Barcelona Win the Champions' League.... Again

As much as I hate to say it, the Catalans are pretty much unstoppable. After knocking out some of the other strongest teams in Europe, including Arsenal and Real Madrid, they also managed to destroy Manchester United in the second half of the Champions' League final. Up until the end of the first half, when the score was still equal, the game seemed equal too. But then, the second half started, and Manchester had no chance. Barca controlled the game to the point that United had 1 shot on goal, and that being Rooney's goal. The Blaugranas finished off the Reds with two fantastic strikes from Messi and David Villa, and won their 3rd Champions' League in the last 6 years. And this year, they did it without diving (in the final, atleast). So, what do they do now? They've won just about everything. If European competitions stay like this for the next few years, it's gonna be a long and boring ride.

Champions League Final: 2009 All Over Again

So, let's rewind to the semi-finals. Barcelona defeated their arch-rivals Real Madrid in a diving and controversy filled semi-final. Two pieces of Messi magic at the Bernebeu basically put the Catalans in the final, while Manchester United completely dominated Schalke in both legs, winning 6-1 on aggregate.  How will these two match up in the final? 

Well, the last time these two faced each other on this momentous occasion, Barcelona had Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry, and Yaya Toure. But since then, all have left to different clubs, with differing results. Only Eto'o has received true success, winning the treble with Inter Milan last year. Meanwhile at the United camp, the only huge difference between today's squad and 2009's squad is the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo has left. To some, it might seem like a huge difference, but Nani has filled in Ronaldo's shoes. But he dives more. Just a bit.

Barcelona's Champions' League campaign this year has been marred with controversy. Yes, they do play wonderful (to some) football, but they aren't the most innocent team. In their tie with Arsenal, Robin Van Persie got a (in my opinion) bulls**t red card, and that basically sent them out of the tie. And in their semi-finals against Los Galacticos, Dani Alves dove to get Pepe sent off, and many other players, mainly Pedro and Sergio Busquets, dove in order to get advantages for Barca. In fact, there was so much diving, that I was disgusted while watching, and turned off the TV. Such a huge occasion, two great teams playing, and it was completely ruined. I'd rather watch Blackpool and Wigan of the Premier League play. Oh well, what can you do.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men, on the other hand, have had a great campaign. They got into the final after also beating their rivals, Chelsea. However, over the two legs, that game was exciting and actually fun to watch. Now, they're representing all of England's great clubs in Europe. Despite being an Arsenal fan, I will honestly be behind United on this day. I really don't like either of these teams, but if I had to choose, it would easily be Manchester. I hate how Barcelona have had to get so many decisions their way in order to reach the final, and I truly hope the Mancs kick their Catalonian a**es. But, I think Barca will win it. And I'm not trying to diss Manchester, they'll probably dominate the beginning of the match, but will somehow have a man sent off, and then it'll be impossible to beat them. Ask Real and Arsenal.

Champions League Semi-Finals: Meh.

I hate Dani Alves.

Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona (Agg. 0-2): Kinda one-sided. It's pretty predictable that Barca's going through to the final, even Mourinho admitted it. So, i'll do a quick sum up. It was 0-0 at halftime, and then Pepe got a soft red card (Surprising isn't it? A team getting a soft red against Barca. Where have we seen this before?). So, still 0-0. Both teams are playacting and being little babies, then Messi puts it in after a nice cross from Afellay in the 76th. Then, he completely puts Real's chances of going through, scoring a wonderful solo goal, going past four of Real's defenders.

Schalke 04 0-2 Manchester United (Agg. 0-2): So, like Barca, Manchester won comfortably away at Schalke. But, they were kept at bay by Neuer, who had a fantastic game, and missed 11 chances to go ahead. Finally, in the 67th, Ryan Giggs put the Red Devils ahead after putting Rooney's pass into the back of the net calmly. Then, Rooney bagged a similar goal, and put one foot in the final for Manchester. So, it looks like a Barcelona v. Manchester United final. But then again, Schalke did beat Inter 5-2 at the San Siro. Maybe there will be another surprise win?

Champions League Quarterfinals: Second Legs

Well, like I said last week, most of the matches were decided in the first leg. So, because of that, I'll only provide a truly detailed report of the Manchester United v. Chelsea match. Stupid one-sided matches.

Schalke 04 2-1 Inter Milan (Agg. 7-3): Raul scored his 71st Champions' League goal just before half-time. Soon after, Inter's Thiago Motta equalized in the 49th. Benedikt Howedes put the tie out of Inter's hands in the 81st.

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 (Agg. 0-5): In this second leg, Jose Mourinho played basically his strongerst side possible. It payed off, thanks to a howler from Gomes, Tottenham's keeper. After Cristiano Ronaldo took a fairly weak shot from 30 yards out, Gomes failed to catch it and it went into the back of the net.

Shakhtar Donetsk 0-1 Barcelona (Agg. 1-6): After Barca destroyed the Ukrainians at the Nou Camp, they had an easy time going through to the next round. In the 43rd, Leo Messi put it past Pyatov after passing through the Donetsk defense.

Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea (Agg. 3-1): FINALLY. The only match where the winner of the tie wasn't already decided. With the Champions' League being the only trophy that Chelsea even had a realistic chance at winning, they needed to turn around the scoreline. But, for some reason, Carlo Ancelotti stupidly played an out-of-form Fernando Torres instead of Didier Drogba. Tisk-tisk. With the match being scoreless until the 43rd, Javier Hernandez finally put the Reds up doing what he does best, poaching. Ryan Giggs delivered a low-cross across the box, to find Hernandez, who had the simple task of tapping it into the back of the net. Despite being down 2-0 on aggregate now, Chelsea kept on persevering to get back into the draw. During half-time, Ancelotti finally brought on Drogba, who nearly scored soon after half-time, but his shot went past the post. Then, in the 70th minute, Ramires certainly didn't do the Blues any favors when he got sent off with a second yellow for a foul on Luis Nani. However, the goal-hungry Drogba didn't let up, and scored in the 77th to give Chelsea hope of advancing. Sadly for them, Ryan Giggs got his second assist of the match with a fantastic pass to Ji-Sung Park, who scored to put the Blues out of the Champions' League.

Champions League Quarterfinals: First Legs

Well, this is rather disappointing. Only 1 of these matches will be truly contested in the second leg, that being the Manchester United vs. Chelsea clash. All of the other ties will have teams try to overcome near-impossible deficits, but who knows? Crazy things happen.

Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United (Agg. 0-1): Despite Chelsea coming back into form recently, their efforts weren't enough and gave the Red Devils their first win at Stamford Bridge since 2002. In the 24th, after an amazing piece of play from 37 year old Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney put away the simple tap in from 6 yards out. Chelsea kept putting the pressure on United, with Patrice Evra having to clear a Frank Lampard effort off of the line to hold Man U's lead. Then, in the dying minutes of the game, Evra clearly fouled a charging Ramires in the penalty area, but a spot-kick wasn't given. In a desperate attempt to draw, Fernando Torres later dove in the box, but was only awarded a yellow card.

Barcelona 5-1 Shakhtar Donetsk (Agg. 5-1): Well, here's the first of the hugely one-sided matches. Just 2 minutes into the match, Andres Iniesta put in the first for the Catalans, with a low shot from an interception off of a loose ball. Despite dominating later on, Barca let the Ukranians have a few chances which definitely put a scare in the Spanish giants. Then in the 34th, the goalscorer slotted a perfect pass to Dani Alves, who only had to put the ball into an empty net. Gerard Pique made it 3-0 for Barca after taking a shot from a corner first time, and the ball was helped in with a deflection off of Rakitskiy. The Ukrainian defender redeemed himself in the 59th, heading Srna's free-kick past Victor Valdes to get a consolation goal. But, Seydou Keita then powered a shot into the back of Shakhtar's net after Leo Messi worked hard to get past his man and then pass it to the waiting Keita. Finally, Barcelona killed the match off with a Xavi goal in the 86th minute, basically ending Shakhtar's chances of advancing.

Real Madrid 4-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Agg. 4-0):  After promising to score against the Spurs for the Arsenal fans, Emmanuel Adebayor did indeed do so. Twice, actually. Early in the 4th, Adebayor, who was marked by the puny Jenas, put a header past Luka Modric on the post to give Real the lead. Stupidly, after already being on a yellow, Peter Crouch earned his second and was sent off in only the 15th minute of the match. Despite being denied a penalty, Real put a second one into the back of the net in the 57th minute, with Adebayor once again scoring from a stunning header. Then, in the 72nd, Angel Di Maria scored one of the Champions' League goals of the season, with a curler from the right into the top left corner of the goal. Hoping for the goal to kill off the tie in the 87th, Cristiano Ronaldo took a hopeful shot, which somehow found the net thanks to a dumb mistake from Gomes, the Spurs keeper.

Inter Milan 2-5 Schalke 04 (Agg. 2-5): Looking to bounce back from their 3-0 loss in the Milan derby, Inter desperately wanted a win. But a comeback of this magnitude by the Germans was not expected by anyone. Inter was up 1-0 in the 1st minute thanks to a wonderful volley from Dejan Stankovic. 16 minutes later, Schalke leveled from a corner kick, with Joel Matip putting the ball in the back of the net. Diego Milito restored the lead of the Italians, when he finished off with smooth strike from Cambiasso's header. 5 minutes from half-time, the pesky Germans equalized, with Edu scoring after his first shot was saved by Julio Cesar. Then, it was time for Inter to hit the self destruct button. In the 53rd, former Real Madrid man Raul put his 70th Champions' League goal into the back of the net, after Farfan had worked hard to get the ball to him. 4 minutes later, Andrea Ranocchia scored an own goal in an attempt Jurado's cross. 15 minutes from full time, Edu put the final nail in Inter Milan's coffin, with an absolutely fantastic strike from outside the box, leaving Julio Cesar stranded.

Champions' League Round-Up: March 8th and 9th

Schalke 04 3-1 Valencia (Agg. 4-2): Valencia was the first to score in this game, with Ricardo Costa putting the Spaniards up 1-0 from a header, and giving hope to the fans of Valencia for an upset. However, in the 40th minute, Jefferson Farfan leveled the scores up with a wonderfully placed free kick from 25 yards out. Soon after the second half began in the 52nd minute, Mario Gavranovic's very lucky strike hit both posts before going into the back of the net, giving Schalke the 2-1 lead and the lead on aggregate. The score stayed that way until stoppage time, when Jefferson Farfan scored his second to shatter Valencia's hopes of advancing.

Tottenham 0-0 AC Milan (Agg. 1-0): After winning at the San Siro, the Spurs had the monumental tasks of holding back an inspired Milan. The Italians were dominating throughout the first half, and thanks to an off-the-line clearance from William Gallas, Tottenham went into half time still in the game. Less than 2 minutes after half time, Tottenham were finally able to create an attack, with Van Der Vaart putting his strike wide. Milan began to dictate the game again, forcing 2 saves from Heurelho Gomes. Then, after passing Gomes, Pato passed  to Robinho, who had an open goal to shoot in, but once again Gallas cleared off the line. The score stayed equal until the end of the match, ensuring that the Spurs go through.

Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 AS Roma (Agg. 6-2): After a nearly-scoring free kick from John Arne Riise, Roma were left trailing in the 17th minute when Willian of Shakhtar had his cross assisted in by Hubschman, and now Roma needed to score atleast 3 to go through. On 28 minutes, Roma missed a significant chance to score, after Borriello missed a penalty that could have put the Romans level. Then, the Italians' chances were basically ended when Phillipe Mexes received a second yellow in the 40th minute. In the 58th minute, Donetsk put the game to bed when Willian curled the ball into the back of the net off of the corner. To make sure that they went through, Eduardo capitalized on poor passing by Roma's defense to put Shakhtar up 3-1, and go to the quarter-finals.

Barcelona 3-1 Arsenal (Agg. 4-3): I already talked about this, so read my other article. It was a valiant effort by Arsenal's defense, put they had no chance after Van Persie's sending off, which I shall nominate as the stupidest red card EVER. Massimo Busacca, the match's referee, somehow failed to book Xavi and Abidal for grabbing the necks of Nasri and Van Persie, respectively. Whatever, I'm going on a rant, but that game wasn't as bad as it first seems.

Arsenal Knocked Out of Champions' League by Barcelona

I really don't feel like writing because of the anger, so I'll just sum it up. Barca dominated, Messi scored in stoppage time in the first half, with an assist from Cesc Fabregas (That's right. Fabregas). Then, Busquets scored an own goal in the 53rd to put Arsenal equal. Minutes later, Robin Van Persie got a yellow for shooting 1 SECOND after the offside whistle was blown. It was his 2nd yellow, and he got sent off. From then on, the Gunners were no where to be found, and Messi scored a penalty in the 71st to finish the game off. Oh, and Szczesny got injured. 

And somehow Abidal got away with this. No card, no anything. Call me biased, which I slightly am, but the referee was just absolutely ridiculous.

Van Persie Included in Squad for Barca Trip

Arsenal's main striker, Robin Van Persie, has been included in the 19-man squad shortlist for tomorrow's game against Barcelona. The list will be cut to 18, meaning only one man will be cut (here's hoping it's Almunia). Also, pictures of Van Persie were released on Arsenal's official website, showing him running full strength. Also, Cesc Fabregas is reportedly 90% fit for the match. More updates to come later.

Puyol Out of Arsenal Match with Injury

Barcelona's central defender Carles Puyol has been ruled out of their Tuesday clash with Arsenal at the Nou Camp. Puyol has been out of action with a knee injury since mid-February and many believed he would be back in time for this game. With this setback, both of Barca's main center-backs are out of the Arsenal game, with Gerard Pique serving a suspension. It seems that injuries are now playing both sides, with Robin Van Persie, Theo Walcott, and Alex Song all out for Arsenal.

 

A Visit to the Camp Nou: Barcelona vs. Arsenal

In the first leg of this titanic Champions' League Round of 16 clash, the Gunners of London came back from 0-1 to a 2-1 victory over Barcelona with late goals from Robin Van Persie and Andrei Arshavin. It was one of the biggest upsets in recent time, with the injury-prone Arsenal defeating the “greatest club in the world”. 

 

A few days after that match, Xavi Hernandez of Barcelona had this to say, “It was a shame because we felt we were superior to Arsenal.” Yeah, whatever Xavi, that doesn't change the fact that you lost. Now, on Tuesday the 8^th of March, Arsenal will be visiting the Camp Nou to defend their lead. For Barcelona, Puyol and Xavi will be returning from injuries to face the Gunners, but their other main central defender, Gerard Pique, will be suspended, earning another yellow card in the previous match. However, for Arsenal, the injuries are taking their toll. Robin Van Persie has been ruled out with a knee injury, Theo Walcott with a sprained ankle, and Alex Song looks to be sidelined for the match also. Taking the place of Van Persie will most likely be Nicklas Bendtner, who recently scored a hat-trick in Arsenal's 5-0 victory over Leyton Orient. Arshavin will most likely take Theo Walcott's role on the wing, hoping to add more goals to the winner at the Emirates Stadium.

In the Champions' League quarter-finals last year, Barcelona defeated Arsenal 4-1 with a spectacular performance from Leonel Messi, who put all 4 of the Catalan's goals in the back of the net. He will be looking to repeat that fantastic display, but to do so, he will definitely have to improve on his display at the Emirates. His first touches and ball control weren't up to his normal standard, but he did put the through ball in from which David Villa scored Barca's only goal. To contain the little Argentinian, Laurent Koscielny, who faces much criticism from many pundits, will have to play how he did in London, winning many tackles, intercepting passes, and being confident in the air. After their defeat to Arsenal, Barca's league form took a slight dip, winning with a late goal from Messi at home to Atletico Madrid, and the same situation being repeated away at Valencia. However, Arsenal's defeat in the Carling Cup Final to Birmingham will certainly not help their mentality, with the late error from Laurent Koscielny and keeper Wojciech Szczesny causing their defeat. 

Key Points for Arsenal:

Playing through Jack Wilshere: The young Brit has been in great form recently, with the 19 year old being voted Man-of-the-Match in the last match, outclassing the likes of captain Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. Following in his captain's footsteps, Wilshere can play quick, clever passes, and doesn't buckle under pressure, taking in the lime-light. He'll be hoping to repeat the feat, and earn Arsenal a win.

Not Trying to catch Barca in Offsides: Arsene Wenger continued his philosophy of his defense playing a high offside line, and Barcelona easily caught the defense out numerous times, even scoring a goal by tricking the offside trap.
Help Szczesny and Koscielny Bounce Back: As a team, the players at Arsenal should be helping these two to regain their confidence after their huge mistake in mis-communication in the Carling Cup Final.

Key Points for Barcelona:

Getting Off of Their High Horse: Even after the loss, the arrogant confident Xavi and co. continued to believe that they completely dominated the game and deserved to win. I know that everyone calls them the best team in the world, but there is a certain point where you say to yourself, “We should take them seriously.” It seems though that Barca's players and fans can't do this, and will most likely go into the match predicting a 6-0 win.

Stop Being so Angry about Fabregas: Arsenal bought him when he was 16. You let him go, and then he turned into a star. They should shut up, and stop trying to buy him. They're 425 million Euros in debt. If Arsenal does manage to go through, expect the small group of Gunners supporters at the Nou Camp to be singing, “We've Got Cesc Fabregas! We've got Cesc Fabregas!” I know this doesn't have much to do with the match, but I felt it was a good time to say it.

My Prediction: Barcelona 3-2 Arsenal (Aggregate 4-4*)

Arsenal will battle hard, but it won't be enough to keep of the Catalans. But, I still believe that Arsenal does have a chance of going through on away goals, or, even winning the match. It will be a monumental task however. What do you guys think will be the outcome?