I'll be very disappointed if we lose 3 or 4-0 to Barcelona tomorrow.
Champions League Semi Finals (30th April - 8th May)
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
Triple I've been told.
Yeah, that's not happening. I'm just hoping for that so that it can improve my sleep.
I’m loving how bullish Liverpool fans are ahead of the Barça game. Incidentally, also forgetting how mortal they looked vs. good possession based teams with quality.
They’re in for a rude awakening. If Messi is anywhere near 90% of his game, it’ll be intriguing.
Also, Camp Nou is a very wide field. Liverpool’s front press or even their second press will find it all the more difficult to cover those extra yards without getting tired.
They’re in for a rude awakening. If Messi is anywhere near 90% of his game, it’ll be intriguing.
Also, Camp Nou is a very wide field. Liverpool’s front press or even their second press will find it all the more difficult to cover those extra yards without getting tired.
Last edited:
Pochettino thinks he might be - but who knows.
His name is spelt 'Trippier' - and, yes, I'd be delighted if he nabs an away goal.
Add it to the luck list:
If there's one club that can't whinge about ref's it's Barca. They have been the most favored team I've seen in my lifetime. I think they are just playing mind games and trying to get things on their side in the event they need the extra help they so often get.
Toss up between them and Madrid, surely?
Pretty thin complaints about the ref, not much of a story there. The key point is there is VAR, which in La Liga at least, has helped Barcelona. Liverpool do also have a reputation for scoring offside goals in the league, and CL against City last year IIRC? and presumably those won't be allowed with VAR in use.
Which will count as exactly one goal, not two. Can't believe this nonsense resurfaces year after year.
Doubt that Liverpool will press at Camp Nou. I feel they will they sit back and leave Salah or Mane up front similar to the City away game last season.
Liverpool don't always press especially this season. Klopp is very pragmatic and will sometimes sit back to close the passing lanes.
If they press and leave back gaps, Messi will find it and be very dangerous.
Klopp was talking about how big the field was at Camp Nou by the way in an NBC interview recently so I figure he's going to take that into consideration with the respect to the pressing.
Liverpool have had a bit of luck in this season's champions league too. IIRC VVD was lucky to escape red vs. Napoli early and questionable red/penalty vs. Bayern in the away game. That luck is very unlikely vs. Barcelona. Nobody seems to benefit from dodgy calls against Barca.
I totally disagree. Ajax would murder us, arsenal and chelsea with their style of play, along with big team kryptonite wolves. As for you lot, lets see.
Wolves, for all their "kryptonite" sit in 7th place, 11 points behind even United, despite no burden of European football. So yes, Ajax would struggle to finish in the top 6 if they'd played in the Prem.
Didn’t realize Spurs is without Son 
. Might be a goalless draw or Ajax getting a win. Even without any goalscorer or strikers, Spurs has a good defense on their day, so Spurs chances are not that bad.
Barcelona and Liverpool is a tough one to call. Both fantastic teams and alongside Manchester City, the best team in Europe. I will not be surprised if Liverpool causes an upset at the camp nou. Their football is so ruthless, all those fancy passing Barcelona does might come undone. Even then, I expect Messi to come through and give Barcelona a slight advantage at Anfield.
. Might be a goalless draw or Ajax getting a win. Even without any goalscorer or strikers, Spurs has a good defense on their day, so Spurs chances are not that bad.Barcelona and Liverpool is a tough one to call. Both fantastic teams and alongside Manchester City, the best team in Europe. I will not be surprised if Liverpool causes an upset at the camp nou. Their football is so ruthless, all those fancy passing Barcelona does might come undone. Even then, I expect Messi to come through and give Barcelona a slight advantage at Anfield.
Valverde's Barça reminds me of that brilliant student who gets too cocky-lazy and suddenly gets a hideous "fail" in a key exam.
Klopp's Liverpool reminds me of that student who tries very hard, but perhaps he won't get the grades he's aiming at.
In other words, we'll see if Barça being on autopilot for most of the 18-19 season has robbed them of any sense of awareness-urgency, and we'll see if Liverpool is ready to face the ultimate challenge outside the PL.
Klopp's Liverpool reminds me of that student who tries very hard, but perhaps he won't get the grades he's aiming at.
In other words, we'll see if Barça being on autopilot for most of the 18-19 season has robbed them of any sense of awareness-urgency, and we'll see if Liverpool is ready to face the ultimate challenge outside the PL.
They're on course to get 97 points in the Premier League, were CL finalists this season and semi finalists again this season.
Need to stop being treated like plucky, hard working underdogs. There's plenty of quality in that side, more than enough to badly hurt Barcelona if they're not on their game. They're now clearly one of the best teams in the world.
Can't see how a team as talented as the young Ajax side would struggle to finish top six.
They have really good players, they'd be much richer in the premier league too, so they'd probably be able to hold onto them.
They have really good players, they'd be much richer in the premier league too, so they'd probably be able to hold onto them.
Yes, they are definitely a Top3 worldwide team right now (random order: City, Pool, Barça), but I still think they try too hard; there's something in their speed and intensity that reeks of anxiety, not confidence. By that I mean that they are going mercurial, supernova, yet they'll most likely win nothing, and they feel it (2nd in the PL, UCL semifinalists might be the end of the road for them this 2019). Hard to believe they will produce another 18-19, especially if they end up trophyless this season, working so hard for nothing (huge psychological blow).
Of course, they can still win the PL and/or the UCL, in that case, I'll eat my words. Beating Pep's City in the PL with 97 points or/and winning the UCL after knocking Barça out in the semis will make 2005 pale in comparion, hell, even 1981 and 1985.
Horrid times ahead for Man Utd. if the worst happens.
Last edited:
The other 3.5 teams? (cant say about you lot as the teams are playing tonight.)
I know it's firstly a Manchester United forum, but in the future we should really consider just making two threads for these occasions, it can be quite chaotic and confusing otherwise. It's already a struggle to find order in most threads, because of the size of our membership.
I felt the same during the QFs, especially with 2 matches being played at the same time.
I felt the same during the QFs, especially with 2 matches being played at the same time.
Totally agree
I think it will be an All English Final. With Liverpool winning it.
Klopp is an idiot then: UEFA regulations mandate the exact same size for all pitches: 105x68 m. Old Trafford, the Etihad, Bernabeu, the Camp Nou: they're all the same.
Yeah, Will be shocked if that scoreline happens
The best outcome from a Barca perspective would be 2-0 or something but that Liverpool counter attack and press is terrifying
Exactly, Suarez often does well in the big matches
Barca should run significantly more than they are used to. 104 km won't do against Liverpool. Problem is they are a bit oldish as a team and I'm not sure they have it in them. Hopefully they show a bit more energy as this is their biggest CL game in recent years.
Coutinho won't even play? Dembele is seemingly fit now and will surely start in the front 3. He has delivered at key times in La Liga this season, but been injured a lot. Coutinho doesn't fit in the team well, doesn't offer much once cutting in and shooting is stopped.
Suarez can be terrible one game, then he'll score a hat trick in the next one, very weird season he's having. That blind pass to Messi against Betis was ridiculous too, they have a telepathic understanding.
Barcelona been digging results out in La Liga, Liverpool is a different challenge though. Especially with 2nd leg at Anfield. Best thing Valverde can do is call Pep and ask how to play against them.
Also at least Barca can now make 11 changes against Celta in game in between CL ties, Liverpool have Newcastle away.
Yeah, it's not like we were the first team to beat them last season and dumped them out of the Champions League afterwards
Don't sleep in the fanzone.
Don't sleep in the fanzone.
Edit: possible thigh injury for Vertonghen, Sissoko uncertain.
Pochettino complaining Ajax had the weekend off...
https://www.supersport.com/general/..._Pochettino_says_Ajax_weekend_off_is_not_fair
Come on.
I've noticed he's been utterly defensive about his (team's) performance in recent interviews (also because there's been no prizes as of yet at Tottenham over the past years). Sounds like he's scared of his job tbh and trying some expectation management and blame shifting in case Ajax wins."You can always have some problems. But it's not a complaint. Only the fact is that I think it's not fair."
"I'm not complaining, but...".Well at least it's "fair" I suppose his club could spend double the amount of money Ajax could on building up his team, including buying up a third of an Ajax team... What a whiner. Should have a big enough selection and if not, then he's just not been careful enough and hasn't given his players sufficient rest by cycling through his selection throughout the season. Just get on with it!
Last edited:
What a beautiful day for Ajax and Spurs fans.
Brilliant to see that someone who is a legend of our club is doing something brilliant and notable now.
you can lose 4:0 despite playing well against barca. it's up to liverpool to score as many as they can at home. have to man mark coutinho... don't give him space to shoot from outside the box.
Last edited:
Yeah, it's not like we were the first team to beat them last season and dumped them out of the Champions League afterwards
This season is not last season though. You managed to score only 1 goal in both games this season and City played the second game with a make-shift defence involving Danilo at RB and Laporte at LB. Not to mention KDB missed both games. Problem for Valverde is they cannot implement City's tactics as City ran 122 km in the game at Etihad which is impossible for Barca. But then again Liverpool ran 122 km as well and I'm not sure they can do it against Barca given that they have to play 3 crucial games within 6 days.
Still, there would be way better choices to ask advice from than Pep with respect to beating Liverpool - Mourinho for starters.
I think Valverde is perfectly capable of beating us on his own, mind.