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Champions League
Topic Started: Aug 13 2007, 02:00 PM (4,076 Views)
kevin
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I wish I could add something to Simon's post, but I can't. I'm talked out about this. It's just too great.
'Tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
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Pepe
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Championship games going to extra time and penalties always are emotionally draining for fans of the club, I enjoyed reading Simon's post from a Manchester United fans view and I know he must have really enjoyed the post game celebrations! Congratulations to the United fans on this forum and tough luck to the Chelsea ones but these two clubs showed throughout the league season in England and in Europe that they are the top two clubs in Europe this year and there really isn't much separating the two.

Pre game somebody commented that they thought Chelsea would wear Manchester United down and for the 2nd half that looked like it would occur. I was wondering why neither team made many changes until late in the game and then a couple more were made late in extra time with the idea of being used for the penalty shootout. Rooney looked like he sent a hologram of himself to the game as he was really quiet in this game and I was surprised he wasn't changed earlier. It was as if both teams realized that penalties were going to be inevitable.

I've always liked Giggs and he nearly won the game in extra time but Terry cleared his shot away with his head. Good to see a classy veteran like Giggs get the chance to set his club appearance record in a European final.
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libero
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A lot of drama last night and Chelsea fans must have thought with Terry taking that 5th kick he would end it right there. But he must have been channeling David Beckham and missed his kick badly. Good point about how often it is star players missing vital penalties in a shootout but then again maybe that is because it is the star players who are usually taking those decisive kicks?

I'll join others in saying there wasn't much to choose between the two teams and that an eventual penalty kick decider was not an unexpected outcome.
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Merengue
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That had to have been an emotionally draining experience for fans of both clubs. As so many others have already discussed it was a game which could have gone either way and that it came down to penalty kicks to decide it is not a shock. The two keys for the game for me were Tevez just missing on connecting with that cross just before halftime and then a few minutes later Lampard scoring for Chelsea on the other end. If Tevez had scored that goal it would have been over right there.

There was a lot more chippiness than you usually see in a final and that I think is because of the clubs familiarity with each other, "familiarity breeds contempt!"

Manchester United edged Chelsea out in both the league and in this Cup Final so there's no disputing who is the club of the season but Chelsea did have a lot of success in a season where they had so much off field turmoil.
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robdog
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libero,May 22 2008
09:25 AM
A lot of drama last night and Chelsea fans must have thought with Terry taking that 5th kick he would end it right there.

The three people I didn't want to take penalties: JT, A. Cole, & Anelka. The first two are English. I didn't even watch A. Cole take his. Anelka is a Merc and I know his heart wasn't there. There were two people that I wanted to play and be there for PKs. Sheva and Essien. Why Essien didn't take that kick, I don't know. Blues fans are mad at me, but I didn't want JT taking it. I didn't see Rio jumping up there. That is for the flashy, skinny fellas that score goals. JT is your typical Center Back that is ruff, tuff, and will knock your block off. Sorry, I didn't want him taking that pk.
Supporter for FCK, San Lorenzo, Chelsea, Pachuca, Corinthians & Real Betis
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Yogi
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robdog,May 22 2008
10:32 AM
libero,May 22 2008
09:25 AM
A lot of drama last night and Chelsea fans must have thought with Terry taking that 5th kick he would end it right there.

The three people I didn't want to take penalties: JT, A. Cole, & Anelka. The first two are English. I didn't even watch A. Cole take his. Anelka is a Merc and I know his heart wasn't there. There were two people that I wanted to play and be there for PKs. Sheva and Essien. Why Essien didn't take that kick, I don't know. Blues fans are mad at me, but I didn't want JT taking it. I didn't see Rio jumping up there. That is for the flashy, skinny fellas that score goals. JT is your typical Center Back that is ruff, tuff, and will knock your block off. Sorry, I didn't want him taking that pk.

I'm going to agree with robdog here and not just because I am a Milan fan but I was wondering where Shevchenko was at the end of that match? Although he was in Terry's shoes in 2005 and missed the decisive penalty against Liverpool he also won it for Milan via a penalty in 2003. A player of his experience and cool was what was needed. I was surprised that both clubs ended up saving a substitution until the final minute as they each added a "designated penalty kick taker." As both Anderson and Belletti, those players made their kicks for their respective teams in retrospect you may think those were wise moves but I still feel both clubs could have brought on subs earlier in the game and tried to win it before it went to penalties.

Drogba was the fool of the game for getting sent off and Nemanja Vidic was for me the game's best player. He marked Drogba out of the game and ultimately ended up frustrating him so much he got sent off.

I couldn't help after watching this game think about the European Super Cup as I'd like to see how UEFA Cup winners Zenit St. Petersburg and their excellent passing game would do against Manchester United. I guess I am already looking forward to next season even though there looks to be an exciting Euro 2008 coming up!
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Johnbuildr
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kevin,May 22 2008
07:36 AM
I wish I could add something to Simon's post, but I can't. I'm talked out about this. It's just too great.

I will add this much: Rooney played a MOTM the first half, all over hte field creating dangerous palys and then defending solidly. But then he faded into obscurity the second. I thought then adn still do that is he had a second half like his first, MU would have won it in regular time.

Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum



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Johnbuildr
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Yogi,May 22 2008
12:06 PM


Drogba was the fool of the game for getting sent off and Nemanja Vidic was for me the game's best player. He marked Drogba out of the game and ultimately ended up frustrating him so much he got sent off.



No question the ridiculous send off offense was stupid and non-professional. But I was impressed all night with Drogba's effort the rest of the night. He was in on some dangerous palys and help set up a few. I wouldn't say he was marked out of the game by any means, but he was kept from scoring, which is just as good in the end.
Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum



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El Profe
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I thought both teams had the chance to knock the other out but couldn't, Manchester United could have finished the game off in the first half and Chelsea in the 2nd. But it is always dangerous giving your opponent another chance and that even happened in the penalty kicks with Terry's miss. The nerves got him I imagine and he didn't set himself properly and slipped.

I was taken by valenciano's comment about how long it has been (1997) since a team became first time winners of the competition. I would say the Champions League has become the European Super League that so many imagined as only a select few clubs are capable of winning it.
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Mr. Pither
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i just have a couple of comments on the game as most of what I wanted to say has been covered already. Like another poster I also wondered why Shevchenko didn't play in this game and thought he would have been an ideal late substitution. It was strange that both coaches reserved a player for very late into extra time as if they were saving that player to take a penalty kick.

I too thought there were many imprecisions in both teams play but the moment and the weather surely contributed to that. Van der Sar made a good save on Anelka's spot kick but it was Terry who really missed with his Beckham like slip when he could have won the competition. There is always a fine line between winning and losing in a penalty shootout but it also is about keeping your nerve as El Profe wrote.
P-I-T-H-E-R ...as in Brotherhood, but with PI instead of the BRO and no HOOD
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Johnbuildr
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Mr. Pither,May 23 2008
12:51 AM
i just have a couple of comments on the game as most of what I wanted to say has been covered already.  Like another poster I also wondered why Shevchenko didn't play in this game and thought he would have been an ideal late substitution.  It was strange that both coaches reserved a player for very late into extra time as if they were saving that player to take a penalty kick. 

I too thought there were many imprecisions in both teams play but the moment and the weather surely contributed to that.  Van der Sar made a good save on Anelka's spot kick but it was Terry who really missed with his Beckham like slip when he could have won the competition.  There is always a fine line between winning and losing in a penalty shootout but it also is about keeping your nerve as El Profe wrote.


Can't let the second mention of Terry's slip go by without once again noting the horrific pitch conditions. And that was before the steady, driving rain made it doubly worse. I realize no other pk shooters fell down, but it just seems like some are being a little too tough on Terry for slipping in those conditions, with the whole world acknowledging what a lousy playing surface that was before the match even started. :(
Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum



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Hector
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I follow John's opinion, the field was in horrible condition for a Final and that was before the rain which only made it worse. While others didn't slip taking their penalties, Terry can't be faulted too much for his slip because of those conditions. And remember it was Terry who got his head to a shot by Ryan Giggs in extra time that looked like it was going into the net (one of Manchester United's rare opportunties after the first half ended.) If not for Terry, Manchester United wins that with Giggs' shot.
iPuerta amigo, Sevilla esta contigo!
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kevin
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I think fatigue had a large part to do with Terry's miss. The hardest things to do when you're tired involve planting. Most of the time that's going to show up when you try to change directions, but this time, the field conditions exacerbated his ability to plant for his shot.

I have to disagree slightly about the choice of Terry to take the kick in that it's not just the goal scorers that are strong PK takers. Taking a PK, especially in that situation, is intensely mental. Any of those guys can kick a ball into the net with power and precision; certainly some can do it better than others. But what really separates those players is the mental aspect.

I was always a striker or attacking winger as a younger player, but a terrible penalty taker for the longest period after one miss in a key situation. I basically told my coaches that I wasn't able to step up and do it at that point because I knew I'd bottle it again. It was only after 2 years of building a routine to the point where I was almost on autopilot, doing as much as I could to simply take myself out of the overall situation and focus on the ball only, before I could take another one in a competitive situation. When I finally did feel ready to step up, it was under the condition that I go 2nd in the order (I don't even know why I chose 2nd, probably because I didn't want first or last and I wanted it over as soon as possible.

That was during my HS years. After making that one, I was fine again and, fast forward 5 years, I was taking PKs for pretty much every team I was on and didn't miss again for the next 5...it's a strange thing.
'Tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
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Dr. Z
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I understand what both John and Hector are saying and the field was in poor shape but bottom line is other players delt with those conditions on the penalties and nobody other than Terry did slip!

As many others already commented, it was a pretty even game, first half to United, 2nd half to Chelsea, extra time was pretty even. Penalties are never a great way to end a title game but with two such closely matched teams this was not a surprising ending and you cannot have the teams keep playing nor with TV and national team obligatons it isn't right playing a replay either. So penalties while maybe an imperfect definition are probably the best way to decide after 120 minutes.
Poniendo el pecho a las balas!
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shelsoccer
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Not only fatigue from 120 minutes on top of a long season, but it was what? Like 1:15 a.m. Moscow time when Terry stepped up to take his PK.

Obviously just as late, fatiguing and as bad a surface for all players, but I have no issue with the decision to have Terry take this PK. He's captain, a big-time and big-game player, a real pro.

Sometimes, them's the breaks.

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