The UEFA Champions League is only providing more reasons for why many believe it to be the premiere soccer tournament in the world. The club versus country argument is an old and long one and I wouldn't bring it any justice by attempting to summarize it, so I'll leave it at that or better yet allow you fine folks to discuss it via the comment section. This season we have ourselves one semi-final in which many expected and another which many didn't.
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| Success has become all but natural to this trio. |
Manchester United have been quite successful over the past several years in the competition, so it was really no surprise that we find them in the last 4. Although, I must say watching United in the Premier League this season that this side hasn't been as sharp or as 'pretty' as they've been in the past. However, they've been getting the results and have endured this long at the top that they deserve to be where they are. They'll be playing this much awaited semi-final against Schalke 04, the real surprise of this final four. Schalke have been, well...quite mediocre this season in the Bundesliga; they have one of the worst away records in all of Germany and are barely hanging on to a positive goal differential. Yet, with all that, they managed to make it this far while sitting in 10th by knocking out the current European Champions Inter decisively. As a matter of fact, Schalke was able to win both legs and scored 5 in the first leg which was away after conceding the first goal of the game within 26 seconds. They just continue to defy the odds.
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| Manchester United have an opportunity to claim the European Cup on home soil. |
Our other semi-final isn't that special, all it does is pin together Spain's two largest and most dominant clubs in what is beginning to look like an all-out grudge match. Real Madrid CF has found itself once again close to European glory after several years of disappointment. It has taken nearly a decade to reconstruct the squad after their former Galácticos disbanded, but they've once again given fans something to be excited about. However, they are approaching a rather immense road block in the former of arch-rivals FC Barcelona. Now since Real Madrid had been in reconstruction over the past several years, it has been the Catalans who have taken advantage by claiming several La Liga titles and 2 European Cups. They have a core of players who are all but too familiar with playing on this grand stage and few would doubt them as being the best club left in the tournament given their dominant playing style. Unfortunately for Manchester United and Schalke, much more media attention will be centered on this match-up due to the intense rivalry between these two clubs which is well known domestically but now internationally.
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| All eyes will once again be on these two. |
The story-lines are developing quite well for the final. If Barcelona and Manchester United progress, we'll have a repeat of the 2009 Finals with United looking for revenge. If we see Schalke and Real Madrid progress, then Raul would be facing off against the club he spent his entire career with who deemed him excess to their requirements basically making the statement that he could no longer play at this level. Raul wouldn't be the only former Madrid player returning as both Jurado and Metzelder represented Los Blancos. It would also be interesting to see Manchester United and Real Madrid play each other as Cristiano Ronaldo would be pitted against the club that sold him off for the record world transfer fee of £80 million.
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