The Olympics Affect on La Liga

The Olympics have started and will continue until the end of August, assuming that the particular national team advances all the way to the final games. The recent complaints by the big teams and in light of the recent decision by CAS in favor of the clubs, I thought I would take a look at the Olympics and the affect on La Liga.

 

Here’s the list of players:

SERBIA

 

Midfielder: Milan Smiljanic (21) (Espanyol, Spain)

ARGENTINA

 

Goalkeeper: Oscar Ustari (Getafe)

 

Defenders: Pablo Zabaleta (Espanyol), Ezequiel Garay (Real Madrid, on loan to Racing Santander), Federico Fazio (Sevilla)

 

Midfielders: Fernando Gago (Real Madrid), Ever Banega (Valencia),

 

Forwards: Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Lionel Messi (Barcelona) (OR Marco Ruben, Villareal), Lautaro Acosta (Sevilla).

 

 

NETHERLANDS

 

Midfielder: Hedwiges Maduro (Valencia), Royston Drenthe (Real Madrid)

NIGERIA

 

Forward: Ikechukwu Uche (Getafe)

 

UNITED STATES

 

Forward: Jozy Altidore (Villarreal)

BELGIUM

 

Striker: Tom De Mul (22) (Sevilla, Spain)

 

BRAZIL

 

Goalkeepers: Diego Alves (23) (Almeira, Spain)

 

Defenders: Marcelo (20) (Real Madrid, Spain)

 

Strikers: Rafael Sobis (23) (Real Betis, Spain)

 

ITALY

 

Strikers: Giuseppe Rossi (21) (Villareal, Spain)

 

The latest rulings have probably ruined future Olympics, friendlies and national team tournaments. Especially in regards to European big teams. But if we look at the statistics. Here is the impact on a team by team basis, which in my opinion is not insurmountable.

 

Real Madrid, Sevilla, and Villarreal – each have allowed 3 players. In fact, should Madrid decide to call back Ezekiel Garay from Racing Santander, Real Madrid will lead with 4 players released.

 

Espanyol, Getafe, and Valencia – each have allowed 2 players to play at the Olympics.

 

Almeria, Atletico Madrid, Barçelona, Racing Santander, and Real Betis each have released 1 player to the Olympic games.

 

What these statistics demonstrate to me, is that the majority of the richer or top teams have been quite generous in releasing players to the Olympics and have not brought matters to the Spanish press. Several smaller teams have been extremely understanding IE Getafe and Espanyol, and have taken a cosmopolitan attitude toward player and national team commitment. This is a global world and it is a shame that some teams are more concerned with money, insurance and club results, rather than a once in a lifetime opportunity for their players.

Batten Down the Hatches

This won’t be a long post for the week, we’ve closed up shop at Forza Futbol and we’re moving to Champions Soccer Radio Network. The leagues have grown dark for midweek games, Italy dominated Portugal in a friendly and Spain did enough to win against France as well, Fabio Capello has swept away the last vestiges of the entitlement culture in the England squad and 9,000 miles away little old me was watching the Argentinian B-team pummel an over matched Guatemalan side that was clearly missing captain and L.A. Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz.

I know, a completely diferent class of player. What I did get to see was some of the most exciting Argentinian players playing in what is essentially their U-23 youth side.

The most recognizable name on the pitch was of course ex-Villareal general Juan Roman Riquelme who was his usual, efficient self, setting up Napoli dynamo Ezequiel Lavezzi for their second goal, which was obviously a complete howler by the Guatemalan keeper who barely touched the ball at all despite it being a fairly weak shot point blank.  Playing just in front of Lavezzi, was Real Madrid winger Gonzalo Higuain, who looked tentative early on, but scored the first goal in tight quarters in front of goal.

Argentina soon got in a rhythm, a dominant display not only by Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano, but by Valencia youngster Ever Banega who was by far the class player on the pitch. He was incisive in his passes, passed well especially over 30 yards, and directed traffic at the back in a role similar to Pirlo’s role for AC Milan. Of course, Mascherano can make anyone look good because of his skills in front of the back line, but the next generation of Argentinian players is in good hands with Higuain, Banega, Lavezzi and Mascherano.

While the final score said 5-0 to the Argentinians, it was exciting nontheless, less a contest than a training session of course, but a very interesting window into the future of the Argentinean squad. Weird that not everyone got the same out of it as me.

I was sitting in the Guatemala section at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at the opposite end to the famous peristyle and the Olympic torch, and at times there was a tangible sense of danger, with dozens of fights going on all around me. The crowd was lively and sarcastic at first, but became the more frustrated as the Chapines made the match more and more difficult for themselves. Inexplicably, the fans around me insisted that their players had been “bought” and were tanking the game on purpose against a bunch of “nameless Argies” and a “useless Riquelme”.  Just shows you how delusional you can get with a bit of liquid courage in your system.

Boca Blowup

Diego Armando Maradona is mad. Yes, he wants to meet the President of Iraq and plans on getting a tattoo of Venezuelan supremo Hugo Chavez, but that’s not the form of the word I’m talking about. He’s angry because the guy he helped bring in to coach his beloved Buenos Aires club, Boca Juniors, Miguel Angel Russo, stepped down recently, when just days after losing the FIFA World Club Cup, Russo walked out of a meeting with Boca chief Pedro Pompilio refusing to fire his top two assistants.

The first names bandied around as his replacement were Gabriel Batistuta and Guillermo Barros Scheloto, who had both talked about getting into club management, but Boca have apparently settled on Carlos Ischia of Rosario Central, a former assistant to Carlos Bianchi when he coached at Boca Juniors. When asked about Ischia, by the Argentinean news agency Telam, Maradona responded, “I don’t like Ischia as coach. I don’t believe he would be the ideal choice for the team.” Why the problem? Both Ischia and Bianchi are close associates of Guillermo Coppolla, who was an advisor to Diego’s during his playing days and are both still bitter about their acrimonious split. Some in the Argentinian media are forecasting this as the first of many changes to the xeineixes, which may mean selling players, replacing the entire coaching staff, trainers, shifting tactics, and will more than likely signal the end of Diego Maradona’s influence at the club; but the key maybe the changing of the guard on the pitch.

Before the appointment there was some talk of Clemente Rodriguez of Espanyol coming back from Spain to help Riquelme, but it looks like a return to three at the back like Ricardo LaVolpe, and it might mean some of the problems that LaVolpe had with (amongst others) captain Martin Palermo in the dressing room. The experienced players have had a relaxed time at the club under Russo, Riquelme returning was a notch on their belt, but this is not what the player leadership expected or wanted. But the board believe that someone needs to pay for the loss to AC Milan, and if Russo wouldn’t fire his assistants, regardless of his winning the Copa Libertadores, then everyone under him and around him would be blamed.

All I can think of, if this marks a new turn to Boca Juniors, with the return of Bianchi as the kingmaker and the departure of Diego, will this lead to the selling of young players like Ever Banega and what of the field generals like Martin Palermo? Defender Juan Angel Krupoviesa has already been sold to Marseilles, the board has already mandated the selling of experienced players, and what then of temperamental genius Riquelme? A return to Spain, a move to Italy or England?