Fenerbahce's formation

[van Hooijdonk]

Volkan Demirel

Onder Turaci --- Edu Dracena --- Diego Lugano --- Roberto Carlos

Deivid de Souza --- Selcuk Sahin --- Mehmet Aurelio --- Ugur Boral

Alex de Souza ©

Mateja Kezman

[Virosh]

Most probable Chelsea formation :

---------------Cech

Ferreira----Carv-----Terry ----A.Cole

--------------Makelele------------

-------Ballack----------Lampard---

J.Cole------------------------Kalou

---------------Drogba-------------

I really wonder who's gonna win this one, van Hooijdonk, don't you ?

[Modueke]

What's Kezman been like over there?

[ecthelion]

Volkan Demirel

Onder Turaci --- Edu Dracena --- Diego Lugano --- Roberto Carlos

Deivid de Souza --- Selcuk Sahin --- Mehmet Aurelio --- Ugur Boral

Alex de Souza ©

Mateja Kezman

We dont give a damn about Fenerbahce's formation. No matter what Fenerbahce do they cannot stop Chelsea from reaching the semi-final. We destroyed Barcelona. Fenerbahce is nothing, nothing compared to Chelsea.

[van Hooijdonk]

Most probable Chelsea formation :

---------------Cech

Ferreira----Carv-----Terry ----A.Cole

--------------Makelele------------

-------Ballack----------Lampard---

J.Cole------------------------Kalou

---------------Drogba-------------

I really wonder who's gonna win this one, van Hooijdonk, don't you ?

Just looking at the quality of players, and if I weren't a Fenerbahce fan, I would say that Chelsea is more likely to go through, but I'm a fan of Fenerbahce and I know the style of our team's European football so I can say that we are as lucky as Chelsea if we can show our passion and stamina.

Inter was also more powerful than us but we beat them at Sukru Saracoglu 1-0. It was a 1-0 victory but the score may seem misleading. Every team can beat a strong team 1-0, scoring a lucky goal and defending the rest of the game, as Barnsley beat the Blues. But against Inter, we created too many opportunities and wasted all of them except for Deivid's great strike to the Champions' League assist leader Alex de Souza's perfect cross. The shooting statistics for that game was 7 shots finding the target and 10 wide for Fenerbahce, while the numbers are 2 and 4 for Internazionale, respectively.

We were also up-front in possesion with %53.

We may lose silly points in our local league, as we did against Bursaspor and Ankaragucu a few weeks ago but we always play a different style of football in Europe. We always refuse to lose. Of course Chelsea are favourites but qualifying for semis won't be as easy as you guess. And the first game in Sukru Saracoglu Stadium will be very decisive.

[Elliott]

Are you Turkey's very own John Motson?

[Valerie]

Didn't you hear the "heh-heh-heh" chuckle?

[van Hooijdonk]

What's Kezman been like over there?

Kezman has had very hard times in Istanbul because starting from our defeat to Newcastle last year, we play 4-4-1-1 formation and Kezman isn't a player that can play the only striker up front. He started wasting the chances and scoring few goals created a physcological problem in him I think and he even could not control the passes, could not score very clear goal opportunities and was shown some red cards which made him even more stressed and thus he could not reflect his quality. In the beginning of this season, everybody expected Kezman should leave, because we can play only 6 foreign players in the starting line up. But our coach Zico insisted on him although his unlucky and poor performances continued this season. And starting form 2008, Batman started to show his quality and scored lots of goals and some of them was really crucial as his goal against Sevilla which opened scoring for us. Personally, I'm still frustrated by his overall performance but it is impossible to underestimate his rising form since 2008.

We have also Semih Senturk, who is from our own football institute. He is at the bench now, due to Kezman's rising performance but he filled our striker position very successfully in Kezman's absence due to his leg injury. Semih is now leading the top-scorers in our domestic league and scored 2 crucial goals in Champions League one to PSV and the other against Sevilla which brought us the victory in Kadikoy, and probably the quarter final in the previous matchday. Semih is more likely to play the alone striker than Kezman because he can get headers from the opposing defenders and he can play like a wall between the opposing defenders and our team. But the best player in this category, I think is unfortunately in your line up :), 11 - Didier Drogba.

[van Hooijdonk]

Are you Turkey's very own John Motson?

I just want to share opinions with you :) And I'll be pleased if you (I mean not you, the other Chelsea fans) speak something about football, instead of just taunting.

I'm sure Manchester fans had taunted with us in 1996, until we erased their 40 year lasting home games unbeaten record, with the goal of Elvir Bolic.

[Modueke]

He started wasting the chances and scoring few goals created a physcological problem in him

It sounds like Kezman is having the same trouble he did at Chelsea, though I guess he won us the Carling cup a few years back. Thought he could play a good pass though.

[coco]

Are you Turkey's very own John Motson?

I just want to share opinions with you :) And I'll be pleased if you (I mean not you, the other Chelsea fans) speak something about football, instead of just taunting.

I'm sure Manchester fans had taunted with us in 1996, until we erased their 40 year lasting home games unbeaten record, with the goal of Elvir Bolic.

Chelsea have had 2 wake up calls recently in domestic cups, your team will do well to get a score draw in Turkey, but have you seen the home record of the 'soon to be' european Champions and the no#1 ranked team in UEFA ? Go check what your up against.

[Elliott]

That was not 'taunting' my friend, but a serious question.

It seem's you use alot of statistics?

I hope Bolic still plays for you, because you'll need him.

Good day.

[van Hooijdonk]

Are you Turkey's very own John Motson?

I just want to share opinions with you :) And I'll be pleased if you (I mean not you, the other Chelsea fans) speak something about football, instead of just taunting.

I'm sure Manchester fans had taunted with us in 1996, until we erased their 40 year lasting home games unbeaten record, with the goal of Elvir Bolic.

Chelsea have had 2 wake up calls recently in domestic cups, your team will do well to get a score draw in Turkey, but have you seen the home record of the 'soon to be' european Champions and the no#1 ranked team in UEFA ? Go check what your up against.

Personally, I won't expect a spot in semi-final, if we cannot beat Chelsea in Saracoglu in the first game. My plan to eliminate Chelsea is to get a clean sheet win in Istanbul and hope for Drogba and Lampard to have a bad day :( Or our defenders to have a good day.

We have to take the advantage in Istanbul. If the team which must do something in the second match is Fenerbahce, I think we'll probably lose. For that reason, the first game is very important, clearly the most important game of Fenerbahce's history. We should go to Stamford Bridge with an advantage, no matter how small that advantage is.

[van Hooijdonk]

That was not 'taunting' my friend, but a serious question.

It seem's you use alot of statistics?

I hope Bolic still plays for you, because you'll need him.

Good day.

I did not mean your question. I meant the ones who are only able to write laughing sounds like hahaha and something like that.

I'm studying Mathematical Engineering and that may be the reason I use statistics in my messages. And I have a strong memory of games of Fenerbahce.

Bolic is now retired but we have new Bolics :)

Good day to you too :(

[MannyJello]

thanks for the info, van Hooijdonk -- looking fwd to an entertaining clash.

another question about your players -- how's Roberto Carlos been? a few years ago with Madrid he looked completely washed up, occasionally able to make one of his trademark runs up the flank but being continually beaten on defense. has he been able to find any form? is he still making runs? is he the team's free kick taker? will he give an extra shirt to Roman's son if he asks politely?

[Modueke]

Bolic is now retired but we have new Bolics :)

Why is that? Were the old ones not producing?

[van Hooijdonk]

thanks for the info, van Hooijdonk -- looking fwd to an entertaining clash.

another question about your players -- how's Roberto Carlos been? a few years ago with Madrid he looked completely washed up, occasionally able to make one of his trademark runs up the flank but being continually beaten on defense. has he been able to find any form? is he still making runs? is he the team's free kick taker? will he give an extra shirt to Roman's son if he asks politely?

Roberto Carlos is of course not the player with his top form in Real Madrid but he is still very fast and quick. He still makes those runs but of course less than we got used to. In our domestic league he always tries to run upfront and support the attack but in important games, such as Sevilla, we rarely saw him running up the flank. But I think that's why the tempo of Sevilla is very high and their most important attack combination was their wings, with Dani Alves and Jesus Navas on the right wing. With those players in the oppositionj, Carlos of course ran less and instead he tried to do his defending job well. But Chelsea's tempo is slower than Sevilla and I think Carlos will make more runs than against Sevilla. When he's close to the opposition penalty area, our left winger Ugur Boral, who was the rising star of our team in the final game of our group CSKA (he scored two goals) and both Sevilla matches. (he assisted to Kezman in the first games and created dangerous attacks against Dani Alves), comes back to fill Carlos' space at the back.

The free-kick taker of our team is our captain Alex de Souza. If you do not follow Fenerbahce's games, you may be underestimating him but I think he is the best free-kick taker in the world. I don't mean direct free-kicks with this statement. Juninho, Beckham, van Hooijdonk :), (Real Madrid time of) Carlos, C.Ronaldo may be better direct freekick takers than Alex but if you think to cross the ball from freekick especially near the touchline or from the wings, you can find no better man than Alex de Souza, in the world. I'm trying to follow every European league and every football game, or highlight I see on TV or on youtube and I'm saying that Alex de Souza is the best in indirect freekicks. He also uses direct freekicks, nearby the arc but always with a soft touch. Alex can only score because he sends the ball to an unreachable point, not because his shot was very fast or uncatchable. Carlos sometimes uses freekicks which are in the middle of the two touchlines and which are far away from the goal. This is because Alex can not curve the ball from middle.

Alex gives such a curve that everybody in the opposite team fears and we all jump and prepare ourselves to celebrate. Alex kicks it such that even the ball doesn't touch anybody, it gets directly to the far post. I think you and players will always feel panic until you see the ball cleared by your defenders.

Carlos is in form with contributing to the offence but his shots and freekicks are far from dangerous unfortunately. Everybody expected him to score a freekick goal or a goal from a long range shot but all got disappointed. Both his shot power and accuracy are away from those of his Madrid days. He scored two goals one with a header and the other with right foot. He still didn't score with his magical left foot and I think the Blues becoma the first team to experience that :) He is the oldest player of our squad and he teaches some of our players, especially Ugur Boral, and shares his experiences. Everybody in the team, and watching the game feels confident when they see that quick bald guy :) He covers lots of mistakes of our central backs with his pace and earns them time to come back.

I didn't understand the last question fully but Carlos is a lively person and I don't think that he'll refuse to give a shirt.

Any other questions ? :)

[Guest]

I've heard good things about Alex De Souza though I admit, would be nice to see him in action.

[MannyJello]

I didn't understand the last question fully but Carlos is a lively person and I don't think that he'll refuse to give a shirt.

Any other questions ? ;)

cheers, mate. that last question was a bit of a goof -- a few seasons ago there was a rumor that Chelsea were interested in signing Carlos in a true galacticos fashion because Roman's young son's favorite player was Carlos and he had posters of him throughout his room. so he might want to get his shirt as a souvenier!

[van Hooijdonk]

I didn't understand the last question fully but Carlos is a lively person and I don't think that he'll refuse to give a shirt.

Any other questions ? :)

cheers, mate. that last question was a bit of a goof -- a few seasons ago there was a rumor that Chelsea were interested in signing Carlos in a true galacticos fashion because Roman's young son's favorite player was Carlos and he had posters of him throughout his room. so he might want to get his shirt as a souvenier!

Hmm thank you for sharing this mate. I didn't know this, so the question looked absurd to me :)

[bosnian_chels_support]

i think it´s gonna be a hard match, cause the Fener is still unknown number, not like the other clubs, loats of Brasilians made the club very atractiv to watch, but i also think if Chelsea can t beat them, then there is no place for us in the CL!

so let s beatthem and go to the semis!

PS.: There is only one Elvir Boli?!

[Guest]

Volkan Demirel

Onder Turaci --- Edu Dracena --- Diego Lugano --- Roberto Carlos

Deivid de Souza --- Selcuk Sahin --- Mehmet Aurelio --- Ugur Boral

Alex de Souza ©

Mateja Kezman

volkan

onder edu lugano carlos

deivid maldonado mehmet ugur

alex semih

[youtube:1tn3az55]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CyyG94c-7w[/youtube:1tn3az55]

[SydneyChelsea]

thanks for the info, van Hooijdonk -- looking fwd to an entertaining clash.

another question about your players -- how's Roberto Carlos been? a few years ago with Madrid he looked completely washed up, occasionally able to make one of his trademark runs up the flank but being continually beaten on defense. has he been able to find any form? is he still making runs? is he the team's free kick taker? will he give an extra shirt to Roman's son if he asks politely?

Roberto Carlos is of course not the player with his top form in Real Madrid but he is still very fast and quick. He still makes those runs but of course less than we got used to. In our domestic league he always tries to run upfront and support the attack but in important games, such as Sevilla, we rarely saw him running up the flank. But I think that's why the tempo of Sevilla is very high and their most important attack combination was their wings, with Dani Alves and Jesus Navas on the right wing. With those players in the oppositionj, Carlos of course ran less and instead he tried to do his defending job well. But Chelsea's tempo is slower than Sevilla and I think Carlos will make more runs than against Sevilla. When he's close to the opposition penalty area, our left winger Ugur Boral, who was the rising star of our team in the final game of our group CSKA (he scored two goals) and both Sevilla matches. (he assisted to Kezman in the first games and created dangerous attacks against Dani Alves), comes back to fill Carlos' space at the back.

The free-kick taker of our team is our captain Alex de Souza. If you do not follow Fenerbahce's games, you may be underestimating him but I think he is the best free-kick taker in the world. I don't mean direct free-kicks with this statement. Juninho, Beckham, van Hooijdonk :), (Real Madrid time of) Carlos, C.Ronaldo may be better direct freekick takers than Alex but if you think to cross the ball from freekick especially near the touchline or from the wings, you can find no better man than Alex de Souza, in the world. I'm trying to follow every European league and every football game, or highlight I see on TV or on youtube and I'm saying that Alex de Souza is the best in indirect freekicks. He also uses direct freekicks, nearby the arc but always with a soft touch. Alex can only score because he sends the ball to an unreachable point, not because his shot was very fast or uncatchable. Carlos sometimes uses freekicks which are in the middle of the two touchlines and which are far away from the goal. This is because Alex can not curve the ball from middle.

Alex gives such a curve that everybody in the opposite team fears and we all jump and prepare ourselves to celebrate. Alex kicks it such that even the ball doesn't touch anybody, it gets directly to the far post. I think you and players will always feel panic until you see the ball cleared by your defenders.

Carlos is in form with contributing to the offence but his shots and freekicks are far from dangerous unfortunately. Everybody expected him to score a freekick goal or a goal from a long range shot but all got disappointed. Both his shot power and accuracy are away from those of his Madrid days. He scored two goals one with a header and the other with right foot. He still didn't score with his magical left foot and I think the Blues becoma the first team to experience that :) He is the oldest player of our squad and he teaches some of our players, especially Ugur Boral, and shares his experiences. Everybody in the team, and watching the game feels confident when they see that quick bald guy :) He covers lots of mistakes of our central backs with his pace and earns them time to come back.

I didn't understand the last question fully but Carlos is a lively person and I don't think that he'll refuse to give a shirt.

Any other questions ? :)

Very impressed by your replies, friend. You really do know a lot about Fenerbache and you've given me a couple of headaches thinking about them now!

That backline looks very strong, in my opinion. Drogba is a great player but I think you have the perfect player to counter him in Diego Lugano. Let me start by saying I hate Diego Lugano, I think he is a cheat and filth of the worst kind :) but he is a solid player. Although there are not many defenders in the world who can beat Drogba by pure football means, Drogba is not the player he normally is when he is constantly wound up. Lugano is a master of getting under a striker's skin, he can be very dirty by fouling and shirt-tugging strikers in the air and winding them up during the game, causing them to lose concentration. Now you add to that one of the best atmospheres in the world and it is a formidable combination.

[Guest]

Lugano...

Sounds familiar. Isn't he that big Uruguyan CB who played against Viduka in the world cup qualifiers a few years ago?

[SydneyChelsea]

Lugano...

Sounds familiar. Isn't he that big Uruguyan CB who played against Viduka in the world cup qualifiers a few years ago?

That's correct Qaz.

And watching the way he handled Viduka in both legs makes me think that for non-footballing reasons, he would be the idea player to combat Drogba.