WOLFSBURG COLLAPSE COULD GET WORSE!

Remember Saturday 23^rd May 2009? VfL Wolfsburg fans remember this day very fondly. 30,000 of them were packed inside the Volkswagen Arena to see their team thrash Werder Bremen 5-1 to win the club’s first ever Bundesliga title. Josué was showered in green confetti as he lifted the shield high above his head, accompanied by the roars of his team’s success-starved supporters.

Manager Felix Magath was largely responsible for this shock triumph; using players like Dzeko, Grafite, Dejagah and Misimovic to play an attacking style of football that took Germany’s top division by storm. This was undoubtedly the greatest day in VfL Wolfsburg’s history.

However the energetic celebrations and free-flowing football are nothing more than memories by now, and the events of last Saturday highlight how far the Saxon club have fallen. This weekend saw Die Wölfe slip into the relegation zone after FC Nürnberg starlet Mehmet Ekici orchestrated a 2-1 win for his side against Wolfsburg. The crowd at the Volkswagen Arena were left contemplating the possibility of relegation from the Bundesliga less than two years after winning the league title. One win in their last seven league games suggests that this unthinkable possibility could very well become a reality.

A quick glance at the train-crash that has been Wolfsburg’s post-championship history will show that far from being a confusing surprise, this plummet from greatness was inevitable.

Following the 2008-09 success Felix Magath decided to leave Wolfsburg, heading to Schalke 04. The club appointed assistant Armin Veh as Magath’s replacement. The new manager had enormous boots to fill, and despite managing to hold onto highly-rated Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko, he had trouble filling those old boots.

The first half of the 2009-10 season saw Wolfsburg make a disappointing start. I was in the stands for their 25th October match at the Olympic Stadium against Hertha BCS. Hertha had only managed one win by this stage of the season and were rock bottom of the Bundesliga. However Wolfsburg never threatened Drobny’s goal and in truth looked second best against the Berliners, only managing a 0-0 draw. This was a fair reflection of their performances in the first half of the season; slow, insipid and lacking the excitement of the previous term. The writing was on the wall and three months later Veh was shown the door with his team in mid-table and eliminated from the Champions’ League.

Lorenz-Günther Köstner steered Wolfsburg to an underwhelming 8th in the Bundesliga, five points off the European spots.

However fans had cause for optimism in the summer when Steve McLaren, who’d just led FC Twente to the Eredivisie title, was made Wolfsburg manager. For the second season in a row Wolfsburg managed to keep hold of striker Dzeko and also added to their squad with Brazilian midfielder Diego. The fans were hoping McLaren would transform Wolfsburg as he had Twente. Unfortunately his effect on the former German champions was more similar to his effect on the English national side.

McLaren lost his first three games, including a humiliating 4-3 defeat against Mainz, despite leading 3-0 after half an hour. Wolfsburg never found a winning rhythm under McLaren, drawing far too many games.

On the 23rd December the Englishman was given a vote of confidence by the board but it was at this point that things took a dramatic turn for the worst.

After swimming against the current for three transfer windows Edin Dzeko was finally sold. VfL Wolfsburg’s record league goal-scorer was sold in January to English club Manchester City. This was a hammer-blow for the club who now lacked a consistent scorer.

The Wolfsburg board had seen enough when a bizarre penalty incident cost the team a point against Hannover in February. Midfielder Diego had been floored by a late Hannover challenge and the referee pointed to the spot. Regular penalty taker Helmes tried to get the ball for the spot-kick, but found stern opposition in the form of Diego who was intent on taking the penalty himself. McLaren instructed Diego from the touchline that he was to allow Helmes to take the kick yet in a staggering challenge to McLaren’s authority the Brazilian refused to listen and prepared to shoot. Inevitably the penalty cannoned off the crossbar and with that miss McLaren’s Bundesliga career was finished; he was sacked on the 7th February.

Since then Wolfsburg have struggled to find a replacement, with coaches such as Basel’s Thorsten Fink choosing to stay at his post rather than take charge of the sinking ship. In the meantime Pierre Littbarski has had trouble raising confidence, with the team only registering one victory since McLaren’s departure.

Wolfsburg’s collapse beggars belief. The club sits second from bottom in the Bundesliga seemingly incapable of performing coherently. Without their talismanic Bosnian diamond and still without a permanent first team coach, their prospects look dim. Managerial instability has taken its toll on the squad and it now looks increasingly unlikely that VfL Wolfsburg will manage to rescue themselves. Two years ago this kind of situation seemed unimaginable, but for fans the impossible could soon become a reality.

ITALIAN FOOTBALL IN A......WORRYING SITUATION?

Not the catchiest title but I hesitate to use the word crisis when discussing Italian football. The country’s national sport has seen many dark days over the years thanks to scandals, poor form and hooliganism. The Torontero match-fixing scandal in 1980 (which famously involved Italy’s star striker, Paolo Rossi) was labelled a crisis after the case dirtied the reputation of what was then considered Europe’s finest league. In 2006 Juventus, one of Italy’s greatest clubs was relegated to Serie C (the punishment later amended to allow the Turin club to play in Serie B) for bribing referees.

Both incidents were labelled crises at the time, yet were quickly forgotten as Italy answered its critics by winning surprise World Cups in 1982 and 2006.

Fast-forward to 2011 and there’s no sign of a major scandal. However Italian football is arguably in its most difficult situation since World War Two.

Since the introduction of democracy to Italy Serie A has constantly been one of the top two leagues in Europe. Torino were arguably Europe’s finest team until the tragic 1949 plane crash which killed the entire squad. Their Turin neighbours Juventus took Torino’s place as Italy’s best team during the 50s. The 60s saw Inter’s revolutionary defensive tactics earn them consecutive European Cups, with their city-rivals AC Milan picking up two European titles in the same decade. Throughout the 70s Italian clubs threatened in Europe, and during the 80s both Juve and Milan triumphed in Europe with some of the best players of the era, such as Platini and van Basten. Italian clubs continued to succeed during the 90s with Sampdoria reaching a European Cup final and Milan and Juve adding to their trophy cabinets with Champions’ League titles. Even during the first decade of the new millennium both Milanese sides have won Europe’s top club competition.

More than any other European league Serie A has consistently produced great teams, until now.

This week saw table-topping Milan exit the Champions’ League at the expense of England’s fourth best team, Spurs. Before that Roma were hammered 6-2 on aggregate by the Ukrainian champions, Shakhtar Donesk. Next week the last remaining Italian representative in the Champions’ League, Inter, could be eliminated by Bayern Munich who hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg. Should Inter complete the trio of eliminated Italian clubs it would be the second time in three years that no Italian club has made the quarter-finals of the Champions’ League.

This would be an astonishing failure for one of Europe’s biggest leagues, less than a year after Italy’s national team exited the World Cup at the group stage of the tournament following a shock defeat at the hands of underdogs Slovakia.

So what’s happened to Italian football? In truth its stubborness has cost Serie A. Whilst the English Premier League, the Spanish La Liga and the German Bundesliga have all adapted to the 21^st century Serie A has chosen to do nothing, and as the saying goes “If you’re standing still in football, you’re going backwards.”

Serie A clubs are being run by the same old suits that were running them twenty years ago, whilst English clubs are seeking foreign investors. This has lead to a lack of ingenuity in Serie A that has left this once glorious league vapid and dull. AC Milan’s team against Spurs featured four players over the age of 32. Seven players over the age of 30 played for Roma against Shakhtar on Tuesday. Clubs have struggled to cultivate a new generation of players, due in part to a lack of funds compared to English and Spanish clubs. Arguably the two biggest Serie A signings of last summer were loan deals for Ibrahimovic and Robinho. European Champions Inter were eager to bring in Mascherano from Liverpool, but couldn’t compete with Barcelona and therefore missed out on the Argentine’s signature. Ten years ago almost every top player in Europe was playing in Italy, with the likes of Ronaldo, Zidane, Del Piero, Shevchenko, Cafu and Maldini all delighting audiences in Milan and Turin with their sublime skills.

As well as the lack of foreign talent playing in Serie A, the country has stopped producing exciting young players. Mario Bolotelli bucked that trend as he impressed for Inter, but he was forced to move to England as he wasn’t being appreciated at Inter. Giuseppe Rossi is now Italy’s brightest young star, yet he had to move to Manchester as a teenager to get his chance to shine.

Attendances reflect the lack of recent development in Italy. The average Serie A attendance is just 23,207. This season AC Milan, arguably Italy’s biggest club, have been averaging a miserly average of just 46,065. Napoli, who drew crowds of over 50,000 in Serie C1, are averaging just 43,777 this season. The Old Lady, Juventus, has an average attendance of just 21,505, that’s less than English League 1 team Southampton.

Though there’s no sign of major scandals in the near future Italian football is in a dark place. The country’s footballing culture desperately needs revitalising and reinvestment. Corruption, stagnation and an inane refusal to evolve has left Serie A and the national side in a worrying situation. However with no money, no promising youngsters and no willingness to reform, things can only get worse for Italian football.

WILSHERE PROVES THAT ENGLISH FANS LACK CULTURE

I apologise for the lack of articles on this blog since Christmas. Between exams and personal issues I haven’t found any time to write anything of worth, despite there being some extraordinary events.

One of the less striking events to take place during my absence was Jack Wilshere’s solid full debut for England during their 2-1 victory against Denmark in Copenhagen. Prior to the match I was struggling to cope with a mountain of work, however in the background was talksport’s drive time show with Adrian Durham and Darren Gough. The topic seemed to be of the duller variety, “How good is Jack Wilshere?”

On the face of it this was a sterile subject that would attract little meaningful discussion. I was wrong. The station was inundated with calls from fans of all clubs, claiming Wilshere was an average player that would never make it at the highest level. Apparently 19 year old Wilshere “only makes sideways passes”, “doesn’t score goals” and “isn’t strong enough.” These weren’t just fans of opposition sides, eager to have a rant against Arsenal, a large proportion of these callers were Arsenal supporters.

Having watched Wilshere’s performances for Arsenal in the first half of the season I thought he was a real prospect. Wilshere looked like a real rarity in English football; a young midfielder with an eye for a pass, an eagerness to keep possession and an ambition to play beautiful football. So I was astonished to hear this reaction to his performances.

Wilshere played for England against Denmark and looked comfortable in a holding midfield role (not his preferred position).  However the critics kept claiming the youngster was “average” and “overrated.” I started questioning my own opinions. Was Wilshere just flattering to deceive? Was he really that good?

I continued to question my views until last night, when Arsenal took on European giants Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions’ League. Arguably the two most stylish teams in Europe went head to head, with much of the focus on the central midfield area. Between Arsenal and Barcelona there were four World Cup-winning central-midfielders on the pitch, and in their midst was young, inexperienced Wilshere.

Like a young leopard, surrounded by experienced hyenas, Wilshere refused to be intimidated. The Englishman starred. Even in a difficult first half when Barcelona dominated possession, Wilshere put up a real fight and was at the heart of all Arsenal’s attacks. During the second half Wilshere pressed Barcelona and played them at their own game. His tenacity was key to turning the match in Arsenal’s favour.

The London club won the game 2-1 thanks to a stunning van Persie strike and a flowing move that culminated in a calm Arshavin finish. However the star of the show was the youngest player on the pitch, local boy Jack Wilshere.

Against Barcelona he proved all his critics wrong as he put in a stylish yet gritty, dominating performance against the Spanish champions elect.

He also proved that many English fans are pretty clueless when it comes to judging true class.

It’s not their fault. These are fans that have watched decades of clubs finding relative success through long-ball, muscular football. These fans saw Wimbledon win the FA Cup and Stoke City establish themselves as a Premier League club. They’ve been poorly educated when it comes to football. Players like Wilshere are still seen as lightweight and over-cautious because they use their brains and not their brawn.

These fans that have labelled Wilshere “overrated” are the same that hail Rooney, Terry and Lampard as classy players. Again, it’s not their fault they’ve never seen an England team capable of stringing passes together like the Spanish, French, Germans and Portuguese.

It’s often suggested that had Xavi would not have been given a chance as a footballer had he been born in Telford and not Terrassa.

Criticism of Wilshere from English football fans shows that they still lack the ability to spot true class in a footballer. They still can’t appreciate ability and craft like continental fans can.

Wilshere’s glowing emergence will hopefully be a catalyst for further development of cultured English players. With the development of cultured players we’ll see the coming of cultured football in England. And when cultured football is the norm football fans themselves will be enlightened and England will finally have cultured fans.

Maybe then players like Wilshere will get the recognition they deserve.

WHO'S BEEN NAUGHTY AND WHO'S BEEN NICE THIS CHRISTMAS?

Christmas is fast approaching and Santa will have been keeping a close eye on the football world to see who’s been naughty and who’s been nice so far this season across Europe. Most European leagues are nearing the halfway stage so Father Christmas will have had plenty of time to decide who’s getting a brand new PS3, and who’ll be waking up on December 25^th to find an empty stocking.

NICE

FC Barcelona

The stand out team so far this season. Santa’s been very impressed with their beautiful passing and dribbling, but also with their grit and determination. Of course there’s nothing Santa could give them that would trump their 5-0 demolition of Real Madrid, but one of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta will be getting something extra this year, the Ballon D’Or. It says something about Barça’s niceness this year that all three are being considered for the award.

The Surprises

Football isn’t just about the flashy superstars; it’s also about the little guys that try hard. The first half of the season has seen many newly promoted teams make big impacts in Europe’s major leagues. Brest, Hercules and Blackpool have all shocked the French, Spanish and English leagues respectively. Brest’s solid spine, Hercules’ big name performers and Blackpool’s stylish football have all impressed observers in Lapland. Most football fans expected it to be a miserable Christmas for these three small clubs, but all have been brave and positive and have beaten some of European football’s biggest names this season. All are in line for a special treat as a reward for their fearless approaches to the big time.

Young Managers

Sir Alex Ferguson’s nearly as old as Christmas itself, and his Manchester United team currently top the English Premier League. But look at the other major European league leaders. In Serie A Massimiliano Allegri’s (43 years old) AC Milan are leading the way. In Germany 43 year old Jürgen Klopp has steered Borussia Dortmund to the top of the Bundesliga. André Villas Boas, the head coach of Portuguese table-toppers FC Porto is only 33 years old. Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola is only 39. Lille’s Rudi Garcia is only 46 years old, and PSV’s Fred Rutten is 48. This means all of Western Europe’s major league leaders apart from the English Premier League are managed by under-50s. That’s right; nearly half way through the season and not a single manager over 50 is top of La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A, the Bundesliga, Primeira Divisao or the Erdivisie. These youngsters have been showing the oldies a thing or two, and have worked themselves onto Santa’s nice list.

Gareth Bale

The young Welshman’s been the star of the Champions’ League so far this season. His quick feet, accurate crossing and speedy runs have all helped draw the attentions of some of Europe’s biggest clubs.  His hat-trick against European Champions Inter was spectacular, and got many pundits suggesting that Bale might be the World’s best left-sided midfielder. But Santa doesn’t just watch the Champions’ League and he’s seen Bale match his European exploits with solid shows for Spurs in the Premier League. Bale will definitely be having a merry Christmas, and though he’s pledged his future to Spurs there’s little doubt he’ll find his name on many top clubs’ Christmas lists this year.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The big Swede’s not everybody’s favourite; he’s certainly not my favourite. Too often in the past he’s failed to turn up for the big occasions and his dreadful spell in Spain was confirmation for many that he’s a lazy, overrated dope that goes missing against the world’s top defenders. As if Ibra couldn’t make himself more unlikeable he returned to Italy, joining former side Inter’s arch-rivals, AC Milan. He instantly became the most unpopular man in Milan and at this point Santa was getting ready to scribble his name onto the naughty list. But after a tricky start to the season Ibrahimovic has settled in well in his favourite league. Scoring the winner against his former employers in the Milan derby instantly endeared him to the rossoneri fans. Ibrahimovic has re-established himself after his nightmare in the Catalan capital, scoring nine Serie A goals so far this season.  Santa will appreciate his higher work rate and desire to remind people of what he’s like at his best.

NAUGHTY

Rafael Benitez

When the lovable Spaniard arrived at the San Siro in the summer his new Inter side had just won the treble for the first time in their history. The charismatic José Mourinho was a tough act to follow, but things looked good for Benitez after he succeeded in keeping Wesley Snijder and Samuel Eto’o at the club. Benitez was given a tough baptism as Inter boss, losing 2-0 in Monte Carlo to Atletico in the European Super Cup. Following the disappointment in Monaco his Inter were held to a shock 0-0 draw on the opening day of the Serie A season by Bologna. Benitez has found it tough adapting to life in Serie A. Defeat against local rivals AC Milan triggered mass criticism of Benitez, and fall-outs with star player Sneijder have painted an ugly portrait for many supporters. Qualification for the next round of the Champions’ League has been a saving grace for Rafa, though Inter still only won half their games in the group stage, losing 4-0 on the final day to Werder Bremen. Inter now sit 7^th in Serie A, form that sees Benitez added to Santa’s naughty list.

Luis Suarez

 We should have seen it coming after his dastardly hand-ball in the quarter finals of the World Cup against Ghana. Last year Suarez scored 35 goals for Ajax in the Erdivisie, but so far this season he’s only managed 7. Lack of goals is a problem, but that’s not the only reason the Uruguayan striker will find himself on Santa’s naughty list this year. In a match against PSV Eindhoven Suarez was caught on camera biting opponent Otman Bakkal on the shoulder behind the referee’s back. His attempt at cannibalism saw him handed a huge seven match ban. During his ban Suarez decided to do a little bit of stirring and hinted that he was on his way out of Ajax. Suarez’s name is printed in permanent ink on Santa’s naughty list for Christmas 2010, but rumour has it he’s considering creating a “Very Naughty” list specifically for Suarez. He can expect an empty stocking on Christmas morning.

The Underachievers

We’ve already discussed Inter’s disappointing start to the season, but they’re not the only big club underperforming. Liverpool have had a terrible start to life under Roy Hodgson, finding themselves in the relegation zone in October. Since then they’ve managed to climb to 9^th but have still only won once away in the league this season. They also lost to Blackpool at Anfield and have been less than spectacular in the Europa League. The Bundesliga is full of underachievers. Bayern Munich are 6^th, 18 points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund. Schalke are 10^th despite the arrivals of Raul and Juarado, Werder Bremen are 12^th and Stuttgart are in the relegation zone! Monaco are Ligue 1’s big underachievers, only outside the relegation zone on goal-difference after a start to the season that’s seen them score just 15 goals in 17 games. Inter aren’t the only side underachieving in Serie A, Fiorentina are 13^th. The Viola have only collected 19 points out of a possible 48 so far. Sporting Braga were runners up in Portugal last season, but have found the going tough this season; they sit 8^th in the table. Feyenoord are the big underachievers in the Erdivisie. The Netherlands’ second biggest club are 13^th and were humiliated 10-1 by PSV earlier in the season. All of the above have shamed the good names of their clubs and let the fans down. Therefore they all find themselves on Santa’s naughty list.

FIFA

The bad behaviour never seems to stop with this lot. Santa isn’t likely to concentrate on the two World Cup decisions as both Russia and Qatar had exciting bids. It’s unknown whether or not there was any corruption surrounding the vote on the World Cups in 2018 or 2022. Santa will concentrate on the constant stench of foul-play that wafts from FIFA HQ by the shores of Lake Geneva. Exterior investigations proved that two FIFA representatives were ready to accept payments in exchange for votes. BBC Panorama’s investigations have also proved not only that corruption is rife in FIFA’s top ranks, but that the organisation chooses to ignore the issue. Corruption at all levels stains the sport, but when the biggest decision-makers in football are guilty, it makes a mockery of the world game. The corruption alone is enough to place FIFA on the naughty list, but the dismissive attitude of Sepp Blatter on pressing issues is something that worries us all. Recently he joked that gay fans should refrain from sexual activity, in response to a question on Qatar’s ban on homosexuality. This is one of many disgraceful comments made by Blatter during his controversial time as head of FIFA that has been brushed away by football’s governing body. No questions when it comes to this one, FIFA are on the naughty list.

Wayne Rooney

Here’s a familiar name on Santa’s list. After a shocking World Cup Rooney has been nothing but trouble. Early in September off-field issues put his relationship with wife Colleen in peril. He was reported to have slept with a prostitute (again) whilst Colleen was pregnant. This seemed to have had a detrimental effect on his football. For most of the season Rooney has looked off the pace and distracted. His lack of focus on football was reflected when he put in a transfer request at Manchester United. Two days later he changed his mind on quitting the club when they offered to double his wages to an astounding £250,000 a week. Santa’s not a fan of greed at the best of times, but when said greed is so outrageous it tends to leave Santa reaching for his naughty list. Since the sour incident Rooney has failed to improve his on-field performances and the England striker’s yet to score from open play for his club this season. Rooney’s been a very naughty boy indeed.