By Myles Palmer
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COULD ARSENAL beat Capello’s Juventus?
They beat Lippi’s Juventus 3-1, but Capello’s Juve, with Zlatan and Cannavaro, are different.
I watched the Juventus-Bayern game because I had a bet.
Both clubs will qualify ahead of Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
Felix Magath’s team selection suggested it was the first leg of an old-fashioned European Cup tie, not a mini-league game.
He had Kuffour at right back and Sagnol as another right back in front of him !
A tense, tight game with few openings.
After Del Piero went off, and Zalayeta had come on, and 70 minutes had passed, I was thinking : Why don’t they hit Zlatan with a long ball ?
After 75, they hit Zlatan with a 60-yard ball from the magnificent Thuram and he nodded it into Nedved’s run and the Czech took one touch with his right foot and banged it with his his left and Oliver Kahn was on his arse and the ball was in the net.
Thank you and goodnight !
NEDVED is still mobile, combative, deadly, a warrior who can win matches.
Juve know how to play 1-0 football.
But Zlatan Ibrahimovic doesn‘t.
I love a real centre forward.
And size matters. He is a big powerhouse No.9 with special skills.
In the 92nd minute Zlatan pulled down another long ball and jabbed it over the advancing Kahn, but the shot went a foot wide of the post.
When Nedved scored I remembered that I’d had a bet on Juve to win the competition at 12-1.
I’m a Capello fan, an Emerson fan, a Zlatan fan, so I broke the habit of a lifetime.
Don’t normally do that. Who has the patience to wait six months to see if you’ve won a bet?Talking of punts, I saw my Irish builder Jimmy today.
“I’m gonna have a bet on Arsenal at 20-1 to beat Man United 3-0,” he said.
“Jimmy, nobody can predict football scores, not even you.”
“It’s just a gamble, ten quid!” he replied, grinning.
Fenerbahce 1 Lyon 3 was the old, old story. My Brazilians are better than your Brazilians. Three of the four goals were Brazilian!
Good club, Lyon. It must be well-run because they have sustained results over a long period.
Franca got one in Leverkusen’s 3-1 defeat of Roma, who finishd with nine men.
IN PRAGUE, Sir Alex showed how much he cared about Sunday by resting Keane and Ronaldo.
Quite impressed with Gabriel Heinze.
Athletic, dynamic, balanced, skilful, good in the air, an all-action left back who can get forward and score a goal or two.
Heinze is better than most players Fergie buys.
Menotti would have given him a game in 1978. He is better than Tarantini !
Heinze played on the left in a back three for Bielsa in the Olympics and won gold.
Sparta 0 Man United 0 ?
A routine CL away game for Fergie, so he picked a team to draw.
With Rio on compassionate leave to attend his gran’s funeral, they were dodgy at the back, but did not concede.
Fergie could not wait to be back on the plane to Manchester, with four days to prepare for Arsenal at Old Trafford.
What is O’Shea doing in midfield? If O’Shea plays in midfield on Sunday, Arsenal will win.
MICHAEL OWEN got the only goal for Real Madrid against Dynamo Kiev with a brave lunge at the near post from a Ronaldo pass in 35.
With Liverpool, it’s a waiting game.
Boring under Houllier, they’re more interesting to watch under Benitez because Baros can play Spanish football.In time Cisse will play Spanish football too.
After a 0-0 v Deportivo at Anfield, they go to La Coruna on November 3.
Benitez needs time and will be given time.
October 20th 2004