We all want Real Madrid to win

http://digilander.libero.it/fotocalciatori/martins.jpg

Des' comments seem to be part of the great ITV pro-Man Utd conspiracy. Ever since they embarassed United in the first leg, ITV seem insistent on claiming the current Real team is one of football's all-time greats. This is a team that recently got hammered 5-1 at home by Majorca (I think), and struggled to make it out of the group stages of the competition. It also has a defence that, and I'm not exaggerating here, would struggle to make it in the average 1st division team, let alone an all-time great team. It's making United look good by default- they can claim that they're the second best team around if Real are meant to look like Gods. Which they're not.

It's just an extension of that World Cup untruism "Everyone supports Brazil when their team goes out". Bollocks.

I found tonight's game tiresome but I watched the whole bloody thing anyway, I thought AC deserved to lose.

Didn't Big Ron love Martins though?

also i will root for juve cos real's winner in the first leg was an absolute disgrace

But Real Madrid *do* win the Champions League.

1997/98 Real Madrid

1998/99 Manchester United

1999/00 Real Madrid

2000/01 Bayern Munich

2001/02 Real Madrid

!!

(Bayern Munich 00/01 was one of the most workmanlike teams I've ever seen, and, lets be honest here, they should have won it in 98/99 as well)

1966 England
1970 Brazil
1974 Germany
1978 Argentina
1982 Italy
1986 Argentina
1990 Germany
1994 Brazil
1998 erm....France

and Utd have already missed two golden 'oh wouldnt it be perfect' opportunities given the venue for the final the last 2 seasons...no point getting hung up on these sort of things basically

possibly the Juventus of TODAY but certainly not the Juventus of three months ago

still, at least you don't come from Iran or Costa Rica

what I meant to say was that my last sentence only really works if you say it in a bitter-yet-still-reasonably-humorous Scottish accent(think the 1978 and 1990 World Cups)

Dom's point about United supposedly looking good by default if Madrid win is a good one up to a point (though you could argue that could be the case either way given United beat Juve home and away). But speaking as a United supporter, that's not the way I feel even if you put aside the gambling aspect.

I want Juve to win because I don't think this Real Madrid side deserves to be lauded the way they are. Of course they were stunning going forward against United, and the first 45 minutes in Madrid saw some incredible football from them.

But the paradox is that while United never looked like beating them over the two legs they still made them look very beatable. For a team that was getting stuffed United cut through them very easily over and over again. It was so clear that a more solid team would really give them trouble. (And fuck knows what happened to a United side that had looked as impressive and disciplined as ever before defensively in the competition leading up to that game.)

If you compare Madrid to, say, the Milan side that won it in 1994, there's no competition for me. Now that was a side that looked truly invincible.

AtLEeeeti!
AtleeetI!

AtleeeeeeeeTi!

I'm more impressed by a team that's got the perfect synthesis between creativity and destruction, like the Milan side I mentioned. Which had plenty of flair, and don't forget they put four goals past Barcelona in the final.

If a side wants to be called truly great they've got to be a hell of a lot less flimsy than this Madrid team.

Inter vs Milan in the first leg (I missed last night's, grrr) was captivating stuff, exceptional football played by the most skilled and drilled defenders and midfielders in the world. I'm not at all a fan when a catenaccio team goes up against a free-flowing one (though I'll be hollering for Juve tonight, natch), but seeing two such teams play each other was riveting.

I suspect Juventus could win tonight. I certainly see no reason to support a (formerly fascist) club who are the kings of financial mismanagement - though, unlike Leeds, they were bailed out to the tune of £200 million by the Spanish government.

And I fuckin' hate Brazil, too. I don't like Des Lynam while we're at it - smug AND clueless is quite a feat. Remind me why he ever became a cult hero?

Juve have been so desperate up front in almost every match I've seen this season. I thought last nights match was ok, I'm not sure how Mark and Dom could enjoy it so much though, the last 15 minutes rescued things. Maybe I'm not enough of a purist here.

How come Costacurta was defrosted for the match? And will he be playing in the final?

the Milan derbies were both pretty dull i thought.

I play football on Wednesday lunchtimes and I'm known as Costacurta. Because of my name, not my talent, though I am an ageing, slightly out of his depth sex symbol central defender.

erm, the second one was way more animated
...and Inter's kickboxin' Mat-tvoju!-erazzi should've been sent away, huh, like twice!

Man, I'd forgotten how great Italy vs Holland in Euro 2000 was until I was reminded of it here. De Boer (which one was it again)'s first penalty in the shootout is one of my all time favourite Italian football match memories. Heather Mills could have hit that better.

Ha ha.

In future years, maybe people will say how fucking mad it was to hype a team to the nth degree who actually weren't much good. They're the boy-band of European Football.

It is good that they are still bad even after signing defenders.

Officially, Atletico Madrid was the Air Force team.

Bobby Robson!!!

http://elmundodeporte.elmundo.es/elmundodeporte/envivos/2004/09/1830_index_rfsh.html

At the time of writing, they are.

The Bilbao Massive will be chuffed.

However, I just saw the own goal on the telly and it was utterly phenomenal. What on earth did he think he was doing?

i think woodgate is trying to earn a place as a striker. they like those in madrid

Madrid were truly sublime in the 2nd half last night. Raul's goal was lovely and Beckham was pinging the ball around like a ping pong pinger.

The 53-year-old Brazilian, who was Real's fifth coach in the space of two and a half years, had been in charge of the team for just over 11 months.

Reserve team manager Juan Ramon Lopez Caro has taken over as caretaker boss.

A club statement said: "Luxemburgo will not continue as Real Madrid coach. The club has already been in contact with captain Raul to break the news."

The club reportedly held initial talks immediately after Saturday's 1-0 win over Getafe, which was the club's first victory in three league games.

It is believed Luxemburgo did not take the team's training session on Sunday.

Cadena Ser radio and Antena 3 television speculated that the 53-year-old had already been told by club vice-president Emilio Butragueno and sporting director Arrigo Sacchi that he had lost his job.

Former Brazil coach Luxemburgo, who has been at the Bernabeu for less than a year, has been under huge pressure since the tame 3-0 home defeat to arch-rivals Barcelona.

Real followed that by salvaging a 2-2 draw at Real Sociedad with two late goals before the home victory over Getafe - a result overshadowed by David Beckham's third red card in two months.

They have qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League but are unable to overhaul Lyon as Group F winners and will go into the second-round draw among the second-ranked teams.

Probably that Real's business plan is faulty.

when the revolution comes, i want the bernabeu bombed to rubble

Wayne Parnell ✔ @WayneParnell
HALA MADRID. VAMOS!!!!

^^^this guy is now on a dark, dark list

people who support real madrid are the worst savages in the world

http://tryingtoohard.org/

my DN before the bump was a fucking lost classic obv