Stopped: Barcelona 0 - AC Milan 0

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Wednesday night began with AC Milan never having lost a European quarterfinal match at home.  When the dust had settled on Barcelona's visit to the northern portion of the Italian peninsula, although the home side's record had been tested, it was still intact. To Milan for our game report: 

The opening gambit was fast and furious at both ends: Robinho misfired for the Italians on a point blank opportunity as the game opened, the Brazilian betrayed by his own touch. At the other end, Barcelona wunderkind Lionel Messi was betrayed only by the Italian-laid pitch, which stopped the diminutive Argentine from grabbing an early advantage for his side.

When Milan 'keeper Abbiati felled Barcelona's Alexis Sanchez, all eyes turned expectantly toward the Swedish officiating crew, but the penalty shout was denied. If further evidence was needed that a goal from the visitors might soon be forthcoming, it came in the form on a slightly offside Messi tapping the ball behind Abbiati: while the crowd gasped, however, the scoreboard remained unchanged.

Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic flubbed his lines during an early attempt to play a starring role in the evening's festivities, the enigmatic Swede shooting straight at Victor Valdes when a more creative offering would have found the net. While Barcelona controlled the lion's share of possession and dictated the game's tempo, their Italian hosts remained just dangerous enough that neither side's supporters could be comfortable throughout an engaging but scoreless first half.

Oh, How the Worm Turns: Arsenal 3 - AC Milan 0

Columnist Ed Enjoys Feeding Worms to His Pet Pigeons
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Just when you thought they had been left for dead, Arsenal threw everything but the kitchen sink at AC Milan on Tuesday, and despite putting up three of the four goals needed to tie the scoreline on aggregate, came up just short by failing to score in the second half.  This might have been the best game of the season to watch so far, and it raises the following issues:

1.     Top to Bottom to Top.  It’s amazing how low Arsenal were when they found themselves two down to Tottenham, and how high they’ve flown after coming back to thrash Spurs and then end Liverpool’s season the following week.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a team more dispirited than the Arsenal team that took on AC Milan in Milan.  What happened exactly?  It's hard to say, really, although I can think of a few items below.

      But what we all need to be reminded of is that it’s a long season, and the story arc constantly changes, despite the predictions of the experts.  I recall a few saying a couple of months ago that Fulham was a dark horse to be relegated – now they're being compared to the best team in Fulham history.  We’ve also seen Uncle Harry at Spurs go from coronation to two straight thrashings, with fourth place now looking like something other than a lock for Tottenham.  To use one of my favorite clichés—Oh, how the worm turns.  (Try using that one a few times, I bet you’ll like it).

2.     Oxlade-Chamberlain.  Despite illustrating the real problem that occurs from a hyphenated surname (for example, what does he name his kids then, especially if he marries someone named Higglestone or Wachingburgenstowe?), this 18 year old was the Man of the Match for Arsenal.  He injected speed and purpose to the Gunner's attack.  He caused the PK that Van Persie converted at one end, and was diving and crawling to stop a cross at the defensive end.  His performance on Tuesday was everything you could want from a footballer.



3.     Pressure.  Bill Parcells used to say that everyone reacts to pressure, it's just a matter of whether they get better or worse.  Robin Van Persie seemed to do a little of both.  Converting a high pressure penalty kick with a devastating shot to the upper right corner showed steeliness and resolve; but when he tried to baby a simple finish and it was saved, he seemed to show a fear of failure.  Worse was AC Milan, particularly in the second half when they tried to guide an easy cross into the back of the net only to nudge it right into Sczcesny.

4.     Playoffs.  The regular season in the EPL is very enjoyable, but games like the one on Tuesday night at Arsenal show how exciting a playoff structure could be.  In short, there would be no taking a point and moving on.  Too many of the top teams in the BPL play for draws when playing each other during the regular season.  Perhaps a playoff format for the top eight should be started.  I know, it’s never going to happen, but wouldn’t it be nice to see the top teams play each other with this kind of pressure on the line?

Exposed: AC Milan 4 - Arsenal 0

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Another Champions League night, another night without Manchester United. Wednesday night's rent-a-date was a fairly bitter pill to swallow: Putting myself firmly in the Gooner camp, I chose to watch a decent but fatally flawed Arsenal side bring their potent attack and vapid defense to Italy to take on AC Milan's enigmatic attack and experienced defense at the San Siro. 2012's match pitting an English visitor against an Italian host was unlikely to offer any "Taxi for Maicon" or head butting theatrics, but would it serve up some entertaining football....?  To answer the question, farlieonfootie headed off to Italy to catch all the action:

The two sides traded blows in the early going, although truth be told, both looked more eager than threatening with their initial attacks.  It was difficult to determine whether it was the shocking state of the pockmarked San Siro pitch or Zlatan Ibrahimovic's equally woeful and scraggly attempt at a beard and mustache that proved more distracting to Arsenal's initial efforts. Having failed to create much in the way of real offense, the Gunners found themselves in a giving mood, returning the ball time and again to the Italians, although none more costly than the turnover which resulted from Arsenal 'keeper Wojciech Sczcesny's poor kick out near the fifteen minute mark.

It was none other than former Premier League man Kevin Prince Boateng who took full advantage of the visitors' generosity to open the scoring, chesting down and nailing in a volley from an angle sharper than that of his up-swooped hairdo. While Arsenal Gooner-in-Chief, Arsene Wenger, could only watch and grimace from the sideline, his men on the pitch were busy turning in a performance as bland as a plate of un-buttered spaghetti.

Arsenal played the game in slow motion, as if seeking to savor each and every second of their time in northern Italy. For their part, Milan was more than content to play the game at normal speed, a gear that was one click too many for the woeful Gunner defense to handle.

The difference in the two sides' pace was all too apparent shortly before halftime, as Ibrahimovic raced to the endline before picking out an unmarked and onrushing Robinho.  The Brazilian, no stranger to the Premier League himself, made no mistake from the top of the six yard box as he bolstered the home side's advantage with a stunningly easy headed goal.


The second half saw the introduction of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, the Frenchman joining the game as a replacement for an ineffective Theo Walcott, as Wenger sought to cajole some offense -- indeed, any offense -- out of his troops.  The alteration did little to change the momentum of the contest, however, as Robinho was at the double less than five minutes after the half kicked off, the Brazilian showcasing the kind of form he rarely reached while at Manchester City, bulging the back of the net as well as the scoreline, which now read 3-nil in favor of the locals.

The Fast Five

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Ed has some thoughts on last weekend.  Unfortunately, it took him until Thursday to verbalize them:

Just when you think you’ve got the EPL all figured out there’s a week like this.

First there’s United against Chelsea.  Wayne Rooney, averaging three goals a game his last two games, falls down on his way to his second goal against the Blues.  Huh?  No, it’s true.  And while United ultimately put in three, Chelsea for the most part saw the better of the play.  Torres' first goal after the half was a as shocking as it was merciless, almost nonchalantly flicking it over De Gea on a quick through ball. 

His sec . . . . oops, of course there was no second, but instead there was that complete “Doh!” that we’ve all seen countless times, where after beating De Gea with a quick stepover, he nearly missed the entire stadium on a kick in that should have been a layup.  But let’s face it, it was the first time in a long time that Torres looked dangerous.  And it was the first time that United seemed to be on the defensive most of the game.  Does this mean United is vulnerable?  Well, it was just one game.  But their lack of dominance against the speed lineup of Chelsea – that is, the lineup they went to after pulling Lampard – has got to put some concern in United fans when they think of what Barca might do to them if it all comes to that again.  Hmmm.

Second there’s Spurszzz.  Someone clearly put the jumper cables right on the left and right . . . . well, let’s keep this above board, and say that Adebayor and Scott Parker, the smartest looking holding midfielder in the EPL, absolutely transmogrified (wait, is that a word?) the team.  Spurs went from a demoralized last place team to a team that looked downright dangerous, taking advantage of a Liverpool team that looked predicatable and slow and, well, slow. 

Spurs' Fantastic Four

Delicious AND nutricious!

As I post this blog, I'm attempting to figure out which fact amazes me more: that Spurs have qualified for the final eight of the Champions League, or that you can buy a Margarita (with a salted plastic rim, no less) from a drive-through window in the State of Louisiana.  While I continue to ponder the question, Columnist James revels in Spurs' remarkable Champions League campaign:

One has been likened by Martin Samuels to Homer Simpson’s famous line about alcohol (“The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems”).  One was an almost afterthought, free transfer acquisition who had played for a despised North London rival and who was consequently slow to gain acceptance from supporters.  One was a complete afterthought, South American signing who arrived at the club inexplicably two weeks late and whom the manager claimed to have forgotten about.  The last has been adequate but never quite lived up to the bulldog central defense role that so many teams need to experience league and cup success, and had an infamous vapor-locked brain implosion which resulted in his sending off and his club’s crashing out of the FA Cup against lowly Fulham. 

It is perhaps a testament to how much can change over the course of six months, Spurs’ maturation as a club in the same time period, and Harry Redknapp’s brilliant stewardship that a team which found themselves down 3 - nil to Young Boys (Young Boys!) 28 minutes into the opening round of qualifying have now advanced to the last eight of the Champions League, 1-0 aggregate, over the seven-time European champion AC Milan (AC Milan!).  And the second leg 0-0 nail-biting slog of a draw was due in large part to the heroics of Heurelho Gomes, William Gallas, Sandro and Michael Dawson.  Not the magnificent Bale.  Not the Dutch Talisman.  Not Modric.  Not even Defoe (who at one time was, and perhaps is, showing signs of again becoming a prolific goal scorer).  Gomes, Gallas, Dawson and Sandro were the undisputed heroes of this match.

First, Gomes.  This game was a microcosm of Gomes.  He withstood 16 of Milan’s shots (contrasted to only 8 of Spurs').  He made two horrendous errors – one an ill conceived challenge out of his goal another a throw directly to the other team.  The first resulted in a goal mouth clearance by the ultra steady Gallas and the other a superlative save by Gomes himself.  The series of events encapsulated the maddening inconsistency of the goalie – capable at times of supreme brilliance and at others of colossal idiocy.  We Yids live by the Heurelho, and we die by the Heurelho.

Berlusconi Fails in Second Confidence Vote of the Week!

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Our European correspondent Todd checks in from Italy, taking some brief time off from his holiday celebrations to offer his perspective on this weekend's disappointing turn of events at the San Siro:

December 19 / Stadio San Siro / Milan, Italy

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that “Silvio Berlusconi's government survived what was, by our count, its fifth confidence vote this year. The final tally in Italy's lower house of parliament: 314 to 311. Anti-Berlusconi trade unionists, students, and unaffiliated anarchists have taken the occasion to riot in Rome, setting cars on fire and beating policemen. Italy's 10-year sovereign bond yield edged up to 4.61% yesterday, from 4.53% on Monday before the vote.”

To which farlieonfootie would add: “And Roma traveled to San Siro, stealing three points from Berlusconi’s league-leading, star-studded rossoneri club.”  Although the match lacked the headlines and drama of sex scandals, palace intrigue, and consequential street violence, its outcome was a punishing blow to Il Primo Ministro, resulting in his sixth confidence vote of the year. 

Claudio Ranieri fielded a giallorossi side featuring Morco Borriello, the team’s leading scorer on loan from Milan, up front, with Francesco Totti firmly bundled and affixed to the Roma bench.  Not to be outdone, Milan skipper Massimo Allegri benched Ronadinho.  With these two legends literally shivering in their boots, the starting line-ups were predictable.

Milan dominated the first half handily, passing and dribbling through their Roman counterparts with relative ease, if not flair.  Although the Milan attack was ambidextrous and effective, the end result was still nil for both sides at the interval.  The second half featured more of the same sporadic back and forth.   The rossoneri  kept circling their prey but couldn’t quite swoop in with their talons.  Their shots were weak and off the mark, the lead-ups and movement good but lacking in creativity with Ronaldinho remaining on the bench.