CL Last 16

First topic message reminder :

Some cracking games this week, Barca/City and Bayern/Arsenal. Can't see past Bayern and Barca wins. Pellegrini has said he'll attack Barca and I say do so at your peril. This may not be the Barca side from 2010-2012 but its still a very very good side with players in form currently, namely Fabregas, Sanchez and with a returning Messi back in the goals. There's a chance that if they go in with two strikers that they could get torn to pieces. I think against Barca you have to play a 5 man midfield. They keep the ball too well and will just pass their way through you.

Barca are really impressing me, I was wrong I thought City would edge them in this tie. Clearly they are still a big threat in this competition.

Barca will appeal Demichelis's red card

well that was a pile of rubbish from Man City. Never put Barca under any sort of pressure, too many players looked disinterested, and the moment of stupidity from Demichaelis cost them dear, as expected (why Pellegrini keeps picking the useless idiot is beyond us mere mortals). You have to wonder how badly this will affect Man City for the rest of the season too, talk of the quadruple surely out of the window now...

I had doubts over Barca before this tie but I was really impressed with them. Made City look very ordinary at their own ground.
They are pretty much already through along with PSG.

Another "Zlatan" moment for his compilation:

That will be tough to take for City. A golden chance gone begging; Pellegrini surely knows it as well.

Up until the red card, it's all very even. Barcelona with most of the ball, but very little penetration. City holding firm, and looking dangerous against a weak Barcelona defence when they did get the ball.

Then the red card. Never a penalty for me on first view, and the replays rather confirmed it being outside. Linesman should be spotting that and, if not, the referee should surely be erring on the side of caution. Of course you argue the error, perhaps compounded by missing the foul of Navas in the build-up, was cancelled out by Barcelona's unfairly disallowed goal. Or you could counter that the game wouldn't have played out in the same way...hey ho.

On to Demichelis - utter liability. Positionally he's all over the place. Why not go with Lescott? Never the best either, but at least he's positionally self-aware and a presence in the box.

And Joe Hart. Grrr. Still hasn't got over the terrible tendency to start to go one way during a player's run up with a spot-kick. I first noticed that during the shoot-out at Euro 2012; now most sensible penalty-takers have started to stutter in their run against him, leaving them an easy pen.

Of course after going 1 down, it was always going to be uphill for City. They still had the odd chance, but never took full advantage. They became weary. It may be game over.

Barcelona. Defence dodgy (particularly Alves), keeper never the best - particularly against crosses. Messi dangerous, Iniesta lively. Barca rely on a moment of magic or a loss of concentration - the latter occured twice tonight. Won't go all the way in this competition though as the defence is too much of a liability.

And it's not yet game over. Wouldn't rule the blue half of Manchester out just yet. They're perfectly capable of scoring two or three, even if it is in the Nou Camp (which is not as vast as the popular media will have you believe), and even if it is with only 35% possession. Wouldn't bet on it though.

*Reaches into knowledge of pesky stereotypical foreign behaviours, whilst managing to ignore City's lack of English players*

For you see, Barca will try every trick in the book. Diving, time-wasting, surrounding the referee and er.....

Keeping the ball. They're quite good at that, after all.

Well done Barcelona.

Proud of the effort the boys put in....

Barcelona are a great team and there was nothing in it..

Funny hearing all the negative stuff on here..

Chelsea were battered on Saturday and Utd and Arsenal humiliated at City..

Well done again boys...Chins up

nonsense performance. That was as bad as they get. No penetration. just scrared ducklings- like they have looked in Europe over the previous campaigns.

Well done barca. great control on the ball- allways a joy to watch that. But they were there to be taken.

I really have no idea why you are praising your team after that performance truss.

That was seriously lacking. all they had to do was go for it and take the game to Barcelona..

Citeh are a young team- and only have one way of playing.. That is attack.. full on.. That's what they needed to do. yes the score line may have been 3-2 to barca, but it also could have been 3-1 to citeh

Duty281 wrote:
Well done Barcelona.

Well Duty there's something I thought I'd never see you say!

This was a case of two foreign teams playing on English soil.  I mean Man City owned by an Oil Sheik, with a foreign manager and foreign players apart from the goalie and a late substitute of Lescott.  It's all meaningless in terms of nationalistic sympathies except the better team won.  Well done Barcelona - a team owned by its supporters - now that's a team worth supporting.

Olly wrote:

Duty281 wrote:
Well done Barcelona.

Well Duty there's something I thought I'd never see you say!

Through gritted teeth, you understand.

Their experience carried them through in the end. Good, but far from great.

Better teams will take them I feel. Plenty of possession, the first 'p', but none of the second: penetration.

Chance wasted for Citeh - they were far too passive. Better closing down and a higher press may have harried Barcelona; you can't let Barcelona play the game as they want to play it. You have to disrupt them. You have to go at them.

Defensively, Barcelona are p!ss poor. Any ball in the box would murder them. Three or four times tonight, a teasing cross caused havoc for the Spanish club. Physically, you can bully them as well. That's why Drogba was so good for Chelsea, and why Negredo could have been so good tonight.

City not out of it for the reason, but they have to go for it. They can't die wondering.

Nore Staat wrote:This was a case of two foreign teams playing on English soil.  I mean Man City owned by an Oil Sheik, with a foreign manager and foreign players apart from the goalie and a late substitute of Lescott.  It's all meaningless in terms of nationalistic sympathies except the better team won.  Well done Barcelona - a team owned by its supporters - now that's a team worth supporting.

Barcelona are a despicable team. I held it in for sooooooo long as well.

Taking football into a non-contact sport. And talk about dull...I've had greater excitement in...well...um....99% of other things I've done in my life. Yawnnnnnnnnnn.

The game tomorrow will be better; that was just a little starter.

Nore Staat wrote:This was a case of two foreign teams playing on English soil.  I mean Man City owned by an Oil Sheik, with a foreign manager and foreign players apart from the goalie and a late substitute of Lescott.  It's all meaningless in terms of nationalistic sympathies except the better team won.  Well done Barcelona - a team owned by its supporters - now that's a team worth supporting.

I dont want to get into all this mate- but there is no moral ground that Barcelona have over privately owned clubs..

when Barcelona need to buy extra players they do it in the form of bank loans which never need to be paid back- these banks are being propped up by net contributors of the EU, basically - people that live and pay tax in the UK for one!

BUt anyway as I said I dont want to get into it. Bracelona are a great side and deserved the win. 

It was lacklustre from citeh who should have played the only way they know how to(attack)

But Barcelona have no moral high ground on how they conduct there business.

Our foreign owners are at least bringing money into Europe.. Barcelona is sucking money out. And lets not get into the whole way they sign players like Neymar..

If a standard business was conducting that sort of tax fraud in other countries someone would be in jail for it!

Duty281 wrote:City 3-0 Barcelona...never in doubt.

I was, of course, referring to the second leg.

City really did get their tactics in a muddle tonight.

Duty281 wrote:

Olly wrote:

Duty281 wrote:
Well done Barcelona.

Well Duty there's something I thought I'd never see you say!

Through gritted teeth, you understand.

Their experience carried them through in the end. Good, but far from great.

Better teams will take them I feel. Plenty of possession, the first 'p', but none of the second: penetration.

Chance wasted for Citeh - they were far too passive. Better closing down and a higher press may have harried Barcelona; you can't let Barcelona play the game as they want to play it. You have to disrupt them. You have to go at them.

Defensively, Barcelona are p!ss poor. Any ball in the box would murder them. Three or four times tonight, a teasing cross caused havoc for the Spanish club. Physically, you can bully them as well. That's why Drogba was so good for Chelsea, and why Negredo could have been so good tonight.

City not out of it for the reason, but they have to go for it. They can't die wondering.

And that's the problem, because when City were caught out tonight, it was when they had pushed on and left space for Barca to exploit. Now they have no choice, and have to hope to get some luck as well, with maybe Barca having an off day in front of goal (which I'd argue they did tonight, certainly weren't at their recent levels of form)

Well Citeh were terrible tonight, but i think Pellegrani is to blame. The team he put out was rubbish, tactics all wrong and from the first minute, it looked like Barca were on top.

The Demicheles man sausage up was always going to happen, bit like when Casper Ankercrap is in goal for Brighton, you know its coming you just don't know when. His tackle was foolish. Terrible player. 

Gael Clichy was also terrible. Thought he was at fault for the 2nd goal. Good finish none the less.

Well that's Barca through.

Well done to PSG as well, dominate display, what a ping by Kebab btw!!!!!!!

All they had to do was play with no fear.

but then there is something about pedigree in this competition.

Barclelona arnt at there best and neither are united.(off course united's level is at a much lower one than Barcelona's who still are leading there league!!)

But come CL time both show what they are made of

The only team I see putting Barca out of this competition is Bayern. Ya Ya was awful, Demichelis is awful. Barca don't have the greatest defense but they still are in my mind the best attacking team in the game. City played better when down to 10 men than they did with 11. They really needed to lock up shop defensively in the last quarter of hour. A 1-0 result would have left them very much in this tie, but to concede in the 90th minute like that really kills them. Pellegrini didn't help matters with his substitutes throwing on two attackers when he should have focused on limiting damage at the end of the match.

I think i would have to put chelsea as one of the teams that could knock out barca.

As they allways can

The best attacking team in the game should have created more chances than that.

Duty281 wrote:The best attacking team in the game should have created more chances than that.

Well yes, as Kompany said post game they weren't on their game tonight which makes City's performance all the more disappointing.

"And that's the problem, because when City were caught out tonight, it was when they had pushed on and left space for Barca to exploit. Now they have no choice,"


they should have understood they had no choice in the first place and played to there own strengths not tried to counter barcas strengths..


Man Citeh are no chelsea... Its gun ho or nothing

I've got the solution to Barca's attacking problem tonight. Messi hint no Jonny Howson buh

Duty281 wrote:The best attacking team in the game should have created more chances than that.

What team would you rate as a better attacking side? Cesc, Messi, Neymar, Pedro, Alexi Sanchez, and Iniesta; if you ask me I can't think of a side that has more goals in them. Bayern is better in the goalkeeping and defense, while also being a great attacking side. Real Madrid probably is the only side that in terms of out and out attack could match them although I would still give the edge to Barca. I feel pretty comfortable in my assessment. I mean people brag about City's attack and yes it is lethal, but weren't they just held to 0-0 against Norwich? So even a great attacking side doesn't score bundles of goals in every match.

Demichelis was damned if he did and damned if he didn't last night.

"What did you tackle him risking a pen and a red card?"
"Why didn't you tackle him instead allowing the best player on the planet a free run at our goal?"

Completey changed the complexion of the game insomuch as it actually made City push on a bit more. Only the one decent run from Yaya last night, which given his size and ability, I thought was pretty poor. Kompany was very good but Negredo seems to have gone off the boil slightly. As mentioned above, 1-0 with five minutes on the clock just shut up shop and hope that Aguero is back for the 2nd leg.

City need a miracle but this season is full of surprises so you never know although the bookies now have City 20-1 to go through.

well it wasn't a penalty- But we cant really blame that bad decision for the loss. He should still have been sent off. 

But the only saving grace is that man citeh will have to push on away . There ar e not many tea,s that could potentially score a few goals at the Nou camp but citeh are one of them. They will of course also leak goals- So my 8 goal thriller may come on there instead!!!

But dont stick your money on it

but at 20/1 i am slightly tempted at a fiver

Pelegrani blaming the ref for defeat   

He comes across as such a bel*end in his post match interview.

which manager doesnt!!

well no sorry which manager bar Pulis doesnt..

I still cant believe how bad leverkusen are though.

I have a feeling arsenal could pull of a great shock tonight. Brayern's second best opposition in the league are worse than brighton

I think Negredo looks ten times the player with Aguero, he needs the foil to work off of.

predictions tonight..

3-3 arsernal v munchen
milan 1-2 athletico

Score draw, or Bayern to nick it 1-2.

Hope Oxlade starts and has a good game.

Arsenal 2-1 Bayern

Milan 1-1 Athleticoooooooooooooooooooooo

Man City v Barcelona 0-2

Looking at the penalty. Messi runs up slowly to kick the ball, Joe Hart dives to his left, Messi seeing that Joe Hart has already dived to his left knocks the ball gently into the goal slightly right off centre. Ergo Joe Hart plonker.

yeah what a plonker.  

he didn't save a penalty- shock horror..

Nore Staat wrote:Man City v Barcelona 0-2

Looking at the penalty.  Messi runs up slowly to kick the ball, Joe Hart dives to his left, Messi seeing that Joe Hart has already dived to his left knocks the ball gently into the goal slightly right off centre.  Ergo Joe Hart plonker.

Been doing it for ages now, has Hart. I'd fancy my chances from twelve yards against him, truth be told.

Duty, you'd fancy your chances with anyone but that's another matter

mystiroakey wrote:I still cant believe how bad leverkusen are though.

I have a feeling arsenal could pull of a great shock tonight. Brayern's second best opposition in the league are worse than brighton

I hope so, but frankly I don't have that feeling. I agree though that Bayern has not been battle tested week in and week at out like Arsenal have been. The Premier league is much tougher from top to bottom and Arsenal had a much tougher group in the CL and has had stiff competition in the FA cup as well. I think Arsenal will do well and make it a tough match if I had to pick a scoreline I would say Bayern 2-1.

saying all that bayern are 16 points ahead after about 21 games.. 

which states they haven't lost there form.

its really more about Dortmund losing there's- off course Bayern have helped massively in that respect.


Dortmound are still however the real German no.2, there is just no way on earth Bayer can match them in the long term. 
looking at citeh ,arsernal dortmund and bayern in the groups v each other

interestingly all won away.
]
bayern are favs for this. But they are normally a very competent team v german sides.. But normally they have been more successful away

Right Arsenal, I've always held a soft spot for you.

You were my favourite team when I were a kid, and Henry was, and remains, by far my favourite ever player.

Arsenal losing to Barcelona in 2006 still haunts this fair Englishman.

Come on Arsenal...this time, they can perhaps pull something out of the fire.

What the heck..

come on Duty you are closet Man u!

If I had to support a PL club, then it would either be Arsenal or Southampton.

I would rather see Arsenal win the CL or the PL than Man United.

Don't confuse my disastrous overrating of United, with a genuine like for them.

Good lad..

There are my 2nd and 3rd teams also

Oxlade starting....and Sangogo!

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Flamini, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Cazorla, Sanogo. Subs: Fabianski, Rosicky, Podolski, Giroud, Monreal, Jenkinson, Gnabry.

Bayern Munich: Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Dante, Alaba, Thiago, Javi Martinez, Robben, Kroos, Gotze, Mandzukic. Subs: Starke, Van Buyten, Rafinha, Pizarro, Muller, Contento, Schweinsteiger.

Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy) - Last years CL Final Ref.

John will be loving this

Cracking start...


two amazing saves ..

and penaly arsernal...

Penalty saved

Feick sake ozil.

you are GERMAN..he should never miss a pen..

problem is so is the goalie..

It's the unstoppable force against the immovable object.

Then again, Neuer is 100% German whereas Ozil is a bit Turkish.  Therefore, Neuer's Germanness wins.

Edit: It is Ozil I'm thinking of, isn't it?