predictions for the final then lads
................................lehman
....eboue.....campbell.......toure......ash cole
.............................gilberto
hleb...................................................reyes
.....................llungberg....fabregas
...........................henry
................................................
............................valdes
oleguer.........puyol...marquez........van bronk
.......................edmilson
...........................deco........iniesta
giuly.....................................................ronladinho
...................................eto
whoever can defend the best, will win. we both know they can attack.
im going for an arsenal 3-2 win.
My Prediction from ages ago... sticking to it.
Originally posted by T.M
I also think it will be a great game.. but I think that Barca might just edge out a win.. I just think that they have the superior strike force.. That is all my prediction is based on.. both teams have great defencive records..I think it will be very entertaining though and I am really looking forward to it.. My prediction.. Barca 2-2 Arsenal after normal time.. 3-2 Barca after extra time.
I think that if Barcelona get two goals without reply, Arsenal's defence might just fall to pieces and it could get ugly. I'm talking 4, maybe 5 to zero. Plus if they freeze up as bad as they did in Villareal (sp?), or if Henry and/or Cesc have one of their nothing games, they'll be lucky to get away with just two.
Still behind Arsenal though. I love watching both teams play, but I can't resist an underdog. Plus many of my friends are huge Arsenal fans.
Originally posted by Deano
i dont think they are far far superior. far from it in fact. arsenal can tear them apart if they are at the best. and vice versa.
no, just no...
i know this is impossible to prove, as is your comment, but if both teams played at the same standard... Barca would win, thats how you qualify best, not saying one team could beat the other at their best.
Barcelona have better players in every position except for Goalkeeper and striker.
you're kidding right?
Cole i'd give you if he was at full fitness and had match practise, but he doesnt...
Gilberto is ok, but Edmilson has the better aerial prescence and is just as good in every other sense as Gilberto.
Deco is fantastic, overrated or not he's still better than anyone in Arsenal's midfield..
Giuly is a brilliant right winger, so saying you'd take Hleb, a player who isn't as good as Giuly at the best of times, and then play him out of position rather than take Giuly is just stupid.
ontop of that Barca have the options of Xavi, Iniesta and Van Bommel for midfield, better squad players than some of Arsenals first team midfield choices.
Take Henry out of the question and it'd be a massacre
Originally posted by Df02
you're kidding right?Cole i'd give you if he was at full fitness and had match practise, but he doesnt...
Gilberto is ok, but Edmilson has the better aerial prescence and is just as good in every other sense as Gilberto.
Deco is fantastic, overrated or not he's still better than anyone in Arsenal's midfield..
Giuly is a brilliant right winger, so saying you'd take Hleb, a player who isn't as good as Giuly at the best of times, and then play him out of position rather than take Giuly is just stupid.ontop of that Barca have the options of Xavi, Iniesta and Van Bommel for midfield, better squad players than some of Arsenals first team midfield choices.
Take Henry out of the question and it'd be a massacre
take ronaldinho out the team and they would look ordinary also, giuly is class but id rather have reyes, he is younger. fabregas is great but will become world class for sure, gilberto i rate more than edmilson.
if messi and xavi were playing then i would be concerned alot more
Originally posted by Deano
eboue and cole are superb, better than barcas fullbacks.without messi and xavi in the team, i think arsenal have a great chance
alright then, lets take out Messi, Xavi, Ronaldinho and oh i dunno.... Deco and Guily are good players, so lets take them out as well...
there, now Arsenal are a better team.
Take Henry out of the team and Arsenal look ordinary, as demonstrated by the beginning of the season... take Ronaldinho out of Barca's team and they still have a fantastic lineup.
Eboue is good, but he's up against Ronaldinho tonight, he's not going to be able to make a single one of his little runs... and he isnt particularly great defensively.
the only reason people could say Arsenal have as good, or near to as good, a team as Barca is bias... Barcelona have compiled what is one of the best football squads in history... Arsenal have a young squad with 1 or 2 shining lights in it.
Originally posted by Df02
alright then, lets take out Messi, Xavi, Ronaldinho and oh i dunno.... Deco and Guily are good players, so lets take them out as well...there, now Arsenal are a better team.
Take Henry out of the team and Arsenal look ordinary, as demonstrated by the beginning of the season... take Ronaldinho out of Barca's team and they still have a fantastic lineup.
Eboue is good, but he's up against Ronaldinho tonight, he's not going to be able to make a single one of his little runs... and he isnt particularly great defensively.
the only reason people could say Arsenal have as good, or near to as good, a team as Barca is bias... Barcelona have compiled what is one of the best football [b]squads
in history... Arsenal have a young squad with 1 or 2 shining lights in it. [/B]
guerenteed eboue will make his runs. because what will happen is that gilberto will cover him at right back if he does decide to venture forward.
Originally posted by Df02
you're kidding right?Cole i'd give you if he was at full fitness and had match practise, but he doesnt...
Gilberto is ok, but Edmilson has the better aerial prescence and is just as good in every other sense as Gilberto.
Deco is fantastic, overrated or not he's still better than anyone in Arsenal's midfield..
Giuly is a brilliant right winger, so saying you'd take Hleb, a player who isn't as good as Giuly at the best of times, and then play him out of position rather than take Giuly is just stupid.ontop of that Barca have the options of Xavi, Iniesta and Van Bommel for midfield, better squad players than some of Arsenals first team midfield choices.
Take Henry out of the question and it'd be a massacre
Gilberto only OK? He annihilated Riquelme (who IS better than anyone in Arsenal's midfield). Totally contained him. I've never seen Deco control a game like Fabregas. Granted, they're different players, but if you want to break it down player by player, I'd take him over anyone bar Ronaldinho, Xavi and Messi (who's not playing anyway). Hleb is much better than most give him credit for, he's very clever, outstanding vision.
Anyway, Arsenal aren't about individual talent, that's the point of them. You can't run down the list of players, rate each one on their own merits, add up the scores at the end and pronounce Barcelona victorious just from that. I think Barcelona will win for three reasons: more experience, fitter/stronger squad, Ronaldinho. But hey, give it a few hours, and we could all be back here admitting mistakes and eating hats and the like.