View Poll Results: who is going forward?
Voters: 9. You may not vote on this poll
Champions League Preview: Chelsea - Barcelona
#61
05-06-2009, 09:39 PM
You know... seeing as Chelsea controlled the game and really wasn't in attack mode, I don't understand how you can throw any blame on Barca. Chelsea plays in a way where the comes down to close plays... and thats always dangerous.
They should not have rested, and kept on trying to put pressure on the Barcelona defense. Neither team had many chances, and that's how Chelsea was going to play it. Yes, the ref missed the call on Pique... but it shouldn't have come to that anyways. And there was tons of time after he missed that call.
Chelsea knew that if they started opening the game up more, and playing freely... Barcelona would get more chances, and it would result in more goals. It's a sound plan, and almost worked, except Barca put one goal in.
Personally, I would have enjoyed playing the overtime period in order to decide the real outcome.
They should not have rested, and kept on trying to put pressure on the Barcelona defense. Neither team had many chances, and that's how Chelsea was going to play it. Yes, the ref missed the call on Pique... but it shouldn't have come to that anyways. And there was tons of time after he missed that call.
Chelsea knew that if they started opening the game up more, and playing freely... Barcelona would get more chances, and it would result in more goals. It's a sound plan, and almost worked, except Barca put one goal in.
Personally, I would have enjoyed playing the overtime period in order to decide the real outcome.
Using the ref as an excuse is weak. Chelsea packed it in too early in the 2nd half which is madness, what with Barca needing one goal to send Chelsea fans home crying. With the pressure that Chelsea had Barca's make shift defense under all game long, they should have kept at it and switched to a defensive strategy when they got a second goal. Chelsea players and fans should be pissed at the 11 (12) players that factored into such a gut wrenching loss.
Bad calls in a football match? Imagine that.
Hats off to Barca for staying in the game and converting 1 of their two shots on goal into probably the most important goal of their '09 Champions League season.
#63
05-07-2009, 12:08 AM
Just speaking freely, and commenting on what I saw.
But universally speaking, when it comes to sports... I hate the BS "ref" argument. If your the better team, you never let the ref decide the outcome.
I'm shocked that these Chelsea players are sitting here and calling the ref bought or a thief. It just shows me that deep down inside they know they let this game go by packing in their D after just one goal.
But universally speaking, when it comes to sports... I hate the BS "ref" argument. If your the better team, you never let the ref decide the outcome.
I'm shocked that these Chelsea players are sitting here and calling the ref bought or a thief. It just shows me that deep down inside they know they let this game go by packing in their D after just one goal.
#64
05-07-2009, 12:25 AM
Chelsea did not deserve to win regardless of the referee's decisions. Gus Hiddink chose to continue defending in numbers after Abidal got sent off. He replaced Drogba with Beletti, he was afraid to attack a ten man Barca at the bridge. After Abidal got sent off even Pique moved forward the only player left back was Toure. Had Hiddink took out a midfeilder or defender and introduced an attacker Chelsea would've probably scored 5 goals.... All in all a victory for Barcelona is a victory for Football beautiful entertaining football. I hope all big clubs realize that "parking the bus" is a strategy for minnows not Champions
Last edited by like.no.other; 05-07-2009 at 12:32 AM.
#65
05-07-2009, 12:41 AM
Chelsea did not deserve to win regardless of the referee's decisions. Gus Hiddink chose to continue defending in numbers after Abidal got sent off. He replaced Drogba with Beletti, he was afraid to attack a ten man Barca at the bridge. After Abidal got sent off even Pique moved forward the only player left back was Toure. Had Hiddink took out a midfeilder or defender and introduced an attacker Chelsea would've probably scored 5 goals.... All in all a victory for Barcelona is a victory for Football beautiful entertaining football. I hope all big clubs realize that "parking the bus" is a strategy for minnows not Champions
Chelsea sat back against 10 men in a game they dominated and could have won handily! I'm still baffled.
Here's where you can't put a price on having a coach/manager who has his heart and soul in an organization. I can't help but to think if Guus had a more intimate relationship with the club, he would not have called off the dogs so early. Abramovich doesn't seem to understand this concept.
#66
05-07-2009, 10:22 AM
You guys are right. A great team doesn't let the ref be the game breaker.
But, the ref clearly had to take action against Barca for a few fouls that could have been a penalty kick. He chose to give Abidal a red card.. which is another terrible decision of his.
I feel sorry for Chelsea because they did deserve at least one penalty kick, if not on the Malouda take down in the corner of the box (which he opted to give a free kick for?!?! If it's a foul and it's in the box, it's a penalty kick... you can't just take it back a few feet to make it a free kick!) then for the Pique hand ball which was NOT tied down to his body.
I also feel sorry for Fletcher of United and Abidal of Barca because regardless of who wins this year, they both won't get anything for the work they put in.
All bad calls... If that isn't enough to get another referee or two on the field, I don't know what is. This is the most glorious competition in club football... It shouldn't come down to this.
I would like to point out that I'm a Liverpool supporter.
But, the ref clearly had to take action against Barca for a few fouls that could have been a penalty kick. He chose to give Abidal a red card.. which is another terrible decision of his.
I feel sorry for Chelsea because they did deserve at least one penalty kick, if not on the Malouda take down in the corner of the box (which he opted to give a free kick for?!?! If it's a foul and it's in the box, it's a penalty kick... you can't just take it back a few feet to make it a free kick!) then for the Pique hand ball which was NOT tied down to his body.
I also feel sorry for Fletcher of United and Abidal of Barca because regardless of who wins this year, they both won't get anything for the work they put in.
All bad calls... If that isn't enough to get another referee or two on the field, I don't know what is. This is the most glorious competition in club football... It shouldn't come down to this.
I would like to point out that I'm a Liverpool supporter.
#68
05-07-2009, 10:34 AM
Some interesting articles:
Sounds like a cover up to me.
I love conspiracy theories
Sounds like a cover up to me.
I love conspiracy theories
Referee Tom Henning Ovrebo has revealed Uefa have imposed a gagging order on him from speaking on Chelsea's controversial UEFA Champions League exit to Barcelona.
Barca's progress to the final was overshadowed by the angry reactions of a number of Chelsea players to Ovrebo at the final whistle of the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The Norwegian offical was confronted by John Terry, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba after ignoring a number of penalty claims from Chelsea during the game.
Ballack appeared to place his hands to Ovrebo after he turned down an appeal from the German in the dying seconds when his shot looked to have struck the arm of Samuel Eto'o.
Drogba, who was substituted in the game, had to be restrained by club stewards as he tried to approach Ovrebo with the Ivorian being booked for his protests.
Ovrebo admitted he had been informed by Uefa not to make any comment on the furore with Europe's governing body expected to look into the actions of the Blues players at the end of the game.
"Because of the circumstances after the match, Uefa has asked us not to comment to the press," Ovrebo told Aftenposten.
When asked if he knew when he could speak about the match, Ovrebo said: "No, I don't know."
Reports suggest Ovrebo was smuggled out of the country by police on Thursday morning after receiving a number of death threats as a result of the controversy.
Uefa have confirmed they will wait for the referees' report before deciding whether any Chelsea players will face disciplinary proceedings.
A Uefa spokesman said: "We will see the report from the referee and match delegate before deciding whether to take any action or not."
Ovrebo was widely criticised by Blues boss Guus Hiddink, but Uefa have refused to comment on the official's performance.
"We never comment on the performance of the referee," added the Uefa spokesman.
Barca's progress to the final was overshadowed by the angry reactions of a number of Chelsea players to Ovrebo at the final whistle of the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The Norwegian offical was confronted by John Terry, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba after ignoring a number of penalty claims from Chelsea during the game.
Ballack appeared to place his hands to Ovrebo after he turned down an appeal from the German in the dying seconds when his shot looked to have struck the arm of Samuel Eto'o.
Drogba, who was substituted in the game, had to be restrained by club stewards as he tried to approach Ovrebo with the Ivorian being booked for his protests.
Ovrebo admitted he had been informed by Uefa not to make any comment on the furore with Europe's governing body expected to look into the actions of the Blues players at the end of the game.
"Because of the circumstances after the match, Uefa has asked us not to comment to the press," Ovrebo told Aftenposten.
When asked if he knew when he could speak about the match, Ovrebo said: "No, I don't know."
Reports suggest Ovrebo was smuggled out of the country by police on Thursday morning after receiving a number of death threats as a result of the controversy.
Uefa have confirmed they will wait for the referees' report before deciding whether any Chelsea players will face disciplinary proceedings.
A Uefa spokesman said: "We will see the report from the referee and match delegate before deciding whether to take any action or not."
Ovrebo was widely criticised by Blues boss Guus Hiddink, but Uefa have refused to comment on the official's performance.
"We never comment on the performance of the referee," added the Uefa spokesman.
#69
05-07-2009, 10:35 AM
Another one
Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo was today smuggled out of Britain by police who feared for his safety because of his role in Chelsea's exit from the Champions League at the hands of Barcelona.
Ovrebo turned down four strong penalty appeals by Chelsea, who lost the semi-final on the away goals rule after Andres Iniesta scored in the 93rd-minute of the second leg to level the scores at 1-1 on the night and on aggregate.
At the end of the game, Ovrebo was confronted by a furious Didier Drogba and had to be escorted down the tunnel by a group of Chelsea stewards who had difficulty restraining the striker.
Fearing reprisals from furious fans, police changed Ovrebo's hotel before organising his exit from the country, according to former international referee Graham Poll.
Poll, now a media pundit, revealed: "This morning he's being smuggled out of our country under police escort - this is a referee of a football match. That is a disgrace.
"When he booked in a hotel they had to change the hotel he was staying at because of the fear that maybe fans would find him."
Ovrebo's situation has worrying echoes of the hounding of Swedish referee Anders Frisk, who retired from the game in 2005 after receiving death threats in the wake of another ill-tempered meeting between Chelsea and Barcelona.
Frisk had sent Drogba off in the first-leg of a second round match and was accused by Chelsea's then-boss Jose Mourinho of having invited Frank Rijkaard, the Barca coach at the time, into his room at half-time.
Ovrebo turned down four strong penalty appeals by Chelsea, who lost the semi-final on the away goals rule after Andres Iniesta scored in the 93rd-minute of the second leg to level the scores at 1-1 on the night and on aggregate.
At the end of the game, Ovrebo was confronted by a furious Didier Drogba and had to be escorted down the tunnel by a group of Chelsea stewards who had difficulty restraining the striker.
Fearing reprisals from furious fans, police changed Ovrebo's hotel before organising his exit from the country, according to former international referee Graham Poll.
Poll, now a media pundit, revealed: "This morning he's being smuggled out of our country under police escort - this is a referee of a football match. That is a disgrace.
"When he booked in a hotel they had to change the hotel he was staying at because of the fear that maybe fans would find him."
Ovrebo's situation has worrying echoes of the hounding of Swedish referee Anders Frisk, who retired from the game in 2005 after receiving death threats in the wake of another ill-tempered meeting between Chelsea and Barcelona.
Frisk had sent Drogba off in the first-leg of a second round match and was accused by Chelsea's then-boss Jose Mourinho of having invited Frank Rijkaard, the Barca coach at the time, into his room at half-time.
#70
05-07-2009, 10:38 AM
I feel bad for Chelsea, it's their second time playing God and whatnot.
CNN.com - Frisk retires after death threats - Mar 12, 2005
CNN.com - Frisk retires after death threats - Mar 12, 2005
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