Chelsea -v- Inter CL Match Thread etc etc

LuckyLloyd

redout wrote: »

Sneijder had a quite poor passing game for a midfielder to be honest.

He only had 67% success rate when he came off.

When you compare this to the likes of Xavi and Scholes who nearly always end up in the mid to late 80's it looks poor.

That's very good when you consider the nature of the passes he is generally attempting. His default pass isn't laying it off to the fullback! Now, I'm not suggesting that the likes of Scholes and Xavi only shuffle the ball from side to side, but I think Sneijder is a much more direct playing attacking midfielder than either of them and, as such, the above success rate is fine.

smuckers

No good enough, I can't over the fact that we didn't even test thier keeper, Malouda was our most threatening player as was Zhirkov the rest were atrocious.
The summer is going to very interesting, we don't have a player who can can add a bit of magic and open up the defence.

Frisbee

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

That's very good when you consider the nature of the passes he is generally attempting. His default pass isn't laying it off to the fullback! Now, I'm not suggesting that the likes of Scholes and Xavi only shuffle the ball from side to side, but I think Sneijder is a much more direct playing attacking midfielder than either of them and, as such, the above success rate is fine.

This.

carlop

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I really don't agree with this at all. This team is a quantum leap forward from the Mancini sides for two reasons: much better coaching and them actually having to win the title the last two seasons as opposed to having it handed to them by default. On top of that, I think them losing the likes of Zlatan and Adriano is a huge plus point. As a squad they seem to have bought into Mourinho's way of things a lot better as time has rolled by. This Inter side is a lot meaner and tougher than last year's version, and would beat the **** out of the Mancini teams in a fight (:)).

Add in that touch of class from Sneijder and you have a very tough proposition altogether.

Chelsea weren't good last night, but they were much the better team in the San Siro. It is easy to wave aside the way that game went. When Chelsea equalised, a lot of teams (and certainly previous Inter teams) would have thrown the towel in. Instead this Inter side provided a response, created some pressure, got the winning goal. Utd and Barca are very, very good so they could well get past Inter in a later round. But I'm not sure it will be an easy ride...

At the end of the day, the likes of Lucio, Zanneti, Cambiasso, etc are aware of they way they are perceived across Europe. The best of the rest in Italy who can't cut it at the higher levels. I think the two games against Chelsea showed an experienced team that is desperate to prove some opinions wrong, and a group playing with a lot of pride. There is a lot of pain amongst the Italian teams during the last few years. They need to win these ties. And that counts for a lot.

Good Post.

The importance of this match to Italian football cannot be overstated. Serie A has taken a serious hammering in the last few years.

A combination of scandal and poor results have made what was quite recently the strongest league in the world, and by quite a distance, a laughing stock. Inter have been the flag-bearers over this period, and would have born the brunt of the criticism more than anyone else.

Last night, and as Lloyd said when Chelsea equalised in the San Siro, they stood up to be counted and it looked like Mourinho's win-at-all-costs mentality was imprinted in this team.

This isn't the first time they've pulled out this kind of performance, but they have previously all been on the domestic level. This season they went in to both derby matches almost as underdogs. The press spoke of a rejuvenated Milan being favourites. Inter showed their character both times. They beat an AC side that I don't think is anywhere near as bad as United made them look with 9 men.

Inter have these big performances within them, they just never demonstrated them on the biggest stage of all until last night. I don't think they're good enough to go all the way, but they have restored a bit of pride to Serie A.

Personally, I support Napoli and I don't like Inter, but last night I was happy to see them win, as Italian football was in dire need of this result.

PHB

IMO history has be re-written about last years game. It was extremely close between United and Inter, and had Ibra finished a chance or two he had, everyone would have had a different view of the game. I can't deny I'm happy Chelsea are out, because I think at their peak they are better than Inter at their peak, but Inter are a side I'd like to avoid in the next round, them and Barca and the teams we should hope to avoid

Boskowski

It's amazin how many people still go by the most stupid of conclusions ala 'well they're only one point ahead of AC and we beat them fellas handy so we will easily dispose of Inter by way of logic'. Thankfully football doesn't work that way and while I have great respect for Utd statements like 'it's between Utd and Barca now' are rubbish. For starters Barca nearly got played off the park bu Stuttgart two weeks ago. Let's wait and see

d22ontour

Boskowski wrote: »

while I have great respect for Utd statements like 'it's between Utd and Barca now' are rubbish.

How many people said that though ? 1 maybe 2 ? Easier to generalize that all United fans think that i suppose....

flahavaj

Jose showed Mancini up as not that great there last night didn't he?

leninbenjamin

flahavaj wrote: »

Jose showed Mancini up as not that great there last night didn't he?

I thought it was Chelsea who Inter were playing?

flahavaj

leninbenjamin wrote: »

I thought it was Chelsea who Inter were playing?

'Twas. I'm talking about how far far superiorly (is this even a word?) coached, motivated and tactically set up Inter look under Mourinho now than they did under Mancini. Under Mourinho they look genuine CL contenders, under Mancini they looked anything but.

leninbenjamin

flahavaj wrote: »

'Twas. I'm talking about how far far superiorly (is this even a word?) coached, motivated and tactically set up Inter look under Mourinho now than they did under Mancini. Under Mourinho they look genuine CL contenders, under Mancini they looked anything but.

The defensive organisation is much better and Sneijder offers them a lot more creativity, but overall they are still the same conservative, limited and exceptionally narrow Inter that Mancini created.

And last night they were playing a pretty weakened Chelsea team, I don't think it's a fair barometer. I don't watch Serie A but they seem to be pissing points away and apart from last night they have been very average in the CL this year.

flahavaj

leninbenjamin wrote: »

The defensive organisation is much better and Sneijder offers them a lot more creativity, but overall they are still the same conservative, limited and exceptionally narrow Inter that Mancini created.

And last night they were playing a pretty weakened Chelsea team, I don't think it's a fair barometer. I don't watch Serie A but they seem to be pissing points away and apart from last night they have been very average in the CL this year.

To me they look more united as a team as well, a hallmark of Mourinho's management wherever hes been. As I said, under Mancini they were p*ss poor in Europe, now it'll take a very good team to beat them with Jose in charge.

leninbenjamin

flahavaj wrote: »

now it'll take a very good team to beat them with Jose in charge.

I think they have too many weaknesses to mount a realistic challenge. I think a team with decent width (Bayern and United being the two obvious candidates, CSKA have some width to them too) would tear Inter to shreds, Inter's fullbacks are good but there is just so much space to attack them through the wings. Malouda and Zhirkov had plenty of time and space last night, they just didn't seem used to playing with each other.

Barca along with Arsenal (and possibly even the French teams) would be too technical for them imo, Motta, Lucio and Samuel aggressively attack the ball and I think they can be easily dragged out of position. They only real 'sweeper' type in there they have is Cambiasso, but he wont be enough to counter the forward runs of the more technical sides. There are spaces for Xavi, Cesc and Gourcoff to exploit.

Maybe I'm overly negative but I don't think the Mourinho effect will be enough to compensate, Inter's weaknesses are just to obvious imo.

bullpost

flahavaj wrote: »

To me they look more united as a team as well, a hallmark of Mourinho's management wherever hes been. As I said, under Mancini they were p*ss poor in Europe, now it'll take a very good team to beat them with Jose in charge.

I think with their suspensions Arsenal would be happy to get them. I reckon it would be game over after the first leg.