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| Champions League 2010-11 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 16 2010, 07:51 AM (4,395 Views) | |
| Simon | Sep 30 2010, 12:28 PM Post #46 |
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The game livened up a bit in the second half, thank goodness, I thought the first half was deadly dull. It kind of had the feel of the first leg of a knockout tie, with both teams sizing each other up. I thought Valencia could have shown a bit more ambition and got a bit more help in with Soldado (aduriz improved them when he came on IMO), while United were sloppy in possession, perhaps understandably as both Carrick and Anderson were playing their first matches in a long while. As the game went on, I did think that United had a decent shot at winning it if we could only get a bit of pace and penetration up front. Berbatov played very well but the breakthrough came with the youngsters, Hernandez hit the post when he got in behind the Valencia defence to meet a cross. I thought that might have been our big chance to get all three points, but fortunately Macheda also came on and set Hernandez up for the goal. Brilliant finish as well, the kid looks like he has real predetory instincts, I'm looking forward to seeing plenty more of him! |
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| Manzanares | Sep 30 2010, 01:27 PM Post #47 |
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Yes that is correct. Interestingly Manchester United's previous 4 visits to the Comunidad Valenciana ended in 0-0 matches, 2 games each vs Valencia and Villarreal. This one looked headed the same way until Hernandez' late match heroics. Like Simon I thought Aduriz added something to Valencia's attack even if it was in an unfamiliar to him position out wide on the left. He usually is a penalty area predator type forward but he had to make room for Soldado who spent more of the game complaining than playing. None of Soldado, Mata or Dominguez were particularly effective in my mind. But Valencia moved the ball about well and if Mata and Dominguez show up next time, they should get the drive they need to score some goals. I guess Samuel Eto'o has something to prove this season. He always seems to play better when he has a chip on his shoulder. |
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| ursus arctos | Oct 1 2010, 02:51 AM Post #48 |
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A nice clip memorializing a brilliant performance from Eto'o. The passes are as impressive as the goals. |
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| Sporting | Oct 1 2010, 06:46 AM Post #49 |
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Not much to add to the reports of Valencia - Man Utd than what has already been said, really. Soldado missed a great chance when Van der Saar missed an not too difficult cross, but actually had very little to do. Ferdinand and Vidic made some important interventions, and look to be getting back to their best. I was disappointed with the Valencia support, both in terms of loudness and in size. The reports claimed 45,000 watched the match; I find that hard to believe. [But you never really know the true size of attendances in Spain, apart from with a few clubs: they are usually rounded up and /or estimated. In these days of electronic turnstiles, surely a more accurate figure could be given. One wouldn't like to think that "creative accounting" or the like was going on...!] Anyway, I paid 35 euros for our tickets for seats fairly high up; other seats cost 65 euros and upwards. Socios - season ticket holders - also had to pay extra. I don't know how they plan the financial side of things but these days, what with the crisis, I'd have thought that serious thought should be given to making prices more accessible, with the possible result of attracting more spectators and making the atmosphere much better at the same time. |
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| ursus arctos | Oct 1 2010, 10:43 AM Post #50 |
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That's interesting, Sporting. When we had our season tickets at Inter (which has historically had problems getting people to go to Champions League group matches), CL tickets were not part of the ticket, but were relatively inexpensive (25 euro for our seats in the second tier at midfield, with one free if you bought tickets to all three group games). The result of that pricing policy was an increase from c. 25,000 to c. 40,000 for teams like Panathinaikos. |
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| Onslow | Oct 2 2010, 09:05 AM Post #51 |
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I hope to one day let you know what Aston Villa will charge for Champions League tickets but that day still looks far away! :angry: ursus, was the ticket offer you wrote of at Inter only available to season ticket holders like yourself or was that available to anyone who bought tickets for all group matches? If the former it sounds like a good marketing plan, if the latter, it smacks of a bit of desperation to fill the ground. |
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| ursus arctos | Oct 2 2010, 04:06 PM Post #52 |
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The way that Inter was doing it the year that we left was to offer the 3 game packages to season ticket holders first, then offer them to non-season ticket holders (but only for seats that no one had a season ticket for), and then offer per game tickets (first to season ticket holders, then to the general public). |
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| Manzanares | Oct 18 2010, 09:25 PM Post #53 |
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This week's calendar of matches: Tuesday Spartak Moscú - Chelsea Roma - FC Basilea Bayern - CFR 1907 Cluj O. Marsella - MSK Zilina Ajax - Auxerre Real Madrid - Milan Braga - Partizán Belgrado Arsenal - Shakhtar Donetsk Wednesday Inter - Tottenham FC Twente - Werder Bremen Schalke 04 - Hapoel Tel Aviv O. Lyon - Benfica Rangers - Valencia Manchester United - Bursaspor Panathinaikos - Rubin Kazan FC Barcelona - FC København Real Madrid-Milan of course is the attention grabbing match. The type of game which represents why the Champions League was created. But I also think it is the first real test this season for either club. Last season Milan took 4 out of 6 points in their group games against Real Madrid. Can they repeat that this season? On Wednesday, Inter-Tottenham, Lyon-Benfica and Rangers-Valencia look to be the games to watch. |
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| enganche | Oct 18 2010, 11:18 PM Post #54 |
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I am looking forward to Real Madrid-Milan. Plenty of attacking talent on display but lke so many games it likely will come down to the midfield and defenses. Can Milan's old legs keep up with Madrid's speed? |
| Prefiero morir de pie que vivir arrodillado | |
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| raconteur | Oct 19 2010, 09:25 AM Post #55 |
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And likewise can Madrid keep up with Pato's speed? Nesta-Thiago Silva is a good defensive partnership but they will need to be sharp against Madrid's multitude of attackers. I am thinking Allegri will have Zambrotta minding the side of the field which Cristiano Ronaldo usually occupies. This really should be an intriguing match. I do know that Ronaldinho always enjoys playing against Real Madrid. |
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| Winslow | Oct 19 2010, 01:07 PM Post #56 |
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Tuesday's Matchday Three results... . . . . . . Group E: Bayern Munich 3, Cluj 2; AS Roma 1, Basel 3. Group F: CSKA Moscow 0, Chelsea 2; Olympique Marseille 1, Zilina 0. Group G: Ajax 2, Auxerre 1; Real Madrid 2, AC Milan 0. Group H: Arsenal 5, Shakhtar Donetsk 1; FC Braga 2, Partizan Belgrade 0. So another fine day for the EPL and not so good for Serie A. The Ukrainians made it pretty easy for the Gunners at the Emirates; Alex Song scored the first after the keeper dropped a corner kick, and Nasri collected a waist-high pass with skill and finished well to make it 2-0 at the half. A Cesc penalty and goals by Wilshere and Chamakh (who had enough time and space to look at the linesman before scoring) followed in the second half; a late goal by Arsenal old boy Eduardo da Silva ruined the shutout, but made the home fans even happier. It could easily have been 5-1 at the Bernabeu, and probably should've. Real scored twice within a minute to set themselves up early; C. Ronaldo put a free kick through a gaping hole in the wall and into the corner, and then set up Ozil for an open shot that hit Bonera in the shoulder and bounced in. But there were no more goals, even though di Maria and Higuain had great chances and Ronaldo had the game's worst miss. Milan didn't show much and had its best chances turned aside by Casillas. Otherwise, Roma surprised me with a loss at home, while Chelsea was outplayed in Moscow but got a fine match by Cech and goals by Anelka and Zhirkov (his was a real cracker of a half-volley from 30 yards out). Ajax opened its scoring on an equally fine goal by de Zeeuw and managed to hold off Auxerre, which had two goals correctly called back for fouls. Bayern won at home thanks to two own goals by the Romanians, Diawara scored the only goal for OM at Stade Velodrome, while an impressive free kick goal by Lima helped Braga win at home. |
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| ursus arctos | Oct 19 2010, 01:45 PM Post #57 |
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"Highlight" of the day was Jean Pascal Mignot being sent off for Auxerre before he even entered the game. According to L'Equipe's minute-by-minute, Mignot was warming up along the touchline and giving the referee a "frank" assessment of his performance this evening, for which he was cautioned. When the ref pulled the yellow out of his pocket, Mignot upped the ante in terms of invective, and got a red for his efforts. He never got on the pitch, and will be a favorite of pub quizes for the forseeable future. Auxerre finished the match with ten men (Oliech had been sent off in a more conventional fashion before Mignot got his marching orders). The iminent reduction in the number of Serie A teams qualifying for the Champions League is beginning to look like a "mercy rule". |
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| Don Balon | Oct 19 2010, 01:59 PM Post #58 |
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That is a great anecdote about Auxerre's Mignot. For Auxerre's sake at least the referee expelled Mignot before he officially entered the match! Ajax's win and Milan's loss pulls Ajax even with Milan in the fight for 2nd in the group. If tonight's results are repeated in two weeks time, Ajax can really put the pressure on Milan in the group. As Winslow wrote, Madrid dominated Milan tonight even if both goals were pretty fortunate. The speed of Real Madrid's play is what impresses me the most and you have to say they impressively passed their first serious test of the not so new season. Question, did anybody see Ronaldinho on the pitch? |
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| Onslow | Oct 19 2010, 02:20 PM Post #59 |
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Arsenal must listen to that Champions League hymn and become a team possessed. They really do turn it on in the group stages of this competition. Shakhtar came in to the Emirates stadium looking good but they were simply run off the pitch by Arsenal. Having Fabregas return to the team helped the Gunners too. I did like the reception Arsenal's fans gave Eduardo even after he scored the late consolation goal for Shakhtar. Chelsea with another impressive win on the plastic pitch in Moscow. With Essien such a driving force in midfield, the Blues really did not miss either Lampard or Drogba. Anybody else notice how Ancelotti, compared to his predecessors, is giving an opportunity to the club's younger players? Tonight's 3 subs all were youth products, McEachern, Van Aanholt and Kakuta. |
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| gaviota | Oct 19 2010, 02:26 PM Post #60 |
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That has been what is very impressive about the transformation Mourinho has done with the team. They move the ball very quickly and directly and have in Higuain, Ronaldo, DiMaria, Ozil, Marcelo and Sergio Ramos, the players to engage in this type of game. Madrid were too quick and put Milan under too much pressure for Milan to handle. In the return leg, Madrid can do more of the same. Real Madrid's unnoticed hero this season-Marcelo who has been transformed into an excellent two way player on the left flank. |
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