Barcelona v Chelsea

[midfield]

It has to be said that Chelsea did a first-rate job in stopping Barca from scoring tonight. However, is it just me who found Chelsea's tactics utterly boring? I would rather have watched an exciting, attacking game from BOTH sides but all we got was one team tring to produce such a game and the other trying to bore us all to death. Frankly, if that is what Chelsea are all about at this level then I hope for the sake of football they get no further. :SM_carton:

[Guest Man on the Post]

I agree with you entirely midfield. I thought Chelsea were dreadful, two banks of four on virtually the eighteen yard line, alot of late tackles, shirt pulling, obstruction and time wasting. Extremely boring stuff.

And Henry should have had a penalty!

[Guest Porcupine]

Typical Arse-nal comment. It wasnt that long ago that boring boring Arse-nal would always try for a 1 nil win.

Chelsea did their job tonight getting a draw against one of the best attacking teams in the world. sensible tactics. champs leg sem is 2 legged. chelsea take the advantage to stamford bridge

[midfield]

Chelsea did their job tonight getting a draw against one of the best attacking teams in the world. sensible tactics. champs leg sem is 2 legged. chelsea take the advantage to stamford bridge

Glad you agree Chelsea bored us all to death. <_<

[Guest Porcupine]

so tactics mean sod all then? as long as your entertained? i suppose if arsenal drew 0-0 at the nou camp you would hail it as a marvellous feat. if you want entertainment buy a comic book. if you wanna learn how to defend against class forwards like messi, henry and etoo then tonight was a great example.

[midfield]

I won't bother replying to your half-baked comments after this one. If that is the type of crap football that interests you then enjoy yourself. If you can keep yourself awake that is. :angry2:

[Guest Porcupine]

and im sure your gonna go all guns blazing vs man utd tomorow. maybe go 6 up front and try and get 10 goals? im just glad wenger is smarter than you. even if he is a miserable git.

[Anita]

Just woke up after 'watching' that game agree with you midfield it was boring, at least when we were boring Arsenal we won :drink:

[gillo10]

Chelsea fans will say it was great tactics by Hiddimk, the neutral will say it was boring. End of the day I very much doubt any Chelsea fan will give a dam if they make it through. 2nd leg could be interesting, will Barca have a plan B, other than neat passing around the box to thread the ball through, will Chelsea come out to attack, therefore possibly giving Xavi, Iniesta, Toure, Messi etc more space to find those vital passes. How will Barca cope without Puyol or Marquez, will Drogba land on his feet after going for a header?!!

Could be a good tie!!

[baldy]

A classic "old-style" European tie - defend away, attack at home? This one is far from over. Wouldn't bet against Barca scoring at the Bridge.

Hope Guus sees sense and keeps Bos at LB. Terrific defending against the best attacking side in the world.

Hope Arsenal go for it tonight and get slaugtered. No, thought not.

Really looking forward to next Wed. Always special games and the atmos will be electric. JT to get the winner again?

[St Darren]

is it a great result though?

IMO no, I think nowadays, you have to score when you're away from home. 1-1 at the Bridge and Barca are through. Chelsea are in a pridicament, where, do they go for it, or do they sit? cos to Barca it really doesn't make much difference if Chelsea score, cos one for them and they're through!!

Roll on a Barcelona v Arsenal final

[Anita]

Roll on a Barcelona v Arsenal final

I think that would be one hell of a game :thumbsup:

[Coopsie]

Yep, well done Chelsea. Now all you have to do is get out of your own half in the second leg and you may have a chance of winning?. I remember when Martin Jol was in charge at Spurs and we kept Chelsea at bay at Stamford bridge, Mr Mourinho was quick to point out that ANY team can park a bus infront of a goal but that is anti football and is not the way to win things. The blues supporters agreed, is that opinion still the same?.

I also think that Lampard and Essien are not going to get any sleep at all before the next leg because they'll still be busy chasing the shadows of Xavi and Iniesta. Those 2 guys gave a masterclass of how to control a midfield, quality first touch and distribution made them a joy to watch and they simply could not be lived with. Those 2 players truly are WORLD CLASS.

[baldy]

That was a league game Coopsie, this is a 2 leg ECL tie. Agree, Iniesta was the best player on the park and Frank was inconspicuous.

But it's 0-0 and all to play for. Roll on Wed.

[cornish-blue]

well i got my ticket for next week and can't wait, should be a great game , i feeling a bit nervous, barca will score but so will chelsea, i just hope its 2, would be gutted to go out on away goals

chelsea v arse final i think

:c:

[Guest The Judge aka RED OR DEAD]

Chelsea stopped free scoring Barca from taking a lead into the 2nd leg, no other team has stopped them from scoring at home all season, well done lads.

Nice to see to Cornwall Chelsea flag in the upper tier before the match as the cameras panned around.

2-1 at the Bridge and an all London final not at Wembley or Cardiff but a 1,000 miles away so the UEFA sponsors get their freebies and English fans pay through the nose for flights and hotels.

[Lafs]

Mancs 1 Arsenal 0

And now I guess your going to tell us thats the way we should all defend in a ECL Semi, Arsenal fans!!!!

[Guest Porcupine]

Would love to hear the Arsenal fans tonight.

especially midfield who ripped the shit out of chelsea. arse put 1 up front against best prem def in leg. was that boring? very! did it get a result? no

[Anita]

First off is there anywhere that has sky tv that shows games in English NOT greek????? I went to 3 different places and greek it was not very happy see angry face

Ok so we lost 1-0, we played s**t, we should never of had just one up front. Still we got a 2nd leg to score a few and hopefully (fingers crossed) win :smiley20:

[baldy]

Dream on Anita

[Anita]

Dream on Anita

I did say hopefully Footballs a funny old game so it could happen ok so pigs could fly, but i'm happy with the thought :smiley20:

[Lafs]

Just woke up after 'watching' that game agree with you midfield it was boring, at least when we were boring Arsenal we won

Ummmm, do you think now you should've waited until after your own team's boring game Anita??!!

And Midfield, where have you gone now with your masterclass in tactical awareness on how a team in the ECL Semi-Final should go about their business?!! :SM_carton_y:

[midfield]

Just woke up after 'watching' that game agree with you midfield it was boring, at least when we were boring Arsenal we won

Ummmm, do you think now you should've waited until after your own team's boring game Anita??!!

And Midfield, where have you gone now with your masterclass in tactical awareness on how a team in the ECL Semi-Final should go about their business?!!

Some points here:

1. I'm still around;

2. We are still in the competition;

3. 1-0 at Manure ain't too bad;

4. It was more even in the second half;

5. I could go on but I won't bother!

Do you honestly think that getting 0-0 in Spain was a good result for the Chelsea? In terms of possesion they were murdered and it was totally against the spirit of the game. Chelsea wern't interested in playing football they were there to stop Barca scoring. Apart from the fact they were trying to kick them off the park. I know what game was the better one in terms of 2 attacking teams and it certainly wasn't the one in Spain! Just proves the point that Chelsea as a footballing team are crap and they don't deserve to get any further. (Note I say "footballing" team...)

Rant over. :angry2:

[gillo10]

Attacking football!? At what point did Arsenal play attacking football? One up front, and I only realised the donkey was playing when he got subbed. You guys went with a game plan only slightly more positive than Chelseas yet you are banging on about what a great result it was. Almunia has said that in the 2nd half it showed Arsenal can beat United, that second half showed how to have a bit more possesion and do NOTHING with it. Andy Gray said Arsene Whinger would be the happier manager, sums that ***** up.

If Adebayor is worth £30 mill then what the hell is someone like Torres worth!?

[Coopsie]

If Adebayor is worth £30 mill then what the hell is someone like Torres worth!?

3 Giro's and a set of hubcaps for a Ford Fiesta XR2i..... :unsure:

[midfield]

What p****s you Chelsea fans off is that you know when you come up against an excellent footballing team like Barcelona you're not good enough to be on the same pitch. At least we tried to play football. Your lot didn't.

If Adebayor is worth £30 mill then what the hell is someone like Torres worth!?

3 Giro's and a set of hubcaps for a Ford Fiesta XR2i.....

LOL, Coopsie! :lol:

[Lafs]

Two attacking teams Midfield?? Just what did Walcott, Nasri and ADEBORE offer in an attacking sense last night??!! About as much as they did at Wembley 2 weeks ago I say!

We obviously have a clash of styles here that's all Midfield. I personally, would prefer to go away in the first leg of a ECL semi final and "do a job" for want of a better exspression, than to go and play open football and take a 1v0 deficit into the second leg which you seem to be happier with.

Saying that, I am not saying that our 0v0 scoreline is advantageous to Chelsea at this half way point due to the threat of conceding an away goal, but I do believe that Hiddinks game plan was to stifle the Worlds best attacking team in their own back yard.

I believe we will all see a different game back at the Bridge and my opinion is that Barca threw their all at Chelsea and failed to score, we have yet to see if Barca's dodgy defence (less Puyol and Marquez dont forget) can cope with a more attacking set up from Chelsea with more support in attack for Drogba. We have now all seen what Barca can do and im sure the game will be much analysed by Hiddink and Co before Wednesday, but Barca havent got that benefit.

And for the record Midfield, having watched every Chelsea match this season in one way or another, that was the first time we have set out to stifle any team in any competition. Horses for courses and all that!!!

Good luck to ALL English Clubs next week I say!

[midfield]

I think it is probably a clash of styles. I just don't like to see teams playing "not to lose" as Chelsea did the other night. Both of next weeks games will be far too close to call and I wouldn't put money on any of them. Yes - best of luck to all English teams next week (except Man U! )

[Guest Porcupine]

Arsene wenger hasnt won a single european trophy in 16 years of management. whilst mourinho, benitez and fergie have. cant beat the facts. arsenal aint god enough to win sod all in europe. its really that simple. but all their fans do is take the piss out of every other sucessful club who has. but ultimately the jokes on you and arsenals continuing failures.

[Guest Peppermint]

I have to agree with Gillo 10 - Andy Gray obviously had a bad curry in Manchester becuase for a so called neutral 'expert' [word used advisedly] he seems to have nothing but bad words to say about United.

Secondly as a neutral in the Chelsea/Barcelona clash I am sure I would be happy for my team to go to Spain and return with a 0-0 draw.

[midfield]

Arsene wenger hasnt won a single european trophy in 16 years of management. whilst mourinho, benitez and fergie have. cant beat the facts. arsenal aint god enough to win sod all in europe. its really that simple. but all their fans do is take the piss out of every other sucessful club who has. but ultimately the jokes on you and arsenals continuing failures.

I think if you add up all the trophies Wenger has won in his time at Arsenal it's a damned sight more than Chelsea have won in their entire history.

Now who's laughing? :lol:

[Guest Porcupine]

Yup. I am laughing. at you dipstick. chelsea have won 20 trophies in their history. wenger at arsenal 11. so your completely wrong and look a bit of a tool with your mouth gobbing off more than your brain can handle. go check the stats for yourself. then feel free to admit your wrong.

[midfield]

So what you are saying, my prickly little Porcupine is that you've won nearly twice as many trophies as Wenger but it's taken you about 100 extra years to do it?

Now who's the dipstick! :D

[isaac rosenberg]

Thank you, Porcupine, for your excellent advocacy of the Blues while I was momentarily attempting to earn a living.

Tottingham, comments from you lot about serious European football (as opposed to the UEFA midweek pub sup. cup) are every bit as valid as those of Amor Shield Assistant Managers on how their defence might subdue Di Stefano, Stanley Matthews or George Eastham.

Midfield, despite your amusing throwing of stones I hope to see the glass house of your defence in the European final again, shattered by Kalou and Malouda......we can afford to keep the best in reserve.

Semi-final, second leg predictions:

Chelsea 3 Barcelona 2

Arse 1 Man Ure 0 Arse to go through on penalties after Ronaldo misses.

Final:

Chelsea 2 (Drogba, Terry) Arsenal 0

FA Cup Final

Chelsea 1 (Anelka) Everton 0

[YoungPercy]

Although i thought the 1st leg of the champiuons league between barca and chelsea was dour!!!

i do think that it was needed for chelsea to progress, chelsea had to leave the nou camp with somethig to hold on to and if they left barcelona witha defeat and having to attack barcelona form the 1st minute of the second leg things may have been different.

I have faith in Guus Hiddink and in a similar way to Mourinho before if your team wins, who cares what the score is!!!

1-0 chelsea LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest Luffy]

Chelsea's draw against Barca, was pretty hard to watch for a fan of the blues. I do not like to see negative football however; I think that Guus planned us to have a little more possession than we did. Drogba should have scored and with the gods smiling we could have taken a one nil advantage back to the bridge.

Overall the game was not the spectacle that we have come to expect from top European sides but there is a huge amount riding on these two games. Can Chelsea beat Baca back at the Bridge? I hope so but we need to be more adventurous, personally I would like to see us play 4-4-2 with Drogba and Anelka upfront, Lampard and Essien in the midfield with Malouda on one flank and ? who ever he feels suited to play on the other. Although I am not a great advocate of 4-4-2 it would certainly give Barcas' bare defence a problem having to cope with both strikers.

Basically as long as Chelsea outscores their opponents they will be in the final.

Regarding the comments of Midfield, at least we can defend, Arsenals defence is a joke, u were lucky that ManU did not have their finishing boots on or you would have been well and truly out of the competition. Two major problems with Arsenal is that they seem to want to score the perfect goal, and it's great to see a team pass the ball around but the aim of the game is to score a goal and keep the opposition from scoring unfortunately Arsenal have a problem doing either.

Secondly you have two many of the same players and very little older experienced heads in the side, Arsenal need a leader someone who is old enough to buy a drink. :D

[gillo10]

Just watched "el classico" and I will just like to say good luck Chelsea! Barca were awesome, Madrid 2 Barca 6. Will say though if Chelsea get at them they are dodgy at the back, especially Abidal. If both teams attack this week it could a grrrrreat game!!

[Guest The Judge aka RED OR DEAD]

Arsenal need a leader someone who is old enough to buy a drink.

Tony Adams, Paul Merson, Charlie Nicholas !