Of Arsenal's "Mission Impossible" and Spurs' Italian Adventures

Who would get to lay his hands on the Europe's most coveted Trophy,this year?

        
  So,finally the Draws for The Champions League knockout stages are out,and although some of the biggest teams in World Football are involved,there isn't really a Adrenaline-raising,Mouth-watering clash at least in the Last 16s. Manchester United and Chelsea got comparatively easy draws,while Arsenal managed to find the worst draw possible in Barcelona,Real Madrid face Olympique Lyon,the team that knocked them out last year,so that would be an interesting clash too.Here are the 3 best fixtures I thought,came out Yesterday's draw:


3. Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich

with the "Special One" gone,and Diego Millito not emulating his last season's goalscoring heroics,Inter will find the goings hard in Europe's elite competition this year

It's the clash between last year's Finalists,but this doesn't look as exciting as last year.Both teams are struggling in the Domestic Leagues,especially Inter,who have really found it tough to cope with the loss of Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid.Struggling with so many injuries,Inter languish at the sixth place in Serie A ,and if their form doesn't improve soon,we could have a different man from Rafa Benitez in the Dugout by the time they face the German Giants.Although,Bayern themselves are not in the best of forms,the Bavarian Giants would be my pick in this tie.




2. AC Milan vs Tottenham Hotspur


This one promises to be a cracking tie,the Defensive Strength of Milan versus the free flowing Spurs.Although AC Milan would be a different opposition altogether from their neighbours Inter for Spurs,who were impressive against the Defending Champions in the Group Stages,the Londoners do have the talent to compete with the very best of Europe.One thing that could go against them is their inexperience at this stage,although they score goals for fun,keeping clean sheets is so vital in Champions League,especially in the latter stages,and Spurs look like they can concede anytime.Milan are in very good form domestically,on top of the Serie A,and with Ibrahimovic finding his goalscoring form,they would be my favourites in what promises to be a Roller-Coaster ride of a game,but then which game involving Spurs isn't??




1. Arsenal vs Barcelona

Will Fabregas and co. be able to match the Catalans,or will it be a repeat of last year's Messi mania??

This was the fate everyone wanted to avoid,and Arsenal have gone and found it again! Points dropped against Braga and Shakhtar look so costly now,as they find themselves in a tie,which ,at the moment,seems to have only one possible outcome.The Catalan Giants have re-discovered their devastating form,and since Destroying Real Madrid in the "Classico",they haven't bothered to look back.While their dazzling scoring records catch every one's eye,they have silently turned into a Rock-Solid Defensive Unit.6 straight clean sheets in all competitions in a row,and the number only looks set to increase as La Liga action continues.Arsenal haven't been that impressive,although they sit 2nd in the Premier League,they have already lost at home to the likes of West Brom and Newcastle,and unless Someone can produce a Miraculous performance for the Gunners (and of course,there is a condition that no one does it from the Spanish side,which looks unlikely,remember what Messi did last year to them,don't you?) ,This looks a tie heavily tilted towards the "La Blagurana"

Another FIFA Fiasco???

           So According to FIFA,World's current top 3 player come from a same Football team.Just look at their descriptions,one is the pass-master who can control the game the way he wants against any opposition,another has fired the World Cup winner,while the third is almost a "Divine" player,who is supposed to be Light years ahead of any competition.You'd tend to think,the team that has all 3 of these greats would tend to be ,not the world,but atleast the Current Continental Champions,wouldn't you?? Ooops,they aren't!!!
           Welcome to the World of FIFA Ballon'D Or,another pathetic attempt by FIFA to associate itself with the Best of the Club Level football.Wesley Sneijder,the man who took a team like Internazionale to Champions League Glory,and Netherlands to the World Cup Final,isn't even in top 3 players ,according to FIFA! Amazing how they work that out...
        I'm in no way suggesting,that Xavi and Iniesta are not great players,yes,they have been the best midfielders in the world for last few years.But this is the award 2010,and you don't need a genius to tell you that Sneijder's achievements this year far outweigh those of Xavi and Iniesta and even Messi! Yes,we all know Barca play beautiful football like no one else does and all that,but sometimes we just give too much respect to them! Well,if Messi can get to be the favourite just because of 34 goals he scored last season,even after managing to win just the Spanish League last season 9 (that too by only 2 points!),why can't Frank Lamaprd,with his amazing 27 goals from Midfield last season,which lead Chelsea to the League and Cup double be the contender too??? I should just point out that Lampard managed to score more goals than Xavi and Iniesta put together last season!!! And if your argument is England's World Cup debacle,then What great things Messi's Argentina did in World Cup either?? A useless referee,who refused to change his decision,even though the entire stadium,including himself,knew it was wrong,was the reason they went past Mexico,and later got ruthlessly hammered 0-4 by the Germans.If this isn't the blemish on Great Messi's season,then why should it be on Lampard's? (He in fact even managed to score a perfectly legitimate goal vs Germans too,which was not given,if you remember!)
         

Wesley Snijder had an amazing last year,including the triumph over Mighty Barcelona

      I am not trying just to put forward Lampard's case here,but just pointing out that the Xavis and Messis haven't been that great they are made out to be.Barcelona have won just the Spanish League last season.Compare this to Sneijder's haul of the Serie A,Italian Cup,and the Champions League(first time in almost 50 years for Inter),and he did it with Inter Milan,whom nobody had really fancied,let's not forget they slayed the Catalan Giants on their way,with all their Player of the Year contenders!and then he lead the Dutch to the World Cup finals,too,where he didn't have the Torreses and Villas and Puyols and Casillas backing him up,either! My point is that this is an Individual award,and no matter how great Barca are as a team,there are better performers like Diego Forlans and Wesley Sneijders who have taken their teams forward single-handedly.
               But,of course you can't expect much from FIFA these days.Remember the latest controversy,handing the 2022 World Cup to Qatar,a country who has never qualified for the tournament,is currently ranked 113rd in the World,and has temperatures in excess of 40' Celsius in Summer.Taking the Game forward,are we?? Same thing goes for the Club World Cup,another desperate attempt by FIFA to relate itself to Club level Football.For pure financial reasons,it's played in Japan or Middle-East,and it's almost guaranteed that the final would be between European and South American Champions.Who bothers much about it anyways?

            So,come January,we will again be singing the praises of the Great Messis and Iniestas,for being the best players in the world,it might be true too,but the scar on the trophy will always remain,for it didn't have the chance to be nominated for the Lone Warriors like Sneijder and Diego Forlan! 

"Month from Hell"??

Another agonising game to watch,playing just one-half of good Football, well,and then just giving up in the second,Chelsea fans aren't really used to this....But,really these troubled times make you understand what Arsenal and Liverpool fans have to suffer week in week out!!! From 5 points clear at the top,the Champions have plunged downwards in November,seeing Blackpool's home record,we can consider ourselves 4 points off the pace already,and the December fixture list doesn't make it any easier.Tottenham,Manutd,Arsenal all lined up alongside resurgent Bolton Wanderers,Chelsea couldn't have chosen worse times to have got the Lampards and Terrys and Benayouns injured,could they??

Watching the Everton game on Saturday,I couldn't really believe how light-weight Chelsea's midfield looked.Essien looked rusty from injury,Mikel was wasteful,and why Malouda is trying to play in the Centre-midfield more when he excels so well on the wings???

If there was one area,that Chelsea could boast of as being arguably the"World's Best",till last year,it would be their midfield.Lampard,Ballack,Essien,not to mention Makelele,these guys would get into any team in the World,and then we had Joe Coles and Decos and Mikels as cover-ups,couldn't get any better,could it? And suddenly this season,it's all collapsed!! Mikel looks a lost man,the creative force of Benayoun was lost to injury,and Ramires hasn't managed to settle in English Football yet.Chelsea are missing Lampard like hell!!! He gets them those 20-25 invaluable goals each season from Midfield,but its not just the goals,but his forward drive,his ability to get into shooting positions.Watching Mikel and Ramires on Saturday,I really missed Lamps there! Of course,Chelsea wouldn't have missed him so much last season,when Michael Ballack could fill that role efficiently,But this season,with Benayoun out inured,Chelsea have lost that authority in midfield.It was same vs Everton,same vs Sunderland,and same vs Birmingham.They just put the extra guys in midfield,and Mikel and Ramires were simply overwhelmed,Malouda tried to bridge the gap by getting more Central,and it took out Chelsea's sting on that left flank! At the moment,there looks to be no solution other than getting Lampard back as quickly as possible,and with the quality of the teams they're about to face,they have got to do it fast!!!

Manchester Utd are getting back to their normal Fiery "Christmas period form"(not taking into account that dreadful 0-4 to West Ham,of course!!!),Arsenal also look strong,and Spurs seem to be in great spirits following their adventures in European Football,but all the talk of Chelsea's title challenge falling apart still seems far-fetched.Your title challenges are not wiped out in November,guys,well,not unless you are Liverpool fans! But,for the rest of the normal World,it takes April or May for the title challenge to fade off.So let this "Month from Hell" be upon us,we won't give up Hope.

December,here WE come !!!