Diego Milito - Man Of The Hour

Inter Milan simply had too much in their back pocket for Bayern to contain. Inter's superb performance in the Champions League final is down to three factors,

1. Too many Bayern players froze at the Santiago Bernabeu

Bayern fans would always be wondering what if Thomas Mueller had scored...what if Howard Webb had blown for a half way line foul before Milito's brilliant 2nd goal. But the fact remains that Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Demichelis and co succumbed to the pressures much like Manchester United the season before. Playing at the Bernabeu do have that effect on teams, La Liga teams regularly roll over for Real Madrid.

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The Perfect Treble - Bayern Or Inter?

When Bayern Munich and Inter Milan battle it out in tomorrow’s Champions League final, not only will they be fighting for Europe’s top prize, but will also be aiming to complete an historic treble. Both Bayern and Inter have already won their league and domestic cup, and clinching the Champions League would mean adding their names to an exclusive group of treble winners. Whoever wins, it will be a first for the country they hail from.

Five teams have completed the ‘perfect’ treble - winning the league, main domestic cup and the most prestigious European cup all in one season. These five clubs are:

THE PERFECT TREBLE

CELTIC, 1967
Scottish Football League, Scottish Cup, European Cup
Celtic became the fi rst British team to win the European Cup after they beat Inter Milan in the final. As well as the two most prestigious domestic trophies, they also picked up the League Cup and Glasgow Cup as they swept aside all before them.

AJAX, 1972
Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, European Cup

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Two Down, One To Go! Mourinho and Van Gaal's Treble Quest

Come May 22nd, either the master (Louis Van Gaal) or the apprentice (Jose Mourinho) would have achieved two milestones in their career. One, Inter Milan or Bayern Munich will have captured the unique treble (domestic league, domestic cup and continental cup). Two, either manager will become only the third manager to have won this prestigious tournament twice with two different clubs.

Everyone knows the history behind Van Gaal and Mourinho. It was Van Gaal who spotted the potential of Mourinho and offered him the chance to work with him. Mourinho calls Van Gaal his "teacher" and with good reason, as Mourinho's demeanor seemed to mirror the arrogance and aloofness of Louis Van Gaal. The tough taskmaster attitude towards their players are remarkably similar.

The similarities in team preparation have also been acknowledged by Louis Van Gaal when he spoke to Soccernet,

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Robben's Killer Goal Against Lyon In Colour

Arjen Robben once again proved that class remain permanent. The injury-prone winger/striker injected pace and a shoot-on-sight policy to help Bayern claim a slim one-goal lead in the Champions League semifinal at Allianz Arena.

There is a graphics representation of the Robben goal in the Malay Mail. It's hard to find these goal graphics nowadays and thus making this depiction of Robben's goal more valuable!

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The Bundesliga comes down to the Final Day - Will Wolfsburg Triumph?

While Bayern Munich players were trying to get used to the management style and new age thinking of Juergen Klinsmann, three other teams tried to prise away the Bundesliga title from them. These three teams were Wolfsburg, Hertha Berlin and Hoffenheim. They have succeeded, a new champion will be crowned this Saturday.

Hertha Berlin, Hoffenheim and Bayern had at one point this season led the league. Hoffenheim even ended the first half of the season as the unofficial "Winter Champions". Hoffenheim then slumped to a devastating 12-match winless run and is currently 7th in the table. This loss of form coincided with the season-ending injury to star striker, Vedad Ibisevic.

Hertha Berlin went through the season squeezing out narrow victories, 14 games have been won by a one-goal margin. Andriy Voronin, on loan from Liverpool is the club's top scorer with 11 goals with the excellent Marko Pantelic the key creator with 8 assists. Due to an inferior goal difference, Hertha will not win the league.

With Hoffenheim slipping, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg had steadily climbed up the table rankings and are now 3rd and 1st respectively with final day of matches to be played on Saturday. VfL Wolfsburg is currently top of the Bundesliga and does have the easier final day match.




Billed as title decider weekend, Bayern will meet Markus Babbel's on-form Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena while the formidable VfL Wolfsburg will look to add to the UEFA Cup woes of Werder Bremen. A win for the Wolves will mean a historical first trophy for the club. For Felix Magath, it will be a third league title for the man. He will leave for Schalke 04 this summer.

There is no reason to look beyond a win for Wolfsburg. The Wolves are unbeaten at home this season, winning 15 matches and drawing only once. They have scored 46 goals at home and only conceded 12. Just formidable. In Josue, the Brazilian team captain, they have a leader capable of inspiring and keeping the team focused on the task at home. Goals will not be a problem with the two top scorers in the league. Edin Dzeko and Grafite have scored 51 goals this season, 68% of all Wolfsburg's goals. Dzeko's exploits have alerted Arsenal to his talents and a possible foray into the English Premier League beckons.

Stuttgart is the form team at this time, and currently third behind Bayern on goal difference (-7). Stuttgart's Mario Gomez is the club's top scorer and primary danger man. Bayern will have to stop Mario Gomez if they are to win this tie. A draw seems to be the most probable result. This could be all that Bayern is playing for this season - automatic Champions League spot.

It would be a fitting ending to VfLWolfsburg's season if they clinch the first ever Bundesliga championship in front of their fans. The 27,000 strong fans would be proud of the way their team have performed all season. They are deserving champions with their brand of attacking football.