Arjen Robben Redeems at Champions League Final 2013

Arjen Robben Finally Redeemed

The Dutch international winger finally broke through the spell and was able to achieve the glorious victory. Robben along with Bayern Munich teammates had a spectacular season and defeated Borussia Dortmund in the first all-German clash European final. They crushed Barcelona in the semis; they just were an unstoppable machine on the road to Wembley.

After some disappointments; the sweet taste of victory had to come in for Arjen Robben. In this business, almost doesn’t cut it, no one remembers the semi-finalists, and fans only talk about the team that lifts trophies on finals. Victory came in knocking on the doors of the man whose Netherlands national team had lost to Spain in a World Cup final in 2010, and whose club team Bayern Munich lost the Champions League final at their home field in front of their fans last year, and lost on the final against Inter in 2010 as well. Yes, it has been tough for Arjen and company to arrive to finals territory and not have a nice piece of silverware to show for.

The Champions League final is an exciting game and it can go either way because no team is small at this point. Borussia Dortmund got to the final by leaving behind the Spanish giant Real Madrid on the semifinals. So the clash between this two Bundesliga teams was bound to be a spectacular game. But for Robben in particular was a chance to finally put behind those bitter years of defeat and to redeem for the sweetness of glory.

Bayern Munich is undoubtedly the deserving champion. They have had a fantastic season. They have won their league by 25 points above their rivals, they arrived to the Champions League final like an unstoppable engine with enough horsepower to keep that ball rolling and making their opponents tired.  Great team are the two words that define Bayer Munich and great footballer are the two words the define Arjen Robben.

Champions League Final 2013

Coverage begins at 2 P.M. ET time in the United States.

On your Mark, Get that TV Set, Let’s Watch… The Champions League Final 2013 at Wembley.

Undoubtedly, one of the most watched sporting events this weekend is the Champions League Final between the powerhouses Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund. The Bundesliga rivals will present the essential qualities expected in a great football match. Speed, Strength, and passing skills as well as individual qualities will make this match an unforgettable night of Champions League Final. This match between the two German giants should also boost and increase the world audience to an already established great League. The Bundesliga is fascinating and very entertaining; the stadiums are usually pack with energetic fans and their never-ending chants.

Over 85,000 souls will check in at Wembley to be part of this fantastic night of European football. The German fans should be proud of both teams showcasing Bundesliga style of the beautiful game in one of the highest platforms of competitions. In this type of final, there are two types of teams; the favorite being Bayern Munich and the Borussia Dortmund taking the role of underdog. However, as we have seen in many cases the tables are switched and the favorite team ends up taking home the second prize but regardless of the outcome on the pitch it should definitely be a spectacular match.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have great qualities in their squads that could change the outcome of the match at any given time. The game changers in the list for Bayern include Ribery; with accurate passing, fast, tricky and great dribbling skills; Arjen Robben, also fast, combined with his dribbling skills and left foot long range shot. Also, Thomas Muller; a mid-fielder with creativity and consistency on the pitch complement Bayern’s form; and Schweinsteiger, an aggressive and strong mild-fielder who has won six Bundesliga titles. Borussia Dortmund has plenty of ammunition of talent as well; who wouldn’t know Lewandowski at this point? He is the striker that only scored four goals against Real Madrid in the Semis and has become a hot target for big clubs in the summer transfers. Marco Reus is a forward with speed and great technique that could give Bayer defenders a lot of trouble; and Mats Hummels one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga as well.  Both teams have plenty of talent to display an evening of great football to fans around the world, it should be an unforgettable night, and may the best team win.  

Mourinho's exit is not the answer for Real Madrid

Is it a good idea for Real Madrid to let go of Jose Mourinho?

Clearly it hasn’t been a bright season for Los Blancos with so many problems surrounding the club. However, Mourinho has not been the problem. On the contrary, when The Special One came to Madrid and took over the reins of the club it was not easy to catch up to the best Barcelona side we have seen, the one team that many said it was the best team of Spain the world. Before the arrival of the Portuguese Manager, Real Madrid was just another spectator watching how their archrivals kept on stacking trophies year after year.

It took some time but Mourinho eventually found the recipe for a sweet victory against Barca. After enduring defeats from the Catalan giants, Mourinho’s men finally tasted the juice of victory when Real Madrid beat Barcelona at the Copa del Rey final in April 2011. It was an extremely physical game in which Ronaldo scored a beautiful header from sweet crossed pass from Di Maria. After that Mourinho’s battles against Barca have seen positive results. Los Blancos went on to defeat Barca in the 2012 Spanish Super Cup, and eliminated them from La Copa del Rey in 2012 as well. And let’s not forget that Mou brought back Los Blancos to three consecutive Semis in the Champions League, territory that they had not seen for a long while.

But the end of the 2012/2013 season has been a huge disaster for Real Madrid and many fans and the board is not happy about that. For that reason, it is time to look for a new coach and Mou must go. Heck! There have been so many problems in the dressing room, this or that against Mourinho that I wouldn’t be surprise if Iker Casillas is helping the Portuguese manager to pack his bags so he can leave quickly. In the long term it seems that Mourinho was on the right track to give Madridistas what they wanted! Victories! But now that he’s leaving, Real Madrid will be busy during the summer transfers to start building a new team for next season.

Real Madrid Has Gone Really Mad

Has Real Madrid become really frustrated? Los Blancos have been polishing trophies since the beginning of this season. First they lost the race against Barcelona when they started dropping points as the Catalan giants just became unreachable. Then, going after the 10th Champions League title, the so called 'Decima' seemed to be a possibility until Madrid fell down when they hit the iron wall named Borussia Dortmund. Last, their failure to capitalize on their opportunities against Atletico de Madrid in the Copa del Rey Final (The Kings Cup) caused a lost of 1-2 against their city neighbors at the Estadio Bernabeu. Unfortunately, for Real Madrid, this season has gone by and the only real trophy they will be able to polish is the Spanish Super Cup which they took away from arch rival Barcelona. Unfortunately, Los Blancos showed their frustration as the minutes were becoming seconds and their chance of winning an important trophy was just sliding away in front of their fans.

It was an exciting game to watch, Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid showcased great football. However, only one team would emerge victorious, and Simeone's men were like fierce warriors that would not give up without a fight against a favorite Real Madrid. There were a lot of attacks and counterattacks, great defending, great stops, great plays and Madrid hitting the post about three times and missing clear opportunities just showed that it was not their night.

Ninety minutes and the battle and excitement was not over yet, but minute 98th changed everything. A great header from Miranda put Los Blancos behind; and as the minutes kept going, their legs were getting heavier and frustration started to show up. Towards the end of the match Ronaldo was send off with a red card, Real Madrid was really clueless, it was just not their night and the Rojiblancos took that trophy home after 14 years. It was a great night for Atletico de Madrid fans, however Real Madrid will have to reorganize and regroup so they can put their frustration behind.

FC BARCELONA THE CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations to FC Barcelona for achieving their 22nd La Liga Title despite the bumps they have found on the road. It has not been an easy season for the Catalan giants and yet they managed to overcome everything that was thrown at them during this campaign. Let's recall some of the bumps this team had to put up with: Tito Villanova battling throat cancer, Carles puyol injuries put him off the field for much of the season causing the team to weaken its defense, and Abidal missed a year after going through a liver transplant due to cancer as well. Despite all these difficulties; Barca came through, they have shown the world that they still have the capabilities to bounce back and fight like the giants that they are. Many may not agree or may not like Barca style but this fabulous club has accomplished so much in the last five years that so many other teams have referenced everything to "like Barcelona". FC Barcelona for half a decade has been the Hegemony of football and having been crowned champions this season shows that they still will be around for more next campaign.

Within the last five years Barca has branded their famous passing skills and has build an incredible fan base all over the world. The Tiki Taka re-introduced by Pep Guardiola in 2008 when he was promoted from Barcelona B to lead the first team which was built around the architect Xavi, the fabulous Iniesta and magnificent Messi. They became the first ever European team to win the sextuple, and who can forget Messi's portrait in the cover of Time as "King Leo". In a way, this magnificent club has made football more competitive.
Again, Congratulations FC Barcelona, strengthen your defense, take some long range shots, and good luck next season!

Sir Alex Ferguson

The presence and leadership of Sir Alex Furgeson will be missed on the sidelines of Manchester United. The Scottish football manager has announced his retirement at the end of the season, he has been with the club a little over 26 years (since 1986). Sir Alex has been simply the longest manager who became an icon of the respected football club. Since Fergie, as some people call him, took the reins of the Red Devils they accomplished so much, for instance 13 Premier Leagues and 2 UEFA Champions League Titles which include the 1998/1999 season in which Man U took all trophies that were on its way. They won the treble: the league, FA Cup and Champions League. His contributions to the beautiful game led him to being knighted in 1999.

Sir Alex Ferguson will always literally remain as part of Old Trafford. A statue of Fergie was installed on November 2012, forever cementing the presence of the magnificent coach of Manchester United. Under Sir Alex Ferguson watch many great footballers have come and gone, that list includes the likes of Van Nistelroy, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo among others.

Definitely the end of an era for Manchester United, when Sir Alex Ferguson leaves at the end of the season. Though he still plans to remain as Ambassador and Director for the club, his presence on the sidelines will be missed.  He leaves with the magical mark of reaching the 20^th league title, the perfect timing for retiring after a successful career with a triumphant football club.

Good Luck to you Sir Alex Ferguson, and please continue making great contributions to the beautiful game.

We Expect so Much from FC Barcelona

So much has been thrown at Barca lately for their defeat and humiliating exit from the Champions League. The reason for that is that we expect Barcelona to win most of the time and we have gotten used to seeing them celebrating and lifting trophies for the last five years. Yes, it has been a painful blow for Barca, but this is the kind of punch needed to make the team even better next season. Sometimes it is necessary to shut down and reset. Nevertheless, what this generation of great players have accomplished in the last five years rarely is achieved by other teams. FC Barcelona has establish their game and they will work on their mistakes which will make the team even stronger than this season. Seeing them winning yearn after year, we have become the kind of fans that ask more of them, but in order for the wheels to keep rolling perfectly we have to do some maintenance. FC Barcelona needs maintenance, they need an adjustment, they are like an Audi with a turbo engine but they still need new parts once they go beyond five years on the road.

As much as it is difficult to go to the top like Barca has done, it is even more difficult to stay at the top. So many writers quickly seem to forget that FC Barcelona has stretched their dominance throughout Europe for the last five years. We have yet to see a phenomenon like that by another team. Barca accomplishments have helped the Spanish national team La Roja to establish greatness in football history as well. Despite their terrible exit from the Champions League, they're still on their way to claim La Liga title, another nice piece of silverware that most teams would love to have in their trophy cases. FC Barcelona will be back for more next season they will have to make some more adjustments, they'll still be a hard team to beat.

Tito Vilanova and FC Barcelona

After the negative results of FC Barcelona on the Champions League Semifinals many were quickly to criticize Tito Vilanova and his lack of character. Many were criticizing the players for their poor performance. Let just mention this is the same group of players that have lifted so many trophies for FC Barcelona in the last few years, they will not always win everything, and they are also expose to have a bad at work just like everybody else.
Tito Vilanova is doing very well for his first year as head coach. He took Barca to the semis on the Champions and is winning La Liga title on his first year despite his health issues, and team injuries. Barcelona has been limping this season and yet they managed to take a very good lead from arch rival Real Madrid. For that reason, I think Tito should stay with Barca and because he is the closest to Pep Guardiola. Yes! as a coach he is the closest to Pep because he worked alongside with him for five years, he understands the system and the culture of the team and he contributed a lot on the development of this current players.
Certainly, some changes have to be done at Camp Nou when the transfer market opens up. Most fans would agree that Barca needs a more stable defense, especially a center back. It's not easy to replace someone with the leadership, drive and love for the team like captain Puyol, one of the best defenders Europe has seen. But change is part of the process, and Tito should remain and continue his project of building and reinforcing a team that will create great moments and that can bounce back next year in the Champions League.

Howard Webb and CL Semifinal at Bernabeu

How was Howard Webb performance on last night Champions League Semifinals? Well, he's a referee that gets great matches such as the last World Cup Final in 2010 and he seems to apply his authority on the pitch very well, you don't see too much stoppage time when players are flopping and the cards players get are usually the ones they deserve. Howard Webb was criticized by both coaches Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho after last night's CL Semi at the Bernabeu. I thought, he did a very good job given that he made some mistakes for both sides. It was indeed a tough match, Sergio Ramos was beating Robert Lewandowsky every time he had a chance, so he was forgiven by the ref, then Matt Hummels was also spared from being booked as well. I thought that 5 minutes of added injury time was a bit too much, and Real Madrid have lost their pass to the CL Final during their first leg against Borussia Dortmund when they lost 4-1.

One thing about Howard Webb is that he is usually affiliated with or that he likes Manchester United. It makes me think about how Real Madrid eliminated his beloved football club, especially after the controversial expulsion of Nani during that match. After that match some critics were saying that Los Blancos had been given the gift to advance in this competition. Then, Webb got to be the ref for this Semi, which he could easily have swayed one way against Real but he didn't, he was fair for both sides.