2006 Champions League Final: Barca - Arsenal
- Thread starter Barcaman
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Still get a comment now and then that Arsenal were robbed 
Bobo32
Senior Member
Remember where I watched it, with my team, seated between two Arsenal fans...
Was a pretty good win as it was so uncertain beforehand, two good and pretty equal teams.
2009 was also great, but to be honest I was pretty sure United would win then, because of the injuries etc.
2011 otoh I was very sure Barcelona would win, was just a pleasure to watch.
Barcilliant
Senior Member
Valdes made more saves in that one match than Ter Stegen has made in all our Cl humiliations.
BBZ8800
Senior Member
To me, 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons always come together as one unit/story.
2004/05 is when we returned to glory days and good displays.
We won La Liga after 6 years.
In a CL, we played good, but we were naive.
And in the 2006, we learned the lesson and didn't make the same mistakes.
Anyway, the first time in 2004-2006 era when I started to feel that something great is happening was in a group stage match vs Milan in 2004/05.
Back then, Milan was probably the best team in the world and it was painfully hard to play against their defense.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy described how it felt playing against them in 2004/05 season:
https://youtu.be/S3Syp9urjXM
And this is how we managed to win in 2004/05:
https://youtu.be/xe_U9HJVB8Q
And again in 2006's semis:
https://youtu.be/oBt1LeGbEw8
2004/05 is when we returned to glory days and good displays.
We won La Liga after 6 years.
In a CL, we played good, but we were naive.
And in the 2006, we learned the lesson and didn't make the same mistakes.
Anyway, the first time in 2004-2006 era when I started to feel that something great is happening was in a group stage match vs Milan in 2004/05.
Back then, Milan was probably the best team in the world and it was painfully hard to play against their defense.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy described how it felt playing against them in 2004/05 season:
https://youtu.be/S3Syp9urjXM
And this is how we managed to win in 2004/05:
https://youtu.be/xe_U9HJVB8Q
And again in 2006's semis:
https://youtu.be/oBt1LeGbEw8
Bobo32
Senior Member
It was pretty obvious since Ronaldinhos first games for the club, and then buying Deco, Eto'o, Giuly etc at the same time that something great was bound to happen.
I just skimmed these highlight videos, but it's really striking how little control they had over the games, how they struggled.
Sure Milan had a great team as well, but Barcelona had Ronnie in his GOAT years + Deco and Eto'o who were probably the best midfielder and attacker of the 00s... Puyol, Xavi in their prime years as well..
It was basically Ronaldinho cooking up something out of the blue most of the time
I just skimmed these highlight videos, but it's really striking how little control they had over the games, how they struggled.
Sure Milan had a great team as well, but Barcelona had Ronnie in his GOAT years + Deco and Eto'o who were probably the best midfielder and attacker of the 00s... Puyol, Xavi in their prime years as well..
It was basically Ronaldinho cooking up something out of the blue most of the time
JamDav1982
Senior Member
Deco was nowhere near the best midfielder of the 00s.
Every time you try to make out you watched Barca back then you spew more garbage.
BBZ8800
Senior Member
I get your point.
Back then, there was no domination like in Pep's days when we had 70-80% of possession.
Also, before Pep, it was normal to risk and play way more direct.
In these videos, Xavi attempted 3-4 shots from 25 meters which didn't have too much chance to go in.
Deco was always shooting whenever he would be at the edge of the box.
Even Cdm Marquez and fullbacks Gio and Belletti attempted shots whenever possible.
In some actions, Etoo was surrounded by 3 and attempted suicidal dribble or a desperate shot, while in today's football a striker would slow down, pass back and wait for his teammates to come into an attacking shape.
He wouldn't risk and lose a possession.
While back then, it was: close your eyes, inshalah and shoot.
So, it was a different era.
But still, this was AC Milan.
They played 8 CL finals from 1989-2007.
For example, Barcelona with Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Etoo had 4 finals in the last 20 years...
Also, I remember while watching those matches back then, it "felt" as if we were dominating.
But after we have seen Pep's Barca and modern teams from the last 5 years, now watching videos from 2005 look very meh and erratic.
But in 15 years, we will probably watch videos from 2020 and say: wow, football was so slow/outdated/onedimensional/enter who knows which complaint...
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serghei
Senior Member
Football doesn't get outdated so fast lol. If you watch the CL final from 1999 between United and Bayern, it's basically the same stuff from Liverpool - Tottenham from 2 years ago lets say.
2005 football is pretty much the same as current football. Only tactically some things are different, and only in the case of some managers who have brought something new, like Pep and Klopp in particular. And even they are more mainstream nowadays.
There's no difference between what Pochettino, Allegri, Conte, Simeone, Zidane play right now, and what Rijkaard, Mourinho, Ancelotti, played back in 2005.
Only Pep's Barca was drastically different, even City is becoming less unique this season, as they sit back more and play counter more like every other team. What modern teams in the last 5 years? Most modern teams play counter-attacking football like in mid-00s.
With the way things unfolded, Pep's Barca remains a freak team that will never become a norm, simply because it had too many all-time greats in several positions + an all-time great manager + a diamond La Masia generation. Try to repeat that with lesser players and a lesser manager and it looks like a clown show.
That team should be seen separately. There are way more factors involved in that team than just tactics.
2005 football is pretty much the same as current football. Only tactically some things are different, and only in the case of some managers who have brought something new, like Pep and Klopp in particular. And even they are more mainstream nowadays.
There's no difference between what Pochettino, Allegri, Conte, Simeone, Zidane play right now, and what Rijkaard, Mourinho, Ancelotti, played back in 2005.
Only Pep's Barca was drastically different, even City is becoming less unique this season, as they sit back more and play counter more like every other team. What modern teams in the last 5 years? Most modern teams play counter-attacking football like in mid-00s.
With the way things unfolded, Pep's Barca remains a freak team that will never become a norm, simply because it had too many all-time greats in several positions + an all-time great manager + a diamond La Masia generation. Try to repeat that with lesser players and a lesser manager and it looks like a clown show.
That team should be seen separately. There are way more factors involved in that team than just tactics.
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Bobo32
Senior Member
Yeah it's strange that they were still considered "tikitaka", small guys who stood out for playing short and on the ground back then, when you know what happened after.
I remember very well when Pep arrived and the instant improvement in buildup, which in turn let them be much more efficient in defense and arrive at more chances.
I think that Milan had a great team still obviously, but in the 90s Rijkaard was on the pitch for them, it was completely different. Talk rather about what happened in their excellent 00s, I think they overacheived a bit in Europe while underacheiving in the league then - but I don't think they were considered "unebeatable" by any means. One of the best teams but not the best - I held Barcelona above them after the transfers.
I remember in particular that game decided with the brilliant Ronnie pass for Giuly - I watched it together with some yugoslavian Milan fans and I was as cocky as them before the game - but I remember the feeling of Barcelona not having any solution - being found out almost. Only hope was Ronnie pretty much, but he played much with his back against the goal, marked tightly with no space. He was pretty much GOAT and decided the game still, but in hindsight, with the players available, I wonder if Barcelona couldn't have been more dominant with these players...
iniestaGOAT
Senior Member
Eto was incredible.
jamrock
Senior Member
The performances to this final was one of the single best set of performances I've seen by a single player, in my life, he didn't have the best of finals, kinda like messi at the copa. But Ronaldinho almost literally single handedly brought us to that final.
It was kinda of a opposite zidane performance, who would always show out in finals, but was only good to average in the games leading up to them.
Thank god Mr big shot himself eto stepped up for us and brought it home.
It was kinda of a opposite zidane performance, who would always show out in finals, but was only good to average in the games leading up to them.
Thank god Mr big shot himself eto stepped up for us and brought it home.
Didnt Zidane run circles around Brazil in 06? That was quarter or semis.
Think he had other great games as well.
As a RM-fan, i do get what you mean though, Zidane was quite often ordinary in your average game though.
Just talking 06 here, obviously.
jamrock
Senior Member
Yea you are right about that, zidane owned Brazil in that game, he was spectacular. Like seriously that was a wow kinda game from him.
Kul_z
Senior Member
I would remember that final forever. I was wearing the fake eto'o jersey and the game was totally open. Arsenal scored and i was so furious that i thought its because of the fake jersey so i took it off. In that time tv's were still on analog signal so in one point my tv went snowy(no signal) for couple of seconds, next thing i saw was eto'o celebrating like a madman. Good times. Since then i still have that eto'o jersey but never wear it when the important game is on, only original/direct from barca shop stuff
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