[vb-san]

Really happy with the way Liverpool trashed Porto, but the real drama was on the other side - the much overrated Neymar should get an Oscar for his theatrics!

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by joslicx

Mourinho's job is not to be nice or to appear great. His job is to win things for his club and he is absolutely great at it. Has managed some of the biggest in the game and won everywhere.

Sir Alex wasnt any different. He made enemies with other managers, clubs, referees, even BBC and would come across as petty, obnoxious, and very rash but he was super successful and success effectively hides the shortcomings. He was singularly focused on winning things for his club and in the end that is what matters.

One can find parallels in many other great people who were otherwise not the best human beings. Steve Jobs was very ruthless, very difficult to work with and not a nice person in general. But he was very very good at doing what he did and that is what matters!

I'd take a Mourinho in the game. People like him add colour to the league. He is a superstar.

And the qualities that you so much admire in people like Jobs, Mourinho, Cud-chewer - "ruthless, very difficult to work with and not a nice person in general" are exactly the qualities that I do not like in human beings. I don't want a manager to just win no matter what. I appreciate the human tendencies that a manager might have. Mourinho to me is no superstar, he is just a cheap middling little fool who will be forgotten in the annals of history.

No, I don't want to hear a reply back from you about what you think about what I think.

[DigitalOne]

Which specific Sony channel is the Barcelona vs Chelsea match on?
As part of my Videocon D2H subscription I get a couple of Sony channels, but not getting Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 3. Other Sony channels which I get have put up UEFA champions league in the schedule listing, but specified which match it is.

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by DigitalOne

Which specific Sony channel is the Barcelona vs Chelsea match on?

Update: It is on Sony Ten 2.

ps- For some reason not able to edit the original post. Is there a time limit within which we can edit?

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by DigitalOne

Update: It is on Sony Ten 2.

ps- For some reason not able to edit the original post. Is there a time limit within which we can edit?

Yes you will have to edit the original post within 30 minutes IIRC.

Wow, did Sony and Ten Sports merge into one channel? Cost of getting sports channels is too much here. But thankfully streaming options are there for much lesser.

Good match yesterday - Chelsea/Barca. But I think Barca will steamroll them in the next round.

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Wow, did Sony and Ten Sports merge into one channel?

Good match yesterday - Chelsea/Barca. But I think Barca will steamroll them in the next round.

Yes, Sony bought Ten sports, and then also merged (or bought) with ESPN. So now there are a few Sony Ten channels, a Sony Six, and a Sony ESPN here.

Yes, Barca definitely have an advantage now.Poor Chelsea, they were very unlucky with a couple of Willian's shots hitting the goal posts.

[Chetan_Rao]

The Old Lady of Turin showed the young lads a few tricks.

Spurs are a good side with an excellent manager, but their lack of experience showed once Juve scored. Two away goals, plus an Italian defensive masterclass in the second half, worth staying up late.

Spurs will have their day, but I remain hopeful this is Gigi Buffon's year. The man deserves a proper send-off.

Some really poor refereeing: one clear penalty missed by the ref and two assistants with a clear view, another potential handball by a sliding Chiellini in the box, Trippier(?) diving to get Sandro booked, Dele Alli upto his usual antics, then Kane being offside for the late attempt that hit the post.

VAR may slow the game down a bit, but it's better than being robbed blind.

[Chetan_Rao]

Rashford got the goals, but Lukaku was pivotal in the first half. Doing exactly what he's there for, big presence upfront winning aerial challenges and playing in the winger. van Dijk desperately needs a better partner in defence, or Liverpool will continue to struggle against top teams.

Every single game has at least a couple incidents justifying a TV ref. Inexplicable why anyone would want to lose out to dodgy decisions. Flies in the face of the whole 'Respect the refs' campaign, when they're being denied possible tools to make better decisions.

[RiGOD]

Going a bit off topic here :

Anyone here using Videocon D2H? Why isn't there an HD option for Sony Ten 2? It's so frustrating to watch important La Liga & UEFA CL matches in SD!

[vb-san]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Rashford got the goals, but Lukaku was pivotal in the first half. Doing exactly what he's there for, big presence upfront winning aerial challenges and playing in the winger. van Dijk desperately needs a better partner in defense, or Liverpool will continue to struggle against top teams.

I think Liverpool’s struggle were more with the bottom teams – all those draws especially those with relegation fighters is what makes them fighting for the 2nd or 3rd spot.
I would say Klopp was rather naïve to field an all-attacking team against United. In the end all those possession did not do any good. And Jose played it perfectly!

On other games, I was quite surprised with the blank seats at Emirates yesterday; same was the case with their game with City as well. Fans staying away in protest to Wenger?

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by vb-san

....
I would say Klopp was rather naïve to field an all-attacking team against United. In the end all those possession did not do any good. And Jose played it perfectly!

While some pragmatism wouldn't have hurt, what hurt them worse was Lovren at right CB. Given de Gea's ability to ping accurate clearances upfield and Lukaku playing pointman, Klopp should've paired van Dijk with Matip (was he out injured?) instead of Lovren who ended up woefully outplayed. Clyne's absence at right-back was another factor. Alexander-Arnold has the pace, but not the guile yet. He struggles against the likes of Martial, Rashford and Sane.

Someone made a good point during studio coverage. 'While people like Klopp and Guardiola insist they play a certain way, Mourinho decides based on who he's up against'. I'm no fan of his overall footballing philosophy, but he gets his tactics spot on.

On other games, I was quite surprised with the blank seats at Emirates yesterday; same was the case with their game with City as well. Fans staying away in protest to Wenger?

Emirates is in revolt, I don't think Wenger would last beyond this season even if they somehow won the Europa to get into the CL.

[Slick]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Someone made a good point during studio coverage. 'While people like Klopp and Guardiola insist they play a certain way, Mourinho decides based on who he's up against'. I'm no fan of his overall footballing philosophy, but he gets his tactics spot on.

Managers like Mourinho & Guardiola know how to set their teams for big games, while the likes of Klopp & Pochettino are predictable with their tactics (agreed their teams are also less expensive).

It's this understanding of the other team and their weaknesses that will decide how many cups they win.

The exact difference between Sir Alex & Wenger.


Also Klopp's post match mood clearly showed he knew United did a job on them, though he was trying to blame the ref for the penalties, to defend his players.

- Slick

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Slick

...
Also Klopp's post match mood clearly showed he knew United did a job on them, though he was trying to blame the ref for the penalties, to defend his players.

He clearly admitted his team did bad, esp. in the first half.

He at least tries to be consistent with his criticism. I remember the two Merseyside derbies a couple months ago (one league and one cup game), and he said neither penalty (one for and one against his team) should've been given.

Bad officiating is not a partisan problem, and it is costing teams points, matches and potentially trophies.

[csnanjappa]

How could Mourningo say this after Sevilla loss, he might eventually get sacked for this alone. There is no grace when ever he loses a tie and master tactician got back fired for parking the bus. I am sure he was looking for 1-0 on counter and that did not work.

“I know this has happened at Manchester United before because I have sat in this chair as manager of Porto and of Real Madrid. I don’t think it is something new for this club”

[Chetan_Rao]

Juve got absolutely mauled by Real. Moment of the game must be a toss-up between Ronaldo's second and the Juve fans' classy reaction to it. Not often does one get a standing ovation at an away game.