Brittania Rules The European Waves

So we are now down to the final four in the Champions League and yet again the British sides have shown their true colours in arguably Europe’s toughest competition.
Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool once again booked their place in the semi finals for the third time in four years with a strong performance against a tired looking Arsenal side going through 5-3 on aggregate (Did I hear you cry dodgy penalty all you Gooner fans?) Although Chelsea struggled in the first leg against Turkish side Fenerbache under the leadership of former Brazilian superstar Zico they did enough to progress 3-2 overall with goals in the second leg from Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard whilst Manchester United strolled to a comfortable 1-0 victory against AS Roma in the return leg at Old Trafford with a superbly taken header by Carlos Tevez. This was achieved in spite of a penalty miss from Daniele De Rossi after Alessandro Mancini “seemed” to have been brought down by Wes Brown though television replays say otherwise.

A mouthwatering prospect awaits in the last four with Manchester United up against the Spanish Giants Barcelona. Meanwhile the winners will face a showdown in Moscow from the all English affair between Liverpool and Chelsea, the third time these teams have met in four years. This also establishes English domination on the competition with a guaranteed British team reaching the Champions League Final for the fourth year in a row. So how has it come to fruition that English clubs have been dominating the Champions League in recent years? One reason could be down to the fact that many superstars from all over Europe and beyond have applied their trade in the Premier League including Anelka, Henry, Ballack and Torres. Another beneficial factor is that the Premier League now is recognised as the strongest and most competitive league in the world which is seen on television across the globe.

When examining who may progress to the final at this stage its hard not to go for the glamour all English tie. But which two will progress through to a date with destiny on May 21^st? Manchester United fans may say their name is on the trophy partly due to the Munich connection. This lies in facing Barcelona at the Nou Camp, the ground where they won their last Champions League (And the first one since The Busby Babes of 1968) in a dramatic 2-1 victory against Bayern Munich. Destiny may be calling the Reds as its 40 years since that infamous victory against Benfica and take note in 1999 it was Sir Matt Busby’s 90^th birthday. Is there someone watching over Sir Alex’s team perhaps? Finally with this season being the 50^th anniversary of the Munich Air crash and with the current team being a lot stronger in squad depth and energy compared to last year’s tired semi final performance in Milan there’s a real opportunity to take Barcelona to the cleaners (well almost).

Anyone who watched highlights of the quarter final clash against Schalke will take note of the chances the Germans had at the Nou Camp. Furthermore the loss of Ronaldinho out for the season with a muscle tear in his leg is a bitter blow to the Catalan club. The Portuguese playmaker Deco has also been missing for the last 6 games with a calf injury that’s added to their injury woes while Argentine sensation Lionel Messi has also had his slight niggles. There’s no denying Barcelona’s attacking capabilities in Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry and Messi himself as well as Kolo Toure’s brother Yaya Touré also making a name for himself with some impressive performances and the winning goal against Schalke. However defensively they are not as solid conceding 29 goals in the Primera Liga in 31 games, almost a goal a game which will be enough for United to take back to Old Trafford in the second leg.

Based on United’s current form, extra depth in their squad and not forgetting their big matchwinner in Ronaldo who has an astonishing 37 goals to date they should edge this epic encounter overall. As far as the Battle of Britain is concerned this is more of a difficult one to call. It really will be a battle of brains as Benitez and Grant come head to head in European play. With nothing to separate them in the league with 2 draws, Grant has the upper hand in cup competitions beating the Anfield outfit in the Carling Cup Semi Final. However you cannot deny the impressive pedigree that Benitez has established at Liverpool bringing back the European feel good factor that encompassed the Merseysiders in the 70’s and early 80’s.

Benitez has also come up trumps against the Blues in both previous European encounters against the marauding and charismatic Mourinho. For some reason Liverpool raise their game in Europe and Benitez’s game is more suited to the European style that has proved them to be so successful with victories when they have needed them, most notably in the group stages with an 8-0 drubbing of Besiktas, a four goal onslaught in Marseille and more recently a controlled 1-0 away victory at the San Siro against Inter Milan who hadn’t been beaten on the same ground for the past 5 months. Strong, extremely organised with a counter attacking pace and a never say die attitude (albeit with a bit of good fortune) Liverpool are a well oiled European machine but there’s also a case for Grant’s Chelsea too.

The danger still remains in the attacking prowess of Didier Drogba who has gone off the boil in recent weeks. If the Israeli gets his tactics right he could be in with a shout to shake off the Liverpool hoodoo. Grant’s confusing tactics in the Carling Cup Final against Tottenham didn’t win him any plaudits amongst the Chelsea faithful. He got it completely wrong playing Anelka on the left where he was as isolated as a North Pole expedition trip. However when he’s on the pitch upfront with Drogba they are more of a combative threat as was proved when they turned round being 1-0 down to Arsenal at the Bridge.

Defensively with Cech and Cudicini on the sidelines for a few weeks a team with Hilario and 18 year old Rhys Taylor on the bench is a lot more promising for Liverpool. If they can get one of those two back it may enhance their chances but all teams need their leaders and Cech is certainly one of them. No doubt Frenchman Claude Makelele will do what he does best and float in front of the back four to cancel out any attacking threats which at 35 years old there’s nobody in the world who can do this as effectively. With Chelsea at home for the second leg Liverpool wont have their Anfield fortress to rely on for noise and atmosphere which could prove vital if Chelsea were to score in the first leg which they are capable of.

However with the Spaniards impressive record of guiding Liverpool to two finals in three years it’s difficult to see past them reaching Moscow again. It seems that a team in red will walk away with the glittering prize and the prestige of being European Champions on May 21^st but whom that might be is going to be a tight one.