Carling Cup Final - Build Up & Match Thread

[andy]

I think both sets of players completely disgraced themselves....... I have seen school girls have a better fight.

 

[loz]

I have seen school girls have a better fight.

i can almost hear G4 scrambling around trying to find the footage on youtube

 

[Kev123]

Something like this??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7vuGbfVlt0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7vuGbfVlt0

 

[yorkleyblue]

Player Ratings as provided by babelfish

"Cech-7 (gained, besides not time)

Terry-7 (come back more likely),

Carvalho-7,5 (He was reliable, tenacious, scared away, with Terry's functions after his trauma has consulted on 100 % - the player of a match),

Diarra-7 (has fine won back, at such small growth is magnificent in struggle and selection, and positionally made almost no mistakes),

Bridge, Essien-6,

Ballack-6,5 ( efficiency duties in a midfield),

Lampard,Sheva - 5,5 (not their best match, can do much better),

Robben-7 (has undoubtedly aggravated game ahead after a break - it is a pity that on its all match yet it does not suffice),

Drogba-7,5 (two goals - the hero of the ending).

These are my ratings.

What're yours? "

Sorry but I saw this on CFCNet and it tickled me

kev

 

[yorkleyblue]

Also, this lovely photograph of the fine un-biased broadcaster that we all know and love so well

http://www.caughtoffside.com/wp-content/up...8/Andy-Gray.jpg

Kev

 

[dkw]

another thing this cup win has done is move us up a place in the all time trophy winners league.

1st - 40 - liverpool

2nd - 31 - man utd

3rd - 27 - arsenal

4th - 20 - villa

5th - 16 - spurs

6th - 15 - everton

7th - 12 - CHELSEA

post war were 5th overall.[/img]

 

[g3.7]

I have seen school girls have a better fight.

i can almost hear G4 scrambling around trying to find the footage on youtube

just downloaded "footballers gone wild".

too much stan collymore if you ask me.

 

[yorkleyblue]

I've just been sent this by a gooner mate, he got it from the Arseweblog I think

An unbiased view from a Chelski supporter - Prior to the Carling Cup tie with Liverpool, arseblogger turned to his mug-smashing Liverpool-supporting brother for a few analytical words. In the aftermath of the Carling Cup Final, I?ve asked my Chelsea-supporting brother to give his opinions of the game (at least, what he saw of it). Read on:

?It was a great match ? end-to-end stuff. I think a little too much has been made over the fuss at the end of the game. If Webb had kept his cards in his pocket it would have been Drogba?s face on today?s backpages, not Adebayor?s. What is to be gained by brandishing three red cards? The only player who merited a red didn?t get one: Ebou?. The rest was handbags. Although the intentions were good, Mourinho running onto the pitch (with Wenger reluctantly joining him) didn?t help ? it played right into the press? hands.

The trains were such a joke that I didn?t get into the stadium until the 36th minute of the game. Although it was 1-1, the Chelsea fans were silent, so it was pretty clear that things hadn?t been going to plan. Moreover, Jos? was in his seat (and remained there for the rest of that half), which either means he?s pissed off or doesn?t know what to say to his players. Yesterday it was a bit of both. When I finally saw the first half highlights, I was alarmed at how frequently Arsenal were able to expose us, and it seemed like we were quite lucky to be level at halftime.

For the umpteenth time this season, we were playing too narrow. Robben?s introduction was both inevitable and influential, and the decision to start him on the right was for two reasons: 1) you didn?t really have a left midfielder and 2) Traore is 17 and better going forward then backward. It was interesting that Robben stayed on the right until Ebou? came on. He then moved over to the left. This was to stop Ebou? getting forward too much - Hoyte was never going to hurt us down the left, but Ebou? can be dangerous (especially with Walcott doing so well in front of him), so Robben switched wings to peg Ebou? back, and it worked.

I thought Walcott was excellent. Alex Ferguson says that wingers have the hardest job in football. Obviously, as a wide-man you?re not going to be able to beat your man every time. You play with a direct style: you either beat your man or you lose the ball. If the latter happens too frequently, then you?re judged to have had a poor game, but Walcott caused Bridge a lot of problems. He showed confidence (something he?s lacked in recent weeks) and every time he got the ball he headed for goal (like the SWP of old). His goal was superbly taken - the last touch quite Henry-esque - reminiscient of the two he got for England U21s in September. He will be a top player. He?s quite mature for a 17-year old, and people forget how much that counts. In Henry and Wenger he has two personalities that will really help him in the next few years and I?m sure he?ll continue to improve.

Diaby, however, was the outstanding young-gun. Being played out of position, he terrorised our midfield, often storming past the likes of Ballack and Lampard. There was one point in the second half when he tackled Lampard, took it past Ballack and then bounced right off Essien. It was insulting. A guy to my left looked at me as if to say ?who the hell is this kid?? In March 2003, Patrick Vieira gave the best individual performance I?ve ever seen in 13 years at Stamford Bridge. When Vieira was 19, he was not as good as Diaby is now. Barring the missed chance, it was a frighteningly good display from Diaby, and yesterday perhaps unearthed a potential France midfield partnership of Lassana Diarra and Diaby - an exciting prospect.

Denilson looked good again, although i thought he was less influential than he was against Spurs. I thought the combination of him and Cesc was a bit strange and lacked steel. When I saw your team, I thought to myself ?technically it?s great, but they won?t last?. In terms of stamina, people forget how fit a side Chelsea are. They wear teams down ? it?s why they get so many late goals ? whilst 18 and 19 year olds end up getting cramp by the hour mark.

Something that happens too often with Arsenal happened again yesterday: you played the better, more classy football but lost to a more ruthless, clinical and efficient team. I don?t mind people comparing us to a ?machine?, because machines tend to win trophies. It is the way Mourinho works. At Porto he had to make a good team out of less technically gifted players, so he produced a footballing philosophy that brought results and trophies with unsubtle, powerful football (Deco aside, that Porto team had players like Costinha, McCarthy and Derlei - players that would run all day but were not, at the time, European greats). This Chelsea team is better than that Porto team because we?ve spent more money and therefore technically have better players, but the mentality remains the same.

In years to come, only Arsenal fans will remember yesterday?s final for the brilliant displays from some very young players. Others will remember it for the stoppage-time melee, and others won?t remember it much it all. But a cup final is a cup final, and whilst I appreciate that what Wenger is doing at Arsenal is for the good of the game, I would prefer my club to win trophies. Community Shields or Carling cups ? I don?t care, I want to win them all. Wenger but huge pressure on us by stating his intention to use young players several days before the game. Chelsea knew it was trophy or humiliation, and the feeling at full-time was more relief than joy. There was quite a lot of clapping by certain Chelsea fans when Arsenal players received their medals, and there wouldn?t have been if it was your first team. Without doubt, Arsenal learnt a lot yesterday ? more than us ? about the potential and current ability of their young players, but first is first and second is nowhere, and I would personally prefer to see players like Denilson and Diaby in a similar situation to Alex Song at Charlton than being employed in games of yesterday?s magnitude.?

Thanks to Chaz for that. It?s always interesting to hear how the enemy percieve the game, and I don?t think too many Arsenal fans could disagree with his observations.

Finally, here?s a few tasteful bits from the Chelsea website:

?Our former player David Lee travelled to Cardiff by train to watch, and noted how Chelsea and Arsenal shirts were mixed together throughout the carriages. He said that couldn?t have happened 10 years ago.?

Completely agree. And the camaraderie amongst the fans had been reflected on the pitch until that horrible spat. Chelsea concur:

?Today the newspapers have made their headlines with that and with the drama of the John Terry incident followed by the happy photographs of him holding the trophy. What they didn?t say was that the brawl was more than countered by the splendid sight of players from both teams crowding round injured John Terry with real concern, of Arsenal (and England) physio Gary Lewin who happened to be behind the goal making his way back to the Arsenal bench racing on the pitch to clear a passage in John?s throat as Chelsea?s medical staff ran half the length of the pitch, and of players at the end of the game shaking hands and embracing with opposition.?

And I?ll leave you with this symbol of reconciliation between the two clubs:

As Ars?ne Wenger returned to the Arsenal dressing room following his media commitments, he ran into Ashley Cole, stopped and asked after John Terry. Ash said he was back and okay. Wenger asked for his best wishes to be sent to him,

and Ash thanked him and said: ?Of course.??

Dam fine set of comments I think - can't really find anything to disagree with and the bits at the end just go to prove that most of the fuss is just a media created nonsense

Kev

 

[ozboy]

Diarra played well in attack in this game. Obviously Carvalho and Cech were excellent. Ballack was amazingly effective in patches and completely out of the game at other times.

Shevchenko I thought was a little off in this game.

Overall a great win to CFC.

 

[Elliott]

My views in short were:

Cech - Praise the lord he is back. Carlo or Hilario would have conceded 2 or 3 on that day. We take for granted how good this bloke is.

Bridge - Deserved his starting spot, and played well again. Only really got caught out by Walcott once, and did not need an invitation to bomb forward.

Diarra - The boy is going from strength to strength. He was beaten by Traore on one occasion, but is so strong for someone so small! His pace is also quite decieving, and close control? Superb.

Terry - Looked really uncomfortable on his ankle. Whenever he had to turn quickly and run, he was struggling. I am glad that he played because of the presence that he brings to the rest, and made 2 or 3 excellent blocks. Sickening injury (i thought he was dead!). Only JT could recover so quickly, and return to celebrate with the other lads.

Carvalho - Get's some stick for being a bit shaky from time to time, but the last three or four games, he has been a giant.

Made at least 5 excellent tackles, winning the ball hard, but fair. Baptista took a right battering from him. Well done Riccy.

Maka - Had one of his more quiet games, but what an important player is is for us? I remember him playing a diagonal pass through the centre of the field around the 15 mins mark that had me reaching to pick my jaw off the floor. He caresses the ball around the pitch. It's a joy to watch, and was only subbed for Robbie as we lacked a little 'oomph' up front.

Ballack - The obvious player to blame again, but in all fairness, didnt do alot wrong. Defensively, he did alot of hard work, and i thought the way he jogged forward and then picked out Drogba with his left boot was beautiful. Needs to create more of the same, and get some shots on target!

Lampard - Very quiet. Made alot of important tackles, but he was a little bit off the boil on the day. Had his 35 yarder gone in, it would have been a whole different story. That's how thin the line is, between a good and a bad game.

Essien - Another top notch game, but a bit of a spectator in the first 45mins. I thought his performance improved, and was much more of an influence once he had moved in to the deep lying holding role. Having an amazing season.

Sheva - Back to slightly below par again im afraid. Worked hard. Slipped all over the place. Never really got into it.

I found myself holding my breath everytime the ball came near him, as on the day, he never really seemed to have it under control quick enough. His snapshot when hitting the angle was really unlucky, and he really couldnt have done anymore. Top marks for effort, but ultimately his quality lacked.

Drogba - A piss poor effort again. Very lucky.

- No, really, what can be said that hasnt already? 28 goals this season and still going. What an achievement, and what a leader. He was geeing us up all the time. Didier didnt actually have the best of games, some of his touches were laughable, but didnt he take his goals well? There was a time where any sentence containing the name 'Drogba', and the words 'Lethal', 'Composure' or 'Magnificent' would have been joked about.

Robben - The only sub that i could comment on.

We desperately lacked any penetration or width in the first half, and he definately gave Le Arse something to think about. Made a few good jinking runs, and delivered a beauty for the winner.

Hit the deck quite easily a couple of times? Not like him is it?

I also have to mention, Diaby was awesome for them. He looks a real talent, and was the obvious outstanding player.