It seems certain after this week that the Champions League final will be contested by Barcelona and Manchester United.
Barca are a formidable team, and it seems at times that other sides are terrified of even trying to play football against them.
But Arsenal's 2-1 win at the Emirates against them earlier in the competition will surely give Alex Ferguson hope.
The Gunners did need a bit of luck, but they managed to get at Barca's defence and, eventually, score two fine goals, enough to win out on the night.
Their gameplan, or the game they were forced to play, consisted of sitting off Barca until they entered the Arsenal half, then pressurising them, and when they won the ball back, breaking quickly behind Barca's attacking full backs.
It worked for Arsenal, for ninety minutes at least, and United are better equipped to do it than Arsenal are. Arsenal are a possession team who were forced to play mostly on the break because Barca would batter them at their own game. United are more used to playing on the break, more adept at soaking up pressure and then striking. They are quicker, they play with natural wingers. All of their players, including those up front, seem to enjoy working hard when the other team has the ball. They are better at breaking up opposition play than Arsenal, and under pressure, their defence is much less likely to crack.
Arsenal's victory was quickly forgotten after their timid, shotless showing at the Nou Camp in the second leg, but Alex Ferguson only needs to beat Barca on one night, over ninety (or 120) minutes. You wouldn't have believed it watching lastnight's farce, but it is possible to play football against Barcelona and come out on top.
Because Arsenal are a poor man's Barcelona, Ferguson may see Sunday's game at the Emirates as a chance to again test out the game plan he will use in the Champions League final, one he has honed over numerous recent victories against the misfiring Gunners.
Showing posts with label Guardiola. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guardiola. Show all posts
Thursday, April 28, 2011
An Ugly Game Ends With A Beautiful Goal
Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona
There was not much on show at the Bernebeau to contradict my claim from lastnight, that European football is in decline.
Barcelona are, undoubtedly, Europe's best team. They are so good at their style of football that most teams just try to contain them, and kick them, and hope for a goal on the break. This is part of football. When one team is inferior in terms of ability, they are forced to adapt to give themselves a chance of winning the game. Real Madrid may be the second best team in Europe, but they are some way short of Barca in quality and style, and they were not going to play open, expansive football, and risk getting tonked 5-0 again.
Barcelona are aware of this, but it seems to breed a pomposity that leaves a bitter taste. They seem to believe that their footballing superiority equates to a moral superiority. Paradoxically, they go to great lengths to gain further advantage in the course of a game by illegitimate means.
Approaching half time, it had been a poor game; bitty, but not particularly dirty. Things got out of hand when Pedro ran into a Real player and crashed and rolled and cried, claiming, as did his team mates, that he had been elbowed.
The atmosphere in the stadium and on the pitch grew poisonous, and at half time there was a ruckus that saw Barca's sub keeper Pinto dismissed.
Admittedly, Real played in a robust fashion, and a red card was always a distinct possibility. What is disappointing is the sense that Barcelona play to try to get opposition players dismissed, rather than relying on their footballing superiority. Pepe's tackle on the odious Dani Alves was high and reckless, no doubt, and may have warranted a red card, but it was hard to shake the notion that the badgering behaviour of the Barca players throughout the game influenced the referee's decision.
As against Arsenal at the Nou Camp in the second round, Barca were given a numerical advantage early in the 2nd half, and their play improved as a result. Here, there was not the avalanch of chances that Almunia faced in the earlier game, as Real retained their earlier shape and discipline. But Barca, and Messi in particular, simply found more space. It probably did not help Real that Mourinho was banished from the touch line for throwing some sarcastic barbs in the aftermath of Pepe's dismissal.
The first goal was vital. Real had played poorly in possession before the red card but their initial plan may well have involved scoring late, as they have done in the two recent games against Barca. Even reduced to ten men, they would not have regarded a goalless draw as a disaster. But Barca's away goal sucked the life out of the home side.
Messi drove to the edge of the box, and not for the first time, had an effort blocked. Xavi moved the ball wide to Afellay, on as a sub. As the Dutchman faced up to Marcelo, the full back stumbled slightly, and this gave Afellay the time to make a yard of space and cross into the goalmouth where Messi, sprinting across Ramos, deftly knocked the ball through the legs of Casillas with a first-time volleyed finish.
It was a great cross, a great run and a great finish, but better was to come, and all neutrals will at least have one fond, lasting image of beauty from what was a nasty game. With the clock ticking down, Messi ran from close to half way with the ball seemingly glued to his feet, jinked past a couple of challenges and sped through to knock the ball right footed into the far corner.
That goal killed the tie and means that we will, barring minor miracles, see United and Barca in a repeat of 2009's final.
This game will remain a talking point, however. Certainly, Barcelona are the team that neutrals would prefer to see progress, but their behaviour has sullied the image they project of representing all that is good in the game.
Real Madrid did not come to play, but this was not a surprise to anyone. But there was a sense that Barca recognised the difficulty they would have in playing through those massed ranks of white shirts, and made it a priority to get a Real player sent off.
The red card may have been deserved. Pepe's tackle was high, potentially dangerous, but contact was minimal and there's no doubt that Dani Alves was feigning injury. We have seen Pedro and Sergio Busquets do the same. There may have been some niggly fouls elsewhere in the game, but the bad atmosphere was created more by play-acting than by any genuinely dangerous tackles.
It may be the case that Barcelona see it as fair that if other sides will attempt to stifle them through strategic fouling and negative, spoiling tactics, they will play dirty too by rolling around, pretending injury, and crowding the referee. But if that's the case they really need to drop the air of moral superiority. After all, a lot of people don't see one way of playing as inherently superior or more right than all others. Some might say that while Barca are perhaps the best passing side that football has ever seen, they lack the swagger of some of history's other great teams, and can even seem robotic by comparison.
What should not be lost amid all this is that they are certainly preferable finalists to Real Madrid, evebn if Mourinho's team feel they did not get a fair crack of the whip. It is rich of Mourinho to get so self-righteous in condemning Barca's apparent use of the 'dark arts'. From Porto to Madrid, via Chelsea and Inter Milan, his teams have showed a constant willingness to bend the rules of the game in their own favour.
A cynic might suggest that this is all that unites the very best teams. What worries me is that there are not very many good teams around anymore, and that this Champions League has failed to produce many games that will be remembered for the right reasons.
There was not much on show at the Bernebeau to contradict my claim from lastnight, that European football is in decline.
Barcelona are, undoubtedly, Europe's best team. They are so good at their style of football that most teams just try to contain them, and kick them, and hope for a goal on the break. This is part of football. When one team is inferior in terms of ability, they are forced to adapt to give themselves a chance of winning the game. Real Madrid may be the second best team in Europe, but they are some way short of Barca in quality and style, and they were not going to play open, expansive football, and risk getting tonked 5-0 again.
Barcelona are aware of this, but it seems to breed a pomposity that leaves a bitter taste. They seem to believe that their footballing superiority equates to a moral superiority. Paradoxically, they go to great lengths to gain further advantage in the course of a game by illegitimate means.
Approaching half time, it had been a poor game; bitty, but not particularly dirty. Things got out of hand when Pedro ran into a Real player and crashed and rolled and cried, claiming, as did his team mates, that he had been elbowed.
The atmosphere in the stadium and on the pitch grew poisonous, and at half time there was a ruckus that saw Barca's sub keeper Pinto dismissed.
Admittedly, Real played in a robust fashion, and a red card was always a distinct possibility. What is disappointing is the sense that Barcelona play to try to get opposition players dismissed, rather than relying on their footballing superiority. Pepe's tackle on the odious Dani Alves was high and reckless, no doubt, and may have warranted a red card, but it was hard to shake the notion that the badgering behaviour of the Barca players throughout the game influenced the referee's decision.
As against Arsenal at the Nou Camp in the second round, Barca were given a numerical advantage early in the 2nd half, and their play improved as a result. Here, there was not the avalanch of chances that Almunia faced in the earlier game, as Real retained their earlier shape and discipline. But Barca, and Messi in particular, simply found more space. It probably did not help Real that Mourinho was banished from the touch line for throwing some sarcastic barbs in the aftermath of Pepe's dismissal.
The first goal was vital. Real had played poorly in possession before the red card but their initial plan may well have involved scoring late, as they have done in the two recent games against Barca. Even reduced to ten men, they would not have regarded a goalless draw as a disaster. But Barca's away goal sucked the life out of the home side.
Messi drove to the edge of the box, and not for the first time, had an effort blocked. Xavi moved the ball wide to Afellay, on as a sub. As the Dutchman faced up to Marcelo, the full back stumbled slightly, and this gave Afellay the time to make a yard of space and cross into the goalmouth where Messi, sprinting across Ramos, deftly knocked the ball through the legs of Casillas with a first-time volleyed finish.
It was a great cross, a great run and a great finish, but better was to come, and all neutrals will at least have one fond, lasting image of beauty from what was a nasty game. With the clock ticking down, Messi ran from close to half way with the ball seemingly glued to his feet, jinked past a couple of challenges and sped through to knock the ball right footed into the far corner.
That goal killed the tie and means that we will, barring minor miracles, see United and Barca in a repeat of 2009's final.
This game will remain a talking point, however. Certainly, Barcelona are the team that neutrals would prefer to see progress, but their behaviour has sullied the image they project of representing all that is good in the game.
Real Madrid did not come to play, but this was not a surprise to anyone. But there was a sense that Barca recognised the difficulty they would have in playing through those massed ranks of white shirts, and made it a priority to get a Real player sent off.
The red card may have been deserved. Pepe's tackle was high, potentially dangerous, but contact was minimal and there's no doubt that Dani Alves was feigning injury. We have seen Pedro and Sergio Busquets do the same. There may have been some niggly fouls elsewhere in the game, but the bad atmosphere was created more by play-acting than by any genuinely dangerous tackles.
It may be the case that Barcelona see it as fair that if other sides will attempt to stifle them through strategic fouling and negative, spoiling tactics, they will play dirty too by rolling around, pretending injury, and crowding the referee. But if that's the case they really need to drop the air of moral superiority. After all, a lot of people don't see one way of playing as inherently superior or more right than all others. Some might say that while Barca are perhaps the best passing side that football has ever seen, they lack the swagger of some of history's other great teams, and can even seem robotic by comparison.
What should not be lost amid all this is that they are certainly preferable finalists to Real Madrid, evebn if Mourinho's team feel they did not get a fair crack of the whip. It is rich of Mourinho to get so self-righteous in condemning Barca's apparent use of the 'dark arts'. From Porto to Madrid, via Chelsea and Inter Milan, his teams have showed a constant willingness to bend the rules of the game in their own favour.
A cynic might suggest that this is all that unites the very best teams. What worries me is that there are not very many good teams around anymore, and that this Champions League has failed to produce many games that will be remembered for the right reasons.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Real v Barca again
After lastnight's debacle, tonight's contest between the two best teams in Europe ought to be refreshing.
Barca's 5-0 win in the league at the Nou Camp is receding into memory, as impressive as it was. While it provided the platform for Barca to romp home in the league, it also provided Mourinho with food for thought, and in the two recent games, he has implemented a far more effective plan for dealing with Barca's burgeoning ability.
In the 1-1 draw at the Bernebeau, Real came back to win a point despite being a man down. In 120 minutes at the Mestalla in the Copa del Rey final, they kept Barca out, and Cristiano Ronaldo's fine header won the cup.
In both games, Barca have been on top for significant periods. And yet they only broke through once, and that a penalty.
They are not playing as freely as they did in that 5-0 win. That was never likely to be the case, because this stage of the season brings a heightened pressure which makes it harder to play expansive football. They will, of course, commot to their unique brand of attacking, but they need to find a cutting edge to slice through that dogged Madrid backline.
The tie against Arsenal showed their weaknesses almost as well as it did Arsenal's. With Barca so superior, in the second leg in particular, how did they come within a cunthair of being knocked out by a late Arsenal goal?
They were wasteful in front of goal over both legs and they simply cannot afford to replicate that against a team that will not give them as many chances.
There is also a popular argument at the moment that Pep Guardiola has mismanaged his squad. He does not have the strength in depth that Mourinho's team boasts, but in what many argue to be a relatively easy domestic league, he has failed to give Messi, or some of his other star players, much of a rest. Some say that this may be contributing to the team's less spectacular performances as the season goes on.
In a way, it's a match between two teams who are good defensively, while not having particularly good defences. Barcelona defend by keeping the ball, but when their teams do manage to get at them (which is pretty rare) they can be opened up on the break. Mourinho's Inter did this brilliantly in the first leg of last year's semi-final.
Recently, Mourinho has found some extra solidity by using the centre back Pepe as a destructive presence in midfield, sacrificing the more refined qualities of Mesut Ozil. Ozil played, and was little more than a spectator, in the 5-0 defeat. That game exposed the inadequacies of some of Real's defenders. Sergio Ramos is unconvincing, and Marcelo is better on the attack than in his own penalty area. Even the usually unflappable Carvalho looked flustered and lost.
But nearly all defenders prefer to defend deep, not leaving spaces in behind for speedy attackers to exploit. After that humiliation, Mourinho will never again attempt to play a high line against Barcelona. With Khedira injured, he'll bring Lassana Diarra in, and Madrid will look to fill the space in front of their own back four, cutting off the supply line of short, incisive passes between Barca's interchanging front five.
Can Barca use the wide areas effectively? Zlatan Ibrahimovic was turfed out because he impacted on Barca's ability to press as a unit in all areas of the pitch, and also because he was so disappointing over those two legs against Inter. Now, in his absence, they again lack a tall, physical presence up front, and are unlikely to score from a high cross into the area. So Real will look to defend narrow, and push Barca into playing the ball wide.
It should be a fascinating tussle between two contrasting philosophies.
Barca's 5-0 win in the league at the Nou Camp is receding into memory, as impressive as it was. While it provided the platform for Barca to romp home in the league, it also provided Mourinho with food for thought, and in the two recent games, he has implemented a far more effective plan for dealing with Barca's burgeoning ability.
In the 1-1 draw at the Bernebeau, Real came back to win a point despite being a man down. In 120 minutes at the Mestalla in the Copa del Rey final, they kept Barca out, and Cristiano Ronaldo's fine header won the cup.
In both games, Barca have been on top for significant periods. And yet they only broke through once, and that a penalty.
They are not playing as freely as they did in that 5-0 win. That was never likely to be the case, because this stage of the season brings a heightened pressure which makes it harder to play expansive football. They will, of course, commot to their unique brand of attacking, but they need to find a cutting edge to slice through that dogged Madrid backline.
The tie against Arsenal showed their weaknesses almost as well as it did Arsenal's. With Barca so superior, in the second leg in particular, how did they come within a cunthair of being knocked out by a late Arsenal goal?
They were wasteful in front of goal over both legs and they simply cannot afford to replicate that against a team that will not give them as many chances.
There is also a popular argument at the moment that Pep Guardiola has mismanaged his squad. He does not have the strength in depth that Mourinho's team boasts, but in what many argue to be a relatively easy domestic league, he has failed to give Messi, or some of his other star players, much of a rest. Some say that this may be contributing to the team's less spectacular performances as the season goes on.
In a way, it's a match between two teams who are good defensively, while not having particularly good defences. Barcelona defend by keeping the ball, but when their teams do manage to get at them (which is pretty rare) they can be opened up on the break. Mourinho's Inter did this brilliantly in the first leg of last year's semi-final.
Recently, Mourinho has found some extra solidity by using the centre back Pepe as a destructive presence in midfield, sacrificing the more refined qualities of Mesut Ozil. Ozil played, and was little more than a spectator, in the 5-0 defeat. That game exposed the inadequacies of some of Real's defenders. Sergio Ramos is unconvincing, and Marcelo is better on the attack than in his own penalty area. Even the usually unflappable Carvalho looked flustered and lost.
But nearly all defenders prefer to defend deep, not leaving spaces in behind for speedy attackers to exploit. After that humiliation, Mourinho will never again attempt to play a high line against Barcelona. With Khedira injured, he'll bring Lassana Diarra in, and Madrid will look to fill the space in front of their own back four, cutting off the supply line of short, incisive passes between Barca's interchanging front five.
Can Barca use the wide areas effectively? Zlatan Ibrahimovic was turfed out because he impacted on Barca's ability to press as a unit in all areas of the pitch, and also because he was so disappointing over those two legs against Inter. Now, in his absence, they again lack a tall, physical presence up front, and are unlikely to score from a high cross into the area. So Real will look to defend narrow, and push Barca into playing the ball wide.
It should be a fascinating tussle between two contrasting philosophies.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Messi > Ronaldo
Some stats
CRISTIANO RONALDO: FIFTY-TWO GOALS in 54 GAMES since signing for Real Madrid.
LEO MESSI: SEVENTY GOALS in 72 GAMES in the same period.
The Primera Liga title race has become a two-team procession and two men are at the forefront.
Debate will forever rage over who is the better man. I think people who understand the true beauty of football will give the little Argentine their vote. Football is a team game after all. Messi is undoubtedly a better team player, as well as matching Ronaldo's superhuman goalscoring feats.
The contrasts are fascinating. Messi is a diminutive magician with a silky touch. Ronaldo a towering athlete, strong in the air and with either foot. An excellent finisher. A poacher-winger who can score from four yards or forty. While Messi may not quite have Ronaldo's pace and power, he is a better footballer. Messi's dribbles are all about skill and close control; Ronaldo just knocks it and runs. I don't enjoy watching Ronaldo play because there's always an unsavoury, self-obsessed edge to the guy. He has little of Messi's vision and none of his humility. But nobody can deny that he is a phenomenal goalscorer.
The one question mark that persists about both is whether they excel in the very biggest games. Ronaldo's self-serving style is unsuitable to the tight, marquee encounters and his temperment is sometimes questionable. Messi can be silenced by tight, physical marking by good defenders. Mourinho hatched a plan for Inter that worked a treat in subduing the little man last year.
So the latest 'Classico' may be another opportunity to appreciate the brilliance of the respective supporting casts. Mesut Ozil is an exceptionally gifted playmaker who plays with an admirable selflessness- a perfect partner for the walking Ego that is Ronaldo.
For Barca, Xavi and Iniesta run games- most memorably, they deflated Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final. Xavi has been, for a couple of years, the best midfielder in the world, controlling the rhythm of the game with consistently precise, probing passing. Iniesta at his best may be the most enjoyable to watch of the lot. He combines Xavi's vision and Messi's dribbling skills.
But what will be decisive when the two teams meet next Monday? Maybe organisation will trump collective talent. Barcelona always give the opposition a chance- they defend high up the pitch and so are always susceptible to an accurate long pass. And Mourinho is always capable of putting a plan together to suffocate attacking football. It might not be as pretty a picture as the all-star cast suggests.
CRISTIANO RONALDO: FIFTY-TWO GOALS in 54 GAMES since signing for Real Madrid.
LEO MESSI: SEVENTY GOALS in 72 GAMES in the same period.
The Primera Liga title race has become a two-team procession and two men are at the forefront.
Debate will forever rage over who is the better man. I think people who understand the true beauty of football will give the little Argentine their vote. Football is a team game after all. Messi is undoubtedly a better team player, as well as matching Ronaldo's superhuman goalscoring feats.
The contrasts are fascinating. Messi is a diminutive magician with a silky touch. Ronaldo a towering athlete, strong in the air and with either foot. An excellent finisher. A poacher-winger who can score from four yards or forty. While Messi may not quite have Ronaldo's pace and power, he is a better footballer. Messi's dribbles are all about skill and close control; Ronaldo just knocks it and runs. I don't enjoy watching Ronaldo play because there's always an unsavoury, self-obsessed edge to the guy. He has little of Messi's vision and none of his humility. But nobody can deny that he is a phenomenal goalscorer.
The one question mark that persists about both is whether they excel in the very biggest games. Ronaldo's self-serving style is unsuitable to the tight, marquee encounters and his temperment is sometimes questionable. Messi can be silenced by tight, physical marking by good defenders. Mourinho hatched a plan for Inter that worked a treat in subduing the little man last year.
So the latest 'Classico' may be another opportunity to appreciate the brilliance of the respective supporting casts. Mesut Ozil is an exceptionally gifted playmaker who plays with an admirable selflessness- a perfect partner for the walking Ego that is Ronaldo.
For Barca, Xavi and Iniesta run games- most memorably, they deflated Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final. Xavi has been, for a couple of years, the best midfielder in the world, controlling the rhythm of the game with consistently precise, probing passing. Iniesta at his best may be the most enjoyable to watch of the lot. He combines Xavi's vision and Messi's dribbling skills.
But what will be decisive when the two teams meet next Monday? Maybe organisation will trump collective talent. Barcelona always give the opposition a chance- they defend high up the pitch and so are always susceptible to an accurate long pass. And Mourinho is always capable of putting a plan together to suffocate attacking football. It might not be as pretty a picture as the all-star cast suggests.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Inter 3-1 Barca... That's How Bad Arsenal Are...
May is approaching, and you know what that means- it's time to ignore Arsenal and focus on the teams still chasing silverware :).
Only I could not stop thinking about Arsenal during tonight's game, thinking about how we have made Barcelona an overrated team because of our ineptitude over two legs in the last round.
Against Inter, we saw that the Spanish and European champions are human after all. People have raved, and rightly so, about the effectiveness of their pressing game, but they themselves don't like being hassled any more than the next team. Inter did what Arsenal failed to, denying Barca space and time, and were the better side throughout until ceding ground late on.
It would be valid, to a point, to say that Arsenal don't have the personnel to do what Inter did. But then again, no footballer is precluded by his natural abilities from being able to work hard off the ball. And you could also question the wisdom of sticking only to a passing philosophy when some of your players- I'm thinking of Diaby and Denilson, for instance- don't pass that well. But that's an argument for another day. Arsenal's naivety against Barca was staggering.
Mourinho, for all his faults, never fails to produce a plan. There were those who maintained his plan would consist only of containment; instead, his side created the better chances all game, and were durable enough to withstand the substantial blow of an early goal conceded.
Motta and Cambiasso ensured that the space in front of Inter's defence was never left undermanned; Messi's threat was almost completely negated; and Lucio and Samuel dealt well with Zlatan while the big man was on the pitch.
Inter- Barca was intriguing because the best clashes in sport usually comprise conflicting styles. Like Ed Norton pummelling Jared Leto in Fight Club, Mourinho enjoys destroying something beautiful. Every Roger Federer needs a Rafa Nadal; last season Chelsea almost proved the immovable object, this time around, Inter may prove too strong for the Spanish artists to push aside.
Xavi and Messi are great, no doubt, but Inter reminded everybody that you don't just have to stand back admiring greatness, inviting your own destruction. That is what Arsenal did in the Quarter Finals, seemingly lacking the humility to devise a gameplan with superior opposition in mind.
Wenger would have you believe that "super Barca" were the only team that could have taken us apart.
Inter would have battered us.
United would have battered us. Again.
Chelsea would have battered us. Yet again.
I hope Arsene Knows this.
Only I could not stop thinking about Arsenal during tonight's game, thinking about how we have made Barcelona an overrated team because of our ineptitude over two legs in the last round.
Against Inter, we saw that the Spanish and European champions are human after all. People have raved, and rightly so, about the effectiveness of their pressing game, but they themselves don't like being hassled any more than the next team. Inter did what Arsenal failed to, denying Barca space and time, and were the better side throughout until ceding ground late on.
It would be valid, to a point, to say that Arsenal don't have the personnel to do what Inter did. But then again, no footballer is precluded by his natural abilities from being able to work hard off the ball. And you could also question the wisdom of sticking only to a passing philosophy when some of your players- I'm thinking of Diaby and Denilson, for instance- don't pass that well. But that's an argument for another day. Arsenal's naivety against Barca was staggering.
Mourinho, for all his faults, never fails to produce a plan. There were those who maintained his plan would consist only of containment; instead, his side created the better chances all game, and were durable enough to withstand the substantial blow of an early goal conceded.
Motta and Cambiasso ensured that the space in front of Inter's defence was never left undermanned; Messi's threat was almost completely negated; and Lucio and Samuel dealt well with Zlatan while the big man was on the pitch.
Inter- Barca was intriguing because the best clashes in sport usually comprise conflicting styles. Like Ed Norton pummelling Jared Leto in Fight Club, Mourinho enjoys destroying something beautiful. Every Roger Federer needs a Rafa Nadal; last season Chelsea almost proved the immovable object, this time around, Inter may prove too strong for the Spanish artists to push aside.
Xavi and Messi are great, no doubt, but Inter reminded everybody that you don't just have to stand back admiring greatness, inviting your own destruction. That is what Arsenal did in the Quarter Finals, seemingly lacking the humility to devise a gameplan with superior opposition in mind.
Wenger would have you believe that "super Barca" were the only team that could have taken us apart.
Inter would have battered us.
United would have battered us. Again.
Chelsea would have battered us. Yet again.
I hope Arsene Knows this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)