Mock Draft 2.0 - The Week Before

 

It's less than a week before the NFL draft, so I figured I had a second go. Since my last Mock, the following things have happened: 

- San Francisco traded up to #3

- Carolina traded for Sam Darnold

- The developing Deshaun Watson legal case

- Miami traded down, then back up again

- The Bears tried to trade for Russell Wilson

- Drew Brees formally retired

- Aaron Rodgers hosted Jeopardy

The teams that now need a QB include outside of the obvious top three of Jacksonville, NYJ and San Francisco are, in draft order: 

Maybe, apparently Atlanta

Denver

Maybe still Carolina

New England

Washington

Chicago

Probably New Orleans

That makes nine teams, which ramps up the desperation to chaotic levels. So essentially, throw this Mock Draft out by...well, by the end of the sentence. Oh well.

Did I miss anything? Probably. Anyway, here we go: 

1) Jacksonville Jags - Trever Lawrence, QB, Clemson

Jags make the easiest decision in franchise history. Let's just hope they don't mess Lawrence up.

2) New York Jets - Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

Jets attached themselves to Wilson a couple months ago and nothing appears to have changed their minds. Wilson has a little Rodgers to his game, but can he adapt to the shift from BYU to NY?

3) San Francisco 49ers - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

All the signs are pointing to Mac Jones but SF don't leak, and Kyle Shanahan has payed close attention to Fields and his athleticism and recent pro days. Adding his talents to his scheme removes the offensive ceiling on San Francisco entirely. 

4) Atlanta Falcons - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

Trey Lance is an intriguing pick but adding Pitts to Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley gives the Falcons an immediately absurd passing offense. 

5) Cincinnati Bengals - Jamarr Chase, WR,  LSU

Sewell should absolutely be the pick here, but Bengals can't resist pairing Burrow up with his favourite weapon in college. Lets hope he has a neck left to throw it to him, though. 

6) Miami Dolphins - Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

Miami get the best tackle to give Tua the time he needs, and with Chase and Pitts gone, Sewell is the best value. 

7) Detroit Lions - Jalen Waddle, WR Alabama

After losing Kenny Golladay to the Giants, Detroit take another elite to ruin - I mean, develop. Waddle has the speed to catch Goff's overthrown balls, at least.

8) Washington Football Team - Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State

Washington make the big move, throwing the 19th pick, and their next first round picks and a second rounder from 2022 to move up 11 spots to take Lance, who could spend a year sitting behind a place-holder before giving the WASHINGTON DEMON CATS something to get excited. 

9) Denver Broncos - Mac Jones, QB, Alabama

Denver stay put after Atlanta hangs up and takes Pitts, and Bellichick is too stubborn to swing big enough and Chicago don't have enough assets to get up. Leaving Mac Jones falling to Denver and walking into a good situaiton; a play-off ready team that needs a pro-ready guy to lead them. Mac is absolutely that, and will be a breath of fresh air as a leader after Drew Lock. 

10) Dallas Cowboys - Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama 

This makes a ton of sense, so will probably be the opposite of what Jerry Jones does, who might need to be given chloroform to stop him trying to trade up and take Kyle Pitts, or draft Devontae Smith. Surtain is the CB #1 for a team that was historically bad defensively last season.

11) New York Giants - OL, Rashawn Slater, Northwestern

Giants have been tempted to move down apparently, but in this scenario they have the chance to pick between two excellent OL's - Slater and Vera-Tucker. They take the highly rated and versatile Slater, who should give the returning Saquon Barkley bigger holes to run through and Daniel Jones enough time to throw (hopefully to the team in blue year). 

12) Philadelphia Eagles - Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama

Eagles are unsure about Hurts but this gives that team a #1 WR that they desperately need, and a guy that will have a massive chip on his shoulder after winning the Heisman and somehow being undervalued in the draft process. Perfect for Philly.

13) LA Chargers - Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virgina Tech

Step 1: Draft good QB. Step 2: Protect good QB. Chargers working the plan.

14) Minnesota Vikings - Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State

Mike Zimmer openly trashed his own defence so will be chomping at the bit to add Parsons, who would be top 10 in another draft class, an athletic wrecking ball who could line up all over the defence and provides Zimmer with a guy to compliment the returning Anthony Barr. 

15) New England Patriots - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramorah, LB, Notre Dame

Bellichick has thrown money at his roster issues this summer, but absolutely will not give up 3 first round picks to take a QB. He stays put, takes the best ILB in the draft and takes someone like Kellen Mond or Kyle Trask in the second round to turn into Jimmy G 2.0. 

16) Arizona Cardinals - Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

'Zona have offense in spades, but can't cover a thing in a division where they face Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Matt Stafford and the revitalised LA Rams and Shanahan's offense with a new QB. Jaycee Horn helps that immediately. 

17)Las Vegas Raiders - Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT, USC

The Raiders, in a baffling move atop of several in the last couple seasons, got rid of half their offensive line. Vera-Tucker is a versatile lineman who will be a cornerstone for several years. Be sensible, Gruden.

18) Miami Dolphins - Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, Georgia

Miami let go of Kyle Van Noy and add an edge presence to develop under Eric Bienemy.

19) Carolina Panthers - Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota

After losing Curtis Samuel to Washington and adding Sam Darnold, Carolina give their new QB a weapon to join McCaffery, DJ Moore and Robby Anderson in an intriguing offense. 

20) Chicago Bears - Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern

The Bears stay put after their trade-up plans fail due to their lack of appealing assets. They take a corner to replace the outgoing Kyle Fuller, who they let go to pay their lack of appealing assets. Sigh, Bears. 

21) Indianapolis Colts - Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan

The Colts get incredible value as a top-15 athlete like Paye is sitting there. An elite defence gets another weapon. 

22) Tennessee Titans - Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech

A top-10 pick until surgery made teams nervous, Farley still is an elite corner prospect that fills a desperate need in Tennessee, who couldn't stop a nose bleed last year. 

23) New York Jets - Najee Harris, RB, Alabama

The Jets get who they hoped Le'Veon Bell would be in Harris. A Wilson-Harris partnership could be the partnership of an exciting pairing in New York for years to come. 

24) Pittsburgh Steelers - Creed Humphrey, OC, Oklahoma

With Harris off the board and the Steelers renowned for making sensible draft decisions, Pittsburgh opt to get a back later in the draft while taking a three-year-starter at Center to fill the retiring Maurkrice Pouncey's cleats. 

25) Jacksonville Jags - Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama

After getting Lawrence and having a decent amount of offensive weapons, the Jags pick up the best DT in the draft to plug in some of the holes in the middle of their front.

26) Cleveland Browns - Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky

Cleveland are an elite LB away from having a terrifying defence. Browns hoping Davis can be that final piece for a contending side. 

27) Baltimore Ravens - Joseph Ossai, EDGE, Texas

Baltimore sees their Judon replacement fall into their laps. Everyone gets angry, classic Ravens.

28) New Orleans Saints - Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa

Saints starting filling in the gaps in their defence starting with the tackling machine from Tulsa. 

29) Green Bay Packers - Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas

Sam Cosmi is the BPA for a team that let go of a key piece of their OL in Corey Linsey this off-season. I'm sure they'll get a WR in round 2 or 3. Probably.

30) Buffalo Bills - Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State

Buffalo have a plan that looks suspiciously like the LA Chargers plan. Teven Jenkins will help the Bills protect Allen so he can keep throwing 70 yard bombs to Stephon Diggs.

31) Kansas City Chiefs - Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson

This makes no sense, as Kansas need OL help and corners, but with all the first round OL's off the board at this stage, I liked the idea of Andy Reid saying 'fuck it' and drafting another elite RB and rotating Etienne-Edwards Helaire alongside Hill and Kelce in the recieving core. You can't rule it out, and thinking about it is fantastic.

32)  Tampa Bay Buccanneers - Gregory Rosseau, EDGE, Miami

Same logic here, but on the other side of the ball. Tampa already have the best pass rush in football, so Arians decides to send it nuclear as Tampa have no immediate needs and add a stunning athlete in Rosseau who can rotate and develop alongside JPP, Shaq Barrett and the monstrous Vita Vea. 

NFL Mock Draft: 2021

 

As the playoffs rumble on in the NFL and the college season comes to a typically explosive close, many football fans will be turning away from their varying stages of heartbreak on the TV to the eternal optimism of the draft. 

As a Chicago Bears fan, this is something I have intimate knowledge of. 

This is my first attempt at a Mock Draft write-up for a few years (my last one had Teddy Bridgewater going #1 overall to the Texans, so that went well) but in the light of the Alabama Globetrotters stomping all over Ohio State last night, it seems topical to give one a try. 

This is a trade-free one, though I absolutely think there are going to be several - I can see teams like the Colts, 49ers, WFT or even Bill Belichick dusting off his fax machine (I refuse to believe he has a smart phone) to try and move up and acquire a passer in a seemingly loaded draft. 

Anyway, in this one - assume that Indianapolis have traded for Carson Wentz following a Rivers retirement, the Lions have moved Matt Stafford to the WFT for a 2nd round pick (and how interesting would that be?) and Bellichick 'likes what we have' in Jarrett Stidham or a 3rd round pick out of Old Dominion or something. Miami in this one have decided to stick with Tua after Houston asked for the entire Dolphins draft class in '21-23 and the 1972 Superbowl team. 

This leaves the Jags/Jets (the latter moving Sam Darnold to the Steelers for a 3rd round pick while Big Ben figures out how many working limbs he has left), the Bears and the Saints, who watched Drew Brees bow out at the conclusion of the season - irrespective of how it ends (for the record, I think they lose to Green Bay in Lambeu).

Ready? Cool, let's begin.

1) Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence, QB,  Clemson

I was tempted to have Fields here in light of the Urban Meyer rumours, but even with a former Buck-Eyes coach at the Jags helm, Lawrence is just the better Quarterback. Jags get their next decade under center with the most polished prospect since Andrew Luck.

2) New York Jets - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

Jets don't get Lawrence, but Fields is the next best thing. Losing against Alabama is no shame, and Fields has so many elite qualities that the Jets should be pleased with their selection.

3) Miami Dolphins - Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

Miami stick with Tua and choose to protect him with the best OL in the draft. 

4) Atlanta Falcons - Micah Parsons, LB, Penn St

Could be a spot for Zach Wilson here but in this parallel, the Falcons rightly decide that the offense was not the problem at all last season and take a Von Miller-esque OLB to spice up their pass rush.

5) Cincinnati Bengals - Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama

Some mocks have Smith going out of the top 10, but in this one the Heisman winner doesn't make it out the top 5. The Bengals are tempted to trade out, but instead give Joe Burrow his new favourite toy on offense while replacing legendary veteran AJ Green. 

6) Philadelphia Eagles - Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU

The Eagles trade Wentz but decide that Hurts has done enough to earn a start in 2021 and in doing so, give their offense a jolt with the man who spent most of the year as this draft's WR1. 'Bama's Waddle was a possibility here too, but the ankle injury means Philly take no chances with Chase. 

7) Detroit Lions - Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

The Lions are delighted as Wilson falls to them at #7 here, after trading Stafford away and hiring a new GM - Wilson's selection marks a new era with D'Andre Swift, and a hopefully healthy Kenny Golladay in 2021.

8) Carolina Panthers - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

With Wilson, Fields and Lawrence already gone, the Panthers give Teddy Bridgewater a potentially generational TE prospect in Pitts. 

9) Denver Broncos - Trey Lance, QB, N. Dakota St

The Broncos take another shot on a QB here, with Lance aiming to break a now very long line of Elway replacements. 

10) Dallas Cowboys - Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama

The Cowboys don't do anything stupid and take the cornerback with the highest ceiling in the draft to fix the leakiest defence in the league.

11) New York Giants - Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama

It's an NFC East/Alabama double as the Giants take the best available WR in Waddle, a speedster that will open a Giants offense and allow NYG to accurately assess Daniel Jones in Year 3. 

12) San Franciso 49ers - Caleb Farley

Probably the best overall CB in the draft and a top 10 pick in a lot of drafts - the 49ers get their Richard Sherman replacement. 

13) LA Chargers - Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas

The Chargers have their QB, and now they need to protect him. Cosmi thrived in a pass-heavy scheme for Texas, and will surely need to replicate that for Justin Herbert. 

14) Minnesota Vikings - Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan

The Vikings defensive line suffered all season and got worse after trading Yannick N'gakoue to the Ravens. They pick up the best DL in the draft in a very Viking-sy pick. 

15) New England Patriots - Rashod Bateman, Perdue

Assuming the Patriots stay here, which is always an idea fraught with risk, Belichick takes a skill position player and opts to chase a veteran at QB, while also probably drafting one later. Bateman's skill in the slot appeal to Josh McDaniel's scheme in New England, who may have found his Julian Edelman replacement in the Perdue receiver. 

16) Arizona Cardinals - Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

Arizona were bottom half of the league in defensive DVOA and Jaycee Horn's size and length has him rising up mock drafts.

17) Las Vegas Raiders - Gregory Rosseau, DL, Miami 

The Raiders have a burgeoning offense under Gruden but need defensive help and Rosseau feels like a classic LAV pick; athletic, long and explosive - pairing the Miami product with Clelin Ferrell could just what the doctor ordered while facing Patrick Mahomes twice a year. 

18) Miami Dolphins - Rondale Moore, WR, Perdue

Another weapon for Tua after protecting his blindside with the third overall pick. Moore gives the Dolphins offense a true dynamo with 'game-breaking ability', an after-the-catch demon that could take advantage of Tua's short throw accuracy. 

19) WFT - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, MLB, Notre Dame

I love this pick for WFT, who trade for Matt Stafford and then give Ron Rivera his Luke Kuechly, a leader who will fit nicely on a young and terrifying defence. 

20) Chicago Bears - Mac Jones, QB, Alabama

Mac's draft stock rises after an impressive performance in the CFB and the Bears add a QB that with the right offensive scheme could be a smart, accurate and mature option. Jones will never be Aaron Rodgers, but could be the Bears equivalent to Dak Prescott if Matt Nagy develops him. 

21) Jacksonville Jags - Christian Darrisaw - OT, Virginia Tech

The Jags pool their resources in protecting Trevor Lawrence, taking a tackle that will be an immediate help in pass protection. 

22) Indianapolis Colts - Alex Leatherwood - OT, Alabama

A tough call as the Colts are pretty stacked everywhere, but they choose to strengthen what might already be the league's best OL with a pick that should allow Carson Wentz more time in the pocket than he got in Philadelphia. 

23) Cleveland Browns - Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa

The Browns, for maybe the first time ever, don't have any major needs on offense at all so sit back and take a physical LB that will fill the stat sheet and support Myles Garrett up front. 

24) Baltimore Ravens - Derion Kendrick, CB, Clemson

The Ravens, in a Patrick Queen-esque pick, give their secondary a much needed boost with a corner just off a dominant season for the Tigers. 

25) Tennessee Titans - Shaun Wade, CB, Ohio St

Wade took a hit last night after being burned by Devonta Smith, but Smith will probably be doing that to guys every week next year. The Titans begin to fix a defence that has been a weakness all season. 

26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern

Consecutive OL picks in as many years as Tampa once again puts protection around Tom Brady. 

27) New Orleans Saints - Kyle Trask, QB, Florida

The Saints are a draft wildcard and apparently have faith in Jameis Winston in a post- Drew Brees world, but Trask is a talented prospect that could thrive in Sean Payton's offense. 

28) Buffalo Bills - Asante Samuel, CB, Florida St

Bills look set on offense around Josh Allen but need to shore up the secondary. Samuel is a high ceiling prospect that would help here. 

29) New York Jets - Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson 

With Justin Fields locked up, the Jets give him a three-down back with explosion to get the play-action game going. With a new coach, Justin Fields and Travis Etienne in the backfield, the Jets are an immediately thrilling offensive proposition in 2021.

30) Pittsburgh Steelers - Liam Eichenburg, OT, Notre Dame

Steelers have Sam Darnold to fill in for Ben Roethlisberger and choose to invest in their offensive line and open holes for a run game. They could take Harris from 'Bama, but the OL feels more Pittsburgh, especially if Maukrice  Pouncey retires. 

31) Green Bay Packers - Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri

Green Bay's defence improved tremendously over the course of the season, but the Packers double down on run protection with a stat stuffing long term replacement to Blake Martinez, who left in FA last season. 

32) Kansas City Chiefs - Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia

Kansas can sit back and take the best corner remaining, with the stellar offense set for the next couple years at least. The Chiefs ranked 22nd in Defensive DVOA in 2020 (one below the Jets!) and absolutely need some coverage. 

If you do not learn from history, Zlatan Ibrahimovic will force you to repeat it: How Milan and their ageless talisman became unlikely title contenders

 

10 years ago, AC Milan signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic, rescuing the 29-year-old from a fraught, unhappy period at Barcelona and immediately cemented themselves as title contenders in a Serie A that had groaned under the weight of a suffocating dynasty enjoyed by cross-city rivals Inter. 

Inter had recently replaced Jose Mourinho with Rafa Benitez, and the Nerazzurri were struggling to adapt to a new era defined by the declining prowess of some of the foundational pieces that had won the treble the season before and had until then, a historic vice grip on the peninsula's premier league. 

The arrival of Zlatan, partnering him with a quiet, thoughtful and tactically astute coach in Massimiliano Allegri, a tight defence and workhorse midfield, coalesced around the skills of their transcendent Swede and brought Il Diavolo's first title in seven years. It was a watershed moment for Italian football, breaking up a half-decade of dominance and re-affirming that the Serie A power pendulum mirrors every swing of the mercurial forward's boot. Gazetta dello Sport wrote the next day, 'Serie A is a league in which 20 teams compete and in the end, Zlatan Ibrahimovic wins.' 

That period was an entire decade ago and for Milan, it was three ownerships, eight coaches and countless crises ago. It has been a tumultuous period since those heady days that brought Ibrahimovic and a Scudetto to Rossoneri hands but unbelievably, against all notions of logic, all pre-conceived rules of time and any hitherto accepted truths about a player's declining athletic ability after a certain age, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is back in a Milan shirt and has turned his team into unlikely Scudetto candidates again. 

The parallels do not end with the 39-year-old's mere reappearance. This time, a decade on from ending the black-and-blue stranglehold on Serie A in the late-aughts, Italian football had surrendered to a seemingly omnipotent champion in Juventus; a Bianconceri side that had adopted the role of schoolyard bully for nine successive seasons, turning a previously competitive league into a 19-team battle for second place. 

However, in similar fashion to the post-Jose Inter, Juventus are displaying chinks in previously impenetrable amour. Like Inter, Juve replaced an out-going figure of consistency and European success in Massimiliano Allegri (remember him?) with a much more inexperienced one in first Maurizio Sarri and now a completely inexperienced one in Andrea Pirlo (think Benitez/Leonardo at Inter). 

Like Inter in 2010, Juventus's foundational pieces are not as strong as in previous seasons. As deep and well-funded the current squad is, the league champions over-reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo, inconsistent performances from star Paolo Dybala and striker Alvaro Morata, ageing/declining/injury prone defenders in Leo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini and the now five year absence of a dominant midfield presence means the usually sealed shut window on title contention is ever so slightly open, even if just a sliver. 

Meanwhile, at Via Turati, Milan are playing with an abundance and confidence not seen since a raised eyebrow was the leading facial expression patrolling San Siro's touchline. Once again, a side has been built around the strengths of their imposing forward - surrounding Ibra with pacey and hard-working wingers such as Alexis Saelemakers, Rafael Leao, Sami Castillejo and new signings Jens Petter Hauge and the exciting Brahim Diaz offering offensive incision and regularly stretching opposition defences. 

In Stefano Pioli's 4-2-3-1, the combination of Ismael Bennacer and Franck Kessie is at the moment the best midfield partnership in Italy, the former's passing range complimenting the latter's bulldozing runs and physicality. Simon Kjaer and the revitalised Davide Calabria have helped steady a defence that has survived a shaky return to fitness from captain Alessio Romagnoli and even has an attacking capacity shown by hardworking engine Theo Hernandez. 

Under Pioli, a coach who has seemingly found his calling at Milan, is a teacher and tactician getting defensive solidity and attacking fluidity from a side that for years had displayed very little of either prior to his arrival. Milan additionally seem to have depth of quality where previously there had been no quality at all, able to rotate Diogo Dalot, Sandro Tonali and Ante Rebic alongside the aforementioned quadrant of widemen. 

At the centre of it all is Ibrahimovic, a man who has powered his former and current club to 24 consecutive matches in Serie A without loss and having contributed to 23 goals in that time (17 goals, 6 assists) at the age of 39, a frankly astonishing feat that further establishes Zlatan as one of the most unique and impactful forwards in European football history. 

Still possessing the size and strength to hold off defenders and dominate aerially, able to maintain possession and spray the ball out to wide players and into tight corners and between defenders, Ibrahimovic is a footballing juxtaposition. A leader and reference point, and still an intoxicating cocktail of power, presence and audacious technique. 

No more can this be encapsulated in his goal and assist vs Udinese - the first a lofted ball that the striker brought under control with an awe dropping ease, holding a defender off with one arm as casually as one might hold a door for an oncoming stranger, before sliding a pass into Franck Kessie's path. 

The goal, #11 rising up and striking an absurdly nonchalant overhead kick among the chaos of the 18 yard box after a poor clearance, highlights not only the Swede's skill, but the brazen confidence the man still possess as he approaches an age where many men are considering a poorly placed piercing or neon coloured car to maintain their youth. Zlatan maintains his rather more organically. 

At some point this season, the run Milan are on will presumably end and balance will be restored as Juventus stroll to a 10th league title, the De Ligt-Dybala-Ronaldo core too much to overcome for a side built around several men in their early 20's and a striker nearly two decades their senior. But right now, Milan look like Champions League qualification could be a minimum expectation for a team that has not found success like this in over a decade. In fact, if you squint a little, it looks a lot like 2010 right about now. 

Netherlands 5-1 Spain: Spanish crown slipping as Dutch dominate

It was the score that resonated around the world. As the World and European Champions left the Arena Fonte Nova pitch on Saturday evening with 5-1 still looming large on the scoreboard, it required more than a double take to notice that it was not the Netherlands, but Spain who had been handed the five goal thrashing.

There had been some murmurings about the “end of an era” prior to Spain taking the pitch – the age of key figures Xavi and Xabi Alonso combined with the fact that repeating a World Cup is rare at best and near impossible at worst. But the manner in which La Roja have seemingly fallen was as shocking as the score itself.

Those murmurs will ring loud now, as questions will be as difficult to deal with as the Oranje were last night. How was a team that two years ago exited Euro 2012 after losing every game able to cut through Spain like this? Robben was just as fast in 2010, yet it seemed like Spain had forgotten how to run.

Vicente Del Bosque will be under pressure to make wholesale changes – Iker Casillas, Spain captain and symbol of the Iberian’s world domination over the last six years was at times a shell of him as several costly mistakes helped ramp up the embarrassment. Two years after imploring referee Pedro Proenca to stop the Euro 2012 final against Italy as Spain led 4-1 against the 10 man Azzurri, the Madrid goalkeeper was perhaps wishing someone would do the same for him.

It’s unlikely that Del Bosque will consider changing what has been so successful in the past, but philosophical ponderings are now turning into tactical demands from supporters believing that Spain’s defeat is another example that the passing game is representative of a previous generation.

It can be argued that it was a freak result, a debate that historical evidence would certainly back up. After Stefan De Vrij gave the Dutch a 3-1 lead Spain seemed to mentally check out of the game, one where they were apathetic and lackadaisical defensively to begin with. Following the third, the game seemed to take on an almost schoolyard quality where the fastest child outruns a seething mass of his peers. In last night’s game, that child was Arjen Robben.

Spain will go into the two remaining group games mentally rattled following the defeat, but focused on proving the now growing choir of doubters wrong. They faced similar questions following a defeat to Switzerland in 2010 before going on to win the World Cup, but even the most ardent Spaniard will agree this is somewhat different.

The Dutch’s ability to punish Spain’s highline and poor defensive positioning is a method that Brazil utilised to perfection in the 2013 Confederations Cup win and is also what Jupp Heynckes Bayern Munich did to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the 2012/13 Champions League. Real Madrid’s rout of Pep Guardiola’s pass-happy Munich side in the season just past is perhaps another example.

It appears that there is a developing blueprint in how to deal with sides that adopt the “Spanish approach”, which is surfacing against the innovators that kick-started the modern possession revolution in the first place. Whether Spain, like their rivals, can prove to be assertive with a “Plan B” could be what defines their success now and in the future.

Perhaps the most worrying thing from a Spanish perspective is in the space of 90 minutes the question of "will Spain retain the World Cup" is now "can they retain the World Cup." Football tacticians have questioned their approach, but never their ability. The ease in which Louie Van Gaal's side were able to cut through an awful Spanish defence was astonishing and those questions of about the legitimacy of their World Cup bid only grow louder as Spain risk failing to make it out of their group.

The crown is still atop of Spain following their Dutch disaster. But it is slipping.

A letter to Pippo Inzaghi

Dear Pippo,

We have never met, and chances are we never will. You don’t speak my language, nor I yours. But your profession, as far removed as it is from mine, changed my life. You reminded me of romance. Don’t worry; I’m not talking about rose-petals on the bed sort of romance.

I’m talking of romance in football. Some say there isn't any, or at least, not any more. Footballers like you live glamorous lives where their existence and ours seem so far apart it’s almost like they’re on different planets. There’s no connection between the two parties any-more.

However, I think there is romance in football. The romance in football is that of an imaginative child who grows up idolising his favourite players, dreaming of wearing the sacred colours of his club and kicking a ball alone in his back garden, wheeling away, pulling the shirt over his eyes and imagining scoring that goal, in that final.

As the boy becomes a man, he still visits the stadium, cheering every win, remonstrating at every loss – and the brief moments of unbridled joy as his heroes score a goal, the man that he is reverts back to that little boy in the garden, even if just for a moment. That romance made me a fan of A.C Milan, the club you once played for.

Like many an English football fan – I watched Channel Four’s TV show Football Italia that covered “Calcio” as it’s known in Italy, and revelled in the sights of players like Marco Van Basten, Paolo Maldini and Roberto Baggio. 

As a young boy, these were my first forays into European football as a whole – falling for the colour, the fans and the sheer exoticness of central Europe. It was so different to England, still lost in rigid tactics, cold weather and horrible Manchester United-supporting schoolchildren.

I always loved A.C Milan thanks to their bold colours, always remembering how enraptured I was as a child by their cooler-than-cool red and black stripes, the nickname “Diavolo”, meaning ‘devil’ in Italian struck a chord with my young self too. I was an admirer, but not yet a supporter.

As your Milan side progressed in the Champions League (your favourite competition, if I remember rightly) and challenged for European honours during the 2000’s, I began to take a further interest. I was silently pleased if I saw Milan beat a big English side, my sporting guilty pleasure the reason behind the frustration and misery of my Manchester United and Liverpool supporting peers.

I hate bringing this one up, least of all to you – but my love for Milan truly began with that 2005 Champions League final, as I watched your beloved team lose after taking a 3-0 lead. Of course, as you remember – you weren't in the squad that game, and watched from the stands.

 Signed from Juventus, you perhaps connected more with fans than any footballer I have ever seen in my short existence as a fan. I'm sure you would be the first to admit that you weren’t blessed with technique most of your fellow professionals take for granted, your ascendancy came through hard work, attention to detail and your innate ability to read the game.

As a result, I've always thought you have a level of humility I don’t see from many other footballers. You are loyal, passionate and you celebrate every goal like a fan, with the fans.

You watched from the stands as Liverpool fought back and defeated your side, unable to do anything for a team that I know you considered yours as much as any other. You cheered like a fan, cursed like a fan and went home having not played a minute of football – just like a fan.

Two years later, fate would have it that Milan and Liverpool met again. After once again doing internal, joyous dances as you ousted Manchester United in style, the world prepared for Milan to face Liverpool once again. This time, you started.

Milan took the lead thanks to a deflected goal that hit your rib, but it is the second, crucial goal that holds sentimental value to me, and is the reason for this letter.

In the 82^nd minute, Ricky Kaka (I've probably got a letter for him too somewhere) received the ball about 25 yards from goal. Making eye contact with the Brazilian, you made a run that left the Liverpool defence standing. You took a touch, neatly rounded the onrushing keeper and rolled the ball into the empty net. You sprint off toward the corner flag, celebrating before ball even crosses the line. Reaching the by-line near the fourth official, you drop to your knees, screaming as you did so, frantically gesticulating.

For that moment as I watched, overjoyed at what I had witnessed, I saw you revert to the little boy in the back garden, wheeling away and celebrating alone. For those few seconds, I connected with you because there was a feeling that you and I were very alike. I, like you had dreamed of scoring a vital goal in Cup Final for club I loved. I, like you - wheeled away and exalted with passion, without shame or doubt. I, like you – was just a fan. 

Since then, I became hooked. I am a passionate fan of a football team that speaks a different language, plays in a different country and has no cultural connection to me at all, and I'm proud of that. In a way it feels more satisfying, because I feel my sporting preferences have not come about through circumstantial geography that I can’t affect, but an emotional epiphany that I feel I chose and simultaneously chose me.

Now, as fate would have it, it appears our shared bond with AC Milan will once again resurface. Once again you watched, I'm assuming with sadness, as the once great club you played for stagnated. Once again someone else was chosen to fix that problem, while you hoped for the best. Once again, you have the opportunity the second time around to help. 

Once again it is your image that is tied to the vision of that club, as your every decision as a coach impacts on my mood and emotions in the same way that your movements on the pitch once did. It appears Pippo, we have come full circle.

I can only hope that in this next phase of both my fandom and your career, you can deliver a fraction of the joy you brought on that May evening in 2007.  I have you to thank for all of this, yet I probably will never get to explain to you in person about how you changed my life, and helped me pick a side that has become part of my identity that to this day you are a huge part of. 

But I guess, that’s the point.

Grazie, e buona fortuna. 

Sam 

Cristiano Ronaldo has chance to cement his status as all-time great in Lisbon return ahead of Champions League final

On Saturday 24th May, Real Madrid will face city rivals Atletico Madrid for a chance to lift their 10th Champions League title, in what will be their first final appearance since Zinedine Zidane's sumptuous volley sealed a 2002 victory in Glasgow.

Since that evening, now 12 years ago, Real Madrid have viewed the 10th title, called "La Decima" to Madridistas and Spaniards everywhere as an "obsession", a dream that has formed an identity of its own, fuelling managerial appointments, transfer fees and press conferences almost immediately after the ninth Champions League title was lifted into a dark Glasgow night by then Real Madrid captain Raul Gonzalez.

For Real Madrid, a team of unparalleled European success, the next title is always the most important and the tenth is of symbolic significance not lost the club's owner Florentino Perez and all those he employs to bring said trophy back to the Bernabeu.

For Cristiano Ronaldo, talisman of this Madrid side since his arrival in the summer of 2009, "La Decima" is more than symbolic significance to his employers but arguably a chance to complete a year of redemption for the Portugese star.

Redemption is an admittedly odd word for a man who has routinely considered one of the top two players on the planet since he lifted the Ballon D'or in 2008 following Manchester United's Champions League win against Chelsea, but it is appropriate.

Because despite Ronaldo's personal achievements, record-breaking goal tallies and irrepressible surge up the all-time scorers lists for Real Madrid and Portugal, the advent of Lionel Messi's greatness has somewhat demeaned those achievements as an afterthought compared to the Barcelona stars personal quest with history.

It is almost unfair to compare Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi, a player of almost universal popularity and praise that as a result, has elevated the Argentine almost beyond normal comprehension. Because of the staggering achievements of Messi from his 2009 Ballon D'or win at 22 to his ascension as Barcelona's greatest ever goalscorer amidst his four consecutive Ballon D'ors during a period as the fulcrum of a side dominating football like few sides before it, Ronaldo's achievements appear secondary.

If Cristiano Ronaldo's CV is put in a vacuum, you're looking at one the greatest players of all time, who would also be unquestionably the greatest in any era in terms of efficiency bar the one he is part of right now. 164 league goals in 142 league games coupled with 51 Champions League goals in 50 appearances since his arrival at the Spanish giants is a return that should only be found on a computer game. His 16 goals in 10 Champions League matches this season is unparalleled in the history of the competition, also providing four assists and hitting the woodwork four times.

The Ballon D'or win was a vindication of sorts, but the Portugese's critics will point to the absence of the injury-hit Lionel Messi as the prevailing factor in his recognition. Even in his finest hour, Messi's shadow looms large.

Similarly, Ronaldo's superb form since arriving at Real Madrid comes with the caveat of an absent space in Madrid's locker room, forever reserved for the 10th Champions League trophy. Regardless of his transfer being considered an undoubted success despite the enormous price, the lack of a tangible, European reward is a blot on an otherwise pristine record, emphasised by the continental achievements of bitter rivals Barcelona and the 2011 Champions League appearance made by former club Manchester United. Should Ronaldo take over Raul Gonzalez as Real Madrid's all-time goalscorer (which grows more and more inevitable every season), his bid at becoming one of the Spanish club's all-time greats will also be diminished should it end without a European title. For a club like Real Madrid, records and trophies must go hand in hand.

Lisbon's hosting of the final takes on a multi-faceted sense of significance for the homecoming forward. It offers the opportunity for Ronaldo to crown a historic season with the European trophy that his arrival sought to ensure, as well as the opportunity to affirm his status as one of Real Madrid's all-time greats.

For once, in almost five years, Cristiano Ronaldo will not be talked about as an antagonist to Lionel Messi, the rival that pushes the more talented player to new heights. It will be a singular achievement for a man that has led his side to the promised land of the Champions League, and will arguably allow him to stand as a player whose career must be evaluated among those who have graced the history books in years gone by.

For Ronaldo, it is more than La Decima. It is the chance at all-time greatness.

The David Moyes Replacement: The Contenders

Even though it was beginning to feel a little inevitable, the news that David Moyes has been sacked as Manchester United manager was still a shock to the system. This is the same Manchester United who haven't had a new coach for 26 years, will now have their third head coach in 12 months and probably their fourth by the summer.

Whether David Moyes was given enough time, money or quality to properly complete the job he was hired to do is another question, but in most Manchester United fans worst case scenario's, 7th and 23 points behind Liverpool at the top of the table would have taken some real imagination to envisage last June.

Even if Sir Alex Ferguson's final title run last season was perhaps more a testament to the great man's ability to squeeze results out of teams with his own two hands than the quality on the pitch, Manchester United are still better than where they are right now.

So, we move to the contenders. They say it's best to follow the guy who follows the best act, and in the managerial merry-go-round Moyes will have done his successor a favour, giving fans another comparison apart from just the memory of one of the greatest British managers of all time to live up to. "At least it's not Moyes" gives the new guy at least 6 months to get his ideas across.

So, in order of perceived (bookmakers) likelihood, lets take a look at the contenders:

Bookmakers favourite: Louie Van Gaal


A staunch disciplinarian with the locker room presence of a frightening headteacher, Van Gaal brings pedigree as well as a stern approach that should get some additional work ethic from United's lackadaisical players.

Pros: Proven winner - seven titles in four countries including the Champions League. Has the Dutch connection with Robin Van Persie that should keep the Dutchman happy.

Cons: Has a tendency to fall out with players, media, be outspoken and unpopular among fans. Will either be a lightning rod for the players or further exacerbate the tension in Manchester. Players historically take time to learn his methods.

Verdict: Proven winner but loud, angry and outspoken - sounds familiar, doesn't it United fans? Van Gaal may not bring the beautiful game to Old Trafford right away, but with his track record he's a surer bet than Moyes was.

Suitability: 7/10

Fans Favourite: Jurgen Klopp


The smiling, bubbly German has earned his place as the darling of the European football press with his imitable character, exciting Borussia Dortmund sides and youth development. His hand in taking the German side to a set of league titles and the Champions League final despite Bayern's historic stranglehold over the Bundesliga has been incredibly impressive.

Pros: Will instantly win hearts and minds, brings a charisma to the job somewhat lost under David Moyes. Promotes youth, could tempt Dortmund star Marco Reus to come with him.

Cons: Has no history of dealing with a large budget, never coached outside Germany.

Verdict: It's easy to see why Klopp is the fans's choice for the job. His work in Germany has been remarkable and his ability to promote youth-driven, fast paced football is a huge plus for a club like Manchester United. If he's available, makes perfect sense.

Suitability: 8/10

The outside bet: Diego Simeone



The hard-nosed Argentinian has been the architect behind the Atleti side that has had a miracle season - in the semi-finals of the Champions League and competing for the La Liga title despite losing Falcao in summer. Tough, abrasive and tactically excellent, Simeone would be a much-needed shock to United's system.

Pros: Will not take liberties with players, excellent motivator that will provide a real work-ethic to an ailing club.

Cons: Has never coached a "big" club, underdog tactics may not translate to a larger side.

Suitability: 7/10

Final Verdict: 

It really depends on what Manchester United want next. All three coaches offer unique approaches and will come from tenures at clubs that have brought trophies, but looking at three prime contenders, Jurgen Klopp seems to match up best with United's philosophies and may be the modern European coach that Manchester United need going forward. However, if Jurgen Klopp keeps to his word and stays in Dortmund this summer, Simeone would be an intriguing appointment.