Milan v. Spurs Live!
The Champions League knock-out stages get started in earnest this week with two crackers. First up is Tottenham's visit to the San Siro to meet AC Milan. Back in the fall, Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart put Inter's defense to the sword in the same stadium. Unfortunately, Bale is unavailable tonight. Is Harry Redknapp's squad deep enough to make further progress in this tournament? We'll soon see - join me for the action this afternoon!
posted by The Blue Devil @ 2:21 PM
70 Comments:
The team news is already in:
AC Milan: Abbiati, Abate, Nesta, Yepes, Antonini, Gattuso,
Thiago Silva, Flamini, Seedorf, Robinho, Ibrahimovic.
Subs: Amelia, Alexandre Pato, Papastathopoulos, Oddo, Jankulovski,
Merkel, Legrottaglie.
Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka, Gallas, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto,
Lennon, Palacios, Sandro, Pienaar, Van der Vaart, Crouch.
Subs: Cudicini, Pavlyuchenko, Modric, Defoe, Bassong, Kranjcar,
Woodgate.
Referee: Stephane Lannoy (France)
How will Spurs line-up tonight in the San Siro? Probably cautiously in a 4-4-1-1, with Aaron Lennon and Steven Pienaar bookending a central midfield duo of Sandro and Wilson Palacios. Up front, VDV will play in a free role behind Peter Crouch.
I've got a nice, crisp stream up here:
http://www.streamhub.tv/ch/V4.php
Oh dear - it's the FSC coverage with Waldo, Chris Sullivan and Warren Barton in the studio. Okay, I appreciate the effort but I'd prefer the coverage from Blighty.
Teams in the tunnel now. The atmosphere has got to be incredible tonight.
Right, then. It's kick-off time. A quick flip of the coin from the French ref and an exchange of pennants. It's raining in Milan tonight but Redknapp looks undaunted.
Spurs in a bit of huddle before the match. I wonder who the team leader is in that group?
Spurs will get us underway then....
Fantastic start for Spurs there. Pienaar got free on the edge of the box and tried to cross in and it could easily have been a penalty off Nesta's arm.
Stone cold penalty missed by the ref there. Nesta's arm definitely moved toward the ball. What a let off for Milan!
Another disappointing decision from the French ref, whistling against Crouchie when he had merely challenged for a ball with the keeper.
Spurs definitely forcing the issue early doors. A cross over from Corluca to the back post finds Crouch and he nearly brings it down and shoots. Nesta did well in the end but they're struggling to handle Crouchie.
Spurs stroking the ball around for fun here. This is really good stuff from them.
Hello BD. I am here for a brief moment.
Peter Lovenkrands has given Newcaslte an early lead at St. Andrews and Preston have taken a shock lead at Watford.
Sandro's already been penalized for strong challenges on Seedorf twice. He'll have to be careful now.
Afternoon, MUR! Great to have you around, albeit briefly. Good news there from Watford.
Good news from St. Andrews too as Birmingham are trailing.
First chance for Milan through Zlatan. He's called offside but that was a threat. Dawson also did well to challenge him.
Oh - what a chance. Lennon was put through well by Corluca and for once he played a great ball into the six yard box. Abbiati did well to punch out in a crowd but it only would have taken a follow-up shot for Spurs to go 1-0 up.
I don't have any particular hatred for Birmingham actually. They're much better under McLeish than they've been in the past. Good to see Newcastle clicking along post-Carroll though.
Butch Wilkins is sending some belated Valentines to Peter Crouch tonight.
WOW! Are we in for an upset? I guess it is too early to tell. Gareth Bale scored a hat-trick in a losing effort in Spurs' previous visit to the San Siro. That was a wild match.
I just don't care for Birmingham's tactics compared to teams like West Ham or Blackpool.
Hartlepool take the lead against Charlton. Jeff will be pleased, I think.
Oh dear - the stretchers out for Milan keeper Abbiati. He looks concussed after that latest challenge with the beanpole. I didn't see a lot of contact but he clearly has a problem. Marco Amelia is on for him.
True - I'd much prefer to see Blackpool and West Ham stay up. I still think the Tangerines will stay up but I fear for West Ham. I'd ideally like the three W's - Wolves, Wigan and West Brom go down.
I like West Brom's style of play despite their defensive frailties. I agree with you on the three W's excpet that I would have Birmingham take West Brom's place.
Valencia have taken the lead against Schalke. Aberdeen and Motherwell are tied 1-1.
Corner to Spurs then.....
VDV swings it in and Amelia punches clear. Oh - great cross back in by Essou-Ekotta. Could have hit anyone there.
Sandro and Palacios are running their socks off snuffing out just about every threat from Milan.
As Spurs push forward again, there are some noticeable whistles going around the ground from Milan fans. They can't be happy with what they've seen from their side.
This match again puts paid to the mythology coming out of footie intellectuals such as Simon Kuper that Continental sides are ahead of English sides tactically. Here you have a 4th place English side full of English players in key positions that is positively running over a side mostly made up of Italian internationals.
Zlatan again goes down looking for something. He's looked aimless tonight. Pathetic.
Ipswich have taken the lead at Doncaster.
Italian football seems to be in a state of decline as witneesed by their poor showing last Summer. Inter won the Cl without any Italians in the starting lineup.
Quick break here from Milan but it's rather easily broken up by the Spurs rearguard.
I do not like Gattuso at all. He's got nothing constructive to add to a match.
Zlatan hits a free kick from an ambitious distance well wide.
I suppose a 0-0 draw between evil Cardiff and Burnley is the best result for Leeds today.
Half an hour gone now and you'd have to say that Spurs have had the better of this one. You could certainly see them coming out of this one with a draw or even better.
A bUrnley win helps Leeds more than a Cardiff win if one of the sides is victorious, but a draw woud be best for Leeds.
Lovely stuff from VDV there, but Nesta is such a consummate defender back there.
Ipswich now 0-2 up at Doncaster. David Healey with the second goal there.
Great news for Ipswich. Paul Jewell is doing an excellent job with Ipswich.
And now PNE are shockingly 0-2 up at Watford!
Unfortunately , I will have to depart as my students are completing a test. Take care. It was great chatting with you.
Matthieu Flamini looks a lost soul out there. Such a difference from his playing days at Arsenal where he ruled their defensive midfield position.
Cheers, MUR! Good luck to your students!
Bloody hell, Aaron! He did all the good work there but when he got free of Antonini, he rashly blasted the ball well over everyone. Crouchie is tall but he's not that bloody tall!
Another corner to Spurs here....
Deep one to Crouch again. I think VDV should vary them a bit.
Great keeping from Gomes. As Abate crossed, he leaped out to grab it.
Now Milan fans are howling at their players who are giving up the ball in midfield over and over again.
Coming up on half time. Harry has to be happy with what he's seen despite getting a right soaking on the touchline. The Milan coach has more wisely stayed in the dugout.
Oh - Robinho flashed a ball across the area. No one there to put the finishing touch on it.
And that's the half-time whistle. Good stuff from Spurs in the first half. More of the same, hopefully in the second half.
Players coming back out for the second half. It looks as if the Milan coach is going to unleash Pato.
I'm back after setting up my class and Spurs and Milan are still at 0-0 in the 71st minute.
Newcastle are now 0-2 up at St. Andrews.
Unfortunately, Michael Chopra has put Cardiff into the lead against Burnley.
Crikey - Ipswich are 0-5 up at Doncaster!
Milan seem to have come out of their shells now and are doing a fair amount of attacking.
Raul has leveled the scores between Valencia and Schalke. 1-1 there.
Nice - Gennaro Gattuso is out of the Shite Fart Lane leg now after that yellow card.
Spurs are now basically lumping long balls at Crouchie. And right on cue, Harry is replacing Pienaar with Kranjcar.
Under fifteen minutes now for Spurs to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
Zlatan hits one from distance and its well collected by Gomes. Pato is certainly adding some invention.
I watched the match. THOROUGHLY deserved by Spurs!
Crouch with a goal after a great run by Lennon
Milan get the ball in the net with almost the last kick of the game but the ref calls it back for a push in the back by the big Swede... great decision
Gattuso was an animal! He went after Crouch once and then Joe Jordon on the sideline. He pushed big Joe in the face. At the end of the game, Gattuso went right after Jordon again! He headbutted him and was trying to go after him again
HE SHOULD BE BANNED!
(he's out of the second leg anyway after a yellow)
Newcastle beat Birmingham 2-0 at St. Andrews
Cardiff only drew
Watford only drew
Ipswich won 6-0!!!
Off to work
Cheers, Dave! I agree with you - Gooner won't be happy but Spurs played really well and deserved the win. I expect them to go through easily now.
Lovely result there with Cardiff and Burnley. It means that after four fixtures tonight, we're still in 6th and only three points back from Cardiff in second. Burnley stay rooted in 8th a good five points behind us.
Pffffffffffffffffffbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbt!
Lucky, lucky spuds who got a 1-0 result on a night where Milan lay down all first half, and concentrated on the dark arts in the 2nd.
Harry can polish this turd up until it gleams but if you're wearing sunglasses, it's still easy to see that it's a turd.
A fantastic result for Spurs and a thoroughly deserved victory. BD, you must be delighted in Aaron Lennon's role in the goal and the fact that Woodgate played in the match. I agree with UWS 100% regarding that idiot, Gattuso. He should have been sent off for the initial push on Joe Jordan. I would think that his cumulative infractions should lead to him missing the entire group stage next season. Even his teammates and the coaching staff were pissed. I thought Falmini should have been sent off for the foul on Corluka. It was a premeditated two-footed challenge. It seemed as if the Milan manager was clueless based on his body language. Ibrahimovic was useless. What exactly is the fuss about him? Spurs were brilliant whether you love them or hate them.
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