WILL Freddie score tonight?
The sparky Swede, the hammer of Juventus, has given himself a new job : babysittng the kids.
First-goal Freddie, the jack-in-the-box who used to score the first goal so that Thierry could score the second and third, will help to bring the youngsters through in this vital period.
The FA Cup Final hero, scorer of fabulous goals against Liverpool and Chelsea, no longer spurts into the box onto Bergkamp’s passes. He scampers around in midfield, playing people in with tidy little balls.
Will Freddie score tonight? No, but Arsenal will beat Real Madrid 3-1. Reyes, Henry, Zidane, Fabregas.
I reckon 3-1, so I have to write it. Can’t sit on the fence, I’m not that type of guy. I wait to see if I have a gut feeling on the morning of the game. My gut feeling is 3-1. I just feel that an old team will be outplayed by a young team again. Henry now does what Ronaldo used to do. Thierry will score, stay, break more records.
Will Real Madrid be up for it at Highbury ?
Do the stars of the 1998 World Cup – Zidane, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos – all think : This season is a bust, forget it, we’ll be judged on what we do in the World Cup, not on the rest of this season.
Or are they still competitive animals who see a win at Arsenal as the gateway to redemption ?
Myself, I think Madrid will go for it. These guys live for big games and they got where they are today by winning big games. Pride will drive them. They didn’t perform at home and lost 1-0 to a bunch of kids and looked foolish. Baptista will play tonight but he is nothing special and I’m glad Arsene didn’t sign him.
With five in midfield, breaking forward in pairs and trios, Arsenal will slice Madrid open and give them a real hiding.
CARETAKER COACH Lopez Caro must know he will not get the job in the summer. There will be a new manager and new players. But as newly-departed president Perez said : We put our players above the coach. We want the world’s best footballers here and we put them above the coach.
That is a shame. Because Big Phil Scolari could get them playing properly every week if he was given the authority.
THIS ROUND OF 16 has been notable for how badly home teams have done so far. In the eight first legs, only Werder Bremen and Benfica managed a win.
Last night Barcelona drew 1-1 with Chelsea.I was wrong about that being an exciting battle which exploded into controversy.
Turned out to be a tame contest in which Mourinho scored a huge own-goal. He picked three wingers and it did not work. He put Robben in the hole behind Drogba and kept Frank Lampard, his main goalscorer, deep in his own half. Maybe Frank was only 75% fit.
First 15, Barca sat back and tried to work out what Chelsea were doing. When they saw that Chelsea were doing nothing, they started to play. Still, it was close and 0-0 at half-time.
Eto’o was too wound up to play properly, as I feared. It was a stop-start game, as I feared. And Messi going off after 23 with a hamstring didn’t help the spectacle, although Larsson gave Barca a focal point, and Eto’o played better on the left wing than he did in the middle.
After 70 it was still 0-0 and the two teams were containing each other. It was like fighting 12 three-minute rounds and each round is even.
ON 78, Barca attacked on the right flank. Oleguer inside to Larsson, inside to Eto’o, who wanted to play a one two-with Ronaldinho. So he gave the Brazilian a three yard pass and sprinted left into the box but he didn’t get the ball back.
INSTEAD, RONALDINHO scored a power goal. He ran straight at John Terry and slowed down momentarily, putting his body half a yard past the ball, knowing exactly where the ball would be after the impact. Terry bounced off him and Ronaldinho slammed a ferocious right-foot shot through Cech for 1-0.
An electrifying goal and a big goal. Yes, he showed skill. But it was mostly power. Sheer strength and balance.Ronaldinho was able to choose exactly where the tackle would take place, while protecting the ball.
His measurement was unreal : he rode the whack from Terry and did not touch the ball again until shooting. In a sense, Ronaldinho tackled Terry, then scored with minumum fuss and maximum force.A knockout punch by a middleweight world champion.
For once, Makelele wasn’t patrolling the D to snuff out a short-passing move.
In 92, ref Marcus Merk gave a ridiculous penalty. Terry was a yard offside and he ran into the box just ahead of Gio van Bronckhorst. They both missed the ball and Terry’s foot caught the back of Gio’s foot.
It was never a penalty. But Lampard slotted professionally for 1-1 and the final whistle went and Barcelona had won 3-2 on aggregate.
UNLIKE ARSENAL, Chelsea don’t support the ball. They don’t break as a unit. They hit it long and try to pick teams off.
Drogba came off looking sick as a parrot with bird flu. He is more Ian Hutchinson than Peter Osgood. On his best day, Kerry Dixon was 45% of Peter Osgood, and on Drogba’s best day he is 35% of Osgood.
By stifling Barcelona, Chelsea stifled themselves. And Barca’s work-rate was phenomenal. Their collective energy disguised the weaknesses of individuals. They only have four great players, but the others rose to the occasion and played for each other with incredible spirit.
For Chelsea to use three wingers, and keep Lampard stranded in his own half, was self-defeating. Jose Mourinho will regret that own-goal for a long time.
Final score : Democracy 3 Billionaire 2.
LONG-TERM, CHELSEA will never win the European Cup until someone liberates them. This was one of their most constipated performances for years. They made Barcelona’s back four look much better than they are.