Atletico 2nd leg at home

[ROB-THE-BLUE]

29 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Our centre back pairing of benny and Wes is likely to break the rules of left and right footer.  I expect benny will have to play on the left side (as Hernandez did opening day). I also expect simeone will target that area between Fuchs and benny as it will not be natural for benny to cover his left inside the full back. 

 

This probably explains why Fuchs was put there on Saturday and perhaps we might be surprised later. That would be harsh on benny  and would be a very tough call. 

If he chooses Fuchs as a left sided CB then personally I think Benny would be a better option than a half fit and not match sharp Morgan.

[Crinklyfox]

Dawning is the day.  I've waited for 20 years for this day.

 

20 years ago I watched the most disgusting one-sided display of refereeing I had ever since and have never seen the like since.  I concluded then that the ref must have received an inducement to favour Atletico and although it was never proven the referee didn't get any further European matches.  The ref was penalised but the wrong inflicted on us remained.  

 

Tonight we have the chance to lay the ghosts of that disgrace to bed.  Atletico are a fine side and are favourites to go through but for the last twenty years there isn't a team in the world that I've wanted us to beat more, and we now have the chance, one we'll probably not get again in my lifetime.

[weller54]

3 hours ago, TK95 said:

One cannot sleep

Sorry to hear that your majesty.. Is Phillip snoring again? 

[Babylon]

The ref is Gianluca Rocchi... lets hope he doesn't like Ranieri.

 

The bloke absolutely loves a red card, averages about one red every two games in Serie A.

 

 

[Legend_in_blue]

Let's do these (and the referee). 

 

 

 

[sk3since03]

I'm more nervous of the referee potentially ruining the game and our dreams! 

 

As one did 20 years ago

 

Corrupt Bastards  

[Izzy]

I'm nowhere near as nervous about tonight as I was before the away leg for some reason. Weird, I'm just really calm and chilled. Maybe subconsciously I've decided that it's the end of the journey tonight...

[Mickyblueeyes]

12 minutes ago, Izzy Muzzett said:

I'm nowhere near as nervous about tonight as I was before the away leg for some reason. Weird, I'm just really calm and chilled. Maybe subconsciously I've decided that it's the end of the journey tonight...

I know what you mean. I am the same. I'm excited because there is City game tonight but no more than had it been say Boro away. With the 1-0 defeat it feels like we have left ourselves a bit too much to do against a good team. It may be the end but great while it lasted. I hope I'm wrong.

[Guest CityFan 06]

We need to start well and get an early goal. If we do it tonight, momentum heads into the Semi Finals. 

[Aidan]

17 minutes ago, sk3since03 said:

I'm more nervous of the referee potentially ruining the game and our dreams! 

 

As one did 20 years ago

 

Corrupt Bastards  

 

17 minutes ago, sk3since03 said:

I'm more nervous of the referee potentially ruining the game and our dreams! 

 

As one did 20 years ago

 

Corrupt Bastards  

Interesting article about today's referre and Ranieri I dug out from a few years ago.

The Inter-View: The Curious Case of Gianluca Rocchi

Inter versus Napoli was supposed to be a beautiful night of football.  It was supposed to showcase two top sides in Serie A who had represented Italy proudly in Champions League midweek.  It was supposed to be a battle between two teams potentially challenging for the Scudetto.  It was supposed to be a beautiful night of football.

The Nerazzurri were in the midst of finding themselves again under Claudio Ranieri and had come into this match with back to back wins, stemming from league play and in Europe.  The two wins were the first wins of the campaign, and Inter were looking to repeat the victory from this fixture last season.  The Partenopei were also coming into the game on a high, after beating Villarreal soundly in the Champions League.

The two clubs’ tifosi created a fantastic atmosphere in the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, with both sets of supporters joining in anti-AC Milan chants of “chi non salta rossonero.”  Both club presidents, Massimo Moratti and Aurelio De Laurentiis, were present and exchanged salutations and friendly handshakes prior to kickoff.  There was nothing but positivity beaming around the stadium, with everyone looking forward to a great night.

That was before referee Gianluca Rocchi stamped his mark on something that never came to fruition.

 

Inter were missing names such as Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito, and Thiago Motta through injury, but for the first time this season, had Maicon available for selection.  The Brazilian right back shone in his season debut, showing how severely missed his marauding runs had been up to this point.  Unfortunately, no matter how any of the players performed on the pitch for either side, the star of the show was to be Rocchi.
The dubious officiating started early as Rocchi gave Joel Obi an undeserved yellow for a “tackle” on Ezequiel Lavezzi in the tenth minute.  Even though it was quite clear that Obi had won the ball, the referee harshly carded him without a prior warning.  Inter had a goal correctly called off because Giampaolo Pazzini was offside 24 minutes in, but the turning point of the match came in the 41st minute.

Obi fouled Christian Maggio outside the box, which Rocchi deemed not only worthy of a second yellow that resulted in expulsion, but a penalty as well… when the foul was outside the box.  Replays and still shots showed crystal clear that the penalty should never have been given and that the yellow card for this foul was just as unconvincing as Obi’s first card.

Needless to say, the penalty lit the fuse and Inter were ready to explode like a stick of dynamite.

Marek Hamsik lined up to take the penalty, only for Julio Cesar to make a terrific save.  Hugo Campagnaro rushed into the box, putting the rebound in the Inter net, past Cesar.  The second controversy in as many minutes arose, as Campagnaro had edged into the penalty area prior to Hamsik kicking the ball.  Both Captain Javier Zanetti and Julio Cesar were yellow carded by Rocchi, due to protesting.

Half time could not come soon enough, although the intermission brought even more controversy as the usually reserved Ranieri was also ejected from the match.  ‘Tinkerman’ asked Rocchi for an explanation of his decisions and the following events that had transpired on the pitch, but instead the referee decided to show the Inter manager a red card.  Subsequently, Ranieri spent the second half in the VIP player section watching the rest of the match with a look that combined shock, disbelief and bemusement.

Some spectators assumed that there would be one or two make up calls in Inter’s favour due to the severity of Rocchi’s mistakes.  That is the mistake of the casual viewer who rarely watch Inter matches that Rocchi officiates.  He rarely, if ever, gives them.

The second half was psychologically lost thanks to the preposterousness of Rocchi’s decisions:  Two yellow cards, both of which were unjust, equaling a red for Obi; a penalty that should never have been given because of the area in which the foul occured; an expelled coach for simply asking why the decisions were made; two yellow cards awarded to well respected veterans, with ‘Pupi’ Zanetti known for never losing his head without good reason.  As soon as Maggio scored Napoli’s second goal due to Yuto Nagatomo’s defensive mishap early in the half, the game was as good as gone.  Hamsik scored for the visitors with fifteen minutes left, making the final score Inter 0 – Napoli 3.

The headlines would not be about Napoli’s win, though.  Everyone was focused on the man wearing the yellow shirt with the whistle.  A referees’ influence should never be apparent in a match, and in this case, it is hard pressed to think that Rocchi had anything but influence.

People say clubs, players, and managers need to “get on with the game,” leave the whining out of the match and let the referee do his job.  So what happens when the referee clearly is not doing his job?

Referees are arbitrators of sport.  They are supposed to be unbiased entities that do not favour either side playing.  Granted, referees are also human and are prone to errors but are these judgment calls still considered errors when negative calls are consistently given against a specific team?

Inter immediately and rightfully protested the result against Napoli.  Not because of anything Napoli did, which was vehemently pointed out by club representatives, but because of Rocchi once again changing the face of the game.  The Inter that were playing in the first forty minutes of the match was refreshing to watch.  This squad was confident and it was apparent that they believed they could get the result needed against the opponent.  What everyone failed to realize was that the opponent happened to be the official in charge of the match.

Six days have passed with an opportunity for cooler heads and clearer thoughts to prevail, yet the anger and frustration still persist.  Now that the dust has settled from the ridiculousness that was Inter versus Napoli, the fallout is as followed: one match suspensions for Ranieri and Obi, 10.000€ fines for both Ivan Cordoba and Diego Milito, and 1.500€ for Zanetti.  Rocchi himself is rumoured to serve a two or three match suspension, but nothing has been finalized.  Inter’s request of Rocchi to never officiate a match of theirs fell on deaf ears and he could potentially be in charge of another Nerazzurri game in the second half of the season.

Prior to this match, Interisti joked who Rocchi would send off now.  Disconcertingly, no one knew how true any words spoken would be.  Here’s a look at all seven red cards Rocchi has shown Inter players in sixteen matches, which equals a nearly 50% chance of being send off if the player is wearing black and blue…

 

[themightyfin]

Morgan plays 

[lgfualol]

3 minutes ago, themightyfin said:

Morgan plays 

Hope he is ready. Would be a welcome boost, much better than having to potentially play Amartey/Fuchs there. 

[Monk]

I'm convinced Ulloa should start tonight. Feel like we need to go all guns blazing with balls into the box, and need to hold the ball up to transition the gap between midfield and attack. 

[desertfox2]

12 minutes ago, Aidan said:

 

Interesting article about today's referre and Ranieri I dug out from a few years ago.

The Inter-View: The Curious Case of Gianluca Rocchi

Inter versus Napoli was supposed to be a beautiful night of football.  It was supposed to showcase two top sides in Serie A who had represented Italy proudly in Champions League midweek.  It was supposed to be a battle between two teams potentially challenging for the Scudetto.  It was supposed to be a beautiful night of football.

The Nerazzurri were in the midst of finding themselves again under Claudio Ranieri and had come into this match with back to back wins, stemming from league play and in Europe.  The two wins were the first wins of the campaign, and Inter were looking to repeat the victory from this fixture last season.  The Partenopei were also coming into the game on a high, after beating Villarreal soundly in the Champions League.

The two clubs’ tifosi created a fantastic atmosphere in the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, with both sets of supporters joining in anti-AC Milan chants of “chi non salta rossonero.”  Both club presidents, Massimo Moratti and Aurelio De Laurentiis, were present and exchanged salutations and friendly handshakes prior to kickoff.  There was nothing but positivity beaming around the stadium, with everyone looking forward to a great night.

That was before referee Gianluca Rocchi stamped his mark on something that never came to fruition.

 

Inter were missing names such as Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito, and Thiago Motta through injury, but for the first time this season, had Maicon available for selection.  The Brazilian right back shone in his season debut, showing how severely missed his marauding runs had been up to this point.  Unfortunately, no matter how any of the players performed on the pitch for either side, the star of the show was to be Rocchi.
The dubious officiating started early as Rocchi gave Joel Obi an undeserved yellow for a “tackle” on Ezequiel Lavezzi in the tenth minute.  Even though it was quite clear that Obi had won the ball, the referee harshly carded him without a prior warning.  Inter had a goal correctly called off because Giampaolo Pazzini was offside 24 minutes in, but the turning point of the match came in the 41st minute.

Obi fouled Christian Maggio outside the box, which Rocchi deemed not only worthy of a second yellow that resulted in expulsion, but a penalty as well… when the foul was outside the box.  Replays and still shots showed crystal clear that the penalty should never have been given and that the yellow card for this foul was just as unconvincing as Obi’s first card.

Needless to say, the penalty lit the fuse and Inter were ready to explode like a stick of dynamite.

Marek Hamsik lined up to take the penalty, only for Julio Cesar to make a terrific save.  Hugo Campagnaro rushed into the box, putting the rebound in the Inter net, past Cesar.  The second controversy in as many minutes arose, as Campagnaro had edged into the penalty area prior to Hamsik kicking the ball.  Both Captain Javier Zanetti and Julio Cesar were yellow carded by Rocchi, due to protesting.

Half time could not come soon enough, although the intermission brought even more controversy as the usually reserved Ranieri was also ejected from the match.  ‘Tinkerman’ asked Rocchi for an explanation of his decisions and the following events that had transpired on the pitch, but instead the referee decided to show the Inter manager a red card.  Subsequently, Ranieri spent the second half in the VIP player section watching the rest of the match with a look that combined shock, disbelief and bemusement.

Some spectators assumed that there would be one or two make up calls in Inter’s favour due to the severity of Rocchi’s mistakes.  That is the mistake of the casual viewer who rarely watch Inter matches that Rocchi officiates.  He rarely, if ever, gives them.

The second half was psychologically lost thanks to the preposterousness of Rocchi’s decisions:  Two yellow cards, both of which were unjust, equaling a red for Obi; a penalty that should never have been given because of the area in which the foul occured; an expelled coach for simply asking why the decisions were made; two yellow cards awarded to well respected veterans, with ‘Pupi’ Zanetti known for never losing his head without good reason.  As soon as Maggio scored Napoli’s second goal due to Yuto Nagatomo’s defensive mishap early in the half, the game was as good as gone.  Hamsik scored for the visitors with fifteen minutes left, making the final score Inter 0 – Napoli 3.

The headlines would not be about Napoli’s win, though.  Everyone was focused on the man wearing the yellow shirt with the whistle.  A referees’ influence should never be apparent in a match, and in this case, it is hard pressed to think that Rocchi had anything but influence.

People say clubs, players, and managers need to “get on with the game,” leave the whining out of the match and let the referee do his job.  So what happens when the referee clearly is not doing his job?

Referees are arbitrators of sport.  They are supposed to be unbiased entities that do not favour either side playing.  Granted, referees are also human and are prone to errors but are these judgment calls still considered errors when negative calls are consistently given against a specific team?

Inter immediately and rightfully protested the result against Napoli.  Not because of anything Napoli did, which was vehemently pointed out by club representatives, but because of Rocchi once again changing the face of the game.  The Inter that were playing in the first forty minutes of the match was refreshing to watch.  This squad was confident and it was apparent that they believed they could get the result needed against the opponent.  What everyone failed to realize was that the opponent happened to be the official in charge of the match.

Six days have passed with an opportunity for cooler heads and clearer thoughts to prevail, yet the anger and frustration still persist.  Now that the dust has settled from the ridiculousness that was Inter versus Napoli, the fallout is as followed: one match suspensions for Ranieri and Obi, 10.000€ fines for both Ivan Cordoba and Diego Milito, and 1.500€ for Zanetti.  Rocchi himself is rumoured to serve a two or three match suspension, but nothing has been finalized.  Inter’s request of Rocchi to never officiate a match of theirs fell on deaf ears and he could potentially be in charge of another Nerazzurri game in the second half of the season.

Prior to this match, Interisti joked who Rocchi would send off now.  Disconcertingly, no one knew how true any words spoken would be.  Here’s a look at all seven red cards Rocchi has shown Inter players in sixteen matches, which equals a nearly 50% chance of being send off if the player is wearing black and blue…

 

 

Well at least it doesn't look like he likes Ranieri. 

[Babylon]

6 minutes ago, Monk said:

I'm convinced Ulloa should start tonight. Feel like we need to go all guns blazing with balls into the box, and need to hold the ball up to transition the gap between midfield and attack. 

I think we're going to try and soak up pressure, they're expecting us to have a go at them but I think we'll be cautious as we can't concede. I'd imagine we'd be happy going into the last 15 minutes 0-0 and then throwing the sink at them.

[sk3since03]

28 minutes ago, Aidan said:

 

Interesting article about today's referre and Ranieri I dug out from a few years ago.

The Inter-View: The Curious Case of Gianluca Rocchi

Inter versus Napoli was supposed to be a beautiful night of football.  It was supposed to showcase two top sides in Serie A who had represented Italy proudly in Champions League midweek.  It was supposed to be a battle between two teams potentially challenging for the Scudetto.  It was supposed to be a beautiful night of football.

The Nerazzurri were in the midst of finding themselves again under Claudio Ranieri and had come into this match with back to back wins, stemming from league play and in Europe.  The two wins were the first wins of the campaign, and Inter were looking to repeat the victory from this fixture last season.  The Partenopei were also coming into the game on a high, after beating Villarreal soundly in the Champions League.

The two clubs’ tifosi created a fantastic atmosphere in the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, with both sets of supporters joining in anti-AC Milan chants of “chi non salta rossonero.”  Both club presidents, Massimo Moratti and Aurelio De Laurentiis, were present and exchanged salutations and friendly handshakes prior to kickoff.  There was nothing but positivity beaming around the stadium, with everyone looking forward to a great night.

That was before referee Gianluca Rocchi stamped his mark on something that never came to fruition.

 

Inter were missing names such as Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito, and Thiago Motta through injury, but for the first time this season, had Maicon available for selection.  The Brazilian right back shone in his season debut, showing how severely missed his marauding runs had been up to this point.  Unfortunately, no matter how any of the players performed on the pitch for either side, the star of the show was to be Rocchi.
The dubious officiating started early as Rocchi gave Joel Obi an undeserved yellow for a “tackle” on Ezequiel Lavezzi in the tenth minute.  Even though it was quite clear that Obi had won the ball, the referee harshly carded him without a prior warning.  Inter had a goal correctly called off because Giampaolo Pazzini was offside 24 minutes in, but the turning point of the match came in the 41st minute.

Obi fouled Christian Maggio outside the box, which Rocchi deemed not only worthy of a second yellow that resulted in expulsion, but a penalty as well… when the foul was outside the box.  Replays and still shots showed crystal clear that the penalty should never have been given and that the yellow card for this foul was just as unconvincing as Obi’s first card.

Needless to say, the penalty lit the fuse and Inter were ready to explode like a stick of dynamite.

Marek Hamsik lined up to take the penalty, only for Julio Cesar to make a terrific save.  Hugo Campagnaro rushed into the box, putting the rebound in the Inter net, past Cesar.  The second controversy in as many minutes arose, as Campagnaro had edged into the penalty area prior to Hamsik kicking the ball.  Both Captain Javier Zanetti and Julio Cesar were yellow carded by Rocchi, due to protesting.

Half time could not come soon enough, although the intermission brought even more controversy as the usually reserved Ranieri was also ejected from the match.  ‘Tinkerman’ asked Rocchi for an explanation of his decisions and the following events that had transpired on the pitch, but instead the referee decided to show the Inter manager a red card.  Subsequently, Ranieri spent the second half in the VIP player section watching the rest of the match with a look that combined shock, disbelief and bemusement.

Some spectators assumed that there would be one or two make up calls in Inter’s favour due to the severity of Rocchi’s mistakes.  That is the mistake of the casual viewer who rarely watch Inter matches that Rocchi officiates.  He rarely, if ever, gives them.

The second half was psychologically lost thanks to the preposterousness of Rocchi’s decisions:  Two yellow cards, both of which were unjust, equaling a red for Obi; a penalty that should never have been given because of the area in which the foul occured; an expelled coach for simply asking why the decisions were made; two yellow cards awarded to well respected veterans, with ‘Pupi’ Zanetti known for never losing his head without good reason.  As soon as Maggio scored Napoli’s second goal due to Yuto Nagatomo’s defensive mishap early in the half, the game was as good as gone.  Hamsik scored for the visitors with fifteen minutes left, making the final score Inter 0 – Napoli 3.

The headlines would not be about Napoli’s win, though.  Everyone was focused on the man wearing the yellow shirt with the whistle.  A referees’ influence should never be apparent in a match, and in this case, it is hard pressed to think that Rocchi had anything but influence.

People say clubs, players, and managers need to “get on with the game,” leave the whining out of the match and let the referee do his job.  So what happens when the referee clearly is not doing his job?

Referees are arbitrators of sport.  They are supposed to be unbiased entities that do not favour either side playing.  Granted, referees are also human and are prone to errors but are these judgment calls still considered errors when negative calls are consistently given against a specific team?

Inter immediately and rightfully protested the result against Napoli.  Not because of anything Napoli did, which was vehemently pointed out by club representatives, but because of Rocchi once again changing the face of the game.  The Inter that were playing in the first forty minutes of the match was refreshing to watch.  This squad was confident and it was apparent that they believed they could get the result needed against the opponent.  What everyone failed to realize was that the opponent happened to be the official in charge of the match.

Six days have passed with an opportunity for cooler heads and clearer thoughts to prevail, yet the anger and frustration still persist.  Now that the dust has settled from the ridiculousness that was Inter versus Napoli, the fallout is as followed: one match suspensions for Ranieri and Obi, 10.000€ fines for both Ivan Cordoba and Diego Milito, and 1.500€ for Zanetti.  Rocchi himself is rumoured to serve a two or three match suspension, but nothing has been finalized.  Inter’s request of Rocchi to never officiate a match of theirs fell on deaf ears and he could potentially be in charge of another Nerazzurri game in the second half of the season.

Prior to this match, Interisti joked who Rocchi would send off now.  Disconcertingly, no one knew how true any words spoken would be.  Here’s a look at all seven red cards Rocchi has shown Inter players in sixteen matches, which equals a nearly 50% chance of being send off if the player is wearing black and blue…

 

Yep! Gonna ruin the game will be stop/start with cards being dished out left right and centre! 

 

Question is, which side will he favour 

 

Really got a bad feeling about this guy

[yorkie1999]

Simeone getting sent to the stands would be a good start

[sm1]

Great, another shit ref. We've conceding pens in our last 3 champions league games, its time we get a few decisions going our way. I can just imagine Simione, if we get a pen and they get a red card.

[CosbehFox]

1 hour ago, Izzy Muzzett said:

I'm nowhere near as nervous about tonight as I was before the away leg for some reason. Weird, I'm just really calm and chilled. Maybe subconsciously I've decided that it's the end of the journey tonight...

We have nothing to lose. It's an expected exit if we go and we've last longer than our domestic counterparts. Pulled off the result of the competition in the last round other than Barca v PSG

[Swarles Barkley]

I woke up with a semi on today

 

if there ever was a sign, its that

[Almo-Fox]

It will be difficult to see this  match today , for me I an only see going through to semi 

I know  atletco madrid payers will be n their nerves as the time goes , so leicester have to be more concentrated and sharp in getting to score from any given opportunity 

 

Many people underestimates us and sees us a not worth to be at the semi , but as DD says, we cannot let this last chance slip away from us 

 

Go Leicester go 

[Bossman Blessed It]

We are something of a different proposition when we play at home. Far more aggressive, usually link up much more easily and in all honesty last time Sevilla came here with a 1 goal advantage they were rocked when we bagged. The King Power might well be the loudest it's ever been today too, so we've always got a chance. 

[Happy Fox]

We are going to win, this is Leicester's season, Champions League final is waiting for us.

 

Vardy and Mahrez to deliver the good tonight.

[yorkie1999]

Are we there yet, 

[Ric Flair]

1 hour ago, Babylon said:

I think we're going to try and soak up pressure, they're expecting us to have a go at them but I think we'll be cautious as we can't concede. I'd imagine we'd be happy going into the last 15 minutes 0-0 and then throwing the sink at them.

Yes! This is the only way I conceivably see us going through tonight. We need to keep it 0-0 and on the lowdown for as long as possible before getting the all important equaliser and then getting the 2nd in injury time without them having a chance to reply. If they score tonight I just don't see us scoring 3 times in 90 minutes or twice in extra time after they get one. It's a huge huge leap of faith to think it's possible but then again we are a bonkers fcukin club.

 

0-0 please until 80 mins and then raise the roof with an Ndidi piledriver and a Vardy last minute penalty to really stick it to Simeone.