Champions League - Who Will Lift That Great Trophy ?

SC Soccer

I hate to say it but my predictions are these

60% Liverpool
20% Real Madrid
10% Olympique Lyonnaise
2% AC Milan
2% Arsenal
2% Chelsea
2% Bayern Munchen
2% Barcelona

Yes Liverpool will win again, mark my words

The January transfer market will see some major changes.

[ February 21, 2006, 04:42 PM: Message edited by: Kyle Heise ]

i dont think you understand how bad i want you to be right.

barcelona/chelsea winner and ac milan have better chances to win the trophy than lyon or liverpool, in my opinion.

although the transfer window is coming up, liverpool hasnt been in top shape and the addition of new players will take time to blend in.

plus, all of these teams are looking to improve in the transfer window and these teams are playing better than liverpool right now.

I believe Juventus will win overall. they don't have a major opponent in the first knockout round and are playing very well in the Italian League, leading by 10 points.

Liverpool has BENFICA !!!! not to berate them but liverpool has been playing in top form despite their poor line-up and benitez's shuffle of starters, i would like to change my real madrid percentage and replace it with juventus (real madrid has had some poor performances, i just thought about that)

lyon has a big chance of winning it man, i dont think ac is going anywhere this year, barca and chelsea, i think barca will win that series, chelsea has been playing in top form, but in the premier league, they have failed in games for me to rank them as a high opponent, liverpool won the games they should, and didn't lose any points in the games they should have. although there is a bit of a quarrel of whether reina or dudek should be the main goalie, if liverpool loses dudek as a backup or starter, its going to be difficult, i think the pressure that's being put on reina to be a starter is making him perform better. and liverpool should have won the fifa club world championship, they got robbed !!!

i don't know, i think i'll have to go with lyon to win it all. they have risen to one of the major european powers in a very short period of time.

Bayern Munich v. AC Milan
I believe this will be close, but AC Milan will pull it out.

Benfica v. Liverpool
Liverpool, obviously

Real Madrid v. Arsenal
This one is tough. Real have been struggling this last month and it will all depend on how they come back after christmas. I think Arsenal will advance, but it is really a toss up.

PSV v. Lyon
It seems you guys are favoring Lyon, but i PSV will give them a run. Lyon will win but it will be tougher than believed.

Chelsea v. Barcelona
Again, this is a toss-up, but between two much better teams. Both teams are leading their leagues and are playing well. I think Barcelona will prevail, since Chelsea hasn't been as dominant these last couple of months, as seen by the losses to Real Betis and Man U and a tie against Everton.

Rangers v. Villareal
I don't know a lot about either team. I know rangers seem to be struggling this year in the scottish premier league, while villareal are lurking behind barca at 4th place. I think Villareal will win this matchup.

Bremen v. Juventus
I think Juventus easily wins this match.

Ajax v. Internazionale
This is another matchup i am a little fuzzy about. Inter seem to be doing well, sitting second in Serie A while Ajax sit in fourth in the Holland League. I think Inter wins in a close matchup.

That leaves:(These are predictions, if the matchups ended this way. I don't know how they will fall, but these are my predicitons based on the above predictions.)

Arsenal v. Inter
Inter wins close.

Barcelona v. AC Milan
Barcelona prevails.

Juventus v. Liverpool
I believe Juventus will win this matchup. Liverpool will put up a fight but Juve is very strong throughout.

Lyon v. Villareal
Villareal will play closely to Lyon, but Lyon will eventually prevail.

Now:
Inter v. Barcelona
Barcelona wins.

Lyon v. Juventus
I'm not sold enough on Lyon getting past this point. Lyon will play close for a while, but Juve would eventually pull away. This may change, after i get a chance to see Lyon play again, but right now it would be Juve.

Championship:

Barca v Juve
This would be the best game of the whole tournament. These teams are very similar, but again Juventus seem unstoppable to me. They are playing very well together and have a good chance to win.

Although this is a little long, it's just my insight. I look forward to watching the future games.

I just read something that would affect my predicitons. It wasn't clear but it said after the knockout round of 16, two groups are formed where the winners of the group play in the final. Could someone clarify this for me. Thanks

I have to disagree on a few picks of yours there AirMaddox13,

Bayern Munich v. AC Milan

I don't believe this will be close. AC Milan has been depending on too few players to win games (AKA Kaka & Shevchenko). They've scored 12 goals 10 of which are by Shevchenko and Kaka, so if they get shut down against Bayern, then they will not see themselves going through. Bayern on the other hand sees more of their players getting action at the goal with Makaay, Demichilis, and Deisler (the main guys).

So i see Bayern making this one.

Benfica v. Liverpool

Liverpool, obviously.

Why the hell would i disagree on this one (but Liverpool must bring their A game, stupid slip ups on defence will cost them. However, they are playing in form which is a + )

Real Madrid v. Arsenal

Arsenal hands down. Just like a few other English teams Arsenal is performing better in the Champions League. Real will be a difficult opponent to overcome but defense lacks and their midfield has been deteriorated with the loss of Figo and a defender (Woodgate i think)

PSV v. Lyon

PSV is a very good team, bringing up many stars but Lyon has just been playing with so much form it's not even funny. Lyon will get far.

Chelsea v. Barcelona

Agreed that Barcenlona will be victors. Ronaldinho and many others are powering this team forward, but their win after this will see them go out to the next round opponent whoever it may be.

Rangers v. Villareal

Rangers are a good team, this will be a shoot out. If Villareal pours in more goals they will go through, but that is their weak point. Failure to score in this match-up will see them knocked out with ease.

Bremen v. Juventus

Juventus (end of story)

Ajax v. Internazionale

Hmmmm, every1 talks about Barca and Chelsea, i believe this should be the match-up of this round. With Figo arriving this team has bolstered its confidence. Ajax has the firepower to win this game and I am going with them. Strong, tough goalie to beat (Hans Vonk), weak defense, strong midfield and blistering strikers.

i don't know how the rest are matched up, i don't know if its a pool drawing or depending on who wins what. we need some help in that area

AMEN!!! Liverpool are currently unstoppable!!! No doubt that they will not lift the cup. They have not allowed a goal in almost 2 months! Crouch and Morientes continue to break down the opoponents defense...Hyypia, Carra, Finnan, and Traore have formed a brick wall in the defense...Riise and Luis Garcia are at top form on the flanks...Xabi and Gerrard make the keeper nervous every time they touch the ball within 40 yards! I don't want to hear this talk about Liverpool not being strong enough to compete with Milan, or Barca, or Real...they proved themselves last year and they will again this year. Rafa Benitez has won 2 CL cups in a row(with Porto 2 years ago), and he will guide Liverpool to one this year.

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone

YNWA

They just gave up a goal this past weekend?!?!

Still though.....Peter Crouch deserves a shot at backing up Rooney and Owen in Germany this summer.

I think Liverpool was talking about in the Premiership or in European Competition, as that was against Sao Paolo.

Yes...I know about the goal in the World Club thing, but that should slightly be considered; but my point being in the Champions League and Prem.

Just to add on to Liverpool - Sau Paulo should not have won that game. Liverpool had 3 goals that were called back, one of which was clearly legal and I think it was Xabi that was ruled offsides when replays show he was onside. Bu Liverpool just comes back stronger everytime. Liverpool, I'm with you man, Liverpool at the moment looks not even in top form, they are dominating teams like a biznatch. Liverpool has yet to achieve its top form, believe me.

short and simple..lyon will win it all..yes i mean LYON

i think ur jumping for joy a bit too hard, just because they beat real madrid doesn't make them a high caliber team. Don't get me wrong, lyon is a very very good team, i just don't think they will make it to the next round, sorry but PSV will knock out lyon.

ghs,

lyon beat a real madrid team who lost to barcelona 3-0. what happens when they meet a team who is playing better than madrid?

i never said just bc they beat real madrid they r great..i think that they will be the one smaller club to make it the farthest..there is one every year.. i think they will be under rated in the semis and sneak through to the final and surprise everyone there..just a prediction.......................this is the 1st post on this site in 2006..happy new year every1

olimpique, under rated, no, they will be Over rated. They are not a small team, a small team is Werder Bremen going through to the semis (now that would be a shocker) Olimpique won't surprise anyone, everyone knows they are a good team, they are favorites, and that is why it will be an upset when PSV Hits Em OUT !

I personally am not too fond of this round, i want to see the last 8 sooooo freakin bad cuz i know this year is going to be even more fascinating but i doubt there will ever be a better finish in the Champions League ever again compared to last year.

As a liverpool fan i watched the full first have (it wasn't even a beating, it was more like R*p* (i think u can fill in those 2 vowels) so i gave up on my team and played fifa 2005, just for the heck of it i told my friend to switch the channel to look at the score and it was AC Milan 3 Liverpool 2, i was shocked, i couldn't believe me eyes, and then 2 minutes later i saw the goal that tied the game. Liverpool was meant to win it last year cuz i know for a fact God helped Dudek save that shot by Shevchenko like 2 feet out the goal. Dudek saved it with his ARM, i just couldn't believe it. Best soccer game i've seen in my life !!!!!!!

On that note, just like GHS, i'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and remember, You'll Never Walk Alone [Big Grin]

You're making me tear up. That was the highlight of my year in 2005. Not just the final itself, but also the games against Olympiacos and Juventus and Chelsea that led up to it.

By the way...you posted at 4:36 AM?

YNWA

Oh yeah...I got a joke for yall...

What do you do if a Manchester United fan throws a grenade at you?

Pull the pin and throw it back.

YNWA

ya, ya, ya. this year guys. what about this year?
Last year isn't worth a heep of garbage.
the fact is, liverpool rely too heavily on defense and goalkeeping. from what i have seen, they close up when faced with superior teams and fail to create scoring oportunities. But, it seems to work for them so what the heck right?

Why not rely on defense. If you don't rely on defense, then you get scored on...apparently its working, winning 10 premiership games in a row, and only allowing ONE goal during that stretch...that's 0.1 goals against per game...thats enough to win the Champions League. And if for some reason they do get down by one, two, or three(ha ha ha) goals, then they have the attack to put some balls in the old onion bag. And we've all seen that happen.

Aleksandrus11, who do you support and who do you think will win the Champions League?

YNWA

aleksandrus, rely on defense !!!!!!!! are u nuts dude, look at the stats of games. liverpool has like 20 something shots a game and at least 10 on target, liverpool's defense is great, offense is lacking because of finishing, good offense but no1 to score the goals, that's the problem, they don't rely heavily on defense, the defense just knows how to step it up when they need it. a goalie is someone who u always rely on no matter who you are, without him in goal, ur screwed lol
oh and Liverpool (yes 4:whatever it was, probably 5 am this time, i'm an early morning and late night person, going to bed, tty later today lol

hey, i'm just calling it like i see it. Also, i've already named my pick to win the champions league, how about go back and read my earlier posts on this thread. I always will pull for celtic until the day I die, but after that fiasco in bratislava, i'm all for PSV.

I think IF Chelsea can get by Barca they will go on to win.

Ballack To Juve?

This would definitely help Juventus in the champions league. Nedved, Vieria, Ballack, Trezeguet, Del Piero, and Ibrahimovic all at the midfield or striking positions!

In that article, Ballack claimed that he wouldn't go to Juve. Even if he did go to Juve, he couldn't play for them in the Champions League because he already played for Bayern in the league, and you can't play for two different teams in the same season. That is why Morientes did not play for Liverpool in the Champions League last year.

no u know what would be good, if henry would change his mind and transfer to barca. Barcelona would go back to the top team as they used to ! I loved them when they had rivaldo and kluivert !!! damn man, those were the days, barca was the shiznite

Personally, I think that the Champ will come out of the game btwn Chelsea vs Bar�a. For me the two strongest team in the World right now.

no i don't think so, barca will win that because of chelsea's ability to perform in th cl. and if the winner were not to be liverpool, i would say juventus, strong squand, no weakness

Bayern Munich v. AC Milan
Havent seen Bayern Lately. Milan should be able to win. I mean they're Milan. Italians always to good in the Champions.

Benfica v. Liverpool
Don't know anything about Benfica. Liverpool should win that one.

Real Madrid v. Arsenal
Madrid is far away from the Real Madrid we are used to see. They Got Cassano, Cicinho and Pablo Garcia now. If Ronaldo and Raul play. I don't see how Arsenal is going to win. Madrid is Madrid. It will be tough but Madrid should not leave that early, it will be embarrasing. I am a Madrid fan and I do think they go to the next round.

PSV v. Lyon
I have not seen Lyon lately. I'll go with PSV on that one. PSV is a very interesting team.

Chelsea v. Barcelona
I am a Madrid fan so I would love to see Barca losing. Its a 50/50 game, anything can happen. Even though I think Lampard and company can beat Barca. I think Barcelona wins (hope not).

Rangers v. Villareal
Since I know Villareal and I don't know anything about Rangers. I think Villareal wins.

Bremen v. Juventus
Juventus has Cappello as a Coach, Juventus win.

Ajax v. Internazionale
Ajax is usually hard in Holland. Inter has Adriano and Figo. I think Inter wins.

Real Madrid v. Inter
Real (if not injuries). Adriano could make a difference. Madrid is Madrid.

Barcelona v. AC Milan = Barcelona, another 50/50 game.

Juventus v. Liverpool = I like Morientes and Gerard, but Capello is Capello. I think Juventus wins (hope not).

PSV v. Villareal
I'll have to go with PSV. Close game.

Now:
Real Madrid v. Barcelona
Big teams, big win games. Real all the way. If they beat Arsenal which they should. Madrid would be all over Barcelona, with Ronaldo on a good day. Madrid and their new players could be a strong contender.

PSV v. Juventus
Although I like PSV and they could make damage. Again Capello is a heck of a Coach. Juventus win

Championship:

Real Madrid v Juve
Again if Real could make it this far (I hope they do). I'll go with Juventus, Real is not ready to win the whole thing yet. Either Real or Barca, I think Juventus is a better team because of the Coach. Anybody who knows who Capello is would agree with me on that one.

Some thoughs.

* Champions League would look good on Ronaldinhos record toward his comparison with Pele and Maradona.

* Champions League is how you measure the power of the different European Leagues. Last year was Chelsea and Liverpool that made it far. So I guess the argument of EPL being the best of 2005 is fair (only 2005). Usually Spaniards and Italian meet each other in the championship. Us (Madrid's fans) are used to see the glass going to Madrid, its like a ritual =)

* If Chelsee does not make it this year. Lampard should try to look for a better team. Lampard look better than that. Not just Madrid, AC Milan could be good for him too.

* Ronaldo also needs a European Championship. I don't think he has won it yet. Ronaldos 2 WC's, 3 FIFA player of the year and many years of being considered the "best striker" in the world have to be compesated soon!

* I like PSV and I think they can make some damage.

* Madrid lost to that French team (don't remember the name) with most of the bench players. Madrid with a full team is still a strong contender (I may be wrong). If they don't win it this year. A German Coach is most likely to get "Los Galacticos" for next season.

Peace

agree with you, although i think liverpool will win it again, like i said earlier, if they were to get knocked out, i think juventus would be the best contender to win it

If I'm correct, I believe that after this round of knock-out games, there will be one more draw that is completely random and not seeded to determine that teams playing in the quarterfinals. So Liverpool vs Juventus is possible but not guaranteed. I am having trouble accessing the UEFA site, so any confirmation or information about it would be appreciated.

YNWA

quote:
Originally posted by Liverpool:
If I'm correct, I believe that after this round of knock-out games, there will be one more draw that is completely random and not seeded to determine that teams playing in the quarterfinals. So Liverpool vs Juventus is possible but not guaranteed. I am having trouble accessing the UEFA site, so any confirmation or information about it would be appreciated.

YNWA

oh yeah i knew that, I was just reposting the same thing another dude did.

Well if you want something more specific.

1. Juventus 25%
2. Barcelona 20%
3. Milan 20%
4. Chelsea 15%
5. Liverpool 10%
6. Real Madrid 10%

* How is Chelsea doing this year in EPL?
* Even though I know Liverpool has chances, I honestly think they got lucky last year.
* Can't never count Milan or Madrid out for how bad they're are doing in their leagues. They are still the "Big Dogs."
* I think its really between Barcelona and Juventus, Madrid or Liverpool can get on their way.
* Madrid without injuries and playing their best could be unnestopable.
* Liverpool is solid, they play hard, they play smart and they have Gerrard, well Morientes is got some Madrid experiences too.

I'm going to have to agree with feno on this one. I have researched a little more and am starting to lean towards juve to win it all. (instead of lyon). But, I am still hoping that PSV can pull it off.

actually i disagree on a couple of things, chelsea will not win the EPL, they are performing poorly in the EPL and there form is slowly deteriorating in the Premier League, well actually in about 2 weeks, everything will be settled, Liverpool will play chelsea and i think all the arguements will be settled in that game, plus with ROBBIE FOWLER BACK AT LIVERPOOL IS LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE, i am looking forward to his participation in the EPL and taking Liverpool to fame and glory like he did when he was at Liverpool. Milan i think will have an early exit. i don't know why but i'm sure all of you just have these gut feelings sometimes. Liverpool's win last year was not luck (except that shot from like 2 feet out the goal that Dudek saved miraculously, there was definitely and angel standing in the Liverpool goal in that OT ) but scoring those 3 goals, most teams would give up, but Liverpool scored those goals and they earned them, that Gerrard header was built to perfection, i have never seen a header that is more spectacular than that one, Smicer is good but he has A LOT of bad games where he is a little factor, as for Xabi Alonso and that PK, players should make it and Xabi had the fundamentals to follow up his shot and top shelved it on the second attempt. Hats off to Liverpool in that game. [Razz]

quote:
Originally posted by Star 11:
actually i disagree on a couple of things, chelsea will not win the EPL, they are performing poorly in the EPL and there form is slowly deteriorating in the Premier League, well actually in about 2 weeks, everything will be settled, Liverpool will play chelsea and i think all the arguements will be settled in that game, plus with ROBBIE FOWLER BACK AT LIVERPOOL IS LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE, i am looking forward to his participation in the EPL and taking Liverpool to fame and glory like he did when he was at Liverpool. Milan i think will have an early exit. i don't know why but i'm sure all of you just have these gut feelings sometimes. Liverpool's win last year was not luck (except that shot from like 2 feet out the goal that Dudek saved miraculously, there was definitely and angel standing in the Liverpool goal in that OT ) but scoring those 3 goals, most teams would give up, but Liverpool scored those goals and they earned them, that Gerrard header was built to perfection, i have never seen a header that is more spectacular than that one, Smicer is good but he has A LOT of bad games where he is a little factor, as for Xabi Alonso and that PK, players should make it and Xabi had the fundamentals to follow up his shot and top shelved it on the second attempt. Hats off to Liverpool in that game.

I don't think I said Chelsea was going to win EPL, but I do think they are strong. Champions League is more about the quality of the players... Liverpool is a descent team overall. Morientes and Gerrard, everybody else is somewhere in there.

Liverpool had lucky man... not just in the Milan game.

I saw the 2 Liverpool-Chelsea games for the CL last year. Chelsea attacking, Liverpool defending the whole game! Chelsea and Milan were both stronger than Liverpool.

Again, Liverpool used a great strategy to win both games, they played with heart, and Gerrard is a hech of a player!

Liverpool is still an underdog, I don't follow EPL, so I don't know how they are doing this year. Liverpool needs to win it again to convince the world that it wasnt just luck.

Remember,

One time can be luck, two times is always better.

Finally, someone agrees with me that liverpool are generally a defensive oriented team. But i'm not sure that they can win the EPL. As much as I don't care for liverpool nor chelsea, they are still great teams. However, usually teams that jump to an early lead, hold it for such a long time, and have fairly consistent form, hang on and win the Premier League.

Chelsea will probably win the EPL again, but be ejected from the champions league by barcelona.

oh liverpool certainly got lucky, no question about it....but when you guys talk about lucky, you talk about the milan game, does nobody remember the game before, against chelsea when the ball was IN THE NET like, fully across the goal plain, and the defender for liverpool cleared it out, and the ref did not call the goal. pretty much cost chelsea the tournament..but who cares liverpool is the best.

quote:
Originally posted by cap'n walt:
oh liverpool certainly got lucky, no question about it....but when you guys talk about lucky, you talk about the milan game, does nobody remember the game before, against chelsea when the ball was IN THE NET like, fully across the goal plain, and the defender for liverpool cleared it out, and the ref did not call the goal. pretty much cost chelsea the tournament..but who cares liverpool is the best.

Hey BL bud whats up.

Liverpool is an interesting team. They won the CL last year out of nowhere. They are a solid team. They have Gerrard.

I respect Liverpool just as I respect Juventus.

I do not like the style of their game. Italy is the same way. They play too strategically. They play too simple, too predictable... they do what they are supposed to, and they win. Its not very fun to watch.

My teams.

1. Real Madrid
2. Milan
3. Boca
4. CD Aguila
5. LA Galaxy

Players.

1. Maradona: confidence, style, leadership.
2. Ronaldo: efficient, BMOC.
3. Zidane: gentleman (knows how to treat the ball), classy.
4. Roberto Carlos: Defense Revolution?
5. Gerrad: warrior, this man leaves his heart out on the field.

I know other players that can play a good bit, and I also like good soccer.

Henry: got some style, a bit too cocky for his numbers.
Ronaldinho: some samba going on, WC 06 can put him on top.
Riquelme: nevers gets dirty, wont even run, he is not "numero 1" but he is fun to watch.
Hugo Sanchez: has an ego, "perfection of the bike kick."
Messi: kid wants to win everything, he is the new "numero 10" of Argentina, I don't know about the new Diego...

As far as clubs, Madrid and all in the list above.

My teams never play to lose man. They attack and attack till they win. Thats my kind of futbol, we don't play defensive like Liverpool or Juventus. We don't like winning by lucky goals. We don't let our rivals to keep us into our own field... that's disrespectful.

Haha. Thats just me and my teams dude. Dont know about Liverpool and their style of winning. Liverpool wins the CL and I'll be convinced. Chelsea is been playing the kind of futbol I like.

Peace

As a Liverpool fan i'm going to say that NOW Liverpool is certainly a defensive team but about few years ago (and some more for other players ) they were a dominant attacking team.

Michael Owen
Robbie Fowler
Emile Heskey
Steven Gerrard
Danny Murphy

come on those are some decent players with a few stars [Big Grin]

however with robbie, owen, emile, and murphy leaving, it was all left to

Carragher
Hyppia
Hamann

with hamann leaving they signed i think 2 new defenders and crouch the striker

so they're trying to level out the field a little bit but the only reason why their defense looks so dominant is because their offense is lagging with stars

i going back a bit but liverpool should play dudek. look what he did for them but he also put them in that situation. and yes liverpool is a defensive team. ac milan should have won that game. stupid shevchenko

i dont know man reina is stepping up and is performing excellently, when a goalie like that is playing how he is right now, you can't put him back on the bench.

Finally something for Gunners fans to cheer about in 2005-06!!!

Bayern Munich 1-1 AC Milan
Benfica 1-0 Liverpool
PSV Eindhoven 0-1 Lyon
Real Madrid 0-1 Arsenal

Second leg will be in two weeks at Highbury!

Tomorrow's matches are as follows:

Ajax Amsterdam v. Inter Milan
Chelsea v. Barcelona
Rangers v. Villarreal
Werder Bremen v. Juventus

Come on you REDS!!! No form today!

But I'm not worried...Rafa is a famed Champions League coach and will get L'Pool through.

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone

Liverpool's song perfectly describes how Liverpool will get out of this deficit, just as it did in last year's final. Next leg Gerrard will be good to start and pull them through at Anfield.

YNWA

Yeah once Gerrard is at Anfield, i really don't think anything will stop him !!!!!!! Although i question Rafa's decision to put Gerrard on the last 12 minutes of the game, that was kinda mind-boggling ! I think the way things were going he should have just kept the squad he started with on for the rest of the game. Interesting that Cisse doesn't start anymore. Liverpool disappointed me, striker force is lacking !!!!!

Gunners played the most excellent game of soccer that i have seen from them. Reyes played superb making fine runs, unable to finish however, Pires on the bench ? thats a lil confusing. Real Madrid played excellent although i see that Ronaldo is clearly unhappy and i think they should sit him out and put robinho and raul as the strikers, Ronaldo is done [Frown]

quote:
Originally posted by Star 11:
Real Madrid played excellent....

I hope this is a typo, Real were lucky the match didn't end 3-0 or worse. They were horrible, no player did well. Casillas did his job, Robinho was OK. Ronaldo, Zidane, Carlos, Beckham, et al, they were pedestrian. I know they're supposed to be an all-star team but they all looked like old men yesterday. And how many turnovers did they commit? And many of those turnovers there was almost no pressure. Inexcusable. And while I'm bashing the players, the crowd was non-existent. You could hear the 3,000 or so Arsenal fans singing and chanting. The only noise you heard from the other 77,000 was an occasional whistle. No passion at all on the field or in the stands.

If ever a team had embodied the football cliche of 'a wounded animal', it was Arsenal before last night's match.

A run of poor form and a spate of injuries left many predicting an emphatic win for a Real Madrid side which had won 10 of their last 11 games.

Instead, the Gunners made history.

A famous 1-0 win - courtesy of Thierry Henry's solo goal - saw Arsenal become the first English side to win at the Bernabeu Stadium.

There had been eight attempts by English clubs over the years dating back as far as 1957, when Manchester United lost 3-1. United have been back on three more occasions, in 1968, 2000 and 2003. They drew the first two and lost the other 3-1.

Bobby Robson's Ipswich Town had tried and failed in 1973, drawing 0-0 in the Spanish capital. Derby County had been swept aside 5-1 in 1975 and, more recently in 2001, David O�Leary�s Leeds United lost 3-2.

Only one other London club had faced Madrid � Arsenal�s neighbours Tottenham Hotspur 11 years ago. But Spurs only managed a goalless draw.

Arsenal did more than that last night. They overcame the odds, confounded the critics and produced a performance to be proud of.

Here is a complete list of English clubs' competitive ventures to the Bernabeu Stadium:

Apr 8 2003
Champions League, Manchester United (Lost 3-1)

Mar 3 2001
Champions League, Leeds United (Lost 3-2)

Apr 4 2000
Champions League, Manchester United (Drew 0-0)

Mar 20 1985
UEFA Cup, Tottenham Hotspur (Drew 0-0)

Nov 5 1975
European Cup, Derby County (Lost 5-1)

Oct 3 1973
UEFA Cup, Ipswich Town (Drew 0-0)

May 15 1968
European Cup, Manchester United (Drew 3-3)

Apr 11 1957
European Cup, Manchester United (Lost 3-1)

Wednesday's Results
Ajax Amsterdam 2-2 Inter Milan
Chelsea 1-2 Barcelona
Rangers 2-2 Villarreal
Werder Bremen 2-2 Juventus

10-man Chelsea was better than 11-man Chelsea.

Great game, two exciting own-goals. Pitch was terrible. Messi is unbelievable!

No I really think Real Madrid did play well, except for Ronaldo, that was dissapointing, Real Madrid created chances, Beckham had a few opportunities that he should have put away, and for most part they had more possession and controlled the ball. Unfortunately their striking position is unfortunate at the moment.

Ronaldo - about to quit Real, the manager says no (conflict), fans fail to support him which leads to lower player morale, and he is getting old which means he is not as good as he was before

Raul - just recovered from an injury i believe that was to his knee? so he won't be in top form after 4-5 games.

Robinho - excellent talent but his lack of experience is what lead to Reals manager to sub him off the field (although in my opinion that was a poor coaching decision)

Beckham played hard that game, he had his mishaps but he made an effort everytime he got the ball, running back for defense and getting open 90% of the time on that right wing was excellent.

Woodgate - With him back there i think Real Madrid would have held the Gunners to a 0-0 tie. With his hamstring problems it puts pressure on the inexperienced defenders.

Cicinho - the main man who caused the goal scoring opportunities for Arsenal. If they had someone of better defensive fundamentals, they definitely would have at least played exceptionally better. However, with Cicinho and his personal vendetta against Reyes in the game caused him to play egotistically and roam up the field like he was stupid. In spite of all this, his chance of a PK was denied by he referee. I know you would agree with the ref, but he beat the player, was brought down, when he could have either passed or shot the ball, bth resulting in goal scoring opportunities.

The linesmen were making poor decisions on offside calls, almost all the offsides called in the game except for 1 by Thieri Henry were most likely onside (which would have led to both Arsenal and Real Madrid chances)

Just because Arsenal had a better chance of scoring on their opportunities does not mean Real did not play well. The reason why they messed up their passes towards the end of the game was because of pressure. Arsenal's goal was an away goal benefiting Arsenal which caused Real to panic and try and get the ball foward to their strikers as quick as possible. I believe if you were down 1-0 (lets say a state championship ) i'm sure u wouldn't be calm and make excellent passes down the field leading to an easy score (exactly my point...) you would rush and try and do everything you can, panicing leads to mistakes and that is what caused Real to lose.

They played well, but not to their best of abilities.

And an interesting game between Bremen and Juventus

oh Kyle Heise, it was 3-2 Werder Bremen over Juventus, sorry but i had to correct you lol !!!!

Werder put 2 goals in with about 5 minutes left in the game. Really changes perspectives of things. Looks like the final 16 games will go down to last minutes and will show how much heart players actually have.

oh and i forgot to mention

Kyle that is an interesting picture you had there

1-0 Arsenal
45:00

i just realized this but the goal came in the 47th minute. makes me wonder.....

Star11, that was the final 45:00 as counted at the Bernebeu ... That indeed was "The full-time scoreboard at the Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday evening" according to Arsenal.com.

quote:
oh Kyle Heise, it was 3-2 Werder Bremen over Juventus, sorry but i had to correct you lol !!!!

Star11, thanks for the correction on this match. ESPN Soccernet had it as a 2-2 final around 5 p.m.

Good! I prefer the Bundesliga to Serie A any day of the week!

the chelsea barca game was really fun to watch. questionable red card led to chelsea playing a defensive game the rest of the way. hurst, i dont see how a 10 man chelsea was better than a 11 man team? messi is amazing!!!! he wreaked(sp.) on the chelsea defense coming up the right side....he was very impressive and he's only 18!!!!

I agree with star, real didnt play fantastic but they played well. beckham did have a good chance early in the first.

i was shocked by the juve and liverpool scores!

also, i have a question....away goals equal 2 meaning it is actually barca-4 chelsea-1 or juve-4 werder-3? could someone clear this up for me?

wreaked havoc*

AirMaddox, away goals are an integral part of Champions League play (especially in the knockout stages) ... For example, if Chelsea faced Bayern Munich in head-to-head competition, then a 2-0 win by Bayern at Stamford Bridge would upstage a 2-1 victory by the Blues in Munich ... That would be a 3-2 aggregate score for Bayern Munich ... Say both scores were 1-1 (@ Chelsea) and 0-0 (@ Munich), then Bayern Munich would progress by the one away goal ... Make sense?

yeah thanks!

maddox,

11-man Chelsea was lethargic and defensive in the early going. Once they had a player sent off they played with passion and actually went up 1-0. They were actually better with 10 men (not better than Barca, better than themselves when they played with 11).....until they got tired in the last ten minutes.

Yeah, but they owe Barca for going up 1-0

...and they paid Barca right back shortly thereafter.

Don't think Chelsea can score two goals in Spain though....not even using 12 men!

Maybe the improvement of pitch will aid their game. Stamford's a junkyard...

Stamford & Son (This is the BIG one, Lamont....I'm coming to join you Elizabeth!!!)

Barca's defense is no juggernaut, CFC ran through them pretty easily, even with only 10 players. However, at this level, these teams know how to play conservatively, shut someone down and being at home will be an extra plus. CFC should have some chances but unless they get a bit of luck, it will be very, very, hard for them to score 2 goals + shut Barca out.

Go Barca! Being a staunch Arsenal supporter since the mid-1980s, I can't stand the Blues (though they weren't much of a threat for the better part of 20 years).

I was fortunate enough to see Chelsea play Bologna (Italy) in an exhibition friendly in 1999 at Stamford Bridge (southwest London) and though the score was a 0-0 draw, it was a lot of fun. Nothing more funny than seeing a lady walk behind the Bologna goal carrying some adult beverages and getting leveled by an 80-mile per hour bullet and the liquids go flying. Thinking back, that was some imprint the ball left on her face!

We "tailgated" at the One Eyed Newt before the game and had a whale of a time on a hot July afternoon. Chelsea had the likes of Dennis Wise, Gianfranco Zola, etc., and was coached by Gianluca Vialli.

Good times!

Yeah I want Chelsea to go down !!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for clearing up that scoreline picture Kyle, i was getting confused lol.

Is anyone keeping track of the UEFA Cup ?

Three teams are through to the Quarterfinals of the Champions League: Barcelona; Juventus; and Villarreal.

3/7 Matches
Barcelona 1-1 Chelsea, BARCELONA (AGGREGATE 3-2)
Juventus 2-1 Werder Bremen, JUVENTUS (AGGREGATE 4-4, JUVE 2 AWAY GOALS)
Villarreal 1-1 Rangers, VILLARREAL (AGGREGATE 3-3, VILLARREAL 2 AWAY GOALS)

3/8 Matches
AC Milan v. Bayern Munich (AGGREGATE 1-1)
Arsenal v. Real Madrid (AGGREGATE 1-0)
Liverpool v. Benfica (AGGREGATE 0-1)
Lyon v. PSV Eindhoven (AGGREGATE 1-0)

3/14 Matches
Inter Milan v. Ajax Amsterdam (AGGREGATE 2-2)

LOL!!! Chelsea crashes out of the Champions League -- Ronaldhino says, "So long, Jose!"

What was the Inter game postponed?

quote:
Originally posted by Kyle Heise:

LOL!!! Chelsea crashes out of the Champions League -- Ronaldhino says, "So long, Jose!"

seems to me that he is not going to shake ronaldinho's hand!

look at that look he's giving him...wow dishonorable also AC Milan Over Bayern Munich & Arsenal over Real Madrid...feedback por favor

Arsenal 0-0 Real Madrid (AGGREGATE 1-0 ARSENAL)

1-NIL TO THE ARSENAL!!!

Last English team standing are the Gunners! Highbury will be in HIGH SPIRIT tonight!

quote:
A young team has shown an aging bunch of ailing stars just how it's done. They cared more. Simple as that. And Real Madrid's galactico era has ended as a sham. Real Madrid is potless for three years in a row.

Arsenal 0-0 Real Madrid, ARSENAL (AGGRETATE 1-0)
Benfica 2-0 Liverpool, BENFICA (AGGREGATE 3-0)
Lyon 4-0 PSV Eindhoven, LYON (AGGREGATE 5-0)
AC Milan 4-1 Bayern Munich, AC MILAN (AGGREGATE 5-2)

I like this comment from the play-by-play report:

quote:
"22 mins: Beckham stands over a free-kick some 28 yards from goal. But ever-ambitious "dead-ball specialist" Roberto Carlos barges past him and boots it straight into the wall for the 13,567th time in his career.

FOOTBALL GUARDIAN (UK NEWS)

that picture looks deceiving....i think mourinho is in front of ronaldinho and he is offering a handshake to someone else, but who knows?

A couple of surprises today and yesterday...liverpool losing 3-0? that loss in portugal was a shock but i felt they would pull it out at home, but a 2-0 loss at anfield?
unfortunately, i havent gotten a chance to watch the chelsea/barca game, but im not surprised with the outcome...barca look really good
finally, ac milan wins by 3 over bayern? milan keep suprising me since i think they are about to fade....looks like an interesting final 8

Football the winner in goalless draw
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=361076&root=uefachampionsleague&cc=5901

quote:
Once the darling of the media, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho had quickly been transformed into villain-in-chief and the theory being offered was the tactics he has employed to conquer the Premiership has destroyed the magic the English top flight was previously famed for.

Chelsea's inept performance in losing to Barcelona on Tuesday night did little to suggest cream of the English league football is a crowd puller just now, with negative and spiteful gamesmanship winning out over attacking flair, but all of us at Highbury hoped Arsenal would prove that excitement was still alive and well on these shores.

Ignoring the fact that Arsene Wenger's men didn't have a single English player in the ranks wasn't easy, but at least this was a Premiership team who would live and die by their ambitious philosophy. Up against a Real Madrid side who have proved conclusively over the years that their defence is as reliable as a straw fence in a hurricane, this game promised to bring some much-needed joy back into a sport that is being eroded by the angry and bitter approach Mourinho insists on adopting.

In what could only be viewed as a snipe at Jose Mourinho and Chelsea, Wenger vowed to restore some credibility to the Premiership. 'This game was a great promotion for football,' he added. 'It was played in a great spirit and that must be good for the game. We are the last Premiership side in the champions League now and we are proud of that. Our aim is to represent England with dignity and style and fight as hard as we can to keep this run going.'

(3/28/06) ARSENAL 1-0 JUVENTUS @ HALFTIME

39' -- Fantastic goal by Cesc Fabregas, who took the pass from Thierry Henry after a tackle by Robert Pires on Patrick Vieira and buried home the shot to give the Gunners a 1-0 lead at Highbury.

More updates to come ...

70' ARSENAL 2-0 JUVENTUS

67 mins - This is sublime from Arsenal. They are all over a side which is far and away the best Serie A has to offer. But could they rue not getting a second?

68 mins - This is amazing. Juve don't know which way to turn. Hleb slides in Fabregas who has space in the box again, he will surely shoot but neatly cuts it back for Henry. GOAL!!!

69 mins - Fabregas' cut-back was not quite perfect -- bit it took Buffon out of the game and Henry's second touch was the simple task of hitting an empty net. Arsenal are rampant here.

70 mins - Juve have 20 minutes to simply protect a two-goal deficit. That's the way it surely is.

71 mins - Now Reyes is tripped by Vieira - and he's booked for that. Vieira is OUT of the second leg. The problems mount for the Italians.

72 mins - Henry outstrips Zebina and Cannavaro has to come across to rescue the situation with a sliding challenge. Desperate stuff.

86 mins - Cameronesi hacks Van Persie to the ground with a crude and very late challenge. It could have been a straight red but it is a second yellow. He's off to complete a miserable night for Juve.

88 mins - Now Zebina hacks Henry to the floor. And it's a second yellow card -- he's off! Juve go down to nine and if it was embarrassing before now it's a disgrace.

89 mins - Zebina had clearly forgotten he'd been yellow carded -- he looks as foolish as his play has suggested.

90 mins - Two minutes of injury time pain for Juve.

FULL TIME

GO ARSENAL, but juve was my selection, i think juve will rebound, they needed at least 1 away goal though, that is disappointing

I agree, Juventus is going to bounce back....JUST TO GET LAID BACK DOWN AGAIN! HAHA!

predictions for the 2nd leg:
juve-2 arsenal-0
-Juve wins 4-3 in pks after tying the aggregate 2-2 (although this might seem out of the question, i cant stray away from my pick)

ac milan-1 lyon-0
-milan wins on 1-0 aggregate

inter-1 villareal-1
-inter wins on 3-2 aggregate

barca-2 benfica-1
-barca winning on 2-1 aggregate

Right now AC Milan has to score or there eliminated by Lyon...What are the other updates isnt Inter Milan playing today?

ac milan put in a go-ahead goal 3 minutes from time and added another in injury time to make it a 3-1 aggregate win

villareal had a header in the second half that proved to be the difference, making the aggregate 2-2 winning on away goals rule!

juve v arsenal
barca v benfica

both tomorrow...any thoughts?

juve and aresenal is at 2:30 on espn
2-0 juventus.....oh and would somebody please explain what exactly are away goals, and why they are used.

Away Goals Explanation

thanks kyle. That makes since, but why do they use them. Are they just there so that they dont have to do pk's or extra time or something?

Forces teams to attack and play for the win instead of waiting for pk's. As well, it gives each team a chance at their own stadium.

So far, so good for Arsenal.

0-0 Halftime
Cautions - (ARS) Flamini, Reyes, (JUV) Chiellini
Shots - ARS 5-3 JUV
Saves - ARS 0-4 JUV
Fouls - ARS 7-12 JUV
Possession - ARS 54%-46% JUV
Corner Kicks - ARS 6-1 JUV

It's over!!! Arsenal 2-0 on aggregate after a scoreless draw at the Stadio Delle Alpi. The London club gives "The Old Lady" the boot!

The Gunners advance to the Semifinals of the Champions League for the first time ever.

Arsenal (ENG) v. Villareal (SPA)
Barcelona (SPA) v. AC Milan (ITA)

Cautions - (ARS) Flamini, Reyes, (JUV) Chiellini, Nedved
Ejections - (JUV) Nedved
Shots - ARS 9-5 JUV
Saves - ARS 2-5 JUV
Fouls - ARS 13-21 JUV
Possession - ARS 44%-56% JUV
Corner Kicks - ARS 8-1 JUV

I am seeing Arsenal and Barcelona in the Championship...

Arsenal looked very solid today!

Im gonna have to go with Barcelona taking it all in a win vs Arsenal in the finals

I hate arsenal so much especially after watching todays game. Reyes pretty much did it for me, he's such a dirty player. Too bad theirry henry plays for them. That man is straight nasty especially when he megged that guy. Kinda an overall boring game. As i was watching it i began to think(which is a scary thought in and of it itself). Do the opposing teams really foul THAT hard. I mean everysingle time a forearm went across the other guys face, or someone gave a push from behind, the player would lay facedown on the grass holding what ever part of his body was hurt, like they were dead. Now i understand why people call us "grass fairies".

Nedved...not a big fan of the selfish play. Good to see Arsenal pick up the European form despite struggling with the Barclays. "Arsene Knows..."

We are going all the way
By MARK IRWIN in Turin, The Sun (London, England)

THIERRY HENRY set his sights on winning the Champions League after Arsenal reached the last four for the first time.

The Gunners snuffed out Italian giants Juve to book a semi-final first leg with Spaniards Villarreal in two weeks� time.

But skipper Thierry Henry is not content with just that. He said: �I�m really proud � but I�m a winner and that�s not the kind of history I�m looking to make.

�The squad is trying to go all the way, winning it. It�s a good day for the club so let�s extend it.

�When you wear the Arsenal jersey you�ve got that winning feeling in your blood. We didn�t concede a goal against Real Madrid, we didn�t concede against Juve.

�It was all down to concentration. In this kind of game, a little lack of concentration and you can pay.�

Arsenal set a Champions League record with their EIGHTH clean sheet in a row while Juventus had playmaker Pavel Nedved sent off late on for two bookings.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said: �It went according to plan � when Nedved was sent off that was the end of the game.�

This triumph meant Wenger had finally led Arsenal into the Champions League semi-finals at the EIGHTH attempt.

He laughed: �I was beginning to worry that people thought I was the handicap!

�So tonight I am delighted to prove that is not the case.

�I am so happy for the club to have finally reached the semi-finals. There have been times before when we were expected to make it and did not.

�Frankly, there were times when it would have been easier to get there than this year.

�I know there were no Englishmen in our team but I still feel this is a victory for English football.

�I would never have expected to have a defensive record like that two months ago.

�We have had to play with a lot of young players at the back. To play four games against Real Madrid and Juventus and not concede a goal is a tremendous achievement.

�I felt we were always in control of this game. And as long as Juventus didn�t score a goal, we were in a position where we didn�t have to come out.

�I wanted us to push up but the psychological desire of the players was to protect their lead.

�The final turning point came when Jens Lehmann made an important save from Nedved.�

But Wenger denied Arsenal were now favourites to reach their first Champions League final.

He added: �Villarreal are a very good technical team with a special talent in Riquelme. He has a lot of charisma and can punish any team if you give him the chance.

�But we are not the favourites to win the semi-final. Arsenal and Villarreal are the two teams who no one expected to get this far so I would say it�s now 50-50 for the final.�

Midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who was outstanding in the first leg, said: �They all deserve a 10 out of 10 today. They should get all the credit in the world.�

Juve coach Fabio Capello blasted the home fans as �masochistic� for jeering the team and burning flags.

He added: �Arsenal were dangerous on the counter-attack and, in the second half, we created a lot but were not able to score.

�If Arsenal keep in such good physical shape, then they will be very difficult to beat.�

LET'S GO GUNNERS!
I knew Arsenal would give juve no chance, villareal is simply going to be a clinic, just to be used as extra footage for Henry's "greatest momments" compliations after Arsenal beats them 3-0 and 4-0. The Barca vs. AC matchups are a toss up. AC should in NO WAY be underestimated. They have been in this position too many times to let a team full of overachievers who have barely squeaked by and wind up where they are, beat them. Its Arsenal v. AC in the final.No quesitons asked, no hands raised.

ac vs. barc is gonna be a tough one. ac would like to make it to the final after last years fault to liverpool. im gonna say arsenal and barca in the final with barca pulling out a 3-1 agg.

AC Milan 0 - 1 FC Barcelona

Sadly this game wasn't on TV but was available to follow on uefa.com's "live match update" feature.

Ludovic Giuly scored the key away goal in the 57th minute and from then on Milan were never in the game after controlling in the first half. Unsurprisingly Giuly's goal came off a set up from Ronaldinho and Eto'o. I was surprised that Maldini and Cafu were not included in Milan's starting lineup but Maldini was subbed in to further his record of UEFA Champion's League appearances. Gilardino was unconvincing from the number of chances that he had.

A good game report can be found here :
http://www.uefa.com/competitions/UCL/FixturesResults/Round=2204/match=1107456/Report=RP.html

Tommorow will be a good one and will be on ESPN2 I believe. It was dissapointing that no one chose to air Milan-Barca (I think maybe ESPN Deportes is airing it at 12 am).

Advantage Arsenal!

Kolo Toure scored in the 41st minute to send the Gunners to a 1-0 victory at Highbury. The second leg of this Champions League Semifinal will take place next Tuesday at El Madigral.

wow, after watching the game villareal should have gotten a pk at the end of the first half.
gilberto of arsenal had one of the most obvious and dangerous tackles i have seen..i thought he broke the players leg!
overall good game, both teams pretty evenly matched.

also the barca/milan final should be great!

Arsenal=Champions League Champs!

They better hope so, or they might be hanging out at the UEFA cup this time next year.

Villareal is always a team that steps up at home.. Riquelme will be the player of that game and Villareal will make their history and be in the final but i dont see them beating Barca. Im saying Villareal 2-0 Barca 3-1

barcelona will be lifting the trophy this year!!!

Does Aresenal still have a chance of making the UEFA next year because of their tie with Tottenham?

Yes. You can find the link here.

Is Arsenal for sure out of the Champions League next year?

Not unless they win out in the premier league or take the CL title.

442football, Arsenal is not yet out of the Champions League competition next year.

The Gunners sit fifth in the Premiership standings with 58 points -- four behind Tottenham (62) with a game in hand on the Hotspur.

However, #5 Arsenal will need for their north London neighbors to drop some points in their two remaining matches vs. #8 Bolton (4/30) and at #10 West Ham (5/7).

The #1 (Chelsea) and #2 (Manchester United) spots in the Premiership automatically qualify for the 2006-07 Champions League, while the #3 (Liverpool) and #4 (Tottenham) positions will participate in Champions League Qualifiers next Fall. #5-7 go to the UEFA Cup.

Also, at halftime in the Estadio El Madrigal, Arsenal and Villarreal are scoreless in the Semifinals of the Champions League with the Gunners clinging to a 1-0 advantage.

GERMAN STEEL! Jens Lehmann, Germany's #1 goalkeeper, just sent the Gunners to their first Champions League final ever with an unbelievable penalty kick save in the 89th minute. What a pathetic call by the referee to try to force his influence on this match.

Paris here come THE ARSENAL!!! Rock on Highbury!

The Gunners march to France includes 10-straight shutouts:

Champions League

FINALS
5/17 vs. Barcelona/AC Milan
Paris, France

SEMIFINALS (April)
0-0 @ Villarreal
1-0 VILLARREAL
Arsenal advances 1-0 aggregate

QUARTERFINALS (March-April)
0-0 @ Juventus
2-0 JUVENTUS
Arsenal advances 2-0 aggregate

KNOCK OUT STAGE (February-March)
0-0 REAL MADRID
1-0 @ Real Madrid
Arsenal advances 1-0 aggregate

GROUP PLAY (September-December)
0-0 AJAX
1-0 @ FC Thun
3-0 SPARTA PRAGUE
2-0 @ Sparta Prague
2-1 @ Ajax
2-1 FC THUN
Arsenal wins group 5-0-1 (10 GF, 2 GA)

Let it be known, the best team in Europe is the Arsenal Gunners...10 straight shutouts and a trip to the final, let this be the last post on this board. "THE ARSENAL GUNNERS WILL BE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS"

yeah...best team in europe...they dont have even have an englishmen..and they are in the ENGLISH premier league.

The PK was BS. Guys were getting absolutely mugged in the box on every corner kick and he called nothing all game (up until the 88th minute). If you weren't using a knife or a gun, the ref was letting it go.

I felt bad for Riquelme...too much pressure.

Interesting to note that Arsenal's only shot of the match came in the 90th minute. Good job by the Gunners, hope they take it all.

quote:
Originally posted by cap'n walt:
yeah...best team in europe...they dont have even have an englishmen..and they are in the ENGLISH premier league.

Sol Cambell is English. He played last night and is a beast when he's healthy.

Ashley Cole is as well.

so no you're wrong

um is it just me or is everyone else getting the U.S. Jump rope instead of the AC Milan vs. Barcelona game on ESPN2?

ESPN Deportes....solamente.

Lo siento.

The final is set for May 17 in Paris -- Arsenal vs. Barcelona -- as the "Catalan Giants" drew 0-0 with AC Milan tonight at the Nou Camp to advance 1-0 on aggregate.

That is gonna be a good game

my bad clayton, i was referrencing arsene wenger. �I know there were no Englishmen in our team but I still feel this is a victory for English football." Cambell didn't start in the juve game and i guess i misunderstood it.

hmm
don't know why he'd say that. he has two english nationals on his squad