lookupsport

So Manchester United and Chelsea fans, will be scrambling for visas, passports thermals and rubles in a bid to watch the first ever all English Champions League final - in Moscow…

At least if nothing else it will give the Chelski fans the chance to see the home of their benefactor, and the Russians to see the face of Capitialism up close and personal - English football fan style!

I was looking forward to both semi-finals but thought they might not live up to the hype.  Indeed, it can be argued that the quality was not really there in either match, but you would struggle to beat them for sheer excitement and drama - even for a neutral such as myself.

Manchester United missing Rooney and Vidic and with Ronaldo played below par really (with the exception of Tevez who was outstanding in my opinion).  However, they never really looked in trouble although with the away goals rule hanging in the air, they were playing on a knife edge right up until the final whistle.

This is the first time I have watched Messi properly by the way. How good is he?  Like Ronaldo only less flambouyant, stronger (i.e. doesn’t dive all over the place) and therefore more effective. The two of them in the same team would be incredible to watch.
It was probably quite fitting too that Paul Scholes  hit the winner, and it should be such a great strike, worthy of winning a game such as this.

I missed the first half of the Chelsea match, but this was probably hyped even more than the Man U v Barca match thanks to the pre-match jousting of Benitez.  I’m not quite sure what his intentions were unless it was to try and sway the referee, but all it did was fire up Drogba, who was already heading for orbit.  His  celebration after the first goal said it all really. “In your face Rafa” was the statement I believe!

Even more fitting than the Scholes goal was the Lampard penalty - if he had missed God only knows what would have happened.  But he didn’t and the rest as they say is history.

Liverpool must have though it was there year again after Essien’s goal had been ruled out just 2 mins earlier (correctly in my opinion - despite what you say Andy Gray).  It all added to the drama of the occasion though.

The only slight fly in the ointment was the incessant talk about taking off Torres and the reasons for it.  He was having a poor game (despite the goal) and Babel scored when he came on but that was never mentioned.  Had Babel’s goal proved decisive I wonder if the decision would have been vaunted as brilliant - I doubt it.  What was funny was the dismissive way Benitez justified the decision - “It was a “hamstring” - end of story.

What is less clear is the future of both Benitez and Grant.  Much as I hate to agree with Glen Hoddle, I think he is right and that even if Chelsea win the Final, Avram Grant will get sacked in the summer.  Abramovich has missed their two biggest games of the season - suggesting he has tired of the club or as Hoddle suggests the style of football.  He might have to make a decision though - does he want silverware or free flowing football in the style of Barcelona and Arsenal.  Both these teams are great to watch, but both notably have finished the season with nothing to show for it.

The worse case for Chelsea is that the Russian Billionaire has tired of the club itself and is about to discard it much the same way as a child might discard a toy.  If that’s the case and he doesn’t put any more money in, and cannot find a suitable buyer, they will be in serious trouble with the overhead they have.  Only time will tell.

I have a feeling that Benitez has had enough of the constant talk about his own job.  I expected a post match interview full of controversy and remarks about the penalty claim they had, which could have changed the last 10 mins considerably.  What we got was a very short “the players thought it was but the referee did not give it.  We have to forget it and move on”.  Is that the statement of a man who has had enough of the club and feels he is going to leave over the summer?

I wouldn’t be surprised if he does go after the way he has been treated and with the clear disagreement there is between co-owners.  Having said that, I would have expected Liverpool to do much better this year in the Premier League, and Benitez may have made a rod for his own back by focussing on the Champions League.

One final point on the treatment of managers.  What on earth is going on at Manchester City????