New Football Pools pundit Alan Hansen talks exclusively to Goal.com about three of next week's Champions League clashes involving English clubs - and expects the Premier League representatives to have the edge over their continental opponents.
Alan Hansen was a colossus on the pitch for Liverpool and Scotland, becoming a true Anfield legend and collecting a host of medals in a glittering playing career. And since hanging up his boots he's become a giant of football punditry too, renowned for his forthright views and analyses which are eagerly anticipated by millions of viewers of BBC TV's Match of the Day every week.
Looking forward to the potential treats in store as Champions League action resumes on Tuesday and Wednesday, Alan Hansen spoke to Goal.com about the likely outcomes of three key matches...
Real Madrid v Liverpool
The Real Madrid v Liverpool clash is an absolutely massive match between two of the biggest clubs in world football. The Spanish champions are playing well at the moment but Liverpool have showed in the last 5 years or so that they can produce fantastic results in this competition.
The atmosphere for the 2nd leg at Anfield will simply be out of this world. The atmosphere for European nights is already superb but with Liverpool still in the title race and the level of opposition they are facing, it will take it up a notch or two. Usually Liverpool are only competing for this trophy at this time of the season so the fact they are still in with a chance of the Premier League too should add to the excitement of this game.
Let’s get it right, Real Madrid are truly formidable opposition but over two legs Liverpool are definitely strong enough to go through. You can only beat what is put in front of you and we all know Real Madrid have plenty of attacking threat but they are definitely vulnerable when they aren’t in possession of the ball. You can have the best attackers in the world but if you don’t play with a structure then you will suffer which has been the case of the Spaniards in this competition in recent years.
Real are not short of top class defenders, they possess the likes of Sergio Ramos, Fabio Cannavaro and Gabriel Heinze; but it’s not all about the back four, it’s about how they defend as a team and I think Rafa Benitez’s side could exploit that. Liverpool will be resolute in the first leg at the Bernabeu in front of a fanatical home crowd. I must admit that I envy the Liverpool players walking out on that pitch as despite numerous European games for the club I never played in that fantastic stadium.
You think of Real Madrid and you think of flamboyant attacking football. They’ve always had top players, I grew up watching the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano and Francisco Gento who were part of a truly great Real Madrid team. However, despite their style and size the Spanish champions have not won the Champions League for a while and are struggling to retain their domestic title, so Liverpool have a great chance in what promises to be a truly fantastic tie.
Inter v Manchester United
Having watched Inter in the Milan derby last week I did notice that they look a lot stronger under Jose Mourinho’s management. However, the way Manchester United are playing at the minute you have to fancy them to go through.
The thing about football is that one bad performance or one bad result can really upset a team to the extent where you don’t know where the next win is coming from. The problem for anyone facing Manchester United at the moment is that Sir Alex knows exactly what to expect so knows how to avoid complacency setting in. The fact that United have such a strong squad also helps the manager in that area as there is always someone ready to take another player's place in the side. This in turn keeps everyone on their toes.
The fact that Mourinho knows all about United will definitely help the Italians and we all know what a good tactician the Portuguese manager is. Then there’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he is a good forward but does not necessarily stand out for me as much as his reputation merits. The Swede looked big and strong in the Milan derby but the way United’s defence is currently performing, I don’t see him causing Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic too many problems. For me, Sir Alex’s side should progress to the next round as they are without a doubt the form side.
Chelsea v Juventus
The Chelsea v Juventus encounter sees former manager Claudio Ranieri return to Stamford Bridge. The Italian side sit 2nd in Serie A but remain 9 points behind leaders Inter so are unlikely to win their domestic title. Chelsea have also been struggling but I still would expect them to progress from this tie.
Ranieri should get a good reception from the home crowd though his time in charge of the club was marred by his failure to win the Champions League when they really should have at least reached the final. During the semi-final defeat to Monaco, the Italian made some of the worst substitutions I have ever seen and ultimately it cost them. If he had managed to win the trophy he may well have still been in the job. Unfortunately his time in the Chelsea hot-seat will be remembered due to his numerous unnecessary changes. After all, he was nicknamed the ‘Tinker-man’.
Chelsea should have too much power and pace for Juventus but that doesn’t mean that the Blues are lacking in technical ability. The Premier League is often accused of lacking the technique of the Italian and Spanish sides. I have to disagree with that. You don’t get three English clubs reaching the last four of the Champions League as happened last season, if they don’t have plenty of technical ability.
On Chelsea and Hiddink...
The arrival of Guus Hiddink at Chelsea should have an immediate effect on the dressing room in terms of giving the players a lift. Obviously the Dutchman has an excellent track record as a coach which is why he was employed, but then again, so did Big Phil Scolari. One thing’s for certain - Hiddink will need to heal the obvious factions at the club, though once these factions appear it can be extremely hard to get the team spirit back.
We don’t know if Hiddink wants the job full-time or not but he has walked into a great job, they remain in contention for the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League so he has a great chance of picking up silverware. He also inherits a great set of players too, if he can get them playing for each other again then anything is possible.
It’s important that Hiddink recreates the ‘team’ ethic that Chelsea were renowned for and if he can mould the numerous individual talents into a unit then he could turn it around at the club.
Alan Hansen was a colossus on the pitch for Liverpool and Scotland, becoming a true Anfield legend and collecting a host of medals in a glittering playing career. And since hanging up his boots he's become a giant of football punditry too, renowned for his forthright views and analyses which are eagerly anticipated by millions of viewers of BBC TV's Match of the Day every week.
Looking forward to the potential treats in store as Champions League action resumes on Tuesday and Wednesday, Alan Hansen spoke to Goal.com about the likely outcomes of three key matches...
Real Madrid v Liverpool
The Real Madrid v Liverpool clash is an absolutely massive match between two of the biggest clubs in world football. The Spanish champions are playing well at the moment but Liverpool have showed in the last 5 years or so that they can produce fantastic results in this competition.
The atmosphere for the 2nd leg at Anfield will simply be out of this world. The atmosphere for European nights is already superb but with Liverpool still in the title race and the level of opposition they are facing, it will take it up a notch or two. Usually Liverpool are only competing for this trophy at this time of the season so the fact they are still in with a chance of the Premier League too should add to the excitement of this game.
Let’s get it right, Real Madrid are truly formidable opposition but over two legs Liverpool are definitely strong enough to go through. You can only beat what is put in front of you and we all know Real Madrid have plenty of attacking threat but they are definitely vulnerable when they aren’t in possession of the ball. You can have the best attackers in the world but if you don’t play with a structure then you will suffer which has been the case of the Spaniards in this competition in recent years.
Real are not short of top class defenders, they possess the likes of Sergio Ramos, Fabio Cannavaro and Gabriel Heinze; but it’s not all about the back four, it’s about how they defend as a team and I think Rafa Benitez’s side could exploit that. Liverpool will be resolute in the first leg at the Bernabeu in front of a fanatical home crowd. I must admit that I envy the Liverpool players walking out on that pitch as despite numerous European games for the club I never played in that fantastic stadium.
You think of Real Madrid and you think of flamboyant attacking football. They’ve always had top players, I grew up watching the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano and Francisco Gento who were part of a truly great Real Madrid team. However, despite their style and size the Spanish champions have not won the Champions League for a while and are struggling to retain their domestic title, so Liverpool have a great chance in what promises to be a truly fantastic tie.
Inter v Manchester United
Having watched Inter in the Milan derby last week I did notice that they look a lot stronger under Jose Mourinho’s management. However, the way Manchester United are playing at the minute you have to fancy them to go through.
The thing about football is that one bad performance or one bad result can really upset a team to the extent where you don’t know where the next win is coming from. The problem for anyone facing Manchester United at the moment is that Sir Alex knows exactly what to expect so knows how to avoid complacency setting in. The fact that United have such a strong squad also helps the manager in that area as there is always someone ready to take another player's place in the side. This in turn keeps everyone on their toes.
The fact that Mourinho knows all about United will definitely help the Italians and we all know what a good tactician the Portuguese manager is. Then there’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he is a good forward but does not necessarily stand out for me as much as his reputation merits. The Swede looked big and strong in the Milan derby but the way United’s defence is currently performing, I don’t see him causing Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic too many problems. For me, Sir Alex’s side should progress to the next round as they are without a doubt the form side.
Chelsea v Juventus
The Chelsea v Juventus encounter sees former manager Claudio Ranieri return to Stamford Bridge. The Italian side sit 2nd in Serie A but remain 9 points behind leaders Inter so are unlikely to win their domestic title. Chelsea have also been struggling but I still would expect them to progress from this tie.
Ranieri should get a good reception from the home crowd though his time in charge of the club was marred by his failure to win the Champions League when they really should have at least reached the final. During the semi-final defeat to Monaco, the Italian made some of the worst substitutions I have ever seen and ultimately it cost them. If he had managed to win the trophy he may well have still been in the job. Unfortunately his time in the Chelsea hot-seat will be remembered due to his numerous unnecessary changes. After all, he was nicknamed the ‘Tinker-man’.
Chelsea should have too much power and pace for Juventus but that doesn’t mean that the Blues are lacking in technical ability. The Premier League is often accused of lacking the technique of the Italian and Spanish sides. I have to disagree with that. You don’t get three English clubs reaching the last four of the Champions League as happened last season, if they don’t have plenty of technical ability.
On Chelsea and Hiddink...
The arrival of Guus Hiddink at Chelsea should have an immediate effect on the dressing room in terms of giving the players a lift. Obviously the Dutchman has an excellent track record as a coach which is why he was employed, but then again, so did Big Phil Scolari. One thing’s for certain - Hiddink will need to heal the obvious factions at the club, though once these factions appear it can be extremely hard to get the team spirit back.
We don’t know if Hiddink wants the job full-time or not but he has walked into a great job, they remain in contention for the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League so he has a great chance of picking up silverware. He also inherits a great set of players too, if he can get them playing for each other again then anything is possible.
It’s important that Hiddink recreates the ‘team’ ethic that Chelsea were renowned for and if he can mould the numerous individual talents into a unit then he could turn it around at the club.
No comments:
Post a Comment