Attacking from the Back...

        At the end of every meaningful and important game a peculiar tradition that fuels much hope and blind optimism is that of the goalkeeper joining the attack to push for that important goal. Many times it ends with a goalkeeper frantically retreating to the goal having been no use at all, however in the case of Daniel Aranzubia last Saturday (20th February) the situation was far from that. With his side, Deportivo La Coruña, 1-0 down away at Almería and the game coming to a close Aranzubia took the gamble and joined the rest of his team in the Almería box for the corner. Leaping for the ball Aranzubia nodded the ball in from the edge of the six yard box and in the process became the first goal keeper in La Liga history to score in open play.

     Having seen this I began to think of goalkeepers who were regular goalscorers for their clubs. One player that instantly sprung to mind was Brazilian goalkeeper Rogério Ceni. Having spent his whole career at São Paolo, where he is still playing today, Ceni has scored 95 goals in over 900 appearances. His best goal tally in the Brazilian Serie A came in 2005 when he reached double figures with 10 goals. An amount that many midfielders would be proud of. Despite also taking penalties the majority of his goals come from free kicks which have led him to gaining many records. The most bizzare of which is the record he holds for being São Paolo's all-time leading Copa Libertadores scorer which is quite an outstanding feat.

      Finally, my favourite goalscoring keeper José Luis Chilavert. The now retired Paraguayan goalkeeper scored 63 goals throughout his professional career. Simiar to Ceni, Chilavert also took free kicks and penalties but, unlike the Brazilian, Chilavert managed to score 8 times for his country which to me is an incredible notion. The majority of his goals came at Argentine club Vélez Sársfield where he scored 48 goals in 341 appearances where, in 1999, he became the first goalkeeper in footballng history to score a hatrick during a game against Ferro Carril Oeste. He has also scored goals in Spain, France and Uruguay where he also played. His ability to score outstanding freekicks, including scoring one from his own half, twinned with his eccenticity and fiery temper have made his one of the most reknowned 'keepers of all time.

The New Mario Gomez

      If you'd have said last May at the end of the Budensliga season that Mario Gomez would be the league's top scorer by February many would have looked at you as if you were delusion and would have even questioned whether he would be playing for Bayern next season. This, however, is exactly the situation that Mario Gomez finds himself in having netted 18 goals for Bayern so far this season.
     Joining Bayern for a fee of about 35million Euros at the beginning of the 09-10 season from Vfb Stuttgart, where he scored 63 goals in 121 appearances, Bayern manager Louis van Gaal and every German football follower expected the transition to the 22 time champions to be very smooth as he was not moving country or having to adapt to a new culture. As you can most probably gather this was not the case. In a season where Bayern Munich achieved so much Mario Gomez achieved so little scoring only 10 goals in comparison to the 24 scored the season before. Despite being in a team that is so attackingly gifted, with the likes of Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger supplying passes of a consistently high standard, Gomez looked like a shadow of his former self as he frequently failed to make an impact. 
      With this poor form there was rumors of a potential escape to England during the summer with Liverpool showing interest in the 25 year old. Gomez, however, decided to stay at die Bayern to try and prove that he was worth the substantial fee they paid for him. Whether it be a miracle or just that Gomez has finally settled in Munich, this season Mario Gomez seems like a completely different player. In the absence of Robben and Ribery at the beginning of the season, Gomez has shined and single handedly dragged Bayern up the league after having a desperately poor season. I, personally, am really glad to see that Mario's fortunes have changed and hope that it long continues.

Juan Manuel Iturbe - The New Messi?

        Ever since the early 90s every good, young, Argentine attacking midfielder has been touted as the 'New Maradonna'. Now with the emergence of Lionel Messi natural progression suggests that hitting the heights of Lionel is now the new aim of every young Argentinian footballer. One youngster that has the potential to do such things is Juan Manuel Iturbe.
     Starting his career at Paraguayan side Cerro Porteño he made his debut at just 16. However, his time at the 28 time Paraguayan champions didn't last long as he was snapped up by Buenos Aires club Qulimes who managed to capture him for free as he had not signed a professional contract at Cerro. His talent has also led him to be included in the 'sparring squad' that was taken to the 2010 World Cup by Diego Maradonna to keep the main squad sharp. Following this he has recently been taken to the South American Under 20 Youth Championships in Peru where he has featured 4 times and scored twice, earning himself many admirers in the process. These admirers have little chance of signing Iturbe in the near future as he was signed by FC Porto of Portugal in 2010 for around 1.5 million euros and have tied him to a contract that keeps him at the club until 2016.
     The comparisons to Messi are not unfounded as he has a similar diminutive stature standing at only 5ft 6 ¹⁄₂  in comparison to Messi's 5ft 7. It is, however, his style of play from where one must draw the majority of the comparisons. As with Messi, Iturbe has good close control and the ability to dribble at speed whilst exhibiting this control. He also plays in a similar position, either out on the wing or just behind the striker which makes the likeness to Messi even more apparent. It is fair to say that Juan Manuel Iturbe has an amazing future ahead of him but whether he will become the 'New Messi' we will have to wait and see... 

Little Diego's Big European Adventure

         Standing at 1.61m Diego Buonanotte isn't the tallest of players but the diminutive winger has an extraordinary amount of talent that he'll be hoping to use to set La LIga alight as he starts his first foray into European football. Having signed for Malaga CF for around €5million on the 14th January it will be the first time that Buonanotte has moved from the club, River Plate, that nurtured his talent through a tumuluous couple of years that has seen little Diego nearly die, go to prison and receive a premature end to his football career.

       Making his debut at the age of 17, Diego became a pivotal part of the River team that won the Apertura in 2008 and saw him recognised by World Soccer Magazine as one of the '50 most exciting teenagers in world football'. His ability was not overlooked by the big European teams who were constantly linked with moves for Diego. It all seems as though the world was at young Buonanotte's feet, however it all nearly came crashing down on one unfortunate night in December 2009.

      Driving back to his home town of Teodelina with 3 childhood friends, Diego's car swerved off the road amidst a heavy downpour and hit a tree killing his three friends and leaving himself severely injured. After being rushed to intensive care it was found that Diego had a broken collar bone, broken arm and a bruised lung, however, it was the mental scars that everybody involved with Diego were worried about. Having thought to be out for around 7 months or so Diego made a speedy recovery and was back playing for River in April 2010. So his career would return back to normal, right?

       Not quite, there was yet another thing marring Diego's career. Due to the deaths of his friends and him being at the wheel when he car swerved off the road Diego was charged with the triple involuntary manslaughter of this three friends after the prosecutors said he was 'driving negligently'. Facing up to 5 years in prison it was an uncertain period for Diego who continued to play for River. Finally, after such misfortune Diego receive a bit of good luck! Judge Marisa Munoz Saggese dismissed the charges the charges against Diego. With his new club the future looks bright for Diego Buonanotte, who is still only 22, and it is now up to him to show Europe what he's got...

Klopp has Borussia on top.

     With Bayern dominating German football by winning the Bundesliga and the Pokal last season as well as reaching the final of the Champions League, many thought that the Bundesliga would be a walk in the park for Die Bayern. However, as the Bundesliga resumes after its winter break it is Borussia Dortmund who are at the zenith of Germany's top league.

Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa 

      Jürgen Klopp has cultivated a squad littered with good young talent from defence to attack. One surprise is summer signing and Japanese sensation Shinji Kagawa. The attacking midfielder has already notched up 8 goals this season making him the clubs joint top scorer since joining from Cerezo Osaka. His goal return has already make him a shrewd bit of business having signed for the megre amount of €350,000. His signing could yet be more lucrative for Borussia as many of the gossip columns have linked the 21 year old to Manchester United for a figure of around €10million. However this move is higly doubtful as the pint-sized playmaker has become an integral of die Schwarzgelben's success this season and could be if they want to maintain it for the foreseeable future.

    Another player who has been intergal for Borussia is midfield maestro Nuri Sahin. Tipped as a future star at such a young age having made his debut at just 17, Sahin seems to have matured within the last season and a half into a consummate playmaker and passer of the ball. Having started all of Borussia's 17 games this season weighing in with 6 assists and 4 goals, Sahin has been instrumental in Borussia's rise to the top which will be pleasing to everyone involved at Signal Iduna Park as they have nurtured Nuri Sahin's talent through the youth teams.
    The final player I'm going to mention, even though there are many more that deserve to be, is also a product of the Borussia Dortmund youth system. 18 year old Mario Götze has been a revelation in midfield this season. Having been at the club since the age of 8, Götze made his debut last season against FSV Mainz 05 and featured spodically throughout the season however this year he has had more first team action featuring 16 times, including 12 times in the starting eleven. Götze's performances this season, including 2 goals and 6 assists, have earned him a call up to the German national side, in which he is one of many in an astonishingly good crop of new German talent, . 
    With their first game after the winter break coming on the 14th January against Bayer Leverkusen it remains to be seen whether these three players along with Lucas Barrios, Kevin Großkreutz and Robert Lewandowski can continue with their great run of form and gain Borussia their first Bundeliga title since the 01/02 season.

Wisła triumph in Kraków's 'Holy War'

      There are many brutal and violent rivalries throughout football but not many can compete with the pure anger and hatred that is displayed between Wisła Kraków and their local rivals Cracovia. Dating back more than 100 years this rivalry spans the length of Poland's professional footballing history as they were the first two clubs established in Poland in 1906. Known as the 'Holy War', the name was first use to describe the rivalry between Kraków's two Jewsish teams, Makkabi and Jutrzenka, however after a defender from the latter club join Cracovia he supposedly shouted to his team mates "Come on guys, lets win this Holy war!" before a derby game against Wisła and the 'Holy War' name was born and is now incorperated into many of both team's songs.

     Since the first official game in 1908 the Holy War was played annually up until 1990 when, after a derby game, supporters clashed with police officers (not an uncommon feat) however this time the police responded with what was to be judged as brutal force which caused both Wisła and Cracovia fanatics to fight side by side against the police and push them back into a USSR consulate building where they took shelter. After this the annual Holy War anniversary game was banned. It wasn't until 20 years later when Cracovia returned to the Poland's top division that the Holy War resumed.

      On the day of the Holy War Kraków becomes a completely different place. The streets become a battle ground between the opposing sides, the only 2 firms in Poland who did not agree to stop using weapons. The hooliganism completely consumes the city to the point where everybody not involved with the football stays inside in fear of their lives. The latest of these Holy war derby days was on the 5th November at Cracovia's Marszałek Piłsudski Stadium. Wisła snatched the game with a late goal from on loan Moroccan attacking midfielder Nourdin Boukhari in the dying minutes of extra time. The result was no surprise as Wisła are by far the more successful of the two teams however every Cracovia fan will be waiting eagerly for the next time the teams meet in May of next year.

Les Nouveux Bleus

          It was obvious for all to see that the French national team was in crisis at the World Cup in South Africa. With training ground bust-ups, players being sent home and an inquisition by the French government it was obvious to all that the French team needed a bit of a shake up. The figurehead of this 'French Revolution' is Laurent Blanc who left his post at Bordeaux to take up managing Les Bleus in the wake of France's World Cup embarrassment. Naturally with a new manager and the need for a complete overhaul of the team, new players have been selected to play for Les Tricolores. Here are a couple of players that have particularily caught my eye...

        Dimitri Payet - Originally from the French colony of Réunion, the 23 year old Saint-Étienne attacking midfielder was called up for the French national team for their Euro 2012 qualifiers against Romania and Luxembourg. Making his debut as a substitute for Karim Benzema in the 86th minute of the Romania game, Payet made an impact immediately by dribbling to the byline before neatly pulling it back for Yoann Gourcuff to slot home from the penalty spot. This wasn't beginners luck, Payet assisted Gourcuff yet again in his second cap against Luxembourg. His rich form is hardly  surprising as he has frequently set Ligue 1 on fire this season with his mazey runs that have pulled Saint-Étienne up to third in the table and have also seen Payet reach the top of the goalscorers chart with 8 already this season.

     

  Yann M'Vila - At only 20 years of age M'Vila was called up for Les Bleus for the first of his 4 caps so far in Laurent Blanc's first game in charge against Norway. Despite losing the game 2-1 M'Vila was highly praised by the French media who widely regarded him as France's best player. His decision making, positioning and distribution has not only helped him keep his place in the French team but has also catapulted his club side Rennes to the top of the league. With big clubs sniffing around M'Vila and having already expressed his desire to play for a big club abroad it won't be too long before Yann M'Vila is snapped up by one the the bigger European names.

       With this new look French side and their already successful fledgling international careers it his highly likely that Dimitri Payet and Yann M'Vila will be in many of Blanc's selections to come. One player yet to make his Tricolores debut but who will most definitely be considered for France's next game against England in a friendly at Wembley is M'Vila's Rennes team mate Yacine Brahimi. Despite a dark year for French football the future is bright for Les Bleus...