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The arrival of Thierry Henry to BARCELONA in and of itself doesn't worry many Madridistas. The fact that Frank Rikjaard is still coaching the Catalan giants is a definite cause of concern. Most coaches wouldn't know how to handle such a wealth of attacking world class talent or how to manage some of the most difficult egos in the game but Rikjaard seems up to the task.

The Madrid press created a climate of concern and borderline resentment towards Robinho by connecting his celebration with Ronaldinho at a Rio de Janeiro hotspot with his tardiness in arriving back in Spain in time to play against Espanyol(a game which Madrid lost without him). In the buildup to Madrid's Champions League game against Greek powerhouse Olympiakos there was talk of Robinho being benched as punishment on top of the fine both he and Julio Baptista had to pay as well.

Since LA LIGA has yet to start and ROBINHO is still on vacation after a tremendous COPA AMERICA. Lets take a look at some classic games in the history of attractive attacking football/soccer/futbol. This will be the first of many installments of what we'll call the . . .

FLOWING SOCCER CLASSICS

It's all here, ROBINHO at that time a 17 yr old wonderkid, the Brazilian Championship Title on the line, the negative pragmatic futbol of the PARREIRA(yes that PARREIRA from WC 2006)Coached CORINTHIANS vs.

The game was moving along at a rapid pace with both teams having some chances at goal when Raul broke the deadlock(38' min) with an extended stretch and toe poke to send Sneijder's long ball over the Villareal Goalkeeper and into the net. In spite of all the criticism ‘el Capitan' has received since his decline in form he still manages to dig deep and get important goals.

Real Madrid is no longer in the hunt for Royston Drenthe from Feyenoord due to Chelsea's involvement which priced Drenthe's footballing services into the 17.5 Mill. Euro range instead of the 12.5 Mill. Euros Madrid and Feyenoord had originally agreed on. This is definitely good news for Brasilian Marcelo who is currently the only true left back at Madrid's disposal.

NERY CASTILLO vs BRASIL. The degree of difficulty alone for this goal is incredible. CASTILLO takes on 2 defenders and yet maintains his balance and follows through with clear and deliberate skill and cunning. Extremely intelligent goal, top class!! Sorry Messi and the rest of the media out there but CASTILLO's goal is still the best one of COPA AMERICA 2007.

Reports alleging the demise of Brasil's ‘jogo bonito' are unfounded. They merely reflect the media's inability to pick up on the complexities of Dunga's strategy. Any team that features Robinho as its key player isn't really in any serious danger of abandoning ‘the beautiful game'. Still, Brazil's victory over Argentina highlighted the fact that Dunga's tactics are indeed flexible enough to determine the needed strategy based on the opponent being played.

Here's the highlights from Real Madrid's victory yesterday against Os Belenenses.
Today Real Madrid lost to Deportivo La Coruna after fielding mostly reserves and in related news AC MILAN lost another preseason game 1-0 to Real Betis. How are these two results related? Only by the fact that it's the PRESEASON and we shouldn't put too much stock in either result.

HUMBERTO SUAZO vs Brazil. You don't want to admit it because SUAZO isn't as big a name as Messi but this chip is actually better than Messi's against Mexico. He took on 2 defenders and the degree of difficulty was a lot higher than Messi's plus he also 'nutmeged'/'tunneled' one of the defenders right before he scored. Outstanding skill and placement by SUAZO who was the only bright light for Chile.

ROBINHO vs CHILE. This goal by ROBINHO was somehow overlooked by the media. He receives the ball in midfield one touches it to himself past one defender then takes on two more defenders before scoring with incredible pace, skill, placement and sheer prowess. Took on a total of 3 defenders, no one else in the top 5 took on more than 2. Also this was a crucial match for Brazil and the pressure was on, a loss to Chile and they would be eliminated in the early group stages, ROBINHO stepped up for Brasil when they needed him most.

I'm actually waiting until all of Madrid's pre-season signings and personnel moves are finished before I really start my coverage of the REIGNING KINGS OF LA LIGA!!! An instant classic!!! This footage of Real Madrid's comeback victory against Mallorca only gets better with time!!

This may seem hard to believe, but the Premier League does actually have rules governing who can gain control of a Premiership football club. You see, not just any Tom, Dick or deposed despot can put on their wellies, wander into top paddock and milk the Premiership cash cow. No, they must first pass what is known as the ‘fit and proper person test'.

For the duration of this year's Copa America, Brazil has been criticized at home and abroad for not playing up to par with what has generally been perceived as the traditional Brazilian way of playing football. The 'jogo bonito', or beautiful game, style of play made Brazilians famous, with a controlled pace given to the game so as to entertain fans, dominate the opposing team and ultimately - if it came to it - win titles.

JULIO BAPTISTA vs. ARGENTINA = this goal was tremendously significant as it changed the outlook of the final game between Brasil and Argentina. Aesthetically, look at the control, skill, power and placement. BAPTISTA took on 2 defenders with determination and willpower.

LIONEL MESSI VS MEXICO. Ask any average soccer/futbol fan or media commentator and this was their favorite goal, but based on our criteria there are 3 better goals in the tournament. Messi's touch, skill, placement and sheer audacity make this a tremendous goal as he took on 2 defenders with the world class talent we've come to expect from the youngster.