Xavi is the mastermind behind Barcelona

                                                       

                                                            

The statistics alone from Saturday evening are bewildering: the Barcelona captain for the night passed the ball more than the top three United players combined and with his customary 90 per cent plus accuracy; he ran further than any other participant and 27 times he picked out Lionel Messi.And he did most of this work in the final third of the pitch, where space and time are at the biggest premium. But the stats don't tell the whole story. Not even half of it.The naked eye showed that here was, at 31, a player at the top of his game and one who also completely demolishes the notion of burn-out as he strode forward, sucking in United defenders to then slip a perfectly-weighted pass through to Pedro to score the opening goal.Xavi, like five of his Barca team-mates who started the Champions League final, also played in the World Cup final for Spain back on July 11 last year. With international commitments the Confederations Cup, before that the European Championship this summer represents the first for almost four years that Xavi will be permitted a proper break from football.It shows that the game is not about running. It's about movement. It's not about physicality; it's about mentality. A game played in the head.Burn-out exists, but it is compounded by the intensity, the running power and bruising nature of the Premier League more than anything else. It is the nature of the football played in England that needs to be addressed. No one sums that up more than Xavi who has taken the role of being the heartbeat of this team, arguably the best club side the world has ever seen, certainly the best for two decades, to a higher level.The work-rate is immense but because Barca push so far up the field, it does not involve sapping, lung-bursting runs or lunging tackles.Instead it's a constant darting and shuffling, stealing the ball back, recycling, which is also taxing and sometimes means they do indeed fade in the final half-hour.In an interview, Xavi gave an explanation that should be printed out and posted in every football club, at every level, in the country and every coach should learn it by heart and drill it into their players. Xavi said this: "Think quickly, look for spaces. That's what I do: look for spaces. All day. I'm always looking. All day, all day. Here? No. There? No. People who haven't played don't always realise how hard that is. Space, space, space."It is hard, but it also becomes second nature. It was only when Xavi started to command the ball at Wembley, after United's initial burst, that the patterns started to be traced.

Argentina VS. Nigeria Match On 1st June Without Messi

1st of June 2011 has been set aside for a game between the super eagles of Nigeria and the ruthless boys of the Argentine national team in Abuja National Stadium. though some players like Hugain, Tevez, Messi, Mascherano and the likes of other notable names might miss the final list yet to be released by the coach of Argentina, other names who are rumored to be from their local league are expected to fill into the gap.This is going to be the first grade A match under the tutelage of coach Samson Siasia, is he likely to prove to the whole of Nigeria, Africa and the rest of the world.

                                                                      

Nigeria coach Samson Siasia has left out Osaze Odemwingie from his squad for June's double header against Argentina and Ethiopia.Instead, Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi has been called up take part in the high profile friendly against the South Americans in Abuja and an African Nations Cup qualifier in Addis Ababa.Siasia also handed a recall to defender Yusuf Mohammed to plug the hole at right-back, with Heartland's Chibuzor Okonkwo the only available right-back following the tragic loss of Adefemi Olubayo early this month.

Also recalled is Karabukspor striker Emmanuel Emenike.

                                                        
Nigerian Squad

Goalkeepers : Vincent Enyeama, Dele Aiyenugba, Austin Ejide

Defenders : Chibuzor Okonkwo, Yusuf Mohammed, Taye Taiwo, Joseph Yobo, Dele Adeleye, Efe Ambrose, Yusuf Ayila

Midfielders : John Mikel Obi, Joel Obi, Fengor Ogude, Kalu Uche, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Nosa Igiebor, Isaac Promise

Forwards : Victor Anichebe, Peter Utaka, Obinna Nsofor, Ike Uche, Ekigho Ehiosun, Emmanuel Emenike, Ahmed Musa

Standby : Shola Ameobi, Victor Moses

Argentina Squad :

Goalkeepers : Oscar Ustari,Augustin Marchesin,

Defenders : Mateo Musacchio,Nicolas Otamendi,Ezequiel Garay,Pablo Zabaleta,Marcos Angeleri,Federico Fazio,Emiliano Insua,

Midfielders : Tino Costa,Nicolas Bertolo,Mario Bolatti,Fernando Belluschi,Alejandro Cabral,Diego Perotti,Mauro Formica

Strikers : Pablo Piatti,Marco Ruben,Jonathan Cristaldo,Nicolas Gaitan

Consolation match win Juneau-Douglas Girls Team..

                                                            


It might not have been the result the Juneau-Douglas girls’ soccer team wanted, but coach Matt Dusenberry and his team are ecstatic about their third-place finish in a 2-1 win over Chugiak.“We just beat the No. 1 seed of the tournament in that match,” he said. “They have a national team player on that squad, so to come out and put it all out there it was quite impressive how the girls played today.”Despite losing a 2-1 heart breaker to South the day before, the Bears came out with a focus. They were not about to lose their final game of the season.Juneau-Douglas scored two goals in the first seven minutes and never looked back, containing the Chugiak attack for nearly the entire game.In the second minute of the game, Dusenberry said Lia Domke played a ball from the back line across the pitch to Solana Ashe, who was able to make her way in for a successful shot on goal.Dorothy Brent then crossed the ball in the box just five minutes later where Rebekka Ord was waiting. The freshman settled the ball out of the air and put it away to give the Bears a lead they wouldn’trelinquish.Chugiak scored on a deep shot from one of its backs to close within one goal in the final 10 minutes, but that’s as close as the tournament’s No. 1 seed would get.“Pretty much the entire match we were winning those 50-50 balls. When you’re playing your third game with tired legs, to have a team effort like that was impressive.”The Bears’ loss the day before eliminated them from title contention. But Dusenberry said he was happy with how his team resonded after a slow start.“I don’t know if it was nerves or what, but in the first half we kind of sat back a little bit and our touch was just out of sync. We let two impressive goals in, so we definitely put ourselves in a hole,” he said. “But we came back in and made a game of it in the second half. Dorothy had a pure-effort goal within the first eight minutes of the half, so we were back in it and creating chances for ourselves.”South went on to win 3-0 over Dimond in the title game, and Dusenberry said his team took solace in the fact that it competed better against the eventual champs than the Wolverines’ final opponent.“We were there to watch the match, so of course that’s how they were seeing it, too,” he said.While it’s disappointing to fall just shy of a state title, there is plenty of young promise throughout the Bears’ roster, which gives Dusenberry confidence in the future of the program.....