What would be the key clash in the Champs League final tomorrow morning?

ONE OF the most eagerly anticipated games of the season will take place later tomorrow morning, as Manchester United face Barcelona in the Champions League final in Rome.

Both sides boasts of top players – such as Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney – and reputations of playing beautiful, free-flowing football, even though United seems likely to adopt a defensive stance to frustrate Barcelona’s awesome strike-force (read Soccernet story on Sir Alex Ferguson’s comments here).

Looking at the possible line-ups for both teams, the clash between which two players is most likely to affect the outcome of the final?

Is it the midfield battle between Michael Carrick and Andreas Iniesta? Or is it the duel between Patrice Evra and Messi? Or maybe it’s between the determined British bulldog Rooney and the ageing but experience Carlos Puyol?

What are your thoughts?

Blues deserve expected UEFA backlash?

Understandable Rage? (Picture: Jon Super/AP)

AFTER all it is football and what a boring world it would be without passion.

But where do we draw the line? Didier Drogba looked to have crossed it and even Michael Ballack’s running and gesticulating after the referee during the game could be called into question. Surely though footballers are allowed to be human. With so much money and pride on the line, it would seem inhuman if the boys in blue walked off without so much as a whimper.

Now we await Tom Henning Ovrebo’s match report and the expected fines and suspensions that UEFA will mete out to Chelsea and their angry players on the night.

Given time you could expect Drogba, Ballack and Jose Bosingwa to regret their actions and put it down to everything seemingly going against them at home on a couple of crucial decisions. Also, it was not as though they kung-fu kicked anyone.

Do you think the Blues deserve the stick they are getting? Football is a game of passion and will the expected clamp down by UEFA possibly infringe on the human element in the game?

Will Rio’s absence swing the Premiership title race?

MANCHESTER United are one foot into the Champions League final, thanks to John O’Shea’s solitary goal in the first-leg semi-final at Old Trafford early this morning.

But the victory comes at a price, as centreback Rio Ferdinand could be out for the rest of the season with a cracked rib, pending further tests.

This comes at a time where United’s backline is just looking more confident following its recent shakiness, notably in games where Sir Alex Ferguson had to rely on central defensive pairings other than the usual Ferdinand-Vidic axis.

United are currently leading Liverpool by three points, with a game in hand, but United have some tough opponents in their remaining five league matches – against Manchester City at home on 10 May, and a home game against Arsenal the following weekend.

Given how United looked so frail without Ferdinand and Vidic together in the heart of defence, and how Liverpool have come into form in March, will Ferdinand’s injury swing the fate of the Premiership race this season yet again?

What would Fergie’s and Wenger’s starting lineups be like tomorrow morning?

(Picture: AFP)

SIR ALEX Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are set to renew their long-standing rivalry tomorrow morning (Singapore time) as Manchester United face Arsenal in the first-leg Champions League semi-final at Old Trafford.

The two managers have fought epic managerial battles since the Frenchman took charge of the London club in 1996, with sly jabs thrown in either direction from time to time.

And given the recent circumstances, it would be interesting to see how both managers will select their starting lineups.

For United, the spotlight will fall squarely on its front-line. United’s Wayne Rooney and company had to rely on the introduction of Carlos Tevez against Spurs to spark a stirring second-half comeback. The 4-2-4 formation – with Rooney, Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Cristiano Ronaldo – tore into the Lilywhites’ defence and put five past a hapless Heurelho Gomes, who had been outstanding in the first half.

United certainly need to score goals, given that they are again faced with the unfamiliar situation of playing at home in the first-leg, but Fergie will surely remember how Arsenal dominated the midfield in their 2-1 victory over the Red Devils earlier this season, and scheme to prevent a similar situation.

For Arsenal, changes are afoot, with Andrei Arshavin cup-tied and Robin van Persie and Eduardo doubtful due to injury. Wenger has been quoted as saying that he is considering moving Samir Nasri – the star of the Gunners’ 2-1 victory over United last November – to a central holding midfield position or the left flank to plug the gap left by Arshavin’s absence.

If you were Ferguson or Wenger, how would you select the players for your starting lineup, and what formation would you use?

Is United’s unpredictability harming them instead?

IT SUDDENLY struck me as I was watching the Porto-United game early this morning, and trying to look at the game from a tactical point of view.

Is it me or is United’s front-line resembling more and more like a disorganised volleyball formation? Let me explain.

You know how volleyball player rotate positions clockwise after gaining a serve? Well, watching United these days is something like that, only that it is not as systematic as volleyball.

It used to be just Cristiano Ronaldo switching flanks with Ryan Giggs/Park Ji-Sung/Nani, but these days you would see CR7 as the targetman, while Dimitar Berbatov in a deeper playmaking midfield position, while Rooney literally has a free role on the field.

Sure, this free-flowing, fast-switching strategy is cool and could theoretically confuse opposing defenders into conceding more spaces and opportunities than more traditional rigid formations, but is this laissez faire form of attacking football confusing United players as well?

How can United beat Porto at home tomorrow morning?

LIVERPOOL almost did it this morning, the question now is – can United muster one of their legendary comebacks against Porto tomorrow morning?

While the task that lies ahead of United does not seem as insurmountable as Liverpool’s – who had to win by at least three goals; or two goals, provided Liverpool scored four or more.

In contrast, United are going into the second leg level at 2-2, but the thing is: Porto have not lost to British opposition in the competition in 21 games. That is a record stretching back in 1967!

So if you were Sir Alex Ferguson, how would you line up your team tomorrow night to ensure United’s passage through to the next round?

Do bear in mind these facts:

– Rio Ferdinand is back in contention after injury, but could be rusty.
– Darren Fletcher has been ruled out by injury
– Anderson and Dimitar Berbatov are available
– Frederico Macheda scored two goals in two games, both coming on as late substitutes
– Cristiano Ronaldo has been lacklustre at best, although occasional flashes of brilliance saw him scoring goals against Aston Villa
– Gary Neville’s age and lack of pace was cruelly exposed by Hulk in the first leg

Reds vs Blues – the English version

THE question on the lips of most football fans by now is if Liverpool can mount another legendary comeback against Chelsea in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge tomorrow morning.

Bearing in mind Liverpool’s poor record against Chelsea (they have never scored more than two goals against the Blues in recent seasons), and the fact that Chelsea are playing at home, there is still widespread optimism that Liverpool can overcome these extraordinary circumstances to advance to the semi-finals.

But who can fault the optimism? After all, several factors do work in Liverpool’s favour – the Miracle of Istanbul, the memory of Hillsborough, and – not least – the fact that Chelsea conceded three goals in eight minutes against Bolton over the weekend.

If you were Rafa Benitez, what would be your line-up and strategy to beat Chelsea by three goals?

Or if you prefer to in Guus Hiddink’s shoes: what would be your strategy to shackle Liverpool, bearing in mind that Liverpool will probably find ways to circumvent Michael Essien’s shackling of Steven Gerrard?

What went wrong with Liverpool this morning?

FOR A team that has been riding high since the 4-0 mauling of Real Madrid in the Champions League last month, Liverpool’s stunning run was brought to an end early this morning with a 3-1 defeat by Chelsea at Anfield.

The Reds started brightly enough though, taking the lead in the 4th minute through Fernando Torres, but it soon fell apart soon enough.

What do you think was the main cause of Liverpool’s defeat? Was it the effective shackling of Steven Gerrard by Michael Essien, or was it the ineffective zonal marking when Liverpool defended its corners? Or maybe it was a poor performance for Lucas, who was deputising for the suspended Javier Mascherano?

On a side note, it could just be me, but Liverpool suffered another blip in their form after flying high in the previous games, straight after Rafa Benitez made comments about Sir Alex Ferguson.

In January, it was about Fergie’s influence on referees and the fixtures list, and recently it was about Fergie being scared stiff by a resurgent Liverpool. Quite a coincidence, isn’t it?

What is your dream Champions League q-final match?

THE Champions League quarter-final draw will take place later this evening, with English teams making up half of the field.

Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Porto and Villarreal will find out who they will face after 7pm (Singapore time), when the draw will take place at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Which possible match would prove to be the most exciting for you, and why?

Will financial regulation save English football?

UEFA is planning to revamp rules that could affect the participation of English clubs in European competition, according to an article by TimesOnline.

Europe’s governing body for football, along with the European Club Association, has tabled a proposal limiting club expenditure – in terms of players’ wages and transfers – if they wish to compete in the Champions League or the Europa League (presently the Uefa Cup).

Under the plan, “clubs could spend no more than a certain percentage — yet to be determined, but thought to be between 50 and 70 per cent — of turnover on wages and transfers,” according to the TimesOnline article.

For example, if Manchester United earns $100m a year and the limt is set at 50 per cent, then the Red Devils would only be able to spend $5m in transfers if their annual wage bill comes up to $45m.

This could profoundly affect Premiership clubs, given that they routinely spend more than two-thirds of their turnover on wages and transfers.

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: It’s about time someone does something about the state of football in England.

For years, players’ wages and transfer fees have been escalating to absurd levels, and the cost has been passed on to the fans, either through ticket prices, merchandise or television rights.

The move may lessen the attraction of the Premiership to foreign stars such as Robinho and Kaka, but it may just prove to be the move that will save English football.