<div id="attachment_6288" style="width: 371px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6288" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-6288" src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/phil-jagielka.jpg" alt="Jagielka - to miss FA Cup final" width="361" height="500"></figure></div>Jagielka - to miss FA Cup final</div>
Another game, another catastrophic knee injury to one of Everton’s key players. The sight of Wembley hero Phil Jagielka writhing in agony around the Goodison turf was a sobering one for the Blues, coming just a week after the ecstasy of that semi-final win over Manchester United.
Injuries are a fact of the game. Every player who takes to a football field across the world knows that, should fate deal you an agonising hand, an injury could put you out for weeks, months or even threaten your entire career.
Thankfully such serious injuries are rare, but that makes it even more galling for Everton fans when your look at what they have had to cope with this season.
The campaign began without talismanic Aussie Tim Cahill who was still recovering from a broken foot sustained the previous March – the third spell out with such an injury in three years. The likes of Mikel Arteta and Tony Hibbert also had operations over the summer and that coupled with Moyes’ inertia in the transfer market, meant the side began the season with just 14 fit senior players.
Worse was to come. Nigeria international Yakubu, who hit 21 goals in his first season at Goodison, ruptured an achilles tendon at Spurs in November, instantly ruling him out for eight months. With the likes of Louis Saha, James Vaughan and&nbsp;Victor Anichebe also suffering minor niggles, Everton found themselves without any strikers. However a fit-again Tim Cahill and record signing Marouane Fellaini formed an unlikely, but effective, strike partnership.
A key cog in the Everton machine was Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard had finally regained match fitness and was arguably playing the best football of his Toffees career when again the injury curse struck at St James’ Park in February. A cruciate knee ligament injury put him out for up to eight months – another hammer blow. In the same game Victor Anichebe was the victim of a horror tackle by Kevin Nolan and was also ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a knee cartilage problem.
But once again Moyes, who has never dwelt on&nbsp;or moaned about the injuries, rallied the troops again and found another system which garnered more Premier League points and FA Cup wins. It reminds me&nbsp;of Rocky IV, when our hero took on steroid-fuelled Russian giant Ivan Drago. Punch after punch battered Rocky’s face and chest, but he continued unabated and unmoved. Everton have taken each blow full in the face but have refused to go down, bravely fighting on battered and bruised.
The icing on the cake therefore, as a reward for defying the odds, came at Wembley last week when Phil Jagielka tucked home the decisive spot kick to send Everton to the FA Cup final for the first time in 14 years.
If anyone deserved that moment it was Jagielka. The former Sheffield United man has improved dramatically under Moyes’ stewardship,&nbsp;becoming a first-team regular and&nbsp;establishing himself in the England squad. He also deserved to line-up for the final on May 30th, his&nbsp;injury is devastating both for the club and the player himself.
To put it into context take Vidic, Ronaldo and Rooney out of United’s side, or Gerrard, Carragher and Torres out of Liverpool’s starting XI, and you will understand how important the injured trio are to Everton’s fortunes. The entire spine of the squad has been removed.
Now I know all clubs have to deal with injuries but few have coped so admirably and with such a small squad than Everton. The fact they sit comfortable sixth in the table as well as reaching the Cup final (meaning they have qualified for Europe for the third successive year) is testament to Moyes’ man management and the resilience and determination of his players.
Jagielka’s injury is massive blow but if one club can cope, it’s Moyes’ tough Toffees.
Photo credit to <a href="http://www.torontotoffees.net" target="_blank">TorontoBlue</a>.

Everton: Triumph Over Adversity

Everton: Triumph Over Adversity - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1255" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2009/04/zubi.jpg" alt="Zubi" width="122" height="166"></figure></div>Goalkeepers are a special breed. The sole guardian of the sticks – they live and die by their mistakes. Because of the cut-throat, merciless world that goalkeepers inhibit they are often remembered for the right and sometimes, wrong reasons.
One shotstopper destined to go down in history is Spanish legend Andoni Zubizarreta. A list of honours as long as his arm and a record number of international caps and La Liga appearances he is considered one of the greatest keepers in <a href="http://betting.betfair.com/international-football/spanish-football/">Spanish football</a>. And I consider him to be one of the world’s best.
He began his career at his home-town club Aretxabaleta and then Deportivo Alaves before his big move to Athletic Bilbao in 1980. He won the first of his six career La Liga titles there in 1983 and again lifted the Spanish title a year later. His performances at this point certainly deserved international recognition, but in front of him was Luis Arconada – another Spanish goalkeeping legend.
Arconada had held the number one jersey since 1977 before a horrendous error that gifted France a goal in the EURO 1984 final signalled the beginning of the end for him. Zubizarreta finally earned his first cap in a 3-1 victory over Finland on 23 January 1985.
The following year he made the biggest move of his career to Barcelona.&nbsp; It was there he truly made his name and, well, the <a href="http://betting.betfair.com/football/stats/">football stats</a> speak for themselves:
– Games played: 490 
– Goals conceded: 435 
1 European Cup (1991/92) 
1 Cup Winners Cup (1988/89) 
1 European Super Cup (1992) 
4 La Liga (1990/91, 91/92, 92/93 and 93/94) 
2 Copa del Rey (1987/88 and 89/90) 
2 Spanish Super Cups (1991 and 1992) 
2 Copa Catalunya (1990/91 and 92/93)
‘Zubi’ as he became known, formed the backbone in one of the Catalan club’s greatest ever sides – and that’s saying something given Barca’s illustrious past. The so called ‘dream team’ under boss Johan Cruyff, who had returned to the club as manager, featured players like Josep Guardiola, José Mari Bakero, Gheorghe Hagi, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romário, Hristo Stoichkov and, of course, Zubizarreta.
1992 perhaps saw the peak of their powers, when Ronald Koeman’s extra-time free-kick overcame Sampdoria at Wembley and brought the European Cup back to Cataluna. But after that famous night Cruyff’s team began to break up and after eight successful years at the Nou Camp Zubi transferred to Valencia in 1994 where he racked up another 152 La Liga appearances.
Internationally Zubi matched his excellent form at club level. He had an excellent awareness, anticipation and reading of the game, meaning he rarely had to make spectacular last ditch saves – because he had already positioned himself so well.
He played in two European Championships in 1988 and 1996 , as well as four World Cups. He reached the quarter-finals in 1986 and 1994, though some of his greatest international performances came at Italia 90 when Spain only made the second round. His fourth and final World Cup appearance, at France 98, ended in disaster when he pushed the ball into his own net, gifting Nigeria victory in Spain’s opening group match. They never recovered and exited the competition at the group stage.
It was a sad end to a spectacular career and it shouldn’t be allowed to cloud your judgement on a player who ranks up there with the finest, not just of his generation, not just in Spain, but of all time.
I’m keen to hear anyone else’s views on Zubi’s career, whether you think he is indeed the greatest keeper of all time, and whether there are any pretenders to his throne?

Zubizarreta – The best ever?

Zubizarreta – The best ever? - World Soccer Talk

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Everton: Triumph Over Adversity

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Zubizarreta – The best ever?