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Liverpool Feel ‘Raf’ Of Drogba Thanks To Benitez

As Chelsea celebrate and prepare to face Manchester United as the other English half of this years Champions League final, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is left to ponder what might have been.

Yet, could he have helped Chelsea into the final at the expense of his own Liverpool side?

Benitez openly criticised Chelsea striker Didier Drogba earlier this week for his inability to stay on his feet and his ability to mimic a dying swan. It was an obvious attempt at mind-games, trying to unsettle Drogba and influence referee Robert Rosetti. As we witnessed last night, it backfired spectacularly. Drogba inspired Chelsea to victory over the Reds with a solid, powerful performance and two extremely important goals. Could it have been the Liverpool gaffer’s criticism that spurred him to such a crucial display?

As Phil McNultey of BBC Sport says:

When Drogba is lying low he is best left alone. Benitez chose to deliver a verbal version of a poke with a sharp stick and Liverpool paid the price.

Both Liverpool and Benitez looked broken at the final whistle as their season ended. Benitez was left to ponder over what could have been had he left Chelsea’s sometimes slumbering beast lie.

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Bore of Britain: Why The Champions League Final Is Not For Neutrals

One match points me to come to this conclusion: The 2007 FA Cup Final.

A horrendous match for the neutrals.

Both teams had played out a long, hard season and it was a chance to show who was the best team in England. For Chelsea it would be because they beat the newly-crowned Champions. Manchester United, because they had a chance to seal the double. But with that, the prestigious FA Cup and the honour of winning at the new Wembley at stake the two teams cancelled each other out. No real chances were created and fans were only saved by a slow trudge to penalites by a last-gasp Drogba goal.

This is what I fear will happen in Moscow. It could even be worse. No disrespect to the FA Cup but a much, much greater prize is at stake this time around.

Manchester United have played some great football this season and I firmly believe they deserve their chance in the Champions League final this year. Regardless of how much I dislike them and wanted United to face old rivals Liverpool in the final, Chelsea deserve their place as well. They get a lot of bad press, Avram Grant especially, yet they have managed to sustain a title challenge on two fronts despite apparently being in turmoil - and this from a season where they have not splashed their billions.

However, look at how United played over the two legs against Barcelona and we see that they close up and cannot play their cavalier style of football when they only have 40% of the ball. And we are all fully aware of the stale possession football that Chelsea can play.

So with Chelsea sitting on the ball not using it and Manchester United sitting back waiting for their 40%, is the Champions League Final 2008 going to be the explosive encounter we all wish for? Beaten Barca coach Frank Rijkaard thinks otherwise:

I think they [English teams] have a lot more to give on the pitch to the public. It is strange to see English teams defending for their lives in Europe and trying to win games on the counter-attack. They can do a lot more than that. They have their own spirit and can play football on the front foot.

In European games they all get behind the ball when they lose it, they are very organised and try to counter-attack. It is a pity. It is not the most beautiful way of football.

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Lahm Had His Phil Of Bayern

German wing-back Philipp Lahm has stated he will leave Bayern Munich as contract talks broke down between himself and the club.

With his contract coming into its last season Bayern were looking to tie down the 24-year-old international, but he was seemingly unimpressed by Bayern’s ambition.

Lahm told German magazine Stern:

I’ve played for two years with Stuttgart, I’m finishing my third year at Bayern, the top German club, so the logical progression is to go abroad.

There are in Europe a handful of clubs who have a financial power superior to that of Bayern. Their teams play with more rhythm and assurance than Bayern.

Seemingly doubting Bayern’s ability to once again challenge for the Champions League, which they won in 2001, Lahm has alerted Europe’s top clubs, including Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea, three he has been linked with in the past.

Chances are there will now be a cut-price bidding war this summer between Europe’s top clubs for Lahm.

Positive signs for Manchester United as Barca player asks to be dropped

It’s fair to say that the Red Devils are playing Barcelona in the Champions League at exactly the right time. While their passage to the Moscow final against Liverpool or Chelsea is far from guaranteed, surely Manchester United won’t have a better opportunity to beat the Catalan club, who are struggling badly at the moment.

Barca have been heavily criticised by the fans and media in recent weeks and they now sit nine points behind arch-rivals Real Madrid in La Liga. Although they beat Schalke over two legs, they have failed to win their last three league matches and The Guardian report that Eric Abidal has urged manager Frank Rijkaard to drop him, such is his lack of form at the moment. Unbelievable scenes!

“I try to be 100% but my results are not satisfactory,” the left-back said. “If I see that I’m not at the highest level, my responsibility obliges me to tell the coach not to play me.” Abidal added he has struggled to adapt to the Spanish culture and later kick-off times since arriving from the French club Lyon in the summer. “Before I handled it better but playing at 10 at night … is something that has affected me.”

Can Manchester United take full advantage of Barcelona’s plight, starting at Camp Nou on Tuesday? The English champions are now favourites for the competition and their morale could seemingly not be higher, especially set against their Spanish opponents who look set for a restructure in the summer.

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Wenger’s hate mongering and blame shifting needs to stop…

Another absolutely fantastic night on the Kop for any fan of the game. It has everything anyone could have dreamed of, and yet again has made anyone claiming it would be “boring” look very foolish indeed.

However…

It’s a shame that a bitter taste is left in the mouth. Why? The attitude of Wenger post-match.

Let there be no debate, the referee was fantastic. He made all the correct decisions, which is praise that could not be lavished on the officials from the Emirates first leg. Make no mistake about it, there was contact, a lot of it, it knocked a player at full pace off-balance and caused him to fall.

In the Premiership, it would be 50/50. In Europe? Stonewall penalty. You can’t do that in Europe, and the referee set out VERY early and made a massive point to every player for the first 20-30 minutes that heavy contact would NOT be tolerated. Arsenal were punished by pace, and while Wenger was busy throwing his dummy well out of his pram, Toure - who was judged to have committed the foul - seemed to have a different opinion and seemed to distance himself from claims it was a disputable decision. Arsenal were simply a victim of bad luck. They had a poor ref when they needed a good one, and a good ref when they needed a poor one.

Wenger however, in using this single incident to blame his sides exit on the referee is showing terrible conduct. Managers need to be making an example of themselves, but Wenger is constantly becoming his own worst enemy and nearly every negative post-game incident involving him has come from his OWN frustration and his OWN mistakes.

Wenger is as guilty as Mascherano was for Liverpool a couple of weeks ago, and I will be shocked if this hate-mongering and blame shifting isn’t heavily punished by UEFA.

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Beard stroking Rafa B confidently predicts a Champions League win for Liverpool

Stand aside Chelsea, do one United, and bugger off Barca - Liverpool are going to be the Reds in the Red Square and romp all the way to the Champions League. That was the opinion of Rafa B, bolstered by great performances by Stevie G and Fernando T in Tuesday’s Champions League win over the Arse. Rafa B said of the Liverpudlians’ Champs League hopes:

“We have done it before and won and now we can do it again. Why not us in the final?

“We will always do our best and we know we can do it because we have done it in the past.”

Will the Reds be able to get past Chelsea and then a possible tie against Man Utd or Barca to win the Champions League?

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AC Milan Legend To Defy Nature For Another Season?

AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini, who has been in his mid-30’s for a good 15 years now, has hinted that this season may not be his last like he has previously stated.

The atmosphere makes me want to play one more year. I felt much worse three months ago; things are better now. I love this sport and Berlusconi and Galliani are pushing me to carry on.

I haven’t discussed it with the President personally, but I have read his comments in the papers. We’ll see.

Surely this just shows how weak Milan are becoming? They would happly let Maldini, who turns 40 in June, carry on playing because they have no real replacement lined-up. Milan have often been accused as being an ‘ageing side’ If Maldini plays on, coupled with the way the young guns of Arsenal dismissed them, Milan will only be playing up to that image.

It also makes one think that Maldini wanted to end on a Champions League final. Perhaps being knocked out by Arsenal makes him want to carry on for another shot next year?

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Wenger ready for Liverpool extravaganza

Arsenal, having just beat Bolton 3-2 in a last minute dash, now must come to terms with facing Liverpool three times in the space of ten days. Arsenal face Liverpool next week in the Champions League Quarter Finals, then the League, then the 2nd leg of the Champions League. Arsene Wenger is ready though, and defeat will not be an option for his young men.

Wenger said:

“Of course we would like to win the home game on Wednesday, but 0-0 is never a disappointing result in the first leg,” explained Wenger.

“We have seen many times that it puts the other team under huge pressure in the second game because they are in two minds. They don’t really know whether to go for it or to sit back and wait - it gives you every chance.

“But it is true that Liverpool have 12 men at Anfield. Their crowd have played a big part in their European success, they have turned so many games because the rules are different in Europe.

“In this sort of game between two English teams, I feel mental strength will be the deciding factor. This will be a test of character, who wants it more.”

Arsenal FC are the better side. Arsenal have the better manager. But will Rafa fluke out another Champions League run? We will have to see.

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Arsenal to the fore!

Arsenal, last night, defeated Champions League holders AC Milan 2-0 at the San Siro - a feat which no English team in history has achieved. Plagued with injuries and inconsistencies, Arsenal were the definite ‘underdogs’ against the Italian giants. Following two half performances from the Gunners in previous weeks in the Premier League, Arsenal were out to prove against their complacency with regard to winning trophies.

Arsenal didn’t seal the game until the closing minutes, however, their absolute defending was impeccable. Defending from the word ‘go’, Arsenal, in the first half, held a strong Milan attack for the entirety of the first half ,whilst also creating chances themselves. A few chances here and there for both sides became the catalyst for an ecstatic and exciting second half to come. The first half saw both Hleb and Adebayor miss possible goals, and Fabregas’ goal line clearance of Maldini’s header also showed that both sides were ready to take the win then and there.

It wasn’t until the second half that the game began to evolve into a fierce battle of elitism. Fabregas, made space out of nothing, throwing the San Siro into an uncommon silence, drilling the ball past opposing defenders into the back of the net - one of those goals that just erupts. From pure silence to intense screaming and chanting. It was only a few minutes later that Adebayor struck in a Walcott pass - a game sealed not only this year, but in the history books.

Arsene Wenger said after the game:

“He (Fabregas) was outstanding, but tonight it is very difficult to single one out,”

“I believe the whole team defended well and attacked well, it was a complete team performance.

“Of course I’m very, very happy tonight. I’m very proud of our performance, we were under pressure to score goals.”

“We will try, that is all we can do,”

“I believe we can, let’s go for it and continue to have that kind of determined attitude.”

A manager of genius, a defence of steel, a midfield of intelligence, and a (weakened) strike force of rage - Arsenal are now in deep, and boy do they plan to finish the job this year. Can Arsenal win the double this year? Is it, now, shaping to end that way? We will have to see.

Arsenal manager rues missed chances against Milan

Have the Gunners missed their chance of qualifying for the quarter finals of the Champions League? Although they managed not to concede an away goal on Wedensday night, Arsene Wenger must be concerned by how profligate his team were in front of goal. The best chance fell to Emmanuel Adebayor in injury-time, yet the striker could only direct his header against the crossbar. The BBC report the Frenchman’s discontent.

“We didn’t take advantages of the chances that we created,” said Wenger.

“We were a bit forceful and a bit nervous in the final third or our finishing situations.

“The positives are that we put them under pressure for a big part of the game and that we didn’t concede a goal.”

Is the Arsenal team’s inexperience starting to show after a disappointing past couple of games? Or will the young Gunners relish the return leg at the San Siro and exploit an ageing Milan team on the counter-attack? It’s all poised nicely for a fortnight’s time.

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Liverpool defender critical of Rafa rotation

Yesterday, COS reported that Frank Lampard was none-too pleased at having to sit out Chelsea’s 0-0 draw in Athens and now The Guardian report that Jamie Carragher is similarly displeased by his club manager’s continual rotation this season. Indeed, when trying to explain why Liverpool are such a different beast in Europe compared to domestically, the central defender was quick to cite that a settled team helps.

“There is just something about us that we are always confident in Europe,” said Carragher. “We fielded our main players as well, which makes a difference, and the sending-off did help us.

“We’ve got four league games before the return and we have to reproduce this level of performance because we want to be in this competition next time as well.”

However, it would be a surprise to see the same XI fielded against Middlesbrough on Saturday, despite the fact that the Reds desperately need three points to stay in the hunt for that fourth Champions League spot. Their recent league form has been poor and perhaps some continuity is vital if they are to finish the season with a flourish.

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‘Frustrated’ Lampard wants games for Chelsea

Chelsea manager Avram Grant left John Terry and Frank Lampard out of the team in Athens during the week - will he do the same for Sunday’s League Cup final against Tottenham? The midfielder certainly hopes not and is clearly frustrated after only getting four minutes on the pitch against Olympiakos to strut his stuff. The Evening Standard reports that Lamps is desperate to play a part at Wembley.

Lampard said: “I felt fresh but the manager didn’t want to take a chance on me and John and we were in the same boat. We understood the reasons for being substitutes. You have to be mature and professional but it doesn’t mean we cannot be frustrated and want to play.

He added: “You would have to ask the manager if it is a fitness thing or rotation but it is very important we get a settled team in the run-in.

“Any good team I have been involved with has had a pretty settled line-up and it will be down to the manager to find that. Any top player wants to play but you have to understand you are in a strong squad.

“I feel very fresh and have a lot in my legs. I never normally have injuries and I don’t want to miss any more games.”

After Tuesday’s very average performance against a modest Greek team, it’s entirely possible Grant will select Lampard for the Spurs match, although it’s clear that the Israeli is very much his own person when it comes to team selection and that nobody is an automatic name on the team-sheet at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United manager has midfield selection headache

You could be forgiven for expecting Manchester United to struggle on Saturday against Arsenal. Before the match, many speculated that a midfield which included Carrick, Fletcher and Nani could come a cropper when faced with the Gunners’ intricate passing game. How wrong that theory proved and the Manchester Evening News reports that Sir Alex Ferguson is now spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a team to face Lyon.

“Today I am lucky I have 22 players here and only Gary and Silvestre not here. It is a fantastic position to be in at this time of the season. If we can keep that it will definitely without question give us a chance.

“The midfield area is where I have the best options. On Saturday we brought a couple of fresh players in, in Fletcher and Carrick, and they were outstanding. You could say I have selection headaches. But when you are picking a team at the level we are at I don’t think you look upon that as a hindrance to achieving the result.”

Will the Scot field an entirely different midfield to the one that played last weekend? It’s clear that Ronaldo, Giggs and Scholes are likely to return to the fold, especially with the latter pair’s Champions League experience. You can also expect some squad rotation for the Red Devils’ visit to St James’ Park on Saturday.

Watch Manchester United streaming video on Sportingo.com, the leading Sports news site.

Chelsea leave out Terry, Lampard and Anelka in Greece

The Guardian report that Chelsea manager Avram Grant is set to take a calculated risk in Greece this evening by leaving out John Terry, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka from his starting XI. It had been widely assumed that the England pair would start against Olympiakos after they both came through the FA Cup clash with Huddersfield with no injury scares or knocks.

However, the Israeli either a) believes that he has enough strenght in depth to win without the trio tonight or b) wants to make sure they’re fresh for Sunday’s Carling Cup final against Tottenham. It might also be argued that they’ve only just recently returned from injury and you wouldn’t want to risk an injury recurrence.

The omission of Anelka is less of a surprise when you consider Didier Drogba’s quality on the European stage, while Grant does tend to favour a 4-5-1 approach in most matches.

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England manager expecting different Liverpool against Italians

There’s a reason for Liverpool fans to be optimistic in the Daily Mail today. They carry quotes from England manager Fabio Capello, who expects Liverpool to once again transform themselves from an average Premier League team right now to European world-beaters. The Reds have won this competition and finished runner-up in the past three seasons and it wouldn’t surprise the Italian if they go on another trailblazing adventure this time around.

He said: “Liverpool, when playing in the Champions League, transform themselves.

“At home they have a lot of support and that’s why they must be taken very seriously.”

Indeed, expect the game against Barnsley to be forgotten when the teams walk out at Anfield tonight. Anfield has a reputation across Europe for the brilliant atmosphere generated for Champions League matches and tonight will be no exception. However, why does it take a European Cup tie to see the very best of the Reds? Why have they not been able to reproduce some of these performances in the Premier League?

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