All English Final It must be first pointed out that this is the first all-English final the UEFA Champions League has seen. Since the competition has allowed multiple entrants from the same country from 1997/1998, Spain & Italy have managed to field two teams against each other in the final (Real Madrid vs. Valencia in 1999/2000 and A.C. Milan vs. Juventus in 2002/2003). It is a clear sign of the in shift in power as now, for the first time, English teams dominate Europe’s elite tournament. It’s inevitable that after the Calciopoli scandal, Italy will return, as with the end of Real Madrid’s “Galacticos” and Barcelona’s hugely exciting assault on Europe with Ronaldinho et al – Spain will be back, but as for now all eyes are on England, or Moscow, whichever way you look at it.
What to expect? The significance of this to the Champions League Final? None whatsoever. After last years’ FA Cup final one cannot fail to think of the resemblance of that to the Champions League final at Old Trafford in 2003, where A.C. Milan and Juventus refused to lose. Both teams possessing the likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Edgar Davids, Andriy Shevchenko and Rui Costa could not break through and the Champions League saw, for the first time, a goal-less final ending in a penalty shoot out; with a defender Paolo Maldini receiving the man of the match award.
Head to Head Now we head into the Champions League final with two teams that possess quality throughout their squads with very little between them. We saw a season that went right to the wire and with a last day which saw the closest fought Premiership title as of yet. Even the recent head to head between the two suggest that home advantage is the only factor that separates them – of course a dynamic that is lost on Wednesday.
The recent game at Stamford Bridge which saw Chelsea grind through and take the three points, saw the home side dominate early on and take the lead through Michael Ballack. Manchester United fought back in the second half as Wayne Rooney pounced on a Ricardo Carvalho mistake to even things up. Manchester United then began to push Chelsea but after Carrick handballed in the box Ballack settled the tie from the spot.
Manchester United took all three points in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford earlier in the season however the game was marred by Mikel’s sending off. This ensured that Chelsea would chase the game and have few chances, as Tevez and Saha scored to take the three points. Even though Manchester United ran out clear winners on the day, if it had been 11 vs. 11 it would have undoubtedly been a close match.
50 Years on…
Sir Bobby Charlton will be in a spectator Moscow, a survivor from the 1958 Munich Air Disaster. He will be watching Ryan Giggs eclipse his appearance record for the club should he play, but as the team back in 1958 did, the current Manchester United team symbolises youth, energy and a great camaraderie.
The Premier League champions bolstered their squad last year to build on their Premiership title and launch a more convincing assault on Europe. Anderson, Hargreaves, Nani and Tevez have all come in and offered Manchester United something different. They have freshened things up and Tevez has provided some extremely crucial goals both domestically and in the Champions League.
This team is a different Manchester United team to old as not only does it provide flair and swift counter-attacking ability, Ferguson has also managed to create a formidable defence. Vidic has been solid at the back throughout the season however it is Ferdinand of recent weeks who has hit the headlines through strong performances, to his credit keeping his concentration in very testing environments. The recent semi final against Barcelona allowed Ferguson to use this to his advantage with solid displays from Manchester United’s defensive unit.
Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez offer an extremely offensive front line and play in the system regularly adopted by Frank Rijkaard for Barcelona. The work ethics of Rooney and Tevez however do ensure this can be switched at any time to a 4-5-1 formation leaving a capable Ronaldo up by himself.
There is one worry however and it lies in the centre of midfield. Paul Scholes, although the hero of the semi final has found it hard in recent weeks to “boss” the midfield as has Michael Carrick. Premiership games against Wigan and West Ham have seen obvious and worrying gaps in their midfield and off the ball they have struggled. This could be cured with Hargreaves in the midfield due his tireless running, however playing three in the centre of midfield means Tevez or another offensive player may miss out.
The missing piece…. After Jose Mourinho’s shock departure from Stamford Bridge in September, Avram Grant has been under pressure from the start. Avram has failed to win over everyone with his cautious mentality and his future his absurdly in doubt this summer. With that said, Avram has inherited an extremely strong squad, with the midfield forming noticeably the most formidable force in Europe.
Michael Essien’s contribution to the Chelsea effort this season has been second to none, weighing in with crucial goals as well as consistently strong performances. Many feel Frank Lampard has gone off the boil following his person problems, but this has allowed Michael Ballack to take his place in the midfield where he can be most effective. Many questioned his motivation for moving to Chelsea other than for financial reasons, but after a slow start and a noticeable increase in fitness, Ballack is producing displays reminiscent of that at Bayer Leverkusen.
Petr Cech has had another impressive campaign despite more injury worries; he continues to find a way to make himself available for Chelsea. His worth to the team has been magnified by poor performances from the stand in keepers and he will be looking to prove his worth on the grandest of all stages. With Milan hovering around him with a price tag similar to that of Buffon’s transfer to Juventus in 2001 it’s clear he is one of, if not the top ‘keeper in Europe.
The defence in the side now to that of three or four years ago is striking. With Ashley Cole, Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry and with the recent arrival of Jose Bosingwa this will be strengthened even more. However for now there seems to be a question mark over the quality of Paulo Ferreira. Ronaldo’s battles with Ashley Cole may prove harder than with Ferreira and Manchester United will look to exploit this weakness.
Didier Drogba will be looking to grab his first goal against Manchester United since his winner in the FA Cup Final and it will be interesting to see if Nicolas Anelka is given a chance if the game becomes more open later on.
FORM GUIDE
Manchester United
Chelsea
TEAM NEWS
Manchester United Alex Ferguson has the luxury of a full squad to pick from. Louis Saha started on the bench at Wigan on the weekend and the inclusion of seven substitutions (rather than five in the Premiership) will allow Ferguson to field a strong and diverse bench. Anderson has not appeared for the Red Devils for five games now but his recent performances against Chelsea may pick Alex Ferguson’s brains as to whether he will be someone who can cause damage to Chelsea. It is likely that Tevez will start on the bench to field a more prominent midfield but after recent performances he will surely get his chance.
Probable Starting XI: Van der Sar - Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra - Ronaldo, Park/Anderson, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs - Rooney.
Chelsea Likewise Avram Grant has a full squad to select from and a team that should pick itself. With John Terry’s recovering from dislocating his shoulder and Didier Drogba managing to overcome a knock, the team that played Liverpool at Stamford Bridge should start. Claude Makélélé has always been kept for the big matches and this is the biggest in Chelsea’s history, so expect Mikel to drop to the bench. The team is likely to be boosted by the experience that the travelling squad hold in that Shevchenko, Anelka, Belleti, Carvalho, Makélélé and Ferreira have all been here before - and won.
Probable Starting XI: Cech - Essien, Carvalho, Terry, Cole - Ballack, Makelele, Lampard - Cole, Drogba, Kalou
PLAYERS TO WATCH Manchester United – Cristiano Ronaldo: Nine times out of ten Cristiano Ronaldo is the player to watch for Manchester United. He has had an amazing season and he will want to make it more unforgettable by completing his season with the Champions League trophy. A ‘Ronaldo’ performance consisting of assists or goals will no doubt see him take the Ballon d'Or.
Chelsea – Didier Drogba: Guided Chelsea through to the final with a magnificent display at Stamford Bridge in the semi final and has proved without a doubt that he is one of the best strikers in Europe. Even if Drogba fails to hit the target on Wednesday he’ll allow others room such as Michael Ballack and Joe Cole to cause damage to Manchester United.
PREDICTION Over the course of ninety minutes I feel the match will be as close as ever and will need extra time, and possibly penalties to determine a winner. In extra time gameplans go out of the window and it may provide the space for one of the many star players on the pitch to grab a winner. I personally cannot separate the two sides so I have gone for a draw leading to a penalty shootout where either could be the winners of the Champions League 2008.
Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea (could go either way on penalties) Steven Jones