Category: Champions League

The One with El Clasico Special…

Two Clásico clashes in five days and both were won by Real Madrid. We haven’t seen that for a while. Sophie and Ben discuss the two latest installments of the famous fixture in an hour-long special not to be missed!

What is wrong with Barcelona? Qué pasa con Messi? We also talk Tito and Roura, Pique and Alves, the penalty incident and much more!

And then there’s Madrid, of course. Is Mourinho having the last laugh? Is Ronaldo the world’s best player right now? We look ahead to the Champions League clashes, talk Milan and Manchester United and even made some predictions for our respective teams in the North London Derby!

It’s an epic! So join us for our Happy Hour special!!

A Conversation With…Akil Vyas

Arsenal have been busier than usual in the transfer market yet the business conducted still hasn’t satisfied the appetites of many fans.

There’s no doubt the Gooner nation is happy with the arrival of a class player like Santi Cazorla, together with German goal machine Lukas Podolski and rising French star Olivier Giroud. Despite the pedigree of these players, fans are upset Arsene Wenger didn’t do enough to replace Alex Song and they are also disgruntled the club sold Robin van Persie to rivals Manchester United. In A Conversation With Akil Vyas, we break down the Arsenal situation and discuss the hot topics engulfing the famous North London club.

What do Gunners fans really think about Theo Walcott? With all of Diaby’s injuries, can the club trust he’ll be available and fit throughout an entire season as the ready-made replacement for Alex Song? Should The Ox play or be a super sub? What is Arsenal’s best formation? Is there a need to worry about the injury prone back line? Can they have an impact in the Champions League?

Akil answers all of these questions and more in our conversation. You can follow him on Twitter @10akhil. Kick back, relax and enjoy!

Miracle at the Camp Nou…

Last week on World Football Daily, a listener asked the question, “if Chelsea beat Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final, would it be on the same scale as the Miracle on Ice?”

At the time, the entire crew answered with a resounding “no.” But after tonight’s performance by Chelsea against Barcelona, should the World Football Daily crew re-think the listener’s question?

Was it a miracle? Or was it just a monumental defensive display with a counter attacking twist?

It was a fascinating evening of European football. Everything was going according to plan for the West London club. Thirty minutes gone in the first half, no goals conceded and defensively, they picked up exactly where they left off at Stamford Bridge last week.

But after a tornado of attacks from Barcelona, the Chelsea defense finally succumbed. They failed to pick up Sergio Busquets in the box and in turn, he easily slotted home the first goal of the night. Eight minutes later, Iniesta hit a sweet strike to make it 2-0. Advantage Barcelona and at this point, everybody expected the flood gates to open. Instead…a moment of madness!

John Terry decided to knee Alexis Sanchez from behind, right between the legs and the linesman informs the referee who then shows the former England captain a straight red card. An idiotic and unnecessary act from Chelsea’s leader and with each step he shamelessly took towards the dressing room, it felt like a stamp in the heart for Chelsea fans. Surely Barcelona’s dominance would payoff with lots of goals now. Surely Terry’s stupidity would be punished. Or would it?

Just before half-time and moments after Terry’s sending off, Frank Lampard delivered a delicious signature pass that split Barcelona’s phantom defense and Ramires capped it off with a delightful chip Xavi, Iniesta or Messi would be proud of. It was exquisite and deserving of the run Ramires made to get into that position. The goal stunned the Camp Nou. Stunned the players. And stunned Guardiola. How many Barcelona fans said a little prayer before the second half? How many fans believed Lionel Messi would bail them out of trouble?

It was a night however where the world’s best player lost his magical touch. Messi has scored more than 60 goals this season but he couldn’t find the back of the net against Chelsea. And the most glaring of all misses was his penalty effort that hit the woodwork. Barcelona needed another hero to step forward but nobody had that killer finish. As the minutes painfully passed and with every kick of the ball, you felt more and more like the script was never going to veer in the direction of Barcelona. Not on this night. Not against this Chelsea team.

This is the same team that capitulated under Andre Villas Boas on a weekly basis. This is the same set of players who lacked confidence and any type of spirit for the majority of the Premier League season. I’ve said the same thing repeatedly since Andre Villas Boas was fired. This team will win to spite him. They now believe in themselves. It’s evident throughout the entire club. They had an obvious swagger even when they were losing 2-0. And after they made it 2-1, you felt like there was still another headline waiting to be written.

The final say came from the one player who suffered under Andre Villas Boas dictatorship the most. Fernando Torres returned to Spain with Chelsea as a 50 million pound flop and left Spain with Chelsea a 50 million pound hero. He ran his heart out and dodged the challenge of Victor Valdes to bury the goal that could deliver Roman Abramovich the Holy Grail!

But it’s not just a win against Barcelona that is driving Chelsea towards unexpected glory. Roberto Di Matteo and Eddie Newton have added a certain magic to this once woeful team. Call it belief. Call it confidence. Call it men leading men. Something is swinging down the Kings Road again and this time it’s not Lionel Messi’s shorts.

Al Michaels, a famous U.S. sports announcer once asked if we believed in miracles. In modern day football, against this particular Barcelona team and with only 10-men at the Camp Nou on a Champions League semi-final night, I would say a smidgen of me believes a miracle did happen tonight…

The Nightmare Before Christmas…

Tis’ the season to be jolly. Or is it?

If you are a Manchester United fan, it feels more like the nightmare before Christmas than a holly, jolly holiday.

When it comes to English football, Manchester United have long been the epicenter of success over the last 20 years. And like Margaret Thatcher many moons ago, United have ruled with an iron fist for so long, it’s almost strange to think how life would be if their prolific reign came to a dramatic end.

Success in sports is cyclical and following Manchester United’s shocking exit from the Champions League at the hands of Swiss side FC Basel, coupled with the 6-1 thrashing at Old Trafford courtesy of “noisy neighbours” Manchester City, you could argue the football tide is turning. Is this going to be a season where United win nothing?

When the season started, nobody expected Manchester United to fail so miserably in the Champions League. They had one of the easiest groups of any big team in Europe and their failure to qualify for the last 16 was as shocking as seeing Mike Tyson hit the canvas in Tokyo back in February of 1990. Tyson was so good, you never thought he could lose. And Manchester United have been so good for so long, a defeat to FC Basel wasn’t something the fans or media were expecting.

Mentally, I don’t believe they have yet recovered from that horrific 6-1 loss to their biggest rivals. There is no doubt Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the best managers ever. He will go down in history as a managerial pioneer of the modern game. From tactics, to mind games and handling the media, he has provided a master class for all to enjoy. But, his overall demeanour of late has not been the same and I truly believe the epic loss to Manchester City felt like a death to him and he might well still be in his grieving period.

To hear Sir Alex Ferguson apologise to fans following their loss to Crystal Palace at home in the Carling Cup was shocking. Yes they fielded a weaker team, but they still had the likes of Park Ji-Sung, Antonio Valencia, Darron Gibson and five other international players on the pitch. Regardless who plays, United look a shadow of the team we’ve seen in recent years. And let’s be honest, some of Sir Alex Ferguson’s recent team selections, especially in the Champions League have been questionable.

Granted it takes United a while to heat up their season and they are where they usually would be around this time of year. The difference however is that they are playing so much worse than they normally would at this stage. There is very little creativity in midfield and their inability to replace Paul Scholes following his retirement is clearly evident on the pitch. Yes Tom Cleverley is a wonderful young player, but how did he become so integral to their midfield after only just starting in the first team this season? Hernandez hasn’t yet captured the dizzy heights he reached last season and Rooney’s incredible start has come to a grinding halt.

Even with Nemanja Vidic in defense and the emergence of hugely talented players like Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, United still appear extremely vulnerable at the back. Rio Ferdinand is an aging defender who has lost his pace and the overall inconsistency of not playing the same group of players together more often has definitely hurt them. They also have issues with David de Gea in goal. He cost a lot of money when he came from Atletico Madrid and he continues to make expensive mistakes that should not come with an almost 19 million pound price tag.

You can never write off Manchester United, but it’s hard not to flirt with the idea this season. They are just not good enough and their history and pedigree shouldn’t be a reason to diffuse the critics opinions about the current state of the club. There’s no doubt one should beware of the wounded animal, but right now, Manchester United can barely compete with Newcastle, let alone Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

The mighty have definitely fallen and we have yet to see Sir Alex Ferguson overcome too much adversity in his illustrious career with the greatest of the Manchester clubs. He’s rattled by City and for the first time in a long time, his magic wand has eluded him in European competition too.

It probably won’t be too long before Manchester United are back to their usual best. But for now, it’s the turn of their fans to suffer in a football nightmare and just before Christmas too…

The Island of Love…

When I was growing up in London, I had the great fortune of spending summers in Cyprus with my family. The  island of love would always serve up an atmosphere and flavour that was intoxicating and addictive to the soul.

From the sounds of locals playing backgammon, to the delicious food, the sparkling sun and mesmerizing Mediterranean Sea, Cyprus had you falling head over heels in love with its beauty. Nowadays, there is an entirely different reason to fall in love with one of the world’s most picturesque and fascinating islands.

Football is very much part of Greek Cypriot life and culture. And over the last few years, the Cypriot’s have become much better at the game. This season, one team in particular has got the island singing and the rest of Europe watching. APOEL Nicosia has put Cypriot football firmly on the map and the island of barely a million people is garnering a reputation for more than just tourism.

APOEL are the first Cypriot side to ever qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. It’s a monumental achievement. And it hasn’t been a fluke either. Granted they’ve had some luck along the way, but APOEL played their group methodically and passionately, garnering phenomenal results. Zenit St Petersburg, FC Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk are not easy teams to beat or even get a draw against. But somehow, some way, their never say die attitude galvanized APOEL and they found a groove that surprised the world of football.

We all love seeing the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United in the latter stages of the tournament. Who isn’t excited by watching the world’s best players battle it out? But surely in every season, there should be a Cinderella who gets to go to the Champions League ball? Who knows, APOEL might turn into football pumpkins at the first try, but at least they can say they had one wee dance.

There is no doubt APOEL’s presence in the Champions League has been as refreshing as an iced cold Keo beer. The island brew is a firm favourite with locals and tourists. But beyond the local brew and tourists, anything can happen on the island of love. Trust me, I’ve felt the mystery and the magic for myself…

Not so special in Spain…

Jose Mourinho has ruffled the feathers of many people, including some of his star players. Following the defeat to Barcelona in last week’s Champions League semi-final, the Special One has come under fire for not only his comments post game, but also his tactics.

It wasn’t so long ago when Mourinho launched a scathing attack on Tottenham’s tactics, accusing them of “parking the bus” during a Premier League game. Well now, Europe’s most controversial manager is being accused of the same. There are some who believe he is a tactical genius, and there are many who believe he is killing the spirit of Real Madrid football.

Whether you like Mourinho or not, you can’t deny the success his style of football has achieved in multiple leagues across Europe. Pretty or not, he is a born winner. Just ask Arsenal fans if they would take two seasons of Mourinho’s style in order to fill the trophy cabinet with a bit more silverware. Wouldn’t you?

Mourinho was loved by the British press for his uniqueness and never ending classic sound bites. In Italy, his controversial approach was not embraced so much, but they did respect his achievement of winning the treble with Inter Milan. And in Spain, his football style has been panned by the media and Real Madrid fans.

There’s no doubt Mourinho faces his toughest challenge as manager. The Real Madrid hot seat is piping hot. Whether or not he stays for another season is all dependent on what happens in the Champions League. If he pulls off a miracle and defeats Barcelona, all of the negative press could change in a heart beat. And if anyone can turn things around it’s the Special One. But right now, in one of football’s most beloved cathedral’s, he’s not so special. What do you think?

Remind you of someone?

Gareth Bale saved Tottenham’s blushes in Europe last night with a stunning hat-trick against Inter Milan. Let’s face it. After Tottenham’s first-half display, nobody saw Bale’s second-half performance coming. If Lionel Messi had scored three goals in that fashion, everyone would be lording him today.

Bale was the only Spurs player who didn’t look like a deer in headlights at the San Siro. He turned the travelling fans experience from a nightmare into an almost amazing dream. Still. Well done son. You are without doubt, a future divo in the making. In fact, last night, you officially arrived.

The Welsh star has long been considered one of the most exciting British prospects in years. He went through a miserable time when he first joined Spurs from Southampton. Every time he’d play, they’d lose. But Bale didn’t let it bother him. He fought back and was given a position in the side that is almost the nucleus of the current Spurs team. Impressed? I am.

Does Bale remind you of another flying winger from Wales? He’s almost identical to Ryan Giggs in every way. Let’s hope Spurs can hang onto him for a good few years. He can become a legend at the Lane if he wants. But the lure of money could lead him to pasture new. For now, soak him up Spurs fans.

Bye-bye Inter…

Jose Mourinho. We here at British Soccer Diva have promoted you from The Special One to The Special Super Duper One & Tactical Master of a Genius. What else is there to say other than, what do you think of how Super Duper the Special One is? And how lucky are Real Madrid going to be next season?

The Champions League final wasn’t as exciting as we had hoped. But there was a spark in the game and he played right up front in the trenches for Inter Milan. Argentine striker Milito reminds me of the year Italian hit man Toto Schillaci took Serie A by storm and then went on to star for Italy in the World Cup that same year.

But I think the difference is Milito will be around for many more seasons scoring many more goals in any league he chooses to play in anywhere in the world. I was shocked Andy Gray didn’t say “take a bow son” following his second goal. His finishing was classic and clinical. What a player he has been this season. Let the bidding begin for his services

Congratulations Bayern Munich for getting as far as you did. If Ribery was playing perhaps it would have been a totally different game. But when you play against the Super Duper Master of a Genius, it’s tough to win. Bayern will be even more of a team to be reckoned with next season. If they can hang on to their best players, they will be just fine.

As for Inter Milan, the Super Duper Special One delivered the goods for the Italians in Europe after a 45 year wait. He did the same at Chelsea after they had gone 50 years without the title. The man knows how to win. How many times do we have to say this? The only questions is how much will he win before his career is over? How many times do we have to ask this? And for Inter, who will dare succeed this genius and coach them next season?

It will take a Brave One to step in to the Special One’s shoes.

Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur…

After years of paddling around in the kids pool, Tottenham finally get their chance to dip their large man toes in the big boy pool. Champions League football beckons at the Lane next season. Question is, will they sink or swim? For now, Tottenham fans are not worried about the two-legged play-off in August. For now, they are just happy to have been invited.

Regardless of how they do in their first Champions League tournament, for Spurs fans, this is a monumental time. Not only have they achieved their main objective of the season by qualifying for Europe’s most prestigious footballing competition, they have also surpassed expectations by beating London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea. In seasons past, they always failed against the big boys. Not anymore. This is a new Tottenham.

‘Arry Redknapp has done a phenomenal job guiding Spurs into the Champions League in his second season as boss. He has built a team that play for each other. He has developed Michael Dawson into a potential England international. He has made Gareth Bale a positive attacking force and his displays have made him a target for Manchester United. He has given Huddlestone so much confidence that you can now see his “Hoddle” like abilities. He even made Bentley step-up to the plate following Aaron Lennon’s injury. And his boy Peter Crouch came up trumps netting the winner against City. You could go on and on about what a great job ‘Arry and his staff have done. It’s good to see an English manager getting the opportunity to manage an English club in the Champions League.

Spurs are now breathing down Arsenal’s neck in more ways than one. They have certainly caught up to their North London rivals with regards to talent on the pitch and they are certainly miles ahead in the spending ranks. Plus they have done much better in domestic competitions over the last few years. They’ve actually won something! Credit to Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy for making some bold decisions and for being willing to make mistakes in order to achieve success. With Tottenham having gained on Arsenal so fiercely, is the power shifting to the blue side of North London?

There’s lots to dissect after this game, but the other obvious winner last night was British football. Manchester City made some bold statements at the beginning of the season. They spent huge amounts of money which left them so assured about qualifying for the Champions League. Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure and Wayne Bridge were already guaranteed Champions League football with Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. So if it was really about playing Champions League football, then surely Adebayor, Toure, Bridge and Tevez would have have stayed at their previous clubs no? Gareth Barry wanted to play Champions League football but snubbed Liverpool for Manchester City, who were not even in the competition. All of these moves were motivated by the big bucks City were willing to pay. And it didn’t work. Does this mean you can’t buy success?

For British football, Tottenham and Manchester United, the fact City didn’t qualify is great news! But despite their failures, City have much to be excited about next season. They will no doubt have a new manager and they will certainly bring in some new faces. Of the faces they currently have, it’s questionable who will stay. One thing is for sure, Adam Johnson looks like a future star and was the best buy of the bunch that rolled into City over the last few months. If I were running the blue side of Manchester, I’d build my team around Johnson.

For now, the day belongs to Tottenham. It’s been such a long journey for their fans. They are ready to cheer their team on in Europe. Could they be singing “Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur” all the way to Wembley in 2011 or will it all end in tears before the party has even begun..?

Did Inter Milan park the bus..?

Football really is a funny old game. Whether you win, lose or draw, as an owner, manager or player, at some point, what you say or how you play can always come back to haunt you. Always!

Just a few seasons back when Jose Mourinho was manager of Chelsea, he made this comment following a Premier League game against London rivals Tottenham. “As we say in Portugal, they brought the bus and they left the bus in front of the goal. I would have been frustrated if I had been a supporter who paid £50 to watch this game because Spurs came to defend. There was only one team looking to win, they only came not to concede – it’s not fair for the football we played.”

With Inter Milan’s heroic victory over Barcelona in the semi-final of the Champions League this week, you could easily point the finger at Mourinho and his Inter team for parking their bus in front of the Catalan goal at the Nou Camp. You could also say that fans were upset his team was so defensive and that they didn’t come to play real football against the world’s prettiest team. You could say Mourinho did to Barcelona what Tottenham did to him. But would you? Was this really a case of parking the bus, or was it purely a defensive master class planned by the Special One and executed by his loyal army of men?

If you read the media reports in Italy, Mourinho’s team played like heroic gladiators on the night. If you read the media reports in England, it’s evident how the British game misses Jose since his departure from the Premier League. And if you read the media reports in Spain, Inter’s play was negative and “park the bus like” and Barca were the unlucky heroes after dominating on the night. Isn’t it great how we can all see things so differently? But don’t you think that even as rival football fans we should give credit to the opposing team when we witness something truly amazing?

For me, it wasn’t a case of parking the bus, it was truly a case of tactical mastery. And as we said in a post earlier this month when Inter Milan beat Chelsea, Jose Mourinho is still very much the Special One. Perhaps we would have viewed Inter Milan’s approach differently if they had kept 11 players on the pitch. But when you go a player down and you are winning the tie by 2 goals, there’s no need to gamble. There’s no need to chase the game. You just defend. And that’s what Inter Milan did. And their organization, their timing, their positioning…it was all just so impressive. It wasn’t a case of parking the bus and hoping for the best. They wore Barcelona down. They had the tactics and the will to win. The red card changed the game.

Busquet’s beahviour was disgusting. The way he had one eye on the referee while rolling around like a girl was grotesque. Motta should definitely know that in the modern game if you touch a player’s face like that you could be sent off. But the manner in which Busquet reacted was truly unsportsmanlike. As talented as Barcelona are, it’s this part of their game that makes them unattractive. They get away with it and the media doesn’t give them a tough time about it. Lots of acting, rolling around and poor behaviour overall. Following that incident, I found myself rooting for Inter Milan even more. And I think the sending-off gave the Inter team even more determination to win.

Even Lionel Messi couldn’t do anything in that game and despite Barca’s dominance of possession, they couldn’t break down the Inter defense because of the incredible organization and discipline. Pique finally got the goal that gave Barca hope, but the game was already lost in the second half in Milan. And all Mourinho had to do at the Nou Camp was not give anything cheap away by gambling unnecessarily. They played their game to perfection and shockingly, for a defensive performance by one team, it was still compelling and thrilling to watch.

When the final whistle reverberated around the Nou Camp, Mourinho exploded into a celebration like we’ve never seen before. It was even crazier than his leg slide across the pitch and his running down the touch line. This time around he ran onto the pitch with his finger firmly pointing in the air. You could see how much this all meant to him. How much he wanted to win this game. In fact, he wanted more than just a victory. He wanted to dot the “I” and cross the “T.” He wanted to show Barcelona they made a mistake about him. He wanted to prove he could beat the best in their own back yard. And he did. And Victor Valdes could do nothing about it!

Mourinho will continue to beat the best in their own back yard. Why? Because he is the best. He’s special. And when his career is over and he’s sitting in his favourite chair looking back, he will have an abundance of trophies from each of the major footballing countries. And he will probably have a World Cup winners medal with Portugal too. Only one question remains and we asked it a few months ago. Where will he go next? Wherever he goes, fasten your seat belts and get your popcorn ready, because as T.O. says “it’s going to be a show.”

Do you think Mourinho’s celebration was over-the-top? Did Inter Milan park the bus…?