Is it the end of an era for Arsenal?

Photograph from Flickr

Seven-and-a-half years ago Arsenal defeated Manchester United in a penalty shoot-out to win their fifth trophy in five years. The year before they had gone a whole Premier League season unbeaten and boasted a host of top players such as Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Sol Campbell and Patrick Vieira.

Now their best player is undoubtedly a raw young talent in the form of Jack Wilshere, but with the side in disarray it is unlikely it will be long before he follows Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri out of The Emirates. 

Although their last 16 Champions League tie with Bayern Munich is far from over, it is almost impossible to see Arsenal winning either 4-2 or by three goals in the Allianz Arena. Bayern are even stronger than when they reached the final last season and haven't lost since it was confirmed that Pep Guardiola would be taking over in the summer. 

It is not as though the Gunners have been a poor side since they won the FA Cup in 2005. In that time they have not finished outside the top four of the Premier League and have reached the League Cup final twice, losing 2-1 to Chelsea in 2007 and 2-1 to Birmingham City in 2011. 

Despite those efforts, their best achievement was reaching the Champions League final in 2006 when they went down 2-1 to Barcelona after having goalkeeper Jens Lehmann sent off. They could count themselves quite unlucky in that match and probably expected many more European finals to follow over the coming years, although those hopes have not materialized. It will be a shock to many that Arsenal have never won the Champions League under Arsene Wenger, in fact they have not been crowned champions of Europe in their history. 

Even though that sounds like a poor record for a club of their size, they are the only British team to have reached the last 16/second group stage every year this century. 

Arsenal in the Champions League under Arsene Wenger
Group stage	2
Last 16/Second group stage	6
Quarter-finals	4
Semi-finals	1
Final	1

Since the first two times that they played with Europe's elite under Wenger, when they were knocked out in the group stages both times, Arsenal have since sealed their place as one of the continent's best, although they are desperate to be crowned champions. 

At this rate even being in the Champions League next year will take a huge effort in itself. This season has been another disappointing one for the North London club so far. They sit in fifth place in the Premier League table, four points behind rivals Tottenham Hotspur who occupy the final Champions League spot. After this latest defeat, coupled with their shock FA Cup loss to Championship side Blackburn, and their season looks destined to be another fruitless one. 

For a couple of years now there have been sections of Arsenal's over-paying fans that believe Wenger's time has passed. Fail to seal Champions League qualification at the end of the season and the board might lose patience and agree with them.

However Wenger has been one of the club's greatest ever managers, in the last 17 seasons he has provided three Premier League titles and four FA Cups and countless near misses. What he has also managed is to transform Arsenal from an inconsistent side to a side that always challenges in the higher echelons of the table.

He has also not been backed tremendously by the board in recent years. The signings of Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski were big buys, but not bank-breakers by any stretch of the imagination and were never going to win Arsenal the Premier League or Champions League. So who can blame him for trusting in youth? It is all he can really do.

The defence is clearly shaky, but that is as much down to the players' concentration as it is the manager's organisational skills. Despite his unbelievable record though, it would not be surprising in the modern day football cut and thrust culture, if Wenger was shown the door if the Gunners finish outside the top four. 

Whatever happens, Arsenal supporters appear to be witnessing their club fall in a similar, although not as dramatic, way to how Liverpool, Champions League regulars not so long ago, fell from Premier League favourites in 2009 to eighth place last year. 

Although Wenger's men seem to only be suffering a slight slide at the moment, it appears that the slide will become a full-on crash in the near future.

Ferguson v Mourinho: A Rivalry Renewed

Nine years ago Sir Alex and the 'Special One' met for the first time in a last sixteen clash in a spanking new Estádio do Dragão with the home side Porto coming out on top 2-1 thanks to two goals from the South African Benni McCarthy. 1-0 Mourinho. 

The victory was complete in the second leg as a second half equaliser and a dubious offside decision saw the Portistas win the tie 3-2 and spark memorable celebrations from their motivational coach. 

The next season saw Mourinho join the Abramovich revolution at Chelsea and he swept to successive titles, enjoying three wins, including a magnificent 3-1 victory at Old Trafford to set a Premier League record of 95 points in 2005. 

In the 2005/06 season Ferguson did notch up his first win over Mourinho, but still finished second best in the title race and had to wait until 2009 for his second triumph. That was the last time the two managers met as the Red devils won 2-0 over Inter Milan in the San Siro to cruise into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.  

Mourinho	Draw	Ferguson
6	5	2

Tonight they meet again in a clash of two of the three most valuable clubs in the world, not only in football, but in sport as a whole. 

Mourinho's Real Madrid got the better of the much-heralded Barcelona to win the La Liga title last campaign, but now sit 16 points off top and behind city rivals Atletico in third and in poor form.

Ferguson's United have dominated the Premier League this season and now sit 12 points clear of rivals Manchester City and on course to match their historic treble of 1998/99. The front two of Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie are likely to be Real's biggest threat, especially with the home side's centre back Pepe just returning from injury and full-back Marcelo dropped for being overweight. 

Mourinho will place his trust in former United star Cristiano Ronaldo, a man who swapped Manchester for Madrid in an £80 million move four years ago. Even Sir Alex himself has admitted that he did not expect him to score the amount of goals that he has in Spain and that he is now reaching his peak. 

There have been problems aplenty at the Bernabeu this season, with Mourinho slated for dropping legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas and rumours of unrest in the boardroom surrounding the club. It seems likely that the great Portuguese will be on his way out sometime soon, probably at the end of the season and he has stated that he wants to return to England. 

But before these two great men can continue their rivalry on a more permanent basis, this pallet-wetting tie will decide which of these two huge clubs are still in with a chance of regaining the European title. 

Real hold the record of being champions of Europe nine times, while United have won just three. Ferguson himself has won two of those, but accepts that for a club of their size, they should have won more. At least the English team have been in the final three times in the last five years, the Galacticos haven't been there since 2002. 

The last time these two sides met was in an epic 2003 encounter when the defending champions saw off United 6-5 on aggregate, despite a 4-3 defeat in the second leg when future Galactico David Beckham scored twice off the bench. 

If tonight's match, and indeed the tie, even comes close to matching that night a decade ago then we will be in for a treat as two huge clubs and great managers go head to head. 

First leg prediction: Real Madrid 2-2 Manchester United

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Why Chelsea should not have sacked Di Matteo

The sacking of Roberto Di Matteo was one of the most shocking football dismissals of recent memory. A Chelsea legend, twice FA Cup winner as a player, won the club's first Champions League trophy against all the odds, just months after being appointed manager. 

To the amazement of many his reign has been terminated just six months after he was given the prestigious job on a permanent basis. Many Chelsea fans will be dismayed by the lack of faith shown in him by owner Roman Abramovich and the club's board, although this is nothing new to them as he was their eighth boss since the Russian billionaire took over in 2003. 

What is most surprising is that Abramovich has always fired previous managers on the basis that they did not do well enough in the Champions League, although Di Matteo delivered the trophy at the first time of asking. He also managed this impressive feat with a squad out of form and struggling in the Premier League, as well as facing a 3-1 deficit in the last 16 of Europe's elite competition against Napoli. 

Not only did they win the second leg against Napoli 4-1 after extra-time to go through, but he did oversee an up-turn in their league form and took them to Wembley, and ultimately, FA Cup victory.

It is the Champions League final in Munich that he will be most remembered for as the Blues overcame the home side on penalties thanks to a late Didier Drogba header and a Petr Cech penalty save in extra-time. 

Their road to Munich was not a cruise by any stretch of the imagination; beating Benfica before memorably seeing off Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate. 

Despite finishing sixth in the league last season, their league form did marginally improve as they had suffered a horrific start under former boss Andre Villas-Boas. 

Chelsea managers under Roman Abramovich

Year	Manager	Matches	Winning %
2000-2004	Claudio Ranieri	199	53.76
2004-2007	Jose Mourinho	131	70.81
2007-2008	Avram Grant	54	66.67
2008-2009	Luiz Felipe Scolari	36	55.56
2009	Guus Hiddink	21	71.43
2009-2011	Carlo Ancelotti	109	61.47
2011-2012	Andre Villas-Boas	40	47.50
2012	Roberto Di Matteo	42	57.14

While the table above shows that the Italian only had a better record than three of his predecessors, he took over in totally different circumstances than any of the others. Chelsea were at their lowest point since Abramovich pumped his money into the club when Di Matteo took over, and from that he produced their all-time high.

Abramovich should not take all the blame for these sackings. After all, without his money the West Londoners would still be delighted with a top five finish each season instead of sacking managers for not cruising to league titles.

The Chelsea board have a big impact on the decisions that the Russian owner makes and without their advice, he would probably not have got through so many managers in the last eight years. There are so many supporters at the club that are crying out for the stability that has brought success to the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, and more recently, Manchester City. 

Having said that, all football fans are fickle and athe majority of Chelsea supporters would welcome Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho with open arms. However the job, at least on a short-term basis, looks destined to go to Rafael Bentitez, a man who did anything but endear himself to Chelsea supporters during his time at Liverpool.

His record has been good at every club he has managed, although he has been out of a job for over two years now and replacing Di Matteo with Benitez is not a very forward-thinking decision. It is anything but promoting stability, especially considering the age of the two men (Di Matteo 42, Benitez 52).

While Guardiola did excellently at Barcelona, he has never been at a club like Chelsea before and the players may not take to his style of play. Mourinho would clearly be a great fit but that is more Chelsea fans dreaming than an actual possibility, for now at least. 

Roman Abramovich will be sitting in his pent-house suite right now feeling good about himself and expecting an immediate climb to the summit of the Premier League, but he might find that not forthcoming. 

Chelsea have looked good this season and could still qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League. They have a massive game on Sunday at home to Manchester City and they would have had a much better chance of inflicting the champions' first defeat of the campaign if they had not made such drastic changes.

Premiership Sides Get Mixed Fortunes In The Champions League Draw

The 2012/13 Champions League group stages are in place and the draw provided mixed fortunes for the English sides. Defending European champions Chelsea were given a tough assignment of Shakhtar Donetsk, Italian champions Juventus and Denmark's FC Nordsjaelland. Premier League champions Manchester City find themselves with match-ups against La Liga champions Real Madrid, Eredivisie winners Ajax and Bundesliga victors Borussia Dortmund. Three-time Champions League winners Manchester United have drawn a fairly comfortable group in the form of Braga, Galatasaray and CFR Cluj. Arsenal face Schalke, Olympiakos and French Ligue 1 winners Montpellier. 

Group E (Chelsea)

Last year's winners Chelsea only qualified for the competition as a result of their win over Bayern Munich after finishing down in sixth place in England's top flight. New manager Roberto Di Matteo's first European game was the Last 16 second leg against Napoli at Stamford Bridge, facing a 3-1 deficit. Chelsea won a dramatic game 4-1 after extra time and went on to beat Benfica, Barcelona and Bayern Munich to lift the trophy. This season they face a tough group featuring Serie A winners Juventus, who went last season's league campaign unbeaten. Those two matches will be very tough for Chelsea, although they have started the new season on excellent form, winning their first three Premiership games. They have spent heavily in the transfer window, bringing in the likes of Eden Hazard, Oscar, Marko Marin and Victor Moses to boost their squad. 

Juventus won their first league match of the campaign in Serie A while Chelsea also face the prospect of a tricky away tie against Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine. Danish outfit FC Nordsjaelland are an unknown quantity as this is their first Champions League group-stage appearance after winning the Superliga last year. Chelsea should not have too many problems against them, and should qualify unless they drop points against Juventus and Shakhtar. 

Prediction:

1. Chelsea

2. Juventus

3. Shakhtar Donetsk

4. FC Nordsjaelland

Group D (Manchester City)

This time last year City were given a really difficult draw in what was immediately dubbed the 'Group of Death'. They lost to both Bayern Munich and Napoli as they finished third and could only get a Europa League spot. This time around they face an even tougher task as they have been drawn against the Spanish, Dutch and German champions. Real Madrid will be the most difficult assignment, but Mancini's men will fancy their chances against last year's losing semi-finalists with the strike-force of Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and David Silva raring to get at Pepe and co. 

Ajax will also test City to their limits after performing excellently only to be narrowly beaten by the Sky Blues' city rivals United in the Europa League. City will be confident of collecting six points from the Dutch side but will struggle to do that against German champions Borussia Dortmund, who finished bottom of their group last season. City will find it tough but including their deadline day signings of Javi Garcia, Maicon, and the departure of calamitous Stefan Savic, they should be able to progress from this tough group.

Prediction:

1. Real Madrid
2. Manchester City
3. Borussia Dortmund
4. Ajax

Group H (Manchester United)

Sir Alex Ferguson will be very pleased with his side's draw and will be looking forward to writing the wrongs  of last year's dismal exit, despite also being given a seemingly simple group. The Champions League journey ended with a shock 2-1 defeat in Basle and they will be hoping to ensure that there will be no such hiccup this time. Braga may prove to be United's toughest away trip but they will feel confident of getting through unbeaten and in top spot. They might even be able to rest players for the last couple of games. However, as is always the case, Europe's top competition is never a walk in the park.

Prediction:

1. Manchester United
2. Braga
3. Galatasary
4. CFR Cluj

Group B (Arsenal)

Arsenal have been nearly men for far too long now and will be desperate for a trophy after seven barren years. It is unlikely to come in the form of the Champions League, but there have been bigger shocks in the last ten years. They have a decent looking squad, although may struggle for goals without talismanic striker and former captain Robin Van Persie. Despite this they have brought in experienced German forward Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud from Montpellier; a player who scored 21 goals in a Ligue 1 winning campaign last season.

The Gunners should reach the knock-out stages without too many problems, but it is there were they could struggle. Having said that, they do have the potential to spring a few surprises and it is about time they made another meaningful run in Europe's top competition. All the teams in their group will provide attacking threat, especially at home, with Montpellier maybe dark horses to make do well in this year's tournament.

Prediction: 

1. Arsenal
2. Montpellier
3. Olympiakos
4. Schalke

Champions League Draw Could Put Europe's Top Four Champions In The Same Group

The champions of Europe's top four teams could be pitted against each other in the Champions League group stage after Real Madrid were draw in Pot 1, Manchester City in Pot 2, Juventus in Pot 3 and Borussia Dortmund in Pot 4. It seems harsh to put the Bundesliga winners in pot 4, especially after Bayern Munich, the side that Dortmund beat to the title last year, only lost the Champions League final on penalties to Chelsea. Juventus will also feel hard done by after they went the whole of their league season last time around unbeaten.


Pot 1
Chelsea
Barcelona
Manchester United
Bayern Munich
Real Madrid
Arsenal
FC Porto
AC Milan

Pot 2
Valenica
Benfica
Shakhtar Donetsk
Zenit St Petersburg
Schalke 04
Manchester City
SC Braga
Dynamo Kiev

Pot 3
Olympiakos
Ajax Amsterdam
Anderlecht
Juventus
Spartak Moscow
Paris Saint Germain
Lille
Galatasaray

Pot 4
Celtic
Borussia Dortmund
BATE Borisov
Dinamo Zagreb
CFR Cluj
Malaga
Montpellier
FC Nordsjaelland