Exeposé Sport looks back on 2013

Exeposé Sport have surveyed an array of their finest pundits for their abiding sporting memories of 2013 – including some that may have been overlooked.  Read on to see their thoughts.

Jamie Klein, Online Editor 

Marquez in action, using his now-ubiquitous elbows-down riding style. Photo: madjank.com

Marc Marquez winning this year’s MotoGP crown at his first attempt has to rank among the most outstanding sporting achievements of the year. He took remarkably little time getting up to speed, winning just his second race at the highest level in domineering fashion at Austin, and built up a cushion in the middle of the year his competitors were unable to surmount. The pressure on the young Spaniard’s shoulders to seal the deal at the season finale at Valencia was enormous, but he rode with incredible maturity to secure the points he needed despite his arch-rival Jorge Lorenzo’s best efforts to force Marquez into an error.

The fact Marquez has already reached the summit of his chosen sport at the age of just 20 years old begs the question of just how long he can go on to dominate the championship in years to come. His fellow riders will certainly hoping he reaches the peak of his powers sooner rather than later.

Matt Bugler, Online Editor

Nigel Adkins being sacked by Southampton in January caused universal outrage, not least among Saints fans who felt betrayed by the chairman Nicola Cortese. In a complete disregard for loyalty and value of the fans, Cortese saw the man who had oversaw promotion in the last two seasons and stabilised the team in the Premiership as not good enough in his ambitious plans. The overwhelming success of Mauricio Pochettino in transforming Southampton into a predominantly English-academy based side playing a Spanish style of passing, pressing football has shown that, sometimes, the sacrifice of one is necessary for the benefit of many.

Froome donning the Tour de France leader’s ‘Maillot Jaune’. Photo: Yorkvision.co.uk

Dougie Wilson, Xpression FM Head of Sport

Among the successes of Andy Murray, the Lions, Justin Rose and the England cricket team in 2013, one particular man in yellow stands out – Chris Froome of Team Sky. After riding for nearly 250 kilometres in Stage 15 of the Tour de France, Froome found it within himself to steam up the infamous 8% inclined Mount Ventoux to single-handedly win a stage he didn’t need to, blitzing his main rival Nairo Quintana in the process. This was the defining moment of his Tour victory and will live long in the memory of British cycling fans, further consigning Froome’s predecessor Bradley Wiggins to the shadows.

Ben Pullan, Sports Team

It was the second day of the 2013 Ashes. Though England had underperformed with the bat in their first innings – scoring only 215 – Australia’s weak batting line-up had fulfilled expectations by collapsing to 117-9 against Swann and Anderson. What is more, their no. 11 was a debutant, whom even the Sky Sports commentators had struggled to recognise when he was awarded his ‘baggy green’. Apparently Ashton Agar was a nineteen- year-old left arm spinner, who had been playing club cricket in Henley prior to the series. He was expected to become just another piece of roadkill under the English juggernaut.

What happened next was one of the most extraordinary passages of play in recent Test history. With brilliant innocence, the teenager proceeded to flay England’s veterans to all parts of Trent Bridge. No-one could quite believe what was happening; the rookie sailed along, becoming in the process the first no. 11 to score a fifty on debut. As he approached the nineties, the crazy scenario of a no. 11 scoring a century on debut was becoming a very realistic possibilty. Agar came so close, passing Tino Best’s no. 11 record of 95, but tragically fell just three short of his century. Not that it mattered – the boy had become a household name in cricketing circles overnight. Agar was dropped a couple of Tests later for poor bowling – he may never play Test cricket again – but his crazy debut will ensure that he is forever remembered.

Alex Bonner, Sports Team

Bayern Munich celebrate their landmark Champion’s League title. Photo: football365.com

Bayern Munich’s win in this year’s Champions league symbolised a shift in the footballing world, as Germany replaced Spain as the dominant footballing power of Europe. The nature of Bayern’s run to the final was also significant, with the German outfit dispatching Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate over the two legs. The final itself was also particularly memorable – a drama-laden clash between the two top German sides, Bayern clinching the trophy thanks to Arjen Robben’s late winner. The significance of the all-German final, as well as the dominant manner in which Munich progressed to the final, makes this event the moment of my sporting year.

Lara Hopkins, Sports Team

The Great Britain Show Jumping team brilliantly won the European Championships in August after a 24-year wait for team gold, following up from their first Olympic win in 2012 after 60 years. This recent dominance shows the reprisal of a traditionally British sport in which the Dutch and Germans have been the leading contenders of late. Furthermore, the individual silver and bronze medals for younger riders Ben Maher and Scott Brash, now 2nd and 1st in the world respectively, display the very bright future of the country, which no longer has to rely upon the ageing talents of the legendary Whitaker brothers. It’s time to look forward to the 2014 World Championships – can the team become treble champions?

 

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Germans lead the way in European football

Bayern Munich celebrating their Champions League victory after beating Borussia Dortmund. Photo credits to yahoo.com

Even if Arjen Robben had not scored the late winner against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final last week for Bayern Munich, there would have been little doubt that this was a game that further edged German sides ahead of their European counterparts.

Although Dortmund ended up losing 2-1 to the Bundesliga champions, they put in the sort of performance that showed why they had been able to dispatch Real Madrid and Premier League title holders Manchester City during their journey to the final.

Borussia Dortmund will look to take advantage of the fact that many of their rivals – at home and abroad – will have new managers next season, which might result in the sort of instability that renders a Champions League title nigh-on impossible to attain.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea made up the top three in the Premier League this year – all three will have new managers next season.  The same goes for Real Madrid, and if rumours linking Carlo Ancelotti to Los Blancos turn out to be correct, then Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain will also have to look for a new boss.

It is true that Bayern will be under new management themselves next season following Jupp Heynckes’s decision to leave the club at the end of the season – however, he is being replaced by Pep Guardiola, who won 14 titles in four years at Barcelona, so there are high expectations that the German side will deliver again next year.

It is easy to get carried away with the idea that German sides will continue to sweep away their European counterparts in the next few years.  Munich showed that they are far from invincible, suffering a surprise 3-1 defeat at BATE Borisov in the group stages and only managing an aggregate draw against a relatively poor Arsenal side in the last-16.

Borussia Dortmund are prone to losing key players to ‘bigger’ rivals once they have proved themselves: Shinji Kagawa moved to Manchester United last year, Mario Götze will be playing for Bayern next season, and star striker Robert Lewandowski (who scored 4 goals in their 4-1 semi-final victory against Real Madrid) has also been linked with a move away from The Borussians.

Furthermore, it can also be said that Dortmund should never have even made it to the semi-finals of the tournament.  Their last minute quarter-final winner against Málaga CF was probably offside, and had that goal not stood, it would have been Málaga who would go on to face Real Madrid in the semi-final – ensuring that a Spanish side would be present in the final.

It can also be argued that it is Bayern, and not the top German teams in general, who have reached a state of supremacy.  Having emerged victorious from the Champions League final, Bayern have since claimed the treble, beating VfB Stuttgart 3-2 in the final of the German Cup and winning the Bundesliga by a colossal 25 points.

Indeed, Munich have been the most ruthless side in the Champions League, demolishing Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals.  However, it took an 89^th minute winner to stop the game from entering extra time, which suggests that Dortmund may again progress to the latter stages of next year’s Champions League – provided they can retain enough of their current squad, and replace their young star Götze.

There is little doubt that domestic teams in Germany and Spain are inching ahead of their rivals in England and Italy – not a single English side made it into the quarter-finals for the first time since 1996, while Bayern eased to a 4-0 aggregate victory over Serie A champions Juventus.  Having won their first Champions League since 2001, Bayern will be looking to retain the tournament next season under new manager Pep Guardiola’s guidance – a feat last accomplished in 1990 by AC Milan.

Tim Hellyer

Dortmund survive late scare to reach final

Borussia Dortmund reached the Champions League Final for the first time in 16 years, despite a late Real Madrid fight-back.  They will face fellow German side Bayern Munich after the Bundesliga leaders destroyed Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate – the biggest Champions League semi-final win of all time.

Robert Lewandowski, scorer of all four Dortmund goals in the first leg against Real Madrid. Photo credits to Christopher Neundorf

Real Madrid went into their fixture against Dortmund trailing 4-1 from the first leg, a match in which Robert Lewandowski scored all four of his team’s goals in a terrible game for the Spanish visitors.  Madrid scored two late goals in the return leg but were unable to score the third required to progress, with Dortmund winning 4-3 on aggregate.

Madrid looked the dominant side in the return leg, spurred on by a vociferous Bernabeu crowd eager to see their team overcome a three goal deficit.  Los Blancos set the pace at a high tempo and will look at a flurry of early missed opportunities that could have clinched a memorable victory.

First, Gonzalo Higuaín missed a one on one, driving the ball at Dortmund keeper Weidenfeller, before Ronaldo beautifully controlled a long ball on the chest but volleyed at Weidenfeller’s chest from close range.  Mesut Özil had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 16^th minute but he dragged his shot wide.

Dortmund had several decent chances of their own, with Madrid committing men forward and leaving themselves susceptible to counter attacks.  Robert Lewandowski smashed a shot off the bar early in the second half, and it took an excellent sprawling save from Diego Lopes to prevent İlkay Gündoğan’s close range effort ten minutes later.

Madrid finally took the lead in the 83^rd minute following a half that saw many aerial balls easily headed away by a well organised Dortmund defence.  Karim Benzema had been brought on for the largely ineffectual Higuaín, and he snuck in at the near post to rifle a shot into the roof of the net.

Mourinho may have rued leaving Benzema on the bench at the start of the match, because the French forward turned provider shortly after his goal, teeing up Sergio Ramos to strike into the roof of the net in the 89^th minute. This set up a frantic finale that saw Madrid keeper Diego Lopez come up for a Madrid corner that ultimately came to nothing.

Dortmund clung on and ensured that the 2013 Champions League Final would be an all-German affair, after Bayern dealt with a Barcelona side that was unable to overcome the 4-0 deficit from the first leg.

Clearly struggling without Messi, left on the bench with a minor injury, the Blaugrana had a few chances in the first half but never looked like really breaking through an organised Bayern defence, their best chance falling to Xavi who volleyed over the bar from eight yards.

Instead it was Bayern who dominated the match, and in the 48^th minute they extended their aggregate lead, Arjen Robben cutting in and curling a beautiful left-footed shot into the far corner.

This left Barcelona needing six goals to progress, but they further added to their own misery in the 72^nd minute with an own goal, Gerard Pique smashing the ball into his own net in an attempt to steer Ribery’s cross away from the onrushing Mario Mandžukić.

David Villa flicked a header onto the bar but minutes later it was Ribery who again provided Bayern with a goal, clipping a cross to the back post for Thomas Müller to nod in.

Following Bayern’s penalty shootout loss to Chelsea in last year’s final, this was a devastating display of power that shows the club’s intent to dominate the European scene for the coming years.  With former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola taking the reins at the end of the season, Mario Götze joining the club on July 1^st and Robert Lewandowski also linked with the German giants, the next few seasons could end up being very promising indeed for the Bundesliga leaders – and very troubling for their counterparts across Europe.

The Champions League Final takes place at Wembley Stadium on May 25.

Tim Hellyer

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British clubs crash out of Champions League

For the first time in 17 years, there will not be a single English side in the Champions League quarter finals. On March 5, Manchester United were knocked out of the last 16 by Real Madrid in a match overshadowed by questionable refereeing decisions, and a week later Arsenal followed suit, despite an impressive 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the second leg of their tie with the German giants.

The decision to show Nani the red card during Manchester United’s match against Real Madrid was undoubtedly a controversial one. Photo credits to Paolo Camera.

Manchester United went into their game against Real Madrid with an away goal to their name following the 1-1 draw in the first leg, and it was the ‘Red Devils’ who looked more threatening than their Spanish visitors in the first half.

Sir Alex Ferguson had left Wayne Rooney on the bench, but Danny Welbeck again proved to be a real threat, showing great pace going forward, and it was his slight deflection that was enough put off Madrid defender Sergio Ramos early in the second half – the ball bounced off the Spaniard’s toe and into the net to give United the lead.

The hype before the match was all about Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford, but the majority of the talk following the game was about the incident that took place in the 56^th minute.  Nani leapt up and stretched out a leg to reach the ball: as he did so, Madrid right-back Álvaro Arbeloa ran to get the ball too, and was caught under the ribs by Nani’s boot.

The referee waited for both players to get up before showing Nani a red card – a decision that was met with disbelief by many followers of the game.

Madrid ruthlessly took advantage of this advantage: Mourinho brought on Luka Modric in the 59^th minute, and seven minutes later the Croatian fired in a wonderful swerving shot that careened off the near post and into the net to bring the scores level.

Three minutes after that, some good trickery in the United box led to a cross, and unsurprisingly it was Ronaldo who again scored against his former club, sliding in at the back post to give Real a 2-1 lead,

All of this meant that United lost to Real Madrid 3-2 on aggregate. The result also meant that all hopes of an English representative in the quarter finals fell to Arsenal, who had to travel to Munich to overcome a 3-1 deficit from the first leg.

It took just three minutes for Arsenal to take the lead, with Giroud latching onto a cross and firing into the roof of the net from inside the six-yard box.  The scores remained at 1-0 until the 86^th minute, when Laurent Koscielny headed in an outswinging corner.

It was not enough to keep the ‘Gunners’ in the competition as they crashed out on away goals, but it was a valiant effort and Arsenal fans can take heart from an unexpected victory in Munich against one of the favourites to win the tournament.

Although there is clear discontent at the fact that English clubs have failed in Europe’s elite competition this year, there are three English sides in the quarter finals of the Europa League, after success in the last 16 earlier this week.

Chelsea beat Romanian side Steaua Bucharest 3-2 on aggregate, with Fernando Torres slotting the winning goal into the far corner after goals from Juan Mata and John Terry.  The Spaniard had an eventful match: earlier in the match he seemed to be kicked in the face while lying prone on the floor, and after his goal he smashed a penalty onto the crossbar.

Chelsea fans have been quick to criticise interim manager Rafa Benítez this season, but the London club are still on track for a Champions League place next season (currently in fourth place in the league, five points ahead of Arsenal), and have the chance to win a trophy, albeit perhaps one of the lesser coveted ones.

Chelsea are joined by Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle.  Spurs went into their fixture against Inter Milan having won 3-0 in the first leg – however, Inter Milan returned the favour and won the second leg 3-0 to take the game into extra time.

The much-maligned Emmanuel Adebayor toe-poked a goal for Spurs in the sixth minute of extra time, and although Inter equalised in the second half, the match ended 4-4 on aggregate with Spurs winning on the away goals rule.

Newcastle left it late to secure their place in the quarter finals.  Papiss Cissé headed the winner in the 94^th minute of their match against Anzhi Makhachkala, an aggregate score of 1-0 enough to take The ‘Magpies’ through to the next round.

Fans of British clubs will be disappointed with this year’s Champions League, but there are some intriguing encounters to look forward to in the quarter finals: Bayern Munich host Juventus while Barcelona travel to Paris St-Germain in what look to be the stand-out ties of the next round.

Chelsea and Spurs fans will expect results from their respective sides, while Newcastle go into their match knowing that they have not won a major trophy in 44 years.

Champions League Quarter Finals

Malaga v Borussia Dortmund

Real Madrid v Galatasaray

Paris St-Germain v Barcelona

Bayern Munich v Juventus

Europa League Quarter Finals

Chelsea v Rubin Kazan

Tottenham Hotspur v FC Basel

Fenerbahce v Lazio

Benfica vs. Newcastle United

Tim Hellyer

British sides struggle in Champions League

Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid’s goalscorer against Manchester United. Photo credits to Wikimedia commons

Manchester United were the only British side not to lose in the first leg of the Champions League last-16, with Celtic overpowered by Juventus and Arsenal outplayed by Bayern Munich.

Juventus travelled to Glasgow to take on the Scottish Premier League leaders Celtic on February 12.  The Hoops went into this fixture having seized an historic 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the group stages, but faced a Juventus side currently leading Serie A by four points, and the Italian outfit put on an imperious display to dispatch the home side 3-0, meaning that the return leg will surely be a formality.

Celtic defender Efe Ambrose had only returned that same morning from his Africa Cup of Nations campaign with winners Nigeria, and he was singled out for criticism by many pundits – as well as his own teammate Kris Commons, who said: ‘the manager pulled him to one side and asked him if he was feeling OK.  He said he was feeling brilliant.  If he wasn’t feeling OK then he should have said so.  If he felt good then he should have put in a better performance.’

This outburst came following a game in which Juventus scored two goals thanks largely to mistakes by Ambrose.  In just the third minute of the match, he misjudged a routine aerial pass which allowed Matri to poke the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper to score Juventus’s first goal. The third Old Lady goal came after Ambrose clumsily lost possession close to the edge of his own penalty area.

He also missed a glaring opportunity to score for The Bhoys when they were only 1-0 down, but it was not just Ambrose who drew criticism. The Spanish referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco did not penalise Juventus for grappling with Celtic players at set pieces, and Hoops boss Neil Lennon has since sought ‘clarification’ from UEFA, saying ‘we needed a strong referee and we didn’t have that’.

The following day saw Manchester United travel to Madrid to play the match that Real Madrid manager José Mourinho had called ‘the match the world wants to see’, and the Manchester outfit owed their 1-1 draw to their keeper, David de Gea.  The Spaniard was in stunning form, tipping a Fábio Coentrão shot onto the post at full stretch early in the first half, and he received plaudits for a series of brilliant athletic saves made throughout the match.

Despite early Madrid pressure it was United who struck first, with Danny Welbeck losing his marker and steering a header into the bottom corner from a Wayne Rooney corner in the 20^th minute.  However, Portuguese icon Ronaldo followed the scriptwriters’ orders and levelled ten minutes later with a majestic header.

Ángel di María curled in an inviting cross and Ronaldo leapt up, towering over Patrice Evra to direct his header into the bottom corner.  After the game Sir Alex Ferguson applauded the goal, saying, ‘I don’t know how to describe it’ before going on to explain, ‘I actually blamed Evra for not challenging him… until I saw the replay.  I felt a bit stupid.’  Ferguson’s summary described it well enough: ‘his kneecap is almost at the same height as Evra’s head’.

In a game peppered with moments of attacking brilliance from Los Blancos, it is perhaps unsurprising that Ronaldo is the one who again tried to steal the show – however, United, who are bound to be encouraged by an away goal, will go into the return leg on level pegging, largely down to the Spaniard between the posts.

Any sense of optimism felt by United fans will not be shared by Arsenal supporters.  Almost a week after United took on Madrid, Arsenal faced Bayern Munich at The Emirates, and got off to the worst possible start in a game that was largely dominated by the Bundesliga leaders.

In just the seventh minute, a ball was cut back to Toni Kroos who had found space on the edge of the area, and the Germany international smashed the ball past a helpless Szczesny to put Bayern 1-0 up.  Their lead was doubled in the 21^st minute when Arsenal failed to defend the most basic of corners.  An outswinging cross found Van Buyten unmarked at the near post, and although Szczesny was able to keep the Belgian’s initial shot out, no Arsenal defenders came to the rescue and Thomas Müller gratefully poked home.

A terrible lack of communication between Bayern keeper Neuer and his defence allowed Podolski to bring The Gunners back to 2-1 with a simple header, before a scuffed Mario Mandžukić shot looped in from close range to seal an impressive 3-1 victory for the German side.

However, the shock of the round came in the fixture between AC Milan and Barcelona.  Milan would have been pleased with a goalless draw coming into this meeting, so their 2-0 home victory will give them confidence going into the second leg.

Their first goal came in controversial circumstances, with the ball bouncing up off Jordi Alba onto the arm of Milan defender Cristián Zapata.  It fell to Kevin-Prince Boateng, who ruthlessly fire in a volley to take the lead.

Milan contained Barcelona well – the Spanish giants are 12 points clear at the top of La Liga but lacked the cutting edge required to break down their Italian opponents, and some would argue that in this first leg, Barça’s talisman Messi failed where Ronaldo succeeded.

However, it is true that in general, Barcelona’s tactic of trying to pass through the Milan defence was bettered by Milan’s disciplined defensive display and clinical finishing, and it was this sort of composure in front of goal that that led to Barcelona conceding their second in the 81^st minute.  Some neat touches in the box found Sulley Muntari on the overlap, and he rifled a sweetly struck left-footed volley into the far corner to send the majority of the San Siro crowd into oblivion.

Of the British sides remaining in the competition, only Manchester United seem to have a realistic chance of progressing, with Celtic and Arsenal both travelling abroad to face sides that have three away goals apiece to their names.  Barcelona will be feeling the pressure as they take on Milan at home, knowing that failure to beat i Rossoneri by two goals will knock them out of a competition that they last won in Wembley in 2011.

First Leg Scores

Valencia 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain

Celtic 0-3 Juventus

Real Madrid 1-1 Manchester United

Shakhtar Donetsk 2-2 Borussia Dortmund

Arsenal 1-3 Bayern Munich

FC Porto 1-0 Malaga

AC Milan 2-0 Barcelona

Galatasary 1-1 Schalke 04

The Champions League continues on March 5 with Borussia Dortmund v. Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester United v. Real Madrid.

Tim Hellyer

Champions League enters knockout stages

Didier Drogba, pictured after winning last year’s Champions League with Chelsea. Photo credits to Wikimedia Commons

The UEFA Champions League will enter the knockout stages on Tuesday February 12.  With holders Chelsea knocked out in the group stages and a standout tie between Real Madrid and Manchester United taking place the following day, this season’s Champions League looks set to provide all the excitement that fans have come to expect from Europe’s elite competition.

The opening day of football will showcase some of the signings made in the January transfer window – Celtic will host Juventus, who have signed Shanghai Shenhua forward Nicolas Anelka on loan until the end of the season, while Paris Saint-Germain will travel to Spain to take on Valencia C.F.  The French club, funded by Qatar Investment Authority, have bolstered their squad with several high-profile players in the last year or so, their most recent addition being David Beckham, signed on a free after the ex-England captain left L.A. Galaxy.

However, fans here will regard this opening day as a precursor to the games involving English sides that will take place on the 13^th and 19^th of February.  On Wednesday, Manchester United will travel to the Spanish capital to take on José Mourinho’s Real Madrid.  The Spanish giants have struggled in their domestic league, slipping to third place behind Atlético Madrid and Catalan rivals FC Barcelona, so there is a great incentive to go far in the Champions League, with Los Blancos currently 16 points behind La Liga leaders Barca.

This fixture will also be the first time that Cristiano Ronaldo has taken on his former side since leaving in June 2009 for a record £80m.  During the Portuguese’s six years at Manchester United he won the Champions League against Chelsea in 2008 (despite having his penalty kick saved in the shootout), as well as three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups.  As a result of Ronaldo’s achievements for the Manchester club there has been a respectful build-up to this clash.

Ronaldo has said that he will not celebrate if he scores against his former club, saying that ‘without [United], I wouldn’t be the player I am today’, while United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that the captain of the Portuguese national side is comparable to other United greats such as ‘Scholes and Giggs and Cantona’, saying that Ronaldo is ‘certainly in that bracket’.  The Scot said that Ronaldo had ‘always had a hankering to go to Real Madrid at some point in his career’, but gave the opinion that Ronaldo’s move to Spain was not a sign of disloyalty – and that ‘the United fans would share that’.

The following week will see Bayern Munich take on Arsenal at The Emirates in North London on Tuesday 19 February.  The Gunners have had to endure a concerning domestic campaign that has seen them drop to 6^th place, a point behind Everton and 4 points behind rivals Tottenham.  Arsenal will take some heart from the fact that Bayern do not have the best record against English sides – memorable examples to support this include the historic 2-1 loss in the final to Manchester United, the 4-2 loss to a Chelsea outfit inspired by Lampard and Drogba in 2005, and, most recently, the penalty-shootout failure against Chelsea in last year’s final.

However, the German outfit, currently storming away with the Bundesliga with a comfortable 12-point margin over holders Borussia Dortmund, are going into this game with a great deal of confidence.  When the tie was announced, German midfielder Thomas Mueller said: ‘it’s a nice draw against opponents who are not impossible to overcome’.  His optimism was echoed by club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who said that although Arsenal are not to be underestimated, his table-topping outfit were ‘going into this tie as favourites’.

With several sides boosted by wealthy investors and new signings, there is a higher chance that this year’s Champions League could be won by an unusual candidate.  However, if outsiders such as Galatasaray, who have recently added the likes of Sneijder and Drogba to their ranks, are to get anywhere near the Champions League trophy, they will have to get past squads who have either won or come close to winning the competition in recent years, such as Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona – not to mention the side that has won the competition more than any other team, Real Madrid.

Tim Hellyer

 

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