FAGAN: NO ORDINARY JOE

 

Image Credit- Liverpool F.C. 

Liverpool F.C. on their You Tube Channel have released a 15 minutes documentary (Fagan: No Ordinary Joe) on their former manager Joe Fagan. The documentary begins with his early life which was full of struggle. 

In the year 1938 he signed his contract with Manchester City. However his playing career was disrupted because of the Second World War. As his playing career came to an end he decided to get into football coaching.

In December, 1959 Joe Fagan joined Liverpool and started working with Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley. He was assigned the task of coaching the club's reserve team. In 1974 when Shankly retired, he was appointed as an assistant manager. Eventually in 1983 he was appointed as the Manager of Liverpool F.C. when Paisley decided to step down from his job. 

In his very first season as the Liverpool Manager he won the treble of League Cup, Football League First Division and European Cup. In his second season, Liverpool again reached the finals of the European Cup.

But, this time they were unable to defend their title as Juventus won their first European Cup. However this final became a tragic final not because of Liverpool's defeat but because of Heysel Stadium disaster which resulted in death of 39 people and more than 600 people were injured. The Heysel Stadium Disaster caused Fagan great distress and he decided to step down just after 2 seasons as Liverpool Manager. 

Whenever we talk about great Liverpool managers the names Shankly and Paisley immediately comes in our mind. But, we often forget about Joe Fagan who silently played his part and helped Liverpool F.C. reach the pinnacle of club football. 

This documentary is a perfect tribute to the man who won it all. A must watch for every football fan. 

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL: CHELSEA LIFT THEIR MAIDEN FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP TROPHY

 

Image Credit- Al Jazeera 

In January, 2021 Chelsea sacked their manager Frank Lampard because of poor performances. In place of him they appointed Thomas Tuchel. At that point of tie Chelsea were struggling in the Premier League [Were ranked around 9-10] and were drawn against  favorites Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.  The season was about to turn into one of the worst seasons in Chelsea football history.

However then a miracle happened. Chelsea under Tuchel played some wonderful football. They ended 4th in the league, were finalists in the F.A. Cup and went on to win the biggest title in the club football i.e. the UEFA Champions League. In the knockout stage they beat Atletico Madrid (Round of 16), Porto (Quarterfinals), Real Madrid (Semi-Final) and Premier League Champions Manchester City (Final).

Since Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League, they qualified to play in the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. In 2012, Chelsea were knocked out in both the competitions. However this time they succeeded in winning both the trophies and thereby ended the season an all time high.

 

THE FEUD [MOURINHO V PEP]

 

Image Credit- Daily Mail 

Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola are two big names in Club football. One is known for attacking style football, the other is known for his defense. But, at the end of the day both have brought laurels for the clubs they have managed. 

Channel 5 has made an hour long documentary on the rivalry of Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. The documentary contains old clips of matches and interviews. Furthermore the documentary also has  interviews of players who have played under either Pep or Mourinho.

Mourinho started his career as a translator in Barcelona at a time when Pep played for F.C. Barcelona. However in 2004, Mourinho achieved an extra ordinary feat. as a manager. Under him Porto F.C. won the 2003-04 UEFA Champions League trophy and everyone was shocked. 

In the summer of 2004, Mourinho made a move to Chelsea and made Chelsea a winning machine. In his 3 seasons as Chelsea manager, Mourinho won 2 League titles, 1 F.A. Cup, 2 League Cups and 1 Community Shield. Eventually in September, 2007 Mourinho left Chelsea on a mutual consent.

In the summer of 2008, F.C. Barcelona needed a manager and it appeared that Mourinho will get the job. But, instead of Mourinho the F.C. Barcelona Board appointed Pep Guardiola. This was surprising because at that time Mourinho was a bigger manager. But, the board appointed Pep. And this marked the beginning of a great rivalry.

In his first season as a Barcelona manager, Pep Guardiola achieved the first treble in Spanish football history and became the first one to win sextuple in the club football history. But, in the very next season Jose Mourinho won the historic treble with Inter Milan. It is interesting to note that Inter Milan faced F.C. Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League and with an ordinary tactic Mourinho succeeded in beating F.C. Barcelona. 

However, the rivalry between the two reached to another level when Mourinho decided to join Real Madrid as manager in 2010. For the next 2 years both Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona went hammer and tongs. Furthermore the clash between the two sides also turned ugly on several occasions. 

In 2012, Pep left Barcelona. The next year Mourinho left Madrid. However in 2016 both of them came to the city of Manchester. One joined Manchester City, the other joined Manchester United as a manager.  The rivalry continued. 

The 60 minutes documentary of Channel 5 covers it all. Hence its a must watch for football fans all over the globe. 

THE FEUD [FERGUSON V WENGER]

 

Image Credit- British GQ Magazine 

In 2018, Channel 5 released a 50 minutes documentary on the rivalry that existed between former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. The documentary contained clips from the old games as well as interviews of former Arsenal and Manchester United players, former referees and news journalists associated with the game. 

In 1996 when Arsene Wenger arrived in England, Sir Alex was already a reputed manager who had a habit of winning every title coming his way. However in his first full season (1997-98) as an Arsenal manager, Arsene achieved a double of League and F.A. Cup.  But, in the very next season Manchester United under Ferguson fought back and achieved the historic treble of UEFA Champions League, Premier League and F.A. Cup.  Manchester United became the first English Club to win a treble. However in the 2003-04 season, Arsenal did something incredible. Arsenal not only won the league, but it remained unbeaten the entire season. For this performance in the league they were dubbed as Invincible.The rivalry of Sir Alex and Arsene made English football an interesting watch. However there were also some ugly incidences which  should have never happened. 

The 50 minutes documentary of Channel 5 covers it all. Hence its a must watch for not only Arsenal and Manchester United Fans but football fans all over the world.

AFCON 2022: SENEGAL WIN THEIR MAIDEN TITLE

 

Image Credit- Outlook India 

On 6th February, 2022, Senegal clichéd their maiden AFCON title by defeating Egypt in a penalty shoot-out.  The final was also a clash between the two Liverpool forwards Sadio Mane and Mohammad Salah who were eyeing for their maiden international trophy.  Eventually it was Sadio Mane who succeeded in winning his first international trophy. 

Senegal defeated Burkina Faso in the semi-final match to reach into the final. On the other hand the Egyptians knocked out the host Cameroons in the semi-final match. Hence Egyptians looked favorites in the final.  

However the final was a tensed affair as both sides failed to score in 120 minutes. As a result the match went into penalty shootout. In the first 4 penalty kicks, Senegal scored 3, whereas Egyptians scored only 2. In the fifth penalty kick, Sadio Mane had a chance to win trophy for his country and he did not disappoint. 

Sadio Mane scored the crucial penalty and Senegal were crowned the champions of Africa. 

MEMORIES FROM THE EUROPEAN NIGHTS [BUFFON'S RED CARD IN MADRID]

 

Image Credit- Extra.ie 

Even though I am a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, but the red card of Buffon made me sad. I felt exactly the same what I felt when Zidane was sent off in 2006 World Cup Final. Though it was for a headbutt, but the emotions now are still the same as it was then 16 years ago. Juventus out played Real in Santiago Bernebeau, but that penalty made the difference. 

Was it a penalty or not? The most difficult question on this planet Earth. The Vikings will answer in affirmative while the Cules and the Juve supporters will answer in negative. Were Juve unlucky? Can't say. But, in such moments of pressure, Ronaldo scored a brilliant penalty.

At the end of this iconic European Night, it were the Spanish Giants who moved forward into to the semi-final and eventually lifted the European trophy in Kiev. 

IT HAPPENED IN LISBON

 

Image Credit- Real Madrid C.F. 

The 2014 UEFA Champions League final was one of the most interesting finals played in recent times. It is one of those matches which no football fan can ever forget.  The 90 minutes of the game was over and Athletico Madrid were 1-0 up. The game now went into the injury time and it appeared that La Decima will remain a dream for the Los Blancos. However then arrived captain courageous,  Sergio Ramos who scored the equalizer with his brilliant header in the 92nd  minute of the game.  As a result the game went into extra - time. 

In extra time we witnessed something incredible. Athletico Madrid known for its solid defense were torn apart by the Real attack. Bale, Marcelo and Ronaldo all scored and the final score read Real Madrid 4 - 1 Athletico Madrid. La Decima was finally achieved. 

Furthermore Cristiano Ronaldo became the top scorer of the tournament with 17 goals which eventually helped him in winning his 3rd Ballon d'or.