Falcao in Mónaco

The soccer star Falcao Garcia, apparently is not as good person as we expected him to be. We can notice this in his recent incorporation to the club "Monaco". Personally, I think that a good player should not focus on how much money is he receiving, because still if you are playing in Europe you have to have a pretty good income. That's not the case of the Colombian super star, who, having many offerings from very good teams, decided to go to a team that was recently incorporated in the first division of the country. What nobody knew, was that a very powerful manager, that has a very considerable amount of money. That is going to be the main reason for Falcao's attention, as almost every Colombian in the world, he wants power and money to be able to have the best future he can (even though he actually was very well paid) For many fans it is a disappointment because many of them would have wanted him to play in England , a very possible destiny for him before Monaco's offering. I think people would have to focus themselves in more than money, because the respect that he has gained was a very good one, but this last transfer is very arguable, because it is not the best decision for him.

Pulido

Neymar: A new member in Barcelona

Neymar, the star of Santos, one of the biggest team of Brasil, will be part of the "new" Barcelona, of 2014. It was made official this afternoon eventhough it was already assured by many websites. Neymar, had announced his will to participate in Barcelona, because of his love to that team.

I don´t know how it will be now, the forwards of Barcelona are really good and now they will be extremely accurate, although I prefere (excluding the Real Madrid of "Los Galácticos) that each team has one and only one star. Now, with Messi and Neymar, it will be difficult to grant importance to one or to another, and, it will be difficult as well, that Neymar´s game (similar to Cristiano Ronaldo´s) adapts to the Tiki Taka of Barcelona.

I don´t know how the team will be now, I just hope their football is still the same one, so that matches against Real Madrid are still exciting.


S.T.

A Contradicting Final

After a many weeks of waiting, the final of the Champions League was played yesterday. After mid day, the players marched on to the field after a very military style opening ceremony. The teams were all focused and ready to play the biggest game of the year and maybe in their lives. It would be an all German final between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. The atmosphere was electrifying at Wembley stadium and the stands were divided into red ad yellow, each containing cheerful fans. The game started at 1:30 (BOG time). From the start, Borussia came out playing with their very best. They pressured Bayern and completely shut them down. They didn't have to worry about Bayern scoring a goal because they were smothering them. The first half was all dominated by Borussia. They had three very clear chances of scoring, but Bayern's goalkeeper, Neuer, played a solid first half ad kept the score 0-0. Borussia striker, Lewandowski was very close to scoring a few goals but Bayern managed to stay in the game. The second half started a bit different. Bayern came out a little bit more active and started to have more possession of the ball. The match started to become more interesting and now both teams were playing good quality soccer. Bayern started to get more and more chances and came close several times to driving the ball into the back of the net. What kept it 0-0 was Borussia's goalkeeper who made some acrobatic saves and showed that he is the best goalkeeper in Europe. After a while, a goal was inevitable. Mandzukic (Bayern) scored in the 60th minute after a ball was crossed by Robben. Eight minutes later, Borussia tied the game after Gundogan converted a penalty shot. The game was back to a level playing field. It was looking as if the game would go into overtime but in the 89th minute, Robben scored for Bayern. This was a devastating blow for Borussia. It was the end of the match and there was little that they could do. They played hard until the end but time had run out for them. Bayern was crowned king of European soccer. This match was very contradicting because the team that deserves to win and who played with more heart, ended up losing the game in the final minutes. In the eyes of many, Borussia was the underdog and showed during the match that they deserved to win. They are a humble team that fought for the win, but destiny kicked them down. Either way, both teams showed that they deserved to be in the finals. It was difficult to predict who would win, so who ever won would win by a bit, just like it happened yesterday. Now we must wait until next soccer season to watch the champions league again. The drama of this competition is what makes it so interesting and the wait worthwhile.

A.C.P.

The End is in Sight

After some weeks off of the Champions League, we will soon be able to watch some great quality soccer. This Saturday, the peak of the whole competition will take place and the whole world will be watching their tv screens. The final stage will be played, and all the soccer fans in the world will be synced in to the action that will take place on May 25 in Wembley Stadium. It will be the battleground for two titans of soccer. Two teams will meet up to fight for the title of the best football club in Europe. The final two teams were expected to be from England or Spain since these two countries always have the best teams in the world, but everything changed this year. The forgotten German squads rose from the bottom and clinched both final spots. On their way to doing so they consistently crushed team after team, showing that indeed they were the best in Europe and that they deserved to dispute the final match. Thai Friday, a great final ill take place between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. They both have excellent players that will help them to win. It will not come down to the lack of talent, because clearly they both have elite players. Instead it will come down to who plays with more passion, intelligence and who makes less mistakes. The favourite continues to be Bayern since they finished at the top of their league, clearly beating Borussia in points. This may be true but these two teams recently faced off in a league match and it ended in a 1-1 draw. This clearly shows that these teams are equally matched. The finals might have to go into extra time or even penalties. Maybe one of the teams will clearly pull away during the match and easily claim the title. No one knows what will happen. The intensity at which the teams play and the quality of soccer always make the results very hard to predict. Anything can happen in those 90 minutes in England. Every soccer fan's eyes will be glued to the tv waiting to see the next champion. The next to lift that cup and obtain glory.

A.C.P.

The End of an Era?

Last week Real Madrid achieved a tie and gave all the possibilities for Barceloan to win La Liga, which they did a day after. Never the less, it wasn´t something astonishing, because everyone knew it already, everyone understood that it was impossible to win La Liga at that moment. It didn´t matter, we had the Champions League.

After a 4-1 in Dortmund, it was impossible to win the semifinals. But, the team never gave up. They maintain its search for victory even at minute 90, where one goal made the difference. The Global Score was 4 to 3, and once again (the third time for Mou) the Merengues were kicked off from the Final of the Champions League.  It didn´t matter, we had the Final of the Copa del Rey.

Friday night, a very special and important night. It was decisive, either Mou obtained at least a trophy this year or he would have to leave the team. We all supported him, even though he left in the bech the best goalkeeper of the world, Iker Casillas. One goal at minuto 13 from Cristiano Ronaldo showed the possibility for the Real Madrid to win, once again the Copa del Rey. But, just before the end of the first 45 minutes, a great maneuver from Falcao gave a goal to the Atletico de Madrid. It didn´t matter, our team is better, or that was what we thought. The ball hits on the bar, once, twice and three times. I couldn´t beleive it, but we had the extra time. A goal from the Atletico de Madrid was the last hit neccesary for a K.O.

Mourinho shows again his arrogance, he has been defeated and accepts he did wrong this season, but the Madrid is not intereste anymore in him, and are willing to kick him out.

I hope they do, I hope this is the end of the Mourinho´s era, I want Casilla back, and glory as well.

S.T.

Real Madrid, a total disappointment

Spanish soccer is decreasing its level as time passes. I think that a clear evidence of what I am saying is the terrible performance that Real Madrid has had this season,loosing almost every opportunity that the club has had. Last Friday, we witnessed the sad match that the club had in the Copa Del Rey's final, against Atlletico Madrid. It was the last chance the club had of winning a tournament in this season, because the liga was already lost and so was the Champions League. Moreover, the team's manager Jose Mourinho was not doing what you can call a "very good job". The man is only interested in winning everything that he can win no matter the things he has to do to accomplish the goal. In one hand, perhaps this perspective of life is not a bad one, because you can see that he had the mentality of a champion, but I disagree in the aspect that he has changed the team so much that it has no essence at all. In other words, what the team has always been had been lost, for example, Iker Casillas is now in the bench. Recent news say that he has had several problems with other members of the team, because if he does not like it, we removes it. Anyway, I still have the hope that the team will get to improve, because it still is one of the best teams in the world.

Pulido 11b

Thank you Sir Alex

After the Manchester's United Manager, Sir Alex Ferguson anouncced his retirement there is not a football player or manager who denied his supremacy. He rescued a team from the greatest fear for a football club, going to second division. He created teams after teams he was aleays thinking in the future while he was winning in the present. Certainly ehat every single manchester fan must say is than you sir alex ferguson, thank you.

Here are some quotes from him:

On Ryan Giggs "I remember the first time I saw him. He was 13 and just floated over the ground like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind."

On José Mourinho "He was certainly full of it, calling me boss and big man when we had our post-match drink after the first leg. But it would help if his greetings were accompanied by a decent glass of wine. What he gave me was paint-stripper."

Soccer and the Prom

Hello, the prom is near. Today, I'm handing out some tickets for the prom and its Wednesday. Today, I will watch the first match of the final of the King's Cup (Copa del Rey). In which my beloved team, the Real Madrid is going to penetrate the Athleti. 

Real Madrid's league wasn't good enough; they are just fighting for the previous Cup. I am sad because that team deserves to be better. To win more cups and championships. 

On the other hand, the prom is going to be awesome, it is a better thing than Barcelona, an event so successfull that it will be the best prom ever, a better work than Barcelona's 6 titles in 2009.

S.T.

Futbol 5 or Futbol 11?

What is the best way to play soccer when you are with your friends? Personally I find it beter to play futbol 5 because it's a better way to have fun and bother with your mates, futbol 5 has been the best invention after the soccer ball, because it have changed the way of playing this incredible sport, personally I think that there should be a world cup of futbol 5 it would be almot more exciting and there would be more goals. When you think about futbol 11 its really something for pros, and you will preffer to run less and have more emoions in the game, so thats why I like more futbol 5 than futbol 11. Diego Alejandro Roa Y.

La Liga News

After a long year of Spanish soccer, the la Liga tournament is reaching its final stages. The teams are now playing their final games to see what next year will look like. Many teams are playing to stay in the league and not descend Ito the inferior "B" tournament. Others have clearly earned the chance to stay in this category but are now battling out the spots for next year's UEFA champions league and EUFA Europa League tournaments. the chance to advance to the champions tournament is something that they all wish but only few get to live this dream. At the moment, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are the clear winners of the three spots for the tournament. The other teams that follow are fighting for a chance to qualify to the preliminary rounds of the champions league or Europa league. There are only a few games left, so the pressure is accumulating and the tension can be felt in the air. The teams will need to push with all their strength so that they can finish off the year on a good note. The one thing that is now set in stone is the winner of the La Liga tournament. After 36 weeks of play, Barcelona has clinched the title. They have accumulated the sufficient amount of points so that it is impossible for other teams to catch up to them or pass them. Last Sunday was the day were the final nail was driven. Barcelona secured the title and reclaimed first place after losing last year to Real Madrid. This means that Barcelona has also secured a spot in the Spanish Supercopa which is a game played by the la Liga winner an the Copa del Rey winner. They must now wait for the winner of the final (Copa del Rey) between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. It is going to be interesting to see how the year ends. Many teams will undergo changes but no one knows exactly what types of changes. An example is Barcelona who, after being eliminated in the UEFA champions league  semifinal, showed that there is something wrong with the teams structure. They must make some drastic changes an start fresh in order to be a powerful team again. They can't just ride on Messi's back and hope that he will win games for them. Real is also another team. They have undergone changes this year, like the change in goalkeepers, switching from the great Iker Casillas to the new Diego Lopez. It's going to be a very anticipated off season and no one knows what next year will bring. Soccer is a very interesting sport and these ups and downs are the things that make it so enjoyable.

A.C.P. 11B

Will Barcelona improve ?

As most of you may know , the Spanish team that's now directed by Tito Vilanova is not properly in its best moment. A very clear proof of this fact is the recent elimination that the team has had in the Champions League, but this time it was clearly one of the most humiliating eliminations that the team has had in many years. With no hope at all, the team has no choice at all and only manage to be comfortable with the winning of the Spanish tournament. But as many people say, hope is the only thing that is left for us, and it's not how hard you get hit, it is all about how much you resist and keep going, because the path to success is not easy. That's what's going to happen to the club, with the incorporation of the Brazilian player Neymar, a very talented young man that has been nominated to be FIFA's best player for several years. Moreover, the young man had signed with the team about 1 year ago, his delay was due to the feelings that he had for his country, so he did not wanted to go so early from the country. This transfer is probably one of the best ones that the world has ever seen, considering that the combination of his abilities and the abilities of Messi ( actually the best player in the world) will end up to create again a very good "age" for the Spanish team.

Pulido 11b

The future of Bayern Munchen

Besides the already known final of the Champions League, we would still have to question ourselves what is going to happen to the German team of Bayern. Regardless of what happens in the battle that's going to take place on May 25, what the team will confront on the next 4 months will be a series of changes that will totally benefit the team's potential. In one first aspect, they will have the incorporation of one of the beats coaches in the world as it is Pep Guardiola, former coach of Barcelona. As everybody knows, his career in Barcelona was very close to what we can call "perfect", winning almost every tournament that he could with the Spanish team. Eventhough there are doubts about what would be his results with the German team, the fans show a very hopeful expectation of the club's future. Additionally, two players will be now transferred to the club, young talents such as Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski, actually playing for Dortmund. Perhaps both players will have a great performance in the German team, because the world has seen that they present a very great level of skills. Moreover, I think that the team's performance in this season is still unsurpassable, I hope that the level will be improved ( if it can be improved ) in a very direct way, so the only doubt that I have is if there would be a team that will be good enough to beat Bayern?

Pulido 11b

Mou will remain as coach of Real Madrid

Eventhoug many "madridistas" hate Mourinho just because he benched Iker Casillas (for most of us the best goalkeeper in the world, including me) he will remain as trainer of the Merengues, at least for a new season. The directives of the club have not yet sign de contract, never the less José affirmed his interest in being part of the Real Madrid for one more season.

Since his arrival, the Real Madrid has return to its path of glory. It achieved once again a Liga Title, won again a Copa del Rey and arrived to semi-finals, three time in a row. Something that since 2000, hadn´t occured because they didn´t even achieved quarter finals.Al though I would like Iker back in the initial team, Mourinho is a good trainer, he has returned glory to the Real Madrid, love to the madridistas for the team and, after all, he is the coach, and know better than us, how the team should handle matches and the best organization for each one.

I believe Mou wants to win the Champions League with the Real Madrid, after all, he has been so close to achieving it that before returning to Chelsea, it is mandatory to win it with a club full of stars. His personal goal is to with the most importatn European competition and I have faith in him.

Nevertheless, Mou has lost the batlle with the CEO´s of the club, with the fans and even with the team. He is accused of egocentric, selfish and arrogant, he is hated by the most traditional fans of the Real Madrid, and is attacked by his own team. Last week, Pepe assured that the team was supporting Casillas and his return to the initial team, but Mourinho affirmed that Diego López will be part of it till he is kicked out of the club. I believe that Iker is better than Diego López, but we have to be faithful in the coach, and trust him.

S.T.

The Final is Set!!!!

After many weeks of interesting matches and disappointing loses, the final of the UEFA Champions League is set. The semifinal results were set in stone this week after the second leg was played. Two weeks ago some of the worst champions league matches were played and to our surprise it saw many fans turn off the tv before the game was done. The huge disappointment of seeing four teams in the semis where only two of the teams showed up to play, was something that has not been seen in previous years. The game between Real Madrid (Spain) vs Borussia Dortmund (Germany) saw the match ending in a 4-1 loss for the spaniards. In the other match of the first leg, between Barcelona and Bayern, the score finished 4-0 with a compelling loss for the spaniards. The German teams had secured a very good lead and were in no hurry to play the second leg. This week, the teams met again to compete for the spot in the finals. Both games saw the Spanish teams playing at home, trying to accomplish huge come backs. The first game, on Tuesday was between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. The German squad was pretty relaxed since all the pressure was on Real. The game started out at a nice pace. Both teams were playing strong and constantly making excellent plays. It looked as if the game was so even that the score would finish at 0-0. This changed quickly in the 80th minute. The Spanish team started to feel the pressure and they were desperate to score. After many good plays, they managed to score. A few minutes afterwards, they managed to sneak another goal into the German team's net. It was looking as if a come back was in sight. Sadly, time ran out for Real Madrid and the game finished 2-0 for them. Although the German team lost, they advanced to the final because of the 4-3 aggregate score. This was the first ticket to the final. The second game, on Wednesday, was between Barcelona (Spain) and Bayern Munich (Spain). After the huge loss of 4-0, the Spanish team was looking for a historical come back. Bayern Munich, considered one of the best teams in the world, was not going to play easily in this second leg. Barcelona came out fighting but quickly faded away and started to play in the mediocre fashion that has characterized them lately. On top of that, Messi was not playing and this lowered the teams confidence since the best player in the world was absent. The German team quickly took advantage of that and piled on three goals to further secure their place in the finals. The hole was now too deep for Barcelona to get out of. The game ended 3-0 for the Germans and they classified with a surprising 7-0 aggregate score. While one Spanish team tried to rally back, the other sunk even more into misery. The German teams proved to be too strong and they secured their place in the finals. Now, we must wait for a little over three weeks for the final. It will be a great German classic played in Europe's best stadium: Wembley. It will be interesting since this weekend Bayern and Borussia played against each other in their respective league: Bundesliga, and they tied 1-1. They are both evenly matched teams and anything could happen on May 25. All we can do now is wait and wait for the most anticipated match of the year.

A.C.P.

What can we assure about the Champions League?

After the tight game between Real Madrid and Dortmund, and the absolute defeat of Messi's team committed by Bayern Munchen, the only question that we can ask ourselves is the destiny of this cup, what team will be the one that shall raise the maximum title in all Europe, will it be the old and experienced team of Bayern, or the revelation of the year until now, the young men of Borusia Dortmund? In first place, it is essential to consider that the match will be the confrontation between two teams of the same country, a very unusual fact in the story of the tournament. One thing that I can guarantee is precisely that everyone of us expects a great match, a battle that deserves to be named "the Champions League's final", it is perhaps the only the requirement that the match would have to have. Likewise, we all know that both teams have acquired great level throughout time, and that they have imposed themselves over worldwide soccer, giving the message that Germany has now a great level in this sport. Moreover, it is quite difficult to now what the future will be, I think will not witness a precarious dispute, on the contrary it'll be one full of drama and suspense. We will all witness great talent coming from both sides, and the unknown destiny of this worshiped cup will be decided on May 25, in the Wembley stadium at London.

Pulido 11b