When the final whistle went after Sunday’s match, Arsene Wenger could possibly view the previous 7 days as one of his worst weeks since he began his 13 year tenure in charge of Arsenal. In two massive matches, Wenger has seen his side start fantastically well in both games, get caught by a sucker punch [...]
Football loves dominant sides.
Think of Herbert Chapman’s Arsenal of the 1920s, ravaging England with the WM formation; Real Madrid of the early days of the European Cup, with Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas wreaking havoc on unsuspecting continental champions; Liverpool getting comfy on their “fucking perch,” winning four European cups in the span of [...]
With their typical class, Chelsea players and staff asserted their belief, following their 1-1 agg defeat to Barcelona, that UEFA conspired against them to prevent an all-English final in the Champions League.
Players, such as Didier Drogba, displayed their sentiment by all but physically assaulting the referee as he left the pitch. Manager Guus Hiddink took [...]
Away goals carry an immense weight in the Champions League.
They delivered Milan to the final in 2005. They saw Liverpool oust Barcelona in 2007, despite the latter winning the leg at Anfield. And they pulled Barca’s fate from the abyss in the 93rd minute in this past Wednesday’s controversial leg at Stamford Bridge.
Added to the [...]
Gooners and Nike execs are already familiar with the Cesc Fabregas Show. Tonight at the Emirates, it was the Cristiano Ronaldo Experience.
Though Ji-sung Park started off the scoring for Manchester United on a Kieran Gibbs mistake, it was Ronaldo who sealed the deal for the Red Devils on a searing free kick. Eleven minutes into [...]
What was Guus Hiddink thinking?
Yes, clean sheet at the Camp Nou is a commendable achievement, and I still feel Chelsea are the more likely to go through to the final. But after promising that the Blues would try to score in the away leg, Hiddink’s tactics against FC Barcelona show he had absolutely no intent [...]
Chelsea’s epic 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge against Liverpool drew high praise from football fans, with some going as far to call it the match of the century.
The reward for the Blues was a berth in the Champions League semifinals against Barcelona, and that two-legged tie begins today at Camp Nou.
History lesson: There’s good news and bad [...]
