Champions League: Juventus 2 - 2 Chelsea (agg 2-3)
Tuesday, 10 March 09, 06:45 PM · Comments (93)
Match reports
The Guardian, Dominic Fifield: "Chelsea have their quarter-final and scars aplenty to show for this skirmish with the Old Lady. A frenzied evening marked by a flurry of goals and cards, a timely reward for a player whose season had appeared wrecked by injury, and some bizarre decisions from the officials ended with Guus Hiddink's side safely ensconced in the last eight. They may not have sent shockwaves across Europe, but at least there is evidence that the resilience is back."
The Times, Matt Hughes: "Chelsea have become experts in navigating their way through the latter stages of this competition, reaching the semi-finals in four of the past five years, and this latest group of players are equally tournament-savvy. As with Liverpool, Chelsea’s main men seem to raise their game on the biggest of European nights, with Petr Cech producing his best performance for some time and Didier Drogba arriving in the nick of time to score the 83rd-minute goal that secured their passage. Even those boys in blue short of their best, such as Michael Ballack, dug in to contribute when it mattered, playing a great pass to Juliano Belletti, a substitute, who crossed for Drogba’s equaliser."
The Independent, Glenn Moore: "Didier Drogba, whose disaffection was symbolic of Chelsea's mood under Luiz Felipe Scolari, underlined his rejuvenation, and subsequent status as the key player in Guus Hiddink's successful start, with the crucial goal in Piedmont last night."
Daily Telegraph, John Ley: "Guus Hiddink decided to gamble by recalling Essien, but if it was a risk, then Essien did not disappoint, his lungs and legs lasting admirably before being substituted midway through the second half. Once again, the Dutchman displayed an ability to do no wrong. He may be insistent that his tenure at Chelsea will last only until the end of the season but, with each success, he is making it increasingly harder for Roman Abramovich not to offer him the world to stay at Stamford Bridge."
Official Chelsea FC Website: "For Essien it was the moment he has been dreaming about for six months, and it came seconds before half-time to alter the complexion of a contest that had been going against Chelsea following Juventus's 14th minute opener."
The goals
19' Iaquinta 1-0
45' Essien 1-1
74' Del Piero (pen) 2-1
83' Drogba 2-2
The preamble
So, five wins out of five under the leadership of Master Hiddink and everything seems to have returned to normal. We’re back up to second in the league, grinding out the wins and for the first time in a long while, we seem to have a slight swagger about us. Real Chelsea fans can certainly see through the hyperbole from the journalists that Hiddink has solved all our problems and that we’ve gone back to being Jose’s winning machine, but we’ve certainly turned ourselves into contenders for at least two trophies this season. Strolling past Coventry at the weekend was greeted with a general “so what” from a lot of us as we still had a Jose mindset of expecting to walk past lower league opposition but that victory showed how far we’d come under Hiddink. Just a few weeks ago that Coventry game would have given some of us some sleepless nights as we worried about our attitude and spirit but now we fully expect to stroll to victory. That, along with the resurgence of Drogba has been the defining feature of Hiddink’s short but successful reign so far. We now look organised, fit and confident and each win only adds to the momentum we’re slowly building. If we can get so close in a season of chaos like last year, then perhaps trouble-shooter Hiddink can lead us to ultimate glory.
The tactics
Guus had a number of choices to decide between for this away-leg. I think our last victory came all the way back in Rosenborg in 2007 and since that snowy night we haven’t seen a win against Schalke, Olympiakos, Fenerbahce, Liverpool, Manchester United, Cluj, Roma or Bordeaux. Away ties in the Champions League have always appeared tricky for us ever since that nightmare night in Barcelona when Vialli attempted a suicidal, 10 men behind the ball tactic, trying to hold onto a lead. Added into the mix were the return to fitness of Essien, Carvalho and Anelka. So, Guus decided to change from our regular 4-3-3 and dropped the misfiring Malouda and Kalou. Instead, we lined up in a compact yet powerful 4-1-3-2 with Drogba and Anelka finally being paired together up front, Mikel trying to nullify the threat of Nedved in front of Terry and Alex and a midfield three of Lampard, Ballack and Essien trying to overpower the Juventus midfield. We’d be up against an attacking looking Juventus side, who lined-up with three strikers and Nedved being given a free role. It certainly wasn’t a must-win and an away goal would have meant Juve needed three to go through, but it would definitely be a nervy night.
The match
A messy start with us looking exposed down the flanks as our compact midfield struggled to stop an early barrage of crosses from Juve. Nedved looked bright in his free role but was quickly put in his place thanks to a collision with the returning Essien and he was duly subbed. Already Essien had announced his return in the best possible way. However, after 10 minutes we began to find our feet with some neat passing and our almost absurdly powerful midfield began to impose themselves on the game. But then Juve burst into life. The cumbersome Alex decided to stand off Trezeguet who gladly took advantage of this awful defending by turning and cushioning a pass through to Iaquinta who simply slotted past Cech. A poor goal to concede and now we needed to score to avoid the dreaded penalty shootout. The drifting Del Piero and two raiding full-backs were hurting us with our narrow midfield looking confused and Ballack again struggling to keep pace with the game. We managed to weather the storm but we hadn’t yet created a meaningful chance and had appeared to have reverted back to the bad old Scolari days. Our main tactic appeared to be a meaningless triangle of passes between Mikel, Cole and Anelka who would aimlessly send in a cross to no-one. It was a very poor first half at this point, with two wayward shots from Ballack and Anelka being our only attempts at goal. Then a Tiago handball led to a great free-kick from Didier who squeezed it in at the near post, or did he?. The team went up in celebration but still there was no goal. It was Anfield all over again. Was it, wasn’t it? It wasn’t given despite the replays showing the ball behind the line. However, seconds later an angry Lamps powered in a trademark drive only for Buffon to tip it onto the bar. Finally Essien said fuck it, I’ll stick it in whilst the rest of you are missing and he arrived to confirm that precious away goal. Surely we were through to the next round? Despite the goal, it was a very poor first half from us, as reflected by Wilkins’ half-time interview. Ranieri’s attacking line-up was exposing our narrow midfield and the side looked a little leggy. Remarkably, our man-of-the-match so far and with seemingly all the energy in the world was the Bison, Michael Essien. Ballack, however looked off the pace, with the game passing him by as he continued to give the ball away.
Guus made a subtle change at half time and adopted a more rigid 4-1-4-1 with Anelka and Essien being given the task of stopping their attacking full-backs. Drogba and Essien were starting to control the second half and our not so subtle time wasting tactics began to frustrate the Juve players and crowd. However, Juve still looked dangerous and an unmarked Del Piero should have done better from another Juve cross. The Tinkerman sent on the tricky and pacy Giovinco as he searched for the remaining two goals he needed. A Cech cock-up as he handled outside the box whilst trying to stop a corner awoke Juve who put together a great passing move which resulted in an unmarked Trezeguet, who again escaped from Alex’s marking, forcing a brilliant save from Cech. Hiddink responded by bringing on Belletti for Essien trying to shore up our right flank. Juve were pushing forward with Del Piero and Giovinco finding space behind our midfield and the pressure led to a stupid foul by Bosingwa. Cech however, brilliantly gathered the dangerous Giovinco's free-kick. We were looking fragile but we did have chances to counter-attack, one of which led to a desperate tackle by Chiellini to stop Drogba running forward, who was shown his second yellow and a subsequent red. We couldn’t possibly mess it up from here, could we? Well we could try. An idiotic handball from Belletti, doing his best goalkeeping impression, led to a penalty, which Del Piero stroked in. We needed to calm down and hold out for the next 20 minutes as Juve poured forward and Claudio made his final sub by bringing on the Drogba-esque Amauri as we looked all over the place. Rome here we come! Not exactly at this rate. But then we exploded into life. Terry sent a sublime 50 yard ball to Belletti who cushioned it down for Ballack. He feinted to shoot but slid in Belletti who sent over a perfect cross for Drogba to turn into the net. It was a brilliant goal which showed how well we can play as well as the experience and class of Ballack. All you could hear were the faint chants of the couple of thousand Chelsea fans, perched in a corner of the stadium as hoards of Juve fans exited the ground. We could easily have got a third to continue Guus’ 100% record but Buffon continued to keep us out. The final bonus was the return of Carvalho in place of the elephant like Alex as well as the closing chants of “we’re untouchable” from the brilliant Chelsea fans. One slight negative though, was our amazing ability to pick up needless yellow cards which will undoubtedly harm us in future rounds. It was a very nervy night, which again ended without an away win but we’re though, so who cares?
The good
- Petr Cech. Apart from his handball, he looked something close to his best. He made some brilliant saves, most notably from Trezeguet and collected some dangerous crosses to relieve some of the growing pressure in the second half.
- Didier Drogba. He was absolutely brilliant in the second half as he terrorised their centre-backs, helping to get one sent off, sprayed around 60 yard passes and helped defend the fragile aggregate lead. He seems a new player under Hiddink but appeared a lot more effective in the second half when Anelka was shifted out to the left wing and he was given the lone striker role. I would bet that Anelka and not Drogba will be sold this summer as we bring in the left winger we plainly need.
- Our fans. Never stopped singing and their support for Ashley Cole and the side was brilliant tonight.
- Michaal Essien. How we’ve missed him. May still be unfit but his energy and awesome power were hugely important tonight. The narrow 4-1-3-2 may not have worked tonight but he is definitely an untouchable in my eyes along with Cech, JT, Ashley, Frank and Drogba. His return may spur us on to glory in May.
- Sebastian Giovinco. Changed the game with his pace and trickery and a possible left-field option to solve our left-wing problem.
- Frank Lampard. Didn’t score but his experience and drive were crucial tonight. Plus he’s a personal favourite and hopefully his inclusion will piss Moffat off.
The bad
- Tactics. I’m certainly not sticking the knife into Guus but the tactics tonight looked a little off. Firstly, the 4-1-3-2 gamble just didn’t work. We were too narrow and Juve exploited it to send over a barrage of crosses. It had the potential to turn into a Monaco-esque debacle but Guus made a good change at half-time as he sent the side out to defend the 1-1 in a 4-1-4-1 formation. But as Drogba said after the match, the players didn’t know what to do in the second half. Should they go for the second goal to kill the game or hold onto the 1-1? He went on to say that the side got even more confused as Juve went down to ten men. We sat back, invited Juve onto us and conceded a second goal and it was this which triggered our reaction. Guus is certinaly more tactically astute than Phil but tonight, everything looked a little muddled.
- Alex. Awful. Too slow, too cumbersome and was at fault for their first goal. He also regularly failed to mark his man as Juve sent over cross after cross. The return of Ricky in stoppage time was greeted with relief and I’d happily back the club if they want to sell him this summer.
- Juliano Belletti. A very good assist should not mask his defensive failings. He failed to protect Bosingwa in the second half and his idiotic hand ball could have sent us out of the Champions League.
Some may wonder if Ballack should be included here but his second half performance was a huge improvement on his first and his experience and class helped seal our passage through to the quarter-finals.
Player ratings
It’s out of 10, okay Moffat?
- Petr Cech – 8/10 – Dominated at crosses and set-pieces and is nearly back to his best.
- Jose Bosingwa – 6/10 – His casual defending is starting to annoy me but he did provide a good outlet in the seoncd half as we counter attacked.
- John Terry – 6/10 – Very solid. Seems to miss Ricky’s pace but did nothing wrong tonight.
- Alex – 4/10 – I just don’t like him. He’s an elephant in my eyes and should never have forced Ivanovic out of the side and possibly the club.
- Ashley Cole – 6/10 – Another personal favourite of mine. I don’t really care what he does off the pitch but on it, he’s in a straight fight with Lamps for player of the year.
- John Obi Mikel – 5/10 – A little harsh perhaps but he had a shaky start as he lost Nedved and struggled to cope with Del Piero and Giovinco constantly dropping off into that ‘No. 10’ position he should have been controlling. I still want him to retain his place as Essien would be wasted there.
- Frank Lampard – 7/10 – We seemed to avoid passing to him in the first 20 minutes but when he got into the game he helped us keep the ball and drive us forward. It was his shot which got us back into the game and his currently just ahead of Ashley in the player of the year race.
- Michael Ballack – 6/10 – A shocker of a first half as he constantly gave the ball away and struggled to adapt to the high tempo of Juve’s game. But his experience and class in the second half saw us through. He may steer us to Champions League glory but this season will surely be his last.
- Mickael Essien – 8/10 – A brilliant return. His pace, power and energy are a great addition and could act like the best ever transfer window signing.
- Nicolas Anelka – 5/10 – Pretty anonymous and failed to take his chance when paired with Drogba as a front two. Drifted to the left wing where we hardly saw him in the second half. Despite his goals, he’ll never beat an on-form Drogba and is my tip for the exit ramp in this summer’s squad overhaul.
- Didier Drogba – 8/10 – He’s back. As simple as that. With him in the side, anything is possible this season.
- Juliano Belletti (sub) – 5/10 – A good assist but that idiotic handball and his defensive deficiencies nearly cost us. He’s not a right-back or right-midfielder in any way as he just can’t defend well enough. A defensive midfield backup maybe but Mancienne can also play there and Belletti could potentially be for the chop this summer.
Man of the Match
I’ll give it to Drogba. Cech did keep us in the game in the second half but the return of Didier has been awesome. He can still terrorise defences and he’ll be crucial against Arsenal at Wembley and the Emirates to continue our FA Cup and Premier League campaigns but more importantly he can still dominate any defence in Europe on his own. Provided we don’t face United in the next round, I feel he can drive us forward all the way to Rome.
Conclusion
We knew it’d be nervy and we nearly messed it up but in the end we deservedly went through. As I said in the intro, we know we are far from a return to that winning machine but tonight did show that we now have a spirit and determination not to fold in the face of adversity. I am certain that we would have lost that match under Scolari as Juve went 2-1 up, instead Hiddink has restored our fighting spirit and our response was brilliant. Watching him on Chelsea TV last week, Guus said that success this season will be determined by how our spine performs in the run in. On present form, our spine of Cech, JT, Essien, Lamps and Didier should lead us to glory come May.
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93 Comments · Add yours
Splendid stuff, Habs. Pretty much spot on in my eyes.
I thought we were really poor in the opening 35 minutes. As you say, a lack of width cost us. Mikel and Ballack looked lost, while Anelka and Drogba struggled somewhat as a front two.
Second half, much better thanks to a few tactical tweaks. The tension got to me and has given me a headache. There's nothing for it but to take some strong painkillers and have a cup of tea.
Signing off with a Big Lebowski quote: Over the line! LINK
Nice review Habs. Minor quibbles on ratings, but otherwise I liked it.
Quite a game- there were quite a few phases- 4 in the first half: the beginning to Nedved sub, Sub go Iaquinta goal, goal to Drogba free kick, then Essien goal and end of the half. In the second half at least 4: Chelsea playing better up to Gicovino sub, Juve better up to Red card and Del Piero pen, Juve Rampant for 10 min, and then Drogba goal to finish.
When you have at least 8 distinct phases to the game it just seems very disjointed. It felt much, much longer than a normal 90 minutes...
As I said, I'm in agreement with most of what Habs said, so I'm not going to wax poetic about Essien. My other thoughts:
Cech was great. He showed how good he is positionally tonight. We had a display of two extremely good goalkeepers tonight. Without Cech and Buffon, this game could have realistically ended 4-4. Cech had some "easy" saves against tough shots because he was always in the right place. The handball was unfortunate.
Bosingwa looked quite good I thought. Juve looked to be a very, very good side at times. Jose I think did a great job keeping the flank covered. There is only so much that can be done against a player like Gicovino. I thought during the game about how happy I was that we finally had a solution to right back. That said, he was as good as Ashley, and you rated them the same.
Good spot for recognizing Alex as responsible for the Trezeguet pass. He isn't my favorite either, as I'd always like to see Carvalho or Ivanovic (not sure about Mancienne- this might be too much too fast for him in this game as center back). Riccy had one great possession at the end- the ball was bouncing around, he strode in and dribbled into space and made a productive, safe pass. Made me realize how much we miss him. A sequence that was much different than the nervy clearances most of the game.
Lampard looked fine- he never tried to force things, and that he was somewhat subdued relative to his previous form I think is a testament to how good Juve was. I don't think we should forget that they are an excellent side.
The Referee was exactly to my liking. Obviously the ghost goal was contentious, but the rest of the refereeing was to our benefit. Juve is a dirty dirty team, and in contrast to our first leg, the whistle was blown early and often. For us that is great- rarely did we have something building from a foul. But for Juve this stopped most of their counter attacks. I don't think we would have won this game if the referees from each leg were switched. It is quite a decision to send off the center back at home in a CL game!
This may sound crazy, but dare I say it, that even though we think of ourselves as a "powerful" side- if getting equal protection from the ref gives us a tactical advantage, aren't we also a "technical" or "flowing" team that the press thinks we aren't?
Drogba was a beast. A pure, on form Drogba goal, a phantom free kick goal, and a forced red card? What a game.
Ballack is confusing me a bit. Sometimes he looks off, and other times he pops up at full speed somewhere unexpected on the pitch. He has gone a few games now where he has had an impressive volley or two- sooner or later these are going to go in.
Belletti is also something of a mystery. The handball was no good. Why not put someone bigger on the corner of the wall, or at least less gun-shy? Yet he had a beautiful cross, and was denied a good goal by some mediocre finishing but some great Buffon keeping. He clearly offers something- I just wonder what the best place for him is.
Guus is doing something right. I'd rather be lucky than good. I think, however, that he's quite good, and his reputation is from pundits not being at his level and understanding his brilliance.
good job Blues! hopefully we get Bayern next round, should be easiest site as long as Barca makes no mistake tomorrow
Some thoughts..
I thought Cech came up with some big saves, however I didn't think he's in his best form. The handball was an example of how he can sometimes take a mundane situation and turn it into trouble quickly.
Essien..my personal favorite, and i think he has the old chelsea spirit hardwired in his DNA. i quickly flashed back to him coming up huge against valencia a few seasons back. his pace and strength are no doubt still in development, but for him to put in this sort of performance while still recovering is great news.
Super Frank managed to continue to pull the strings for us, even if it was a little more subdued this game. Without him we are nothing.
Drogba is most certainly back. When he feels like it, no one can touch him. The combination of his physical presence and technical ability is unmatched and they are a different club with him in the lineup.
Ballack, Mikel, and Bosignwa were lacking for me tonight. Bosignwa is great out on the wing crossing balls into the box, but has too much trouble tracking back and winning tackles for a wing back. Ballack had a horrid first half but was the krux of the second goal with a great bit of distribution to belletti on the wing.
One final thought: Does Quaresma's recent form warrant him more starting time? I feel like he is a good source of pace on the team (something which is lacking otherwise), and he plays the wing much more strongly than Anelka, who seemed to be pushed out to that role tonight.
Onwards and Upwards, lets hope for a merciful draw for the round of 8, and KTBFFH.
why did you draw juve? we were counting on you
I'll be able to wear my Essien shirt at Crushers tonight!
Reply to chocolateleprechaun:
Regarding your final thought he is cup-tied in Europe so cannot play for us in the UCL.
Great report Habs. We seemed to make some stupid errors throughout this match, such as the handballs by Petr and Belletti. But they both more than made up for them. Belletti's assist on the second goal and almost scoring the winner in added time should perhaps earn him a six..
If the Gooners make it through tomorrow, it is entirely possible to play them 4 more times this term all within 32 days!!!! hmmm....
yaeh, gooo chelsea, at last, chelsea to the next round, bye bye juventus!!
I think you're being a bit harsh on Bosingwa-this was the first match where he looked truly solid defensively (aside from struggling to cope with Giovinco a bit, but our whole defense did so that can hardly be held against him). Bosingwa made a number of excellent defensive stops, and I've noticed that he's an excellent shielder of the ball. He certainly doesn't lack for audacity and confidence either, but truth be told I'm quite pleased he's come in with a swagger and made that position his.
Reply to marcelita_999:
Madid was abysmal yesterday!!
why is this muppet doing match reports??????
i would like to be left alone while i'm on leave.
Re: "Jose Bosingwa – 6/10 – His casual defending is starting to annoy me but he did provide a good outlet in the seoncd half as we counter attacked."
I think you're being a bit too harsh on Bosingwa. The kid plays relaxed but is solid and reliable. Belletti on the other hand...
I heart Michael Essien.
So glad he's back. Showing no fear, the way he lunged in to score the goal, despite the proximity of two defenders and Buffon - top stuff.
Godd report Habs, picking up on a few things I was going to mention. Stupid yellow cards is the obvious one. Will cost us in the latter stages for sure. Belletti was just an idiot - no complaints. But Anelka and Ashley picking them up for time-wasting on throw ins is just childish - we dont have another left back or second choice striker so to lose them would be costly.
Disappointed with Bosingwas decision making last night. He defended admirably, but going forward, he lost the ball far too many times when he cut inside instead of passing. And his crossing is more miss than hit.
The Iaquinta goal really displayed the one flaw in JT's game - his lack of pace. He could do nothing about the ball past him, but the back 4 was far too flat at that point.
The way Giovinco made a mug of Ballack and Bosingwa on more than one occasion did have me casting a needy glance in his direction. He looks a really decent footballer, would be a great signing, particularly if the rumours of Juve wanting Malouda were true.
Still, it's the result that matters. It's all quiet in the papers beacuse His Royal Highness Benitez 'masterminded' the destruction of the spent force that is Real Madrid. You'd struggle to believe we played if you hadn't watched it. But that suits me fine.
Good report Habs. Plus you managed to rattle the trolls cage which is always a good thing.
I think you've been a bit harsh on Alex. Any goal can be attributed to a defensive error so ultimately it's just a bit easy to single someone out. I will always prefer Riccy or Ivanovic but it wasn't that long ago that we were having to use Essien or Ferreira in that role so from a cover point of view I think he's pretty OK, and better than most other PL centre backs.
I also thought Bosingwa was excellent last night and am really starting to admire his ball control and passing skills. Much rather that than someone who never breaches the halfway line...I think he'll be much envied by other teams in the future.
Squire Danny Baker was on superb form last night and I highly recommend at least the first 10-15 minutes of his show (available via the BBC iPlayer)
LINK
as he sums up Chelsea fans in one sentence....
"The most bi-polar fans in the world"
And then he allows a scouser to be the first caller to be the first person allowed to talk about the nights football rather than the normal quirkier stuff. I urge you to listen to Bakers rant about Liverpool and Benitez in particular, plus the associated dismissal of Real Madrid and foreign teams in general. Funny and scathing at the same time.
Rather pleasant evening all round.
Thought their first goal was a) very good and b) more a matter of collective responsibility than individual error; JT was ball watching and lost Iaquinta completely (who reminds me a little bit of Crespo for whatever reason), Alex and Mikel were both looking at Trezeguet wondering who should pick him up. You'd imagine that Guus will be picking that kind of thing up in training and working on it. Nice to see Carvalho back though; Alex has done reasonably well, but there is no subsitute for Lord Percy at his best.
Bayern in the next round please.
Quote from Baker which made me roar with laughter...on Benitez...
"He has a waxy pea sized heart where the rest of us have a football"
Superb.....ranting to be proud of
Thanks for the report Habs. I only managed to see the highlights and they don't give the full picture obviously. It really is fantastic to see our African contingent of Drogs and Bison back on form. If Ricky can get back to full fitness and our best eleven can be fielded in the next round, we should be able to take on anyone over two legs.
And Tony's right, Danny Baker was on particularly good form last night. He hates Chelsea above anyone and is very funny with his abuse, but last night spared us, directing his withering put downs at Liverpool. His comment that Benitez reduces football to a mathematical formula and doesn't even get excited when they score was very telling. Constipated was how he described them. And the comment about bi-polar Chelsea fans is spot on. We're usually either in despair or over excited about what we can achieve. Always been the same.
Agree on the first goal, both CBs were at fault but it was a lovely piece of football as well.
Thought Lampard and Anelka were brilliant in the second half, first half was all a bit of a mess. Second half reminded me of the win in Valencia, when Essien scored in the last minute.
Results for all clubs after European weeks have not been particularly impressive, but there's a good chance United and Liverpool will drop two points on Sunday - so we have to get our focus back for City. Looking good, though.
why is this muppet doing match reports??????
@Nick
I appreciate that the quote isn't exactly abusive, but for someone who you banned, and then he pleads for clemency and promises to behave, he's falling short.
Anyone who takes the time to write a report on this blog deserves a bit more credit and respect, even if you don't agree with their views. (good report Habs)
I'm not telling you what you should do Nick, but perhaps a "Reassesment" of your good will and kind nature needs addressing.
By the way I'm with Fiftee on this one, were we playing last night? Liverpool have won the competition already by what the media are spouting today.
LINK
I am surprised this interview missed in the report. Unfortunately it is not video of the interview, but it is still very depictive!!! Drogba admits that we did not know our tactics till the moment Juve scored the goal. Strange, very strange. I have a growing strange feeling that our players doing Grant out of Hiddink. They just play on character, using the style they know disregarding of what they told. I simply can not believe that Guus did not tell them tactical disposition for the game!!! Could you???!!!
Just remembered something I wanted to ask you people.
Petr Cech - completely useless at facing penalties or what? Save for Ronaldo's in last seasons CL final (which counted for nothing), has he ever saved a spot kick?
[Cue onslaught of proof that he really has done]
Reply to Blue_MikeL:
I think Drog is talking about the mentality than the tactics as such and I take his point, CL knock-out games can change completely thanks to a single goal because of the away goal rule and a manager cannot do a whole lot about that in the middle of a half.
Reply to Fiftee:
He is not the best in saving penalties, far from it. He has saved may be another one or two (apart from that Ronaldo penalty) during his Chelsea carrier.
Reply to Fiftee:
No onslaught from here. His attempt last night was pathetic and from the moment Del Piero lined up the penalty he looked a defeated goalkeeper. It's a weak part of his game and he needs to work on it.
@ Dannybrod - Baker does hate us with a vengeance but I have no issue with that, unlike the 'bend in the direction of the wind' press because his hatred is born from pure London rivalry and envy and he is never hypocritical - he proudly wears his dislike of us for all to see.
The bi-polar thing made me roar because I can't think of any Chelsea fan I know who wouldn't agree totally - this blog is de facto evidence of it. The absolute tear down of benitez was bloody classy though and on hearing it again, he's right....Liverpool score and Tubby goes straight to the notepad as if to say 'yes, this makes mathematical sense'.
Even Hiddinck , a man who seemingly dishes out smiles like Fergie dishes out roses to BBC staff displays some emotion when we score.
It is weird how our hard fought away draw has become a mere footnote amongst the glory of Liverpool beating a pisspoor Madrid.
Obviously it's because we don't play in red, have no class and no history.
Oh and is just me or is Del Piero the biggest cheating diving pussyfoot player playing in Europe?
He went down so often last night I was almost conned into thinking I was watching an porn special on cunnilingus. Oh the agony he must go through when a fingernail breaks......
Reply to PeteW:
Well, as I said unfortunately it is just link and not the video of the interview. I watched the video yesterday on ITV4 and it made very strange impression on me. Same thing has been mentioned yesterday by Limetreebower(See the Coventry vs. Chelsea page.120. limetreebower Wrote: | 22.16GMT | Mar 10, 2009,) I do not think it is about mentality. Even, if you read the yahoo article the phrase like "We didn't really know what to do, if we should attack or not, so we played counter-attacking football," he told ITV. He clearly mentions tactics.
Reply to moffat:
You pushed it too far. Enjoy your leave.
@Fiftee - I turned to my friends and said, "If Cech saves the penalty I'll buy the beer for the next six months." That's how confident I was he would save it. Our best penalty saver now plays for some team in north London.
I'm listening to Danny Baker's 606 at the moment. "There's no point in getting rid of fox hunting and letting a team like Wolves in the Premier League. It is like putting raw meat in front of a lion."
I've always liked him despite his hatred for Chelsea. I was one of the few who listened to his weekend mid-morning show on Radio 1 in the early nineties. It made driving to work on a Saturday more bearable. It said something about the Radio 1 audience that ratings plummeted when he replaced Dave Lee Travers.
Reply to chelseablog:
That made me laugh as well, although the serious point about stiopping promotion and just getting these teams to win that league set me thinking....would so called big clubs like Leeds, Wolves, Forest, Wednesday ever realistically be able to stay in the top flight such is the gap?
The Fraser Digby's kitbag song done to hotel California was classic Baker. As for the debacle of audience figures dropping when Grandpa Travis was replaced by Baker....a more damning indictment of Radio 1's listenership IQ is hard to find.......although Mark and Lard suffered a similar fate as well. Just too clever for their own good some people......
Is Drogs' apparent confusion about our tactics down to him forgetting to take his headphones off when Hiddink was giving the team talk?.... I'll get my coat;-)
Enjoyed the report Habs, you covered a lot of ground there.
I think you focus a bit too much on Alex while ignoring the fact that Terry's lack of pace can be a problem. Young Best left them both on their arses on Saturday in what was the only seriously poor moment against Coventry. That said JT was good second half last night, dealing with stuff on the edge of the box with his back to goal.
I think it has been and will be a problem when we defend higher up, as we must, that JT can't get back at any reasonably fast player one they're put through.
@CT
Love the Baker. Talks about playing the current Real Madrid as being exciting in the same way that getting Elvis' autograph when he was fat was exciting but not the same as getting it when he was a rock 'n roll star. And those 'Poo fans ringing up just don't get it and can't laugh at themselves.
Unlike us. But then with our history what else could you do?
Looks like our FA Cup semi against Hull is Sat, 5.15pm. Can somebody get me a ticket please?
Brilliant review, mate. One of the best ever in the ChelseaBlog. Spot on about the "untouchables" remark: Cech, JT, Ashley, Lamps, Essien & Drogs without a doubt belong to this category and I also agree that Anelka, Alex should be sold along with Malouda, Deco and Ballack. My only disagreement would be marking Ballack 6/10, I thought he has been poor throughout this season and now that Essien is back, he should be in the bench and we should play 4-1-4-1 from the start. (Cech, Bos, JT, Riccy, Ashley; Obi; Kalou, Essien, Lamps, Anelka; Drogs).
Drogs at his best again proved that there are very few, if anyone, who can even come close to him as the best striker in the world. As far as scoring in big matches is concerned, he's simply the best.
Well done Guus!
KTBFFH!
Reply to BlueBayou:
Yep, you're probably right, but i do have a few personal favourites amongst the side and will always try to defend them a little more than others. It's wrong i know but when it comes to JT, Lamps, Essien and Ashley Cole (yep a strange decision), i'll always view them as untouchables. You're also right about JT's lack of pace and that's why i found it baffling that Alex was given a 10 game run when he has the mobility of an elephant instead of Ivanovic who looked pretty quick when paired with JT. Hiddink has said that we should squeeze the play and defend higher up the pitch which should be fine with Ricky.
Reply to chelseablog:
Thanks for that Moffat defence.
On Cech, i was watching his 200 Not Out show last weekend and he was asked by Neil Barnett how he felt about the fans' view that he's a poor penalty taker. Cech said that in France he was one of the best in Europe at penalty saving until someone gave away all his tips on TV. Since then he said he's never been the same and has had to change his routine, which proved successful against Dickov on that famous night in Blackburn but since then it's been David James-esque. He always seems to go the wrong way and Cech even said that it reached it's worst moment when we lost 4-1 on pens at Anfield where he went the wrong way on every pen apart from Kuyt's and that Liverpool seemed to know which way he'd go. I used to think that it was his lack of homework and perhaps the coaches didn't give him the tapes or an Ipod like Ben Foster to show him which way to dive. But instead it seems like he doesn't have a routine. Reina and Van Der Sar usually follow the same routine by walking up to the penalty spot to try and upset the taker's concentration, then they slowly walk back to the line and then they brilliatly edge off the line before diving forward as well as across without the ref blowing up. Cech on the other hand waits on his line, does a silly shimmy and then falls over the wrong way as he sees the taker stroke it in to the other side. It's annoying but he should discover a new routine soon and we'll probably need him to perform in Rome in May.
Reply to ChelseaTony:
On Cech- His penalty stopping is terrible. It is obvious that he just guesses, and he can't read the shooter. But it appears that it is even worse, that penalty takers can read him. It needs to be fixed.
On our defense- the one thing to remember is that the pass from Trezeguet was absolutely ridiculous. If Alex played him closer, Trez could have beaten him with a turn. Instead, he plays off of him and the extremely low percentage pass comes off. I don't think there is a ton that can be done.
As for Del Piero and Juve Cheating- this is why I thought the ref did a good job, even though he botched the big call. Belletti's handball was a penalty, Cech's handball was a yellow, and little fouls were called on each side.
Yes Del Piero is something of a diver, but this meant that they were whistled for the awful fouls they continued to commit. We didn't get that red card for nothing.
LINK
Not sure if you've seen that, but the third one down is the "Italian Plan". It isn't like people haven't seen what they do before...
Reply to haberdashers:
That's fascinating.
Maybe he should just go back to his old routine. Not like this one is working.
I would love to hear his penalty taking tips... too bad they don't work for him anymore.
Reply to haberdashers:
Alex lacks mobility, but he's surprisingly quick - the footballing equivalent of a one of those fancy sports cars that have a huge turning circle but a top speed of a bazillion miles per hour. I can't recall which recent match it was in, but he out-paced a player known for his speed. Villa maybe? It surprised me.
@Tony - Yep, liked me some Mark and Lard too. My then girlfriend hated them, but then she also disliked John Peel. And I wonder why we're no longer together.
Well done to everyone!!!!!! the only bad point of the evening was having to put up with Liverpool winning aainst a rubbish Madrid side but being lauded over by the media as usual! once again they eclipse a Chelsea hard won game against much better opponents than Madrid away from home....grrrr i really hate them and the media!!!
Reply to BlueBayou:
Later on an Irish Scouser rung in to harangue Big Dan and of course also invoked the full tirade....but no matter how hard he tried Baker wouldn't let him make a huge debate over it...I was really entertaining stuff but this guy patently just didn't get the whole thing. I thought Scousers, even honorary ones were famed for their sense of humour.....
@ CB - It's weird how broadcasting has become so homogenised in this country. Very few of the major networks even court controversy these days (Brand/Ross aside but that would have been blocked had people really looked at it) - it seems to fall into two camps ...'zany humour' or 'serious academia' - the truly quirky and original stuff gets even more marginalised, but in any field I guess genuine talent often is....music being a great example and TV another. ShiteTV continue to broadcast bollocks drama, reality cobblers, chav TV and piss poor sport coverage and wonder why audience ratings fall. just look at the godawful 'Demons' series that was touted as a series challenger to Dr Who. Compare and contrast to BBC3's superb but rather more adult and darker, less special effects reliant Being Human. It's the Real Madrid/Fat Elvis thing again....
Anelka should be given more credit for his ability to control the ball, helping the defense on the left, tirelessly running all over the field to get the ball, and contributing with his pace in our counter attack. He was just a work horse in the second half.
Not wishing to bring up the whole badger thing again, but I just spoke to my father on the phone. He told me he was putting leftover pizza aside for... yes, you guessed it, badgers. Apparently there's a set near his workshop (he's a stonemason and works out in the sticks) and he regularly feeds them. Badgers eating pizza, I ask you. Not sure what Terry Nutkins would have to say about this.
I'm rambling. I'm off to don my imaginary Inter shirt for the evening.
I'm also getting excited about tonight. For me, we're in a no lose situation. I'd of course love Jose to get through and then we draw them in the next round but if the more likely outcome of Utd cruising through happens, i'd happily look forward to a rematch in Rome.
Nice review Habs…just that when I saw that the review for this match would be done by you, I knew Alex was in for a hiding!
Nice to see that some of the ‘wise-men’ on the blog don’t share your view wholesale. As far as I saw it, JT was equally to blame for that 1st goal…Iaquinta or whatever his name is, left him for dead when running in to collect the return pass from Trezeguet…I’m sure if roles had been swapped between Alex and JT (ie Alex chasing Iaquinta and JT standing off Trezeguet) you’d still have blamed Alex for the goal! Come to think of it…did you ‘appreciate’ his goal against Coventry?...the pace and the finish…don’t think an elephant could have achieved that.
I thought Ashley had a very good match…he was very much up for the fight and burning to play, all through the game.
The weak link for me was Ballack…he was slow, lost the ball a lot, made some wrong passes and was not winning the ball enough. All this resulted in undue pressure on the team.
On Cech and his penalty goofs…I have the feeling that if he only feigns a movement and doesn’t commit before a kick is taken, he’d save more. Most players expect him to make a move before they kick the ball and he often obliges them
It's been all Inter since that first 10 mins. If only they had a finisher like Didier. Ibrahimovic is a great target man but he just can't finish. Utd don't deserve to be 1-0 up after the first half.
Reply to haberdashers:
I know your passion for TSO, amigo, but it looks like it is all over for Inter.
And by the way I really want to be proved wrong on this one.
It became blindingly obvious as the game went on that Inter just possess an awful team. Jose is too good for them especially when his tactical changes hav to involve the likes of Vieira, Muntari, Stankovic, Figo, Adriano and the hugely average Ibrahimovic. I thought he looked like a very good target man in the first half but in the second half he just looked like an overrated, arrogant sulk. Come back to England Jose, you're wasting your time in Italy. If that side can walk away with Serie A, then how bad is Serie A?
I've just thrown my imaginary Inter shirt on the fire.
Ibrahimovic is one of the most over-rated players in world football.
Reply to haberdashers:
I think we have our proof tonight. All 3 Italian teams out, Milan not even in the picture. No goals scored while away. A total of 3 goals at home across 3 teams, with one a fortuitous (as opposed to a well created) penalty.
Inter didn't have it. I don't know if that means Mourinho has lost it or not. But I look at our bench, and I'm far more excited by who we bring on than what Inter has to offer. Only the idea of Adriano or Balotelli seems like a viable substitution.
A consistently mediocre Arsenal snuck by Roma. I wonder if Villa, Everton or even West Ham would give them problems.
I think the real story here is Real, however. All of the great players from Lyon are gone, Sporting were impostors, Panathinaikos isn't so hot, Athleti was flattering to decieve, and Porto won't make it past the next round (unless they draw Villareal or Bayern and pull an upset).
Why Real? It isn't just that the mighty have fallen, but that the team has very little in place going forward. Wendy Ramos won't continue. The management and board are in disarray. Raul can't last much longer, and he is no longer a big game winner.
What they have is Robben, Sergio Garcia, Lassana Diarra, and Casillas. Maybe Sneijder and Van der Vaart? Perhaps Higuain.
Cannavaro is 35. Heinze is 30. Guti is now 32. Is Pepe the future of their defense?
I find this all interesting, because Rafa is Madrid born and bred. He is having heaps of trouble with the 'pool owners. He just embarrassed Real.
Real moans when they are winning when it isn't pretty, but they will resort to someone like Capello when they aren't winning. I see them making Rafa an offer he can't refuse. Maybe he brings Gerrard and Xabi Alonso with him?
I'd be happy to see the backs of the three of them. Liverpool leave the big 4, Villa enter. Mourinho spends another year at Inter, buying a few promising Italian players, not old castoffs. We... well, I have no idea what we are going to do.
Reply to chelseablog:
Well, he's similar to Lampard in that he got the "You're the Best" speech from Mourinho. Now everyone hates him more.
He's dissimilar in that Frank delivers.
Jose has to play at least some of his players. He has to field at least one out of Ibrahimovic, Adriano and Balotelli. Perhaps Ibra's the best of the worst. Mourinho doesn't have a Timmy Cahill to play a 4-6-0.
What I did like in that game was watching Giggs. I think Frank might be that player for us. He'll have a longer playing life than Terry for sure, and a player that can read the game like he can will be valuable even as his pace diminishes.
Reply to haberdashers:
I'm worried. United look defensively good enough to keep clean sheets, and offensively good enough to always score goals. In certain aspects they remind me of us under Mourinho. Always ending up on the right side of the scoresheet.
I'm not awarding them the intergalactic Octuple quite yet. I do think if they play Barca at some point the game will be a real barn burner.
It's depressing. No surprise at all that Inter went out, and really not much surprise in a poor Arse getting past Roma -- not to mention our own boys in blue playing pretty badly (by all accounts, didn't see the game myself) and still getting past one of the most storied clubs in Europe.
So, 3 in 7 chance of being drawn against an English team in the quarters, and you *know* that with the exception of Barca every other team in the competition is hoping that the English clubs get drawn against each other, because otherwise the four semifinalists are Barca plus three of the four English clubs.
The competition just doesn't seem as appealing, somehow.
So what do we want the CL gods to send us? Vile Mancs vs 'Poo? Mancs vs Barca? It's peculiarly anticlimactic, isn't it?
I hope we draw Bayern M. That would be a proper European tie.
Reply to Be_Champions:
I agree that Jose has to praise Ibrahimovic as he's all they've got. Ibrahimovic is the President's favourite and at times i feel as if Jose wants to take him off but he can't. The fans would hate him and he hasn't got anyone to bring on. As Chelsea fans we can all see that his talk of Ibrahimovic being the best player in the world was just a ploy to give him the confidence to drive the team forward. But it now just seems embarrassing. When he did it to Lamps, Frank at least claimed second place in the World Player of the Year award, so he was officially one of the best players in the world, but Zlatan isn't even close. He's moody, arrogant and a piss poor finisher. His arrogance was sometimes pretty embarrassing whenever he decided to shoot from 40 yards or sulk upfront instead of closing down Vidic or Rio. How Jose must miss Didier.
Reply to haberdashers:
You do occasionally see flashes of brilliance from Ibrahimovic, but they are so few and far between that it's easy to come to the conclusion that he's over-rated.
I've watched him play for Juve, Inter and Sweden over the years and in that time I can honestly say I've never seen him give a consistently brilliant performance, especially in a "big" game. His goal for Sweden against Greece at Euro 2008 stands out as the only moment of genius I've witnessed.
That said, unlike Jose and the pundits, I don't watch him play week in, week out in Italy. For all I know he might be the reason Inter are running away with the title.
Reply to haberdashers:
'The fans would hate him and he hasn't got anyone to bring on'
Since when did anyone hating Jose cause him to lose sleep! I don't think Ibra is that bad, but as for the rest of the side, there is very little to be impressed by.
Don't really care who we draw, but would rather it wasn't an English side yet.
The non-English clubs will be shitting themselves before the draw next week. Last season, the only clubs to knock out English clubs were themselves English. Sepp Blatter will probably take charge of one of the games to ensure this doesn't happen this year.
The Italian clubs have been a little bit piss poor this year.
So many games going on right now and so little time. lol I haven't seen this game yet, but it's all set to go in my VCR.
Great analysis of the game too.
s88
Reply to limetreebower:
Vile Mancs vs 'Poo? Mancs vs Barca??? It is probably answer to all prays around Europe :-), but with our luck.......
Well has the CL become a domestic cup competition? or will we actually play a team from another country in the remainder of the ties.
What is it with Utd, this competition, and the woodwork?
Agree with Nick. Ibrahimovic was dire, and has certainly played himself out of 'Fiftees Top 5 Chelsea targets for up top'. (Any guesses for number 1? Answers on a postcard....)
On my point about Cech and pens, all I can say is he at least tries a little harder than Almunia and Doni did last night - seriously, have you ever seen a more half-arsed attempt at saving a penalty? In the shootout, they both collapsed like jellyfish with every kick.
Porto or Bayern next please. Or Barca. But only to watch Messi over two legs. It should be unfair to play against Barca because he is just too good at the moment - his goal last night was awesome.
Funny competition the CL, we all get excited about it but we know it's wrong in almost every way, and has been almost solely responsible for the decline in competitiveness in the domestic leagues - not to mention almost completely destroying once-proud national leagues such as the Dutch, German and now Italian.
The sooner they stop letting four clubs qualify from one league the better for everybody - for the competition itself, and for the ailing (in every way other than commercially) domestic leagues. I really wish they'd act fast and sort this out because watching English clubs dominate so completely and embarrassingly is wrong and boring.
Great point Pete, one I whole-heartedly agree.
Unfortunately, until someone with enough bottle to put football before money makes that decision, the competition can only continue to decline.
Would much rather every European domestic champion qualified - yes there would be some tonkings if Barca got drawn in a group with the national champions of, say, San Marino but it would make it - whisper - a little more exciting.
As it is now, there's little point in the group stages - 99% of the time you know that the top 2 seeds will progress. Bring back the Cup Winners Cup - always a Chelsea trophy in my eyes.
Yeah, the whole point of the group stages is that they only exist to ensure the richest clubs progress, cos a giantkilling is much harder to pull off over six games than two.
Also, the horrible, depressing state of the UEFA Cup and FA Cups now - that's entirely to do with the gargantuan, lopsided and increasingly predictable CL
Morning all,
Wonder when Jose will be making his "you have to shop in [Italian equivalent of Waitrose]..." comments to the media... Thought Inter were unlucky to a degree; Ibra is so inconsistent it's not true - but the quality gap between England and the rest is starting to get embarassing now.
Always had a general dislike for the CL - obviously be very happy to win it like any hypocritical football fan - but it has ruined the game in so much of Europe now it is criminal. Germany, Holland and Italy have suffered the most, decent Scandinavian competitors are all but non-existent now and the smaller nations from Eastern Europe with a decent footballing pedigree have all really been hammered by the Bosman ruling and the TV money flowing into the big Western European leagues. The competition was arguably unbalanced whilst English clubs were banned and it took the likes of United some time to get up to speed with the European game, but having the top three / four from any league, let alone ours is just plain daft. Roma v Arsenal was simply an awful game of football - UEFA Cup standard at best.
Quarter finalists in 1995-96; Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Real Madrid, Juventus, Legia Warsaw, Panathaniakos, Nantes, Spartak Moscow.
Says it all, really.
UEFA have already effectively started the process of reducing the number of English clubs progressing by removing the national protection from the 4th qualifying team for next season - you just know Arse/Villa are going to end up in the same group as another English team in that entirely fair and above board draw UEFA are famed for - making the group stage even more tedious and pointless.
The sooner they reduce the overall no. of teams and junk a round the better I'd say.
Going back to last night I've given up on expecting officials to stop keepers moving before the penalty is taken, but shouldn't they at least have made Almunia start off standing on his line during the run-up rather than several inches in front of it?
Can we also take a moment to ponder whether Vucinic's penalty was one of the worst ever taken? Astonishingly bad.
Reply to KaiserJonny_II:
I think Pat Nevin's [against Citeh?] still has it beaten...
Reply to KaiserJonny_II:
Agreed.
Makes Anelkas effort in Moscow seem almost decent.
Something that has occured to me over the past two evenings, as the English give the Italians what for, is how promising some of the younger Italians are.
Santon for Inter last night, Giovinco against us, Aquilani for Roma. You can't really say the same for the state of the English youngsters, as there are none coming through.
Didn't see it, but the office Gooner said it was the worst penalty shoot-out he had ever seen.
Reply to blueboydave:
For posterity... :-)
LINK
The whole Arsenal v Roma game was fairly crap; both teams played some beautiful passing football, just that most of it wasn't to their own team mates.
Ha, love that Nevin clip. The ball looks like a medicine ball.
In the early Abramovich days an imbalance in financial strength was a cause for outrage amongst the grizzled members of the press corp. And yet it is these same souls who see nothing wrong in trumpeting the continued success of "English teams". A success based mainly on money.
While you might expect one or two to get through however the competition is structured, as we did in the days when the teams were at least British, this latest success is just down to financial strength.
Which is fine. Just as long as they don't whinge when City have bought every decent player and dominate the world for the next 50 years.
There is also an ebb and flow in this things. Fergie and Wenger will retire, there are still financial shocks to work through, squads will not be as strong in a couple of years, bringing through some of your own will be important.
It was not long ago that it seemed that Italian and Spanish teams would dominate. That was based on money. They were some of the drivers for this ruinous competition, with threats of a Superleague. The Dutch, Belgians, Scots, Portuguese and Eastern Europeans were left to sing for it.
We shall see.
Jose being investigated for allegations he decked a manc last night. How can you not love him.
This might just ruin your day Fiftee mate...
LINK
LINK
What's the betting it's complete bollocks?
Listening to Mike Ingham (the BBC's Chief Football Correspondent as he is always introduced as though it were a royal title or something) this morning talking about the "frosty relationship" Jose has with the Italian press, the inference was that we should contrast this with the warm and affectionate treatment he received from our own lovely boys.
Indeed, much of the coverage of the Manure v Inter fixture has been pitched at a tone of wistful reverie for what we had and have now lost.
WTF. Short memories they have indeed. They couldn't stand him by and large. They slagged him off, baited him, lied about him, published endless crap about him being the spawn of Satan.
Remember the crescendo of vitriol over the Barca incident?
The hypocritical toe rags. All they regret is that they have to spend all their time forelock tugging at the courts of Kings Fergie and Wenger, while trying to interpret the ever more Gnomic soundbites of Mr Benitez and they're bored. Bored, bored, bored.
Like men since forever, they couldn't be arsed when she lived with 'em but now she's gone they're tortured with lust for what they can't have.
Frosty relations with the Italian press my arse!
So true.
Am I right in thinking Villareal are the only team left in that we haven't played in the CL at some point?
Reply to KaiserJonny_II:
Watching that vid and indeed a lot of the old playbacks one finds oneself offering up a silent prayer of thanks to the much maligned fashionista.
Someone somewhere decided the whole shorts thing had gone far enough and a case of squashed goolie was just around the corner.
Longer, baggier became the mantra (except in Aussie Rules of course).
When you think what they might have done with the advent of lycra, how close were we to watching our heroes clad in thongs and skin tight tops? Rugby is flirting with it I fear.
They might have celebrated that in gaydom but for the man on the Clapham Omnibus it would have been a step too far.
If tight and all but negligible clothing really made a big difference surely women would be running faster than men at the top level.
And as for beach volleyball......
Inters loss to Man Utd this board took as personal tragedy, which is extremely funny, at least to me. It is interesting to see how people start to contradict to themselves in order to canonize and beautify Jose. Just some points to mention:
1) Jose has got bad players in Inter. Extremely stupid argument taking into account that about a month ago we have sacked manager who said the same about our players.
2) The argument from the previous section sounds even more stupid, when one remembers how much money Jose spent in Chelsea, which means he can win only with good players, or his success is only function of good players and lot of money. (I did not say it, but this is the conclusion, which one should make reading some of the comments)
Take off pink glasses!!! Whatever players he has got he failed to score even at home and United did not even play their strong squad there!
I know that love of this board to TSO is really heart warming, but please try to be more consistent in your arguments. ...and one more thing what you are going to say, when he is going to be appointed as Man Utd manager? Are you still going to sing Hosannas to him?
Don't think anybody has really commented much on the Inter game other than you, just now.
Can't really make head-nor-tail out of what you are trying to say, either. I mean, Jose HAS got bad players at Inter, not sure what Scolari flailing around and being out-of-his-depth has to do with it.
Jose spent a lot of money with Chelsea and didn't win the CL; he spent hardly any money with Porto and did win the CL. That's life.
Losing 2-0 to United on aggregate is no shame. We've already lost 4-1 to them on agg!
You've got to be a nutter if you're going to knock a record of five titles, two european cups and half-a-dozen domestic cups at three different clubs in three different leagues in seven years.
But this is a boring topic, move on Mikel, move on.
@PeteW
I think it's pretty funny that Mourinho lost to utd. Wasn't our success all due to him, hasn't our decline been due to losing him. Shouldn't Inter, under him, do better than they did under their last coach, who was fired despite winning several domestic titles - his fault being the failure to progress in the champion's league, which Mourinho was supposedly brought in to remedy.
Surely you don't mean to say that Inter is a better team than us because we've lost 4-1 to manure this season. The analogy breaks down when you consider that we've had a pretty bad season compared to Inter who are running away with their domestic title. In fact it's it the second of two tumultuous seasons
Joy, this is a very boring subject and it does bring out the cranks so I'll keep it brief: Inter with Mourinho aren't able to beat United; Chelsea without Mourinho aren't able to beat United.
If you want to draw any conclusions from that other than than United are very hard to beat, go right ahead.
Clive,
I'm having one of those 'once in a blue moon' so thoroughly awful days that it can't actually register.
And I think Mr Villa is different to Mr Da Souza - it's not all about the money for him. He'll have a look, see what Robinho has / has not been enjoying and say no.
Not that he'll be coming here, obviously. Only one place he's headed, and thats up front at Liverpool with his mate Fernando, under the tutelage of Fat Rafa.
They're my words. You can mark them.
Reply to PeteW:
It remains to be seen. I believe we will beat them in FA Cup where we are going to meet them.
I hope so mate, I hope so.
Reply to Fiftee:
Let me guess who your #1 target is...
...
... Garreth Bale?
Reply to Be_Champions:
Almost.
Just knocked out of the top 5 by Atillio Lombardo and Thomas Skuhravy.
Reply to Fiftee:
Oh, I was so close.
I could have sworn that everyone realized how great he was once he set the all time consecutive appearances with no wins record...
@ Blue_MikeL: It's ridiculous that you conclude that without Jose Mourinho Chelsea can't beat Man utd, absolutley ridiculous. I presume you draw that conclusion based on the fact that we've not been able to beat them in two seasons. But a closer look at the circumstances reveals that our failure has been due to a lot more than the absence of Jose. Need i remind you that the first game in our supposed losing streak was also Avram's first in charge, one that he was due to a religious holiday unable to prepare the team for? But for all the upheaval, we lost to utd in the champion's league final on Penalties, a final that Jose for all his genius had failed to lead us to in 3 years!!
Although we've lost to utd this season, we also dropped many points under Scolari. Would you say that the loses and dropped points are due to the absence of Jose's genius, or to Mr.scolari's haplessness. I'll go out on a limb and say it's the latter, bearing in mind that he was sacked for being ineffectual.
I reckons Ballack was not playing at his true level especially in the first half
He's capable of more but even surprisingly he's often involved in our good and turning moments
He won the ball leading to the handball from Juve and made the crucial pass to Belletti for our second goal...