norsk

Again this morning I have to endure the media falling all over themselves applauding Barca as the best thing since sliced bread.

I watched the game last night, and yes they had most of the ball and did their thing but it was far from a cut and dry affair at the point van persie was sent off. Barcelona needed two goals to go through and it was not going to be easy considering how Arsenal were defending.

Then what happens? The referee loses the plot. Again! As is so often the case with Barca in the Champions League! After the sending off Arsenal had a huge task in keeping Barca at bay and they were attacking at will, even more so than before.

Anyway, what next? I wouldn't be surprised if it is Chelsea - Barcelona in either the quarter or semi finals. In fact I think every Chelsea fan is hoping for it so we can rectify the wrongs done to us in 2009!

nottmbantam

Here we go with another conspiracy theory...The Arse lost because they are not good enough, and haven't been good enough since the days of George Grahams boring boring days. In those days, they knew how to defend. They haven't got that 'steel' in defence and haven't had it for years. Ok, they play pretty football nowadays which Grahams teams didn't, but that will not win major european honours. Any decent team in Europe, knows how to defend. Arse do not. Chelsea were successful under Mourinho - the first thing he did was to run them into a solid defensive unit. Just as he did with Inter.

Personally, I was quite pleased with last nights result. Can't stand Arsenal. Or Chelsea. Or any other London team for that matter.

lionheart

Whatever your views on London teams, the fact remains that the referee made a stupid decision in sending off Van Persie for shooting when he was in a goal scoring position. He could not see the offside flag raised and definitely would not have heard the referee's whistle among the din of the 90,000 plus crowd. If he had failed to shoot, he would have been brandished as being unprofessional. Yet another incompetent referee making ridiculous decisions. At the time, it was 1-1 with Arsenal still leading the tie on aggregate. Who knows what may have happened if Van Persie had stayed on the field. With only 10 men, it was effectively game over...and I am no Arsehole supporter.

flares

What was going on with their yellow and brown kit yesterday?

Dressing like brownies at the Nou Camp. Course you gonne get turned over.

co durham boy

Barcelona 724 passes - Arsenal 199 . The passing team got an education last night from probably the best ever team on the Planet

scrubbedexpat141

Spugsy

The decision to send VP off was shocking, a very bad decision - but BArca would have got that goal y'know? It was only a matter of time.

Spugsy

Indeed.

norsk

I don't dispute that they would got a goal, but they needed two to go through and they weren't exactly firing on all cylinders...

The Dean

Best ever??

Club sides only? Yes, one of the best but I'm old enough to remember the Ajax and Feyenoord early-1970s teams...... the phrase 'total football' doesn't come close to describing it.

Example..... you know those times when you stroll through the local park on a Sunday morning and you stop to watch two boys' teams playing, and you want to stop the game because one team is so much better, it's almost embarrassing?

The UEFA Cup match at Tottenham (v Feyenoord, circa 1970) was like that. It just wasn't fair, simple as that.

Best national team ever? Brazil, WC winners in 1970. Too young to remember them? Get the DVDs in, and show them to your sons, grandsons, etc.......

scrubbedexpat141

Personally I was amazed watching Messi's first goal. You don't do that to a goalkeeper. You shouldn't be allowed, it shouldn't be humanly possible.

A lot of you on here are more of the Eusebio / Maradona / Cruyff era, but I'm more than happy to be able to tell younger generations about Messi, Ronaldo, Zidane et al in the future.

Different Gravy.

co durham boy

Footballs a different animal now , very hard to compare like for like from different era's.

Pele , Carlos Alberto, Clodoaldo, Gerson, Jairzinho, Rivelino, and Tostao , fantastic all round side that was clinical but also entertaining . How would they fare now ? No one really knows because the attributes needed in the modern game far exceed that of what was required 40 years ago.

People argue Pele was the greatest but Pele only played his club football in one country bar the U.S at the end of his career unlike Maradona who won titles in Europe and singely handed won Napoli the Seria A .

Horses for courses i think but i think it would take a very special side to overshadow Barcelona at the moment.

If ever a Kid wants to know how the game should be played in any position just watch Barca. Xavi and Iniesta are often overshadowed by Messi but them two are two of the Worlds most gifted footballers to date , when Xavi was interviewed a few weeks ago he said the young players are taught to feel shame when the give the ball away at Barca.

That just about says it all

scrubbedexpat141

I think the stat for Xavi last season was that in 38 games he played he gave the ball away something stupid like 6 times... Can't find reference to it but heard it in a match.

You're right that it's difficult to compare which is what I love about the sport, so many different ways of playing and winning which people will debate forever.

Barca at the moment are the greatest team in the world, and arguably play the most pleasing football you can see. I feel sorry for Arsenal (reluctantly), they might have held on and progressed; would people then be moaning that Barca have been beaten in the same way they were beaten by Inter? Negative football? Irrelevant now, but the Arse were unfortunate but the inevitable result prevailed.

Sandboy

Wenger would twist on 21 and Van Persie is a petulant little twat and the ref was correct to send him off

but I love to watch The Arse

they're nee Sunderland mind

lionheart

You must be the only person I know who thinks so. It was a ridiculous decision. He was shooting at goal FFS. It was his job to do so.
As for the best player and/or footballing side ever, here is my two penny worth "... Alfredo di Stefano is not only a legendary former footballer of Real Madrid , but he may be the most famous European Cup player in it’s history. In fact in 1955, when the Cup debuted, Di Stefano led Los Blancos to the first ever title and five straight European Cups titles over the first five tournaments. Not to mention Di Stefano won eight Primera Division titles in his career and was honored with the Golden Boot award five different times."