Champions League round of 16 Part 2

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

19 February 2013

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

20 February 2013

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Galatasaray		20.45		Schalke
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi, Istanbul (TUR)
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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.

Barcelona Youth ... as if we needed more evidence of their talent pool

Crazy video, thanks to Brett for pointing me to this....to think if these kids were in the US they would be playing this at recess. Or for teams that don't keep score!

Cesc and Nasri, don't let door hit you on the....

Fans of football, Barcelona and Arsenal are all waiting for the soap opera that is Cesc to come to an end. All signs indicate that the Arsenal captain will be heading back to his former club shortly. This has been long time coming and the soap opera for the past few seasons has been a distraction and quite frankly nauseating. Add to this all the horse bleep that has come out of Barcelona and the likes of Puyol and Xavi doing their best impersonation of John Calipari on the UK recruiting trail. I said this a few years ago when there was all kinds of smoke around Titi Henry and his leaving Arsenal, at some point it is better to sell the player rather than force him to stay. That is if you have a plan in place to leverage the revenue from the sale to back fill the position...

Chasing each other out of town

When it comes to Cesc, I can understand the desire to head back to where his heart is. While I cannot blame him, I still feel slightly bitter towards the Spaniard. I will admit, much of this is linked to his being anointed as he replacement for Vieira, he was even given the #4 shirt! My respect for Pat is nothing new and to me the way Vieira was shown the door at Arsenal is directly linked to the arrival or Cesc. From a footballing stand point I understand what Wenger was doing and seeing Vieira's career since leaving Arsenal indicate that Wenger was slightly vindicated. Or would Vieira's steel resolve been valuable the past few seasons? Cesc doesn't want to be here anymore, let him go, thanks for your time here, too bad you couldn't lead us to any silverware.

As for Nasri, his reputation as the "Petit Prince" has not been diminished in his demands for more money and subsequently forcing his sale, most likely to Manchester City. One characteristic that should never be criticized (not because it isn't criticize-able but just because it is a simple reality) is the desire of an professional footballer to seek more money.  I do not discount the frustration that must be felt by the likes of Nasri at a legitimate inability to challenge for silverware by Arsenal. But I am sure that if Arsenal met Nasri's pay demands, the lack of silverware contention would be quickly forgotten.

I would ask Wenger to get these two out of town as soon as possible, and with as much time as possible left in the transfer season. Not that Wenger or Arsenal will take advantage of that time. The Gunners have become the epitome of a club that is more concerned about the cash flow and balance sheets rather than the score sheets and trophy case. Granted the most recent transfers have Arsenal in the red:

Arsenal FC -15.474.800 £

Arrival Gervinho (Lille) 10.560.000 £ Francis Coquelin (Lorient) * - Pedro Botelho (FC Cartagena) * - Armand Traoré (Juventus) * - Carl Jenkinson (Charlton) 990.000 £ Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Southampton) 12.144.000 £	Departure Jens Lehmann (End of career) - Mark Randall (Chesterfield) free transfer Gaël Clichy (Man City) 6.820.000 £ Denílson (São Paulo) * ? Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Ipswich) 1.100.000 £ Pedro Botelho (Rayo Vallecano) * 299.200 £
Total: 23.694.000 £	Total: 8.219.200 £

However, if they sell Nasri and Cesc, receiving the expected to add close to 60m £ that would rapidly swing the negative into a 40m £ + positive. Now if Wenger is
willing to take that windfall and actually invest maybe I will be play with all this. 
But I fear he will buy a few bargain basement players and 
call it a day.

Alas, we might be looking at another season of no silverware and maybe even, 
gasp a place in the Europa League! Wenger's war chest must be quite 
healthy, unfortunately that money sitting in a bank does not score goals, make
tackles, dribble defenders or make passes.


Use it Wenger, otherwise what's the point?

Titi frustated...come back to Europe!

Recent rant from French striker  - Titi Henry - about playing in the MLS, click here to read. Based on the article, the two areas of concern for Henry - the playing surface and the media requirements. For the first rant, not a surprise. I understand why MLS teams play on the turf, they share stadiums with their American football counterparts. While we have made great strides in field turf, it still is not grass! I think all outdoor sports should be played on NATURAL grass. I realize that the new field turf is better than the old astro turf and is starting to mimic natural grass...but it still mimics, why not just have the real thing??? I can hear teams complain, "well in the cold, the snow, the rain and the difficult conditions, field turf is better." Okay I get that, and for the NFL that makes some sense, the playing surface does not impact the ball, but in soccer the ball spends its time on that surface. It changes the game. It impacts the players. Get rid of it for soccer.

As for the media complaint, I am sure that Henry is just venting. The reality is he is not being treated as a star as he was used to at Arsenal or Barcelona. So instead of being able to do what he wants post match, he has to sit down and answer questions from a 21 year old reporter from the New York Daily News....

Titi has a long way to go on his contract with Red Bull (another 4 years). Unlike Beckham, I do not think that Titi really views himself as a footballing ambassador. Maybe we will see Titi coming back to Europe and why not back to Ligue 1? Teams such as PSG or Bordeaux could do worse than adding the veteran to their rosters. Maybe even the likes of Lille could try to lure Henry back.

Reviens en France Titi!

Barcelona vs Valencia: Sorting things out in La Liga

This weekend Barcelona plays Valencia in an intriguing game between two contenders for La Liga title. Here is a look at the teams and how they match up against each other.

Barcelona: After winning their first 5 of 6 matches, Barcelona has stumbled lately with two straight draws. For most teams this would not seem like a big setback, but we are talking about a team coming off a season with a record-setting point total to win La Liga and a semifinals appearance in the Champions League. The bar has been raised this year and anything less than multiple hardware would be a disapppointment. These expectations have put enormous pressure on the Catalan giant and it showed during their draws. They struggled to find the back of the net against opponents that are considered to be of lesser quality in Ruben Kazan and Mallorca.

Is pressure the only issue for Barcelona? The current lineup may not be sufficient for great success. The summer signing of David Villa appeared to provide an extra level of firepower. However, the defensive midfield position is an issue. The departure of Yaya Toure has left a void that has been difficult to fill. Javier Mascherano was brought in to fill this void with his wealth of experience in the Premiership. He provides a toughness and stability at the rear. But one wonders how well he fits into Coach Guardiola's system. Barcelona counts on their defensive midfielders to not only stop opponents but also convert these stops quickly into offensive strikes. In Mascherano's first games, he has played so far back that a gap has formed causing a slowdown in any potential attacks. It remains to be seen whether he can close the gap and assimilate to Barcelona's style.

Another issue for Barcelona is the health of its players, especially the Spaniards. With the heavy volume of games played including La Liga, the Champions League, and national team duties, it is taking its toll and is evident with the recent health problems: Xavi Hernandez is sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury. David Villa picked up a knee injury in a recent Euro 2012 qualifier. And it could be a matter of time for others: Andres Iniesta's slight frame leaves him constantly vulnerable. Carles Puyol is now on the other side of 30. One wonders if the team will be 100% throught the year and play the entire season together.

On the other hand, Barcelona boasts a tremendous lineup when they are healthy and running on all cylinders. Lionel Messi is a player capable of singlehandedly dismantling an entire team. Other internationals such as Dani Alves provide a great dimension of width on the wings. And a bench that can call on players such as Pedro and Bojan can be very intimidating. It will be interesting to see how the season unfolds for the Catalans.

Valencia: Los Che may have surprised many on the surface by rising to the top of La Liga with 5 wins and 1 draw in 6 games. A deeper look at the team reveals that they may have been underestimated. During the summer, they lost two of their best players in David Villa and David Silva. These two alone accounted for a large portion of Valencia's offense last season. However, Valencia's management quickly attempted to compensate the loss by acquiring Aritz Aduriz and Roberto Soldado. While these are not household names in La Liga, they have picked up the workload well with 4 goals and 2 assists between them in their first 6 games.

Valencia also has a group of young talented players that can be relentless in their offensive attacks. The likes of Juan Mata, Pablo Hernandez, and Ever Benega have been a nightmare for opposing defenses. Mata and Hernandez have already been recognized with call-ups to the Spanish national team and it may only be a matter of time before AFA is knocking on Benega's door. Youth in general is a strength as Valencia's starting lineup has only two players over the age of 30, and one of those players is the goalkeeper.

And if the starters aren't playing at a satisfactory level, Coach Unai Emery has other viable options. At his disposal are young eager players such as Jordi Alba, Alberto Costa, and Mehmet Topal. And veterans such as Vicente and Bruno are available for service. Coach Emery has been a master at pulling the right strings with his bench so far. An example is Valencia's recent win over Atletico Bilbao in which Emery brought in substitute Vicente in the second half. Vicente answered the call by scoring the deciding goal in the 90th minute.

Is Valencia a real number one in La Liga? There are some areas of concern for this club which makes one wonder if they can sustain the top spot. While youth is a strength at most positions, it is not at the goalie position. Cesar Sanchez is thirty-nine years old and he has a lot of mileage. The question becomes whether he will be healthy for the entire season. Also, Valencia's attacking style has left their defense very vulnerable at times. They provide opponents too many opportunities and have been lucky not to give up more goals. Finally, one cannot help but notice that 4 of their 5 wins have been against teams in the bottom half of La Liga, and none of the 5 are ranked higher than ninth place. It will be interesting to see how Valencia fares against stronger opponents such as Real Madrid, Sevilla, Villarreal, and of course, Barcelona.

The match-up: As visitors, Valencia has not scored a goal since February 2008 at Camp Nou. This year it is the home team that has struggled to score. Barcelona has scored only two goals in three games at Camp Nou. However, don't expect a scoring drought in this game. Both teams favor an attacking style with players that can make deadly runs on the wings or the middle of the field. Teams that have packed 10 men defensively in the box have experienced success against Barcelona, but will Valencia employ such a strategy? Probably not. Such a strategy would take Valencia out of its game. And right now they are licking their chops, as they see Barcelona as a weaker team without playmaker Xavi and possibly without Villa also. But don't expect Barcelona to be without offensive fireworks. Remember, they have Messi.

Prediction: 2-2 draw, with a late goal spoiling Barcelona's chance at getting their second home win of the season.

Barcelona - the rich get richer

The smoke is turning into a raging bonfire (I stole that line from Sam) around the departure of Cesc to Barcelona this summer which seems to be in the negotiation phase currently, the latest is that the inclusion of Yaya Toure in the deal is holding up the finalization of the transfer. However I think it will be highly unlikely that the deal does not go through whether more money be added to the transfer or another player be put in the deal - a list of those options. I personally would chuckle and cry if Busquets came to the Emirates...Sam might have to be restrained in his rage.

Of course while this fire is picking up, the David Villa to Barcelona seems to have started and reached the negotiationstage in lightening quick pace - according to Sport.24 report - Valencia and Barcelona have agreed on a transfer fee of 40m Euros. With Henry leaving, probably for his retirement home in the MLS and with Ibra apparently on his way out of the Catalan side, the addition of Villa will fill the void at striker. This begs the question - where will all this go? With a midfield of Xavi - Cesc - Iniesta - Keita - Busquets (unless he is wearing the #4 shirt for Arsenal) and the attacking formation of Villa - Messi - Pedro you have a frightening offensive side, add Alves to the mix and you will be asking a lot of Abidal - Puyol - Pique to hold down the defensive side, but if you score 4 goals a game why play defense?

This also begs the question - what will the response be from Real Madrid? After losing the title to their hated rivals one more time and now seeing Barcelona add two jewels from the transfer market - 2 Spaniards at that - to their stable of players what will the counter be from the Madrid? Could a major offer to Manchester United for Rooney be in the works? Ribery? Tevez? Lampard? Gerrard? Of course much will be determined on who shines at the World Cup. Should be an interesting transfer season to say the least!

Look for the latest Frog&Gooner podcast where we spend some time discussing these potential moves for Real and Barca...the rich keep getting richer!

Camp Nou disgrace: Barcelona "win" but crash out of Champions League

If ever a 1-0 game can be so entertaining it was the Barcelona v Inter Milan second leg match yesterday. Between Mourinho running around the pitch like an out of control 6 year old after the game, or Busquets Oscar winning performance, or the drama of the match as Barca chased the 2 goals, the game was entertaining and fun to watch.

First, Milan and the Special One need to be complimented for a well strategized and executed game plan. Barcelona had an amazing 76% possession during the match, that is unheard of in a 1-0 game let alone a match at this level. You usually see that when you get a Germany vs Andorra or France vs Faroe Islands type matches. But this is Inter Milan! Yet with all that possession Barcelona really only had a handful of legitimate scoring chances and the bulk of those came towards the end of the match when Inter were playing 5 across the back with 4 "holding" midfielders, they were not even trying to go past the half way line! Barcelona clearly lacked their second play maker in the form of Iniesta (still sidelined due to injury), with an additional creative dynamo in the middle, Barca may have found the right combination sooner. I also question Guardiola taking out Ibra in the second half and putting in Bojan. He must have known that Inter were going to pack in the box with white shirts even more as the game went on, so why take out your big center forward for another "water bug" of a striker? I realize that you move Pique up to a center forward role, but are you seriously going to tell me that Pique is a better option than Ibra? Granted there are some that feel the big Swede disappears in big matches, and there is some merit to this critic, however all it takes from a player of his caliber is one moment of brilliance which is capable of, and that cannot be done from the bench. Clearly Henry is off Guardiola's radar, having been firmly planted on the bench in favor of Jeffren, to play on the left wing in the second half. Red Bull New York never looked so good.

Second, the play acting and other shenanigans of the match were entertaining but at the same time took away from what should have been a better display of football. Clearly the first incident was the Busquets acting...



Um I mean seriously...you would have thought he got elbowed and then kicked in the head by Tiago Motta. It was an absolute disgraceful display but not surprising from the lanky Spanish holding midfielder (by the way I know this made my friend Sam aka The Gooner irate since it is a pet peeve of his how much this player flops - you can listen to his thoughts on the Frog and Gooner podcast!) Simulation such as this is why I think there needs to be another ref on the pitch and possibly the use of video for such game changing events such as red cards and disputed goals...more on that in another blog! Once that happened, I started rooting for Inter, no way a player like Busquets needs to be rewarded for such play acting by getting to another Champions League final! Inter is also not fault free, they clearly were feigning so many injuries to break the game's rhythm, slow down Barca, waste time it was comical. Maicon crashing into the advertising boards early on and pretending his shoulder was broken....laughable. Ever time Lucio was near the ball he appeared to have been run over by a herd of elephants, comical. Granted these tactics worked, but comical and somewhat sad to see these players leverage such bush league tactics. Of course this might have been overshadowed by the ridiculous post game activities from both sides...



What was Mourinho doing? Okay we know what he was doing, but seriously...what other manager would prance around like a peacock looking like a 6 year old at a birthday party post chocolate cake and candy - hyped up on sugar and out of control? Maybe he was showing the Camp Nou fans who was #1 only elevating  his stock in the eyes of the Real Madrid powers that be...even more farcical was Valdes attempt to stop the Special One from his post game victory dance. The most comic was the grounds crew turning on the sprinkler system to get Inter off the pitch. Stay classy Barcelona!

So we have Bayern vs Inter...what were the odds on that final? Should be a fun filled 3 weeks of Mourinho telling us how great he is and how much more difficult his club have had it compared to Inter.

Champions League - Return leg for 1/2 finals

So what can one say about the ability of the Frog to predict matches...um...usually it is the inverse of what is written in this blog! I thought that the Inter v Barca match would be be a tightly played, low scoring match while the Bayner v Lyon had the potential for 4 goals....ooops.

This week we will have the 2 return legs with Inter heading to Barcelona with a 3-1 lead and Bayern heads to Lyon with a 1-0 lead.

First the match in Lyon. OL will miss Toulalan due to a red card while Bayern will suffer the same fate with Ribery. This gives Lyon a slight advantage since Bayern will not have their dangerous left winger. Granted, when Ribery went out Robben stepped up his game and was absolutely impossible to contain, granted once Lyon went down to 10 players he had much more room to roam and his goal was completely deserved. Lyon might be in trouble with their central defenders with Boumsong and Cris coming back from injury. I would think Gonanlons will be slotted as the holding midfielder with Boumsong and Cris in central defense. Much will be expected from the young midfielder to check Robben's runs. However based on what I saw in Munich, I fear that Lyon was overwhelmed by a Bayern team that was clicking with Robben and Ribery running wild on the wings. Even without Ribery, I think that Lyon will have difficulty controlling Robben for 90 minutes. I am not sure that Lyon can keep Bayern off the score sheet, meaning that Lyon will have to score at least 3 goals. Which I fear is to much to ask of this side - prediction: Lyon 1 Bayern 1 - Bayern through 2-1 on aggragate.

The second match comes off a very surprising 3-1 Inter victory in Milan against the team many feel is destined to defend their title of Champions League. Barcelona seemed completely out of sorts during the first leg. Without Iniesta, the Spanish club's midfield revolved entirely around Xavi and his ability to break down the Italian defense. Something he did not have the facility to do as he had against Arsenal. Messi was also contained, every time he came close to the ball he had his national teammate Cambiasso right on his heels usually with another defender to trap the Argentine flea. On the other hand Inter was clinical on the counter attack taking their chances and while the build ups were no way near as pretty as Barcelona's they were very effective - 3 goals. However this tie is far from over - with the away goal in hand, Barcelona have a belief they can get at least 2 goals on Inter. The question will become - can Barcelona hold off Inter from the score sheet? I cannot imagine Inter not taking the same strategy - look to shut down Xavi and keep a shadow on Messi. Inter will then look to continue to beat Barcelona on the counter - feeding Eto'o and Milito. Could Guardiola slot Henry back on the left with Ibra and Messi as a 3 headed attack formation? Try to give the formation much more width with Henry out on the left. This match will be very entertaining. I think Barcelona will come out guns blazing and look to get an early goal. If Inter can stem this early tide they are in good shape, otherwise it might become a back and forth match. I think Barcelona go up 2-0 at half time, Inter scores via Eto'o in the 70th minute only to see Barcelona fight back in added time to get the 3-1 victory which makes the aggregate a tie. In extra time both sides play more cautiously and the game goes to penalty kicks....Barca wins 6-5 in PKs.....

Barcelona v Bayern in the finals....

Inter v Barcelona part III - Champions League Semi Finals

So Inter meet Barcelona for the third time of this year's Champions League after having faced one another during the group stages - a draw at the San Siro and a Barcelona victory back in Spain. Now both clubs face each other for a chance at getting to the finals in Madrid.  To many these games are just a simple victory lap for the defending European Champions on their way to a back to back title...not so fast!

This game does hold many story lines - starting with Eto'o and Ibra playing their former clubs. Throw into the mix the Special One looking to secure his first Champions League title since he won it with Porto and you have a the making of a good match up. So what should we expect?

First, an underlying story - the volcano in Iceland has forced Barcelona to bus its way to Milan. Granted the trip, according to Google maps is only a 9 hour trip. However I am sure most of these players have not had to take a bus on such a long away trip since they were kids. With an already packed calendar the extra travel time could have an impact on the game.

I also agree with the Bleacher Report that Barca might underestimate their opponents, slightly. Barcelona is playing very well, Espanyol tie aside. With the last memory of Barcelona in the Champions League of Messi completely taking apart the North Londoners it is hard to imagine how Inter will slow down the offensive juggernaut that is Barca.



However this is not Arsenal, this is Milan who will play their usual Italian style of tough defensive football. I think the key will be how they slow down Xavi - therefore try and cut off the service to Messi and Ibra. Barca is without Iniesta which takes away their 2 headed midfield attack. Inter will probably throw a combination of Chivu and Cambiasso to break up the midfield flow. This could cause some problems for Barca. The other interesting story line will be how the 2 attacking full backs - Maicon and Alves influence the match. Neither is really known for their defensive ability but more for their forays into the offensive side of the pitch. With Barcelona missing Abidal it will be interesting to see how the defensive mates of Alves cover his offensive runs.

I think in the end, the match at the San Siro will be a very cautious affair. Inter will want to avoid giving up the away goal and will probably be content to head back to Barca with a 0-0 draw or at best a 1-0 lead to defend. I am sure that Mourinho will "muscle" up Messi and Xavi see if they can cut off the center of the Barcelona park.

I see this match ending 1-1 with an early goal from Ibra only to see Inter equalize late via a goal from Maicon. This will set up an interesting return leg to Barcelona.

Inter get the essential and Arsenal scrap back - Champions League Day 2

I will admit when Arsenal went down 2-0 I stopped paying attention to the match...my fault. First, the Special One made sure of the essential against CSKA by securing the 1-0 victory. A small margin heading to Moscow but the essential is done and Inter did not concede the dreaded away goal. All this came after Mourinho took away the spot light from his squad by saying he did not like Italian football. Okay. He did preface by saying he like Inter, I would hope so since they pay him a handsome salary...not sure if this was the Special One making outlandish comments to take the pressure and attention away from his squad prior to a big match or just his massive ego that once again was unleashed on the public. I would opt for the latter. Inter should be confident heading into next weeks match, it will not be an easy trip, but their 1-0 lead is something to defend and one thing the Italians are known for is the catenaccio!

The second match was much more entertaining....for those who did not turn away after the former Inter man - Ibrahimovic got his brace on a cheeky pass and finish. After watching the first half where Almunia, yes Almunia, saved the house for Arsenal making at least 3 world class saves in a matter of minutes.



Granted he went back to his old self on the first Ibra goal where he made the cardinal sin of hesitating on the ball. Rather than hold his line he timidly went out to meet a through ball and rather than continue at full speed to cut down the ball he stopped and started retreating allowing Ibra to chip him for the first goal. The second was a lightening bolt that Lev Yashin would have been hard pressed to get a finger tip to, let alone hope to stop it.

All the credit to the rest of Arsenal for then fighting back, the insertion of Walcott paying dividends with his goal for Arsenal. One could argue that Valdes should have done better with the low shot, but that is what good goal scorers do - take their chances even if they are not the perfect shot and force the other team to defend it. Arsenal would equalize on a penalty from Cesc....which is interesting because I had always understood Wenger's policy was if you were the cause of the penalty you did not take the kick. What made that play even more pivotal was that Cesc seemed to aggravate his knee on the shot and Puyol was shown red for his foul to get the penalty. Meaning Cesc might be out for a while and Puyol will miss the return leg next week.

Arsenal deserve credit in fighting back. However the task will me monumental next week - Cesc is out (injury or not he got another yellow card meaning he is suspended), Arshavin had to come out so not sure if he can play, Gallas re-injured his leg and Arsenal while level did give up 2 dreaded away goals. At least Arsenal have a better chance than they appeared to have with 30 minutes left in the game!

Happy New Year! Deep thoughts on 2009

Happy New Year to everyone, and here is to a joyful and prosperous 2010...start of a new decade! Here are some thoughts on what was a very interesting year, even though there were no major international tournaments (No, the Confed Cup does not count! But it will be discussed).

Player of the year - Well no surprise here, Lionel Messi was clearly the best player on the best club team this year. He scored an impressive 36 goals in all competitions for Barcelona and carried the Catalan club to a treble - La Liga title, Copa del Rey and Champions League - Messi scored goals in both the Copa del Rey and Champions League finals as well. Subsequently they went on to win the Europe Super Cup and FIFA World Club Cup. The surprise for the year was the fact Messi could not carry over his golden form to the Argentina national team.



Team of the year - Again, no real surprise - Barcelona gets this honor. They were clearly the class of Europe, playing well throughout the Champions League. With the midfield duo of Xavi and Iniesta pulling the stings, Yaya Toure the midfield enforcer, Henry on the wings, Eto'o up front, the emergence of Pique as a solid central defender, Alves making deep runs on the wing from his fullback position, Abidal providing deep cover, and the defense anchored by Puyol and Valdes, the team was a well-oiled machine. Guardiola was able to pull all the right strings and managed the side impeccably. Barcelona were a power house the first half of the domestic season, only losing 1 match and drawing 2, amassing an impressive 50 points by the break. They continued their success into the second half marked by an impressive 6-2 victory over hated rival Real Madrid. With 5 titles, and eclipsing of Real Madrid and the best player in the world - much will be expected from the side in 2010. It will be interesting to see if they can live up to a lofty 2009.

Manager of the year - I could go with a treble for Barca, but instead I am going to give the title to Laurent Blanc. He managed Bordeaux to the French League title as well as the Coupe de la Ligue. He made Gourcuff a valuable playmaker sitting behind the strikers or in a deeper midfield role - transforming him from a French prospect into the key play maker for Bordeaux and Les Bleus. Blanc appears to have the intelligence to manage but also the demeanor - he is comfortable with the press, seems to push the correct buttons with his team and achieves results. No doubt he is a rising star in the managerial world, with whispers of him going to Manchester United or managing the national side.

Match of the year - This was an interesting year for me. There were a few matches that stood out - the Barcelona 6 goal drubbing of Real Madrid was an entertaining match to say the least. France v Ireland in Stade de France will always live in infamy for 2009. However, I will have to say the match of the year was the Spain v USA match in the Confed Cup. The match was historic on a number of levels - Spain had not lost in what felt like forever, they had the likes of Torres, Xavi, Alonso, Cesc, etc on the pitch, they were poised to face Brazil in what many thought would be a World Cup final preview...and it all was dashed by the Americans. The US played exactly the way you need to upset a team such as Spain - play tough defense, trust your keeper, take your chances and enjoy a bit of luck. They almost replicated this in the finals against Brazil, unfortunately the skill and talent of the Samba Boys was too much in the in second half. Much has been hyped about the American chances in next year's World Cup, however I do not think you can go very far in a major tournament playing the underdog style. The US should do well for themselves in South Africa, but hopes need to be tempered.



Overall a good year of football, but 2010 should be even better with the World Cup. Look for my decade recap once the calendars flip to 2010. Happy New Year to all. See you in 2010.

Barca passes to the offensive

So the European Champion is starting to stir in the transfer market. As it watches its hated rival, Real Madrid spend like a drunken sailor on shore leave after having just sold his Google options, Barca appears to be on the move. Barca, still rumored to be the destination of Villa, have set their eyes on the Swedish star, Ibrahimovic and will look to send Eto'o and Hleb in the reverse direction. Clearly Barca is unhappy with the Cameroonian striker's desire for an outrageous pay raise. And Barca's manager seems to have his eye on the Swede for a while now.

So what does this mean for both Inter and Barca? For Inter I think Mourinho has some master plan in mind and Eto'o is probably more of the type of striker he needs, much in the mold of Drogba. A big target man, can score anywhere inside the penalty box, but might not look to relance as much as Ibra. I also think that Eto'o is not a big a personality as Ibrahimovic, something I am sure the Special One feels is only reserved for him! For Barca it would be a good move, especially if they also found a way to get Villa. Eto'o was not going to be happy at Barca unless he got his money. He has won 2 Champions Leagues so it would be good for him for a change of scenery...and more money. Henry is not getting any younger, so Villa could be a natural replacement for him. Ibrahimovic would slot in at the top of the diamond giving Barca a proven goal scorer. And for Barca, the Swede's free lancing and roaming is actually a good thing, since they look to really pressure teams with an offensive attack that can come from anywhere on the pitch...any team with Alves as their right back means that offense is first, second and third on the priority list.

Overall a good move for both clubs as well as the players. I forgot to mention Hleb, but a move to Italy might be just what he needs. The style of play is much more built for his style. Plus, hard to see him getting much time in the Barca midfield any time soon.

BARCA!!!

Congratulations to FC Barcelona and Titi Henry, the last piece of major silverware he was missing! I am a bit surprised, I really thought that with a make shift defense that Barca would be exposed by Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo et al. But it appears that the slick passing and ball control of the Catalans was too much for Manchester United...I guess the Fletcher loss was bigger than anticipated!

I was only able to watch part of the replay on ESPN since I was in an airplane all day. Oh joy.

Champions league finals preview

I just realized the Champions League finals are tomorrow. I remember last year I was in Las Vegas during the Chelsea v Manchester United match up where thanks to John Terry, I lost $100....but let us get past that. I do think that tomorrow's match up is of the two best teams in Europe: FC Barcelona and Manchester United.

Both teams have won their domestic titles and have two of the top players in the world. Since both teams clinched their titles with a few weeks to spare they have been able to rest their squads. So who will win? Let's have a look at some plot lines:

Manchester United:

• Not having Fletcher available could prove more detrimental than would otherwise be thought. Fletcher gives SAF some flexibility in the midfield and gives him a "watercarrying" type midfielder. I could have seen SAF telling Fletcher "give me 60 minutes at 110% and then we will sub you out depending on the game situation." Now Fletcher is not the absolute key to the Manchester United side but he would have given SAF the flexibility he enjoys when game planning against an opponent.
  
• How well will Ferdinand play? The England central defender will be facing a stern test in his first game action in the past 3 weeks. While his partnership with Vidic has been solid for the Red Devils for a few seasons, they are also prone at times to be beaten by quick attacking players....like the ones Barca have. The two defenders are great in the air and with positioning, but how will the lay off effect the two?
• Will this be the last game in Red for Ronaldo? Rumors will start up again of the Portuguese heading to the warmer climates of Iberia next season, so could this be his last match under the Manchester United colors? Regardless he might look to make a statement in what could be his swan song.
• Could this be Ferguson's swan song??? Ok I know the Scot has claimed he can manage for a long long long time...but if he wins this title, what is there left for him to prove? Granted not sure what he would do in retirement, but you never know.
• The Tevez - Rooney - Ronaldo trio will want to show that they are just as potent as their opponents from Spain. Rooney has been superb this season, I think he has really found himself being put on a wing where he is asked to come back and defend, counter attack, and score goals. One commentator on Fox Sports made a great comment - that this new position has forced Rooney to run run run and therefore kept him focused and out of trouble. Tevez is most likely playing for a new contract so he will be highly motivated to show well on the big stage. And Ronaldo has been discussed, but he will/should want to demonstrate his is the best in world since the other player with that title will be wearing #10 for Barca.
• The two ManU wing defenders - O'Shea and Evra will have their hands full with the Barca offense. I do not fear for Evra but how will O'Shea handle the offensive pressure? And will he be allowed to push up? O'Shea has, some how, been able to chip in a goal or two when least expected, will this happen again this year? Evra should be up to the task of handling his side of the pitch, but without a Fletcher in the midfield, will there be anyone to "break up" the offensive push via the midfield? This might also inhibit his ability to push up the pitch.

FC Barcelona -

• Alves and Abidal are suspended....um....not sure how to get over that hurdle. This will hurt more defensively, not having Abidal. As Sam Stern mentioned in one of my blog posts, Abidal has been having a great season in Spain. With such an offensive minded team, Abidal has needed to do much more defensive covering. Alves, while not a traditional lateral defender...or even a defender, would have given Manchester United fits on the wing. What options do the Catalan giants have? They will have a reshuffled back 4 and this will have a trickle down effect on the rest of the squad.
• Toure will be moved to central defense...this is not a good thing for Barca. First it takes out one of their strongest elements, Toure as midfield destroyer, out of the picture. Second it weakens the central defense. Toure will not be permitted to be as aggressive since he will be the last line of defense rather than the protector of the back 4. Something to be watched. The loss of Abidal and Alves also means Kieta has to slot back to defense, again weakening the defensive midfield.
  
• How will Henry come back from injury? Ironically it was Barca that kept Titi from winning what is the one piece of silverware missing from his trophy case. He will be motivated to rectify that, especially since he will be facing an old nemesis...ManU. However, much will depend on how well he has recovered from his injury.
• Will Iniesta be 100%? Iniesta and Xavi are the keys to the midfield. It is their creative passing that makes the trio of Eto'o, Messi and Henry so dangerous. If the tandem is fit, look out...otherwise it might be a long day for the Catalans.
• Valdes, will the Spanish keeper be up for the challenge? With his piecemeal defense in front of him, I am sure he will be called upon to make a huge save in the game...which keeper will show up?

So what does this all mean? I think that offensively both teams are close equals, however defensively with all the suspensions Barca has to deal with I cannot see them being able to play their game. With Yaya back in the back line, the midfield will be more open for Manchester United. I can see a mistake from Toure, or Puyol (playing back right) giving ManU an early lead. They will then salt that away with a late goal...ugh

Manchester United 2 - FC Barcelona 0
Ronaldo, Rooney

Barca Barca Barca!!!! And more rants about needing another ref...

Ah, it is nice to see that we will have some changes from last years Champions League finals as Barcelona finds a way to get by Chelsea in what proved to be a contentious game from the Chelsea v Referee stand point. Chelsea claim to have had at least 4 penalties denied. While I was not able to watch the game, I did follow the game cast as well as highlights, it would appear by all reports that Chelsea may have had a leg to stand on for at least 1 claim - Malouda being dropping clumsily in the box. The referee did award a direct kick, so admitted there was a foul, but felt it outside the box. Hmmmm, maybe this would not be a problem had footie gone to the 2 ref system the Bean Town Frog suggested in an earlier post! http://thebeantownfrog.blogspot.com/2009/03/future-of-footie.html

There needs to be a ref in front and behind the play to ensure that calls are properly made and the location is clear. Again, similar to hockey, you have two referees responsible for the "lines" in both sports, and two referees responsible for their ends of the field/rink. This is not rocket science FIFA and UEFA!!!!!

Barca's shot across the bow

6-2....wow that is embarrassing for Real Madrid. One thing if Barca drops 6 goals on some small team from the depths of the Spanish Ligua, but against Real??? Wow. Really the game was not that close! Henry, Messi, Xavi, Eto'o, et al. completely dominated their Madrid rivals. Making the scoring look too easy at times. This was a defiant shot across the bow for Chelsea ahead of their second leg clash at Stamford Bridge.

What I fear is that Hiddink and Chelsea decide to sit back and defend, look to scrape by with a 1-0 win. The key will be how does Xavi and Iniesta control the midfield. If they can run and control the midfield, while Yaya shuts down Lampard, the game will swing in the favor of the Catalan giants. During the first leg Barca dominated possession and got double digit shots at the Chelsea goal. However, if Essein and Mikel can shut down the midfield and swing that battle back to the side of the Blues, Chelsea will be the ones heading to Rome. With Anelka and Drogba clicking, and Malouda looking more like the Lyon player of old, not the one that looked lost for Chelsea.



If Barca plays like in the highlights from the Real drubbing, they will find their way to Rome.

Champions League...lack of drama

So after the first series of ties in the Champions League semi finals, we have 180 minutes of footie having been played....and 1 whole goal to show for it. Hmmmm. Maybe we should revisit some of the recommendations I made about improving the game - http://thebeantownfrog.blogspot.com/2009/03/future-of-footie.html

But since we cannot build rome in a day, let us look forward to the return legs for the semis -

Chelsea v Barca: I did not catch the first game, work got in the way...oops. But from all accounts Chelsea was playing for the goalless draw and that is what they achieved. As one article called it - the Chelsea bulls against the Barca artists. However, I am not sure Chelsea have the advantage heading home. Barca has to just earn a draw (not goalless) or simple 1-0 win and they move on, even if Chelsea come out and score early Barca will know all they need to do is draw even. In addition, Barca has already found success at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League, so they know they can come out of London with a victory. Based on the last Chelsea Champions League home game, not sure they will be able to keep Eto'o, Messi, Henry, Xavi, et al. scoreless a second game in a row...they gave up 4 goals to a much less offensive talented Liverpool. I see this match being a tense up and down affair, Chelsea score early through Drogba, with Barca equalizing via Henry......and Barca score a late counter to seal the game through Messi. Barca 2 - Chelsea 1.

Arsenal v Manchester United: Ugh the worst nightmare happened, Arsenal left the Theater of Dreams down 1-0...from O'Shea non the less, that makes it even more painful! The return leg looks that much more daunting based on the injuries that Arsenal will need to overcome. An already thin defense may become that much more strained with Silvestre potentially missing and no word on Clichy's availability. The first leg also demonstrated that Arsenal needs to have a Van Persie available or Eduardo, both of whom could miss the game due to injury. With Adebayour alone up top, Arsenal could never really muster any sustainable offense, this will not be acceptable returning to North London. Manchester United are clicking, Ronaldo could have scored a second for the Devils, the midfield is playing well and the back 4 easily stopped any attacks Arsenal tried to muster. I cannot see how Arsenal can keep a clean sheet, and cannot imagine scoring 2 more goals than Manchester United. As painful as it is, I see ManU going through - Manchester United 2 - Arsenal 2

It will be up the Catalan giants to try and prevent the Red Devils from repeating, thankful I have my Henry Barca shirt so will be sure to wear it during the finals in Roma.

Titi to leave Barca?

The latest out of Barca is that they Catalan giants will look to move Titi Henry in the off season, possibly to make room for another frenchie - Gourcuff or Ribery. This would be a surprising move for Barca, since Henry has settled in nicely on the left flank of the Barca attack.

http://www.sport24.com/football/transferts/actualites/henry-sacrifie-236659/

Going after "Kaiser" Ribery would make sense, since he is a natural winger and would slot in nicely on the wing, shouldering Xavi and Iniesta. Ribery would be allowed to roam one of the wings with Messi on the opposite wing. That move would make sense. The move for Gourcuff would make no sense to me. First I think Gourcuff needs to stay at Bordeaux, regardless of who comes calling. Second, his role would be redundant based on the presence of Xavi and Iniesta. Finally, if the rumors are true, that Barca might also go after Cesc, Gourcuff would fall even further down the pecking order.

Big names in football will always be linked to the big clubs like Barca, but sometimes just because the name resonates does not mean the player will fit. I think that Barca should keep Henry, and if they are to seriously pursue anyone look to Cesc. He would slot in nicely in support of his Spanish midfield companions.