Champions League: Chelsea, Manchester United To Showcase Talent

What a brilliant achievement it has been for two English teams to get to this years Champions League final. Chelsea have already made an appearance  in the League Cup Final and came second in the Premier League by two points, meanwhile Manchester United have deservedly secured a 17^th top flight title and are now pushing for a double.

The only worry is that on such a big stage, at a neutral venue the game may turn into a stalemate, as was the case in last years FA Cup final. That match was tense and drawn out and in truth it never really got going. The two teams back then as they are now were so well matched that it took 117 minutes for the deadlock to be broken. It would be a shame if on the biggest stage of European football the two English giants failed to impress. Nobody wants to see a bad Champions League final and people especially don’t want to see a bad Champions League Final featuring two teams from their own country.

However, both teams have clearly improved in the Champions League in the Last couple of years and both deserve to grace the final. It was only last year that people were talking about a Wayne Rooney goal drought in the Champions League and how concerned they were that Cristiano Ronaldo hadn’t scored. Chelsea had also been knocked out previously by three English teams (Arsenal and Liverpool twice) and people wondered if they had what it takes to succeed in the competition.

I believe with the confidence the flair players now have in the competition, this final encounter will not disappoint. Cristiano Ronaldo, Salomon Kalou, Joe Cole and Wayne Rooney can really turn this into an amazing spectacle. They, of course, will have to be at their best if they are going to breach the respective defences of United and Chelsea. It is a difficult game to make predictions on but I am a Manchester United fan so I'm hoping the Red Devils can pull through. There's no doubting that this will be a tough and engaging match-up.

Many believe that the style of football that Chelsea play is not good enough to grace a Champions League final but in the last round against Liverpool over both legs none of their goals came from ‘route one football’. The detractors will hopefully take the time view the game before criticising a potential gem of a fixture. I feel that the English teams stability have helped them to achieve success in the Champions League this season. Liverpool, Man United and Chelsea have by and large kept the same team with a few additions from last season. Arsenal on the other hand, have made a few more changes which has seen their season peter out. Had they had had the same squad depth that Chelsea and United had then they may well have been in contention for this double.

We should start to get used to three English teams in the semi-final as this is the second year in a row it has happened. The past three years have seen an English team contending for the title of the best club in Europe. Liverpool featured in the final in 2005 and 2007, Arsenal in 2006 and now both Manchester United and Chelsea in 2008. Each final has had its twists and turns but have ultimately been memorable for one reason or another. What is sure to say is that the cup with the big ears is coming back to England. Long may this trend continue.

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