messi magic stuns arsenal; robben strike floors manchester united
By junil_jk
@junil_jk (496)
India
April 8, 2010 4:43am CST
has the english dominance in europe finally come to an end? liverpool unable to get past the group stages; chelsea knocked out by inter milan in the round of 16; arsenal and manchester united's run halted at the quarter finals by barcelona and bayern munich respectively. there will be no english team in the semi-finals and final for the first time in several years. there was a time when the semi-finals were crowded with english teams leaving only one spot for others.
messi's stunning display was too much for arsenal, scoring all four goals in their 4-1 annihilation. he's undoubtedly the best player in the world. of late he's been bombarding opponents with goals. i don't see anyone or any team stopping him from lifting the champions league trophy. i strongly believe barca will become the first team to defend their champions league title.
what a start and first half by manchester united against bayern munich! 2-0 up under 10 minutes of play! nani's second strike later in the first half making it 3-0 before olic's strike near the end of the half reducing the score line to 3-1. robben's brilliant second half strike broke the hearts of millions of united fans, including mine! bayern went through to the semi-finals on the away goals rule as both teams finished 4-4 on aggregate.
all four teams in the semi-finals are from four different countries, barcelona from spain, inter milan from italy, bayern munich from germany, and olympique lyonnais from france. no team from england for the first time in several years. no disrespect to the other teams, but i see fc barcelona as the winner this time too. they are too much for other teams these days.
so friends, share your thoughts and opinions.
2 people like this
2 responses
@ram_cv (16513)
• India
8 Apr 10
Yes, after nearly 5-6 years, the English dominance seems to be waning a bit. The way Messi took apart Arsenal was as enjoyable a moment as Arsenal has given us over the years. The goal the Robben hit to take Bayern Munich to the semis was as good as any Man U have scored in crucial goals with their back to the walls. So essentially both the english teams have been exposed in their own game. So it must be hurting them.
Though Barca are the favorites, both Bayern and Inter on their current showing can upset the applecart.
Cheers!
Ram
@junil_jk (496)
• India
8 Apr 10
don't leave out olympique lyonnais, my friend! they've been dominating the french league for the past several years! they are a very strong team! it's good to see four teams from four different countries for the first time in several years. it's a sign of healthy competition. it's not nice to see a particular league or team dominating the competition. all teams in the semis have a great chance of lifting the trophy.
1 person likes this
@livewyre (2450)
•
8 Apr 10
The English Premiership teams have dominated European competitions up to now for quite a few years - even with all-English finals. I don't think it is good for European football for the EPL to be so dominant, so this year is good for Europe without being bad for The Premiership... The EPL is still very strong, and teams such as Chelsea and Man United can play with the best of them... Don't forget that in the game last night, the aggregate score was 4-4 - it was only the away goal rule that got Bayern through. Arsenal were well-beaten in Barcelona, but at home managed to draw level after going two goals down.
I don't think that it signals a great decline in English football, although these things are cyclical, I do believe that La Liga and Serie A are catching up a little, but it's all about money at the end of the day - as long as the Premiership can attract big financial backers, they will be able to buy the best players. About twenty years ago, England internationals were playing in the Serie A - now all the best players bar a couple (Messi, Ronaldo etc...) are playing in the EPL and only Beckham plays in Europe, but he is a special case as in many ways he has 'outgrown' the Premiership.
@junil_jk (496)
• India
8 Apr 10
yes, it's always good to have a healthy competition among the teams, and not just a few teams or leagues dominate. it's good for the game as a whole. certainly english premier league is not declining, and they are still very strong. but on the other hand, other leagues are getting tougher and catching up. it's a good sign for the game and it makes things more exciting and interesting. four different teams from four different countries in the semis is a good sign of things getting tougher and more exciting. hope healthy competition like this year will continue. thanks for sharing your thoughts and have a nice day! lets get ready for the remainder of the tournament, and of course the world cup.
