We All Live in a Leo Messi World
Four teams have booked their spot in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. Below I break down of those four, who is the most appealing and least appealing to match up against.
Schalke 04
Assuming that FC Copenhagen does not get past Chelsea, I think Schalke are the side most clubs would hope to draw. They are struggling in the German Bundesliga, and have a manager in Felix Magath that is on the hot seat. While topping their group - that included Lyon - and having a mighty home crowd that would intimidate any visiting club I cannot see how they get past any club likely to progress.
I have always been a fan of Raul and think it is terrific that he has found form in Gelsenkirchen. And Jefferson Farfan is an exciting player. Both would need to have phenomenal performances over two legs and hope to find a goal because their defense is not going to shut out any of the remaining clubs.
Shakhtar Donetsk
There are dozens of world famous, very rich professional athletes hoping their company hands them an all expenses paid trip to the Ukrainian city of Donetsk - the deepest outpost in UEFA - to take on FC Shakhtar Donetsk. So they topped a group that included Arsenal and thrashed AS Roma in the Round of 16. Arsenal treat the Group Stages of the Champions League with the same level of urgency they show the early rounds of the Carling Cup. And Roma are in shambles - which is pretty much par for the course lately at the Italian club.
Shakhtar have a collection of exciting players - Douglas Costa, Luiz Adriano, Eduardo - and are steady at the back. Their only loss in the Group Stages a 5-1 defeat against Arsenal. Managed by Mircea Lucescu they have as quality of a leader as any team left in the competition. He did lead this relative unknown, yet very wealthy club to the then UEFA Cup title in 2009.
And yet, I don't see them worrying the giants of European football that could draw them in the quarters. Make no mistake, this is a club that will regularly be making knock-out stage appearances moving forward. My opinion is that a lack of experience in 2011 will keep them from moving on.
Tottenham Hotspur
I love that this English club knocked out the Italian giants AC Milan. And not just because I think Italian football is boring and a quick way to put me to sleep on a Sunday afternoon. I love that some new English blood is moving on, that their North London rival Arsenal will be watching on TV and because it means seeing Rafael van der Vaart, Gareth Bale and the maturing before our eyes Sandro play deeper into the greatest competition known to man. van der Vaart has been one of the best signings in the Premier League in the past 5 or 6 seasons. He has done wonders for the Spurs' attack and it is a shame he was wasted in Madrid when he could have been knocking them in for a club that knows how to use strikers of immense talent.
No club in Europe will want Spurs right now. The prospect of going to White Hart Lane and hearing how those supporters get behind the players on the pitch is why I love football. The rousing "COME ON YOU SPURS" that rang out all night against Milan had the hairs on my neck standing up. While they've not been anywhere near consistent at the back in domestic play, the club defended like true brave hearts in the home leg to shut out a Milan side that was deploying Ibrahimovic, Pato and Robinho in all out attack for 90+ minutes.
I have zero clue if this run can go on. But Spurs topped a group that included Inter Milan - reigning European champions - and are the prototype of the "can match up with anyone in the world on any given night" side. They may not even qualify for the competition next year so expect Spurs to go all out in the quarters. If they stay fit and get a good draw (meaning not Barcelona) this is a side that I would bet on booking a semi-final spot.
Barcelona
LOL - Best team I've ever seen in my life. Messi is God.
Schalke 04
Assuming that FC Copenhagen does not get past Chelsea, I think Schalke are the side most clubs would hope to draw. They are struggling in the German Bundesliga, and have a manager in Felix Magath that is on the hot seat. While topping their group - that included Lyon - and having a mighty home crowd that would intimidate any visiting club I cannot see how they get past any club likely to progress.
I have always been a fan of Raul and think it is terrific that he has found form in Gelsenkirchen. And Jefferson Farfan is an exciting player. Both would need to have phenomenal performances over two legs and hope to find a goal because their defense is not going to shut out any of the remaining clubs.
Shakhtar Donetsk
There are dozens of world famous, very rich professional athletes hoping their company hands them an all expenses paid trip to the Ukrainian city of Donetsk - the deepest outpost in UEFA - to take on FC Shakhtar Donetsk. So they topped a group that included Arsenal and thrashed AS Roma in the Round of 16. Arsenal treat the Group Stages of the Champions League with the same level of urgency they show the early rounds of the Carling Cup. And Roma are in shambles - which is pretty much par for the course lately at the Italian club.
Shakhtar have a collection of exciting players - Douglas Costa, Luiz Adriano, Eduardo - and are steady at the back. Their only loss in the Group Stages a 5-1 defeat against Arsenal. Managed by Mircea Lucescu they have as quality of a leader as any team left in the competition. He did lead this relative unknown, yet very wealthy club to the then UEFA Cup title in 2009.
And yet, I don't see them worrying the giants of European football that could draw them in the quarters. Make no mistake, this is a club that will regularly be making knock-out stage appearances moving forward. My opinion is that a lack of experience in 2011 will keep them from moving on.
Tottenham Hotspur
I love that this English club knocked out the Italian giants AC Milan. And not just because I think Italian football is boring and a quick way to put me to sleep on a Sunday afternoon. I love that some new English blood is moving on, that their North London rival Arsenal will be watching on TV and because it means seeing Rafael van der Vaart, Gareth Bale and the maturing before our eyes Sandro play deeper into the greatest competition known to man. van der Vaart has been one of the best signings in the Premier League in the past 5 or 6 seasons. He has done wonders for the Spurs' attack and it is a shame he was wasted in Madrid when he could have been knocking them in for a club that knows how to use strikers of immense talent.
No club in Europe will want Spurs right now. The prospect of going to White Hart Lane and hearing how those supporters get behind the players on the pitch is why I love football. The rousing "COME ON YOU SPURS" that rang out all night against Milan had the hairs on my neck standing up. While they've not been anywhere near consistent at the back in domestic play, the club defended like true brave hearts in the home leg to shut out a Milan side that was deploying Ibrahimovic, Pato and Robinho in all out attack for 90+ minutes.
I have zero clue if this run can go on. But Spurs topped a group that included Inter Milan - reigning European champions - and are the prototype of the "can match up with anyone in the world on any given night" side. They may not even qualify for the competition next year so expect Spurs to go all out in the quarters. If they stay fit and get a good draw (meaning not Barcelona) this is a side that I would bet on booking a semi-final spot.
Barcelona
LOL - Best team I've ever seen in my life. Messi is God.
Labels: Barcelona, Champions League, Shakhtar Donetsk, van der Vaart
posted by NickL at 9:20 AM
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