Money should not be the focus

Hideo Hashimoto (L) takes on Adelaide United's Cassio
in the 2008 AFC Champions League Final

It’s almost kick off time for another edition of the AFC Champions League, and that can only mean one thing – the ready-made excuses will start coming thick and fast from Australian fans, media and occasionally, even A-League clubs themselves.

“Cashed up” “heavyweights” “endless resources”, they’re all claims we’ve heard before and for the most part they have no basis.

It would be a wrong to completely ignore the fact that J.League, K-League and CSL clubs do have more money at their disposal, but to use it as justification or an excuse for why their clubs have success over A-League sides masks the real disparity between the nations.

That comes at a more basic youth development level.

Take Gamba Osaka for example, three of their starting XI in the first leg of the 2008 ACL Final, as well as Takumi Shimohira who came off the bench, are products of the Gamba Osaka youth system.

Two of those players, Takahiro Futagawa and Hideo Hashimoto, as well as Shimohira, are still with the club, while Michihiro Yasuda left during the January transfer window for Vitesse Arnhem in Holland.

The latest off the production line, Takashi Usami, is rated as the best player to come through the Gamba Osaka youth system and already has Bayern Munich interested in him. All this for a kid who is only 18 years old.

Sydney’s J.League opponents this year, Kashima Antlers, are in a similar boat with two of their starting XI from the weekend’s Super Cup coming through the Kashima youth system, while another handful were plucked from straight High School and have spent their entire careers with Ibaraki-based club.

It is these youth systems that currently set Japan, in particular, apart from Australia.

Any new side that wishes to enter the J.League, be it in J1 or J2, must have an U18, U15 and U12 team to compliment their senior team.

Not only does this ensure a strong connection with their local community, something that has been critical in seeing crowds rise over the last decade, it also allows the clubs to work with their best local talent from an early age.

Doing so gets them into the “system” and by the time they are in their late teens many are ready to take the step up to senior team action.

Compare that to the A-League where it is left to local clubs with part-time coaches to nurture our best talent until they reach an age where they are eligible for the National Youth League. Even then there is often a large disconnect between the NYL side and A-League side.

This year’s ACL has yet to kick off and already the same excuses are being bandied about.

Grantley Bernard, writing in the Herald Sun on Saturday, got the ball rolling when he wrote, "... (that's) all part of the test against big Asian teams that have unlimited resources and money while the A-League teams in the Champions League remain restricted by the salary cap and squad sizes."

It is lazy an innacurate to focus purely on the monetary aspect and it serves Australia no good as it looks to gain more respect within The AFC. It's the old Aussie arrogance rearing its ugly head again - it's not that they're better than us, it's just they have more money!

Instead of focusing on that one aspect, fans, media and clubs would be better served by actually learning a few lessons from a league that has been there and done that when it comes to setting up a new league and new teams.

They may just be surprised by what they find.

 

Asia-Pacific Congress on Sports Technology 2011

Asia-Pacific Congress on Sports Technology 2011The Impact of Technology on SportDate: 28th - 31st of August, 2011Congress Venue: RMIT University, Melbourne, AUS

ACL Preview - Suwon Bluewings

Suwon celebrate winning the 2010 Korean FA Cup

For a club with a history littered with success, the fact Suwon has gone the best part of a decade without lifting the continents showpiece trophy is not something that sits too well with everyone involved with the club.

Suwon last tasted continental success in 2002, when they won the old Asian Club Championship – repeating their effort from a year earlier when they won their first continental crown.

Just after being appointed as their new manager in June last year, after Cha Bum-kun resigned after seven years in charge, Jung Sung-hyo set his sights on success in the AFC Champions League.

Afterall, he knows the importance of continental success after being an assistant coach at Suwon during their triumphs in 2001 and 2002.

During the World Cup break Jung strengthened his Suwon side by signing Naohiro Takahara on loan from Urawa Reds, Park jong-jin from Gangwon FC and pulled off a stunning coup when he snatched Pohang Steelers captain Hwang Jae-won from under their noses.

While it didn’t eventuate in success in 2010, Suwon crashed out to eventual champions and fellow K-League outfit Seongnam Ilhwa in the Quarter Finals, Jung didn’t let that deter him and was once again busy in the transfer market in the K-League off-season.

No fewer than 25 players have been recruited during the off-season, although a fair percentage of those are players promoted from their Youth Team and signed from University or High School teams.

Going in the other direction were 27 players, among them Naohiro Takahara who ended his loan spell and signed with J.League side Shimizu S-Pulse as well as last seasons top scorer in the ACL Brazilian Jose Mota, whose loan from Molde FK ended.

The calibre of players coming in, however, more than makes up for any losses. Lee Woon-jae, once Korea’s number one goal keeper, departed for Chunnam Dragons and Suwon went out and replaced him with current number one, Jung Sung-ryung, who moves from current ACL champions Seongnam Ilhwa.

Choi Sung-kuk

Also making that move is striker Choi Sung-kuk, who will be looking for more opportunities in Suwon. And their playing roster has strengthened again in the last few days with the signing of Uzbek international Alexander Geynrikh on loan from Pakhtakor.

Jung’s philosophy is simple – to win playing attractive Football.

He recognises that that is the way the game is moving and he wants Suwon playing the same way.

“I think the recent trend is attacking football with short passes like Barcelona. Though we can be as good as Barcelona I want to show decent attacking football because I believe that only attacking football can attract fans,” he told the-afc.com recently.

Such wholesale changes normally result in the squad taking time to adjust and it remains to be seen what affect it will have on this Suwon outfit.

One thing is for certain though, Suwon aren’t going to die wondering and that could spell trouble for their opponents.

   

ACL Preview - Gamba Osaka

Gamba Osaka won the 2008 AFC Champions League

If Ernie Merrick’s men were hoping for a easy start to their AFC Champions League campaign they get a rude shock when the draw was announced last December.

Not only do they face their old foe Gamba Osaka first up, they do so in their own backyard – the derelict Expo ’70 Stadium in Osaka.

Melbourne and Gamba fought one of the best AFC Champions League games in recent memory in 2008 when Gamba snatched a late winner to leave Melbourne with a 4-3 win and all three points.

Of the starting XI for Gamba that night, seven are still with the club. As is coach Akira Nishino, so they will be no strangers to Melbourne Victory.

Knowing how a team plays is one thing, beating them is another. And that is the challenge that lay ahead for Merrick’s men.

Gamba’s biggest change over the off-season has been to their attacking stocks. Gone are one-time regulars Lucas, who scored the late winner in 2008, and South Korean Cho Jae-Jin.

To replace them they didn’t have to look for, taking Brazilian Adriano off cross-town rivals Cerezo Osaka. Adriano scored 14 goals in the J.League last season and Gamba will be hoping he can replicate that form this season.

One player to look out for is young sensation Takashi Usami.

Takashi Usami

Usami has been dubbed “the most talented player the club has ever produced”, which is quite an accolade given the quality of players to have come through Gamba’s youth system. Players such as Hideo Hashimoto, Takahiro Futagawa and Michihiro Yasuda.

At just 18 years of age Usami has already attracted the attention of Bayern Munich scouts, who will be in attendance for the Osaka Derby just days after their clash with Melbourne.

Usami started 22 games last year in the J.League, scoring 7 goals. He also featured four times during the ACL, three of them starts, scoring twice in the process.

Australian audiences will need no introduction to Yasuhito Endo.

Endo is a mainstay of both the Gamba and Japanese national team and is deadly from the set piece. He sets up a lot of Gamba’s attacks and the Victory midfield and defence will have their work cut out for them negating his influence.

Endo is keen to add another ACL title to his collection too, telling the-afc.com last week, “…of course we think we can win the title again, we will try as hard as we can to win this Championship.”

Gamba’s desire to always play attacking Football will not change for the ACL, with the side likely to play an attacking 4-2-3-1 formation.

They have been felled by a couple of key injuries however, with Tomokazu Myojin sidelined with a  right foot injury until mid-March and Hideo Hashimoto, one of their midfield generals, out after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament during the pre-season.

Gamba are considered by many to be a favourite for the J.League this season, and it is hard to see them not having a strong run at a second ACL title in three years.

   

Asians Abroad - Weekend Wrap

Atsuto Uchida clears the ball for Schalke 04

It was a busy weekend for Asian players across Europe, with two players (Park Chu-young and Robert Cullen) getting on the scoresheet.

Below you'll find a complete wrap of Asians Abroad for this past weekend.

Yuki Abe (JPN) - was substituted after 85 min for Leicester City in their 1-1 draw with Coventry City in the Championship

Makoto Hasebe (JPN) - played a full 90 min for VfL Wolfsburg in their 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga

Koo Ja-cheol (KOR) - was a 90th min substitute for VfL Wolfsburg in their 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach in the B'liga

Son Heung-min (KOR) - was an unused substitute for Hamburger SV in their 1-1 draw with Kaiserslautern in the Bundesliga

Youssef Mohamad (LEB) - played a full 90 min for FC Koln in their 1-0 win over SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga

Tomoaki Makino (JPN) - was a 90th min substitute for FC Koln in their 1-0 win over SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga

Kishi Yano (JPN) - was an unused substitute for SC Freiburg in their 0-1 loss to FC Koln in the Bundesliga

Atsuto Uchida (JPN) - played a full 90 min for Schalke 04 in their 1-1 draw with Nurnberg in the Bundesliga

Shinji Okazaki (JPN) - was substituted after 90 min for Stuttgart in their 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga

Shao Jiayi (CHN) - played a full 90 min for Energie Cottbus in their 2-1 win over FSV Frankfurt in 2.Bundesliga

Takahito Soma (JPN) - was a 34th min substitute for Energie Cottbus in their 2-1 win over FSV Frankfurt in 2.Bundesliga



Yuto Nagatomo in action for Inter Milan against Sampdoria

Jong Tae-Se (DPRK) - was an 87th min substitute for Bochum in their 1-1 draw with Greuther Furth in 2.Bundesliga

Milad Salem (AFG) - was a 48th min substitute & scored a goal for Wehen Wiesbaden in their 5-2 win over Heidenheim in 3rd Liga

Yuto Nagatomo (JPN) - played the full 90 min for Inter Milan in their 2-0 win over Sampdoria in Serie A

Javad Nekounam (IRN) - was substituted after 81 min for Osasuna in their 1-2 loss to Levante in La Liga

Masoud Shojaei (IRN) - was substituted after 66 min for Osasuna in their 1-2 loss to Levante in La Liga

Akihiro Ienaga (JPN) - was a 70th min substitute for Mallorca in their 0-3 loss to Barcelona in La Liga

Park Chu-young (KOR) - played a full 90 min & scored twice for AS Monaco in their 2-2 draw with Caen in Ligue.1

Nam Tae-hee (KOR) - was substituted after 73 min for Valenciennes in their 0-0 draw with Lorient in Ligue.1

Jung Jo-gook (KOR) - was a 72nd min susbtitute for Auxerre in their 0-3 loss to Bordeaux in Ligue.1

Maya Yoshia (JPN) - played a full 90 min for VVV Venlo in their 1-0 win over Excelsior in the Eredivisie

Robert Cullen (JPN) - played a full 90 min & scored the winner for VVV Venlo in their 1-0 win over Excelsior in the Eredivisie

Michihiro Yasuda (JPN) - played a full 90 min for Vitesse Arnhem in their 1-6 loss to Heracles in the Eredivisie

Ryo Miyaichi (JPN) - was substituted after 85 min for Feyenoord in their 5-1 win over Groningen in the Eredivisie

Daisuke Sakata (JPN) - was an unused substitute for Aris in their 2-2 draw with Larissa in the Greek Super League

Ki Sung-jueng (KOR) - was substituted after 66 min for Celtic in their 0-2 loss to Motherwell in the Scottish Premier League

Lee Chung-yong (KOR) - was an unused substitute for Bolton in their 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in the EPL

Ali Al Habsi (OMAN) - played a full 90 min for Wigan Athletic in their 0-4 loss to Manchester United in the EPL

Thaer Fayed Al Bawab (JOR) - was an unused sub for Gaz Melan Medias in their 1-3 loss to Timisoara in Liga 1 in Romania

AOC medal prediction in London Olympics

Australia can rebound from medal slip: Coates@AOCAustralia is still aiming for a top five finish on the overall medal tally at next year’s London Olympics despite slipping to eighth position on the latest Benchmark analysis of Olympic sports.“A top five position is still very achievable,” said AOC President John Coates. “There are five countries jostling for fourth and fifth spots who are all

Irfan Bachdim Menangkan Persema 2-1 Melawan Bogor Raya FC

Irfan Bachdim berhasil mencetak dua gol untuk memenangkan Persema Malang 2-1 atas Bogor Raya FC, dalam lanjutan Liga Primer Indonesia (LPI) di Stadion Persikabo Cibinong, Minggu (20/2/2011).Gol pertama berhasil disumbangkan Irfan pada menit ke-25 dan gol keduanya dia cetak di menit ke-68.

Pesona Iran membuat tim Bogor Raya FC tenggelam dan kesulitan untuk mencetak gol. Setelah Irfan keluar untuk diganti pada menit ke-72, Bogor Raya kemudian bisa bermain lebih baik. Mereka bahkan mencetak gol untuk memperkecil kekalahan lewat Luciano Romos Jose.

Pelatih Bogor Raya FC, John Arwandi, mengakui, permainan timnya masih kalah jauh dari Persema Malang yang sudah berpengalaman merumput di berbagai liga."Tim kita masih tergolong baru, jadi masih kaku dalam bermain.

Tapi kita beruntung dalam LPI ini menghadapi pemain dari tim-tim ternama, sehingga membuat kita lebih berpengalaman ke depannya," kata John usai pertandingan.

John menambahkan, timnya sudah bermain baik, namun karena masih ada kendala teknis, sehingga masih perlu perbaikan. Ia menyebutkan pengalaman yang ada akan menjadi masukan bagi timnya untuk berlatih lebih baik lagi.

Sementara pelatih Persema, Timo Scheunemann, mengatakan, timnya bermain bagus. Hanya saja, dari segi teknis, lapangan kurang bagus dan membuat penampilan pemain kurang maksimal.

"Lapangannya terlalu keras karena kurang siram, sehingga bola memant

ulnya cukup tinggi dan ini memengaruhi permainan pemain," katanya.

source:Kompas