What's a Year? What a Year!

To be honest, I'm writing this blog in the aftermath of the Arsenal's win over Barcelona. I predicted the win, but then I am very biased towards the Premier League sides, so my predictions weren't a big surprise. Who could have thought at the start of this season that we will get to see the rematch of the epic Arsenal-Barcelona match so soon? And not only that, a win for Arsenal?

But this is not all I am going to talk about. Keeping with the Champions League, would you have believed if someone told you last February that Tottenham would qualify for the Champions League. And that they will top their group and not only that, beat AC Milan and score 3 on Inter after being 4 goals down! They have really been the team of the season for me so far, for the best moments. That Bale goal was the best of the season for me. (No not Rooney's, that was a very speculative effort I thought, but the Bale goal was pure class. Not that Rooney's wasn't.)

Then there is the little matter of the great form Chelsea has been out (Is this even a phrase?). I mean they were scoring for fun at the end of last season and even at the start of this. But what a turn around has it been! (Is it right to say turn-around?)

Did you predict that Torres would leave Liverpool for Chelsea for 50 million. On the other hand, Wenger would still not buy anyone (However, now you can't say much can you? His team has played really well recently). And for all my money I would have bet that Ryan Giggs will retire at the end of the season! He has been playing for longer than I have been alive. That's just not right!

Other surprises for me were the price tag of Andy Carroll. The guy who predicted that last year would have made quite a fortune on this bet. Even the Martin O' Neil episode was quite shocking for me. And on the topic of managers, there is the firing of Chris Hughton; how the board came to that decision, I don't really know.

I thought this needed a new paragraph. The epic failure of Roy Hodgson! I mean, I had a feeling that he will not be a huge success, but wow that was one bad year for him. Manager of the season to now managing a team to try to keep them up in the League. Not to mention getting one of the best teams of all times dangerously near to relegation! Bad bad year for him, and I kinda feel sorry for him.

Among more predictable things that happened was the signing of Morinho as the manger of Real amid speculation that he might after all come to the Premier League. What is interesting though is that they don't look like winning the League (I should say La Liga, but I don't mean it as a proper noun here), and I personally don't rate them very high to win the Champions League (Maybe it's that premier League bias, but I just don't). And to make things better, they have to play Barcelona in the final of the Copa del Rey. Really looking forward to that one. So do you think he will be fired if he fails to win anything? That would be some decision now, won't it?

Then there was the World Cup. I was supporting the South American teams to go on and win, but like everyone's prediction my prediction too was Spain. The journey of the win was not as predictable as the overall result though.

Finally, back to the Arsenal Barcelona Derby. Yes that will be a thing soon! So I need two predictions; Who will win the tie? And what will be the transfers among the clubs, this summer?