UEFA Champions League 2010-11 [Archive] - Page 3

KK77

06/04/2011, 1:36 PM

Yeah, it's strange that he doesn't get more game time alright, especially after his winning goals against Bolton and Sunderland. Jenas is awful alright, he should always play ahead of him. Maybe he doesn't trust him in the centre.

Fair point. Exactly on Bolton and Sunderland. Back to back winners and the last time they won in the league. Think i read he said he will have to leave in the summer. A good buy for anyone. Wouldn't mind seeing him Liverpool if he'd come. No European football may not help! LOL

KK77

06/04/2011, 1:42 PM

Barca Shaktar
Chelsea Man Utd

Closed Account 2

06/04/2011, 3:45 PM

Who would you have gone for before last night's games, we'll believe you? (except maybe Bennocelt, serious trust issues that fella!:rolleyes:)

Surprised to see you go for Man U, any particular reason or just a hunch?

I'd have gone for Inter and Real, but not with any major conviction on either, certainly not a 4-0.

Just think Chelsea might be a bit weak at the back and Terry could be found out depending on who is playing next to him. Terry is slow and immobile and with David Luiz cup tied it could be one of Ivanovic (who is better as a full back), Ferraira (a bit passed it), or Alex (I don't think he's fully fit, is he?). Ancelotti might try and drop Essien back defence but that will just weaken their midfield. I also think they could come unstuck upfront as they will be tempted to play Torres, but this could reduce the impact of Drogba. Kobenhaven made Chelsea look very ordinary in the last round and the Danes were a pretty poor side. The pace of Valencia and Nani will cause Chelsea problems, if Ferguson played Hernandez for both legs then I would expect Man Utd to win over the 180 mins. As it stands (with him probably playing Rooney and Berbatov more) they might create a lot of chances but struggle to take most of them. It could be like the Liverpool - Chelsea matches 4-5 years ago and go to extra time and penalties.

shakermaker1982

06/04/2011, 5:46 PM

Chicarito starts. I'm looking forward to him giving Terry the run around!

SkStu

06/04/2011, 7:25 PM

anyone got a stream for Chelsea United? Stuck at work and cant seem to find any today...

Stuttgart88

06/04/2011, 8:51 PM

KK77

07/04/2011, 9:13 AM

How aws that not a penalty at Stamford Bridge?

The standard of refereeing everywhere is driving me mad. Who are these gimps behind the goal? I think it's fair to say that the extra officials experiment has added no value in any game I've seen.

Stonewall peno but some you get some you don't. Would have been harsh on Utd to draw the game being fair. Poor enough game and Chelsea i thought were awful. As bad as i have seen them play in a long long time. Brady sumed it up well saying Man U were better in that they were more composed and relaxed but still not great. Drogba really is a stain on the game holding his jaw twice i think and his jaw wasn't even touched in either incident if you wanted to call them incidents. On a side note anyone hear Dunphy at the start of the coverage calling Valencia a proper winger and then 20/25 minutes later call him ordinary! Thought that was hilarious! LOL

Some result in the other game. Didn't see that score at all. Only watched the hilights but Barce seemed below their best and the manager seemed to say that after.

Closed Account 2

07/04/2011, 10:21 AM

DeLorean

07/04/2011, 10:55 AM

On a side note anyone hear Dunphy at the start of the coverage calling Valencia a proper winger and then 20/25 minutes later call him ordinary! Thought that was hilarious! LOL

I heard that alright. He was even worse talking about Real Madrid a few weeks back. He said they have nobody in centre midfield who can get a hold of the ball, certainly nobody of the calibre of Scholes, Fabregas or wait for it...Wilshere or Nasri!! The same guy was raving about Alonso his whole time at Liverpool, now he's not even as good as a young fella who has shown a little bit of promise or a guy who doesn't even play in centre midfield. Somebody should write a book on ridiculous Dunphy stuff.

DeLorean

07/04/2011, 11:25 AM

I only saw the last half hour of the United match but it was clearly a penalty. It's a strange kind of result, you'd think winning away in the first leg and you're almost in the semi final, but I don't think that is the case at all here. Chelsea have an unbelievable record at Old Trafford, even when they were poor they used get results there. Ray Houghton kept going on about the importance of the away goal, presumably referring to the away goals rule. In effect, United don't really have an away goal in that sense, they just have a regular goal and a one goal lead. Chelsea are the only side who can benifit from the away goals rule after last night, I don't think Ray really grasps that.

Stuttgart88

07/04/2011, 1:43 PM

Barca rode their luck, the Ukrainians were through one-on-one vs Valdes several times in the first half and their strikers kept scuffing it wide.

Also at 4-1 they hit the inside of the post, the ball rolled along the goal line and didn't go in... 4-2 would have been a very different score in terms of the second leg.

This Barca side is far from invincible.I saw the highlights and couldn't believe the number of clear-cut chances they shipped. Some wise old head here talked about how important Carles Puyol was to Barca before he got injured. How right he was.

Barca have been wobbling a bit of late, though their results have been holding up. They use such a thin squad they could well be knackered if they get past Real Madrid (or Spurs - I've seen Arsenal and both Milan teams blow big leads in the recent past so I'm ruling nothing out!).

Closed Account 2

13/04/2011, 11:10 PM

So its:

Real v Barca
Schalke v Man Utd

I have a funny feeling the Germans might make Man Utd sweat a bit. Alan McInally, actually one of the few pundits on Sky worth listening to in terms of foreign football, says Man Utd will need to be at 100% (i.e. no injuries) to make it through the tie.

The Fly

13/04/2011, 11:20 PM

So its:

Real v Barca
Schalke v Man Utd

The best thing about the draw is that there's now gonna be 4 classicos over the next month or so.

Junior

14/04/2011, 9:10 AM

Raul vs Real per chance? - presumably the longest odds of all permitations...

Closed Account 2

14/04/2011, 9:10 AM

Maybe, but in another way that might have made a better final.

OwlsFan

14/04/2011, 9:17 AM

Predictions League so far:

9 Shakermaker
8 Bennocelt
8 OwlsFan
7 Gustavo
6 Cfdh Edmundo
6 Delorean

Real v Barca
Schalke v Man Utd

richieos

14/04/2011, 8:18 PM

Hi lads, just started my football blog with a short article about Raul if anybody is interested.

http://footballingopinons.blogspot.com/2011/04/raul-7.html

DeLorean

18/04/2011, 9:14 AM

Predictions League so far:

9 Shakermaker
8 Bennocelt
8 OwlsFan
7 Gustavo
6 Cfdh Edmundo
6 Delorean

Real v Barca
Schalke v Man Utd

I'm going to do the opposite of Shakermaker, my only hope of joint success!:D

bennocelt

18/04/2011, 10:27 AM

Real v Barca
Schalke v Man Utd

shakermaker1982

18/04/2011, 11:57 AM

I was amazed so many of you went for Chelsea!

I'll wait to see what injuries each semi finalist has before predicting.

DeLorean

18/04/2011, 2:02 PM

I was amazed so many of you went for Chelsea!

My logic was that United hadn't won at Stamford Bridge since 2003 or something and Chelsea have an incredible record at OT. I honestly think it could have been a very different story if Drogba started on his own in both games, glad he didn't though. Also, I didn't realise Rio Ferdinand was going to pop out of the wilderness for both matches, United are a different side with himself and Vidic playing.

ped_ped

25/04/2011, 12:09 PM

Would love a Real vs Schalke final, with Raul netting the winner.

Am expecting a Barcelona vs Man United final, with difficulty determining which of Barca's three or four goals is deemed 'the winner'.

Stuttgart88

27/04/2011, 8:56 PM

I predict Barca v Man United :)

Ugly but intriguing game tonight. Messi - what a genius.

old git

27/04/2011, 9:55 PM

I predict Barca v Man United :)

Ugly but intriguing game tonight. Messi - what a genius.

yes ugly & messi is a genius .. but some of the antics of both sets of players was a disgrace ..

geysir

28/04/2011, 10:08 AM

old git

28/04/2011, 10:21 AM

Barca have alway got a face clutching episode in them.
We know Barca can play football, meeting a typically negative Mourinho team in the CL semi final.
Jose didn't talk about the football after the game, he was beaten hands down in the football and Guardiola hammered his cynical game.
In the end football clearly won and Jose is left squealing like pig. Happy enough ending.

fair point in the end the football won, but barcelona for such a great team drive you mad with play acting and going down holding faces & 6-7 players rushing to ref after every tackle.. mourinho's plan backfired big time last night and they were deservedly beaten.

ped_ped

28/04/2011, 2:55 PM

So, looking like a Bar�a -vs- Man Utd final unless all Hell breaks loose next week. Scoreline predictions?

Stuttgart88

29/04/2011, 2:56 PM

It's a pity Barcelona weren't able to claim the moral high ground more emphatically. The diving and play acting let them down.

I'm surprised nobody has countered Mourinho's attack on the legitamcy of Barcelona's other semi-final wins with an attack on the legitimacy of Inter's win last year. An Inter goal from a ridiculously offside position and a nailed-on penno in Milan for Barcelona denied. Not to mention the iffy decision to chalkm off Krcic's goal in the Nou Camp.

I also have strong views on the supposed robbery of Chelsea, but I've discussed these before here.

Closed Account 2

03/05/2011, 3:02 PM

I see Busquets has been caught making racist jibes at Marcelo... Hope they throw the book at him, should have been banned last over the Thiago Motta face-covering dive. For a team that festoons the "more than a club" drivel all over their shirt and stadium, and for all the media love-in they generate, they dont exactly epitomise fair play. Not that I'm saying Real Madrid are saints.

Interesting to see Villareal (one of the supposedly stronger also-rans in Spain) getting a drubbing in Porto.

shaneker

03/05/2011, 7:11 PM

Anyone got a stream for the match tonight?

geysir

03/05/2011, 11:11 PM

I watched it on tv3, which is a penance (woeful commentary team), but fortunately the game was top entertainment.
Madrid - 5 yellows and 30 fouls V Barca - 1 yellow and 10 fouls.

A few 'could haves' could have sent the tie in a different direction, shouldn't distract from a thoroughly deserved victory by Barca who won hands down, with 99% of their efforts focussed on producing the spectacle (arguably) of the most positive artistic display of team football, ever seen.

shakermaker1982

04/05/2011, 7:30 AM

How many yellow card challenges did Carvalho risk last night?

The game was played in a better spirit but Alves still disgusted me with his roll after Diarra took ball and man in the second half. Amazingly he recovered as soon as he got to touch line.

OwlsFan

04/05/2011, 9:16 AM

Real were unlucky to have their first goal chalked off for the foul was unintentional and Ronaldo should have had a free if the game wasn't to go on. Shows though that Mourinho's plan might have worked. 0-0 at home and a score draw away but the little master made sure that didn't happen. I wonder how long before Mourinho goes to Man City?

It does show though that a manager's rant after a game does have an effect on Officials because at least 2 Real players were lucky to stay on the pitch, especially Carvalho.

Stuttgart88

04/05/2011, 1:12 PM

Yep, the ref had many reasons to show red cards.

Just as an aside: I don't buy the view that if a player already on a yellow commits a foul deserving of a second yellow, he should be sent off. The ref should be allowed the discretion to issue a final warning. That said, Carvalho could have had any number of second yellows last night and he'd have had no excuses whatsoever if that tackle from behind led to a sending off.

I'm glad Barcelona won but that Real goal should definitely have stood. As any Ireland and Arsenal fan can tell you, goals change games. In fact goals can completely change games, so Real had good reason to be miffed - just as Barecelona had every reason to be miffed in last year's semi vs Mourinho's Inter (both legs).

Mourinho's stock has fallen a lot in this affair.

geysir

04/05/2011, 1:19 PM

Stuttgart88

04/05/2011, 5:10 PM

Agree, but Villa has been a shadow of his self of 12 months ago. I think he needs to discover his scoring touch ahead of Wembley. For all Messi's brlliance the WC showed he can't always be depended on for a goal, no matter how close he gets at times. If Villa was on better form I wouldn't give United (presumably) a chance but if United go ahead this time maybe Barca will dominate but shoot blanks.

gaisc�och

04/05/2011, 5:43 PM

I go along with most of what is being said. But surely playing Villa through the middle, as oppose on the left, would be allot better for him personally and Barca.
For all the bad press Mourinho has got and his antics of "Cute whoreism" with regards trying to bring the game into disrepute I think he has sown some seeds of doubt in the Barcelona camp. In that he has now complained so much about the diving and poor antics of Barcelona that now the media and Uefa lov-in will be under scrutiny from all angles.

It has to be next to impossible to build a team in one year and expect to beat Barcelona. It's just not going to happen. It's going to take a well seasoned team who have played together along time to break them and be better than them.

If Madrid had a two year plan I would think at this stage they are well ahead having gotten to the semi final of the champions league and winning the Copa Del Rey. Being eight points behind in La Liga aint good but that's a gap that can be bridged. Barring the disaster in the Nou Camp they have won one drawn two and lost two I honestly think that's as close as they can hope to be....

Closed Account 2

05/05/2011, 1:33 AM

As brilliant as the little master is, Barca are a team laden with world class footballers. There are times Xavi reminds me of Brady, the way he sides steps and glides around a marker. Last night, Busquets was imperious holding the midfield. The back 4 and the goalie are complete footballers. Villa is world class, Pedro about be.
Barca are in their 3rd season at the top, another 2 should clinch their all time greatness.

Goalkeeper is the weak link for me. I dont rate Valdes at all, he's very good at running to the middle of the park to contest a decision, but I've seen a number of shots squirm under his arms over the last few seasons (Wallcots at the Emirates last year being the classic example) I think if he didn't have Puyol in front of him he would be badly exposed far more often.

shakermaker1982

05/05/2011, 6:59 AM

Very impressed with Utd's B team last night. Gibson impressed and I even spotted him sprinting back on many an occasion.

I'm really looking forward to the final now. I don't think United can play any worse than they did in Rome and it should be some game, gutted I missed out on the ticket ballot. It'll be interesting to see what Fergie does for the final in terms of team selection.

OwlsFan

05/05/2011, 9:27 AM

Predictions League so far:

9 Shakermaker
9 Bennocelt
9 OwlsFan
7 Gustavo
6 Cfdh Edmundo
6 Delorean

Man U vs Barcelona

Was amazed it was so comfortable for Man U 2nds last night but great to see Gibson getting top marks in some papers this am. The whole qualifying rounds were a waste of time really as the two favourites have got to the final and comfortably at that.

Roll on the Final.

shakermaker1982

05/05/2011, 11:39 AM

I'll predict early....

Man Utd 1 Barca 0

Hernandez.

geysir

05/05/2011, 5:26 PM

I'm glad Barcelona won but that Real goal should definitely have stood.

First I thought it should have stood but I have my serious doubts. If it was a rugger game, the ref would have brought the ball back for a Madrid free kick.
Mascherano was definitely fouled (albeit accidentally) by an opposition player, that's still a clear foul.

Ronaldo passes the ball ahead, is fouled - ref gives a virtual play on.
Ronaldo stumbles into Mascherano, fouling him - ref can't wave play on, can he?
Madrid were unlucky that the Ref sussed it all out and got the decision right.
The choice the ref had was to pull the game back for the original foul or do as he did, but awarding a goal would have been a poor decision, imo.

Stuttgart88

05/05/2011, 5:52 PM

But if Ronaldo is pushed into Mascherano is it a definite foul on Mascerano, or is it just the unintended consequence of Pique's foul on Ronaldo?

Ronaldo was "passive" in the whole incident. I'd have thought that the only person to do anything against the rules was Pique and, as you say, the ref could play advantage or call that foul.

Schumi

05/05/2011, 9:58 PM

The rules (http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/generic/81/42/36/lawsofthegame_2010_11_e.pdf) say "An indirect free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if, in the opinion of the referee, a player... impedes the progress of an opponent" without saying anything about it having to be deliberate. Presumably impeding an opponent deliberately would be a direct free kick so it looks to me that an indirect free kick to Barca was correct.

geysir

05/05/2011, 10:43 PM

Kevin Moran was a master of 'accidentally' falling over players, making it look like a 50/50 collision.

geysir

06/05/2011, 12:59 PM

Any predictions for the Final?

Barca to go 2 up, completely outplaying Man U for long periods, Man U (unlike 2009) hold firm to the Ferguson faith and get 2 goals in the last 15 minutes to bring the game into ET which Barca dominate, get a wonder goal and hold total possession after that.
RTE panel pay tribute to Man U resolve, which they put down to the absence of Ronaldo.

DeLorean

06/05/2011, 1:36 PM

Carrick masterclass leaves Barca chasing shadows
Barcelona 0 Manchester United 3

shakermaker1982

06/05/2011, 1:45 PM

I think Carrick touched the ball twice in the 2009 final! Nice tidy player when no pressure but if a team presses him he is all at sea.

DeLorean

06/05/2011, 2:00 PM

Yeah, he was decent in the games against Chelsea but it's easier to get in amongst them, and they don't press as hard as Barca. The team selection will be interesting, I think it will be....

Van der Sar
Fabio
Ferdinand
Vidic
Evra
Valencia
Fletcher (if fully fit, otherwise Anderson)
Carrick
Park
Rooney
Hernandez

gaisc�och

06/05/2011, 2:46 PM

I wish Ferguson would go with a 3-5-2.
I honestly think it would work against Barcelona.

They don't really play a center forward as such so why not play a sweeper?
Somebody a few yards behind the play no responsibility to mark just to cover any runs in behind and double up when required?

Van Der Sar (GK)
Ferdinand (SW)
Vidic (CB)
Evans (CB)
Fabio/Rafael (RWB)
Evra (LWB)
Anderson (CM)
Fletcher (CM)
Carrick (CM)
Rooney (CF)
Hernandez (CF)

I really hope he plays two up front with one player ready to track Alves and close him down... Fast...

The likelyhood is he will play 451
Van Der Sar
Rafael
Ferdinand
Vidic
Evra
Valencia
Carrick
Anderson
Giggs
Park
Rooney