Last weekend the two top teams in England met face to face in a battle that could determine the Premiereship title. Manchester United walked into Stamford Bridge and were immediately shown the door with a 2-1 defeat to the Blues. The Red Devil's had to swallow their pride a walk awaly from London in anger. Low and behold both teams victories in the Champions League has made a chance for redemption a reality. In a couple of weeks these two will face each other in Russia to settle the score once and for all. The prize for this encounter will be possession of the Champions League Trophy the elusive jewel of Europe. Both teams will now toss in their beds with anticipation as the night approaches. The fans are also shaking with anticipation. The winning side can claim bragging rights for eternity over their rivals....or until this fixture is repeated. It will be the battle of the managers once more. A tactical battle between new kid Avram Grant against the seasoned soldier Sir Alex Ferguson. Who will reign supreme on the island of England. Grant wishes to gain the respect of his critics while Sir Alex dreams of adding a second Champions League final victory to his CV.
Chelsea pushed for glory for 4 yrs only to have the chance extinguish in the semi finals stage. Now Grants team has finally pierced through the red wall's of Liverpool. He has done what "The Special One" failed to do and now to his bosses pleasure embarks on a destination to Moscow. All eyes will now be on Drogba and company as the battle for victory. I have no idea what Grant's line up will be but I believe that Drogba, Essien, Makelele, Ballack, Terry and Carvalho will be needed to bring home the win. Drogba's strength and pace upfront can wear down even the most seasoned of defenders. Essien is able to play in right back or midfield. I would suggest him playing in the midfield since he likes to push forward and may leave a space for Manchester's wing attacks to counter in. Ballack has finally settled into his role at Chelsea and supplies his team mates with lovely passes, attacks on goal and precise spot kicks. His inclusion will increase chances in set plays and provide Champions League finals experience. Ballack also brings CL final experience to the table. Now that he has a second chance to win the cup he will work twice as hard to earn it. Makelele has been a rock in Chelsea's midfield and will stand in the way of Manchester Utd's attacks. The french midfielder also knows what it means to be victorious. In 2002 he won the cup with Real Madrid. Terry and Carvalho are two seasoned individuals that have one of the most impressive defensive partnerships in Europe for the past four seasons. They hardly let in goals and adapt their play as the clock ticks. Carvalho also has also won the cup with Porto and will look forward to win it once more.
Sir Alex has been working strenously for 9 yrs to enter the CL finals. Since his win in Munich he has been obssessed in constructing a team that could reproduce that result. This season be made major signings and retained most of his original squad to ensure that he would have the depth to pursue all cups. His determination has paid off and he is now fulfilled part of the dream by reaching the final. He will now stop at nothing to ensure that he walks away from Russia wit the cup clutched in his hands. He sat in the stands and watched Liverpool and Chelsea fight for their chance in Moscow. I am sure he took with him valuable information that he will use against Grant in the finals. The season has taken a massive toll on his squad and the ruddy nosed mastermind will hope that Rooney and Vidic will be able to make an appearance in Moscow. I believe for Ferguson to succeed he too will have to chose his team wisely. Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Hargreaves and Tevez are my first priority picks. Ronaldo is the greatest player in form at the moment and will need to have a colossal game for Man U. I dont expect him to score unless its from a set play. Chelsea will be doing their best to subdue him. I believe it would be better if used his skills to bring defenders towards him and then pass the ball to his team mates. Patrice Evra has had an outstanding season and Man U will need his runs on the wing and crosses to provide the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez chances to kick or head in a goal. His absence was largely missed in the premiereship battle. I dont know if Sir Alex will start Tevez but I believe that his inceptionat some point is important. Tevez has proven this season that when a goal is needed he is the man that will get it. He his goals have saved Man U three times this season from losing. He is a brilliant player that despite being vertically challenged can out jump and head in a ball at the last moment. He also shares Sir Alex mantra of losing is not accepted.
The next important player I chose is Owen Hargeaves. Like Essien he is multi dimensional and fit almost anywhere on the pitch. The position I think he should play is defensive midfield. If Vidic is unable to participate I expect to see him in right back. Hargreaves like Makelele is tenacious in midfield and provides that first barrier against attacks he will be able to cancel out Chelseas midfield runs before they reach the feet of Drogba. He also has Champions league experience after winning the cup in 2001. My final two are Ferdinand and Vidic, these two have the best defensive partnership in Europe. Ferdinand won the cup in Munich and should be able to stand firm in defense against attacks from Drogba and company. This match up should be a cracker, I feel that Chelsea will come out and attack, while Manchester will be more subdued role using counter attacks and set plays to gain the win. Let the best team of England win.
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