2011/12 UEFA Champions League - Semifinals 1st & 2nd Leg

Being a horrible human being and a good (or even great) player is not mutually exclusive. More often than not, being a c**t is arguably a precondition to reach the higher echelons, that tiny bit of extra motivation, that extra mile only a true c**t is willing to go.

Same applies to managers.

The away goal rule is starting to ruin football now,the rule was introduced to stop teams from playing defensive when playing the away leg but now the opposite has happened were teams are increasingly parking the bus at home.It would be better to just scrap it altogether,I think it would be more fair.

Més que un club wrote:

Deluded F*ck™ wrote:Walter Samuel was a mess at Madrid, far worse than the likes of Jonathan Woodgate. No coincidence that he only shined under Capello and Mourinho. Agree with Bluey's overall assessment.

Barca are in absolutely massive trouble if Chelsea nick an early one. People won't catergorise him as a winger full of skill and pace but Ramires gives Chelsea something that they haven't had since their Duff-Robben heyday - great speed on the counter.

Ye lets judge Samuel by 1 bad season in his career when Real sold Makalele and the defense had no protection what so ever.

He also shined under Mancini, Bielsa, Maradona, Ranieri etc.

The Madrid season was not as bad as some make out, and plenty of other quality defenders failed when they went to La Liga (Cannavaro, Zambrotta).

Disco Benny wrote:Picture clearly shows it was a clean tackle

I'm not sure what the thinking was from Bobo posting this as evidence that Samuel didn't make a complete mess of the challenge on Kalou. I'm honestly baffled, would have been better not to post anything!

are you on crack? Kalou is already waving his arms about trying to get the refs attention. Clear dive.

So both Chelsea and Bayern rotate 6-7 of their key players, while Madrid and Barça have to play full strength in a do or die match.

Could have an impact on the 2nd leg games.

fcb wrote:So both Chelsea and Bayern rotate 6-7 of their key players, while Madrid and Barça have to play full strength in a do or die match.

Could have an impact on the 2nd leg games.

My heart bleeds for both sides

If we would have took one of our 6 good chances the tie would be more or less over by now so we can't use El Classico as a excuse.

Tell me Lewis,have you found the SF's boring so far?

"I don't have any doubts, we will be in Munich."



Who are you and what have you done with the REAL pep?????

He is going for the reverse jinx.

Lets hope the referee doesn't tolerate Drogbas cheating tonight.I think I speak for everybody when I say nearly all neutrals don't want to see this Chelsea team in the finals.They have added nothing to the competition while cheating and fluking there way to the SF.Nobody wants to see a team literally put 10 men behind the ball in the final,because that is exactly what they'll do.No one would mind if they were some poor club who repeatedly sunk to such low levels but this team have spent nearly a billion pounds of unearned money which should belong to the Russian people but was instead stolen by a Khazar to buy success.I don't mind defensive football but it's just over the top,they done it against us(Valencia) and Benfica in Portugal as well and if it weren't for biased officials Benfica would have got 2 penalty's,against us(Napoli) the referee was giving them everything in the second leg and let Drogba get away with murder, coincidentally(?) it was the same referee who was officiating the first leg of this tie.


Before people critize me for slating Chelsea and not Inter 2 years ago let me clarify that there are a lot of differences between that campaign and Chelseas one this year.Inter attacked us for most of the game 2 years ago in the San Siro,Chelsea attacked us once all game and scored.That Inter team also didn't park the bus against teams like Benfica either.They relied on great defending and counter attacking rather than some good defending and shit loads of luck after they hoof the ball upfront.They also didn't dive and didn't have officals blatantly on there side like Chelsea did against us(Napoli) and Benfica.

If anybody seen Benfica 2nd leg it was obvious,it was one rule for Chelsea players and another for Benfica players,Chelsea players were allowed to foul at will and Benficas got booked if they touched a Chelsea player,one time a Chelsea done a foul which didn't merit a booking on it's own then a Benfica player done almost the exact same foul a minute later and got booked Benfica still outplayed them with 10 men.


Tonight I won't be supporting Barcelona,I will be supporting football

Here is my post from the Barca thread:


We need width like we had against Milan in the Nou Camp:

Pedro-----------Sanchez-------------Cuenca
----------------Messi

-----------Iniesta
--------------------------Xavi
----------------Busquets

-------Puyol-----Pique-------Alves

I know 3 - 4 - 3 didn't work today(against Real) but against parked buses it's the best option.

Alves gives us pace down Ramires side,Alves has played this position before and he was very good.Pique instead of Masch to deal with Drogba and give us more height.The rest explain themselves.

Update.It looks like Pique is definitely playing.

I'm not sure if any of worms' previous post is really worth responding to, but it's excellent for comedy value/bitterness. My particular favourites are:

worms wrote:Lets hope the referee doesn't tolerate Drogbas cheating tonight.

Or this man:

worms wrote:I think I speak for everybody

worms wrote:That Inter team also didn't park the bus against teams like Benfica either.They relied on great defending and counter attacking rather than some good defending and shit loads of luck after they hoof the ball upfront.

worms wrote:If anybody seen Benfica 2nd leg it was obvious,it was one rule for Chelsea players and another for Benfica players,Chelsea players were allowed to foul at will and Benficas got booked if they touched a Chelsea player,one time a Chelsea done a foul which didn't merit a booking on it's own then a Benfica player done almost the exact same foul a minute later and got booked

Fouls:

Chelsea 16
Benfica 11

Yellow cards:

Chelsea 3
Benfica 4

FUCKING WOW a Meirless goal in the last minute of the tie against 10 men who were all up the pitch trying to score a goal.I guess that proves I was wrong,Chelsea played brilliant football against Benfica and deserved to win.

That last stat is a nice piece of self ownage by the way,not that it really proves anything anyway but according to you stats show the whole story.

In 20 years I have seen such a disgraceful divng/acting show in one game as Drogba's performance last week,I am not exaggerating or lying,I am being serious.

worms wrote:That Inter team also didn't park the bus against teams like Benfica either.They relied on great defending and counter attacking rather than some good defending and shit loads of luck after they hoof the ball upfront.

worms wrote:FUCKING WOW a Meirless goal in the last minute of the tie against 10 men who were all up the pitch trying to score a goal.I guess that proves I was wrong,Chelsea played brilliant football against Benfica and deserved to win.

Have you not had your milk today darling?

worms wrote:Here is my post from the Barca thread:


We need width like we had against Milan in the Nou Camp:

Pedro-----------Sanchez-------------Cuenca
----------------Messi

-----------Iniesta
--------------------------Xavi
----------------Busquets

-------Puyol-----Pique-------Alves

I know 3 - 4 - 3 didn't work today(against Real) but against parked buses it's the best option.

Alves gives us pace down Ramires side,Alves has played this position before and he was very good.Pique instead of Masch to deal with Drogba and give us more height.The rest explain themselves.

Update.It looks like Pique is definitely playing.

That is really 2-4-4. Pep is not going to put that XI. Mascherano will play in defence imo.

SPORT is predicting:

------------------Valdes

D. Alves-----Pique-----Mascherano-----Puyol

---------------Busquets

--------Xavi------------Iniesta

Alexis-----------Messi-------------Fabregas

MD predicts the same XI except for Cuenca in place of Cesc.

This should be the Barca team tonight unless Pep has some more of the weird bonkers ideas he's been having recently

------------------Valdes

D. Alves-----Pique-----Puyol-----Adriano

---------------Busquets

--------Xavi------------Iniesta

Alexis-----------Messi-------------Pedro

That looks like the most balanced and direct team to me. People needs to stop taking a leaf out of Wenger's book. He's too young to be going down that sburd route

i hope gary neville is commentating tonight

He probably will be. I don't think he's half as bad as people make out he is though.

German headline in today's Marca...




Spaniards...

Truth is truth in any language.

Without Drogba I can't see who would score in this Chelsea side. Barca to win 2-0 for me; they have so much more quality it's unreal. If Barca don't make it through then Uefa have fixed it.

Jaime <3s Ozil+Khedira wrote:

worms wrote:Here is my post from the Barca thread:


We need width like we had against Milan in the Nou Camp:

Pedro-----------Sanchez-------------Cuenca
----------------Messi

-----------Iniesta
--------------------------Xavi
----------------Busquets

-------Puyol-----Pique-------Alves

I know 3 - 4 - 3 didn't work today(against Real) but against parked buses it's the best option.

Alves gives us pace down Ramires side,Alves has played this position before and he was very good.Pique instead of Masch to deal with Drogba and give us more height.The rest explain themselves.

Update.It looks like Pique is definitely playing.

That is really 2-4-4. Pep is not going to put that XI. Mascherano will play in defence imo.

SPORT is predicting:

------------------Valdes

D. Alves-----Pique-----Mascherano-----Puyol

---------------Busquets

--------Xavi------------Iniesta

Alexis-----------Messi-------------Fabregas

MD predicts the same XI except for Cuenca in place of Cesc.

It's a 3 - 3 - 4,Alves has already played as the right sided CB this year and he was very disciplined.

BoBo Vieri 32 wrote:i hope gary neville is commentating tonight

If Chelsea won it would be unbearable with him commentating.

Luis wrote:Without Drogba I can't see who would score in this Chelsea side. Barca to win 2-0 for me; they have so much more quality it's unreal. If Barca don't make it through then Uefa have fixed it.

You really believe Drogba's injured?

Do you also fear for his health when he goes down holding his face?

Pep should go with a 3-5-2 or 3-1-4-2. which is basically the same thing




If not just play the 4-3-3 with everyone in their position which means cesc on the bench

worms wrote:

Luis wrote:Without Drogba I can't see who would score in this Chelsea side. Barca to win 2-0 for me; they have so much more quality it's unreal. If Barca don't make it through then Uefa have fixed it.

You really believe Drogba's injured?

Do you also fear for his health when he goes down holding his face?

You misunderstood me. No one is likely to score for Chelsea bar Drogba. Drogba has always been a diving conte but to be honest it's payback for when Barca cheated Chelsea out of the CL and for all the time they waste. I don't condone it but do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Pep is smoking the special stuff again. Pique is back, but now Alves gets dropped/rotated/tactically innovated. He's really putting everything into this gamble with his 3-4-3.


Valdés
Puyol, Mascherano, Piqué
Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc
Alexis, Messi, Cuenca


At least it's a 'pure' 3-4-3: 3 central defenders, 4 central midfielders, 3 forwards. There'll be width from the forwards, and Cesc will play in his best position at the tip of midfield. Iniesta and Xavi also in their best positions at LCM and RCM respectively.

It'll give RDM something to think about re. Ramires' role...but our midfielders better be prepared to run their ass off and defend on counters.

Cech
Ivanovic-Cahill-Terry-Cole
Meireles-Mikel-Ramires
Mata-Lampard
Drogba