coco
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Chelsea v Atletico - (CL SF 2nd Leg) 30/04/14 KO 19:45 BST
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bjd
Unexplained item in bagging area
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Im still fine and chilled about it, i wrote something similar this morning and i havent changed. I have no problem in losing to the better team in a match where we are not really unlucky and havent been screwed by poor officials. Just goes to show how rarely it happens i guess. I will accept Atletico got the rub a few times last night but we didnt do anywhere near enough to win the tie over the two legs.
As you say the first goal was a comedy of errors. We've mentioned Cahill, Cole and JT, players all of which take some blame, but so should Ramires and Hazard for their parts as well. Im pretty sure it will be some time before we concede a goal like that again.
As i stated before i think its Jose who needs to take the biggest look at last night. Its now 4 semi finals in a row he has lost, making his record 2 out 8. For the 6 matches in semi finals with Chelsea we have scored 2 goals. Very clearly he needs to think about how he approaches these matches, particularly against teams we should really be putting away.
Don't want to sound arrogant but we'll be back in another Champions League semi soon im sure, and i actually wouldn't bet against it being next year.
Looks like its going to be a 'what if' season. Oh well, we cant complain. Only the 2nd season in what, a decade that we haven't won anything ? Ill swallow that.
Honestly, we are the luckiest fans in the world.
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MKBlue
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Oh well, we cant complain. Only the 2nd season in what, a decade that we haven't won anything ? Ill swallow that.
Honestly, we are the luckiest fans in the world.
Good shout that, top 3, CL semi and a 10-0 aggregate at home against Spurs and Arsenal, I'll take that for a bad season any time.
Honestly, we are the luckiest fans in the world.
Good shout that, top 3, CL semi and a 10-0 aggregate at home against Spurs and Arsenal, I'll take that for a bad season any time.
mbh
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Think I would have cried too if I met him, his name absolutely has me in stitches. Who is he?
robdog
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There are some fans (including CFC fans) that feel this is a failure. I am glad you are not one of them. If you think about it, we actually improved our performance from last season. IMHO we are a stronger team than before & I think this is just the beginning. We freakin' beat le arse 6-0 & we act like it's nothing. The truth of the matter it is. Also I think it's the freakin' talking heads that are quick to say "Fail". Whatever as long as we stay carefree as the song says, it will be all good. Keep it Blue my friend.
robdog
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I agreed w/ you on everything except the deal w/ spuds. They are our bitches & have been so ever since I followed the club. The term 3 point lane didn't get created for nothing...Cheers!!!
JM7
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For those reading the pre-match comments, I mentioned that I was unlikely to watch the game as my wife was due to give birth on Wednesday. Turned out that I managed to watch the entire game and then literally, as the game finished, my wife phoned me from the hosptial to say her waters have broken and the baby is coming. Baby boy was born at 5.30am on Thursday morning.
Suffice to say, this was one time when Chelsea losing resulted in me being happy!
For the game, I think Jose's comments were probbarly fair. Up until the pen, we looked decent. If Cortious doesn't make that save for Terry's header then who knows. However, I really thought Ath Madrid really showed they have another gear or two in them. To give the first goal away was soft and sloppy - Chelsea looked intimidated and abit soft which is unusual.
No complaints and its good to hear the fans and Jose saying that the better team won. There's no shame in that - they are a great team. This wasn't Barca 2009, we we were't cheated. Just outplayed.
We'll be back next year. Jose has surprised us all this year and I believe we have over-achieved.For a "building" year, we were extremely close to winning major trophies. Just needed that extra edge which we don't have. A few signings in the summer and we will be a superb squad with a great manager.
Here's to next season - Chelsea will have one more extra little supporter to cheer them on!
Suffice to say, this was one time when Chelsea losing resulted in me being happy!
For the game, I think Jose's comments were probbarly fair. Up until the pen, we looked decent. If Cortious doesn't make that save for Terry's header then who knows. However, I really thought Ath Madrid really showed they have another gear or two in them. To give the first goal away was soft and sloppy - Chelsea looked intimidated and abit soft which is unusual.
No complaints and its good to hear the fans and Jose saying that the better team won. There's no shame in that - they are a great team. This wasn't Barca 2009, we we were't cheated. Just outplayed.
We'll be back next year. Jose has surprised us all this year and I believe we have over-achieved.For a "building" year, we were extremely close to winning major trophies. Just needed that extra edge which we don't have. A few signings in the summer and we will be a superb squad with a great manager.
Here's to next season - Chelsea will have one more extra little supporter to cheer them on!
londonblue
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icecoolguy22
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I consider it a huge opportunity missed. We can't take a semi final to be granted, the season before showed the CL campaign could easily go wrong. It's pretty rare to get a chance to play in the final without facing the likes of Real/Barca/Bayern. I can't help to think Jose over played with tactic, rather than play his best team over 2 legs to beat the opposition. We showed them too much respect, especially in the first leg.
Jonty
Deal with it.
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I think we'll have a better chance next year, our young lads will be a year older and wiser, we'll have Matic and Salah, plus a new striker and perhaps a new midfielder, this certainly wasn't JT's last chance.
As for Eto'o I don't think he even knew Costa was there, he stuck his leg out to bring the ball down and Costa nipped in first.
Congratulations JM7!
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wonder what you would have slated him with had you not been? 
Butch
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That was a tough defeat. I'm just getting over it now.
And the reason it was tough, was because it was a true defeat. Not one borne by luck, but due to (1) our own uncharacteristic mistakes, and (2) our inability to counter the tide once Atletico equalized and took the lead.
Things started off well enough. It was a little more open, but we kept it relatively tight and didn't make any early mistakes, and Willian's brilliant run wide right and attempt to cut back inside past defenders gave Azpilicueta the chance to attack the loose ball and lay it back for Torres to knock home via a deflection. So close to the half time break, to be ahead in an important champions league match at The Bridge, I really, really though we'd be able to shut up shop (at least until the break) for the win.
No. Instead of tightening up and taking no risks, we made a string of horrendous defensive mistakes that Atletico managed to use to punish us and get a very, very key equalizing goal that shaped the rest of the match. First, Hazard allowed his opposing mark to ghost past him unfollowed at the back post and knock the far post cross back into the area. Then, JT, Cahill and Ash were either too unbalanced or too concerned about knock the ball into their own goal and therefore allowed the ball to bounce back to the near post, where an unmarked Atletico player was able to bounce the ball into the ground and high up into the net past a hapless Shwarzer. I can still picture the sequence of events in slow motion, and believe that to be the key goal of the game.
In the second half, we really were unable to play the game we wanted, and Atletico looked much more dangerous. I can't recall seeing another side come to The Bridge to give us that much grief. What I mean is we really didn't have control of the ball at all. There seemed to be a void in the attacking part of midfield for us that meant we were unable to create sustained pressure through sustained possession in advanced areas of the pitch (except for wide on Hazard's side, which never came to anything anyway). I very much expected that we would bring on Oscar to try to get an attacking hold of midfield, but we brought Eto'o on instead (and I'm still puzzled today as to why Oscar never came on the pitch).
As for Eto'o's challenge for the P, well, there was no question. It was a foolish challenge, and I expect much more from a player of his experience. There's not much more I could say about that. The PK itself was taken with supreme confidence by Costa, slotting it neatly just under the bar to give Schwarzer no chance whatsoever.
At that point, you'd think Chelsea would at least begin to take a hold of possession to try to get back into the match, but if anything, I have to say Atletico were always the more likely to score further goals. True, we had those two great chances, from Luiz's header which rebounded off the post and was quite miraculously tipped over the bar by Courtois, and then there was the Hazard chance from inside the area on the left that was again confidently dealt with by our Belgian loanee. It is safe to say that throughout the two legs, Courtois has made a strong statement to his parent club. Yes, Petr has done so much for us over the past 10 years, and he will always be a hero, but there is no question his place is now under threat. How could it not be? I haven't seen this confident, accomplished and really cool a young goal keeper before. I think he has what it takes to be the very best in the world. I truly do.
And so, with the game winding down, Atletico get another lucky bounce in our area, Turan heading against the cross bar and then collecting the rebound to knock into a pretty much empty net with all our defenders and keeper scrambling to no avail.
I'm disappointed with what seemed to me to be rather basic defensive errors (not following the runs of your marked man, twice, making bad decisions tackling in the penalty area, etc), but also feel a bit helpless in that it seemed on the day that Simeone was able to outwit Jose Mourinho. I guess it is possible, but it was still disappointing to see us basically unable to turn the tide, wrestle back possession or find a way to put Atletico under more pressure, even when we decided we had to go for it because we needed 3 goals, we still never really were able to lay siege to the opposing goal.
But hats off to Atletico. I think that's really all I can say. And a big thank you to Jose and the boys for making us believe, and in bringing us so close to glory in what set out as a transition year. Of course, the experience will be invaluable to the likes of Schurrle, Oscar and Hazard, and next year I would expect that we would make fewer key mistakes, as well as come back with a more balanced squad. I feel sorry for the likes of Petr, JT and Lamps, as this was likely one of the few last chances for further glory on this stage.
And so our season winds down to the final two premier league matches. We have to pick ourselves up for this, as there is still a chance and we have to play for it. And I am continually reminding myself that this is Jose's first season back, it is essentially a transition season and was declared as such from the beginning. The fact I am this disappointed just goes to show how much Jose has made me believe again. I love that we are here or hereabouts on all fronts. I love that we are stepping on peoples' toes again. It just means we have become a big threat for the major trophies. Long may that continue.
Cheers,
Butch
And the reason it was tough, was because it was a true defeat. Not one borne by luck, but due to (1) our own uncharacteristic mistakes, and (2) our inability to counter the tide once Atletico equalized and took the lead.
Things started off well enough. It was a little more open, but we kept it relatively tight and didn't make any early mistakes, and Willian's brilliant run wide right and attempt to cut back inside past defenders gave Azpilicueta the chance to attack the loose ball and lay it back for Torres to knock home via a deflection. So close to the half time break, to be ahead in an important champions league match at The Bridge, I really, really though we'd be able to shut up shop (at least until the break) for the win.
No. Instead of tightening up and taking no risks, we made a string of horrendous defensive mistakes that Atletico managed to use to punish us and get a very, very key equalizing goal that shaped the rest of the match. First, Hazard allowed his opposing mark to ghost past him unfollowed at the back post and knock the far post cross back into the area. Then, JT, Cahill and Ash were either too unbalanced or too concerned about knock the ball into their own goal and therefore allowed the ball to bounce back to the near post, where an unmarked Atletico player was able to bounce the ball into the ground and high up into the net past a hapless Shwarzer. I can still picture the sequence of events in slow motion, and believe that to be the key goal of the game.
In the second half, we really were unable to play the game we wanted, and Atletico looked much more dangerous. I can't recall seeing another side come to The Bridge to give us that much grief. What I mean is we really didn't have control of the ball at all. There seemed to be a void in the attacking part of midfield for us that meant we were unable to create sustained pressure through sustained possession in advanced areas of the pitch (except for wide on Hazard's side, which never came to anything anyway). I very much expected that we would bring on Oscar to try to get an attacking hold of midfield, but we brought Eto'o on instead (and I'm still puzzled today as to why Oscar never came on the pitch).
As for Eto'o's challenge for the P, well, there was no question. It was a foolish challenge, and I expect much more from a player of his experience. There's not much more I could say about that. The PK itself was taken with supreme confidence by Costa, slotting it neatly just under the bar to give Schwarzer no chance whatsoever.
At that point, you'd think Chelsea would at least begin to take a hold of possession to try to get back into the match, but if anything, I have to say Atletico were always the more likely to score further goals. True, we had those two great chances, from Luiz's header which rebounded off the post and was quite miraculously tipped over the bar by Courtois, and then there was the Hazard chance from inside the area on the left that was again confidently dealt with by our Belgian loanee. It is safe to say that throughout the two legs, Courtois has made a strong statement to his parent club. Yes, Petr has done so much for us over the past 10 years, and he will always be a hero, but there is no question his place is now under threat. How could it not be? I haven't seen this confident, accomplished and really cool a young goal keeper before. I think he has what it takes to be the very best in the world. I truly do.
And so, with the game winding down, Atletico get another lucky bounce in our area, Turan heading against the cross bar and then collecting the rebound to knock into a pretty much empty net with all our defenders and keeper scrambling to no avail.
I'm disappointed with what seemed to me to be rather basic defensive errors (not following the runs of your marked man, twice, making bad decisions tackling in the penalty area, etc), but also feel a bit helpless in that it seemed on the day that Simeone was able to outwit Jose Mourinho. I guess it is possible, but it was still disappointing to see us basically unable to turn the tide, wrestle back possession or find a way to put Atletico under more pressure, even when we decided we had to go for it because we needed 3 goals, we still never really were able to lay siege to the opposing goal.
But hats off to Atletico. I think that's really all I can say. And a big thank you to Jose and the boys for making us believe, and in bringing us so close to glory in what set out as a transition year. Of course, the experience will be invaluable to the likes of Schurrle, Oscar and Hazard, and next year I would expect that we would make fewer key mistakes, as well as come back with a more balanced squad. I feel sorry for the likes of Petr, JT and Lamps, as this was likely one of the few last chances for further glory on this stage.
And so our season winds down to the final two premier league matches. We have to pick ourselves up for this, as there is still a chance and we have to play for it. And I am continually reminding myself that this is Jose's first season back, it is essentially a transition season and was declared as such from the beginning. The fact I am this disappointed just goes to show how much Jose has made me believe again. I love that we are here or hereabouts on all fronts. I love that we are stepping on peoples' toes again. It just means we have become a big threat for the major trophies. Long may that continue.
Cheers,
Butch
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