Chelsea vs Man United European cup final thread

S4P wrote:Sounds like Ballack's been dropped for tonight's game. If we lose, this will almost certainly leave Avram Grant jobless this summer.

It's not an easy call. Unless you are going to drop makalele and play essien there one of flump, ballack and essien are going to have to miss out. Or he could just go for the easy option of putting his best midfielder at right back

Ballack would be mortified if he was dropped tonight but lampard and essien have a higher standing at the club so it wouldn't surprise me.

So the match will be played on a crappy pitch, it will be cold, rain will be pooring down & the ref is Cr@p...

sounds like an EPL match

Markus wrote:Probable Manchester Untied team:

Van der Sar
Brown – Ferdinand – Vidic – Evra
Carrick
Hargreaves – Scholes
Ronaldo – Tevez – Rooney

I'll go with

.....................VDS

Brown......rio........vidic.....Evra

..............carrick..hargreaves
....................scholes
...giggs.............................rooney

....................Ronaldo

Rasiak-9 wrote:Mark my words, this game will be thoroughly turgid.

It will be decided by one goal and probably go to extra time with neither team having the nerve to really attack or commit any runners from midfield forwards.

If we're in luck we may be able to enjoy the mild pleasure of a penalty shootout at the end as opposed to a single deflected goal deciding the game.

Either way

I'm not going to be getting too excited about all this at all.

Are you being paid to watch it then?

I personally think it'll be much better than last year's FA cup final. Both teams had much less time to rest after a gruelling league campaign and there was a lot more injuries. We basically played the last 10 games with the same team as we didn't have the players to rotate. Seems like every body is fit this time.

Rasiak-9 wrote:Mark my words, this game will be thoroughly turgid.

It will be decided by one goal and probably go to extra time with neither team having the nerve to really attack or commit any runners from midfield forwards.

If we're in luck we may be able to enjoy the mild pleasure of a penalty shootout at the end as opposed to a single deflected goal deciding the game.

Either way

I'm not going to be getting too excited about all this at all.

You never know mate

One scrappy goal or wonderhit early in the game can change the outlook of both coaches.

It'll be two teams playing a defensive 4-3-2-1 cancelling each other out for the most part with chelsea hoofing it to drogba as their main start for attacks. United will focus mostly on set pieces and just letting ronaldo try to grab a goal out of nothing

COTR wrote:

Markus wrote:Probable Manchester Untied team:

Van der Sar
Brown – Ferdinand – Vidic – Evra
Carrick
Hargreaves – Scholes
Ronaldo – Tevez – Rooney

I'll go with

.....................VDS

Brown......rio........vidic.....Evra

..............carrick..hargreaves
....................scholes
...giggs.............................rooney

....................Ronaldo

You think Giggs would start? Saha probably would be on the bench so it wouldn’t be bad to start both Tevez and Rooney.

Markus wrote:

COTR wrote:

Markus wrote:Probable Manchester Untied team:

Van der Sar
Brown – Ferdinand – Vidic – Evra
Carrick
Hargreaves – Scholes
Ronaldo – Tevez – Rooney

I'll go with

.....................VDS

Brown......rio........vidic.....Evra

..............carrick..hargreaves
....................scholes
...giggs.............................rooney

....................Ronaldo

You think Giggs would start? Saha probably would be on the bench so it wouldn’t be bad to start both Tevez and Rooney.

The drunk will be expecting a tight game and might value experience and technique over defensive ability (park) or pace (nani).

That's my thinking anyway.

He should start with tevez, rooney and ronaldo but this will open the game up so I doubt he will do it

It will be great if Giggs does start, he was one of the few Manchester United players who did well against Chelsea in the recent league game, but I’m guessing as the recent run in Europe he will have a sub role, who knows he may do a Solskjaer, and that would be amazing. The defence + midfield seem set in stone, unless one of Fletcher or Anderson come in ahead of Hargreaves who I’m expecting to start. The attack is the real question as you’ve pointed out, Ronaldo + Rooney will start so its one of Park, Nani, Giggs and Tevez to start .. Not bad options though.

Glenn Hysén wrote:

Liverpool are awesome, by far the tougest side either team has faced.

To be fair both sides could have hand picked their draw. Neither deserve to win IMO.

Not for us easiest of the big 4.

This Ballack rumour is very strange, I wonder if it's just late mind games (from either camp). Can't see Grant risking Ferreira or Belletti, esp. with Cole possibly not 100% on the other flank.

Man. Utd. I think will start with Tevez in that 11th position.

I'm taking one for the team : I'm not gonna watch it....so it's certain to become an awesome game

You can thank me later

kas wrote:This Ballack rumour is very strange, I wonder if it's just late mind games (from either camp). Can't see Grant risking Ferreira or Belletti, esp. with Cole possibly not 100% on the other flank.

Man. Utd. I think will start with Tevez in that 11th position.

4 into 3 doesn't go kas.

Maybe he just realises essien's importance in the key area of the pitch. IF you hassle scholes and carrick you can make them look ridiculously average (sorry rai) so being up against a monster in essien is a lot more difficult than two slow, attack minded players like ballack and flump. I think he'll be doing the right thing dropping one of them and if it's ballack it will only be because lampard has the bigger rep for chelsea, rather than form

Playing tevez would require Fergie opening the game up as ronaldo does not defend. Or maybe he will ask tevez to do a job on the right. I think he'll save nani and tevez as options on the bench

Parks lives wrote:

Axeslammer wrote:Do we have probable lineups yet ?

I think 10 of our positions are nailed on -

vdS
Brown, Rio, Vidic, Evra
Hargreaves, Scholes, Carrick
Ronaldo, Rooney, ????


??? - could be Nani, Park or Tevez.

I'd personally go for Park.

Park would help the midifield whihc is where chelsea could be strong and he helped evra a lot in the last game. Tevez might means a more attacking lineup but not necesarily more attacking play as rooney might be dropping deep, evra might not push forward.

I would let park run around like a nutter tiring out the chelsea right back then bring tevez on.

False alarm apparently. This line-up is pretty much nailed from what I've heard, seen and read.

--------------Cech
Essien--Carvalho--Terry--A Cole
------------Makelele
--------Ballack--Lampard
J Cole------Drogba------Malouda

110% wrote:

Parks lives wrote:

Axeslammer wrote:Do we have probable lineups yet ?

I think 10 of our positions are nailed on -

vdS
Brown, Rio, Vidic, Evra
Hargreaves, Scholes, Carrick
Ronaldo, Rooney, ????


??? - could be Nani, Park or Tevez.

I'd personally go for Park.

Park would help the midifield whihc is where chelsea could be strong and he helped evra a lot in the last game. Tevez might means a more attacking lineup but not necesarily more attacking play as rooney might be dropping deep, evra might not push forward.

I would let park run around like a nutter tiring out the chelsea right back then bring tevez on.

If it's Essien, there's no point because the guy never gets tired. If we implemented toon's suggestion of no penalties but take off one player after every 5 mins of extra time, Essien would still be running box to box at the end of it all

COTR wrote:

Markus wrote:Probable Manchester Untied team:

Van der Sar
Brown – Ferdinand – Vidic – Evra
Carrick
Hargreaves – Scholes
Ronaldo – Tevez – Rooney

I'll go with

.....................VDS

Brown......rio........vidic.....Evra

..............carrick..hargreaves
....................scholes
...giggs.............................rooney

....................Ronaldo

Rooney up top, Park left, Ronaldo from the right - that will be the team IMO he starts, Giggs won't start for fear the game goes beyond 90mins.

Football Genius wrote:

Rooney up top, Park left, Ronaldo from the right - that will be the team IMO he starts, Giggs won't start for fear the game goes beyond 90mins.

That's why I have giggs in actually

A tight, tense first half then tevez/nani to come on in his place in the second half (with a view to extra time) when the game opens up

It's the one position the drunk will be most comfortable with changing no matter who starts (nani,park, tevez or giggs)

If Park does play we've got -

Kuzy, O'Shea, Neville, Silvestre, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Tevez & Saha in reserve.

3 of them will have to miss out.

Parks lives wrote:If Park does play we've got -

Kuzy, O'Shea, Neville, Silvestre, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Tevez & Saha in reserve.

3 of them will have to miss out.

Done

COTR wrote:

Parks lives wrote:If Park does play we've got -

Kuzy, O'Shea, Neville, Silvestre, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Tevez & Saha in reserve.

3 of them will have to miss out.

Done

You probably will still win the League if you was the Manchester United manager

Markus wrote:

COTR wrote:

Parks lives wrote:If Park does play we've got -

Kuzy, O'Shea, Neville, Silvestre, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Tevez & Saha in reserve.

3 of them will have to miss out.

Done

You probably will still win the League if you was the Manchester United manager

All I would have to do is take Bennent and Riley off the payroll and my job as united manager would instantly succeed rai


Neville doesn't deserve to play. Saha hasn't been involved for a long time and it's fletcher or anderson and since fletcher is more versatile he may shade it

Who would you not pick ?

If Man Utd win it, who lifts the cup? Giggs? Surely not Ferdinand!?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7410307.stm

BBC have been doing a running commentary since 08:25

COTR wrote:

Markus wrote:

COTR wrote:

Parks lives wrote:If Park does play we've got -

Kuzy, O'Shea, Neville, Silvestre, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Tevez & Saha in reserve.

3 of them will have to miss out.

Done

You probably will still win the League if you was the Manchester United manager

All I would have to do is take Bennent and Riley off the payroll and my job as united manager would instantly succeed rai


Neville doesn't deserve to play. Saha hasn't been involved for a long time and it's fletcher or anderson and since fletcher is more versatile he may shade it

Who would you not pick ?

Dean & Clattenburg need to be put on the payroll, expect big favours from these two next season Bennent proved his worth against Wigan I was seriously getting pissed off with him.

Saha has to be on the bench, brings a different option especially if Tevez & Rooney both start. Neville I can see be one of the ones to miss out, unless SAF throws a humongous surprise on all of us and starts him, unlikely but these days I’m always expecting the unexpected.

Silvestre, Neville and one of Anderson + Fletcher I would drop.

You can't have O'Shea as the only defensive sub though. Imagine if Evra, Rio or Vidic get injured.

I'd have Neville, Fletcher, then either Anderson or Saha miss out.

It's great that my man Paul Scholes gets to play in this Final. Always considered him a Midfield Maestro! LRD knows that from way way back in the 606. Ain't that right LRD!

LRD hated him on 606.

We use to argue about that regularly.

COTR wrote:

Rasiak-9 wrote:Mark my words, this game will be thoroughly turgid.

It will be decided by one goal and probably go to extra time with neither team having the nerve to really attack or commit any runners from midfield forwards.

If we're in luck we may be able to enjoy the mild pleasure of a penalty shootout at the end as opposed to a single deflected goal deciding the game.

Either way

I'm not going to be getting too excited about all this at all.

You never know mate

One scrappy goal or wonderhit early in the game can change the outlook of both coaches.

It'll be two teams playing a defensive 4-3-2-1 cancelling each other out for the most part with chelsea hoofing it to drogba as their main start for attacks. United will focus mostly on set pieces and just letting ronaldo try to grab a goal out of nothing

Well naturally i do hope that i'm wrong and that by some minor miricle the ball finds its way into the net.

However I think it far more likely that we'll see a repeat of the 2007 cup final

S4P wrote:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7410307.stm

BBC have been doing a running commentary since 08:25

If he's in Moscow that's around 11:00, which is par course for a Cup final build up.