Inter the Future

- The match between Arsenal and Manchester City has been unanimously called dull. Everybody is right. The only thing to take from the match was Robin van Persie's tackle on Adebayor. The less said about the match the better.

- I don't know why Manchester City are being allowed to bring in Fulop on emergency loan. Their reserve keeper was fielded against us. Could they not use a reserve goalkeeper to back up Gunnar Nielsen? I don't get it.

- Who do we want to finish 4th? Truly a nightmare scenario. Do we actually want Sp*rs to finish 4th? Possibly so, if it means keeping Manchester City down. If Manchester City gets Champions League football, they'll find it easier to sign world class players. They'll sign good players regardless, but it would be a big step forward for them. If Sp*rs get 4th, it'll be terrible for us, but imagine the humiliation when they're knocked out by the champions of Czech Republic. Maybe we want Aston Villa to sneak it, knowing how mediocre a manager O'Neill is. We definitely do not want Liverpool to somehow get 4th, because that would mean they would have beaten Chelsea, and if that's the case, Manchester United will have won the Premier League. That's a true nightmare.

- Everybody assumed Inter Milan would be put to the sword by Messi. I knew better. If I'm being honest, we made Barcelona look great. Mourinho would do no such thing. And in the end, his plan was simple. Field two holding midfielders, use Sneijder to provide creativity through the middle, deploy quick wingers to make runs between the full-backs and centre-backs, and rely on the solid defense (with the inspirational Lucio as a pivot point). Furthermore, they kept the pitch dry. Can they hold on against to their lead? Barcelona may score two goals, but I think Inter will also score once. That means Barcelona need to score three or four to win the tie. Messi's "ascension" to immortality continues here.

- You may not like him, but Jose Mourinho is a winner. He's proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt. If he successfully prevents Barcelona from defending the Champions League at the Bernabeu, he'll be the Real Madrid manager next year. Guaranteed.

- Following Inter's blueprint, could we have done the same against Barcelona if we were fully fit? I think we could have, but I still don't think we would have played that way against Barcelona. Wenger wants to outplay Barcelona, and to get there, we're going to need to improve a lot.

- It was nice to hear George Boateng condemn Phil Brown for his embarrassing halftime pitch talk way back. English people wrote it off, but that is the kind of thing a megalomanic does. Humiliating your players often leads you nowhere. That's why Almunia has a "wrist injury," even though it's plainly obvious he does not.

- Tony Pulis is furious that information about a fight between the players was leaked out to the public. He's apparently preparing to ship out ten of the players. A harmonious ship, huh? I can hear him already, "we're not that kind of team." Sure.

- I hope Liverpool fields a team of reserves against Chelsea. I would love to see the look on Alex Ferguson's face when he reads that Damien Plessis is playing instead of Gerrard. That won't happen though. Regardless, you have to give some credit to Chelsea. They've scored an insane amount of goals and have had three games where they've scored seven goals. They don't have much of a style, but they bang them in. You can't ignore 93 goals in 36 games.

- Check out this goal by Sergio Canales: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07QuP1F0TrY. Stunning. I wish we signed him, but he's off to Madrid. Bastards.

- To close with a quote by Wenger. "For a while, we were not investing maybe because we had built the stadium, but I think our financial situation is now becoming much stronger and we will be capable to buy the players we need to buy." There are a few things to point out here. One, it reveals that Wenger was handcuffed by the stadium. Did he complain? No. Did fans still asked for his head. Two, he used the word "need", which indicates that he sees clear areas that need to be improved. Last, it shows that Wenger understands that next year will be crucial to this team's development. Another trophyless season will be a big problem, and he knows it. I would love to fast forward a few months and have next season start now. But first, let's enjoy the Champions League and the World Cup.