The Quarter-final Game of this Years Edition of the UEFA Champions League Chelsea vs Manchester United

In one of my previous posts one discussed about the quarter-final draws of the UEFA Champions League. You can click here to view it. In the draws, we have the quarter-final match  which is the encounter between Chelsea  and Man  U.  The draws were made some weeks ago. But alas the time has come for the matches to be played especially the on between Chelsea and Man U.Well no doubt, this is the match that most soccer-loving fans around the world would be looking forward to view at home or in any of the viewing centers around the world.
The question that will be answered that day after the 2 legs is this "Who among the 2 will qualify for the last 4?" It is not going to be an easy game for either side no doubt. WE are likely to see a lot of high temper in that game. This is because neither of them will want to concede easily. But  Man U may be happy to know that  they don't have to worry about Chelsea's new signing David Luiz because he  is not eligible to play for  Chelsea  in the  Champions  League this season  having  played for Benfica earlier on. But they may have to worry about  going past Ramires  and John Obi Mikel. Chelsea  FC on the other hand may have to worry on how to keep the likes of Chicharito, Valencia and Rooney off their post and how to break through Manchester United FC's defence. Well Drogba seems to be regaining his form and this may not be impossible. Nonetheless, one thing is sure the match is going to be a cracker. 

Chelsea FC Breaking The Man City Jinx.

Just this Sunday, the game between Chelsea FC and Manchester City. The game was played at Stanford Bridge the home of Chelsea. The game ended with Chelsea defeating Manchester City by 2 goals to nothing.
For 2 seasons now if I remember rightly, it seemed as though Manchester City was dominating Chelsea. Last season, they won Chelsea both home and away. Again this season, Manchester City were the first to win Chelsea thus ending Chelsea's unbeaten run in the league. So seemed that Chelsea now had a Manchester City complex. But all of these ended this Sunday just gone by.
When the game started, it seemed that, Manchester City were having the upper hand. But gradually, Chelsea was coming into the game. But when the second half started, it was Chelsea who had the game under control. With the introduction of Drogba and Anelka it was just a matter of minutes before David Luiz opened the scoring for Chelsea after which Ramires sealed it up scoring the second goal in the dying minutes of the game. Thus it ended Chelsea 2, Manchester City 0.

The Champions League Draws.

Just last week Friday, the draws of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League was made. These are the fixtures made.

Real Madrid vs. Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea vs. Man U.

Barcelona vs. Shaktar.

Inter vs. Schalke.

Looking at the fixtures, one start from the first one mentioned.

Real Madrid vs. Tottenham Hotspur.

Well this is an interesting but a very tough encounter between the 2 sides. Real Madrid are favourites but Tottenham cannot be under-estimated. Looking at both sides, Tottenham looks more coordinated right from the defence through the midfield to the attack than Real Madrid. But one must not forget that Real Madrid has an intelligent and no nonsense tactician in the person of Jose Muorinho. Therefore the game is really going to be a tough one. One must not fail to mention that also Tottenham Hotspur have Harry Redknaap who is also a good manager and tactician.

Chelsea vs. Man U.

To me, this is the toughest of all the fixtures, the one that fans of both clubs will prefer not to have at this stage of the competition if given the choice. But as it is one of them must lose and the other win. Chelsea will be on a revenge mission while Man U will want to confirm their supremacy over Chelsea at the Champion's League. But either way one of the 2 teams will their opponent easy to win. But one thing is sure, one of them will be eliminated when the other progresses.

Barcelona vs. Shakter.

Well this is another cracker of a match. But to me Barcelona may not have much problems overrunning Shaktar. Why one is saying this is because of the quality of players Barcelona has and their free flowing pattern consisting of very accurate passes that they possess. This is why even other strong teams in the world dread to meet Barcelona. Well one is not under-estimating Shaktar here, but will they be able to overcome the highly technical and skillful Barcelona? The answer will be provided after the legs of the game.

Inter vs. Schalke.

Well on paper, this tie looks too easy for Inter. But to me their qualification to this stage was not that impressive. Again we must not forget that Schalke shocked Valencia to reach this stage. So it may not be an easy game after all. None of them must underrate the other because if they do, they might be sent packing out of the competition.

The Carling Cup Final

Well it has been long overdue that one ought to have written on the Carling Cup Final between Arsenal FC and Birmingham City.
Prior to this match, many soccer followers including the writer had given the game to Arsenal FC. They thought that the match will just be an easy ride for Arsenal to capture the Carling Cup Trophy but this was not to be the case. All of us who are current in knowing the latest about soccer know the scores. The match ended 2-1 in favour of Birmingham City. Therefore Arsenal is yet to break the jinx of not winning a trophy since 2005.
From the start of that game, Birmingham City did not hide their desire to win the trophy. So they stunned Arsenal by scoring the first goal of the game. They enjoyed this lead until Van Persie equalized for Arsenal some few minutes before half-time.
Then came the second half. As usual, Arsenal kept piling up the pressure on Birmingham. Credit must be given to the Birmingham City goalkeeper who prevented Arsenal from scoring more goals. Nevertheless Arsenal's pressure on Birmingham almost paid off when Nasri's shot hit the cross-bar.
But not long after this Birmingham came out of their shell and started to pester Arsenal's defense. A striker of Birmingham also saw his shot hitting the upright.
Then came the dying minutes when the unexpected happened. The manager of Birmingham brought in Obafemi Martins in place of one of the strikers. About 3 minutes to the end of the game, Obafemi Martins taking advantage of the misunderstanding between the Arsenal goalkeeper and one of the central defenders of Arsenal scored Birmingham's winning goal and that was it.
From Arsenal's point of view, the Carling Cup was a glorious chance to win a trophy which was thrown to the winds. The only competition in which they have a chance to win a trophy is the English Premier League (EPL). If they win all their remaining games in the EPL, they will be crowned champions. But to do this they must overcome 2 strong opponents which are Man U and Liverpool FC. How they can achieve this remains to be seen.
Then to every Arsenal fan, the Carling Cup was an opportunity to win a trophy which was wasted.

Arsenal’s Trophiless Situation Continues.

Well, it was widely reported at the start of this soccer season that Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger made a declaration that Arsenal will end its trophiless nightmare by winning the quadruple this season. It seemed as though Arsene Wenger was making good his boast but then a few disappointments and they were languishing in the 3rd spot of the English Premier League. Later they recovered and now they are second just 3 points behind Man U and still with a game in hand. In other competitions like the Carling Cup, F.A Cup and the UEFA Champions League, their performance was impressive until you know the rest of the story.
Well the most painful part of the story was the Carling Cup. All of the strong opponents of Arsenal FC on paper were eliminated from the competition before Arsenal got to meet them. West Ham eliminated Man U in the quarter- finals; Chelsea was eliminated by Newcastle United who defeated them in front of their home fans at Stanford Bridge. Newcastle was then defeated by Arsenal. Arsenal succeeded triumphing over all their opponents until they reached the finals. They were left with just Birmingham City to beat to capture the Carling Cup. But this was not to be the case. Birmingham stunned Arsenal at Cardiff City scoring the winning goal at the dying minutes of the game. The goal was scored by the Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins after a misunderstanding between an Arsenal central defender and the Arsenal goalkeeper. It was the second goal of Birmingham City. As you know the game ended 2-1 in favor of Birmingham.
After this came the game against Barcelona. Arsenal won the first leg at home by 2 goals to 1 but under controversial circumstances lost at Camp Nou 1-3 to Barcelona. As a result of this, they were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League. To compound to their woes, they have also crashed out of the F.A Cup thanks to their 0-2 loss to Manchester United. the only trophy they are left with to win is the English Premier League (EPL). As mentioned earlier, they are currently 3 points behind Man U with a game in hand. If they win all their remaining games they will be crowned the new EPL Champions. But the question is how feasible or possible it is for Arsenal to win all their remaining games looking at the injury worries plaguing the squad. Again they strong games to play against Man U and Liverpool FC. Looking at their consistency one may be tempted to think that it is not possible for Arsenal to win all their remaining games in the EPL. But looking at the EPL this season, one cannot make any conclusion until the season is over. This is because any of the top 4 can still win the league.

The Death of Unbeaten Man U.

We regret to announce the death of an icon in the English Premier League this season, Unbeaten Man U or the unbeaten run of Manchester United. This occurred after a sad incidence in the home of Wolves when Manchester United lost to Wolves 1-2. Well some people were having high hopes that unbeaten Man U will stay alive till the end of the season to gladden their hearts but this was not to be.
Unbeaten Man U is survived by the manager Sir Alex Ferguson and teaming supporters of Manchester United. May they all have the fortitude to bear the loss. Amen.

Liverpool Beating Chelsea Home And Away This Season.

Well just this last Sunday which was the 6th of February 2011, the game between Chelsea and Liverpool was played. Of course most followers of the English Premier League know the result. Liverpool came out as winners courtesy of the only goal of the game scored by Merieles late in the second half of the game. Again one thing to note about this game was that it was played at in the home of Chelsea FC that is at Standford Bridge in front of their home fans.
The fact is that this season Liverpool FC has won Chelsea FC both home and away this season. If you can recall, in the first leg, Liverpool FC won Chelsea at Anfield by 2 goals to nothing. Ironically both goals were scored by the new signing Fernando Torres who was still at Liverpool FC at that time. Now with this same player in the Chelsea squad, Chelsea could not avoid losing to Liverpool FC at Standford Bridge. Therefore Chelsea FC has lost to Liverpool in both legs of the premiership.
What is the implication of this for Chelsea FC? The implication is this that they should better take care. This is because they still have other big games to play. With the win of Liverpool over Chelsea FC, Liverpool are now in the 6th position. Any loss again for Chelsea may see them crashing to the six position if care is not taken. They still have to play against Man U, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. So they better tread carefully. Now the position for the top 4 spots is becoming hotter by the day. This is because Liverpool is struggling to get back into one of the top 4 positions, with other teams like Tottenham Hotspur on the heels of Chelsea FC.

It’s Another Elclassico in The Copa Del Ray Finals.

With the victories of Barcelona over Almeria on a goal aggregate of 8 and that of Real Madrid FC over Sevilla FC on the goal aggregate of 3, we now have another Elclassico but this time around in the final of the Copa Del Ray. Looking at the way both teams have played on their road to the final, I think Barcelona has been the most convincing of the two sides scoring a total of 22 goals and conceding 5 goals so far while Real Madrid FC scored 20 goals conceding 4. In terms of attack and holding of the ball I think Barcelona played better than Real Madrid FC. So on paper they look more convincing.
But soccer is played with the leg and not with the mouth. So we can only wait until the 20th of April to know the final winner of this competition.

What is happening to Real Madrid?

With the outcome of the game between Osasuna and Real Madrid FC played last weekend, which Osasuna won by a goal to nil, Real Madrid FC is now 7 points behind the League Champions who also are currently the league leaders Barcelona. It is still too early to conclude that Barcelona FC has won the league but the possibility of Real Madrid catching up with them is becoming a mirage.
One can only but wonder what is happening to Real Madrid the only team now in the Spanish la liga that is a serious threat to Barcelona. The question is what is happening to Real Madrid FC? For the last 2 games, they have been struggling to score goals. Cristiano Ronaldo is trying his best but it is like the pressure on him is too much. Something must be done to address this issue more urgently.

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Liverpool’s new Signings, Suarez and Carrol.

Liverpool FC made some surprising signings just on the eve of the closure of the transfer window in January. Andy Carrol from Newcastle United and Suarez from Ajax Amsterdam. Well Suarez made his debut for Liverpool FC in their game against Stoke City and I believe that he was the one that scored the goal and that it was not a home goal.
With what Suarez played in that game I think that there is a future for Liverpool FC. Other clubs in the league should beware. The partnership of Suarez and Carrol if it works will really be a torn in the flesh of other opposing teams in the premiership. As one said earlier on that if this man Kelly Dargish is given more time Liverpool may return to their glorious days of the 1980s. The signing of these 2 new players may bring back these moments faster than we may all think.

It’s going to be a Cracker Chelsea FC vs. Liverpool FC.

As every soccer loving individual knows that this weekend, the star match of the English Premier League this weekend is the one between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC which is going to be played at Stanford Bridge. Of course for, Chelsea FC their cry will be revenge for the loss they suffered at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield. If you can recall they lost 0-2. Incidentally the scorer of those 2 goals is one of their new signings at this year’s January transfer window and as the reports received as at the time of this writing, he will play against his former club this Sunday. Of course the new signing one is talking about is no other but the former Liverpool FC striker Fernando Torres.
Well one thing about this game on Sunday is that it is difficult to predict the outcome of the game. Chelsea at the moment seems to be recovering its form while at the same time, Liverpool FC is on fire. The game will really be tough as both teams need points not just to survive but they need these points to improve their position on the table. Chelsea needs a win to guarantee them a place among the top four with a team like Tottenham Hotspur at their heels. Liverpool FC needs a win so as to remain in top contention to return back to the big 4. Liverpool FC is currently occupying the 7th position in the league but they are desperately looking for a return back to the top 4. On the other hand Chelsea FC is struggling to remain among the top 4. Hence the game on Sunday promises to be explosive.

Pleasant Shock for Chelsea Fans, “Fernando Torres now in Chelsea”

It was a surprise for the writer to learn that Fernando Torres signed for Chelsea FC at the eve of the closure of the transfer window this January. According to the reports that one received the signing took place very late in the night of the 31st of January 2011. Prior to this it was as if Chelsea was not going to buy any player into their squad a thing that supporters of Chelsea have been crying foul about. But the shocking news came that Fernando Torres has joined Chelsea FC from Liverpool FC and he will be playing his first game for Chelsea against his former club, interesting.
The coming of Fernando Torres to Chelsea will improve their attack. Chelsea FC has a very good midfield so he getting the required passes will not be a problem. The only thing that may stop him may be injury worries. But Chelsea FC fans should not expect too much from him this Sunday as it will be a very emotional game for him. This is because he will be playing against his former teammates.

Liverpool Under Kelly Dargish.

Now about 4 weeks ago, Kelly Dargish took over as manager of Liverpool FC. His first assignment was the F.A Cup match against the current league leaders Manchester United FC. Well as Liverpool lost that game by a goal to nil and if you can remember clearly Steven Gerrard was given a red card. But in spite of that Liverpool FC still held their own against Manchester United in that game as they fought gallantly to make sure that the game ended 1-0 in favor of Man U. not too long after this was their premiership game which was away to Wolves. This was where the team began to show their stuff and that of their new manager. They game out of that game with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Wolves FC. After this they went on to win Fulham FC at home by a goal to nil. Then came their last game for now against Stoke City. They also won that game by 2 goals to nothing. If you can remember their new signing Suarez was the one that scored the second goal. The first goal was scored by Merieles.
Now what can one say about this, I thing the manager of Liverpool FC made the right choice in employing the services of this new manager Kelly Dargish. This is because out of the five games he has been in charge so far, he has only lost one ,drawn one(pardon me for omitting the game against Everton which ended 2-2) and won three of the which Liverpool FC kept a very clean sheet. If they should give this man more time I believe he may return Liverpool FC back to the glorious era of the 1980s.

Chelsea FC Is Gradually Regaining It's Form

Chelsea FC is gradually regaining its usual from in the English Premier League. They have won their last 3 games. Well sorry to say that I have forgotten the first of the 3.So one will start from their game against Bolton.Starting from their game against Bolton which ended 4-0 in favour of Chelsea FC, with goals from Drogba, Anelka,Malouda and Ramires who scored his first and only goal for Chelsea so far, from the reports that one received concerning the game, one could see that Chelsea dominated the game.It was a whitewash. Again, looking at their game away to Sunderland where they secured a sweet revenge for the loss they suffered at home to Sunderland at Standford Bridge,they were really the ones dictating the pace of the game. They won Sunderland 4-2 in front of their home fans which was the same pain that Sunderland inflicted on them at Standford Bridge.
One thing to note was the way Lampard, Essien played coming back to assit the defence and also joining the attack. It was wonderful. One can only conclude that there is hope for Chelsea FC

History of the clubs currently in the English Premier League:Arsenal FC

Arsenal was formed by scots which were David Danskin, Elijah Watkins, John Humble and Richard Pearce. Actually it is on record that the idea to form the club was that of David Danskin who at that time was working at that time at the Arsenal munitions factory at Woolwich.
Now David Danskin initiated the idea and word soon got round that a club was to be formed. Then 15 men came forward and agreed to pay sixpence to help to start up a soccer club.David Danskin again donated another 3 shillings in addition to the sixpence he gave earlier on. The new club was formed in Woolwich in October 1886 .
The club arranged to play its first game in December 1886. But the club did not have any name. Then they were referred to as Dial Square after one of the factory's workshops. They then crossed the Thames to play Eastern Wanderers on the Isle of Dogs.
The team Dial Square won Eastern Wanderers 6-0. After the game the new team members met in the Royal Oak pub next to Woolwich Arsenal station on the Christmas day of 1886.In the meeting the founding fathers of the club then chose a new name for the club. the name they chose was Royal Arsenal. They used this name until 1891 when Woolwich Arsenal was adopted.
As time went on people preferred to call the name Arsenal instead of Woolwich Arsenal.So this great soccer club started from Woolwich

Manchester United Now 10 points Clear of Chealsea

With the 3-2 victory of Manchester United over Blackpool in front of the home fans of Blackpool, well Manchester United is now 10 points clear of their bitter rivals Chelsea FC and 5 points ahead of the team next to them on the table Arsenal FC. They are still yet to lose a match in the English Premiership.
It seems that as the league is progressing Manchester United FC is increasing the gap between them and the second placed team. They seem to tightening their grip on the trophy. With this they are making Chelsea's task of defending the trophy more difficult and close to impossible. Well one can only wait to see if they will be able to maintain their lead to the end of the season.

The Latest In The English Premiership

The English Premier League is gradually taking shape.Now we are beginning to have a clear leader in the person or club of Manchester United choose the one you prefer. Now they have 44 points . Well other clubs like Arsenal FC and Manchester FC are keeping up the pressure on Manchester United but it seems that as the fixtures are playing themselves out Manchester United FC is increasing the gap. They are 2 points clear of the second placed team, Manchester City. It was not like this before. Again you know that they are the only team in the premiership yet to lose a game.
Now the point is this,the unpredictability of the league is gradually fading out. If you may ask me I will tell you that Man U is on its way to win the premiership.Yes the league is still open I agree but in my own opinion, the only team that can really pose a serious threat to Man U is in a crisis now talking about Chelsea FC. Now they are languishing in the 5th position. You may say what about Manchester City FC or Arsenal FC, well I will tell you that to me they are no serious threats due to their inconsistency.
Therefore my conclusion is this, the unpredictable nature characterizing the league this season is gradually dieing out. The league is on its way to have a clear leader.