World Cup Roundup – Groups G and H

Qatar is engaging in the hypocrisy of inviting the world to their country then getting mad when the world brings its culture along. FIFA don’t care because they’ve already been paid.

In my blog post yesterday I called for more high drama, and while today wasn’t as dramatic as yesterday, our drama reservoirs are nowhere near empty.

Group G

Winners – Brazil

Runners Up – Switzerland

Eliminated – Cameroon, Serbia

Brazil came into their match against Cameroon knowing they were already through to the next round, which is perhaps a partial explanation of their 1-0 loss to Cameroon today. While they bossed possession and chances for the most part, they really struggled in the final third. The absence of all-world forward Neymar was noticeable. I do think Brazil boast plenty of attacking talent and they should have won this match without him, but their inability to breakdown a usually below-average Cameroonian defense is a concern for them in the next match if Neymar is unavailable again.

Even though the west African side is going out today, they can hang their hats on a very solid performance today against one of the favorites to win the tournament. Striker Vincent Aboubakar was on hand in stoppage time to head home the winner, after which he was promptly sent off due to removing his shirt in celebration and receiving a second yellow. Some people called this a boneheaded move by Aboubakar as he knew he was on a yellow already and removing the shirt after a goal is an automatic yellow card by rule. But given the late stage of things and the result in the other match, I suppose his actions are understandable. He likely knew Cameroon were going out, so he figured he’d exit with a bit of panache. Can’t say as I blame him. If you’re going to go out, go out with style!

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Serbia vs. Switzerland was the thriller in this group, with five total goals scored and a 3-2 final result in favor of the Swiss. The Swiss knew they could potentially get away with a tie to secure progression, while Serbia needed a win and help from Cameroon. There was also an element of rivalry about this match, as two Swiss players (midfielders Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka) are ethnically Albanian, and there is a long and very messy history of sectarian conflict between Serbs and Albanians that still exists to this day. The animosity shown towards Xhaka in particular was apparent. To be clear, I am not taking sides on this particular conflict, I just find the idea of an ethnic/cultural rivalry spilling over into football fascinating.

The first half of this match was madness! Shaqiri struck first for the Swiss on 20 minutes, but in-form Serbia forward Aleksandr Mitrovic got an equalizer just six minutes later. The Serbs then took a vital lead on 35 minutes thanks to striker Dusan Vlahovic. The pendulum swung back the other way though just before halftime, when Swiss striker Breel Embolo leveled the score once again. After 45 minutes the match was finely poised, and given that neither side was defending all that well, we appeared to be in store for more goals.

There was only one more goal scored though, though it came off the back of a very well-worked team goal from the Swiss. Midfielder Remo Freuler finished off the neat move by wrong-footing Serb keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic for 3-2. I thought the Serbs would respond immediately to going behind, and while they did throw men forward to try and find an equalizer, the Swiss stabilized themselves at the back a bit and held on for the rest of the half. Serbia tried their damnedest to find a winner, with Mitrovic having most of the chances, but they could not find another goal.

The Swiss have progressed out of their group at four of the last five World Cups, and they have the talent to cause problems for any opposition they face. I wonder if their defending is consistently good enough for a deep run, though (here would be the place to make a Swiss cheese joke). Serbia can take pride in fighting until the end, but ultimately there will be disappointment as they probably had enough talent to get out of this group as well. But their defending was even worse than the Swiss defending today, so they will be going home.

Group H

Winners – Portugal

Runners Up – South Korea

Eliminated – Uruguay, Ghana

This group was the more dramatic one of the day, and it’s difficult to know where to start. The big upset was South Korea stunning Portugal 2-1. Portugal were already through going into this match, but they showed no signs of complacency early on as they had the lead from winger Ricardo Horta just 5 minutes into the match. It was a simple cutback cross from right back Diogo Dalot that opened up the Korean back line, and Horta was in the right place at the right time to fire home. Portugal looked good to go on and win the match, but were pegged back on 27 minutes after center back Kim Young-gwon swept home from close range. The ball was played in from a corner and took a deflection off a Portuguese defender before it fell to Kim, who was less than 5 yards from the goal.

But a draw wouldn’t be good enough for the Koreans. They needed a win today, although they found themselves penned-in their own half for much of the rest of the game. Portugal went close to a second goal several times, with striker Cristiano Ronaldo missing some clear opportunities to score. The Koreans got their next chances on 65 and 67 minutes, but were denied a goal thanks to saves from keeper Diogo Costa. They kept Portugal at arm’s-length over the next 20 minutes or so, and finally got their winner in stoppage time.

South Korea’s superstar forward Son Heung-min had been rather quiet by his high standards over the course of the group stage, but he wrote his name all over the headlines today by providing the game winning assist. The ball broke to him and he carried it up the pitch in space, eventually meeting three Portuguese defenders on the edge of the penalty area. He did well to hold on to the ball and control it while waiting for support, and once it arrived he played a neat pass to forward Hwang Hee-chan. Hwang took a touch to create space and then powered a shot home with his second touch. Great work from Son down the right, and a clutch finish from Hwang to see them through. South Korea’s supporters and players were beside themselves!

Son had to drag this team to victory today, and I feel he is going to have to do that again as the tournament progresses. As goes Son, as goes South Korea. He is their national hero right now though, and if he even gets just half a yard of space in the right area, he will punish the opposition. Portugal for their part will be disappointed to have conceded a late winner, although it must be said they could have finished it off several times today had they not been so wasteful in front of goal. The world saw today what Manchester United fans have seen all season; Ronaldo is simply not what he once was. Fortunately though the Portuguese have a strong squad around him, so I still think they will go far in this tournament.

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With the South Korean’s win they secured second place, but that spot was very much up for grabs until their stoppage time winner.

Ghana thought they might take the lead in the opening 20 minutes of their match against Uruguay after being awarded a penalty, but keeper Sergio Rochet saved forward Andre Ayew’s rather tame effort to keep the match scoreless. Uruguay then finally got some goal-scoring thanks to attacking midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta, who netted twice in the span of six minutes in the first half. Striker Luis Suarez was heavily involved in the build-up to both goals, registering an assist on the second one.

But Uruguay knew they needed to score as many as possible, because if South Korea beat Portugal, both sides would be level on points. The two sides were all level on goal difference, but South Korea found the tiebreaker on goals scored with their late goal. The Uruguayans for their part kept attacking and attacking, but they could not find a third goal no matter what they tried. Ghana were creating the occasional half-chance here and there, but they never really looked like seriously threatening Rochet’s goal aside from the penalty. Their final ball was either lacking or their shots were going wide/high.

The Uruguayans were furious late on when they felt they should have a penalty after an alleged foul on striker Darwin Nunez in the box, but it wasn’t given to them. That led to some ugly scenes at full time, with the Uruguayan players surrounding the referee and appearing as if they were going to assault him. The referee did well to stand up to them, but it was a fairly classless display by a team that had no one but themselves to blame today. Had they played better earlier in the tournament, the penalty decision wouldn’t have mattered either way.

Ghana had one thing on their minds coming into this match: revenge. At the 2010 World Cup during the Round of 16, Suarez made himself public enemy number one in that country when he flagrantly used his hand to clear a Ghanaian goal-bound shot away. He was sent off for that, but the Ghanaians missed their penalty and Uruguay advanced. Although they did not beat Uruguay today, they did just enough to keep them from advancing and thus exacted some degree of revenge. To be fair, Suarez is a generally despicable person. I think he’s a racist, a cheat, a shithouser of the worst variety, and he generally has one of the most punch-able faces I have ever seen. He looks like a rat, to put it simply. It’s no wonder he’s viewed in Ghana by many as an incarnation of the Devil himself. But his tears on the bench after Uruguay went out will sustain me for several days, as this was probably his last World Cup. It’s always nice to see a villain get what’s coming to him.

And with that, the group stage is over! Congrats to everyone who progressed, commiserations to all who did not (except Suarez). The Round of 16 kicks off tomorrow, and there are no more draws at this point. We have to have a winner in all of these upcoming matches, which means the prospect of a penalty shootout is very much on the table. Who will advance to the quarterfinals, and who will be going home? We will soon find out!

Brazil vs. South Korea – Monday, December 5th – 7 AM PST

Portugal vs. Switzerland – Tuesday, December 6th – 11 AM PST

World Cup Roundup – Goals Galore!

FIFA is still terrible. Qatar is still terrible. This tournament should not be happening in a place with social laws that would be antiquated even 100 years ago. The pitch invader at the Portugal match today carrying a rainbow flag and championing women’s rights has more integrity in his pinky toe than every member of FIFA combined.

That being said, we finally got some high-scoring matches today, and it’s about bloody time! There have been far too many 0-0 draws at this tournament, but today we had 14 goals scored across 4 matches!

Portugal vs. Uruguay

This was the big headline matchup of the day, and while the score line was a decisive 2-0 to the Portuguese, it was a very tense match throughout. It was goal-less at halftime with Portugal dominating possession, but Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur came closest when his long run with the ball was snuffed out by Portuguese keeper Diogo Costa just before Betancur could shoot. The Uruguayans were also defending well, and they kept the opposition out for the first 45 minutes.

Portugal went ahead however on 54 minutes when a high-arcing cross from midfielder Bruno Fernandes nestled into the bottom corner of keeper Sergio Rochet’s net. Striker Cristiano Ronaldo was running onto the cross and leapt into the air to try and get a touch on it, and while he clearly missed the ball it fooled Rochet enough as to where he didn’t run out to collect the cross. Without Ronaldo’s run and leap I think Rochet makes the save, but Ronaldo did not get a touch on the ball in spite of animatedly claiming that he did. Bruno’s goal, but it doesn’t go in without Ronaldo leaping for it.

The Uruguayans responded by bringing on additional attacking threats, and striker Maxi Gomez was unlucky to hit the post from just outside as the box as the South Americans pushed for an equalizer. Costa was beaten, and maybe an inch to the left sees this match levelled. But the majority of Uruguay’s attacking threats were nullified repeatedly throughout this match. Much like the Portuguese in the first half, they simply couldn’t create that one clear chance they needed. Every shot was blocked, and every final pass was cleared by the resilient Pepe at center back and the rest of Portugal’s back line.

They got their second via the penalty spot, although for me it was never a penalty for hand ball in a million years. The Uruguayan defender was sliding across the ground to make a challenge on Bruno, and when Bruno passed it away it the defender’s hand while his hand was on the ground and trailing slightly behind him. 100% accidental for me, but that’s not the rule anymore. The referee adjudged the defender’s hand to be in an “unnatural position” (whatever that means) and the penalty stood. Bruno stepped up to the spot and sent Rochet the wrong way for 2-0. Bruno now has 2 goals and 2 assists in this tournament and is really showing how valuable he is to this team.

Credit to Portugal for defending well today, but I am disappointed with the Uruguayans, particularly up front. This is a squad that boasts the likes of Darwin Nunez, Luis Suarez, and Edinson Cavani. All of those strikers are world-class or world-class adjacent, and as a result I expected a lot more from them in terms of goal-scoring not only today but in their previous match as well. They sit bottom of Group H on 1 point, and will need to beat an impressive Ghana side outright to progress.

Congrats to Portugal on securing advancement to the Round of 16. They’ve done just enough in both matches to earn 3 points, with Bruno being the star of the show so far. A draw against South Korea in the final guarantees first place in the group.

Brazil vs. Switzerland

This was the only match with a single goal scored today, and it was by the Brazilians who held on to win 1-0. While they were the better side for most of this match, the Swiss definitely had their chances to get a surprise goal. Their build-up play via counter-attacks was very good, but they couldn’t find the key vital pass.

The Brazilians thought they went ahead early on in the second half via winger Vinicius Jr., who’s finessed shot found the far right corner past keeper Yann Sommer. VAR checked the goal and it was determined that Vinicius was marginally – and a very thin one at that – offside when the ball was played to him. It was close, but that’s often how these matches go at this level.

Brazil finally did their goal on 83 minutes, and it was from an unlikely source. Some neat build-up play on the left wing saw the ball played to midfielder Casemiro in the penalty area, and he struck a sublime curling effort into the far corner of Sommer’s goal. The finish was similar to that of Vinicius earlier, but this time there was no question of offside. A great goal from a man described by teammate and superstar striker Neymar as “the best midfielder in the world.” A lofty title, but given that he has an argument to be titled as such, I am very happy that Casemiro plays for Manchester United!

Brazil also secured progression to the second round today, joining France and Portugal. They need only a draw against Cameroon to win the group. Switzerland are also in good position to progress, but they will need to beat Serbia in their final Group G match to guarantee a place in the Round of 16.

Cameroon vs. Serbia

Goal-fest! This thriller of a match ended 3-3, with the Cameroonians fighting back from 3-1 down in the second half to keep themselves alive at this tournament. Had they lost, they would have been eliminated. They showed real heart and team spirit today.

Cameroon took the lead on 29 minutes after a cross from a corner was bundled home by center back Jean-Charles Castelletto. Nothing fancy about it, but a goal nonetheless. Cameroon were pegged back in first half stoppage time however when a Serbian free kick was re-directed home via the head of center back Strahinja Pavlovic. Cameroon where then stunned again just 2 minutes later when they lost the ball in their own third, and midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic finding space to power a low shot home from just outside the edge of the penalty area. Cameroon went from winning the match to facing a World Cup exit in the span of about 120 seconds!

To compound their misery, Serbia got their 3rd on 53 minutes from striker Aleksandr Mitrovic, who had been in scintillating form the whole game. He is probably Serbia’s best player in terms of talent, and a player like him needs to be on the score sheet. It was a simple finish from just inside the 6 yard box, and the Cameroon defense was nowhere to be seen. Poor marking, but a professional finish from Mitrovic nonetheless.

The match continued to provide twists though, as just 10 minutes later the Cameroonians got one back from substitute striker Vincent Aboubakar, who beat the offside trap before chipping a finish over Serbian keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic. Initially, the goal was ruled out for offside, but a VAR check determined that Aboubakar was onside when he received the ball. Fine margins, but the goal stood.

Cameroon smelled blood in the water and kept pushing for the equalizer, and it was a scant three minutes later that they got it. Aboubakar did well to again beat the offside trap which gave the Cameroonians a man over in attack, and he then simply crossed the ball in from the right along the ground. Forward Eric Choupa-Moting was up alongside him to slot home with Vanja completely taken out of the play. It was a fantastic turnaround for the Indomitable Lions from west Africa!

Serbia were the more dangerous team in the final 25 minutes, with Mitrovic going close several times. His positioning and runs into the box were causing them all kinds of problems, but he could not find a winning goal for his side. The points were shared on the day when the final whistle blew.

Both teams are still alive in this tournament, but they are on the outside looking in. Cameroon face the tough task of having to beat Brazil to progress, while Serbia need a win over Switzerland to guarantee any kind of progression. The Swiss only need a draw though, so it could be tough for Serbia to break them down. Mitrovic will need to have another day like today for them to go through.

South Korea vs. Ghana

This was another thriller with five total goals scored, and the Ghanaians won 3-2 at the final whistle.

The Koreans were the better side for the opening 20 minutes or so, but Black Stars center back Mohammad Salisu got things underway on 29 minutes when he bungled home after a mad scramble in the box resulting from a free kick. The Koreans simply didn’t clear their lines, and letting the ball bounce around in the box like they did is very dangerous. The second goal on 34 minutes was much better in terms of quality, with forward Jordan Ayew whipping a delicious aerial pass into the box that found the head of midfielder Mohammad Kudus. Kudus was facing away from goal when he made contact, but showed excellent awareness to head the ball up and over Korean keeper Kim Seung-gyu. Midfielder Thomas Partey was then unlucky to not get a third after he made contact with the ball at close range from a corner, but somehow the ball inexplicably went over the bar from barely a yard out!

The Koreans came out strong again in the opening part of the second half, and this time they capitalized on their possession and chances. Striker Cho Gue-sung pulled one back for his nation with a close range header on 58 minutes, although Ghana keeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi probably should have kept it out as the shot was low and very close to him. Still though, at 2-1, the Koreans had life. They got their equalizer just three minutes later, and again it was Cho on scene to drive home a powerful diving header. Crosses from the left had been Ghana’s weakness all match, and that trend continued with this goal. The marking in the box was fairly good from Ghana, but Cho just wanted the ball more. He outjumped his marker and absolutely buried the header. It was 2-2 and with barely an hour gone, both sides knew there was plenty of time to find a winner.

Ghana struck back just seven minutes later, and it was well-worked goal finished off by Kudus. A low cross from the left was fired into South Korea’s penalty area, and the ball was deftly left to run by a Ghanaian attacker directly into the path of Kudus. His marker was too far away from him, and he re-directed the ball back across Kim Seung-Gyu’s goal and into the opposite corner. The shot was somewhat close to the keeper, but he couldn’t get down to the ground in time to stop it.

South Korea then dominated the final 20 minutes or so in desperate search of an equalizer, but a combination of last-ditch defending, poor finishing, and poor final balls kept the Koreans frustrated. After what seemed like an eternity of stoppage time for Ghana, the whistle blew and they were winners.

Ghana now find themselves second in Group H, which means they are in a good position to progress to the next round. Portugal have already claimed the other spot, which means that South Korea must now beat those same Portuguese to progress from this group. They are third with 1 point, tied with Uruguay but ahead on goal differential. Ghana need a win over a desperate Uruguay side to guarantee progression, but they could also progress with a draw and a South Korean loss.

The second round of group matches is now complete! Congratulations to Portugal, France, and Brazil for already securing qualification. Commiserations to Qatar and Canada for already being eliminated.

Champions League Draw + Match Postponement

The draw for the Round of 16 in this year’s Champions League tournament took place on Monday, in which Manchester United were drawn against Spanish side Atletico Madrid. I’ll go into the matchup more in a second, but a quick summary would be that Atletico are a very good side defensively and they have the superstars in attack to beat anyone. They routinely beat teams with bigger budgets and they have a manager in Diego Simeone who has won La Liga multiple times.

The headline from the draw though was that it actually had to be done twice by UEFA after it was discovered that there was an error in the computer software that put the teams into the various pots needed for the draw. Originally Liverpool were given Atletico, but they can’t play them in the Round of 16 given that they played in the same group during qualification. So the entirety of the draw was done again, and this time United were given the difficult prospect of dealing with the scrappy Madrid-based club.

Many people (myself included) from all over Europe have suspected for many years that the draw for the Round of 16 is somehow rigged or otherwise unfair, and this “error” with the computer software only adds fuel to the fires of conspiracy theory. United fans were particularly aggrieved to draw Atletico, when we were theoretically supposed to be given an easier draw due to winning our group. Chelsea however did not win their group but were drawn against French side Lille, one of the weaker teams left in the tournament. Manchester City did indeed win their group, but still were given another weaker side in Sporting Lisbon. I am happy that United avoided Paris St. Germain for once, but Atletico presents fierce opposition. It just seems that United are routinely getting screwed by the draw, while our domestic rivals get easier competition regardless of where they finish in their groups.

Whatever is going on with UEFA, it smells fishy. This is an organization that doesn’t have a clean history of promoting fair play either, so the calls for the draw process to be re-evaluated are only going to get louder. United do have a solid chance to beat Atletico of course, and they do have the advantage of having the 2nd leg of the tie played at Old Trafford. But, it will be difficult to stop or slow down the likes of Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann, and Joao Felix. All three of those players are world-class on their day, but as mentioned Atletico are a club that pride themselves on rock-solid defending. Simeone has turned their stadium into a fortress, and despite some stuttering form in La Liga they are still 4th in the table. This is an intriguing and tricky fixture that will give United manager Ralf Rangnick plenty to think about.

United will play Atletico at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on Wednesday February 23, 2022 with the return fixture in Manchester on March 15, 2022.

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In more immediate news, United’s match away to Brentford FC that was supposed to be played today has been postponed due to an outbreak of COVID-19 among the United players and training staff. It is unclear who has the virus, how many cases there are, or even how severe each case is. The match has not been re-scheduled as of the writing of this post, but it will be eventually. This is one of those times when the real world crosses over with football, and it must be addressed even though this is primarily a football blog.

First, nothing but well-wishes and a speedy recovery to those afflicted and I hope no one suffers any long term effects. Second, I am sick of this virus and the whole bloody pandemic. Sick of it. It’s affected everything in our lives, not just the cancellation of football matches. And of course, I am not against the postponement or even cancellation of a match if it cannot be played safely. Football is a game after all, and matters of life and death should never be prioritized below a game that we play and watch for fun. However, I am sick of the fact that the pandemic appears to be unending. If you can get vaccinated, do it. Wear a mask. Stay socially distant from other people. We all need to do everything we can do to end this pandemic, but too many people are thinking of themselves first. The “me first” attitude is rampant in America, but its clearly a problem worldwide as well.

Further, the late announcements postponing these matches are causing financial strain on the fans. People book train tickets and hotels for long trips (such as the one from Manchester to Brentford in west London) and oftentimes these tickets and reservations are non-refundable. Fans need to be given as much notice as possible for when a match is going to be postponed so they have the best chance at getting their hard-earned money returned to them. If football really is nothing without the fans, the Premier League needs to ensure that fans are taken care of. The fact that there does not seem to be a hard rule about what circumstances require a postponement is part of the problem.

United are scheduled to take on Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford next Saturday, but it remains unclear if the match will go ahead as planned.

Wrap Up of Champions League Quarterfinals and United-Sevilla Preview

With the semifinal of Paris St. Germain vs. Red Bull Leipzig already locked in, it was time to determine the other two teams in the semifinal match. The winners of Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich and Manchester City vs. Olympique Lyonnais would advance to play each other.

Barcelona 2 – 8 Bayern Munich

That is not a typo in the scoreline there. It seems like it should be, but no – Bayern scored 8 (eight) goals against Barca and thoroughly demolished them in every way. It would almost take a separate blog post to list out all the goal action, but Thomas Müller (x2), Ivan Perisic, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich, Robert Lewandowski, and Phillipe Coutinho (x2) were all scorers for the dominant German side. Barca got an early own goal via Bayern center back David Alaba and a 2nd from Donkey Face Luis Suarez just after half time, but Barca never got within 2 goals of Bayern after that. 

There are many reasons for such a lopsided victory, which was a record in many different ways. For one, Bayern are an absolutely ruthless and well-oiled football machine, and they do nothing but churn out goals. Every single player in the side from the goalkeeper to the forwards is excellent on the ball, and they can all pass with precision and power. Add in the fact that they seem to be able to communicate with each other telepathically at times, and you have the recipe for an incredibly dangerous team. Alaba’s blemish and a few wasted chances early on by Barca aside, Bayern were almost perfect today. All credit to their German manager Hansi Flick because I think Bayern are the best club team in the world right now and it will be difficult for any team left in this tournament to beat them. If they weren’t the favorites before, they certainly are now.

Fun fact: I learned today that Bayern have a guy from Canada playing for them! I haven’t seen a Canadian playing in Europe in ages, let alone for a major club side like Bayern. Shout out to left back Alphonso Davies for representing North America well today with a scintillating run and assist on Kimmich’s goal.

I think the other reason for the major defeat today is that Barca are a powerhouse in decline. They have been a dominant side in both Spain and Europe for the past 10-12 years thanks to the efforts of legendary players like Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Neymar, Suarez, Xavi, Carlos Puyol, and Andres Iniesta to name a few. However, the superstars they have left are all now on the wrong side of 30 and the club has not invested properly in replacements. They have relied on the greatness of Messi to bail them out for a very long time, and because he is the greatest player of all time that strategy has worked in the past. But he’s 33 now, and today he couldn’t bail them out. Bayern didn’t let him anywhere near the ball for long periods of the game and Barca’s attack was stifled significantly.

It would be easy to lay the blame for Barca’s worst loss since 1951 today solely on the players and manager Quique Setien, but truth be told the problems Barca have go much deeper than just the players and manager. I think the massive defensive errors, poor player selection, and poor tactics on display today are all symptoms of an overarching disease. As stated briefly above, the players brought in by the Barca board of directors and president Josep Bartomeu have not panned out in the way they were expected to. Further, they have let key players go that probably should have stayed, such as Coutinho. His departure stings especially because technically Coutinho is only on loan to Bayern and scored twice against his parent club today.  They are paying him to score against them! The club’s famed La Masia youth academy is not turning out quality players on a consistent basis, either.

This team plays stale tactics with players that are not where they used to be physically. It’s obvious that Setien is getting sacked before too much longer, but nothing will change at the club unless Bartomeu and the board are also sacked. The structure of the club needs to be rid of the egos that have created such a toxic environment there. Will Messi stay? Will Messi go? That is just one of many questions that need to be answered if Barca wants to return to it’s previously elite status.

Manchester City 1 – 3  Olympique Lyonnais

Before I get into the analysis here I need to take a moment to laugh at Man City. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Ha.

Right then. City came into this match as heavy favorites, and before kick off this game had a feel similar to the Atalanta/PSG match. You knew PSG were likely to win it, but Lyon’s team play and tactics are solid so you weren’t quite sure who would come out on top. City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola is considered one of the best managers in the world and he has a plethora of talent to choose from in any given game. Despite his successes at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Man City in their respective domestic leagues, he has struggled in Europe since leaving Spain. Man City have never won the Champions League and with Real Madrid and other giants like Juventus and Barcelona out of the way, there has never been a better opportunity for City to do well.

As has been a theme in this tournament though, nothing has gone according to script. Despite having the possession advantage for the first 20 minutes or so, City found themselves down 1-0 on 24 minutes after a goal from French left back Maxwell Cornet. A long ball over the top of the City defense fell to Cameroonian forward Karl Toko-Ekambi, but City keeper Ederson was quick off his line and got a block in on the shot, but the ball rebounded to Cornet who deftly hit the ball around Ederson and into the left side of the goal. It was just what Lyon needed to make City start worrying and begin to doubt themselves. The scoreline did not change after that in the first half, even though Cornet was forced to make a key block on England forward Raheem Sterling that could have easily led to a City goal. Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes was called into action on several occasions to make saves and also break up crosses into the box. It looked awkward at times for him but he and the Lyon back 4 did just enough to keep City out in the first half

City were in the ascendancy for the first 25 minutes or so of the second half, and it was via Sterling and all-world midfielder Kevin de Bruyne that they got their equalizer on 69 minutes. Sterling did well to beat his man in the left side of the penalty area, and he cut the ball back towards de Bruyne who streaked in and side-footed past Lopes. De Bruyne had been in excellent form throughout the match and the captain was easily City’s best player on the day. Excellent vision, passing, free kicks, and ball control from the Belgian today. Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus was unlucky to not put City up 2-1 when the ball fell to him in the right side of the penalty box. He tried to hit the ball on the volley first-time but accidentally struck the top of the ball, meaning most of the power in his shot went straight into the ground. The ball bounced harmlessly over the goal and out for a goal kick.

Lyon did not fold under the pressure though, and to their credit they kept attacking. Lyon manager Rudi Garcia played an absolute blinder tactically today. Guardiola was out-witted, and not for the first time this season. Garcia put on substitute striker Moussa Dembele for the largely ineffective Memphis Depay, and the dividends were paid almost immediately. City’s back line were caught high up on the pitch, and the ball was played through towards Ekambi who had made a run behind the City defense. He appeared to be offside, but let the ball run through his legs to Dembele who was streaking in behind him and to his right. Dembele had shed his marker Aymeric Laporte and after a few touches slid it under Ederson and into the City goal for 2-1 Lyon. This was a controversial goal due to not only the potential offside by Ekambi, but also due to a foul on Laporte by Dembele before he received the ball. Dembele appeared to clip the heals of Laporte in order to get around him, causing him to fall. However, VAR confirmed the goal and Lyon had restored their lead 2-1 on 79 minutes. City fans probably felt particularly aggrieved by the decision.

City pushed for an equalizer and almost had one on 85 minutes when a good cross from Jesus on the right side found an unmarked Sterling about 7 yards from goal with the keeper stranded on the other side. Sterling hit the ball first time but somehow turned the ball over the top of the goal and out of bounds. It was a very bad miss from him. Indeed, from that position and that close in it’s harder to miss than it is to put it in. City were punished for this error just 59 seconds later when the ball was won by Lyon in midfield and brought forward by substitute Jeff Rene-Adelaide. He played the ball to his left and found midfielder Houssem Arouar, who cut inside onto his right foot and lashed a shot at the City goal. The ball was only parried by Ederson and not very well, as it fell straight to Dembele who scrambled it over the line for 3-1. Sheer bedlam on the Lyon bench and utter dejection from Guardiola and City.

City forged a few more good chances in the dying minutes, but as was the case for most of the match, they could not convert and struggled to get shots on target. Many questions will be asked of Guardiola after this stunning defeat, such as why he failed to bring on more creative players when down 2-1 despite having 3+ substitutions left. City fans can only blame the referee for so much here. This loss was largely down to the tactics of Guardiola. City had 72% of the possession today but could only manage 7 shots on target over 90 minutes. That’s a very low shot-on-target rate for a team with players the caliber of which City has. Lyon’s keeper was in good form and their back-4 generally played very well to be sure, but City spent far too much time passing it around near the halfway line, and nowhere near enough time getting men forward and creating shooting chances. There was some poor finishing on display to be sure, but the missed chances hurt more when you don’t create many of them. It will be interesting to see what happens with Guardiola and the ownership of Man City going forward.

Lyon advances to play Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the Champions League.

Preview – Manchester United vs. Sevilla (Europa League Semifinal)

The Red Devils will take on Sevilla FC from the south of Spain in Cologne, Germany on Sunday at noon PT / 3 ET America time. This is a one-off match with the winner advancing to the Europa League final on Friday August 21.

United will hope for a cooler day than the sweltering weather they played in against Copenhagen, as a warm day will favor the Spanish opposition. The south of Spain is incredibly warm 8-9 months out of the year, so a bit of heat won’t really bother them. Manchester, in the northwest of England, is usually rather cold and I don’t think a lot of our English/northern European players are used to playing in heat.

Anyway, enough about the weather. I was impressed with Sevilla’s performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers in their quarterfinal match, although their victory was not without flaws. Sevilla are very good in possession, and Argentine midfielder Ever Banega pulls the strings for them in attack. He is a little past his prime at age 31, but clearly still capable of running a game for his side. They also look solid in defense as well, having shut down the Wolves attack for most of the second half.

I did see opportunities for Sevilla to be hit on the counter-attack though. The speedy Adama Traore was able to run at the Sevilla center-backs once or twice in the first half, and with some more clinical finishing Wolves may have found themselves ahead. That encourages me. Wolves have 1 player that can break quickly and attack. United have at least 4-5. I think if United sit back and absorb pressure, we can get at them on the counter-attack. Of course the passing and the timing of the counter-attacks will need to be spot-on, but I think the play of Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire will be especially important. Martial for his hold up play and passing when other forwards are running to join the attack, and Maguire for his ability to clear crosses in the air in a way that gets United off and running on the break. My expected line-up:

Romero

AWB – Lindelof – Maguire – Williams

Matic – Pogba

Greenwood – Bruno – Rashford

Martial

Paul Pogba will be given license to push forward when appropriate, and look for Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood to switch sides occasionally if the attack isn’t clicking. I expect Sevilla to try and attack us down their right side and expose the defensive frailties of Brandon Williams, so it will be the duties of Maguire and Nemanja Matic to ensure he gets extra help when he needs it.

Glory Glory Man United!

 

 

 

Champions League Recap So Far + Barcelona Preview

If there has been a theme to the opening two matches of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, it is the theme of late drama. Both the Atalanta/Paris St. Germain match and the Red Bull Leipzig/Atletico Madrid match had goals after the 87th minute that changed the result. Both were great games for the neutral!

Paris St. Germain 2-1 Atalanta

Atalanta came into the match as underdogs to PSG, but as a result there was little to no pressure on them in this match and ALL of the pressure was on PSG. PSG are owned by the royal family of Qatar, and they have spent quite a lot of money on the squad in order to ensure European glory. PSG usually win the French league handily, but had not progressed so the semifinals of the CL since the 1990s. Manager Thomas Tuchel knew his job was potentially on the line if PSG did not advance.

Brazilian superstar forward Neymar had the first chance of the match and really should have scored on his breakaway run at the Atalanta defense. Neymar was in absolutely scintillating form throughout, but had a lot of problems finding the back of the net. It was Atalanta that broke the deadlock about half an hour in when Croatian midfielder Mario Palasic struck a curling effort into the top corner of Keylor Navas’s net. It was a surprise to be sure, given that PSG had squandered some good chances. Atalanta showed that while they may not have the all-world talent of PSG, they are solid tactically and know how to execute their game plan.

They held on despite wave after wave of PSG attacks, and my one criticism of Atalanta in the second half is that they did not attempt to play their passing game as much as they did in the first half. That was ultimately to their detriment. Once PSG brought on yet another superstar in French forward Kylian Mbappé the game seemed to change. Atalanta’s fatigue started to show and unfortunately conceded an equalizer via Brazilian midfielder Marquinhos. The massive relief of tension emanating from the PSG bench was palpable. They knew they had likely forced extra time, at the least.

PSG weren’t done though, and the Italian side’s hearts were broken in two when French winger Eric Choupa-Mouting tapped in from Mbappé’s cross. It was a very well-worked around the Atalanta penalty area and they couldn’t keep the ball out. The Parisian club was in ecstasy as the final whistle blew, especially their talismanic forward Neymar. PSG paid a world-record £200 million for Neymar and were expecting him to deliver today, and he really did. 16 dribbles completed for him was a CL record.

Red Bull Leipzig 2-1 Atletico Madrid

This match earlier today was somewhat more tepid in parts but still carried plenty of drama. Upstart German side Red Bull Leipzig took on CL veterans Atletico Madrid, and I expected a more defensive affair than the PSG match. Atletico manager Diego Simeone plays a very defensive style of football, and while it’s not the most fun to watch it has proven to be very effective in European tournaments. Meanwhile, Leipzig were trying to become the first non-Bayern and non-Dortmund German club to make the semifinals of the CL in a decade.

The first 45 minutes ended 0-0 with both sides having some good chances, but there was a slight edge to Atletico in my opinion. They had slightly more attacking intent when on the ball, with Leipzig stifled by the defense. Not a classic 45 minutes by any stretch.

The second half was a lot better though in terms of entertainment, with Spanish defender Dani Olmo giving the game a much needed shot of life when he headed Leipzig in front. This seemed to shake Atletico a little bit and Simeone was required to bring on Portuguese wunderkind Joao Felix for some more attacking intent. That move paid off when Felix was fouled in the box and won his side a penalty. Felix stepped up and calmly slotted home the penalty, leveling the match at 1-1.

The match wore on without much creativity from either side, until the ball broke for Leipzig in midfield and they got the ball moved up the pitch quickly. A cross from the left side found American midfielder Tyler Adams in open space on the edge of the box, and he unleashed a shot the deflected off an Atletico defender and into the back of the net with Polish keeper Jan Oblak wrong-footed. That goal in the 88th minute gave Leipzig a strong chance of advancing, and after quite a lot of stoppage time that involved a sideline scuffle among the opposing players, the whistle finally went and Leipzig pulled off the upset.

Well done to Adams especially, who probably scored the biggest goal an American has ever scored in the CL. Right place, right time, and a little bit of luck.

Leipzig will play PSG in the semifinals of the CL.

Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich (Preview)

Seasoned readers of this blog know that I like to bring in guest writers from time to time. Here is another great contribution from our resident Barcelona expert: Jose!

“Quick recap after a very dominating game against Napoli from my lord and savior, Leo Messi. Barcelona were able to dominate against the heavily Italian style defense of Napoli. Although that is in the past now, I saw one glimmer of hope: the rotation of subs to start 11 players. My hope is the Barcelona coach finally is getting into groove with the Catalan football style. Now to the future fixture of the dominant Germans, Bayern Munich, how do we defeat them? The simple answer is I HAVE NO IDEA. Munich is stacked with players and with Lewandowski on a very hot season it’s almost impossible to breakdown. The only hope I have is for an early mistake by Munich’s defense and the front 3 of Suarez, Messi and Griezmann capitalize and hopefully have the Bayern defense push up higher which would lead to more counter attacks. Barcelona CAN NOT make any mistakes against the German league-winning side. Bayern is known as the power house of champions league this year and quiet honestly could be champions with the form that they are playing. An interesting fact you note is that Barcelona are a much better team when they are the David to Bayern’s Goliath. Overall I believe that eveyone will need to press and defend together but most importantly to keep a cool head throughout the game. With that being said this would be my starting 11 which I believe would dominate and pressure Bayern’s midfield in a 4-2-3-1:

Ter Stergen

Jordi-Lenglet-Pique-Semedo

De Jong-Vidal-Ansu F.

Messi-Griz-Suarez

Although this is more defensive lineup I believe with our best 4 strikers in form right now attacking early we will have a much better chance at attacking the Bayern Munich young defense. But I most likely see a classic 4-3-3:

Ter Stergen

Jordi-Lenglet-Pique-Semedo

Rakitic-De Jong-Vidal

Griz-Suarez-Messi

This is our classic 4-3-3 I believe that this game will be a mostly possession game and the game will end in a 2-1 or 3-2 match. The game will come down to who can capitalize on more mistakes earlier in the game rather later.

And on a final note “Que donde esta 07 07 donde estasss” Madrid fans you can thank Varane for starting your summer a little early this year!”

Jose’s analysis is spot-on. Bayern are probably favorites but you would be very unwise to count out Leo Messi. Barca vs. Bayern is the tie of the quarterfinals, and if you want to watch an exhibition of great football then I suggest throwing the game on at noon PT / 3 ET America time.

Champions League: Round of 16 Review

When play was suspended back in March, only half of the fixtures for the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League had been decided. It was already decided that Red Bull Leipzig (GER) will be playing Atletico Madrid (SPA) and Atalanta (ITA) will be playing Paris St. Germain (FRA). Only the first leg in the top half of the bracket had been played though, which meant that the fixtures between Manchester City vs. Real Madrid, Lyon vs. Juventus, Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich, and Napoli vs. Barcelona still needed to be played. All quarterfinal matches will be played in one-off playoffs in Lisbon, Portugal in order to minimize travel and risk of COVID exposure for players, coaches, and staff. The sprint to the European Cup is on!

Manchester City (ENG) vs. Real Madrid (SPA) (Man City lead 2-1 on aggregate from first leg)

This was one of the more intriguing match-ups of the round for a variety of reasons. Both teams are capable of scoring goals almost at-will. City manager Pep Guardiola is Catalan through and through, and therefore dislikes Madrid with a passion. Meanwhile, Real have just come off yet another title-winning season in La Liga under the legendary Zinedine Zidane. The tie was finely poised at 2-1 as well, with City knowing that a draw or victory would mean they would move on. Guardiola was under a fair amount of pressure to deliver for City in this match, as he has been somewhat under-performing in Europe the past few seasons for both City and his former club Bayern Munich.

The match was electrifying from almost the get go, and it was surprisingly City who took the lead via England forward Raheem Sterling after mistakes at the back by the Madrid defense. That would be a theme of the night for Real, unfortunately. Karim Benzema did get an equalizer later on in the first half for the Madridistas, but they were ultimately undone at the back again by City forward Gabriel Jesus. Along with an inability to play the ball out from the back, Madrid forward Eden Hazard looked completely off the pace and possibly even unfit for play. Zidane also made some uncharacteristic errors with his substitutions, and City deservedly advanced 4-2 on aggregate.

Lyon (FRA) vs. Juventus (ITA) (Lyon lead 1-0 on aggregate)

I unfortunately did not get to watch this match due to watching Man City, but based on the highlights I saw I have to commend Lyon for standing up to the superstars of Juventus and doing enough to hold them off. It is difficult to prevent Juventus from scoring in any situation, and especially so at their home in Turin, Italy. Juventus have also just won their ninth consecutive title in Serie A, also known as the Scudetto.

Portugal forward and all-world player Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the match for Juventus, once from the penalty spot and the other an absolute screamer from about 26 yards out. Those two goals were not enough though. Dutch forward Memphis Depay converted from the penalty spot for Lyon in between those two goals, giving Lyon an absolutely crucial away goal. For those who don’t remember, the “away goals rule” is the tie breaker in case the score is level on aggregate after two games. Away goals are deemed to be more valuable under this rule, so the team that scores the most away goals is given the tie breaker.

Lyon won 1-0 in France back in March, so even though they lost 2-1 to Juventus they still advance 2-2 on aggregate because they scored in Italy and Juventus failed to score in France. This was a pretty big upset given that Juventus are absolutely loaded with talent throughout the team. Lyon have good players too of course, but most people had Juventus advancing as far as the final. To show you the level of calamity this is for Juve, less than 24 hours after their unceremonious exit from the tournament they sacked manager Maurizzio Sarri and have replaced him with former player and Italian legend Andrea Pirlo. All credit to Lyon though, they defended well in both legs and scored just enough to sneak by. Well done. Good defending can take a team quite far in a tournament such as this one.

Lyon will play Manchester City in Lisbon on August 15th in the quarterfinals.

Chelsea (ENG) vs. Bayern Munich (GER) (Bayern lead 3-0 on aggregate)

As indicated by the scoreline, this fixture was already feeling a little lopsided. Chelsea are good, don’t get me wrong, but Bayern are another level this season. They have the best player of this current season in Robert Lewandowski, accompanied by a team of world-beaters at almost every position. When I say Bayern are stacked, I mean they are STACKED. They edged out Borussia Dortmund to win the Bundesliga for the umpteenth time, and they look poised to make a deep run in this tournament.

Chelsea just couldn’t keep up with them today in Germany, and it wasn’t really fair to expect them to. You could argue this tie was over before a ball was even kicked, but the fact that Bayern won 4-1 today tells you just what kind of mood they are in. They could have kicked it back and forth among themselves and settled for a boring 0-0 draw, but they really went for it and Chelsea were put to sword. Lewandowksi was in sensational form again and was involved in all four goals for Bayern. If he is not scoring, he’s creating for others. Chelsea’s suspect defense let them down again today, but I think most Chelsea players and manager Frank Lampard will be happy with how this season has went for the most part. They were without budding American superstar Christian Pulisic today, and he was needed for Chelsea to have any chance at overturning the deficit. Bayern advance 7-1 on aggregate.

Ze Germans are now probably favorites to go and win this whole thing.

Barcelona (SPA) vs. Napoli (ITA) (tie level 1-1 on aggregate)

Saved the most entertaining game today for last. This tie was an intriguing one as there was potential for an upset here as well. Barcelona did have the advantage on away goals after the first leg in Naples, Italy but Napoli knew on the return leg in northern Spain that if they scored they could really put pressure on the Catalan giants and possibly sneak a victory like Lyon did the day before.

The match was played under absolutely sweltering conditions, and maybe that had something to do with why Barca were almost caught napping 90 seconds into the match when Belgian winger Dries Mertens struck the post for Napoli. Barca settled down a little bit after that shot across the bow and took the lead via French center back Clement Lenglet, who headed in from a corner. Barca took a 2-1 lead on aggregate, which interestingly only slightly added to their advantage. Had Napoli scored they would have been level both on the night and on aggregate thanks again to the away goals rule.

Barca knew they needed another one, and it was the man they so often turn to who went and got it for them: Lionel Messi. Not even going to bother describing this one. You have to see it to believe it (featuring some excellent commentary from Peter Drury).

He is a wizard. A genius. The best of all time. You can throw superlative after superlative at him and you still won’t be able to fully describe just how good this man is. Not only is he capable of doing this sort of thing, he does it routinely. It is true that he is getting older and on the tail end of his prime, but clearly he is still capable of going into God Mode and obliterating defenders’ hopes and dreams. You can know exactly what he’s going to do, but it won’t matter because sometimes he is unstoppable.

Barca thought they had a third seven minutes later when Messi converted from close range again after a cross into the box by Dutch midfielder Frankie de Jong, but after VAR took a look it was determined that Messi handled the ball when the cross arrived. It was 50/50 for me, but VAR overturned the goal. It didn’t really matter though, as just before halftime Barca were awarded a penalty by VAR, which Uruguayan striker and Donkey Face Luis Suarez converted with ease. At 3-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate you felt this tie was done and dusted.

There was a minor hiccup for Barca though when Napoli were awarded a penalty late in stoppage time of the first half, which was dispatched effectively by Italian striker Lorenzo Insigne. Barca still had a big lead, but if you were Napoli you felt slightly better being down only 2 goals on aggregate instead of 3.

The second half was a much more tepid affair though, and no further goals were scored. Barca simply kept possession and choked Napoli out like a boa constrictor. The tie ended 4-2 on aggregate and Barcelona advanced.

Hoping to have my colleague Jose do a write up previewing Barca’s next match. They play Bayern Munich in Lisbon on August 14th. Should be an excellent match up!

Other QFs

Atalanta takes on PSG in Lisbon on August 12.

Atletico Madrid plays Red Bull Leipzig on August 13.

 

European Football Round-Up: The Premier League Dominates

For the first time in club football history, both the Champions League final and the Europa League final will be contested by all England-based clubs. Liverpool will take on Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid on June 1, and Chelsea will play Arsenal in Baku, Azerbaijan on May 29. This is also the first time ever that both finals will be contested by teams all from the same country. It’s very clear that the Premier League is the standard of club football right now. Bizarrely, the team in first place right now, Manchester City, isn’t among these teams. Sadly, United isn’t among them either 😦

We saw a comeback for the ages in the Liverpool/Barcelona match, only for Tottenham to do the very same thing against Ajax the next day. Both teams had to overcome 3-0 deficits to advance, and neither team was favored to move on. I could write volumes about both matches, but I’ll try to keep it as brief as possible.

Barcelona went to Anfield with a commanding 3-0 lead and most of the footballing world thought that Liverpool would have a mountain to climb if they wanted to win. Well, they climbed the mountain and then some. They opened the scoring early via Divock Origi, but Barca held on to halftime down only 1-0. Liverpool kept the pedal down though and scored three second half goals thanks largely to their impressive high-pressing system. They were outrunning Barca to every loose ball and out-muscling them at every turn.

The risk with always playing with such a high press is that your players eventually get tired. And at this stage of the season, after 50+ games, it was very impressive to see how much Liverpool were willing to sprint both in attack and when closing in on a tackle.  It’s a testament to the training methods of their German manager Jurgen Klopp that they were able to sprint well into the 80th-85th minute. Barca’s revered midfield looked slow and immobile by comparison. Lionel Messi was rendered largely ineffective by Liverpool’s defensive midfield and back-four as well, a feat not easily done. Even more impressively, they won this match without superstar players Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. As much as it pains me to say this, Liverpool were the better team and deserve to move on.

I have a lot of questions about Barca, though. They choked away a big lead and were clearly reliant on Messi to produce some magic in order to win. Messi was neutralized, and as a result, so was Barca. Luis Suarez (aka Rat Face) looked disinterested in playing, and Coutinho was decidedly off the pace. They are probably looking at an overhaul during the summer as well, and I imagine their manager Ernesto Valverde will be fired as well. I think I will ask my infamous colleague Jose to do a full breakdown on Barca at some point.

As if the Liverpool game wasn’t exciting enough, the Tottenham match was that and possibly more. Ajax scored two first half goals to put Tottenham on the ropes, and also down 3-0 on aggregate. But if this season’s CL has taught us anything, a 3-0 lead is a very dangerous one. Whatever manager Mauricio Pochettino said to his players at half time though clearly worked, as Spurs came out on fire in the second half and really took the game to Ajax. They were running harder and closing down Ajax’s gifted players much more effectively. Tactically, Pochettino wisely brought on big striker Fernando Llorente, and Ajax’s centre-backs had a hard time dealing with his physicality.

They were rewarded with two Lucas Moura goals in the first part of the second half, one of which was thanks to a knockdown from Llorente. Tottenham were then down 3-2 on aggregate. Due to the away goals rule however, Tottenham only needed one more goal to advance. They would have 3 away goals to Ajax’s 1. They came close several times, but I thought they were going to come up just short.

How wrong was I though? Lucas once again found himself running into the box late in 96th minute, and after a through ball from Dele Alli he slotted home once again to send all of north London into ecstasy. Tottenham sealed their first ever CL final, having been behind for for roughly 198 out of 200 minutes of football. It was unreal. I felt so sorry for Ajax given how well they played and how young they are, but their defense let them down in the end.

The Champions League has spoiled us this season with excellent matches. It’s one of the best tournaments I can remember. Even though United aren’t in it, we still played our part in the drama with the upset over Paris St. Germain. Upsets and epic matches abound. Tottenham-City, PSG-United, Tottenham-Ajax, and Barca-Liverpool were all epic ties with some of the best football I’ve ever seen on display. High drama.

On June 1st for about two-ish hours, I am a Tottenham supporter. Again, don’t want to see Liverpool win anything. Makes me sick. I don’t care how good they are!

I don’t really care who wins the Europa League between Chelsea and Arsenal, although Arsenal will need the win more because they automatically qualify for the CL next season if they win. There are other spots in Europe at stake for clubs across Europe depending on the result of the Chelsea-Arsenal match, but I don’t think United will be affected either way. We look likely to be in the Europa League next season one way or another.

Agonizingly, I have to cheer for Man City to win this weekend so Liverpool can’t win the Premier League. If they do the Double, all of Manchester will be on suicide watch.  Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. *Knocks on wood*

Champions League Semifinal Roundup: Messi is God Edition

One of the following 4 teams will be Champions of Europe at the end of the season: Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax, Liverpool, or Barcelona. Tottenham were drawn against Dutch side Ajax and Liverpool got Catalan-giants Barcelona.

The Tottenham – Ajax first leg in north London was a tense and low-scoring affair, as most major semifinals are at the professional level. Both teams probably should have done better with their respective chances created, but Ajax do have the advantage of 1-0 lead thanks to a close range effort from Danny van de Beek. The tie remains finely poised, but Spurs know they will have to attack Ajax at the return leg in Amsterdam next week if they want to advance to the final.

But this post is not about that match. The title up top says it all, really. Lionel Messi is the best player in the world and probably the best player of all time. There is no one else who can do what he does. We are privileged as fans to be able to watch him play this game. He destroyed United’s dreams last round, and he did it again to Liverpool in this match.

Interestingly though, and what makes Messi even more incredible, is that he didn’t have much of an impact for large portions of the match. For the first 70 minutes or so at Camp Nou, Liverpool had Messi locked up fairly effectively. Barcelona did get a goal in the first half after a tricky finish from (Rat Face) Luis Suarez, but Liverpool knew if they could end the match at only 1-0 down they had a good chance of beating Barcelona at Anfield in the return leg. They had created a several good chances themselves, but couldn’t quite find the right finish. James Milner, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah were guilty of missing guilt-edged chances for valuable away goals.

But then Messi decided he wanted to score more. Rat Face struck a shot off the crossbar that took Liverpool’s keeper Alisson out of the play, and the ball fell directly into the path of Messi who walked the ball in for an easy goal. It was a great example of Messi knowing where to be at the right time. Sure there was a bit of luck involved with the bounce off the bar, but Messi struck again to double Barca’s advantage.

But the third goal. Ohhhhhh the third goal. Nothing but pure Messi magic. Liverpool gave a bad foul away about 25 yards away from goal, pretty close to the center of the pitch. Messi stepped up to take the free kick. A lot of people, including myself, felt he might try to pass it in or hit it low due the distance away from the goal, but boy were we all wrong. He struck a curling left-footed finish beautifully into the upper left corner of the goal, giving Alisson no chance. Everyone in the stadium immediately erupted, which is quite impressive when it’s 100,000 people all at once. I was sat in my office and even I yelled a little when he hit it. You owe it to yourself as a football fan to see it:

(I’m so happy I figured out how to link goal videos!)

A 3-0 lead on aggregate most likely leaves Barca fairly comfortable going into the return leg. Liverpool are not out of it by no means, especially given their ability to score goals. I do think though that they will struggle to stop Barca/Messi from scoring, and that will eventually be their downfall.

That’s what is so incredible about him. He did nothing for largely 70 minutes, but then he conjures up two goals from seemingly nowhere in the final 15 minutes. From a neutral perspective, it’s truly incredible. When your team plays against him, it’s maddening. The defense cannot switch off at any point for all 90+ minutes.  You could easily make the argument that Liverpool were the better side for good portions of the match, but the difference between the sides really boiled down to the fact that Barca have Messi and Liverpool do not. He is a wrecking ball sent by Thanos to destroy your team’s hopes and dreams.

Only mild criticism of Barca’s display is that they did not score more. Had they converted 1-2 more of their deadly counter-attacks when Liverpool were pouring men forward, this tie would be well and truly over. Barca did not quite kill off the Scousers, and that is the one thing that will give them belief in the next match.

Return legs for both teams next week in Amsterdam and Liverpool. I predict Ajax and Barcelona going through!

United Down, But Not Out

Manchester United suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Barcelona CF last Wednesday night at Old Trafford. I’m a bit behind with this post, but it’s been a busy week!

Anyway, there is certainly a lot to talk about and I will get to the finer details, but overall I am left with a sense of, “well, we could have done better, but that also could have been a lot worse.” That’s really the only way to summarize it.

Barcelona dominated possession for most of the first half as most expected, and earned themselves an own-goal via a deflected cross from Barca forward Luis “Horseface” Suarez off Luke Shaw into the net. I think even if Shaw had moved out the way it still would have fallen straight to left-winger Coutinho who was streaking toward the net. In any event, the ball went in at the 12th minute and I feared the worst. I was gravely concerned Barca would open the floodgates on us and we would concede multiple goals in quick succession.

But, United were well-drilled defensively for the rest of the match. The back four consistently harassed Barca’s attackers and David De Gea made the key saves when needed. Scott McTominay and Fred were also very effective in slowing down the GOAT Lionel Messi, who had a very ineffective game by his illustrious standards. McTominay was United’s Man of the Match for me, despite the loss. He was all over the place on defense and also did some very fine work in attack to help retain possession.

United were toothless in attack, though. That was the biggest problem for the Red Devils on the day. No shots on goal. Zero. That is simply unacceptable for a club that prides itself on playing attacking football. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to figure out how to get the forwards to take more shots and test goalkeeper Ter Stegen in the next match. Several United players were guilty of missing chances, chief among them Marcus Rashford in the middle of the 2nd half. Credit to Barca center-back Gerard Pique though, as he showed why he’s still one of the best defenders in the world by consistently breaking up United attacks and clearing dangerous crosses. Even though the Blaugrana are loaded with superstars, I would venture to say that Pique is the 2nd-best player on Barca behind Messi.

Despite the obvious gulf in talent between United and Barca, United held their own for the most part and Barca did not play as well as they usually do. They played a conservative game when they really should have been putting their foot down on our necks and taking it to us. Thanks to that and some bizarre referee decisions (for both sides), the tie remains finely poised. At 1-0 with an away goal, the advantage is most definitely to Barca to win the tie, but it’s certainly not over yet. United have already overcome a 2-0 goal deficit in Europe this season against Paris St. Germain, and there is no reason to think they cannot overcome a 1-0 deficit.

However, Barca at Camp Nou are a completely different animal from Barca on the road in a different country. Their vast stadium in northeastern Spain is another cathedral of football and the vocal supporters there make it an incredibly intimidating place to play. Plus, I have a feeling Messi is pissed off at us. He was tackled hard by Chris Smalling in the first half, catching an accidental backhand to the face in the process. I think he’s going to come out and take the game by the scruff of the neck next Tuesday.  I fear we’ve gone and poked a tiger with a stick.

McTominay and Fred will once again need to play well to ensure that Messi cannot exert too much influence. If anyone in the defense switches off or there is some kind of miscommunication even once, Messi will punish us in one way or another. It’s going to be even more difficult than the match at Old Trafford, but United have to believe in themselves. If we get ourselves a sneaky goal early on, all of a sudden things become much more interesting.

One thing that is clear is that United are in need of an overhaul this summer. Luis Antonio Valencia and Ander Herrera are already confirmed to be leaving, and Ashley Young also needs to go. His crossing in the Barca match was atrocious and it’s clear he struggles to keep up with fast wingers. He’s been a great servant to the club, but I just don’t think he can compete athletically anymore. The only reason he played in such a big match is because we don’t have anyone much better. OGS has a big job ahead of him this summer to get this club back to where it was, and he needs to start with a proper right-back. I could see 6-7 players leaving and hopefully 5-6 coming in to replace them. Thankfully, we have the money to bring in that many players. Chief Executive Ed Woodward doesn’t know football, but he certainly knows business.

In the meantime, United play West Ham at Old Trafford on 4/13/19 in the Premier League. It’s on in the morning America-time. West Ham are struggling in the standings this season and while they probably will not be relegated, they are most decidedly an average team. United need to gain some momentum back to take to Spain on Tuesday, not to mention a vital three points towards finishing in the top 4. Given that we still have to play Manchester City and Chelsea at the end of April, we need to take advantage of our easier match-ups.

Glory Glory Man United!

Premier League/FA Cup Recap, Barcelona Preview

It’s been a big week in English football, with the title race as tight as ever, as is the race for the top 4. At the bottom of the table, both Fulham and Huddersfield Town have already been relegated. Only one more team will join them in the Championship next season, the likely candidate being Welsh side Cardiff City. They are 5 points from safety with 5 games to play. They aren’t out yet, but they need to start winning quickly if they want to stay in the top-flight.

To compound Manchester United’s misery after the loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday, both Chelsea and Tottenham coasted to victory on Wednesday, causing United to slip down to 6th in the table. However, as has been the case many times this season, there is a silver lining to the weekend. Arsenal lost at Goodison Park to Everton today, meaning they move no higher than 4th. They could have really cemented a grip on the top 4 today with a victory, but their terrible away form this season continues to haunt them. Given that United are still only 3 points off of 3rd place after the results of this week, everything could be much worse. There is a tough run-in for both Arsenal and United, but the race for 3rd and 4th place is certainly far from over.

This weekend was also the semifinals of the FA Cup, which are held at Wembley Stadium in London every year. Manchester City narrowly defeated Brighton & Hove Albion to advance to the final in May, while Watford came from behind and beat Wolves in extra time to seal their passage to the final. It was an absolutely thrilling match, with Spanish winger Gerard Deolufeu in top form. Watford will be a tough test for City and I don’t expect it to be a walk in the park for them. Interestingly, City are still in contention for what’s known as a “quadruple” of trophies. They have already won the League Cup, they are 2nd in the Premier League with a game in hand on Liverpool, they’re in the final of the FA Cup, and the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Should they manage to win all four of the most important trophies they’re eligible for, it will be a first in the history of English football.

Speaking of the Champions League, United face the monumental task of playing Barcelona at Old Trafford on Wednesday afternoon America-time. For a preview of Barcelona, it is time to turn once again to my colleague Jose, a life-long Barcelona supporter and close follower of La Liga. Our readers with sharp memories will remember Jose’s top contribution to this blog on the Mexican national team during the World Cup last summer.

“Barcelona have been in wonderful form for the past couple of weeks. With Barcelona taking Real Madrid out of the Copa del Rey and making an even bigger gap in points between them and Atletico Madrid in La Liga, Barcelona is on track to possibly achieve a third treble. Now with no real competition in the league and in Cup, the next real challenge would of course have to be Champions League. I was secretly hoping for a United match-up. Manchester is a very well balanced team with a good attacking front.

The problem with United from my perspective would have to be Barcelona attacking play. With what I consider a great trio in Ousmane Dembele, Luis Suarez, and Lionel Messi; the question would be how do you stop one of if not the greatest player to have ever lived? Messi will be able to open the game up for someone like Suarez, Dembele, or even midfielder Ivan Rakitic. The biggest downfall for United will ultimately be can the defense hold up an attacking trio. I think Messi will yet again destroy another EPL team.

The issue for Barcelona will be the pace and physical contact of Manchester United. EPL teams are more physical on the ground and air than Barcelona is used to. With Barcelona having an advantage of possession and fast pace movement, United have a considerable advantage as well with a strong forward in Romelu Lukaku and a very dominant Paul Pogba to control their side of the pitch. Not to include the young hero himself Marcus Rashford who comes off a great showing in Paris. My prediction for the match would be Barcelona 4- 1 Manchester United.”

While I disagree with Jose’s scoreline prediction, he does bring up several valid points, mainly about Messi. For those who have been living under a rock for the past 12 years, the diminutive Argentine forward is probably the best football player in the world, and probably one of the best of all time. The debate about where he ranks all time is beyond the scope of this post, but it’s safe to say his name belongs up there with the likes of Pele, Diego Maradona, and Johan Cruyff. He’s the best dribbler and shooter, an elite passer, and his football intelligence is almost unparalleled. He’s won everything there is to win at the club level with Barcelona and then some, and he almost single-handedly dragged Argentina to World Cup success in 2014.

So how do you stop someone on the level of prime Michael Jordan or prime Tom Brady? Well, one method is to prevent him from getting the ball in the first place. Hard for Messi to score if he doesn’t have the ball, etc. That means a lot of hard covering work from United’s midfielders, who would need to constantly harass Rakitic and keep him from feeding Messi the ball.

But, you won’t be able to keep him off the ball the whole game. He will eventually find the ball at his feet, so what do we do then? Well, I am not sure. He has beaten all kinds of tactical plans and made even the best managers look like idiots. You basically just have to constantly harass him and hope for the best. You can’t give him as much as a foot of space in the box either, because he can get powerful shots off from insanely tight angles. You also can’t foul him any where near the penalty area either, because he’ll just unleash a deadly free-kick into the top corner. He’s also very good at finding one of his talented teammates on the rare occasion a defender can stop him. Bottom line: Messi can be unplayable at times and you have to hope he’s off his game in order to neutralize him.

To be clear, Barcelona are a very good team through and through. Elite attack, great midfield, and above-average defense. However, they are not invincible. No football team is, and Jose correctly pointed out that United can cause problems for Barcelona’s defense with our pace in attack. Lukaku’s physicality might make him a good substitute when the opposition are tired. Pogba, on his day, is capable of masterminding counter-attacks that can hurt any opposition. Barcelona always seem to be a bit slow out of the gate as well. They’re a well-oiled machine, but they’re a machine that can take awhile to get going. I expect United to sit back and absorb pressure as much as possible, then use the pace of Rashford and Jessie Lingard to get behind the defense. I would totally take any kind of draw here, but I do not expect a whole lot. Barca are just that good. Given our fragile mentality in the past few games, I have extra reason for doubt.

But we have to believe in ourselves and execute the game plan. We better make them nervous at the very least! Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has his work cut out for him.