Chelsea vs. Liverpool (2nd leg)

CorkMan

Liverpool

Liverpool never beat Chelsea in SB in the CL, so I think Chelski will get through.

Melion

CorkMan wrote: »

Liverpool never beat Chelsea in SB in the CL, so I think Chelski will get through.

Chelsea had never scored at Anfield in the CL until last week, get over it.

herbieflowers

facts schmacts

growler

Liverpool (Liverpool fans)

BolBill wrote: »

Really ? Are the Chelsea the better team ? Come on will you ! Riise had to score for you. Liverpool should have won 3-0 !

Chelsea appear to be 11 points clear of you in the league, you didn't score against us in the league, conceded 2 in the carling cup, and have drawn against us twice this season... so clearly you're miles better

~Rebel~

growler wrote:

Chelsea appear to be 11 points clear of you in the league, you didn't score against us in the league, conceded 2 in the carling cup, and have drawn against us twice this season... so clearly you're miles better

erm Torres, a few minutes into his very first game at Anfield... and the Carling Cup was the B team.

On head to head games, the 2 teams have been very close for the past few years, besides a somewhat freak 'comfortable' win for each team over this time.

Melion wrote: »

Chelsea had never scored at Anfield in the CL until last week, get over it.

That stat just has to be amended to "A Chelsea Player has never scored at Anfield in the champions league"

growler

Liverpool (Liverpool fans)

~Rebel~ wrote: »

erm Torres, a few minutes into his very first game at Anfield...

sorry, twas a draw , ok so ye got one.

shatners basoon

Heh, you'd not wanting to be mentioning that result as a mere statistic.

I reckon it'll be a scoreless draw. Hopefully i'll be proven wrong and pool'll hit them quickly and soak up the pressure. Hard one to call, don't think previous statistics come into it too much unless you call for a draw; which is the rational thing to do!

mayordenis

growler wrote: »

Chelsea appear to be 11 points clear of you in the league, you didn't score against us in the league, conceded 2 in the carling cup, and have drawn against us twice this season... so clearly you're miles better

come on,
realistically,
we beat you 1-0 twice, lost 2-0 in the nothing cup, and drew 0-0.

the two 1-1 were both liverpool wins as far as i'm concerned, moral victory's all the way.

gucci

mayordenis wrote: »

come on,
realistically,
we beat you 1-0 twice, lost 2-0 in the nothing cup, and drew 0-0.

the two 1-1 were both liverpool wins as far as i'm concerned, moral victory's all the way.

If its a 2-2 draw tomorrow night, il take the moral victory on away goals

growler

Liverpool (Liverpool fans)

mayordenis wrote: »

the two 1-1 were both liverpool wins as far as i'm concerned, moral victory's all the way.

right. A draw is a moral win, shame ye don't get any points for them thoguh.

dobsdave

Liverpool

growler wrote: »

right. A draw is a moral win, shame ye don't get any points for them thoguh.

dont get points for what?

growler

Liverpool (Liverpool fans)

moral victories

Melion

I love the poll results. Most neutrals dont give Liverpool a chance. Cant wait to see how "Lucky" we are tomorrow night

shane86

Melion wrote: »

I love the poll results. Most neutrals dont give Liverpool a chance. Cant wait to see how "Lucky" we are tomorrow night

Given their previous SB record and being in the predicament they are currently in after the OG, it will take some stroke of luck to get out of the rut they are in.

And Im talking controversial penalty and did it or didnt it cross the line goals. Most Liverpool fans here are deluded. The one and only thing to suggest a possible turnaround of history is that Chelsea have a below par manager compared to in the past.

What else do they have? An out of CL form Gerrard and a striker who is brilliant at home but hasnt impressed greatly on the road. Liverpool didnt tremendously play Chelsea off the pitch at home. Why should away be any different?

I hope they win, but if they do it will be the toughest comeback since the 2005 final.

DeadSkin

shane86 wrote: »

I hope they win, but if they do it will be the toughest comeback since the 2005 final.

You're off your f*ckin' game man!!!!!
2005, we were 3-0 down at half time.
It's 1-1 before the whistle goes tomorrow, granted they have an away goal. An early Liverpool goal blows this game wide open.
You do the math!!!!!

Boggles

Nunu wrote: »

Just on Drogba...I love the way he had a big hissy fit on saturday because Ballack had the temerity to want to take a free-kick! What a primma donna that guy is. Essiens exasperated face said it all. Yet when a penalty needed to be scored I didn't see the chicken step up and demand the ball off Ballack that time.

In conclusion Ballack > Drogba;)

Essien hiding his head under his jersey was hilarious while that all went on.

Malice

shane86 wrote: »

And Im talking controversial penalty and did it or didnt it cross the line goals. Most Liverpool fans here are deluded. The one and only thing to suggest a possible turnaround of history is that Chelsea have a below par manager compared to in the past.

Can we please put this to bed. The shot from Luis Garcia has been proven to have crossed the line and the referee himself stated that he would have given the penalty and sent Cech off had Garcia not struck. Every Chelsea fan I know has said that 11 men + 1 goal down for 80 odd minutes was a better scenario than 10 men for 80 odd minutes + penalty.

Next question (which probably belongs in a different thread), why is Grant a below-par manager compared to Mourinho?

shane86 wrote:

Liverpool didnt tremendously play Chelsea off the pitch at home.

Had Torres not uncharacteristically missed two excellent chances or had Cech not saved Gerrard's volley in the second half the score would have been much more accurate. What is your justification for saying they weren't played off the pitch? Just the score?

shane86 wrote:

if they do it will be the toughest comeback since the 2005 final.

There's a gulf of difference between tomorrow's game and the 2005 final. One goal for Liverpool will completely change the nature of the tie. In 2005 we had to score three times.

PHB

Liverpool

Anyone who writes off Liverpool would just be stupid. That said, I think anyone who thinks Liverpool are favorites to go through would be stupid aswell.

They have to score at the Bridge, not an easy thing to do. Still very doable though.

citytillidie

Tomorrows game is 60-40 in Chelsea favour just because of the away goal.

Even if the game last week finished 1-0 i still think Liverpool would needed to have scored tomorrow night so not to take the game to pens

Melion

shane86 wrote: »

Given their previous SB record and being in the predicament they are currently in after the OG, it will take some stroke of luck to get out of the rut they are in.

And Im talking controversial penalty and did it or didnt it cross the line goals. Most Liverpool fans here are deluded. The one and only thing to suggest a possible turnaround of history is that Chelsea have a below par manager compared to in the past.

And there is your ready-made excuse. If we win it will be because Grant is crap and Mourinho isnt in charge anymore.

Pepe LeFrits

Liverpool

Melion wrote: »

I love the poll results. Most neutrals dont give Liverpool a chance. Cant wait to see how "Lucky" we are tomorrow night

While most Liverpool fans don't give Chelsea a chance? Do you love that too?

mike65

Chelsea obviously have a chance.

Mike.

delija_sever029

Chelsea (Chealsea Fans)

I still think its 50-50% for both teams,no matter Chelsea have that away goal

gucci

Melion wrote: »

And there is your ready-made excuse. If we win it will be because Grant is crap and Mourinho isnt in charge anymore.

If Liverpool win tomorrow night, we'll have knocked out Grant once and Jóse twice, so Grant will still be the better manager

Pepe LeFrits

Liverpool

mike65 wrote: »

Chelsea obviously have a chance.

Mike.

Obviously. But at the time of posting as many Liverpool fans had voted for a Liverpool win as neutrals had voted for a Chelsea win, so that was evidently lost on Melion.

~Rebel~

Chelsea have to be favourites. Have a feeling we'll have a score draw though. I'm not sure i can see Chelsea not scoring at the bridge and pool have been scoring a lot of goals this year, with the best away form i can remember us having for years, and having scored against away against every CL opponent this year.

1-1 and pens or 2-2 is my shout.

spockety

Tony Barrett article on liverpoolfc.tv

According to French statisticians, Liverpool only have a 23 per cent of making it through to the Champions League final in Moscow.
But then, when did anyone at Anfield take any notice of what French statisticians have to say?

Those experts at L'Equipe may be able to rate Liverpool's chances by going through every single European Cup semi-final since 1971.

And they may even be justified in making Chelsea statistical favourites to go through on Wednesday night.

But one thing they could never factor into their complicated equations is that mythical factor that Liverpool are at their best in Europe when their backs are against the wall.

Is a club which has come back from the dead in Istanbul, which has won twice at the Nou Camp, which has defied logic against the likes of St Etienne, Olympiakos and, more recently, Arsenal really going to be cowed at the prospect of "only" having 90 minutes to score a single goal away at Chelsea?

Will a club that once won a European Cup against AS Roma in their own backyard with all its hostility be afraid of the blue and white chequered flags which will be unfurled at Stamford Bridge?

Not a chance.

This is Liverpool's stage, not Chelsea's. Had those French statisticians also bothered to look at European Cup finals since 1971 they would have discovered that Chelsea have not appeared in a single one of them.

In the same period of time, Liverpool have appeared in seven and, in my book at least, that makes them favourites.

Forget that 95th minute equaliser at Anfield last week and focus on almost every single one of the 94 minutes that preceded it.

Liverpool were comfortably the better side and had it not been for the excellence of Petr Cech would be heading into the second leg with the kind of lead that even miracles cannot overcome.

Pepe Reina, by contrast, was hardly tested and there were times when the Spanish keeper must have been tempted to join in with the Kop as they did the Torres bounce just to keep himself warm.

Yes, John Arne Riise's own goal did shift the balance of the tie because it gave Chelsea that crucial away strike and yes, Liverpool could have done without conceding.

But all they have to do to cancel it out is score a single goal at Stamford Bridge and the tie will be back in their hands.

A legend will be created tomorrow. Someone will carve his name on Liverpool's unique European history alongside the likes of Dalglish, Smith, Rush, McDermott, Keegan, Fairclough, Garcia and Gerrard.

One player dressed in red will seize the moment and give the travelling Kop a moment they will treasure until their dying day.

The stage is set for a hero to emerge and open up a path to Moscow. No one will care if it's Torres, Gerrard, Kuyt, Carragher or Skrtel, just as long as someone does it.

Liverpool have nothing to fear from Chelsea. What is their to fear from the functional or the perfunctory?

This is not the Real Madrid of Figo and Zidane, the Milan of Van Basten, Baresi and Gullit, the Barcelona of Stoichkov, Romario and Koeman or even the Man United of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez.

It is the Chelsea of the eternally balance-challenged Didier Drogba, the vastly over rated Ashley Cole and the perennially weak Paulo Ferreira. And what's more, they're even fighting among themselves if Saturday's embarrassing squabble over whether Drogba or Michael Ballack took a free kick is anything to go by. !

Throw into the mix the fact that Avram Grant is totally untested at this level and is no doubt currently fretting about whether he should stick or twist and all of a sudden all those doubts and fears which followed Riise's unfortunate intervention are rendered almost meaningless.

If roles could be reversed and it was Liverpool who had the away draw with a second leg to come at Anfield but you had to have Grant in charge rather than Rafa Benitez, would you take it?

I didn't think so.

Benitez is an arch alchemist in the rarified atmosphere of the Champions League and he will be heading to Stamford Bridge with the kind of battle plan Napoleon would have been proud of.

Every eventuality will have been considered, all strengths and weaknesses assessed and a tactical masterplan will be implemented which will give Liverpool every chance of getting the result they need.

We know this is the case because we have seen it so many times over the last four years. We have seen it against Arsenal, Inter Milan and Juventus. And we have seen it against Chelsea. Twice.

The Spaniard will be relishing the opportunity of going into the Londoners' own backyard and making it a hat-trick. He won't see his team as the underdogs and he certainly won't be afraid.

As is the case for his team, this is Benitez's stage, a place where he is rarely found wanting.

Chelsea, by contrast, have been to the Champions League semi-finals on three separate occasions and are still to make it to a single final. To borrow a phrase from bookmaking parlance, the Londoners do not have course and distance.

They do have an away goal to their name, but it is only one. Liverpool now know exactly what they have to do and every single
Liverpool fan should today be believing that they will do it.

It is they who have history on their side no matter what those French statisticians might say.

And anyway, 23 is a lucky number for Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. Remember Kenny Dalglish's goal to win the league at Chelsea in 1986? It was scored after exactly 23 minutes.

That's fate, history and a beautiful omen. It's going to be Liverpool's night. All we have to do is believe.

Tony Barrett is the Liverpool correspondent for the Liverpool Echo.

Pepe LeFrits

Liverpool

That article reminds me exactly why, as unpleasant as it is, I find myself being forced to hope that Chelsea win.

spockety

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

That article reminds me exactly why, as unpleasant as it is, I find myself being forced to hope that Chelsea win.

lol.

zAbbo

Liverpool (Liverpool fans)

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

That article reminds me exactly why, as unpleasant as it is, I find myself being forced to hope that Chelsea win.

So it's a shorter distance for Arsenal fans to travel to see the CL cup?

PHB

Liverpool

Where can you get those stats? They look interesting.

Pepe LeFrits

Liverpool

zAbbo wrote: »

So it's a shorter distance for Arsenal fans to travel to see the CL cup?

A smaller number of fans displaying overbearing arrogance to deal with, but thanks for supporting my point.

Mr Alan

Chelsea (Chealsea Fans)

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

That article reminds me exactly why, as unpleasant as it is, I find myself being forced to hope that Chelsea win.

and we all love hearing people soil themselves over Arsenals super-human-beautiful-****-friendly-football.

zAbbo

Liverpool (Liverpool fans)

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

A smaller number of fans displaying overbearing arrogance to deal with, but thanks for supporting my point.

The piece was written by Tony Barrett from The Echo, he'd get lynched if he didn't write some romantic bullsh*t, in fact all his articles are full of the same hyperbole.

Mr Alan

Chelsea (Chealsea Fans)

here leave it out on TB, he is a good journalist and a sound bloke!

Pepe LeFrits

Liverpool

Mr Alan wrote: »

and we all love hearing people soil themselves over Arsenals super-human-beautiful-****-friendly-football.

Calm down Alan!

zAbbo wrote: »

The piece was written by Tony Barrett from The Echo, he'd get lynched if he didn't write some romantic bullsh*t, in fact all his articles are full of the same hyperbole.

Was the article not on Liverpool's official site? Anyway, you’ve described it well there. Liverpool fans can sing about winning it five times and so on all they like - that doesn’t bother me - but the pseudo-religious, romantic, destiny bullsh*t that comes out on these occasions is so irritating.

zAbbo

Liverpool (Liverpool fans)

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Was the article not on Liverpool's official site? Anyway, you’ve described it well there. Liverpool fans can sing about winning it five times and so on all they like - that doesn’t bother me - but the pseudo-religious, romantic, destiny bullsh*t that comes out on these occasions is so irritating.

He's a writer for The Echo, think he was just a guest columnist for the official site in that article, so he turned up red tinted-ness to "Mr Alan on Expresso" levels

Nice bloke he might be, good journalist he ain't

monkey9

CorkMan wrote: »

Liverpool never beat Chelsea in SB in the CL, so I think Chelski will get through.

So what, Liverpool don't need to beat Chelsea tomorrow to go through.

monkey9

shane86 wrote: »

Given their previous SB record and being in the predicament they are currently in after the OG, it will take some stroke of luck to get out of the rut they are in.

And Im talking controversial penalty and did it or didnt it cross the line goals. Most Liverpool fans here are deluded. The one and only thing to suggest a possible turnaround of history is that Chelsea have a below par manager compared to in the past.

What else do they have? An out of CL form Gerrard and a striker who is brilliant at home but hasnt impressed greatly on the road. Liverpool didnt tremendously play Chelsea off the pitch at home. Why should away be any different?

I hope they win, but if they do it will be the toughest comeback since the 2005 final.

What else have Liverpool got? You seem to forget that Liverpool......are actually a good team with good players and a good manager. What has gone on before will count for nothing once the whistle blows for kick-off tomorrow. It's eleven vs eleven. Liverpool are well capable of winning, it'd be no shock if we did

mike65

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Obviously. But at the time of posting as many Liverpool fans had voted for a Liverpool win as neutrals had voted for a Chelsea win, so that was evidently lost on Melion.

I won't vouch for fellow Reds. (you naughty scallys!)

Mike.

shane86

Melion wrote: »

And there is your ready-made excuse. If we win it will be because Grant is crap and Mourinho isnt in charge anymore.

I like Liverpool ffs. :rolleyes: (not a die hard fan *insert long arguement about English club football importance v national team importance here* ) but you are acting like im some Man U head full of doom and gloom. There is nothing bar Grant that makes Liverpool at all likely to take this, nothing. And to think otherwise is dillusional.

edit- (I was in work for the above )

Stating Liverpool will progress as a matter of fact is a bit like stating Spain will deffo win the Euros. Both teams have on paper the players to win their respective matches/competitions. Unfortunately football isnt played on paper.

DeadSkin wrote: »

You're off your f*ckin' game man!!!!!
2005, we were 3-0 down at half time.
It's 1-1 before the whistle goes tomorrow, granted they have an away goal. An early Liverpool goal blows this game wide open.
You do the math!!!!!

It certainly does.

Something that hasnt happened in four years of trying in SB blows the game right open. With the main attackers being a middling form Gerrard and a home wonderkid who has done sod all on the road this year.

shane86

malice_ wrote: »

Next question (which probably belongs in a different thread), why is Grant a below-par manager compared to Mourinho?

:rolleyes:

Had Torres not uncharacteristically missed two excellent chances or had Cech not saved Gerrard's volley in the second half the score would have been much more accurate. What is your justification for saying they weren't played off the pitch? Just the score?

If Stan had played Hunt in Slovakia we might have knocked in a third.

If Kevin Doyles ball had rolled a half inch to the left we would have equalised in Prague.

If Given wasnt injured for Cyprus we might have managed a draw.

Do you see what I am getting at? Football is full of ifs and buts that are best not to dwell on.

There's a gulf of difference between tomorrow's game and the 2005 final. One goal for Liverpool will completely change the nature of the tie. In 2005 we had to score three times.

Italian teams in the 21st century CL are below par chancers. Meh. Not to diminish from the brilliant match that it was, but do you really reckon Man U or Chelsea would concede three to them in a final?

As said, I like Liverpool. They certainly have what it takes to get a goaless draw. Unfortunately, that aint good enough. There is nothing, absoloutely nothing, to encourage a belief they will score enough to get by tomorrow.

dc69

shane86 wrote: »

Unfortunately, that aint good enough. There is nothing, absoloutely nothing, to encourage a belief they will score enough to get by tomorrow.

Chelski are well capable of being beaten,we only need 1 goal and if it goes to penos reina is better than cech,so we will progress.doesnt get any simpler.

Bubs101

Liverpool (Liverpool fans)

shane86 wrote: »

Italian teams in the 21st century CL are below par chancers. Meh. Not to diminish from the brilliant match that it was, but do you really reckon Man U or Chelsea would concede three to them in a final?

.

What uneducated nonsense. i suppose you have forgotten the all italian final in the 21st century

Bubs101

Liverpool (Liverpool fans)

dc69 wrote: »

Chelski are well capable of being beaten,we only need 1 goal and if it goes to penos reina is better than cech,so we will progress.doesnt get any simpler.

I think we have better penalty takers (Lampar, Ballack, kalou etc.) as well as the better keeper for saving them, it's just a matter if we have enough substitutes left to bring Carlo on for the penalties. His record of 1 save for every 2 penalties is surely better than Pepe's

DeadSkin

shane86 wrote: »

It certainly does.

Something that hasnt happened in four years of trying in SB blows the game right open. With the main attackers being a middling form Gerrard and a home wonderkid who has done sod all on the road this year.

I wouldn't agree Gerrard is in middlin form, yes Torres' away form all season can't be compared to the home form, but I still think you're off your game to think it would be "the toughest comeback since the 2005 final".
Feck, we need one goal to change the tie, we needed 3 in 45 mins in Istanbul.

oobydooby

Liverpool

Bubs101 wrote: »

I think we have better penalty takers (Lampar, Ballack, kalou etc.) as well as the better keeper for saving them, it's just a matter if we have enough substitutes left to bring Carlo on for the penalties. His record of 1 save for every 2 penalties is surely better than Pepe's

I wasn't confident last year when it went to penos and I wouldn't like to see it tomorrow. Chelsea have a lot of big game players and there's little to choose between Cech and Reina.

I hope Liverpool get a few chances and go out for the two goals, but it could be like tonight's with a very defensive Chelsea packing their half and looking to catch Liverpool on the counter. Certainly if the roles were reversed that's what I'd expect Liverpool to do.

dc69

Bubs101 wrote: »

I think we have better penalty takers (Lampar, Ballack, kalou etc.) as well as the better keeper for saving them, it's just a matter if we have enough substitutes left to bring Carlo on for the penalties. His record of 1 save for every 2 penalties is surely better than Pepe's

kalou?

reina is well better than cech at penos,its his speciality.I would feel extremely confident if it went to penos

PHB

Liverpool

IMO penalty shootouts is just down to a bit of luck. Some players who never miss penalties miss, like Shevchenko. Some players who have never taken them blast them away. You can just never tell.

The keepers can make a difference, but imo it's only marginal. A well taken penalty is unsavable.

Tusky

PHB wrote: »

IMO penalties is just down to a bit of luck. Some players who never miss penalties

Kind of contradicting yourself there.

Also, I dont agree in regards to keepers. Some keepers are excellent at saving penos.