Part One – full sound up highlights and analysis from the final Part two – more analysis on the final and the tournament plus the start of the World Cup 2010 montage Part three – the climax of the montage

On day 13 Landon Donovan scored for the USA and Jermain Defoe scored for England on dramatic day in South Africa. Here is the first half of the show from that day:

1st half of the show

2nd half of the show

Thanks to all who watched during that tournament and for your enjoyment, the first half of episode one is available on youtube featuring South Africa vs Mexico and France vs Uruguay:

Day Two from South Africa saw South Korea play Greece, Argentina take on Nigeria while England met USA, leaving two of the three hosts in a very bad mood.

1st half of the show:

2nd half of the show:

As many of you know my columns on the game are now available to read on TSN.ca which is why very little has been posted on this site. However, this site gave me a platform to write when I didn’t have one and I thank you all for reading it.

I am using this site today to give you an opportunity to be play in my 6th annual charity soccer tournament.

Over five years ago while running on a treadmill it hit me. I always wanted to do more for people who are not as fortunate as us and this was how to do it.

Francesco Bardi couldn’t handle it anymore. At the final whistle he sunk to his knees and looked up at the Israel sky turning dark.

The Italian goalkeeper had conceded one goal in four games before the final, and that was a penalty, yet on this night in Jerusalem he allowed four goals to a very special team. You could forgive him for needing a lie down.

In fact, the month of June is often spent lying down for the majority of footballers. Dubai, the Maldives and the USA are hotspots for footballers after a long 10 month season. Israel? Not so much. Just hot.

However, the small country, sitting on the south-eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, hosted close to 200 players from eight different countries for two weeks for a 2013 European Under 21 Championship tournament that provided onlookers with a picture perfect view of the international game’s future.

For a time much of the discussion focused on the players who were eligible to be there, but instead chose to be lying on beaches away from Israel. The likes of Jack Rodwell, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Phil Jones and Danny Welbeck could have been there for England. They weren’t and England used it as an excuse to shield a woefully poor squad from further embarrassment after three losses in three games.

The likes of Toni Kroos, Mario Gotze, and Ilkay Gundogan, all born after the tournament’s cutoff date of January 1st 1990, also chose to rest elsewhere, only this time the decision from the players and their country’s footballing association was right, despite Germany failing to qualify from a competitive group B. The quality shown by each of those players in the highest club competition in the game, the Champions League, this past season showed the only thing they needed at this time of the year was to be horizontal champions, not football champions again.

Instead it was a time for other people to have their moments in the sun.

There was the image of Israel coach Guy Luzon sinking to his knees with his arms raised aloft after his host side had upset a desperately inept England side. As Luzon, who now heads to Standard Liege, gazed into the dark sky content with a glorious finale, across the pitch there was no lying down on the ground for the England players, following their third successive loss in Group A. Their lack of quality had already ensured they had done that.

Once England departed the stories spoke for themselves. Norway, whose technically improved side had put on a counter attacking clinic against Stuart Pearce’s side to beat them 3-1 in group A, played the part of unlikely sleeper, a character almost every tournament creates. The Norwegians, whose tournament ended in a semi final loss to Spain, were a breath of fresh air, showcasing to the continent a highly technical style that looked nothing like the style a nation, once so heavily influenced by England, showed over a decade ago when their senior national side’s more direct systems led to success in tournaments. Forced, by some poor scheduling by UEFA, to play two of their three group games without four of their best players (who played for the senior team in a World Cup qualifier during the tournament) Tor Ole Skullerud’s side matched their best ever performance at this level by reaching the final four for just the second time in their history. Producing players comfortable on the ball like Markus Henrikson and Magnus Eikrem, direct and powerful forwards like Marcus Pedersen, and skillful, intelligent defenders such as Omar Elabdellaoui and skipper Stefan Strandberg, not only shows their national team are on the right track but also validates the country’s stance on producing home grown players through their clubs, originally forced upon them during the 2009 financial crisis.

Three hours after Norway’s ticket home was stamped by Spain they were joined in the departure lounge by the Netherlands. The Dutch team, whose best XI started all three of their important games in the tournament (their final group game saw them play their second XI), boasted a combined 56 senior caps and looked like the tournament’s best team during the group stage. Cor Pot’s side raced into a 2-0 lead in their opening game against Germany and still had enough firepower to win it at the death after allowing two second half goals to their rivals. In the second game they dismantled an undisciplined Russia side 5-1 and headed into the game against Spain as the pure entertainers on show in Israel. Pot’s decision to rest his best team denied them of top spot in group B and denied the rest of us a tasty encounter against the Spanish. Some thought that would come in the final but it never arrived as the Dutch team lost 1-0 to Italy in a semi final that was the competition’s dullest match by some margin.

For the Dutch is was an all too familiar finish to a tournament. They had so much talent on show and dominated the game but they couldn’t put away their chances and ultimately allowed the Italians to suck the life out of the game, turning it into a physical encounter that they edged through a late Fabio Borini winner. There may have been no trophy but the future looks to be now for many of the Jung Oranje players. Feyenoord centre backs Stefan De Vrij and Bruno Martins Indi were formidable, showcasing excellent skills on the ball and strength off it and you could make the case the pair are the country’s best at their positions already.

In front of them sat brilliant young midfielders Kevin Strootman and Marco Van Ginkel. Strootman’s elegance is admirable in a deep position as he almost glides through a game with wonderful ball control and distribution before exploding into dribblers with a physical side that gives him the potential to soon be the perfect deep lying midfielder. Alongside him, 20-year-old Van Ginkel may be even better. He had the greatest engine in the tournament, driving in top gear from deep positions and into space that has allowed him to score so many goals in the Erevidise this season. His tactical discipline at such a young age was outstanding, making him a perfect partner for Strootman. Ahead of them was 19-year-old playmaker Adam Maher, the AZ Alkmaar man who knew when to make up a three in midfield before exploding into the final third with a pinpoint pass or a shot from distance. For sixty minutes the trio dictated their semi final but Italy’s physicality wore them down and a game with no flow sent them to lie on the beaches elsewhere. As they did, the future of the Dutch midfield, just three years on from a Mark Van Bommel, Nigel De Jong Royal Rumble in Soccer City, looks breathtakingly fresh.

A year on from meeting twice at Euro 2012, including the final, Italy met Spain in this final hoping to change their fortunes. Bardi’s constant returns to the back of the net to retrieve the ball was not what Italy imagined but indeed brought back memories of their senior team being dismantled in last summer’s Euro 2012. That day a formidable Spanish midfielder, who never really made his mark on the tournament until the final, took over the match for his team. Like Xavi in Kiev, Thiago Alcantara, his Barcelona team-mate, did the same in Israel, blasting in a first half hat-trick that put the final beyond doubt at the interval.

If it was Thiago’s final then it was certainly Isco’s championships. The Malaga magician was by far and away the best player on show, particularly after game one when his coach, Julen Lopetegui, moved him further up into a front three and gave him licence to go anywhere. Up 3-1 in the final, the selfless Thiago could have added a fourth goal from the spot but rightfully handed it to Isco to get his moment in his final match at this level. Throughout the tournament his name was linked with Real Madrid and Manchester City followed by internet chatter that he would struggle to get minutes at those clubs. He has things to learn but, to me, he certainly could walk into those teams and play often. He may not yet have the lateral movement of Mesut Ozil or the passing ability of David Silva but he is stronger than both on the ball, just as good at dribbling and could one day be better than both. He certainly has the ability to challenge Cesc Fabregas as the impact substitution his senior team needs. Watching Spain dominate the tournament for the second successive time it is easy to see their players and think one day that they could challenge for senior caps and that might be the greatest compliment they can receive considering just how many legitimate world class stars Spain produces. Right back Martin Montoya, and reserve Daniel Carvajal for that matter, both look players who will one day soon be better than Alvaro Arbeloa. Centre back Inigo Martinez has the technical ability of a midfielder and is one of the most comfortable defenders on the ball I have seen, a player who loves to drive into space and spread an accurate cross-field ball to the right back. His Real Sociedad team-mate Asier Illarramendi is a marvellous midfielder, a young man who reads the game quite superbly, a player comfortable dropping deep and allowing his centre-backs to split (in the Sergio Busquets role) but is actually better when he plays further up the field where he can tackle, pass, shoot and drive his team forward at the opportune time. If Real Madrid need to replace Xabi Alonso in a year this is their man.

And yet without Alvaro Morata, Spain may not have been allowed to show their brilliance late in the tournament. Like David Villa did in South Africa 2010, Morata scored valuable goals early in the tournament when games seemed to be heading to a 0-0 draw. Morata, who had never made his debut at this level until these championships, who was more direct than Rodrigo, pounced when his opponents were at their weakest moment. It was no coincidence that six of Spain’s eight goals on the way to the final came in the last few minutes of the half, a time when their rivals were physically and mentally exhausted against the possession-dominated style shown by the Spanish.

That wasn’t the story in the final, however, as Italy were simply not good enough, although there is no real shame in that. This Spanish Under 21 side could beat most senior teams in Europe. Italy’s team in Israel gave their country hope as the likes of Lorenzo Insigne, Alessandro Florenzi and Matteo Bianchetti certainly showed they could join Marco Verratti one day for the Azzurri.

For their final night in Israel, though, their aim was to pick up their goalie from the floor as Spain celebrated around them.

Tournament Best XI

GK – David De Gea (Spain) – had very little to do in over half of his games but was outstanding vs Russia and brilliant with his distribution from the back.

RB – Giulio Donati (Italy) – Brave and physical at right back, harshly adjudged to give a penalty away in the final. Just gets the nod over Montoya.

CB – Matteo Bianchetti (Italy) – Was the real leader of their impressive back four, commanding in the air and good on the ball.

CB – Inigo Martinez (Spain) – Another future world class star in the making.

LB – Bruno Martins Indi (Netherlands) – Plays mainly at CB but has a great left foot, good technique, very powerful and exceptional at running back to his own goal.

M – Asier Illarramendi (Spain) – Will be surprised if he is playing Champions League for Real Sociedad this season. Bigger stage is coming.

M – Marco Van Ginkel (Netherlands) – Covers so much ground, remarkable football IQ for a man so young. Ideal midfielder to play as the attacker in a 2 of 4231.

M – Thiago Alcantara (Spain) – Motored his way through the tournament in third gear and was impressive until exploding into top gear when the world watched.

F – Isco (Spain) – Introduction of Koke deeper allowed him to get forward and terrorize defenders who were often drawn out towards him, leaving space behind.

F – Lorenzo Insigne (Italy) – Just edges out Florenzi into the best XI. When Italy were at their best it was because of him. Excellent in field runs from wide areas.

F – Alvaro Morata (Spain) – Unlikely Golden Boot winner was there when his team needed him the most, allowing them to just get across the line twice in the group stages.

Top three games

1. Netherlands 3 Germany 2.

2. Spain 4 Italy 2.

3. Israel 2 Norway 2

Top three goals

1. Isco vs Norway

2. Wijnaldum vs Russia

3. Insigne vs England

Jurgen Klopp lost Mario Gotze through injury earlier in the week so caused no surprises by picking Kevin Grosskreutz in his place, allowing Marco Reus to play more centrally, and effectively putting Dortmund in a 4-4-1-1 shape to counter Bayern’s threat in wide areas.

Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes’ chose Jerome Boateng over Daniel Van Buyten as Dante’s partner in central defence and otherwise lined the team up as expected in their 4-2-3-1 shape. With Toni Kroos still injured, Thomas Muller started the game centrally, as he did in the semi final against Barcelona, giving Arjen Robben a chance to start again.

Observations

• It took three touches. One to get away from the defender, one to position himself for the shot and one to pass the ball into the back of the net, and shortly past 930pm in North West London, inside Wembley Stadium, Arjen Robben could finally forget about Johannesburg 2010. For 88 minutes it looked like it was going ‘the Robben way’. His team were entering the final moments of a game, not winning and haunted by a number of misses from the Dutchman. Then from a free kick, deep inside their own half, Franck Ribery controlled the ball brilliantly, again brought Dortmund players towards him, before sending Robben through on goal. He leaned heavily on his left foot, once again, and one, two, three touches later it became Robben’s final.
• Ribery and Robben had combined 28 minutes earlier to put Bayern ahead when three Dortmund defenders (sound familiar) flocked to the Frenchman who found Robben to his left, before the winger sent a ball across for Mario Mandzukic to nod Bayern into the lead.
• It was a lead that they narrowly deserved having been the better side for the final 15 minutes of the first half and the opening 15 minutes of the second.
• Typically, though, electric Dortmund dug deep and got a break when Dante used his wrong leg in a challenge against Reus, one Mr Miyagi would have been proud of, to concede a penalty. Ilkay Gundogan, a man who grew into a star in this year’s competition, converted the spot kick with ease to set up such a dramatic finale.
• It will easily be forgotten now but the manner in which Bayern played, at 1-1, with the game on the line in the late stages was courageous. A team whose own players said they can be known as ‘losers’ if they didn’t win on this night could have gone into their shell, played nervously and tried to take the cautious approach for a winner. Instead, they reacted like a champion and now great, world class players like Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger quite rightly are looked at as winners.
• The use of Robben centrally during that crucial period was pivotal, not only in the game’s winning goal but in their overall attacking flow. Thomas Muller did not have a great game (failed to link better with midfield; was indecisive in front of goal) but his ability to stick closer to the touchline stretched Dortmund’s back four more than they would have liked, Ribery got stronger as the game went on and Robben thrived in the space afforded to him.

• Muller, David Alaba and Bastian Schweinsteiger all came close to scoring in that period and the central midfielder, in particular, was enjoying how the game’s pendulum had swung having played a key part in it during the first half.
• Dortmund came as advertised, pressing their opponents early, starting in top gear and pushing Bayern deep for the opening 25 minutes of the game. It was a fascinating period to see how Bayern would cope, as they still dominated possession but couldn’t play their way to their front four in the usual manner. Schweinsteiger dropped deep to ensure they could at least treasure the ball while losing the territory battle, often splitting the full backs to maintain composure at the back. Only when Bayern got into their gameplan did he start to venture further forward.

• Schweinsteiger was not the only one making adjustments at this stage. As all great teams do, all 11 Bayern players worked tirelessly during a difficult moment for them. In the 16th minute even Robben was in his own box to make a significant clearance and eventually they grew into the first half, which was dominated by brilliant saves by both goalkeepers, with three stops on Robben being the ones most remembered.
• Until that final minute that is. Robben won a major final, playing centrally in a match where both midfields struggled to insert their dominance, in a tournament where central midfields have been essential to success. Mark it down, folks. It was as unusual as a Robben pass. Robben, and Reus, effectively saw two teams playing with just two central midfielders, using width more than most, which effectively meant the game for the neutrals was a wide-open entertaining affair.
• It is fitting that it be Robben who takes this current Bayern Munich team to the promised land before Pep Guardiola takes over next season. The Dutchman is not a Guardiola player and it is very likely this performance will keep him at the club next season, but he will struggle to get a lot of playing time before moving elsewhere. And with that Bayern will get better. Many will wonder this evening what the Spaniard can possibly do to make them even stronger but a club should not always be defined by trophies. There is still plenty to improve on. Next season Bayern may not win the Champions League (it is a cup competition after all) but they will become more efficient in their passing and, with the return of the exceptional Toni Kroos, will have a central midfield trio that can rival any side in the world. Players like Muller and Ribery, for all of their strengths now, can get better and will be pushed by the likes of Mario Gotze and Kroos going forward to do so.
• This is clearly just the beginning of Bayern’s greatness but going forward it will have a different look and charisma about it than the one that won the 2012/13 Champions League. Robben’s three touches took care of that.

Bayern Munich: Neuer 8, Lahm 6, Boateng 7, Dante 5, Alaba 6, Martinez 6, Schweinsteiger 7, Ribery 7 (Gustavo 90), Muller 6, Robben 8, Mandzukic 7 (Gomez 90).

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller 8, Piszczek 6, Subotic 7, Hummels 6, Schmelzer 6, Blaszczykowski 7 (Schieber 90), Bender 6 (Sahin 90), Gundogan 6, Grosskreutz 6, Reus 7, Lewandowski 7.

The Early Years

It is Saturday December 19th, 2009 and inside their own stadium, on a cool afternoon, with Christmas in the air, Manchester City are in the giving mood.

They’ve powered into a 2-0 early lead against Sunderland, through goals from Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tevez, but the visitors have hit back with two goals themselves, also inside the first 25 minutes, to level the score. When Craig Bellamy makes it 3-2 after 35 minutes the rumours begin to spread and by the time Kenwyne Jones levels on the hour the entire stadium knows Mark Hughes is getting sacked. Santa Cruz’s winner makes it 4-3, a famous scoreline in the Premier League, and one that gave the watching Roberto Mancini much to think about.

The Italian isn’t in the job yet but he is already in the stadium. His presence, before one of his own has even cleared his desk, just added to the narrative post-match where most in the football community felt the Welshman had been hard done by.

“Patience is not a big quality anymore in our society and when football is quicker, the patience is even shorter,” said Arsene Wenger following the firing.

He was one of many managers who stuck up for Hughes. However, those who looked closer could see City were in a mess that December having conceded 17 goals in the final seven league matches of his tenure, with Hughes struggling to find a team that could score and be defensively solid. In those seven games alone, in the six positions in front of the back four, he had played Gareth Barry, Nigel De Jong, Stephen Ireland, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Martin Petrov, Craig Bellamy, Emmanuel Adebayor, Robinho, Tevez, Santa Cruz and even midfielder Vincent Kompany.

Sitting sixth after 17 games, after spending over 120 million pounds in the summer on Barry, Tevez, Santa Cruz, Adebayor, Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott, club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarek made his move:

“Roberto is a hugely experienced manager with a proven track record of winning trophies and championships. What is absolutely clear is that he believes our potential to achieve at the highest level and importantly in his own ability to make it happen.”

The English press disagreed and so harsh was their take on the firing of Hughes that newspapers were banned inside City’s training ground.

On Christmas Eve, Mancini gave his first pre-match press conference and had to deal with questions about his current players loyalties to Hughes. He reacted with a swagger, a smile and a message of intent, saying: “I appreciate some are close to Mark, that is a good thing for a manager. When I go away from here in 15 years with five Premier League titles and four cups, the players will be the same with me.”

A woefully poor, defensive-minded, Stoke provided the perfect tonic for the Italian’s debut at home, although Shay Given’s magnificent saves on efforts by Tuncay and James Beattie certainly helped City secure a comfortable 2-0 win. Mancini’s XI that day played a fluid 4-2-3-1. With Lescott out with an ankle injury, Kompany played centre-back for just the second time that season and ended his career as a any kind of holding midfielder. Barry had his best City performance alongside De Jong as two pivots set the tone for Mancini’s City, while the three of the four in front of them played very well. Robinho, who was taken off for Bellamy, did not.

City were rejuvenated and more importantly organised. Another clean sheet followed two days later in a 3-0 win at Wolves. “In Italy it is impossible to play two games in three days but this is England and that was fantastic. Can we win the league? All is realistic,” stated the Italian post match.

By the middle of January, City were fourth but were outplayed at Everton, a ground Mancini would grow to dislike. That day Santa Cruz left the game injured after just nine minutes and Robinho was sent on to replace him. By the hour mark the Brazilian was back on the bench. It was the first sign of Mancini’s impatience with his players and Robinho never played in the Premier League again, leaving for Santos by the end of the month.

Adam Johnson and Patrick Vieira came through the door swung open by the Brazilian but were stunned on their debuts with a 2-1 loss at Hull. City’s front four of Ireland, Bellamy, Tevez and Adebayor were poor and the overall tempo to City’s play was too slow.

Ten days later they showed up to Stoke on a cold, February evening without Tevez who had been allowed to go home to Argentina to be with his family following the birth of his premature baby daughter.

Five days later, 4th placed City drew 0-0 with 5th placed Liverpool a game remembered for nothing but Mancini’s quote afterwards: “I do not know where Carlos is. It is a big problem for us because we have an important week. It is no good, Carlos has been eight days at home and I do not know if he has been working on his fitness. I hope he can come back here within two days, he has had some problems which have now been resolved and I need him.”

Never was this more evident upon his return when City went to leaders Chelsea and won 4-2. While the world focused on Wayne Bridge not shaking John Terry’s hand, Mancini masterminded a 4-5-1 with Pablo Zabaleta in central midfield and Johnson joining Bellamy on the wing, feeding the forever moving Tevez, in front of them. City destroyed Chelsea on the counter attack, which caused two Chelsea players to be sent off, and Mancini had his first key win.

A month later, however, they remained out of the top four after losing 2-0 again to Everton, this time at home when Mancini was sent off for a fracas with David Moyes over the ball.

They had now lost momentum to Tottenham for the fourth spot and it all came down to their penultimate match when they hosted Spurs, who led them by a point, in one of the most anticipated games of the season.

Peter Crouch’s 82nd minute goal secured Tottenham’s place in the top four and ensured City would have to wait another season to play in the Champions League.

“We must now be allowed to develop, ” the manager said post match.

“We believe he is definitely the right manager for this club for many years. Roberto’s going to do a wonderful job,” stated Al Mubarek following the loss. He added: “He needs time this summer to prepare.”

Prepare he did helping City spend close to 150 million pounds on Mario Balotelli, Jerome Boateng, Edin Dzeko, Aleksandar Kolarov, James Milner, David Silva and Yaya Toure.

Only Silva and Toure started the opening game of the 2010/2011 season, a 0-0 draw at Tottenham, remembered for the day Joe Hart took over the number one spot from Shay Given. Hart wasted no time in making Mancini look good, making brilliant saves to deny Jermain Defoe,  Tom Huddlestone and  Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

City were clearly more talented but struggled for consistency early on, impressing in wins over Liverpool and Chelsea but again looking lethargic in losses at Sunderland and Wolves.

Away performances were becoming a concern, even if the results didn’t always show it, as Mancini struggled to find ways to let his creative cannons loose.

Eight clean sheets in their first 16 games of the season showed they’d make significant progress in organization post-Hughes but it had come at a cost in front of goal.

Everton, fittingly, marked the Italian’s one year anniversary at the club with a 2-1 win at City but this would prove to be an extremely rare blip on their home form as they wouldn’t lose a league home match for another two years.

On their travels, though, problems persisted. A 0-0 at Arsenal in January saw the Italian lambasted by the newspapers for negative football and losses at Aston Villa, Chelsea, Man  Utd and Liverpool soon followed with the one at Anfield arguably their worst performance of the season.

City, with Milner and Johnson playing wide, and Dzeko and Tevez up top, conceded far too much space and were battered 3-0. While Andy Carroll celebrated his first goals for his new club, 4th placed City, after 31 games, looked down and saw Tottenham just three points back with a game in hand. It was a position they never imagined they would be in and it was all down to their away form.

A further loss to Everton again highlighted their inability to dictate an away match against a top side but a Champions League slot was eventually secured when they won at Blackburn and beat Tottenham at home prior to a date in the FA Cup final against Stoke.

A day out at Wembley saw them simply overmatch their opponents in midfield and although the game wasn’t thrilling, City cruised to a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from the game’s best player in Yaya Toure. It was their first FA Cup triumph for 42 years.

Eight days later they wrapped up Mancini’s first full Premier League season in third place with a win at Bolton, securing their 18th clean sheet of the season and ensuring the 33 goals allowed past them was the least they had ever conceded in their history of top-flight football.

One and a half season’s into his time at City, Mancini had made City far more organised, harder to beat, taken them into the Champions League and brought them a trophy. Mark Hughes was a forgotten man as the fans, repeatedly singing Mancini’s name, saw the Italian as the leader who took them to a place they had dreamed of when their club had hit the football lottery.

Time to deliver

City’s summer spending of 2011 was relatively moderate compared to the previous two years but there was nothing conservative about the capture of Sergio Aguero, who arrived from Atletico Madrid for 38 million pounds. Aguero was seen to be the man who could unlock tight games and be the difference maker to help the team go from third to first. In Mancini’s first full season the club had got to 71pts and scored 60 goals, targets many clubs would be happy with but not tallies that win titles, which is what City now fully expected to do.

City hosted Swansea, to complete the opening weekend of the season, on a Monday night and the game was one of many played under Mancini that ignited in the second half after a stuttering first half, with City netting four outstanding goals in the last 35 minutes to win 4-0. It was cruel on Swansea but Aguero’s brace was stunning, marking his arrival in England with an exclamation point.

After a 3-2 win at Bolton, City travelled to Tottenham at the end of August. Spurs were a shambles, Luka Modric had to be taken off because ‘his head was gone’ as transfer speculation surrounded the Croatian, but City were absolutely magnificent. In a 5-1 victory they produced the perfect away performance, scoring goals from distance, on the counter and as a result of outstanding passing moves. A 6-1 win at Old Trafford would come two months later but there best performance under Mancini remained that sunny day at White Hart Lane.

In 10 Premier League games from late August to late November they collected 28 points from a possible 30, featuring high-scoring games – 6-1, 3-0, 2-2, 2-0, 4-0, 4-1, 6-1, 3-1, 3-2 and 3-1 – that averaged an astounding 3.6 goals for per game. City were ticking all the boxes. Entertaining, fluid, ruthless and successful. In the Champions League they had won two, lost one and drawn one of their first four games and were still favoured to advance by most.

However, cracks were beginning to show in Europe. They needed a dramatic late winner (Aguero again) to beat a poor Villarreal at home, and were badly outplayed in a 2-0 loss at Bayern Munich and at home to Napoli, which ended 1-1.

Then they went to Naples and everything changed. Most remember the brace by Edinson Cavani and the 2-1 scoreline but few will recall how easy it was for Napoli to defend against City. They simply let them have the ball and the English side didn’t do anywhere near enough with it, despite attempting 401 more passes than the home side.

The book was in on the new City. They were too good to try and play around, teams adapted, defended deeper at home and City’s reign as ‘the pure Premier League Entertainers’ was gone for good under Mancini.

In 2010/11 City had scored 26 away goals at a rate of 1.37 goals per game. Good, but not enough to win a title. Following the loss at Napoli, they went to Anfield on the final Sunday in November with 42 goals scored in their first 12 league matches (an incredible rate of 3.5 goals per game) with 23 coming in their first six away games for a sensational rate of 3.83GPG.

For the next six months they played 13 other Premier League away matches, scoring just 15 goals, including six in one game late in the season at Norwich. A 1-1 draw at Liverpool was their worst performance in the league to date, Balotelli got sent-off, and the point only came thanks to a fantastic display by Hart. In their next away game, at Chelsea, they scored early, again went down to 10-men, and lost their first game of the season. It was a performance more like the one at Anfield than any of the first half dozen games of the season, where they had at least 18 goal attempts in all six of the games. At Liverpool and Chelsea they had just seven.

Games over Christmas saw them draw 0-0 at West Brom and lose 1-0 at Sunderland while in January they won 1-0 at Wigan and lost 1-0 at Everton. In four matches they had scored one goal and that was from a set piece. A 1-0 win at Aston Villa, courtesy of Lescott, was again secured via a set-piece. Afterwards Mancini said “It is not easy when teams put ten men behind the ball, but I hope we win all the rest of the games one nil, although one nil is not easy on my heart.”

The two away games in March saw them lose 1-0 at Swansea and draw 1-1 at Stoke, thanks to Yaya Toure’s 35 yard piledriver that deflected off Ryan Shawcross and into the net. Next up on their travels was a trip to Arsenal, Balotelli got sent off again in a game that City failed to register a single shot on target in, losing 1-0 to a late Mikel Arteta strike.

In almost four months, in eight away matches, that featured some of the poorest opponents in the league, City had scored three goals. The same amount as they had scored in injury time at Old Trafford. Even more alarming was the nature of the goals, from set-pieces and a slice of luck that should have gone down as an own goal. Tactically, Mancini had no answers. Milner and Kolarov would give the occasional cameos to add much-needed width but it was in the centre of the pitch where the manager struggled to find the chemistry. At West Brom he played only Yaya Toure in a pivot role, yet in the next match against Sunderland he went with De Jong and Barry with Toure further forward. With Toure at the African Cup of Nations, he attempted to bring more creativity to his team by again playing one holder (Barry) at Wigan and Aston Villa but when the Ivorian returned at Swansea both Barry and De Jong were back in again alongside him.

Mancini had ran out of answers. It was a dramatic fall from grace from their early season dominance and one that anyone in charge of running the club should have been very worried about.

“The title is finished,” said the Italian after watching his side pathetic’s display against the Gunners. His team were eight points back with six to play, United having out gained them 50pts to 37 in the games 13 to 32 of the season. Throughout that run City’s home form had been almost perfect but their lack of invention and overall slow tempo on their travels had allowed United to overtake them.

Six wins from their final six, including key away games against very poor sides in Norwich and Wolves, galvanized them and restored belief and when they defeated Man Utd at home in late April the title challenge was in their hands again, and of course secured in the most incredible circumstances by Aguero (again) in the final minute of the season.

Inmates take over

Mancini’s grin never left his face as he celebrated with his players on May 13th, 2012. It was the club’s first top flight league title in 44 years and a sign of how far they had come under their new owners, but privately those in charge at the club couldn’t have been completely satisfied.

City’s season had been littered with stories about Tevez and Balotelli. The Argentine forward allegedly refused to warm up during their Champions League loss in Munich and afterwards Mancini said he would never play for the club again. It seemed like a remarkable statement, yet once he had calmed down and reflected on it, he repeated it time and time again and even before a game against Newcastle two months later went out of his way to tell the press his feelings remained the same.

Tevez, meanwhile, was destroyed in the media although it was never proven whether or not he actually refused to come on as a sub (as Mancini claimed) or just refused to warmup (as Tevez claimed). One would admit either is a real lack of professionalism but only one would require such a dramatic response from the manager. Whatever the real truth was the story was a mess for City and their attempt to become a worldwide force as a global brand.

When Tevez came back for the final nine matches of the season not even Mancini could spin it a way where he looked good. By then he had bigger things to worry about in the form of Balotelli, whose off-the-field distractions, on-the-field temper tantrums and all too regular suspensions far outweighed the quality he brought to the team. Through it all Mancini stuck by him and would often treat questions about his young player with contempt, as if he was the only one in the country who knew what his star pupil could do. Tactically, however, he never backed up his words of conviction. In a 4-3-3 he often used Balotelli on the left, exposing his laziness without the ball and, more importantly, his lack of discipline.

Mancini’s championship, to some, proved that despite the turmoils they went through they had the talent to still win at the end. What it also did was prevent City from making much-needed changes in the summer. Mancini, Balotelli and Tevez all returned together to help City defend their crown in August. The mischief-makers may have thought they could unite and cause lightning – or fireworks – to strike twice but City’s owners smartly disagreed. A change was needed.

The Spanish Armada

Having lost the FA Cup final to Wigan it is now not an exaggeration to think in years to come Manchester City’s most significant moment of the 2012-13 season was the hirings of new Chief Executive, Ferran Soriano, and Director of Football, Txiki Begiristain.

The season on the field was a relatively forgettable one. They were embarrassed in the Champions League after failing to win a single game, and where famously Mancini publicly called out Joe Hart and saw his own players call him out for forcing three at the back on them when they didn’t feel comfortable. In the Premier League they never looked like winning the title, playing at a similar way as they did between games 13-32 the season previous, struggling for width, creativity and, ultimately, goals.

And throughout it remained Mancini’s bizarre choices. His admission publicly that Robin Van Persie signing with Manchester United tipped the balance in their favour was strange considering the amount of talent he still had, talent he had bought. His words continued to do damage to his own club when he did the man, then in charge of transfers, Brian Marwood, no favours by saying the club had made a mistake in not securing the Dutchman’s signature. His choice to use a 3-5-2, particularly from the start at home to Real Madrid, when his team never succeeded in it was naive. As was some of his selections, such as picking Balotelli over Tevez versus Manchester United when he had scored just one goal in his first 12 games leading up to the December clash.

“I love Mario as a guy,” he said afterwards. He continued: “But it is important for him to start to think about his job. He has everything to play well, but we wanted more from him and he cannot play like he did today. I saw players like that in my life with fantastic quality and they end up with nothing, but I don’t want that for him.”

Balotelli would play only two more minutes in the Premier League before departing for Italy, this time for good, but only after being caught having a fist fight with his manager during a training session.

It was the first major move from Soriano and Begiristain as they began work on turning Manchester City into a world class football club on and off the field.

Soriano’s mental intellect and business acumen combined with Begiristain’s football intelligence makes them a dynamic duo not to be ignored inside the landscape of English football in 2013. To understand their beliefs and attitudes it is important to know the roles they played at Barcelona, specifically Begiristain, and, in this case, specifically in the recruitment of a new manager.

At the end of the 2006-07 season Barcelona, a year after winning the Champions League and La Liga titles, lost their domestic league on goal difference to Real Madrid. Their manager Frank Rijkaard could not lose his job just 12 months after conquering Europe, but deep down Barca’s Director of Football, Begiristain, knew he wasn’t the man to take them forward. In Graham Hunter’s excellent book Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World, it is revealed that he began to search for the Dutchman’s replacement as early as October 2007, despite the change not taking place until the summer of 2008.

In a discussion about considering Jose Mourinho for the Barcelona job, Soriano tells Hunter: “The first board discussion about Mourinho was in December 2007. Retaining Rijkaard had proved a mistake.”

A mistake clearly the pair have learned from in the case of Mancini. The rest of the chapter offers a fascinating look at Mourinho’s attempts to persuade Barcelona to hire him including Begiristain’s reasons for not hiring him. After reading this it is clear why the former Spanish international had grown frustrated with Mancini at City.

Begiristain couldn’t imagine Mourinho understanding the club didn’t want or need outbursts in the media two or three times a week. What’s more, the Basque felt that the Barca he was trying to build valued respect for the opponent, honour in defeat, dignity and other fragile concepts more highly than Mourinho did at that time, or perhaps ever would.

Now Mancini is certainly no Mourinho when it comes to loving the sound of his own voice and Barcelona’s players are certainly no choir boys to opponents or referees when things go against them, but the point is how important Begiristain values these traits. This is a brilliant football mind who thinks about a club from top to bottom, who thinks a club’s branding should start with its name and badge followed by its players. More from Hunter on Begiristain:

He was 100% sure, and remains to this day, that Barca would have trained well, played decent, if pragmatic, football and won trophies under Mourinho. However, he was equally sure that these would become pyrrhic victories compared with what Mourinho would cost the socios, the board, Barcelona’s international brand and a host of other intangible concepts that the club saw intrinsic. Begiristain feared that Mourinho felt he was more than the club.

Conclusion

In a league where the managers are the media’s main source of on-the-record information it is not easy for a manager to say just enough and never too much but that was a skill Mancini never mastered. The language barrier didn’t help but can also not be left as an excuse either. He and those he stuck by created too many fires for a club incessant on getting to the top in all areas from analytics, scouting, developing, marketing and playing.

He also didn’t help cover himself in glory with his coaching. Some of his signings – the likes of Dzeko, Kolarov, Lescott  and even, you could argue, Balotelli – regressed and lost confidence under the Italian. Others like Maicon, Jack Rodwell, Javi Garcia, Scott Sinclair and Samir Nasri at this stage look like very poor buys but even in Nasri’s case, a player many have used as an example in the case for Mancini’s pity, you could say he wasn’t given anywhere near enough chances to play in the central role he succeeding in at Arsenal.

Ultimately, managers are judged by results and that is why the club statement in announcing his firing, says ‘Despite everyone’s best efforts, the club has failed to achieve any of its stated targets this year, with the exception of qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League.’

The dismissal has, not surprisingly, been met with an outcry, led again by City fans who three and a half years earlier did the same with Hughes. Mancini will always be the man who brought them their Premier League title but he was also a manager who won three of 12 Champions League games, two against a team who would be relegated in Spain and the other against a Bayern Munich side who had nothing to play for in that game. He was also a manager who, since winning 6-1 at Old Trafford over 18 months ago, achieved 139pts in 65 games, scoring 122 goals. Manchester United during that time achieved 157pts in 66 games, scoring 144 goals.

With a considerable gap to make up to their rivals, Mancini still leaves City an abundance of talent but without a clear identity. All of the game’s best clubs have a way of playing on the field and a particular way of recruiting and developing players, yet under Mancini there was nothing from the academy in three and a half years and almost a feeling that bringing together a group of expensive players and putting the same shirt on them would lead to success. A Premier League title was achieved but should that really be enough for a club to hold on to him when they haven’t consistently played very well for over a year and a half?

City’s fanbase continues to be divided on how big they should dream. In one corner stands the old group of loyalists, who remember not too long ago the likes of David White and Ian Brightwell playing in midfield, and still think the team has come along way very quickly. And in the other are the new fans, who love the club because of its new found wealth and world class stars, these fans demand success and are shocked more than the others when they lose because they are not used to it.

Txiki Begirustain and Ferran Soriano aren’t used to it either. And they’ve also likely never heard of David White or Ian Brightwell.

Manchester City are a club going places. They will get there sooner rather than later now they are concentrating on the windscreen rather than the rearview mirror.

There are those who say much to very few, those that say much to too few and there are those that say way too much to way too many and the drivel that comes out of their minds gets them exactly where they want to be; into the limelight.

Thankfully, there remains those who say very little who get still get the love and respect they deserve.

On a day where the game’s biggest club announced a manager change for the first time in three decades, Stiliyan Petrov chose today as a day to retire from football.

For a quiet man, on and off the field, it was fitting and it would have been perfect for him to do what the unassuming footballers do when they retire and disappear from the field quietly, slipping into a career elsewhere in the game.

His life took a different path.

The 33-year-old Aston Villa midfielder, who announced with a heavy heart on Thursday that he has retired from football after winning his battle with Acute Leukaemia, will get the send-off he deserves.

The man affectionately known as ‘Stan’ to his football family has been in the thoughts and prayers of many since being diagnosed with the serious medical condition last March and has since received a standing ovation for a minute at every Villa match the moment the game clock hit 19:00, the number he wore at Villa.

It has been a wonderful tribute and an opportunity for Villa fans to show their solidity in support of their captain, a player who was already in a special place in the heart of Villa fans where only the likes of Paul McGrath, Gordon Cowans and Peter Withe have entered.

Petrov was the perfect Villan. Originally signed by Martin O’Neill as a midfielder who could score, he reinvented himself in front of the intelligent Villa fans, bringing a much-needed assurance from a deeper midfield position where he could execute his outstanding passing game and ignite transitions. While the likes of Ashley Young, Gabby Agbonlahor and John Carew brought the storm; the Bulgarian brought the calm all clubs need, on and off the field. He was an outstanding captain who never took a game off, a terrific leader who represented a football club, whose badge has a lion on it with the word ‘prepared’ underneath, quite perfectly.

Yet despite all of this, living in North America, I found myself on more than one occasion defending Petrov’s role as captain. Fans of sport on this side of the continent are used to their captains standing in front of microphones – and for some this was enough evidence that the leader of their team was the right man for the job. Football is different. Petrov, who I should say isn’t uncomfortable with the media, simply didn’t need that attention globally.

A football captain’s job is done between the white lines and, of course, once the door closes on their dressing room, and Stan was more than a good enough leader for the four managers he worked under at Villa Park, Martin O’Neill, Kevin MacDonald, Gerard Houllier and Alex McLeish.

He was also the perfect skipper for the Holte Enders. Results had not been good for Petrov’s last two playing seasons and throughout that time fans had found it difficult to latch on to specific heroes on the field who wouldn’t subsequently let them down. Petrov, an intelligent midfielder who knew his strengths and limitations, was consistently better than most.

He also, usually once or twice a game, gave those fans that magical moment when he would pick the ball up 25 or 30 yards from goal that immediately prompted them in unison to shout “shooooooooooooooot.”

Of course, since his Celtic days, he missed more times than scored, but the drives from outside the box now and again did go in, such as those days in the 2011-12 season at the Reebok and Goodison Park, leaving Villa fans with lasting images of that wide smile that would appear across his face.

Petrov’s place among the fans of Villa also comes from the way he is as a man, not just a midfielder. Hang around the club you love long enough and you’ll soon get to know what kind of men the footballers are. Anyone who meets Petrov has a similar story to mine.

In 2007, when the club was in Toronto, players mixed with fans in their hotel. My brother, being an obsessive collector of sports memorabilia, latched on to the most personable player in the room and asked him if he could have his shirt that he would be wearing in their game against Toronto FC that night. Petrov wouldn’t disappoint. Following the match, Stan remembered his promise and gave it to him.

No Villa fan in the world had worn their new top yet, so when I put it on for their match in Columbus three days later, it was the talk of the stand. No one had any idea of where it had come from or whose it was. On the back it simply had the number 19 on it and it couldn’t have been more fitting. All too often Villa fans lately have had to cheer for players who care more about the name on the back of the shirt than the one on the front. Petrov was different.

The Courteeners once sung ‘not nineteen forever’ and Manchester United recently adopted it as their theme tune for their 20th title but in the case of Petrov at Villa Park, he will be nineteen forever.

The captain of the lions has spent the best part of the last year fighting for his life, showing all the characteristics he did for the club, needing the heart of Villa’s iconic lion.

His retirement announcement won’t get the column inches nationally, but already Villa fans have declared their final match of the season at Wigan ‘Petrov Day’ where flags and banners will give their former skipper the goodbye party he deserves.

The sadness that comes from the premature end to his playing days should not be forgotten, of course, but Petrov now has a new direction ahead of him, setting up a foundation to raise money to address issues around the diagnosis of leukaemia.

Keep shooooooooooting Stan. You just have a different goal to aim at these days.

Kristian Jack

Part of this feature was taken from my original post on Stiliyan Petrov in March 2012 when he was originally diagnosed with Acute Leukaemia.

From James Sharman:

I have to say I had reservations when we decided that Sportsworld needed to evolve into the Footy Show back in 2007.  Rugby and Cricket were very close to my heart after all, but with the arrival of the Premier League to theScore, plus the birth of TFC, we decided that jumping on the soccer wave was the smartest thing we could do.  Boy, am I glad we did.  The Footy Show evolved, grew and blossomed into a 360 brand, a term itself that was new to the media landscape.  A TV component, a blog, a podcast, a bunch of footy idiots swashbuckling through twitter… but above all it was fun! I’ve often used the analogy of a ‘conversation’ when explaining what the Footy Show vision was, and truly it was that, we wanted the viewer/user to feel as if they were chatting with us.  That was paramount because you know what, we liked our viewers/users (well, most of them) because I really think they were like us! And what about us? The Footy Show allowed you to meet Nobbers, Punners, Willy… and of course KJ, a likely bunch of lads who truthfully enjoy each other as much off camera and away from the mic as we do on it.
It’s an end of an era, but we’ve always landed on our feet when change arrives, the future is exciting as hell, and I for one can’t wait to get at it what ever that entails.  Cheers for watching.

From Kristian Jack:

The debut of the Footy Show, alongside the rights to the Premier League games gave me a chance, as a producer, to make sure we covered the sport the way it should be, with a real emphasis on entertainment and insight. I never dreamed small on-camera cameos on those early shows would lead me to become the show’s analyst/co-host later on. For that I owe a tremendous amount to our wonderful viewers. From 2007-2013 the television landscape changed, we changed as people, but the biggest change of all was the IQ of soccer viewers in Canada. They demanded smart, funny, insightful shows and I feel we delivered with those across all the platforms James mentioned. Soccer fans can spot fakers a mile away – and although James and I have been accused of sometimes having fake accents, I can honestly put my hand on my heart and say you got the real us every time;  two normal blokes, blessed to work in this business, working extensively to cover a great sport. It was an absolute pleasure doing the show, the pregame and postgame shows around the Premier League and Serie A matches, the podcast and the blog. To think that so many people cared what we had to say is very humbling and something I will never take for granted. The show allowed me to make great friends, thank you to the many great people who worked on it and to everyone who went out of their way to tell us how much they enjoyed it. It meant so much to hear that every time. Thanks to past producers Thomas Dobby and Dom Gentile  and the current one, Will Farquharson, (pictured above with us) for their brilliant visions. Today is a rare day for me to look back. The future is close and will be addressed shortly, but in the meantime thanks for letting me to talk to you all so much. It truly was an absolute pleasure.