Champions League Reaction and Predictions for March 11

This guy right here has every right to by upset today. Fernando Torres pulled him down from behind and was able to score a goal because of it. I'm not saying that Liverpool would not have gone on to win if this goal had been disallowed, but the complexion of the game would have been completely different. Gabriel Heinze also has a right to be in a bullish mood today, as the so called hand ball against him hit off of his shoulder. Basically Real Madrid got hosed, and as a supporter of los Merengues in my spare time (aka when my boys United are not playing) I felt bad for them. Aside from those two mishaps, Gerrards second goal was phenomenal, as per usual.

Bayern were also very impressive, as they went on to win there tie over Sporting Clube de Portugal (or sporting lisbon for all you laymen out there) 12-1 on aggregate. But my question is where is this play in the league? Bayern are behind teams like Dortmund, Hoffenheim, and Hertha Berlin, and yet they can go this crazy in one set of games. Hopefully for them, they will continue on this rich vein of form. In terms of Lisbon, go home and think about what you've done. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Villareal are also through... yay

Chelsea earned their passage to the next round with a hard fought draw against Juventus. They played well, and good for Michael Essien grabbing a goal after being out of action for 6 months. As for Juve, sorry Del Piero, but this might have been your last chance. Forzza Del Piero!

Now for today:

Atletico should do just enough in Portugal to advance, but Porto do have the advantage of two away goals in Madrid. I think that Atletico are just playing too well right now, so I pick Atletico Madrid to be the only team from the Spanish capitol left in Europe.
Scorline: Atletico 2 Porto 1

I hate picking Arsenal to win anything, but I just have a gut feeling that they will win this tie, not necessarily this game. If they can grab one goal at the Olimpico, then it will be smooth sailing. Totti might not play (yeah right) and I just feel that Arsenal have been playing very well lately. (Did you see that Eduardo wunderstrke in the FA Cup, amazing)
Scorline: Arsenal 1 Roma 1

Barcelona face a test that may be trickier than they think. Lyon have quality on this team, and Benzema is one of the best strikers in the world right now. I still think the blaugrana have enough to overcome Lyon, especially because this game is at the Nou Camp.
Scoreline: Barcelona 3 Lyon 1

Game of the day:
Inter pose a threat to Manchester United, especially because the the Red Devils couldn't grab a goal at the San Siro. But I guess the best way to sum up how I feel about this game is this:
We Have Cristiano Ronaldo, and Inter doesn't.
Scoreline: United 2 Inter 0

This sets up a mouth watering tie for this weekends Saturday early fixture between Manchester United and Liverpool. Who wins this one, find out by checking back with your source for the most knowledgeable American Soccer fans on the web, myself and the Hartzell Brothers (if Stephen would ever post on here).

Convinced?

Hopefully, these two will share many a more celebrations for years to come!

Earlier today, Manchester United kept the quintuple dream alive with a 4-0 thrashing of Fulham at Craven Cottage. The man who was instrumental in this clinic was none other than Carlos "Carlitos" Alberto Tevez, who scored not one, but two peaches. He scored the first goal after a corner was flicked on by Wayne Rooney. Tevez was lurking at the back post and cooly nodded the ball past a diving Mark Schwartzer. The second was a thing of sheer beauty. Tevez went on a run down the left side of the field. He turned the ball inside and shook the defender. After making a little more space for himself as he moved inside, he unleashed a twenty yard strike from the top left side of the 18 yard box. The ball curled away from a diving Schwartzer and United were 2-0 up. They would add second half goals from Wayne Rooney and a rare one from Park Ji-Sung.

Hopefuly, this was all the convinving that Sir Alex and the United board needed to get the permanent signing of Tevez underway. With Tevez, it's not always flashy, but he does the little things. We all know how much Cristiano Ronaldo hates tracking back. Well, if you play him with Tevez, then Ronaldo can stay on the other side of the field. He also can score from just about anywhere on the field. The way he runs at defenders constantly has to wear on a defense over 90 minutes, as is the case with Wayne Rooney. One thing I wonder about is why Sir Alex never wants to play his "big four" (Berbatov, Rooney, Tevez, and Ronaldo) together. I think that if you played a 4-1-2-1-2 (or a diamond midfield, if you will) and had anderson or Carrick at the bottom of the diamond, someone on the left (insert Giggs, Nani, Park, etc. here) Ronaldo on the right and Tevez at the top of the diamond, and Rooney and Berba up top, certain defenses would be shaking in their boots (it's what I do in FIFA 09, and just ask a certain contributor to this column and see what he thinks of this). Look, basically what I am trying to say is that Carlos Tevez has not only become a cult hero at Old Trafford, but he has also become an integral part of the United squad. One that we cannot afford to lose.