Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:58 pm  

Stealth Comic wrote:

Anyone else think Barca are a bit, one dimensional?

Don't get me wrong they're a great side with great players but, like Arsenal, their tiki-taka philosophy seems to come before the actual objective of the game. They had no plan B whatsoever.

It seemed really tactically naive to not utilise the full width of the pitch when they had a numerical advantage.

It's their lack of a striker that confuses me. Bar Villa, they don't seem to have a single genuine striker in the entire squad. Obviously the quality of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi is more than enough for most teams, but they would benefit from having a proper forward up there as well.

Guardiola seems to be trying to change football with them. They're so good at retaining possession and pressing that they often go without central defenders and don't field any strikers either. I think in big games like Madrid at the weekend and Chelsea tonight they'd get more benefit out of a more structured setup. A back four, four in midfield someone with Messi up front. If they have to play Sanchez, play him on the wing. That way if teams are managing to cope with Messi, they can still threaten by getting the ball wide. They got into endless quality attacking positions tonight, but with only Messi, Sanchez and Cuenca in the box they weren't a threat at all. Stick a Benzema or Rooney up with Messi and they'd threaten far more.

Chelsea deserve medals for that tonight. They must have practised that all week, the banks of 6 across the edge of the box and 3 just in front of them was so utterly solid that Barca could have had 11 more players and still not done the job. Brilliant to watch. You've got to give the likes of Drogba, Kalou and Torres great credit for manning up and being a brick in the wall.

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:22 pm  

Said Chelski would go through on a score draw. Hope Madrid beat Munich tomorrow night. Should be a much easier game playing a Chelski team with half its best players missing than playing against the "best club team in the world!"

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:24 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

Stick a Benzema or Rooney up with Messi and they'd threaten far more.

Lies, bloody lies. They have the most potent player in world football, he's the most productive player around and they really don't need a proper striker to get the best from him. Like with Eto'o and Ibrahimovic before Villa, Messi is the central player and they need versatile players that can fit into their system around Messi. Like any formation, it takes the right personnel, they've missed many players this season, especially Villa, but they've also managed to bring players in and develop some of their own, like Fabregas, Sanchez, Cuenca and Tello. Anybody that knows Spanish football knows it's all about the 'cycles' of the big two, you simply can't continually win every competition when the other side gets better, so they have to continually develop and compete. Barca have competed this season, a CL semi and pushing Madrid to the last few weeks show that, but I'm sure they'll be back stronger next year, as that's the way it works.

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:25 pm  

Catalancs wrote:

Just seen Torres' goal again. Good finish but what a first touch to control the clearance.

Had quite the record against them in his Atleti days, didn't he?

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:30 pm  

News that Barcelona aren't in the final reaches Madrid

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:33 pm  

Roddy B wrote:

Had quite the record against them in his Atleti days, didn't he?

Once saw him score two at the Nou Camp to win the game for them.

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:57 pm  

Isn't that 6th in the Premier League beating the best club side in the world ever over 2 legs in a Champions League semi final?

Maybe our league isn't dead after all?

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Tue Apr 24, 2012 11:01 pm  

Karlos wrote:

Cant believe that statement hes given to Geoff Shreeves! I hope they do get to the final and he wont be able to play.Serves him right.

Terry has been probably the one player this season who has consistently given great performances and given his best. While other players were downing tools and plotting how to get rid of the boss Terry has gone played.

But today was just utterly retarded. He really does deserve a slap for what he did tonight. And his statement just showed that he has a Clinton-esque, Steve Jobs grasp of the truth.

I'm not that surprised that we got through tonight. But the manner in which we got through was amazing. Ramires is a CFC legend forever with that goal. Minutes after he was ruled out of the final he scores the goal that puts us back in the final. In the same situation Paul Gascoigne was bawling like a baby.

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Tue Apr 24, 2012 11:11 pm  

Am I the only one who thinks players shouldn't be banned from finals unless they're sent off in the previous tie? For me, Ivanovic, Ramires etc. shouldn't miss the game, but Terry should.

For me, it's just daft that a player can miss a final for a fairly minor offense. I remember Pavel Pogrebnyak being banned for Zenit in a Uefa Cup final after he was booked for challenging a defender in the air, apparently he raised his elbows but he never did. It's just pathetic and ruins the spectacle.

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Tue Apr 24, 2012 11:25 pm  

I don't really agree with suspending players for yellow cards anyway. A yellow card is a punishment during the game. You are hampered for the rest of that game, knowing that any further yellow card offences and your team is a man down. That punishment should be enough, you shouldn't need further punishment.

But it is a travesty for players to miss out on a CL or WC final because of a yellow card suspension. But it's been happening for more than a decade and nobody seems to mind.