At the time of writing, Man U are locked in a battle with Inter in Europe, so close to clinching yet another Premiership crown,a step away from winning the Carling Cup and still alive in the FA Cup.
They might or may not win all or either of the four( although I expect them to easily win the Premiership), but none can deny the fact that they are a true Champion Outfit. People might say,So what is so new about it? They have been a champion Outfit for years now and what is the need to write this at this juncture.
Well the way they have turned this season around, has made me sit up and write this one. Although an Arsenal fan for years now, I cannot but admire the "Champion Material" of Man U. I have never seen any club which plays and plays till the last second to score. All of us would have lost count of the number of times they have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the dying moments of a game.
Who can forget the 1999 Champions League final when the game looked all but lost. Just when Bayern fans were about to uncork the champagne, Man U sent dagger into the hearts of Bayern fans. Bayern fans are not alone. They have got a lot of company.
There is this "X" factor about Manchester United which is absent in most of the clubs. They seem to have this Uncanny ability to win even when they do not play to their potential. They started off shakily and just when everyone thought that it was going to be a two horse race between Chelsea and Liverpool, Man U hit form and now are looking all set to clinch the title.
This season is not a One off, Seasons back they did this to Arsenal, Chelsea had a taste of it very recently.
Once they get into the lead, they are so so very difficult to catch and more often than not they just run away with it.This season is just another testimonial for the aforementioned trait.
I wish and long that Arsenal get some of these traits to go on and end this Manchester United's hegemony and I salute this Man U team for they are One True Champion Team.
Is the question that I keep asking myself now 2 days after it had ended. My love for Football started in 1994 when all i loved and knew about Football was Goals. Ever since both my love and knowledge and love has grown, albeit (Unfortunately) love has gone at a much faster rate than knowledge.
So where does this one rank if i were to compare it with the tournaments i have watched?
1994: A very dull affair, i remember this world cup more for the expolits of Sweeden and Bulgaria, Roberto Baggio's missed penalty, Bebeto's antics after scoring a goal and a dull yet efficient game of Brazil.
1998: Known for all the contraversy surrounding Ronaldo in the finals, this was better than 94 for sure. France were flamboyant, rather its Forwards were flamboyant but only till they encountered quality opposition, Henry and Co could not manage even a single goal in the Knockout phase of the tournament. Davor Suker along with Zidane emerged as the players of the tournament.
2000 Euro: Again not a gr8 tournament by any standards, remembered solely for the last minute drama in the finals. Again it was Zidane who emerged as the player of the tournament.
2002 World Cup: As dull as the 94 edition. South Korea and Turkey were the teams which hogged the limelight for their exploits. Ronaldo laying the ghosts of his 98 world cup was the biggest highlight.Of course who can forget the disastarous exit of the Defending Champs
2004 Euro: although many xperts called it an average affair, i would call it a good tournament. Greece stole the show with their masterful tactics and great work ethic, Milan Baros was awesome and some of his goals were simply world class.
2006 World Cup:Wondeful tournament.Italy showed its class. Physical, Intelligent, Aggressive. They were awesome. Zidane's comeback nearly resulted in a fairy tale finish. He proved that he was still the best play maker in the world. Argentina flattered to decieve. ( Riquelme was awesome)
2008 Euro: The pick of the lot. Spain, Holland, Russia, Turkey were all excellent. Germany as usal was efficient and effective.Never did we have these many teams playing good attractive football. It was a treat to watch and it was fitting that Spain won the trophy. The list of good players would be a very long one. Awesome tournament.
Now u know why am i asking "Why did it End?", It was like watching a river in full flow. Sad that it ended. Lets hope that we get to see more such tournaments.
Just as Home Food is bliss when had after a long time so is a match like Holland v/s Italy when you watch it after a drab affair like France v/s Romania.
It was a fantastic contest, although the scoreline suggests otherwise. Had Italy taken the chances that came along their way the scoreline would not have looked so bad.
If someone would have asked me before yesterday that if there was a team that could out muscle the Italians? i would have said "None".But now i have a different answer. Dutch beat Italy at its own game yesterday. They fought like gladiators for every ball. Surely thats not the way the Dutch used to play before.
Italy's defence was made to look pedestrian. Now when was the last time U saw their defence as pedestrain? We all knew that Defence was not Holland's forte, but it was Holland which looked the more solid of the two in defence.
Italy's defence looked extremely vulnerable.Maybe they were affected by the absence of their charismatic skipper "Cannavaro" or they were taken aback by the physical game that Dutch played or could be a combination of both.
Coming to specific players, Schiedner, Kuyt, Van Bronchost,Van Der Wart were all excellent for Holland, Van Nistelrooy was good as usual. Van Der Sar had a good game.Readers would do well to remember that the influential "Robben" is still injured.
Pirlo was good in patches, he was not allowed to be his usual self, Nor was the Workhorse "Gattuso". Kudos to the Dutch for achieving that. Coming to the striker "Luca Toni" i am somehow not that impressed with him. I dont follo the Bundesliga where this guy plays, but from whatever i have seen of him i feel he is overrated like "Thierry Henry".
All in all a Nice game of football, where we had a lot of End to End stuff. The Dutch were slightly better in Defence and special in attack on the given day. If they can sustain this kind of a play, then they can go the distance for sure.Coming to Italy, i feel i they will still qualify as i dont see France beating either Italy or Holland.
A rocking start to the Euro.Hope Euro rocks till the end.
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