THE FIFA VIRUS AND OTHER STUFF

As usual whenever there are National Team matches, the famous and dreade "FIFA Virus" has appeared. What happens is that this is a "virus" invented to do bussiness and, like most diseases, is curable.

Let me explain. If this or that team has to do a lot of kilometers and hours by plane to play a friendly match at the other side of the planet, it is clear that the fault is not FIFA. The fault lies on those who have decided to play this game and have signed the relevant agreements and, if a player is injured, the "blame" is the opponent that made the tackle or, a bad warm-up or any other thing, but not FIFA.

I'll continue to explain. Neither Mr. Blatter and the FIFA Executive Commitee have decided which days there are National Team matches. It has been decided by the General Assembly, that has 208 members and each member has their own organization. Therefore, we must ask each National Federation which is their point of view about the topic. Apparently, for most of the Federations it goes well as it is, because if not, they would have changed it. Let's think about it before criticizing without knowing why things happen, moreover, quite common in football, where decisions and sanctions (or no sanctions), are criticized without knowing the Regulations.

By the way, talking about Regulations, in any part of the LOTG it is said that having the hand separated of the body is a fault. It's a only a fault if the ball is played with the hand in a deliberate manner. Nothing more. Second: a player is booked only if he prevents an opponent the possession of the ball or, if he prevents to score a goal. The other day I heard a commentator saying that "if the referee considered that a handball was volunteer, he had to book the player". What I have not clear is if he was lying or he had no idea (I think the latter).

EVERYTHING IS READY

With almost all national competitions stops due to international matches, it's time to make a review of the National League of Andorra.
At the top (play-off for the title), Lusitans is close to clinch it.. Six-point ahead with 3 games remaining, mean that men of Carlos Sánchez can be champions in the next match. By the way, Sánchez is the 3rd manager so far this season, a very strange thing for a team that has ever been leading. Recall that Marquis Vincente left the team at the end of participation in Europe; Salva Estruch took over and, a few weeks before the end of the regular season was dismissed.
Behind Lusitans is a close fight between the other three teams to decide the second place (and consequentemente, place in Europa League), 2 points separate Sant Julia de FC Santa Coloma and, they are one point ahead of the other "colomenc" team, the UE Santa Coloma. These three teams have made a league quite irregular. For FC Santa Coloma, the lack of scoring this year has made that, even they have lost only one match, like Lusitans, Luis Blanco's men are 8 points away of these, having conceded eight draws. Sant Julià has alternated good games with some not so good, but failed to ever win Lusitans. A victory in the next game (Sant Julia v Lusitans), would open many options for Josep M ª Espot "Canito". Meanwhile, Lluís Aloy team, which has been the only one to win Lusitans (2-1 in Week 2), is doing a pretty weak play-off (1 point in 3 games). Next week we could have a champion or, have it all quite complicated. We'll see what happens.
On the bottom (play-off for the relegation), the only thing that seems to be coming out is Principat. 7 points lead for Raul Cañete over the last (FC Encamp), it seems that they are away from danger, after a season where it seemed that this team had more options. Maybe not to enter the fight for the title, but to be closer to there and not to the relagation. Engordany and Inter have 12 points and Encamp 1 less. Here, the situation is complicated and changes weekly. Inter started with only 6 points but has got two victories. Meanwhile, Engordany and Encamp have added only 1 point each (the match between them, which ended 1-1);  both, Oscar Guerrero as Pepe Mengual must work hard to avoid relegation and promotion places, it seems that Alain Montwani's have a more positive dynamic. In any case, the matchs next week can clarify many things. Losing, for any of the three back would make to be very difficult to remain in First Divisió. Remain in tune!

EPPUR SI MUOVE

"Eppur if muove" (And yet it moves), is the statement attributed to Galileo in reference to the movement of the earth around the sun. The phrase is used nowadays and among other things, to refer to any person, entity, etc.. seem that although there isn't or not doing any business, whether it is actually doing something.

"Eppur if muove" but, can also be applied to Barça. The team of Vilanova-Roura has gone, in a few days, to be finished, tired "physically" out of ideas, out of the Cup with a foot and a half out of Europe, and the League was about to lose the (???), according to some, to get back in shape ("physically"??), by becoming the highest (almost) favorite to win the Champions League and "La Liga" at the point to solve it, since a gap of 13-point lead when they are 10 games to be played.

I do not agree with many of these theories. The last matches of Barça had been a meaningless run, with separate lines, with a lack of judgment rather large. This gave more options than usual to the opponents and Barça matched many goals.

Suddenly, the situation changed. Depor (La Coruña), has not kicked in, and Milan only had a clear one and it was an individual error rather than collective. What happened to arrive here? Well, for me, very easy. Barça returned to take the "Manual of Positional Play" and went back to the balance, to have the lines together, to find space between the lines, to everything.

"The ball give us order" said Pep Guardiola. And the ball is moving. "Eppur if muove"

WELCOME

Welcome to the blog "Futbol Pirineus."
 

A long time ago I do many things in the world of football. For some reason or other, did not have a way to put them all together. With this blog/site, I'll try to explain them a bit, from my activities to my thoughts and ideas about football and everything that surrounds it.

Enjoy it!