Man Utd v Barcelona: Champions League Final (with poll)

[readingbedding]

Were there any tears from the players last night?
Any brave boys?

No complaints from Manchester United, lost to the better team on the night.
I was very impressed with Barcelona, credit to them playing and beating teams with their style of football.

[silas]

Geoff Shreeves squashing a mosqueto on Fergie's suit The beauty of HD

It was a moth, and he tried to pick it off but left a bit of moth dust behind.

Fat lot of good HD has done for you.

You are quite correct. It was a lot funnier after 1 too many ciders last night than it was this morning when I saw it again

[TBM]

It looks more like a cockroach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggGlvqjw-Sk

[PurpleTurtle]

United were rubbish last night
Barca were decent

Given another game and another time, it could be totally different. To make assumptions Barca are far better than United and that Messi is far better than Ronaldo from one game is a bit silly really. Then again, most nobbers know nothing about football and make wild statements just because they're please the best team in this Country lost. Mainly due to jealousy.

Nothing to do with the likes of CR7 being an ungracious, unsporting twat then?

I expect the Barca team didn't even need a shower after the game, I didn't see any of them even breaking sweat in the second half.

[TBM]

Barca are basically the team Arsenal CAN be.....

Both teams are very similar in style of play but Barca just have that extra something, the final touch to take it further!

(im sure Spacey will disagree with this )

[papereyes]

Barca are basically the team Arsenal CAN be.....

Both teams are very similar in style of play but Barca just have that extra something, the final touch to take it further!

A proper striker at the front rather than Adebayor or Bendtner? Include van Persie who only plays ~ 50 % of a season and its pretty clear where the problem lies, imo.

I believe that, had Eduardo not been so cruelly injured two seasons ago, Arsenal wouldn't have surrendered their position at the top of the table as easily as they did.

[1960]

Barcelona were very good against an execrable man Utd last night. But I don't like all this talk about them being invincible. They did not beat Chelsea and only got through with a single goal after 190 minutes of football - and then only with the connivance of the ref. So a very good team indeed, but not invincible.

[PlasticRoyale]

You're living in the past m8

From a LOLiverpooLOL fan - just LOL

[chandog]

thought the game last night was a big disappointment. what was meant to be a show of the two most creative and attacking teams turned into a one sided borefest.

man u simply didnt turn up and didnt seem to want to win that much
barca scored 2 pretty good goals and fully deserved to win

p.s what the hell was puyol playing at with those ridiculous dives when his side were comfortably winning 2 - 0? he didnt need to start throwing himself on the floor just because someone touched him. but i guess most of the man u players would have done the same if they had been winning

[rabidbee]

Just thought I'd add to the Iniesta/Xavi love-in that I thought Bosquets also had a great game, just quietly getting hold of the ball and then shifting it to somebody in space. I don't think he played a pass further than 10 yards all game, but he was a very effective pivot in that system.

This is why England will not succeed in major tournaments (without a huge slice of luck, at least) for a long time to come; our focus is always on flashy strikers, when really it's classy midfielders that win you tournaments. The best strikers in the world can't score without the ball.

[rabidbee]

thought the game last night was a big disappointment. what was meant to be a show of the two most creative and attacking teams turned into a one sided borefest.

Isn't that so often the way, though?

p.s what the hell was puyol playing at with those ridiculous dives when his side were comfortably winning 2 - 0? he didnt need to start throwing himself on the floor just because someone touched him. but i guess most of the man u players would have done the same if they had been winning

And so out of character! Amusing to see Ronaldo get annoyed at the diving antics of somebody else, though

[JimmytheJim]

Just thought I'd add to the Iniesta/Xavi love-in that I thought Bosquets also had a great game, just quietly getting hold of the ball and then shifting it to somebody in space. I don't think he played a pass further than 10 yards all game, but he was a very effective pivot in that system.

This is why England will not succeed in major tournaments (without a huge slice of luck, at least) for a long time to come; our focus is always on flashy strikers, when really it's classy midfielders that win you tournaments. The best strikers in the world can't score without the ball.

i don't think we will ever see an english team play like the spaniards. the technical brilliance of their midfielders seems to be some sort of genetic trait. ours are swashbuckling, crusading types. theirs are quixotic and smooth. what we really need to do is invade spain and annex it to the british empire.

[Hoop Blah]

Barca are basically the team Arsenal CAN be.....

Both teams are very similar in style of play but Barca just have that extra something, the final touch to take it further!

A proper striker at the front rather than Adebayor or Bendtner? Include van Persie who only plays ~ 50 % of a season and its pretty clear where the problem lies, imo.

I believe that, had Eduardo not been so cruelly injured two seasons ago, Arsenal wouldn't have surrendered their position at the top of the table as easily as they did.

Agreed on the Eduardo point, although I think Arsenal's problems lie just as much at the heart of their defence and central midfield as upfront.

[Hoop Blah]

i don't think we will ever see an english team play like the spaniards. the technical brilliance of their midfielders seems to be some sort of genetic trait. ours are swashbuckling, crusading types. theirs are quixotic and smooth. what we really need to do is invade spain and annex it to the british empire.

I've said this for ages, countries have typical characteristics across many areas and the type of footballs we create is one of them. It's partly a cultural thing, partly a facilities thing and probably partly genetic too.

It doesn't mean we can't win a major tournament or play good football, it just means we have to learn to play to our strengths and impose our football on the opposition.

[papereyes]

what the hell was puyol playing at with those ridiculous dives when his side were comfortably winning 2 - 0? he didnt need to start throwing himself on the floor just because someone touched him.

Was that the one where Ronaldo got booked for basically blocking him ahead of going for the ball?
Or was that the one where Ronaldo brought him down on the edge of United's box?

(Although, admittedly he did get up, realise that he couldn't chase Ronaldo quick enough and went back down )

I've said this for ages, countries have typical characteristics across many areas and the type of footballs we create is one of them. It's partly a cultural thing, partly a facilities thing and probably partly genetic too.

Yes.

It doesn't mean we can't win a major tournament or play good football, it just means we have to learn to play to our strengths and impose our football on the opposition.

Hmmmm.

No.

[AF1]

Nigerian Man Utd fan kills 4 Barca fans with busBuzz up!
Digg it
Reuters, Thursday May 28 2009
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, May 28 (Reuters) - A Manchester United fan in Nigeria killed four people when he drove his minibus into a crowd of Barcelona supporters after his team lost the Champions League final, police said on Thursday.
The crowd in the town of Ogbo were celebrating Barcelona's victory after Wednesday night's match when the bus drove into them. A police spokeswoman said 10 people were injured and the driver was arrested.
"The driver had passed the crowd then made a U-turn and ran into them," she said.
Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0 in what was hailed as a "dream final" between two of Europe's best clubs. Both teams have large fan bases in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation. (Reporting by Austin Ekeinde; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Randy Fabi and Farah Master)

[Hoop Blah]

It doesn't mean we can't win a major tournament or play good football, it just means we have to learn to play to our strengths and impose our football on the opposition.

Hmmmm.

No.

We've been as close as possible before, and both Germany and Greece have shown what's possible with average squads and a couple of on form players.

I'm not saying we'll definately do it, but we have a decent chance IF we make the most of what we've got and get that little bit of luck along the way that most tournament winners need.

[TBM]

Nigerian Man Utd fan kills 4 Barca fans with busBuzz up!
Digg it
Reuters, Thursday May 28 2009
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, May 28 (Reuters) - A Manchester United fan in Nigeria killed four people when he drove his minibus into a crowd of Barcelona supporters after his team lost the Champions League final, police said on Thursday.
The crowd in the town of Ogbo were celebrating Barcelona's victory after Wednesday night's match when the bus drove into them. A police spokeswoman said 10 people were injured and the driver was arrested.
"The driver had passed the crowd then made a U-turn and ran into them," she said.
Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0 in what was hailed as a "dream final" between two of Europe's best clubs. Both teams have large fan bases in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation. (Reporting by Austin Ekeinde; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Randy Fabi and Farah Master)

Throwing plastic chairs at police <<<<<<<<<<<< Ramming 10 Barca fans with your bus

[Thomas L'Heureux]

Barca are basically the team Arsenal CAN be.....

Both teams are very similar in style of play but Barca just have that extra something, the final touch to take it further!

A proper striker at the front rather than Adebayor or Bendtner? Include van Persie who only plays ~ 50 % of a season and its pretty clear where the problem lies, imo.

I believe that, had Eduardo not been so cruelly injured two seasons ago, Arsenal wouldn't have surrendered their position at the top of the table as easily as they did.

If you think the only difference between Barcelona and Arsenal is the striker at the spearhead of the two attacks, then I must be watching two completely different teams to yourself.

Both have questionable 'keepers, I agree, both have, at times, suspect defences, I agree, but the whole mentality of the two teams is completely different.

It must be noted that Fabregas, Arsenal's best player, does not get into the Spain national team. Who's ahead of him? Xavi and Iniesta.

Who do Arsenal use as a holding midfielder? Alex Song. Who do Barcelona? Usually Yaya Toure. Who would you say is the better player there?

Both teams play with different formations and different tactics. Take Eto'o out of Barcelona and put him at Arsenal and they'd be only marginally better. Take Adebayor out of Arsenal and put him in the Barca team, and funnily enough, I actually think Barca would be improved!

[papereyes]

I just think that at the heart of it, the moment England play a team that keeps hold of the ball and can play in the usual heat of a major tournament, they'll get beaten. They don't have the disclipline to accept alternative styles of play or accept that they're not the best player in the team anymore. I guess that's why they look better when someone like Barry or Hargreaves is in the midfield ahead of the 'ard axis - there's someone in there playing the simpler stuff, playing a more selfless game. They don't have the mentality to keep the ball if nothing's going, taking a short sideways pass to try and engineer another angle.

I do accept that a very good manager could break this mentality and Capello looks more likely than his three predecessors.

You cite Germany but I think they have as good a first XI as England, they just tend not to play in England so get underrated.

You cite Greece, but they had the discipline to accept a game plan and stick to it. I cannot see English players doing that, at this time.

The two times England have reached a final it was on home turf.