Champions League Round of 16 (16th Feb - 17th Mar)

[DannyCAFC]

Well that doesn't say much about us beating the 5th team in that league then.

I say that in jest of course (well, slightly) but you do have to wonder about the overall quality of the teams this year when you have a week like this.

Maybe these were results that were always likely I don't know; United are 2nd after all and Sociedad 5th, Chelsea have been in good form under Tuchel and Atletico's has faulted a big recently, and Barca have major flaws.

I think the lack of tactical awareness has been highlighted more than anything. Sociedad played a possession based style but without the intensity that would usually go along side it, didn't press effectively as a team and couldn't seem to play out from United's high-press themselves. And had no real plan against the counter. Atletico being overly cautious is perhaps usual under them at times, but given the quality of their side and the way they've been playing in La Liga for much of the season, odd to say the least. Barca just doing Barca things defensively against a side with the attacking firepower that PSG have.

Will be interesting to see what happens tonight - I think recent form favours Real but if Atalanta win it provides more evidence that La Liga isn't the powerhouse it used to be at the moment.

 

[B. Munich]

Nah, with VAR in that game Vidal is off after 10 minutes and it's a parade from there

Ha ha and so would be Casemiro, which will level things again

 

[hasanejaz88]

I realize that Bayern lack form and concentration and have a paper thin squad due to corona and injuries, but them beating Lazio is hardly a „surprise“.

I didn't have high hopes and this is also from consideration of how well Lazio played against Dortmund. I thought they bossed them in both matches and should've won both had it not been for Burki heroics at Signal Iduna Park. Bayern lost to Frankfurt and almost lose to Bielefeld as well, so I thought a loss was on the cards.

Maybe having Goretzka and Kimmich had a huge difference to the balance in midfield, Goretzka's assist to Musiala's goal was great as well.

 

[giorno]

Ha ha and so would be Casemiro, which will level things again

Casemiro committed a million fouls and should have been off for accumulation at the end. Vidal should have seen a straight red(instead of the yellow) for the horror tackle on Isco at the beginning of the game(studs up from being straight on the heel. With no chance to get the ball even. The only saving grace - by which i mean what saved isco from a broken ankle - is that he didn't put too much weight on it)

Incidentally to this day i believe the ref *knew* vidal should have been off and made a deliberate mistake to avoid pretty much ending the game immediately, and that was the reason for the absolute clusterfeck that followed

 

[GatoLoco]

Ha ha and so would be Casemiro, which will level things again

It's impossible to know what would have happened had Vidal been sent off, but it is likely Casemiro would have changed his approach against a 10 men Bayern.

 

[Mr Smith]

Is there a better example of a power move in football than Bayern playing a 17 year old debutant in a CL knockout game in the centre of midfield, only for him to score his first senior goal 25 minutes in to kill the tie? Ridiculous stuff.

 

[giorno]

Capello remarked rhat it's actually pretty easy to give games to a kid on a team that is both really good and doing really well and for the kid to do well himself in those circumstances. Musiala being a big talent meant he did more than well

 

[Acrobat7]

Is there a better example of a power move in football than Bayern playing a 17 year old debutant in a CL knockout game in the centre of midfield, only for him to score his first senior goal 25 minutes in to kill the tie? Ridiculous stuff.

He has scored for Bayern before but in the league. And it was more a „who is even available?“ move. Bayern only brought 6 subs.
BUT: he is an intriguing talent, Flick trusts him and so do his teammates.

 

[FrankDrebin]

Any battering Lazio receive is a good one in my eyes.

 

[Bepi]

You can see Italian football is truly dead and buried when two former, very successful, footballers like Inzaghi and Pirlo, now coaches at the highest national level, feel the need to play hipster football with non-suited footballers, in that exposing themselves and their players to worldwide denigration. Mind, we all understand the game is evolving, but the Italian way was always doing the most with what we have, instead of mimicking England, Holland or Spain.

 

[SER19]

Expect another symbolically sad game tonight as a classic club and real 'sleeping giant' has really done it the hard way to get back to the CL. Only they will almost certainly be brushed aside by a team that was in England's lower leagues not long ago.

 

[Noot]

Expect another symbolically sad game tonight as a classic club and real 'sleeping giant' has really done it the hard way to get back to the CL. Only they will almost certainly be brushed aside by a team that was in England's lower leagues not long ago.

No, expect a 3-1 win for the German side after Pep Guardiola inexplicably deploys a back three with Gabriel Jesus at LWB and Gundogan false 9.

 

[Raredaredevil]

So it's now left to Real Madrid to save the pride of Spain! They are underdogs against Atlanta tonight and if they don't get a good result, they will join Sevilla, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid all out of Europe. When was the last time all 4 teams get knocked out of Spain in the round of 16? Must be unprecedented. La Liga's dominance in Europe is well and truly over.

 

[Acrobat7]

So it's now left to Real Madrid to save the pride of Spain! They are underdogs against Atlanta tonight and if they don't get a good result, they will join Sevilla, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid all out of Europe. When was the last time all 4 teams get knocked out of Spain in the round of 16? Must be unprecedented. La Liga's dominance in Europe is well and truly over.

First i thought you were joking but Atalanta are indeed favorites with the bookies.

 

[Zaphod2319]

Atletico is still in. Home and away features. Chelsea will need to have another big game against them at home on March 17th to knock them out. It was a big win, but the job is not finished.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

You can see Italian football is truly dead and buried when two former, very successful, footballers like Inzaghi and Pirlo, now coaches at the highest national level, feel the need to play hipster football with non-suited footballers, in that exposing themselves and their players to worldwide denigration. Mind, we all understand the game is evolving, but the Italian way was always doing the most with what we have, instead of mimicking England, Holland or Spain.

Surely Lazio were playing “hipster football“ long before Inzaghi got the job? It’s not as though Tuchel is the first hipster coach that Chelsea have poached in recent years.

 

[SER19]

No, expect a 3-1 win for the German side after Pep Guardiola inexplicably deploys a back three with Gabriel Jesus at LWB and Gundogan false 9.

Hes learned his lesson I think. Think they'll brush them aside over 2 legs.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

You can see Italian football is truly dead and buried when two former, very successful, footballers like Inzaghi and Pirlo, now coaches at the highest national level, feel the need to play hipster football with non-suited footballers, in that exposing themselves and their players to worldwide denigration. Mind, we all understand the game is evolving, but the Italian way was always doing the most with what we have, instead of mimicking England, Holland or Spain.

People evolve. They don't have to live up to your view of ideal Italian football to prove they are alive. Was SAF playing a 433 and wide goalscoring forwards the death of English football because it wasn't 442 and wingers, or was that fine because we wont ons of shit?

 

[Bepi]

People evolve. They don't have to live up to your view of ideal Italian football to prove they are alive. Was SAF playing a 433 and wide goalscoring forwards the death of English football because it wasn't 442 and wingers, or was that fine because we wont ons of shit?

Uh? It probably depends on you not noting I am Italian and supporting Juventus. I am surely not conjuring for Nereo Rocco, Bearzot or Trapattoni back... just a bit more pragmatism in the (former?) land of football pragmatism.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Uh? It probably depends on you not noting I am Italian and supporting Juventus. I am surely not conjuring for Nereo Rocco, Bearzot or Trapattoni back... just a bit more pragmatism in the (former?) land of football pragmatism.

Fair enough. I definitely didn't note that. But like I said things change. Germany is now full of overly attacking football.

 

[SilentWitness]

Why are Spurs playing tonight too?

 

[PoTMS]

Why are Spurs playing tonight too?

Arsenal were due to also be playing in London tomorrow at the time of the draw. That was before it was confirmed their home game would take place in Greece.

 

[Bepi]

Fair enough. I definitely didn't note that. But like I said things change. Germany is now full of overly attacking football.

Well, if both Lazio and Juve, in their most important match (for different reasons) of the season had to concede through a calamitous mistake before ten minutes (Lazio) or even one minute (Juve), and just to show the world they can play deep ball with unsuited footballers, they are not being overly attacking... just irredeemable fools.

 

[T00lsh3d]

Europa I know but Dele Alli’s just scored an absolute screamer

 

[do.ob]

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[GatoLoco]

No striker!!

 

[GhastlyHun]

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[do.ob]

Is Thuram still not fully fit? Hofmann, Stindl, Plea might lack a bit of pace to get the most out of counter attacks.

 

[GifLord]

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[NoPace]

Let's save Joao Felix from that terrible football side!

Martial and 70M for Joao and Trippier ring it up

 

[BayernFan87]

Wtf Real... I thought out bench yesterday was abysmal, wow

 

[united_99]

Wtf Real... I thought out bench yesterday was abysmal, wow

Yeah, at first I thought it was Atalanta’s bench.

 

[Lay]

No striker!!

Is that their worst ever bench? Who the feck are they

 

[Deery]

Real Madrid 2/1 tonight to face Atalanta is that justified odds?

Thought they looked great last time out in the competition.

 

[GhastlyHun]

Is that their worst ever bench? Who the feck are they

Miguel, everybody knows Miguel.

 

[giorno]

No striker!!

Yeah, we were going to play without a striker anyways though. The alternative was Mariano

 

[BayernFan87]

No, expect a 3-1 win for the German side after Pep Guardiola inexplicably deploys a back three with Gabriel Jesus at LWB and Gundogan false 9.

Do you have Peps stats in the first leg of knockout stages at hand?
For Bayern it was really bad because he always came up with a nice "surprise" instead of just letting the team play the way they're used to.

 

[SER19]

310m on the city bench tonight. Useful when 5 subs. I expect Borussias years long revival is about to meet an abrupt end

 

[giorno]

Wtf Real... I thought out bench yesterday was abysmal, wow

We have 9 first team players out literally left with 13 first team players available, two of which are goalkeepers and one is Mariano Diaz...

 

[Deery]

We have 9 first team players out literally left with 13 first team players available, two of which are goalkeepers and one is Mariano Diaz...

Where’s wee fat Eden Hazard these days, haven’t seen him in a while..