UEFA Champions league - Match Day 6

CR 7

So tom cruise gets his long awaited debut v olympiakos. What're his prospects like?

redout

the_pm_of_17 wrote: »

So tom cruise gets his long awaited debut v olympiakos. What're his prospects like?

With a name like that he better be good.

I expect fighter pilot reflexes and Cocktail waiter flair tbh.

JPA

the_pm_of_17 wrote: »

So tom cruise gets his long awaited debut v olympiakos. What're his prospects like?

He's Far and Away Arsenals best youth prospect, they have a few good men in their youth team. but it's mission impossible to try and impress on his debut. etc etc etc

redout

Ah............Billo and the lads doin Barca:D

Smegball

Headshot wrote: »

love to see Unirea Urziceni in the next round of the CL

what a success story that would be

Yeah, interesting article in the Guardian there done by the excellent Jonathan Wilson.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/dec/09/unirea-urziceni-champions-league-romania

It was back in 1996-97 that a Romanian side last reached the last 16 of the Champions League, although given the structure of the competition meant Steaua Bucharest only had to beat Club Bruges over two legs to get there, that hardly compares to what Unirea Urziceni will achieve if they avoid defeat away to Stuttgart tonight. Making it through to the knockout stage would be an achievement for any Romanian club, but for Unirea it would be staggering.

Urziceni is a town of 17,000 inhabitants in Romania's south-east, its name effectively translating as "nettle town". Unirea's stadium, which is surrounded by vineyards, has a capacity of 7,000 – and that only after major upgrade work in 2002 – meaning they have had to play their home games in the Champions League at Steaua's stadium, about 15 miles away in Bucharest. They only won promotion to the third division for the first time in 2003, and promotion to the top flight did not arrive until 2006.

Their first season began poorly, but the arrival of Dan Petrescu as coach and the former Steaua Bucharest president Mihai Stoica galvanised them and they finished 10th. The next season they were fifth, and the year after that they won the title. This season they are one of three teams level on points at the top in a tight race in which the top six sides are separated by two points. The natural temptation is to assume a general mediocrity, but Unirea's results in Europe – most striking a 4-1 away win at Rangers and a 1-0 home victory over Sevilla – suggest genuine quality.

Indeed, for the long-term good of Romanian football, it is probably a positive sign that power is no longer concentrated in the hands of the Bucharest grandees. After Universitatea Craiova won the title in 1981, 25 of the following 26 titles went to clubs from the capital. Then came CFR Cluj, then Unirea, and at the moment the league is led on goal difference by Timisoara. The decentralisation that was always likely to follow the end of one-party rule is at last under way, and the green shoots suggested by the performances of Steaua and Dinamo in the Uefa Cup four seasons ago are beginning to sprout.

Crucially, Unirea's is not a success based on money – or at least not solely on money. Of course they have benefited from recent investment from Valahorum, a company run by the entrepreneur Dumitru Bucsaru who is a close friend of the national president, Traian Basescu, and made his fortune buying unfinished apartment blocks from the state after the 1989 revolution, but this is a team carefully constructed and intelligently led by Petrescu, rather than being based around mercenary foreign stars.

Their squad contains just six non-Romanians, one of whom, the Argentinian left-sided midfielder Pablo Brandán, who joined from Alavés in 2007, seems certain to leave in January having received offers from Bundesliga clubs. "Of course I dream of playing in a stronger league after two marvellous seasons in Romania," he said. "But I want to do this only after I see my team through to the last 16.

"Remember that nobody believed we could beat Rangers away but we did so through our spirit and good football. Then to beat Sevilla at home is a great achievement for any team. But the last step is to get a result in Stuttgart. They will attack us because they need to win, so we will try to surprise them with fast and strong counter-attacks. I'm sure we'll score at least once."

Another, the Brazilian holding midfielder Ricardo Gomes, may not play tonight having picked up a knock in Friday's 3-2 win at Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt, while the captain, George Galamaz, is also doubtful and his fellow centre-back, Vasile Maftei, is suspended. "It will be hard for me to stay and watch from the stands," said Maftei, "but I know how determined my team-mates are and I'm ready to bet that we will take at least a point. It will not be easy because the Germans will feel the drama of this more than us. From the beginning they were one of the favourites and everybody saw in us only an easy opportunity to win points. Now they understand that Unirea are able to play against any team with great heart, and that big win in Glasgow makes us very confident that we can qualify to play in the Champions League in the spring."

All three would be missed, but a couple of niggles over personnel seems routine compared to the upheaval at Stuttgart, who sacked their manager, Markus Babbel, on Sunday after a 1-1 draw at home to Bochum that left them in the relegation zone. They replaced him with Christian Gross, who may be derided in Britain following his unsuccessful time at Tottenham but he led Basle to four Swiss titles before leaving the club in May. Petrescu is wary of the effect the change may have.

"Anybody who believes the sacking of Babbel is good for us does not understand football," he said. "The arrival of a new coach is always very dangerous for the next opponent, because the players have a special motivation to show him their potential. And of course they are Germans, and everybody knows you can't write off the Germans.

"It's a very important game for them, to come back to life after some poor performances, but we are ready. It will be harder if don't have Galamaz and Ricardo back, but we know that we have the armoury to achieve a good result. We definitely won't go to close the game down and play with nine or 10 men in defence because to do so is to risk conceding a goal in the dying moments. We will go there to win."

Even if they draw, it might suggest that, despite all the problems with the national team, Romanian football is in recovering health.

redout

Dunphy: "Pedro and Busquets arent really up to it" :pac:

redout

Dunphy: "Pique went to Man Utd on loan" :pac:

"Not sure about Ibrahimovic"

:pac::pac::pac::pac::pac:

CR 7

Ibrahimovic cost 68million too.

Frisbee

Not many people in the Premiership can distribute the ball as well as Gibson?

Really?

Headshot

Frisbee wrote: »

Not many people in the Premiership can distribute the ball as well as Gibson?

Really?

Really Frisbee, Really ?

:-D

Frisbee

What?

Giles doesn't have talk some sh*t

Headshot

Frisbee wrote: »

What?

never mind

the miz would get it thou

Frisbee

Headshot wrote: »

never mind

the miz would get it thou

Ah, I'm sitting slightly lower now and I see it

redout

Goal...........

1 - 0

Kiev lead!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr.Nice Guy

Howler from Valdes!

Delighted RTE are showing this. Fair play to them.

redout

Christ Barca look lost!

Someone actually put a cross into the Kiev box and Xavi bit his head off

Puyol and Pique mixing it up

Very unlike Barca

Think that goal in the opening minute has shook them up a bit.

gimmick

I can see a 2nd here for Kiev. Barca not started yet at all. Messi really should have done better with that.

Gonna be a long night......

redout

I make that the fourth game in a row Messi has had a one on one and missed every single one of them.

Its the Curse of the Ballon D'or I tell you.

Bobalicious93

Barca are basically safe though aren't they? Don't they have to lose by three and the other match not end in a draw for them to go out?

redout

Bobalicious93 wrote: »

Barca are basically safe though aren't they? Don't they have to lose by three and the other match not end in a draw for them to go out?

If Kiev win by two or more and Inter or Rubin win then I think Barca are eliminated. I need to double check that though.

Raskolnikov

redout wrote: »

Dunphy: "Pedro and Busquets arent really up to it" :pac:

Well, he's right about Busquets.

Bobalicious93

redout wrote: »

If Kiev win by two or more and Inter or Rubin win then I think Barca are eliminated. I need to double check that though.

Yeah that looks about right.

Clubs

---

GF

---

GA

---

Pts
Barcelona

---

5

---

2

---

8
Inter

---

5

---

6

---

6
Rubin

---

4

---

5

---

6
Dynamo

---

6

---

7

---

5

EDIT: doesn't matter now. 1-1

redout

Bobalicious93 wrote: »

Barca are basically safe though aren't they? Don't they have to lose by three and the other match not end in a draw for them to go out?

redout wrote: »

If Kiev win by two or more and Inter or Rubin win then I think Barca are eliminated. I need to double check that though.

I think Kiev actually need to win by 3 I make it.

If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group
matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings:
a) higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the
teams in question;
b) superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams
in question;
c) higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches
played among the teams in question;
d) superior goal difference from all group matches played;
e) higher number of goals scored;
f) higher number of coefficient points accumulated by the club in question,
as well as its association, over the previous five seasons (see paragraph

8.02).

Xavi

1 - 1

Raskolnikov

That's the Kiev dream over with. Great play Barcelona.

Mr.Nice Guy

I have the Xavster in my FF team. :cool:

Headshot

please score ibra

gimmick

Raskolnikov wrote: »

Well, he's right about Busquets.

No, he is not.

Great patience from Barca.

redout

Pique fortunate not to see red.

Headshot

webb ****ed up that decision

should of been a sending off

Mr.Nice Guy

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

I have the Xavster in my FF team. :cool:

No you don't fool you sold him for Hleb. Aaarggh!

Headshot wrote:

please score ibra

This.

Warper

Wow the RTE panel are lavishing the praise on Barca at half-time and Barca havnt even played that great.

Spiritoftheseventies

Wasn't yesterday match day five?

Frisbee

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

No you don't fool you sold him for Hleb. Aaarggh!

Stuttgart are walking that game though. He could easily end up with a goal.

CR 7

bayviewclose wrote: »

Wasn't yesterday match day five?

It's not literally matchday 6, just the 6th day of matches for these teams or something.

redout

bayviewclose wrote: »

Wasn't yesterday match day five?

No that would have been two weeks ago.

redout

Tell you what

Balotelli just scored a free-kick to rival

Ronaldos from last night

Inter 2 - 0

Raskolnikov

Ibrahimovic has been shocking tonight.

redout

Messi with a cracker

2 - 1

JPA

Sweet FK from Messi.

Raskolnikov

Messi and Xavi have been brilliant, great free Messi.

redout

Ibra with a bullet.

He scored a free-kick

one month back

clocked at 140km/h

JPA

redout wrote: »

Ibra with a bullet.

He scored a free-kick

one month back

clocked at 140km/h

I love those free kicks he takes.

Mr.Nice Guy

Frisbee wrote: »

Stuttgart are walking that game though. He could easily end up with a goal.

Well he got an assist so he wasn't a total disaster.

JPA

Bill: "Barcelona did things that weren't normal to their game, like tracking back for example". :pac:

JPA

Peter Collins and RTE got an interview with Guardiola. Jeez, well done, surprising.

Gillington

Another goalie goal

http://www.mysoccerplace.net/video/sinan-bolat-vs-az-alkmaar

Good one too!

Spiritoftheseventies

JPA wrote: »

Peter Collins and RTE got an interview with Guardiola. Jeez, well done, surprising.

Why wouldn't Collins get the interview. Barca qualified didnt they?

redout

JPA wrote: »

Peter Collins and RTE got an interview with Guardiola. Jeez, well done, surprising.

Aye, Guardiola can speak English unlike most Spanish managers. They get Fergie regularly enough also.