Haven't we always been told that money can't buy us success? Haven't we been imprinted with the idea that hard work and dedication are the keys to success in the long run. That team work and self improvement will bring us sweeter rewards than what all the money in the world can buy. Looking at the various football leagues around the world, we may have been deceived all this while!
Alright, so maybe I'm being a bit harsh to the teams who've spent the cash and b(r)ought in the trophies. After all you need more a collection of good players to win trophies. You do need to play as a team, and go beyond individual glory to achieve success.
Second time lucky, thanks mostly to the Drog. Europe turns Blue
From before the match yesterday, there seemed to be a feeling at the back of people's minds that this perhaps was the year Chelsea would reign over Europe. As the match progressed, one could not help but feel that the title already had Chelsea's name written on it. The appaling misses, the goal scored from an offside position, the decision to bring off Muller after he had scored, Ribery's injury and Robben's poor penalty all seemed to be pointing towards a Chelsea win. And true to the omens, they came up trumps at the end of the penalty shootout, beating Bayern 4-3, despite Manuel Neuer saving the first kick. But credit should be put mostly on Didier Drogba's broad shoulders for the incredile header 2 minutes from time, as well as coolly slotting away the last penalty to seal the deal.
England is painted Blue again, but a lighter shade
For a couple of seasons now, Manchester City have displayed the financial might other clubs can only dream off in England. They won the FA Cup last year, which at the time, and correctly in hindsight, was pipped to be the start of a successful spell for the club. To be honest, they were excellent for most of the season. A little slip-up at the fag end of the season almost took the trophy back to the the Red half of Manchester. But a stunning comeback in injury time against QPR in the final match of the season gave City their first trophy for 44 years.
Of the other two Cups played in England, Chelsea outdid Liverpool in the final of the FA Cup, with another Didier Drogba special at Wembley. Liverpool had earlier squeezes past Cardiff in the final of the League Cup, via penalties no less.
The Royals are Kings again in Spain
Real means royal in Spanish, and nobody could stop Jose Mourinho and his band of merry men from lifting their first Spanish League in 4 years. Led by an incredible Cristiano Ronaldo, and ably supported by the likes of 20 goal men Karim Benzema and Higuain, assist specialist Mesut Ozil, Di Maria, Ramos, Carvalho and others, they romped to a comfortable win in their national league, beating Barcelona along the way to drive home the point. The Spanish Cup final is yet to be played though. Barcelona versus Athletic Bilbao coming up next weekend.
Borussia Dortmund buck the trend
Perhaps the only team to have won a high profile league this season without spending bucket loads of money would be Borussia Dortmund. They concentrated on retaining the core of their Championship winning team from last season, adding a couple of new players along the way. Having successfully beaten Bayern Munich in what turned out to be the title decider, they stamped their authority on a league which in the past decade has been largely dominated by the Bavarians. Furthermore, they beat Bayern 5-2 in the German Cup final to assert their superiority.
Back from the basement
Having been relegated and docked points in 2006 for their alleged involvement in the match fixing scandal which rocked Italian football, it was indeed a sweet victory for the Old Lady from Turin as they lifted their record 28th title, leaving behind AC Milan in what was a see-saw affair all season. Having retained most of their players despite being relegated, they finally spent a lot of money at the end of the last season to bring in a host of talented players, which paid off as they managed to win their first Serie A title in 9 years. The Italian Cup final is yet to be played with Juventus facing Napoli, coming up tonight.
Montpellier could do the unthinkable
Having spent next to nothing at the end of last season and having never given the impression of being front-runners for the title, many have been left amazed with the rise of Montpellier to the top of the French League this time around. The final round of matches are coming up tonight, and Montpellier hold a 3 point lead over big spending PSG. They need just 1 point to seal perhaps the biggest surprise in European League football for quite some time.
Elsewhere
The traditional powerhouses have dominated most of the other leagues this year with Celtic and Ajax winning their respectively leagues this year. Porto picked up yet another Portugese League title, adding to their already sparkling trophy cabinet.
Alright, so maybe I'm being a bit harsh to the teams who've spent the cash and b(r)ought in the trophies. After all you need more a collection of good players to win trophies. You do need to play as a team, and go beyond individual glory to achieve success.
Second time lucky, thanks mostly to the Drog. Europe turns Blue
From before the match yesterday, there seemed to be a feeling at the back of people's minds that this perhaps was the year Chelsea would reign over Europe. As the match progressed, one could not help but feel that the title already had Chelsea's name written on it. The appaling misses, the goal scored from an offside position, the decision to bring off Muller after he had scored, Ribery's injury and Robben's poor penalty all seemed to be pointing towards a Chelsea win. And true to the omens, they came up trumps at the end of the penalty shootout, beating Bayern 4-3, despite Manuel Neuer saving the first kick. But credit should be put mostly on Didier Drogba's broad shoulders for the incredile header 2 minutes from time, as well as coolly slotting away the last penalty to seal the deal.
England is painted Blue again, but a lighter shade
For a couple of seasons now, Manchester City have displayed the financial might other clubs can only dream off in England. They won the FA Cup last year, which at the time, and correctly in hindsight, was pipped to be the start of a successful spell for the club. To be honest, they were excellent for most of the season. A little slip-up at the fag end of the season almost took the trophy back to the the Red half of Manchester. But a stunning comeback in injury time against QPR in the final match of the season gave City their first trophy for 44 years.
Of the other two Cups played in England, Chelsea outdid Liverpool in the final of the FA Cup, with another Didier Drogba special at Wembley. Liverpool had earlier squeezes past Cardiff in the final of the League Cup, via penalties no less.
The Royals are Kings again in Spain
Real means royal in Spanish, and nobody could stop Jose Mourinho and his band of merry men from lifting their first Spanish League in 4 years. Led by an incredible Cristiano Ronaldo, and ably supported by the likes of 20 goal men Karim Benzema and Higuain, assist specialist Mesut Ozil, Di Maria, Ramos, Carvalho and others, they romped to a comfortable win in their national league, beating Barcelona along the way to drive home the point. The Spanish Cup final is yet to be played though. Barcelona versus Athletic Bilbao coming up next weekend.
Borussia Dortmund buck the trend
Perhaps the only team to have won a high profile league this season without spending bucket loads of money would be Borussia Dortmund. They concentrated on retaining the core of their Championship winning team from last season, adding a couple of new players along the way. Having successfully beaten Bayern Munich in what turned out to be the title decider, they stamped their authority on a league which in the past decade has been largely dominated by the Bavarians. Furthermore, they beat Bayern 5-2 in the German Cup final to assert their superiority.
Back from the basement
Having been relegated and docked points in 2006 for their alleged involvement in the match fixing scandal which rocked Italian football, it was indeed a sweet victory for the Old Lady from Turin as they lifted their record 28th title, leaving behind AC Milan in what was a see-saw affair all season. Having retained most of their players despite being relegated, they finally spent a lot of money at the end of the last season to bring in a host of talented players, which paid off as they managed to win their first Serie A title in 9 years. The Italian Cup final is yet to be played with Juventus facing Napoli, coming up tonight.
Montpellier could do the unthinkable
Having spent next to nothing at the end of last season and having never given the impression of being front-runners for the title, many have been left amazed with the rise of Montpellier to the top of the French League this time around. The final round of matches are coming up tonight, and Montpellier hold a 3 point lead over big spending PSG. They need just 1 point to seal perhaps the biggest surprise in European League football for quite some time.
Elsewhere
The traditional powerhouses have dominated most of the other leagues this year with Celtic and Ajax winning their respectively leagues this year. Porto picked up yet another Portugese League title, adding to their already sparkling trophy cabinet.
