TALKING FOOTBALL: From Iceland to Brazil, the highs and lows of football in 2015

Andy Mitten recalls his 2015 footballing journey and picks out the highs and lows of the past year.

Working as a football journalist, I watched 86 games in 2015…from Iceland in the north to Porto Alegre in Brazil in the south, San Francisco in the west to Doha, Qatar in the east.

Most of the games involved the contrasting fortunes of Barcelona or Manchester United, but plenty didn’t.

Here are some of the high and low points:

Team of the year: Barcelona

They won every trophy they entered except the Spanish Super Cup. The Catalans played the best football and boasted three of the world’s best four players in their attack as they lifted La Liga, the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

Notable mention: Juventus, who would have had a treble of their own if it wasn’t for Barça.

International team of the year: Iceland

Plucking players from a country with the population the size of Preston, Iceland finished second in their Euro 2016 qualifying group which included Holland, Turkey and Czech Republic. Good coaching (most of their players don’t play in Iceland from 17), investment in facilities for younger players and a great team spirit helped. They’re now going to their first -ever international tournament.

Notable mentions: Wales, Northern Ireland, Chile.

Best game: Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0. Champions League semi-final first leg

“Wow,” said Gary Neville minutes after the final whistle at Camp Nou. Covering the game for Sky Sports, he was amazed by what he’d seen: two giants going toe-to-toe to create a thrilling spectacle in a major competition, where Pep Guardiola dared to start the game with three at the back.

“That was incredible,” enthused Neville. “The intensity of the game, the attitude to be on the front foot. I was mesmerised by the whole night and Messi was sensational, the difference in the end. This Barça team take me to a different place to where I normally am watching football. They make you forget about tactics, makes you forget abut defending and the ugly side of the game. It takes you to a place where you think about the brilliance of skill, the importance of a show.”

Notable mention: Barca 5 Sevilla 4 aet. European Super Cup final.

Biggest surprise?

Gary Neville being appointed Valencia manager.

Other mention: Chelsea’s start to the season after they’d won the league.

Worst football related violence: Red Star v Partizan Belgrade

A sunny April Saturday afternoon in Belgrade, blighted by 45 minutes of unrelenting violence at the start of the Belgrade derby. Fans fought against each other, between each other and against the police and army. People were crushed, they got trampled and there were numerous injuries. A police helicopter was impotent in the face of such visceral aggression, where the dominant sound was the smack of plastic seat hitting riot shield.

Eight thousand Partizan fans were part of the 43,000 crowd, with the game held up for 40 minutes.

“War on the North East (terrace)’ read one newspaper report. An accompanying statement from the Interior Ministry of Serbia concluded: “Hooligan behaviour has led to slight injuries to 35 police officers. Police reacted professionally and efficiently, quelling a conflict started by fans which could have led to calling the game off and other serious consequences. Before, during and after the game, 41 individuals (most of them non-Serbians) were arrested and police also turned back a van from Zrenjanin loaded with rocks and bricks.”

Unnotable mention: An Athens derby had to be called off in November due to violence.

Player of 2015: Neymar

Lionel Messi is still the planet’s finest talent, but off the field financial stories aside, 2015 was an incredible year for the Brazilian. He improved as his partnership with Luis Suarez settled down. He stepped up to the plate when Messi was injured for two months towards the end of the year. Instead of getting worse, Barça became better.

Neymar won the lot.

“A fantastic boy,” opined Xavi. “He’s Brazilian, he loves life. Other cultures might not understand his humour, people think he’s making fun of his rivals, but he’s not. He’s incredible.”

Best away following: Athletic Bilbao

Spanish clubs don’t travel well, but Athletic Bilbao fans at Camp Nou for the Spanish Cup final were superb. All their 38,500 ticket allocation was sold – which would be expected of any big club in a final. Then they bought the majority of the neutral tickets.

Basques snapped up more than their share, some from avaricious Barça fans who perhaps had one eye on reaching Berlin and wanted to make a few Euros. The result was close to 60,000 fans in Camp Nou. They saw their team outclassed and defeated 3-1

Best supporters’ song: Sheffield Wednesday

FC United of Manchester fans were singing along to the Beach Boys’ ‘Sloop John B’ years ago, but Sheffield Wednesday fans gave it a nice twist.

Sung in honour of their new Portuguese manager Carlos Carvalhal, Owls fans sang: “Carlos had a dream, to build a football team. He had no money so he had to sign them on loan. We build from the back, with Joao in attack. We’re Sheffield Wednesday were on our way back.” Just imagine Carvalhal trying to explain that one back to his mates in Portugal.

It’s still not as good as their Bramall Lane rivals’ Greasy Chip Butty song, but the city which should host top-flight football does produce some quality tunes.

Best press release: Sporting Khasla - after their FA Cup game against FC United was hit by some ‘local troublemakers’

“We’re conscious of the fact that a small number of local troublemakers seemed determined to spoil the day for everyone,” it read. “We’re pretty confident these people had to look up ‘Noose Lane’ on the school computer during the week in order to find us. Let’s be absolutely crystal clear, these people are nothing to do with Sporting Khalsa, they’re nothing to do with non-league football and are sadly just something society has to tolerate, whether we like it or not. You would also think that if you go looking for fights, the pre-requisite is that you’re good at fighting. It seems not.”

Best football television programme: The BBC documentary on Salford City

A two part story about people as much as football, the best bit was when Gary Neville asked chairwoman Karen Braid if the club paid for their Sky television coverage in the clubhouse. The pause which followed suggested not.

Phoenix club of the year? Parma

The latest to go bankrupt and reform under a slightly different name, the club which once featured Hernan Crespo, Guinluigi Buffon and Tino Asprilla reformed and started again in Serie D. They’re rising fro the bottom with the help of 10,000 season ticket holders.

Ouch, that’s unlucky: Girona

Girona were a minute away from a first ever promotion to La Liga. At home to struggling Lugo, they led 1-0 in the 90th minute of the final game of the season. Lugo equalised, which meant Sporting Gijon - who’d enjoyed a suspicious looking 3-0 win at champions Betis - went up.

The Catalan side blew up in the play-offs and stayed down, where they’re currently fighting relegation.

Best musical instrument at a game: A Qatari Mizmar

Crowds at the Qatari Super League barely average four figures, but the fans present sing and support their team. Dressed head to toe in white dishdash, fans of Xavi’s club Al Sadd played a Mizmar, a wind instrument which creates a beautiful melodic sound.

The rise of the tiny teams: Bournemouth, Carpi, Sassuolo

All were promoted to the Premier League or Serie A. While superb achievements, the romance is stripped back when one realises that they’re all owned by hugely wealthy benefactors. In Germany, the rise of the factory teams like Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg is largely resented.

Best goal: Lionel Messi v Bayern Munich. Champions League semi-final.

The Argentinian scored his second of the game, running onto a pass and spinning past Jerome Boateng before chipping Manuel Neuer, probably the best goalkeeper in the world.

Pep Guardiola had said Messi was “unstoppable” pre-match. He knew Barcelona well, he knew the Messi’s genius even better. Messi is set to play his 500th Barça game v Betis. Aged 28, he’s already La Liga’s all-time top scorer.

Biggest disappointment: Manchester United

A brief spring flurry aside when United were excellent as they beat Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham, an expensively assembled United side continues to falter.

Contenders: Chelsea’s title defence.