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| Champions League 2011; hello euro knockout phase | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 16 2011, 11:09 AM (10,042 Views) | |
| Setenza | Apr 27 2011, 11:17 PM Post #121 |
Knitting with only one needle
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They don't need to be terribly open, assuming they can stop barcelona scoring. Get that 1 goal and everything changes... But Schalke are out obviously. |
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| The Eggman | Apr 27 2011, 11:34 PM Post #122 |
Tommy McLean
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They've hardly attacked in the previous four games this season. One of their two goals was from a needless penalty, the other a counter attack. Counters have been their only real chance, which was why Dani Alves was so restrained tonight. If Real play a high line at the Nou Camp, they'll get another hiding. Even if they get 2-0, it's still extra time. They'll realistically need to score three. Nah, no chance. |
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| Morvant's Finest | Apr 28 2011, 12:09 PM Post #123 |
Tommy McLean
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Thought Mourinho's tactics were pretty shameful to be honest, he's the Manager of the most successful club in hostory, with one of the most talented squads around, he's playing at Home in the semi-final of the CL with a massive Home crowd behind his team and he starts without a single forward on the pitch and is happy to allow Barcelona to have total control of the ball. I know these games are always going to be cagey but for such a proud club I thought their lack of ambition was embarassing. Don't think he'll be allowed to continue in that vain for long in Madrid, Capello got the boot for playing "poor" football and he won La Liga... |
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| The Eggman | Apr 28 2011, 12:34 PM Post #124 |
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Tommy McLean
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I agree. I think they were so desperate for the Champions League that if he could deliver decima, then he would be forgiven his horrible negativity and cynicism. But Sacchi I think it was said "if you sacrifice style for winning, then you better make sure you win". So now Real have no style (well, negative style if anything) and no winning (apart from a tin pot - crushed - cup). His pronouncements are also ridiculous. Fair enough, Pepe's could be deemed harsh (even though I think most European refs would have sent him off), and Mourinho could have been perhaps agreed with. But saying that Pepe did nothing, and Ramos, who elbowed Messi in the chest and deserved at least a yellow, did nothing is totally absurd. He's becoming the boy who cried wolf, and he's easily disregarded by most now (if he wasn't before). Capello won the league and was sacked because he wasn't attacking enough (and perhaps because he didn't do well in the Champions League). Mourinho is almost completely negative (with the second most expensive squad, and the two most expensive players, in history), and doesn't have the league, or the Champions League, and has seen his side thrashed 5-0 and 2-0 (at home), and most likely another thumping. Mourinho's gloss may not last until the summer, especially with luminaries such as Di Stefano criticising him. Man City may be an option. |
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| findus | Apr 29 2011, 11:55 AM Post #125 |
Jerry Kerr
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Barca getting a bit of the 'Rivaldo face-clench'es a few nights ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2Q830Hhq-k Regarding the sending off, Pepe at most grazed Alves. Still a worthy red in my book, could've done some decent damage to that superc**t Alves' leg. |
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| Morvant's Finest | Apr 30 2011, 01:00 PM Post #126 |
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Tommy McLean
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It's difficult to defend the over-reaction of Busquets, Dani Alves and Pedro in particular to challenges, but ironically the one thing that video compilation definitely proves was that Pepe's challenge was easily worth a red card as you say Findus. Which makes Mourinho's childish post-match comments about a conspiracy against his team all the more embarrassing. The majority of the UK press chose to gloss over Madrid's negative tactics (it's difficult to be objective when your tongue is lodged half-way up someone's backside) but he's not escaped a deserved kicking from many in the spanish press. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/apr/28/spanish-press-real-madrid-barcelona Oh and perhaps the biggest indictment of Madrid's tactics was that, granted I'd had a couple of pints when I watched the game, but I only realised today that Barca had Javier Mascherano playing at Centre Back!  |
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| The Eggman | May 1 2011, 11:41 AM Post #127 |
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Tommy McLean
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And Keita in midfield who, good player though he is, is no Iniesta, that's for sure. I do find it hard to fathom why the focus has been on the play-acting and crowding of the referee by Barcelona players, instead of Sergio Ramos deliberately elbowing Messi in the chest, Pepe making a reckless (at best) stamp, Adebayor almost trying to strangle Pique, and Marcelo stamping on Pedro's thighs. Hopefully the 'new Mourinho', Andre Villas Boas, the Porto coach, who will be high in profile next season, won't bring the same kind of nonsense. His record in the Portuguese league (first season) is P27, W25, D2! They're a good bet for the Europa League as well. |
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| Morvant's Finest | May 1 2011, 11:06 PM Post #128 |
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Tommy McLean
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Agreed Eggman, you can deliberately stamp on an opponent, grab them by the throat and shoulder charge them off the ball but what really gets people pissed off is when someone exaggarates a bit of contact... Smacks of a hint of xenophobia to me, in the same way that players like Nani and Ronaldo regularly get pelters for "diving" from the press over here, serial offenders like Gerrard and Rooney get away with "making the most of a challenge" or "going down too easily". Rio Ferdinand's tweet about Dani Alves summed up this attitude nicely. As for Villas Boas, he's certainly the next big thing in European management, his is an incredible achievment in his 1st year in charge, and at 33 as well! Seemed like he started ridiculously early after approaching Bobby Robson when we was still a teenager. Lots of good managers like Steve Coppell get a head start when their careers are ended early by injury, but it seems AVB didn't bother with the playing career part at all. It appears that he was responsible for those in depth dossiers that Mourinho is famous for preparing on opponents as well. Though thankfully he appears to differ slightly when it comes to his philosophy on how attacking his sides are. Very interesting article on him from 2004 - http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/crucial-role-of-boy-scout-who-is-mourinhos-eyes-and-ears-552798.html |
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| Setenza | May 3 2011, 10:00 PM Post #129 |
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Knitting with only one needle
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If only Real had got that goal earlier... Still, best team won. |
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| The Eggman | May 4 2011, 07:33 AM Post #130 |
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Tommy McLean
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Yeah, or if Real had had Carvalho sent off in the first half, like he should've been. Or if Adebayor had been sent off (4 times), as he should've been. Dirty Real bastards. |
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| Skeletor | May 4 2011, 12:31 PM Post #131 |
Most likely to be Ann Widdecombe
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Shower of shite tacklers and dirty gamesmen. |
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| findus | May 5 2011, 07:20 AM Post #132 |
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Jerry Kerr
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A very solid performance from a 1/2 second string United side, I thought. I thought they coped really well with the ball to counter Shalke's attempt at mass quick pressing - lots of quick, fluid one-touch stuff and wall passes that repeatedly dragged Shalke players out of position and gave United space to maneuver, something that they might do well to retain in the final against Barca's without-the-ball pressing game. Top performances from Nani, Valencia and Gibson, and I suppose credit to Anderson too for popping up in support for two goals. Early doors as we don't know who's going to be injured/in form and such for the final, but I've got Barca as slight favourites, perhaps 60/40. Edited by findus, May 5 2011, 07:22 AM.
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| The Eggman | May 5 2011, 08:20 AM Post #133 |
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Tommy McLean
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Slight?? Massive favourites, for a Champions League Final, surely. How many Man United players, for instance, would get into Barcelona's team? Evra and Vidic. That's it. The best Man United can hope for is to hold Barcelona at arm's length, sneak a goal, then just defend for the rest of it. I'll be surprised if it's not even more comprehensive than 2009 (in terms of performance at least), with minimum two goal victory for Barcelona. |
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| findus | May 5 2011, 10:35 AM Post #134 |
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Jerry Kerr
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If only football were that simple, Egg-padawan-man. Man U have several things in their favour, most notably: 1. Ferguson's experience over Guardiola 2. It's at Wembley 3. Barca go in as most folks favourites 4. A team of players (and a manager) determined to make amends for their 2009 no-show Despite a reportedly slow first half of the season, Man U are on a good streak of form, at home and in Europe (no away goals conceded in Europe this season, for example). And of course, in a single game, anything can happen. Actually, the more I think about it the more I think I was too generous to Barca, so I'm going to revise my odds to 50-50. Underestimate them at your peril! |
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| The Eggman | May 5 2011, 11:06 AM Post #135 |
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Tommy McLean
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1. Ferguson has more losing experience than Guardiola. In the previous three CL Finals his sides have been in, they have been the poorer side in all three. 2. Barcelona coped quite well with the Bernabeu crowd, of which a far higher percentage were Barca-hating Madridistas compared to the perhaps 70/30 crowd at Wembley. 3. Which gives Barcelona confidence, and makes Man United more worried. 4. Doesn't make a difference. Both sides want to win 100%. Good streak of form being (in descending order back to: Schalke 4-1 Arsenal 0-1 Schalke 0-2 Everton 1-0 Newcastle 0-0 Man City 0-1 So from the last six games, three wins, one draw, and two defeats. Their group had Bursaspor and Rangers in it (both shite), and a Valencia miles behind the top two in Spain. They then played Marseille, who are decent, but not much compared to Barcelona, then did quite well against an out of form (at the time) Chelsea - who were denied a clear penalty in any case. Then they played well against a bottom half of the Bundesliga Schalke side. Yes, of course, many things can happen. It is possible for Man United to win. Us beating Rangers in 1994 was a big shock, and bigger than a Man United 1-0 win in this final would be. Probablity makes Barcelona strong favourites. By the way, Man United didn't not show in 2009. Barcelona were simply far superior. Still, if you suggest 50/50, why not go on Betfair and see how many people take up a bet... 
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