Please don't cry, Leo!

Dear Leo,

I know this is coming a little late, not quite on the heels of your announcement of retiring from international football. I just wanted to observe how things played out after your shock announcement.

It was all pretty much what one would expect. Some trolls, some abuse, some support, some suggestions, and even a statue, I hear.

So I thought I will just say my piece as well and be done with it.

I started watching football after I joined college, around the year 2009. I came across a few videos of you playing for Barcelona, a part of the Eto-Henry-Messi trident. I watched a few of them, then a few more and then a few more. I was captivated.

I started watching full matches of Barcelona and became a self-proclaimed Barca fan. Since then, I have been supporting Barcelona. Yes, some would say that I chose the best team with the best players, that I am not a 'real fan'. Maybe I am, maybe I am not. All I can say is that you left me with no choice but to bow down to your incredible talent and skill.

You were practically a hypnotist, not a footballer.

It has been seven years since then. Numerous triumphs and titles with Barca. Countless moments of explosions of joy, both for you and for me. I can still remember the way you kicked the camera in mad frenzy after scoring the second goal against Man Utd that put us into the lead in the 2011 UCL final. Many highlights packages of you include the video of you single-handedly ripping apart the Real Madrid defence, carrying the ball from the half-way line, to score the second goal in the 1st leg of the semi-final in the same 2011 UCL. But I remember the first goal as well, a fearsome volley off an equally fearsome cross from Ibrahim Afellay, that gave us the lead in a tense encounter. The delicately chipped ball to get past Almunia and volley into the empty net against Arsenal. The more recent powerhouse performance against Bayern Munich, showing Manuel Neuer 'who's boss'.

There are many more and I think we both know how long the list can get.

But none with Argentina.

I watched you cry on television last week. I felt incredibly sad. Then you announced your retirement from international football. I felt sadder, not because I would miss you seeing in the Argentina shirt (honestly, the number of fucks I give about the Argentina National Team would be close to zero if it weren't for you), but because I think I know how much you wanted to win a trophy while wearing that shirt and you essentially retired that dream as well with your decision.

I am not here to ask you to reconsider your decision or to say that you took the right decision. I know squat about football compared to you. I am sure you don't need my advice.

So, what is the point of this post, you ask? Oh, this is just me saying that you have my support, no matter what your decision is.

I realise it can seem a bit suspicious that this post doesn't have an agenda, but seriously, this is just a show of support, albeit very small, to let you know that I believe that you gave your best for Argentina, even if few ungrateful pricks say otherwise. I know how much you wanted to win something for your home country and I can only imagine how it must have felt to get so so close for three fucking times, and lose it all.

So, this is just one among the millions of shows of support that are on the internet. I just felt that this is the least I could do when you are going through a bad time, after all the good times I have experienced because of you.

In return, all I ask is one thing. Just don't beat yourself up.

Just don't cry.

Barcelona's summer of 2015

Not many changes are expected at a club which has just won all there is to win. But for better or worse, Barcelona is a club unlike many, especially in terms of its ownership, which this summer means elections. Therefore, while subtle changes and fine tuning are going to be the norms for Barca's on-pitch facet, a major overhaul is set to take place off the pitch, with Presidential elections set to take place on 18th of this month.

Here we take a look at Barca's summer activity so far:

The Aleix Vidal signing

Catalonia was yet to wake up from its slumber party of treble glory when Barca announced the signing of Aleix Vidal from Sevilla. This was so unlike the normal transfer fare of Barcelona, which in the past seasons has been a procession of mini soap operas, playing 'tag-you-are-it' with one target after another, especially with defenders.

Instead, this was Barca saying - we got a problem at right-back and we're gonna get a reliable right-back pronto, we will not be left hung out to dry by this Dani Alves contract situation. Subsequently, Alves renewed his contract and Montoya, who did not really display the level required to excel at Barca, left for Inter and more playing time.

Vidal, during his unveiling

Overall, the Barca board can be applauded for deftly handling a situation that could have turned messy. Imagine Dani Alves joining another club leaving us with Montoya for half the season (because of the transfer ban) and other clubs, knowing this, holding us to ransom for even an average talent.

Coming to the actual signing of Vidal itself, at 25 years and £16m, with Europa league glory, it is a good bargain. He has half the season to get acclimatised to the Barca playing style and learn the trade under Alves, the erstwhile master of the trade. Vidal showed that he is a workhorse at Sevilla last season and is actually a winger converted to right-back. Therefore, at Barca, thanks to Alves' legacy, he will have all the license to display his attacking flair.

I just hope he doesn't take crossing lessons from Alves.

Contract Extensions - Alba and Pedro

In a world where transfer fees are seen as a measure of how good a player is, it is peculiar that players' contracts are seldom talked about as much. I mean, the transfer fee is actually paid to the selling club, not the player. The appreciation of a player's talent should logically reflect in his wages.

But, any football fan is more likely to know the transfer fee of each player at the club he supports and maybe even at the rival club, but not the salaries. For one thing, they are often undisclosed and confidential. And even otherwise, the press tends to focus less on the contracts and consequently, so do we.

However, they are always lurking in the background and come to the fore once in a while like in the ongoing Real-Ramos-United saga. Ramos feels indignant that his contract has been let to run down until its final two years, thereby undermining his value at a club where he has served for 10 years. Although I do not know his specific demands, it is indeed surprising to see that his contract was not renewed earlier, given that he is their most experienced and arguably best defender, a natural leader on the pitch, a Spain international and crowd favourite, and the 11th-hour-samaritan of Decima glory. Only Ronaldo can probably eclipse him in that squad.

Ramos, the Decima hero, feels undervalued at Madrid

I took a little detour there, but the point is that contract dealings are under-appreciated in football and can come back to bite you later if ignored. Therefore, it was a good piece of business when Barca got Alba, easily one of the top three left-backs in the world, to put pen on paper on a deal which ties him to the club until 2020.

Coming to Pedro, everyone expected him to leave the club this summer, seeing how he was too talented a player to warm the bench behind the invincible MSN trident. So, it was surprising when he signed a contract extension until 2019 with a £150m release clause.

Pedro is a fan favourite at Barca, being a Masia graduate and a relentless worker for the team whenever he is on the pitch, always giving 100%. It says something of his love for the club that he chose to fight for his place, knowing fully well that it will be very tough unless one of MSN is injured, when he could have easily secured a transfer to a top club with a lucrative contract.

In a way, I judge Pedro for not being more ambitious, but this is great news for Barca. Not many teams can boast a backup striker with the quality of Pedro.

All in all, more decisive work done by the Barca board early in the summer.

The Presidential Elections

The signing of Aleix Vidal, the contract extensions of Alves, Pedro and Alba - all of them pushed through at express speed, don't you think? I mean it's hardly been a month since that Champions League final.

And I have not yet mentioned the most crucial piece in the puzzle yet, the contract extension of Luis Enrique. It is a very rare moment when a coach who has just won the treble says he doesn't know whether he will stay on for another season, but Lucho graciously provided us with one of those on June 6 in Berlin.

Maybe he was taunting those who called for his sacking mid-season, but in all his infinite mercy, he agreed for a contract extension within a week.

And shortly afterward, Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned from his presidential post to give way for the elections. He might have as well stood on a podium in from of the 177,246 socios who will vote on 18 July, and said - 'Look, I got Lucho to extend and got all this other stuff done. Elect me!' It is hard not to attribute Barca's prompt work this summer to the upcoming elections.

Bartomeu was a busy man after the Champs League final

While Bartomeu is relying on the treble success, the signings of Neymar, Suarez and Rakitic which have vastly contributed to that success and also are widely believed to have started a winning cycle that can last another 3-4 years, his main opponent, Joan Laporta's main standpoints are the values which he vows to bring back to the Camp Nou that he claims have left it in recent years.

Laporta is appealing to the romanticism of the socios when it comes to La Masia and Barca's association with Johan Cruyff and UNICEF. While he had his fair share of shortcomings during his last tenure, the wounds left by the incumbent Barca board are still very fresh, what with numerous court proceedings concerning Neymar's transfer, the ongoing FIFA transfer ban, the non-renewal of Abidal's contract after promising to do so and the decline of La Masia resulting in its relegation to the third tier of Spanish football this year.

Recently, Abidal has been named Sporting Director of Laporta's bid and Cruyff has also thrown his weight behind Laporta's bid saying if Laporta loses, so does Barca.

All of this paints a picture where it is hard to see Laporta losing. And if he does win, it will be a nice big cherry on the top of a sweet summer cake for Barcelona, as they embark on a journey to hit the heights of glory past.

The unsung heroes of Barca's treble challenge

So, Barcelona have a chance to win a treble this season. And they seem well placed to claim all the three trophies. The league can be won as soon as Sunday, and that too at the Vicente Calderon. Atletico Madrid won the league last year in the final match at the Camp Nou. So, for Barca to win the league at the Calderon will be a kind of tit-for-tat moment. Although I am fairly certain that Atletico will rather Barcelona win La Liga than arch-rivals Real Madrid. Not that they will put in a below par performance to ensure that that will happen. Atletico and below-par just don't go hand in hand.

Barcelona will also be heavy favourites to win the Copa Del Rey and the Champions League, thanks to some scorching performances in recent weeks by the MSN trident. Whether or not they win any of these titles, at this point in time, it is safe to say Barca have had a great season, considering they brought in a new manager and new players who are not exactly emblematic of the erstwhile Barca way.

While Messi, Suarez and Neymar have been hogging all the headlines, and rightly so, this post is an acclamation to a few others who are probably don't turn our heads as much, but are really the unsung heroes of this Barca side.

Claudio Bravo

Goalkeepers are illusionists in football. In a team game such as football, the kind of effect their individual performances have on the results is almost unfair. If a goalie commits an error, it's a sure goal. There is no one to rescue him. On the flip side, a team can play the most attractive football and fashion a chance from a 30-pass move and have it saved by the keeper's fingertips.

I did not know who Claudio Bravo was when he first took his place in goal for Barca. I had a faint recollection of him turning in good performances for Chile in the World Cup at Brazil and that's about it.

Claudio Bravo has been reliable at the back for Barca

Replacing Victor Valdes is no easy task, not because Valdes was insanely talented, but because of the image that Valdes had created about being the ideal Barca goalie. It's simple actually. You have to be good with the ball. You have to be comfortable in receiving it under pressure, while at the same time, you have to look for a good pass and make that pass to build an attack from the back. You get negative points for kicking the ball into the air.

I am not a big fan of Valdes' goalkeeping talents, but he really was one confident ball distributor.

So Bravo had big shoes and gloves, in that order, to fill. He did that and then some. He has developed a good understanding with the Barcelona defense and although he is not at the same level as Manuel Neuer or David De Gea, he has barely put a foot wrong in the entire season and is on course to win the Zamora award given to the best goalkeeper in La Liga.

Bravo Bravo! (pun totally intended)

Ivan Rakitic

Well, Rakitic has featured in the spot-light a few times this season, so maybe he is not a bolt out of the blue in this list. But, the few times he has been talked about is mostly when he has scored goals. He has 7 of them this season along with 8 assists.

The goals and assists aside, for me, Rakitic is something more. In a way, Rakitic is the new Xavi. Wait, I said, in a way. Much like Xavi was emblematic of the all-conquering tiki-taka version of Barca, Rakitic symbolises the style of this new version of Barca. If the Barca of Xavi was a delicate F1 car capable of going through six gears in a matter of seconds, albeit after hypnotising the opposition with their passing, the Barca of Rakitic is a sturdy Batmobile capable of surpassing opposition defences with ramp-less jumps whenever the chance presents itself (That makes it two in a row for Batman references. And MSN is probably like the Batpod that can go solo even if the remainder of the Batmobile explodes. Okay stop, focus.).

After years of transfer failures, Barca get it right with Rakitic

All Batman references aside, Rakitic is one of the most complete midfielders in world football at the moment. He can penetrate the defences with his passing and assist goals, he makes those late runs from the deep to unleash powerful shots, he provides defensive cover for Alves on the right and makes those tackles in the midfield and he has boundless energy to do it all.

Barca are very lucky that they got Rakitic for €18 million. He surely has another three good years in him, at minimum, and he will be a very important player for Barca in the next 2-3 years.

Luis Enrique & his fitness/medical team

Luis Enrique has been receiving a good number of plaudits, what with standing on the brink of delivering a treble in his first season in charge. Halfway through the season, many were not sure about what his plan was and whether he is the right man (myself included). By now, it has been well-established that Barca's season graph reached its lowest point after the 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad at Anoeta. There were calls for his sacking and even confirmations of his sacking.

We all know what has happened since. Lucho has patched things up with Messi and the other players who felt the new boss was too strict and was trying to impose himself on the players. He has brought out the best in MSN which is a commendable achievement. And his tactics and coaching skills have brought about a string of positive results.

Among all these positives, what has been most remarkable this season is the fitness of the Barca squad. Right now, the entire Barca squad is injury-free. That may be down to luck, to some extent. What is not down to luck is the energy levels of the players who are injury-free. That is achieved by following a strict and disciplined regimen of training and diet, and also by rotating the players.

Luis Enrique in training

So credit to Luis Enquire for keeping up with the rotation of players even when the chips were down and against him, and the medical and fitness teams at Barcelona for keeping the squad in top shape. Luis Enrique is known to be a fitness freak, and that has showed.

We just need to look at Bayern Munich for a case in point, who have Ribery, Robben and Alaba injured, key players who could have made such a difference against Barca. It comes as little surprise that the head of the Bayern medical team was sacked recently.

Real Madrid is a much more stark example. Having lost Modric and Benzema to injuries, Ancelotti paid the price for not rotating his squad. Arbeloa, Coentrao, Khedira, Jese, Illaramendi and until recently Chicharito, all have been fringe players in their season and as a result, the best XI were well below their best by the end of the season.

Andoni Zubizaretta

Okay, this is going to be ironical. The former Barcelona sporting director was sacked in January, about the same time as that lowest point the graph we were talking about. The main reason for the sacking was due to the lack of success in his transfer dealings.

But if you look at it now, his signings for this season - Suarez, Rakitic, Mathieu, Bravo, Ter Stegen - have all been playing well and with the exception of Mathieu, all of them are very much key players and contributors to this season. Mathieu has also been pretty good, with that goal in the Clasico at the Camp Nou and the solitary goal in a very intense game at Celta Vigo, which was pure points gold.

Of course, there is Vermaelen and Douglas. One has been injured all season and the other one, well, Enrique didn't dare play Douglas in the league again after watching him in action that one time against Malaga. So, not entirely Zubi's fault in the first case and a little his fault in the latter.

All things considered, the signings of Suarez and Rakitic are really what turned around Barca's fortunes this season. They have added a dimension of physicality and unpredictability to this incarnation of Barca that wasn't there before and also since we are focusing on this single season, Zubizaretta deserves a verdict of 'job well done' for helping revive Barca.

Final Note

Phew, such a long post! Time to end it.

Barca will really fancy their chances of winning the treble this season. Whether or not they do so, as I said in the beginning, they have done extremely well to be back as a force to reckon with on the European scene after a trophy-less season.

For me, that is down to the brilliant squad that Barca has at its disposal and how well Luis Enrique has managed it. However strong that attacking trident is, we know that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link and it nowhere more true than in football. One mistake and you are buried. Alive.

Time to dream yet?

Suarez's touch. Turn. Penalty. The Wait. Stevie G's hands on his Hips. Few strides...Goal!! By the modern standards, Unsavable Penalty! And by now, the dancing & singing travelling KOPites have long started shouting, "We are Liverpool" & ended the applause with "We are gonna win the League."

Nobody at Anfield has dared whisper it yet. And with caution. The way Anfield has transformed in the last 20 months is like a dream. (My thoughts back then - The Curious Case of Liverpool FC)

It was not long ago, when Brendan Rodgers took the hot seat with a dynamic ideology. And not further long ago when King Kenny took over the reign himself & when Fernando Torres swapped Red for Blue with a 50 million pound price tag. It is all still playing before my eyes, the past 5 years, the frustration and howls of the KOP, the head-scratching Roy Hodgson pondering for tactics, clueless Kenny trying to re-cook the glorious past recipe. These are all myriad pictures trying to tell me the story of past. A story of an attempt for Resurrection.

Brendan Rodgers, the Man of the Hour

Fast forward to present, the resurrection seems to have taken a shape. Brendan Rodgers men finally seem to play the Anfield way, the way KOP has dreamed of for a decade. Every player on the field look like a man on mission, none more than the poster boys of Red Revolution - Henderson & Sturridge. Suarez & Sturridge's goals galore have started to make Premier league games look like a stroll in the park. Henderson's leaps & bounds growth and Sterling's rise to prominence makes the million pounds fee look trivial. In fact, Brendan's turn around of this club is ridiculously fantastic. Just absolutely brilliant!

And beyond everything else, there is a burning desire in Gerrard's eyes. And after every win, we close our eyes & imagine him lift that one trophy that has eluded him through out his career. Michael Owen has recently said that Gerrard had asked him many times what it was like in Madrid. What it was like to play there. No doubt, it must be lingering strongly on the back of his head, 'What if?'. What if he had moved on in the pursuit of titles to greener pastures? What if he had said yes atleast once when the big contemporaries came knocking for his signature? What if he had abandoned the relentless pursuit of joy with his boyhood club to scale new heights in his already legendary career? In short, what if he had defied his gut feeling?

Will that burning desire be fulfilled?

But now, there is a growing realization in me that it might not have all been for nothing. This season, we may be atleast a couple of first team players and few squad players short of taking Pellegrini's & Mourinho's men head on. Not may be this year, but may be the next or may be the one after that, if his body does not give up yet. We are there. We are back, fighting amongst the best. I know I speak on behalf of all the Liverpool fans in the world when I say that it would mean a lot more to him to lift the Premier League Cup once with LFC, rather than a dozen times with United or Chelsea or Madrid. Then, that 'what if?' will not come back to haunt him for the rest of his life. That is what the sport owes him. And more importantly, he deserves that. More than anyone else in the league.

Probably, 20 years from today, when I have to explain the concept of 'Loyalty' to my kids, I dream of showing them a Life-Size poster of Steven Gerrard in my room & let them listen to me till words stop coming out of my mouth. And like all good stories, it would have a lifetime of impact on them, when it ends with a Happy Ending. Wouldn't it?

For now, I sit back and think. In the back of my head, all the points calculations keep simulating themselves. What if Liverpool win all their games & City win all of their's except for the pool one? What if Arsenal & Liverpool lose to Spurs & City lose to United? What if Chelsea humiliates Liverpool and Liverpool destroy City? What if Everton triumphs in every remaining game? What if Wenger manages an unbeaten run & Chelsea lose track of the plot?

Come May, I have no idea who is gonna lift the Premier League trophy. I bet even the pundits who sided with City all season must be kicking their knees now. In the face of reality, every game throws a new dimension in the hunt for glory. May be at the end of the season, we may be satisfied with the fact that a TOP 4 spot has been achieved. But, considering the mess we have gone through in the past 5 seasons, an unprecedented mount of Premier League title challenge gives me goosebumps. Just that thought! Especially the idea of a jump from 7th in the table to 1st. Just that thought brings overwhelming Happiness. But in this roller coaster ride season, anything may tilt drastically. Till the final whistle, everything might be a puzzle. May be that is how good old fashioned battles are supposed to be won, by holding their breath till the last second. Whatever the run-in may hold, for now, I just sit back and dream. And I hear the doubtful whisper under my own breath, Is it time to dream yet?

The Hoops Continue To Prevail

"This is the greatest night of my footballing life," Celtic Manager Lennon told Sky Sports.

Celtic boss Lennon ecstatic after qualifying for the
 Champions League 

And why won't it be? The biggest names in European football are in the Champions League draw due on Friday, with Celtic proudly alongside them as they continue to lead the way in Europe for Scottish football, following the dramatic and thrilling victory over Shakhter Karagandy at Celtic Park. The match might not have been too much important to most of the football world, but having achieved the impossible last night brought a huge feeling of relief and pride to the Scottish club. Goals from Kris Commons, Georgios Samaras and James Forrest ensured another memorable European night at Paradise as Neil Lennon´s men overturned the 2-0 first-leg deficit to win 3-2 on aggregate.

After last week's 2-0 win over Celtic,  Shakhter Karagandy coach proclaimed that Celtic are all but out of the Champions League. But the Hoops' manager Neil Lennon and his team had somewhat different plans. He claimed : "Their confidence is dangerous, but this is a two match tie, and it is disrespectful to my team. I don't need to motivate my players for tomorrow night, but if they [Shakhter] want to continue the way they are doing then that's fine by me. Our home record in Europe has been fantastic and that's down to good teams on the pitch, and the noise and atmosphere."

And that exactly what happened. Celtic's home record has been inexplicably excellent over the last decade or so, thanks to the quality of players on the pitch and moreover, the noise and atmosphere that the supporters in the stadium make. The atmosphere was typically intimidating at the Celtic Park and the players pumped up. The team showed patience inspite of the two goal deficit from the first leg, and had to wait till just before half time to peg a wonderful goal through Kris Cammons, who was excellent throughout the match and dictated the pace of the game in midfield. The team dominated major portions of the game and looked particularly dangerous from the left-side of their attack. Subsequent goals from Georgios Samaras in 48th minute and the final one from James Forrest in stoppage time, which sent Celtic Park bonkers as Neil Lennon went on a celebratory run down the touchline, and sealed an aggregate 3-2 victory for Celtic, hence confirming a berth in the Champions League Group Stages. It was much of a moral victory as well.

James Forrest celebrates his winner against Karagandy

Celtic can now look forward to tonight´s draw in Monaco where they will discover what opposition they face in the group stages. The coming months are going to be another adventure for the Glasgow based club, who can have high expectations after the strong performances they put at the Cha
mpions League stage last year, including a victory over Barcelona in the League stages. As the goalscorer Cammons put it, "It´s an exciting few months ahead for Celtic. There´s nothing better than Champions League nights here and to be a part of it again, for the second year on the spin is just brilliant. It´s magical."

Well, its not only the Scots, but the whole footballing world including myself, who'll be waiting for the Champions League draw tonight. Lets hope we get another exciting Group of Death this time around ;-)