Let's go teams!

Another football/soccer post, annoying yes, but I can't help it! I've been asked these questions more than 8 times already and I'm tired of repeating the answer!
Who are your teams? Who do you support? How come you go them?

After a good amount of reflexion time, I decided to share the teams I support. Don't judge, if you don't like them, it's alright, but I have reasons to like them even though some reasons are just random and idiotic!

Before I can start with the teams I follow, I'll talk about formations and if you don't know or understand them, here's a little quick note that helped me visualize when I watch my teams play. 
A formation describes how the players in a team are positioned on the field. Some are more attacking or defensive soccer style. They say that if you want to be good at football you must be able to ay in all possible formations... No one can rely on one single formation so it's quite a game! 
Example:  4-4-2 is a formation with 4 defenders, 4 midfielders, and 2 forwards, it's the most common formation today. 
The 4-3-3 is a classic one that was taken by great teams, actually, Germany won the World Cup of 1974 with that formation! F.C Barcelona adopted this formation quite well... 
The 3-4-3 is an offensive formation with little defense thinking and it mostly focuses on attacking. It's not a formation that is used quite often, rather rare to see a coach use it. 
The 4-3-3 with a triangular midfield puts a holding central midfielder above the four defenders with two offensive midfielders behind the center forward and two wingers. I've seen Italy use this one often! 

So there you have a few ideas on how to view formations, it's only positions and how they affect the game! 

Let's start off with my first team I ever supported and it has to be Liverpool F.C. from Liverpool, England. The Reds! 
This team was the very first team I really loved watching mostly because the Spanish player, Torres even though I don't like Spanish teams or players much. I know most of my teams are based on the players... And the club's anthem is "You'll Never Walk Alone". I always thought it was a good one! They had amazing players like Suarez from Uruguay, Steven Gerrard from England ... I mean the team had some really good players and still to this day! Balotelli, Italian, arrogant player but still wonderful in his own way... 
The formation that I saw worked was 3-5-2, 4-2-1-3 or a 4-3-3 depending on how Rodgers wants to dictate the game. They made me happy by winning against Arsenal on Sunday 14th of August! You should watch them, they deserve some support! 

The second team I absolutely loved was and still Manchester United F.C, well obviously from Manchester, England. Also known as The Red Devils. The first game I watched them, they were playing against Southampton, another British team. Then I realized they had Rooney, the captain! At the time I don't think it was him, but I started to love them! I mean each game, they gave everything they had. Now, they also have Matteo Darmian and Italian defender who I absolutely love... And they are getting Paul Pogba which used to be on my favorite team, Juventus. Manchester United has to be one lucky team to have him in the squad! It's going to be a game changer! To be fair for the formation they do 4-2-2-2 and I don't know... Not really what I wanted to see... 

Chelsea F.C, London, England... The Blue Lions, or The Blues... 
Their current manager, Antonio Conte is Italian... I was happy about that! He is really good, they got lucky on that one! At the moment, the team has amazing players counting, Oscar, a Brazilian, Hazard, a German and a lot more players! I got interested in the team when a friend of mine wanted to watch them in my presence, I didn't oppose as they looked amazing on the field. At the time, Lampard was playing... Then Drogba, Mata...Anyways, the team definitely has great players. The formation has to be 4-2-3-1...

More recent team and my FAVORITE team, JUVENTUS from Torino (Italy). 
I didn't start liking them because they were good! At the beginning, I actually had no idea how good they were. A few years ago, I was watching a game on TV.  As a matter of fact, my favorite player, Claudio Marchisio is a midfielder for the team, so I watched a whole lot of Juventus game, followed them, got into the history, the formations... Everything! Juventus is an amazing team with wonderful players. They have one the best goalie out there, Buffon is incredible. They know how to really play and be a team, family. I'm number one fan, I mean I have jerseys, a scarf, a little blanket, a jacket... I'm just in love with the team. For the formation, I'm a bit lost at the moment, Marchisio went out because of an injury, and Pobga left for Manchester United, so I'm rather lost on how it's going to play out. They do have Dybala as a striker, center forward, so I'm pretty convinced that they have a chance of doing something good! 

A.C Milan from Milano, Italy... Il Diavolo (The Devil)! 
I follow them slightly before Juventus but it's around the same time. I was watching the Serie A, it's like the Premier League but in Italy. They aren't that amazing, but they had something that caught my eye, plus they have cute players like Mattia De Sciglio who is a defender, Manuel Locatelli, younger than me, but Santa Cleopatra, so cute, a midfielder, and Andrea Poli, midfielder as well... 4-3-3 might have to be the best formation they could use. I honestly don't know much about the style, all I know is I started following them for the players, the cute ones. Please do not judge! 

The last team I support is Leeds United F.C from Leeds, England. The Peacocks! 
Just a few months ago after watching my favorite YouTuber, miniminter, I decided to watch the team he goes for, Leeds! Now, I barely ever saw them play, only against Liverpool and Manchester United, so I never really watched how they do play. But I was open-minded to watching and I was surprised. I mean it's far from the best team out there, they are nothing like Chelsea or another great team! It's new so I'm learning the history, how the coach works, the each player style of play, and so much more. Can't talk much about them! 

Hope this long post will help you realize that even if I will always go for Juventus, I love and support other teams! I'm very open-minded when it comes to either Irish, Scottish, British and Italian teams. I ain't a fan of Spanish teams at all, neither Germans or French! Even though there's a lot of good teams! I have a few more that I do follow but I needed to stop the post at some point, you have much more to do on this Monday than reading some blog! 


If you want to learn more about football, let me know in the comments below or via social media! 

"Anyone who thinks sunshine is happiness has never played football in the rain."

~Bella

Does this change?

A couple of nights ago, I was unable to sleep due to stomach pain. No, this isn't going to be about being sick or feeling drained... Don't get me wrong, I wish I could complain to you, but it won't be this time!

While I was in bed, watching YouTube, listening to music, I went on Facebook. My news feed was filled with posts about Trump, Hillary, shootings from Americans, and arguments about football (soccer) from Europeans. If you didn't know, the Euros ended on Sunday with Portugal winning against France. My brother and I were supporting Portugal. No, we don't have Portuguese blood in us, but we prefer them over the French team. I was happy, but when I was reading these insulting posts about Portugal cheating, not deserving anything, being treated like complete garbage, I felt even sicker.
I posted something about football and being happy for Portugal as it was a miracle for them to win, one of my cousins from France commented asking if I had forgotten where I came from. It made me pissed off. I don't need to be for my birth country for a sport. It doesn't make you less of a patriotic person. I ain't going to cheer up for arrogant players that don't even play for the game itself but just for the money.
Then, later on, I read a post from another French person, a young girl, a year older than me, insulting Portugal, making a scene, having other French people comment, telling her to pretty much shut it up. To her, if you were French you were supposed to be for France and if you weren't you technically were a loser. It's a sport, indeed it's in our culture, blood, but just because you don't want to side with your country's team doesn't mean you are a loser who doesn't deserve to be that nationality. Just because I live in California doesn't make me an American, I'm still French. It's the same for football or any sports. It doesn't mean I won't fight for my country if a war broke out.
People disgusted me, I was in shock. I can't believe my own family would be as ignorant and so close minded than this. Asking me if I had forgotten where I came from? What does that make me? A traitor to my country? Just because I won't side for France in football? It's shocking!
I spent two hours battling the idea that this young woman would be closed minded to the idea of other people teaming up for other countries...
Facebook is a place where you can write anything you want, but expect others to comment and be against you. Not everyone will comprehend and side for your opinion. I stand tall against people that can't see beyond their nose. I can't stand people accusing others of not being patriotic enough... What makes you think you are patriotic? Because you go for your country at a sport? But will you go and fight for your country if it's needed? I don't think so!

I had my mother on the phone that night as well, and I couldn't keep it all to myself, I had to tell her what I saw, what I read. She was in shock herself, not understanding why people can be so mean to each other, why they have to be so closed minded. I asked her how was France, if it changed much since I last went, and she couldn't deny the fact that France itself as a country had in fact changed. Everything I hear is true, what I saw four years ago was true.
When you travel and live in another country, your view about life becomes bigger than most people. You tend to look at things differently than people from your own country.
Last time I came back to France, I didn't feel at home at all, not that I feel entirely at home in California either. It's an odd feeling to look lost in your country, around people who can't be open minded about a sport, about people in general.
My conversation with my mother helped me understand how and why this young woman insulted Portugal and other countries before. She helped me realize how French people are... And it made me feel better about myself... If you know me, you'll know that I do love to complain, but imagine it twice as much. My mum actually laughed when she told me that she heard them complain about the economy, the way of living... In France, it's free to give birth, you have help from the government after you have more than 2 kids living under your roof, you have everything handed to you. It's insane how much they have while we are in America where everything is costly. In California, to have surgery, you pay more than $1,000, in France, it's barely anything. And they still complain! Like come on now, wake up, get out of France, go look around, live in another country, you'll see how lucky you are!

To come back to the point of the Facebook post, I have to admit, most people should just keep things to themselves instead of posting it on social media! People should be like this kid in the video...

I'm still very sad to have read all these insults, comments, and beliefs. I mean it's a sport, you got for the players you like not for the country. If that was the case, players like Eder (Italian ) but born in Brazil wouldn't be playing in Italy at all, and we would lose a great forward player... That doesn't make him a traitor at all! He wanted to play for Italy, he got his citizenship and got to play. No one is insulting him for choosing Italy over Brazil! It should be the same for people. I wanted to side with Ireland, Britain, and Italy because I love the players... I won't side with a whole country when that one is just a disappointment! 

Yes, I'm disappointed in my country, what it has become, and what the people have been doing! It's a shame! I'm just disappointed to hear my own family telling me I ain't French anymore because I live in a different country and because I side with different countries for football... People have to stop being so cruel to one another. 

"Patriotism demands the ability to feel shame as much as to feel pride."- Anne-Marie Slaughter

~Bella

What a squad!

As the Euro Cup game, Italy vs. Germany is playing tomorrow, Saturday 2nd of June. 

I'm obviously for my team, Italy, but I also know there will be a risk of them losing to Germany. 

So here is the Italian squad:

The coach: Antonio Conte... I've never seen such a screamer and a monkey in my life. He will scream from the beginning till the last second of the game. Last time, the Spanish coach wasn't moving at all, not saying anything with the same facial expression on, the opposite of Conte. At the end of the game, Italy won and Conte decided to jump on the "protection thing for players", a real monkey! 

Goalkeepers (3 of them):
Gianluigi Buffon (1) also plays in Juventus... Considered one of the best keepers out there! I actually admire how he isn't afraid of going for the ball even if attackers from the other team are coming towards him. 
Frederico Marchetti (13) also plays in Lazio... I'm not sure what to say about him, I've barely seen him in a game. 
Salvatore Sirigu (12) also plays in Paris... Alright, this one plays in a French club and since I don't watch Paris at all so I can't say much. 

Defenders (6 of them):
Andrea Barzagli (15) also plays in Juventus...  A good center back, who knows how to defend the goal. 
Leonardo Bunucci (19) also plays in Juventus... Great passer, a tall and strong defender that is able to make long passes. Categorized himself as one of the best defenders, since he got better through the year 2014-2015. 
Giorgio Chiellini (3) also plays in Juventus... A force of nature that many coaches would love to have. One great leader behind Buffon, but personally I don't really know how to think about this player. 
Matteo Darmian (4) also plays in Manchester United... I love Manchester United and love the cute defender. Used to be in Torino, but got transferred to Man. United in July 2015. He was originally a center back but changed into the fullback position as he has the ability to play with both feet which to me is amazing! A legend! 
Mattia De Sciglio (2) also plays in Milan... A right-sided fullback who is quick on his feet. A real cute mature player who is going to go far. Don't know much about him, though. 
Angelo Ogbonna (5) also plays in Wes Ham United... A strong and powerful center back. I've watched him play a few times when he was in Juventus, but since then, I completely forgot he existed as I don't watch Wes Ham United. All I know is that he can pull off a great tactical play with his left.

Midfielders (8 of them):
Federico Bernardeschi (21) also plays in Fiorentina... A young midfielder or forward in his club, all I know from his play is that he is quick and has a strong left foot. Plays better in a 4-3-3 formation, he is one of Italy's most talented and exciting player. 
Antonio Candreva (6) also plays in Lazio... I don't know much either about this player as I dislike Lazio. I tend to not pay much attention when they play against Juventus or another team. I have seen the way he manages to be on the left side as well as the right. Great penalty kicker! 
Daniele De Rossi (16) also plays in Roma... I'm far from being a fan of him! He was given the title of "complete midfielder" because of his awareness during games, the pace, and his goal-scoring abilities. 
Alessandro Florenzi (8) also plays in Roma... For some odd reasons, I do find this player quite cute. I've seen how he plays mostly in his club, and so far in the Euro Cup I've seen a great style of play. He is tactically intelligent, quick, energetic, and a hard working player. 
Emanuele Giaccherini (23) also plays in Bologna... The only time I got to see him play was back in 2011 when he was in Juventus. Quick and hard working, he was developed as a winger due to his ability to dribble, agility, and balance. He can play anywhere he wants in midfield. 
Thiago Motta (10) also plays in Paris... Once again, I don't watch them so I don't know where he stands much. From what I've seen he is quite mature and well developed. He excels a lot more in the air. 
Marco Parolo (18) also plays in Lazio... Tall for a player! He is accurate when shooting, and he is quite powerful! 
Stefano Sturaro (14) also plays in Juventus... One of the most promising young footballers in the world due to his work-rate, composure, tenancy, and ability to read the game. He makes me think of my brother. They know where to play, it comes naturally. 

Forwards (6 of them):
Éder (17) also plays in Internazionale... A Brazilian-born footballer who got to play for the for Italy through more than 5-year of residency. He has both nationalities which are amazing! He is great at finishing the games which make the team in the EuroCup do better. 
Stephan El Shaarawy (22) also plays in Roma... I personally don't like him much, but I can tell you that he is one of the most promising and talented young Italian players. He has shown his shooting power with strikes from outside the box, which makes him an above-average passer. He is also known "Il Faraone" (The Pharaoh) since his father is Egyptian.
Ciro Immobile (11) also plays in Torino... A quick forward, but known for his offensive movement and ability to make attacking in order to exploit spaces. He can finish the game with both feet. He won't back down from chasing after the ball and press opponents when not in possession. 
Lorenzo Insigne (20) also plays in Napoli... One of the shortest player I know, but his nickname is Il Magnigico. An amazing, creative, agile, a balanced player who has a great vision, ball control, and dribbling ability. He is capable of scoring goals himself and is an accurate set-piece taker. One of his former Napoli teammates referred him as "Italian Messi". 
Graziano Pellè (9) also plays in Southampton... One of the most annoying footballers I know! He pisses me off, I mean he is a strong, large and hard-working striker who does great in the air due to his height and physical attributes, but he won't calm down on the "I'm the center of attention". 
Simone Zaza (7) also plays in Juventus... A strong, quick, and well-rounded left-footed forward. His powerful and offensive playing style makes him a great footballer. 


Now, after knowing all that, I still have faith that they might win. But like I've mentioned before Germany has an amazingly strong team that isn't afraid of getting up and chase the ball after falling down. They are vicious on the field and won't let anyone down! I still despise the team, can't stand the players, but I can't deny how good they are at football. Even my "twin" said it over Skype last time. I had a talk with him, and he is for Italy as he's Italian, but he also knows that it's going to be a tough game! Every Italian I know is on the edge because our players won't probably make it past the Germans. Now I can't just back down and think negatively... I'm for Italy, always have, always will, and if the lineup collides well I'm sure we have a chance. If they put certain players with the ones they know how to play with, we will do well enough! 

The only sad part about this EuroCup is that my player, Claudio Marchisio, couldn't make it as he was injured, so they have a missing midfield that knows his way around. He can switch to defense to offense really quickly, his athleticism, tackling, vision, a range of passing, and good reading of the game enables him to break down the opposition's play. He is gifted with flair and excellent technical skills. His ability to pass and shoot with both feet, despite being naturally right-footed, make him a threat in the opponent's half, especially in or outside the penalty area. A Juventus legend that is missing in the EuroCup. I miss seeing him play! But then again other players that have not made the team like Pirlo or Balotelli. So we can't just blame the coach for not putting them, but it would have been nice to have them around! Especially against Germany! 

"Forza Azzurri" 

~Bella

Why not going for your birth country...?

Alright, alright... I'll answer this annoying question that people have been asking! 
But first: 

FOOTBALL IS SOCCER! DON'T ASK ME TO SAY SOCCER, PLEASE! IT'S FOOTBALL! 

It doesn't matter where I was born... France...
I cannot side with the French team. I'm sorry, it's impossible, I just cannot! I've never even sided for them in the FIFA or anything! It got worse, but I never was a fan of France (sport wise)!

When you've grew up around football, around the French team, around Zidane... I can't lie, he was a great player, but other than that the team got worse as years pass by. 
When you watch a game, all you see is the white people in the team being arrogant players who can't control their attitude. After all the good players like Zidane retired, the team has been lacking, making the world look at them as arrogant people. I'm French and embarrassed by the attitude. I can't stand it. 

So yes, they have been playing quite well in the Euro cup, but tomorrow they are playing against Ireland... I've been supporting Ireland since the beginning as well as England, Italy and Northern Ireland (they disqualified today against Welsh)... Sad day for me, but I'm surprised they did so well in the Euro cup, we usually don't hear much about them, but I'm still proud that I've been supporting them! Tomorrow at noon, I will be supporting Ireland while my mother's fiancé will be siding for France. Yeah, I won't be friendly... Sorry! Now, hopefully, the Ireland jersey comes in the mail today! 

Yesterday, I spent more than two hours looking for an Irish jersey. There's no football store good enough with a bunch of European jerseys. It doesn't exist, and someone needs to develop one because I'm getting tired of buying everything online! I want a football store that has European stuff!!!! I finally got a jersey my size, online, and for a good rate, even though it was difficult! 

Anyways, I won't be siding with France, never, and you have to stop asking the question! They aren't the team I expected, at some point, in the future, hopefully, they will get back to the original nice state where players were nice and less gossip was surrounding them! I'll keep the faith, but I won't be siding with them... I'm sorry! I'm too ashamed of them for the moment to even consider cheering them! I prefer siding with countries surrounding them, ok, I'm not saying I will side for the Germans, that's NEVER going to happen! 
Actually, to make the French team feel a little better, they have a really good player who plays in my team, Juventus, Paul Pogba! He is really good! But that's it, other than that  Patrice Evra who also plays in Juventus, but that's it! The others... Goodbye!  I'm sorry! 

The way they play and the team at the moment seems like it's quite balanced, and they have been playing well, I must see the good side. Yet, I can't stand them! They cannot win this Euro cup. They just can't! I won't allow it! 

Little side note: I had a good player that I liked, Yoann Gourcuff from Brittany... But he is ALWAYS injured like he doesn't even play anymore so whatever... France doesn't do well in many things at the moment and football is one of them! 

"Allez Les Bleus.." Sorry, I can't! 

~Bella

What a goal...

I know, it's not Wednesday, but I declared that this post is important and you have to read why!

Football or soccer for people here in the U.S.A.

Being European watching or playing soccer is part of the culture, or at least it seems like it is. 

For one, I was born and raised around soccer. It's a sport that is very popular, and there's always a game playing on TV. You'll go to a bar, you'll see people coming in just to watch a game and have fun with friends. The audience can be extremely loud, and into the games, the atmosphere that surrounds soccer will become high and very pleasant, especially if people around you are on the same team which in my case is rare! 

After living in North America for a while now, I can tell you that soccer here and back in Europe is different! 

First, I saw that in the United States, major league soccer will rely on finding college stand-outs while in Europe, the clubs seek, sign and develop their own players at a young age. They will teach them how to play well, eat well, psychology... 

Second, football, as we call it in most of Europe, will be part of the culture being the number one sport and everyone is loyal to their team... Like me... I'm loyal! While in the U.S, it's not the number one sport that people would watch. It comes way after basketball, football, and baseball. 

Third, the time frame... European soccer leagues will be played at a different period of time than the Americans. It's slightly different and we have more leagues as we have more countries. 

Enough of the differences, and let's talk more about my team! 

For a long time now, I've been into the Italian leagues, Italian teams, and players. When the FIFA begins, I'm for the Italians and England (second favorite international team)! In Serie A Italy, I'm for JUVENTUS from Turin (Torino). Torino has two teams, Juventus, and Torino... I actually started loving Juventus after a soccer player, Claudio Marchisio. Ten years older than me, married, has two children, and I'm still in love with him. To top it all off, his jersey is number 8, my favorite number. Sadly, he injured himself and he is missing the European Championship 2016. My midfield player is missing, and I miss seeing him play.  I fell in love with the way he plays, and how he is as a person. I'm a fan... So I started loving Juventus, who happens to have an amazing French soccer player and beautiful people who play on the team... My "twin" from Turin actually hates me for loving Juventus as he is for Torino... So we don't get along when it comes to soccer. We fight over which one is best, usually I win, cause there's no doubt my Juventus are the best! Hehe

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), founded in 1904 in Paris. The World Cup is every four years, at different locations, so last time it was in Brasil and the next one in 2018 it will be in Russia. I'm not as excited about the location, but it will be interesting to watch. Each international soccer team needs to qualify to get into the FIFA. Sadly, not everyone makes it, but my Italians somehow manage to get up there! The best final that I was able to watch and enjoy with an ice cream was in 2006, back in Germany, France against Italy... A game that no one will ever forget! A French soccer player, Zinedine Zidane got caught in a middle of a fight with an Italian player. After insulting Zidane's mother, he got hit in the stomach. The fight was famous, a song broke out after that, and French people hated Italians. It went really far, and to make it worse, Italy won the cup. Deep inside me, I was happy, but I knew that my Italian cheated and were vicious in that game, which is not as common for them... Zidane actually played for Juventus for a while, and they won so much that today, Juventus holds plenty of cups. They became the best team out there. 

This is the time where the Euro 2016 is on, and trust me I have been watching and being aware of everything (tried). Of course, I'll be for Italy, but I'm also for three other teams, two more than the other... England and Republic of Ireland being the two others I really love and the Northern Ireland which I quite like. Now if you don't watch it or ain't a fan you won't know who is playing and who is good or awfully sucky! I've had so many people ask me why I ain't for France or Portugal or even Germany... I can't be for France, not even on the FIFA, they are arrogant, and I can't stand that! Portugal, there's nothing to say about their players, I don't like them at all! And Germany... Long story short, between the last FIFA, and how they are vicious players and the history of the country, I can't tell you how much I dislike the team! If they lose and disqualified, I'll be the happiest person in California! Anyways, Wednesday, Ireland is playing against Italy. Despite the fact that my favorite player isn't playing the Euro this year, I'm sure Italy will either win or tie to Ireland... And to be honest, I'm not ready to see either of my team lose or fight one another. It's going to be a depressing day, I'm warning you! 

After being into soccer for so long, I have this one rule that if I get in a relationship or even get married, the guy will either need to love soccer as much as me or to at least let me watch my games. I don't watch every single one, just the ones that interest me. Just let me be me and don't try to change the way I think about my team or about the sport! You want to be with someone European, you have to deal with soccer as I will deal with baseball or basketball or even football. 

"Becoming a Juventus icon has always been my dream. You achieve that status not for how long you stay at a club but for how much you give when you are there." - Claudio Marchisio.

~Bella