Since football is such a complete and exhilarating experience, it often tends to be compared to life with its ups and downs. Victory and reputation are the most sought after trophies of both the common footballer and the usual lad on the street. And, exactly as true life, football seldom gives you the opportunity of actually grasping these things: triumph and accomplishments are rare - usually it’s nothing more but sweat and tears, a broken wing, a shattered dream…
From amongst the thicket of a million teams and a zillion players, each and every one sharing the same desire to achieve, fate allows only one to get to top the leaderboard, to become champion, or to snatch the hankered prize; one at a time, that is. The spoils go to only one team, to one player, destined to be remembered, while other thongs of unfulfilled destinies are thrown into the pool of oblivion. Professional football, at its large scale, is nothing more than a path of unaccomplished expectations, a perpetual grinding of lenses, all in the slight hope that one day, maybe, one day…
Arsenal holds Man Utd at a draw at Highbury, confirming their mediocre form lately (alas…), and are left to trail 24 points clear of leaders Chelsea. Wenger says, though, that they have it in them to beat Real Madrid in the second phase of the Champions League. Seriously, what would you expect him to say, really ?..
Chelsea - Barcelona
Real Madrid - Arsenal
Bremen - Juventus
Bayern - Milan
PSV - Lyon
Ajax - Inter
Glasgow Rangers - Villarreal
Benficas - Liverpool
A roundup of pretty good contenders, that.
Eurosport’s Champions League super eleven consists of great players that we are accustomed to, plus a few odd selections:
Waterreus (GK), Sagnol, Carragher, Pena, Del Horno (D), Deisler, Beto, Essien, Kobiashvilli (M), Shevcenko, Adriano (FW)
As usual, I am certain that the CL shall offer football lovers a host of delightful moments, plus a worthy winner. Unfortunately, the ones who leave the competition prematurely, drop out of the sphere of interest also. I am particularly nervous about Arsenal, I must say… The Premierlship is shaping into a quite enthralling show-down, also - especially for second to fourth place.
Will Arsenal make it through ? Will Chelsea have it in them to kneel Barcelona once again ? Is Liverpool going to atain what Man Uts failed ?.. Who is favourite to win the Cl and to make it to the top four of the Premiership ?
And, with the Weltmeisterschaft in Germany closing in, who are the top seeds ?.. Can Brasil prove to be the best once again ? What about the ones who have always waited for God to lend them a hand , like Spain, or Holland, Portugal, and more recently, England ?
Ah… sinuous are the paths of football… and covered they are in tears…