Lionel Messi - Simply the best

Lionel Messi is the best player in the world and could be the best player ever. The battle between himself and Cristano Ronaldo for the goal scoring golden boots and personal accolades is well documented and versed. I'm not going to go over that any more than this. Ronaldo is a powerful, talented and classy player, he is however, in my opinion missing some of the key elements of Messi's humble game. The little Argentinians turn of pace, incredible close control and guile when passing and finishing is unrivaled in the history of the game. The world game agrees with this voting him the 2009, 2010, 2011 World Player of the Year, and he's odds on to win this years award too.

If it's free kicks, scoops, one on ones, curlers, drives, dinks, one touch finishes, volley's, half volley's, penalty's, slide rule, lobs, outside of the foot, smashes, pokes, toes, laces or 'other' it's the diminutive Barcelona man that you want on the end of the ball. The only part of his game that is questionable is his heading, but he did help Barcelona beat Manchester United in the 2009 final with a great headed effort, so he can't be that bad! The only other question about him being the best all time (a title that Pele and Diego Maradona have unofficially 'shared' depending who you ask) is his international form and his ability to drive Argentina to World Cup glory as Maradona did in 1986 and Pele did for Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970 . If anyone can stop the Spanish, and his Barcelona team mates on the international stage it might be Messi. The 2014 World cup in Brazil could be the perfect stage for him to show the world he truly is the greatest player to ever kick a ball if he can lead his country to triumph. It's a big ask, but it's possible.

The 24 year old may not even 'peak' for another couple of years, which is a frightening thought to all the defenders throughout the world, but even if he maintains and stays at the level he is, he will continue to embarress teams, win trophies and break records. His personal records are already phenomenal.

-Today he scored 5 (the most goals by one player ever in Champions League history) to see Barcelona through to the 1/4 finals against Bayer Leverkusen.
- He has scored 90 goals in his last 92 league appearences for Barcelona in La Liga.

(The list goes on and on and on and on and on, so here I've copied the main awards for individual brilliance and club success.)

FIFA Ballon d'Or: (2) 2010, 2011
Ballon d'Or: (1) 2009
FIFA World Player of the Year: (1) 2009
World Soccer Player of the Year: (2) 2009, 2011
World Soccer Young Player of the Year: (3) 2006, 2007, 2008

Barcelona

La Liga (5): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11

Copa del Rey (1): 2008–09; Runner-up 2010–11

Supercopa de España (5): 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011

UEFA Champions League (3): 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11

UEFA Super Cup (2): 2009, 2011; Runner-up 2006

FIFA Club World Cup (2): 2009, 2011

And there's more, much more, but these are just some highlights.  The backdrop to all these awards is what makes him the best ever for me.  Messi has done this in an intensely professional, faster, stronger and more intelligent world of football than anyone before him.  He has helped shape the modern game and reinvent the way scouts look at players, and how major clubs play their football.  He is a new breed of player, incredibly skillful, perfect technically and laser fast.  Gone are the days of big bruising lumps that hammer man and ball at any opportunity, because against someone like Messi they will get destroyed.  The best way to stop Messi is to keep the ball away from him, but you'll have to be some team to do that against the pass masters Barcelona.  He has helped Barcelona become identified as not only the best club team in the world (ever?) but also a brand, a brand of football unseen before in it's mesmerizing brilliance.  Barcelona are now a trademark for the personal excellence he exudes.

It's an honor and a real treat to be able to watch a player of this brilliance play the style and quality of football he does week-in-week-out.  I hope as many kids as possible watch and learn from him, because if there is ever anyone better than he, I won't know what to do with myself!  So this is a thank you to Lionel Messi, thanks for showing me just how beautiful the 'beautiful game can be'.

'He's my Maradona' -El Diego

Arsenal and United teach their rivals a lesson

Game management is something that mangers talk about a lot in the premiership. It's all about how their players 'managed' the game after going down a man, or a goal, or scoring a goal. This weekend saw Liverpool and Tottenham outperform their opposition but fail to capitalize on their superiority and collect the much needed 3 points. This is the business end of the season (which is stupid really as all games during the season carry equal point value - but every result in the run in is scrutinized and can create positive runs of form which can see a team over the finish line or dips which can drag them down in the doldrums), this weekend, Arsenal and then Manchester did the business by staying alive in games they were for large parts dominated in, but managed to come away with great away results.

At Anfield on Saturday morning, Kenny Dalglish will again be than happy with this overall team performance as they outplayed, out-passed and out-shot Arsene Wengers men. The difference in the game was the quality in front of goal. Liverpool have struggled to put the ball in the back of the net all season. Luis Suarez is undoubtedly dangerous, slippery and skillful and can work magic out of nothing, but he has come up short with this final product more often than not this season. 6 league goals so far in his stop start season (missing 9 games mid season for his FA bans) is no where near his form in the Eredivisie where like Dirk Kuyt he found goals a lot easier to come by. Andy Carroll, never prolific at Newcastle, hasn't found his scoring touch either. That leaves the midfield with a huge responsibility to chip in with their fair share, which they have failed to do. Stuart Downing has hit the woodwork a few times, but other than that has rarely threatened this season, his last Premiership goal came against Liverpool for Aston Villa in the penultimate game of last season. Charlie Adam looks monotonously slow and seems to only score deflected efforts from outside the box and doesn't assist like he did for Blackpool last year. Jordan Henderson may yet become a top player, but at the moment it's way too much too soon for a lad that would have been better suited to developing for 2 more seasons at Sunderland before a move to a bigger club. Jay Spearing, clearly nothing more than a squad player cannot fill Lucas' boots and looks like he's put his own pair on the wrong feet at times with his wayward passing and awkward lunges. What happened to Maxi Rodriguez? Who knows? With Bellamy and Gerrard (Liverpool's only real midfield forces) injured or too old to consistently perform you can see why they won't finish in the top 4 this year.

Liverpool's penalty taking this season show's just how inefficient in front of goal they are. 6 from 10 penalties missed in the league this season with 5 different takers, and that doesn't include the near horror show of last weekends Carling Cup shoot out. Dirk Kuyt after having his initial effort well saved should have buried the rebound but seemed more focused on Jordan Henderson coming in behind him than smashing the ball home. How long till they give Pepe Reina the responsibility? Surely he can take a decent spot kick. While on the subject of Reina, I don't remember him having a 'good' game in goal for Liverpool all season. Wojciech Szczesny his opposite number was in fine form on Saturday and kept his side in it. Reina on the other hand was only called into action 3 times, he saved once and failed to react to the other 2. The second Robin Van Persie strike was a side foot volley from 12 yards to his near post, something a goal keeper of his caliber is expected to save, and on the day something that his opposite number would have made look routine.

Arsenal other than their striker and goalkeeper were poor again. Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny flatter to deceive. Vermaelen has a big reputation, but like Chelsea's David Luiz I think it's more to do with his skill at scoring goals rather than preventing them. Koscielny's own goal on Saturday gets worse every time you see it, and you wonder how much better Arsenal would be with a half-cut Tony Adams playing at the back with knackered Steve Bould! Their midfield was over-run and Arteta was out of sorts giving the ball away easier than I'd ever seen him even before he got knocked out after an accidental collision with Henderson. But for all their shortfalls this season they have one shining light of outstanding quality, Robin Van Persie. RVP, fitter, stronger, hungrier and more deadly than ever is simple having a career defining year. The Arsenal faithful sing 'He scores when he wants, he scores when he wants' and he obviously want's to score a lot as his record in front of goal is frightening. 25 goals in 27 league games. Without him Arsenal could be anywhere in the league, but certainly no where near as high as they are now. RVP loves London, and the club, that's no secret, but without Champions League football next season you can see him leaving with a host of top European clubs willing to part with mega cash for his services. Arsenal may well make it into the Champions League next season, but without strengthening this summer they will struggle to get through the group stages and then face being humbled in the first knock out round like this season, something that RVP will be mindful of when making his decision this summer. He is too good for Arsenal at the moment, and on a different level to the rest of the team in terms of ability and aptitude. Wenger might finally have to dip into their record profits to sign some world class support for their world class striker. If he was in red on Saturday he would have had at least 4, but instead in blue, settled for 2.

Tottenham did their best impersonation of Liverpool on Sunday against United. They hustled and out-worked United in midfield, created some good opportunities in front of goal but lacked the killer instinct and then went to sleep at the back leaving their most dangerous strikers free to head home easy goals. It was classic United in north London. They played poorly, didn't produce much, but ended up comfortable 3-1 victors. Like Arsenal they have one outstanding goal threat, Wayne Rooney. Rooney marked (or not marked in this case) by Kyle Walker at a corner powered a header past a static Brad Friedel to snatch the lead before half time. One chance, one goal, RVP style. In the second half, the provider of the first goal, Ashley Young topped of a great week for him personally when he added to his International goal at Wembley with a technically beautiful brace at White Hart Lane. The first a smart right foot volley after a sharp counter attack, the second a trademark curling effort from the edge of the box when the Spurs defenders continually backed off. It was daylight robbery. The Manchester club did what they have done so well in the past, not played well but got a result. That is the epitome of top class game management. Don't give up any silly goals, ride your luck at times, but then make quality decisions and execute excellence when the chance presents itself, something United and Arsenal did superbly, and Liverpool and Tottenham need to learn to do.

It's an all Manchester affair for the title race, with a possible title decider between United and City in late April and with Chelski sacking AVB to no great surprise, Arsenal could even catch Spurs to get into the automatic CL place of 3rd as Chelsea seem certain to slip up and out of contention.