The Sports World of Ibes

Monday, February 3, 2020

Reflections on NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team

The NFL Completed its 100^th anniversary with another memorable season full of excitement that did not disappoint. I have been fortunate to be a fan of the NFL for the last 30 years since following the league back in 1990 as a kid. As they did in 1995 when the league celebrated its 75^th anniversary, the NFL released their greatest 100 roster in NFL history, with the main difference being head coaches were part of the 100. I was glad to see a couple of my favorite players from the Buccaneers make the selection, but the list also seemed incomplete and too loyal to the old guard.

Since I was living in the Tampa Bay area, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became my team. Sadly, they were a poorly run and awfully coached team back then, and unfortunately, that is still the case based on these past few seasons. Thus, I developed a soft spot for the San Francisco 49ers when the likes of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, and Ronnie Lott played for them since the Buccaneers’ season would be over after 6-7 games. Watching that 49’ers team play the West Coast offense with their tough defense helped me fall in love with the game.

During those 30 years, I have followed the league in different continents and can’t imagine my Sundays without it. For 100 years, the NFL has entertained its fans and the future looks bright for this league. The NFL celebrated its 100^th anniversary with the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team through a series presented on the NFL network. The players and head coaches were voted on by a panel consisting of media members, former players and league personnel. The series was enjoyable and I agreed with most of the selections, disagreed with a couple, and didn’t care for some of the players from the old guard.

Have no fear, I won’t be going over all 100 men selected. I first want to celebrate the fact that my Bucs, the punchline of the league for most of the last 40 years in NFL history, had two full-time Bucs on this list and one short-term Bucs player. I was elated when Lee Roy Selmon, the first ever Bucs legend, and Derrick Brooks, my all-time favorite Bucs player, made it on the list. The other player was former Vikings legend, Randall McDaniel who played for the Bucs for one season before he retired.

Selmon and Brooks were greats of the game during their eras and will now be part of NFL history as part of this team and future anniversary teams. They are now immortal and it would have been great if Brooks’ teammates of Warren Sapp, John Lynch and Ronde Barber could have been a part of this group. Nonetheless, a good argument can be made for all three making it on the NFL’s 125th Anniversary All-Time Team, if the NFL does one in 2045, when the team expands from 100 to 125.

I thought Warren Sapp was an obvious choice to make it to the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team based on the fact that he was a member of both the NFL's All-Decade team of the 90s and 2000s. Yet, John Randle, who was a phenomenal player, got the nod over Sapp. Perhaps Sapp lost some votes because of his personality during and after his playing concluded. Nevertheless, he should be on the next All-Time Team.

Another surprise omission had to be not seeing Terry Bradshaw as one of the quarterbacks on the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. Without a doubt, many wanted to see which quarterbacks were going to make the list. On the 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, only four were selected while ten quarterbacks were going to be selected for this team. Bradshaw was the first quarterback to win four Super Bowls in the Super Bowl era, yet he was not deemed good enough to make it on the list. However, Roger Staubach made it on the list, even though he lost in two Super Bowls against Bradshaw. This was an odd choice seeing as they played in the league at the same time and Bradshaw’s stats were slightly better than Staubach’s. Hopefully Bradshaw won’t be overlooked in the next team.

Overall, I agreed with most of the selections made for the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. NFL kept the players they chose for the 75thAnniversary All-Time Team and just added 25 more players and head coaches. My only complaint about the team was the inclusion of players from the early years of the league such as Sammy Baugh, Elroy Hirsch, Dan Fortmann, Cal Hubbard, and Bill Hewitt. I understand the league wants to show respect to those who were pioneers in their positions in the old days of the NFL, but were they better than those who played their position in the last twenty years? Perhaps the NFL should have had an honorable mention to those who impacted the game such as Bo Jackson and those beforementioned players.

100 years of the NFL are now in the books. The 100th Anniversary All-Time Team was certainly interesting and we will have twenty-five more years of entertaining football before we debate who will be on the 125th Anniversary All-Time Team. Until then, we should enjoy the NFL one play at a time.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Barça begins the Quique Setién era.

Well, it finally happened. FC Barcelona fired Ernesto Valverde on Monday and brough in Quique Setién as the club’s newest manager. Things had to change and Barça finally decided to become proactive by being reactive and firing Valverde following their loss to Atletico Madrid in the revamped Spanish Super Cup. Valverde’s era was bittersweet with some success but the disappointments will haunt him forever. Quique Setién now is the man to lead the charge and it won’t be easy.

We really were spoilt under the presidency of Joan Laporta. During his reign, the Blaugrana only had two managers, Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola. Since then, the Blaugrana have had five different managers. Elections are not that far away so we shall see if Quique Setién will still be the manager by then. For the time being, he has a tough task of rejuvenating a team that has slept walk this season.

Time will tell if Quique Setién was the right hire or not. Valverde came highly rated by many and in the end, many were glad to see him leave. He is already facing one difficult task of finding out what is the best formation and lineup for this team. The absence of Luis Suárez, out with an injury, and Carles Aleñá, out on loan, leaves him somewhat shorthanded. The first area of concern is whether the board will support Quique Setién or work against him. Will they bring him the players he wants or will they sign players they want without his input or approval?

With Suárez out, it’s time for Griezmann to shine but will others also step up? The team has regressed defensively and Setién will not only have to address that issue, but also improve their mental confidence which has become an issue when things don’t go their way. Hopefully Setién will also entrust La Masia and give more minutes to Barça B players such as Riqui Puig with the first team. It’s foolish to expect a quick turn around under Setién but it does feel good to feel optimistic about Barca again.

Valverde’s Reign of Error is Over.

Barça finally decided that it was time for a change. After witnessing the same uninspiring dull football, the Barça board decided to pull the trigger and give Ernesto Valverde the boot. Although Valverde will go down in the Blaugrana history books as a successful manager, his era will mostly be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Valverde managed Barça to two league crowns, one Copa del Rey title and one Spanish Super Cup in two and a half seasons. The last time Barça fired a manager during the season was during Louis van Gaal’s second stint with the club in 2002-2003 season which lasted only a few months. Coincidentally, both Valverde and van Gaal share common similarities.

Louis van Gaal also won two league crowns, one Copa del Rey title and one Spanish Super Cup in his first stint with Barça. Unlike Valverde, he was able to coach his entire third season with the Blaugrana. However, both had disappointing results in the Champions League. While Valverde’s teams imploded in the knockout stages, van Gaal’s teams never managed to advance from the group stages in his first two seasons although they managed to get embarrassed in the Semi-Finals of the 1999-2000 season.

Valverde’s time will not be looked back kindly even with all that success he accomplished. His lack of improving players and lack of playing Barça youth players along with the dull direct football he subjected the Blaugrana faithful to endure will be hard for us to forget or forgive. However, he will forever be haunted by those European exits are what nightmares are made of. Bottling those 3 goal aggregate leads where he completely got outcoached will always mark this era as Valverde’s reign of error.

Friday, December 27, 2019

Barca's Team Of The Decade.

Barça kicked off this decade by becoming the first club to ever win the sextuple. Barça had a historic successful decade which saw the Blaugrana capture seven league titles, five Copa del Rey titles, two more UEFA Champions Leagues titles, two FIFA Club World Cups, and five Spanish Super Cups. With 2019 about to come to an end, the time has come to look back at the players that have represented the club during this decade and pick the best eleven.

Marc-André ter Stegen

Barça had a tough time finding their new starting goalkeeper when they let go of Zubizarreta in the mid-90s. Víctor Valdés though would be the one to carry the mantle and become Barça’s most successful goalkeeper ever. However, both he and backup and José Manuel Pinto left the club in 2014 and Barça signed Marc-André ter Stegen for €12 million in 2014 from Borussia Mönchengladbach, and also signed Chilean international Claudio Bravo from Real Sociedad.

Both Ter Stegen and Valdés helped Barça win a Champions League title during this decade. From the 2009-2010 season, Valdés also helped Barça win three league titles, three Spanish Super Cups along with one UEFA Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup before leaving the club in 2014. Ter Stegen’s arrival as the heir to Valdés, saw him be part of the treble side where he started in both Champions League and Copa del Rey Finals while Bravo was the league starter. He would start the UEFA Super Cup but would have to wait until the 2016-2017 season to become the overall number one goalkeeper after Bravo’s departure and would help the club capture two league titles.

Valdés would win three Zamora trophies, awarded to the goalkeeper with the lowest “goals-to-games” ratio, at the start of the decade, while Ter Stegen has yet to win one. Yet, that is more of a testament of the quality of defenders that played in front of Valdés at the time, compared to the quality of defenders available for Ter Stegen since his arrival. However, the one difference is that Ter Stegen is less likely to committing errors, unlike Valdés who was known to bungle things up on occasion. This was a tough decision to make but my choice would be Ter Stegen.

Dani Alves

Dani Alves’ inclusion was a no brainer. As one of the few players to win two trebles, he is simply the greatest right-back of this century and perhaps in football history. The club has failed to replace him since his departure in 2016, with Sergi Roberto and Semedo nowhere near his talent and contribution. From the 2009-2010 season, Dani Alves helped Barça win five league titles, two UEFA Champions League titles, three Copa del Rey titles, three Spanish Super Cups along with two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups.

Gerard Piqué

Another easy decision to make was selecting Gerard Piqué. He has been magnificent for Barça since his arrival in 2008. He is also one of the few players to win two trebles. He and Puyol were one of the great center backs partnerships in club and football history. Pique has managed to continue to excel with other center backs such as Javier Mascherano, Jérémy Mathieu, Samuel Umtiti and Clément Lenglet.

Since the 2009-2010 season, Piqué helped Barça win seven league titles, two UEFA Champions League titles, five Copa del Rey titles, five Spanish Super Cups along with one UEFA Super Cup and two FIFA Club World Cups. Only time will tell if he will become the club’s next president.

Javier Mascherano

Carles Puyol is the greatest defender to ever play for and captain Barça. However, the other best center back of this decade has been Javier Mascherano. Puyol retired in 2014 and his final years at the club saw him battle injuries and feature less, which allowed the midfielder to fill in his place and partner Piqué in the heart of the defense, especially the 2011 Champions League Final. Since his arrival to the club in 2010, Mascherano helped Barça win five league titles, two UEFA Champions League titles, five Copa del Rey titles, three Spanish Super Cups along with two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups. Mascherano would share playing time with the new signing Samuel Umtiti in 2016 before leaving the club he served so impeccably in 2018.

Jordi Alba

With respect to Adriano and Lucas Digne, this decade only saw Eric Abidal and Jordi Alba feature as genuine starting left backs for Barça. Unfortunately, Abidal’s health issues relating to his liver cut his career with the Blaugrana shorter than expected. He did start for the Blaugrana in the 2011 Champions League Final. Jordi Alba’s arrival in the summer of 2012 meant that he would be the starting left back and Abidal left the club in the summer of 2013. Since his arrival, Alba helped the club capture a treble as he became an essential part of the offense under the likes of Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde. Jordi helped Barça win five league titles, one UEFA Champions League title, four Copa del Rey titles, three Spanish Super Cups along with one FIFA Club World Cup. Although I consider Abidal a better left back than Alba, Alba was this decade’s best Barça left back.

Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta

It’s impossible to discuss Barça’s team of the decade without mentioning the holy trinity of Barça’s greatest midfield. Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta played a key part in making Barça, and also Spain, become one of the best teams in the World. Xavi and Iniesta bossed the midfield and helped create chances for the front three while Busquets handled the duties of a defensive midfielder in his own unique way of combining of intelligence and elegance in a position more known for physicality and brutality. Together, they helped Barcelona be major force the first five years of this decade. Busquets is the only player who still remains at the club following Xavi’s departure in 2015 and Iniesta’s departure in 2018. Ivan Rakitic was be the closest midfielder to crack the team of the decade and only time will tell if Arthur will be on the next Team of the Decade.

Luis Suárez

This decade saw Luis Suárez and David Villa lead the charge up front and score goals while helping the Blaugrana succeed domestically and in the Champions League. Both played and scored in a Champions League Final. However, David Villa’s time at the club was cut short by injuries and saw him score 48 goals in all competitions in three seasons. Meanwhile, Luis Suárez has scored 190 goals in all competitions since his arrival in 2014, while also winning the Pichichi and Golden Boot in 2016. Whoever succeeds him next decade will have big shoes to step into.

Neymar

As much as it hurts me to omit Pedro from this list, Neymar edges him for this spot. Both were parts of a famous attacking trio; MVP and MSN. Pedro scored in the 2011 Champions League Final, scored twice in the 2012 Copa del Rey Final, along with a memorable Chilena goal to seal the league title during the second treble season of 2014-2015, and his final goal for the Blaugrana was the game winner in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup. Pedro also scored five Clasico goals in five different games against Real Madrid. Pedro left the club having scored 99 goals in 321 games in all competitions.

Neymar left the club in an acrimonious way that left many Blaugrana fans unhappy. Before his departure, Neymar scored 105 goals with 59 assists in 186 games in all competitions. During his four years at the club, Neymar scored in the 2015 Champions League Final, scored in three straight Copa del Rey Finals, and one goal in the 2013 Spanish Super Cup that was the deciding goal to clinch the trophy, and he also scored three Clasico goals. Furthermore, during his time at Barça, MSN won the club’s second ever treble and scored 364 goals in 450 games. Neymar may not be beloved for how he left the club but his time at the club was unforgettable and worthy of being a member of the Team of the Decade. Who knows, he may be on the next Team of the Decade if rumors are true that Barça will be bringing him back this summer.

Lionel Messi

The club’s greatest player of this decade, this century, and in its entire history. He is one of the greatest ever to play the game. Five Golden Balls and Five Golden Shoes in this decade alone is a remarkable achievement. A valid argument can be made that he became the game plan/system for the managers after the departure of Pep Guardiola. Seven league titles since 2009-2010, two Champions League titles, five Copa del Rey titles, two FIFA Club World Cups and two UEFA Super Cups along with five Spanish Super Cups. He became the league’s all-time goal scorer and scored over 100 goas in the Champions League during this decade. It’s a pity that poor coaching has cost him more Champions League titles and here’s hoping we can enjoy Messi in the next decade as well.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Barça, Just OK is Not OK!

FC Barcelona are in first place in both the Spanish League and in their Champions League group. Even though they look good in the standings, their performance hasn’t been good at all. Barça still have issues to resolve and hopefully they can get it together after the international break or else we risk witnessing another disappointing season.

Even though the results do not show it, Barça keep regressing under Ernesto Valverde. The defense keeps leaking goals and the offense looks predictable, which is extremely reliant on Messi. The Blaugrana resemble a car in dire need of a tune-up as they struggle to fire on all cylinders. New signing Griezmann is struggling to click with the team, especially with Messi.

The bigger concern is whether Valverde can actually get the team to play better. Not one player has improved under his helm, so how can we expect him to improve the team. The blame doesn’t fall entirely on him seeing as the players also bear a brunt of the blame. Perhaps Pique needs to cutback on his non-football activities and focus on playing football and rest. Also, it would be nice to figure out why so many Barça players are coming down with muscle injuries.

It’s still early into the season, but Barça being just OK is not OK. Things have to change or else they will be heading towards another disappointing finish. The Blaugrana have been fortunate that Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid have also stumbled early on into the season but eventually one of them will get hot and if Barça don’t get their act together, they may have more concerns than just coming up short in Europe.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

From Force to Farce, Lightning Need to Wake Up.

Last season’s playoff exit to the Columbus Blue Jackets by the Tampa Bay Lightning still stings. While I was visiting the team store, I cringed when I saw a puck for sale commemorating last season’s record 62 regular season wins. Last season was a painful and unbelievable experience for Bolts fans, including yours truly, where I just want this current season to end already so we can get to the playoffs. Nevertheless, we can’t think about the playoffs based on the Bolts sub-par start to this season, which is alarming and perhaps indicates that the Lightning have yet to recover from that disappointment.

Last night, the Lightning hosted the Colorado Avalanche following back to back wins on the road against Montreal and Boston. This felt like a home opener since this was only their second game on home ice since the puck dropped on October 3^rd. What the fans witnessed last night was a lifeless performance where Lighting looked second best for the majority of the game in a 6-2 loss. Even though they had many shots on goal, those shots were tame and the level of intensity was not there. This wasn’t the first time that the Bolts had lost badly this season, which begs the question if teams have learned how to play the Bolts courtesy of the Blue Jackets.

Since his hiring, Jon Cooper has been a phenomenal coach for the Lightning. The team is exciting to watch and the fans have a winning product on the ice. Nonetheless, it’s hard to ignore the fact that over the years, this team has failed to delivered in the playoffs. Last season’s first round sweep exit was devastating but not surprising since the warning signs were visible throughout that season.

Last season, the Lightning may have won 62 games, but the one main issue noticed by many was that the Lightning did not play focused the entire 60 minutes of a game. Eight games into this season, that same concern is still visible. Recently, Lightning Television broadcast analyst Bobby 'The Chief' Taylor stated that the Lightning need to start outplaying teams and not outscoring them. That’s exactly how last season played out with the Lightning either blowing out teams or staging a frantic comeback after being down a couple of goals to grab a victory. That may work during the regular season where you may face the team in November and then again in April. However, playoffs hockey is a best of seven playoffs series, so it’s not easy to pull off the same trick against a team over seven games during two weeks, and that’s what happened against the Blue Jackets in the playoffs last season.

The Lightning are still trying to outscore teams and not outplay teams without the same success as last season. However, when it isn’t working, one wonders if they are shell-shocked and thinking back to last season’s playoffs collapse. Jon Cooper and the players need to outplay teams the entire 60 minutes and come playoff time, they need to differentiate between regular season hockey and playoff hockey, where referees call the games differently. Before thinking of the playoffs, the Bolts need to be tough and cut down the penalties and the number of shots on their goal. This is a deep talented team and anything less than a cup is a disappointment as we rue the wasted talent at our disposal. It’s still early but the Bolts need to get their act together now and get over last season’s disappointment or risk facing more disappointment.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Where Have All The Oranje Strikers Gone?

Over many years, the Oranje have been blessed up front with superb strikers. During the good times and bad times, the Oranje always had players who were a threat up front. However, as the team continues its revival under Ronald Koeman, the lack of quality strikers is a concern. With Euro 2020 on the horizon, can Koeman overcome this concern or will it impact his work in returning the Oranje to international competitions.

By Ibrahim Ayyub
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The Oranje have had a great success up front since their glory days of the late 1980’s. Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit spearheaded the attack during Euro 88. Dennis Bergkamp came on the scene during Euro 92 and later on with Patrick Kluivert becoming his partner in crime in the late 90s, they replaced the retired Van Basten and Gullit. The Dutch had such a dearth of talent in the 90s that saw them call up Pierre van Hooijdonk and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink along with Bergkamp and Kluivert for World Cup 1998.

The competition to play upfront was so intense that even the likes of Roy Makaay, 2003 European Golden Boot winner, wasn’t able to get sufficient playing minutes once Dennis Bergkamp retired after Euro 2000. Ruud van Nistelrooy had burst onto the scene following Bergkamp’s retirement, but he along with Kluivert, Hasselbaink and Van Hooijdonk couldn’t steer the team to World Cup 2002. Ultimately, the latter three’s playing time for the Oranje ended as Van Nistelrooy became the top gun for the Oranje. However, his reign would be short-lived after butting heads with the Oranje manager Van Basten during World Cup 2006 and he would not feature for the Oranje after Euro 2008. In the meantime, the likes of Robin van Persie, Dirk Kuyt and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar emerged on the scene for the Oranje as they, along with Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, helped guide the Oranje to their third World Cup Final in 2010.

Unfortunately, the Oranje have struggled to replace Van Persie, Kuyt and Huntelaar prior to and subsequent to Koeman’s arrival as manager. Koeman has relied on Ryan Babel, who is in his early 30s, to lead the charge upfront. Even though he is in mid 30s, Huntelaar has been superb for Ajax during their own recent revival, so it was a surprise to see him left out of the Oranje side that features many of his current teammates.

It is disappointing that this Oranje revival comes at a time when there is a lack of excellent Dutch strikers. This decade alone has seen only four Dutch players lead the Eredivisie in scoring. Bas Dost, Memphis Depay, Vincent Janssen and Luuk de Jong. Only Memphis has been performing well for the Oranje but he is more of a 10 than a striker while the other three have failed to impress when called upon. Bas Dost is 30 now and seems to surplus to requirements, while Luuk de Jong is 29 and about to play in his fourth league in Spain with Sevilla, after playing in Holland, Germany and England. Vincent Janssen is 25 and his career stalled ever since moving to Tottenham in 2016 and is now starting a new chapter in Mexico with Monterrey which probably makes him an afterthought for now.

Time will tell if Koeman will continue to rely on Babel or will he entrust other players such as Wout Weghorst, Quincy Promes, Justin Kluivert to play up front. Who knows, maybe a new rising star, such as Donyell Malen, will appear and shine for the Oranje very much akin to Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong. In the meantime, perhaps Koeman should not ignore Klaas-Jan Huntelaar while he tries to solve this issue.