Spurs Top of the Lot come May?

There has always been a hype around White Hart Lane, Tottenham being the media darlings they are, but the press seem slightly more frenzied than normal this season as Spurs sit two points off leaders Manchester City going into the business end of the season. Despite lofty league positions over the last few seasons, most people would have laughed and shook their head like Harry Redknapp if you told them Spurs would be in contention for the title this year but can they really go on and win it?

Granted their goal difference at the moment is significantly inferior to City's and United's at this point and the former also have a game-in-hand, but with a run-in of Norwich, Bolton, QPR, Blackburn, Aston Villa and Fulham, Spurs will probably finish the strongest of the three. Also, both Manchester clubs are still in the Europa League which provides games they could do without at this stage. United play Ajax in mid-February whilst rivals City have drew FC Porto – Mancini's squad is large enough to maintain success on both fronts, with some gentle rotation, but Sir Alex Ferguson probably has one of the weakest squads he's ever had in his time at Old Trafford.

Of the trio, City and Spurs have the best squads whilst United's now does not look spectacular after a couple of years with no serious capital investment (who'd have thought we'd be saying that a few years ago?). With Bale and Lennon providing pace on the wings and Modric creativity down the middle, it's easy to see why Spurs are playing arguably the best and most attractive football in the league this campaign. Add to that a midfield dynamo in Scott Parker and stars such as Emmanuel Adebayor and Rafael Van der Vaart and Spurs' team looks impressive to say the least.

City boast three of the most promising centre forwards in world football in Aguero, Balotelli and Dzeko and the supporting midfield cast is not too shabby either – a selection of David Silva, Nasri, Milner, Johnson and Toure Yaya providing the creativity and pace. With this being said, you have to wonder which of United's players would get into the first team at Eastlands or White Hart Lane. Vidic, Rooney, Evra and no-one else? A written list of United's midfield and strikeforce looks average and evokes no excitement anymore. Young, Valencia and Nani are all threats from the middle of the park but the likes Carrick, Giggs, Scholes and Ji-Sung Park is starting to look ropey and weathered these days.

There are a few big games coming up in the next few weeks which will no doubt cast the writing on the wall and the engravement on the trophy. United have away trips to Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs amid their next seven Premier League games with a visit from Liverpool thrown in for good measure. How Sir Alex Ferguson's squad copes with that fixture list is massive, especially considering they have a two-legged Europa League tie against Ajax and Liverpool in the FA Cup in the same time frame as well.

Obviously Tottenham's trip to Eastlands on the 22nd January is an important date for your calendar. It would be interesting to see Spurs get something there, from the neutral's point of view, and it would make the title race that little more exciting.

Even if Redknapp's men do not win the league this season, it poses an interesting thought for the future. The dissolution of Sky's beloved quartet (United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea) has all come about so quickly that it's hard to take in. Arsenal have lost Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Nasri and Fabregas in recent times with Wenger looking unwilling, at times, to snap up adequate, proven replacements to take their place. Liverpool's finances were up the creek so much the bank thought it right to take club off the owners hands – a club in turmoil and headed in the complete wrong direction until John Henry acquired the debt and has provided a mini-revival at Anfield, especially since the £50 million cheque, courtesy of Chelsea, cleared at the bank. And, finally, Chelsea themselves have struggled to replace their ageing players, Torres has not lit up Stamford Bridge since his arrival and the squad, that looked so deadly a few years ago, has now evolved into a less powerful beast.

The emergence of both Spurs and City as genuine title contenders could very well signal a new dawn in English football. Of their title ambitions, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said, “I've never said to anybody that we ar e going to win the league. If we can get a Champions League position again, it will be great for us.”

“I only answered the question of if it is possible,” he continued. “And, of course it is possible.”

Alonso Deal not too Xabi?

Whenever a player expresses his desire to leave a club, it is always a bit of a desperate situation; the player wants out, and there is not much the club can do. So when Xabi Alonso expressed his desire to leave Anfield, it was Liverpool’s job to get as much money as possible for the Spanish schemer.

It would be harsh to blame Alonso for wanting to move to Real Madrid, to don the famous white shirt of his boyhood club, especially since the wheels of the Perez revolution have started to move. With Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema and Albiol all signing on the dotted line already, it’s fair to say something special is going on at the Bernabeu.

If Alonso is also getting a little more coin at Real, then so be it; that’s just a nice little extra. With rumours circulating last week that Benitez had offered Alonso a new contract, the money soon goes out of the window. Liverpool could’ve matched Madrid’s offer. What they couldn’t offer him, however, was the opportunity to play for his boyhood club and in front of 90,000 fans every other week.

Taking all of this into account, £34 million is a rather generous amount. Real Madrid could have played the waiting game with Liverpool, knowing that their target wanted out, with the Anfield side being forced to lower their asking price.

While £34 million can go a long way in football, it is hard to see how Liverpool can instantly replace Alonso. It could just be an impossible task. Everything that was good about Liverpool last year was about Alonso. He formed a dominant holding midfield partnership with Javier Mascherano, which allowed the players in front to play their own game.

The stark contrast in the last two summers, with regards to Alonso, simply proves his importance and value. Last year, Benitez went behind the 27-year-old’s back, in an attempt to offload him and make way for Gareth Barry. This year, Benitez was desperate to hold on to Alonso, even going so far as offering him a new contract, if some sources are to be believed. It could be argued that the writing was on the wall after the Barry saga, last year, however.

With Liverpool so hot-on-the-heels of United at the end of last season, the one thing Benitez did not want was the loss of his key players. With United losing Tevez and Ronaldo, continuity is gold-dust to a Liverpool side with the Premier League title in it’s sights. So to lose a seemingly irreplaceable player, just before the start of the new campaign, is a massive blow.

The man reportedly charged with replacing Alonso is the currently side-lined Alberto Aquilani, who completed his £20 million transfer to Anfield this week. The Italian is out for two months, and even when he is fit again, he is going to take time to adjust to the English game; a game which is faster and more physical than the stagnant Serie A.
By the time Aquilani has adjusted to the English game, Manchester United may have won the title again.

The only other feasible option available to the Spaniard is to split up his front two, who were so influential last year, and put Gerrard where Alonso was. This will no doubt take some steel out of the front of the Liverpool team, but Gerrard is a proven player in the holding role.

As Ancelotti is an unknown entity at this point, it is fair to say the Champions next May, may be determined by who deals with change and transition better, as the Old Trafford outfit are also going to have to adjust since losing two of their main frontmen. With Vidic and Van Der Sar injured for the start of the season, Benitez will recognise the importance of a good start, and so filling the boots of Alonso has to be done, and quickly.

Rue-naldo: Will Cristiano regret heading for Madrid?

Will he? Won’t he? Will he? Won’t he? It is the transfer rumour that just refuses to go away. Ronaldo says he is happy at Manchester United and yet, in the very same interview, will express his desire to play in Spain one day. Sir Alex Ferguson has locked horns with Florentino Pérez in the past over his manner in the transfer market, and now, finally, the constant paper talk and speculation could be coming to a close.

Manchester United have accepted a world record £80 million bid for their dynamic Portuguese winger after, according to the club, Ronaldo expressed his desire to move to the Bernabéu. Now that the dotting of the i’s and crossing of the t’s seems purely academic, one begins to wonder just what this mammoth transfer means for both clubs.

This is not the first time that Sir Alex Ferguson has sold his star asset, and not the first time it has been to Madrid either; both David Beckham and Ruud Van Nistelrooy left Old Trafford for Spain in the past, and both, evoked a mixed reaction in the fans. However, on both occasions, Ferguson was proved right in doing what he did.

It was Ronaldo who he bought, for £12.24 million, as a replacement for Beckham, and although he did not instantly replace the Englishman, he fast become the biggest talent in the world. Wayne Rooney was the man initially charged with the responsibility of replacing Van Nistelrooy, but it was Louis Saha who would take up the mantle just after Ruud left, netting fifteen goals before Christmas. Between him, Larsson, Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov, the goals that Ruud used to provide with regularity have been replaced.

However, this time, something just seems different. Neither Beckham nor Van Nistelrooy were World Player of the Year, with the best football of their career ahead of them, when they left Old Trafford. One must wonder who Ferguson can bring in to replace Ronaldo, because whoever he does decide on, surely will not have an instant effect. It will take time; and time does not exist in football. Success has to be instant.

Ferguson’s aim next year, undoubtedly, will be to win the Premier League title for the fourth consecutive time and to knock Liverpool off the top spot. Despite winning it last year, though, many Manchester United fans believed that they had not been particularly impressive, and their hammering in the Champions League final was something that was to be expected. This is true to an extent.

The season previous, United had torn the league up, beating pretty much every team at will. Their football was dazzling, their passing was spell-binding, and the Holy Trinity- of Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney- was reaching new heights with every game. Then, in the pre-season, something just seemed to go wrong; maybe it was the signing of Dimitar Berbatov, who has definitely upset a few people since moving to Manchester, or maybe it was the constant, intensive speculation surrounding Ronaldo’s future that upset the spirit in the camp. Take nothing away from United last year, they still won three honours, but surely Benitez will reflect on what could have been, had their early season form been better.

The truth is, that Liverpool lost the title just after Christmas, with too many disappointing draws at home, and once the fans expressed their anger at Benitez’s negative approach, they were the most in-form team in the country, if not the world. They followed a 5-0 aggregate win against Real with a 1-4 drubbing of United in their own back yard, and then smashed media darlings Aston Villa 5-0 at Anfield. Had they played like that all season, they could have won the title; and Ferguson certainly knows he had a lucky escape.

It means that Liverpool’s staff and fans alike must be licking their lips at the prospect of United losing Ronaldo. Ferguson will know that they are going to have to replace him, and fast. Benzema, Ribery and Valencia are some of the names being touted with a move to Old Trafford, and whilst one must not make the assumption that United will have all of the £80 million to spend on players, they will have something of a warchest.

One United fan, in particular, said he was ‘disappointed’ in Ronaldo, because he felt the World Player of the Year was ‘taking a step down’. Is this the case? Real Madrid is arguably the most glamorous club in World Football, and was voted officially, by FIFA, as the Greatest Club of the 20th Century.

They may not have had the best of seasons last year, what with not winning anything and being dominated in La Liga by Barcelona, but far too often, football fans and pundits alike, are too short-sighted. They only analyse the previous year, as opposed to the previous century. Look back over one hundred years, and Madrid is a more glamorous club than United.

Of course, the argument of the strength of the English game in relation to European leagues will be brought up countless times, but one must remember that Ronaldo is a ‘peninsular boy’ i.e. he was born on the Iberian Peninsula. Many will tell you that there are three massive clubs on the Peninsula- Barcelona, Real Madrid and Porto. They are the teams to support.

Also, the argument of coin will be brought up. Did Ronaldo go for the money? Considering United’s undoubted wealth, surely they could match any contract offer that Real could. United and Madrid have constantly been battling with each other for the title of ‘Richest Club’ for the past five to ten years, with both being global franchises. Couple this with the big money signing of Ricardo Kaka earlier in the week, and surely United would have the resources to match Real’s offer.

Last year, Manchester United had won the Champions League and their own domestic league, making them the best team in Europe. Ronaldo had reached the summit, then, and there is no denying things have gone slightly stale at Old Trafford since last year. The dazzling football has been
few and far between, and the passion has just not been the same. Cristiano had reached the peak in Moscow a year prior, so it was going to be downhill from there. Who knows? Had United beaten Barca in Rome, he may have stayed, because the noises he was making before the final suggested he was not going to Spain.

Now that Real Madrid have captured Kaka, and are on the brink of getting Ronaldo, one cannot help but feel a revolution at the Bernabéu. Finally, the club is going after big-name world stars again, in an attempt to re-create the Galacticos era. It seems Perez has realised that he cannot buy average players, and if he wants a successful club, he is going to have to spend big, that is just the way football is.

With David Villa also being strongly linked with a move to the Bernabeu, Barcelona must now be looking over their shoulder over what looks to be a potent attacking unit. It does depend heavily on how these players gel and work as a team, but maybe Ronaldo saw the capture of Kaka and the speculation regarding Villa, and saw the opportunity to be a part of something special; the rebirth of a club that has been comatose since the last Galacticos era.

Football fans should also be happy with the transfer. It means that the Spanish league will grow stronger, and the Champions League will be more competitive. English clubs have enjoyed a lot of success in Europe recently, but Real Madrid, with their two world record transfers, could have something to say for that.

Enigmatic England Erratic in Victory

England proved too strong for little Andorra tonight, but their victory was far from impressive. Defensively they went untroubled and created many opportunities, but their quality in front of goal was worrying. That being said, there is no denying Fabio Capello has improved the spirit and attitude of the England camp, following the largely relaxed atmosphere of the two previous regimes. Their emphatic win against Andorra made it seven wins out of seven for Capello's professional England, who are the biggest enigma in World Football.

England's threat was evident within the opening minutes, and they could have been three up after five minutes. First, Gerrard made a trademark surging run past Rooney and Crouch, only to be foiled by an excellent last-ditch tackle. Less than a minute later, Rooney turned terrifically on the edge of the box and attempted to chip the Andorran goalkeeper off his line, but he was equal to the challenge. Next, it was Theo Walcott's turn to test Andorra's last line of defence, but he too came out second best, seeing his volley flicked away from close range. The ball treacled across the box and while it looked like Rooney was set to score, he managed to hit the crossbar, and not the net, with his instinctive header.

Soon, however, England would have their goal. Johnson had space and time to pick out his man in the middle; and pick him out he did, whipping his cross towards Rooney at the back post, who could not miss from six yards out. With just four minutes on the clock, this looked like it was going to be a one-way exhibition.

Things started to calm down after Rooney's goal. Peter Crouch had a free header in the tenth minute off a Beckham free kick, but could not find the target despite his lanky frame. Less than a minute after that, Gerrard tried his luck from range, but Andorra's best player was determined to spoil the England party, tipping the effort around the post for a corner.

England started to waste possession slightly, seeming a little too eager to further Andorra's woes. With twenty-five minutes on the clock, Rooney received the ball eight yards out, turned well, but skewed wide when it seemed easier to score.

Just as England were starting to go off the boil, they scored again. Johnson fed Walcott through down the right hand side, and he picked Lampard out in the middle. The Chelsea man took his shot first time, powering the ball low and hard into the net.

Robert Green had to open his eyes on a few minutes later, when Sergio Moreno thought he could test him from all of forty yards. His shot was high, wide and handsome, and was one of the extremely rare occasions Andorra had possession in the England half.

Five minutes before the interval, Rooney again proved himself a thorn in Andorra's side, ghosting through the opposition defence to beautifully divert Johnson's cross into the net. 3-0 England, and this could be a cricket score.

Ashley Young came on for Rooney, who was searching for a hat-trick, and could have grabbed a goal just after the break. Speeding into the box in typical fashion, Young opened his body up but lashed his shot wildly into the stands. Despite the friendly-feel to the game, England fans must be concerned with the lack of a clinical instinct in the team, as many chances seem to be squandered in every match they play.

This was evident moments later. Johnson, who was having a fantastic game, slipped Defoe in behind the Andorran defence, yet the Spurs striker fired across goal from a tight angle. A simple cut-back would have put Crouch in a position to score, yet it was another chance that came and went for England.

Young and Cole started to click impressively on the left wing, and it was a combination of the two that presented Defoe with a header on the fifty-fifth minute, but he could only glance it wide of the target. Had England been more clinical in front of goal, it could have been six at this point. Just moments later, Young again caused Andorra problems on their right, dinking the ball dangerously into the box. Crouch nearly made contact just yards in front of goal, but it eluded him as Andorra's goalkeeper came to claim, but spilled it to his defender's feet. Young has a knack of creating a nervousness in opposition defences.

Shortly after the hour mark, Frank Lampard shot from range, and the movement of the ball meant the Andorran shot-stopper could only parry the ball away; straight to Walcott. With the goal gaping, Walcott fired low and hard but his effort was denied.

Young, who was seeing an awful lot of the ball in the second half, raced down the wing and skipped past the left back, leaving him a free run at goal. Reaching the by-line, the Villa man slid the ball across the box, but the sea of bodies bundled the ball away from danger, somehow. As previously stated, he has the ability to create nervous moments for the opposition.

Beckham's short corner caught Andorra out with under twenty minutes to go. Johnson picked the ball up on the corner of the box, and picked out Jermaine Defoe in the middle, who rose to head home from eight yards and make it four. Less than three minutes later, Defoe had put his name on the score sheet again, and Beckham was involved again. His free kick was parried out to Defoe, who could not miss from close range.

On the eightieth minute, Crouch put Defoe in for his hat-trick, but as the moment of truth came, he miscued completely. Again, however, the Andorran 'keeper spilled and Crouch was lying in wait to make it six. The floodgates truly had opened now as the Wembley crowd finally found it's voice.

In typical Capello style, the match petered out as England made ball retention a priority in the last ten minutes. The result is not one that has massive implications on the International scene, but it does prove that Capello is the man for the job, and allows all England fans a stress-free summer. With that being said, there is still need for a clinical striker judging on tonight's performance, but Defoe and Rooney cannot have done themselves any harm.

Man of the Match: Johnson (9)

Involved in many of England's highlights as he provided a constant threat from the right side and linked up well with Walcott.

Farcelona: Messi United fail to retain European Crown as Ronaldo shows his Petulance

Barcelona showed their class in Rome tonight, as did Lionel Messi, whilst a sloppy and wasteful United were summed up by the petulance and inconsistency of their star man, Ronaldo. The Catalonians ran out deserved winners, outclassing United in all departments to ensure the Champions League trophy takes it’s place back at the Camp Nou.

Surprisingly, it was United who started on the front foot, whereas Barcelona could not seem to keep the ball; a criticism you would never lay at the feet of the La Liga Champions. They seemed to be weathering an early United storm, as the Mancunians, and Ronaldo in particular, craved an early goal.

The World Player of the Year wasted no time in testing Valdes out in the Barca goal, with his ferocious free kick in the second minute, which moved mysteriously through the air, dipping and diving towards goal. Valdes just about got something on the ball, yet the rebound was nearly put in by Ji Sung Park, who was waiting to pounce. He would have his piece of history had it not been for some valiant defending from the ex-United man, Pique.

Five minutes later, Ronaldo saw his place in the headlines again, when he felt the urge to let fly from all of thirty yards, or as he calls it, Porto range. Unlike his sublime effort in Porto, however, the ball glided past Valdes, and the post. He was epitomising the spirit of United, who like him, seemed to be on a mission.

The man from Portugal had many fooled a few moments later, when he attempted a left-foot volley from the corner of the box. The effort bounced past a helpless Valdes but also whistled narrowly wide of the post. His frustration, displayed on the television replay, summed it up, and these feelings would worsen within a few seconds.

It was the first time Iniesta was able to get on the ball, and the first time United looked vulnerable; he cruised into second gear and out of Carrick and Anderson’s sight, before sliding Eto’o in on the left hand side. Suddenly, Vidic was left one-on-one against Eto’o and was turned far too easily to allow the Cameroonian an effort at goal. His instinctive toe-poke was too quick for Van Der Sar to react in time, treacling into the net after the Dutchman had got a hand to it.

For all of United’s endeavour in the first ten minutes, and for all of the importance Sir Alex Ferguson must have put on the early goal, it was the Catalonians who had the lead. For the rest of the half, Iniesta, Messi and Xavi were allowed too much time and space on the ball, and it was comfortable. United, on the other hand, went to pieces after going a goal behind, and rarely have they been so wasteful in possession. Ferdinand and Vidic were harassed and hence they had no solid base upon which to build; long ball galore.

Ronaldo tried to summon his team’s response soon after conceding, bursting through the Barcelona defence only to be brought down cynically by Pique on the edge of the box. A booking was all it was worth, according to the referee, on the reasoning Yaya Toure would have been able to challenge Ronaldo i.e. Pique was not the last man. Giggs took the resulting free kick, which did not trouble Valdes, gliding a good yard over the bar.

Messi started to respond in his personal battle with Ronaldo, but in a different manner. Ronaldo’s strive for glory was peppered with individual endeavour but bordered on greed at times, whereas Messi just played his football and strutted his stuff, for his team. His twenty-five yard attempt, which flew past the crossbar, was the first we saw of the little Argentinean, but certainly not the last.

Xavi tried his luck with a free kick in the 27th minute, from the corner of the Barcelona penalty area, but Van Der Sar had it covered as it went high and wide of the target. United just could not keep the ball, were getting frustrated and giving cheap fouls away, as Barcelona’s midfield dominated Carrick and the relatively inexperienced Anderson. It was because of this Sir Alex Ferguson decided to change it, bringing Tevez on for Anderson, putting Park back into midfield and shifting Giggs into the middle for more experience.

Giggs ageing legs did little to affect the second half, and it was Barcelona who could have grabbed the next goal after the interval. Just before the fifty-minute mark, O’Shea was caught in possession high up the field, and Xavi duly exposed the resulting gaps, sliding Henry in on the wing. He ran at the Mancunian defence, striking fear into Vidic and Ferdinand from his beloved left flank. He wriggled his way into a one-on-one with Van Der Sar, but the latter won the war, making himself big to foil the Frenchman.

A minute later, Sylvinho’s vicious cross from the same flank seeked Eto’o in the middle, but he could not make contact with the goal gaping. United were rocking. A few seconds later, Barcelona were in controlled possession when Xavi played a through ball in Messi’s direction. Running onto it, through on goal, the maestro fell to the floor appealing for a penalty, a la Gerrard and Gattuso in Istanbul. The referee did not deem the challenge a foul, leaving Messi and Eto’o livid in protest.

Xavi’s free kick deceived Van Der Sar in the United goal, but smashed off the post, as the Spaniard looked to put the game beyond doubt. In a frantic opening ten minutes of the second half, Barcelona could have sealed the match as Manchester United were rocked to their innermost core. Despite the half-time change, Tevez failed to find his way into the match as Xavi and co. did not allow United much ball-time.

Big players come to the fore at big times, and Ronaldo was certainly prevalent, but for the wrong reasons. His moaning, elbows, greed and general attitude failed to impress, whereas the man in the other strip, with whom he was supposed to be battling, was earning some merited credibility. Messi’s general composure and attitude was brilliant to watch.

It was Ronaldo, however, who would be involved in the next opportunity. Rooney’s whipped cross cut out Ronaldo and Pique at the near post, but bounced towards Park, unmarked at the back post. The Korean could have used a step ladder at the time, as the ball frustratingly bounced beyond him.

Twenty minutes from the end, Xavi got on the ball and was given all the space of the ancient city to find his pass. Seeing Messi peeling away at the back post, Xavi played an inch-perfect cross to his team-mate, and the brilliance of the assist was only matched by Messi’s agility and leap to head the ball beyond Van Der Sar. The European Cup was going back to the Camp Nou; signed, sealed, delivered.

The rest was academic. Berbatov, a substitute for Ji Sung Park, crossed the ball dangerously across the United area. Giggs met the ball but his effort was blocked, and the ball fell to Ronaldo at the back post. Valdes rushed out to hurry him, and Ronaldo could not find the net. It just was not his night.
Messi won a free kick with fifteen minutes left on the clock, and Xavi took it. Carles Puyol rose unmarked, criminally, from eight yards out and powered his header into the ground. Either side of Van Der Sar, and he was in trouble. As it was, the ball fell straight into the arms of the grateful goalkeeper.

The whole affair seemed to change with Eto’o’s clinical early goal; Barcelona were comfortable for all of eighty minutes and United fans will struggle to recall such a poor showing from their team. On tonight’s evidence, Barca are the deserved Champions of Europe, whereas Ronaldo does not deserve the gong he has received, for his attitude alone.

Essien-tial Goal Cancelled Out by Iniesta, the Heart-Breaker

Iniesta, a man who has come on in leaps and bounds this season, completely stunned Stamford Bridge tonight by grabbing a last-gasp goal just as the 40,000-strong Chelsea faithgul were dusting off their passports and setting towards Rome. Essien's beautiful early goal was almost matched by Iniesta's late strike, but the important thing in semi-finals, as everyone knows, is the result.

It was the classic encounter of artistry versus graft, good versus evil, free-flow versus organisation, if you will. The match started in predictable fashion, with Barcelona enjoying all of the possession and Chelsea remaining strong and organisation, but this only set up the clichéd goal, against the run of play.

After a rare venture forward for the home side, the ball dropped to Michael Essien and the rest was simply magic. On his weaker foot, with a man in his face and with the ball at a difficult height, the Ghanaian left the floor and displayed exquisite technique to power a volley towards the Barcelona goal. It dipped, it moved and found the corner, leaving Valdes completely stranded and helpless, and leaving Essien with a goal to celebrate.

Much like Manchester United in last year's semi-final, the English outfit had got their home goal early in the second leg, after a deadlock in the Camp Nou. This must have started to feel like deja vu for the leaders of La Liga.

Barcelona, in a similar way to Arsenal, only know one way to play, and so it was constant pass-and-move but Chelsea, in a dissimilar fashion to the Gunners in last night's tie, remained organised and dogged at the back. For all of the possession Barcelona enjoyed in the first half, they failed to cut Chelsea open, and for Chelsea, it was the inverse. They used what possession they were allowed to it's full potential, with Drogba, Anelka and Malouda causing the make-shift Barcelona defence problems every time they marauded forward.

Just after the fifteen-minute mark, Lampard played in Malouda behind Dani Alves. Alves is no slouch, but Malouda was simply too quick, reaching the box first and sliding the ball back to Lampard. He, however, could not do what Essien had done minutes earlier, as he slashed high and wide with his weaker foot.

Next, it was Drogba's turn, when he was played in beautifully by Lampard seven minutes later. The Ivorian was constantly nestling himself in between the recently-formed partnership of Pique and Touré. Valdes was quick off his line to meet Drogba at the edge of the box and won the battle, just as it looked like the Chelsea frontman would nick it away just as he did in the FA Cup Semi Final.

Florent Malouda was causing Alves, the best full back in the world, all kinds of trouble. He could have had a penalty a few minutes later. The Frenchman reached the line before deceiving Alves with his Cruyff turn. Alves, knowing he was beaten, pulled Malouda to the floor but the referee deemed it a free kick, not a penalty. Drogba took the reulting set piece, firing wickedly across goal, but Valdes was up to the challenge and punched the ball away for a corner.

John Terry rose to meet the corner that was subsequently taken, but his header narrowly evaded the on-rushing Alex, and the far post. For all of Barcelona's lightning-quick passing and movement, it was Chelsea who was creating all of the chances. It was proving that football can be played as beautifully as God intended, but effective, drilled teams will usually triumph. Something that Arsene Wenger seems incapable of grasping.

Just two minutes after Terry's header, the other fan-favourite, Frank Lampard, played Drogba in dangerously in again. He had found the gap between Pique and Toure once again and he looked set to score. Shrugging off Abidal and closing in on Valdes, the Ivorian was trying to muster a shot, but fell to the floor under what can only be described as a clumsy attempt to win the ball by the Frenchman. The referee, inexplicably, waved the claims away.

Such was the nature of Chelsea's defending, and Barcelona's unwillingness to change their style of play, that was the last incident of note before the interval. The eleven in blue were drilled to the inch, and were allowing Barcelona the ball in certain areas, but not allowing them into the box. Barcelona's boots were built to pass, and so they seemed incapable of playing long balls and at least testing Chelsea in different ways.

Eight minutes after the restart, Drogba could have put the match beyond the Catalonians. Nicolas Anelka's brilliant play sucked in the Chelsea defence and slipped in his Ivorian team-mate to the right. Drogba took his first touch and deceived Pique, who made a last ditch attempt at blocking Drogba's effort. All Drogba had to do was beat Valdes with his effort, but the Spaniard proved he was equal to the task, saving with his feet and keeping Barcelona in the tie.

Fatigue started to affect the veteran-filled Chelsea team, who were starting to concede some space to the away side; a dangerous thing to do when playing the most potently creative team in world football. On the hour mark, Keita controlled the ball on the penalty spot but sent the ball high, wide and handsome with his turn-and-volley.

Five minutes later, Messi shrugged off the chasing Chelsea pack and attempted to beat Cech from range. However, rather typical of his night, the Argentinian skewed his shot high and wide of the target.

Then, the game changed. A long ball from Cech was again too much for Barca's centrebacks to deal with, and left Abidal alone to defend against Anelka. With little or no contact, Anelka fell to the floor and the referee sent Abidal for an early bath, after asking his assistant, “Is he off?”

Much like Fletcher's dismissal last night, it was an extremely harsh decision and one that the referee got totally wrong. By the letter of the law, with the last man rule, the referee was right to send Abidal off the field, if he so deemed it a foul. However, it was a very harsh decision to send him off, considering there was little contact. Lampard scuffed the resulting free kick wide of the target.

Two minuteslater, Lampard could have wrote his name on the scoresheet but not for Valdes. His shot took a wicked deflection off a Barcelona defender, but Valdes changed his feeting quickly to pounce on the ball.

With the game on a knife-edge, against a team that could score at any moment, Chelsea wanted to put the game beyond reach, and Anelka wanted two penalties. Firstly, he felt he was brought to the floor illegally by Yaya Toure, but the referee, for not the first time in the night, waved away the appeals. It seemed to be the correct decision; the next, however, was incorrect.

Anelka had put himself in between the Barcelona defenders, much like Drogba had done before being substituted, and he flicked the ball beyond Pique to set up his opportunity. It seemed, however, to almost everyone inside the Bridge, that Pique had illegally stopped the ball with his hand. Their eyes were not deceiving them, as the replays showed.

Barcelona, who had not tested Petr Cech once all game, scored in the dying embers. This game throws up headlines all the time, and Iniesta's perfectly-placed shot in the 92nd minute left Cech no chance and left Guardiola dancing down the touchline. After surviving a red card, multiple penalty appeals and close scares, the footballing Gods triumphed over the footballing anti-Christs to set up a dream final between the Catalonians and the current holders. There is not much more to say.

Barcelona Masterclass Embarrasses Real at the Bernabeu

Barcelona is a city known for artistic architecture, inspired by Gaudi, Picasso and Dali. Madrid is a city renowned for it's financial and commercial strength. And never have the two principal football teams of the cities been more accurately represented than in the present day. Barcelona set the benchmark globally, for the beautifully artistic football they produce, whereas Real Madrid have recently adopted a hard-line business approach to their football, with more graft than craft.

The game, nicknamed El Clásico, can be likened to no other, with it's historical, cultural and social heritage. Not even the Glaswegian derby can rival a match involving a team from Spain's capital, voted the best team of last century, and a team hailing from the alternative city. The passion of the encounter had even rubbed off on Arjen Robben, as the Dutchman was seen cheerleading the Madrid faithful within the first two minutes, upon winning a corner for the home side.

The amount of stars on show is simply frightening, but a rather encouraging fact for the purist is that five of the Barcelona starting eleven were from Catalonia. Real Madrid, on the other hand, consist of a lot more foreigners, but it was the Spanish-born Ramos who would play a part in the opening goal. He received the ball of Diarra, skipped past Eric Abidal and fired a terrific cross into the Barcelona penalty area. Higuain had evaded the defence, to accurately header beyond Valdes in the visitors' goal.

Barcelona are known and revered world-wide for their craft and artistic approach to football, but they showed they are not short of fighting spirit. Thierry Henry, who had been playing cat-and-mouse with the Madrid backline for the opening twenty minutes, started to roll back the years to his Arsenal days. First, he left Ramos for dead on the wing, cruising past him with ease, before reaching the Madrid box and flicking towards Eto'o at the back post. He could not apply the finishing touch to Henry's effort, to provide the perfect response to Higuain's opener.

However, Henry evaded the offside trap on the 18th minute, getting on the end of Messi's beautifully-weighted chip and sliding past Iker Casillas comfortably. His calm jog towards the Barcelona bench betrayed the energy he was exerting in the first half.

El Clásico is one of the rare fixtures that never disappoints, and it was another sumptuous football feast, played more in the spirit of a basketball match. The end-to-end nature of the game brought another two goals before the half-time interval, and both went the way of the visitors. It was the Frenchman, Henry, who would one again prove the bane of Madrid, when he glided past Cannavaro before he was cynically brought to the ground just outside the box. The Barca set piece routine, orchestrated by Xavi, was finished off by the skipper, Carles Puyol, who was criminally left with a free header nine yards from goal. As could be expected, he did not miss.

Real could have found their response just a few minutes later, when Higuain's quick feet evaded the on-rushing Barca defenders, and the ball bobbled through kindly to Robben. He, however, could not match the composure shown by Henry moments earlier and instead, he fired straight at the feet of Valdes.

Some clever play between the dutchman and Lassana Diarra was finished with a through ball to Higuain just seconds later. He powered onto the pass, and steamed past the leggy Abidal, before firing the ball clean across the goal. Even though the ball evaded Raul in the six yard box, Alves met it with his foot just a yard from goal, but it cannoned into the unaware Casillas, who gratefully snatched the ball up at the second attempt.

Dani Alves was the centre of attention just two minutes later, as he left the Madrid midfield for dead, leaving a three-against-three situation. Ignoring Eto'o to his right, he flicked the ball to Messi on the other side, who was left to pit his wits against Casillas. However, ignoring Eto'o on the far side of the box, he fired straight at the Spanish number one, who punched the ball away.

The Argentinian maestro could have scored just before the half hour mark, also, when a passing masterclass between him and Xavi was overplay of the highest order. Messi eventually decided to shoot from the penalty spot, after Xavi's assist had left Casillas stranded, but it would be the Spaniard who foiled Barcelona again, diving back across goal and pouncing on the ball.

But the Argentinian eventually got his goal, when Xavi caught Lassana Diarra in possession in his own half. The ball bobbled through to Messi, and Cannavaro tried to get back whilst covering the on-rushing Xavi, but it proved to much for the former World Player of the Year, and Messi simply tapped the ball past the best goalkeeper in the world and into the Madrid net. The tug of war with the La Liga title was strongly pulled towards Catalonia with the goal, and the 80,000-plus crowd packed into the Bernabeu knew it.

The Madrileños were given a kiss of life by Sergio Ramos on the 56th minute. The Spaniard was left unmarked by shambolic defending and met Robben's astounding delivery to leave Casillas no chance. Ramos, never short of flamboyance and passion, celebrated with passion and complete virulence, as he had brought the momentum back in Madrid's favour, or so he thought.

Despite not being able to provide the perfect response in the first half, Henry put 4-2 ahead just two minutes after Ramos' header. Xavi's beautiful through ball tempted Casillas out of the Madrid goal, but the Frenchman won the race, reaching the ball first to tap into the net from all of thirty yards. From this point forward, it was not a contest.

Real, like they did against Liverpool, lacked conviction and passion in the biggest match of their season, as too many players went missing and the best team of the 20th century looked completely toothless. For Barcelona, it was the complete opposite; all of their big players came to the fore on the big stage as the Catalonians looked paralysingly potent in attack. The opposition was not provided by some rookies; this was a Madrid side littered with stars and littered with money.

However, such was Guardiola's comfort and confidence, he brought off the man of the match on the hour mark. Just before Henry left the field, Messi would have a chance to get his second of the match. Alves and Eto'o combined beautifully on the edge of the box and it was the Spaniard who had a free run at goal. He picked out the unstoppable Messi on the penalty spot, who took his eyes of the ball, as he sliced it wide of the target.

And it was Lionel Messi who would provide the main threat for Madrid again, with his inch-perfect through ball to Iniesta. He could have given Barcelona a three goal lead, but forever the flag-carriers of overplay, it was never that simple. Instead, he decided to take a few more touches, but was clumsily bundled over by Lassana Diarra in the box. The Barca players appealed, but it was in vain, as the referee, maybe scared of embarrassing Madrid in their own stadium, waved away the claims.

Messi was proving just what a player he was, and was single-handedly destructing the Spanish champions in the second half. He finally got his second of the match when he combined with Xavi on the edge of the box. Xavi, showing typical Catalonian artistry, slid Messi through on goal. This time, their was no mercy, and no mistake from the Argentine, who sent Casillas the wrong way. 5-2 down at home to your biggest rivals, could things get any worse? Yes, they can.

Gerard Pique, once of Manchester United, capped off a terrific individual performance as he marauded into the Madrid box. He was first to react when the ball went loose, spinning on the ball and firing past Cannavaro and Casillas, who had both left the goal-line in anticipation of a cut-back.

The most frightening thing about Barcelona was that they took their foot off the pedal when they went 4-2 up. Players were rested for the Champions League tie with Chelsea, and the passing was slowed down to walking pace. The game was played at Barcelona's pace throughout and the general feeling was they could have stepped up the pace at any time. They did step up the pace after going 1-0 down, and scored two goals in four minutes. Who knows how many they could have got had they went all out for ninety minutes?

There would be one more chance for the visitors before the referee blew the final whistle. The substitute, Bojan, skipped past Heinze on the line and found his fellow countryman in the box. Messi had drifted infront of Diarra, but again did not make a sufficient contact with the ball. It is no exaggeration to suggest that Messi could have, and maybe should have, had five or six goals on the night.

Many are labelling this team as the best Barcelona team ever, trumping that of Maradona's and Cruyff's, and whilst that may be true, no-one can deny how good, and how traditional, Barcelona are. The five starting Catalonians has already been mentioned, but couple that with the fact that Barca do not throw massive amounts of money around, and it is easy to see why they are such a proud team. The last two Champions League competitions have shown that Barcelona are the only team in Europe that can rival the English monopoly, and they rival it without betraying their well-revered traditions. The artistic beauty seen in their passing and craft is only matched by that of the city itself, and that is how football should be. They are one of the few teams that maintain pride and identity in the modern game, and it is for these reasons that they deserve to be La Liga Champions.