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Champions League 2010-11
Topic Started: Jul 16 2010, 07:51 AM (4,382 Views)
gaviota
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I am pretty satisified with Real Madrid's pairing with Tottenham. They are a team who like to attack so should create a more open game. I think this is an instance where Mourinho's familiarity with English football will help him better prepare Madrid to neutralise Tottenham's play. Hopefully Tottenham will look to play crosses to Crouch because that makes them more predictable in attack. The potential for a Madrid-Barcelona semifinal is high but first things first, yet both Spanish clubs have to be reasonably satisified with their pairings, two clubs who are inexperienced at these stages of the tournament.

Chelsea-Manchester United should be a pair of real battles.
CHAMP13NS
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raconteur
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While you cannot expect an easy match at the quarterfinal stage I think Inter got about as good a matchup as you could hope in drawing Schalke, a midtable Bundesliga team now with a new coach. Plus with all due respect to Chelsea and Manchester United I think neither are as much of a threat as Barcelona or Real Madrid so Inter has a pretty good draw. With Eto'o and Sneijder playing well, Inter's Champions League prospects are looking much better now than they did at the start of this week.
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robdog
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Merengue,Mar 18 2011
06:49 AM
So Chygrynsky gets a chance to show Barcelona they made a mistake in letting him go too soon. If Shakhtar plays without fear I think they can give Barcelona a good match especially with barcelona going through a dip in form recently.

Don't forget that trip to Donetsk won't be a pleasant one.
Supporter for FCK, San Lorenzo, Chelsea, Pachuca, Corinthians & Real Betis
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raconteur
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robdog,Mar 18 2011
02:25 PM
Merengue,Mar 18 2011
06:49 AM
So Chygrynsky gets a chance to show Barcelona they made a mistake in letting him go too soon.  If Shakhtar plays without fear I think they can give Barcelona a good match especially with barcelona going through a dip in form recently.

Don't forget that trip to Donetsk won't be a pleasant one.

That is true, I was reading recently on how Shakhtar has a long home unbeaten streak. They have a well organized defense and some skillful players in attack. Also remember how in the 2009 European Super Cup, then UEFA Cup winners Shakhtar only lost to then Champions League holders Barcelona on penalties. I think Shakhtar can match up pretty well with Barcelona.
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Simon
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raconteur,Mar 18 2011
02:49 PM
That is true, I was reading recently on how Shakhtar has a long home unbeaten streak.

Coupled with the fact that Barcelona have a very poor away record in Europe. But take nothing away from Barcelona - they've been in the semi-finals in each of the last 3 seasons and of course in 2009 they went that one step further to the final itself and won it (as this United fan remembers well!). That's a consistent record, so clearly they're one of the best sides around, quite possibly THE best. I think their status as favourites is justified. Shakhtar are no mugs and it may well be that each team wins its home match, but I would personally expect Barcelona to emerge overall.

United-Chelsea is a similar one. Stamford Bridge is a real fortress for the blues, whatever their troubles this season, it's exceedingly rare for anyone to beat them there. Certainly United haven't won at the Bridge in years, even at the same time as we've been winning championships. It's very difficult to pick a winner in that tie, though I do reckon it's very important that United have at least some fit defenders by that time! We're helped by the fact that there's a two week international break coming up, a good chance to hopefully get some players fit again.

I reckon Inter have a good draw against Schalke, though of course there are no easy games by the time you get to the quarter finals of the European Cup. Real Madrid vs Spurs is a fascinating contest as well. Of course Spurs have no experience of what it's like to play in the quarters of the CL, but it should be said that neither do Real these past six years. Tottenham will be underdogs but they can hurt anyone with their attacking armoury. Gaviota, I very much doubt that they'll just be pumping crosses to Crouch - in actual fact Crouch has only actually started 4 matches since November so it strikes me as unlikely that he'd even play, unless it's as a substitute. Tottenham's attacking play actually revolves around the pace, quick inter-passing and penetration of Lennon, Bale, Van der Vaart, Modric and Defoe, and as I say I reckon they can score against anyone. But Real Madrid should be favoured IMO, not least because of Mourinho's know-how and experience in English football, as Gaviota mentioned.

It's an attractive draw, and I'm looking forward to these matches. I reckon the CL loses some momentum with the silly and self-defeating way that UEFA now drags out the second round over a full month in such a bitty and piecemeal way. It should be re-energised from here on in.
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Nkono
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Quote:
 
It's an attractive draw, and I'm looking forward to these matches. I reckon the CL loses some momentum with the silly and self-defeating way that UEFA now drags out the second round over a full month in such a bitty and piecemeal way. It should be re-energised from here on in.


Good point Simon, I know TV demands are behind that but it is too drawn out, it should not take over a month to complete a round of play.

Looks like Shakhtar's Luiz Adriano may be questionable for leg 1 vs Barcelona. One of the team's key attackers, he would be greatly missed.
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gaviota
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Benzema is out but Ronaldo, Marcelo and Kaka who have been out injured were named to Madrid's squad of players available for tomorrow night's Champions League match vs Tottenham. For the English club Bale also was included in his club's list of available players but Gallas was not.

You do have to wonder how effective players like Ronaldo and Bale will be after their injuries.

This competition is why Real Madrid spent so much money in bringing in Jose Mourinho, let us see what he has in store for Tottenham. Should be an interesting game. Van der Vaart of course will have revenge on his mind but he and Modric each impress me with their technical ability.
CHAMP13NS
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Yogi
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Here is the disciplinary situation in the Champions League,

Playing on Tuesday

Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur

Misses next match if booked: Raul Albiol, Cristiano Ronaldo,
Angel Di Maria, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Ricardo Carvalho (all Real
Madrid)

- -

Inter Milan v Schalke 04

Suspended: Lucio (Inter Milan)

Misses next match if booked: Cristian Chivu, Thiago Motta
(Inter Milan); Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Manuel Jurado, Jefferson
Farfan (Schalke 04)

- -

Playing on Wednesday

Chelsea v Manchester United

Misses next match if booked: John Obi Mikel (Chelsea)

- -

Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk

Misses next match if booked: Andres Iniesta (Barcelona);
Olexiy Gai, Razvan Rat, Luiz Adriano, Dmytro Chygrynskiy, Henrik
Mkhitaryan, Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk)


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Sammy Maudlin
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Both Real Madrid and Spurs have a whole set of issues with fitness of their players, Ronaldo and Marcelo have been out but both were ncluded on the game day roster, same applies for Bale and Lennon at Sours. The speed and width, Bale and Lennon provide are vital to Spurs attack, not only do they create danger but also open up space for Van der Vaart and Modric, the two technical masters that gaviota spoke of in midfield. Spurs have enjoyed playing as underdog in Europe and if they take that fighting underdog attitude with them to the bernabeu, they could pose problems for Madrid. Against Milan, Tottenham defended very well but Madrid are at another level offensively and this will be the supreme test for Spurs backline. in about 16 hours we will all find out how they do.
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Don Balon
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Ronaldo, Marcelo and Bale are all in the starting lineup. We will soon find out how healthy they really are. Benzema and Lennon are not.

Oh and Inter and Schalke are playing too! Does Raul still have more Champions League magic left?
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Simon
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Results:
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Inter 2-5 Schalke
Real Madrid 4-0 Spurs

Kind of nabbing Winslow's job here, but maybe he's not really in the mood right now to reflect on this evening's football! Looks like two decisive results. The shock to me is that Inter got stuffed at home by Schalke, I haven't seen a thing of that gane so I'll leave others to fill the results in.

I watched the other game, and Real are all but qualified for the semis. 4-0 was a bit harsh on Spurs IMO if only because they defended so stoically throughout, but they were in the position of having to after Crouch got himself sent off very early on. While I reckon the ref could have been a bit more lenient at the start of such a big game in order to keep it as a competitive spectacle (which afterwards it wasn't), you have to ask - what was Crouch thinking? Everyone knows how fussy European referees are at the best of times, let alone in a hot house like the Bernebeu. Rule number one is to keep your head and stay on your feet, and not give the ref any excuse to reach for his cards. To make one over-stretching challenge without getting the ball, and get booked for it, was bad enough - but it was utterly mental to go diving in for another so soon afterwards, knowing full well you're on a booking already. And this is a bloke who's played umpteen CL and international matches, really bizarre.

By that time Spurs had already shipped a goal and when they let another in I guess the only question was whether they could limit the damage sufficiently to still be in with a shout in the second leg. The answer was no. Just to add insult to injury, it was the former Arsenal man Adebayor who was the initial architect of the damage. And two soft goals from a Spurs perspective, pretty simple headers from crosses. Not a good night for William Gallas. But for Crouch's red, I reckon Spurs could probably have scored, and Bale did still give Real some grief, but he was a hobbling passenger for the last quarter of an hour. A 2-1 or 3-1 reverse could be recoverable, but not 4-0. But the CL has been a great adventure for Spurs as debutants this season, time to take this result on the chin and consider that they've got 8 matches left to try to get back in there for next season.

On a different note, Harry Redknapp visited Madrid about 3 months ago, and was mugged and had his wallet and watch stolen. After tonight I'm willing to bet it may be a while before he ventures back to the Spanish capital! :P
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Winslow
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Tuesday's scores, after a doozy of a first leg...
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Inter Milan 2, Schalke 5; Real Madrid 4, Tottenham 0.

Eleven goals, two routs, and a real shocker at the San Siro, where Inter had the lead twice before coming apart in the second half. The Nerazzuri scored first in the first minute after Neuer had to clear a promising long ball with his head; Stankovic pounced on it in the center circle and effortlessly punched it straight and far into the unguarded goal. After Matep netted a rebound to tie it 15 minutes later, Milito finished off a nice 3-man attack to put Inter ahead again, but Schalke tied it up again after Edu followed up his own initial shot (stopped by Julio Cesar's flailing arm after a deflection) and rolled in the rebound

It stayed level until Raul put Schalke ahead eight minutes after the break; he collected a Farfan pass at the edge of the box, spun past/through two defenders, and wrongfooted the keeper. Four minutes later, Rannochia dug a bigger hole for the home team with an own goal; after Chivu was sent off for a debatable second yellow, Edu finished things with a smart turn and finish from the arc.

The Bernabeu result was much less surprising, in part because Crouch somehow collected two bookings in the first 12 minutes. By the time he hit the showers Real was already ahead on a CK header by Adebayor that snuck between the keeper and the defender on the post. Adebayor just missed later in the half after Ramos's preposterous headed cross on the half-volley just skimmed over the Togolese's head in front of a gaping net. (Whew!) But after halftime, Adebayor put Real two up with another header; later, Di Maria collected a ball at the corner of the box and lashed a screamer into the top far corner. C. Ronaldo added a fourth with a few minutes left, as his volleyed cross squirmed through Gomes at the near post.
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Don Balon
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What an extraordinary pair of results, well Madrid's win was not that extraordinary and after Crouch's expulsion it was not entirely unexpected. Even at 11 vs 11 you had the feelling Madrid would break through against Tottenham as the speed of Madrid's play kept Tottenham off balance. And it was Adebayor who was the spark for this win. His goals and Xabi Alonso, who controlled the game in midfield with help from Ozil and Khedira have made the return leg a mere formality next week.

It sure began well for Inter with that wonderful goal from the halfway line by Stankovic but Schalke fought back twice from a goal down to tie the match 2-2 at he half then in the 2nd half led by Raul, Edu and Farfan who were dangerous on the break they tore apart Inter's suddenly fragile defense. Lucio's absence ended up being decisive for Inter. But what an incredible result for Schalke, the team nobody had given much of a chance. maybe they are this year's Monaco of 2004?
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rosarino
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That Crouch is one of the dumber players I have seen in awhile. every time I watch him play, all he does is foul, if it is not putting his hands on a defender to get leverage to jump, it is making ridiculously late tackles like tonight. Tottenham had a chance before he was sent off as Ronaldo, although he scored a 2nd half goal, looked far from his best after his injury layoff. But twice Tottenham let Adebayor get free headers and he did not forgive them for that. A solid win for Madrid who have the look of a team capable of going far in this competition.

What to say about Schalke? An amazing result away from home for them. Inter had the ball, Schalke got the goals. Deadly finishing and some sloppy defending. Ranocchia and Chivu are one of the slowest central defensive partnerships I have seen outside of my Sunday league! 3 goal defeats twice in a week, in the local derby and the Champions League quarterfinals? I can not imagine Leonardo will last long at Inter following this week of kamikaze defending.
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Simon
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By the way, the story I've heard is that Aaron Lennon pulled out at the very last minute with a sore throat.

A sore throat?? Real Madrid in the Bernebeu, in the CL quarter-finals??

Let's see how that story develops, sounds to me like something might have gone on there that we don't yet know about...
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