Champions League 2007/08

LOL @ Lucio...

Kahn just got hurt.
54th min, Lucio thrusts through the middle again.  You go, Lucinaldinho!.   Missed outlet pass to wide open Podolski.  Podolski's yelling at Lucinaldinho. 

And it finally happened.  Lucinaldinho turned into Lucinaldo, scores a beautiful header!  For Zenit.  Very similar to Riise' own goal against(for) Chelsea, but Riise' case was much harder to handle because it was low and strong, bounced right in front of him too.  Riise just couldn't put his head down fast enough.  In Lucio's case, I don't know, I think he just wanted to see his name on the score sheet.
 Zenit was smelling blood, attacked hard but Bayern fended them off.   Lell came in, is that mean Lahm's gonna push up more? 
82nd min, Zenit took the ball into the box, Lucio and the new keeper plays dumb and dumber, Ze Roberto slide-clears the sure winning goal.  That was soooo close. 
Lucinaldinho comes out again.  I said Lahm, not you.  You gotta give him some credit for trying.
Good closing mins.  Both looking dangerous.  Lucinaldinho kicks a free kick, hits Podolski's head really hard, the ball bounces around and finds Podolski wide open.  Podolski misses.
Lucinaldo shoots again, to Zenit's goal this time, hits the side net. 

Game over.  Good job for Zenit.   A tie and an away goal.  Good job, Lucinaldinho!


Edited by King Kang of Mu - 25-Apr-2008 at 16:57

Originally posted by Temujin bayern will have a hard time next season again. with Kahn retireing and Lahm leaving their rear will have huge holes...

I've heard that, too.  I think they will be alright though.  Bayern's looking at American keeper Kasey Keller to replace Kahn?   Keller is a descent keeper.    Last time I remember he was with Munchengladbach.   I don't know if he can lead a top team though.  I would consider Lehman before Keller.  If not, steal either Hilderbrand or Canizares from Valencia.  Or better idea, how about that Getafe keeper, Abbondanzieri?

Lahm will be missed.  I understand his frustration, though.  He is way underused offensively considering what he is capable of.  I think he might be better suited for a La Liga team.  If it has to be a German team, Bremen or back to Stuttgart?  Speaking of an offensively capable wingback,  whatever happened to Placente from Leverkusen?

Bayern is also stealing Tim Borowski Bremen.  I like him.  I think he could be taller Ballack type player with better defense.  

But perhaps the biggest concern is what to do with Lucinaldinho.

So Chelsea will have a home match in the final?

Originally posted by Act of Oblivion Chelsea 3 Liverpool 2!!!!!!!!!!!   �my team win tonight after a pretty breath-taking match and the blues get their historic entry into the Champions League final against Man Utd!!!!!!�   �..this one was for Frank Lampard and his family�.nice one Lamps, you deserved this�.   �and now??�..we concentrate on pipping Utd to the Premiership title!!!!!   ..all the best�   AoO�

Congrats, AoO, yet again.  I hope you don't get tired of me starting almost every post with that lately.

What a game, what a game.  It had everything.  Pressure, drama and controversy amounted even before the kick off.  From the recent history between these two in CL Semis, to Mourinho's exit and pressure on Avram, to Rafa's season long struggle, all the rumors of coming changes/transfers for both in the summer, to Lampard's personal tragedy to pre-game media jabbings between Drogba and Rafa.......  even American owned team vs Russian owned team.    All those those ingredients simmered into an wild emotional roller coaster of an epic proportion.   The rain was almost blessed coolant to keep everyone from blowing a gasket.  

I liked both team's lineup from the get go, more so with Chelsea.    I don't know whose idea it was at first to put Essien on the right back, but that has worked out great every time they used it.  He's strong enough and fast enough to smother any winger in the world.  And on the other side, it's easier for him to slip out  the flank attack  using his speed and skill.  Of course, I love him on central midfield too.  But he has harder time slipping out because of his defensive duty in the central.  Like when they were resting Makalele for this game against Man Utd, he's absolutely needed in the central.  If this was Avram's idea, he deserves a raise for this move alone.    I liked seeing Benayoun starting.  Both him and Torres were well guarded most of the game, but they linked up for the most important regulation tying goal, so it worked out, imao.  I never liked Kuyt, Babel, or Pennent.  I like even Voronin better.  Babel's last goal was Cech's blunder.  Another thing I still wonder, whatever happened to that great Liverpool back line of Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise?  Losing Aurelio in the first leg and  Skrtel early in this one didn't help, either.   I like Macherano a lot but I don't know what is his best position for this team. 

Drogba, Lampard, Ballack, Essien are the co-players of the match for me.  Drogba looked little out of sinc when Chelsea was trying to just defend the one goal lead but he stepped up again when it counted the most.   Makalele had one of the worst game  by his standard, especially letting Benayoun to get by him to set up Torres for the tying goal, but if it wasn't for Makalele, Essien would not be able to leave the central defensive midfield and Lampard would have to stay back more, also.  Ballack had great game, no great month.  He should force Sheva to hang out with him more.

Now, has Avram done enough to keep his job?  What about Drogba, Lampard and Essien.  Will this team still go through with seemingly apparent house cleaning, if they win CL and/or EPL?  Do trophies heal the woulds?  Forgive and forget?

Is it time for Rafa to 'walk alone'?

More on UEFA CUP in this CL thread.  Zenit killed Bayern.  I only saw last half hour.  It was already 3:0 by the time I tuned in.  After the 1st leg I thought Bayern would win considering Zenit was missing  two starting defenders suspended for the YC accumulation from the 1st leg.  I thought Zenit could only win in a shoot out situation because Bayern would surely score a couple on the weakened Zenit back line.  But, noooo.   It ended 4:0 slaughter house.   I can make so many WWII cheap shot, but I won't.

I'm also happy that Korean players will be represented in both CL and UEFA CUP final this year.  Man Utd's Park Ji Sung has been integral part against Barcelona and has great chance to staring again in the final against Chelsea in Moskow.  He has already scored a goal in CL Semi vs AC Milan in 2004 when he was with PSV which featured another Korean Lee Young Pyo who also perfomed well in Tottenham's resurgent two seasons ago, now back with PSV.  Zenit has two Koreans also Lee Ho and Kim Dong Jin.  Both are young bench players though.   Lee Ho came in 89th min today after the game was decided already.   Of course, 2004 PSV was managed by Guus Hiddink who managed South Korea in 2002 WC and currently with Russia who knocked out England from Euro 08, has been lured by Chelsea which owned by a Russian and has Samsung written on their chest.  Hiddink started a Dutch boom in Korea whose major companies are studying the Dutch business and management model and now investing and developing heavily in Siberia and Sakhlin island's resources.  This Zenit team is managed by another Dutchman Dick Advocaat who also managed South Korea in Germany WC 2006 who also managed Rangers few years back, the team he will play against in the final.  South Korea had four Dutch masters in a row since Hiddink.  They have Korean manager for now who was 2nd Korean player ever to play in European club back in the 80's for PSV. Of course the 1st Korean export was Cha Bum Keun who won UEFA Cup twice with Frankfurt and Leverkusen joining very short list of players who won the cup with two different teams like Maradona.  He also scored 98 goals in Bundesliga and voted for Asian Footballer of the Century.  His son Cha Doo Ri who was born and raised in Germany also played in Budesliga for Hamburg.  I know it's little confusing but I tried to be as concise as possible.  Anyway, I like this Korean-Dutch-Russian-Anglo-German theme going on here.

P.S. for Ulrich and Temujin and any other who can understand German or Korean.

German Kimchi Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwizLVr9CoM


Brauner Bomber
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAnKC_15d78&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSbPVW_61_g&feature=related
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cha_Bum-Kun


Cha Doo Ri speaking German
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4ZWCxrib-I&feature=related

I don't know how Bayern vs Zenit turned into Tscha Boom Special.  It's a product of an agile tangent sleepy mind.



Edited by King Kang of Mu - 02-May-2008 at 07:41

first of all a big LOL at Bayern. couldn't have gotten a better birthday present than this.

Originally posted by King Kang of Mu I've heard that, too.  I think they will be alright though.  Bayern's looking at American keeper Kasey Keller to replace Kahn?   Keller is a descent keeper.    Last time I remember he was with Munchengladbach.   I don't know if he can lead a top team though.  I would consider Lehman before Keller.  If not, steal either Hilderbrand or Canizares from Valencia.  Or better idea, how about that Getafe keeper, Abbondanzieri?

i thought Keller is playing for Karlsruhe, isn't he? would be an interesting choice though, considdering Kahn also started his career there.... Stuttgart is looking for a new goalie as well, considdering his abysmal performance in many (key) games. Hildebrandt left too early, he was dearly needed in the CL against Barca, Lyon and the Rangers....

Lahm will be missed.  I understand his frustration, though.  He is way underused offensively considering what he is capable of.  I think he might be better suited for a La Liga team.  If it has to be a German team, Bremen or back to Stuttgart?  Speaking of an offensively capable wingback,  whatever happened to Placente from Leverkusen?

he will quite definately leave the country from what i heard, not sure if it was Italy or Spain. Lahm actually wasn't a Stuttgart player, he is originally Bayern player that was just lent to Stuttgart where he was finally allowed to develop his talent. Bayern again prooves their ineptitude by wasting him this way. Bayern has a good cadre but i feel they completely lack in "tactics".

Bayern is also stealing Tim Borowski Bremen.  I like him.  I think he could be taller Ballack type player with better defense.

theres already a joke goign aroudn that Klinsmann wants to buy every German national team player to play for Bayern. i wonder about Gomez' future, he developed remarkably and is now by far the best German offense player and also the most effective in the Bundesliga (even though Luca Toni lies ahead of him on the list, Gomez scored more goals in fewer matches). Gomez gives himself very loyal. he said he will never leave Stuttgart except for Barca if they would ask for him.

There should be a law against playing on in that much rain. Terrys miss was because he slipped, and Ronaldos was because he had to adjust himself.

If its not Dortmund, then you don't care do you UVH?

@ Sparten.

 

Methinks Ronaldo was undid by being a little too smart in how he wanted to take the penalty. He hesitated to wait for the keeper to commit himself to a corner so he could hit it easily in the opposite corner. When the keeper didn't commit, Ronaldo suddenly didn't know what corner to hit it in, decided to get a good contact with the ball, meaning less direction, and it was an easy save. His penalty tactics are a little questionable I think, especially against the best keepers.