The three most notable events of the weekend are…
3) Rafa Benitez’s debut a disaster as Chelsea stalls against Man City
It was not an easy first game for the Spaniard on the bench as the new Chelsea head coach. The fans jeered in response to Roman Abramovich’s decision to fire Roberto Di Matteo with one game left and a slim possibility of second round qualification in the Champions League. How do you fire man who comes in mid-season and brings you the Champions League? Absolutely surprising stuff from the Russians.
The Blues seem to be in a bit of a slump in recent times and it will take time to for Benitez to straighten out his game plan. Chelsea was outplayed in their match against Man City, but did manage to chalk up their first clean sheet in 11 matches.
Roberto Mancini’s men had the better chances in this fixture with Sergio Aguero going close and Pablo Zabaleta exposing Chelsea’s vulnerable wings after Rafa decided to pair up David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic in the heart of defence – something Di Matteo did not test.
Chelsea did not have many opportunities to score. Looking at the match statistics, it is clear that Man City performed better with 58% possession compared to 42%, as well as five shots on goal to Chelsea’s one. It is definitely a tough time for the Blues. Benitez certainly has his work cut out for him.
With the draw, Manchester City moves within a point of Manchester United in second with 29 points, while Chelsea sits in third with 26 points.
2) Barca youth academy crushes Levante
Barcelona FC continue their winning ways in La Liga with a 4-0 demolition of Levante. The story is pretty much the same as usual – it was a Messi, Fabregas and Iniesta show with the Argentine bagging a brace.
The important note here is that the Blaugrana continue to produce youngsters worthy of playing for the senior side and their time comes, they will be ready. Already in his fixture, coach Tito Vilanova opted to give some youth team players some playing time in the Primera Division. From the 13th minute to the when Martin Montoya replaced the injured Dani Alves, until the 75th minute when Adriano entered for Jordi Alba, all of Barca’s players were graduates of the club’s legendary youth academy. Include even the coach, Tito Vilanova, and you have a club that has all of the ingredients for future success.
Barcelona is a model club for all football teams of the world. It must be said though, that the Catalan side is also very fortunate that they are currently going through a very talented generation of players. This will certainly benefit the club for the years to come as well as the Spanish national side that has already won everything possible. They will continue to win more of the prestigious trophies.
1) Milan devil brings high-flying Juve back down to earth
You wouldn’t think it only because of the rollercoaster season the Diavoli has had until now, but yes, AC Milan was able to obtain a rare win against Juventus at the San Siro on Sunday 1-0. Although the goal the Rossoneri scored was a controversial penalty (karma came back to bite the Zebra’s behind), it was a very solid performance on behalf of Massimiliano Allegri’s men who took the game to the Old Lady with heart, determination and high intensity which took the Bianconeri by surprise.
This is the second loss of the season Juventus has suffered, to both Milan-based clubs, due to underestimating their opponents. Surely the Chelsea affair did a number on mental and physical fatigue but it is not enough an excuse seeing that the match against the Blues occurred five days before.
The game-winner, as mentioned, was again ‘human error’ as the ref blew the whistle for a suspected handling offence in the box on behalf of Mauricio Isla after Antonio Nocerino headed the ball into the area. Replays suggest that ball actually hit the Juventus winger on the ribs. The referee continued the play, but was consulted by the goal-line judge who did NOT have a clear sight of the incident.
Despite this setback, it was a very entertaining game. The Rossoneri played very well in the first half and pinned the Old Lady back in her end of the field. Other than the penalty spot, AC Milan did not really muster any real goal threatening chances. Juventus was completely nonexistent.
In the second half, the Old Lady woke up from her sleep and took the initiative. The Bianconeri’s only real scoring chance was when Sebastian Giovinco pulled back for Mirko Vucinic who pulled the trigger straight at Kevin Constant who was standing on the line! Juventus laid a siege but the brittle Milan defence held on strong.
Opinion: It may have been a different game for Juve if Antonio Conte was on the bench screaming at his troops from the side. More importantly, Conte is able to read the game better than his replacements. For instance, stand-in coach Angelo Alessio brought in Simone Padoin for a spent Isla. Padoin has not played since God knows when. In my opinion, Juventus needed to be more daring by implementing a 3-4-2-1 with Giovinco-Vucinic supporting the lone striker or a 3-4-3 with Simone Pepe coming in to use his trickery out on the right wing against a very strong Constant. The game really should have ended in a draw, but this is the way it turned out. AC Milan gets revenge for the Muntari phantom-goal that was not given back in March in last season’s showdown.
In any case, I would like to congratulate AC Milan and the Rossoneri faithful for their victory. As said to a friend who is a Rossoneri fan, Juventus is still on top by a mile. Come and join us Milan fans!
Juventus continue to lead the Serie A with 32 points. AC Milan climbs to 9th with 18 points.
