Champions League Draw for Last 16

First topic message reminder :

Galatasaray v Schalke

Celtic v Juventus

Arsenal v Bayern Munich

Shakhtar Donetsk v Borussia Dortmund

AC Milan v Barcelona

Real Madrid v Manchester United

Valencia v Paris St Germain

Porto v Malaga

Blatant cheating from Madrid but understandable give the rules. The same two players in Alonso and Ramos involved just like when they got sent off at ajax few years back, so obvious. Madrid easily through though just as expected

Ent wrote:Lets set some myths straight, rooneyxscored a lot of goals that season (with many first time finishes) but his all round play was poor and assists dropped greatly.

We went out against bayern as rafael got sent off stupidly and they scored a wonder goal.

But as an out an out striker wouldn't his job be to score the goals? The all round play and assists would obviously be secondary and suffer because of the role.

I get what Ent is saying though, that year Rooney seemed to regress as a footballer, he became a goal poacher and I think it's hard to really be considered a world class player if you're just a poacher of goals. You can be a very good player, and he was key to Manchester United that year, but I don't think he can really be considered world class.

Depends how you define world class. I'd say he is, or was, possibly. I reckon he needs to leave Utd and get motivated.

Its a tough place to play at united. Rooney has been very much a bit piece player. But in a way that is due to his ability of being able to do many things..

If he allways played in one place or was the free type of player that can attack with awesomeness that is universal class like ronaldo or messi then he would probally be viewed differently.

Rooney is a top player, as is Higuan at madrid. Both are well up there.

But there are just overshadowed by two oif the best players ever to have graced the world of football

Depends on your definition of world class. If you take it to mean he can hold his own at the highest level, then yeah, I can understand why you would rank him as World-Class. If you mean could he play for the World XI, or even make the 23 man squad, then no, I dont think so.
I mean
in his general position (final third),
V. Persie
Suarez
Falcao
Ronaldo
Messi
Iniesta
Mata
Ozil
Even Bale (although if you disagree, I will gladly scratch him off)

I think, even for the Three Lions he is behind Walcott, as the most impressive frontline-ish man this season.
Although that isnt saying much as English players have been, meh this season, for the most part.


In all, I guess what I am saying is that Rooney may not be elite anymore (with some debate as to wether he ever was, but thats pointless) but look at the guys above him and tell me if he is being surpassed by mugs

Saw a pic of The Benzema foul vs the Nani foul. Other than the bleeding obvious, which is that the referee wasnt the same, I am very interested in where the referee was positioned. The biggest defence people had for Nani was that he had his eyes on the ball, which, is true. The problem is the ref was BEHIND Nani. It looks pretty bad from behind. I dont remember where the P.O.V for the Benzema challenge was, but I am suprised at how many football fans totally ignored this.

Dortmund

Great game between Gala v Real

well played by Gala though if there out nearly did the impossible

Great night of football. Hard to pick a goal of the game between Gala and Real, but I pick Sneijder because it Reminded me of how good he is (I really had forgotten)

Kudos to Dortmund for coming back that late in the game. Is their name on the Cup this year?

Somehow I only managed to catch 1 goal flicking between the games tonight

FreekShow wrote:Kudos to Dortmund for coming back that late in the game. Is their name on the Cup this year?

Luck seems to be well on their side judging from that last goal.

Manchester United of 1999 style comeback by Dortmund. One goal fractionally offside as well - who are we to doubt? Their name is surely on the cup, like Chelsea last year.

Its a shame the owner of Malaga has stated it was Racism that sent Dortmund through (due to the nature of Santana's last minute goal).

Wasnt Malaga's second goal offside by a country mile?

Justice in my opinion.

He should be looking at his own team. They should have kept the ball for the last 8 minutes of the game and killed time, just like Man City the other evening.

It is a shame. I know he's distraught and everything, but he on reflection he should be overjoyed that Malaga made the last 8 and pushed one of the favourites to win the whole thing all the way. Pulling the race card, without justification, will leave a sour taste.

Zlatan ftw.

Its remarkable how naturally biased people are isnt it? When Man U were "cheated" out of a game (with 30 minutes to go by the way), the damn commentators wouldnt shut up about injustice, and how that might be the worst decision of the season. Malaga lose to TWO off-side goals in the final 70 seconds, and thats football.

kingraf wrote: Its remarkable how naturally biased people are isnt it? When Man U were "cheated" out of a game (with 30 minutes to go by the way), the damn commentators wouldnt shut up about injustice, and how that might be the worst decision of the season. Malaga lose to TWO off-side goals in the final 70 seconds, and thats football.

I thought there was only one offside goal for Dortmund yesterday? Malaga also had an offside goal, so you do shrug your shoulders and say "that's football."

We have to do dont we. Sadly!!!

Both of them, I work at a sports news site. I was in charge of editing for the story.
mystir- I dont actually have a problem with the result, or the way it panned out. Its just the myopic so-and-so people that I cant stand.

Well well.. Ive been saying Barcas defense is an embarrasment.

Come on PSG!!!

Messis lifted Barca, 1-1!

What would everyone's ideal situation be then?

I'd say:

Barca vs. Real Madrid
Bayern vs. Dortmund

That way we don't have a final made of clubs from the same country.

I think the best final would be:

Real Madrid vs. Bayern

Too very similar sides who play football in similar ways. Would be very hard to call, I think a lot would have Bayern favourites, but they only just knocked Real out last year and I think Mourinho is really driven to win the CL this year.

I'd rather watch Dortmund-Barca.

Crimey wrote:What would everyone's ideal situation be then?

I'd say:

Barca vs. Real Madrid
Bayern vs. Dortmund

That way we don't have a final made of clubs from the same country.

I think the best final would be:

Real Madrid vs. Bayern

Too very similar sides who play football in similar ways. Would be very hard to call, I think a lot would have Bayern favourites, but they only just knocked Real out last year and I think Mourinho is really driven to win the CL this year.

I's rather see Barca v Bayern and Dortmund v Real purely because the football on offer would be immense, with Bayern winning it. They may have squeezed past Real last year but they are much, much better this year and are my (and a lot of others) favourites to win it.

Anyways. Two Spanish Clubs, Two German clubs in the semis? Probably the four best teams in the world. I dont think anyone can make an educated guess as to who is going to be in the final. So I will make an uneducated guess
1)Bayern
2)Real
3) Dortmund (Dortmund - they went life and death with Malaga, of all clubs)
4) Barca- They are going life and death with everyone, plus I have to believe that joke they call defense cant win them the big ears

I wouldn't mind Barca/Madrid myself. Couldn't care less that they are from the same country. Overall I'd like Barca to lift the trophy.

Have to say, I thought this might Ibras time to finally shine in the big time. Yet to happen

I'd like to see Barca or Dortmund win it. Love the way they go about business.

Brand Beckham on. Can he improve on his 3/10 from last time?

GSC wrote:I'd like to see Barca or Dortmund win it. Love the way they go about business.

Same here. The business part of that post.

Verrati off for Beckham?

Reverse of the change that sparked PSG into life in Paris.

Is the Semi draw Friday?

Im a huge Real fan. So Im gonna Hala Madrid all the way. But failing that, a Bayern win would be great.

Wouldve been a magical way to finish it there

A here comes the cheating.

Come on PSG...

Does rolling on the floor ease the pain?

Alba must be a woofta.

Messi saves Barca. PSG brave but Barca edging it over 2 legs for me

And all this Messi love is nauseating. He did nothing.

Don't think he is the best player in the world, that accolade goes to Ronaldo.

And here comes the bitterness I see

Barca looked more akin to Brendan Rogers Liverpool than normal Barca pre Messi. He has an effect just by being on the pitch

No bitterness. I just don't like cheaters, and Barcelona in general I suppose.

Bayern are scary good, Juventus are hardly a poor side and they've just been pushed over.

Barca don't look as invincible as they have done in the past, think their team now is not as strong as 09 or 11, becoming over-reliant on Messi as Xavi's powers wane.

Real Madrid look better than Barca, but not as good as Bayern, but they have Ronaldo who can always be a difference maker, and for me is getting better and better in the bigger games.

Despite Dortmund being the only unbeaten side, I think the Malaga game showed their vulnerability. Malaga aren't an exceptional side, and I'd have thought Real, Barca and Bayern would have wiped the floor with them in the knockout stages of the Champions League, but Dortmund only scraped through. May come back stronger in the semi-finals, but I have a feeling their inexperience at this stage of the CL will cost them.

For me, I think Bayern or Real will win it.

As we said 8 days ago, to crucify Barca for something which pretty much every team does is slightly unfair.

Going over old ground here but Barcelona are the biggest cheats in world football. They are to diving what Stoke are to thuggery.

Sky sports

Lumbering_Jack wrote:Going over old ground here but Barcelona are the biggest cheats in world football. They are to diving what Stoke are to thuggery.

Absolute tosh. You wanna see some South American football mate.

Amazing the effect Messi had, PSG looked in control at 1-0 up until he came on. Like a switch was flicked, they did little else after he came on. So Munich/Dortmund/Barca/Madrid in the last 4. I hope for an all-german semi-final and an all-spanish semi-final. Think that Munich will win it personally.