2014/15 UEFA Champions League Thread

SBSP wrote:Welbeck has more Champions League goals than Liverpool atm.

Still true.

Upsets from this round 

FC Porto (Portugal) 2-1 Athletic Bilbao (Spain)
Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria) 1-0 FC Basel (Switzerland) 
Olympiakos (Greece) 1-0 Juventus (Italy)

SBSP wrote:

SBSP wrote:Welbeck has more Champions League goals than Liverpool atm.

Still true.

Arsenal

If Liverpool and Arsenal reach next season's Champions League the FA should withdraw them and replace the useless cunts with someone who might actually do something with the spot. Arsenal qualify every single year and every single year they do nothing, Liverpool play their Carling Cup team in what should be the biggest game of the night because they are scared. Total fucking disgrace to English football.

What the fuck was that? It's a shame we can't finish 4th and save us the hassle because we'll conceivably get embarrassed by any team in next round of the CL or EL based on these two games against Anderlecht.

ResurrectionRooney wrote:If Liverpool and Arsenal reach next season's Champions League the FA should withdraw them and replace the useless cunts with someone who might actually do something with the spot.  Arsenal qualify every single year and every single year they do nothing, Liverpool play their Carling Cup team in what should be the biggest game of the night because they are scared.  Total fucking disgrace to English football.

Who is going to do better than Liverpool and Arsenal though (assuming Chelsea and ManUtd qualify on their own)?

EDIT: Forgot ManCity

Southampton will give it a go

Andy Najar > Arsenal.

FCB wrote:

ResurrectionRooney wrote:If Liverpool and Arsenal reach next season's Champions League the FA should withdraw them and replace the useless cunts with someone who might actually do something with the spot.  Arsenal qualify every single year and every single year they do nothing, Liverpool play their Carling Cup team in what should be the biggest game of the night because they are scared.  Total fucking disgrace to English football.

Who is going to do better than Liverpool and Arsenal though (assuming Chelsea and ManUtd qualify on their own)?

EDIT: Forgot ManCity

I'd much rather see Spurs get another shot at it than see Arsenal waste a spot and go out in the Last 16 as per.

Jesus Christ Arsenal.

ResurrectionRooney wrote:

FCB wrote:

Who is going to do better than Liverpool and Arsenal though (assuming Chelsea and ManUtd qualify on their own)?

EDIT: Forgot ManCity

I'd much rather see Spurs get another shot at it than see Arsenal waste a spot and go out in the Last 16 as per.

Do you think before you post? The English champions are probably not going to make it out of the group. The only thing Spurs being in the competition would do is bring further disrepute to the Premier League. We're crap, that's our level but so is everyone else in England (excluding Chelsea). At least we avoid humiliation by getting knocked out by teams that are among the best with modest scorelines.

Ra's al Ghul wrote:

ResurrectionRooney wrote:

I'd much rather see Spurs get another shot at it than see Arsenal waste a spot and go out in the Last 16 as per.

Do you think before you post? The English champions are probably not going to make it out of the group. The only thing Spurs being in the competition would do is bring further disrepute to the Premier League. We're crap, that's our level but so is everyone else in England (excluding Chelsea). At least we avoid humiliation by getting knocked out by teams that are among the best with modest scorelines.

At least when Spurs went to the Bernabeu they didn't play their fucking reserves because they were too scared to play the full team - yeah they got smashed but at least they fucking tried. They couldn't possibly bring more disrepute to the Premier League than what Liverpool did tonight or in 1985. As a football club they are disgrace to English football and Brendan Rodgers is a disgrace to the history of Liverpool Football Club itself with what he did tonight. They should be utterly ashamed of themselves.

Arsenal I don't object to quite as much, but seriously what's the point of you entering into the Champions League? You've mounted one decent challenge in about 20 years and even that failed, at some point you should stop getting shot after shot after shot and getting a shitload of money every year as a reward for the failure you specialise in.

ResurrectionRooney wrote:

Ra's al Ghul wrote:

Do you think before you post? The English champions are probably not going to make it out of the group. The only thing Spurs being in the competition would do is bring further disrepute to the Premier League. We're crap, that's our level but so is everyone else in England (excluding Chelsea). At least we avoid humiliation by getting knocked out by teams that are among the best with modest scorelines.

At least when Spurs went to the Bernabeu they didn't play their fucking reserves because they were too scared to play the full team - yeah they got smashed but at least they fucking tried.  They couldn't possibly bring more disrepute to the Premier League than what Liverpool did tonight or in 1985.  As a football club they are disgrace to English football and Brendan Rodgers is a disgrace to the history of Liverpool Football Club itself with what he did tonight.  They should be utterly ashamed of themselves.

Arsenal I don't object to quite as much, but seriously what's the point of you entering into the Champions League?  You've mounted one decent challenge in about 20 years and even that failed, at some point you should stop getting shot after shot after shot and getting a shitload of money every year as a reward for the failure you specialise in.

What's the point of anyone that isn't Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, Chelsea and Atletico entering the Champions League? We're there to make up the numbers, just like the 31 other teams. The day we don't deserve to enter the Champions League is the day someone finishes ahead of us in the league or knocks us out in the playoffs.

I honestly think that the worst thing about us being as bad as we are is that we make brain deficient pricks like Paul Merson seem reasonable. For shame.

Ra's al Ghul wrote:

ResurrectionRooney wrote:

At least when Spurs went to the Bernabeu they didn't play their fucking reserves because they were too scared to play the full team - yeah they got smashed but at least they fucking tried.  They couldn't possibly bring more disrepute to the Premier League than what Liverpool did tonight or in 1985.  As a football club they are disgrace to English football and Brendan Rodgers is a disgrace to the history of Liverpool Football Club itself with what he did tonight.  They should be utterly ashamed of themselves.

Arsenal I don't object to quite as much, but seriously what's the point of you entering into the Champions League?  You've mounted one decent challenge in about 20 years and even that failed, at some point you should stop getting shot after shot after shot and getting a shitload of money every year as a reward for the failure you specialise in.

What's the point of anyone that isn't Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, Chelsea and Atletico entering the Champions League? We're there to make up the numbers, just like the 31 other teams. The day we don't deserve to enter the Champions League is the day someone finishes ahead of us in the league or knocks us out in the playoffs.

Teams like Juventus, United, Inter, PSG, Manchester City, Liverpool pre-Rodgers, Dortmund, etc. actually try to win the competition instead of having their main priority be qualification for the next season so they have more money to make their 4th place slot more secure. Even teams like Spurs when they're in actually enjoy their time in the competition and take some pride in their achievements instead of just whining about correct refereeing decisions when they get knocked out.

Paul Merson usually stumbles all over his words, but when we play shit he does usually absolutely destroy us with reasonable articulation.

ResurrectionRooney wrote:

Ra's al Ghul wrote:

What's the point of anyone that isn't Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, Chelsea and Atletico entering the Champions League? We're there to make up the numbers, just like the 31 other teams. The day we don't deserve to enter the Champions League is the day someone finishes ahead of us in the league or knocks us out in the playoffs.

Teams like Juventus, United, Inter, PSG, Manchester City, Liverpool pre-Rodgers, Dortmund, etc. actually try to win the competition instead of having their main priority be qualification for the next season so they have more money to make their 4th place slot more secure.  Even teams like Spurs when they're in actually enjoy their time in the competition and take some pride in their achievements instead of just whining about correct refereeing decisions when they get knocked out.

What competition are Juventus, City, United and Inter trying to win exactly? The 1st two have been awful in the CL since they've started competing in again and Inter and United are mid table teams that don't even make the EL.

ResurrectionRooney wrote:

Ra's al Ghul wrote:

Do you think before you post? The English champions are probably not going to make it out of the group. The only thing Spurs being in the competition would do is bring further disrepute to the Premier League. We're crap, that's our level but so is everyone else in England (excluding Chelsea). At least we avoid humiliation by getting knocked out by teams that are among the best with modest scorelines.

At least when Spurs went to the Bernabeu they didn't play their fucking reserves because they were too scared to play the full team - yeah they got smashed but at least they fucking tried.  They couldn't possibly bring more disrepute to the Premier League than what Liverpool did tonight or in 1985.  As a football club they are disgrace to English football and Brendan Rodgers is a disgrace to the history of Liverpool Football Club itself with what he did tonight.  They should be utterly ashamed of themselves.

Arsenal I don't object to quite as much, but seriously what's the point of you entering into the Champions League?  You've mounted one decent challenge in about 20 years and even that failed, at some point you should stop getting shot after shot after shot and getting a shitload of money every year as a reward for the failure you specialise in.

Rodgers at least succeeded in limiting the damage, another 3-0 defeat would have hurt our chances in any potential GD tiebreaker with Basel.  Besides, that Spurs side doesn't exist any more-they lost their most exciting players and their manager-but yeah, let's throw out Arsenal to give them another shot at it because they threw caution to the wind and got savaged a few years ago.

ResurrectionRooney wrote:

Ra's al Ghul wrote:

What's the point of anyone that isn't Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, Chelsea and Atletico entering the Champions League? We're there to make up the numbers, just like the 31 other teams. The day we don't deserve to enter the Champions League is the day someone finishes ahead of us in the league or knocks us out in the playoffs.

Teams like Juventus, United, Inter, PSG, Manchester City, Liverpool pre-Rodgers, Dortmund, etc. actually try to win the competition instead of having their main priority be qualification for the next season so they have more money to make their 4th place slot more secure.  Even teams like Spurs when they're in actually enjoy their time in the competition and take some pride in their achievements instead of just whining about correct refereeing decisions when they get knocked out.

Two main points here. Firstly, how does one go about trying to win the competition and how is it different from not trying to win it? Surely all you can do is put out your best eleven and actively pursue the tactic that you feel is best suited to making you get a positive result, no? Don't think we can be accused of ever doing less than that. Even when losing the first leg in all those round of 16 ties we come back with our first eleven and put in respectable performances. Secondly, you've got to be joking with those teams, right? Juventus: out of the group stage last year, obliterated in the quarters the year before. United: haven't done anything relevant since 2011 when they were actually not underdogs at all, managed to get knocked out of the group in 2012. Inter: don't even remember what they did when they were last in the Champions League. PSG: dominate a hilariously easy league and still fail to trouble any of the big sides. City: lmao, their Champions League performances have been beyond embarrassing. Liverpool pre-Rodgers: that's a vastly different era from when the Premier League was genuinely the best in the world, incomparable to our situation. Dortmund is the only team that actively seem to up their game in their Champions League (although it's coming at a cost right now), no other underdogs have actually done anything useful in the Champions League for a long time, with the exception of the inexplicable fluke of Chelsea.

Ra's al Ghul wrote:

ResurrectionRooney wrote:

Teams like Juventus, United, Inter, PSG, Manchester City, Liverpool pre-Rodgers, Dortmund, etc. actually try to win the competition instead of having their main priority be qualification for the next season so they have more money to make their 4th place slot more secure.  Even teams like Spurs when they're in actually enjoy their time in the competition and take some pride in their achievements instead of just whining about correct refereeing decisions when they get knocked out.

Two main points here. Firstly, how does one go about trying to win the competition and how is it different from not trying to win it? Surely all you can do is put out your best eleven and actively pursue the tactic that you feel is best suited to making you get a positive result, no? Don't think we can be accused of ever doing less than that. Even when losing the first leg in all those round of 16 ties we come back with our first eleven and put in respectable performances. Secondly, you've got to be joking with those teams, right? Juventus: out of the group stage last year, obliterated in the quarters the year before. United: haven't done anything relevant since 2011 when they were actually not underdogs at all, managed to get knocked out of the group in 2012. Inter: don't even remember what they did when they were last in the Champions League. PSG: dominate a hilariously easy league and still fail to trouble any of the big sides. City: lmao, their Champions League performances have been beyond embarrassing. Liverpool pre-Rodgers: that's a vastly different era from when the Premier League was genuinely the best in the world, incomparable to our situation. Dortmund is the only team that actively seem to up their game in their Champions League (although it's coming at a cost right now), no other underdogs have actually done anything useful in the Champions League for a long time, with the exception of the inexplicable fluke of Chelsea.

Some teams see their season as a success if they finish fourth. Juve are an ambitious club who want to win the Champions League because they've done all they can in Italy. United have reached two of the last 6 finals and even under Moyes won the group, put up a good fight, produced a stunning comeback (one that actually won the tie instead of an Arsenalesque glorious failure) and reached the Quarter Finals. City, again, they're building something instead of just maintain mediocrity. PSG don't trouble any big sides? Are you on crack? They beat Barcelona about 2 weeks ago. Atletico were underdogs and they very very nearly won it last season.

Arsenal, and every other club, want to win the CL. They are just nowhere near good enough. Thats the difference.

Didn't see the game, but the sense I got was that this Liverpool lineup played better than the main guys. Perhaps some of these guys should be his 1st choice.

ResurrectionRooney wrote:

Ra's al Ghul wrote:

Two main points here. Firstly, how does one go about trying to win the competition and how is it different from not trying to win it? Surely all you can do is put out your best eleven and actively pursue the tactic that you feel is best suited to making you get a positive result, no? Don't think we can be accused of ever doing less than that. Even when losing the first leg in all those round of 16 ties we come back with our first eleven and put in respectable performances. Secondly, you've got to be joking with those teams, right? Juventus: out of the group stage last year, obliterated in the quarters the year before. United: haven't done anything relevant since 2011 when they were actually not underdogs at all, managed to get knocked out of the group in 2012. Inter: don't even remember what they did when they were last in the Champions League. PSG: dominate a hilariously easy league and still fail to trouble any of the big sides. City: lmao, their Champions League performances have been beyond embarrassing. Liverpool pre-Rodgers: that's a vastly different era from when the Premier League was genuinely the best in the world, incomparable to our situation. Dortmund is the only team that actively seem to up their game in their Champions League (although it's coming at a cost right now), no other underdogs have actually done anything useful in the Champions League for a long time, with the exception of the inexplicable fluke of Chelsea.

Some teams see their season as a success if they finish fourth.  Juve are an ambitious club who want to win the Champions League because they've done all they can in Italy.  United have reached two of the last 6 finals and even under Moyes won the group, put up a good fight, produced a stunning comeback (one that actually won the tie instead of an Arsenalesque glorious failure) and reached the Quarter Finals.  City, again, they're building something instead of just maintain mediocrity.  PSG don't trouble any big sides?  Are you on crack?  They beat Barcelona about 2 weeks ago.  Atletico were underdogs and they very very nearly won it last season.

What makes Juventus any more ambitious than Arsenal?  Overcoming a 2 goal deficit against Olympiakos isn't really comparable to the deficits against top teams that Arsenal have mounted.  Of course Manchester City are building something, they've got incredible funding, but they've spent 200m over the past 3 seasons and signed maybe 2 players that have made a substantial difference and haven't gotten any further than Arsenal.  A victory in the group stages, yes, but they have blown it in two consecutive seasons in the knockout rounds.  Atletico won La Liga, they were clearly one of the best teams in Europe. 

Arsenal is just an average team and they get average results in the Champions League, they shouldn't be stripped of their CL status just for that.

Rei Andros wrote:Didn't see the game, but the sense I got was that this Liverpool lineup played better than the main guys. Perhaps some of these guys should be his 1st choice.

We had quite a few players who start regularly in the side-Mignolet, Manquillo, Skrtel, Moreno, Allen, and Lallana all start fairly regularly.  The big thing was finally dropping Gerrard, I think-I only saw the last 30 minutes, granted, but I have heard that our midfield looked much more mobile as a result. We had one decent passing movement when he came on, and he ignored a simple pass out wide to the left and tried an ambitious chip over the top to Borini (against two quick defenders in Ramos and Varane) that he overhit.  Shame.

We didn't offer too much going forward. We defended for most of the game with Borini on his own up front. Toure had a top game. 

Would have been nice to see Balotelli on (2 up front for the last 20mins) instead of Gerrard. Lucas did not need to go off. 

As much as i like Joe Allen, he is not very productive. I think i would have Can starting in midfield ahead of him.

Keyser Söze wrote:

SBSP wrote:
Still true.

Still true.

No Pique for Barcelona.

How is that a yellow card for the Ajax player?

The referee keeps getting in the way of the play too.

City showing that CL winning ambition RR was talking about.

The difference is that Pellegrini will probably be fired for this if he doesn't win the League. Wenger has no pressure on him because Arsenal don't care about failing in the Champions League and they don't care about not winning the league for ten years either.