There’s something oddly familiar about this year’s Champions League semifinal lineup: it looks a lot like last year’s. Three of four teams are English, the same three teams that featured at this stage last year. One of the matchups is exactly the same, and has been now for three of the last four years. UEFA President Michel Platini won’t say it, but the egalitarian in him must be thinking that some sort of handicap needs to be implemented to keep the English Premier League from dominating this tournament.
The similarities between 2008 and 2007 don’t end there: as International Herald Tribune writer Rob Hughes points out, Barcelona is very much this year’s AC Milan. In 2007, having coasted through the Serie A season, Milan saved everything for its seven final Champions League games, a strategy that obviously paid dividends. If nothing else, Barcelona’s performances in the competition this year have been steady — something you can’t say about the team’s domestic campaign. When healthy, Barca is as good as any of the remaining English teams.
However, unlike Milan last season, Barca is being torn apart by injuries and infighting. While Leo Messi may be available for the first leg against Manchester United, Ronaldinho and Deco, two of Barca’s best players over the last four years, will not be, and for unknown reasons. The club claims injury, but the Spanish media say they’ve been ostracized for bad behavior. Either way, to stand any chance of victory, Barcelona needs to come together; otherwise, you will see an all-English final.