Two Super Power Nations Go Head-to-Head

The cover of The Economist last week read America's Fear of China. The artwork displayed a giant panda bear clinging to the Empire State Building with ominous helicopters in the distance. Quite dramatic and a bit startling. Probably not as startling as it is for the readers of Vein of Form to discover that I read The Economist. And not just the cover when it could be applied to a blog entry. I actually subscribe to the damn thing and am confident it has made me a smarter football viewer.

If only we lived in a reality where a cover such as this would be followed by stories previewing a match such as the one taking place this Saturday between the USA and China in Carson, California. The talent on the pitch will not come close to having the global influence the economies and militaries of the represented nations possess off it. Far from it to be precise. USA head coach, Bob Bradley, has picked a mixed bag of players - some that will be part of the line up in the Gold Cup (beginning in about a week) and some that may have an outside shot at featuring in the Copa America tournament taking place later this summer in Venezuela.

Goalkeeper Tim Howard should be brimming with confidence after the season he had for UEFA cup bound Everton. While defender Carlos Bocanegra and midfielder Clint Dempsey will want to put in a good showing in hopes of keeping a place at Fulham for next season's fight for survival in the Premiership. Defender Jay DeMerit should be one to watch. He was very solid for relegated Watford this season, and will more than likely have a chance to stay in the Premiership with a bottom half of the table side should he desire to escape Watford and Championship football.

There are some other interesting players to watch considering the past domestic season. DaMarcus Beasley jumps to mind. Manchester City opted not to keep him despite some decent showings. Beasley just isn't built for English football, but will have earned another chance at Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. Remember, Beasley was featuring heavily for PSV in a strong run in the Champions League just a couple seasons ago. A falling out with Ronald Koeman and a loss of confidence set him back a great deal, but the player looked revitalized at Manchester City and scored a few goals. Keeping with the "Couldn't Hack it in the EPL" theme, defender Oguchi Onyewu has been shipped back to Belgium side Standard de Liege after a terrible experience at Newcastle. Some might argue he didn't have enough time to settle in. I would argue no amount of time was going to cure what was obviously a player out of his depth. The massive American was arguably the best player in the squad at the World Cup. Perhaps a solid Gold Cup and better coaching than what he got from Glenn Roeder, and Onyewu may get a look from an elite club again.

The position to watch will be the forwards. Ante Razov, the third leading goalscorer in MLS history, will have an opportunity add to his six national team goals in 24 appearances. Razov has been the model of consistency in MLS but has never been able to secure a spot on the national team. A few young guns have been brought in as well. Kamani Hill of VfL Wolfsburg (Germany), Lee Nguyen of PSV Eindhoven and Charlie Davies of Hammarby IF (Sweden) will all see minutes against China. These three are the great unknown right now in American soccer. Could they form a goalscoring force - along with DC United's 17 year old stud Jozy Alitdore - the likes of which this glory starved nation has yet to experience?

This remains to be seen and will most certainly not be answered against China. But that isn't to say the match won't pose some interesting talking points in this dire time otherwise known as the off season.

Bayern Munich Will Be On Top Again

Early reports would have football fans believing that Liverpool are about to become the most active buyers in the world in the coming weeks. Depending on which publication you read, the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Daniel Alves and David Silva are going to be putting pen to paper as Rafa Benitez realises he hasn't had anything close to a squad that can realistically compete for a league title and in multiple cup competitions.But if you think a third-place finish in the Premiership and a runners-up medal in the Champions League is cause for panic, just imagine what is transpiring at German club Bayern Munich right now.

For the first time in 14 years, Bayern have missed out on qualifying for the Champions League and will be playing UEFA Cup football next term.To suggest that the German giants - known as FC Hollywood - are going to be active and competitive in the transfer market is an understatement. Look no further than the recent acquisition of Italian forward Luca Toni for a cool 11 million euros. When Toni wasn't busy flopping on the ground or crying to the officials, he managed to put in 49 goals in the past two seasons for Fiorentina in Serie A.For the second season running Toni had been linked with moves to big clubs all over the world. Inter Milan and AC Milan would have welcomed the 30-year-old with open arms and he would not have had to adapt to a new language or culture.

This says that Bayern Munich made the case to him that they are building a squad that will not just compete in Germany but will once again be feared across the continent. Coming in to this season they could boast being repeat winners of the Bundesliga and the German Cup. Finishing this season a distant fourth place says two things: 1. Lukas Podolski was a terrible disappointment in his first season. How disappointing? The young striker collected just four goals during the season. This is just not going to get the job done in a league as competitive and high scoring as the Bundesliga. Podolski will now have to fight for playing time and work to add to his paltry goal tally in order to meet expectations. 2. Bayern Munich are about to be just as active as anyone on the transfer market. Look at the activity of the club thus far: Hamit Altintop, Jan Schlaudraff, Jose Ernesto Sosa and Marcell Jansen have all agreed to terms. Not impressed because none of these are big-name signings? Then you clearly don't understand how the Bundesliga played out this season. Stuttgart and Schalke battled it out until the final week of the season and none of them have world renowned stars suiting up.

Instead, they are squads that are efficient, technically sound and the players work hard for one another. FC Hollywood should be a thing of the past if Bayern Munich wish to regain the Bundesliga title. Egos should be ushered out the door immediately or slowly transititioned out. This means Roy Makaay, Claudio Pizarro and Marc Van Bommel should be moved. And I would go so far as to say Oliver Kahn's time at the club should come to an end after next season. The legendary goalkeeper will want to be part of (and take credit for) any success experienced next season, but he is not part of a long-term plan which is exactly what the club needs right now.

The prestige that comes with pulling on the shirt has not faded in the slightest bit, but that danger does loom on the horizon if young players do not see a forward-looking front office that is building something that goes beyond the immediate future. Suddenly the likes of Werder Bremen, Stuttgart, Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen could become just as attractive destinations for talent that would have in the past not thought twice about signing for Bayern.

Additional reports are stating that Franck Ribery has signed with the club as well. The Frenchman who made a name for himself, coincidentally, at the World Cup in Germany in 2006 looks to be the next significant signing. Still not impressed? Don't worry as I have a feeling the club is far from finished this off season.

Becks Recalled, Derby Promoted, Crouch Reassured

What could have caused Vein of Form to lose more credibilty? The simple fact that I headed off to the city of Indianapolis to watch the Indianpolis 500 instead of writing about football? Or because I was off watching a rain-shortened 500 I failed to provide the cutting edge insight on David Beckham's England re-call, the weekend action in La Liga or how Peter Crouch may or may not be heading to Newcastle? Once the first drop of rain hit the brim of my hat - purchased to maintain a low profile amongst what was surely 260,000 football blog readers in the grandstand - I high tailed it to my car and hit the road out of Indianapolis. The enthusiasm that gets whipped up amongst the specatators leading up to the start of the race and the first laps under a green flag is extraordinary. But if I'm being honest, several of the people in attedance would have been wise to hold off on purchasing a ticket to the race and might have considered investing in dental insurance. Ah, the Crossroads of America! Real down to Earth people! I don't think I could ever bring myself to go back.

Had the race been postponed until Monday, I seriously doubt I would have hung around. As a football journalist it was imperative I be in front of the television this morning to take in the Championship playoff final between Derby and West Bromich Albion. I was very much entertained for a large portion of the match. Derby's 1-0 victory means that they earned the right to become the early favorite to finish bottom of the Premiership table next season. To be honest, I couldn't be happier that West Brom won't be coming directly back up following their relegation. It is bad enough Prem fans will be subjected to Birmingham after a season's reprieve and unfortunately Fulham and Wigan couldn't go down as well. West Brom can just stay put for a while.

In other news, it seems that there is a huge story coming out of Italy today. The first female striker to ever play in Serie A, Luca Toni, will be moving on to UEFA cup bound Bayern Munich. The flopping striker is surely the first of many new faces headed for Bayern Munich this transfer season. Also, LA Galaxy GM, Alexi Lalas, is insisting through gritted teeth that he couldn't be happier about Becks' recall to the England national squad. He has gone so far as to say that it is a reflection on the quality a 2nd from bottom MLS side - such as the Galaxy - that they can produce a player of England national team quality like Becks. Lalas must be the most nervous man on the West Coast right now. Not only is the biggest signing in American soccer history about to put the hopes and dreams of MLS executives at risk against Estonia, but now there are rumblings Beckham may have impressed so many people running European clubs that loan offers are going to be coming fast and furious. How will LA Galaxy deal with the most famous footballer on the planet putting in a loan request? More importantly, when Beckham re-injures his knee and is forced to miss the rest of the MLS season, will MLS be able to survive such a disaster? Even more importantly, why couldn't Ashley Judd have been wearing a white dress when she was running through pit road in the pouring rain after her Scottish hubby won the 500?

Champions League Final Wrap Up Extravaganza

So, Vein of Form was well off in its prediction last night. Probably one of the more passion-fueled declarations that Liverpool would in fact win European Cup #6. We were wrong. But not as wrong as Rafa Benitez - former genius of all things football managing - and not as wrong as the referee that allowed an illegal goal and was wildly inconsistent with his calls.

First, to the Liverpool lineup. It was a bit odd to not have a threat such as Peter Crouch on the pitch from the very beginning. The decision to leave him on the bench until close to 10 minutes remaining in the entire match was even more perplexing. Crouch never had a chance to get in the flow of such a massive occassion and it is unfortunate that we will never know what kind of havoc he could have brought to the AC Milan defense. Some might wonder who Rafa should have sacrificed in the starting lineup for Crouch. Well, from the first whistle it was evident Bolo Zenden had no business out there. He was slow to react, his passes were terrible and he could not run down the long balls on the wing. Liverpool dominated large portions of the match. Especially during the first half when Zenden became the apparent weak link in the chain that was holding Liverpool back from putting in a goal.

To be fair, captain Steven Gerrard never looked close to his best, Xabi Alonso went completely missing and gave up the stupid foul that led to the opening goal, and John Arne Riise was in and out of the action. It is a shame that Jermaine Pennant, who had an outstanding match, never had a target such as Crouch to finish off those crosses. Pennant's work ethic deserves to be applauded. Had Liverpool won the match he could have been awarded Man of the Match easily. Other Reds players that deserve credit are Jamie Carragher and another monstrous effort. Time after time he stopped the Milan attack dead in its tracks. Javier Mascherano was relentless. When Rafa took him off it was for tactical reasons, but the Argentine had run himself into the ground. He looks to have locked up a starting role next season and if this match was any indication it will be Xabi Alonso who will be making way.

As for Milan, what can I say? They scored the most goals and in football that is all that matters. Andrea Pirlo is one of the best dead ball strikers in the world and when the opportunity was presented at the end of the first half, he took the free kick well. Pippo Inzahgi played himself into a position to hit the ball into the back of the net with his arm. Without question, this goal should have been called back. However, the ref did not make the appropriate decision and Inzaghi's goal was allowed to stand. Throughout the match Milan benefited from questionable calls where I thought when the whistle was blown it was surely going to be in Liverpool's favor.

Carlo Ancellotti gave Paolo Maldini the start as predicted here on VoF. However, Maldini wasn't the star of the Milan defense. That was clearly Alessandro Nesta. Nesta foiled several Liverpool attacks and prevented goals on a few occassions by stopping Gerrard when he was making those patented drives into the box. Goalkeeper Dida had a solid match - he didn't have too much to do, but when called into action he was on point. It should be noted that Dirk Kuyt's goal in the 89th was tricky the way it bounced off a couple heads. But Dida was grossly out of position and again I cannot help but wonder why Crouch was not used early on to exploit the Milan 'keeper's weaknesses.

Inzahgi lived up to his "toe the line" reputation when he sealed the deal with his second on the night. Given Kuyt's late effort it proved to be a true match winner and Ancellotti was made to look very smart by holding back the worst striker to ever feature in a Champions League final - Alberto Gilardino - until the final minutes. We will never know if Liverpool could have equalized in the added time as the ref blew the whistle with at least 25 seconds remaining. Rafa pointed this out after the match and to Michel Platini when accepting his runner's up medal. Platini had to be quite pleased with the outcome, no?

The match was not great. At the best of moment it was just very good. Most of the time it was interesting and always tense. Today ended what was overall another tremendous competition. Early qualifying stages are not that far away for next year's Champions League. As it stands, Italy holds the World Cup and the Champions league titles - the two most prestigious trophies in all of sports. Not bad for a country that will have trouble convincing everyone on the outside that what goes on within isn't totally corrupt.

Champions League Final Preview

I'll just come out and say it. AC Milan are talking way too much. Gennaro Gattusso is barking about English football, Steven Gerrard and Liverpool too much. Carlo Ancellotti is being more than vocal about what he thinks of Liverpool's technical skill set on the pitch. And most of all, Alberto Gilardino shouldn't even be speaking in a microphone right now about revenge or righting the wrong of 2005. When he takes the pitch on Wednesday I would go so far as to say Gilardino will be the worst striker to have featured in a Champions League final in the past 10 years. This is not the Milan of '05 when a fearsome strikeforce of Hernan Crespo and Andriy Shevchenko were all the evidence some needed that Liverpool were going to be ripped apart. And in the first 45 minutes that is exactly what happened.

But enough about '05 and how Milan could not hold a 3 goal lead in the face of an inspired Reds squad, and 40,000 Scousers in Istanbul urging them on. Enough about that. We need to talk about the quiet cool that Rafa Benitez, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher have maintained this week. We need to talk about how the Reds are brushing the mind game attempts off with the same ease that Javier Mascherano, Danny Agger and Carragher will display when they devour Kaka, Seedorf and whatever sad striker Milan parade out tomorrow.

Benitez will have the Milan attack locked down. If he survives 90 minutes Kaka will know what kind of toothpaste every Liverpool defender and midfielder uses. That is how closely guarded he will be. It has been pointed out on several occassions that the Milan defense is weak. I fully expect Paulo Maldini to be given the start. This is Ancellotti trying to inspire Milan. This is his attempt to get them to win one more trophy for Maldini. But this tactic will not work and will prove a grave mistake if Maldini gets minutes.

The strikers of Liverpool will create problems unlike anything the Milan defense has experienced in the competition. Dirk Kuyt will not stop moving so long as he is in the match. It will wear the defense down. Peter Crouch will be a constant worry. He will be in position to head home crosses in each attack and I would not be surprised if in an act of desperation he gets pulled down for a penalty. Not only that, Milan will be frustrated on set pieces when Crouch, Gerrard and Agger will be in a predatory mood. Any loose balls will be cleaned up by Kuyt to be sure. Plus, Craig Bellamy can come off the bench and be an absolute thorn in Milan's side. His activity coupled with Kuyt's could be lethal to a tired defense. Benitez should go to sleep tonight with the confidence that his attack should not be the problem.

Were he to lose sleep it would be due to Kaka. He is so fast and so skillful that Liverpool fans will hold their breath with each touch. But Mascherano or Gerrard will be marking him and Kaka will find no joy in either match up. Should Kaka prove to be too much for Mascherano, Momo Sissoko will be brought on for no other reason than to tackle. He will take a yellow card, he may even take a red card if it means roughing up the Brazilian. There is not enough talent around him at this point where Milan can expect someone else to rise above the moment and pick up if Kaka cannot create opportunities.

If it reads like I am confident in a Liverpool victory it is because I am. I do not believe for a second Milan can repeat the dismantling of the sort they inflicted on Manchester United at the San Siro. That was one match where a side came together and played flawless football. Liverpool are more motivated than Milan right now. They want to prove that they can win the final without needing a miracle to lift them. They want this championship to be a banner that gets waved in the face of all big name transfer targets letting them know there is about to be a new revolution at Anfield. They are asking any doubters Where were you when we marched on the Nou Camp? Where were you when Chelsea were turned over and bounced out of the competition in a penalty shoot out?

We are just hours away now. The match will be tight. But as it progresses you'll see Liverpool seize control and assert themselves. You'll see Milan look out of sorts and arguing with each other.

You'll see Liverpool win 2-0. You'll never walk alone.

A Rematch Too Good To Be True

Yes, the Champions League final is just days away now. It is so close I can picture in my mind the sides walking out from the tunnel and the UEFA hymn playing. I can hear the supporters singing and I can already breathe in the tension that will fill the Athens air on Wednesday night. For me, the Champions League final has always been the most exciting sporting event on the planet. I'll take it over the World Cup final any year. I find the fans more passionate, the drama surrounding the clubs in the final to be much higher, and I even think the football on display is more quality.

I fully expect that to be the case on Wednesday despite some critics suggesting that when a 3rd and a 4th place team meet in something called the Champions League final, it is well, less than a true contest between champions. But if you are going on recent form in the competition it could be argued that AC Milan and Liverpool are the two greatest clubs on the continent. The readers of this fine publication will be long gone before Chelsea, Manchester United, or Inter Milan can claim the trophy haul that this year's finalists boast.

Two years ago we witnessed one of the most phenomenal displays of football theater I can ever remember. It is just a special moment in time that we don't have to wait a decade or longer for a rematch in the final between AC Milan & Liverpool. After '05 I was expecting the next meeting to take place in the Group Stages at some point, but never could I have imagined this. Don't listen to the critics. This is the best possible final we could have gotten considering the final 4 clubs. Even some of the ousted quarter finalists would not have generated this much attention had they gotten through.

Milan 'keeper, Dida, will be looking to right his ship after giving up 3 goals in a 7 minute span in Istanbul. Gattuso is out for revenge. Maldini knows this is his last opportunity to lift the cup that matters most. Kaka will be looking to show that he is the best player on the planet regardless of how many awards a certain Portugeuse winger has won this season. Of course, Carlo Ancellotti's job security could very well hinge on the outcome in Athens.

Rafa Benitez has no such worries. His new owners plan to lavish him in transfer funds win or lose. He returns to the final with a much better 'keeper in Pepe Reina, a better strike partnership in Peter Crouch and Dirk Kuyt and what looks to be a midfield superstar in the making with Javier Mascherano. Add epic players like Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Xabi Alonso to the mix and you can see why Liverpool supporters are in high spirits right now.

Indeed, a couple days from now the words of the players, managers, fans, journalists and everyone else will not matter. It will be the play on the pitch and the tactics on the sideline that determines the winner.

We'll be back tomorrow with a prediction!

Stuttgart Wins -- FA Cup Viewers Lose

Despite having some of the deepest pockets in the publishing world, Vein of Form is smart about how we spend our endless supply of funds. Thus, we took a pass on shelling out $26 to see the FA Cup Final between Manchester United & Chelsea today. After seeing that the match went to extra time and took well over 100 minutes to produce a goal, I would say this was another in a string of smart decisions VoF has made. Drogba's strike gave Chelsea the Carling Cup and FA Cup this season. Unfortunately, for Jose Mourinho that is two cups short of being able to keep his job.

The real story was in Germany where on the final day of the season Stuttgart were clinging to the title and Schalke held out hope that they could get back what they threw away the previous weekend in Dortmund. When both matches went to halftime, Stuttgart was level with Cottubus at 1-1 and Schalke were up 2-0 against Bielefeld. In the 63rd minute Khedira put Stuttgart up 2-1, and that proved to be the title clinching goal. Cottbus were unable to break the grip that Stuttgart had on the match and Schalke would not get the crucial 3rd goal (or shutout) they desperately needed to have any hopes of winning the Bundesliga.

The German league was very exciting down the stretch and it was nice to see some new blood in the title chase this season with Bayern Munich a non-factor and Werder Bremen inconsistent the last several weeks of the season. I also have to say that GolTV showed the American cable channels how to show a trophy presentation and celebration.

They did a fantastic job - much better than Fox Soccer Channel did for the Manchester United trophy celebration - and it only helped that Ray Hudson was calling the match. Hudson is a force to be reckoned with in the commentator's box. Not only that, GolTV were regularly showing the Schalke match in progress so viewers could keep a tab on how things were shaping up.

All the praise goes to this Stuttgart team though. They got off to a horrible start, but in the end they were the ones hoisting the Bundesliga trophy and celebrating in front of their raucous fans while drinking some extra large glasses of beer. They'll be an exciting side to watch in the Champions League next season and should be a contender for the German title once again.

Shame on all of you that watched the FA Cup snoozer instead of the action in Germany!

US Soccer: A 4 Year Set Back

US soccer took a massive step sideways by announcing that Bob Bradley would be shedding the "interim coach" label and be offically hired as the national team head coach. This is incredibly disheartening for fans of the sport in America and it should be the same for players. This was an opportunity for US Soccer to make a splash and hire someone with a resume that reflected more than coaching in Major League Soccer. This was an opportunity for US Soccer to prove to the nation that mediocrity would no longer be acceptable and that the sport will become a larger part of the sporting landscape. Instead, they hired Bob Bradley.

I firmly believe there were other avenues that could have been pursued. Winning a handful of exhibition games against countries that can only dream of qualifying for the World Cup does not impress anyone. Unless of course you are sitting in the front offices of US Soccer today. This was the easy out. This was a move that signaled US Soccer was not ready to get in a bidding war with other countries or clubs over a big name coach. And it certainly signaled they were not prepared to shell out a large contract to someone that would want to turn the soccer system in America on its head. Essentially, US Soccer wanted to avoid hiring someone that would expect to be given more control than any previous coach.

A radical change of thinking is exactly what the sport needs right now in America. Bradley may tinker with lineups a bit more than his predecessor, Bruce Arena, during this summer's Gold Cup and Copa America. However, when World Cup qualifying begins - and it isn't that far away - I predict the lineup will be almost identical to what Arena used. And there is the problem with this hire. The lineup will be the same because Bradley will be unable to turn diamonds in the rough in MLS or playing abroad in European leagues into bonafide stars. Bradley will be unable to turn current US national team starters into more consistent players, hungrier players or flat out more competitive players.

Instead, the US will probably win the Gold Cup this summer as expected. get eliminated early from Copa America to little fanfare and begin World Cup qualifying with little to be excited about. Don't get me wrong, I want Bradley to succeed. I want the US national team to achieve greatness. But in my heart I know this hiring will not allow that to happen. This hiring has set the program back another 4 years. The fact that there was a great amount of disappointment coming out of the the team's performance in Germany says a great deal about the sport in America. There was excitement coupled with massive expectations and when the result was failure to advance out of the Group Stage, it should have been obvious a major change was needed.

US Soccer had an opportunity to steal some of the thunder from David Beckham's arrival and make news. This hiring will not make the front page of any sports section in America. In fact, it might not even get covered in most of them. There are three 24-hour soccer cable channels operating in the country right now. ESPN, the largest sports network showed all the World Cup matches in Germany, recently purchased the rights to Euro 2008, shows Champions League matches and are rumored to be set to launch their own soccer channel. The sport could see a massive breakthrough in the next few years. American fans follow the Euro leagues religiously. US Soccer failed to cash in on this by making a hire that would excite the hardcore fan and the casual observer.

Having said all this, you would be foolish to bet against the US qualifying for World Cup 2010. You would be even more foolish to bet on them advancing to the knockout round.

Fired & Tired

It wasn't that long ago that Stuart Pearce and Paul Jewell were being brought up in conversations regarding the next manager of the England National Team. The dynamic duo of Fired & Tired would have made quite the pair on the touchline during Euro '08 qualifiers. Pearce can still fall back on his U-21 coaching job and hopefully players like David Bentley and Gabriel Agbonlahor can be given a senior squad promotion before Psycho can bring out the truly mediocre in a couple of England's most promising young players.

I have no idea where Paul Jewell will go after he gets a good night's sleep. He deserves credit for keeping a side a lackluster as Wigan in the Premiership for two seasons now. However, I don't know if the neutral fan will really benefit from watching Wigan matches next season. Hell, Wigan fans don't even watch Wigan matches. If he can't handle a couple seasons fighting it out in the most popular league in the world, how can anyone consider him in the future? Certainly none of the bigger clubs in England will take him serious.

Relegation, Barca, Schalke -- Oh My!

West Ham pulled off the unthinkable, the unbelievable, the inspiring... Okay, they beat a very flat Manchester United at Old Trafford 1-0 to ensure another year in the Premiership. The goal came from soon to be former West Ham Player of the Year (as voted by his teammates), Carlos Tevez. And the transfer fee they will reap from his sale to a Spanish team can't come soon enough. Neil Warnock is certainly preparing the Sheffield United legal team as I type. Wigan sent Sheffield United down (along with Charlton & Watford) by winning 2-1. I was a bit stunned by this result considering Wigan have been atrocious the past 3 months.

Despite being one of the oddest looking players on the pitch, Carlos Tevez has been one of the most entralling since he started getting regular minutes for The Hammers. Shame on you Alan Pardew. Have fun in the Championship next season because if you couldn't make it work with a couple of talents such as Tevez and Javier Mascherano, you have no business in the top flight. I have a feeling we are in store for months of legal wrangling, but in the end West Ham will stay in the EPL and Tevez will be scoring goals for Sevilla.

Speaking of Spain, I posted the other day about how average I thought Inter Milan. But let us take a look at Barcelona and let us pose the question: "What the hell is going on?!?!" They've completely come undone in the recent weeks and I'm not just talking about the disaster at Getafe in the Copa semi-final. Their league play is shocking and the draw today against Real Betis means that Real Madrid are suddenly top of the table. Yes, Real Madrid are level on points but the head-to-head advantage means that David Beckham could soon be boarding a plane to Los Angeles with a winners medal draped around this neck. When Frank Rijkaard looks around his locker room he sees a bunch of players that he no longer trusts. The few that he does have faith in will probably be joining him next season at AC Milan. And unless Ronaldinho regains his form and drops a few pounds he won't be on the plane with Deco, Puyol and Iniesta.

The match on Saturday between Espanyol and Real Madrid was one of the best of the season in any league or competition. Twice down by 2 goals Real battled back to win the match. I never felt Espanyol had a handle on things - even after going up 2-0 early on in the first half. But without Becks and Robinho, Real mustered the fire power and took all 3 points. Where are all the Fabio Capello detractors now? For me, the best manager in the world is still Rafa Benitez. But Capello would make a great assistant. I'm kidding. Capello has done an amazing job this season and Real Madrid are coming together at the correct time and playing the best football in Spain. I predict they get a point or 2 separation from Barca befor season's end.

Finally, Schalke have managed to piss away the Bundesliga by losing on Saturday to Borussia Dortmund. I know there is still a match to be played next weekend but Stuttgart are not going to relenquish the title in the final week. The match played in Dortmund was very fun to watch and the stadium was packed with over 80,000 fans. Germany remains king of Europe when it comes to fan turn out and passion. While the league still languishes behind England, Spain and Italy in terms of talent I think for viewing excitement it is second only to England. The matches produce goals, atmosphere and a pleasing style of play.

Inter Milan: Less Than Impressive

How should this season's Inter Milan be remembered? They have to be the most frustrating side in recent memory. First, people need to stop referring to them as 2-time defending Italian champions. Inter were awarded the title from two seasons ago because of the match fixing scandal. It will forever be remembered with an asterick for that reason. Some would argue this year's championship will have the same mark. No Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio all had point penalties and Serie A just seemed watered down in general.

That being said Inter still cruised to the Scudetto with no challengers and reeled off 17 straight wins at one point. In any league that is an amazing feat. But then I watch a match like today's Copa Italian Cup final first leg. Roma crush the champions to the tune of 6-2 and it all seems a bit uncertain to me that Inter will be remembered at all in a few years once order is restored in Serie A. Next season Juventus are going to get all the headlines, AC Milan could potentially start as European Champions and Roma will be their usual pesky selves that refuse to be consistent enough to win the league, but do just enough to stay in the thick of things.

Inter may be hard pressed for a top four finish and that isn't being dramatic. This is the same side that splashed out with little fight in the Champions League round of 16 to Valencia. The same Valencia that have fallen off the pace in La Liga. So I have to ask, how do you rate this Inter Milan? Vein of Form has thrown a lot of criticism towards Italian football this season. However, there are a few die hard Italian fans on staff and everyone seems to hold Totti in a higher esteem than most footballers on the planet. So don't accuse this publication of being anti-Serie A.

In other news, Sevilla cruised to the Copa final and Chelsea v. Manchester United ended in a scoreless draw. I didn't watch the match but someone said Jose may or may not have been red carded. Also, it appears Eto'o is wanted by the top four in England right now and Andriy Shevchenko looks to be slowly inching his way back to AC Milan. Looks like anothe case of Couldn't Hack it in England.

Stand Up for the Champs

According to Manchester United fans today, all is correct once again in the footballing world. Chelsea's draw with Arsenal renders the Wednesday showdown at the Bridge meaningless and means United will take the pitch for the first time as champions against the former champions. The actual match today at the Emirates was terrific. Michael Essien was out of this world great and despite being down a man the Blues were all over Arsenal. Salomon Kalou was unlucky not to give Chelsea the win in the dying moments of the match. Were it not for a world class save by Jens Lehman we would be talking about a much different scenario midweek.

I have to give credit to United. They were absolutely deserving of this title. The squad did everything you would expect a champion to do. They blew teams out, they came from behind to win matches, they won when they were not at their best and they avoided a major points drought. The Christmas season is what probably did Chelsea in. The FA Cup final is still going to be a hotly contested affair as Jose Mourinho will likely rest his top players midweek.

Alex Ferguson came to England with the goal of dethroning Liverpool. He did just that and made Manchester United the most popular club on the planet. A few years ago he worried that the new millionaires at Chelsea would dominate England for the next decade, but put together a true squad to snatch the title from their hands. United have played epic football this season and deserve this moment.

In other places where champions have yet to be crowned, there was a dandy of a match played in Madrid today. Real Madrid v. Sevilla lived up to the hype as Real fought back from a goal down to really dominate the match and send a warning to leaders Barcelona that any slip and the title will return to Los Blancos. Fabio Capello has weathered the criticism and pressure at Madrid and has his club playing the best football in Spain right now. The ease with which they beat Sevilla was incredible. Don't let the 3-2 scoreline fool you, it was never that close once the second half got started.

Capello's decision to bring on Guti proved brilliant. The Real legend set up two goals, the first a stunning ball to Ruud van Nistelroy that the Dutchman finished with aplomb. I thought Real had one of the truly great matches of the past few seasons and they looked like a title worth side. Barca are getting points by the skin of their teeth and I believe will be lucky to finish on top. In fact, with Real now just two points behind them I wonder if the pressure will be too great and they drop a crucial point in the next couple weeks.

A few things stood out for me today. First, Robinho looks more dangerous than ever. The Brazilian is always on the attack and Sevilla's defense never looked sure how to handle him. Second, Fabio Cannavaro is still one of the top 3 defenders in the world. He didn't settle immediately in Spain, but over the past month he has just been a rock for Real Madrid and he was well deserving of his World Footballer of the Year award. Finally, David Beckham is going to be sorely missed next season. He may only have had one - maybe 2 - more legit seasons in the top leagues of Europe but the is still the best set piece man in the world. His work rate is great, and while he didn't have the best game today you could still see how wary Sevilla were everytime he was on the ball.

Will Capello stick around at Real or bolt for another job once the season is over? Could Juventus take him back or would he slide in at Chelsea were Mourinho to be fired? He has proven to be one of the best managers in the world this season and Real should come out right now and beg him to stay.

Finally, things are really heating up in Germany. Schalke are just a point ahead of Stuttgart and two ahead of Werder Bremen. Werder have had a few missed opportunities recently and can only blame their inability to seize the moment if the title goes to Schalke or Stuttgart. Schalke's Kevin Kuranyi is one player VoF cannot figure out. Is he world class? This season the answer would be Yes. In the past I was not sold on him but for me, right now there a just a few players I'd prefer on my squad before Kuranyi. All three contenders have potentially tricky matches next and Germany is a very exciting league to watch right now.

In other news, Roma sealed 2nd place in Italy and I say good for them. I am a huge Totti fan and love the squad Spaletti has at hand. With Juventus, Inter, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina all looking to make a title run next season Roma will have to spend this summer to bolster that side.

You know when you start looking at the MLS the football season is winding down. I guess the upside is the transfer window opens in about a month!

2nd Leg Semi-Final Extravaganza

I was rather shocked when the other Vein of Form writers suggested I do the semi-final extravaganza. Being the biggest Liverpool fan of the crew I assumed we would go for a more unbiased take on the action. Then, I remembered I launched this publication and having already conceded that doing a preview and a wrap-up for each Liverpool match was a bit much, I thought, "Why the hell not me"?

More to the point, why the hell not a 6th European crown for the Reds? The 2nd leg against Chelsea was far from the most epic football the Champions League has ever seen. But each time the ball was in either sides' box there was a fantastic amount of tension. Agger's goal from the corner kick was bent in with perfection and Drogba had the chances we all expected him to get. The Agger goal caught Chelsea off guard and they just couldn't find a way past Pepe Reina to get that elusive away goal. Steve Finnan's return to the lineup was enormous for Liverpool and Javier Mascherano played his heart out.

Going in to extra time I thought it would be unfortunate for either side to go down on penalty kicks. While I am a complete Liverpool supporter I don't have animosity towards Chelsea. Far from it. They have a great manager, great players and passionate fans. But Liverpool have just looked like the side destined to get to Athens since the beginning. And Reina's stops in the net served as a fantastic exclamation point on this Champions League campaign.

Rafa Benitez' calm stroll across the pitch after the match said it all. He just believed this was going to happen. I would contend this match was lost over the previous weekend when United took the lead against Everton and the Chelsea players' demeanor totally changed. The pain from this loss might linger a bit longer than the previous runs in the Champions League Chelsea have made in recent years.

The match in at the San Siro today was postively stunning. Not simply because AC Milan looked like the best team on the planet or that Manchester United looked like nothing more than the Coca-Cola Championship leaders. It was because of the ease the Italian side took United apart. Not 10 minutes in Kaka picked up right where he left off. This only hammered home the point that the weakened back line had zero answers for stopping him. And who would have expected Clarence Seedorf to have his best match of the past couple seasons? Hell, even Gilardino managed to get the third goal that sealed United's fate and assured Milan of a rematch against Liverpool.

VoF predicted United to go through a couple days ago and I didn't argue. I would never have believed Milan could shut them out for 90 minutes. Not with a healthy Ronaldo and Rooney on the pitch. Over the course of these two legs I think it is safe to say Kaka outplayed Ronaldo by leaps and bounds. Somehow every football fan outside of Italy forgot about Kaka's magic this season as we all focused on the corruption and violence in Italian football. And rightfully so. But now I can't help but wonder if Kaka is suddenly going to be picking up a World Player of the Year Award as Ronaldo must work to put together the pieces of his reputation that Milan chipped away during these two matches.

So, in Athens there will be a rematch of the 2005 final. Milan will be out for revenge. Liverpool will hear nothing of the past and contend they are a much stronger side and should be expected to win rather than be seen as a mere cinderalla story. The key to remember is that this match will not be played at Anfield nor will it be played at the San Siro. Therefore, the greatest advantage each club had in the semi-finals is taken away.