Manchester United hoisted its 3rd UEFA Champions League trophy in Moscow today after narrowly defeating bete noire Cheslea FC 6-5 on penalty kicks, after a 1-1 stalemate in normal and extra time.  The scoreline, however, belied Chelsea’s increasing domination of the game, especially towards the latter stages of normal and extra time. 

Soccernet’s Richard Jolly comments on Chelsea’s loss and, in his eyes, United’s deserved the accolades.  He points out eloquently,

“Tradition triumphed as, in a country overflowing with new money, the nouveau riche came off second best.”

Hubbard, one of Soccernet’s many erduite and insightful writers, is, of course, referring to Chelsea and its billionaire owner/oil magnate Roman Abramovich.  Abramovich has spent truly inordinate amounts on new players during each of the transfer periods he has oversaw, and after this heartbreaking loss, this close-season will surely prove no exception, with beleagured Israeli boss Avram Grant eying a discontented Ronaldinho and Kaka.

Grant deserves more plaudits than his effusively praised counterpart, Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson.  Admittedly lacking a personality comparable to charismatic predecessor Jose Mourinho, Grant has attained something the celebrated Mourinho never did: an appearance in the Champions League final.  Although falling to United, Grant steadied the unsettled dark-blue London outfit to remarkable second place finish in the Barclay’s Premier League as well.  In first place?  Ferguson’s Manchester United. 

Obviously winning the hallowed double, a Champions League and Premier League trophy, is no simple feat.  Nevertheless, the more hands-off approach employed by the Glazer family has proved far easier for coaches to work with, juxtaposed against Abramovich’s intrusive, meddling methods towards managing his expensive team.  Facing scrutiny from Abramovich and the media, former Chelsea boss Mourinho found his job untenable and and himself unable to develope the type of rapport with his aloof Russian boss that the Glazers and Ferguson have enjoyed.