Yeah, yeah, yeah. Chelsea, always bleeding Chelsea, with a £330-million squad, the world’s richest owner and football’s slickest manager.
They’ve been perfect domestically and held only by Liverpool in Europe. There can be no doubting which side is most likely to reach the pinnacle of world football this season.
World football? Yup, there is no better, no more expensively assembled side on the planet. Forget Brazil, Holland and Argentina. Chelsea’s spending goes way beyond national boundaries.
Their 4-0 trouncing of Betis, the only Real threat to English supremacy in Group G where Liverpool edged past Anderlecht 1-0, was typically efficient.
Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho, Joe Cole and Hernan Crespo did the damage and the Blues must now be considered favourites to sweep all before them in Europe this season. If the Special One, Jose Mourinho, managed it with poverty-stricken Porto two seasons ago, what can possibly stop him this time?
Roman Abramovich shows no sign of backing off now he has extracted most of Russia’s wealth without extradition; Frank Lampard and John Terry appear to be equally bulletproof and, let’s face it, money talks at this level.
But on the night Jonathan Woodgate finally came good for Real Madrid with the equaliser in their 4-1 win over Rosenborg, my mind remained filled with the image of Thierry Henry on Tuesday night.
Returning from a nasty groin injury far too early, the elegant French substitute was called into action after 16 minutes at Sparta Prague when Jose Reyes limped off.
Barely five minutes later he pulled down Kolo Toure’s hopeful long ball with his heel, took a touch and then calmly bent the ball into the far corner for a goal from nowhere.
And when he converted an equally sensational second to ensure a perfect three wins from three and shatter Ian Wright’s Highbury scoring record of 185 goals for the club, the fairy tale was complete.
I’m sorry, call it bias from a Gooner, but has there ever been a better player? Doesn’t Henry’s talent outshine the Chelsea roubles?
Ah, I dunno, the man’s magic. He’s what football should be all about. Without him Arsenal lose to West Brom, awfully; with him, they can do anything, stylishly.
Meanwhile poor old Manchester United, with growing gaps in the once-sought-after seats at Old Trafford, could only manage a 0-0 draw with Lille. Paul Scholes was sent off and Ryan Giggs had his cheekbone fractured before the news finally broke that the Red Devils’ Portuguese winger, Cristiano Ronaldo, had been questioned – as we all suspected he would – over an alleged rape in London last month.
Still, for all that United top a group that also contains Benfica and Villarreal. Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are all looking comfortable too.
The mouth-watering prospect of four English sides in the last 16 seems assured. Juventus, Barcelona, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Lyon and the rest must be very afraid.
But will they be undone by Chelsea’s cheques, Liverpool’s luck, Manchester’s mediocrity or Highbury’s heavenly hero?
I suspect Chelsea will be the ones who keep the European Cup on the sceptred isle, though Liverpool’s Rafa Benitez seems to have what it takes on the continent.
But wouldn’t it be great to see Thierry the Terrific lift Arsène Wenger’s fading Gunners, single-handed, to the European heights for which they have never had the oxygen?