The Champions League Thread

[Savory]

forgot about him til now, damn you RTT!

we really need hm now

[-BARON-23-]

Yeah he's the closest to a Robbie Savage esque player we've had in ages

[-BARON-23-]

NANI SENT OFF

[Dan]

NANI SENT OFF

Aye, the conspiracy theories are flying around on twitter, apparently the referee was always going to be biased as he follows Ronaldo and Real Madrid on there.

I suppose a yellow would have been fine, it was high but there was no intent to kick the bloke. Ferdinand could do with a fine for getting right in the ref's face with his sarcastic clapping at the end though.

[Rover Ryan]

NANI SENT OFF

Aye, the conspiracy theories are flying around on twitter, apparently the referee was always going to be biased as he follows Ronaldo and Real Madrid on there.

I suppose a yellow would have been fine, it was high but there was no intent to kick the bloke. Ferdinand could do with a fine for getting right in the ref's face with his sarcastic clapping at the end though.

Typical Scum players, trained to dispute the referee and try to gain any advantage they can. It didn't work this time. It was never a sending off, there was no malice from Nani but (for me anyway) it was Karma catching up on them. Justice!!

[mcteeth]

Rocky Rocky Rocky

[rob_of_the_robots]

From the BBC live text:

Rewind three years and Blackburn Rovers were reportedly in the hunt to sign tonight's four-goal hero Robert Lewandowski. Sam Allardyce fancied a move for the then Lech Poznan striker. The German side pipped Rovers in the end in a deal worth around £4m.

[rob_of_the_robots]

Turns out his visit to us was cancelled due to that stupid Icelandic volcano, so we got Kalinic instead

[Rover the Moon]

Pipe dream.

What were the odds on both Spanish clubs getting gubbed by 4 goals??

[theadore]

Stunning scenes... although I don't buy the sweeping change at the top I think we're seeing the best 2 teams this year prove themselves.

[Rovertheseas]

Anyone else enjoying seeing Barcelona get beaten so heavily. I've always quite liked Barcelona, but there's something glorious in seeing their downfall. The German teams have been outstanding this tournament.

[tomthebodz]

Lost for words after that game. Bayern are my 2nd team and I had the utmost faith in them to get to the final, I never expected them to win that easily at the Nou Camp.

I thought that this would be a 2-0 to Barca.

[Joe]

Anyone else enjoying seeing Barcelona get beaten so heavily. I've always quite liked Barcelona, but there's something glorious in seeing their downfall. The German teams have been outstanding this tournament.

Bayern were superb. Seriously awesome over both legs.

But calling it Barca's downfall is either just plain wrong (they lost La Liga and Champs league last year remember?), or pretty premature.

They've had a bit of a transitition with a new manager coming in, who's happened to be absent for a large chunk of the second half of the season fighting cancer.... They've had at least 2 of their best 4 CB's out for practically every game since October, and they've had their best player injured for the last month. Their other key players (Xavi,Iniesta and Busquets) have been clearly playing with injuries since Christmas too. And the rest of the team in general have looked unfit since Christmas. (I maintain that a fully fit Barca 11 v Bayern would have been a much closer tie).

Most of that is down to a lack of decisions/management, which is inevitable if you're boss is undergoing chemotherapy. And it should really have been dealt with by powers that be making the difficult decision to hire an interim coach. But calling it a 'downfall', or "end of an era" as the British media will no doubt turn into a sound-bite is a mistake if you ask me. If a downfall, or end of an era, involves easing La Liga against possibly the best Madrid team for years, then that's a pretty cool downfall.

But again, fairplay to the Germans. They were fantastic. Both sides, both ties.

[Joe]

EDIT:

I fully admit to being a Barca supporter, so am somewhat biased. But seriously.... if this is a downfall, wasn't losing to Chelsea and not winning the league last season their 'downfall'?

I don't like the word "era" in these contexts. Football goes in cycles. We've been treated to a cycle of some of the best football ever witnessed from Barcelona in the last 4 years (and still are...see Milan return leg...). But that cycle was always going to come to an end. Teams, (well, Bayern, have shown you can overcome what was called 'perfect' football at times, with their own brand of entertaining play.

Next year will be very interesting to see how the likes of Barca, Madrid and United try and put an end to this Bayern cycle before it has time to progress.

[Rover the Top]

I agree, Joe. It is over-sensationalising the situation to say one tie symbolises a complete shift in power. Barcelona weren't at their best for a couple of weeks whilst Bayern have wrapped up their league and could focus solely on preparing for the games. Barcelona don't need to change anything, they've made the semi-final, they're on course to win the league, they'll get Messi back and start all over on another campaign next season. Losing games is inevitable, there is no perfect plan that will guarantee victory. Bayern only had two shots on target and won 3-0. That's not a stat you'll see very often, and not a reason to give up on a formula that works in the vast majority of games.

I still think it's good that Barcelona are out though. It's good for football to have different teams competing for trophies, instead of the same few clubs all the time.