|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Europe will have a true champion
Posted: Tuesday May 23, 2000 01:29 PM
All season long it has been the same story. Purists, traditionalist and others with more time than sense have been whining about the former European Cup. "Why do they call it a Champions League?" they would say. "Most of these clubs arenıt even champions of anything. They didnıt even win their domestic competitions. Itıs a scandal, a travesty, that they be allowed into Europe's finest competition." Well, on paper they are right. Four of the Champions League quarterfinalists (Chelsea, Lazio, Real Madrid and Valencia) did not win their domestic titles the previous season. In fact, while they've all won at least one national title, except for Real Madrid, the others haven't triumphed on the home front since before many of their current players were even born. Valencia's last title came in 1971, Lazio's in 1974, Chelsea's in 1955. And of course, neither of the teams in Wednesdayıs final were champions of Spain, yet, one of the two will be champion of Europe. To this, I say, who cares? Regardless of who wins, it will make a fitting European champion.
The point of entering a tournament like the Champions League is to win as many games as possible. Valencia and Real have done just that. They don't deserve to be tarred by gloomy traditionalists living in a past that was always much brighter than the present. Valencia especially seems to have had to bear the brunt of the criticism. Somehow, there is something regal about Real Madrid. It's a big club; its historical record is unmatched, so we can stomach Real winning the title, because somehow it is appropriate. Hector Cuper's team, however, finished fourth in the Primera Liga last season. It has finished higher than fourth only once in the past ten years and in that same decade it finished tenth twice. Until last year, when it won the Spanish Cup, it hadn't won anything since 1980, when it grabbed the Cup Winners' Cup. There is only one superstar who might be recognized by the casual fan, Claudio Lopez, and he'll be sold over the summer. Somehow, this is upsetting to some people. Somehow, they would have wanted to see Barcelonaıs Dutch symphony of soccer, or Manchester Unitedıs hype machine, or Lazioıs Babel of superstars in the final. Instead, they get Valencia. Respectable Valencia, solid Valencia, sliced white bread Valencia, with its complicated defensive mechanisms and trusty counterattacking style. What infuriates them is that Valencia is neither flashy, nor spectacular, nor pedigreed. This attitude is wrong, unfair and downright ignorant. Is Valencia one of the two best teams in Europe? Probably not. Could it have been eliminated from the Champions League a long time ago, like as far back as the first round, without anyone batting an eyelid? Absolutely yes. But this doesnıt mean that it doesnıt deserve to be in the final or that it wouldnıt make a worthy European champion. The Champions League format, the combination of mini-leagues and knockouts, reduces the possibility of freak results while still allowing clubs who overachieve on a given night the chance to eliminate stronger opposition. And that's exactly what Valencia did. It shocked the world by topping its first-round group ahead of Bayern Munich and then narrowly beat out Fiorentina for the second spot in round two. Perhaps it didn't dazzle, but it got points when it needed them, grinding out results and making the most of its opportunities. Which, incidentally, is the way to do well in league championships, which are marathons, not sprints. Three points are three points, regardless of whether you beat the league leaders 5-0 or whether you score a breakaway goal in the 89th minute to down the bottom club. Once it got to the quarterfinal stage, Valenciaıs attitude changed. Lazio and Barcelona were objectively better teams. Beating them required a superperformance -- genuine overachievement. And that's what happened. Valencia demolished both opponents at home, crushing them under a sustained, but calculated, all-out assault. Tactically, Valencia was just about perfect, and it had to be. Wednesday's game may well turn out to be a furious siege on Santiago Canizares' goal, with Real Madrid storming forward and Valencia trying to hit on the break. If Valencia only gets one chance on the counterattack and converts it, while Real hits the woodwork ten times, believe me, the purists will probably criticize Cuper's men for being negative and once again turn up their noses. They will be wrong. Cuper has built a smooth, efficient soccer machine, conjuring up a special blend of experience and youthful vigor. His veterans ( Amedeo Carboni, Jocelyn Angloma, Miroslav Djukic ) are solid role players who were never stars. His youngsters ( Gerard, Francisco Farinos, Miguel Angel Angulo ) are promising, but odds are they will never be stars. Apart from Lopez, the closet thing Valencia has to a world-class star is Gaizka Mendieta, and he was almost persuaded to quit soccer altogether just three years ago. Valencia represents the triumph of teamwork and coaching over raw talent. It took Cuper a while to make it work (indeed, the team started the Primera Liga poorly), but when it all came together it was fascinating to watch as the team went from strength to strength, turning its domestic season around to grab second place. Most of us will be watching Valencia on television, which is a shame, because to truly appreciate Cuperıs tactical defensive sophistication, you really need to see Valencia play live. The defensive movements, the way Gerard, Mendieta and Farinos double back and fill spaces has a beauty all its own. Of course, if the only thing that gets you excited is a Rivaldo shimmy or a Roberto Carlos free kick youıll probably be disappointed. But make no mistake about it, Valencia has every right to contest this European final. And if it wins, it will make a worthy champion. No matter what the purists say. London-based Gabriele Marcotti writes a weekly column on international soccer for CNNSI.com. To submit questions or comments to Gabriele Marcotti, click here.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
