JOE wonders if Chelsea can pull off an upset, can anyone stop Barcelona and if Dejan Stankovic’s magnificent volley was the best Champions League goal of all time.
By Frank McCann
1. Can United finish the job at Old Trafford?
When it comes to Chelsea and Manchester United, any game between the two is going to be a tight affair; last Wednesday’s game at Stamford Bridge being another perfect example as Wayne Rooney’s first-half goal was enough to give United a slight advantage ahead of Tuesday night’s second leg at Old Trafford.
United went into the game with the aim of scoring an away goal, which they succeeded in doing, but it was unusual to see such a lack of ambition and creativity from Chelsea, who hadn’t suffered a home defeat against United since April 2002.
Chelsea looked like a team devoid of ideas. Record signing Fernando Torres was once again out-of-sorts in attack, with Didier Drogba looking only slightly superior.
Although Torres looked unlikely to score, it was the Ivorian who was withdrawn for Nicolas Anelka midway through the second half. Many have wondered (and they’re probably spot on) if Carlo Ancelotti is making the tactical decisions or if it’s the work of Roman Abramovich.
What chance Rio Ferdinand slipping, banana-skin like, to allow Fernando Torres in to score a late winner at Old Trafford this evening?
However, despite Chelsea’s shortcomings, they still managed to have some chances, and were also denied a clear penalty in the final minutes. With another 90 minutes to play, it would be crazy to dismiss their chances.
All it takes is an early goal for the Blues to change the whole shape of the game. If they score first, United’s away goal will be cancelled out. Although, after seeing Chelsea’s lacklustre win against Wigan at the weekend, it’s hard to see how they will cause problems for a United backline that has been improved by the returning Rio Ferdinand. Old Trafford also tends to be a fortress on these important European nights.
The home side will play defensively in the middle of the park, and will be hoping that the improving Michael Carrick can continue his re-emergence in the holding role. His part in United’s goal last week evoked shades of the Carrick of old.
It will be a tight affair at Old Trafford, but United are hitting top form at the right time. Down the years, Sir Alex Ferguson has produced teams that get results when it matters most. Tuesday night is one of those occasions, and United should get the result they need. Not without a scare or two, of course.
2. Will Rio Ferdinand #stayonhisfeet?
The most enduring memory from Real Madrid’s schooling of Tottenham Hotspur last week was not Jermaine Jenas’ inability to play football, Xabi Alonso’s lesson in how to pass and retain a football or Peter Crouch’s loss of his senses, but the Sky Sports commentary of ex-Chelsea assistant boss and famous Tango spokesman Ray Wilkins.
During his commentary, Wilkins referred to Spurs’ players by their first names and offered advice akin to an under -10 manager on a Saturday morning. A phrase that Wilkins kept repeating was ‘Stay on your feet’, something that obviously wasn’t heeded by Peter Crouch, but soon began trending on Twitter such was the frequency that Wilkins repeated it throughout the encounter at the Bernabeu.
Who better to pick up on it then, than Rio Ferdinand, possibly the most prolific and annoying sportsman on the Twittersphere at present. Rio adopted the phrase with such gusto that he managed to include in his post match interview following last week’s game against Chelsea and the pre-match press conference ahead of the return leg.
Rio Ferdinand should be wary of banana skins at Old Trafford tonight
He also offered it as advice to Rory McIroy via Twitter before the youngster’s collapse at the Masters and even plans to commission ‘Stay on your feet’ t-shirts to raise money for charity. What Rio hasn’t grasped, however, is that the joke stopped being funny a long time ago.
There was a lot of talk about karma after Chelsea were denied a clear penalty at Stamford Bridge last week, so what chance Ferdinand slipping, banana-skin like, to allow Fernando Torres in to score a late winner at Old Trafford this evening. If Chelsea fans believe in it, that really would be karmic justice and if nothing else, it would at least shut Ferdinand up for the time being.
3. Is there anyone that can stop Barcelona?
With the Catalans all but certain of their place in the semi-finals, it’s looking like another season of glory is on the horizon. Having put five past Shakhtar Donetsk last week, the second leg in the Ukraine on Wednesday night is as good as a dead-duck.
With another team disposed of with ease, it’s time to ask the question: Who can stop the mighty Barca?
Realistically, it looks like Real Madrid and Schalke will both join the Spanish champions in the semi-finals, while the Manchester United v Chelsea tie is still in the balance.
Here is JOE’s look at the remaining teams’ possibility of beating Barcelona:
Real Madrid
In what was one of the most one-sided ‘El Classico’ games in recent times, Barcelona destroyed and humiliated Madrid, winning the game 5-0 earlier in the season.
On that day, Messi and pals were breathtaking, walking the ball from their own half to the back of the Madrid net at will.
Although Jose Mourinho was embarrassed on that November night, you have to remember that he is an intelligent man who always learns from his mistakes, and as was evident from his antics last year, loves getting one over on his former Catalan employers.
He will relish taking on Pep Guardiola, and their mini-series (the teams will meet four times in 18 days before the end of the season) will be Mourinho’s way of gaining redemption for a campaign that has seen the La Liga title slip away.
The Madrid manager has done it before – his Inter Milan side frustrated Barcelona last season, so don’t doubt his capabilities. Mourinho’s tactical genius will be tested, but if there’s anybody that can do it, it’s most definitely the ‘Special One’.
Schalke
It’s very unlikely that Schalke have what it takes to beat Barcelona. Although they have had a fantastic campaign in Europe, they have struggled domestically.
If they meet Barcelona in the Champions League final, there could be plenty of goals. However, they will probably all be in one direction.
Manchester United
In May 2009, Barcelona gave United a lesson in playing the beautiful game. If you take out the first ten minutes of the Champions League final in Rome, it could be considered one of the most one-sided finals in recent memory.
However, United are also a team that learn from mistakes. Sir Alex Ferguson has been in the game long enough to realise their mistakes that night and there is no doubt he will have noted them.
The 2011 final takes place in Wembley stadium, home of United’s first European Cup victory in 1968. So, if only a small bonus, United will have something of a home advantage.
With that said, the Red Devils will still have their work cut out for them, with their greatest weakness being their lack of creativity in the middle of the park. Barcelona can exploit that weakness and would most likely have too much for United’s plodding, pedestrian midfielders.
Chelsea
While many think Chelsea could have Barca’s number, most of them base this on the Blues’ semi-final exit in 2009, not today.
Barcelona reached the Champions League final in controversial fashion that year at Chelsea’s expense. It was a game that should have seen the Blues reach the final for the second year in a row, but a number of awful refereeing decisions denied them that chance.
With Chelsea trailing Manchester United coming into the second leg of their quarter-final tie; it’s looking like they may not get a chance to play Barca at all. Although, it’s hard to see how they would defeat them anyway.
Carlo Ancelotti isn’t in charge of that football team. Roman Abramovich is.
We have seen the decline of Chelsea as a football team throughout the season, and it would be very unlikely that a team with so many problems on the pitch could defeat a team that is such a tight unit.
What next for Spurs and the best Champions League goal ever
4. What next for Spurs?
It’s quite simple: Spurs must beat Madrid by five clear goals or their Champions League campaign is over.
Is it possible? Deportivo La Coruna managed something similar against AC Milan in 2004 (they beat them 4-0 at home in the second leg having lost the first leg 4-1), so why couldn’t Tottenham do the same? Maybe they can. But it’s very, very, VERY unlikely.
What ‘Arry and his boys should be focusing on is getting back into the competition next season. Although they looked unlikely to finish fourth a week ago, a 3-2 victory over Stoke at the weekend closed the gap between them and fourth placed Manchester City to three points, they have a game in hand on Mancini and company and still have to play them at Eastlands before the season ends.
It’s vital that Spurs build on what they have, rather than getting a shedload of money for their superstars and rebuilding. They have the foundation; they just have to build on it.
Tottenham players must be kicking themselves for dropping so many points against the bottom teams lately (they failed to win against any of the teams currently in the bottom four in the table), as they could be in a far more comfortable position if they had taken maximum points from one or two of those games.
If Redknapp fails to lead Spurs to a top four finish, we could see a change in management at White Hart Lane. It’s no disrespect to the Tottenham boss, but some believe he has taken them as far as he can. There are already rumours circulating about the possible appointment of David Moyes.
However, if Spurs don’t finish in the top four, there is a chance they could lose some of their best players, with many of the game’s elite teams interested in the likes of Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Rafael Van der Vaart.
It’s vital that Spurs build on what they have, rather than getting a shedload of money for their superstars and rebuilding. They have the foundation; they just have to build on it. To achieve this, they have to qualify for the Champions League next season.
5. Dejan Stankovic – The greatest Champions League goal ever?
Despite suffering a humiliating 5-2 defeat at home to Schalke in their Champions League quarter final tie, Inter Milan fans can boast that their team scored one of the greatest Champions League goals of all time.
Dejan Stankovic’s sweetly struck volley was something to behold, and is unquestionably the best goal we’ve seen in the competition this season.
But was it the best ever? JOE looks at some of the other Champions League goals that could be considered the greatest ever:
Zinedine Zidane – Real Madrid v Bayern Leverkusen – 2002
Mauro Bressan – Fiorentina v Barcelona – 1999
Cristiano Ronaldo – Porto v Manchester United – 2009
Ronaldinho – Chelsea v Barcelona – 2005
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