Tying the loose ends

It is a very big day in world football today when Wembley Stadium in England hosts this year’s Uefa Champions League final which features two German teams — Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Given what we know about the two teams, it promises to be an exciting final and it is my hope and that of many other fans that the match lives up to expectations.

I have said before that I believe that Bayern are the best and most balanced team in Europe at the moment and, having finished 20 points ahead of their opponents in the league, they go into tonight’s final as strong favourites, but the romantic in me is really rooting for an upset. It will be a thrilling result for me if Dortmund leave London as European champions and book a date with Chelsea.

The build-up to this final has been dominated by news that playmaker Mario Gotze, who has a pre-contract agreement with Bayern, will not feature for Dortmund tonight due to an injury. Although his creativity and industry will certainly be missed, for me, it is just as well because it was going to be a tricky occasion for him trying to win the trophy for his current team against his future employers.

The Champions League will effectively mark the end of the European football season although the Spanish League has two more rounds of games to complete the fixture list. With Barcelona having already bagged the title and positions two and three guaranteed, the issues to be resolved are the final Champions League slot fight between Real Sociedad and Valencia and the four-way battle to escape relegation.

We now find ourselves in the silly season when transfer speculation heightens with various clubs being linked to a whole host of players. The unique thing about this off-season is that the early headlines have been made by managers who have retired, resigned, finished their contract or been fired. While we know or suspect where some managers will end up, there are still some jobs to be resolved.

In England, for example, it is almost clear who is going to manage Chelsea and Manchester City, but we do not know yet the next managers for Everton and Stoke City. Elsewhere, we have an idea of who is going to replace Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, but who will take that man’s place or indeed that of the Manchester City-bound Manuel Pellegrini at Malaga? The coming few days and weeks will tell.

I have been asked for my end-of-season report card from a Liverpool perspective. For a club with its history, tradition and following, position seven should be unacceptable, but for a team that finished on position eight last season, I see progress. In fact, in terms of percentage, the Reds are the most improved side in the league seconded by Chelsea. There is cause for optimism going forward if that surge continues.

I must say I was hoping that Liverpool would be challenging for a top four position when we started the season, but I was never oblivious of the fact that it was always going to be a transitional period given that there was a new manager who was trying to introduce a new playing philosophy to a team with the lowest average age in the league. What has gratified me is the marked improvement in the second half.

Back home, I would like to wish the recuperating Azam Tigers players a speedy recovery and may the Flames achieve their objectives in this afternoon’s friendly against Zimbabwe.