Internazionale Main Thread II

[Lombardiamia]

[RomaShield27]

[Totally FRANK]

[juventino_italiano]

[Totally FRANK]

Report: Balotelli flies to London
Tuesday 16 March, 2010
There are reports that Mario Balotelli hopped on a private jet to cheer on Inter at Stamford Bridge this evening.
The striker was dropped following an alleged row with Coach Jose Mourinho and stormed out of training yesterday when told of the decision.

According to Sky Sport Italia this evening, Balotelli has decided to make a gesture of reconciliation with the tactician and his teammates.

SuperMario has reportedly booked a private jet to take him to London so that he can be in the stands for the Champions League match.

Inter have a 2-1 lead from the first leg against Chelsea and, as long as they avoid defeat, will be in the quarter-finals.

[RomaShield27]

FORMAZIONI UFFICIALI

CHELSEA (4-3-3): Turnbull; Ivanovic, tender Alex, Terry, Zhirkov; Ballack, Obi Mikel, Lampard; Anelka, Drogba, Malouda. A disp. Taylor, Carvalho, J.Cole, Kalou, Sturridge, Belletti, Bruma. All.Ancelotti

INTER (4-2-1-3): Julio Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Zanetti; Cambiasso, Thiago Motta; Sneijder; Pandev, Eto'o, Milito. A disp. Toldo, Cordoba, Stankovic, Quaresma, Mariga, Materazzi, Santon. All.Mourinho
ARBITRO: Stark (Ger)

www.corrieredellosport.it

Sneijder; Pandev, Eto'o and Milito...? Mourinho does remember that Inter have a lead from the first-game, right? Very adventurous.

[Totally FRANK]

[Lombardiamia]

[juventino_italiano]

[Messinterista]

[RomaShield27]

[Messinterista]

[Totally FRANK]

[Dejan-Stankovic]

[Totally FRANK]

[zafferano]

[Totally FRANK]

José Mourinho's tactical brilliance meant Inter left Chelsea in pieces
The Special One's daring and wizardry echoed Il Mago and cast a spell over his former employers at Stamford Bridge

Seldom does the mere arrival of the teamsheet create the first authentic thrill of the night. But given the identity of the man writing down the starting XI for the visiting side, perhaps it was no surprise. Coming to London to defend a 2-1 lead from the first leg, José Mourinho picked a side containing three out-and-out strikers.

One wondered what Helenio Herrera, the most illustrious of his predecessors at Internazionale, would have made of Mourinho's apparent audacity in selecting Diego Milito, Samuel Eto'o and Goran Pandev together. Herrera, known as Il Mago – the magician – when he was guiding the club to consecutive European Cup victories in the mid-60s, was the father of catenaccio, the system of uncompromising defence that made the Italian teams of that era so hard to break down.

The Special One has his own ideas. For him the best method of defence is to keep the opposition's rearguard stretched. Because he is the most sophisticated of coaches, this does not usually involve committing all his resources to attack. What it does mean is a concentration on the art of transition, requiring not just pace and alertness but positional discipline.

When Mourinho arrived at Chelsea he changed the formerly free-flowing but inconsistent system to a 4-3-3 in which a fast transition from defence to attack became the prevailing mode. His Chelsea were unremittingly athletic and intimidating in a way that no Stamford Bridge side in living memory had been. The result was two league titles and a place as the most revered manager in the club's history.

In Italy the story has been very different. A dysfunctional club for three decades until the Calciopoli scandal handed them the first of four consecutive Serie A titles in 2005-06, Internazionale still play in the shadow of Herrera's philosophy. Mourinho continued the run of league championships begun by Roberto Mancini but without beginning to win the sort of respect and admiration he continues to enjoy on the Fulham Road. Last night, however, he brought off the sort of gamble from which few would withhold appreciation.

He had watched the replay of the first leg, he announced on the eve of last night's match, no fewer than seven times, backing up Frank Lampard's remark this week that none of the managers under whom he has worked has matched the thoroughness with which Mourinho prepares his players. One new element, however, was the presence of Ross Turnbull, Chelsea's third-choice goalkeeper, in place of the injured Petr Cech and Henrique Hilario, and this – together with John Terry's recent uncertainties – may have been in the Inter coach's mind.

If so, it was a surprise that the Italian club's representatives went through the opening 45 minutes without giving Turnbull a single really uncomfortable moment. Eto'o, Milito and Pandev saw plenty of the ball, prompted by Wesley Sneijder just behind them and by the powerful overlapping runs of Maicon, the right-back, but the former Middlesbrough reserve keeper was being effectively shielded by his back four.

Much the same was happening at the other end, where Julio César – Brazil's No1, understudied by Francesco Toldo, the owner of 28 Italy caps – was largely untroubled. Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka often threatened to cause problems but the fearsome central-defensive pairing of Lucio and Walter Samuel were always there to nick the ball away or put their imposing bodies on the line. And when the goalkeeper was left alone as Anelka controlled Drogba's chipped cross on his chest and shot in the same movement, the ball was efficiently smothered.

Mourinho's barely veiled belief that this is still his Chelsea was reinforced two minutes into the second period, when an Inter attack broke down and Chelsea pounced, the ball transferred from Anelka to Florent Malouda and on to Drogba, covering 80 yards in a handful of seconds. Yet Inter should have taken the lead just before the hour, when Pandev broke clear but delayed his shot, giving Yuri Zhirkov the opportunity to make a brilliant interception. A minute later Milito's powerful drive brought Turnbull into meaningful action for the first time, with the game exactly an hour old.

In the dug-out Mourinho sat alongside the cast of assistants familiar from his Chelsea days, modelling one of his charcoal overcoats and occasionally jumping up to deliver detailed instructions. When Sneijder overhit a cross from the left, with the entire attack fingering the trigger, the manager reacted to the rare error from the Dutchman by leaping from his seat and shaking with rage as though convulsed by a thousand volts of electricity.

Maybe it worked, because Sneijder's next contribution was the pass that sent in Eto'o to fire the ball past Turnbull with a shot that matched the perfect timing of his run. The former Real Madrid playmaker had been threatening to unlock Chelsea's defence all night and finally he had his reward. Il Mago might not have recognised the Special One's methods but he would certainly have applauded the result.

[Dejan-Stankovic]

I thought it was only the first leg at home but after seeing them again at the Bridge, Chelsea appear to be playing less English and more Italian which is obviously the impact of Carlo. They don't really have that Enlgish-styled high tempo or 6th gear which we're often troubled by and believe it or not, we actually seemed to be matched up pretty well for this sort of game. This 4-2-3-1 system is pathetic when we're looking to attack in the Serie A but it just clicked when we used it for counter-attacking as the entire front 4 worked their asses off to close down space and then moving the ball forward.

Next round, I'd like to avoid the 2 English teams and Barca and I'll happily take any of the rest since there are no easy teams left.

[Messinterista]

I'd take cska?
Yesterday Jose said I never lose at Stamford Bridge (like frank mentioned) but Eto'o also said that he had dream that he'd score the winning goal. This is our year. Without a doubt. The luck is swinging our way. Ancelotti leading chelsea (and being a puppet of Jose's ) , chelsea losing cech and essien.

[Messinterista]

'I am the happiest person on earth'

José Mourinho was in ebullient mood as the defeat of his former club Chelsea FC took FC Internazionale Milano into the quarter-finals in impressive fashion.


José Mourinho said he is "the happiest person on earth" after guiding FC Internazionale Milano into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of his former club, Chelsea FC. Although the Inter coach believed the visitors were "the best team by far" throughout the 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge − secured by Samuel Eto'o's 78th-minute goal − Mourinho urged caution by stressing that the "road to Madrid is still long". Counterpart Carlo Ancelotti admitted the Nerazzurri were deserved winners because of the way they pressurised his players into mistakes.

José Mourinho, Inter coach
We were the best team, the best team by far. Chelsea are a great team. We came here knowing the way they play very well. We controlled the game; every player performed at a high standard. To win here it must be almost a perfect performance, not just from the team but from every player. I learned we can beat anyone because Chelsea are not just 'anyone', they are one of the best. We can win [at] anyone left in the Champions League; we can do it.

I'm very happy with how my team accepted the risk I took because sometimes a coach takes a risk and the team doesn't answer to it. From the first minute we were the best team on the pitch against, I repeat, a great team. I was bit scared we missed so many chances because normally in these type of matches you don't get so many. I celebrated a lot in the dressing room because it's a big victory for us. I love Chelsea, this stadium and these people but I am a professional and who knows I could come back here in the future as the manager of an English club. Samuel Eto'o scored against Chelsea in the only game I lost at Stamford Bridge. Tonight he did it again and this is one of the victories that make me happier. I am the happiest person on earth, but the road to Madrid is still long.

Samuel Eto'o, Inter striker
Chelsea didn't expect us to start with three strikers. They expected a conservative team but José wanted us to score that goal. My goal at the end is a relief because I've struggled since coming back from the African Cup of Nations. It is also a reward for team work.

Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea manager
We didn't play how we wanted to. Inter put pressure on our midfielders so we had a lot of difficulty playing. Inter played very well with a strong defence and were good on the counterattack but we didn't play how we wanted. We didn't give a good performance because Inter put very strong pressure on us. Usually we play in a different way. We played better in the first game in Milan but we were not able to repeat the same display so Inter deserved to win. Congratulations to them.

Source: http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague ... index.html