The morning after
Wake up, check twitter, look on the internet. Oh yes, that DID happen.
As hard as it may be to imagine, even the best things in the world have their detractors. Likewise, regardless of how much it is considered the most prestigious club competition in the world, the UEFA Champions League has received its share of criticism, particularly from those who’ve aquired an apparent distaste for the earlier proceedings of the tournament. Perceived as stale and routine, the group stages of Europe’s showpiece event have often been dismissed, by some, for its lack of ability to inspire that “edge of your seat” thrill, the type that is so appealing to all football fans. Close your eyes, allow a brief flashback to yesterday, and, as you can imagine, the irony becomes overwhelming.
Matchday 6 took us through a whirlwind of matches complete with twists, turns, revivals, denials, jubilance, and, most notably, dejection on a day in which four qualification spots were up for grabs. At the San Siro, CSKA Moscow snatched a late win to progress from Group B, while Lyon were steady overturning a seven point goal differential in Croatia. Money bags Manchester City were eliminated despite their win against Bayern at Eastlands, and most of all, in spectacular fashion, FC Basel ousted 2011 runners-up Manchester United at St. Jakob Park in Switzerland. Credit to Basel is due for an historic achievement, the likes of which few could have seen coming, but the bigger story here will be the maginitude of Sir Alex Ferguson’s jaw dropping failure.
Perhaps it goes without saying, but United really did deserve what they’d gotten in Basel. For a team whose fans proudly and consistently chant “we’ll do what we want,” too often have the Red Devils found themselves riding their luck late in games, clinging on for that last nicked goal as opposed to thoroughly defeating teams in a way that their talent, and their recent accolades, dictate they should. They did it in the first game of their domestic season against West Brom, relying on a twice deflected goal to avoid dropping points, and they’d done it against Basel at home on Matchday 2, coming back late to earn a 3-3 draw. In Basel, they were up to their old antics again, except this time it would cost them dearly.
The fact that they went into the last match of the group stages, with qualification in jeopardy, was an indictment against the Red Devils in itself. And while the jury may have been out on the club for a while, the result they suffered at St. Jakob Park delivered the final verdict, they simply were not good enough.
The Champions League really does have a fantastic anthem. “Ils sont les meilleurs” are its first words. Its translates to “these are the best” in French. Last night, we were given a merciless reminder that you must almost bring your best if you want to succeed among them in the competition. Not even the great Manchester United is exempt from that rule.
What did you think about Matchday 6?
