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Issue 00470 |
May 26 - June 1, 2007 |
issn 0856 - 9135 |
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Sports |
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The Corner Flag by Chris George Chelsea share the spoils Chelsea made their season when they pipped Manchester United 1-0 in the first FA Cup final at the Wembley stadium since the year 2000. Incidentally Chelsea were the last team to have won the FA Cup at Wembley. Had Chelsea lost, they would have only been left with the League Cup which would not have been enough for their owner who has spent millions of pounds on players. However, the win secured them a domestic double of League and FA Cup. It also saved manager Jose Mourinho’s face. He was doomed for the sack, but looks likely to be given another year in charge. For Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson, it was a disappointing end to the season. A month ago, they were hoping for a repeat of their 1999 treble of Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FA Cup. But they did just a third of that in winning only the Premiership. Sir Alex put their dumping out of the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup due to fatigue. United’s players put a Herculean effort into winning the Premiership title they last won in 2004 and they did it. This took a toll later on and in the FA Cup final, though they tried, there were some real tired legs. Chelsea were also tired too, but the difference was in the skill and masterclass finishing of top striker Didier Drogba, who scored the winning goal five minutes before extra time ended. So Manchester United and Chelsea head into the summer break having shared the spoils of English trophies, and they will meet again in the season opener, the Community Shield on 5 August 2007 at Wembley. As I write, the UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan in Athens is yet to take place, so it will be one more exciting and late night of football, before I and many other soccer fans take a rest before the start of the new season in August. I will cover the UEFA Champions League final in the next issue. I predict that the match will go to penalties. Now the focus is on the new season. Players have a chance to have a well deserved rest. Some players have played over 50 matches the whole season and are fatigued. Managers will already be plotting for the new season, trying to buy better players to bolster their squads. Pre-season training will start in July. Transfer talk is already in the air. Manchester United are buying Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich for £17 million. Chelsea have acquired midfielder Steve Sidwell from Reading on a free transfer. However with Lampard, Essien, Ballack, Robben and Mikel all in the mid-field, one wonders the wisdom of players like Sidwell in joining Chelsea. They may end up playing the bit-role like Shaun Wright-Phillips and ending up frustrated. The striker who is hot and wanted by several clubs is Carlos Teves of West Ham. The Argentinian had a tough time in the beginning, but in the end saved his club from relegation. Shevchenko might return to AC Milan next season. West Brom play Derby on 28 May, in the final of the play-offs to decide which team will join Sunderland and Birmingham in the Premiership next season. Most European Leagues are over and the most recent is in Germany where vFB Stuttgart won the Bundesliga after many years. In Spain with three games to go, it is neck and neck, with Real Madrid and Barcelona tied on 69 points, UEFA Cup winners Sevilla two points behind and Valencia a further two points adrift. On the local scene, soccer took a further nosedive, with Young Africans being knocked out of the Confederations Cup by El-Merreikh of Sudan. When will we ever win?
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