Wednesday 2 June 2010

The CollinsBeans Awards 2010 - European Edition
















I guess we should first start these awards with a nice upfront caveat – naturally the judging panel, based in England, has not taken in as much European action as it would have liked to this season. This blog looks to take in football from all over the world but regrettably there are only so many hours in a day. Of course, the Champions and Europa Leagues have been ardently viewed, as have odd games, reviews and highlights of domestic European fixtures. Yet an in-depth knowledge of all European action this season would be an erroneous claim. By all means, if you have a review of the best players from Estonia or Albania drop us a line but these European awards will be primarily based on the action we’ve all seen. Hopefully this is still enough to provide an interesting viewpoint.

A second caveat is that as we have already listed our domestic awards winners, these awards are for players playing across the European leagues that aren’t the Premiership, which was basically done to stop Wayne Rooney turning up in every category.

Right, with the housekeeping out of the way, we’ll crack on with dishing out the gongs...

European Player

So, European Player of the Season. A tough call to make. Players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wesley Sneijder and Lionel Messi all stake a great claim. For large parts of the campaign, Messi has been unplayable; simply a joy to watch. Likewise, Ronaldo was in outstanding goal scoring form in Madrid, even if the second Galactico project didn’t really get off the ground. Given their treble success, a large number of Inter Milan players could also put in some convincing arguments for taking home this prestigious award.

Yet, perhaps controversially, this award is going to Arjen Robben. Success in the Champions League is widely seen as the ultimate achievement for a player based in Europe and Bayern made the final (not to mention winning the German league and cup double).

The primary reason for this is Robben who since Christmas has been, consistently, the best player around. Bayern struggling to overcome Fiorentina in the last 16 of the Champions League, up steps Robben with a sensational goal. Bayern needing a goal to get the required result at Old Trafford in the quarter final – there goes Robben with a stunning volley. Down to 10 men in the crucial first leg of the semi final against Lyon – yep, there’s Robben again, scoring another magnificent individual goal. This is all in addition to scintillating domestic form, which saw Robben finish the season with 16 league goals and a string of match-winning performances. You largely know what Robben is going to do – cut in from the right and fire shots into the back of the net. Stopping it is another matter.

European Manager

Can there be anyone else? As with many things in life, success is relative, linked to resources and the position we start in. With that in mind, it can be said that Jose Mourinho was in charge of a club with a vastly superior squad to any of his domestic rivals and yet the man achieved a treble that had never before been carried out in Italian football.

This season Inter Milan were pushed far harder than they have been in three or four seasons, with Roma breathing down their necks all the way, yet it’s the Champions League success that sets the ‘Special One’ up for this award. In the early group stages, the Italian club struggled and you could be forgiven for thinking that it would be same old, same old for the Milanese when it came to the knock out stages. However the team grew as the competition went on and European powerhouses Chelsea and Barcelona were dispatched clinically, before a final against Bayern Munich where the result never looked in doubt. Mourinho leaves for Real Madrid the first ‘Galactico coach’ and you’d be hard pressed to bet against him winning a league title in a 4th different country and making yet more history as the first coach t win the European Cup with three different teams.

Another man, Louis Van Gaal, could have been the one to celebrate a unique treble but his side came up just a little short against his former pupil. He still deserves immense credit for taking his club so far and for achieving great domestic success. Finally, mentions for two managers who took their clubs to historic league titles, breaking up cartels that have had a stranglehold on success in Holland and Turkey respectively for decades. So please step forward Mr. Steve McLaren and Mr. Ertuğrul Sağlam for their fantastic work at FC Twente and Bursaspor respectively.

European Goalkeeper

You might be thinking that these awards are going to be somewhat ‘Inter dominated’ but then when you win a treble, including the Champions League that’s hardly surprising. In the past, it’s been said that Brazil couldn’t produce good goalkeepers but that is clearly no longer the case with the country being able to pick from a wide range of them, notably the man who will be their No. 1 at the World Cup and the man who is coming of a superb season with the Italian champions; Julio Cesar. Ultra reliable, calm, a shot stopper, quick of his line and dominant of his area – an all round ‘keeper, and arguably on form, the best in his position in the world.

A notable mention should go to Victor Valdes, who has been the best keeper in Spain this season. He used to be referred to as a weak link in the Barca side, but he’s been in excellent form over the last couple of years, and for an Englishman struggling to find one good goalkeeper it’s depressing that he’s never even been capped by Spain. Finally, shout outs for Hugo Lloris of Lyon and France who has put in some sterling performances for club and country this year as well as a more unheralded name in Portuguese No. 1 Eduardo from the surprise package of Sporting Braga.

European Defender

Lucio. Walter Samuel runs him close, but the long-legged Brazilian takes the crown. We all know Mourinho likes his sides to defend, and Inter do it better than most. Restraining Barcelona to one late strike at the Nou Camp (with 10 men) and keeping a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge (where 68 goals were scored in 19 league games) are fine achievements in themselves and Lucio was key to both of those, plus Inter’s generally parsimonious defence.

Lucio may come across as a tad unhinged, but his performances this season have been of the highest quality. The man is simply a very, very good centre back. He could also be crucial to Brazil’s fortunes in the World Cup.

European Midfielder

Who’s more effective in the success of a team? A combative, tough tackling holding midfield player or a jinking, attacking winger? There’s also debate over what is a ‘midfielder’ and what is a ‘forward’? Positions are flexible, yet for the purpose of this award, players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi were classified as forward players, just to clear that one up.

In modern day football midfield is where games are won and lost and over the past nine or ten months we’ve seen some sensational midfield performers; Lucho Gonzalez (Marseille), Esteban Cambiasso & Wesley Sneidjer (Inter Milan), Angel Di Maria (Benfica), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen), Daniele De Rossi (Roma)...but after all that, someone has to win, and so we are proud to nominate Xavi of Barcelona, the man who makes his club tick more than any other and a man who possesses one of the finest and most varied selection of assists for his teams goals that you have ever seen. Messi may grab all of the headlines, but Xavi is arguably the most important player at the Nou Camp and the very embodiment on the pitch of the clubs ideology.

European Striker

Maybe not the biggest name, and a man who for many seasons has been something of an unheralded journeyman of a striker, nonetheless Diego Milito is the clear choice for this award. It is perhaps odd, that given the phenomenal season he has had (47 goals in all competitions) that Lionel Messi will not pick up an individual award here but Milito’s successes, coming from something of left field make him our choice.

Some strikers are accused of never turning up in the big games or never turning up when it matters. Many can rack up the goals against bottom of the table opposition, but the sheer importance of Milito’s goals have given them the edge. Over 30 strikes in all competitions, but he was always the man to turn it on when it mattered. Goal that secured the Serie A title on the last day of the season? Milito. Goal that won the Coppa Italia final? Milito. Exceptionally taken goals that brought home the European Cup? Milito.

Making his name at Genoa and Zaragoza his goal scoring record stands up with the best, but it was still something of an unexpected punt when Inter stumped up the cash to take him, mainly because of his unheralded reputation. Perhaps the quote that sums up his season the best comes from the Guardian Newspaper in the wake of the Champions League final;

“Vision, timing, flawless technique and sangfroid – these two goals had everything a great striker needs, plus a sense of lyricism in the fluency of his movement. The 30-year-old Milito is hardly a fancy striker, not a Messi taking your breath away with a trick or a Tevez galvanising the stadium with elemental force, but his economy has been just as devastating.”

European Team

Points for originality? Not many, but then it’s hard to argue with these players and the seasons that the three clubs that they come from have had. The rather long subs bench is where you’ll find some of the more ‘outside of the box’ names;

Julio Cesar (Inter Milan)
Maicon (Inter Milan)
Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan)
Lucio (Inter Milan)
Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
Xavi (Barcelona)
Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan)
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich)
Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Diego Milito (Inter Milan)

Subs; Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Victor Valdes (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Bryan Ruiz (FC Twente), Angel Di Maria (Benfica), Walter Samuel (Inter Milan)

No comments:

Post a Comment