The Best of the European Season.

Almost the end of the season...

The various Cup finals might change a thing or two, but I think, I've seen enough of the season to decide on my best XI.

Here's my team from Europe (cue widespread debate, discussion and denigration):

(4-4-1-1)

Goalkeeper: Sebastient Frey (Fiorentina)

19 times he has kept a clean sheet in Italy. Whereas some teams may have conceded less goals per game than Fiorentina, and others may have a worse set of defenders, there's no denying that Frey has had a stellar season between the pipes for the Viola. Despite their 15 point deduction they are in the running for a UEFA cup place and that's due in no small part to the 26 year old Frenchman's efforts.

Right Back: Daniel Alves (Sevilla)

Quite simply superb. The best attacking wingback on the continent. For most of the season, whenever he gets the ball, you sense a goal is in the offing, bombing forward and ghosting into scoring positions all over the pitch - Daniel Alves has shown that defending can be a creative experience and has brought joy back to football fans everywhere (along with the rest of Sevilla).

Left Back: Eric Abidal (Lyon)

It's hard to find fault with him - both domestically and in Europe. People may point to the faltering challenge in Europe or the lack of challenge domestically - but whereas the knockout round of the Champions' League is often a lottery, Lyon's consistency in the early part of the Ligue 1 season was due to efficient, solid performances from players like Abidal. It's been a bad season overall for left-backs everywhere but whereas Stuttgart's Ludovic Magnin is very good - Abidal is simply World class.

Centre Back: Raul Albiol (Valencia)

Not quite a superstar but the tall, gangly Ches defender has been one of this season's best. He has been the most versatile and the most consistent defender in La Liga this year. Playing anywhere among the back four, in addition to filling in occasionally in defensive midfield in Europe, Albiol has been a revelation for Valencia. Strong in the air, composed and very quick to snuff out danger, he has been one of Quique Flores' first names on the team sheet. His performance against Inter in the Champions' league round of 16 made compulsive viewing.

Centre Back: Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)

United fans will quickly point to Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney as their players of the season but in my opinion, their most significant and consistent player was Vidic. He lent an air of composed stability at the back that allowed teammate Rio Ferdinand to flourish. He was, for the most part, unbreakable and even scored some crucial goals. The only game in which he played badly was the Champions' League humbling at the hands of Milan - but that was his first game back from a broken collar bone.

Deep-lying Central Midfielder: Esteban Cambiasso (Inter)

Excellent movement of the ball, good tackler and passer par excellance, The Argentine has been Inter's heartbeat for most of the season. Admittedly the job is often easier when surrounded by so much talent and class but Cambiasso's efficiency and skill made Inter's runaway title bid that much easier. Lyon and Inter may have walked away with their domestic titles but a lot of that is due to hardworking and quietly thorough performances from the likes of Cambiasso.

Attacking Midfielder: Kaka (Milan)

Having the purplest of patches currently, he single handedly destroyed Manchester United that put paid to the latter's claims of being the treble winning champions' of Europe. Easily the Champions' League's best player, he lends trickery, speed and quick thinking to an established blend of skill and tactical awareness. A joy to watch, he's been Milan main attacing fulcrum and Brazil's new fountainhead. Like countryman Alves, Kaka threatens a goal whenever he gets the ball.

Left Winger: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

I don't like him but I have to grudgingly admit he's been on fire for most of the season. Unpredictable and on occasion abysmal against bigger teams in crunch games, he's been murderous against the rank and file. No one plays better against mid table mediocrity and his slimy habit of getting free kicks and penalties, albeit questionable, is handy. His goals have been the catalyst that sparked United't title charge.

Right Winger: Ricardo Quaresma (Porto)

On his day, unplayable on the right flank. His combination for Portugal with teammate Ronaldo was a one-two punch that Brazil could not handle in the friendly. His performances for Porto have been breathtaking, especially in the Champions' League. Portugal are truly blessed to have the 2 best wingers in the game right now. Quaresma has been fast, technical and strong on the ball, resorting to bulldozing past opponents rather than tricking his way past them. When it comes to the right side of midfield, David Silva may be the best in Spain, but the Iberian peninsula's marquee talent is the young Portugese star.

Attacking midfielder/Forward: Francesco Totti (Roma)

Loyal, even in his relative old age, he's been Serie A's top goal scorer this season. Brilliant with or without the ball, his experience, skill and cheekiness has wrought havoc on opponents season long. It's a pleasure to watch Totti play and rally Roma around him. 22 goals and counting from someone who's not an out and out striker is some achievement indeed. Add in the fact that he assists as well as he scores and his all round game marks him out as the talisman for Roma.

Striker: Didier Drogba (Chelsea)

The West London Club have been distinctly average this season for long stretches. The fact that they remained on course for an impossible quadruple that existed only in the mind was due to the big Ivorian. 32 goals off headers, flick-ons and shots under pressure while carrying the line singlehandedly for a misfiring Chelsea is an achievement unlikely to be matched by a blues player again - unless Drogba repeats the trick next year. As a choice unpopular perhaps, but not undeserved.

Subsitutes:

David Villa (Valencia) - Scores tonnes of goals, creates a fair bit too. Spain's best striker and possibly best player.

Juninho Pernambucano (Lyon) - Best dead ball expert in the game, able to attack and defend in equal measure. His lively performances in Lyon's midfield seem to get better every year.

Frederick Kanoute (Sevilla) - Perfect symbol of the fluid attacking style that Sevilla bring to the table. Ganglyish while on the ball, he creates and buries chances with equal aplomb.

Ronaldinho (Barcelona) - A bad year by his standards but still one of Barcelona's best players. The fact that his residual talent is more than most players maximum is reason enough to have him in your team.

Diego (Werder Bremen) - Solid blend of workman and wizard, skilled artist and slick artisan. Werder and Bundesliga's best attacking player.

Gennaro Gatusso (Milan) - The best defensive anchor of this and, arguably, the last few years. While he's on the pitch, it seems the opposition are playing against 12 men.

Michael Essien (Chelsea) - Remarkably consistent and versatile and often, Chelsea's main threat. Fearless and focussed on the ball, impossible to dislodge while going forward.

Liverpool edge Chelsea. Again. ZZZZZZZZZz

What I have to say about 210 minutes of semi-final football ?








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To Liverpool: I don't know how you do it. Keep doing it to Chelsea. Good on you.

To Chelsea: (Nelson Muntz Style) - Ha-ha!

Milan set up rematch while torching United

Milan 3 - 0 Manchester United

So the final of Europe's premier club competition is now in place. Liverpool will take on Milan in Athens in a repeat of the classic final from 2005.

It has been said before and I have said it as well, Milan were found guilty of match fixing domestically, and therefore, should not have been allowed to play in Europe this year. Fine. I do not dispute that. But from a footballing perspective and taking their performances on the pitch into concern, they have done remarkably well so far. Having been entered into the tournament, albeit at the qualifying stage, Milan fully deserves their place in the final. Of that there can be no doubt. I wonder how many people would cry hoarse about Milan's involvement if United had gone on to beat them. As a team Milan has played well and should not be grudged their progression.

Several times this season we have seen United come under pressure against teams that either run at them or pass well. There's no denying that United have had a great season and are a very good team. Yet once teams start attacking them (as opposed to sitting back and attempting damage control - like Bolton), United do come under pressure. Any team that can string together several good passes and move around their midfield - like Arsenal, will have an advantage. Due to United's overpowering consistency this has often been overlooked. However this flaw remains. Milan exploited it ruthlessly.

In addition, most teams fail to close down on the space afforded to United and either allow them to run with the ball or shoot from distance. Milan's Rino Gattuso ensured that United got to do neither. Coupled with Milan's seamless movement and balletic passing, they comprehensively dismantled United's dreams of a second Champions' League win under Alex Ferguson. A day after Chelsea's delusional quest for a quadruple came crashing down, United's hopes of a second treble were similarly rubbished. United have been outplayed several times this season but have managed to paper over the cracks with some fortuitous goals - most recently at Everton on the weekend, Fulham before that, Liverpool at Anfield. This time there was no respite, as, in addition to Milan playing very well, both of United's matchwinners in Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney had an off day and were closed down and suffocated. Gattuso ensured that Milan had a counterfoil to their natural attacking instincts.

Milan always seemed to have an extra player on the pitch and their movement while playing the ball diagonally wide and then back in to the middle with someone running in at pace was a joy to behold. Kaka confirmed that he is the heir apparent to Ronaldinho in the long list of Brazilian footballing phenoms - even Alberto Gilardino got a goal. Whenever there was a 50-50 ball, Gattuso or Ambrosini came away with it. Whenever Ronaldo or Scholes got the ball, Gattuso or Ambrosini came away with it. Their passing in little triangles was oddly reminiscent of Arsenal's at Old Trafford in September. However in addition to their passing game, Milan had two defensive anchors, runners on thw wings and an all-round style that stretched United every which way. Alessandro Nesta, rejuvenated since his return from injury played a solid game at the back, his long-ball delivery to Kaka leading to the opener. Clarence Seedorf's shot, after finding himself with the ball, on the edge of the area found the corner and you sensed Milan could score a goal almost at any time from anywhere. Kaka tormented the backline throughout - his early run and cross across the six-yard box almost leading to the opener.

Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher tried to stem the tide but were no match for their counterparts in Milan. Throw in some comical defending from Gabriele Heinze and a suprisingly static display from Nemanja Vidic and United were in for a real battering. One wondes if Vidic was quite ready for the game, seeing as he seemed to prevaricate over every ball. His feerlessness was absent, his fluid enthusiasm for danger while defending replaced by a form of stiffness. United fans may point to the absence of Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Patrice Evra but on this display there is little United's first choice defense could have done. The sight of Massimo Oddo galloping down the right flank and firing in some composed crosses while namesake Ambrosini was an able foil to Gatusso gave an indication of how deep and how well drilled this Milan team was. This was, quite possibly, their best performance of their season. They played a fantastic game from back to front - end to end. And their talismanic evergreen captain Paolo Maldini was absent.

United's away form has been pedestrian in Europe for a while. Their well taken, but lucky, win over a determined Lille was followed by a loss at Roma and now this. Add to that their losses to Celtic and FC Kobenhavn (albeit with a weakened team) in the group stage and the verdict is clear. United have not been great in Europe this season - and generally awful away from home. Strong home form can only take you so far. Like I mentioned in the last round, Carrick's shots from distance won't go in all the time, the space at the front of the box will rarely be sighted again. United's luck has run out - their flaws have derailed an otherwise excellent season.

From what's left, Milan seem to be the best team left and from an attacking standpoint have the edge over Liverpool. After having watched the dour snorefest that was the other semi-final, most neutrals will root for a Milan victory. However I wonder if they can reproduce their form in the final. I doubt Rafa Benitez will let Kaka and Seedorf run wild like they did. Overall Milan are less spectacular but deeper than United, but their 3-0 win here was like United's 7-1 win the round before - amazing but hard to repeat. The final should be a real classic. The last time Liverpool played Milan in the final we all know what happened. The last time Milan played the final in Athens they won 4-0.