Tevez suspended for refusing to play

MANCHESTER City have suspended star striker Carlos Tevez for a maximum of two weeks.  This follows the extraordinary incident, which seems to highlight that the wantaway Argentine forward refused to come off the bench during City’s 2-0 defeat in the UEFA Champions League at Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

    Early on in the match, the former Manchester City captain was seen warming up alongside fellow subs Pablo Zabaleta and James Milner.  They had to witness a dismal first half from the English side, falling two goals behind to tap-ins from Mario Gomez.  On the hour mark, the disappointed Edin Dzeko was replaced by Nigel de Jong.  With the game looking out of the reach, it initially looked like a negative move by Coach Roberto Mancini to restrict the damage of a heavy defeat.  However, more met the eye by the argument Tevez seemed to be having with one of the coaches.  Whether the instruction was ignored, misunderstood or misheard, he sat on the bench for the rest of the match, arms folded, looking just as miserable as he did when Mancini decided to bring on Mario Balotelli rather than him in Saturday’s Premiership success against Everton.  Only after the final whistle did Mancini confirm to the media that serious attitude problem that Tevez had shown;

“If I have my way, he will be out.  He is finished with me.  If we want to improve as a team, Carlos can’t play with us.  With me, he is finished.  He refused to come on the pitch.  What I said to Carlos is between me, him and the team, but I am really disappointed because it is Carlos.  I decide the changes.”

     Yesterday morning, Tevez released a statement, denying that he had refused to play in Munich hours earlier;

“I would like to apologise to all Manchester City fans, with whom I have always had a strong relationship, for any misunderstanding that occurred in Munich.  They understand that when I am on the pitch, I have always given my best for the club.  In Munich on Tuesday, I had warmed up and was ready to play.”

     Last night, the club released this statement on the matter;

"Manchester City can confirm that striker Carlos Tevez has been suspended until further notice for a maximum period of two weeks.  The player's suspension is pending a full review into his alleged conduct during Tuesday evening's 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.  The player will not be considered for selection or take part in training whilst the review is under way."

FINISHED: Tevez's career at Manchester City is surely over

     Personally, I can’t see how Tevez can ever play for Manchester City again, no matter who is telling the truth.  However, for someone who is earning at least £200,000 a week; a ridiculous salary for a football player to apparently refuse to play.  I was shocked to hear how the relationship has disintegrated between Tevez and Mancini and City are now in a very tricky position.  No club will surely want to buy a player who doesn’t have the mojo to play for all potential occasions and even a loan move would be tricky, due to his wages.  The club can’t really sack him, as it will cost them the best part of £40million and even for Manchester City; that would be an immense fortune to write off a contract for.  Player power in the game has now gone way over the top and this is a dangerous precedent.  What happens next in this saga is anyone’s guess.     

UEFA Champions League last 16, second leg - Three out of four for England

THE second legs of the last 16 took place in the UEFA Champions League in the last fortnight.  Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Chelsea all booked places in the final eight, but England was denied a full quota by an inspirational Lionel Messi and a scandalous referee decision.

ORDERS: Van Persie receives a shock red card as Arsenal crash out

     It was heartache for Arsenal last Tuesday, as the Gunners lost their 2-1 first leg advantage over competition favourites Barcelona.  Barcelona overturned the deficit in Spain to win 3-1, with Lionel Messi the destroyer again, scoring twice.  When you consider that Arsenal didn’t have a single shot on target in the 90 minutes, there can be no complaints that the better side won and deserved to go through.  However, Arsene Wenger’s side were given a cruel twist of fate in the second half.  The game was tied at 1-1, through a Messi goal and an own goal from Barcelona shielding player Sergio Busquets.  Robin van Persie, only just back from a short injury lay-off was flagged offside, and kicked the ball away about half a second later.  The Dutchman claimed that he couldn’t hear the whistles, which is understandable, considering there were 90,000 spectators in the Nou Camp.  However, experienced Swiss official Massimo Busacca wasn’t interested and gave Van Persie his marching orders.  Wenger and Samir Nasri have since been charged and banned for one match each by UEFA following post-match comments.  With only ten men, Arsenal had little hope and a beautifully executed goal by Xavi, followed shortly afterwards by a Messi penalty had Wenger’s men down and out.

     One side who would have enjoyed Barcelona’s victory were Tottenham Hotspur.  Arsenal’s insult was completed by Tottenham’s progression to the quarter-finals, at the expense of AC Milan.  The Serie A leaders dominated the match at White Hart Lane, but failed to create many clear-cut chances and consequently, failed to overturn Peter Crouch’s sole winner at the San Siro three weeks earlier.  The 0-0 draw was good enough to see Spurs through 1-0 on aggregate.  After all the heroics and entertainment of Tottenham’s inaugural Champions League campaign, this game was a damp squib in all sense of the words.  However, Tottenham’s defending display was fantastic, and by limiting Milan to a single desperate goal-line clearance from a scuffed Robinho shot, they managed to comfortably nullify the Italian threat. 

     Despite an increasing injury crisis in defence, Manchester United made it through into the quarter-finals for the seventh successive season, seeing off Marseille 2-1 at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.  After a goalless draw in France, it was always going to be a tense night for the 2008 winners and injuries during the match to John O’Shea and Rafael only made things harder.  Sir Alex Ferguson has his new goal poacher Javier Hernandez to thank for further progression in the Champions League.  The Mexican scored a brace to make sure that Wes Brown’s late own goal was of little consequence.  Marseille will rue the lack of adventure they showed in the home game between these two sides.

     Chelsea made it through into the quarter-finals, following a comfortable, if uninspiring 0-0 draw against FC Copenhagen on Wednesday.  This meant that the two Nicholas Anelka goals in the first leg in Denmark were easily enough.  Chelsea’s performance wasn’t great in midweek and the lack of goals in the team since the arrival of Fernando Torres might worry Carlo Ancelotti.  Nevertheless, at least they have something to fight for this season.

STUNNER: Inter fought back to beat Bayern in Germany

     Reigning champions Inter Milan somehow managed to keep Italian interest in Europe alive, by beating Bayern Munich 3-2 in Germany and therefore, advance on the away goals rule.  Despite an early Samuel Eto’o strike, quick fire goals from Arjen Robben and Mario Gomez seemed to have ended Inter’s title defence.  However, Leonardo has managed to install some impressive battling qualities into the side and they kept fighting, aiding by Bayern’s ability to miss a host of chances.  Wesley Snejider drew Inter level on the night, and in stoppage time, the inconsistent Goran Pandev produced a stunning strike to win the tie.  It was Pandev’s first ever Champions League strike for Inter and left Bayern’s players and fans especially numb afterwards.

    There weren’t any issues for Real Madrid, who comfortably saw off Lyon 3-0 at the Bernabeau to make the quarter-finals for the first time since 2004.  Karim Benzema netted again against his former club and there were also strikes from left-back Marcelo and Angel di Maria.  Jose Mourinho’s quest to become the first coach ever to win the Champions League with three different clubs still remains, but Real, like Chelsea are bound to face harder challenges in the latter stages.

     The remaining quarter-final births were taken by Shakhtar Donetsk and Schalke 04.  Shakhtar are a very dangerous side and they ripped apart AS Roma over two legs, to win 6-2 on aggregate.  Philippe Mexes was sent off and Jeremy Menez missed a penalty to complete Roma’s dreadful night.  Schalke might be very inconsistent in the Bundesliga, but they seem to be saving their best form for this competition.  They came from 1-0 down to see off Valencia 3-1 in Gelsenkirchen and advance 4-2 on aggregate.

     The quarter-final draw has pitted Chelsea against Manchester United in an all-English tie, whilst Tottenham play Real Madrid, Inter Milan test themselves against Schalke 04 and Barcelona’s next opposition is Shakhtar Donetsk.  Wembley is getting ever closer and I think this competition is only going to get even more tastier now.

UEFA Champions League last 16, first leg - North London stun giants

THE

 UEFA Champions League returned from its winter hibernation and both North London sides took massive strides into the quarter-finals.  Last week, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur produced outstanding performances at the Emirates and the San Siro respectively to slay two of the ultimate giants in European football, Barcelona and AC Milan.

CELEBRATION: Villa got Barca off to a dream start, but Arsenal fought back

Last season, a Lionel Messi inspired Barcelona were simply too strong for Arsenal in the last eight.  This time around, Arsene Wenger’s young guns proved that they could match the Catalans at their own game and created a historical night that their fans will never forget.  Although Barcelona might still have a narrow advantage for the second leg, the 2-1 win gives Arsenal every chance of knocking out the best attacking side in the world.  Barca played some beautiful football in the first half and fully deserved a half-time lead, when Messi thread through David Villa; the Spaniard scoring with impeccable ease.  Messi missed two golden opportunities in the match and for this, the La Liga leaders were punished by two quick fire strikes in the last fifteen minutes.  Robin Van Persie continued his scoring streak by scoring from an almost impossible angle against a very uncertain Victor Valdes.  With eight minutes to go, the Gunners broke away in the style that Barcelona do to most teams.  Cesc Fabregas found Samir Nasri, who cleverly cut the ball back for substitute Andrei Arshavin to finish off a rasping move.  For Arshavin, who had been massively out of form since Christmas, this will be a real tonic and would have got him back in the good books of most supporters.  The ultimate winner was football; this should be the perfect example for all kids to watch and be educated on.

SHOWDOWN: Gennaro Gattuso v Joe Jordan, seconds out!

Back in October, Tottenham came mighty close to upsetting defending champions Inter Milan at the San Siro, narrowly losing 4-3.  Four months later, they returned to Milan and continued their epic European tale with a 1-0 victory against AC Milan, leaving them in pole position for a place in the quarter-finals.  Like Arsenal, their winning goal came from a counter-attacking move, with Peter Crouch converting Aaron Lennon’s pass as the Milan defence was caught square-on by their fast-forwarding opponents.  Despite missing Gareth Bale through injury, Spurs were rarely under threat from a Milan side, that despite leading the Serie A title race, look a pale shadow of legendary sides that used to spend tingles down opponent’s backs.  The match will sadly remember an act of lurid behaviour from Milan captain Gennaro Gattuso.  After an early caution, Gattuso had a bust-up with Tottenham first team coach Joe Jordan during the game.  At full-time, Gattuso completely lost the plot and head butted Jordan.  The Italian seemed up for a fight, had it not been for the quick reaction of the Milan substitutes.  UEFA has since banned him for four matches, so hopefully we’ve seen the last of Gattuso in Europe this season.

Chelsea may be having domestic troubles, but there were no problems in Europe this week, as they coasted to a 2-0 away win in Denmark against FC Copenhagen.  Once again, Didier Drogba was left on the bench by Carlo Ancelotti, but this time, both Fernando Torres and Nicholas Anelka looked very threatening against a defence that looked terrified to tackle their opponents.  Anelka scored both goals, one in each half and Torres was desperately unlucky not to break his Chelsea account either.  The Blues will have no problems in going through from the return, and have to still be considered as a major threat in this season’s competition, despite their lack of form and confidence in the Premiership.

When both managers afterwards admit that the game was poor, then it doesn’t take a genius to work out that a diabolical game was witnessed.  Marseille and Manchester United played out a tame and lethargic 0-0 draw in the Stade Velodrome on Wednesday night, which will have to go down as one of the most boring games in the history of the European Cup.  Didier Deschamps team seemed happy to not concede an away goal, which was disappointing as they were the home side.  Sir Alex Ferguson was content to keep things tight and not face a disadvantage for the second leg at Old Trafford.  Neither goalkeeper was significantly troubled, as this knockout tie turned more into a Sunday League kick-a-bout.  The way United’s players looked afterwards in the post-match interviews, they’d realised that an opportunity to finish the tie had been badly missed.

FORWARD: Bayern took a giant step, after Gomez's late winner

In the other four games, Italian hopes in the competition are hanging by a thread.  Despite dominating their match against Bayern Munich, Inter Milan were beaten 1-0 at home by the plucky Germans, in a repeat of last season’s final.  Mario Gomez, who previously couldn’t hit a barndoor, let alone the net in his career, can’t stop scoring at the moment.  The German international struck again in injury time to leave Louis van Gaal’s side in complete control of the tie.  Claudio Ranieri resigned as AS Roma coach at the weekend, after letting a 3-0 lead slip to lose 4-3 to Genoa in Serie A.  In the Champions League, Roma have it all to do too, after tripping up 3-2 at home to Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk.  On his first return to Spain since leaving Real Madrid, Raul scored a priceless goal to earn Schalke 04 a creditable 1-1 draw in the Mestalla against Valencia.  Raul’s old club stumbled to a 1-1 draw themselves, in France against Lyon.  Jose Mourinho’s side are favourites now to finish the job, but need to be wary against Lyon, who knocked them out at this stage last season.

Some games delivered in quality, others didn’t, but the battle to reach Wembley in May is now well and truly on.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 - Perfect Maximum For British Sides

Last week’s UEFA Champions League action provided us with plenty of cheer for the British sides, as they produced five victories out of five competitive games.  There was also a remarkable 13 penalties in the midweek sixteen encounters.

After throwing away a two-goal lead in Bremen a fortnight earlier, Tottenham Hotspur embraced Champions League football for the first time at White Hart Lane, with a thrilling match against Dutch champions FC Twente.  Spurs won 4-1, although the final scoreline does not tell the full story of a pulsating and unpredictable encounter.  It was a mixed night for the new hero in North London, Rafael van der Vaart.  Van der Vaart had a first-half penalty brilliantly saved by Nicolay Milihayov, then scored a splendid opener early in the second half.  Less than ten minutes later, he was heading for an early shower after two daft challenges left him with a red card.  For such an experienced player as van der Vaart, it was a costly and unnecessary dismissal which rules him out of Tottenham’s trip to the San Siro in three weeks time.  Experienced Norwegian ref Terje Hauge, who has once refereed a Champions League final had an awful night too, giving Spurs three penalties, of which two were very debatable indeed.  Van der Vaart may have had his spot kick saved, but Roman Pavyluchenko coolly dispatched the other two without any fuss.  Gareth Bale put the seal on the result and with Werder Bremen being ripped apart by Inter Milan, losing 4-0 to Rafa Benitez’s defending champions, thanks to a Samuel Eto’o hat-trick, Tottenham will feel in a strong position to qualify from Group A.

Whereas Tottenham’s match was a joy to watch, Manchester United’s display in the Mestalla was content and professional, if very tedious to endure.  Their 1-0 win over Valencia, the current La Liga leaders has put them in total command of Group C.  With Rio Ferdinand back from injury, United looked far more solid at the back, and restricted Valencia to very little sights on goal.  With five minutes left, Nani counter-attacked, fed in Federico Macheda, who set-up fellow substitute Javier Hernandez.  Hernandez’s finish was clinical, and with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs missing, this result could be the pivotal one in the group for Sir Alex Ferguson’s campaigners.

After six successive home UEFA Champions League losses, Rangers stopped the rot in United’s group, recording a 1-0 win over Turkish rookies Buraspor.  Buraspor may have done extremely well to beat the likes of Besiktas and Fenerbache to win the Turkish championship, but they looked far out-of-their depth in Scotland, and had it been a more clinical side, could have received a tonking.  As it was only Rangers, the scoreline consequently looked far more respectable on them.  Rangers only goal came on 18 minutes, scored by the very dangerous Steven Naismith, diving in bravely to beat the goalkeeper to Kirk Broadfoot’s header.

Following an embarrassing Premiership slip-up at home to West Brom the previous Saturday, Arsenal couldn’t afford any errors in Serbia and there weren’t any, with a 3-1 win against Partizan Belgrade in a challenging environment doing the power of good for Arsene Wenger’s young-guns.  Andrei Arshavin buried the Gunners infront early on, set-up by a cute backheel from the impressive teenager Jack Wiltshire.  Partizan levelled before half-time, when Denilson handled in the penalty area and the resulting penalty was dispatched.  On the hour mark, defender Jovanovic was dismissed for hauling down Marouane Chamakh when the Moroccan was clear in on goal.  However, Arshavin spurned the chance, by having his penalty saved.  Luckily for the Russian, headers in the last twenty minutes from Chamakh and centre-back Sebastian Squillaci saw Arsenal home, and there was even time for Lukasz Fabianski to save a second Partizan penalty.  All in all, this was a very satisfying night for the red half of North London.

Chelsea had little trouble in easily dispensing the French champions Marseille, cruising to a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.  Slack marking from the visitors allowed John Terry to ghost in at the near post and strike the Blues ahead after only seven minutes.  Nicolas Anelka dispatched a second from the penalty spot on the half hour mark and Carlo Ancelotti’s men took their foot off the gas in the second half, with Arsenal around the corner in the Premiership.  Despite that, both Alex and Michael Essien (twice!) struck the woodwork in the second half.  For Didier Deschamps, the coach of Marseille, it was a meek display to watch and a very unhappy return to the club which he played for in the 1999/2000 Champions League campaign, Chelsea’s inaugural attempt at winning Europe’s premier club competition.

Elsewhere in Europe, Bayern Munich left it very late in Group E to win 2-1 in Switzerland against FC Basle.  Two goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger, the second in the 89^th minute sealing the victory and with Louis van Gaal about to sign a contract extension, things are looking up for last season’s runners-up.  In Group C, Barcelona escaped from Russia with a very fortuitous 1-1 draw against FC Rubin Kazan, who took four points off Pep Guardiola’s team last season.  The main positive for the bookies favourites is the return of Lionel Messi from injury, far quicker than anyone anticipated.  Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama scored from the penalty spot, but couldn’t prevent Hapoel Tel-Aviv from losing 3-1 at home to Lyon in Group B, who have made a shocking start to the French domestic season that has them in the bottom three, whilst substitute Angel di Maria scored the only goal in Real Madrid’s scrappy 1-0 Group G win in Auxerre.  The battle lines have been well and truly drawn, only after the next matchday can we start beginning to separate the contenders from the stragglers.

UEFA Champions League Final - Magic In Madrid For Mourinho

Last night, the city of magnificent Madrid belonged to the magic that is Jose Mourinho.  And it probably will for a good time to come, if the rumours are to be believed that he is destined for future management at the Bernabeau. 

His Inter Milan side coasted to a solid and impressive 2-0 success in the UEFA Champions League final, against a limp Bayern Munich side.  Inter didn’t need to be spectacular to seal their success, but their strengths in Jose’s tactical gameplay saw him overcome his mentor at Barcelona at the beginning of the century, Louis van Gaal.  Argentine Diego Milito, who has scored thirty goals in Serie A this season was the natural difference between the two sides, who two quality finishes that will have an on looking Diego Maradona licking his lips in anticipation with the World Cup just three weeks later.  Milito’s deadly finishing will have the likes of Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero worried over a first-team place ahead of the Argies opening group game against Nigeria on June 12^th.

After a bright opening, Inter faded badly, but against the run of play, took the crucial advantage ten minutes before half-time.  Julio Cesar’s hopeful kick up field found Milito, who combined brilliantly with the Inter playmaker, Wesley Snejider.  An interchange of passes followed, and Milito left his national countryman Martin Demichellis for dead, before coolly dispatching his effort past the advancing Hans-Jorg Butt.  After the break, Bayern attempted to get back into the game and their young German striker Thomas Muller came close, thwarted by the excellent Cesar, whose goalkeeping seems to get better with every passing match.  With twenty minutes to go and the dynamic Miroslav Klose on the pitch, Munich was ready to throw everything at the Italian defence, notably without a single Italian in the starting eleven.  However, just as they attempted this tactic, Inter produced another of those traditional breakaways, sealing the match in clinical fashion.

Snejider was fouled in the build-up, but English referee Howard Webb, who had a faultless game played on and the ball eventually reached Milito, who once again had the firm measure of Demichellis and his centre-back partner, Daniel Van Buyten.  Once again, his finish was emphatic, leaving Butt without a hope and Bayern without a prayer.  Van Gaal’s side looked inept of ideas, with Franck Ribery suspended and Arjen Robben man-marked by the experienced duo of Christian Chivu and Javier Zanetti. 

So, it was Mourinho’s night as he wrapped up a historic treble for Inter and their first European Cup in over forty years.  Time and again, they have flattered to deceive in this competition, as the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have brushed them aside with apparent ease.  It took the ‘Special One’ to unlock the cherished grail as he became only the third coach to win the European Cup with two different clubs.  Both Chelsea and Barcelona tumbled out to the Italians, who have firmly established themselves as a real leading powerhouse in European football.  However, whether the magic that Mourinho has will be passed onto his successor remains to be seen.  Jose Mourinho’s mission was for Inter Milan to become Champions of Europe, and this he had achieved.  Next destination surely is to tackle Barcelona’s dominance of La Liga with the underachieving stars that are Real Madrid.   

UEFA Champions League Semi-Final Review - Jose's Greatest Triumph

The semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League have given the past fortnight plenty of drama and a final, that nobody probably could have predicted way back at the start of the season.  Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan will come face-to-face with Louis Van Gaal’s Bayern Munich in Madrid on May 22^nd.  Whatever happens, either manager will become only the third coach in European Cup history to win the title with two different clubs, (Van Gaal with Ajax in 1995 & Mourinho in 2004 with FC Porto.) 

Mourinho claimed Wednesday night’s aggregate victory over his former employers, Barcelona as his greatest triumph in football history.  It was another piece of tactical masterstroke genius from Mourinho, who outwitted Carlo Ancelotti and Chelsea in Round Two, and now has Pepe Guardiola on his winning CV too.  Although Goran Pandev went down with a thigh injury moments before the game, the decision to bring Christian Chivu into the line-up, instead of another attacker was an inspired choice by the Special One.

Carrying a 3-1 lead from the first leg in the San Siro, any attacking hopes at the Nou Camp for the Italians were wiped away by a spectacular piece of playacting from Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets.  His 28^th minute ‘pole axed’ impression got the former Barca midfielder, Thiago Motta sent off, when TV replays suggested Motta only fended Busquets off, rather than elbowed him, as the reaction suggested.  Though Motta should know better for the experience he has of the big occasion, the Brazilian can count himself unlucky.  Following a bust-up involving both benches, plus some choice words between Mourinho and Guardiola, the match settled down into an attack versus defence game of chess. 

Eventually, Barcelona brokethrough with seven minutes to go, when the ex-Manchester United centre-back, Gerard Pique went forward and showed a genuine piece of quality skill that would make the insipid Zlatan Ibrahimovic eat your heart out.  His cool finish gave the Catalans the hope, which nearly turned into reality when Bojan scored in injury-time, only for the goal to be wiped out, courtesy of an earlier handball from Yaya Toure.  At the final whistle, Barcelona sank to their knees, whilst Mourinho ran onto the pitch, with one hand in the air, pointing at the Milan fans in sheer delight.  An ugly confrontation with the Spanish goalkeeper Victor Valdes followed, but it was Jose’s night and no-one was going to spoil this moment for him.

Bayern Munich had a much easier time of it, overcoming a timid Lyon outfit 4-0 on aggregate, with an impressive 3-0 success in France on Tuesday night.  Despite overcoming the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid on their way to the last four, Lyon had failed to capture my imagination and their negativity in the first leg in the Allianz Arena was horrifying to see.  Despite Franck Ribery’s crude challenge on Lisandro Lopez, which earned a deserved red card and suspension from the final, Bayern always looked in command and another stunner from Arjen Robben gave them a narrow advantage to take to the Stade de Gerland.  Although Cris’s sending off for the hosts was ridiculous, Munich found this to be comfortable Tuesday night stroll.  Croatian Ivica Olic, who scored two critical goals against Manchester United, clinched a masterful hat-trick to see the Germans progress to their first final in nine years.

For the first time in its seventeen year history, the UEFA Champions League final will be held on a Saturday night, in an effort to win more of a primetime TV audience.  Despite their being no English presence for the first time since 2004, this game could turn into a classic.  Madrid is a wonderful occasion; let’s hope we have a game to remember in three weeks time, between two of the European superpowers, who have had lean spells of late, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich.  

UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final, 2st Leg Review - Majestic Messi & Bruising Bayern Shine Through

So, that’s it then.  For the first time since 2003, there will be no English representatives in the final four of the UEFA Champions League.  Back then, three Italian sides, plus Real Madrid made the semi-finals.  This time around, we have a diverse range of nations still being represented, by Spain, Italy, France and Germany. 

To be honest, English clubs have been spoilt rotten in Europe of recent times.  We had the 2008 final to ourselves, and in the past four years, have had three semi-finalists from England.  Therefore, that time did had to change, and their can be no excuses either, our sides simply weren’t good enough this season to deliver on Europe’s premier club stage.

Liverpool failed in the group stages, a brief summary of their shambolic season, both domestic and abroad.  Despite making the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League, Rafa Benitez and the players must shoulder the blame for a campaign full of tactical mistakes and defensive cock-ups.  The lack of depth in Chelsea was strongly highlighted by their early departure in the knockout stages.  Jose Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge with a confident Inter side and the Serie A league leaders outmuscled, outfought and outclassed the Blues in two hard-fought contests.

The youngsters of Arsenal have been fairly impressive in Europe this season and if the draw had been a bit kinder to them, they might have had the chance of making it all the way to Madrid.  Unfortunately for Arsene Wenger, his side ran into the unstoppable Barcelona and the unplayable Lionel Messi.  Following a stirring fightback at the Emirates six days earlier, Arsenal supporters would have gone to the Nou Camp thinking of a famous night out, even though it seemed to be in more hope than expectation.  Niklas Bendtner made them believe more by giving the Gunners an early lead, but the majestic Messi quickly wiped out the advantage and soon enough, the Argentine took the game away from the Premiership title challengers.  Messi’s level was outstanding, on another planet from the rest.  He cut Arsenal single-handily to ribbons, reminders to how Maradona was at his age.  The 4-1 final scoreline did Barcelona full justice; they were three goals better and now must believe they are unbeatable on a sublime march to the final.  They will meet Mourinho and Inter in the semis, as they put in a professional performance to seal the job in Moscow against CSKA.  Wesley Snejider’s early free-kick settled the outcome in the freezing sub-zero temperatures.

The other semi-final will see Lyon play in the final four for the first time.  Despite a 1-0 defeat at Bordeaux in the second leg, they gritted it out and held on to a narrow 3-2 aggregate lead.  Sadly, for the Red Devils and the English neutral, Lyon will come up against Bayern Munich, not Manchester United after an breathtaking night of drama at Old Trafford.  The pre-game build-up was all about whether Wayne Rooney would make a surprising return from his ankle injury he picked up in the Allianz Arena the previous week.  He did play and his presence was felt, United charging into a 3-0 lead by 40 minutes, with goals from the young starlet Darren Gibson and a brace from the inconsistent Portuguese winger Nani.  Rooney though was struggling, having picked up an earlier knock and was withdrawn shortly after half-time.  By then, Munich had got back in the match, with Ivica Olic netting just before half-time to give the Bundesliga leaders hope.  With Rooney off, Rafael controversially dismissed for two bookable offences, United were on the ropes and couldn’t hold on.  With sixteen minutes remaining, Franck Ribery’s corner found Arjen Robben and the ex-Chelsea winger hit an unstoppable shot past a despairing Edwin van der Sar.  With it, went United and English hopes in the premier club competition this time around.

Honestly, United haven’t been good enough either to win it this season.  The limped to a home draw with CSKA in the group stages and limped to a shock home loss to Turkish minnows Besiktas.  Although AC Milan went down tamely at the Theatre of Dreams, their valiant effort at the San Siro showed many the cracks in Ferguson’s European campaign and Bayern Munich went on to expose them fully.

It’s a nice blend in the final four and anything is possible, but surely, it will take something special to stop Barcelona on their road to defending their trophy successfully in Madrid.

UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final, 1st Leg Review - Injuries Harm The English

The final eight of the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League all put in valuable performances and gave good accounts of them.  The first legs were full of stories of anguish, style and what might have been.  For the English clubs, it was a week full of mixed emotions and though, both are still in the game, injuries to their red-hot key men could have the final ultimate say in their future participation this year in European competition.

For at least forty-eight hours, the hearts of Manchester United, England and Fabio Capello must have been racing, when Wayne Rooney hobbled off in the Allianz Area, then was spotted outside the United team hotel on crutches.  Had England’s World Cup dreams dies with this latest injury trauma?  Fortunately, scans revealed the good news, minor ligament damage which meant all Three Lions fans could breathe a huge sigh of relief.  For United though, the prognosis is not so good and a three week lay-off means we may not see Rooney in Europe until the final in Madrid, should United get there.  That’s a big ‘should,’ as Manchester United’s night in Munich turned into a nightmare.  Rooney scored a very early goal, cancelled out by a deflected Franck Ribery free-kick.  Then, Bayern got ultimate revenge for the 1999 final, by scoring a deserving injury-time winner through Croatian Ivica Olic.  Olic fully capitalized on a rare error from the consistent Patrice Evra, which pretty much summed up the evening for Sir Alex Ferguson.  They do remain favourites for the return at Old Trafford this Wednesday, but any mistakes will be punished, which could lead to a surprising exit.

For sixty-five minutes, Arsenal had been given a football lesson at the Emirates by the masters from Barcelona.  It was like men versus boys and had Manuel Almunia not produced an inspired first-half showing, the game would have been out of reach.  Less than thirty seconds into the restart though, Zlatan Ibrahimovic proved all of his doubters wrong with a delicious lob over the advancing Almunia, then powered home a second before the hour mark.  It looked like curtains for the Gunners, until an inspired move by Arsene Wenger.  Theo Walcott was thrown on and he changed the game in an instant, causing the Catalan defence some horrendous issues.  He scored straightaway from his introduction, then played a part in the debatable penalty won by Cesc Fabregas, which saw Carlos Puyol dismissed.  Fabregas smashed home the spot kick, to complete the comeback, his last action this season, after scans on Thursday confirmed a broken leg.  This is a hammer blow for the return as far as Arsenal is concerned, especially with William Gallas and Andrei Arshavin also facing long injury lay-offs.  However, they have given Barcelona enough to worry about for the rerun of the beautiful game this Tuesday.

Inter Milan and Jose Mourinho remains still on target for their ultimate aim, after trouncing CSKA Moscow at the San Siro.  However, they only managed to net one goal, through Diego Milito in the first game and with a tricky assignment in Moscow; a 1-0 advantage looks very risky indeed.  So, must morale in the Inter dressing room after Mourinho’s pre-match comments claiming he hates Italian football.  Finally, in the all-French tie, Lyon benefited from some dodgy decisions and cataclysmic Bordeaux defending to take a 3-1 lead back for the second leg.  However, like CSKA, Bordeaux will still feel they have a chance in this tie, although it is now a hard road from here.

All four ties remain in the balance then for this week’s second legs.  The question will be how well can the English cope without the loss of their key players, Rooney and Fabregas.