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Time for UEFA to revert to goal difference in Champions League
My head is hurting after all the mathematics that has been needed to work out qualification chances in the Champions League.
It is all because UEFA believes head-to-heads rather than goal difference in all group games should be the first deciding factor.
Many don’t see the logic of this. Using goal difference as the first determining factor, like many domestic leagues, encourages attacking play for a start which is surely a laudable aim. Head-to-heads don’t especially.
The reason head-to-heads is preferred seems to be because one team could have scored many more goals against the group whipping boys than their rivals and this is deemed an unfair advantage. Why?
If Team A batter Team C 7-0 and Team B only beats Team C 1-0, why should Team A be penalised if their head-to-head with Team B is worse. The head-to-head could be 0-0 and 1-1 and Team A would go out on one away goal.
It would be so much more accessible and understandable for the average fan if it was just goal difference (and then goals scored and then perhaps a playoff on a neutral ground) rather than the sometimes mindboggling head-to-heads which can get very tricky when three teams are involved.
Most of the media organisations in Europe got it wrong when trying to work out what Chelsea needed to do in the final round of matches because the rules were so complex. That can’t be right.
Why Chelsea should keep Andre Villas-Boas
Three Premier League defeats in four games and Champions League last 16 qualification compromised. The last few weeks have been very tough for Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas.
Previous managers Jose Mourinho, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Avram Grant and Carlo Ancelotti were dismissed seemingly for less by ruthless owner Roman Abramovich.
Ancelotti won a league and cup double but was axed after the following season while Grant moved on despite being a John Terry penalty slip away from winning the Champions League.
However, there are several reasons to believe Villas-Boas may stay in his post long-term despite Wednesday’s 2-1 loss at Bayer Leverkusen.
The first is the 13 million pounds Abramovich shelled out to Porto so the Portuguese could move back to Stamford Bridge in the close season. It may seem like peanuts to the Russian billionaire but he also has business sense. Then again, Villas-Boas mentioning this as a reason to be kept on probably isn’t so wise.
Another factor is the merry-go-round of managers at Chelsea has to stop at some point. Alex Ferguson’s success at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger’s achievements at Arsenal, including pulling them out of their recent rut, demonstrate the pluses of longevity.
Chelsea invested in AVB for a reason and that reason can not have been completely destroyed by a bad patch of form less than halfway through the season.
he isn’t good enough for Chelsea, and Abramovich too.
Chelsea can still feel positive despite Torres miss
Fernando Torres woke up to mocking headlines on Monday after his open goal howler against Manchester United but there were signs at Old Trafford that the Spaniard is beginning to rediscover the form that prompted Chelsea to sign him from Liverpool for 50 million pounds.
Since joining in January he has been barely recognisable to the player who scored goals for fun while playing for Atletico Madrid and then Liverpool, managing just one goal in Chelsea blue before doubling his output with his side’s reply in the 3-1 defeat at United.
That finish, a delicate flick with the outside of his right foot after an instinctive burst into the area, was the highlight of a display that, apart from his inexplicable late miss, would have offered plenty of encouragement to coach Andre Villas-Boas and Chelsea’s fans.
He made some telling runs between United’s defence, one of which led to his goal, and his body language looked far more positive throughout the contest.
Whether or not his fragile confidence will have been dented by his failure to find an empty net from 8 metres is another matter and it will be interesting to see if he plays in the League Cup clash with local rivals Fulham on Wednesday.
While most of the attention was on the newly-highlighted Torres, Chelsea’s vibrant display despite defeat was easy to overlook.
With Juan Mata’s clever range of passing offering Chelsea more midfield variety they had no trouble opening up United’s defence, as the statistic of 21 goal attempts testified.
What is Arsenal’s future?
By Zoran Milosavljevic in Belgrade
It is a bit early to single out Manchester rivals United and City as the only title contenders this season, but it appears highly likely that Arsenal will not be among the chasing pack now headed by the new-look Liverpool and Chelsea.
What is more, the 8-2 hammering the Gunners suffered at Old Trafford suggests that Arsene Wenger’s side might even struggle to finish in the top six, unless the Frenchman can swiftly turn around their fortunes.
Crippled by early injuries to some regular starters and even more so by the departure of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, Arsenal were so off the pace for most of the match that their fans will want to forget as soon as possible.
With the team’s vertebrae boiling down to inconsistent and injury-prone Dutch striker Robin Van Persie, Wenger faces a mammoth task of rebuilding his side which is now a far cry from the 2003-4 Invincibles who won the league title without losing a match and stretched their unbeaten record to 49 games the following season.
Ironically, that remarkable run ended in a 2-0 defeat by United at Old Trafford and signaled a decline which seems to have culminated in Sunday’s humiliation.
The 2005 FA Cup is the only silverware Arsenal have managed since and adding a fourth league title to his trophy cabinet always looked unlikely for Wenger after the Gunners swapped the intimidating atmosphere of dilapidated Highbury for their glittering new palace, the Emirates Stadium, in 2006.
Villas Boas ticks all Chelsea boxes except top prize
By Shrikesh Laxmidas and Daniel Alvarenga
Unlike his mentor Jose Mourinho, Andre Villas Boas does not have a Champions League title on his resume as he moves to Chelsea but he ticks every other box on the London club’s wishlist.
The 33-year-old’s short career — which spans just 20 months as head coach — and lack of Champions League experience means he is a gamble for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, for whom clinching Europe’s top club trophy seems to have become an obsession.
None of the experienced coaches the Russian oligarch has employed since taking over the club in 2003 have won the trophy with Chelsea, including Mourinho, World Cup winner Luiz Felipe Scolari and twice European champion Carlo Ancelotti, with the unlucky Avram Grant coming within one penalty kick of doing so.
Abramovich, whose efforts to bring Dutchman Guus Hiddink back to the club stalled, may have been swayed to take a new approach by Villas Boas’s precocious competence in leading Porto to their Europa League triumph last month.
The Russian has always wanted Chelsea to win with style, and Villas Boas’s rampant Porto showed immense attacking flair to win the Portuguese League undefeated and thrash serious rivals like Spain’s Villarreal in the Europa League.
The Portuguese has cited former England coach Bobby Robson, who gave him his first break at Porto as a keen 16-year-old, as a major influence in his passion for attacking football.
Soccer Break Monday – season already over?
Anyone else feel as though all the excitement and potential late drama for this season has disappeared?
Manchester United took less than 40 seconds to score against title rivals Chelsea, all but killing the game and the Londoners’ hopes of retaining their Premier League crown, while in Italy AC Milan made it 18 Serie A trophies with a 0-0 draw at AS Roma. Barcelona took a giant stride towards a third straight La Liga title with a 2-0 win over Espanyol. Click on this link for our European roundup.
Champions League finalists United and Barca both need a point to clinch their respective league titles, though for the Catalans three wins will be their priority. Why? Nine points plus 91 equals 100, which would set a new record for points scored in a La Liga season.
Read here for a look back at the Premier League season and five key moments for United. The first was the signing of Javier Hernandez, who darted through Chelsea’s defence on Sunday to give the home team their explosive start. Another key performer, seemingly in big games, is South Korean Park Ji-sung.
AC Milan’s latest scudetto will come as a relief to their fans but the Italian giants face tough times ahead. Read our analysis on the future for the Rossoneri.
The only league that looks like serving up any kind of late season drama is Ligue 1, where serial past champions Olympique Lyon are making a late title surge. They have the referee to thank mind you. But bring on the drama in France. And the Netherlands, where the Eredivisie will be decided this weekend.
Back to France, and the latest on the racism row. Should coach Laurent Blanc stay or go?
Soccer Break Friday – titles at stake
The week is ending but the drama is just cranking up. Yes, the weekend is almost upon us, and that means loads more football action around Europe where there is still plenty at stake.
European competition is almost over for another season after Braga and Porto booked their places in the Europa League final in Dublin.
Borussia Dortmund became the Bundesliga champions last weekend, and AC Milan need just a point against AS Roma to lift the Serie A title on Saturday.
In Spain, should Real Madrid lose at Sevilla on Saturday and Barcelona grab a point at home to Espanyol on Sunday, the Catalans will be La Liga champions.
Things are a little tighter in the Premier League and Ligue 1, where two or three clubs in each league have a decent shot at glory.
All eyes will be on Old Trafford come Sunday, where leaders Manchester United host Chelsea. A United win, and they would need a mere point from their two remaining fixtures.
A Chelsea win, and both sides will be level on points though the Londoners would hit the top of the table due to a better goal difference. Who would have thought it after Chelsea’s woeful run of form in the middle of the season?
hot tip. Lyon to win French league in shock finish
Soccer Break Thursday – United roll on
Manchester United just keep on winning despite a sluggish season by their usually high standards and will now face Barcelona in the Champions League final on May 28.
Predictions? Hard to see even a full strength United keeping Messi and co at bay, especially as Barca coach Pep Guardiola will be seeking to continue his love affair with Wembley.
Next up for Alex Ferguson’s men is the visit of title rivals Chelsea on Sunday, certain to be a much stiffer test than a disappointingly lacklustre Schalke 04 on Wednesday. Will United’s formidable home record count in their favour?
Staying in Europe, and Thursday is Europa League day. Porto take a 5-1 lead into the second semi-final leg against Villarreal, while compatriots Benfica beat fellow Portuguese club Braga 2-1 at home.
Braga, less fashionable than their illustrious rivals, play their home games at the Quarry. Could be an explosive match.
Taking a look at a wider football issue, are tickets too expensive? Read here for what Arsenal are doing to combat the rise in prices.
And finally, referees have a hard time, especially with the stakes so high in Europe, but read here to find out about a New Zealand official’s ‘empty net’ penalty decision.
Soccer Break Monday – Goalline technology…again
It is never over until the fat lady sings or should that be until Alex Ferguson stops talking about refereeing decisions?
The Premier League title race is reaching boiling point and Ferguson is hot under the collar that his team did not get a penalty in their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.
It could be, after all, only three points now separate United and Chelsea ahead of next week’s showdown between the top two at Old Trafford.
Ferguson’s sense of injustice was no doubt heightened by Chelsea’s win over Tottenham Hotspur that managed to re-ignite the debate over the need for goalline technology and highlight Heurelho Gomes’ flaws as a keeper in the space of a couple of seconds.
Redknapp did prove, however, the need for someone to sit down and explain to all Premier League managers the difference between flying to the moon and goalline technology as there was once again widespread disbelief that one has been accomplished without the other.
Its doubles passion when one play for title game , dats why premier leagues is behaving so aggressive and energetic in competitions.منتديات كرة
Soccer Break Thursday – Mourinho wins. Again.
Jose Mourinho and winning appear to go hand in hand after the colourful Portuguese coach delivered at the first time of asking in Wednesday’s King’s Cup final.
All the more significant was beating Barcelona for the first time as Real coach, which sets up a fascinating double header in the Champions League semi-finals on April 27 and May 3.
The pictures of Real’s celebrations are everywhere but what was not captured was defender Sergio Ramos dropping the trophy off the open-top bus during their victory parade. Or maybe not.
Real fans will be hoping their team do not let slip their slight pyschological advantage ahead of the Champions League having kept Barcelona dangerman Lionel Messi largely quiet during the final. The pacy Argentine stood still for five minutes after the final whistle, inconsolable.
The likely opponent for either Real or Barca in the Champions League final is Manchester United, whose form has dipped recently but all the same Alex Ferguson’s men seem destined to win another league title after Arsenal faltered against Tottenham Hotspur in another classic North London encounter. Chelsea are trying their hardest to make it interesting mind you.
Finally, our thoughts are with Gerard Houllier after the Aston Villa manager was taken to hospital. The stresses of football management cannot be underestimated, if that turns out to be a possible cause.
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Head to head in CL is a positive thing, as it encourages every game to be taken serioulsy where all clubs field their best team in all games, thereby providing a consistent high standard of football