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Week 42: Main Report – Review of the 2009-10 Season

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Each week on languagecaster’s podcast we feature a main report and on this week’s show we review the football season in Europe. You can listen to the report by clicking above and can read the transcript below. Explanations of vocabulary in bold appears at the foot of the post. You can also post a comment telling us what you thought were the best and worst moments of the season.

Review of the 2009-10 Season

It has been the season of the double, the treble and the bubble, that is English football’s hegemony, finally being burst. For the first time in 7 years no English side competed in the Champions League final, many of the Premier League’s teams are all massively in the red, while one of its members, Portsmouth, went into administration due to its inability to pay off its debts. But this financial downturn is not restricted to England with Spain’s La Liga clubs also massively in debt – more than a billion Euros worth of debt in fact. Way back at the start of this season in August we asked whether La Liga had become more powerful than the Premier League but maybe we should have looked elsewhere. Italy’s Serie A has hardly re-invented itself into a thriving league – attendances are not increasing, stadia are crumbling and TV deals are not as lucrative as before – but they produced the team of the season in Internazionale, ironically without any Italians in its regular starting line up. So, without further ado, here are the best, the worst and the most horrible of the 2009-10 season.

2009-10 Season: The Best

Inter-players-celebrate-w-006

Love him or loathe him, you cannot ignore Jose Mourinho. He took over two years ago at Inter with one main aim – to win the Champions League, something no manager had done at this club since 1965. They had been the best team in Italy for the past 5 years but were not really taken seriously by the pundits who claimed that the Interistas did not have the character to go beyond the second round. Of course, Jose takes much of the credit for infusing the team with some steel but Inter fans can also look at the transfer deal of the season which saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic move to Barcelona in exchange for Champions League supremo, Samuel Eto’o and cash. That cash bought Brazilian captain Lucio from Bayern Munich, Dutch midfield maestro Wesley Schneider from Real Madrid and Diego Milito from Genoa who all had magnificent seasons for Inter as they won the domestic double and then crowned their season off with that Champions League victory the club had so desired.

A measure of Inter’s achievement is the fact that they beat the best of England, Spain and Germany on their way to the Champions League title. German side Bayern lost in the final but had a magnificent domestic season eventually winning the Bundesliga title rather comfortably after a shaky start that had seen their Dutch manager Van Gaal threatened with the sack. Unlike Jose, his football philosophy is based on attack and with Frenchman Ribery on one side and Dutchman Robben on the other, the Germans knew only one way to play and to emphasise this they demolished Werder Bremen 4-0 in the German Cup final.

Barcelona-004

After having won 6 titles last season, there was only one way for Barcelona to go and that was down. However, it would be wrong to say that their season was a poor one, after all they won La Liga with a record-breaking points tally of 99 – only dropping 15 points, remarkable indeed. That they won the title on the last day of the season is testament to rivals Real Madrid who pushed them all the way but just fell short, something that could also describe Manchester United’s performance in England this season. Attempting to win the title for a record 4th successive time, their over-reliance on Wayne Rooney left them short of options and ultimately points. So well done to Chelsea who won their 4th ever title by scoring more goals than anyone else, playing some great football on the way and yet why is it that no one really likes them?

Much of our focus during the season is on these four big European leagues but we should also say well done to Marseille for winning their first French title in 19 years, to Rangers for winning in Scotland, to Benfica for winning in Portugal, to Steve McClaren’s FC Twente for winning in Holland but perhaps the biggest surprise was in Turkey where Bursaspor won their first ever title. Congratulations all.

2009-10 Season: The Worst

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OK, he was not the worst player of the season and indeed he scored a very respectable 26 goals but he joined Real Madrid to win trophies, something which he did not manage to do. He was, however, sent off twice, missed important games through injury and demonstrated his lack of team play in the defeat against Barcelona. A poor season then for the man with the ridiculous nickname, Cristiano Ronaldo. Other big names to have suffered this season included John Terry who lost the England captaincy for his off-the-field transgressions, Liverpool and Juventus who both failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League, Manchester City who thought they could buy their way into the Champions League and David Beckham, Michael Ballack and Michael Essien who will all miss out on the World Cup thanks to injury.

2009-10 Season: The Horrible

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Apologies to those who may actually have really suffered this season but for sheer pain, injustice and downright robbery, then the Republic of Ireland’s elimination from the World Cup via Thierry Henry’s hand was the most horrible moment of the year. To get so close to qualifying for South Africa and then go out like that was painful beyond pain. I apologise (again) for being spiteful and childish but I will be supporting South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay in the group matches against France as I cannot bear to see Henry and his team progress.

On the rest of the page we have a selection of other ‘awards’ concerning the season just past. Let us know what were the best and worst moments from your 2009-2010 season.

Team of the Season
Inter Milan
Players of the Season
Diego Milito / Leo Messi / Arjen Robben / Wayne Rooney
Manager of the Season
Jose Mourinho
Biggest Flop
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Best Goal
It has to be Messi’s goal against Malaga – thanks to Xavi’s pass.
Biggest Idiot
John Terry
Biggest Cheat
Thierry Henry
Craziest Climax to a Season
Bursapor’s title win in Turkey

Vocabulary

hegemony: In this case it means dominance

burst: The expression is burst the bubble which means to destroy the dream or pretence

went into administration: To be unable to pay off debts so an external administrator takes over

restricted: Limited to

massively : Hugely, a large amount

thriving : To be doing well (profitable)

not as lucrative as before: Not worth as much as before

loathe: To hate (him)

the pundits: Football experts, people who talk a lot about the game

infusing the team with some steel: To give the team some character

shaky start: To be a little vulnerable at the beginning of the football year

demolished: To beat easily (thrashed)

tally: Amount or quantity

is testament to: Is witness to – this means that is demonstrates or shows

over-reliance: They relied too much on, they did not have other options

off-the-field transgressions: He was accused of having affairs

elimination from: To be knocked out of

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1 comment
  • The worst thing in 2009-2010 season is that AC Milan sacked Leonardo, one of the best coaches it has. Please, kick Berlusconi out of Milan and bring someone like Moratti to Milan.

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