Closed Monterrey v Chelsea

[Kez 2,727]

Their name makes me think of cheese. That is all.

[Henrique 9,133]

I'm not even confident that we'll make the final but if we do, we will most certainly play Corinthians.

Same here, matches against Atletico and Shaktar were worrying.

[Ollie 4,400]

And Juve really. Maybe those are to be learned from, could be blessings they happened.

[kellzfresh 7,226]

Just watched the 60mins of their last match and I have to say that they are a pretty decent team. They play 4-3-3.

Their strengths

1. They are VERY GOOD in possesion, lots of movement from the players.

2. They are very good at maintaining high pressure all over the pitch and win back possesion very fast.

3. They do A LOT of one twos around the 18box which can be dangerous when they execute it perfectly.

Their weakness

1. They are slow to defend counters.

2. They pass too much near the box at times instead of shooting.

I hope we don't give away any cheap goals, and stay compact. We will win them.

[Joe Cool 388]

This will be no easy walk in the park. Not only are some of their players pretty good, but also, knowing that they are playing one of the biggest clubs in the world, they will undoubtedly raise their game. We should not and cannot be complacent, otherwise, it could end quite shockingly for us (this also applies for if we play Corinthians).

[Rmpr 8,977]

Just watched the 60mins of their last match and I have to say that they are a pretty decent team. They play 4-3-3.

Their strengths

1. They are VERY GOOD in possesion, lots of movement from the players.

2. They are very good at maintaining high pressure all over the pitch and win back possesion very fast.

3. They do A LOT of one twos around the 18box which can be dangerous when they execute it perfectly.

Their weakness

1. They are slow to defend counters.

2. They pass too much near the box at times instead of shooting.

I hope we don't give away any cheap goals, and stay compact. We will win them.

I think they are good in possession, not very good. Very good is Barcelona and Bayern...

I also think their GK is one of their weakness.

Overall, that is pretty much it. Well spotted!

[Joe Cool 388]

I think they are good in possession, not very good. Very good is Barcelona and Bayern...

nononono.... Barca and Bayern are fucking brilliant in terms of possession.

[BluesChick 1,260]

Do not take this seriously but I think that this picture is worthless

Now back to topic. I am looking forward for the firts trophy of the season. Will be great to see lift those lads this trophy!

Do we really have to bash the US again? Not all Americans like the system of measurement that we use, but until our government forces a change it's not going to happen… and trust me it's not going to happen. And for the General Physics student, yes, Celsius is more logical and fits in nice with the metric system than Fahrenheit but both scales are in a sense arbitrary since they are based on the freezing and melting points of water and if you were in a world with out water then neither scales would be logical. The fact remains that the only reason those two temperature scales are used is because Fahrenheit and Cesius made the best thermometers and other scientists used them. The standard unit of temperature for industry and science is kelvin.

Having said that y'all do know that this is a MEXICAN team, right?? So the goofball picking the fight about weather it is football or soccer has not a leg to stand on since in Mexico the game is called FUTBOL!

SO back to the game, it sounds like we have a decent chance and the lads are doing well in training. I am hoping for a good solid win without injuries!

[BLionheart 516]

Don\t write off El-Ahly club !!

Corinthians are favorites against El Ahly but as an Egyptian who has watched El Ahly more than any of you , i will be more worried facing El-Ahly than Corinthians , El-Ahly team is full of real champions !! you will be surprised by the personality and charisma of this team !!

Let me put it shortly , The african champions are full of Drogbas & Terrys may be not in technical or physical attributes but definitely the winning persona.

On another note , i don't think any of us would be really surprised if we don't even reach the final , you never know what's gonna happen with Chelsea for the last 2 years.

[Alir Niño 35]

^^ I would have more hopes on Al Alhy if they weren't so out of form, Sanfrecce outplayed them badly but were awful finishing.

By the way, obviously the Mexican press is not so optimist about Monterrey... I can say we all Mexicans have our heart on Monterrey, but our money on Chelsea winning, here an example:

(Monterrey's people like myself stereotype are cowboys, sort of the Texans of Mexico xD) Translation: I didn't come to Japan to be eaten by a blue kitten.

[BLionheart 516]

^^ I would have more hopes on Al Alhy if they weren't so out of form, Sanfrecce outplayed them badly but were awful finishing.

El-Ahly may lack the sharpness and match fitness due to the league suspension after the Egyptian revolution , but they can usually make up for that by playing their hearts out when representing club and country.

Btw very rarely has an Egyptian team or national team lost in a final , so they may lose against Corinthians but if they get to the final , they are playing the match of their lives and they will be triple as good as their best.

[kellzfresh 7,226]

I think they are good in possession, not very good. Very good is Barcelona and Bayern...

I also think their GK is one of their weakness.

Overall, that is pretty much it. Well spotted!

True. I was carried away by their passing at times, but their striker can hold up play and link up very well. He has strength too, cahill will have some work to do on thursday.

[Alir Niño 35]

True. I was carried away by their passing at times, but their striker can hold up play and link up very well. He has strength too, cahill will have some work to do on thursday.

Most of CF Monterrey's goals come from De Nigris (Javier Hernandez back-up in the NT) doing the hold up and leaving the ball so Suazo (not long ago he was the starter forward for Chile) finishes, they're a deadly combination, sadly Suazo is out due to injury.

Even though it seems promising 19 years-old forward Jesús Corona will try to fulfill Suazo's shoes. I must say that Suazo's ausence have given Cesar Delgado a more 10-esque role instead of the wings, so he's more in touch with the ball.

By the way, this is a good read for you guys:

Monterrey’s big day against Chelsea

[Munky 29]

Approximately, how many chelsea supporters are travelling to Japan?

[Ankit 3,176]

[Milan 17,835]

Ha! I just found out the game is also broadcasted in the Czech Republic!

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Benitez says the aim is to play tomorrow's game with a high tempo to use the quality of the players. #CFCJapan

Benitez says he has not decided on his team yet. He will look at the freshness of the players in the final training session today. #CFCJapan

Benitez says Monterrey are also a team that can change formations and are tactically good. #CFCJapan

Benitez says Monterrey have been studied and they are a good team who like to pass but can also play direct football. #CFCJapan

Rafael Benitez says the main focus so far has been adapting to time difference and getting used to a new ball for these matches. #CFCJapan

Cahill: "This competition means a lot. It's hard to get into this tournament, we've come all this way and we want to win it." #CFCJAPAN

Cahill: "We've had a few days to adapt to the time change, I feel fresh and ready to go." #CFCJAPAN

Cahill: "Monterrey have good players, we'll study them tonight and tomorrow but from what I've seen they can cause us problems." #CFCJAPAN

Cahill: "Since Rafa's come in we've tightened up as a unit and had some good results, we're well aware of what's expected." #CFCJAPAN

Cahill: "Monterrey had a good result on Sunday, it will be a tought test for us and they can play it long or short." #CFCJAPAN

[royg 96]

Corinthians vs the egyptian club playing now. Not really impressed