Iniesta Secures a Victory for Pretty Football
By: Daryl | May 6th, 2009The game itself wasn’t all that great to watch. Essien’s goal for Chelsea was a bit special, but other than that it was all Barcelona possession, Chelsea defending and Chelsea hitting Barcelona on the break.
Until the 93rd minute that is, when Andres Iniesta received the ball at the top of the box and struck it with the outside of his right foot. See above.
That made it 1-1 with more or less nothing left on the clock, and Barcelona go through to the 2009 Champions League final on away goals.
I feel for Chelsea. I really do. They did more or less everything right and were 100% the better team on the night. Over the two legs it was Chelsea that deserved to go through.
But who wanted to see a repeat of last year’s Champions League final: A Chelsea team with an interim coach vs Man Utd? No thank you. Two English teams in the final? No thank you.
Maybe Barcelona didn’t deserve it over two legs and maybe they got lucky tonight. But – for the pass-pass-pass pretty football that’s had us drooling all season – they definitely deserve to be in that final on 27th May, where they’ll have a chance to seal the deal as one of the best teams of all time.
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Category: Champions League
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for all the Barca haters, chelsea are pu**y of a team to be playing like this. This is not a plan, this is pu**y play tactics. Defending with 9 players, while drogba is upfront trying to catch a long ball, every one can play that game. U know why barca was a better team?
1 – they attacked with every spirit till the end,
2 – their midfield was tight, they closed down all of chelsea’s plays on ground. tell me how many times was chelsea able to make 3 passes in the midfield?
3- they defended well, it is not easy to defend up front when ur competition is shooting long ball cannons at u all day long?
4- they didnt sub until the last 10 mins and that also to reinforce their attack!All these point showed that they played “football” not only football, but a the way real football should be played! and becuase of that and despite of all the chances chelsea got, the Football Gods showerd their blessings on the real team!
Now MAN U and BARCA will be a real treat!
Posted from
United States
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Look I’m decidedly a neutral in this, but for all the people who are bringing up Abidal’s red to counter the penalty claims, answer this please:
Pique even admitted he handled the ball in the area. Would Barca trade the sending off of a defender for a non-given penalty? I should say absolutely. Especially since at that point in the game (the red) Barca needed to throw caution to the winds anyways. The red didn’t really hurt them, but the loss of a valid peno helped Chelsea choke away the game. Not saying it was the whole game, but it was important.
By the way, most of the other appeals for penalties I thought were iffy at best. Malouda seemed to be initially fouled outside the box, and the last minute volley by Ballack seemed to strike more shoulder than anything, definitely not a peno.
All of this is crazy, but the real underlying story is that Barca are now ill-equipped to take on ManU with an even more makeshift back line. 3-1 ManU is my guess.
Posted from
United States -
Iniesta beat these fuckers nice and good!
Posted from
United States -
Chelsea were a little unlucky , but blowing chances just because u have a one goal lead doesn’t count for luck.
Barca kept attacking like a principled team ,OK not their best performance , but prevalence bore fruit as Chelsea became complacent.Sorry but Barca deserved it !Posted from
Pakistan -
And the conduct of Chelsea players was ugly after the game .They can b staring down the uefa shotgun.
Posted from
Pakistan -
I’m not going to argue with anyone, and I’m gonna try not to offend anyone.
Yes, Chelsea were hard done by with their penalty appeals, but seriously, they werent all ’stone-wall’. Drogba went down easily when he MUST have had a better chance of scoring staying on his feet. Both handballs were ball-to-hand, with the ball being hit hard and fast. And are you not ashamed with the amount of diving that was going on? I was listening to the (obviously bias towards chelsea) on BBC radio, and the amount of times they mentioned simulation by anelka and drogba in and around in the box, it was a surprise yellow cards werent given for simulation.
And then of course, there is the fact that a lot of people have mentioned, Abidal getting sent off after Anelka trips himself up. You talk about injustice Chelsea fans. A top left back has to miss a Champions League Final, because anelka cant run properly, thats injustice.
And as for barca fans and anyone else talking about ‘justice for pretty football’, you are deluded. No great teams play with just a Plan A. Chelsea have played some great football at times this year, so don’t judge their football on these two games. Chelsea chose their tactics in an attempt to reach the final, and credit to them, they were a couple minutes away from succeeding.
The truth is, barcelona tried to break chelsea down at home, and couldnt. If people say ‘parking the bus’ isnt football, they are stupid. It is football, not entertaining, but it is football. It happens so often in the premier league, and teams like chelsea, united, liverpool and arsenal have HAD to change their tactics in order to break the other teams down.
I think I’ll stop, so thanks for reading.
Posted from
United States -
I would love someone to explain to me how Barca played pretty football. They were absolutely imaginative.
Many teams have broken down Chelsea this season. Barca are not among them. Pathetic.
I look forward to United trouncing a distinctly average team in the final.
Daryl, where’s the poll?
Posted from
United Kingdom -
fixed and you know it.
Barca Barca, Platini’s bum boys!
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Simon, apparently you have only seen Barca play twice and both against a cowardly and violent Chelsea team who parked the bus and “mistook” Messi’s, Iniesta’s and Xavi’s legs as the ball, hence the constant kicking and fouling. Yes Dani Alves was off today as he has been in a few other games but have you seen him when he isnt off? Until you do see him, dont talk. Also, its a bit hard to play real football when huge guys are hitting you constantly from all sides. Ballack, Drogba, Terry, Alex, Bosingwa (not that big but violent. See Chelsea vs Juve) are strong big guys who only used their strength and the ref’s incompetence to repeatedly foul and to stop Barca’s beautiful flowing play. Not to mention, everyone other then Drogba was huddled in or around the box, at their home turf. They are a world class team and yet they resort to such tactics? And what about the yelling and whining at the end? Disgraceful. Barca deserved to go through, if not for their play but for Chelsea’s lack of it.
Posted from
United States -
Hawk, you’re clearly an idiot. Just because I’ve only cited two Barcelona games (actually 3, try again) how on earth have you come to the conclusion that that’s all I’ve seen? Cretinous!
I actually have seen them play at least 10 times this season which is more than enough to know how they play. I’m not quite sure where you’re getting the impression that Chelsea fouled Barca all night and got away with it. Are there any incidents in particular you have in mind?
Would you like to play a game of “you name the Chelsea foul on Barca that wasn’t given and I name the Chelsea penalty that wasn’t given?” and see who runs out first?
Football, chap, is a PHYSICAL game. If Barca don’t want to be challenged by big physical players they should go and play futsal. But your are allowed bodily contact in football so no-one has any grounds to complain about the size of players at all. I’m not sure where you’re going with them using their strength to be honest. It’s an attribute that every player needs to some degree.
Barca’s beautful flowing play? Again, passing the ball back and forth across the back four and occasionally in to Xavi/Iniesta is not beautiful play. Here is my key, key point:
If Barcelona’s play is so beautiful and fluid, they should be able to pass the ball through a deep Chelsea or Man Utd back line. In their last 4 semi final games, they have never done this.
Compared to the Argentina team of the last World Cup, Barcelona have nothing. That Cambiasso goal is how to play beautiful flowing football that is effective.
Barca’s is flowing, I’ll give you that. They know how to keep the ball. However, it’s unimaginative, boring, predictable and ineffective WHEN the opposition (sensibly) play a back line.
In football it’s not good enough to say, “we’re going to keep the ball so even if the opposition play a deep line and we don’t win because we’re not good enough to pass it through them, it’s not our fault because we were playing football properly and beautiful”. That’s crap. And I won’t have any of it when United give them a good thrashing in the final.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
WOW!!!!!! an epl fan calling Barca unimaginative, boring, predictable and ineffective. sure you’re not talking about the regular epl match and that team you support MANURE? Manure have yet to play quality opposition in the form of Barca especially a team like Manure’s whose defense lacks any defender who can singly mark off any truly skilled attacker and must double up.
Lasttime I checked a sub standard Barca last year was the much better looking team against an nimaginative, boring, predictable and ineffective manure who ppl like you and your dumbass pundits called their play “defensive masterclass” but if another league’s team did it, BORING. Manure ain’t thrashing nobody. Just a Barca hater and someone that will never credit when its due. Go watch some Barca games then open your mouth.Football is not a physical game unless you are talking about american football but a
game of skill/talent unlike the drivel you watch in the epl.Posted from
United States -
1. Football IS A PHYSICAL SPORT FACT. BODILY CONTACT IS PERMITTED. LOOK AT THE RULES YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT.
2. I stated I have watched many Barca games this year. READ A POST PROPERLY BEFORE YOU RESPOND TO IT. Barca in la liga are very different from Barca in CL against an English side.
3. Very very funny, manure, well done, very good. I run a comedy club, can I employ you please?
4. Lack quality defenders? Right ok. Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Rafael, Evans… what’s Barca’s defence going to be like in the final? No Abidal/Marquez/Alves, it’s going to be pretty poor.
5. I have never said “defensive masterclass”. Next.
6. There’s a huge difference between, say, what Rangers did last year in the UEFA Cup – no attempts to attack other than at set pieces – than what Chelsea did last night, creating multiple chances in the form of counter attacks.
7. I don’t hate Barcelona. Not at all. I merely find them overrated. I maybe strongly dislike Real Madrid. Hate is a silly word. It implies a lack of understanding and capabilities of empathy.
8. I find la liga awful to watch because the defending is so bad. It’s like the MLS. Watching goals scored against poor defence is not fun. THAT is what makes the EPL so good – goals scored against great defences.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Simon,what you’re saying implies that your idea of a great defense is 5 tall strong defenders who muscle players off the ball. so you think only the EPL features great defense? Says a lot about your understanding of the game.
“If Barcelona’s play is so beautiful and fluid, they should be able to pass the ball through a deep Chelsea or Man Utd back line. In their last 4 semi final games, they have never done this.” – they can pass the ball through a back line of four or even five. but not 9. no one in the world can do that. watch that cambiasso goal again sir,i didn’t see 4 defenders in the box at that time!
Posted from
United States -
Everybody should calm down. Chelsea played us off the pitch yesterday. Essien was full-on man, and showed why many consider him the best box-to-box midfielder in the world today. Hell of a strike.
We weren’t anything vaguely approximating pretty yesterday, thanks to Hiddink’s defensive discipline and the players who executed it. Of course they’re going to foul Iniesta, Xavi and Messi every chance they got. I would too if I were coaching against Barca. They won’t call all of them, right?
I wouldn’t say it was a “victory for pretty football,” as much as a victory for playing football. Had Chelsea taken their man advantage and gone for the jugular, I think they would be booking flights to Rome right now, instead of crying foul. But they didn’t. They left 10 men behind the ball and kicked it as hard as they could whenever it got past the midfield line. One lucky play, and that all comes undone.
Which is what happened.
Chelsea showed how to defend Messi. Granted, Eto’o helped by being shit. Henry’s presence makes that a very different game. He wasn’t there, but we squeaked one out.
It isn’t “good vs evil,” the ref wasn’t bought, Barca doesn’t own UEFA. When we Barca fans were saying that Henry should have earned a penalty for being hauled down in the box (a far more blatant foul than anything that occurred yesterday), we were told to man up and play football. I won’t say that. I’ll just say that referees are part of the game, and sometimes an unfortunate part.
Interesting piece over at Goal.com:
Posted from
United States -
Nabeel – wow where on earth did you get the number 5 from? Please tell me how I implied that so I never make such a mistake again! Crumbs squire!
I think that on average, 4 strong big defenders make a better defence tan 4 small, weak defenders. Of bloody course! Unless they are named Titus Bramble.
Neither did I say that only EPL has great defences. Please please tell me, where did I say that? How have you come to the conclusion that that is my opinion? Incredulous! I happen to believe that Serie A sides have fantastic defences, for instance.
Please read posts before replying kthnx.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Simon are you seriously defending the diving and fouling that Chelsea were doing during these 2 legs? I know its a contact sport and contact is allowed but things such as a slap in the face (Ballack) and kicking a guy in the back (Bosingwa vs Juve) are not considered legitimate contact. Ballack yelling his lungs out at the ref AFTER they lost and Drogba chasing the ref and yelling at him is not part of the game either and it is a disgrace. I shall admit that Chelsea did outplay Barca yesterday with their superb defensive play but everyone knows that all that can be undone with one perhaps lucky strike as Kxevin pointed out. And another thing, I seriously doubt that Man Unt will play as Chelsea did yesterday in the final. They dont have 2 legs, there are no away goals. I’m betting that they are undone by one great piercing penetrating Xavi pass. We’ll soon see.
Posted from
United States -
Also, trying to use grandiloquent vocabulary to impress and insulting people at random doesn’t help you state you case. We (or at least I) am trying to engage in a calm conversation (or argument, whichever you want). We don’t need to insult each other at all.
Posted from
United States -
are you by chance simon of american idol because your attitude seems to come across as being like his. I know you never said “defensive masterclass” is what your pundits refer to manyoo doing last yearand even Chelsea. Save your anger and I presume your tears for when manyoo (manure seems too offensive to you) lose. to each his own,finding la liga boring, either english is your only language and/or you dislike competitive games. “THAT is what makes the EPL so good – goals scored against great defences.” The same 4 teams dominating for more than 5 years aint saying great defences for the entire league especially what you refer to are goals.More to this game than just goals son. Half of CR’s goals came against weak epl teams last season. btw, why so upset when the team you support won the semis and haven’t played the final yet.don’t get a heart attack if your beloved loses the final.
Posted from
United States -
Simon – I think you made some really good points, especially about the defensive positioning of EPL teams V. La Liga teams (deep back line – high back line). You must admit, though, Chelsea’s was not merely a deep back line, but an 8 man (at the very least) deep back line.
Barcelona’s display on the night was certainly not pretty, and their typical tiki-taka style of play was largely stymied by Chelsea’s well staffed and well talented defensive formation. But just as the arguments for Chelsea’s defensive tactics go – against a team like Barcelona, it’d be suicide not to – surely you can make a similar argument in defense of Barcelona: Against an 8-10 man back line, pretty football becomes impractical, winning becomes more important, and crosses (as poor as Alves’ were) horizontal passing and cracks from outside the area are all a team’s left with.
The reffing was, we all agree, wretched. The Pique hand ball was a clear penalty. The Abidal Red was not a Red. The decision to give a free-kick outside of the box for the Malouda/Avles foul/non-foul showed what complete lack of competence the ref had to draw from. But as the saying goes: “The ref’s decision is final.” Play with what you’re given. Barcelona’s in the final now and that won’t change.
I would put my money on United for the final – I’d say that without Marquez, Abidal and Alves Man Utd (who are every bit as impressive as their record, both EPL and CL, indicate) will have little problem finding goals. Hope it’ll be a good match.
Posted from
United States -
“Also, trying to use grandiloquent vocabulary to impress and insulting people at random doesn’t help you state you case” – was a more hypocritic sentence ever written?
I make no attempt to defend the diving or cynical fouls of Chelsea. I also make absolutely no attempt to defend their atrocious behaviour after the match, although I fully understand why it occured.
Fouls are fouls, fine. But forcing a player off the ball legitimately as Chelsea often did is football and part of the game.
I actually agree with mostly everything else you said, Hawk. Except I think Man Utd will play some defensive oriented tactics. Expect them to put Park and Evra on Messi, but otherwise I think United should and will have the confidence to take Barca on. I back Rooney/Ronaldo/Tevez (please not Berbatov) against Messi/Eto’o/Henry as a United fan, given the defenses each trio will be up against. Let’s not forget as well that Chelsea’s tactics for the majority of the game were quite rightly dictated by the fact they were ahead.
Sergio – if I was Simon Cowell I would have more important things to do than argue with people online over a football match!
Don’t accuse me of saying “defensive masterclass” when I haven’t, nor try to align me with those who have, I’m my own voice and would hate to be aligned with such terrible pundits as David Pleat etc. Call United whatever you want – I am happy to go by the same rule and call them champions of england, europe and the world.
“The same 4 teams dominating for more than 5 years aint saying great defences for the entire league especially what you refer to are goals.More to this game than just goals son.”
How does 4 teams dominating say anything about the defences, specifically, of the teams in the league?! Um, let me have a comeback: “just because only 3 teams have won la liga this decade the physios of the other teams are rubbish”. Ha!
“Half of CR’s goals came against weak epl teams last season.” Define weak teams! If you say half the teams are weak and the other half strong, then yes, half the goals, probably more, will be against weak teams! Do you know of the concept of logic…?
“btw, why so upset when the team you support won the semis and haven’t played the final yet.don’t get a heart attack if your beloved loses the final.” Listen, I’ve seen many things in the post and thread above I disagree with and when I feel people are getting the wrong idea about something I enjoy a discussion to put my points across and set the record straight. To be entirely honest, the result last night delights me. I’d rather play a 1st team full-back-less Barca than an emotional driven encounter with Chelsea: Chelsea v United II: this time it’s Personal etc.
john – Chelsea’s was a deep line but my point is they certainly kept an eye out for attacking opportunities. Of which they had more than Chelsea. When I look at who should win a game, in my opinion the most revealing stat is shots on target. No prizes for guessing who won that last night.
Yes Barca were only left with what they did. My argument is they made a complete pig’s ear of it showing there’s only one side to them as a team, which if you close off, they struggle. I don’t want to raise the stakes for me further by putting money on it, but betfair currently quoting 2.3 for united – it’s hard not to bet on those odds.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Someone else pointed out in an earlier post how limited Barcelona are when it comes to set pieces and corners. how true that is.
Simon – I’m not sure if I’d agree that shots on target are a fair indicator of who ’should’ win a match, but it’s true that Chelsea created more opportunities on goal in the second leg (in the first Barcelona had 6 to Chelsea’s 1). Another thing Barcelona (and Chelsea, for that matter) could be faulted with in this tie was poor finishing. Of the 33 shots Barcelona took (aggregate) only 7 were on target. If they are too pose a challenge in the final, even if United allow it to become an open game, they’ll have to improve that average.
Posted from
United States -
simon you’re sounding like a stuck record now i admitted before that I wasn’t referring to your words in stating “defensive masterclass”. What are you a feeble minded 80 year old? I said half CR’s goals,not half the teams are weak now you want to put words in my mouth,and telling me about logic. Then again you’re from the UK and support epl………
Posted from
United States -
I just find this concept of “support epl” so ridiculous. Again where on earth have you got that from? I support Man United. I dislike most of the other teams. For instance I really despise Liverpool.
No you weren’t referring to my words but you were attempting to align me with people who have said those words.
No I’m 23. Next.
Well how do you define weak teams then? Define weak teams, then count the goals and let’s see the ratio of how many he scored against “weak” teams.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Simon: The grandiloquent comment was not hypocritical, it was intentional, with a hint of sarcasm. Anyways, I dont want to argue further. I’m sure we’ll meet again after the final and discuss the result.
Posted from
United States -
I can guarantee we won’t – I will either be insanely drunk in celebration or morbidly depressed! Enjoy the game.
Posted from
United Kingdom
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