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Champions League review
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30 April 2009
Talk of a Barcelona demolition job was wide of the mark as Chelsea managed to grind out a 0-0 draw in the Nou Camp. Still, as good as this result looks on paper you can't help but think that it was a missed opportunity. A Chelsea away goal would have made the tie at Stamford Bridge much more comfortable for Guus Hiddink's side, instead they will have to sweat it out and hope that Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi once again forgot their shooting boots.
As expected Barcelona enjoyed plenty of possession, however they lacked a cutting edge up front. When they did get behind the Chelsea defence Barca's star-studded forward line frequently dithered in front of goal giving Alex and John Terry the chance to get back. Defensively Chelsea were magnificent, but their quest for a clean sheet meant that they had to curb their attacking instincts. Florent Malouda, Michael Essien and Frank Lampard were all disappointing, with the later being substituted in the second-half – a rare occurrence. Their one golden chance fell to Didier Drogba, but the Ivorian couldn't guide the ball past Victor Valdes.
If Chelsea are to make it to their second final in a row, Hiddink will have to unshackle his midfield and allow them the freedom to test the Catalan's shaky defence.
Prediction: If Chelsea score early this could be a classic. Expect Barcelona to get an away goal, but with their defence looking far from solid Chelsea might just sneak through 2-1.
Manchester United v Arsenal
His side may have won, but Sir Alex Ferguson was a little disappointed with the end result at Old Trafford. Had Cristiano Ronaldo's shot dipped just a fraction lower or Ryan Giggs's goal not been disallowed then Fergie could have been preparing for a trip to Rome; instead – to use his own phrase – he'll definitely be experiencing some squeaky bum time at the Emirates.
As an attacking force Arsenal failed to turn up. Cesc Fabregas couldn't conjure up a similar performance to the one that destroyed Middlesbrough; Emmanuel Adebayor was left isolated up top and Theo Walcott hardly touched the ball all evening. Indeed, Arsenal's misfiring attackers were lucky that their defence managed to keep the deficit to only one.
It was strange seeing Arsenal look so toothless, especially given their superb recent form. Undoubtedly they are suffering from not being able to select Andrey Arshavin in the Champions League but it still doesn't explain their total lack of guile.
Prediction: Arsene Wenger has no choice but to go for it in the second-leg and at the Emirates they'll certainly pose more of an attacking threat but Manchester United will just scrape through.
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