A Dream Match

Clash of the Titans

A long cherished dream has finally come true. Yes! ManUtd will play Barca in the semi-finals of the Champions League. As a fan of both clubs, I have been waiting for the day when I can get to watch the great players of these 2 great clubs play against each other. Now, the moment has finally arrived. ManUtd despatched Roma in the quarters after a 1-0 home win resulted in a 3-0 aggregate victory. Ronaldo and Rooney, the scorers in the away leg were relegated to the bench in the home leg to keep them fresh for this weekend home clash against Arsenal.

Barca, meanwhile struggled and were unconvincing in their 1-0 victories in the home and away legs over Schalke. Rijkaard is under tremendous pressure to quit after a particularly disappointing season, where they are placed 2nd in La Liga, about 7 points behind Real Madrid. Ronaldinho and Deco look to have played their last game for the Catalan club, and Henry seems to struggle on the left wing, and the supporters are voicing their displeasure at the way the team has labored to just 1 win in their last 7 La Liga games.

But the clash between the Red Devils and the mighty Catalans looks set to be an entertaining affair, with both teams intent on playing attacking football. Ronaldo and Messi will be the driving forces for their respective teams and it should be a great spectacle, watching them battle to get their team to the final in Moscow.

In the other semifinal, Chelsea meet Liverpool again for the 3rd time in 4 years. But this time, the 2nd leg will be played at Stamford Bridge and that should work out in Chelsea's favor. Grant will want to prove his worth to his doubters by achieving what Mourinho failed to do in his time at Chelsea - get Chelsea to the Champions League final.

United thrash the Gunners

Manchester United put the derby defeat to City behind them as they crushed Arsenal 4-0 in the FA Cup fifth round. After an insipid performance against City on the week United were bogged down by the memories of Munich, they produced an inspired masterclass display against the team that sits at the top of the Premier League table.

ManUtd started the game without a number of first team players including Ronaldo, Giggs, and Scholes, and Tevez. Although Tevez and Scholes were on the bench, ManUtd ensured they remained fresh for the midweek Champions League trip to Lyon, thanks to a dominant display that saw them lead 3-0 at half-time. Rooney was magnificent as the single striker, and was supported well by Nani, Anderson, and Fletcher. Nani supplied the crosses for Fletcher's 2 headed goals, and scored one himself.

The scoreline actually flattered Arsenal since ManUtd had the chance to score many more goals. Although Rooney performed incredibly with his high work-rate, he has to learn to finish better. Nani was accused for showboating but with the score already at 4-0, why shouldn't he entertain the crowd?

The surprise of the weekend was Liverpool getting knocked out after losing at home 1-2 to Barnsley. Looks like they have only the CL to play for this season, and it should be an interesting encounter against Inter this week, the Italian champions are yet to lose a game this year in Serie A and lead the table by a mammoth 11 points.

La Liga
Barca closed the gap on Real Madrid to 5 points after beating Real Zaragoza 2-1, thanks to a Henry goal and a Ronaldinho penalty, while Real lost at Real Betis by the same score. I think Barca are gradually recovering while Real are beginning to stutter. This season should see a close battle once again.

Football Managers - Dead Men Walking

ManUtd emerged from the festive period with the maximum points, winning all but one. The 2-1 loss against West Ham hurt especially since ManUtd missed the chance to go 2-0 up due to a missed penalty from Ronaldo. And, giving away 2 goals to set-pieces! But since the loss, they have redeemed themselves with some good victories over Birmingham, Villa (FA Cup) and the 6-0 drubbing of Newcastle.

Just past the half-way mark of the season and Ronaldo has already passed 20 goals. His first hat-trick for ManUtd came at OT against manager-less Newcastle, who despite their claims of being a big club, continues to plunge deep into a quagmire of desperation. Sam Allardyce was the 8th manager to get the boot this season, and despite the fact that they played terrible football, it wasn't fair to judge Big Sam after just 8 months.

The St. James' Park stadium of Newcastle has the 3rd highest capacity in England after ManUtd's Old Trafford stadium and Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. Newcastle have a large fan base and that the fans are very dedicated to their club in spite of poor results in recent times, can be seen from the fact that most home games are almost always full. But the fans have far too much expectations and they seem to forget the fact that they last won a major trophy almost 40 years ago.

The Newcastle manager job has always been a poisoned chalice. Just look at the list of great personalities who have been unsuccessful in the past decade - Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit, Sir Bobby Robson, Graeme Souness. I wouldn't blame Harry Redknapp for his decision to stick with Portsmouth. Who in their right mind will take up this job? And, it doesn't help when foreigners takeover the club, splash money, and then expect returns immediately. Well, not every club can turn into a Chelsea. Until then, Newcastle will keep looking for their Messiah.

One just has to take a look at ManUtd and Arsenal, which have gained due to the stability provided by their respective boards. Sir Alex has been at ManUtd for 21 years while Wenger is entering his 12th year at Arsenal. The trigger-happy football chairmen of today would do well to remember that Sir Alex did not deliver his first trophy until the fifth year of his reign. And, we all know what ManUtd has achieved in the past decade and a half under the regal Scot.

Rafa Benitez seems to be the next on the list of managers most likely to get the sack. This is the guy who won the Champions League for Liverpool in his first year. And, when the club owner accepts that he had talks with Jurgen Klinsmann about taking over Liverpool, it clearly undermines Rafa's position at the club.

At present, it is difficult for managers to operate against a background of constant criticism and incessant speculation about their future. It is important for club chairmen and supporters to realize that the success of the football club on and off the pitch depends on a long-term strategy replete with the right foundations. As Sir Alex would say "Stability and consistency is the basis of success at any club."

List of sacked managers in 2007-2008 season:
Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)
Chris Hutchings (Wigan)
Sammy Lee (Bolton)
Martin Jol (Tottenham)
Steve Bruce (Birmingham)
Billy Davies (Derby)
Lawrie Sanchez (Fulham)
Sam Allardyce (Newcastle)

Man, is it U?

Week 6 of EPL and the usual suspects make the top 4 in the Premiership table. Arsenal has been in great form, Liverpool still has away blues, Chelsea seems to stutter and ManU has forgotten they are the reigning Champs. ManU's recent displays against Sunderland and Everton have been inept, to say the least. For a team that was playing great attacking football until a few months back, this is clearly unexpected.

Ever since Saha succumbed to injuries, ManU has looked terrible up front. With Rooney and Ronaldo out, Giggs was paired up front with Tevez and the latter, not being an out-and-out striker clearly struggled with his new role. Ronaldo is back now but was not at his best against Everton. And, can someone please tell Ron he sucks at free-kicks!

Champions League starts mid-week and ManU plays away at Sporting Lisbon. This is a tricky encounter, given the form ManU is in but then I expect Sporting's old boys Ron and Nani to play a huge role at their former stadium.

A few random thoughts...

1. What has happened to Giggs this season? He doesn't look good but then he has been playing up front, rather than in the wings.
2. Silvestre at LB and Evra at left wing? What is Fergie/Carlos thinking? But one consolation...looks like Egghead is out for a long time with an injury he suffered at Everton.
3. Tevez struggles up front but seems an entirely different (much better) player with Saha for company. Hope Saha, the Brittle' stays clear of any more injuries this season.
4. Too early to say this but with Hargreaves in CM, ManU look so different. They are much better at defending but far from the attacking force they were last season. Personally, I would prefer Owen only for games against top clubs and in Europe.
5. Martin Jol's days at Tottenham are numbered now. 40 million+ pounds later, they lose the London derby at home against Arsenal!? Wondering whether we will see Lippi, Koeman or Ramos?

New Season and New Scorers

The new EPL season has started! An exciting weekend saw a number of players scoring on debut for their new clubs - Bianchi & Geovanni for Manchester City, Chopra for Sunderland, Pizzaro and Malouda for Chelsea, Cruz for Blackburn, Sibierski for Wigan, Healy for Fulham, Kapo for Birmingham, and Utaka for Portsmouth.

Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal scraped through to wins against lowly opponents Birmingham, Villa, and Fulham while Champions ManUtd could just manage a goalless draw against Reading. Tottenham show they are yet to make the step up, suffering a shock loss at Keane's Sunderland. The most surprising was ManCity's performance under Sven Goran Ericksson, whose signings show real quality and moreover, the flair which was never witnessed at City under Stuart Pearce was on full display as City beat West Ham away. The excitement and fun has just started and hope this season turns out into a memorable one.

Punish The Traitor?

'Judas' Heinze

What should be done to Heinze for his blasphemous request for a controversial move to Liverpool?

A. He should not be sold. Let him rot in the ManUtd reserves.

B. He should be punished severely by selling him to Liverpool ;)

Summer of Signings

The summer signing spree continues. Clubs armed with new billionaire owners and cash from the new TV deal are going all out to get their man. Money is pouring into EPL, which is by far the most attractive league in the world. Move over millionaires. It's now billionaires who seek to buy football clubs and turn them into money-making enterprises. Ex-Thai PM Shinowatra has bought ManCity and brought in Eriksson (ManU fans, rejoice!) as the new manager. Newcastle and Birmingham are other clubs who have new owners. Taking a look at some of the major signings this summer...

ManU
It has been ManU all the way, splashing the most cash to get Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson, and most probably Tevez too. That would take ManU's spending to about 70 million pounds. The Glazers might seem spendthrift but then they know they will have to invest to make money. Btw, ManU fans can forget big money signings for at least another 10 years.

Liverpool
It's a fight between the Kop and Spurs for the 2nd place in spending most money. Until now, the Reds have bought Torres (£20.2m), Babel (£12m), Benayoun (£4m), Voronin (free), and about a thousand youngsters. Liverpool have strengthened the squad and should provide stiff challenge to Chelsea and ManU.

Tottenham
G Bale (£10m), D Bent (£16.5m), A Taarabt, Y Berchiche, Y Kaboul. Expect Tottenham to make more signings. But I expect Tottenham to stutter again and finish fifth.

Chelsea
Malouda(£12m), free - Sidwell, Pizzaro, Alex, Ben Haim. Chelsea have a strong squad and good backup players too. Mourinho has intended to revert to his 4-3-3 formation and that should be a lot better than the snoozefest provided by their 4-5-1 formation of last season.

Arsenal
Eduardo Da Silva (D Zagreb, £8m), L Fabianski (Legia Warsaw, £2m), H Nordveit (FK Haugesund, £2m), B Sagna (Auxerre, £6m rising to £8m)
Henry moving to Barca might be a blessing in disguise. Youngsters will have to come to the forefront and I am sure Wenger will see to that. Arsenal might even challenge for the title if they can get one of their strikers to score more than 20 goals this season.

Milan in Seventh Heaven

Milan won their 7th European Cup, and how sweet it was for the Rossenieri! They had their revenge over Liverpool at the Greek Olympic Stadium, and were finally able to bury their shocking memory of the loss against the same opponents two years back at Istanbul. If one person deserves the trophy more than anyone else, it has to be Captain 'Marvelous' Maldini, who did a terrific job yet again, defying his age. Congrats Milan! A Greek tragedy for the Kop!

Marvelous Maldini

InSane Siro

In one of the best displays in recent years of the Champions League, AC Milan destroyed a tired and jaded ManU. AC Milan put up a great show of possession football and made it look so easy against the top English team. Meanwhile Chelsea faltered at Anfield in a match that was devoid of much excitement, except for the penalties. Just proves teams with rested players play a lot better, and fatigue catches up for some teams after a certain point of time, as it happened for ManU and Chelsea.
Best Players in the Semis -> Kaka, Rooney, Gattuso, Gerrard
Worst Players in the Semis -> Lampard, Heinze, Ronaldo

I think Kaka has pipped Ronaldo for the European and probably even World Player of the Year awards. Kaka has been awesome this season, especially in Europe but then his team's performance in Serie A does not invoke much praise.

La Liga is very close this season. Just one point separates the top 3 - Barca, Real and Sevilla. With in-form Real playing Sevilla this season, things should hot up this weekend.

In a Spot of Bother

The mounting number of injuries to key ManU players has been a growing concern lately, and with Rio ruled out for 2 weeks, I am concerned about ManU's chances in the Champions League and this weekend's away match at Everton. Not enough bench strength and player fatigue are 2 main things ManU should overcome if they have to win the EPL and reach the CL final. Meanwhile no surprises in the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year PFA awards, both goes to Ronaldo.

It has been reported in the media that Jose can keep his job as Chelsea manager if he keeps his mouth shut and plays attractive and entertaining football, both of which seems highly unlikely. The draw at Newcastle was a major blow and they go into the semifinals against a highly spirited Liverpool, a team that has only one trophy to play for. I see Rafa, a mastermind at Europe, putting one over Jose.

Meanwhile, La Liga title race could never be closer. With Barca losing and Real beating Valencia, the title is still open. Btw, the goal Messi scored for Barca against Getafe in the King's Cup semifinals is one of the best in recent times and there are already comparisons with Maradona's wonder goal.

In Seventh Heaven

What a response by ManU after two consecutive losses! A 7-1 thrashing of Roma in one of the most attacking displays ever in the knockout stages of the Champions League takes ManU to the semifinal meeting with AC Milan and gives them a chance to gain revenge after losing to them 2 years back in the 2nd round stage. Carrick played one of his best ever games in a ManU jersey and I will be surprised if Ronaldo does not win the player of the year honors this year.

A perfect year for English football with 3 teams in the semifinals. Chelsea have a chance to gain revenge over Liverpool and the chance of an all-England Final is pretty good. I have a feeling Chelsea will have their revenge mainly due to their resilience but then Rafa is a master at European games. Now then, who will have the last laugh?

Dream Theatre

ManU regained their 6-point lead after a comeback 4-1 win against Blackburn, while Chelsea scraped to a 1-0 win away at Watford. The Gunners were thrashed 4-1 by Liverpool at Anfield, while relegation candidates Charlton and West Ham managed crucial wins. The relegation battle is getting really interesting and there is a danger that Villa, Fulham might get sucked into it.

The next round of the Champions League starts today after a long break. Milan could only manage a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich at the San Siro while Liverpool scored three away at PSV. ManU plays Roma tomorrow while Chelsea take on Morientes-Valencia.

A few things I couldn't help notice...

Mascherano doing well at Liverpool proving yet again that he's a great midfielder - shows it's just that Alan Pardew and Alan Curbishley were incapable of handling such a top performer! But then, these are English managers, aren't they?

Real Madrid and Barca clashing yet again, this time off the field, for ManU's Cristiano Ronaldo. But apparently, Real is not willing to pay 50 million pounds, when they could splurge close to 50 million on a comparitively older Zidane in 2001.

Roma making too many noises about Ronaldo and diving! Italians talking about diving - now there's something you seldom come across!

Flamini is not happy being on the bench and wants to leave Arsenal and play in the first-team. Something to think about for Silvestre and Darren Fletcher!

Roy Keane-managed Sunderland's unbeaten run in the Championship this year sees them close to the automatic promotion place. 6 more good games and perhaps, we can see Sir Alex and his former protege clashing on the sidelines next year. Roy Keane at Old Trafford in the away bench...that's something no ManU fan would have dreamt of.

Soccer, for now...

It's soccer time! Being in USA, things are a bit different here....I switch on my TV, and they show nothing other than basketball...am already tired of it but then I hope to catch a Spurs game live in the stadium some day soon.

Getting back to soccer, it's been a real shock for Gunner fans as Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup and lost the Carling Cup final in a matter of a few days. As a ManUtd fan it's tough to say this but I feel Arsenal will only get stronger after a couple of years. Anyway, good for ManUtd...they progressed in the FA Cup and scraped to a victory over Fulham....that should result in lesser pressure for the weekend's match at Anfield.

I am hoping they show the match live here but any time I switch on the sports channel, all I get is basketball! Keeping my fingers crossed that they show it live tomorrow and that ManUtd wins!

Crazy Transfer Rumors

Cristiano Ronaldo to Real for 50 million...that's one among the many worthless rumors doing the rounds lately, thanks to the opening of the winter transfer window. Here are some of the other rumors...

ManU - Owen Hargreaves (yawn!) from Bayern for 17 million GBP, Gareth Bale from Southampton for >3 million, Barton from ManC and Bentley from Blackburn!

Chelsea - Micah Richards from ManC for 20 million, Upson from Birmingham, Sol from Portsmouth, Andrade from Deportivo, Ayala from Valencia.

Liverpool - D.Bent from Charlton, Mascherano from WHam, A.Young from Watford.

Arsenal - Ribery from Marseille, Gareth Bale from Southampton.

West Ham - Matthew Upson, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Mark Viduka.

Other crazy rumors include Crouch to Juventus!

Champions League Draw!

The pick of the draw is the clash of recent winners - Liverpool and Barcelona. And, there's Bayern against Real Madrid. The draw has been kind to Chelsea, Arsenal and ManU.

Courtesy: UEFA.com

Can we expect some shock results in this round?

The Race is on...

After a nerve-wracking final round of CL matches, I was relieved to see ManU and Barca make it to the knockout stages of the Champions League. With Eto'o and Messi expected in the next month, I hope Barca does much better. As for ManU, Fergie has to realize he cannot expect to win the Premier League and the Champions League titles with this squad lacking quality in depth. I guess Fergie will settle for one of these two this season and no more signings expected this winter transfer window, I am sure it's the EPL title he has set his sights on.

We will know the 2nd round match-ups this Friday and I only hope ManU do not draw Barca this early. It's going to be tough for even the first placed teams with some strong clubs finishing second in their groups. I am sure the English clubs will be anxious about drawing either Barca, Real, or Inter.

ManU are setting the pace in EPL, along with some great football. Fergie certainly knows his first XI but with the festive period and lots of games coming up, he has to shuffle his players so that they are not exhausted in the latter stages.

Btw, what's with all the clubs being or in talks about being taken over. Liverpool, Man City, Newcastle are among the clubs who are certain to join ManU, Chesea, WHam, Villa in being taken over. No club can expect another Abromovich but I wonder if this does any good to the club and the game as such in the long term.

Also, Chelsea's chairman Peter Kenyon talks about Chelsea overtaking ManU as the best supported club in the world by 2014. Peter...That's just wishful thinking if you believe buying all titles with Roman's mafia money is gonna get people become more attached to the club. Your club can buy top players and titles but you can never buy history and tradition that are associated with Europe's elite clubs such as ManU, Real, Barca, Liverpool, and so on. Moreover, there's something called beautiful football. Try and play that and try to fill out your Stamford Bridge stadium first before you can even dream about world domination!

PS: Essien's stunning equaliser earned a point for Chelsea against Arsenal. Chelsea 'started playing' only in the last quarter of an hour after the poor Shevchenko (must be counting his days at London now!) was substituted and the wingers came on. Luck was however on Arsenal's side as Chelsea hit the post a number of times and Lehmann's blunder right at the end of the game almost giving Chelsea the win. For once, I was cheering for Arsenal and was really impressed by Gilberto. He was the best player on the pitch and it is time Wenger realize Henry is no captain material and give the captain's armband to Gilberto.

Rooney Magic

Well, for all ya Rooney doubters out there, take a hike!!!!! Rooney was awesome in ManU's match against Bolton, who by the way, looked like a Championship team, especially in the first half when ManU just ripped them apart. 4-0 to ManU, Rooney scores a hat-trick, great attacking and entertaining display yet again...what more does a fan want? Yes, the league title...but still a long way to go.

Rooney gets his ball

Chelsea, as always, relied upon a bit of luck as the Sheffield goalkeeper's mistake gave them the lead. And once, they take the lead, do they ever lose that? Trip to the Nou Camp awaits now, but given Barca's recent poor showing in Eto'o's absence, I wouldn't be surprised if the Catalans struggle at their home stadium.

Everton did extremely well for a team with so many players ill during midweek, denying the Gunners all 3 points at the Emirates Stadium. Cahill has been one of best attacking midfielders in EPL over the last 3 seasons, and deserves every bit to have been nominated for the world player of the year.

Villa's unbeaten run came to an end as expected, at Anfield. Liverpool, having been criticised all week for their show at OT, had to answer with goals, and they did. 3-1 to the Kop and Rafa is spared of the criticism for at least a week now.

Farewell to the Greatest!

There's so much happening at the moment in football but so little time to write about them.

ManU defeating Liverpool very easily - is it because ManU played that well or Liverpool played really bad? Rafa Benitez will know the answer to that. 97th consecutive game he has changed his team and now Liverpool are 11 points behind ManU and Chelsea!

Barca's defeat at Real - Do Barca miss Eto'o? Will they slide down the table or will Rijkaard make sure Barca regain their top form? Anyway, it must be great relief for Capello, who had to clear rumors that he might quit after Real's defeat at Getafe.

Arsenal playing terrific football again, beating Reading away 4-0. Does anyone know when Arsenal are playing Bolton?

Shevchenko finally opening his account in EPL. Will he improve his form now?

'Bite Hart Lane'- terrific headline in 'The Sun', denoting Jermaine Defoe's bite on Javier Mascherano. Martin Jol called that a comical incident but Mascherano's reaction to the bite was even more comical. He rolled about on the ground and acted like a man who was shot!

Glenn Roeder (Newcastle), Ian Dowie (Charlton), Alan Pardew (West Ham), or Stuart Pearce (ManC)...your pick for the first manager to get sacked this season?

I know this is not football but...

Formula Without #1

Farewell Schumi...Thank you for all the memories...We'll miss u!

Schumi, the greatest F1 racer ever, definitely ranks among my all-time top 5 favorite sportsmen.