Rumours abound that we've signed Alba for €13m.

I really can't see what he'd bring to the team that we haven't already got in Adriano. I really hope he proves me wrong but I'd have preferred a bigger, more physical defender to supplement what we already have. . . IMO, it doesn't in anyway fill the Abidal sized hole in the defence.

BlueDiva:

It's funny when people criticize sitting back and hitting on the break.
As far as i'm concerned, doing that successfully takes a lot of tactical ingenuity.

It takes a good tactician to figure out a way of beating Barca.
What is anti-football there?

Chelsea don't play that way always, we had to dig deep into the bag to bring out a plan to beat Barca.
If Pep was a decent manager he would have come out with a strategy to counter Chelsea, after all he knew we were going to play that way.

To say that Barca will rather play in a certain way at the detriment of winning is bollocks.
Thankfully, teams are beginning to get used to their style of play now.

You're still asking what anti-football is? If every team put their men behind the ball, sat back and defended like Chelsea did, who would do the playing? The football y'all played was vomit inducing and considering how much money Abrahomovic has pumped into this team, "it's a fucking disgrace" like Drogba would say.

I like the choice of Tito. There's conitinuity of ideas and approach, vision, relationship with players, etc. My only fear is his health problem.

I really hope the Pep not renewing rumours are not true. I just can't imagine this team without him.

Poor Cristiano

I heard they are expecting that Ramos' penalty in Mars

hahahahahahahahahahaha La Decima ko, decimal point ni

Congrats. Y'all didn't let me down.

Abeg, just try and win

Vamos Bayern

I was just too depressed to post last night.

Oh my... we must've hit the self-destruct switch. I've never seen a football match so jovially lost on such an occasion.

Of course, while many of you will talk about the end of an era, I will focus more on the things that truly lead us to this emphatically sad ending to what seemed like a glorious season.

1. Victor Valdes

He managed to let in three of Chelsea's four efforts on goal over the two legs. The one that didn't go in? You guessed it, Drogba's punt from the half-way line. While the defense is at fault for letting Ramires through on goal (and by defense I mean Guardiola), Valdes shouldn't have come out of his line. It was a pathetic performance. The difference between Cech and Valdes was the difference between Barcelona and Chelsea today. But wait, there's more!

2. Guardiola (3-4-3 or 3-3-4)

Whats wrong, Guardiola? Does the idea of fielding three defenders give you such a hard-on that you can't resist drawing it down on your clipboard and jerking off to your attacking tactics? What is wrong with Alves, Pique, Puyol, Adriano? Playing with three defenders and four midfielders is not a tactic that we can or should use. We have seen it time and again and Rijkaard tried it before you so stop fucking around. Terrible tactics. Surely a seasoned player and coach knows that throwing more attackers forward doesn't translate into better attacking.

Its not a matter of discovering a plan B so that we can come up with a goal when teams pummel all of their players into the box, it's a matter of not being put into that position in the first place. Why go all gung-ho attack at Stamford Bridge and allow Chelsea a counter-attack goal. Why? There was no need for that shit. Play a steady and balanced game because when you concede first, you get bleeped. No Champions League team would've allowed Chelsea to score when we were to 2-0 up, not even Apoel (NOT WITH A FUCKING MAN DOWN, A DEFENDER, THEIR BEST DEFENDER, THEIR CAPTAIN). No respectable team would've allowed Ronaldo to score in the Clasico right after equalizing. The fact of the matter is, you can't expect to score a goal against a team that played the way Chelsea did, the trick is not putting yourself in that position, don't give them an advantage to defend.

Oh, and Keita? If I were Rosell I would demand a 35 page essay explaining the reasoning behind this substitution. What a stupid fucking substitution, as usual (the difference is this time we lost).

3. Wasteful Finishing
: The fact is even with Guardiola's shitty tactics and all, we could've still won the game, if not for our finishing.

Defence was on holiday there

ogazi007: Pep is brave,he has drop Alves from the starting line up.he is playing 3-4-3 with cuenca helping us to make decent pull out for alexis to finish.we have to trust pep and pray we can take our chances.best of luck people.

I expect Sanchez to play in a central position up front rather.

I expect us to line up like this up front:

--Cuenca--Messi--Sanchez--Iniesta

I think he has gone for a 3-3-4, similar to what he used against Getafe.

otokx: Is the team list out?

Starting XI: Valdés, Puyol, Mascherano, Piqué, Sergio, Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc, Alexis, Messi and Cuenca.

Looks like a 3-1-2-4. What Pep did here is to utilize a true winger to handle Dani's attack responsibilities against Chelsea's deep defence and a true defender to handle role against counter.

dayokanu: Juan mata alone has 11 assist

Pray tell, who are the aliens benefitting from these Mata assists? Since Torres has severe allergies to them

But a number of these assits are from set plays. About 4 or so

Just came across this stat:

Chelsea has the 2nd lowest clear chance(s) created stat amongst the top 6. A clear chance being a chance laid on a plate - 1 v 1, PK, open goal, free header in the 6 yard box etc. In comparison with other teams in the top 6 - City 104, Utd 105, Ars 101, Spurs 84.... Chelsea 59.

Puts the Torres situation in perspective.

What has [b]R[/b]ichard [b]M[/b]ofe [b]D[/b]amijo got to do with Chelsea?

I'd rather lose as a Cule than win as a Madridista. Enjoy your time in the sun.

This really hurts.


Let's just hope the boys can pick themselves up for Tuesday.

Good thing we're still very much in this tie.

Really don't know why Pep started Cesc. We lose a lot of tactical balance everytime we start and it cost us dearly tonight.

With Cesc playing as a false 9 and Iniesta and Alexis playing wide, we lacked a point of reference in attack. Messi played behind Cesc and was constantly dropping deep, there was nobody to do the scoring.

I didn't even get 1 penalty

coogar:

he provided the goal, good assist.
madrid have el classico to play this weekend. they are never going to go blood n thunder at munich.
jose already got his away goal, he took ozil out early for marcelo, took benzema out for granero.
would jose do that @ the bernebau with champions league football in sight?

dayokanu - task your brain cells.
bayern munich have nothing to play for again in the bundesliga. their crunch game was last weekend
when dortmund sodomized them. jose's crunch match is this weekend. he has to conserve resources.

Ronaldo did fuckall all game. He was terrible.

He spurned Madrid's best chance with a very awful effort when one on one with Neuer. Credit to Ozil though who rescued that chance with a great pass to Benzema.

Your boy needs to start stepping up in the big games. He was rinse-your-eyes-with-bleach bad.

Madrid fail their first real test in Europe.

Ronaldo and big games are enemies.

honeric01: @Medjai:

I saw what you were trying to post :



Clear Pen, clear as day.... There's a push before both players collapse, and that's Botelho(who happens to be on loan from Arsenal) pushing Cuenca with both hands.

Thanks man.

Here's a pic:

Atletico are just one pathetic club

Great win. It was extra great to see that all our forwards got on the scoresheet. I mean, that's what we all wanted, right? Our others forward stepping up and taking some of the goal scoring burden off Messi.

I really don't understand why Pep went for an ultra-attacking line-up. I guess he wasn't expecting Getafe to come out and play and they're a difficult side to break down when they park the bus as seen in their performance against us earlier in the season.

I'm really loving Alexis. I love the work he puts in. He presses like a drycleaner the guy is always running. I love the way Pep sometimes utilizes him as a true centre forward like in today's game with Messi playing just off him. . . It gives us something different going forward. Makes us less predictable. I've always wished we had a pure 9 that we can just deliver some quality passes/crosses for him to finish off.

Cuenca was good but I thought he didn't often take own his man and stretch Getafe's defence. He got an assist though.

Messiiii. He just can't stop scoring, even when he's not leading line.

Pressure on Madrid. Atletico at the Calderon won't be easy.

Messi leads both goal and assist charts

chelseabmw: we will surely win the match today. . . . . . .Ronaldo u know what to do

Of course...Dive when clean through on goal.

Game on

As for Pepe, he's a disgrace to the sport. That guy is just a loony. . . Kicking your own teammate? That's just crazy.

Amunt Valencia

Messi, Cesc and Alexis were on drugs today.

Cesc was just pinging all manner of insane passes. He created a whole lot of chances. There was this pass he made from about 60 yards out that Pedro just couldn't control - that was just totally sick.

Alexis impressed too. . . I love the way he presses when we are without the ball. He is full of tireless running. Just needs to improve his finishing.

Messi was just being Messi. That dribble was just insane. Adriano really should have scored.
60 goals...That's gobsmackingly unbelievable.

Pressure on Madrid. Hopefully Valencia do us a favour.