A Football Report

By Andrew Crawford, writing from Shanghai

The dust has started to settle on the ugly coup that ousted Jean Tigana from the Shanghai Shenhua dug out last month- but that doesn’t mean things have improved.

Shenhua’s last game, another dull, uninspiring 0-0 draw against Shanghai Shenxin at the Hongkou was the fourth game in a row that the former have gone without scoring a goal. The team is currently two points from the relegation zone with a third of the season played. Their expected saviour, Nicolas Anelka has not scored since early April whilst the rest of his team mates look jaded and nervous, especially when playing infront of their home crowd. It is perhaps a backhanded compliment to the team that their best player so far has been the young goal keeper, Wang Dalei.

These days, Shenhua have a manager on the sidelines rather than on the pitch, and after Anelka’s brief managerial stint ended in disaster; the former Democratic Republic of Congo coach, Jean-Florent Ibenge, is nominally in charge. The word ‘nominal’ is important because it’s difficult to say exactly how much sway Ibenge has in the dressing room. Anelka, both by status and salary, is untouchable whilst the club’s chairman, Zhu Jun is frequently unpredictable and reactionary so it is safe to say that the new man won’t be doing too much to rock the boat.

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By Max Grieve

Munich rocked; the Allianz Arena shaking in anticipation of the final whistle. It would come, as it always does, but brought with it a fresh burden. Drogba rose to meet the corner; Drogba fell back to earth, and sent millions into raptures. Thousands watched on in the city centre as the boom broke, and the Bayern support were plunged into a silence. 

Deeper still into the match, Chelsea must have sensed that their remarkable run of fortune had come to an end. Beyond Robben’s missed penalty, Bayern found themselves 3-1 up in the shoot-out. Then, the tired clichés of Germany and spot-kicks collapsed. Ivica Olic was denied, and Bastian Schweinsteiger smacked his shot against the post. John Terry was safely confined to the stands, and Dider Drogba, rather than slip at the crucial time, sent Neuer the wrong way with cold perfection. 

To a point, the result seems wrong. Chelsea won; their name was being engraved on the trophy as Drogba’s penalty settled in the back of the net, but it was always in Bayern’s control. Said Jens Lehmann following the loss to Dortmund last week; “I can’t see them making this many mistakes again. They’ll play with anger and even more determination. I’m rather optimistic about their chances.”

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By Jordan Brown

Didier Drogba emerged from the confines of his tent to the thrum of a busy camp. All around him the army of Chelsea were preparing for war. Infantrymen were rushing to formation, their tall pikes bobbing rhythmically as they ran. Plated warhorses stomped and bit at paiges checking the readiness of mounts, bowmen were fitting their strings and chatting nervously in small circles while the sounds of grinding steel poured from the row of armorers keening the edges of hundreds. Smoke and fire, sweat and leather, wood and steel, Drogba closed his eyes and breathed in deep - savoring the air of battle. It would be his last.

The thought of his waiting men broke him from his reverie and he set off, joining the rushing humanity of the camp. The blue livery of his army made like a river flowing down muddy paths, wearing the telling lines of man’s device into the rich green valleys of Bavaria.

It was a miracle they were even moving at all. Not so long before the army had been in Catalonia, and the experience had nearly ended them. The whole of the known world had expected them to falter in the Spanish leg of their campaign. Wave after wave of Barcelona’s attacks had broken upon their ranks. Halfway through their battle, the venerable Iniesta led his troops into a thrust which had seemingly put the Londoners paid. But tired and outnumbered, the strength of The Blues remained steadfast, and they found that their resolution outlasted the Blaugranas, and the late charge of the nigh forgotten General Torres shocked living world of their expectations. Chelsea would march from victory to Munchen.

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It’s not quite what we expected. Bayern Munich edged past Real Madrid in a penalty shoot-out of epically comic proportions, and Chelsea saw off Barcelona in an incredible encounter at the Camp Nou. Now, the teams that beat arguably the best club sides in world football meet at the Allianz Arena in Munich, where Bayern will look to draw level with Liverpool on European Cups won, and Chelsea are after their first. Roberto Di Matteo has seen his side to a sixth-place finish in the league, but that matters little: if Chelsea win tonight, Tottenham, despite snatching fourth, will not qualify for the Champions League. The match has been overshadowed somewhat by the suspensions of key players on either side, and a refusal by UEFA to adapt the rules of the competition means that Terry, Badstuber, Ramires, Alaba, Ivanovic, Gustavo and Meireles all sit this one out. Bayern are regarded as favourites to lift the cup in their home stadium, but Chelsea pose a threat as underdogs, and have overcome greater obstacles on their way to this final. It promises to be a fascinating encounter.

Some of the writers at AFR, alongside a selection of talented bloggers have put their heads on the chopping block, and share their predictions for the final with you here.

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[Posted by MG]

By Max Grieve

Jupp Heynckes was, to a point, playing the fool, but there was a grim undertone to his comments. “I have watched and coached in the Spanish League,” he declared earlier in the week. “I know how hard it is to beat Barcelona. And now I’m left to wonder if Barça can’t beat Chelsea, how can we?”

Certainly Bayern Munich’s loss to Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal Final at the weekend has furthered the perception, in English-language media especially, that Chelsea could well trouble the Bavarians. And there is an element of truth to this thought: internal struggles, occasionally catastrophic defending, and a creeping sense of self-doubt is beginning to damage what has been, by most standards, a phenomenal season. Bayern have finished second in the Bundesliga to a side that had to break the points total record to better them. They came runners-up in the one domestic cup, and are in a Champions League final. Rather than marvel at the progress they have made, however, they will be more inclined to reflect upon their failings.

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