Champions League Semi-Final 2nd Leg Review

Never give up!

Liverpool 4 (4) vs. (3) 3 Barcelona

Comeback no 1 came to us from Liverpool as the reds stared at the almost impossible task of coming back from 3-0 down to Barcelona. Liverpool got off to a flying start as they pinned back Barcelona with their pressing and the crowd cheered every Liverpool players move while jeered the every Barcelona players move. Origi scored the opener in the 7th minute and it looked like Liverpool would run riot but Barcelona held on. Robertson was injured in the 1st half and so Wijnaldum was brought off the bench in the 2nd. Wijnaldum then scored a goal in the 54th and 56th minute to bring Liverpool back into the tie with a 3-0 lead. Liverpool would still need to win the tie and stop Barcelona from conceding and in the 79th minute Origi popped up too head in the winner for Liverpool. The fans went ballistic the ex players went ballistic Klopp and co went ballistic as Liverpool made sure that they would be heading for their 2nd consecutive Champions League final. Liverpool’s performance was a masterclass in gegen pressing and was a portrayal of what Klopp represents. Barcelona on the other hand need to be asked questions after an astoundingly poor performance 2 years in a row. I have said it since last year Barcelona are Messi and nothing without him at the moment. 

Ajax 2 (3) vs. (3) 3 Tottenham

Comeback two and in my opinion the more amazing one came to us from Amsterdam as Tottenham faced a tight game made even tougher with a poor first half performance. Ajax dominated the first half of the game as they hit the post several times but also scored in the 5th minute via De Ligt, and the 35th minute via Ziyech. Ajax went into the 2nd half with a 3-0 lead on aggregate. Tottenham though did not give up and came out with an other worldly spirit as they took the game to Ajax. Moura scored the first goal in the 55th minute and then equalised for Tottenham in the 59th minute. With two away goals in the bag Tottenham knew that if they scored one more then they would got through on away goals. Ajax though stayed strong but in the 96th minute with the final kick of the game Moura completed his hattrick, Tottenham ensured their place in the final and Moura forever became a Tottenham legend. Tottenham have had an up and down season and my bias is that I don’t want them to win the Champions League but from a neutrals perspective they showed great grit and desire to reach the final. Ajax unlike Barcelona were great over both legs and perhaps the experience let them down in the end. Ajax should be more than proud of what they have accomplished this season, beating the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus was no easy feat and for that they will forever be remembered. Tottenham head to Madrid to face Liverpool in an all English final. 

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Champions League Semi-Final 2nd Leg Preview

Done and dusted?

Liverpool (0) vs. (3) Barcelona

Barcelona go into his fixture with a 3-0 lead and an away goal would pretty much seal the deal. Liverpool need to summon their Anfield spirit for the game and while comebacks are possible against Barcelona for example Roma last year, Liverpool will be without Salah and Firmino for this game. Liverpool could win the game but Barcelona should do enough to seal a place in the final. Barcelona lost their game at the weekend while Liverpool just about managed to beat Newcastle in their race for the title. 

Ajax (1) vs. (0) Tottenham

Ajax got an away goal at Tottenham as they played brilliantly to put one small step into the final. Tottenham were poor and continued that poor form in the weekend as they lost to Bournemouth. Ajax beat Willem II 0-4 in the KNVB Cup final to seal a trophy and continue their hopes for a treble. There is always a chance that Tottenham can reach the final especially if they get an away goal but Ajax have the momentum and at the moment a better squad and so Ajax should reach the final. 

Midweek Football Review

City’s title to lose.

Premier League MW 31, 33

Tottenham 1 vs. 0 Brighton

Tottenham’s game in hand was not going as planned as Brighton kept Spurs out of their goal for most of the game. Spurs continued to push and Eriksen finally managed to get Spurs the three points in the 88th minute. Tottenham go 3 points clear of 4th placed Chelsea while they go 6 clear of 6th placed United. Brighton remain 17th and only 3 points above the relegation zone having won none of their last 5 games. 

Watford 1 vs. 1 Southampton

This game broke a record as Shane Long scored the fastest premier league goal in history after he put Southampton in front within 7 seconds. Watford then spent the entire game trying get back in and managed it in the 90th minute thanks to Andre Gray. Watford remain 8th in the table, while Southampton remain 16th. 

Wolverhampton 3 vs. 1 Arsenal

Wolves would be in the top four if all they had to do was play top 6 opposition. Neves, Doherty and Jota all scored in the first half to give Wolves a comfortable 3-0 lead at half time. Sokratis did get a consolation goal for Arsenal in the 80th minute. The win takes Wolves back into 7th after having dropped in recent weeks while Arsenal miss another chance to go into the top four as they remain a point behind Chelsea in 5th.

Man United 0 vs. 2 Man City

United have been poor and unlike last year they could not replicate the brilliant comeback they had under Mourinho. Ole set up to park the bus and it worked for 45 minutes but even parking the bus is an art form and needs dedication to execute. Bernardo Silva and Sane then scored in the 2nd half to seal 3 massive points for City as having played their game in hand they go top of the table, a point ahead of Liverpool. The title is now City’s to lose. United remain 3 points behind 4th. 

La Liga MW 34

Barcelona beat Alaves 0-2, and Atletico got a hard fought victory against Valencia as they beat them 3-2. Barcelona remain 9 points clear and will have to wait another week to be crowned champions while Atletico are firmly in 2nd place. Real remain 3rd and Getafe remain 4th. 

Coppa Italia Semi-Final 2nd Leg

Lazio beat Milan 0-1 to reach the Coppa Italia semi-finals where they will play either Atalanta or Fiorentina who play on Thursday night. 

DFB Pokal Semi-Final

Bayern just managed to beat Werder Bremen 2-3, and Leipzig beat Hamburg 1-3 as these two teams reached the finals. Leipzig vs. Bayern for this seasons DFB Pokal.

Midweek Football Preview

Massive games in the race for top four and the title!

Premier League MW 31, 33

Tottenham vs. Brighton

3rd placed Tottenham take on 17th placed Brighton with both teams needing a win. Tottenham need to win to lose no ground in their race for the top four while Brighton need to win to stay above the relegation zone. Tottenham lost to City at the weekend while Brighton drew but Tottenham probably deserved a draw themselves. Spurs should have enough in their tank to beat Brighton but Brighton can always cause damage. 

Watford vs. Southampton

8th placed Watford take on 16th placed Southampton. Watford are pushing for a 7th place finish and have been good form recently while Southampton have been decent over the last few weeks. Southampton should be safe from relegation but a win would do them great good. A tough one. 

Wolverhampton vs. Arsenal

10th placed Wolves take on 5th placed Arsenal. 10th placed Wolves need a win after having dropped in recent weeks. Arsenal are 5th and their loss to Palace came as a shock considering the Gunners home form is so good. Arsenal are poor away from home but Wolves have been poor generally and so this should be a close game. 

Man United vs. Man City

The Manchester derby comes at a very interesting time for the Premier League. 2nd placed City know that a win agains United would take them to 1st and put them in the driving seat. United had been doing well but since Ole has been appointed permanent manager they have gone into a downward spiral and look even worse than they did under Mourinho. United stopped City’s title charge for a bit last season can they dent City’s hope this season and will they?, considering the alternative is Liverpool winning the league. A great game to watch. 

La Liga MW 34

Barcelona travel Alaves, Atletico take on Valencia, and Real travel to Getafe. Barcelona are two wins away from winning La Liga while the race for a 4th place finish heats up with Getafe, Valencia, and Sevilla all having a chance. 

Coppa Italia Semi-Final 2nd Leg

Milan take on Lazio with the aggregate at 0-0, and Atalanta take on Fiorentina with the aggregate at 3-3. Two very close games which could go either way. 

DFB Pokal Semi-Final 

Hamburger take on Leipzig, Hamburger are 2nd in Bundesliga 2 while Leipzig are in the top four in Bundesliga 1. Werder Bremen take on Bayern in the other other semi-final. Close games for all teams and anyone could reach the final. 

 

 

 

Chelsea 4 (5) vs. (3) 3 Slavia Praha Europa League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg Review

Sigh of relief!

Chelsea reached the semi-final’s of the Europa League this season after a seven goal thriller at Stamford Bridge. Sarri picked a strong lineup for the game with Kepa starting in goal, Azpi, Christensen, Luiz, and Emerson starting in defence, Kovacic, Barkley, and Kante in midfield and Hazard, Giroud, and Pedro up front. The likes of RLC were left out of the squad and CHO was on the bench. Chelsea got off to a blistering start by scoring in the 5th minute via Pedro, Simon Deli then scored an goal which really should have been finished by Pedro as he made it 2-0 in the 9th minute. Giroud then made it 3 in the 17th minute but Soucek got one back for Slavia in the 25th making it 3-1. Pedro then added a 4th in the 27th minute. Slavia held on for the rest of the half as Chelsea kept it 4-1 after 30 minutes of swash buckling football. Chelsea though had their typical 2nd half start as we conceded two goals to Slavia in the opening 10 minutes to make it 4-3 and a nervy end to the game. 

While the first half showed some amazing football and ruthlessness by Chelsea the 2nd half or at least the opening 10 minutes of the 2nd half showed once again that Chelsea are most vulnerable then. The 45-55 minute range cost us against Liverpool, and could have cost us against Slavia while we have conceded most of our goals during this time. People have been quick to question Sarri and ponder what he says at half time to illicit such a start. Sarri himself has stated that he tells the team to continue the way they are playing but he can’t understand. I personally don’t think that this is Sarri’s issue, its not like he goes into the changing room and slates every player. It is up to the players to start the 2nd half with the same intensity as they ended the 1st. 

Either way Chelsea manage to get through and we will face Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-finals. The other semi-final will be played between Valencia and Arsenal. Much to play for as the season goes on and Burnley up next in the league. COME ON YOU BLUES!!!

Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg Review

An epic two days of football!

Juventus 1 (2) vs (3) 2 Ajax

In this first shock of the quarter’s Ajax came from behind in Turin to reach the semi-final’s of this seasons competition in what was another feather in the Ajax youth cap. Ronaldo gave Juventus the lead in the 28th minute as it looked like Juventus would progress but Ajax remained strong and showed great experience. van de Beek scored a brilliant goal to equalise for Ajax in the 34th minute and de Ligt headed in the winner in the 67th minute. Whatever happens to Ajax this has been a brilliant season for them and it is sad that this special team will probably get raided by Europe’s best. Juventus for another season fail to reach the finals or win the Champions League and while getting Ronaldo was great maybe it’s time that Allegri called curtains on his career at Juventus. 

Barcelona 3 (4) vs. (0) 0 Man United

A straightforward win for Barca as Messi took revenge for the Smalling barge by barging United out of the Champions League. United actually did well for the first 15 minutes and Rashford actually hit the post but as soon as Messi got in his stride the match was only going to go one way. Messi scored a brilliant goal in the 16th minute and then a De Gea error led to his and Barca’s second goal in the 20th minute. Coutinho then finished matters off with a beauty of his own in the 61st minute. Barca’s days of Tiki-Taka football seem far off but as long as they have Messi Barca will always have  a chance at winning games. Ole seems to have partied too hard after getting the job at United and his appointment seems to have been a premature call. 

Man City 4 (4) vs. (4) 3 Tottenham

One of the greatest games of football ever. City had to score to stand a chance and Sterling’s opener in the 4th minute made it seem like this would be a City romp. What followed were the craziest 20 minutes of football ever as both teams defences seemed to have not got the memo. Son equalised with a deflected goal in the 7th minute, and then gave Tottenham the lead in the 10th minute with a beauty. Bernardo Silva then equalised for City in the 11th minute thanks to a deflection and Sterling gave City the lead in the 21st minute. The game then settled down as at 3-2 Tottenham would still progress on away goals City needed to score a 4th. The 4th goal for City came in the 59th minute thanks to Aguero who battered in a shot. Spurs brought Llorente on and in the 73rd minute he made it 4-3 for Spurs thanks to a hip shot into goal. The goal was taken to VAR to see whether it touched his hand but it was allowed. City had to score and in the 92nd minute the whole stadium erupted as Aguero squared it for Sterling who finished near post and it seemed like City would be reaching the semis. Hang on though the goal was taken to VAR and it showed that Aguero was offside when he got his pass. The goal was cancelled and Tottenham progressed to the semis. An epic game of football and it continues on Saturday as the two teams go head to head once again in the Premier League. City chase the title while Spurs are chasing top four. 

FC Porto 1 (1) vs. (6) 4 Liverpool

Porto needed to score at least two goals to comeback into the game and they dominated the opening 25 minutes but Allisson and the Liverpool defence stayed strong. Mane then opened the scoring for Liverpool in the 26th minute while Salah, Firmino, and Van Dijk added goals in the 2nd half to seal the deal for Liverpool. Militao did get a consolation goal for Porto in the 2nd half. Liverpool continue their target for a double although they face their biggest hurdle in the semis.

Chelsea (1) vs. (0) Slavia Praha Europa League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg Preview

The alternate route continues!

After Chelsea’s top four chances took a momentary hit as places changed once again, Chelsea return to action in the Europa League with a 2nd Leg quarter-final fixture against Slavia Praha. With this leg at home Chelsea have all to play for as Slavia have shown that they are good away from home and can pose a threat. Chelsea were not great in the 1st leg but that was also down to the personnel on the pitch as much of the starters over the last few weeks had been rested for the Liverpool game. With a visit by Burnley coming up in the league during the weekend Chelsea can pose a strong lineup in this game to kill it off and then rest players for the Burnley game. 

Chelsea need to respond after the Liverpool defeat and we usually do with good home performances in the Europa League. Slavia are a threat but Chelsea should get the job done. 

Chelsea Team Preview

Kepa should start in goal, Zappacosta, Christensen, Luiz, and Alonso should start at the back. Ampadu could feature if Sarri wants to give Luiz a rest although Cahill is also available, after Rudiger’s injury. Kovacic, Barkley, and Kante should start in the midfield while Pedro, Giroud, and CHO should start up front. I think Sarri will field CHO to get the job done and then take him off if we are winning while the rest are fairly straight forward rotation. 

Starting XI Prediction

Not a straightforward game but Europa Leauge is as good as a chance for us to make the Champions League if we falter in our race for the top four. COME ON YOU BLUES!!!

Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg Preview

Nervy games all over!

Juventus (1) vs. (1) Ajax

Juventus go into this game having an away goal but suffered a loss to SPAL in the league during the weekend. Ajax go into the game having thrashed Excelsior 6-2 in the Eredivisie. Ajax have plenty of talent in their squad to achieve something in Turin but it is a tough game for both sides and on paper one would think that Juventus would just edge into the semis. 

Barcelona (1) vs. (0) Man United

Barcelona drew against Huesca during the weekend and United barely managed a win against West Ham. Barcelona got an away goal in Manchester and while there is always a possibility that United could cause a shock this probably will not happen. Barcelona are at home and it should be a straightforward win for the Catalonian side and progression to the semi-finals. 

Man City (0) vs. (1) Tottenham

Tottenham managed a brilliant win against City in the first leg but similar to last season Tottenham will find it harder to win the 2nd leg with City at home. The teams won at the weekend but face each other in the league this weekend and so squad rotation will be a must. Kane and Alli are injured and so Tottenham do have their backs agains the wall even though they have a goal. If Tottenham score then things could get interesting otherwise City should really reach the semis. 

FC Porto (0) vs. (2) Liverpool

Liverpool got a solid win against Porto at home and then got another impressive win against Chelsea in the league and so they travel to Lisbon with momentum behind them. Porto won their league game as well but really Liverpool should have both feet in the semis once the game is done. 

Dynamo Kyiv 0 (0) vs. (8) 5 Chelsea Europa League Round of 16 2nd Leg Review

Great win and we move on!

Chelsea already had one foot in the quarters but needed to continue their good form and they did it in emphatic fashion. Sarri selected a lineup that pleased the fans as Kepa started in goal, while Zappacosta, Rudiger, Christensen, and Alonso started in defence. Kovacic started in the regista position with Kante and Loftus-Cheek starting in midfield. Willian, Giroud, and Hudson-Odoi started upfront. You can’t please everyone though and with RLC and CHO starting some fans then jumped on the Ampadu bandwagon. 

Chelsea started in another level from the get go and Giroud opened the scoring in the 5th minute after a cross was knocked down by Loftus-Cheek for a Giroud tap in. Chelsea continued to dominate the game and create a lot of space for runs. Giroud then doubled the lead in the 33rd minute after Alonso made a brilliant pass into his path to see the Frenchman tap in for his 2nd. Alonso then scored the 3rd right before half time as Hudson-Odoi crossed the ball in from the right for a tap in by the Spaniard. Giroud then completed his hattrick in the 2nd half as Willian crossed the ball in for a header in the 59th minute. Hudson-Odoi continued his fine form by sealing the win after Giroud played a ball into his path which he took in his stride and finished brilliantly. Chelsea put 5 past Kyiv and reached the quarters. Post-match Sarri praised the whole team and in regards to Loftus-Cheek he said that he has the potential to be one of the best midfielders in Europe. CHO also received praise but Sarri stated that he had to stay grounded and keep working hard. Kyiv did put the ball into the back of the net twice but they were both ruled offside. 

Player Review

• Kepa – Another clean sheet and not much to do in the game.
• Zappacosta – A good game and a clean sheet to his name.
• Rudiger – Another solid performance but not much to do.
• Christensen – Continues to get more and more game time and continues to impress.
• Kovacic – Way better in the regista role than playing further forward, a good game and an amazing bit of skill in the first half. 
• Kante – His usual level of epic Kante seems to have no limits to his stamina.
• Loftus-Cheek – First start as he continues his path to full fitness, an assist to his name and a good display to impress Sarri.
• Hudson-Odoi – Decent in the first half but great in the 2nd as he started once again and got a goal once again. Sarri seems to be gaining faith in him and he is rewarding Sarri with goals. 
• Giroud – A hattrick for Giroud as he made it 10 goals in 9 games in the Europa League. Should Giroud start a Premier League game or two. Maybe.
• Willian – An assist to his name and better on the left hand side than on the right. 

Jorginho, Pedro, and Azpi came on for Kante, Zappacosta, and Willian in the 2nd half as Chelsea saw out the win. Chelsea now travel to Everton as we continue our journey for a top four finish. COME ON YOU BLUES!!!!

 

 

Dynamo Kyiv vs. Chelsea Europa League Round of 16 2nd Leg Preview

The journey continues.

Chelsea beat Kyiv 3-0 in the round of 16 1st leg to put one firm foot in the quarter finals of the Europa League. Chelsea have played one game in the middle which we drew with Wolves. Dynamo Kyiv beat Arsenal Kyiv 4-0 in their weekend game in what what was also a local derby. Chelsea need to take it game by game and Sarri stated that Kyiv still had the capability of being a threat. Sarri also discussed about the poor conditions of the Kyiv pitch was bald in certain areas and frozen in others. Sarri stated that they had to play to but there was a serious threat of injuries to both his and they Kyiv players. Sarri was also questioned on whether Hudson-Odoi should be given more playing time to which Sarri answered in a slightly irritated manner by asking why no one thought about Ampadu and other youth players. Sarri stated that it was his decision and while CHO was in the squad he could start or be on the bench. Chelsea have a game against Everton before the international break and it would be great to go into it having qualified for the quarter finals of the Europa League. 

Chelsea Team Preview

Caballero should start in goal with Zappacosta, Rudiger, Christensen, and Alonso starting at the back. Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek and Kante should start in the midfield with Willian, Giroud and Hudson-Odoi starting upfront. Higuain was left in London because he was ill. 

Starting XI Prediction

Let’s continue the positive run with progression to the quarter-finals! COME ON YOU BLUES!!!!