Ronaldinho?Shevchenko?Henry?Riquelme?
It is almost the end of the season and it comes down to Barcelona, AC Milan, Arsenal or Villarreal. Barcelona and AC Milan were firm favourites to lift the trophy from the start. However, with Arsenal in devastating form, they are looking better each game. Villarreal, they have been the fairytale story of the tournament so far. A town with only a population of 47,000 and one hotel, are so close to having a team in the final.
Theirry Henry, arguably the best striker on the planet right now. A legend in the making who has won everything except for the coveted Champions League. Could this finally be his year? Having drawn a favourable opposition in Villarreal compared to the powerhouses of Barcelona and AC Milan, the footballing Gods might finally be smiling on Henry and company. Henry, a man with lightning speed, superb finishing and a natural leader, has been a subject of transfer speculation all season but he has done well to put it aside by leading his young team this far in the competition. His Arsenal teammates are also peaking at the right time of the season. The defence of Arsenal has been performing solidly despite their relative inexperience, with Lehmann and Toure in command. In midfield, the strings are being pulled by Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb with the width being provided by Reyes, Ljunberg/Pires and Eboue and Henry acting as the lone striker.
AC Milan, a team who are consistently in the latter stages of the Champions League. A team that has both individually brilliant players and experience campaigners. Despite that, the Milan team seem to struggle whenever teams start to attack them continuously. Who could forget the night Milan surrended their 3-0 lead to Liverpool. Milan did not learn their lesson in the semis where they succumbed to PSV's avalanche of long balls in the box directing at Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, needing a late goal by Tomasson to spare their blushes. Going further back, in 2003-2004, after having led 4-1 from the first leg against Deportivo, they blew that lead by losing the second leg 4-0. This time it was Lyon who was asking questions of the shaky Milan defence. Milan managed to sneak through via late goals from Inzaghi and Shevchenko. However, can their defense withstand the attacking excellence of Barcelona? There are serious doubts but with the likes of Shevchenko and Kaka, there will always be a force to reckon with.
It still remains a mystery why a team with such a rich history and having some of the best players throughout football history like Cryuff, Romario, Ronaldo, Stoichkov, Figo has only ever won the Champions League once. Could they finally be able to repeat their sole success in 1991-1992? It certainly looks that way. Base on current form, it's either them or Arsenal. What a match it would be, as both team plays excellent flowing football. However, they first have to deal with AC Milan. As expected most of Barcelona's plays revolves around the genius mind of Ronaldinho and the darting runs and finishing of Eto'o. Having said that, Barcelona are far from a two man team, with Deco and Van Bommel orchestrating the midfield and the brilliant Messi on the wing giving the opposition defence alot to worry. Their only possible weak point is when the two full backs, Van Bronckhorst and Belleti go up to support the attack, leaving the defence susceptible to counter attacks.
Surprise package of the campaign! Who would have thought we would see them here, in the semis. Without a doubt it has been the brilliance of the ex-Barcelona man, Riquelme, that has carried the team this far. Having got to the knockout phase at the expense of English giants, Manchester United, they were fortunate to draw the weakest team in the knockout phase, Rangers. Many would have thought their journey in the campaign would have come to an end when they faced Inter and losing the first leg further decrease their chances. However, they preserved and got through on away goals. Alot of hype was placed on Riquelme's shoulders when he was playing in Argentina. When he was transferred to Barcelona, the pressure was increased ten folds. Not only was he labelled "the next best thing", he was also expected to replace a Barcelona legend in Rivaldo. Perhaps the pressure from the fans and media got to him. After a season, he was loaned out and subsequently transferred permanently to Villarreal. This enabled him to just concentrate on his football, away from the media and the pressure. Forlan's career was also rejuvenated by Villarreal. Having been a laughing stock in England, he came to Spain with much to prove. He did so in style by winning the European Golden Boot that very season. Will Villarreal be able to get past an Arsenal team who is currently destroying every team in its way? It seems unlikely but perhaps this fairytale still has a few twists for football fans.
Theirry Henry, arguably the best striker on the planet right now. A legend in the making who has won everything except for the coveted Champions League. Could this finally be his year? Having drawn a favourable opposition in Villarreal compared to the powerhouses of Barcelona and AC Milan, the footballing Gods might finally be smiling on Henry and company. Henry, a man with lightning speed, superb finishing and a natural leader, has been a subject of transfer speculation all season but he has done well to put it aside by leading his young team this far in the competition. His Arsenal teammates are also peaking at the right time of the season. The defence of Arsenal has been performing solidly despite their relative inexperience, with Lehmann and Toure in command. In midfield, the strings are being pulled by Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb with the width being provided by Reyes, Ljunberg/Pires and Eboue and Henry acting as the lone striker.AC Milan, a team who are consistently in the latter stages of the Champions League. A team that has both individually brilliant players and experience campaigners. Despite that, the Milan team seem to struggle whenever teams start to attack them continuously. Who could forget the night Milan surrended their 3-0 lead to Liverpool. Milan did not learn their lesson in the semis where they succumbed to PSV's avalanche of long balls in the box directing at Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, needing a late goal by Tomasson to spare their blushes. Going further back, in 2003-2004, after having led 4-1 from the first leg against Deportivo, they blew that lead by losing the second leg 4-0. This time it was Lyon who was asking questions of the shaky Milan defence. Milan managed to sneak through via late goals from Inzaghi and Shevchenko. However, can their defense withstand the attacking excellence of Barcelona? There are serious doubts but with the likes of Shevchenko and Kaka, there will always be a force to reckon with.It still remains a mystery why a team with such a rich history and having some of the best players throughout football history like Cryuff, Romario, Ronaldo, Stoichkov, Figo has only ever won the Champions League once. Could they finally be able to repeat their sole success in 1991-1992? It certainly looks that way. Base on current form, it's either them or Arsenal. What a match it would be, as both team plays excellent flowing football. However, they first have to deal with AC Milan. As expected most of Barcelona's plays revolves around the genius mind of Ronaldinho and the darting runs and finishing of Eto'o. Having said that, Barcelona are far from a two man team, with Deco and Van Bommel orchestrating the midfield and the brilliant Messi on the wing giving the opposition defence alot to worry. Their only possible weak point is when the two full backs, Van Bronckhorst and Belleti go up to support the attack, leaving the defence susceptible to counter attacks.Surprise package of the campaign! Who would have thought we would see them here, in the semis. Without a doubt it has been the brilliance of the ex-Barcelona man, Riquelme, that has carried the team this far. Having got to the knockout phase at the expense of English giants, Manchester United, they were fortunate to draw the weakest team in the knockout phase, Rangers. Many would have thought their journey in the campaign would have come to an end when they faced Inter and losing the first leg further decrease their chances. However, they preserved and got through on away goals. Alot of hype was placed on Riquelme's shoulders when he was playing in Argentina. When he was transferred to Barcelona, the pressure was increased ten folds. Not only was he labelled "the next best thing", he was also expected to replace a Barcelona legend in Rivaldo. Perhaps the pressure from the fans and media got to him. After a season, he was loaned out and subsequently transferred permanently to Villarreal. This enabled him to just concentrate on his football, away from the media and the pressure. Forlan's career was also rejuvenated by Villarreal. Having been a laughing stock in England, he came to Spain with much to prove. He did so in style by winning the European Golden Boot that very season. Will Villarreal be able to get past an Arsenal team who is currently destroying every team in its way? It seems unlikely but perhaps this fairytale still has a few twists for football fans.
Lawrence scored @ 5:52 PM
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