UEFA CL FINAL - Manchester United vs Chelsea - May 21

• sand king

  6 May 08, 20:34

  Originally posted by youyayu:

  
  i think, if man utd win epl, they lose UCL
  if man utd lose EPL they win UCL
  
  

  You think i thought, who confirm?

• zocoss

  9 May 08, 15:09

  

   

  

• zocoss

  13 May 08, 11:36

  CRUELLEST CUT HURTS FERGUSON

  

   

  SIR ALEX FERGUSON yesterday cut short the celebrations of his latest triumph to brace himself for what he admits is the hardest part of football management.

   

  Ferguson’s delight at closing to within one championship of Liverpool’s record 18 titles was tempered by thoughts of Moscow. Not so much which 11 of his Manchester United players will start against Chelsea in the Champions League final, or even the seven who will occupy the substitutes’ bench. More those he will have to leave in their club suits sitting high up in the stands of the Luzhniki Stadium.

   

  The fact he has done it many times before – even having to tell his own son Darren, now Peterborough boss, that he hadn’t made the squad for the European Cup Winners’ Cup final in Rotterdam in 1991 – does not make the task any easier.

   

  The decision-making is also not helped by the fact he has at his disposal the strongest squad he has ever assembled and so many international class players, none of whom has let him down during the season.

   

  “It’s terrible,” he said, just hours after the win at Wigan that had completed the first part of United’s bid for a Premier and Champions League double. “The hardest part in Moscow won’t be leaving players out of the team, it will be leaving players off the bench. “We had 26 players with us at Wigan. One of them, Ben Foster, is ineligible to play in Moscow. The other 25 can play so think about it: it means seven can’t even come into the squad. “That’s where the heartache comes in but I’ve had to do it in the past. It wasn’t so bad in Barcelona [in 1999] because Paul Scholes and Roy Keane were suspended and Henning Berg was injured and that cut my options down.

   

  “But in Rotterdam [in 1991] I had to leave Neil Webb and my own son Darren out and that wasn’t easy. Someone has to make the decision though and that’s the manager’s job. But I’m not looking forward to it. “At Wigan on Sunday, I couldn’t accommodate players like Anderson, John O’Shea and Darren Fletcher on the bench. These are fantastic players and it is not easy to explain to them. You hope they understand that it is a squad game nowadays and they will all play their part.”

   

  Ryan Giggs underlined the competitiveness among United’s squad when he said that after celebrating with each other at the club’s player of the year awards dinner at Old Trafford on Sunday night they would be “kicking lumps out of each other” on their return to training today in a bid to win a place in the Moscow line-up.

   

  Ferguson said he often has to cut short practice games the day before a match for fear of his players injuring themselves in their attempts to impress him and his assistant Carlos Queiroz. “They all seem so hungry for success and that is the thing that pleases you the most,” he said. “It helps if the players are good characters so that gives you a good head-start in terms of shaping their futures. And they will be the future.

   

  “Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville have played a big part in helping them settle into the club, making them understand what Manchester United is all about. And you need that. “They [Giggs, Scholes and Neville] will eventually be replaced by the players we have here in the late 20s. Having great continuity is a vital factor in how we shape teams. “We have had to make changes over the years and that is not easy simply because we always have to be at the top. But we are fortunate. We have good boys, with good desire, and good talent – and combine all that and it gives you a good chance.”

   

  Ferguson added: “Once we’ve finished our celebrations, we’ll get a rest on Monday, then Tuesday morning will be the start of winning the European Cup. “Cup finals are never easy and I expect a tough game. But I also expect Manchester United to express themselves in the way we can. “We have a great chance. The mood generated by the result at Wigan sees us in a very confident position.

   

  “Winning the title gives us the bounce and confidence to go to Moscow and win.” First, though, he has to have a word in the ear of seven unfortunate players.

   

• zocoss

  13 May 08, 19:04

  

   

  DIDIER DROGBA insists he will walk out with John Terry in the Champions League final. The Chelsea hitman is a doubt after picking up a knee injury against Bolton on Sunday.

  Skipper Terry is also in danger of missing the showdown with Manchester United after dislocating his elbow in the same match. But Drogba is certain that both of them will be in the Chelsea line-up in Moscow in eight days' time.

  He said: “I took a blow to my knee that was operated on in December and it hurt at the time. “I put ice on it immediately. But there is nothing serious. I will be at training this week.”

  Terry was taken to hospital after colliding with his own keeper Petr Cech. But Drogba added: “I have spoken to him - he will play in Moscow. No-one wants to miss this gigantic match, the match of our careers.”

  And the Ivory Coast striker is confident his side can win in Russia despite losing out to their rivals in the Premier League title race. He said: “We know that we can beat United - we proved it again in the league a fortnight ago.

  “But they deserved their title and were rewarded for their consistency. We made too many mistakes.”

• omgukilledkenny

  13 May 08, 23:22

  Route to the finals
  Group Stages
  Manchester United
  Sporting Lisbon 0 Manchester United 1
  Manchester United 1 AS Roma 0
  Dynamo Kiev 2 Manchester United 4
  Manchester United 4 Dynamo Kiev 0
  Manchester United 2 Sporting Lisbon 1
  AS Roma 1 Manchester United 1
  
  Chelsea
  Chelsea 1 Rosenberg 1
  Valencia 1 Chelsea 2
  Chelsea 2 Schalke 04 0
  Schalke 04 0 Chelsea 0
  Rosenberg 0 Chelsea 4
  Chelsea 0 Valencia 0
  
  First Knockout Round
  Manchester United
  First Leg:Lyon 1 Manchester United 1
  Second Leg: Manchester United 1 Lyon 0
  Manchester United wins 2-1 on aggregate
  
  Chelsea
  First Leg: Olympiacos 0 Chelsea 0
  Second Leg: Chelsea 3 Olympiacos 0
  Chelsea wins 3-0 on aggregate
  
  Quarter Finals
  Manchester United
  First Leg: AS Roma 0 Manchester United 2
  Second Leg: Manchester United 1 AS Roma 0
  Manchester United wins 3-0 on aggregate
  
  Chelsea
  First Leg: Fernabache 2 Chelsea 1
  Second Leg: Chelsea 2 Fernabache 0
  Chelsea wins 3-2 on aggregate
  
  Semi-Finals
  Manchester United
  First Leg: FC Barcelona 0 Manchester United 0
  Second Leg: Manchester United 1 FC Barcelona 0
  Manchester United wins 1-0 on aggregate
  
  Chelsea
  First Leg: Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1
  Second Leg: Chelsea 3 Liverpool 2, After extra time
  Chelsea wins 4-3 on aggregate
  
  Top Scorers
  Manchester United: Cristiano Ronaldo 7 Goals
  Chelsea: Didier Drogba 6 Goals
  
  Clean sheets kept
  Manchester United: 8
  Chelsea: 7

• omgukilledkenny

  15 May 08, 19:49

  Messi better than Ronaldo - Cole

  Joe Cole has snubbed Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of their Champions League final showdown next Wednesday by claiming Barcelona winger Lionel Messi is a better player.

  Messi has already been linked with a summer move to Stamford Bridge and England midfielder Cole would love the Argentinian to join the club - if they had the chance to land him.

  Cole insists the Barcelona winger made Ronaldo, scorer of 31 goals in the Premier League this season and the voted 'Player of the Year' by the media and his fellow professionals, look second best in their Champions League semi-final.

  "I think they are both great players," said Cole. "Ronaldo has been fantastic but Messi showed in the semi-final that he is the top man.

  "If we could sign him, I'd love to play alongside him. He is only 20 as well, just imagine how good he will be in the next 10 years."

• omgukilledkenny

  15 May 08, 19:55

  CL Final Jerseys

  

• zocoss

  18 May 08, 12:42

  Champions League final billed as Beauty v The Beast

  

  Henk: Blues can't play pretty

  CHELSEA coach Henk Ten Cate admits the Blues do not have the personnel to play the beautiful game. Dutchman Ten Cate has been a coach at Barcelona and manager of Ajax, two clubs renowned for their footballing style.

  Manchester United’s clash with Chelsea in the Champions League final in Moscow on Wednesday is being billed as one of Beauty v The Beast. But Ten Cate argues Chelsea prefer a pragmatic approach because of the type of players at their disposal.

  He insists that does not mean they are inferior and believes the number of Blues players with Champions League final experience can tip the balance in their favour. He said: “The playing philosophy introduced here a couple of years ago was very different to Barcelona. “But it does not mean Barca is a better team than Chelsea, it’s just a different way of approaching the game.

  “You have to be realistic. We have fantastic players, but for a certain way of playing football you need a certain type of player — and we just don’t have them.” Ten Cate is confident Chelsea can beat United and reckons there is a stronger self-belief within the Blues than there was at Barca before they beat Arsenal two years ago.

  He said: “It is more relaxed here because we have a more experience. “In Barcelona we had a lot of young players, it’s a different situation. We have six or seven players at Chelsea who have already won it.”

• I-like-flings(m)

  18 May 08, 12:55

  Originally posted by 4getmenot:

  tis is the Uniteds Forum, does it surprise you that most of us got a problem with Chelsea players...?? you think we are tele tubbies?? xD

  
  

• omgukilledkenny

  18 May 08, 14:19

  Vidic: Drogba Pretends To Be Weak

  Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has risked the wrath of Didier Drogba by accusing the Chelsea striker of play-acting.

  Drogba has come under heavy criticism ever since his arrival at Stamford Bridge in 2005 for going to ground too easily.
  
  And Vidic has reiterated the point, claiming the Ivorian’s gamesmanship is much a psychological nuisance as a physical one.
  
  “Sometimes he [Drogba] goes in very strong and sometimes he pretends he is weak,” said the Serbian. “He plays with your mind and tries to make the defender think about the next tackle.
  
  “He can pretend he fell down to win a penalty, but referees know that. The Champions League final is a big game and I’m sure the ref will know his job.”
  
  But he added: “He’s a great player and he’s a top scorer. It’s a hard job to stop him.”

• Sienx

  18 May 08, 19:12

  the ul final jerseys singapore got sell ? i wan buy

• Dead_Man_Inc

  19 May 08, 14:32

  Anderson: I'll give my all

  Anderson has a fight on his hands for a place in United's starting line-up in Moscow on Wednesday. But he says, if selected, he will give his all to bring home a second trophy for the Reds.
  
  It's been a dream debut season for the Brazilian midfielder signed from FC Porto in the summer. He has played more often than expected and shown he is not just a player for the future.
  
  "A team with players like (Wayne) Rooney, (Carlos) Tevez, (Cristiano) Ronaldo, (Michael) Carrick, (Paul) Scholes and other star players, you don't need to do much, only work hard," he says modestly.
  
  "That's something I do and if I have the chance I will try to help my team the best that I can and make the most of the moment. It is a dream for any player to be in a Champions League final and I am no different."
  
  Anderson can hardly believe how well his first season in English football has gone. "When I first joined I knew the team had very good players and I believed I could reach a Champions League final," he said. "But now I have achieved that dream and that’s the best thing.
  
  "My first season has gone better than I expected. Taking into account that I was out for seven months with a long-term injury [before I joined], coming into this team and winning the Premier League is a great achievement for me. Next season I can try to do even better."
  
  But before he can think about that, he wants to complete a Premier League and Champions League double to cap off an impressive campaign. "I am confident but also a little bit anxious," he added. "Like my other team-mates, I just want the day to come in order to bring the trophy home."

• zocoss

  19 May 08, 20:43

  KALOU - WE MUST TARGET VIDIC

  

  Salomon Kalou feels that Chelsea need to target Nemanja Vidic during the UEFA Champions League final on Wednesday. The Blues striker believes recent injuries will have taken their toll on the Manchester United centre-half, and that Avram Grant's men should be testing him at any given opportunity.

   

  Vidic suffered concussion during the Premier League meeting between the two sides at the end of April, an injury which kept him sidelined until the Red Devils' final game of the season at Wigan.

   

  Despite forming a formidable partnership with England international Rio Ferdinand in a defence which conceded just 22 goals in the league all season, Kalou remains convinced that United's back four remains far from solid.

   

  "We still believe that there is some weakness in their defence and that we can exploit that and score some goals," said the Ivory Coast international.

   

  "They are like everyone, Ferdinand is a great defender, Vidic also. "But Vidic has not played a lot because he has been injured, so that could be a weak point for them and it is up to us to play well and score a goal."

• Sienx

  19 May 08, 22:30

  LOL ? vidic weak because he was injured when he came back he shone...lol at kalou

• dinky1409

  19 May 08, 22:30

  the first 15 minutes of man u's football will tell us greatly how the match could turn out.. of course there will be disappointment luck and all.. but in general if manu start out playing shit football with sloppy passing and slow closing down, then good game liao.. congratulations chelsea.. lol man u is capable of raping any top club.. they have done so so many times before.. i hope they can do it again tmr.. =) go devils.. loveeeeeeeeeee~

• Pitot

  19 May 08, 22:54

  omg i cant wait to see vidic destroy kalou.

• omgukilledkenny

  20 May 08, 18:17

  Vidic gonna fkin murder them!

• omgukilledkenny

  20 May 08, 18:26

  Top Six: Champions League final WAGs

  The hottest Man Utd and Chelsea WAGs

  1. Carly Zucker (Joe Cole, Chelsea)
  
  The fitness instructor-turned-C-list celeb has been dating Coley for almost six years. They're due to be married this June.

  2. Janelle Khouri (Owen Hargreaves, Man Utd)
  
  Janelle can play football a hell of a lot better than most WAGs. She was team captain of the gold medal-winning Calgary team in the Canadian National Under-17 club championship in 1998, and has represented Canada at international level. True story.

  3. Noemie Lenoir (Claude Makelele, Chelsea)
  
  Makelele's on-off squeeze is arguably the hottest WAG in the world - as in, if you argue with that statement, you're wrong.

  4. Ana Ivanovic (Nemanja Vidic, Man Utd)
  
  Vidic married his rather hot girlfriend Ana Ivanovic, an economics student at the University of Belgrade, in 2006. Together, they have a son named Luka.

  5. Cheryl Cole (Ashley Cole, Chelsea)
  
  Cashley's missus is a bundle of cuteness, unlike her fella, who is a bundle of cuntishness.

  6. Nereida Gallardo (Cristiano Ronaldo, Man Utd)
  
  She looks like trouble. C-Ron can do better, and has done (step forward Gemma Atkinson)

• omgukilledkenny

  20 May 08, 22:11

  Fergie's secret XI for final mission

  

  SIR Alex Ferguson's Moscow XI is picked but will remain in his head until the chosen few are revealed publicly on Wednesday night.
  
  A strong 24-man squad flew out to Russia to prepare for the Champions League final against Chelsea.
  
  The next task is to choose the moment to delight 11 players, offer seven the solace of a place on the Luzhniki bench and break the bad news to six more that they'll stay in their suits for the Champions League final.
  
  Among those in the latter category could be stalwarts like captain Gary Neville and versatile John O'Shea.
  
  Paul Scholes has already been promised a place in the starting line-up after missing the European Cup victory in 1999 through suspension.
  
  Fergie has again pleaded with UEFA to reconsider the numbers on the bench for future finals.
  
  "It is not easy to pick a team," he says. "I know my team. But the substitutes are the biggest problem.

  "Some very good players are going to be left out. It is not easy to tell them that. The consolation for anyone who is not playing in the final is to be on the bench because they do then feel part of it.
  
  "I hope at some point they extend the substitutes bench to 11 outfield players as they do in World Cup games. I think that would be justified in the final.
  
  "The dilemma I have in deciding who is going to be on the bench, and having to tell them, should be taken from me.
  
  "It doesn't become easier for me. In fact, it becomes more difficult because this team, for instance, are starting to blend together and mature together. You get to know them better.
  
  "They know they have contributed a lot to the season. But to be left out and then to be told by me, it doesn't matter what I tell them I don't think it registers or resonates with them at all. The disappointment is deep and it is understandable."
  
  It might also be a memorable night for Ryan Giggs as he is poised to overtake Sir Bobby Charlton's club record of 758 appearances. But he faces stiff opposition from South Korean international Ji Sung Park. Park has been something of a lucky mascot for the Reds.
  
  In the last 22 matches over the last two seasons when Park has started, United have won 21 and drawn one.

• zocoss

  21 May 08, 11:10

  The Beauty v The Beast is about to start very soon...

  Lets hope the Beauty wins...

• Short Ninja

  21 May 08, 11:22

  As a United fan I must say I have to respect Chelsea cuz you never know if they might play like men possessed this time and actually win.That is the bad dream part but in reality nothing is gonna stop us now.

• Gackt247

  21 May 08, 11:47

  This is WAR!!

• 4getmenot

  21 May 08, 12:20

  14 hours more to go.....xD

• iceFatboy

  21 May 08, 14:30

  I know this is out of picture..

  but given the status of the pitch, it does favour Chelsea right?

   

  I heard Football Focus discussing this..

   

• Keii

  21 May 08, 14:39

  I have some gut feeling. Man Utd will trash Chelsea. And someone will be red-carded. :/