Football Dispatch

Tuesday Football
15 January 2008
by Jerrad Peters

Most compelling viewing

Manchester United 6-0 Newcastle
The Manchester United players got a right bollocking at the interval. Not that the opening period had been all that bad. But with Wayne Rooney missing chances left and right – ditto Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo – Sir Alex Ferguson must have figured that something of an outburst was in order. He was right. And how.

United followed up the loosey-goosey performance of the first 45-minutes with their most lethal half of football in years. Six goals – some of the spectacular variety. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the floodgates with a superb free-kick just four minutes after the restart. Alan Smith’s complaints over the foul might have had legs if referee Mark Styles hadn’t overlooked some obvious decisions in the first half. In any case, the 22-year-old Portuguese winger stood over the ball, stared at his target for what seemed like eternity, and blasted a shot beneath the feet of the jumping wall.

Six minutes later, some characteristically sloppy Newcastle defending gifted Carlos Tevez his 10th Premier League goal this season. With the ball clumsily directed to the left of Shay Given, Ryan Giggs took possession and found the Argentine running into the box. The pass took a convenient deflection from an out-of-position Claudio Cacapa before landing at Tevez’ boots.

Some lovely interplay produced Ronaldo’s second goal on the night. Michael Carrick, quiet through most of the ninety minutes, played a wonderful ball through to Tevez who, in turn, fed Ronaldo in front of goal. After faking a defender with his left foot, the former Sporting Lisbon phenom found the corner of the net with his right.

Rooney, despite being personally frustrated in the attacking third, was the brains behind Rio Ferdinand’s 85th-minute strike. With the England defender waiting to sprint past Newcastle’s off-side trap inside the area, Rooney chipped a lovely pass across the box which Ferdinand volleyed from a tight angle. Given, despite a spectacular outing which prevented three or four additional United goals, was helpless on the play. The fact that Ferdinand, a centre-half, was playing in front of the attackers at so late a stage was merely indicative of United’s dominance in the second half. Ronaldo completed his hat-trick and Tevez rounded-out the scoring just prior to the final whistle.

With the three points, United regain pole position in the Premier League by virtue of goal-differential. Newcastle, meanwhile, are 11th in the standings – six points back of West Ham and a spot in the top half.

Notable results

AC Milan 5-2 Napoli
It’s just that easy. Eighteen-years old, a first start for one of the biggest clubs in the world, playing alongside an all-time legend – and a goal. The very best footballers have always made the game appear effortless. Zidane’s movement, pirouettes, and passes; Pele’s artistry, control, and presence; Ronaldo’s ice cold finishing. Each gave their football a natural appearance – as if it was part of them, emerging from their bodies. Alexandre Pato’s short career has followed just such a path. When Brazilian side Internacional finally exposed him to the world, having kept his talent a secret for years, he defeated mighty Barcelona in the Club World Cup. A year on, he scored against Napoli in his AC Milan debut. As if that wasn’t enough, he looks to have rejuvenated the moody legend, Ronaldo. The latter scored twice at the weekend as Milan won their first home match of the season; and Pato etched his name on the scoresheet as the final seconds ticked from the referee’s watch. Perhaps, the youngster has added years to the legend’s career. In any case, their partnership appeared natural, effortless. With the win, Milan increase their lacklustre point total to 21 – good for 12th-place in Serie A. Napoli are 8th-place with 23-points.

Arsenal 1-1 Birmingham City
In drawing Birmingham City at Emirates Stadium, Saturday, Arsenal looked very much their old selves. That is, the Arsenal of the past two or three years. Unable to close out a match despite dominating; lacking the killer instinct to slay an inferior opponent. Not to take anything away from the visitors, but Arsenal pummelled goalkeeper Maik Taylor throughout. The 36-year-old was excellent. If not for his performance, the likes of Emmanual Adebayor and Eduardo da Silva might have scored four or five. As it turned out, a penalty-kick from Adebayor was Arsenal’s only tally on the night. And although the hosts went into the tunnel with the lead at half-time, Gary O’Connor took advantage of a Cesc Fabregas deflection to equalize just after the restart. Arsenal, by dropping points at home, are now second to Manchester United through goal-differential. Birmingham City, meanwhile, are in 16th-place with 20-points.

Atletico Madrid 1-0 Valencia
Valencia’s woeful campaign continued at the weekend. By losing 1-0 at Atletico Madrid, Los Che dropped to 7th-place in La Liga with 27-points – just five points ahead of 14th-spot. Atletico, meanwhile, are making a very strong shout for Champions’ League football next season. Manager Javier Aguirre and chairman Enrique Cerezo were busy boys in the summer – adding the likes of Diego Forlan, Luis Garcia, Jose Antonio Reyes, and Mariano Pernia to compensate for the losses of Fernando Torres and Martin Petrov. The result: 37-points at midseason and a realistic chance to knock Barcelona from the top-two. At this point, there is a very realistic possibility that Spain’s top clubs at season’s end will both hail from the capital. Of note, former Boca Junior star Ever Banega was handed his first start for Valencia when he replaced Mata Garcia at half-time. Fellow Argentine teenager, Sergio Aguero, scored the only goal of the match in the 28th-minute. The two combined to win the U-20 World Cup in Canada in July.

Feyenoord 0-1 PSV Eindhoven
It’s a log-jam atop the Eredivisie at the moment. Each of Feyenoord, Ajax, and surprising Groningen are on 36-points – good for a share of 2nd-place in the ledger. PSV Eindhoven put three points between themselves and their chasers, Saturday, defeating Feyenoord 1-0 at De Kuip. Ottman Bakkal notched the only goal of the game when he ran onto a superb Ibrahim Afellay provision on 40-minutes. Afellay was in the middle of the action again just after the hour-mark when he was brought down by Nicky Hofs. The foul resulted in a second booking for Hofs – who had been shown an initial yellow in the first half for dissent.

Rennes 3-1 Marseille
Not unlike PSV Eindhoven’s win over Feyenoord in Holland, Ligue 1 side Rennes took advantage of a sending-off to claim maximum points at the weekend. Visiting Marseille’s Juan Angel Krupoviesa was assessed a straight red card in the 68th-minute after the Argentine tackled Mickael Pagis from behind. Pagis, as it happened, had levelled matters in the 39th-minute after Djibril Cisse had opened the scoring for the visitors after a quarter-hour. Pagis was also involved in the matchwinner when he headed Olivier Thomert’s cross toward goal. Marsille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda directed the ball into the path of Silvain Wiltord – the latter making good on the gifted opportunity. Mandanda, again, found the boots of Wiltord when he produced a rebound from Jimmy Briand’s blast in the 87th-minute. With 28-points this term, Rennes are a respectable 9th in the standings – just four points adrift of 4th-place Valenciennes and a berth in the UEFA Cup. Underachieving Marseille, meanwhile, are 12th with 25-points. Places 8 through 17 are separated by a mere six points.

Levante 0-2 Real Madrid
Two extremes collided at Ciudad de Valencia on Saturday. The football giants of Real Madrid, pace-setters of La Liga and reigning champions, paid a visit to Valencia’s second side – Levante. The latter, fighting similar financial pressures to those of Luton in English football, have been unable to pay their players of late; and four of their squad recently left the club after going several weeks without wages. Nonetheless, it was the hosts which applied pressure from the start. Madrid’s Iker Casillas was the busier of the two goalkeepers throughout the first half. Levante directed a surprising 15-efforts toward goal – many of the threatening variety. Madrid, struggling to latch passes together, clearly missed the presence of Mahmouda Diarra in front of the back four. They finally appeared more cohesive when Guti was introduced in the 56th-minute for Julio Baptista. Twenty minutes later, Gonzalo Higuain produced the first goal of the evening when his cross struck the hand of Levante defender Fernandez Borbalan. Ruud Van Nistelrooy converted the subsequent penalty and added an insurance marker 12-minutes later when he ran onto a Guti pass. Despite enduring a poor run of form, Madrid remain seven points clear of Barcelona atop La Liga with 47. Levante bring up the rear with 8-points.

Key contributors

Ronaldo
It might come as a surprise that the Ronaldo’s goalscoring record for AC Milan is superior to that with Real Madrid. Of course, he has played just 16-matches in a full year at the San Siro. But he has managed 11-goals in those appearances – two of which came on Saturday against Napoli. Any rumor that the 31-year-old might be heading to Flamengo to help the Brazilian side in the Copa Libertadores has been put on hold. Milan president Silvio Berlusconi declared, after the win, that the club would meet its commitments regarding the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.

Alexandre Pato
He has been called a prodigy, a hybrid, and a football genius. High praise for an 18-year-old – but justified, if not succeeded. Alexandre Pato burst onto the scene a year ago with Internacional. The Brazilian club had kept him under wraps until he signed a long-term contract. When he did, they presented him to the world. As a 17-year-old, he responded by helping the club dump Barcelona out of the Club World Cup in Japan. Pato made his Serie-A debut, Saturday, scoring a goal in the process. More impressive, however, was the way in which he appeared to breathe new life into Ronaldo.

Adrian Mutu
With goals on either side of the interval, Adrian Mutu delivered Fiorentina a 2-1 away to Parma. With six goals in Serie-A, the former Chelsea and Juventus man seems to have found a good fit in Florence. He currently has the club on 31-points and at 5th-place in the standings – a single point back of Udinese and Champions’ League football.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Currently on 16-goals this season, Zlatan Ibrahimovic needs only three more to set a high-mark in his career. It was, after all, the 18-goal campaign with Ajax in 2002-2003 which announced the Swedish international to the world. Now 25-years-old and already with his fourth club, his brace at Siena, Saturday, increased his domestic goalscoring total to 11. Ibrahimovic has been one of Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini’s few automatic selections this term – a constant presence alongside the rotation of Hernan Crespo, David Suazo, and Julio Cruz.

Samuel Eto’o
Cameroon’s favourite son is running into a superb vein of form as the African Nations Cup approaches. Samuel Eto’o has scored three goals in four games since returning to the Barcelona squad from injury – two of which came in a 10-minute span against Murcia on Saturday. It’s hard to believe that just 11-months ago, the 26-year-old seemed as good as gone. He had just criticized team-mate Ronaldinho and locked horns with manager Frank Rijkaard. Nearly a year on, Eto’o is as secure as the Nou Camp as ever. And he is, once again, among the world’s most lethal strikers to boot.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Last season, a 30-year-old Ruud Van Nistelrooy notched 33-goals for Real Madrid. It was his fourth-most productive season in a career which has been all about amassing huge, goalscoring numbers. So much for washed-up, Sir Alex. He may very well hit that mark again. The Dutchman’s two goals at Levante, Saturday, increased his season total to 15. Four of those have come in the Champions’ League. If there were any doubts as to Van Nistelrooy’s fitness, dedication, and abilities, they have sufficiently been put to rest.

Alberto Diego Milito
One of Argentina’s most under-appreciated exports, Alberto Diego Milito has done nothing but score at Real Zaragoza. Come to think of it, he has done nothing but score for every club he has been a part of. Upon making a move to Europe in 2004, he scored 33-goals in 59-games for Genoa. And in two-and-a-half years in Spain, he has tallied 49-goals. Two of this season’s haul came in a 13-minute span at Estadio La Romareda. They were vital goals as Zaragoza could only muster a 2-2 draw at home to Mallorca.

Sylvain Wiltord
He has won four Ligue 1 championships, two Premier League titles, and EURO 2000. In 1999 he was named French Footballer of the Year. Sylvain Wiltord is big-time. Which is why it is curious that the 33-year-old joined Rennes, a city of just over 200,000, in the summertime. Perhaps he knew that, at this point in his career, smaller was better. After all, he took some time to get off the mark. Through 11-games so far this season, he has mustered just 3-goals – two of which came in Renne’s 3-1 win over Marseille on Saturday.

Amara Diane
Paris Saint-Germain supporters have very little to cheer about these days. On Saturday, however, Amara Diane did his best to give them something. The Cote d’Ivoire international scored twice in a two-minute span as PSG defeated Lens 3-0 at Parc des Princes. The 25-year-old has often been compared to Didier Drogba; although he has yet to actually emulate the success of his countryman. Nevertheless, Diane’s brace earned PSG a crucial three points at the weekend. The struggling French giants are now 11th in Ligue-1 with 25-points.

Man of the weekend

Cristiano Ronaldo

When was the last time that the best footballer in the world plied his trade in English football? Arsenal supporters would insist that Thierry Henry fit the description in the early years of this decade. Factions of Manchester United fans may hold that one of Roy Keane and Eric Cantona met the criteria in the mid-to-late 1990s. All of the three pose a strong argument; although it’s safe to say that they fall short in each instance. What’s beyond dispute is that, at the height of his powers, George Best was the planet’s top player. And over the eleven years he spent at Old Trafford, the Northern Irishman was without peer for about five seasons.

Prior to his ascent, Pele was the indisputable prince of the pitch. Alfredo di Stefano and Eusebio had their moments, and brilliant ones at that, but until he moved to the North American Soccer League, the legendary Brazilian was the consensus number-one. Following him, Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer owned the 1970s. Even Kevin Keegan, who won back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards in 1978 and 1979, did so in the Bundesliga with Hamburg. Through the 1980s, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Paulo Rossi, Michel Platini, and Marco Van Basten ruled the roost. And Zinedine Zidane preceded a trio of Brazilians who have most recently been considered the finest players in the game: Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaka.

Forty years after Best won the Ballon d’Or, it all but a foregone conclusion that Cristiano Ronaldo will claim it for himself, for Manchester United, and for English football. It’s been quite a drought. But to anyone who has watched the 22-year-old at any point this season, this much is clear: Cristiano Ronaldo is the best footballer on earth – hands down.

It was never more evident than on Saturday against visiting Newcastle. After a scoreless first half, Ronaldo took over. When he was awarded a free-kick from about 24-yards after an Alan Smith tackle, he stood on the ball long enough to make Shay Given quake in his boots and the defending wall melt. Then he lashed it beneath their jumping feet and into the Irish goalkeeper.

His second goal was a thing of beauty – United at their flowing best. Michael Carrick played a superb pass to Carlos Tevez who subsequently sent Ronaldo into the clear. The Portuguese international faked with his right foot, pulled the ball around a lunging defender, and unleashed a blast with his left.

The hat-trick tally was somewhat less spectacular – taking a deflection on its way to goal. But it was Ronaldo’s first three-goal performance in his four-and-a-half seasons at Old Trafford. More incredibly, it was his 22nd-goal in 24-matches this term. He has already notched five goals in five Champions’ League appearances. And given that United are a good bet to make, at the very least, the last four of the tournament – likewise Portugal in EURO 2008 – this looks very much the year that Cristiano Ronaldo ascends to heights unseen in a generation of English football.