Posted May 28, 2011 First time I want United to win a game and they go and lose instead. Typical Masterclass by Barcelona though, they really are special. Watching this made me wonder how on earth Inter managed to beat them last year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 28, 2011 See the replay of Messi's goal yet MadDog? Park wasn't arsed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 28, 2011 See the replay of Messi's goal yet MadDog? Park wasn't arsed. Ofcourse I did, and he scored because of only that? I don't understand what you're trying to point out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 28, 2011 If you let a good player go, he'll damage you. If Park had hassled him he wouldn't have had all of that space to strike the ball. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 28, 2011 If you let a good player go, he'll damage you. If Park had hassled him he wouldn't have had all of that space to strike the ball. Ok. What about the other 89 minutes and 59 seconds in which Barca battered them. Pointless focusing on one little thing like that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 28, 2011 Letting people score is pointless? Barcelona would probably still have won, but letting them score is hardly pointless. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 28, 2011 (edited) Love this pic for some reason. He's just like a little boy and someone stole his bag of penny chews!! I mentioned to my dad that Park just through his shoulders up in there thinking 'for fucks sake!!' made me laugh. Edited May 28, 2011 by James Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 28, 2011 Here's how you beat Barca in London lads! --- Different level, thoroughly deserved win. And hopefully it will put into context the results we've had at the hands of Barca over the passed two seasons. And we won't just get the "Arsenal can't defend" crap we always here. Fergie's had his pants pulled down tonight. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 28, 2011 I've just watched the game. I had my idiot of a housemate text me with "Barcelooooona harrr harrr" when I was on my way to Ine's place. I texted her back and really laid into her. Stupid cow. As for the game, gutted. At half time, I was so hopeful. But, they're just too good. We couldn't get close to them and had to keep relying on hopeful balls. We scored with our best bit of play, but we never created anything similar to that afterwards. My biggest disappointment was Valencia tonight. Thought he didn't perform as well as he could have, but he's only been playing the last few months due to injury for the first half of the season. I thought the team ran their socks off tonight, but it just wasn't enough. Rooney has gone some way towards redeeming himself. He tried so hard tonight and scored a good goal. But, it just wasn't meant to be. Can't honestly think of a team who can beat Barce. Its their ethos and the way that they play. They will just pass you to death and create space...its hard to defend against. We just didn't close them down fast enough...the second and third goals were evidence of that. Need a hug. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 28, 2011 *points flink to the post above for a team that beat barca* :p Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 28, 2011 Real Madrid also beat them this season...once anyway. Inter last year too. But yeah, with their performance tonight I couldn't see any other team beating them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 28, 2011 Interesting stats. Total dominance in both games from Barcelona. Must say I am chuffed for Abidal, what a recovery and personal rollercoaster of a season he's had. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 What a goal. Starting from Messi at 00:12, and how Villa stopped the ball dead and kept himself cool to place that shot with finesse and power. Incredible stuff, they make it all look so easy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 Class that they let Abidal lift it, beautiful. Yeah we all thought that was really good because of what he's been through. So how come Berbatov wasn't even on the bench? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 Just too good. I gained false hope after Rooney's goal but ultimately the best team won. No complaints. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 Surely Fibreglass wants to head towards sunny Barcelona after seeing that display, not sure who's place he would fill to be honest. But maybe a replacement for Xavi as he gets older. Mascherano had a brill game for a midget defensive midfielder cum centre back, bit nervous to begin with but soon was boshing the park. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 Surely Fibreglass wants to head towards sunny Barcelona after seeing that display, not sure who's place he would fill to be honest. But maybe a replacement for Xavi as he gets older. Mascherano had a brill game for a midget defensive midfielder cum centre back, bit nervous to begin with but soon was boshing the park. The only thing I can think of is that Barca would want him as an eventual replacement for Xavi! It's inevitable that he'll go eventually, it's just a matter of when. (ps. I won £40 on the game last night! £20 on Barca before it started, and then £20 in-play on Barca which would get refunded if they lost) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 (Youtube) Here's how you beat Barca in London lads! Pretty fantastic goal to be fair, great counter attack. Pity Hernandez was a bit off last night... caught out by the offside trap about 5 times, could have had a couple of good opportunities if he was a bit more alert. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 *points flink to the post above for a team that beat barca* :p Not quite the same, though. One game at home out of two legs, compared to the final. The way they were playing last night, they would have annihilated anyone. It's not even that United were playing badly, Barca were just something else. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 Not quite the same, though. One game at home out of two legs, compared to the final. The way they were playing last night, they would have annihilated anyone. It's not even that United were playing badly, Barca were just something else. I wouldn't agree with that. Yes it's a final but there still going to give it the same effort as they would in knockout round game. Perhaps in a meaningless end of season game but it just wouldn't enter the mind, "it's only a Champions League knockout match, we'll get them in the next game". We'd have knocked them out if it wasn't for that clown of a referee. Funny Hernandez didn't get booked for shooting the ball over after the whistle went. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 (edited) I wouldn't agree with that. Yes it's a final but there still going to give it the same effort as they would in knockout round game. Perhaps in a meaningless end of season game but it just wouldn't enter the mind, "it's only a Champions League knockout match, we'll get them in the next game". We'd have knocked them out if it wasn't for that clown of a referee. Funny Hernandez didn't get booked for shooting the ball over after the whistle went. It isn't the same, nowhere near. The dynamics for a two leg game are different to a Final. With a final, you know its decided over the 90 minutes (or in Extra time or penalties, if it comes to that that). With a two-legged game, you can afford to lose the first game, or even the second. Its how you play over both games. Effectively, you were leading at half time. (Depends on how you look at it, some may say the game was balanced as Barca had the away goal) You will put the effort into a two-legged quarter or semi-final, but you will always react differently mentally to a final. Never once said its not a great thing what you did. I was cheering you on when I watched the game with an Arsenal fan and fans of other teams. You played a great game against them and I cheered heavily when you got the winner. I still maintain that with the way they were playing yesterday, I can't see anybody beating them. That was them at their very best. To beat them, there are too many factors involved, which includes them having an off-day and also if you defend like you're lives depend on it. As a kid, the team that scared me the most was the Juventus team of the 90s. Del Piero, Inzaghi, Zidane, Deschamps, etc. This Barca team are what people are going to be talking about for years. Annoyingly good. Really pains me to say it, but credit when its due. They deserve it. Edited May 29, 2011 by Fierce_LiNk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 (edited) It isn't the same, nowhere near. The dynamics for a two leg game are different to a Final. With a final, you know its decided over the 90 minutes (or in Extra time or penalties, if it comes to that that). With a two-legged game, you can afford to lose the first game, or even the second. Its how you play over both games. Effectively, you were leading at half time. (Depends on how you look at it, some may say the game was balanced as Barca had the away goal) You will put the effort into a two-legged quarter or semi-final, but you will always react differently mentally to a final. Never once said its not a great thing what you did. I was cheering you on when I watched the game with an Arsenal fan and fans of other teams. You played a great game against them and I cheered heavily when you got the winner. I still maintain that with the way they were playing yesterday, I can't see anybody beating them. That was them at their very best. To beat them, there are too many factors involved, which includes them having an off-day and also if you defend like you're lives depend on it. As a kid, the team that scared me the most was the Juventus team of the 90s. Del Piero, Inzaghi, Zidane, Deschamps, etc. This Barca team are what people are going to be talking about for years. Annoyingly good. Really pains me to say it, but credit when its due. They deserve it. No one doubts the class of Barca but the way Man Utd played allowed them to be at their imperious best. The space in the midfield at times was frightening. Messi, Iniesta and Xavi are good enough without being given free space. Mourinho showed last year with Inter how you have to beat them. It didn't help that many Utd players didn't show up. Valencia, Hernandez and Park in particular were non-existent. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but I feel the game could have been different had Fletcher played. Edited May 29, 2011 by Jon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 No one doubts the class of Barca but the way Man Utd payed allowed them to be at their imperious best. The space in the midfield at times was frightening. Messi, Iniesta and Xavi are good enough without being given free space. Mourinho showed last year with Inter how you have to beat them. It didn't help that many Utd players didn't show up. Valencia, Hernandez and Park in particular were non-existent. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but I feel the game could have been different had Fletcher played. We did give them too much space. Fletcher would have been very useful, but he's been suffering with a virus which pretty much wrote off his season weeks ago. I was looking forward to Anderson maybe playing, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. The three you mentioned didn't play that great, but they've been awesome this season, so it would be wrong for me to slate them now. They should have done better, though. I thought we were doing ok for the first 15 or so mins, and we responded well after conceding the goal. We just didn't get going in the second half. We stopped closing down quickly, we didn't pass the ball fast enough, we didn't try and beat them with pace. We lost concentration after doing pretty decently in the first half. I thought the only player in midfield who probably had a good game was Michael Carrick. He was closing down pretty quickly, made some good passes and tried to get forward quite often. Its just a shame the rest of the midfield didn't quite manage it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 How did Valencia not get sent off last night? Committed at least 7 fouls. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 29, 2011 So anyone watching the Rep. of Ireland vs Scotland match right now. Last match of the inaugural Carling Nations Cup? Here's hoping for Ireland to win some silverware Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
