With the Champions League semi-finalists in place, there is the prospect of three outstanding match ups with Real Madrid facing Bayern Munich and Barcelona and Chelsea going head to head once again with the winners set to do battle in Munich on the 19th of May. Here is a preview to this seasons semi finals.
Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid
1st leg: Allianz Arena 17.04
2nd leg: Bernabeu 25.04
With 13 European cups between them, this really is a clash of the European titans and there are numerous sub plots to this tie with Arjen Robben and Jupp Heynckes returning to Madrid and Franck Ribery facing the team he came so close to joining. The bookies make Real slight favorites which is justified by both their excellent form this season but also by the fact that the second leg takes place in Madrid. However a quick look at the teams Real have faced so far this season tells you that Bayern are by far and away the toughest team Madrid have faced this season in Europe. Games against Apoel Nicosia, CSKA Moscow have been negotiated with minimum difficulty.
The match promises to be an entertaining affair with both teams basing their games around their talented attacking players and as a result both sides have been free scoring throughout this campaign. Formation wise both sides would be expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 shape although it would not be a massive surprise if one or both coaches sacrificed a forward to provide an extra man in midfield. An interesting facet of this match up is the number of similarities between both teams. Both often play with two "inverted" wingers, for Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria see Robben and Ribery, both like to pair one "destroyer" with one "passer" in midfield i.e. Xabi Alonso/ Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger/Luis Gustavo and both have one full back who is significantly weaker than the other (Alaba and Arbeloa being far more vulnerable than Philip Lahm and Marcelo).
One aspect that makes this match up such a fascinating prospect is that whilst both teams usually enjoy the lion share of possession in games, both are such strong counter attacking outfits that even if their opponents do dominate possession they will still feel confident about creating scoring opportunities. There are few teams who can match Ronaldo and Co for pace on the counter but in Robben and Ribbery or "Robbery" as many dub them, Real may well have met their match.
Much depends on Bastian Schweinsteiger, only recently returned to the team after a long lay off with an ankle problem, gaining sufficient match time as Bayern are a far poorer side without him. The area of most concern for Bayern is their centre backs, Holger Badstuber and Jerome Boateng; both are very comfortable on the ball and positionally sound but they are coming up against the most free scoring team in Europe with Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema having already plundered over 100 goals between them this season. The feeling persists that the young centre halves will not have enough to keep Madrid from scoring in the 1st leg thus making the already difficult task potentially insurmountable.
One area that Bayern will look to target is Arbeloa who has struggled this season and is certainly not at the same level either physically or technically to the rest of his team mates. With Arjen Robben in full flight at the moment you feel that if they can isolate Arbeloa it could be a fruitful route to goal.
Despite what many say, Bayern do not have to win the tie in the first leg, they are more than capable of scoring in Madrid and as has already been stated they have the players to counter a Real side who will be expected to force the issue at home more than they will in Bavaria. Having said all this, throughout this season there has been a sense that Europe was heading inexorably towards a Champions League final El Clasico and it is my belief that Bayern will join Milan, Chelsea and the rest who succumbed to this crushing inevitability.
Key Men
Bayern Munich, Mario Gomez:
When you find yourself sandwiched between Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the scoring charts you know your doing something right and Gomez has been unstoppable this season. Whilst not as exciting or gifted as his fellow top scorers, Gomez is one of the top centre forwards in the world and with Madrid expected to enjoy the majority of possession and chances over the two legs Bayern will need Gomez to convert what few chances come his way and they could have no one better on which to rely.
Real Madrid, Mesut Ozil:
In a team of megastars, Ozil is simply a star, leading the way in La Liga this season with 14 assists, the German is a wonderfully gifted player and can produce a moment of magic at anytime to turn a game. He Rarely finishes games, and if Mourinho does chose to reinforce his midfield could well be the man to miss out but this does not alter the fact that without him Madrid miss his craft and ability to pick holes in opposing defences. It seems to be no coincidence that Madrid's best performance against Barcelona in years came when Ozil had his most impressive game against the Catalan's in the 2-2 draw in the Copa Del Rey.
Probable Line Ups:
Bayern: Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Badstuber, Alaba, Schweinsteiger, Luis Gustavo, Robben, Kroos, Ribery, Gomez
Real: Casillas, Arbeloa, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Alonso, Khedira, Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo, Benzema
Chelsea vs Barcelona
1st leg: Stamford Bridge 18.04
2nd leg: Camp Nou 24.04
Two of the most consistent Champions League teams of recent years meet yet again. When these clubs last met in 2009 it could certainly be viewed as a watershed moment for both teams. Barcelona, seconds from going out before Andres Iniesta's stunning goal would go on to lift the Champions League and have barely looked back since, winning trophy after trophy.
On the other hand Chelsea, despite a league and cup double the following season have regressed and our currently going through a transitional phase with a number of players who are not of the same standard as those who played in 2009. Players such as Michael Ballack, Alex and Nicholas Anelka have departed whilst individuals such as Michael Essien, Florent Malouda, Didier Drogba and many others are no longer able to reach the levels of previous years.
Chelsea were able to restrict and contain Barcelona in those semi finals by parking the bus in the first leg at the Camp Nou (and by Barca having a blatant penalty turned down not that anyone remembers it) and then by playing an incredibly fast paced and physically direct game in the return leg. However one wonders whether those two options are still available to them. They are nowhere as defensively solid and well drilled to be confident in "parking the bus" and they do not possess the midfielders and forwards to implement the physical harrying and pressing that Gus Hiddink implemented in the second leg. Whilst Didier Drogba is still able to roll back the clock from time to time and be the physical presence he was, he cannot be relied on in the same way as he used to be.
In contrast Barcelona have continued to improve since they progressed to the final in Rome and under Pep Guardiola you can count on one hand the number of crucial games that they have failed to win. Whilst some of his star players have appeared a little jaded at times this season, particularly away from home, after five years of constant football, they have still been able to lift themselves for their biggest challenges.
From a tactical aspect, it is hard to predict exactly how Barcelona will line up. Guardiola has rotated his team regularly around his core players. It seems likely that Chelsea will want to narrow the game as much as possible by playing the 4-5-1 that Roberto Di Matteo has favored with Ramires shifted out to the wings. In contrast Barcelona have always looked at their most dangerous when provided with true width. Whilst Dani Alves can be relied on to provide an outlet on the right, Barca have looked slightly unbalanced lately so expect to see either Pedro, who has struggled for form and fitness this year, or the exciting La Masia prospects of Isaac Cuenca or Christian Tello.
In regards to how best to deal with Messi, there are traditionally two clear methods to adopt; either one of the centre backs will follow Messi when he drops off the defenders or alternatively allow the Argentine to drop off and expect one of the central midfielders to close him. An interesting aspect is that whichever approach Chelsea adopt it may not be the worst approach to leave John Terry out even if he is fit. Otherwise Terry's lack of pace will be exposed either by following Messi deep or by being isolated whilst David Luiz follows Messi into midfield.
Key Men
Barcelona, Sergio Busquets
In an attempt to be slightly original and avoid highlighting Messi, Xavi etc I have plumped for Sergio Busquets. Despite winning two European cups and a world cup Busquets is still shockinglyunderrated in some quarters, perhapsdue to his sometimes questionable pain threshold, but he is an essential part of the European champions. Able to drop into the back line when gaps appear and distribute the ball with a metronomic precision to his more gifted colleagues, Busquets is the fulcrum of Barca's midfield. Additionally Chelsea will certainly fancy themselves to test Barcelona at set pieces and Busquets height and strength will be vital.
Chelsea, Juan Mata
Coming to the end of his first season, Mata must go down as an unqualified success and Chelsea will need him to be at his best to hurt the Spanish champions. Mata will line up on the wings but will look to drift inside. With Barca far more threatening down the right with Dani Alves it would not be surprising if Di Matteo asked Ramires to play on the left as he did against Napoli in an attempt to neutralise Alves. Mata has played a lot of football this season and with Chelsea facing a hugely challenging fixture list, Mata will need to be rested at some point to allow him the best chance of performing against Barcelona in which Chelsea will be starved of possession for long periods.
Probable Line Ups:
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole, Mata, Lampard, Meireles, Essien, Ramires, Torres
Barcelona: Valdes, Alves, Mascherano, Pique, Puyol, Busquets, Xavi, Keita, Iniesta, Sanchez, Messi
Comments? Views? Please add them below.
Please follow Game Ramble Weekly on Twitter @gamerambleweekly
No comments:
Post a Comment