The Round Football Column 05.03.07: 94th Edition
Posted by Tim O'Sullivan on 05.03.2007
The UEFA Champions League has two sides remaining thanks to Daniel Agger, penalty drama, Milan class, Kaka genius, plus more. One Click Away.
Special Thursday column to review the Champions League drama. Wait for it……….wait for it……….okay, go:
Mourinho becomes deluded as penalty drama sends Chelsea out
Wow, what a night at Anfield. A lot of folk, including myself, were getting bored with the whole "twelfth man" and "Kop help" rants from Rafa, Stevie, et al, pre-game, but the Anfield roar certainly did help, in fairness. I mean, who actually thought Chelsea would win that penalty shoot-out? Anyone? Nah, didn't think so. Those whistles for every blue spot-kick were deafening, and although Reina did excellently for the saves from Robben and Geremi, the crowd certainly did their bit to intimidate. You could see that in Robben's face when Mourinho was trying to rally the troops before the so-called, "lottery". The feeble Dutch winger looked petrified at the thought of taking a penalty, even at the Anfield Road End, and that will surely be the final nail in the coffin of his inconsistent Chelsea career.
We didn't see many superstar moments but the big game performances were all over the field. Gerrard's claims of Reina being "the best keeper in the world", post-game, were a little too much, but this was certainly the seventh-choice Spanish keeper's finest hour. Unlike the F.A Cup final, this wasn't just penalty heroics. Here, he was safe throughout the night, and his handling was first class. Finnan didn't show as much verve down the wings as expected, but when there, his distribution was typically excellent. Plus, more relevantly perhaps, his defending was assured and composed. Carragher and Agger were absolutely fantastic at the back, and all the fears of Drogba outgunning the latter again were swept aside. The Ivorian only had one noteworthy opening, and its credit to the Liverpool pair that the Premiership top scorer's most prominent attribute for the majority of the game was defensive headers from Liverpool's set pieces. Zenden and Pennnant did well on the flanks as Rafa clearly employed a more classic tactical approach. Crouch may not have looked like he did much, but his mere presence scared the hell out of Mourinho, and in-turn, his central defenders. Agger and Carragher may have been strict with their marshalling of Drogba, but Terry and Essien's hold on Crouch was even more drastic. This allowed Kuyt to roam around the final third and produce the performance of his Liverpool career thus far. Mr. Netherlands 1999 ™ was anywhere and everywhere on the pitch, and it was one of the most endearing performances you'll see from a top forward, in the modern game.
Then there is Mascherano, who lest we forget was a "surprise inclusion" ahead of Alonso, and the Argentinean all but stole the show. Without Essien's presence in the middle of the park, it almost seemed too easy for him at times, as he picked up his runners from midfield and made about seven thousand clean tackles all night long. It was exceptional stuff, and in-turn it gave Gerrard more freedom to thrust forward. Subsequently, the England vice-captain was able to showcase his full repertoire and produced a stellar, captain's performance.
As for Chelsea, well they certainly need a bit more spontaneity in attack, but in fairness, they only lost the tie on penalties. They defended resolutely, minus Carvalho, and despite being outplayed for the majority, their midfield still showed class with Mikel, in particular, impressing. Makalele mopped up play brilliantly, even if his distribution was horrible at times, and Joey Cole showed trademark glimpses of class. However, their lack of originality in attack was quite shocking considering how huge one solitary goal would have been. They were definitely the weaker side though, either way, and Mourinho saying otherwise is ludicrous.
It was a bit of a shame for Liverpool's hero, Pepe Reina to arrive back home to see that he had been burgled. However, there is good news, as Merseyside Police have made some huge strides in the case. They have arrested Frank Lampard, as no one can vouch for his whereabouts between 19.45 and 22.15 on Tuesday night.
HEY OH!
Gatusso stars, as the would-be English champions are found out
3-0. That scoreline should not bee seen in a Champions League semi final. It really shouldn't. But hey, it happened.
It feels insanely weird to say the following about a team who looks set to win a very tough Premiership, and potentially the English double, but Manchester United were found out on Wednesday evening. Liverpool got away with a poor performance in the first leg at Stamford Bridge (eventually), but there was no coming back for United at the San Siro. Not many people argued when the English media and Ferguson started calling Ronaldo the best player on the planet, but I did, and I'm proud of that after his showing in Milan. Sure, he was man marked, but so was Kaka, and the Brazilian still managed to make a significant impact. How can Ronaldo be called the best player in the world/planet/universe when he hasn't produced one huge away performance on the big stage?
Proper Ronaldo ™ scored a hat-trick at Old Trafford. Henry got a hat-trick at the Stadio Olympico, a brace at the San Siro and a tie winning stunner at the Bernabau. Ronaldinho changed the game at the San Siro last May and lit up the Bridge in 2005. Kaka was the star of the show at Old Trafford in this tie's first leg. So, where are Ronaldo and Rooney is this list of big, superstar away performances in Europe? United needed these two to turn the game in their favour, but once again, nothing came to fruition.
As noted, this United side are on course for a wealth of domestic success this season, but up until April they have had minimal injury setbacks and having to use the likes of O'Shea, Fletcher and Brown in a Champions League semi final has made them look ordinary for three out of four halves. Even Giggs may not be good enough, which is a comment that some will view as sacrilege, but it's true. His wing play has become mundane, stagnant and predictable. The British media are constantly talking about United bringing in a strike partner for Rooney in the summer, but a world class attacking midfielder is needed as much as that. They were insanely unimaginative in attack on Wednesday, and it was a borderline shocking display.
Having said that, kudos to Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelan, who were pretty much stunning throughout. You could tactically analyse their performance all night long, but sometimes it just comes down to doing the basics brilliantly. Urgency. Pace. Movement. Ball retention. All exceptional.
In Gatusso, they have two things: a) the most annoying footballer on the planet, and b) the most underrated footballer on the planet. The Italian Robbie Savage (but better and somehow more annoying) was absolutely everywhere, and never let any of United's flair players (that may not need to be plural) get an inch. He was niggling at everyone, but it was so effective, and for the majority, legal. Just exceptional stuff from the former Rangers man.
Elsewhere, Kaka scored another beautiful goal to glorify another special display, in the first half especially, but it was the Dutch star who assisted him that really shone. You would think that Clarence Seedorf would have peaked by now, but he could well be playing the best football of his career right now. He was exceptional at the Allianz, and in this semi final, second leg, his movement from midfield was as noteworthy as Kaka's. He was spraying the ball around almost flawlessly, and he took his goal clinically. A real experienced, classy display. Pirlo did his job. Dida didn't spill anything……and handled what seemed like one shot at him. Nesta was assured. Inzaghi still has the energy of a twenty-one year old. Gilardino scored. In fact, everything went well for Meeeeeeeeeeelan, although Rafa would have been sitting at home taking notes about Oddo and Jankulovski's occasional lapses when ran at. That was why Gatusso was seen in those positions at times, because the full backs didn't always do their job properly. Benitez would have watched this game carefully, and his side will contain Kaka and co. far more efficiently than the men in front of Van Der Sar did.
Here's a thought for you all:
By the time of the final on May 23rd, we could be seeing the biggest match in the football calendar contested between THIRD IN THE PREMIERSHIP vs. THIRD IN SERIE A.
Wow.
Istanbul Mk. II
We can dream
Read these or I can't guarantee you'll have a good week
For the week's news and predictions for the weekend click on to, Tuesday's column
I'll be back Tuesday with thoughts on Arsenal v Chelsea, the Manchester derby, Real Madrid v Sevilla, the Premiership relegation scrap and a preview of the potentially irrelevant Chelsea v Man Utd clash. Until then………..
