Capello’s appointment to the demanding position will be envied by few managers in the community, but to me Capello has done enough to prove he at least wants the job. Out of all the managers the E.F.A (Exclusive Fuckwit’s Anonymous a.k.a. English Football Association) short listed, Capello was the only one who really came forward and wanted the position. Jose Mourinho, it can be argued, showed some interest, but to me his ignorance and showboating about merely demonstrates the ‘special one’ has single child syndrome (i.e. he is an attention whore).
encasing Real Madrid. They had been going through managers like a relegation bound club, which is not a good thing when your team is made up of Zidanes, Beckhams, Ronaldos, Rauls and Ramos’. Before Capellos appointment; between May 2004 and May 2006 Real Madrid had gone through no less then 4 managers (Jose Antonio Camacho, Mariano García Remón, Vanderlei Luxemburgo and Juan Ramón López Caro)! In short, Real Madrid was underperforming and the board felt this was down to mismanagement. Here was this team of absolute world beaters, and yet they simply could not win any title for the life of them. Cue the re-appointment of one Fabio Capello (his prior stint lasted from May 96 til June 97).
a single point is needed. This is a very negative tactic and it showed. When England managed to pull the game back to 2 – 2 then Capello would have bought off a striker and played with 2 defensive midfielders protecting the back four in order to cushion the games result (as this was much later in the match, and could be argued less negative). And quite frankly an 
Clairefontaine was established as an answer to the ever growing Lilleshal academy based in
So why is it that these french domestic clubs struggling to live up to the national teams’ success? I realise that not every French international player is going to be based in their homeland, far from it. In fact, from the 23 players from the 2006 French world cup squad, only 11 of them played their club football in
This seasons Champions League comprised of a total of 3 French teams; 
easily the lesser known and weakest team, but still proficient enough to work their way through a group stage had they made it through. As for
So going into the round of 16, only 1 of the 3 French teams remain in the competition. I would have thought that, with the amount of talent coming through the country that a more positive showing would be on display from the French, but again they have failed to live up to their reputation. With only Lyon progressing, it seems their chances of winning
Now focusing on the domestic league, again questions must be asked about the credibility of the country’s major league.
So basically, even though Lyon do suffer the odd loss here and there during the season, the trend is they win the title in a one horse race and leave the other 19 clubs to scrap it out for the other minor positions. While such an amazing record occurs once in a lifetime so to speak, there are adverse effects. For me, the interests in all things French football is still limbering, but keep in mind I am a die hard football fan. Thankfully the French are also quite attracted to the sport, still flocking in numerous thousands to each and every match. But with this domination, for how long?
There is no doubt the French league can still lay claim to having some of the most talented footballers on the planet plying their trade locally and continentally for these French clubs, with names such as Juninho, Benzema, Govou, Micoud, Alou Diarra, Nasri, Valbuena, Koller, Kluivert and Pauleta all involved week in week out for their respective clubs. The paradox for me still remains. Why is the national team so damn good, and why are the domestic clubs failing so miserably? Or am I being slightly pessimistic here?
Bolo Zenden: Part Time Marseille midfielder, Part Time Custard Tart.
I feel that my opinion runs parallel to that of my young friend Nutsy; the French league is something of a sleeping giant. There is plenty of enthusiasm from the fans, they absolutely love the game. There are also a great number of clubs in not just Le Championnat (premier division) but also in the support leagues that can contend for a greater continental presence. Most importantly, the players are there to play the great game and keep it at a competitive level. So why, in the history of the UEFA Champions League have only one French team actually walked away with the title (this being Marseille
Goalkeeper: Jose Reina. I feel he has now made himself the best keeper in the premiership after ridding himself of the mistakes and eccentricity that plagued his game since his arrival from the Spanish League. Always capable of keeping a clean sheet, and has proved that penalties are not always a given, saving something like 50% of all penalties taken against him.
Back 4: In Carragher, Hyppia and Finnan; the experience is there for the big games like cup finals and such, and with them around it’s safe to say the likes of Daniel Agger and Jack Hobbs can learn and build their own game. If mistakes are made by these younger kids, more often then not the older heads are there to clean up. With Riise, Arbeloa and Aurelio, the defence has depth to cover a number of injuries without losing any strength at the back.
Midfield: Where to begin… Truly a world class midfield that in my opinion any team in the world can envy; with names such as Gerrard, Kewell and Benayoun provide the creativity and the power to move forward and set up a number of scoring chances, and when they aren’t providing they are more then capable of putting the ball in the net themselves. To cover these men there is the likes of Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano, Lucas Leiva and Momo Sissoko. They are all capable of holding the midfield on their day and allowing the more attacking minded players to their own game whilst helping out in the defensive side of the game. We also have Jermaine Pennant. Umm, yeah…
The Front: Probably the weakest part of the team, I think with a few changes this can be aligned to be as strong as the other aspects of the team. Torres, I have decided, is a capable of becoming a 25-goals a season striker (in all comps). With Kewell also capable of playing alongside him, there is also Andriy Voronin who loves a good pass but probably needs to work on his finishing. Ryan Babel is only 20 years of age and he has bagged a few goals this season after playing only a limited role in the squad, and in Peter Crouch there is a chance to open up Liverpool’s game to play in a different dimension. Some would say he loves the long ball but has skill to hold the ball at his feet. Gross guy I don’t much like but he still can do the job.
Finally the Gaffer: Rafa Benitez. Quite simply has taken the team to a new level. Its safe to say the reds have not experience this much success since the days of Kevin Keegan, Joe Fagan, Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish in the late 70’s – early 80’s. Sure Gerard Houllier brought the UEFA cup and a legion of domestic cups, but he never really looked like he could bring the premiership back to the club. With Benitez the side look like they are more then capable of doing so. In recent weeks his job has come under fire, and with the likes of Gerrard and Torres publicly backing the big man, its also a sure thing that the team is harmonious under his guidance.
