Corinthians president Andrés Sanchez has a lust for glory Three years ago Brazilian club Corinthians embarked on an ambitious project to fill an embarrassing hole in their trophy cabinet. Andrés Sanchez came into office as the president of Corinthians with a clear mandate to deliver the Copa Libertadores. The situation back then was grim for the Corinthians with the club having suffered relegation to the second tier of the Brazilian league for the first time in their history. The signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano a few years earlier had turned out to be yet another false dawn as irregular finances brought the São Paulo outfit to their knees. Sanchez’s claims that the club would win the Copa Libertadores for the first time in their history in the coming years was met with bemusement in Brazil. Despite having a rich history and over 30 million fans in Brazil the team calling itself the Campeão dos Campeões has never tasted success in South America’s premier club competition. The new president’s first move was to install Mano Menezes as head coach at Corinthians. The youthful coach had already proved himself fit for the task ahead by guiding Grêmio back to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A after they themselves had suffered the misfortune of relegation. Amazon.co.uk Widgets Another achievement on Menezes’ CV which made him so appealing for Sanchez was Grêmio’s appearance in 2007 Copa Libertadores final, just two years after being promoted back to the top flight. Lightening seems to be striking twice for Menezes at Corinthians as once again he won promotion to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A at the first attempt. Menezes also brought home the regional Campeonato Paulista to Corinthians the following year just as he had won the Campeonato Gaúcho while at Grêmio. The head coach of Corinthians then went on to plant an even bigger smile on the face of Sanchez as the club won the Copa do Brasil in July last year to book an early berth in this year’s Copa Libertadores. This week Corinthians took their bow in the 2010 Copa Libertadores just three short years after suffering relegation. The fairytale dreamt up by Sanchez is one step closer to coming true with the added magic of this year marking Corinthians’ centenary of existence. As well as drafting in Menezes the president of Corinthians has surpassed himself in the transfer market by pouring a generous helping of stardust on his team. Sanchez has proven very creative in securing his marquee signings with private companies queuing up to help out with the wage bill in return for endorsements. The signing of Ronaldo was undoubtedly a gamble but it has already paid dividends for Corinthians. The three time World Footballer of the Year scored the goals to claim both the Campeonato Paulista and the Copa do Brasil and therefore a place in the Copa Libertadores. Now Ronaldo’s fellow geriat-tico Roberto Carlos has signed up for the project. With the whole project geared around one successful Copa Libertadores campaign the age of these players is not the issue, one more season is all that is required. While the former Real Madrid stars are household names across the world Sanchez has also been able to bring other players with a wealth of Copa Libertadores experience. Creative midfielder Tcheco is a player Menezes knows well from his time at Grêmio and at 33-years-old he still has the game to unlock a well drilled defence. Also in for this season is 35-year-old forward Iarley who won the Copa Libertadores and the FIFA Club World Cup with Internacional. Despite reaching the autumn of his career Iarley remains one of the most exciting players to watch in Brazil. Another player who has been on the books at Corinthians for less than a year is the attacking Argentine Matías Defederico. At a mere 20-years-old Defederico is from a different generation than most of his team-mates but has proven he has the skills to keep up with the very best. With signings of this calibre it is evident that Sanchez’s dream does not stop at merely wining the Copa Libertadores but doing it in style. As it turned out Corinthians were less than inspiring in their Copa Libertadores opener this week as they came from behind to beat Uruguayan minnows Racing Club at home. A capacity Pacaembu was rocked when the visitors took the lead in the first minute through Martin Cauteruccio. Corinthians responded 10 minutes later when clever play from Ronaldo and Tcheco created an opening for Elias to stroke the ball home and level the scores. Elias is generally known for his work in the engine room but it was he who popped again with what turned out to be the game’s winning goal 20 minutes from time. With three points in the bag Corinthians have taken an early lead in Group 1 of the Copa Libertadores. Another huge step has been taken on the road to glory for Sanchez and his centurions. © Tim Sturtridge & Soccerphile.com Tags Corinthians Brazilian football

Estudiantes’ Copa Libertadores winning coach Alejandro Sabella has come a long way since he was deemed surplus to requirements at Leeds United in the early 80s. Just four months into his first management post the Argentine steered the club he finished his playing career at to a dramatic win in Brazil. After drawing their home leg 0-0 Estudiantes came from a goal behind to topple Cruzeiro 2-1 giving El Pincha their fourth Copa Libertadores title and their first for four decades. The victory was the culmination of a run which saw Estudiantes unbeaten in the ten Copa Libertadores games Sabella oversaw since his arrival in March. In the seven wins and three draws El Pincha netted 14 times while they leaked just two at the other end. During this time the new coach also turned around their domestic standing as he propelled them from second bottom to a respectable sixth place finish in the Apertura. “It's all down to the players. Someone should put up a monument to them,” Sabella said after the win in Brazil. “All I did was help them reach the final and tell them to go out and do what I never could as a player.” Sabella was ably assisted on the pitch during this time by among others his captain Juan Sebastián Verón who took to the field in Copa Libertadores’ games like a man possessed as he sought to emulate his father in lifting the famous trophy for his hometown club. Verón has further parallels to his current gaffer as he joined up with Estudiantes after having a less than spectacular impact on the English top flight. ‘Alex’ Sabella first arrived in England when Sheffield United came to Argentina sniffing around for talent in the wake of the country’s 1978 World Cup win. First off Sheffield United targeted another young playmaker but Argentinos Juniors turned down the Steel City club’s £180,000 bid for Diego Maradona. Sabella had been enjoying a mixed time at River Plate for whom he had made over a 100 appearances for by that time. The stocky playmaker was both feted and criticised for his individualism on the pitch and there were question marks over his lack of pace. Indeed during his time with River he gained the nickname Pachorra, slang for lazy. A major stumbling block for Sabella at El Monumental was that he was behind Norberto Alonso in the pecking order for the number ten shirt. Alonso was the undisputed fan’s hero at the time and that left his understudy little chance to impress in his favoured position. On one occasion a scout from Grêmio came down from Brazil to scout on Alonso for an upcoming Copa Libertadores clash. Alonso was out injured for the game with Independiente so Sabella deputised and played a blinder. The scout returned to Grêmio and said he didn’t get to see Alonso but if he keeps that other lad on the bench then he must be pure dynamite. Sheffield United’s representatives seems to like what they saw as well and a £160,000 transfer was agreed between River Plate and the second division side. The statistic say that Sabella made 76 appearances for the Blades and bagged a poultry eight goals, in which time the club were relegated to the third tier. A word with some of the fans who saw him play during this time offers a different perspective. One Bramall Lane regular remembers Sabella scoring the best goal he has ever seen at the ground against Dundee in the Anglo Scottish Cup. On that occasion the Argentine Blade dribbled past five players before slamming the ball home. Sabella is fondly recalled as the type of player who was worth the admission price on his own with a box of tricks to compete with any player in the world. Unfortunately at times he could even bamboozle his own teammates with back heeled flicks and the like that were far beyond the comprehension of most players fighting a second division relegation dogfight. Another Blades fan recalls a piece of skill by Sabella down by the corner flag against West Ham United which led to a clash of heads between Billy Bonds and Frank Lampard Snr. as they collided in the Argentine’s wake. Allan Clarke brought Sabella to Leeds United in the summer of 1980 for £400,000 after the player had refused to move to Sunderland in a £600,000 deal because of his ambitions to play in the top flight. In a season and a half at Elland Road Sabella made 23 appearances for Leeds United before leaving halfway through their relegation season of 1981/82. Sabella is also fondly recalled by many Leeds fans who saw him play and remember him entertaining the crowd alongside Frank Worthington. Sadly the duo’s showmanship came at the determent of the club’s results. It was a visit to Yorkshire by then Estudiantes coach Carlos Bilardo that convinced Sabella to come home sharpish rather than hold out for a dream move back to River Plate. Bilardo had been keeping tabs on Sabella during the player’s time in England and convinced the Estudiantes board to rustle up the cash to finance a trip to Leeds. “The club didn't have any money but I managed to get a few dollars together and made the journey,” recalls Bilardo, who would go on to coach Argentina to World Cup trumiph in 1986. “I convinced the directors it was a good deal but I had to borrow money from Sabella to pay for the trip home.” Bilardo was already a well established name in El Leóns ’ folklore as part of the team that won three Copa Libertadores and the Copa Intercontinental in the late 60s. Now he had taken the manager’s job Bilardo was looking to build another golden period for the club. Sabella was joined in a new look Estudiantes’ midfield by Marcelo Trobbiani, Jose Daniel Ponce and Miguel Angel Russo which played their way towards a Metropolitano title in 1982 and added an Argentine league title a year later. The final piece of the jigsaw was the Copa Libertadores and El Pincha came close in 1983 but eventually fell at the semi-final stage. During this period Pachorra saw his stock rise beyond previous comprehension in his homeland and he picked up four caps for the national selection. He left for a spell with Grêmio, maybe that scout who saw him against Independiente finally getting his man, before returning to Estudiantes for a second spell. He was still living close to the Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium when he eventually hung up his boots in 1988 and his bond remained strong with football in La Plata. Two years later Sabella started out on his coaching apprenticeship as Daniel Passarella’s second in command. In a seventeen year spell with Passarella he worked at River Plate twice, Parma of Italy, Monterrey of Mexico and Corinthians of Brazil. The management team also took charge of the Argentina and Uruguay national selections during this time. The deputy finally struck out on his own and got the opportunity for his first job when Estudiantes parted company with Leonardo Astrada earlier this year. Just like Ángel Cappa at Huracán questions were asked if Sabella would be able to cut the mustard. Four months down the line with a Copa Libertadores title in the trophy cabinet nobody is questioning the quick work of Pachorra . Copyright © Tim Sturtridge and Soccerphile.com

World Soccer News for week of 7/19 Ozren Podnar reports... Manchester United cancel a friendly game due to Jakarta bombings The English champions Manchester United cancelled a friendly in Indonesia to be played on Monday due to two bombing attacks last Friday in Jakarta. Suspected Islamic terrorists carried out suicide bombings in two luxury hotels and a commercial centre of the capital city. One of the stricken hotels was the Ritz-Carlton, where the United squad planned to reside during their sojourn in Jakarta. At least two people died in the explosion in Ritz-Carlton with a further seven casualties at the Marriott and a commercial centre in the north of the city. The attacks were attributed to the radical Islamic group Jemaa Islamiya, an Al-Qaeda affiliate in South East Asia.