Champions League - Quarter Finals

[TightEnd]

chelsea have reached 2 out the last 4 semi finals, yes i know only to lose them!
they have beaten barcelona over 2 legs in that time.

i think if grant plays the right team chelsea have a chance,definetly as good a chance as the other 3 british teams.


 just dont get this liverpool thing! they are out of both domestic cups, out the running for the league and have been for months but are supposed to have such a wonderful team! i just dont get it lol

its not a wonderful team but it is a team suited to Europe

solid at the back, with a class midfielder and a brilliant striker who can nickl one out of nothing

over the course of a long league season the squad isn't good enough but in a series of "cup" matches they can set up well for European opposition

Chelsea on the other hand don't seem quite sure how to play, particularly in formations up top

[The Baron]

chelsea have reached 2 out the last 4 semi finals, yes i know only to lose them!
they have beaten barcelona over 2 legs in that time.

i think if grant plays the right team chelsea have a chance,definetly as good a chance as the other 3 british teams.


 just dont get this liverpool thing! they are out of both domestic cups, out the running for the league and have been for months but are supposed to have such a wonderful team! i just dont get it lol

Liverpool have reached 2 out of the last 3 finals.
They have beaten Barcelona over two legs in that time.

People still write off Liverpool year in, year out. I dont get why. League form means nothing in Europe as Milan proved last year, Arsenal the year before that by reaching the final and Liverpool by winning it the year before that.

But to be honest I'm happy for other teams not to see us as challengers. It makes it funnier when we knock them out.

[turny]

i didnt say i didnt see you as challengers my point was that rooky didnt see chelsea as such.

surely a good team can do it every game?? or do world class players only turn up for big games?

[TightEnd]

surely a good team can do it every game?? or do world class players only turn up for big games?

torres and gerrard do turn up

the rest of the squad doesn't/rafa leaves them out/rest of squad not good enough for the Prem

[The Baron]

i didnt say i didnt see you as challengers my point was that rooky didnt see chelsea as such.

surely a good team can do it every game?? or do world class players only turn up for big games?

I do actually think it could be Chelsea's year for a couple of reasons.

Less pressure. Mourinho, although a great manager, made expectaion a little too high IMO. The pressure is off now and it will suit you more. (Like when you did Arsenal in the quarters a few years back)

You are still in with a shout for the league but have nothing else to go for. Your squad will be fitter at the end of the season than ever in recent years.

Your key players will be coming back to fitness at the right times.

Ballack is immense and is much more suited to European football than Lampard.

The only issue is Grant. The players dont seem as strong mentally under him.

[The Baron]

surely a good team can do it every game?? or do world class players only turn up for big games?

Our problem is still going forwards. Defensively we've turned up. In midfield we've competed.

Up front, Torres aside, we arent good enough. Rafa knows it. It's why Gerrard has essentially become a second striker in recent weeks. We'll keep Crouch as an impact player - the rest should go.

Our wingers are too hit and miss, although Babel is a decent prospect. Our entire attacking personnel needs to be looked at.

[turny]

i didnt say i didnt see you as challengers my point was that rooky didnt see chelsea as such.

surely a good team can do it every game?? or do world class players only turn up for big games?

I do actually think it could be Chelsea's year for a couple of reasons.

Less pressure. Mourinho, although a great manager, made expectaion a little too high IMO. The pressure is off now and it will suit you more. (Like when you did Arsenal in the quarters a few years back)

You are still in with a shout for the league but have nothing else to go for. Your squad will be fitter at the end of the season than ever in recent years.

Your key players will be coming back to fitness at the right times.

Ballack is immense and is much more suited to European football than Lampard.

The only issue is Grant. The players dont seem as strong mentally under him.

i agree but feel more progress would have been made under mourinho this season.

lets hope all 4 english sides avoid each other friday and theres 2 all english semis!

would rather chelsea draw barca than any of the english sides

[Rooky9]

i didnt say i didnt see you as challengers my point was that rooky didnt see chelsea as such.

surely a good team can do it every game?? or do world class players only turn up for big games?

I didnt say you werent challangers - it is cup football after all - I said I thought you were worst placed out the english teasm to beat Barca (and perhaps dirived from subsequant posts that you were worst placed of the english teams to win it). I think Chelsea are up there with 7 other teams with a chance of winning.

[AdamM]

can someone help me out with some odds?

I need the chances of there being two prem v prem quater finals and the chances of there being NO prem v prem quarters.

for the first one I've assumed that there is already one prem v prem draw so with the remaining 6 teams 15 possible match ups only one is prem v prem so 14/1

for the second, If there are 27 possible matches and 6 of them are prem v prem thats 21/6 = 7/2

Is that right or have I over simplified it?

[AdamM]

the first one can't be right

[turny]

no idea my brain hurts lol why the hell do you need to knw these things lol

[vegaslover]

The 'value' is obviously liverpool. Most successful team over past few years left in the comp, and 5th favs...lol
Liverpool are shite in the league but their team and players are suited to European competition.

[kinboshi]

no idea my brain hurts lol why the hell do you need to knw these things lol

I thought this would be easy to do inbetween taking phone calls and sorting out issues in the office - but my head now hurts as well...

[AdamM]

no idea my brain hurts lol why the hell do you need to knw these things lol

I had you down as a candidate to help. I thought you were a bit of a bookmaker.

The industry I work in you can probably imagine how many hardcore gamblers around me. You have to be on your toes with the bets you make in the office. It's not the usual "I'll bet you 50p x beats y"

I'm due to collect a couple of hundred quid on finishing positions and dream team bets at the end of the season.

[AndrewT]

Well there are 28 ties which can be combined to make 105 different draws.

Of these 28 ties, 6 are all-prem, 6 are all foreign and 16 are prem v foreign.

That's as far as I've got.