Champions League final

[lofty9]

Is there any other forwards in Italy in the same mould as Inzaghi BL? Or is his style unique. I cant think of any like him in Ireland or England. Irish and British coaches seem obsessed with forwards getting involved in the build up play rather than just score goals. Just scoring goals doesnt seem to make you a good forward over here. Maybe the way Italians see their forwards is different


I can only think of two other modern day footballers who play like this - Pauletta and Crespo, they don't care about contributing to the game or holding the ball up. Their games are based on making off the ball runs and hoping that a team mate will pass the perfect ball. Watching Pauletta in Paris vs Derry was an experience. I always thought he was useless, but seeing the runs he made showed why he scores so many goals at his level. I would love Mark Farren at Derry to watch these guys in action, take note and do nothing but make these type of runs, but alas you need the midfielders to supply the passes!.

[Steve Bruce]

Van Nistlerooy never contributed to the build up, but he could score you plenty of goals.

I would rather have Van Nistlerooy who scores plenty of goals, than Saha who adds to the build up and doesn't score enough....when he decides to play.

I think the Italians have the right idea and that's why they are World Champions and they also have the European champions in their league.

[Raheny Red]

I love abbey travel...They cancelled my Champions League Package today but I still love them....

See it as a positive thing - how many times could you go to Anfield with that money ;) or better still how many Shels games could you go to. :D

[OwlsFan]

Do you know what I enjoyed about last night's game? The trainer was only on the pitch once (late in the 2nd half and he got shooed off with the player) and there was very little diving and feigning injury compared to some games I have seen. Credit to both sides.

Oh, and by the way, is Kaka now c*ap because he failed to perform at the highest level ;) ?

[bennocelt]

Not really an exciting game, Benitez did a great tactic job .

i dont think so!!! one forward, end the game with two on....whats that all about.
and man what was zenden doing on the pitch,
who so late to introduce crouch,
what the hell was kewell on for,
and who is that guy that came on in the end
go ahead liverpool give benitiez 5o million , and he will blow it all away

craig bellamy?

happy to see liverpool lose, rubbish team, end of.

[Risteard]

Do you know what I enjoyed about last night's game? The trainer was only on the pitch once (late in the 2nd half and he got shooed off with the player) and there was very little diving and feigning injury compared to some games I have seen. Credit to both sides.

Oh, and by the way, is Kaka now c*ap because he failed to perform at the highest level ;) ?
Here here.
Match was well refereed especially seeing through Kewell falling over.

[DmanDmythDledge]

Is there any other forwards in Italy in the same mould as Inzaghi BL? Or is his style unique. I cant think of any like him in Ireland or England. Irish and British coaches seem obsessed with forwards getting involved in the build up play rather than just score goals. Just scoring goals doesnt seem to make you a good forward over here. Maybe the way Italians see their forwards is different
Michael Owen.

[hoops1]

Michael Owen.

I think Owen can beat players aswell though.

[cullenswood]

I think Owen can beat players aswell though.

Nah, he just runs very fast around them and tries to keep up with that ball after another horrendous first touch

[Stuttgart88]

James Richardson wrote a great piece about Inzaghi in the Guardian recently. No obvious special ability other than always being in the right place. The way he peeled off the defenders to say onside was quality but Inzaghi doesn't always play offside so well.

Here's the article, I thought it was brilliant & in hindsight, a bit prophetic.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/championsleague200607/story/0,,2070424,00.html

Throughout his career I've thought he was overrated, but you simply can't argue with his record.

I think Liverpool were right to use width to attack Milan, the problem was that their wide players were ordinary at best, and in Zenden's case way below the standard required.

Something had to give in Benitez' selection. He clearly wanted a ball winner and ball user in midfield he wanted 2 wide players and he needed to accomodate Gerrard. The part that gave was the second striker and it didn't pay off. Maybe Alonso should have made way for Gerrard and he could have played two orthodox forwards.

It astounds me that many of the best players in the modern game are so one footed. Gerrard, a player with superb ball striking technique, should have been more comfortable taking that chance with his left.

[Lim till i die]

Oh, and by the way, is Kaka now c*ap because he failed to perform at the highest level ?

Didn't he win the free kick for the first goal and set up the second goal??


and man what was zenden doing on the pitch,
who so late to introduce crouch,
what the hell was kewell on for,

So they're both crap?? Who, pray tell, would you have played on the left??

[Sandro]

i dont think so!!! one forward, end the game with two on....whats that all about.
and man what was zenden doing on the pitch,
who so late to introduce crouch,
what the hell was kewell on for,
and who is that guy that came on in the end
go ahead liverpool give benitiez 5o million , and he will blow it all away

craig bellamy?

happy to see liverpool lose, rubbish team, end of.


Benitez deserves some credit, somehow he managed to fill the huge quality gap and prevented Milan to play his football, nobody else had been able to stop Kaka like he did and that's a fact. I don't think he could do much more with those average players, it's a little miracle they reached the final despite meeting Barca and Chelsea. Then everybody makes mistakes, I don't think Ancelotti's choice of fileding Jankulowski ahead of Kaladze was a good one.

[Midgit]

I was at the game and it was brilliant. It was a pity it was 10 men against 12 men though(obviously AC Milan benefiting. Zenden was a waste of space and Benitez will have to take the blame for playing him. While the Referee. It was diabolical. All the fef decisions went for Milan.
I got chatting to some Milan fans after and they came up to me and said it was a pity about the ref and that most decision went to their side. "but thats football" they said.

I can't not say something about the trouble before the game. It was absolutly appalling and was totally all caused by the Greek Police. No organisation what so ever.
The police where trying to start trouble. One police man was taking the mickey, rising some Liverpool fans. And as i walked past him he shouldered me for no reason to the ground. (I later seen a picture in the English Star of that same Policeman with a baton raised in his hand about to hit a fan).

Fake tickets were absolutely everywhere!! And i mean everywhere. I am sure you seen on TV that people were cramed in and people left standing on the steps. Sure the man beside me got in through waving a blue leaflet(which where been given out before hand with directions for around athens) Only problem was they looked like tickets on the outside, and as there was no turnstiles being used all one did was flash their so called ticket(fake or not) and you got through the police barrier.

[Sandro]

While the Referee. It was diabolical. All the fef decisions went for Milan.

:confused:

It took 58 minutes before he showed a yellow card to a Liverpool player (and Xavi Alonso was not among these!). I think the ref did a good job in the end, after all it wasn't a tough match last night

[Lim till i die]

I can't not say something about the trouble before the game. It was absolutly appalling and was totally all caused by the Greek Police. No organisation what so ever.
The police where trying to start trouble. One police man was taking the mickey, rising some Liverpool fans. And as i walked past him he shouldered me for no reason to the ground. (I later seen a picture in the English Star of that same Policeman with a baton raised in his hand about to hit a fan).


Isn't it amazing the way all these Johnny Foreigner types always pick on those plucky innocent Brits :rolleyes:

You're right though if I was a policeman I can't think of a more fun way to spend my evening than following ****ed up football fans around taunting them

[sligoman]

In fairness, a brit team was involved in the final. Trouble has to be expected!

[Dodge]

The ref was easily the best I've seen in abig game in years. Got pretty much every decision spot on

[Roadend]

:confused:

It took 58 minutes before he showed a yellow card to a Liverpool player (and Xavi Alonso was not among these!).
Yes, after the Milan players made him do it. It was a joke. Other than that though he did ok.

[Risteard]

Agree with Dodge.
Credit sould be given when the refs are on the ball.
Can't remember anything wrong.
Maybe an offside but he was never by the rare dive or two towards the end.
Top ref.
End of.

[osarusan]

Agree with Dodge.
Credit sould be given when the refs are on the ball.
Can't remember anything wrong.
Maybe an offside but he was never by the rare dive or two towards the end.
Top ref.
End of.

Nice in-joke:D

To be honest I thought he was a bit whistle-happy, but did a decent job. Any Pool fans claiming he was the reason for the loss whiil have a hard job.

[OwlsFan]

Typical 'British' attitudes towards Inzaghi. Having seen him play (as opposed to watching him on TV with a biased Brit commentary) it is obvious he is a superb sniffer

I suppose Cruyff is British as well: ''He can’t actually play football,” Johan Cruyff once said of Inzaghi.

"A superb sniffer": An interesting description and the mind boggles :D

[bennocelt]

Didn't he win the free kick for the first goal and set up the second goal??



So they're both crap?? Who, pray tell, would you have played on the left??


yeah :rolleyes:
if zenden is good enough for a CL final then why is he not good enough for liverpool, why is he been sold?????????

my granny thats who!

[Billy Lord]

A good striker needs positional sense and Inzaghi has it. Look at the replay of the first goal; he was on a mission. The fact that the ball hit him rather than he hit the ball is irrelevant. He was there, the ball went in because he was there. It's a different skill to Ronaldo fluting around with no purpose other than to get girls screaming, and while Sky-watching barstoolers love facile tricks and flicks, Inzaghi scores goals. And goals win games.
To be honest, I never rated the guy until I saw him play. His workrate and dedication is quite impressive.

[Billy Lord]

I suppose Cruyff is British as well: ''He can’t actually play football,” Johan Cruyff once said of Inzaghi.

"A superb sniffer": An interesting description and the mind boggles :D
Cruyff can sneer at everyone bar Garrincha, Pele, Franco Baresi, Ferenc Puskas, Bobby Moore, Alberto Di Stefano and Diego Maradona. Pippo Inzaghi isn't a great footballer in the true sense, but he's a superb striker.

[osarusan]

The fact that the ball hit him rather than he hit the ball is irrelevant. He was there, the ball went in because he was there.

No arguement on Inzaghi, who is proof you dont have to be a great player to be a great goalscorer, but that is a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it? The fact that is a deflection is hardly irrelevant. He didnt mean to do it - that is very different from meaning to do it.

[Dodge]

No arguement on Inzaghi, who is proof you dont have to be a great player to be a great goalscorer, but that is a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it? The fact that is a deflection is hardly irrelevant. He didnt mean to do it - that is very different from meaning to do it.

But Inzaghe's thinking is correct. He's thinking if he gets in that area something might happen. It might be a deflection, it might be a scuffed shot falling to him or the keeper may fumble. A huge amount of being a good striker is being in the right place or making the right run

[osarusan]

But Inzaghe's thinking is correct. He's thinking if he gets in that area something might happen. It might be a deflection, it might be a scuffed shot falling to him or the keeper may fumble. A huge amount of being a good striker is being in the right place or making the right run

No arguement with any of that. I just think that this -

The fact that the ball hit him rather than he hit the ball is irrelevant.

is stretching Inzaghi's genius a bit.

This is true -

He was there, the ball went in because he was there.
but my point is that he didnt mean it. He was looking to be in with a chance of a rebound, I dont think he was planning to get a deflection. I'd say it was 99% luck, but luck because he is a good striker.