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| Champions League 09/10 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 23 2009, 05:46 AM (4,883 Views) | |
| rosarino | Apr 28 2010, 10:05 PM Post #406 |
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Inter did defend very well, and it was a team effort from the defenders all the way to Eto'o who played most of the game as an extra defender. Even before Motta was sent off, and yes Busquets embellished the contact but already on a yellow that was a silly move by Thiago Motta, Inter simply came to defend. I admire good defensive play but their tactics were very negative from the start. Yes it ultimately paid off as Barcelona could not get more than that one goal nicely converted by Pique, but that was very risky by Inter as another Barca goal, and they did have their opportunities, would have sunk Inter who never looked like they would even come close to scoring. Was Iniesta missed? Of course, he is one of the world's premier midfielders but even without him Barcelona could have won this game but did not put away their chances. Congratulations to Inter and on to the final vs Bayern. Like Dr Z wrote, that should be an evenly matched final and with Mourinho and Van Gaal on the sidelines will likely be another tactical battle. One final word about Javier Zanetti, a player who exudes class, and at 36 after a great career he gets the chance to lift the European Champions Cup next month. And what a great two games he played vs Barcelona, he is a bg reason why Inter will be in that final. |
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| Sammy Maudlin | Apr 28 2010, 10:40 PM Post #407 |
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Inter were 3-1 up from leg 1 and then went down a man, what would you expect them to do on the road against Barcelona? Inter were very intense and stuck to their game plan well. They always had several players around the ball which stopped Barcelona from penetrating their backline. Only on Pique's goal, which should have been called back for offside, did Barcelona get past Inter's well organized backline. To hold this Barcelona team down you need the kind of effort Inter put forth in this game. Superb defending. And for those worried about Inter trying to play a more attacking style, remember they scored 3 on Barcelona in leg one. |
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| Sporting | Apr 29 2010, 02:30 AM Post #408 |
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I have to admit I feel a bit flat this morning because while I'm not a Barça fan as such, I do admire, as millions of others, their football. Last night, though, the truth is that they didn't perform anywhere near their best, and a lot of the blame/praise for this has to go with Mou and a very disciplined Inter team. I thought as soon as Motta was sent off: "If anything, this is going to make it even harder for the home team"...and so it proved. At times the game resembled one of those attack-defence training exercises with the defending team only allowed to hoof the ball away to let the forwards start again. I thought that Barça's build-ups, though they looked for openings, were nowhere near as incisive or penetrating as they could have been (I sensed a certain tiredness at times, or tension maybe, among many of the team), and when they used the wings the crosses more often than not were far too near Julio Cesar or delivered at a pace which was easy for the Inter defenders to clear. Similarly, Barça's shooting boots were not coated with gold dust on this occasion, were they?! That said, good luck to Inter and kudos again to Mourinho, who has proved himself a master tactician and a superb motivator. I don't particularly like him as a person (a bit lacking in the humility department at times?) but last night he marshalled his troops superbly. |
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| Yogi | Apr 29 2010, 07:01 AM Post #409 |
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In this game Inter repeated the formula other clubs have used with success against Barcelona, pressuring them in midfield and denying them room to move in attack. But the difference in this two match series was achieved in game 1 when Inter burned Barcelona's defense with quick counters and were unfortunate to have only scored three times. Like Sammy wrote last night they had that 2 goal cushion where they did not need to attack and once Motta was sent off (a harsh decision in my opinion but the ref seemed convinced by Busquets play acting) there was no alternative but to put everyone behind the ball, Inter fnished the game with ZERO attacking players on the field. It was not pretty but achieved their goal and now they are finally back in a European final after a 38 year absence! And yes World Cup teams will have noted how both Xavi and Messi were neutralized in these two game sby Inter. The problems is unless they have players of the capability of Lucio, Samuel, Zanetti, Maicon and Cambiasso, that won't be easy to repeat! |
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| Onslow | Apr 29 2010, 10:35 AM Post #410 |
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What struck me about last night's semifinal was how much effort Samuel Eto'o put in. He covered so much ground doing defensive work as he and is teammates followed their coach's tactical plan to perfection. For those complaining about whether Toure handled the ball prior to Bojan scoring, remember that Pique's goal should have been called back for being offside. Overall the officiating did not in my view effect the outcome. What did was Inter's effort and discipline, other than Motta's expulsion, and Barcelona's inability to play their free flowing football against Inter's packed defence. Also note than when Barcelona needed more offence, Guardiola turned to the untested Jeffren rather than the veteran Thierry Henry. A clear signal Henry's days at the Nou Camp are numbered. |
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| Manzanares | Apr 29 2010, 08:23 PM Post #411 |
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There is no doubt that Iniesta's absence hurt Barcelona but Inter also played without Pandev who was a late scratch for this game while Sneijder was just a shadow of his normal self as he is not fully recovered from his leg injury. Every team has to deal with injuries, especially this late in the season. Inter really defended with a lot of spirit while Barcelona kept playing like they knew the goals would eventually come. When they did not it was only in the final 10 desperate minutes when they really threatened Inter's goal. But why should Inter's defensive display surprise us? They have arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, Julio Cesar, arguably the best centerback, Lucio and unquestionably the world's best right back, Maicon. Add to them experienced veterans like Zanetti and Samuel and that is probably the best backline in club football. What I did not like was Barcelona's reaction after the game, Valdes trying to grab Mourinho and prevent him from celebrating in front of Inter's fans, then turning the sprinklers on while Inter were celebrating. Not classy at all. As Mourinho himslf said, "sometimes teams that always win do not know how to lose!" |
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| rosarino | Apr 29 2010, 09:03 PM Post #412 |
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Can't really put a good spin on that. Pretty poor behavior by Barcelona even if Mourinho spent the week winding them up. Apparently they fell for his trap. |
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| Martin | Apr 29 2010, 09:38 PM Post #413 |
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Iniesta was really missed by Barcelona because he provides penetration against a closed defense something that even Messi was incapable of doing against Inter. I agree with manzanares, with the defenders Inter have, it should not really shock us that the team defends very well. But in both games vs Barcelona they showed tremendous dedication to their game plan. Pretty shameful scenes at the end of the game, the question is will UEFA step in and fine Barcelona for tryng to "dampen" Inter's celebrations? Back to Bayern Munich and their convincing win, one thing Van gaal has done has been to give young players a chance, 21 year old Badstuber, 20 yr old Muller and 19 years old Contento all started leg 2 vs Lyon. Van Gaal has shown confience in his young players and they have produced. I'll be curious to see how Mourinho acts leading up to the final, he typcally likes to wind his rivals up before important matches as he did v Barcelona but he has a lot of respect for his mentor Van Gaal and I doubt if he'll engage in as many mind games before playing Bayern than he normally does. |
| Club Sportivo Desamparados | |
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| Don Balon | Apr 30 2010, 02:55 AM Post #414 |
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Inter did their work in game 1 and simply came to defend in the return leg even when they were playing with 11. It was up to Barcelona to propose the play in the 2nd match. Martin has a good observation that until the final minutes Barcelona did not play with the urgency needed. While it is admirable to play calmly and look for the openings, I though Barcelona needed to play quicker in order to catch Inter off balance. But Barcelona stuck to their patient buildup rather than attempting to move the ball quicker. And what can you say about Ibrahimovic other than his play this season in the 2nd part of the year was very disappointing? As somebody else mentioned he was purchased to shine in games like this but he was too stationary in this game and played without fire. It is too early to give up on him but Barcelona will need much better contributions from him next season. Bojan in 25 minutes created more danger than Ibrahimovic did in his 65 on the field. Is Mourinho the new Helenio Herrera? |
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| ursus arctos | Apr 30 2010, 09:19 AM Post #415 |
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Mourinho has a way to go before he can match Il Mago. As a socio, I was appalled at Barca's behavior at the end and have even sent the club an email telling them so. The only positive spin I can put on that stupidity is that it may prick some of the overblown bubble of media fawning over the blaugrana as a team/club completely without flaws (this distorted vision being particularly prevalent in the Anglo-American media). Marca is reporting that Barca are about to sign David Villa for 41 million euro plus Hleb and Bojan. Villa is a great player, but he is also 30 years old, and that is simply too expensive a package in my view. If Barca is even considering such a transaction, one has to wonder about what they propose to do with Ibrahimovic. |
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| Merengue | Apr 30 2010, 09:54 AM Post #416 |
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Good man ursus, they need to hear from their socios about their post match behavior as it definitely did not put the club in a good light. The club's director general Joan Oliver did say turning the sprinklers on was not the right decision but they naturally laid the blame on a lower level club employee who Oliver claims turned the sprinklers on because Inter fans had thrown a firecracker which exploded near a security man and they did not want the situation to get out of hand! ![]() http://www.marca.com/2010/04/30/futbol/equ...1272626827.html As you well know I do not hesitate to criticize my own club when I feel they are in the wrong, nice to see others doing the same about their own clubs. I only read the headline in Marca, I did not read the article, as ursus wrotes, 40 million for a 30 year old forward plus Bojan and Hleb is extreme, as bad as Eto'o and whatever multiple millions of euros they paid Inter for Ibrahimovic. Even if Villa does arrive I do not see them getting rid of Ibrahimovic just yet, he will get another season to prove himself. |
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| Sporting | Apr 30 2010, 11:10 AM Post #417 |
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I think Villa is only 28, actually. |
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| Mr. Pither | May 1 2010, 01:52 AM Post #418 |
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Mourinho as the new Helenio Herrera? An interesting thought, he may not have yet matched Herrera's accomplishments but the way Mourinho had Inter playing on Wednesday night would have made the father of catenaccio smile! All of that for David Villa? Did Barcelona not learn from the Ibrahimovic transaction? |
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P-I-T-H-E-R ...as in Brotherhood, but with PI instead of the BRO and no HOOD | |
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| valenciano | May 1 2010, 01:38 PM Post #419 |
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I do think it is inevitable David Villa will leave Valencia as the club do need to sell and if so I would take 40 million euros plus Bojan. am less sure about Hleb though. Mourinho as the new Helenio Herrera? An interesting thought, he may not have yet matched Herrera's accomplishments but the way Mourinho had Inter playing on Wednesday night would have made the father of catenaccio smile Some others have already mentioned this but I think it is worth repeating, Inter did their work in leg 1 and did not need to do much attacking in game 2 even before Motta's expulsion. Their leg 1 play was anything but catenaccio. |
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| Yogi | May 10 2010, 10:25 AM Post #420 |
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CAS have said they will rule by May 18 on Ribery's appeal of his three match ban. http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=a...gerfrariberyban While I have no idea how they will rule on the issue, anybody notice that recently CAS have changed some FIFA decisions and not been as hard lined as the ruling body? Now we will see if they will act the same with a UEFA ruling. |
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5:03 PM Jul 10