Barcelona Vs Liverpool - The European classic..

*waits for Obispo*

Obispo wrote:Thanks

Hopefully we'll still be in the tie for the return leg at Anfield. What went wrong at the weekend? I'm not sure what your final result was but I remember glancing on here and seeing that you were 2-0 down at one point, that right?

If I only knew Obi. We fucked it up for good I'm afraid, I think that we are out of the title race. The last few weeks, with the exception of the Amsterdam match, were truly awful for us Werder fans. It doesn't get much worse than this. I can't even remember when we lost three league matches in a row last time, must have been ages ago...

Whatever, enough moaning, it can only get better than this.

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It'll be interesting to see if you guys can take advantage of your physical strenght tomorrow, Barca seem to hate aggressive defending / tackling. You do have the advantage that the second leg is at Anfield though, this increases the pressure on Barca to do well tomorrow. I think it's 50/50 really.

Just heard on the radio that Etoo wont be called up tomorrow, any news from camp Barça ?

Nothing extraordinary...apparently he's not 100% and is left out. Not sure what it means because journalists who have been watching Barca's training say he has looked perfectly fine.

I can see us playing with Motta again. Let's just hope he doesn't get himself sent off...

I would like to see Thuram play, if it wasn't for the fact that he is just coming back from injury.

I agree...Thuram's recent injury and Edmilson being left out also indicates to me that Motta will play, but I can really see him being sent off or scoring another own goal as he scrambles back against Liverpool's counter attacks.

Edmilson is being left out ?

kas wrote:I agree...Thuram's recent injury and Edmilson being left out also indicates to me that Motta will play, but I can really see him being sent off or scoring another own goal as he scrambles back against Liverpool's counter attacks.

If the ref is strict 2moro we will be fucked. momo will be almost certain to pick up a yellow within the first 20 mins and then we'll all be on eggshells for the rest of the game. will be interesting then to see if mascherano makes an appearance


so no iniesta?

kas wrote:I agree...Thuram's recent injury and Edmilson being left out also indicates to me that Motta will play, but I can really see him being sent off or scoring another own goal as he scrambles back against Liverpool's counter attacks.

or we might play Oleguer in CD and Zambrotta back on the right. I hope not. Zambrotta and Ronnie are working well together.
Ole looks solid at right back.

...

Or perhaps Belletti in RB and Ole in CB with Zambo on the left ?

Iniesta will either start up front on the right, with Messi and Ronaldinho switching around as the 9, or he'll be a sub with Saviola as the striker and Messi in his usual place on the right.

I strongly feel we should go with the 2nd option, but Rijkaard has shown to be a bit strange with his team selections in big games, so who knows.

toon h wrote:

kas wrote:I agree...Thuram's recent injury and Edmilson being left out also indicates to me that Motta will play, but I can really see him being sent off or scoring another own goal as he scrambles back against Liverpool's counter attacks.

or we might play Oleguer in CD and Zambrotta back on the right. I hope not. Zambrotta and Ronnie are working well together.
Ole looks solid at right back.

...

Or perhaps Belletti in RB and Ole in CB with Zambo on the left ?

I agreed word for word before the dashes. Belletti at right back and Oleguer in the centre as well is like giving Bellamy a golf club when he's standing in front of a Norwegian pinada.

IMO considering the squad, we should play:
Valdes
Oleguer-Marquez-Puyol-Zambrotta
Motta
Xavi-Deco
Messi-Saviola-Ronaldinho

I would have liked Iniesta to be in there but I think it's better to be a bit safe and keep possession carefully at the start. Plus Iniesta would be a good revulsivo to bring on if we have to freshen up the midfield.

kas wrote:Iniesta will either start up front on the right, with Messi and Ronaldinho switching around as the 9, or he'll be a sub with Saviola as the striker and Messi in his usual place on the right.

I strongly feel we should go with the 2nd option, but Rijkaard has shown to be a bit strange with his team selections in big games, so who knows.

so what would you like to see as the lineup? and what will Rijkaard most likely pick?

edit - just saw your last post - sorry

Why is it some people opt for Xavi over Iniesta? Whenever he's been given the chance (Benfica, Milan (both legs), Argentina, England, Arsenal (2nd half) he has stood out. He was probably the best player on the park in the Milan, Benfica & Argentina games, and along with Larsson he changed the Arsenal game.

His pass completion rates are probably on a par with Xavi. He's more creative, a better dribbler etc. He should have started against Chelsea, but didn't. That said, I'm sure we will get to watch Xavi pass the ball backwards and sideways.

IMO the team should be:

-----------Valdez
Oleguer-Puyol-Thuram-Zambrotta
----------Marquez-----------
------Iniesta---Deco--------
Messi------Saviola------Ronnie

I imagine, however,

Marquez will play CB. Motta wil play DM (will get booked and replaced before he gets sent off) Xavi will play instead of Iniesta (to later be replaced by Iniesta, after failing to create anything). Gudjonsen will start in Liverpools backpocket, and will promptly get chopped at HT for Savi.

Nah, at halftime Rijkaard will bring on Giuly for Gudjohnsen and play Messi as the striker

Or he might even do that from the start.

Just sorted some plans with friends to go out to a bar tomorrow and watch the match...so I won't be on here till late tomorrow night or maybe even Thursday evening. So don't despair Liverpool fans, I'll be here eventually, win or lose.

Barcelona tabloid SPORT reckons this will be Liverpool's lineup:
Reina
Arbeloa-Agger-Carragher-Riise
Sissoko
Finnan-Gerrard-Xabi Alonso-Gonzalez
Kuyt


I personally can't see that happening...both Finnan and Arbeloa is possible to mark Ronaldinho, but I think either Bellamy or Crouch will play, and surely no way Gonzalez will start.

kas wrote:and surely no way Gonzalez will start.

He may do if Aurelio still isn't fit.

I'm not sure if I'll be on here after the match - depends how tired I am but like you I'll be on here some point tomorrow, win or lose. Probably to berate Riise if it's the latter.

Benitez fines fifteen players
Soccernet

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez prepared for Wednesday night's Champions League clash with Barcelona by fining 15 of his players for their part in the squad's headline-grabbing, boozy end to their trip to Portugal last week.

Click here
The Liverpool manager is incensed that preparations for their tie with the European champions have been overshadowed by reports of drunken brawls and has already fined striker Craig Bellamy two weeks' wages for attacking John Arne Riise.

The Daily Mirror claims that another 14 players from the 22-man squad will also be hit in the pocket and The Sun reports that fines will total a club record £150,000 once all participants are dealt with.

Although Benitez won't identify those involved in the post karaoke shenanigans at the exclusive Monty's restaurant and bar in Vale Do Lobo Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek has spoken of the incident on his official website.

The Poland international confirmed he and others had felt the manager's wrath, but played down the exaggerated and 'unreal' stories published in the media.

'Most of the press printed strange, unreal stories concerning our going out for supper to the nearest restaurant, while we were in Portugal,' Dudek said.

'Among others, I have read, that I wanted to beat up the policeman, was handcuffed and detained by the police. Nothing of that kind happened.

'I admit that we behaved inappropriately for the situation. We have betrayed our coach's trust, because we returned to the hotel around several dozen minutes after the 'zero hour', as well as other hotel guests, because we disturbed their peace and night time.

'The next day we felt stupid. Our coach talked to us and punished those who deserved it the most. I was one of them.

'We have to draw a conclusion from this incident, so as to avoid such a situation in future.'

Despite Bellamy allegedly attacking team-mate Riise with a golf club the fiery Welshman is expected to start against Barca at the Nou Camp.[b]

Rafa Benitez has played down the reported bust-up between Liverpool players during training in Portugal last week.

The Reds manager insists the incident involving striker Craig Bellamy and defender John Arne Riise has been blown out of proportion.

The training ground fracas has left Benitez embarrassed by a handful of his players' actions.

However, the Spaniard is adamant the episode will not have an impact on Wednesday's UEFA Champions League game and says his side are ready to face Barcelona.

"I am not going to tell you what happened," Benitez said.

"The problem is not as big as reported in the press, so there really haven't been many players fined - not nearly as many as has been reported.

"After the problem, some were fined and they have been really good.

"The atmosphere is really good and we are ready. They also understand how important this game is.

"The reaction of the players was the day after. They apologised and have now said they are ready. The reaction was great.

"It was a shame it had to happen, but it doesn't matter now.

"It is over, as I have said. We have put it behind us and are concentrating on the game."

FC Barcelona v Liverpool: A Historical Look

FC Barcelona host Liverpool in the first-leg of their Champions League last sixteen clash at Camp Nou on Wednesday. As a part of Goal.com's build-up, Lucas Brown takes a look at the six previous encounters between the two sides.

UEFA Cup Semi Final 1975-76

First leg, March 31, 1976
BARCELONA 0 - 1 LIVERPOOL
The star may have begun to fade on Johan Cruyff's time at FC Barcelona when Liverpool made their first ever appearance at Camp Nou in the UEFA Cup semi final, but defeating a team that contained the Dutchman and his famous compatriot, and FranK Rijkaard's current assistant, Johan Neeskens will be remembered for more than one reason. The Reds' became the only English team to ever win at Barça's stadium as they held on to John Toshack's 13th minute goal. The Welsh striker fired a shot past Pere Mora after latching on to Kevin Keegan's pass. The Blaugrana supporters showed their frustration at their team's display at the end as seat cushions rained down from the stands in protest. Coach Hennes Weissweiler was to pay for the defeat with his job, although his clash over tactics with Cruyff also helped the German end his time at the club.

Barcelona: Mora, Tome, Migueli, Marcial, Corominas, Neeskens, Rexach, Cruyff, Mir (Clares 80), Asensi, Fortes.
Liverpool: Clemence, Smith, Neal, Thompson, Kennedy, Hughes, Keegan, Case (Hall 70), Helgway, Toshack, Callaghan.

Second leg, April 14, 1976
LIVERPOOL 1 - 1 BARCELONA
With new boss, Laureano Ruiz at the helm, Barça were hoping to battle their way back into the tie, but in front of a packed house at Anfield the home side doubled their aggregate advantage five minutes after half-time. Phil Thompson capitalised on some good work between Keegan and Toshack to net for the Reds. Liverpool were not through yet though, as the Blaugrana's future coach, Carles Rexach, rediced the arrears soon after. While Barça went onto finish second in the league, five points behind arch rivals Real Madrid, the English outfit went on to compete in a monumental two-legged UEFA Cup Final against FC Bruges. After drawing the first leg in Belgium, the Reds won a thrilling game at Anfield thanks to goals from Ray Kennedy, Jimmy Case and Keegan. The club also clinched their ninth league title at the end of the campaign to cap a marvellous season.

Liverpool: iClemence, Smith, Neal, Thompson, Kennedy, Hughes, Keagan, Case (Hall 78), Heighaway, Toshack, Callaghan.
Barcelona: Mora, Rife, Migueli, Costa, Albaladejo (Tome 73), Corominas (De la Cruz 77), Rexach, Marcial, Cruyff, Neeskens, Heredia.

UEFA Cup Semi Final 2000-01

First Leg, April 5, 2001
BARCELONA 0 - 0 LIVERPOOL
Gerrard Houllier was determind to stifle Barça's attacking instincts in the opening leg of this encounter and he sent out a Liverpool team that certainly managed to do that. For the visitors it was seen as an heroic performance, while for Barça fans it was frustrating and boring. With Emile Heskey pulled back into midfield, the Reds produced a catenaccio performance that saw very few chances at either end. While the visitors came to defend, Llorenç Serra Ferrer's side were bereft of ideas about how to break down the barrier in front of them. One curiosity was the fact that the kick off was delayed for 15 minutes. The unofficial reason was pressure applied by television companies in England as the start of the match coincided with the climax of a long-running saga on popular soap opera EastEnders as the person that shot Phil Mitchell was finally revealed.

Barcelona: Reina, Gabri, Puyol, Frank de Boer, Sergi, Guardiola, Cocu, Luis Enrique (Xavi 71), Rivaldo, Overmars (Zenden 71), Kluivert.
Liverpool: Westerveld, Babbel, Henchoz, Hyypia, Carragher, Berger (McAllister, min.83), Murphy (Smicer 59), Gerrard, Hamann, Heskey, Owen (Fowler 72).

Second Leg, April 19, 2001
LIVERPOOL 1 - 0 BARCELONA
Having dropped out of the Champions League, finishing third behind Inter and Leeds United in the group stages, the UEFA Cup was the Catalan club's best chance of silverware in what was turning into a disasterous season. The title was well out of reach and even finishing in fourth was looking less and les likely. Ferrer knew that his side need to perform at Anfield, but they were unable to lift themselves and came up against a resilient Liverpool team that sat back looked for counter-attacks to nick the one goal needed to progress to the final. Instead of creating a goal though, one was handed to them, literally as Patrick Kluivert stuck out his arm in the area as a corner came over and Gary McAllister slotted home the resulting penalty a minute before the break. The Reds went on to, again, lift the trophy as they beat Alavés 5-4 in an incredible final.

Liverpool: Westerveld, Babbel, Henchoz, Hyypia, Carragher, Smicer (Fowler 81), Gerrard (Murphy 77), Hamann, McAllister, Owen (Berger 62), Heskey.
Barcelona: Reina, Puyol, Cocu, Frank de Boer, Reiziger (Simao 60), Guardiola, Petit, Luis Enrique, Overmars (Dani 74), Rivaldo, Kluivert.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2001-02

Second Group Stage
November 20, 2001
LIVERPOOL 1 - 3 BARCELONA
The visit to Anfield five seasons ago will be remembered fondly by Barça fans for a moment in the second half when the team, clad in gold shirts, played Liverpool at their own game and maneouvered the ball around the field to chalk up 29 consecutive passes. It was a rare display of domination during a barren spell in the club's history, but came in a game that saw the Blaugrana make a dramatic comeback. Michael Owen opened the home team's account after 27 minuts as he ran through to clip the ball past Roberto Bonano as the visitors were still settling. Kluivert made amends for his misdemeanour the year before by levelling before the break before Fabio Rochemback's long-range drive put Barça ahead. Marc Overmars capped a commanding second half performance six minutes from time when he rounded Jerzy Dudek before scoring in front of the Kop.

Liverpool: Dudek, Carragher, Hyypia, Henchov, Riise; Smicer (Litmanen 79), Gerrard, McAllister (Berger 68), Murphy, Heskey (Fowler 66), Owen.
Barcelona: Bonano; Christanval, Andersson, Frank de Boer, Coco; Gabri (Rochemback 57), Xavi, Cocu, Kluivert (Reiziger 90); Luis Enrique (Overmars 18), Rivaldo.

March 13, 2002
BARCELONA 0 - 0 LIVERPOOL
Steven Gerrard, Danny Murphy and Dietmar Hamann formed a three-man wall across midfield, while Stéphane Henchoz and Sami Hyypiä mopped up at the back as Liverpool withstood everything that the home side could throw at them. With Michael Owen injured, the visitors still created a fair number of chances of their own as they knew that their future in the competition depended on taking something from this visit. Javier Saviola was still looking to impress in his first season at Camp Nou after moving from River Plate, and he looked most likely to break the deadlock at the other. Despite both sides best efforts the points were shared, but as both teams won their final games a week later Barça finished top and Liverpool qualified in second place. The Reds only lasted one more round before being beaten by Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter finals, while the Blaugrana will want to quickly forget their semi final
reverse against a Real Madrid side that went on to win the trophy in Glasgow.

Barcelona: Bonano; Puyol, Christanval, Frank de Boer, Coco, Luis Enrique (Gerard 76), Cocu, Motta, Rivaldo, Kluivert, Saviola (Geovanni 86).
Liverpool: Dudek; Abel Xavier, Hyypia, Henchoz, Carragher, Murphy, Gerrard (Barmby 80), Hamann, Riise, Litmanen (Smicer 70), Heskey (Baros 74).

http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=239020

Calidad wrote:Why is it some people opt for Xavi over Iniesta? Whenever he's been given the chance (Benfica, Milan (both legs), Argentina, England, Arsenal (2nd half) he has stood out. He was probably the best player on the park in the Milan, Benfica & Argentina games, and along with Larsson he changed the Arsenal game.

His pass completion rates are probably on a par with Xavi. He's more creative, a better dribbler etc. He should have started against Chelsea, but didn't. That said, I'm sure we will get to watch Xavi pass the ball backwards and sideways.

IMO the team should be:

-----------Valdez
Oleguer-Puyol-Thuram-Zambrotta
----------Marquez-----------
------Iniesta---Deco--------
Messi------Saviola------Ronnie

I imagine, however,

Marquez will play CB. Motta wil play DM (will get booked and replaced before he gets sent off) Xavi will play instead of Iniesta (to later be replaced by Iniesta, after failing to create anything). Gudjonsen will start in Liverpools backpocket, and will promptly get chopped at HT for Savi.

agreed entirely, even the line-up man for man.

That said, he could play Iniesta on the right and Messi up front, leaving Saviola out altogether.

the probabilities in my view of each player starting:

100% sure:
Valdes, Puyol, Zambrotta, Deco, Ronaldinho

75% sure:
Xavi, Messi, Oleguer, Marquez

who knows:
Iniesta, Saviola, Gudjohnsen, Motta, Gio, Thuram,

probably not:
Belletti, Giuly

no way:
Jorquera

Apologies if this has already been done - I was out most of yesterday.

Times Online interview with Deco:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article1409133.ece

Deco was more preoccupied with a man he thinks any Merseyside miscreants should take their lead from. “Steven Gerrard is the best player in the Premier League,” Deco said. “He has a lot of quality, moves around the field and attacks when he can. I think he enjoys it at Liverpool, but if he wanted to play in Spain he could easily adapt.”

...

Liverpool’s archetypal English qualities, with Gerrard as the totem, worry the Brazilian-born Portugal midfield player. “I watched Liverpool beat AC Milan in the Champions League Final in 2005 and I´ve never seen a game like it,” he said. “It showed the strength and character that the captain has.”

are you afraid yet?

I also agree that Iniesta is better than Xavi - especially against EPL teams.

Xavi lacks urgency - he's good in patient games but EPL teams aren't renowned for their patience

no?

still not?

revving up the engines...

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kas wrote:Barcelona tabloid SPORT reckons this will be Liverpool's lineup:
Reina
Arbeloa-Agger-Carragher-Riise
Sissoko
Finnan-Gerrard-Xabi Alonso-Gonzalez
Kuyt


I personally can't see that happening...both Finnan and Arbeloa is possible to mark Ronaldinho, but I think either Bellamy or Crouch will play, and surely no way Gonzalez will start.

quite similar to what the independent is reporting with the only difference being zenden instead of gonzalez . both sides would be ultra defensive. not exactly what id want us to do but if rafa can pull it off and keep us in the match for anfield then i won't be complaining later.

I have to admit, Ronaldhino is pretty scary-looking, especially close-up.