based on this season up to this game it is not true, he is having his best season in years. Tonight he made mistakes against a clearly superior opponent with a monster in the area. I do not think we deserved such a big defeat at all, but clearly Real was the better team congratulations to them, we will try again next year
Champions League Quarter Finals (3rd - 11th April)
- Thread starter Samid
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
The few times i watched him, i thought he clearly makes more mistakes than i remembered him. Based on the CL and the few Italy games. I dont watch Serie A regularly, but i wasnt impressed with him as much as i was with Juve‘s defense with Bonucci (that includes Chiellini)
Juve can hold their heads high. The difference was the touch; the killer touch (And CRedit where CR7 is due). Magnificent club with beautiful history. More than can be said about the shower of opportunists clinging to the flag of convenience that these days goes under the name of Manchester City.
Not really been impressed by Allegri's initial tactics both in the Spurs ties and tonight.
At least against Spurs, his changes in the 2nd leg after falling behind were effective but I'm not sure why he was so keen on dropping the 4-3-3 that had given them a solid platform for most of the season.
I know Matuidi against Spurs and then Pjanic tonight were missing but he could've used Asamoah in central midfield to fulfill a similar role as Matuidi's shuttling or tonight used Marchisio at the base to replace Pjanic. I mean, Bentancur and Khedira up against Real's flexible diamond. Really?
Both Bentancur and De Sciglio looked out of their depth. That first goal was hilariously schoolboy from both.
At least against Spurs, his changes in the 2nd leg after falling behind were effective but I'm not sure why he was so keen on dropping the 4-3-3 that had given them a solid platform for most of the season.
I know Matuidi against Spurs and then Pjanic tonight were missing but he could've used Asamoah in central midfield to fulfill a similar role as Matuidi's shuttling or tonight used Marchisio at the base to replace Pjanic. I mean, Bentancur and Khedira up against Real's flexible diamond. Really?
Both Bentancur and De Sciglio looked out of their depth. That first goal was hilariously schoolboy from both.
What a goal from Ronaldo. Real Madrid are a machine in this competition, no one is stopping them.
Credit where it's due, Ronaldo took the best goal of the evening.
Only team I can see turning over Madrid is Barcelona.
The fact that Madrid is havin the toughest road to semifinals (PSG+Juve) and still looks like the most impressive team should worry the bothers teams.
It would be unreal if Real win 4 in 5 years. Greedy feckers.
Neymar got injured and Juventus were missing nearly 5 key players today
And? Didn't Neymar play in the first leg and criticized for being way too selfish?
Buffon
Barzagli
Chiellini
Khedira
Costa
Sandro
Higuain
Dybala
That's 8 players who are their starters.
They had Mandzukic, Matuidi, Cuadrado on the bench and who came on. That's 3 more players who are regular starters.
Without Ronaldo . . . Would they have won any of their last three?
They were missing Benatia, Pjanic and Bernardeschi and Mandzukic and Cuadrado just got back and aren't fully fit. They were in much worse shape than us. Funny, as in two legged ties it was usually the other way around. In '15 we were the ones playing with Ramos in midfield, a half-fit Bale up-top next to a tired Cristiano in Turin, with the whole team running on fumes.
And about Neymar: people criticized him for being too selfish in madrid and sure enough he was, but he was also the reason PSG played really well and had us on the ropes for a good chunk of that game. We all saw PSG trying to attack us without Neymar in the second leg...
Bernardeschi is a sub player, so was Benatia if I'm not wrong. They are not key players
You might have a case if Ramos, Modric or Bale each individually have scored 119 goals in the CL.
One thing to note about Real's demolition of Juve: Their fullbacks were involved in all three of the goals they scored.
We are a million miles away from the elite.
We are a million miles away from the elite.
Benatia is a starter and very much a key player. Bernardeschi is one of their main subs. He may not be a key player, but very important for Allegri
I don't see it. We're bad at keeping clean sheets, and our offense oscillates between dangerous and toothless. We'd really need to ride our luck.
Ramos scored key goals in two finals. Bale scored the winner in Lisbon and was the best player in Milan. Modric held the keys to the team in at least 2 of those CL runs. Without any of them who's to say we would have won even once
Who's even to say Cristiano would have scored 119 goals...
Football is a team sport. No player no matter how good can ever influence a team that much.
That's why Maradona was so special in '86
disappointed to see so many Juve fans leave at 3 nil
poor support from many especially in a game where Juve took the game to Madrid and just got popped off by brilliance
poor support from many especially in a game where Juve took the game to Madrid and just got popped off by brilliance
I didn't say that Ronaldo would have won the CL for Real on his own.
I stated his contribution in terms of goals is so outrageous that there have been ties which RM ended up winning but would not have without Ronaldo's contribution.
Since 2009 Ronaldo has scored more goals that United or City in the Champions League.
Ramos is a dreadful player by the way. . . a loose cannon. . . sent off how many times again?
25-30?
That you would put him in the same breath as Ronaldo is just a joke frankly.
This is exactly why EPL fans get ridiculed by the rest of football fans around Europe. I call it "the bubble syndrome".
For some reason, some of you just can't see past the shores of England.
If you arrived from space last year in August and never watched a football game in your life prior to that date I'd say fine, the guy is new to the game of football so he lacks context. Unfortunately, you didn't come from space and you still think that the best team in the world will just crumble under pressure of mighty City who will win the midfield battle and make Modric, Kroos, Casmiro and Isco run around like headless chickens chasing the ball. Where does this arrogance come from? How you get to that conclusion? I just can't get get my head around that.
I hope we play City (if they go through) and most of Madrid fans hope for the same. Not because we think they suck, it's just that we played Bayern often in last few years and we play Barcelona 4 times each season anyway so playing City would be a nice change of scenery.
What would any of our fullbacks be looking for in an opposition box, big game like this under Jose they'll be safely camped in our half all game
I think this has been one of the biggest reasons for Real Madrid's success the last years. The two best offensive fullbacks in the world who are allowed to make mistakes defensively and go for attack. I just feel sorry they aren't more appreciated more as they are fantastic players.
Couldn't agree more. I won't be surprised if few think City are one of the best ever teams too.
Fixed that for you.
In case you've forgotten, Real were in crisis mode not so long ago with talks of Zidane being sacked. They're not an all conquering force, though admittedly on a great run so far in the CL.
No we are not. If by some way we could sign Alex Sandro and Carvajal then we are basically there. After that, add a world class CB e.g. Hummels (whom we’ve been constantly linked with) and give Martial and Rashford some time to develop and I would go as far as to say we are in the top 3/4 best teams in the world. Come on, I used to think this when we had Anderson in midfield just because we had Sir Alex managing us!
Basically what I’m saying is, we are not a great team yet, but we are definitely a good team and imo already in the top 8 best teams in the world (2nd place in England is not easy whatsoever and teams like dortmund and monaco aren’t having great seasons).
Lets not blow things out of proportion people.
i quoted the wrong post. I totally agree that Ribery is incredible and a bayern legend. He is one of the best players, that played for the club. I am still shocked that you think that Thiago has more technical ability than him (or Robben, Schweinsteiger, Kroos, Elber, Scholl, Sternkopf, Matthäus, Ze Roberto, Pizarro and many others).i could recommend a good optician, if you're looking..
I will refrain from linking a video, but you might use youtube serach for "ribery 2007"
In case you forgotten Real won the competition last year and were crowned the best team in Europe.
On 26th. of May the new best team will be crowned and they will be called the best team in the world until the next final in 2019. (unless they go out of the competition before the next final and remove themselves from the equation). You fix all you want if it makes you feel better, but that's how it works. Otherwise we'd just be fixing each others posts throughout the season depending on the current form of the teams in competition and personal preference of every one of us.
They way Guardiola's teams suck the life out of opposition more often then not can be a scary thing to watch. For fans who are not interested in football outside their own league and don't know the history of Guardiola's teams in Europe, City probably look like the best thing since sliced bread. They are definitely good but they look better then they are because they are yet to face the best European teams and they'll only get to do that if they get past Liverpool (which is a matchup from hell for Guardiola and there's no favorite in that one if you ask me).
Just like Barca looks better then they are when you see their performances in the league in comparison to their performances in Europe this season, or Real who look better in Europe then they do when compared to their performances in the league.
The two don't relate, they rarely do and fans should know that by now.
You're making an entirely meaningless and a very stupid point. How many ties have won thanks to Cristiano's goals? A lot. How many did we win without his goals? Fewer(of course, seeing as he's been the focal point of our attack: scoring goals is literally his job), but not a few.
There have been ties we would not have won without Sergio Ramos. Or without Bale. Or perhaps even fecking Nacho ffs. Maybe we would have been even better without Cristiano. Unlikely, but not impossible. Also completely meaningless: we have Cristiano. We win with him. The team wins titles, not him by himself. Of course
Amazing
There is that.I want City/Liverpool to face Real in the semis. Barca have problems. They don't play as well as a team like Real. They are often times slow and too dependent on Messi. Not as fun and mesmerising as Real.
Nah, we are not even close to 2013.
Let's see if Leo responds to CR7 today.
ok, sorry then!
They all are very good technically, obviously. Robbens best asset imo is keeping the Ball close at his feet at insanely high speed, and his shooting. Kroos is very good in every department without being a shining master in any but his crossing and long distance shots. Elber was a similar type as Thiago imo, skill-wise - just amazing ball handling skills. Scholl was the best dribbler of the team in his day, but i don't think he was on the same level as a prime Ribery. Sternkopf - well yeah, he was supposed to be good, eh? Honestly can't remember a single outstanding match of him. Matthäus was a powerhouse, not so much a technician. Ze Roberto is a good shot, though, he's close. Pizarro was excellent (Scholl said he was the best footballer he ever played with).
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What do we think the chances are of Pep trying something stupid?
His tendency to over-complicate these ties can make for spectacular viewing - à la Bayern v Real in 2014.
His tendency to over-complicate these ties can make for spectacular viewing - à la Bayern v Real in 2014.
I have to agree with this post. And to add to this, I think it's the same sort of mentality that makes them believe England will make it far in World Cups or EUROs. To an extent, they're not wrong. They are the best team in football that is played in the style they play it on the island. The problem is that everyone else isn't playing it right. What I mean by that is, I don't know a league that will detest diving and unfair play as much as the English. Just yesterday we have seen a lot, A LOT of examples of players diving, whinging, discussing the ref... I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'd like to point out that the situation may be different if players were told to stop being sissies and play on a bit more strictly. If players didn't just get a yellow for clear dives like Dyballa, but for holding their faces and rolling around on the floor because someone touched their shoulder. This isn't UFC, but by god this isn't chess either.
So, your point is valid and I agree. But the English also have a point. They're just really bad at making it. The game plays a bit differently when you can't stop any play that you consider disadvantegous to your side simply by falling down and screaming as if someone just gutted you with a blunt knife.
Very true. Mandatory dive by a defender seems a new defensive strategy for a corner. Just go down and wait for the whistle. It´s all getting out of hand.
The difference between how goalkeepers are treated in England and on the continent is also the reason foreign keepers often struggle initially. They are used to being far more protected in the box. That´s why they often need an adaptation period.