Mixed Reviews

Barca won, and Victor Valdes kept a clean sheet. After a nervy start - in the first minute he played a ball directly into touch deep in his own half, trying to be clever; and he was more than a little fortunate that Gerard Pique was on hand to stop Ji Sung Park from scoring when he spilled a vicious Ronaldo free kick - Valdes turned in a solid performance, though he was tested little. He made a good save from Ronaldo almost immediately after Barca went two-nil up. It's a second Champions League triumph for Valdes, who nevertheless still has doubters and is nowhere near a spot in Spain's World Cup team.

Some pundits and United supporters felt Edwin Van der Sar could have done better with Samuel Eto'o's opening, and ultimately decisive, goal. You never want to see a keeper beaten at his near post, but in his defense, it was a toe punt that dipped noticeably.

It's a bitter end to an otherwise glorious season for United, but nobody would begrudge Barca's night of glory. They were the better team on the night (though Chelsea fans will still say, with some validity, that they should have been in Rome instead of the Catalans).

Down to Two

The Champions League Final is upon us, and to the surprise of few, it's Manchester United, the defending champions, against Barcelona, champions from 2006. Both are the newly crowned champions of their domestic leagues, and the game will feature world football's two glittering stars, Ronaldo and Messi. But the goalkeeping matchup is just as intriguing (okay, almost as intriguing).

Victor Valdes has played in and won a Champions League Final. He has held down the number one spot at Barca for several years. Yet he still gets little credit for his ability. In past seasons, he had indeed proven to be error-prone. His gaffes at the Camp Nou in 2007 against Liverpool went a long way towards Barca failing to defend their title. But most observers feel he has improved this season, limiting his errors and turning in occasional matchwinning performances. He was solid over both legs of the semifinal with Chelsea. But there will still be some who consider him a weak link. With Barca missing both regular fullbacks, and with the ever-present threat of Ronaldo's free kicks, one feels he will have to be flawless for the Catalans to triumph.

Edwin Van der Sar, by contrast, is almost universally acclaimed to be at or near the top of his profession. This will be his fourth Champions League Final, his second with United after consecutive appearances in the Final with Ajax in the mid-90s. He was widely, and perhaps charitably, considered the hero in last year's penalty shootout, after keeping out a perfectly dreadful effort from Nicholas Anelka. The cool Dutchman has little to prove, but he'll be under no less pressure than Valdes, facing Barca's juggernaut of attacking riches.

For the glove nuts out there, we'll be seeing the world's two biggest sporting companies, adidas and Nike. VDS has stuck with the new (ugly) Fingersave model, though his is a special make up heavily modified and unavailable to the public. He actually uses the glove body of the cheaper (but more weather resistant) Replique model, with the latex in a negative cut, and the fingersave spines removed. VV is a Nike man, lately wearing the Vapor Grip 3 featuring a Contact Foam latex.

It's impossible to predict the outcome. I hope only for good goalkeeping, good football, honest goals, and no penalties. Match recap with goalkeeper analysis here on Thursday.

A+ for Almunia

Arsenal are still alive in their semifinal tie with Manchester United thanks to a handful of quality saves from Manuel Almunia. He kept the defending champions out on several occasions, mostly in the first half, and survived a dangerous but not malicious challenge from Carlos Tevez (above, courtesy of theglovebag.com).

Arsenal improved slightly in the second half, though Almunia was left a spectator as Ronaldo's 25-yarder clipped the top of the crossbar. The Gunners will almost certainly have to keep a clean sheet in the return leg, as well as score at least once. On the balance of the respective performances, the odds are against them. But they can thank their goalkeeper for the opportunity.

On a related and less-positive note, would someone please tell Manuel it is no longer 2002? He is the last footballer in England still bleaching his hair white. It looks ridiculous.

The Final Four...or Five

The Champions League semis are set, with United and Arsenal squaring off in the now-obligatory 'all Premiership' semi, and Barcelona and Chelsea battling in the equally obligatory 'Barcelona vs. the other Premiership team' semi. Let's have a look at the current form of the goalkeepers:

Edwin Van der Sar, Manchester United

It was more of the same for Slim Ed against Porto: clean handling, few challenging saves. The Dutch ace is by far the most experienced keeper still in the tournament, having played in three finals, winning two. United know what to expect from him, and with Ferdinand and Vidic back in defense, they should again be tough to crack.

Lucas Fabianski, Arsenal

At the other end of the experience scale is Fabianski, deputizing for the injured Manuel Almunia, who may or may not play a part. Fabianski has looked solid in his few outings, showing a willingness to come for balls played almost anywhere in the box. Almunia played most of the 2006 Final after Jens Lehman was sent off.

Victor Valdes, Barcelona

The oft-maligned Valdes has been in reasonable form for high-scoring Barca, but chances are Chelsea and in-form Didier Drogba will put him to the test. Nobody can match the depth and dynamism of Barca's attack, but they'll need to keep them out too if they want to win their second European title in four years.

Petr Cech, Chelsea

Who would have guessed that the biggest question mark would hang over Chelsea keeper Peter Cech? His shaky performance in the home leg against Liverpool came on the heels of a shaky performance against Bolton in the league. All the attention will be focused on the Czech keeper, and given Barca's attacking strength, it's probably not a stretch to predict that if he doesn't play well, Chelsea will go out.

Bad to Worse

Argentina's shocking 6-1 humiliation at the hands of hosts Bolivia only worsened Juan Pablo Carrizo's nightmare season. 10 months ago he won the Clausura title with River Plate, then left for the riches of Lazio and Serie A that summer. Not much has gone right since then: he's lost his place at Lazio to Fernando Muslera after some less-than-convincing displays, and made himself a target of the fans by speaking of his desire to leave.

At least Diego Maradona has stood by him, but he'll be under fire to pick another keeper after the disaster in the mountains. Only the final goal could reasonably be blamed on Carrizo, but the result will leave few confident about the keeper's mindset, if not his ability.

I said from the beginning that Lazio was the wrong club for Juan Pablo: their fans expect and demand too much (their ultras ran Alessandro Nesta, one of the premier players of his generation, out of Rome), and the team is simply not good enough to live up to those expectations. Someone always takes the blame. Often it's the goalkeeper.

Carrizo's surprising fall from grace mirrors the one suffered last year by former Boca Juniors keeper Mauricio Caranta, who saw his career at la Bombonera come crashing down in spectacular fashion. He has recently joined Lanus. Perhaps a change of scenery is also in the cards for Carrizo. They are both too talented to stay down for long.

Boots for Troubled Times

After two years of service, my latest pair of Copa Mundials, the iconic adidas boot I've worn since Reagan was President, was close to death. At $90, the Copa has always represented excellent value for money, but let's face it: $90 is a lot more money this year than it was last year. What to do?

The time had come to abandon brand loyalty and try something new. I had two criteria: the boot had to have a classic look (read: black) and round studs. I'm not a fan of blades.

At $45 on sale from Soccerpro.com, the Diadora Brasil AX MD PU U seemed to fit the bill. It's not kangaroo leather - impossible at that price - but the next-best thing, a very soft, supple calfskin. I've worn them four times and hardly notice any difference. The boot has a hard polyurethane heel counter that really does improve stability. The lining is comfortable and the boot looks suitably classic.

The most important thing for goalkeepers, when it comes to boots, is ball striking. Goal kicks are easier when the instep of the boot feels solid, without being heavy or clunky. Like most keepers, I pride myself on a well-struck goal kick. I don't quite knock them 70 yards anymore - at 42 I've lost a little distance - but I've been very pleased with the ball-striking performance of the Brasils.

My only complaint - and it's minor - is the fold-over tongue. Ideally, a fold-over tongue covers the knot and laces, providing a flat, uniform ball-striking surface. The Brasil's triangle-shaped fold-over tongue is a bit too small, so a double-knot makes it stand up slightly. At half the price of a new pair of Copas, however, it's easy to overlook.

The Brasil has an anti-stretch lining and the sizing is true. Even at the normal retail price of $65 it's an excellent value. The Diadora AX MD PU U boots are available here. Soccerpro carries a complete line of boots and soccer socks as well.

Update - Looks Like Foster

Following Ben Foster's strong performance in the Carling Cup shootout win over Spurs, and Sir Alex Ferguson's glowing post-match remarks, it looks like the Englishman will be given the first crack at dislodging evergreen veteran Edwin Van der Sar next season.

In my opinion, even that will still be only a dress rehearsal for the 2010-11 season, as on current form, I still can't see VDS relinquishing top spot next season. I think he'll retire having hung on to the number one shirt.

Now we have to wonder, what will become of Tommy K? Will Fergie give him another chance, keep him around as understudy to Foster when VDS does finally retire (not a bad option), or send him on his way? He's taken a lot of stick from United fans, but in truth he's not often let anyone down. It's just that he looks nervous and hyper when he plays, and it often spreads unease through the back four. It's just his style, unfortunately, but it couldn't be more polar opposite from the sanguine Van der Sar.