Champions League Thread (the dawn of time - 2014)

[PhilD123]

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/3310/295p8g4.gif

Replace Rooney and Ronaldo with Fabregas and Van Perise, and take the Champions League trophy away.

 

[Leicester Fox]

Phil I did think that your facebook needed a comment last night. I was dead though, went through half a litre of vodka, 8 shots of sambuca. Only just got up, my sleeping pattern is going to be screwed now.

I'm undecided on whether to get a season ticket next year, the ?600 is doable but I will probably do a lot more than that in petrol.

 

[PhilD123]

"chelsea should have beeen in fina betn rwef"

Made perfect sense.

Hopefully I can get to some aways next season, started saving up already. I expect chubbings though! I will warn you though, it's going to be a lot more than ?600 in the end. We'll have at least 3 Champions League games which you'll have to buy, maybe Fa Cup games and maybe Carling Cup games (you can opt out of the Carling Cup games but then you can't apply for aways/finals).

 

[Will_NA]

Now you Dirk Kuyts all know how us Arsenal fans felt after 8 minutes at The Emirates and after 30 minutes against Chelsea.

 

[Cricketdude]

Did you even see the rest of the game? Berbatov had two golden chances: a header that he put over the bar and a mishit shot (both in the second half).

I overexaggerated. Sometimes you can't play the same game as you do when your 1-0 and 0-0. You got to give Pep a clap for winning the CL in his first year.


Anyway moving on Real Madrid have got to do what Barcelona has done, not only get a La Liga and a CL trophy in the same season but get a former Real Madrid player. That wins things because he knows how the club works. MAnd then there is the matter of Real Madrid?s historic need to play with style and grace with which to get its results, the essence of Madridismo.

This is the core issue the Madrid will have to address. After the Del Bosque sacking, Madrid went through a series of coaches, among them two super pragmatists, Fabio Capello and Bernd Schuster, who both won La Liga for the club but failed to land the ultimate prize, the Champions League.

Worse than that they took Madrid into the unfamiliar world of counter-punching football which, in years past, was practiced only by lesser mortals. So much damage had been done that the Real Madrid, now under Juande Ramos, which succumbed 4-0 to Liverpool in this season?s Champions League was the worst and meekest in living memory.

If Real Madrid brings in some ?big name? coach who is know for his results and not for the philosophy of his football, he will fail.

Let the past be an example to all, but most of all to Real Madrid. It was Laporta who rejected the prospect of appointing Mourinho, or anyone like him, going instead with the untried rookie, Pep Guardiola, the family boy who understands the Barcelona ideological lingo.

Real Madrid has its ideology too, as history cannot deny. It?s time it returned to it.

And so will the most succesful club in history get back to playing like the most succesful club in history?

 

[jazz]

I agree after the Del Bosque sacking Real Madrid did go into a slump. They won alot under him, but Real Madrid really relies on signing the best players in the world, which I think is their undoing. Although two seasons ago they did do well under Capello with a young team but he was sacked because he did not play "attacking football". Whereas a team like Barcelona have turned their youth players into world class players and they have struggled in previous two seasons but now their youths have matured into stars.

Everyone is saying Madrid will have 200, 300 million to spend next season but where will that get them? Ok maybe someone like Kaka or Ronaldo but that’s just papering over the big cracks in the whole squad and will not be a permanent fix.

Teams need to started investing alot into the youth system now because in a few years time their will be rules and regulations on having home grown players.

 

[m_vaughan]

Its not about signing the world's best players, but its about signing players that is suit your style of football. Real Madrid will always remain a club that will win games by outscoring the opposition, and as a result very few defenders have been able to survive.

Anyways the latest news suggest that Manuel Pelligrini will be the person taking over. Lets be honest, despite Villarreal's up-and-down season, you have to give him credit for converting what is a fairly small club into one of the finest in the country. Its impossible to compete with Real Madrid and Barcelona, given the resources available to the two. But then Schuster did the same thing with Getafe, Emery with Almeria.

I still think the state of our team is not as bad as some people think. We have had a poor season, agreed, but I think we have had too many injuries and too many key players not performing this season. Barcelona had the same problem last season, and dint make too many changes to be honest (just the departure of Ron), and still managed to do well this time around. We just have to hope the likes of Sneijder, Pepe, Gago, Drenthe, are able to regain their form next season. We do need one attacking midfielder and probably two defenders just to have enough depth.

Also I am not too bothered about the treble. The last time Barcelona came close to winning the treble was when they won the double. And then they did not win anything for two years.

 

[jazz]

So if its about signing players that suit your team why not sign someone like Babel or Alonso instead off Ronaldo or Kaka. Kaka has already proved that money is not a motivator to him and I don’t see him leaving Milan. As for Ronaldo would he really fit into the Real team?

Sneijder, Pepe are good players. Gago and Drenthe are poor

Barcelona did have poor seasons after their double but you can say they done the right thing by getting rid of Ronaldinho, Deco, Edmilson, etc. My question is which big player will Madrid axe or if they will? Robben needs to go with a few more

Although I do applaud Madrid for keeping up with Barcelona for most of the season. That was a good achievement with Barcelona scoring goals left, right and centre.

One negative flaw with the top clubs in Spain is the boards mainly control player, transfers and tactics. That needs to stop

 

[sd92]

Real Madrid will always remain a club that will win games by outscoring the opposition

How else would you plan on winning a game of football?

 

[m_vaughan]

How else would you plan on winning a game of football?

From the time that I have been watching them, we have always had poor defences. But it dint matter because our attacking options have always been good.

I dont think Robben should leave. He played a crucial role in that unbeaten spell we have when we came from 15 points behind Barcelona to 4. Infact for quite a few games it was Robben making the difference for us, and Messi doing the same for Barcelona.

And I have enough faith in Gago and Drenthe to be honest. Drenthe for sure because I have seen him play in the U21s, and although I know doing well there need not translate to success on the big stage, its not very hard to recognise a player having the special ability. Although I am with some of the other Madridistas who want both Gago and Drenthe loaned out, and earning their way back to our first team.

 

[evertonfan]

You didn't answer his question though. How else do you win a football game other than outscoring the opposition?

 

[m_vaughan]

Actually I did but nevermind I understand.:

 

[Cricketdude]

You didn't answer his question though. How else do you win a football game other than outscoring the opposition?

Win on away goals.

 

[PhilD123]

I didn't hear him say "how do you win a 2 legged football tie other than outscoring the opposition?"

 

[Will_NA]

I didn't hear him say it either