Ryan, you're one of my fav posters here as you're a very reasonable and logical guy. But I have to disagree with you on the whole rant about Barca and lack of sportsmanship or being cocky etc.
It's VERY wrong to take a TEAM sport like Football and compare it to likes of Federer and Sampras because they're ONE individual and have no one else to worry about. But how are you gonna find 22 saints in a squad of professional football players? There's no WAY! Not a single team in the world has that. And you mention the likes of Jordan, well he had guys like Dennis Rodman on his team and so again nobody could say the Bulls are full of class and grace, some players were, some weren't.
It's a very unfair and unfounded argument my friend. Barca as a team is in fact one of the most classiest/humble teams out there. Sure, you're gonna have bad apples, but which team doesn't?
IF anything, despite the world-class level so many of their players have, they happen to have some of the most down to earth and humble. You look at guys like Iniesta, Xavi, Messi, Seydou Keita, Villa, Puyol (The henry thing doesn't count, we gotta judge over whole career, he's a very tough character but rarely 'dirty') are all good guys and world's very finest in their positions and yet so humble and down to earth. They're confident in their ability but the thing you talk about the arrogance and all that, half of what we see in Nani or C. Ronaldo, your Man U players isn't evident in them.
But it's a big squad of players, you have guys like Dani Alves, Valdes (Good shout on this one! He's one of the worst! And previously somebody forgot to mention him), Mascherano, Pique and Busquets (tho he's not the animal everybody makes him out to be) and Pinto who can be shady as well.
Abidal might have pissed off a lot of Arsenal fans this game and I understand that frustration but he can't be labeled a dirty player either, usually very cool and classy and good guy.
So for me, your argument doesn't stand my friend. If anything, this team has less bad apples than most others. 99% of whom aren't even on the same level yet think of themselves as much better. And all of this for a team coached by one of THE classiest, most humble and nicest guys in all of football world, Pep Guardiola.
It's sad and unfortunate but I'm gonna go with misfit on this one. When people notice greatness, they can't accept it. If they do, they wanna do it partially, not fully and bring up other 'reasons' to try to explain it and downplay it.
EDIT:
For the record, I think Barca were the far better attacking side over the two legs and deserved their win.
But you cant compare RVP's red card to things such as the disallowed goal or penalty. If a penalty is not given, you can always continue to play and score again If someone is sent off, he's gone and the game is changed.
Lets say things were different and that penalty was allowed and Barca were winning 3-1. The ref might have been more reluctant to award a second penalty later on. And if Van Persie was on the pitch to score that very late chance that Bendtner got, Arsenal would've been through on away goals.
Yes, Barca still deserved it based their performance. But Arsenal's unfair decisions made a bigger impact on the outcome imo.
Well the bolded part is where we really disagree I guess dude.
For me, a disallowed goal and a penalty IS comparable to playing with a man down. If van Persie had been sent off unfairly in the 3rd minute of the match and Arsenal had to play 10 vs. 11 for all that time, then sure, your argument would be a lot more valid in my opinion. But it wasn't. It was 30 mins or so they played 10 vs. 11 wasn't it?
And for the whole match up until the sending off where it was 11 vs. 11, what did they do? what little threat did they even pose? Pretty much NOTHING. Nada. The ONE shot and goal they had came from an own goal and a mistake from Barca player.
It's sad but the gulf in class was simply too evident to notice in both matches.
Also if we're gonna keep harping on about the harsh red card then I think the fact that Koszcielny should've been off for a second yellow but didn't despite ref awarding penalty (and those penalties always get a yellow at least), then it offsets it.
Plus for me, Van Persie and the way he lost his temper and retaliated and completely had his eyes on Alves and attacked him on that first yellow, considering how cynical that was, it could've been a straight red. So he played an extra 20 mins or so if anything perhaps though of course if he hadn't lost his cool, then Arsenal wouldn't be in the situation and nobody could've blamed the ref anymore.
