Basel - Bayern is a fantastic game. Stands 0-0, should be 2-2. Fantastic goalkeeping from both sides.
On tonight's showing at least, Sommer should be very high on our shortlist.
Basel's awful pitch worked in their favour, I think Bayern can still advance even in their dire state.
Basel's awful pitch worked in their favour, I think Bayern can still advance even in their dire state.
On current form, there won't be an English team in the last eight for the first time since 1996. Considering our national FA is about as popular at UEFA as a tramp wanking in the back row of church, it won't be long before we start the season hoping to be in the top three if the teams that qualify next season don't put up a bit more of a fight.
Erm yea.....The thing with those pitches is that both teams have to play on them.
We weren't really in for Zarate were we?
On the basis of that Marseilles v Inter match I wouldn't want anybody on the pitch but hopefully Schneider just had an off day.
There is nothing in the rules of the game, as far as I'm aware, that says football pitches should all be a completely perfect surface. Blaming the pitch is almost as bad as blaming the long ball, anti-football myth.
I think Bayern are the only side left in the competition who could potentially stop the Spanish giants from lifting the trophy.
No one said there was anything wrong with teams using a poor pitch to their advantage.
It;s not a myth though it is clearly a factor, you would have to be crazy to dismiss it as a factor completely.
Just like Stoke narrowing their pitch to enhance their ability to utlise long throws and stop creative wing play of opponents, not illegal but a manipulation of rules to gain an advantage.
How can anyone possibly suggest a team that has learned to and is used to playing on a poor pitch week in week out does not have an advatange over a team that is used to playing on perfect pitches every game?
True the better team should still be able to over come them, as it is not as big an advatange as some may suggest but it clearly is a factor that reduced the gap between the two sides not a myth as it detracts from the ability of the better passing team to play their passing football.
Plastic pitches, Bad pitches, narrow pitches, anti football...they're all aspects of the game that are used to maniuplate the laws without breaking them to gain some sort of advantage or at least detract from the advantage of the opponent, the extent of their effectiveness may be exaggerated and of course too much credit should not be taken away from the victor but to dismiss these things as a non entity is stupid in my opinion as they clearly have some impact.
Agreed.
I remember the sheer confusion caused amongst our defence by the height of the bounce of the ball against Young Boys and sheer speed with which it pinged off the surface.
By the time the players had gotten used to it we were 3-0 down.