Champions League Final Four

So four of the semi-finalists are English and the odd man out is not getting a lot of respect as the pundits are calling it an all England final. Kind of sounds familiar. Last year AC Milan weren’t given much of a shot at making the finals let alone win it all. This year Barcelona face the exact same task and that makes the semis interesting.

 Barcelona

The Catalan club has the big guns to spoil the Anglo final in Moscow. Lionel Messi is back and should have enough playing time by April 23rd rolls around. Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho are all spectacular players and will be a sincere threat to the scoresheet. Although they had trouble scoring against Schalke. Their defense has some strength, but they have not faced a club that can score in big chunks in the tournament. They have the history and won’t back down from anyone. The side is unsettled though and their La Lega form has been shameful. This team is not on the same level as AC Milan last year, but beating them will be a task.

 Manchester United

The Red Devils are leading the Premiership and have not lost to the three other English sides this season. They are strong in all areas of the pitch especially in the attack. Cristiano Ronaldo leads the Premiership and the Champions League in scoring and has matured since his no show in Milan last year. The addition of Carlos Tevez gives them two bulldogs up front with him and Wayne Rooney tormenting defenders. United have the ability to score, but they only averaged 1.25 goals in last two rounds. The defense is strong even without Nemanja Vidic. If he’s back for April 23rd they will be tough to beat.

 Liverpool

The Reds have a lot of experience at this level of the Champions League. Last year they made the finals only to watch the cup go back to Milan. Steven Gerrard is the talisman for Liverpool in the CL, but this season he got a big boost when Rafa Benitez brought in Fernando Torres in the attack. Between Gerrard and Torres Liverpool have two of the top four scorers in the Champions League this season. However, if clubs shut down these two, there rarely seems to be anyone who steps up. They have a strong midfield that can make it tough going for opposing attacks. Rafa’s boys are hitting stride lately so they are going to make things hard on the opposition.

 Chelsea

The Blues are a hard team to figure out this season. They’ve lost some head scratchers this year, but they are slowly creeping up the domestic table to challenge. Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka are each super strikers, but their midfield is the star of the club. Between Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel, Joe Cole, Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard they can play with any team. The big question is going to be between the posts. With Petr Cech out with a facial injury and Carlo Cudicini’s hamstring injury putting Henrique Hilario in goal, there is some question about the last line of defense. They have been at this stage before so we’ll see if they can make it to the final stage for the first time.

Predictions… As badly as I do predicting I’m going with

 

Manchester United v Liverpool

 

Premiership Football Fireworks

It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for Premier League clubs at home and in Europe. I’ve been a bit lax, but I’ll try to get back up to speed.

 Manchester United 2 - 1 Arsenal

This was the matchup of the weekend in the EPL and it didn’t disappoint. Red Devil supporters had to be nervous in the first half as the Gunners not only had the lion’s share of the scoring, but the hosts seemed to be unsure what colour jersey they were wearing. I haven’t seen as many sloppy passes as they gave away in a long time. The man of the first half for the defending champions was by far Edwin Van Der Sar. The Dutchman showed good positioning and made each save look easy.

The second half started off where the first ended and Emmanuel Adabayor made United pay with a spectacular deflection off of his HAND (how did Howard Webb miss that?). Adebayor has been in a bit of a drought and his goal came at a good time for Arsenal. But, karma can be quick and William Gallas’ hand got United back in the match when he handled in the box. Cristiano Ronaldo’s first try at the penalty kick was disallowed after an infringement. He placed the second shot on the same side as the first, Jens Lehmann guessed right, but couldn’t keep it out and the Red Devils were back in it.

Manchester United began asserting itself after the equalizer and showed why they are leading the league. Substitute Carlos Tevez gave the home fans something to cheer about when his 25 yarder screamed past the post. Sir Alex’s other substitute Anderson paid off with his artistry in the attacking midfield that Paul Scholes just didn’t give them in the first half. The play of the match had to be Owen Hargreaves’ free kick in the 72nd minute. Patrice Evra drew the foul 25 yards out and Ronaldo took up his customary position for the shot. Instead of stepping out of the way and letting the league’s leading scorer add to his total, Hargreaves took a quick step and slotted the ball into the right hand side of the goal. The shot caught everyone off guard and the English international was celebrating before the ball hit the net. Some tense moments down the stretch kept the excitement in the game and when the whistle blew the lead in the league was six points.

  Reading 0 - 2 Fulham 

The bottom of the Premiership got a little more interesting as Fulham took another step towards getting out of the relegation zone. Both sides showed their share of initiative with the Royals showing a bit more skill at moving through the defense. However, they never got a shot on goal and the Cottagers made them pay. Brian McBride put the visitors ahead with a brilliant stab at Simon Davies’ cross. Roy Hodgson has to be wondering where his side would be if McBride hadn’t spent most of the season injured. The American striker had multiple opportunities and could have had a hat-trick. Erik Nevland fired home from 15 yards to double the score in the end, but Reading never looked like taking any points.

  Bolton 1 - 0 West Ham 

Bolton are two points behind Birmingham City for EPL survival. West Ham are going to finish in the middle of the table no matter what. So you would think that the Wanderers would be the side fighting hardest. The Hammers, however, fought like they were in the title hunt and made a great game of it. Kevin Davies’ strike in the first minute of the second half was fortuitous, but he’ll take it and the three points that come with it. Gary Megson has come under some heat lately with some of the Bolton faithful calling for Sam Allardyce’s return. With matches against Middlesbrough and Chelsea in the last four weeks staying up may be a pipe dream. Would Big Sam manage a Championship side?

 Elsewhere in the league…

Liverpool tore through Blackburn for a solid 3-1 win.

Aston Villa reminded Derby County that life in the Championship might not be that bad with a 6-0 victory.

Tottenham are still woeful after winning the Carling Cup as they drew Middlesbrough 1-1 (and Boro scored both goals)