Chelsea's triumph in winning their first ever European Cup has dismayed many. "Anti-football" they call it. Because Di Matteo's Blues are reticent and negative, and appeared determined to resemble Steaua Bucharest versus Barcelona in 1986 or Red Star Belgrade against Marseille in 1991, they were not ostensibly worthy winners.
The phenomenon of fans willing their team to lose habitually rears its ugly head at the business end of the season. In the English Premier League, more often than not, it involves Manchester United. Spurs fans may have offered a helping hand in 1999 but United were exposed to the trick's drawbacks over a decade later.
The Spaniard stands at the centre of a sporting soap opera in which he is just shy of 24 hours of playing time without a single goal. Indeed, Torres has received more yellow cards than scored goals since moving from Liverpool to Chelsea for £50 million. Predictably, 'should Torres go?' polls have sprung up across the media and web...