bringing through top players, in particular Porto. THE UNBEATABLES How have Benfica and Porto managed to go the whole season still undefeated? Is it simply the lack of quality in their opposition? Perhaps. But last season was a much tighter affair, and although Porto only lost once on their way to the league title, the race for the Champions League was an exciting one. Porto have drawn a trump card this year, bringing a new Colombian to the spotlight, Jackson Martinez. After losing Falcao to Atletico Madrid in 2011, Hulk stepped up in his

liberofootball.co.uk

place, now that the Brazilian has moved on, Porto brought in Martinez to, again, step up to the plate. The league’s top scorer has been a revelation. Martinez signed from Jaguares in the summer for $11million and has netted 23 times in only 18 league games. Such an impact cannot be understated and Porto certainly wouldn’t have expected the 26-year-old to make quite the impact he has in Portugal. Benfica held onto their star forward Oscar Cardozo after his 20 goal show last season, and he’s been a consistent performer for the Eagles this year netting 16-times so far. They added to this his rival for last year’s golden boot; Lima. The former Braga forward netted 20 times last season too, and has hammered in 12 so far for his new club. With young forward Rodrigo hitting 7 goals, and Argentinian winger Salvio finding 8 goals for his new club, Benfica have had no trouble finding the back of their oppositions’ net. In fact they’ve done so 90 times so far this season, with 60 of those goals at home in the Estadio da Luz. Benfica lead the race for the league title by four points, and their defence has also played a big part in their solidarity this season. Take their game against Braga for instance. Artur is the experienced head in goal, with Malgarejo, Jardel, Luisao and Pereira in front of him. Bear-

ing in mind key defender Garay was missing. Matic and Perez safeguard the backline to allow the talents of Ola John, Nico Gaitan, Salvio and Lima to run riot. It was a close game against Braga, but Lima, on his return to face his old club was the key man to give Benfica victory with a crucial goal, in Cardozo’s absence. Benfica still have European success to play for with a Europa League quarterfinal tie with Newcastle to come, but they’ll feel the Champions League is where they should be competing. Porto found themselves in the knockout stages of the Champions League, coming unstuck against Malaga. A disappointment for sure, the likes of Joao Moutinho, James Rodriguez, Atsu, Steven Defour, and Alex Sandro are the key men, and are all wanted across Europe. Porto are a selling club, losing previously mentioned stars like Hulk and Falcao, and of course Alex Witsel, highlight this. It’ll be interesting to see how much longer they hold onto their stars after this season. Such is the nature of the Portuguese Liga. LACKLUSTER LISBON Further down the table we find the biggest surprise of the campaign: Sporting Lisbon in 10th place. Last season saw them just fall short in the race for Champions League foot-

Highest Scoring Game Braga 4-4 Olhanense Overachievers Estoril Underachievers Sporting Lisbon Signing Of The Season Jackson Martinez (€8.6m)

TOP SCORERS Jackson Martinez (Porto) – 23 Oscar Cardozo (Benfica) – 16 Albert Ze Meyong (Vitoria FC)– 13 Eder (Braga)– 13 Rodrigo (Benfica) - 12

ball finishing 4th. This year has been a disaster and they’ll have to turn it around quickly, if they want European football. The gap is still small, which is their advantage, three points can lift them to 6th if other results go their way, but it’s clearly been a below par year for the Lions. Ricky van Wolfswinkel has done his part up front again this season, netting 12 goals in all competitions thus far. But he’s set to leave the Green and Whites, which would leave them in even more trouble, as they simply don’t have the quality in their squad of years gone by. In comparison it’s been a fantastic season for Estoril so far. Promoted in 1st place from the Segunda Liga last term, they have shot themselves up to 5th place, and European football is well within their grasp if they don’t slip up before the end of the season. Luis Leal and Steven de Sousa Vitoria have both netted eight goals for the recently promoted side, causing quite the stir in the Portuguese Liga. But the race for that 5th spot remains incredibly tight and Estoril will have to fight hard to retain that place. Just above them in 4th spot is another surprise: Pacos de Ferreira. A consistently mid-table side, they finished 10th last season. Is there a resurgence to come from the Beavers? They currently hold that 4th spot by some distance, 11 points in all, and a considerable goal difference in their favour. It will take a momentous error from Pacos, and an incredible effort from Sporting for the two clubs to exchange league position as they finished last season. RELEGATION WOES The race to beta the drop this season is a tight one. Where Benfica and Porto have run away at the top of the league, the rest of the pack has remained tight. Although even Sporting could be dragged down, it looks as though it’ll be between Beira Mar, Olhanense, Gil Vicente, Academica de Coimbra, and Moreirense. Beira Mar are currently rock bottom of the league just a point behind Olhanense. The Gold and Blacks came 12th last season, a respectable finish considering their team, but the drop will be hard to beat this time around. Olhanense however managed to rise to 8th last season, which is of course a decent finish for the Olhao Lions. Academica de Coimbra are experienced with the relegation dog-fight. Currently sitting in 12th their highest finish since promotion in 2001/02, has been 7th. They should have the experience to save themselves again this year. Gil Vicente are another team well below their previous season. 9th last year was a great success, but the lowly position of 14th could see them drop back down after two years in the top flight. Meanwhile, Moreirense are the oth-

er promoted team competing with Portugal’s best. They haven’t had the success of Estoril, but do have a good chance of survival this year. It would be remarkable for both promoted teams to remain in Portugal’s top flight.

SPORTING IN DISARRAY After sacking their second manager of the season, Franky Vercauteren, in January. The Sporting Lisbon board have resigned after only two years in charge of the club. During that time, the board have overseen the tenure of five different coaches, Domingos Paciencia, Sa Pinto, Oceano Cruz, Jesualdo Ferreira, and of course the previously mentioned Vercauteren. The struggling Lions have gone through a tough season so far, currently in 10th place, a far cry from 4th spot last season.

AL-AHLI WANT AIMAR Oil-rich Dubai club Al-Ahli are keen to sign Argentine legend Pablo Aimar from Benfica in the summer. 33-year-old Aimar was the subject of interest from the club in January but a deal failed to materialise. The former Argentina international has been with Benfica since 2008, and been a crucial part of their strong squad during that time. Nearing the end of his career, such a move is likely as he see’s out his playing days with a lucrative contract.

JACKSON 23: Jackson Martinez’s 23 goals have kept Porto in the title race

SPORTING TO LET VAN WOLFSWINKEL GO After expressing his desire to leave the Lisbon club, Ricky van Wolfswinkel will be joining English Premier League side Norwich City for next season. The deal has been reached for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £8.5 million, on a four-year-deal for the Dutch international. It’s more misery for Sporting who are having a torrid time dealing with manager sackings, board resignations, and overall just a thin squad lacking talent and confidence.

EREDIVISIE

SURPRISE OF THE SEASON?: Vitesse have a very good chance of winning the Eredivisie this season thanks to Wilfred (#9) and his teammates WORDS Mike Trusler

he Eredivisie is currently playing host to a fourway title battle with just seven games to go. The Dutch league is in for one of the most exciting title racing in recent times, with current Champions Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord and Vitesse within three points of each other as the league enters its final stretch. Elsewhere in the league, there is a monumental scrap for the Europa League qualifying places, with several teams still in with a fighting chance. At the bottom we find the underpressure AZ Alkmaar, who are in danger of facing a dreaded relegation play-off. THE TITLE RACE FC Twente looked likely title contenders in December, when they led the Eredivisie going into the winter break. But an awful run of form at the turn of the year saw them drop out of contention, and resulted in the sacking of Steve McLaren. Of the current fab four, Ajax are the obvious favourites. They boast obvious talent, but also they have the experience in this end of season title situation, and look very likely to secure their third Eredivisie title in a row. But if they do secure their thirty second title, it wouldn’t have come easy to them. It’s only been in the past two

liberofootball.co.uk

months that the defending champions have moved into the top position, thanks to an unbeaten run through February and March. They needed it, after a blistering start to the season, winning fourteen on the spin, they stumbled through August and September, suffering uncharacteristic draws with Den Haag and Utrecht and a surprising defeat at home to Vitesse. But Ajax are built on a solid defence, only conceding twenty seven times all season. At the other end, goals haven’t been a problem, with plenty of them spread around the side. Following closely in their wake are their old foes PSV and bitter rivals Feyenoord. PSV are explosive in attack, netting eighty three times in their twenty seven games. But this attack hasn’t proved a great defence against their rivals, as PSV have dropped points against Ajax, Feyenoord and Vitesse this season. Without these defeats, PSV could well have wrapped the title up by this point. However, they sit joint second with Feyenoord, who are looking for their first title in fourteen years. Last years runners up have relied on the goals of Italian Graziano Pelle this season, and he has duly delivered, scoring twenty one goals so far. The striker is key to the title ambitions of this side, but they face a fairly difficult run in, as they come face to face with Vitesse in late April.

Vitesse Arnham are possibly the surprise package of this seasons Eredivisie. Much like Feyenoord they are reliant on a striker in red-hot form. Wilfred Bony is the current goal top scorer with twenty-six goals, and his performances haven’t gone unnoticed in the other major European leagues. Vitesse, backed by a consortium headed by Georgian businessman Merab Jordania, are in the final year of a threeyear plan laid out when Jordania took over. He stated he wanted to win the Eredivisie within three years, and now they’re just three points off the current leaders. After a blip over the winter period, Vitesse have hit form at the right time, after keeping four clean sheets in their last five games. Apart from their crunch match with Feyenoord, Vitesse boast a fairly straight forward run in, and remember, they were this writers pick to win it in our Eredivise podcast. EUROPA LEAGUE The Eredivisie has four Europa League play off places, and the battle for them are as enthralling as the title race. Twente and Utrecht are locked into the first two spots but there are six teams in battle for the other two. Den Haag and NEC currently hold those spots, but a mere six points

THE RUN-IN

Highest Scoring Game Heracles 6-3 Heerenveen Overachievers Vitesse Underachievers AZ Signing Of The Season Michael de Leeuw (€110k)

TOP SCORERS Wilfred Bony (Vitesse) – 26 Alfred Finnbogason (Heerenveen) – 20 Graziano Pelle (Feyenoord) – 19 Jozy Altidore (AZ) – 18 Georgino Wijnaldum (PSV) – 14

sepaarated 7th place Den Haag from 12th place Groningen. The form side are currently Heerenveen, as they recover from their disappointing start to the season. They have won five of their last four games and their recent run of form has dragged them out of the relegation dogfight and put them in pole position to take advantage of the falling NEC. It’s NEC who currently hold the final Europa League spot, but they’re currently on a poor run of form, winning just once in their last five outings. Heracles finished 12th last season, making a cup final on the process. This season they were knocked out by PEC Zwolle, but they are still in with a shout of making the Europa League qualifications. Twelfth placed Groningen are just five points above the dropzone. But a run of results could see them steal a Europa League space. The Green-White Army have been reliant on midfielder Michael de Leeuw, and the 24 yearold has carried the side in his first season since signing from De Graafschap in the summer. He has scored eight of their twenty four league goals this season, and if they are to push for a place in Europe he’ll need more help from his teammates. All of these sides will have a say on the outcome of the title, as they face the contenders in the run in. This is a battle to watch keenly, with many twists and turns still left. RELEGATION The biggest shock of this season is the results and performance of AZ Alkmaar. Last seasons Europa League quarter finalists finished 4th in 2011-12, but a major squad overhaul has seen the Cheese Farmers slip down to the wrong end of the table. Despite a squad boasting the talents of Adam Maher, Markus Henriksen and Jozy Altidore the team have struggled all season. Despite a surprise 3-0 win in the Amsterdam ArenA last month they are in real danger of slipping into the relegation play-offs, much like Feyenoord did in 2011. AZ face competition from RKC Waalwijk, Roda JC and VVV Venlo in a battle for survival. Roda are once again relying on Syrian attacker Sanharbi Malki, who scored 25 goals last season on the way to helping Roda finishing 10th. His total of 13 this season is impressive, but Roda will be hoping he can hit 20 goals this season to help keep them up. Right at the foot of the table sit Willem II, who are almost certainly down, needing a miracle to survive. The Tricolores suffered their first relegation in twenty four years in 2011, but bounced straight back last season. However, it looks likely they’ll have to do it all over again next season.

Thoughts on Vitesse and their title chances from Dutch football expert Mohamed Moallim: “It’s not a question of Vitesse have what it takes. If they go about their business in the right way then who knows. Unlike the other three clubs, Vitesse have no pressure on them. They possess the best striker in the league in Bony and one of the more creative attacks.”

LOW ALTITUDE : Jozy Altidore has been flying this season, but AZ have struggled.

STOORMAN PREMIER LEAGUE BOUND PSV Midfielder Kevin Stootman is almost certainly premier league bound this summer, with Arsenal and Manchester United reportedly registering their interest. It is believed the 23-year-old would cost 17m to any potential suitor, with a host of clubs willing to pay the price. The Dutch international reportedly told Sky Sports News ‘”Every transfer window there are clubs interested. But a club must speak to me first.”

KOEMAN DENIES CITY LINK Feyenoord boss Ronald Koeman has denied speculation that he is going to join Manchester City in the summer. Koeman guided Feyenoord to second place last season before being offered a longterm deal during the summer. The De Kuip currently sit joint second in the league with seven games remaining. “I have nothing else to say, because I simply do not know about [City’s] reported interest.”

AJAX INTERESTED IN AZ’s MAHER Ajax have confirmed their interest in AZ Alkmaar midfielder Adam Maher. The 19-yearold has impressed for AZ this season despite their lowly league position. But Ajax might be put off by the 10m asking price. “Ajax will not be paying that,” De Boer told Amsterdam daily Het Parool. “We are always interested in good footballers and Maher is a good footballer.”

AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT...

CHAMPIO Q/F PREV

liberofootball.co.uk

ONS LEAGUE VIEW 17

Bayern Munich vs Juventus Form

WWWLW

Top Scorer Muller (4)

Champions League Quarter Final 1st Leg Date: 02/04/13 Venue: Allianz Arena Kick-Off: 19:45 GMT

WORD Tommy Wilkinson Bayern suffered a late scare in the last round against Arsenal at the Allianz Arena but Juventus will be a much sterner test. Bayern Munich After a lucky escape in the last 16, the Germans know that complacency this time round would be fatal. Bayern move into this stage with the Bundesliga title all but confirmed, so their full attention lies on the Champions League. A luxury to some, but a concern to others. Their comfortable nature in the league, can allow them to lose competitiveness, something which can’t just be brought back for one particular fixture. But for Bayern, the Champions League is a competition which in recent times holds a lot of painful memories. They have lost in the final twice in the last three, losing first to Mourinho’s Inter in 2010, and then more recently last year in a dramatic penalty shootout defeat to Chelsea. So their is a strong sense of revenge among this Bayern team, as they look to put right previous mistakes and finally get their hands on this prestigious trophy. Juventus Juventus like Bayern are also in a commanding position in their domestic league. The Italian giants sit comfortably at the top of Serie A, as they prepare for their visit to the Allianz Arena. Despite beginning the season without manager Conte in full control, Juve have been able to progress and surpass

liberofootball.co.uk

their incredibly high standards set last season. Their performances in the Champions League have been a particular highlight, as they finished top of a group which included both Chelsea and Shakhtar, before then convincingly knocking out Celtic in the round of 16. It could be argued that this Juventus team are being underestimated and overlooked as winners for the competition, with Barca, Madrid and Bayern considered as stronger possibilities. But this is a team who are current champions and who are likely to become back to back champions of one of the toughest and most competitive domestic leagues. Something which none of the previously mentioned are currently achieving. However this won’t concern Conte, as his team continue to play without the added pressure and expectation of the media, allowing his team to play with freedom and to their maximum potential.for the second round, Dortmund overcame the tough Ukrainians in two strong displays. A 2-2 draw in Ukraine was the key part of their success; they can be very strong away from home, but are ruthless when playing in front of the Yellow Wall in the Signal Iduna Park. A fact Malaga will be all too aware of. Two undefeated teams in Europe, overcoming some wellexperienced and quality clubs on their way to the Quarterfinals. Dortmund may be the favourites, but Malaga won’t make it easy for them and they’ll hope to keep surprising us with European progression.

Form

WDWWWW

Top Scorer Quagliarella (4)

KEY MATCH UPS

he two teams will begin the match in contrasting tactical systems, with both sides sticking to the formations that have brought so much recent success. Bayern will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with dominating possession being the main objective, while Juve will adopt 5-3-2/3-5-2 and will play with a counter attacking objective. Bayern’s style of play is based on possession and positional play as they seek to gain total match control. They will look to take the initiative and set the match tempo, with the attack beginning patiently among the defensive players. Dante and the deep moving Schweinsteiger in particular have important roles, as they decide when and where to direct the attacks. It is then up to the three creative supporting players to express their talent and search out solutions for the penalty box striker, whether it is Mandzukic at the start or Gomez at the end. Out of possession Juve’s defensive line will consist of five with a midfield triangle closely in front providing added protection. I expect this organisation to be very tight and

committed as they look to close of any areas of space in their defensive third, increasing the frustration levels of their opponents. A key aspect to this game will be the Bayern wingers versus the Juve wing backs. Will the Jupp insytruct his wingers to stay high and look to catch them out in the offensive transition? Or will Conte reduce the freedom levels of his two wing backs so to make sure they don’t get caught out? These are some important decisions that need to be made, and which could have a decisve role on the outcome of this tatcially intriguing match.

POTENTIAL LINEUPS

KEEP AN EYE ON.... Arturo Vidal Arturo Vidal – After an impressive debut season, like with the rest of the team Vidal has progressed and excelled in this year’s Champions League. His physical capacity will enable him to be both effective defensively and during the offensive transition. He is also a midfielder who has goalscoring capabilities and given the chance who could punish Bayern as he did with Chelsea.

PSG vs Barcelona Form

WLDWD

Top Scorer Lavezzi (5)

Champions League Quarter Final 1st Leg Date: 02/04/13 Venue: Parc des Princes

Form

LLWWW

Top Scorer Messi (7)

Kick-Off: 19:45 GMT

WORDS Bill West

his match is definitely one for the neutral. An amazing array of talent is contained in both teams and we could potentially witness one of the greatest European ties ever. Both teams are going well in their domestic leagues but the Champions League is Europe’s ultimate prize. This is PSG’s first time in the last eight since 1995, but this is not it for the French team. Like everyone else left in the competition, they want to go all the way and win, but will first have to beat one of the favourites in Barcelona. Paris Saint-Germain Ahead of the quarter-final with Barcelona, the French side are going through a sticky patch in the league recently. They have only won two of their last five matches, including two defeats. In the Champions League last 16, PSG beat Valencia 3-2 on aggregate, with a 2-1 win at the Mestalla proving key to their progression. Ezequiel Lavezzi continued his excellent Champions League campaign with a goal in both legs and will be a key player if PSG are to progress against the Spanish giants. Lavezzi has five goals in seven European matches this season and is likely to be PSG’s main goal threat along with Zlatan Ibrahimović. It’s been a successful season so far for PSG so far. They have been the team to beat in Ligue 1 for the majority

liberofootball.co.uk

of the season. They are on course for the treble with the capital side also in the quarter-final of the French Cup and are currently five points ahead of Lyon in the league despite their recent struggles. With an experienced Champion-League winning manager in Carlo Ancelotti, a top defence led by the consistent Thiago Silva, and a threatening attacking force with Ibrahimović, Lavezzi and the talented youngsters Lucas Mora and Marco Verratti, anything is possible for this team. When the club was taken over by the Qatar Investment Authority last summer, they made the football world take notice when they spent huge amounts of money on Silva and Ibrahimović from AC Milan. If they were to beat Barcelona, a team rich in Champions League history, then people will consider PSG a genuine powerhouse in world football. Barcelona Barcelona are going great guns in La Liga. They have put their El Classico rivals Real Madrid in the shade, leading Jose Mourinho’s men by 13 points with only 10 games to go. Manager Tito Vilanova has been recovering from throat cancer for parts of the season, but the Catalans are still putting in top performances with Jordi Roura taking temporary charge. Lionel Messi has once again been in

lethal form in front of goal with an astonishing 55 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions. Barcelona put in one of their best performances of the season in the last round against AC Milan. They became the first side in the Champions League era to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg without an away goal, eventually winning 4-0 with a performance reminiscent of the days under Pep Guardiola. David Villa rolled back the years with a brilliant performance and the whole team made Milan a shadow of the side that won so easily at the San Siro. The result and performance in the second leg have made the Catalans favourites to win at Wembley in May along with Bayern Munich. European football expert Andy Brassell says that even though Barcelona are the favourites, PSG shouldn’t be underestimated. “I think PSG have got more of a chance than people think. Of course Barcelona are favorites but PSG have got one of the best goalkeepers in the competition in Salvatore Sirigu. They’ve also got the best centreback in Thiago Silva as well. Their players are almost suited to the Champions League more than they are to Ligue 1 because they’ve got players like Lavezzi and in particular Javier Pastore to raise their game whilst playing in Europe.” So don’t rule PSG out of this game just yet, they have the potential to cause quite an upset, and Ibrahimovic will be out to get at his old teammates, that’s for sure.

KEY MATCH UPS This is one match that football world cannot wait to see. It will be an intriguing battle between PSG, a club looking to assert their dominance in Europe, while Barcelona have been the kings of the continent, having won three Champions League titles in seven seasons. PSG played well in their win over Valencia in the last round, but facing the top team in Spain will be a different proposition. In the first leg, the Ligue 1 side played a fluid 4-4-2 formation, with Javier Pastore and Lucas Moura providing the attacking threat down the flanks, with Ezequiel Lavezzi alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front. It will be interesting to see if PSG stick with this formation, especially as Barcelona play with three central midfielders. If PSG play two in the middle of the park, Barca could exploit the space to devastating effect like they did in the 4-0 trouncing of Milan. If PSG were to keep a clean sheet to take to the Nou Camp in the second leg, their defence needs to be at the top of their game. Thiago Silva joined last summer for a reported fee of €42 million. A big fee, but he has justified the huge outlay with some excellent performances

this season. He is the captain and has definitely led by example and will need to do so again in this tie. It’s not just Silva though, the whole defence needs full concentration and have to close down Barcelona at all times. AC Milan easily beat the Spanish giants 2-0 at the San Siro in the last 16 by pressurising Barca and not letting them have time on the ball. Barcelona are likely play their usual tactics, playing possession football between the midfielders and getting the ball to Lionel Messi around the penalty area. To break down the tough defence of PSG, they will need to vary their attacks like they did in the 4-0 second leg win against Milan. Dani Alves is likely to provide an attacking threat, bombing up and down from right-back. PSG will have to stifle the movement and passing ability of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, otherwise they will get the ball forward with each attack, which PSG are unlikely to live with for 90 minutes. Barcelona have one of the best players ever in Lionel Messi and if he starts to dictate play and find time and space around the penalty area, PSG will lose. Messi’s two goals against AC Milan were of the highest

quality even though he only had half a yard of space in between him and the nearest defender. Messi captialised on space in between Milan’s defence and midfield, something PSG will need to stop if they are to advance.

POTENTIAL LINEUPS

KEEP AN EYE ON.... Zatlan Ibrahimovic Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been brilliant for Paris SaintGermain this season. The 31-year-old has been a talisman for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, with an astonishing 25 goals in 26 Ligue 1 matches. His strikes have given PSG a decent lead in the Ligue 1 championship, leading Lyon by five points. However, in the Champions League, his performances have not been as good. In seven matches in Europe, Ibrahimovic has only found the net on two occasions. But the Swedish international is a man for the big occasion and it wouldn’t be surprising if he was to score in both legs. Despite the number of prestigious clubs Ibrahimovic has played for in his illustrious career, he has never won the Champions League and he will be determined to win his first whilst beating one of his former clubs along the way. The Swede is known for his strength, aerial ability and fiery personality. His ball control is also one of the best

around and he can score a range of goals, from a simple tap-in to a wonder goal like he did for Sweden against England in November 2012. His belief in his own ability has never been in question and his temperament has been known to cause controversy, famously when he responded to criticism by former Valencia striker John Carew: “What [John] Carew does with a football, I can do with an orange.” If Ibrahimovic is on form, then PSG have a great chance of advancing to the semi-finals.

Real Madrid vs. Galatasaray Form

WWWWW

Top Scorer Ronaldo (8)

Champions League Quarter Final 1st Leg Date: 03/04/13 Venue: Stantiago Bernabeu

Form

WDLWW

Top Scorer Yilmaz (8)

Kick-Off: 19:45 GMT

WORDS Mike Trusler

his tie might not have the same appeal as Real Madrid’s last match against Manchester United, but Galatasaray are a Champions League dark horse that Madrid best be wary of. Despite losing their two opening group stage games, one against Manchester United, Galatasaray ended the stage strongly with three wins and a draw. Many saw Galatasaray as a strong but very much unfinished article entering the first round knock-out stages, but the additions of Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba from Shanghai Shenhua have made Galatasaray into a force this season. The Turkish side also possesses the potent Burak Yilmaz, who is joint UEFA Champions League top scorer with Cristiano Rolando. Speaking of Ronaldo, he and his Madrid side can count themselves lucky to be here after the controversial second leg vs Manchester United. As the debate still rumbles on over the Nani red card, Madrid are preparing to face arguably a sterner test in the 2012 Super Lig champions.

away leg in Turkey. Madrid has managed to put their early season blues behind them, and they are on an impressive unbeaten run, a run that includes two victories over bitter rivals Barcelona. The La Liga title is almost certainly out of the question for Mourinho’s men, but the Champions League is very much within their grasp, and it’s the competition they’d rather win. One thing Real Madrid must guard against is complacency, underestimating their Turkish opponents. A point Sergio Ramos made when he said that Real were not ‘lucky’ to draw Galatasaray at this stage of the competition. With goalkeeper and Captain Iker Casillas still sidelined, Diego Lopez will once again take his place between the sticks to face Drogba and co. At the other end of the pitch, Mourinho has a tough decision to make between Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema, while last round hero Luka Modric may also get a start.

REAL MADRID

GALATASARAY

The Spanish side hosts the first leg of the tie, and they’ll need to perform much better than they did in their last home leg against Manchester United. The one all draw on the Santiago Bernabeu nearly cost them dear, and they’ll probably need to put the tie to bed before the dreaded

The Turkish Champions showed they were no pushovers in the last round, defeating the much-fancied Schalke away from home in the second leg to progress. They will take comfort in the fact that Madrid have conceded eleven times in this seasons champions league,

liberofootball.co.uk

that’s more than any side left in the competition, and it’s not just in the Champions League that Madrid have failed to keep clean sheets, having conceded in four of their last five La Liga games. The January additions of Sneijder and Drogba have added to the potency of Galatasaray. The players also reduce the load from Yilmaz, whose eight goals in the Champions League this season have been vital. Elsewhere, Madrid will come face-to-face with a familiar name when the two teams clash in April. Former Real Madrid player Hamit Altintop will be out to prove a point his former side, which he made just five appearances for in his brief spell. “I hope to show the Real Madrid fans the true Altintop,” he told Marca. “I came to Galatasaray because the club has put a lot of faith in me and I don’t regret the decision. I’m enjoying football again and that’s priceless for me.”

KEY MATCH UPS The leaky Real Madrid defence will have to cope with a Galatasaray side that is more than capable of scoring in the Santiago Bernabeu. Drogba, Yilmaz and Sneijder will cause problems for Varane and Ramos and they’ll need to be on the top of their game to stop Galatasaray scoring a vital away goal. Unlike Manchester United, Galatasaray are likely to be more attacking from the outset. Even if they don’t, we know from the second leg against Schalke that Galatasaray can defend under immense pressure.

POTENTIAL LINEUPS

KEEP AN EYE ON.... MESUT OZIL Mesut Özil is Germany’s best player, and he’s only 24-years-old, meaning we could potentially enjoy his talents for another decade at the top level of European football. He epitomises the role of playmaker, playing just behind the striker and linking up play to devastating effect. Özil came to the forefront of European football because of his displays with Germany in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. As a fresh-faced 21-year-old he was a vital part of the counter-attacking exploits of Joachim Lowe’s excellent Germany team. Jose Mourinho uses Özil in a very similar way, which gets the very best out of the German. His passing range is fantastic and he’ll unlock any defence put in front of him, add to this the occasional goal, and you can understand why Real Madrid feel like they have a player of the potential to be their next Zinedine Zidane. Madrid haven’t been their usual selves this season, but

they have shown signs of being the unbelievable team they were last year as they stormed to league success. Özil is a key part of that; he sets up teammate Cristiano Ronaldo for his remarkable tally of goals on a regular basis, so far 24 assists in three years. He’s got 9 assists in La Liga so far this year and he’s the top provider in the World Cup Qualifiers with 5 assists so far. He’s starting to bring more goals into his game, which only enhances his reputation as he evolves into one of the world’s best talents. He recently became the first player to provide 65 assists in his three seasons in Spanish football, the quickest ever. He’ll regularly finish games with pass accuracy levels of 97% and 98%. He shows up for the big games too. He’s provided 6 goals in El Clasicos so far, four to Ronaldo, and two for Raphael Varane. Real Madrid’s number 10 is arguably the worlds best in his position already, if you stop Özil, you’ll stop a lot of the threat of Madrid.

Malaga Vs. Dortmund Form

LDDWL

Top Scorer Isco & Eliseu (3)

Form Champions League LWWLW Quarter Final 1st Leg Top Scorer Date: 03/04/13 Venue: La Rosaleda Lewandowski (5) Kick-Off: 19:45 GMT

WORDS Simon Baystead Football fans may not regard this as the tie of the round, after all both teams are far from favourites for this competition or even considered serious contenders, but along with Juventus, they are the only undefeated teams left in the cup. Malaga in particular will be hoping they can replicate Chelsea’s exploits from last season. The Spaniards have already surpassed all expectations to reach the Quarterfinal stage and will be desperate to continue their cup run. Dortmund on the other hand have become an outside bet for the competition, which makes this game so important. It’s a close game to call, Dortmund are becoming increasingly popular and have a star studded young squad, but Malaga’s experience in particular could pay off in this tie, and with their little maestro Isco pulling the strings, it could be another night to remember for the youngster when these two teams meet. This might not be as glamorous as Juventus Vs. Bayern Munich, but it’s certainly a game that will keep us on the edge of our seats.

Malaga CF The financial troubles in Spain have hit Malaga hard. When you consider the players the club had to sell, Santi Cazorla, Salomon Rondon, more recently Nacho Monreal. With some big money coming in, Malaga haven’t been able to spend a cent of it. They’ve worked well in the

liberofootball.co.uk

transfer window, bringing in Diego Lugano, Lucas Piazon, and Roque Santa Cruz on loan, and of course ex-Barcelona and Real Madrid striker Javier Saviola in from Benfica. The troubles remain, but you wouldn’t think so with their performances on the pitch. At the end of 2012 UEFA announced a lot of clamping down on Spanish teams due to their poor finances. Malaga unfortunately are one of those teams, and as it stands, they will not be able to feature in any European competitions next season. So what does this mean for the players going into next season? The high number of loanees will be sent back, emerging talents like Isco are likely to be sold, and the club will have to rebuild. It gives manager Manuel Pellegrini and increasingly difficult job motivating his players and finding the best out of a thin squad. But he continues to defeat the odds and lift this Malaga side to relative success. Malaga have impressed in Europe this season, the overachievers managed to defeat the experience and quality of FC Porto in the last round, they are certainly not to be underestimated. They came through a tough group undefeated with impressive victories over Zenit St Petersburg and AC Milan. With such great form in Europe, Dortmund will be foolish to think they have a path set through to the next round. The role as underdogs in this tie may suit Malaga just fine, and if Dortmund do underestimate them, we could be in for a shock result.

Borussia Dortmund Dortmund will be happy they drew Malaga for this quarterfinal, as will Malaga that they drew Dortmund. Both teams are not expected to win this competition, or even reach the semifinal stage, but one of them will, and they’ll both believe they can defeat each other. Dortmund will certainly be the favourites, turning a lot of heads in the last couple of years; they are becoming one of Europe’s most fearsome teams. With the quality Dortmund have in the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus, Mario Gotze, Mats Hummels, and Lukasz Piszczek amongst others, it’s no surprise that they’ve been tipped as a dark horse for the competition. The last two seasons have seen Dortmund beat Bayern Munich to league success, but not this year. The focus has clearly been on Europe for the Borussians, and it has paid off. Drawn in the “Group of Death” alongside Ajax, Real Madrid and Manchester City. Dortmund managed to finish exceed all expectations and finish top the group, undefeated. Put up against another strong force in Shakhtar Donetsk for the second round, Dortmund overcame the tough Ukrainians in two strong displays. A 2-2 draw in Ukraine was the key part of their success; they can be very strong away from home, but are ruthless when playing in front of the Yellow Wall in the Signal Iduna Park. A fact Malaga will be all too aware of.

KEY MATCH UPS This is far from the glamour tie of the second round, but this will certainly be a great game, over both legs. The first leg will be Malaga’s to lose. They need goals, but Dortmund’s counter-attacking capabilities will be a huge threat to their progression, not to mention the Black and Yellow’s sturdy defence. Pellegrini is expected to put out the same team that knocked out 2003/04 champions FC Porto in the last round. That is of course if he doesn’t spring a surprise on Dortmund and switch his team to a 4-3-3 formation so to not face up Dortmund with the same formation. The only changes we could expect from the Germans are perhaps solely for rotation. Kevin Grosskreutz could come into the midfield or Felipe Santana into defence as he did against Shakhtar Donetsk. Dortmund have the capacity to overpower Malaga in most areas of the pitch. If both teams play a 4-2-3-1 formation, the greater quality of Dortmund’s team will give them the edge. The superiority in their side, Marco Reus, Mario Gotze, and Jakub Blaszczykowski in particular are almost perfect at linking up. Gotze and Reus have developed

a special partnership this season, which can unlock any defence, as shown by their displays against Real Madrid. Malaga, on the other hand, have a special talent of their own: Isco. The 20-year-old has notched three goals from midfield for his side in the Champions League and is certainly one of Spain’s leading young talents. But will Dortmund’s holding players mark him out the game? Sven Bender, Ilkay Gundogan, and Sebastian Kehl will be thoroughly trained for the role of thwarting young Isco. If Isco’s creativity is allowed to flourish, Malaga have every chance of progression. It’s important Malaga don’t do Dortmund any favours, considering this Pellegrini may look at the amount of fouls Manuel Iturra has committed in the Champions Leaue this year. The 28-year-old Chile international has been called up for his fouls 20 times and it’ll be worth noting how he performs with Dortmund’s attacking players running at him. Dortmund’s dyanmic attacking system may pay dividends in this game. In Germany’s recent World Cup Qualifier against Kazakhstan, we saw Joachim Lowe adopt a

False-9 formation with Dortmund’s Mario Gotze as the main attacking threat. In the absence of strikers Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose, we saw a new Germany, previously unseen. It’s a position that Reus has also said he is comfortable playing within, giving Dortmund the opportunity to play a similar system. This potentially new style of play, if Jurgen Klopp would consider using it, could give Dortmund another dimension in the way his team plays. Of course with a striker of Lewandowski’s quality up top, such a system would probably only be necessary if the Poland international was missing, but it gives Klopp plenty of options. A luxury problem for the German.

POTENTIAL LINEUPS

KEEP AN EYE ON.... MARIO GOTZE Mario Gotze beats Isco to this because of the strength of Dortmund. With the quality of Dortmund’s side compared to Malaga’s, we can expect Dortmund to dictate a lot more of the play, especially in the second leg. This will allow young Gotze to work his magic, linking up with Reus and Lewandowski to great effect. This will give Gotze the opportunity to flourish where Isco may be played out of the game. Gotze has enjoyed his most prolific season thus far with 14 goals and 10 assists in all competitions; he’s shown his quality in the Bundesliga and Champions League alike. In the 3-0 win over Shakhtar, he notched a goal of his own to go with the assist for Lewandowski’s goal. The impressive attacking displays of Mario have made him one of the key ingredients to Dortmund’s successful team. He has flexibility about him as well. Coming in from the right of midfield has proven successful, but he’s best positioned in that attacking midfielder role behind

the striker. Keep an eye on Gotze’s movement during the game with Malaga, his excellent range of passing, and his link-up play as he attempts to unlock an experienced Malaga back-line. It’s time for Gotze to establish himself as Europe’s best young talent, so he’ll hope to be vital in Dortmund’s predicted success against Malaga. Gotze certainly has a growing reputation in Europe now. He is often referred to as the “German Messi” a title he’s gained from his similar stature and developing role in his team. “Me, the German Messi?. No I want to be the German Cristiano Ronaldo,” the 20-year-old recently revealed. Expectations are high for Mario Gotze and he’ll find his fans and teammates relying on him for moments of magic that world class footballers produce for their clubs on a regular basis. His next job; Malaga.

EUROPA LEAG Q/F PREVIEW liberofootball.co.uk

EUROPA LEAGUE

GUE W 27

CHELSEA VS. RUBIN KAZAN THURSDAY 4TH APRIL 2013 8:05PM STAMFORD BRIDGE

Prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Rubin Kazan

he current Champions League holders, Chelsea, will be aiming to make up for their dismal defence of their title by reaching the Europa League semi-finals. However, Chelsea have not found the so called ‘2nd competition’, easy going, winning just two of their four games so far. The Blues entered the tournament in the round of 32 having finished third in their Champions League group and have overcome Sparta Praha 2-1 and Steaua Bucharest 3-2 so far.The absence of striker Demba Ba, who had already taken part in this year’s competition

with previous club Newcastle United, has left Rafael Benitez’s team with a lack of firepower upfront, with Fernando Torres the only available striker. With the Europa League looking like Chelsea’s only realistic chance of silverware this season, they will be no doubt focused on the task in hand, with interim manager Benitez wanting a trophy to mark the end of his troubled tenure in charge. Their opponents Rubin Kazan, have found progress much calmer, having come through the competition unbeaten so far.

The Russian side finished top of Group H, and shocked holders Atletico Madrid in the first knock out round, winning 2-0 in Madrid and 1-0 in the return fixture. Rubin faced more Spanish opposition in the last round, and after drawing 0-0 in Levante, Rubin proved too much at home, running out 2-0 winners. Chelsea’s backline will be tested by Salomon Rondon, who has scored five goals in the Europa League, helping his side to reach the Quarter-Finals stages and helped Rubin lay claim to the best club in Russian crown.

FENERBACHE VS. LAZIO THURSDAY 4TH APRIL 2013 8:05 PM SUKRU SARACOGLU STADIUM

Prediction: Fenerbache 1-1 Lazio

nlike many of the quarter-finalists, Fenerbache’s Achilles heel has been their home form, rather than traveling away from Istanbul. The Turkish side have won just two games at home so far, but are yet to taste defeat on the road. Despite this, Fenerbache have made themselves hard to beat, losing just once in front of their own fans (3-0 to Borussia

liberofootball.co.uk

Monchengladbach in the group stage.) Fenerbache have overcome BATE Borisov and Plzen to get this far, but a lack of fire power upfront could hinder their chances of reaching the Semi-Finals. Lazio, on the other hand, have had no such problems, with striker Libor Kozak the competitions top scorer with 10 goals.

The Czech-Republic international netted a hat trick to help Lazio to a 3-1 victory over Stuttgart in their last 16 second leg tie. The Italians are another undefeated side, picking up three wins and three draws in the group stages, before overcoming Borussia Monchengladbach and Stuttgart in the knock out stages.

EUROPA LEAGUE

WORDS Dean Mears

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR VS. FC BASEL THURSDAY 4TH APRIL 2013 8:05PM WHITE HART LANE

Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Basle

ottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas knows what it takes to win this competition, having lead Porto to the trophy back in 2011. The Portuguese manager has shown how seriously he takes this tournament, compared to his predecessor Harry Redknapp, with strong team selections for every opponent. Despite this, Tottenham’s form so far has been inconsistent. At home, Spurs have played some great football, including the 3-0 rout against Inter Milan in the last round. However, away from White Hart Lane,

Tottenham have struggled, and have needed late goals to overcome Lyon (3-2 on aggregate) and Inter Milan (4-4 a.e.t). In the five away games so far, Tottenham have yet to pick up a win. In front of their own fans however, Tottenham have been a different team, winning four and drawing one game. The performance against Inter Milan was one of the most complete performances Spurs fans have seen this season. The return of Jermain Defoe to the starting line-up has been a much needed boost, but a recent injury scare for Gareth Bale will leave Villas-Boas sweating ahead of this

one. Basel have been a surprise package this year, after qualifying for the knockout stages finishing second in Group G, Basel have overcome Dnipro 3-1 and megarich Anzhi in the last 16. Two late goals, courtesy of Marcelo Diaz and Alexander Frei helped Basel to a 2-0 first leg lead. The Swiss side then restricted Anzhi to a 1-0 win in Russian to help them through to the Quarter-Final stage. Like Tottenham, Basel are yet to pick up a win on the road, but are also undefeated at home, so expect this tie to be a close one.

BENFICA VS. NEWCASTLE UNITED THURSDAY 4TH APRIL 2013 8:05PM ESTADIO DA LUIZ

Prediction: Benfica 3-1 Newcastle United

ike Chelsea, Benfica are another Champions League drop-out looking for success in Europe’s second competition. The Lisbon side have impressed so far, and have a 100% record in the four games played in the last two rounds. After picking up a 1-0 away win against Bayern Leverkusen in the first leg of their round of 32 tie, the Eagles picked off their opponents, winning 2-1 in the reverse fixture.

Next up for Benfica was Bordeaux, who topped their Quarter-Final opponents group, in the last 16. An own goal gave Benfica a 1-0 lead to travel to France with, where they came out on top 3-2 in a thrilling encounter. Newcastle’s journey to the Quarter-Final stage has been a laborious one, the Magpies drew three of their six group games, winning two and losing one. Goals have been an issue for Alan Pardew’s men, scoring just nine goals in 10 games, there opponents Benfica have

scored 7 in just 4 games so far. After finishing second to Bordeaux in Group D, Newcastle faced Metalist in the first knockout round, and picked up a 1-0 win in the second leg away from home to see them through. In the last round, another second leg 1-0 win, was enough to see them through.

Franco Baresi The rock of Rossoneri LIBERO CATCHES UP WITH THE MAN VOTED ‘MILAN’S GREATEST EVER PLAYER WHO HELPED DEFINE THE TERM LIBERO Words & Interview Ben Rebuck

icknamed “Piscinin”, Milanese for “Little one”, Franco Baresi had an exceptional journey as the linchpin at the heart of the AC Milan Defence. In a career that spanned over 20 years, this one-club man achieved great success. Baresi won the Champions League three times, as well as six Serie A titles, four Supercoppa Italiana, three European Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups as well as being part of the 1982 Italy squad that won the World Cup. We were lucky enough to have a chat with the legend himself, who talks size and that penalty miss.

Firstly, Franco, thank you for taking the time to speak with Libero Football, it’s a pleasure to have you here; You were voted AC Milan player of the Century back in 1999; explain how much on honour it was to play for Milan? ‘Of course I’ve been very lucky in my life to wear the shirt of such a successful and prestigious club. I’ve always been a Rossonero supporter and during my career AC Milan gave me all the opportunities to realise my dreams.’ Excuse me for saying but you weren’t the tallest Defender around, did you use your size as an advantage or did you feel it was a hindrance? ‘Absolutely an advantage, I never felt it was a hindrance and or felt inferior. My secret was trusting in our team’s way of playing; we didn’t leave our opponents, taking advantage of high balls. Our good, solid organisation made this possible.

Your brother famously played for Inter Milan; did you have a friendly rivalry?

You captained the side under Arrigo Sacchi, is he the best manger you played under?

‘Yes, we had a friendly rivalry, never an angry one. Most of all, our rivalry was twice a year, especially during Derby days. We always got along off the pitch. As he’s older than me, he has always been an incentive for me; he helped me lots, especially during my early years developing as a player.

‘Sacchi has been the one who changed football in Italy. He was such a revolutionary man for that time, changing mentality and bringing in new ideas. Absolutely Arrigo Sacchi is one of the most important protagonists in AC Milan history.’

Who were your footballing idols growing up? ‘As I’ve always been a very “captive” AC Milan fan, I must say Gianni Rivera, Pierino Prati or Karl-Heinz Schnellinger were amazing players. I had admiration also for Gigi Riva, Sandro Mazzola and Roberto Boninsegna, idols of the Italian National team of that time.’ You won your first Serie A title at the age of 18, did you feel the pressure at such a young age or did it help you strive to become a better player? ‘I was young when I won my first Scudetto but in that season everything went very well for me. I was considered a promising young football player and I was imposing myself in a role on the pitch very delicate for my age. I used to feel a bit of pressure but it was always very productive, not negative at all.’ You stayed loyal to Milan in the 80’s despite the club’s problems, did you ever think of leaving? ‘Never! In early 80’s the club had some financial problems but I always wished it could carry on and be back at the top of world football. Now I can say I was right!’ How did you feel when you missed a penalty against Brazil in 1994, knowing full well that it was your last chance to win the World Cup? ‘I didn’t feel good at all, for sure! All the world looking at me, watching me in that very moment; I was so disappointed and there was a huge sadness in all of us. In Los Angeles, I played my best match in the whole of the World Cup after recovering from an injury. Nevertheless, I can remember all the good things we did to reach the Final; we were a special group of big players and good people.”

liberofootball.co.uk

The signing of Mario Balotelli signifies real intent for Milan, how do you see the transfer benefiting Milan in the next 5 years? ‘I do believe that the signing of Mario Balotelli means a lot in this new strategy of the club. AC Milan has chosen a new road, many top players left in the last season and young players have the chance to show their skills. I believe that with Balotelli, El Shaarawy, De Sciglio and the other promising young players, AC Milan are back on the right track.’ After winning 3 European cups as a player, how important is it for the club to exert its dominance on the European stage once more? ‘I think it’s very important. In the last 27 years AC Milan won a lot of international trophies, we had different cycles, series with different trainers and players but always with the same ambition and goal to be dominant in Europe and in the whole world. It will be the same in the future too.’ Who would be in your all time 11 of players you played with? ‘During my career I played with a lot of top players. Let me try: Sebastiano Rossi, Mauro Tassotti, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, Roberto Donadoni, Frank Rijkaard, Zvonimir Boban, Ruud Gullit, Dejan Savićević and George Weah... And many more, it’s impossible to choose only 11 players!’ Finally, at Libero Football, we’ve named our magazine after the playing position you made famous, but in your opinion, who has the privilege of being the greatest Libero of all time? ‘Oh that’s really nice of you! I’ll give one name: Beckenbauer. Thanks a lot!’

FRANCO BARESI

“I’ve always been a Rossonero supporter and during my career AC Milan gave me all the opportunities to realise my dreams.”

Wonde Check out Liberoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top twenty-two young players under the age of 22 in Europe today. Who will come out as our Number 1?

liberofootball.co.uk

erkids

Iker MUNIAIN

Julian DRAXLER

22 J

Age: 20 Team: Athletic Madrid Position: AMLRC

Age: 19 Team: Schalke Position: AML

ulian Draxler is another player in the long list of remarkable German talent ready to storm the world. The winger is the star of Schalke’s youth development system and is already supassed his 100th appearance for his club at only 19-years-of-age. He began his youth career at BV Rentfort, before moving to SSV Buer and being snapped up by Schalke in 2001. Draxler is tall, standing at 6’2, but has the pace and technical ability you’d expect of a gifted German international. He made his Bundesliga debut on 15th January 2011, and hasn’t looked back, becoming a vital squad member for Schalke, popping up with the occasional goal.

Mattia DE SCIGLIO Age: 21 Team: AC Milan Position: DRL

he 20-year-old Italian is one of the many hot prospects that is excelling in this current youthful Milan side. Before this season he was assigned the famous number two shirt, which he then followed with some convincing performances on the right side of defence. He has also demonstrated his versatility by performing in a left back position if needed. His good form has lead to international recognition and he recently made his international debut in a friendly match against Brazil.

Age: 20 Team: Gladbach Position: GK

Age: 20 Team: Real Sociedad Position: MC

uben Pardo is one of the hottest properties in Spnaish football, yet his role in Sociedad’s current fourth place standing is much underrated. The 5’11 midfielder is a gifted passer of the ball. He possesses and number of attributes to that any well rounded central midfielder needs. His technical ability is almost second to none, he works hard with a raw energy and he is a good reader of the game. Recent Sociedad managers have been reluctant to give the slight Pardo a chance. But with age and experience he’s sure to grow into a quality central midfielder, much in the mould of former Real Sociedad favourite Xabi Alonso.

Xherdan SHAQIRI

Age: 21 Team: Bayern Munich Position: AMRL

Lorenzo INSIGNE

Age: 21 Team: Napoli Position: ACM/ST

haqiri is one talented youngster and will only improve in years to come. He has so much self-belief after choosing to join such a huge club like Bayern Munich despite other offers. He went there knowing he’d be in competition against the likes of Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben. With a low centre of gravity and excellent technique and agility, he’s been able to come in every other game and still make a difference and express himself. He’s only going to improve but in the next few years he needs to play more regularly plus work out his best position, whether that’s in the number 10 role or on the right wing cutting in much like team-mate Robben.

fter losing Lavezzi in the summer to PSG, Napoli fans were worried they’d struggle replace him. But the Naples born Lorenzo Insigne has stepped into the gap left by the departing Argentine. Despite standing at just 5’4, Insigne has all the attrubites to make it to the very top of the game. Predominantly right footed, he has been deployed often on the left hand side of a front three, allowing him to cut inside and take shots on goal. Although compared to Lavezzi his goal record isn’t great, the young Italian influences the game in many areas. His pass completion stats are outstanding and Napoli wing-back Christian Maggio believes his decision making in the final third is better than that of former teammate Lavezzi.

liberofootball.co.uk

Marc-Andre TER STEGEN

Ruben PARDO

amed the “Spanish Messi’ by the media in his native country, it’s fair to say Muniain has a big future in football. But where that future lies is what is important for the youngster. It’s incredibly hard to break into a national team which is littered with the likes of Juan Mata, Andres Iniesta, David Silva, Cesc Fabregas and so on. The competition for places is huge. But if anyone can break into this squad it’s Iker. He already has one cap for his country, after playing for the Under-16’s right up to the Under-23’s, and he’s still only 20-years-old.

MARQUINHOS

Age: 18 Team: Roma Position: DC

lthough Brazil is not known for bringing through a high number of defensive talents, it is a country that has produces some of the best defenders of the recent decades.Marquinhos has all the ability and potential to become another one of those players. The naturally athletic centre back joined Roma in 2012 from Corinthians for a measly 2.6m. He slotted straight into the back line and hasn’t looked back since.Reading the game is an obvious strong point of Marquinhos, and this coupled with his raw pace allows him regain postion should he have lost it. The best comparison for Marquhos is fellow countryman, Lucio.

ermany have a habit of developing world-class keepers, and in Marc-Andre ter Stegen they have another. After keeping 15 clean sheets for Gladbach’s brilliant 4th place finish in 2011-12. ter Stegen is an organizer of the defense, and draws obvious comparisons to the legend that is Oliver Kahn. He has been courted by several clubs in the past twelve months, and if reports are believed, he could be the man to replace Victor Valdes in the Barcelona goal sometime in the near future.

David ALABA Age: 20 Team: Bayern Munich Position: DL/WB/LM

he role of full-backs has developed in recent years to the creation of wing-backs. This has meant a new breed of youngsters must learn to have attacking capabilities from a defensive position. FC Barcelona’s Dani Alves and Jordi Alba are examples of offensive wing-backs capable of joining in their team’s attack to devastating effect. David Alaba, at just 20-years-of-age, has the ability to be the next best wing-back in the world.

TALENT SCOUT

Cristian TELLO

Age: 21 Team: Barcelona Position: AMRL/CF

he Barcelona winger made an immediate impact in the 11/12 season after being promoted from the B team. His impressive performances earned him a place in the Spanish Olympic squad last summer. A similar type of player to teammate Pedro, Tello is an explosive winger whose games is centred on both speed and acceleration. His preferred position is on the left side of a front three, as he looks to beat the opposition right back regularly in one on one situations.

SAFE HANDS: ter Stegen is the first goalkeeper on out list 35

James RODRIGUEZ Age: 21 Team: Porto Position: ACM/RL

he Colombian Cristiano Ronaldo; James Rodriguez. FC Porto have a great reputation for bringing through young talents that grow into world class stars, or developing players to achieve their potential and get into the prime of their career. Rodriguez is certainly the next in a long line of successful graduates from the school of Porto, and is destined for greatness, wherever he ends up in Europe. There is certain interest from some of Europe’s biggest and best. Manchester United in particular have been linked to a big money move for the player to replace their Portuguese winger Nani. €18 million is the valuation of the 21-year-old and he’ll be desperate to repay that fee with his displays on the pitch. His pace and technical ability on the right of an attacking midfield line are a constant threat to his opposition, his talent is clear to see, but he has some way to develop until he is to be considered one of Europe’s best. “I am James and I continue to be James. I am my own person and the world can see me that way.”

KING JAMES: The ‘Colombian Cristiano Ronaldo’ has all the skills to make it to the top

liberofootball.co.uk

TALENT SCOUT

Marco VERRATTI

Lucas MOURA

Age: 20 Team: PSG Position: DM/CM/ACM

Age: 20 Team: PSG Position: ACM/RL

6 L

arco Verratti has the potential to be one of stars of the next generation of the Italian national team. Prepared to fill various roles in the centre of midfield, the potential he possesses is up there with the very best. Verratti made his name at US Pescara playing in Serie B. He progressed through the youth ranks at the club and eventually made his first team debut at only 16-years-of-age. He never looked back. Sealing a place in the first team he was an integral part of the Pesara squad which gained promotion to Serie A last season.

ucas Moura is just one of a number of hot talents to leave Brazil in recent years. Moura is quick, powerful and has an eye for goal.The 5’8 winger is a powerful runner with a great skillset. Often criticised for being ‘too selfish’ the young Brazilian has the ability to cause havoc for the opposition, and create chances out of nothing. Comparisons have been made between Lucas Moura and Hulk, but the 20-year-old has said he believes is his a mirror image of Messi.

Paul POGBA

Age: 19 Team: Juventus Position: CM

12 P

Thibaut COURTOIS

Age: 20 Team: Atl. Madrid (loan from Chelsea) Position: GK

aul Pogba. The one that got away. Sir Alex Ferguson very rarely admits to his mistakes, mainly due to the fact that he doesn’t make that many. But he openly speaks of the mistake he made regarding the selling of defender Jaap Stam to Lazio back in 2000. But since the move he has excelled in his new surroundings, demonstrating his qualities at the highest level, competing both domestically and in Europe. Throughout his United career he made a total of 3 senior appearances, while for Juventus he has already passed the 20 mark and has five goals to his name.

ourtois has spent two seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid after joining Chelsea from Genk for £7.9 million in 2011. He was a key player in Atletico’s Europa League triumph in 2012. The 20-year-old is seen as Chelsea’s natural successor to current number one Petr Cech. He has already made more than 60 appearances for the La Liga side and will probably extend that at the end of the season. While many will suggest that the current purple patch being enjoyed in the red and white part of Madrid is almost entirely down to a certain Colombian goalscoring machine, the input of colleagues, and his colleague in goal in particular should not be overlooked.

Erik LAMELA

Age: 20 Team: Roma Position: ACM

ISCO

Age: 20 Team: Malaga Position: ACM

rancisco Román Alarcón Suárez, or Isco as he is known to many, is one of Europe’s most highly rated talents. He joined Malaga as part of the revolution under the new ownership, and impressed in his debut season. When Malaga sold a number of key players at the end of last season, Isco stepped up to the plate, leading his side to the last eight of the Champions League. In January Isco signed a new deal with Malaga, which included a buyout clause of a mamoth €135 million.

10 T

Christian ERIKSEN Age: 21 Team: Ajax Position: ACM

ompared to Danish great Michael Laudrup and admired by Johan Cruyff, Eriksen has the world at his feet. The 21 year-old is lighting up the Eredivisie with his lightning quick brain, silky skills and bright young talent. His £1million transfer to Ajax looks like a bargain now. Eriksen is a fleetfooted trequartista, much in the same mould of Chelsea’s Juan Mata. His movement off the ball is as good as his vision with it. Often finding space, Eriksen has a devastating final ball which often pries open the opposition defense.

he skillful Argentine made is debut for River Plate at the tender age of 17, and it wasn’t long before he became a regular starter. At the age of 12 he was approached by Barcelona, but the chairman of the Argentinian club made a better offer and Lamela stayed put. Despite the obvious comparions to Messi, Lamela is more comparable to Javier Pastore of PSG.

Mario GOTZE

Age: 20 Team: Dortmund Position: ACM/RL

ario Götze is capable of being considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game. At just 20-years-of-age he has broken through into the starting line-up for the reigning German champions and the abundantly talented German national team. If he fulfils the talent he has clearly shown, he’ll be mentioned among German legends such as Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthaus, and Berti Vogts amongst many others.

4 37

Stephan

EL SHAARAWY Age: 20 Team: AC Milan Position: AMC/LR

ith more playing time available due to the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the constant injuries to Robinho and Alexandre Pato, there was an opportunity to be taken, one which El Shaarawy took with both hands. The Italian starlet’s rise at Milan coincided with a poor run of collective form, which saw the Rossioneri make their worst start to a league campaign in eighty years. The fact that in a disappointing Milan team which was struggling to find its identity, he was still able to shine and carry the team forward, tells us a lot about the talented forward. It is without doubt that the bright energy what was El Shaaraway played a defining role in the Milan recovery. He has a total of eighteen goals to his name so far and the recent arrival of friend and international strike partner Mario Ballotelli can only help his progress. El Shaarawy was born in Savona to an Egyptian father and an Italian mother. The youngster’s talents were quickly recognised at an early age and he moved to Serie A outfit Genoa at the age of thirteen. It didn’t take long from the point of being scouted, to going on to make his first senior appearance for the club. As at the age of just sixteen, he made his senior debut against Chievo, becoming the fourth youngest player in the history of Serie A. However his quality was soon to become recognised by the top European clubs. El Shaarawy was set for bigger and better things and on the 25th of June 2011 he signed for Italian giants AC Milan. The new Milan hot prospect made an immediate impact at the San Siro, becoming a crowd favourite and was given the nickname The Pharaoh. On only what was his second appearance for the Rossineri, he came on as a substitute to earn his team a point scoring in a 1-1 draw against Udinese. This season El Shaarawy broke yet another record, but this time by playing in the Champions League. His goal against Zenit on the 3rd of October, made him AC Milan’s youngest ever goalscorer in the competition and also earned his side a much needed 3-2 victory. His excellent performances haven’t not gone unnoticed by Italian national team manager Cesare Prandelli, as he made his senior international debut from the start in Italy’s recent friendly match against England. The AC Milan forward has also represented his country at youth level, taking part in both the 2009 UEFA U-17 Euros and the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

liberofootball.co.uk

The hot prospect’s reputation is quickly spreading. Ex-Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti in particular is a keen admirer and has been impressed with his impressive start to the season. “Galliani comparing El Shaarway to Eto’o? In terms of characteristics, El Shaarawy reminds me more of Neymar than Eto’o,” Ancelotti told Sky Sports. The Italian shares many similarities with the Brazilian superstar. For example both have a slight frame in which enables them to skip away from opposition challenges. He also has similar speed levels to the Santos player, which helps him to move quickly and accelerate away from defenders. Arguable the most obvious of similarities between these two players is their quick feet and trickery. Both players are more than capable of the unexpected, and can win a match single handedly through an individual piece of brilliance.

Importantly though the forward has both a determined workrate and a killer instinct. Two attributes which can quite often be found missing among attacking youngsters. The teenage sensation has recently been linked with a move to English side Manchester United. A move which could be pursued further by United due to the ongoing frustrations regarding Portuguese winger Nani. El Shaarawy would be the ideal replacement for Nani, but the Milan vice president has moved quickly to rule out any deal. “Let’s hope Ferguson will stay in love with him, but it’s not in our thoughts to sell him,” said Galliani. The Milan fans will be hoping that he won’t follow a similar path to Thiago Silva and Ibrahimovic and that they will be able to hold onto their prized asset. For now though his future seems to be with the Rossenari, after he recently renewed his contract keeping him at the club until 2017.

TALENT SCOUT

Raphael VARANE

Age: 19 Team: Real Madrid Position: DC/LR

aphaël Varane is the next best defender in the world. From his brief spell at RC Lens in France, he impressed to the point that European giants Real Madrid were anxious to capture his signature. Signed as just a prospect in a Madrid set-up that rarely promotes its young talents. Varane was given the chance to step up to the plate at the world’s biggest team, and he grabbed that chance with both hands. Varane made his debut for the Spanish giants on 21st September 2011 in a 0-0 draw with Racing Santander. In only his second start for his new club he found the back of the net for the first time, in Madrid’s 6-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano, making him the youngest foreign goalscorer for Madrid at 18 years and 152 days old. The Frenchman shot to fame most recently due to his outstanding performances in the Copa Clasicos with Barcelona. A man of the match performance capped by a goal-line clearance and an equalising goal sealed his place in the hearts of the Madrid faithful during the first leg. The second leg in the

Nou Camp was just as impressive, as Madrid ran-out worthy winners; Varane sealed the result with an exceptional header towering above his world-class opponents. It’s fair to say we’ll be seeing a lot more of the 19-year-old. Varane can play as a Libero. The sweeper role is almost forgotten in modern day football, and Varane is best positioned in the centre of defence. However, the flexibility of Varane, his speed and superb reading of the game give him the capacity to fill various roles and that is part of what makes him such a special talent. The story of Varane begins with his birth in Lille. At the age of seven he began his footballing career with AS Hellemmes, a youth team in his local area. In 2002 he joined the academy at RC Lens despite interest from his hometown club Lille OSC. The youngster also spent time at a nearby football establishment, Centre de Préformation de Football, which he attended in balance with playing for Lens. Varane was fast-tracked through the Lens youth

teams right up to the first team in the 2010-2011 season. Such was his talent that only a year later he’d be playing for Real Madrid. It’s fair to say Varane has plenty of strengths to his game. His intercepting ability is something to behold and he clearly has all the attributes to go a long way in his career. But what are his weaknesses? The decision to make such a huge move to Real Madrid so early in his career could have been a huge mistake, so far it’s been the right choice, but will the weight of expectation hinder him? Decision-making is a key part of football, which improves with age, and it’s fair to say every youngster will suffer from poor decisions from time-to-time. Varane hasn’t been the subject of this on too many occasions, somewhat due to his position on the pitch, but it’s something we may have to look out for. His lack of experience is becoming less of a problem this season as he is breaking into the starting line-up under Jose Mourinho. However, he’ll be understandably worried that whoever replaces Mourinho at the Bernabéu will not give him as much playing-time. So where will Varane’s career take him next? He’s impressed within the France Under-21 team but is yet to make his debut for the France national team. There’s space to fill in the Real Madrid defence and Varane has proven he can fit into the team perfectly. With the ability to score, his great defensive qualities, and his huge potential. Varane will become Madrid’s next Fernando Hierro. France and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane had kind words to say of his compatriot when he first arrived in Spain: “He is a very promising player and was an obvious target for a club such as Real Madrid seeking talent. He is a player I like very much and in many ways resembles Laurent Blanc. I haven’t seen many players like that.” Varane described his move to Madrid as “a dream come true” but to make the impact he has in his short time at the club, and at his young age, make him a special talent worthy of a lot of plaudits. However, young footballing stars need to ensure they do not burn out under the spotlight, and Varane will need to find the determination to drive on and become the world’s best.

THIAGO Age: 21 Team: Barcelona Position: AMC

liberofootball.co.uk

TALENT SCOUT

he 16th of May 2008, the day when Thiago Alcantara became a star! Spain 4-0 France in the the final of the under-17 championships, a match in which Thiago controlled with his individual skill and control. It was during this performance that you just knew that you were witnessing someone very special, someone who was going to go all the way to the very top of the game. So what has Thiago achieved since then? Well at the age of just 21 he's already a three time La Liga winner, he has two Champions League medals to his name, two Copa del Rey final successes and he is also a Club World Cup winner. While internationally he has continued on with his initial success. He won the Under 21 European Championships, a competition in which he won player of the tournament. He also scored a 40 yard free kick in the final and was awarded the man of the match award for his performance in the victory over Switzerland. So he isn't your everyday young footballing talent. He is one who is demonstrating his talents on the biggest stage, with some of the world's best players and for one of the greatest teams to ever exist. His Barcelona story began back in 2005 when he made the switch from Brazilian side Flamengo. He played an instrumental role in the success of the Barca B side in the Segunda and quickly made the jump to the senior side.

It was in the 10/11 season when he officially made the switch and joined the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Keita and competed for midfield selection. As the season progressed he started to feature more often, ending with seventeen games, three goals and three assists. After an impressive first season, Thiago had a really positive pre-season and looked ready for a season with more first eleven involvement. His performance in the Audi Cup in particular resulted in strong praise from his manager: "Everything Thiago Alcantara does at the moment turns into gold". Everything looked in place for a starting spot, right up until the moment of the late summer arrival of Cesc Fabregas. Despite the slight use of a 3-4-3 formation at the beginning of the season, which allowed for a extra midfield inclusion such as Thiago, the youngster didn't have the high impact which his pre season success promised. But despite this Thiago's career has still progressed at a good pace both with club and country. He made his first appearance for World Cup winning Spain against Italy in August 2011. A match that followed with Thiago admirer Mario Balotelli interrupting an interview with the Spaniard, saying "mas grande" - which translates 'the greatest'. A career in sport always looked destined for Thiago. He is the son of former Brazilian 1992 World Cup winner Mazinho, while his mother is a former vollyball

player. His brother Rafinha is part of the Barca youth set up and is also set for a bright future. Thiago is also the cousin of current Benfica forward Rodrigo. Thiago has all the attributes needed to be a world class midfielder. Despite not being the biggest he has great strength, which helps him hold off opponents when in control of the ball. He has incredible technical qualities which make him a natural fit for both his club and country. His style is the combination of the Spanish tiki taka principle and the Brazilian rhythm, trickery and flair. Uncommon to a central midfield player he is blessed with a high level of dribbling ability, making him blessed in the one on one situations. The Barcelona midfielder is also a tough competitor. He is not one which just thrives when the team are with the ball, he is a player who enjoys the fight and battle a match might require. This season has seen new manager Tito Vilanova deploying Iniesta on the left side of the offensive line, with Xavi, Fabregas and Thiago competing for the two central midfield positions. A partnership which in the future will be made up of the latter two as Xavi's career draws to a close. But in the mean time there is no greater role model than Xavi and there is no better education than Barcelona, so there is no reason to panic!

EUROPEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DEADLY

There are a number of local derbies that take place every season, but which is the deadliest?

DERBIES

Derby della Capitale Revierderby

Derbi Sevillano De Klassieker El Clasico

liberofootball.co.uk

RIVALRIES

ROMA VS. LAZIO

he Derby della Capitale contested between AS Roma and Lazio, is by far the hottest derby in Italy and arguably throughout the whole of Europe. The other leading Italian derby matches, such as the Derby Della Madonnina involving the two Milan clubs and the Derby della Mole, important and fiercely contested as they are, provide no match to the Rome derby. It routes way back to the formation of Roma in 1927. Italian dictator Mussolini decided he wanted a team who could compete with the early leaders of Italian football, Torino and Juventus. To form AS Roma, three Rome based teams which included Roman, Alba-Audace and Fartitudo were bonded together to establish the club. However, there was one other team who refused to unite - Lazio. And the rivalry had begun! The Lazio fans often look to provoke their main rivals by claiming to be the original team of the city due to their foundation in 1900, which was much earlier than Roma’s foundation later in 1927. Roma fans reply to this is by saying: if Lazio are the

4 T

original capital club, then why did they name themselves after the region and not the city? And why have they adopted the colours of the Greek flag (blue and white) rather than the colours of Rome (red and gold). The political differences between the two sides is one of the other reasons for this fierce rivalry. The Laziali in general had right-wing idea’s, while Roma were more leftwing orientated. The intensity of the derby was further increased when in the middle of the 20th century both clubs were moved together into the Stadio Olimpico. It is fair to say that the fierce nature of the rivalry has had a negative effect on both clubs. Both teams look to constantly try and out do each other in an individual battle and as a result both lose sight of their vision and ambition to win trophies. This factor has played a big role in the northern dominance in Italian football. The Derby della Capitale offers a chance for both teams to prove who is the dominant team in the capital, with fans seeing the match as a fight for the right to represent the city.

There have been two notable incidents of extreme violence during its existence. The first being in 1979, when Lazio fan Vincenzo Paparelli was hit in the eye and killed by a flare fired from a Roma fan from the opposite side of the stadium. The second incident took place more recently in 2004. Roma fans forced the game to be suspended after spreading false rumours around the ground that a child had been killed by the police outside the stadium prior to kick off. The message soon made its way to the directors box, where then Adriano Galliani ordered the referee to suspend the match. After further trouble then broke out as fans and police violence resulted in 13 arrests and over 170 people injured. Racism has also found its way into the Derby della Capitale, with the black players of Roma often being the receivers of racist behaviour by Lazio fans. The most notable example being in the 1998-99 season, when Lazio fans put up a banner saying: “Auschwitz is your town, the ovens are your houses”.

DORTMUND VS. SCHALKE

he Revierderby is the biggest local derby in Germany. You’ll struggle to find two teams that hate each other as much as Schalke and Borussia Dortmund. Fan violence rages on alongside the battle on the pitch and has done since the rivalry began back in 1925. No other German derbies quite match up to the intensity of the Revierderby. Since Schalke kicked things off with a 4-2 win, followed it up with another two wins, the teams met very rarely. German football wasn’t anywhere near the heights of today, and so the rivalry wasn’t quite as intense as recent times. Borussia Dortmund failed to win any of the first 17 meetings between the two sides, losing 16 of them. Since then, both sides have seen good times. The 1930’s were definitely Schalke’s decade. In this period they won four of their seven German championships. In 1960 Dortmund was considered the better team and the 90’s were very good times for the clubs as they improved year by year. Dortmund finished 2nd in 1992 and made the UEFA Cup final in 1993. They went on to win the league in 1995 and 1996 and then the Champions League for the 1st and only time in 1997, defeating Juventus 3-1. This fixture has its fair share of violence. The first meeting of the two teams this season saw hundreds of fans clash outside the stadium, attacking each other and the police trying to calm the situation. 200 people were arrested on

that occasion. The two German clubs actually have similar success records. Dortmund have 8 German Championships, 3 German cups, 4 German Supercups, 1 European Cup Winners Cup and 1 UEFA Champions League. Schalke have 7 German Championships, 5 German Cups, 1 German Supercup and a UEFA Cup to their league titles. Dortmund’s Bundesliga success last season saw them overtake Schalke in number of Championships, which made it even sweeter for the Borussians. There is naturally an element of jealousy and hostility between the two clubs. In 1997 Schalke’s biggest European success, winning the UEFA Cup, was somewhat downtrodden by Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League triumph one week later. Other than the obvious rough challenges and general squabbles that you often find in these types of matches, there have been many incidents between the two sides that have caused joy in one part of the Ruhr and despair in the other. In May 2007 Schalke lost their penultimate match of the Bundesliga season 2-0 to Dortmund. They had led the league for months and this match ultimately cost them the title. Despite Dortmund not winning the league that year, the fans still celebrated the fact that their rivals had not won it. Many fans even got themselves replica kits to commemorate the occasion.

In December 1997, Jens Lehmann, the Schalke goalkeeper at the time, went up to score a late equaliser in the derby, on none other than Dortmund’s 88th birthday. Ironically the German goalkeeper later joined Borussia Dortmund after a brief and unsuccessful stint in Italy with AC Milan. Current Borussia Dortmund player Kevin Grosskreutz recently showed how great the rivalry between the two clubs is. When asked in an interview how he would react if his son turned out to be a Schalke supporter, he said “I wouldn’t accept it, I would give him up for adoption.” The Bundesliga is continuously growing and has moved ahead of Italy in UEFA’s ranking of Europe’s top leagues. It’s fair to say the fiery Revierderby is a key part of the Bundesliga and what makes it so great, both teams are top 4 sides in Germany and will be battling it out for years to come in a tightly fought derby. Schalke have done the double over Dortmund this season, winning both games 2-1. But Dortmund remain in the Champions League and in 2nd place clear above a stuttering Schalke team who have only recently regained their early season form. This may be Schalke’s year, and overall their derby (57 wins to Dortmund’s 48), but European success has overshadowed the Royal Blues own success once before, could it happen again this year?

REAL BETIS VS. SEVILLA

The Seville derby came into existence after Betis Football Club were founded and merged with Seville Balompie in 1914. The first Seville derby took place in the following year on October the 18th 1915. The match was played at Sevilla’s home ground, the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, and ended in a 4-3 victory for the home side. It is a game which is often overlooked due to the power of the other big rivalry in Spain, the El Clasico. The fixture is always an explosive, passionate and fiercely contested match, which like most other city rivalries can at times result in some unsavoury incidents. For example back in the 2002 season, when a Sevilla fan ran onto the pitch and attacked Betis goalkeeper Toni Prats. Another and more recent famous example was in 2007, when manager Juande Ramos was struck with a bottle, while Betis fans burned Sevilla flags during the match. Overall it is Sevilla who can boast of having the greater head to head record, with a total of 52 victories compared to Betis’ 36. However, Betis claim some bragging rights by being the first club from Andalusia to play in La Liga. They are also the only Spanish team to have won all three Spanish top divisions. Betis currently also have the edge over their arch rivals due to this season’s league standings. Their impressive season so far means that they are competing for a

AJAX VS. FEYENOORD

The biggest rivalry in Holland, the hatred between Ajax and Feyenoord stems from the ideologies of the two cities in which both teams call home. Ajax, from the country’s capital Amsterdam, are known for the total football produced by Johan Cruyff, while Amsterdam is famous for its culture, its artists and flamboyancy. Feyenoord, based 100km away in Rotterdam, are irritated by the Amsterdam way of life. The city was forced to work after being heavily bombed in World War II, and the people take huge pride in their work. The people of Rotterdam reflect their feelings towards the capital with the saying “while Amsterdam dreams, Rotterdam works”. During the 1970’s, the Dutch teams began to dominate European football, Feyenoord lifted the European Cup in 1970, beating Celtic 2-1 after extra time.They were trumped by their rivals however, who lifted the trophy in 1971, 1972 and 1973, inspired greatly by Cruyff. Cruyff’s free-flowing brand of total football suited the surroundings of Ajax, however in 1983 when Ajax’s board decided not to renew his contract, Cruyff joined Feyenoord. The move was seen to have been made in anger towards

liberofootball.co.uk

European spot as they sit in 7th position, compared to an underachieving Sevilla back in 10th. Despite their disappointing season, Sevilla fans won’t let Betis supporters forget too quickly the 5-1 thrashing in the first fixture between the two sides this season. Both clubs it is fair to say fall short of the level they were at seven-year- ago, when they both were competing for the top four and participating in Europe. This is mainly due to their growing reputation as selling clubs, with both teams in the past decade having to sell their star players in order to reduce growing debts. This trend looks set to continue as they both prepare to lose their star player’s respectively, with Alvaro Negredo from Sevilla and Benat from Betis. But despite this the fans have remained loyal and supported their teams through good and bad, as the incredible spectacle that is the Seville derby, lives on and increases in reputation.

the Ajax board, and Cruyff showed them what they were missing, as he helped his new team to the title, beating Ajax 4-1 on the way, during his only season at the club. As the status of both teams within Europe began to decline, violence between the opposing supports intensfied. In 1997, ultras from both clubs arranged to meet for a fight, the brawl lasted just five minutes, but an Ajax supporter, Carlo Picornie, was killed after being struck on the head.The two teams weren’t even playing against each other that day, and the brawl was set up voluntarily between both sets of ultras. More recently in 2005, travelling Ajax fans damaged the trains transporting them to Rotterdam. As a result, the supporters were made to wait outside the stadium until the game was finished. Feyenoord supporters had just seen their team lose, and

were detirmined to take it out on the travelling Ajax support. Mayhem ensued, and after the dust had settled, the mayors of both cities agreed that matches should be played without away fans for the next five seasons. The death in 1997, and the fact travelling supporters were banned from grounds some what cooled the intensity of the game. This was joined with the fact that both team suffered a fall from grace at the top of the Eredivisie. This season however, has seen both sides competing for the title, with Ajax sitting at the top of the table for now, just a point ahead of their rivals. Thankfully the violence seems to have left this rivalry, but hopefully the two clubs can return to battling for titles and in European competitions on the pitch.

RIVALRIES

EL CLASICO BARCELONA VS. REAL MADRID

Football rivalries don’t come much bigger than El Clasico, the intense hatred between the two sets of supporters trascends football, with deeper political views making the two teams polar opposits. Founded in 1902, Madrid FC were one of the founding members of the Spanish FA, with then president Adolfo Melendez signing part of the agreement in 1909. The club have often been seen as the King’s club, and were granted the title of ‘Real’ (Royal) in 1920 by King Alfonso XIII. Although they lost that title under the Second Spanish Republic, it was regained after the Second World War, when President Santiago Bernabeu transformed the club into the worldwide force it is today. Founded in 1899, FC Barcelona political upbringings are in stark contrast to the King’s club. As a symbol of Catalan pride and identity, Barca came under attack during the reign on the Second Spanish Republic, which included them being visited by General Franco’s head of security before a Copa Del Generalisimo (renamed after Franco) game. Barca had beaten Madrid 3-0 in the first leg, but a visit from the head of state security, reminding players they were only playing due to the ‘generosity of the regime’, saw the second leg finish 11-1 in Madrid’s favour. There have of course, been issues on the field that have intensified the rivalry between the two clubs.

During the 1950’s, both Barcelona and Real Madrid claimed the signature of the highly rated striker Alfredo Di Stefano. FIFA intervened and announced the clubs would have to share the striker for alternate seasons, however Barcelona eventually backed down (the Catalan’s claim they were forced by Franco, the Madridsta’s claim they did so willingly) and the rest they say is history. In recent years, success of both Barcelona and Madrid have also helped intensify the rivalry. In 2002, the two sides met in the Champions League semi-finals, the game was dubbed ‘the game of the century’ as a television audience of 500 million tuned in to see Real Madrid progress to the final. There was also the Clasico in 2005, where Ronaldinho became the second Barcelona player, after Diego Maradona, to receive a standing ovation from the Bernabeu crowd. Perhaps the most famous incident during a Real Madrid and Barcelona game was in November 2002, when former Barcelona vice-captain Luis Figo came to town with his Real Madrid side. The atmosphere was one of the most hostile, with the Real Madrid coach being attacked as the team entered the stadium. On the pitch, Figo was the target of the fans wrath, which saw a pig head thrown at him, as he tried to line up a

corner. The game was abonded for 16 minutes and was decribed by Real Madrid general director Jorge Valdano as “a disgrace to Spanish football.” In recent years, the rivalry between the players had calmed, with Spain claiming the back-to-back World Cups and European Championships between 2006-2012. Players from both sides grew a mutual respect for each other, with players such as Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Xavi and Andres Iniesta becoming great friends off the pitch. Then came Jose Mourinho. Mourinho did not like the fact that these two sets of rival players got on so well, and wanted his players to treat the game like a battle. The two time Champions League winner was no stranger to showing his players how to do this, especially when he poked the then assistant manager Tito Vilanova in the eye. The political beliefs of both sets of supporters mean this rivalry will never truly go, and the huge successes of both teams means games between the pair mean more and more. However, the respect and friendship between the clubs Spain internationals has certainly taken away some of the thrill factor.

Guillem Balague SPANISH FOOTBALL EXPERT Libero Football catches up with the Revista de la Liga resident to discuss the financial problems in Spain, British players abroad and match fixing in Europe Words and Interview Bill West There has been many financial problems in Spain recently, what has been the cause?

The cause of everything really was that Spain was living in a bubble, in a false economy, in which there was people spending much more than they had. That goes from people, to institutions to governments and that affects football of course. So now what we’re seeing is a reflection of what we’re seeing everywhere else. A huge percentage of clubs all throughout Spain depend on the money from the council and local governments but that money has dried out because basically councils and local governments were going bankrupt and that means that clubs cannot run the way they were running. There’s going to be a lot of clubs that are going to disappear. You can see that everywhere in the money that comes through the television, in the money that comes via publicity and as I said money that comes from local governments. It’s a disaster and we haven’t seen the end of it. I think it’s only going to get worse before it gets better. That means clubs are going to disappear unless the league, especially the First Division, becomes stronger by distributing the wealth better. It’s something that’s going to affect La Liga very soon.

Spanish players like Michu and Pablo Hernandez were sold on the cheap to Swansea City, will this pattern continue and if so, which players are likely to be targeted?

The players that are going to be targeted are the good players. There are good players everywhere and it is that kind of situation where if you are clever enough you can go fishing in Spain now and get top players. Remember, the key to the success of Spain of the last two decades has been good coaching everywhere at all levels. So once you’ve got that in place where they can produce good players, players first of all that have been chosen because of their technique and secondly players that have got an understanding of the game that really helps them to adapt anywhere else, so if you go to Spain and you get the likes of Pablo Hernandez and Michu and there is many more like them at their level then you are guaranteed a player that can adapt easily a player that can understand the game between the lines which is the kind of thing that really works so well in the English Premier League. You add to that a stronger physique which they will get in a few months in the Premier League and then you’ve got a really useful player so yes, there’s going to be many

liberofootball.co.uk

more moves from Spain to the Premier League and to everywhere else. I think in the Premier League now the Spaniards are the third nation in terms of players that have emigrated so that would be increased for sure.

“There’s going to be a lot of Spanish clubs that are going to disappear. It’s a disaster and we haven’t seen the end of it. It’s something that’s going to affect La Liga very soon.” One player who’s been linked to joining La Liga has been the Brazilian Neymar. There’s been talk of a move to Barcelona in the media, will this happen soon?

I already said on Revista de la Liga about eight or nine months ago, it was a little exclusive we had that Barcelona had agreed with Neymar to sign him. The decision that Barcelona have to make now would be whether to have him now this summer or next summer after the World Cup. Barcleona would like Neymar to arrive as soon as possible. I think we’re seeing a process in Barcelona in which the lack of leadership by illness really not seeing Tito Vilanova there means that the people in charge like Jordi Roura and the rest of the assistants are just going through the motions a little bit. They don’t feel they have the authority or perhaps even the ideas to change things, which means it makes Barcelona more predictable.

Would Neymar be a success?

Yes, he’s got a lot of talent and he understands that it all goes via Lionel Messi and if you are a good player at a place like Barcelona you just have to catch up with them. This will take a while because he comes from a football league that is mostly geared to the individual. He’s going to have to learn what Barcelona is about and it will take a while but eventually he will become one of the top three players in the world.

Two well-known rivalries in Spain are Barcelona vs Real Madrid and Sevilla vs Real Betis. What is your opinion on these matches and why are they so great?

El Classico is obviously much more than a game in a way because it involves two massive institutions. I understand they’re the fourth and fifth best followed clubs in the UK so if you think of it that way if those two foreign clubs have almost become part of the culture of English football and in every country in the world, you understand how it divides the whole world, not just a nation or two cities. There are also sociological and political connotations and generally it’s got the best players in the world in motion so that’s like the heavyweight of derbies. Betis-Sevilla has got one of those stats that surprise people when I say it: 10% of the inhabitants of the city of Seville are season ticket holders of one or the other which means that if you consider London that’s got a population of around 7 million, 10% is 700,000 that are season ticket holders of football clubs, that gives you an idea of what passion of what that city is about. Of course when they meet it’s a clash of a whole city.

Until recently, Spain weren’t close to winning any major tournaments, they were like England, always seeming to get knocked out at the quarter-final stage, why was this?

To actually win a tournament you need to have the quality first of all and I think they did have that but also you need to have the luck and you need to have that extra belief that had been missing for a while in Spain. For three decades now the under 21s, under 19s and under 16s of Spain have been the best in the world, comparing them to other nations there’s nobody better so you could see that whatever the furniture was doing it was right, it just needed the first team to confirm all that and it got

IN DISCUSSION do that either. For me, success is not what the usual pundit would say. Success I suppose for most people means how many titles you’ve got. For me, success is to challenge, because once you challenge for titles that’s the biggest success you can have and if you do it regularly that’s an even bigger success. Then a lot depends on a little bit of luck like the form of one or two players, a decision by the referee to win titles. But do I expect Spain to challenge for titles in the next decade? Yes I do. I do expect that. I expect Spain to be like Brazil, Argentina and Germany, teams that even if they don’t win they will be close to it.

One football topic discussed reguarly around Europe is what is the best league? What are your thoughts?

That’s a bit of a boring debate at the moment because it’s a never ending conversation depending on what you mean by the best. The most entertaining is perhaps the German league or the English league. The most successful? I think the Spanish league probably has been, closely followed by the English league in the last decade or so. The best run is certainly the Bundesliga again followed by the English league whose amount of debts are a bit worrying. For me, entertaining means a good pace to the game but also quality, both tactically and technically and I see more of that in Spain than I see in England, but at the same time the atmosphere is fantastic in England, so there’s not a single answer.

A few British players including David Beckham and Michael Owen have played for European giants like Real Madrid, do you think more British players should play abroad to enhance their careers? Balague is a regular on Sky Sports’ Spanish football coverage and is the UK Correspondent for the Spanish sports newspaper AS. He is also friends with Chelsea Interim manager Rafael Benitez

them to other nations, there’s nobody better so you could see that whatever the furniture was doing it was right, it just needed the first team to confirm all that and it got to a point where a mixture of things all came together. Luis Aragones was absolutely crucial to this, he got rid of Raul, changed the hierarchy of the team, gave it to Xavi Hernandez and also started using what we produce a lot, which is short midfielders and little by little with a bit of luck Spain started winning things and once you win the European Championship you believe you can win anything. That belief takes you to an extra level.

How have Spain become so great in recent times?

The first team have got an amazing generation of talent. David Villa scoring in big competitions was the difference between a team that wasn’t winning and one that started winning. Fernando Torres had his moments, as well as Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Carles Puyol and Gerard Piqué, so much there that’s pure talent. But what’s clear is that for a long time especially in the 1980s and 1990s there was a clear effort to make coaches better and there was a lot of hunger for information and to learn from young people who learnt from the schools in Spain but who also went abroad and learnt from everybody else. Now that kind of

gathering of information means that the guys at the top are really well prepared and if they’re really well prepared they produce really good footballers so it all goes together.

“Match fixing is more common than people thought which is very worrying, but then again, football is no more than a mirror of society.” Is this Spain success a generation thing, or will this continue for the next twenty years?

Nobody has done that before and I suspect Spain won’t

Of course, anybody in the world of any job should be abroad for at least a year. Just go out there, it opens your mind, it’s a challenge and it makes you better. The problem is there’s no other league that’s as strong financially apart from the German league perhaps as the English league so you get paid every month without fail, clubs don’t go bankrupt ,well not many anyway and people become comfortable in their way of life so yes they should.

What do you make of the match fixing findings that have been released recently?

It is more common than people thought which is very worrying, but then again, football is no more than a mirror of society. People sell their soul constantly for money, it was never going to be different in football, so I just hope that they put in practice enough money to stop all this happening, enough research, enough investigation to stop this happening, but it is very difficult because money talks at all levels sadly. l

Guillem’s new book Pep Guardiola: Another way of winning is out now at all good bookshops. Contains a foreword by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Associazione Calcio Milan Words Ben Rebeck

ith great pride does the San Siro stand high amongst the Milanese clouds, elegantly and peacefully. The stadium which unites and divides such a footballing city between its Red, the Rossoneri, and its Blue, the Nerazzurri, plays its part gracefully in the formidable Derby della Maddonnina. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s her owners, AC Milan, rather than her tenants, Internazionale, who lay claim to being the most decorated club to grace the hallowed turf. With 18 league titles, 7 European cups and 22 other recognised trophies to their name, they are regarded as one of the most successful clubs in world football. Yet the sailing hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always been plain on the road to glory. Turbulent seas have been plentiful and the torrent rough on this long and industrial path.

liberofootball.co.uk

1950, First Serie A Title Since 1907

Rivals Inter Formed 1908

Founded 1889

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 First Serie A 1901

ssociazione Calcio Milan was founded on 16 December 1899 by Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin, two expats from Nottingham, England, as the Milan Cricket and Football Club. The club announced its original headquarters at their initial location at the Fiaschetteria Toscana in Via Berchet, Milan. News broke of this new footballing association, and on Monday, December 18, in an article by the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper they were formally announced. Just one month after their formation, Milan went on to win their first honour, the Medaglia del Re, or Kings Medal, which was presented to them by King Umberto I in January 1900. The next season, the club retained their trophy, adding to it the first of their 18 Italian league titles. The team, led by Kiplin’s authority, went on to become Milan’s most popular team in the Lombardy region, winning the prestigious ‘Palla Dapples’ for three successive seasons (1904/05 - 1905/06 - 1906/07). Two more League titles followed, the second in 1905/06 and a third the year later. The next season brought with it the birth of their great rivals, Inter. This was believed to be after a divide in opinion over the signing of foreign players, causing a split in the camp and Internazionale’s formation. Their early successes had dried up, and honours became few and far between. In 1916, Milan won the Federal Cup, a national trophy which at the time had replaced the Italian league which had been suspended due to the outbreak of World War One. This, however, was never recognised as an official success for Milan and the trophy win was never recorded. It wasn’t until the 50’s when the Rossoneri once again started to become a force of world football. The arrival of Gunnar Nordhal in 1949/50

marked the beginning of a new era, and with the Swede finishing the league’s top scorer on 35 goals in his début season, he endeared himself with the Milanese faithful. With Nordhal came fellow Swedes Nils Liedholm and Gunnar Gren, who combined with goalkeeper Lorenzo Buffon were the spine of the team and provided the stability they were after. Having been considered the nearly men of Italian football since their last league title in 1907, Milan finally regained their crown in the 1950/51 season, capping off an historic season by winning the Latin Cup. More success came Milan’s way, and with Nordhal finishing as the league’s top scorer for three consecutive sea-

San Siro opened in 1926

sons, ‘53, ‘54 and ‘55, it was only fitting that in his final season as an AC player, he captained the side to their fifth league title. The Rossoneri won two more Scuddeto’s in the 50’s, in 1957 and 1959, along the way adding another Latin Cup in 1956. The 60’s also came with its successes. The team led my innovator Nereo Rocco went on to win the league in 1961/62 playing Rocco’s catenaccio style of football.

“Ariggo Sacchi arrived-bringing with him total football that reveloutionised the game” The following season, Milan made history becoming the first Italian side to win the European Cup, defeating a Portuguese Benfica side which contained Eusebio 2-1 in the Final at Wembley. The iconic image of Captain Cesare Maldini raising the cup together with Nereo Rocco still lives on with all Milan fans. Milan struggled to exude real dominance in the league during the 60’s, in part due to the success of Helenio Herrera’s Inter, who won three Scuddeto’s in

that time. Their next league title arrived in the ‘67/68 season, along with a first Cup Winners Cup after defeating Hamburger SV 2-0 in the final. The 60’s ended on a high note, with the Club’s second European cup in 1969, beating Ajax 4-1 in the final, as well as winning their first Intercontinental Cup having defeated Estudiantes de La Plata of Argentina over two legs. With the 70’s came the beginning of the dark days for AC Milan. With little to celebrate over the decade, the only glimmer of light came when Milan were able to add a star to their shirts, after lifting their 10th league title in 1979. The club also were honoured with three Italian Cup’s in the 70’s, along with their second Cup Winners Cup. The following season brought with it relegation. Despite being league champions, Milan were embroiled in the Totonero betting scandal that rocked Italian football. They were relegated to Serie B, along with S.S.Lazio, amidst claims of match fixing. Milan swiftly returned to Serie A, after winning the league with ease, but were relegated once again after their worst season in the top flight, winning just 7 of their 30 games. Milan came back up once again, winning the league with just 54 points. They were joined by Lazio who made their return to the top flight. Their return was more successful, finishing joint 6th in the league, before moving a place higher to 5th the season after. 1986 brought with it a man with great significance to the Milanese club. The club had arrived at a point where a major overhaul was required and on March 24, 1986, Silvio Berlusconi was named Milan’s 21st president. Berlusconi decided that it was time to delve into the transfer market, and in the 86/87 season, the likes of Roberto Donadoni, Dario Bonetti, Giuseppe Galderisi, Daniele Massaro and Giovanni Galli were signed to join English stars Mark Hateley and Ray

Wilkins. The arrival of another man changed the fortunes of the club. Ariggo Sacchi arrived the following year bringing with him total football that would revolutionise the game across the globe. With Sacchi came a trio of Dutch players, following in the footsteps of the Swedish trio of Nordhal, Liedholm and Gren. But this trio was even more formidable, exuberant and unstoppable. Marco van Basten was the first through the door.

AC MILAN UNCOVERED

1966-67 First Coppa Italia

1978-79 10th Serie A

1988 First Supercoppa Italia

2006-07 7th CL Trophy

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 1962-63 First CL Trophy

1969 First Intercontinental Cup

With an eye for goal, van Basten came to Milan from Ajax having spent 6 years at the club. He left having scored an impressive 152 goals in 172 games. In his last season for Ajax, the 1985–86 season, he scored 37 goals in 26 league matches, including six goals against Sparta Rotterdam and five against Heracles Almelo, and won the European Golden Boot. Van Basten was joined by countryman Ruud Gullit. The flamboyant Dutchman was recognisable by his long, flowing dreadlocks, joined Milan for the then world record transfer fee of ƒ18 million (£6 million) as a replacement for Ray Wilkins. In his first year at the club, and thanks to his exploits with PSV, Gullit won the European Footballer of the Year award in 1987. In 1987/88, Milan won their first Serie A title under Sacchi, their first since 1979 and since their return to the top flight. This was the most dramatic of their 11 titles, as the Rossoneri pipped a Napoli side with Diego Maradona to the title by just three points, a 3-2 win at Napoli’s San Paolo stadium on May 18, 1988 proving decisive. The final piece of the Dutch puzzle came in the form of Frank Rijkaard. Rijkaard, a former team-mate of van Basten, joined from Ajax in the summer of ‘88, as was transformed from a central defender to a holding midfield player by Sacchi. With that in place, it was success after success for Milan. In the ‘88/89 season, Milan ruled Europe, lifting the Champions Cup after knocking out Vitocha, Red Star Belgrade, Werder Bremen and then Real Madrid in the semifinals to reach the final against Steaua Bucharest. Over 100,000 spectators filled Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium to watch Milan run out 4-0 winners, with Gullit and van Basten scoring a brace each. With Saachi at the helm, the team won a league title, two European Cups, two Intercontinental Cups, two European Super Cups and one Italian League Super Cup, all in

1986 Berlusconi

1989 First Uefa Super Cup

the space of 4 years. Replacing Saachi, who left Milan to coach the Italian national team, was Fabio Capello. Capello continued the success Saachi had at Milan, and his side went on to be known as Gli Invicibili, The Invincibles. With an unprecedented 58-match run with no defeats the Invincibili team had the likes of Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini commanding one of the best defences in history, with Marcel Desailly and Roberto Donadoni in midfield and Dejan Savićević, Zvonimir Boban, and Daniele Massaro playing in attack. Under Capello, Milan won four league titles, three of them consecutively, three Italian League Super Cups, one European Cup beating favourites Barcelona 4-0 in the Final, and one European Super Cup. They also reached 3 consecutive European Cup finals, losing two of them. The period between 1986 and 1996 was without a doubt the most prolific period, not only in terms of the number of trophies won, but in the excellent performances and exciting style of play that was seen. “The Immortals” and “The Invincibles”, as they were known, took the game to new heights but the late ‘90s were not as positive as the beginning of the decade had been Post Capello, there was a lot of unrest amongst the Milan Hierarchy. Milan recruited Oscar Washington Tabarez, but struggled under the new manager and were winless in their first few opening matches. In an attempt to get back to winning ways, Sacchi was reinstated as manager replacing Tabarez. Sacchi was unable to work his magic, and the team finished in 11th place that season, suffering their worst ever defeat, 1-6 at the San Siro to Juventus. Saachi was dismissed and replaced by Capello. A 10th place finish that season still wasn’t good enough and he also was dismissed. T h e following season, the

2007 First FIFA Club World Cup

2011 18th Serie A

“This deal signifies more than just new beginnings for the club” ‘98/99 campaign, Milan hired Udinese coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who had guided the Bianconeri to 3rd place the season before. Zaccheroni was joined by Udinese players Oliver Bierhoff and Thomas Helveg. That season, Milan won their 16th Scudetto, pipping Lazio to the title by just a point. It wasn’t until the 2002/03 season that Milan really returned to the dizzy heights at the forefront of the European game. Under the guidance of former player Carlo Ancelotti, the Rossoneri won their 6th European Cup. The victory was even sweet for Milan, as they defeated city rivals Inter in the Semi-Finals, before beating other Italian rivals Juventus in the Final itself. That season, the club also captured the Coppa Italia and the European Super Cup. The following year, Milan won their 17th Serie a title, winning the league with a record 81 points. In the 04/05 campaign, Milan faced their darkest day in European football. Having led 3-0 at half time to Liverpool in the Champions League Final in Istanbul, the Rossoneri conceded 3 second half goals, eventually losing the game on penalties. Many critics suggested that Milan’s weak midfield was to blame and over confidence had set in.

The following season, the ‘98/99 campaign, Milan hired Udinese coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who had guided the Bianconeri to 3rd place the season before. Zaccheroni was joined by Udinese players Oliver Bierhoff and Thomas Helveg. That season, Milan won their 16th Scudetto, pipping Lazio to the title by just a point. It wasn’t until the 2002/03 season that Milan really returned to the dizzy heights at the forefront of the European game. Under the guidance of former player Carlo Ancelotti, the Rossoneri won their 6th European Cup. The victory was even sweet for Milan, as they defeated city rivals Inter in the Semi-Finals, before beating other Italian rivals Juventus in the Final itself. That season, the club also captured the Coppa Italia and the European Super Cup. The following year, Milan won their 17th Serie a title, winning the league with a record 81 points. In the 04/05 campaign, Milan faced their darkest day in European football. Having led 3-0 at half time to Liverpool in the Champions League Final in Istanbul, the Rossoneri conceded 3 second half goals, eventually losing the game on penalties. Many critics suggested that Milan’s weak midfield was to blame and over confidence had set in. Winning the Italian Super Cup was the one highlight of their season. A year on, and Milan were embroiled in scandal once more. Having been one of the clubs name in the Calciopoli Scandal, Milan were originally to be relegated to Serie B, changed on appeal. Eventually they had 30 of their 88 points deducted from the 05/06 campaign and were forced to start the next season on -8 points. Despite that aforementioned deduction, Milan finished in the Champions League places that next season, and showed fight and determination to win their 7th European Cup in May of ‘07. They followed that up with success in the European Super Cup with victory over Seville, placing them in the Club World Cup, a competition they won, defeating Boca Juniors in the final, winning their 18th recognised FIFA trophy and tying them in first place, ironically with Boca. Leonardo was appointed to replace Ancelotti after he joined Chelsea, but his first season was unsuccessful, the club finishing 3rd in the league. Leondardo resigned, despite efforts from the club to keep him, and was replaced by Massimo Allegri. In his first season, he helped guide Milan to their 18th Scudetto, finishing 6 points above rivals Inter. The current crop of Milan players signifies an exciting time once again for the Rossoneri. Having found themselves off the pace in the league standings, Berlusconi et al have delved into the transfer market once more brining in Milan fan Mario Balotelli in from Man City. The deal was announced by Umberto Gandini, Milan’s organising director, and is estimated

to be worth around €20m plus add-ons. Gandini spoke exclusively to Libero Football about the deal, saying the move signifies more than just a new start; “This deal signifies more than just new beginnings for the club; it was the confirmation of the strategy to bring young talents to the Milan in order to create a team who could start a new winning cycle. “Our goal has always been to be highly competitive in all competitions we play, and it has not changed. The new team we are putting together are young and talented, and hopefully will follow the same path [to success], but I cannot deny that our target is always the one to add some silverware to our Trophies’ Room.” Balotelli joins what is being touted as the third in line to the ‘Trio’ throne for AC Milan, with 20-year-old fellow Italian Stephan El Shaawary and 18-year-old French youngster M’Baye Niang. Its early days in their Milan careers, but the trio are already proving a hit. Balotelli scored 3 goals in his first 2 appearances for Milan, whilst El Shaawary is the top scorer in Serie A. Gandini, though is refusing to live up to the comparisons just yet; “Well, it is way too early, for their age and their relatively short history. The Dutch Trio got to the club when they were already established players and at a different age, so any comparison so far is simply premature. “It is really promising however. Stephan has exploited in a great fashion the opportunities which the new team has offered him, and he is responding very well to such a big challenge. He now can count on Balotelli opening new tactical ways on the pitch, and hopefully the combination of young talent upfront will increase our chances of winning matches.” The impact of the signing of Balotelli is already paying dividends, with Milan toppling Barcelona 2-0 at the San Siro, despite the Italian being cup tied for the competition. The Rossoneri will be hoping with a new era comes new beginnings, and that the new trio will help Milan return to winning ways. For now, this season’s league title looks like it will be heading back to Turin with Juventus, but with a second star on the famous black and red shirts of Milan only two league titles away, Balotelli and co could well be the men to lead this club back to glory.

AC Milan Factfile • • • • • • • •

18 Serie A Titles 7 Champions Leagues 5 Coppa Italia’s 6 Supercoppa Italia’s 2 UEFA Cup Winners Cup 5 UEFA Super Cups 3 Intercontinental Cups 1 FIFA Club World Cup

Paulo Maldini All time record appearance maker with 902 games for the club, also a Serie A record

Silvio Berlusconi

Berlusconi is Milan’s longest serving President, lasting 23 years and counting. He is also the most sucessful president in footballing histroy having over seen 28 trophies in his time.

possession Domination Five ways that help Barcelona dominate the ball

Tactics POSSESSION DOMINATION Tommy Wilkinson reveals and explains the five ways that help Barcelona to dominate possession

The beginning... Barcelona crowned European champions after a convincing victory over Manchester United in the 2009 Rome final

Barcelona the no.1 All the way back since the 2008/09 season, Barcelona in many people’s eyes have been the benchmark. The number one, the absolute pinnacle, the team that couldn’t be touched. The dominating fashion in which they tortured Manchester United in the Champions League final in Rome was a lesson, a lesson which was to inform the football world that Barca where ready to dominate Europe. And dominate they have! Exclude Jose Mourinho and Chelsea from the equation, then there has been no answer to the power that is Barcelona. This season they have achieved an average of 69.5% in terms of possession. They have also had a higher possession percentage than their opponent in every match since the 07/08 season when Frank Rijkaard was in charge at the Nou Camp. It is clear that ball retention is a leading principle within the Barca style. Despite the innovative framework put in place by Johan Cruyff (and the great recognition he deserves for that) Barca are still a hungry tactical machine, one which is constantly seeking solutions for improvement and to create the surprise factor. Many of these quests for improvement centre around possession. How can we further our percentage rate? Does it require a slight tweak in formation? Or does it involve a change of role for a particular position? In their quest it isn’t just the midfield which is examined, it is the entire team (the four corners of the pitch covered). Goalkeeper = 10.5 outfield players! Let’s begin with the first point of attack; the goalkeeper. I’m sure that Victor Valdes’ role and team importance

liberofootball.co.uk

goalkeepers with strong distribution skills, but not like Valdes! The short build-up play involves a low pass to one of the three ideal options. These include the two centre backs moving outwards into wide zones either side of the penalty box and a central option provided by the holding player dropping deep. If all are blocked he can then adjust by executing a lofted high diagonal ball to either of the two full backs in a slightly more advanced wide position. The margin for error is small, so the pass has

Along with the technical capabilities, the goalkeeper must have the strength of mind and the self belief to commit to the role. The ability to stay true and always bounce back even after a mistake is very important and shouldn’t be underestimated! his choice of goalkeeper style can produce great rewards, making the team have 10.5 outfield players rather than just 10! But it is crucial that you have the right goalkeeper, with the correct personality and the necessary skill set to execute the role, or otherwise frequent costly mistakes

Attack begins with the goalkeeper... Short passing lines are created by the deeper players

TACTICS DM’s as CB’s This season we have witnessed the latest innovation to maximise possession demonstrated further. Alexandre Song was signed from Arsenal due to his defensive midfielder and centre back capabilities combined. Without the later then its simple enough, he wouldn’t of been signed! The first player to encounter this switch in position was Javier Maschernao after his move from Liverpool. Unlike Song, Mascherano had no centre back experience before his move, but adjusted very well to the transition. The change of role raised many questions, but the switch had its motive. The first thinking is that due to a defensive midfielders strengths in passing and control, they are then going to produce greater quality in the role of attack builder compared to a traditional centre back. The second thinking behind the switch is due to Barcelona’s high defensive line, the area of action for Barcelona’s centre backs during offensive possession is just inside the oppositions half. The general positioning of defensive midfielders in a standard set up, so it is an area they are comfortable operating in. Midfield triangle This is probably the most simplistic tactical feature in helping to achieve greater possession. It is also the most used, with teams now deciding on having three central midfielders and one central striker rather than the classic 4-4-2. There are two variants of a midfield triangle. The first being one holding player and two central midfielders (downward triangle). The other being two deep lying midfielders and one advanced playmaker (forward triangle). Both can be equally successful in achieving ball retention. For example the downward triangle is used by Barcelona and is made up of Sergio Busquets pivoting Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. While Spain decide on using the forward triangle with Xabi Alonso joining Busquets in a deep two, with then Xavi positioned in more advanced central position and Iniesta as a wide attacker. Infield wingers and penetrating FB’s Teams can overpower their opponents in numerical terms by attacking as a team and not just leaving the responsibility to the forward players. Most teams who look to achieve this increase the freedom levels of both full backs. In the modern game the duty of a full back is much more complicated than compared to previous years. It now requires the player to have strong offensive intelligence and creativity. The player in the full back position basically fulfils the role of two outfield players; full back and winger. This makes the role naturally very physically demanding, with the player tested to his absolute maximum. Along with strong defensive and offensive qualities, the player also needs to require physical attributes such as stamina, athleticism, speed and acceleration in order to be fully effective. These are qualities which Barcelona and Brazilian full back Dani Alves has at his disposal. The combination of this skill set has made Dani Alves a very special player and has resulted in him being a key part to Barca’s offensive success in the past five years. When the team are attacking they need to be high up the pitch penetrating the advanced wide areas, as they

become the main crossing source. But for the possibility of full back penetration the wide channels firstly need to be freed up. This is achieved by winger moving infield. The winger can either move infield into the space in between the lines of midfield and attack, something we

Barcelona on the other hand play with true wingers whose games centre more on pace and acceleration, so they move in off the line onto the oppositions defensive line and look to exploit depth. There are two different alternatives, but both effective in creating wide space.

Full backs become wingers... Both wide attackers move infield leaving advanced open space

False no. 9 The false no.9 is a tactical feature which is so greatly discussed, but yet is not used. A trend which was first used by the Austrian national team in the mid 1930’s and then brought back to life more recently by Barcelona under the management of Pep Guardiola. Taking risks is for sure one element of his managerial style which cant be questioned. He is not afraid to make decisions which most wouldn’t. He made the decision of swapping Sanuel Eto’o for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to spearhead the Barca attack, a change which failed to have the desired effect. The next attempt was Messi as the striker! What 5ft 7in Lionel Messi as a striker? He’s talented for sure, but as a

striker? Really? Next attempt = perfection! The thinking behind the false no.9 is that instead of the striker standing alongside the opposition centre backs being closely marked, he can instead move into the deeper areas unattended with space to express his talent. His area of action is with the midfield triangle, as he provides an additional number in order to help increase possession levels. While this takes place the central space in the offensive line can be filled by midfield penetration or by infield winger movement. At the moment the attack builds momentum, the false no.9 moves with the play attacking the penalty box at speed, making him a much more dangerous proposition.

False no.9... Messi moves into midfield zones, which allows forward teammate penetration

Bayern Munich - 1974 The best club side to ever come out of Germany

Bayern Munich first entered the Bundesliga in 1965,

winning the German Cup and finishing third in the league. A year later they would win the European Cup Winners’ Cup against Rangers. In 1969 they achieved the first ever German League and Cup double, and throughout the 1970’s fought Borussia Monchengladbach for the country’s top honours (you can read more on their rivals on our website.) It was a golden generation for Munich, which saw them bring home 14 major honours between 1966 and 1979. The greatest achievement of this Munich team was their three consecutive European Cup triumphs in 1974, 1975, and 1976. Under manager Udo Lattek, and later Dettmar Cramer, they sealed a spot in history as one of football’s best ever teams. The single greatest squad from this golden era for Bayern was perhaps their 1974 European Cup winning

Udo Lattek Udo Lattek joined Bayern Munich to some controversy. His only experience was as Germany assistant coach, thus he wasn’t backed to succeed. But five major honours in his five years in charge of the Bavarians proved his worth, and sealed his spot in their hall of fame. His contributions to Bayern didn’t end there. After spells away from the club, Lattek returned to Bayern in 1983 and took them through another successful period in the

squad. Led by Germany hero and legend Franz Beckenbauer, despite coming within a minute of losing the final, they destroyed their opponents Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the final replay, after a 1-1 draw first time around. The brilliance of this team went further. 1974 was the year West Germany hosted and won the World Cup. Sepp Maier, Paul Breitner, Georg Schwarzenbeck, Franz Beckenbauer, Uli Hoeness, and Gerd Muller starred for both teams in a year of great success for Germany and Bayern Munich. The backbone of Bayern’s team won the country it’s 2nd World Cup title and dominated in Europe, winning the European Championship in 1972. Footballing icons Beckenbauer and Muller sealed their reputation as some of Germany’s greatest ever players within this period. Without doubt, this dynamic Munich team will be forever remembered as one of the best. The stars of this squad are national heroes and Beckenbauer in particular is one of the greatest players to ever play 1980’s when they became “FC Hollywood.” Lattek would win 16 major honours in his managerial career, becoming one of the best in history. He worked alongside Dettmar Cramer at the DFB, who would later replace him as Bayern coach in 1976, and helped lead West Germany to the final of the 1966 World Cup. Lattek replaced Branko Zebac as Munich coach in 1970, but his tenure was fairly short-lived and president Wilhelm Neudecker sacked him after five successful years in charge. He decided to join Borussia Monchengladbach who were title rivals with Munich throughout the 1970’s and led them to 3 major honours in his time with at the club. He later had brief spells at Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, FC Koln, Schalke, and Dortmund again, but he knew his time was over as a coach. His success with Munich in the European Cup of 1974 was the first victory for a German team in the competition; his name will live on long into the future of German football, as a true legend of the game.

the game. It’s fair to say this successful squad can be considered one of the deepest and most successful of all-time. Choosing not to compete in the Intercontinental Cup in 1974 was a disappointing decision in hindsight; but the squad would later take the trophy and become world champions in 1976.This Munich team took nine major honours throughout the 1970’s, then through the 1980’s the FC Hollywood squad would take 11 honours, but crucially miss out on European success. This golden 20-year period for Bayern was incredibly special for the club, but their lack of European success in the 1980’s, twice runners-up in the European Cup, means their 1970’s era is considered the best. Another barren spell up to now has seen their runners-up tally reach a jointrecord fifth time. But with the quality of this seasons squad in particular, Bayern Munich could be entering another golden era of domestic and European success, with new manager Pep Guardiola at the helm.

Tactics

Franz Beckenbauer was the key part of Munich and Germany during this time. Playing as a sweeper from the centre-back position, Beckenbauer was often the most influential player on the pitch. Moving forward with the ball from defence and becoming an extra man in the team’s midfield, he could unlock the defensive stance of any team. A goalscoring machine in Gerd Muller spearheaded the 4-3-3 formation deployed by Munich. When Beckenbauer and Muller linked up, it spelled trouble for any opposition. But their adaptability and range of goalscoring threats are what made this team so effective. With a deep squad full of aptitude, the young talents, and the flair players, this team was a force to be reckoned with. Franz “The Bull” Roth held the team together from defensive midfield, allowing the freedom of movement for Beckenbauer to link up with the likes of Muller and Hoeness in particular. This was almost a perfect team, and the tactical knowledge of Udo Lattek helped it flourish.

LEGENDS

1974 European Cup Winning XI

Sepp Maier Goalkeeper Known for his amazing reflexes, Maier (the cat from Anzing) is considered one of the best ever German goalkeepers. He spent his whole career with Bayern, winning 13 major honours with his club.

Paul Breitner Left-Back Brought into this team as a youngster, Breitner was another hugely successful part of the squad. He left for Real Madrid after the 1974 European Cup victory, but returned for further success in the 1980’s.

Georg Schwarzenbeck Centre-Back A key part of Munich’s successful team. Schwarzenbeck was a rock in the defence and a vital part of his club and country. The towering defender spent his entire career with Bayern.

Franz Beckenbauer Sweeper

Johnny Hansen Right-Back Danish player of the year in 1967. Hansen joined Munich and sealed a spot in their legendary squad, winning three Bundesliga titles and three European Cups in his successful period with the club.

Conny Torstensson Midfielder

Rainer Zobel Midfielder Zobel enjoyed six years at the club winning eight major honours. He didn’t get a chance with the West Germany squad and went into management after his playing career ended.

Franz Roth Midfielder Roth was an influential part of the midfield and was subsequently inducted into Munich’s All Star team. Roth sadly never had much of a chance in the West Germany team and ended up leaving Bayern.

Uli Hoeness Forward Ulrich is now the president of Bayern Munich after he became a legend for his club and country. Supremely talented and dearly loved, his eight major honours make him one of the greatest players in the clubs history.

Gerd Muller Forward

Jupp Kapellmann Midfielder Kapellmann joined Bayern in 1973. Winning five major honours and being part of the West Germany World Cup team, Kapellmann joined 1860 Munich in 1979. Bernd Durnberger Midfielder Was a substitute in the 1974 European Cup win, but was a key part of the squad and played a huge part in Bayern’s successful period.

One of the greatest players to ever grace the game, Beckenbauer won the Ballon d’Or twice whilst captaining his club and country to remarkable success in all competitions.

One of the most prolific strikers to ever play the game. Muller is a hero for his club and country, nicknamed “Der Bomber” for his goalscoring exploits. He scored 655 goals throughout his entire career.

The Swedish international joined Munich at a good time. After a successful period in his native country, Torstensson signed for Bayern in 1973, won five major honours and then signed for FC Zurich.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Forward Rummenigge became a club legend for his goalscoring and superb talent. He took Bayern through their FC Hollywood era in the 1980’s.

Libero Football liberofootball.co.uk ÂŠ Libero Football 2013