Champions League 2008-09 Thread

[Markeras]

I'll never understand how people complain about the NBA officiating. This game tonight wasn't a football match; just a pure charade. Chelsea deserved to win, and the refs didn't allow Barcelona to be eliminated, just like they'd never allow ManUtd to be eliminated.

And people complain about the Chelsea players complaining? They were robbed, raped and murdered all night long.

The referee was very bad in general, I must agree. As for the rest... "futbol es futbol" like Vujadin Boskov used to say.

The red card on Abidal was harsh but considering how the game was developing, any of the 2 penalties not awarded to Chelsea - if scored - would have most probably sealed the game. So yes, he was more detrimental to Chelsea, who were extremly unlucky and I can feel Chelsea's anger.

That being said, there's no need to dramatize and use expressions such as "raped", "murdered", etc. and there is absolutely no justification for Ballack's and Drogba's reactions. If Ballack had not bent infront of Iniesta's shot and Drogba had scored any of the very clear chances he's had in both games (and I count 4 at least) we would not even be talking about the Norwegian referee.
It's like this in football and it will always be. One week ago Barça players were kicked and kicked and kicked again, Iniesta was pushed inside the penalty box and Chelsea escaped with a 0-0, barely 2 yellow cards and Alex finished the game.
In 2005 Chelsea beat Barça 4-2 in the second leg of the first knock out round and the fourth goal came after a clear foul on the Barça keeper.

Hiddink funnily enough talks about this as "the worst refereeing display" he has seen in his career and we in Spain still remember how we were robbed and had 2 goals disallowed in the 2002 World Cup Quarter Finals against Korea, which we ended up loosing on penalties.

In football, one day you are lucky due to a referee decision, the next you get "efffed" and you are out! Thing is, the teams who went for it most (that is ManU and Barça) made it to the Final and both teams who didn't have enough talent (Arsenal) and didn't have the ball$ to finish Barça off, even when we were down to ten men (Chelsea), are out!

Objectively there is not such expression as "deserved" in football and to state that the referees would never let ManU be eliminated is just not true.

Futbol es futbol and see you in Rome, ManU...


Visca el Barça!

[thebirdman]

If you play 11 man behind the ball you shouldn`t get to the finals...I was happy Barcelona won, because Chelsea`s tactics just killed any joy of watching the games...

[ederson]

I disagree....

Yesterday Chelsea played better than barca. they had at least 3 more great chances to score and should be awarded on penalty (if not more) Barcelona had one shot on goal and ero chances.

We as spectators prefer an all out attack game. But the coaches are paid big money to get results(and also their egos are thursty for success) Gus would have been the stupidest man alive if he tried to play Barca on the open field Real did it and all the got was the worst home defeat in 50 years (and Casillas was their best player!!!) Bayern tried to same and Beckenbauer still can`t get over the 4-0 in 45 mins

I didn`t like the first as everyone. But keeping your scoresheet clean against Barcelona this season is not the easiest task and shouldn`t be taken lightly. They managed to make Messi disappear in two games. Do you think it is easy?

The way both games went Chelsea should qualify
Considering the whole season barca has been better.

I don`t know which is more important .....

[cordobes]

I'll never understand how people complain about the NBA officiating. This game tonight wasn't a football match; just a pure charade. Chelsea deserved to win, and the refs didn't allow Barcelona to be eliminated, just like they'd never allow ManUtd to be eliminated. And people complain about the Chelsea players complaining? They were robbed, raped and murdered all night long.

Well, remember who was at the end of
that red card? It wasn't an Arsenal player
and the decision was shaky, to say the least.

I think there are different ways to
complain. The Chelsea players were
simply just classless.

Which red card?

[cordobes]

If you play 11 man behind the ball you shouldn`t get to the finals...I was happy Barcelona won, because Chelsea`s tactics just killed any joy of watching the games...

It was Barcelona who played with 11 man behind the ball. Chelsea did more than enough to win the match and go through, but the referee didn't allow it.

[cordobes]

The way both games went Chelsea should qualify
Considering the whole season barca has been better.

I don`t know which is more important .....

Huh? To me the answer is quite simple. Why does it matter how Chelsea played in a FA Cup game in November?

Yet again, some teams just get lucky - they can get lucky with the officiating making mistakes that favour them, for example, that's no big deal.

What happened in this semi-final though it was different. After some point, it became pretty clear that the referee wasn't going to allow Barça to go down. I knew it, the crowd in the stadium knew it and Chelsea players knew it.. that's why they react the way they did.

Barça is my 2nd favourite team in Spain besides Celta, but their presence in the Final is completely undeserved and they should thank it to Platini, not to their players. 

[galen]

Score when you have your chances and the referee will never be a problem.  Over a season it almost always evens out anyways.  Maybe the whistle didn't go your way in a bigger game, but maybe you wouldn't have made that game without a call back in the group stage.

[ACF]

I'll never understand how people complain about the NBA officiating. This game tonight wasn't a football match; just a pure charade. Chelsea deserved to win, and the refs didn't allow Barcelona to be eliminated, just like they'd never allow ManUtd to be eliminated. And people complain about the Chelsea players complaining? They were robbed, raped and murdered all night long.

Well, remember who was at the end of
that red card? It wasn't an Arsenal player
and the decision was shaky, to say the least.

I think there are different ways to
complain. The Chelsea players were
simply just classless.

Which red card?

The sending off of Fletcher.

[cordobes]

Score when you have your chances and the referee will never be a problem.  Over a season it almost always evens out anyways.  Maybe the whistle didn't go your way in a bigger game, but maybe you wouldn't have made that game without a call back in the group stage.

The problem with this reasoning is that some teams need to score when they have their chances in order to go through; other teams, may afford to miss their chances and still succeed.

[cordobes]

I'll never understand how people complain about the NBA officiating. This game tonight wasn't a football match; just a pure charade. Chelsea deserved to win, and the refs didn't allow Barcelona to be eliminated, just like they'd never allow ManUtd to be eliminated. And people complain about the Chelsea players complaining? They were robbed, raped and murdered all night long.

Well, remember who was at the end of
that red card? It wasn't an Arsenal player
and the decision was shaky, to say the least.

I think there are different ways to
complain. The Chelsea players were
simply just classless.

Which red card?

The sending off of Fletcher.

Very different issues. I mean, Manchester United was already qualified, it had no impact in the game whatsoever and it was an arguable call (in my view, it was the right call).

Chelsea, on the other hand, was robbed all game along - and the officiating had a decisive impact on the outcome of the game and on which team qualified for the final.

[celticmaestro]

Cordobes, I like you, but this United bashing has to stop.

[ACF]

I'll never understand how people complain about the NBA officiating. This game tonight wasn't a football match; just a pure charade. Chelsea deserved to win, and the refs didn't allow Barcelona to be eliminated, just like they'd never allow ManUtd to be eliminated. And people complain about the Chelsea players complaining? They were robbed, raped and murdered all night long.

Well, remember who was at the end of
that red card? It wasn't an Arsenal player
and the decision was shaky, to say the least.

I think there are different ways to
complain. The Chelsea players were
simply just classless.

Which red card?

The sending off of Fletcher.

Very different issues. I mean, Manchester United was already qualified, it had no impact in the game whatsoever and it was an arguable call (in my view, it was the right call).

Chelsea, on the other hand, was robbed all game along - and the officiating had a decisive impact on the outcome of the game and on which team qualified for the final.

Fletcher is not playing in the Final.
I think that's sad. Whether one likes
United or not, it's still a shame.

[cordobes]

I'll never understand how people complain about the NBA officiating. This game tonight wasn't a football match; just a pure charade. Chelsea deserved to win, and the refs didn't allow Barcelona to be eliminated, just like they'd never allow ManUtd to be eliminated. And people complain about the Chelsea players complaining? They were robbed, raped and murdered all night long.

Well, remember who was at the end of
that red card? It wasn't an Arsenal player
and the decision was shaky, to say the least.

I think there are different ways to
complain. The Chelsea players were
simply just classless.

Which red card?

The sending off of Fletcher.

Very different issues. I mean, Manchester United was already qualified, it had no impact in the game whatsoever and it was an arguable call (in my view, it was the right call).

Chelsea, on the other hand, was robbed all game along - and the officiating had a decisive impact on the outcome of the game and on which team qualified for the final.

Fletcher is not playing in the Final.
I think that's sad. Whether one likes
United or not, it's still a shame.

Well, he commited a penalty and was ejected. The entire Chelsea squad won't be playing in the Final, in spite of deserving it, because Platini and his clique didn't allow it. Isn't that a shame?

[cordobes]

Cordobes, I like you, but this United bashing has to stop.

What United bashing?!? Where did I bash United? I was talking about the Chelsea vs. Barça game...

Typical United fan.. 

[Roy Hobbs]

... it was an arguable call (in my view, it was the right call).

How so?  He made contact with the ball.  UEFA general secretary David Taylor said that UEFA was "disappointed for Fletcher".   Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said the red card was "very harsh", because Fletcher played the ball.  UEFA has said that it is potentially willing to depart from normal procedure to review the red card.

And yet...  you think it was the right call?  No bias there, at all.  This couldn't have anything to do with the fact that United eliminated your team, could it?