Weekly Football Results

Still, dear reader, I don't have Swine Flu. Thursday I got out of my lockdown and went to the market. The deserted streets were a very unfamiliar sight, with my neighborhood being very noisy and crowded.







I spoke with some friends on the phone and three of them watched Wereder Bremen v. Hamburg in the Semifinals of the UEFA Cup. The number of people talking about a UEFA Cup match was really high but regarding the lockdown that many Mexicans are facing certain luxuries or even bothers to watch certain matches that in "normal circumstances" would not be watched. Returning to the game the northerns beat one-nil the Bremen side in a pretty dispair match. In the first forty five minutes the visiting side obtained a late lead through a header of Trochowski. Through the following period Bremen had at least four clear chances to score with several more over the bar. It will be until next thursday that the outcome of the German semifinal shall be cleared.







El Clásico took place at Madrid yestereday. Los Blancos got battered by the overwhelming power of Barsa. If there was a moment in which Los Blancos could have equalled their counterparts, immediately Barsa showed them that it was not going to happen. The home side were simply outclassed in each department and if Casillas would have not been there, the scoresheet could have shown a wider gap.







I still disgust the way that Barsa played testerday. They played well but they cannnot be put together in comparisson to Cruyff's Barsa. The Spanish commentator on SKY sports stated that Iniseta was "Laudrup from the 21st century." Please, measure yourslef! Finally congratulations to Indios of Ciudad Juárez and Puebla, they will be playing next season in Mexico's top competition since they saved themselves from relegation. Even though the battle still continues with Tigres and Necaxa.

The Dreadful Shroud

Did Mexican U-17 champion generation helped the development of Mexican football? Well, no according to the current results of each player in each of their teams. Few have any activity at all and the four stars, Villauz, Dos Santos, Vela and Arias have counted minutes on the pitch. As Biscayart quoted once on ESPN's Fuera de Juego, the only Mexican player of this generation who has regular activity is César Villaluz. Even he has fell in the wretched spiral that his current squad, Cruz Azul, is right now. Vela comes in and out when an inspired Arshavin literally took his place. Dos Santos has not overcome his adversities and was eventually relegeated to Ipswich in the Championship. This comment, perhaps biased taking just one aspect of a whole of Mexican football, was brought up due to the fact that Mexico's U-17 squad today unconvincingly won against Guatemala, securing a place in the finals of the tornament which will take place next fall in Nigeria.







In the transmission, made by Sky Sports, Paco Villa commented several times the ways Martín Galván, top goal scorer of the team, seemed to resemble Carlos Vela. But why did this comparison take place? It would seem obvious, and rather obliged to make a simile between the current star of a team anf the latter. This device not only affects the newer player, mentally but the whole apparatus of understanding football. It is evident that Mexican media would love a copycat of Hugo Sánchez each generation but that, dear reader, is impossible.
Managers ussually fashion teams in order to resemble certain aspects or other teams. The perfect example is Cruyff's Barsa or the current effort made by Arsene Wenger.
I am betraying myself with all these comments: what I intend to do here at Deviations is to analyze a player style and his/her development alone and then contextualize it as a whole, thus the way the team plays.





In any case if you, dear reader, think that this post has indeed wandered and reached no place regarding ideas, is because it is a wider effort regarding another post in which I am working on.

What a laugh!

Today Mexico lost against Honduras. Ten months ago we saw a similar occasion with Mr. Sanchez. Here some footage to remember and, why not, LAUGH!
I will be posting the remaining Arsenal review, forgive me dear reader, final exams.











By the way "sensitive video," if you do not want to hear any stupid stuff or lose your time do not play this one.

On Casual Football

Chivas and Pachuca delivered yesterday one of the most incredible matches in the current Mexican league. An outstanding match that gave us seven goals, makes me think about the actual state of the Mexican football. It is irregular like the population itself, as anything in Mexico really. Even Octavio Paz was an irregular "poet." But sometimes there is a light of hope that just, and just, makes us think about a good bright future ahead.





Real Madrid and Numancia gave us today a hell of a match. Also in seven goals, the match was on favor of the capitalines, while the Numancians did everything they had to not give the lead. I do not know what is up with Numancia. Last week they displayed a match full of intensity against FCB (that scum-bags lost hehe) and this week they gave more than one scare in Bernabeu. The difference between a Greece style and the New Numancian style is that the Spaniards can cope with tremendous amounts of pressure and still construct game to equalize or lead. I hope it is not a week thing and that they can keep up with that pace.





Día Siete article today about football and monopoly was something attractive but frustrating. This article was focused in the monopoly industry of FIFA and the discrimination of other sports subdued to our footy, specially in Mexico. José Pérez-Espino made a beautiful and promising introduction questioning the role of the media, local authorities and popularity in general. Then he fell in the dull message of corruption and complacency that many Mexican journalist do. His most idiotic line, clearly knowing that everything can happen in football, was :"Pero ningún deporte es de milagros, [refiriéndose al hecho de que la selección mexicana nunca va a ganar un Mundial]" [No sports is from miracles, [referring to the fact that the Mexican side will never win a WC]]. He then referred to the business of the WC (as if no one knew it) and made a horrific final statement about Mexico's fatal ending WC. Everybody knows hat we are never going to win it, but that does not have to do at any moment with the industry of monopoly. He did not made the clear distinction. So Mr. Pérez-Espino, if you make bright introduction but bad essays just advise us in the same introduction!!!!!

Mexican Weekend Football

Finally the EPL is one week to kick-off. But meanwhile every person can have a little amusement regarding the footy. Actually I wanted to make this line-up earlier in the past season but recent events had led to a good list now. The following starting XI is a consideration of the best Mexican youngsters in the National game. I do not intend to meant it as a recomendation to Mr. Ericksson but it is truly my choice of like.
GK-Jorge Villalpando (Puebla FC)
CB-Patricio Araujo (CD Guadalajara), Iván Estrada (Santos CF)
LB & RB-Adrián Aldrete(CM Morelia), Omar Esparza(CD Guadalajara)
CDMF-Alan Zamora (Atlante FC)
RMF & LMF-Fernando Morales(Pumas UNAM), Édgar Castillo (Santos CF)
CF-Édgar Andrade(CD Cruz Azul)
LS & RS-Omar Arellano(CD Guadalajara), Ever Guzmán (CM Morelia)

I have to say that the Pumas style has improved. I doubt the fact that it can be the contribution of the Manager but it is actually based on the younsters which pump the team. The style that the Capitaline side has displayed is similar to the one by the "Boring, Boring Arsenal".

The stunner striker of the week is Omar Arellano.

On Mexican Weekdays Football

I was completely thrilled and shocked by the result at the Copa Libertadores: América 4-3 River Plate. Wednesday night, after sharing some movie time with one of my best friends I returned to my house with the only prospect of finish Great Expectations. Although this seemed a tough task I was determined to get as far as I could although The Remains of the Day had kept me busy. Although my current week quota was covered I was completely reluctant of watching this game. But uh! Suddenly the TV turn on and I watched the game as a child looking through a tiny hole. When the match was 1-0 on Argentines I found myself between Abel Magwitch's escape from the marshes and the immediately American leveler. When the score reached 2-1 and a magnificent game was about to take place I resigned to Victorian Prose and began the journey through the long road of Mexican-Argentine rivalry. The match was completely overwhelmed with goals, amounts of opportunities and good players.
This are my favorite games, full of opportunities, lack of defending, goals and above all spectacle. The last one that caught my attention was Tottenham 4-3 West Ham and Liverpool 3-6 Arsenal.

Rodrigo Archubi's celebration of the 1-0 was a sacrilege. There are several ways to piss off an Americanista but this one was above the board. Although I always mock on the Coapa team I realized that making fun of one of the icons of the tema i snot worth it. The fault was a complete loss of sensibility and a several threath against the Copaa organization. Cuauhtemoc Blanco, the controversial Mexican player, is the icon of Mexican football. Controversial, but above all as all Mexican with a strong sense of double-moral, made a trademark his celebration as the 'Eagle'. Archubi's celebration at the place of birth of the Mexican player, the pitch that saw him grow, so many great things and sufferings, was a complete disrespect towards the people. I really do not care if he celebrates that way in his country, the trademark belongs to Blanco and point.
I found yesterday's declaration by Raúl Arias, San Luis coach and potential Mexico manager, very awkward and disgraced. He said that the only style that was resurging was the Catenaccio, or defensive style. He guaranteed that, if reaching the place of Mexico manager, he will use that tactic. His justification was that the previous two champions, Italy and Greece used that style. Almost thirty years of footballistical theory developed by Michels and Cruyff have gone to hell if this style of game gets widespread. Mexico's impressive amount of defending quality could certainly help to get this style done, but it is dangerous and in my opinion stupid.