Comments on: Lyon – Barcelona: Champions League (Tuesday, 2:30pm EST)

By: Isaiah

Isaiah — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:51:16 +0000

Haha, yeah. He is totally calm now, but looking back on it, he was a destroyer, a holding midfielder. Basically I think of him as the original Edgar Davids, the precursor of the Essiens and Gattusos of the world.

And now, if daily comic strips Pelotazos and Futbolitis are to be believed, he’s so mellow thanks the “sticky icky”…

By: Inara

Inara — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:40:28 +0000

My jaw totally dropped when I saw that pick. I never followed him in his playing day, so I had this image of him as a totally calm guy who never reacted to anything and would probably just shrug if a spaceship landed on the pitch in the middle of the game.

I think I like Rijkaard now

By: Isaiah

Isaiah — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:18:52 +0000

Inara, yes, that is a moment in Rijkaard’s career that I’m sure he wishes he could do over. I’ve seen the incident several times in various places (during games, in Barca documentaries), but I’m not sure that there’s much to say about it. Rijkaard’s temper obviously gets the best of him now and then…

I will, however, try to deal with the Lyon game and the upcoming Barcelona derby in separate posts.

By: Inara

Inara — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:22:51 +0000

Also Isaiah, you have to dedicate a post to this pic that was posted on a forum:

http://www.glaubeaktuell.net/media/Nachrichten_Sport/italien_3.jpg

Apparently, back when Rijkaard was playing for the Dutch NT in the WC, he came up against Rudy Voller’s German team, and Rijkaard spits at Voller, then gets Voller sent off, and then spits on him AGAIN as Voller is leaving the pitch!

By: Inara

Inara — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:32:00 +0000

I think that a lot of fans are overreacting about their players. Barcelona as a team hasn’t been playing to their usual, expected standards, so the bad aspects of even the best players are getting amplified, which makes it so much more annoying.

By: Linda

Linda — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:57:00 +0000

Say what you will about Guddy’s skills (and I have, enough times), but his work rate is superb, and without the graft of him and Yaya in midfield we wouldn’t have played nearly as well.

It’s interesting how the tide of opinion is turning against Messi, so soon after he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Just goes to show that what happened to Ronnie in the press can happen to anyone.

By: Isaiah

Isaiah — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:44:46 +0000

I was very surprised that Guddie started over Ronnie. What a ridiculous idea. Nearly paid dividends, of course, but instead of a 4-2 victory, it’s a 2-2 draw. Which, by the way, is a completely acceptable score because it’s the CL and everyone is good and now we’ve qualified for the knockout stage. We’ll be a good, healthy ship by the time that starts.

Bring on Espanyol and El Clasico!!!!

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:06:33 +0000

What a match. I was screaming at the telly the whole time. What was Valdes thinking on that first free kick? Follow the ball. Even if Puyol misses it, you’re behind it. Unreal. The defense was lazy and sloppy, hence the Abidal penalty late, things went downhill when Ronaldinho entered, but what nice interplay between Messi and Krkic on the play that resulted in the Messi penalty. A glimpse of the future, folks, and I’m excited about it.

And again: Why, oh why, does Rijkaard play the Icelandic Mounument. If he does what he’s supposed to do, it’s 3-1 Barca, and it doesn’t matter what Abidal does in the box. Two wide-open chances and the first he sends to Jupiter, while the second he hits in the one spot the keeper can get to it.

Thankfully, they were playing Lyon. As Jake said, any other side and Barca would have gotten poleaxed. There were moments of the slick interplay and passing that rock the house, but Messi is still running into nothing too much of the time (I guess someone has to do it in Ronaldinho’s absence), and what is with all of the sideline goofing around with the ball. Move it, move it, move it!

But they advanced with the draw, and the agony of the knockout stages beckons.

As we all know, the real missing pieces are Deco and Eto’o. Once they’re back, we become devastating again, I hope.

By: jake

jake — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:27:36 +0000

Yeah any other team and they would’ve been destroyed. Such great talent, but we can’t beat Getafe. Didn’t remember how young our forwards were until reading that post, Linda. Eto’o is so close! Thinking about Classico still keeps me up at night, even though it’s a while away. Hopefully we will have no injuries by then. Is Edmilson going in January? I heard that Newcastle were interested.

By: Ciaran

Ciaran — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:19:56 +0000

Its kinda funny, Ronaldinho Henry Eto’o Giovani and Deco out of the first team injured, and we still get an away draw with one of the best teams in europe