At the end of match day 5, let us take a look at the position in the different groups and also comment on the overall prospects and performances of some of the teams.
Group A - Bordeuax has quite simply been the most pleasantly surprising team of the competition so far. Even though they had already qualified at the end of match day 4, it is commendable that they put in such a determined and impressive performance in their match against Juventus. Now they have even ensured that they top the group. Major competitions often have one surprise team - an unfancied team which over performs. This year Bordeuax seems to be the best bet for being that team. As for the two giants in this group, Juventus and Bayern Munich, it can be reasonably argued that neither of them deserve to go to the next round. And it's hard to say who's been more shambolic than the other. Pitted in some of the other groups, they would have deservedly made their exit. And to think that Goal.com actually predicted Juventus would play the UCL final in 2010. This writer certainly did not share their enthusiasm but still did not expect them to capitulate so badly. As it stands one of Juventus or Bayern Munich will go through as the second team from this group. Bayern need to beat Juve in Turin to progress. Any other result will see Juve advance.
Group B - Manchester United had already qualified but last night's defeat to Besiktas at home would raise a lot of questions. They have not yet ensured top spot in their group and may not do so. Not many first teamers were missing last night and they were playing at home. On the whole it wouldn't be incorrect to say that ManUtd are going through a slump. Most would point to the exit of superstar C.Ronaldo but their key midfielders Giggs and Scholes not having the legs any more and the team not having found anyone of similar levels of competence to replace them has also adversely affected ManUtd. They may even have to make shrewd use of the January transfer window. As it stands ManUtd do not look like one of the favorites for the title this year. The other spot in this group is open and will go to either of Wolfsburg or CSKA. Wolfsburg have to play at home against ManUtd but will need to at least match the result of CSKA playing away at Besiktas in order to qualify.
Group C - Marseille have really given the giants of Real Madrid and A C Milan a good fight in this group. While they never reached the performance levels shown by compatriots Bordeaux, they could even be considered a little unlucky. As it stands qualification has become virtually impossible for them. Even if in the unlikely scenario they beat Real Madrid at home, they have a 3-0 deficit from the match day 2 result to turn over. So it's now just a question of which of the traditional giants would top the group. Milan will play away to Zurich and in spite of the shock result on match day 2, they now look sufficiently recovered to claim a victory there. If Milan win then Real must beat Marseille away in order to bag top spot as any other result will see Milan topping the group.
Group D - It's all over here. Chelsea have topped the group. Porto have also qualified. Chelsea this season look like one of the hottest favorites for the UCL title. Also they could end up making this season's EPL a one horse race.
Group E - Liverpool is out. It can be argued with good reason that had Benitez been in charge of any other one of the big clubs in Europe, he would have been out of the job by now. Why does Benitez get so much leeway? There are a number of reasons for this. Winning UCL in 2005 against all expectations gave the Kop faithful a taste of such glory after a very long time. This more than anything else has produced some sentimentalism towards him in a considerable section of the Liverpool fans. Add to that the fact that the fans hate the American owners and Benitez smartly manipulates the media to keep the blame away from himself. With all this he still in spite of everything manages to retain the faith of a good number of Liverpool fans. To this we must also look at the American owners who may be successful businessmen but are so completely ignorant about football that they are unable to take the right decisions at the right time and execute them properly. Finally Benitez has just signed a new contract and sacking him now would mean a huge payoff while if a top class manager such as Guus Hiddink were to be brought in, he would not come cheap. The massive debt that the club has would perhaps make this a step not worth taking. The net result is that Benitez stays in the job with Liverpool's season objectives being limited to aim for 4th spot in EPL and try to win the FA Cup or the Europa League - clearly not the most prestigious of competitions. Fiorentina have been a revelation. While being inconsistent in Serie A, they have managed to qualify for the knock stage in UCL after more than 10 years. The ever consistent Lyon joins them. Fiorentina's success has made it possible for Serie A to boast as many as 4 teams in the knock outs - something EPL and La Liga would be unable to do. The top spot still remains to be decided. In their next match Lyon would be expected to beat Debreceni at home. Fiorentina will play away to Liverpool in the last match which would mean nothing to the latter side and they could use it to experiment with fringe players unless they really want to exhibit their now severely damaged pride instead. A victory for Fiorentina would make them the group winners. A defeat would hand the honor to Lyon. A draw would make it a matter of overall goal difference.
Group F - Finally the reigning European champions demonstrated their true mettle and came up with one of their best performances of the season in spite of missing their two best forwards - Messi and Ibrahimovic. They only need to avoid a heavy defeat of 2-0 or by three goals or more when playing Dynamo Kyiv away and they will be through. Inter on the other hand while being so dominant domestically just don't convince anyone that they are ready to lay their hands on the UCL trophy. They seem to have a major mental block and play with a certain degree of trepidation in any major UCL match. This is all the more surprising since they are led by one of the greatest motivators in Jose Mourinho. A victory against Rubin Kazan at home is what Inter need to qualify and in spite of all of Inter's struggles and Rubin's surprises they should be able to get just that. A 0-0 draw or a 1-1 draw will also see Inter qualify if Dynamo do not beat Barcelona.
Group G - Sevilla had already qualified. In spite of their away loss to Unirea last night this team can go a long way in this competition because of the overall competence and balance in their squad and being led by a coach who may not be one of the elite but has performed remarkably well within the resources available to him and is by now very familiar with the club and the team. Still Sevilla have not ensured top spot yet but need only a draw at home against the hapless Rangers to get just that. The second spot in the group is still open. The excitement is multiplied by the fact that the two contenders Unirea and Stuttgart play each other with Unirea being at home. Stuttgart need to win this match to qualify as any other result will see Unirea go to the knock outs instead.
Group H - Arsenal have qualified and ensured top spot. This writer just has to say that right now it must be really frustrating to be an Arsenal supporter. The kind of attacking flair that this team possesses can be matched by very few teams in Europe. Yet dropping points carelessly and not getting the results when they would be easily expected to continues to dent their chances in major competitions. Not many people take them seriously in the EPL title race. And while they are more than capable of giving a game to the best of teams in UCL, they are also perfectly capable of capitulating against the lower rated ones. Still one thing that this writer would hope and expect is that no matter who they face, they at least put up a fight instead of a repeat of the very meek performance in the first leg of last season's semi final against ManUtd. It's incredible that Standard Leige who have just 4 points till now are still not out of the competition. However the only way they can go through is if they beat AZ Alkmaar at home and Olympiacos lose to Arsenal at home. Any other scenario would see Olympiacos take the second spot.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Reflections : WC 2010 Draw
Now that we know the identity of the thirty two teams who will be part of the biggest event in world sport next summer, let us try to analyze how these teams will get divided into eight groups of four teams each. Please note that this article is largely speculative since Fifa will make official announcements only some time later. And thus there should be much more to add/modify, once the draw comes even closer. This writer is mainly using what was done in WC 2006 as the basis for the analysis.
Let us start off by looking at who the seeds will be. As per the usual Fifa policy, the hosts South Africa will be seeded. We need to work out the seven others. Since the Fifa team rankings for November have not yet been announced, let us go by the rankings of October giving them 50% weight age. The remaining 50% weight age will be given to the performance in the past two world cups with WC 2006 accounting for 2/3 and WC 2002 accounting for 1/3.
Now here are the teams ranked from WC 2002. The teams who will not be in WC 2010 are not listed. The points will be worked out as equal to ( 33 - rank ) for each team that made it to the round of 16 or beyond from each world cup and then the weighted average will be calculated. For those that were eliminated in the group stage, there are 9 points for coming third and 8 points for sitting at the bottom. Not appearing at the tournament means 0 points.
1. Brazil
2. Germany
3. Turkey
4. Korea
5. Spain
6. England
8. USA
9. Japan
10. Denmark
11. Mexico
15. Italy
16. Paraguay
Similarly for WC 2006, the teams are ranked as follows.
1. Italy
2. France
3. Germany
4. Portugal
5. Brazil
6. Argentina
7. England
9. Spain
10. Switzerland
11. Netherlands
13. Ghana
15. Mexico
16. Australia
So on the basis of these two world cups as well as the current Fifa team ranking, the teams which would be in contention for seeding are being evaluated below and their points computed.
Brazil = 0.67*28 + 0.33*32 + 32 = 61.33
Spain = 0.67*24 + 0.33*28 + 31 = 56.33
Netherlands = 0.67*22 + 0.33*0 + 30 = 44.67
Italy = 0.67*32 + 0.33*18 + 29 = 56.33
Germany = 0.67*30 + 0.33*31 + 28 = 58.33
Argentina = 0.67*27 + 0.33*9 + 27 = 48.00
England = 0.67*26 + 0.33*27 + 26 = 52.33
France = 0.67*31 + 0.33*8 + 24 = 47.33
Portugal = 0.67*29 + 0.33*9 + 23 = 45.33
So going by this calculation and working out our top seven seeds, this is what our pot 1 would look like.
Pot 1 - South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, England, Argentina, France
Now pot 2 would contain the eight remaining European teams.
Pot 2 - Portugal, Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, Serbia, Slovenia, Greece
All seeds would so desperately want to avoid Portugal and Netherlands.
Pot 3 would contain the remaining teams from South America and Africa.
Pot 3 - Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria
All look like very competent teams. There may be an extra desire to avoid the physically strong and unpredictable African sides even more on their own turf but the three teams from South America look very competitive as well.
Pot 4 would contain the teams from North America, Asia and Oceania.
Pot 4 - USA, Mexico, Honduras, South Korea, Japan, Australia, North Korea, New Zealand
This is the only pot which can possibly provide push overs. Such teams could be New Zealand, Honduras and North Korea. Teams will specially want to avoid USA and Mexico from this pot.
Let us end by discussing what is usually most talked about at the end of the draw - the group(s) of death. From this analysis, it looks like two groups of death are possible while one is a certainty. WC 2006 had two groups of death with Argentina and Italy the unlucky seeded teams in them. This time Portugal and Netherlands look like they will be the most dangerous floaters. Now if one of them were to be drawn into the group containing South Africa, one group of death would be avoided. If not, there would be two groups of death. These groups could become even tighter if either of USA or Mexico happen to be drawn in any of them.
All in all, the world cup draw is almost as exciting as a top class football match. This writer for one is eagerly awaiting it with bated breath.
Let us start off by looking at who the seeds will be. As per the usual Fifa policy, the hosts South Africa will be seeded. We need to work out the seven others. Since the Fifa team rankings for November have not yet been announced, let us go by the rankings of October giving them 50% weight age. The remaining 50% weight age will be given to the performance in the past two world cups with WC 2006 accounting for 2/3 and WC 2002 accounting for 1/3.
Now here are the teams ranked from WC 2002. The teams who will not be in WC 2010 are not listed. The points will be worked out as equal to ( 33 - rank ) for each team that made it to the round of 16 or beyond from each world cup and then the weighted average will be calculated. For those that were eliminated in the group stage, there are 9 points for coming third and 8 points for sitting at the bottom. Not appearing at the tournament means 0 points.
1. Brazil
2. Germany
3. Turkey
4. Korea
5. Spain
6. England
8. USA
9. Japan
10. Denmark
11. Mexico
15. Italy
16. Paraguay
Similarly for WC 2006, the teams are ranked as follows.
1. Italy
2. France
3. Germany
4. Portugal
5. Brazil
6. Argentina
7. England
9. Spain
10. Switzerland
11. Netherlands
13. Ghana
15. Mexico
16. Australia
So on the basis of these two world cups as well as the current Fifa team ranking, the teams which would be in contention for seeding are being evaluated below and their points computed.
Brazil = 0.67*28 + 0.33*32 + 32 = 61.33
Spain = 0.67*24 + 0.33*28 + 31 = 56.33
Netherlands = 0.67*22 + 0.33*0 + 30 = 44.67
Italy = 0.67*32 + 0.33*18 + 29 = 56.33
Germany = 0.67*30 + 0.33*31 + 28 = 58.33
Argentina = 0.67*27 + 0.33*9 + 27 = 48.00
England = 0.67*26 + 0.33*27 + 26 = 52.33
France = 0.67*31 + 0.33*8 + 24 = 47.33
Portugal = 0.67*29 + 0.33*9 + 23 = 45.33
So going by this calculation and working out our top seven seeds, this is what our pot 1 would look like.
Pot 1 - South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, England, Argentina, France
Now pot 2 would contain the eight remaining European teams.
Pot 2 - Portugal, Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, Serbia, Slovenia, Greece
All seeds would so desperately want to avoid Portugal and Netherlands.
Pot 3 would contain the remaining teams from South America and Africa.
Pot 3 - Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria
All look like very competent teams. There may be an extra desire to avoid the physically strong and unpredictable African sides even more on their own turf but the three teams from South America look very competitive as well.
Pot 4 would contain the teams from North America, Asia and Oceania.
Pot 4 - USA, Mexico, Honduras, South Korea, Japan, Australia, North Korea, New Zealand
This is the only pot which can possibly provide push overs. Such teams could be New Zealand, Honduras and North Korea. Teams will specially want to avoid USA and Mexico from this pot.
Let us end by discussing what is usually most talked about at the end of the draw - the group(s) of death. From this analysis, it looks like two groups of death are possible while one is a certainty. WC 2006 had two groups of death with Argentina and Italy the unlucky seeded teams in them. This time Portugal and Netherlands look like they will be the most dangerous floaters. Now if one of them were to be drawn into the group containing South Africa, one group of death would be avoided. If not, there would be two groups of death. These groups could become even tighter if either of USA or Mexico happen to be drawn in any of them.
All in all, the world cup draw is almost as exciting as a top class football match. This writer for one is eagerly awaiting it with bated breath.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Reflections : Spain vs. Argentina Friendly
At this time we should perhaps be most interested in the world cup playoffs as well as the last of the qualifiers which are due this weekend. However in most of these playoffs and qualifiers, one team seems better placed or considerably stronger than the other. So it's not motivating enough for this writer to analyze them at this point in time. Of course after the first leg, some of the playoffs could throw up interesting scenarios which may make this writer want to analyze them but right now his main interest lies somewhere else. And that is with the mouth watering friendly between Spain and Argentina. Two very strong teams who are also expected to play really beautiful football. Let us first analyze each team individually. After all this is only a friendly and our larger interest lies in being able to measure the world cup prospects of these teams using among other things their performance in this friendly.
Ask anyone today - a fan or a pundit - they will all put Spain among the top favorites for WC 2010. Some say they are second to Brazil while for others they are the top favorite. It's not that this writer does not look up to Spain as a national team and is not impressed by their showings or does not feel that their coach has done a great job. It's just that he cannot help but have a few doubts - doubts which not many other people find worth worrying about and which have been mostly easily papered due to the streak of results obtained by this team. Yet when push comes to shove does Spain have the requisite physical and mental toughness to really win a match which is not really a match any more but a battle? Of course they won Euro 2008 and did so in some style. Fans all over the world felt that for once the best team playing the best football had won such a major tournament. It was a victory for football. However there was also a key element of physical and mental toughness in this team - a certain Marcos Senna. Unfortunately Senna is now 33 years old. And what horrifies this writer most is that there has been no attempt to find a like for like replacement or even an understudy for him. Yes Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets are used but both are essentially possession players rather than battlers. This writer feels that without Senna at his best on the pitch, Spain look a little light weight when compared to the other physically and mentally tough teams. The other major problem is Fernando Torres. Oh, how can Torres be a problem? He should be a blessing. Is this writer trying to say that Torres is not one of the best strikers in the world? Certainly not - if anything this writer is also among the many fans of El Nino. Yet how do you explain that Torres did not score a single goal in the entire WC 2010 qualification campaign. This is the same Torres we are talking about who for Liverpool is like a one chance one goal man. In the views of this writer, David Villa and Torres are just not compatible. While Villa fits exactly into the way Spain play, Torres is often left out. This writer feels that Spain would be better playing a 4-2-3-1 or any kind of 4-5-1 with the in form Cesc Fabregas getting the nod instead of Torres. However can Del Bosque really put Torres on the bench? This last statement actually leads to two other problems that should be mentioned here. Spain have too many world class attacking players and it's hard for even one of them to accept a place on the bench. Add to that the fact that even though Del Bosque is a great coach, there have been doubts as to how good a tactician he is. That was the reason Real Madrid gave when they surprisingly fired him after a title winning campaign in 2003. Can Del Bosque really match wits against the likes of Fabio Capello and Guus Hiddink? This writer is not so sure.
Now let's come to Argentina. They made a real mess of the qualification campaign but finally came out of it. Their main strengths are the extraordinary individual qualities of several of their players and the fighting spirit that they showed in their last few matches which was reminiscent of the tough as nails but unbearably ugly Argentina team of WC 1990. That's where the positives end and the negatives begin. No major team today has a more unsettled starting 11 than Argentina. The defense has indeed shown signs of improvement but the attacking play often looks pedestrian. It seems that they are still in a state of constant experimentation - hardly a desirable state to be in when the world cup is little more than 6 months away. And with the kind of talent at their disposal, they are just not playing the way their innumerable fans all around the world ( which includes this writer ) long to see them play.
So what about the match between the two? Well Spain do look better placed at the moment. They also have home advantage. Yet hardly anyone would rule out the possibility of one or more of Argentina's brilliant individuals deciding the match in their favor.
Ask anyone today - a fan or a pundit - they will all put Spain among the top favorites for WC 2010. Some say they are second to Brazil while for others they are the top favorite. It's not that this writer does not look up to Spain as a national team and is not impressed by their showings or does not feel that their coach has done a great job. It's just that he cannot help but have a few doubts - doubts which not many other people find worth worrying about and which have been mostly easily papered due to the streak of results obtained by this team. Yet when push comes to shove does Spain have the requisite physical and mental toughness to really win a match which is not really a match any more but a battle? Of course they won Euro 2008 and did so in some style. Fans all over the world felt that for once the best team playing the best football had won such a major tournament. It was a victory for football. However there was also a key element of physical and mental toughness in this team - a certain Marcos Senna. Unfortunately Senna is now 33 years old. And what horrifies this writer most is that there has been no attempt to find a like for like replacement or even an understudy for him. Yes Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets are used but both are essentially possession players rather than battlers. This writer feels that without Senna at his best on the pitch, Spain look a little light weight when compared to the other physically and mentally tough teams. The other major problem is Fernando Torres. Oh, how can Torres be a problem? He should be a blessing. Is this writer trying to say that Torres is not one of the best strikers in the world? Certainly not - if anything this writer is also among the many fans of El Nino. Yet how do you explain that Torres did not score a single goal in the entire WC 2010 qualification campaign. This is the same Torres we are talking about who for Liverpool is like a one chance one goal man. In the views of this writer, David Villa and Torres are just not compatible. While Villa fits exactly into the way Spain play, Torres is often left out. This writer feels that Spain would be better playing a 4-2-3-1 or any kind of 4-5-1 with the in form Cesc Fabregas getting the nod instead of Torres. However can Del Bosque really put Torres on the bench? This last statement actually leads to two other problems that should be mentioned here. Spain have too many world class attacking players and it's hard for even one of them to accept a place on the bench. Add to that the fact that even though Del Bosque is a great coach, there have been doubts as to how good a tactician he is. That was the reason Real Madrid gave when they surprisingly fired him after a title winning campaign in 2003. Can Del Bosque really match wits against the likes of Fabio Capello and Guus Hiddink? This writer is not so sure.
Now let's come to Argentina. They made a real mess of the qualification campaign but finally came out of it. Their main strengths are the extraordinary individual qualities of several of their players and the fighting spirit that they showed in their last few matches which was reminiscent of the tough as nails but unbearably ugly Argentina team of WC 1990. That's where the positives end and the negatives begin. No major team today has a more unsettled starting 11 than Argentina. The defense has indeed shown signs of improvement but the attacking play often looks pedestrian. It seems that they are still in a state of constant experimentation - hardly a desirable state to be in when the world cup is little more than 6 months away. And with the kind of talent at their disposal, they are just not playing the way their innumerable fans all around the world ( which includes this writer ) long to see them play.
So what about the match between the two? Well Spain do look better placed at the moment. They also have home advantage. Yet hardly anyone would rule out the possibility of one or more of Argentina's brilliant individuals deciding the match in their favor.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Reflections : UCL Match Day 4
At the end of UCL match day 4, let us take a look at where all the teams stand and make some comments about the teams especially the more well known ones.
Group A - Bordeaux could be called the most outstanding team of the competition so far. Placed in a group where they were supposedly third best they have qualified with two games to spare and could easily top the group. If we compare this with their last appearance in UCL when they seemed so out of their depth that after a while it merely became a burden for them to play along with all the league fixtures, we realize just how far they have come. Laurent Blanc is quite simply one of the most promising young managers today. As for who will join them Juventus are likely to do so in spite of having not put on even a single convincing performance so far. However if Juventus fail to win on Bordeaux's home territory as Bordeaux have both their long time unbeaten home record as well as top place in the group to play for, the last match between Juventus and Bayern Munich in Turin becomes a cracker.
Group B - In a comparatively easier group, Manchester United have already qualified and Wolfsburg look likely to join them.
Group C - Although A C Milan and Real Madrid lead Marseille by only a point, it's hard to see even one of them not going through. In spite of their previous slip ups, by now they have acquired enough rhythm to get the better of Zurich. So considering that both of them manage to beat Zurich, the only way Marseille can qualify is by beating one of them and at least drawing with the other which looks a very tall order.
Group D - Chelsea and Porto have both qualified. Atletico Madrid have been a hopeless disappointment just like they have been in La Liga so far. However at least the latter offers a way back while the former doesn't other than the chance to play in Uefa Europa League.
Group E - Liverpool may consider themselves unlucky for having been the better team last night and yet coming back with only a draw. In fact anyone who watched Lyon last night would probably agree that their passing especially in the first half was so poor that it just didn't look like a Lyon side playing at home. However the detractors of Benitez insist that he has been lucky too many times in the UCL and his luck would have to run out some time. Still they are not totally out of it. If Fiorentina beat Lyon in Florence, then Benitez's luck will indeed run out for good. However if they only draw it will be all to play for between the two on the last match day. Liverpool will be at home but will be required to overturn a 2-0 deficit keeping the away goals rule well in mind. A win for Lyon though would have Liverpool only needing a win in the last match to qualify provided they beat Debrecen away as expected. Anything less than that and they will be out.
Group F - You must have heard the term death the leveler but at times football can be a real leveler too. The defending champions, the winners of the unprecedented treble, the envy of the rest of the football world, the one and only F C Barcelona are actually struggling to get out of their group in the very next season of UCL!!! What has gone wrong? Well we all give different explanations but are a little puzzled as well. The defense looked unconvincing since the very beginning of this season and there is an increased tendency to give the ball away in dangerous positions but even that does not explain the main problem which is that teams are lining up multiple walls of uncompromising defenders against the Blaugrana and they simply have no answer to it. Ibrahimovic was expected by some including this writer to be a plan B which could help Barca win such games by winning balls in the air and taking long shots at goal. On the evidence of last night, that plan is not even in it's nascent stages yet. Besides in the opinion of this writer, the world player incumbent Lionel Messi appears to be slightly slower nowadays. On the other hand Inter who are known to struggle in the UCL somehow managed to score an equalizer against Dynamo Kyiv in the 86th minute and then went on to win the game. Some of us including this writer do not like Jose Mourinho for his overly arrogant ways and the help he receives from Lady Luck at crucial times but the man does know how to get the job done. Now in the next match at Camp Nou, this writer expects Mourinho to line up multiple walls of defenders as is the fashion but also use the pace of Balotelli to run behind the high defensive line of the Catalans. If Barcelona lose to Inter which is by no means impossible and Rubin win against Dynamo at home, the world's best team will be knocked out even before the knock outs have begun. Football indeed is a leveler.
Group G - Sevilla have gone through as expected. Instead of celebrating that they are actually feeling a little disappointed not having already ensured top place which is understandable since this is one of the easiest groups. The other qualifying place is still open to all of the other teams.
Group H - Arsenal at times do look like being very close to a truly great team. With Fabregas having been one of the most outstanding individual performers of this season and Arshavin proving every day that a list of world class players is incomplete without him, Arsenal do have flair in abundance. Playing Van Persie as a target man seems to suit the 4-3-3 formation they now play. It will be interesting to see how they react if teams start putting multiple defensive walls against them as they do against Barcelona. However the defensive midfield and the defense could have been stronger with more world class battlers and the goal keeper position is now called their number one worry by several pundits. In a group as easy as this they have almost qualified and the second place still remains open to all of the remaining three teams.
Group A - Bordeaux could be called the most outstanding team of the competition so far. Placed in a group where they were supposedly third best they have qualified with two games to spare and could easily top the group. If we compare this with their last appearance in UCL when they seemed so out of their depth that after a while it merely became a burden for them to play along with all the league fixtures, we realize just how far they have come. Laurent Blanc is quite simply one of the most promising young managers today. As for who will join them Juventus are likely to do so in spite of having not put on even a single convincing performance so far. However if Juventus fail to win on Bordeaux's home territory as Bordeaux have both their long time unbeaten home record as well as top place in the group to play for, the last match between Juventus and Bayern Munich in Turin becomes a cracker.
Group B - In a comparatively easier group, Manchester United have already qualified and Wolfsburg look likely to join them.
Group C - Although A C Milan and Real Madrid lead Marseille by only a point, it's hard to see even one of them not going through. In spite of their previous slip ups, by now they have acquired enough rhythm to get the better of Zurich. So considering that both of them manage to beat Zurich, the only way Marseille can qualify is by beating one of them and at least drawing with the other which looks a very tall order.
Group D - Chelsea and Porto have both qualified. Atletico Madrid have been a hopeless disappointment just like they have been in La Liga so far. However at least the latter offers a way back while the former doesn't other than the chance to play in Uefa Europa League.
Group E - Liverpool may consider themselves unlucky for having been the better team last night and yet coming back with only a draw. In fact anyone who watched Lyon last night would probably agree that their passing especially in the first half was so poor that it just didn't look like a Lyon side playing at home. However the detractors of Benitez insist that he has been lucky too many times in the UCL and his luck would have to run out some time. Still they are not totally out of it. If Fiorentina beat Lyon in Florence, then Benitez's luck will indeed run out for good. However if they only draw it will be all to play for between the two on the last match day. Liverpool will be at home but will be required to overturn a 2-0 deficit keeping the away goals rule well in mind. A win for Lyon though would have Liverpool only needing a win in the last match to qualify provided they beat Debrecen away as expected. Anything less than that and they will be out.
Group F - You must have heard the term death the leveler but at times football can be a real leveler too. The defending champions, the winners of the unprecedented treble, the envy of the rest of the football world, the one and only F C Barcelona are actually struggling to get out of their group in the very next season of UCL!!! What has gone wrong? Well we all give different explanations but are a little puzzled as well. The defense looked unconvincing since the very beginning of this season and there is an increased tendency to give the ball away in dangerous positions but even that does not explain the main problem which is that teams are lining up multiple walls of uncompromising defenders against the Blaugrana and they simply have no answer to it. Ibrahimovic was expected by some including this writer to be a plan B which could help Barca win such games by winning balls in the air and taking long shots at goal. On the evidence of last night, that plan is not even in it's nascent stages yet. Besides in the opinion of this writer, the world player incumbent Lionel Messi appears to be slightly slower nowadays. On the other hand Inter who are known to struggle in the UCL somehow managed to score an equalizer against Dynamo Kyiv in the 86th minute and then went on to win the game. Some of us including this writer do not like Jose Mourinho for his overly arrogant ways and the help he receives from Lady Luck at crucial times but the man does know how to get the job done. Now in the next match at Camp Nou, this writer expects Mourinho to line up multiple walls of defenders as is the fashion but also use the pace of Balotelli to run behind the high defensive line of the Catalans. If Barcelona lose to Inter which is by no means impossible and Rubin win against Dynamo at home, the world's best team will be knocked out even before the knock outs have begun. Football indeed is a leveler.
Group G - Sevilla have gone through as expected. Instead of celebrating that they are actually feeling a little disappointed not having already ensured top place which is understandable since this is one of the easiest groups. The other qualifying place is still open to all of the other teams.
Group H - Arsenal at times do look like being very close to a truly great team. With Fabregas having been one of the most outstanding individual performers of this season and Arshavin proving every day that a list of world class players is incomplete without him, Arsenal do have flair in abundance. Playing Van Persie as a target man seems to suit the 4-3-3 formation they now play. It will be interesting to see how they react if teams start putting multiple defensive walls against them as they do against Barcelona. However the defensive midfield and the defense could have been stronger with more world class battlers and the goal keeper position is now called their number one worry by several pundits. In a group as easy as this they have almost qualified and the second place still remains open to all of the remaining three teams.
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