wElcOmE tO mY WoRlD

Arsenal’s nickname – “Barcelona Lite” – was never meant as an insult, but for 75 minutes on Wednesday night it seemed a bit like one. As two of the most entertaining teams in Europe did battle in the Champions League round-of-16 first leg, big brother Barca was winning out, keeping the team that would love to be seen as a worthy imitation at arm’s length. Then, suddenly, little brother Arsenal found its mojo. Having seen Barcelona settle into its brand of seamless majesty and cruise to a 1-0 lead thanks to David Villa, the Gunners refused to crumble like so many before them. First they found a way to compete with and harangue one of the slickest passing machines soccer has ever seen, and then, with confidence replenished, embark upon a late smash-and-grab raid to earn a 2-1 victory and set things up perfectly for the return leg in Spain next month. Goals from Robin van Persie and Andrei Arshavin turned the match on its head, but in reality, Arsenal’s revival came from the very heart o

Inter  coach  Leonardo  believes retired legend Ronaldo was better than  Barcelona  ace  Lionel Messi. The Brazilian striker bowed out of the game on Monday, and Leonardo, who played alongside him with the Selecao, insists Ronaldo is in the same bracket as Diego Maradona and Pele. "I also think he is the greatest striker in the history of football," Leonardo told the press. "Messi is reaching great levels but after Maradona and Pele for me it's Ronaldo. "I followed his press conference and it is like losing a symbol. I know him and I knew what was happening, but he will remain among the best." The Italian and European champions, meanwhile, take on Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi tomorrow, and they have often struggled away from home this season. He added: "My idea of football is to always win, but to play well too. Whether at home or away there is no influence when you have an expert and strong team," he added. "The team has to play to hurt