Page 8 of 87
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 9:10 amby duk
red_guy wrote:Santa wrote:EddieC wrote:duk wrote:Forever_Red wrote:us in red them in white?
We're classed as the away team this time round
we were last time too yet we still played in red
Last time they were happy to play in white as they'd always won in finals where they played in white. After Istanbul I don't think they'll be so forthcoming this time.
they always consider wearing white as their lucky colour, but after 2005, I don't think they fancy seeing themselves in white again
Yup, that's what i've been thinking lately. I dont think they'll choose to wear white ...just because of the bad memories in Instanbul. But heck, I want us to wear red...
so us in white?
this is all a tad confusing 
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 9:16 amby red_guy
Red shirt for us, white for milan.....hopefully.
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 9:20 amby tubby
Just for the record who chooses who wears what?
Is it just a "gentlemans agreement"?
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 10:18 amby duk
The 'Home Team' choses
Meaning Milan get to chose again
they have chose white again 
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 10:43 amby duk
Got bored and thought id compare the Teams of 2005 & 2007, i personally think whilst our team have got stronger theirs hasn't got any better (possibly worse), look at these two line ups:
First XI Milan v Liverpool 2005 First XI Milan v Man U 2007
---------------Dida--------------- ---------------Dida---------------
Cafu---Stam---Nesta---Maldini Oddo--Kaladze--Nesta--Jankulovski
---Gattuso---Pirlo---Seedorf--- ---Gattuso---Pirlo---Seedorf---
----------------Kaka--------------- -------Ambrosini--Kaka-------
-----Shevchenko---Crespo----- --------------Inzaghi--------------
There current team contains the same keeper that we scored past 3 times, and recently he has been very clumsey, no longer 'the best keeper in the world' (never was imo but hey)
Stam has gone and I personally don’t think Kaladze is as good as him. Stam was a reliable rock, great in the air, Kaladze simply is not.
Same Midfield, still some quality and probably Milan’s best area of the field, however Liverpool too have some great CM’s easily a match for these three. 2 years older than last time, will this effect them?
Kaka has shown that he is becoming brilliant needs to be approached with caution and really can change a game.
Ambrosini and Inzaghi are nowhere near the class of Shevchenko and Crespo. Crespo scored two fine goals last time out but I don’t see the seem kind of finishes from either of these players, Shevchenko was Europe’s best striker last time out and again neither of these match him.
Maldini has expressed his wish to play in this final. Mixed reaction to this as he is a great player, however playing despite knowing that you need surgery is a risk and something that might not pay off, is he now at an age where he can’t impact the game as much as he used too? Pennant surely could beat him a few times down the right (Assuming either players feature)?
On the other side of the coin lets look at our team from that final:
---------------Dudek---------------
Finnan-Carragher-Hyypia-Troare
--Garcia-Gerrard-Alonso-Riise--
-------------------Kewell-----------
----------Baros---------------------
Dudek had a great final but admitted himself that some of his saves were flukes, Reina is a better goalkeeper and showed that he can save penalty’s.
Finnan has settled into this team and is one of the consistently good players in it.
Carragher gets better and better.
Hyypia might not play but is still on his day more than capable of keeping ANY attacker quiet. Agger has some way to go before filling this man’s boots and imho shouldn’t start the final, having said he is a much better defender than Troare (or however u spell it) who walked away from turkey with a CL Medal.
He has since moved on and his place will surely be taken by Riise. A massive improvement in the LB position.
Garcia will miss out on this final and I think having a right footed player running down the right at Maldini will be a better option, either Pennant or Gerrard.
Gerrard will feature once again his position probably not as obvious. If he doesn’t play in the centre we will have Alonso (form is temporary, class is permanent ‘nuff said) and the new boy Macherano. Kewell is a big question mark but if he does feature surely it’ll be on the left meaning no Zenden. However even if Zenden does play he can not be any worse than Troare was in Istanbul. Having two strikers rather than 1 and a Kewell will be an advantage, it will be Bellamy’s last game to impress so I expect a big performance from him. With Kuyt playing you know he will give 110% effort… and Crouch has been on form recently. All 3 better than Baros and Cisse were.
Now I do realise that we too had Hamman, who came on at half time and really changed the game for the better, I believe we have a new Hamman in Mascherano and to an extent Momo.
Smicer came on in his last appearance and really give it everything he had, scoring in the game and one of the penalty kicks. (Zenden?)
Based on this I believe we have a much better chance than a lot of people give us credit for.
Come on you reds!!!
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 10:47 amby jonnymac1979
Belter. Red it is.
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 10:53 amby kazza
It was a super human effort to beat them two years ago and I think it will take another super human effort to beat them again. They sound and look focussed on winning the CL and I feel we are more happy that it is not Utd or Chelsea the final rather than showing the same focus as Milan. I feel we have the best manager that will get the boys ready, but it is not going to be easy. I actually felt we stood a better chance of beating Utd than Milan as Utd are not good enough to have beaten us three times in a row. Milan's posturing in front of their fans does not meat sh1t though, and they still have to win it.
We can outnumber them in Athens and make it a home tie.
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 11:39 amby metalhead
Gattuso savages Reds
Friday 04 May 2007
AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso has started the war of words as the clock ticks down to the Champions League Final by describing Liverpool as a "1990s side", and claiming "all they do is play long balls".
Gattuso is desperate to gain revenge for the Rossoneri's defeat against Liverpool in the 2005 Final and is confident Milan will clinch success in Athens on 23 May.
Carlo Ancelotti's side beat Manchester United 5-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals and Gattuso thinks Sir Alex Ferguson's team are far superior to the Merseysiders.
"I feel there is a noticeable difference in talent between Manchester United and Liverpool and that we have beaten the better side of the two," he said.
"United have far more technical players, who are quick and able to do things on the ball. Liverpool do not have those individuals.
"What they have is a way of playing as a team. They are like an Italian team of 10 years ago. All they try to do is defend together, with everybody behind the ball and just one striker. Every ball is a long ball.
"(In 2005) we were winning 3-0 and in six second-half minutes it all turned around and it was suddenly 3-3.
"That was hard to take but, even then, we had chances to win. The word for me is destiny and Liverpool had it on their side.
"We were on top but in six minutes Liverpool changed everything. It was not meant to be. But it's impossible for it to be the same this time."
Source
------------------
We will see about that gattuso
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 11:43 amby Santa
jonnymac1979 wrote:Belter. Red it is.
so I guessed they will be in white...good...at least we won our first five cups wearing red and beating the team in white 
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 12:44 pmby stmichael
I think too much is being made up of the mancs being beaten cause they played 4-5-1, at the end of the day formations can be detrimental from the personnel used, utd played rooney alone upfront, hav they not learned from england that rooney is not a striker to lead the line, you need someone to hold the ball or to provide a basecamp to build attacks against milan, utd never held the ball and subsequently milan had more possession and more opportunities to open utd up and they duely oblidged. Plus utd's 4-5-1 lacked a DM to act as a shield or give tactical problems to milan, seedorf and kaka were passing through them with ease and hence the wing backs were more a secondary option for milan than the primary outball, so basically they had options to open the mancs all over the field.
we need to learn from this and our own misdemeanours 2 years ago in the first half, going gung ho isn't the solution, we need to play a patient game where we have strong authority especially in midfield and where we can create openings, but not at the hinderance of being sucked by the fast counters of milan. first goal is essential, but also the alance needs to be right from the offset, 2 DM's with Gerrard more liberated.
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 4:33 pmby Bad Bob
duk wrote:Got bored and thought id compare the Teams of 2005 & 2007, i personally think whilst our team have got stronger theirs hasn't got any better (possibly worse), look at these two line ups:
First XI Milan v Liverpool 2005 First XI Milan v Man U 2007
---------------Dida--------------- ---------------Dida---------------
Cafu---Stam---Nesta---Maldini Oddo--Kaladze--Nesta--Jankulovski
---Gattuso---Pirlo---Seedorf--- ---Gattuso---Pirlo---Seedorf---
----------------Kaka--------------- -------Ambrosini--Kaka-------
-----Shevchenko---Crespo----- --------------Inzaghi--------------
There current team contains the same keeper that we scored past 3 times, and recently he has been very clumsey, no longer 'the best keeper in the world' (never was imo but hey)
Stam has gone and I personally don’t think Kaladze is as good as him. Stam was a reliable rock, great in the air, Kaladze simply is not.
Same Midfield, still some quality and probably Milan’s best area of the field, however Liverpool too have some great CM’s easily a match for these three. 2 years older than last time, will this effect them?
Kaka has shown that he is becoming brilliant needs to be approached with caution and really can change a game.
Ambrosini and Inzaghi are nowhere near the class of Shevchenko and Crespo. Crespo scored two fine goals last time out but I don’t see the seem kind of finishes from either of these players, Shevchenko was Europe’s best striker last time out and again neither of these match him.
Maldini has expressed his wish to play in this final. Mixed reaction to this as he is a great player, however playing despite knowing that you need surgery is a risk and something that might not pay off, is he now at an age where he can’t impact the game as much as he used too? Pennant surely could beat him a few times down the right (Assuming either players feature)?
On the other side of the coin lets look at our team from that final:
---------------Dudek---------------
Finnan-Carragher-Hyypia-Troare
--Garcia-Gerrard-Alonso-Riise--
-------------------Kewell-----------
----------Baros---------------------
Dudek had a great final but admitted himself that some of his saves were flukes, Reina is a better goalkeeper and showed that he can save penalty’s.
Finnan has settled into this team and is one of the consistently good players in it.
Carragher gets better and better.
Hyypia might not play but is still on his day more than capable of keeping ANY attacker quiet. Agger has some way to go before filling this man’s boots and imho shouldn’t start the final, having said he is a much better defender than Troare (or however u spell it) who walked away from turkey with a CL Medal.
He has since moved on and his place will surely be taken by Riise. A massive improvement in the LB position.
Garcia will miss out on this final and I think having a right footed player running down the right at Maldini will be a better option, either Pennant or Gerrard.
Gerrard will feature once again his position probably not as obvious. If he doesn’t play in the centre we will have Alonso (form is temporary, class is permanent ‘nuff said) and the new boy Macherano. Kewell is a big question mark but if he does feature surely it’ll be on the left meaning no Zenden. However even if Zenden does play he can not be any worse than Troare was in Istanbul. Having two strikers rather than 1 and a Kewell will be an advantage, it will be Bellamy’s last game to impress so I expect a big performance from him. With Kuyt playing you know he will give 110% effort… and Crouch has been on form recently. All 3 better than Baros and Cisse were.
Now I do realise that we too had Hamman, who came on at half time and really changed the game for the better, I believe we have a new Hamman in Mascherano and to an extent Momo.
Smicer came on in his last appearance and really give it everything he had, scoring in the game and one of the penalty kicks. (Zenden?)
Based on this I believe we have a much better chance than a lot of people give us credit for.
Come on you reds!!!
One minor quibble lad--I think you'll find that it's Ambrosini that plays deep and Seedorf that plays in a more advanced position for them:
Dida
Oddo Kaladze Nesta Jankulovski
Gattuso Pirlo Ambrosini
Kaka Seedorf
Inzaghi
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 5:45 pmby duk
meh near enough
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 5:48 pmby Marianne
Lets have a repeat of 2005!
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 8:10 pmby redsince2001
Marianne wrote:Lets have a repeat of 2005!
no please....... lets win it the normal way this time around/.,,,,, 
Posted:
Fri May 04, 2007 8:27 pmby Bad Bob
duk wrote:meh near enough
Well, it makes your statement "Ambrosini and Inzaghi are nowhere near the class of Shevchenko and Crespo" a little strange, you must admit? It's bad enough comparing a midfielder with a striker without acknowledging that Milan is currently playing a different formation than in 2005 but to compare their 2007 holding midfielder with the quality strikers of 2005 is really taking the p!ss!
Despite that I agree with the intention of your comment: their current strikers are not quite as dangerous as the ones they fielded in Istanbul (although we take either Inzaghi or Gilardino lightly at our peril).