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Champions League 09/10
Topic Started: Jul 23 2009, 05:46 AM (4,895 Views)
ursus arctos
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Grumble, two clear handballs by Bayern in the first half, and no one is forgetting Klose's offside goal (he was almost in Austria) in the first leg, Grumble.

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Winslow
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Yeah, the result from Florence was a bit harsh for the Viola, who took a first-half lead when Vargas picked up a spilled rebound and smartly put it in the top shelf. AFter halftime, Fiorentina made it 2-0 when Gilardino brilliantly flicked on an entry pass and Jovetic smacked it in. But the real drama started at the hour mark, when a long, slow, well-placed cross found van Bommel at the top of the box and he pounded a shot past Frey. A few minutes after that, a loose header in the Bayern box found Jovetic, who slid it in to make it 3-1. But one minute later, Robben took the ball and ran from the right sideline into the middle, where he cut loose and scored from close to 30 yards.

At the Emirates, it was Arshavin who made it impossible for Bendtner to miss. Just ten minutes in, a long ball found the Russian in the box; as the defenders closed on him, the ball popped out on Bendtner's foot and he made no mistake. 15 minutes later, Arshavin beat three defenders in the box before crossing for a Bendtner tap-in. Porto tried to make a game of it in the second half until the Gunners scored twice in two minutes: Nasri's splendid dribbling move that Rosarino mentioned, and a counterattack where Arshavin made a long run before putting through Eboue, who deftly rounded the keeper and found the open net. The fifth was a penalty converted by Bendtner in injury time after Eboue was dumped in the box.

So why is the round of 16 being stretched out in this fashion? (I've been away and missed all of the first legs.)
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ursus arctos
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UEFA is trying to maximize television audiences by mimimizing the number of matches played on each evening.

It probably makes commercial sense, but it's annoying to the serious fan, and diminishes the sense of occasion in my opinion.
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Yogi
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As ursus the viola said (that sounds like a feudal ruler from the Middle Ages!) if it were not for bad luck, Fiorentina would have no luck at all! They played a good game against Bayern and really exploited Bayern's somewhat shaky defense (they'll need to straighten that out if they expect a long run in this competition). Jovetic has not had a good season in Serie A but he has played very well in the Champions League. Gilardino was a real nuisance all game with his flick ons, movement and overall passing, yet he also missed a great chance to score when he shot right at Butt when in alone on goal.

Both Bayern goals were well taken, especially Robben's shot which only came one minute after Jovetic ahd put Fiorentina 3-1 up on the night. After Robben's goal I do not recall Fiorentina seriously threatening bayern's goal again.

But what really hurts for Fiorentina and its fans is that the ultimate decider in this series was klose's offside goal at the end of the first game.

Arsenal did play well and did not miss Cesc Fabregas at all but let's also put some blame on Porto's atrocious defending. They either were not marking anybody, watch how open Bendtner gets on Arsenal's 2nd goal and he was right in front of the net! Or they played the infamous matador defense and just let Arsenal's players get right by, Nasri's goal was a beauty but again the defending was horrible on the play.

I am not expecting much from Milan tomorrow but hope the game at least is close and entertaining. Real Madrid will be favored against Lyon but watch out for the french club's counters. Sorry merengue and the other madridistas here but this neutral will be pulling for Lyon.
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Sammy Maudlin
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haha, ursus the viola, good one! :D

Fiorentina did enough to win the overall series, they were just victims of poor luck, the missed offside call in leg 1, several bad calls in leg 2, the Robben goal which gave the win to Bayern on away goals. A bitter pill to swallow for the club and its fans.

Porto's defense was awful and Hulk played like a guy who has not played in awhile (which is exactly what he is!) But that was the best I have seen Nasri played for Arsenal. Has Wenger found a new role for him in the center of the field?
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ursus arctos
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You talkin' to me?

Posted Image
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Simon
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Haha, nice work ursus!

I'm not going to grumble about beating AC Milan 4-0 and 7-2 on aggregate, but it could have been more really. We took our foot off the gas at 3-0, perhaps that's fair enough with tough league matches coming up but it's not really in our tradition. At least they stepped it up again at the end and got a fourth, which adds a nice gloss to the scoreline.

I was pleased that United had clearly decided the best approach tonight was to attack, score two or three goals and kill the tie that way. We did play well tonight but the scoreline reflected Milan's deficiencies just as much. To be honest, I just don't think Milan worked hard enough. Even at 0-0, everytime we got the ball Huntelaar, Boriello and especially Ronaldinho were just walking. I know tracking back and defending is not to Ronaldinho's taste but his work rate tonight was shocking He just let the 35 year-old Gary Neville do whatever he liked down the right flank. The first time, Neville advanced right the way down the other end and fed Valencia for a cross that was cut out at the near post. The second time Neville had so much space and time he hardly knew what to do with it, so he actually had a shot which curled over. Still the lesson wasn't learned, and the third time Neville went down the line with Ronaldinho just watching him, he had all the time in the world to pick Rooney out and make it 1-0. Whatever other points about tactics, chances, form or whatever can be made, I think that a team that puts such little effort in at this level is going to take a doing sooner or later.

One of the best things about the evening was the rousing choruses of 'Love United Hate Glazer', 'Glazer's Gonna Die', 'We want Glazer out' etc throughout. I like the way that even in the midst of a big game, the fans remembered where the real priority lies. Beckham did his enduring popularity at OT no harm by picking one of the green and gold protest scarves up and wearing it as he walked off. He's not one to miss a PR trick, is he?
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Johnbuildr
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<<.........One of the best things about the evening was the rousing choruses of 'Love United Hate Glazer', 'Glazer's Gonna Die', 'We want Glazer out' etc throughout. I like the way that even in the midst of a big game, the fans remembered where the real priority lies. Beckham did his enduring popularity at OT no harm by picking one of the green and gold protest scarves up and wearing it as he walked off. He's not one to miss a PR trick, is he? >>

LOL, saw that but did not realize the implication at the time. Beckham really is a media ham beyond all measure.

Also saw enough of this match when it was still in doubt to fully agree with Simon about Milan's lousy work rate. When their nifty little passing game wasn't working with ease, they seemed to give up and only track back on defense in leisurely fashion. It really could have been 6-0. Kind of strange to watch for a supposed top level team, and had to be completely maddening for their fans. :o
Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum



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gaviota
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I imagine all of we Real Madrid fans are in a collective depression today. Lyon advances with a 1-1 draw as Madrid's early goal through Ronaldo was not enough as 15 minutes from the end Lyon's teenager Pjanic tied the game up. Madrid wasted a series of chances before Pjanic's goal, particularly in the 1st half while after Lyon scored, Madrid were pushing everyone forward and were unfortunate twice to miss easy breakaways.

Six straight seasons out at this stage of the competition is simply unacceptable. Pellegrini of course is getting a lot of the blame and his substitution of Kaka was puzzling but it simply comes down to the fact Madrid's players did not produce when needed.
CHAMP13NS
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Pepe
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A lot of post match discussion after Madrid's come from behind win over Sevilla over the weekend about whether that game would wear Real Madrid down for this match vs Lyon. In retrospect it looks like that was true. Madrid had their opportunities to put Lyon away in the 1st half and failed to do so. Let off the hook, Lyon played bettre in the 2nd half and earned their wn and probably should have actually won the game instead of tying it as madrid were desperately pushing forward at the end and left plenty of hoels at the back which Lyon were not able to exploit only because of poor finishing.

We said it at the beginning of the year, but the party line will be if this team wins it is Florentino Perez' team, and if they lose it will be Pellegrini's fault. For a good laugh, if you understand Spanish take a look at this video "analysis" from Marca's editor Eduardo Inda, placing the blame right at Pellegrini.

http://www.marca.com/tv/?v=ILTBOTmnh93

No surprise since last fall his paper was trying to fire Pellegrini.

Simon, I am curious that you noted Manchester United took their foot off against Milan yet still won 4-0. I was watching yesterday's matches with some co workers, a group of people from varied backgrounds around the globe, and our consensus was Manchester United, and really all of the English clubs in the Champions League, except the already eliminated Liverpool, achieve success because they keep going at their opponents, no speculation and looking to sit on a lead. And United's aggressive attitude from the opening whistle is what paid off for them against Milan. So reading your post as a fan of the club was an interesting perspective.
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Dr. Z
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gaviota,Mar 11 2010
08:44 AM
I imagine all of we Real Madrid fans are in a collective depression today. Lyon advances with a 1-1 draw as Madrid's early goal through Ronaldo was not enough as 15 minutes from the end Lyon's teenager Pjanic tied the game up. Madrid wasted a series of chances before Pjanic's goal, particularly in the 1st half while after Lyon scored, Madrid were pushing everyone forward and were unfortunate twice to miss easy breakaways.

Six straight seasons out at this stage of the competition is simply unacceptable. Pellegrini of course is getting a lot of the blame and his substitution of Kaka was puzzling but it simply comes down to the fact Madrid's players did not produce when needed.

Sorry gaviota, merengue, et al. but :D

In Spanish there is an expression which translates as lost goals do not come back, in other words, you miss opportunities like Madrid had in the 1st half and often you won't get those again. This is what happened yesterday and Lyon, showing good collective play, well earned their draw. This to me was a key in this game, Lyon, especially in the 2nd half, played well collectively, Real Madrid played like a collection of individuals.
Poniendo el pecho a las balas!
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libero
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Milan were just overrun last night at Old Trafford. They did Ok at 0-0 but once Manchester United scored to make it 4-2 on aggregate, it was all over. Rooney continues to impress, he is having as good a season as anybody in Europe.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall,

http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=r...uters&type=lgns

“Sixth galactic failure” and “More than 250 million euros down the drain” were the headlines in conservative daily ABC, and columnist Julian Avila said Real were left looking for answers despite their “stratospheric spending”.

“The jewel in the crown, Cristiano Ronaldo, Champions League finalist in the past two seasons, is out of the tournament at his first attempt in a white shirt,” Avila noted.

Carlos Marcote, writing in daily El Periodico, said Perez had failed in his attempt “to bulldoze Madrid back to the summit of world soccer”.

“Not even winning the league … will remove such a scandalous stain, the worst in the recent history of Madrid given the such lofty heights they were obliged to reach.”

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Simon
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Pepe,Mar 11 2010
09:00 AM
Simon, I am curious that you noted Manchester United took their foot off against Milan yet still won 4-0. I was watching yesterday's matches with some co workers, a group of people from varied backgrounds around the globe, and our consensus was Manchester United, and really all of the English clubs in the Champions League, except the already eliminated Liverpool, achieve success because they keep going at their opponents, no speculation and looking to sit on a lead. And United's aggressive attitude from the opening whistle is what paid off for them against Milan. So reading your post as a fan of the club was an interesting perspective.

Yeah, United's approach is just as you described, that's been the club's ethos for decades really. I suppose it is generally true to a greater or lesser extent of English football as a whole. I knew last night that despite having an away lead, United's priority would be to attack and score goals, and the players and manager said so themselves and followed through on it. My mild criticism would be about the final stretch of the game. The co-commentator said the moment Rooney scored his second that United should aim for four goals, which was also my view. I was getting irritated at 3-0 when the pace of our game flattened off a bit when IMO we should have been peppering their goal. Berbatov is a serial culprit, when he came on his demeanour was that of someone out for a Sunday stroll! Still, the fourth came eventually.

I don't know what other Real fans, and indeed other Spanish football fans, think of Carlos Marcote's view, but I can't agree with it all. The league title is surely always the number one prize, if Real end the season as champions, how on earth could it not 'remove the scandalous stain' of being knocked out of a cup competition? This sounds to me like typical hype. Okay, Real are out of the CL last 16 six years running etc etc, but that can't be laid at Pellegrini's door. The bloke needs time to put his team together, his track record says he's a good coach and the league table makes pretty decent viewing for Real Madrid as well.
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Martin
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gaviota,Mar 11 2010
08:44 AM
I imagine all of we Real Madrid fans are in a collective depression today.  Lyon advances with a 1-1 draw as Madrid's early goal through Ronaldo was not enough as 15 minutes from the end Lyon's teenager Pjanic tied the game up.  Madrid wasted a series of chances before Pjanic's goal, particularly in the 1st half while after Lyon scored, Madrid were pushing everyone forward and were unfortunate twice to miss easy breakaways. 

Six straight seasons out at this stage of the competition is simply unacceptable.  Pellegrini of course is getting a lot of the blame and his substitution of Kaka was puzzling but it simply comes down to the fact Madrid's players did not produce when needed.

I completely agree gaviota. Madrid had their chances and could not convert them, then became too individualistic while Lyon made some smart half time adjustments and played much better culminating in their series winning goal by Pjanic. Madrid should be accustomed to this, 6 consecutive seasons going out at the octave finals. Maybe you are correct Pepe and the exertion against Sevilla left Madrid without the energy needed in the 2nd half and the substitution of Kaka was inexplicable but to place this defeat on Pellegrini is wrong but what do you expect from a rag sheet like Marca? Madrid's players need to take a good hard look in the mirror for their failure.

Simon wrote,

Quote:
 
I don't know what other Real fans, and indeed other Spanish football fans, think of Carlos Marcote's view, but I can't agree with it all. The league title is surely always the number one prize, if Real end the season as champions, how on earth could it not 'remove the scandalous stain' of being knocked out of a cup competition? This sounds to me like typical hype. Okay, Real are out of the CL last 16 six years running etc etc, but that can't be laid at Pellegrini's door. The bloke needs time to put his team together, his track record says he's a good coach and the league table makes pretty decent viewing for Real Madrid as well.


Agreed. Pellegrini makes a convenient target for Florentino Perez' friends in the media but bottom line is Pellegrini is a good coach and has demonstrated it wherever he has gone. It is just that coaching Real Madrid this past decade has become an almost impossible task, even coaches who have won in Europe or the league have found that is not enough. I can only admire the patience, and stability, clubs have given managers like Wenger or Ferguson.

Pepe wrote,

Quote:
 
I am curious that you noted Manchester United took their foot off against Milan yet still won 4-0. I was watching yesterday's matches with some co workers, a group of people from varied backgrounds around the globe, and our consensus was Manchester United, and really all of the English clubs in the Champions League, except the already eliminated Liverpool, achieve success because they keep going at their opponents, no speculation and looking to sit on a lead. And United's aggressive attitude from the opening whistle is what paid off for them against Milan. So reading your post as a fan of the club was an interesting perspective.


Pepe this is excatly what the group of friends I was watching the game with said, and I think it is the key to European success to clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal. No mercy is their motto.
Club Sportivo Desamparados
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raconteur
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Marca may be pushing for pellehrini's exit inw ake of Madrid's elimination but the fans apparently are not,

Quote:
 
Meanwhile, a poll of about 10,000 participants by El Mundo newspaper laid the blame on the players. Forty-six percent of those asked said the Champions League failure was the fault of those on the field, with only 16 percent blaming Pellegrini. Another 22 percent saw Perez as the culprit.


Note even Perez gets more blame than Pellegrini in this poll.

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