Showing posts with label Inter Milan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inter Milan. Show all posts

Nani for Sneijder?

Inter Milan
Nani Nani of Manchester United in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford on April 9, 2011 in Manchester, England.When Nani walks out onto a football pitch wearing Manchester United colours, you know that he will have an effect on the game. He will cause problems on the wings, he will come inside and unleash a thunderous shot, he will win free-kicks in dangerous areas, he will create and score goals. If it wasn't for him and his stunning form this season, United wouldn't be where they are now - 7 points clear at the top of the Premier League and on course for a Champions League semi final and FA Cup Final.

It wasn't always like that, and at one point he might have been out of the Old Trafford door with a thumping headache and Sir Alex Ferguson's angry words ringing in his ears. But he kept at it, and has turned inconsistency's into an instrumental role at United. Why on earth would United want to let him go?

Well apparently, for Wesley Sneijder. The Netherlands international and Inter Milan play maker has been on Ferguson's wanted list for a while now, with the Inter Milan president confirming solid interest in the player from United. Considering the great World Cup he had and the well known quality in midfield that he can inject, that is very much understandable. Weight is added to the argument when you consider that Paul Scholes' contract negotiations are well off resolving and retirement is just around the corner. United will be looking for a replacement, and what a fantastic one Sneijder would be.

Would Ferguson really allow Nani to leave United so he can exchange him for an older player, in a different position? One that statistically has not had anywhere near as good a season as Nani has, and one who has never played in England before? Sure, he may settle down very quickly in England, but what if he doesn't? One of United's most influential players would be enjoying life in Italy while the player exchanged for him is suffering in a new, very different environment.

Manchester United fans have been left scratching their heads as to why Nani has been left off of the Player of the Year short-list. He has, in the Premier League alone, scored 9, and directly assisted 14 while playing a prominent role in countless Manchester United attacks, often proving lethal for the opposition. Meanwhile, Sneijder has managed 3 goals and 5 assists in the Italian Serie A.

I for one, would not like to see Nani leave Old Trafford for Sneijder. I would like to see the Dutchman wearing the red of United, but not at the expense of one of United's best, who is always looking to improve. Sir Alex has spoken of Nani's early troubles before, and by the sounds of it, the great Scot would not be any hurry to see Nani go either:
“Nani wasn’t close to leaving because he’d have had to get by me! Of course we sat down and talked. You do that with all your players.
“I don’t need to trumpet his improvement, he’s been consistent all season. He’s a match winner – he creates goals and he scores goals. Every time he gets near the ball, you think something special is going to happen. That’s the sign of a great player.”

Inter Milan 2-5 FC Schalke Highlights Goals Video - 5 April 2011

Inter Milan
This is the match between two struggling teams in the league, both of them have underperformd this season and it will be intersting to see how they go about this match as The Champions League quater FInal is getting closer.

Inter Milan took the lead from a wonder goal by Dejan Stankovic as he blasted home a volley from long range as Paul nuere came out of his goal. It was a sensational start to the match as the goal was scored in the 1st minute but German team hit back with a goal from Matip who made the score line 1-1 on the day. Diego malito scored to put the game back in Inter's favour but the lead did not lasted long as Edu scored to make it 2-2 on the night.

Match Result and Goals Video
[ Inter Milan 2-5 FC Schalke 04 ]
01' [1 - 0] D. Stankovic
17' [1 - 1] J. Matip
34' [2 - 1] D. Milito
40' [2 - 2] Edu
53' [2 - 3] C. Chivu Raul
57' [2 - 4] A. Ranocchia (o.g.)
75' [2 - 5] Edu

Full Match Highligths












Watch: Stankovic Stunning Half Way Line Volley

Inter Milan


Inter Milan opened the scoring in their Champions League tie against Schalke with an absolute stunner in the 23rd second. It is the 5th fastest goal scored in the Champions League, and one which will not be forgotten by anyone who sees it. 

AC Milan 3-0 Inter Milan Highlights Video - 2 April 2011

Inter Milan
A huge match in the Italian Serie A this week as AC milan take on Inter Milan for the League match which will be a very very important Milan derby as it may go down as the telling point in the race for the title between two historic rivals. AC Milan will be hosting Inter in this match on Saturday night, 2nd April 2011 for the league match. You can tune in here to watch the live action of the match here, we will be placing the live streaming links here which will be available closer to start of the match.

AC Milan are playing some ordinary football of late and they will be hosting to keep the good run of form going while we have Inter as their opponents this week who are in great form at the moment. After winning the treble last year everyone thought Inter will run away with the title against but their early season poor form left them at the 6th palce before Leonardo join the club as coach and since than things have been steadily imroving and now they can go top of the table if they can defeat AC Milan in this match.

INTERMILAN vs AC MILAN SERIE LEAGUE MATCH
Date: 2 April 2011 - Time: 19:45 GMT

Match Result and Goals Video
[ AC Milan 2-0 Inter Milan ]
01' [1 - 0] A. Pato
62' [2 - 0] A. Pato



"The interest from Manchester United in Sneijder is real." - But...

Inter Milan
Wesley Sneijder Wesley Sneijder of FC Inter Milan during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and FC Internazionale Milano at Olimpico Stadium on February 13, 2011 in Turin, Italy.It is no secret that Manchester United need reinforcements in midfield. The frailty's have been for all to see this season, and it is credit to the winning mentality at the club that they are at the top of the Premier League table by five points without playing their best football.

 Paul Scholes is still yet to sign an extension on his contract with the club, and if he does decide to retire or move on at the end of the season, Sir Alex will urgently need to find a replacement. Likewise, Owen Hargreaves' injuries continue to pester him, and whether or not Ferguson decides to stick with him and attempt to get his moneys worth for the Canadian is yet to be seen.

Nevertheless, it is no surprise that Inter Milan have confirmed United's interest in Wesley Sneijder. Last summer, Sir Alex dismissed the fact that he had made a bid for the 26 year-old Dutchman. He said:
“I don’t know where those reports about Sneijder came from. How can anybody turn me down when I haven’t even made a bid?”
The interest however has now been confirmed by the Inter Milan President, Massimo Moratti who said this:
“The interest from Manchester United in Sneijder is real. But I didn’t look into it. My only interest is seeing Sneijder play here for many more years to come.”
Sneijder is the creative spark that the United midfield would love to have. In 21 games this season, the Dutchman has scored 3, created 5 and unleashed an ambitious 93 shots on goal. He is quick, strong and powerful with accurate shooting ability but apparently out of United's reach.

£1 Billion for Modric

Inter Milan
Luka Modric Luka Modric of Tottenham in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at White Hart Lane on March 19, 2011 in London, England.Well it doesn't look like Luka Modric will be packing his bags, moving away from Tottenham and heading up North to Manchester or staying in the area and joining Chelsea. Not unless United or Chelsea, the two clubs linked with the Croatian midfielder are prepared to pay £1 billion for him.

Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager has led this Spurs side to a Champions League quarter final, beating one of the most successful European teams in AC Milan on the way. Luka Modric played a vital part in both helping Tottenham into the top four last season and their brilliant, over achieving success of reaching the latter stages of the prestigious European competition this year. The Tottenham manager emphasised the invaluable qualities that the 25 year-old holds in the side with a rather exaggerated expected transfer fee:

"I wouldn't want to sell him for £100 million, not even for a billion.
"He's the hub of the team."
He made his point. Of course, Redknapp would sell Modric for £1 billion - not that anyone - not even Manchester City would pay that ludicrous amount. But it is a clear statement that Modric is not for sale, and if an offer were to come in, it would have to be quite a substantial amount.

Modric only signed a long term contract at Spurs last year, and the players' representative, Mario Mamic reiterated Redknapps sentiments:
"These are just rumours. Luka has a contract until 2016 and Tottenham have no plans to sell him. He has an excellent relationship with coach [Harry] Redknapp and only signed a contract extension with Spurs last summer."
The rumours that Mamic spoke of refer to apparent interest from several English clubs including Manchester United and Chelsea as well as Italian side Juventus and Inter Milan. Certainly, Modric has his fans; he is a fantastic player and has been described by the former Chelsea assistant Ray Wilkins as one of the best midfielder's in the Premier League. Gerard Houllier, the current Aston Villa manager also heaped praise on Modric:
"Not only is he a very hard worker, he has a good brain and he provided some calmness and composure to the midfield. His passing was neat and his contribution was outstanding. He was not only winning the ball, he was passing well. We thought that he was very influential. He did not just work hard, he made the other people play well around him."
 He may not be worth £100 million or £1 billion, but Luka Modric is certainly a fantastic asset to Tottenham, and understandably has the best teams in the world watching him.

Bayern Munich 2-3 Inter Milan Highlights Video Goals - 2nd Leg

Inter Milan
In the 2nd leg of the redemtion mission for Bayern Munich agaisnt Inter Milna we will have the match at Allianz arena around 19:45 GMT on 15 March 2011 and you can tune in here to watch the live action of this match here. Bayern Have a 1-0 lead after the first leg which is huge and this away goal will give them a big edge over the competitors and the will be going out there to prove a point or two.

Inter Milan on the other hand are back in form and playing some good football of late but it will be a huge taks for them to go out there and get a win the want. All they have to do is to win the match some how. Marseille vs United is the same situation. Allianz Arean is expected to be full and it will be interesting to see how these two teams go about the rematch of the last years Champions League final when Inter defeated bayern Munich in what was a very 1 sided match.

This match will start at 19:454 GMT on Tuesday, 15 March 2011 and we will have the live updates for you through out the night all you have to do is to visit this page closer to start of the match.

BAYERN MUNICH VS INTER MILAN 2ND LEG:
Date: 15 March 2011 - Time: 7:45 PM GMT
Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany

Match Result and Highlights
[ Bayern Munich 2-3 Inter Milan ]
04' [0 - 1] S. Eto´o
21' [1 - 1] M. Gomez
31' [2 - 1] T. Müller
63' [2 - 2] W. Sneijder
88' [2 - 3] G. Pandev









Confirmed £30 million Bid for Alexis Sanchez

Inter Milan
Alexis Sanchez Alexis Sanchez of Udinese celebrates his second goal (0-3) during the Serie A match between US Citta di Palermo and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Renzo Barbera on February 27, 2011 in Palermo, Italy.Alexis Sanchez is proving hot property, with clubs from England, Italy and Spain all seemingly interested in acquiring his compellingly attractive services. Being compared to Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't do your on the field reputation any harm it must be said, and it is therefore perhaps no surprise that Manchester United have been very strongly linked, as the £80 million from the Ronaldo sale still lingers pleasingly in the bank awaiting usage.

Now his club Udinese have confirmed that a 35 million euro bid has been placed for their star attacker, but frustratingly, they refused to identify the club who placed the substantial bid. 35 million euros is equal to £29.7 million. And because Udinese have not named the bidders, it opens the door to speculation as to who it was.

Udinese's chairman Franco Soldati said:
"Sanchez is of interest of British and Italian teams.
"Somebody has already offered (for Alexis Sanchez) a figure close to 30-35 million euros but I cannot say by whom (we have received it)".
What a tease!
He justified the large asking price by citing recent Premier League signings including Liverpool's signing of Luiz Suarez, and Chelsea's double splurge of cash on Fernando Torres and David Luiz - a combined total of around £90 million. Doldati continued:
"A evaluation of €25 million for Sanchez? Looking at what has been paid for (Luis) Suarez, (Fernando) Torres and David Luiz in England, I think Sanchez will also apply to more than €25 million,"
"But right now we don't want to look at the market. Each assessment will be made at the end of the season."
The 23 year old Chilean international, who has scored 11 goals in 23 games this season for Udinese has done what most footballers do when they are linked to bigger, better clubs - repeat the question and avoid answering it. In other words, he doesn't want to commit himself to his current club, just in case the speculation, or in this case solid bid, turns into a possible transfer:
"My future? For now I want to play football, this is my only desire."
"At the end of the season we'll see what happens. Udinese? We are playing very well, the coach motivates us every game as if it were a final. "
Manchester United, Chelsea, City, Inter and Real Madrid have been linked. We'll see where he goes - it'll be interesting. More news here whenever it comes.

Arsenal v Barcelona, Man United v Mareille, Spurs v AC - CL Draw

Inter Milan
Champions League last 16 draw

Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk

AC Milan v Tottenham

Valencia v Schalke

Inter Milan v Bayern Munich

Lyon v Real Madrid

Arsenal v Barcelona

Marseille v Manchester United

Copenhagen v Chelsea

First legs to be played on 15/16 and 22/23 February

Second legs to be played on 8/9 and 15/16 March

Gareth Bale is Priceless for Tottenham

Inter Milan
Gareth Bale Gareth Bale of Spurs applauds the fans following his team's 3-1 victory during the UEFA Champions League Group A match between Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan at White Hart Lane on November 2, 2010 in London, England.After annihilating the European Champions' right back, Maicon, described as one of the best defenders in the world, Gareth Bale has been the topic of many a conversation today.

The Tottenham winger was in astonishing form, and showed his extraordinary fitness levels, when, in the 89th minute, after running and running for the whole game, bolted forward, past the Inter defence to assist his teammate with a tap in, and Tottenham's third to seal the game. And, after gathering admirers from all over the world, in giants of football clubs, and experienced football experts, Bale was more or less labelled as a priceless player by the man who helped turn him into the star that he is today, the Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.

When asked about the possibility of a top club bidding in the region of £25 - £30 million for the Welsh winger, Redknapp assured the Tottenham fans by saying:
"They wouldn't buy him for that, that's for sure,
"If he had a value, if we wanted to sell him, his value would be way in excess of that sort of figure.
"He really is an amazing young player. We wouldn't even entertain a bid. The chairman has said he's not for sale and that's good enough."
Instead, Redknapp wants to build a club, who he knows is improving day by day, with committed owners, quality players and quality facilities.
"We don't want to sell him and we're looking to build a team at Tottenham. We're a club that's going places - we've got a new training ground coming, change of stadium, the whole thing is going forward.
Gareth Bale, a man who went through a period early in his Tottenham career, in which whenever he was in the team, the team lost, has turned into a player that Tottenham cannot do without. He is worth, to Harry Redknapp and Tottenham over £50 million, and has almost single handed, demolished the European Champions' defence.

Bale summed the game up nicely, as he has seen his career and reputation change rapidly over the last few years:
"It was great, it was special beating the European champions. It will be a night that will never be forgotten."

Tottenham Hotspur 3 - 1 Inter Milan GOALS

Inter Milan


Tottenham destroyed Inter Milan on Tuesday night at White Hart Lane, with Gareth Bale ripping the Inter Milan defence to shreads. It was a fantastic performance, in which van der Vaart scored, while Gareth Bale sweeped down the left wing - past Maicon, and set up both Crouch and Pavleyuchenko for simple tap-ins.

Tottenham have announced themselves to Europe, and the world. The Champions League newcomers have beaten the European Champion convincingly, and shown their quality, strength in depth, and a player who will be drawing lots of attention over the coming years, Gareth Bale.

Bojan Krkic Wanted by Chelsea, Inter and West Ham

Inter Milan
Bojan Krkic Bojan Krkic of FC Barcelona runs with the ball during the La Liga match between Barcelona and Sporting de Gijon at Nou Camp on September 22, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona won 1-0.If Bojan Krkic decides to move on from Barcelona at some point in the future, he won't have any shortage of options as to where to move. Chelsea, Inter Milan, and West Ham have reportedly shown an interest in the 20 year old striker, and with his obvious talents, many other clubs will also take a keen interest in the transfer proceedings.

The question may be asked as to why a player would want to leave such a great club in Barcelona - a club that is currently challenging very realistically to win every competition that they are in, as well as having the best players in the world playing for them including Lionel Messi.
The answer to that question may be the fact of the amount of quality. Bojan is apparently becoming frustrated by the lack of first team opportunities and feels he has been on the bench far too much. With players like David Villa and Lionel Messi ahead of him in the pecking order, it is understandably hard to break into the first team.

Chelsea are said to want to add to their ageing team with some quality and potential. Bojan ticks all of the boxes, with Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba coming towards the end of their careers.

Inter Milan and Rafael Benitez are looking to add to their squad, as rumours persist that Wesley Sneijder may move to Manchester United in the summer. Adding that spark to the team would help a very physical side that Inter Milan have, especially if Sneijder jumps ship.

West Ham are a much less likely possibility for Bojan, however, if Bojan wants first team football, the Hammers seems a good choice. West Ham acknowledge that the competition is high, which is why they would offer a loan deal to begin with, with a view to making the deal permanent.

Whoever Bojan does decide to move to, if indeed he does decide to move, the team will have to offer Barcelona a sum of at least £15 million as he has a contract with the Catalan team until the end of the 2012/13 season. A small, player, but a big fee for big potential.

Lionel Messi to Inter?

Inter Milan
The Inter Milan owner, Massimo Moratti has claimed that he may hold talks with Barcelona over the availability of arguably the best player in the world, in their star player, Lionel Messi.

He said:
"[Lionel] Messi? Everyone asks me to buy a strong player. He is the strongest of all. So I'm starting to ask me the question.

And I still have not answered neither 'yes' nor 'no'. On Sunday, I jokingly said that I would bring Messi to Inter.
But we could only really talk about it with Barcelona. Let's see what happens in the coming days."
If Inter were seriously going to have to have any chance of prising theArgentinian away from Camp Nou, then they would have to b prepared to pay a massive sum of money to both the club, and Messi himself. Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United for £70 million to Real Madrid - a world record fee, and it is widely regarded that Messi is as good if not better than the Portugese record breaker.

Messi seems very happy at Barcelona, and has had a lot of success at the Spanish club, so why would he want to change his magnificent routine? There are very few reasons why a player would want to leave Barcelona during such a succesful period whilst playing alongside brilliant players such as Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol - the list goes on. Maybe he just wants a change? Rafael Benitez would certainly welcome the player to Inter Milan.

The Attackers Inter Milan Football Club in the Serie-A Italia 2010/2011

Inter Milan
Jonathan Biabiany Forward Player from FranceJonathan Biabiany Forward Player from France

Samuel Eto'o Forward Player from Cameroon Samuel Eto'o Forward Player from Cameroon

Diego Milito Forward Player from ArgentinaDiego Milito Forward Player from Argentina

Goran Pandev Forward Player from Macedonia FYRGoran Pandev Forward Player from Macedonia FYR

David Suazo Forward Player from HondurasDavid Suazo Forward Player from Honduras

Sneijder Wouldn't turn down Manchester United

Inter Milan
Reports that Manchester United had bid close to £25 million for Wesley Sneijder in the summer, Sir Alex Ferguson dismissed as rubbish. He said that Sneijder hadn't turned United down, because they hadn't even made an approach. But no doubt, Ferguson was interested.
His nose would have been pressed up against the shop window, and as he checked his pockets for money, he would have found a few buttons, a couple of chewing gum wrappers and a note from the Glazers reminding him that Manchester United were in billions of pounds of debt. He couldn't enter that shop.

But maybe, sometime in the future, the United manager will have his pocket money increased, and maybe then he can enter the shop instead of browsing on the outside. After what Wesley Sneijder said today, it seems that if Ferguson were to pay the money, the Dutchman would jump at the chance of joining United.

"If somebody asks me if I will ever play for Manchester United, it's impossible for me to say no," Sneijder told the Daily Star Sunday.
"How can you say that if the chance came you would not play for one of the biggest clubs in the world? I don't think there is any player in the world who could publicly rule out ever playing for Manchester United, and if they did I would doubt they were telling the truth."
"The Premier League, in terms of top clubs, is the strongest in the world, and it would be nice to finish my career saying I have played at the very top in Spain, Italy, and England. There is not many who can say they have done that, and if that does happen for me I would only want it to be with Manchester United."

Inter Milan Wallpapers

Inter Milan
Inter Milan Wallpapers
Inter Milan wallpaper
Inter Milan Wallpapers
Inter Milan picture

Man United's Antonia Valencia suffers break during draw.

Inter Milan
Ten changes to the team that drew against Everton on the weekend, and to no prevail. A 0-0 draw came complete with a horrific injury to the flying winger Antonio Valencia - cruel blow to a bad few days for Manchester United as he looks to be out for a long time with a suspected ankle or leg break.


Valencia receives oxygen

Rangers went to Old Trafford with the main objective of defending their goal. They were tough to break down, and without the presence and vision of Paul Scholes, this was even harder for United to complete. The final ball from United was poor and they were restricted to a only couple of half chances and one or two long range efforts from Darron Gibson.

The injury to Valencia was a massive blow. There is always an impact on players when they see a teammate and friend in so much pain and with a grim few months ahead of him. Valencia was a big source of United's and Rooney's goals last season with his reliable crossing ability and good pace to get passed players. Giggs replaced the stricken Valencia, and the veteran will expect a lot more game time during the next few months and possibly longer as Valencia recovers. Nani will presumably occupy the other wing, with Park able to fill in and add more creativity, but Ferguson may be cursing that he didn't bring any more players in during the summer.

Tottenham also drew against Werder Bremen as they kicked off their Champions League campaign losing a two goal lead. An own-goal by Pasanen in the twelfth minute and then a goal from Crouch six minutes later set the game up well for Tottenham but the hosts came back to secure a draw at the end of the first half and start of the second. Considering the venue as well as the injuries to key players such as the extremely influential Luka Modric, this may be seen as a good result, however it will be dissapointing to lose a two goal lead despite the circumsatnces.

The other results are as follows

FC Twente 2-2 Internazionale



Barcelona 5-1 Panathinaikos


FC Copenhagen 1-0 Rubin Kazan

Bursaspor 0-4 Valencia



Lyon 1-0 Schalke


Benfica 2-0 Hapoel Tel Aviv

Inter wall stands firm

Inter Milan
Once in a while we get reminded that there are lies, damned lies and statistics, and the return leg of the Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Inter may well be added to the list of events triggering such a cliché.
Inter wall stands firmValdes has shown his fiery side this season

Possession, for example, was overwhelmingly in favour of Barcelona, as it had been last week, but can you name another instance where it counted for less? Once Inter were reduced to ten men, midway through the first half, tactics became less important than focus - which in itself makes up a lot of the scope which you prepare tactics for - and heart, of which the Nerazzurri showed a lot.

It may be said Inter went through on points, having won the tactical battle in the first leg and cancelled out Barcelona's numerical advantage in the second, and one cannot help but think that it was Jose Mourinho again showing his character, his thoroughness in preparing for the opposition and his ability to channel his aggressiveness to the players.

He defiantly stood in the middle of the Camp Nou pitch one hour before the game, once again inviting and absorbing abuse - there had been a lot of El Traductor jibes in the week leading up the game, with a nod to his experience as Bobby Robson's translator in the late 90s - and taking in the breathtaking view of a ground that was filling up with noise and colour.

Then, as soon as the game started, his preparation showed again: when Goran Pandev failed a fitness test right before kick-off, he had to switch from his chosen 4-2-1-3 to a 4-3-1-2 with a peculiar look. Cristian Chivu was deployed on the left of Thiago Motta and Esteban Cambiasso, helping out Javier Zanetti whenever Dani Alves wandered into the area while also keeping an eye on Lionel Messi inside. Samuel Eto'o and Gabriel Milito were frequently seen wider than they usually would in a two-striker set. Meanwhile, Wesley Sneijder was anchored in the middle of the park, acting at times as a withdrawn centre-forward rather than a trequartista, and also tracking back in Xavi's footsteps.

Once again, despite some early trouble when Cambiasso was booked for a foul on Messi who had beaten him in a one-on-one situation, Inter provided a steady dam in front of the central defenders. Rarely did Messi or one of his team-mates threaten to shoot (on one chance, Julio Cesar tipped the ball wide with a great save), and it must be noted how Inter did not concede free-kicks from dangerous positions throughout the game, an encouraging display of discipline.

When Motta - who ironically had warned Inter about the Barcelona players' penchant for theatricals - was sent off for a slap to Busquets' face, the Nerazzurri quickly reorganised. Chivu was moved inside to partner Cambiasso (and was lucky not be shown a red card for a retaliatory foul near the end of the half), Eto'o effectively moved outside to left winger and the result was a 4-4-1-1 with Sneijder and Milito switching responsibilities in the centre and on the right.

The amount of dirty work the three forwards did was later shown in the fact they were all taken off once it became more a matter of keeping men behind the ball than threatening to score, although one can make a case for always keeping at least one man up front to prevent an opponent from pouring forward with all available bodies.

Barcelona never had a real chance to up the tempo and to accelerate, as they like to do, because there was simply no room to do that, and because Inter had possession for such a short amount of time that you could not really take the ball away from them and start a break before they had reorganised.

Inter wall stands firmSamuel Eto'o celebrates Inter's win

Forced to carry the ball around the very visible wall that had been erected at the 25-metre line, the home side were frustrated in their attempts to find a direct channel, as they managed to do very late when stand-in striker Pique scored despite the addition of Ivan Cordoba as a third central defender.

Reopening play with a pass to the flanks, trying to pull the edges of Inter's defence apart, was not effective, as Maicon and Zanetti were given a lot of help from their team-mates, among them the late subs Sulley Muntari and McDonald Mariga.

A classic match, it was not, with goal attempts few and far between. The more spectacular, brilliant side were stifled over two games, and the more consistent, aggressive, determined team went through.

Perspective will be reversed for the final, as Inter will be clear favourites and will then have a different mental game to play with. But, as a calm, and collected - but clearly elated - Mourinho said right after the final whistle, attention must immediately be turned to Sunday's Serie A clash at Lazio, then next week's Italian Cup final against Roma. Bayern, for now, are a distant thought.


Spurs get holders Inter, Real's group of death

Inter Milan
Tottenham will face reigning champions Inter Milan in the Champions League group stages, while they also face German side Werder Bremen and Steve McClaren's former side FC Twente. Spurs' first attempt on European club football's top prize is not an easy task with Rafa Benitez now at the helm at the San Siro and Bremen, who finished third in the Bundesliga last season.
Manchester United face up against Rangers in another 'Battle of Britain' after their last clash in 2003-04 and must contend with Valencia as well - although the Spanish side have been weakened by the summer exits of David Villa and David Silva - and shock Turkish champions Bursaspor.

Didier Drogba gets a reunion with former club Marseille as Chelsea are drawn in a group with the French champions, but they also face a tough trip to Spartak Moscow and Slovakia's MSK Zilina. Marseille boss Didier Deschamps got the better of Chelsea in 2004 when in charge of Monaco but, having lost two of their first three league games, will have to turn things around.

Arsenal will be reunited with Eduardo after the striker moved to Shakhtar Donetsk, while they also face Braga - who hammered Sevilla in the play-offs - and Serbian side Partizan. The Gunners lost 3-0 in Donetsk back in 2000, but turned it around in the second leg as they sealed a thrilling 3-2 win thanks to Martin Keown's two late goals.

The group of death is undoubtedly the one containing AC Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax and Auxerre. Real and Milan clashed last season in the group stages, with Milan coming out 3-2 winners at the Bernabeu, but Milan will have extra motivation this year as former Inter coach Jose Mourinho is now at the helm of the Madrid side.

Conversely, Barcelona have been granted one of the easiest groups ever seen in the Champions League. They have a tough trip to Rubin Kazan - who beat them at the Nou Camp in the group stages last season - but Copenhagen and Greek side Panathinaikos shouldn't prove too much of a test for Lionel Messi and company.

DATES: September 14-15, 28-29; October 19-20; November 2-3, 23-24; December 7-8.

Group A
Team P W D L F A Pts
Inter Milan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Werder Bremen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tottenham 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FC Twente 0 0 0 0 0 0 0







Group B
Team P W D L F A Pts
Lyon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Benfica 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Schalke 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hapoel Tel Aviv 0 0 0 0 0 0 0







Group C
Team P W D L F A Pts
Manchester United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Valencia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Rangers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bursaspor 0 0 0 0 0 0 0







Group D
Team P W D L F A Pts
Barcelona 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Panathinaikos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Copenhagen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Rubin Kazan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0







Group E
Team P W D L F A Pts
Bayern Munich 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Roma 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Basel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CFR Cluj 0 0 0 0 0 0 0







Group F
Team P W D L F A Pts
Chelsea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Marseille 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Spartak Moscow 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MSK Zilina 0 0 0 0 0 0 0







Group G
Team P W D L F A Pts
AC Milan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Real Madrid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ajax 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Auxerre 0 0 0 0 0 0 0







Group H
Team P W D L F A Pts
Arsenal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shakhtar Donetsk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Braga 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Partizan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0






T-shirt Inter Milan 2010

Inter Milan
T-shirt, Inter Milan
T-shirt, Inter Milan
T-shirt, Inter Milan
T-shirt, Inter Milan
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