Champions League Quarter-finals 2nd legs

Well, that was exciting.

3 of the four ties in the Champions League produced outstanding second legs which were captivating and thrilling. Dealing first with the comparative damp squib of Bayern Munich- Juventus, it has to be said that after their hugely impressive group stage performance and their brushing aside of Celtic, Juve will be pleased with their showing in the Champions League. Considering it was their first appearance in Europe's premier club competition since 2009/2010, where they finished 3rd in their group- behind Bordeaux and, funnily enough, Bayern Munich, it was a great campaign.
Mario Mandžukić banished any lingering doubt about the outcome of the tie before Claudio Pizarro sealed Bayern's progress in added time. Bayern though, rolled on and they look unbeatable at the moment. They are streets ahead of Borussia Dortmund in Germany, and it looks inevitable that they will clinch the league title with many games to spare. Are they the favorites for the competition? I certainly wouldn't bet against the Bavarian giants.

ITV executives didn't enjoy the first leg of Real-Galatasaray, as such a one sided result meant that the tie was in all probability over. But actually the 2nd leg was full of drama, with fantastic individual performances from players from both sides and, for a brief period, a feeling of, 'Galatasary cant do it, can they?'
It did seem like the game was going to just be a training exercise for Madrid, as they extended their aggregate lead to four goals when Cristiano Ronaldo (who else?) poked in early on. The rest of the half was a non event as the home outfit couldn't keep the ball and Real seemed totally at ease. But something must have happened at half-time as the Turkish team came out for the second period fired up and ready to get some pride back.
The always legendary Istanbul crowd came to the fore as Wesley Sneijder had a superb 45 minutes, backed up by the evergreen Drogba and the midfield was controlled by skipper Inan and Felipe Melo. Dutch captain Sneijder hit wide from a cross from the right, Bulut went close, before an astonishing finish from ex-Arsenal right back Emmanuel Eboue sent the crowd into fever pitch. Certainly, it was a surprise to see such a strike of authority and power from such a terrible and limited player a defender, but, after that, Gala were supreme. The Real midfield lost all control as the home side tore into tackles with the crowd behind them, winning corners at an alarming regularity from Real's perspective.
Sub Amrabat was making a difference in terms of width down the right, and it was inevitable that Gala were going to score again, and they did, and it was a wonderful goal demonstrating the skill, awareness, and excellent touch of Sneijder. He went past the highly rated Varane with ease before finishing with aplomb. Incredibly, just two minutes later Drogba back-heeled Amrabat's cross into the far corner, and the ground was rocking. Drogba had the ball in the net again only for it to be ruled out for offside. Two more goals were needed but it looked possible, but in the end Real saw the game out and Ronaldo scored yet again on the counter in stoppage time. But this caps a memorable Champions League campaign for the Turkish league leaders, with wins against Manchester United and Real the highlights.

PSG led Barca in the second leg in the Nou Camp for a while but in the end it was Pedro Rodríguez's 71st-minute strike that sent the Spanish side into a sixth straight semi-final. PSG started the game at breakneck speed with Barca struggling for once to maintain control over the midfield. Without Lionel Messi, the Catalans laboured in the first period, limited to off target attempts from long range. Barcelona lacked the speed of thought that has epitomised them in recent years.
Messi wasn't fully fit, but he was almost immediately introduced after Barca slacked off at the start of the second half and fell behind to Javier Pastore's goal. Barca finally started playing, with the mere presence of  Messi freeing up space for Barca's other key men. It was this effect which cost PSG; Messi was double marked when receiving a pass 25 yards from goal, turned and moved it on to the unmarked Villa who had time to give it to Pedro, who whacked a crisp finish into the far corner. PSG just focused too much on the main man. Nevertheless, the French side will be pleased with the season and a repeat of the Quarter-final display next year will be just as impressive. Ibrahimovic has been as good as anyone this season, and Lucas Moura will get better and better. And David Beckham has sold a lot of shirts looked nice been a good signing tried hard.

The young, exciting, and wonderfully inventive Borussia Dortmund complete the semi-final line up, meaning that the current four best teams in Europe will all be in there. Mind you, the team from the Ruhr weren't confident of their place, or ahead in the tie, until the 94th minute, when defender Santana bundled home to the delight of the packed out crowd in Dortmund. The home team dominated the game throughout but it was Malaga who took the lead, bagging a cruical away goal when Joaquin swept the ball past Weidenfeller. But Dortmund hit back, with Mario Götze passing the ball infield to Reus, whose majestic flick sent Lewandowski through to score. The Germans searched for the winner they needed and threw on Sahin to try and unlock Malaga's defence. But it was the Spainards who scored the next goal, effectively ending the tie with an 82nd minute strike from Eliseu. Not many could have correctly predicted the final score then.
Dortmund launched a quite remarkable assault on the Malaga goal as Reus, Lewandowski, and Bender all missed glorious chances. Reus's instinctive finish in the 91st minute gave his side hope but Malaga were still going through on away goals. Klopp pushed practically his whole team forward as Weidenfeller pumped ball after ball towards the penalty area. Incredibly, there was enough time for Santana, of all people, to force the ball into the net after somewhat selective officiating by the ref regarding Hummels's aggressive tackle to set up the goal. The Malaga players were butthurt the proverbial sick as a parrot afterwards, as Dortmund's superb dynamic squad look forward to taking on the European aristocrats of Real Madrid in the next round.

So who will win the coveted trophy from here then? Unlike last year when a Chelsea side parked the bus for about 3 whole games low on quality but high on spirit and work rate fluked the cup, the current four best teams in Europe will compete in the semi's. Bayern are my favourites, their squad if full of world class talent, and they don't have any domestic commitments. Much like Real Madrid, who have a coach and player keen to prove to the world that they are the best the planet has to offer. The Portuguese duo of Mourinho and Ronaldo have the desire, and I believe these are the two who will meet in the final.
Thanks for reading, Adam.

Champions League quarter-finals 1st leg

The biggest football club tournament in the world returned for the quarter final stage, and it didn't disappoint. Bayern Munich confirmed their case as serious contenders for the trophy with a fantastic 2-0 win over a frustrating Juventus, Borussia Dortmund's gloriously attacking side ground to a halt against a determined Malaga, and Real Madrid thoroughly outclassed a pathetic Galatasaray outfit.
The tie of the round then(almost by default), was Paris Saint Germain's 2-2 draw with the favourites Barcelona. PSG sprung a surprise with their starting XI as their January signing, professional model David Beckham, started in holding midfield against Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets. Beckham hadn't played in the Champions League since 2010, and this was his first quarter final in Europe's premier competition since 2004. It showed really, although to be honest the former England captain wasn't the worst player on the field- how Javier Pastore cost over £30 million I'll never know.
The performance of PSG was refreshing as unlike so many teams they weren't intimidated by Barcelona's fearsome reputation. When Messi was off the field, Barca looked ordinary, and from where I was sitting the penalty that Xavi tucked away was never a foul. Thankfully Blaise Matuidi's last-gasp equaliser ensured a good result for the French outfit, and with Ibrahimovic in form, could PSG even go through?
Real Madrid's win was utterly inevitable and unchallenged by Galatasaray. Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín all scored as the nine-time champions eased to a win. Particularly disappointing were January signings Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder, who was replaced at half time.
Juventus were really never in the game at the Allianz Arena as soon as David Alaba scored after 25 seconds. The swerve on that shot was something else...
As for the second legs, there is next to no hope for Galatasary against Real, Barca should see themselves past Juve, and Bayern have too much nous to throw away such an advantage. I would hope Dortmund make it past Malaga as that will pit the four best teams in Europe at the moment against each other.
Thanks for reading, Adam.

Champions League reaction- Arsenal 1-3 Bayern Munich, and Man Utd 1-2 Real Madrid (2-3 agg.)

Despite a valiant effort in the second half, Arsenal proved how far behind they are the elite of European football. They are streets behind, and this result just proved it.
Jack Wilshere wailed at the full time whistle as Arsenal's hopes all but ended at the Emirates. Arsenal were ripped apart in the first half by a fantastic display of urgency and forward thinking by the Bayern front 6.  In particular, Javi Martinez proved why Bayern spent north of £30m on him, Muller ran at the flimsy Arsenal back four, Schweinsteiger, as usual, personified calmness in the middle of the park, and the resourceful Kroos scored a cracking goal.
There were no passengers for Bayern, unlike Theo Walcott, one of the most effective wingers in the Premier League this year, stationed up front despite Van Buyten and Dante towering over him. Lukas Podolski also failed to turn up against his old side.
Nevertheless, Wilshere’s display featured all of the traits that we have come to enjoy: the deceptive acceleration, the vision and the urgency in possession. Wilshere was supported by Arteta and Aaron Ramsey, decent players but, unlike him, not of Champions League calibre. Tomas Rosicky showed when he came on that he can still take control of a game and direct play with pace and incisive passing, and he's a much better like-for-like replacement for Wilshere than Diaby or Ramsey can ever be.
Wenger was perhaps resigned to going out when he spoke to the media later on.
“Look, we’ll have two battles. But maybe the easier battle will be to be back into the Champions League. We have to give everything to try to change things in the second leg. We have to try to make the impossible possible. Let’s not hide the truth. It will be extremely difficult against a team of that quality. They didn’t play two finals in the last three years without that quality. We have to give our best and hope we have built our confidence up a bit more, because that belief will be needed.” Arsene Wenger.
Do Arsenal have any hope of qualifying now? I don't think so, but i would hope they at least have a go and pick an offensive side. What is the point of qualifying for the knockout stages 14 years in a row or whatever when Arsenal haven't been to the semi's since 2009, and got walloped by Man United?

Speaking of whom...
United gave as good as they got in a valiant effort against the most expensively assembled team in the world. It was an enthralling clash that, as Mourinho predicted, the world stopped to watch. The match will unfortunately be remembered for a nonsensical refereeing decision, which swung the pendulum in Real's favour.
United found themselves down to 10 men after an hour when Nani was sent off following a bizarre decision from Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir, who penalised the winger for a high foot when the Portuguese international was legitimately challenging for the ball.
It was blatantly obvious that Nani was rising to pull the ball out of the sky, Yes, there was contact but it's a contact sport! Nani's control would have been spot on had Arbeloa not jumped in, and gone down like he'd been shot.
Nani's challenge was unintentional--he never saw Arbeloa. I can't believe the amount of people that are defending the ref's decision in tonight's game. In order to refute such nonsense ask yourself this question: what if the ref had just booked him? If he had made the correct decision, you can bet that none of the Real players would have been up in arms, crying about the injustice of it all and how it was a clear red; they'd have just got on with the game. Everyone looked surprised when the red came out. 
Until the red card United were the better team, and had Nani stayed on, I'm not so sure Madrid would have come away with a win. Sir Alex got the tactics spot on, and until the woeful red card, United had the better chances, willingly conceding possession. His leaving out of Wayne Rooney was 100% correct, as United had the perfect tactical set up before the ref's mental moment.
Danny Welbeck really did step up to the plate. He tracked Xabi Alonso's every move, following Mario Gotze's example and completely nullifying the former Liverpool playmaker. This stifled Madrid somewhat and it was no wonder they failed to create many chances in the first 50-odd minutes.
Welbeck, Cleverley and Rafael all looked at home at this level. Tactically, technically and mentally they all applied themselves well, and looked equal to the occasion and their opponents.
Indeed, it was the player with the biggest reputation for United- Robin Van Persie- who was probably their biggest flop over the two legs. Remember the chance he hit wide in the dying minuites of the game in Madrid, the awful mishit in the same game, or his two missed chances in this match. He was brought in to make a difference in Europe, not the League (United got 89 points last year, their league form was fine) and the Dutchman failed.
Ryan Giggs was absolutely phenomenal. It was remarkable that he was the most energetic and willing player on the pitch considering that Ronaldo, Ozil, Di Maria, Higuain, Rooney and Kaka were all playing. He chased every cause down and barely put a foot wrong. Which makes it more of a travesty that he's had another opportunity at the Champions League snatched away from him.
On one level, you could make a legitamate argument that Ronaldo, and Ronaldo alone, was the difference in this tie. Had he played for United, I would have expected the results to have been reversed- he wasn't special in either game, but scored two vital goals.
Otherwise, both teams looked relatively well matched. De Gea and Lopez both excelled away from home, both sets of strikers failed to make an impact,  and even with ten men Utd had a number of genuine chances- none more gilt edged than Vidic's header from six yards that Diego Lopez somehow got to. Real have found a real defender in Varane though.
Rooney's display when he eventually got introduced to the game was average- culminating in blasting over a chance from inside the area that he really should have at least tested the goalkeeper with. I have to admit I was more than a little shocked by Fergie's team selection, but it was, as ever, fully justified by the great performances from Giggs and Welbeck. 
As soon as Nani was dismissed, the tactics were forcibly shaken up and the shackles came off Alonso. Modric's arrival exploited the advantage and Madrid dominated for a lengthy spell- but to be fair, United didn't have a defensive player on the bench to bring on to stem the flow.
The Old Trafford crowd was magnificent. It tends to be quite flat there, apart from the Stretford End, but that was tremendous throughout the game and all over the ground.
Rooney doesn't get picked for a big game...everyone goes batsh*t about it....I don't understand what all the hysteria is about. Rooney was awful in the first leg so he( quite rightly) was dropped for the second leg. Am I missing something here?
Wayne Rooney’s omission from the starting line-up was just a judgement call which was more than justified by Danny Welbeck’s performance on the night.
Overall, Sir Alex's dream of a third European Cup remains out of his reach for now. The good news for the Old Trafford faithful is they more than matched the team who remain probably the second best club team in the world, and also still have a Double in their sights. Mourinho's job lies on this trophy, but on this evidence, it'll take some team to beat Bayern.

Thanks for reading, Adam.

England V Brazil

England 2-1 Brazil (Rooney 27, Lampard 60) (Fred 48)
England clinched a famous win over the most decorated national team in the world thanks to goals from Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard at Wembley. This result doesn't mean that England will win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but it does confirm improvement under Roy Hodgson and that England are capable of beating anyone on their day. The match did confirm though, the emergence of Jack Wilshere as a player of wonderful talent. His ability was not exactly oblivious to me before, but since his long lay off only the F.A cup replay against Swansea has showcased just how young Jack can boss the midfield. As I predicted in my preview to the match, Roy picked Cleverley in the middle three, but I was surprised and somewhat pleased that Danny Welbeck got his chance, admittedly from the left wing. This gave England an attacking look, and at last England broke free of the rigid 4-4-2 to embrace a fluid trio, with the ever brilliant Steven Gerrard as the deep lying, controlling passer. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that I haven't quite seen as good a performance by the national team against esteemed opposition since, well, Argentina 2005? Or maybe the friendly with Germany in Berlin in 2008? I was fortunate enough to see England-Spain in November last year, which also resulted in a win, but the display by England was defensive and pragmatic, whereas the England performance on Wednesday was impressively offensive and possession was kept well. England started quite nervously as Neymar twice got behind the back line  showing his pace. But on Ashley's Cole's 100th cap, he was tested by his club mate Oscar in the first period. Welbeck blazed over from inside the box after great link up play between Wilshere and Rooney. Thankfully Wayne Rooney put England in front after Wilshere slid a pass through to club mate Theo Walcott, who's shot was parried straight to Rooney. This was after Ronaldinho's first game in England since a Champions League game in 2010 was ruined by an awful penalty that Joe Hart got a glove to. The second half featured more possession for Brazil but also a superb finish from Frank Lampard, but not before Wilshere and Rooney linked up again for a chance for captain Gerrard. Also before Lampard's intervention, came a great shot from Fred, after Cahill ran into trouble, and later the striker hit the bar after a catalogue of errors at the back. Cahill then promtly almost scored with a great header from a corner, and then came the winning goal. Little happened afterwards so we are left to reflect on a great win.
Player Ratings
Joe Hart England's undisputed number 1 saved a penalty and looked solid all match. Given his form for Manchester City this campaign, it remains a worry at just how far in front of all the rivals for the jersey he is-after all, Roy only named two goalkeepers in this squad. Nevertheless, Hart remains switched on for his country despite his lack of competition. Rating 7/10
Glen Johnson Neymar didn't exactly test him as some thought the Santos wonderkid might. The Liverpool man rarely looked troubled and displayed typical enthusiasm to get forward and link up with Theo Walcott. This season he has been standing out for Liverpool, and there has to be no argument anymore- he is England's best right back and an extremely reliable one. Rating 7/10
Chris Smalling Not a great display from Smalling, who was struggling for most of the second half. Wasn't as assured in possession as he is for United, but why select a player at centre back when aforementioned player has rarely played there for his club side? Rating 5/10
Gary Cahill Dropped a bollock for Fred's goal, dribbling into trouble, but overall a trademark Cahill performance of calmness on the ball, occasional dribble forward, an ariel presence at both ends of the pitch, and a bit of slack marking. Rating 6/10
Ashley Cole (Baines 46) 100th cap, fairly average performance. Rating 6/10
Theo Walcott (Lennon 75) Constantly caused Adriano problems with his pace and ball control. Walcott's ambitions to play up front are ridiculous when he can be so threatening out wide. Where has he scored all his goals this season? From the wing...Rating 7/10
Steven Gerrard Fantastic perfomance from the skipper as England dominated possession. Disciplined in his duties behind Jack Wilshere and Tom Cleverley and he was again a threat with his set-pieces. Looks to show no signs of slowing down yet. Rating 7/10
Jack Wilshere That was fantastic. Wilshere offered England a convincing threat through his dribbling from deep. His defence-splitting pass to Walcott in the build-up to the opening goal was exceptional and he struck up an excellent understanding with Rooney in the final third. With Wilshere in the team, England's midfield looks a much more cohesive unit. Rating 8/10 (my man of the match)
Tom Cleverley (Lampard 46) Roy Hodgson is a big fan of the Manchester United midfielder, but despite keeping the ball well he still has a lot to learn. Still, he has improved greatly this season.  Rating 6/10
Danny Welbeck (Milner 61)  Worked hard on the left flank but didn't offer great threat in attack. Also missed tow excellent chances. Rating 6/10
Wayne Rooney Rooney seems to rarely turn it on in friendlys, which is why it was such a pleasant suprise to see the striker chasing balls down, linking well with the midfield, and generally playing like he does for his club. There is no doubt that England will need this Wayne Rooney for the match against Montenegro in March. Rating 8/10
Subs
Frank Lampard Came on, passed well, scored a great goal. Pretty standard. Rating 7/10
James Milner As per usual, worked tirelessley but not great on the ball. Rating 6/10
Leighton Baines Been brilliant for Everton this season, but still second choice. A good one though. Rating 6/10
Aaron Lennon Capello gave up on the Tottenham flier after his woeful displays in the 2010 World Cup. He has matured since then and seems keen to take the chance offered by Hodgson. Has been an almost ever present for Spurs under AVB. Rating 6/10
Subs not used: Butland, Walker, Jagielka, Lescott, Osman, Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Overall, we must be careful not to read too much into this result, but it was a pretty strong Brazil side that was beaten. It is a great result with key games coming up. Team Rating 8/10

Adkins diet makes Cortese ill

The sacking of Nigel Adkins by Southampton prompted widespread bemusement in the footballing fraternity at the dismissal of a man who, when he first took the job, faced a battle with relegation from League One. Back to back promotions followed by a steady start to Premier League life has meant the sacking has caused anger amongst Saints fans at the decision by owner Nicola Cortese. Just what exactly did Adkins have to do to secure employment for the future, if his teams' showings so far haven't convinced Cortese? Maybe the answer lies in the money, and Adkins somewhat erratic use of it. The excellent transfermarkt.co.uk shows the Saint's spent over £32 million in the summer, an astonishing amount for a promoted club. Plus £7 million on Jay Rodriguez is no one's idea of value. Moreover, the new Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino has made a decent start and his side were impressive at Old Trafford and also the 2-2 draw at Wigan. But he will need to steer Southampton clear of the drop this season and only then can he start planning for the future.

I am not the only England fan who is incredibly excited for the visit of Brazil to Wembley on Wednesday. For a start, Brazil will be sending their strongest possible side as this is one of the few games they have left against top opposition before the 2014 World Cup. It will be a big test for England and Roy Hodgson and the squad he named looked good. As per usual, there were early withdrawals, with Tottenham's striker Jermain Defoe and Manchester United's Michael Carrick the early casualties, with Daniel Sturridge expected to follow. I think that is a disappointment for England, as I'm sure Carrick has a big role to play in the tricky qualifiers up ahead. But overall, from the squad picked the XI I would pick would line up as follows in a 4-3-3: Hart; Johnson, Jagielka, Cahill, Cole; Gerrard, Lampard, Wilshere; Walcott, Rooney, Milner. I wouldn't be surprised to see Tom Cleverley play though as he is seems to be a particular favourite of Hodgson. It will be a big test for England, and it would also be great to see Ronaldinho back in a Brazil shirt again.

As for the football on the weekend, two great performances at the Emirates and the Etihad by Liverpool resulted in two draws. The Scousers just don't seem to be able to grind out results, and have yet to win a game against a fellow top 10 side this season. Steven Gerrard has been immense this season, as has Luis Suarez, but they are now 9 points behind Spurs. Another big club who might struggle to get into the top four this season is Arsenal, who were slightly sluggish in a victory over Stoke. the form of Walcott has been a big plus this season, but the frankly ridiculous defending against Liverpool showcased the fear of all Gooners that any top side can still rip them apart. New signing Nacho Monreal is progress, but is cup tied for the Champions League, leaving Arsenal with Andre Santos against Arjen Robben..

As for the rest of the football thoughts:
*Gareth Bale saves Spurs again with yet another screamer-  but what the heck was Popov thinking? Cost his team the game with an act of petulance.
*I attended the Fulham- Man Utd game on Saturday and was once again treated to a Michael Carrick masterclass. As for the rest of the team, it wasn't spectacular, but it can't always be a coincidence that Utd always seem to win without playing that well?
*What has gone on at Chelsea recently? How can a side so full of talent implode when in comfortable positions? And why is Frank Lampard not getting a contract?
*Harry Redknapp will surely regret his comments that he made in December after an incident involving Bosingwa.  "I don't want to spend the owners' money really. I've got to be honest with you. I don't want to see the owners have their pants taken down like they have in the past." Hmmm.. Harry needs to pull off some magic or QPR will go down and go the way of... every single club Redknapp has managed, into financial meltdown
*It was sad to see Mario Balotelli leave the premier league, but it is probably good for him in the long run. He certainly has made an excellent start to his AC Milan career.

Thanks for reading, Adam.