True, Chelsea could of scored even if Mueller hadn’t been subbed, but had it gone to extra time in that scenario, having Mueller on the pitch would of been more beneficial than Van Buyten in a game of this magnitude. People might not like Chelsea’s style of play but turning around the Napoli tie and knocking Barca out are no easy feats.

The amount of luck gone their way has been surreal. You saw Drogba praying and looking at the sky. Perhaps there is a football god somewhere up there. Drogba has been instrumental in their route to the final. Now that he’s won it, could that of been his farewell? He’s won everything at Chelsea and you get the feeling he wants to end his time at Stamford Bridge on a high. I think he’ll join Anelka in China or go to the MLS.

I think Di Matteo should get the job full time. He’s been great since taking over from AVB. He’s done what Ranieri, Mourinho, Grant, Hiddink, and Ancelotti all failed to do. I don’t see how he can’t be considered. He has a real passion for the club.

@ andrew
First, what is your avatar of? It looks like someone in a wrestling ring. Perhaps a Japanese promotion? I maybe wrong.

Messi playing for Stoke would be funny but if he ever plays against them, I fear he may have his legs broken by their physical brute players. That’s my main criticism of Stoke. I don’t mind too much their route 1 style of football as it does keep them up but their plays do fly in with some reckless tackles at times. e.g. Aaron Ramsey having his leg broke by Ryan Shawcross in Feb 2010.

I used to love international football. The World Cup would eclipse any tournament. A combination of players prioritising their club over country (mainly due to wages), and alot of the players from the 90′s and early 00′s either past their peak or retired has made it less special now.

Sure, there’s the likes of Messi, C Ronaldo and Van Persie who are at their peak and world class players, but I miss the days of Zidane, Henry, (Brazillian) Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Bergkamp, Raul, Figo, etc. Those were the players I grew up watching.

The World Cups of 1998 and 2002 were outstanding. I would happily watch those tournaments over again. The 2006 World Cup was a bit hit and miss. I’d say only half the tournament was good. The 2010 World Cup was boring in my opinion. Aside from the final and the semis, the rest of the tournament could easily be skipped.

I really would love an Asian team to win the World Cup one day. The players are definitely getting better. While I miss the players I grew up watching (mainly European and South American), I do like the fact that Asian players are getting better all the time and are raising their reputation to the rest of the world. The J-League looks like an awesome league. I’m sure there’s less money in it and more loyalty which the European leagues don’t have anymore.

I agree that long gone are the days of players like Adams and Maldini. John Terry will probably be one of last few to be a one man club. Signing a player should be more about that clubs history and success, rather than the wage they can offer.

I think there should be a gap between teams but it shouldn’t be so big. For example, in Spain, Real and Barca get alot more TV money than the other clubs do. This naturally gives them more money to spend in transfers. While that’s not the case in England, seems every club has a billionaiore now willing to throw around unlimited amounts of cash and not care if they make it back or not.

I can’t see a draft working and that would be really bad. Imagine Messi joining Norwich or Stoke lol. Just wouldn’t work. A salary and transfer cap seems like a good idea though.

Aside from it being a tad unfair for competing for trophies, you also have to be concerned about each clubs long term future. Rangers and Portsmouth are both in administration, and in Portsmouth’s case for the second time in three years. No one wants to see a club go out of business, but it’s happening because of money. These billionaires, could in theory just pack up shop and leave the club they own in dire financial trouble and not care one bit. So some rules have to be put in place to make sure that won’t happen.

As for the euros, I think Germany have a great chance of winning but they will need to beat Spain who have beaten them at the last Euros and World Cup. When it comes to International football, I’m neutral and prefer it that way. Saying that, I do wish an Asian team win the World Cup one day. Be it Japan, South Korea, China or Australia (who come under the Asian Football Confederation now).