Manchester United’s Anderson, left, gestures as teammate Carlos Tevez looks on, during a training session ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League final match between Manchester United and Barcelona, at the Rome Olympic stadium, Tuesday, May 26, 2009. AP Photo/Jon Super
The suggestion that UEFA conspired to knock Chelsea out of the Champions League can be put to rest. The inference that Europe’s governing body were desperate for an historically important final is a joke. UEFA proved long ago that they care little for history by revamping the European Cup in the first place.
When UEFA introduced a group stage to what was then the European Cup in 1992-93 – thereby creating the re-branded Champions League – it signalled an awareness that football had transcended its working class roots and become a multi-million dollar industry in its own right.
And while the face of European football has changed irrevocably, from the loss of the Cup Winner’s Cup to the G14 and beyond, few could begrudge the purists for purring in anticipation as Manchester United squared up to Barcelona in Rome.
When the dust settles on what was hopefully an epic Champions League final overnight, all the talk will be of the showdown between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Few will still be grumbling about conspiracy theories – the odd Chelsea fan aside.
My friend Morten is a life-long fan of Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt, and having long ago relocated to Oslo, he often flies home and away to support his team.
After one particularly galling defeat away at Aalesunds last year, he fumed at having to share the same plane home as the referee – whom Morten labelled “incompetent.”
The referee in question? None other than Tom Henning Ovrebo.
But Ovrebo’s performance in the semi-final, second-leg between Chelsea and Barcelona will be confined to the annals of history by the time United and the Catalans run out at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Hopefully it’s a final that lives up to all the hype – particularly after last year’s showpiece event fell slightly short in Moscow.
Any doubts as to the global significance of the Champions League final should be dispelled by the size of the media circus that descended upon Rome.
If you flicked on CNN or the BBC in the build-up to the game, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the world was about to stop turning – at least for ninety minutes.
Given the calibre of the two clubs in question, it’s no surprise that interest in this year’s final reached such frenzied proportions.
Manchester United need no introduction, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side hoping to become the first team to defend a Champions League title since the introduction of the new format.
Likewise, Barcelona are one of the biggest names in world football.
But it’s the style of football on display from Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering outfit that has everybody talking.
I’ve been lucky enough to catch most of Barça’s games on pay TV this year and while critics swooned over their 6-2 demolition of Real Madrid this month, the Catalans were equally ruthless in coming from behind to hammer Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in the recent Spanish Cup final.
Their free-flowing football has drawn widespread acclaim, even if their tendency to pontificate endlessly as flag-bearers of Catalan nationalism irks some – not the least their diametrically opposed city rivals Espanyol.
For neutrals the showdown between United and Barça represents a dream finale to what is undoubtedly the premier football competition in Europe.
UEFA supremo Michel Platini may be determined to strip back some power from Europe’s biggest clubs – not surprising, since former champions like Steaua Bucharest and Red Star Belgrade are these days largely forgotten – but even Platini must be pleased with the grandiose match-up between two of Europe’s undisputed elite.
Here’s hoping the 2009 Champions League final is remembered first and foremost for the football on the pitch.
The Stadio Olimpico is a notorious hotspot for hooliganism, and Roman police rarely hesitate to wade in with batons swinging – particularly when English fans are involved.
One thing is certain: this year’s Champions League final is one for the ages – if only for the unprecedented media coverage it has generated across the globe.
Hopefully the game itself lived up to all expectations.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
sj you're right - you deserve plenty of kudos for the Fantasy EPL win - it's a long season, and to stay top of it is a might effort - congrats!! (sj, from memory, I was disappointed that you took the bait on Chelsea so easily! but hey - who's lauging now!!)
Slippery Jim
Guest
Eh? I disappoint you? Why??? Greg's stats get praised and mine cause only disappointment? What a strange world we live in... And not a word about my Fantasy EPL victory from anyone - nows that's disappointing, Pippu!
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Never a truer word said - I'm outta here too!!
Art Sapphire
Guest
Hey Pip - as Ernest said "An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools.' I am out of here - have a good weekend :)
Pippinu
Roar Guru
sj you disappoint me
Slippery Jim
Guest
Pippu, I'm not sure you are aware, but it was later in the season that Chelsea beat Arsenal 4-1 at the Emirates. Opta stats show Chelsea are the most attacking side in the EPL over the course of the season - with more shots on goal than any other club (248). Chelsea also set an EPL record this season for most consecutive away wins (11) and were the strongest club away from home this season. They also had the highest pass accuracy rate in the EPL (81%). So Chelsea hardly flattered to deceive, in fact it is our latter form that was title winning, not our former form in which the sadly inadequate Scolari had one or two good games but lost crucial points until he was replaced by the mighty Guus. Still, I do remember that first game of the season with special fondness...
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Mike and another thing about Catalan sympathisers, your observation that the Western world over-romantices it is well made - I make one point - blame Hemingway!! As male sporting enthusiasts (which most of us are to at least some degree), how could we not be influenced by Hemingway's tales in which men are men, and those lacking in cojones get their just rewards (and where the women don't mind a man with smelly armpits and a bit of stubble on the face).
Pippinu
Roar Guru
That Man Utd stat doesn't surprise - at no stage did they ever really get into a groove on course to defending their title. Liverpool dropped a few too many gimme 3 pointers (and Chelsea flattered to deceive, looking like the new Arsenal during the first 90 minutes of the season - alas - that was their high point). Art - I already said I believed the story!!
Robbos
Guest
Greg, so in cricket terms. Man U are Flat Track Bullies.
Art Sapphire
Guest
Mike & Pip - lets not forget that during Franco's Spain the only way to publicly express your Catalonian and Basque identity was at the football ground. This is why clubs like Barca and Bilbao are more than just football clubs. You still have to be Basque to play for Bilbao. Its quite an anachronistic position in today's modern football but then again football is not all about winning trophies. Pip - the story I recounted to you yesterday was quite true. Greg - great observation. Liverpool certainly fluffed their lines this season.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Pippinu - that's fair enough, and very interesting to note. And Greg - fantastic statistic! It certainly paints Manchester United's achievements this season in an interesting light.
Greg Russell
Roar Guru
How many people are aware of the following (information from a hopefully reputable source): "In Premier League against the bottom 12 teams MU got 70 of 72 points. Against the top 7 teams they got 20 points from 42. Against the other top 4 teams they got 5 points from 18. So for MU to struggle against a good team was expected."
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Well Mike - as you would know - the Spanish Civil War was the last of the great lost causes - of course it's romanticised to buggery!! I have other reasons for being an unabashed Catalan sympathiser (being a desecendant of a former subject of the Aragonese crown - which harks back to a time when Sicilian was viewed as a national language, and spoken alongside Catalan amongst the noblesse of Palermo, Catania and Messina - many traces of Catalan remain within my mother tongue to this day).
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
I had tipped Barcelona months ago to win the European crown. I watched every one of their La Liga games on TV (and plenty of Manchester United's) and I simply couldn't see anyone beating them in Europe... although obviously they scraped through against Chelsea by the skin of their teeth. I'm just wondering why Catalan nationalism is so unquestioningly romanticised in much of the western world? I've got friends (from the region) who call themselves Barcelona fans that have never seen a game of football in their lives. Are we equally romantic towards a club like Athletic Bilbao? Perhaps not, since bombs still detonate in the name of the Basque (quasi Marxist-Leninist) separatist movement. And yes, I'm well aware of the fractured history of federalised Spain (Phil Ball's wonderful "Morbo" takes pride of place in my extensive football library).
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
Barcelona looked good this morning however I was surprised by Manchester United's response following the first goal. They were all over Barcelona yet seemed to lose that aggression after 10 minutes. One cannot help but wonder if a team gets that used to being in front and dominating that when they find themselves on the receiving end they are not sure how to respond. I thought the ref and linesmen were ok this morning. Pippinu, I saw an article on goal.com which had the most popular teams in China following a poll of unknown veracity. You may be saddened to learn that the most popular team is AC Milan, followed by Real Madrid and then Man U. Apparently they were surprised to find that a number of Chinese sides made the top 15.
Kazama
Roar Guru
Pippinu - No worries mate Mick - Liverpool were extremely lucky in 2005 IMO. They nearly went out in the group stage but for Gerrard's last-gasp goal against Olympiakos. And while I'll maintain that the goal against us in the semi was never a goal, the fact is the ref should have stopped play before that because of the high boot by Baros in the lead up to the "goal."
Robbos
Guest
Barcelona best team in Europe. Maldini is absolute legend. Xavi & Inesita, wow what midfielders, this is how to play, won't be betting against Spain in WC2010. Messi totally awesome, he doesn't actually beat players but runs with the ball as if there is no defenders there. Ronaldo had no support. Rooney, Park, Carrick & vidic were poor. Van der Saar I thought could've done better. Henry missed a sitter, if Barcelona lost, Henry goes missing in big matches again would be headlines. Who is Chelsea?
Slippery Jim
Guest
Mick, hmm...let's see one so-called penalty at Camp Nou, Four (at least) at Stamford Bridge, and the aggregate score would have been Chelsea 5 Barca 2. Sorry, can't say I agree that Chelsea were lucky. And yes, Milan fans and fans of other Spanish clubs on the wrong side of certain decisions to complain, and for years later. I quote one Milan fan, in a comment made three years after the UCL fina in which Gerrard was awarded that penalty (in discussion of another controversial decision): "such a shame to see a player like gerrard do a thing like this[a dive against Atletico Madrid]..............he is a bit of a hypocrite in that he chastises those who dive and yet he is a performer of highest order in diving.............champions league final 2005 istanbul ring a bell? giancarlo knows what im talking about. great player........huge hypocrite" "Yes any Milan fans know what you're talking about. Gerrard is a cheater and always have been one. This doesn't surprise me" "He most certainly did dive. I did watch the game, and the referee should have given Atletico at least two penalty kicks. The score would have been 3-1 at the end with Atletico winning" etc. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article5191537.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=796995 Fans of Spanish club Atletico Madrid even made death threats to a referee that awarded that penalty to Liverpool. In 2007 a Spanish referee received more than 50 death threats to himself and his family from Real Madrid fans for awarding two controversial penalties and sending off two Real Madrid players. His six year old daughter even received abuse in the park for her fathers performance, being told that her father "ruined things for Real".
Art Sapphire
Guest
Barca's successful youth system makes me think about the West Ham's. The sad difference is that my beloved Hammers are not big enough to keep all the players they have developed. Otherwise, we might have been be playing in the UCL final against Barca with a team comprising of Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard and a few choice imports. Oh well, I can always dream.
Mick
Guest
Chelsea were lucky the referee save them in the first leg otherwise there would of been no point playing the second leg. Liverpool won in 2005 helped by (1) a dive in the box by gerard in the finalbut i did not hear the milan supporters whinging (2) liverpool in the semi of 2005 v chelsea with a goal where the ball never crossed the line and (3) liverpool's opponents in the 1/4s i think had a good goal ruled out for offside when the bloke was onside for 1 to 2 metres. 2005 would be the biggest conspiracy if any, if chelsea were good enough they would of put barca away in the 2nd leg especially when barca had 10 players on the pitch. I