Final Snippets from Around Europe
France:
Champions: Montpellier
Champions League:
PSG, Lille
Europa League: Lyon,
Bordeaux, Marseille
Montpellier emerged as the
surprise of the 2011-12 season in Europe, winning their first ever French Ligue
1 crown with equal parts verve and swagger. Their triumph is a resounding
vindication of owner Louis Nicollin’s policy of youth recruitment and coach
Rene Girard’s system of fast, possession based, penetrative football. While Qatari money, Carlo Ancelotti and a
host of cultured transfers weren't enough to give PSG a title they seemed
destined for, the flair and belief flowing through Montpellier was more than
enough to tip the scales in the latter's favour.
Olivier Giroud showed the world
his talents, both as playmaker and finisher, as he led La Paillade to their first ever league title. Lille, who finished third, have in recent
years been the stable from which most young talent has been recruited by clubs
abroad. However, after the purple and
white's star turn, many an overseas manager and scout will be scouring their
roster. The French League's reputation
and performance has dwindled in recent years with both the performance and
profile of Ligue 1 teams being called into question, however with a breadth of
competition and parity not seen in any of the other top leagues, it remains
fascinating viewing.
PSG's season can be considered a
largely catastrophic failure as their inability to win a title that was theirs
for the taking, and that they were in pole position to win, slipped through
their fingers during a fatal run in. While
individual players like Kevin Gameiro, Javier Pastore and Nene sparkled, PSG
rarely took off and dominated opponents like Barcelona, Real Madrid or even Manchester
City did this season. And while it is
hardly fair to compare the Parisian giants to any of the aforementioned trio,
PSG's financial clout is in the same league. Moreover their strength in both players and resources, compared to the
rest of the French top division is even more dominant. PSG should have walked
the title this year and will be expected to do so the following year.
PSG's chairman, however will
consider this a job well done as he openly talked of regular champions' league
participation as the club's goal for the near future. With the talent on tap, PSG should return to
the winner’s circle next season as they will be the only team in France that
can strengthen on all fronts.
Leading Scorers:
Olivier Giroud, Montpellier and Nene,
PSG, 21 goals
Holland:
Champions: Ajax
Champions’ League:
Feyenoord
Europa League: PSV, AZ, Heerenveen, Twente, Vitesse
Ajax continued their renewal with
their second League crown on the trot. After a slow start the Amsterdam club picked up steam when it mattered
and eventually coasted to their 31st domestic crown. With a young team that many felt would
struggle to retain their title from last season, the capital club showed they
had the staying power and experience to last the distance. Frank De Boer has done wonders with a mashup
of a squad that is big on heart if low on quality.
However, the story of the season
has to be Feyenoord’s propulsion to second place, a complete turnaround from
last season when they flirted with relegation. The Rotterdam club had been in the doldrums for several years and looked
likely to fall out of the Eredivisie altogether in 2010-11 as heavy defeats to
rivals (10-0 to PSV), coaching changes, a player revolt and heavy debt
threatened to derail the club. However,
after some crucial player sales, promoting talent from the youth academy and
shrewd loan signings, Feyenoord began the season in recovery mode under the
steady hand of Dutch footballing legend Ronald Koeman. The injection of youth paid off and Feyenoord
improved on its horrific 10th place finish in 2011 with a solid
second this time. Moreover the Dutch Footballing Authority, KNVB, declared the
club to no longer be in the financial danger zone on account of its shrinking
debt. If it does make it into the group
stage proper next year, the windfalls can have encouraging financial
implications for the club.
For PSV and Twente the season was
very much one of regression and stagnation. PSV had the most talented squad with plenty of championship winning
experience but came unstuck at crucial moments. While 3rd is nothing to scoff at, PSV should be doing much
better. Twente, winners of the title in
2010, steadily dropped down the table and replaced sacked Co Adriaanse with
Championship winning manager Steve McLaren; but he was unable to stem the rot
as they finished sixth. Both Twente and
PSV led the table at one point in time and could have held on to win the
league. Around them AZ and Heerenveen in
fourth and fifth, respectively, will look back on a positive and encouraging
season. Both clubs will hope to
strengthen their financial situation if nothing else, with a solid run in the
2013 Europa League.
Leading Scorer: Bas Dost, Heerenveen, 32 goals
Portugal:
Champions: Porto
Champions League:
Benfica, Braga
Europa League:
Academica, Sporting, Maritimo
Porto continued its utter
domination of the local top flight with another near flawless season that saw
them collect the championship with 75 points from 30 games. They only lost once, at Gil Vicente, for
their only defeat in the league in two seasons. They may have floundered in Europe, and were expected to struggle after
the loss of managerial prodigy Andres Villas-Boas and several key players, but
their domestic form is still as good as ever, more than a healthy springboard
for their continental pursuits. Porto’s
transfer policy allows them to hand pick players who suit their style of play,
a robust direct style that relies on pacy wingers and strength in and around
the box.
Benfica tried their best to run
the Blue and White juggernaut close but other than a brief six week period in
the middle part of the season when they were at the summit, were unable to turn
the screw. They scored a healthy amount
of goals (66 to Porto’s 69) but had a more porous defence than their rivals and
eventually that proved to be the difference. Still, they have little reason to
be unhappy as they return to the Champions’ League and can count on a solid
roster that is only a player or two away from winning again.
Braga continued its impressive
recent seasons with another third place finish and will head into the playoff
round for the Champions’ League next season while Sporting paid for its deep
run in the Europa League with a drop to fourth. Maritimo were most impressive of the smaller teams with an encouraging
fifth place, a spot they maintained throughout the campaign.
Leading Scorer: Oscar Cardozo, Benfica and Lima, Braga, 20 goals
Scotland:
Champions: Celtic
Champions League: Motherwell
Europa League: Dundee
United, Hearts, St. Johnstone
Celtic may have won the
Premiership at a canter, after a sluggish start that saw them fall 10 points
behind rivals Rangers, early on, however their European form showed that this
was a third rate division in a country that is becoming footballing
backwater. Celtic crashed out of the
Europa League at the group stage and questions must be asked of the management
at one of Europe’s oldest institutions. Across the city, things were even worse as Scotland’s other giant,
Rangers, entered administration and were ineligible to enter European
competition next season, as a result of remaining in such a state at season’s
end. Rangers’ season started well, with
a strong run in the league but their lead was slowly chipped away, as they
floundered both on and off the pitch. If
a club the size of Rangers is in financial meltdown, what hope for the rest of
the division? However, this has come as a
shock to the system and all clubs will take note.
But perhaps in the demise, albeit
temporary, of one of Scottish football’s heavyweights, lies the roots of its
rejuvenation. Motherwell, who had an
excellent campaign to finish third, will enter the Champions’ League qualifying
rounds and could do with the injection of money from a round or two of
progression, perhaps even to the group stage. Behind them the trio of Europa League bound clubs will all benefit from
the influx of much needed monies from European competition and the trickle of this
money will be felt up and down the division. Hearts surprised everyone with a Scottish Cup win and will be buoyed by
their success against the big two.
Scotland’s only hope is for the
parity to return to the league so that the talent and money is better
distributed across more of the clubs. And at this rate, things can only get better.
Leading Scorer: Gary
Hooper, Celtic, 24 goals
No comments:
Post a Comment