Two dramatic semi-finals coming up tonight and tomorrow.
You need big nights to become a really big club and Arsenal need some big nights like these at the Emirates in the near future, the sooner the better..
Will Kaka and the classy old men of Milan be too good for injury-ravaged Manchester United at Old Trafford tonight?
Will Liverpool punish a stuttering Chelsea machine that’s without its strongest component, Michael Essien ?
Carlo Ancelotti has used Kaka behind one striker in Champions League games recently. That’s because various strikers have been unavailable.
The Brazilian’s most devastating role is as a third striker, gliding through at pace and finishing with style and power. But he was playing as a second striker behind Inzaghi when he slalomed into the box to score that magical goal against Celtic.
First leg was 0-0, second leg at San Siro was 0-0, it goes to extra time and three minutes into extra time, Kaka scores the decisive goal and wins the game.He is the top scorer in the Champions League.
Milan rested seven on Saturday and still beat Cagliari 3-1.
The recurrence of Rio Ferdinand’s groin strain killed Manchester United at Middlesbrough, costing them the goal that Mark Viduka scored to level it in the first half. When Rio went off, the other ten players knew he would not make the Milan game.
United looked frazzled, edgy and tired.They needed the experience of Gary Neville, the muscle of Vidic, the pace of Evra.
INTER have just clinched the Serie A title and now Meelan, as they’re called, have to grab the headlines in Italy by beating mighty Manchester.
A few weeks ago I said that when the games get important enough, and the prize gets big enough, Rooney and Ronaldo will pass to each other.
It’s a pressure game for Rooney and his belligerent flair might be nullified by artful defending. Personally, though, I think Nesta is over-rated and a bit past it. Keeper Dida should be back. But he is nervy and timid, past his best.
If Fergie had his strongest team out tonight, Manchester United would smash Milan. I don’t doubt that for a minute.They miss Louis Saha, badly. He would take Nesta apart.
Unfortunately, 99% of Man United fans are seriously worried about fielding a back four of Fletcher-O’Shea-Wes Brown-Heinze in a Champions League semi against an accomplished side that’s played four semis in the last five years
Still, this clash of giants is nicely timed for Cristiano Ronaldo, coming two days after he’s been voted PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player as well. If the official approval of your peers doesn’t get you buzzing, nothing will. He is not scared of Nesta or Gattuso or anybody.
And what a challenge ! What an opportunity at the age of 22 ! What a prize for the winners : a Champions League final ! As Graeme Souness once said, “These are the games you live for.”
Manchester United blitzed Roma 7-1 and Neville, Vidic and Evra didn’t start that game. And Carrick scored two fabulous goals. But that was second leg and they were starting 2-1 down and they just went for it and devoured Mexes, Chivu and keeper Doni.
The Roma spectacular was a big night because it was a second leg and it was 7-1 because it was a second leg. But Roma lost their nerve at 2-0. Milan will not do that.
Massive game for Michael Carrick, who is 25 now and has to turn it on in games like this.If Scholes gets sent off, Carrick has no chance.
Still, I hope United win because Milan, with points deducted for bribery last season, should have been kicked out of the Champions League by Uefa. And they would have been if Berlusconi’s lawyers had not got on the case.
FIRST LEGS are always cagey and Chelsea v Liverpool will be a rugged sparring session on Wednesday night, rather than a world title fight. The world title fight will come at Anfield.
Liverpool went out of the FA Cup in the Third Round and went out of the Carling Cup in the Fourth Road and they’ve been playing easy games like a 0-0 at Man City, which was a 0-0 stroll in the park.
Rafa Benitez knows his players are much fresher than Chelsea’s, who look stale and jaded. Lampard’s passing was atrocious at Newcastle, while Drogba was being contained by guys he would have annihilated a month ago.
Carvalho is doubtful and if he doesn’t play, Peter Crouch will start and give Mourinho’s champions a very, very tough test. Chelsea play far too narrow and they miss the variation and width that Robben supplies.
Ballack played in the World Cup in his own country last summer and that didn’t work out for him, so what’s left ? Scoring the winner in a European Cup Final. That’s all that’s left for him to care about, really. But he has to get there first.So he might have to score one against Liverpool.
Peter Kenyon went to see Jurgen Klinsmann in California last week, a bizarre and doomed mission in my view. Klinsmann is never going to coach Chelsea for £7 million a year – or £17 million or £27 million.
Then Kenyon said on Chelsea TV that they would not sack Jose Mourinho in the summer. Kenyon is the guy who denied meeting Ashley Cole.
While admitting that Mourinho is charismatic and very good at building a results-machine, I wouldn’t mind if he left England. Indeed, I will probably vomit if I see one more tabloid hack saying, “Jose is great for us. He gives us all our headlines.”
Yes, everybody talks about Jose Mourinho. Almost every man, woman and child has a view on him. Football is now at the centre of English culture and Mourinho is at the centre of football, so he is impossible to ignore.
On the afternoon of Wednesday 1 April 19, the day David Dein left Arsenal, I was at the gym and I came downstairs into the changing room to put on my swimshorts and found a young boy eating a packet of Hula-hoops next to my locker. He was wearing a blue football shirt with SAMSUNG on the front.
We had a short conversation which I remember word for word.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi,” he replied.
“How old are you?”
“Eleven.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Swimming.”
“With the school?”
That was a stupid question.
“No, with my Mum.”
“Who’s you’re favourite player?”
“Robben.”
“Do you like Mourinho?”
“A bit.”
I was surprised by this.
“What don’t you like about him?”
“Sometimes his attitude.”
I smiled and heard something called out by a kid on the other side of the lockers and the boy stood up and disappeared.
Sometimes his attitude. I love it ! A bright lad. Mourinho would have liked him.