Milan 2 -2 Werder Bremen (agg 3 - 3 ) --- Werder through on away goals

One word. Shock.

If talent was the only criterion, AC Milan is the Strongest team in the world today.

Milan Lineup against Bremen - Second leg (Age in brackets)
* Dida (35)
* Gianluca Zambrotta (31)
* Philippe Senderos (23)
* Paolo Maldini (40)
* Giuseppe Favalli (37) (Sub : Jankulovski (31) 77')
* David Beckham (33)
* Andrea Pirlo (29)
* Massimo Ambrosini (31)
* Clarence Seedorf (32)(Sub : Flamini (24) 54')
* Pato (19)
* Filippo Inzaghi (35) (Sub: Shevchenko (32) 62')

The average age of the players on field is 31, even with a 19 year old Pato on the field. Only two persons in the starting XI were under 25 and one of them is on loan from Arsenal. Sad story, but true. The team may boast of some of the greatest talents in the game and it was also evident by the way they went up 2 - 0 in the first half, but age gets up with people, however fit they may be. Diego, Frings and Rosenborg running through Milan only proves the same. Pizarro just had to head in a perfect free kick and a straight forward cross. The Milan wall is not something that can be broken by a newbie future-star like Diego Ribas da Cunha, but he did manage to do that on more than one occasion. Werder Bremen outplayed Milan, no doubt.

It is great news on one hand that yet another German Club is making waves in Europe, but Milan! Milan is one of my favorite teams and after this match, I would strongly vote AGAINST securing Beckham for over 10M. Milan needs young talent, people who can run 90 minutes and look for more (more people like Pato, that is). Beckham is immensely talented, no doubt, but he is 32 already and would be a waste of time and money, to say the least.

Let's see where the leak is.

To begin with, Ronaldinho (28). He is most definitely a great signing. Fits in well with the laid back style of Milan. Someone who can be brutal in counter attack. Great free kicks. Clap Clap Clap.

Dida (35). He's old. But he's still good. The point of great concern here, though, is that Abbiati is 31 and Kalac is 36. The only way out for Milan, now, is to sign a great keeper from another club once Dida decides to go. No other options.

Gianluca Zambrotta (31),Philippe Senderos (23), Paolo Maldini (40), Giuseppe Favalli (37), Jankulovski (31), Nesta (32) :
A defence with an average age of 35, and a loaned defender who's 23. Not a great sign either. Jankulovski is good, Zambrotta is terrific. Maldini and Favalli are Legends, but they are too old and should be utilised only for a max of 50 or 60 minutes in a game for greater efficiency. Senderos has to be signed if possible and another young defender needs to come in, depending on which of the two (favalli & Maldini) are leaving sooner.

David Beckham (33). Great talent. Fits in well, but we don't need him for that money. Unless, of course, if he decides Milan is his last club. It's not like there are no other great right wingers in the game.

Andrea Pirlo (29), Massimo Ambrosini (31), Clarence Seedorf (32) :
The Three Mid-skateers. Great Midfield. No doubts.

Flamini (24), Gattuso (31), kaka (26) :
Gattuso should feature in the previous list, but he is yet to be the presence in Milan that he is for Italy. These three are the future Legends of the club and should be treasured.

Pato (19) : Great talent. looking forward to seeing more of his tricks in the future. :)

Filippo Inzaghi (35), Shevchenko (32) :
These two players sharing 90 minutes of field time is most acceptable. The two styles are entirely different from each other and they can define Milan's counter-attacking / attacking mood respectively. A replacement like Sergio Aguero (Atletico) would be great for this position in the future.

Defence is where I see a leak. What do you think?

And we missed one Kaka in the midfield a lot at San Siro. Let's at least chuck Juve out of the top 2 in serie-A and save some face.

Any Milan fans out there? Your views please!

UEFA Champions League 2009 - The second leg of the Round of 16

Sheesh, this is more boring than I thought. Happens.. Especially when there's no one who's gonna read it :P So, I am going to keep this short. If Someone at any football site is reading this, contact me! Most interested to write my life away. :)

Okay.

To begin with, Barcelona will definitely make it to the QF. Anyone who sees how they are performing as a team in La Liga will agree with me.

I do not know much about either Villareal or Panathinaikos to talk in length about their encounter.

Porto can get through if they can only manage to stop Sergio Aguero.

And yea, well..

First Leg : Liverpool 1 - 0 Real Madrid

Rafael Benitez has (once again) been hailed by the Media as the European Gold master, while I guess the same people were agreeing with the "Rafa has to go" campaign as recently as a week ago. Just a quick reminder. He has to put together his Premier League side too. And yes, another news in his favour would be parry leaving Anfield.

The Gates of Anfield have scared every major European team that walked through, and Madrid would be yet another one. Anfield on an European night is so Red that the visitors who come there don't even search for a win. And this time too, it will be no different.

If any man can make a difference to this equation, it would be Arjen Robben. Raul has been great as usual. But Liverpool can handle him with ease. I have lost any faith in Juande Ramos if at all I had any. But then, he needs more time to get his act together, and Anfield would be the most important match of the season for him. A win may not mean anything, but a loss would send him out crashing for sure.

Torres limping is NOT good news, on the other hand. Gerrard getting some taste of the ball is a good sign, and he has always been a great presence in European outings, much larger than life. Alonso has been exquisite with his long shots, and is a pleasure to watch, even when you don't support Liverpool.

Prediction? Tough one. Unless Robben runs through Liverpool, it's another 1 - 0 for the Anfield side. And the goal may come from Hyypia or someone. More prediction? A header, probably. :P

Gimme a treat if this turns out to be the case.

UEFA Champions League 2009 - The second leg of the Round of 16

First Leg : Bayern 5 - 0 Sporting

Bayern rules! And it is the perfect time to show the world what they are capable of doing. The Germans are back on the European map and how!

The biggest concern for Bayern would be consistency. They lose one match miserably and dominate the next. This is not a great sign for a world class team. Given the immensely talented squad and an impressive home record, the Second leg would be more of a formality...Bayern's through!

I sincerely hope that this year, Bayern will do enough to get this bad feeling away from me.. The feeling that I am the only person in Bangalore who follows Bundesliga results.

Ribery's form reached its peak in the last match. Something I have not seen before from him. Klose, his usual composed self, Schweini & Rensing under performing a little, Lahm at his usual best and Luca Toni finally finding his feet. In the second leg though, my bet is that Klinsmann will give more field time to Altintop, Podolski and Borowski, and less time to van Bommel, given his booking status. Resting Toni would do their Bundesliga quest a world of good.

No comments about Sporting. There's no way out of this.

Prediction? It's a certainty.

UEFA Champions League 2009 - The second leg of the Round of 16

First Leg: Chelsea 1 - 0 Juventus

One Straight point. I did not expect this first leg result. I was expecting a 0 - 0. Drogba put in an early goal, and that could just manage to take Chelsea through to the next round.

Guus Hiddink will be a happy man. There is always the fear of Juve squeezing a draw back home. And this victory will put that fear behind. Juve will have to attack now, atleast in the last 30 minutes. And judging by the first leg, blocking delPiero and Nedved could be an easier assignment to take care of for Guus than we'd have imagined. But then, accept the bitter piil, Chelsea were more unconvincing than ever before at Stamford Bridge, and that is a point of concern for the English Club.

That could well be the case Ranieri will be dreaming about.. Yet another such display from Chelsea. He has a biggg task on his hands, and unless Chelsea fail to deliver miserably, he can kiss this league Goodbye. Add to it the not so convincing recent home record for the Italians. The only thing he can harp on is the second place in Serie - A, ahead of AC Milan. If they can manage that, why not this! Also, Nedved will be ready to give his best ahead of his retirement. So, Juve can turn out to be that magic pot which doesn't even know what it will throw up next!

My Prediction. Chelsea's through, either with a draw or with an Anelka brace.

UEFA Champions League 2009 - The second leg of the Round of 16

First leg : Manchester United FC 0 - 0 FC Internazionale Milano

Manchester United, going by reviews, looked every bit the better side at Milan, but the fact is, it could not get that elusive away-goal. Several media reports claim SAF won the first round against Jose Mourinho in this bout, but I seriously doubt it. Going by the game, yes. Going by results, No. Because at the end of it all, Results are all that matter.

Starting with Mourinho's side. Inter has got a consistent away record of late, winning all of their recent matches. Mourinho has been there at Old Trafford and done that before. Zlatan, for the second leg, should be in a freaking kicking mood, after he was criticised for failing 'again' against an English side. He's netted 14 times in the Serie-A this season so far and that's not bad by any yardstick. If I were SAF, I'd watch out. And I bet he will, too. Other people who could prove decisive are Zanetti and Cesar, with Cesar widely believed to be on top of his game, and a better bet than Edwin van Der Sar at the moment. One match of importance, leading up to the second leg, could be the upcoming Roma - Inter match this week.

ManU has been equally consistent of late too, if not better. Rooney, Ronaldo and Berbatov should prove a very tough challenge for the Inter defence, but given that Inter would look at drawing the match, if they get away with an early goal, it is ManU's defence that comes under the scanner. Again here, we are looking at consistency and a team that is setting a record of sorts with the number of clean sheets this season. Van der sar will be the key on the European Night, one more time.

ManU are comfortably placed, but one shocker of a strike from Zlatan or Adriano or the solid old Inter horses in the Midfield could just seal it then and there.

Prediction? Fingers crossed, that's all.

All the Best to Jose Mourinho, though. If he can pull this rabbit, he is most definitely "the Special One" out there.

UEFA Champions League 2009 - The second leg of the Round of 16

First leg : Arsenal 1 - 0 Roma

We start with Arsene Wenger's side. A side, I'd say, that is very low on Morale and confidence, whatever you may say. A match without Fabregas or Arshavin will not be their pick, but it has to stay that way. Bendtner, though better than Ade, is misfiring more often than not, and that should remain on the top of Arsene's to-do list before sending the team out for the second leg. Arsenal's defence has been outstanding, to say the least. But their strikers find it increasingly difficult with every game. Eduardo's return match was the only saving grace. If he's in shape for the second leg without any further injuries, Arsenal could walk away with the away goal and the progression. If not, it's going to be a tough encounter.

Roma, on the other hand, have lost one and drawn one match out of the last two games away from home in Serie-A, but have convincingly won their home fixtures. This should be their confidence booster. When a club like Atalanta (the last game away from home) could beat them 3 - 0, Arsenal could manage only a 1 - 0. Oh, but I am not sure if they played their full strength in that league match. Roma has proven in the past that they could be deadly in set pieces, and given Chelsea found it hard at Rome last time it went there, we are in for a Roma Special!

My Prediction for the Second Leg.

It's either

Arsenal 0 - 0 Roma
(or)
Arsenal 1 - 1 Roma

Either way, We can hope to see more of RVP this year in Europe.

Gavin Strachan - Kids training

One useful post from Gavin Strachan for BBC..

Check it out

Arsenal 4 - 0 Cardiff

Eduardo : I am back!