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The quite predictable happened yesterday - Arsenal were humbled by Barcelona. We often hear, and rightly so, about how United were taught a lesson in last year's champion's league final, but the schooling Arsenal received over two legs put 2009 to shame.
There's not a lot left to say about Lionel Messi that hasn't been said, other than for me to assert that rather too much has already been said.
He is a stupendous footballer, of that there is no doubt. He's always looked a serious talent, and over the last 18 months he's translated that into consistently exceptional performances. However, to talk about him in the same breath as Maradona is quite simply premature. I'm not sure there's ever been a player like Maradona, warts and all. Perhaps Duncan Edwards might have become that player, but we'll never know. But Maradona single-handedly dominated all in his path. What he did with Napoli defies belief, and then he went on to win the World Cup in 1986. Not Argentina, but Maradona.
Messi, on the other hand, is a phenomenal player in an superb footballing team. He's not carrying them in quite the way that Maradona carried Napoli, but he's also not as far off as one might think. What he has to do, in order to even knock on the door of that ultimate pantheon of greatness, is to put in those performances for Argentina.
It's unfashionable to say this, but Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently seems a distant second to Messi, has regularly done the business for Portugal, as well as being the architect of his teams' successes at club level. Ronaldo may not be quite the footballer Messi is, though history will be the final arbiter on that score, but he's had a greater and broader impact on his teams than Messi, at this point. Controversial, but true.
A nice little article in the Times by Simon Barnes today - he talks about the difference between flawed thinking and flawed action, in a sporting context, and I think articulates it pretty well. He rightly points out as well how fine a line it is, and how success and failure impact our armchair assessments. All in all a great little read, and something that anyone who has played sport to a significant level can certainly comprehend and relate to.
Another great illustration of why there's no hope for cricket in this country. Football/soccer is massive at the youth level - the most widely played sport, in fact. The arrival of Becks and Posh has been hitting the headlines for weeks, and yet here's what got churned out in one match report on Beckham's debut for the LA Galaxy this weekend.
Despite a moment that claimed the collective breath of the sold-out stadium—when Beckham was side-tackled and remained down a hair too long for the crowd's liking—his debut was smooth, if entirely uneventful.
L.A. lost the "friendly" to Chelsea 1-0, with the match's sole point scored by John Terry, the man who succeeded Beckham as captain of the England team.
If that's the best that can be done for a game that is allegedly known and understood, with "side-tackled" and "sole point" being the writer's attempt to display a technical comprehension of the game, then what chance does cricket have?
Mourinho, are you listening?
Better keep our trophy glistening
We'll be back in May
To take it away
Walking in a Fergie wonderland
I think I finally dare to believe. I screamed out loud, and scared the living daylights out of my wife, when John O'Shea, former Liverpool fan, stole the three points at Anfield on Saturday. A tremendous ball in from Ronaldo, as usual, and the doom and gloom associated with Scholesy's sending off was a distant memory.
I won't say it too often, but I think we just might be able to pull it off. There is something about winning without dominating, and winning at the last gasp, that fills you with confidence. Twisted, but true. I would like to join the queue to thank Arsene Wenger - I'm quite sure his "United stop playing after 70 minutes" comments have served to inspire the lads.
What a delight as well, to see how much it really meant to the boys. Ronaldo led the way, pumped up and throwing his shirt into the crowd, and several others followed suit. Don't anyone dare doubt that boy's commitment to United again. He may or may not leave, but if there's one person who has played his heart out at every single time of asking, he is it. 16 goals, and 11 "assists", and countless moments of torment for the opposition tell only half the story.
Here's to Lille on Wednesday, and Boro in the cup on Saturday!
The quite predictable happened yesterday - Arsenal were humbled by Barcelona. We often hear, and rightly so, about how United were taught a lesson in last year's champion's league final, but the schooling Arsenal received over two legs put 2009 to shame.
