Henry Looks to Barcelona for Final Trophy

Having won two EPL titles and three FA Cups, a Champions League crown was all that was missing from Thierry Henry's Arsenal.

But now, as the France international makes a move to Barcelona, one can't help but sense a bit of irony in the whole proceedings.

The Gunners were within 14 minutes from hoisting Europe's most prestigious club trophy in 2006, but two late goals sent the trophy to his new club.

Interestingly, it was Henry who unable to finish, and on numerous occasions the France international could have put the match out of reach.

Barcelona were very fortunate to pick up the trophy that night in Paris, and one moment of brilliance from Henry and it could have been England's 4th place Gunners that were immortalized.

Henry might have done well to have remembered that along with his own side, 5th place Liverpool were champions in 2005 and this year's 3rd place Reds were close again.

And Barcelona are by no means assured another title in the next few years. The Catalan side went out of this year's Champions League in the first knockout round and collapsed in La Liga to finish 2nd.

Now having said that, Henry is obviously a great player. And if he is healthy, Barcelona will surely be threatening to win everything next season.

And maybe it's not just about that, and perhaps Henry views the Gunners as going in the wrong direction.

Seeing the progress of Manchester United and Liverpool, as well as the constant threat of Chelsea, it would be hard to argue that Arsenal have a tough road ahead of them.

And as he turns 30 in August, Henry's time for Champions League glory is definitely starting to run out.

But still, it's hard not to think that had Henry tucked that second-half breakaway under Victor Valdes, that Arsenal's all-time leading scorer wouldn't need to go looking for that last elusive trophy in Barcelona.

-Chris


Articles on other sites:
Henry frustrated at Arsenal's CL failure - AP - FoxSoccer.com
Emotional Henry salutes Gunners - BBC

Arsenal Jerseys
Barcelona Jerseys

Chelsea Finally Seeded in Champions League

Chelsea join Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester United as top seeds for next season's Champions League.

Chelsea in Champions League boost - BBC

Champions League 2007 Quarterfinals

Quarterfinals:

Tuesday, 03 April 2007
PSV v Liverpool
AC Milan v Bayern Munich

Wednesday, 04 April 2007
Chelsea v Valencia
Roma v Manchester United

Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Manchester United v Roma
Valencia v Chelsea

Wednesday, 11 April 2007
Liverpool v PSV
Bayern Munich v AC Milan



Round of 16 Results:

Tuesday, 20 February 2007

Lille 0-1 Manchester United
PSV 1-0 Arsenal
Real Madrid 3-2 Bayern Munich
Celtic 0-0 AC Milan

Wednesday, 21 February 2007

FC Porto 1-1 Chelsea
Barcelona 1-2 Liverpool
Inter Milan 2-2 Valencia
Roma 0-0 Lyon

Tuesday, 06 March 2007

Chelsea 2-1 FC Porto - Chelsea 3-2
Liverpool 0-1 Barcelona - Liverpool 2-2
Valencia 0-0 Inter Milan - Valencia 2-2
Lyon 0-2 Roma - Roma 2-0

Wednesday, 07 March 2007

Manchester United 1-0 Lille - Manchester United 2-0
Arsenal 1-1 PSV - PSV 2-1
Bayern Munich 2-1 Real Madrid - Bayern Munich 4-4
AC Milan 1-0 Celtic - AC Milan 1-0


More from other web sites (in a new window):
BBC - Web Updates
Live - Pay-Per-View @ UEFA / ESPNsoccernet

Related on Soccer Golazo:
Michel Platini - New UEFA President Seemingly Takes Aim at England
Jose Mourinho - Chelsea Manager Hails His FC Porto Days

Champions League 2007 - Quarterfinals Draw Friday 09.03.2007

The Champions League Quarterfinals draw takes place Friday at 1100 GMT.

No teams are seeded and teams from the same country can be drawn against each other.

England feature three teams. Italy two. Spain, Germany, and Netherlands all feature one side.

Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool
AC Milan, Roma
Valencia
Bayern Munich
PSV

The drawing takes place in Athens where the Final will be played on 23 May.

Update:
Fixtures

Tuesday, 03 April 2007
PSV v Liverpool
AC Milan v Bayern Munich

Wednesday, 04 April 2007
Chelsea v Valencia
Roma v Manchester United

Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Manchester United v Roma
Valencia v Chelsea

Wednesday, 11 April 2007
Liverpool v PSV
Bayern Munich v AC Milan

Javier Mascherano Finally Cleared for Liverpool

The Premier League has finally given clearance for Javier Mascherano to play for Liverpool.

FIFA had previously ok'ed the transfer that bends rules preventing a player from featuring for three teams in a season starting July 1.

Exceptions were made since one of the teams Mascherano had played for was in Brazil where the schedule does not match Europe's.

Mascherano has made the trip to Barcelona and is eligible to play in Wednesday's Champions League first-leg tie.


More from other web sites (in a new window):
Mascherano granted Reds clearance - BBC

Related on Soccer Golazo:
Javier Mascherano Liverpool Deal Not Quite Done
Champions League 2007 - Knockout Stages

Champions League 2007 - Knockout Stages

Round of 16 Results:

Tuesday, 20 February 2007

Lille 0-1 Manchester United
PSV 1-0 Arsenal
Real Madrid 3-2 Bayern Munich
Celtic 0-0 AC Milan

Wednesday, 21 February 2007

FC Porto 1-1 Chelsea
Barcelona 1-2 Liverpool
Inter Milan 2-2 Valencia
Roma 0-0 Lyon

Tuesday, 06 March 2007

Chelsea 2-1 FC Porto - Chelsea 3-2
Liverpool 0-1 Barcelona - Liverpool 2-2
Valencia 0-0 Inter Milan - Valencia 2-2
Lyon 0-2 Roma - Roma 2-0

Wednesday, 07 March 2007

Manchester United 1-0 Lille - Manchester United 2-0
Arsenal 1-1 PSV - PSV 2-1
Bayern Munich 2-1 Real Madrid - Bayern Munich 4-4
AC Milan 1-0 Celtic - AC Milan 1-0


More from other web sites (in a new window):
BBC - Web Updates
Live - Pay-Per-View @ UEFA / ESPNsoccernet

Related on Soccer Golazo:
Michel Platini - New UEFA President Seemingly Takes Aim at England
Jose Mourinho - Chelsea Manager Hails His FC Porto Days

Michel Platini - New UEFA President Seemingly Takes Aim at England

Newly elected UEFA president Michel Platini has big plans for Europe. Unfortunately, they are negative plans.

Starting with the Champions League and running all the way down through the domestic leagues, the former France international has ideas that would have ramifications all over the globe were he to get his way.

Taking a Champions League spot from England, Spain, and Italy is first on Platini's agenda. A mistake that will surely negatively impact those leagues, but also the Champions League itself.

Anyone waxing poetically about the romance the tournament could bring with lesser clubs should check the scoreline of matches in Group A of this year's competition.

Levski Sofia, champions of Bulgaria in 2006, lost all six matches in Group A, scoring 1 goal while allowing 17. A goal difference of -16. And anyone who watched those matches can testify, they were every bit as bad as the scorelines indicate. It was sad and unenjoyable.

While it is certainly good to have underdogs in the mix, it hardly seems wise to look for ways of adding more.

But underdogs from the "Big 3" are a completely different story. Liverpool finished the 2003-2004 English Premier League in 4th and won the 2004-2005 Champions League in stunning fashion.

And although Arsenal finished 2nd in the 2004-2005 EPL, they finished 4th in 2005-2006 as they came within 14 minutes of lifting the Champions League trophy.

This year's Champions League has seen all four teams from England win their groups to advance into the final 16.

Simply put: England deserves four spots.

Whether Spain and Italy deserve their 4th spot might be up for debate. Osasuna crashed out in preliminary qualifying for Spain. But Italian football supporters might argue the match-fixing scandal that sent Chievo over Fiorentina muddles the issue. Chievo went out before the Group Stages.

It has been reported that Platini will likely trot out the tired idea of limiting foreign players. Another ill-conceived notion that again seemingly targets England more than any other country.

Arsene Wenger's great quote from last year sums up this idea with little discussion: "This player's first touch is not good, yes, we know but he is English. What can I do?"

As simple as Wenger makes it, another, much more complex issue, is rarely mentioned in arguments against quotas. That is the possible negative impact on players from less-profitable markets.

On an individual level, it definitely seems like you would be taking the opportunity from players in, say, Argentina or Chile to make a hugely profitable jump across the Atlantic.

The result being that country of origin means having a greater right to more money, no matter your footballing skills.

Placing limits is a one-sided, European view of the quota issue and doesn't seem well thought-out.

Other pressing issues to be presented by Platini include player salary limits that are based on percentages of club "turnover." Not only a confusing proposal, but one that would seem entirely unenforceable.

And even though this idea would heavily affect football powers in Spain, Italy, and elsewhere, it again seems targeted at England, coming at a time when Chelsea is top of the heap in spending.

It all adds up to a hands-on approach to running UEFA.

Unfortunately, it seems more like a hands-on approach to running clubs in England, which is not UEFA's purpose.


More from other web sites (in a new window):
Platini elected as Uefa president - BBC
Ferguson warns new chief Platini - BBC
Fifa quota proposal angers Wenger - BBC - 4 Nov 2006

Jose Mourinho - Chelsea Manager Hails His FC Porto Days

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho places his FC Porto days ahead of his current achievements in England.

When directly comparing the two, Mourinho stated Chelsea are the better team, but noted, "the one I took more pleasure in building was the one that brought me the first (Portuguese) championship and the UEFA Cup."

Mourinho's won the 2003 UEFA Cup and the 2004 Champions League with FC Porto before taking over for Claudio Ranieri at Chelsea for the 2004-2005 season.

The two teams meet in the first round of the Champions League knockout stages in February.

Mourinho praises Porto as his best group - FoxSoccer.com AP - new window)

Internacional Defeat Barcelona to Win FIFA Club World Cup

Adriano's dramatic 82nd minute strike wins the FIFA Club World Cup for Brazil's Internacional.

Barcelona have the better of it for long stretches, but the South American-side make it two in a row over European competition. Sao Paulo defeated Liverpool 1-0 last year.

Barcelona were without Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi, but Internacional were missing four regulars, due to moves to Europe, from the side that defeated Sao Paulo in August to win the Copa Libertadores.

Internacional sink Barca in final - BBC
Brazil's Internacional upsets Barcelona - FoxSoccer.com AP
FIFA CWC Wiki
Intercontinental Cup Wiki

UEFA Champions League Draw - First Knockout Stage 15.12.06

From UEFA.com:

2006 - 2007 UEFA Champions League
First knockout round
Team named first at home in first leg

FC Porto (POR) v Chelsea FC (ENG)
Celtic FC (SCO) v AC Milan (ITA)
PSV Eindhoven (NED) v Arsenal FC (ENG)
LOSC Lille Métropole (FRA) v Manchester United FC (ENG)
AS Roma (ITA) v Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
FC Barcelona v Liverpool FC (ENG)
Real Madrid CF (ESP) v FC Bayern München (GER)
FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) v Valencia CF (ESP)

UEFA Details

Champions League Knockout Stages - First Draw, Friday 15 December 2006

UPDATE 15.12.06:

UEFA Champions League Draw - First Knockout Stage 15.12.06

The draw for the first knockout stage of the 2006-2007 Champions League will be held Friday 15 December at UEFA in Nyon, Switzerland.

The draw will be broadcast live at UEFA.com.

Teams Qualified:
AC Milan, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Celtic, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Lille, Liverpool, Lyon, Manchester United, PSV Eindhoven, Porto, Real Madrid, Roma, and Valencia

Details of the draw @ UEFA (new window)

Champions League Matchday 6 Live Updates

Live Updates for Champions League Matches on Matchday 6:

UEFA MatchCentre (new window)

Or try here and click MatchCentre at Upper Right

Or:

Live Updates @ the BBC (new window)

Champions League Live Streaming Webcast Video at UEFA - ESPN

Below is a link to UEFA Video and Pay-Per-View.

The matches are listed as being brought to you by ESPNsoccernet.com and ESPNDeportes.com

There is a note that the service is not available to the Mac OS and that only Windows machines running Internet Explorer 6 are supported.

This post is for information and is not an endorsement of this service.

UEFA Video - http://video.uefa.com/video/index.html (new window)

Barcelona - Champions League Title Defense On The Line

Champions League Group A:

When Barcelona kickoff against Werder Bremen today, the Champions League knockout stages will be at stake for both teams.

Barcelona's day of reckoning has arrived much earlier than anyone had anticipated, and the holders must win outright to go through.

A draw would be enough to see the German-side through.

Barcelona's bitter Champions League rivals, Chelsea are already through from Group A.

Manchester United, Arsenal, and Roma will all be playing to stay in the CL as well.

Champions League Scenarios @ the BBC (new window)

Champions League Fixtures/Results 05.12.06 06.12.06

Champions League Fixtures for December 2006

Barcelona must win or they are out. Roma need to win to guarantee a spot. Manchester United need a draw or better against Benfica. And an Arsenal v Porto draw would send them both through, but a win could send the loser to the UEFA Cup.

Qualification Scenarios @ the BBC (new window)

Tuesday, 05 December 2006

Group A

Chelsea 2-0 Levski Sofia
Shevchenko scores in the 27th and Shaun Wright-Phillips finally opens his account with Chelsea as the English champions finish top the group.

Barcelona 2-0 Werder Bremen
Ronaldinho rises to the occasion, earning a free kick and subsequently firing under the jumping wall to grab the early lead. The Brazilian superstar later springs Ludovic Giuly who fires across the box to Eidur Gudjohnsen for the easy tap-in. The Icelandic international was errantly ruled to be passively offside during Ronaldinho's pass to Giuly. Later, the hosts should get another as Gudjohnsen hits the post on an absolutely wonderful weave through the defense. Giuly, stunningly, misfires the carom with the goal at his mercy. Barcelona avoid become the first holders to go out in the group stages.

Group B

Bayern Munich 1-1 Inter Milan
Roy Makaay's goal in the 62nd is equalized by a Patrick Viera strike in extra time. The draw sees Bayern through as group winners, with Inter runners-up.

Sporting 1-3 Spartak Moscow
Spartak Moscow are through to the UEFA cup.

Group C

Galatasaray 3-2 Liverpool
Fowler scores twice as the Reds rest their regulars having already won the group. The hosts finish bottom.

PSV 1-3 Bordeaux
Bordeaux make the UEFA Cup as PSV were already through as runners-up.

Group D

Roma 1-0 Valencia
Christian Panucci scores the winner early, as Roma leave nothing to chance and make it through with a win against group winners Valencia.

Olympiacos 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Shakhtar claim the UEFA Cup spot.


Tuesday's Champions League Summary @ the BBC (new window)


Wednesday, 06 December 2006

Group E

Lyon 1-1 Steaua Bucuresti
Lyon were already through and finish top the group.

Dynamo Kiev 2-2 Real Madrid
Ronaldo gets two late goals as Madrid, who were already through, finish runners-up in Group E.

Group F

Manchester United 3-1 Benfica
Marcos Nelson fires a lovely strike that puts Benfica up first. But United's scare doesn't last long as Ryan Giggs sends in a brilliant free kick that is headed home by Nemanja Vidic. Giggs then finishes off the Portuguese-side for good as he heads home Man U's second. Louis Saha's adds one more in the 74th as United win the group.

FC Copenhagen 3-1 Celtic
Celtic were already through, but take an unexpected thrashing from the Danish-side. Atiba Hutchinson, Jesper Gronkjaer, and Marcus Allback score for the home side. Jiri Jarosik pulls one back for Celtic in the 75th.

Group G

Hamburg 3-2 CSKA Moscow
CSKA need a win and a winner from Porto v Arsenal. They get neither and are off to the UEFA Cup.

FC Porto 0-0 Arsenal
Porto hits the post twice while the match is still being contested, but things eventually grind to a halt, as a draw will see both teams through. The final 10 minutes are painful to watch as the two clubs are jeered by fans as neither team attempts to go forward. In the one minute of extra time, Porto stand on the ball as supporters give-in and begin cheering their team's progression to the knockout stage.

Group H

AC Milan 0-2 Lille
Lille are through as AEK Athens draw. Milan win the group and were already through before today's match.

Anderlecht 2-2 AEK Athens
Athens need to match Lille's result, but only manage a draw. The Greek-side goes to the UEFA Cup.


Wednesday's Champions League Summary @ the BBC (new window)


Tables @ the BBC (new window)

Live Updates @ BBC (new window)