Footy Blog!!

Rene has walked away. And like the empty sidewalks in the old Four Tops hit, football is not the same. The game will miss Rene Higuita.

The eccentric Colombian keeper bid farewell with an exhibition match last week.

Of course, he had to produce the famous ’scorpion’ save one last time. But for all its novelty value, the ’scorpion’ is not the reason for Higuita’s importance. Nor, in the final analysis, are the goals he scored. His free-kicks and penalties were no circus act, and they inspired a line of goalscoring South American goalkeepers.

No, there is a better reason for Higuita to be remembered. He was years ahead of his time.

Higuita performs his ’scorpion’ save for the final time

He was a pioneer when it came to his skill with the ball at his feet and in his willingness to take responsibility for situations 40 metres from goal. Before the change in the back pass rule obliged keepers to develop these abilities, he was already showing that a team is made up of 11 footballers, not of 10 players and a goalkeeper.

This had important tactical ramifications, helping forge the style of the Colombia team of the late ’80s and early ’90s.

With Higuita behind them, the defensive line could push higher up the field, pressing the opposition to win the ball back. Then, when in possession, they were a more compact unit, with lots of options for their trademark short passing.

It was a South American twist on some of the ideas of the great Holland side of 1974.

Colombia coach Francisco Maturana acknowledged the debt and stressed the importance of his goalkeeper to the system.

Higuita, he wrote shortly before the 1990 World Cup, “gives us something no one else has, and we take full advantage. With Rene as sweeper, we have 11 outfield players…. Jan Jongbloed, the Holland keeper in the 1974 World Cup, also operated as a sweeper. With a difference. The Dutchman came out just to boot the ball into the stands. Higuita can do much more.”

In the event, Maturana probably wished Higuita had blasted the ball into Row Y.

In the second-round game against Cameroon, just as the Colombian TV commentator was describing Higuita as “an exceptional sweeper”, wily Roger Milla robbed him outside his area and raced away to score what proved to be the decisive goal.

This, though, was the price Colombia paid for their style of play. Higuita made no effort to hide his error, seemed strong enough to live with it, and the whole thing could be written off as experience on the way to USA 94.

For me, it is one of the big ‘what ifs’ of football history. What might have happened had Rene Higuita been able to play in that World Cup 16 years ago?

Placed among the pre-tournament favourites, Colombia’s campaign quickly blew up in tears and tragedy - real tragedy, with centre back Andres Escobar murdered in Medellin a few days after their first-round elimination.

It’s easy to forget what a good side Colombia were.

They went into USA 94 on a run of one defeat in 34 games, including a 5-0 win in Buenos Aires, the first time Argentina had ever lost a World Cup qualifier at home.

The Colombia team that went to USA 94 had lots of merits - but did not have its goalkeeper. Higuita was in jail - harshly, as the authorities now admit.

He had been called in to act as an intermediary in a kidnapping case. Receiving money for his actions was against the rules.

Colombia were not the same side without him. Young replacement Oscar Cordoba was a competent shot stopper. He had done well in Buenos Aires. But on that occasion, Argentina were doing the pressing.

The World Cup debut against Romania was very different. Hagi and co were the counter-attacking specialists. Colombia played some beautiful football, but this was a game where they needed the keeper to play his sweeper’s role. Cordoba couldn’t. His decision making was exposed, and Romania won 3-1.

And if Colombia had missed Higuita from a technical point of view, now they really needed him from a psychological perspective.

Andres Escobar scores the own goal which went on to cost him his life

All the pressure was on the second game against the USA. The Colombia team had been receiving death threats since before Italia 90. But now, with the spotlight on them, the stakes were so much higher.

Colombia had become ‘Locombia’ - the crazy country.

Drug cartels were running amok, politicians, judges and journalists were routinely assassinated. The death threats reaching the national team were taken very seriously. The dressing room was in panic. The team were a nervous wreck.

Faustino Asprilla later confessed that during the national anthems he was glancing round the stadium wondering where the shot was going to come from. In no state to play a World Cup match, they lost again.

Higuita might have made a difference. He seemed nerveless. His antics had traditionally filled his team-mates with confidence.

Against England at Wembley in 1988, he dribbled round Gary Lineker, “as if it was a park game back home,” recalled Maturana. “And if Higuita could play his normal, natural game, then the others had to follow his example. And we started playing our football.”

His team were well worth their 1-1 draw. This, for them, was a huge occasion, their first big trip to Europe. Holding England at Wembley was seen in Colombia as the day their football came of age.

Their equaliser that night was scored by Andres Escobar. Six years later, his own goal against the USA ended up costing him his life. It’s a mark of the importance of Higuita that it is conceivable that events would have take a different turn had he been around.

Comments on the piece in the space provided. Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I’ll pick out a couple for next week.
From last week’s postbag:

These transfers in Brazilian football - I’m really interested to find out how they are being funded. It’s something that’s been on my mind for a while, and even more so now Robinho is at Santos.

Apparently they are paying all his wages and bonuses? How is this possible? Are they relying on improved gates from when he plays or have sponsors/investors stepped in to fund the loan?

I’ve been told this is how it happened when Corinthians signed Ronaldo. With Vagner Love, Roberto Carlos and Adriano all now playing in Brazil, as well as Botafogo signing Abreu it seems like there must be a lot more money in the league. Is that the case?

Russell Slater

I believe almost all of the money will come from sponsors, as is the case with Adriano, Fred and a few others. Ronaldo is not so much an employee of Corinthians, more a partner who gets a cut of merchandise sales in addition to his basic wage, funded by sponsors.

The big trend here, I think, is the professionalisation of marketing departments, which, together with the size of the internal market and the strength of the Brazilian currency, is making these deals viable.

There are some players earning big money here now, although the drift to Europe shows no sign of stopping. So it would be unwise to go overboard.

As Sao Paulo director Marco Aurelio Cunha says, the return moves are “a short term strategy [ie to gain visibility in the run up to the World Cup], or an option at the end of a career.”

As regards the signing by Botafogo of the Uruguayan Abreu, this highlights another growing trend.

In general, first division wages in Brazil are considerably higher than elsewhere in the continent. As Brazil starts to open up to its neighbours, we’re seeing more players from the rest of South America come in.

There are a few high profile Argentines in Brazil - but no high profile Brazilians in Argentina.

The figure of the idol, the big name star player, is much, much more important in Brazilian football than it is in England.

A quick example. When Adriano came back to Flamengo of Rio earlier this year he instantly put an extra 50,000 on the gate. A crowd of 18,351 had turned up for their previous home game, against Aval, but two weeks later, with Adriano in the team, 68,217 were there to watch the team against Atletico Paranaense.

“The emperor has returned,” they sang in celebration - no-one wanted to remember that, in his first spell back in 2000/1 the chant had been very different - “Sell him!” In between he had become a big star, especially for his goals against Argentina, and that was all that mattered.

Similarly, most Santos fans will be so delighted to have Robinho back that the sulk act he pulled before leaving the club in 2005 will be forgotten.

City boss Roberto Mancini has decided he can manage without Robinho for the rest of the English season

As with Adriano, the bulk of Robinho’s wages will not be paid by the club. A pool of sponsors has been brought together - Santos president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro delightfully spoke of “more than two companies, but less than five” and this type of arragement is becoming increasingly popular in Brazilian football.

The recent gain in strength of the Brazilian currency is making these deals more viable; Brazil’s clubs are becoming more professional in their marketing operations, and then there is a desire to come home from players either at the end of their career or those, such as Adriano, Fred and Robinho, who have run into personal problems or who seem unwilling to knuckle down to the discipline of European football.

Before he became coach of Brazil, Dunga reflected on the importance of crossing the Atlantic in his career: “Our press like to say that Brazilian players move abroad to develop in a tactical sense. But in truth they go to Europe to learn individual and collective responsibility.

“In Brazil, any player who is a little better thinks he can get away with more than the others and behaves irresponsibly, including on the field. And the coach lets him. Abroad, if the athlete doesn’t play for the team, he loses his place,”

It is an excellent analysis. It helps explain why some of the highly skilled Brazilian players come across as spoilt children, because they have been nurtured in a footballing culture that allows them to get away with it. Having to fight for their place, being treated like any other squad member - they thought they were above all that.

Back at Flamengo, Adriano has continued his habit of occasionally missing training sessions. Whenever it happens the club automatically say that he had a personal problem to sort out. The other players seem to accept it. They give interviews saying how his humility and charisma has won over the group.

The reserve right-back, however, can be as humble and charismatic as they come, but he will never be given the same leeway. The star player - the craque, as he is referred to in Brazil - has his privileges.

Robinho celebrates a goal for Santos during the 2005 Copa Libertadores

The fact that Santos are prepared to take Robinho on a six-month loan is a tribute to the importance of the craque. A year would make much more sense from their point of view, but none at all from Manchester City’s.

Back in August, morale and market value theoretically boosted by the World Cup, City can either offload him or re-assimilate him into a squad that may even be playing in the Champions League, hence their rejection of the Santos idea of a year-long deal.

The trouble is that until August, Santos don’t have a great deal of important matches for Robinho to play in.

They haven’t qualified for the Copa Libertadores, South America’s Champions League, and he can’t do much in the National Championship - it kicks off in May, but after a few rounds comes the interruption for the World Cup, with Robinho presumably heading off to South Africa.

They will also be playing in the Sao Paulo State Championship - by far the strongest of Brazil’s regional competitions, but still a glorified pre-season tournament that clutters up the calendar - and then there is the Brazilian Cup, which is worthwhile because the winner qualifies for the next year’s Libertadores.

So why do it? For all their name, and the Pele link, Santos represent a fairly small city, with a population of around 420,000. Even with Robinho on board, they surely cannot offer the same appeal to sponsors as the likes of Flamengo, Corinthians or Sao Paulo.

The negotiations with these three or four companies must have presented some challenges. So, for what is in reality hardly a vital six months in the history of the club, why go to all this trouble?

The answer is because Luis Alvaro Ribeiro has just taken over as Santos president. Bringing back Robinho is his way of announcing his arrival. Which, come to think of it, is the same reason the player ended up at Manchester City.

Robinho didn’t go to Eastlands because his skills were judged as perfect for the needs of the team. His signing was a banner proclaiming ‘we’re new on the block and we’re serious.’ His presence gave credibility to the financial strength of the new regime, and helped the club attract other big names. So even if he does move on in August, if never kicks another ball for Man City, Robinho has made some kind of contribution.

In last month’s final against old rivals Alianza Lima, Nolberto Solano rolled home the penalty that confirmed a record 25th Peruvian title for Universitario and ensured the club’s qualification for the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of Europe’s Champions League.

Last year they came very close to making the knockout stages of the competition but coach Juan Reynoso feels that his squad is stronger now. This, then, is an exiting moment for the club. Solano, though, has decided not to be a part of it.

After flirting with Colchester and offering himself to Newcastle, he has signed for Leicester. Solano, then would rather wind down his career in lower division English football than in his continent’s premier club competition.

Uruguayan playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro, meanwhile, is in the early stages of what promises to be a magnificent career. The 20-year-old was South America’s big revelation of 2009, making his name in his country’s Under-20 side at the start of the year, and looking thoroughly at home in the senior side by the end of it.

He was also in excellent form in last year’s Libertadores, scoring and setting up goals as Nacional became the first Uruguayan club to reach the semi finals in 20 years. They have brought back some experienced players in their bid to do even better in 2010 - but they will have to do it without Lodeiro, who last week signed for Ajax in Holland.

Lodeiro (right) will miss the Libertadores after leaving Nacional for Dutch football

Another loss that will be felt in the Libertadores is that of Colombian striker Teofilo Gutierrez. Strong and direct, he suddenly made the breakthrough last year at the age of 24, linking up well with veteran playmaker Giovanny Hernandez and scoring rivers of goals for Junior of Barranquilla.

This week, Junior are one of 12 sides in action in the Libertadores’ brief qualifying round, chasing the final six slots in the group phase, which gets underway on 9 February. The Colombians are clear favourites to overcome tiny Racing of Uruguay, who are making their debut in the competition, and have a powerful incentive to do so as they will go into Group One, along with Corinthians of Brazil, who can boast Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos in their line-up.

It’s glamorous stuff - but not enough to keep Gutierrez in Colombia. He has moved to Turkey to join Trabzonspor.

This constant selling undermines the Libertadores, especially with the January transfer window on the eve of the big kick-off. On the other hand, it does make the competition gloriously unpredictable. With even the biggest clubs continually waving off their best players the situation is very different from Europe, where the number of clubs capable of winning the Champions League has shrunk.

True, the Brazilian clubs, boosted by their huge internal market, are beginning to show signs of future domination - the country has provided seven of the last 10 finalists, but the title has eluded them in each of the last three years and part of the charm of the Libertadores is that there is always the chance of a surprise.

The 2010 winners, for example, could even be among the teams taking part in the qualifying round. That’s what happened last year when Estudiantes of Argentina struggled mightily to reach the group phase, only getting past Peru’s Sporting Cristal on the away goals rule. But during the course of the competition - in what was otherwise a dreadful year for Argentine clubs - Veron and co found the form that made them champions of the continent , and very nearly of the world.

Estudiantes defeated Cruzeiro of Brazil 2-1 in last year’s Libertadores final

There is hope, then, for two other Argentine sides in this year’s qualifying round. Colon of Santa Fe kick-off the action in a tricky tie against Chile’s Univesidad Catolica, while an interesting Newells Old Boys team face Emelec of Ecuador.

Last year’s beaten finalists, Cruzeiro of Brazil have to overcome the dreaded altitude to get past Real Potosi of Bolivia and there’s an intriguing tie involving Juan Aurich, a little known team from Peru.

From the northern town of Chiclayo, Aurich were one of the first clubs to be included in the country’s First Division when it finally decentralised in 1966. Until then, the league was restricted to Lima, the capital, and Callao, the neighbouring port.

In 1969, Aurich became the first provincial side to play in the Libertadores. Since then, though, the Northern Cyclone, as they are known, have blown hot and cold., with spells when they drifted out of professional football.

This is typical of provincial clubs in Peru and helps explain why the title has only ever left Lima/Callao on three occasions, and not since 1989. Now, though, Aurich are making a concerted attempt to establish themselves on a firmer footing.

Their coach has World Cup pedigree - Luis Fernando Suarez, the Colombian who took Ecuador to the last 16 in 2006. And in their squad, back from PSV in Holland, is Reimond Manco, a 19-year-old stocky support striker seen as one of the great hopes of Peruvian football.

Back in Lima, Alianza president Guillermo Alarcon has criticized Aurich as “irresponsible” for over-reaching themselves with financial commitments which are too heavy for the Peruvian market.

The stakes are high, then, when Aurich meet Estudiantes Tecos of Mexico in the Libertadores qualifying round. The Mexicans should be the better prepared side - this week’s match is the first competitive game of the year for Aurich, while Estudiantes have been in action this month in the Mexican qualifying tournament.

But Aurich have the first leg advantage of a synthetic pitch in their Elias Aguirre stadium.
and coming out on top over the two legs will lead to at least six paydays for Aurich in the group phase - and they will also be in the same group as Alianza Lima, which after Alarcon’s comments will surely set the sparks flying.

Comments on the piece in the space provided. Other questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I’ll pick out a couple for next week.

From last week’s postbag:

Q) My question is about Arsenal’s recent signing Samuel Galindo from Bolivia. He seems the kind of midfielder that Wenger likes: very good technically on the ball, and has an eye for the killer pass from midfield. How do you rate him as a prospect, and how soon do you feel we could see him in England? At 6ft 2ins and only 17, I’d imagine he’ll soon “fill out” soon enough to adapt to the physical nature of the Premier League.
Jason Romero

A) There’s talent there - elegant, languid (perhaps a bit too much for English football) with a left foot capable of playing some excellent 40 yard diagonal passes.
I saw a fair bit of him a year ago when he captain of Bolivia’s Under-20s. This is very unusual for a 16 year old, and he later played in the South American Under-17 Championships as well.

Since then there have been allegations made that some of that Under-17 side were in their 20s. This can happen in South American football - Brazil and Ecuador have had most problems with it. It’s been reported that the Bolivian FA have appointed someone to look into the allegations.

Hopefully there is nothing untoward with Galindo. I trust that Arsenal have carried out thorough research on their acquisition.

Q) I have a couple of questions about two players that I was really excited about a few years ago who have now gone off the radar. Firstly, Colombia’s Johnnier Montano and secondly Argentina’s Daniel Montenegro. I remember Montano having a couple of spells at Parma that didn’t amount to much, why was this? Montenegro spent a little while at Marseille that also didn’t amount to much and I recall him being linked with Manchester United in his early days before that move. Was he just another victim of the ‘new Maradona’ syndrome that has destroyed many Argentinean youngsters?
Seb, Manchester

A) The pace of European football mean that the playmaker position can be hard for South Americans - they don’t have the time on the ball that they’d like to choose their options. ‘Rolfi’ Montenegro perhaps suffered from an inflated reputation early in his career. There was a buzz around him with European agents that hadn’t really been justified by anything he’d done. A good player, but never on course to be a great one - didn’t do much in France, Spain or Russia and is now in Mexico with America.

In the case of Jhonnier Montano, I think the talent was there - he looked sensational at 16. I see him as a victim of the premature move syndrome - Parma came way too early, and at a time in his career when he really needed games, he was on the bench or in the stands. Short term loans never worked either, and he ended up losing momentum and motivation and gaining weight. He’s done reasonably well in Peru over the last couple of years, and is now with Alianza Lima. But it’s very little when compared with the promise that he was showing a decade ago.

Tournaments are like time speeded up - teams can suddenly come together, or fall apart.

Each tournament has its own dynamics, so it would be unwise to draw definitive conclusions for the World Cup from a competition taking place six months earlier.

But if the Africa Cup of Nations is a good opportunity for five World Cup-bound teams to get some competitive match practice, it is also a great chance for their future opponents to do some reconnaissance.

From a South American point of view, there’s the possibility of Uruguay meeting Nigeria in the second round, just as Paraguay might face Cameroon, and Chile could come up against Ivory Coast.

And there is the certainty of two clashes in the group phase that look more intriguing with every passing minute in Angola.
Brazil will be wary of the threat from Ivory Coast’s talisman Drogba

The story of World Cup meetings between South America and sub-Saharan Africa begins, and for the next few months, ends with 3-0 victories for Brazil in Germany.

But between the wins over Zaire in 1974 and Ghana in 2006, the world became a very different place.

Zaire were out of their depth. They had some nice technical touches but looked like they had never seen a cross before and were even seemingly unsure about some of the rules. Ghana, like the other African first timers four years ago, were full of players with top-class European experience.

Ivory Coast, who Brazil meet in Johannesburg on 20 June, go one step further. Their squad is all based with top European clubs, and many of them also played in the last World Cup. That dreaded word ‘naive’ can be struck from the records.

Of all the sub-Saharan teams to have gone for the 4-3-3 system, Ivory Coast look the best prepared to carry it out. The lone striker’s role is not easy, but Didier Drogba has the all-round game to fill it with distinction.

His team look for him with the long diagonal pass that he chases down the channels. This could create problems for a side such as Brazil, who love to push the full backs forward.

But Drogba can also be a decoy, moving wide and pulling the defence across, creating space for Gervinho and company to play their way through the other channel.

This could be a game, then, where the experience and positional sense of Gilberto Silva could be important for Brazil, identifying and plugging the gaps that the Africans seek to create.

Ivory Coast, though, are likely to spend more time worrying about the Brazil attack than vice-versa. The Brazil fashioned by current coach Dunga are full of confidence and clear on their method of play - although the rebirth of Ronaldinho now presents Brazil’s coach with a challenge.

How can the Milan man be re-incorporated in the side?

Playing him and Kaka together has often proved a problem. It certainly didn’t work behind two strikers in the last World Cup.

Then, Dunga tried a line of Kaka, Ronaldinho and Robinho behind a lone striker, and that was not a conspicuous success either. There was a feeling that the three got in each other’s way.

So strong on the counter, Brazil functioned better when Ronaldinho was replaced by a mixed midfielder, freeing right back Maicon to burst from deep.

So what now? Ronaldinho for Robinho? Or leave Ronaldinho on the bench, a one man plan B for when things get tough?

It’s a lovely problem to have. Diego Maradona would love this kind of dilemma to be his biggest headache as he seeks to prepare his Argentina team for the World Cup.

But he has far more fundamental issues to wrestle with - stuff like who will be in the line up and how are they going to play. Plenty of big decisions will have to be taken before Argentina kick off in Johannesburg on 12 June against Nigeria.

Their first World Cup opponents have not had an easy start to the Africa Cup of Nations. Saturday’s 1-0 win over Benin was unconvincing - Argentina will surely swamp Nigeria in midfield if they play like that in South Africa - and their confidence had clearly been affected by their opening 3-1 loss to Egypt.

But for the first 30 minutes against the Egyptians, Nigeria had looked impressive. Jon Obi Mikel was directing some nice diagonal passing through midfield and bringing striker Chinedu Obasi into the game, while Taye Taiwo charged forward powerfully from left-back.

In the end Egypt exposed their flaws; with the Nigerian midfield not putting enough pressure on the ball and the centre-backs badly positioned, Egypt could get behind them with one pass. And once Egypt had control of the game, they could sit deep and spring the counter.

I wonder if Maradona might have been inspired by the Egyptian performance. Perhaps the most serious problem he faces is sorting out Argentina’s defensive system.
Maradona has been in South Africa inspecting facilities

In the absence of quality full backs there must be a temptation to go with a back three - as Egypt did against Nigeria.

That way he can defend deep so that the lack of pace at the back is not exposed, and he can have three in central midfield (Javier Mascherano, Juan Sebastian Veron and I would have thought that Ever Banega would be pushing himself in front of Fernando Gago).

Jonas Gutierrez can run with Taiwo down the right, and the passing range of Veron and Banega can spring Angel di Maria down the left, or Lionel Messi wherever he can find a hole. The shape of the team would be vaguely similar to the one in which Maradona won the World Cup as a player in 1986.

So if he wants to turn the clock back to the mid ’80s, perhaps Argentina’s coach should work like an Egyptian.

Comments on the piece in the space provided. Other questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I’ll pick out a couple for next week.

From last week’s postbag;

Q) Paraguayan international striker Salvador Cabañas is repeatedly being linked with a move to Europe. Do you think the time is now right for him? Would he be suited to English football? I personally think that he could become one of the top 10 or 15 strikers in the world.
Ben Hebblethwaite

A) I think he’s probably left it a bit too late to achieve the target you’ve set for him. He’s 30 in August, so by the time he’s got himself adapted the finish line is all too close.

If he’s something of a late developer it’s because he went through a positional change. He was a young midfielder in Paraguayan football, but on his journey through Chile and Mexico was converted into a striker.

People realised that, although he’s small, he can shine up front because with that stocky frame he’s hard to knock off the ball. He receives the ball well, turns well, shoots with terrific power - an excellent striker.

But I do wonder about Europe at this stage. What’s the motivation? Does he think he has time to construct a career in Europe, or is it all about the money?

Q) Do either of Manchester United’s full-back twins Rafael or Fabio have a chance at getting called up by Brazil for the World Cup 2010?
Vishnu Chari

A) An outside bet at best. Rafael’s problem is that Brazil are currently full of right-back options - Maicon and Daniel Alves are in the squad, and then there’s Rafinha around as well. Injuries would seem to be his best chance.
Left-back is the problem position, and if Fabio was getting the playing time Rafael had had, then he would have a real chance.

Interestingly, back in Brazil Fabio was the one who was much more highly rated. I suppose that the form of Patrice Evra has got in his way.

The World Cup is full of last minute call up stories (and there’s an excellent precedent for this with Brazilian full backs. Anyone remember Josimar in ‘86?). But as it stands the twins will have to wait for 2014.