When you don't win by enough, thats the answer. Both Man U and Bordeaux won yesterday in the second leg of their quarterfinals ties but didn't do enough to advance. Bordeaux scored late in the first half through Chamakh but couldn't find the net again and won the game 1-0 but lost the tie 3-2 on aggregate which sees Lyon move on. Man U, down 2-1 on aggregate after the first leg, scored 2 early goals and then scored a third late in the first half and seemed to be cruising and in complete control. Up 4-2 on aggregate, Man U would have to allow 2 goals for Bayern to get back in the match. Well 2 minutes after Nani's second goal and Man U being up 3-0 and me thinking it was all over, Olic scored from a seemingly innocent play. However, United, thinking they had this in the bag, let down and Olic out muscled a defender and then beat Van der Sar to give the Germans hope. Early in the second half the Germans got another bit of hope and Rafael was sent off for his second yellow. Both fouls were definite cardable offenses and were both stupid fouls. Up a man, Bayern got more adventurous and pushed forward getting more pressure on the United goal. Finally in the 74th minute Ribery hit a floated corner perfectly to the back edge of the box where Arjen Robben was waiting. Robben hit the ball on the full volley into the lower corner and Van der Sar had no chance. Bayern held on and lost the game 3-2 but the aggregate was now 4-4 and due to the away goals rule Bayern move on and Man U lose out meaning there will be no English sides in the semis.
I waited to write this because I wanted to hear what the United people would say first and then respond to it. Well I was right and the United people, like always, complained about the loss and the ref and the Bayern players. Sir Alex Ferguson called the Bayern players "typically German" saying that they persuaded the ref to give the second yellow and that they deliberately fouled Rooney. Well Fergie, you are being your "typical" self and blaming everyone but yourself, you Scottish prick. Your tactics and your teams inability to hold a lead is the problem. Yes the Bayern players did surround the ref after Rafael's second foul but he deserved the yellow as he pulled Ribery back after he had be beaten. This foul wouldn't have been so bad had Rafael not retaliated STUPIDLY in the first half and got a stupid first yellow. Blame your own player or the fact that you didn't take him out Fergie, not the ref. Next he said that the Bayern players deliberately fouled Rooney. Well first off Rooney should not have been on the field a week after a bad ankle sprain. Secondly, yes the Bayern players kicked his ankle a few times... WHEN HE HAD THE FUCKING BALL. It just so happens that the other team will try to tackle the ball away from your team Fergie, and Rooney's ankle is near the ball so yes it will get hit. And finally, of course you test his ankle if you are a Bayern player and we all know your tactics and you would have done the exact same thing if the positions were reversed Fergie. The people to blame are yourself, for not having the right tactics and not make the right substitutions, and your players, for not holding onto a lead IN EITHER GAME. So mister Sir Alex Ferguson, step up and be a man and take the loss like a man and take the blame you deserve... oh and GO FUCK YOURSELF you hypocritical prick
Showing posts with label Bordeaux. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bordeaux. Show all posts
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Previewing the Second Leg of the Quarters
This week gives us the return legs of the quarter finals of this years Champion's League. We will see who the top 4 teams in Europe are this year and who will meet in the semi's.
Inter Milan @ CSKA Moscow... Inter held serve at home with a 1-0 winner through Diego Milito's second half goal. A 1-0 lead means this tie is very much in doubt, but it should be noted that Italian sides are famous for winning 1-0 at home and holding on to a nil-nil draw on the road to advance. These teams usually "park the bus" and have 10 men behind the ball at all times, but I do not see Inter or Jose Mourinho taking this tactic. I expect to see Inter play just like they did on the road against Chelsea and push forward in attack and defend strongly when needed. CSKA will be able to play at home in the second leg and many European teams have trouble traveling to Russia in the Champion's League. CSKA also didn't "park the bus" at the San Siro and looked dangerous at times in the attack. They had a few chances and could have scored that important away goal but just didn't manage it. With Necid, Honda, Krasic, and Mamaev in attack, this team can score goals. They also move the ball very well and pass and keep the ball well in very tight quarters. Their one touch passing can open up quick spacing for them and give them opportunities to score. In the end I see this game ending 1-1 with CSKA opening the scoring, Inter leveling early in the second half and then fighting furiously at the end to get the other goals necessary to move on but only getting 1.
Arsenal @ Barcelona... Barca saw a late come back from Arsenal mean they only got a draw at the Emirates stadium in London. The big news in this return leg are the players who will miss out. Barcelona saw Pique and Puyol, their two first choice center backs, get suspended for this game which means Gabi Milito will pair along side either Rafa Marquez, most likely, or Dmytro Chigrynskiy. Eric Abidal is back healthy and may play but Andres Iniesta is still out thru injury and goal scorer, Zlatan Ibrahmiavic, will also miss out with a calf problem. Arsenal will be without captain Cesc Fabregas through suspension and injury while Gallas, Arshavin, and Song will all miss thru injury. Arsenal, who were already having problems in defense against Barca, will be without 2 center backs and will most likely have to start Sol Campbell who isn't preferred because of his age and speed. In the game, Arsenal must score at the Camp Nou and they must win. A draw of 3-3 or more will send Arsenal through as well. A 1-0 victory is what Arsenal will be playing for but that means they must keep Barca from scoring which does not seem likely. I expect Arsenal to look for a goal on the counter attack in the first half and if they don't get then they will start to push forward later. In the end I see Barca taking this game and this tie. and 2-1 victory or more seems likely as Barca looked great at the weekend while playing a lot of younger non-starters and Arsenal need a late goal to win over a 10 man side.
Bayern Munich @ Manchester United.. The big news in this game is that Wayne Rooney may not make a surprise return to the lineup, though I don't see that happening. With Wayne Rooney out, Man U lost at the weekend to Chelsea and may have lost the Premier league title as well. Man U lost 2-1 at Bayern which means they must score at least once and with Rooney out this could be difficult. Berbatov just hasn't seemed like scoring in any game I have seen but hopefully for Man U he can. Bayern will get Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinstiger back for the game which will make them even more potent in attack. I honestly think that Bayern will be able to get a 1-1 draw at Man U and move on to the semi's. The only real reason for this is because of Rooney being out and I see Man U having a hard time scoring.
Lyon @ Bordeaux... This was the second most exciting game last week and saw Lyon take a 3-1 advantage at home. Bordeaux could easily have scored more but didn't manage to and now need a minimum of 2-0 victory to move on. Give the poor play in defense for both sides this outcome could easily happen but I see more goals than this. A possible 4-2 game is likely which would see Lyon move on but I personally see it ending 3-2 and Lyon moving on. No major players will be missing out in this game and it should be fun to watch again.
If these results do happen then we would see a Lyon-Bayern Munich and an Inter-Barcelona semi finals.
Inter Milan @ CSKA Moscow... Inter held serve at home with a 1-0 winner through Diego Milito's second half goal. A 1-0 lead means this tie is very much in doubt, but it should be noted that Italian sides are famous for winning 1-0 at home and holding on to a nil-nil draw on the road to advance. These teams usually "park the bus" and have 10 men behind the ball at all times, but I do not see Inter or Jose Mourinho taking this tactic. I expect to see Inter play just like they did on the road against Chelsea and push forward in attack and defend strongly when needed. CSKA will be able to play at home in the second leg and many European teams have trouble traveling to Russia in the Champion's League. CSKA also didn't "park the bus" at the San Siro and looked dangerous at times in the attack. They had a few chances and could have scored that important away goal but just didn't manage it. With Necid, Honda, Krasic, and Mamaev in attack, this team can score goals. They also move the ball very well and pass and keep the ball well in very tight quarters. Their one touch passing can open up quick spacing for them and give them opportunities to score. In the end I see this game ending 1-1 with CSKA opening the scoring, Inter leveling early in the second half and then fighting furiously at the end to get the other goals necessary to move on but only getting 1.
Arsenal @ Barcelona... Barca saw a late come back from Arsenal mean they only got a draw at the Emirates stadium in London. The big news in this return leg are the players who will miss out. Barcelona saw Pique and Puyol, their two first choice center backs, get suspended for this game which means Gabi Milito will pair along side either Rafa Marquez, most likely, or Dmytro Chigrynskiy. Eric Abidal is back healthy and may play but Andres Iniesta is still out thru injury and goal scorer, Zlatan Ibrahmiavic, will also miss out with a calf problem. Arsenal will be without captain Cesc Fabregas through suspension and injury while Gallas, Arshavin, and Song will all miss thru injury. Arsenal, who were already having problems in defense against Barca, will be without 2 center backs and will most likely have to start Sol Campbell who isn't preferred because of his age and speed. In the game, Arsenal must score at the Camp Nou and they must win. A draw of 3-3 or more will send Arsenal through as well. A 1-0 victory is what Arsenal will be playing for but that means they must keep Barca from scoring which does not seem likely. I expect Arsenal to look for a goal on the counter attack in the first half and if they don't get then they will start to push forward later. In the end I see Barca taking this game and this tie. and 2-1 victory or more seems likely as Barca looked great at the weekend while playing a lot of younger non-starters and Arsenal need a late goal to win over a 10 man side.
Bayern Munich @ Manchester United.. The big news in this game is that Wayne Rooney may not make a surprise return to the lineup, though I don't see that happening. With Wayne Rooney out, Man U lost at the weekend to Chelsea and may have lost the Premier league title as well. Man U lost 2-1 at Bayern which means they must score at least once and with Rooney out this could be difficult. Berbatov just hasn't seemed like scoring in any game I have seen but hopefully for Man U he can. Bayern will get Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinstiger back for the game which will make them even more potent in attack. I honestly think that Bayern will be able to get a 1-1 draw at Man U and move on to the semi's. The only real reason for this is because of Rooney being out and I see Man U having a hard time scoring.
Lyon @ Bordeaux... This was the second most exciting game last week and saw Lyon take a 3-1 advantage at home. Bordeaux could easily have scored more but didn't manage to and now need a minimum of 2-0 victory to move on. Give the poor play in defense for both sides this outcome could easily happen but I see more goals than this. A possible 4-2 game is likely which would see Lyon move on but I personally see it ending 3-2 and Lyon moving on. No major players will be missing out in this game and it should be fun to watch again.
If these results do happen then we would see a Lyon-Bayern Munich and an Inter-Barcelona semi finals.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Bayern and Lyon Grab Advantage
A couple really fun and exciting games to watch today. Lyon beat Bordeaux 3-1 and Bayern scored a injury time goal to beat the Red Devils 2-1. I applaud both away teams for trying to get forward and attack instead of playing like Chelsea and "parking the bus".
I saw the Lyon-Bordeaux game first and what a game it was. To the neutral observer this was a fun game to watch. An early goal from Lisandro Lopez gave Lyon the lead which was nullified 4 minutes later by Marouane Chamakh heading home. It looked like he might have pushed off on Cris to gain the advantage but there was no call and the match was square. Both teams, who have had strong defensive records coming into the game, gave up many opportunities. The goals were more due to poor defending than great attacking. The second Lyon goal came from Michel Bastos. A Bordeaux player missed a clearing header, Bastos took the ball, moved it to his left boot and then laced one into the corner. The attacking and chances continued for both teams. Chamakh had another chance with his head that he should have scored and Lyon could have put another couple in the net but failed to do so. The final goal came by way of a penalty. Lopez finished for his second of the game and gave Lyon the 3-1 advantage going into the second leg at Bordeaux. The tie is not over at all but Bordeaux must win by 2 at a minimum. I expect Bordeaux to come out attacking which could lead the space behind the mid and defense and to a Lyon goal which could really mess things up for Bordeaux. Lyon looks tough.
In the second game Bayern scored two late goals to pull a reverse of 1999 and the 2-1 win. Rooney scored within the first minute as he left his defender on a free kick and tapped in from close range. Man U also came out and attacked and made the game very open and fun to watch. Bayern controlled possession most of the game but couldn't score until Ribery scored off a deflected free kick. United didn't look great but still managed to get forward and create chances. Olic scored the final goal as he found Ferdinand and Vidic not paying attention and took it off them and then finished cooly to give Bayern the win. This gives Bayern the slight advantage in the tie and a nil-nil game in Manchester would give Bayern the tie. But holding United from scoring is hard to do. However, Rooney limped off at the end of the game with an ankle injury. There is no word on the extent of the injury but seeing as the game is in 8 days and how his ankle rolled I don't think he will be 100% fit. That being said, Rooney is tough and will try to get in the game if he can. Him not being fully fit though can cause problems as he seems to be the only United player who can score. The tie is very much still up in the air.
Tomorrow Barcelona travel to London to play Arsenal while CSKA Moscow travel to Milan to take on Inter Milan.
I saw the Lyon-Bordeaux game first and what a game it was. To the neutral observer this was a fun game to watch. An early goal from Lisandro Lopez gave Lyon the lead which was nullified 4 minutes later by Marouane Chamakh heading home. It looked like he might have pushed off on Cris to gain the advantage but there was no call and the match was square. Both teams, who have had strong defensive records coming into the game, gave up many opportunities. The goals were more due to poor defending than great attacking. The second Lyon goal came from Michel Bastos. A Bordeaux player missed a clearing header, Bastos took the ball, moved it to his left boot and then laced one into the corner. The attacking and chances continued for both teams. Chamakh had another chance with his head that he should have scored and Lyon could have put another couple in the net but failed to do so. The final goal came by way of a penalty. Lopez finished for his second of the game and gave Lyon the 3-1 advantage going into the second leg at Bordeaux. The tie is not over at all but Bordeaux must win by 2 at a minimum. I expect Bordeaux to come out attacking which could lead the space behind the mid and defense and to a Lyon goal which could really mess things up for Bordeaux. Lyon looks tough.
In the second game Bayern scored two late goals to pull a reverse of 1999 and the 2-1 win. Rooney scored within the first minute as he left his defender on a free kick and tapped in from close range. Man U also came out and attacked and made the game very open and fun to watch. Bayern controlled possession most of the game but couldn't score until Ribery scored off a deflected free kick. United didn't look great but still managed to get forward and create chances. Olic scored the final goal as he found Ferdinand and Vidic not paying attention and took it off them and then finished cooly to give Bayern the win. This gives Bayern the slight advantage in the tie and a nil-nil game in Manchester would give Bayern the tie. But holding United from scoring is hard to do. However, Rooney limped off at the end of the game with an ankle injury. There is no word on the extent of the injury but seeing as the game is in 8 days and how his ankle rolled I don't think he will be 100% fit. That being said, Rooney is tough and will try to get in the game if he can. Him not being fully fit though can cause problems as he seems to be the only United player who can score. The tie is very much still up in the air.
Tomorrow Barcelona travel to London to play Arsenal while CSKA Moscow travel to Milan to take on Inter Milan.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Champion's League Draw
Well the draw happened on friday and a soccer fan's dream has come true with Barcelona and Arsenal getting drawn together. This is the best and most interesting match up of the bunch with out a doubt. But first I'm gonna talk about the others.
Man U v. Bayern Munich... Interesting match up here. Obviously a rematch of the '99 Champion's League final which Man U won with 2 stoppage time goals from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Man U will definitely be the favored side in this tie but Bayern could cause a scare for the Red Devils. Man U will have the advantage of the second leg being at home but if they are not careful Bayern can score at home and put this matchup in doubt. With Robben and Ribery causing problems down the flanks, Bayern have a definite attacking scare. I still think Man U will win this tie (and eventually make it to the final) but I think Bayern win's at home but Man U gets the away goal and then finishes it off at home.
Lyon v. Bordeaux... The all French match up. These two teams obviously know each other very well being from the same league. In fact, they will play 3 games in quick succession as they play in the league right after the second leg of this tie. Bordeaux have the second leg at home and are currently in better form than Lyon, sitting atop the Ligue 1 table with Lyon in 5th (but only 5 points back). Lyon have the experience on their side as they have made the knock out stage in the past 6 years. I like Lyon in this matchup because of the experience and having defeated Real Madrid in the previous tie. Though this one is almost 50-50. The winner of this tie gets Man U in the next leg and will have the second leg at home. Man U will be favored against either of these teams and I think Bayern would be too. I see Man U moving on to the final.
Inter Milan v. CSKA Moscow... Inter had a great showing against Chelsea and get the "benefit" of the draw against the least well known side. However, playing against Eastern European teams and having to travel there is always difficult (just ask Barca: Rubin Kazan, Dynamo Kiev, and Shaktar Donetsk). Mourinho will have his team ready to go and will have the advantage of the second leg at home. I think the game in Moscow will be tight and tough but the game at the San Siro will be defining and send Inter through.
Barcelona v. Arsenal... Without a doubt the best match up of this stage. Two teams with a similar style who wont sit back and play ugly soccer (are you listening Chelsea?) Barcelona will be favored in this match up as they are arguably the best team in the world at the moment (they would be favored against everyone they play right now though it would be almost 50-50 against Man U). Henry will be facing his old club and Cesc will be doing the same, though Cesc may also be facing his new club as Barcelona want to buy him this summer. Barcelona have the second game at home. This is also a rematch of the '06 final which Barca won 2-1 coming from behind late. I think the game at Arsenal will be high scoring and very exciting (3-2, 2-1, 3-3 type game). I think Barca will, however, once again take advantage at home and win the tie. The other interesting thing about this tie is that the weekend after the second leg Barca must go to the Bernabeu while Arsenal must take on Tottenham. These two games could cause the teams to play different but I don't see too much changing. The winner of this match gets Inter or CSKA in the next round and will have the second leg at home.
I picture it being Barcelona v. Inter and Man U v. Lyon in the semi's. Again I see Man U making the final and in the rematch of the group stage I think Barcelona will once again get by Inter in a very tight match up. This would obviously lead to a rematch of last years final which Barca won. Not sure who would be favored in this game at these are the top 2 teams in the world at the moment. Rooney and Messi are on amazing form and are scoring all the time. Barca's defense is weaker but their attack and possession is much stronger. I am biased so I will say Barca repeat but remember no team has repeated since it became known as the Champion's League. Also, the game will be in Spain which may help Barca and with it being at the home of your rival it could give Barca another advantage. Also, with Mourinho facing Barca it could be very interesting as he may take over for Real next season or Barca in 2 seasons (Guardiola unsure if he wants to continue after next season).
More to come on the Barca-Aresnal match up when it gets closer
Man U v. Bayern Munich... Interesting match up here. Obviously a rematch of the '99 Champion's League final which Man U won with 2 stoppage time goals from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Man U will definitely be the favored side in this tie but Bayern could cause a scare for the Red Devils. Man U will have the advantage of the second leg being at home but if they are not careful Bayern can score at home and put this matchup in doubt. With Robben and Ribery causing problems down the flanks, Bayern have a definite attacking scare. I still think Man U will win this tie (and eventually make it to the final) but I think Bayern win's at home but Man U gets the away goal and then finishes it off at home.
Lyon v. Bordeaux... The all French match up. These two teams obviously know each other very well being from the same league. In fact, they will play 3 games in quick succession as they play in the league right after the second leg of this tie. Bordeaux have the second leg at home and are currently in better form than Lyon, sitting atop the Ligue 1 table with Lyon in 5th (but only 5 points back). Lyon have the experience on their side as they have made the knock out stage in the past 6 years. I like Lyon in this matchup because of the experience and having defeated Real Madrid in the previous tie. Though this one is almost 50-50. The winner of this tie gets Man U in the next leg and will have the second leg at home. Man U will be favored against either of these teams and I think Bayern would be too. I see Man U moving on to the final.
Inter Milan v. CSKA Moscow... Inter had a great showing against Chelsea and get the "benefit" of the draw against the least well known side. However, playing against Eastern European teams and having to travel there is always difficult (just ask Barca: Rubin Kazan, Dynamo Kiev, and Shaktar Donetsk). Mourinho will have his team ready to go and will have the advantage of the second leg at home. I think the game in Moscow will be tight and tough but the game at the San Siro will be defining and send Inter through.
Barcelona v. Arsenal... Without a doubt the best match up of this stage. Two teams with a similar style who wont sit back and play ugly soccer (are you listening Chelsea?) Barcelona will be favored in this match up as they are arguably the best team in the world at the moment (they would be favored against everyone they play right now though it would be almost 50-50 against Man U). Henry will be facing his old club and Cesc will be doing the same, though Cesc may also be facing his new club as Barcelona want to buy him this summer. Barcelona have the second game at home. This is also a rematch of the '06 final which Barca won 2-1 coming from behind late. I think the game at Arsenal will be high scoring and very exciting (3-2, 2-1, 3-3 type game). I think Barca will, however, once again take advantage at home and win the tie. The other interesting thing about this tie is that the weekend after the second leg Barca must go to the Bernabeu while Arsenal must take on Tottenham. These two games could cause the teams to play different but I don't see too much changing. The winner of this match gets Inter or CSKA in the next round and will have the second leg at home.
I picture it being Barcelona v. Inter and Man U v. Lyon in the semi's. Again I see Man U making the final and in the rematch of the group stage I think Barcelona will once again get by Inter in a very tight match up. This would obviously lead to a rematch of last years final which Barca won. Not sure who would be favored in this game at these are the top 2 teams in the world at the moment. Rooney and Messi are on amazing form and are scoring all the time. Barca's defense is weaker but their attack and possession is much stronger. I am biased so I will say Barca repeat but remember no team has repeated since it became known as the Champion's League. Also, the game will be in Spain which may help Barca and with it being at the home of your rival it could give Barca another advantage. Also, with Mourinho facing Barca it could be very interesting as he may take over for Real next season or Barca in 2 seasons (Guardiola unsure if he wants to continue after next season).
More to come on the Barca-Aresnal match up when it gets closer
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