Game ON !

To be very honest, I'm loving this season of the Champions' League. Yes, Chelsea are out and that still hurts, but that now allows me to view the remainder of the competition as first and foremost a football fan. This year's edition has been the most exciting in several years! It seems that finally, the romance is back, and that the giants of Italian and German football are performing to their potential rather than meekly surrendering to the English and Spanish! The quarterfinals this time around feature only 1 Spanish side, Barcelona ( though arguably the best in the world ) and 2 English sides, Arsenal and Manchester United, along with 2 French, 1 Italian, 1 German and 1 Russian outfit. Granted Michel Platini's vision for European football aims to promote teams from other regions , the likes of Scotland, Portugal, Austria, Turkey reaching the quarterfinals, but this is at the very least a great first step!

I am loving the unpredictability of this tournament! Liverpool have been rank amateur all season and unlike in previous seasons where they struggled for 4th in the league but still prevailed in Europe, this year their European pedigree matched their Premiership pedigree! To be dumped out at the group stages is a scenario Benitez wouldn't have rehearsed for too often. Real Madrid succumbed in the last 16 to Lyon, scoring only once over 2 legs, inspite of the array of world-class attacking talent at their disposal, to go 2-1 down on aggregate. Madrid still need to gel as a team, and watching them play, you would agree that unlike in other teams, the stars in that side take away each others' space, rather than creating space for each other! Lyon were regular contenders at the last 16 a couple of years ago, but seemed to go downhill, losing ground not only in Europe but also domestically. With Bordeaux also in the quarters, the signs for French football are promising! Inter Milan dumped out Chelsea, though this tie might have turned out differently if Chelsea had taken their chances in the first leg or been lucky with a couple of penalty decisions in either leg. Either ways, one can't deny that Inter's performance at Stamford Bridge was superlative. They rugby tackled Drogba to oblivion, body-blocked every single shot on goal, broke the flow of the game, and in Sneijder, they had an in-form passing machine. Sneijder did not get possession often given how fractured play had become, but he seemed to find Milito and E'too at will as they ran and got behind the Chelsea back four. If Milito had timed his runs better and not been caught offside nearly 4-5 times, this match would've been over by the 60th minute. Before the tie, not many would've voted Inter as favourites to go through, but they did!

Last night, the surprises continued. Manchester United put in arguably their worst performance of the season against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. Their play lacked pace, their passing was horrible, and they couldn't keep the ball for more than 5 seconds. An early free kick and a slip by Demichelis gave them a fortunate lead, but Bayern pressed all night, and Van der Sar was kept busy throughout while Hans Jorg-Butt probably fell asleep at the other end. That said, Bayern's attack was hardly effective, and even though they passed the ball well, their final balls always seemed to go awry. That changed with a bit of luck from Ribery's free kick deflecting off Rooney into the back of the net. Rooney himself was a lonely figure, isolated up front with his midfield thoroughly outclassed all night! And 2 minutes into injury time, eerily reminiscent of the night at the Nou Camp in the 1999 Champions League final, Bayern righted a wrong and this time BROKE United hearts as Olic robbed Evra and shot past Van der Sar to make it 2-1. Truth be told, Van der Sar was probably the only United player on the pitch who played upto even half his usual ability. Shocking for a side in rich vein of form, having won their last 7. Bayern got little more than they deserved, but the 2nd leg at Old Trafford will still be a challenge. At the very least, Bayern have an equal chance now though, since United have no option but to look to score and settle the match early. But this Bayern side was without Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger, and both Ribery and Mario Gomes were carrying injuries. The return leg will feature a much stronger side that will be a whole lot more effective and innovative in attack! United have only themselves to blame for backing themselves into a hole, though most, including me, still believe they will get out of it! For now though, it's Game ON!