Pride & Prejudice
Well it’s Messi against the Transalator and this after 1,000 kilometeres by bus from Barcelona to Milan.
It’s not difficult to imagine Mourinho devising a simple strategy of suffocation Italian-style which will neutralise Barca’s pivotal player and play on the disorientation of others. He has done it before and thinks he can do it again.
Forget about previous games. This is one with the capacity to wreck every cule’s dream-that is, if you don’t believe in miracles.
Mourinho has everything to play for, not least the prospect of moving to Real Madrid next season. To be knocked out by Barca at this stage, would leave him carrying the blame for having Messi play the Champions League final at the Bernabeu. That would make him spent goods as far as most Real fans were concerned.
As for Etoo, he has much to prove too. He always does against the old club that ended up under rating him.
Barca, best to think this is Rome not the San Siro, and watch that Gladiator movie again- with Etoo excised!
Thats brilliant Jimmy. Mourinho is so over rated though, he is nearly losing the Italian League to Roma which in my opinion is not a good side. They couldnt even go through in the Europa League. Anyway all we want is Barca through no matter what. The second leg is at home so we have a biog chance. Guardiola know much more about tatics. For sure he will prepare the team well.
Força Barça
Mourinho is GOD. He once masterminded the destruction of the then invincible Barça by a superior Chelsea team (4-2 at Stamford Bridge, one of the best Champions League games ever), and he will do it again. So forget your Cule excuses (my heart cries out for those poor millionaire players having to go by bus instead of private jet!), forget your prejudiced nihilistic interpretation of tonights game, this will be a duel where real, raw, powerful, tactical, disciplined football will be on display in all its glory and the “beautiful” lightweight version that functions so well in a lesser competition that is La Liga, is thankfully forgotten because it will always succumb to the real game played by great teams such as Chelsea, Milan, etc. Mourinho tonight will reveal what Guardiola and Barçca are all about (with apologies to William Shakespeare):
“BARÇA is but a walking shadow, a poor TEAM
That struts and frets ITS hour AND A HALF upon the stage
And then WILL BE heard no more: it is a TEAM
RUN by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
Carlos – I have to take issue with you my friend.
‘the real game played by Chelsea, Milan etc’…..I don’t doubt for one minute that Mourinho is possibly the one manager in world football that may be capable of tactically outwitting Pep, however to suggest his teams play the ‘beautiful game’ better than the likes of Barca is, frankly, preposterous and laughable.
I will even allow you the point that the Premier League is stronger overall than La Liga, however this can in no way detract from the football that Barca have been playing in the last 18 months. Did you not watch the Champions League final last year, when I might add, and which a lot of people seem to forget, that we had our left and right backs missing, and with one of our best players (Iniesta) having just got back from injury? Did you not watch the 2 games v Arsenal this year?
One of the reasons I fell in love with Barca was their brand of football. Give me that over a Mourinho-esque bore fest any day of the week.
If Barca were to go out at this stage, I’d be gutted of course, but if it was to a technically superior and better footballing side, I’d take my hat off and say well done. I could not accept being knocked out by an Inter team playing much the same way as Chelsea did against us last year (I know Hiddink was in charge at that time), which is the hallmark of all Mourinho sides.
Hi Jason, thanks for your comments. I will lay my cards on the table: yes, Barcelona play beautiful football which at times reach extatic levels. I totally accept that. Yet, as I mentioned in a previous comment, there are aspects of the game which are equally noble and wonderful to behold and which may not be immediately pleasing to the eye. A perfect example was the Man Utd v. Bayern game at Old Trafford. The game was not beautiful, but the tension was incredible as was the result. To me that was a far more rewarding to watch than most of Barcelona’s games in La Liga this year. It is ultimately boring to watch one-way “beautiful” traffic. Life is not all roses and polarities make it fascinating. I also like going against the grain (as well as irritating the blogger!), so, come on Mourinho, show us all how to derail Gaurdiola’s Dream Team!!
Disagree with your point “Forget about previous games” having gone to both games earlier in the season at the San Siro and at the Camp Nou, I think Jose wil have his work cut out trying to convince his team they can overcome Barca…
At the San Siro in the first half Inter did try to suffocate Barca…. Second half Barca got their measure and should have scored a couple of goals… The travelling cules were in agreement that we should have won…
The second game at the Camp Nou was abject surrender.. all over in 26 minutes and this was without without Messi and Ibra… Inter gave up and allowed Barca the freedom of Camp nou pitch and it could have been five or six… When the second goal went in my mate Smalley said ” look at them they have given” the body language of the Inter players said it all as they trooped back up the pitch to restart the game.. in the after match press conference Jose had to admit they had been outclassed…
The tie will be tough, Inter will have learnt alot, but in the back of their mind will be the experience of the mauling they escaped by the fact Barca had to play Madrid four days later.. Barca were toying with them as they saved themselves for the auld enmemy… Have faith in Pep….
Forza Jose