Barcelona, Real Madrid, Schalke and United. These are the four teams to have come out on top after the first legs of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals last week. A total of 18 goals were scored across the four encounters as all the teams went at each other hammer and tongs.
The English media had built up Tottenham’s encounter to look like something it definitely was not, as they had done earlier with England’s title chances before last year’s World Cup in South Africa. Spurs were called the giant killers of Europe, Bale was labelled the best player in the world, Lennon the most feared right winger, Modric the craftiest playmaker, and some or other title was tacked on to all the other members of Redknapp’s ensemble.
One cannot deny that Tottenham pulled off some heroics at the San Siro both against Inter and AC Milan. One can credit them also with possessing skill in the midfield, especially when going forward, and playing with a certain flare about them that is eye catching. One can even concede that Real and Milan have been on the same trajectory in recent seasons; both in the long shadow of a domestic arch rival, and struggling to put together a good run in Europe.
One can put all these factors together, but there still remains something that is unaccounted for, and that tilted the tie the other way. It may seem a minor difference at first glance, but it is a gaping chasm between the credentials of Real and Milan when you get down to it. Milan have been second best in Serie A to an Inter side who have only proven their might against aging opposition in a league where pace is not a mainstay and so age can be compensated for.
Real have been second best to a Barcelona side who have been, in recent seasons, the undisputed best team in the world. The key difference between Tottenham and Milan was the former’s ability to attack with pace. Real are not short in that department themselves, and with this threat neutralised, it was always going to be Real who had the upper hand. Real may have come into the match smarting from a home defeat to a Liga bottom dweller, but Mourinho’s side looked eager to get over their manager’s first home defeat in nine seasons.
They came out of the blocks firing and were helped in no small part by Crouch, whose two reckless slides belied his experience at this level. As it was, Tottenham were left to chase the game for the entirety of the 75 minutes after Crouch’s departure, and Real only grew stronger as Tottenham’s energy waned. The four goal margin will be too much to overcome in London, especially since Real will be all too happy to strike on the counter attack if Tottenham come out the way they should.
A similarly convincing home victory was achieved by Barcelona, who took to task a Shakhtar side ungrateful for the many chances they created. Shakhtar’s Brazilian foursome of Willian, Luiz Adriano, Jadson and Douglas Costa worked the magic from the midfield onwards, but one missed chance after another let the Barcelona back line off the hook.
Without Puyol’s assured presence at the back, that too in the absence of Abidal, Busquets, Pique, Alves and Adriano were susceptible to the occasional loss of concentration, and the Ukrainian side were thoroughly entertaining in the way they refused to let Barcelona have all the fun, and took the game to the Catalan giants. Still, Barcelona proved why they were the superior side by making the most of the chances they created, while Shakhtar’s defensive frailty and inability to score after some scintillating passing were their undoing.
The Pitmen, as this club are called, already had their coach sounding the death knell for their Champions League ambitions, much in the same way Tottenham have been written off by all and sundry, and Guardiola’s insistence that the tie is not over yet can be called kindness more than anything else. What is certain however is that Barcelona need Puyol back in the starting line up and fast, because events are transpiring such that Real and Barcelona will be clashing on domestic and continental fronts over the next coming weeks, and this will most certainly decide the end of the season for both of them.
Inter pulled off another surprise performance, this time to ensure a resounding defeat at the hands of Schalke. Although Schalke conceded the fifth fastest goal in the history of the tournament, adding to their accolade of conceding the fourth fastest to AC Milan some six seasons ago, the German outfit did not lose hope and resolutely stuck to their task. Helped by some shambolic defending on Inter’s part, Schalke used the combination of Jurado and Raul to good effect.
All things considered though, it is disgusting that Inter shipped five away goals to a side languishing in the bottom half of the Bundesliga table, and with a manager who has just come into the job. Inter’s title aspirations, both domestically and in Europe, suffered hammer blows in subsequent outings, as this defeat by Schalke followed a 3-0 trouncing at the hands of AC Milan. As was the case against Bayern when the two sides met at the San Siro, Inter were shut down with Sneijder being marked. Christian Chivu had another poor outing in what is becoming an ominous run for him, and the defence overall looked lost without Lucio at the helm. Schalke’s home form should see them through this tie.
The ‘least European’ tie of the round kicked off at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea hosted a Manchester United side looking set to snatch the Londoners’ league title and put an end to their Champions League ambitions this season. In a move that could be aimed at appeasement of the club owner, Ancellotti opted to play both Drogba and Torres up front despite the fact that the two have proven they cannot function well together. The result was that for the most part, the two strikers failed to link up for anything remotely meaningful and allowed United to close them down repeatedly. The return of Ferdinand helped United greatly, while Carrick looked like the player he was a season and a half ago. Rooney was energy personified, and his goal may well have sealed Chelsea’s fate, based on a home showing where they failed to create much and did not take the scant few chances they were given. Of course controversy has to follow where these two powerhouses of English football meet, and Evra’s challenge on Ramires was a penalty by the books. What is more surprising is that the referee, Alberto Undiano Mallenco, is not known to be shy of awarding a foul and an accompanying yellow card, ample proof of which was his nine yellow card game between Germany and Serbia at the World Cup last year. United do tend to come out on the luckier side with refereeing decisions, and that night at Stamford Bridge was no different. Chelsea face a very difficult task, made more difficult by their manager’s apparent indecision, in overcoming what is more than simply a one goal deficit.
