Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka: I ducked penalty that John Terry missed

[shakus]

Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka has admitted he refused to take the penalty which would have won the Champions League.
The Frenchman showed no shame as he claimed he hadn't warmed up enough to take the Blues' crucial fifth spot kick, which John Terry missed in dramatic fashion.
Anelka said he wasn't ready even though he had been on the pitch for over 10 minutes.
He told l'Equipe: "I was on the bench for 110 minutes and the coach brought me on after warming up for no more than a minute. Then he asked me whether I wanted to take one of the penalties.

"Absolutely not, I said. I had to play as wing back and now he wanted me to take a penalty?"


Anelka then went seventh and missed anyway. "Edwin Van Der Sar made a good save," he said. "Good for him. That's football."​

Sulky Anelka then continued his moan, saying: "I don’t know if that has ever happened in a Champions League final, in a match of that intensity, that a player has gone on to the pitch without having warmed up.
"When you go on, you have to be ready to run."

that really doesnt surprise anyone does it? You would have thought all the clubs he'd previously fallen out with would be enough evidence to show why he's not the sort you want anywhere near your team. He cares for nothing but himself
​

 

[Kendall]

Lunacy. Who ever has to warm up to take a pen?

It's an excuse because his was shit.

 

[chrissivad]

Lunacy. Who ever has to warm up to take a pen?

It's an excuse because his was shit.

its about getting the feel for the ball as well.

Thats why i found it strange that there was subs just before penalties.

 

[Kyras]

its about getting the feel for the ball as well.

Thats why i found it strange that there was subs just before penalties.

There's not really any excuse for a shit penalty apart from mental weakness or a slip or something. He knows what a football feels like, I would be confident of going outside right now and smashing one in past Van Der Sar. The goal's 8 yards wide, and 8 feet tall, a total 192 sq. feet to aim at, the ball is less than one square foot. Also, it was likely to be a close game, and Giggs said that he'd taken the same penalty 11 or 12 times during the week, so I'm sure Chelsea would have practiced too.

He clearly didn't care, he didn't look like he cared walking up, and when he missed, he was just like :shrug:.

He is a muppet, and for some reason, only seems to cause problems at bigger clubs, I think he likes being the big fish in a small pond and can't take it when a team isn't built for Nicolas Anelka to score goals. i.e. Bolton, PSG, Man City and Fenebahce to some extent. No team ethic, what so ever.

 

[chrissivad]

There's not really any excuse for a shit penalty apart from mental weakness or a slip or something. He knows what a football feels like, I would be confident of going outside right now and smashing one in past Van Der Sar. The goal's 8 yards wide, and 8 feet tall, a total 192 sq. feet to aim at, the ball is less than one square foot. Also, it was likely to be a close game, and Giggs said that he'd taken the same penalty 11 or 12 times during the week, so I'm sure Chelsea would have practiced too.

He clearly didn't care, he didn't look like he cared walking up, and when he missed, he was just like :shrug:.

He is a muppet, and for some reason, only seems to cause problems at bigger clubs, I think he likes being the big fish in a small pond and can't take it when a team isn't built for Nicolas Anelka to score goals. i.e. Bolton, PSG, Man City and Fenebahce to some extent. No team ethic, what so ever.

You you could just walk on to a new pitch while it had been raining for along time, place a ball you have no idea what the pressure is like and be able to stick it in the corner with ease?

And your not playing in the premiership because?...

Diffrent pressers in the ball will cause it to react diffrently.

For me penalties are about confidence, and Anelka didn't have any in taking a penalty and shouldn't have taken one.

I have gone to take a penalty before and walked back away because i felt i had already missed.

How many times do you think Ronaldo had practiced his penalty? Doing it in training is totaly diffrent that having to take it to keep your team in with a chance of European glory.

 

[hughy]

its about getting the feel for the ball as well.

Thats why i found it strange that there was subs just before penalties.

Yeah, like subbing Carragher on for Lennon in the 119th minute. I'll never understand that one... :bang:

 

[PT]

What was also strange was the order in which Chelsea loaded their penalty takers.

Out of the first five, three defenders took their turn and only two natural attackers, whereas Man U had Tevez kicking off their order to get them on their way, followed by Ronaldo.

As if the Chelsea players lost bottle.

 

[Bill_Oddie]

Something doesn't add up here.

a) Grant says Drogba should have taken 5th pen but he was sent off
b) Anelka says he should have taken it but wasn't warmed up
c) Terry did take it and fell on his arse (anyone else not stopped laughing yet?)


All might have happened but let's play at being cynics for a moment and suggest:

a) Drogba's already made his mind up to leave so Chelsea are screwing him over and damning his reputation
b) Anelka realises the mistake he made so he wants out too
c) Terry can do no wrong, no, nay, never, no, nay, never, no more. And so the media (who he obviously sidles up to) are happy to print Grant and Anelka's version of events (alongside glowing tributes to John the Lionheart, naturally) as it takes the spotlight off our former national team captain.

 

[PT]

Bill, you old cynic you..

 

[Yiddo1982]

I thought it was a palyer's initiative to warm-up. If i was on the bench I would be going to jog and stretch every ten minutes or so. Anelka's such a tit.

 

[Yid-ol]

at least he said he didnt want to take one, even good players miss, Ronaldo and Keane both have missed some this season, and i think some of the other pens were hit worse than his, the keeper just managed to go the right way (was still an easy height to save though)

Grant could and probably should have given Anelka warning that he was thining to bring him on, but still not really an excuse for missing, Drogba and Terry are the ones that fucked it up for Chelsea more IMO

 

[Marty]

Anelka is, quite simply, a loser who doesn't perform when his team most need him to. That really showed when he walked up to take the penalty.

You could see he was going to miss before he even got inside the box. When they filmed him walking towards the area his facial expressions didn't look focused or determined, but concerned and worried. I told my dad that he was going to miss before he even started the run-up.

 

[chrissivad]

Something doesn't add up here.

a) Grant says Drogba should have taken 5th pen but he was sent off
b) Anelka says he should have taken it but wasn't warmed up
c) Terry did take it and fell on his arse (anyone else not stopped laughing yet?)

When i heard this i thought it was

Drogba should have taken 5th pen, but was sent off.

Then Anelka was asked/told to take the 5th pen and said he wasn't ready for the shoot out so didn't take it (at that point)

Terry then stood up and then quickly stat back down again :lol:

 

[dvdhopeful]

Someone may already have said this, but what about Belletti? If I recall (probably incorrectly), he came on even later than Anelka did. He also took the second (?) pen and scored.

Just an excuse imo, he is a striker, Terry is a defender, 10 minutes or 110 minutes, he should have stepped up.

 

[chrissivad]

Someone may already have said this, but what about Belletti? If I recall (probably incorrectly), he came on even later than Anelka did. He also took the second (?) pen and scored.

He did score, and Ronaldo who had been on the pitch every min of the game had missed his.

For me and my opinion is that you will have a better chance of scoring if you have been on the pitch longer and have nocked the ball about than having just came on and have't/hardly touched the ball.

It doesn't always happen like this, just like the world's best players dont always score, or someone who can hit a freekick into the top corner form 25-30yards can miss from 12yards.

 

[rochas_floppy_hair]

Belletti's not complaining and he came on after Anelka and smashed home his pen. Just an excuse from Anelka.