Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
Barca tired? Not on this evidence
Men tuning in for lots of action in Tuesday’s Champions League last 16 first leg ties would have rued the decision to stay in front of the TV on Valentines’ Night when Barcelona v Bayer Leverkusen and Olympique Lyon against APOEL Nicosia reached the 40-minute mark.
Both were 0-0. APOEL had not registered a shot on goal. Barcelona had dominated their German opposition with 78 per cent of possession, yet no opening score.
There have been reports of a tired Barcelona recently, justifiably. The La Liga and Champions League holders have slipped to 10 points behind arch rivals Real Madrid, who are about the strongest outfit left in Europe’s premier competition on current form.
Perhaps this woke Barcelona up as Alexis Sanchez netted a 41st-minute opener. Coach Pep Guardiola said afterwards: “I think for the spectators the second half was more fun to watch than the first.”
Barcelona scored two more goals, Lionel Messi came alive, and the Catalans conceded just one in a hugely improved second-half display, that led Leverkusen defender Vedran Corluka to say the tie was over. Few would argue with him.
More in the balance is Lyon’s tie with unheralded APOEL, who will head back to Cyprus with just a one-goal deficit. Can the Nicosia side make more history and reach the quarters?
In action on Wednesday will be Arsenal’s record goalscorer Thierry Henry when the London-club travel to the San Siro for their AC Milan clash, while Zenit St Petersburg host Benfica. Valentine’s Day will be over so let’s hope for romance on the pitch in the first halves.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Champions League live blog — Bayern Munich v Olympiqye Lyon
Bayern Munich take on Olympique Lyon in the first leg of the second Champions League semi-final and we'll be following the match between these two stylish teams live from 1845 GMT, 2045 in central Europe.
Will the game be able to match Inter Milan's crackling 3-1 victory over Barcelona? We'll be here from around an hour before kick-off with on-the-spot detail from our reporter in the stadium, Karolos Grohmann and plenty of other contributors. Please join us for the fun.
Which team is gonna play Bayern in the finals n Madrid, Barcelona or Inte?
I am picking Inter. 08:18
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Champions League Live: Man Utd v Bayern, Bordeaux v Lyon
We're following the Champions League quarter-final, second legs live this evening. Join us here for updates and on-the-spot comment from Manchester United v Bayern Munich and Bordeaux v Lyon. Can Bayern hold on to their slim lead at Old Trafford? Will Wayne Rooney be fit? Is there any way back for Bordeaux? And can anyone match the feats of Lionel Messi in Barcelona's victory over Arsenal last night?
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Champions League quarter-finals — live
We're live blogging the night's two Champions League quarter-final first legs, with expert commentary and analysis, including on-the-spot details from our reporters in the stadiums (or stadia, if you prefer).
Join us here from around 1645 GMT for all the build-up and action from the biggest club competition in town.
I think United underestimated them as well. An away goal is an advantage, sure, but Bayern look quite capable of scoring at Old Trafford as well. Going to be a nervous night.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Champion League draw: Arsenal v Barcelona – your views
So there'll be one French side in the semi-finals and Inter Milan will be extremely pleased to have drawn CSKA Moscow in the quarters.
If Manchester United and Arsenal are going to meet it will be in the Champions League final in Madrid in May.
So, what do you make of that draw? Very, very intriguing I'd say. Holders Barcelona wil not find it easy at Arsenal but the last-eight second leg will be at the Nou Camp.
Quarter-finals Olympique Lyon v Bordeaux
Bayern Munich v Manchester United
Arsenal v Barcelona
barca should beat arsenal and get through. barca may struggle against int milan. i have a sneaky feeling that inter milan may beat barca. mourinio is good with tactics. but barca are teh better team and if they produce the best then they ll go through. bayern will be difficult for utd . it could be a milan v bayern final. but lets hope for a utd barca final . cant see arsenal beating barca.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Real Madrid need stability — not another new coach
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will have two conflicting voices whispering in his ear as he contemplates Wednesday's devastating Champions League exit against Olympique Lyon.
His better angel will be telling him to stay calm, remember that the Primera Liga title is still very much in play, that the team has actually looked pretty good lately and that a bit of stability is long overdue.
The devil on the other shoulder will be telling him to stop being so lily-livered and fire coach Manuel Pellegrini, if not right away then certainly at the end of the season.
The latter view was being trumpeted by the influential Marca within minutes of the end of Wednesday's dreadful second half display. "Goodbye to the Champions League and goodbye to Pellegrini," was the headline on marca.es and the newspaper's editor, Eduardo Inda used his video blog to make the case in more detail.
So who should Perez listen to?
The Marca argument is that Florentino's Real need a coach of suitably galactic stature. According to this theory, only five or six coaches around Europe would be up to the task of managing The World's Greatest Club, with Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti at the top of a list that maybe also includes Rafa Benitez, Guus Hiddink and Fabio Capello.
Capello and Hiddink have been there, done that, of course, while Wenger has reportedly told Real not to bother calling him, Ancelotti is only a year in to his Chelsea contract and stock in Benitez is falling faster than house prices on a Costa del Sol golf complex.
totally agree. They have to keep Pellegrini next year. It’s almost an entirely new team, it takes time to bed down
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
No Great Escape for Liverpool
Liverpool hopes of one more great Champions League escape were dashed on Tuesday night, as Fiorentina sealed their place alongside Olympique Lyon with a 1-0 win over the French side, leaving the English team's 1-0 success against Debrecen irrelevant.
Liverpool, of course, only have themselves to blame for leaving their fate in the hands of a team that had already secured their own qualification.
There will doubtless be a lot more criticism of Rafa Benitez, his transfer dealings and the perceived failures of man management, but the analysis of exactly why Liverpool failed to progress can wait for another post.
For now, consider one question: Might this result actually work in Liverpool's long-term favour?
The club could certainly have done with the revenue from a run to the semi-finals or beyond but, with the best will in the world, did this season's team ever really look capable of making it as far as Madrid?
With a squad that (everyone has said) is inferior to last year's, maybe it will prove in their interests that they no longer have to juggle Champions League and Premier League campaigns. They can now have a leisurely tilt at the Europa League -- if they make it to the final it will be an enjoyable run, if they don't ... well, who really cares? -- and concentrate on doing something about that dreadful domestic form.
The priority, as always, must be to secure qualification for the group stage of next year's Champions League. That 19th league title looks as elusive as ever but a top-four finish may have just become a more realistic possibility.
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