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Yes too true Bob, any team that sits top of the French League and beats Real Madrid to make the semis has to be respected big time, not sure where you are coming from Buttsie when you say the reason Arsenal lost is because they have too many French guys in the team ... eh??, I tend to think that France with the pool of talent they have are a penalty kick for Euro 2004 if they get past their first game.

As I said before the Arsenal v Chelsea matches Defense wins the big matches

Chelsea have it & Monaco don't...as simple as that for me

Any team that makes the semis deserves respect but shouldn't be feared

Ask any professional footballer who'd they least like to play in a big game
and I'll think you'll find Real Madrid would invariably be the answer

Even with their leaky defence and bizarre results in the La Liga they still manage to scrape past quality opposition when it matters

If Rauls OFF-SIDE GOAL had stood then Monaco would be on their bikes

Another linesmens incorrect call...when are they going to introduce technology...the game is to fast for any human to get it right when it counts

cheers
B....OZ

refs mistakes are a part of the game, too much technology would make the game too sterile and it wouldn't be the same without someone to shout at or argue about in the pub. I would have the technology for the ball crossing the line, but not for offsides (which aren't always obvious to the camera) IMO

Deuce Bigolo wrote:

[SNIP]
> Ask any professional footballer who'd they least like to play
> in a big game
> and I'll think you'll find Real Madrid would invariably be the
> answer

Both Ranieri and Hasselbaink, when interviewed last night, said they would rather play Real than Monaco... perhaps because they see that as a "bigger" game, perhaps because Chelsea would be underdogs so less pressure, but also because Real are a "known quantity" with well know weaknesses (one being a leaky defence, another one being arrogance!).

Bookmakers now have Chelsea as favourites... and given all the previous favourites have been knocked out, that news doesn't exactly sit well with me )

Chelsea deserve to be favourites just on the depth of their squad alone
but as you so rightly point out when you start to believe your own press trouble isn't far away

It certainly would make winning the Champion Leagues trophy sweeter knowing you'd desposed of Real Madrid along the way

I think Chelseas wealth of international experience will get them over the line but only by the bearest margin

Will be interesting to see who Chelseas Strikers are given the sudden about face to pick those in form as opposed to 2 in the League and 2 in Europe

Fickle game soccer at the best of times as Arsenal have found out

The result as Claudio said is in the lap of the gods

cheers
B....OZ

If the match ratings are anything to go by maybe I was right....Lauren,Pires & Henry all had mediocre games

Against a team that hasn't beaten them for 6 years(17 matches) you'd expect them to be brimming with confidence but acording to Wegner
that was shot to peaces after losing for the first time this year to Man U

You want your stars performing at the business end of the season
not during the warm up although they did have a mediocre start to the champions league as well

Some might say the Arse are just front runners and when it matters most if challenged they susceptible

As for the French National Team....technically gifted but suspect under pressure especially if playing away from home-Seoul 2002...even we Aussies held them to 2 draws not that long ago

No Zindine Zidane(a Moroccan for what its worth) No France IMHO

Thank god for those French Colonies

cheers
B....OZ