UEFA Champions League

By External HDD
in The Sporting Arena

 Share

UEFA CL 2008/2009  

105 members have voted

  1. 1. Who will win UEFA CL 2008/2009?

    • Arsenal
      12
    • Liverpool
      10
    • Barcelona
      31
    • Inter
      2
    • Manchester United
      30
    • Chelsea
      6
    • Real Madrid
      4
    • Other
      10

  2. 2. Top Scorer?

    • Kaka
      1
    • Henry
      5
    • Eto'o
      13
    • Ronaldinho
      2
    • Fernando Torres
      16
    • Ronaldo
      21
    • Other
      47

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

Shibby

Posted
Posted

It started well, but from someones who supports man utd second to pompey. Utd were pretty useless after the goal. Evra seems interested in playing further up than in defence. Park and Anderson started.... I was just like WOW, who would have thought. Ronaldo was being selfish. Rooney didn't seem that useful, he could work the ball on the left but the attack never came to help him. Giggs seemed missing. Carrick, I still don't understand him most of the balls played were poor.

I loved when Scholes come on, he is someone who despite being called a bad tackler, knows how to commit himself, how to make sure the midfield is working and best of all his chips and cross field passing always hits the target.

Grand Master

Subject Delta

Posted
Posted

Admittedly I was surprised at Rooney, his passing was awful all evening, which is unusual for him. Fergie IMO just got his tactics all wrong and United payed the price, but they can't have any real complaints about getting beat by what is an exceptional Barcelona team.

It does show however that United aren't invincible and I believe they will be put under a lot more pressure in the premier league next year.

Veteran

Kralik

Posted
Posted
you need to watch more CR and Drogba games before stating that dude... or just ask Frank Fontaine :p

Oh yeah Drogba.. just see my signature :p or Ballack.. my cousin is a Chelsea fan and he wanted to punch these 2 in the face after the semifinal :D lol..

I hope to see Arsenal v Barcelona next season so we can show them how to play 'sexy football', HA.

I felt if we had a full strength team this year.. Rosicky,Eduardo,Gallas were back and Arshavin could play.. we would've given Barca a much tougher time.. oh well next year.. lets buy 2-3 players for now :)

Grand Master

Mike

Posted
Posted
A lot of foreign players are like it, the rewards are so big there is a win at all costs mentality amongst a lot of players nowadays

I do find it hilarious you are trying to defend Puyol's pathetic play (have you seen him play before?) yet are exceptionally quick to have a go at the likes of Drogba / Ronaldo when they get a free kick.

Experienced

Shycho

Posted
Posted
Admittedly I was surprised at Rooney, his passing was awful all evening, which is unusual for him. Fergie IMO just got his tactics all wrong and United payed the price, but they can't have any real complaints about getting beat by what is an exceptional Barcelona team.

It does show however that United aren't invincible and I believe they will be put under a lot more pressure in the premier league next year.

Did the back to back defeats against liverpool and fulham not show that?

I honestly believe Rio was severly unfit in that match, what did he do? Was badly out of position for the first goal and had vidic and o'shea running after all the loose balls for him.

Grand Master

Subject Delta

Posted
Posted

Yeah, you have a point. United offered very little going forward against Liverpool, and just plain lost their discipline against Fulham. Ronaldo also showed signs of losing his discipline in the CL final. A weakness that opponents will probably pick up on next season.

Now the air of invincibility around United has been broken, I would imagine next season being a bit tougher for them, I believe it's fair to say they pretty much stumbled over the line in the premiership, but they have definitely not been as strong in the latter half of the season. I also believe the sheer amount of games they have been playing may be partly to blame.

Veteran

Kralik

Posted
Posted
Ronaldo also showed signs of losing his discipline in the CL final. A weakness that opponents will probably pick up on next season.

Thats what Wenger tried 2-3 times when we played Man Utd and we never lost when we did this.. if you target and frustrate Ronaldo (and Rooney too) enough.. dont let him get the ball or take it back before he can do anything with it.. he does some remarkable things.. like diving.. taking rugby shots.. rough slide tackling or even fighting.. notice that next time he is invisible.. ;)

Proficient

nothuman

Posted
Posted

After more than a week it's still fracking hurts.

We did not played the way we used to. We did not showed the same strenght we had on the semi. It's sad. And I must say, maybe not objectively, but I think Barca were a bit lucky with tiny little things during all the game, and it is that sort of luck you need to win the C1. Overall they were better anyway but still, it hurts. Bravo Barcelone.

Enthusiast

Ka74ever

Posted
Posted
Don't think he was diving? He went up for a header against ronaldo and went down because the ball hit him in the face.

Also tried to tackle VDS and went down like his career was over, got up ran, 80 yards and then went back down when the ball went out of play.

Still i don't think either him or Drogba have anything on Morten Gamst Pedersen, who hits the deck every single time he has the ball in the box.

The thing that annoyed me the most and it's true of most Spanish teams playing in europe, is when one of their players went down, they went up the pitch and tried to score, only when they missed and lost possesion did they want the ball kicked out of play for him, before he dies of a fatal injury....

+1

Grand Master

Subject Delta

Posted
Posted
Didier Drogba will miss at least four European matches after being banned for his reaction to Chelsea's Champions League semi-final defeat by Barcelona.

The striker was banned for six games, with two suspended for two years.

His Blues team-mate Jose Bosingwa was banned for three European games, with a further one-match ban also suspended.

Both players were found guilty of making insulting comments to the referee by Uefa, which also handed Chelsea an ?85,000 fine.

Chelsea, who have three days to appeal against the punishment, were fined for the improper conduct of their players and the throwing of missiles by their fans after the 6 May match.

A Chelsea spokesman said: "We've received the Uefa verdict and we'll now take time to assess it in full and consider our response."

The Blues went out of the tournament after a series of disputed decisions by referee Tom Henning Ovrebo.

He turned down a host of strong penalty appeals from Chelsea during the 1-1 draw in the second leg at Stamford Bridge, which saw Barca go through on away goals.

Drogba and several other players surrounded Ovrebo after the final whistle to remonstrate with the Norwegian.

The Ivorian continued his verbal attack even after being cautioned, and had to be restrained as Ovrebo went down the tunnel.

Rob Faulkner, Uefa's head of communications, told Radio 5 Live: "The actions of the players were certainly not of a sporting nature.

"Everything has been taken into account. The club will be informed officially in writing and then they have three days in which to consider whether to appeal or not."

Faulkner added it was a "fairly strict but fairly appropriate" level of punishment.

He insisted the disciplinary panel took into account the importance of the game and the fact that the match was settled in such dramatic fashion, with Andres Iniesta's injury-time goal sending Chelsea out.

But he added: "We have to set certain standards. We do have a 'Respect' campaign and the Uefa president (Michel Platini) is instrumental behind that.

"The players are key to that, in setting a good example both on and off the pitch. The club obviously has a responsibility for the way their players behave as well.

"All in all, that's the reasoning for the decision."

Drogba had stated that he would accept any punishment given to him by Uefa over his actions.

"My behaviour was not what Uefa and everyone wants to see in a football stadium," Drogba said ahead of the governing body's verdict.

"It's not easy but I think that whatever I did and the decision they take I will accept it.

"I will do my suspension and, after that, I will come back stronger."

Source: BBC News

All I can say is...:laugh::

Veteran

Kralik

Posted
Posted
Chelsea are likely to appeal after being handed a €100,000 fine (?85,000) by Uefa and longer than expected bans for Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa for the fracas at the end of the club's Champions League exit to Barcelona.

Discussions with both players took place last night and although Drogba has maintained that he is willing to accept the punishment given to him, Chelsea were stunned that he received a six-match European ban, with two of the games suspended. They had thought the worst he would get is three games.

Bosingwa's punishment was even more of a surprise given Chelsea had expected him to be absent for only one game when their Champions League campaign starts at the beginning of next season. Chelsea are also annoyed at the fine they have received for "the improper conduct of their players and the throwing of missiles by their supporters".

Chelsea were given 72 hours to appeal and may release a formal statement later today. Last night a Chelsea spokesman said: "We've received the Uefa verdict and we'll now take time to assess it in full and consider our response. There is unlikely to be further comment tonight."

...

It had been thought that Drogba would be sold by club owner Roman Abramovich, who is believed to have been appalled by his behaviour after the Barca match, but the Russian billionaire has, following consultations with his advisers and talking to the new manager Carlo Ancelotti, relented.

Bosingwa's future is in greater doubt given Chelsea's interest in re-signing Glen Johnson, although they have lost out to Liverpool for the right-back after he made it clear he did not want to return to Stamford Bridge.

Both Drogba and Bosingwa were found guilty of making insulting comments after Chelsea were knocked out of the competition following a series of controversial decisions by referee Tom Henning Ovrebo who turned down a number of strong penalty appeals.

I love how British media protects our football clubs. They got off easy.. no punishment for Ballack for almost hitting the referee?:pp But still:bounce::

Grand Master

Subject Delta

Posted
Posted

I don't think they got off easy, in Drogba's case, I feel a 4 match ban was about what was coming. Although it could probably be fairly argued that what he did was more stupid than downright violent, for me UEFA have to clamp down on this kind of behaviour and giving out strong penalties to offenders is the only way to go IMO

Chelsea's appeal will probably fail, or at most they will get the suspended games knocked off.

  • 1 month later...
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.