A big stink is being made by Argentine legend Jorge Valdano, who says that Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho are ruining football, and that the reason for this is that neither of them made it as players. Valdano, who once compared himself to Borges, even went as far to say that the recent Champions League semifinal at Anfield resembled “shit on a stick.”
While it may be true that the recent semifinal was not an exhibition of pure footballing skill, to say that it is indicitive of the game’s ruin is a bit absurd. There is plenty of skill on display by champion jugglers, but most of them do not play at the game’s highest level. In a game between two sides that have met 14 times in the past 3 years, to expect it to be anything but a tense, hard-fought affair is to delude oneself.
As for the assertion that Benitez and Mourinho are ruining the game, I say that it is a knee jerk reaction to one specific game. Both Liverpool and Chelsea are capable of, and have demonstrated to this effect, playing free-flowing football. I cannot speak for Jose, but Rafa’s Valencia teams, although often slated as boring by the pro-Madrid and pro-Barca Spanish press, were often a joy to watch. Here is a video of them absolutely dismantling Liverpool in the 2003/2004 Champions League.
One more thing. MarkalmGlazer, where are you? Your team just won the Premier League and nary a peep from you.
