HOORAH! The new soccer season has started! (Actually many had alr, but I am referring to the Barclays Premier League here) Has been many months since the last season, and I wondered if many people have some kind of withdrawal symptoms. Apparently suicide rates were higher in the off-season due to a lack of soccer… WTF? Can’t imagine what kind of fans these are.

Well, I’m not going to make bold predictions this time round about the final standings, as I usually make myself stupid in that sense. So I’ll just list some of my thoughts. Chelsea looked like an ageing squad brimming with central midfielders, but seriously lacking width. Hull City was very very unlucky not to come away with a point after a battling display of grit. Villa succumbed to a Wigan side which many thought lost some of their key players, though they have themselves lost Barry to Man City, which looked pretty crap in the first half. They do indeed pick up pace in the 2nd half, but Blackburn must be gutted to slump to an unlucky defeat. Sunderland and Stoke both look decent at the back now and time will tell if they can keep up the trend, while Portsmouth expectedly lose to a Fulham side built on solid defense. Finally, West Ham welcomed Wolves back to the harsh reality of premier league life.

As of the time of writing this, Everton has just started entertaining Arsenal, and I’ll keep my mouth shut on any predictions.

In the greatest European night of the year, for a team who only 3 years ago, looked to be a crumbling empire, it was a fitting moment for them to savor the glory, a win they deserved truly.

Before the match, the tension already built up. Half a century after the Munich disaster, and talks of this team potentially being Fergie’s greatest. Plus the stage was set up for Cristiano Ronaldo to strut his talents, after an all conquering season driving Man Utd to the domestic league title. On the other hand, there is Chelsea, one of few opponents the team actually display that bit of fear. Their first shot at a trophy that will determine their direction. Add to that the fact that Chelsea narrowly missed out on the domestic title added more tension.

When all is over, the rest is history. Many teams suffocated under the extravagant wealth of Chelsea, but Manchester United emerge victorious! Cristiano Ronaldo (while he would later on miss an agonizing spotkick), turned up on his greatest match of his career so far, and scored a stunning 42nd goal of his brilliant campaign, a feat bettered only by the best of the best strikers, only that Ronaldo is not even a striker! To add to the celebration, the man himself said in an interview, that he is gonna stay on at the club

And then veteran Ryan Giggs, on a night shattering the appearance record for Man Utd, possibly a feat never to be outdone again, scored the winning goal of the penalty shootout, a fitting reward for one of the best players ever.

And then, Rio Ferdinand, while impressive, had a little off-form in this match. You could feel the tension, at the start of the spotkick, after he got the decision from a coin-toss, had to consult Fergie on whether to go first or second. It was a decision he couldn’t afford to make.

His partner in defence on the other hand, was in imperious form. Nemanja Vidic kept Drogba in his pockets throughout the match. The frustration was clearly seen towards the end when Drogba went to slap Vidic, and deservedly got the marching orders.

Credit to the new signings too. Tevez, Hargreaves, Nani & Anderson all converted their spotkicks. Especially Anderson, who is yet to score for Man Utd in open play. That boy must have balls of steel, as the penalties went into sudden death, to duly convert.

Of course, the big man in goal is a focal point today. Time and again he denied Chelsea (with a little help from the woodwork). More importantly, in the final moment, he parried a Nicolas Anelka spotkick away, to win yet another European medal, a good 13 years after his last one.

And last but not least, the most credit goes to the master tactician, none other than Sir Alex Ferguson. ’nuff said

Ok, this post came a lil’ tad late. Hohum, but I don’t care! Yesterday’s match alleviated some of the putrid feeling of the past week, when I just couldn’t bear to visit any soccer sites at all. But now it is all nice and dandy again. The real Man Utd had stood up to be counted when it mattered. Could I believe it? It’s not everyday that you get to trounce Arsenal 4-0. And saying that, Arsenal were lucky to ship only 4 goals.

Just like how Man Utd had no excuses for the derby humiliation last week, Arsenal found no excuses, and indeed… found no answer to the play Man Utd played. It was a pathetic performance from the Gunners. And yet Man Utd did this without Tevez, Giggs, Ronaldo. Why can’t they play like this every week hur? In any case, it has been a long time since Man Utd had a close to world class substitutes bench. With the unpolished gem in Nani, and the seemingly jackpot that is Anderson, the future looks bright indeed. Now, if only there is more forward firepower and future talent… I want Karim Benzema, who happens to ply his trade in Man Utd’s next opponent now, Olympique Lyon. More on that if the opportunity arises, I need to panic over my tutorials now