[andrei]

I am wondering what is your opinion about yesterday's game. I am asking this because I see lots of people praising the "masterful defensive game" played by the Italians. Not being a fan of neither of those teams, I consider the match a disgrace for the game of soccer. I stopped watching after 80 minutes, I couldn't take it anymore.

The "better" team, which qualified for the final, completed a staggering 59 passes in 75 minutes of play, compared with 455 for the opposing team. I don't have a statistic for the whole match but the last 15 minutes were played in the same fashion. Sure, they were playing one man short after 30 minutes, but the only diference was that they were defending with 10 men instead of 11. After all, they started the match playing 7 defenders or defensive midfielders.

Are matches like these the reason why soccer isn`t and will probably never be popular in North America? Before anybody asks I am from Europe, and I play soccer at least once a week.

[dburn]

Mourinho's job was to win the tie, not the match. In this he succeeded, and how he went about it was his business. Do you think he ought to have picked a side that would try to score another three goals?

[Codo]

The Italians did the right thing for them to do. If this is th right thing for the evolution of soccer? I have no idea, but this what not what they cared about.

I really hope that Bayern will score early in the final. Then it may be a good game. Ih Milano gains the lead, it will be horrible.

[Aberlour10]

Catenaccio as usual. Giacinto Facchetti would be proud of them

[gwnn]

Barcelona played like crap. At least Inter had 10 players who were playing, Barcelona had 9 at most (11 save Messi and Ibrahimovic). All they were good at was diving and surrounding the referee to put pressure on him. I am sorry I just don't have sympathy for Barca who apparently think the only criterion to award points is % of possession and number of idiotic backheels that made no difference. Not unlike their last game on Stamford Bridge (where they had only 1 shot on target in 90 minutes), last night they had 0 chances of scoring between minutes 45 and 75, however they had probably 100 passes backwards and 50 dives. Shame on them for ruining the game of football, congratulations for Mourinho. If football was handball Barcelona would have been stopped for passive play every minute. Anyway Julio Cesar what a great save vs Messi. The most beautiful scene from last night.

(my real opinion is not quite as harsh, I was influenced by the unfair OP)

PS bine Chivule, rupe-i picioru!!!
PPS Barcelona organisers started the sprinklers on the pitch right after the match, to discourage Inter celebrations. I wonder what they would have thought if Madrid have done the same 3 weeks ago when they won (thoroughly deservedly, playing wonderful football) 2-0 in the Bernabeu?

[andrei]

gwnn, on Apr 29 2010, 03:28 AM, said:

Shame on them for ruining the game of football, congratulations for Mourinho. If football was handball Barcelona would have been stopped for passive play every minute.

interesting comment ...

If you play soccer, next time put one entire team in and around the box and ask the other team to play beautiful soccer while trying to score.

Maybe all away teams should start playing like that.

[gwnn]

indeed, why didn't Barcelona do the same in Milan if it is so easy? they weren't even 1 man down, it would have been trivial to keep their 1 goal lead.

late edit

[shyams]

I thought the match was a great spectacle. It was a gripping and tactical battle. I did not actively support either team but I thought the sending off ruined the game. And to be honest, after the sending off, I was cheering for Inter to win the tie.

I think Inter were set up to play the second leg in a fashion very similar to the first -- soak up the Barca pressure at the start, then play a midfield game and take every opportunity to launch a counter-attack to score.

The difference between the first and second legs was that the "soak up pressure" phase lasted longer at Camp Nou. However, the minute Motta was sent off, Inter removed all other elements of their strategy (no counter-attacks, no recapture of the midfield etc) and merely sat back and soaked up the pressure.

I thought Inter deserved their victory in the end. Congratulations to Inter and Mourinho

[gwnn]

handball rules said:

It is not permitted to keep the ball in the team’s possession without making any recognizable attempt to attack or to shoot on goal.

I didn't realise how well the handball rule described Barcelona's play last night

[Gerben42]

I've never seen the great interest in soccer, given that handball or hockey (which is played on the field, thank you very much) are much more interesting because they are quicker, and you cannot relax on a 1-goal lead like can be done in soccer.

They must have good marketing, as for some obfuscated reason it is the most popular sport in the world.

[gwnn]

Football has simpler rules and more spectacular actions. Of course both these contentions, particularly the second one, are debateable. I definitely don't think it's only marketing. Can all the kids out in the streets really be brainwashed by commercials into playing football?

The term "relax on a 1 goal lead" is very simple-minded and almost insulting in my opinion. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=5Ip_ZRpXKRA .

[andrei]

Quote

indeed, why didn't Barcelona do the same in Milan if it is so easy? they weren't even 1 man down, it would have been trivial to keep their 1 goal lead.

late edit

LOL

Quote

QUOTE (handball rules)
It is not permitted to keep the ball in the team’s possession without making any recognizable attempt to attack or to shoot on goal.


I didn't realise how well the handball rule described Barcelona's play last night 

LOL

[Winstonm]

Soccer needs a Zamboni. Or beer. Or both.

[gwnn]

well for me passing the ball around

distance from inter goal ---action
30m pass left
40m pass right
35m pass left
36m pass center
40m OH LOOK AT THAT BACKHEEL MESSI IS A GENIUS
60m

is not a recognizable attempt to score a goal...

[andrei]

Quote

(Mourinho)
We didn't want the ball because when Barcelona press and win the ball back, we lose our position - I never want to lose position on the pitch so I didn't want us to have the ball, we gave it away

I can't wait to see every team playing this new, revolutionary type of soccer.

oh wait, sry, actually Barca was guilty of passive play.

[gwnn]

I did not say they played passive per se, just that it was not immediately obvious from they play that they actually wanted to score (which in handball is an offence and you lose possession). I've seen this happen to Barcelona a few times, they just pass pass pass pass pass with no apparent logic or ideas, they fall into a sort of self-indulgence as if knowing that they can always say after the match "well we lost but we had a 80% possession", so it's OK, they don't need to score now, they are the morally superior and righteous team. This moral superiority that I sense also manifests itself in their diving, since they want to show that they want to play real football and the evil opponents are very cruel to them and brutal and the referee needs to put a stop to all of this.