Champions League round of 16 Part 2

Week two that kicks off another flurry of matches for the Champions League

19 February 2013

More »
Porto		20.45		Málaga
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Estádio do Dragão, Porto (POR)
More »
Arsenal		20.45		Bayern
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Arsenal Stadium, London (ENG)

20 February 2013

More »
Galatasaray		20.45		Schalke
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi, Istanbul (TUR)
More »
Milan		20.45		Barcelona
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan (ITA)

Porto v Malaga: Malaga might no longer be solvent by the time this game is played...okay that was mean. Porto are quietly continuing to post solid results in Europe. Look for the Portuguese giants to dispatch of their Spanish rivals 4-2 on aggregate.

Arsenal v Bayern: Well you did it again Arsene, got Arsenal out of the group stages...so I guess that means it was a "successful" season once again for the Gunners. Alas. I think that the ride is over for the Gunners when they face the runners up from last year's Champions League. The likes of Robben, Muller, Schwieny, Ribery et al are set to try to get back to the finals. I just do not think that Arsenal have the steel to deal with the German giants. Bayern move on 5-1 on aggregate.

Galatasary v Schalke: Any time one of the Istanbul clubs goes deep into the Champions League it makes for interesting times! Add to this the new additions of Scheider and Drogba and all of a sudden you have a side that might make a deep run. They will face off against a solid Schalke side. But I cannot see the Turkish side not making some noise now that it has added some solid pieces to an already good side. Galatasary head to next round with a 2-1 aggregate victory. 

Milan v Barcelona: Maybe if this were the Milan of Gullit and Van Basten we would have a mouth watering match....hmmmm just think of that match up. Baresi, Maldini et al trying to stop Messi, Xavi and Iniesta...while the Puyol and Pique would have to find a way to containt Van Basten and Gullit....anyways. This version of Milan will have no answers for the Barcelona attack. Look for Messi and co to go through relatively easily 6-1 on aggregate.

Mexes goal...clearly someone watched the Sweden v England friendly

Another ridiculous bicycle kick from outside the penalty area -

Beckham gets the business in LA

So Golden Balls gets booed during his debut for the Galaxy. Ah fans will be fans. The fans were up in arms because Beckham had the audacity to try and work out a deal with Milan to make his move permanent. How dare he!!! Who would ever want to give up playing in the MLS for Serie A? I cannot fathom why Golden Balls even thought about not coming back to the MLS to face the likes of Real Salt Lake, Red Bull and the Rapids...much better than playing against Inter, Roma, or Juventus. All joking aside, I understand why Beckham wanted to stay in Europe and I guess I understand why the fans did what they did. The one issue the fans need to get a grasp of, the MLS remains an inferior product to what is offered in Europe. How can you fault any player for wanting to play for AC Milan? I realize that the fans take this as an insult, how dare a player turn his back on their beloved Galaxy??? I have always been a critic of Golden Balls, but one thing I will never accuse him of is not being dedicated to his trade, his team and his country. I think that it is unjust that fans, obviously fueled by the Donovan comments, are slinging the insults at Becks. Beckham has given the MLS and the Galaxy all that he has to offer during his time in LA. Wanting to move on to another league, a vastly superior one, should not be used against a player who did play hard when he put on the #23 kit. The Galaxy fans need to get over it, understand that any player worth their salt would seek to play at the highest level of competition. Just because their binky, Landycakes, keeps coming back to LA, does not mean other players want that...and I am sure Landycakes would have been happy if Bayern had looked to keep him for the season. Wonder if the fans will boo him now that Livorno is interested in bring him to Italy.

Fans will be fans...I guess the one positive is that the footie fans in LA have some passion, not sure that would have been the case 10 years ago.

Gourcuff signs with Bordeaux

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/28052009/58/ligue-1-gourcuff-commits-bordeaux.html

While this is not a huge surprise, until it was officially announced there was always that fear in the back of my head that he would go back to Milan, only to get splinters in his butt from riding the pine. This a great move for all the parties involved:

• For Gourcuff - He has obviously discovered himself coming back to France as well as playing for one of the games strong young managers - Laurent Blanc. A few season back when the midfielder moved to Milan, it was under the umbrella that he was the new French star, the next Zidane. However instead of shining at the San Siro he quickly found him self far down the pecking order. The loan move back to France was the breath of fresh air the young player needed and he has taken the opportunity and made the most of it. The permanent move will serve him well for both club and country since there will be no distractions around his going back to Milan (if the loan was extended) or being back in Milan in a system where I doubt he would have the free reign he has at Bordeaux.
• For Bordeaux - The fact Les Girodins are on the verge of capturing the French title is due in large part to the play of Gourcuff. Having him signed for 4 years will ensure that at least next season they can continue to count on this level of play. I also think that keeping this important cog will benefit the club in Europe. They had a less than stellar Champions League campaign, and while I do not expect them to win the trophy with big ears, I think they can expect to this time get out of the group stages. The ability to keep the core of the squad intact will go a long way towards that goal. Also, I am sure that if France make the World Cup and if Gourcuff has a good tournament, that Bordeaux will have many options to resell the player to a bigger club in 2010/2011 and more than make up for their transfer fee of 15m Euros.
• For Milan - I just do not see where the player would have fit back in Milan. While the club itself is going some overhaul, no one is sure of who the manager will be or what players will be available. On the surface the best place on the pitch for Gourcuff is the player slotted in the hole behind the strikers, somewhere Kaka also excels in...and while I might be a slight French homer even I know that Gourcuff is good but not one of the world's top 3 players. So would he slot wider? Maybe but that is not his strength. Deeper? Seedorf is deeper and again not really his strength. So Milan gets some return on their investment, and let us face it, if Gourcuff has a monster World Cup and if the new manager wants to change the system, Milan is not short of cash to reacquire the young Frenchman.
• For Les Bleus - Clearly the success of Les Bleus will depend on how well Gourcuff and Ribery control the midfield offensively. The fact he will spend another season in France, under Blanc with stability, will be beneficial for Les Bleus. Now we all know that Domenech cannot be trusted so France might not even qualify for South Africa, but let us hope that if that does not happen it is because Domenech cannot manage his way out of a paper bag and not because Gourcuff does not play well.

Overall a good piece of information for Gourcuff and all the parties.

All little video of his talent...the first few scenes of him pulling off the "roulette" reminds one of another player that also played at Bordeaux.

The Beckham saga

I keep reading, what appears every day, is that Beckham is on again off again to staying in Northern Italy. It would appear that the loan move to Milan is wanted to be made permanent. What a surprise. Which player would not want to stay at the San Siro playing against Lazio, AS Roma, Inter, Juventus, let alone the European teams in the Champions League? Seems a much better footballing experience than having to play in front of 8,000 fans in football stadiums like Gillette or Giant Stadium. Seems like a much better experience than toiling for the dysfunctional Galaxy. Seems like a much better experience for the entire Beckham brand name. Seems like playing for one of the best footy leagues in the world would be a better experience than playing for the MLS (just don't ask Lalas how he views the MLS in the grand scheme of football leagues). So I think that a the end of this dance between MLS and Milan that Becks will end up at the San Siro for a protracted time. Which will be somewhat remarkable - Beckham would have played for 3 of the most storied and trophied clubs in the world - Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan in the world's top 3 leagues...as well as having played in the MLS in the midst of all these teams. So why is this interesting to me? Other than the fact Beckham has run back to Europe at the first chance he had, even though the MLS was supposedly a great place to be...oops. I think this move will determine if Gourcuff is brought back after his loan spell with Bordeaux is over.

With Becks in the mix full time at Milan, the midfield is once more packed and might not allow for a Gourcuff to get the time and run he needs. With Kaka and Pirlo pulling the strings in the middle of the midfield, Becks will slot out wide, so where do we slot Gourcuff? I think the writing on the wall is that if Gourcuff wants to get any time on the pitch he will either need to have Milan sell of some players - such as Kaka to Manchester City, or hope Milan builds around Gourcuff as the high central midfielder with Pato and Kaka up front, maybe Ronaldino on the wing and Becks on the other, with Pirlo deeper....um....doubtful. Where would Gattusso play how about Seedorf???

I hope that the Beckham deal goes through and that this allows Gourcuff stay at Bordeaux.

Insanity put on hold for now

With Kaka officially staying with AC Milan, the insanity that is Manchester City football will die down at least for now. It will be interesting to see who Manchester City turns their attention to...and what premium they will have to pay for anyone's services. The latest rumor is that ManCity will look to poach JTerry from Chelsea, I am sure that would be cheap....another rumor is that the citizens are looking to get Titi Henry from Barca. Maybe last season this would have been more feasible but this season Henry has become a more integral part of the Barcelona's strategy. And Barca is poised to go far in the Champions League, so why would he want to leave?

It will be interesting to see if Manchester City will go ahead and make a big splash or fall back into second tier status in England....