Ellmeister Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 We only get 4 because enough EPL teams keep getting through to the stages each year. Is it true if Chelsea hadn't beaten Napoli there would only have been 3 next season?
Fierce_LiNk Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 Feel sorry for Spurs. Work all year to get fourth then along come the wankers that are Chelsea, totally undeserved, can't win it properly, need penalties to crawl over the line and rob Spurs of 9 months work. Just more reason to hate Chelsea and their knacker players and owner. Work all year to get fourth? At one point, they were "challenging" for the title. Finishing fourth is a shambles after the start that they made. They blew it in the last few months and have nobody to blame but themselves. Chelsea overturned a 3-1 deficit against Napoli, beat Barcelona over two legs (including being down to 10 men for a large portion of the second leg), and came from behind to beat Bayern in their own stadium in the final. When you look at it that way, how can anybody say that they don't deserve it. Again, if they had gone all out and played expansive football, then the likes of Ribery, Robben, Gomez and Muller would have ripped them apart. Their centrebacks were barely fit and are not first choice. If Bayern truly deserved it, they would have won it in normal time, or they would have buried that penalty in extra time. They didn't, so it came down to the lottery of a shoot out.
khilafah Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 (edited) Work all year to get fourth? At one point, they were "challenging" for the title. Finishing fourth is a shambles after the start that they made. They blew it in the last few months and have nobody to blame but themselves. Chelsea overturned a 3-1 deficit against Napoli, beat Barcelona over two legs (including being down to 10 men for a large portion of the second leg), and came from behind to beat Bayern in their own stadium in the final. When you look at it that way, how can anybody say that they don't deserve it. Again, if they had gone all out and played expansive football, then the likes of Ribery, Robben, Gomez and Muller would have ripped them apart. Their centrebacks were barely fit and are not first choice. If Bayern truly deserved it, they would have won it in normal time, or they would have buried that penalty in extra time. They didn't, so it came down to the lottery of a shoot out. Who says you have to go out and play all attack. You don't have to just defend though! Chelseahad no intent of actually going out to score goals. Mata might as well not be playing when Chelsea play like this. He cannot do anything when he is constrained like he was last night and also vs barca. I see teams attack bayern every week and they don't get ripped apart. This idea that you can only win by playing the BS defensive style that Chelsea adapt is not true at all. I really hope we don't see teams now use Chelsea's style as some kind of blueprint. Football doesn't need that. Fans have a right to be entertained. Edited May 20, 2012 by khilafah
Fierce_LiNk Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 Who says you have to go out and play all attack. You don't have to just defend though! They didn't just defend. Chelsea scored a goal here, scored two goals against Barca at the Nou Camp and beat them at Stamford Bridge. Chelseahad no intent of actually going out to score goals. Mata might as well not be playing when Chelsea play like this. He cannot do anything when he is constrained like he was last night and also vs barca. I see teams attack bayern every week and they don't get ripped apart. This idea that you can only win by playing the BS defensive style that Chelsea adapt is not true at all. Ok, so of these teams that attack Bayern every week, how many of them finished above Bayern in the league and/or made it to this season's champions league final? The end justifies the means in this case. If Chelsea had all of their suspended players, the game would have been different. Ramires would have certainly made an impact. I really hope we don't see teams now use Chelsea's style as some kind of blueprint. Football doesn't need that. Fans have a right to be entertained. Nobody is using it as a blueprint. Chelsea finished 6th and have been shit in their domestic league. Cups are totally different and do not tell the whole story. Liverpool and Chelsea have made it to two cup finals. In Cups, they have been great. League form is completely different and is how teams should and will probably be judged. Playing Barcelona away in a Champions League Semi-Final...the majority of the time teams will not go there and playing attacking football. You would have to be really damn good defensively, as well as keeping the ball to even go there and attempt such a thing. It's not going to happen too often because there is too much at stake. If you go there and take your one chance, it's better than creating 20 or 30 chances and not scoring.
bob Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 (edited) What if two teams tried to play like Chelsea did, in the same game. That would make for a monumentally boring game of football. It would be like a game of table football when the ball gets stuck in the middle and no-one can reach it. EDIT: Incidentally, i'm not having a go at Chelsea, I think they did well to win it, and I believe that any way they choose to do it is valid. I was talking about two teams both with 11 players behind the ball playing against each other. Edited May 20, 2012 by 130131301364
MadDog Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 Chelsea were almost forced to cancel today's victory parade when they realised that the bus they planned to use for it is still parked in front of their goal in Munich.
Wii Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 Trust the user named 'Wii' to be a brain-dead bigot. You're obviously not Happy. So which one are you? Grumpy? Dopey?
Retro_Link Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 (edited) Who says you have to go out and play all attack. You don't have to just defend though! I really hope we don't see teams now use Chelsea's style as some kind of blueprint. Football doesn't need that. Fans have a right to be entertained. I was thoroughly entertained. Chelsea didn't have their 1st choice defence, and even their second choice was back from injury and a doubt to make it through the game. Of course they were going to concentrate their efforts on protecting the back four! And taking chances whenever they were lucky enough to get them. Bayern had every advantage possible last night, including the penalties and still lost! --- This is what I really dislike about football (and this thread at times); the outright hate or complete lack of appreciation that some fans can have towards other clubs, and carry for some players should they leave. Just totally blinkered. Edited May 20, 2012 by Retro_Link
Ellmeister Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 When the pundits showed Cahill pulling on his leg near the end of half time after Gomez cleverly turned him in the area (and should have scored), I feared the worst. Bosingwa is enough of a liability in the right-back position let alone centre-back! Glad that him and Luiz managed to last well for the whole game although they did have to rely on Ashley Cole for some outstanding blocks. For the record, I don't think Bayern being terrible in converting their good chances can be seen as Chelsea being lucky, it is seen as Bayern being terrible! Fun fact for you @Wii: Attempts on goal - Chelsea 9 Bayern 34. Attempts on target percentage: Chelsea 33% Bayern 24%.
khilafah Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 They didn't just defend. Chelsea scored a goal here, scored two goals against Barca at the Nou Camp and beat them at Stamford Bridge. I know they scored goals. I am talking about the setup and intent of trying to win the game. Bayern were the only team pushing men forward with the aim to win the game. Chelsea didn't force anything till the conceded. The performance vs barca at the bridge was disgraceful! Park the bus all game even at home. Chelsea would have played the same way with their best team. I don't subscribe to win @ any cost and thank god there are plenty of coaches in Europe who also wouldn't dream of setting out their team the way Chelsea did.
Jon Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 For me, the tactics Chelsea employed were befitting of a small club facing a big league name in away trip in the FA Cup. Chelsea aren't minnows, by UEFA rankings they're the 3rd best team in Europe (ahead of Bayern Munich). It does sound very bitter to say they didn't deserve it but looking back on all the years I've followed this competition, i'eve never seen a team so outplayed in every tie yet still somehow lift the trophy. I admire their determination but lady luck was certainly smiling on them,
Retro_Link Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 This whole 'Written in the Stars' thing is somewhat annoying, because it means nothing and just makes for a good headline. You make your own luck. In reality Chelsea had to dig deep and fight fucking hard for this title, beating the best team in the world along the way and an 'away' match final. There is no better path to winning a Champions League than that!
Ellmeister Posted May 20, 2012 Posted May 20, 2012 Chelsea have more silverware than any other team in the premier league this season. We aren't that bad
Wii Posted May 21, 2012 Posted May 21, 2012 Chelsea have more silverware than any other team in the premier league this season. We aren't that bad You're right. You're worse!
Retro_Link Posted May 21, 2012 Posted May 21, 2012 You're right. You're worse!As a Stoke supporter you can't talk.
Charlie Posted May 21, 2012 Posted May 21, 2012 Chelsea would have played the same way with their best team. I don't subscribe to win @ any cost and thank god there are plenty of coaches in Europe who also wouldn't dream of setting out their team the way Chelsea did. Chelsea did what had to be done in order to life the trophy, and it worked. Di Matteo had the audacity to realise that they weren't as strong as other sides so set the team up in order to defend and to try and get them on the break. This worked well for them as Bayern couldn't break them down. This is what football is about; tactics. Tactics are a part of football and a team shouldn't get criticised for winning a match (unless they cheated, Porto 2003, UEFA Cup Final). For me, the tactics Chelsea employed were befitting of a small club facing a big league name in away trip in the FA Cup. Chelsea aren't minnows, by UEFA rankings they're the 3rd best team in Europe (ahead of Bayern Munich). It does sound very bitter to say they didn't deserve it but looking back on all the years I've followed this competition, i'eve never seen a team so outplayed in every tie yet still somehow lift the trophy. I admire their determination but lady luck was certainly smiling on them, Rangers UEFA Cup Final run was very similar but they got destroyed in the final by Zenit. This is what I really dislike about football (and this thread at times); the outright hate or complete lack of appreciation that some fans can have towards other clubs, and carry for some players should they leave. Just totally blinkered. Seeing just how deluded some fans are amuses me. They refuse to accept just criticism on their own club, blindly follow players and will downright refuse to praise another club, or player, even when what they've done was fantastic.
Ellmeister Posted May 21, 2012 Posted May 21, 2012 @Wii is a stoke supporter? Well that just makes his posts even funnier!
Ellmeister Posted May 21, 2012 Posted May 21, 2012 As a Stoke supporter you can't talk. Quoted for truth? :p
Murr Posted May 21, 2012 Posted May 21, 2012 United have signed Hazard, exciting. Source?? BBC Sport hasn't got it?
Caris Posted May 21, 2012 Posted May 21, 2012 http://www.rnanutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2012/May/manchester-united-seal-hazard-deal.aspx.htm
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