Chelsea travel to Manchester today to play in the only quarterfinal match that remains winnable by either side. The Londoners head into Old Trafford a goal down and perhaps lacking the confidence to steal it back. It doesn’t help matters that their floppy-haired central defender David Luiz is cup-tied and cannot play, nor that the £50M man up front can’t seem to find the back of the net.
United are, well, United. They persevere. Even without key components of their team for long periods this season (Valencia, misfiring Rooney, Ferdinand) they’ve managed to reach the FA Cup semifinal, the quarters of the Champions League, and are sitting 8 points clear at the top of the Prem. Chelsea, who are usually bigger and faster than the teams they come up against, weren’t able to convert their extra inches into goals, and looked a little slow in attack during the first leg.
Speed to goal isn’t something United lack. They have one of the swiftest counter attacks in all of football, with the little pumpkin churning away up front, and Nani and Valencia flying up the wings. More importantly, they have absolute belief in themselves, and it shows in the way they move the ball and force the attack. Chelsea were often hesitant in the first leg, pulling the ball sideways when a more direct attack may have been available, and giving the United defense enough time to readjust. Yes there was the Ramirez challenge that should’ve been a penalty, but you can’t rest all your hopes of winning on a spot kick.
The key to Chelsea victory will be exploiting O’Shea in right back. He’s just coming back from a hamstring injury, and it will be up to Malouda and Cole to make his day difficult (if they can also manage Valencia). We’ll come back at’cha with post-game analysis, but for now here are a few tidbits that will probably have no impact on proceedings:
Only twice in the UEFA Champions League era – Inter Milan’s triumph at Bayern Munich in this season’s last-16 (0-1 home, 3-2 away) and the 1995/96 semi-finals, when Ajax recovered from losing 1-0 at home to Panathinaikos with a 3-0 away triumph – has a team turned round a tie after a home first-leg defeat.
United have progressed in all 13 UEFA competition ties where they won the first game away from home, most recently against AC Milan in last season’s round of 16 (3-2 away, 4-0 home). That includes only one 1-0 away win, at Lille in the 2006/07 round of 16, which preceded another 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
Chelsea’s quarter-final record in the competition is five wins and one defeat. United have won 11 and lost five at this stage, and went down on away goals to Bayern Munich 12 months ago.
Olympique Marseille visits Old Trafford today, attempting to advance to the final eight of the Champions League for the first time since 1993--when they went all the way and won the title--the one and only time a French club has won the Champions League. Marseille held Manchester United to a scoreless draw at home in the Stade Velodrome in the first leg--and hence Man U needs an outright victory in today's match to advance. Look for Marseille to sit back and play a disciplined defensive game--and attempt to score at least one goal via a counterattack.
Luiz was lucky to have not picked up a second yellow
You’d have never known Chelsea were having a rough run of form with the way they turned around what looked to be a losing outing today. Statistics suggest they were producing more chances and even controlling the game, but the reality was that they were lucky to get out of the first half only a goal down.
United looked bright up top, and Chicarito, preferred to Berbatov at the start, was linking well with Rooney and Nani up the left (Fletcher on the right saw almost none of the ball in the opening period). On fifteen minutes United created a wonderful chance. The little Mexican pea turned well with the ball before sliding through Chelsea’s center and feeding an overlapping Evra, only for the Frenchman to play a ball just slightly in front of an onrushing Rooney unmarked inside the six.
Manchester continued to work up their left, while Chelsea were hampered in attack by their narrow formation. Ramires was working well enough on the right, but was locked in battle with Nani and Evra, and only when Anelka would move into the corner ahead of him did Chelsea find a way to get the ball into a crossing position. Malouda was constantly drifting inside and receiving the ball where Lampard might have been better placed. Though he had plenty of space to his left, and surely has a step on O’Shea sat in United’s right back, the French Guinean continuously tried to force the ball through the center of the defense.
Ferguson’s charges were first to strike, a revitalized Rooney working in tight space with Nani again from the left. David Luiz, the big Brazilian centerback who looks to be Chelsea’s best signing in some time, had been managing Rooney very well up to that point, but on the goal he was separated from his mark when Nani went past Ibramovic, forcing the Brazilian to readjust. Ibramovic, who had been holding his own against Nani, simply didn’t step quickly enough to his new assignment, leaving Rooney time to line up his shot and blast home from just outside the box. 1-0 to United and Chelsea didn’t look like they had a way back.
The past few seasons have seen the meeting between Abromovich’s blues and Fergie’s boys in red decide the winner of the Prem. This time around the result will have similar impact, but Chelsea are fighting for different honors. Three points to the home side will lessen the gap to the league leaders (an insurmountable twelve points with a win), but more importantly victory for Chelsea means they leapfrog Spurs into fourth and a place in the Champions League.
What’s more, a win for Chelsea holds United at four points above the Arsenal, who would then have a game in hand. It’s hard to say exactly who comes into the match with more pressure upon them: the holding champions, with their aging foundation of Terry, Cole, Lampard and Drogba, none of them having a particularly stellar season, or United, who paradoxically won an unconvincing 4-0 against Wigan over the weekend.
United have simply not been firing on all cylinders this season, and Ferguson has been hard pressed to name a consistent top XI. Rooney started the season under immense criticism over contract negotiations, and that plus his poor showing at the summer’s World Cup seem to have messed with his mojo. Berbatov has been his usual uncharismatic self who just doesn’t inspire confidence. Nani is a few seasons away from ripe, Ferdinand has had too many injuries, Giggs and Scholes couldn’t have much life left in them (though Giggs…), van der Sar is about to retire though he’s having an amazing season, and good thing too since his backline is unconvincing. Evans, O’Shea, Gibson– who knows who Fergison will settle on. Then there’s a supporting cast that includes the like of Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves. Between dead wood and raw youngsters Ferguson is caught making it up as he goes along.
You have to admire United, then, for the results they’ve produced this year. Especially considering they were confronted at the onset of the season with a Chelsea team who appeared unstoppable. Malouda looked incredible, Anelka was finding ways to be even smoother than his usually super-smooth self (perhaps as a message to the FFF who had sent him home from South Africa so unceremoniously), Essien was back and playing wherever he was needed, Obi Mikel looked solid in the holding role, even young Josh McEachran had a few run outs encouraging a sense that there was youth in an otherwise aging side.
Then it all got turned around for Chelsea. Somewhere along the way they lost the plot, something that United, though perhaps less talented than their southern neighbors, have not done for any length of time this season. Chalk it up to the management, then. Ancelotti forgot how to inspire his club in February, while Ferguson kept pushing a rather dull team to scrape out wins no matter what.
Via Facebook: “Today and tomorrow, from 4 PM – Midnight, The New York Cosmos will be unveiling a digital billboard of epic proportions in Times Square to celebrate King Eric Cantona taking the throne at the New York Cosmos.”
Naturally that brought to the CultFootball mind the following aphorism: “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much.”
Cole, Keown, van Nistelrooy - The Battle of Old Trafford, Sept 2003
A very highly anticipated Premier League matchup today, with Man U vs Arsenal kicking off in a matter of minutes at Old Trafford. Certainly it’s a significant match for this edition of the Premier League race, with Arsenal one point ahead of Manchester United at the top of the table (Man U do have a game in hand, and in fact are undefeated so far in the Premier League–but they definitely haven’t looked invincible). Beyond just the current standings, however, Man U and Arsenal have developed quite the heated rivalry over the past couple decades–not as historically/geographically rooted as some other English football rivalries perhaps, but given the clashing personalities of their famous managers and especially the strength of their sides, it’s become one of the mostly highly anticipated fixtures in the Premier League. Two clashes in particular stand out–as evidenced by the fact that they have their own Wikipedia entries: The Battle of Old Trafford (a 0-0 draw in Sept 2003) and The Battle of the Buffet (a 2-0 victory for Man U the following season, in Oct 2004).
The events of the Battle of Old Trafford feature heavily in the videos below: van Nistelrooy drawing a second yellow for Patrick Vieira, with Vieira subsequently going buckwild after the Dutchman; and then van Nistelrooy missing a PK in extra time to preserve the draw–with Arsenal defender then getting in van Nistelrooy’s face. It was a miss that became especially significant in Premier League history, as that was the year of the Invincibles–the only side to go undefeated thru an entire season.
The Premier League has nearly reached its halfway point, and the title race has narrowed to five, as there is no reason to supsect any team from Bolton on down to make a serious run to the summit.
The current leaders Manchester United stand two points clear and have yet to lose, but have not impressed, relying on late comebacks from both ahead and behind to draw too many matches. They have good depth and teamwork under the rule of Sir Alex, but individually there is little magic to be had. Then again, maybe Berbatov has found some, but the laconic Bulgarian is not known for his consistency. They benefit from little World Cup fatigue as only Park and Chicharito had substantial roles in South Africa. They have survived, despite the only occasional presence of Rooney, mostly due to the stability along their back line, especially in the middle. Van Der Sar has been solid in goal, yet he has no depth behind him. If Rooney, Chicharito, and Rafael can find a consistent high level, they can even improve, though they must consider investing in Carlton Cole to hedge.
Players I would pay to see: Rooney, Nani, Berbatov.
Players who must play well for them to win: Ferdinand and Vidic, Nani, Berbatov, Evra, Rooney.
Players who if they play too much kill their chances: Any GK not named Van Der Sar, O’Shea, Evans.
Chelsea were seemingly running away from the pack until their recent stretch which even saw them struggle in the Champions League with MSK Zilina at Stamford Bridge. 32 shots at Birmingham produced only nine on target and zero goals. Obviously, missing both Lampard and Essien at times has hurt them significantly, as they no longer can just plug in other near-world-class players like Ballack or Deco. They have shown themselves too susceptible through the middle, as Terry and Alex also have struggled with injuries. Cech has returned to a decent form, but they are another top club with nobody behind their number one.
Players I would pay to see: Drogba, Malouda, Essien.
Players who must play well for them to win: Drogba, Malouda, Essien, Terry and Alex, Lampard.
Players who if they play too much kill their chances: Any GK not named Cech, any player with a squad number higher than 40, Ramires, Ferreira, Kalou.
Arsenal have only one player remaining from “The Invincibles”, and the six years have shown a consistent problem converting chances into goals. When combined with their penchant to become unsteady late in matches, their challenge consistently suffers from dropped points in winnable matches. Of course, the additions of regular time for Song and now Chamakh has somewhat increased their ability to deal with the physicality of the daily grind. Naturally, they possess a great depth of some interchangeable parts, and the players all believe in what they are doing under Wenger. Oh, but their woeful goalkeeping must improve.
Players I would pay to see: Song, Fabregas, Van Persie, Arshavin, Nasri, Rosicky, Sagna.
Players who must play well for them to win: Fabregas, Song, Van Persie, Chamakh, Sagna.
Players who if they play too much kill their chances: Bendtner, Wilshere, Denilson.
Ah the riches of the Middle East have been showered upon Manchester City, yet instant success has not arrived upon a horse-drawn sleigh. World class players all over the pitch and in the stands watching have done little to implement a plan to harness this advantage. At times, they appear forlorn to have to play, especially at some of the lower-ranked outposts around the country. They must solve their owners versus manager versus players versus fan expectations dilemma. Mancini should start by breaking up his DeJong, Yaya Toure, and Barry central midfield, and move decisively toward pairing somebody with Tevez up front. They can, at least, be assured of the best goalkeeping in this group, with an established backup to Hart.
Players I would pay to see: Tevez, Silva, A Johnson, Balotelli, Yaya.
Players who must play well for them to win: Tevez, Kompany, Silva, A Johnson, Tevez.
Players who if they play too much kill their chances: Yaya&Barry&DeJong, Vieira.
Tottenham live on the edge each match and sit fifth in this race, yet from owner to substitute, they possess the most belief in themselves. Only their supporters continue to doubt, as they have been conditioned to do. Clearly, they remain unafraid of the big matches, but they must increase their readiness against the “lesser” teams. Having earlier dismissed Bolton, Tottenham actually possess a lower goals differential, as leaving every victory to late will bite them before long. Solving their center and right of their backline would contribute mightily, as would finding a regular defensive midfielder. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to move to a 4-5-1 to provide their width without having to force Hutton and Assou-Ekotto. Gomes has come around to being perfectly adequate, and might become good if he sheds his habit of making the worst possible mistake at the worst possible time. At least they have good depth behind him. Ouch, not only is Van der Vaart out for a month, its for the most possible matches in a month as well.
Players I would pay to see: Van der Vaart, Bale, Modric, Assou-Ekotto.
Players who must play well for them to win: Van der Vaart, Bale, Modric, Defoe, Assou-Ekotto, Huddlestone or Palacios.
Players who if they play too much kill their chances: Crouch, Jenas, Bentley, the crappy version of Lennon.
Now some of these players deemed useless may prove needed if the spate of freezing weather continues. The snowy, uncertain pitches will bring out the necessity of direct targeting from open play, which will highlight the necessity of an aerial presence. Lots to play for, and, if the pressures don’t overwhelm them, many great matches to see.
Amid all the pre– and post-El Clasico hype, we’d be remiss not to mention that the Quiet Bulgarian, Dimitar Berbatov, scored una manita himself over the weekend, in a 7-1 thrashing of Blackburn.
Teamwork wins matches, but one man’s performance transcended all others Saturday.
Dimitar Berbatov, the Bulgarian in the Manchester United lineup, scored five goals in the 7-1 demolition of Blackburn Rovers.
Five goals, and I swear he spent half the match trying his best to set up a goal for his partner, Wayne Rooney. “It is good to have Wayne back,” Berbatov said after the game. “He knows how I play and I know how he plays, and we understand each other’s game well. We showed it on the field.”
Didn’t they just.
Rooney is returning after he preposterously claimed United did not have the talents to match his ambitions. Berbatov chose Saturday to show Rooney and all the rest who doubt his quality that he is an extraordinarily gifted individual.
He had not scored a goal since mid-September, but on Saturday he scored five, and it could easily have been more. He was a ruthless destroyer with a velvet touch. His goals came in such a variety of ways that poor Blackburn did not know how to stop him, or even where to find him.
See below for two sets of video highlights–a short official version (via Fox Soccer Video) and longer Setanta Sports selection (via footytube)–to watch all five Berbatov goals (plus goals by Korean Park Ji-Sung and Nani).
Chelsea travel to Manchester today to play in the only quarterfinal match that remains winnable by either side. The Londoners head into Old Trafford a goal down and perhaps lacking the confidence to steal it back. It doesn’t help matters that their floppy-haired central defender David Luiz is cup-tied and cannot play, nor that the £50M man up front can’t seem to find the back of the net.
