The Uruguayan outrage at Luis Suarez’s eight-game ban proves just how far they are behind England in eradicating racism.
Suarez is alleged to have called Patrice Evra a Negro during Liverpool’s game against Manchester United on 15th October. He and his fellow countrymen claim that the term is not offensive when used in Uruguay. The country’s top national newspaper, El Pais, has accused the English of hypocrisy against a nation that fielded their first black player in their national side in 1916, 62 years before Viv Anderson pulled on the three lions.

If Negro is a friendly phrase, why did Suarez use it repeatedly against an opponent in the heated atmosphere of such a traditionally terse football match? It is unlikely he was trying to befriend Patrice Evra. After he first used it, it is almost certain that such a prickly character as Evra would have reacted badly. So Suarez would have known, in the unlikely case he didn’t before, that he was causing offense.

Although Uruguay may have had black players representing their country for almost a century, their continued use of such words to describe black people shows that their country still sees race as an issue worth referencing. In the 1950’s Uruguay had a black captain who was known as “El Negro Jefe” – The Black Boss. As recently as 1995 in England, Andy Cole was affectionately known as ‘Our Blackie’ by Newcastle United fans.

Since that time the Kick Racism out of Football campaign has very nearly ensured that all racism, including the use of words with racial connotations whether used affectionately or not, have been eradicated from the English game. Although racism may exist in some form within the general English public, English football, with the huge amount of publicity it holds and its influence on children, is heralded as a flagship in the battle against any form of racial prejudice.

In Uruguay, Benfica player Maxi Pereira is still referred to affectionately as ‘El Mono’ – The Monkey, by his team-mates, and this is apparently ok with him. It seems Uruguay is at roughly the social equivalent of England back in 1995.

Luis Suarez left Uruguay six years ago. He played in the Netherlands, a country which has to be among the most racially diverse and integrated in the world, and now lives in England. If he doesn’t know the difference between the social etiquette of these various cultures, then that is his problem. That’s if you believe that a man who once bit someone on the neck during a football match was trying to be affectionate to an opponent by calling him a Negro.

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While Manchester City are in one of the toughest Champions League groups in recent memory, their performances have shown that while money may be able to buy domestic success, European pedigree is a priceless commodity.

Just ask Roman Abramovich. He and Jose Mourinho brought Premier League titles and FA Cups to Stamford Bridge almost immediately after the Russian oligarch pumped many millions into the club, but the Champions League title remains elusive to this day. Their best chance by far was when they came a whisker – or indeed a post – away from winning in Moscow, but were eventually beaten by Manchester United.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been playing in the Champions League since it’s conception, and while his tactical approach have obviously matured since it was once described as ‘anarchy’ by then Real Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque, more vital to his success in winning the trophy twice and reaching two of the last three finals is that his players had such experience in the competition.

The importance of this is evidenced by the relatively shaky performances of young, inexperienced defensive players David de Gea, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, a defence that has conceded many more goals without the cool heads of the retired Edwin van der Saar and the often injured Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

If United currently have just a few players without great Champions League experience, City have many. While United’s poor form in Europe is reflective of their indifferent league performances early this season, City’s struggles on the continent oppose to their domestic dominance. Players such as Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott, James Milner and Sergio Aguero have little experience in adapting to the demands of various European sides, whose tactics and approach they are not so familiar with.

Napoli came to Manchester with a 3-5-2 that is unheard of in England and completely bamboozled a shell-shocked City side. Roberto Mancini will have had experience in facing against such tactics whilst playing and managing in Italy, but some of his players haven’t, and that was evident in their struggles on the pitch.

City offered little evidence in the Allianz Arena that they can outplay a tactically disciplined side such as Bayern Munich. Their only wins in the competition this season have been home and away against Villarreal, who along with Dinamo Zagreb and Otelul Gelati are one of the only sides not to have earned a single point in the group stages this season.

Unless City show much more maturity than they have in the Champions League so far, they will crash out of the competition tonight. They will either have to learn from the lessons they have been taught on the continent this season and come back stronger next year, or they will have to spend many more millions to bring players with the necessary Champions League experience. Given the spending of Sheikh Mansour so far, this is not such an unlikely scenario.

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 Ferguson punished for showing Palace a lack of respect

Bookies were offering odds of 12/1 on a Crystal Palace victory at Old Trafford last night, and Sir Alex Ferguson’s shock following his side’s 2-1 quarter final loss showed that he expected his Manchester United side to win as much as they did.

Although his players let him down last night, Fergie can be blamed for underestimating Palace. Ferguson played his current reserves against a Championship side, and while players such as Dimitar Berbatov, Antonio Valencia and the Da Silva twins should have had the quality to win the match, when they proved unable to unlock Palace, Fergie’s bench lacked the experienced, creative player the situation required.

Any one of Nani, Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney or Ryan Giggs especially could have provided the spark that Ferguson’s team so obviously lacked. They were all given the night off, but would have watched the game anyway one would hope, so to ask one of them to warm the bench as an insurance policy would not have been much to ask.

With Berbatov taken off with an injury after a disappointing first half, United were left with Kiko Macheda and Mame Biram Diouf isolated up front, neither of which would list creativity as one of their best qualities. Behind them, Valencia is a decent, orthodox winger but offers little originality in his play, and both he and Park Ji-Sung look short of form. Darron Gibson is only dangerous when shooting speculatively from distance, a tactic that causes attacks to break down if unsuccessful.

Instead of having the ability to bring on a proven match winner, Ferguson opted for youthful promise in Paul Pogba and Ravel Morrison. This decision did not show Palace the respect they deserved, and for once Ferguson was guilty of a severe lack of judgement that cost his side a place in the Carling Cup semi-final against Cardiff, and an excellent chance of a Wembley Cup final.

TAGS: Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United, Crystal Palace, Nani, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Park Ji-Sung, Carling Cup, Antonio Valencia, Federico Macheda, Paul Pogba, Ravel Morrison, Old Trafford

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Spain’s 2-2 draw with Costa Rica last night, and their 1-0 loss to England on the weekend, suggest that the European and World champions have become too predictable. Only a David Villa goal three minutes into injury time in San Jose prevented them from being embarrassed twice in four days.

Since their triumph at the World Cup in South Africa, Spain have lost 4-0 to Portugal, 4-1 to Argentina, 2-1 to Italy, 1-0 to England and have drawn with Costa Rica and Mexico. To their credit they won all eight of their qualifying games for the European Championships, but then their nearest rivals in Group I were the Czech republic. It is the results against the better teams that will worry manager Vicente del Bosque. The fact that Spain fielded pretty much their strongest teams in most of these fixtures means they do not have experimentation as an excuse.

Spain have enjoyed such success at recent tournaments by playing just one way: tici taca; patient, short-passing football. The emphasis is on possession, stretching their opponents and exploiting a gap once one emerges. Italy and England – who played a very Italian game under Fabio Capello’s guidance at the weekend – managed to overcome this by packing the midfield with defensive players to screen the back four; by playing deep; and by maintaining their shape. Switzerland, the last team to beat Spain in a competitive match, achieved an unlikely 1-0 win in the opening game of the 2010 World Cup by addressing Spain in this manner.

Barcelona play tici-taca like no other club or international team on the planet, but when they are stifled by ultra-defensive tactics they have Lionel Messi to give them something different. Messi can keep possession like his Spanish team-mates when required, but he can also beat men for fun at pace, and Spain lack that player to give them a plan B when tici-taca fails. Of course they have players like David Silva and Andres Iniesta who are fantastic dribblers of the ball, but when their team’s possession game has forced their opponents to defend so deep, beating one man is often not enough. Also, neither have anything like Messi’s pace to fully exploit the space created by beating a man.

Physically, Spain are such a small side that passing football makes sense; physical duels become irrelevant when defenders are passed around rather than dribbled through. However, their recent results against decent sides has shown that perhaps they need their own plan B against a team who are willing to sit back for 90 minutes as England did.

Cesc Fabregas, who is not first choice for Spain at present despite being statistically the most creative player in Europe’s top leagues over the last five seasons, can make Spain a little more direct. His formative education was at Barca’s famous La Masia academy, but his years in the Premier League with Arsenal have made him play with more urgency than most of his Spain team-mates, and he is physically more robust than a Xavi or an Iniesta. Spain also have 6ft 5 striker Fernando Llorente, who has an outstanding scoring rate for Athletico Bilbao, to give them an aerial option up front.

Tici-taca has brought Spain huge success but perhaps, as a tactic in isolation at least, it has had its day. Perhaps Spain need to stop being so stubborn and to add another string to their bow if they are to successfully defend their World and European titles.

What do you think? Should Spain change the way they play?

TAGS: Spain, England, Barcelona, Cesc Fabregas, Lionel Messi, tici-taca, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Fernando Llorente, Fabio Capello, Vicente del Bosque, Costa Rica, Argentina, football, Italy, soccer, La Masia, World Cup, European championships

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England’s narrow 1-0 victory over Spain proved that Fabio Capello’s Italian influence can force England to play without the cavalier tendencies that cause them to be knocked out of every major tournament.

Rather than arrogantly attacking the World and European champions at Wembley, England played with rare discipline and composure. The result was that a team of inferior individuals frustrated and eventually beat a team containing the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta; players with a level of technique that England seem unable to reproduce.

It is hard to imagine an English manager employing three holding midfielders at home. Had the tactic failed, Capello would surely have been berated for negativity, yet now he has given England hope that they can change their style and prosper against the best footballing sides. Yes, the victory was fortunate, but England’s tactic of stifling instead of trying to outplay a Spain side that enjoyed around 70% possession eventually paid off.

The performance was Italian in conception and nature. Since the 1960s Italian football has more often than not valued defence over attack, the effect of which can still be seen in the low goal-scoring rate of Serie A compared to leagues such as the English Premier League and La Liga. Capello proved as manager of sides such as AC Milan and Real Madrid that he can attack when it suits, but he can also defend if he the situation demands. Unfortunately this is England’s best chance of beating a side such as Spain.

The performance was one of the first times in recent memory that an England played with an obvious and well-executed game plan. The inclusion of selfless and mentally strong players such as James Milner, Scott Parker and Phil Jones (who was played as one of a trio of deep midfielders) helped the team to keep their shape. While absent players like Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard may be better natural footballers, the often selfish urges that force them to abandon instructions and drift to seek possession often damage the structure of the team when without the ball.

England are still well down the pecking order of favourites for the European Championships. This was, after all, just a friendly game, and England rode their luck on more than one occasion while scoring from one of just two chances, at home. However, when compared to the previous two games against Spain in which England chased shadows and were soundly beaten, this 1-0 win offers valuable evidence that England now have players who are can follow instructions, and, crucially, a manager who realises that England need to change tact to beat superior opposition.

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FIFA have continued their tradition of embarrassing themselves on the world stage by refusing to let England wear poppies on their shirts during their friendly match with Spain. This latest PR disaster follows on from the recent gaffes of substantiated allegations of vote fixing for World Cup venues, refusing to deploy technology to make the game fairer and voting in their bumbling leader, Sepp Blatter, unopposed for a third term.

World football’s governing body have rejected pleas from both the English FA and government for poppies, the symbol of the Royal British Legion that raises money to help those affected by war, to be sewn into the England shirt for their game against the World champions on Saturday. The sale of poppies helps to fund that worthy cause. The day before the game is Remembrance Day in the UK and other countries that fought against Germany in the First World War, on which respect is paid to those who gave their lives for the wellbeing of their country.

FIFA rules state that no political, commercial or religious messages can be displayed on match shirts, but the symbol of the poppy is none of these. It is military related but it’s hardly war propaganda. It is merely a symbol of respect for heroes passed. War may or may not be necessary depending on the circumstances, but regardless of your opinion on that, raising money to help those injured or otherwise damaged by war is charity, and not politically motivated. War would be even more horrifying than it already is if charities such as the Royal British Legion did not exist.

Blatter and his minions have agreed to have a minute silence before the game, which completely contradicts the reasoning behind their decision for the banning of poppies. A minute silence is more intrusive and makes a bigger deal of the inclusion of Remembrance Day than poppies do. Why allow a minute silence; an event in which respect can be tarnished by idiotic individuals who do not stay silent, but ban the harmless detail of poppies on shirts for exactly the same cause?!

This seems like FIFA flexing their muscle unnecessarily. In doing so they are losing any scrap of respect they may have had left from England, one of their major members, and no doubt of Spain and the millions of people who will watch the game. Sepp Blatter must not go unopposed any longer.

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England fans are used to their star players letting them down at major tournaments, but this time it has happened seven months before a ball has even been kicked in Poland or Ukraine.

Wayne Rooney’s sending off against Montenegro on Friday proves he still has the fiery temper that could be fatal to England’s already slim chances of winning the 2012 European Championships, and means he will be banned for up to three games of that tournament. Whether it’s standing on a splayed Portuguese scrotum or kicking the back of a Montenegro defender’s legs, Friday’s game proved there has been little change in his temperament since the last Euros. In short: he’ll never learn.

England must play Ashley Young behind the striker as much as possible before the tournament begins. Fabio Capello will learn on Thursday whether his side will be without Rooney for one, two, or all three of the group games, but if Young performs well in that position as everybody knows he can, he should start big knockout games there instead of Rooney, because of his superior temperament.

Instead, the fiery Scouser’s appearances should be limited to that of an impact sub for the good of the team, and the need to keep 11 players on the pitch. The worldwide knowledge that Rooney can easily be wound up is England’s Achilles heel as much as his ability is their most deadly weapon.

England have relied on their big players for too long. This approach can only either stifle players by putting too much pressure on them, as we saw with Rooney’s abject performances in South Africa, or lead to a feeling of despair throughout the team and the fans if a key player is injured or sent off.

The best sides have ample replacements in every position. Zinedine Zidane was the heartbeat of the France team that won the World Cup and the European Championships at the turn of the century, but when he was unavailable they had creativity in abundance from the likes of Youri Djorkaeff and Robert Pires.

Perhaps this is the reason why Fabio Capello has left Rooney out of the squad to face Spain – he needs to give others the opportunity to fulfil the pivotal role of the withdrawn striker against the best sides in the world. Young has been superb for club and country so far this season. While his physical attributes are pathetic compared to Rooney’s, Spain have shown that the focus of international football at the highest level has veered away from physicality and towards technique.

Young’s technique is as good, if not better than Rooney’s and, crucially, his ability to stay calm under pressure is far superior. His contribution to the Montenegro game was a goal and an assist; Rooney’s a red card. By the time the Euros start, Young will have had the experience of a full season of Champions League football. He has the best eye for a killer ball in the final third of any of England’s current squad, and his relationship with Darren Bent was again apparent for England’s second goal on Friday.

Perhaps Rooney may finally learn from his mistakes if he is not automatically reinstated into the starting 11 every time he makes another ridiculous error of judgement; every time he lets the occasion and the opposition get to him. Spain and Germany, the two strongest teams in Europe at present, play clinical, passing football. England need a calm head from each and every player that represents them in the European Championships next summer, and they also need eleven of them on the pitch at all times.

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Arsene Wenger has had 41 days of the transfer window to bolster Arsenal’s squad, yet just three days until the start of the Premier League and six until their Champions League qualifier against Udinese, he has failed to address any of the important issues facing his team.

With Arsenal’s monumental implosion at the business end of last season, much was made of their need to purchase experienced players with the mental grit to set an example to the horde of talented youngsters in the squad. No such players have been signed so far.

By not address their problems early, Arsenal have carried the shakiness of last term into their pre-season and were even booed off as they suffered the same old problems and failed to win the Emirates Cup, a tournament that has represented a confidence boost for them and a chance to showcase the latest wunderkinds in previous years.

Although Arsenal were impressive going forward as always going forward last year, they were equally shaky at the back and Gunners despaired of the elementary defensive errors that caused the team to drop points against technically inferior opposition. Wenger has responded by selling French international Gael Clichy, one of the most settled players in his back four with five years of regular Premier League football behind him, and signing 19-year-old Carl Jenkinson, with only seven professional appearances to his name.

Kieron Gibbs and Armand Traore (both 21) may have the talent to replace Clichy between them, but they have not had the necessary experience to develop the kind of mental steel needed to reinforce Arsenal’s often flimsy defence.

At times the defence can perform to their potential, as they did when defeating Manchester United 1-0 in May, but they need to do this consistently over the course of the whole season if they are to compete with rivals who have all strengthened their squads significantly since finishing above Arsenal last season. At present perhaps only Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna would compete for a place in the starting eleven of Chelsea or the Manchesters United and City.

Wenger has shown vague interest in both Bolton’s Gary Cahill and Everton’s Phil Jagieka, but as yet has not matched their clubs’ respective valuations. He has been told that there is money to spend, but prides himself on his financial frugality and will not pay over the odds for players. Unfortunately such austerity will not take Arsenal forward, away from their current flawed status. It certainly will not win titles.

While he continues to scrimp in defence, Wenger has been decisive in buying a new striker, spending over £10 million on Gervinho. The Ivorian has looked impressive in Arsenal’s warm-up matches, scoring two in the first 15 minutes against Koln, but attack was not the problem that needed a quick fix. It seems Wenger still has his priorities mixed up despite it being obvious to Arsenal fans, and everyone else in the footballing world for that matter, as to what they should be.

In midfield both Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal’s two most creative players, look likely to leave the club, with Marouane Chamakh saying as much to L’Equipe just yesterday. Wenger may be holding out for the best prices for the two, but the proximity of the season opener demands that the issue is resolved soon.

If either player is selected for the Champions League play-off game against Udinese next week they will be cup-tied for the competition for the whole season. The effect will be that either their moves will be cancelled and the players will be unhappy for the whole season (with Nasri able to walk for nothing as a free agent next season), and Fabregas’ value will drop along with his head having missed out on his ‘dream’ move for the second season running.

If the players do leave, Wenger needs to quickly replace them with quality if he has any chance of competing for the title this season. Does he have such players in mind? If he manages such deals, which seems highly unlikely, the players will have to go straight into an unfamiliar team without the benefit of pre-season bonding or fitness with their new team-mates. Such transfers should have been made earlier in the transfer window to avoid this problem.

Arsenal have signed 17-year-old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. As usual he is ‘one for the future’. Clubs must invest early if they are to secure the best talents for relatively low prices, but Arsenal also need experienced players next to these talented youngster to bring them through. If Fabregas and Nasri go they will be left an extremely talented but young and inexperienced midfield. Deja vu?

There is no point in bringing through young talents such as Clichy, Nasri and Fabregas if they are to be sold just as they reach their peak and replaced with younger models that must then go through the learning process again. Such a team is perpetually stuck in a loop; never quite reaching their potential, and so it has shown at Arsenal over the past five barren seasons.

Udinese are no pushovers, even though they have lost the talent of Alexis Sanchez to Barcelona and star midfielder Gokhan Inler to Palermo. They still have Antonio Di Natale, top-scorer in Serie A for the last two season despite his advancing years with 28 league goals in 2010-11 and 29 in 2009-10, and have the ability to punish Arsenal if the club is still in turmoil over potential transfers and are not settled on the pitch.

For Arsenal to lose the two-legged tie against Udinese would be devastating. It would be the cherry on the top of a situation they are only in because of their collapse at the end of last season, which meant they finished fourth and have to go through this qualification process in the first place. Their nightmare would continue into 2011-12. Top clubs such as Arsenal simply do not budget for the eventuality of missing out on Champions League revenue, and it would be a massive blow for a club already short on confidence. Wenger has just a few days to rescue Arsenal’s season before it has even begun.

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Check out these amazing goals of the week!

Imagine, if you will, Carlos Tevez in a dress and high heels. As he struts his stuff on the dance floor his obvious assets attract the attention of certain executives and various managers. The South American player of the year and Champions league medals are pushed up together on his chest, glinting under the disco ball. He knows he’s got it, and he’s certainly not afraid to flaunt it.

A Middle Eastern man in the VIP area beckons Carlos over. “Won’t you join me for some champagne?!” He obviously has cash to burn and makes no secret of it. He wants only the best talent at his table and Carlos fits into that category.

Soon he has his arm round Carlos, whispering sweet nothings in his ear. Carlos smiles and giggles, nodding at the right time, but he can’t really understand everything that is said. Since he left Argentina he has found success because of his assets and has never really had a need to learn the language. Carlos even allows this man to rest his hand in between his medalions for a brief moment before giggling and playfully pushing it away. In broken English Carlos agrees to come back to the man’s house after the club has closed, but only if he sits up front on his own on the way back. He can’t believe his luck as Carlos kisses his badge playfully then pours himself more champagne.

After half an hour of fondling and giggling, Carlos begins to become impatient. Certain executives on the table are trying to grab his ass. They’re laughing behind his back and suggesting he’s only with the man for his champagne. Carlos’ mood sours and he gets up to leave the table. “But wait,” his suitor says, desperate that he may lose his piece of skirt, “I’ve just ordered a bottle of Perrier-Jouet!” If there’s one thing Carlos does understand it is champagne. He knows that Perrier-Jouet is worth twice as much as the Bollinger he was on before, and his worries are soon forgotten.

Carlos is laughing and joking again in no time. He’s dancing on the table, cutting some of the finest shapes of his night so far, and even getting on better with certain executives who are willing to support him if he continues to dance so well. His suitor is plying him with Perrier-Jouet and knows he’s worth it. With this calibre of champagne, Carlos will certainly be in for the long run and be his for the night. Even though there are more attractive prospects on more attractive tables, only a select few can afford Carlos’ expensive habit and they already have established partners at the front of the table with huge assets of their own.

A South American man in a three-piece suit comes over to the table. A couple of men from other tables have requested Carlos’ presence, it seems. The man with his hand on Carlos’ thigh protests, but Carlos seems to trust this man, who goes by the name of Kia. Kia took Carlos out of his Buenos Aires estate at a young age, and since then has led him on a tour of lavish clubs in Argentina, Brazil and now England. The quality of the champagne has gradually increased and Carlos has been happy to move on from club to club without ever seeing the night through.

Kia whispers in Carlos’s ear, and Carlos turns to the man, telling him that he wants to move tables to be close to his family, who have just arrived at the bar. Carlos loves his family but not so much as to sit at the bar with them because no-one there can supply the quality of champagne to which he is now accustomed. He doesn’t love them that much, it seems. He drinks half a flute of bubbly, gives the other half to Kia and starts to get up, but the man at the table holds him by the wrist. He’s invested a lot of champagne in Carlos and he won’t let him leave without a fight, not until he sees the night through with him as he had promised just minutes earlier.

Carlos bursts into tears. He admits to the man at the table that he only came over because he had been rejected by the Scottish man on the next table earlier in the night. This man had previously paid for his Champions League implant, and Carlos thought that was the start of a long-lasting love affair. In the end he had been rejected in favour of the Scottish man’s favourite, a younger man called Wayne who liked to take up the same positions as Carlos but whose assets were more pleasing to the Scottish man.

This current romance had been enjoyable, Carlos said, but in the end it was only ever going to be short-term, and was all about the champagne. He never had any intention of going home with the man. He said he hated the VIP area in which his and the Scottish man’s table were in, that he would never come back there once he had left. Carlos ran to the toilet to sort his make-up out, leaving Kia to clear up the mess.

Kia smiled awkwardly at the broken man that was left behind, and continued to drink half flutes of his champagne. The secret was now out. Everyone knew his beloved Carlos was only out for the champagne. They could not trust him anymore. The assets were still there of course, pushed up together and glistening in the disco ball, but were they worth that level of champagne, and would the table owners not now see through Carlos’s façade and into his thirsty soul? In years to come Carlos’ assets will droop. It’s time for Kia to earn his fizz.

World player of the year Lionel Messi’s goal against Manchester United in the Champions League final was his 12th in 13 games in that particular competition, and his 53rd in all. In any other era this would have been a stand-out achievement, but in 2011 it meant merely achieving parity with Cristiano Ronaldo.

La Marca, the famously pro-Real Madrid newspaper that awards the Pinchichi (La Liga top scorer) award, has handed it to Ronaldo, saying he has scored 54 times. However, most neutral observers choose to award one controversial goal from that 54 to Pepe rather than Ronaldo, which would put the two players on 53 goals each.

Either way, these two outstanding players have been scoring for fun all season long, but whilst the end result is identical this season the way in which they have achieved it is so different.  Both have lightning-fast feet, awesome pace and unerring accuracy in their finishing, but Ronaldo is so much more direct and powerful than Messi while the Argentinian, at the height of just 5ft 6, beats his opponents with pure technique and skill. This contrast in styles means that fans worldwide disagree on who is the better player. In the end it comes down to personal taste.

The two have both scored in a Champions League finals, although Messi has now won the competition three times with Barcelona, scoring in two of those finals (both against Manchester United) whilst Ronaldo has won just one, with United in 2008. Ronaldo’s scoring rate in La Liga is better than Messi’s last season, and he has now broken the record for the most amount of goals scored in a single La Liga season – 41 if you read La Marca, which accounts for 42.7 per cent of Real’s league goals in 2010-11. This was achieved with an astonishing finish to the domestic season in which he scored 11 goals in the last four games. The 54 in all competitions are made up of nine penalties, six free-kicks, five headers, 25 goals in open play with his right foot and nine with his left.

Many of Ronaldo’s fans point to the fact that his height and the accuracy of his heading gives his game another dimension over Messi’s. He scored the winning goal in the Copa del Rey final this season with an excellent headed goal, and his Champions League final goal against Chelsea was also with his head.

While Messi’s finish to the La Liga season was not quite as prolific as Ronaldo’s, he made up for that with a scintillating spell in October and November last year in which he scored 15 in ten matches for club and country. Messi scored 31 goals in 31 La Liga starts, a return that accounted for 32.6 per cent of Barca’s league goals. His 13 Champions League goals came from just 12 starts and one substitute appearance. In the Champions League Messi completed an average of 6.5 dribbles per 90 minutes, which is almost two more per game more than his nearest contender, David Ruiz of FC Twente. Ronaldo did not even make the top 10. That feat is even more impressive when it is taken into account that Messi often picks up the ball in a central position where there is much less room to manoeuvre than there is on the flanks.

Messi’s fans rightly point out that he is more selfless than Ronaldo, and works harder without the ball. Although Ronaldo has the greater strength for defending and chasing back, it is Messi who works tirelessly to close down opponents. If Messi has a chance to score but a team-mate is in a better position, there is a good chance he would pass the ball whereas Ronaldo would opt to shoot. Although Ronaldo has scored more league goals this season he has taken 250 shots to Messi’s 150, while Messi has made 18 assists to Ronaldo’s ten.

Who has been the better player this season? Dexy would like you to decide.

The midfields of both Real Madrid and Barcelona are beginning to resemble Japanese trains at rush hour. If Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola continue to pack more and more players in, it is likely they will struggle to keep each one happy and in form. Something has to give. So who will survive the cull, and who will earn starting midfield berths in 2011-12?

Barcelona

As well as Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, Barcelona also have Seydou Keita and Javier Mascherano as cover, Thiago Alcantara to be promoted to the first team after being the stand-out player of the European under 21 championships, and the now probable signing of Cesc Fabregas. Ibrahim Affelay can also play in a central attacking midfield role.

The ideal for any club is to have two players for each position, meaning a maximum of six players from those eight. Mascherano, despite having captained Argentina, has struggled to look at home with Barca’s tici-taca style. Cumbersome even. He might well go if the price is right. Although Manchester United are rumoured to be interested in Thiago, it is unlikely Barca would sell a player they have invested so much time in coaching. Having lost and eventually resigning Gerard Pique and now probably Fabregas at a cost, Barca would be loath to sell Thiago before he has reached his potential.

Thiago’s performances in Denmark demonstrated his obviously talent hewn in the now familiar Masia playing style. Of the present first-team regulars he is most reminiscent of Iniesta: playing further up the pitch with the ability to both pass and dribble around players at will.

The only scenario in which Thiago could conceivably leave is if Barca needed the cash from a silly-money bid to finance deals for Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez, which would likely cost a combined fee of £70m. As we all now know Barca’s bank statements are not as glowing as their performances on the pitch, a situation that recently forced them to sign a shirt sponsorship deal for the first time in their history.

Many have questioned where Fabregas would fit into Barca’s midfield, but Fabregas is perhaps the only midfielder who could prompt realignment in the existing trio of Catalan star. He is a Masia graduate with more assists than any other player in Europe’s top five domestic leagues over the past three seasons despite having not having tasted silverware. Xavi can play further back; Iniesta further forward, but, failing that, we saw in the World Cup final that Fabregas can also make a huge impact from the bench.

Real Madrid

Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid need more options due to their five-man midfield, but even before the recent additions of Nuri Sahin (from Borussia Dortmund, 10m Euros) and Hamit Altintop (from Bayern Munich, free transfer), they had ten first team midfielders.

Of those ten the likes of Sergio Canales and Pedro Leon have found their first team chances limited, which will obviously have a detrimental impact on their development. Mourinho hit out at the Madrid press when asked about his exclusion from the team following some exciting displays. The manager might prefer Di Maria because of the width and balance his left foot offers with Cristiano Ronaldo on the opposite flank, and also his defensive and tactical discipline. Perhaps he sees Leon and Ronaldo as too attacking as a pairing.

If this is the case then Leon must move on as he will not displace Ronaldo. At 20, Canales can afford to be a little more patient but he may also look elsewhere unless he is given significantly more playing time next season. That both players have been used so sparingly is surprising as they were both Mourinho signings.

One player who looks certain to move on is Lassana Diarra. Although Diarra was impressive against Barcelona, which is perhaps the ultimate test for a defensive midfielder in the modern game, he is always going to play second fiddle to Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira. His transfer history shows that he will not accept a place on the bench for long: He was content to move to Portsmouth for regular first-team football after being denied a regular start at Arsenal or Chelsea.

Diarra’s propensity to run with the ball and over-complicate matters plays against him. He often has the ability to do this, but the no-nonsense approach and superior passing range of Alonso and Khedira as a partnership allows the attacking three to weave their magic. Diarra arrived for 20 million Euros but Real might accept half that fee this summer.

Another 20 million Euro signing, Fernando Gago, will also want a move. Since his move from Boca Juniors he has failed to live up to the weight of expectation of early comparisons to Fernando Redondo. In his defence he has struggled with injuries that forced him to miss over 100 days of a season in which he played under 100 minutes of La Liga football, and so has not had enough opportunity to impress. There is little chance he will now, with his agent already having touted him to Manchester City and Liverpool.

It seems Sahin will be an understudy to Mesut Ozil, and will replace Kaka as Real’s second choice central attacking midfielder despite signs at the end of last season that the former World Player of the Year was rediscovering form after long-term injury. Real now have three Teutonic Turks in midfield with the versatile Altintop likely to provide cover, primarily in defensive midfield: a free transfer to replace Gago and Diarra who could fetch up to £25m between them. Decent business and a frugal decision that belies Real’s lavish past.

Sahin’s capture was also an excellent piece of business by Madrid, who swept in to pick up the 22-year-old Bundesliga player of the season for just 10 million Euros before the cash hawks of Chelsea or Man City had awoken. Ozil is unplayable on form but was slightly inconsistent at times last season and a lack of stamina can often see him tire around the 70 minute mark – something he will have to work on if he is to realise his full potential.

So, although there may be a shake-up for Madrid’s midfield squad, the starting five are likely to stay the same. Although each player performed very well in Mourinho’s first season in charge, they still lost out to and were comprehensively out-passed by Barcelona, whose starting midfield can be improved with Fabregas. Is Mourinho looking at a long-term midfield gardening project to rival the blossoming midfield at Barca? Does such a coach exist in the modern game (apart from one such as Guardiola who has until now been a one-club man)? So far in Mourinho’s career he has been used to signing players at their peak to win trophies as quickly as possible.

The Blanco youngsters Canales, Khedira, Sahin and Ozil have the potential to at least compete with Barcelona in years to come; but they need to play together as much as possible while they are still developing. Last season’s glut of Clasicos demonstrated that the existing five men of Real’s midfield are some way Barcelona’s. If Mourinho doesn’t nurture the young passengers of his midfield train, Barcelona’s could pull even further away into the distance.