Barcelona do it again

[dellzeqq]

...with the help of the referee.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/apr/04/ibrahimovic-milan-barcelona-champions-league

no other side on this earth would have been awarded those penalties


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7GDW0NoKrE


shouldn't UEFA just call it the Barcelona Champions League and have done with it?

 

[Sittingduck]

Hmmm. The first one to quote Alan Hansen "stonewall penalty kick". At least for me... he slid in and got nowhere near the ball and took the man. Hard to really see the second one but there may well have been contact and don't think it's a bad thing that the Ref gave a pen

 

[PaulB]

No, a fair ref would have given both of those as they were both clearly penalties (although Man Ure would have been given them had they occurred OUTSIDE of the box as well). And that Grauniad story is a load of bold ollocks. Maurinhon WOULD whinge, wouldn't he; the Catalans and Madrillenos hate each other and as a bad workman always blames his tools, they like to pick out the ref.

And they haven't been in five semis in six years by favouritism (although I was at the Camp Nou the last time Liverpool played there and we beat them en-route to our final in 2007). They are the world's best ATM and it makes me laugh when people reckon Messi doesn't deserve the title of best player because he hasn't done it in the World Cup! He's DEMONSTRABLY the world's best at the moment without a shadow of a doubt (although Andy Carroll runs him close of course!)

 

[rollinstok]

They certainly did get help against Chelsea but as a rule I think they are head and shoulders above any team ever on their day.
If any team gets assistance off the ref its got to be Man U, if City get a little closer to them there will be lots of dodgy decisions to swing the balance again.

 

[dellzeqq]

they got help against Chelsea twice - in 2005 and 2009. They got help against Arsenal. And, yes, they got help against Real.

Mourinho used to work at Barcelona, and his record against them is second to none - Real lead in La Liga and he put one over on them when managing Inter. I think he's saying it as it is, where others don't feel able to.

Oh - and they're boring.

 

[rollinstok]

Boring ? Wow.. pretty much agree with the rest of it though

 

[PaulB]

they got help against Chelsea twice - in 2005 and 2009.

They didn't play Chelsea in 2005. Liverpool did and we beat them in the semi before going on to win in Istanbul. Have I mentioned that I was at that one?

 

[dellzeqq]

They didn't play Chelsea in 2005. Liverpool did and we beat them in the semi before going on to win in Istanbul. Have I mentioned that I was at that one?

What year was the Anders Frisk episode. Death threats. Instant retirement. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/4281719.stm

 

[Doseone]

They didn't play Chelsea in 2005.

Played them in first knockout round, Barca won 2-1 at home, but got beaten 4-2 at the Bridge.

 

[Ajay]

It'll be a brave/suicidal/well bribed ref that gives them a dodgy pen in the final against Bayern in the Allianz!

 

[MarkF]

Second one very "soft" but both are penalties IMO.

Barcelona suffer some bad press for being too good, hardly their fault. Many teams like AC set up not to concede, others want to "engage" but can't retain possession to be able to do so. Best team I've seen in my life, by some margin too.

 

[Manonabike]

First penalty is very clear, Nesta ( I think) takes the left foot of Messi. Clear penalty.

Second is not so clear from that view, there are better views of the penalty. I'm happy to see that refs start giving penalties for pulling shirts - If every ref gave penalties for pulling shirts then in no time the practice would stop. These days one see defenders not even looking at the ball when defending corners..... all they want to do is stop the player they are marking from making any contact with the ball..... and that is not right.

So, two totally legitimate penalties in my view, furthermore, the player pulling the shirt should have got a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.

 

[soulful dog]

+1 to Manonabike's post. Anyone who seriously thinks at least one of those wouldn't have been awarded as a penalty to any team, is clearly just biased.

Yes Chelsea were hard done by with some decisions v Barcelona in the past, but that's about it. The rest, you get some dodgy decisions for you and some against you.

l see Mourinho's already at it, going on about how he doesn't give Chelsea much chance v Barcelona because they'll be up against the clearly biased referees as well....

Which is why I liked this video someone linked to on the Guardian website: Who's the hypocrite?

 

[iLB]

painful '09 memories "'it's a disgrace!"

hoping Robbie and his men can put things right in a few weeks time, tough ask though!