Sporting 3-0 Everton

[Sheedy's Third]

Same result as Here ,2-1 the boys in blue!
Good to see Jags back in the squad.

 

[cahillsalegend]

will pienaar be in the team for this?

also i`m pridicting bily to have a flyer when he starts again, i wasnt worried saturday with cahill out becuase i new billy would be strait in there and boy did he do good.

 

[AdamTheGreatOneB]

I think Duffy is ready to rock.
He's good enough to be called up for the full national squad, so he's good enough to step in when needed. I thought he played very well last time out.

As for Yobo, many here gave him man of the match when he was last captain, and can't really understand why all of a sudden he is out of favour with the fans. On form, he's easily our best defender despite the odd howler, but all our defenders have had bad days.

I'm certainly not a knocker of Yobo, but I can't agree with that bit. I rate Jagielka and Heitinga as better centre backs. Yobo and Distin are in the bracket slightly below for me.

 

[Sheedy's Third]

Squad to Lisbon :

Howard, Nash, Turner, Baines, Yobo, Neville, Coleman, Senderos, Jagielka, Duffy, Arteta, Osman, Pienaar, Bilyaletdinov, Gosling, Rodwell, Baxter, Donovan, Yakubu, Anichebe, Vaughan, Saha.

 

[cahillsalegend]

i think if jags is well enough to play for reserves he`s well enough to play thursday, if jags did play tuesday i`m sure he would of had a crackin game.

 

[theboywho]

Can Jags last 90 though.... That's the question.

Stubbsy said he planned to give him just 45 for the ressies..... Senderos to start then.

COYB.

 

[Goku]

think duffy or senderos should get the nod before jags.

im going for 1-1

 

[Goat]

Think Moyes should get the nod before Duffy.

 

[AdamTheGreatOneB]

To clarify, I wasn't saying that Jagielka should play tomorrow night, I was saying that he and Heitinga in my opinion are our best centre backs and Yobo and Distin are slightly below them in quality.

As for tomorrow night it has to be Senderos and Yobo. Why would Moyes throw Duffy in such an important game when he has a man with european experience in Senderos. It'll be same team as the Utd game with Senderos and Yobo in for Distin and Heitinga.

 

[ToxtethBlue]

Your spot on, there's no way in hell Yobo is our best defender. Good player, solid backup, but not first team material ahead of Phil Jagielka or Johnny Heitinga.

As for Duffy, I there's a reason we bought Senderos in, the young man representing the Republic clearly isn't ready. It was clearing during the games that he played, showed some good things, looks a decent talent, but also messed up a few times and had problems with his distribution.

But he's a 17 year old centre back, that's expected.

 

[Goat]

Your spot on, there's no way in hell Yobo is our best defender. Good player, solid backup, but not first team material ahead of Phil Jagielka or Johnny Heitinga.

As for Duffy, I there's a reason we bought Senderos in, the young man representing the Republic clearly isn't ready. It was clearing during the games that he played, showed some good things, looks a decent talent, but also messed up a few times and had problems with his distribution.

But he's a 17 year old centre back, that's expected.

Hes 18 now mate.

His time will come, that im sure, but his time isnt now.

 

[ToxtethBlue]

Hes 18 now mate.

His time will come, that im sure, but his time isnt now.

Agreed.

 

[AdamTheGreatOneB]

Agreed.

I agree with this agreement.

 

[Willis]

Can any Canadians on here tell me where i'll be able to watch this in Toronto?

 

[ToxtethBlue]

We're on such a high right now I can only see one outcome...a bloody nervy performance. (Didn't see that coming from this happy clapper did you!)

I've supported this club for too long to take any result for granted. We froze away in Fiorentina, we did the same against Liege and I can't help feeling it might just happen again. Let's just hope we've gained that European street smarts this time.

I'm not saying we're going to get hammered but you just know the script. Play full of jittery early moments, every deflection and loose ball dropping to that Sporting midfielder you've watched hovering on the edge of the box with no-one near him and Sporting playing with a freedom and purpose they seem incapable of in their league.

I really hope I'm massively off on this one, that the boys play to the potential they have shown lately and realise that this competition could be ours for the taking. But just as we dust off the latest version of "ce sera sera" we end up talking about what could have been.

Over to you Blues. Prove me wrong. Please!

Good post, I have a similar attitude towards this game, I don't think it'll be easy and I've yet to be convinced by us during European games. Lack of European street smarts sums it up for me.

Whenever we get the ball we try and get forward and score. There's a lack of composure there, at times you've got to be patient and just control the game, retain possession and slow it down.

One thing I'm happy about is Pienaar being in a central position, he gives us so many more passing options and his willingness to get involved should help us in trying to keep the ball and dominate the midfield. Cahill, for all his strengths, doesn't offer that.