Analysis of a Professional Soccer Club

Professional soccer clubs have become so prominent and rapidly increasing across the entire globe due to the fact that sports have become core entertainment in the society. Football is a leading sport in attracting huge international attention which has brought forward a lot of sponsorship deals in support of growing professional soccer clubs. In this research paper we analyze professional football clubs from two different countries namely; Manchester United from England and Real Madrid from Spain. We will begin by evaluating their strengths and weaknesses followed by their differences then conclude by personal proposals to make the teams successful.

Manchester United Football Club

Manchester United football club has a strong brand name all over the world with supporter base running into billions. This strength has given the club a continued reach and status around the globe. Secondly, the club has a huge talent in its current squad made up of a well balanced blend of experienced and young players who have a strong team spirit coupled with winning mentality. In addition, the club has a solid financial base which has been achieved by prudent management of its revenues as well as generous support from official sponsors including AON insurance which is the current main sponsor. This has allowed the club to acquire and retain the best talents in form of players and managers. Moreover, the club has a strong corporate social responsibility through its Manchester United foundation which provided charity sponsorships and talent development (Manchester United Ltd, 2010).

Although the club is proud of several titles in the past, it has a weakness that it over relies on some of its players more than others. This is a weakness because whenever such a player is not in good condition through injury or leaves the club the resulting effects will be a loss. An example was last season when Rooney had an injury leading to the club's loss in key tournaments. Moreover, the club has a weakness of not signing players for long-term contract basis with their focus on developing young talents. This means that they invest a lot in spending on young inexperienced players without blending it from high end purchases of international soccer stars (Manchester United Ltd, 2010).

Real Madrid Club Football

Real Madrid has been recognized by FIFA as the best soccer club in the 20^th Century with a strong history of winning thirty one league titles and a record nine times European cup championship. This is a strength which has propelled its brand to the level of global awareness and support which has earned it several sponsors. Also, the club is strong financially with multiple sources of revenue and low staff costs which results in huge profitability. The solid financial muscle has enabled the club to acquire super star players giving rise to its strong squad team. Moreover, the club boasts of skilled management and strong fans sense of ownership which has helped in maintaining its high status despite failure challenges (DocShare, LLC., 2010).

The first weakness is that of paying high salaries to the super star players which ultimately drain the club's revenues. Also, there is an ego portrayed by the super star players which has a diminishing effect on performance with each star fighting to be seen as the best thus losing the team spirit. Moreover, the club has been faced by several unpredictable losing seasons which have a negative effect of disappointing fans. Furthermore, it has several of its leagues in Europe meaning that the home support fans may not always have chances to travel to watch them play. This is a weakness because several home fans will be reduced to watching only those games played within Spain which are relatively a few (DocShare, LLC., 2010).

Difference between Manchester United and Real Madrid

Manchester United being from England has adopted a British style of playing whereby the players are characterized by quick, physical and direct playing styles. They set up attacks quickly with short moments with the ball. In many cases their passes are direct with passes sent over the opponent defense. This fast-pace style usually leads to tough possession of the ball which is tiring to the opponent. They usually serve their crosses from any possible position. However, Real Madrid, according to the new coach Jose Mourinho, will adopt his style of football which is often defense. The team will is cautious of the number of players it commits forward and when they move forward they move at an angle in readiness to change directions. The defenders play down the tempo while saturating their own half thus shutting down their opposition (ExpertFootball.com, 2009).

The history of the clubs is so different with Real Madrid having started in 1902 and grown tremendously through able leadership of Santiago Bernabeu as president. It had a lot of glory in 1950's with several wins but diminished in 1978 when Bernabeu left the club. The club then struggled from 1978 up to 2000 when they sold assets to buy better players. The gamble did not pay off until 2007 when they won Spanish La Liga title in an amazing comeback. The club has a record history of winning thus maintaining its international status. On the history of Manchester united, the club was formed in 1878 thus it is older than Real Madrid. It was initially under an old name called Newton Health until 1902 when it was renamed Manchester United. The club experienced success in its early times which later declined until 1990's when the reigning manager Sir Alex Furguson came into leadership and turned the club into a success history. With the new millennium, the team entered with success spree winning several titles including FA titles, English Premiership and UEFA Champions League to become the most respected club in the recent times.

The club structure of Manchester United is made up of David Gill who is in the overall control working towards the achievement of the Glazer family's and the board's objectives. Manager Alex Ferguson is responsible for ensuring success at the pitch for the club. On the other hand, Michael Bolingbroke is tasked to operate the business side of the club. As for Real Madrid it has a president who is in overall control, media and communication director as well as marketing general director with approximately 700 employees. This club is supporter-owned and is not for profit making business.

The climate of Madrid located in central plateau of Spain is characterized by cold winter and hot summer. The winter has an average of 8ºC and a summer average of 23ºC making a good climate for Real Madrid club. On the other hand the climate of England maritime which mean that it is gentle with temperatures averaging 0ºC in winter and 32ºC in summer making it ideal for sporting events of Manchester United.

The traditions of both clubs are almost similar with winning being their core objectives. The Real Madrid has invested a lot to retain its winning tradition with the latest move when they brought the sensational coach Jose Mourinho known for his characteristic wins to come and continue the club's tradition. The Manchester United has tradition to win any game irrespective of the place and the team they play which has propelled it to its greatness. Manager Alex has maintained the leadership for over 20 years indicating that the club is more focused on consistency and long term victory.

The professional league played by Real Madrid is Spanish La Liga whereas the Manchester United plays English Premier League. However, the teams have become competitors for the best global brand name and sometimes meet in several European tournaments. The UEFA Champions league is one of the tournaments which bring both clubs directly in competition. In addition, both clubs are members of G-14 group of leading football clubs.

Proposals to Make a Soccer Club Successful

As a head coach/manager of one of the soccer clubs we have discussed and with the current squad of players my proposed leadership would concentrate on teamwork to deliver success for the club. Since I have the best and talented players I would encourage them to avoid super star ego and pass the ball as quickly as possible. Short and quick passes will leave the opponent chasing after the ball and may not be in a position to calculate our moves. Moreover, I would ensure that each player is best suited for their position with the best strikers forward and defenders backwards at all times. Those players with good passes and flexibility should play mid field.  My team should be ready to attack as well as defend with no bias on either side and the team should focus on scoring irrespective of the scorer. This will eliminate over reliance on a particular players to score. Furthermore, I will open a channel of good communication with my players to give their suggestions so as to eliminate the dictatorship management. Finally, I will instill good discipline and professional ethics to players. I believe that with the implementation of all these proposals then we will have a successful club.