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

Champions League thoughts:

Celtic beat Man U 1-0 today off Nakamura's brilliant free kick in the 81st. Louis Saha blew two chances after that: first when he failed to immediately play a ball on account of an offside call that never came, and second on a missed penalty. The whole thing was delightful, although it would have been better if Cristiano suffered the double indignity.

Real and Lyon drew 2-2 in a match where Lyon played better. Cannavaro had one of the worst games I've seen him have, while Lyon's giant striker Carew (who I was not previously familiar with) marauded all over the pitch. In the Lyon games I've seen, Fred, Govou, and Carew have all looked good, although I understand the knock on those fellows is not lack of talent, but lack of consistency. That may well be so...but this may be Lyon's year to put it all together. Unfortunately, ominously present also is the possibility that it may be Chelsea's year, who, with untraditionally weak displays from Barca, Milan, and Real, rate as the favorites. Ugh.

My fantasy, of course, is that my Scousers make amends for their crummy EPL form by (a) knocking Chelsea out of the CL or (b) winning the CL outright.

FF