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Manchester United and Arsenal send a message to the rest of Europe.

Graham Fisher in Editorial, UEFA Champions League 1 Oct 2008

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What an interesting night of Champions League football we had last night. Manchester United went to Aalborg promising to put out all of their big guns to ensure victory. Arsenal entertained Porto, promising to make changes from the side that lost embarrassingly to Hull on Saturday.

Celtic travelled to Spain to take on Villarreal hoping to end their abysmal away record in Europe. Real Madrid went to Russia to play many people’s dark horses for the tournament, Zenit St Petersburg and Bayern Munich were trying to forget Saturday’s defeat and their poor league form by beating their visitors from Lyon.

So, how did it all turn out?

Well, Manchester United put out most of their big players although they did include Nani, O’Shea and Da Silva. The team selected by Sir Alex was more than able to complete the task in hand though, as they easily disposed of the Danish minnows 3-0. The opening goal from Wayne Rooney, that’s two in two for him after not scoring before Saturday, was followed by two from Dimitar Berbatov. Everyone will be relieved that he has got off the mark.

Unfortunately for United the game may have caused them a major problem as they lost both Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney to injury. Scholes left the ground on crutches and Rooney looked to be in genuine discomfort.

Surprise

At Arsenal, Arsene Wenger surprised everyone by only making one change to his starting line-up. He brought in Samir Nasri for Emmanuel Eboue, which would have been a popular move with most Arsenal fans who seem to be at a loss as to why their manager selects Eboue game after game.

The players he kept faith with repaid him handsomely as they took Porto apart, winning 4-0. Two goals each from strikers Van Persie and Adebayor showed that they do actually know where the goal is. There was some doubt after Saturday!

Porto were unlucky early on when they hit the woodwork and had another effort cleared off the line, but once Arsenal got into their stride there was only one team in the game.

One point out of forty-eight

Celtic are destined never to win away in Europe. Their 1-0 defeat at Villarreal means that their European away record shows them collecting one point out of a possible forty-eight. It doesn’t get a whole lot worse than that.

They had chances to get something from this game with Samaras in particular guilty of spurning a chance, but Villarreal always looked likely to get a goal. It took until the sixty-seventh minute when Senna scored from a free-kick, but it was enough and the home side were worthy winners.

Own goal

Real Madrid had a tough looking trip to Zenit St Petersburg but any worries they may have had were quickly eased by Hubocan scoring in his own goal on six minutes to put the Spanish champions ahead.

Zenit hit back to equalise but the excellent Van Nistlerooy restored Madrid’s lead soon after. They then saw out the second half to get a well deserved three points and move to the top of the table with six points from their two games.

It has been a tough season for Jurgen Klinsmann and his Bayern Munich side so far. Their 1-0 victory at Steaua Bucharest in the first round of matches had provided some light relief from the disappointing league form and a victory at home to Lyon would have eased the tension.

Unbearable pressure

Juninho put the visitors ahead in the first half and following two successive Bundesliga defeats the pressure on Klinsmann at half time must have been close to unbearable.

Ze Roberto rescued a point for Bayern in the second half and may have kept the knives from out of his boss’s back for another week.

In the other games, Juventus recovered from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 draw at BATE Borisov and the Fenerbahce against Dynamo Kiev and Fiorentina against Steaua Bucharest games both ended goalless.

What does this tell us about this season’s Champions League? In truth, not much more than we knew already. Arsenal and Manchester United will be definitely be there or thereabouts, Real Madrid might be, Juventus are unlikely to be and in all probability, none of the other teams who played last night will be.

Tonights games see Panathinaikos travel to Famagusta, Marseille go to Atletico Madrid, Bordeaux entertain Roma, Chelsea visit Cluj, Inter host Werder Bremen, Liverpool play PSV, Barcelona travel to Shakhtar Donetsk and Sporting entertain Basle.

The teams most likely

The games are not easy to predict on an individual basis, but does anyone want to bet against Chelsea, Inter, Liverpool and Barcelona joining Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid from last nights games, as the teams most likely?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Graham Fisher


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  • nadar

    0 0

    First i am heerfully to write you this information. Realy i live in a distroy country and the situation of my life is very hard. I can’t get in my country good sport and health. As the hard circumstances in somalia increase the situation of my life is worse I need help. I hope you to consider my application.

  • haitham mohmed morsy

    0 0

    I call Haitham Ahmed Mohamed Morsi
    From Alexandria in Egypt
    I want to play for one of the prestigious clubs such as Arsenal or Man United’s where I am a central defender in the right pitch and I was born in 1993 and there was no money with me to go and test myself with a small club, I want to Terslo to a letter to go to the club and play and thank you very much
    Phone: 0186493307

  • shumbin

    0 0

    to -Jack Staniforth on October 1st, 2008 8:37
    arsenal have won once this year against ur “great Real M”-they did it with jack wilshere 16-just to remember u,arsenal has won in “barnabeo”-the only one english team that have beaten them at their home.OK they had henry,pires,ljumberg,reyes,cambell-but who is the one that has spoke badly for the team after losing henry,for pires we have nasry ,tomas rosicky,and diaby.as for ljumberg or reyes,we got thio walcott,rosiscky,nasry can play leftside too,and why not wilshere.as for cambell,i sey it,just watch what he is doing for portsmuth so u can understund why gallas is better than him,even silvestre can be better.
    WE CAN DO IT IN CHAMPIONS LEAG,BUT I AM EXPECTING TO WIN BOTH CL AND PREMIER LEAGUE,as for me if i have to choose one of them,i maybe will take premier league,just becouse of chelsea,spurs and all the others,just to tell them who we are,and they cant follow us.go arsenal go

  • Patrick

    0 0

    Arsenal can go far in the CL if they keep their focus and play with that kind of intensity for every game. In fact, if they play like that all the time they will win the Premiership.

  • Jack Staniforth

    0 0

    What is the message Arsenal is sending to Euorpe, please tell……

    Is it we have to have our arese`s kicked by Fulham, Hull, Scuthorpe, Stalybrige Celtic, Tranmere Rovers one week in order to beat Real Madrid the next. Is that the message.?

    They`ll become known as a `toilet seat` or `a brides nightie`……They don`t convince me and I`ve been a suppoerter for sixty years.

  • Jack Staniforth

    0 0

    What is the message Arsenal is sending to Euorpe, please tell……

    Is it we have to have our arese`s kicked by Fulham, Hull, Scuthorpe, Stalybrige Celtic, Tranmere Rovers one week in order to beat Real Madrid the next. Is that the message.?

    They`ll become known as a `toilet seat` or `a brides nightie`……They don`t convince me and I`ve been a suppoerter for sixty years.

  • Patrick

    0 0

    Arsenal can go far in the CL if they keep their focus and play with that kind of intensity for every game. In fact, if they play like that all the time they will win the Premiership.

  • shumbin

    0 0

    to -Jack Staniforth on October 1st, 2008 8:37
    arsenal have won once this year against ur “great Real M”-they did it with jack wilshere 16-just to remember u,arsenal has won in “barnabeo”-the only one english team that have beaten them at their home.OK they had henry,pires,ljumberg,reyes,cambell-but who is the one that has spoke badly for the team after losing henry,for pires we have nasry ,tomas rosicky,and diaby.as for ljumberg or reyes,we got thio walcott,rosiscky,nasry can play leftside too,and why not wilshere.as for cambell,i sey it,just watch what he is doing for portsmuth so u can understund why gallas is better than him,even silvestre can be better.
    WE CAN DO IT IN CHAMPIONS LEAG,BUT I AM EXPECTING TO WIN BOTH CL AND PREMIER LEAGUE,as for me if i have to choose one of them,i maybe will take premier league,just becouse of chelsea,spurs and all the others,just to tell them who we are,and they cant follow us.go arsenal go

  • haitham mohmed morsy

    0 0

    I call Haitham Ahmed Mohamed Morsi
    From Alexandria in Egypt
    I want to play for one of the prestigious clubs such as Arsenal or Man United’s where I am a central defender in the right pitch and I was born in 1993 and there was no money with me to go and test myself with a small club, I want to Terslo to a letter to go to the club and play and thank you very much
    Phone: 0186493307

  • nadar

    0 0

    First i am heerfully to write you this information. Realy i live in a distroy country and the situation of my life is very hard. I can’t get in my country good sport and health. As the hard circumstances in somalia increase the situation of my life is worse I need help. I hope you to consider my application.

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