Champions league Semi-Finals

[tyroneman]

Mourinho got it very, very badly wrong, both in the press conference and on the pitch.

Don't agree with that. Press conference was usual stuff no worse than before.

Tactics were spot on; with what he has available. RM were never going to outgun Barca so nullifying them was the best option.

Up until Pepe got sent off  (a yellow, never in a million years a red) Barca were pretty ineffective. 11 v 11 Messi was going nowhere. Jose was settling for a draw or a lucky goal and would have done the same in the CN. Not pretty but effective.

No team however would hold out with 10 against Barca.

Now I agree totally that Pep out Jose'd Mourinho himself tonight in the cynisicm stakes and overall the better footballing team won however this myth of Brca being pure football is b*llshit. They are just the same side of the coin as RM with better PR..and Messi.

If you think UEFA didn't want a Barca v ManU final (and a bloody nose for the Special one) you are very, very naieve.

[gallsman]

Mourinho got it very, very badly wrong, both in the press conference and on the pitch.

Don't agree with that. Press conference was usual stuff no worse than before.

Tactics were spot on; with what he has available. RM were never going to outgun Barca so nullifying them was the best option.

Up until Pepe got sent off  (a yellow, never in a million years a red) Barca were pretty ineffective. 11 v 11 Messi was going nowhere. Jose was settling for a draw or a lucky goal and would have done the same in the CN. Not pretty but effective.

No team however would hold out with 10 against Barca.

Now I agree totally that Pep out Jose'd Mourinho himself tonight in the cynisicm stakes and overall the better footballing team won however this myth of Brca being pure football is b*llshit. They are just the same side of the coin as RM with better PR..and Messi.

If you think UEFA didn't want a Barca v ManU final (and a bloody nose for the Special one) you are very, very naieve.

Saying UEFA want a Barca-United final is very different to saying that UEFA were determined to get a Barca-United final. The latter implies that UEFA had some sort of say in the result of this match. Are you suggesting they tampered with a ref? Which is it?

Busquets and Pedro, Alves to and to a lesser extent Villa are all terrible divers. Name me a team who doesn't. The only player at this level you'll ever see picking himself up and trying to stay on his feet every time unless he gets absolutely flattened is Messi, one of the smallest of the lot.

[new devil]

Mourinho got it very, very badly wrong, both in the press conference and on the pitch.

Don't agree with that. Press conference was usual stuff no worse than before.

Tactics were spot on; with what he has available. RM were never going to outgun Barca so nullifying them was the best option.

Up until Pepe got sent off  (a yellow, never in a million years a red) Barca were pretty ineffective. 11 v 11 Messi was going nowhere. Jose was settling for a draw or a lucky goal and would have done the same in the CN. Not pretty but effective.

No team however would hold out with 10 against Barca.

Now I agree totally that Pep out Jose'd Mourinho himself tonight in the cynisicm stakes and overall the better footballing team won however this myth of Brca being pure football is b*llshit. They are just the same side of the coin as RM with better PR..and Messi.

If you think UEFA didn't want a Barca v ManU final (and a bloody nose for the Special one) you are very, very naieve.

That's spot on about Mourinho getting his tactics right... only for the sending off he would probably of got his 0-0 he played for

Why would UEFA want a Barca V United final 

[gallsman]

Mourinho got it very, very badly wrong, both in the press conference and on the pitch.

Don't agree with that. Press conference was usual stuff no worse than before.

Tactics were spot on; with what he has available. RM were never going to outgun Barca so nullifying them was the best option.

Up until Pepe got sent off  (a yellow, never in a million years a red) Barca were pretty ineffective. 11 v 11 Messi was going nowhere. Jose was settling for a draw or a lucky goal and would have done the same in the CN. Not pretty but effective.

No team however would hold out with 10 against Barca.

Now I agree totally that Pep out Jose'd Mourinho himself tonight in the cynisicm stakes and overall the better footballing team won however this myth of Brca being pure football is b*llshit. They are just the same side of the coin as RM with better PR..and Messi.

If you think UEFA didn't want a Barca v ManU final (and a bloody nose for the Special one) you are very, very naieve.

That's spot on about Mourinho getting his tactics right... only for the sending off he would probably of got his 0-0 he played for

Why would UEFA want a Barca V United final 

No, Mourinho very clearly got his tactics wrong.

[Throw ball]

The Champions League Final is on at the same time as the Armagh v Down Ulster Championship game. After watching that tripe can anyone say they would prefer to watch soccer. On another thread it was discussed that teams do not take the national league final seriously. Dublin v Cork was so much better than that match tonight. There were even better digs at half time. 

[new devil]

Mourinho got it very, very badly wrong, both in the press conference and on the pitch.

Don't agree with that. Press conference was usual stuff no worse than before.

Tactics were spot on; with what he has available. RM were never going to outgun Barca so nullifying them was the best option.

Up until Pepe got sent off  (a yellow, never in a million years a red) Barca were pretty ineffective. 11 v 11 Messi was going nowhere. Jose was settling for a draw or a lucky goal and would have done the same in the CN. Not pretty but effective.

No team however would hold out with 10 against Barca.

Now I agree totally that Pep out Jose'd Mourinho himself tonight in the cynisicm stakes and overall the better footballing team won however this myth of Brca being pure football is b*llshit. They are just the same side of the coin as RM with better PR..and Messi.

If you think UEFA didn't want a Barca v ManU final (and a bloody nose for the Special one) you are very, very naieve.

That's spot on about Mourinho getting his tactics right... only for the sending off he would probably of got his 0-0 he played for

Why would UEFA want a Barca V United final 

No, Mourinho very clearly got his tactics wrong.

The score was 0-0 until the person who had the job of marking Messi out of the game was sent off.

20 minutes later and Messi has scored two. Go figure.

[gallsman]

Mourinho got it very, very badly wrong, both in the press conference and on the pitch.

Don't agree with that. Press conference was usual stuff no worse than before.

Tactics were spot on; with what he has available. RM were never going to outgun Barca so nullifying them was the best option.

Up until Pepe got sent off  (a yellow, never in a million years a red) Barca were pretty ineffective. 11 v 11 Messi was going nowhere. Jose was settling for a draw or a lucky goal and would have done the same in the CN. Not pretty but effective.

No team however would hold out with 10 against Barca.

Now I agree totally that Pep out Jose'd Mourinho himself tonight in the cynisicm stakes and overall the better footballing team won however this myth of Brca being pure football is b*llshit. They are just the same side of the coin as RM with better PR..and Messi.

If you think UEFA didn't want a Barca v ManU final (and a bloody nose for the Special one) you are very, very naieve.

That's spot on about Mourinho getting his tactics right... only for the sending off he would probably of got his 0-0 he played for

Why would UEFA want a Barca V United final 

No, Mourinho very clearly got his tactics wrong.

The score was 0-0 until the person who had the job of marking Messi out of the game was sent off.

20 minutes later and Messi has scored two. Go figure.

Mourinho put out the exact same formation and team he did in the Copa del Rey final. In it, they ripped Barca apart in the first half hour with a superb display of counter attacking down the wings. Then they barely survived for another ninety minutes and were and were only kept in it by some magical saves from Casillas.

Tonight, Valdes had virtually nothing to do. He saved a tame early Ronaldo shot and then saved an spilled another just before half time.

It was naive in the extreme to think Guardiola and Barca wouldn't adapt to the type of game he'd been trying to play. Puyol doesn't attack the way Adriano does. Dani Alves curbed is instincts to bomb forward. Real had room in the middle third of the pitch to spread it about for once and didn't do it. Ronaldo didn't appear to know what to do and was marked out of it by Puyol, Oezil barely figured and at least Di Maria's free kick winning dives contributed something. By the time Pepe was set off Villa had flashed on wide, Xavi had a good effort saved, Casillas stopped another Villa drive and Pedro almost turned in the rebound.

He then, seeing they were not working, altered his tactics at half time and brought on Adebayor. Who didn't even come close to contributing in any way, let alone a meaningful one.

The tactics that (just about) won him the Copa del Rey let him down tonight.

QED.

[new devil]

Its sort of strange why he would even play that way at home...There best chance would of been to win at home and try and hold on away

whats QED?

[boojangles]

There is something really hateful about Dani Alves. His on-field behaviour is typical of what is wrong with soccer. I'm no fan of Pepe but that was definitely no sending off.Studs showing or not.

[Blowitupref]

Mourinho's post match comments


"Mourinho said a conspiracy between Barcelona and UEFA must exist after the Catalan club came out with a favourable referee decision for the third straight semifinal.

"Every semifinal the same thing always happens. Why? I'll live my whole life with this question but I hope one day to get the answer," Mourinho said. "Why could Chelsea not get to the final two years ago? Last year to get to the final with Inter was a miracle. Why again in this game?"

Guardiola led Barcelona to the 2009 trophy after getting past Chelsea, which had an injury-time penalty claim for a handball waved away. Inter eliminated Barcelona last year despite playing for over an hour with 10 men.

"I don't understand. I don't know if it's publicity for (sponsor) UNICEF or (FIFA and UEFA head of referees committee Angel) Villar's influence in UEFA. They have the power and no one else has a chance."

You can't hide it. Inside (the Catalans) are laughing and enjoying this thinking we're going to (the final at) Wembley. But to win this way must leave a bad taste.

I've won two Champions Leagues and I won them both on the field and they were with two clubs. We won with work, effort, sweat, fight and with a lot of work. Josep Guardiola is a fantastic coach — I repeat he is a fantastic coach — but he won the Champions with the scandal at Stamford Bridge. And if he wins again then it will be affected by today."

[new devil]

Mourinho's post match comments


"Mourinho said a conspiracy between Barcelona and UEFA must exist after the Catalan club came out with a favourable referee decision for the third straight semifinal.

"Every semifinal the same thing always happens. Why? I'll live my whole life with this question but I hope one day to get the answer," Mourinho said. "Why could Chelsea not get to the final two years ago? Last year to get to the final with Inter was a miracle. Why again in this game?"

Guardiola led Barcelona to the 2009 trophy after getting past Chelsea, which had an injury-time penalty claim for a handball waved away. Inter eliminated Barcelona last year despite playing for over an hour with 10 men.

"I don't understand. I don't know if it's publicity for (sponsor) UNICEF or (FIFA and UEFA head of referees committee Angel) Villar's influence in UEFA. They have the power and no one else has a chance."

You can't hide it. Inside (the Catalans) are laughing and enjoying this thinking we're going to (the final at) Wembley. But to win this way must leave a bad taste.

I've won two Champions Leagues and I won them both on the field and they were with two clubs. We won with work, effort, sweat, fight and with a lot of work. Josep Guardiola is a fantastic coach — I repeat he is a fantastic coach — but he won the Champions with the scandal at Stamford Bridge. And if he wins again then it will be affected by today."

That's pretty bad, surely he'll get a big ban for that...If it was the premiership he'd probably get banned for life

[tyroneman]

QED? Hardly

Until Pepe went off Barca had how many shots? Let alone shots on target. Jose had Messi out of the game. Admittedly RM were doing little going forward but who's to say a set piece wouldn't have brought some reward in the latter stages.

RM were in fact enjoying a period of (albeit brief) dominance at the point Pepe was sent off.

How could Mourinho have got his tactics wrong therefore when barca only played any sort of dangerous football when it was 10 v 11??

UEFA despise Mourinho and add in the fact that this Barca side are the golden boys of world football it's a no brainer that they were the ones Platini wanted in the final. (man u clearly are a more Attractive marketing prospect than Shalke). Whether there was an active conspiracy who knows? Barca certainly seem to have most big decisions go FOR them. Pep rants about the possibility of a Portugese ref and gets yer man last night who promptly sends off Pepe when Barca were going nowhere. Who can prove any of it though.

I have no sympathy for Mourinho however as his Porto team were a disgrace against Celtic and brought the art of diving and time wasting to a new low but I do object to the mindless glorification of Barca as some sort of footballing paragon, which is all you get from the media, representing all that is good in the game. They are just as cynical and manipulative as any other big team. Maybe more so.

There seems to be a very anti Real Madrid sentiment in Ireland and the Irish press  along the lines that they are the big bad corporate monsters, Francos 11, tools of the establishment etc while barca are portrayed as the freewheeling, freedom fighting mavericks constantly giving it to 'the man'. In reality someone like Real Sociadad or Villareal fit the independent mould much better.

Ah well. At least a final to be completely ambivalent about. Armagh v Down will be on our tv.

[Dinny Breen]

Amazing how Mourhino can manipulate everyone from players, to owners, to the media to the fans to gaaboard members.

[ONeill]

What has happened here is that Mourinho attempted to pressurise officials before the game through his press conference. It's an age-old tactic himself and Fergie use quite successfully. At half time, when the Barca reserve keeper was sent off and the fact that they'd riled Barcelona into playing a niggly game, he thought he was winning the battle of minds. It was pure Mourinho threatre with his tunnel pep-talk with his keeper. The Pepe sending off wasn't part of the plans and he reacted like a spoilt brat who wasn't getting what he wanted.

His post-match rant is another attempt to influence the second leg and the championship run-in. If Guardiola holds his nerve and stays silent it'll make Jose out to be a bit of a plonker.

[Declan]

Disappointing match but Thank God for Messi