Mother of All Finals: UCL Finals '11/'12 - Chelsea versus FC Bayern Munchen

In the slug-out that has been dubbed the mother of all finals, the closing game of the UEFA champions league season would be going down at the allinze arena,Munich,Germany. The two gladiator teams in the deciding contest that wraps up the 2011/2012 season are wothy ones- Chelsea Football Club and FC Bayern Munchen.

Although it is not news anymore that the much touted el-classico finals that had been hugely anticipated would not be happening; no doubt the ones who have earned the title 'classico killers' would be presenting a more dynamic showdown in Germany. It must also be said that the venue happens to be the home of one of the gladiators FC Bayern Munchen, but the champions league finals being what it is, would always play out as one of the finest spectacles of the modern age.

Chelsea and Bayern Munchen, both of them giants in their own rights may not have had the ideal season in their various leagues as the champions league and other competitions must have taken their toll; in the midst of all that, the joy of participating in one of the greatest showpieces of all time wipes off the pain in an instance.

Both teams have definitely got scores to settle with the cup claim, as they have once been on the losing side in a UCL finals in the last four years. A chance to finally bury the ghost of 2008 for chelsea,after losing to Manchester United in a penalty shoot-out contest,they had almost won. They seek to claim the most prized and desired trophy their proprietor, Roman Abramovich has ever wanted.

Bayern Munchen equally lost to Inter Milan in the 2010 finals; now they have seemingly earned revenge against the coach of that same side Jose Maurinho, albeit in the dugout for his new team Real Madrid. Going all the way to qualify for a final that had been slated for their stadium even before the season began, Bayern would naturally feel that they were destined to claim the much coveted trophy right in their own backyard.

For chelsea it would not only be a joy to win it for the fitst time,but to go into the next season as defending champions in a season when the finals would be taking place at wembley stadium,London in celebration of the centennial.Nothing would give them more happiness than to tour the same city that would be hosting the olympics in less than sixty days from now with a UCL trophy no london side has ever one.

There would be lot at stake for both sides, but it must not be forgotten that in the windy road to the finals, they had both lost very important personnel. All of that must count for something,but it remains to be seen how the absence of John terry, Raul Meireles,Ramires, and Borislav Ivanovich would affect their game-plan with injuries tto some other members of the side.

Their opponents would also be missing key players in the form of Gustavo. David Alaba, and one more key player. Bayerm Munchen seemed to be better poised to handle the shock; combined with the backing of their teeming fans,the pendulum looks set to swing in their favour a bit more.

Pundits have done all kinds of analysis, and bookmakers have put out their ratio for the stakes and likely bets; one thing every football follower must not forget about the season is that it has been one full of twists,turns and last minute drama. You would choose to write off any of the two teams only at your own detriment.

All in all,only one side can win it, and it must have been thoroughly deserving.Whatever happens, the beauty of the game is in participating and there is definitely going to be adequate financial rewards for both sides regardless. Let the game begin, as we can't wait to see the mother of all finals play out right before our very eyes. May the better side win!!

Just Before the Curtain Falls: A Preview of the Last Day of the EPL 2011/2012 Season

By all standards, this has been one of the most intriguing and amazing football seasons in the English premier league. It has been a long chain of drama all season, with quite unexpected twists and turns that would make the season go down as one of the most keenly contested of all time.

The drama has shown up in phases: first at the top as featured in the race between the top two all through out the season; next was the battle for the remaining two UEFA Champions League (UCL) ticket spots by the second set of four teams on the table, and then the battle to survive relegation by another set of five clubs, with one displaying some magnificent level of football inspired by the passion to survive.

In glancing, you can not forget the teams which thrive in the middle of the table, neither up there nor at the bottom; just seeming to enjoy life in the premier of all English leagues while hoping for better days.

Enough of waxing philosophical, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of the beautiful round leather game as played out this season in the EPL. The top battle had always been between Manchester United and Manchester City in a fitting continuation to where they left off last season having both picked up the main trophies i.e. the EPL title and the FA Cup respectively.

It must also be said that they both contested the season opener- the Community shield and from that point on, the battle line seemed drawn. It was to continue in a see-saw fashion, with Manchester United holding fort at the top for some time before Manchester City overtook them and made the place their own for very long.

All of these while, some new entrants were also staking claim to the third and Fourth spots in what was a striking move away from the norm as recorded in previous seasons where the usual top teams, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool would sit in comfort, waiting to claim their right to the UCL spots at the end of the season.

This particular season was different in that Newcastle had announced their full recovery from the crisis that rocked the club not quite four years ago; a journey that was to see them go down in to the championship, bounce back, then move on to mid table and in no time, get back among the contenders for the prestigious UCL spots available only to the top four.

Apart from Newcastle United who occupied the third place for some time, there was Tottenham who had just been waiting in the wings to replace Newcastle in third spot once the opportunity showed up.

In spectacular fashion, all of these played out while Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool kept drifting on the brink, lurking in background all waiting to swoop with one burst of sustained form praying that those earlier mentioned two occupying the third and fourth spots slip up.

Each of these three teams also had their peculiar moments along the line: Arsenal having to recover from going as low as seventeenth position on the table after losing three of its first six games, and looking almost all dead and buried even before the season had really begun. They were to recover in dramatic fashion fitting for the making of a film; a feat that would not be complete without the mention of their phenomenal captain, Robin van Persie.

Next up was Chelsea who seemed to have all sought of problems even after bringing in a coach whom many had thought was young and dynamic, fitting the long-term picture of the owner and one who could deliver the elegant style of football combined with the continuous capture of trophies for the Stanford bridge outfit.

In no time, all of that went burst, and Chelsea were staring a major crisis in the face. Some spoke of player sabotage, others of change that had been too rapid. At the end of the day, Villas Boas got the sack, his replacement was Roberto Di Matteo his erstwhile assistant until now; appointed to steer the ship till the end of the season. Boom! Recovery came leaving many wondering what had changed; No doubt Chelsea was back.


Not Least among them was Liverpool who had shown prospects and a strong intent to return to the top caucus, playing some amazing football at the beginning of the season. The form began the dwindle from the point where they found unusually hard to win home games, a feature that characterized their season and merely reduced them to an entity that could only display cup form, as they ended up claiming the carling cup and playing the FA cup finals, a trophy Chelsea claimed at their expense amidst some measure of controversy.

Before zoning in on the final day, it is quite worthy of mention that Wigan Athletic were simply astounding, having changed their game pattern in silence only to announce this by claiming the scalps of Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal almost in rapid succession, the only key survival of the Wigan end of the season whirlwind was Chelsea albeit with two highly controversial goals that denied Wigan at least a deserved draw.

To think that Wigan athletic achieved all of these in the face of relegation with the same set of players which had been there all season long; was a story up there among the stuff of legends. One of such wins was to contribute to the main twist leading to a final day decider as to where the EPL trophy would rest its prestigious head for the next one year; that was the win against Manchester united at a time when they had taken a seemingly unassailable lead of eight points which at the end of the day was reduced to five as Manchester City started their journey back from the slump.

In a season that has defied many of the earlier set myth and the trend of book makers, even witnessing a player literally comeback from the dead in the form of Patrice Muamba, there may never have been one better poised for a final day decider, witnessing two table toppers tied on eighty-six points apiece, only separated by an eight goal difference.
Manchester United faces Sunderland in a bid to claim a twentieth trophy, but they would certainly be needing a favour from Queens Park Rangers (QPR) who match up against Manchester City, also bidding for their first title in Forty-four years if only they can hold on.

The next decider would be among Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle, who would be slugging it out against West Bromwich, Fulham and Everton respectively in the quest to claim third spot, and maybe a fourth spot which would be rendered useless if Chelsea were to win the champions league.

At the bottom of the table, QPR and Bolton both need wins in their respective games as only one of them can survive the drop, in a last gasp finish, any of the two club fans would have given anything to avoid. Truly this has been an amazing crown to the end of a breath-taking season, rounding up in style.

The Pseudo-Premiership Derby Final: Did It Live Up To Expectation?

In the midst of all of the hype that had been attached to this classic derby,it would only have been normal to have certain fans ask the question "was it all worth it in the end?" Before your heart wonders much longer,what is being talked about exactly- it is the Manchester derby that has now come and gone but the aftermath determines in what direction the premiership trophy swings. it has been made all the more exciting this year; especially having two clubs from the same city slug it out for supremacy in the English premier league. This is in addition to the build-up to such controversial and much anticipated derbies.It must be pointed out that the game would normally be tough enough without the prospect of a cup at stake as the clubs would gladly play their hearts out just to earn the bragging rights for themselves and their fans in the city space they share.

The whole story gets more interesting considering the fact that we have had families where the father supported one half and the mother the rival side.Often times, such scenarios are replicated among siblings- this would give you an idea of how controversial such derbies can be. Narrowing it down to the very last in the series of epic battles between these two city rivals Manchester united and Manchester city; the first leg ended in a mauling for the latter in a place that would normally be regarded as their fortress- Old Trafford 'The theater of dreams' with the game ending six goals to one in favour of Manchester city. that scoreline was the exact kind of backdrop for this latest meeting combined with added juice,the premiership trophy at stake. All of that being said, the game which had been loaded with as much hype as the english press could muster started just like any other.

With the expectations set at such a high level, the game failed to live up to its billing,as it turned out a one-sided affair with united failing to hit a shot on target all through the ninety minutes of play, a characteristic quite alien to the team and their high standards.They were out-muscled,out-played and overall very poor on the night.quoting Goal.com below:

But this was not a night for his volumes of scrapbooks. He picked the wrong team, organised them into a cautious formation and saw his side fail to produce a shot on target for the first time in a Premier League match in three years.A victory by a wider margin would not have flattered City, who made up for what they lacked in final-third dazzle with energy, power and hunger, epitomised by the outstanding Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany.Ferguson’s tactics failed miserably. He chose his European away-day formation, setting his team out in 4-5-1 with Wayne Rooney up front alone, and Ryan Giggs and Park-Ji Sung given starts ahead of in-form pair Danny Welbeck and Antonio Valencia.

This summed up the story on the night,leaving Fergie smarting on the sidelines.Before the game he had mentioned that it was to be his most important derby yet. considering that he has had such a long and rich history in the game,such words were not to be taken with levity, but they also seemed to have been his undoing; rather than approach the game with a youthful,pacy and energetic squad who could match Manchester city for pace and style,Sir Alex chose to go with the conservative, starting players like Giggs,J.S Park,Paul scholes and Ferdinand. The few pacy ones available on the night were Nani and Rooney and they both failed to come to the party. The beautiful thing that has now come to be associated with the evolving Manchester city side is the flair and quality of their attacking football which was brilliantly displayed on the night even though Manchester united made the job rather too easy for them.

The season may be far from over as there still two more determinant games with Manchester city still needing to visit Newcastle's sports-direct arena before hosting queen's park rangers on the final day of the season;both very tricky ties. Manchester united also have Swansea city and Sunderland to deal with in the final run-in. While Manchester united may have the easier of both sides' fixtures,the crunch derby game may just turn out the season decider with the winner going on to pick up the much coveted trophy, except something major happens. Both sides have also got the necessary inspiration to finish the season on a high and all is set for a relishing crescendo ending to the season.Which ever way it goes,it must be said for the records that this has been one season the richly adds to Mancunian football folklore as the two clubs from the same city have had a go right from the first day and the story remained about them all season long.They have both been gallant gladiators but there can only be one champion,that would be a finding that is worth the short wait.


credit to goal.com for the quote and google images for the pictures.