2014

[Doormatt]

Get that crow ready when we go through, Foye/others. No way we make it back to the finals this year obviously. Not even saying we're a good team, we aren't, but we'll beat Juve and then lose to whoever.

Any other bold predictions from anyone?

Also, can't believe Messi missed that header, lol.

honestly, as average as juve were, they were still the better team in the 2nd half, dortmund really only dominated from about minutes 30-45 of that game.

i really dont know where all this confidence came from to be honest with you, the only reason dortmund even scored was because of an absolutely horrendous defensive mistake. couldve easily been 2-0 or more likely what i felt wouldve been a deserved result, 1-0. juve deserved this win and i could easily see them scoring in dortmund as well, BVB have it all to do and i wouldnt bet on them considering how their season is gone. they could just as easily get up for a home game on a European night, but i do feel like this is the season where juve finally get it together in europe.

[Doormatt]

It's a shame the ref lost control of the match in the second half cause the opening half was a blast, even if Juve did come out of it with the undeserved lead.

how was it undeserved? i dont get which game people were watching lol.

[truth18]

Get that crow ready when we go through, Foye/others. No way we make it back to the finals this year obviously. Not even saying we're a good team, we aren't, but we'll beat Juve and then lose to whoever.

Any other bold predictions from anyone?

Also, can't believe Messi missed that header, lol.

honestly, as average as juve were, they were still the better team in the 2nd half, dortmund really only dominated from about minutes 30-45 of that game.

i really dont know where all this confidence came from to be honest with you, the only reason dortmund even scored was because of an absolutely horrendous defensive mistake. couldve easily been 2-0 or more likely what i felt wouldve been a deserved result, 1-0. juve deserved this win and i could easily see them scoring in dortmund as well, BVB have it all to do and i wouldnt bet on them considering how their season is gone. they could just as easily get up for a home game on a European night, but i do feel like this is the season where juve finally get it together in europe.

Just that jinx energy. Its over. We're going through. Nothing against Juve.

[truth18]

In all seriousness, who knows. At least the pitch will be proper though.

[MaliBrah]

why didn't messi leave the penalty for suarez? on a hat trick.

Suarez didn't even take penalties for Liverpool most of the time. Last time Messi gave a penalty to someone else (Neymar, to get him going) he missed.

no one takes penalties when gerrard is around lol. But hasn't messi been pretty wasteful from the spot himself lately too?

[magik9113]

It's a shame the ref lost control of the match in the second half cause the opening half was a blast, even if Juve did come out of it with the undeserved lead.

how was it undeserved? i dont get which game people were watching lol.

thank you to you and Massimo. I was beginning to question my sanity. Was hoping someone who isn't wearing German goggles would voice their opinion on a game that Juve unquestionably deserved to win

[magik9113]

It's a shame the ref lost control of the match in the second half cause the opening half was a blast, even if Juve did come out of it with the undeserved lead. Still not a bad result for the first leg against a Juve side which showed all of the weaknesses I expected and didn't capitalize on the defensive injuries for BVB as much as they should've. Also a bummer that Pirlo got hurt, not just cause he can be fun to watch, but because replacing him gave that Juve midfield the legs to battle with BVB in that part of the pitch, instead of just getting run over as they had been before the Pirlo and Pisczek injuries.

Dortmund has a great defense as you mention before though. Really world class.

I have to be nicer to Evra now that I've witnessed Dortmund's outside backs

[Doormatt]

why didn't messi leave the penalty for suarez? on a hat trick.

Suarez didn't even take penalties for Liverpool most of the time. Last time Messi gave a penalty to someone else (Neymar, to get him going) he missed.

no one takes penalties when gerrard is around lol. But hasn't messi been pretty wasteful from the spot himself lately too?

i think they said hes missed like 3 penalties in the CL alone which is on track for the record. #1 is henry btw with 5 lol.

[DD12]

It's a shame the ref lost control of the match in the second half cause the opening half was a blast, even if Juve did come out of it with the undeserved lead.

how was it undeserved? i dont get which game people were watching lol.

thank you to you and Massimo. I was beginning to question my sanity. Was hoping someone who isn't wearing German goggles would voice their opinion on a game that Juve unquestionably deserved to win

Don't worry it happens a lot here.
The result is definitely undeserved, that is correct. It should have ended like 3 goals margin favor by Juventus.
It was an one sided game especially whole second half.

[FluLikeSymptoms]

Messi wants that all-time Euro record, no? Forget hat-tricks. Suarez would have broken the EPL season goal record had he been the primary pen taker.

[MaliBrah]

Suarez didn't even take penalties for Liverpool most of the time. Last time Messi gave a penalty to someone else (Neymar, to get him going) he missed.

no one takes penalties when gerrard is around lol. But hasn't messi been pretty wasteful from the spot himself lately too?

i think they said hes missed like 3 penalties in the CL alone which is on track for the record. #1 is henry btw with 5 lol.

oh wow I didn't even know that. But yeah messi has missed 3/4 of his last PKs for barca I believe. Missed a couple this season.

[DD12]

still better than all Arsenal strikers <3

[Shaazzam]

*foot off the gas pedal

[FluLikeSymptoms]

City, early on, won a FK right in Yaya's office. He's back next game, right? Will they start two strikers again or just let Yaya roam forward? Dzeko was a weird choice to start last game. If Barca's bad in the air, doesn't that mean that you DON'T have to play the 6'7 guy and give up speed? Doesn't that mean your OTHER guys can win headers? Sub him in at the death, sure, but what a dumb plan A. And they didn't even use him. Looked a man down for most of the game.

[Foye]

City, early on, won a FK right in Yaya's office. He's back next game, right? Will they start two strikers again or just let Yaya roam forward? Dzeko was a weird choice to start last game. If Barca's bad in the air, doesn't that mean that you DON'T have to play the 6'7 guy and give up speed? Doesn't that mean your OTHER guys can win headers? Sub him in at the death, sure, but what a dumb plan A. And they didn't even use him. Looked a man down for most of the game.

Dzeko isn't even particularly good at heading the ball. I don't think it was Pellegrini's plan to use him to win headers.
These days there is really nothing he is particularly good at anymore. He lost all drive for the game by being paid way too much.

[cgf]

It's a shame the ref lost control of the match in the second half cause the opening half was a blast, even if Juve did come out of it with the undeserved lead.

how was it undeserved? i dont get which game people were watching lol.

Because in the first half BVB was the better side? They were controlling the match, creating more pressure, and until the injuries changed things they had the Juve counters well contained, granted with Weidenfeller's current form that's not always enough as we saw when he gifted Tevez the opener, but they were still clearly outplaying Juve when the teams went into the break. I didn't even realize there were would be people, other than Massi being Massi, who thought Juve deserved to leave that first half without being down a goal. *shrug*

I can get people arguing Juve were the better side after the break, although at that point Vidal and co had realized that the ref was scared of suspending anyone, so they disrupted the play with a series of fouls and the second half became so choppy that neither side really looked good in it. But the first half? BVB was obviously playing better, even after the injuries weakened the BVB defense and bolstered the Juve midfield.

[cgf]

It's a shame the ref lost control of the match in the second half cause the opening half was a blast, even if Juve did come out of it with the undeserved lead. Still not a bad result for the first leg against a Juve side which showed all of the weaknesses I expected and didn't capitalize on the defensive injuries for BVB as much as they should've. Also a bummer that Pirlo got hurt, not just cause he can be fun to watch, but because replacing him gave that Juve midfield the legs to battle with BVB in that part of the pitch, instead of just getting run over as they had been before the Pirlo and Pisczek injuries.

Dortmund has a great defense as you mention before though. Really world class.

I have to be nicer to Evra now that I've witnessed Dortmund's outside backs

It really is a shame that none of those rumors of EPL interest in Schmelzer came to fruition. Pisczek is great, but even if he weren't injury prone, they'd still have a big hole on the other side until Baba gets bought or Durm rediscovers his form from last season.

Also gotta love Massi's continual failure at reading comprehension I'm thinking I should scrap learning Farsi and learn turkish instead, maybe then massi will actually remember what I said and make himself look like less of a fool for arguing against his own imagination.

[DD12]

Anyone live in MA or Boston???

I am coming there this weekend and few questions.

Thanks in advancr

[MaliBrah]

still better than all Arsenal strikers <3

lol who's denying that?

[MaliBrah]

City, early on, won a FK right in Yaya's office. He's back next game, right? Will they start two strikers again or just let Yaya roam forward? Dzeko was a weird choice to start last game. If Barca's bad in the air, doesn't that mean that you DON'T have to play the 6'7 guy and give up speed? Doesn't that mean your OTHER guys can win headers? Sub him in at the death, sure, but what a dumb plan A. And they didn't even use him. Looked a man down for most of the game.

fortunately for barca , city are horrific at crossing the ball and set pieces that aren't shots. Doubt city can take advantage of barca's aerial weakness