Mourinho must change his approach if we're going to make something happen on the European Stage. Games like the 1-0 defensive masterclass at the Nou Camp in 2010 aren't going to happen anymore. If we come out with these tactics we might as well not even qualify for the CL. If he or LVG were watching these last few games in the CL they would both be tearing their hair out at the lack of defensive control but this is what it's come to. No risk, no reward. The best teams in the CL now are those who score the most goals. Atletico - 2 times finalists in the last 4 years - are one of the best defensive teams around and they got knocked out of the group stage.
Has there ever been a CL semi-final as devoid of quality as that?
- Thread starter esmufc07
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You read on here at least once a week that current football is the best it has ever been as a sport.
Is it really?
Is it really?
So if Klopp had parked the bus for 90 minutes & killed the tie off with a 0-0 draw you'd have found it just as entertaining ? There was always going to be goals in this match, the first leg pretty much guaranteed it. Lots of goals doesn't equate to lack of quality. The Busby Babes won the league in 1957 & scored over 100 goals, but conceded over 50 in the process. Plenty of quality in that team so I've been told. Roma win this tie 7-6 & this thread never gets born. That's what I reckon.
I hope you have extra bandwidth ready for the Caf for when you know who win it
The art of defending is very dead.
No it would get born. It was comical at times. Look at Wijnaldum's goal for example. You'd expect to see that sort of defending in League 2, not in a Champions League semi-final.
There can be high scoring, high quality games. But this wasn't one of them.
The Real-Bayern game was brilliant to watch. The defending was comical at times but both teams have been comfortable on the ball. Lots of Chances, drama etc.
makes it all the more frustrating that we went out so tamely with those pathetic, pathetic displays against a Sevilla side
a Sevilla side who's last win was at Old Trafford
a Sevilla side who's last win was at Old Trafford
It's almost as if you are somehow getting your excuses in early.
The game has changed hasn't it. It's more open than it has been for ages.
Look at some of the results in the knock-out stage:
Roma 4-1 Barcelona
Real 1-3 Juventus
Liverpool 5-2 Roma
Porto 0-5 Liverpool
Real 2-2 Bayern
Loads of goals everywhere. Feels like the balance has shifted in favour of attack, and it could swing back again once all the defensive coaches work out how to neutralise the latest attacking trends.
Look at some of the results in the knock-out stage:
Roma 4-1 Barcelona
Real 1-3 Juventus
Liverpool 5-2 Roma
Porto 0-5 Liverpool
Real 2-2 Bayern
Loads of goals everywhere. Feels like the balance has shifted in favour of attack, and it could swing back again once all the defensive coaches work out how to neutralise the latest attacking trends.
Yeah, it's the extremely low point of our season.
What excuses? You think the two legs you just played was a high quality game?
Not that you'd care, you're in the final. I wouldn't care if it was United who'd just won 7-6. But not seen as many games as that at this stage of the competition which was as bereft of quality.
Prepping for the narrative that "yeah they won, but it was the worst CL in ages." Maybe I'm wrong.
Was a dreadful game, mind.
I thought the games were good, as a neutral I liked watching all the attacking play and for the first ever in ages I watched two teams play who weren't Arsenal.
It has been the worst CL in a while, though. If you win it and take advantage, no-one will remember that though.
I think it's been plenty entertaining. Some great ties really.
The CL has been amazing this year.
Was like a second round fa cup tie
Let the bitterness go. Yes, some of the defending were abysmal, but even Mourinho who's master in defending failed this year in the champions league. Side note: I really wish Liverpool could defend as superb as United esp in games like last night. Mourinho would've killed the game off by being pragmatic and defend the lead. Something we need to learn as a team
What was the semi’s when porto won it? That tournament was quite shite wasnt it?
Wasnt it Van buyten and Demichelis that year?
Personally I think the Milan side from 2007 and our 2008 winning side would have a field day against both od these teams.
And a side of yester years decades ago would beat both the sides you mentioned, so what is the point making comparisons from teams of different eras?
That's only the opinion of a supporter who just happens to have a strong agenda against one of the finalists. I'm pretty sure the millions of neutrals who've watched the CL this season will think differently. Not everyone on the planet supports Manchester United, just in the same way not everyone on the planet hates Liverpool. We were outsiders/underdogs right from the off to even get to the final, let alone win it. I imagine a lot of people will have loved our swashbuckling style of football, because football is about excitement, not perfection.
Football is, was, & always will be, a funny old game. This time 4 years ago we were embarking on our best title challenge in over 20 years. We had some great players in that side : Suarez, Sturridge, Coutinho, Gerrard, & Sterling. If someone had told you that 4 years later, all 5 players - for various reasons - would be gone from Liverpool, you'd be forgiven for thinking that we'd struggling in mid-table playing mediocre football. As it is, we've got one of the best attacking trios in the world, now looking forward to playing on the biggest club stage in the world. You might not like your bitterest rivals grabbing the limelight, but that's how it goes I'm afraid. Hope springs eternal in the hearts of all football supporters regardless of who they support. We entered into the competition with the hope of doing well, just in the same way your team did. We exceeded our expectations whereas most teams didn't. So when someone who's team didn't make it starts going on about the lack of quality in the competition, they come across as the little kid who didn't get an invite to party but will claim it's a crap party anyway.
The Madrid-Bayern games were not exactly high-quality.
One thing I know for sure, CL semi-finals that have an aggregate scoreline that consist of 13 goals scored will come to an end after this season.
Like when anything new comes along, whether it be Conte's 3-5-1, Pep's team of 10 midfielders or Klopps Gen Gen press, it will come to an end just as soon as people get wise to it. Jose will ride again!
There was literally nothing bitter in that post
Porto vs Monaco final wasn't it? Porto had a great team built around Deco and Benni McCarthy and Monaco had Giuly....
Telling my Liverpool fan mate this. His response was quality like Sevilla? Can’t wait for Madrid to spank them.
Who cares?
There isn't a footnote on any sporting trophy that says. " But the quality that year was shit."
There isn't a footnote on any sporting trophy that says. " But the quality that year was shit."
Reduce the salt. This has been one of the better champions leagues in a while. Psg vs Madrid and Chelsea vs Barca in the last 16 was great. Usually we have to wait for quarter finals and semis to see the heavy weights.
PSG were awful.
Nor should there be. I think people are just making an observation. It won't detract from the eventual winners (I doubt Dortmund (97), Liverpool (05), or Chelsea (12), care much that they won the competition with relatively weak sides).
Incidentally, Michael Cox, of Zonal Marking and dull tactical diagrams fame, last week asserted that this is the weakest group of CL semi-finalists for 12 years. I don't think that's an outlandish claim.
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Some fantastic attacking displays this year. Bayern were probably the most impressive in terms of their dominance and overall performance. Basically Offence rules, defence drools.
None of the teams knew how to defend. It was amazing, it was like watching amateurs defending.
Our semi against Shalke in whatever year it was. That was pretty rubbish. The second leg in particular where we put out a reserve side and still won 4-1. The first leg was like watching a Premiership team play a non league side.
Last night did take the biscuit though. Some of ROma's foootball in possession was decent in the second half, but i nthe first there countless sections of the game you could show as a gif that made it genuinely look like both sets of players were drunk. It wasn't like it was a good game with three Sunday league level goals thrown in...the whole half was just like that and the goals were a product of it.
It does devalue the competition a bit for me, when you're supposed to be determining the best team in Europe, and in one of the semis, you have that being served up by two teams that are a million miles away from even being near the top of their own leagues.
Last night did take the biscuit though. Some of ROma's foootball in possession was decent in the second half, but i nthe first there countless sections of the game you could show as a gif that made it genuinely look like both sets of players were drunk. It wasn't like it was a good game with three Sunday league level goals thrown in...the whole half was just like that and the goals were a product of it.
It does devalue the competition a bit for me, when you're supposed to be determining the best team in Europe, and in one of the semis, you have that being served up by two teams that are a million miles away from even being near the top of their own leagues.
Tons of quality. Two good attacking teams having a go - good for them.
I'd rather see plenty of goals as opposed to 'quality'. It's entertainment after all.
Conversely, it's been a while since Mourinho racked up a huge goal advantage in the first leg. And he's been burnt many times by this supposed superior "pragmatism".