11 players ottawa's elite football magazine -issue 1-

2 | 11 Players | www.11players.ca

CONTENT6 Nepean Soccer Club 40th Football At It’s Best!

12 Competitive But Not Varsety Ottawa Gee Gees Mens Soccer.

14 2010 Ottawa World Cup Valery Sinaba On Ottawa World Cup.

18 Importance of Cross Training Mike Kelly, Personal Trainer.

20 Work Less - Play More Kyle Washington on Soccer Philosophy.

26 The Rise of Real Madrid Jose Mourinho is The New Boss.

28 Where To Now Kaka Real Madrid in Doubt of Kaka.

30 AC Milan Without Pirlo Does Pirlo Still Have It.

34 Little & Loud Football in The Third World.

40 Alive & Kicking Made in Africa, for Africa by Africa.

44 HADY WEHBE 2010 Ottawa World Cup MVP.

48 PAUL KIHARA The Ultimate #7 - Is Looking To Score.

48 PAUL KIHARA

34

26 Jose Mourinho

www.11players.ca | 11 Players | 3

44 HADY WEHBE

LITTLE & LOUD 40 ALIVE & KICKING

12 GEE GEES SOCCER


Welcome to the first issue of 11 Players Magazine! We are proud to showcase what we hope will become a staple not only in the Ottawa community but throughout Canada. The emphasis in this issue is on local talent. We have articles ranging from the Ottawa Gee-Gees to Washington Total Soccer founder Kyle Washington to local player Paul Kihara. We watched and cheered at the Ottawa World Cup and talked to tournament MVP Hady Wehbe. Nepean Soccer Club celebrated their big 4-0 and shared their emotions with us. After examining our own city's version of the beautiful game, we cast our gaze across the world. We examined soccer in developing countries as well as the growth of the game in Africa. Inevitably, we examined European soccer and the impact that it has on a con-sistent basis across the world. We hope that you continue to read us and will do so for years. From us to you, thank you.

Joseph A. & The 11 PLAYERS TEAM

a letter from the editor


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Editor-in-Chief: Joseph A.

Writers: Frank Tigani

Mike Kelly

Xavi Jimenez

Peter Stutter

Nick Wells

Kyle Washington

Siniša Šindik

Robbie Barkell

Photographers: Numan Qardash

James Park

Stephano Guindani

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Nepean Hotspurs Soccer Club 40th Anniversary

In 2010, the Nepean Hotspurs Soccer Club celebrated its 40 years of community service. It’s

a remarkable achievement resulting from the efforts of countless volunteers to provide the

structure in which thousands of players at all ages and skill levels, wearing our distinctive

red and white strip, were able to enjoy playing the beautiful game. Our club crest speaks to

our heritage, and points the way to our future. Its elements - a knight’s helmet and knight’s

spur, a soccer ball, a maple leaf, our name and a date - 1970.

The knight’s helmet and spur remind us of Sir Henry Percy, also called Harry Hotspur, who

was born in 1364. Knighted at the age of 11, immortalized by Shakespeare as a legendary

warrior and hero, Henry Percy, earned his nickname “Hotspur” through his bravery in battle

and his desire to lead – as was said almost 700 years ago, he had a “hotspur” for the fight.

We proudly share this name with Tottenham Hotspur, or ‘Spurs, of the English Premiership,

whose famed White Hart Lane Stadium stands on land once owned by the Percy family.

Nepean Hotspurs Coach.-Nikola Brkljaca

WORDS BY: PETER STUDER


“ The Nepean Hotspurs soccer club was honored to be one of the 8 clubs in Ontario to have met the high technical standards es-tablished by Toronto FC. ”In recent years, under the technical leadership of club head coach

Boris Bajagic (CSA National ‘A’ License), the Hotspurs have

worked to develop a culture of coaching excellence in order to

enhance the development of all of our members. An ongoing

collaboration between the Eastern Ontario District Soccer

Association and the Hotspurs has seen a coaching development

conference delivered each spring featuring the leading technical

coaches from the Canadian Soccer Association. This years event

saw coaches from across Eastern Ontario learning from Stephen

Hart, Head Coach of the Men’s National Team; Ray Clark, Director

of Coaching and Player Development; Dave Benning, Manager of

Technical Programs; and Tony Fonseca, National Staff Coach and

Head Coach of the U-20 Men’s National Team.

As a highlight of our 40th A significant development in the future

development of the Nepean Hotspurs occurred on Friday, May

14th, 2010, when Toronto FC announced the creation of its Club

Academy Program (CAP) – a technical partnership with progressive

youth clubs in Ontario that meet Toronto FC’s standards for elite

player development. The Nepean Hotspurs Soccer Club was

honoured to be one of the 8 clubs in Ontario to have met the high

technical standards established by Toronto FC, in selecting their

CAP partners. Hotspurs President David Holder commented that

“Some time ago, the Hotspurs formulated a model for coach and

player development. It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t flashy and we took

a long term view. As a result, we are extremely gratified that our

approach caught the attention of Toronto FC.”

The last forty years have brought great success to the Hotspurs,

and we have been privileged to have Charmaine Hooper, Lyndon

Hooper and Kristina Kiss wear our colours during

their careers. Many of our alumni have gone on to outstanding

careers at colleges and universities across North America. While

we take pride in their achievements, we take greater pride in

introducing the “beautiful game” to thousands of players over

the past 40 years, and we look forward to delivering quality

programs to players of all ages and skill levels for the next 40

years.

Our 40th anniversary season will see over 61 Hotspurs teams

in action in the Ontario Youth Soccer League (GU16 Lightning),

the East Region Soccer League (18 teams), the EODSA L5

League (18 teams), the South Side Soccer League (9 teams),

and the Ottawa Carleton Soccer League (15 teams). In addition,

hundreds of children will participate in our “Let the Kids Play”

Development Program, sponsored by Popsicle, summer camp

activities and the Hotspurs Indoor Development Program (HIDP)

during the winter months. Anniversary celebrations will include

our first Charity Golf Tournament and the 16th Annual Nepean

Hotspurs Friendship Tournament which will be held on June

12th and 13th. For more information on the Hotspurs, and our

40th anniversary celebrations, please consult our web site at

www.hotpsurs.on.ca


COMPETITIVEVARSITYBUT NOT

Words by: Siniša Šindik


When you think about a university that counts more than 35,

000 students you are entitled to believe that it has a varsity team

for every “big“ sport, like football, hockey and soccer. Well, for

the University of Ottawa it’s not the case. The biggest bilingual

university of the national capital region does have a varsity team

for football, hockey, and women’s soccer but unfortunately not for

men’s soccer. Indeed, the male students that are coming to the

University of Ottawa have to play for a team that is registered as a

“club”.

When Didier Hutchison arrived at the U of O in 2000, there was

no soccer team available for him. There have been many attempts

over the years to bring a varsity team, or at least any kind of team,

to the University, but the students in charge didn’t succeed. Then,

in 2002, Hutchinson decided to get involved. He went to student

federation (SFUO) to get some help from the school. After some

time was finally created the Gee-Gees men’s soccer competitive

club, which is really different from a varsity team.

The University of Ottawa have two types of sports teams: Varsities

and Clubs. A varsity team is completely financed and managed by

the University while a club team is independent but supported by

the University ($1,500 per year, the rest of the cost is at the expense

of the students). The U of O has a clear politic for varsity teams.

First, there must be an equal number of male and female athletes.

Secondly the University have to check for the field’s availability

and the additional costs of bringing an extra varsity team. So for all

those reasons, University of Ottawa only has a men’s competitive

soccer club.

The men’s competitive club has two “seasons” during a school

year. First of all, the fall one is only constituted of friendly games

against other universities from Ontario and Quebec. Those games

have to be scheduled by the leading member of the team, which

was Didier Hutchinson at the time, and which is Marc-André Paulin

now. Thus, the fall season is not really competitive because the

team can’t have any recognition through friendly games. However,

the winter period is really more interesting for the club because it

takes part in the Carleton soccer league and has 3 or 4 tournaments

during that time. That way the players can really enjoy a lot more

competition. Also, every year the club has its own banquet which

rewards the best players of the year.

As a matter of fact, the Ottawa University may not have a varsity

team as Carleton University, but at least students may still enjoy

playing soccer all year round. On the other hand, the U of O should

reconsider the status of the men’s soccer club and maybe give them

the varsity title. That would increase the visibility of the players,

and surely help the University to recruit some new students that

would originally have chosen Carleton instead.

“the club team is independent but supported by the university.”


2010OTTAWA

WORLD CUP LEAGUE


OTTAWAWORLD CUP LEAGUE


Huffman Eja Offensive Midfielder

Contact Mike Kelly: [email protected] | Phone: (613) 830-1300 | www3.sympatico.ca/vipmk18 | 11 Players | www.11players.ca

MIKE KELLYPERSONAL TRAINER


THE IMPORTANCE OFCROSS TRAINING

Well, it’s November and winter snowfalls are not far off from covering the soccer pitch. As a coach, it’s an opportune time to reflect on the

positives and negatives of the past season. What you might discover, is that some of the team was lacking in energy and/or, incurred far

too many injuries. The good news is that the winter time provides a great opportunity to work on fitness deficiencies.

Soccer is one of the most physically demanding sports and has been categorized as a high intensity, intermittent team sport. It is also a

sport using linear and nonlinear running, with players having to go through various planes of movement during a game, often changing

suddenly. If not to make the game more challenging, throw in some vertical leaps (and the occasional rough landing) – good thing Soccer

is officially, “a non-contact sport”.

During a competitive youth soccer game, depending on the position, a player can be expected to run/walk well over 5 kilometers (with mid

fielders typically going farther). As the majority of a soccer game is run at sub-maximal, aerobic cardio intensities (much to the chagrin of

all coaches), it’s extremely important that players develop a solid aerobic base. It has been shown (K McMillan, J Helgerud, R Macdonald,

J Hoff 2005), that even a small improvement in a players aerobic conditioning can result in more efficient running on the field. Extending

a players energy base is paramount, as once fatigue kicks in, coordination starts to drop, i.e., fatigue can mean the difference between an

accurate kick on goal, or putting it 10’ too high. A great metric for determining a player’s aerobic conditioning is their VO2max (maximal

oxygen uptake). Once determining that metric as part of a “base lining” process, an off season training program can be implemented to

improve upon VO2max levels.

In addition to the cardio element, soccer players also require both explosive and endurance based muscle activity during a game. So,

what’s a relatively easy way to improve both cardio and muscular levels? Cross Training!

Why cross training, as opposed to just running laps? Well, over time if the same stimulus is applied day in and day out to an individual’s

fitness level, sooner or later their body will adapt to the static stimulus and begin to plateau. If you want to try this fitness phenomena

out for yourself, do a simple bicep curl exercise with a weight that makes it challenging to complete a proper set. Within a month or so of

repeating the same exercise, that same weight will become easier to lift. Unfortunately, if the same weight stimulus continues, in the same

technique, you’ll find your bicep strength will plateau and could even get weaker.

Using the previous analogy exemplifies the importance of cross training, whereby the athlete is continually being challenged by different

exercises and techniques - as a coach, there is a myriad of options for improving players overall fitness level, simply implementing a

relevant cross training program can be a great start.

Cross Training can be made as simple or sophisticated as you like, including the use of a “periodization” program (a systematic approach

to improving one’s fitness level). To get an extra bang for your buck, incorporate some Speed, Agility and Quickness (SAQ) drills and if time

permits, a properly done plyometric program will nicely cap off the training.

NOTE: Be careful with implementing too demanding of a plyometric program, as youth player’s bones structures are generally still growing

and overly demanding impact forces can cause negative effects (try jump rope, which when done properly, is a great form of basic

plyometric, works the cardio element and is inexpensive)

Finally, with the reality of cost and time, get your players at a minimum, to try out another sport, ideally one with similar movements to

that of soccer, e.g., basketball.

Certainly, it’s also paramount that players continue to work with the ball throughout the off season, as this is what they’ll be doing on the

field, but cross training with other sports and/or exercise programs, can make for great improvements in fitness.


WORK LESS PLAY MORE

I was coaching a session last night for a group of 7-9 year

old boys and girls and judging by their enthusiasm for what I

thought was a standard training exercise I couldn’t help but to

feel that these children were totally deprived of opportunities

to experience soccer the way they know and love it: fast and

fun.

I’ve coached young children for long enough to know that

they are far better at simplifying the game of soccer than

we are as adults. They are able to produce moments of

glory on a whim and forget the impressiveness of their feat

a few minutes later. They are all about their “NEXT” great

play when they are truly having fun. While at play, children

never appear to be completely satisfied with the amount

of fun that they are having. What gets in the way of their

fun? We do. More often than not, we adults impose our

rules and order upon their innocence. In doing so, the fun

and spontaneity of their activities is lost, and with it is their

autonomy and creativity. Were it not for societal demands

forcing children, teenagers, and adults to mature and accept

more responsibilities we would be happier people. Would we

work less and play more.? What a glorious concept! WORK

LESS PLAY MORE.

“Elite 9 year olds who were selected for competitive teams

at age 16 engaged in two-times as many hours of soccer

PLAY (versus practice and structured competition) between

the ages 6 and 12 than other elite 9 year olds who were not

selected for the same team at age 16.”

a few words from Kyle Washingtonowner - WashingtonTotalSoccer.com

*Ford et al., (2009) high Ability Studies, Vol. 20 Issue 1


WORK.Work to adults is how we overcome our challenges in life. When spend

enough time working at something we eventually start to see results.

To many adults, the idea of themselves “playing” is seen as meaning-

less in the grand scheme of life. How can you “play” when you have

stress in your life to deal with. Why “play” when there’s no cash prize.

Why “play” and risk public embarrassment? Some of the most suc-

cessful people have gotten to where they are because at some point,

they spent more time working at a particular skill/plan/performance

than the general population. Stay with me here....

What if the most important determinant of our success isn’t the ac-

tual skills being taught, or the person teaching them, but is instead

the number of times that an individual is allowed to perform a task,

fail, re-evaluate, re-perform the task, fail, re-evaluate, re-perform and

so on. In theory, we are set apart from animals because we are able

to make mistakes that go against our intuition. In nature, animals are

hard-wired to act definitively in certain situations and when they make

mistakes they are often met with serious consequence. A bird tries to

build a nest somewhere other than high-up in the air, and it’s eggs get

eaten. A mouse waits around to see what the rustling noise is behind

him. Eaten.

There is evidence that PLAY is an integral part of how children de-

velop/improve game-intelligence, anticipation, decision-making, and

creative tactical responses.

We humans...we don’t get eaten when we make mistakes. Yes, the

worst of our mistakes run the real risk of putting us in some form of

danger but, for the most part, even though we make dozens of mis-

takes per day we still manage to manage to gather food and find shel-

ter. We can fall back to the support and comfort of family, friends. When

the worst happens we’re still able to rely on religion and government.

Being able to make a mistake and not end up being eaten/injured in-

creases the likelihood that we will be prepared for a similar situation

in the future. We simply adapt our initial plans to compensate for our

previous errors in judgment.

If you’re a coach, and you are allowing your players a high number

of opportunities to make harmless mistakes then I would like to con-

gratulate you. You are teaching them how to take initiative for their own

learning and how to trust their own intuition, instead of teaching them

self-doubt and indecision.

‘FAIL, RE-EVALUATE, RE-PERFORM

THE TASK, FAIL, RE-EVALUATE, RE-

PERFORM THE TASK, AND SO ON.’


BACK TO PLAY NOW.Let’s take an excerpt from a lines above when I was writing about the role that WORK plays in our lives as adults. The difference in this

particular excerpt will be that “WORK” will be substituted by the word “PLAY” and “ADULT” to “CHILD”.

“Play, to children is how they overcome challenges in their lives. If they spend enough time playing something they will eventually start

to see results. To many children “work” is seen as boring/no fun in the grand scheme of life. The most successful performers in the

world have gotten to where they are because at some point, they spent more time playing a particular game/sport/instrumentthan the

general population. “

I admit that it’s a bit of a stretch to propose that children are all opposed to “working” and all for “playing”. I also concede that if children

don’t work at their skills and practice their skills then they will not likely improve the quality of their performances. What I will never let

go of is my complete and total belief that children learn faster, and retain more of their skills when they are rehearsed in novel, fun situ-

ations than they would retain the skills rehearsed in static, monotonous, highly-structured situations. Practice doesn’t have to be boring!

Be honest with yourself. You’re an adult, you can tell when a child is having fun and when that child is not having fun.

PLAY, when in isolation of structured participation, has a positive impact on perceived enjoyment and willingness to continue participa-

tion in related sports/activities in the future.

EXCUSE ME!!! HELLO!!-----Believe it or not, kids LOVE TO LEARN! They’ll show off their new skills, moves, and tricks anytime they

have an audience, but they also love to do things that are fun/entertaining/stimulating. We adults/coaches need to stop rushing them

out of their childhood. They’ll soon get hit by a flash of hormones once puberty moves in and they’ll start to make conscious decisions

towards maturing. Can we as adults find a way to give this to them? We’ve put people on the moon and designed computers that are

smarter than we are. Can we not just listen to the obvious messages they are giving us every day?

CRITICAL THINKING.I would like to be clear in stating that what I’ve written is in NO WAY meant to be an affront upon an individual or organization. Nor is it

meant to be a gospel, but I will offer research-based support for what I’ve been discussing. In High Ability Studies journal, a 2009 longi-

tudinal study of elite and recreational 6-12 year old soccer players by Ward et al. published a few interesting findings when those players

turned 16 years old:

• Elite 9 year olds who were selected for professional teams/academies at age 16 engaged in TWO-TIMES as many hours of soccer

PLAY (versus practice and structured competition) between the ages 6 and 12 than the other elite 9 year olds who were not selected

at age 16.

• The amount of hours spent engaging in low-structured, child-governed PLAY between the ages of 6 and 12 is indeed an important

indicator of future expert performance.

• PLAY, when in isolation of structured participation, has a positive impact on perceived enjoyment and willingness to continue partici-

pation in related sports/activities in the future.

Is it detrimental for a child to memorize the words of a book before they are capable reading the words? I’m not a parent, but I can see

how it might be slightly frightening to some parents/coaches that a child can learn to do something without understanding how/why

they were able to perform. Please remember that we all learn our alphabet to the tune of the A-B-C song yet we still can tell you correct

alphabet letter order without reciting the song each time. We all walk differently, talk differently, and think differently so why shouldn’t

children be allowed to develop their own unique love of the game?

If we as adults know so much more than children then why can’t we, as a society (not individuals, because there are many of us walking

*Ford et al., (2009) high Ability Studies, Vol. 20 Issue 1


kyle Washington

If we as adults know so much more than chil-

dren then why can’t we, as a society (not indi-

viduals, because there are many of us walking

the walk), plan their lessons/practices/pro-

grams to appeal more to their innate desires

and interests. The true art of coaching/teach-

ing a child lies in the ability of the authoritative

figure to structure the learning experiences of

the child in such a way to allow the child au-

tonomy to act upon their own intuition/initia-

tive.

Please respect that each child will learn at his/

her own rate and have some faith that they’ll

eventually get there because I’m certain that

when he/she does eventually get there on

his/her own accord, the pride in his/her eyes

will be one of the most rewarding feelings you

will ever feel as a coach or parent.

We as adults forget that it’s human nature to

grow tired of something that isn’t stimulating.

If a child doesn’t want to listen to the coach,

it isn’t always the child’s fault but sometimes

it might actually be the coach’s ability to

gather information from a series of cues that

each child/group of children may be project-

ing. The dependent variable is the coach. A

team without a coach may still win the game,

a coach without a team/players doesn’t have

a chance. If we weren’t there to coach, would

they still play? If so, let me pose the ques-

tion on last time...”Who’s really in charge?”

See you on the field!

Kyle Washington.

www.Montrealimpact.com


TRYOUTS INVITATION HIGHTLIGHTS.

JAN 24-28, 2011Congratulations to.

Hassoun Camara. Idriss Chergui.

Denis Stinat. Kevin Hatchi. Igor Djoman.

http://www.montrealimpact.com


THE RISE

For a number of years it has been Barcelona that have

dominated Spanish football. The Blaugrana have arguably

enjoyed their best ever decade as they have achieved

success unparalleled in their history, especially on the

European stage. Indeed, Barcelona have possibly been

the greatest team of the decade and definitely one of the

best club teams in history.

This season, Barcelona are still an extremely formidable

outfit. They certainly will be contenders for major honours

come the end of the season, both in the Champions

League and La Liga.

However, this season Real Madrid – under the guidance of

the masterful Jose Mourinho - are on the rise again.

In their last four La Liga games, Los Blancos have

bagged an incredible 19 goals collecting maximum points

along the way. It has not just been the results that have

impressed, but their performances have also been raised

eyebrows.

Mourinho’s Real are starting to get that champion look

about them that is inevitable for a team whenever it is the

self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ leading them.

The wily Portuguese tactician has a habit of transforming

teams into champions. He did it at Porto back in 2004,

where he led them to an unprecedented Champions

League triumph in addition to the domestic league and

cup titles.

Then, at Chelsea, it was much of the same. He led the

Blues to back to back Premier League titles in 2005 and

2006, helping transform the London based club into one

of the powers of modern day English football.

Following his rather turbulent exit from Stamford Bridge,

Mourinho was snapped up by Inter. In the intense and

difficult environment of Italian football, Mourinho built

an Inter side that not only continued its winning ways in

Italy, but that also broke its European curse by becoming

Champions last May.

As they say, the more things change, the more they stay

the same. This is true following Jose Mourinho’s move to

the Spanish capital. Just months after arriving in Madrid,

already Los Blancos look like potential champions. Their

position at the top of La Liga is testament to this along

with their domination over Milan in the two recent ties

played against the Italians.

It may be a different club, in a different country, with a

different style of football. But, this seems to be of little

consequence for Mourinho. His record across various

countries is without equal and quite rightly he can claim

to be the ‘Special One’.

Mourinho’s los Blancos have steadily been improving

and in recent weeks the team have started to form an

identity. But, rather frighteningly for Real’s rivals in Spain

and Europe is the real possibility that there is still room for

improvement.

Under the tutelage of the Portuguese tactician,

importantly Cristiano Ronaldo is rediscovering the kind

of form he exhibit during his record breaking season for

Manchester United where he scored a disbelieving 42 in

all competitions.

The new number 7 at the Bernabeu will be crucial to Real’s

bid for success this season. If the former United star can

continue in the same vein as he has done in recent weeks

then it will push Real that much closer to success.

But it is not just the form of Cristano Ronaldo that Real’s

success will hinge upon. All over the park Real are blessed

with world class stars that are either in peak of their powers

or on the way there.

Cristiano Ronaldo definitely belongs to the former group.

As does the likes of Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos, Ricardo

Calvarho, Iker Casillas and Pepe.

Then there are the likes of Angel Di Maria, Pedro Leon,

Gonzalo Higuain, Mezut Ozil, Sami Khedira, Karim

Benzema and Sergio Canales. This group of players

possess frightening potential. Under the guidance of

Mourinho many of these players may go a long way to

fulfilling such potential. Already, Mezut Ozil and Sami

Khedira have improved greatly this season and have

become crucial elements to Mourinho’s side.

Together, it is a group of players that possess great quality

and great potential. As a team they are young but they are

slowly growing into a strong outfit.

Of course, it is still early days. Whether Mourinho is able

to guide his stars to silverware this season remains to be

seen. If glory evades Real this season, then it may be next

season that they succeed. Under Mourinho, it is surely just

a question of time and hopefully he is given enough time.

What is sure this season is that Real Madrid are serious

contenders again, both in Spain but more importantly

in Europe where the club have failed to make it past the

Round of 16 since winning the title in 2002.

But this season may be different and come Wembley

next year, it will not be surprising if it is Mourinho and his

Real side that are crowned Kings of Europe in the land the

Portuguese so desires to return one day.

OF REAL MADRIDUNDERJOSE MOURINHO

WORDS BY: FRANK TIGANI


with world class stars that are either in peak of their powers

or on the way there.

Cristiano Ronaldo definitely belongs to the former group.

As does the likes of Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos, Ricardo

Calvarho, Iker Casillas and Pepe.

Then there are the likes of Angel Di Maria, Pedro Leon,

Gonzalo Higuain, Mezut Ozil, Sami Khedira, Karim

Benzema and Sergio Canales. This group of players

possess frightening potential. Under the guidance of

Mourinho many of these players may go a long way to

fulfilling such potential. Already, Mezut Ozil and Sami

Khedira have improved greatly this season and have

become crucial elements to Mourinho’s side.

Together, it is a group of players that possess great quality

and great potential. As a team they are young but they are

slowly growing into a strong outfit.

Of course, it is still early days. Whether Mourinho is able

to guide his stars to silverware this season remains to be

seen. If glory evades Real this season, then it may be next

season that they succeed. Under Mourinho, it is surely just

a question of time and hopefully he is given enough time.

What is sure this season is that Real Madrid are serious

contenders again, both in Spain but more importantly

in Europe where the club have failed to make it past the

Round of 16 since winning the title in 2002.

But this season may be different and come Wembley

next year, it will not be surprising if it is Mourinho and his

Real side that are crowned Kings of Europe in the land the

Portuguese so desires to return one day.



WHERE TO NOW FOR

KAKAWO

RD

S B

Y: FRA

NK

TIGA

NI


There has been much recent speculation that Kaka may be

set for a return to the city of Milan. Whether he will return to

play for his previous side, A.C. Milan, or their fiercest rivals,

Inter, is quite unclear. Indeed, the former world number one

may not return to Italy at all.

What is clear, however, is that the current Real Madrid boss,

Jose Mourinho, is not too keen in keeping his Brazilian ace.

Before speculation started to abound about a possible shock

return to Italy, it was said that Mourinho was planning to make

Kaka part of a mega-offer for Manchester United star Wayne

Rooney.

The signing of Mezut Oezil in the summer was also perhaps

a suggestion by Mourinho that Kaka was or is not part of his

plans at the Bernabeu.

Kaka, who has undergone surgery on a torn ligament in his

left knee since the World Cup, is not expected to play until

January. By this time, Kaka may not be a Blancos any longer.

Since leaving Milan in the summer of 2009 for Real Madrid,

Kaka has failed to live up to the hype and expectation that his

arrival in Spain prompted. There have been many rumours as

to why but one pervading one is that Kaka’s physical condition

is fragile and indeed it seems so. Now at the age of 28, there is

a suspicion that we may have already seen the best of Kaka.

Given Kaka’s physical condition, he has suffered from

various ills in recent years, his modest showing in his debut

season at Madrid and that Mourinho has hinted that Kaka is

not an indispensable member of his squad, it is very much

a possibility that Kaka may indeed be looking at his options

beyond Real Madrid very soon.

A return to Milan, the club where he enjoyed his greatest

success, is the destination apparently favoured by Kaka. Given

the adoration he enjoyed from the Milan fans and Milan’s

propensity to buy stars past their prime, it seems more likely

that Kaka would return to his former club, rather than their

hated city rivals.

However, Kaka is clearly not the same player as he once

was. Injuries have greatly affected him in the last season or

two and his continues to be hampered by various physical

concerns. Given his age, it is difficult to see former Rossoneri

again reaching the heights he once did in his time at Milan.

Inter’s interest in Kaka is more than likely just a response

to Milan’s purchase of Ibrahimovic. With Wesley Schneider

pulling the strings for Inter in the middle, there is little reason

why the Nerazzurri would buy him.

A return to the Rossoneri seems the most likely destination,

if Kaka is to stay in Europe. Other than the apparent interest

from the two Milan giants, Kaka’s time in Europe may be over

before expected with seemingly little interest from the rest of

Europe and understandably so.

Sao Paulo from Brazil has recently announced their interest in

bringing back their former star and this may just be where the

Brazilian star ends up.

Whether Kaka will continue to be a Los Blancos remains

to be seen. Football fans, particularly those at the Santiago

Bernabeu and the men that funded his mega-money transfer,

will be hoping that he returns to his best in all white of Real

Madrid.

‘KAKA IS CLEARLY NOT THE SAME

PLAYERS HE ONCE WAS.’


Back in 2006 Italy would not

have won the World Cup without

Andrea Pirlo. The Milan ace was

crucial to Italy’s success and his

performances were recognised

after he was voted the third best

player of the tournament. In the

all important final, Pirlo was

recognised as the best player on the

pitch, a remarkable achievement

given the talent on display that day.

Since arriving at Milan from Inter

in 2001, Andrea Pirlo has been

equally crucial in helping the

Rossoneri win two Champions

League trophies, reach another

final and claim the 2004 Scudetto.

Pirlo has enjoyed an incredibly

successful career. Originally more

of a second striker in the mould of

a Roberto Baggio or a Francesco

Totti, the Milan number 21 has

achieved all this success playing

in a role that was innovative at the

time.

It was Carlo Mazzone who first

deployed Pirlo has a kind of deep-

lying midfielder when he was

plying his trade at Brescia. The

reason being that with Roberto

Baggio playing in the same side,

there was no room in the attacking

third for Pirlo.

At Milan Pirlo found himself in a

similar situation. With the likes of

Rivaldo and Rui Costa being first

choice for the creative attacking

role, there was no room again for

the promising Italian starlet. Carlo

Ancelotti, hence, made the same

move as his namesake at Brescia

had done. It proved a masterstroke.

Milan’s success over the decade

was largely created around the

creative spirit of Pirlo playing out

from deep in midfield.

But, this success also hinged

upon the partnership Pirlo formed

with Gennaro Gattuso. In his day

Gattuso was arguably the best

defensive midfielder in the game.

Tough, committed, brave and

plain relentless, Milan’s passionate

number 8 seemed to never tire

doing the work of two players it

seemed at times.

It was a simple ploy really.

Gattuso’s job was to get the ball

and give it to Pirlo. From the start

Pirlo’s defensive qualities were

suspect, but such was the presence

of Gattuso in his peak that this

mattered little.

However, in recent seasons Gattuso

has not been able to retain the

same high levels. Particularly poor

in his last two seasons, though,

the spirited Calabrian is enjoying

somewhat of a Renaissance this

term.

AC MILAN BETTERWITHOUT PIRLO

The same can be said of Pirlo. His last two seasons have

not been great by his standards and even this season he

continues to blow hot and cold. There is a correlation here.

Pirlo’s success as a deep-lying playmaker was very

much reliant on Gattuso. This was the case for both club

and country. But, with Gattuso not being the Gattuso of

yesteryear, much more is now expected of Pirlo defensively.

But as it was in the beginning, it is the same now. Pirlo is

not a defensive player. He is not a great tackler, he is no

presence physically and he lacks aggression.

In Milan’s last three games, Andrea Pirlo has not started

one. Yet, these last three games have arguably been the

best three games played by the Rossoneri this season.

There may be a correlation here also.

Playing with his favoured 4-3-1-2 system, Max Allegri

has turned Milan’s fortunes around as the club sit atop the

standings with great prospects for Scudetto success.

With this system, three hard working midfielders are

deployed behind the trequartista. Mathieu Flamini, Gennaro

Gattuso and Massimo Ambrosini have been the preferred

midfielders, with Kevin Boateng first back up. All four players

have been enjoying some good form and this has made life

much easier for Seedorf (and Allegri) as the trequartista as

it relieves him of much defensive duty and allows him to

concentrate on offense, an area his skills are more suited

for.

Against Bari, Palermo and Inter – at least in the first half

– this set up enabled Milan to control games. Bari were


AC MILAN BETTERWITHOUT PIRLO

nowhere close to Milan in the middle of the park.

Palermo’s creative star Javier Pastore had a night

to forget. And it was the same case for Inter’s

attacking spirits on Sunday night.

It is a system that has paid dividends. However, it

is a system that Andrea Pirlo is not really suited

to and this was perhaps indicated by Allegri has

he opted to start him on the bench for the derby.

For this reason perhaps time is up for Andrea

Pirlo as a deep-lying midfielder. He is not as

effective in this role as he once was. Milan are

set up differently now and the new system has

different needs.

This does not mean the end of Andrea Pirlo. But

may be better used in the more advanced role

he played as an Italian under 21 international.

Perhaps as an understudy for Clarence Seedorf

who at the age of 35 cannot start every game.

But the Dutchman definitely deserves to keep

hold of his new role. He has been enjoying it and

has five assists to show for his efforts.

‘PIRLO IS NOT AS EFFECTIVE IN THIS ROLE AS HE ONCE WAS.’



STEVEN DIONNESPINAL CORDINJURY FUND

A MIRACULOUS TRUE STORY. for more information please visitsdsci-fund.info


BY XAVI JIMÉNEZ

FOOTBALL


FOOTBALLIN THE 3RD

worldSOLOMON ISLANDS


ALIVE&KICKINGWORDS BY: ROBBIE BARKELL


KICKING

Alive & Kicking manufactures hand stitched sports balls in sub-

Saharan Africa in order to provide balls for children who don’t

have balls to play with, jobs for previously unemployed adults,

and health awareness for young people through sport. Alive &

Kicking’s work is based on the belief that by combining social en-

trepreneurship with sport’s mass appeal, lasting economic and so-

cial development can be achieved in Africa.

Unemployment is high across sub-Saharan Africa and there is

little to no welfare for those without jobs. There is a huge lack of

sporting equipment available in schools and children’s projects,

which means children can only play with balls they make them-

selves. Many children seldom have the opportunity to participate

in organised games, missing out on fun as well as personal and so-

cial development. Coupled with these shortages is a lack of health

awareness amongst young people about the deadly but avoidable

diseases of malaria, TB and HIV /AIDS. Alive & Kicking addresses

all three deficits by manufacturing hand stitched leather footballs,

volleyballs and netballs in Africa.

THE BALLS : Hand stitched out of local leather A&K balls are

tougher than normal synthetic balls and better suited to last lon-

ger in rough playing conditions. They are also easily repairable

which gives them further longevity. The balls are bought by do-

nors for distribution to schools and children’s projects across Africa

and every ball is printed with health awareness messages so that

teachers and sports coaches can use sport to broach difficult top-

ics of disease with children. In addition to Alive & Kicking’s stan-

dard leather ball, we have now developed a synthetic ball which is

better suited for play in wet conditions and on grass and astro-turf

surfaces.


EMPLOYEMENT : Alive & Kicking has stitch-

ing centres in Kenya and Zambia employing

over 150 people. Production of A&K balls in

these countries provides much needed income

for the communities in which we work as well

as a boost in leather demand for local leather

producers. Each job at Alive & Kicking provides

an income for a stitcher which is typically the

only income in a family of up to 10 people. In

order to maximise local benefit our programmes

are run as far as possible by local people, with

only one of our 150 employees in Africa origi-

nating from outside the operation country.

HEALTH WORK : Added to sport’s natural af-

finity with good health and its massive popu-

larity, it is the perfect vehicle for raising health

awareness. In this pursuit, Alive & Kicking prints

simple health messages on HIV/AIDS, malaria

or TB, on the balls we produce.

The balls are used by teachers and sports coach-

es before or after sport to talk to young people

about dangers to their health. In Kenya Alive &

Kicking has produced a set of HIV/AIDS aware-

ness posters featuring African sports stars warn-

ing young people of the dangers of contracting

HIV. These have been distributed to every sec-

ondary school in Kenya, and a similar scheme

is being launched in Zambia in partnership with

the Ministry of Education.

In both Alive & Kicking stitching centres the

stitchers are beneficiaries of a workplace health

programme which offers advice on how to stay

well. Recently our partner organisations, Right

to Play and Tackle Africa, have trained some of

our stitchers as HIV peer educators and football

coaches. This has added to their individual skill

sets and has enabled Alive & Kicking to give

health awareness sessions to young people

during ball deliveries.

Alive & Kicking is a UK registered charity

1105583. For more information contact:

+44 (0) 207 630 7333

[email protected]

www.aliveandkicking.org.uk

Alive & Kicking 2010

Alive & Kicking prints simple health messages on HIV/AIDS, malaria or

TB, on the balls we produce.‘

‘


“distributed to every sec-ondary school in Kenya, and a similar scheme is be-ing launched in Zambia“


HADYWEHBE


At first, he played as a central midfielder

behind the forwards. He was the main

factor to bring the attackers in scoring

positions, and he often scored himself.

As a born left foot, he is particularly

dangerous in standard situations, such

as free kicks and corners. His endurance

and acceleration were already way above

the age standard. The following seasons,

he continued playing central midfield,

but more defensive and as a kind of

sweeper in front of the defence. There,

he could perfectly implement his abilities

to influence the rhythm and the direction

of the game . After being coached by

experienced coachs in europe Hady finally

was told his best position was left back

where he would move up and down the

line with his overlaps causing the oponents

team to stay on there toes at all times.

Ottawa World Cup MVP 2010

Best Career Moment. 2006 FC Astra Ploiesti [Romania]

Favourite Player.Lionel Messi

Favourite National Team.Spain

Favourite Club.FC Barcelona

Favourite Position.Left Wing

Strength.Positioning / Endurance

Weakness.Headers


PAULKIHARATHE ULTIMATE

#7


Paul is a lightning quick attacking midfeilder, who likes to play on the

left wing. He aims to play professional football in one of Europe’s top

clubs, and continue to develop his football talents. He is deadly on

freekicks, very good dribbler and has a very powerful shot with great

heading abilities. His wing play is wonderful due to his ability to use

his great pace to full effect.

5 International CapsKenya vs ZanzibarTanzania vs KenyaKenya vs BurundiEritrea vs KenyaKenya vs Guinea


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