***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (3 Viewers)

[scoobygang]

John Terry looks utterly crushed, Ballack looks as if he's about to strangle someone and Hiddink maintains his nonplussed expression. You have to feel for Chelsea, though my sympathy is ebbing away as Drogba tries to get at the referee, then looks directly down the camera screaming "It's a f****g disgrace." Whta a complete tool.

Drogba really do this?

He certainly had to be restrained. Shameful.

 

[ffldrew]

That will be one of the last big matches for that ref - he was really a mess.

Am I the only one who thought he didn't do that bad a job?Chelsea's strikers were flopping in the box all day...Anelka was pitiful in the ~85th with his flop.The ball clearly played the hand in the 95th...good non-call.The only questionable call was the straight red to Abidal. That was a bad call, IMO.

Handball earlier non call(not the last one from Ballack)Maluda was in the box on early foul - he went outsideThe red card on AbidalDrogba gets jersey pulled in the boxLots of calls and non-calls through the game that lacked any consistency on what was a foul.I hate refs like this

 

[The Kansas Comet]

Stunned...just stunned.

 

[Kendall]

John Terry looks utterly crushed, Ballack looks as if he's about to strangle someone and Hiddink maintains his nonplussed expression. You have to feel for Chelsea, though my sympathy is ebbing away as Drogba tries to get at the referee, then looks directly down the camera screaming "It's a f****g disgrace." Whta a complete tool.

Drogba really do this?

He certainly had to be restrained. Shameful.

I really feel that for all his talent, Drogba is the biggest ##### in all of proffesional sports. Does anyone even compare to him? The absolute level of his talent contrasted by the absolute #####iness.

 

[guru_007]

anyone have a link to the last 5 minutes or so? looked like an exciting finish.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Drogba was pretty classless at the end of the game. I'd be upset too, but the way he and Ballack acted was pretty ridiculous.

Terry, Malouda, and Hiddink were much better behaved.

 

[Desert_Power]

I think the ref did a good job of not rewarding the falling of the strikers in and near the box both ways. However, there probably should have been a handball on Pique and certainly shouldn't have been a red on Abbidal. It didn't look like he was going to give a handball in the box either way, no matter how it looked. Plenty to complain about both ways in this tie from an officiating standpoint. I could certainly see arguments for some of the PKs though I disagree.. However, losing Abbidal like that is going to make winning the final near impossible and it is a shame that this happened on Anelka diving over like that.

The actions of Ballack and Drogba at the close were disrespectful no matter how you slice it.

The real winners today were Manchester United as they are likely to face a Barcelona formation of 3-4-3 without Alves, Marquez, or Abidal. Though Toure played well in his first game at the back he is way too much of a liability back there. Barcelona will have to score first in Rome if they are to have any chance. Getting Henry back will be big as we look impotent without him on the wing. It is really difficult to name a player in better form than Andres Iniesta right now.

 

[Desert_Power]

John Terry looks utterly crushed, Ballack looks as if he's about to strangle someone and Hiddink maintains his nonplussed expression. You have to feel for Chelsea, though my sympathy is ebbing away as Drogba tries to get at the referee, then looks directly down the camera screaming "It's a f****g disgrace." Whta a complete tool.

Drogba really do this?

Yes.

 

[The Kansas Comet]

I think the ref did a good job of not rewarding the falling of the strikers in and near the box both ways. However, there probably should have been a handball on Pique and certainly shouldn't have been a red on Abbidal. It didn't look like he was going to give a handball in the box either way, no matter how it looked. Plenty to complain about both ways in this tie from an officiating standpoint. I could certainly see arguments for some of the PKs though I disagree.. However, losing Abbidal like that is going to make winning the final near impossible and it is a shame that this happened on Anelka diving over like that.

The actions of Ballack and Drogba at the close were disrespectful no matter how you slice it.

The real winners today were Manchester United as they are likely to face a Barcelona formation of 3-4-3 without Alves, Marquez, or Puyol. Though Toure played well in his first game at the back he is way too much of a liability back there. Barcelona will have to score first in Rome if they are to have any chance. Getting Henry back will be big as we look impotent without him on the wing. It is really difficult to name a player in better form than Andres Iniesta right now.

I think you mean Abidal instead of Puyol.Speaking of Abidal, any chance Barcelona can appeal the red card?

ETA: Drogba was disgraceful indeed. He certainly seemed to shake off his injury well enough to pursue the referee off the pitch. And thank you Andres Iniesta. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

[Desert_Power]

I think the ref did a good job of not rewarding the falling of the strikers in and near the box both ways. However, there probably should have been a handball on Pique and certainly shouldn't have been a red on Abbidal. It didn't look like he was going to give a handball in the box either way, no matter how it looked. Plenty to complain about both ways in this tie from an officiating standpoint. I could certainly see arguments for some of the PKs though I disagree.. However, losing Abbidal like that is going to make winning the final near impossible and it is a shame that this happened on Anelka diving over like that.

The actions of Ballack and Drogba at the close were disrespectful no matter how you slice it.

The real winners today were Manchester United as they are likely to face a Barcelona formation of 3-4-3 without Alves, Marquez, or Puyol. Though Toure played well in his first game at the back he is way too much of a liability back there. Barcelona will have to score first in Rome if they are to have any chance. Getting Henry back will be big as we look impotent without him on the wing. It is really difficult to name a player in better form than Andres Iniesta right now.

I think you mean Abidal instead of Puyol.Speaking of Abidal, any chance Barcelona can appeal the red card?

I don't think you can appeal cards at this stage. If you could ManU would have an argument for Fletcher, though not nearly as strong of one.

 

[The Z Machine]

Holy crap.

What a game. I though that after the red that Barcelona were done. Iniesta came up HUGE for them.

Even though i hate to say it, Chelski should have won the match. At least this way I get to see the Barça - ManU final that I wanted.

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

Can't wait to read the papers here in the UK this morning. As expected, there was a fight across the way in the pub opposite of the one I was in. There were clearly some Barca fans and Chelsea fans (more of them) not agreeing with how things turned out. It spilled out into the street before things dissipated after about 10 minutes.

 

[quickhands]

this is why you don't play for an away draw.

 

[The Kansas Comet]

this is why you don't play for an away draw.

Good point. While you could argue that Chelsea deserved to win today, they left themselves no margin for error by playing for only 90 of the 180 minutes of the tie.ETA: Victor Valdes had an outstanding match today. He made some huge saves.

 

[eagles2007]

wait, barcelona finally got a shot ON goal? and it went in?

i hate having to leave for work at 4:25 and missing the final minutes of these games.

 

[The Z Machine]

Yes, Barça's one and only shot on goal went in.

 

[TwinTurbo]

I think the ref did a good job of not rewarding the falling of the strikers in and near the box both ways. However, there probably should have been a handball on Pique and certainly shouldn't have been a red on Abbidal. It didn't look like he was going to give a handball in the box either way, no matter how it looked. Plenty to complain about both ways in this tie from an officiating standpoint. I could certainly see arguments for some of the PKs though I disagree.. However, losing Abbidal like that is going to make winning the final near impossible and it is a shame that this happened on Anelka diving over like that.The actions of Ballack and Drogba at the close were disrespectful no matter how you slice it.The real winners today were Manchester United as they are likely to face a Barcelona formation of 3-4-3 without Alves, Marquez, or Abidal. Though Toure played well in his first game at the back he is way too much of a liability back there. Barcelona will have to score first in Rome if they are to have any chance. Getting Henry back will be big as we look impotent without him on the wing. It is really difficult to name a player in better form than Andres Iniesta right now.

Sure the actions were disrespectful but the stakes don't get much higher than a game like this. I'm not a Chelsea or Barca fan but that ref was a mess. Some might say oh he wasn't that bad, but he certainly wasn't good and that's unacceptable for a game of this magnitude. And so the reactions to what appears to be very questionable officiating are to be expected and I don't fault any players for an emotional response. The ref deserved to be disrespected, as would any player who put on a similar poor performance. You absolutely have to bring more than what that ref brought to the pitch today. Both teams had to overcome bad calls to finish the game and Barca was fortunate to make it through. And I look forward to what will surely be a great Final, hopefully with equally great officiating.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Sure the actions were disrespectful but the stakes don't get much higher than a game like this. I'm not a Chelsea or Barca fan but that ref was a mess. Some might say oh he wasn't that bad, but he certainly wasn't good and that's unacceptable for a game of this magnitude. And so the reactions to what appears to be very questionable officiating are to be expected and I don't fault any players for an emotional response. The ref deserved to be disrespected, as would any player who put on a similar poor performance. You absolutely have to bring more than what that ref brought to the pitch today. Both teams had to overcome bad calls to finish the game and Barca was fortunate to make it through. And I look forward to what will surely be a great Final, hopefully with equally great officiating.

I agree that it wasn't the best officiated match, and that at this level, you expect the best.But I disagree with most of the rest of this post about the ref deserving to be disrespected.

 

[The Z Machine]

I just want to add that Drogba is a little ##### and I'm happy he won't be playing the the CL final this year.

 

[TwinTurbo]

Sure the actions were disrespectful but the stakes don't get much higher than a game like this. I'm not a Chelsea or Barca fan but that ref was a mess. Some might say oh he wasn't that bad, but he certainly wasn't good and that's unacceptable for a game of this magnitude. And so the reactions to what appears to be very questionable officiating are to be expected and I don't fault any players for an emotional response. The ref deserved to be disrespected, as would any player who put on a similar poor performance. You absolutely have to bring more than what that ref brought to the pitch today. Both teams had to overcome bad calls to finish the game and Barca was fortunate to make it through. And I look forward to what will surely be a great Final, hopefully with equally great officiating.

I agree that it wasn't the best officiated match, and that at this level, you expect the best.But I disagree with most of the rest of this post about the ref deserving to be disrespected.

I can understand why you disagree, but in your opinion, what would a ref have to do to deserve disrespect or an angry verbal lashing outside of fixing a game? Are the refs untouchable (figuratively speaking)? Certainly the responses by Ballack and Drogba were unprofessional. However, as a former ref and player, I understand that some players are better suited than others at controlling emotions when the stakes are that high. I can't fault them. These players work their asses off for an entire career to get to that point and it slips away. Sometimes it's their own fault it slips away (Terry slipping and missing in last year's Final PK shootout). Sometimes it's not their fault. Chelsea probably wins with a different ref and Barca won in spite of him. That ref probably damaged his own career today as well. It's hard to defend his performance.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Well, I've been on both sides as a player and a ref. Obviously I've never played anywhere near Champions League level soccer, but I don't think there are any conceivable circumstances where a ref deserves to be completely berated and disrespected like Drogba and Ballack did today.

I think there needs to be some criticism of the officials, sure. But there's a time and a place for it. It might make the coach look like a sore loser, but I would have had no problems if Guus Hiddink would have said a few things in a respectful but criticizing tone in the postgame. Same thing with a guy like John Terry. I know it's a crushing defeat and it sucks the way it happened, but saying something like "unfortunately, the calls didn't go our way, hopefully FIFA reviews the tape and sees what we saw today" in the postgame is 1000x better than getting in the ref's face like Ballack did or singling out a camera with "what a ####### disgrace" like Drogba did.

I don't know FIFA's practices, but I'd imagine they review all the games to make sure the officiating is up to par. If the guy did as bad a job as everyone seems to think, he'll be punished for it. That's not good enough for Chelsea, but that's an inherent problem with officiating in general. As long as there's not blatant match-fixing, you have to hope that the ref is on the level. Sometimes you get the calls, sometimes you don't, I guess. I just don't feel that the way Drogba and Ballack went about it was the right way.

 

[Moe.]

I just want to add that Drogba is a little ##### and I'm happy he won't be playing the the CL final this year.

seriously. he has no one to blame but himself, he should have scored easily on that chance in the first half when he sorta duffed the ball with his left foot. he was wide open, in front of the goal, and he choked and almost missed the ball. says a lot about his character that he is trying to blame someone else instead of himself.

 

[The Z Machine]

I'm still cracking up at the image of Pep giving a hug to Hiddink and basically conceding right before Iniesta puts that shot in.

 

[Native]

Some of the worst referring Ive ever seen. Truly disgraceful for such a big match.

 

[Bonzai]

Some of the worst referring Ive ever seen. Truly disgraceful for such a big match.

The ref wasn't that bad. I think he blew the red card call and the 1st handball non-call. Pretty much evens out. Chelsea had plenty of opportunities to win that game. Drogba is a total ham. Hard to feel bad for him. Glad the ref didn't reward his flopping.

 

[The Z Machine]

The reffing was pretty bad, but there were a lot of calls that could have gone either way (mostly called in favor of Barça), and if he had called them, he would have handed Chelsea the game. The red card was a bad call for sure, and I think he knew that and was thus forced to call the rest of the game in Barça's favor in order to make up for the gaffe.

 

[Native]

Some of the worst referring Ive ever seen. Truly disgraceful for such a big match.

The ref wasn't that bad. I think he blew the red card call and the 1st handball non-call. Pretty much evens out. Chelsea had plenty of opportunities to win that game. Drogba is a total ham. Hard to feel bad for him. Glad the ref didn't reward his flopping.

How is blowing TWO game changing plays not bad officiating?

 

[eagles2007]

its the hardest job in all of sports - 22 players, one referee and two 'assistant' referees/linesmen.

there's no way the one that drogba was whining about was a PK. the other was closer, but i have no problem not giving it. to me, the rules have totally changed to help offensive players, or at least they're different in application than some of the things i remember being taught. i.e., what is a legitimate tackle and challenge? as long as i don't go through your ankle to get the ball, i don't see a problem. if i nip the top of your boot as i tackle the ball way that shouldn't be called. perhaps that's must me.

before i started watching a lot of FSC and Gol, I was a big Ballack fan because he played for Germany. now, he just seems like a whiny #####-### #####.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Some of the worst referring Ive ever seen. Truly disgraceful for such a big match.

I don't think we'll ever win one of these. From the absurd red card when Del Horno and Messi collided at Nou Camp, Louis Garcia's phantom goal in 2005, last year's devastating loss on penalty kicks and now completely dominating the "best side in the world" over two legs and getting this result. Its a lost cause. At least there is still a good shot at the FA Cup and some hope for this team heading into the off season, especially if Guus can be persuaded to stick around.

 

[Native]

Some of the worst referring Ive ever seen. Truly disgraceful for such a big match.

I don't think we'll ever win one of these. From the absurd red card when Del Horno and Messi collided at Nou Camp, Louis Garcia's phantom goal in 2005, last year's devastating loss on penalty kicks and now completely dominating the "best side in the world" over two legs and getting this result. Its a lost cause. At least there is still a good shot at the FA Cup and some hope for this team heading into the off season, especially if Guus can be persuaded to stick around.

Gotta say I admire your avatar. You wear it like a badge of shame. :(

 

[TwinTurbo]

Well, I've been on both sides as a player and a ref. Obviously I've never played anywhere near Champions League level soccer, but I don't think there are any conceivable circumstances where a ref deserves to be completely berated and disrespected like Drogba and Ballack did today.I think there needs to be some criticism of the officials, sure. But there's a time and a place for it. It might make the coach look like a sore loser, but I would have had no problems if Guus Hiddink would have said a few things in a respectful but criticizing tone in the postgame. Same thing with a guy like John Terry. I know it's a crushing defeat and it sucks the way it happened, but saying something like "unfortunately, the calls didn't go our way, hopefully FIFA reviews the tape and sees what we saw today" in the postgame is 1000x better than getting in the ref's face like Ballack did or singling out a camera with "what a ####### disgrace" like Drogba did.I don't know FIFA's practices, but I'd imagine they review all the games to make sure the officiating is up to par. If the guy did as bad a job as everyone seems to think, he'll be punished for it. That's not good enough for Chelsea, but that's an inherent problem with officiating in general. As long as there's not blatant match-fixing, you have to hope that the ref is on the level. Sometimes you get the calls, sometimes you don't, I guess. I just don't feel that the way Drogba and Ballack went about it was the right way.

I agree but one of the issues is that there is no "professional" way to dispute the performance of a referee until after the game has already been decided. Yet players can be substituted at any time during the game for poor performance and players, coaches and even fans can be kicked out of the game for a variety of reasons. But the referee always gets to finish out the game no matter what. He could be the worst referee of all time and blow every call, but he still gets to blow the final whistle. Having been on both sides of it as well, I think it would be interesting if there was a challenge or review process in place to substitute out a referee at halftime or before extra time and bring in a replacement. I'm not saying this would be a good or bad idea but it would make the game even more interesting and soccer would be one of the easiest sports to try it.

 

[The Z Machine]

Am I the only one that is stoked about seeing a Barça - ManU final?

Are these two teams not the two best in Europe right now? Thank goodness it wasn't a reply of last year's final.

 

[Desert_Power]

Some of the worst referring Ive ever seen. Truly disgraceful for such a big match.

I don't think we'll ever win one of these. From the absurd red card when Del Horno and Messi collided at Nou Camp, Louis Garcia's phantom goal in 2005, last year's devastating loss on penalty kicks and now completely dominating the "best side in the world" over two legs and getting this result. Its a lost cause. At least there is still a good shot at the FA Cup and some hope for this team heading into the off season, especially if Guus can be persuaded to stick around.

There is no way you could consider the first leg of this tie completely dominating for Chelsea.

 

[Desert_Power]

Am I the only one that is stoked about seeing a Barça - ManU final?Are these two teams not the two best in Europe right now? Thank goodness it wasn't a reply of last year's final.

I am obviously stoked for Barca to get in, but there is no way that we can put anything near a side worthy of this game in on the 27th.

 

[El Floppo]

That will be one of the last big matches for that ref - he was really a mess.

Am I the only one who thought he didn't do that bad a job?Chelsea's strikers were flopping in the box all day...Anelka was pitiful in the ~85th with his flop.The ball clearly played the hand in the 95th...good non-call.The only questionable call was the straight red to Abidal. That was a bad call, IMO.

I agree wtih ffldrew on this one- that ref had no business doing this game and won't get another at this level. Despite the plethora of PK non-calls, all but one of which could have gone either way (that hand ball by Pique on Anelka was a no-brainer, must-call), the guy was just too inconsistent all game. Seemed to let everything go in the first half and then called almost every ticky-tack thing in the second. Also seemed to favor, IMO, Barcelona in the first half. Also seemed to gun for individual players who got under skin and either not give them anything or call them for everything.And per the flopping- there was contact on every one of those falls AND Chelsea player usually had goal-side position. Called on a case-by-case basis, any given day any given ref, and I woudln't have been suprised to see ALL of them called as PKs. Even the Anelka "flop", IMO, the defender made contact and had poor (played from behind) position, plus did a lot of grabbing on the way to the tackle. That said- any given day I'd be just as suprised to see none of them called- on a case by case basis... but put them all together with not a single call- fishy.

 

[El Floppo]

Chelsea making my comments about Barca last week look a little silly. Put away your chances and you have nothing to complain about. Yeah, I saw a lot of close penalty calls. I'm not sure I really saw a completely definitive, no doubt in my mind penalty.

I agree about Chelsea needing to have put away their chances. Several key saves by the Barca GK- and several missed-PK-calls that could have ended up with goals. The Pique handball was IMO a 100% definitive no-brainer PK... the rest could go either way.

 

[El Floppo]

this is why you don't play for an away draw.

 

[El Floppo]

Some of the worst referring Ive ever seen. Truly disgraceful for such a big match.

I don't think we'll ever win one of these. From the absurd red card when Del Horno and Messi collided at Nou Camp, Louis Garcia's phantom goal in 2005, last year's devastating loss on penalty kicks and now completely dominating the "best side in the world" over two legs and getting this result. Its a lost cause. At least there is still a good shot at the FA Cup and some hope for this team heading into the off season, especially if Guus can be persuaded to stick around.

I don't know about "completely dominating" Barca over both games.As most of us have said- that first game was a disgraceful, cynical display by your Blues- enough so to cause a neutral fan to pick Barca for the second. That said- they played fantastically last night and more than deserved the win. Yes they should have finished the chances they made (and they had more than enough outside of the non-PK calls taking away other scoring chances- but not going for an away goal killed them as much as the poor reffing.

 

[El Floppo]

Am I the only one that is stoked about seeing a Barça - ManU final?Are these two teams not the two best in Europe right now? Thank goodness it wasn't a reply of last year's final.

But "best in Europe" with that depleted squad might be a stretch for Barca in the final. That said- I LOVE how they play... no offense to Chelsea- but Barca are just a joy to watch on the field. In terms of pure aesthetics, I would've preferred a Liverpool v Barca final- but Man U, I'll take happily.

 

[El Floppo]

I actually like Drogba- despite his whining- and have come to respect how hard he's working off the ball under Hiddink.

Ballack- I thought he was the man of the match last night, and don't really blame him for his tirade during the game (even though I don't think his shot was a handball- seemed like he was reacting more to the ref not giving anything all night to the Blues). I don't blame him- but also won't blame UEFA for whatever punishment they hand down to both players.

I had a straight red in college for allegedly saying something- which I didn't. I was looking around for the first bit of time like ... but quickly got to stage when I realised what was going on. lol... I wish I could remember my entire tirade- but I had to be pulled off the field by my AND the opposing team's coaches.

 

[Bonzai]

Some of the worst referring Ive ever seen. Truly disgraceful for such a big match. :(

The ref wasn't that bad. I think he blew the red card call and the 1st handball non-call. Pretty much evens out. Chelsea had plenty of opportunities to win that game. Drogba is a total ham. Hard to feel bad for him. Glad the ref didn't reward his flopping.

How is blowing TWO game changing plays not bad officiating?

He was bad but he wasn't ZOMG! horrible. Plus, he basically gave Chelsea the game by putting them a man up with over a quarter of the game to go. The bottom line is that Chelsea blew it.

 

[El Floppo]

Some of the worst referring Ive ever seen. Truly disgraceful for such a big match. :X

The ref wasn't that bad. I think he blew the red card call and the 1st handball non-call. Pretty much evens out. Chelsea had plenty of opportunities to win that game. Drogba is a total ham. Hard to feel bad for him. Glad the ref didn't reward his flopping.

How is blowing TWO game changing plays not bad officiating?

He was bad but he wasn't ZOMG! horrible. Plus, he basically gave Chelsea the game by putting them a man up with over a quarter of the game to go. The bottom line is that Chelsea blew it.

He missed the big calls AND was inconsistent throughout... that's pretty horrible.

 

[Desert_Power]

Now reading that the ref had to be smuggled out of the country and has received many death threats.

These people do realize that Chelsea was up a man for a third of the match, right?

 

[Steve Tasker]

Well, I've been on both sides as a player and a ref. Obviously I've never played anywhere near Champions League level soccer, but I don't think there are any conceivable circumstances where a ref deserves to be completely berated and disrespected like Drogba and Ballack did today.I think there needs to be some criticism of the officials, sure. But there's a time and a place for it. It might make the coach look like a sore loser, but I would have had no problems if Guus Hiddink would have said a few things in a respectful but criticizing tone in the postgame. Same thing with a guy like John Terry. I know it's a crushing defeat and it sucks the way it happened, but saying something like "unfortunately, the calls didn't go our way, hopefully FIFA reviews the tape and sees what we saw today" in the postgame is 1000x better than getting in the ref's face like Ballack did or singling out a camera with "what a ####### disgrace" like Drogba did.I don't know FIFA's practices, but I'd imagine they review all the games to make sure the officiating is up to par. If the guy did as bad a job as everyone seems to think, he'll be punished for it. That's not good enough for Chelsea, but that's an inherent problem with officiating in general. As long as there's not blatant match-fixing, you have to hope that the ref is on the level. Sometimes you get the calls, sometimes you don't, I guess. I just don't feel that the way Drogba and Ballack went about it was the right way.

I agree but one of the issues is that there is no "professional" way to dispute the performance of a referee until after the game has already been decided. Yet players can be substituted at any time during the game for poor performance and players, coaches and even fans can be kicked out of the game for a variety of reasons. But the referee always gets to finish out the game no matter what. He could be the worst referee of all time and blow every call, but he still gets to blow the final whistle. Having been on both sides of it as well, I think it would be interesting if there was a challenge or review process in place to substitute out a referee at halftime or before extra time and bring in a replacement. I'm not saying this would be a good or bad idea but it would make the game even more interesting and soccer would be one of the easiest sports to try it.

I know what you're saying, but the Guus Hiddink/Roman Abramovich/whoever are not the ref's boss. It's not their place to disrespect them just like it's not his place to get in a player's face and start berating him. That's how I view it at least.

 

[El Floppo]

Now reading that the ref had to be smuggled out of the country and has received many death threats.These people do realize that Chelsea was up a man for a third of the match, right?

Horrible.I also heard an African cat... maybe in Nigeria?.... killed himself after and because Arsenal lost to United.

 

[The Z Machine]

Personally, I think the man of the match (aside from Iniesta's goal) was Lampard. His play in the back half of the midfield kept the shape and structure of the Chelsea defense that allowed only 1 shot on target for Barcelona... arguably the most stacked offensive team on the planet. That's impressive. Ballack did a very good job as well in this capacity. He challenged balls that he should have challenged, kept the shape of the midfield, and played passes that resulting in very good counter attacking opportunities. his tirade against the ref, while poor form, was understandable in light of the magnitude of the match and the quality of the officiating.

 

[Sebowski]

Am I the only one that is stoked about seeing a Barça - ManU final?Are these two teams not the two best in Europe right now? Thank goodness it wasn't a reply of last year's final.

I am super stoked on the matchup. I've been saying for this Barca team to go down in history they to to not only sweep all competitions, but also beat Man-U along the way. Can't wait for it to happen. Hopefully Henry and Puyol will be back. Losing Alves and Abidal sucks, but I don't think it is too much to overcome. Messi-Ronaldo giving us an Ovechkin-Crosby Kobe-Lebron sidestory should be fun as well. Barca 3Man U 1There. I said it.

 

[Sebowski]

Unpopular opinion alert. I know it's the general consensus that it's Messi's year to win the Balloon D'Or and that Messi is already better than Ronaldo, but I'm not convinced. Messi is a better dribbler and passer than Ronaldo, but if you absolutely need someone to score a goal, Ronaldo just has a weapon that Messi doesn't have in his long range shooting. Obviously, this is splitting hairs, but at the very least I'd think that Balloon D'Or should go to the guy who's team wins the CL this year.

Maybe if you are talking who would you rather take a free kick. If I needed a goal during a game I would want the ball at Messi's feet. He can close the distance better, and create for his teammates much better.

I was thinking about this the last 15 minutes or so. Glad Messi had the ball to draw three defenders before setting up Iniesta F The F'n Win.

 

[PIK95]

Am I the only one that is stoked about seeing a Barça - ManU final?

Are these two teams not the two best in Europe right now? Thank goodness it wasn't a reply of last year's final.

I am super stoked on the matchup. I've been saying for this Barca team to go down in history they to to not only sweep all competitions, but also beat Man-U along the way. Can't wait for it to happen. Hopefully Henry and Puyol will be back. Losing Alves and Abidal sucks, but I don't think it is too much to overcome. Messi-Ronaldo giving us an Ovechkin-Crosby Kobe-Lebron sidestory should be fun as well.

Barca 3

Man U 1

There. I said it.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Personally, I think the man of the match (aside from Iniesta's goal) was Lampard. His play in the back half of the midfield kept the shape and structure of the Chelsea defense that allowed only 1 shot on target for Barcelona... arguably the most stacked offensive team on the planet. That's impressive. Ballack did a very good job as well in this capacity. He challenged balls that he should have challenged, kept the shape of the midfield, and played passes that resulting in very good counter attacking opportunities. his tirade against the ref, while poor form, was understandable in light of the magnitude of the match and the quality of the officiating.

I thought Terry played better than anyone, but agree that Lampard played a wonderful game. Ballack is also impressive - he's an ###hole for sure, but has become a great team player, essentially moving from an offensive role with Germany to more of a defensive role these days with Chelsea, particularly in these two games where he was part of a midfield that did a great job.