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UEFA CL Semi-final; Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid
Topic Started: Apr 17 2012, 12:09 AM (2,934 Views)
tebroc
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Beetlejuice's Body Double
I Am Legend
Apr 18 2012, 09:45 PM
I think we defended brilliant(ly). Everyone is saying Barca were shite, but maybe our tactics made them look shite?

It bit like the Chelsea of a few years ago. Confidence at the back, soak up the pressure, hit on the break. Still a long way to go, but nobody gave us a chance tonight, so who knows.
actually agree. they squeezed the pitch and didnt give xavi & iniesta chance to control the game and make the space for leo. you rode you luck (which you have to in order to beat barca) though, barca had some very good chances that they usually bury.

will have to play even better to contain them at nou camp though to progress. Pitch is a lot bigger there. not to mention the 96k fans cheering them on.
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stacie
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Dipped in chocolate, bronzed with elegance
Barca were allowed to shoot 25 times tonight.
flak and gary love stacie and weep sorrowful tears when she's not around

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Papa_Lazarou
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Randolph
I Am Legend
Apr 18 2012, 09:48 PM
I see that Cahill was taking some heat earlier on in this thread. I thought he had a great game.
Had a fantastic second half. Was all over the shop in the first half - hence the early critisism.

Can't afford to be asleep for half the game next time.
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Oppa Papa Style
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treble
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The Chosen Juan
Chelsea weren't great imo but this is the way I see it...

1) 3 years ago, most people felt Chelsea deserved to win at SB, but Barca got lucky. Today Chelsea have done the same thing to Barca.

2) It doesn't matter how much possession Barca had, this was no different to Manchester United's performance against them in 2008 semi at Old Trafford. To cane Chelsea for it now would be double standards tbh.
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Dan94
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Monty sucks Gmen's hairy sack
Barca will still tear them a new arsehole at the Nou Camp though
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The Plastic Flag
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Boring Boring Chelsea
treble
Apr 18 2012, 09:58 PM
Chelsea weren't great imo but this is the way I see it...

1) 3 years ago, most people felt Chelsea deserved to win at SB, but Barca got lucky. Today Chelsea have done the same thing to Barca.

2) It doesn't matter how much possession Barca had, this was no different to Manchester United's performance against them in 2008 semi at Old Trafford. To cane Chelsea for it now would be double standards tbh.
Yes and no.

Chelsea were lucky tonight in the sense that Barc missed some very straight forward chances.

Barca were lucky in 2009 due to an incompetent referee. In other words, Barca were the orchestrators of their own misfortune on this occasion.

We would all love to have 80% possession in every game, but we all know there's only one stat that counts. Barca will probably have even more possession in the second leg, only time will tell if it's relevant.
Trying to get an accurate picture of reality, even when that's unpleasant or inconvenient!
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The Plastic Flag
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Boring Boring Chelsea
CanaryYidDan
Apr 18 2012, 10:00 PM
Barca will still tear them a new arsehole at the Nou Camp though
Probably. But then everyone said that about tonight too.

I'm not so stupid to think that tonight's result means our name is on the cup, but at the half way stage, it couldn't have realistically gone any better.
Trying to get an accurate picture of reality, even when that's unpleasant or inconvenient!
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Dotty
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Stuck up bastard
I think we'll see a performance of Inter proportions at the Nou Camp.
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Dan94
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Monty sucks Gmen's hairy sack
Be interesting to see how Chelsea decide to line up :lol: :S
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The Plastic Flag
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Boring Boring Chelsea
CanaryYidDan
Apr 18 2012, 10:08 PM
Be interesting to see how Chelsea decide to line up :lol: :S
Barring any injuries on Saturday, I'd expect the very same team.
Trying to get an accurate picture of reality, even when that's unpleasant or inconvenient!
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treble
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The Chosen Juan
I Am Legend
Apr 18 2012, 10:02 PM
treble
Apr 18 2012, 09:58 PM
Chelsea weren't great imo but this is the way I see it...

1) 3 years ago, most people felt Chelsea deserved to win at SB, but Barca got lucky. Today Chelsea have done the same thing to Barca.

2) It doesn't matter how much possession Barca had, this was no different to Manchester United's performance against them in 2008 semi at Old Trafford. To cane Chelsea for it now would be double standards tbh.
Yes and no.

Chelsea were lucky tonight in the sense that Barc missed some very straight forward chances.

Barca were lucky in 2009 due to an incompetent referee. In other words, Barca were the orchestrators of their own misfortune on this occasion.

We would all love to have 80% possession in every game, but we all know there's only one stat that counts. Barca will probably have even more possession in the second leg, only time will tell if it's relevant.
If it's relevant? :lol: It's always relevant with Barca so don't be under any disillusion about that. Lets not over egg what Chelsea did today. You can't trivialise Barca's possession on the premise of being lucky. An element of luck is always involved but I wouldn't want to rely on that more than once against Barca.

I'm certainly not writing Chelsea off but giving Barca 70% possession at Stamford Bridge and the manner in which you played camped in your own half for most of the match on a narrow pitch, is not going to be anywhere near the same proposition at the Nou Camp, and seeing as that is the way I see you approaching the next game, I think you'll have your work cut out ten fold compared to tonight. Put it this way, imo your only hope won't be your defence, but scoring an away goal.
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Santi
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CATHORLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Drogba is such a cretin, diving plank.
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Jeffers
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Ginger Prince
Nothing special from Chelsea there, very tight and mainly kept barca out of the box.

Credit to Lampard who won the ball off Messi then played and excellent ball to Remieres for the goal, though the defending was awful Poyul and Mascherano chased Drogba then both went across to Remeires
"I don't play against a particular team. I play against the idea of losing." - Cantona
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player#1
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Lord of the Ring-pieces
I genuinely can't explain what happened tonight. There's so many ways to look at it.

Chelsea can be praised to an extent but we can't heap it on them either. Unprecedented profligacy in front of goal by Barcelona afforded them the opportunity to defend extremely deep, yet even when they did that in the 2nd half Barcelona still should have scored an away goal or more.

Barcelona can be critisised for their wastefulness but they can't be lambasted either. They created a glut of chances and dominated a Champions League semi-final away leg pretty much from start to finish.

Anything can happen in the second-leg. People will point to Inter Milan in 2010 at the Camp Nou as a reference to how Chelsea can play but I think it would have to be a far more extraordinary effort to keep out Barcelona two years on, given the personnel that Inter had at that time. In my opinion Trebles last sentence above is bang on. Chelsea will need an away goal to go through.
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The Plastic Flag
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Boring Boring Chelsea
treble
Apr 18 2012, 10:58 PM
I Am Legend
Apr 18 2012, 10:02 PM
treble
Apr 18 2012, 09:58 PM
Chelsea weren't great imo but this is the way I see it...

1) 3 years ago, most people felt Chelsea deserved to win at SB, but Barca got lucky. Today Chelsea have done the same thing to Barca.

2) It doesn't matter how much possession Barca had, this was no different to Manchester United's performance against them in 2008 semi at Old Trafford. To cane Chelsea for it now would be double standards tbh.
Yes and no.

Chelsea were lucky tonight in the sense that Barc missed some very straight forward chances.

Barca were lucky in 2009 due to an incompetent referee. In other words, Barca were the orchestrators of their own misfortune on this occasion.

We would all love to have 80% possession in every game, but we all know there's only one stat that counts. Barca will probably have even more possession in the second leg, only time will tell if it's relevant.
If it's relevant? :lol: It's always relevant with Barca so don't be under any disillusion about that. Lets not over egg what Chelsea did today. You can't trivialise Barca's possession on the premise of being lucky. An element of luck is always involved but I wouldn't want to rely on that more than once against Barca.

I'm certainly not writing Chelsea off but giving Barca 70% possession at Stamford Bridge and the manner in which you played camped in your own half for most of the match on a narrow pitch, is not going to be anywhere near the same proposition at the Nou Camp, and seeing as that is the way I see you approaching the next game, I think you'll have your work cut out ten fold compared to tonight. Put it this way, imo your only hope won't be your defence, but scoring an away goal.
Sorry treble, you misunderstood my post. I'm not trivialising possession or over egging tonights result. What I'm saying is that whatever the possession stats were tonight, it's quite likely that that they'll be just as one sided next week. I'm saying that only time will tell whether or not their inevitable domination in possession will be enough to win the tie.

I absolutely agree that Chelsea will have to score to go through in this tie. Ironically, the huge Nou Camp pitch could have a positive effect on our game too. Barca now have to score. We know they'll dominate possession and we know that Chelsea will be camped in their own half and play on the break. Playing on the break with acres in front of you due to a large pitch cold lead to some interesting moments.

I agree with most others on there that Barca are still hot favourites to go through. But at least tonight's result makes the second game a competitive contest. Imagine if Barca had scored a couple tonight. The next game would be almost irrelevant.
Trying to get an accurate picture of reality, even when that's unpleasant or inconvenient!
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