Treble 2010: Inter Champions of Europe

It's Milan. Milito. Mourinho. It's Serie A. Coppa Italia. UEFA Champions League. It's twice the treble and a second year in a row after Barcelona's last year. Inter Milan was the better side today and was victorious over Bayern Munich by the score of 2-0. They were the best in Europe, eliminating Chelsea and Barcelona. Mourinho is still the Special One and always will be. Will he stay put in Milano or will he go to Madrid?

Milito was the man today. Undoubtedly playing the best soccer of his career and, hopefully, also in the World Cup. Sneijder was a menace in midfield and Eto'o was so close so many times. Lucio, Cambiasso, Zanetti and Chivo held their own in the back. Julio Cesar was impeccable and probably saved the game on at least three occasions. Maicon and Pandev were steady.

Let's not forget Bayern Munich. They were a worthy side and Muller could have tied it early in the second half. That would have surely changed the game. There was also a Chivu handball in the area during the start of the game. Could this have changed the outcome of the match? Luis van Gaal's side is young and a force to be reckoned with from here on out. Ribery will return next season. How could he have affected this game?

In the end it was an awesome match. A special game for a special team. A special striker scoring for a special coach. A special coverage by Fox, on national television, in English, for the first time for a European soccer match of this magnitude. America is waking up to soccer. Let's see what happens next month.

Cheers, Inter. You are the best team in the world. Cheers, Mourinho. You are the best coach in the world. Cheers, Milito. You are playing the best soccer of your career.

The Special One returns: Inter vs Barcelona

Who would have thought it, right? Inter 3 - Barcelona 1. The Special One (Joze Mourinho) did. Remember that he was once assistant coach to Pep Guardiola. Also remember that he's a masterful tactician. Milito's strength, along with Eto'o's explosiveness add depth to Snejider's play. Throw in Lucio, Julio Cesar, Zanetti and company and you have a team capable that may just de-throne the unbeatable Barca. Winning the Champions League would only further cement Mourinho's legacy, especially knowing that he's about to leave Italy (Real Madrid, we're looking in your direction).

Messi was quiet today. Inter's midfiled was able to pull that off. There was plenty of attack left but Iniesta's absence could have influenced the outcome of the match. Sure, Milito was offsides in the second goal. But who cares? Now we have a do-or-die game in Barcelona next week.

Oh, and before I quit... did you notice how many Italians were on the starting team for Inter? Answer: zero. Sure Baloteli came on in the second half... but he's only Italian by choice. At least Barca had Valdes, Xavi, Puyol, Pique, Pedrito and Busquets.

Argentina's surplus of attackers

What do you do when you have the best attackers in the world? Who do you bench and who do you start? That's Argentina's "problem" at the moment. Let's count it down from most important to slightly less: Messi (FC Barcelona), Tevez (Manchester City), Higuain (Real Madrid), Milito (Inter Milan), Aguero (Atletic Madrid), Palermo (Boca Juniors). Wow. Just having one of them in your team would make the difference in any given game.

We can argue that Messi can be moved to the midfield, yes, but this may cut down on what the best player in the world can do for the national team. Tevez, it is argued, is a sure bet for a starter, at least according to sports media.

And who's providing service from the midfield? That's the other side of the equation. There's Veron, Riquelme, Cambiasso, Saviola. Oh, wait... no Riquelme because he quit the team thanks, in part, to squabbles with coach Maradona. Saviola has also fallen out of favor with the Argentines. Veron isn't getting any younger and is a tender player at best and has maybe two games of fitness at a time. Cambiasso is a great option, but it seems that Maradona and staff are a bit concerned with his age and fitness. What a mess. There are a few options with Mascherano and Di Maria, but not nearly enough to supply the formidable attack.

Who do you start, then? Milito and Higuain have similar styles and appreciable height for aerial attack. You can say the same about Palermo. Tevez is fast, opportunistic, and a true center forward. Aguero brings youth and unpredictability. My guess would be a 4-3-3 with Messi, Tevez and Higuain/Milito. It all depends on form at this point. In their clubs, they are pretty much the same. It thus comes to who can score and/or assist with the national team. Might we see a preview of this when Argentina faces Germany this Wednesday? In the end, however, it comes to quality passes from the midfield and a stout defense to back up a talented offense. This is Argentina's Achilles heel... their overwhelmingly good offense.