In the rubric of the portal "EuroFootball.com", expert and fan Dainius Jankauskas expresses his opinion on football news in Europe and Lithuania.
- Dainius, what are your impressions after the weekend matches in both the Premier League and La Liga?
- First of all, I would like to congratulate the fans of "Liverpool" on a beautiful victory against the "Man City" team. Their infinite patience with the team is simply unbelievable. As I mentioned before, former "Reds" coach Brendan Rodgers was a real disaster for the club and it is hard to believe that such a low-level specialist was hired to save a world-famous club. Now he is being offered a contract by a team in Qatar, so it would be very good if he went there forever.
- The "El Clasico" match disappointed me, as there was no intrigue at all. It seemed like the Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez, who is not liked by leader Cristiano Ronaldo, instructed his team to play half-heartedly in order to finally get rid of the disliked coach. Portugal also made sure to disappear from the match.
- Of course, the achievements of Barcelona should not be underestimated - buying the best strikers and adding Lionel Messi to the mix for countless millions, it would seem strange for the club not to score at least one goal per game. Certainly, if R.Benitez and Luis Enrique swapped places, the situation would change drastically.
- The rumors about "Man Utd" coach Louis van Gaal's interest in Real Madrid's C.Ronaldo have resurfaced. Would the highly paid striker justify the expectations?
- I don't think so. The 100 million euro striker celebrating his 31st birthday in February would be a good fit for Paris Saint-Germain. In France, he could easily improve his scoring records and feel happy. As for the Premier League, it's a different story. I hope van Gaal is bluffing, and if he really thinks that way, then I feel sorry for the "Red Devils" fans.
- The final A league matches of the season are coming soon. How would you rate this year's championship?
- I am glad that Lithuanian football fans responded with ovations to my idea of cheap beer. It seems like a simple idea, but obviously it would work. Everyone would benefit: beer companies becoming club sponsors, whose products would become more popular, teams whose stadiums would be filled with cheers, creating an atmosphere similar to a match, and, of course, fans who would enjoy spending time in a fun way.
- Of course, the current stadium seating plan is also very important for attendance. "Trakai" doesn't have a home arena at all, in Vilnius spectators from residential areas have to travel across the entire city, and in other cities the situation is equally disappointing. If miraculously they started building small stadiums near large shopping centers, a handful of curious people would automatically attend the matches, and this number would grow. This plan is already being implemented abroad, for example, the new Juventus arena is located in a residential area next to a large shopping center, and the stadium is always full. This model will also be copied by the "Milan" team - it's much easier to attract a family for games when there is something to offer to women and children, whose priorities may be different - movies, dining out, etc.
