CHAMPIONS LEAGUE- A FINAL TO SAVOUR



Doggedness v/s flair”
At the final whistle the 1-1 score line gave Juventus an overall 3-2 victory over the two legs against the defending champions Real Madrid. The result might come as a shock to many but one must applaud the tenacity shown by the Turin side. The determination showed by Juventus players against a side constituted of superstars who were carefully handpicked by spending obscene amount of money is commendable. The Old lady fully deserves its place in the show piece final being held at the Berlin’s Olympic stadium.
Lets cast our eyes back to the start of the season when Juventus former coach Antonio Conte three times consecutive Serie A winner from 2012 -2014 left citing ideological differences with the board, he is now the head coach of Italian national team. His position was taken by the much maligned former AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri. No one gave them any chance; but what transpired over the season has stopped those loose talks. Juventus win over Real Madrid may have robbed the world of another El Clasico, but the win has redeemed Italian football and brought it back among the European elite.
Juvetus are looking at a treble having already secured the Serie A for the fifth consecutive year and they have already secured league cup defeating Lazio by 2-0 score line. However, the Turin side did not have the best of starts and could muster only seven goals in six outings in the group phase eventually coming second behind Atletico Madrid. Massimiliano Allegri deserves a lot of plaudits for changing the 352 formation played under Conte to a more balanced and flexible 451 system. One thing that went a long way in helping Allegri to turn things around was the presence of seasoned campaigners and winners like of Gigi Buffon, Claudio Marchisio, Giorgio Chiellini and the old master Pirlo.
Juvetus opponents in the final will be the overwhelming favorite Barcelona with their ferocious threesome Messi, Suarez & Neymar who so far has combined to score 114 goals between themselves this season. The improved Spanish tiki-taka will be up against the organizational skill of the Italians. With the plethora of talent on display the match will through up many intriguing battles and the side which wins majority of these battles will ultimately be the winner.
Football fans all around the world will be enthralled to see Busquet, Xavi and Rakitic square off against Pirlo, Pogba and Vidal; the statement, football matches are won or lost in the midfield, this old adage can’t have a more apt example. Before we presume that Juventus will predominantly setup to defend we must take into account that Allegri’s side has put eight goals past Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in the quarter and semi finals respectively on route to Berlin.
Barcelona game plan will center on keeping the ball and moving it quickly with short passes to tire the opposition and look for holes in defense; so if Juventus wants to take the match to Barcelona they  will have to break this possession monopoly and bring them out of their comfort zone; achieving this will be tough no doubt.
 The final will put up Barcelona’s attacking trinity against Juventus’s perseverance, and if we are fortunate we might witness a piece of Messi magic or be treated to one of the trademark divine defense splitting passes by Pirlo. Whatever the outcome, Berlin June 6th champions league final proposes to be a showcase of stubbornness vs. style; we are in for a treat.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

AN ARTIST- PART 1

Image
Why the moral policing? Kunal jerked his head , after all isn’t it my money and health, grinded his teeth . Who gives them right. “I know I am in the right.” he said the words out loud but no one heard it as he was alone in his workshop. See I have said it, then why do I still feel the pain in my head? From his position on the sofa Kunal looked at the bolted door, at that moment another thought spurred up. With fame comes great responsibility . The one constant advice he kept hearing all through his childhood to the initial years of adulthood. Was this the source of his discomfort? Was being a famous painter reason of his freedom to be being taken away? He remembered how the people closest to him becoming cautious with every new success of his, and came up with their do’s and don’ts lists, much to his chagrin. Things became so chaotic that he felt choked, so he discarded his so called well wishers, with the exception of one, a mischievous smile adorned his face.   ...
Read more

LET ME BE

Image
As I disconnected the phone, a calm descended upon me. Declining the party invitation was significant as it came from one of my closest college friends. Actually going out and meeting new people was never my thing. In fact it was Rina, my ex-girlfriend, who wanted me to become an outgoing person. Initially I did; as some would say out of love! But as I think back those forced outings brought me only pain. The recent offer was not the first invitation that I had declined, but I hoped this refusal would serve as a marker for others. As word would spread that I had declined a party invitation from one of my closest pals. With that, hopefully in time they would stop bothering me altogether. And let me be in peace to mend my broker heart. So that once again I am free to pursue the hassle-free life of being an introvert, which I used to love before the pathetic thing 'love' happened to me.
Read more

ABSENCE OF WARMTH

Image
Monsoon had replenished the valley and the visage presented a soothing effect to every eye. Water droplets assembled from last night’s drizzle sparkled when the first ray of the morning sun kissed it giving the illusion of a diamond studded blanket enveloping the region. Amid this lush foliage stood rows of concrete colourful houses either side of the road illustrating prosperity. Anyone who spared a moment to explore beyond the scenic beauty of the valley would observe a perfect synergy of progression and nature.    The community had seen rapid progress in the last twenty years with literacy rate increasing among both the sexes, natives learning advanced techniques of farming; which was their main occupation, developing markets and better connectivity with the outside world for better transportation. The air smelled of freedom of thought, the availability of resources and the optimism for success. Among this wave of progression stood an old palace akin a dinosaur....
Read more