2013-14 Uefa Champions League

GTR63

klose wrote: »

Madrid have been excellent tonight

Think Ancelloti will do a good job there. 1-1 for Juve, the much better side but didn't take the chances which came their way. A few 1 sided games tonite, makes for rubbish watching.

eagle eye

I watched the Sociedad/Shaktar game tonight. Sociedad were the better team but lost to two goals on the counter.

The referee tonight in that game was just fantastic, best refereeing performance I've seen in a long time. He wasn't fooled by dives, he gave a yellow card for a guy falling and grabbing the ball, he gave a yellow card for a guy flashing an imaginary yellow card at him. He gave a free kick that everybody thought was a penalty but when you seen the replay he was right. He let the game flow and it was just wonderful to watch the game and ultimately his performance which made it such a good game.

Moneymaker

Jaysus.

NIMAN

764dak wrote: »

To be honest, the seeding of teams is rubbish. There should be no seeds.

I think to spice it up a bit, and make teams like Arsenal try to win their league again, only the league champions from each country should be seeded. Everyone else, your names are in the hat!!

GTR63

Moneymaker wrote: »

Jaysus.

The Olympiakos goal was real good too and Thiago Motta got a spot the difference brace.

Blatter

Moneymaker wrote: »

Jaysus.

Literally something you'd do in PES 6.

21 hattricks for Madrid now, lol.

Kerrydude1981

Cracking goal by Toure tonight

swoody

Kerrydude1981 wrote: »

Cracking goal by Toure tonight

there you go.



isco's goal



RVP's



and his miss

citytillidie

Tonights Games
Group E
Chelsea FC (ENG) 1 V 2 FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
FC Schalke 04 (GER) 3 V 0 FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU)

Group F
SSC Napoli (ITA) 2 V 1 Borussia Dortmund (GER)
Olympique de Marseille (FRA) 1 V 2 Arsenal FC (ENG)

Group G
Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP) 3 V 1 FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS)
FK Austria Wien (AUT) 0 V 1 FC Porto (POR)

Group H
FC Barcelona (ESP) 4 V 0 AFC Ajax (NED)
AC Milan (ITA) 2 V 0 Celtic FC (SCO)

Insane Rambling

citytillidie wrote: »

Tonights Games
Group E
Chelsea FC (ENG) V FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
FC Schalke 04 (GER) V FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU)

Group F
SSC Napoli (ITA) V Borussia Dortmund (GER)
Olympique de Marseille (FRA) V Arsenal FC (ENG)

Group G
Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP) V FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS)
FK Austria Wien (AUT) V FC Porto (POR)

Group H
FC Barcelona (ESP) V AFC Ajax (NED)
AC Milan (ITA) V Celtic FC (SCO)

So what games will people be watching tonight? I'm thinking of Napoli - Dortmund would be the most exciting. Sky goal alert is great for nights like this when you have no real interest in any particular game.

Mars Bar

Another angle of that Ronaldo goal!

Dempsey

The keeper was terribly positioned for it imo

That_Guy

Klopp's a mad bastard. Gets himself sent off after screaming in the 4th officials face straight after Napoli take the lead. :pac:

That_Guy

mike65

4 goals in the first half. Things can only get better.

That_Guy

The Napoli/Dortmund game has been very enjoyable. Weidenfeller sent off, Klopp sent to the stands. Madness.

swoody

chelsea fans already losing pathetic with jose

grenache

Great stuff from Napoli, hopefully will see it out now with Dortmund's keeper off. They were comfortable enough in the first half. Higuain got the few inches of space he needed for the goal.

Lawrence1895

grenache wrote: »

Great stuff from Napoli, hopefully will see it out now with Dortmund's keeper off. They were comfortable enough in the first half. Higuain got the few inches of space he needed for the goal.

We never lost a competitive match with Mitch Langerack so far *clutching straws*

That_Guy

Insigne has been incredible for Napoli tonight.

eagle eye

Barcelona looked really impressive tonight, bit more cut and thrust to their game I think. Pique looks back to his best and I'm not saying that because he scored, he just looked very good all night. They could be back at the top of Europe come the end of this season.

dfx-

Good to see the return of Barcelona's short corners..

764dak

Champions League is basically a Mickey Mouse competition now.

batistuta9

764dak wrote: »

Champions League is basically a Mickey Mouse competition now.

what's the reasoning behind this statement

764dak

batistuta9 wrote: »

what's the reasoning behind this statement

Rubbish seeding system and league allocation create an imbalance of power among teams from different leagues. Now it seems easier for teams to rack up big wins in UCL than in the their own league.

batistuta9

764dak wrote: »

Rubbish seeding system and league allocation create an imbalance of power among teams from different leagues. Now it seems easier for teams to rack up big wins in UCL than in the their own league.

no seeding system will be perfect but you need something

but before people complained that the group stage was rubbish, too easy, now when you've a group like arsenals or man city last year people still cry about it - not meaning you specifically here

i don't really get what you mean by imbalance of power - more teams from the stronger leagues is it?

the teams that got hammered this week were champions of their country - gala, ajax, steaua, olympiakos, plzen, cska m.
what would you propose instead?

grenache

I know it's a early days but I think Napoli have put themselves in a great position to now qualify from the group and maybe even win it. They've scored in every CL game they've played in and I would be confident of them winning all their games at San Paolo, it's such a cauldron of hostility for visiting sides. Napoli have only lost there 4 times in all competitions over the last 2 seasons. And they'll surely pick up 3-4 points on the road. They can win at Marseilles definitely and could take something from the Emirates & Dortmund. 12 points should see them through. It's a highly achievable goal.

Selling Cavani was the best thing they ever did. They're stronger in every department for the players they've bought in with the funds of his sale. Higuain is every bit as good, Callerjon is another quality striker, Albiol is a decent centre half who can play anywhere. Mertens was the best winger in the Dutch Eriedivision last year. And Reina is significant improvement on De Sanctiis between the sticks. Napoli are gonna push Juve all the way this year in Serie A and could go far in Europe.

764dak

batistuta9 wrote: »

no seeding system will be perfect but you need something

but before people complained that the group stage was rubbish, too easy, now when you've a group like arsenals or man city last year people still cry about it - not meaning you specifically here

i don't really get what you mean by imbalance of power - more teams from the stronger leagues is it?

the teams that got hammered this week were champions of their country - gala, ajax, steaua, olympiakos, plzen, cska m.
what would you propose instead?

The seeding system and the number of spots for stronger league has created an imbalance of power over the years. The champions from those countries were more competitive years ago. I would propose no seeds at all.

citytillidie

Tonights Games
Group E
FC Basel 1893 (SUI) 0 V 1 FC Schalke 04 (GER)
FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU) 0 V 4 Chelsea FC (ENG)

Group F
Arsenal FC (ENG) 2 V 0 SSC Napoli (ITA)
Borussia Dortmund (GER) 3 V 0 Olympique de Marseille (FRA)

Group G
FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS) 0 V 0 FK Austria Wien (AUT)
FC Porto (POR) 1 V 2 Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)

Group H
Celtic FC (SCO) 0 V 1 FC Barcelona (ESP)
AFC Ajax (NED) 1 V 1 AC Milan (ITA)

764dak

Referees robbed Ajax.

Lawrence1895

764dak wrote: »

Referees robbed Ajax.

A penno that deep into injury time sounds suspicious alright. And please don't mention the name Balotelli

764dak

Lars1916 wrote: »

A penno that deep into injury time sounds suspicious alright. And please don't mention the name Balotelli

Based on the replay I saw the attacker brought down the defender rather than the other way around.

Smithwicks Man

Was a bad call by the ref. Was never a penalty but Milan were denied a penalty earlier in the game that should have been given as well. These things happen. A draw was probably a fair result but Ajax will feel aggrieved that they didn't win

citytillidie

Tonights games
Group A
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) 2 V 1 Real Sociedad de Fútbol (ESP)
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) 1 V 1 Manchester United FC (ENG)

Group B
Juventus (ITA) 2 V 2 Galatasaray AŞ (TUR)
Real Madrid CF (ESP) 4 V 0 FC København (DEN)

Group C
Paris Saint-Germain FC (FRA) 3 V 0 SL Benfica (POR)
RSC Anderlecht (BEL) 0 V 3 Olympiacos FC (GRE)

Group D
Manchester City FC (ENG) 1 V 3 FC Bayern München (GER)
PFC CSKA Moksva (RUS) 3 V 2 FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)

GTR63

Poor result for Juve tonite, after signing Tevez I expected them to look more of a goal threat but it was same old tonite. That first goal they conceded was Milan like bumbling stuff. Hope they show up against Real and cut out the silly mistakes.

My goal of the night

citytillidie

Tonights games
Group E
FC Schalke 04 (GER) 0 V 3 Chelsea FC (ENG)
FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU) 1 V 1 FC Basel 1893 (SUI)

Group F
Arsenal FC (ENG) 1 V 2 Borussia Dortmund (GER)
Olympique de Marseille (FRA) 1 V 2 SSC Napoli (ITA)

Group G
FK Austria Wien (AUT) 0 V 3 Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
FC Porto (POR) 0 V 1 FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS)

Group H
Celtic FC (SCO) 2 V 1 AFC Ajax (NED)
AC Milan (ITA) 1 V 1 FC Barcelona (ESP)

brianregan09

grenache wrote: »

I know it's a early days but I think Napoli have put themselves in a great position to now qualify from the group and maybe even win it. They've scored in every CL game they've played in and I would be confident of them winning all their games at San Paolo, it's such a cauldron of hostility for visiting sides. Napoli have only lost there 4 times in all competitions over the last 2 seasons. And they'll surely pick up 3-4 points on the road. They can win at Marseilles definitely and could take something from the Emirates & Dortmund. 12 points should see them through. It's a highly achievable goal.

Selling Cavani was the best thing they ever did. They're stronger in every department for the players they've bought in with the funds of his sale. Higuain is every bit as good, Callerjon is another quality striker, Albiol is a decent centre half who can play anywhere. Mertens was the best winger in the Dutch Eriedivision last year. And Reina is significant improvement on De Sanctiis between the sticks. Napoli are gonna push Juve all the way this year in Serie A and could go far in Europe.

Do you still believe this after the arsenal game I dont watch Italian football a lot If any but they looked beyond ordinary against us I thought

Smithwicks Man

brianregan09 wrote: »

Do you still believe this after the arsenal game I dont watch Italian football a lot If any but they looked beyond ordinary against us I thought

They can definitely get through and even top the group. Without Higuain they lacked a focal point against Arsenal, and let's be honest, Arsenal are in the middle of a terrific purple patch.

Would expect Napoli to pick up 4-6 points against Marseille, get a draw in Germany and they will be favourites to beat Arsenal in the San Paolo

Depends on other results as well as injuries etc. of course. A draw tonight in the Arsenal-Dortmund game would help them.

grenache

brianregan09 wrote: »

Do you still believe this after the arsenal game I dont watch Italian football a lot If any but they looked beyond ordinary against us I thought

I was at this game. Napoli were very poor on the night, they weren't in the right place mentally, and that's not taking anything away from Arsenal who were brilliant. Higuain was missing that night, and against Roma at the weekend too. They really suffer when he is not there, his aerial ability and link play are key to Napoli's chances. Pandev is nothing more than a clueless donkey. Every time Hamsik or Calderon had the ball, he never looked to make a clever run off the ball. The passes ended up going wide to Zuniga or to the feet of a Gooners player. I still think they will win all three home games, my hope is that Arsenal will be already qualified when they come to play in Naples in the last group game.

With Higuain back tonight, and only Zuniga missing (not a bad thing) I'm hopeful of a Napoli win in Marseilles tonight. 3 points will be even more important if Dortmund upset Arsenal.

sea_monkey

anyone know if the barca match is on tv?

Smithwicks Man

sea_monkey wrote: »

anyone know if the barca match is on tv?

Sky Sports 4

grenache

What a goal by Duval Zapata for Napoli! Now 2-0 up at Marseilles

mike65

Group F looks utterly fiendish - three teams on 6 points Marseille on 0. Impossible to make a guess as to who will qualify.

Smithwicks Man

mike65 wrote: »

Group F looks utterly fiendish - three teams on 6 points Marseille on 0. Impossible to make a guess as to who will qualify.

Arsenal have the toughest games remaining as well in that they have to travel to Naples and Dortmund whereas the other two have 2 home games

citytillidie

Todays games
Group A
Manchester United FC (ENG) 1 V 0 Real Sociedad de Fútbol (ESP)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) 4 V 0 FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

Group B
Real Madrid CF (ESP) 2 V 1 Juventus (ITA)
Galatasaray AŞ (TUR) 3 V 1 FC København (DEN)

Group C
RSC Anderlecht (BEL) 0 V 5 Paris Saint-Germain FC (FRA)
SL Benfica (POR) 1 V 1 Olympiacos FC (GRE)

Group D
FC Bayern München (GER) 5 V 0 FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
PFC CSKA Moksva (RUS) 1 V 2 Manchester City FC (ENG)

Seaneh

Stuff like this is a perfect example of why Pique and Mascherano are not world class defenders. Ridiculous stuff from both of them.

Andersonisgod

Yes it was a poor goal to concede last night, though the idea of taking just a single incident and saying "that is why that player isn't world class" is frankly ridiculous. You could take examples from any player during any one game, highlight it and say "rthat's why that player isn't the best/one of the best/very good/good/decent/useful."

klose

Seaneh wrote: »

Stuff like this is a perfect example of why Pique and Mascherano are not world class defenders. Ridiculous stuff from both of them.

Masch isn't even a defender, shame seeing him shoehorned into a cb these days

GTR63

klose wrote: »

Masch isn't even a defender, shame seeing him shoehorned into a cb these days

Whereas Pique is a stupendously good, multi-talented World Cup & Champions League winner who shares similar success with fellow legends like




Maldini, Baresi* and Thuram haven`t got that.

ACTUALLY I am wrong Baresi won a WC in 1982

MR NINE

GTR63 wrote: »

Whereas Pique is a stupendously good, multi-talented World Cup & Champions League winner who shares similar success with fellow legends like




Maldini, Baresi* and Thuram haven`t got that.

ACTUALLY I am wrong Baresi won a WC in 1982

Pretty sure Thuram captained France to world cup glory in 98. I could be wrong. He certainly was a key part of the team anyway.

Besides, it seems like a silly way of measuring ability. Pique is a good defender, but the reason he has so much international success is because he was born in Spain in the 1980s. If Maldini was a part of that Spain side you can rest assured their trophy cabinet would be just as heavy. Are messi and Ronaldo lesser players for having not won on the international stage? Are Luca Toni and charisteas superior footballers?