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Real Madrid and the Whole Cristiano Ronaldo – Kaka – Ozil Thing – I’m not the biggest of Real Madrid fans, certainly not of Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo, but I can’t help but feel happy for Kaka when he scores and plays well. The whole Kaka-Ozil can’t work it out claim didn’t really come forth tonight, as Kaka did very well on the left side of the attack and looked very much like during the golden days, that aren’t that “ages ago” like it might seem.
Ajax aren’t exactly the team that really make you struggle, but Real were impressive, with a defense and defensive midfield that provided confidence and peace of mind for the Ronaldo fearsome foursome attack to run and win 3-0.
Manchester United – Too many players missing, especially Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez, cause me to not take this incredible result by FC Basel, a 3-3 draw at the Old Trafford, too seriously. First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever seen or remember seeing a referee screwing United on their home ground. Paolo Tagliavento gave Basel a penalty out of nothing and in general, seemed to favor the Swiss visitors with his decisions. Rio Ferdinand shouldn’t be starting as well. His outrageous coverage of Alexander Frei made it even more clear.
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Bayern Munich – Were brilliant. True, they scored two goals with Mario Gomez doing what he does best – tap ins. But seriously, Manchester City, despite the money and the successful start in the Premier League this season, have a lot to learn about the Champions League. Bayern are experienced in this stage, despite the young age of the squad. City aren’t. And in general, Munich play the best football in Europe right now this side of Barcelona. With Barca being the easy choice, as long as Ribery and Robben stay healthy, they are my favorites to win the European title.
About City for the finish – Carlos Tevez refused to come on as a substitute. Mancini said he’ll never play for City again. To be continued.
Napoli – Like most Italian teams, anything can happen. Villareal are going through a horrendous start, which began at the Nou Camp and 5 goals. Nothing seems to be going right, and despite being the better side, Napoli’s fiery start was just enough for a 2-0 win through Hamsik and Cavani.
Claudio Ranieri – It’s a matter of time before thing go south, they always do with Ranieri at some point. He usually begins well, bringing some calming presence to his new club. Pretty soon, they get tired of him. For now, he’s stabilized the rockin’ boat with a 3-2 win in Moscow over CSKA. I’ve been waiting for Mauro Zarate to start warming up, and I hope today’s goal will elevate him into star status pretty soon.
Trabzonspor vs Lille – The only thing to take out of this game is the fact that Trabzonspor lead the group. Lille can be one of the more enjoyable teams in this competition at certain minutes. The Pedretti – Hazard combo can do wonders. But it never lasts long. Like Hazard’s time with the French Champions.
Galati – Less than 7000 fans at a Champions League match. Why do they have to play inside a 60,000 seat stadium?
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Lyon – Bafetimbi Gomis could have finished this game with at least four goals. Yes, he had four brilliant chances, one on ones, and somehow, the hardest of them all with a beautiful lob from outside the box was the once he actually scored. The top scorer in Ligue 1 this season is on fire. Lets hope he can keep this up.