Finding the Perfect Balance

After watching the first legs of the Champions League semifinals, I have concluded that this year's semifinalists represent a very broad tactical spectrum. What I mean by this is that the teams range in style from very stiff upper-lip, no-nonsense, defensive minded football on the one hand, to a very free-flowing, more attacking game on the other.

On the ultra-conservative side, we have Chelsea, whose display yesterday was more Mourinho-esque than any game I ever saw them play during the Special One's reign at Stamford Bridge. As both a football purist and a promoter of the EPL as the best league in the world, I was almost embarrased to watch them at times. For those of you who were fortunate enough to miss the game, here is a quick recap: Chelsea sat back for 90 minutes often with 10 men behind the ball, watching Barca's magicians strike the ball around the pitch with such ease that they seemed at times to be going through a training drill. On the rare occasion when Chelsea did end up with possession, they immediately launched it up to Didier Drogba, who was much too isolated to pose any sort of threat. Chelsea's play was in stark contrast to their smooth, attacking football on display under Luis Filipe Scolari earlier in the season. The aesthetically tempting creativity of Deco and Joe Cole has been replaced by Gus Hiddink's utterly boring and defensive-minded philosophy. It is possible that Hiddink's tactics may actually work out in the end and we will all hail him as a tactical genius, but on the evidence of yesterday's display, Chelsea will never get out of their own half, much less defeat a far superior Barcelona team during the return leg at Stamford Bridge.

On the opposite end of my tactical spectrum is Arsenal. Guilty of even overplaying at times, the Gunners have produced some stunning football this year. The midterm arrival of Andrei Arshavin has more than compensated for the loss of the equally stylish Cesc Fabregas to injury earlier in the season. Even as a Man Utd supporter, I  lament the fact that Arshavin is cup-tied and therefore cannot play for Arsenal in the CL; he is truly a pleasure to watch. For all their attractive play, Arsenal have many problems of their own. They have a complete lack of discipline at the back, and they really lack a Michael Essien or Jon Obi Mikel type machine to safeguard their often shaky back four. On top of this, many people have commented on their lack of experience. Their average age is very, very young and they are captained by a 21-year-old whose big game experience is very limited. On the whole, Arsenal have been lovely to watch but are largely ineffective.

So what then is the perfect balance? I believe both Manchester United and Barcelona represent the perfect balance in football, and I expect both teams to advance to the finals in Rome because of it. Let's start with Barcelona. Their attacking flair is unquestionable, as they have netted an astounding 94 times in the Spanish Primera, and boast the world's best player in Lionel Messi. What differentiates Barca from say, Arsenal is that they maintain a solid, experienced back four to compliment their attacking style. This lethal combination of attacking style and defensive stability make Barcelona perhaps the best team in the world. Current World Champions Manchester United play with similar balance. More so this season than in past seasons, their balance has been rooted in an absolutely rock solid defense, epitomized by super-Serb Nemanja Vidic. United's attack has clearly fallen off from the poetic interplay of last season, but they still have a dizzying array of offensive weapons. Cristiano Ronaldo has been dissapointing after the heights he reached last year, but the supporting cast of Ryan Giggs, Dimitar Berbatov, and especially Michael Carrick have helped carry the load. If anything I would say United's attack is more evenly spread this season, and with an often impenetrable defense to match, I would say Man U, much like Barcelona, represent the perfect balance in footballing style.

For me, Arsenal and Chelsea are both far too incomplete to be crowned European Champions. I really do hope that both United and Barca progress to the final in May—for the good of the game.

Hanging by a thread...

Although most expected Manchester United to stroll for the rest of the season, it seems as though nerves and fatigue have made their recent games nail biters for United fans. Manchester United's resilience and seemingly ever present belief that they can score appear to be the only two aspects of their play fueling them at the moment. Those and perhaps the increase in output from Ronaldo in recent weeks.

One almost has to feel bad for Liverpool. Week in and week out Liverpool have been knocking out solid results and playing extremely well even without their skipper Stevie G to propel them, but have failed to gain a single point's worth of ground on the leaders. If I had to guess, I would say that Manchester United will solidify this luck into convincing performances and confident, and a dejected Liverpool who keep having their hopes of catching United squandered by late goals will begin to falter down the road.

Able to contain the incredible Hulk...

I don't think many will contest that Manchester United's excellent defensive performance today can be accounted for by the return of Rio Ferdinand. Not only was he able to keep the likes of Hulk, Lisandro Lopez, and Cristian Rodriguez quiet, but he was also able to orchestrate the team to defend as a unit. Recently United have been giving up cheap goals and had failed to keep a clean sheet in five games because of the wobbly back-line. Yet with the return of the foundation of the defense Manchester was suddenly able to keep a clean sheet in the Estadio del Dragao, a burial ground for English sides. All in all the performance greatly resembled that of the semi-final last year vs. Barcelona, where a tentative yet purposeful and focused United side scored early and simply set up shop. Following this win, I think we can all expect a few more clean sheets from United as they regain their solidity. 

On a separate yet related note, Berbatov again was unconvincing, and further fueled speculation over why United shelled out so much to get him. Much like Robbie Keane, I think he is finding it difficult to fit into a team where he is not the go-to man. 

They could win with their eyes closed, and intend too...

I believe that Arsenal's match vs. Villareal will not be a quarter as thrilling as the Chelsea vs. Liverpool game today seeing as Arsenal are in spectacular form and are at home having already scored an away goal. Because of this, Arsenal have decided to play the match with their eyes closed to make things more interesting, a tactic they are clearly practicing in the picture to the side. To spice up the match even more, they will change their running styles to match that of Clay Aiken. 

On the other hand, Manchester United have certainly dug themselves a deep hole. No English side has won away to Porto, and this current Manchester United side can hardly win away at Sunderland. But that said, would any of us be surprised if Macheda popped up to score another dramatic winner? 

Regarding today's matches, Bayern vs. Barcelona was as predictably drab as anyone could have predicted. Chelsea vs. Liverpool was a different story. What a thrilling, captivating game. It is my firm belief that games like the one today between these two English giants is why the Premiership is the best league in the world. The game had everything besides good goal keeping. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I suggest if there is a replay on tv that you watch it in its entirety. 

The weekend ahead, the tumultuous edition...

Admittedly, my fantasy form of late has been about lukewarm, so you might want to take what I say with a singular grain of salt. But if you're looking to knock out a solid 75 points, this advice might be just the thing to get you that tally.


Chelsea vs. Bolton: Chelsea are on a high after getting one and a half feet into the semi-finals of the CL on Wednesday on account of a remarkable display at Anfield. You might be tempted to pick up Ivanovic after his two goal display, but I personally I think he is a bit pricy for a centerback who will likely play out of position. There is news that Carvalho is back, so stay clear of Alex. Matty Taylor has been fabulous these past few weeks, but this is not the week to pick him up (though he does have an uncanny tendency of scoring against big clubs, see last year's final game of the season, and just about every game he has played vs. Arsenal). The players that I suggest getting are a revitalized Drogba and an under the radar Florent Malouda.

Liverpool vs. Blackburn: Liverpool were dealt a massive psycoligical blow on Wednesday after their CL defeat to Chelsea and the consequential loss of their 14 month unbeaten streak at Anfield. If anything is to be learned from Manchester United's reaction to having their clean sheet record stopped in its tracks, we can infer that Liverpool will not be at their best this coming weekend. Especially not with the news that Stevie G is unlikely to start. So my suggestion, just avoid this game. Pick up Torres if you don't believe me.

Middlesbrough vs. Hull: This one is an interesting one only because both teams are playing horrendously at the moment. Hull is good away, but Middlesbrough are great at home. So my verdict? 1-1, Tuncay having some hand in their goal.

Portsmouth vs. West Brom: West Brom have officially become the Derby County of last season, meaning you always want to have players playing against them. The players that I like on Portsmouth, and whom I expect to do well, are Crouch, Nungent, and Hreidarsson. I'm not sure if the suspended Glen Johnson will be replaced by Jermaine Pennant or Nadir Belhadj, so it's best to stay clear of that decision.

Wigan vs. Arsenal: Although you may just be dying to jump onto the Arsenal bandwagon, my suggestion is to keep a level head going into this week. First, rarely do teams go to the JJB and leave with much more than a 2-0 win. Secondly, without most of thier starting defense (Almunia, Clichy, and Gallas), Arsenal may not perform quite as well as you expect them too. So my suggestion is get a hold of Fabregas or Adebayor if you have cash to burn, but otherwise just stick to Arshavin and the players that will be coming in to fill the holes: Fabianksi and Djourou. I'm not sure if Silvestre or Gibbs will start at left back. I expect Arsenal to keep a clean sheet even without their regulars because I just don't have faith in Mido to score.

Tottenham vs. West Ham: Robbie Keane has been in spectacular form lately, and I suppose so has Aaron Lennon too to a certain extent, so they are my picks for this tie. Stay clear of Palacios who is out with a suspension.

Sunderland vs. Manchester United: I can't say I'm positive that Sunderland will keep a clean sheet against Manchester United, but I think that Gary Neville is a must have. I am tempted to sell Ronaldo because although he scored two goals against Villa, he could have just as easily not seeing as he was practically invisible despite those two shots. You might want to pick up Vidic who is coming back from suspension, he won't come cheaply though.

Stoke vs. Newcaslte: I expect Beattie and Fuller to continue their good form. For Newcaslte, I have absolutely no idea who might pop up and save their club, so best to just avoid them seeing as the Britannia is not an easy place to score at.

Manchester City vs. Fulham: City will be tired from their midweek game vs. Hamburg, as well as demoralized from that loss. Fulham are rubish away so don't buy anyone on their team. A player that I can invision doing well for City despite his fatigue is the work-o-holic Steven Ireland. SWP would be a decent pick as well.

Aston Villa vs. Everton: I have no idea what will happen here between the two sides that are tauted as the only ones who can break into the top 4. My suggestion: avoid this game.

Right at home when away...

After the two CL quarter final games today I can conclusively declare that the sides that were away have distinct advantages going into their return legs at home. We only have to look back as far as last round when Porto obtained a credible 2-2 draw against Atletico Madrid in Madrid and used their away goals advantage to slide into the next round. Arsenal will also be feeling good about their 1-1 result against Villareal, especially when you consider the side was missing the likes of Robin Van Persie.

Whereas Arsenal are likely to go on and compound their lead when at home, Porto might crumble under the raised expectations, allowing the defending champions to march into the next round. Though I must admit I did not expect Porto to give Man Utd such stiff competition.

The future is blindingly bright...

Often it is said that Manchester United could divide their team into three separate teams and all three of those teams would stay aloft in the premiership. Today that audacious statement was confirmed when the 17 year-old Federico Macheda, who has never been within a mile of the first team, scored a stunning goal on his premiership debut against Aston Villa to guide a Manchester United team depleted of most of its stars to victory. Although Manchester United looked disjointed at times, which was to be expected of a team missing so many regulars, it is reassuring to see that the drive and determination that the club touts is programed into each and everyone of the players no matter the wage they earn. Youngsters like Welbeck and of course Macheda that came on manifested this fact with their eagerness to make an impact on the match. Consequently it is hard to imagine Manchester United not continuing winning premiership titles and cup competitions for many years to come because as demonstrated today they are quite fabulous at cultivating young talent.