The team that got away!

From Chris Turner

Thousands of Manchester United and Chelsea fans flock eastwards this week as Moscow hosts the biggest game in European club football; The UEFA Champions League final. Firstly, as we all know, it’s the first time two English clubs have met in the final, and secondly, Welsh wizard Ryan Giggs will have the opportunity to smash both Bobby Charlton’s appearance record, and Liverpool legend Phil Neal’s trophy cabinet record if he both plays and lifts the historic cup with big ears on Wednesday night.

However, with Euro 2008 just around the corner, it is interesting to note who will and who will not be going to Austria and Swtizerland this summer:

European Final Team

Kuszczak, Van Der Sar, Evra, Ronaldo, Nani, Cech, Carvalho, Ferreira, Makelele, Malouda, Ballack, Anelka.

Not the European Final team

Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Hargreaves, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs, Rooney, Cudicini, Terry, Bridge, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Lampard, Wright Phillips, Shevchenko, Saha, Fletcher, O’ Shea, Silvestre, Pique.

Couldn’t care less

Mikel, Essien, Kalou, Drogba, Belletti, Anderson, Tevez.

Of the players that won’t appear in Euro 2008, 12 Englishmen appear, one third of the maximum 36 players that can be named. So, if a third of the Champions League final players are English, it would suggest that there is no problem with the talent of the English players; rather they just fail to put their country before their club when it matters at international level.