UEFA Champions & Europa League 2014-15 Season Thread

[Fernando]

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All places to talk Champions & Europa League  football for this season  

Champions League Round of 16 Draw

PSG vs Chelsea
Man City vs Barcelona
Bayer Leverkusen vs Atletico Madrid
Juventus vs Dortmund
Schalke vs Real Madrid
Shaktar Donetsk vs Bayern Munich
Arsenal vs Monaco
Basel vs Porto


Arsenal - Monaco
Celtic - Inter Milan
Chelsea - PSG
Everton - Young Boys
Hull - OUT
Liverpool - OUT of CL dropped into Europa League - Besiktas
Man City - Barcelona
Man Utd - Swansea 21st February (It's about as close to European football as your getting this year) 
Tottenham - Fiorentina

[Hammersmith harrier]

To be honest they did better in Europe before Torres joined nor was he Samuel Eto'o, who was still comfortably the best striker in the world before his rather odd departure.

[kingraf]

Yep, Eto'o was probably the worlds prime striker 2006-10. Guy was ridiculous.

Arsenal are making a mountain for themselves. Cue them finishing second and drawing Munich or Madrid and cursing their luck.

[kingraf]

Ronnie slacking... come on

[compelling and rich]

not been impressed with rodriguez tonight, seems to slow a lot of madrid play down and wastes a lot.

not convinced they're better off with him over di maria

[compelling and rich]

speaking of shocking defenders i see per doing his usual tonight

[Fernando]

Arsenal doing a smash and grab job on the Belgian Buns.

1-1 Gibbs with a left foot volley
2-1 Podolski

[Guest]

Haha I love when arsenal do this. Complete & utter 'paper over the massive cracks' result.

[mystiroakey]

I didn't think I would say this. But I feel for anderlect.

Liverpool with lallana and no striker look much better than with balotelli. But you also felt if RM needed to raise it they could at any point.

[Fernando]

Don't care we have 3pts we didn't deserve

[mystiroakey]

Fair play. But you need to sort this out dude.

[Fernando]

It'll be fine when Koscielny is back Mysti. Nacho at CB is a disaster can't put Chambers in there cos Debuchy injured. I hate that he's persisting with this 4-1-4-1 crap it ain't working at all.

[Fernando]

On the plus side Ludogorets have beaten Basel 1-0

So still doing well enough for Liverpool.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Liverpool fans blaming Balotelli for the fact they concede two/three goals a game makes me chuckle

I thought it was easy to coach a team to defend? Right brendo?

[kingraf]

Real Jekyll and Hyde feel to Dortmund's performances in Europe vs bundesliga

[mystiroakey]

On the plus side Ludogorets have beaten Basel 1-0

So still doing well enough for Liverpool.

Yep arsernal and Chelsea look safely through . other results seem to be helping city and Liverpool out..

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

not been impressed with rodriguez tonight, seems to slow a lot of madrid play down and wastes a lot.

not convinced they're better off with him over di maria

Didn't play well, but that pass for the first goal was sublime

[kingraf]

I do think I should become a pundit.
"The game's changed Graeme, all you do is, look at your squad, pick your best ten outfield players and stick them on"

"What about the formation?"

"Irrelevant"

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Appears Everton fans have been attacked by a bunch of Lille fans tonight, kids and everything

[monty junior]

Some more nice performances tonight, best eight teams i have seen so far ..

Bayern
Real Madrid
BVB
Barcelona
Athletico
Chelsea
PSG
Leverkusen

Sad to see another woeful result for Serie A, they were offering Olympiakos to win at 5/1 before the match at home. Very generous odds, you have to question not just Allegri and muppets like Bonucci but the whole Juve mindset, being an Inter fan i think it's hilarious but a team of such pedigree to have only won two CL's is a poor resturn and at best they will be through as second seeds this year. Why does Tevez never stand up when it matters, must have picked up something from City! No wonder Conte left.

[super_realist]

Liverpool were shown up for the awful team I always knew them to be. Real took the foot off the gas after about 35 mins and Liverpool still couldn't get close, slow, pedestrian, predictable and generally weak in every area, whilst Sterlings mincing Duncan Norvelle "chase me" runs were snubbed out by the breath of a defender on his back. Hopeless, I hope they go out.

As for Rodgers criticising Balotelli, well he signed him, what did he expect. It's his fault entirely.

Hilarious stuff.

[NickisBHAFC]

Great Post.

[mystiroakey]

Some more nice performances tonight, best eight teams i have seen so far ..

Bayern
Real Madrid
BVB
Barcelona
Athletico
Chelsea
PSG
Leverkusen

Sad to see another woeful result for Serie A, they were offering Olympiakos to win at 5/1 before the match at home. Very generous odds, you have to question not just Allegri and muppets like Bonucci but the whole Juve mindset, being an Inter fan i think it's hilarious but a team of such pedigree to have only won two CL's is a poor resturn and at best they will be through as second seeds this year. Why does Tevez never stand up when it matters, must have picked up something from City! No wonder Conte left.

i dont really think there is much point talking about a best 87

there have been a best 3.

bayern, real and Chelsea.

Barca slightly below- but we all know Suraez is around the corner.

the rest have zero chance.

[nadeem2099]

Dortmund have a slight chance imo. If they keep their best players fit aka Reus, Hummels then they should reach the quarters at least. I think they will finish top ahead of Arsenal.

[monty junior]

Some more nice performances tonight, best eight teams i have seen so far ..

Bayern
Real Madrid
BVB
Barcelona
Athletico
Chelsea
PSG
Leverkusen

Sad to see another woeful result for Serie A, they were offering Olympiakos to win at 5/1 before the match at home. Very generous odds, you have to question not just Allegri and muppets like Bonucci but the whole Juve mindset, being an Inter fan i think it's hilarious but a team of such pedigree to have only won two CL's is a poor resturn and at best they will be through as second seeds this year. Why does Tevez never stand up when it matters, must have picked up something from City! No wonder Conte left.

i dont really think there is  much point talking about a best 87

there have been a best 3.

bayern, real and Chelsea.

Barca slightly below- but we all know Suraez is around the corner.

the rest have zero chance.

I was half cut when i posted it, I'm just pleased there was only one spelling mistake.   

Agreed to some extent but i would have Bayern and Madrid heavy favorites as they even when they don't play well they always win and have proven to be the best two the last couple of years. Then you have the group behind with Barca (deservedly beaten by PSG still dangerous) Chelsea who really have an extremely easy group and dropped points at home to Schalke. Athletico who of course were great last season and look good again but were deservedly beaten in Piraeus. Then going under the radar are BVB, horrible domestically but on fire in Europe, won every match easily without conceding a goal.

[monty junior]

Dortmund have a slight chance imo. If they keep their best players fit aka Reus,  Hummels then they should reach the quarters at least. I think they will finish top ahead of Arsenal.

Reus made such a difference coming back last night, couple of assists and a sensational long range goal. Really hope he stays with them and doesn't chase money, he can eventually win the CL by staying put.

[Soldier_Of_Fortune]

Liverpool were shown up for the awful team I always knew them to be. Real took the foot off the gas after about 35 mins and Liverpool still couldn't get close, slow, pedestrian, predictable and generally weak in every area, whilst Sterlings mincing Duncan Norvelle "chase me" runs were snubbed out by the breath of a defender on his back.  Hopeless, I hope they go out.

As for Rodgers criticising Balotelli, well he signed him, what did he expect. It's his fault entirely.

Hilarious stuff.

We were playing the current holder of the comp FFS. Didn't anyone really expect Liverpool to win or get a result?

The first goal was of World Class quality, when we began to chase to game, it was obviously going to play right into there hands. Obviously another scrappy goal from a set piece.

I was quite happy with 3-0 in the end Sadly

[mystiroakey]

Dortmund have a slight chance imo. If they keep their best players fit aka Reus,  Hummels then they should reach the quarters at least. I think they will finish top ahead of Arsenal.

I cant really see it if they come up against PSG/Barca or Man city- i can see them getting beat no problem. there will be no easy passage to the quarters..

and they will have a 50/50 chance of meeting one of those 3 teams..

they are doing what united did last season. making hay in europe , but in reality have a serious identity problem- and it will show.

[nadeem2099]

Dortmund have a slight chance imo. If they keep their best players fit aka Reus,  Hummels then they should reach the quarters at least. I think they will finish top ahead of Arsenal.

Reus made such a difference coming back last night, couple of assists and a sensational long range goal. Really hope he stays with them and doesn't chase money, he can eventually win the CL by staying put.

I wouldn't mind having Reus at Real Madrid tbh. Not this or the next season but seeing as Ronaldo is nearly 30, reus would be the perfect future replacement for Ronnie in about 3 years time.

[Crimey]

Ronaldo is playing at such an unreal level at the moment, if he keeps it up for the season I think this will be better than Messi's best run at the top and we might have to start asking whether it's actually Ronaldo who is the best of all time.

[GSC]

Not a chance for me.

[Guest]

No chance. Messi at his pomp was creaming everyone's pants, his four year stint was incredible, he surpassed Muller's record in a calendar year & was untouchable. Ronaldo is sensational, no denying that fact, but he's only surpassed Messi in the last 18 months, because of injury to Messi. If he kept this up for this season & next, then you might have a point. Messi's got 69 champions league goals in 89, Ronaldo has got 70 in like 109 apps. That's a big difference for me at the height of club football competition, plus Messi has four champs lge hatrricks to Ronaldo's two.

[Stella]

Messi is also younger, and doesn't rely on pace quite as much as Ronaldo. In think when all is done, and they are both retired, Messi will stand above Ronaldo, just.

Another question. Fat Ronaldo or skinny Ronaldo? We use to laugh at the comparison, but no more.

[mystiroakey]

Skinny

next question.


who will be considered the best Barca player year end.. Suarez, Messi or Neymar?

I go Suarez

[kingraf]

Club - CR7
international - it's close, but I'd give R9.

[mystiroakey]

Club - CR7
international - it's close, but I'd give R9.

you have to go R9 internationally- but its an impossible comparison. and an unfair one

[Stella]

Club - CR7
international - it's close, but I'd give R9.

Sounds about right. Fat Ronaldo was hampered by injuries of course.

[Guest]

Liverpool were shown up for the awful team I always knew them to be. Real took the foot off the gas after about 35 mins and Liverpool still couldn't get close, slow, pedestrian, predictable and generally weak in every area, whilst Sterlings mincing Duncan Norvelle "chase me" runs were snubbed out by the breath of a defender on his back.  Hopeless, I hope they go out.

As for Rodgers criticising Balotelli, well he signed him, what did he expect. It's his fault entirely.

Hilarious stuff.

We were playing the current holder of the comp FFS. Didn't anyone really expect Liverpool to win or get a result?

The first goal was of World Class quality, when we began to chase to game, it was obviously going to play right into there hands. Obviously another scrappy goal from a set piece.

I was quite happy with 3-0 in the end Sadly

Agreed...all this "you got battered" stuff would be more than justified if we'd not just played one of the top three teams in Europe and arguably the World. Irrespective if their position in La Liga, they're a damn good team. We've been pretty bloody dreadful thus far and I'd like to think that last night's defeat will be the kick in the ar$e that some of the players need in order to realise just what kind of effort is required from them. Don't think for a minute we won't get beaten in the return but the performance has to be a damn sight better.

The old pass and move, get into space, work for your team-mates ethic of last season has gone. At one point last night I think Allen had the ball and was running the pitch yet no-one was going with him. Time and again last season when we were attacking you'd see three or four players all charging towards the penalty area making themselves available but now there are just too many players on the back foot, not up to speed or in sync with their colleagues.

[monty junior]

Dortmund have a slight chance imo. If they keep their best players fit aka Reus,  Hummels then they should reach the quarters at least. I think they will finish top ahead of Arsenal.

I cant really see it if they come up against PSG/Barca or Man city- i can see them getting beat no problem. there will be no easy passage to the quarters..

and they will have a 50/50 chance of meeting one of those 3 teams..

they are doing what united did last season. making hay in europe , but in reality have a serious identity problem- and it will show.

I don't think they have an "identity problem" they just have a small squad with a lot of injuries. Getting Hummels and Reus back has evidently already made a big difference. Remember they were the only team to beat Real in last year's Quarters and got to the Final the year before. 

I still think City won't even see the last 16, PSG i think will probably be second and as they can hardly beat APOEL i struggle to make them favorites to beat a more proven European side. In reality anyway they only have a 25% of getting a "big" team and there's a good chance of them won't even make it.

[mystiroakey]

if city get in second(which i am pretty sure they will but they may not you are right- but my money would be on it)- and all the German teams get through its a 50/50

so i would say a 33% chance of meeting city or psg/barca - because that's 2 out of the 4 they can be drawn against- but there is a chance that city wont make it though and maybe leverkusen not making it(I think schalke are pretty much guaranteed and 80% for levekusen who are on top but in a quite even group)

[super_realist]

Liverpool were shown up for the awful team I always knew them to be. Real took the foot off the gas after about 35 mins and Liverpool still couldn't get close, slow, pedestrian, predictable and generally weak in every area, whilst Sterlings mincing Duncan Norvelle "chase me" runs were snubbed out by the breath of a defender on his back.  Hopeless, I hope they go out.

As for Rodgers criticising Balotelli, well he signed him, what did he expect. It's his fault entirely.

Hilarious stuff.

We were playing the current holder of the comp FFS. Didn't anyone really expect Liverpool to win or get a result?

The first goal was of World Class quality, when we began to chase to game, it was obviously going to play right into there hands. Obviously another scrappy goal from a set piece.

I was quite happy with 3-0 in the end Sadly

Of course no one expected them to do well, 3-0 was extremely flattering. It should and could have been 6-0.
The real concern was ANY lack of urgency or effort, defensively timid and scatterbrained and a complete and utter lack of any sort of ambition or creativity. You could barely even tell Captain No Forehead was on the pitch and it took me about 20 minutes to realise that Balotelli had been subbed, such was his anonymity. Liverpool looked like they'd already played 90 minutes. I've never seen a so called Premiership team so slow and late to the ball, nor have I seen so many predictable passes picked off like that. Defeat was apparently accepted before the kick off, and this was a team that finished second last season in the self proclaimed "greatest league in the world"

The writing was on the wall after their dismal game against QPR.

Rodgers is a complete idiot for signing Balotelli, he should be fining himself for signing such a buffoon.

[Stella]

Our fifth/sixth best team get beat by the best team in europe, and all of a sudden our league is laughed at? Odd logic. Lets see how Chelsea and Madrid get on.

[monty junior]

Messi is also younger, and doesn't rely on pace quite as much as Ronaldo. In think when all is done, and they are both retired, Messi will stand above Ronaldo, just.

Another question. Fat Ronaldo or skinny Ronaldo? We use to laugh at the comparison, but no more.

R9, most complete striker ever. R7 is a great player but so selfish and has about ten shots a game. R9 was the undisputed best player in the world when he was barely out of his teens. If he hadn't had all those injuries he would have been up there with Maradonna and Pele as opposed to just behind.

[mystiroakey]

Calm down SR.

Reports from the bundes is that Rues will be at Munich next season...... That tells you all you need to know about that league... Although I do enjoy it.. but we all have our problems. Then there's athletico- see how well they will do this season over last.....

The PL is a brilliant league because its so competitive. Liverpool last year would have given RM a brilliant game- but without S&S , a completely knackered sterling and another year on Gerard they are not the same team dude.

[monty junior]

Yea i hope that isn't the case, the only thing in Dortmunds favor is that he had the option to go to Bayern from Monchengladbach but chose BVB as they are his team.

[super_realist]

Is it that competitive Oakey?

It's only been won by 3 different teams in the last ten years and of those that were runner up, only Liverpool broke the stranglehold of the 3 that have won it. It doesn't seem anymore competitive than any other league to me.

All the top leagues seem pretty much alike in terms of competition to me.

[mystiroakey]

Yes .

you are only scratching on a minor point that isn't indicative of the respective competitiveness of the leagues. In the PL there is passion throughout- lesser teams beat the better teams on more occasions.. Our leagues talent is spread out throughout more teams..

No they are not sadly. Bayern rules the bundes.. They raid the lesser teams best and even BVB just bends over. In the PL these players will allways go abroad rather than to there rivals.. In spain you have 2 undisputed powerhouses. The team that tried to break the status quo got into 1 bill euros of debt and had to offload almost everyone as a result(athletico).

[super_realist]

Come on Oakey, are you really saying there is no passion in the lesser teams of Spain, Italy and Germany?
Of course there is.

Do English teams not also raid the lower teams? Southampton and Everton for example.

Virtually no English players go abroad, they all go to league rivals, whilst the likes of Man City, have asset stripped Arsenal for the decent foreigners, so there really is no difference between Europe and England. Didn't Van Persie go to a rival? Didn't Nasri?

Anyway, the point was that Liverpool showed a complete lack of passion coming from the league is full of passion last night, regardless of who they were up against, they looked as inept and as far apart in talent as Maribor did against Chelsea the other night. They didn't look like a team which is worthy of coming second in a league you say is so great.

[mystiroakey]

Bar a few games a season RM do that to every team they come across. They would destroy LA ligas 6th best by an even greater margin.

[super_realist]

Bar a few games a season RM do that to every team they come across. They would destroy LA ligas 6th best by an even greater margin.

THe exact same as happened with Man U, Arsenal, City and Chelsea over the seasons too. The PL really isn't much different from any of those leagues.

[mystiroakey]

SR when you read points posted does it sink in. Or do you just skim?

Athletico won LA liga last year but are not the same team today.

Liverpool came second last year but again are depleted and are not the same team.

What do you mean that they don't seem worthy . they are not that team anymore.

Unless you can hand on heart tell me that RM would have smashed the Liverpool of last season then your points are dishonest.

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