Thoughts from Wednesday's CL matches:

Werder Bremen's Diego has looked very, very good in the matches I've seen. He's a creative, dynamic player with excellent close control and vision. Frings and Klose are also impressive.

Chelsea did not take the game 100% seriously, trying a new lineup and essentially playing Joe Cole at striker, which went poorly. Chelsea lost 1-0, but they're going through anyway. There's some speculation that Chelsea deliberately played modestly, as a Bremen win makes it more difficult for Chelsea's rival Barcelona to advance. I don't buy such speculation, but you never know with a smarter-than-thou guy like the Special One. What I think is beyond speculation is that the Blues clearly care more about this Sunday's Man U showdown than they did about Wednesday's CL game. I'll be rooting for red cards and a fight between Lampard and Ronaldo in which both players suffer facial injuries and are suspended indefinitely.

There was talk by Mourinho afterward that Chelsea isn't the same without Lampard, that he affects the entire midfield. Well yes, Jose, Chelsea did not play impressively, but that's often true when Lampard is on the pitch. I'm still waiting for someone somewhere to explain to me what it is exactly that Lampard brings to the game except for a strong shot and a willingness to pull the trigger.

Liverpool beat PSV Eindhoven 2-0, and Stevie scored, but the Reds suffered injuries to Pennant, Xabi, and Gonzales. Obviously Xabi's the most important, and it looks now like his injury is the least serious. Pennant has been average and Gonzales varies from brilliant to rubbish, tending more toward the latter. I'm not sure how serious their injuries are.

FF