[Archived] Champions league final coverage

[Tris]

We watched on Sky in order to avoid Clive Man U Tyldesley. I actually thought the game was ok (much better than it would have been without an English team in there imo), but there had been so much build up that I quite understood why our cat gave his own verdict 20 minutes into the match...

I'm much more excited about Reading v Swansea on Monday ... it means something to us and the stars of the show - ie the players - aren't some sort of overhyped Global personalities. And Wembley will be full of proper fans instead of corporate junkies.

Both Reading and Swansea are well run clubs with good managers and a work ethic which seems to be from a bygone age in our beautiful game. Good luck to both of them, I'll look forward to an away trip to either.

After the FA Cup Final was shunted around and devalued, and after all the ridiculous hype about Man U v Barca, Monday's game is a welcome, refreshing end to this season.

[Rovermatt]

Wonderful to see United schooled so thoroughly. Nice end to an otherwise crap season.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Comparing Barca to the great teams like Real Madrid and AC Milan is bound to happen but there is one team that Barca couldn't beat, even with Xavi in their side and that team is this one:

Even Barca couldn't beat this team!

[Kelbo]

That Milan side would not pass the ball like Barca but boy they could grind out results and they had great players in their side, players that would rival Barca, my opinion is it's very difficult to compare sides from differing eras, as you said it's all about opinions!!

Barcelonas ability to pass the ball to players in really tight situations and still find feet along with the pace they play the game, their work ethic with and without the ball, sets them miles ahead of all the teams mentioned and yes, I have seen them all, they are by far the greatest footballing team I have ever seen, people will try to mimic them but I dont think anyone will, maybe they will be able to play a great passing game but to win trophies and games on a regular basis will really take some doing, you not only need the highest quality players but players with the right work ethic too, finding 17 or so like that is some task.

Wonder what the total cost of that Barca squad was?

[greco]

Barcelonas ability to pass the ball to players in really tight situations and still find feet along with the pace they play the game, their work ethic with and without the ball, sets them miles ahead of all the teams mentioned and yes, I have seen them all, they are by far the greatest footballing team I have ever seen, people will try to mimic them but I dont think anyone will, maybe they will be able to play a great passing game but to win trophies and games on a regular basis will really take some doing, you not only need the highest quality players but players with the right work ethic too, finding 17 or so like that is some task.

Wonder what the total cost of that Barca squad was?

agreed kelbo.

whats really impressive is, that their side is stacked wiht their own academy players.

valdes, busquets, puyol, the guy who dates shakira, iniesta, xavi, pedro, messi, and i probably forgot a few..

[A cup of beans]

That Milan side would not pass the ball like Barca but boy they could grind out results and they had great players in their side, players that would rival Barca, my opinion is it's very difficult to compare sides from differing eras, as you said it's all about opinions!!

would be a fascinating game, though, IMY. 2 completely contrasting styles. that milan side were supremely fit too.

just some names.. baresi maldini, gullitt, rijkaard, vanbasten.. anchellotti..

would be a close game too.

dont forget what happened in the 1994 final. milan blew barca away..

[Eddie]

The real side with Di stefano that won CL 5 times in a row is not streets behind this Barca side. AC Milan side of the 90's was so great defensively that they could stifle this Barca side. So in my humble opinion Barca are a great team but greatest of all time?

Agreed, they still get my pick.

Barcelona were excellent last night, but can't help but feel that United got the tactics all wrong. Simply too defensive. They did need to approach that game knowing that Barcelona would have 60% of the ball, but that doesn't mean that you can't get forward. They were desperately missing a bit of quality in central midfield and it will be interesting to see if they try to bring someone in during the window.

Not the best way for VdS to bow out, can't help but feel that he should have saved one of the first two goals. Two very nice finishes from Rooney and Villa though and it was one of the more enjoyable Champions League finals from recent years (although that isn't saying much and it is still an extremely overrated occasion).

[thenodrog]

Barcelona have world class players playing the way they have been shown since they were kids.

United have scholes, giggs and an oap in the pegs, when you replace ronaldo with valencia you can't really compete with this barca team, although I don't think they did that bad they need to Invest to beat barca.

Exactly. They've been excellent players in the past but there is no room is a Champions league final for so many geriatrics. The top Prem teams have been worsening for a few years now, the table this year illustrates that and the fact that MU have replaced the likes of Ronaldo and Tevez with valencia and Hernandez says it all.

Brilliant team Barca and Messi is top drawer but having said all that if I had to watch Barca every week I'd die of boredom.

[thenodrog]

The beauty about this Barca team is that they don't have to rely on Messi, one of the best players in the world.

There are nine other outfield players who play brilliantly as a team should play. There is no weakness in any position.

This attribute makes them better than teams of the past IMHO.

They'd have won nothing in the 60's and 70's in this country. The ball would have been too heavy for them, the pitches would have stopped their short passing completely and they'd have been bullied and kicked to flerk and back with two footed tackles flying in from all sides. Every change in pitch quality, refereeing and ball technology over the past generation has helped their type of game.

[MarkBRFC71]

if I had to watch Barca every week I'd die of boredom.

Taking obvious club bias out of it - you'd rather watch a Pedersen and Andrews hoofball special "masterminded" by Allardyce than probably the greatest ever club containing the best player this side of Pele and Maradona, playing football as it should be played?!?

You're a very odd person.

[thenodrog]

Taking obvious club bias out of it - you'd rather watch a Pedersen and Andrews hoofball special "masterminded" by Allardyce than probably the greatest ever club containing the best player this side of Pele and Maradona, playing football as it should be played?!?

You're a very odd person.

Odd? Odd as in not a bandwagon jumper I hope.

Antiseptic football. They beat Arsenal right enough but I'd much rather watch the Gunners in full flow than them. Still as a cure for insomnia they probably have a place.

[cruz]

if I had to watch Barca every week I'd die of boredom.

Just like I felt watching Rovers pre-december 13th

[MarkBRFC71]

Antiseptic football. They beat Arsenal right enough but I'd much rather watch the Gunners in full flow than them. Still as a cure for insomnia they probably have a place.

Kind of ironic seeing as Arsene Wenger's ultimate aim is to emulate Barca's ethos and develop their academy along the lines of La Masia.

[thenodrog]

Just like I felt watching Rovers pre-december 13th

Dec 13th eh? So the West Ham home match the weekend after left you enthralled did it? How about the 0-2 defeat to Stoke the week after? Creaming yourself were you? Keans football was not only sh!t it was losing sh!t. The fact that you were even witnessing it was down to Allardyce keeping us up against all the odds when Ince was belatedly sacked.

However on entertainment value have a point. The football under allardyce was not the best by a million miles but for a club in our position with the players we had it was the most effective. The ensuing months under the Venkey mob have proved that.

Kind of ironic seeing as Arsene Wenger's ultimate aim is to emulate Barca's ethos and develop their academy along the lines of La Masia.

Suit yourself. I say what I see and my opinion is usually right given the fullness of time. No doubt in the 70's you have jumped on the Ajax bandwagon with similar haste.

[cruz]

Dec 13th eh? So the West Ham home match the weekend after left you enthralled did it? How about the 0-2 defeat to Stoke the week after? Creaming yourself were you? Keans football was not only sh!t it was losing sh!t. The fact that you were even witnessing it was down to Allardyce keeping us up against all the odds when Ince was belatedly sacked.

However on entertainment value have a point. The football under allardyce was not the best by a million miles but for a club in our position with the players we had it was the most effective. The ensuing months under the Venkey mob have proved that.

[Iceman]

Kind of ironic seeing as Arsene Wenger's ultimate aim is to emulate Barca's ethos and develop their academy along the lines of La Masia.

He is obsessed, with poaching the talent coming out of La Masia, and then claiming how good Arsenal are at development.

[roverwhelmed]

It was an absolute joy to watch Barca last night, they're incredible.

[USABlue]

Great side, good to watch and not all about fancy Dans. I love the way they work when they lose possession. Brilliant side far too good for United, or any one else for that matter on their day. Congrats to em.

[Silencio]

Barcelona are and were fantastic the other night. I think they are certainly the best side I have seen in 23 years but I do actually think there is something a bit less entertaining about them than there was under Rijkaard.

That is not to say they were better before but there is something quite anal about the way they pass and press it around now and there is also the sense of formality that they will eventually win (which has to be a compliment). I saw one good comment the other week where they were described as having a "bureaucratic" approach to their play which I think stems from Guardiola's football upbringing.

I thought that when they had Ronaldinho and Etoo up front there was something a bit less predictable about watching them, even if they were not quite as good as this fantastic team.

[Silencio]

They'd have won nothing in the 60's and 70's in this country. The ball would have been too heavy for them, the pitches would have stopped their short passing completely and they'd have been bullied and kicked to flerk and back with two footed tackles flying in from all sides. Every change in pitch quality, refereeing and ball technology over the past generation has helped their type of game.

I think the first sentence is a bit sour, theno. We don't even know if players in this country would have won things in Spain in the 60's or 70's never mind nowadays.

We do know that quite often English players and fans have been left embarrassed by their European counterparts in most decades since England played Hungary in 1958 so I guess they probably would have been embarrassed had they played away from the "heavy pitches" back then.

Do the changes you mention in your last sentence lessen the achievements of the current Barca players and team who have won league after league and beaten English teams in 3 out of the last 5 Champions League finals?

[thenodrog]

I think the first sentence is a bit sour, theno. We don't even know if players in this country would have won things in Spain in the 60's or 70's never mind nowadays.

We do know that quite often English players and fans have been left embarrassed by their European counterparts in most decades since England played Hungary in 1958 so I guess they probably would have been embarrassed had they played away from the "heavy pitches" back then.

Do the changes you mention in your last sentence lessen the achievements of the current Barca players and team who have won league after league and beaten English teams in 3 out of the last 5 Champions League finals?

53.

Players from this country would have won nowt in Spain at that time. Cos of our pitches and the ball tyechnology English players then could not trap a wet sandbag cos there was no need. Also milk turned quicker than most too. It's Horses for courses and without a doubt Barca are the best horse for the current course.

[cn174]

Was at Old Trafford for both the play off games. On Saturday there were loads of mancs just hanging about, street sellers trying to flog Man U scarves to Torquay and Stevenage fans, a huge group of Japanese tourists looking very bemused (think someone had forgot to tell them Man U were playing in London)!!

Yesterday, strangely there was none of them about

[jim mk2]

We do know that quite often English players and fans have been left embarrassed by their European counterparts in most decades since England played Hungary in 1958 so I guess they probably would have been embarrassed had they played away from the "heavy pitches" back then.

Are you sure about that ? English clubs have had sustained success in European club football since the end of the 1960s and while the teams have not always been composed entirely of English / British players you could say the same about the teams from clubs in other countries. Success also tends to go in cycles: Spanish football is on top at the moment but England, Germany, Holland and Italy have all had periods when their clubs have been dominant. Hungary beat England in 1953 by the way.

As to the final there's no doubt Iniesta, Xavi and Messi are fine players but talking to some "experienced" football folk the other day I'm not alone in finding Barcelona's style dull to watch and I doubt it would work in the hurly-burly of the Premier League and neither would fans want to watch it. Arsenal are Barcelona's nearest equivalent in our league and it is interesting that their fans are calling on Wenger to abandon the constant, passing style and adopt a more pragmatic approach that actually wins football matches.

I'm watch the Reading - Swansea match at the moment and for excitement it's miles better than anything that was on show at Wembley on Saturday.

[ABBEY]

As to the final there's no doubt Iniesta, Xavi and Messi are fine players but talking to some "experienced" football folk the other day I'm not alone in finding Barcelona's style dull to watch and I doubt it would work in the hurly-burly of the Premier League and neither would fans want to watch it. Arsenal are Barcelona's nearest equivalent in our league and it is interesting that their fans are calling on Wenger to abandon the constant, passing style and adopt a more pragmatic approach that actually wins football matches.

I'm watch the Reading - Swansea match at the moment and for excitement it's miles better than anything that was on show at Wembley.

barca footy or sam footy ?jim throws the bait again or just smelling to many dementia drugs again.

[daren]

Are you sure about that ? English clubs have had sustained success in European club football since the end of the 1960s and while the teams have not always been composed entirely of English / British players you could say the same about the teams from clubs in other countries. Success also tends to go in cycles: Spanish football is on top at the moment but England, Germany, Holland and Italy have all had periods when their clubs have been dominant. Hungary beat England in 1953 by the way.

My opinion of it is, English football suffered terribly when barred from Europe, and they haven't fully recovered yet to be honest. Before the ban, the English league was always competitive and English players were right up there with the best of them, but when they weren't playing in Europe the football style stagnated. It got significantly less fluent and not playing the cream of the continent year on year and bringing that experience back really hurt the entire league. Cyclical success is true, but the English teams are only getting back into the swing of things in the last 8 years or so (sporadic successes previously aside) and you can see in the last few years that they're genuinely competitive on the continent.

As to the final there's no doubt Iniesta, Xavi and Messi are fine players but talking to some "experienced" football folk the other day I'm not alone in finding Barcelona's style dull to watch and I doubt it would work in the hurly-burly of the Premier League and neither would fans want to watch it. Arsenal are Barcelona's nearest equivalent in our league and it is interesting that their fans are calling on Wenger to abandon the constant, passing style and adopt a more pragmatic approach that actually wins football matches.

If you find Barcelona dull to watch and really prefer a mid-table premiership clash, I'd suggest you're mental. The sheer quality that the Barcelona approach exudes is a joy to watch. They simply hold possession until they see an opportunity and then strike in an effective manner. Giving the ball away is something to avoid (something I'd be happy to see at the Rovers!) and the consistent pressure wears the opponents away. By then end of the final every time the Barca midfield got the ball United fell back in fear - they had no confidence they could get the ball and simply hoped that throwing bodies in the way would stop the ball. It was 3-1, it could have been 13-1. The only criticism you could have is that Barca don't score enough for the chances they create. It was a masterclass of football, one that should be required viewing once a week in every academy. Nothing put them off their stride after they settled in the first 10 minutes. Not going up, not conceding, not taking some hefty challenges at times. And if you think there's no passion there, watch it again. Watch Messi when he scored, or just missed a chance. Watch Villa being congratulated after the final goal. Watch the forwards dropping back into midfield to win ball and start attacks again, and the way that United had such trouble getting a sniff of goal because of the Barca workrate. They're the best team in Europe at the moment, and they'd win any league you put them in. Tactically, workrate wise and skill wise they put United to shame. A friend here said it was like watching Finn Harps playing Brazil, and I can't disagree (except Brazil might have scored more!).

I'm watch the Reading - Swansea match at the moment and for excitement it's miles better than anything that was on show at Wembley on Saturday.

Well, now I know you're nuts