GP REVIEW: SEPANG '08

Well this weekend was a classic case of “When it rains –it pours”. For starters there was a four day holiday and to top it off we had a weekend of Formula 1 and the top four teams of BPL going head to head. I will not speak of the football (as I am yet to come out of the trauma of what Arsenal have done to their Premiership challenge), but with F1, fortunately it was a different story (as it was much more satisfying for me).

It can be safely said the status quo has finally be restored (both on and off the field). Ferrari after a short hiatus, was back with vengeance during qualifying and the McLaren drivers forgot to read the rule book – again. That they were driving on the “wrong” side of the track was vindicated by the contrite reaction of the team that they did not even appeal to the stewards’ punitive decision. I really wonder how they were so oblivious to their surrounding when everyone else was driving opposite to the racing line and they were warned by the team on the radio. Whatever the case may be, it took out a little sheen from the clinical performance of the Ferraris.

They were on top for most of the weekend, but then so were they in Australia too a, week ago. However this time they made it count by occupying the front row of the grid. But with Massa outpacing Kimi by almost half a second, there were some questions as to the fuel load they were carrying. Same goes for the remarkable qualifying by the Red Bull of Mark Webber. BMWs impressed yet again and though it could be said that Nick Heidfeld missed out due to the McLarens, he was partly compensated by the silver cars being pushed five places down the grid. This “potpourri” grid set up for a mouth watering race. As for Force India, Fisichella agonisingly missed Q2 by 0.045 second right at the end of the first session. But the biggest disappointment had to be Williams who could not make to Q3 despite their strong showing at Albert Park. Also Jarno Trulli had a good session and finally after the McLaren penalty, started 4^th, a position few would have expected.

The race got of to an uneventful start as the Ferraris made clear headway, though for an instant it seemed that Kimi would get the better of his team mate at the first corner. However Massa shut the door and Räikkönen was more prudent this time. The biggest gainers were the McLarens and Trulli and Heidfeld had to pay the price for being caught napping. Mark Webber too improved on his a starting position and in due course of the race showed that the qualifying was not a fluke. He held off the McLaren till the pit stops and was strong with the car supporting him too. But at the head of the pack the Ferraris went clear of the field followed by the BMW of Robert Kubica and Red Bull of Mark Webber.

The race was bland till the first sequence of pit stops. Räikkönen smelling his chance started to put in some strong laps and so did Hamilton (despite the wear on his tires). Massa was the first to enter the pits among the Scarlet cars while Räikkönen stayed out a little longer (maybe due to the marginal fuel difference that had been anticipated). This gave him enough opportunity to burn some real fast laps and that coupled with slick pit work by the Ferrari team saw him emerge out of pits just ahead of Massa (who probably was fuming in his car). Though the same sadly could not be said for the McLaren team, as Hamilton’s pit stop went chaotic with some problems on the front right wheel. This cost him ten seconds and more importantly got him stuck behind Webber again.

This disappointment did not hinder the efforts of both Massa and Lewis. But maybe Felipe went a little too hard and this levity caused him to spin, dumping the Scarlet car in the gravel trap on lap 30, thereby ending his chances for a strong 2^nd placed finish. His chagrin was pretty palpable when he indicated towards a problem in the rear end of the car to which Ferrari’s riposte was of denial as no abnormality reflected in the data from the sensors. Meanwhile behind the Williams were having a torrid time with Nico Rosberg involved in a first lap incident that required a nose cone change that placed him dead last and fighting with the backmarkers while being lapped by the Ferraris. The BMWs, ever the silent killers were on a strong strategy and seemed to be carrying more fuel than everyone else at the start. Kubica was comfortable in second (thanks to Massa’s benevolence) while Heidfeld was in fighting range with Hamilton through out. Kovalainen also had a good run with the strategy pushing him up to third.

The second round pit stops did not entail any drama, but for an instant it looked like Williams had goofed up in calling both their drivers almost together. Eventually they showed stupendous reactions to send the cars out without any delay within seconds of each other. Hamilton too had a much better stop this time round that got him ahead of Webber, who also lost his position to Heidfeld. Thereafter there was hardly any doubt as to the top 3 finishers. The engine failure of Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari powered Toro Rosso on lap 39 might have caused some tension among the Tifosi, but they were not to be disappointed this time round. Kimi led Kubica to take the chequered flag followed by Kovalainen in third. Such was the domination of the top three that (the generally stoic) Räikkönen and Kubica mentioned in the post race press conference that after the final pit stops they went easy on the engines and the car as they had a comfortable gap behind them. But behind them Hamilton drove the wheels of his McLaren to dissimate the 5+ second gap between him and Trulli within a very short period. However the experienced Trulli was not to give up easily (especially with time on his side) and held out the strong charge by the rookie to take 4^th ahead of Hamilton. They were followed by Heidfeld and Webber - who certainly should be pleased with this strong finish despite the disappointment of missing out to capitalise on a good start – with Alonso taking the final point.

This turned out to be a pretty good race with all the podium finishers being from different teams and also none of them was there in the previous race. While this confirmed the theory of the battle being predominantly between Ferrari and McLaren, there were much more to be gained out of it. For starters the Williams team that looked so strong in Australia were the biggest losers here and now have to again start burning mid night oil. BMW only keep strengthening the belief that they can challenge for their first GP victory this season with strong drivers and strategy (though the championship may still be out of their reach, for now). Red Bull also seem to have what it takes to be strong in the mid field over a race distance. However Toyota was the team which has shown the biggest improvement and we hope it is not a flash in the pan as a couple of seasons ago.

As for our very own Force India, they will (pragmatically) be pleased with a 12^th place finish in a tough race and can look forward to a top ten finish with confidence now. And finally Honda again find themselves where they would not like to be. But in all this conspicuous by their absence was team Renault with Alonso finishing 8^th and Nelson Piquet Jr. yet again failing to impress. They really are struggling and despite Alonso driving at the top of his skills, maybe the team requires a little more than just an exceptional driver. They need their car to be much better in race pace for him to be able to challenge - if not the big two then – atleast the BMWs. Looking forward to Bahrain now in a couple of weeks time. The roller coaster rides seems to continue there too.

Drivers Championship:

Lewis Hamilton - 14

Kimi Räikkönen - 11

Nick Heidfeld - 11

Constructors Championship:

McLaren Mercedes - 24

BMW Sauber - 19

Scuderia Ferrari - 11

GP Review: Albert Park '08

So the clique circus is back. And we’ve started right where we left off last year. The inaugural race of the 2008 Formula 1 season threw up a lot of surprises, and while the roles from the last race were reversed there was much more to it too. It was now the turn of McLaren to laugh, while the Maranello team has lots of brainstorming to do. Also in the wounded list is our very own Force India F1, while they were not expecting miracles, but that none of their cars made it to the end must certainly be disappointing. Considering only six out of the 22 cars made it safely to the end, it certainly was a bizarre race.

Things started going wrong for Ferrari right from qualifying with Raikkonen’s car stalling before the pit line (thereby technically on track), disqualifying him from the qualifying session ahead. Perhaps the fact that had the car even rolled a couple of inches more, they could have pushed it back and prepared it in time for the next round of qualifying, should have given them the hints of things to come. Though Massa did make it to the final round, but even he would not have been happy with starting from the second row of the grid. The person most happy was Robert Kubica. He certainly gave Hamilton a run for his money with a scorching lap, and but for his excursion on the grass, he would have claimed his first pole. Alonso also got the taste of where he stands when the best he could manage was 12^th, certainly poor by his standards.

The race start had lots of anticipation and apprehension attached to it with people talking about smoking tyres, stalling cars, et all. They got their money’s worth as even though the front two made a clean start, behind them it was complete chaos. As Kimi made his way from 16^th to 8^th almost in the first corner itself, his team mate had to suffer an off track excursion followed by a bump in the tyre wall, forcing him to pit in the first lap itself. Meanwhile somewhere behind poor Giancarlo Fisichella was sent flying on his debut with the team having the flying kingfisher logo! Ok, bad one that. But this called the safety car out and things stabilised. As Massa joined the tail of the pack and racing resumed Hamilton was clearly pulling away from the chasing BMW and the rest of the pack. Even as people jostled behind, the Briton was determined to prove that today he would be in a class of his own.

Felipe Massa was giving everything to get back into the points and he certainly had the pace for it. But then he should not have expected mercy from any rival and that was what happened when he overtook Coulthard. The British veteran was having a good race on the Red Bull and would have none of the bossing by the Scarlet car. And in the process somewhere his passion overtook racing sense and he clipped the overtaking Massa ending up in a heap on track to trouble the safety car again. This also cluttered up the grid and reduced the 12 sec cushion that Hamilton enjoyed then. Almost immediately the adroit Ferrari team informed Kimi not to enter the pits, who just about aborted in the nick of time. This certainly saved him a punitive action from the stewards (which incidentally later Barrichello had to face for the same offence as what appeared initially to be the failure of his team boss in not being able to show the split second decision making as of his former team).

As the safety car went in Raikkonen was up till third (though with a stop less than the rest, but then he was on a one stop strategy), a remarkable achievement considering from where he had started. However the allure of a further two points seemed to take over even the stoic Finn and he went for insouciant move to overtake Kovalainen. Kimi did overtake the McLaren, only to out brake himself at the approaching turn, just about avoiding the tyre wall in the process. He retuned on track dead last feeling very chagrin, and in hind sight had he been a little more patient, maybe he could have gained the track position later with more ease and kept his ego intact too. However it would not matter as this would the beginning of the end and things exacerbated. The Ferrari dramatically lost pace after this, eventually grinding to a halt while entering the pits (oh Kimi not again!). Felipe Massa also suffered a similar fate while a points scoring finish seemed within reach. Eventually Raikkonen did earn a solitary point though, courtesy the disqualification of Rubens Barichello, thereby opening his and Ferrari’s account this season, though not in a way they would have liked to.

There were a few more disappointments. Most notable was Sebastien Bourdais, who was having a great debut till his (Ferrari powered!!!) Toro Rosso’s engine gave up painfully in the final stages of the race. Robert Kubica also despite a good start failed to finish courtesy an unintentional knock from behind by the Williams of Kazuki Nakajima. Meanwhile Timo Glock had a bad crash forcing the safety car out yet again (hey, guess the SC logged more track miles than some of the teams here!). This spelled disaster for the hapless Barichello, as what followed this was a comedy of errors (though his team won’t see it in the same light). Firstly he entered the pits just after the deployment of the safety car. According to the rule book during this period the pits are technically “closed”. Though the Honda team said that it was not deliberate/ignorance of rules, as they had no other option because there was no fuel in the car. This entailed him a 10 sec penalty and as he was moving out of pits he dragged a pit crew with the fuel hose. To top it all off he exited the pits under red lights which led to his disqualification. This series of mistakes apart, the Honda team had lot of positives to take back from this race, and they certainly seemed to have moved ahead from the debacle of the previous season.

The team which was most pleased certainly was McLaren and it seems that they have buried the demons of the previous season for good. But more than that was the performance of team Williams that impressed. Not only were they the only other team whose both cars made it to the end, Rosberg also earned his maiden podium finish in the process. Certainly they looked very strong in the entire race with regards to reliability, team strategy and most of all race pace. Toyota however impressed to deceive with both of their cars also not making it to the finish. Renault, though had a troubled start with Piquet Jr crashing out early, but things improved for them and Alonso recorded a strong finish albeit losing out on a fascinating duel with Kovalainen. BMW had a mixed race and Heidfeld was perhaps the most subdued in the entire race, hardly figuring in any excitement at all. One could have felt that he was racing alone in some forlorn part of the track. But he won’t mind that certainly for a second place finish.

If this race is anything to go by, then we are in for another thrilling season. That Ferrari will return with vengeance is a foregone conclusion, but presently the McLaren team and driver combination looks potent. Also teams like Williams and BMW (not to mention Renault and probably Honda) look set to put the cat among the pigeons more often this season. Another positive sign to emerge out is that Toro Rosso and Red Bull have shown more promise than most had expected. Toyota and Force India though need to improve a lot, and fast, lest they become a partner in Super Aguri’s malady. While it’s too early for anyone to start celebrating or mourning (and considering the last season, even the penultimate race is too early for that), but certainly the times for mourning at McLaren seem to be over.

THE KING OF GOOD TIMES IS BACK

So, it’s that time of the year again. The intelligentsia have spoken, the “oh-so-secret” stallions have been launched amongst much fan fare and the final link in the chain, the jockeys have been finalised. But while almost every team on the grid in busy issuing loquacious statements about their preparations and prospects, the average follower of the game is as ambivalent as ever. Certainly all of them cannot be true. The convoluted statements and data aim to obfuscate the truth and cocoon the team and its supporters. But then again, its that time of the year, when all the talking ends (well nearly) and the real fun begins – both on and off the track. So here I attempt to make some sense out of the potpourri of statistics, data jargon and the many soliloquies that we’ve been bombarded with in the past couple of months.

Firstly as respect to the winter testing results of all teams. Well certainly Ferrari seem to be ahead of everyone at the moment, with Kimi setting some scorching times in his low slung scarlet rocket ship of a car. McLaren Mercedes are not too far behind though with Hamilton leading the way. But will they be able to remain close over a race distance is the question that everyone is asking. They are certainly quick, and will stay right up there in qualifying, but in the race it’s slightly circumspect. And with Ferrari having settled with their drivers (and with their amazing team binding) the job looks ominous for McLaren. Oh the same old storey, so boring.....yawn. But here is where things start getting interesting. The enormously under achieving Toyota team has everyone talking in hushed tones what with the Jarno Trulli’s stunning lap at Barcelona which matched the timings of Ferrari and McLaren. However the complexity of different configurations used in winter testing makes comparison of teams just based on lap times a bit erroneous. And more often than not a team that set the timing charts on fire during testing, disappears into oblivion during the course of the season. Anyways just one good lap (or even one good race for that matter) will not be enough to get the Cologne based team out of their predicament.

A team with real potential and expectations from everyone is BMW Sauber. They were certainly in a class of their own last year, though behind the front two, but also far clear of the chasing pack. This year have they improved on it is tough to say. This because their entire pre season schedule has been under such thick wraps that even Mr. Stepney would have found it tough to get something out of there. Their biggest virtue is that they’ve probable the most affable and committed pair of drivers. And the tenacity shown by both of them last season (more so by Robert after the horrendous crash) was the single biggest reason for their consistent strong finishes throughout the season. However, they’ve not been without problems from whatever little testing data has come out, and speculations exist about their (in)ability to save tyres over a race distance. That they will be strong is certain, but its the top step of the podium that is their aim now, and for that they need to be better than just strong.

Coming to what many believe can be the surprise package of this year – Renault. The biggest change certainly is the return of Fernando Alonso and that has taken the entire team in a different level of self confidence. But just this cannot be certainly enough, and the car has also not shown anything that could cause an upset. I guess Alonso will just have to get used to fighting in the mid-field on track this year, and that is certainly better than fighting with your teammate off the track. Rest of the pack is probably the toughest to suggest. Williams seem to down in the rut, though with two good drivers and the history they’ve got, one can never take them for granted. Red Bull, Torro Rosso and Force India will pretty much slug it out among themselves. The winner here will feel as if it has won a championship in itself, and it is these drivers with their occasional cameos who can jumble up things and leave the top teams fuming at times. As for Super Aguri, with their present troubles anything above a start and few good laps would be bonus for them.

Now coming to the enigmatic Honda. No one really seems to understand what is wrong here. A team with an illustrious history, experience, money and two race winning – not to mention quite experienced – drivers, was the biggest disappointment last season. With all due respect to their novel “green” campaign, just fancy marketing ideas don’t get you glory in the cut throat world of Formula1. And the car that Jenson Button called the “dog” last year looks just as troublesome in its new incarnation too. However they’ve hired the mercurial Ross Brawn as the team principle this year, and they don’t come any better than him. There is no question about his virtuosity and that he will lift the team up, but when even he starts talking about 2009, the rules it’ll bring and their effects on his team, you know something is really wrong. The season’s not even started and already Ross is pinning his hopes on next year. You really got to feel for Button and Barrichello, they know that they’ve got the talent to fight with the best but are driving a raucous (otiose) beast that listens to no one, not the engineers, not the drivers and not to the steering either!

All said and done, this season is bound to throw a few surprises, as there is hardly any driver on the grind who has raced in F1 without the electronic wizardry to bail him out in sticky situations. Hence rest assured we’ll witness smoky starts, lots of oversteer and drivers losing it at times. Though again this is expected more from down field rather that the top guns, who should by now have accustomed to these new uncontrolled beasts. Coming to the off field spice, well what’s Formula1 without a little controversy to keep us interested, but it certainly does not seem to be touching last year’s levels. The biggest reason being the change in the driver line up of McLaren. Also this year we all get to see the first ever night race is history of the sport, which I personally believe is going to be a stupendous success. I watched the season opening MotoGP race in Qatar under lights, and what a spectacle it was. The track looked like a picture of heaven with an uncanny halo all over it, and did the bikes GLEAM. WOW!!! I just can’t wait for the Singapore round. That it is a new track for everyone, is the icing on the cake.

All said and done its good that we get now to see the action and then comment on it, rather than build castles in air and ogle over them, reviewing our reviews more than what is actually on the ground. In short if you ask me I don’t see the Kimi-Ferrari combination being beaten. However I would love to see BMW constantly pestering the top two. But then there is something much more this season for us Indians. Yes Force India, and the reason I’ve refrained from commenting on it is, that the team has gone under so many changes (three owners in as many years in unsettling to say the least) it is virtually hazardous to even talk about it. Got to watch it – with fingers crossed – over the first couple of races. They certainly have a fighting chance with probably the best driver among its direct rivals, in the form of Giancarlo Fisichella, and an extremely committed owner. Let the good times roll then...........

LONG LIVE SPIRIT OF THE FA CUP

Well, well, well, the FA cup is back. And how!!! The oldest tournament in football has long been known for its illustrious history of upsets and is dream come true for the perennial underdog supporter. But what’s been happening this year has left everyone dumbfounded and the BIG ONES ducking for cover. Though some people may say that this is down to the managers of top teams not fielding their best 11 in the tournament considering rest for their star players so that they can focus on the “more important” matches, this statement certainly was thrown into oblivion with the Man U – Portsmouth match yesterday.

Sir Alex certainly surprised everyone by including his crème de la crème, namely Ronaldo and Rooney among other big wigs. But this was not to be the last in the series of many that followed. The second was again courtesy to the flamboyant manager. He substituted Van Der Sar by Tomasz Kuszczak between posts, a switch seldom seen in any league. And this when Van Der Sar was hardly having any trouble patrolling his goal. Or maybe this was precisely the reason that instigated him to make the change in the first place, maybe he wanted to give his reserve keeper the chance for some match action. But the question that begs itself to be asked is, that if it was so why did he not start with Kuszczak in the first place? Why risk a substitution and be left with no reserve goalkeeper? Was he initially circumspect of having his reserve keeper face a tem that they had humbled just weeks ago? Whatever the reason, the fact is that this decision of his backfired, SPECTACULARLY at that. Kuszczak brought down Milan Baros in the box from what was a potential goal scoring opportunity, and I feel the referee got it right when he gave the keeper his marching orders. This left Man U without a goalkeeper, not a mention a man down. With all due respect to Rio Ferdinand, frankly he never stood a chance of denying the goal.

But this certainly did not prevent Ferguson from whining as usual, which he does after every defeat, no matter how bad his team played. And nowadays he is joined in this façade by his favourite player, Ronaldo. Their post match comments just went on to show how frustrated and blind to facts they get after being defeated. Yes, I certainly agree that Man U was on top in most of the match, and had they won, they would have certainly deserved it. But having said that, just making moves and creating chances isn’t enough. At the end of the day you’ve got to put them away for them to matter. Sir Alex has this innate belief that he can bully anyone, referees (and Beckham, pun intended) included, which sadly isn’t true (see what happened in the Beckham fiasco). And as to Ronaldo saying that he is afraid of tackles and thinks this will force him to change the way he plays, then he better start to look for another job. I mean you got to live with defenders pouring on you if you are the real danger. That I think is something to be proud of and not afraid and blame the officials for. I for one didn’t see even a single tackle that was dangerous or even close to what happened with Eduardo couple of weeks ago.

Well at least Chelsea took the defeat in their stride, accepting that yesterday, they were just not that good. In fact John Terry walked up to congratulate the rival manager and captain, praising them and wishing them to win the cup. That is how you deal honourably after being defeated by a smaller team. But then they really were very poor yesterday. Barnsley were in the match always and never got totally dominated. Maybe a lot had to do with the self belief that Barnsley had after dumping Liverpool (at Anfield at that) in the previous round. And also maybe they wanted the cup that much more. Chelsea on their part tried, but there was a touch of that urge, that hunger, amiss. John Terry missing from 5 yards out at the death is not what we see of Chelsea.

One has to look back to as far back as 1987 when it was last that none of the “big four” made it to the semi finals of the FA cup. And will we have to look ever further back to 1980 (which was the last when a team not from the Premiership won the title) well this only time will tell. But what’s for sure, is that Portsmouth cannot be complacent that they possibly are the strongest team left in the draw now. Because from what we’ve seen till now, its anybody’s cup (I for one would like to back Barnsley, not because they have beaten two Goliaths, but because this David has shown the most juvenile hunger to achieve something that no one considered they should even be allowed to dream). Oh, also one more thing for sure, the FA Cup its back to its glory and may it stay that way.

MILAN GUNNED DOWN

Arsenal-2, AC Milan-0. WOW!!! What a score line. The significance of it takes gigantic proportions when one realises that this is at “the San Siro”, a fortress at which NO English team had got better of the “Rossoneri” EVER. On watching the match it was clear that what was being touted as the biggest weakness of Arsenal, proved to be the difference among the two sides. I am referring to the “young” team that Arsene Wenger put against the might of an experienced Milan, boasting names such as Maldini, Kaka, Inzaghi etc. But it was the pace of these young guns and maybe also their hunger to win and prove the critics wrong that brought about the convincing win. The way Gael Clichy outpaced and got round Inzaghi for a crucial block early in the game, and at the opposite end of the clock, Walcott’s pace to outrun Milan’s backline and set up Adebayor for the second goal is ample proof of the above statement.

The match started much to the expectations of the home fans (who had come in hordes, packing the stadium to its full capacity of over 80,000)with the first 20 minutes completely belonging to the defending champions. Kaka and Inzaghi gave the Arsenal backs a tough time. But as would have been expected, led by Gallas, the defenders were concentrating well to deny their rivals any clear opportunity to have a shy at the goal. After the initial phase as Arsenal got their feet in it, the confidence soared. Fabregas was at what he does best, weaving in and out of the midfield, and Willy Sagna was showing why he is regarded so highly by his manager. Still the Milan defence is formidable and they showed it. That Adebayor was not at his best (actually he does not much relish the Champions League, having yet to score there this season), certainly did not help matters. Nevertheless Kalac was troubled and called upon to make some good saves. The game took a slightly controversial turn as Alexander Hleb went to ground just outside the box. Though replays showed clearly that he was brought down unfairly by Allesandro Nesta, the referee thought otherwise, instead showing him a yellow card for diving. However Arsenal should have been ahead going into the break, as Senderos had only Kalac to beat in the dying seconds, only to shoot straight into the hands of the huge keeper.

Second half again started in balance with both teams trying to maintain possession to create moves. As no team could get any significant breakthrough, it became more of a mid-field battle. With Adebeayor still not able to find his touch, Arsene Wenger brought about the much awaited change, substituting Eboue with Walcott. This immediately infused a fresh pace into the Arsenal team as he combined well with Fabregas. Walcott almost immediately had a great opportunity to open the scoring and add to his impressive tally in the Champions League, but Kalac made an equally good save, and Adebayor slipped when he could have scored on the rebound (this pretty much sums up the kind of day he had been having). With both teams in a gridlock and the defence of either not yielding an inch, frustration began to rise. Even a staid player like Kaka could not hide it, throwing the ball in disgust at an outline decision, only to be booked for it. At this time it was clear that a solitary goal may just be enough to decide the outcome and that it would more likely come out of a moment of inspired individual brilliance rather than some wonderful team play. And that brilliance did come in the 84^th minute.

Cesc Fabregas got the ball just inside the Milan half. He goside stepped Gennaro Gattuso, and still off the box from about 30 yards, pulled the trigger. This sudden shot even took Zeljko Kalac (who till then had been having a good day) by surprise and maybe he was just a fraction too late to dive to his right and stop the ball from finding the back of the net. Actually it was so unexpected that even my initial reaction was that he had palmed the ball out and it had struck the net from the outside. Only when I saw the wild reactions of the Arsenal contingent (and what relief showed on their faces), did I realise what had happened. But that takes nothing away from the quality of the kick. It had just the enough curl, placed right at the extreme edge of the net, and had the power that beat the Milan keeper in the first place. The absolute silence at the stadium (yes for a moment even the Arsenal fans were just as dumbstruck as the Milan fans, and also me) aptly showed the seriousness of the situation. The holders now needed not one, but two goals to go through, and that too in just over 5 minutes. This was in no way an easy deed, but one can never write off Milan till the final whistle, more so at the San Siro (and all of us saw what Liverpool did to Milan in the 2005 final in a madness filled 6 minutes).

However Arsenal were now totally on top (having buried the demons of the previous two weeks) and were determined to go through the “clean” way. As Milan poured bodies forward, they were always going to be vulnerable to the famed Arsenal counter-attack, and deep in stoppage time it happened. Walcott outran the last Milan defender (the tired legs of the older team were now showing against the young talent) as he chased a clearance from among his lines, got the better of another block and selflessly slid the ball to the poaching Adebayor, who (no matter however bad a spell he would have been in) could not have missed from 5 yards out. This killed the match for good, and even the Milan team and fans realised this.

The celebrations at the end were more of relief than ecstasy considering what the club has been through the past two weeks. More than the disappointment of registering no win in the past four games, or being knocked out of the league and FA cup; it was the horror injury to Eduardo that had shaken up the club. And this will certainly do much much more than just keep them alive in the Champions League. This will infuse a fresh confidence in them, give them the self belief that just maybe had started to diminish, and above all show all the critics and rival clubs that this team can go all the way. But as Wenger put it in the post match conference, they have to balance now between belief and humility, a quality required to be sonsistent at the top.

It had been billed as the sternest test of the “Young Gunners” this season, who had already proved everyone wrong by what they have achieved till now. But with this convincing win (no one expected them to score more than a goal at San Siro, if they score at all) the warning bugle has been sounded louder and clearer than before for all to hear and take heed. Beating the most successful team in recent history of the competition away, and dominating so much possession in the game is no mean feat. Arsene Wenger, or “The Professor” as he is known, has proved to be a master of nurturing young talent and shown yet again (how many times will he have to do this before people start accepting it) that its not just BIG NAMES that make a team great, team spirit and motivation can also win trophies. Having said this, there is still a long way to go for this team to be considered among the “Wenger’s Invincibles”, but if they are able to maintain what they showed yesterday, the omens are really good.