Torres finding old form

It's been a pretty good week for Chelsea! They are off to the finals in Munich and they just thrashed QPR 6-1. AGAIN if Roman Abramovich does not make Di Matteo manager, I will consider him....stupid! I'm pretty sure any other club would gladly take Di Matteo as a manager after all he has shown recently. The beginning of the game Struriridge was able to pull of a beautiful stunner to open the scoring. John Terry was able to finish off a great corner, and then here comes Torres. The next three goals Torres showed his old self and was able to complete a hat-trick for the first time since 2009. This doesn't mean that Torres is back, but he's taking definite baby steps and showing that he is indeed a world class player. If you don't believe me check out these the highlights below!

CLICK HERE FOR CHELSEA VS. QPR HIGHLIGHTS 

Gracias Pep Guardiola!

Friday April 27th, FC Barcelona held a press conference to announce the resigning of Pep Guardiola. After his four year reign, leading the team to 13 titles, Guardiola has finally decided to step down. He is to leave on June 30th. For any FC Barcelona fan, this is probably the saddest news that has hit the FCB community. I respect his reasons to leave. He has done so much for the club and being a manager for such a high-profile club is very demanding. Gracias Pep for everything you have! Where ever the world may take you next, I only hope the best for you! You were probably the best manager to ever manage FC Barcelona!

So better news though, the person who is take Guardiola's place is none other than his right hand man, the assistant coach Tito Vilanova. To me this is a great move because he and the players know each other well and being Guardiola's right hand man, he knows the Barca way. The media even claims him as "Pep's twin". Like Pep said in his press conference, Vilanova played a very crucial role in deciding what happens with the team etc. Guardiola was just the one voicing these ideas etc. I really can't wait to see what's going to happen next year to see how Vilanova will manage one of the best clubs in the world!

Gracias Pep and good luck Tito!

UCL Final: Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea

Well what do you know the two teams that were expected to move on, Real Madrid and Barcelona, did NOT make it to the UCL final. I have got to say this is one heck of a surprise to me and I'm pretty sure to the whole footballing community. Real Madrid's game was a little more intense because the game had to go to penalty shoot out. Ronaldo and Kaka were both denied by Neuer and Sergio Ramos just BLASTED it over the crossbar. I honestly do not know what Ramos was thinking. It's kind of sad that Ozil and Benzema did not get to kick. Schweinsteiger, the German, sealed the deal for Bayern Munich sending them off to the final in MUNICH (how nice).  

I'm pretty sure no one expected the UEFA Champions League final to end up like this. Everyone pretty much expected FC Barcelona or Real Madrid to be in the finals, but noooooo. If anything, I'm very very glad that Real Madrid did not move on. If FC Barcelona aren't able to move one, Real Madrid shouldn't either. Both Spanish giants are out of the tournament and the final which is going to be on May 19th is going to be Chelsea vs Bayern Munich. 

Who am I going to root for? I wasn't sure about it, but I think I'm going to root for Bayern Munch. My reasons why I'm going to root for them? 1.) They beat Real Madrid, the rival team to Barcelona 2.) Chelsea beat Barcelona and kicked FCB out of the tournament 3.) I think that Munich will benefit due to the losses from Chelsea's squad 4.) Bayern Munich is not Barcelona, so parking the bus won't work on them 5.) Munich are at home, so they have the home advantage 

Your Offense is only as Strong as your Defense

 You've heard the saying "Your offense is only as strong as your defense." In the footballing world that is true, and Barcelona have proven that. We all know that Barcelona's footballing concept is to keep possession and attack, keep possession and attack. Sometimes they forget to defend because they are so caught up in attacking. For example, near the last few minutes of the game, no one was marking Torres and and easy chip ball sent Torres on his own counter-attack making Valdes deal with a one on and one and obviously he lost that match.

Barcelona's defense has shown that they have been the problem. Carles Puyol's age is catching up with him and Abidal's age and medical conditions are unpredictable. The only true defenders the team has are Dani Alves and Pique. Mascherano is a defensive midfielder. If I were Pep, I would really consider making some important purchases during the summer transfer. There definitely needs to be someone else scoring goals.  Everything has been put on Messi, and let's be honest, he can't score every single goal for Barcelona. Football is a team sport and you can't rely only on one man to do the job. Alexis Sanchez needs to pick up his game, Pedro....I don't know what's up with him, and Villa well he's on the wrong side of 30. Cuenca and Tello a rising stars, but they need more experience and time to grow. SO right now another striker should be on Pep's list to buy. Another purchase for Pep to buy would be defenders, especially a left back and center back. There have been rumors with a link to Jordi Alba (from Valencia) who seems to be the man for the left back position. BUT I think two defenders are really needed. Barcelona need a solid back so that the other team won't score goals against them

Overall, I think Pep is a great manager and he should continue with Barcelona. Not being to successful for one year out of the 4 years and numerous trophies he has won is no reason for him to leave. It's just that because Guardiola only signs one year contracts, and I'm kind of scared of what his decision is going to be for the next season.

Well What do Know?

And the team going to the Munich final are......Chelsea.

After another full 90mins at Camp Nou, the score ended at 2-2 and 3-2 aggregate in favor of Chelsea. Oh man Chelsea....they really pulled it off didn't they. AND the winning goal just HAD TO BE TORRES! OUT OF ALL THE PEOPLE! He NOW decides to score a goal......I'll be honest though I have a soft spot for him, and yes.....I'll admit I'm happy for him, but I'm definitely not happy with Barca's loss. But what can you do? What you do is keep moving forward and keep rooting for your team NO MATTER WHAT. People who bail on them are not loyal and should be kicked in the knee. SO VISCA BARCA ALL THE WAY!

Now all I can do is anticipate for the Real Madrid vs. Bayner Munich final. I really want Munich to move on, but if Real Madrid move on it will be one heck of a match because you know....it's Jose Mourniho's old team and all. Munich have the lead, but anything can happen.

Oh and if Abramovich (whatever his name is) doesn't make Di Matteo the manager of Chelsea, I think I'm gonna consider him the stupidest man alive. That's all.

Derbies are Deciders

Last weekends El Clasico match was the turning point on whether or not  Barcelona could still compete in La Liga and we can conclude that it's not possible anymore. Now another exciting derby is to come upon us, Manchester City vs. Manchester United. It seemed like two weeks ago the title was given to United, but lately United have slipped up and City shown that they aren't backing down. April 30th at the Ethiad Stadium. That's where it's going to be at. This match may determine whether or not Manchester City still have a chance to win the Barclay's Premier League. Miraculously, City are only 3 points behind United and if City win the clash they will be completely even with Manchester United and the title race is still not decided.




Manchester City's away form is not as good as United, but their home record is amazing winning 16 games and only drawing 1 game. They are undefeated at home, and hopefully they can prove that during this derby clash. Also in the beginning of the season when City played at Old Trafford, they made a great thrashing beating Sir Alex Ferguson's team 6-1. City are looking in good form and starting to build momentum. The only thing now is they need to continue that form. Manchester City have excellent players they can field as well as Manchester United. Overall this game is going to be really tense for it can decide the fate of these two teams and whether or not they can win the title....or not.

Every Reign Comes to an End

This past week and weekend have just been bad for my team Barcelona. They lost to Chelsea and arch rivals Real Madrid. Because of the El Clasico loss, the league has been given to Real Madrid (obviously), unless miraculously Madrid lose the remaining of the league games and Barcelona win theirs. We all know that's not going to happen. There is still a lot to play for, for the second-leg Champions League semi-final. Chelsea obviously have the advantage with a 1 point lead and Real Madrid have proven that it's not impossible to beat Barcelona at home. Chelsea have been standing their ground and have again proven they can be a world class team. Di Matteo has done a really good job by bringing this team up from what they began with this season. I applaud him for that.

But let's be honest here. The league is out Barcelona's hands and there is a CHANCE that they may not reach the Champions League final stage. Has Barcelona's reign come to an end? They have already won the UEFA Supercup, FIFA World Club Cup, and they are in the final of the Copa del Rey....but is that enough? If we are to compare this season to their recently previous seasons, this season was pretty "mediocre". How could I say that, this team has actually won numerous awards and accolades as a team and individual players (Lionel Messi). But their record and their current form aren't up to par. Maybe it's fatigue, older age, psychological matters, whatever it is, I believe that Barcelona are going to fall this season and start building themselves up next year.

This team has a lot of new fresh faces that still need the experience (Tello, Thiago, Montoya, Cuenca, etc). I know this may sound bad, but I think that a little dip in their success will be good for them. It relieves some pressure off of them. Everyone in the footballing world will have high expectations always, but too much pressure can really hurt people physically and mentally. At the end of this season they will be able to re-access this season and prepare for the next one. Barcelona aren't even going on a pre-season tour really, they have decided to stay in Spain. This just proves that they really are tired. Three years of success can really wear you out. From a business perspective though, you can't have failure and I don't think this is exactly failure, but just a little punch....a reminder what it's like to not succeed which gives them a larger motivation to win more next year. That's all.

Chelsea vs. FC Barcelona (SURPRISE)

Well look at it here, after all Chelsea were able to pick a 1-0 at Stamford Bridge showing the world that Chelsea still has it. At 45' into the match a great counterattack from the Blues lead them to a goal by Dieder Drogba and put them up 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. As a huge Barcelona fan, I'm quite disappointed and I'm just waiting for the second-leg of the semi-finals. It's going to be at the Camp Nou, home to Barcelona, where it's ALMOST impossible (but not impossible) to beat Barcelona at their own game.

It seems like both Spanish teams, Real Madrid and Barcelona are behind their opposition. Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Munich while Barcelona lost 1-0 to Chelsea. They aren't completely outrageous score-lines because it is only 1 point that differentiates between each team, so there is still a lot to play for. Both of these Spanish teams have the advantage of the second-leg at home. We're the next two Champions League games will definitely be exhilarating to watch.

I'm just anticipating for these matches and the teams I'm rooting for are Barcelona and Bayern Munich. You never know, maybe after all there won't be an El Clasico Champions League Final.

Champions League Semi-Finals

Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich

This will be a very good game. Both are powerhouse clubs in soccer and they both have world class players. In all honesty, I think this match is a bit unpredictable. BUT speaking from a grand perspective, I believe that Real Madrid will win the semi-finals and move onto the finals. That does not mean that Bayern Munich cannot. I just think Real Madrid just have a little more of an edge.

FC Barcelona vs. Chelsea

Chelsea have been in good form lately and because of that I think this game will definitely be more difficult. Before, there was a MUCH higher chance of FC Barcelona winning, but it's hard to say now. Barcelona have been in a good form lately, and they seem to want to continue. It's been said that Chelsea have been able to win most of their past few games and would only lose due to lack of possession. The only problem is Barca's game is possession and nothing else. If you don't have the ball, how can you score a goal?

     

Animo Abial

If it hasn't been clear already I'm a huge Barca fan, and I feel that this post should be put out. On Tuesday (when Barca played Getafe and dedicated their win to him) Eric Abial, the starting left back was undergoing surgery for a liver transplant. Last year he had to have a tumor removed, and this is just an extension of the procedure (I'm assuming). So far, most news sources say that Abidal is recovering fine and I'm really happy for that. He seems like a genuinely nice and likable guy and I hope for a speedy and well recovery for him!

Animo Abidal! 

When I saw this, I could only think "Real Madrid, you guys are awesome" (for now)  

One Point

The race to claim the title in La Liga is high and alive between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. After beating Getafe 4-0 at home, Barcelona are only 1 point away from Los Blancos. Today Real Madrid are to play the Atletico Madrid which is going to be an intense derby for Atletico is a team that can surely compete with Madrid. Real Madrid is fighting for the title while Atletico are fighting for a place to play Europe. This is going to be one tough match. Even though Madrid has had a pretty good away form, Atletico still have the advantage of playing at home. We're just going to have to wait and see what will happen for this game!

 

     My prediction: Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico                                                           

League Round Up (April 6-8th)

Let's bring all the games into one big pile of closure by starting with the English Premier League. The battle between Manchester United and Manchester City for the title win just seems to fade farther and farther away from Mancini's reach. Manchester City played Arsenal at the Emirates stadium and took a harsh defeat with a late strike from Mikel Arteta losing 1-0. City are now 8 points away from United who secured a home win with goals from non other then Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes which gave them a 2-0 win over QPR. Mancini seems to still be having problems with the young Italian, Balotelli who received a red card during the Arsenal game. From different news sources, City are going to try and sell the controversial striker. It looks like Manchester United have the league title all wrapped up for the 20th time and only 6 more games to play in the league (unless some miraculously happens and Man. U drop a bunch of points, and Man. City win all their games). Chelsea who are continuing their good form (even though the game they played Wigan was NOT a very good performance) won at Stamford Bridge 2-, trying to secure a Champions League spot for next season. Tottenham try and keep their 4th place spot with a 0-0 tie when they played Sunderland. The Spurs taking only one point from the game, they are now two points behind Arsenal and only 3 points in front of Chelsea. Newcastle though is not far, with 56 points TIED with Chelsea. Six more games means a potential 18 more points for any of these teams. 

La Liga has become more and more tight lately. Real Madrid played Valencia this Sunday and were only able to take away 1 point from the Santiago Bernebeu with a tie of 0-0. It may have been European fatigue that has caused this tie between the two sides, but non the less, Madrid now only sit 4 points atop the tables when only a few weeks ago it was 10 points. Valencia were able to take a crucial 1 point and still in 3rd place but only 1 point of in front of Levante and 2 points from Malaga who still have to play Racing Santander Monday April 9th. If Malaga secure a win, they will be able to gain the 3rd place spot. But for the gap between Barcelona and Madrid to even shrink a little, Barcelona took on threatening relegation team Zaragoza and were able to take a 4-1 win, with goals from Puyol, Messi (2), and Pedro for Barcelona and Aranda for Zaragoza. The title race and places are still being fought for and there are still a few games to be played which can decide anything. For the title winner it may come down to the Clascio on April 22nd.  

The last league I'll be talking about is Serie A. The title race is still live and high paced with a 2-0 win for Juventus against Palermo. They sit atop of the table with 65 points only 1 point away from Milan's 64. Milan were not able to secure a win as they lost to 2-1 to Fiorentina at the San Siro.

With the Champions League semis still yet to be played and leagues are still hot and winnable, I believe that the end of each season for each league will be exciting to watch, and everyone should keep up to date and be posted on all things football. You can check out the links above to keep up with your favorite teams or leagues. If you go to the Football News Link there you can check out articles and opinions of all the different games and teams!

Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich

This will surely be the semi-final match up between the two semi-finals. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are both very strong teams and are currently in good form. Both have very strong attack such as Bayern Munich's  Mario Gomez, Arjen Robben, and Franck Ribery. BUT Real Madrid has just as strong of an attack (maybe stronger) with the likes of CR7, Benzema, Kaka, Ozil, Di Maria, and Higuain (there are so many different ways to make up that line-up) but I believe that CR7, Benzema, Ozil, and if Di Maria is in good form will be the starters for the games. I'm pretty sure that Kaka will start for one the the two legs and will be substituted for another.

I'm not sure how this game will play out. I don't know much about Bayern Munich, but I know about Real Madrid. And in their current form, I feel that they are the favorites to move on in the semi-finals. BUT this is definitely going to be a closer game. I still think that there is a high probability that Bayern can beat Real Madrid. Plus the Champions league final is in Munich the HOME of Bayern MUNICH.

My Prediction

First Leg (Allianz Arena) Real Madrid 2-2

Second Leg (Santiago Bernabeu) Real 2-0

Aggregate Real Madrid 4-2

Real Madrid 

 VS.

Bayern Munich 

Now It's FC Barcelona vs. Chelsea

The controversial 2008/2009 Champions league semi-finals is happening all over again! Or is it?

FC Barcelona beat AC Milan at the Camp Nou 3-1. There have been talks about a controversial calls that the ref made, but that's the past and honestly what can you do about. (but Barca did dominate the majority of the game with with more than 60% of possession and 21 shots on goal compared to Milan's 3). ANYWHO now FCB is play Chelsea who are considered the underdogs out of the 3 teams that have gotten to the semi-finals (Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich is the other semi-final match). So who do you think will win the FCB vs. Chelsea semi-finals?

Of course I want Barcelona to win, and I honestly think Barcelona will win. Chelsea are a good team, but they aren't the Chelsea 3-4 years ago that went up against Barca then. Barca are mostly the same team right now and they have been dominating for quite awhile. Chelsea have been in good form lately with their new interim manager Di Matteo, but I still think that Chelsea will have major struggles against FCB. Barcelona WILL have their struggles against Chelsea, but a team that has about 60-70% of the ball for the majority of the game....it's hard to score when you don't have the ball.

I believe that Chelsea will score, but I still think that Barcelona will score more. The only thing is that Barcelona cannot get cocky, but they usually don't. They just play their style and dominate like usual. So I'm just waiting for the game. Tomorrow Barca is to play Real Zaragoza. Hopefully they will win and close the gap between them and Real Madrid. Anything can happen in a game of football.

My Prediction

First Leg (Stamford Bridge) Barcelona 2-1

Second Leg (Camp Nou) Barcelona 3-1

Aggregate: Barcelona 5-2

Remember this? 

FC Barcelona vs. AC Milan

Today on April 3rd 2012, FC Barcelona is to take on AC Milan in the quarter-finals second leg. The first leg sat the San Siro ended with a 0-0 tie, so this is going to be one heck of a match. Barcelona obviously have the home advantage, and I must say that they have the best fans in the world to cheer them on, BUT Milan have the psychological advantage....they have nothing to lose.

Honestly I want and don't want to watch this match (but I won't get to watch it anyways). First this is going to be one HECK OF A MATCH. You have world class players on both sides such as Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol, Pique for Barcelona but you have Ibra, Robinho, Prince, Nesta, Van Bommel on Milan's side. BUT (second) I would get to nervous to watch this match. Just too nervous. I guess I'm going to have to find out the result once I get home.......(my heart is already pounding).