UEFA Champions League QF L1 - 7/8 April ***Spoilers***

[drunkenmaster]

Dam straight, but you'll never get that through into DM's skull! He didn't have a great game but was not rubbish either, remember he's coming back after 2 months out injured.

Overall, a so so performance, 1st was meh although what were they thinking sending Gallas back on?

Song is getting better with every game he plays, he'll never be class but does a decent job. So wish we had Arshavin for the CL!

Yellow brigade were a disgrace, bunch of cheating moaning divers (like a team full of Gerards). Fans throwing stuff at Cesc when he was taking a corner, should be banned from Europe!

sorry but you're acting as if Adebayor scores in every single game, ever, which he doesn't do. He's been fit and started the MAJORITY of games this year, infact he's only missed a few recently before then he's played almost all of them. Yes a few games he scores, we still haven't won all those games. I don't care if he scores, his play in the rest of the game was poor, infact terrible. With Bendtner, or even more so, a 4-4-2 we wouldn't have had what was essentially a single shot on target today. Ok we had some other tame, TAME shots, fabregas had a couple weak left footers, but thats about it. Had Adebayor missed his one real chance today we would lost that game, the way we and he played no one else made chances or had chances to miss.

Bendtner might have missed chances to but the team itself create LOTS more chances for many more players, whats better a team that has to score its one real chance, or the team that has 15 chances across 5 different players to score. If any one of them is off form, the other 4 might score. Today if Ade missed we lost, we still only drew, we utterly dominated the entire second half and had lots of the ball first half, yet created one real chance in the entire game.

All your arguments stand up if Ade never misses chances and scores every single game, however neither are remotely close to true.

 

[icey_haj]

I said Scholes and Carrick wouldn't work tonight, and I was right.

 

[Furton]

sorry but you're acting as if Adebayor scores in every single game, ever, which he doesn't do.

Please point out where I said this?

 

[aslco]

All your arguments stand up if Ade never misses chances and scores every single game, however neither are remotely close to true.

I do agree with you he is a poor striker in my opinion isaw him in a near one on one situation and thought he was wastefull.

BUT you keep going on about if he had missed your one chance?

he didnt! He got your one chance and made god damn sure that it was taken! so you cant complain about today. However i take onboard what you say about his general play before that.

One player i always see and think is absoltuley crap and lanky looking is bedtnar...but a lot of people seem to rate him as a technical player. I totally dont get this as he just seems, clumsy, tall and lanky to me and maybe only good at headers?

 

[MeAnBoY]

The ref was a bit handy with his cards (Fab and Nasri), but overall he played a good game. I don't think he fell for any of their other antics once.

Oui, i think the ref had a decent enough game, im glad that he wasn't fooled by the dramatics of Villa which there was plenty of.

Hat off to Senna, he was unlucky not to get more against us, such was his threat.

Fabianski played well, quite confident in him for covering Almunia based on this and previous appearances.

Drunk: I think on this occasion you were spot on about Walcott, i still think he would be a better striker than he is a winger. Poor crossing, cant do the defender unless it's a through ball to him where he can use his pace - which didn't happen tonight. However he HAS proved he can play on the wing, but thats not to say this is his strongest position.

I think as we were piling the pressure on it would have been nice to slot walcott next to Ade in attack. Not too sure Bentdner would have been as good seeing as our crossing was so poor, but who knows as he can create a lot of chances.

What i would've done for Arshavin/Eduardo/RVP to be on the pitch though. Still happy to come away 1-1


PS. Nix, what typeface is that?

 

[HangTime]

Bendtner is a reasonable link up player and gets in good positions. Apart from the odd fluke however, his first touch is poor and finishing nothing special.

Walcott lacks composure, his pace in behind does open up a lot of avenues for us though (you can see during the recent games options which simply weren't there when we had e.g. Denilson playing wide right). He needs to improve on his decision making and I'm not sure that just playing him as a striker would necessarily improve things, instead of snatching at crosses he'd be snatching at shots. He's.... frustrating for want of a better word, a bit of a tease, you see him threatening the defence and then he'll overrun the ball and let them get a touch, or shoot from a silly angle, or delay too long on the ball, or go for a cut back when it's crying out for a ball across the six yard box. I think this could be improved on in training but who knows.

Villerreal deserved their lead at half time but fortunately we were a bit improved after the break.

Bit strange for Cesc to get booked for taking a freekick too quickly :/

 

[Tute]

omg

All he said was that Porto are favourites and with the way you're playing and Porto's home form, it's hardly that big a statement.

Home form or no home form, it means nothing. Up until you played us we'd not lost this year. Form is there to be broken.

I felt that we could have moved up a gear and totally destroyed them. I still feel that way, in fact I think any of England's big four could smash Porto out of sight with a bit of effort.

 

[BaZ87]

Easy thing to say but you didn't/couldn't do it.

As for their home form, it means a lot. Arsenal took them apart over here (4-0) and lost in Portugal, we beat them last year 4-1 at Anfield but were lucky to come away with a 1-1 draw over there. They're very good at home and your sloppy play today may come back to haunt you. I still think you'll edge it but it's going to be far from easy.

 

[Tute]

Easy thing to say but you didn't/couldn't do it.

As for their home form, it means a lot. Arsenal took them apart over here (4-0) and lost in Portugal, we beat them last year 4-1 at Anfield but were lucky to come away with a 1-1 draw over there. They're very good at home and your sloppy play today may come back to haunt you. I still think you'll edge it but it's going to be far from easy.

And we beat you 3-0 at OT last season. When you came to us we'd not conceeded a goal at home for months. We were 7 points clear.

And you beat us 4-1.

Yes, it's an if. IF we can raise our game we'd beat them. I just think it requires a lot less effort than some here are making out.

 

[BaZ87]

Sorry but where did i say you couldn't win at Porto?

You were favourites to beat us at OT and some people will say that due to the form of both sides and Porto's home record, that Porto are favourites to win. That's not to say you can't or won't win. I even said that i still think you'll go through.

edit: i didn't even say that Porto were favourites, just defended somebody that does think they are (as it certainly isn't a far fetched idea) from a stupid post.

 

[Tute]

Yeah it wasn't you in particular, just some other posters. I tell thee, Drunkenmaster certainly isn't the biggest PITA this forum contains.

Shouldn't you be concentrating on tomorrow anyway?

 

[thecremeegg]

anyone got a link to highlights?

 

[Greenlizard0]

ADebayor was utterly crap for 89.9minutes, again. We utterly dominated the second half yet had one real chance on goal, which he scored. He took one other shot that I can remember which was easier, and went about 30 yards wide. He constantly lost the ball, rarely challenged for anything, was on a yellow and still waves his arms around in peoples faces and fouled people needlessly. He also ignored some ridiculously easy paces, a one two with Nasri that would have put him through on goal, then later another one two with Eboue that would have put Eboue on the penalty spot with the ball and again he ignored the pass, lost the ball and threw himself to the floor with no contact, if it was in the box it would likely have been a second yellow, utter tit.

Yup, said it earlier on, the guy successfully ruined two (in the first half) and in the end many more attacks, before they could even mature out into proper chances. He does this regularly, and when his other play is rubbish it's not quite enough to say "oh it's ok, he scored". Yes he got one today, but how many times is he going to pull a off goal of the month contender?

I think quite rightly a lot Arsenal fans do moan; I don't think it helps that in recent years we're so used to the all round excellence of Henry and Berkamp for example.

 

[Fubsy]

Last night's performance from United was flat, and as I said in the first page, it's mainly down to the internationals followed by a big game at the weekend with only a days rest. That fixture **** up cost us those away goals imo, and it's sucked the momentum right out of the team again. Won't be surprised if we get a 0-0 at the weekend.

Oh and the fact the midfield is absolutely awful atm, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs, Ronaldo and Park just seem to have switched off, no focus at all in the matches, currently I think Fletcher is the best midfielder in Uniteds team, which is

 

[CliffyG]

I don't see how anyone can knock Ade for last night . He's in his second match back from a long lay off and scored an absolute belter pretty much out of nothing. Regardless of what was said he did put himself about all night (been trying to find stats for distance covered but failed) in what was a pretty isolated role up front.

Anyone who thinks Bendtner should have played is quite frankly demented, he has proved countless times before that he is not a clinical striker and offers nothing in front of goal that any of our other strikers do Ade included.

 

[Steedie]

Never thought I'd say this but,

I'm backing Chelsea tonight, really hope they stuff Liverpool!

 

[dannyjo22]

As a neutral I really enjoyed the united game last night. United look worn out to me, a few months ago if a team played like porto did against united they would have got torn apart.

Thats the sort of open game united should love.

Can't see united going through now. As I've have already said I can't see them winning the league either. They have gone flat at a time they normally start to fly.

Really pleased though that it looks like we may lose atleast 2 of 4 from the CL.

 

[G|mp]

Yup agreed ^

We did well to scrape a draw last night, we were awful from the second we kicked off.

Something needs to be sorted out and quickly or we will end up with nothing from this season :/

 

[Voltage]

united already have 2 trophies

 

[B1gbeard]

......

I agree about Walcott but not so much about Ade.

Walcott, while undoubtedly talented, has some confidence issues. For much of last night it looked as though he didn't believe in his ability when he should have given his defender a torrid time. I don't think we can right him off completely though as he needs a good run in the team injury free.

I''ve been no fan of Ade lately and in the first half it looked the same old same old couldn't be bothered attitude. Second half though he worked his socks off, ran for everything and scored a great goal. Maybe thats just him but when he can come back from injury, score three goals in two games and still be criticised it seems madness.

What was a bit worrying last night, even though we played a great second half, is the impact that Arshavin has had (and dare I say it Bendtner's form of late). We were lacking creativity with the pair of them out.