Champions League Round of 16

[kishman]

For some reason I want Bayern to win the CL this year.

Still 0-0 in both games

 

[SpurSince57]

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.

 

[cwy21]

1-0 Basel. Nice goal

 

[RobinLeonard]

Goal Basel!

They are very easy to like.

On tonight's showing at least, Sommer should be very high on our shortlist.

Agreed. I've only seem him in the CL so it's hard to say anything for sure. But you'd never guess he as short as he is.

Shades of Casillas.

 

[tobi]

Finally a goal.

 

[kishman]

1-0 Marseille!! Unbelievable JEff!

 

[deselina]

Basel's awful pitch worked in their favour, I think Bayern can still advance even in their dire state.

 

[Vedi]

Basel's awful pitch worked in their favour, I think Bayern can still advance even in their dire state.

The thing with those pitches is that both teams have to play on them.

 

[SpurSince57]

Basel's awful pitch worked in their favour, I think Bayern can still advance even in their dire state.

What dire state? Third in the Bundesliga might fall somewhat short of Bayern fans' sense of entitlement, but it's scarcely catastrophic. A lot better than Ajax's dismal situation, I'd say.

 

[Rocksuperstar]

I get the impression that the tides are beginning to turn, right across europe. It seems that, despite still being arguably the most money-oriented league in the tourney, the English teams are starting to fall behind in the quality stakes, with players following the money that's found it's way out to Russia & a few more clubs in France, Germany & Italy looking a bit more attractive.

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.

 

[Luka Van der Bale]

I don't think next year will be as bad. The era of three English teams in the semis in consecutive years is certainly over, but I think this year is an unfortunate anomaly. United, City and Spurs are all well equipped to do well in the CL next season, amd I think all 3 will.

 

[3Dnata]

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.

 

[cwy21]

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.

Despite all the doom and gloom and how much of a disaster this year has been for England, do you know what country has the most coeffient points so far this season? England.

http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/data/method4/ccoef2012.html


As for England losing its 3rd spot

1. England - 82.3
2. Spain - 75.6
3. Germany - 71.2
4. Italy - 58.8

I don't think Italy will be catching England anytime soon.

 

[AngerManagement]

The thing with those pitches is that both teams have to play on them.

Erm yea.....

Excpet one team plays on it every other week and is used to it and to the other it is a completely new experience.

It would be stupid to suggest a bad pitch is not a leveller for smaller/shitter teams when playing better footballing sides.

Think of the advantage a plastic pitch gave to a home side because their rivals simply were not used to the bounce of the ball and how the pitch played.

Or all the FA cup type giant killings over the years in which a larger better footballing team crashed out to a smaller worse team in a one of match because the terrible state of the pitch went a long way to taking away the ability to play good football and thus the advatange of the better footballing side.

Let's see how Basel get on playing on a proper pitch, shame for them it wasn't a one of game and fair play to them for getting a victory over a team as big as Bayern but it is ridiculous to make statements that suggest the pitch is not a factor because clearly it is and was.

 

[donny1013]

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.

Sneijder has pretty much had an off season. Injuries as well as a less than agreeable relationship with Ranieri haven't helped. But since he has come back into the side Inter's good run came to an abrupt end, losing to teams like Bologna and Novara at home.

 

[SugarRay]

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.

 

[AngerManagement]

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.

 

[gregga]

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.

 

[AngerManagement]

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.

Exactly, and what happened in the second leg? oh yea we smashed them on a proper pitch

Luton Town and QPR both benefited for years from teams not being used to playing on plastic pitches whilst they had the advantage of doing so every weekend.

For years and years dramatic cup shocks have been caused by a superior teams footballing advatange being somewhat neutralised by a pitch that is not condusive to them playing their brand of football.

I agree that too heavy focus on such factors rob teams of the credit they deserve and perhaps too much is made about things like pitch quality and long ball/anti football tactics.

They are however clearly a factor, if they were not why would teams employ such tactics to defeat better teams? if long ball anti football were not a factor why woudl Jose set his teams out that way against Barca? clearly he does it because he used it to attempt to nulify the superior footballing team.

These factors are not myths, I'm not saying they are a problem or they are breaking rules because they are not, but to dismiss them as having no influence whatsoever or to say stupid things like "both teams have to play on that pitch" when one team is obvously accustom to doing so is just stupid to me.

Obviously the pitch was a factor and equally as obvious is that it was an advatange to BAsel or at least a disadvantage to BAyern. Let's see what happens in the second leg and then judge who the better team is and who deserves to go through.

I don't want to detract from Basel's accomplishment, they beat a power house of European football no doubt. Over two legs however, well lets just say I will be very very impressed if they get through.

 

[SpurSince57]

I think Yeovil's pitch used to have a pronounced slope which regularly caught out visiting teams.