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Champions League
Topic Started: Aug 1 2008, 07:30 AM (4,235 Views)
Sporting
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Not much to add on the subject of the Madrid game. After the vibrant attacking displays against Sporting de Gijón and Betis in recent matches I was expecting so much more from the Spaniards. But Sporting and Betis are far inferior to Liverpool who were able to comfortably soak up the insipid home attacks before catching them out with what was really a rather soft goal. Liverpool are, actually, something of a jeckyl and hide team: bland and with few cutting edges in the Premier but concentrated and effective in the Champions League, and this is a pattern we've seen repeated under Benítez in recent years.
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SuperEagle
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I agree with Sporting regarding Liverpool. In Europe under Benitez they find ways to win matches they probably should not. But they frustrated Real Madrid in midfield and forced them to uncharacteristically look to cross the ball into the middle.

I was happy Arsenal won but of course was left wishing it had been by a larger margin to make the trip to Rome more comfortable. Van Persie has been saving Arsenal a lot this season and he was again outstanding on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to getting the team healthy again so we will not have rely on bendtner and his stone like touch to be a regular in attack.

Hiddink's arrival did seem to inspire a return to Chelsea's aggressive attitude. That should only help them but Juventus looked like they could be very dangerous in the return leg.
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Martin
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A couple of thoughts on these first leg games:

1. Inter looked scared of Manchester United and that explains in large part why they played so passively;

2. Does any team attack with as much speed as Manchester United? They transition from defense to attack as quickly as any team I have ever seen. And it isn't done by simply booting the ball forward, it is done with quick passes and movement.

3. Sorry Merengue but I could see that Liverpool goal coming. As Supereagle wrote, Liverpool have a habit of making something out of nothing and Heinze's silly foul gave them the opportunity. Madrid were way too predictable in this match and Liverpool knew to push Robben to his right foot and thus took away Real Madrid's most effective attacker.
Club Sportivo Desamparados
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gaviota
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All of Real Madrid's good work the past few months went up in smoke against Liverpool. A very disjointed game from Madrid. Yes it is true Liverpool know how to win in Europe and add in how Benitez knows Madrid and they had the antidote to whatever Madrid attempted. Maybe taking off Marcelo was a mistake? And when will Sneijder regain his form and get back on the field? What makes it more painful for we madridistas is Liverpool played without a healthy Gerrard or Torres. What happens when both get fit for the return?

I would agree that the most entertaining game of the round was Atletico Madrid-Porto. Hulk was a real surprise for Porto but apart from their shaky goalkeeper Porto played well and were probably unfortunate not to have won at Atletico. What was Abel Resino thinking in taking off Kun Aguero? He was not injured and was obviously distressed by his coach's bizarre substitution.
CHAMP13NS
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Yogi
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I think Martin makes a valid point that Inter played a sif they were scared against Manchester United. But again his point about United's speed in turning defense into attack is well made. Their defensive record has gained a lot of attention recently and for good reason but what impresses me is how quickly they do transition into attack. It is not just Ronaldo and Ronney, the latter who only amde a cameo against Inter but the entire team who just go at their opponents so well. But Inter are no pushovers either and that second leg should eb a wonderful one to watch and an intriguing tactical battle.

Ribery was tremendous for Bayern in their demolition of Sporting Lisbon. The Portuguese team was the only one left in the competition who had never made it beyond the 2nd round and after a 5-0 loss at home it is a safe bet that record will continue.
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Merengue
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Time for the 2nd leg matches. Looking briefly at Tuesday's games, Bayern of course are by far the most comfortably placed going into leg 2. Up 5 goals going home they could probably bring Beckenbauer and Rummenigge out of retirement and still protect that 5 goal lead!

Panathinaikos has to like their chances at home even 1-1 versus Villarreal, similarly Liverpool up a goal returning home on Real Madrid are in a pretty good position too. Not safe but as long as they don't lose at home they are through. This will be the opportunity for Madrid to test their newly found attacking confidence. Juventus down a goal versus Chelsea but coming home is in decent position I think but they must win and not give up any away goals.

On Wednesday Roma are in the exact position as Juventus. Atletico are improved from their form of two weeks ago but at 2-2 going to Porto they are in a tricky situation. Barcelona suddenly have a string of defensive injuries but at 1-1 coming home against Lyon they are pretty well placed provided they win, something they had not done in nearly a month until this past weekend, although a 0-0 tie also serves them well too.

It is Manchester United-Inter which really looks like a fascinating leg 2. Ordinarily you would think a 0-0 tie away from home is a good result but Man U needs to beat Inter and while they will be home, it is not easy to defeat Inter no matter where you play. This really should be an intriguing battle to see how both teams approach this match. I think Inter would be well served to look to counter United who must take the early initiative. As Martin wrote two weeks ago however no team transitions into attack as quickly as United which is why I think Inter will start the game looking to absorb pressure from them and breaking with Ibrahimovic. Maybe even young Balotelli with his speed could be useful in this match?
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Simon
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United-Inter really is on a knife edge. I think we're all still really kicking ourselves that we didn't win by a couple of goals in Italy, as that would have made the second leg a formality. As it is, my conviction is that we are better than Inter and if we play as well as we can do (certainly if we play like we did at the weekend against Fulham) then we should win. The 0-0 in the San Siro set a new European Cup/CL record mark for United for consecutive games unbeaten, beating an old Bayern Munich record. Of course, we could extend that record on Wednesday and yet still be eliminated on away goals. I do feel good about our chances of winning any game at Old Trafford, but we all know that in the CL you have to produce your best game because any mistakes are usually punished. Unfortunately it looks like Rio and possibly O'Shea will miss the game with injuries, but Inter also have their defensive troubles as Materazzi and Burdisso were taken off injured against Genoa, while Samuel and Chivu are already doubts.

Despite the defeat at Stamford Bridge, the general consensus has been that Juve played very well against Chelsea and that they have a good chance of overturning their first leg deficit. However, Chelsea are looking much more like their old resilient selves, they are building up the 1-0 and 2-0 scores and Drogba looks ominously close to being back to his best.

Liverpool still seem to be at sixes and sevens, although they had the weekend off as their city rivals Everton had earlier knocked them out of the cup. I'm still hopeful that Madrid can knock them out, but we shall see. One thing that plays into Real's hands is that Liverpool visit Old Trafford on Saturday in a match that most people believe they MUST win in order to stay in the title race. Liverpool define themselves by winning league championships, and yet they have not done so since 1990. Dare they play Real Madrid with one eye on Saturday? Might Benitez even pick his team with Saturday in mind? Unlikely perhaps, but any sign that Liverpool have given up on the title and are prioritising the CL could be met with anger on Merseyside, especially in this of all years as United are homing in on equalling Liverpool's sacred record of 18 league titles!
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rosarino
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Quote:
 
It is Manchester United-Inter which really looks like a fascinating leg 2. Ordinarily you would think a 0-0 tie away from home is a good result but Man U needs to beat Inter and while they will be home, it is not easy to defeat Inter no matter where you play. This really should be an intriguing battle to see how both teams approach this match. I think Inter would be well served to look to counter United who must take the early initiative. As Martin wrote two weeks ago however no team transitions into attack as quickly as United which is why I think Inter will start the game looking to absorb pressure from them and breaking with Ibrahimovic. Maybe even young Balotelli with his speed could be useful in this match?


The current league leaders in England and Italy playing one another certainly is a marquee matchup but contrary to what others are saying I think this will be a very tactical game with neither team looking to risk much. Only an early goal will I think change both team's strategies. Manchester United's better record recently in European matches favors them but also recall Mourinho's record of success over the years when his clubs meet Ferguson's.

It is the games with 1-0 first leg scores (Liverpool-Madrid, Juventus-Chelsea and Arsenal-Roma) which I think can be more interesting as the team down a goal needs to come out and look to score. That should make for better entertainment.
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robdog
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IT'S A BLUE DAY & WE SHALL ALL BE CAREFREE...TODAY IT'S A DAY FOR THE MIGHTY CFC
Supporter for FCK, San Lorenzo, Chelsea, Pachuca, Corinthians & Real Betis
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Winslow
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robdog,Mar 10 2009
09:54 AM
IT'S A BLUE DAY & WE SHALL ALL BE CAREFREE...TODAY IT'S A DAY FOR THE MIGHTY CFC

And it was. Tuesday's scores...
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Bayern Munich 7, Sporting Lisbon 1 (12-1 aggregate).
Juventus 2, Chelsea 2 (2-3 aggregate).
Liverpool 4, Real Madrid 0 (5-0 aggregate).
Panathinaikos 1, Villarreal 2 (2-3 aggregate).

I shall leave it to others to describe I Gobbi's fall, as I was watching Real crash and burn at Anfield. Honest to Pete, the scoreline could've been much worse, as Casillas made many excellent saves. Liverpool led after 15 minutes as Fernando Torres tapped in a Kuyt feed after the defender fell down (or did Torres tug on his arm?), then ten minutes later Gerrard converted a penalty that wasn't (the assistant flagged Heinze for handling; a replay showed the ball hit his shoulder). Two minutes into the second half, Gerrard scored again on a nifty half-volley of a Babel cross. Substitute Dossena scored the fourth in garbage time.

Bayern walked home in style; Podolski got a rare start and scored the first two goals. At least Sporting managed to beat Jean-Marie Pfaff, or whoever that was in the Munchener goal. Villarreal got a second-half winner from Llorente to become the first Liga club in the quarters.
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Simon
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Hmph, I thought Liverpool would go through but I didn't really anticipate 4-0 on the night and 5-0 on aggregate. It was pretty comprehensive stuff, as winslow says if it hadn't been for Casillas goodness knows how many goals Liverpool could have scored. I thought the first goal was fine, if you look at the replay I think Torres touches Pepe's shoulder but he doesn't tug him. A big centrehalf like Pepe shouldn't be flopping over like that anyway, although I think the more serious mistake was Diarra's in letting the long ball bounce. Heinze did seem to twitch his arm towards the ball but it was a very harsh penalty award. The bottom line though is that Liverpool came out firing on all cylinders, I don't think Madrid were ready for it and it never seemed like Madrid could live with Liverpool's pace and workrate. Within about 6 mins from the start Casillas had had to make two great saves and Liverpool had a forced a string of corners. Goals did seem inevitable. I was hoping at least for a harder workout for Liverpool ahead of the league game at OT on Saturday, but it wasn't to be and Liverpool were able to take Torres and Gerrard off and bring on kids like Jay Spearing (who played very well). Knowing how trigger-happy the Spanish giants are, does Ramos get the sack now?

The game in Turin was excellent. I thought Juve started really well and scored a brilliant goal, but it seemed unlikely that the veterans in their team could sustain the pace of their start, and so it proved. I tuned in after Gerrard's penalty as I couldn't stomach much more of the game at Anfield. I'm happy with my choice as well. Chelsea finished the first half stronger and were then the better team in the second half, but although Juve were never ahead at any point in the tie, they did still push Chelsea close. I reckon Chelsea will be there or thereabouts for the CL again this year though, they play with such relentless stamina and power and Lampard absolutely ran the midfield. It was a good Chelsea performance, but all their players and coaches interviewed after the game said they weren't happy with it and that they can still do better, which does say a lot for them. Drogba is such a tremendous weapon when he's on form though, and he certainly is at the moment!

As for Sporting Lisbon, no team at this stage of the CL should be conceding 10 goals over two games. I'm sure Bayern played well, but that is still an embarrassment.
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Johnbuildr
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Simon,Mar 10 2009
04:53 PM
Hmph, I thought Liverpool would go through but I didn't really anticipate 4-0 on the night and 5-0 on aggregate. It was pretty comprehensive stuff, as winslow says if it hadn't been for Casillas goodness knows how many goals Liverpool could have scored. I thought the first goal was fine, if you look at the replay I think Torres touches Pepe's shoulder but he doesn't tug him. A big centrehalf like Pepe shouldn't be flopping over like that anyway, although I think the more serious mistake was Diarra's in letting the long ball bounce. Heinze did seem to twitch his arm towards the ball but it was a very harsh penalty award. ......................

Ok, I'll put my two-cent remarks in right about here, following Simon's.
I like and follow 'Pool. But Real got tooled by early, and very bad calls. And in a match like this, a few early negative calls can and did turn the match. I saw a different match from Simon, until it was 2-nil at least.
I thought Pepe was dragged down. Easy to say he should have held his ground at full speed and off balance a bit. But that non-call grab by Torres although seemingly slight, was all that was needed to pull any human a tad bit more off balance and down at that speed.
Then that sly no-call foul was followed by the most ridiculous hand ball penalty I have seen in many moons. In this day and age, even youth referees don't call a reaction bounce off the shoulder from two feet away like that one. What a horrific miscarriage of the Laws to call that kind of totally unintentional reaction at short distance a "handball". Really a very bad, sorry call. 2-nil at that point and the match was over, except for the remaining 65 minutes or so to be played.
kind of a sad, sorry match. Glad I am not a Real fan.
Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum



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Sporting
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Simon,Mar 11 2009
12:53 AM


As for Sporting Lisbon, no team at this stage of the CL should be conceding 10 goals over two games. I'm sure Bayern played well, but that is still an embarrassment.

Even worse than 10; it was 12, as I'm sure you meant to type.

Hats off to Villareal for a superb away performance. After a bumpy ride mid-season this relatively rich yet small and well-run club are showing their grit once again.
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Merengue
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I was absolutely embarrassed by Real Madrid's play against Liverpool. I will agree with John that there was probably a foul on Pepe on the first goal and the penalty call was an absolute joke but Pepe needs to get rid of the ball even before he was fouled and bottom line was Liverpool were playing Madrid off the pitch both before and after those controversial calls. Liverpool dominated the midfield and when Madrid did hae the ball they were immediately pressured which led them to giving up the ball. To me it wa sone of Madrid's worst European performances in the past 20 years.

As Sporting wrote, Villarreal with a good win in Athens. They showed a feistiness that was missing from madrid's play. Juve-Chelsea was a real battle between two good teams. Juve may have been eliminated but they can hold their heads up high after a good display against Chelsea. We will find out next round if Bayern are really good or Sporting Lisbon were incredibly bad.
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Mr. Pither
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Bayern beat Sporting Lisbon by that huge margin even without Ribery and Toni. An amazing result but Sporting might have just given the worst performance over 2 legs in Champions League knockout round history. I am curious to see if Bayern can build on this huge win or if it was just an anomoly against an outmatched opponent.

Good to see Villarreal with the win. It is still pretty much a small town club in the tradition of Auxerre and Borussia Monchengladbach. But any club with players like Rossi, Pires and Cazorla is going to have some skill.

Juve did play well against Chelsea but I did not understand why Ranieri took iaquinta off. To me he was their ebst player prior to that. But what a match off the bench from Sebastian Giovinco. He was a real handfull for Chelsea. JUve were threatening for the potential game winner when Drogba struck on the other end. I agree with those saying it looks like Chelsea has that ruthlessness back again. Helps to have a healthy Drogba and Essien too.

And while talking of ruthlessness, look at Liverpool embarassing Real Madrid. I can understand the shame felt by the Madrid fans here as they were simply outclassed.
P-I-T-H-E-R ...as in Brotherhood, but with PI instead of the BRO and no HOOD
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