Despite Chelsea being knocked out of the Champions League, I still back them to win the Premier League, as I thought from the start of the season. Moreover, with Chelsea out of Europe, it is less likely their English players will suffer from burnout ahead of the World Cup. The disappointment might even spur them on, whereas you couldn't say that of Ballack who saves his best performances for his national team anyway. The German makes Berbatov look like Stakhanov.
It was a surprise result, but I wouldn't write off Internazionale wining the champions League. Porto were similarly unheralded in 2004.
The Italian club's players seemed intent on demonstrating that they weren't real men, but pansies when it comes to facing English-inspired grit. Yet it was over-the-top from Pat Nevin in his criticism when he said of one Inter player he's "rolling around like's he been shot in the back of the head with an AK-47," - if that's happened, you don't roll around, you lie motionless; smashed with the butt of a gun, yes, shot, no.