Milan to Play the Santiago Bernabeu Cup

This where my heart begins to divide when I have to see two of my beloved clubs face each other for a cup. Thankfully it is just a sweet little pre season friendly match. Although nothing has been confirmed Galliani has said that there is great probability that Milan could play against Madrid this summer. They have the same sponsors so there most likely would be no problems in getting the deal closed. A very interesting match indeed with the return of the much beloved Seedorf and Ronaldinho who lived one of his most memorable nights at the Santiago Bernabeu.

All of Madrid Celebrates

Its hard to be an Atletico supporter because you never know what you are going to get from your team. They are a mixed bag full of surprises. One day its all bad football and the next they play the game of their life. Thankfully against Barcelona they played their hearts out and delivered probably the best match of the whole season. 7 goals and a lot of drama, really nothing new to an Atleti-Barca clash, but this time all of Madrid cheered and celebrated with their victory.

Before the match there was the whole Messi vs. Kun debate on who would be the star of the match, and I think its easy to say that Kun was brilliant especially in the second half. No one from Barcelona could stop him. He was a mad man on a mission and stormed through all of Barcelona’s defence, cracked the backs of the Azulgrana, and pleased all of the Calderon with his goals. Mission accomplished Kun! While Messi with some sparks of individualism was able to fire some light into a lackluster Barcelona, there was no taking the spot light off of the brilliant Kun. However, Forlan must not be forgotten for he was also utterly amazing. His first goal simply left me speechless and his second goal left me without a voice after screaming my lungs out. Now if only Atleti could just fix their sorry defence which has been their Achilles heel for so long. I think the question on everyone’s mind is why Pablo still is featured on this team.

To the surprise of many Madrid are now only 4 points behind Barcelona and still there is so much more Liga left to play. So this is where La Liga becomes fascinating and where little details will define who in the end takes the prize home. To think these both teams still have to play Atletico Madrid (Madrid still has to face them), Villareal, Valencia (who’s on a free fall), Sevilla, and most importantly have to face each other in El Classico…oh what a finale awaits us.

Zenit: No Girls Allowed!

The fans of the Russian club Zenit of St. Pertersburg have complained and demanded that the club should no longer sell tickets to females when the clubs plays in thier home stadium. These lovely and fascinating group of fans have stated that women distract them and that they can’t curse or jump around when women are present. The club although they would rather not discuss the change in policy with the press have stressed that they do not want to sideline all women just the younger ladies. Its absolutely shameful and hypocritical for Zenit to make such a decision. It is ironic that they would take such a stance after reading whats on Zenit’s Official Website, which states that they have no tolerance for racism or discrimination: “In Zenit we shall always keep ourselves to the policies of antiracism and equal abilities in all our activities, social, as well, as club-organized.”
Women pay for their tickets so let them enjoy the game, beside I highly doubt that they care about men who behave like animals.

Stunned and Appalled

Due to the fact that I was not able to watch the game I really can’t explain or even comprehend what happened last night at San Siro. The only real hope of winning something has been flushed down the toilet by Milan. Werder Bremen as I read were the superior team and I do not want to take credit away from them, but if Milan lost is due to their own impotence. There is no one else to blame for this defeat other than Milan. It is baffling to hear that Milan were up two goals and then in the last dying minutes they left Pizarro alone to score yet again. Once again the whole issue with the defence is not age, but the lack of variability or even quality that the team lacks. This issue is not new for everyone with eyes could tell you that is where Milan are most vulnerable still no one bothered to bring some one to help during the winter transfer market. I recently read an article where it explained that with a few quality good signings Milan could be great once again. I could not agree more because truth be told Milan have a great team and have demonstrated in certain games this season, but they are always missing an ingredient to catapult them to returning to their conquering ways. Milan have spent their money in investing on players that would bring in the revenue with advertisements and ticket sells, but they forgot to invest in players that help you win the silverware. If Milan could just stop thinking in ‘Galactico’ mode and remember the essence of this club, then will we begin to see the real Milan. For this Milan with all the big names does not come near to the greatness of the Milan that won their 7th European cup.

 Ancelotti has now accepted that last nights disaster is all his fault and without a doubt he should see it as his responsiblity.  Still, I do not think this is fair to just point the finger to Ancelotti due to the fact that Milan’s poor form is something that has been brewing for quite sometime (to be exact just after Milan won their 7th CL cup). However, I see it as almost a sure thing that we will not be seeing Ancelotti on the bench next season. The fans are tired of the same dull tactics that have led to pretty much no where and it seems as the Milan chiefs are not too happy either. So it will be easier to get rid of his head when who is truly to blame here are those who sit in the comfy and luxurious stands of the San Siro (Galliani and his cohorts). That is where the root of the problem lies.

Furthermore, many will say that this elimination is a blessing of some sort because it now allows for Milan to solely concentrate in Seria A. Well to those who think like that I can not help but ask for a reality check. Milan have and should always be competitive in any tournament they take part of. I do not care how small or meaningless it may be. There is no excuse for a club like Milan to have nothing to fight for at this point of the season. Where is the pride that this club once had not too long ago?

One Foot Outside of the Champions League

It is apparent that Real Madrid still has not learned the lessons of the past and now is stuck in a very complicated situation. Maybe they believed their own hype and under appreciated their rival or the decima is not meant to be just yet. Whatever the case may be it now seems Madrid are doomed to be eaten alive at the sacred grounds of Anfield. A 0-0 result may not have been an ideal score but it would have been better than a 0-1 defeat which pretty much kills any chances of at least going through to the next round. First off it is quite obvious that the calamity of the Lass-Huntalaar signup confusion has played its role in Madrid’s performance. Huntalaar was key in the last two matches where Madrid had showed improvement in their game and against Liverpool it was apparent that his presence was sorely missed. With Huntalaar there was an assurance of goals but better yet he opened the spaces for Higuain and Raul to move through while he distracted the defense. Simply put Madrid were a more forward minded team with the tall Dutch boy. Too bad he had too watch the match from his couch. Then there is Juande’s mistake of taking off Marcelo, in a newly discovered position, had played a good first half. With the entrance of Guti Madrid loss attacking power up front. Guti one of those frustrating geniuses that when the light bulb clicks on are purely magic and splendor, however, that is only when he feels like turning the light bulb on and that’s where Guti’s problem lies. Therefore you never know what you are going to get with Don Guti. Another problem came with Juande’s lack of ambition or daringness. With the time and ideas running out Juande never dared to put in Sneijder or Van der Vaart, who either one of them could have offered a little something extra to the attack. Towards the end it was quite visible that there was a huge gap between the two strikers and those who are supposed to deliver creativity. There was a fracture which led to disorganization and lack of possession. We began to see sloppy passes and desperation leading to errors like the one Heinze committed in a very dangerous zone. Free kick and Benayoun’s goal. A goal from one of Liverpool’s shortest players; I find it hard to believe that at this stage such silly mistakes in defending could cause Madrid’s elimination once again.

Now to 'thrash' Liverpool at Anfield?

Benitez, the genius that he is set up a tactically defensive team, which for the most part was looking for a scoreless draw, and now ends up returning to Liverpool with a very satisfying result. Liverpool they never seize to amaze me and at the Bernabeau they proved why the Champions League always suits them to perfection. Although there are 90 minutes left to this game it certainly looks like the Reds have one foot set in the next round while Madrid can add another year of European failure. Madrid will have to grow a pair and leave their heart, blood, and tears at Anfield in order to win. However, even with all of that it may not be enough to bring down Liverpool. For the moment the road to Rome looks much further away and almost intangible.