UEFA Champions and Europa League 2015/16 Thread

[Dolphin Ziggler]

First topic message reminder :

It begins for the English today as West Ham face FC Lusitans in front of a sold out Upton Park this evening. The team will be a bit mixed. Randolph, O'Brien, Tomkins, Burke, Page. Jarvis, Oxford, Poyet, Amalfitano. Zarate, Sakho.

[Guest]

Atletico Madrid reach the final & Pep doesn't

[Jermaine2015]

FC Bayern's decision to force Jupp Heynckes out has backfired. Guardiola with unlimited funds couldn't win the CL. Let's hope Carlo can show Pep how it's done...Very annoyed!

[GSC]

Aware the usual crowd will be out, is Pep supposed to take the penalties for Bayern?

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Huge congratulations to Atletico - thoroughly deserved, Simeone will divide opinion but I personally think he's great

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Aware the usual crowd will be out, is Pep supposed to take the penalties for Bayern?

But but winning the CL is a cakewalk.......

[Hammersmith harrier]

He's taken the dominant team in Europe and made them also rans, they have gone backwards during his tenure.

[Guest]

Aware of the anti-pep brigade, but really no defence for him, given the fact he's failed to even reach the final in three consecutive years. Still a top manager, but this will stick & he has to take it on the chin, just as Jose has done with his failures.

[Hammersmith harrier]

It doesn't help when a novice manager like Enrique won the treble with Barcelona last season.

[Ent]

Pep has failed by his own high standards but the cl is very difficult to win.

[kingraf]

Aware of the anti-pep brigade, but really no defence for him, given the fact he's failed to even reach the final in three consecutive years. Still a top manager, but this will stick & he has to take it on the chin, just as Jose has done with his failures.

Lettuce be real. Three successive years in the semi finals is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. Only Real have made the semis as consistently as Bayern in the last three years. Barca, with their novice managers, made one semi (fair play they went on to win it). Fergie only made it to five or six Champions league semi finals. Three Bundesliga titles, two of which were by record breaking margins and three deep CL runs qualifies as a success by any definition. The CL would have been the cherry for sure. Or maybe another layer to the cake, but its still an impressive cake.

[kingraf]

Anyway the real story should rightly be Atletico. They've taken out two Super teams and have a favourable record against Madrid in the last two seasons. This could be the year the Big Ears goes to the Calderon. they surely can't keep Griezmann any longer, surely? What a little magician he is. elevates an otherwise mundane side to possible greatness

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Kompany injured


Any chance city had has now gone

[Guest]

Real Madrid 1-0 Man City - Gareth Bale

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Have city even had a shot on target?

[Hero]

Did the City players realise that was a CL semi final match in Madrid or did they think they were on a training ground pre season?

[GSC]

They'll be disappointed. Never really went for it.

But being disappointed with a 1-0 aggregate loss against Real Madrid in a CL semi final is a sign of how far they've come.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Now let's hope they're demoralised for the weekend and go to pots without Kompany

[Hammersmith harrier]

Aware of the anti-pep brigade, but really no defence for him, given the fact he's failed to even reach the final in three consecutive years. Still a top manager, but this will stick & he has to take it on the chin, just as Jose has done with his failures.

Lettuce be real. Three successive years in the semi finals is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. Only Real have made the semis as consistently as Bayern in the last three years. Barca, with their novice managers, made one semi (fair play they went on to win it). Fergie only made it to five or six Champions league semi finals. Three Bundesliga titles, two of which were by record breaking margins and three deep CL runs qualifies as a success by any definition. The CL would have been the cherry for sure. Or maybe another layer to the cake, but its still an impressive cake.

Heynckes still would have won it again with that Bayern team, the Bundesliga is the least competitive league in Europe so hardly a great achievement is it, simply put the team have gone backwards under Pep.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Heynckes would win have won it again is a pretty bold statement considering they didn't look like an all conquering side for great lengths of time before that year. And with no one retaining the thing it makes you think he wouldn't have won it the year after that's for sure

[GSC]

Heynckes is suddenly Clough/SAFs lovechild when it comes to discussions of Pep in Europe

[Hero]

Aware of the anti-pep brigade, but really no defence for him, given the fact he's failed to even reach the final in three consecutive years. Still a top manager, but this will stick & he has to take it on the chin, just as Jose has done with his failures.

Lettuce be real. Three successive years in the semi finals is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. Only Real have made the semis as consistently as Bayern in the last three years. Barca, with their novice managers, made one semi (fair play they went on to win it). Fergie only made it to five or six Champions league semi finals. Three Bundesliga titles, two of which were by record breaking margins and three deep CL runs qualifies as a success by any definition. The CL would have been the cherry for sure. Or maybe another layer to the cake, but its still an impressive cake.

Heynckes still would have won it again with that Bayern team, the Bundesliga is the least competitive league in Europe so hardly a great achievement is it, simply put the team have gone backwards under Pep.

Least competitive?
When was it that PSG were crowned French champions this season? March?

[Ent]

Pep was brought in to make Bayern the dominant force in Europe, it was a lofty ambition but he has ultimately failed.

Now it is very difficult to dominate Europe, this doesn't make him a bad manager but by his high standards he has failed.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

I'd imagine he was brought in with more than one specific target in mind. Maintaining high standards is as hard, or harder, than achieving them in the first place. Ranieri will certainly be feeling that soon

[Ent]

Did he maintain them? Bayern made the cl final in 2012 then won it (as part of a treble) in 2013, he didn't manage to make a final despite having huge investment in an already record breaking side.

Bayern made 3/4 finals from 10-13.

He is a very good manager and was set a difficult task he didn't achieve.

Only have to wait and see wether he is a great manager as he takes charge of a team needing rebuilt in a tough league in a few months.

[Guest]

Did he maintain them? Bayern made the cl final in 2012 then won it (as part of a treble) in 2013, he didn't manage to make a final despite having huge investment in an already record breaking side.

Bayern made 3/4 finals from 10-13.

He is a very good manager and was set a difficult task he didn't achieve.

Only have to wait and see wether he is a great manager as he takes charge of a team needing rebuilt in a tough league in a few months.

Thought he was going to City not Utd!!!!!!

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Did he maintain them? Bayern made the cl final in 2012 then won it (as part of a treble) in 2013, he didn't manage to make a final despite having huge investment in an already record breaking side.

Bayern made 3/4 finals from 10-13.

He is a very good manager and was set a difficult task he didn't achieve.

Only have to wait and see wether he is a great manager as he takes charge of a team needing rebuilt in a tough league in a few months.

I think you're looking too black and white.

[dancingweeman]

I think the Bayern owners/fans will look back on the Pep era and be a bit underwhelmed.

I think domestic success is becoming as much of a given for Bayern as it is for Celtic (not quite, but not far off) & they would have hoped for 1 (or more) champions league wins, so i think they'll be disappointed to not even reach final.

[Hero]

Did he maintain them? Bayern made the cl final in 2012 then won it (as part of a treble) in 2013, he didn't manage to make a final despite having huge investment in an already record breaking side.

Bayern made 3/4 finals from 10-13.

He is a very good manager and was set a difficult task he didn't achieve.

Only have to wait and see wether he is a great manager as he takes charge of a team needing rebuilt in a tough league in a few months.

Thought he was going to City not Utd!!!!!!

That City side needs as much if not more work on it than Utd's, the average age of the team is far older.

[GSC]

Domestic success wasn't quite a given for Bayern when Pep took over. Hadn't they won 1 in 3?

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Did he maintain them? Bayern made the cl final in 2012 then won it (as part of a treble) in 2013, he didn't manage to make a final despite having huge investment in an already record breaking side.

Bayern made 3/4 finals from 10-13.

He is a very good manager and was set a difficult task he didn't achieve.

Only have to wait and see wether he is a great manager as he takes charge of a team needing rebuilt in a tough league in a few months.

Thought he was going to City not Utd!!!!!!

That City side needs as much if not more work on it than Utd's, the average age of the team is far older.

But they seem far better. I'd say the City job looks easier, although if City somehow screw it up and don't qualify for next year's champions league then it'll be different

[Ent]

Domestic success wasn't quite a given for Bayern when Pep took over. Hadn't they won 1 in 3?

Aye but he left a team that had something ridiculous like record wins, points, clean sheets, goals etc

The players he has added to that squad has made it ridiculous.

[Hero]

Did he maintain them? Bayern made the cl final in 2012 then won it (as part of a treble) in 2013, he didn't manage to make a final despite having huge investment in an already record breaking side.

Bayern made 3/4 finals from 10-13.

He is a very good manager and was set a difficult task he didn't achieve.

Only have to wait and see wether he is a great manager as he takes charge of a team needing rebuilt in a tough league in a few months.

Thought he was going to City not Utd!!!!!!

That City side needs as much if not more work on it than Utd's, the average age of the team is far older.

But they seem far better. I'd say the City job looks easier, although if City somehow screw it up and don't qualify for next year's champions league then it'll be different

Currently though I look at the City side and there's Aguero, De Bruyne, Iheanacho, Sterling and Hart that I can see Pep wanting to keep long term, the rest is either aging or not good enough.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Ageing however doesnt mean they need to be jettisoned. He'll probably think Otamendi is worth persevering with, so it'll be whether he works with Komany and Mangala or goes big, with Laporte seeming likely. Then Gundogan.

You take Hart, Otamendi, Kompany, Fernandinho, Sterling, Aguero, De Bruyne and I think he'll use Silva too. With their money and the reputation the club has now, combined with Pep's reputation it doesnt seem too scary a job.

[Guest]

Can't see Laporte going to the Etihad, not after his broken leg & dislocated ankle, just this March. Laporte won't be fit for pre-season apparently & then throwing him into the PL, at his age, looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Still think it will be Stones, who's accomstomed to the demands.

[hampo17]

At his age? Lad is 21, hardly over the hill is he.

[hampo17]

Own goal, but I really don't care

[hampo17]

Ref has had a shocker there, Suarez barged Sturridge in the back no foul, Clynne misses both ball and man yet he gets booked because that naughty naughty boy Soldado goes down like a girl.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Who do Liverpool have on the bench? Surely gotta get Lallana off at HT

[hampo17]

The only one to change him with would be Ibe, and honestly he's about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Ya that's like choosing between cutting off your leg or arm lol

[hampo17]

Get in!

[hampo17]

So happy we didn't take him off

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Well, I think luck was there tonight cos Moreno has pushed that fella over in the box, but its otherwise fully deserved

[hampo17]

Based on some of the stuff the ref let go, if he'd given that it would have been overly harsh. Thought the player was looking for a reason to go down as well.

But who cares

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

So happy we didn't take him off

Even I couldn't have missed that!

[hampo17]

I would have backed Ibe to miss it though!

[Crimey]

Lallana does a lot of unrewarding work for the team, it's always really noticeable when he's off the pitch, he's so good at pressing, him and Firmino in particular have a great knack of stealing the ball high up the pitch.

Thought it was a really good, professional performance last night. Villarreal players lost their heads really early on I felt, don't know if it was the atmosphere, the early goal or what because they seemed really wound up - Denis Suarez and Soldado in particular. Thought all the Liverpool players did well not to react and to just win the game, pretty comfortably in the end. Think everybody played really well; Coutinho was probably the worst player, but suspect he's not fully fit. Mignolet made that really important save just before the first goal, Sturridge and Firminio were involved in all the goals. Clyne and Moreno stretched the pitch. Lallana and Milner pressed well. Felt like Toure and Lovren always had the strikers under control. Can was the best player on the pitch for me though; to come from nowhere to recover from an injury, play 90 minutes and totally dominate the pitch was fantastic. He's a real talent.

[Guest]

Excellent performance last night. Tried telling my wife that Lallana was having a great game but she was too drunk/too much of a Man Utd fan to grasp what I was saying. She walked off to get another beer, Lallana scores, I look like a f*cking genius, she misses it...typical.

Can was immense and aside from the panic caused by Moreno when he wanders too far upfield, I wouldn't be too surprised if Klopp stuck with that starting 11 for the final. Of course, be just our luck for some c*nt to hack one of our lads down in the last few PL games and scupper our chances.

[Stella]

Do Liverpool gain a CL spot and City miss out, if Liverpool win the final, or will we have 5 teams in the CL next season?

[SirJohnnyEnglish]

Will be 5 spots next year if Liverpool win the Europa.

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