As the round of sixteen concluded, Friday’s quarter-final draw took place without some key names in European football. Liverpool and Juventus exited the competition before Christmas, but as the leaves begin to grow on the trees and the days get longer, it turned into a dark couple of games for two giants of the game. Neither Real Madrid, nor Chelsea have made the last eight in 2010 and for the Blues, they came up short against the ‘Special One’ that is Jose Mourinho.
Holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg in the San Siro, Jose’s Inter side came to Stamford Bridge, possibly still considered as underdogs, despite the initial advantage. However, he got his tactics absolutely spot on against his former employees and he would have enjoyed getting one over Carlo Ancelotti and Roman Abramovich. Inter Milan made Chelsea very ordinary, and fully highlighted the severe weaknesses still in the West London side on the big stage. Samuel Eto’o’s goal settled the tie last Tuesday; don’t count Inter Milan out as European champions this time around, after years of constant underachievement. This is now Mourinho’s side, and his authority over the Italians is now firmly blossoming, after a rocky inaugural season at the helm. For Chelsea, where do they go from here? Well, Abramovich will need to spend again if he wants Ancelotti to deliver the greatest prize in the continental game. The deadwood like Ricardo Carvalho, John Obi Mikel, Paulo Ferreira and Deco need to be offload immediately and whilst injuries to key personnel Ashley Cole and Jose Boswinga, it’s the loss of Michael Essien that once again has shown Chelsea’s vulnerabilities well and truly. Essien is the heartbeat; sometimes the forgotten figure of the Chelsea midfield diamond and without him, the side doesn’t look as secure and convincing. Last month’s Premiership capitulation at home to Manchester City underlines this point. Winning the Premiership and the FA Cup is the only way for this now to be a successful season for the Londoners. Let’s not forget Didier Drogba’s act of frustration and stupidity. Already on a suspended sentence, he faces a possible long European ban, if UEFA decide to take action on his stamp on Thiago Motta in the closing stages. He will be lucky if he only ends up with the red card from the game, and no further punishment.
Underachieving is something Real Madrid is very consistent at. Not since 2004 have the Galactios made it to the quarter-finals, and even the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka, Alonso etc could not overcome a Lyon side, which may be full of young talent, but is a very unimpressive all-round unit. However, both Liverpool and Madrid have fallen foul of Lyon, so they shouldn’t be discounted in the final reckoning. Expect Madrid to spend heavily again this summer, with the likes of Franck Ribery and possibly Fernando Torres expected to join the bandwagon. However, the proven fact is that money does not buy you success. On the other hand, Barcelona romped home against VFB Stuttgart, with another mesmerising performance from Lionel Messi. Two more wonder goals from the Argentine, Barca must be made favourites to retain the trophy.
Their closest challenge could come from England, in the form of Manchester United and Arsenal. In Wayne Rooney, United have the form player in the world at the moment. He ripped AC Milan apart to shreds, and their defence is one of the best in the world. United are always around in the final reckoning, don’t be surprised if they go all the way to the final again. After a sketchy first-leg performance in Portugal, Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal shot FC Porto down 5-0 in the return, with ease. Niklas Bendtner scored an unlikely hat-trick, they just don’t do dull football. With Robin Van Persie due back soon, the Gunners could gun their way through to the pinnacle on May 22nd. However, with a Messi-inspired Barcelona in the way, they will have to go about it the hard way.
Finally, well done to Bordeaux, an excellent and efficient team unit, Bayern Munich, always there as a pest in the quarter-finals and the Russians from CSKA Moscow, who are the first Russian side to reach the last eight of the UEFA Champions League since 1996. They overcame highly-fancied Sevilla, with a shock win in Spain. Considering the lack of football they have, with the Russian season having finished way back in November, this is some achievement.
The quarter-final draw was made at UEFA headquarters in Nyon on Friday and it has pitted the following ties together:
Lyon v Bordeaux
Bayern Munich v Manchester United
Arsenal v Barcelona
Inter Milan v CSKA Moscow
It’s anyone’s game…who has the class, quality and panache to win this year’s UEFA Champions League. Whoever it will be is a deserved champion….
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