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The little team that could Heerenveen turning heads in Champions League
This is a story about a club which, if the purists had their way, should have no place whatsoever in the Champions League. In fact, logic too would suggest it belongs anywhere but among Europe's elite. This is a team which has never won a single major trophy in its eighty year history. A side with a grand total of one player who has represented his country (and he played for, no offense, Finland). A club with a stadium boasting a capacity of 14,025: one seventh that of the Nou Camp. A team which, until two years ago had never played in European competition. So what the heck is SC Heerenveen doing in the Champions League? Turning heads, that's what. It wasn't supposed to be this way. The Champions League was meant to be for Europe's brightest and biggest, but after finishing second in the Dutch league last season, little Heerenveen managed to crash the party. It has been a rough ride, the club lost each of its three opening games against Lyon, Olympiakos and Valencia. But last week's emotional victory against Olympiakos left it with a glimmer of hope. If it can beat Lyon at home on Wednesday it will retain a glimmer of hope. It travels to Valencia on the last day of the first round, facing a team which has already qualified and which will have nothing to play for. A win in Spain wouldn't be unthinkable in those conditions. Crazy? Bereft of logic? Sure, but lots of fun. Heerenveen, a town in the north of Holland with a population of just 25,000, is savoring every second in the limelight. The fact that this teeny tiny club is attracting attention not just for its size (or lack of it) but for its attractive displays against more traditional powers is not just remarkable, it's also proof that, in many ways, the Champions League is a fairer, more open competition than the old European Cup. By qualifying for the Champions League, Heerenveen will get six nights of live continental television coverage and a chance to dip into the massive television revenues this competition generates. Those who complain that the Champions League only serves to further increase the gap between rich and poor are ignoring the evidence of clubs like Heerenveen. Under the old formula, of course, it would never have made it. It would have ended up in the UEFA Cup, probably going out in an early round. But now Heerenveen has its chance to show what it can do. To prove that attractive, successful soccer is not just the domain of the big clubs or even the medium-big clubs. I've seen Heerenveen twice this year. No, there are no world-class players and, in fact, very few good players. Just eleven men who play as a team, displaying an open, attacking style which, on its day, can cause anyone problems. It's a testament to coach Foppe De Haan, one of the savvier managers in the game today, but also to the strength and resources of this club. I don't know that any of these guys could make the Champions League roster of, say, Barcelona, Juventus or Manchester United. But, taken as a unit, they can more than hold their own. Perhaps this should give us cause to think. We know that a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And we know that eleven great players can easily lose to eleven good players if the latter play as a team. But Heerenveen's success shows just how important tactics and team cohesion really are. Every summer top clubs spend millions on buying the best talent available. All too often they don't consider exactly how that talent will fit together. That's how you end up with clubs like Inter Milan, a team who seems to revel in collecting pricey individual stars rather than players who can actually play together. It's an ill-assorted bunch of superstars. Sure, they'll win plenty of games on talent alone, but in the long run, the lack of cohesion proves their undoing. Of course, this doesn't mean that clubs like Heerenveen are destined for success either. Talent remains the most important discriminating factor and, since Heerenveen has very little of it, odds are it won't get very far. But its mere presence in Europe's showcase competition proves that there is room for the little guy. And that is indeed a very comforting thought. Extra time
Few things are sadder than seeing a living legend trying to hang on to past glory once time has passed him by. Right now, Hagi can still shine, in a few years, who knows? I would hate for the memory of one of the greatest talents of the past twenty years to be smeared by the sight of an aging Hagi hobbling around the pitch. Here's hoping he goes out on a high and does so soon, with the dignity of a champion.
But the man's competitive spirit and love for the game are just too much. It's hard to say whether he can turn Flamengo around, but one of Zagallo's greatest strengths has been his ability to adapt to the changing face of the game. One can't help but wish him good luck. Based in London, Gabriele Marcotti writes a weekly column on international soccer for CNNSI.com.
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