UCL '05-'06 - The Quest for Number 7

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

2005-6

Introduction

Last year's competition turned was the toughest UCL competition in history surpassing the collection that was in 2002-3. The competition was fantastic from start to finish. Great teams, great match-ups in the group stages, fantastic draws in the knock-outs and the greatest final in this competition's history which was also the 50th final by the way.

All in all, a competition to remember.

A new competition starts this season and this one is considerably more weaker than last season's competition thereby giving more room for unpredictability. It is for that reason as well that I think that two surprise teams will go right to the semi-final with two usual contenders.

One thing is evident though that Europe's big guns of the day namely Real, Milan, Chelsea, Juve, Barcelona, Inter have all strengthened themselves. Barcelona more so with their injured players returning.

Teams have addressed their weak spots and it makes it quite intriguing to see the cream of Europe fight it out for club competition's greatest prize.

I'll take a look like last season at the teams but due to shortage of time, the previews will be considerably shorter than last time.

Real Madrid CF

Preview

UCL/ECC wins : 9

The 'Team of the Century' had a pretty busy Summer in a bid to revitalize their hopes of European Glory after recent failures that have gotten worse each season. Real is aching for a trophy after these failures and they have spent a lot of money over the Summer and brought in new recruits while at the same time let go of some of their players.

The biggest signing has to be the Brasilian Robinho who seems to be well settled at the club already in quick time. Real also went out and purchased another forward in Julio Baptista and scuppered Arsenal's hopes for the big man as they were chasing him. Woodgate seems to be match fit finally and with a hotshot debut is ready to roll now. Real went out and also bought a faggot to add some serious muscle to the backline. The Brasilian Cicinho is on his way in January to replace Michel Salgado and there have been additions like Diogo and Pablo Garcia as well. Hence, Real has had a really busy Summer adding players in positions.

However I am a little intrigued as to why not much attention was paid to replace Zinedine Zidane. It is not the easiest replacement to make but Real to me has not looked like strengthening the middle of the park and that could really hurt them in this competition where everybody realizes nowadays that 'keeping hold of the ball is imperative'. Where's the commander in the midfield? Every CL winning side has one. Where is Real's commander? It has to be Zidane under the current circumstances but he is washed up since long and doesn't even have half a season in him now.


Offence




-> Ronaldo
-> Raul
-> Robinho
-> Baptista

There's nothing much to complain seeing that offence. Ronaldo is Ronaldo. He will get goals while Raul I feel will have a good season. Robinho is already settled and doing his bit but I feel that he needs to improve his sharpness in front of goal and he should have more goals than he has right now. Baptista is being juggled around between midfield and the forward line and he is not sure where his real place is. I feel that he is more dangerous playing off a striker and holding the ball up for him or setting him up. Midfield is not for him as he doesn't know how to win balls cleanly. That forward line has a pure striker (Ron), two different style forwards (Raul and Robinho) and a big striker. It has variety and is close to perfect if not perfect with the combination and styles present.


Midfield

1/2


-> Zidane
-> Gravesen
-> Garcia
-> Guti
-> Julio Baptista (mentioned here as well as he will be used here too)


That is a ridiculously poor midfield by any measure. Gravesen and Garcia to hold things together while all the creativity is supposed to come from the flanks. It can work in a 4-4-2 system as Utd. showed but they had Giggs and Becks on the flank with a very strong duo in Keane and Scholes in the middle. By strength I don't mean physical strength only but the strength to dominate teams and be a constant threat.

The only one from there who can provide creativity is Guti in the middle. Real's plays are all from the wing. If those wings are blocked they are in a trouble. Another trouble from the flank play is that you can come up against a team that is strong defensively in the air and then it is time to say goodnight because those type of defenders can head out cross after cross all night long and practice their heading skills. That's exactly what Liverpool did to Juve in the Delle Alpi when an average Hyypia (pretty good in the air) and Carra had an easy time heading cross after cross and Juve was impotent from the middle not having any ideas. In that type of situation there is no alternative apparent for Real to go through the middle because there is nobody there to penetrate from there.



Defence



-> Helguera
-> Salgado
-> Carlos
-> Woodgate
-> Ramos
-> Bravo
-> Pavon
-> Mejia

The defence seems apparently stronger on paper. There are still problems to weed out as it is still not playing like a unit that knows each other telepathically. Woodgate has played one game and he will not be able to play all the games this season meaning that Helguera will need to come and start if he is there for the whole season. Salgado will be replaced by the ultra attack minded Cicinho leaving a gap in that part as Beckham likes to move into the middle habitually.

There are problems to solve and even after these purchases it seems that Real's DMs have to have a very good day to block the attacks from the opposition or else Real's defence will be put under pressure and concede. The other side of that picture is that as the DMs need to guard that defence with extra caution, it makes Real toothless from the middle when it comes to offensive firepower. Luxemburgo has had to employ two pure DMs at times to guard that defence which shows the lack of confidence in that backline.

However there is potential to improve if the faggot stops getting red cards due to retaliation. The defence is a team within a team. I've always said that. Right now that mini team of defence has barely played a stretch of games together. There are changes in almost every game due to red cards or injuries.


Goalkeeper

-> Casillas

The Real number 1 is pretty good and does his job. He has a habit of taking naps on long range shots and it harms the team.



Starting Line-Up


4-4-2


---------------------Casillas--------------------------

--Salgado------Ramos-------Woodgate-------Carlos--

----Beckham----Garcia-------Gravesen------Raul------
-
-------------------Robinho-----------------------------
------------------------Ronaldo---------------------

This seems as the balanced line-up to accommodate Raul, Ronaldo and Robinho together. It's either this or play Robinho as a trequartista behind Raul and Ronaldo and putting out a 3 man midfield with Beckham.

Real purchased Robinho who is a forward to fill Zidane's deficiency but are not playing him in Zizou's position and Zizou is still there. That is quite a perplexed situation with the starters outnumbering the positions available! Same is the case with Helguera. If Ramos and Woodgate are fully fit, he will sit out of the defence and maybe play in a DM position, something that he hasn't done for almost half a decade.


Conclusion

Real's side at least looks like a football side on paper to an extent now. But there are problems with starters exceeding the spots available and the dilemma of playing the Galacticos when fit. It can win La Liga with the counter-attacking football but Europe is a different cup of tea. There are many more things to look at.

Real didn't have a good start to the UCL getting sorely beaten in Lyon but they beat Olimpiakos. That goes against them historically. The game should've been killed off in the first half but it wasn't and they struggled to get the job done using a sub to score from his second attempt. All is not good at Madrid. Paris was good to them in the past but they've also lost a final there. I don't see a team that has no penetration from the centre to win a UCL title. You need a central form of attack first and foremost to be able to win it. You can win the UCL without wingers but you can't win it without a central attack. There is no 'general' in Real.

AC Milan

Preview

UCL/ECC wins : 6

Last season's runners-up have got off to a pretty good start. The opening game against the Turkish team Fenerbahce was quite entertaining and the game last night vs. Schalke was breath-takingly awesome football match. It is an ultra new Yosemite Sam approach that Milan has this season. They're going out all guns blazing. The first game had its usual jitters but Milan has a new energy about them. The team is playing a risky game but so far the results are there. It is clear to see that the work rate and running of the team has improved by a good 35%. There is no slowing down, instead a more fast paced game using flanks, central midfield and a combination of aerial balls. It is a diversified approach to the attack. That had been one of the complaints in the past that Milan was lacking in ideas in the final third. It doesn't seem to be the case this season. There are always 2-3 different variations in the attack and I can say from my personal viewing experience that I don't even know which avenue of attack we will take in a build-up. In the past there used to be this thing that one could guess how we would be attacking while seeing the build-up. It isn't the case now. The Schalke performance was better than the Fenerbahce one IMHO. That is a good sign. I know that other teams might have lost last night as to how Schalke came at us --- hard and fast. Much more free rotation policy and pro-active coaching by Ancelotti is definitely helping matters. The defence does have question marks but it is getting better.


Offence

1/2


-> Shevchenko
-> Gilardino
-> Vieri
-> Inzaghi

Sheva as usual is in magnificent form and doing the business at the front. Gilardino has got his scoring boots on in the league but not in the UCL as yet. Last night was tough in any case. Vieri however has failed to even do anything really in the UCL as yet. Inzaghi has been out for a very long time however he might be coming back soon. It is better to not count on these two because they haven't done much as yet. Sheva and Gila are working well as a duo and discovering how to play as a duo without obstructing each other. Gilardino needs to do more running. I found him to be lazy last night in a very high paced game. In Europe one needs to be extra sharp and that was a learning experience for him.
It is worrying to know that after Sheva the only real outlet upfront for goals is Gila as the other two are not probable goalscorers as yet. Early days but it is better to not hope too much and look at the current state.


Midfield




-> Pirlo
-> Kaka
-> Seedorf
-> Gattuso
-> Ambrosini
-> Vogel
-> Jankulovski
-> Serginho
-> Rui Costa

It is a strong midfield that is strong in the middle as well as the flanks. It is also being utilized properly with all the players getting time on the pitch inside a month. Only Janku hasn't got minutes as yet but that is due to his injury. We're doing well without him and when he gets back, it will further improve. Ancelotti plans to try him on the right so that he can cut inside. We'll see what happens when he starts. Seedorf has really upped his game since he is aware that non-performances can result in sitting on the bench. Same is the case with Gattuso as he knows that he is not guaranteed to start at Milan with Ambrosini having a very strong opening to the season. Goals already from the midfield are also a good point and Milan's long range shooting is back with Seedorf, Kaka, Pirlo, Serginho all having a go at the keeper if half a shot is on. The shots have also tested the keeper instead of testing the 20th row.


Defence

1/2

-> Kaladze
-> Maldini
-> Stam
-> Cafu
-> Nesta
-> Simic
-> Costacurta

This is the concerning area of the Milan team with questions being asked of how good is the old defence now. After some initial problems via set pieces it seems to be doing well for now. Schalke got two streaky goals last night. Otherwise the defence did ok however the sharpness is a concern and it does get rattled. Stam has improved his displays for sure and he has looked decent when coming on except one accidental ball skid from him. :tongue: He needs some more hair to add friction to the heading instead of skidding. This weakness will need to be fixed by more concentration, hair transplants where applicable so Milan has to be more controlling in the midfield. It is more a lack of concentration rather than misunderstanding amongst our defence that causes this. They are found out of position as well frequently which does hurt the team. The key area is the positioning and the concentration of the central defenders whoever they may be. Milan has shifted back from the horrible zonal defence back to the man-marking defending and it shows. Zonal defending is difficult and requires very good anticipation and timing.


Goalkeeper

-> Dida

The Milan number 1 is pretty good and does his job. He has a habit of taking naps so it is better to nut him before kick-off so he remains awake throughout the game.



Starting Line-Up


4-1-2-1-2


-----------------------Dida--------------------------

---Cafu--------Nesta---------Maldini-------Kaladze---

-----------------------Pirlo--------------------------
---------Gattuso-------------------Seedorf----------
-----------------------Kaka-------------------------

----------------Gila-----------Sheva----------------

That is not the definitive starting line-up. The team changes virtually every game so that is a positive point. We are changing our shape during games and there is no assurance as to who will be in the starting line-up. There's good competition for places going on with Ambro / Gattuso, Seedorf / Serginho, Pirlo / Vogel, Kaka / Rui, Stam / Cafu etc. It is the good bit this season and Milan does look strong in the play due to that.


Conclusion

Already reached a record number of UCL finals. The road gets even tougher as history is not on our side this time around. There are other teams who are favourites and in better shape to make the final. The team is focusing on the campaign game by game. The aim is to reach Paris obviously but that is Juve's aim as well and Mourinho hasn't mentioned it publicly but he too wants to be there as does Rijkaard. Everybody wants to be there. Milan is still a strong team capable of going far in this competition yet again. There is an improved Kaka and Seedorf to bank on and the rotation allows us to fully utilize what we have which is a hell of a squad. It will come down to the hunger and the rage the team has inside. It is early days yet but I have a smile on my face seeing what we are doing. I'm not talking about the play. I'm talking about the body language and the facial expressions of our players during games when situations change. I do consider Chelsea, Juve and Barcelona ahead at this time. Let's take it game by game. Oh and one last thing .... if we are in Paris in May then you can thank one Ricardo Izecson Santos Leite.

FC Bayern München

Preview

UCL/ECC wins : 4

Bayern has not been having a good UCL tournament for a few seasons since they won it in 2001. They've moved into their fantastic new stadium, the Allianz Arena. The atmosphere inside that stadium also shared by 1860 Munich is awesome. Bayern's Olimpiastadion used to be a difficult venue to visit in any case but with this new compact arena holding 66,000 and also responsible for the opening game of the Coupe de Monde, it will be harder to beat Bayern. Juve will be the first team to feel the difference in the UCL as they played them last season. It will be different this time ... much different.

Now that the £320 million stadium is up and running, Bayern are hoping to get a serious push from their fervent support to help the team and it will help them. I expect a better performance from Bayern and this being a World Cup year will also make the Germans push harder. Hitzfeld thinks that they could make the final identifying Chelsea and Milan as his other favourites to complete the trio.

The side is competitive with a versatile midfield and fixing the defence would've helped Bayern for sure. They look like improving on their recent past performances.


Offence




-> Makaay
-> Pizarro
-> Santa Cruz
-> Guerrero

Makaay hasn't started firing and that is showing in Bayern's performances in the UCL. They need their top marksman to be in full flight to do well. The quartet is more or less the same. Pizarro had a good season last time and when fit should be in the pecking order to partner Makaay.

Midfield




-> Ballack
-> Schweinsteiger
-> Jeremies
-> Ze Roberto
-> Hargreaves
-> Deisler
-> Salihamidzic
-> Scholl

Pretty powerful midfield with both offensive and defensive strength. It does lack in creativity but then again the Germans have not used it that much. Scholl is there to provide the bite from the bench while Ballack remains the main man in midfield. In his absence they can suffer. Bastion Schweinsteiger is a good man to have in the right side of midfield but I don't seen Torsten Frings there which means he could've been sold in the Summer. Not that updated on the transfers of Bayern.

Defence

1/2

-> Lahm
-> Lucio
-> Ismael
-> Lizarazu
-> Demichelis
-> Sagnol

Well so far they have kept two clean sheets and won both their opening games. Saying that, the opposition has not been the strongest. Sagnol will be leaving Bayern so this is his last season. Right now the defence is balanced and after Kovac has left, Bayern have inducted Ismael who is supposed to be strong and good. I haven't seen him to judge him but Hitzfeld said that that was a good signing for Bayern. The test will come against Juve especially in Torino to see how they (defence) handle Zlatan, Del Piero, Trezeguet and Nedved etc.


Goalkeeper

-> Kahn

Still there. He really does want to start for Germany in the World Cup finals and wants to give himself a good chance of selection. He is doing well so far.


Starting Line-Up


4-1-3-2


-----------------------Kahn--------------------------

---Sagnol--------Lucio-------Ismael-------Lizarazu---

--------------------Demichelis------------------------

---Schweinsteiger-----Ballack----------Ze Roberto---

---------------Pizarro--------Makaay----------------

Personally I think that is an improved team from last season. Frings was a hard working two way midfielder but this Schweinsteiger chap is more dangerous offensively thereby adding more offensive punch. Deisler is also there for creativity as well as Scholl and Salihamidzic. They've got a fair few options there Bayern. If they can get their offensive strikers to fire then they are a handful and not an easy team keeping in mind their new stadium and World Cup year in Germany.

Conclusion

They will definitely want to put on a good show in their first season in the UCL in the new magnificent arena. It is superb! :thumbsup: That is the motivation that drives them. Bayern also retired their number 12 jersey to honour the fans a few years ago. Now it is the fans turn to back the team in the stadium that has no possible complaints left in that stadium with no track around it and beautiful all around. I am not sure whether Bayern can go the distance to win it as they have two main offensive players in Ballack and Makaay and this campaign is long. Their midfield is definitely one of the best ones going around so it has potential to take them far. They do have options in midfield, attack and even defence so they can make a match of it and cause heartache for a team or two. My limited viewing of Bayern is not helping me to make a call on them. The Juve games will really show what they are made up of. My initial hunch says that taking Frings out and bringing in Schweinsteiger has already improved their play. Gives them more width instead of too much stifled central play.

Arsenal FC

Preview

UCL/ECC wins : Are you kidding me?

And now onto God's Gift to the UEFA Champions League. Yes, it is the one, the only, the Arsenal FC. Now why the hell would I be making the same mistake twice? i.e. writing a preview for Arsenal in two successive seasons when everybody knows that Arsenal are present in this tournament to give a good laugh to everybody and nothing more! Wooooooooo!!! (Ric Flair style ... sorry VBI, I'm a Flair fan too )

Well that is actually not the case. I think these buggers from North London will for the FIRST TIME under :ass:en make a real effort to do well in this competition. The reason is that the Premiership is slipping out of their grasp and now after totally messing up in the Summer they have absolutely nothing to lose. Nobody cares about Arsenal as Chelsea is the strongest team in England and in Europe there are multiple other stronger sides in Europe. Arsenal doesn't even have a team on paper to give them a prayer against the European giants .... but .... and hear this clearly ... does that help them or does it really help them?

They will have a go at everybody as they are a bunch of youngsters going out for a game against the big guns of Europe with absolutely nothing to lose. This is not the Arsenal of past seasons with On-Ree, Patricia, Pires, Queerberg and Assley Cule. The players hyped up to take Arsenal to winning ways etc. Pires and the Swede have a backseat kind of now while Patricia went to the Old Lady leaving only the Tap-Up King Mr. Faithful and the probably Milan bound On-Ree. :scared:

The onus is on the youth and these youngsters are always a handful because they haven't developed a fear factor and don't completely digest the magnanimity of the situation on a big European night. Arsenal has two wins already out of two and even though the opposition was not that difficult but how many teams exactly go to the Amsterdam ArenA and come back with three points? It's not an easy thing to do.


Offence




-> On-Ree
-> Van Pervert
-> Jose Homesick Reyes
-> Quincy
-> Bergkamp
-> Lupoli

The weak point in that attacking line-up is .... no not him! I'm not that evil! It's Reyes. I don't know what he does sometimes. The second big weakness is of course ... yeah ... you guessed it right ... Mr. On-Ree.
He wasn't present in Amsterdam and the choking went down by a good 25.47% resulting in a famous Arsenal win. When he is out the team doesn't try to play around him. They don't rely on him to mess it up and thus a more footballing performance is there. Robin (what a girlie name) is a good striker as long as he plays football and not Mortal Kombat! Bergkamp will do well now that the horse injections are there to put him to sleep on away games.


Midfield




-> Fabregas
-> Flamini
-> Hleb
-> Ljungberg
-> Pires
-> Gilberto
-> Song

Fab, Flam, Hleb, Gilberto is a good line-up with experience from Freddie and Pires. It ain't that bad although the lack of experience is where it could come and hurt them. I think this tournament offers the opportunity for one of the Arsenal youngsters to make a serious name for himself.


Defence

1/2

-> Campbell
-> Cule
-> Own Goal King Ralph
-> Toure
-> Cygan
-> Senderos
-> Clichy

It's fair to say that they are a shambles in the absence of Campbell. Campbell is so essential for the backline and going by his last game in the EPL .... so important overall in the offence as well. :ass:en doesn't know much about defence coaching so it is imperative that Arsenal keep their defensive record high otherwise it will be the same old story for them. Campbell can make it happen for them.


Goalkeeper

-> Lehmann

Nice goalkeeper ... in wonderland.


Starting Line-Up


4-4-2


---------------------Lehmann--------------------------

---Lauren------Toure---------Campbell-------Assley---


---Freddie------Gilberto--------Fabregas------Hleb-----

----------------Van Persie-------On-Ree----------------


Young side with a mix of experience and youth. On-Ree doesn't belong in there. As soon as the knock-out stage arrives he should be on the bench. If :ass:en is good enough to see that even after selling Patricia they have won both their opening games and have higher points than Real, Milan, Chelsea then some of what I say must be right!

Conclusion

What a shocking start to their campaign. Upset after upset. Two wins in a row for Arsenal and this too at the start and not MD 5 and MD 6 when they are fighting for their lives. All this without Patricia and On-Ree. Something must be happening. The stars favour them perhaps. And all the transfer money utilized to please UEFA is surely the best strategy.

I think that this season's Arsenal side is more dangerous than previous seasons because there is no expectation, there are fewer big name players and there is more youth. As far as winning goes ... well one doesn't really expect Arsenal to win but then again nobody pretty much expected them to win the opening two games either.

Juventus FC

Preview

UCL/ECC wins : 2

La Vecchia Signora has the best coach in the world at the helm. I don't know how he does it but he did it again. He won 3 consecutive Scudetti with Milan in the early 90's, a record that is bettered by Torino, he went to Real Madrid for one year and won the Primera Liga title, he goes to Rome and brings them their first Scudetto in 18 years or so and then the next stop is Torino and wins the Scudetto by playing Manuele Blasi in midfield! 4 Scudetti with Milan, 3 consecutive European finals with Milan, 1 European Cup with Milan, 58 games undefeated streak with Milan that comprised of one full season going undefeated, 1 Liga title with Real, 1 Scudetto with Roma and now 1 Scudetto with the Old Lady of Turin. When does this man stop? He's won with every club. He's the first to win a Scudetto with three different Italian clubs. Won wherever he has gone, never conceded an 8 point lead in a league race and yet .... unbelievably there are critics of his in Milano, Madrid, Rome and even Torino. The man only knows how to win.

Moggi called him the world's best coach and it is hard to disagree with a resume like that. He is the one and only Don Fabio Capello. The one who hardly smiles, the one who hardly shows any expression during a match but the one who knows about how to win a game more than anybody in the stadium wherever his team is playing.

The frightening thing is that he said after acquiring Vieira that now I have a complete team! He seems to think that he has fixed up any creaks in his Bianconeri vessel. Vieira has definitely breathed a more fresher approach to Juve's games and they do look more threatening when coming forward. Last season Emerson was responsible for the forward thrust from the middle (something which he is poor at) while Blasi was responsible for simply breaking anything that he saw in any other colour apart from white + black.

Juve looks a mean side and it is hard to pick out a weakness in them apart from the fact that they can go back to their clueless selves if Vieira is absent and Nedved is tired later on in the season.

Offence




-> Zlatan
-> Del Piero
-> Trezeguet
-> Mutu

That quartet stands toe to toe with Real's quartet. You've a got a creator extraordinaire (Zlatan) there alongside a goal-scoring forward with creativity (Del Piero) and a pure striker in the shape of Trez and another striker in the shape of Mutu. There's variety present and any set of permutations can be called upon to utilize each striker's each individual strength. Since the Don is a master of reading the game and the opponent he can utilize his quartet efficiently.

Midfield




-> Vieira
-> Nedved
-> Emerson
-> Camoranesi
-> Blasi
-> Giannichedda
-> Olivera

The problem last season with Juve's midfield was that their only flow of creativity came from the wings while pure destroying / ball-winning was being done in the middle of the park. There was nobody in the centre to give that push forward and they suffered eventually. This season adding Vieira has given them a big improvement because in reality Emerson has taken Blasi's role and Vieira has taken Emerson's duties of last season. That's a double jump and therefore the quality is there.

Ball-winning is done in three ways:

1. Just hackling down the opponent Blasi / Poulsen style
2. Getting the ball from the opponent but in the process the ball is in a free zone as it is not won cleanly so either team could get hold of the free ball in the middle.
3. Winning it cleanly from the opponent and building the attack.

Juve has two of the number 3 variety in the middle of the park now and that is a threatening sign. They will suffer when either one of them is absent as the drop in quality is a lot. Nedved is being utilized and Capello knows of his importance. The midfield doesn't provide many options after the starting 4 because the starting 4 are so good. It will be a rare occurence if all 4 can't play so Juve will manage to get through without the absence of 1 but the absence of 2 will really hurt their cause as then the midfield becomes ordinary. However none of these guys are injury prone. They're all bulls fitness wise.

Defence

1/2

-> Cannavaro
-> Thuram
-> Zebina
-> Zambrotta
-> Birindelli
-> Chiellini
-> Pessotto

The achilles heel for Juve is the right back position that wasn't fixed in the Summer. An option is to field Zambrotta (very flexible position wise) at the RB slot and put Chiellini at LB but Capello is not sold on that idea that much as he feels the back-up can deal with it. He is not a very experimental type. He has a set plan in his head and he implements it.

Goalkeeper

-> Buffon

Not much to say about him. Juve's only worry should be about his fitness from that tricky shoulder injury. Goalies need to dive a lot so they should hope that he is fully fit when he returns. Abbiati is between ok and good. He can be terrible and he can be excellent. Don't really know which version comes out but generally the first corner of the game gives a good idea of what is to follow.


Starting Line-Up


4-4-2


-----------------------Buffon--------------------------

---Zebina--------Thuram------Canna-------Zambrotta---

---Camoranesi----Emerson------Vieira-------Nedved----

----------------Trezeguet-------Zlatan----------------

Ominous starting line-up knowing that Del Piero is fully charged up as he is fighting for the starting spot as well. Juve is not the one to entertain you. That's the wrong team to look at if you are looking for good play. If you want to see a well oiled machine then they are the ones to look at. It just depends on how the team is playing in the latter part of the season and whether it has ideas up front. Last season they managed it but on the biggest night played or rather did not bother to play on an embarrassing night for Juve. Juve's problem has been their relatively poor away performances in recent season but last season they already got that thing under control. It will be important for a UCL campaign to play very well away from home. A team needs to have that ability to win the away games rather than losing most and drawing some no matter how lucky or unlucky they are.



Conclusion

They have to be one of the strong favourites to win the title. They have a good history of reaching finals. The conversion rate in the final however has been really poor. The concerns would be how as to how fit the squad is in the latter part of the season and how is Nedved playing. He is not the same player he was nor will he ever be. Juve has a midfield to help out Nedved in that matter as they can all hold up the ball. Nedved gives them that extra boost but so far Vieira seems to have taken that mantle. I do think that the defence will go a notch down from last season although the signs haven't appeared as yet. Juve has not been playing good footie as yet, stuttering along the way but once again the results are all there. It would be quite interesting to see Juve match-up with Chelsea to see how The Don does against Mourinho and vice-versa. Juve will come close and maybe even go the distance this time. If they get to the final then they will have to overcome a ghost that haunts them so a very strong performance will be required to overcome that burden in the Final if it comes down to that even if they are playing a minnow.

Chelsea FC

Preview

UCL/ECC wins : :tongue:

The Blues are even stronger this season but it doesn't really show. The sign is there because the other teams have just started waving the white flag. They had trouble against Liverpool at Anfield in that expected 0-0 draw. Mourinho said in the pre-match conference that if his team went home with all three points then it would be a good result, if they went home with a draw it would be a "so so" result and if they went home with a loss then it would be disappointing. Well according to Mourinho it was a "so so" result and his team would've gotten a right bollocking for not being able to pull a fast one on the European Champions. So much so that Liverpool matched them. The return game would be interesting as if Chelsea lose that one in Stamford Bridge, it would be quite a shocker for their morale.

The basic known rule in the UCL is that you win all your home games and you don't lose away from home. However the champions do play well away from home and get a scalp or two on their travels in order to win the European Cup. I am not talking here in context of what Chelsea should or not should've done. You do have to question a team that cannot score a goal and is built on millions of dollars.

Chelsea is seemingly running away with the EPL title and a win over Pool at Anfield on Sunday would most probably kill off Pool's chances of a title altogether. Chelsea know that and also know that a win would put extra pressure on Arsenal and Utd. to do well and they don't seem to be in the middle of a good run. This title could be wrapped up by Christmas. The potential is there. That would help Chelsea a lot to start focusing all their attention to Europe. Terry and Lampard have both said that they want to go a step further this time and get to Paris.

The team is good no doubt and are the pre-tournament favourites. Chelsea only got eliminated by a goal last season so it just goes to show that they are not easy to topple at all.

Offence




-> Drogba
-> Gudjohnsen
-> Crespo
-> C. Cole

Notice that each of the top three are good in the air and apart from Eidur are not that strong with the ball at their feet. Don't confuse this. Crespo is more dominant in the air than with the ball at his feet. Drogba is dominant in the air and a heap of cow dung with the ball at his feet while Eidur is probably the most balanced of them all but he is not that strong in the air. None of them are outright super scorers. The only one from that lot who has the potential is Crespo but he is more a 15 goal man per season if played regularly. None of them are in the 20 goal bracket. I don't know if Drogba tried to drown himself in his bath tub but he should've given it a try as Lampard outscored him last season.


Midfield




-> Lampard
-> Duff
-> Robben
-> Cole
-> Makelele
-> Essien
-> Geremi
-> SWP

One heck of strong midfield with good athletes and options. It does lack in creativity and Chelsea get away with it because they are by far the strongest team in the world on set-pieces. Nobody even comes close within a mile to Chelsea in the set-piece deptt. If Chelsea's set-pieces were like the other big sides then they would be getting draw after draw as they can be found wanting to score from open play. So many times do they get out of a problematic situation from a set-piece. Reminds me of the great German sides of the past. So strong on set-pieces they used to be. A thing that I note in that midfield is that if you can manage to block out Lampard then Chelsea is pretty much in a hole. Robben and Duff are good in their way but the most dangerous man is Lampard and if he is controlled then Chelsea are in a fix.


Defence



-> Terry
-> Carvalho
-> Gallas
-> Ferreira
-> Bridge
-> Huth
-> Del Horno

That's an awesome defensive unit and Chelsea is racking up the clean sheets yet again. It is amazing yet basic that if you continue to rack up the clean sheets, no matter how average you are playing the team will be in a good position in either competition and that is exactly the case. Mourinho has managed to literally brainwash his English mentality players and they are not even bothered if they are playing boring football or if it is unattractive as long as they get the clean sheets and the wins. They are only worried about winning and that is it. At the end of the day it gives Chelsea the edge to celebrate and make their fans happy.

Chelsea does have Huth as well and he has a special talent according to Mourinho. In the post match conference last night he was describing the game and said that towards the end Liverpool started to send long balls continuously into their (Chelsea) area so "I sent out Robert [Huth] because he is good at these basketball games" :thumbsup:


Goalkeeper

-> Cech

There's no complaint.


Starting Line-Up


4-5-1

-----------------------Cech--------------------------

---Ferreira----Carvalho--------Terry-------Gallas------

--------------Essien----------Makelele----------------
---------------------Lampard------------------------
--------Robben---------------------------Duff--------
----------------------Crespo--------------------------


Chelsea can also field multiple formation and multiple line-ups due to their options an this is only one of the possible line-ups. They too can change shape and form during a match and they do that when the subs come on. Plus they have a player who is good at handling the "basketball scenario".


Conclusion

I did feel that last season as it was progressing Mourinho's ambition from Europe was tilting very strong to the EPL title. It was obvious that he wanted the EPL title more but the way he started to sound as he got to know the English culture and press expectations made him swerve his comments and targets. He wants a dynasty in the EPL rather than Europe to shut up his critics once and for all. A man like him won't sit quiet if his team doesn't do well in Europe as the knives will sharpen in such a case. At the moment he doesn't seem too much interested in the European Cup blaming a lot of it on luck to win it but I don't know what is going on behind closed doors because the players speak a different language. They are not in an easy group but for now qualification is all that matters. Mourinho was not his usual self on the sidelines as Benitez' team managed to frustrate him yet again and he couldn't find a solution to breaking them down. This doesnot take away the fact that if Chelsea found it hard to break down the European Champions then it is even harder to break Chelsea down and that can frustrate a lot of teams. One thing is that in the knock-out Chelsea conceded a bunch against Barcelona and Bayern and lost their shape when pressure was put on them.

They are the pre-tournament favourites and for good reason. The bookies either like them a lot or they don't like them at all. The pre-tournament favourites have not won the UCL so make your own decision.

Barcelona

Preview

UCL/ECC wins : 1

Barcelona is a quagmire so to speak. They won La Liga after a drought that was half a decade or so. They had their sights to make a real run of it in Europe but then Real went out and spent all that cash on strengthening their team. To make matters worse Barcelona had a slippery beginning to La Liga alongwith Real while the very balanced and strong Valencia side and revived Deportivo La Coruna side threaten to make a real competition of it this season. Technically Barcelona is in the strongest position to defend the Liga title but so was Milan last season at this early stage last year and things didn't work out as they should have.

So what does Barcelona do? Do they gun for defending their Liga crown they won and in order also put Real in a position of a possible trophyless season again or do they risk it a bit by going for the European Cup as well? Now is not the time to answer these questions as right now Barcelona's aim as well as the other sides is to simply try to get the top spot in the group and give it a rest till next year. So this question will be mroe clear for Rijkaard depending on which position his team is in La Liga in January and who they are facing in the UCL knock-out. The Barcelona - Real rivalry is such that now the blaugrana are in a position to make Real suffer like Real made them suffer for the last half decade.

Rijkaard has won the European Cup so he knows the essence of it. This is an incredible Barcelona team on paper like Cruyff's side. That side under-achieved in Europe so Laporta would want to set that record straight but it is not easy at all.

Offence



-> Eto'o
-> Larsson
-> Lopez

It's a pretty thin department for Barcelona. Not because there are only 3 of them. It doesn't matter because Barcelona plays with one at the top but because only one from these three is a real threat. Larsson and Lopez are decent but not special like Eto'o. Barcelona can really suffer if Samuel is out injured or suspended for a key clash as the goal scoring threat from him is gone with him because then the goals will be reliant on one of Messi, Ronnie or Deco primarily. Ronnie and Deco already score so basically that is a dip if Eto'o is missing and he can't play all the games through the season.

Midfield




-> Ronaldinho
-> Deco
-> Messi
-> Xavi
-> Giuly
-> Gabri
-> Iniesta
-> Motta
-> Edmilson

I've put Edmilson there as that should be his position, not CB. Barcelona has options and mobility as it is a 5 man midfield system they play. Recently they have been coming into life but if you ask me, I still don't see the fluidity and it is the set-pieces or penalties that are getting them out of trouble. The freshness that a team has is not visible in Barcelona. It can happen and that is why more mixing amongst the players is required to bring in new ideas otherwise it is the same old thing and it looks like you are playing that stupid EA FIFA game where everything is repeating again and again.

Rijkaard needs to have the guts to bench his stars if they are not performing to their level. It has to be done otherwise Barcelona risk a lot this season. There are a lot of options available. It is not as if there is a dearth of talent. There are choices and the players are good.


Defence



-> Puyol
-> Marquez
-> GvB
-> Belletti
-> Oleguer
-> Sylvinho

Edmilson has been used as a CB as well as he can can fill in there. Belletti and Oleguer are sharing that RB spot. Bringing in Edmilson tells me that Rijkaard is not totally sold on the Puyol - Marquez partnership. Oleguer seems to have shifted out on the right when he finished strongly last season in centre-back.

The defence is not that strongest area of the Barcelona team however they have Motta and Edmilson back which can surely strengthen the DM area which in turn would help the central defence. They are not into their rhythm as yet even though Udinese got thrashed and Betis was it who got humbled? The goals are coming back for sure.

Just makes you wonder what would happen if Puyol would be out. It would be a right mess at the back and Barcelona can be trounced like Chelsea did them on quick counter attacks. That is one aspect where Barcelona needs to improve. They ruined all the good work of getting to the knock-out and then even taking the lead in the tie in the first twenty minutes of sheer stupidity and arrogance combined that cost them the tie. If anything they could've taken a cue from Milan's similar shambles of a performance in La Coruna that had a lot to do with arrogance and stupidity.


Goalkeeper

-> Valdes

Hmmm ... not the best but he does have a tendency to make a mistake here and there.


Starting Line-Up


4-5-1 (4-1-2-2-1)

-----------------------Valdes-------------------------
---Belletti------Puyol--------Marquez------GvB--------
---------------------Edmilson-------------------------
------------Xavi-------------------Deco--------------
---------Messi-------------------------Ronnie--------
-----------------------Eto'o--------------------------


Lots of free roles in that midfield. Deco and Ronaldinho work well in sync. Messi seems to be something good but he hasn't shown that in the UCL as yet where he is allowed to play. Xavi and Deco have both had slow starts to the season. I don't recall Rijkaard playing the above side. It seems that Giuly, Iniesta and Messi are all fighting for one spot so that doesn't really change the shape of Barcelona unless other players are subbed. The play will be the same more or less and that is something Frankie has to look at as the purpose of making a substitution is to change the team, its shape and its style to counter the opposition. I don't see much flexibility there if you ask me as Giuly or Iniesta coming in for Messi will not change the system and will not change the mode of attack. Maybe from left foot to right foot and that's about it.


Conclusion

Barcelona has its flaws like any other side out there. They drew the worst side last season. They will always have trouble against those type of sides. This season Barcelona's boogie teams are Chelsea, Juve and Liverpool as all are rock solid and the ideal counter-Barcelona to put Barcelona off their game and eliminate them. A draw with either side would be a danger sign for Barcelona and extra caution will be required. If Barcelona doesn't adapt then history can repeat itself unless Barcelona has a very good day and the counter-Barcas have a bad day at the office. It will also show how much Barcelona have learnt as this team is new in Europe with a new coach so they are in a learning process and every day is a new day. Barcelona are another favourite to go the distance alongwith Chelsea and Juve. The ironic thing was that Barcelona lost out to Chelsea and conceded so many goals over two legs and Chelsea are not a free-scoring side. They just killed Barcelona on the counter-attack with ease. A counter-attack is the result of the midfield's ineptness. Hence Barcelona's greatest weapon can also be its greatest weakness. If they can use it properly they can do well but the big question I discussed will be there next year when the Liga takes shape and the UCL draw is made. They better hope to not draw Pool, Juve or Chelsea just yet.

Internazionale

Preview

UCL/ECC wins : 2

Inter looks like a football side after some time now. They look in good shape and are in a position to have an assault at the Scudetto and the UCL both but their coach Queercini (I'm sorry but no way is he MANcini) has already boldly proclaimed that he wants to win the Scudetto and his team can do it! The confidence must be running quite high at Appiano Gentile.

I will confess that I started giggling when the camera showed the San Siro all empty and then went to the director's box and Moratti and a few of the management people were all sitting their in their Inter jerseys apart from Moratti who had a scarf around him I think! :tongue: It was a nice picture to make me giggle. They all wore the jersey to send out a message perhaps.

Well, the belief in Inter is back and they really are serious for an assault. Milano has to be the strongest football city in the world right now without a shadow of a doubt. Both sides are European and Word Champions and have a star above their crest and after quite some time it really does look like Inter is seriously going to assault for the Scudetto and make life tough not only for champions Juve but city rivals Milan as well.

I just can't wait for the Milan derby. It will be a spectacle!

Offence

1/2

-> Adriano
-> Cruz
-> Martins
-> Recoba

Adriano has improved his game a lot IMO. He was lethal but now he is more of a team player as well and that makes it difficult to mark him because now he could pass the ball. In the past he wouldn't pass it. Martins is all pace but still a good team player and Cruz is an intelligent striker who is good at judging the scale of the game and making the intelligent pass / move. Recoba ... well he is .... pfffttt.


Midfield




-> Veron
-> Figo
-> Cambiasso
-> Stankovic
-> Solari
-> Zanetti
-> Kily 'Eternal Idiot' Gonzalez

Veron is a really settled player at Inter. His partnership with Cambiasso who just seems to get better and better (what a steal!) by the game is a plus point in why Inter is a strong team nowadays. It has helped to raise Deki's game and Figo was a valid addition to the Inter side. His delivery on the balls has gone since a few seasons and so have his goals but for Inter he is right because he is a big improvement over anything they had on the right side. The midfield is really good. I do have some doubts about Inter on a pressure night when nothing is going their way. However that doesn't take away that they are on top with Chelsea, Juve, Milan and Barcelona's midfield because they are clearly very dangerous in that area. This is a pattern I see this season. There have been improvements in the midfield of teams.


Defence

1/2

-> Materazzi
-> Zanetti
-> Samuel
-> Favalli
-> Ze Maria
-> Wome
-> Cordoba
-> Burdisso


The names can deceive you that Inter's defence is really good. But in the UCL you need really good pressure players who use their experience and cool to get out of a mess. Inter has Zanetti there but the vulnerability is also there. Inter has been an inconsistent team and it is difficult to read into how much they will improve defensively. Queercini is inept at organising his team to be solid at the back so there are doubts in my mind. The defence is good ... make no mistake about that but I don't think it will be a world class unit like Chelsea or Juve for example.


Goalkeeper

-> Cesar

Decent enough.


Starting Line-Up


4-4-2

-----------------------Cesar-------------------------

---Zanetti----Materazzi------Samuel------Favalli------

---Figo-------Cambiasso------Veron-----Stankovic----

----------------Martins-------Adriano-----------------

Solid and balanced team all around. It's a 4-4-2 and that means when push comes to shove the most pressure will be on Veron and Cambiasso to make the day. If they have an off-night on a pressure point night then it will be lights out. Materazzi is simply a thug and UEFA needs to keep an eye on him and Poulsen who are downright dirty players. I love to play hard, play fair and play to win but these two thugs don't play hard, play unfair and play to provoke. Good news for Inter is that Burdisso is back and maybe he can bring back his Boca form to form a lethal partnership with Inter. Ancelotti is excellent and man management keeping everybody happy and calm. I don't know how much good and Inter's coach do as he does have a clueless look when something odd happens.


Conclusion

They are one of the good sides in the tournament for sure. Inter does crave for a trophy and I feel that they personally believe that the Scudetto is the trophy to fight for as they have to deal with Juve and Milan directly and indirectly. In Europe, they have to deal with Chelsea, Barca, Pool, Real and the lot plus it is a risky game. Inter does have a team to challenge for Europe. The most important thing for them is the winning mentality and the toughness required because the UCL can put players under intensssssse pressure and you just CANNOT win it without going through a phase of INTENNNNNSE pressure when everything goes against you. You just can't. Queercini will faint on the sidelines so it will be upto Zanetti to steady the ship when that happens.

The Champions of Europe

Preview

UCL/ECC wins : 5

Last but definitely not the least is Liverpool. What a campaign for them last season. Starting with that thrilling finish against Olimpiacos with that Gerrard thunderbolt and playing with elimination. Then going to Torino to get a result when nobody put a bet on them. Then surprising everybody by defeating the West Londoners and then toppling Milan. They won it with the most difficult draw to the final and that is what usually happens. Milan won it with the most difficult route to the final starting from MD 1. Hence if you want your team to have a shot at winning the Cup with the Big Ears, start praying for a death wish draw in the knock-out. :tongue: I'm not kidding ... just do it.

Liverpool have a moral responsibility to do well as they are not entrants but the team that has the most prestigious club trophy out there. The problem for Liverpool is what every champion in the UCL has faced. No team has been able to successfully defend the title as yet. Milan came close in '95 by reaching the final and losing the final by a goal and then Ajax came close in '96 and losing the final on penalties. That's the closest any teams have come to defending their title. The QF is the death stage for Liverpool. They have to be very very careful at that stage as that is the stage where there are lots of banana skins to make you slip. History doesnot favour Liverpool and karma is not on their side this time around. It will be a tough thing to retain it however the good news is that there is a pretty good chance of getting to the knock-outs as all the champions have made that stage. From there on in starts a new tournament so anything goes.

Offence



-> Morientes
-> Pongolle
-> Cisse
-> Crouch
-> Mellor

That is a weak line-up for the European Champions. Morientes is not working as Liverpool don't have the wings to take advantage of his aerial ability. Makes one wonder, why did they purchase him when they didn't want to play to his strength? Crouch is just ok. Cisse should be starring in Guy Ritchie's sequel to "Revolver" if he ever makes it.Mellor was awesome. The poor lad got injured but he left an impression on me and that isn't easy. Pongolle should be given more time on the pitch. He would improve that offence for sure and well ... Owen would've for sure. Take out Crouch, Cisse and Morientes (if you don't want to play the crossing game) and then bring in Owen. The offence looks sharper even with 1 guy replacing 3.

Midfield

1/2


-> Gerrard
-> Alonso
-> Garcia
-> Sissoko
-> Hamann
-> Zenden
-> Kewell (what's he doing here after the MOM performance in the final?)

That midfield is very sound defensively but it can lack punch offensively. It needs more balance and strength offensively to add to it. That is why Liverpool suffer from the drought. They can do better from the midfield. The main reason would be the impotence up front but the midfield I believe should be doing more. There is too much limitation on the players. The instant more than 1 crosses the line there are calls for organisation and getting back to position. It is a strict regime which makes them sound so defensively as a team but struggling for the goals up front.


Defence



-> Carragher
-> Hyypia
-> Josemi
-> Traore
-> Riise
-> Warnock
-> Finnan

The defence works well as a unit. I think that Rafa is trying to fix Pool not conceding any goals as his objective and once that is there he will look at things offensively. Things are still good in Europe so there is not much to worry about as long as that defence keeps soaking up the pressure.


Goalkeeper

-> Reina

Made a good save off Robben's shot. Improvement over Dudek.


Starting Line-Up


4-1-3-2

----------------------Reina-------------------------

---Finnan------Carra--------Hyypia------Traore------

---------------------Hamann-------------------------

--------Garcia--------Gerrard--------Alonso----------

--------------Pongolle---------Crouch---------------


So far Rafa has changed his shape according to the team and the opponent but it is looking like he does plan to play a 2 striker system up front thereby limiting his midfield to mainly 4 men. Hamann will not be playing every game due to his fitness so Alonso and Sissoko could be a central partnership with Alonso taking over the anchor role and Sissoko being the B2B. Liverpool needs to play more of Pongolle and ship off the movie star pimp. They need a goalscorer up front. That thumb-sucking baby imitating Garcia always gets the goals for them while the strikers don't and a goalscorer would do them a world of good. Pongolle has that edge. It can be seen in his game. Crouch is like those talking trees in the Lord of the Rings. Mellor was good .... get him back asap.


Conclusion

I am sorry but it is doom and gloom. Not because your team is not amongst the best but purely because you are European Champions. I go by the history book a lot and it has not happened. A QF is quite probable and then it comes down to 3 games after that. If Liverpool have that special thing in them, they will make it but I wouldn't bet on a European Champions defending the title. It is far too difficult and only the really exceptionally great sides have managed to do that. You can count them on your hands.

Impressive...
Your work can only be admirable, Haroon!

Europe's big guns
Juve, Inter

Juve and Inter are not. as we can learn from this lesson.

I've finished to read it all, just now thank you, it was a quality reading. Where is Manchester Und in all of this?

I don't think your ratings are fair to milan. only 3 stars for the offence and defence. man that's hard.

Originally Posted by Il capitano

I don't think your ratings are fair to milan. only 3 stars for the offence and defence. man that's hard.

I don't think he is way off the mark there to be perfectly honest

i think the offense could be 4 while defence is fair, i think midfield should be less by 1 star