Pick of the Week

I have not been able to update my blog for a long time...my apologies for that. The past couple of weeks have seen some great action across Europe. Some of the goals that really caught my eye and ranked accordingly are these...

1. Nakamura's awesome freekick, giving Celtic a win over ManU. One of the best freekicks I have ever seen. Just unstoppable!

2. Ronaldinho can't seem to stop scoring lately, his incredible overhead kick goal hit the final nail over Villareal's coffin.

3. Jermaine Defoe scored a peach of a goal, bamboozling the Wigan defenders. This guy is a terrific but underrated striker and needs to start more regularly for Tottenham.

4. Saha did a Ronaldinho over Chelsea, taking a shot from a tight angle and scoring a wonderful goal with his great left foot. Pity, it wasn't the winning goal!

5. Blackburn's Tugay is well-known for his long range kicks, so it was no surprise when he hit that stunning strike from nearly 30 yards. What a volley!!!!!

There's a rumor that Cannavaro is certain to land the prize of BalloonD'Or or the European player of the year, followed by Buffon and Henry. I feel Eto'o deserves that honour more than anyone else. His wonderful scoring record last season both in Spain and in Europe was the main catalyst in Barca doing a double. No doubt, Cannavaro was incredible at that World Cup but that alone does not make him more worthy than Eto'o.
My Pick would be Eto'o, Ronaldinho, Deco, Henry, Kaka...in that order.

Ruud and Ronnie to the Rescue

In the La Liga, Ruud scored 4 goals in Real's away win over Osasuna, while Ronaldinho scored 2 and set up another in Barca's 3-1 home win over Zaragoza. It's good to see my favorite players leading the race for the 'pichichi' with 8 goals, although I am not too happy Real is getting too much for a bargain price of 10 million pounds. But, with the galacticos era over at Real Madrid and that fool of a president Perez out, my antagonism towards Real has diminished to a certain extent. And, Ronnie was at his inpirational best yet again, rescuing his team from a goal down to a morale-boosting victory.

Now, it brings us to the question....who is the world' s best striker/forward at present?

Shevchenko
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Henry


For me, it has to be Ruud simply because he has proven time and again that he can go to any club and score at will. Unlike Shevchenko, who seems to struggle at Chelsea, not something expected from someone regarded as the best striker in the world by many pundits not long ago. Henry has been terrific for Arsenal over many seasons but then we would never know if he can be the same prolific striker if he was at a different club. What do you think?

European Nights - The Misery and the Ecstacy

Not a great week of European action for me. ManU lost at Copenhagen thanks to triple injury blow. During last weekend against Bolton, they started with their best XI players after a long long time and we saw how they demolished the Trotters. A few injuries now and ManU are in a limp! That's where Chelsea scores over ManU with their strength in squad depth. However, it wasn't a pretty sight at the Nou Camp with cards being dished out to every other player. Well, seeing Mourinho's celebrations, one would think his team won at the Nou Camp. Relax Jose, it was only a draw and there's still a long way to go. Btw, Real won thanks to a freakish own goal and qualified.

The only consolation for me was AC Milan's performance and the fact that they have almost qualified. If only they can reproduce their European form in Serie A too! They are nearly 14 points behind leaders Inter!

Arsenal...my god! how many chances must they have missed?? They kept hounding CSKA's goal, missed so many sitters that no wonder the crowds became distraught. Their group has become so evenly poised now!

The next round of matches should be really exciting now. Teams that have qualified include Bayern Munich, Valencia, Liverpool, PSV Eidhoven, Lyon, Real Madrid.

Questions to ponder...
Can Chelsea be beaten in Europe this season?
Who should ManU sign during this winter transfer window if they have to succeed both in EPL and in Europe?