Log In

Reset Password

Champions League, World Cup, I love it!

We are about done for the 2009/10 season and all that remains is today's Champions League final between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich. And then the World Cup is right around the corner. I love it!

But more about the World Cup in later columns.

Everyone is talking about Jose Mourinho winning the treble if Inter come out on top today in Madrid. But Bayern Munich also could win the treble as they won the Bundesliga and handily beat Werder Bremen 4-0 in the German Cup final.

In the Champions League semi-finals Inter beat defending champions Barcelona by playing very defensively in the second leg.

But that was understandable since Inter were 3-1 up from the first leg and also had a man sent off early in the second leg. It was a fantastic defensive performance but I hope today's game is more about attack.

That is what people want to see although teams can be a bit wary in a final ¿ you don't want to be the first one to make a bad mistake.

Both teams are very well coached. Enough has been said about Mourinho but I have so much respect for Louis van Gaal. He is a magnificent manager. He won the Champions League with Ajax in 1995 among his many, many other honours. In fact when he was in charge at Barcelona his assistant was Mourinho.

Bayern are going to be missing a key player ¿ Franck Ribery ¿ who was sent off in the semi-final for a bad foul. But Inter will be without a player as well ¿ midfielder Thiago Motta.

Inter are desperate for the Champions League title. They have won so many Italian titles but the fans and players are looking for the European silverware.

Bayern will be looking at Robben to have a good game as well as Schweinsteiger.

Mourinho brought Eto'o from Barcelona this season and the Cameroon striker has been on form. But he also plays a little different for Inter than he did for Barca in that he tracks back a lot more for the Italian champions. Mourinho likes his players to get behind the ball when defending and then go all out in attack.

Like everyone, I am hoping for an entertaining match and I think we will get it.

Chelsea won the Double last weekend and they thoroughly deserved it.

They have been the best team in England this past season and it looked like the only thing that would stop them at Wembley was going to be the woodwork! They hit the bar and post about five times in the first half. You could see Drogba banging his fist on the post after yet another close call.

Sometimes when things like that happen you think that perhaps it was not going to be their day ¿ especially when Portsmouth got a penalty ¿ things could have really become dicey then.

But what a poor penalty kick by Boateng. It was awful. Mind you Frank Lampard's missed penalty was also pretty bad. I don't think I have ever seen Frank hit a ball that wide before from the spot.

Boateng was also at the centre of another controversy when he made a bad tackle on German captain Michael Ballack. However Ballack had just before that also made a bad challenge on the Portsmouth player.

Ballack has been known to do that before and I imagine that Boateng thought that he wanted a little payback. Now Ballack is out of the World Cup and I don't think there is any chance of him playing in another one because he is getting on in years.

Drogba's excellent free kick settled matters and now Portsmouth are going down to the Championship and I would guess that many of their players will be leaving.

Yesterday their manager Avram Grant announced that he was stepping down and some believe that he will end up at my club West Ham who let go Zola.

I like Grant and I think he has done a decent job but personally I want to see someone at West Ham who will become more involved with training the players ¿ and training the players in the right way. Where are you Johan Cruyff?!