After the two teams who will feature in the Champions League final have been revealed yesterday. Today is also the time in which the two teams who have advanced successfully to the final of the competition have been finalized. Even though many fans and pundits alike have tended to dub the Europa League (Previously known as UEFA Cup) as the UEFA Champions League's “poor little cousin”, Europa League, have been providing quite an entertaining ride for the fans year in year out, and this season is no exception. The two teams who have to be congratulated for having reached the final are none other than Fulham FC of England and Spain's Atletico Madrid. These teams have defied every single odd stacked against them in being able to go this far in the competition. Thus, these two teams have inadvertently granted the maiden edition of the competition under its current name some sort of “romance” aka “Giant Killing Feats”.
For Fulham, it has been really amazing and miraculous on how Roy Hodgson has turned a tame and weak Fulham side into a sturdy and durable world beating side. More importantly, the veteran and well-traveled manager has also successfully managed to turn Craven Cottage from a “points collection center” in the past to a “Impregnable Fortress” in which it is arguable that Fulham are able to go this far in the competition largely thanks to their formidable form in their home ground. This is really evident on how Fulham have won every single home game in the knockout rounds, especially the 4-1 capitulation of Juventus which nullified Juventus' 3-1 advantage from the first leg in Turin. So amazing to know that upon Hodgson's arrival, and with pretty much the same set of players as before, Hodgson managed to initiate a change so drastic that in a relative manner, Real Madrid didn't even manage to initiate a change of such magnitude even after spending close to 300 million Euros.
Most importantly perhaps, is the fact that Hodgson has instilled fighting spirit and belief to win in the squad. This is evident in many occasions in which Fulham have secured a victory after being down from the first leg match (such as against Juventus as mentioned) and also after trailing at half time (such as against Hamburg last night and against Chelsea in the league). To be frank, after being a goal down against either Chelsea or Hamburg, the old Fulham would have just crumbled big time and they would just throw the towel and just concede a bucketload of goals in the second half. But Roy Hodgson has changed all these, and whichever Management theory one wants to attribute the success to, in any case Hodgson is indeed a great manager for being able to initiate such change and of course overcoming any resistance to change from the squad such that they totally conform to the change and implement them where it matters, on the pitch against the Big Boys.
Nevertheless, Fulham's run has been surprising as much as it is scintillating. I remember prior to the Round of 16 clash against Juventus, their captain Danny Murphy posted a blog post in Yahoo Sports website, claiming how he really regrets for being suspended for both legs of the tie against Juventus. Looking at how he crafted his words, it was clearly seen that even Murphy himself didn't believe that Fulham would have been able to knock Juventus out and what he implied by stating his regret-fulness was simply that the second leg tie against Shakhtar Donetsk was the last tie he would ever play in the Europa League. In a nutshell, even Danny Murphy himself initially didn't believe that the aforementioned Shakhtar match wasn't his last match in this season's Europa League, but he would send a wonderful assist to set up Zoltan Gera to score the winning goal last night against Hamburg.
It is also interesting to note that Zoltan Gera just a few seasons ago was involved in a messy relegation battle with West Brom in which the team was eventually relegated. Now, he has just sent his team to their first ever European final. Another interesting point is Brede Hangeland, who was ferociously courted by Arsenal before they settled for Thomas Vermaelen. Since Hangeland stayed on at Fulham, he is now guaranteed at least a Europa League runners-up medal and potentially a gold medal, but had he moved to Arsenal at the beginning of the season, he would not win anything with the Gunners, not even a silver medal!
In any case, now that Fulham is in the final. They really have to ensure that their belief in themselves do not fade or all those massive victories against the likes of the defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, and Hamburg would just go to waste. They really have to believe that they are not underdogs, and that they have what it takes to rub shoulders with the big boys in Europe and that they have what it takes to win this trophy to complete a fairytale story for everyone associated with the London based club. This is especially crucial since the venue of the final will be in Hamburg's own home stadium, which they have visited in the first leg of the semi finals against Hamburger SV. Fulham now have to carry their superb home form all the way to Hamburg, and since they have visited the ground, they have to try their best to treat the stadium as if it's their own home ground, at least for the final match against Atletico Madrid. Then and only then, they are able to really stamp their authority in Europe by winning a huge trophy, and also winning a date in the European Super Cup against Inter or Bayern Munich, which will further enhance their credentials as a football club.
As for the other semi final tie between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, it seemed that it was to be a hat-trick of overturning of first leg deficits at Anfield against Atletico Madrid. After trailing 1-0 due to a Diego Forlan goal in Madrid, Liverpool seemed to be the ongoing to the final after Alberto Aquilani somehow managed to ease his price tag burden a little by scoring a nice goal just before half time. Even before the goal, Liverpool had dominated the game, and came close a few times, and how they would rue the fact that Dirk Kuyt didn't manage to score a goal in his horrific near-miss somewhere at the half an hour mark, as well as how Daniel Agger was in an offside position when he headed past David de Gea.
Even when the match went into extra time, there was still a belief that Liverpool was going to pull through and secure a place in the final. Anfield rocked even more when Yossi Benayoun scored a silver goal in the 95th minute to make the aggregate 2-1 and Liverpool was on their way to the final. However, a horrifying thing for any Liverpool fan happened. Diego Forlan, a Manchester United reject in the past scored against Liverpool to put Atletico Madrid ahead on away goals, assisted by Jose antonio Reyes, an Arsenal reject, and Simao a Liverpool reject (but he wasn't signed after being targeted for a while) was also involved in the goal
. At this point of time, Anfield turned literally silence. Further horrific things followed suit. At the 89th minute, Rafa Benitez had substituted Aquilani, the goalscorer for Nabil el Zhar, and in the 110th minute, he bizarrely took Mascherano (who assisted Aquilani's goal) off and replaced him with Philipp Degen and in the 113th minute, he substituted Yossi Benayoun who had just scored 8 minutes prior to this with Dani Pacheco. All three bizarre substitutions which screamed “Sack Me all the way to Juventus!” while Liverpool URGENTLY needed a goal, any goal, even hand of God would be welcomed at this point of time!
But it wasn't to be, with literally three of their key and most in form players in the match brought off, and also the deafening silence of Anfield, there wasn't to be a way back to Liverpool. Diego Forlan had single-handedly knocked Liverpool off and carried the sheer weight of Atletico Madrid on his tennis trained shoulders (he was a tennis player before switching to soccer) and carried them all the way to Hamburg.
Now that Atletico Madrid is in the final, what they have to ensure to beat the sturdy and we have to admit, mighty Fulham is simply that since Atletico Madrid is so erratic that they can be a world class team this week and a pub team the week after before returning to a world class form the next next week, is to somehow ensure that in the final match against Fulham, the Atletico Madrid squad turning up in Hamburg is the world class Atletico not the pub team Atletico. How? I don't know, Quique Sanchez Flores and perhaps Forlan's blonde long hair know for sure....
On a personal and conclusive note, I think the Fulham vs Atletico Madrid is an ideal final for the Europa League. Had it been a Fulham vs Liverpool final, be prepared to see all top football media in the world (which are all English dominated by the way) to proclaim “English Football is the Best”, “English Football is the way to go!”, “England will win the World Cup due to this omen!” or anything of that sort from now all the way until England is knocked out (probably somewhere in the Quarter Finals) in the World Cup, before they start to criticize England like there's no tomorrow and portray Capello as a rotting Pizza. It is also interesting to note that in both Champions League and Europa League, the team which has the final venue as their home stadium have been knocked out (Real Madrid by Lyon, and Hamburg by Fulham). But the last time a team plays the UEFA Cup final at the home ground (Sporting Lisbon), they were defeated by CSKA Moscow.
Football has once again won, and we shall just sit back, relax, and enjoy an arguably interesting and explosive two great finals, firstly between Inter and Bayern, and secondly, between Fulham and Atletico Madrid. May the best teams win!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Inter vs Barca Reflection...
First off, as usual, an obligatory congratulations to Internazionale who have just secured a date with Bayern Munich at Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League final. The fact that Inter have gone through to the final with 3-2 scoreline aggregate against Barcelona somehow gives Real Madrid fans a sense of relief as the final will be held in their own home ground, Santiago Bernabeu, and the sight of Barcelona being there in the final instead of them, let alone the abhorrent sight of Barcelona lifting the coveted Champions League trophy at Santiago Bernabeu would certainly haunt anyone associated with Real Madrid. Also, this somehow re-confirms Jose Mourinho as the Special One, although the aspect of that tag which was vividly expressed is “luck”. But still, in my opinion at least, luck is still a quintessential component for any top class managers or anyone for that matter if they are to obtain huge successes in life.
Any visit to the various top football websites around the cyberspace would reveal that many pundits have blamed a lack of some sort of Plan B as the main reason for Barcelona's undoing against Inter. They reason that Barcelona refuses to let go of their “beautiful, silky skilled football” in favor of more direct and unorthodox approach. However, I would certainly beg to differ on this issue. Yes, Barcelona was pinned back, and yes, they needed the plan B, and actually the sharper ones among us would have noticed that Barcelona did have a Plan B and they have executed it, albeit to no avail due to the eclectic combination of Mourinho's tactic tunings and luck. Basically, Barcelona's plan B did not involve them employing a traditional English style “Kick and Rush” into the box or “Kick and Shove” style associated with clubs like Blackburn and Bolton, but Barcelona simply dig deep into the depths of football's sinful and dark arts. Yes, they really got down low and dirty for this match.
Just take a look at the incident at the 30th minute mark in the match. First thing first, we know that football is actually a contact sport, and bodily contact, even severe ones at times, is not inevitable. With this in mind, at the 30th minute mark, Thiago Motta was maintaining his possession of the ball, and at that time he was trying his best to hold the advancing Sergio Busquets and there was a contact between Motta's palm and Busquets' face. What happened next was as shameful as an incident involving Rivaldo in 2002 World Cup against Turkey. Busquets simply tumbled to the ground, writhing in pain as if someone from the stand had shot him with a sniper, and the really shameful thing is that Busquets was holding HIS BACK OF THE NECK in “pain”! My goodness, the replay clearly showed that the palm of Motta's hand touching busquets face, and if the Spanish youngster wanted to play-act, he should have acted properly and clutched is face. It was really a shameful act, especially for a player touted to be the next big thing in Spain as well as the world. Even after Motta has received his red card, and went to confront/check on Busquets, the Spaniard was still clutching his back of the neck in “extreme pain”. Of course, after Motta had reached the dressing room, Busquets was able to run like a horse. So mysterious how players can “recover” so fast sometimes... But I digress. Nevertheless, it was one big incident involving Barca resorting to employ the darkest and most tabooed acts in the game. Whether this is the gameplan of Barcelona or whether it was simply triggered by the sheer frustration for not being able to breach the sturdy Inter wall, it is anyone's guess. There were also massive refereeing decisions but it will be touched on later.
As for Inter, I would consider their tactics last night as “Parking the bus”. I still vividly remember one of Jose Mourinho's colorful press conferences when he was in charge of Chelsea. It was right after his team was frustratingly being held by an ultra defensive Spurs side 0-0, and Mourinho commented that Tottenham had “parked the bus in front of the goal”. I would say that Mourinho certainly kept that tactic in mind. Mourinho did not utilize his attacking and effective 4-2-1-3, many attributed this to the fact that Goran Pandev, one of the triumverates of Pandev, Eto'o and Milito was injured, but nevertheless he utilized 2 defensive midfielders (Motta and Cambiasso). But actually which exact formation that he used didn't really matter as the real form of Inter's tactics last night was simply in the form of “parking the bus”.
The tactics were simply further discussed along with the game's statistics (taken from soccernet)
Shots (on Goal) 20(4) 1(0)
Fouls 20 15
Corner Kicks 9 2
Offsides 4 5
Time of Possession 86% 14%
Yellow Cards 1 5
Red Cards 0 1
Saves 0 3
A glance on this set of statistics, any statisticians would say that based on this alone, the clear winner of the match was simply Barcelona. But, just like many of Statistical data in this world, it simply lacks validity, and for this case, it lacks construct validity, for it doesn't represent what it is supposed to be presenting (well, mostly due to the fact that this tie consists of two legs but yeah).
Now, back to Inter's tactics. As we could see from the data above, (as well as from the match itself), Barcelona utterly dominated the game from the start to finish. But the question is, why out of the 20 shots by Barca, only 4 were on target? This lies in the aforementioned “Foosball” tactic. Inter's defence really resembled a unity of a white bus convoy. They simply follow and closing on to whoever is holding the ball and whoever are around the penalty area, as Inter committed at least 6-7 players at the back at any one time. Besides trying to win the ball back and to prevent the Barca strikeforce to be nowhere near the penalty box, they also forced them to resort to long range shots. Even then, the shooting angle is severely limited by Inter's players. It was totally hell for Barcelona's strikers. Even If Barcelona's players, such as Messi and Pedro who managed to do so quite a few times, are able to go through the sturdy Inter wall, there was always Julio Cesar to save the long range shots (which are actually not that strong due to the aforementioned angle limiting by the Inter defense)
But just like how shooting buses with machine guns would eventually destroy the bus, Inter's defense was no exception. They were really attacked from the start to finish and we have to commend Inter's players, including their strikers to defend themselves in such a disciplined manner throughout the match (Motta's red card didn't matter as they simply just withdraw one more man from the front) but eventually they crumbled at the 83rd minute.
To be fair to Inter's defense, the goal they conceded was an absolutely offside goal and I was surprised by how the referee was able to miss that. I mean, the goalscorer, Gerard Pique was in an offside position, but another Barca player at the far right side of the pitch was absolutely and totally offside, but the ref awarded the goal anyways. An interesting point about this offside goal was that, the goalscorer, Gerard Pique really showed the world such a Zidanesque dribble past Julio Cesar and an Inter defender that many would have forgotten the fact that Gerard “Zidane” Pique was actually a central defender. At this rate, Barcelona started to believe in themselves that they were able to get the one goal they needed to advance. Barcelona continued to dominate, but Inter continued to hold firm for the last 7 minutes of the match.
However, Nou Camp was absolutely rocked when Bojan Krkic “scored” an apparently the second goal that would have sent Barca all the way to the Bernabeu to face Bayern Munich. But it wasn't to be although it was a beautiful goal set up by none other than Gerard “Zidane” Pique. There was a handball by Yaya Toure from Pique's pass and the referee ruled the goal out, it must have hurt for Barcelona, it had to be, but in any case, the referee had made up for his earlier mistake in allowing Pique's offside goal to stand.
After the final whistle, Inter went through to the final. There was also an interesting incident at the end when Mourinho, who was on the pitch celebrating with the Inter fans in the stadium was involved in some sort of wrestling match with a clearly frustrated Victor Valdes who wasn't able to stomach the defeat and seemingly took offence with Mourinho's gestures on the pitch somewhat.
All in all, like what Mourinho himself have said, “no matter the result, I don't care, we win”. Thus, no matter how he has won this tie, whether through aggregate, away goals rule, parking the team bus, or anything else, a win is a win, and the Special One is now ready for the final battle against a resurgence Bayern Munich at Santiago Bernabeu. Something to look forward to! By the way, it is also interesting to note that since Barcelona, the defending champion has been knocked out, then the fact that since the conception of the current format of the Champions League, no team has managed to retain the trophy.
What bayern MUST do to win UCL!
Alright, first and foremost, we have to congratulate Bayern Munich for securing their place in the Final of this season's Champions League, despite the fact that there are some sections of fans and pundits alike who claim that Bayern has been lucky, especially in their semi final tie against Lyon, and that they are sure that had Bayern was up against either Inter or Barcelona, then it might have been a different story altogether. But let's face it, Bayern is in the final, and in any case, they have earned their place in the final.
Alright, I won't be discussing about how Louis van Gaal is just like a mighty phoenix which has just risen from the ashes, which I believe the world has seen enough of that kind of articles whether by professional journalists in top soccer news websites or newspapers etc. or just an average fan blogging in his/her own blogs. Now, the focus is really on what need to be done by Bayern Munich to secure the much coveted “Big Eared” trophy and stamp their authority (as well as German Football's) on the footballing universe.
The first and main priority for Bayern to go all the way in the tournament is of course by carefully keeping Arjen “Glass Man” Robben from broken. Like what I have mentioned previously in the past, Bayern have to do everything to ensure their flying Dutchman is not grounded, they have to keep him in a tip top shape or Bayern will have to contend with the runners-up medal, a medal which is seen as an insult rather than a 2nd place honor among players and managers alike. The fact that Robben has been rather surprisingly fit for a prolonged period of time this season is not merely coincides with the fact that Bayern has been performing way beyond the initial expectations at the start of the season. One could just take a look at the knockout phase of the competition from the last 16, all the way to the semi final tie against Lyon. A glance at those 6 matches so far would reveal a fact that Robben has been on the scoresheet for each and every one of those games, and that his goals have been very very vital to Bayern's chances of progressing beyond each stage of the competition. Thus, the final is no exception. I have mentioned this, and I will mention it again, put a “Fragile” tag on Robben's forehead or play him once every two match-days and put him into a special training regime a la Ledley King of Louis van Gaal must, as Robben's fitness will be -I dare say- the only determinant in Bayern Munich's chances to secure the trophy. Not even Ivica Olic can save Bayern without Robben's presence and vital goals (this point is especially for those who are carried away after Olic's hat-trick against Lyon in France yesterday).
At the beginning of the season, this following second point would have been swapped with the above point, but in any case, this priority is arguably the second one right now, but it is in any case crucial. What Bayern needs to do is simply to seriously attempt to overturn the suspension imposed on Franck Ribery for the showcase in Santiago Bernabeu next month. Alright, I know at this time, many people, and that would include Bayern fans themselves, would rather see “Scarface” on the sidelines rather than on the field and becomes a liability instead of helping the team, as evident in the first leg match against Lyon in Allianz Arena, in which he was sent off and thus the three match suspension received by the Frenchman. In the match, Ribery was clearly a liability, as besides obtaining the straight red card for a potentially career ending and poorly calculated tackle, Ribery was not being himself. This is at least mostly if not mainly due to the scandal which rocked French football in which a teenage call girl by the name of Zahia Dehar revealing that 4 top French footballers including Ribery have used her services. This scandal really didn't help matters. But then why must Bayern go at great lengths to overturn the ban (which they have lodged an appeal at the time of writing)?
The reason is simple. Assuming that the appeal lodged by Bayern is successful, even if the Ribery which turned up at Santiago Bernabeu is just half the man that he is supposed to be, Ribery is the kind of player who has a certain “WOW” factor. What I am implying is that, he is the kind of player which the mere mention in the team sheet would send chills down the opponents' spine. As long as Ribery does not receive yet another red card, especially early in the match, which would be devastating (Just ask a certain Mr. Lehmann at your own peril!), he could function as a decoy. Like what I have mentioned earlier, the Ribery who turns up (any forms of Ribery) does not really have to do the dirty work. Leave that all to Robben and of course people like Olic and even Miroslav Klose off the bench later on in the match, not forgetting Mario Gomez, but the pivot is still Robben (why the first point is crucial). Bayern could just utilize the aforementioned WOW factor possessed by the Frenchman and draw the opposing players towards him when he has the ball, leaving his team-mates free for Ribery to just pass the ball to them to get the job done. This will also increase Ribery's confidence as the match wears on, and it is a win-win situation for Bayern from now on. Even if the opposition decides to just ignore Ribery, and focus on other players, then these players will logically give the ball to the free Ribery, who is then free to roam the pitch and at this point of time, his confidence is likely to shoot up a few notches, enough to wreak havoc and even get on the scoresheet. This shows how important Ribery is no matter which Ribery turns up in the final.
Basically, Bayern Munich must only get the two points mentioned above done regardless of the costs. For, it will certainly be a fair return for the Bavarians if they manage to secure the trophy next month. However, it is certainly deceptively simple. Despite his recent immense improvements in terms of fitness and the massive reduction of “working hours” lost, I, for one, would still consider him as a time bomb waiting to explode at any time, and the last thing Bayern needs is for the Dutchman to be sidelined just before the final against either Inter or Barcelona, both are very formidable teams. All those wonder goals will then turn out to be in vain, wasted, buried in the ocean of disappointment and sadness. As for Ribery, the appeal might not be successful, and even if the appeal is successful, there are chances of Ribery, a time bomb himself at the moment, to suddenly implode and let the team down again. They may have escaped against Lyon, but against either Inter or Barcelona, any mishaps or nonsense from Ribery or any other player for that matter, will be severely punished and there's no way back for Bayern if that happens. In any case, we shall just stay tuned in the footballing universe and I, for one, am looking forward to how Bayern's European campaign turns out to be when the final has been concluded in Santiago Bernabeu next month.
Alright, I won't be discussing about how Louis van Gaal is just like a mighty phoenix which has just risen from the ashes, which I believe the world has seen enough of that kind of articles whether by professional journalists in top soccer news websites or newspapers etc. or just an average fan blogging in his/her own blogs. Now, the focus is really on what need to be done by Bayern Munich to secure the much coveted “Big Eared” trophy and stamp their authority (as well as German Football's) on the footballing universe.
The first and main priority for Bayern to go all the way in the tournament is of course by carefully keeping Arjen “Glass Man” Robben from broken. Like what I have mentioned previously in the past, Bayern have to do everything to ensure their flying Dutchman is not grounded, they have to keep him in a tip top shape or Bayern will have to contend with the runners-up medal, a medal which is seen as an insult rather than a 2nd place honor among players and managers alike. The fact that Robben has been rather surprisingly fit for a prolonged period of time this season is not merely coincides with the fact that Bayern has been performing way beyond the initial expectations at the start of the season. One could just take a look at the knockout phase of the competition from the last 16, all the way to the semi final tie against Lyon. A glance at those 6 matches so far would reveal a fact that Robben has been on the scoresheet for each and every one of those games, and that his goals have been very very vital to Bayern's chances of progressing beyond each stage of the competition. Thus, the final is no exception. I have mentioned this, and I will mention it again, put a “Fragile” tag on Robben's forehead or play him once every two match-days and put him into a special training regime a la Ledley King of Louis van Gaal must, as Robben's fitness will be -I dare say- the only determinant in Bayern Munich's chances to secure the trophy. Not even Ivica Olic can save Bayern without Robben's presence and vital goals (this point is especially for those who are carried away after Olic's hat-trick against Lyon in France yesterday).
At the beginning of the season, this following second point would have been swapped with the above point, but in any case, this priority is arguably the second one right now, but it is in any case crucial. What Bayern needs to do is simply to seriously attempt to overturn the suspension imposed on Franck Ribery for the showcase in Santiago Bernabeu next month. Alright, I know at this time, many people, and that would include Bayern fans themselves, would rather see “Scarface” on the sidelines rather than on the field and becomes a liability instead of helping the team, as evident in the first leg match against Lyon in Allianz Arena, in which he was sent off and thus the three match suspension received by the Frenchman. In the match, Ribery was clearly a liability, as besides obtaining the straight red card for a potentially career ending and poorly calculated tackle, Ribery was not being himself. This is at least mostly if not mainly due to the scandal which rocked French football in which a teenage call girl by the name of Zahia Dehar revealing that 4 top French footballers including Ribery have used her services. This scandal really didn't help matters. But then why must Bayern go at great lengths to overturn the ban (which they have lodged an appeal at the time of writing)?
The reason is simple. Assuming that the appeal lodged by Bayern is successful, even if the Ribery which turned up at Santiago Bernabeu is just half the man that he is supposed to be, Ribery is the kind of player who has a certain “WOW” factor. What I am implying is that, he is the kind of player which the mere mention in the team sheet would send chills down the opponents' spine. As long as Ribery does not receive yet another red card, especially early in the match, which would be devastating (Just ask a certain Mr. Lehmann at your own peril!), he could function as a decoy. Like what I have mentioned earlier, the Ribery who turns up (any forms of Ribery) does not really have to do the dirty work. Leave that all to Robben and of course people like Olic and even Miroslav Klose off the bench later on in the match, not forgetting Mario Gomez, but the pivot is still Robben (why the first point is crucial). Bayern could just utilize the aforementioned WOW factor possessed by the Frenchman and draw the opposing players towards him when he has the ball, leaving his team-mates free for Ribery to just pass the ball to them to get the job done. This will also increase Ribery's confidence as the match wears on, and it is a win-win situation for Bayern from now on. Even if the opposition decides to just ignore Ribery, and focus on other players, then these players will logically give the ball to the free Ribery, who is then free to roam the pitch and at this point of time, his confidence is likely to shoot up a few notches, enough to wreak havoc and even get on the scoresheet. This shows how important Ribery is no matter which Ribery turns up in the final.
Basically, Bayern Munich must only get the two points mentioned above done regardless of the costs. For, it will certainly be a fair return for the Bavarians if they manage to secure the trophy next month. However, it is certainly deceptively simple. Despite his recent immense improvements in terms of fitness and the massive reduction of “working hours” lost, I, for one, would still consider him as a time bomb waiting to explode at any time, and the last thing Bayern needs is for the Dutchman to be sidelined just before the final against either Inter or Barcelona, both are very formidable teams. All those wonder goals will then turn out to be in vain, wasted, buried in the ocean of disappointment and sadness. As for Ribery, the appeal might not be successful, and even if the appeal is successful, there are chances of Ribery, a time bomb himself at the moment, to suddenly implode and let the team down again. They may have escaped against Lyon, but against either Inter or Barcelona, any mishaps or nonsense from Ribery or any other player for that matter, will be severely punished and there's no way back for Bayern if that happens. In any case, we shall just stay tuned in the footballing universe and I, for one, am looking forward to how Bayern's European campaign turns out to be when the final has been concluded in Santiago Bernabeu next month.
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