Happy New Year! Deep thoughts on 2009

Happy New Year to everyone, and here is to a joyful and prosperous 2010...start of a new decade! Here are some thoughts on what was a very interesting year, even though there were no major international tournaments (No, the Confed Cup does not count! But it will be discussed).

Player of the year - Well no surprise here, Lionel Messi was clearly the best player on the best club team this year. He scored an impressive 36 goals in all competitions for Barcelona and carried the Catalan club to a treble - La Liga title, Copa del Rey and Champions League - Messi scored goals in both the Copa del Rey and Champions League finals as well. Subsequently they went on to win the Europe Super Cup and FIFA World Club Cup. The surprise for the year was the fact Messi could not carry over his golden form to the Argentina national team.



Team of the year - Again, no real surprise - Barcelona gets this honor. They were clearly the class of Europe, playing well throughout the Champions League. With the midfield duo of Xavi and Iniesta pulling the stings, Yaya Toure the midfield enforcer, Henry on the wings, Eto'o up front, the emergence of Pique as a solid central defender, Alves making deep runs on the wing from his fullback position, Abidal providing deep cover, and the defense anchored by Puyol and Valdes, the team was a well-oiled machine. Guardiola was able to pull all the right strings and managed the side impeccably. Barcelona were a power house the first half of the domestic season, only losing 1 match and drawing 2, amassing an impressive 50 points by the break. They continued their success into the second half marked by an impressive 6-2 victory over hated rival Real Madrid. With 5 titles, and eclipsing of Real Madrid and the best player in the world - much will be expected from the side in 2010. It will be interesting to see if they can live up to a lofty 2009.

Manager of the year - I could go with a treble for Barca, but instead I am going to give the title to Laurent Blanc. He managed Bordeaux to the French League title as well as the Coupe de la Ligue. He made Gourcuff a valuable playmaker sitting behind the strikers or in a deeper midfield role - transforming him from a French prospect into the key play maker for Bordeaux and Les Bleus. Blanc appears to have the intelligence to manage but also the demeanor - he is comfortable with the press, seems to push the correct buttons with his team and achieves results. No doubt he is a rising star in the managerial world, with whispers of him going to Manchester United or managing the national side.

Match of the year - This was an interesting year for me. There were a few matches that stood out - the Barcelona 6 goal drubbing of Real Madrid was an entertaining match to say the least. France v Ireland in Stade de France will always live in infamy for 2009. However, I will have to say the match of the year was the Spain v USA match in the Confed Cup. The match was historic on a number of levels - Spain had not lost in what felt like forever, they had the likes of Torres, Xavi, Alonso, Cesc, etc on the pitch, they were poised to face Brazil in what many thought would be a World Cup final preview...and it all was dashed by the Americans. The US played exactly the way you need to upset a team such as Spain - play tough defense, trust your keeper, take your chances and enjoy a bit of luck. They almost replicated this in the finals against Brazil, unfortunately the skill and talent of the Samba Boys was too much in the in second half. Much has been hyped about the American chances in next year's World Cup, however I do not think you can go very far in a major tournament playing the underdog style. The US should do well for themselves in South Africa, but hopes need to be tempered.



Overall a good year of football, but 2010 should be even better with the World Cup. Look for my decade recap once the calendars flip to 2010. Happy New Year to all. See you in 2010.