** Uefa Champions League, Semi-final ** *spoilers*

Tummy

Tummy

Tummy

Caporegime
Joined
4 Sep 2008
Posts
28,836
Location
Yorkshire.
Uefa Champions League Semi-final

_45056873_champ_league_226x170.jpg



Barcelona v Chelsea
itv1.gif

Venue: Camp Nou
Date: Tuesday, 28 April
Kick-off: 1945 BST

Man Utd v Arsenal
skysports.gif

Venue: Old Trafford
Date: Wednesday, 29 April
Kick-off: 1945 BST

Team News:

Barcelona: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Marquez, Abidal, Toure, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Henry, Eto'o.
Subs: Jorquera, Puyol, Gudjohnsen, Bojan, Keita, Silvinho, Hleb.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Alex, Bosingwa, Lampard, Mikel, Ballack, Essien, Malouda, Drogba.
Subs: Hilario, Di Santo, Kalou, Belletti, Anelka, Mancienne, Stoch.

Manchester United team: Van der Sar, Evra, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez.
Subs: Foster, Berbatov, Giggs, Scholes, Park, Rafael, Evans.

Arsenal team: Almunia, Sagna, Gibbs, Silvestre, Toure, Diaby, Song, Fabregas, Nasri, Walcott, Adebayor.
Subs: Fabianski, Eduardo, Denilson, Ramsey, Djourou, Bendtner, Eboue.
 
Last edited:
Chelsea coach Guus Hiddink is confident that Jose Bosingwa can keep Barcelona winger Lionel Messi quiet in the Champions League semi-final first leg.

The Argentine has been in spectacular form, and with regular left-back Ashley Cole suspended, Chelsea will rely on Bosingwa to switch from right-back.

"I have full confidence Bosingwa can do the job on Tuesday," said Hiddink ahead of the clash at Camp Nou.

"We have some more options, but if he is doing well he can do the job."

Barcelona thrashed Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and Hiddink is well aware that the likes of Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o also pose a huge threat.

"If you go to a double man-marking system and focus too much on that you forget there are other big players that can do the damage," said the Dutchman.

"A lot of teams have shown that it is very difficult to stop them. The front line is world class, Henry has class and experience and Samuel Eto'o I had as a young player at Real Madrid when he was 17.

"At that time he was already impressive and then he got titles and experience."

Messi, Henry and Eto'o have scored more goals (90) between them this season than the entire Chelsea side...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/8021752.stm
 
Looking forward to tonight.

Anyone got any problems with me doing these kind of threads ?
Anything you want changing about the format ?
 
Barcelona v Chelsea.

Can only see this game going one way.

Sorry Cheslski fans.

Comfortable victory for Barcelona.
 
jakeke said:
Should be a good game but I think to say Barca will have an easy game is a bit naive
Click to expand...

Scored the most goals this CL season (29). Their average of 2.90 goals per match is the equal highest ever in a CL season with Olympique Lyon (2004-05).

I agree Chelski have a good defence, however they're coming up against the best and highest scoring team in European football.

While I do take into account the "Essien" effect and that Barcelona do enjoy a lot of possesion, they're playing at home they will feel comfortable. Chelski ( I think ) will turn up, defend like kings and try to play the long ball / counter attacking football. Chelski could try being physical, which I think might suit Barcelona, who would just pass round them, or try and not give away silly free kicks / corners. I feel sorry for the Chelski defence, I do, playing against an in form Barcelona in Barcelona :(

Barcelona have only conceded 6 more goals then Chelski in their domestic League, make of this what you will. It's a fact, Barcelona are defensivly good if they've only conceded 6 more goals then the Russians. Barcelona have scored 94 goals domesticly aswell, compared to Chelski's 56.

I'm not "anti" Chelski, I would love them to prove me wrong.
I just think Barcelona are in world class form, and probably the best team in the world right now.

I'm really excited about the game as a netural :)

*and If any ITV commentator / Pundit claims Cech to be the best goalkeeper in the world. I'll stab myself. Idiots.
 
Weebull said:
I swear, every week you put Anderson in your hopeful starting line-up, and every week Fergie has him starting on the bench. Your blind optimism is pretty admirable.
Click to expand...

Pred (Mr Anderson) has to score from open play soon.

Champions League winning goal anyone ?
World to implode after ? :p
 
FrankJH said:
Im hopeful it will be a match winning goal when it happens but the CL Final might be a little too much to ask for his first goal in open play lol
Click to expand...

Where is your faith ?!?! :mad:

We are talking about the goal that will be the be the start of the end.
This goal will be the greatest goal ever scored, will probably cause some kind of worm hole, and will end the world. :p:cool:
 
Pred is a outstanding young player.

He needs to start more games, Give him a more defensive midfielder to play with so Pred can go forward and exploit space, use his ability on the ball.

I'd like to see him play more often, I'd put him as our 2/3 choice midfielder.
Behind Carrick / Fletchaldinho.
Paul Scholes / Giggs don't have the legs anymore, they would do well playing with a work horse ( Fletch / Carrick )
Hargreaves has being out all season :(
 
Barcelona have scored 94 goals in La Liga. They have scored 29 in the Champions League (Chelsea have scored 19, Arsenal 16, Man Utd 14). Leo Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry have scored more goals between them (66) than the entire Chelsea team have managed in the Premier League.
 
Chelsea - offered nothing, only chance they've had was a result of Barcelona's defense slipping up. The "long" ball isn't working at all, it's just giving the ball back to Barcelona, Cech's kicking isn't even accurate.

Barcelona - done everything but score, playing very well, making chances. Passing and working the ball so well compared to Chelski. Barcelona will probably score a few in the second half if it carries on like this. Can't see Chelski holding out for the full 90 minutes. Kudos if they do mind.

Drogba proved again what I think of him, he's massivly overrated, wasted a golden opportunity to get a away goal.
 
Right.

Getting an early night but I'll give you my opinion on the game.

Barcelona were brilliant at times, they did everything but score. Messi was much quieter in the second half, but Alves had all the right side to himself all game. I was wrong, I thought Barcelona would stole to success, well they did strole, they just didn't score :p

Chelski, well... Thought they were pretty poor, Cech, bar a couple of good saves was very poor, flapping at the ball, distribution was truely awful. Chelski used dirty tactics and just were negative. A prime example of how to kill a game.

Whats just as interesting is what Chelski will do at home, because tonight proved that they just can't give Barcelona any space or time, if Chelski attack Barcelona next game it will leave a lot of space for Barcelona to play with and probably take advantage of.
However, if Chelski play like today, where they need almost 10 men to defend against the Barcelona attack, I can see it being another boring negative game and Barcelona stealing it at the end.
 
Barcelona should have had a penalty.
Ballack should have being sent off, Puyol was lucky to still be on the pitch.

Malouda ? was truely awful. Lampard showed he can't defend. Essien was poor, but steady. Alex was a lucky man to be on the pitch. Terry "Mr England, Giant balls ect ect" didn't impose himself on the Barcelona front men either.

How to kill a game, Cheslski style :)
 
Gustov said:
Do you have any experience of goalkeeping? He stopped 2 1 on 1's and made a few saves and commanded his area reasonably well.

Yes his distribution was poor but to say he was 'very poor' is nothing but an ignorant statement.

Sorry Tummy, but in this case i highly disagree with you.
Click to expand...

He flapped at a things when he could have caught then.
He made a couple of decent saves.

His distribution was awful.

Alas, I supose making one or two good saves makes him have a good game ? :rolleyes:

And yes I do have expirence of goalkeeping ;)
 
Gustov said:
Did you watch the same game as me? Malouda ran his socks off and did well to provide cover. Yes he wasn't brilliant on the ball but he was lucky if he could see more than 1 player ahead of him (drogba)

Terry had his best game of the season so i won't even bother justifying myself there.
Click to expand...

Terry had his best game of the season ? :confused:
He's being really poor all season then ?

That was Anti football.

Yes Malouda ran his socks off, but his touch was poor, he gave the ball away and gave free kicks away, not to mention his on running love afair with Alves.
*yes I know Alves was diving left right and center*

Cech was flapping at the ball, he doesn't look confident, I saw a couple of cross's he pushed out when he should have caught them.

His distrubtion was awful, I'll say it again, making one or two good saves doesn't make you have a good game, it makes you average, coupled with **** distribution, and not catching the ball / ect ect makes him poor. :)

I'm not anti Chelski, please don't pull that card.
I just thought Chelski were really poor, in just putting 10 men behind the ball.

*btw, primary school, high school, college, 5 a side, under 18's, pub team ;)
 
drunkenmaster said:
the EPL isn't much better than la liga, its gotten hugely worse in the past couple years, the only difference is a huge number of teams have switched to killing game 4-5-1 tactics, which means English sides are better at countering it. Spanish league the worst teams, many of them, will still go all out attack even on Barca even at the Nou Camp. Its an entertainment league and they simply aren't used to playing a kill the game 4-5-1, that in no way means they can't.
Click to expand...

I personally don't think that the Premier League is the "best league" in the world. It simply has the most money.

Spain is a far more exciting and fun league, not to mention far more about football, any League where it hails stoke for staying in the league and playing "direct" football is ****.

Sorry, it's only sky and a few other broadcasters that say its the best league in the world, you don't watch every league the world to be able to judge.
Sky pay the wages of the Prem, of couse they are going to say its the best league in the world, bad marketing if they don't. /rant
 
drunkenmaster said:
EDIT:- as for cech, he was poor, the difference is in the holding onto the ball, he's clearly very hesitant/scared of holding the ball when theres a real chance of a striker/anyone coming and smacking into him to challenge for the ball, he doesn't want to hold the ball and go down with people landing on his head. understandable, but still poor, multiple times he could have caught the ball in the crowd but he did a useless punch which went straight back to barca or out for a throw in. 3 years ago there were all things he'd catch with ease and turn into posession and relieving the pressure on his team, in that sense he was very poor as he encouraged the pressure on the team. Still not a bad shot stopper, vastly improved in his past 3 or so games on the 4-5 before that, but the whole team is improving, so less pressure on his goal, the more confidence he's been getting.
Click to expand...

Thank You
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom