Champions League 2012-13

[Charlie Darwin]

Barca will make monkeys out of most teams with their dominance, skill and aggressive workmanlike ability to win the ball back.

One of Celtic's strengths last night was their defensive discipline, not tackling unless they had to and an almost flowing intuitive ability to defend as a unit. On individual performances, Forster pulled off 2 or 3 top class saves. Matthews was excellent in the unfamiliar role of Left Back, he was my motm. Lennon has picked up some aces in the last day of the transfer window, Ambrose at CH, Lustig at RB and up front Miku looks a very skillful player. Add in Wanayama at CM and Kris Commons is one talented player who can spray the ball accurately around the park with ease. Brown is at his best these days but unfortunately is debilitated with a chronic complaint.
Celtic have a very good team which deservedly have every chance to take the 2nd spot.
And Angry Ant still to come back in the team.

[geysir]

Our friend Stokes? I think he'll struggle to get a start.
He'd probably be used as back up when Hooper is injured or for Miku when it's a cold wet evening in Aberdeen and then there's Watt and Sammy the Greek.

[geysir]

Evans stops and stretches out a leg the other way when yer man changes direction. Looks like he makes himself as big as possible to stop the Braga player getting past with no attempt to play the ball. Looks a reasonable call to me.

Yeah, the camera angle used in the first slow motion replay shows that.

[Charlie Darwin]

Our friend Stokes? I think he'll struggle to get a start.
He'd probably be used as back up when Hooper is injured or for Miku when it's a cold wet evening in Aberdeen and then there's Watt and Sammy the Greek.
Well he wouldn't start but Lenny is a big fan and I think European football suits him - a bit more technical, and he's the only out and out finisher they have.

[geysir]

You mean the only finisher apart from Hooper? I haven't seen enough of Miku yet but he looks the part, as well having abundant football skills and a football brain, he's different class to anything Celtic have in that department, apart from Commons perhaps.

[Charlie Darwin]

I wouldn't consider Hooper a finisher in the sense I'm talking about. Hooper will get you bags of goals in the SPL where you need to beat up lesser sides, but AA is the type of player who can get you goals when you might only have a couple of half-chances. Hooper's not going to know one in from 20 yards or anything, but AA will. Miku looks very good but I couldn't make a judgement on his goalscoring ability.

[razor]

I see there was a penalty awarded against Man U's Evans last night.
I don't know what else he could have done when the attacking player just appears to barge straight into him.
Was it a good call by the ref?It was a better call than the other penalty. hilarious swan dive from Rooney. even threw his left leg into the defender.

[geysir]

I'd say it was the official behind the goal who made that call. There was some delay before the ref signaled a penalty.
I think there's some doubt whether he dived or not. Possibly if it was left up to the ref, he would not have called it.

[geysir]

I see that Celtic have elbowed their way to prominence on TV3's CL coverage this evening.
I suppose there's not that much competition from the surviving EPL teams, Man U are already qualified, but Chelsea's game against Juventus should be of interest.
Valencia at home to Bayern is a standout. Bayern probably need at least a draw to have a chance of top spot and if they lose it, they give Bate a decent shot at the 2nd place spot.

[DannyInvincible]

'Bout time someone decided to broadcast an Irish team in Europe! :p

[Charlie Darwin]

As long as European teams find it so difficult to defend corners, Celtic will do well in Europe.

[geysir]

Celtic being a non-European team :)

Has there ever been a worse defended corner in the CL? The funniest bit was that Samaras still made the effort to head it perfectly off the ground, despite the fact that there was nobody there to block it.

[patrickccfc]

Celtic being a non-European team :)

Has there ever been a worse defended corner in the CL? The funniest bit was that Samaras still made the effort to head it perfectly off the ground, despite the fact that there was nobody there to block it.
ridiculous really that celtics tallest player was left completely unmarked in the six yard box.. under pressure at the minute but id say celtic will hold out

[DeLorean]

Some record by him, scored in all five away matches in Europe this season - Helsinki, Helsingborgs, Moscow, Barcelona and now Lisbon. The Sky commentator tried to take the Nou Camp one off him but I'm pretty sure he ended up getting that.

[Charlie Darwin]

Juventus are 2-0 up at home to Chelsea, meaning Chelsea will need to win and for the Shakhtar-Juve result to go their way to qualify. They'll probably just scrape in but still.

Speaking of Shakhtar:


Remember Kanu misunderstanding Arsenal's attempts to return the ball to the Sheffield United goalkeeper in an FA Cup match in February 1999? We have had something similar in the first half of the match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Nordsjaelland. The Ukrainian side's first goal came as Luiz Adriano intercepted his team-mate Willian's attempt to boot the ball back to the opposition, rounded the hapless Danish goalkeeper and slotted home.

[geysir]

I suppose the only real certainty was that Wanyama would pick up another yellow.
Benfica did more than enough in the game to win it, though they left the game exposed to a few good half chances for Celtic near the end.
Celtic's defending wasn't as commanding or as good as in previous games.

Valencia move ahead of Bayern on head to head but both are through.
Are Chelsea grasping at straws?

[Charlie Darwin]

I suppose the silver lining is that Benfica are so awful defensively they will likely concede at least a couple in Camp Nou. Celtic's home record in Europe should see them through.

Chelsea need Shakhtar to beat Juventus in Donetsk. The way they're playing, a win at home to Nordsjaelland is far from guaranteed.

[nigel-harps1954]

Adriano would want to be shot for that stunt against Nordsjaelland. Disgraceful stuff. He knew exactly what was happening.

[geysir]

John Hartson (on TV3) looks slimmer now than ever he did as a player for Celtic.

[Charlie Darwin]

John Hartson (on TV3) looks slimmer now than ever he did as a player for Celtic.
I don't know if that's a joke but cancer will do that to you.

[geysir]

Chelsea need Shakhtar to beat Juventus in Donetsk. The way they're playing, a win at home to Nordsjaelland is far from guaranteed.
Then a draw for Juve is enough.
And for sure Juve would do that on merit, as it's beyond our wildest dreams that a team like Juve would lower themselves to dodgy match fixing tactics.

[geysir]

I don't know if that's a joke but cancer will do that to you.
Surely you are not trying to trip me up on a PC rap? :)
I guess he didn't get that indent on his skull from the effects of 1000 headers.

[jinxy lilywhite]

Juventus are 2-0 up at home to Chelsea, meaning Chelsea will need to win and for the Shakhtar-Juve result to go their way to qualify. They'll probably just scrape in but still.

Speaking of Shakhtar:

Remember Kanu misunderstanding Arsenal's attempts to return the ball to the Sheffield United goalkeeper in an FA Cup match in February 1999? We have had something similar in the first half of the match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Nordsjaelland. The Ukrainian side's first goal came as Luiz Adriano intercepted his team-mate Willian's attempt to boot the ball back to the opposition, rounded the hapless Danish goalkeeper and slotted home.

this here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHv8e1CRCDs

[Charlie Darwin]

To be fair, Juventus were never found guilty of match-fixing.

[NeverFeltBetter]

this here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHv8e1CRCDs

I've heard of games where that happens due to individual error/gamesmanship and the team that scores letting the opposition walk one in right after. Don't think Shaktar took that option, so I'm inclined to be critical of the whole squad.

[DannyInvincible]

I was told their manager instructed the players to give a goal back in return but the players ignored him.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Well, that is pretty terrible.

[peadar1987]

To be fair, Juventus were never found guilty of match-fixing.

And Al Capone's only crime was tax evasion

[geysir]

Possibly the prospective bonus got in the way of better judgement for the Shakhtar players.

[Charlie Darwin]

And Al Capone's only crime was tax evasion
Well Al Capone did evade tax. Juventus were found to have relationships that could possibly have led them to influence the selection of referees, while the actual evidence showed they made no more attempt to influence selection than any other team. It's like saying Al Capone was the worst gangster for no other reason than failing to pay his taxes.

[geysir]

It was a bit more than that Charlie, Juve got heavily punished because their particular influence on the selection of referees was regarded to have a beneficial effect.

The real missed chance for Celtic was Mulgrew's 2nd corner which didn't clear the first defender, had it reached a Celtic head, there was a 80% chance of scoring.
Celtic now face a last placed Spartak team. At least they are not likely to play worse than that, partly their own doing and partly Benfica were vastly superior. Too many players were just not up to scratch, Brown has finally blown his gasket.

Wanyama is suspended for the last game and Brown I suspect is finished as a player, at least for the season. On the flip side, Kayal looks like he's back to form. Before the CL group games kicked off I thought Celtic at best would get 3rd place, now that's the worst case scenario.

[Charlie Darwin]

It was a bit more than that Charlie, Juve got heavily punished because their particular influence on the selection of referees was regarded to have a beneficial effect.
No, they were charged because it was theorised that they were the only club with the influence and personal connections with referees to affect the selection of referees in their favour, even though there was no actual evidence of any wrong-doing and such connections were not only not outlawed, but were actually encouraged by the code of conduct. This has since turned out to be not true, as every club in Serie A and beyond has been proven to have day-to-day contact with referees of the kind Juventus were supposed to be the only example. It was a massive, massive ****-up by the Italian FA.

[SkStu]

The real missed chance for Celtic was Mulgrew's 2nd corner which didn't clear the first defender, had it reached a Celtic head, there was a 80% chance of scoring.

just wondering how you came up with 80%? :D

[Charlie Darwin]

Anyone watching Zenit-Malaga? Both teams had a million chances, with Richard Dunne's mate Kerzakhov having his trademark nosebleed in front of goal. Zenit now need Milan to draw at Anderlecht before winning at the San Siro. So tonight could see both moneybags Man City and Zenit bowing out of the competition, which is always nice to see.

[dong]

Watching man city v real Madrid with Whelan co commentating. He keeps referring to city note being used to three at the back.
i thought thaey had been playing that system all season? Was Micah Richards not complaining about it a couple of months ago?

[Charlie Darwin]

They've tried it a few times with mixed results. Richards was complaining because they changed to it mid-way through the Ajax loss, having started with a flat four, and they don't have players tactically-aware enough to do it.

[jinxy lilywhite]

They've tried it a few times with mixed results. Richards was complaining because they changed to it mid-way through the Ajax loss, having started with a flat four, and they don't have players tactically-aware enough to do it.

I dont understand that. These guys are top class footballers, how can they not be tactically astute?

[Charlie Darwin]

Because they're English.

[SkStu]

Never ever a peno in my opinion

[Charlie Darwin]

Second late non-penalty they've been given in this group. The officials have been truly abysmal.

[geysir]

just wondering how you came up with 80%? :D
100% intuited.

[jinxy lilywhite]

i feel it will be Ronaldo's night lol

[geysir]

I was watching Ajax v Dortmund, but it's not a sight to behold to see a German team, tank a Dutch club, not to mention a club that is Ajax.

[Charlie Darwin]

Zlatan who?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhVPOJmRknA

[NeverFeltBetter]

Am I the only one who thinks the keeper really should have got a hand to that at least?

[geysir]

Looks like it looped over to the corner.
But Westwood would have scooped it up, no problem.

[Closed Account 2]

No, they were charged because it was theorised that they were the only club with the influence and personal connections with referees to affect the selection of referees in their favour, even though there was no actual evidence of any wrong-doing and such connections were not only not outlawed, but were actually encouraged by the code of conduct. This has since turned out to be not true, as every club in Serie A and beyond has been proven to have day-to-day contact with referees of the kind Juventus were supposed to be the only example. It was a massive, massive ****-up by the Italian FA.

If anyone speaks Italian they can judge for themselves here:

http://www.repubblica.it/speciale/2007/dossier_intercettazioni/index.html

Tell me Charlie, were was Antonio Conte, Juventus's coach, during the match the other night? Because I couldnt see him on the bench at all.

[geysir]

This one never fails to get me going

http://i.minus.com/iCaszr5qGoW4t.gif

[Charlie Darwin]

If anyone speaks Italian they can judge for themselves here:

http://www.repubblica.it/speciale/2007/dossier_intercettazioni/index.html

Tell me Charlie, were was Antonio Conte, Juventus's coach, during the match the other night? Because I couldnt see him on the bench at all.
He was indicted on a completely different scandal. The Italians love a good scandal.

[geysir]

Goal.com did a whole piece on the transcripts.

There's a few snips from the transcripts in a Gabriele Marcotti article
The Moggi Tapes Transcribed (http://fedenerazzurra.com/anti-juve/calciopoli/)

Some interesting chapters, like the
'Conversation About A Car For An Important Friend'
'On Friday I’m going to decide the refs'.