CL round of 16 : Chelsea Vs Barcelona prediction and talk.
tiki_taka 7 years ago
Barcelona, France 368 9770
Chelsea to advance
26%
Barça to advance
74%

What’s your thoughts and predictions in first leg ?
Will give mine later i have mixed feelings on this...

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Comments
tuan_jinn 7 years ago Edited
Manchester United, Netherlands 198 6912

Chelsea put up a good fight, much much better than our shameful performance. Barca was just better.

I still feel Barca's mid and defend is fragile, especially when Busquet isn't there. Way better than previous years though.

I feel bad for Courtois, he's really lost... Total crap :(

Hazard was terrible today overall, decision making was bad and slowed attack, same with Willian (despite being their best player). Those 2 still have speed and technique but their passes could have been A LOTTTT earlier and better (which relatively would tear up Barca)

@Emo: Although I agree, it Messi hadn't scored so early, Chelsea's game plan would be whole lot different. Chelsea was very unlucky with the woodwork, but we can't count like that (the 6 4 thingy). I dont think Barca would play that slow and let Chelsea takes the mid later in the game, they would push and push and seize those spaces they had...

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Showing previous versions of this text.

Chelsea put up a good fight, Barca was just better.

I still feel Barca's mid and defend is fragile, especially when Busquet isn't there. Way better than previous years though.

I feel bad for Courtois, he's really lost...

Chelsea put up a good fight, Barca was just better.

I still feel Barca's mid and defend is fragile, especially when Busquet isn't there. Way better than previous years though.

I feel bad for Courtois, he's really lost...

Hazard was terrible today overall, decision making was bad and slowed attack, same with Willian. Those 2 still have speed and technique but their passes could have been A LOTTTT earlier and better (which relatively would tear up Barca)

@Emo: Although I agree, it Messi hadn't scored so early, Chelsea's game plan would be whole lot different. Chelsea was very unlucky with the woodwork, but we can't count like that (the 6 4 thingy). I dont think Barca would play that slow and let Chelsea takes the mid later in the game, they would push and push and seize those spaces they had...

Chelsea put up a good fight, Barca was just better.

I still feel Barca's mid and defend is fragile, especially when Busquet isn't there. Way better than previous years though.

I feel bad for Courtois, he's really lost...

Hazard was terrible today overall, decision making was bad and slowed attack, same with Willian (despite being their best player). Those 2 still have speed and technique but their passes could have been A LOTTTT earlier and better (which relatively would tear up Barca)

@Emo: Although I agree, it Messi hadn't scored so early, Chelsea's game plan would be whole lot different. Chelsea was very unlucky with the woodwork, but we can't count like that (the 6 4 thingy). I dont think Barca would play that slow and let Chelsea takes the mid later in the game, they would push and push and seize those spaces they had...

Chelsea put up a good fight, Barca was just better.

I still feel Barca's mid and defend is fragile, especially when Busquet isn't there. Way better than previous years though.

I feel bad for Courtois, he's really lost... Total crap :(

Hazard was terrible today overall, decision making was bad and slowed attack, same with Willian (despite being their best player). Those 2 still have speed and technique but their passes could have been A LOTTTT earlier and better (which relatively would tear up Barca)

@Emo: Although I agree, it Messi hadn't scored so early, Chelsea's game plan would be whole lot different. Chelsea was very unlucky with the woodwork, but we can't count like that (the 6 4 thingy). I dont think Barca would play that slow and let Chelsea takes the mid later in the game, they would push and push and seize those spaces they had...

tiki_taka 7 years ago
Barcelona, France 368 9770

God save the King.

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Emobot7 7 years ago
543 11502

@tuan No, for sure, it doesn't work the way I said it but you get what I meant. With a bit more luck, Chelsea might have reduced the difference. Obviously, the game became much more complicated for Chelsea after the first goal and they played more aggressively because of it while Barca actually wanted to keep possession and slow the tempo of the game above all else after taking the lead that early.

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Golazo111 7 years ago
Chelsea, Mexico 70 2607

Barcelona played a slow paced tempo in both games, that's how they play, number 1.

Chelsea just gifted them a goal in each game and was unable to score away so taking more risks ended up with even more mistakes and thus the final result.

Number 2, Chelsea had a different gameplan in the away game with Giroud up front simply because Chelsea already needed a goal because of the 1:1 in the first game, nothing was changed from the start of the game.

Barcelona just started the match with another gifted goal but the gameplan and tactic of Chelsea never changed before the start of the game and after the first goal, in fact Barcelona was "parking the bus" for 25-30 min after the first goal and Chelsea had decent chances to score at least 2 goals + a free kick that was another post hit by Alonso, Fabregas lost the ball and Messi ran the counter and an easy 2:0 at half time was done.

Like I said before the game, Barcelona doesn't concide more than 0.5 goals per game and Chelsea needed to score at least once but at half time it was already 2:0 so chances were very slim for Chelsea to score not 1 but 2 goals or 3, that was never going to happen.

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the_bald_genius 7 years ago
10 1583

chelsea press barcelona. not barcelona park the bus. hazard and willian can't even take advantage of the fact that paulinho is not there to offer protection. pure brilliance of defending by umtiti and pique. park the bus is all midfield crowding own third.

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Golazo111 7 years ago
Chelsea, Mexico 70 2607

Chelsea pressed and Barcelona parked the bus, thats how it works both ways.
Hazard was once again tightly marked and fouled as soon as he was on the ball, wish Chelsea did the same to Messi and not let him run with the ball much :(

Best in Chelsea was Kante and Alonso this second game, by far the MOTM is Messi with 2 goals in 1 assist but somehow here Suarez got over 40% of votes.

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the_bald_genius 7 years ago
10 1583

nah not park the bus. if park the bus, won't be so open that even kante and alonso can shoot inside the box. pragmatic yes, park the bus no I dont buy that statement. if that's the logic then, ferguson's man utd would be considered bus parking which is a joke.

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Golazo111 7 years ago
Chelsea, Mexico 70 2607

When Kante had his chance there were like 8-9 Barcelona players in their box, when Alonso got blocked maybe less like 6-7...
Barcelona defended very well but Chelsea was also unlucky, in 2 games Chelsea had like 4 posts thats very unlucky.

Lets not have double standards here, when Barcelona, Atletico, Real Madrid, defend with their whole team it's called pragmatic playing football but when Chelsea does it it's always mocking them for "parking the bus", suuure.

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the_bald_genius 7 years ago
10 1583

I never said chelsea for bus parking especially since conte takeover. others can say what they want. but I don't see it as parking the bus. the midfield is so open willian had to be stopped by pique and hazard by sergi. of course when the passing is slow, players are running back to help. defend together, attack together. don't blame barca for parking the bus, blame hazard and willian for slow tempo and bad link up with giroud.

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the_bald_genius 7 years ago
10 1583

the definition of parking the bus had been badly influenced. defend together, attack together is not parking the bus. defend together, attack individually is parking the bus. simeone's atletico is not parking the bus because the team press come out, and put in numbers if the team had to score. mourinho is parking the bus by using long ball and only using 2 or less players to build up attack. chelsea is coached by mourinho before so it's no suprise.

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Emobot7 7 years ago
543 11502

@thebadlgenius Well said, its true people tend to mix it up recently, me included at time and I agree that Chelsea under Conte isn't really parking the bus. At the very least, its nothing like what Mou is doing with Manchester United which is clearly more negative for me than what Conte is doing.

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tiki_taka 7 years ago
Barcelona, France 368 9770

Antonio Conte: Lionel Messi is the kind of player born once every 50 years.

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Antonio Conte has praised Lionel Messi as the kind of talent who emerges only once every half-century after the Barcelona forward registered his 100th Champions League goal en route to eliminating Chelsea from the competition. Messi, who had failed to score in his first eight appearances against the London club, hit three of Barça’s four goals over the two legs and set up Ousmane Dembélé for the other, the secondon Wednesday night, as La Liga’s champions-elect progressed into the quarter-finals. Conte, having thanked his own players for their efforts, sought out the opposition forward at the final whistle to express admiration at his display as they departed the turf. “A fantastic player moved the final result, moved the qualification over the two legs,” the Italian said.

“I have to praise the commitment of my players, and be proud because they gave everything. But Messi made the difference and, when you have the opportunity to make a great compliment to Messi, it’s right to praise a super, super, super top player. A player who is able to score 60 goals in every season. Not only for one season. We are talking about an extraordinary player, the best in the world.

“He’s a player who can change the final result for any team he is playing in. But he started to play with Barcelona and, for sure, he will finish his career in Barcelona. Many teams can hope to have him in their team, but it won’t be possible. This is a great story for Barcelona and Messi. This type of player is born once every 50 years. We are talking about one single player with this capacity, with this ability, with these skills. He’s fantastic.”

Conte considered his side unfortunate to depart the competition 4-1 on aggregate after striking the woodwork four times in the two legs, only to be undone by Messi’s brilliance. “They scored three times but I think we didn’t deserve this type of result,” he said. “We were a bit unlucky because we created many chances to score. I think there was a penalty on Marcos Alonso [after a challenge from Gerard Piqué] at the start of the second half and, if you make it 2-1, you can put a bit of pressure on Barcelona. At the end, I repeat: I must be pleased with the commitment of my players. I saw great work from my players.”

There were reports from Chelsea supporters about being funnelled into cramped areas outside the stadium, and Spanish police using batons in the ensuing confusion, with the club intent on taking it up with authorities and appealing for witness statements from those involved.

“We are aware of reports of incidents outside the ground before the game, where a number of Chelsea fans were hurt,” said a spokesman. “We ask that our supporters contact us with accounts of their experiences of this evening’s arrival at the stadium so that we can take this up properly with the authorities.”

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Emobot7 7 years ago
543 11502

@tiki This just make me hope Chelsea don't get rid of Conte, he seem like a really chill guy, giving fair praise to opponent and still managing to say he is happy from what he seen from his team, remarking they tried hard to comeback. No poor excuse from him in my opinion. I gotta hand it to Chelsea, they didn't win but they sure showed a lot of class trough their defeat, hope they come back in the CL next season! :D

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