Soccer

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GHOSTLACED

i KNEW exactly that bayern would get torn a new ass. i could see it coming.

Liverpools' corner defending is embarrasing. You can tell the players hate zonal but there nothing they can say because its Rafa's choice.

Zonal defending lost them the game today.

Torres was all over that Chelsea defence 1st half. They were scared.

But 2nd leg Mascherano will be back, and Terry will be suspended. So theres hope.

I really think all you have to do to stop Chelsea is man mark Drogba. Thats it. Without him they are no threat. Kalou can be tricky, but Drogba is basically their entire team goal threat.

---

Completly agree.

Drogba is a monster, he looked very dangerous every time they came at us.
I thought Chelsea played alright, but nothing extrordinary, which says a lot how we played
Especially in the 2nd half.

But Mascherano was seriously missed, Lucas just isn't in the same league as him
And with Terry gone, and Chelsea perhaps thinking it good be 99% of the job done
Anything is possible, or at least there is hope.

Personaly I'd always like to have the home leg 2nd
But it's a double egde sword, as it could help us if there is to be a comeback.

On a side note...

Andy Gray does my head in, I swear he is wanking under the desk when Chelsea score
He was rubbing it in, I don't understand how he gets away with it ?
Maybe it's just me ? but he clearly loves Chelsea and dislikes Liverpool...
Being an ex-Everton player I can appreciate that, but if we do manage to pull of a miracle
I'll be glad to shut him up just as much as Chelsea.
To me it was aparent that we was very happy that we lost.
Being a pundit/commentator you should be a like a judge
And certainly not root for either team in my opinion.
I was actually getting annoyed with his commentary...if the score was 3-1 to Liverpool
I belive he wouldn't have said the same things or with the same passion.
Anyone agree ? I've thought this for a while now...

double blow today

liverpool got owned. no excuses Chelski killed us and i swear to god i could defend better on corners.

the money i put on bayern to win it at the beginning of the tournament also down the drain, too many damn injuries. plus Barca are fuckin mesmirizing. i really hope Barca win it all, cause they fuckin deserve it cause they play soo positively.

could there be an arguement that this Barca team is possibly the best offensive team ever?? Henry, Eto'o and Messi seem to score every game.

lol, why did you put money on Bayern to win? What were they paying?

I donno, maybe Holland 74 would have something to say about the best attacking team. But, really, you just need a good defence to beat Barca.

A full strength united will beat them with no worries.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BONERFARM JERKERWRISTS

A full strength united will beat them with no worries.

---

You think so ?

they were at 18/1 which is pretty low for a squad like Bayern's.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by whers

You think so ?

---

Considering Barca's defence is shakey at best, then yeah, I think so. They have shown in the early stages that a defence on song will trouble them.

Factor in United's attack against Barca's dodgy defence, I would be putting money on United.

If we had have had Lahm fit then I don't think we lose 4-0. Maybe 2-0. Lell marking Messi is ridiculous.

I see what your saying but I feel that their defence is a shadow of what it was since
Losing to Fulham Liverpool, then conceeding 2 to Villa and another 2 against Porto
Considering before that they were a fortress.
If they scored 1 goal, that was that, game over
There was no way the opposition was getting any kind of result.

If they played them before all of those happenings then yeah
I'd agree and say their defence is stronger than Barcalona's attack, but now...
I'm not sure thats the case.
For example : when Porto scored in the dying stages
The looks on the United fans faces wasn't even angry, some were even smiling.
The commentator even said : "It's Like They're Used To It Now"
And that for a Man U side is unheard of.

I don't need to tell you
That Bayern were undefeated in the competion before Barca took them apart
And the game before, Wolfsburg had a field day, and look what happened, due to this
I think the same would happen to United.
I'd be surprised if Barca don't take the comeption.

United are gonna find it hard to beat Porto away from home, their defence is poor, and especially their center midfield. Carrick and Fletcher are no great players by any measure.

The game last night was fuckin brilliant, end to end stuff. Chelsea were more than just Drogba, Lampard had a good game, so did Terry before he was booked, and Ballack.

Thats the third brilliant game ive seen in the last few days. Nothing like watching an exciting game of football with a few cans.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by whers

I see what your saying but I feel that their defence is a shadow of what it was since
Losing to Fulham Liverpool, then conceeding 2 to Villa and another 2 against Porto
Considering before that they were a fortress.
If they scored 1 goal, that was that, game over
There was no way the opposition was getting any kind of result.

---

But, that was still not united at their fully fit and in full cohesion, which is what i was getting at. Like I said, Barca v a fully fit United would get beaten on the simple fact that Vidic and Ferdinand would handle everything that came their way and United would be able to swoop onto an attack and take care of Barca's inept defence.

Let's not get it twisted, although Barca are a great attacking team their defence is ordinary at best.

IMO, right now, factoring in everybodies form, the only team who will beat Barca is Chelsea. Essien is easily the best defensive midfielder in the world, no question. That guy is fucking incredible and is so much to Chelsea, as has been proven since his return has coincided with Chelsea's resurrgence.

Quote:

---

I don't need to tell you
That Bayern were undefeated in the competion before Barca took them apart
And the game before, Wolfsburg had a field day, and look what happened, due to this
I think the same would happen to United.
I'd be surprised if Barca don't take the comeption.

---

Well, I guess I do need to tell you that Bayern had Lahm, Lucio and Van Buyten out. Lahm is probably one of 10 players world wide who would do a good job defending Messi. Schweinie also played in a central midfield roll and Demichiellis hasn't played since before the international break.

Lucio and Lahm played injured agaisnt Wolfsburg, aswell.

Also, Bayern have paid for Klinsmann's attempt to win both domestic and continental titles, hence why there have been injuries as of late and why players are playing injured.

I still feel Barca wouldn't have won 4-0 had Lahm and Lucio played, even Van Buyten as back up is very capable. The biggest killer was the absence of Lahm.

As for Wolfsburg, Bayern weren't actually annilhated until the later half of the match and actually near 70% of possession. Injured players took its toll.

watching Lell I lell'd a lot.

I don't understand why doesn't Barca play both half's the same, at least in this stages. They could score like 2, 3 goals more and Messi, Eto'o and them wouldn't need to play in the second game. That's my way of seeing it.....cuz I still believe Bayern can come through.

goal.com article about the beauty of the champs league being back...

Champions League: What Made This Competition So Great Again?

Everything we thought we knew, we don't - the Champions League is back to its enthralling and unpredictable best, and Goal.com's Sulmaan Ahmad has a few ideas why.

Apr 9, 2009 9:15:15 AM


http://i.media.goal.com/g/46674_news.jpg Photo Gallery
Zoom

CL: Branislav Ivanovic, Liverpool - Chelsea (PA)

Anyone who says they saw all four Champions League quarter-final first legs panning out as they did is a liar.

Anyone who denies the past two days have been a celebration and resurrection of adventurous, entertaining and exceptional football is insane.

But then that's [COLOR=#0464D1 ! important][COLOR=#0464D1 ! important]the [COLOR=#0464D1 ! important]thing[/color][/color][/color]: there are so few bitter Bayern, Liverpool or Man United fans. They may rue the inevitable and indisputable mistakes made by their clubs, but there have been far less excuses and complaining than usual, because the football really did do all the talking.

Who said football needs controversy to be exciting?

In two breathtaking nights, four captivating games have been played out between eight fearless and talented teams. The atypically tentative and uninspired round of 16 is history.

Inter and Real Madrid are two clubs in particular that, whether they admit it or not, now believe themselves to be cursed in Europe. And it shows. These are great clubs that ultimately failed to live up to their billing.

Add to this Juventus and Atletico Madrid sides still not suitably rehabilitated to trade blows with the best of the best and Roma, a side like Lyon, now on the way down after having hit their peak, and it's not hard to see why they ended up as near-misses.

And to finish off the complement of those eliminated, there are Panathinaikos and Sporting CP, whose only knockout potential was the physical and literal process of being knocked out in the first place.

It's now clear that the right teams went through from the second round to serve up the best games in the quarter-finals. We perhaps didn't know it then, but we know it now.

Who is honestly wishing that Roma, Inter, Juventus or Real Madrid were here, other than fans of those clubs or countries? No one. The competition has progressed perfectly without them.

Villarreal out-passing Arsenal with their trickery and technique was truly captivating and both the game's goals were out of this world.

Porto's young guns tearing through the reigning champions stunned the masses and will have put all of Europe's elite on alert ahead of the summer transfer [COLOR=#0464D1 ! important][COLOR=#0464D1 ! important]window[/color][/color].

The return of Drogba and Essien, as well as the delayed emergence of Ivanovic and undisputed arrival of Hiddink was almost dumbfounding. Liverpool rarely look so helpless.

Barcelona kept alive their magic, blitzing a Bayern side that were just starting to be taken seriously.

Two weeks ago, this entire showpiece had been written off as a dirge - a Premier League procession - and who knows, maybe that's what it needed to be sparked back into life.

The rest of Europe (barring Barcelona) had been counted out of contention, just as England (barring Man United) always had been in years gone by.

The mass media has perpetuated the belief that the 'big four' will dominate for years to come off the back of a couple of years in which they have been the dominant presence in the quarters and semis.

When the Italians and Spanish enjoyed this success, there was never such widespread prophecy of a decade-long dynasty or anything of the sort being on the horizon for them, so why for England? Maybe the belief that the Premier League has relative recession immunity is what makes this era so much more scrutinised than others from years gone by.

Several figureheads from around Europe have at times expressed a sense of powerlessness with regards to stopping the Premier League dominance. That pathetic, defeatist attitude thankfully wasn't adopted by the likes of Porto and Villarreal and will hopefully serve as an example to one and all, next season and beyond.

The same four English teams' repeated qualification for the competition has enabled them to practice to the point of perfection and the energetic, pressing game of the English game has provided a culture shock of sorts to several European heavyweights, but it is merely a matter of time until they acclimatise to the wind of change sweeping over UEFA's showpiece event.

What captured the imagination of many fans was the defiance of the underdogs: Porto, Villarreal and even Chelsea. None were expected to win, but all not only got somewhat surprising results, but outplayed their opponents.

The favourites were favourites no more - and that's what makes Barcelona such a genuine threat: they were the only big guns who lived up to their billing.

Three Premier League teams could yet go through; Bayern could yet even beat Barcelona. A few of us remember Barca throwing away their Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe despite a monumental first leg lead, most of us remember what Deportivo did to Milan a few years ago and absolutely everybody remembers what Liverpool managed - again against Milan - in Istanbul four years ago.

Anything can happen, but it probably won't. This wasn't defying the odds just for defiance's sake. This was the [COLOR=#0464D1 ! important][COLOR=#0464D1 ! important]beautiful[/color][/color] game blossoming in its evolution.

Barcelona still drop the odd lead, but Pep Guardiola is not Frank Rijkaard.

Liverpool are still the architects of the impossible, but Hiddink never loses by three goals - at least not against teams on a similar skill level - and especially when knowing exactly what's required from the game in order to win the tie.

Meanwhile, Porto have never lost to English opposition at the Dragao and already showed they can subdue all kinds of firepower at home, but United rarely disappoint when all is to play for, while Villarreal remain the most likely candidates for heroic failure, just as they did when the draw was made.

All roads leading to Rome sure has come in handy, as we now find ourselves taking a couple of spectacular detours along the way, knowing and hoping this tournament reaches the [COLOR=#0464D1 ! important][COLOR=#0464D1 ! important]destination[/color][/color] it deserves.

meh, dont know how the fuck Rafa let that happen... Lucas played ok i guess, but Dossena came on and gave us nothing, it would have been better with 10 men (and im not exagerating).

wasnt their 3rd goal offside? i watched it from a stream in japan, so they didnt really focus the camera on it, i swear whoever set drogba up was offside.

oh well, we'll just have to beat them by 3 goals at stamford bridge.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GHOSTLACED

Torres was all over that Chelsea defence 1st half. They were scared.

---

yeah ashley cole was shit scared when he had to deal with him. he shit up all of the back 4 when he would hover around them when they were in possession.

then it just fell apart after their second goal.

really idk what happened to liverpool.

it was weird. they didnt look like they could handle conceding a goal, it distraught them.

IMO, the players hate the zonal marking they are FORCED to do on corners. And when they condeded 2 goals basically due to zonal marking, messing up all theur good work before hand, i think they were then just too crushed mentally to comeback.



As for United away to POrto, I think it all depends on having a full strength back 4 and a solid defensive minded midfield who can soak up, defintely no Scholes or Giggs, we need to play Fletch and Carrick and Park.

We just need to go there, and defend our asses off, and go all out for the clean sheet. And then try and nick a goal somewhere off a corner or something. I think we need to aim for the 1-0, rather than just trying to outscore them. But going for the 1-0 int he Dragao is gonna be fucking insanely hard.

i hope liverpool can pull off another amazing european comeback

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tage

meh, dont know how the fuck Rafa let that happen... Lucas played ok i guess, but Dossena came on and gave us nothing, it would have been better with 10 men (and im not exagerating).

wasnt their 3rd goal offside? i watched it from a stream in japan, so they didnt really focus the camera on it, i swear whoever set drogba up was offside.

oh well, we'll just have to beat them by 3 goals at stamford bridge.

---

kaloue, there was a hint of offsides on the replay i saw. but they didnt keep showing it so i guess it wasnt that close.

the ball by ballack was so money, they had to let it stand.


im glad though, keep those reds away from milans second place total of cups. everyone else up there is low on the totum pole in terms of european cups.

that was the only thing Ballack did the whole game.

Honestly, wtf does Ballack actually do? Ive watched alot of Chelsea games, and i cant remember evn noticing him most of the time.

Somehow he totally dissapears. Now and then he'll score a header or something.

Yet for Germany in the Euro08, he was a fucking BEAST. One of the best players of the comp. He did everything, pass amazing, dribble, shoot - non of these things can be seen at chelsea from him. Lampard is playing his position

Ballack always puts in sik performances for Germany. i dnt kno how he does it, could be that he is unhappy with his role at Chelski. He always seemed like the type of player that thrives when the team is built around him (Leverkusen, Bayern and Germany).

I think he done himself a dis-service by going to Chelski, cause he could have been considered one of the best German players of all time.

Man city are as good as out in the UEFA.

And Adriano is taking a break from football and re-thinking his career. his finished.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GHOSTLACED

that was the only thing Ballack did the whole game.

Honestly, wtf does Ballack actually do? Ive watched alot of Chelsea games, and i cant remember evn noticing him most of the time.

Somehow he totally dissapears. Now and then he'll score a header or something.

Yet for Germany in the Euro08, he was a fucking BEAST. One of the best players of the comp. He did everything, pass amazing, dribble, shoot - non of these things can be seen at chelsea from him. Lampard is playing his position

---

you answered your own question.

the golden boy of chelsea and england. dude will never loose his place in a team. not to ballack at chelski. not to steve g in england.

thats what happend to him.

Ballack should have gone to Barca or United where he would have been a star player.

But, fuck it, dude put it's great performances for Nationalmannschaft everytime.

Report: Klinsmann on the way out from Bayern


However, should Bayern lose or draw Saturday at home against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, the newspaper said Klinsmann will be fired immediately, without citing any sources.

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/stor...ut-from-Bayern

im puttin money on man united beating sunderland. that way, they'll lose.

MUAHAHAHAHA MY PLAN IS INGENIOUS!

^i do that.

its like your daring god to pick which way you win.

^i bet croatia would beat england in the euro 08 qualifier england had to win.

england got whooped, but nearly came back. i won quite a bit cus england were favs... not sure how croatia were the underdogs though.

Liverpool 4 - 0 Blackburn Rovers... easy.

Real training match for Liverpool, but you need to watch the highlights(or MOTD) for 2 reasons.

1 - Torres' first goal & Agger's goal.
2(main reason) - To watch Reina collect the ball, run in the box and fall over and land on his face. Reina is easily one of the best keepers in the world, yet he acts like a complete fucking idiot.. hahaha... i was pissing myself.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by whitey

Report: Klinsmann on the way out from Bayern


However, should Bayern lose or draw Saturday at home against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, the newspaper said Klinsmann will be fired immediately, without citing any sources.

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/stor...ut-from-Bayern

---

LOL, some of those comments are hilarious. Most of those people don't know shit.

Coach a year? Bayern have had three managers, including Klinsmannm, this decade lol.

I hope he is sacked. Never should have been given the job in the first place. Jogi Löw was the reason Germany did well in 06, not Klinsmann. Klinsmann isn't a manager for shit. He is better off managing shitty national teams like USA who have stiff competition from fucking Honduras and El Salvador, because, at the elite level, he hasn't got it.

macheda rescues the manuers again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by whitey

macheda rescues the manuers again.

---

Glad he did it again mate, Kiko will be a great striker. I hope he gets some playing minutes from SAF.
Macheda has altready gifted us the EPL Trophy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GHOSTLACED

really idk what happened to liverpool.

it was weird. they didnt look like they could handle conceding a goal, it distraught them.

IMO, the players hate the zonal marking they are FORCED to do on corners. And when they condeded 2 goals basically due to zonal marking, messing up all theur good work before hand, i think they were then just too crushed mentally to comeback.



As for United away to POrto, I think it all depends on having a full strength back 4 and a solid defensive minded midfield who can soak up, defintely no Scholes or Giggs, we need to play Fletch and Carrick and Park.

We just need to go there, and defend our asses off, and go all out for the clean sheet. And then try and nick a goal somewhere off a corner or something. I think we need to aim for the 1-0, rather than just trying to outscore them. But going for the 1-0 int he Dragao is gonna be fucking insanely hard.

---

I agree with you Ghost, Utd have to pick a good selection, especially in defence to kee p a keep a clean sheet. Maybe Ferdinand will be back in time and together with Vidic they will run the defence. But I think scoring a goal or two at Porto is must, and the attack will be boosted by the return of Berba, so SAF has to make a choice wether he'll start Tevez or Berba alongside Rooney.
Besides winning in Porto isn't impossible when you see the players we have, I think it's about being mentally strong and staying focused.

great to see another Galatasaray - Fenerbahce derby end with 4 red cards and a massive brawl. not to forget Galatasaray fans nearly breaking the roof of their own stadium which would have ended up with loads of ppl dead. Was also nice to see teammates on the Turkish national team punch and headbutt each other. fantastic.

^that sounds like my mens league games when we used to have to play the turks.

bunch of dirt bags, no offense han.

their team ended up disbanding. but now they have reformed, luckily they are in a lower division then my team is in so we don't have to play them.

yeah we do play dirty, or you can call it playing with an overload of passion.

I would actually like to see Arda, Semih and every other national team player involved banned from the national team. I mean it aint good that Arda decides to threaten goalkeeper Volkan after the match. They all gone nuts.

The great thing is both teams are basically out of the championship and probably wont even make the top 3 in the league.

they'll all be working in kebab shops if they carry on like that

wtf happened yesterday in the millwall match? penalty re-taken 3 times, 2 times saved, then it put back on the spot for the team to score.

they goalkeepers arent allowed to move off their line LOL.. its been made into the strictest rule in football..... what about Dudek when liverpool won the champions league?

surely it will be almost impossible to save a goal whilst staying on the goal line. either that or alot of keepers are going to have broken limbs after getting nailed into the goal post.

^i saw that, it embodies every reason why lower league football is so pointless. What a joke. The keepr made 2 perfectly good saves.

He wasnt even off his line. Compared to EVERY SINGLE other penaly save ive seen in the last 5 years, he couldve been considered BEHIND his line LOL







----------------------

Anyway UNITED issues =

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wutang36

I agree with you Ghost, Utd have to pick a good selection, especially in defence to kee p a keep a clean sheet. Maybe Ferdinand will be back in time and together with Vidic they will run the defence. But I think scoring a goal or two at Porto is must, and the attack will be boosted by the return of Berba, so SAF has to make a choice wether he'll start Tevez or Berba alongside Rooney.
Besides winning in Porto isn't impossible when you see the players we have, I think it's about being mentally strong and staying focused.

---

IDK if Rio is fit though.

We have 2 options, we can go to attack, and try to simply out score them to win. Or we can go very defensive, and just look for the single goal from one of our game winners or from a set piece.

Both options have risks. The Dragao is a VERY atmospheric place, and Porto players will be pushed full of confidence.

Im worried, but you have to think we have the abilty to win a game there, if we dont (with a full strngh team), we dont derserve to go thru anyway.

does someone want to lend me money to get beers tonight to watch the greatest comeback since Istanbul?

i thought i would get money through today, so i bought weed yesterday... fuck only smokin through the match.. i need the alcohol to drown my sorrows if chelsea dont allow us to score the 3 goals.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GHOSTLACED

^i saw that, it embodies every reason why lower league football is so pointless. What a joke. The keepr made 2 perfectly good saves.

---

^yeah... and then on the 3rd attempt the opposing team changed the kick taker. surely that is illegal aswell? if the pen is to be retaken, surely it should be the numpty who missed it.

wtf... Gerrard isnt even in the squad for tonight. I think Benitez is conceding this match early, to not risk Gerrard from injury... so we have a better chance at a Premier League challenge.

This is lame... Gerrard is probably the only one who could fully lift the spirits of the team on the pitch and keep pushing. Hopefully Alonso starts and Lucas is not involved.

Also, Gerrard won't be there to show his passion for the 20th year anniversary Hillsborough Disaster in 1989, April 15th... where his cousin died.

im gonna miss the game i have football practice now but its game over imo with no gerrard.

with hiim i thought they had a decent chance. not without.

well doesnt that suck a game of two very different halves.