Same Old EPL Teams

For two consecutive years EPL will have three teams in the Champions' League Semi-Finals. This is good for the EPL and it shows that EPL is currently the best league among all the top leagues in the world, or Europe. Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea qualified together for the 2nd consecutive years, and this turn out to be one of the most exciting match up in recent years with Barcelona making up the final SF slot.

Among these 4 teams, who do you think stand the strongest chance to lift the coveted trophy? Who will be the most suitable winner at last after coming through the long and hard season? Can Barca break the strengthold like AC Milan did a year ago? Or will it finally be an All English teams finals? For now, I would just want to analyse team by team.

First of all, we discuss about Liverpool. They are a typical cup team, and no matter how bad they do in the league, they always perform extraordinary during cup competition, especially in European nights. This season proof yet again they could be playing like middle-league team, but always live up to expectation in Champions' League games. The way they disposed off Inter Milan and Arsenal in 2nd and 3rd round said that all. So we can't discard at all Liverpool's chances of lifting the trophy come end-May 08. Question is will they perform as well when meeting English opponent in Semi-Finals or potentially Man Utd in the finals? Or they stand better chance playing Barca in the final? Can Fernando Torres and Stevie G help The Cops win the trophy for under-fired Rafa Benitez? Other than that I think there's not much to talk about Liverpool.

Secondly, Chelsea has been performing consistently most of the season after Jose Mourinho left, and they've been unbeaten in the league for quite a while now. But at times Avram Grant just doesn't know what to do in a European match. It showed during their 1st and 2nd knock-out stage games, where they lost one of them to Fenerbache away. It's been said few times when the going gets tough, Avram Grant just lose his head, and he just plunge in anyone who's available on the bench without clear instruction to them. So when meeting with Liverpool, the traditional cup team, can they put up a similar performance in EPL to fight head and tail to try qualify to the Finals? Probably this match is open and anyone can win it over 2 legs. So it's 50-50 game for this, but my pick would still be Liverpool as history and phychologically will stands on The Cop's side.

As for Man Utd and Barca, both are equally match up on paper, and Man Utd may have a slight advantage on their defence than Barca's fragile backline at times. Number of goals conceded in the league and Champion's league will shows that. So Man Utd may have a little advantage over Barca in this aspect. As for performance, Barca of late is inconsistent and this further showed when Lionel Messi is injured, and with Ronaldinho currently sidelined as well as off-form, Barca will have to look for new fresh players to boost their chance of lifting the trophy. With Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry together with a youngstar of them, they tend to be dangerous on attack as well. Man Utd may have Ronaldo and Rooney plus Tevez, but this three are equelly deadly too.

So for all the above reasons, we can expect a mouth watering ties between these four teams and we are about to witness one of the most exciting Champions' League Semi-Finals and Finals in years, and be prepare to see some marvellous and supernatural skills and art of football at stage soon.

Overall my pick for the glory will be Manchester United, because they are the team at the moment, and with a great depth of their squad, they very unpredictable and well equip to take on any one of them. Plus the on-fire Ronaldo+Rooney+Tevez partnership, they are bound win something big this season.