Chelsea vs. Liverpool - CL quarterfinal discussion thread

Tweedle wrote:

Cirque du Barcelona wrote:

Ray Parlour wrote:Those are the top 4 strikers no doubt. Order is debatable though.

In the future (and by that I mean next season) Pato will be better then all of them.

He needs to move to a top league first though

Pierre Littbarski wrote:

Ray Parlour wrote:He's done it at International level.

Needs to do it in CL KO phases against the best/biggest clubs.

The other 3 all have.

kas wrote:Superb game, glad I switched over even though I missed the first 2 Liverpool goals. Like everyone has said, it was great entertainment because it was so end-to-end, featured many mistakes, and had constant swings in momentum and the possible result. And like a couple of others said, Liverpool and Chelsea owe us this after the turgid shit they turned out the first 2-3 times that we had this matchup.

But it's surprising to see everyone ripping into Valdano. It's typical fans' mentality - if a pundit picks against my team to win, or says anything negative about how we play, he must be shit and clueless, even if I support Stoke.

What Valdano said at the time about Liverpool-Chelsea was perfectly appropriate for the games they had produced. And if you read his actual comments in full, beyond the "shit on a stick" tagline, he points out the following:

"Chelsea and Liverpool are the clearest, most exaggerated example of the way football is going: very intense, very collective, very tactical, very physical, and very direct," he added. "But, a short pass? Noooo. A feint? Noooo. A change of pace? Noooo. A one-two? A nutmeg? A backheel? Don't be ridiculous. None of that. The extreme control and seriousness with which both teams played the semi-final neutralised any creative licence, any moments of exquisite skill.

"If Didier Drogba was the best player in the first match it was purely because he was the one who ran the fastest, jumped the highest and crashed into people the hardest. Such extreme intensity wipes away talent, even leaving a player of Joe Cole's class disoriented. If football is going the way Chelsea and Liverpool are taking it, we had better be ready to wave goodbye to any expression of the cleverness and talent we have enjoyed for a century."

Based even on last night's game...is he really that wrong? Maybe we saw some more skill, less controlled tactics, but at the end of the day, it's the physical aspects that these two teams (and the other 2 English teams in the Big 4, and soon Inter with Mourinho now working his "magic" there) have completely mastered and taken to a new level.

But there is one thing that Valdano doesn't acknowledge - these teams and Man. Utd. show incredible mental toughness. Apart from just running fast and tackling hard, this fighting spirit is a big reason for why the English Big 4 are achieving success. No surprise that Arsenal lag behind the other 3, when they have more young players who are not as mentally strong.

Cirque du Barcelona wrote:

Tweedle wrote:

Cirque du Barcelona wrote:

Ray Parlour wrote:Those are the top 4 strikers no doubt. Order is debatable though.

In the future (and by that I mean next season) Pato will be better then all of them.

He needs to move to a top league first though

When was the last time Arsenal won the CL?

Tweedle wrote:

Cirque du Barcelona wrote:

Tweedle wrote:

Cirque du Barcelona wrote:

Ray Parlour wrote:Those are the top 4 strikers no doubt. Order is debatable though.

In the future (and by that I mean next season) Pato will be better then all of them.

He needs to move to a top league first though

When was the last time Arsenal won the CL?

When was the last time Milan won the EPL?

Super Madrid wrote:

Regarding Villa I don't understand why him being in Valencia means he isn't under pressure. The big 4 is mentioned but Arsenal for me are under no bigger pressure or have been in the last couple of years. Both teams that aren't competing for titles. Also he has shown he can shine with better players around him for Spain plus the fact that in Valencia he has played alongside Vicente/Joaquin/Morientes/Silva/Mata/Aimar which is hardly players of a little club.

Murray wrote:Whatever happened to the Liverp00l thread?

Pierre Littbarski wrote:

TM wrote:

Pierre Littbarski wrote:

Ray Parlour wrote:Those are the top 4 strikers no doubt

Villa can't be ranked alongside teh other 3 IMO - not til he joins Barca/Real/Milan/Inter/EPL Big 4.

He needs to do it under that sort of pressure.

Wasnt he the leading scorer at European Championships?

Couldn't even score v the worst back 5 to ever reach a major tournament final though TBF.

Rosicky wrote:

Super Madrid wrote:

Regarding Villa I don't understand why him being in Valencia means he isn't under pressure. The big 4 is mentioned but Arsenal for me are under no bigger pressure or have been in the last couple of years. Both teams that aren't competing for titles. Also he has shown he can shine with better players around him for Spain plus the fact that in Valencia he has played alongside Vicente/Joaquin/Morientes/Silva/Mata/Aimar which is hardly players of a little club.

Im guessing you didnt follow the premiership last season then.

Allez les rouges wrote:You chaps can't have watched us much in recent months

Messiah wrote:all drogba did was score a goal, that reina put in the net for him

Fey wrote:Chelsea Liverpool
Petr Cech 4 Pepe Reina 5
Branislav Ivanovic 5 Alvaro Arbeloa 6
Alex 6 Jamie Carragher 6
Ricardo Carvalho 6 Martin Skrtel 6
Ashley Cole 7 Fabio Aurelio 6
Michael Ballack 5 Javier Mascherano 5
Michael Essien 6 Lucas 5
Frank Lampard 8 STAR MAN - Dirk Kuyt 8
Salomon Kalou 3 Xabi Alonso 6
Didier Drogba 7 Yossi Benayoun 6
Florent Malouda 6 Fernando Torres 5
SUBS: Anelka 6, Di Santo 5. Subs not used: Hilario, Mikel, Deco, Belletti, Mancienne.
SUBS: Riera 5, Ngog 5, Babel 5. Subs not used: Cavalieri, Dossena, Hyypia, Agger.

According to the best english paper!!

S4P wrote:

Fey wrote:Chelsea Liverpool
Petr Cech 4 Pepe Reina 5
Branislav Ivanovic 5 Alvaro Arbeloa 6
Alex 6 Jamie Carragher 6
Ricardo Carvalho 6 Martin Skrtel 6
Ashley Cole 7 Fabio Aurelio 6
Michael Ballack 5 Javier Mascherano 5
Michael Essien 6 Lucas 5
Frank Lampard 8 STAR MAN - Dirk Kuyt 8
Salomon Kalou 3 Xabi Alonso 6
Didier Drogba 7 Yossi Benayoun 6
Florent Malouda 6 Fernando Torres 5
SUBS: Anelka 6, Di Santo 5. Subs not used: Hilario, Mikel, Deco, Belletti, Mancienne.
SUBS: Riera 5, Ngog 5, Babel 5. Subs not used: Cavalieri, Dossena, Hyypia, Agger.

According to the best english paper!!

I don't think that's meant for Kuyt. Great header though.

Fey wrote:He is just amazing S4-4P, and he never gets injured, amazing if you know the amount of games Liverpool plays each year.

He is the ultimate player of the 21st century!!