Three and in – not just another football blog

Personally I’m not much into the concept of ‘second teams’. I support who I support and everyone else is the enemy. It’s a good way to be. You never know when you might get a 2nd division team in the FA Cup (and painful experience means you are wise never to underestimate them) or who you might draw when playing in Europe.

However, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to suggest that many people have long held Barcelona in distant admiration. There are historical reasons, the ying to the fascist yang of Franco’s oppressive regime, and seen as the club of the people rather than the club of the (mostly right wing) government like Real Madrid.

Los Merengues’ training ground deal, which allowed them to re-finance and splurge on the Galácticos, did nothing but perpetuate the perceived villainy of Madrid and play up the plucky, underdoggy zeal with which Barcelona competed.

There’s also the footballing philosophy of Barcelona. It’s impossible not to admire the way they play football, it’s the perfect combination of hard work and sublime talent, making them hugely entertaining to watch as well as incredibly effective.

Yet this summer has changed people’s perception of them in a big way. Their public pursuit of Cesc Fabregas was a shameless exhibition in ill-mannered, orchestrated bullying and tapping up. Regardless of his situation at Arsenal there’s little doubt Fabregas had his head turned by Barcelona as he spent the final part of last season recuperating from injury at home.

Promises were made yet Barcelona knew they couldn’t afford him, especially after signing David Villa for €35m earlier in the summer. They tried, day after day, to drive down the price, using the player to try and damage his relationship with Arsenal fans, with the Arsenal manager, and organising a succession of current players to do likewise. Messi, Iniesta, Valdes, Puyol, Villa, Busquets, Pique and most consistently Xavi all had their say, often more than once and almost always repeating the mantra which must have come from on high.

Then at Spain’s World Cup celebrations Pique and Puyol just happened to have a Barcelona shirt which they pulled over a clearly uncomfortable Fabregas. Anyone who thinks that stunt wasn’t carried out with the knowledge and/or organisation of Barcelona officials is living in a dreamworld. What it illustrated, more than anything, is that Barcelona will do whatever it takes to get what they want regardless of who it hurts. And in this case the person it hurt most was Cesc Fabregas.

He kept his counsel all summer, as he should have done, yet he was used by the club and its players to ensure they didn’t end up losing face having promised the signing. We might have become fed up with the drip-drip of their behaviour but step back now and look and it – it is unconscionably wrong on so many levels. There’s a total lack of respect both for Arsenal and for Cesc himself, something they seem blind to. But then they don’t really care about the players, just the public face of Barcelona.

Take Alexander Hleb, for example. Lured from Arsenal where he was an important, if not always popular player, he started a grand total of 5 league games with them and his career is now in the doldrums. He was never a player they needed, it was just a way for them to flex their muscles and show the football world they could get whoever they wanted at a mere snap of their fingers.

Now they’re at it again, this time with Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano. According to Roy Hodgson the Argentine wasn’t in the ‘right frame of mind’ to play against Man City last night in the wake of interest from Barcelona. Without Mascherano’s destructive presence in midfield Liverpool were overrun and lost 3-0. They might not have won with Mascherano but you can be quite sure it wouldn’t have been that easy.

Have Barcelona offered anything approaching the player’s valuation? Absolutely not, but they’ve made sure he’s well aware of their interest, it’s unthinkable that personal terms haven’t been agreed, even in ballpark range, and they’re using the fact he and his family haven’t settled in England to do a deal as cheaply as possible. And unlike Fabregas, Mascherano seems prepared to aid and abet to ensure the move.

Sure, you can argue that they’re only trying to get the best deal for FC Barcelona, it’s just normal business practice, every club does it. Perhaps they do but to my mind very few of them behave the way Barcelona do. They are arrogant ill-mannered bullies, and they continue to prove it. This idea that they are paragons of virtue is nonsense. Don’t be fooled by the shirt sponsorship deal – allowing Unicef on the front of the jersey is nothing more than carefully planned PR to allow them to sell real sponsorship having allowed fans get used to the sacred shirt with a logo on it.

‘Més que un club’ is their motto. ‘More than a club’. I’m afraid not. Just like every other club, if not worse.

First goal?
Emmanuel Adebayor v Spurs

Winner?
Chelsea

Relegated?
Blackpool
Wolves
Stoke

Overachievers?
Bolton

Underachievers?
I was going to say Man United but it’s a foolish man who writes them off. I do wonder if Spurs can cope with the twin challenges of domestic and European football (should they get through their qualifying round). So, Spurs. Outside the top 6.

Player of the Year?
Cesc Fabregas

Best New Signing?
Has anyone actually made any signings?

The Dimitar Berbatov Award for Biggest Flop?
James Milner – impossible to see him providing any kind of value for money.

Most red cards?
As a team – Arsenal. As a player – Joey Barton.

First manager out the door?
Alex McLeish

Most likely club to enter administration?
Liverpool

—

First goal?
Carlos Tevez in the opening fixture. (ps. I wrote this question, forgetting that the lunchtime kick-off makes it somewhat redundant.  Score.)

Winner?
Chelsea

Relegated?
Blackpool
Wolves
Newcastle

Overachievers?
Everton, again.  Moyes’ consistency is remarkable.

Underachievers?
Unless they make a couple of late signings, I expect Spurs to struggle under the added weight of a Champions League campaign.  Domestically, the competition from City, Liverpool and Everton is immense – to repeat their fourth place finish would be remarkable.  I don’t think they’ll manage it.

Player of the Year?
Michael Essien

Best New Signing?
It’s not signed and sealed yet, but Chelsea’s Ramires.  He’s Michael Essien mk II.  Which considering Chelsea already have Michael Essien mk I, seems a little unfair.

The Dimitar Berbatov Award for Biggest Flop?
Milner.  Although I’ve a sneaking suspicion Bebe could be homeless again before too long.

Most red cards?
With Mark Hughes’ arrival, I’ll go for a Fulham player: Dickson Etuhu.

First manager out the door?
Chris Hughton

Most likely club to enter administration?
Liverpool

—

As ever, agreement, disagreement, hurled vegetables and abuse welcome.

Barcelona’s Xavi loves to talk about Cesc Fabregas. We know this already. So when the Express gave him a chance to wax lyrical on his favourite subject he was quite happy to do so.

As is happens these days stories are basically copied and pasted across various news sites, all of whom are looking for clicks and hits to boost their advertising revenue. FIFA.com, home of the people who run football, did just that with the Xavi story. Screenshot below.

BEFORE

Those who question the wisdom of FIFA sanctioning this kind of public tapping-up are absolutely right. First to do so was Arsenal blogger Goonerholic. And so it spiralled from there, across many other blogs, Twitter etc, until FIFA decided they’d best do something about it, and removed the story.

AFTER

I suppose it’s better late than never but never would have been far preferable. Our expectations of FIFA are low but they should not be associated with anything that runs contrary to the rules, legal or moral, of the game. I don’t need to go off on one about the way Barcelona have behaved this summer. Everybody knows they have been appalling but this is just another example of how standards of ‘journalism’ on the web are so poor.

Just a couple of weeks ago mainstream media outlets ran an article quoting Arsene Wenger, based on a supposed interview in a Kenyan newspaper. Arsenal denied any such interview took place, egg was left firmly on faces, and stories quietly deleted. The point is the story should have been checked out in the first place.

Websites and blogs, both club specific and those dealing with football in general, rehash stories from official sources without so much as a link or accreditation. They pass themselves off as news outlets when, in reality, they’re nothing but copy and paste merchants who can barely put a few lucid sentences together. They are stealing content and making money from other people’s work.

It’s easy to be a leech, anyone who can use CTRL+V/P is capable of generating hits, page views, visits and income, yet nobody ever says anything about it. Nobody bats an eyelid because it’s somehow become the norm. There’s so much chaff out there it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find the wheat.

If I were to take somebody’s music, book, film, screenplay, and then reproduce it with one or two minor changes I’d be liable for legal action. When it comes to football journalism, however, it seems anybody’s work is fair game and can be re-used in any way. It’s essentially theft and profiteering from the work of others. Why is this acceptable?

Anyway, well done for FIFA for taking the Fabregas story down. It would be far better if greater standards existed in the first place and it never went up to begin with.

Maybe it’ll make them introduce stricter editorial controls. We can but hope.

WINNERS

Andres Iniesta
Scorer of the crucial goal, Iniesta made a mockery of his earlier reluctance to shoot with a thumping finish across the goalkeeper, followed by a moving tribute to Daniel Jarque. For which he was booked.

Cesc Fabregas
Showed why Arsenal are so keen to keep him and Barca to sign him with a vital cameo. Twice came close before providing the assist for Iniesta’s goal. The Arsenal fan in me hopefully asks: why move to Barca when you can play with them all for Spain?

Diego Forlan
Rightly awarded the Golden Ball in the aftermath of yesterday’s game. For a player whose side didn’t reach the final to take home the biggest individual prize shows the scale of his achievement.

Thomas Muller
Golden Boot winner in his first tournament. Miroslav Klose may have failed to overtake Ronaldo’s goalscoring record, but Muller is young enough and perhaps good enough to have a go.

LOSERS

Arjen Robben
Missed two vital chances: one to score, one to get Carles Puyol sent off. Andres Iniesta wasn’t as forgiving, which led to the dismissal of…

John Heitinga
Had a solid game, but suffered the ignominy of being sent off in the biggest game of his career. Inevitable, considering the performance of…

Howard Webb
I feel a bit sorry for the Englishman who progressed furthest in the tournament. Holland’s heavy-handed tactics meant he had little choice but to take a hard line, but that meant the game ended up being bitty and stilted. There were more bookings than in a restaurant serving free food. Webb won’t forget his final in a hurry.

-

As ever, and for the final time, your suggestions are welcome.  Cheers guys.

So, it’s all over, Spain have won the World Cup and we can take a few days break from football until pre-season starts. Some thoughts on the final though.

Spain were deserving winners of the trophy given the way they’ve played throughout the tournament, although apart from the Villa chance which Heitinga did well to block they didn’t really threaten in 90 minutes. They created more in extra time and Holland probably had the best chances in normal time.

Arjen Robben should have scored for Holland. He fluffed his one on one chance and Casillas saved. And Robben, who is as light on his feet as anyone, didn’t go down when being held by Puyol some time later. It would have been at least a second yellow for the Spaniard and would have turned the game. Andrés Iniesta wasn’t going to make that mistake, ensuring he tumbled like a ragdoll at the slighest contact from Heitinga. Howard Webb gave the red card. Amazing, the one time Robben stays on his feet and it went a long way to costing his team the final.

Marc van Bommel is a thug and should have been given a red card in the first half for a truly shocking foul on Iniesta. You can’t call what Nigel de Jong did to Xabi Alonso a tackle. It was assault. A studs up karate kick to the chest. Red card all day long. Howard Webb got both those decisions wrong in my opinion.

The English ref had a poor game. He never really got it under control despite the cards being dished out and Holland can rightly feel unhappy with the build up to the Spanish goal. Moments after not giving them a corner when Sneijder’s free kick deflected off Cesc Fabregas, he ignored an obvious foul on Elia on the edge of the Spanish box. From there they went upfield and scored. Anyone who watches the Premier League on a regular basis won’t be surprised but he’s just not a good enough official for the World Cup final.

For all the criticism, right and proper as it is, of the Dutch’s over-physical approach it’s not as if Spain are the epitome of purity and good sportsmanship. They way they crowded the ref at every opportunity and waved imaginary cards to get opponents booked was appalling to watch. And it shouldn’t be overlooked that the Dutch provided the most sporting moment of the match when Robin van Persie eschewed a corner to give the ball back to Casillas.

Cesc Fabregas made a real impact when coming on and his assist for Iniesta’s goal made up for his missed chance when he could have squared to Villa for a tap-in. Iniesta’s tribute to Espanyol’s Dani Jarque, who died of a heart attack in August last year, was a nice touch. Holland needed better from Robben and Sneijder, both of whom were poor and provided little or no service to Robin van Persie.

Overall, it wasn’t much of a final. I don’t think either side covered themselves in glory and Spain’s technical superiority shone through in the end. I have to admit that while I can certainly recognise the talent in the Spanish squad their win is somewhat underwhelming. It’s not as if they destroyed their opponents on the way to the final. Four games in a row won 1-0 is not quite total football. George Graham would be proud.

The World Cup is over, folks. We’ll have our teams (good and bad) of the tournament coming up soon.

Some weeks back I touched on the subject of Barcelona and their pursuit of Cesc Fabregas. At that time I said that unless they were prepared to pay his full market value then no deal would take place. Arsenal still hold a strong hand – Fabregas has 5 years left on his current deal and Arsenal are not in any kind of financial position that necessitates a sale unless the price really is right.

On the other hand Barcelona’s finances are an absolute shambles. Sandro Rosell has inherited a great team from his old friend Joan Laporta but a club with a mountainous debt. Rosell talks of ‘cash flow tensions’, there are those who would suggest having to seek an emergency loan of €150m to cover unpaid wages to players and staff a little more serious than that.

As well as that there are concerns that the TV deal with Mediapro (Spanish clubs are free to negotiate their own broadcast deals unlike the collective arrangement in the Premier League) is in trouble as the company is in receivership. It’s hard to imagine that a team as successful and pretty to watch as Barcelona would have trouble finding a new partner but it’s another complication.

There’s been some money in through the sales of Yaya Toure to Man City (£24m) and Dmytro Chygrynskiy – although the sale of the Ukrainian back to Shaktar Donetsk has actually cost Barcelona €10m having paid €25m for him just last summer. Yet even City’s millions, a considerable percentage of which is sure to have been up front due to the Abu-Dhabi owners ability to pay that way instead of installments, made little impact. Barcelona went begging to the banks for money to pay their players. That is a club in real financial difficulty.

So, how on earth can they expect to persuade Arsenal to sell their prize asset? If they’re borrowing money just to keep things ticking over there’s simply no way they can afford the kind of transfer fee if would take to get Arsenal to even consider the offer.

Barcelona have known all along they simply couldn't afford the Fabregas fee

And there’s the other angle too – the player himself. It’s clear that Cesc Fabregas would like to go back to his former club. He sees his friends and former teammates playing beautiful football and winning trophies, at Arsenal the closest he’s come to a trophy since the FA Cup final in 2005 was the 2006 Champions League final in which defeat was inflicted by Barcelona. Since then they’ve never realistically challenged for the Premier League, just reached one domestic cup final and have been exposed in the last two seasons by Barcelona and Manchester United in the latter stages of the Champions League.

As well as that any young man who lives abroad for a time gets the itch to move home, to friends, family and familiar surroundings. You can be sure that Barcelona, from players to officials, chairmen and former chairmen, have filled his head with wondrous tales of how great life would be. And I’m sure it would. But are they being fair to Cesc Fabregas?

It’s hardly as if these financial issues have cropped up overnight. Before he took charge Rosell was urging caution about the situation and the club’s spending. Through making their interest so very public Barcelona sought to destabilise Fabregas at Arsenal. It’s a well-worn tactic. If they could drive a wedge between the player and the club and/or the fans then it makes their life easier and a deal at a lower price is inevitable.

Whatever his desires though, Cesc Fabregas has great respect for Arsenal, Arsene Wenger and most of all the Arsenal fans with whom he has a real connection. If he’d agitated and spoken in public about his desire to leave North London Barcelona would have been sitting pretty. He didn’t, despite pressure, I’m sure, from Barcelona to do just that. Arsenal’s response to the Catalans continued pursuit of the player was unequivocal and definitive.

Barcelona have known all along that they simply couldn’t pay what Arsenal would want yet they led Fabregas to believe they would do what it took to bring him back to the club. They used him, unsuccessfully, to try and drive down the price to one they could just about manage provided Arsenal agreed to a long-term installment deal.

The whole thing has backfired, they have little financial credibility and the idea that they can come up with a transfer fee big enough to persuade Arsenal to sell is ludicrous.

Nobody is foolish enough to rule out Cesc’s return to Barcelona at some stage but if the Catalans really have any interest in the player beyond that as a trophy signing they should call the whole thing off now. Apologise for leading him on, tell him a deal is beyond their means at the moment and let him concentrate on his career. He’s still just 23 with plenty of time on his side to go back one day.

Just not now.

Barcelona midfielder, Xavi Hernandez, is getting quite a reputation. Not for his sublime passing or the way he controls midfield for both his club and country, but for incessant comments about the biological make-up of Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas.

He appears to be somewhat consumed by DNA. Look at what he’s been saying:

June 2010 – “He’s a footballer made up of Barca DNA. I don’t have any doubt that Cesc would triumph at Barca”

February 2010 – “Cesc is part of Barcelona’s DNA.”

October 2009 – “He is a football player with Barça DNA and he is showing at Arsenal that he is on another level.”

May 2008 – “Cesc Fabregas has Barcelona DNA”

Perhaps Xavi has ambitions to be a scientist or a CSI once his playing career is over but he really needs to focus on other things. It’s just not healthy for a footballer, who should be concentrating on the World Cup, to worry so much about the nucleotides of a fellow professional. A bit like John Terry knocking up Wayne Bridge’s ex, it is a line one should not cross, one of the great unspoken rules of the dressing room. Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole famously fell out when Sheringham openly mocked the length of Cole’s polymers.

I am quite positive that Xavi has surreptitiously taken samples of Fabregas’s DNA. His constant talking makes that obvious. I can imagine that during one of the Spanish national team get-togethers, Xavi crept into Cesc’s bedroom as he slept and gently swabbed the inside of his mouth. However, it is highly unlikely, despite his enormous wealth, that Xavi has the technology or the know-how to do a full DNA test which would establish Cesc’s genetic make up once and for all.

So the more he talks about Cesc’s DNA the more foolish he makes himself look. He might have patented the two-drag back through pass with the back of the foot (the double heelix) but Xavi is no Watson or Crick.

Not by a long shot.

Barcelona have been very vocal in their pursuit of Cesc Fabregas over the last couple of weeks. So much so you’re reminded of the old adage about a dog’s bark being worse than his bite.

Certainly Barcelona talk a good transfer, they don’t seem too keen on the nuts and bolts of this one though. Outgoing President Joan Laporta seems to be less certain than he was, saying:

We will not sign any players for above market value. We are interested in signing Cesc and Arsenal know that but we will not pay an exorbitant price for any player.

When it comes to market prices, we’ll strengthen where we can but will not pay an unrealistic price.

So what is the market price for a 23 year old, world class central midfield player with 5 years left on his current contract with a club who don’t want to sell him? It’s certainly not the €30m Barcelona keep talking about. That’s what Real Madrid paid for Xabi Alonso last summer. I like Alonso but he’s no Cesc Fabregas.

Last summer Barcelona paid €25m for Dmytro Chygrynskiy. Do they expect us to believe that Cesc Fabregas is only worth €5m more than a Ukrainian centre-half? They paid £28m (with a potential £6m in add ons) for Sevilla’s Dani Alves, who is a fine player but if this is what they’re prepared to pay for him then they’re going to have to get real when it comes to Fabregas.

And isn’t it interesting to note that Barcelona say they won’t pay an unrealistic price for a player less than 12 months after giving Eto’o and £40m to Inter Milan for the mercurial Zlatan Ibrahimovich. Eto’o + £40m for a player who is remarkable on his day but will never produce as much and as consistently as Cesc Fabregas. It’s a bit late to talk about not paying unrealistic prices now.

Looking at what Barcelona are prepared to pay for other players I don’t think Arsenal’s reported £70m valuation of Cesc is too far off the mark at all. There might be a bit of room for negotiation but not much.

What Arsenal are not looking for is not exorbitant. It’s market value and unless Barcelona accept that and put their money where their mouth is – as they have so often in the past – I believe Cesc Fabregas will playing in red and white next season.