Barca -v- Inter, Champions League Semi-final 2nd Leg

CSF

leninbenjamin wrote: »

When a team is as disciplined as Inter, and right in your face to boot... well it can be very hard to remain composed. It's as much a case of naivety tbh.

Barca actually were very like Arsenal tonight when the likes of Brum or Stoke park the bus. Just started to panic when things stopped going their way, and slowly their play became more hurried and hurried.

I don't think thats what this was. I think if this match was played 10 more times 7 or 8 of them would have seen Barca go through.

Oat23

Headshot wrote: »

certain posters gave inter no chance and fu'cking delighted they are proven wrong

its not always about league displays

Was confident they would win it. I've got a bet to prove it .

Mr Alan

wat was wrong with the sending off? Granted it shouldn't have been a straight red, but it was a second yellow, fair enough.

CSF

adox wrote: »

I honestly think people are posting counter arguments for the sake of it at this stage.

I'm actually laughing out loud here Reading that people think Mourhino got the tactics wrong and Inter were robbed, they won't find Barca playing so poorly again etc.

Now mines just opinion and no better than anyone elses here , but for ****s sake would youse cop on and call it as it so clearly was. These threads are all turning into " black is White" type debates.

Eh what?

kinaldo

Headshot wrote: »

ffs kinaldo

can anyone ever say bad stuff about barca or are they untouchable ?

growing ****ing tired of this ****.

You can say they were poor tonight and in Milan and I won't argue.

In fact I don't think they really deserved to go through, and am delighted they won't get to lift the trophy at the Bernabéu.

I'm just giving you my reading of your posts, you certainly don't seem the most objective.

Ush1

kinaldo wrote: »

You can say they were poor tonight and I won't argue.

In fact I don't think they deserved to go through, and am delighted they won't get to lift the trophy at the Bernabéu.

I'm just giving you my reading of your posts, you certainly don't seem the most objective.

It's because he isn't.:)

mada999

CSF wrote: »

Gutted by that. Don't think Mourinho deserves to be called a genius or anything like that for it. Barca were just poor. Keita, Toure, Busquets, Pedro and Ibrahimovic were all poison. I think 9 times out of 10 if Inter stick every man in their own half they will be punished. Barca just weren't at the races tonight.

or the first leg..... imo if you stop messi and maybe Xavi.... then you stop Barca.... don't think Barca deserved to go through..10 men for over half of the match at home.. ... they should have created more chances....

ref was poor for the disallowed goal though..

Pro. F

Ush1 wrote: »

I think what was really proven was that alot of teams weren't hugely bothered about this years CL. Certain posters wrote off Bayern when they played United. This was the year of the underdog. Inter have few outstanding players but hard work beat a languid looking Barca over 2 legs.

Nonsense. The United players played their hearts out against Bayern - the midfield just wasn't good enough. Barcelona weren't languid either, they just couldn't break down a very well organised defensive team and Jose worked out how to tear them apart with quick attacks in the first leg.

speedboatchase

leninbenjamin wrote: »

So they parked the bus...

What point are you making? Are you saying Inter didn't set out their stall just to absorb the Barca pressure?

Sorry I thought you were being a Barca apologist, what I was saying that nobody should use the "parked the bus" term as a negative in Inter's case - every other team would've done the same

Headshot

kinaldo wrote: »

You can say they were poor tonight and in Milan and I won't argue.

In fact I don't think they really deserved to go through, and am delighted they won't get to lift the trophy at the Bernabéu.

I'm just giving you my reading of your posts, you certainly don't seem the most objective.

why would I be objective

iv been supporting inter since they got to the knock-out stages.

Mars Bar

jaykay74 wrote: »

Great start to this clip, music suits and build up to water being turned on. Who does this stuff :pac::pac::pac:

Keeper should be banned for hands on Mourinho imo...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tse23ke9AiM

I'd love to know what the groundskeeper(s) was thinking when he turned on the sprinklers. IMO, it made Inter's celebrations more dramatic and grand!

nullzero

As disagreeable as Mourinho's personal manner is, he got the perfect performance out of his side over the two legs, especially tonight.
Barca were hopelessly bad tonight. Messi may as well have had his legs tied together in the position he was played.

Guardiola was hailed as some sort of super coach after last season, as if he brought in a whole new squad to Barcelona. He was on to a winner when he took over and his tactics tonight saw him get found out.

As for swapping Eto'o for Ibrahimovic, that just show's even more ineptitude. Ibrahimovic was in reterospect the one factor that held Inter back in the past, at least in European competition. Against United last year he had chance after chance and spurned every one of them. The man couldn't finish his dinner, he makes Berbatov look like Batistuta.

Sure it wasn't a pretty performance from Inter, but they did what they had to against tough oposition and their first leg perfromance was deserving of their victory.
Barcelona as the greatest side on the planet has been finally put to bed. The quarter final against a severly depleted Arsenal was a farce that flattered them and possibly made them feel invinscible.
Had Barca faced Lyon, they would won by a heap on goals, possibly in double figures. Inter were too clever for them, much like United were in 2008, they dug in and stopped Barcelona, they stopped Messi and they looked reasonably comfortable in doing so.

As for Mourinho's antics after the game, sure there's entertainment value, but he continually makes himself look stupid with his carry on, yes he's a great coach, but he's also something of an accomplished clown.
Barca turning on the sprinklers was a cheap and childish gesture which only reflects badly on themselves, they had only themselves to blame for a tired and predictable perfomance from a side that was feted as the world most creative and entertaining.

flahavaj

jaykay74 wrote: »

Great start to this clip, music suits and build up to water being turned on. Who does this stuff :pac::pac::pac:

Keeper should be banned for hands on Mourinho imo...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tse23ke9AiM

Haha epic.

Mind you the Inter lads don't look too pushed about the water.:pac:

jaykay74

Can't wait for Sid Lowe and James Richardson on football weekly tomorrow. should be great.

adox

Ush1 wrote: »

How were Inter robbed, they went through?

Sorry meant to type Barca but got it wrong in my little hissey fit. .
Edited my post.

Headshot

Ush1 wrote: »

It's because he isn't.:)

what did you say again about inter

Well, plenty of people in fact are claiming they are in their alongside Man. United and Barca as clear favs. I just happen to disagree.

Most definitely the best team in Serie A, sign of the times of Italian league. After both those derbies and the clear gulf, Milan can now win and go ahead?

I mean, to me this all just a sideshow anyway, I'm judging by actually watching them play above all else. Even when they were beating teams and playing at their best in the Serie A, for me, wouldn't have touched United or Barca. But of course, anomalies can happen but I think watching them shows a gulf and leaves them far away from being CL winning material.

or

Yep. Hillarious at the certain Serie A experts round here sucking Joses knob cause he beat a shockingingly bad Chelsea in the CL, saying they now are real contenders for the CL

you talk so much bs that my bs machine cant take anymore

so who's in the final ush ?

kinaldo

Headshot wrote: »

why would I be objective

iv been supporting inter since they got to the knock-out stages.

so many of your posts appear to be just anti-Barca.

just saying like.

Ush1

Pro. F wrote: »

Nonsense. The United players played their hearts out against Bayern - the midfield just wasn't good enough. Barcelona weren't languid either, they just couldn't break down a very well organised defensive team and Jose worked out how to tear them apart with quick attacks in the first leg.

United were 3 nil up within the first half hour if I'm not wrong. I mean aside from other characteristics Bayern and United showed after that, including a sending off, does that not tell you something of the quality of this years CL?

Yeah, you can Jose did alot but you're saying Barca weren't languid? Ibra up front? Keita? Passing from Busquets? They played painfully slow and it became EASY to defend. They began running abit in the last 3 mintues, apart from that the only player hungry looked to be Pique. Truely a languid display if I ever there was one.

Shanotheslayer

Absolutely raging about that Barca didn't get through

Dempsey

flahavaj wrote: »

Haha epic.

Mind you the Inter lads don't look too pushed about the water.:pac:

They endured 90 minutes of hell, cold water from sprinklers just help stop cramp when celebrating :pac:

flahavaj

Mr Alan wrote: »

wat was wrong with the sending off? Granted it shouldn't have been a straight red, but it was a second yellow, fair enough.

His handbarely touched his face, wasn't even a yellow IMO.

But you'll say it was and neither of us will convince the other ad infinitum....

jacool

If the referee hadn't made a blatant error in disallowing what was a valid goal, then we wouldn't all be sitting here praising Mourinho and his tactics. The referee messed up on many occasions but Motta proved that he likes to have his hands up high after the red card as well. Lucio blatantly held onto Ibra which was a penalty decision he bottled, and Dani Alves was held back by Muntari. These are all reasons that the result could have been different. He didn't get to make such decisions for Inter because the rarely ended up down the other end, although Eto'o nearly sneaked a goal with 10 minutes to go.
I suppose Mourinho's tactics weren't tested because there was no second goal. A 2-0 for the last 15 minutes might have made this a cracker.
I'm gutted 'cos I was on the "over 1.5 goals" market and was off celebrating the second strike before doing a "Devon Loch - what happened there" double take. Mourinho has 3 weeks now to work out how to shackle Robben and Olic!

eZe^

By the by, I can already see it happening, but it's a shame that it's not Inter who are fully being praised here, it's mainly Mourinho for his 'masterclass' in tactics. What exactly did he do against Barca tonight that was out of the ordinary. He did the right thing, but it's not like he's a one of a kind magical manager.

His persona has blinded people imo. Inter have some of the best defenders in world football, and the likes of Lucio and Cambiasso are tailormade to play against teams like Barcelona.

His performance tonight was not more impressive than Chelsea's over two legs last season in semi's. He set his team up the only way he could really. It just kind of grates me that Mourinho gets this 'special one' tag as if he was the principle reason that they prevailed. Cambiasso, Eto'o, Lucio, Samuel, and Maicon deserve most of the praise.

the_monkey

Mourinho is pure legend.

I'd love to see Eamon and Giles .. is that available on RTE iPlayer ?

Ush1

Headshot wrote: »

what did you say again about inter



or



you talk so much bs that my bs machine cant take anymore

so who's in the final ush ?

Inter are in the final, you called them a "superb" side. They aren't. Thought I was on ignore?

flahavaj

Ush1 wrote: »

United were 3 nil up within the first half hour if I'm not wrong. I mean aside from other characteristics Bayern and United showed after that, including a sending off, does that not tell you something of the quality of this years CL?

Yeah, you can Jose did alot but you're saying Barca weren't languid? Ibra up front? Keita? Passing from Busquets? They played painfully slow and it became EASY to defend. They began running abit in the last 3 mintues, apart from that the only player hungry looked to be Pique. Truely a languid display if I ever there was one.

None of this means United or Barca didn't care like you implied?

Edit: "weren't particularly bothered about the CL" is the phrase you actually used.

Shanotheslayer

flahavaj wrote: »

His handbarely touched his face, wasn't even a yellow IMO.

As I don't agree it was a straight red but the real is ''If a hand hits above the chin purposely then its a red card'' Regardless of how much power is behind it.

I disagree with the sending off but its a rule.

eagle eye

eZe^ wrote: »

By the by, I can already see it happening, but it's a shame that it's not Inter who are fully being praised here, it's mainly Mourinho for his 'masterclass' in tactics. What exactly did he do against Barca tonight that was out of the ordinary. He did the right thing, but it's not like he's a one of a kind magical manager.

His persona has blinded people imo. Inter have some of the best defenders in world football, and the likes of Lucio and Cambiasso are tailormade to play against teams like Barcelona.

His performance tonight was not more impressive than Chelsea's over two legs last season in semi's. He set his team up the only way he could really. It just kind of grates me that Mourinho gets this 'special one' tag as if he was the principle reason that they prevailed. Cambiasso, Eto'o, Lucio, Samuel, and Maicon deserve most of the praise.

So how come they have never got near a Champion's league final before then?
Mancini couldn't get them anywhere near it.
Chelsea didn't play anything near the level at home that Inter did.

Ush1

flahavaj wrote: »

None of this means United or Barca didn't care like you implied?

I think it does. I think pundits saying Manchester United and Chelsea are slitting their wrists watching the semis are right. I personally hate the EPL, but those teams didn't play near their potential in this years CL.

I'm a Lyon fan, but they really had no right to be in a semis.

jacool

flahavaj wrote: »

His handbarely touched his face, wasn't even a yellow IMO.

But you'll say it was and neither of us will convince the other ad infinitum....

i wish i had a 3D TV with the "sensitivity feature" turned on so I could tell that he "barely touched his face". The rule book states quite clearly that (unless you are Mikel Arteta), this is a dismissable offence.

Oh, and before I come across as totally anti-Inter (as all posts are obviously being judged for bias) Cambiasso was my man of the match. Ran his socks off and fronted up Messi millions of times !!

Headshot

Ush1 wrote: »

Inter are in the final, you called them a "superb" side. They aren't. Thought I was on ignore?

i had to link to your so called posts

they are a superb side, they beat the bestest team on the planet... and deserved to go through

so are they "CL winning material" / "real contenders for the CL" now ?

you'd think you would have some class and admit you were wrong

NaiveMelodies

Kleenex will very dissapointed now that the latest wankfest is over...

Well done Jose, see you at Old Trafford soon!

gimmick

jaykay74 wrote: »

Can't wait for Sid Lowe and James Richardson on football weekly tomorrow. should be great.

Sid Lowe is a filthy Madridista so he will be as glib as f*ck.

LuckyLloyd

ITALIAN FOOTBALL IS RISEN!!

****ing justice, a victory for tactics, bravery, grit and determination. Absolutely delighted.

super_furry

Headshot wrote: »

i had to link to your so called posts
[/U]

Lukker-

only1stevo wrote: »

Kleenex will very dissapointed now that the latest wankfest is over...

Well done Jose, see you at Old Trafford soon!

You wish :pac:

Ush1

Headshot wrote: »

i had to link to your so called posts

they are a superb side, they beat the bestest team on the planet... and deserved to go through

so are they "CL winning material" / "real contenders for the CL" now ?

you'd think you would have some class and admit you were wrong

I'm fully aware they beat Barca, but it was more to do with Barcas undoing. Do you think Bayern are a superb side? Or Lyon?

lol @ having class. They are contenders now absolutely, but I don't think the two best teams in Europe are in that final. I don't think either are superb. The Barca that played over those 2 legs weren't superb either, despite being "the bestest team on the planet" in other games.

flahavaj

Ush1 wrote: »

I think it does. I think pundits saying Manchester United and Chelsea are slitting their wrists watching the semis are right. I personally hate the EPL, but those teams didn't play near their potential in this years CL.

I'm a Lyon fan, but they really had no right to be in a semis.

Teama playing below par and teams not caring about the competition are totally different things! What a ridiculous statement.

Also why would United/Chelsea be slitting their wrists over the CL if they didn't care about the bloody competition?

Why would United rush back a plainly injured Rooney against Bayern if they didn't care?

The Barca players in tears after the match lonight looked like they cared?

You're talking sh*te tbh.

noodler

Pique and Ibra are crap because they played badly in a CL game people had the fortune to see live on TV.

Also, because RTE said he was.

mada999

speedboatchase wrote: »

It's official - Eto'o + £45m (for Snejder, Milito, Motta) to get rid of Ibra is the dumbest transfer of all time - subbed in both legs of the semis? Bottler.

did anyone actually think it was a good transfer at the time?

i've never seen Ibra actually really play well consistantly..

Dempsey

jacool wrote: »

If the referee hadn't made a blatant error in disallowing what was a valid goal, then we wouldn't all be sitting here praising Mourinho and his tactics. The referee messed up on many occasions but Motta proved that he likes to have his hands up high after the red card as well. Lucio blatantly held onto Ibra which was a penalty decision he bottled, and Dani Alves was held back by Muntari. These are all reasons that the result could have been different. He didn't get to make such decisions for Inter because the rarely ended up down the other end, although Eto'o nearly sneaked a goal with 10 minutes to go.
I suppose Mourinho's tactics weren't tested because there was no second goal. A 2-0 for the last 15 minutes might have made this a cracker.
I'm gutted 'cos I was on the "over 1.5 goals" market and was off celebrating the second strike before doing a "Devon Loch - what happened there" double take. Mourinho has 3 weeks now to work out how to shackle Robben and Olic!

Seems like karma for the Chelsea match, no?

noodler

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

ITALIAN FOOTBALL IS RISEN!!

****ing justice, a victory for tactics, bravery, grit and determination. Absolutely delighted.

Completely agree.

It is a sport, not a ballet. You earn the right to do the fancy sh1t and they didn't tonight.

kinaldo

gimmick wrote: »

Sid Lowe is a filthy Madridista so he will be as glib as f*ck.

He's clearly not a Madrid fan at all, he just lives there.

Ush1

flahavaj wrote: »

Teama playing below par and teams not caring about the competition are totally different things! What a ridiculous statement.

Also why would United/Chelsea be slitting their wrists over the CL if they didn't care about the bloody competition?

Well okay, playing so below par that APPEARED they didn't care, happy? I didn't personally interview each player in the comp. and extensively query their motivations, if that is what you're asking? Jesus.

flahavaj

jacool wrote: »

i wish i had a 3D TV with the "sensitivity feature" turned on so I could tell that he "barely touched his face". The rule book states quite clearly that (unless you are Mikel Arteta), this is a dismissable offence.

But Motta wasn't even looking, his arm was outstretched behind him and no more than touched Busquets' face. There was no intention IMO. If Busquets just stays up and plays on its not even a free, not to mind a yellow.

jaykay74

kinaldo wrote: »

He's clearly not a Madrid fan at all, he just lives there.

I have only heard him wax lyrical about Barca and complain about the way Madrid go about business. Last week he was laughing at the prospect of the final being played at Madrid with Madrid castoffs Robben/Sneijder on opposing teams just to stick it to them.

dor83

Haven't seen any interviews with Jose posted yet, so here's one

Jose Mourinho blasted Barcelona's “lack of fair play, on or off the pitch” and called on fans to greet the “heroic” team at the airport.

“Leo Messi is Messi. An incredible talent, from another galaxy, but like all the others he didn't play to his strengths. That should be quality and fair play, but I saw none of it on or off the pitch,” the Inter Coach told RAI.

“At 4am we couldn't sleep, as there were fireworks outside the hotel door. We called the police at 11pm and they arrived at 3.30am.

“A player like Samuel Eto'o who comes back here every few days was harassed by police today when told he had to pay taxes not paid in 2005.”

Mourinho was also furious at the red card when Sergio Busquets made the most of a fingertip touch from Thiago Motta after just 28 minutes.

“I can make a guarantee, that next year I'll be back. I always seem to end up being paired with Barcelona and every time something happens.

“Thiago Motta's card was the same as that for Didier Drogba. Unfortunately Motta lost his cool for a second. I said nothing to him at half-time. I spoke to the rest of the team to explain how they should play and adapt.

“I do not want to judge the referee. I said beforehand that when the players want to help the referee, his job is easy, but tonight some people tried to make life difficult for him.”

The Nerazzurri lost 1-0 on the night, but have reached their first European Cup Final since 1972 thanks to the 3-1 first leg result.

“It was a team of heroes, where everyone left their blood on that pitch. I am proud of everyone, those who played and didn't, of the fans who suffered with us here and at home.

“Barcelona did their celebrating beforehand, created some controversy and did some incredible things over the past 24 hours. Now I ask the fans to welcome us at the airport, even if it's tough and they have to work tomorrow. They should arrive at the airport to welcome these spectacular players, as they've earned it.

“I can only imagine how they're enjoying it, as they know how difficult this was. It's hard against Barca with 11 men, but with 10 it's extraordinary.

“This is the greatest defeat of my life! But my team deserved to draw 0-0 really. Julio Cesar made it seem as if we were playing with 11 men.”

At the final whistle Mourinho ran across the pitch with his hand raised to the stands, but was held back by goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

“I felt an incredible joy. I have already won the Champions League, but I can say tonight felt better than that. Porto won the Final 3-0 and I knew half an hour from the end that we had already won, whereas here it was right to the end.

“Valdes, like the others, expected to win this tie. They had a big surprise at San Siro and when we saw the mess they made with the T-shirts and the people making noise, it became clear they were afraid.

“In the way we were set out to begin with and all 11 players, we could've won here. Goran Pandev's injury forced us to change and Motta's red card again, it was an incredible game.”

The Final at the Bernabeu in Madrid will be between Inter and Bayern Munich.

“Obviously when you reach the Final, you want to win it. The fact we faced Barcelona four times on the way and also Chelsea, it means a lot. I reiterate that Inter are now a European force, so if they don't win it this time, they will the next year or the one after.

“I thought my empathy with the Chelsea fans was impossible to find elsewhere, but I have found even more with Inter.

“It was impossible to see where our fans were in this huge stadium, but at the 85th minute I could hear them and knew they were up there. They suffered with us and we had to thank them.”

However, when asked if he would stay on the Inter bench next season, Mourinho refused to answer.

“I don't want to discuss this. We have two Finals in Rome - against Lazio in Serie A and the Coppa Italia. That is all I'm focused on right now.”

Fair play to him, he gives all the credit to the players and doesn't try to talk about himself.

pokerface_me

Just reading through the pages and alot of people are giving out about the disallowed goal, it was handball. If the ball strikes your hand intentionally or unintentionally it is handball, just because he didn't mean to handball it is not an argument, he did handball it end of.

Also the better team over the 2 legs went through, still amazes me how such poor ref's get these high profile matches, the amount of decisions he got wrong wasn't even funny. From freekicks to throw in's, corners, cards, shocking stuff and its starting to ruin the beautiful game.

flahavaj

Ush1 wrote: »

Well okay, playing so below par that APPEARED they didn't care, happy? I didn't personally interview each player in the comp. and extensively query their motivations, if that is what you're asking? Jesus.

Meh, you shouldn't come out with outlandisgh statements like "this season goes to show a lot of the bigger teams weren't bothered about the CL" if you haven't thought them through. Especially when you'd be the very lad to jump down someones throat if they did the same.;)

L'prof

Mourinho wrote:

Leo Messi is Messi. An incredible talent, from another galaxy, but like all the others he didn't play to his strengths. That should be quality and fair play, but I saw none of it on or off the pitch. At 4am we couldn't sleep, as there were fireworks outside the hotel door. We called the police at 11pm and they arrived at 3.30am. A player like Samuel Eto'o who comes back here every few days was harassed by police today when told he had to pay taxes not paid in 2005.

I can make a guarantee, that next year I'll be back. I always seem to end up being paired with Barcelona and every time something happens. Thiago Motta's card was the same as that for Didier Drogba. Unfortunately Motta lost his cool for a second. I said nothing to him at half-time. I spoke to the rest of the team to explain how they should play and adapt.

I do not want to judge the referee. I said beforehand that when the players want to help the referee, his job is easy, but tonight some people tried to make life difficult for him. It was a team of heroes, where everyone left their blood on that pitch. I am proud of everyone, those who played and didn't, of the fans who suffered with us here and at home.

Barcelona did their celebrating beforehand, created some controversy and did some incredible things over the past 24 hours. Now I ask the fans to welcome us at the airport, even if it's tough and they have to work tomorrow. They should arrive at the airport to welcome these spectacular players, as they've earned it.

I can only imagine how they're enjoying it, as they know how difficult this was. It's hard against Barca with 11 men, but with 10 it's extraordinary. This is the greatest defeat of my life! But my team deserved to draw 0-0 really. Julio Cesar made it seem as if we were playing with 11 men.

I felt an incredible joy. I have already won the Champions League, but I can say tonight felt better than that. Porto won the final 3-0 and I knew half an hour from the end that we had already won, whereas here it was right to the end.

Valdes, like the others, expected to win this tie. They had a big surprise at San Siro and when we saw the mess they made with the T-shirts and the people making noise, it became clear they were afraid. In the way we were set out to begin with and all 11 players, we could've won here. Goran Pandev's injury forced us to change and Motta's red card again, it was an incredible game.

Obviously when you reach the final, you want to win it. The fact we faced Barcelona four times on the way and also Chelsea, it means a lot. I reiterate that Inter are now a European force, so if they don't win it this time, they will the next year or the one after.

I thought my empathy with the Chelsea fans was impossible to find elsewhere, but I have found even more with Inter. It was impossible to see where our fans were in this huge stadium, but at the 85th minute I could hear them and knew they were up there. They suffered with us and we had to thank them.

We have two finals in Rome - against Lazio in Serie A and the Coppa Italia. That is all I'm focused on right now.

Moratti wrote:

I am very happy, for a team of ten men to beat the world champions at their own ground (shows) great character, great team, individually and as a group. It is infinite happiness.

Mourinho tonight was a wonderful phenomenon and the boys had immense character. They knew what to do at all times, very good. They played in a really smart way, congratulations to all. I hope that Inter fans are as happy as I am.

Link.

EDIT: Beat me to it dor83!