Champions League 2011/12

Milan wasn't that bad and should have led.
The penalty: well IMO not for what Abbaiti did. Maybe there was a foul before that, i haven't noticed it. But the contact between Sanchez and the GK, i'm inclined to say that was not a penalty. Yes there was a contact, but by then the ball was relatively far away from Sanchez' foot. For once i would not have given it. But those are very difficult decisions for a referee.
 
I agree with drekkard in that players are falling over everywhere, the pitch is absolutely shocking to be honest. A goal will definitely come because of a slip from someone I'm sure of it,

I thought Nocerino (I think it was) had got a touch on the ball so Alexis didn't go down.

The penalty would've been soft if it had been given as he's already going down before the contact with Abbiati. They get given 99/100 times though so surprisingly and unlucky for Barca that they didn't get it.

Milan should've scored both with Robinho (what a fucking useless wanker he is) and Ibra. They look good breaking forward but how often they can do that in the second half I don't know.

Barca will score though, absolutely sure of it. Milan are all at sea whenever Barca attack and only a bit of luck and some slack finishing is stopping them from being a few goals up.

It's 0-0 and it could be 3/4-2 to Barca. Strange.
 
SAN SIRO STADIUM

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Although it's been quite an entertaining first half already, the poor pitch is unfortunately playing its part in diminishing the quality we're seeing as much as it can. Players are slipping all over the place, passes aren't as crisp and have reduced speed, a bit disappointed about all that. Otherwise, it could be an absolutely classic!

Antonini has had a very good first half and that one-on-one against Alexis was AMAZING! I wanna see that in replay over and over again.

Abiatti was a relieved man to see there's no PK because although I personally wouldn't give that, you see it given in many matches all over Europe and the goalie even gets a RED card in situations like that which I think is very unfair and inconsistent.

Marseille playing 3rd GK and it's cost them after a tame mediocre shot in middle of net from Gomez has given Bayern the important lead at half time.
No Mandanda today and you're seeing it's effects.

As for Barca, they need to do 2 things.

1. Bring on Pedro for someone like Keita while moving Iniesta to the middle. He can burn Bonera who doesn't look too confident with his pace, runs and trickery and just a BIT extra penetration from someone other than Messi or Alexis would get you 2-3 goals I think in the 2nd half.

2. For god's sake, have a SHOT! It's incredible how many times Messi can shoot from edge of box or just before it with that powerful left-foot but they just pass around. Their reluctance to shoot and trying to be too cute (like that backheel from Alexis to Xavi instead of taking pass and slotting it home) can end up costing them. Come on, put the goalie under pressure, shots even if they don't go in, can take deflections, can get you rebounds, and in these conditions, a goalie can always make a mistake and fumble, it doesn't have to be the perfect shot! But Barca are trying to PASS the ball into the net which they eventually probably will, but they could be scoring many more goals!

Finally Iniesta after 35 mins, had ONE Long-range shot from just outside corner of box which was actually a bad one and went wide. Xavi seems to understand that shots need to be taken as well but the rest of the team is too focused on being cute and keeping ball instead of actually testing the keeper.

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As for Milan, I'm a big fan of Nocerino but c'mon, this is a player CLEARLY suited to being in the middle of the park and not basically playing as a right winger. He lacks serious pace just like Ambrosini and Seedorf and isn't exactly a great long-ball passer or crosser. Milan's midfield is slow (everyone apart from Boateng) and up front Zlatan and Robinho aren't the quickest either.

Urby Emmanuelson can come in and make a big difference in this match injecting a bit of pace into midfield and given Seedorf's age and YELLOW CARD (otherwise, I'd keep him on) I'd bring in Aquilani to replace him as a 2nd half sub.

These are the two changes Milan can do to have a much better 2nd half.
 
Pitch is much better than what Arsenal played on miles better. Milan needs to keep the ball on the floor this will get more open in 2nd half I hope.
 
Yayyy!! El Sharawyy on for f'n Robinho! :BOP:

This can be the night he introduces himself to the world!
 
Was thatt a penalty to puyol? After watching tv replay, I'm inclined to say it wasnt penalty to Alexis in the first half, but its hard to tell.... Messi can be killed in the last minutes and no foul given, though. The game has degraded with the pitch, a pitty.
 
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That was a Milan masterclass of how to defend, which considering Thiago Silva and Van Bommel were injured is some achievement. Any news on if those two and Pato might make the 2nd leg? For me Pato is a better option then El Sahawaary, he's just got that bit more experience and can time his runs a bit better in these sorts of games that can be vital.
 
Great to see Milan weren't blown out of the water.

Perfect display of the old Italian way from Milan. Defend like your lives depend on it and then try and nick something if you can.

The entirety of Milan's defence (and Ambrosini) deserve a lot of praise.

The pitch didn't help and Barca were a little off but at least the hope is there that they won't blow them away in the second leg. Mind you, knowing Barca they'll probably win 6-0.
 
Whole Milan defence was brilliant tonight but two guys were so much better than I expected.. Antonini played surprisingly awesome imo (denying two BIG chances of Alexis and Tello) and the evergreen Seedorf, I've no words for him just :WORSHIP:
 
First things first, another Champions league pay day for me as I put a tenner on Bayern beating OM 2-0 and rake in $80 :D Lost $10 of that of course on predicting the other score wrong but that's still $70 profit of $20 investment :D

Now, about the match, Bonera had a MUCH better 2nd half and Antonini may well have been MoM today! He saved 2 clear goals and was solid throughout.

Anyone else laughing at that foul by Nesta on Messi in the 55th minute which got him the yellow card?! :D :LMAO:

Extremely professional! lol, only a living a legend like him can foul like that! :D I was laughing my ass off! What a CYNICAL foul! It was like he told himself: "Alright, Messi, Fuck you, You're going down!!!"

Messi' reluctance to shoot was one of the main reasons Barca didn't score today in my opinion. It's the only part of his game that frustrates me. He doesn't take enough shots. He only does it when opportunity is perfect! But there are so many goals scored off deflections and rebounds, that a forward in a promising position with half a yard of space and especially one as accurate as him, should shoot!

Anyway, I like what bebo said. 0-0 is a great result but for who?! :D

Keeps it very interesting for 2nd leg I suppose so we as neutrals are the winners. And we needed this as it looks like all other semi-finals are more or less done and dusted (Though Benfica still have an outside chance).
 
Nesta! :LOL: Even funnier, did you see when Mascherano hanged his leg on Ibra? Really surprised Ibra kept his cool. He was so close to punching him in the face.
 
Loved when Ibra completely owned Puyol and pushed him away as if Puyol was Mesbah! Ibra has incredible strength, even against someone physical like Puyol.
 
Iba is a waste , just sit on the offside line and put his head down. Does well in the air for nothing though must` of been the only player on the pitch that didn`t sweat . Emanuelson got a good chance ,but the pitch made the ball bounce awkwardly to contain :LOL:
 
First time Barca hasn't scored in the Champions League after 29 matches. Also the 2nd time Barca hasn't won this season in CL - the first team to do this was us at the Nou Camp.
 
Brilliant match from Milan, fantastic defending and they could have won if there forwards would have been more prolific.

Maybe it was the pitch, but IMO this was perhaps the weakest performance of this current crop of Barcelona players. They dominated the first half but even then they were sloppy with lots of bad passes.

Ibrahimovic played a good match upfront, but the defenders and Ambrosini were the real stars of the match while Seedorf was outstanding.

About that Nesta foul: that was never a red card. It was sort of cynical but a yellow was more than enough.

Still i think that Barcelona will easily beat this Milan team. I'm pretty sure they will have to score twice to win...because Milan will score at the Nou Camp.

Stef and Zeem: i told you so. These are the kind of matches teams like Milan excell in...i'm not a big Milan fan (i would prefer Barcelona to go through to be honest), but they are so clever and can defend like the best. They could have won this match 2-0. IMO the best scoring chances were for Milan (transfer Robinho, he is a major ass hole and was by far the worst player of the pitch).

Ronaldinho 23: every time i read your comments, i have the feeling i've been watching another match. I think Zlatan was very good yesterday. He gave lots of fantastic litle passes.
 
I didn't like that pitch, possible penalty on Sanchez by Abbiatti, good defending by Milan.

In four CL games this week 0:1, 0:3, 0:2, 0:0, not a single home goal... what?

We are left with 4 great games this CL:

Barcelona - Milan
Real Madrid - Bayern, Bayern - Real Madrid
CL final
 
gerd said:
Brilliant match from Milan, fantastic defending and they could have won if there forwards would have been more prolific.

Maybe it was the pitch, but IMO this was perhaps the weakest performance of this current crop of Barcelona players. They dominated the first half but even then they were sloppy with lots of bad passes.

Ibrahimovic played a good match upfront, but the defenders and Ambrosini were the real stars of the match while Seedorf was outstanding.

About that Nesta foul: that was never a red card. It was sort of cynical but a yellow was more than enough.

Still i think that Barcelona will easily beat this Milan team. I'm pretty sure they will have to score twice to win...because Milan will score at the Nou Camp.

Stef and Zeem: i told you so. These are the kind of matches teams like Milan excell in...i'm not a big Milan fan (i would prefer Barcelona to go through to be honest), but they are so clever and can defend like the best. They could have won this match 2-0. IMO the best scoring chances were for Milan (transfer Robinho, he is a major ass hole and was by far the worst player of the pitch).

Ronaldinho 23: every time i read your comments, i have the feeling i've been watching another match. I think Zlatan was very good yesterday. He gave lots of fantastic litle passes.
Click to expand...

Boateng pass accuracy 55%, Robinho 45%
Xavi 91%, Iniesta 88%
 
enzo said:
Boateng pass accuracy 55%, Robinho 45%
Xavi 91%, Iniesta 88%
Click to expand...
that stat is irrelevant mate. both robino and boateng aren't midfielders, one is a forward and the other is an inside forward. so most of their passes are "the last pass of the play". their passing accuracy is supposed to be low because the targets of their passes are always in the opposite box (or on the edge of it). long story short, their passes are always high risk passes (often forced passes). that can't be said about xavi and iniesta. having said that, we certainly don't need a stat to realise xavi and iniesta are better passers than robinho and boateng. :DD
anyway enzo (this is actually a good advice for all of u guys), never pay too much attention to post-game stats. they're like "fun-facts", they're cool and intriguing, but don't try to read anything into them, as chances are they won't tell u anything about how a game unfolded.
milan displayed a counter-attacking strategy, wich means that all of their passes were vertical high risk passes (with a pretty low percentage of success of course), while barça played most of its game passing the ball around milan's box (unmarked and unpressured), trying to find an an opening, a crack in that "medieval wall" milan players erected around abbiati. therefore they had a higher passing success rate.
u could try to guess that from that stat...... but it's much easier to draw this conclusion from watching the game. ;))
bebo said:
If, Pepe did this everyone would be disgusted ,but Since ,Nesta! is Nesta it`s brilliant .
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WHOA! :SHOCK: that is harsh! and uncorrect. follow me for a sec bebo. picture this scenario; u're a defender who is about to go 1 on 1 vs a guy who is 20 centimeters shorter than u, who has a better acceleration and one of the best dribbling in history.
u miss your chance to stop him, he gets around u and now you're shoulder to shoulder. u're screwed. he's got a better acceleration than u, so u'll never get ahead of him again. and u can't even shake him off the ball with your shoulder, as he's basically a midget with a freakishly low center of gravity, so good luck trying to unbalance him. u have only 2 options left.

dirty option: u let him get ahead of u and perform a scissor tackle from behind. that's your best chance to stop him infact. u either manage to hit the ball and push it away from his foot (unlikely), or u mess up his ankle (much more likely). that's what pepe would have done in this situation. pepe does at least 2 scissor tackles every time he plays (i'm serious here, just watch him this week end and u'll count at least 2 scissor tackles, i promise). as for nesta instead, i've watched him playing since 1993... and i've NEVER seen him performing a scissor tackle from behind in his carreer. not even once.

clean option: in a desperate move, u try a "hook tackle" (i'm not sure this expression actually exist in the english football vocabulary. i'm just litterally translating from the italian expression "aggancio in recupero", wich could be roughly translated as "hook tackle") . if u time it well, u have a chance to perform one of the most spectacular tackles and snatch the ball from messi. if u don't time it well, u still can use your leg as an "obstacle" and make it more complicated for messi to gain speed and get away from u
this last scenario (missing the timing and trying to use your leg to stop him or slow him down anyway) is a foul.... but not a dirty foul, nor a dangerous foul. because you're putting your leg AHEAD of messi, not behind his ankles. if u don't time it well, it makes for a clumsy foul, but u're not exposing your opponent to any danger at all, as there's no chance he will get hurt from such a move. in italy we call it a fallo tattico ("tactical foul", wich is basically when u have no other options left than making a foul) and it's always yellow card material, wich is exactly what nesta got yesterday.
so, to respond to to your statement..... if pepe would do such a tackle, that wouldn't even make it into a "Pepe's top 200 worst tackles of the month". :P
but that won't ever happen anyway, as well all know pepe always choses the "dirty option" in this scenario.
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now onto the game. i'm not quite sure why u guys seem so pleased with this match. if i were a milan fan, i'd be delighted, but from a neutral perspective it was an awful football match. it was like watching an epl clash between the leader of the table and the team fighting to avoid relagation.
in italy (despite all the clicheès and the bullshit about defensive football and so on), such a conservative approach would be unprecedented. u never see matches like this one in serie a. about 3 months ago novara faced milan in a coppa italia match. novara was dead last on serie a table (by far the worst team in the league) and the match was played in san siro..... and yet novara was much much more bold and confident than yesterday's milan .... and that was one of the most one-sided games i've seen this season in italy!!!!

mind u i'm not blaming milan for displaying a such a conservative strategy. thiago silva, van bommel and abate were out, nesta and boateng were coming from an injury.... the situation was absolutely tragic. besides the away goal rule certainly is no incentive to be bold in home matches, so allegri's tactic was absolutely understandable and justifiable. but to say that was a brilliant match is a bit too much imo. if that would have been a serie a match, it would have been the worst match of the season..... and serie a has been absolutely awful this season!!!

i also wouldn't say that was a good defensive display. good defending is having a succesful defensive performance, while defending with 6 players. but if u defend with 8 men, if u mantain your entire team (bar the strikers) behind the midfield line, that can't be "good defending", even if u manage to keep a clean sheet. because if you're focusing all your energies into defending, then u're supposed to defend well and to keep a clean sheet.
having said that, there were some magnificent individual efforts in defence. antonini was brilliant (btw was that the first time he played on the right... co'z i've never seen that before), bonera was fantastic.

also seedorf was sublime yesterday. however, i would have lined up aquilani instead of him. seedorf is a legend and there are at least 10 valid reasons to prefer him over aquilani in such a matchup..... but since allegri based all his offensive efforts on counters, aquilani's passing would have been much more useful than seedorf's passing yesterday.
i also can't understand why allegri picked robinho instead of el sharawi. that was really a no brainer. robinho is useless if u play counter-attacking football. infact as soon as el sharawi came into the pitch, he did more than robinho in the entire game.

anyway i really can't understand why u guys get so fired up about this champions league matches.... to be honest i think this competition is getting worse each and every year.:((
 
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Ben, about the quality of the match, i agree with you.
This was not the best football, far from that.

But i enjoyed it because i saw it as a chess match and i watched it from Milan's point of view (although i prefer Barcelona's football), because in this match they were supposed to be the underdog. I think Milan did quite well defensively, but if i was a Milan fan i would be disappointed. Milan could have won this match. IMO they had the better chances.

Edit: Milan even succeded in frustrating Messi, which quite exceptional.
 
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