Whew...Let me catch my breath!

If the last CL match day did not have you excited, then you don't have a pulse. As a Chelsea fan, I was happy, then petrified, then numb and then finally happy again. As a nuetral, I am sure the match between Chelsea and Liverpool ranked with the best of them in  terms of entertainment value.

The irony of it all was that everybody including myself was anticipating a "War of Attrition" between the two teams. A game where the teams are so evenly matched, defense will dominate and a moment of brilliance/error will determine the outcome. This game had both, multiple times and in the end Chelsea advanced to the semi-final of the Uefa Champions League.

In the other "main event", a game that I definitely expected to be more open, one moment of absolute brilliance by Cristiano Ronaldo decided the result and Manchester United marched on.

However, there is no rest for the weary. Both players and fans alike will embark on another "rollercoaster" of emotions as the three English, Champions League semi-finalists, gear up again this weekend for the FA-CUP semi-finals. If this week was anything to go by, I need to invest in an oxygen tank. Clearly, this is more than just a game, IT'S A WAY OF LIFE.

Cheers,
Deon

Is the EPL the best league in Europe?

Hands down, yes. I like European football. Who doesn't? It is definitely the most glamorous. And over the years there has been great debate over which league is better, who has the best teams, players etc. The truth is, every league has its argument.
La Liga boasts, Spanish heavy weights, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia, Atletico and Villareal. All with world class players, all who have had recent European success. The same can be said of Italian powerhouses, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus. In Germany, there is Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen. All these teams are destinations that any player in world football will gladly accept a contract to play. But if we want to look at sheer consistency, let's examine the EPL.
How many years in recent memory, have there been a quarter final or semifinal stage of a European competition (either Champions league, or Uefa Cup) in which at least three teams are English? Take this year for example. Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are all in it at this stage of the competition. In fact last year and many years before. The draw was such that English teams met in quarter finals, semi finals, and Finals consistently. Clearly there is something special there. To add to the case, Uefa cup, in recent years "second teir" EPL teams (like Tottenham, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Bolton) have made pretty good runs.
Now I am not making any arguments on which team is the best in Europe, because to me that can be any of a number of teams, but when it comes to European competition, the English teams collectively do well. So any given year in the later stages of the season, there can be atleast 4 or 5 EPL teams still involved in some type of European football. At first I was not a believer, having previously voted for Italian League and most recently La Liga. But with these facts, the answer is a resounding YES!
p.s With the EPL winding down, it looks like a 2 horse race for the title between Man U and Liverpool. We (Chelsea) have an outside chance of winning, but our focus in retribution for last year's Champion's League final let down. Also, for good measure we will also be going for the FA Cup with all our strength. We will let those two fight for the League title, it will be our's next year anyway!

Till next time, Football is more than just a sport. IT'S A WAY OF LIFE!

Cheers,
Deon