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Welcome to Football Bloody Hell, Sportskeeda’s football weekly 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.
In this edition, we continue from we left off in part 1: do a post-mortem of the week’s Champions League action, and look ahead to Arsenal’s Sunday dream final in the Carling Cup and Tuesday night’s blockbuster clash at Stamford Bridge.
Bayern Munich won part 1 of the Bavarian revenge saga at the San Siro. The holders on their way out?
Z: First of all, good call last week Joy. You got this result bang on! And yes, it certainly looks to be the case. Inter spurned a lot of chances in the match and were made to pay. A fully fit and in-form Diego Milito has been the key missing ingredient in the Italians’ resurgence and it looks like Europe is most definitely not manager Leonardo’s cup of tea. Arjen Robben caused havoc down the right flank on his return and was ultimately instrumental in the late winner. Last season, the flying Dutchman single-handedly fired Bayern into the finals. This time, Bayern have extra fire power in Mario Gomez, who has exploded into life with a phenomenal 28 goals in all competitions. Let’s not forget, Bayern were languishing at 12th spot in the league at one point but thanks to Gomez’s renaissance the Bavarians are now pushing for the title. With Robben now back and fully fit, I see no reason why they can’t knock Inter out in the second leg, considering they have the away goal. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Bayern make it to the finals again.
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Julio Cesar was so crestfallen after the San Siro defeat that he 'walked home' and left his car in the stadium
J: Never count your chickens before they hatch, but Bayern can surely start counting them. Inter Milan had peaked last season and the departure of Mourinho has been a major factor for their dismal run till date. Nevertheless they should stay focused and look for an unlikely away win. Possible?? Hell yeah! They have one of the most explosive strikers in Samuel Eto’o but Inter needs to show some class in their defending and make Mourinho proud of a classy defensive performance. But right now it seems that the age old myth of defending the Champions league crown being impossible will continue at least for one more year. Bayern truly deserve to go through after a wonderful night at San Siro. What a pity that the San Siro witnessed two home defeats!
Will the injuries to key creative personnel affect Manchester United’s European ambitions?
Z: I didn’t watch the Marseille match live but caught a replay to see just what the media meant by Manchester United’s lifeless performance on the night. And God, they were right. United clearly missed the creative passing of Giggs, the surging runs of Anderson and the industriousness of Park to grab the match by the scruff of the neck but still managed to come out unscathed, thanks to Chris Smalling and Nemanja Vidic. Rooney playing on the left meant Berbatov was isolated and thus completely ineffective with no one to link up with. Nani was the only real threat but all of us know how frustrating he can be with his habit of wasting 10 good chances for his every single assist/goal. With the greatest respect for the genius that Nani can be at times, as the campaign progresses and the going gets tough in Europe, you need someone who will make best use of chances when they are few and hard to come by. I am waiting with bated breath for Antonio Valencia’s return but do not tip United for the Champions League this season considering their wafer thin squad depth. But again, to round it off, how many times have United gotten away with a shambolic performance this season and ground out results? You got it right: pretty much the entire season. Tough times lie ahead though.
J: A 0-0 draw can be a tricky proposition. But it seems to be alright as United are runaway favourites to clinch the tie at the Theatre of Dreams. United were weakened by the absences of key players but credit to Marseille for grinding out a draw. Their main aim was surely not conceding a goal and losing the tie and match on the same day. Both teams need to up their tempo a bit and Marseille should look no further than the 1-0 win at Anfield a couple of seasons ago for inspiration. Regarding United’s form, grinding out results are tough in EPL and United have been phenomenal at that like Chelsea under Mourinho. But tough times do lie ahead for Manchester United starting from the visit to Stamford Bridge.
Will Sunday night turn out to be a historical one for Arsenal?
Z: The Carling Cup is not a major trophy but Arsenal need it badly. This is a fantastic young team that could go on to make history and the Carling Cup will be a huge moral boost in kick-starting a glorious few years to come in the lives of many of these talented players who are yet to taste silverware. I am no Gooner but I am gutted for Cesc Fabregas who spurned Barcelona and stayed with the Wenger project to end the trophy drought but will unfortunately miss the big date at Wembley and thus the opportunity to lift the trophy as captain that will end the 6 year misery that Gooners have been putting up with. All said, it’s not like Arsenal are going to have it easy as Birmingham City will present a very stern test, a physical one at that, much like the Stoke City one in mid week which claimed major casualties. Without Walcott and Fabregas, Arsenal will have their task cut out.
The last time Arsenal had their hands on silverware was in 2005. Distant memories!
J: Not a major trophy?? Forget Barcelona, forget EPL, this is the trophy which will shape the future of Arsenal. If I were Wenger, I would have forgotten about everything and focussed on the Carling Cup as this is the only real opportunity for breaking the trophy duck . With due respect , Champions league and EPL are still a long way to go and they don’t look favourites to clinch either one of them. So Carling Cup can be the starting point of the Arsenal extravaganza. Keeping that in mind, Arsene Wenger should be fielding his strongest fit squad in the match and win it for the faithful fans who have been supporting the team through thick and thin. A big day for the future of this talented Arsenal team!
Tuesday night will pay host to the most eagerly awaited match of the season: Chelsea vs Manchester United. Who will come out winners?
J: Being a true Chelsea fan, I would root for Chelsea but the facts prove that Manchester United would be overwhelming favourites. Ask any Liverpool fan and they would simply pray that Torres scores against their nemesis and arch rivals United. Call it irony or the madness about the game! Both the teams have been poor for the last few weeks (despite Man Utd notching up victories whenever they wish) and this game would be a great leveller. With Chelsea insisting to put the recent patchy form behind them (just lost count of the no of times Terry has said so) it remains to be seen what will be the outcome at Stamford Bridge. One thing is for sure, this is probably the best match for him to break his duck, silence his critics and probably win some old friends back??
The controversial goal that won Chelsea the title: a memory that Manchester United will seek to erase with a win on Tuesday night
Z: Manchester United are clear favourites, no doubt about that. Last season, Chelsea were fortunate to come out winners in both the matches against United. At Stamford Bridge they were outplayed for majority of the match despite the Red Devils fielding a make-shift central defence, and if not for John Terry’s fortunate goal, things would have been different. And everyone knows that Drogba’s ‘offside by a mile’ goal at OT won the title for Chelsea. United will be looking for vengeance and in my book, they will have it on Tuesday night.
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