Liverpool v Chelsea is on ITV tonight.
Abramovich wants Chelsea to play like Barcelona.
He wants them to play stylish attacking football like Barca used to provide when they won back-to-back titles. When we watched that team we enjoyed flair, entertainment, surprises, excitement .
But Mourinho’s players want to win.
And Avram Grant says he wants them to play with more style .
My money is on Rafa. I thought he would beat Arsenal and I think he’ll beat Chelsea as well.
Why? Because Essien is suspended and the great Makelele is over the hill. Because Drogba’s not as awesome as he was, Lampard’s not as prolific, John Terry can’t jump so high since he had that bumper car accident.
When Chelsea were good enough to win the league twice they were not good enough to beat Liverpool in the Champions League.
Lampard missed two sitters the first time they played at the Bridge. I’m fairly judicious in my use of the term “sitter” because it depends who the player is as well as where the ball is.What is an easy chance to one player is not a sitter to another. But the two chances Lampard missed are two he will always remember. If he had slotted one, Chelsea would probably have won. If he had slotted both, the second leg at Anfield was irrelevant.
Those two chances, to a goalscoring midfielder like David Platt or Frank Lampard, were sitters. Nobody could believe he had missed them because he scored dozens of goals from easier chances than those two.If he scores tonight he might forget about the two that got away.
In six Champions League games between Liverpool and Chelsea there have been three goals and three 0-0 draws.
But all of that is history and history is bunk and history is pre-Fernando Torres. He did not come from Spain to read history, he came to write history. As you know, in games like this, unlikely goalscorers often pop up. Who can forget Wayne Bridge? Mascherano only scores one goal a season, so we would not talk about him.
Rafa Benitez is close to his third Champions League final in four years and he gave us a big clue when he said, “We know that we need to score and not concede, if it is possible.”
He would say that. Rafa says that kind of thing all the time. I suppose I like Rafa because I was brought up on Brain Clough and Bob Paisley and then I spent eight and a half years with George Graham.
Therefore I love good defending and clean sheets. That, to me, is a big part of football. I’ve met Dixon, Adams, Winterburn and many other players. I can’t remember whether I’ve met Steve Bould but recall doing a phone interview with him. I can’t remember meeting Martin Keown either but I may have done. I vividly remember Keown’s first 20 games for Arsenal. He was amazing. He was incredible. He played 20 blinders in a row. I’ve never seen any centre half play 20 blinders in a row and never will again. Not at that level of intensity anyway.
In tonight’s game the past means nothing when the whistle blows at 7.45 pm. This semi might not be what the experts expect. First legs are usually very cagey but there could be goals this time. Who knows, it might be a classic. I hope Liverpool win because I want Arsenal to be the first London club to win the European Cup. If Liverpool win by 1-0 on aggregate, fine.
In the Nou Camp, Barcelona will be scared of Manchester United.
Their pride could be hurt and they know that. The club is in an end-of-era mode, playing out time as Rijkaard and Ronaldinho prepare to leave, as Eto’o looks around.
Today it’s reported that Hargreaves might mark Messi man-for-man but I doubt that. Andy Gray reckons Messi will be facing Evra and Rooney in the right side, a near-impossible challenge for the rusty imp of the wriggling dribble.
Hargreaves will be used to block off the inter-passing of Xavi-Iniesta-Eto’o-Messi in front of the D. When Barcelona were great they applied their talent in groups to create tons of goals, as United do now in a different style.
Deco was a big part of their title teams but Rijkaard fell out with him. Intriguingly, it’s Deco who was put forward for media interviews on Monday. Deco is combative, the kind of guy you need when you face the Red Devils.
A lot depends on Sir Alex’s team selection.
He is capable of a bizarre line-up in an away game as big as this. When his team is announced I may be hiding behind the sofa with my hands over my ears.
Still, we do not expect to see the dumb defending we saw when Morten Gamst Pedersen threw that ball into the box at Ewood Park on Saturday. Jason Roberts ducked, the ball hit Vidic and then Ferdinand, and, as Evra stood like a statue, Roque Santa Cruz knocked in a goal that could have cost United the Premier League title.United will not be so sloppy against Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo says United have to win both the title and the Champions League to be regarded as the greatest Manchester United team ever. He is a star and a winner. If you play for United you live with history and try to beat history. I think that’s good. It’s always good to aim high. The lad has had a scintillating season so far and it will be interesting to see if he can turn it on in the Nou Camp.
As I say, Barcelona will be nervous. The main component of the Latin personality is pride. The main component of the American personality is salesmanship.The main component of the English personality is, I happen to believe, a sense of fair play.
What about the French ? Any suggestions?