Champions League 2011/12

[BennyHarp]

I hope Di Matteo tears strips off that glory hunting gimp Torres for being so far up the pitch when Chelsea needed everyone behind the ball

I was thinking something similar at the time - he'd just lost the ball on the edge of his own box and then decided to run up the field leaving the rest of the team to defend his mistake. Alls well that ends well i suppose though! 

[J70]

Fair point EC. There's been English representation in the final every year since 2005, except for 2010.

I don't think there's any doubt that the relative strength of the Premier League has declined since the years when there were multiple English teams making the semis though.

Or maybe its just singularly down to Liverpool turning shit over the past two years!

[SambaSaffron]

Have seen a lot of people even on facebook giving praise and glad chelsea won, these lads would all be liverpool, man u and gooner fans. Very strange, i think alot of EPL fans are very jealous as their always hearing how the top 2 in spain are so much better, which they still are.

I'm not a fan of any team (outside celtic) , but last night made me sick. We had training so i only seen the 2nd half, i know people talk about the great discipline and defence etc, but it was disgusting. It may be tiring, but it's not that hard to stand and defend your own box with 9 men and just boot the ball away. Chelsea were hammered over 2 legs, if barca had of scored first over the 2 legs and made chelsea come and attack, what would chelsea have offered up? very little i'd say.

Talk about underdog etc doesn't wash, not when they bought torres last year for 50 millions lids, hardly poor wee underdogs.

Plus i never usually bet and i threw lids on barca last night so i'm extra pissed off.

The best thing about GAA ( and alot of other sports too), is that the best team on the day usually wins ( except armagh in 2005). Soccer is what it is i guess, chelsea were right to do what they did, especially with 9 men, i just wish they could have been sickened at the end by a late goal

You are spot on there, the Utd lads in particular are still sore about how Barcelona dealt with them in the two finals and have turned into cheerleaders for the Premier League.

Everyone keeps telling us how poor the PL is and how it is the worst it has been in years. Once again the PL provides one of the finalists for the CL so it could not be that bad?

Yet Man United, favourites to retain the Premiership title, were absolutely torn apart over 2 legs by the team 6th in La Liga! Explain that one.

I also find it funny that United fans have all become anti-Barca after they got their arses handed to them twice. Credit to Chelsea, if the game was played another 20 times they wouldn't get through again but they got a bit of luck. They're still complete scum though.

[seafoid]

Barca should have scored in the first match. Look at the stats 


CHELSEA v BARCELONA: Some key stats from the first leg

PassesCompleted/Attempted Chelsea 194/313 Barcelona 782/902

Possession Chelsea 30% Barcelona 70%

Shots on Target Chelsea 2 Barcelona 15

Hit the woodwork Chelsea 0 Barcelona 2

Corners Chelsea 1 Barcelona 8

[brokencrossbar1]

Lies, Damned lies....

The simple fact is that Chelsea have the run of momentum with them now, like United in 1999 and Liverpool in 2005.  They are not the 'best' team in the competition but they will win it.  John Terry will be crying this time round for the right reasons, and that upsets me

[ludermor]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/apr/25/john-obi-mikel-uefa-devastated

Asked if he felt his team-mates have been harshly punished, the Nigeria international said: "Yes, the yellow cards should be cancelled going into a final and Uefa should look into that.

"When you get to the final everyone wants to see the best players and it's a shame that JT, Ivanovic, Meireles and Ramires won't play. The JT one was soft from what I saw and it was a yellow card. I think Sanchez made the most of it.

"Alexis did the same to me as well. He got me yellow carded. There was a little touch and he rolled on the ground 10 times. He definitely made the most of it.

[ziggy90]

They know the rules. It's hard not to feel sorry for three of them (JT the sc**bag being the odd one out) but Chelsea will just have to get on with it. Didn't Utd lose their midfield (Scholes & Keane) in 99 and go on to win it.

[dec]

http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/soccer/2012/0425/1224315164676.html

John Terry "Sanchez was darting in behind me. I've seen the replay and it does look bad. I'm not that type of player to intentionally hurt anyone. I've raised my knee, which I maybe shouldn't have done in hindsight. But hopefully people who know me as a person, as a player...I'm not that type of player."

No John, you are exactly that type of player.

[ross4life]

Who was it said "Football...bloody hell"

Fergie after the 1999 CL final.

I think Chelsea's win shows the stupidity of Ferguson with his approach to last year's final, especially as Mourinho and Inter showed how to do it in 2010 with an inferior team and his United team made were look like amateurs in 2009. You're never going to beat Barca in a loose, open game.

True, especially strange when United kept it tight in 2008 and beat them 1-0 over the two legs.

Spot on if Fergie gets the chance again i wonder will he play a more defensive game?
................................

Unfortunately success breeds hate even Barcelona one of the best footballing clubs to watch can't avoid it. TBH Of the teams left in the competition i would have liked to see Barca win it again but they haven't been at the level they were in the last few years & the injury to Villa didn't help them.
Credit to Chelsea though against the odds i think this sums up last nights result best , Optajoe ""20 - Years since Barça last failed to win after being 2 goals ahead at the Nou Camp in the Champions League (2-3 vs CSKA Nov 92)."

[gallsman]

I watched the game and all I could think of was that the fears that people had last year were starting to come true, teams are starting to copy Donegals style of play.
I know Arsenal, Tottenham etc... fans probably were cheering for chelsea last night but I cannot fathom why. If chelsea win surely that would do 4th place out of a champions league place. If I were a Newcastle/Arsenal/Tottenham fan I'd be cheering anyone but chelsea.
On another note Valdes isn't really a great keeper, he's good, but definitely not good enough for barcelona. The only reason he concedes so little is that the other teams usually son't have enough of the ball to take decent shots

[/b]

+1

Part of how Barcelona build from the back is dependent on Valdes ability to play the ball with a comfort unusual for keepers. Any potential replacement would need to be able to fit in and perform that role as well.

[gallsman]

Also, as for JT's "I'm not that kind of player", last week Puyol dislocated a finger, was clearly seen explaining to Terry what happened. Terry decided to give the dislocated finger a good tug. Absolute tr**p.

Also, yes, many United fans have indeed been reduced to pathetically becoming ABB's over the last few years.

[Dinny Breen]

[Captain Obvious]

Lack of defending in this semi final Chelsea will be loving it.

[Gazzler]

Anyone else find Ray Houghton annoying?

[Tony Baloney]

When the semifinals were announced what price was a Chelsea v Bayern final?!