|
26-12-2004, 08:10
|
#46 | |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 04 2002
Location: Lahore, Pakistan.
 |
Quote:
 Reading that crap it sounded like both those buffoons were on a PLEASING MISSION to the general public rather than stating the obvious!! All the English people I know believe that it will be tight and these two so called experts are on another planet altogether.  That was the irritating bit to read.  Townsend has SINNED by saying the stuff against Milan. He is PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER 1 for me from now on!! He shouldn't have messed with Milan. I'll make him famous. 
__________________
___________________
ACM 1899 ___________________ |
|
|
|
|
26-12-2004, 08:56
|
#47 | |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 01 2004
Location: England
Fave Players: Maldini, Pirlo and rest of Milan
|
Quote:
  btw, I want to state, I hate ITV CL coverage. Not only are the pundits morons who have little knowledge about the game itself (barring the odd one like Bobby Robson), the commentators are just as bad, if not worse (particularly dislike Jim Beglin). On top of that, the coverage itself is bad, as the scoreline and clock are too big, and when a caption appears to show a players name or something, it takes up half the screen. Also, I'm not sure if its happening a lot this year, but whenever I see the matches, during the match a box appears in the top left of the screen where the pundit is shown and he makes comments. Firstly, its bad enough to have to hear these idiots during the match, but the fact that they make the viewers look at them instead of the match is just ridiculous. BBC have the best coverage (terrestial tv not sky) of football here and really no one looks like they'll challenge them for quality. thankfully, Match of the Day is back and the annoying The Premiership is gone!!! sorry to those who couldn't care less to keep going on about this Last edited by ACMILAN1983; 26-12-2004 at 09:04. |
|
|
|
|
|
26-12-2004, 12:52
|
#48 | |||
|
Registered User
Join Date: 06 2003
Location: England
Fave Players: Keano (ret), Rooney, Maldini
|
Quote:
 Quote:
Maybe its the general lack of knowledge and over reliance on knowing a few big names, thats something that always pisses me off. They say things like: "Milan are going to struggle now that they dont have Rivaldo anymore"  or "Dida's the weakness after that shot Bowyer scored past him"  then usually one of them will pretend to have inside knowldge by saying something like "they have a young secret weapon called Kaka who i'm tipping to be a star in a few years"...... Quote:
i think they stopped doing it, they certainly were less frequent towards the end of the group stages, but you're right, possibly the most annoying thing that could happen in a game is to have the action interupted to show those idiots 
__________________
'Well, Clive, it's all about the two Ms - movement and positioning.' - Big Ron |
|||
|
|
|
|
26-12-2004, 17:36
|
#49 | |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 01 2004
Location: England
Fave Players: Maldini, Pirlo and rest of Milan
|
Quote:
I hope your right about the "special opinion" thing being scrapped |
|
|
|
|
|
03-01-2005, 21:04
|
#50 | |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 04 2002
Location: Lahore, Pakistan.
|
Quote:
I've quoted my own post for a specific reason. That analysis was for the group stages and till the Winter Break popped in. Now as we are halfway into the competition we can take a look back at where and why did it all go wrong after seeing Roma's performance in six matchdays which was pretty pathetic and ordinary. It will also be convenient for the readers to compare the preview analysis with the half-way analysis. AS Roma Review The absence of Fabio Capello showed how much of a stabilizing job the Don was doing at AS Roma. He made Roma Scudetto winners and challengers. Roma was a sureshot top 3 side in Italia and top 2 during most instances. They had great runs in Serie A and were a tough proposition. Even during those good times Capello's Roma like the previous Roma sides struggled in Europe bar one season when they lost in the final to Liverpool FC in their own stadium in front of their own fans. Some sides just don't make that transitional shift to European competition. Both the Roman clubs are in that category. However Roma has a pretty good away record in these past seasons. It is the home record of Roma that is reminiscent of a mediocre club when it come to the UCL. They have often struggled in the home games. Only the Barcelona (3-0 or so) thumping at the Olimpico comes to my mind when Roma was on song in a big European game at home. This season Roma had to deal with multiple problems that were a distraction. First of all Prandelli had to resign due to personal reasons. The team was bought and built according to his requests. He is a coach who can and has played 4 central defenders in a back 4 formation. Not many coaches would do that. I don't know of any. German World Cup winner Rudi Völler was brought in and he didn't know what he was getting into. A relatively inexperienced coach compared to Capello couldn't handle the out of control Roma. Roma's defensive problems were massive. The absence of main man Chivu didn't help one bit and a Roma side that was exceptional at defending went from 'one of the best' to 'one of the worst!' Völler quit as the situation was out of control and made way for yet another new coach in a matter of weeks!  Luigi Del Neri is at the helm and hasn't done much to warrant a rennaissance.The harsh reality is that Roma is in danger of going from challengers to pretenders. They are in danger of not making the UCL for next season. Financially they are not in the best shape. Professionally they are not in a strong place. Their good fortune is that the Serie A is pretty tight this season and thus would give them the opportunity to make that 4th place IF they can improve on their showings. It doesn't end there. Cassano might leave and Totti's last chance of departure will come in the Summer. If he doesn't leave in the Summer then he will stick by his word of being the "Bandiera" that he is. Offence  1/2 (old rating: 3 stars)-> Mido -> Cassano -> Totti -> Delvecchio -> Montella The rating for Roma is the review rating as they are eliminated already. Scoring 4 goals could've sufficed had they won two games by a 1-0 margin but it was not to be. Roma's great chance of a win in the Bernabeu was blown to bits by their own self-destruction in addition to Real's brilliance and resurgence in the second half. Midfield 1/2 (old rating: 2.5 stars)(If I count Totti and Cassano in this midfield then it becomes 4.0 and offence becomes 1.5) -> Mancini -> D'Agostino -> Dacourt -> Perrotta -> Sartor -> Candela -> Tommasi Apart from the first 45 in Madrid, Roma's midfield looked all over the place with no organization and game plan. Defence 0 (old rating: 3.5 stars) -> Panucci -> Chivu -> Ferrari -> Mexes -> Dellas -> Cufre A team that concedes 16 goals in six matchdays is downright pathetic defensively. 5 defeats and 1 draw is not even remembering by any measure. Chivu's presence would've done a world of good. It is a campaign to forget for Roma. A coach of the class of Capello couldn't take a strong Serie A Roma side to the knock-out round. It will be Mission : Impossible for this AS Roma side to reach the knock-outs in the future. They just don't seem to take that big stride required to step-up for the European games. Roma unfortunately are more like a UEFA Cup side than a UCL side. Indiscipline is rampant in the team. There is no serenity and no calmness. The players behave like amateurs playing football rather than professionals who take this as a job with fun. It is too casual and unprofessional. Screws need to be tightened or else Roma will not be a part of this competition in the near future.
__________________
___________________
ACM 1899 ___________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
03-01-2005, 22:05
|
#51 |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 09 2002
Location: ...ovunque...
Fave Players: Nesta, Maldini, Costacurta
|
It takes a brave man to quote his own predictions and analyze them!
However, I would suggest that you're overrating Capello. Roma have always been a temperamental team. Yes, they were a tough proposition last season, but remember where they ended up the season before that, with substantially the same team and Capello as coach. I agree that the succession of coaches this year worsened an already difficult disciplinary situation. Not even Milan -- or Real Madrid -- would be able to settle down after such an upheaval.It's interesting that, as you point out, neither Roma nor Lazio have ever done particularly well in the CL, even when they had terrific teams in Serie A. I wonder if it's at least partly a matter of self-belief. |
|
|
|
|
04-02-2005, 18:12
|
#52 | |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 04 2002
Location: Lahore, Pakistan.
|
Quote:
Valencia CF Review Valencia had everything going for them quite smoothly on Matchday 1 when they looked in fine shape and fine form taking Anderlecht for a football lesson with a convincing 2-0 home win. It wasn't known at that time that Anderlecht would indeed have an extremely poor run in the UCL doubled with the fact that Valencia's group was indeed really very tight with Werder Bremen (Budesliga Champions) being the toughest team from POT 4. Valencia's second game at Bremen was going smoothly till the point that Marchena got sent off wrongly when it was a blatant dive from the Bremen player! Marchena got booked incorrectly for that offence whereas he didn't even touch the player and then later on got booked and sent off! The campaign took a drastic turn at that point! Valencia was without their captain (Roberto Fabian Ayala) who has been the stabilizing figure in the defence and a leading talisman for them. Add to that they lost their second main central defender and eventually capitulated in that game leaving Miroslav Klose to finish when he was left totally unmarked by the non-existent defence! Valencia's miseries were not to be finished as Inter put in one of the most powerful away displays in this season's edition! It was actually the most powerful display tearing apart Valencia to shreds but then again Valencia was witout their first choice pairing of Ayala and Marchena! Inter ran riot with Adriano leading the way. Valencia was looking at the barrel and the exit door was opened for them. Vicente was injured and it was game over! Valencia's campaign was unlucky through injuries and suspensions but they only have themselves to blame! Marchena proved himself to not being able to control himself under tough situations getting booked and Angulo didn't help himself by getting mad and getting red himself! It went from bad to worse for Valencia. They just lost the plot and Ranieri should've done more to keep things under check but sometimes the coach can do nothing as the rage of players is out of hands. Offence (old rating: 3.5 stars)-> Mista -> Aimar -> Di Vaio -> Corradi Ranieri didn't use his offence properly. He hardly utilized the offence he had in the proper way and paid a price for it although it is the defence that took the baddest hits in this campaign. Midfield 1/2 (old rating: 5 stars)-> Baraja -> Albelda -> Fiore -> Vicente -> Angulo -> Rufete -> De Los Santos It is mind-boggling to see a midfield that won La Liga becoming an ordinary one over just a Summer. Ranieri needs to take the blame here again for tinkering a bit with it. I don't remember Valencia fielding the starting line-up that I proposed even once. It looked to be a strong and well balanced line-up to me but I didn't see Ranieri field it. Obviously injuries played a part and it was unlucky for Valencia that their key men (Ayala & Vicente) had to miss out most of the campaign adding Aimar, Marchena and Angulo who either missed due to injury or suspension or were out of form. A pretty messed up situation. Defence (old rating: 5 stars)-> Ayala -> Marchena -> Torres -> Aurelio -> Pellegrino -> Moretti -> Navarro The Valencia back four that I put in the proposed starting line-up is one of the strongest in Europe. However it didn't play together in even one game and the defence was Valencia's worst deptt. Benitez used to play special attention to the defence and organization at the back. Ranieri doesn't. That difference was also evident as one coach made room for another. It was a poor display where the Valencia defence looked clueless on multiple occasions. They had a torrid time against Adriano and had no reply to his power, pace and beastly approach! This campaign is over for Valencia however they are on course to qualify for the UCL next season. The team may or may not lose its star players in the Summer. It doesn't seem like this Valencia side is going to be making a serious challenge in European competition in the near future. Things can change over a season as was witnessed this season for Valencia but there doesn't seem to be a feeling for me that Valencia will pick themselves up and become really serious challengers in the near future. Their prized asset Pablo Cesar Aimar might be departing in the Summer to one of the powerhouses of Europe. That doesn't help matters.
__________________
___________________
ACM 1899 ___________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
04-02-2005, 18:15
|
#53 | |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 04 2002
Location: Lahore, Pakistan.
|
Quote:
FC Porto Review + Preview FC Porto took their second European top honour defying all the odds to stand on the famed pedestal for European Champions in Gelsenkirchen, Deutschland last May. It was a fantastic achievement for a side that was the best in the tournament. In the Summer they lost their most valuable asset and one of the best coaches in world football in the shape of Jose Mourinho. Porto President Pinto da Costa made some good money selling some of his top stars to Europe's top clubs and invented in fresh talents hoping to maintain some momentum of the winning season. It didn't click. FC Porto was on the verge of becoming the first defending champion to go out in the Group Stage! I never thought that they would be defending their title in any case but the EUROPEAN CHAMPION deserves respect to at least be in the preview section if nothing else! It is for that reason their preview had to be done.Porto must be the luckiest defending champion since the inception of the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. It is amazing that a team which had ONLY 2 points AFTER 4 Matchdays managed to qualify!!! It is a death defying stunt that Evil Knievel would be proud of! It is magic that would take David Copperfield's breath away! Voodoo! :tongue:4 goals scored and 6 conceded with two 0-0 draws and FC PORTO is still hanging in there by the skin of their teeth! Porto didn't put in a decent performance IMO until their final matchday when they defeated Chelsea! Now, that win means a lot seeing how tough Chelsea has been to beat in any competition. You can count Chelsea's defeats on one hand and Porto is one of the sides to defeat Mourinho's Blues. Offence (old rating: 4 stars)-> Derlei -> Fabiano -> McCarthy -> Alberto -> Postiga Porto is still inconsistent and have recently taken a beating in the Portuguese Super Liga. They lie in the third spot and may not win the league although the league is very tight. The coach was sacked recently making it the second sacking after Del Neri in pre-season. Both Del Neri and Fernandez are gone now. Midfield 1/2 (old rating: 3.5 stars) -> Maniche -> Diego -> Costinha -> Quaresma -> Hugo Leal The midfield still has very decent players. A lot depends on the Brasilian playmaker Diego as he is the man to string together the passes for the strikers. It will be tough for Porto's midfield to deal with Inter's midfield that is on a totally different plateau. Defence 1/2 (old rating: 2.5 stars)-> Costa -> Seitaridis -> Valente -> Pepe -> R Costa -> Emanuel The defence has its on and off days. One day it can keep a clean sheet not helped by the offence. Another day it can concede only 1 and then on a dark day the floodgates can open! It is not consistent and this indifferent form won't help against Inter who have a knack of scoring goals! I N T E R N A Z I O N A L E - Italia The Round of 16 opponent for the defending champions is Inter FC. Roberto Mancini's outfit is still the only major side in Europe to remain undefeated! Inter however has drawn a lot of games and are aiming for some kind of record for the most draws in a single season by a football club. They are well on their way for that.  Inter is a very very difficult opponent for Porto. Porto may have used up all their luck in the seaons with that struggling qualification campaign of theirs. The LUCK TANK might well be empty by now and Inter being heavy favourites for the tie should qualify with consummate ease. Porto can cause a shocker but the chances of that happening are very rare IMO. Inter is just too good on paper and on form right now. Only a fortnight to go and Porto has raise two levels while Inter has to drop two levels to make it an even Steven tie.
__________________
___________________
ACM 1899 ___________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
04-02-2005, 18:17
|
#54 | |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 04 2002
Location: Lahore, Pakistan.
|
Quote:
FC Bayern Munchen FC Bayern München (GER) Qualified as: German runners-up Bundesliga status: First (P19 W11 D5 L3) Group stage: Group C runners-up (P6 W3 D1 L2) Best performance: Winners (1974, 1975, 1976, 2001) 2003/04 Champions League: First knockout round (lost 2-1 on aggregate to Madrid) RD-16 opponents: Arsenal FC Review + Preview The silent assassin is at large. Beware!  Bayern was in a very tight group along with the Turin Giants and Dutch powerhouse. They progressed at the cost of Ajax who had a forgettable campaign. Bayern's biggest test came up against the Don's Raging Bull and Magath's side failed on both occasions! Juve did a memorable double over the Germans in their first epic meeting(s) in all these decades of European competition! Bayern really doesn't do anything of notice or extra special in the Group Stage. It is an old habit of theirs. They just start to change gears around Matchday 5. It is a stable progression on their part where they continue to go un-noticed until they make a statement in the 2nd leg of the first knock-out and boom! People start taking notice of Bayern. Bayern lost both games against the strongest team in their group however they were not trounced or outplayed. They held their own against a Juve side that had to grind out those victories. It is not a sign of how weak Juve is but it is a sign of the improvement of Bayern in this season's edition! HOME FORM Bayern has conceded only two goals at home so far. One of them was scored by Juventus captain Del Piero. The other one was scored by rookies Maccabi Tel-Aviv in a 5 goal thumping handed out to them. Makaay burned Ajax single-handedly and scored the most amazing goal of Matchday 2 by a mile! Amazing striker with superb control and composure! :thmbup: He surely is the Phantom Menace!  Ajax tasted their worst defeat for years in European competition. Ajax maybe young and inexperienced but Ajax is after all Ajax! The tradition, history and trophies speak for themselves and 4-0 is a big loss for them. They never recovered from that loss.Bayern has been very strong at home this season. Now they sit on top of the Bundesliga table as is customary to them almost all season at this point so visting the Olimpiastadion and getting something won't be easy. -> 9 goals in three home games. 2 conceded. AWAY FORM Bayern picked up a precious away win on their first trip to Israel which was unchartered territory for them. Maccabi came close but Bayern held on in a nervous game for them. They lost in a cagey game in the Stadio Delle Alpi to Juve through a Neddy strike in the last quarter of the game. Juve created the better chances and got the win deservingly however Bayern was not outplayed. Just outscored. Bayern went to one of the most beautiful stadiums on their final matchday and broke Ajax hearts yet again with a 2-2 draw to book their qualification for the knock-out. -> Scored 3 and conceded 3. Bayern needs to improve on its away form as they have beaten the weakest side by the smallest of margins, drawn to a good but slightly weaker rival and lost to the strongest rival. They can look back at their home form to cover up for the away form but in the UCL playbook that is a cardinal sin as a team is bound to f*ck up one home game at least in a victorious campaign. Offence (old rating: ditto)-> Makaay -> Santa Cruz -> Pizarro -> Zickler -> Hashemian I would've increased the new rating to 2.5 stars but there is sad news. Roque Santa Cruz' brother passed away in a car accident and Felix Magath has given him "compassionate leave" to go back home to Paraguay and support his family due to this tragic episode. R.I.P  There is no time limit on Cruz' stay in Paraguay so Magath is not relying on his return. It is Roque's own decision to make. The main force is still Makaay and he is the key man for the goals. Pizarro will most likely be partnering him as before but there is nobody of considerable strength to come off the bench in case needed. Zickler is not the player he was in '99-'00 and Hashemian is a bit of an unknown variety. Santa Cruz would've been perfect given his height against Arsenal but his return is uncertain. The danger man remains the coolest striker on the planet. The Phantom Menace.  Midfield (old rating: 3.5 stars)-> Ballack -> Deisler -> Hargreaves -> Frings -> Salihamidzic -> Ze Roberto -> Demichelis -> Scholl -> Jeremies It is a physically and powerful midfield that is improving as time wears on this season. The midfield lacks pace though with Ze Roberto being the fastest midfielder in the side. Magath has had to look back at stalwarts Scholl and Lizarazu (called him back) to inspire his side and it has worked somewhat. The main man however remains Ballack. The burden is on his shoulders. If Bayern is to have a great game then the orchestrator of that win has to be Ballack. Ballack is not on the grand level that he showed once. Bayern's chances lie with his form. With Deisler being paid to pay visit to cuckoo land far too often there is not creative help for Bayern. I really doubt Deisler's ability after these depression fits of his. He has the talent & skill but he is two notches below On-Ree in the mental deptt. Defence 1/2 (old rating: ditto)-> Lucio -> Kuffour -> Sagnol -> Rau -> Linke -> Kovac -> Lizarazu Liza has returned to beef up the defence and it has worked a bit. The problem remains that Bayern is still having trouble beating the bigger opponents getting draws or firing blanks. That all comes down to the midfield. This sort of weak defence will hurt Bayern if they continue to progress because Bayern has problems in winning the away games but they are good enough to draw them. If they fail at home it is good night. Therefore they will have to improve on their travels as the opponents will get tougher and tougher from this point onwards. A R S E N A L - England Magath's next opponents are Arsenal from London. Arsenal have had a rough patch since the draw was made. They have really had a dip in form and Alex Ferguson's side has had a major role in that dip not counting Mr. Riley and Fat Sam Allardyce aka The Fly In the Ointment :tongue: Arsenal are in a precarious position now. They haven't been in this position before. The league is gone for good. And the UCL knock-out is around the corner. Wenger stated in this season that the Premiership was of utmost importance. He didn't respect this competition. :thmbdown: Now when the tables have turned, I await how much his comments and thoughts have changed with respect to the APPROACH to this competition. Arsenal will have a full go at Bayern knowing that the CL provides some sort of consolation for their terrible season. I am not talking about winning it but making their first semi-final appearance or third QF appearance come what may. Bayern will not have it easy. Arsenal will be a difficult proposition for the Germans and might nick it. This season has seen a revival of German teams as all three have made the knock-out! All three German clubs (Bayern, Leverkusen and Bremen) have already got big European scalps i.e. Ajax, Real, Valencia. They are not push-overs this season and doing their job silently but efficiently. It is difficult to point out where Bayern stand as they have only played twice since the Winter Break was over. It will be easier to determine in 10 days time but for now Bayern and Arsenal look neck and neck. I gave the initial edge to Arsenal when the draw was made but Bayern is getting stronger and stronger and that is dangerous for the other teams in this competition.
__________________
___________________
ACM 1899 ___________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
04-02-2005, 22:33
|
#55 |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 01 2004
Location: England
Fave Players: Maldini, Pirlo and rest of Milan
|
nice updates Haroon
|
|
|
|
|
10-02-2005, 19:48
|
#56 | |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 04 2002
Location: Lahore, Pakistan.
|
Quote:
[b] Liverpool FC Liverpool FC (ENG) Qualified as: Fourth place in England Premiership status: Fifth (P26 W13 D4 L9) Group stage: Group A runners-up (P6 W3 D1 L2) Best performance: Winners (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984) 2003/04 Champions League: Did not qualify RD-16 opponents:Bayer 04 Leverkusen Review + Preview Liverpool re-ignite the memories of that memorable clash with Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the 2001-2002 campaign. It was epic and the second leg of that UCL was the best game in that campaign by MILES. It deserves a small flashback for it was a superb see-saw game. Liverpool won the first leg 1-0 at Anfield and went to the BayArena in Deutschland knowing that even a 0-0 draw would take them through while Leverkusen needed to win by two clear goals to keep their hopes alive in that UCL campaign. Klaus Toppmöller's side took the lead levelling the tie at 1-1. Liverpool equalled the game at 1-1 and put the tie in their favour at 2-1. Leverkusen took the lead to make it a 2-1 game but the tie was still at 2-2 with Liverpool qualifying on the away goal! Ballack struck to make a 3-1 game for Leverkusen and put the initiative in Leverkusen's favour with a 2-3 lead in the tie! Liverpool was in no mood to give in and they scored yet again to make it a 3-3 tie and 3-2 match!!! :thmbup: Leverkusen had to score to go through while Liverpool had to maintain this score to go through. Ballack again with a phenomenal shot from distance scored to take the score to 4-2 for Leverkusen and a 4-3 tie to Leverkusen!!-- Fantastic game to watch. The season's best! Edge of your seat thriller! -- This is the first time that all 4 English clubs qualified for the knock-out stage of the UCL but out of all 4 it is Liverpool who struggled the most to qualify. It was Gerrard's superb strike that sealed qualification. The big match player rose to the occasion .... yet again! Liverpool did well to qualify from this group. It was a tricky group with all teams on virtually the same level more or less so it would've come down to who the better two were in the end. No wonder the top 3 teams all lost two games and the 2nd (Liverpool) and 3rd (Olympiacos) placed sides finished with 10 pts each [2 pts behind group leaders Monaco] HOME FORM Rafa Benitez has a simple plan. Win all the home games and draw the away games. Liverpool won their first home game outplaying Monaco to grab a convincing 2-0 home win. Deschamps said in the post match comments that his side was lucky to lose by only two goals. The second home game didn't go according to plan with a scoreless draw to Deportivo La Coruna but the third one on Matchday Six was where all the excitement took place culminating in a stunning Gerrard strike to make the Kop go delirious with joy. Home record is pretty good for Liverpool FC. -> 5 goals scored and 1 conceded in three home games. AWAY FORM The away form of Liverpool has to be the concerning part. Rafa's plan didn't work at all with two away defeats albeit narrow ones (1-0) to Monaco and Olympiacos really damaged their campaign somewhat. It was an important win at the Riazor to Deportivo (0-1) that was precious. This kind of form will hurt a lot in the knock-out stages. A team cannot continue to rely on the home games to get the job done. There will come a time when things don't click in a home game at least once during a champions league [victorious] campaign and it is at that time that the great sides put on the show in alien territory to show who's boss. -> 1 goal scored and 2 conceded in three away games. Offence (old rating: 2.5 stars)-> Cisse -> Baros -> Pongolle -> Mellor Liverpool have already lost Cisse with a broken foot but pulled through. They have Morientes now but he is ineligible for European competition as he has represented his former club. However that will give the opportunity to Mellor who has scored a shocker or two to partner Baros up front. Liverpool is depleted up front but the damage is not much in this deptt compared to what they were starting with. They can manage. Midfield (old rating: 4 stars)-> Gerrard -> Alonso -> Kewell -> Garcia -> Hamann -> Diao -> Smicer -> Nunez Losing Xabi Alonso is a big big blow to Liverpool's chances. It hurts their chances big time. The burden and pressure on Gerrard's shoulders is huge now as if it wasn't before! The others have to raise their game which is a difficult thing to do. Things will have to work inch perfect for Liverpool to deal with this. I'm afraid it is a damaging blow keeping in mind they don't have a rounded squad. Defence (old rating: ditto)-> Hyypia -> Henchoz -> Josemi -> Riise -> Finnan -> Traore -> Carragher -> Warnock I was wrong in saying that the full-back position was set because it is not. The right back needs improvement. Rafa Benitez will have to weave some magic and instill some discipline + organization to make Liverpool's defence water-tight because a strong defence (meaning clean sheets) will help Liverpool's progression in this tournament as the midfield is not very strong. LEVERKUSEN - Deutschland Next opponent as mentioned is in Germany. Both teams are more or less in the same position in their respective leagues. It seemed that Liverpool had got the easiest of draws amongst the English sides but injuries and form have put doubts in that a bit. Liverpool will have to play a fantastic match in Anfield to seal the tie. A narrow home win can potentially hurt them in the BayArena considering their poor away form.
__________________
___________________
ACM 1899 ___________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
17-02-2005, 20:08
|
#57 | |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 04 2002
Location: Lahore, Pakistan.
|
Quote:
Arsenal FC Arsenal FC (ENG) Qualified as: English champions Premiership status: Third (P17 W10 D5 L2) Group stage: Group E winners (P6 W2 D4 L0) Best performance: Quarter-finals (2001, 2004)  2003/04 Champions League: Quarter-finals (lost 3-2 on aggregate to Chelsea) RD-16 opponents: FC Bayern München Review + Preview I don't know how Arsenal manage to make life difficult for themselves. They had an easy group and should've made qualification easier than it eventually was for them. Credit must go to PSV Eindhoven who enjoyed their best UCL campaign since the new format took place and really put on a good show! Arsenal's problems were multiplied by a Greek presence in the CL this season as both Olympiakos and Panathinaikos had very good campaigns simultaneously. A ripple effect of the great campaign that the Greeks had during the Euro. Arsenal started off with a narrow 1-0 win against PSV and then played 4 draws and finally thrashing Rosenborg 5-1 to get the job done. Arsenal made life difficult for themselves at a time when they were on cruise control in the league. Wenger has tried to not lose in the UCL this time around but the cost of that was Arsenal had to get rid of their quick one touch swift counter attacking style to get through the group. Arsenal have struggled as usual but the thing to look at is their undefeated streak. They are not losing away from home and making it tough for the opposition to beat them. If they can add more clean sheets and the ability to win more games then they can get better but time is not on their sides. HOME FORM Started off with a 1-0 home win against a PSV side that improved with time. The second game was an away draw to Pana with Lehmann in no man's land for the Pana goal. The third was a thrashing handed out to Rosenborg when Arsenal predictably killed off the game in the first 30 mins. Every teams has its star players who have to rise to the occasion to come good. Arsenal's big names are Henry, Vieira, Pires, Campbell, Ljunberg and the first two are the pillars on which The Arsenal stands. The former two are gifted but lack cojones. Mental wussies. Arsenal has needs a more spread of their goals scored at home. Old problem. They don't score when it matters but when they do, they score a bundle. A more even spread is required. -> Scored 7 goals and conceded 2 AWAY FORM The away form is always good when you don't get beat. 3 draws and 3 scoring draws is pretty good going. Had they added a win here then it would've been fantastic viewing results wise. But Arsenal believes more in entertaining rather than getting the job done.  They've scored in every away game while the performances have been dire at times. If a scoring draw can take place in Germany then Arsenal will do very well to start off the knock-out round. Conceding 4 is not that bad and scoring 4 is not that bad. They lack an away win to make it a better looking stat. -> Scored 4 and conceded 4 Offence (old rating: ditto)-> Henry -> Reyes -> Bergkamp -> Van Persie -> Lupoli Scoring 11 in the group stage is good going especially when you consider that one of the main creative force in the shape of Bergkamp doesn't travel. However it gets tough now and Arsenal have to look at their main man Henry to carry forward the offence. There is no room for mental breakdown now. It is a simple two leg knock-out where most probably Bergie won't be able to travel leaving the burden on Henry to deliver in the games. Time will tell whether he maintains his amazing consistency to become a lion when it is a normal situation and becomes a mouse when the heat is turned on. Relying on him will cost Arsenal. Midfield 1/2 (old rating: 4 stars)-> Pires -> Vieira -> Ljunberg -> Fabregas -> Flamini -> Edu -> Gilberto -> Djourou -> Pennant -> Hoyte Arsenal has often looked flat in this department and yet they have not lost a game in the group stage. They've got a lot of draws and this competition is more about not losing. A defeat can hurt a lot from now on. Arsenal will do well to maintain this record and not lose a game. However the midfield must step up a notch or two. Gilberto could well be the missing link. I wonder if Wenger has the courage to field Fabregas and Gilberto together in the middle leaving out the captain. Defence (old rating: 4 stars)-> Campbell -> Toure -> Cole -> Lauren -> Senderos -> Clichy -> Cygan Arsenal is shaky at the back if they don't have their starting back 4. A lot depends on the fitness of Lauren-Toure-Campbell-Cole being fit and playing together. They worked well as a unit but since the injuries and absences broke that quartet the settling and adjustment is just lacking. They look lost at the back at times. It also effects a defence mentally when they know that the responsibility on them is a lot more considering that the goalkeeper is not the last line of defence and could make a mistake! It effects the overall play. The Arsenal defence needs to be more tighter at the back as even a single goal can be a killer blow at the wrong time. BAYERN - Deutschland The reaction of Arsenal fans that I know of wasn't positive when I told them that they drew Bayern. They were not downbeat but worried. And worried they should be. Arsenal being the most fragile team mentally out of the top sides is up against a mentally tough outfit traditionally. The match is always played on the pitch but the mental state of players has so much to do with how comfortable the players are on the pitch. A lot of changes have happened since the draw took place. Some sides have picked up while some have gone down and now it is looking even more difficult to pick out winners than it was over a month ago. Arsenal is in a pickle now. I will still give them the slightest of edges to get past Bayern but it won't be easy at all. Arsenal will have to play really well in Deutschland to get the job done because Bayern is getting better. If they don't play a half decent game in Germany then they are in trouble in Highbury. Bayern are capable of beating Arsenal in Highbury but Arsenal is not capable of beating Bayern in the Olimpiastadion. An upset can happen but somebody will need to play the game of his life. They will need to raise their game to defy their doubters. The key game is in Germany which will dictate how the tie goes.
__________________
___________________
ACM 1899 ___________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
18-02-2005, 18:08
|
#58 | |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 04 2002
Location: Lahore, Pakistan.
|
Quote:
Internazionale FC FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) Qualified as: Fourth place in Italy Serie A status: Fifth (P15 W3 D12 L0) Group stage: Group G winners (P6 W4 D2 L0) Best performance: Winners (1964, 1965) 2003/04 Champions League: Group stage RD-16 opponents: FC Porto Review + Preview Inter put in an extremely strong showing in the first group stage and they had a very tight and tough group to deal with!! They remain undefeated and do so with some measure of authority! And yet the same Inter is having trouble to convert the draws to wins from time to time! I did think initially that Inter is better built for European competition and they have done very well winning their group and playing a hand at the surprising elimination of Spanish champions Valencia CF! Mancini hasn't got it together in the Serie A as yet but he hasn't put a foot wrong in Europe! HOME FORM Inter hasn't conceded a goal at home! The only time they didn't score was against Valencia CF in a do or die game for the Spanish outfit. In the other two games they took care of Werder and Anderlecht with relative ease! A big factor in this super form was the form of The Brasilian Beast aka Adriano! The only weakness in his game is his weaker foot but does he make up for that loss!! He is a super-human forward and much will depend on his form to carry Inter on his shoulders. Something that he has done and something that he can do! Opponents have to neutralize him to minimize Inter's threat. If he is let loose then it is troubling for opponents! -> 5 goals scored and 0 conceded Away Form This is where Inter showed its strength. They thrashed Anderlecht 1-3. Anderlecht had a poor campaign and Inter took full advantage of their poor state by toying around with them. The big headliner was the dismantling of a Valencia side that just didn't have a reply to the Brute Brasilian's raw power, pace and precision. A weakened Valencia met Adriano on a night where he was relentless. The whole Inter side performed well and it happens in football that an individual can raise the level of a side and improve the morale and confidence! The game against Werder was tricky but still Inter didn't lose or concede too many. A 1-1 draw is not bad at all when you have two convincing away wins under your belt! The brilliant stat is that of goals scored away from home. It shows that Inter is comfortable away from home and has dealt well with what was thrown their way. The worrying thing for Inter is the conceding goals on their trips. Even in this hot form they didn't keep a clean sheet. Now that every goal becomes more important it may well happen that Inter concedes at home (something that they haven't done) and therefore they must keep a tight noose on their travels. This is a testing competition and the team that loses its strongest strength but still pulls through to convert its weakness into a strength goes the complete distance! It does happen during a campaign that things just don't click on a certain day. It is at that time when a champion team digs deep and gets rid of its weakness and converts it into a strength Inter has to be careful when it comes to letting in away goals because in one of the games they will concede at home and not score many away contrary to what they have been doing. It will hurt their cause if they don't deal with the goals conceded on their travels albeit they are a small amount. -> 9 goals scored and conceded 3 Offence (old rating: 3 stars)-> Adriano -> Cruz -> Martins -> Recoba -> Vieri Washed up Vieri has joined the scoring ranks since I last wrote this while Adriano's form has gone down a bit. Adriano is imperative for Inter's cause. If he is out of form or has an off-day then it can hurt Inter a lot. The positive thing in his favour is that he has already made quite a huge roar in this edition and therefore the opposition will be wary of him even he is not in best of form. Vieri is scoring regularly now, however I still think that Adriano and Martins is the better bet against a tight defence due to their pace. Midfield (old rating: ditto)-> Stankovic -> Emre -> Van Der Meyde -> Davids -> Veron -> Kily Gonzalez -> Cambiasso -> Karagounis -> Zanetti Inter has played the diamond midfield mostly and the key aspect has been to field Cambiasso to guard the defence. It hasn't worked proficiently in the Serie A but has worked well in the UCL. Now that Kily Gonzalez has returned it will work against Inter as he is a good for nothing big game Mr. Freeze. Veron is on again and off again. The midfield as a unit has worked well but Inter IMO lacks a commanding figure/focal point in the midfield. That role has been given to Veron but I have spoken on him in the past and don't consider him to be the role that he is given. As time wears on it will become evident if not already. Defence 1/2 (old rating: 3 stars)-> Zanetti -> Materazzi -> Burdisso -> Cordoba -> Mihajlovic -> Favalli -> Gamarra -> Pasquale Inter's downfall in this competition will potentially be the defence and I don't think many Inter fans will disagree with that. One goal is enough for elimination and this defence is just not prime enough to depend on if Inter has to shut up shop for the last 20 odd mins in a deciding game of a tie. They may do it but not a good bet at all. The problem lies in the heart of the defence with chopping, changing and shuffling. The existing personnel are ok and maybe good at times but there is plenty of room for improvement. Mancini will do the wrong thing if he doesn't concentrate even more on this area with the thought that the other deptts will bail the defence out. FC PORTO - Portugal Inter have got a less arduous task even though the team they are meeting are the defending European Champions! It is Porto who need to raise their game bundles to stand shoulder to shoulder with Inter and not the other way around. Inter will most probably get through with consummate ease as expected. However Inter cannot get too ahead of themselves thinking that they are already there before they are actually there. Two games need to be played and the job is to be done.
__________________
___________________
ACM 1899 ___________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
18-02-2005, 19:12
|
#59 | |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 04 2002
Location: Lahore, Pakistan.
|
Quote:
Real Madrid CF Real Madrid CF (ESP) Qualified as: Fourth place in Spain Primera División status: Fourth (P14 W8 D4 L2) Group stage: Group B runners-up (P6 W3 D2 L1) Best performance: Winners (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002) 2003/04 Champions League: Quarter-finals (lost on away goals to Monaco after 5-5 draw) RD-16 opponents: Juventus FC Review + Preview Well well well ... look what happened to Real. The joke of a midfield needed an anchorman after all ... Gee whizz! Now that a YOUNGER player who is played at HIS POSITION in the CORRECT ROLE has joined does Real look like a team somewhat. The result of Gravesen joining has pushed Beckham into his proper slot while Figo was always the complete winger and he adjusted without a hiccup. Zidane gets into more attacking play and there lies Real's offensive strength through the middle. When Zidane has a good game Real is on fire and when he is off which is pretty much the whole season Real struggles to get the result even if it is a win! Vanderlei Luxemburgo was also signed seeing where Real was heading which was definitiely into no man's land! Real looks a bit more stable now and more like a football team as the players are being correctly on the field. However I still don't understand what Owen has to do to get a starting spot. I think 3 hat-tricks would give the kid a start after all. Real and Juve is a brilliant tie nonetheless with two very big clubs locking horns as they have in recent seasons for quite some time now! It is a tough tie to call but Real has had the slight edge over Juve and while Real needs Zidane to fire on all cylinders, Juve needs Nedved to do the same. I see these two stars as the deciding factors of this tie even though there are quite a few match-winners on either side's rosters. HOME FORM 4-2 (Roma), 1-0 (Kyiv) and 1-1 (Leverkusen) was Real's performance. They scraped through on the final matchday and in the end matched Leverkusen's total of 11 points! Only let down by the one to one btw both sides. Real played with fire during the group stage giving plenty of shocks and surprises along the way! Kyiv will feel hard done by to go out even though they scored 10 points! Unlucky for the Ukrainians who really did have a brilliant group stage. Apart from that Roma self-destruction, Real haven't been scoring as freely as they are accustomed to and that was due to a number of factors ranging from comical defending, clown as a coach, ageing stars, lack of form and unbalanced team. The coach and the balance of the team has been rectified and that has automatically improved the defence while the lack of form and ageing has still not been fixed. Ageing won't be fixed. It is only one way from here. -> 6 goals scored and 3 conceded AWAY FORM Away form is dilly-dally. They got thumped on the opening matchday and then clawed their way back to a draw in Kyiv while won easily in an empty stadium that was a snooze-fest. However the away form has been improving game by game for Real and that is a positive thing for them. -> 5 goals scored and 5 goals conceded Offence 1/2 (old rating: 5 stars)-> Ronaldo -> Raul -> Morientes (out) - Portillo (in) -> Owen It was a brilliant quartet with Mori and Owen as the second string. However the Camacho the chicken and Garcia-Remon the clown didn't utilize their services as they should've. Let's see whether Luxemburgo is all talk or does he really have the balls to bench Raul or Ronaldo IF THEY UNDER-PERFORM. If he doesn't then Real will rue the day. Portillo or Guti aren't that big a threat so if anything ... Real has lost a goalscorer in the window than gaining one. They've reduced their options but then again they weren't using it in the first place. Midfield 1/2 (old rating: 3 stars)-> Zinedine Zidane -> Luis Figo -> David Beckham -> Ivan Helguera -> Santiago Solari -> Guti (he can play as a forward as well) -> Celades -> Tomas Gravesen Biggest addition is Gravesen. If he gets injured or suspended Real is in quicksand as the next in line are the same! It is a brittle midfield with not much able back-up except Solari. In the long haul it will hurt them and now is the time when a rounded squad helps. Ohh and one more thing. I'm still waiting for Zidane to play his 5 magical games. So far he has reached the hallmark figure of 2 this season. He still has time to make the mark of 5. :shades: Defence (old rating: ditto)-> Salgado -> Carlos -> Samuel -> Woodgate -> Bravo -> Pavon -> Mejia -> Fernandez Woodgate hasn't played a single minute so far. Surprise surprise and I was criticized for giving a low rating to the Real defence when they had Woodgate and Samuel in the centre hypothetically. Salgado and Carlos have lost it big time on the flanks. They were in a world of their own in 2002. How times change. The problem is that Salgado is a decent defender while Carlos sucks big time at defending. They used to make it up through contributing a hell of a lot in the attack keeping the opposition pegged back but it is different now. The opposition goes for Real's jugular nowadays instead of sitting back and taking hit after hit and eventually cracking. JUVENTUS - Italia Juve is experiencing a dip in form at the wrongest of times while Real's form has gotten better with the new mgmt and signing. That makes the tie quite even compared to what was when the draw was made. Both coaches are stubborn in the sense that they will play their preferred starting 11 and hardly ever bench their main players. It will come down to the braver coach who has the guts to ring in the changes when the team needs it instead of waiting till water is under the bridge. Real is not as potent as they used to be a few years ago and Juve is much more solid defensively at the back. Juve's problem is that they have trouble scoring goals with very narrow margin wins. One thing about a Capello side is that they can suddenly score plenty of goals and that is what Real have to be careful of. Capello will make dead sure that the Juve goal is guarded better than Fort Knox. In doing that he will lure in Real's team leaving gaps open for the classic Juve counter-attack. Juve is dangerous on that and their strength lies in width provided through wingers. Without that and Nedved, Juve looks toothless and helpless. If Juve don't score more they will pay a big penalty coz it is not easy to keep clean sheets in every game. They've done that a lot but Murphy's Law strikes once in a while to every team.
__________________
___________________
ACM 1899 ___________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
18-02-2005, 19:52
|
#60 | |
|
Registered User
Join Date: 04 2002
Location: Lahore, Pakistan.
|
Quote:
Juventus FC Juventus FC (ITA) Qualified as: Third place in Italy Serie A status: First (P15 W12 D2 L1) Group stage: Group C winners (P6 W5 D1 L0) Best performance: Winners (1985, 1996) 2003/04 Champions League: First knockout round (lost 2-0 on aggregate to Deportivo) RD-16 opponents: Real Madrid CF Review + Preview This Juve side is over-achieving due the coaching of Capello. He has brought in re-inforcements but had it not been for the world class defensive unit, Juve would've surely struggled and yet here we are in February and they are still top of the Serie A and group winners of the UCL. Even though things have gone wrong for Juve but they stand firm and are taking it game by game getting the job done slowly but surely. That won't help that much now in this competition as Juve will need to find a solution to their low scoring rate as I can't see them keeping clean sheets throughout this competition till the very end. A part of the problem for that lack of offensive punch has been Zlatan. I don't rate him much to be honest and even though I have been repeating this many a time that maybe he learns and improves but after every viewing the result is the same. He has to be thick-skulled to continue over-doing the dribble. He is not an impact player like Nedved. Nedved does the simple things correctly and therefore has more impact. The game is played through the basic things. You do the basic things right first and then later on do the magic and tricks etc. ADP in '98 was pure impact. Even Trez on form is impact but Zlatan is a pure non-learner. Well he has the biggest opportunity now in a Juve shirt to do the right stuff against Real but I wouldn't bet on it. The occasion and the surrounding star cast of world class players will just encourage him to show that he is on their level and do the dribble resulting in one too many. Loads of excitement, talent and work but no brains and no sense of the 'when' and the 'where'. So much is depending on three main players for Juve offensively. Nedved, Trezeguet and Camoranesi. If they don't have good games from now till the end whenever that may be Juve could well struggle. And that is considering that the defence holds firm as they have done for the first part of the season. HOME FORM It is repetitive pattern throughout the group stage. Score 1 goal and maintain that lead. The wins against Bayern and Ajax are not easy but they got it. Problem is the lack of goals winning by miniscule margins. -> 3 goals scored and 0 conceded. AWAY FORM Same pattern except Juve conceded one goal in Israel in a game that didn't matter to them. -> 3 goals scored and 1 conceded. Offence 1/2 (old rating: ditto)-> Trezeguet -> Ibrahimovic -> Del Piero -> Zalayeta Same thing except that Trez is back so there is a glimmer of hope for Juve that the goals will come. Del Piero is on a continuous downward spiral and does play that magical game from time to time but they are few and far between. Zlatan and scoring is similar to Chandler Bing and scoring. It all reverts back to Janice somehow. Midfield 1/2 (old rating: ditto)-> Nedved -> Emerson -> Tacchinardi -> Camoranesi -> Kapo -> Tudor -> Olivera -> Blasi Maresca and Miccoli (forward line) would've come in so handy right now especially Maresca. The pressure on Nedved to deliver is just immense. Emerson is a good player but he doesn't perform in a big game vs. a big opponent. I expect him to have a rough time against Real in both legs now that Real has Gravesen has the bricklayer's job giving freedom to the others more so than in the past. Blasi is there to foul and break-up the momentum and play. Camoranesi needs to push up more and provide impetus to the Juve offence. Olivera in some other language must mean selfish :tongue: Nedved piece of mastery can do it and Gravesen's sole responsibility will be to stop him if Luxemburgo knows what he must do. If you leave Nedved alone then you need a class defence to keep things in check. Real has a class defence for sure but add "less" to it hence Gravesen needs to be Nedved's shadow. Defence (old rating: 4 stars)-> Thuram -> Cannavaro -> Ferrara -> Zambrotta -> Birindelli -> Zebina -> Pessotto One of the best defences in Europe. The organisation and movement is superb. The anticipation is there and it is very tough to break down the defence. Real will need some nifty one touch football at the edge of the Juve box to break down the defence. And good finishing as well. The defence is after all Juve's best line eh Glen? :tongue: REAL - Espańa Big names playing. More than 100 trophies between the two clubs. Juve was the underdog last time around as well when they met. This time Juve were favourites when the draw was made but under the circumstances and change of fortunes of both sides the tide is turning into Real's favour slowly. It will be a mental blow to Real if they don't defeat Juve in Madrid and an even bigger shock if they somehow lose 0-1. The only surprise could be Juve scoring a few goals in this tie. There are not many other surprises that one can expect. Real goes into this tie with ascendancy. The likelihood of Del Piero starting is perhaps on the cards as Capello said that Del Piero will thank him later for this. I get the feeling that maybe he will start him here which will spur DP on for a good performance. I wouldn't be surprised if DP is put in the hole with Zlatan and Trez up front and a 4 man midfield of Zambro-Ned-Emerson-Camo backed up by a 3 man backline of Canna-Thuram-Zebina! Capello loves the 3-4-1-2 so you can never discount that he will revert to it when he has the players to play that. It will turn the tie on its head and Real will have trouble coping with that formation and players. Otherwise this 4-4-2 is static and heavily reliant on Nedved.
__________________
___________________
ACM 1899 ___________________ |
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
