Champions League 2012-13

[geysir]

I dont really rate that Basel team at all. They looked average, lethargic and devoid of any real ideas of how to get at Chelsea.

Not at all, nothing, zero?
I thought they played very well against Spurs away, last season Bayern at home and Man U away. Over the 6 games I have seen of them in the last 12 months, this was easily their poorest performance, last night against Chelsea. For sure it would take a better team than Basel to weave their way past a Chelsea packed in their own half, protecting a fortunate enough lead.
But by what standards are you rating them at zero?
They have knocked out 2 of the top 4 EPL teams recently and finally look like they will be beaten by the 3rd in a semi final this year. A club working on a budget of ca Eur25m, not enough to balance the books, they have a very good academy and try to play good football.
They are a club who have rejected investment, who stay as true as they can to an admirable model of a football club, a small club in the scheme of European competition, making their way and making good progress, as far as I can see.

[Charlie Darwin]

I'd take issue with calling the away draw with Spurs an average result too. The scoreline belies the fact they utterly dominated the match and it was only for the fact their forward players aren't great finishers that they didn't win by 4 or 5.

[Closed Account 2]

Not at all, nothing, zero?
I thought they played very well against Spurs away, last season Bayern at home and Man U away. Over the 6 games I have seen of them in the last 12 months, this was easily their poorest performance, last night against Chelsea. For sure it would take a better team than Basel to weave their way past a Chelsea packed in their own half, protecting a fortunate enough lead.

They were more inventive last year, but then they did have Shaquiri and Granit Xhaka playing and also even Chipperfield who gave them a bit of experience in terms of linking play. This season the strategy seems to be an over reliance on pace.

But by what standards are you rating them at zero?
They have knocked out 2 of the top 4 EPL teams recently and finally look like they will be beaten by the 3rd in a semi final this year. A club working on a budget of ca Eur25m, not enough to balance the books, they have a very good academy and try to play good football.

Judging them on the standards of other teams in the Europa league this season. Even if you just look at the opposition Chelsea have faced then Sparta Prague and Steaua (both of whom probably have smaller budgets than Basel) were much more inventive and much more of a threat to Chelsea. I think they've had a fairly easy run to the semis, they made hard work of it away from home in probably easiest group in the group stage (compare their group Genk, them, Videoton and Sporting Lisbon, to the group the other Swiss team got Liverpool, Anzhi, Young Boys and Udinese). They've been decent at home (except last night) but it's "functional" at best, it seems to be a strategy of eeking out narrow wins and having just enough for the away leg.

They are a club who have rejected investment, who stay as true as they can to an admirable model of a football club, a small club in the scheme of European competition, making their way and making good progress, as far as I can see.

Really? If by rejecting investment you mean they don't have a rich owner then you are correct. But Novartis (giant Swiss pill company) have been pumping money into them for well over a decade, and they enjoy a level of sponsorship that other big Swiss clubs (Young Boys, Grasshopers, FC Zurch etc) can only really dream of. They also have the largest club stadium in the country, which is owned by some local co-operative (it was fully re-furbished a decade ago for them at very little cost in some local government / council scheme). They regularly outspend other Swiss teams and usually sign the best players from the regional (let alone national) rivals, Dragovic was signed for over €1m a few years ago, Bobadilla and Degen came for similar fees from Young Boys, years before they signed Petric from Grasshoppers for over €3m, it's a domestic transfer policy that is shades of Lyons in the 2000s and the recent Götze to Bayern move. When they signed Alex Frei from the Bundesliga a few years ago (paid over €3m) financially no other club in the region could do this (even the dodgy owners at Sion couldnt pay fees in that region) same with Streller from Stuttgart. I know you'll probably say, this post is like something of wikipedia, but the facts belie this idea that they are some sort of altruistic, organically grown club, they are at the top of the food chain in Alpine football and their signings usually ensure their place.

[Charlie Darwin]

This game is as good as the first!

[patrickccfc]

This game is as good as the first!

yeah very good game.. doesnt feel like one team is 4-1 up such is the intensity of the game

[patrickccfc]

too late surely

[SkStu]

and so it begins...

[patrickccfc]

unbelievable

[SkStu]

And so it continues...

Cracking finish

[Charlie Darwin]

2-0!!

[patrickccfc]

well that was exciting

[geysir]

on't have a rich owner then you are correct. But Novartis (giant Swiss pill company) have been pumping money into them for well over a decade, and they enjoy a level of sponsorship that other big Swiss clubs (Young Boys, Grasshopers, FC Zurch etc) can only really dream of. They also have the largest club stadium in the country, which is owned by some local co-operative (it was fully re-furbished a decade ago for them at very little cost in some local government / council scheme). They regularly outspend other Swiss teams and usually sign the best players from the regional (let alone national) rivals, Dragovic was signed for over €1m a few years ago, Bobadilla and Degen came for similar fees from Young Boys, years before they signed Petric from Grasshoppers for over €3m, it's a domestic transfer policy that is shades of Lyons in the 2000s and the recent Götze to Bayern move. When they signed Alex Frei from the Bundesliga a few years ago (paid over €3m) financially no other club in the region could do this (even the dodgy owners at Sion couldnt pay fees in that region) same with Streller from Stuttgart. I know you'll probably say, this post is like something of wikipedia, but the facts belie this idea that they are some sort of altruistic, organically grown club, they are at the top of the food chain in Alpine football and their signings usually ensure their place.

What is the purpose of all that? You appear to be getting sidetracked in some attempt to support your absurd opinion that Basel are some affluent club with serious under-performing issues.
If by pumping money you mean Novartis pumping Eur2m p/a for shirt sponsorship? Maybe by Swiss standards that's pumping money and Basel are well off, but we are talking about a club making its way in European competition on an income of ca Eur30m p/a, not how Basel can ably operate in Switzerland. How they spend that income is a credit to the way the club is run, is seen by the standard of their academy and performance in European competition.
If it doesn't meet their last year's European standards, then so be it. I don't have any strong opinions about the relative merits of this year v last year. I'd just look at their general standard, appreciate their technique and on occasion awestruck by the way they try to play football. I'm impressed by their efforts and performances over the last 2 years.

[BonnieShels]

Philip Lahm getting a yellow tonight; a tragedy for football? Discuss.

[Charlie Darwin]

I'm struggling to understand what logic is behind Barcelona's tactics, if any. There is no shape to the team and no discernable plan. It's bizarre how easily Bayern are dominating.

[Charlie Darwin]

Dani Alves doing the old "make a late tackle and roll around injured" routine. Classic.

[patrickccfc]

Barcelona getting um "barcelona'd" never seen them getting so comprehensively out played.. seem so devoid of ideas and have no spark about them.. they are just clueless without messi

[geysir]

Get them sprinklers on, full blast.

[geysir]

The Panel - typical Irish behaviour squabbling at a wake.

[Charlie Darwin]

Eamo's thousands of hours of intensive study of La Liga have revealed to him that the Barcelona players are burned out.

[geysir]

Eamo's thousands of hours of intensive study of La Liga have revealed to him that the Barcelona players are burned out.

John "you can only play with the players you have at your disposal" Giles made the 'Barca burnt out' comment a few minutes previous.
So we can conclude that Eamon's thousands of hours of intensive study of La Liga were a total waste of time.