Barcelona Campeóns!

Yesterday’s final was a neutral’s dream match.The best team in the world v the best team in England. Pep Guardiola’s FC Barcelona v Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United at Wembley.

Barcelona is widely regarded as the best club team assembled. Barcelona turn up and unleash their butterfly brand of fluttering moves and defence splitting passes of such accuracy ,while expertly keeping the possession that it drives the opponent to chasing shadows .Having won only 3 UEFA Champions League compared to 9 of arch rivals Real Madrid they wanted to desperately win more.

Madrid’s philosophy of ostentatious money is loathed and rightly so by Barcelona as it is diametrically opposite to Barcelona’s focus on youth academy and not for nothing is the claret and maroon brigade home grown, it is fiercely Cataluñan and prides itself for being ‘Més que un club’.

Something of that rivalry is in England. Liverpool’s tally of 18 league titles has been surpassed by Manchester United this season. That is something that United wanted to do for a long time. But because of their stunning history, Liverpool have 5 UEFA Champions League titles which Sir Alex has categorically said he is not comfortable with. Liverpool have not been knocked off their perch yet. United want to have that honour in their name too.

Hence Barcelona and Manchester United both were driven by that desire to win and be the top club locally in Spain and England respectively.There is no doubt that at the moment that these two are the most followed clubs in the world .It was a fitting finale with 4 high quality goals.The final score read

FC Barcelona 3- 1 Manchester United

Pedro Rodríguez 27’ Wayne Rooney 34’

Lionel Messi 56’

David Villa 71’

Manchester United can only draw solace from the fact that they equalised Pedro Rodríguez’s opening goal and at least they competed in the first half. Wembley was Barcelona’s night to celebrate and be champions of Europe ; twice in 3 years as they took another step towards becoming the team of their generation and the club to beat .

The first goal was created by an incisive pass from Xavi who sold the United defenders a dummy by looking the other way and passing from the outside of his right boot. It was cancelled by 1-2 move by Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney which was United’s highlight of the match.All thought that a fightback was on the cards. But from then on , backed by the surprisingly dominant Barca fans, it was all Barcelona as they went on to give United a hiding . Incidentally, Messi had not scored on English soil until now. And lo and behold..in a run of genius befitting him and the stage, Messi curled it past the retiring Edwin van der Sar.

Messi was not done yet as another move initiated by him left striking partner David Villa in perfect position to turn in the third and final nail in the coffin, drowning any faint hopes for the Red Devils. And that was it , there was no comeback from there.

At the final whistle, Sir Alex Ferguson while shaking hands with Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola, had a benign smile of resignation to having lost the best side in the world , twice in two years now in the finals. The favourites justified their billing by their mesmerizing and relentless display of the beautiful game . And as they continue to improve , it is difficult to imagine any club challenging them next season.The reason Barcelona don’t ever tire is because they play most of their game in one half- the opposition’s half.They played an attractive and buoyant game and after a while United could only sigh to the inevitability of the outcome.

The cream has come to the top! Felicidades Barcelona !!

Group of death - world cup

Predicting and choosing teams to support in a World Cup as open as this one is a very tough thing to do .Every cup throws up a tough group and this once, the '

group of death’ is group G ,because it has 5 times winners Brazil ,the mercurial Portuguese ,the dangerous and upset causing Ivory Coast slotted in with the North Koreans.

It remains group of death because even after you manage to finish second you have to face in all probablility - Spain. The team that is playing the most beautiful, most enticing , mesmersing football at the moment , even ahead of Argentina.

Brazil have forgave their style and flair, their natural USP ..what’s worse they dropped their most beguiling creative force- Ronaldinho. And this is not just me saying. Even the Brazilian great Socrates, who led them in 1982,feels so. Here, have a look…

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/worldcup2010/3000625/Socrates-Im-bored-of-Brazil.html

The rip,curl,slash,dash,whips and turns of Brazilians have made way for a brand of football that is not that pretty to watch. Sure Brazil is Brazil ,but isn’t that not why they have such following the world over? That said, Brazil may well top the group and reach as far as the finals. And I guess from the group of death, Portugal will go through too, because Ivory coast is missing Didier Drogba with his forearm fracture.

I would have picked Ivory coast for going through to round of 16 and even beyond had Drogba been fit and available..They are the best African nation by a fair distance. Also, just think if Brazil ends up 2^nd in group, then we have the ultimate Latina clash in round 2

Brazil v Spain..

Of the other groups,I hope France crashes out in round one because they cheated their way into South Africa.

And the whole of France knows it. Thierry Henry hand balled not once but twice to hook in the ball into play against Ireland in the last play-off. It would be poetic justice if they crash out and Uruguay and Mexico go further from group A.

Netherlands and Serbia are dark horses, who can reach the quarters, if their form in qualification is anything to go by .Argentina look to be easy group D winners ,but any of the three can go ..I tip South Korea though.

England have a slight outside chance to repeat their 1966 heroics, but do they have the guts to win a penalty shoot out? England is inspired and propelled by Rooney. He just has to fire and surely they will miss Beckham in dead ball and free kick situations.

Since 1962 ,the World cup has been changing hands from South America to Europe every four years, so with Italy being the holders ,it is the chance of a South American team to win, but not necessarily .

The teams with realistic chances are Argentina,Spain,Brazil,Portugal,England and possibly Netherlands .Whatever may happen,

But,I believe that the best thing to happen would be either Spain or Argentina winning.

Because its the beautiful game -joga bonito(play beautifully) ..

and the ones playing most beautifully must win ..