We all love the Champions League. Ever since its inception, it's been the competition that has brought so much excitement and by FAR the most dramatic football matches with the innovative away-goal rule.
But with quite a few leagues looking like one or two-horse races, and this Champions League seeming a bit closer in quality with the gap seeming to be less...could this possibly be one of the more memorable editions?
Instead of ignoring this match as a foregone conclusion, it may be worth tuning in....before Robben fires in a goal and sets up another one. But this just shows that the "lesser" teams are not going to roll over as you expect them to. Bayern have the strongest squad, and a very strong team and they could not manage to score a goal against a Donetsk team that nobody including myself expects to do anything of any note.
I look at FC Porto, Monaco, Leverkusen...forget Schalke, they are in the naughty corner...these are the so-called lesser teams who I think can make things complicated for the favourites in their leg. There is enough quality there for them to not just accept being bent over, but actually put up a fight and complicate things.
But even if all the expected teams win and go through, the gap just seems to be a lot less than it was last year. Real Madrid don't look as assured, Barcelona have that defensive weakness and Atletico and Bayern have shown their ugly side and proof that they can be beaten fair and square. So what you have is no one CLEAR team who are the overwhelming favorites as many saw Bayern as last year. Anybody can beat anybody which makes it so interesting.
Then you must look at Juventus and Porto, two teams who I expect to see in the quarters. If they face up against one another, then you could see one of them in a semi, and these are two teams that are NOT easy to beat. Yes, you can beat them, but there is quality in there for them to upset the bigger teams with more cheddar and booty.As of now, there is no ONE king that everyone is clamouring to strip bare and ride off. It's all free reign and really...ANYONE...almost anyone can win this title. That away-goal rule is so powerful and has to be used. Because both teams have the advantage. You ought to use your crowd and the experience of your pitch to win the home game, but each goal you score away counts as double. So there is always a chance of being in the game.
It would be amusing....if they do get relegated and must visit a German village to play their matches next season but end up lifting the Champions League trophy....that would be a Hollywood story....
HH
