Gunning down Barcelona...

Few thought this would be the scene at the Emirates yesterday

             I believed it could not happen.And,most of the Footballing world seemed to agree with me.Not an impossible feat,of course.But,it took Inter Milan all the shrewdness of Jose Mourinho,combined with an In-form Wesley Sneijder and the Defensive Rocks of Lucio,Samuel and Javier Zanetti.Chelsea almost achieved it with one of the most disciplined defensive displays ever two years ago,before a dazzling Iniesta moment broke their hearts.Even this year,perhaps only a Real Madrid or a Manchester United could even dream of beating the Mighty Barcelona.But,Arsenal,surely not.The fragile team who doesn't have a single trophy to show for the last four years of so called "Best Attacking Football in England" beating the team,considered THE Best attacking team in the World,who have conquered everything in last few years? Didn't seem possible.In Cricket's equivalent,it's like Ishant Sharma getting the better of Dale Steyn.Perhaps, you can expect a Harbhajan or a Muralidharan to outperform Steyn,but an Ishant Sharma? Seems almost impossible, doesn't it? Like an amatuer beating a thorough Professional in his act.
           But yesterday, Arsene Wenger's men achieved a feat, considered to be impossible to anybody.They not only defeated Barcelona,they did it playing their Own game,the game Barcelona are considered to be the masters at.The Inters and Chelseas have managed to get the better of Barcelona in recent times,but they had to do it,defending out of their skins.If you tried to play the game the "Barcelona way" against the Catalans,death was guaranteed.Yet, Arsenal went on and did it.The master tacticians like Mourinho and Guus Hiddink,and even Sir Alex Ferguson would consider it foolish,but Wenger told his team to go and attack Barcelona.And for once,it paid off handsomely.

Jack Wilshere was superb for Arsenal,not only with his passing,but  doing the  defensive job superbly to block out Messi and Iniesta

             Barca's biggest Weak Link (and perhaps the Only one) is their fullbacks.Although Dani Alves and Maxwell are massive contributors in making Barcelona the most lethal striking force,they tend to forget their defensive duties sometimes.Theo Walcott just went and ran straight at Maxwell,terrorizing the Brazilian fullback,which not only made huge difference to Arsenal's attacking potency,but it reduced a member of the Human Web,through which Xavi and Iniesta weave their passing magic.Arsenal also seemed to have finally found a decent goalkeeper,as Wojciech Szczesny produced a confident display,and Laurent Koscielny stood tall when it mattered most versus an attacking lineup that boasted of the Best Player in the World,and also possibly the Deadliest Finisher on the Planet.
            Of course,they had their luck.Messi missed chances,which would be considered "Sitters" by his current Sky-high standards.They even played a High defensive line,which left Villa and Messi toying with the Offside trap.The move could have worked well,or it could have gone horribly wrong,putting Arsenal out of contention,even before the Second leg began.But,just for their willingless to stand up to Barca,Arsenal deserved the luck to make that gamble work.Of course,the tie is long way from being decided.Arsenal still have to go to Camp Nou,with a single goal lead.The World knows what mockery Barcelona can make of even the Top teams,when they are on song.Arsenal have to produce another such performance in the Spanish Capital,and even then, they still have to hope Barcelona have an Off-day.Not impossible of course,but it's going to be a hell lot tougher,if they thought the tie at the Emirates was the biggest challenge.

        So, in three weeks time,Camp Nou will be packed with Hundred Thousand Hostile men,clad in Scarlet and Blue,trying to intimidate the Opponents,even before the ball has been kicked.But,still I am damn sure,Arsene Wenger will send his team out to go and beat Barcelona,the Mighty Barcelona in their own backyard.Still,Walcott will run madly at the Barca fullbacks without caring for the counter-attacks,still Arshavin will make those dazzling runs,not bothering about what his defense will face,if he loses the ball,trying to skip past the defenders,instead of just keeping the possession and wasting time.Mind you,we don't know what the outcome will be.It could be anything from another Arsenal Capitulation (There have been so many in recent history!) to even an Unimaginable Barcelona collapse.But,Arsenal's unwavering trust in their Footballing Philosophy promises to make the game at Camp Nou a Footballing Masterpiece.And,for their sheer desire to do that,Arsene Wenger's team deserve a big salute from this small guy. 

Welcome Back, Roman!

Roman Abrahimovic is back in business

           Cost-cutting, Michel Platini, UEFA's Financial Restrictions....If anyone thought these words governed the happenings at Chelsea these days,then Roman Abrahimovic just showed who is in control at Stamford Bridge.Almost 75 million pounds spent on New Recruits,one of them a reigning Euro and World Cup Winner,while the other hailed as the Future of the Ultimate Footballing nation.Chelsea are back in Business.
           Not since the Massive investment in 2006,that saw the likes of Shevchenko,Michael Ballack, and Kalou land in London,have Chelsea made a big-name signing.The last 3 or 4 years have been relatively quiet,with just the likes of Zhirkov and Ramires and Sturridge coming in,all good players no doubt,but not the superstars who win you the Titles.There were talks of Self-sufficiency at the Club,but with the Champions faltering badly this season,Roman has been forced to open his chequebook again.

            The signings of Torres and David Luiz are highly significant in many ways.First and foremost,it shows that the Owner is firmly backing Carlo Ancelotti,by trusting him with the big signings.It's particularly important at a Club like Chelsea,for whom Stability could be working wonders.Also,it gives them a fresh impetus,in a campaign which threatened to deteriorate even further.Suddenly,there is a spring in their steps now.The arrival of Torres immediately puts pressure on Chelsea's big-name, yet misfiring strikers.It was all so evident against Sunderland.Nicolas Anelka,who looked no more than just an ordinary guy so far this season,was suddenly cutting inside three or four defenders effortlessly.That's what competition can do to you.Chelsea now have much-needed cover in the defense too,which now means all of us will be spared of watching Paulo Ferreira haplessly struggling in the Central defensive role,when Terry or Alex gets injured.
              Although one team feeling the brunt of Chelsea's sudden spree is Manchester City.They have tried to establish themselves among the Elite by throwing obscene amounts of money at half-decent players.But,even then,they remain unable to attract the very Best talent.People like Adebayor,and Edin Dzeko will come,but there will be no Kakas or Rooneys or Torreses.City would have been hoping to become the sole destination for big-money signings,but with Chelsea getting back to their Spending ways,it's a massive blow to the Blue-half of Manchester.

Fernando Torres after signing for Chelsea

               Lots of things are being said about Torres' massive transfer.Some say 50 millions is too much,then let me ask you differently.Is Torres worth 30 millions less than Ronaldo? No.Is he worth 6 millions less than Ibrahimovic? No. Is he worth 15 millions more than Caroll? Certainly.And then let's not forget Torres is already one of the most feared strikers in the World,has already netted in the Euro Final,and aged 26,arguably has his best years ahead of him.As far as Torres is concerned,for all the flak he's facing from Liverpool,his decision only seems logical.He may have loved Liverpool very much,but the fact is Liverpool are not up there with the Rest of the big Clubs.Biggest reason for Torres leaving Atletico,his boyhood club,was his desire to play in Champions League,to test himself against the Best in the world.We all know Liverpool aren't going to play Champions League next year,and maybe even in the year after that.And if the timing of the move is to be questioned,it was Torres' best chance really.Had he waited till the summer,Manchester City would come in with another massive bid,and Liverpool would rather sell to them,in the hope of earning a few more millions,than Chelsea.As a World Cup winning player,you would hardly want to go to City,when the Big teams are interested (Unless,you are stupid enough to be Carlos Tevez, of course!).
             Well,there have been too many discussions about Chelsea's massive spendings (which seem to overshadow the 35 millions Liverpool paid for a striker who is yet to play a Full-season in EPL,and was outscored by 4 players in the Second Division last year.Cunning piece of business,anyone? ) One thing is Crystal clear,Roman Abrahimovic has made Chelsea an even better destination than ever before.With that massive transfer of Torres,it's going to be much more easy for Chelsea to convince the big names to come to Stamford Bridge. Neymar, Kaka,Pato, Marek Hamsik,take your pick.
            Anyone thought Chelsea were a Club on the way down, not good enough for Steven Pienaar to choose over Tottenham?? You can forget all that now.The Russian Oligarch's actions in this January Transfer window promise a huge impact on the European Football for the seasons to come.

Welcome Back, Roman!