Recently in Champions League 2011-2012 Category

Two elements of the Italian game seem to have played two very different roles in the Chelsea vs Bayern Champions League final.

Roberto Di Matteo's catenaccio style layered defense that stretched Bayern worked to perfection while Jupp Heynckes decision to pull Thomas Mueller in the 84th minute to preserve a one goal lead proved disastrous.

Financial fair play rules into the sinkhole?

In October 2010 Wayne Rooney issued a warning to the Glazers to splash the cash to make Utd competitive. He was proven right a year and a half later as City won their maiden Premiership. For their part City were hardly obliging as even before the ink had dried casting their eyes at their favourite supply chain, Arsenal, for the services of Robin Van Persie, ready to send his wages out of the stratosphere.

This weekend, Roman Abramovich, the original jedi of financial doping finally got the prize he craved from his 1bn fleet of aging superstars revived under a low rent manager. In City's case their first Premiership title ended a 44 year drought while Chelsea tasted their first Champions League success, their finest achievement in their 107 year existence.

These are unmistakably proud milestones in the histories of both clubs. But the inescapable fact is as Simon Kuper correctly points out is money essentially buys championships. This is an almost statistical certainty proven to be true nine out of 10 times. The loser these past weekends was the abstraction of a level playing field. City and Chelsea are propped up by the bottomless wealth of their ownership who underwrite their staggering losses without breaking a sweat. This might be the dawn of a blue moon but City announced a £197m shortfall, their largest since the Al Nahyan's took over. There were more blues for Chelsea as they ended the financial year £68m in the hole. Combined both clubs accounted for more than 50% of the Premiership's £484m deficit between revenue and spending. Sixteen out of the 20 clubs recorded losses. A stark reminder that austerity seems to be late coming to many of these clubs and in a few, not at all.

The broader vision for the implementation of these financial fair play rules was not just a brake on out of control spending. Part of its remit was to encourage clubs to look to their own homegrown talent, to nurture, and bring up the ranks as a means to end living beyond their means. City has in its arsenal a fantastic youth academy of which Micah Richards is one but like Real Madrid's famous cantera they will have little to no chance finding a place in the senior squad as the positions get filled with City's ever widening circle of galactic stars. Chelsea singled out 22 year old Ryan Bertrand's outstanding work controlling Phillip Lahm but the more telling sign was the left back's performance being mentioned as one bright spot. A glimpse into the paucity of options deviling Chelsea in its need to replenish a generation of players on the cusp of retirement or retrenchment. Both clubs seem singularly ill equipped to do so without dipping their hands again into the gaping maw of an insatiable ATM.

These clubs can keep on taking debt as long as they are married to a profit/ loss business parent entity. The Al Nahyan's can shift those receipts into their myriad deals and bury them losing FIFA's accounting trail. There are all sorts of accounting tricks to hide losses and pad revenue through dubious partnerships.

The idea of a level playing field is noble but it is flawed because the ownership structure so loosely regulated in England has been taken advantage of repeatedly. Self realization dawned on Abramovich only very recently when he moved to shift equity onto the club in an effort to bring down debt. The Glazers on the other hand appear to be a spent force and if these numbers are correct are bleeding an astronomical £250,000 a day just to service debt.

There is little chance Utd can keep out City or Chelsea if they so want to corner the transfer market. Oil, gas, and precious metals are not going to be replaced by alternatives any time soon. But just like the debate that is crippling Europe and its governments, is sweeping austerity the answer or is spending your way out of trouble? Liverpool thought the latter was the answer and they did worse while Arsenal opted for the former and has been stuck in the status quo ever since. The dangers of both approaches should be obvious to Utd.

Much of this scrutiny is taking rightly at the EPL, the origin of this wave of heedless spending. FIFA will impose greater transparency and adherence by demanding disclosure statements. A watchdog media and and a public wearying of the disruption to their lives by an ever shrinking pie might keep a notion of fairness alive. However, the wave is now moving offshore to the Russian and Chinese leagues with even fewer insights into the way they run clubs. The success registered by City and Chelsea will embolden clubs like Anzhi whose owner is Abramovich on steroids to issue blank checks to players in the hopes that they too in the not so distant future mount the podium as champions of the world. What will financial fair play rules accomplish when the money trail finally disappears?

Suspended captain John Terry who played no part in the Champions League final lifting the Champions League was probably as low as it could get. On the other hand, one cannot but feel happy for Didier Drogba, who lives and dies football everytime he steps out on the pitch. Even his orchestrated dives cannot be grudged. David Luiz seems to be the live wire of the team, hugging, kissing, and playing the prankster. The camera cut away at times to the dejected Bayern players. Those medals must have felt like millstones as they came off second best in their own home.

Michel Platini, the chief activist of the financial fair play rules handing the trophy and it vending its way finally to Roman Abramovich, the man most responsible for football's present day curse of financial doping was a scene dripping with irony. Someday that will make its way to a documentary.

Bild's reaction to Bayern Munich losing to Chelsea with the crestfallen Schweinsteiger as the focal point.

Will Arjen Robben come to haunt Chelsea? Banquo puts the shivers in Macbeth.

A Barcelona vs Bayern Munich final would have been an ideal exposition of the best football would have to offer. Lots of freewheeling attacking and horrendous defensive lapses would have made it a final to remember. But in its absence we should be thankful for what we did not get.

A Champions League version of El Clasico pitting Real Madrid vs Barcelona would have been a frenzy of media hyperbole, Twitter wars, Mourinho vs Guardiola, individualism vs system, nationalism vs autonomy, Cristiano Ronaldo vs Messi, Ramos vs Xavi. The world would have been privy to football's version of a bedroom farce for the next month or so. After that build up it would be 90 minutes of mind numbing theatrics - diving, tugging, mugging, rolling around poleaxed, referee baiting,10 men behind the ball, and the odd moment of brilliance. And so we dodged a huge bullet there. The fans of both clubs lick their wounds and have to find their jollies elsewhere.

We were also spared a Chelsea vs Real Madrid showdown which would have renewed speculation of a Mourinho return to his old club. He would have no doubt swaggered to the beat of Chelsea living off his legacy of tenacious defense with so many of his former players instrumental in the recent spate of successes. That would have engaged both English and Spanish tabloids in a wall to wall build up to the final. The match itself would be 90 minutes of 10 men parking the bus on both sides with John Obi Mikel and Pepe trying to outdo each other, "You're a Neanderthal but what am I?"

Chelsea vs Bayern's most potent sideline story is whether Arjen Robben will exact revenge on another one of his former clubs. It's not exactly the same as Banquo's spectre making Macbeth quake in his boots. The match up between both clubs is an imperfect end to this season's Champions League with the underlying feeling being how in blazes did Chelsea manage to come so far. But at least in footballing terms it gets to examine the eternal struggle between attack winning matches or defense avoiding a loss. There is also the perspective of two clubs finished domestically playing all out to win a title that will erase that unhappy outcome. In Chelsea's case winning the final might be the only ticket to getting back to the Champions League.

Bayern have amply demonstrated their explosive nature of its attack and in Gomez, Robben, and Ribery they have a perfect trident while leaving questions at the back. Chelsea have gone a different but no less effective route, capitalizing on their rare chances but also showing the defensive mettle that endears itself to no one but a few purists. The two sides also open up opposing but critical abstractions that are pertinent to the sport and its future away from what transpires on the pitch. Financial profligacy vs financial austerity. Individual wealth vs mixed ownership. Player activists vs sublimation to a system. Buying talent vs nurturing them.

The sport gets a thorough examination when these two meet at the Allianz Arena in less than a month, not some unending parade of sideshow distractions which leave the actual display of the sport on brittle ground.

szólj hozzá: Real-Bayern Full highlights HD

David Alaba's handball should never have been. It was inadvertent for which the left back received a yellow card which leaves him out of the Champions League final against Chelsea. Cristiano Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot. The Bernabeu erupted again as Ronaldo made it a brace after Mesut Oezil dissected the Bayern defense with his through pass. But with the attacking talent at Bayern's disposal a 2-0 scoreline could not be considered safe as both teams came out swinging in the first half.

This Real Madrid team has its share of cool talent but there are players in their side who evolution has left untouched. Amongst them Pepe and Sergio Ramos and you can always count on one or both to make a bone headed contribution that proves fatal. That came in the 27th minute when Pepe felled Mario Gomez in the box. Robben scored the all important away goal to tie the aggregate at 3-3.

The zip and zest in the first half was gone in the second half replaced by a cagey affair as both teams seemed reluctant to concede what could be the defining goal. But Bayern looked the more authoritative on attack with the sure footed Gomez uncharacteristically flubbing an easy chance in front of goal. It was Real looking a bit nervy going back to defend. They also looked leggy after the draining El Clasico encounter over the weekend.

Gustavo who had been merrily fouling away without any booking received his comeuppance after seemingly bringing down Oezil. Replays showed he had actually executed a superb tackle to get all ball. The booking was costly as he joined Holger Badstuber and Alaba further depleting Bayern of key personnel for the finals.

Extra time came and went without incident. It was onto the penalties and a test of mental fortitude and determination to get that win (read Germans). An occasion for both goalies to show their skill and mettle. In this showdown both Iker Casillas and Manuel Neuer were superb but the difference was the German had the tougher saves to effect especially Ronaldo's in which he cranked up all the power. And then came Sergio Ramos's bumbling attempt which will be replayed all over the world. The ball is in orbit having become Jupiter's latest satellite.

Somehow it brings to mind the butter fingers Ramos displayed in dropping the Copa Del Rey atop the bus and the trophy was crushed. It relieved all the pressure of seeing Toni Kroos and Philipp Lahm miss their chances badly. Bastian Schweinsteiger made no mistake with his winning spot kick. Jose Mourinho disappeared without a word down the tunnel.

szólj hozzá: Barca Chelsea 2:2 EXTENDED HIG

Ramires is the man. The Brazilian provided that laser like cross to find Didier Drogba in the first leg to score the only goal and the winner in the first leg.

In the second leg in the Camp Nou, Frank Lampard finds Ramires who raced ahead of a slowly reacting Barca defense to chip the ball over Victor Valdes to score a goal that Messi would be proud to embalm in his trove of unforgettable goals. Did Ramires dream up that strike? The skinny Brazilian whose legs motor up and down unflaggingly is known for providing an impetus to the attack but he's been accused equally unflaggingly for lacking a footballing brain. That was genius.

A groggy Chelsea reeling from two goals down and John Terry's ejection got back on its feet. The second half saw Leo Messi miss a penalty and a Chelsea defense that defied Barca time and time again with Petr Cech standing like a colossus in front of goal. Fernando Torres administered a sucker punch in extra time as Chelsea exited the Camp Nou in a blaze of glory.

Roberto Di Matteo is now one match from Roman Abramovich's dream of realizing a Champions League trophy. After all the coaches with world class credentials the Russian oligarch has wooed to Stamford Bridge, some who have come very, very close but never really delivered on that promise, his best bet lies in a coach whose philosophy can be best summed up as "live and let live."

Chelsea can also count on their fingers, a Barca rendered unambitious and deflated after the El Clasico encounter over the weekend. It was the second time in a row they had conceded a goal within seconds off scoring one of their own. It speaks of making do with an older and makeshift defense exposed as vulnerable to opportunistic counterattacking. Which poses this interesting question after Man Utd was outclassed in last year's Champions League finals. Would the Red Devils have fared better this year, maybe even won, if they had met present day Barca at this crucial stage? Absolutely yes.

szólj hozzá: Chelsea - FC Barcelona 1:0

On Wednesday evening, Barca in a rare moment of self doubt, looked back to contemplate an axiom that applies to all except a chosen few. Football is indeed a cruel sport.

We give kudos to Didier Drogba's clinical strike and a defense that held up against the Blaugrana waves that marauded the Chelsea third for immense portions of the game. But lets put this victory into perspective. No one in their right mind would discount factoring lady luck as part of Chelsea's perfect game plan. It had to be that way.

Chelsea had to score from one of its rare chances at goal. Check.
Chelsea had to have Petr Cech come up with spectacular saves. Check (pun intended)
Chelsea would be rescued by goal line saves and the goal structure. Check.
Barca had to have the sort of game against Milan at the San Siro. Check.

Alexis Sanchez was made to rue his chance when the crossbar came in the way of his chip over Cech. Ashley Cole cleared Fabregas's shot before it crossed the line. Cech denied Fabregas, Adriano, and Messi. And late in added time Pedro had his opportunity denied by the upright. This would in all probability ended on a 4-1 advantage. Instead Barca now have to return to Camp Nou to end the aberration.

Leo Messi did everything humanly possible to manufacture a goal through proxy but his supporting cast of actors could not finish. Yet, in one huge cruel stroke, he became responsible for the one goal that made all the difference as Frank Lampard swiped the ball from under his feet to send Ramires soaring down the left. It all happened in a nano second as Puyol, Mascherano, and Adriano were left adrift when Drogba arrived to meet the Brazilian's low cross.

When we talk of the old brigade rising to the occasion, its always Lampard, Terry, Cole, and Drogba. Left out of that equation, Cech. He is the original war horse, an unmistakable figure wearing that Knute Rockne gridiron head gear. He has been on the receiving end of a lot of fan flak but yesterday, he was an obdurate sentinel keeping Chelsea's hopes alive.

Can Chelsea pull it off at the Camp Nou? A 0-0, 1-1, and even a 2-1 Barca result puts them into the final. They fought Barca to a standstill four years ago with the same personnel on the pitch. Mourinho parked the bus as ten men got behind the ball. That is one way to do it.

szólj hozzá: Bayern - Real 2-1

We're back! After more than a week of suffering from flu like symptoms that left me prostrate, weak as a kitten, and delinquent with blogging. A week away from the world's game is like being away for a lifetime. But thankfully, it was to this game that we make our return.

It was all Bayern in the second half. Phillip Lahm was immense skipping aside Fabio Coentrao, presently being decked by the Madrid media machine for his pathetic performance, to send in that low cross into traffic which Mario Gomez skillfully evaded to slide the ball into goal in the 90th minute.Obviously all that cigarette smoking has left Coentrao short of breath because Lahm cut through him with ridiculous ease all day and night. The Allianz Arena was rocking to "Seven Nation Army". Bayern 2 Real Madrid 1.

How Howard Webb missed giving a penalty when Gomez was gang tackled in the box in the 85th minute plumb before his eyes one can never know. Actually, one doesn't know why UEFA entrusts any more English referees with officiating matches after what has gone on in the Premiership/ FA Cup. There was Martin Atkinson whose incompetent display against Spurs in the FA Cup semi-finals saw him re-write the definition of a ghost goal. Goal line technology can only help those who are wrongfully done by referees or linesmen who don't see the ball cross the line. What about imaginary goal lines? The ghost goal line?

Madrid did get that all important away goal after Cristiano Ronaldo missed an absolute sitter but on the follow up Mesut Oezil made no mistake linking with CR7 to make this an evening of goalscorers with former and present Bundesliga connections. Franck Ribery shot Bayern into the lead after Sergio Ramos flubbed a clearance from a corner. The goal was questioned by Jose Mourinho who thought it was offside. On replay he does have a point and in addition, Badstuber might have handled the ball.

Pepe was quite well behaved for most part of the match but this being Real, there is Ramos and Marcelo, his understudies in the fine art of skullduggery. Webb should have sent off Ramos and Marcelo for their terrible from behind fouls instead of just booking them. Once again, Mourinho chose a familiar "park the bus" routine after the equalizer. This was proven woefully wrong against a Bayern side with no shortage of attacking options.

The action now moves to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg next week. Real will have to improve their performance dramatically just as they did against Barca in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey quarterfinals. But before that they face their nemesis on April 21st in an El Clasico return that could decide Liga supremacy. Mourinho has his hands full.

szólj hozzá: Real Madrid 5-2 APOEL (HD)

The best moments came in the 67th minute and the 82nd minute when Gustavo Manduca and Esteban Solari scored Apoel's goals. At the Santiago Bernabeu no less! Real played real spoilsports to this David slayed Goliath story as Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace with Kaka, Callejon, and Angel Di Maria adding to the tally.

Well done, Apoel from Nicosia! By going so far in the CL, you did what Arsenal, Man Utd, Man City, Inter, Napoli, Valencia, Lyon could not do. Best of all you give smaller clubs hope.

Real will take their appointed place in the semi-finals against Bayern. Where they will face the wrath of the Robben, rejected by Real.

szólj hozzá: Ramires a gólvonalnál ront

Ramires, I confess, made a mess, right in front of goal, no less.

szólj hozzá: Chelsea 2-1 Benfica ALL GOALS

Many missed chances. And nerves jangling right to the end for Chelsea. Benfica did not have any of their four recognized center backs including Garay, Luisao, Vitor, and Jardel. Jorge Jesus, the Benfica coach had to rejigger his back four using Javi Garcia, a midfielder and Emerson, a left back.

Chelsea got the ball rolling through Frank Lampard's penalty after Ashley Cole was shoved by Javi Garcia in the box. The stare down between Lampard and Benfica's goalie Artur was quite riveting with Artur snaking his tongue out giving his opponent the eye. Maybe it was a dream involved a nice bottle of Chianti, fava beans, and yummy baked Lampard pie? In the 40th minute Maxi Pereira got sent off for a stupid lunge on John Obi Mikel for his second booking after receiving his first for jawing back at Damir Skomina, the same referee who earned Wenger's wrath in the Milan Arsenal match.

The man advantage was not exploited by Chelsea who went through a series of missed opportunities including a Ramires plumb in front of goal. Things turned very, very nervy in the 85th minute when Garcia atoned for his penalty giveaway by guiding his header past Cech from a corner as Chelsea fell asleep. Another goal and Benfica would be through on the away goal advantage.

Chelsea bunkered down as Benfica conducted a few very close raids but in the end with their whole team pressing, Aimar's free kick was headed out by Mikel and suddenly Meireles had acres of space to run on the break and smash the ball from distance for Chelsea's winner and eventual ticket to the semi-finals.

They will need to improve stratospherically to have a chance of ousting Barca. That or maybe Tom Hennings Ovrebo will dust himself off to officiate and go maverick on UEFA's favourite team. This time it will be Xavi mouthing off and Busquets chasing Ovrebo.

szólj hozzá: Bayern - Marseille 2-0

Ivica Olic got both of Bayern's goals as Franck Ribery stamped his authority on this game. French goalie Steve Mandanda was put up a magnificent display in a losing effort. It looks like a Bayern vs Real semi-final unless Apoel pull off a miracle. Marseille go back home to a tattered domestic season with Didier Deschamps's coaching future in jeopardy.

szólj hozzá: Barca 3:1 Milan Fullhighlights

Barcelona and especially Lionel Messi did not wear their shooting boots today. And because of that they kept AC Milan in the hunt despite their numerous scoring chances. As an example, an early opening created by Cesc Fabregas's delectable flick left Messi one on one with Abbiati and he shanked wide.

It was left to Luca Antinioni's foul on Messi and the resulting spot kick for Barca and Messi to open their account. Milan countered though Nocerino, who may be a foot note on the talent rolls but he's probably there in the first ten list on effort. Motoring down he took Zlatan Ibrahimovic's angled pass and with a nice first touch rolled the ball past Valdes to score the equalizer. Barca looked reactive and vulnerable on defense all evening. Pique's hips don't lie anymore and Puyol looks like Mickey Rourke in the Wrestler.

The match turned decisively just before the half when Nesta tugged on Busquets's jersey off a corner, a rarely called offense but adjudged by Bjorn Kuipers to rise to the level of a penalty. Nesta in turn was gangtackled by Puyol. Milan of course was left flabbergasted but Kuipers might have felt a goal scoring opportunity was being obstructed. This being Barca, it fed into all the conspiracy theories of favouritism from UEFA. No matter, Messi buried that penalty.

Iniesta added an insurance goal showing a classy first touch with the ball falling to him following Abbiati's deflection of Messi's effort. Barca could have added more but Thiago and Adriano missed point blank chances.

The strangest part of the evening was Barbara Berlusconi's kept man, Pato in a rare appearance replacing Kevin Prince Boateng and then 15 minutes later trudging off with an apparent injury as Maxi Lopez came in his place. Pato is earning hundreds of thousands as he sits out the season with injuries and lives on the moon dating his boss's daughter. What happened to him? He was at one point one of the brightest stars in the firmament.

The semi-finals is looking more like a Chelsea - Barca match up unless Benfica causes an upset. A certain Tom Henning Ovrebo still has the power to enrage thousands of Chelsea fans.

I ordered the Chateau Pape de Neuf and you give me the Montepulciano?

The UEFA wizards ban Arsene Wenger for three matches for the offense of having a verbal altercation with referee Damir Skomina after the Milan Champions League match. Wenger is also fined £33,000.

Skomina was the referee who allowed Robinho's goal to stand after receiving a pass from a clearly offside Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Milan striker was also guilty of diving following incidental contact with Johan Djourou which lead Skomina to award a penalty. An enterprising and physical Milan side brushed aside a soulless Arsenal on a moth eaten San Siro pitch with Skomina's decision playing an instrumental part in a bruising 4 to nothing rout.

Wenger felt Skomina gave away too many free kick calls to Milan in midfield as the Italian side proved too wily in milking any touchy feely stuff. He made that clear in his post match statements.

Unhappy manager venting at referee. Is that all? A three match touchline ban for blowing off some steam. Wenger has now been banned for six UEFA matches which gives him the dubious distinction of being one ahead of Jose Mourinho who of course only alleged UEFA was fixing matches in favour of Barcelona in his post match interview. Where is the sense of proportion?

Naturally, Wenger will appeal. No word from UEFA on that San Siro pitch though. Is it acceptable to see players who cost their clubs millions of pounds to slip, trip, and break their legs on a substandard pitch?

szólj hozzá: Marseille 0-2 Bayern GOALS

There is a full scale revolt going on by the deeply unhappy Marseille fans against their club. L'OM lost seven straight matches in the Ligue till their weekend draw against Nice, were knocked out of the French Cup by third division US Quevilly, and their third string goalie Elinton Andrade was drafted for the Bayern Munich match following Steve Mandandas suspension.

Bayern fans on the other hand are a jocular lot having seen their side swat aside their CL opponents although the dizzying gyrations at the top of the Bundesliga is another matter altogether. And today's match was no different as Bayern won with Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben scoring the goals. Allianz Arena will be a tough place to overturn such a result in the return leg.

Franck Ribery, formerly at Marseille was booed on his return. Which sums up the dark clouds over that club.

Barca did everything except score a goal. But credit Milan they turned in a defensive performance they can be proud of.

Luca Antonini who is usually derided by Milanistas as a simple minded buffoon was their hero coming up with a number of key blocks to deny Sanchez and Cristian Tello. The Catalunyans were unlucky not to get a penalty when Abbiati clearly brought down Alexis Sanchez. On another occasion, off a corner Puyol managed to get his head on the ball angling it just wide off the far post despite Djamel Mesbah pulling on his shirt for dear life in full view of the referee.

Milan had their chances too missing out through Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho, reverting to type missing an absolute sitter with Victor Valdes at his mercy.

The Giuseppe Meazza pitch looked in slightly better shape than the Arsenal match about a month ago.

It's off to the Camp Nou for the second leg and if Milan can somehow manage a 1-1 result they're through to the semi-finals. A very big if.

The brain acts in parallel to improve speed of planning and execution, so does Barcelona

Today, four time Champions League winners and present holder, Barca play AC Milan, one of the most stories clubs themselves in international competition with seven CL titles.

A mouthwatering feast that will pit Zlatan Ibrahimovic against his former club and Thiago, who might be wearing the colours of the Blaugrana next season. But for those neutrals who just love the way Barca play but don't quite know how they do it, here is a post by Simon Kuper that deconstructs their success. It's an easy bullet point by bullet point analysis of the underpinnings of Barca's system.

Pep Guardiola inherited Johan Cruiff's totalvoetball or "total football" philosophy which originated in Rinus Michel's Ajax of the 1970s, a temporal and spatial system of possession that saw supremely fit team mates filling in space vacated by another. Space was sacred, there was no concept of "dead space."

Such an overlapping and fluid system meant there was no player "hierarchies" or nomenclatures like defender, striker, or attacking midfielder. The player with the ball and the best information was the planner and executor of that movement. Cruiff's emphasis was on attack which Barca successfully adopted through the 80s and 90s with further refinement provided by Louis Van Gaal, another proponent of the Dutch system, when he joined the Catalunyans.

Guardiola transformed it to include defense with his exposure to Italian football and Valeriy Lobanovskyi's "pressing" tactics, i.e., the art and science of winning back the ball the instant you lose it. Lobanovskyi as coach of Dynamo Kyiv co-wrote an influential book on the different types of pressing. An excellent article by Jonathan Wilson sheds light on the influence of his tactics on Guardiola's thinking.

Most Americans will relate to this when they see basketball teams execute a full court press, swarming their opponents the minute they inbound a pass on resumption of play. The tactic eats precious seconds off a 24 second clock rushing the shooter into a low percentage shot or better still leading to a turnover and an easy bucket. It's harder and more exhausting to do this in a space as large as a football pitch but that is what Barca do when they want to possess the ball back. The tactic ensures a 70% possession rate and Barca when it wants to kill a game off in a winning position simply pass the ball around in the opponents half.

A corollary to this is that this system needs rigour and very early exposure for successful adoption. Barca relies on a farm system of homegrown players to perpetuate this approach. This explains why for all their stunning success, their forays into the transfer market haven't been as fulfilling. Zlatan, Thierry Henry, and David Villa are the notables. This is another reason why Guardiola may never leave Barca. There are few clubs who have the patience and the resources to start bottom up with a new philosophy.

H/t to Mo for providing Simon Kuper's link.

szólj hozzá: APOEL 0-3 RMCF BOSNIA

Full marks to Apoel for keeping Real Madrid at bay for 74 minutes. But once they were breached, they gave away two more goals in quick succession. Benzema scored twice after missing an absolute howler and Kaka added to the tally. The Brazilian provided the spark needed to break Apoel's highly organized defense by creating Benzema's first goal.

Jonathan Wilson has Apoel's story and the man behind their David vs Goliath success.

szólj hozzá: Benfica 0:1 Chelsea HD

Salomon Kalou turns Fernando Torres's measured cross into goal in the 75th minute. David Luiz did not go nuts in front of his former club. He actually did well.

Roberto De Matteo kept Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, and Michael Essien on the bench. For this he is called brave. A month ago, for the same, Andre Villa-Boas was being called naive and micro-managing. The difference of course is that in the former it led to a victory which puts Chelsea in the driver's seat whereas in the latter the changes led to a soul crushing loss. So here we have unvarnished proof that Roberto De Matteo is a better coach than AVB.

Actually, no not really, it tells you in Chelsea, the players are not just players, they are politicians. After AVB's sacking they realized they were next in the hot seat and since then have decided its in their best interest to play. There is also the case that Napoli attacked from the get go, while Benfica with similar attacking quality in Pablo Aimar, Oscar Cardoza, and Nicolas Gaitan seemed almost too afraid to do so at home. De Matteo got off a lot easier than AVB. The Portugese side are sure to come out with more verve in the second leg at Stamford Bridge.

There are some inconvenient matches in between but Marca has already pronounced that Real will meet Barca in El Clasico in Munich. Barca meet the winners of Chelsea vs Benfica while Real await either Bayern or Marseille.

See, these two clubs have already progressed to the semi-finals. Milan might as well take a bow and exit off stage. Apoel shouldn't even bother showing up at this late stage.

At this point the CL and the Europa League looks to be the Liga's for the taking.

Real Madrid or Barca are the abortive favourites to win Europe's top prize while there are three Liga sides in the last eight of the Europa League as Atletico take on Hannover 96, Valencia meet AZ Alkmaar, Athletic battle Schalke, with only Metalist and Sporting Lisbon featuring in a match not featuring a Liga side.

Didier Drogba was immense in Chelsea's fight back against Napoli, scoring and creating chances. Yes, the old Drogba was back in more ways than one! Doesn't this all look too familiar?