Out of eight Spanish and English teams playing in the Champions League this week, only Arsenal were victorious.
Was this a blip for the two powerhouses, or is it another indication that Europe’s top club competition is becoming more balanced?
I did a video blog on Tuesday about the difficulties in Italian football (and got a bit of stick for it!) and for 86 minutes of Dynamo Kiev v Inter Milan the problems were still there.
But a quick double burst by Jose Mourinho’s men gave them a 2-1 comeback win and they are now top of the group. If they beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp next time out then the holders could be in real trouble.
In the long run, I still maintain that a Serie A side will really struggle to win it this season but what about flying Bordeaux?
It’s possibly beyond a French side as well, which leads me back to Arsenal.
Manchester United are suddenly looking shaky at the back while Chelsea, Barca, Real Madrid are far from perfect.
I reckoned at the start of the season that Arsenal, with their youthful exuberance and delightful play, could be real challengers in Europe and although they have probably had an easier group and are not even through yet, their chances look to be increasing.
PHOTO: Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas scores his second goal in the 4-1 home win over AZ Alkmaar, Nov 4, 2009. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
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- Posted by Reuters Soccer Blog » Blog Archive » Arsenal emerge as shining … | Soccer Yahoo !While I can’t claim in being a little biased, being French, it seems like calcio fans are quick to attack when anybody mentions “Serie A” and “declining” in the same sentence. I just want to get your opinion, Mark, on the fact that 2 of 3 French teams are already qualified and the third has a very good shot at qualification in groups that were, by no stretch, considered easy.
- Posted by ClementI really admire Arsene Wenger’s approach to managing Arsenal. He has the guts to say no to acquiring big ticket players and opt to develop his youth squad (which is full of talent by the way). Kroenke (the owner) should continue to support Wenger’s vision for Arsenal. Go Arsenal!
- Posted by Luisthey’re looking the real deal at the moment.i’m a united fan but enjoy watching good football(really hard to concede).what they have perfect at the moment is what United are struggling to do;getting the midfield into attacking positions and contributing goals as well.i used to hate them but envy the attacking midfielder the have(fabregas).wenger is also building up ramsey to take Cesc’s place when he leaves.something that fergie has tried with anderson but has failed so far!
- Posted by markif aresenal win the champions league and premiership with this you ng team then other teams will follow suit and dtart playing youner and younger players and before you know it 28 will be old for a football player and anyone over 30 will be referred to as gramps
- Posted by Nick