Reuters Soccer Blog

Eastern European teams struggling in Champions League

If the opening two rounds in the Champions League group stage are anything to go by, eastern European teams in the competition will find it difficult to advance to the knockout stage.

As things stand at the moment, most of them could also be denied the consolation prize of carrying on in the Europa League after the winter break.

Teams from this part of Europe registered just one win, one draw and five defeats on Tuesday and Wednesday and most have a mountain to climb if they are to reach the last 16.

Five of them — CSKA Moscow, Otelul Galati, Dinamo Zagreb, Shakhtar Donetsk and Viktoria Plzen are bottom in their respective groups.

BATE Borisov, who were handed a 5-0 drubbing by holders Barcelona in Belarus, also have a very slim chance of progressing, while only Zenit St. Petersburg look likely to reach the last 16 after an impressive 3-1 home win against 2004 winners Porto.

Can eastern European teams catch up with their western rivals and mount a sustained challenge?

Even the wealthy and strong among them struggle to keep up. Shakhtar reached the quarter-finals last season after winning the 2009 UEFA Cup but although they enjoyed a relatively kind draw this term, they made a poor start after taking just one point from their opening two games.

Soccer Break Wednesday – Champions League week special

Got your breath back yet? Perfected the Dejan Stankovic volley in your mirror ready to take out on the pitch? Well Tuesday’s first installment of four Champions League quarter-final evenings was spectacular and there is more to come on Wednesday.

First, a recap of last night. The Real Madrid backlash did kick in, though against the 10 men of Tottenham Hotspur and two extremely well-taken goals that on another night may have gone wide of the post.

Would 11 v 11 have made a difference? Is there any way back for Tottenham? And do you think some players may leave the club in search of Champions League next season if Spurs don’t qualify this time around?

And how about holders Inter Milan? Hopelessly outplayed in their last two games and with a creaking defence, can they score four unanswered goals in Germany to make the semi-finals? The Inter chairman has pledged his support for coach Leonardo but surely his days are numbered on this form.

So, Chelsea fans. Worried that a fired up Wayne Rooney will wreak havoc tonight after he was dropped by Coke? Or will that have taken the fizz out of the frontman? Frank Lampard seems to think his team will have to be on their guard against him. Predictions? Something tells us it’ll be a lot less open than Tuesday’s matches.

Finally, Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk just seems about as good as it gets. Two passing teams, easy on the eye, trying to outpass and outthink each other. Only a few more hours to wait so don’t worry.

Read here for a look at strike partnerships in the Champions League this season and of days gone by. Who does Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti pick then? Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba? What about Nicolas Anelka? Or a rejuvenated Salomon Kalou?

Barca closing in on La Liga title

In our latest Monday Spanish soccer post, Mark Elkington in Madrid reviews the situation in La Liga after Real Madrid’s shock 1-0 defeat at home to Sporting Gijon and looks ahead to this week’s Champions League action.

La Liga is Barca’s to lose

In a week when Real Madrid were reported by local media to have vetoed the playing of any Shakira songs in the Bernabeu because of her romance with Barcelona’s Gerard Pique, the Spain defender gained more than ample revenge.

Pique scored the only goal as the leaders survived their toughest remaining game in La Liga this season -– aside from the eagerly-awaited “Clasico” at Real in two weeks time -– volleying in the decider against Champions League qualification-chasing Villarreal.

The 1-0 win at the Madrigal put the champions on 81 points with eight left to play and they moved eight clear of Real, who were upset 1-0 by relegation-threatened Sporting Gijon at home earlier on Saturday.

Jose Mourinho was without joint La Liga top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, in-form Karim Benzema and Marcelo due to injury, while Xabi Alonso was suspended, and it was Miguel de las Cuevas who made them pay with a well-worked goal near the end.

“If Barca don’t win the league it will be because we have lost it,” Barca’s David Villa, a former Sporting player, said on Monday.

Soccer Break Monday – Champions League last eight week special

With all the hype surrounding this week’s Champions League quarter-finals, the events of the weekend seem like a distant memory. Here’s a recap of a fascinating set of results around Europe the past few days.

Before we move on, your thoughts please. Does Wayne Rooney deserve to be punished for his outburst on camera against West Ham? And Fulham fans, did you take a picture with Michael Jackson on Sunday?

So we start with Real Madrid against Tottenham Hotspur at the Bernabeu on Tuesday. Predictions? Spurs have looked far better in Europe than in the Premier League this season, and their 0-0 against Wigan on Saturday could be a good omen.

That said, Jose Mourinho’s astonishing nine-year unbeaten home record as coach ended on the same day. Will Real’s backlash hit the Londoners?

Also in action on Tuesday are holders Inter Milan against Schalke 04. Worried for the Germans after Inter’s crushing 3-0 defeat by city rivals AC Milan on Saturday got them angry?

Wednesday, and it’s Chelsea against Manchester United. Ok, so there won’t be penalties like in Moscow so John Terry won’t be stepping anywhere near the spot.

Favourites Barcelona will play another high-speed, easy on the eye, slick passing team in Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk in what should be a cracking tie. We are all very excited.

Soccer Break Friday – Champions League draw special

Well well well. Now the Champions League really is wide open..

So here’s that quarter-final draw again:

Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea v Manchester United

Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk

Inter Milan v Schalke 04

As Gary Lineker put it, there will be an English team in the semi-finals, but could Tottenham make it two sides? Real are certainly not invincible.

Soccer Break Wednesday

A fine Wednesday to you all, and a few statistics to begin with. Attendance at the Nou Camp: 95,486. Estimated crowd noise (in decibels): 121.8. Estimated noise of a referee’s whistle (in decibels): 121.8.

The operative word above is estimated, because of course we have no idea, but a quick dig around on the internet shows some debate about whether Robin van Persie could have heard Massimo Busacca’s whistle despite the defeaning noise at the Nou Camp.

Sending-off or no sending-off, here’s another statistic for you from the Champions League thriller. Completed passes: Barcelona – 738 ; Arsenal – 199. The Londoners did mighty well to hang in there and can be proud of their efforts, but the Catalan team’s superiority told in the end. Few teams could touch them in that mood.

Do you think 11 against 11 would have seen Arsenal through? Or was the red card just a mere sideshow?

In Tuesday’s other action, Shakhtar Donetsk eased past AS Roma 3-0 to book their quarter-final place to become the first Ukrainian side to reach the last eight since Dynamo Kiev in 1999.

So now all eyes will be on another north London team hoping to reach the quarters. Tottenham Hotspur take a one-goal advantage into their clash with AC Milan at White Hart Lane.

Schalke 04, whose manager Felix Magath could leave at the end of the season according to German media, host La Liga side Valencia after former Real Madrid striker Raul salvaged a 1-1 draw for the Bundesliga club in the first leg in Spain.

Soccer Break Tuesday

After Chelsea’s vintage performance in a 3-1 win at Blackpool, Tuesday’s edition will start with a look at Fernando Torres.

Poor old Torres. He’s undoubtedly a classy player, but one who seems to be feeling the burden of expectation that has fallen on him after his British transfer record fee of £50 million in January.

Blackpool manager Ian Holloway said before the match he didn’t think Torres was worth the money. What do you think? And how about Chelsea’s title chances? Win their game in hand and the Londoners would sit six points behind leaders Manchester United.

Without any further ado, there is a game involving Barcelona and Arsenal later on Tuesday. Champions League, last 16, second leg. Club football does not get any bigger than this.

The first leg was a cracker won 2-1 by Arsenal, and there’s some added spice to the second leg as the Catalan giants are upset with the Gunners about the signing of one of their young talents.

Also in Champions League action on Tuesday are Italy’s AS Roma and Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk. Read our preview here.

We’ll leave you with two contrasting posts. In bed with Maradona argues for the death of English football. Dirty tackle doesn’t argue the contrary, but I think you’ll agree the sense of humour shown here by the chairman of English Championship club Middlesbrough is commendable and that there is a lot of spirit still to be found in the English game.

Can Shakhtar Donetsk gatecrash western Europe’s party?

Shakhtar Donetsk’s impressive 3-2 win at AS Roma in their Champions League last 16, first leg match was perhaps overshadowed by Arsenal’s unlikely comeback against Barcelona on the same night, but it will have nonetheless reverberated around Europe.

It would be audacious to expect Shakhtar to appear in the final at Wembley in May, but the Ukrainian champions appear to have one foot in the last eight after a textbook display of counter-attacking football at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

It came after equally inspired performances in the group phase of the competition, where they finished top of their pool ahead of Arsenal to reach the knockout stage for the first time.

Shakhtar’s rise from relative obscurity started in 1996 when wealthy Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov became the club’s president, but they had to wait until 2002 to lift their first league title.

Years of investment and team-building quickly began to pay dividends as Shakhtar dismantled traditional rivals Dynamo Kiev as the country’s flag carrier in Europe, winning another three league titles in just four seasons before they captured the UEFA Cup in 2009.

Having won their fifth league title last season, Shakhtar look assured of adding a sixth as they enjoy the cushion of a whopping 12-point lead over Dynamo at the winter break, while breaking into Europe’s elite on a long-term basis is also a realistic possibility.

Unlike most eastern European clubs, Shakhtar are not forced to sell their most talented players to stay afloat and building the five-star Donbass Arena, which opened in 2009, epitomised their financial muscle and the ability to compete with more familiar Champions League names.

Shakhtar win is fitting end for UEFA Cup

The way the UEFA Cup has been going, it was fitting, perhaps even inevitable, that Shakhtar Donetsk triumphed over Werder Bremen to win the competition’s final final before its rebranding as the Europa League.

As Sonia Oxley pointed out, Easter European teams have been the ones taking it seriously of late, and as Justin Palmer noted, the Brazilian influence on the competition has been getting ever stronger. Werder were missing Diego and it showed, as they searched in vain for inspiration after falling behind for a second time. Shakhtar, of course, have far the greater Brazilian contingent.

We’ll have more on this later but for now, click here for our full report, here for reaction and here for a great slideshow of photos.

And as someone who was based in Germany for a long time, I must just spare a thought for Tim Wiese, who had another European night to forget.

PHOTO: Shakhtar Donetsk celebrate with the UEFA Cup trophy after defeating Werder Bremen in final soccer match at Sukru Saracoglu stadium in Istanbul May 20, 2009. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

No Diego but UEFA Cup final will have strong Brazilian influence

There will be a heavy Brazilian influence in Wednesday’s UEFA Cup final between Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen in Istanbul — despite the absence of Werder’s influential playmaker Diego through suspension.

Brazilian players have made a major impact in recent finals and with Ukraine’s Shakhtar boasting five in their ranks, and Naldo lining up for their German rivals, expect the boys from South America to take centre stage.

A quick look back at previous finals this decade shows the influence Brazilians have made.

In 2003, Porto became the first team to win the trophy on the now-defunct ‘silver goal’ rule thanks to Brazilian Derlei’s strike in extra time against Celtic.

Two years later Brazilian playmaker Daniel Carvalho played a starring role for CSKA Moscow, setting up all three of the Russian side’s goals, including one for compatriot Vagner Love, in the 3-1 victory over Sporting in the Lisbon final.

In 2006, Sevilla cantered to their first UEFA Cup triumph as a goal from Brazilian Luis Fabiano set the Spaniards on their way to a one-sided 4-0 demolition of Middlesbrough in Eindhoven.

Sevilla did it again the following year in Glasgow, Adriano scoring their opening goal before fellow Brazilian Jonatas got Espanyol’s equaliser in extra time in the 2-2 draw.