OT: Champions League Final Open Thread
Alright everyone, less than 10 minutes before it starts.
My hope - Barca. My expectation - Man U. Any team that can leave Scholes, Tevez and Berbatov on the bench is waaayyy too strong. 4-2 Man U, with both teams playing great and Ronaldo and Messi failing to settle the "best in the world" argument.
damn i'm still a little surprised that BOTH tevez and berbatov are off. my prediction is that anderson and park are off first with tevez on first for anderson then either berbatov or scholes for park.
wow. i've been following club and international soccer for a while and i haven't been this excited for a game in a looong time.
...will just terrorize Barca. Their backline is makeshift.
since I asked the "who'll win" question the other day. Anyway, I just hope it's a good game and not a preliminary to a shoot out.
...huge. I'm a member of the club. But at some point rationality has to take hold.
plus, I've now talked myself into Man U winning so I"m not disappointed at about 4pm cst.
This habit the governing bodies have of introducing new balls before big competitions is really dumb. That is all.
Whew.
This is going to get good!!!!
soccer fan, but I have been looking foward to this for 2 weeks.
The telecast just wouldn't be the same with a couple of American announcers.
Tommy Smith goes a little crazy sometimes about the refs. They're not bad though. They're better than the Americans that call the US qualifiers but not as good as the guys that regularly cover the Premier League on Sky Sports and the other European channels.
call "that was a glorious strike," or similar UK phrases that really add to the atmosphere.
...i agree with Derek Rae. This has been a weird beginning. Man U dominating, Barca winning.
The last two minutes have been beautiful passing by barca. Just beautiful.
can't get out of their zone, even when they get control.
I was really hoping Barca would score first, because there would have been a danger if ManU had scored first that they would have sat back a lot more and tried to play defense. I don't think Barca could do that if they tried, especially with only one starter available for them in defense (two suspended, one hurt). Their best defense is going to be more goals.
I don't see them much, but there looks to be a huge difference between the Barca of this year vs. Barca last year. I wasn't impressed last year but I am this year. What's been the difference?
....both of them were fat, happy, rich and out of shape. Plus, they had a negative effect on the locker room.
You'll notice that neither of the two played well at their new clubs for more than a month of this year.
Getting rid of Ronnie, and using Xavi, Iniesta and Messi as the fulcrums of the team have made Barca that much better this year.
I never liked Ronaldinho, and he was a disgrace at City this year
...are you thinking of Robinho?
No big deal.
Here comes Tevez in for Anderson. Tevez is going to run the Barca D ragged. I wouldn't be surprised if Pique picks up a second yellow card trying to deal with him and Ronaldo.
Ya, mixed the R"s up.
......after looking a little confused in the first 10 minutes, is passing Man United out of the game.
I'm sure SAF will make changes and Man U will at least equalize, but Barca looked really good for a team without 3 starters.
.....when was the last time Man U was played around with like this? Barca is taking it to them right now.
Liverpool absolutely pantsed ManU in March. 4-1, and it was at Old Trafford even.
........but I wonder whether Man U chased shadows during that game the way they are tonight.
this feels worse to me somehow.
It's probably the stage, this being the European Final and the Liverpool beatdown a regular league game. But getting whupped like that on your home field is pretty damn bad. Torres made them look like idiots all day, especially Vidic, who until that point was considered by far the best defender playing in the Premier League this season (and probably still is considered that anyways).
Vidic is having another bad game, getting beaten on the first goal in particular.
Not in the EPL or Champion's League. Barca's been great but United isn't playing like they can.
....has no midfield. They have Tevez, Ronaldo, Rooney, and Berbatov in with Giggs. Only Carrick is a defensive mid.
MESSIII!!!!!!
Sucks
Sloppy defensively. Not like them at all. Barca recovered nicely after a bad start.
2-0?
I like Man U, but Barca just out played them.
Oh, and Messi definitely defeated Ronaldo in the "who is the best player in the world" contest.
....and said I hoped they'd win, I don't mind saying that Barca beat the tar out of Man United tonight.
BARCA BARCA BARCA.......
But I still can't explain the finality of the loss. Man U just looked off from the 10th minute on. Certainly Barca had much to do with it, but not all I don't think.
Barca dominated the 10th minute on.
:)
that was a lesson
puyol had a helluva game! howd xavi win the mvp? i am shocked that barca, with so many starters outta that defense, what they did to man u.
barcccaaa!
Xavi and Iniesta are the best center midfield in all of soccer.