Bale bags brace at the Bernabeu

 

 

By David Lee Wheatley

 

Gareth Bale bagged two goals of his own and set up another two for Real Madrid as they romped to an emphatic 7-3 victory against Sevilla at the Bernabeu last night.

After a listless display in El Clasico last Saturday versus arch-rivals Barcelona, many in the Spanish media seemed determined to denounce Bale as a waste of money. This was in spite of the fact that he’d hardly played for Los Blancos since his world-record end of summer transfer from Tottenham through a catalogue of injuries that severely hampered his ability to settle into his stride in the Spanish capital.

Despite such strong and unwarranted criticism, the Welshman didn’t appear to be letting it affect him when playing an instrumental part in everything good about the home side yesterday evening. The winger was the chief reason they held a handy cushion to fall back on when Sevilla made a concerted effort to get back into the match from three-down, at one stage advancing to within one goal of their illustrious opponents.

Just 27 minutes in, Bale had already notched a nifty double to put his new club in command of the clash, before goalscoring phenomenon Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a third. A few jittery moments ensued when Sevilla brought the score back to 3-2 with five minutes of the first-half remaining through a Rakitic penalty and a Bacca strike. However, Benzema and Ronaldo stretched the lead further after the break prior to Sevilla grabbing a third, before the Portuguese superstar completed a fine hat-trick and Karim Benzema sealed the game with his second through a neat header.

Cristiano’s treble elevated him above the great Ferenc Puskas into fourth spot on the all-time scorer chart with an incredible 157. It’s a mark of the player that he’s reached such a landmark at the relatively young age of 28 and with many more years in the tank. At just 24, Bale will look to emulate his feted colleague in becoming a living legend in the eyes of those fans that behold him at the Bernabeu during his spell there; on this evidence, he may well have a realistic chance to do just that.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Time to get tough on racism in football

By David Lee Wheatley

UEFA’s punishment of CSKA Moscow for the latest in a string of racism-related incidents inside various football stadia is far, far too lenient.

What do the ‘fans’ involved care if they must uproot themselves from their usual position to another part of the stadium in order to continue conducting their vitriolic abuse of opposing players from other ethnic groups and races?

The only way for the leaders of European and world football to make a clear stand against such hideous prejudice is to begin deducting points and even banning clubs from European competition altogether.

Actions such as those will send a strong message that such vile behaviour will not be tolerated and will truly strike at the very core of clubs and their followers. A lack of top-tier continental action would harm them from a financial point of view, as well as taking away the prestige which taking part in the Champions League and Europa League delivers. Only then will it prove the zero-tolerance policy that UEFA claim to have for this kind of situation actually exists, as partially (or fully) closing stadia does absolutely nothing at all to deter the morons who perpetrate these heinous crimes.

More drastic and assertive measures from the powers-that-be would also act as a kick up the backside for the clubs themselves, making it impossible for them to ignore what is going on in front of their very eyes. Piffling fines and stadium bans serve not as a deterrent, but more as a way of proving just how toothless the aforementioned organisations are.

Tough new regulations must be put in place swiftly and what a legacy it would be for either or both Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini if they were to spearhead a disciplinary revolution leading to the eradication of such abusive and unwanted behaviour in the seating decks of football grounds across the world.

As we currently stand, the degenerates causing all of the aggravation and trouble are simply laughing at the governing bodies at present and have been doing so for a very long period of time. They would be laughing on the other side of their faces if their beloved clubs were kicked out of European competition for such offences.

With the assistance and backing of lawmakers and the police forces that patrol matches, it’s now high-time FIFA and UEFA got a grip to help rid this disease from the sport we love as soon as possible.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Are the wheels coming off for Wenger?

By David Lee Wheatley

 

 

With Arsenal losing key home contests twice in the space of a week, could it be that the red-and-white juggernaut has ground to a shuddering halt?

The Gunners went an impressive 12 matches unbeaten across all competitions, sitting pretty at the top of their tough Champions League group and the Premier League table to boot, when met by the prospect of facing last season’s European surprise package Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates.

A pivotal match-up that could have all but confirmed Arsenal’s spot in the knockout phase of the tournament turned sour when Dortmund deservedly took home the spoils thanks to a late Lewandowski winner.

Fast forward seven days and the League Cup clash between the Premier League’s top two teams took place at the Gunners’ north London residence, with a resumption of the intriguing battle of wills between Arsene Wenger and his arch-nemesis Jose Mourinho.

Portuguese tactician Mourinho hadn’t lost against his French counterpart during eight previous games and therefore the first meeting between the pair since his much-hyped return to Stamford Bridge was viewed as a prime opportunity for the Arsenal boss to begin setting that particular record straight.

However, the Blues had other ideas and took the lead midway through the first-half through Azpilicueta following an awful headed back-pass from right-back Carl Jenkinson under little pressure.

Matters worsened in the second period when stylish Spanish playmaker Juan Mata sealed Chelsea’s progression into the last eight with a swerving shot from distance that gave Fabianski no chance. It was a sweet strike to settle a tie that was reasonably even in terms of possession and shots at goal, but with the hosts severely lacking a cutting edge.

Star man Mesut Ozil and striker Giroud sat on the bench for three-quarters of the clash, as Wenger’s hopes of ending a long-running trophy drought were dealt a mighty blow. Even though the long-serving Arsenal supremo insists confidence within his squad remains firmly intact, his claims cannot disguise the fact his line-up looked fragile and thin on the ground without the likes of the missing Arteta, Walcott and Flamini, plus subs for the night Ozil and Giroud.

When all Wenger’s top men are fit and in place, they are an awesome side capable of defeating any foe; however, shorn of stellar names it’s a whole different story.

Twitter: @davewh1980  







 



The rejuvenation of Roma

By David Lee Wheatley

Everything appears to be going swimmingly for AS Roma, as they sit proudly atop the Serie A table under a bright coach alongside myriad new players who've quickly integrated and are performing out of their skins for the league leaders.

The Giallorossi hold the only 100% record in the division following seven straight wins, putting them two points clear of strong contenders Napoli and reigning champions Juventus at this early stage of proceedings. They further stamped their authority on top spot with a stunning 3-0 battering of fourth-placed Inter at the Giuseppe Meazza last time around and there appears no let-up in Roma's relentless march towards what would be a first Scudetto since 2001.

Former Lille coach Rudi Garcia arrived in the summer amid very little fanfare, but has since inspired a start to the campaign that very few observers saw coming.

One of the biggest surprises has been the form of ex-Arsenal misfit Gervinho, who looked completely devoid of confidence during an ill-fated spell in north London. Now all of a sudden, the Ivorian is a bone fide match-winner finally showing the capabilities Arsene Wenger always believed he possessed within him, but only now coming to fruition in the Eternal City under the wing of his former mentor Garcia.

Along with Gervinho's three strikes so far, the goals have been shared out healthily across the squad with captain and inspiration Totti, new man from Fiorentina Adem Ljajic and even defender Mehdi Benatia getting amongst the scoring free-for-all.

Out on top of the charts, though, is right winger Alessandro Florenzi with four, including the opener that set Roma on their way versus Inter. At 22, Florenzi is just beginning to make his mark in a team that have clicked markedly better than anyone expected and in spectacular fashion to boot.

Garcia's attack-minded side have brushed aside all before them and the Frenchman will be determined to push his charges on to even greater heights with a summit meeting against Napoli set for Friday evening at the Stadio Olimpico. Victory in that titanic clash would present further evidence of Roma's championship credentials against their arch-rivals, while putting some serious daylight between themselves and Rafa Benitez's pretenders to Juve's crown.

Roman icon Francesco Totti has an extremely exciting opportunity to lead his hometown team to a league title that he never thought possible. One step at a time, a first Scudetto for 13 years is drawing ever nearer for the Giallorossi in the most open Serie A battle of recent years.

Twitter: @davewh1980