CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2009: CHELSEA FC 1 - FC BARCELONA 1 - BARÇA GO INTO FINAL. CAN WE DEBATE THIS? RATIONALLY?

Its a UEFA conspiracy, hijacked, robbed, missed penalty 1, 2, 3, 4
...none called, the worst referee ever? Chelsea FC unfairly &
deliberately taken out from the Champions League? Harsh words, &
Press headlines charged with bitter emotion from fans, players &
English Football professionals. Reminds SFS that these same words
were used by Real Madrid when Liverpool were given a penalty that
was not ( eg Heize hand?) in the Q/Final clash. In fact, these are
the same words used by every team & by local press universally
when they lose important Football matches. Back to yesterday...
























Drogba – “it’s a “f*cking disgrace”
Hiddick – “my team was robbed …, the worst referee seen in my
entire life, 3 to 4 penalties not called”
The British Press - “Uefa conspiracy to not repeat another English
Champions Final”

Can we debate this? Can we look at it all from a cold & rational
perspective using only Football (Soccer) concepts as instruments
of understanding?

EliteFootballTalk Blog
is essential reading if your a serious Football fan that wishes
more than just to read up on the results & scorers. Based
fundamentally on English Football its daily analysis surpasses
frontiers to make its applied concepts, Football arguments & its
thinking debates a Universal affair.

Yesterday the EFT Team, under one of its authors “Redsman”,
posted an article that analyzed the CHELSEA FC 1 – FC
BARCELONA 1 (SEE VIDEO OF GOALS ON THE BELOW POST) 2º leg
Champions League Semi-Final clash. A match that was covered
under a controversial background with its dramatic ending & with
an emotionally charged atmosphere created - & understandably –
by those directly affected, the Chelsea fans & Chelsea players who
the latter some quiet frankly exhibited unsportsmanlike behaviour,
that although understandable under the emotion, lacked rational
arguments & should be sanctioned.

SFS is going to publish entirely the EFT article as it believes it is
one of the most rational, coldly analyzed & intelligent articles up
on the web – or anyplace – that looks at this amazing game with
a crystal clear vision. SFS believes its readers will appreciate this
angle as much as SFS enjoyed & benefited from reading it
yesterday. Here is the EFT post:

"Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona: Don't blame the man in the
middle; blame themen on the outside" (Author REDSMEN)

The referee in tonight's Champions League semi-final 2nd leg at Stamford Bridge
was Norwegian Tom Ovrebo. The headlines of the English papers tomorrow will
metaphorically 'scream' it was his fault why Chelsea went out of the semi-finals,
went out of the one chance they had to avenge their defeat last year. As far as
I'm concerned, yes, Mr Ovrebo was at fault. But he wasn't the only one.

Mr Ovrebo was at fault for the lack of progress for Chelsea. I can only think of f
our potential penalty shouts that occurred in the game, I believe there could have
been one more. First, Florent Maluda took on Dani Alves (who, for me, was
something of a disappointment to say the least tonight) and then turned back on
him. Alves clearly impeded the Frenchman and a free-kick was given. Alves was at
the time inside his penalty box, Malouda was outside. I don't think that was a penalty.

Drogba took on Yaya Toure in the box, once played in by Frank Lampard. Toure
grabbed Drogba's shirt but Drogba went down only after the ball was out of his
control. That was a penalty for me. Nicolas Anelka touched the ball near the
Barcelona penalty box, Gerard Pique had his right arm raised before Anelka played
the ball and the ball comes off Pique's hand. That, to me, was a penalty.

The last Chelsea corner came to Michael Ballack, he swung a shot towards goal
and it came off Samuel Eto'o, off his left arm. Eto'o was in position before the
ball was struck. That wasn't a penalty and Ballack's disgraceful, ugly harassment
over the referee afterwards rightly earned a booking.

Now, aside from those penalty shouts, what did Chelsea do to earn the win?
They had Michael Essien aim at the ball and score a superbly taken left-foot
volley. It put them ahead 1-0 after the ninth minute. Thirty six minutes later
they hardly came at Barcelona, the away side made most of the football. What
Chelsea did was play defensively in front of the penalty box, they had numbers
in position in spaces to deny Barcelona that space to play their little through
balls, their little passes. They defended deep to avoid Barcelona playing the
long through balls, and their task was made all the more easier with Thierry
Henry withdrawn.

People will say 'what is wrong with that?', but while it was cunning to thwart Eto'o
and Lionel Messi from those movements around and through the defence, thwart
the passing and breaking by Andres Iniesta and Xavi, it stopped Chelsea from their
usual attacking flow, at home. Their usual break from the midfield three, with
Lampard threading passes to the flanks and then joining late, was missing, and it
left Drogba on his own having to battle with Toure. Toure was fortunate to have
escaped twice from possible Drogba-breaks on goal.

I can only think of one moment in the second half when Chelsea came forward,
with Anelka drawing defenders to him and then passing to Drogba, who turned
Pique and then shot weakly at Victor Valdes, with the rebound gathered and shot
by Lampard blocked, and then Malouda hitting the side netting. That was it.

Then Eric Abidal (another defender who failed tonight and who I have never
rated for club nor country) was taken to have fouled Anelka on the run and was
red-carded, although replays showed Anelka tripped over his own leg with no
contact from Abidal. Another bad decision. But that didn't even push Chelsea to
surge onto Barcelona's goal. Chelsea seem to have felt comfortable a goal up,
a man up, and then simmered. And that led to Barcelona's goal.

That slacking in focus, that same focus that denied Barcelona space last week
and tonight, allowed for Barcelona to maintain the ball from a cross, with Messi
receiving and playing it to Iniesta, who had the time and space to take a chance
first time. Ballack was the nearest player and he ducked or turned away from the
shot. It was practically the only effort Petr Cech had to move to. It was the one
time Chelsea afforded Barcelona space to do something......and it cost them.



















I watched the game with others and I said to them that if Barcelona were to
take a chance first time, they could score. That was because whenever Barcelona
got within sniffing distance of the penalty edge, they were being snuffed out, and
that was because not only did Chelsea deny them space, but also because
Barcelona seemed to want to walk the ball into the area as they mostly do in La
Liga. Defences open more to them in the Spanish league, whereas here Chelsea's
plan was to close up tight. The one moment Barcelona took the opportunity first
time they scored, it was the only shot on target from them.

Don't blame the referee entirely. Chelsea still had the majority of the game to
play for and they hardly did that. Depending on penalty appeals to get them
through was desperate. They didn't play the attacking football they are renowned
for. In both legs Barcelona were the attacking team and it is they who earned their
passage into the final. And it is ironic that where Barcelona looked more vulnerable
with Abidal off, where Chelsea became too relaxed, that it was then when Chelsea
lost control of their focus. And the whole tie.

The reactions after the game were understandable but I cannot condone them.
I can understand when (not if) a driver cuts up another driver, the first driver
becomes frustrated and displays that frustration towards that second driver,
from their car seat, but that's it. I cannot condone road-rage, especially where
it can almost come to violence. The Chelsea players are understandably upset but
they individually dealt with their disappointment, with a few not visibly becoming
animated towards the referee. Nor the camera.

We all have disappointments and if we allow our emotions to take over, people
will be at each other's throats daily. What's next, a throw-in is not given and
the referee has to run for cover? A child is denied a free-kick and swears at the
referee? I don't want bad habits coming into football. Disappointments are to
be dealt with with maturity, not in the manner seen tonight. When you add up
that, without the penalty appeals, Chelsea didn't play enough for the win, you
should realise Mr Ovrebo isn't the only one at fault for Chelsea's exit. But it is
easier to target him than to look at the players themselves.

RedsMan.

SFS thanks Elite Football Talk Blog. Now the debate is open! Tweet

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