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| Champions League | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 23 2007, 11:32 AM (2,298 Views) | |
| Merengue | Feb 22 2007, 11:42 PM Post #31 |
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Good point that Inter aren't the same without either or both of Vieira and Cambiasso but the same applies to Valencia without Albelda so yes that does look like at least a push in terms of the teams absentees for leg 2. I think we'll see Adriano return and he and Ibrahimovic will cause matchup problems for Valencia. I also was very impressed with Maicon's attacking play but we also saw him struggle defensively against Silva. There are just so many interesting duels in this game and while Valencia are probably now favorites this will be a game worth watching. |
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| enganche | Mar 5 2007, 12:35 PM Post #32 |
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Adriano will likely miss the return against Valencia as will Cambiasso and Vieira. We will really see what Inter's depth is like in this game. But Inter-Valencia is just one of the many intriguing games to be played on Tuesday. Barcelona travel to Liverpool 2-1 down, Chelsea host Porto (1-1) and Lyon are home to Roma (0-0). There's still plenty to play for in each of those games. |
| Prefiero morir de pie que vivir arrodillado | |
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| Manzanares | Mar 5 2007, 05:14 PM Post #33 |
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Those are some big absences for Inter to cover. But Stankovic can move more to the center of midfield and they can play Zanetti and Figo on the wings with Dacourt as the ball winner. That is still a good midfield then you add Crespo and Ibrahimovic in the attack and Inter should be able to give a good account for themselves. Barcelona have to come out early and attack Liverpool. That's a double edged sword, it could provide a much needed early goal for Barcelona to tighten up the game but it will also make them more susceptible to a lethal Liverpool counter. Both Valencia-Inter and Liverpool-Barcelona look like matches worth watching. |
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| Merengue | Mar 5 2007, 07:58 PM Post #34 |
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I think all four of Tuesday's games look really interesting. Sure Liverpool are the team in the best shape heading to the 2nd leg but Manzanares point is right, Barca have to come out and attack hoping to get an early goal. That should make that an entertaining game to watch. Valencia vs Inter could end up being a cagey game with neither team trying to give too much away but if I were Valencia I'd go out an attack as an early goal would really put Inter into a hole. It will be interesting to see how valencia approach this game. Chelsea will be without John Terry but lately they've been learning to play without him. Porto are a good opponent but they have trouble scoring many goals and against Chelsea's stingy defense it is hard to see them put much on the scorebaord. I don't know what to make of Roma. They are slumping a bit lately but still remain dnagerous and just need a draw with a goal scored to go through. While Lyon are favored at home, I wouldn't rule Roma out. Should be an enjoyable day. |
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| valenciano | Mar 5 2007, 10:52 PM Post #35 |
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David Albelda's absence through suspension is my biggest concern about Valencia. the team just doesn't play as well without his stabilziing influence in midfield. Carlos Marchena will attempt to fill his shoes and while he can mark well he isn't the distributor that Albelda is. Some here speculated this would be a cagey, defensive game but I don't think so as Inter know they have to win or score more than 2 goals in a tie to advance. Thus I think we'll see a good spectacle. It won't be easy but I like the way Valencia are playing now especially defensively and this is a team who seem to play well against the strong opponents and nobody can dispute that Inter are just that. |
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| garbaggio | Mar 6 2007, 07:26 AM Post #36 |
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I was surprised by something I read on Soccernet yesterday in an article previewing today's Liverpool - Barcelona game. Supposedly no team has ever won a home-and-away series in the Champions League after losing the 1st leg at home. I think Barca will get it done today. Either way, the game has the potential to be a great one and I'm looking forward to it. |
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| Merengue | Mar 6 2007, 07:29 AM Post #37 |
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Inter does need to score but what I am curious about is how Valencia will approach this match valenciano. Inter isn't the type of team to simply throw everyone forward, they'll try and pick their spots knowing a 1-0 win puts them through, but if Valencia look to surprise them early by trying to score then we could end up having an end to end match which will delight the viewers. Thinking about Chelsea vs Porto, I am reminded of how well Quaresma is playing now for Porto. He is the player who could really cause troubles for Chelsea's defense in this one. Keep an eye out for him. Meanwhile defensively Pepe has been impressive for the Portuguese club but he'll have his hands full with Drogba, the newly crowned African player of the year. |
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| Winslow | Mar 6 2007, 01:54 PM Post #38 |
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Tuesday's second legs... . . . . . . Chelsea 2, Porto 1 (3-2 on aggregate). Liverpool 0, Barcelona 1 (2-2 on aggregate; Liverpool advances on away goals). Lyon 0, Roma 2 (0-2 on aggregate). Valencia 0, Inter 0 (2-2 on aggregate; Valencia advances on away goals). So Barca, Inter, and Lyon are all out, and I wouldn't have predicted that before New Year's. Liverpool dominated the first half, hitting two crossbars, before Gudjohnsen scored the only goal with 15 minutes left after getting loose on the left and rounding Reina. But the Catalans needed two; the closest they came was Ronaldinho hitting the post early in the second half. Meanwhile, it did turn out to be a defensive struggle at the Mestalla, while Roma got first-half goals from Totti and Mancini to put Lyon out; OL has missed the quarterfinals now for four straight years. Porto had a chance after taking the early lead from Quaresma (nice call, Merengue), but Robben tied it after halftime and Ballack won it with a late volley. |
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| garbaggio | Mar 6 2007, 06:26 PM Post #39 |
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I guess no team has yet overcome a home defeat in the first leg. Credit Liverpool for dominating Barcelona for much of the game. With Ronaldinho, Etoo, Messi and Deco in the starting lineup I expected more firepower but it was Liverpool that had several close scoring chances to none for Barcelona in the 1st half. Although the 2nd half was more even the game never really developed the tension that I hoped for since Barca needed 2 goals to advance. When Gudjonssen finally scored (looked a half step offsides) with about 15 minutes left it brought some excitement into the contest but even then Liverpool were as likely to get a goal. Great fancy stepover exhibition on Mancini's goal for Roma against Lyon. Frankie Hejduk is eating his heart out somewhere. |
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| Manzanares | Mar 6 2007, 06:49 PM Post #40 |
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Pique and I were discussing in the La Liga thread that Rijkaard's experimenting with a 3 man defense only seemed to confuse his team last week against Sevilla and that again appeared to be the case today against Liverpool, especially in the first half. Liverpool's physicalness was too much for Barcelona to handle in midfield. Eto'o and Messi played like a couple of players still trying to find their form after long injury absences and Ronaldinho, except for that great move where he missed a shot when he should have scored, was pretty quiet and unable to pick up the slack from his out of form teammates. I really thought Liverpool's Finnan played an excellent game. Like others i was hoping for more entertainment from this game but as in leg 1 Rafa Benitez' game plan turned out right. |
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| rosarino | Mar 6 2007, 07:41 PM Post #41 |
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Liverpool were smart in trying to take the game early on to Barcelona. They were probably unlucky not to have scored in that first half. In the 2nd they were able to sit back and close Barcelona down. I agree it wasn't quite the theater most of us neutrals were hoping for but it also was intelligent play by Liverpool. I also saw Chelsea's come from behind win over Porto by a score of 2-1. Porto did on the road what Liverpool did at home and went at Chelsea early on and got their reward with a goal but in the 2nd half Chelsea brought on Obi Mikel for the ineffective Makelele and regained control of midfield. Still if Porto's goalie had not mangled that very savable shot by Robben and turned it into a goal, I think Porto would have pulled that game out. The 2nd goal they gave up late in the match happened as they pushed forward looking for the game winner but left one defender trying to mark two players. Winslow, I thought it was that Lyon had made the quarterfinals 4 years straight but failed to get beyond that. But this year they didn't even get that far. Totti and Mancini with the goals and they make a dangerous attacking duo. Valencia apparently shut down Inter but there was a post game brawl which escalated when Burdisso started something with a Valencia player after the game ended and a sub for the Spanish club (Navarro) came on the field and punched Burdisso in the nose, breaking it. That set off a full fledged melee. You wonder how much punishment Valencia's players will receive? Navarro certainly will get a substantial suspension but he's a sub anyway. But will more key players get suspended? Any suspensions for Inter will carry over to next season. |
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| Merengue | Mar 6 2007, 10:13 PM Post #42 |
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I pretty much agree with the comments on Liverpool vs Barcelona. Liverpool did control the first half and probably should have scored as Barcelona's defense did look out of sorts in their rarely used formaton. A case of a coach tinkering too much in an attempt to 'outsmart' the opposition? Liverpool weren't brilliant but they were tough, well organized and ran all game long and that was enough to take Barcelona out of their comfort zone. Deserved win for the Reds. I also saw Valencia vs Inter and it was the cagey game I expected. Valencia defended very well and Ayala and Albiol were superb but they were playing with fire as they didn't show much offense in this game. Oh and the post game fight was started by guess who? Materazzi! Later it was Burdisso and Marchena getting into it when Navarro cold cocked the Inter player. He'll be suspended for a long time and with reason but I didn't see anyone else who really merited it. Although maybe Materazzi should get one for lifetime achievement! Lyon just doesn't seem the same team they were before they got rid of Carew. I still don't understand that move. Mancini is one of the most entertaining, and effective, players in Europe. Nice reward for him with that goal. Helton's error was the changing point in Porto vs Chelsea but apart from Quaresma and Lucho Gonzalez, Porto had trouble causing Chelsea many worries defensively. But truth is Chelsea rarely worried Porto either. I don't think this Chelsea is as strong as their past few teams coached by Mourinho. |
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| Pique | Mar 6 2007, 11:40 PM Post #43 |
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I'm in the camp wondering what Rijkaard was doing with that new defensive setup which did seem to cause confusion in the team but Liverpool did take Barcelona out of the game with some hard tackles early on then pressed them in the midfield. Liverpool's offense may not be that great but they hustle and in leg 1 were rewarded by taking advantage of Barcelona's errors. In this game they blew their chances to put the game away but held on due to their solid defense and physical play. |
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Esas son las leyendas de futbol mexicano, En todo Mexico hay un Chiva hermano! | |
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| Simon | Mar 7 2007, 04:26 AM Post #44 |
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I was surprised at how poor Barcelona were over two legs against Liverpool. I knew their form was poor but I was still hopeful they'd rise to the occasion and knock Liverpool out. But in each leg, they looked pretty blunt up front due to the poor form of Ronaldinho and the lack of fitness of Eto'o and Messi. They just never really looked much like troubling what is always a very well-organised Liverpool defence. By contrast, Barcelona's defence was all over the place in both matches. Liverpool have had real problems putting chances away and that actually almost cost them here. The game last night wasn't one that Liverpool should have lost but ultimately it didn't matter. I don't think Liverpool will see too much to worry about when looking at the other quarter-finalists, and the fairly straightforward way in which they dumped the holders out will give them renewed confidence of repeating their victory of 2005. God help us. I think the evidence is all around that 0-0 away from home is no longer to be considered a good result as once it might. Lyon seemed pleased enough with their 0-0 at the Stadio Olimpico but I think it always leaves you as a hostage to fortune. Scoring away goals is pretty vital these days I think, Inter and Barcelona are out on the away goals rule and I think once Roma took the lead last night Lyon had too much of a mountain to climb. It's a shame for Lyon as they're a talented team and it would be nice to see them make the breakthrough in this competition that the best of their play deserves. Having said that, Roma's goals were excellent and they'll be tough opponents in the last eight. I think Jose Mourinho had some strong words at half-time, as Chelsea had been slow and flat in the first 45 mins against Porto. It seemed to do the trick as they were much the better side in the second half, although it's true that the game turned on that horrific mistake by Helton in the Porto goal. By the end of tonight, there's an outside chance that five of the last eight teams in the CL will be British! I don't think it will happen, but it would be interesting! The first goal at the San Siro will be vital. It was very important for Celtic to keep a clean sheet at home, which they did, and if they could nick an away goal it would give them a chance. However, I think it's asking just a bit too much. Celtic's away record is as poor as their home record is good, and in all probability Milan will win quite comfortably. The United-Lille tie is far from dead as well. Lille are fit and fast and have a huge motivation to right the perceived wrongs of the first leg. I'm anticipating a real tough game for United, especially as Saha and Solskjaer are injured which leaves us very light up front. Rooney should play despite having his knee injured by Carragher at Anfield on Saturday. Arsenal have a real test ahead of them, trying to turn round a 0-1 deficit from the first leg against PSV. Arsenal aren't in the best form right now and I actually think PSV will see that one out. Hard to pick a winner between Bayern and Real Madrid. It could go either way, but I reckon Real should sneak through to the last eight. |
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| valenciano | Mar 7 2007, 07:56 AM Post #45 |
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Valencia had me nerviously sweating out those final 15 minutes against Inter. Contrary to my pregame thoughts Valencia came out defensively in this game and while we came close a few times to scoring, notably through Marchena just before the half, for the most part Valencia sat back and defended confident in the knowledge they could stop Inter from scoring. Well, that proved to be correct but not without a few close calls. It just was too risky a course for Valencia to take in my opinion especially after how well the team played on the road in the first game. As for the post game brawl, it was shameful but was started not by Materazzi, who was as always looking to start things during the game, but was begun by Burdisso. Navarro should get a heavy ban but Inter's Burdisso and Cordoba should also get some punsihment for their roles too. Simon makes an excellent point about how 0-0 isn't as good a road result as you'd first think. And Roma showed us all why. I loved Mancini's goal! I think Lyon's Revelliere (an ex Valencia player I'd add) is still looking for his jockstrap! Like someone mentioned here I also don't understand why Lyon sent Carew away this winter. He's not a great player but is a good complimentary one and gives a team a different look. But Juninho is also starting to slow down, one of the better midfielders in Europe is finally starting to show his age and without him Lyon aren't the offensive force they were earlier in the season. Good points about Eto'o and Messi looking out of form and neither Ronaldinho nor Deco were able to step up and compensate for their lowered level of play. I think Barcelona have been doing it with smoke and mirrors this season both in Spain and Europe but that false image finally caught up to them and a well organized Liverpool finally exposed the deficiencies in this year's Barcelona. Liverpool are an awkward opponent and will give any team a tough game of it but I don't think they have enough offense to win this championship. |
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