Left field

Drogba´s departure a blow for Africa

By Mark Gleeson

Celebrations down London´s King’s Road would have been matched for fervour and passion by those in Abidjan on Saturday night as Didier Drogba delivered for Chelsea.

The pride of an African striking the decisive blow on one of world football’s biggest stages has been reflected across the continent in the post UEFA Champions League final coverage.

It is typical of the forgiving nature of Africa that Drogba’s horrid penalty miss for his country in February’s African Nations Cup final against Zambia has been quickly forgotten amid all the euphoria.

His super hero status will have been completely restored by the role he played in the match in Munich; the late equaliser with that thumping header and then the calmness of converting the all-important kick in the shootout (especially having given away a missed penalty in extra time).

For years, Drogba has been a visible symbol of African potential and a powerful force for good in his own country, beset and beleaguered in recent years by civil strife.

But the news he is leaving Chelsea means African football faces losing the last of a trio of effective international ambassadors.

John Terry – dedicated follower of fashion

By Phil O’Connor

Despite all the bling, the big watches and fast cars, the brand management and media training, there is still one thing that, without fail, can expose the true nature of soccer players.

Winning.

As Didier Drogba stroked home the winning penalty against Bayern Munich in Saturday’s Champions league final and the blue-clad parts of the stadium exploded, the studied cool of the young Chelsea millionaires went out the window.

Shirts came off. Spain’s Fernando Torres wrapped a scarf around his head, looking for all the world like a British tourist trying to avoid the worst effects of the sun on the Costa Del Sol.

David Luiz donned a T-shirt and a blue-and-white stovepipe hat; curls flowing from under it, the effect was that of a soccer-playing Slash, the former Guns ‘n Roses guitarist.

Others wrapped themselves in the flags of their nations thrown to them by the crowd.

Chelsea vanquish Moscow ghosts

Some things are meant to be, others are not.

Frank Lampard said he never doubted Chelsea would win the penalty shootout against Bayern Munich in Saturday’s enthralling 2012 Champions League final, although they trailed in the spot kicks after Juan Mata’s early miss, while the hero of their astonishing victory Didier Drogba firmly believes it was Chelsea’s destiny to cover themselves in glory.

And rightly so one might add, having suffered an exact reverse four years ago on a rainy night in Moscow, which ended in agony for Chelsea after they were ahead in the penalty shootout against Manchester United only to see the elusive trophy snatched away by their Premier League rivals after John Terry’s barely believable miss.

Chelsea dominated long spells of the Moscow final which also ended in a strength-sapping 1-1 draw after extra time while they were on the back foot for most of their encounter with Bayern, who had the distinct advantage of playing in their own Allianz Arena.

Along with Terry, who watched the drama in Munich unfold from the sidelines as he was suspended, Drogba was the villain of Chelsea’s downfall in Moscow after being sent off in the dying minutes of extra time.

The robust Ivorian could not have vindicated himself more emphatically against Bayern, having headed in an 88th-minute equaliser before he coolly slotted the final penalty to send his team and an army of Chelsea fans into raptures. He conceded a penalty in extra time but Arjen Roben missed it.

Is it a simple case of Lady Luck smiling on Chelsea on Saturday after turning her back in 2008?

Mr Chelsea enjoys a glory night but might not stay for long

Roberto Di Matteo can now claim the title of “Mr Chelsea” with as much justification as any of the club’s great players of the past or indeed some of the players who on Saturday helped Chelsea become European champions for the first time.

The 41-year-old interim manager has transformed their season which ended with the most glorious success in their 107-year history as Chelsea became the first London club ever to lift the European Cup following their 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Bayern Munich.

The issue now is whether his reign as interim manager ends with his departure from the club because billionaire owner Roman Abramovich wants a more glitzy big name manager, or whether this triumph, two weeks after Chelsea won the FA Cup, will persuade Abramovich that Di Matteo is the man for the job longterm.

Beaten Bayern manager Jupp Heynckes was in no doubt what Abramovich should do: “If I was the club owner I would give him a three year deal today,” he said after his side’s shattering defeat in their own stadium.

The Russian billionaire, who has invested hundreds of millions in Chelsea since he bought the club in 2003, has dreamed of winning the European Cup from the day he took control and was ecstatic as his players collected the trophy at the end of an astonishing night When he also personally lifted the trophy.

Whether Di Matteo masterminded the victory, or Chelsea rode their luck in the face of relentless Bayern pressure, is open to debate, but there is no doubt he breathed new life into a team failing badly until he took over from Andre Villas-Boas at the beginning of March.

Chelsea have now lost only three times in 21 matches since he took control and they are now officially the best team in Europe, even if they could only finish sixth in the Premier League.

Champions League final live blog – Bayern Munich v Chelsea

We will bring you all the latest buildup, goals, news and photos from Saturday’s showpiece European soccer match. Just click on the link below to join in.

http://live.reuters.com/Event/Champions_League_final_-__Bayern_Munich_v_Chelsea

Barcelona and Real’s poetry lacked motion

By Phil O’Connor

On two nights when every football cliché went out the window, one remained true – in the end the only statistic that matters is the scoreline.

On Tuesday It didn’t matter that Barcelona owned the ball, or that they completed hundreds of passes over the two legs. When Chelsea got hold of it, they used it effectively – if we are to look at one stat other than the score, Chelsea’s four shots on goal and three goals in the tie tell their own story.

If defending champions Barcelona were undone by remarkably poor finishing in the first leg, the second was marred by a failure to penetrate the box.

Many on my Twitter feed compared it to an Olympic handball game, where the ball is passed around an arc in front of goal as an opening is sought for a shot.

Barca’s lack of cutting edge was primarily the result of their static attack; despite regularly having every player in Chelsea’s half, they offered few alternatives when the likes of Lionel Messi and Xavi were in possession – no runs were made, no-one showed for their normally devastating one-twos.

Playing three at the back also meant Pep Guardiola had no fullbacks to overlap.

Real Madrid v Bayern Munich – Champions League semi-final live blog

So Chelsea pulled off an amazing coup to dethrone Barcelona and reach the final. Real Madrid meet Bayern Munich on Wednesday for the right to meet Jose Mourinho’s former club on May 19.

Click on the link below and join all the fun. Leave as many comments as you like without registering

http://live.reuters.com/Event/Real_v_Bayern_-_Champions_League_semi-final

There may not be a Superclasico in Munich after all

A mouth-watering clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona in this season’s Champions League final in Munich appeared to be on the cards when the two Spanish giants were kept apart in the draw, but the prospect of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi watching the showpiece on television instead of taking centre stage on May 19 now looks just as likely.

While Barcelona missed a hatful of chances in their 1-0 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a pulsating first leg of their semi, Real were maybe fortunate to escape with only a 2-1 defeat at Bayern after they were undone by a stoppage-time winner from Mario Gomez.

Second-best for long spells with Ronaldo also subdued for much of the game, Real were lucky to be on level terms before Gomez struck to give Bayern a slender lead ahead of the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.

One could argue the away goal still puts Real in the driving seat to reach the final, but the nine-time winners of Europe’s elite club competition face a stern test of their credentials against a fit, cultured and determined Bayern outfit who showed the ability to match them in every department.

Although Barcelona seemingly have more to do than Real after failing to score against Chelsea, the holders should in fact have a slightly easier task than their traditional rivals, whom they entertain in an eagerly awaited Spanish league clasico on Saturday.

The woodwork, a string of superb saves by Petr Cech and some poor finishing by Barcelona, along with the outstanding job  John Terry and Gary Cahill did to keep Messi at bay, secured a memorable night for Chelsea fans which they will cherish at least until the return leg.

It is hard to imagine that Chelsea could escape with another cagey and defensive performance as the length and width of the Nou Camp will give Barcelona’s quick and crafty outfit that much more room to operate and find gaps where last-gasp tackles denied them at Stamford Bridge.

English plight in Europe is no fluke

Anyone who might have assumed the deteriorating form of English clubs in Europe since Manchester United won the 2008 Champions League resulted from a convergence of misfortunate circumstances such as tough draws or mounting injuries to key players has been emphatically refuted.

Come Thursday, the Premier League might be left without a single club to represent it in either the Champions League or the less fancied Europa League, where Manchester rivals City and United were not just beaten but also played off the park last week by rivals many of their fans will have considered second-class opposition.

Especially unimpressive were Manchester United, who can consider themselves lucky to be taking only a 3-2 deficit to their return leg clash at Spanish side Athletic Bilbao, whose fans did all the singing at Old Trafford as the Basque outfit outplayed the English champions on their own turf like no other team in recent history.

“We were well beaten and they were the better team,” said United manager Alex Ferguson after their Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea produced a stellar performance to give his team a glimmer of hope they can overturn the tie in the cauldron of Bilbao’s San Mames stadium.

I can’t remember Ferguson heaping so much praise on any European opposition that visited Old Trafford in the last two decades, including the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Bayern Munich.

Like United, stuttering Chelsea and their caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo also face a daunting task of overturning a 3-1 first leg deficit in their Champions League last-16 clash with Napoli, who geared up for the trip to Stamford  Bridge with a 6-3 rout of Italian Serie A rivals Cagliari on Friday.

Premier League leaders Manchester City are in the best position of the three to progress as they have only a 1-0 deficit against Sporting Lisbon to overcome at their stadium. But an away goal for the visitors – who are fourth in the Portuguese first division with only a theoretical chance of winning the title - could mean more European disappointment for City, whose Champions League debut ended in a group stage exit at the hands of Bayern and Napoli.

Would Mourinho face a predicament at Chelsea?

If the coaching merry-go-round puts Jose Mourinho back in the Chelsea hotseat after the 49-year old Portuguese left Stamford Bridge in 2007, it will be a testament to the old saying that nothing is impossible in football.

There seemed to be no way back for the self-acclaimed “Special One” after his acrimonious split with Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich, but their contrasting fortunes since have seemingly opened the door to what would be a spectacular return to English football for Mourinho.

However, if the speculation linking him with a comeback turns out to be true, it might end up an ill-judged failure.

Having won two successive league titles, the Italian Cup and the Champions League with Inter Milan, Mourinho is now in a commanding position to win the Spanish league title with Real Madrid and possibly break Barcelona’s stranglehold on Europe’s premier club competition too.

Chelsea, meanwhile, managed a solitary Premier League title under Italian Carlo Ancelotti in 2010 after coming agonisingly close to capturing the 2008 Champions League with Mourinho’s immediate replacement Avram Grant in charge.

Should Mourinho return to West London amid the fanfare he so thrives in, nothing less than emulating the accomplishments of his first spell in charge, when he won two league titles, the FA Cup and the League Cup, will do for either success-hungry Chelsea fans or Abramovich.

Both parties will also expect him to finally deliver the “Holy Grail” that is the elusive Champions League trophy.