Topic: European Cup Final - AC Milan vs. Liverpool - Build up here. D-day

[Hattori Hanzo]

my opinion is still to go for the  4-4-2, i think the more attacking pace and flair we have upfront the better chance we have of winning the game


---------------------dudek--------------------------

finnan-------carra---------hyypia------------riise


garcia-------alonso-------gerrard----------kewell

------------baros-----------cisse-------------------


that would be my starting XI, if we banged a couple of goals in then and only then would i be tempted to play 4-2-3-1 (taking baros off and bringing hamann on)

[baz]

Oh my God..we're going to Istanbul.
It really is getting exciting.

[MattLFC08]

Oh my God..we're going to Istanbul.
It really is getting exciting.

Wakey Wakey!!

 

[r3dman]

I still find you Liverpool fans reallly great!

[baz]

I still find you Liverpool fans reallly great!

Cheers redman. How are you doing? Pity about Milan falling so far behind Juve in the race for the Scudetto. Do you think its all over? Or will Carlo definitely have to play a full strength team against Palermo?

Its Palermos last game of the season so this ones going to be a pretty tough one for you, but we wish you good luck. It'll be interesting if you win and Juve trip up against Livorno.

But in your hearts you must be thinking its all over, especially after Juve beat you at the san siro

[r3dman]

Cheers redman. How are you doing? Pity about Milan falling so far behind Juve in the race for the Scudetto. Do you think its all over? Or will Carlo definitely have to play a full strength team against Palermo?

Cheers! I'm doing great, although we lost the scudetto. It's really a good period for me, cause I'm anxious about Star Wars: ep 3(big fan) and the final in Istambul. The unpleasant part is that my idiot teachers in the University planned a lot of projects on the 23rd and I also have an exam on the 25th that I can't really miss, so I won't be going to Turkey. Damn, I had the whole trip planned. Anyway, I guess from the 5 point advantage that Juve has, that Ancelotti gave up on the scudetto, so yeah, it's all over in Serie A. It's imposible to reach them when there are only 2 more matches to play. I hope the good players get to rest a little, cause they sure need it, especially Cafu and Maldini

[mulane]

god im getting really nervous now!!!! especially when i hear the names of the milan team!!! they are like the who's who of football. God i keeping thinking about how gutted i would be if we lost!!! im gonna be a nervous wreck thro it all. Was there a chelsea player or someone else who said it would hurt more to lose in a final than a semi final! i thought first sure as long as we get past chelsea i dont care, because it would really hurt to lose to them again, but now i realise it will be more terrible (and painful) if we lose the final!

[DonkeyWan]

Personally I would start baros, Cisse would be a better impact sub and Baros will definitley be up for a final

[codger]

Don't really agree; the conventional wisdom is that the Semi defeat is the one that really kills you. If the Reds get battered in Istanbul, while chasing the game; then that would  be a real bastard.  But WTF?
Getting to the Final was FUN; beating Chelsea of all teams was fantastic.  Poetic justice?  -  you betcha!
This Liverpool team aren't really built for cavalier play; but Raffa will haffa plan.
BELIEVE!

[gjr1]

Hi,

The starting team is so hard to predict. AC have no idea either.

I think they will guess at a 5 man midfield with either Cisse or Baros starting. I don't think they will expect both to start. Myself, I don't know at all.

Harry maybe the gamble that Rafa goes with.

So...

---------Dudek

Finnen-----Sami---Carra----Tarore

Garcia---SG---Alonso---JAR

-------------HK

----------Baros/Cisse

[MasterJ]

I can't see Baros starting. I think he's fallen out of favour with the boss and only has a chance to come off the bench.

[soon2b19]

really hitting home now. this time next week I'll be mid-air on my way to Istanbul. Come on!!

[gjr1]

I can't see Baros starting. I think he's fallen out of favour with the boss and only has a chance to come off the bench.

I semi agree and Rafa dropped him for the CC final but we shall see.

[firebrand]

Well the question sems to be whether it will be a lone attacker or a twin attack, but before you look at the strength of our attack you need to think of the strength of Milan.

They use a deep laying playmaker- Pirlo, a midfield terrier-Gattuso, a creative player in the "hole"- kaka and a roaming wide player-Serdof.

Rafa being Rafa will try to negate all these aspects and I believe the first thing he will do is to stop Kaka and that is where Hamman comes in. the other issue is stopping Serdof, I believe this will be acheived by Riise moving into the left back position and Traore shifting a bit inside and effectively having a five man defence when we are under attack.

Alonso & Gerrard will take care of the other midfield issues like dealing with Pirlo and Gattuso.

My lin up for the day would be

---------------------Dudek-------------------
Finnan      Carragher  Hyypia         Traore

-------------------Hamman--------------------
Garcia---------Gerrard------Alonso----Riise
 ---------------------Cisse--------------

Depending on how the Game is going Baros should come in on the hour mark replacing Hamman and the side reverting to a 4-4-2 formation.

[ibnefbgsPhyC]

unutmayın istanbul a geliyosunuz aklılı olun da gasp etmesinlerrrr !!!
F.S. mehmet ıstanbul ve dünyanın sahibidir biy@d edin!!!!!
fuck you greece

[ibnefbgsPhyC]

----------------------cordoba-----------------------
ibrahim t. -----ronaldo---cagdas----ibrahimü.
ali.tandoğan---guinti---tayfur-----carew---
-----------------youla----pascal--------------
 yıkılıyo a.q beeeee rüzgar ali ve karev kanatlarda

[Aidan_B]

fuck you greece

Now now, just because they are the best national team in Europe ?

[baz]

Now now, just because they are the best national team in Europe ?

[Liverbird 2010]

----------------------cordoba-----------------------
ibrahim t. -----ronaldo---cagdas----ibrahimü.
ali.tandoğan---guinti---tayfur-----carew---
-----------------youla----pascal--------------
 yıkılıyo a.q beeeee rüzgar ali ve karev kanatlarda

 

[Francesco_Totti_BJK]

Beşiktaş ulan... We are waiting you friends...

[baz]

----------------------cordoba-----------------------
ibrahim t. -----ronaldo---cagdas----ibrahimü.
ali.tandoğan---guinti---tayfur-----carew---
-----------------youla----pascal--------------
 yıkılıyo a.q beeeee rüzgar ali ve karev kanatlarda

Ronaldo....since when did he turn into a defender....  

[baz]

Aww man...can you believe, i'm reading reports that Milan have thrown in the towel with regard to the scudetto, and they are now focusing on the CL final. Oh well, at least they wont be able to say that they were'nt focused and stuff.

Hey Redman. You out there. What do you and fellow Milan supporters think about comments coming out of the Milanese camp.

[Red in Korea]

Aww man...can you believe, i'm reading reports that Milan have thrown in the towel with regard to the scudetto, and they are now focusing on the CL final.

Its only fair. Didn't we do that a month ago?

[Revenge of the Sixth]

I'm really busy at the mo so I've been robbed of the oportunity to think about next week for long periods. Still, it's starting to bubble up nicley.

[RedMike-86-]

From .tv:

AC Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti today hailed Rafa Benitez for guiding Liverpool into the Champions League final in his first season on Merseyside.

Ancelotti will go head to head with Benitez in Istanbul next week as Milan take on Liverpool for the right to be crowned European Champions and, although the Italians will start the game as favourites, the experienced Ancelotti knows the Reds will provide tough opposition.
 
"Benitez has done a very good job with Liverpool," he said. "In his first year with the club he has taken them to the Champions League final.
 
"He has won the tactical battle against Chelsea and Juventus so I have a lot of respect for him. Liverpool is a team I like. They are organised and they have ideas.
 
"I think the game against Liverpool will be more or less in the same line as that against Juve (in the final two years ago)," admitted Ancelotti.
 
"It wouldn't surprise me if we had to go to the penalty shoot-out. And for this there is little you can do in terms of preparation even though we do practise penalties during training.
 
"But in a game, and especially in a final, it all has to be down to psychology and the conditions you face, so it's by no means easy."

- - - - - - - - -

I wonder if "Liverpool is a team I like" will still be true when we're celebrating number five? 

[baz]

"It wouldn't surprise me if we had to go to the penalty shoot-out. And for this there is little you can do in terms of preparation even though we do practise penalties during training.
 

Are these just mind-games...or is Carlo feeling the heat of Rafas Rojas.
I have a feeling that in Maureenesque fashion he's preparing for the worst outcome..and thats a good sign. Rafa is very clever (bless) and he will exploit things like this.

[gramck24]

Just seen this on .tv

I thought, he hated Chelseas after the way he was treated.

Anyone??

----------------------

Hernan Crespo has told Chelsea he will set out to avenge their UEFA Champions League elimination by beating Liverpool with Milan. 
 
Rafa Benitez's side prevented Chelsea from edging closer to a historic treble when they dumped their West London counterparts out at the semi-final stage.
 
Crespo, on loan at Milan, faces Liverpool in Istanbul and is in a determined mood ahead of next Wednesday's final.
 
The Argentine's future is still in limbo at present but having continually reiterated his desire to remain in Italy in the past, it seems unlikely that a return to Stamford Bridge is on the cards.
 
'Maybe I could take revenge for Chelsea by beating Liverpool in the final,' declared Crespo.
 
'It is a good personal reason for me as I do not know what is going to happen next year.
 
'Milan want me but so do Chelsea and there have been talks.
'If I go back to England it will be fine but it feels like home here.
 
'I know Rafa because he was a coach at Valencia and they played a similar way to Liverpool.
 
'For me, playing their way is not a new tactic.
 
'The trophy is there for those who want to take it most and we will attack from the first minute to the last.'
 
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/mediawatch/drilldown/MW8135050518-0959.htm

[pinky]

An excellent preview of the game by a Milan fan.

http://www.xtratime.org/forum/showpost.php?p=2927137&postcount=96




a) Milan has already become the first side to reach an unprecedented 5 UCL finals. Milan captain Paolo Maldini is on the brink of appearing in his RECORD 7th .... yes 7th ECC/UCL final.  According my knowledge, no football player has appeared in 7 ECC/UCL finals ever. It is an unbelievable feat. Maldini is set to make history!

Di Stefano did play 7 European Cups finals playing for Real Madrid, so Maldini would equal Di Stefano's record if he is avalaible for the final. But the player who has played more European Cups finals, 8, is the same that has won more trophies, 6, Paco Gento, also an ex-Real Madrid player.

[Kop King]

in one of todays papers Crespo was Quoted as Saying " i will make Kop pay for knocking out Chelsea" fuck off crespo, Ugly argentine bastard 

[Red1234]

Personally I would start baros, Cisse would be a better impact sub and Baros will definitley be up for a final

That's what i was thinking

[cornelius]

Since the win over Juve at Anfield my mind has been dominated by the image of that beautiful trophy. I lost sleep before the Chelsea games and have been buzzing ever since we beat them but now today for some reason I've really started to feel the buzz on a whole new level. My emotions are red raw and I must be really getting on the missus and nippers nerves at the mo. This is going to be some week for us and if we win, it really will be a pinnacle for so many reasons. Winning the treble brought a euphoria and ecstacy that many of us had never experienced before but if we beat Milan it will be on a higher plain altogether.

The dream I had the week before the Chelsea game of us beating Milan in the final 1-0 was so vivid. I am praying on a daily basis that it was not just a dream but a premonition. This is what each and every one of us has been craving for 21 years. If the big man upstairs let's us have this one I promise to be a good boy for the rest of my days!

I'm sure I will be able to handle defeat if we lose (and please nobody cry if we do, it looks ridiculous) but I want this one thing more than anything I've ever wanted. It sounds like we will outnumber the Milanese in the stadium so if everybody wills it on enough, in the spirit of Shankly, I'm certain we will prevail...

Come on Redmen!!!

 

[eskdale]

who the fuck is Crespo?

anyway starting 11 for me would be:

                                       Dudek

         Finnan        Carra              Hyypia         Traore

                                      Hamman

                       Gerrard                   Alonso

          Garcia                                               Kewell

                                        Cisse

I would start with Cisse and go all out at the beginning and the perhaps bring Baros on if Cisse tires after knocking in a hat-trick in the first half 


Come on you Reds!

[cornelius]

Kewell ahead of Riise

[Red1234]

who the fuck is Crespo?

anyway starting 11 for me would be:

                                       Dudek

         Finnan        Carra              Hyypia         Traore

                                      Hamman

                       Gerrard                   Alonso

          Garcia                                               Kewell

                                        Cisse

Can't see rafa starting kewell instead of riise

[JP!]

In the last few big games I've noticed something unusual. When we score I go mental like I always have but just recently I also go really dizzy. Against the blue nose when Garcia scored I actually had to sit down because I nearly fainted. I must be old age creeping on. I think if we score against Milan the same thing will happen and if we win I'll probably pass out.

Don't worry ma friend, I'm 15 and I'm the same.

[myrlas]

Is it only me, or are you all going through the final in your head?

If you were to choose a match-winner for us...who would you pick, and why?

[eskdale]

Razor tips Carra for glory

Neil Ruddock believes the Champions League final will finish goalless but has tipped his old Liverpool team-mate Jamie Carragher to score the winning spot-kick in a penalty shoot-out against AC Milan.

Ruddock, the former Reds defender who spent five years at Anfield in the 1990s, has been pleasantly shocked by his old club's progress to the final in Istanbul next week.

Despite indifferent domestic form, Rafael Benitez's side squeezed out of their group thanks to Steven Gerrard's late winner against Olympiakos and knocked Bayer Leverkusen out of the last 16.

Titanic victories over Italian giants Juventus and newly-crowned Premiership champions Chelsea soon followed - with the Reds conceding just one goal over the course of the two two-legged ties.

Ruddock believes PSV's semi-final performance against Milan - they won the second leg 3-1 but went out on away goals - gives Liverpool real grounds for optimism.

But the former England international thinks Benitez's defence will again reign in Turkey and they will win the trophy the hard way, with Carragher and Gerrard key figures.

"I think Liverpool can score goals against Milan because PSV showed they can concede," said Ruddock.

"Defensively, in Europe, Liverpool have been the best team there. If you can keep Chelsea out for 180 minutes, they can keep Milan out for 90, that's for sure.

"You always need Stevie G to be on top of his game. He gets everyone around him going with his enthusiasm, he gets everyone playing and when he gets the ball he can slow the game down if he wants.

"But the Razor Ruddock prediction is 0-0 and Jamie Carragher to score the winning penalty. He deserves it because he has had a great season.

"When they beat Olympiakos with that last-minute goal from Steven Gerrard I thought they were a little bit lucky so it is amazing that they are there and they have got a great chance."

Ruddock admits he is slightly baffled at the Reds' failure to convert their European form into league wins - they finished fifth in the Premiership - and believes Benitez must improve next term.

"The league is more intense, more physical and the games come around every four or five days," added Ruddock.

"Sometimes some of the foreign lads can't handle the physical side of it. European football is less physical and they are used to the continental game.

"Even if Liverpool had been knocked out by Chelsea it still would have been a good season but he has had his honeymoon period now.

"He knows what the Premiership is like and they need to definitely improve next season, with Everton getting fourth place."


http://www.teamtalk.com/teamtalk/News/Story_Page/0,7760,1776_477847,00.html

[jokka]

Xabi Alonso because he deserves it.

Carra, lad becuase.......ehh..........words cant describe it.

[eskdale]

Can't see rafa starting kewell instead of riise

this is true, okay small adaption, drop Traore for JAR . . .

[fraggle]

From Sky Sports:


Milan superstar Paolo Maldini claims Liverpool's forwards are not giving him sleepless nights. 
 
The veteran defender will look to guide the Rossoneri to UEFA Champions League victory over Liverpool in Istanbul next week and he is confident of the club's defensive capabilities.
Djibril Cisse and Milan Baros will look to unlock the Milan door, but the 36-year-old Maldini is confident the Serie A side will stand tall in Istanbul.
 
"Generally it's my children who keep me awake," he said when asked if he was worried by Liverpool's forwards. "I have no reason not to sleep.
 
"Liverpool have suffered a lot with injuries and it's good for them to have Cisse back.
 
"But only my children, Christian who is six and three-year-old Daniel, keep me awake."
 
Maldini's one fear is if Liverpool take an early lead, as he feels they are solid defensively.
 
"Liverpool are a team that are essentially defensive," he added. "Caution is at the heart of their game.
 
"The key to the final will be that Liverpool close down any space and hope to use their quick players on the counterattack.
 
"Once Liverpool go ahead, they are dangerous. It becomes hard to find space to break them down, especially if you are not playing all that brilliantly."




sounds like he's already prepared for 'not playing that brilliantly'