Rosell’s Biggest Decision Ever.

It has been a difficult period lately for FC Barcelona President Sandro Rosell. Friday’s announcement that Tito Vilanova was going to step down after suffering a relapse with his medical problems was perhaps the most difficult act he had to do during his entire time with the club. Now comes the most challenging and difficult decision for him to make; finding the next FC Barcelona manager.

During the 2011-2012 season, Rosell discovered Pep Guardiola was not going to return to manage FC Barcelona. He handled that situation by appointing Guardiola’s then assistant, Tito Vilanova, to be the next FC Barcelona manager. However, Rosell is now going to see FC Barcelona have their third manager in as many years for the upcoming 2013-2014 season. The media was all over this and their list of candidates shrunk from ten to two but the decision delegated to Rosell will be an enormous task.

Rubén Uría mentioned in his latest column that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. The point he was making was that FC Barcelona are witnessing history repeat itself.  Back in the mid 90’s, Barça’s successful manager Johan Cruyff was let go and his successor, Bobby Robson, lasted only one season before Louis van Gaal replaced him. Fast-forward to this decade where the Blaugrana faithful also witnessed Guardiola leave the club after a successful spell only for Tito to last for a season before someone else was hired to manage the club.

If you believe the media stories, the list of choices to be the next Barça manager is down to two names. They are beloved former Barça player, Luis Enrique, and former Newell's Old Boys manager, Gerardo Martinez. Supposedly, a decision will be made as soon as tomorrow and at least before the end of next week. There are positives and negatives if the club hires either one of these candidates.

Luis Enrique, Lucho, was a popular player, former Barça B manager and even a former teammate of Xavi, Puyol, Valdés and Iniesta. He knows the style and the expectations of the club and perhaps will give the B players more opportunities. However, his one year with Roma did not leave a positive lasting impression. Furthermore, will he be able to cope with the pressure of managing FC Barcelona in all competitions especially with his lack of experience coaching in European competitions. My concern is whether he can transition from being a former teammate and friend to being the man in charge.

Gerardo Martinez, also known as Tata, managed Paraguay to the Copa America Final a few years ago and gave Spain a big scare in their World Cup Quarterfinal encounter. He recently stepped down as Argentinean club Newell’s Old Boys manager after guiding them to Torneo Final title and the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores. Although his style with Paraguay leaned on the defensive side, Newell’s Old Boys were more known for their offensive goal scoring style. Another significant factor is that he was a disciple of the one and only Bielsa. However, my friend Alex Hoy expressed his big concern of whether he can control the egos of players at a big club like FC Barcelona. Thus, will he be able to cope with the pressure and handle the egos too?

The big question will be answered soon. Rosell has a big decision to make, perhaps the biggest he has ever had to make as President, and Vice-President, of FC Barcelona. He has only three years left in his term as president so this decision could leave a lasting impact on his legacy. Hopefully history will not repeat itself where the club will descend back to the pits.  Barça’s future is at stake and the entire football world is eagerly awaiting the news of who will be the next FC Barcelona manager. Rosell’s next move is no small task indeed.

Testimonials for La Liga Legends Obsolete.

Images of Valerón in tears following Deportivo’s La Corona’s relegation signaled the sad state of the Galician club. It also signaled perhaps the end of a great career for the legendary Valerón. Injuries have deprived us one of the best midfielders Spain produced the past 25 years.  As the heart broken Valerón walked off the pitch, part of me thought that he would get a proper farewell with a proper testimonial match. However, the sad realization is that this event will never take place since it is not relevant for Spanish clubs as it is for clubs in other domestic leagues.

Club legends always seem to receive testimonials when they call it a day; unless they are Ryan Giggs who received his over a decade ago. Dennis Bergkamp’s testimonial match christened Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Paul Scholes had his at Old Trafford back in August 2011 before he decided to opt out of retirement and return to Manchester United. Demetrio Albertini had his testimonial match with Milan back in 2006. Phillip Cocu will have his testimonial later on this month by PSV. Rio Ferdinand’s testimonial match will take place next month when Manchester United will host Sevilla on August 9th while Steven Gerrard will have his a few days earlier at Anfield when Liverpool host Olympiakos. Coincidentally, Real Madrid legend Raul will also be honored with a testimonial on July 27th.

However, that testimonial will be held in Germany thanks to his former club FC Schalke 04.  Yet, what is even more mind boggling is that Raul will have a testimonial held in his honor by FC Schalke 04 and not by Real Madrid. It is unfathomable that one of the greatest players to ever represent Los Blancos  has not received a testimonial. For some reason, La Liga clubs do not hold testimonials for their players; just participate in them. FC Barcelona played in Albertini’s testimonial in 2006 while Real Madrid participated in Majed Ahmed Abdullah’s testimonial match in Saudi Arabia back in 2008. Yet, former legends for both Madrid and Barça have not had any testimonial matches held in their honor recently.

You have to go back to the mid 90’s to recall any testimonials for legends of either club. Hugo Sanchez had his testimonial back in 1997while Johan Cruyff had one testimonial at the Camp Nou, and another at Amsterdam Arena in the late 90’s. However, the chances of seeing a testimonial for legends of either club who had retired last decade won’t be happening anytime soon. Pep Guardiola never got one when he retired. Redondo, Luis Enrique, Michel Salgado, Gabri and Morientes are just a few of who also never got a testimonial when they quit playing too.

I asked a friend of mine, Angel Iturriaga, why testimonials are not held more often for La Liga players. He informed me that they were common in the past but most Spanish clubs decided not to have them anymore. As for why, he was not sure but the basic explanation was there wasn’t enough time for clubs to host these kinds of games. Angel believes that this was a big mistake but indicated that that the mindset of the fans in Spain tend to focus only the players presently playing for their clubs and not look back on past players. So the chances that Valerón will have a testimonial held in his honor are pretty much slim to none.

Former Madrid captain Hierro did get some sort of tribute from Real Madrid after he retired in 2005. However, that tribute was a brief ceremony prior to the Madrid derby kicking off. Lately, we have seen retired Madrid stars team up in friendly matches against other clubs’ retired stars. There are also a La Liga Indoor Football league which features retired players. Those are great for brief moments of nostalgia in the same manner as watching retired tennis and golf players playing on the senior tour circuit.

 Hopefully La Liga clubs will change their attitudes towards testimonials when the likes of Puyol, Xavi, Valerón, Marchena, Albelda, Marcos Senna, and Palop retire one day. There was a testimonial held recently in memory of deceased Espanyol captain, Daniel Jarque, who was unexpectedly taken from us too soon back in 2009. Hopefully those types of testimonials become scarce and prevented as players’ health concerns will spotted by club’s medical staff. Perhaps though, it might kick start the trend of testimonial matches again to celebrate La Liga players and bid them farewell in a proper manner. Nevertheless, Raul cannot be ignored and Real Madrid should do the right thing and hold a testimonial match in his honor someday. The same applies to all those players in Spain who have served their clubs well over the years. They do deserve one final send off before they ride out into the sunset.

In Tito We Trust?

Tito Vilanova’s first year as manager saw him recapture the league title from Real Madrid. Finishing with 100 points and 15 points ahead of Real Madrid were a historic first for the club. Nevertheless, there are issues swirling over the club regarding Tito Vilanova and if he is the right managerial choice? Issues range from not resting his players, ignoring the bench and the younger players and his overall health? Thu, is Tito still the man to lead this club?

Without a doubt, Tito is going to be managing FC Barcelona next season. His first year was successful what with the club recapturing the league crown from arch rivals Real Madrid in historic fashion. The 100 point milestone and finishing 15 points ahead second place Real Madrid was one for the ages. Yet, the season ended on a sour note following Barça’s elimination by Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey Semi-Finals and getting hammered by Bayern Munich 7-0 aggregate in UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals. Doubts remain about whether he is the right manager to lead the club due to issues regarding his tactics, lineup selections, health, transfer plans and his handling of Barça B players have warranted plenty of second guessing.

The most important issue is his health. Tito’s first year put his health back in the spotlight when he had to seek medical treatment in New York. Fortunately, he was able to return and finish the season as FC Barcelona’s manager.  However, there will be lingering doubts of whether Tito’s health will suffer a setback just as it did last season. The club perhaps addressed that when they signed Girona’s manager, Rubi, to be one of Tito’s assistants for next season. The train of thought is that Rubi would step in, instead of Jordi Roura, if Tito would have to take another medical leave of absence. However, will that be a step in the right direction if we witness the club struggling again while Tito is in New York?

The other issue is Tito’s style of coaching. The transition from Pep Guardiola to Tito Vilanova saw the team change their style a bit and be a bit more direct. Their defending though regressed as they leaked plenty soft goals far too often.  Yes, they did end up winning the league title and made it to the semi-finals of both Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.

Yet, questions still linger about his coaching. Tito stepping into the shoes of Pep Guardiola reminded me a lot of Barry Switzer taking over of the NFL Dallas Cowboys from Jimmy Johnson. Jimmy Johnson had taken his team, from being an irrelevant team, to two consecutive titles before leaving on bad terms with the team owner Jerry Jones. Barry Switzer came in and won the title in his second year. However, Switzer’s accomplishment was downplayed because of the talented players he inherited from Johnson. The same argument could be made for Vilanova.

Barça’s great start to their league campaign was simply one for the ages. Barça managed to record 55 points out of a possible 57 from their first 19 league matches. Tito received a lot of the acclaim for that feat but the players also played a significant role in that achievement. Graham Hunter indicated that Barça players were still upset at how they lost the league to Mourinho’s Real Madrid and during the preseason, they “made an informal pact” to seek revenge on all those clubs that they dropped points to away during that 2011-2012 season. So was it the Tito factor or Barça players hell-bent on revenge factor?

Furthermore, one of the main criticisms of Tito’s coaching was his lack of plan B. Many times, we saw Tito stick with the same plan and just switch players. That was evident while he was away in New York and after he returned to the dugout.  Many thought that Roura was not up to the task of coaching this talented bunch of players but Tito’s coaching after his return just made it seem obvious that Tito was the one calling the shots at all times. However, his management was met with many second guessing.

For far too long, the Blaugrana faithful have witnessed their team struggle in the second half of the season. Players were fatigued and on the brink of exhaustion brought on from appearing in too many matches. The lack of players’ rotation and resting of key players were on display when Bayern Munich destroyed Barça in both legs of their UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals.  To many, that could have been avoided just by Tito rotating his squad more often, especially after the title had been somewhat secured halfway through the season once Barça enjoyed a 12 point lead over Real Madrid.

Moreover, Tito’s treatment of the Barça B players and his bench bordered on the line of stubbornness or neglectful. There was no reason that Messi should have featured in insignificant matches such as the final group stage match against Benfica were he suffered an injury scare or playing him so soon after returning from international duty. Why didn’t the likes of Bartra, Montoya, and Tello play more often? Tello did not feature against Bayern Munich and wasn’t even on the bench for the 1st leg, played only 10 minutes against PSG and a total of 35 minutes in the Cup and league Clásico encounters that fell on the same week back in late February/early March.

Another negative lasting impact from that Bayern Munich drubbing was Vilanova waiting till the 83rd minute before he made his first substitution when Barça were down 4-0. Was that a testament to his lack of faith in his bench, and if so, will that change next season? Why did he not make his changes sooner and keep the score at a respectable level rather than trust his men and watch them surrender two more goals?  Additionally, why did he not play the younger players in the second leg that had the energy to perhaps rise to the occasion? Tito did not give the start to Tello, Montoya and Thiago and instead opted to go with the likes of Xavi who had already thrown in the towel after the first leg when he admitted that a comeback was “practically impossible”.

Speaking of Thiago, Barça are now about to lose him to Manchester United because his buy-out clause went from €90 million to €18 million because of a contract clause was not triggered after he failed to complete 60% of Barça’s games. Thiago was not too pleased with the lack of playing time from Tito, and the club now faces the possibility of losing a prized gem for a low amount because someone did not read the fine print. Thiago is not alone with the likes of Tello, Bartra, and diamond in the rough Gerard Deulofeu also rumored to be going on loan to other teams.

Finally, the other issue of concern is Tito’s taste for players during the transfer window period. Barça’s need for a center back was obvious last summer and yet the club signed Alex Song. The project to see the defensive midfielder perform as a center back was a failure and with Puyol’s health and career in doubt, along with the club not bringing back Abidal, center back position has to be addressed. Word has it that Tito only wants Thiago Silva and is not considering any other player. If true, then his fixation with the Brazilian center back is a big cause of alarm when you take into consideration the player’s age, price tag and history of injuries.  You would expect a manager to be open-minded and look at the big picture.

Next season will be very interesting indeed. The tide has shifted this summer since Barça’s opponents have improved with the likes of Bayern Munich hiring Guardiola, Manchester City hiring Manuel Pellegrini, Chelsea has Mourinho back, and Real Madrid hiring Carlo Ancelotti. The competition has improved and Barça, along with their fans, will discover whether they have the right man to lead them.  Thu, is Tito still the man to lead this club? Hopefully Tito learned from his first season in charge.  If not, then Barça face the risk of playing catch up by searching for a new manager and wasting away the talents of Messi and company.

In La Masia We Trust?

For years, many praised FC Barcelona’s youth academy as the back bone behind their success. The club has always made a point of having players from the youth setup be a part of the first team. Us fans have always pointed to the likes of Puyol, Xavi, Valdés, Iniesta, Messi, Pedro and Busquets as players who came through the La Masia ranks to become starters and key players in many triumphs. However, it seems that the talk of La Masia being significant is becoming more of folklore and a great marketing gimmick than actual fact. Worst of all, it seems that La Masia is becoming more and more irrelevant for Barça.

Barça fans, myself included, always relished mocking Real Madrid and their lack of belief in their youth setup. They had plenty of talented players in their academy but would end up selling them to other teams and not using them i.e., Soldado, Borja Valero, Negredo, and Mata just to name a few. Ultimately, Real Madrid have been financing their youth setup by selling their young talent and not profiting from these players on the pitch instead.

Back in November, history was made when Barça had an entire team on the pitch who came through the youth academy. For years, many praised FC Barcelona’s youth academy as the back bone behind their success. The club has always made a point of having players from the youth setup be a part of the first team with the likes of Puyol, Xavi, Valdés, Iniesta, Messi, Pedro and Busquets as players who came through the La Masia ranks to become starters and key players in many triumphs. Nevertheless, Barça seems to be following in their footsteps in terms of neglecting their youth. They may not be cashing in on them, as their arch rivals would, thanks to the loans deals with buy back clauses as was the case recently with Botia and Romeu. There was no strong likelihood that Barça ever planned to buy back Botia when he was on loan with Sevilla and now plies his craft for Sevilla while Romeu is still with Chelsea and he indicated he was in no hurry to return to Barça.

Back in February, I complained about how Barça was treating its youth players by promising them promotion to the first team without providing them adequate playing time. I argued that this was not helping them mature as players, but instead regress. Well, it looks like the powers that be at Barça realized the error of their ways and will implement another strategy. Thus, players such as Gerard Deulofeu, Montoya, Bartra and even Tello might be loaned out to other clubs to gain experience if rumors are to be believed. It sure beats sitting on the bench or in the stands.

On the other hand, this might not be a long-term problem. La Masia is being horribly mismanaged by the current regime. Under the supervision of Amor and the coaching of Eusebio, the quality of Barça B has regressed. Barça B finished their league campaign in the second division in 9th place; one place behind Real Madrid B. They managed to win 15 games out of 42 matches with only 4 victories in the final 19 matches. Tito hardly called up players from the B team to play with the first team so Eusebio had a full team to coach all season long.

Eusebio’s coaching of Barça B has been met with wide criticism. The criticism stems from not having the team play the right way; not getting the best out of his players; and not even using the players he is presented with. The club signed Edgar Ié and Agostinho Cá from Sporting Lisbon yet Edgar only began to feature recently after being medically cleared back in the fall while no one can really recall how many times Agostinho Cá has played. The fact that Eusebio was given another year extension just indicates that the club is completely out of touch with the youth setup or just don’t care.

10 players are rumored to be leaving the B team next season, including starlet Muniesa who was once considered a future defender on the first team. Then again, only Bartra and Montoya seemed to be the only graduates since Oleguer to be promoted and remain with the first team as defenders. On the other hand, those two might not be with the team next season. It does beg the question as to why haven’t Barça developed defenders, especially center-backs, from the youth setup.

Tito is not blameless in this matter either. His predecessor, Guardiola, always made it a habit of calling up Barça B players to train with the first team and also make an appearance with the first team. In his four seasons with the club, Guardiola called up youth players for the final league games once the league had been decided. During the treble season, Botia, Abraham, and Xavi Torres appeared in the final league match. Two years later, Romeu, Bartra, Fontas, and Jonathan Dos Santos got the same opportunity and at the end of last season, Pep had to rely on B players such as Cuenca and Tello because of injuries to others, and Bartra and Montoya also got to feature a bit. The only exception was the 2009-2010 season, where the league was won on the final match day.

Yet, Tito opted to stick with his regulars even though the league had been decided back in the spring, and some would say since December. With the league safely assured, where were the minutes for Gerard Deulofeu, Sergi Roberto, Rafinha, Ilie, and Dongou? Better yet, where were the minutes for Tello, Thiago, Montoya and Bartra but that’s another discussion.

When the club closed down the old Masia building and built a new facility, I wasn’t expecting the doors to also be slamming shut on Barça B players’ hopes of getting into the first team. As for the argument that there is no space for the current B players for the first team, then why is the club rumored to be signing players from other teams again such as Neymar. Unfortunately, this club has had mixed success with their transfers during the Rosell era so why not focus on players who know the system and will not cost a fortune. It should not be about marketability, but about performance.

Overall, this club would not be where it is today without its youth players. It was Puyol who was leading the team over the years. It was Valdés who came up big with key stops in those Champions League finals. It was Iniesta who scored that wonder goal against Chelsea. It was Busquets who filled in the midfield when Yaya had to play center back along with Pique in that Rome Final. It was Pedro who scored those big goals in important finals. Oh yeah, there is also this little guy who came through La Masia and became one of the greatest to ever play the game.

In conclusion, this club better pay attention to what is going on with Barça B. They cannot neglect its current state or else the club’s future will severely impacted. The foundation has been set for a prosperous future for Barça and they cannot afford to ignore it or mistreat it. If Barça fails to maintain the quality and integrity of La Masia, then the repercussions will be felt for many years. The club cannot afford to make La Masia irrelevant or just some marketing gimmick. This club is where it is today because of La Masia and the club best not forget it.

 

2012-2013 End of Season Awards.

The 2012-2013 season just concluded and our beloved Barça competed for four cups. In the end, they succeeded in winning one out of four competitions by capturing their 22nd league title and ended the season on a positive note when they managed to reach 100 points and finish 15 points ahead of Real Madrid atop of the standings. So, as we enjoy the summer break before another season is upon us, it’s time to hand out the awards.

A season in transition as Tito Vilanova, and at times Jordi Roura, managed the club after Guardiola opted not to return to Barça for another season. Nevertheless, FC Barcelona continued to add trophies to the trophy case with the capture of their 22nd league title.  Sadly, there is still the lingering sting from the Bayern Munich 7-0 aggregate thrashing in their sixth consecutive UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals. Furthermore, there were some sad farewells with Abidal not returning and perhaps other players too bidding farewell to their Barça playing days.

The season started off with the team losing to Real Madrid in the Super Copa with sloppy play from Valdés and the back four would turn out to be a common theme for the rest of the season. FC Barcelona did have enjoy a great first half of the season as they were still competing in all 3 competitions and enjoyed an astonishing 18 point lead over their arch rivals, Real Madrid by setting a new Spanish record of  accumulating 55 points from 19 matches.

Unfortunately, the club failed to make use of that great gap and once again, we saw an exhausted and unfit Barça struggle in the second half of the season. Barça were eliminated by Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey Semi-Finals and could not defeat a makeshift Madrid team in league play the same week. Fatigue and injuries would also affect Barça, with Messi struggling with injuries, as they were manhandled by Bayern in the Champions League after struggling to eliminate the likes of Milan and PSG.

Barça though would end the season on a positive when they captured the league title by reaching 100 points although they would be without Messi’s services in the final month or so. Messi still managed to win another FIFA Golden Ball and won the league’s Pichichi top scorer award again. We also had to say a sad farewell to Abidal when the club announced they would not be offering the inspiration player a new deal and others might soon follow suite and leave the club as well. So, as we enjoy the summer break before another season is upon us, it’s time to hand out the awards.

MVP: MESSI.

Messi scored 38 goals from 29 matches halfway through the season. Although he was ruled out of action near the end of the season, he still managed to score 60 goals in 50 matches and win the Pichichi with 46 goals. I did state in my midseason awards that “Barring any injury, the sky is the limit for Messi as he keeps doing what he loves to do; win”. Sadly, the injury he picked up against PSG made him ineffective in the first leg of the Bayern 4-0 loss and would not feature in the second leg 3-0 loss. Nevertheless, he essentially was the big reason why this club won its 22nd league title and hopefully he will learn to take it easy next season and not play in every single match. He is human after all.

Best Goal: Messi v Athletic Bilbao

 This is usually a tough one but even though we saw some great goals so far this season from Adriano, David Villa, Iniesta, Xavi and Jordi Alba, Messi’s goal against Athletic Bilbao simply stood out from the others. It was artistic and the closest thing I have seen to resemble art in motion. Messi just simply took on four Bilbao players and displayed his amazing grace on the ball as he managed to glide each one of them before unleashing a powerful shot that Gorka could not stop. It simply was a footballing masterpiece by one of the all-time greats of the game who keeps making it look easy even when playing hurt.

Best Assist: Xavi to Villa against Milan

Barça’s style means we get to see a lot of assists but for me, Xavi’s through ball to David Villa against Milan was the best one for me this season. Barça needed a third goal against Milan and the ease with how Xavi delivered that through ball with his only touch, with such vision and precision, to find Villa inside the box was one of the best things I saw this season. Sadly, we don’t get to see too many of these superb through balls from Xavi and hopefully we’ll see more next season.

Best Game: FC Barcelona 4-0 AC Milan.

This game was nearly perfect. We saw the Barça of old that we were accustomed to seeing under Pep. Barça’s performance was daring, courageous, energetic, and totally in control. They hounded Milan all over the pitch and Messi scored a great brace in the first half before Villa and Alba scored in the second half to overcome the disappointing 2-0 first leg loss. Wish we saw more of than the rest of the way.

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Best Transfer: Jordi Alba.

Although his performance dipped a bit in the second half of the season, Jordi Alba still was a great transfer by Barça. As I said back in January, his arrival has been so good that people seem to forget about Dani Alves as the club’s most explosive fullback. Jordi has fit in perfectly without any adjustment period and already looks like someone who has been on this team for years. His goal against Milan will be remembered for quite a long time.

Most Improved Player: Tello.

Tello’s progression was one of the positives of the season. The young man went from the player who just aimed for the goal to one who could cause problems with his shooting and passing. Barcelona media compared some of his goals to those of Thierry Henry and it was fully justified. For some inexplicit reason, Vilanova never turned to him in the big games. He was in the stands for the first leg against Bayern and never left the bench in the second leg. The sky is the limit for Tello and here’s hoping he’ll continue to improve and that he is still with the team for next season.

Best Youth Player: Montoya.

Unfortunately, not too many young players got to play much with only Bartra and Montoya featuring when needed.  Cuenca won this last season with Tello also impressing and he did well this season too. Montoya, whenever he was not neglected by the manager, filled in for Dani Alves superbly on two different occasions against Real Madrid. He scored in the team’s final league match and one hopes he will feature more, along with Bartra, next season, and not be omitted from the squad when rotations are needed.

Most Disappointing Player: Cesc.

For the second year in a row, Cesc sadly wins this award. I was in favor of the club signing him from Arsenal but his time with the club thus far has been disappointing. He still stood out after the disappointing seasons from the likes of Pique, Mascherano, Pedro, Alexis and Dani Alves to name a few. He seemed to have finally snapped out of his funk only to fall back into during the second half of the season. Yes, it is true that he finished second behind Messi with his 11 league goals and finished the season with 14 goals and 12 assists. However, he was supposed to be a part of the puzzle for Barça. Yet, where was he for the big games? He did not feature in the 4-0 Milan win and 4-0 Bayern loss and was either a substitute or was subbed off against Madrid and PSG. This was the same problem last season but we’re still trying to figure out how to best utilize Cesc. He failed to impress on regular basis and now we have to weather a summer of transfer rumors linking him with a return to England.

2012-2013 started off with a bang and the club endured a blip in form near the end, but it was a successful one nevertheless. More importantly, we saw Abidal and Tito battle back from their medical problems and return to us which is the biggest prize of them all. Here’s hoping that next season will be even better where the awards will be less harsh on some of the players.