Football, a Sterling effort, but Virgil got Dijk'd.

[Raja]

I don't know how we convinced Auba & Lacazette to join our club, but I'm glad they're here. 

( Also, Poch is phenomenal, I don't know how United/ Barca aren't making more of an effort to get him) 

[Heartofice]

15 hours ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Yeah, but Spurs really had the necessary luck on their side for their CL campaign this year. Just look at their group table at the midway point - if the results in the other games had not gone in their favour they would've been out after the group stage. Then they benefitted from a really wasteful Dortmund team in the play offs, and an even more wasteful City team, which really dominated them for two games; only to get knocked out by some bouncy goal from Llorente. But then again, at the end of the day, nobody will care about how they got there, if they win it.

 

Luck plays a part for every team. Spurs also had to play great teams on the way here.

But what Liverpool and Spurs have demonstrated is that high levels of physical fitness combined with, very importantly , a mental strength can get you very far. They both won against shell shocked opponents that couldn’t handle the energy for a full match and didn’t know how to handle the situation.

[ljkeane]

26 minutes ago, Heartofice said:

They both won against shell shocked opponents that couldn’t handle the energy for a full match and didn’t know how to handle the situation.

I don’t think it was energy in Spurs’ case, Ajax were playing at a higher tempo than them, it was long balls up to Llorente and set pieces they couldn’t handle.

[Heartofice]

Just now, ljkeane said:

I don’t think it was energy in Spurs’ case, Ajax were playing at a higher tempo than them, it was long balls up to Llorente and set pieces they couldn’t handle.

It wasn’t just the long balls though, it was the reaction after the balls were played up to Llorente. Plenty of knockdowns to on rushing players. Sissoko especially was barging through their midfield all the time in the second half.

But it was mentality that made a big difference too, Ajax are a great side I really like them, but they are also full of young players and there was an air of panic once spurs started to score. 

[Jordan La Cabra]

Well done to all four English clubs getting through to the finals of the CL and EL. Though, from a Chelsea perspective, watching your team do well in the EL is nowhere near the same level of excitement as watching them do well in the CL, especially seeing what Liverpool and Spurs did on Tuesday and Wednesday. I actually like the EL as a competition, as it gives lesser sides in Europe a chance to win a marvellous looking trophy and qualify for the CL, but in truth, it's not a competition I enjoy Chelsea being in. That said, I obviously want them to win it and take it seriously, especially as it's a London derby final.

I was really pleased for Kepa last night. To any non-Chelsea fan, he is basically the most expensive keeper in the world and that guy that refused to be substituted off in the League Cup final, but for us, he has been brilliant all season. No dips in form, very few goals conceded that you think he should have done better with, some awesome saves and an upgrade in Courtois in his ability to play out. Overall, I think he has had a very good first season in English football. 

Hazard scoring a winning penalty with what's probably his last kick of a ball at Stamford Bridge was pretty special, too. Whatever happens, he will be seen as perhaps the most talented player that has ever played for the club.

[BigFatCoward]

Are we even going to discuss the massive trip and minimal amount of tickets allocated for AFC v CFC? Or just shrug our shoulders and say 'that's how things are now'. 

[Consigliere]

6 hours ago, Raja said:

( Also, Poch is phenomenal, I don't know how United/ Barca aren't making more of an effort to get him) 

Maybe Poch doesn't want to leave Spurs just yet - he's put in a few years of hard work at Spurs afterall, they've completed their new stadium and perhaps Levy promised him more transfer funds as well. Even Real Madrid were linked with him but ended up going back to Zidane.

[Rorshach]

Just now, Consigliere said:

Maybe Poch doesn't want to leave Spurs just yet - he's put in a few years of hard work at Spurs afterall, they've completed their new stadium and perhaps Levy promised him more transfer funds as well. Even Real Madrid were linked with him but ended up going back to Zidane.

I do think Real are going to regret that, just as I think United are going to regret employing Solskjær. 

It's not a given, though, so time will show.

[Consigliere]

1 minute ago, Rorshach said:

I do think Real are going to regret that, just as I think United are going to regret employing Solskjær. 

It's not a given, though, so time will show.

We might end up regretting it. Thing is, if Poch didn't want to leave Spurs then available managerial options were limited. Conte was available and is a better manager but it would have been another Mourinho situation. Conte had issues with the boards at Juve and Chelsea - it was not going to end well and would have turned into another pissing contest between manager and board. We should have given Solskjaer a shorter contract (2 years with a 1 year option instead of 3 years with a 1 year option). 

[Rorshach]

1 minute ago, Consigliere said:

We might end up regretting it. Thing is, if Poch didn't want to leave Spurs then available managerial options were limited. Conte was available and is a better manager but it would have been another Mourinho situation. Conte had issues with the boards at Juve and Chelsea - it was not going to end well and would have turned into another pissing contest between manager and board. We should have given Solskjaer a shorter contract (2 years with a 1 year option instead of 3 years with a 1 year option). 

Well, you are surely learning. 

Someone on twitter the other day pointed out that David Moyes' contract would have run out this month or next, if he had seen it out. 

[Mexal]

2 hours ago, BigFatCoward said:

Are we even going to discuss the massive trip and minimal amount of tickets allocated for AFC v CFC? Or just shrug our shoulders and say 'that's how things are now'. 

Pretty much the latter. Also stupid that it's in a country that some players can't even go to due to fear of safety. I fucking hate the UEFA.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

1 hour ago, Mexal said:

Pretty much the latter. Also stupid that it's in a country that some players can't even go to due to fear of safety. I fucking hate the UEFA.

Sad thing is, they are still better than the FIFA.

[State Trooper]

The ticket allocation for both Finals is an absolute joke, as is the idea of sending two teams from the same City thousands of miles to play a game. 

Yet again it's the true fans who suffer, while the Fat Cats at UEFA line their pockets, chomp on their cigars and drink champagne, and not giving a single fuck about the people who really matter.

I know it's nothing new, but that doesn't stop it being total nonsense.

[Corvinus85]

2 hours ago, Mexal said:

Pretty much the latter. Also stupid that it's in a country that some players can't even go to due to fear of safety. I fucking hate the UEFA.

Which players fear going to Baku? I assume that's the place you're talking about.

[Philokles]

Just now, Corvinus said:

Which players fear going to Baku? I assume that's the place you're talking about.

Mkhitaryan - as Armenia and Azerbaijan have very poor relations. He missed the trip in the group stages when Arsenal played Qarabag.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

1 minute ago, State Trooper said:

The ticket allocation for both Finals is an absolute joke, as is the idea of sending two teams from the same City thousands of miles to play a game. 

Yes, when the UEFA allocated the finals, they surely did foresee that two clubs from London would end up in the EL final.

Now then, there is only a certain number of Stadiums that meet the criterions to host the CL finals. So they literally can't host it on a rainy saturday evening in Stoke. As minimum capacity is 70.000 (been that way since 2010 I think). So Kiev was on the lower end of that with 70.500.

Anyway.

UEFA 5 Star Stadiums, note that is an old list, that also includes Stadiums below the required capacity to host the CL final these days.

For the EL it used to be a 4 star stadium, capacity 40.000 or 50.000

Again, that rules out quite a few stadiums.

Then the UEFA rightly also wants to give every member the chance to host a final once (if they have the stadium for it).

Yes, it sucks to travel to Baku, however I'd find it also problematic if the finals would always be hosted in the UK, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Portugal (basically just Lisbon and Porto).

[Iskaral Pust]

The EL final host is basically the same argument as the World Cup, and falls prey to the same influences.  The infrastructure, travel for fans, security, etc would all be far better in one of the major western European cities.  But that would look exclusionary, especially when there are so many eastern European clubs in the EL (because they rarely qualify for CL) -- even if they don't generally reach the EL final.  On top of that, UEFA membership is now dominated by smaller countries, particularly to the east, so their political influence in UEFA far outweighs their representation in actual finals.  Also UEFA (and FIFA) will not acknowledge political or cultural problems in host countries, e.g. corruption, racism, Islamophobia, international tensions, etc, as a disqualifier for consideration.

The CL final gets hit by the same effect, just look at last year, but will have less pressure to drift east because most of the participants are more westerly.

It was nice to see Klopp speak out today against Baku as a host for the EL final because of the difficulty for fans.  UEFA won't like it but clubs have the best opportunity here to speak up for their fans.

[Corvinus85]

Considering that the stadium/city only has to host only one match, they should narrow down and select the winner, only in the latter part of the competition. Then you can look at what teams are left, and award it to the best stadium from a certain region of Europe. 

For example, in the quarter-finals there were only teams from Western Europe, with Slavia Praha being the eastern-most. I'd say there was enough time at the point when the draw was made, for UEFA to start looking at stadiums in Western Europe.

[State Trooper]

36 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Yes, when the UEFA allocated the finals, they surely did foresee that two clubs from London would end up in the EL final.

Now then, there is only a certain number of Stadiums that meet the criterions to host the CL finals. So they literally can't host it on a rainy saturday evening in Stoke. As minimum capacity is 70.000 (been that way since 2010 I think). So Kiev was on the lower end of that with 70.500.

Anyway.

UEFA 5 Star Stadiums, note that is an old list, that also includes Stadiums below the required capacity to host the CL final these days.

For the EL it used to be a 4 star stadium, capacity 40.000 or 50.000

Again, that rules out quite a few stadiums.

Then the UEFA rightly also wants to give every member the chance to host a final once (if they have the stadium for it).

Yes, it sucks to travel to Baku, however I'd find it also problematic if the finals would always be hosted in the UK, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Portugal (basically just Lisbon and Porto).

Do you work for UEFA 

I get what you're saying, and obviously you can't please everyone, but I just feel sorry for the "real" fans, who always get the raw deal, when without them the game would be nothing.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

Nah, UEFA has its problems. But with the final selection, I can see where they are coming from. And I tend to agree with their rational for most parts.

Personally I'd prefer it, if they also included political/ethical standards to way higher degrees (which would have ruled out Baku btw.) but on substance I think also including smaller FAs is the right way to go. As I don't like the exclusionary touch of just hosting it in the western UEFA nations.