Messi Gives'em the Blues

Barcelona beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge 2-1 and go into the 2nd leg at the Nou Camp in 2 weeks time with good confidence after their performance against the Blues. As last season, the game was marred by controversy about Messi play-acting resulting in the red card to Del Horno in the 37th minute.

Barcelona took control of the game right from the start and it was left to Cech to make a couple of saves in the opening 20 minutes. Messi proved once again why he was being hailed as the 'new Maradona' by making some great runs on the right side and making short work of Del Horno at left-back. Just after half an hour, Del Horno was lucky to escape punishment when he made a dangerous studs-up challenge on Messi that actually ripped apart his shorts. Just moments after that, Del Horno again lunged at Messi inside the box, this time his action earning him a direct red card. Replays suggested that a red card might have been harsh but the referee must have probably considered the previous challenge as well.

Mourinho had to make a tactical change and brought in Geremi, taking off Cole. I don't remember in which half, but the referee missed a blatant hand-ball by Geremi inside the penalty-box and later in the 2nd half, he also failed to give a clear penalty as Terry fell over Messi inside the box, and handling the ball as well in the process.

Chelsea's bright start to the 2nd half was rewarded when Motta, under pressure from Terry, nudged the ball from a Lampard free-kick, scoring an own goal. However, Terry returned the favor by heading a Ronaldinho free-kick past Cech, inside his own post. Mourinho probably thought he could win the game and brought in SWP instead of Robben when he should have brought in Maniche and steadied the ship. After Drogba missed a couple of good chances, Barcelona showed their magic by scoring on a counter-attack, Eto'o heading in Marquez's beautiful kick.

The exciting match was worthy of a final and Chelsea could have lost by a bigger margin if Terry had not made some crucial saves and or if Messi had converted the chances he had. We all know about Terry and he again proved why he is considered to be one of the best defenders around but the day certainly belonged to Messi. Even though he would be remembered for certain wrong reasons, he has proved why he is among the best young players around with a dazzling display, leaving several defenders stranded at times.

Mourinho, as ever, couldn't keep his mouth shut and has framed Messi a cheat. Hah! Why is that managers never comment about their own players? 3 weeks back, it was Robben putting up a Oscar-worthy performance and now, it is Del Horno who was rolling on the ground as if he was the one fouled and injured. What does Jose have to say about his players antics? Messi did look at the referee and then roll on the ground a bit, but wasn't he lunged at by Del Horno? Mourinho has stated that the game was as good as over against Liverpool when Robben play-acted but I ask Jose - does it even matter when it happens when such a shameful act is committed?

Sore Loser?

Real Gunned Down!

I hope I never say this again but Arsenal more than deserved their victory against Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeau Stadium. In fact, they could have scored a few more goals if not for some tame finishing. Arsenal took control of the game right from the start and Real looked like a team playing away from home and failed to create chances.

Real's problem is its defence and it was left exposed as Woodgate limped out after just 8 minutes. There is no way Cicinho can be called a right-back as the right side was utterly exposed time and again. One can imagine how their defence would be when Beckham plays at RB when Cicinho marches ahead to attack in the right wing.

Real were lucky to end the first half goalless but right after the restart, Henry made short work of the defenders, making an excellent run into the box and scored a good goal with his left foot. Barcelona would definitely be waiting intently for the summer transfer window to open!

Btw, I hardly noticed Zidane and Ronaldo in the match.

Liverpool lost away at Benfica thanks to a header from defender Luisao from a set-piece. Lyon managed to end PSV's 31-match unbeaten run at home by beating them 1-0, courtesy a free-kick from who else but Juninho.

Bayern were held at home by AC Milan to a 1-1 draw. Ballack opened the scoring for Bayern with a wonder goal...a thunderous kick from more than 30 yards out. However, AC Milan equalised from a controversial penalty taken by Shevchenko. AC Milan is set to miss Gattuso in their next leg due to suspension and even though they have the crucial away goal, it is gonna take some effort for them to knock out Bayern in two weeks time.

Btw, I am not going to make any predictions for tonite's game between Chelsea and Barcelona but I will surely be cheering my team on!

News Roundup

Paint it Red

ManUtd take on Liverpool in what looks like a fiercely competitive game in the FA Cup 5th round. Papers point out to the fact that Liverpool have never beaten ManUtd in the FA Cup since the early 20th century but once the players are out on the field, they know that history is all history and it's their performance that will determine the result.

Really Rich

Perez has finally achieved his target - Real Madrid has taken over ManUtd as the richest football club in the world. Although ManUtd still remains the most profitable club, their failure to reach the CL knockout phase has dented their revenues. Real Madrid's new status has conveniently covered up their failure to win a trophy for 2 consecutive years.

Turf War

Barca have claimed that the state of the pitch at Stamford Bridge is very poor and Chelsea have left it that way just to make sure Barca do not have an easy game. As ever, Mourinho has rubbished those claims and questioned why Barca had so many knee injuries while playing in Nou Camp. Whatever, this fixture promises to be a cracker!

Fab Move

With all the speculation about Henry leaving Highbury for Nou Camp at the end of the season, Fabregas has added fuel to fire by insisting Henry's move to Barcelona would be fabulous. However, lurking in the wings are Real Madrid, who as ever, would want Henry to be the next 'galactico' in their existing galaxy of stars.

Gaffer Talk

The English FA is intent to find the next England manager before the World Cup. Ex-Celtic boss Martin O'Neil looks to be the favorite although Stuart Pearce, Sam Allardyce, and Alan Curbishley still are in the hunt. Looks like Guus Hiddink is set to miss out. The saga which has been rumbling on for quite sometime should end by the beginning of next month when the FA finally announces the new manager.

Legends - Eric Cantona

Eric 'King' Cantona is often regarded as having played a major talismanic role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing powerhouse. In his professional footballing career at Manchester United, he won four Premiership titles in five years, including two FA Cup doubles.

Cantona was bought from Leeds for a fee of 1.2 million pounds in 1992. He quickly settled into the team, not only scoring many goals but creating chances for the other players. For the next two years, United went on an amazing run, winning the inaugural Premiership in 1993 (their first Championship title for 26 years) and then the double in 1994, with Cantona's two penalties helping them to a 4-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup Final. Cantona then became infamous for an incident that occurred in January 1995. In an away match against Crystal Palace, he launched a 'kung-fu' style kick against an abusive Crystal Palace fan, Matthew Simmons, after being sent off by the referee for a tackle on Palace defender Richard Shaw.

Cantona galvanised the United team to greater success in Europe the following year, with the likes of Ryan Giggs and new bloomed youngsters in David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville emerging under his influence, Cantona had attained the status of 'legend' or as his moniker went, 'The King'. As United retained the league in 1996/97 season, Cantona had won six league titles in seven years, the exception being the 1995 season which he had largely missed through suspension. At the end of the season, he surprisingly announced his retirement from football, at the age of 30. Cantona's achievements in the English League was marked in 2002 when he was made an Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame.

Source: Wikipedia

'The King' voices his opinions on EPL ...excellent article.

Last Team Standing

Well, we can all agree with the fact that this EPL season is as good as over after Liverpool's loss against Chelsea. Chelsea have a mighty 21-point lead over the Kop and a 15-point lead over their nearest rivals ManUtd. And, Arsenal and their eternal rivals Tottenham are set to fight it out for the last Champions League berth.

Chelsea still seems to be smarting over their Champions League exit at the hands of Liverpool last season and have completed a double over them in the league for two consecutive season. However, Robben's oscar-winning performance as a man seriously injured while earning Reina a red card brought out the humourous facet in Rafa Benitez, who after the match, suggested he may have to visit the hospital to see if Robben had recovered.

It's shameful to see such play-acting from players to earn their rivals bookings. It's imperative that referees weed out such things from happening ever again by being a bit more rational. The only way it to book players who resort to such shameful tactics.

Meanwhile, Sol Campbell walked out on his team after being substituted in their match against West Ham. Agreed that he had lots on his mind and he himself knew his blunders led to the 2 goals their rivals scored, but being an international and a veteran player, he could have acted in a much more sensible fashion. I don't know why, but these days I do not enjoy seeing Arsenal lose as I used to earlier. It's probably because I have begun to dislike Chelsea more because they are buying their way to glory.

Barcelona' unbeaten run came to a halt as they were beaten at home by Athletico Madrid. They are linked with a move for Anton Ferdinand in the summer. Looks like they have finally realized Puyol needs a better partner in the central defence. I amactually relieved that Barca lost because they needed to come out of their complacency especially when they are set to play Chelsea in two weeks. Real Madrid are beginning to find their form and that is not good news for struggling Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Juventus is still setting the pace in Serie A and have a good lead at the top of the table. AC Milan is likely to sack its coach Ancelotti at the end of this season as they have been struggling in third position and are unlikely to win the Scudetto. Also, I do not see them overcoming Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Remembering the Heroes

Sir Matt Busby was appointed as manager of Manchester United after the Second World War, and his then-unheard-of policy of producing most of the players through the club's youth team brought great success, with the club winning the Football League in 1956 and 1957.

Th club's success was halted by the Munich air disaster of 1958. On February 6 1958, the plane carrying the Machester United team home from a European Cup match crashed on take off at a refuelling stop in Munich, claiming the lives of eight players and another fifteen passengers. It was thought that the club might fold, and while Busby was recovering from his injuries, the club continued playing with a makeshift side. They somehow reached the FA Cup final again, where they lost to Bolton.

Busby rebuilt the team throughout the early 1960s, signing players such as Denis Law and Pat Crerand. The team won the FA Cup in 1963, then won the league in 1965 and 1967 and the European Cup in 1968, the first English Club to do so. This team was notable for containing three European Footballers of the Year: Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best.

On the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the Munich air disaster, it is the time to remember those unfortunate heroes who lost their lives and celebrate the heroics of sir Matt Busby and the renowned team he built from scratch. Here's to those heroes and their club that embodies the spirit of the beautiful game - Manchester United!

Sir Matt Busby