Champion's League thread 2012/2013

[NGONGE]

^^ Bookies have Rafa down as favourite for the job!

[N.O.R.F]

^I know. Torres is back!

 

A chance for him to to cross swoards with Fergie and his supporting cast (Big Sam, Pulis et al) again

[NGONGE]

^^ Chelsea will have to get someone in QUICK. They have City on Sunday. Heh.

[NGONGE]

Oz;891417 wrote:

Better side won. RDM got it wrong today i think, as we could have done with someone up front. Even if it was Torres.

 

Notes...

 

- It's pissing me off when we play a long ball forward with no target man. Drogba isn't here anymore. Oscar, Mata and Hazard aren't going to win arial battles against Juve's defenders

 

- Cahill and Luiz isn't going to work. None of them are leading defenders if you follow me. They are both support defenders, and Luiz is too unpreditable.

We need to play Cahill and Terry when JT comes back

.

 

- The midfield was shocking defensively. Allowed Juve too much time on the ball

 

- Mata, Oscar, and Hazard couldn't influence the game at all

 

- We could have done with a target man today who can win ariel battles. There doesn't seem to be a plan B going forward if plan A goes tits up. Lukaku might have been useful as he poses a threat in the air.

- Cahil is an awful defender, saaxib. He's not a CL player while Luiz IS.

 

- The two in the middle did all they could to stem the tide but were outnumbered by the Juve players.

 

- Lukaku is very raw and he's not even doing that well for WB.

 

- RDM should have mirrored the Juve formation to allow his team some muscle in the middle. He didn't, he got sacked.

 

p.s.

Chelsea still have the makings of a great team. Shame they never had the manager to make use of it. They should steal Bielsa from Bilbao. Now that's a man that will turn the PL upside down if he ever comes to a "big" team.

[Oz]

Apparently Di Matteo was warned this morning that Abramovich was not happy and that he was in a 'Sacking mood'. Couldn't make some of this up.

 

NGONGE;891594 wrote:

^^ Chelsea will have to get someone in QUICK. They have City on Sunday. Heh.

We don't seem to have much to lose. If Benitez does well beltin', if he fails then we can say he was never right for the club and Abramovic just gets rid, and we move on again. Flip side Scousers can cream themselves if Benitez does well, if he fails it won't be his fault, was never right for the club, took over impossible job, didn't have right players, didn't have right owners, refs against him, sky wasn't blue enough, etc.

 

Must be nice when money is no object that you can sack someone, pay them off to the tune of a few million, get someone else in and do it again. Loose change down the back of the seetee.

[Oz]

N gongs-(iPhone name typo)

The decision to use Hazard didn’t cost Chelsea, nor did the decision to use Azpilicueta. Instead, they were prone to Juve’s midfield runs, the movement of their strikers, and the runs of Lichsteiner from right-wing-back (Asamoah on the other side only became a significant problem after Azpilicueta departed).

 

In fact, they were were most exposed in the least experimental and least controversial parts of Di Matteo’s starting XI. That will prompt questions about his overall strategy at Chelsea, but his specific tactics for this game weren’t disastrous.

From Zonalmarking

 

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2012/11/...ame-elsewhere/

[Oz]

D/p

[Oz]

I think I might be the only Chelsea fan who rates Benitez. I'd happily have Rafa considering his record and what else is out there that we could end up with.

 

A lot of people were questioning why the club were taking so long to offer RDM a contract at the end of the season, but I think his record sums it up perfectly. Yes he won the CL and FA Cup, but a lot of that was down to luck and were factors he had no influence over. We're a club that's always going to want to challenge in all competitions, so we need someone who knows how to rotate a squad. IMO, this has been one of RDM's weaknesses from the start. We finished 6th in PL last season as he had no intention of concentration at all on the league and this season squad rotation has played a big part again. Maybe even the reason Torres has gone downhill again since the start of the season? Maybe Torres was just needed a rest but is now back to being stuck in his head again? It's more wishful thinking there, but who knows?

 

If we're being honest, 24 wins in 42 games is a very poor win record and not what we should except at Chelsea. We're a club in overdue transition and it was obvious that this was going to be a painful task. We should of thanked RDM for what he had done last season, and then got an experienced manager to carry on this process. Problem is we're obsessed with being the next club to get Guardiola and there aren't many managers who are interested in creating groundwork for someone else to come in and reap the rewards. How is Guardiola not just as big a risk? He's only managed a world class squad, with an alien upfront, in a league where there is a huge gap in quality between the teams. I can't think of many examples where he has spent wisely, and our academy is no where near the standards of Barca's to promote from within the club. You could argue that if he's given time he could gradually implement his style and philosophies. But Pep only lasted 4 years as Barcelona's manager and needed persuading the last 2 seasons just to do that. If Barcelona is the club he loves, how can we expect him to stay longer and transform us if he couldn't last 5 years there?

 

I'm not saying Guadiola can't be a success, but I just think this obsession needs to be looked at from all angles. I personally think Benitez would be a great signing though. Not sure how much backing he'd get though which could determine if he would succeed here.

[N.O.R.F]

I think you have the best manager in the world (when he gets his way). Would be good to see him put one over on Fergie.

[N.O.R.F]

Shakhtaar!

 

Where are Oz, Garnaqsi and Tuujiye today?

[Oz]

Thought we played really well, didn't expect us to go through but was still good to see the flair we had coming off yet making chances as well

 

Wouldn't mind us playing Romeu / Mikel for one Prem game with Hazard Mata and Moses in the 3 with Torres up alone - use Oscar for now as an impact sub perhaps. Give me an hour or two though and I'll change my mind on that line-up though as usual

[Garnaqsi]

N.O.R.F;896629 wrote:

Shakhtaar!

 

Where are Oz, Garnaqsi and Tuujiye today?

Well done to both Shakhtar and Juventus. Well deserved.

 

We're shockingly bad lately. I've no idea what's going on.

[Oz]

RealMadrid vs Man U.... Cracking match display for the neutral, lived up to the hype and more, and some of Utd's less glamorous names did very well.

 

I'd agree with those saying De Gea is quality, he's still so young and if honest his mistakes have been magnified so much at times, but it just seems a bit of a media bandwagon, as he proved he's a great keeper.

Both teams could have won. Real probably should have had a man sent off. It will make for a great second leg, I can see Utd edging it if it's a similar game, and Mourinho has to attack. However, things could be very different if Pepe starts over Varone.

 

Great performances from Carrick, Jones, Welbeck, Rio and De Gea.

 

[Wigad]

The game was quite boring if you ask me.

 

 

Now Milan - Barca will be a cracker because we are going through this year i think

[Oz]

Bayern Munich VS Arsenal

 

Looks like Gunners are going out? oh we'll theres always the FA Cup

 

Ps: Liverpool same old, same old. Run out of ideas then let their heads drop when they concede. Zenit 2 - 0 Liverpool.