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 4 - Sensational Spurs stun Champions

WITH 53 goals in this week’s UEFA Champions League matches, there was plenty of action and drama.  Take a bow Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, the first three teams to qualify for the knockout stages, whilst Partizan Belgrade, Buraspor and MSK Zilina now have no hope of progressing past the group stages.  However, it was another debut club that rocked Europe this week. . .

It was another glory night for the new Welsh wizard Gareth Bale, as he tore Inter Milan to shreds for the second time in a fortnight.  Bale led Spurs to a famous 3-1 win over the European Champions, leaving them top of Group A.  Returning from suspension, Rafael van der Vaart opened the scoring from Luka Modric’s wonderfully executed pass.  In the second half, Bale took over, leaving the likes of Maicon and Lucio trailing in his wake.  His first tormenting run and cross set-up Peter Crouch for a tidy goal.  A great goal from Samuel Eto’o gave Inter hope with ten minutes to go, but Rafa Benitez could only look on as Bale went on another breathtaking run down the left-hand side and produced the perfect pass for Roman Pavyluchenko to wrap it up.  A win against Werder Bremen in three weeks time wraps up qualification for Tottenham, who have bought something fresh to this year’s competition. 

Whilst Tottenham were producing the performance of the tournament so far, North London rivals Arsenal had an off-night in the Ukraine, losing 2-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.  Arsene Wenger only took 18 players with him, due to injuries, though he will be disappointed with their lack of maturity here, especially as he still had Samir Nasri, Thomas Rosicky and Jack Wiltshire in his starting eleven.  Theo Walcott did have the Gunners infront after ten minutes, with his own devastating pace leading to a crisp finish after a magnificent counter attacking move.  By half-time, Arsenal’s stroll through the group had come to an abrupt halt against a Shakhtar side that looked totally different from the team that surrendered so meekly at the Emirates two weeks earlier.  Jadson’s free-kick was turned into his own net inadvertently by youngster Craig Eastmond.  Then, a terrible error by Gael Clichy allowed Darijo Srna to cross for ex-Arsenal striker Eduardo to score with the last kick of the first half.  Arsenal weren’t disgraced, but will need to dismiss themselves of these slip-ups, especially when it matter so much more in the latter stages.

On a mild November night in London, Chelsea’s progress was never in doubt, coasting to a 4-1 triumph over Spartak Moscow, which seals their progression from Group F.  Only a point is needed now to secure top spot too.  Carlo Ancelotti took the opportunity to rest John Terry and Michael Essien, and after a subdued first half, Chelsea clicked into top gear in the second half.  Nicolas Anelka opened the scoring from a tight angle that looked almost impossible to establish a lead.  Didier Drogba, making his fashionably late entrance into the Champions League scored a penalty shortly afterwards, before Branislav Ivanovic scored two goals that even Drogba would be proud of.  Although Bazhenov scored a consolation for the visitors, Chelsea’s first Champions League goal conceded in 300 minutes, it was another stroll in the park for the English champions.

A far superior Manchester United virtually secured their traditional passage through, with an emphatic 3-0 win in Turkey against Buraspor.  Frustrated in the first half, United took command in the second half once Darren Fletcher broke the deadlock.  Gabriel Obertan scored his first United goal in some style, with a ferocious effort, before Bebe netted on his European debut.  This was a comfortable win for the pacesetters in Group C.

However, Rangers now face a massive task to join United in the knockout stages after losing 3-0 in Spain to Valencia.  It was a very busy night for Allan McGregor, who produced a series of cracking saves, but he couldn’t prevent Roberto Soldado scoring two goals, and a fine stoppage time volley from substitute Ricardo Costa, that wrapped up proceedings.  Steven Naismith did hit the post twice for the Scottish league leaders and the scoreline was harsh on Rangers, but it was a very disappointing and potentially costly result.

Jose Mourinho returned to the San Siro and witnessed his Real Madrid side advance into the knockout stages, after they rescued a point against AC Milan.  It was a thrilling match, with Milan turning the game on its head through two more goals from one of the deadliest poachers in the European game, super sub Flippo Inzaghi.  It was Real’s own sub, Pedro Leon who scored a stoppage time equaliser that still leaves Milan with work to do, in joining Madrid to go through from Group G. 

Bayern Munich also sealed their place through into the next stage, after they outclassed CFR Cluj in Romania, winning 4-0.  Bayern are already ten points behind Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, and with Arjen Robben, Miroslav Klose and Ivica Olic all out injured at the moment, Louis van Gaal has lots of problems domestically.  However, Mario Gomez hit a hat-trick in this masterful performance.  Another team out of their depth in the Champions League is MSK Zilina, beaten 7-0 at home by Marseille in Group F.  There was a hat-trick from Andre-Pierre Gignac, as Marseille became the first team to score seven away from home in the Champions League.  Lyon lost their 100% record on Tuesday night in Group B, going down 4-3 in Portugal to Benfica, who were 4-0 with 15 minutes to go.  Talented winger Fabio Coentrao was on target twice for the home side and a feisty meeting in Denmark saw FC Copenhagen draw 1-1 with Barcelona in Group D, which saw coaches Solde Solbakken and Pepe Guardiola have a bust-up at full-time.  

For some, the dream of reaching Wembley is already over, but for others, they have sent out their fearful messages and it’s looking good for all four English clubs to progress past Christmas.  Matchday four though belongs to Tottenham Hotspur and its wonderful Welshman, Gareth Bale.  

UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 - Bale & Rooney Dominate The Headlines

MATCHDAY three and it is the halfway point of this season’s group stages in the UEFA Champions League.  This week saw fond returns, possible goodbyes and the valuation of a Welshman that has gone up massively after a stunning individual performance at the San Siro.

However, we start off with the chaotic week at Old Trafford, and it was off-the-field decisions that were dominating the headlines.  Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Turkish champions Buraspor will never be remembered as a classic, as Wayne Rooney took up the headlines, both on the front and the back pages.  Rooney’s decision to leave Manchester United, confirmed by Sir Alex Ferguson at Tuesday’s media conference had dumbfounded and stunned fans across the world.  On Wednesday night, banners at Old Trafford, such as ‘Colleen forgave you, we won’t’ summed up the fans attitude to Rooney’s immature behaviour.  Although Rooney has now signed a new five-year deal, putting an end to the saga for now – it has been a very bleak week in Manchester.  The match itself, which Rooney didn’t participate in, due to an ankle injury sustained in training, was settled by Nani’s stunning goal in the sixth minute.  The young Portuguese winner has really grown into a talented player and has probably benefited the most from Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure eighteen months ago.  The Group C encounter was not a stunner, with Buraspor coming looking for the draw, and only having one attempt at goal.  It may be a slow start, but seven points from nine mean United should progress comfortably as group winners.

In the other Group C match, Rangers drew 1-1 with Spanish pacesetters Valencia at Ibrox.  It was a mixed night for Maurice Edu, with the American scoring at both ends.  His own goal was a horrendous misjudgement and it might cost Rangers in the final picture.  Despite a very solid campaign so far, Walter Smith’s side will probably need at least a point in the intimidating Mestalla atmosphere in two weeks time, if they want to progress further in the competition.

Tottenham’s breathless maiden Champions League campaign continued, with a stunning individual performance from Gareth Bale, nearly rescuing an unlikely point in the San Siro against Inter.  Spurs players looked totally lost by the occasion in the first half and Harry Redknapp could only look on with rage and fury, as his side was ripped apart by the European champions in the first half.  Javier Zanetti scored his first goal since February 2008 after just 66 seconds, and from then on, the opening 45 minutes was a disaster for Tottenham.  Seven minutes later, Hereulho Gomes was sent off, after bringing down Jonathan Biabiany.  Samuel Eto’o coolly dispatched the penalty past Carlo Cudicini, and added a fourth goal ten minutes before half-time.  In between that, Dejan Stankovic finished off a thirty-five pass move, stroking a beautiful shot past the despairing Cudicini from the edge of the penalty area.  Tottenham looked dead and buried and for a while, Liverpool’s Champions League biggest win record (8-0 against Besiktas in November 2007) looked under severe threat.  Cue Bale, who sparked a dramatic fightback, with a stunning solo effort in the 56^th minute, then a similar effort in the 89^th minute.  Moments later, fine work from Aaron Lennon set the Welshman up for his first ever hat-trick, once again from a similar angle to his first two strikes.  Luckily for Inter, time ran out on Spurs, but Rafa Benitez and his assistant Mauricio Pellegrino will be worried by the defensive frailties that Bale exposed on them in the second half.

On Tuesday night, Arsenal took a giant leap towards qualification, with a crushing 5-1 demolition of their Group H rivals Shakhtar Donetsk.  Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas from the penalty spot and Marouane Chamakh were among those on target, and there was also a goal and another stunning performance from the wonder kid of the Emirates, Jack Wiltshire.  Brazilian Eduardo made a substitute cameo in the last twenty minutes, and scored a consolation for the Ukrainian champions.  It was brilliant to see the Arsenal fans all applaud Eduardo’s strike, still having a soft spot for their Brazilian striker who departed the Gunners in the summer, for a new life in the Ukraine.

It was plastic fantastic for Chelsea, as they all but wrapped up qualification from Group B, with a 2-0 win over Spartak Moscow in freezing Russia.  Yury Zhirkov scored his first Chelsea goal, and it was a memorable strike too.  Having spent four years at Spartak’s bitter rivals, CSKA Moscow, this was a moment that Zhirkov won’t forget.  Nicholas Anelka added a second as it turned out to be a comfortable night for the Blues on the artificial pitch surface, scene of their heartbreaking 2008 final defeat to Manchester United on penalties.  Also, without Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba through injury, Chelsea are only going to get stronger, and are now favourites with many football experts, to lift the trophy in Wembley in May.

Elsewhere in Europe, it may be odd to see Raul not playing anymore for Real Madrid, but he keeps scoring goals for his new club, Schalke 04.  Two strikes from the veteran helped the Germans to a 3-1 win over Hapoel-Tel Aviv in Group B.  It was his first two goals for Schalke in European competition, extending his Champions League scoring record to 68.  Also in Group B, Lyon kept their perfect record up, with a 2-0 win over 10-man Benfica in France, courtesy of goals from Jeremy Briand and Lisandro Lopez.  Raul’s former club Real Madrid won the showdown match against AC Milan in Group G, with something to spare in the Bernabeau.  Cristiano Ronaldo and Meszut Ozil scored the two goals in the first fifteen minutes, as Jose Mourinho slowly starts to make his impression in Spain.  Ajax beat Auxerre 2-1 in the other Group G game, with the French side being reduced to nine men, including a red card for one of their substitutes.  Finally, well down to FC Basle, who recorded a surprising 3-1 win in Italy against AS Roma in Group E.  Roma may now face a hard task to escape the group stages.  The contenders have now been separated from the stragglers…and Matchday four can see the first ultimate knockout blows being made.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 - Mixed Fortunes for English Clubs

Europe’s premier club competition made its annual return this week, with mixed fortunes for the English clubs, though the gulfing class between Europe’s best and the minnows was still in full evidence for everyone to see.

Tottenham Hotspur made their bow, with a thrilling draw in Germany against Werder Bremen, though they will be disappointed to have thrown away a 2-0 lead.  It was a dream first twenty minutes for Harry Redknapp’s side, who charged infront courtesy of a Petri Pasanen own goal, and a fantastic header from Peter Crouch.  Spurs were giving their more established opponents the run-around on their own pitch.  Sadly for them, the momentum swiftly turned once Hugo Almeida headed Bremen back into the match two minutes before half-time.  In the second half, Marko Marin quickly bought the game level, and despite Crouch missing a great chance late on, Tottenham clung onto their precious point at the end.

Tuesday was also a flat night for Manchester United, as they were held to a disappointing goalless draw by Scottish champions Rangers at Old Trafford.  Sir Alex Ferguson made ten changes for this match, with his focus clearly on Liverpool’s Premiership visit at the weekend.  His gamble backfired, as his side misfired badly.  Long-range efforts from youngster Darren Gibson were the order of the night, as Rangers very negative tactics took any form of class out of the game.  Wayne Rooney made his first club appearance since the revelations about his private life had been exposed in the newspapers, and he was left a forlorn figure throughout.  A dismal night for the 2008 winners was compounded by a horror injury to Antonio Valencia.  Valencia’s ankle buckled underneath the Old Trafford turf whilst competing for possession with Kirk Broadfoot.  The instant reaction for his fellow professionals could tell that the Ecuadorian winger was in agony, with Sky television refusing to show any replays of the unfortunate incident.  Valencia has been diagnosed with a broken ankle, and is likely to be out of action until February at the earliest.

Whilst Tuesday was a frustrating night for the English clubs, Wednesday’s action was seamless.  Arsenal crushed Sporting Braga 6-0 at the Emirates; with another vintage performance from Arsene Wenger’s chargers that rolled back the years.  Cesc Fabregas was fantastic all evening, scoring twice and unlucky not to score his first professional hat-trick.  Carlos Vela came off the bench to score a late double, and there were also strikes from Andrei Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh.  Having beaten Celtic and Sevilla in qualification for the group stages, Braga were desperately poor and folded once Chamakh had made it 3-0 after half an hour.  Consequently, although Arsenal’s performance was magnificent, it will be difficult to judge their potential this season until they meet a far better opponent.

Chelsea continued their goal scoring spree in Slovakia, winning 4-1 against MSK Zilina, making their debut in the Champions League.  The match as a contest was over inside half an hour, with the Blues 3-0 up, through Michael Essien and a Nicholas Anelka double.  After the break, they relaxed a fraction and Zilina deserved their goal for effort and commitment.  Daniel Sturridge scored his first goal in Europe for Chelsea, and with a side missing Frank Lampard to injury and Didier Drogba due to suspension, this is was a signal of intent from the West London side.

Elsewhere in Europe, Barcelona fell a goal behind, but showed their pedigree, with a 5-1 demolition of Panathinaikos in the Nou Camp.  Defending champions Inter Milan stuttered to a 2-2 draw in Holland, against Dutch champions FC Twente.  Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid got off to a winning start in Group G, beating Ajax 2-0 in the Bernabeau, courtesy of a double from Gonzalo Higuain.  Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored both goals in AC Milan’s 2-0 success against Auxerre of France, and German World Cup stars Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose both netted in Bayern Munich’s convincing 2-0 triumph over AS Roma in Germany.

After the first set of games, the jury is out on some and there is still a long way to go, before anyone can predict the finalists at Wembley in May 2011.  However, do expect the usual suspects from Spain, Italy and England to be in the reckoning in the latter stages of the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League.

Roy Rolls Into Liverpool - Will The Partnership Work?

On Thursday, Roy Hodgson resisted any possible interest from the FA, by electing to leave Fulham and become the new manager of Liverpool.  He has signed a three-year contract and has already begun work at the team’s training base at Melwood, as he tries to revive the fortunes of the ailing Merseyside club, who quite frankly had a season to forget last year.

Liverpool finished a dismal 7^th in the Premiership, their worst finish since 1999, were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League before Christmas and embarrassed at home by Championship strugglers Reading in the FA Cup 3^rd round in mid-January.  Along with uncertainty about the new stadium, and the unrest around the boardroom, which has led to the club being put up for sale, by unpopular American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, it was a season full of troughs and traumas, rather than glory and joy.

Last month, the club decided to Part Company with Spaniard Rafa Benitez, after six years in charge.  Benitez has since gone to Serie A giants and Champions League holders, Inter Milan – taking the whole Liverpool backroom staff with him in the process.  Many managers were linked with the job at Anfield, including ex-Manchester City boss Mark Hughes, the recently sacked Real Madrid manager Mauricio Pellegrini, Galatasaray figurehead Frank Rijkaard, Guus Hiddink and Reds legend, Kenny Dalglish.  The club have opted for Hodgson, after impressing Dalglish and Christian Purslow, the club’s chief executive at a round of interview.

At Thursday’s news conference, he was beaming with pride at being handed such a fantastic and challenging opportunity.

“This is the biggest job in club football and I’m honoured to be taking on Britain’s most successful football club.”

His first priority will be to sit down and talk to star players Javier Mascherano, Fernando Torres and Captain Steven Gerrard.  Gerrard has already given his backing to the new appointment, which hints, that despite the frustration of the club having to participate in the UEFA Europa League this season, Gerrard will be loyal to the club that gave him his break.  The futures of Mascherano and Torres are more uncertain.  Torres is still at the World Cup with Spain, and has said he will ‘talk to Hodgson’ after the tournament.  Mascherano is on his way home to Buenos Aires, after Argentina’s dismal exit at the hands of Germany on Saturday.  It is widely known that he has been brushing up on his Italian whilst in South Africa, which suggests he may be linking up with Benitez at Inter.  Benitez is also known to want to bring in Glen Johnson and Dirk Kuyt, whilst Ryan Babel is in talks with Galatasaray and Yossi Benayoun has already departed, making a £6.5million switch to Premiership champions, Chelsea.

Fulham have appointed Ray Lewington as caretaker boss for the moment, though the consolation is that as part of the severance package, Hodgson will not be allowed to buy any Fulham players in the summer to Liverpool.  Despite this, Danny Murphy and Brede Hangeland are still being linked on a daily basis with the new Anfield regime.  Hodgson signed a new 12-month rolling contract last December at Craven Cottage – and guided Fulham to 7^th place in the Premiership in the 2008/09 season, their best ever top-flight finish.  Last year, the momentum continued, with a sensational journey to the UEFA Europa League final, beating Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk and Hamburg SV on the way to the final, which they cruelly lost in extra-time to Atletico Madrid.

Roy Hodgson’s managerial CV is very impressive, having managed clubs around the world, from Sweden and Denmark, to Italy and Switzerland.  He guided Switzerland to the knockout stages of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and Inter Milan to a UEFA Cup final in 1997.  After an unsuccessful 18-month spell at Blackburn Rovers in 1997-98, he won titles with FC Copenhagen and Viking FK, plus had international spells with Finland and the United Arab Emirates.  His experience could mean everything to Liverpool, and might be the stability they badly need, following the gradual slide they have been on in the last twelve months.  I have a feeling this new partnership will work wonders for Liverpool FC.

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 2nd Leg Review - The Special One Haunts The Blues

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 22^nd.  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….