Wayne Rooney, Game-Changer?

We all know that England hasn't exactly had the best track record in major international tournaments, last winning the World Cup in 1966 over West Germany, and never winning a European Championship. However, Wayne Rooney thinks that his goal against the Ukraine on Tuesday will propel his team to Euro glory for the first time ever. In this morning's Telegraph article he event went so far as to proclaim that "no team will want to face England". Now while I certainly appreciate a good amount of confidence and boldness from professional athletes, I'm not quite sure that Germany or Spain are exactly quaking in their boots about the prospects of facing England in this tournament. I will give the English a slight edge over Italy this Sunday in the Quarters, but I just don't see them advancing past the Semis. Assuming that Germany takes care of business on Friday against Greece, then England and Germany will face each other next week in one of the Semis. The Germans right now don't look like they can be stopped by anyone, not even by Roy Hodgson's stingy defenders. I would look for both Portugal and Spain to advance and face one another in the other Semi, setting up an Iberian Coast showdown! Yes, I will definitely agree that Wayne Rooney is a game-changer. In fact, if the English didn't have him fit for yesterday's game, then they may have very well lost to that powerful Ukrainian side and we wouldn't even be having this conversation. But he certainly should not be mentioned in the same breath as Pele or Diego Maradona, or Cristiano Ronaldo or Leo Messi--he just hasn't earned that right yet, and I'm not sure that he ever will. But Rooney surely is a force to be reckoned with, having an incredible work ethic and will to win that most athletes don't possess. While Wayne Rooney should be considered one of the top 10 players in the world, he should not be considered in the top 5, as that class should be reserved for those players with more consistently high numbers each season, such as Messi, Ronaldo and Xavi (all of whom have been Ballon d'Or finalists, or winners, the past few seasons).

In case you haven't seen the goal yet versus the Ukraine, here it is--nice delivery into the box from Stevie G. and Mr. Rooney was "johnny on-the-spot" to head it home!

Against all odds: the 2011/2012 Chelsea FC story

So what happens when you have a club with a brand new manager, no real team identity, no particular style of play, unproven youngsters and rapidly aging veterans? Well if you had thought 3 or 4 months ago that this same club would be hoisting the coveted Champions League trophy on May 19, 2012 in Munich, Germany after defeating Bayern Munich on their home ground, well then you were surely in the minority. But that is precisely what happened--due to stingy defending, an incredible team resilience, a bit of luck and an incredible one-man wrecking ball named Didier Drogba.

The road to Munich was a very bumpy one for the Blues. Their manager, the young AVB, was sacked near the end of the Premiership season and in the midst of Champions League play, as well as the FA Cup tournament. That move payed off in huge dividends for the club from Stamford Bridge, as the care-taker manager Roberto Di Matteo was able to coalesce his individual talents into a unified group for the first time all season. His style was in sharp contrast to Villas-Boas', as he re-engaged his veterans like Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, by giving them more playing time. He realized right away that he had to mix the young with the old in order to get the most out of his club. He also stuck with Fernando Torres and continued to encourage him, then his form finally began to return (as evidenced by his massive late goal at the Camp Nou).

Chelsea manages to barely advance through the Group Stage into the Knockout Stage. Their toughest challenge (prior to Munich) by far came during the Semi-Final, when they drew the defending champions and arguably one of the best clubs in the history of the game, FC Barcelona. The 1st leg was absolutely controlled by Barca, with 80% ball possession and a huge shot advantage of 24 Barca shots to just 4 for Chelsea--but none of that seemed to matter, as the #11 Drogba only needed one look to slide the ball past Victor Valdes into the back of the net for a 1 nil Chelsea win heading back to the Camp Nou for the 2nd leg. Now even with Chelsea up 1 nil on goal aggregate, most keen observers still thought that Barca would prevail at home and score the 2 goals needed to advance to the Final--but no so fast, as Ramires had something to say about that, scoring a majestic chip-shot goal just before the stroke of half-time. This was after trailing 2-0 to the blaugrana, and it evened things up on aggregate. Then Fernando Torres returned to the world stage in style with this goal that sent Chelsea on to Munich.

To advance to the Final by defeating Barcelona in their home stadium, while playing with only 10 men (John Terry received an early Red Card for dirty tactics), is quite an amazing feat. But to defeat Bayern at the Allianz Arena in front of a very pro-Bayern crowd was just incredible. In both of these matches, there was some luck on the side of the Blues, as Leo Messi struck the post on a penalty shot in the 2nd leg of the Semis, and Arjen Robben also struck the post on a penalty shot in the Final. Didier Drogba, one of the deadliest strikers in the history of the game, again made his few chances pay off, as he led Chelsea back with a brilliant header after a late Bayern goal to equalize just before the 90th minute. Then after extra time the two sides went to PKs--they traded goals, some nice saves and a few really poor shots (I'm referring to Schweinsteiger in particular), and then up steps who else but Didier Drogba with a chance to win it all (in what will be his final time in a Chelsea jersey)...

This has to be one of the most unlikely stories in Champions League history, don't you think?

Blue Moon Rising: City's 1st league crown since '68

The "noisy neighbors" have done it, and in a most dramatic fashion. Manchester City came into the day even on points with their cross-town rivals Manchester United, but with a massive differential on goal advantage (Man City +8)--however, they were tied and then trailing a majority of their match, while United took an early lead on a Wayne Rooney goal and never looked back. With City fans biting their nails and looking as if they were about to rip their hair out, saying "oh no, here we go again", trailing 2-1 to the nearly relegated QPR heading into stoppage time--que Edin Dzeko in the 91st minute...and then Sergio Aguero in the 94th (and final minute of stoppage, aka their last gasp) with the match winner, and you have a near miracle!

Watch the full match highlights on the video above.

The City fans have waited a very long time for this, and have watched the Red Devils celebrate title after title right in front them, certainly not easy for any fan to watch. They were well stocked this season with the best talent in the world of soccer that money could buy, and it showed, with their two key purchases during the past year (Dzeko & Aguero) paying huge dividends when needed the most! Their manager, Roberto Mancini, deserves major credit for this league title, as he was the glue holding this squad together, effectively dealing with the Carlos Tevez situation and the often volatile Mario Balotelli.

For the reaction from the English media, check out the BBC's take on City's crown.

What are your thoughts on Man City's future--is this the beginning of a dynasty for them, or a "one and done" title reign?

Europa League final today: Predictions?

Well it isn't quite the Champions League final (coming up on May 19th), but today's final will be an interesting watch between two Spanish rivals, pitting the gentlemen of the Basque region against the Capital city's "other" major club. Both of these sides have defied the odds this season (for example, most did not expect Bilbao to defeat the "mighty" Manchester United). It will feature two lethal strikers (both earning their #9s), in Llorente and Falcao. The Colombian striker, Falcao, has truly had a breakout year, quickly distinguishing himself as one of the most predatory finishers in the world. I'm sure that the Summer will be a very busy time for Senor Falcao, with offers galore expected, and a Europa league title certainly wouldn't hurt his bargaining power. Fernando Llorente (aka El Rey Leon) is trying to cement his spot on the Spanish national side for the upcoming Euros this Summer. I'd also keep an eye on Adrian Lopez, the #7, as a potential difference maker for Atletico. As many of you die-hard fans out there, I'm getting excited for this one, and will blog a post-match recap later on tonight complete with a breakdown of video highlights and stats. The match will be aired on Direct TV in the U.S. Here is the TV schedule for the rest of el mundo.

Another good article on the experience factor in this Final.

UPDATED with the result and highlights: 

Bilbao had the majority of possession, 60% to 40% for Atletico, but the quality chances went to the Madridistas and their 19 year old keeper, Courtois, was brilliant! Here is a solid breakdown of the match stats: Europa League Final stats

In case you missed it earlier, welcome to the "Falcao Show"...

...y otra vez!

The proverbial icing on the cake, courtesy of Diego. Atletico Madrid wins the Europa League crown in convincing fashion, 3-0. In the process, Falcao loudly reminds the soccer world that he is the next big thing!