After watching the Round of 16, I feel pretty good about the selections I made. I successfully predicted 5 of the 8 matches. Of the 3 I got wrong, I think I was totally justified with two of them. Only with Arsenal should I have known better. In any case, let’s review the second-leg games and the eventual winners.
Bordeaux beat Olympiacos in a game that was far more difficult than it needed to be. They let their guard down in the second half and were treated to a very tense twenty or so minutes in which Olympiacos looked capable of achieving an unlikely upset. However, the Greek side’s poor goalkeeping and defending finally allowed Chamakh the space and time he needed to put in a brilliant header. Unfortunately for Bordeaux, this match revealed just how reliant they are on Gourcuff. While he is clearly the best player in France, he is still coming off an injury, and is not at peak fitness. His goal from a set-piece in the first half, and the intermittent flashes of brilliance he displayed aside, he looked out of shape for long portions of the match. If Bordeaux want to get any farther in this tournament they will have to take some of the pressure off of Gourcuff and give him time to work his magic. In all, I wasn’t surprised to get this one right.
Barcelona beat the daylights out of Stuttgart, as I predicted, but there is little for me to say. Lionel Messi is one of the most exciting strikers in the world, and Barca’s attacking display was just too much for the Germans to handle. This one was never really in doubt.
I am glad that CSKA Moscow managed to squeak past Sevilla in Spain. Russian football has been improving every season for three or four years now, and it’s about time a Russian team did well in the Champions’ League. That being said, this one was close, and really could have gone either way.
Inter finally managed to defeat English opposition in the most anticipated matchup of this round. Now, I think I need to justify choosing Inter to go through, despite their habit of choking in this competition. The difference between Chelsea and Inter can be summed up in two words: Jose Mourinho. Mourinho has given this team the psychological edge that they have been lacking since the late 1960s. He can convince his players that they are the best in the world, and they usually justify his praise with excellent performances. Just listen to his post-game interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K93ZcpbE7lo. Also, full marks for the Chelsea fans for chanting his name before the match. I think they know they lost someone ‘special.’
Man U beat Milan, which is no surprise to anyone who has seen both these teams play this season. Milan are both too slow, and too old to continue to compete at the highest level. They need a full makeover next season. Keep Pato, Pirlo, and Abbiati, and lose everyone else. Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney is having the season of his life. With more space up front now that Ronaldo has left, Rooney is really coming into his own. All the potential we saw in him during the 2004 Euro Cup is finally asserting itself. England’s opponents at the World Cup this June had better keep an eye on him, as he just may help break the cycle of English disappointment.
Ok, now for the three matchups I got wrong. Bayern Munich beat Fiorentina on away goals. I think the away goals rule is ridiculous, and so I don’t feel bad about getting this one wrong. Lyon managed to beat Real Madrid, proving once again that the Galacticos strategy is destined to failure. For this macth, I saw two teams that never make it past the Round of 16 regardless of their domestic form, and picked the team with the better players. Again, I don’t feel bad about picking the losers here.
The Arsenal match, however, was my big mistake. Arsenal always wins when I pick their opponents. Last year’s victory over a superior Roma side in penalties exemplifies this fact. This year, however, I should have known better. They outplayed Porto during both legs, and only lost the first due to some terrible refereeing (by the ref who missed the Henry hand-ball against Ireland). Congrats Arsenal, you proved me wrong again. I can’t shake the feeling that somewhere Nick Hornby is saying “I told you so.”
That’s it for the Round of 16. Tune in next time when I make my picks for the quarter finals. Don’t worry, this time I’ll get them all right.
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