Chelsea Barca hots up! Quotes from bile to analysis! Pt 1
By dixon9
May 4 2009
During the last decade the vitriol and controversy between Chelsea and Barcelona has been prominent to say the least. With the match just days away, here are a selection of quotes from the players, managers, journos and bloggers – some will make you smile and others make your blood boil! (Part 1 of 2):
Xavi: “It’s an outrage. There were scandalous incidents. Chelsea players made challenges that were clear bookings and the referee didn’t blow for a foul.
“In one of them he booked Yaya Toure for protesting his rival didn’t get a booking for a bad foul from behind.
“There was a team that wanted to play and another that didn’t. It’s a pity. In England they talk about fair play so much. It’s a shame they don’t put that talk into practice.
“There was no fair play from Chelsea at all. We played football; they did not play anything at all. The Ballack challenge was a blatant red card but the referee did nothing.
“We had them holed up in their own penalty area. They did not create a single chance.”
Iniesta:”Chelsea had the freedom to make all the challenges they wanted,”
“We know that referees allow more in European competition than they do in the Spanish league, but there is a difference between that and simply letting teams do whatever they want, which is what happened.
“When I was brought down by Ballack I was in on goal and yet he was let off a second yellow card, which was clear as can be.”
Blogger: United accepted Barca would have most of the ball even in the second leg last year and defended in numbers, I wonder how Chelsea will approach it with Barca’s first choice centre of defence unavailable for the Stamford bridge game?
Blogger: The same bunch of whining neutrals who claim that somehow we should have rolled over and died for their entertainment - ITS NOT ABOUT YOU.
Blogger: If its 11 v 11 we’ll win at the bridge.
Blogger: Last night Chelsea’s players kept to their tactical plan superbly and defended with guts and skill. I may have admired them more than I enjoyed it but it’s not Hiddink’s job to set the stage for Messi, Etoó etc to dazzle us with their skills. You wouldn’t be whinging if you supported Chelsea; their responsibility is to themselves and their supporters, not to you. Turn over. Buy a DVD. Watch something else.
Blogger: How come all of these ‘journos’ who have historically complained about Italian sides ‘defending for 90 minutes’ have not written one decent critique of Chelsea’s ‘performance’? I think it is a disgrace,
Blogger: I got the distinct impression of a balloon being burst.
Referee Stark: “It was a very spiteful contest in some areas and, although I do not advocate ugly fouls or dangerous plays, I deemed that it was normal for a Champions League semi-final,”
“I did not send off Ballack [with a second yellow card] simply because there was no reason to. He committed a normal foul and I awarded Barcelona a direct free kick. In any case, after the match, a delegate of UEFA told me and my assistants that Michel Platini was very satisfied with our work.”
Hiddink: “All this week I have slept with a paper and pencil next to my bed. I couldn’t sleep after we played Barcelona so I was writing things down on the table next to me.”
Lampard “It was a magnificent result and a terrific performance,”
“As for all this controversy - I just look at it as a cultural difference both in the way the two clubs play and the two leagues play the game.
“They always fire up the talk to build it all up for the second leg, to get everyone fired up for it. But the bottom line is it’s what happens on the pitch that matters most,”
“That’s where you need a strong referee that understands both cultures, who takes into account the different styles of the leagues and the teams.
“We had that in the first leg because I thought the referee stood up to the pressure very well. Not just to the protests of their players over every decision but to the 95,000 fans who were screaming at him too.
Alan Green: Catalan complaints are a pain in Barca
Personally, I don’t care which of the three remaining English clubs wins the Champions League as long as one of them does. I can’t wait to see the uncomfortable look on the face of UEFA President Michel Platini as he hands over the trophy for safe keeping across the Channel for another year!
My sympathy has evaporated after the incredible whinging that followed the game at the Nou Camp. I mean, how dare Chelsea? Don’t they know the rules? You must turn up in Barcelona, lie down and roll over in front of your acknowledged masters! I am not saying that Barcelona can’t reach the final. Chelsea must, at some stage, be more expansive on Wednesday night and that would create more room for the Spanish club’s strikers to score an away goal. But I didn’t rate the Barcelona defence before and now they’ll be without the injured Marquez and the suspended Puyol. I think Chelsea will go through. (Yes! You read that right – ALAN GREEN almost sticking up for us!)
Blogger: I am sure that Guardiola identified Chelsea’s midfield as their biggest threat, much as Iniesta and Xavi were really Barca’s biggest threat. Chelsea obviously were planning on a more defensive and cagey approach, but Barca effectively locked them into it by taking away all decent channels of distribution. I would say that this shows that Barca actually saw Chelsea for the threat they can be and neutralized them. Both sides essentially killed off the other’s attacking threat.
Blogger: Anyone remember the all Italian semi’s and finals? How exciting were they? Like f@ck they were. What we did see was 2 English teams playing Cup football sensibly for a change in a first leg, that’s not something to poke fun at Richard; it’s something that’s actually a good thing. It might well mean that English football has moved on and matured from long ball, run them ragged school boy football that we normally see from teams that can’t keep possession of the ball to save their lives.
Essien: “In modern football you need to be strong. That is the way we play. Any time we tackled them they seemed to fall over.”
Alves: “We were hoping Chelsea would be more offensive, that’s true but their tactics in the first game were not a surprise.
“We believe, though, that you can beat physical strength with intelligence, and that’s what we’ll be looking to do against Chelsea and then against Arsenal or Manchester United in the final. We want to make sure there is no all-English final, no English win in Rome. We will use our intelligence to beat their force. The mind will overcome the body.”
“The dressing room was upset after the game because we had a lot of chances and couldn’t, or didn’t, take them. But there is no time for complaints.”
Ian Hawkey The Times: Righteous indignation being part of the national syllabus in Catalonia, the only surprise in the noises coming from Barcelona’s players after Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Chelsea was how cranky they all sounded.
Barça have of late not had much practice at complaining that opponents come to their home merely to spoil their beautiful work. Chelsea, defensive and disciplined, thwarted them as no other visitors have.
Chelsea-Barça carries grudges that have been nourishing the fixture over the best part of 10 years.
When Mourinho returned as an opponent, he sensed the enmity. “You can see he really wanted revenge every time he came here,” says Xavi. The teams met twice again the following season in the group stage. Intimacy by now was fertilising some shoots of mutual respect.
This week’s two captains have arranged a brief social meeting. John Terry will catch up with Xavi after the match to ask him to sign the Spain shirt he gave Terry in Seville in February. Their relationship is that of contemporaries bound by a two-way admiration. Xavi also has Terry’s Three Lions shirt from the Spain-England friendly three months ago. “I’m not really a big collector,” says Xavi, “but that jersey means a lot to me. I went over to John at the end of that match to thank him for having voted for me as Fifa World Player of the Year. Before I could say anything, in my bad English, he said to me, ‘You’re the number one’. To be respected by a fellow professional who you didn’t know that well is important.”
Blogger: Chelsea may win this tie, but not because of any semblance of football skill. They were awful, the ref was awful - the only talent Chelsea showed was in the way they broke up the game in 2nd half - how many Barca players were replaced? They were kicked off the park! Shocking, and shocking that the Guardian writers only talk about how Chelsea “stifled” Barca. I’d call it a f**kin’ kicking!
Blogger: For a team representing the self proclaimed best league in the world, Chelsea were an utter embarrassment tonight. There game plan was akin to that of a 2nd or 3rd division side taking on one of the big 4 in the FA cup, not a team filled with some of the most talented and expensive players in the world led by a great coach.
Blogger: The only disgrace last night was Dani Alves, the most pathetic whining whinging play acting scumbag I’ve seen in a long time. And this from a team that always comes across as holier than thou. Even Iniesta, who I think is a fabulous player, was trying it on, deliberately trying to get people booked.
Blogger: But get real folks, this is a two-leg semi-final and the aim is to progress. United achieved the same result last season and went through. When playing at home the onus was on Barca to win and again they couldn’t do that. They deserved to perhaps but they didn’t win. I hope that they can win at Stamford Bridge for all our sakes.
Terry: “It will be a different game at the Bridge. We will get in their faces and make things difficult for them. “It was virtually impossible on that big pitch with the kind of players they have got. But we kept them at bay and we will get them back to the Bridge now and get the fans behind us and get ready to go again.
“They have problems at the back with injuries and Carles Puyol suspended and Didier Drogba is going to cause them problems. We will certainly be going for the game big time from the off.”
“The manager was spot-on. Once he had spoken we knew exactly what to do and the way he wanted us to play, and from the moment we went out there we stuck to it and that was the key, even if they do keep the ball and frustrate you.
“We completely trust him — and we trust each other and that is the main thing. It was almost a perfect defensive performance to keep them out.
Toure: “The referee was more than sad. It seems he came here to help Chelsea. “Players like Ballack and John Obi Mikel committed so many fouls and didn’t even get a yellow.”
Ballack: “If you don’t think we can play, you’ve got another thing coming.”“Maybe they expected us to roll over for them - and because we didn’t they don’t think it’s fair. What can I say? That’s part of English football, physical football.
“It’s not like we’ve gone there not wanting to play, as they’ve been saying. But if you go to the Nou Camp you have to know how you have to play. It’s not about giving them an open game because that is what they want.” Ballack added:
“You have to play differently against Barcelona than you do against Liverpool. That was also part of our strategy.
“The coach spoke with us and put the game plan in place, telling us how we had to play.
Blogger: So what about us football fans then...??? We have to pay mad cash to watch a dull champions league match, when 1 side tries to play and the other just sits deep and not even attack....Chelsea are good team, very good, but at NOT playing’ football , as we all saw. We’ve seen teams close to relegation come to camp Nou and get a point, and scoring goals too. Where is the glory? Where is the courage?
Blogger: All I can say is that I hope Chelsea’s plan backfires and they go out. Chelsea ruined the game for neutrals and their own fans alike (or will have done when they are knocked out next week). The only thing on show at Camp Nou was the pure fear running through the veins of Chelsea players/management.I’m keeping my fingers crossed that justice will be done.
Blogger: Stop bleating on about bloody justice!Justice will be done when that arrogant little git Xavi is out of the CL Chelsea played for a draw and got it....Get over it. I don‘t expect folk to come down on Chelsea‘s side, but a fair assessment is welcome. It seems as though Barca just expected us to roll over and facilitate their God-given right to win the CL.
Blogger: Their tactics, and their players’ ability to adhere to them, were magnificent. It’s not their job to turn up and lose, if Barcelona are “heirs to the mantle of beautiful footballers” it’s their job to show they are better, unpick the defence, and score. They might do so on Wednesday, but they couldn’t do it last Tuesday.
Blogger: Every bleat and whine that comes out of Spain is music to my ears. Chelsea were physical, committed some fouls, but were not overly dirty. I lived through an era when England and English teams constantly had 0-0s and 1-0 defeats against continental opposition who were organised defensively and wouldn’t let us through. Man Utd did it to Barca last year and I hope Chelsea do it to them this year.
Blogger: Will someone please tell me what a neutral is? Does it mean someone who thinks: “I’ve made all this effort to turn on my TV, open some Doritos, and crack open a can of cheap lager/go to the pub, so I want to see some goals!”? If so, can we just ignore them please?
Ballack: “Every team has its strengths and weaknesses. We know the strengths of Barcelona and so for us it was the game we expected. We showed what we wanted to do with what we did there.
“They can say what they want about us if they want. But we know our strengths. Even if they spend the next week trying to provoke us we have our strategy for the home leg.”
“We have to be focused in exactly the same way we were in the first leg. We know we can surprise them and be even more difficult for them to play against here than we were at the Nou Camp.”
“If you look at the games they’ve had against English sides, it seems that they do not find it easy to deal with the power we have.“United showed it last season, drawing 0-0 there and winning 1-0 at home and we’ve now shown it again, in the Nou Camp.
“Yes, they have fantastic players, fantastic technical players, at an outstanding level. But if they play against a team like us or United, who are physically very strong and organised, who are experienced defending teams, it is much more difficult for them.
“But we can play as well. You don’t win the Champions League or arrive at the Final without playing fantastic football too. It’s not as if we’ve only done it once or twice. We have showed it so many times in the past that we don’t have to speak about it.“I think the recent games between the England teams have shown that. Look at the 4-4 against Liverpool, after we’d won 3-1 there, or Liverpool’s draw with Arsenal last week, or the football United play.
“Football is a little bit of everything. We want to show it again on Wednesday.”
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That article you've snipped from was one of the most insightful I've read on Barca Chelsea and I thought the mutual respect between JT and Xavi was heartwarming, but Iniesta was the one who impressed me most, because he's more low profile, shame about his whinging!
Xavi's comments on Mourinho interesting too.
[www.timesonline.co.uk]
There´s probably too much content but I have a tendency to get carried away sometimes...
A lot of copy and pasting - but when the piece is on quotes that is obviously unavoidable.
Yes, the Xavi/Terry comments surprised me as well.
"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.