The Smiling Assassin

A young Carlo Ancelotti, not in shot.

Aaah, I love the feeling of a Friday. That realisation that a footballing weekend is ahead of you and the joy, hope and promise that it brings. And it’s fair to say that this weekend is something a tiny bit special.

It’s been two and a half years since Rafa and Carlo last met and that time, there was more than a hint of revenge in the air. I don’t think any self respecting fan needs to be reminded of the events that led up to the events in Athens three summers ago, so the chance for the two managers to do battle in the confines of a league game is mouthwatering in the least. Though of course, Milan shouldn’t technically have been in the Champions League that season having been caught up in the Moggigate scandal that swept across Italian football the previous summer. They were initially denied a place in the Champions League after being deducted points; that was reduced on appeal which meant that they technically finished fourth and, well, the rest is history….

So, the first league meeting between two of the biggest of the biggest names in club management and it’s nice to see that Phil McNulty has decided to focus his usual friday article on the history between the two. As ever with Phil’s articles, it is a very interesting read.

Other pre match build-up has focused on the other two big names involved, namely Barclays Player Of The Month Fernando Torres & Didier Drogba. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I see Fernando as being the premier striker of the two; younger, faster (both physically and mentally) and overall a far cleverer player than Drogba. Not that I wouldn’t want Drogba in my time given the chance, despite all the baggage that comes with him. In other pre-match news, Javier Mascherano is a doubt, Dirk Kuyt isn’t worried about Chelsea, Rafa offers another warning which I’m pretty certain is the same warning he offered earlier in the week and why Alberto Aquilani won’t be rushed back, and why Ancelotti is just 90 minutes away from becoming Big Phil Jr., which is an interesting theory and something that crossed my mind earlier in the week. Another spice to the pot that is Sunday’s game.

Moving on from the weekend, it’s nice to see Fernando come out and say that he’d never join Man Utd, which I don’t think is THAT much a shock but is at least reassuring to know that the support we’ve given him is appreciated; Ryan Babel is ’scared into action’, apparently due to him being dropped by the Dutch national team. I must admit that in the last few weeks, he has looked a different player since his little outburst. The problems with Ryan’s development probably need more than a few sentences here but I think the crux of it is that everyone is to blame. Too long to explain here, so look out for my full explanation over the weekend. Looking even further forward, someone called Michael Owen might be playing against us in a few weeks time. Never heard of him, myself. Is he any good? Apparently he’ll be playing because Wayne Rooney will be attending the birth of first child with his wife Princess Fiona Colleen. And as I said a few days ago, can I just say what good value for money this was, though I didn’t expect to get results quite SO quickly….

Mopping up, someone has dug up an interesting fact that Bill Shankly once apologised to Everton, which means that he’s gone down in my estimations EVER SO, EVER SO slightly. And speaking of the third best team in Liverpool (good work Bill), I must admit that I’m glad someone else managed to get a cheap laugh out of the Toffees opponents last night. REALLY glad, in fact.

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