Harry Redknapp is a lucky manager. Spurs lost to Chelsea in controversial circumstances, but the manner of the loss has once again allowed Redknapp to avoid criticism. Spurs are in the middle of a run of one win in their last 11 games. However, the media has not focused on the team’s performances as much as it has on the errors by Hurelio Gomes that cost Spurs against Real Madrid and Chelsea and the red card for Peter Crouch and the illness to Aaron Lennon that cost Spurs in the first leg against Madrid. Tottenham were outclassed against Madrid and tactically naïve as they conceded yet another goal in the first five minutes of a game and two from corners. Despite this the focus of media coverage was on the individual players and Spurs hard luck story. The team was eliminated from the Champions League and fallen to sixth in the EPL because of poor results that owed nothing to do with luck. Tactics, fitness, organization, player selection and formation were more to blame for Spurs poor run and they are all Redknapp’s responsibility.
Last Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal first leg between Real Madrid and Barcelona hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Jose Mourinho’s tactical approach was to have Real Madrid frustrate, intimidate and stifle Barcelona. It was Mourinho at his best. Madrid and Mourinho have come in for a lot of deserved criticism for their role in the darker side of the game, but some Barcelona players are not beyond reproach too. Having said that, what did people expect? The game was built up beyond all proportion – can Madrid stop Barcelona? Can Mourinho win a third Champions League title? Who is better: Messi or Ronaldo, Mourinho or Guardiola, style or pragmatism and Catalonia or Royal Spain? It was a powder keg tie to begin with and the immense pressure placed on both teams only added to the hype, a point forgotten by the media especially those in the UK. Would a Spurs-Arsenal, Liverpool-Man United or Celtic-Rangers Champions League semifinal have looked much different to the events at the Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday night?
Major League Soccer missed a great opportunity to establish itself on the world stage when Real Salt Lake lost to at home to Monterrey on Wednesday night. RSL’s 2-3 aggregate loss in the CONCACAF Champions League Final meant the team failed to qualify for the FIFA World Club Championship. RSL and MLS have missed out on the chance to test themselves against the likes of Barcelona in Japan next December. MLS will have to settle for the New York Red Bulls representing the league against Arsenal and Paris St. Germain in the Emirates Cup in London in July.
Neil Lennon was castigated by many in the Scottish media and by large sections of the Rangers support for cupping his ears when walking off to a torrent of abuse at the end of last week’s Rangers-Celtic game. The much publicized events prior to the game meant that Lennon’s action was arguably ill advised in the circumstances. So where is the same level of condemnation for the Rangers marketing representative who approved providing every fan at Ibrox a Union Jack flag for the Celtic game, or for kit man, Jimmy Bell who embroidered a message of congratulations to Prince William and Kate Middleton on David Weir’s shirt for the Motherwell game? No other club in Britain showed its support for the royal wedding in either manner, so why was Rangers the only club to do so? Both were politically provocative and the silence from the British media is embarrassing.
Neil Lennon was castigated by many in the Scottish media and by large sections of the Rangers support for cupping his ears when walking off to a torrent of abuse at the end of last week’s Rangers-Celtic game. The much publicized events prior to the game meant that Lennon’s action was arguably ill advised in the circumstances. So where is the same level of condemnation for the Rangers marketing representative who approved providing every fan at Ibrox a Union Jack flag for the Celtic game, or for kit man, Jimmy Bell who embroidered a message of congratulations to Prince William and Kate Middleton on David Weir’s shirt for the Motherwell game? No other club in Britain showed its support for the royal wedding in either manner, so why was Rangers the only club to do so? Both were politically provocative and the silence from the British media is embarrassing.
The EPL will have one of the game’s most interesting characters back in the league next season. Neil Warnock led Queens Park Rangers to the Championship title and promotion to the EPL. I cannot wait until the fixtures are released to circle the date of QPR v Arsenal, or more to the point, Warnock v Wenger. It was a bitter sweet weekend for Warnock because his beloved former club, Sheffield United was relegated to League Two. Despite the ignominy of relegation the future looks bright for the Blades because its youth team will face Man United in the upcoming FA Youth Cup Final. Two former top flight clubs, Brighton and Southampton have been promoted back to the Championship while former greats, Huddersfield Town could join them in going up. How long before Brighton manager, Gus Poyet is approached for a managerial role at Chelsea or Spurs?
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