Memories from Manipal - " What I wish to do"

Inspiration

Change and the fortunes that come with it are always made in the DOWN part of the cycle – Seth Godin.
Right now the time is ripe with misfortunes and bad cycles. I believe I have to rise up to the occasion. This is not what I always wanted but this is when I survive and do my best. This is what I keep asking for all the time. Some people need situations, adversity and every piece of misfortune to hit them as early as possible. In my case everything is right now, competition is struck low and feeling worse. All the wave riders have been tossed ashore and people are looking up to each other to stand up and be counted. I have procrastinated for long enough now that even time has started slowing down. I have been chosen to do something which was my last option. The men from above mean it. They are asking all questions of me and my character. I believe its time to stand up and rise to the occasion. I need to make a mark. i need to remember I am getting old too !!!

How to Choose a Football Club - A Fan's perspective.

If it hurts you that every time that you don’t have a team to cheer for whereas your friend keeps putting his arm up and jumping his seat when his team blows hot and cold. Then you are the right page reading the perfect article and not wasting any bit of our precious time.

Here are a list of key attributes which will help you identify and surrender yourself to highs and lows of a soccer fan cult. The top clubs garner the craze in majority of footy fans. But before here are few rules to be followed. Identify whichever role interests you first, do not switch minds. There can be only one God, though you may favor another club in a different league so adorn to its principles. The Who’s who of football command their disciples, let go off every weekend, choose a cult and start roaring.


Warning: “Football craze is said to be the root cause of all evil.”

The Three lions and “A Big Four”.

Manchester United: Served by a legendary manager for around 20 years, choose this club if you want to be amongst 5 % of world’s population in cheering for them. A mesmerizing attack backed by a red hot defense. Lots of flaunting, very skillful and audacious players will melt you in their bloom day. Red –devils will be your logo and a 3 page thorough reading of its history is mandatory if you seek admission to cheer this club. A must for every Ronaldo fan. Rooney and co will be your Gods and Sir Alex Ferguson is always right. Your main rivals are Liverpool, Manchester city, Leeds united and off lately Arsenal.

Chelsea: The Blues of England are an empire built by an oil baron from Russia. The rich powerhouse club never misses the attention of any wealth seekers around the world. A staggering 85 plus games unbeaten at home with a remarkable show of consistency unmatched by its rivals. Domination and control are their forte and battles are won in the mid field. If laying siege is your priority, then you might well choose the Londoners. They rarely lose to minors and any lose is considered as being assisted by the Gods of football. Rest assured you never hang your head in shame against any of your lesser opponents.

Liverpool: A.K.A the Reds, the most successful English football club. You got to be an Anfield faithful all your life if you choose this club but we bet “You’ll Never Walk alone” and at times when the chips are down, the reds will ooze of adrenaline that will sway any football fan. If Colossus (read as Gerrard) was your favorite childhood word and “Never say Die” is your attitude, you need not read any further. Just get up and pick up a Red Liverpool jersey and start yelling. Liverpool fans are supposed to be one of the loudest. This is a pro-Spaniard team for its high content of Spanish soldiers and a Spaniard general.

Arsenal: The most youthful, dynamic and exuberance of the lot. The gunners are a hit across the globe for the beautiful game they play. A favorite of many up coming prodigies and continental talents, the gunners’ disciples rarely believe in playing for a draw and boring their fans. Unpredictable is a word sticky to the gunners and choose this club if results don’t matter much when compared with the attractive display put on by the gunners. An unconventional club in all its senses of transfers, style of play and its methods but definitely a club any football fan would secretly envy for.


The Beautiful bulls and the Ugly Matadors:

Real Madrid: The Spanish Giants are the ruling powerhouse in Europe. If power and wealth is your priority, then your needs are met at this club. Vote for your favorite player and they might buy him for you next season. The most successful European club boasts of money and talent very few clubs would have seen. All players start their careers with a dream and Real Madrid remains a dream for many till date. The Santiago Bernabau stadium is your temple; ups and downs are part of this legendary club which is voted the most successful club of 20th century by FIFA. The Los Merengues Fans known as Castilians boast the highest attendance in Europe and have paid the highest fee ever to land Zizou in their town. Its arch rivals are Barcelona and cross town team Athletico Madrid. Be prepared to be sacked.

Barcelona: If you aim to see yourself in a blue red jersey with Messi written behind, you will be identified as a Culer and a supporter of the Catalans. The club boasts of the richest talent mix from home grown academy players to South American sizzlers. One of the finest short passers in the game, the Catalans are known for terrorizing defenders across Europe. Consistency is a hallmark of their game with walk in finishes and solo runs from Messi & co being a common sight in the liga. El Clasico is an important event in your life (Barcelona Vs Real Madrid) and it can’t be any shameful if you aren’t supporting them on that important day.

A Fan’s Guidebook to easy viewing.

The following Views and recommendations are real and true. Any resemblance to living or the snoring is purely intentional and deliberated to invoke responses from the audience.

Ten things which can maximize your pleasure of watching weekend football and minimize stress.

1. Get your local timings intact, be prepared and leave early to the field. A 5 minute delay can break your heart, a Gerrard screamer or an early red card can’t be missed. Check the timings more than once and make sure the field remote control will not be occupied.

2. Nothing adds to the joy of being prepared well for a match. Invite friends to come over, ask them to get some cans, munchies and your favorite snack. Never run out of stock in-between, chewing nails isn’t good for health. Have keen attention and a loud support scream for over 2 hours. Make a chorus and let the others follow suit.

3. Invite “fans and fans” only. Red card at Wall Street is irrelevant. AIG is not any popular than the Red Devils. Also chalk out a strategy about a venue. Your home, his bed room or the local sports bar. With multiple options you can always make a smooth transition in case of pre-occupied field. In case of friend’s house, check for presence of nerds or exam frenzy.

4. Fans should be asked to choose their support and it would be a pleasure if they land up in their home jerseys. End of the day, loyalty and support goes a long way in making your teams win. Also make sure about the loyalties of any third team supporter. He might be secretly rebelling both of you.

5. Only players have intervals, fans don’t. So don’t breakdown or stop your cheering. You might not be aiding your teams cause. All phone calls can be missed and all missed calls can be answered later. Only nature calls are allowed.

6. Speak diligently and use the right terminologies. A miss-pass is different from a good interception. Appreciate the differences and spread your knowledge. Give Gyaan at interval and discuss half time tactics. Wenger needs your input.

7. Declare pre match warnings and issue preventive advice in case of feminine fans turning up at the venue. Ballack is a player and not a model. Ronaldo has a girl friend.

8. In case of high pressure situations and hyper sensitive fans, make sure there is sufficient space around them. Elbow tackles and knee jerks are too painful to take. Edge of the seat is too risky. First aid kit can be a good addition.

9. Replace all fragile and valuable decoratives around to a safer place. A harsh tackle or a slip is definitely around the corner.

10. Frequently engage in reading up pre match reviews and post match analysis from Goal.com. You can claim your podium next to Steve Mcmahon. Passionate fans never miss out on all the pre match hype and fuse. Simulation managers are the best way to let the world know. Sometimes we do plan better than Rafa’s formation.

Raiders of the New Ark - The English Invasion

The English fanfare continues aloud in Europe. The feelings that many amongst us had about the English domination in Europe seems to take life slowly but surely. On last night’s evidence from two English teams who played with stark contrast, the Red Devils and the Gunners drubbed their opponents 3-0 and 4 -0 respectively. First, the traveling reds at Denmark stamped their authority on the Danish side and Sir Alex accepted to have learned his lessons a few years ago. He put forth a strong side and gave the samba lad Rafael his 1st UEFA CL appearance in place of the old warrior Neville. United pressed on the gas from the start and had to wait sometime before Rooney coolly netted the first from a fine pass from the new “central midfielder” Ryan Giggs. The reds then went on to dominate possession, shots and almost everything that could be recorded as a stat till it appeared like a pre-season conditioning game. The Danes had their moments but couldn’t make it count as likes of Ferdinand and Vidic were ready to take it All day long. The feeling had set in both the dug outs and at times the ball rolled only on one side. The one way traffic soon paved way for the second as Olfers’s intended back pass sat up and only to be volleyed beautifully at the back of the net by the Berbatov for his 1st ever united goal. The brace soon followed when the Bulgarian smashed his second with exquisite technique worth 30 million from a deflected cross off Ronaldo. The Danes were exposed in defensive shortcomings and goal keeper was left helpless in most situations. Nani’s part of the game was reminiscent of some school boy stuff when his crosses and corners failed to clear the player at the near post. The shot meter kept rolling over as the teams started tiring in a monotonous game. Ronaldo had all the time and chances to make up for his missing goals from the previous games until the Danish bodies got in front of him. Rafael’s good outing was marked by his dazzling dribbling skills, his occasional solo runs and one touch play. A comprehensive win marked by an opening brace for Berbatov. Sir Alex will not have any complaints except for Scholes’s injury scare.

The Much criticized Gunners over their week end performance put up another display of a perfect team game where everybody had a memorable outing. The emirates stadium saw a fine display of free flowing football from both the sides when the Porto side afforded to attack rather than the usual strategy of the visiting teams to sit back and defend deep. The game was played unusually at the start when Arsenal played slowly and uncharacteristic of them. The home team then drew first blood when the hovering Dutchman Van persie toe-poked the ball ahead of the defender to take a 1-0 lead. Adebayor soon had a free header when Porto forgot the basics of man marking in set pieces. RVP then added a third with a cut back and a poke at the bottom left corner. Adebayor stepped in coolly to take the 4th of a penalty when Bendtner was fouled inside with a careless push. RVP and Adebayor scored braces but the highlight of the match was Walcott’s lightning runs. He deceived almost anybody with his pace and drew comparisons with former talisman Henry yet again. He could have had his name in the score sheet had he been a little better in reacting to a cut back. Nasri put in a good show despite him coming back from an injury and Fabregas was his usual with threading passes and holding possession until the re-enforcements came from. Vela came on for Theo and he seems to be knocking the door for a starting line up very soon. Sagna and Clichy had similar dashes in the flanks and put up a decent performance. When the prediction of a cricket score line over the weekend got banished by Hull, it might have once again cropped up with this comfortable win. Wenger’s men played it beautifully against the former champions of UEFA CL. As they march on, the days are not far ahead when at least half their team enter the score sheet and cricket scores are a reality.

UEFA Champions League - September 30th preview.

After a high scoring opening day of 22 goals followed by a 14 goal 2nd day, let us look at the mouth watering clashes served for the next week on September 30th.


Zenit St Petersburg Vs Real Madrid:

Zenit narrowly lost to Juventus by a solitary Del Peiro goal and Madrid had a comfortable outing with a brace at home over BATE. Zenit will look to prove themselves as a tough opponent for the touring Spanish champs at the Petrovski stadium. The free scoring Spaniards fly to Russia after a win over Betis at the weekend and the In-form madridistas will not settle for anything less than 3 points. Zenit come at the back of a 3-0 win over lokomotiv and currently 6th place in the league. Coach Advocaat will put his best attacking line up for this big game. All that remains to be seen is how well does Zenit play to deserve its tag of dark horses. Too early to say, but rest assured that the UEFA cup champions are a team to look out for.

AaB vs. Manchester united:

The Danes frustrated Celtics at the park for over an hour and despite being down to 10 in the last 10 minutes, they managed to negate a flurry of attacks from the Celtics. Things will be different at old Trafford for the very reason that Man Utd looked like getting back in the groove after a 2-0 demolition of Bolton at the weekend. They played their best game of the season till date in terms of possession and shots on target. With a novice like Aab, Sir Alex would not squander the opportunity to get their winning streak back on track. At home this might well prove to be a one-sided match in favour of united unless the Danes come up with the game of their lives. Also for Aab, they would see the return of Beauchamp after his controversial red card was over turned by UEFA.

Villareal vs Celtics:

Coach Manuel Pelligrini would be very delighted over a single point squeezed from old Trafford but would still consider himself unlucky for a deflection of Franco that was denied by the post when Van Der Sar seemed a mere spectator. To follow it up they take on Celtics who could just take a single point over Aab in their home game. Both the teams have not entered the score sheet and arguably these two lock horns for the second spot in the group behind the reigning champions. Fans can look forward to a tight game with Villareal lining up the likes of Senna and Nihat from the bench. On the other hand, Celtic seems to have lost a big name or two to injury and that might hamper their progress in the tournament. Villareal sit pretty on top of the league table with comfortable wins. What looks optimistic is the manner in which they have gone about their work. Celtic would need a top draw to scar the yellow submarines in front of their fans at the Estadio Al Madrigal.

Fiorentina Vs Steau Bucharest:

The Viola’s went ahead twice only to concede goals and Lyon got back into the game to snatch a draw after some angry moments from the viola players. Steau Bucharest in their game against Bayern lost on a tight one goal margin after Buyten deflected a free kick for the visiting Bavarians. For most of the second half, the Romanian outfit stung the palms of Bayern Keeper Rensing with some excellent drives from the edge and outside. Coach Lakatus would look back a fortnight and expect a better finishing form for his strikers to upset the violas. The Violas meanwhile have their own problem at the back and are currently 13th in their league. At home any points dropped would spell doomsday in this extremely competitive group.

Bayern Munich Vs Lyon:

The Germans are yet to find their feet on the ground in the league and have been at the wrong place of the table considering their high standards. The return of Ribery for the cup will be a welcome relief for Klinsmann as his side look to bolster their attack against the French champions. With a disastrous start to the league campaign, a lot hinges on how they respond to the UEFA CL clash against a good opponent. The French champs are meanwhile about to lose Juninho to injury. Rest apart the team looks in good shape and would not want to concede any advantage to the german giants. They rank 1st in their league and also put up a good performance against fiorentina to get back into the game after being 2-0 down. The Bavarains will be questioned on their defense against the likes of Benzema and Govou after a disastrous 5-2 defeat to Werder Bremen still in their minds. This contest should play level with both teams looking better to take the 2 spots in this group.

Arsenal Vs Porto:

Arsene Wenger will be very disappointed about his young team which is showing signs of inconsistency and vulnerability at the back. They drew against Dyanamo kiev and lost to Hull city in the league at the weekend. Inexperience in this side could be a fallability against a Porto side that ousted Aragones’s Fenerbahce with a 3-1 win. At the emirates stadium, Arsenal are still a unbeatable side but with their new found zest in youngsters, they might open up gaps for the experienced porto side to exploit. Porto are undefeated in their league and remain 3rd in the rankings. What remains to be seen is the line up they present against arsenal after closely observing their fluctuating fortunes over the past few weeks. Arsenal looks a beatable side but they are also ruthless on their day at the Emirates.

Fenerbahce vs Dyanamo Kiev:

Fenerbahce lost to Porto and Kiev drew with arsenal. What they can’t afford now is a point share where the other two heavy weights in the group can pull away from them. Fenerbahce look a better side in proper shape after a few summer signings. With coach Aragones, they look a formidable team in the field and play football with good movement up front. Mallorca man Guiza will once again be the key player to watch and all eyes upon him to score his first home UEFA CL goal. As for Dyanamo Kiev, they put up a good show to stumble arsenal, but did’nt show much of attacking prowess in the second half and were left to defend deep in the wake of a string of arsenal attacks. The ukranian side for all their players with international experience can play better and we hope they just bring out one of the better performances over fenerbahce. Tough it may seem, but never the less this match seems promising on the cards especially after the 1st week results.

BATE Borisov Vs Juventus:

BATE had a tough outing against Real in the first week and it seems like no respite when the Italian giants are coming down to play some spoil sport. The scoreline 2-0 depicts little damage but psychologically the pressure of a heavy weight opponent would still ring their minds when they see the likes of Del Piero scorching free kicks from distances. As for Juventus, A scratchy display ended by a piece of brilliance from a legend against a well organized Zenit side. The Old lady lacked creativity all throughout and this cannot continue for long if they are to make any impact at the latter stages of the tournament. Currently placed 6th in their league with 2 successive draws, the onus of scoring rests upon Amauri to keep them going into the season with good convincing performances. BATE can count on fans at their home ground to do all the inspiring work for them. For BATE fans, there was an upset in the first week by CFR Cluj and BATE can draw some inspiration from it.

UEFA Champions league preview day 2

The following is the preview article of Matchday 2 of UEFA Champions League.

Group E:

1. Manchester United Vs Villareal @ Old Trafford: The Red devils enter the competition with an eye to retain the trophy from Moscow early this year. Few teams have managed to lift the cup in successive editions with giants A.C Milan being the last team to achieve that feat in 1988 and 1989 respectively. Sir Alex would like to script history when his team enters the field in this year's edition. The Scotsman will look to recapture his most cherished trophy one more time before he can call it quits. The return of Ronaldo will be a big boost for the Red devils though it remains to be seen how big a part he can play in this particular clash keeping in mind an even more tougher opponent in Chelsea on a weekend at the bridge. With Tevez, Rooney and Berba in the fray, options to lead the attack are plenty but Sir Alex has problems in his midfield as seen from the Liverpool game where Liverpool were all over the park behind the ball. An injury to Carrick, a not so fully fit Hargreaves and the ageing duo of Scholes and Giggs means that Sir Alex will have to wear the thinking hat about choosing ball winners in the center of the park. As for the Yellow Submarines, the team has improved leaps and bounds after their semi final showing in 2005 edition and a runner up place in La liga last year. Coach Manuel Pelligrini will be without Star striker Nihat, but the presence of experienced mid fielders in Pires, Edmilson and Euro winner Marcos senna will form a reliable mid field combat for the " Submarine Amarillos". G.Rossi will face his old club and a surprise package in American teenager Jos Altidore can work either ways for the men in yellow. The past encounters between these teams have been more or less even and it remains to be seen, how much of character can the red devils show again in the midst of a bad patch. Finally being a home game for united with the crowd behind their backs, this could just be the booster that Sir Alex was looking for.

2. Celtic vs. Aalborg @ Celtic Park: The Scottish champs Celtics take on the Danish champions Aalborg at the Celtic Park where they boast of an impressive record defeating the likes of Man united and Milan. Coach Gordon Strachan will also have to find a method of creating away victories in the later stages of the competition. Much of their failure has been attributed to an inability to score away goals. There is no dearth of talent, yet the Celtics fail to make a mark at the big stage in Europe year after year. Samaras and Venegoor of Hesselink start the line up with Nakamura drilling in the passes from the midfield. Mcgeady is a talented winger and Goal keeper Artur Boruc is a top shot stopper at the back. For the Danish giants, they would be reliant on Danish top scorer last season Jeppe Curth to lead the attack. With no big names featuring here, Aalborg would like to play a disciplined game and should be looking forward in clinching a draw against their opponents to cause some trouble in the group

3. Steaua Bucuresti vs. Bayern Munich @ Stadionul Ghencea: The Los- Albastrii’s (Red – Blues) had their moments long back winning against Barca in 1986 and losing to Milan in the finals in 1989. Nothing much has happened to them after that though they have been regulars to feature in the group stages. The 2nd placed Romanian team coached by M.Lactus will look to line up a disciplined side in the field. With not many famous names in the line up except for their Star defender Dorian Goain who is pursued by many English and Spanish top teams. The defender is highly regarded for his aerial prowess in set pieces and disciplined tackles. A few Latin American players in the line up can cause troubles along the flanks and that will be it. On bayern's part, Coach Klinsmann will keep his fingers crossed about the return of creative nimble footed Ribery from his injury. The German champs are a different side altogether with ribery on song in addition to the likes of Toni, Podolski, Borowski and Van bommel in their camp, it looks like a TALL order for the Romanians with the Bavarian strikers well known for their cunning aerial strikers.
Goal keeper Micheal Rensing will fill the boots of legendry Kahn after being in his shadow for 4 years. After sitting out of this competition last year, Klinsmann will be looking forward to start fresh his European campaign in search of their glory. At Steuau's home, the Bavarians can be rest assured that it wont be any cake walk for them when they start their challenge.

4. Lyon Vs Fiorentina @ Stade de Gerland: The seven time successive French champions have never progressed beyond the quarter final stages in this competition. On paper they appear a formidable side except for their “waiting to crumble” defense, the French champs " Les Gones" can boast of a supreme strike force led by 20 year old teen Sensation Karim Benzema who opted to stay back in Lyon, the fast paced Sydney Govou in the flanks, Brazilian Fred, mid fielder Fredric Piquionne, the magic of dead ball specialist Juninho, mid fielder Toulalan, makoun, and Keita. A combination of such quality will pose a serious challenge for the Fiorentina lads. The Voila men are coming out slowly of a financial crisis and the Re- Pairing of Mutu and Gilardino under their gritty coach C. Prandelli would mean that they won’t be any push over in this challenge especially after a successful league campaign last year where they managed to climb over Milan in the standings. With Peruvian Vargas at the back and dribbler Jovetic in their ranks, Voila will find it hard against a seasoned campaigner in Lyon. All that remains to be seen is that whether Adrian Mutu can create some dazzling moments which he does time and again to help fashion an deserved victory if not an emphatic one. Meanwhile Lyon at home is a formidable opponent just to tell you that the match could also progress in one way traffic.

5.FC Porto Vs Fenerbahce @ Estadio de Dragao: The Dragoes won their last UEFA CL title in 2004 under the " Special One". After that they haven’t showed similar consistency and failed at crucial stages of the tournament. The reigning Portuguese champions have many a times caused an upset frequently against the biggest names across Europe. In Lucho Gonzales, they have a talisman midfielder to control the game alongside winger Cristian Rodriguez and Colombian international F.Guarin. Also do watch out for a Jersey named “Hulk” from Brazil expecting to show his antics at the European level. Coach Jesualdo is a master tactician and having been in this coaching field for quiet a long time, he will arrange a line up to tactically pull a 1st leg victory in the early stages. Their Turkish rivals Fenerbahce in their yellow black stripes also known as yellow canaries have made some star signings this summer after a quarter final showing last year where they lost to Chelsea. Euro winner Luis Aragones is on a sky high in terms of confidence bringing along former Mallorca marksman Danny guiza to turkey. Partnering him would be Semih senturk and Kazim-Kazim who had an outstanding euro tournament respectively. Emre belozoglu still remains doubtful in his fitness and form whereas Ugur boral is sure the take the starting line up. Fans can expect to see Roberto Carlos in action in the left wing and if all goes well, we expect him to unleash his power in free kicks against Porto. This should be a well contested and evenly poised match, considering that both teams are not superior in defense, it might turn out to be a high scoring encounter.

6. Dynamo Kiev Vs Arsenal @ Lobanovsky Dynamo Stadium: The recent departure of the Brazilian trio has diminished the attacking resources of Dynamo Kiev and a lot of responsibility hangs around a much younger and in-experienced shoulders of Artem Milevsky to convert any half chances to make a match out of it. At the back of a miserable campaign last year where they faced 6 clean defeats, the number 2 Ukrainians will try to make a match out of this against a Wenger's side that is brimming with confidence. The skill set and the passing abilities in Wenger's BOY'S are a delight to watch when they play against some lesser known opponents. The gunners on their day could surpass any team in the world and with Fabregas and Nasri in the mid field, the Dynamo Goal keeper is bound to have a hard time against the likes of Adebayor and Walcott. Although not impossible, but keeping in mind the home advantage for dynamo, the Ukraine’s can tactically test the not so called unbreakable defense of arsenal to get their name in the score sheet. The gunners as they do would love to seal a win in their usual emphatic fashion and assert their supremacy of playing a beautiful and delightful game, which any football lover would watch. The Gunners will not settle for anything less than 3 points at the start of the tournament with minimum injury concerns.

7. Real Madrid vs. BATE Borisov @ Santiago Bernabau: It can't get any better for Los Merengues when they start their search for the elusive 10th CL title with a home match against a lesser known opponent. Coach Bernd Schuster would like to get his team selection and line up right keeping in mind the high pressure league games in the forthcoming week. With two top goal CL scorers in Raul and RVN, Madrid boasts of a poaching strike pair that can enter any team. Dutchmen Van der vaart and arjen robben are fit to play the clash, Borisov will have a hard time negating the power of Real Madrid in their backyard. The Spanish champions will take on Belarus champs BATE Borisov, who make history by being the first ever Belarusian team to enter CL after defeating Anderlecht and Levski sofia. Such a feat is an achievement in itself but taking on nine time champions and power house Real Madrid will prove more than a handful for this Belarusian side with no history or experience behind it. In the absence of any big names in their line up as compared to an all star team of Coach Schuster, BATE will play to avoid any embarrassment on their debut in this fiercely competitive tournament.

8. Juventus Vs Zenit St.Petersburg @ Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino: The Old lady is back at the top draw and the Bianconeri will look to assert their supremacy in a clash which can go any way. With living legend Del Peiro in their ranks, Juventus cannot complain of creativity in the park. Bolstering the mid field would be Pavel Nedved, Poulsen, Tiago and a never ending list of experience, this team has a bench as strong as its line up. New signing Amauri will pair up with Trezeguet or Laquinta with ADP playing behind them with a license to roam. The Old lady's defense is ageing but its experience will offset the lack of pace and sharp movements inside the box. On the other hand, the Russian champions Zenit defeated Man united in the super cup@ Monaco few weeks ago and play a silky smooth flowing football. Star player Arshavin showed his presence in the middle and the impact he made at the Euros. Fans will definitely hope for a repeat performance from their displeased mid fielder. Striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, Igor Denisov, Defensive mid fielder Tymoshchuk with Coach Dick Advocaat make a line up that will make life difficult for its opponents. If Zenit can play its free flowing crisp passing game, Juventus could well be in trouble trying to catch up for most part of the game. Call them Outsiders, on their day a disciplined side like Zenit might surprise the world too.