Beyond The Pitch

After another round of Champions League fixtures midweek with the return legs ready to set the final outcome at last, we examine each of the key contests where something important was revealed and whether the favorites in Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid still have left some danger for themselves next week, beginning with the Bavarian giants who left the most in their 2-0 win over Juventus. Real Madrid seems to have left little doubt for the second leg in Turkey and Barcelona has several midnight vigils ahead with its injury report with Lionel Messi, but Bayern Munich both exposed a problem yet again for the Italian champions while simultaneously leaving the door open and launching insults at Gigi Buffon who is easily the best player at his position in the world. Will Bayern Munich learn the lesson from their Arsenal experience, can Juventus come up with a Plan B in midfield that can work around the problems Andrea Pirlo can deliver if marked with effectiveness and can Antonio Conte find a striker to get hot and provide the goals when his team needs them most in the season? These are questions that must be answered and so, too, must some personnel decisions for all the teams including Barcelona who not only look at risk for Lionel Messi but have lost Javier Mascherano for an extended period of time. Loads here on the Champions League, several bold predictions made months ago that have now come true and whether or not Real Madrid or Bayern Munich are the true favorite in this tournament.

Now at the opening night for the top eight left in Europe, the UEFA Champions League resumes with its own best three candidates in Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich with an outside chance for Juventus to make a case for the team most worthy of another European trophy, with the Bavarians and the Italians set to lock horns in the marquee encounter of the round. Joined by international football commentator Tim Caple, we examine the potential for a certain clash of styles encounter that the Champions League puts on display best, the type of match where the transitions can be both brilliant and non stop while also considering what exactly happened to a Bundesliga now separated by 20 points. Also discussed is the economic muscle being flexed by Bayern Munich and whether Robert Lewandowski might just be one more signal that the German top flight can no longer be competitive given the commercial revenue realities of the league. We also look at the challenges ahead for Real Madrid and Barcelona, whether Juventus can actually bring its history and ethos together to beat Bayern in the end and the trailing indicator that appears to be the lack of English Premier League teams at the round of eight. Also discussed here is the serious potential of Lionel Messi to overtake this competition with a Barcelona team no longer the most balanced in the world, but always having the undisputed best when the chips are down or the task is greatest. In the end, this does appear a contest between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but there are enough questions of both teams and these will be played out over the next couple of weeks ahead of the final at Wembley.

Fresh off the international break, we take a look back at the reign of Cesare Prandelli with the Azzurri and whether he will remained committed to the project at least through this current World Cup cycle that will culminate with Brazil 2014 and whether Italy can fend off interest in his talents, then we quickly move into the subject of rumours surrounding Napoli hit man Edinson Cavani who seems awash with speculation on potential summer moves. We also examine the legend that is Francesco Totti now that he has reached the 20 year milestone in Serie A to gauge his place in calcio and greater football history along with taking a first look at the marquee Champions League battle of the round when Juventus takes on competition favorite Bayern Munich. Also in the crosshairs is the alternating fortunes of both Milan and Inter in their transformation process, focusing on the already promising evolution of the Rossoneri while taking stock of where the Nerazurri appear to have hit the wall, starting with some short-sighted decisions in the January transfer window. Also in focus here are some rather bold changes to the lower divisions of Italian football which could have massive implications in the years ahead as new wage controls, incentives and caps on players past 21 years of age should begin to shape how calcio conducts its business for the foreseeable future and why these changes will have great impact. We examine the Serie B model against other suggestions to allow Primavera teams to compete in Lega Pro versus the existing co-ownership system in Italy where football clubs split the risk and reward on young players. The ultimate winner in this design will be Serie A and the national team as the league continues through massive transformation and an overdue injection of youth, taking us full circle to the evolution of a national team once thought in trouble upon the conclusion of the 2010 World Cup.

Several major stories are the focus of this episode with ESPN FC commentator Robbie Earle which starts nowhere more pressing than the England campaign for Brazil 2014 where the lack of communication between Rio Ferdinand, Roy Hodgson and Manchester United surfaced with disastrous consequences to the chase for Champions League football and then the always important examination of the relegation zone as no less than 7 teams are four points from the drop. We also examine the problems that England continues to have under Roy Hodgson in what was originally thought to be one of the easier paths to Brazil after the draw, whether much stylistically and tactically has changed since the departure of Fabio Capello and whether UEFA needs to take another look at seeding the lesser nations such as San Marino as too much of the qualification process is being settled by picking on weaker sisters. Also in view here is that battle between Arsenal and Tottenham and whether Andre Villas-Boas might have to gamble a bit with the Europa League even though he does appear to have the better squad on paper. More discussion as well on Chelsea and what could be in the cards this summer once Rafa Benitez moves on and with him the end of an era at Stamford Bridge, more on the messages being sent to Wayne Rooney by Sir Alex Ferguson and if a departure from Old Trafford could happen, and then we turn our attention to the mad relegation scrap engulfing a number of teams. This is where the Bermuda Triangle of the Premier League comes into view - Roberto Martinez and Wigan Athletic who continue year upon year with a dance with disaster only to resurrect themselves after Easter Sunday by feasting on some big teams and lesser ambitions at the DW.

A lot has been gathered, interpreted and evaluated about the US National Team after collecting four points against Costa Rica in a snow storm and a resilient performance at Azteca against that history with Mexico, but joining us to discuss these topics is a former US legend who can speak quite in depth about these topics, Hall of Fame defender and now Colorado Rapids broadcaster Marcelo Balboa. Having played in three World Cups during the 1990s and becoming one of the top defenders in the short history Major League Soccer, Marcelo helps us analyze the performances of Matt Besler and Omar Gonzales, the challenges that lay ahead for a national team in search of a new partnership in the backline and some insight into the impact of MLS not only on CONCACAF but also the lack of real quality central defenders all over the world. This is not an issue unique to US Soccer so while finding that right collection of players for the next ten years is highly important, but so too is the lack of genuinely reliable wide threats who can deliver another level to this team in advance of Brazil 2014 and beyond. We examine the decision to play the match against Costa Rica in the snow, how playing the match on Tuesday in the Mexican evening factored into that performance. Also covered here are the early season problems for Colorado Rapids as an injury problem has surfaced at a very difficult time, compounded by a two game suspension for Drew Moor, and whether Edson Buddle was a good decision after letting Omar Cummings and Conor Casey depart this off-season. We close on the enduring history of the 1994 US National Team, what made it so very unique against the landscape of American teams and what lies ahead for Marcelo as a coach and figure in this game. Marcelo Balboa finished his career with 128 national team appearances, the first US player to reach the 100 match milestone and in 2005 was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI and elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

Manchester United legend and MUTV in-studio pundit Paddy Crerand makes his second appearance to discuss the firestorm over the Rio Ferdinand selection to the England national team, whether he should continue his international career, and what lies ahead for a United team which stands double digit points clear with a clear mandate a year removed from a title that was settled by goal difference. At the forefront of this campaign has been the impact of Robin Van Persie and what it may actually mean for the future of Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford. We also examine the current situation developing in Scotland with Gordon Strachan, thoughts on Roy Keane and the Nani red card and some amusing personal tales between Paddy and Jose Mourinho who has already begun the charm offensive with MUTV against the constantly evolving landscape on where the future lies for The Special One in the years ahead. Paddy Crerand has just entered his 50th year of association with the football club. Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1939, and after six years with Celtic, on the fifth anniversary of the Munich air disaster, he signed for the Reds in 1963 and his commitment and contribution to United has become priceless ever since.

The focus is here on Argentina not just because it is one of the clear favorites for Brazil 2014, but because the national team appears to have begun separating from the rest of the pack as the return fixtures are now underway with Lionel Messi becoming more and more the irresistible force who dominates La Albiceleste and the entire region. Joel Richards joins from Buenos Aires to give us the up-close view on everything from the lesser known Argentine players finally getting some attention locally, whether the trends from the Torneo Inicial have simply extended, but we start nowhere other than two qualifiers with Venezuela and Ecuador. Surely the same weakness exist with Argentina that exist with his club side at Barcelona with a weak defence, but also similar is who exactly becomes the perfect foil for Messi as CONMEBOL qualification continues to sharpen and confirm those options. We also examine the start of the Torneo Final after six rounds and how Argentine teams are positioned in the Copa Libertadores group stage, whether Boca Juniors will continue to pay the price for these extra fixtures and if Velez might just be the best positioned to perform well in this tournament. We also revisit the matter of the Ricardo Centurion transfer to Anzhi that went south just before the end of the last transfer window, and how the Brazilian clubs are becoming more and more dominant as the economics are dictating the arrival of top level quality.

Joined by one of the great football commentators who has broadcasted the biggest matches on the world stage, Luis Omar Tapia discusses all the major players in South America as steps are made to see who qualifies for Brazil 2014 - from power teams in Argentina and Colombia with their own fantastic leading men, to challenges ahead for Chile and Uruguay who face off on Tuesday, to Venezuela who will stare down the top two on successive nights with Messi and Falcao pulling the strings for their national teams. This now a critical period for CONMEBOL qualification and we break down some of the key talking points as well as take a look at what lies ahead for two Spanish giants in the Champions League where Jose Mourinho might just have destiny and history on his side to deliver a mythical tenth European title to Real Madrid. We also look at the finer points of Barcelona and PSG and why the project in the French capital is so symbolic of why football business has unseated the concept of building teams at the highest levels of Europe. We close on the work Luis has done with his 90 Minutes Foundation where grass roots and inspiration is offering Florida youth players a chance to realize their dreams. With 5 FIFA World Cups, countless television shows, and exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in this sport, Luis Omar Tapia (El Patron), is one of the top sports commentators you will find covering this remarkable sport - 90 minutes of the most beautiful sport in the world - one match at a time.

On the way to Azteca after a deserved three points it is off to Mexico where another matchday and mini-verdict seems to await Jurgen Klinsmann who appears to be judged more on expectations than what is mostly within his control at this point during fourth round of CONCACAF qualification for Brazil 2014, along with recycled critiques from his days in Germany. Needless to say, the honeymoon period ended with that loss in Honduras and all the fallout that seems to have been collected in the messy aftermath of the first round in a ten match rock fight that will almost assuredly end up in qualification given that top three out of six teams should never be in doubt for neither the United States nor their Mexican neighbors to the South. At the center of this conversation is a national team in transition in reality cut against a series of perceptions where raising national program standards have their own expectations, and the stress between both of those realities is surely being felt in articles and rumours of tensions and chemistry problems between players, agents and other figures associated to the program. Where the problem arrives for both Jurgen Klinsmann and this team in its qualification for Brazil 2014 is the arrival of unconfirmed and anonymous sources who have both gravitated to a combination of less than acceptable results and a rapidly changing player pool that may or may not have been managed correctly given the circumstances as they present themselves today. Again, a major sticking point is the player pool for the United States that appears to have stagnated from the grass roots to those levels beneath the senior national team, expanding the player pool through foreign arrivals and whether or not this transition is paying the dividends of a lot of hard work for the current coaching staff.

At the international break there is no respite from The Special One as he has kicked off another round of fireworks over the voting for FIFA Manager of the Year with Goran Pandev now part of a bizarre parade while Real Madrid and Barcelona answer the call yet again for another appearance in the quarterfinal stage and put to bed a number of internal issues that have followed each club. On the one hand we have the tumultuous battle of wits that Mourinho has seemed to have won in this changing room with some of his biggest stars and how Barcelona has been able to dodge the absence of its first team manager Tito Vilanova. We also examine the David Villa-Lionel Messi relationship to put those rumours into context, the emergence of Isco at Malaga and whether he will remain in La Liga past this season, a look ahead at Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich and what that move may represent. We close on the matter of a surprising Real Sociedad who have now stolen the spotlight from Basque Country from Marcelo Bielsa and Athletic Bilbao and have stake a serious claim on top four with Malaga perhaps forced to the sidelines next season in Europe to gauge their top four worthliness. Also in this segment is a deeper look at whether Jose Mourinho has finally eclipsed Sir Alex Ferguson not in silverware but in terms of mystique and perceptions as The Special One navigated the complex task of both beating the Manchester United boss while also consoling him simultaneously.

All over Europe it has been a season of imbalance where the points separating the top teams and the trailing pack have become extended quite like never before, and in our crosshairs is how the Premier League title race reveals a number of clubs with terrible allocation of resources both at the top of the table and near the relegation zone where QPR may just be the most damaging case of all. We take a deeper look at how the title race being closed so soon has broadened the spotlight on many of these shortcomings including the wasted opportunities, efforts and resources allocated to big spending Manchester City and Chelsea with Arsenal and Tottenham facing some of their own weaknesses in that final race for top four. We examine the situation for Roberto Mancini who is already answering questions about transfer targets this summer after a lost 2012-13 campaign on all fronts. We also revisit the story for Manchester United where failures in Europe have appeared yet again once high level competition has tapped their unresolved issues in the midfield year after year along with an unexpected weakness in mentality that was ultimately exposed by Real Madrid. Also discussed here is the Rio Ferdinand call-up by Roy Hodgson that has backfired, the future for Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford, a massive and historic match between Croatia and Serbia and US national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann now facing the music after reports of internal problems have touched off a wave of doubt as the Americans head to Azteca to do battle with Costa Rica and Mexico.

With the release of a novel that looks back at the legend that is Juventus and Azzurri sweeper Gaetano Scirea, soccer translator and BTP contributor Steve Amoia joins to give us a look at not only the player himself, but the context of what he accomplished in the game and the crescendo that was the 1982 World Cup triumph for Italy and what it represented. This novel is not just about Scirea but tells a story of Italian football during a very unique period: from the agony of the Heysel Stadium tragedy, to the ecstasy of that World Cup triumph in 1982 - part existential, part calcio history lesson with brilliant insights into the most introspective and intelligent defenders of any era. We examine that history and its significance in great detail, the character of that famous world champion against the story of world football and Torino football, specifically. How that triumph was more than a celebration, but a massive psychic release for a national team that had been surrounded by tragedy, horror, disappointment and missed chances since the 1930s and what the break through meant to a calcio mad nation where only the Azzurri could ever unite a nation known more for deep divisions and controversy. We revisit the original scandal of 1980, that very first group of death at Spain 82 with Argentina, Brazil and Italy and the book explores many of the figures who featured prominently for both Juventus and the national team more than three decades later. We explore why Gaetano Scirea remains a largely forgotten figure outside of calcio and why his backbone performances for both club and country should be celebrated again. Scirea is a player cut from another time, but he is also a figure that football desperately needs to find again as fans are surrounded by misdirected hype and media miscalculates defence as something less than technical and absent of the skill that the great defenders displayed in a much different time. Looking for Scirea by Gianluca Iovine is our focus, but it opens a discussion into the heart and soul of calcio, which explains what many of his accomplishments have come to now represent, worthy of a player of his skill, talent, nobility and respect.

The first of a new segment called Added Extra Time where we take a look back at a key decision in a tournament where the incident or event has a far greater impact on the match and how it determined the outcome after further analysis - ESPN commentator and Press Pass pundit Janusz Michallik is our first special guest on a key topic that affected who proceeded in the Champions League. In this case we look at the Round of 16 and the key incident is the Nani red card during the Manchester United-Real Madrid return leg, a decision that was not only harsh, but also may prove to be the catalyst for a Spanish side in search of a milestone achievement in Europe. We break down the aspects of the card itself, whether reckless, dangerous play and excessive force were clearly apparent and how the bigger question really is how Sir Alex Ferguson and his team responded once handed that bit of misfortune. We also examine the decision to quickly move Luka Modric into the match by Jose Mourinho, what that really bought Real Madrid, and analyze how Wayne Rooney was employed and in some ways delayed in having a hand in this decisive encounter. We also take a look at the one team who nobody in the next round will want to face and that is Juventus FC as they in many ways are the anti-Barcelona - a collection of organized players who can offset the balance by having an all-world player in Gigi Buffon at a key position.

As another epic battle looks to unfold at Camp Nou between Barcelona and AC Milan, the Catalans would still be the clear favorites even while chasing a two goal deficit, but that would underestimate what should happen should the Italians strike but only once on another counter-attack with its two of its young stars, Stephan El Shaarawy and MBaye Niang. Underscored is the defensive problems that Barcelona continues to experience in the Champions League and whether they should look to prevent that important away goal over outscoring AC Milan in this return leg. Key factors could be whether Milan continues to cause Barcelona in the wide areas and whether Barcelona breaks from its formula to play two defensive midfielders in front of the defence for extra security in those transitions. This opens a discussion into why Italian clubs traditionally find success in the big games, how they approach matches tactically and soon enough we look at another team in Europe who also is defying logic and that is Vladimir Petkovic and Lazio. Defensively they continue to defy yet another label by deploying up to four midfielders in behind a target striker, using combinations and athletic mismatches to attack space and minimize transitions against continental opponents. We also examine a number of new emerging players in Serie A such as Juraj Kucka, Victor Ibarbo and Paul Pogba who represent a new wrinkle in Italian football where long, athletic players who can be effective at either end of the pitch are now becoming a byproduct of three man defensive formations and overloaded midfields where up to five players are often deployed.

Now that the emotions have subsided a bit after a rather controversial and explosive return leg at Old Trafford, Kay Murray of BeIN Sport USA joins us to take a look back at her time with Real Madrid and get underneath the two driving forces beneath the machine - Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo as they are leading one the giants toward its mythical La Decima in trademark fashion. On the one hand there is the timely brilliance of Ronaldo and then there is always The Special One who continues to reaffirm his bunker mentality formula as the matches get bigger and more explosive in scope. We examine the arrival of Luka Modric at a key moment in the match, how the media madness continues to overlook what Mourinho does with a very basic formula, separating the winners and losers to drive the right environment for his superstar players, testing their mentality and seizing the opportunities that are there when they present themselves. The red card may have been the catalyst, but it is always how the sides react to the challenge of dealing with the instant change in a match. We also examine the narrative surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo, how he continues to shred impressions of him, delivering at the biggest moments with more regularity and demonstrating a level of class in both legs against Manchester United that should not be overlooked. We also profile the arrival of another young emerging superstar in Raphael Varane who arrived at the club when Kay was with Real Madrid TV and what he brings to this team with a level of class and ability that seems to defy his very young age. Kay also shares with us her view of a bit of important football history when Real Madrid and Barcelona were the measuring stick for the entire football world and how that Spanish national team is clear confirmation to the brilliance of that brief moment in time, Cristiano and Lionel, Mourinho and Guardiola, and how these moments are so rare in sport and how fragile the good times really are in this game. This is all Real Madrid, looking back at a truly historic period in Spanish football and tracing the steps in the chase for a mythical tenth European Championship for one the biggest clubs in football and the Peoples Republic of Mourinho.