Two elements of the Italian game seem to have played two very different roles in the Chelsea vs
Bayern Champions League final.
Roberto Di Matteo's catenaccio style layered defense that stretched Bayern worked to
perfection while Jupp Heynckes decision to pull Thomas Mueller in the 84th minute to preserve a one
goal lead proved disastrous.
by Adam Bate
*A version of this article appeared as an obituary in the February 2011 issue of Calcio
Italia magazine
Some people choose to remember the 1982 World Cup for the famous Brazil team of Zico, Socrates
and Falcao. Their silky skills and attacking football certainly captured the imagination.
After the Brazilian Samba, the Argentinian Tango, the German machines, and the Italian Catenaccio,
it is time to admire the Spanish Tiki-Taka. It looks it will stay for a while and it is the next
big thing in football.
It is not just about a strategy or a tactic for a team. It is the result of all of the long hours
of work in the football academies, players selections (skills before physique), the talents, the
midfield control.
Beating Barcelona: A Theoretical Guide With Pretty Pictures - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
So, everyone says that Barcelona are unbeatable, or are least the untouchables. Which is
twaddle.
Sure, they have lots of excellent players.
(MessiXaviAlvesIniestaPiquePuyolBusquetsVillaSanchezPedroetc.
Empezó ya la Serie A este viernes con el Milan vs Lazio, partido bueno por momentos pero que no
convence por completo y continuará este fin de semana la fecha dos, ya que al igual que en
España, la primera fue pospuesta por huelga.
La que fuera la primera en el mundo, ya no lo es en éstos días.
Empezó ya la Serie A este viernes con el Milan vs Lazio, partido bueno por momentos pero que no
convence por completo y continuará este fin de semana la fecha dos, ya que al igual que en
España, la primera fue pospuesta por huelga.
La que fuera la primera en el mundo, ya no lo es en éstos días.
The legend of Catenaccio is one the most enduring legacies of Calcio. Wildly successful, it has
become almost synonymous with Italian Football in certain people's minds. Unfortunately, it has
also been miscast as the Ultimate Evil, the monument to Anti-Football so as to speak by certain
sections of the media.
When FC Twente played Benfica Lisbon to a 2-2 draw on Tuesday night, Tottenham manager Harry
Redknapp was in the stands to witness it. Mind you, 'Arry wasn't just out for a fun night of
European football in Enschede - he was there to take a personal look at Bryan Ruiz, Twente's Costa
Rican striker and a target for Spurs in this summer's transfer window.
Il Barcelona non ha vinto solo una coppa. Il Barcelona non è solo la squadra più forte del mondo.
Il Barcelona si è aggiudicato nella storia un periodo unendo vittorie e bel gioco. Tutto il resto,
avversarie comprese, sono solo comparse, anche se talune si sono ritagliate uno spazio vincente. Il
club catalano raccoglie quanto seminato lungo gli ultimi 35 anni, quando nella casa blaugrana si
decise d'investire sull'organizzazione di stampo olandese, grazie ai consigli di Cruyff e Neeskens.
We've been digesting Saturday's Real Madrid-Barcelona 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu just the first
installment of this month's 4-part El Clásico series; the second is coming up this Wednesday with
the Copa del Rey final, to be contested on neutral turf at the Mestalla in Valencia. In the
meantime, it's always entertaining to see how Madridista tabloid Marca spins the latest big
result.
Helenio Herrera and "catenaccio" usually go hand-in-hand: two words so interlinked that, were
there a calcio thesaurus, each would be a synonym for the other. An amazingly successful coach
based on an amazingly defensive system, Herrera has written his name in the lore of both Inter and
Italy. Besides the bolt-approach to football, however, Herrera was known for one other attribute:
he was, in essence, an asshole.
ARTICLE TWO.
Written by Fabrizio.
I might be the only one here but I "love" the Italian way of football i.e. – the catenaccio,
over the brazilian samba. It's a thing of beauty. They play to their strength (great defenders,
average attackers) and remind me so much of Muhammad Ali doing his rope-a-dope.
Hopefully Michael will give a more detailed post-game analysis. But to me there are two
takeaways from the US draw with Argentina tonight. First, that we are better off with a 4-4-2 than
a 4-2-3-1. Second, that the second half of the 2 should be Juan Agudelo.
The first half was like a bad display of catenaccio for the US.
They are the imperial power of world soccer, from a Spanish region of rebels and independents,
an elite and the deepest example of soccer dominance in years here is a possession stat from their
most recent Champions League fixture: roughly 70% Barcelona 30% Arsenal this is more impressive
than the Roman Empire's field control at its peak.
Lalas....
Editor's Note: We've had a few pieces lately that involved , specifically,
Alexi Lalas and his time overseas in Serie A with Padova.
This piece by Eric Beard which acknowledges Alexi's time at Padova and the focus in training.
And this piece, Eric Giardini, which discusses the challenges for Americans playing in Serie
A.
