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Welcome to Football Bloody Hell, Sportskeeda’s football weekly review where Sportskeeda’s experts, Joydeep and Zico, cast their eyes over the week’s football happenings and provide answers to burning questions and talking points. This week, it’s Champions League special.
Dubbed ‘the mother of all football competitions’, the Champions League is where pulsating end-to-end football, superstar names and raucous crowds in delirious stadiums come together and come to life. Last week’s last 16 fixtures did not disappoint in providing the expected entertainment one bit. We analyse last week’s action and look ahead to what is in store for us.
Do Tottenham have one foot in the quarter finals?
Z: Tottenham’s dream run in the UCL received a huge boost in Milan as they outplayed the sluggish Italian side 1-0 thanks to a lightning quick counter attacking move that was capped off by a Peter Crouch finish. They have the away goal and most importantly, they will have speed demon Gareth Bale back to running at the heart of the Milan defence at full flight with the White Hart Lane crowd behind him, and Luka Modric back to full fitness in the second leg. Milan will struggle because their front two rarely offer support by dropping deep, which is necessary to face a team with the kind of pace Tottenham possess. Add to that an ageing midfield plus the absence of Gattuso and Pirlo, I see Milan outnumbered and outplayed in London, except in the event of a miracle.
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J: Really?? Milan have a huge pedigree in Champions league and I am sure of their backlash. Even in San Siro, they played some pretty decent football and thanks to the reflexes of Heurelho Gomes , Spurs came out on top that night . I am anticipating a defensive masterclass from A.C Milan and with Ibrahimovic lurking around like a tiger on the prowl, one goal in and the game comes back to life. Plus any sort of win for the Milan side will propel them to the quarters (of course not 1-0 ) . Although my heart says Tottenham, my mind says Milan will come out on top.
Have Arsenal come of age by beating Barcelona?
Z: It certainly was a gutsy performance by the Gunners. To prove the world that you don’t have to park the bus to beat Barcelona is a big statement of intent from Arsene Wenger who looks to create history with his side. Laurent Koscielny was particularly impressive on the night after being sloppy for most of the season, along with Djorou. The back two have to put in more such performances if Arsenal are to realize their dream of a maiden Champions League trophy. In Camp Nou however, it’s going to be a different story. There will be 98,000 Catalans roaring and turning the stadium into a cauldron of noise, rousing their home team who, in turn, seldom disappoint the home fans. Messi ran riot last season, but it was more because of a miserable Arsenal performance. The home victory is a huge boost, but Camp Nou is where the match of their lives lies ahead for this Arsenal team. And the Gunners are very much capable of it, if you add a fully fit Fabregas and RVP and Barcelona’s defensive frailties to the equation.
J: I hate to say this but Barca would tear apart the stunning Arsenal side at Camp Nou . Playing against Barcelona away and home are two different propositions altogether . Parking the bus seems the only logical way to stop the Catalans relying on counter attacks which Arsenal are deadly in . I would love to see a defensive mindset from Arsene Wenger . The last time they had a good run in the Champions League , they were simply not conceding . Inspite of some dodgy and inspiring performances from Koscielny, the defence allowed too many holes in its armour and without the presence and the heroics of Szczesny , they would have conceded more . I just can’t bet a single penny on Arsenal considering what I saw at the Emirates. Surely Arsenal have won the battle but Barcelona will win the war.
Has Torres caused a fresh slump for Chelsea?
Z: There were question marks over how he would fit into the Chelsea set-up, as Chelsea usually play a 4-3-3 with Drogba central, and you can’t have two central strikers in the system. After the ineffective diamond against Liverpool, Ancelotti went back to the old formation swapping Torres with Drogba against Fulham, and barring David Luiz and Petr Cech Chelsea were terrible on the night and Torres was pathetic in particular. The Spaniard’s poor form combined with the presence of another misfiring striker in Drogba who would sulk if he is not in the starting line-up means Ancelotti has more problems that he seems capable of handling. The Blues are currently 5th and if some of the veterans like Drogba, Lampard don’t step up to the plate soon enough, Chelsea’s free fall would be untreatable.
These are tough times for Torres at Chelsea
J: Guys, breathe easy and let the poor fellow settle in. He has not yet settled completely into a rigid team and the world is just hell bent on tearing apart this world class striker. Traitor is what Torres been called till date. They forget the simple fact that Torres did the same thing and joined Liverpool from Atletico Madrid. And Liverpool have done the same thing in snatching Andy Carroll from Newcastle much against the wishes of the Geordie player. There are some problems inherent in the Chelsea setup and I believe the dismissal of Wilkins is the root of all the problems. I can’t expect much from Chelsea this season but a Torres inspired Chelsea winning the Champions League would be a dream come true this May in Wembley, the happy hunting ground of the Blues.
What to expect from this week’s Champions League action?
J: An easy round of fixtures, do you doubt that one among Chelsea, Manchester United or Real would slip. Current form indicates Chelsea are most likely to exit from the competition in case any miracles do happen but I don’t see the giants slipping at this stage. Chelsea have only the Champions League to play for and expect a defensive play from the blues at Copenhagen. As for the French teams, all depends on what happens in the first leg. Anything less than a good win and they are already out. Coming to the Inter Milan and Bayern Munich clash, expect it to be an all out attacking game in both legs with a winner hard to choose. However I believe its Bayern’s time to exact revenge for the loss in the finals last season.
Z: I’ll agree with you for once on this one Joy. Manchester United and Chelsea have the easiest opponents. As for Real Madrid vs Lyon, Real got knocked out of the competition at this very stage last season by this very same French side, who continued their run to the semis. I’m not expecting any surprises this time with the UCL grandmaster Jose Mourinho at the helm. Inter vs Bayern is very close to call. They are both teams who have had indifferent starts to the season, but have put together comebacks to rise into the top 3 of their respective leagues. With Leonardo professing an attacking philosophy, all eyes will be on this clash.
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