Apologies right up front if this post is too-Twittery (ugh, hate that word with a passion).
Time constraints and new paradigms at the job make it nearly impossible to cook up a full, seven coarse meal of a post, but I'll adjust.
Anyways, maybe I'm slowly losing it but reading all the post match stuff from the 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp Tuesday, it's like Chelsea already won by holding Barca off the scoreboard.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the tie still goes to the away goals team, right?
Perhaps this is English-language bias, but aren't Barca in pretty good shape since they didn't allow a goal and now can go to Stamford Bridge and advance to the final with a draw?
And do we all really think that even with Tuesday's nice defensive clinic, Chelsea will hold Barcelona scoreless for another 90 minutes.
You'd think come the trip to London that Pep Guardiola will tell his charges to take their chances, instead of vying for the perfect goal every time? Or maybe he'll tell Samuel Eto'o to look up and pass a ball to an unmarked Thierry Henry inside the box? (Henry's biggest contribution? Getting his bell rung by Alex.)
Take nothing away with Chelsea, Guus Hiddink had a gameplan to play for the scoreless draw and it worked. And if Didier Drogba gets a better touch on a ball, they're back to London with a massive lead. Bigger props for Essien and Mikel both getting through without yellow cards. Hell, even Branislav Ivanovic proved his worth as a defender, more than holding his own against Henry on the left.
I'm very intrigued by what the Dutch wiz will do in the return leg. He's going to be forced to open things up, but how and when in the match will he attempt that? Coming out from the opening whistle and attacking exposes the defense -- namely Petr Cech, who did play fairly well on Tuesday.
Yet from watching this one, this was a lot more about Barcelona wasting possession and attempting the spectacular than simply scoring a goal.
Bottom line, Lionel Messi can leave the dribbling flights of fancy for those Copa Del Ray games. And Barce needs to cut down the whining too, and get something done.
Yeah, it's hard to quibble with a team that's scored 90+ goals in La Liga, but at times Barca could have simply used a scrub/big lug/battering ram like Kevin Davies to cause some havoc inside the penalty area. This isn't the free-flowing way the Catalan giants normally play, but you have to adjust.
It's like trying to eat/life a healthy lifestyle. Yes, ideally light, organic meals high on bean sprouts and gluten-free products is the way to go, but sometimes a greasy cheeseburger gets the job done.
Oh and hate me if you like, but it was hard to feel bad for Rafa Marquez when he rolled up and collapsed in a contact-free knee injury. Did he get hit with Roger McDowell's magic loogie or something?
Time constraints and new paradigms at the job make it nearly impossible to cook up a full, seven coarse meal of a post, but I'll adjust.
Anyways, maybe I'm slowly losing it but reading all the post match stuff from the 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp Tuesday, it's like Chelsea already won by holding Barca off the scoreboard.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the tie still goes to the away goals team, right?
Perhaps this is English-language bias, but aren't Barca in pretty good shape since they didn't allow a goal and now can go to Stamford Bridge and advance to the final with a draw?
And do we all really think that even with Tuesday's nice defensive clinic, Chelsea will hold Barcelona scoreless for another 90 minutes.
You'd think come the trip to London that Pep Guardiola will tell his charges to take their chances, instead of vying for the perfect goal every time? Or maybe he'll tell Samuel Eto'o to look up and pass a ball to an unmarked Thierry Henry inside the box? (Henry's biggest contribution? Getting his bell rung by Alex.)
Take nothing away with Chelsea, Guus Hiddink had a gameplan to play for the scoreless draw and it worked. And if Didier Drogba gets a better touch on a ball, they're back to London with a massive lead. Bigger props for Essien and Mikel both getting through without yellow cards. Hell, even Branislav Ivanovic proved his worth as a defender, more than holding his own against Henry on the left.
I'm very intrigued by what the Dutch wiz will do in the return leg. He's going to be forced to open things up, but how and when in the match will he attempt that? Coming out from the opening whistle and attacking exposes the defense -- namely Petr Cech, who did play fairly well on Tuesday.
Yet from watching this one, this was a lot more about Barcelona wasting possession and attempting the spectacular than simply scoring a goal.
Bottom line, Lionel Messi can leave the dribbling flights of fancy for those Copa Del Ray games. And Barce needs to cut down the whining too, and get something done.
Yeah, it's hard to quibble with a team that's scored 90+ goals in La Liga, but at times Barca could have simply used a scrub/big lug/battering ram like Kevin Davies to cause some havoc inside the penalty area. This isn't the free-flowing way the Catalan giants normally play, but you have to adjust.
It's like trying to eat/life a healthy lifestyle. Yes, ideally light, organic meals high on bean sprouts and gluten-free products is the way to go, but sometimes a greasy cheeseburger gets the job done.
Oh and hate me if you like, but it was hard to feel bad for Rafa Marquez when he rolled up and collapsed in a contact-free knee injury. Did he get hit with Roger McDowell's magic loogie or something?
Labels: barcelona, champions league, Chelsea, Soccer
I thought Guatemala really showed a lot out there today.
Wow...I hate web lexicon, but that deserves an LOL.
I laughed for a while watching Marquez go down like that. It makes up for all the times he has tried to injure a US player.
I agree completely with your assessment of the advantage still going to Barca. Any tie with goals puts them through.
Even as a Chelsea fan I felt a little embarrased after that game. The strategy didn't make much sense to me and the game was just plain ugly to watch. Hopefully the end will justify the means. I fear that Guus may have just hit his head on the cockpit glass while trying to eject.
I agree that counting Chelsea as through to the final is a mistake. The "Look how good the Blues did" press you were reading and hearing comes from, in my opinion, the pre-match predictions that Barça would win 3-1 in Spain. Compared to getting hammered and danced on by Messi, Chelsea certainly is looking okay.
I thought Cech was punting the ball away like an American football (gridiron) punter. He seemed to think that his kicks HAD to go over to the other team. How many times did Cech kick the ball right to the Barça keeper? He kept a clean sheet but, if I was Hiddink, I would have been hiding my eyes every time the ball went by on a cross.
I feel bad making fun of a guy (Cech) who clearly lost a part of his game in 'battle' but Cech is done as a top quality keeper. Does Freidel like west London?
Well Chelsea look to be 85 minutes from another final. Barca started strongest but - what a goal!