Chelsea =V= Liverpool

Guy:Incognito

PiE wrote:

Shown up as what exactly? A team that do enough when it's needed? .

1 decent striker playing for PSV and Milan were fooked, they'd have been 3 or 4 -1 down and would.nt have got the 2nd.

PiE wrote:

That's why they got rolled by Depor a few seasons back.

That was only last April so Milan team is pretty much the same bar Crespo, who was crap last night. Plus SHevchenko should have been banned for both legs if the PSV game.

The Insider

Good result for the pool. First half was very open. We looked very shaky at the back, can't believe Lampard missed that chance but then again that’s that bit of luck that helps you in cup football, was sure Baros had scored that header, great safe by Czech if that had being Dudek it would have being a goal. Second half after the first 10/15 mins Chelsea never did anything, though Cisse made a big difference when he came on, I would start him for the next leg.

Alonso was a bit off form tonight, gave the ball away cheaply a couple of times, which was very unusual. Still a massive loss for the second leg. Gerard was quite but it was harder for him to get into the game as he was playing further up the pitch, still did more then Lampard. Garcia gave the ball away so many times in the second half it was unreal. Though Biscuits had a stormer in the middle though, he has come on some under Rafa. Carragher what can you say my Man of the match, outstanding, should be captain if you ask me. Finnan was very solid, Hypia had a good game, as for Troare, he is useless if you ask me, like Bambai on ice, nearly got caught out some many times tonight on his side, Joe Cole out jumped him to win a header for the Lampard chance, really need a left back for next year.

Overall happy with the result, think we can turn them over at Anfield, as Rafa said after the game all we have to do is win at Anfield!!

YNWA

redspider

A close game, with few chances but a captivating battle all the same. Liverpool fully deserved the draw and a draw was a fair result. Chelsea were kept at bay and only had 1 shot on target in the whole match. It could have been a game where a single significant incident would make a huge difference, such as a penalty or a sending off, but that didn’t happen.

Liverpool did have some fortune. Duff didn’t start. It really is amazing the extra effect Duff can have on this Chelsea team. Chelsea had a couple of chances in the first half. The real chance was of course Lampard’s from a few yards out. Liverpool’s chance from Riise could have ended in a goal and probably should have. The best effort and save was the Baros header and Cech save. If that was at the other end, Dudek would not have saved it. And most other goalies for that matter. Cech is a huge benefit to Chelsea. Drogba’s shot that he sent across the goal was the main other chance in the match.

The game had a very European style about. Both teams pressed yet remained cautious. The referee was quite a stickler on the tackles as were the linesmen for offside decisions. This helped both sets of defences. The midfield players seemed at times to be avoiding each other and there were very few series of hard tackles going in. Perhaps rightly so at time. Alonso, will miss the game due to a yellow that was given for very little. He had a good game, he got in quite a lot of tackles and interceptions and his passing was mainly accurate. Also the offsides at the short corners would not hae happened in the english league as the linesmen tend to ignore this one week in and week out. Gerard didn’t know what was going on.

Chelsea played with their now standard 4-3-3 formation. Liverpool played with a 4-2-3-1 type of formation with Alonso and Biscan the two “holding” defenders.

I was very disappointed with Stevie G and thought he should have been brought off. He played better against Palace. He kept giving the ball away. Garcia, who is usually the culprit in this regard was well beaten by Gerrard. Hyypia didn’t have a good game, as pointed out by the “experts” on RTE2. Maybe some of you caught the quote from Dunphy who said there is no chance that Chelsea wont get a goal in the second half. Giles agreed. As it turned out, Chelsea got fewer chances in the 2nd half. So much for the experts.

Liverpool had a claim for a penalty but didn’t get it as Carvalho held/pulled down Carragher. That is typical of Carvalho, very cynical professionalism. He is always tugging and does a lot of his defending that way. He has even got away with handballs in other matches. I guess that’s why the likes of Terry have to be admired. I don’t blame Carvalho for using these nasty tricks, as he is getting away with them. But refs and linesmen need to become wise to them. The problem with a dead ball situation is that there can be anything up to 20 players in the box yet only 2 pairs of eyes really watching them.

Cisse did OK when he came on, although I would have preferred to see Baros left on. An away goal from Liverpool was nearly there for the taking in this match towards the end as Liverpool got some sort of ascendancy. They weren’t able to push through though and create any really good chances. The game did open up in the last 20 mins.

I was surprised to see Kewell on. I don’t think he fits into the system Benitez is trying to play. Even with just 2 mins left on normal time and expecte additional time, that was a slight risk in my opinion. Biscan, who has been the surprise for me this year, had yet another good game. The European games suit him more as I think he gets better protection from the refs.

Finnan didn’t have a great game. He did very little going forward, and at times was caught struggling in defense. Luckily for Liverpool in a way, Robben seemed to be completely out of sorts. He was playing in a quite unusual position and didn’t get on the ball as much as he does normally.

Traore was gangly and cumbersome as usual. He was lucky to get so much protection from the ref. Riise did a good job of helping him out. To be fair to him he made one brilliant tackle, against Cole.
Carragher had a great game. He is always needed to clean up behind the other players and he did it very well. Dudek was rarely troubled and mad one good punch when needed to. Did I already say that Hyppia had a poor game getting caught for pace and effort on several occasions.


For Chelsea, Gudjohnsen had a great first half, but I felt that he disappeared quite a lot in the 2nd half. Lampard was very consistent all round. If he would have scored that chance he would have had a perfect night. His link passing was very accurate. Drogba was his usual self I thought. Kezman when he came on didn’t do much. Johnson and Riise had battles both in attack and defence up the line. Gallas was safe but no more than that and offered nothing in attack. Cole was quite good and was a threat playing on the right.

Mourinho said after the match: “I feel the pressure is on them not us. Why do I say that? It's because 99.9% of Liverpool fans think they are already in the final”

The final whistle had just gone and Mourinho is trying to play mind games and take any focus away from the 0-0 result, which by any home teams standards is a poor result. Yes, he does know that an away goal at Liverpool in a tight game will be an all important away goal. So, for example, a 1-1 draw and Chelsea are through. But what I find ridiculous about this statement is where he says that 99.9% of Liverpool fans think they are in the final. This is certainly not the case. I would think that its 99.9% of Liverpool fans think that there is a long long way to go and a big job to be done. Why he said this, perhaps to annoy Liverpool fans and players and make us want to win it so bad that we try too hard, such as a Jamie Carragher for example. I know I’m not riled by it as its just Mourinho spouting but I expect a lot of "mind games" between now and the 2nd leg. Benitez though is smart enough, or maybe not smart enough, to be dragged into the war of words and will concentrate on the message that "we have a hard job to do, but we are ready", etc.

Liverpool will miss Alonso in the return leg. It would help if Gerard actually plays to his ability. Perhaps he was trying too hard tonight, I dont know, but he was a poor contributor, not just by world-class standards but by any standards. If he is like that in the next match he must be hauled off by Benitez. A tough choice. Tough love perhaps. If Duff is back and playing well, Chelsea will be stronger. If Robben plays his normal game, Chelsea could be very strong. But I think he wont.

So, overall, the tie is still in the balance. Liverpool now have a slight advantage, but only slight. Its too close to call.

Guy:Incognito

The Insider wrote:

can't believe Lampard missed that chance

He was never going to score it, it was inside 30 yards

Guy:Incognito

The Insider wrote:

really need a left back for next year.

Warnock has looked solid when he's played.

Liverpool have the makings of a solid defence. Finnan is solid aswell. Carragher is so solid he's made of concrete.

Sorry for the over-use of the word solid, but it emphasises my point. None of them are flashy in the least but are totally solid, which I'd prefer anyday. One world class centre half and we're sorted.

The Insider

Yeah I like the look of Warnock, still would like a expierenced left back to help him progress next year. For me we need a center back, Left back and another striker, I think he will sell Baros so that will leave us with Cisse, Morientas and AN Other with Pongille as well.

ZENER

Well played 'Pool tonight. Looking forward to seeing the smile wiped from Murhino (sp?) face next week. I believe Liverpool will turn over Chelsea next week at "Fortress Anfield". They have the character and I always go for the underdogs :rolleyes:

ZEN

kaimera

am I the only one who thought Traore had a pretty solid game :: one or two mistakes in the first half but I dont think any of our defence had a good first half.

poor guy got lamped nearly every time he got into the Chelsea half in the latter 45 mins.

eirebhoy

redspider wrote:

If Duff is back and playing well, Chelsea will be stronger.

I don't even think Duff needs to play well. Once he's on the pitch Chelsea are stronger. The reason being no matter how bad he is playing he'll always have opposition to players close by him. Cole couldn't do a lot last night because he was being marked closely. When Duff is on the pitch it gives other creative players more freedom and Chelsea are a different team. Its certainly no coincedence that last nights performance was Cole's worst in about 10 matches. Robben wasn't the same player against Scunthorpe, PSG, Porto when Duff wasn't on the pitch. Duff hasn't been the same player without Robben on the pitch. I'd actually say if Duff was the player out injured since January he'd be in the team of the year as both him and Robben played equally well during Robben's 3 months injury free. As Duff would have been the player turning the 1-0's into 4-0's.

Mourinho said before the game how effective Robben and Duff are together. That will show through on Tuesday and I still think Chelsea are clear favourites.

uberwolf

well ok result for pool, on balance they'll have been happy not to concede a few of those chances - Drogba and Lampard especially.

Everyone commenting on poor passing, etc. The pitch was a quagmire (sp). Everyone ended up on the deck at one point, even with teh longer studs they'd a worn for the second half

Cyrus

eirebhoy wrote:

I don't even think Duff needs to play well. Once he's on the pitch Chelsea are stronger. The reason being no matter how bad he is playing he'll always have opposition to players close by him. Cole couldn't do a lot last night because he was being marked closely. When Duff is on the pitch it gives other creative players more freedom and Chelsea are a different team. Its certainly no coincedence that last nights performance was Cole's worst in about 10 matches. Robben wasn't the same player against Scunthorpe, PSG, Porto when Duff wasn't on the pitch. Duff hasn't been the same player without Robben on the pitch. I'd actually say if Duff was the player out injured since January he'd be in the team of the year as both him and Robben played equally well during Robben's 3 months injury free. As Duff would have been the player turning the 1-0's into 4-0's.

Mourinho said before the game how effective Robben and Duff are together. That will show through on Tuesday and I still think Chelsea are clear favourites.

Cant agree with that, look at liverpools record at home in the CL this season, chelsea have blown it, had lampard or drogba scored they would be in a great position, but they didnt and mourinho knows it,

his mind games straight after the game were laughable, rafa as usual remained dignified but he must really fancy liverpools chances now

BaZmO*

cheesedude wrote:

Was a bit surprised to see Baros come off. I thought he was fantastic.

You're having a laugh. The guy was hopeless!

B.

Dcully

Chelsea like Juve before then were inept at breaking the pool down.
First half pool defence was shakey but second was rock solid.
Chelsea got their chances to score in their own back yard and failed,whether they blew it or not time will tell but they were bereft of ideas and looked clueless.
Really hope the lads can wipe that smug grim of mourinhos face.

redspider

eirebhoy wrote:

I don't even think Duff needs to play well. ... I'd actually say if Duff was the player out injured since January he'd be in the team of the year as both him and Robben played equally well during Robben's 3 months injury free. ... I still think Chelsea are clear favourites.

I take your point. Duff just needs to be on the pitch to free up open spaces for the other players. Whether he is better than Robben or not is always a tricky discussion. They are both good, and for me, Robben is a better finisher. Last night though, Robben was off the boil. Another aspect of Damiens game this season has been his immense tracking back and defensive qualities. He is a real contributor to Chelsea's defensive tasks as well. Does anyone want to go over ands give Damien a tap on th shin on Tuesday? I would also expect Duffer to switch from the left side to the right side during the game. Finnan will be able to do ok against Damien. Traore could get skinned.

I thought Cole had a good first half, mainly because he was getting the better of Traore.

Chelsea due to their form and indeed wins at Anfeild, are still favourites. But the gap as narrowed and only an Abramovich will be betting the house on a Chelsea win.


uberwolf: The pitch was a quagmire

Which match were you watching? The pitch was like a snooker table.

BaZmO*

redspider wrote:

uberwolf: The pitch was a quagmire

Which match were you watching? The pitch was like a snooker table.

Was thinking the same thing too.

One of the biggest problems English teams face in their inability to hold onto the ball as illustrated last night.

B.

uberwolf

redspider wrote:

Which match were you watching? The pitch was like a snooker table.

did you see no one slipping last night? think hard about this.

RE*AC*TOR

uberwolf wrote:

did you see no one slipping last night? think hard about this.

i gotta go with uberwolf on this - the pitch was fairly broke up. Also if you get a replay of the "Dudek incident" the ball took a very sharp turn just before Dudek.

growler

uberwolf wrote:

The pitch was a quagmire (sp). Everyone ended up on the deck at one point, even with teh longer studs they'd a worn for the second half

no it wasn't.

I think Traore, Cisse and Alonso found themselves on the deck by choice more than anything, not surprised at Traore his centre of gravity is so high it must be hard for him to maintain his balance.


Very poor performance by a two key players last night, Lampard and Gerrard. Robben had little impact on the game but only got the ball about 4 times in all. Cole was almost great, and I think Chelsea had the better chances overall, although a great save from Cech to keep Chelsea in it. Makele had a dreadful first 15-20 minutes, kept giving the ball away before he settled down.

Dissappointed Chelsea didn't at least score but I'm still confident we can do it at Anfield.... it only takes one goal . and Pool can't be so defensive at home. Should be a great game though!!

uberwolf

ok, allow me clarify. Lovely pitch that was soaking wet. Is that clearer? The players were definitely losing their footing and slipping. It didn't prevent the ball whizzing around the place but I gather there was heavy rainfall in London before the game and the mud on the players shorts is proof positive of this. Garcia, Gerrard all slipped while trying to turn.

~Rebel~

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

i gotta go with uberwolf on this - the pitch was fairly broke up. Also if you get a replay of the "Dudek incident" the ball took a very sharp turn just before Dudek.

yea the pitch was pretty poor alright, gerrard fell bout 5 times, as did pretty much everyone else really. Nearly had a heart attack at the dudek incident tho! Didn't catch as much of the match was wanted to, but seemed a fairly even affair, better football in 1st half, 2nd was just slowed down. I dont know how much of an advantage pool have, think its still equal. Scoring draw is very likely which screws the pool obviously. could see us winning too though. hope cisse is fit to start, as well as being another threat, he seems to really give the crowd a lift.

has baros actually scored since the leverkusen goal? - i like the player but hasn't looked the same since left out of starting lineup in carling cup final

eyerer

Sposs wrote:

Man U are better than Liverpool and Chelsea.

thanks for sharing

redspider

Its a small point, but in terms of the pitch, yes, it was wet, from rain and being watered according to the Sky commentator, but this didnt cause the players to slip when turning, etc. ie: it wasnt too wet, just damp that gave the play a nice zip. Players were going in low in midfield for tackles, etc, and a watered/wet pitch always helps this technique. Alonso did this quite a lot I thought. I cant recall any glaring examples of Gerard slipping/falling, never mind 5 times. His biggest errors were just not passing well. Compared to the ManU/Newcastle FA cup match recently, this pitch was very playable.

The incident with Dudek is in fact a good case in point. It was the spin on the ball that turned it left and back towards goal. Dudek misjudged it and over-ran it. If that was a really wet pitch, the spin would not have taken effect, the ball trajectory would ave been straighter and Dudek's position would have been correct.

Lets hope its a dryish game next week, as that aids footballing skills, although the thrills and spills of a quagmire match has its own sort of entertainment value too and mistakes can occur more easily.

The result of the next match really rests on the formation and the players. Liverpool losing Alonso is a blow. Gerrard is mentioning that Hamman will be back. Liverpool will nee him but he is likely to be rusty and not match-fit. Biscan will need to play a good game. Duff is a huge factor. If he plays, Chelsea will have an advantage. Its all in the balance and delicately poised.

Redspider

Lex Luthor

Draupnir wrote:

the main talkin point for me was who the feck gave Ray Houghton such a dodgy hair cut. Musta been Brutus the Barber Beefcake or something!

Same guy who did Kezmans

on another note, does anybody think the famous kopite 'Badge Man' looks like Dudeks twin brother?

Lex Luthor

Stekelly wrote:

He was never going to score it, it was inside 30 yards

and there was no one in front of him for it to take a deflection

~Rebel~

redspider wrote:

I cant recall any glaring examples of Gerard slipping/falling, never mind 5 times.

I had to listen to a lot of the match on the radio so am just going by what they said on bbc 5live, and they were commenting that gerrard should change his boots to stop slipping so much, and mentioned the same about other players. not sure how obvious it was but they seemed to think everyone was losing footing.

LegacyUser

BaZmO* wrote:

You're having a laugh. The guy was hopeless!

B.

I thought he worked hard and fought for every ball that came up near him. Like when he nicked the ball of Glen Johnson on the sideline when Traore was tackling him too....

Kone

Gwan the pool! We'll miss Alonso at Anfield but I think we can do it, I think Cisse HAS to play a full half/90mins next week, Baros is an out and out bottler!

LegacyUser

Damn maybe I only saw the good bits of Baros then. Was he really that bad!?

uberwolf

cheesedude wrote:

Damn maybe I only saw the good bits of Baros then. Was he really that bad!?

I'd go with appalling - failed spectacularly to control the ball, couldn't hold it up worth a damn, failed to provide an outlet, moaned when the ball wasn't played to him. I saw at one point when Alonso (I think) was delivering the ball in the first half from deep on the right, he signalled for it to go one place, ran into another and complained that the ball went where he had asked for it :rolleyes:

redspider

~Rebel~ wrote:

I had to listen to a lot of the match on the radio so am just going by what they said on bbc 5live, and they were commenting that gerrard should change his boots to stop slipping so much

I watched some of the footage again, this time looking at the pitch in particular. The pitch started off very smooth but did start cutting up. However, players weren't slipping around because of it. The footage was RTE2. Maybe the screen I watched it live on was a bit fuzzy, a large plasma showing Sky, with green very prominent. Maybe it was the effect of the beer or maybe it was just a case of looking at each move as detailed as possible and not noticing the pitch in detail. Overall though, the pitch did not make any material affect on the game in the sense of causing an incident through slippage, etc.

In terms of the Radio5 live commentators, if the comment came from Alan Green I would take it and everything that he says with a pinch of salt. 5live is a good service, but Green ruins it. The other commentators and analysts tend to be good.

Redspider

jank

Chelsea have a tough away game to Bolton on Saterday. Will he rest some key players or will he try to wrap up the title there and then...

~Rebel~

Id imagine mourinho will probably just put out a slightly understrength team but still go for the win to seal the prem at last. Give robben and duff a bit of a run as well. Fancy them to win at bolton and then throw everything at champions league.

PHB

I think the Bolton match will be intresting:

1. He will field an under strength team and possibily loose, infact has a decent chance of losing against an in in in form team

2. He will field a full strength team and possiblity win, although it will be a really really tough match which will tire the **** out of them.

I think it will be number 1, and I thnk they won't win it next match I think they will win it against Charlton the following week, although I have a dream situation.

Chelsea loose to Bolton
Chelsea then loose to Liverpool
Then Chelsea distraught and tired loose to Charlton
Man Utd know that they can give Arsenal a chance to win and destory Chelsea, demoralising them so much that they eventually loose to Newcastle.
what are those odds

growler

PHB wrote:

I , although I have a dream situation.

Chelsea loose to Bolton
Chelsea then loose to Liverpool
Then Chelsea distraught and tired loose to Charlton
Man Utd know that they can give Arsenal a chance to win and destory Chelsea, demoralising them so much that they eventually loose to Newcastle.
what are those odds

astronomical !!

I wouldn't be too surprised to lose to Bolton , they have recently been a bit of a bogey team for Chelsea (and many others) and I wouldn't be too bothered....... if a home win against Charlton sealed it for us, simply because I'd like to win it at home, then it would be another fun visit to Old Trafford to wind up the Mancs.

PHB

I also in turn have this horrible though of them winning it at old trafford

mike65

I cant belive some here thought the pitch was in good nick last night. The muddy patches was one of ther first things I noticed! The result was some obvious divits one of which almost caught Dudek out as the ball took a sudden turn right (looking from goalmouth). You'd think on Chelsea budget they'd have better drainage. I bet Anfield is a carpet next week.

Mike.

Chucky the tree

i think both teams where very nervous before hand. Thats why passing was so poor, and liverpool players seemed to bottle it a bit.

Carragher was unreal, cemmenting his position as liverpools player of the season. Hyypia was poor, made a few bad decisions. Traore was, well traore. some shocking moments, but some excellent last ditch tackles aswell.

Garcia was disappointing, hes too light-weight for this type of matches. Alonso wasnt as good as he can be, still did well enough. The yellow car was a joke, clear dive. Gerrard was poor aswell, he seemed to just labour about the pitch. It was like a sunday afternoon game for him.(just read the dentist thread, cant balme him for his performance)

And we come to the bottom of the barrel, baros. MY god he was abysmal. He knows he is on his way out and just doesnt bother. Hes got the touch of a rapist. He cant control a ball at all, he cant pass either. Worst player by a mile.

Chucky the tree

fingers crossed they win the title against bolton. Theres bound to be some celebration if they do.

Drag00n79

Chucky the tree wrote:

Hes got the touch of a rapist.

LOL

PHB

Garcia was disappointing, hes too light-weight for this type of matches

What say some team like Juventus