The 2014 chapter of the beautiful game is at a close leaving us, as always, with some amazing memories on and off the field. Being a World Cup year, 2014 was four times over special and provided plenty of footballing brilliance throughout the calendar. Coupled alongside were stories of extraordinary achievements, tragic waning of powers and graceless conduct. As we enter forward into the new year, now seems to be a prudent time to look back at the proverbial winners and losers of the year goneby.
Winners
Germany
Topping the Winners list are the World Champions Germany. There is no greater achievement in football than winning the World Cup, the absolute pinnacle of football success and the German national team grasped that ultimate prize this year, for the 4th time in their illustrious history. Joachim Low's side was like a well oiled machine moving through the gears in pursuit of the final aim, every member of the team knowing and performing their designated roles perfectly embodying that oft repeated football truism, German efficiency.
Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti
2014 shall forever remain a special year in Real Madrid's history henceforth. The year that they finally got their hands on the famed La Decima, their tenth European Champions Trophy. So obsessed have the Madridistas been with La Decima that successive managers have been dismissed and multiple teams have been dismantled over their failure to land this prize. That failure was finally corrected by Carlo Ancelotti, who in the process became the first manager to win the Champions League thrice in the modern era. Real are at the moment on a 22 match winning streak across all competitions, leading La Liga and having won World Championship trophy. Into the new year, they look set to add further glories to their already unprecedented history.
Jose Mourinho or whoever is in charge of Chelsea's transfer dealings
They started the year by nabbing Nemanja Matic for a paltry 20m who, on current form, is the best defensive midfielder in the world and selling off Kevin De Bruyne for 22m. But it was really in the summer transfer window where they absolutely killed it. They bought Diego Costa for 32m and Cesc Fabregas for 34m,who is single handedly making Arsene Wenger look stupider by the day. That's two elite level players for 66m. The fact that they also made net profit in the window just elevates their status in this list multifold. They sold Lukaku for 28m and then committed daylight robbery by selling David Luiz to PSG for a record 50m. Read that last line again, David Luiz for 50m.
Indian Football
The most surprising member of this list. When the year started Indian football was in doldrums since eternity. It still is but the unprecedented success of the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League has been the most pleasant surprise of 2014. The football was decent, the management professional and the crowds were enthralling. The ISL is officially the 4th best supported league in world football and the TV numbers for some games reached IPL whereabouts. The trick for ISL would be to build on this and reach greater heights which, by all accounts, it will.
De Gea/Matic/Neuer/Van Gaal/Rodriguez
David De Gea started the year as being a hot prospect in the eyes of everyone but Manchester United supporters and ends it firmly entrenched among the top 5 goalkeepers in the world. Nemanja Matic came back to Chelsea to become one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. Manuel Neuer redefined the sweeper keeper role to end up in the Ballon D'or top three shortlist. James Rodriguez lit up to the World Cup with his effervescent talent and then switched to Real Madrid becoming the latest Galactica. Louis van Gaal managed an average Dutch side to third place in the World Cup and is now working his magic to restore Manchester United to their former glories.
Losers
Brazil
It should be downright wrong, cruel even, to tag the World Cup semi finalists as Losers but such was the manner of their exit that it really doesn't seem unfair. Their road to that semi final was inundated with a few favourable decisions and their heckling of James Rodriguez left a bad taste. Then came the semi final and Germany proceeded to dismantle their aura, then strip them off their dignity and finally shame them in their own backyard. They may have done more, as evidenced by several German players later confessing that they decided to take it easy in the second half and that may have been the most grievous insult to the proud nation. This was a match that scarred every Brazilian, fans and players alike and indications are, it could be a scar which may not heal for most.
Spain
No other team in the history of international football has exerted a more pronounced period of dominance than Spain. Crowned the European champions in 2008, Spain went on to win their maiden World Cup title in 2010 and retained the Euro Cup in 2012 capping off a glorious 6 year period for the La Roja. Coming into the 2014 edition of the World Cup, while there were visible vulnerabilities in the team, Spain were still billed as one of the pre-tournament favourites. No one, however, had envisaged the absolute wreck that their campaign turned out to be. While they are not the first defending champions to be knocked out in the first round, the manner of their defeats to the Netherlands and Chile is what may rankle their fans for eternity. While Chile simply outplayed them, the Dutch went a step further dishing them an absolute spanking in football terms, literally humiliating them in front of a world audience.
Manchester United and David Moyes
That Manchester United and David Moyes was a bad marriage was evident in the second half of 2013 itself, and even further before, to many an observer, including this writer. However, the horror that it turned out to be was perhaps not imagined by even the most staunches of doomsday prophets. Knocked out and out of the running for every competition, humiliated at every corner by clubs a mere fraction of their might and laughed off by rival supporters, Manchester United endured a torrid season, which at times, seemed to have been scripted by the most ruthless set of rival fans. And what can we say of David William Moyes. He installed Liverpool as favourites for a game at Old Trafford, implored his team to aspire to be like Manchester City, instructed them to try and make things difficult for the might of Newcastle and thought reaching the byline was a statistic that counted. Need we say any more? One final one, then, since you insist so fervently. He still thinks he was sacked prematurely.
Luis Suarez
What can we say of Luis Suarez that has not already been said? The man lives in an alternate reality of perceived and imagined injustices, with different definitions of right and wrong to all of us. In his world view, he still remains the wronged party in the Patrice Evra affair, the English media is to be blamed for him trying to bite off Branislav Ivanovic's hand and Giorgio Chiellini jumped into his teeth deliberately. For all his on field brilliance, and that is considerable, we do not feel an iota of sympathy in tagging this man as a Loser.
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund's league position in the last four years reads Winner, Winner, Runners-up, Runners-up. During the same period they have won the German Cup once, German SuperCup twice and narrowly lost the Champions League final in 2013. Their current position in the league is second from bottom, having amassed a massive 15 points from 17 games having won 4 and lost 10 of those. Staggering fall from grace, even by Manchester United standards, we say.
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