CL contenders - how they did this weekend!

Discuss your impact analysis here:

1. Milan: Won 3-1 in a crucial game against Empoli, to leapfrog them to 5th just 1 point behind Palermo, with a game in hand. Bad part is that they had to play Kaka, Pirlo, Gattuso - so their might be a tired midfield in Munich. Rested: Seedorf, Janku (sub), Oddo & Nesta. Maldini, Inzaghi and Oli will also have fresh legs as they might start midweek.

2. Roma: Won 2-0 away to Catania, even after resting Totti, Mancini, Taddei, De Rossi, Chivu, & Panucci. Very clever change of formation, resting key players, 10/10 to Spalletti!

3. ManU: Lost 2-1 at Portsmouth, re-opening the title race. Did not rest anyone (except Evra & Giggs). Will this fire them up for the CL??

4. Liverpool: Won 2-1 away at Reading. Rested Kyut, Agger and Riise. Should they have rested a few more players?? Does it matter??

5. Chelsea: Won 1-0 against Spurs. Rested Sheva and Ballack. Clever stuff by Mourinho.

6. Valencia: at the mo, 0-1 down after 30 minutes agaisnt Bilbao.

7. Bayern: Won 2-1 against Hannover. Did they rest anyone??

8. PSV - does it matter?

Valencia have rested Villa, Albelda, Joaquin, and Canizares (though he had a shocker so I'm not sure if it matters).

2. Roma: Won 2-0 away to Catania, even after resting Totti, Mancini, Taddei, De Rossi, Chivu, & Panucci. Very clever change of formation, resting key players, 10/10 to Spalletti!

3. ManU: Lost 2-1 at Portsmouth, re-opening the title race. Did not rest anyone (except Evra & Giggs). Will this fire them up for the CL??


Great.

bluenine wrote:
7. Bayern: Won 2-1 against Hannover. Did they rest anyone??

Yes, they rested half of the team basically, Hitzfeld often rotates. Lucio, Hargreaves, Salihamidzic were rested, while Podolski and Makaay didn't play the full match.

So based on the resting players philosophy:

Bayern > Milan
Roma > Man. Utd.
Chelsea = Valencia
Liverpool PSV doesn't matter

Sensible. Milan are up against it in Munich. I seriously doubt Milan will have the legs to win the game.... even if Milan take a lead, Bayern will always have a chance to score a few in the closing 15 minutes. I think the only way Milan can win this one is to nick a goal right at the end.

blutgraetsche wrote:

bluenine wrote:
7. Bayern: Won 2-1 against Hannover. Did they rest anyone??

Yes, they rested half of the team basically, Hitzfeld often rotates. Lucio, Hargreaves, Salihamidzic were rested, while Podolski and Makaay didn't play the full match.

bluenine wrote:
5. Chelsea: Won 1-0 against Spurs. Rested Sheva and Ballack. Clever stuff by Mourinho.

Rested Diarra, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole and Essien (who appears to be fit again) as well.

Wish it worked like that

What it does tell me is that Milan are in for a very rough night, like I just mentioned in the previous post.

Roma will enter OT full of confidence and fresh legs, the best Spalletti could do pre game, he has done. But the basic principle still holds, if the united players can channel some of their feelings and attack Roma from the beginning, they can still trash them... fresh legs or no fresh legs, if you can dominate Roma for the first 30 minutes and scare them with loads of attacks, they totally lose it. However if ManU let Roma play the way they did last time for the first 30 minutes, its game over. Coz United will not have the legs to make a late surge.

kas wrote:So based on the resting players philosophy:

Bayern > Milan
Roma > Man. Utd.
Chelsea = Valencia
Liverpool PSV doesn't matter

Forgot Ashley Cole.

Will J Cole and Diarra start against valencia??

And is Eissen going to be fit?? That one might be critical.

S4P2 wrote:

bluenine wrote:
5. Chelsea: Won 1-0 against Spurs. Rested Sheva and Ballack. Clever stuff by Mourinho.

Rested Diarra, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole and Essien (who appears to be fit again) as well.

bluenine wrote:Sensible. Milan are up against it in Munich. I seriously doubt Milan will have the legs to win the game.... even if Milan take a lead, Bayern will always have a chance to score a few in the closing 15 minutes. I think the only way Milan can win this one is to nick a goal right at the end.

blutgraetsche wrote:

bluenine wrote:
7. Bayern: Won 2-1 against Hannover. Did they rest anyone??

Yes, they rested half of the team basically, Hitzfeld often rotates. Lucio, Hargreaves, Salihamidzic were rested, while Podolski and Makaay didn't play the full match.

Milan will see off Bayern.

Wishful thinking on your part, bluenine.

We tend to do well away also in the Champions League, not participate in brawls after key games.

We shouldn't have rested more players no, the game on wednesday wont be too much hard work

You are right, I wasn't thinking about it till I reached PSV's name...

Luis wrote:We shouldn't have rested more players no, the game on wednesday wont be too much hard work

bluenine wrote:Forgot Ashley Cole.

Will J Cole and Diarra start against valencia??

And is Eissen going to be fit?? That one might be critical.

S4P2 wrote:

bluenine wrote:
5. Chelsea: Won 1-0 against Spurs. Rested Sheva and Ballack. Clever stuff by Mourinho.

Rested Diarra, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole and Essien (who appears to be fit again) as well.

Diarra will start. And if Essien isn't fit, Joe Cole will start.

It'll be interesting to see how Schweinsteiger will play in the match against Milan. Hoeness publically criticised him before the match against Hannover today, because he lacks form for weeks. And what does he do? He scores a great goal for Bayern, the winning goal.

Hoeness was still not satisfied after the match though, the grumpy old sausage freak he is.

blutgraetsche wrote:It'll be interesting to see how Schweinsteiger will play in the match against Milan. Hoeness publically criticised him before the match against Hannover today, because he lacks form for weeks. And what does he do? He scores a great goal for Bayern, the winning goal.

Hoeness was still not satisfied after the match though, the grumpy old sausage freak he is.

Predictions blut?

It's difficult to give a prediciton IMHO. Bayern have a slight advantage of the 2 away goals scored, but it really is an open tie. I expect a very exciting and close match, a thriller over 90 minutes and probably more. I hope that Bayern will go through though, the Bundesliga really needs the points.

blutgraetsche wrote:It's difficult to give a prediciton IMHO. Bayern have a slight advantage of the 2 away goals scored, but it really is an open tie. I expect a very exciting and close match, a thriller over 90 minutes and probably more. I hope that Bayern will go through though, the Bundesliga really needs the points.

I predict a tight 30 minutes after which Milan will score.

Second half, Milan will add another.

I have a good feeling, but I also did for the first leg.

Totti injury scare
Saturday 7 April, 2007
Francesco Totti is suffering from the inflammation of the sciatic nerve, confirmed Roma’s medical staff.

The captain was left at home for his team’s 2-0 victory away to Catania this afternoon – a game played on neutral turf at Lecce’s Stadio Via del Mare.

However, the doctors have reassured that Totti’s sciatica will not prevent him from playing against Manchester United on Tuesday evening.

Roma won the first leg of that Champions League quarter-final 2-1 and travel to Old Trafford next week.

Simone Perrotta will make the trip despite being suspended, as he wishes to be close to the squad in this crucial encounter.

Do Roma have Tonetto, Aquilani, or Pizarro back?

Pizaro yes; Tonetto and Aquilani i'm not really sure.

Pizarro won't make so much of a difference IMO - Wilhelmsson actually had a very good game v Utd - Tonetto is very important though as he effectively adds a midfielder to Roma

Really?? I happen to think that De Rossi+Pizzaro are among the best midfield partnerships in the world... they compliment each other so well, thats the engine room of Roma.

But yeah, Perrotta out and Pizzaro in is more of a status quo...

Tweedle wrote:Pizarro won't make so much of a difference IMO - Wilhelmsson actually had a very good game v Utd - Tonetto is very important though as he effectively adds a midfielder to Roma

Tweedle wrote:Pizarro won't make so much of a difference IMO - Wilhelmsson actually had a very good game v Utd - Tonetto is very important though as he effectively adds a midfielder to Roma

I agree...and being without Perrotta will hurt Roma alot...

second half bayern looked very good,

bye bye milan

bluenine wrote:Really?? I happen to think that De Rossi+Pizzaro are among the best midfield partnerships in the world... they compliment each other so well, thats the engine room of Roma.

But yeah, Perrotta out and Pizzaro in is more of a status quo...

Tweedle wrote:Pizarro won't make so much of a difference IMO - Wilhelmsson actually had a very good game v Utd - Tonetto is very important though as he effectively adds a midfielder to Roma

i would say it will help alot esp in away games where you need players that can hold on to the ball in centre and give it away as he showed against lyon away.i think pizzaro would be better suited for an away game.