Can The Special One Lead Inter to Champions League Glory?

What do two (well, technically three) straight Serie A championships buy you? Not job security, if you’re Roberto Mancini.

For all of the recent success that Inter Milan have had domestically, such success eluded them continentally in the Mancini regime, and in many before him.

Not bringing home the titles on the biggest stage is a good ticket to the ‘little brother’ complex, and for many others, a veritable revolving door of managers, when your biggest rival - who you not only share a city with, but a stadium as well - has two in this decade and five since your last one, before quite a few of SL’s readers (or parents, for some) were born.

Don’t say anything about the UEFA Cup. The three UEFA Cup titles that they won in the 90s are all well and good, but there is no comparison, especially when the UEFA Cup was the baby in the bunch before the Cup Winners’ Cup was discontinued.

Jose Mourinho was not brought in to win the scudetto (a given), the Coppa Italia (an added bonus to the trophy collection), or the UEFA Cup (a sign that things didn’t go according to plan). He was brought in so that Inter fans could party like it’s 1965, which was the last time Inter were the champions of Europe.

The last time Inter got to at least the semifinals of the Champions League was in 2003, when they lost to AC Milan due to an away goals rule that very well shouldn’t have applied for that particular tie.

That’s where Mourinho comes in. Whether or not you hate him for his penchant for making the news too often for his outrageous comments or actions, for arrogance, or for generally doing a fantastic at winding everyone up, from opposing managers to rival fans, the fact is that he’s just good at what he does.

Before you say that I like Mourinho, I don’t. I simply respect him.

Things may have ended poorly for him at Chelsea, but if there’s a man to lead Inter to the promised land, it’s the Special One.

At Porto he scouted wisely, brought the most out of the talent there, and became a European champion. In the process, he helped a few players become stars for Portugal and made quite a few people - and himself - very wealthy.

At Chelsea, he took a team full of stars and made them a force. Sure, the rotation system/large squad size brought some issues, some money was wasted, and Chelsea didn’t make the European final they could/should’ve, but that’s Luis Garcia luck for you.

At Inter, he’s got a mix of both situations. The team has some stars, and there are also a number of promising talents or talents that just need that special touch to unleash their best.

There is one thing that sticks out about the squad, and just how it factors into Inter’s chances of winning the Champions League under Mourinho all depends on how you choose to spin it. There’s not a great deal of youth in their ranks, to be honest, which if you choose to spin it right, means that he’s working with a very experienced squad, but at the same time, the window to go all the way in Europe might be a little small with the current group of players.

Squad full of thirty-somethings notwithstanding, there is plenty of talent to work with. Up front, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Julio Cruz combined for more than 40 goals last season, and there’s also David Suazo, up-and-comer Mario Balotelli, and a (potentially) rejuvenated Adriano, who could be an ace in the hole this season if his head’s in the right place.

The midfield was an area that needed to be strengthened, not only because there’s a lot of age in that area, but also because of injury concerns. The two big summer signings, former Roma star Mancini and Portsmouth’s Sulley Muntari, are well worth the money spent to acquire them.

Defensively, Inter had the top defensive record in Serie A last season, and that was always an area of strength during Mancini’s time. That shouldn’t change, though current injury concerns could plague them in the early going.

The biggest concern with this side is not anything talent-related, or with injuries. It’s about consistency, confidence, and playing smart for 90 minutes, from August to May. Inter nearly fumbled away the scudetto last season after getting off to a roaring start for the better part of the campaign, and as I already stated, their domestic dominance has amounted to little in Europe.

Mourinho is a master motivator, and he can not only get his squad to work as a team, but to get the results they need (not always pretty, but successful), and most importantly, to feel like they are the best in whatever match or competition they’re in. Anything less, and you might as well be on your way out (that’s a warning for you, Adriano!).

Maybe I’m overestimating the impact that his arrival will have, but sometimes one person can bring out things that another one didn’t.

To win the CL does require a certain amount of Luis Garcias, or luck rather, but when it comes down to it, there’s no reason why Inter can’t lift the Champions League title this coming season or sometime in the near future.

Spain wins fast-paced Euro 2008 final

VIENNA - Spain finally ended their 44-year wait for a trophy when Fernando Torres's exquisite first-half goal gave them a deserved 1-0 victory over Germany in a fast and furious Euro 2008 final on Sunday.

Spain, appearing in their first final since 1984 and seeking only their second trophy following their 1964 Euro success on home soil, were worthy winners as their crisp passing, wonderful technique and defensive discipline left Germany flailing.

Torres's goal after 33 minutes was also fit for a final as he showed all the speed, determination and quality of finish that summed up his team's whole campaign.

"It's a dream come true," he said. "It's our first title (together) and we hope it will be the first of many. We've still got the World Cup to come, we have to be ambitious.

"At last justice has been done because the team that played the best football won the tournament."

Germany, as always, never gave up but their willing running could not bridge the gulf in class and they will have to wait for another shot at a fourth European title.

"We have to accept the quality of the Spanish side tonight and their technical ability," said Germany coach Joachim Loew. "We're disappointed but I have to compliment my team on their fantastic performances in the last few weeks."

DANGEROUS FINISHER

Spain had gone close twice before the goal from Torres.

Jens Lehmann had to react quickly after the superb Andres Iniesta's shot was deflected but the keeper was beaten in the 23rd minute when Torres, not for the first time, outjumped Per Mertesacker but saw his header come back off a post.

Torres, who had been somewhat overshadowed by absent four-goal partner David Villa in the tournament, showed what a dangerous finisher he is after 33 minutes.

Philipp Lahm appeared to have Xavi's through-ball covered but fractionally hesitated as he hoped Lehmann would reach it first and that was all Torres needed as he sped past him then cleverly lifted the ball over the advancing keeper.

Spain's precision delivery earned them several more half-chances early in the second half but none were taken and Germany, never a team to give up on a trophy without a fight, raised their game.

Captain Michael Ballack, fit to play after his calf strain, had spent most of the first hour fighting fires but he went close with a low volley as his side hit back and ramped up the temperature with a few lively tackles.

Coach Joachim Loew threw on striker Kevin Kuranyi but Spain then had a flurry of chances of chances as Lehmann saved well from Sergio Ramos and Iniesta, and Torsten Frings cleared Iniesta's shot off the line all in the space of two minutes.

As Germany pressed, for the equaliser the gaps opened and Torres almost broke clear twice more. In the end, though, his early effort proved enough to clinch the trophy for Spain.

Soccer advances to Championship game

It took a while for the Illini to get the momentum rolling on the soccer field Friday night in their opening game of the Illini Cup Challenge, but once the team took fire it could not be stopped. Illinois did not score its first goal until five minutes left in the first half, but then came out with two more goals and eight shots on goal in the second half to coast to a 3-1 victory against Iowa State.

Senior Charlotte Cooke came off the bench for the Illini in the first half to give it a much-needed boost with her goal, and then junior forward Chichi Nweke took it from there, scoring one goal in the second half and assisting junior midfielder Courtney Bell on the other. Nweke's speed at the top of the field and the physical play of senior midfielder Marti Desjarlais anchored the team's surge in the second half.

Illinois will face Dayton in the Challenge's championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m. Dayton defeated Pittsburgh 3-2 in double overtime on Friday to advance.

Is Italian soccer on the decline?

Here in the United States, we are still warming to soccer as a mainstream sport. The introduction of superstar David Beckham into Major League Soccer as expected to bring the sport a newfound national audience, but injuries have, at the very least, postponed that coming-out party. But in Europe, soccer is the undisputed king of spectator sports. The major leagues of Europe, like the Premier League in England and La Liga in Spain, are billion-dollar businesses, with some of the biggest and most valuable sports teams in the world under their banners. But there may be trouble in paradise, in one of the top leagues in Europe, Italy’s Serie A.

On the surface, Italian football (as most of the world calls the sport) is on top of the world. Italy is defending World Cup champion, having defeated France in the 2006 final. AC Milan, one of the top teams in Italy, won last year’s Champions League, and so is the defending club champion of all Europe. But all is not well. Controversy has rocked Italian soccer over the past few years, including a match-fixing scandal that involved some of the league’s top teams and fan violence that led to the death of an Italian police officer at a match last season. This was to be the year of recovery, the year that everything got back to normal and Italy took its rightful place at the top. Things haven’t turned out nearly so well.

This was a rough week for the Italian game. First, AC Milan lost an important Champions League match to Scottish champions Celtic, dropping below them in the race to move on in the competition. Then, and perhaps more importantly, three of the four Italian teams in the UEFA Cup, Europe’s second-tier tournament, were eliminated in one day. Though the UEFA Cup doesn’t offer nearly the financial windfall that a long stay in the Champions League does, it can be very important for determining league ranks, which do have cash ramifications.

Two years ago, the top leagues in Europe were separated into two groups - the big three (Spain, England, and Italy), and everyone else. Membership in this big three has its privileges, since it is only the top three leagues in Europe that get to send four teams each to the Champions League. The others send, at most, three. At that time, there was a huge gap between the big three and the fourth-place league, France, a gap of 13 points. Today, the big three are the same, though Italy has fallen from second to third and been replaced by England. However, France now lies less than 6 points away. In only two seasons, they have made up half of what seemed like an impossible gap.

Last season, Italy survived in Europe largely on the back of AC Milan. Their star forward, Ricky Kaka, was widely hailed as the best player in the world, but the rest of the team was, even in their championship season, showing signs of age. One of the oldest top-tier teams in Europe, Milan opts for experience over youth and speed. Now, with the departure of so many teams at once from the UEFA Cup, Italy is once again looking to Milan to keep them afloat and preserve their place in the big three of European football. Time will tell whether they are up to the challenge, but the loss to Celtic certainly showed their vulnerability, and perhaps, the vulnerability of all of Italian soccer.

Definition of soccer

A game played on a rectangular field with net goals at either end in which two teams of 11 players each try to drive a ball into the other's goal by kicking, heading, or using any part of the body except the arms and hands. The goalie is the only player who may touch or move the ball with the arms or hands.

Food and Fitness: soccer

Soccer is played worldwide by young and old, male and female, amateur and professional. The game makes many and varied physical demands on players. Top-class soccer players require very high levels of fitness. During a 90-minute match, their average work rate is about 70 per cent maximum and they burn an extra 1000-1500 Calories. They may cover more than 10 kilometres and have to sprint and jump many times with little chance to recover between bursts of maximum effort. So, in addition to their ball skills, they need to develop sprinting speed, endurance, muscular strength, and muscular power. Training usually involves a mixture of running, weight training, and circuit training, as well as ball work (passing, shooting, ball control, and heading). Flexibility is one aspect of fitness which is often neglected, especially by recreational players. Repeated sprinting, jumping, and kicking tends to tighten muscles in the lower back and legs. Without appropriate flexibility training players are likely to strain or pull muscles and tendons. The most common sites of injury are the calf muscles, Achilles tendons, and hamstrings. Before a match, each player should warm-up by jogging for 5-10 minutes. This should be followed by some flexibility and mobility exercises (especially for the hamstrings and the adductor muscles in the groin), three or four sprints over distances of about 25 metres, and then specific ball skills, such as dribbling and passing.