Let's face it, the European method of pulling names out from the proverbial hat to determine the pairings for its knockout competitions is, well, a foreign concept. About the only Stateside comparison is the selection committee drawing up the NCAA Tournament brackets every March.
To whit, Thursday in Monaco, UEFA staged its annual gala to determine the groups for the 2009-10 Champions League replete with glitz, glamor and the former Miss Switzerland pulling balls out of pots. Certainly a far cry from a group of middle-aged men sitting together in a hotel room discussing RPI.
The big Italian club has won Serie A three times in the last three years under Roberto Mancini, but after a series of spectacular flame-outs in the UEFA Champions League, Inter sacked Mancini and brought in the Special One to change their European fortunes.
"John was not in the first five to take a kick but things changed during the game," said the Chelsea assistant manager Henk Ten Cate. "The sending-off of [Didier] Drogba made us change it [the order]. It's unbelievable that it should happen to him, though."
Drogba was sent off for a girly little slap at the face of Man United defender Nemanja Vidic in the 116th minute. He likely would have taken the penalty that Terry ended up taking. So just like Bill Buckner wasn't supposed to be in the game when that ground ball went through his legs in the 1986 World Series, Terry wasn't supposed to be the one to take that decisive penalty.
The Ivorian striker has been a huge brat since Jose Mourinho was sacked early in the season, and Ten Cate, who had feuded with members of Mourinho's staff in the past, wasted no time throwing one of the Special One's favorites under the bus. Once again, the ghost of Mourinho still haunts Stamford Bridge. I suspect Chelsea fans can't wait for Drogba to be a ghost there as well.
Alas, that was not the case back in London, where Chelsea fans took out their frustrations on local riot police by throwing bottles at them and causing other such mayhem. 13 people were arrested, and one was cited drunk driving and "grievous bodily harm" for running over a dude's leg.
Clearly, these fans are smart enough to know the difference between English cops and Russian cops -- namely, one has a baton and the other has a Kalashnikov. Plus, an arrest in England leads to a citation and fine, while an arrest in Russia leads to a trip to Siberia. Big difference there. Rioting is easier to do when the consequences aren't so severe.
Blame it on the rain. Or the pitch. Don't blame John Terry.
The Chelsea defender played brilliantly for 120 minutes in this Champions League Final, clearing balls away from his goal and keeping Manchester United from having more than one goal all night. His header away against Ryan Giggs' shot in extra time may have been the only thing that kept the score tied. That set up a penalty shootout, and Petr Cech's save of Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty set up John Terry with the dream scenario of every kid who plays soccer -- put one past Edwin van der Sar, and lift the European Cup.
Only the rain had been pouring down in Moscow for a half-hour, making the uneven new pitch in Luzhniki Stadium even more slippery than it should have been. And when Terry stepped forward to make his kick, the grass refused to give him a solid place to put his foot. He slipped. The ball bounced off the post. Chance gone. Two kicks later, Nicolas Anelka put his penalty right into Edwin van der Sar's chest. Cue the Dramatics.
Here it is, folks. No more talk. No more speculation. It's time to pit the top two clubs in Europe -- who just happen to be the top two clubs in the Premier League -- against each other for all the marbles. Will Manchester United win the double? Will Chelsea deny them that pleasure in a final for the second consecutive year? And is anyone surprised that ol' Vlad's head is turned toward the logo of the club owned by the Russian guy? Seriously, how much did Roman Abramovich pay for that effect?
Liveblogging fun is after the jump. If you have any comments or questions, just post a comment here. FanHouse comments go directly to my email account, and I'll answer questions and post the good stuff in the liveblog. Let's just hope this turns out better than last year's FA Cup Final. That game was brutal.
Reuters Soccer Blog is reporting that 15,000 Russian cops are on duty in Moscow today to keep an eye on the 50,000 or so English fans being flown in and herded around like so much cattle for today's UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester United and Chelsea. That photo shows a select few heading to Luzhniki Stadium earlier today.
"We are a better side than Chelsea. That is a psychological problem for them. They may say the Premier League is another matter but we are convinced that winning it will have an impact in what happens in the final. We are favorites and everyone knows it, and we are not worried by Chelsea. We are confident and focused but, for them, it is more difficult. This is more than a final for them - their whole season rests on the outcome of this game and I am convinced they have some problems in that team."
Ah, Carlito. Where would we possibly be without your hot-blooded Argentinian tongue spitting out such pseudo-intellectual blather? No wonder the ladies love you so.
Perhaps Señor Tevez would do well to consider past history. Just a year ago, after Man United took the league title, Chelsea turned around and toppled them in the FA Cup Final. Oh, and didn't the Blues beat the Red Devils in a league match just a few weeks ago?
While most of the coverage this year's Champions League Final has focused on potential problems off the pitch, some are starting to wonder if the pitch itself might be a problem. Reports out of Moscow suggest that Luzhniki Stadium's new grass sod might not be up to snuff. Said one BBC Radio correspondent:
"The pitch doesn't look too good. If you look closely you can see where it has been patched up, particularly around the center circle. It's possible the ball won't run true in places"
Granted, it's probably still better than the stadium's old artificial surface, which was ripped out after last October's Russia v. England EURO 2008 qualifier -- as opposed to before, which would have negated Russia's home field advantage. Still, a European final deserves better than an uneven pitch, even if it does add to the fun. Some pundits are already suggesting that the bumps in the pitch are giant bags of cash that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich left behind for the refs. ZING!
"Sometimes he goes in very strong, and sometimes he pretends he is very weak," Vidic said ahead of Wednesday's final. "He plays with your mind and tries to make you think about the next tackle. ... He can pretend he fell down to win a penalty, but referees know that. The Champions League final is a big game and I'm sure the ref will know his job."
Rooney threw in this winner: "Sometimes he seems as if his head's not quite there."
Clearly, these guys learned nothing from Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, who lashed out at Drogba in the media days before the second leg of Champions League semifinal, then watched helplessly as Drogba scored two goals to lead Chelsea over Liverpool and to the final. Yes, we all know Drogba enjoys a good dive. That doesn't mean you repeat that to the press -- not unless you want Drogba to walk out of that tunnel completely focused on destroying you.
Last year, Drogba scored the goal that beat Man United in the FA Cup Final. Why do I suddenly have a feeling we might see that again?
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Let's face it, the European method of pulling names out from the proverbial hat to determine the pairings for its knockout competitions is, well, a foreign concept. About the only Stateside comparison is the selection committee drawing up the NCAA Tournament brackets every March. 
For the record, "I'm fantastic" in Italian is "Sono fantastici." So says Google, anyway.
As if 
While most of the coverage this year's 
Apparently, some Manchester United players really enjoy poking bears with sticks. 
