Total nonsenseThank you. They were horrible to watch. Slow and overly patient, but dominant. One of the most nauseating things at the time were how the media were calling them beautiful to watch. Spain were even more boring. It's the reason I will never forgive Pep.
I remember thinking in 2015 that if Juve can just resist the urge to push forward they can beat Madrid, and once they kept coming forward at 1-1 I bet on Barca. So I definitely think 2015 was more beatable than most CL teams if they'd played a team not in a diamond and just a straightforward end of the decade Real Madrid side.2011 Barca is the greatest. That team was footballing perfection from 1-11.
2015 Barca was not as tactically brilliant as previous Barca teams but with MSN and Messi at his absolute peak, they probably beat any side just off sheer fire power. Best front three many of us will ever see.
2017 Madrid is the greatest squad and just short of these two. Barca might have the better first 11 but the Madrid team was stacked. The 2017 versions of Asensio and Morata were absolute game changers as well as Bale before he declined. This was another perfect team with world class players from 1-11.
If my life depended on one game I would doubt.Would go for Madrid for the fact they won 4 CL titles in 5 seasons. There was no weakness in that team.
The 2011 Barca team was special too, and a close call. Xavi and Iniesta in their peak put them ahead of 2015 Barca with Messi, Suarez and Neymar for me.
If my life depended on one game and I had to pick one team, it would probably be that Madrid team though. Star quality in every position.
The 2011 midfield with all 3 at their best, would suffocate the other one, with Rakitic replacing Xavi and Iniesta dropping a level. 2011 had a slightly better defence (younger Alves, Puyol for Mascherano, Abidal for Alba), but 2015 had stronger forwards plus Alba to compensate for Alves getting older.Tougher than Barca's MSN team or we're discounting that team since it has some of the same players?
If we are, then I agree.
Are you referring to the game when RvP was shown a 2nd yellow for kicking the ball after ref whistled for offside?La Decima Madrid for sure, Ronaldo at his absolute peak is the greatest of all time.
Barca 2011 was actually beatable, but I think we set up very poorly against them, Arsenal had the right idea against them and almost knocked them out.
It is a matter of taste what kind of football someone thinks of as exciting or boring. Calling it nonsense is a bit harsh I think.Total nonsense
Fair, there’s no accounting for taste. But objectively, millions of people around the world became fans of that team and started wearing the shirt. That generally doesn’t happen with boring teams. Also, conflating Spain and Barca just cos they had some of the same players is lazy, they were very different. Barca scored a lot more goals for starters. Mainly because of Messi I know, but for me, the combo of Alves and Messi on the right (with Messi also ghosting into central positions) gave them a different dynamic.It is a matter of taste what kind of football someone thinks of as exciting or boring. Calling it nonsense is a bit harsh I think.
Wouldn't say Barcelona got worse in 15/16, they just had one bad month following the death of Johan Cruyff. 17/18 sure, it really was a weird season in general but yeah, we were definitely not the best team by far and won it mostly through a great deal of luck and incredible resilience.Barcelona got worse and won the league in 2016 and 2018 ahead of the 3peat Real Madrid team. That excludes the latter for me. They were 17 points behind in 2018!
that’s the problem with using a cup competition to pick the “best” team, there’s too much luck involved.
It's not a some random local cup competition. Winning cl is pinnacle of football in calender year saying lucky is ridiculous statement especially in cl.Wouldn't say Barcelona got worse in 15/16, they just had one bad month following the death of Johan Cruyff. 17/18 sure, it really was a weird season in general but yeah, we were definitely not the best team by far and won it mostly through a great deal of luck and incredible resilience.
Still, 4 CL in 5 years, 3 in a row, doesn't happen by accident. Maybe we never hit the peak of '11/'15 Barcelona or 12/13-19/20 Bayern, but we were at least very, very close, and quite simply better able to keep that edge in terms of mentality over time
Agree about Bayern being either the second or third club of the decade. Change 2 or 3 missed penalties and they also end the decade with 4 CL to their name
That Madrid team was great. They won the league comprehensively as well, so they WERE really good. But CL wins carry with them a significant amount of fortune - is a fact. What I would say is that , out of Real's 4 CL wins, 2 were guaranteed and the other 2 happened due to a good slice of fortune as well and could have gone either way. The finals attest to this - 2 finals they dominated and other 2 they did it with a bit of fortune. Real's 4 wins is a case of efficiency AND luck coming together.It's not a some random local cup competition. Winning cl is pinnacle of football in calender year saying lucky is ridiculous statement especially in cl.
Still city and psg for all their star studded squad they struggle to win once. Let alone four in five years.
Real madrid team amongst greatest in my opinion. Modern era that real madrid team looked greatest because no one achieved that
Got absolutely pumped in Europe and zero competition in their league.Celtic quadruple treble winners surely no other club in world football has ever done that, least give us a mention??
No mate winning cl is not luck. Withstand adversary and courage made you win even single cl. Let alone four in five attempts. You simply can't call it luck. It's not luck or their fault if other teams failed to beat them.If cl is luck then I would call winning league is nothing compared to cl despite luck.That Madrid team was great. They won the league comprehensively as well, so they WERE really good. But CL wins carry with them a significant amount of fortune - is a fact. What I would say is that , out of Real's 4 CL wins, 2 were guaranteed and the other 2 happened due to a good slice of fortune as well and could have gone either way. The finals attest to this - 2 finals they dominated and other 2 they did it with a bit of fortune. Real's 4 wins is a case of efficiency AND luck coming together.
I'd say Celtic were the best Scottish team of the decade.Celtic quadruple treble winners surely no other club in world football has ever done that, least give us a mention??
though that era was special and you are right to point out the volcano and how it could have affected them, it's also fair to point out THAT Chelsea game as well. That reffing all but assured them a CL spot in the final. Still, that was '09 and not a part of 2010's decade so they it shouldn't be considered for consideration when determining which team was team of the decade. 2010-11 Barca was special but for my money I'd bet on 2012-13 Bayern as the best of the decade. As great as though Madrid teams that won 4 of 5 Champions leagues I don't think any single one of those squads beats the barca 11 or Bayern 13 squads. I would say Bayern is the best team since not only were they treble winners, but they killed the Barca style. Sometimes styles make matchups and tiki taka played into Bayerns game. One game to play, 2012-13 Bayern for me.Barcelona from 09-11 best club side i've ever seen, I think it should be noticed when they lost to Inter in that first leg they travelled to the game by bus for 14 hours because of the Icelandic ash cloud. still won champions league either side and were so dominant and suffocated teams like iv never seen before. Every team can be beaten of course but I think they were better than Ream Madrid three in a row.
Just to note I hated that Barcelona side, so boring and wanted them to get beat, the 2015 side was excellent too and more entertaining.
Attributing an amount of luck in winning is not exclusive to CL. It's natural to any football game. Matches taken individually will inevitably involve incidents and factors that are beyond either team's capability or dominance. These incidents which may turn out to be beneficial to one team, is what we call luck. CL and other knockout tournaments are composed of much smaller number of games than the league - which objectively means that luck is a much larger factor in knockout tournaments than in the league. Also, even though penalty shootouts are useful to determine winners in a practical way, one cannot deny that they constitute fortune as well.No mate winning cl is not luck. Withstand adversary and courage made you win even single cl. Let alone four in five attempts. You simply can't call it luck. It's not luck or their fault if other teams failed to beat them.If cl is luck then I would call winning league is nothing compared to cl despite luck.
For a single season I would agree. However we are talking about three wins in a row. That consists of more games than a league season and I think you can safely say that this can not be done due to luck, but can be used to really compare the quality of the teams in that timeframe.Attributing an amount of luck in winning is not exclusive to CL. It's natural to any football game. Matches taken individually will inevitably involve incidents and factors that are beyond either team's capability or dominance. These incidents which may turn out to be beneficial to one team, is what we call luck. CL and other knockout tournaments are composed of much smaller number of games than the league - which objectively means that luck is a much larger factor in knockout tournaments than in the league. Also, even though penalty shootouts are useful to determine winners in a practical way, one cannot deny that they constitute fortune as well.
So, it would be foolish to regard CL above League for comparison in quality of teams.
Real Madrid matched up well against them in the semis. Mourinho’s anti-tiki taka set-up was working perfectly until Pepe’s red card midway through the 2nd half. And Madrid were actually the better team in the 2nd leg and had a goal unfairly disallowed.As much as the Van Persie red was a poor decision, Arsenal were only still in the tie at that stage because the referee had made two major errors. Firstly, he failed to award a fairly clear-cut penalty on Messi, and secondly, wrongly chalked off a Messi goal for offside. That was the only time during the CL campaign that anyone got within touching distance of that Barcelona and it was largely down to referee error.
Each and every league there was example of teams win in four out of five campaigns which is very easy as proved.Attributing an amount of luck in winning is not exclusive to CL. It's natural to any football game. Matches taken individually will inevitably involve incidents and factors that are beyond either team's capability or dominance. These incidents which may turn out to be beneficial to one team, is what we call luck. CL and other knockout tournaments are composed of much smaller number of games than the league - which objectively means that luck is a much larger factor in knockout tournaments than in the league. Also, even though penalty shootouts are useful to determine winners in a practical way, one cannot deny that they constitute fortune as well.
So, it would be foolish to regard CL above League for comparison in quality of teams.
We played barcelona 6 times that season, lost 3, drew 2 and won 1. And we weren't unlucky against bayern, we were badly outplayed for the entire tieReal Madrid 11/12 for me with CR7 at the absolute zenith of his powers and Mourinho at the tail end of his prime. They had a precociously talented team and played the best counter-attacking football I’ve ever seen. They were blowing teams for fun weekly. Every game I could expect at least 4 goals from them and they went on to score 121 goals alone in league play which is a European record.
I think that team would’ve gotten more recognition if they had won the CL as they beat Pep’s Barca to la liga that season. They were so unlucky against an inferior Bayern in the semis.
The goal was correctly disallowed, we were not in fact the better team in that game, and Pepe's red card was very much a direct consequence of Mourinho's gameplanReal Madrid matched up well against them in the semis. Mourinho’s anti-tiki taka set-up was working perfectly until Pepe’s red card midway through the 2nd half. And Madrid were actually the better team in the 2nd leg and had a goal unfairly disallowed.
The loss at home in the league was unlucky. Madrid created enough chances to put that game away long before Xavi and Fabregas scored and even after that. The away loss in the copa del rey was even more unlucky. You guys dominated the game from start to finish and even with a man down. I felt Madrid had caught up with Barca that season without a doubt. As for the Bayern tie, I’d put that down to Mourinho’s tactics. In the opening minutes of the 2nd leg Bayern were all over the place and conceded 2 before Mourinho decided to sit back. I didn’t see how you were dominated for the rest of the game. It was a pretty even encounter after that.We played barcelona 6 times that season, lost 3, drew 2 and won 1. And we weren't unlucky against bayern, we were badly outplayed for the entire tie
Mascherano dived from what I remember. That goal should’ve stood and Pepe’s red card was harsh. No way was that a direct red.The goal was correctly disallowed, we were not in fact the better team in that game, and Pepe's red card was very much a direct consequence of Mourinho's gameplan
Not really. We had a good start but after 10 minutes it was one way trafficThe loss at home in the league was unlucky.
We had, but that had as much to do with barcelona not being as good as in the previous two seasons as with our own improvements. I wouldn't take that madrid side over any of the 13/14-16/17 periodI felt Madrid had caught up with Barca that season without a doubt.
It agree it was Mourinho's fault. Mourinho was the manager, if he comes up with losing gameplans in the biggest games, that's a serious problem.As for the Bayern tie, I’d put that down to Mourinho’s tactics. In the opening minutes of the 2nd leg Bayern were all over the place and conceded 2 before Mourinho decided to sit back. I didn’t see how you were dominated for the rest of the game. It was a pretty even encounter after that.
Cristiano fell on his ankle. Pepe's red card was harsh, but fine. It was definitely worthy of a red cardMascherano dived from what I remember. That goal should’ve stood and Pepe’s red card was harsh. No way was that a direct red.
Funny how your points strengthen mine. CL win is rare for many exactly because luck plays a huge role. In the league, there is time for the luck factor to even out. Hypothetically, if the champions league were to be played in a league format we would see teams with more quality eventually dominating the competition. Take Real's 4 wins as an example : What are the odds of a team winning a shootout? Or the odds of a team scoring an injury time goal from a corner? These are chance occurrences and normally involve luck. Whereas in 2017 they sort of won it comprehensively.Each and every league there was example of teams win in four out of five campaigns which is very easy as proved.
But despite all these dominance in their league winning cl once last decade for teams like juventus, city,psg became nightmare.All went to finals once that's all they could do. Yeah cl was lucky. Get into reality.
Liverpool in their lifetime won 6 times man Utd 3 times just three Chelsea only twice and you call real Madrid s 4 in five attempts not a grand achievement.
Next what hypothetically world cup should be played in league format so that England could win more than onceFunny how your points strengthen mine. CL win is rare for many exactly because luck plays a huge role. In the league, there is time for the luck factor to even out. Hypothetically, if the champions league were to be played in a league format we would see teams with more quality eventually dominating the competition. Take Real's 4 wins as an example : What are the odds of a team winning a shootout? Or the odds of a team scoring an injury time goal from a corner? These are chance occurrences and normally involve luck. Whereas in 2017 they sort of won it comprehensively.
They were?Real Madrid 11/12 for me with CR7 at the absolute zenith of his powers and Mourinho at the tail end of his prime. They had a precociously talented team and played the best counter-attacking football I’ve ever seen. They were blowing teams for fun weekly. Every game I could expect at least 4 goals from them and they went on to score 121 goals alone in league play which is a European record.
I think that team would’ve gotten more recognition if they had won the CL as they beat Pep’s Barca to la liga that season. They were so unlucky against an inferior Bayern in the semis.