Semi final draw for Champions League

First topic message reminder :

Bayern Munich v Barcelona
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid

Come on Dortmund

One good game and Lewandowski is now the best striker in the world.

Somebody is gonna have to get Pepe some counselling after that #raped

JPX wrote:One good game and Lewandowski is now the best striker in the world.

It's not like that's his first good game.

JPX wrote:One good game and Lewandowski is now the best striker in the world.

One good game?

Come off it, been one of the hottest strikers in Europe this season

Funny I never heard him mentioned much until tonight, only in passing.

SKy going well OTT on him you have to admit.

Two German clubs at Wembley

JPX wrote:Funny I never heard him mentioned much until tonight, only in passing.

SKy going well OTT on him you have to admit.

Just scored 4 in a CL semi, 2 of them great goals.

Think a bit of hype is justified.

He was getting a lot of hype going into Euro 2012, United were strongly linked with him but RVP was available.

The Special Juan wrote:Two German clubs at Wembley

0-0 get your bets on now!!!

I wouldn't rule Madrid out just yet though. Stranger things have happened.

Don't get me wrong he's a good player, just had a great game, but seriously he's now worth £100m and £400,000 a week if you listen to Souness, Redknapp and Ruudy!

but can he do it on a cold winter weekday in Stoke?

kingraf wrote:but can he do it on a cold winter weekday in Stoke?

Probably. He's Polish not South American.

But can he do it on a warm night in Brazil?

This does put Arsenals defeat to Bayern in a better light though. This Bayern team is having an all time great season, easily. Their last 20 games go eighteen wins one draw one loss.

I am however a touch dissapointed at how the matche have been billed "the teams (Germany) vs the superstars (Spanish)" its a pretty blatant misrepresentation, Schweinsteiger, Alaba, Lahm, Robben and Ribery, are a little more then capable team players. While Gotze, Lewandoski Hummels et al are also pretty elite.

kingraf wrote:I am however a touch dissapointed at how the matche have been billed "the teams (Germany) vs the superstars (Spanish)" its a pretty blatant misrepresentation, Schweinsteiger, Alaba, Lahm, Robben and Ribery, are a little more then capable team players. While Gotze, Lewandoski Hummels et al are also pretty elite.

I actually think it's a compliment, Real Madrid and even Barcelona arguably have become a group of superstars who try and work independent of each other and don't have the cohesion and teamwork of the German sides.

Although that is still a misrepresentation, I think it is supposed to be a compliment. It's not true though as Barcelona is clearly very much a team, even their big name signings tend to be players who are returning after being sold as youngsters or people like Villa who have played with the players in the Spanish side and Real Madrid's players have played together since about 2010 with not many new players being added since so in modern terms they are very much a team while Bayern have made huge money signings like Martinez, Gomez etc. so could be seen as a group of superstars thrown together.

I think English press just have a problem with giving German players (and teams) their dues. Much easier to admit that their a wonderfully organised team, than it is to say the are superior players.

When Southgate said in pre-match at Arsenal vs Bayern that the Munich team don't have any world class players that really riled me. I am a big fan of the Bundesliga and it's great to see what's happening. Jurgen Klopp is one of the best managers in world football and the Bayern Munich team is going to be so strong next season. Then you look at other quality teams throughout, like Schalke, Bayer 04.

What is good about them is that they have a lot of German talent in all of these sides, something you don't see in the English game. Which is why the German national team is thriving and I expect to win the World Cup soon. Man United aside, none of the top PL sides have many English players in.

Ronaldo didn't even play bad, it was his team that was terrible, everything was so predictable, when he got the ball he was surrounded. he also did decent when he was on the ball, Madrid team played so poorly

onlytreblewinners wrote:When Southgate said in pre-match at Arsenal vs Bayern that the Munich team don't have any world class players that really riled me. I am a big fan of the Bundesliga and it's great to see what's happening. Jurgen Klopp is one of the best managers in world football and the Bayern Munich team is going to be so strong next season. Then you look at other quality teams throughout, like Schalke, Bayer 04.

What is good about them is that they have a lot of German talent in all of these sides, something you don't see in the English game. Which is why the German national team is thriving and I expect to win the World Cup soon. Man United aside, none of the top PL sides have many English players in.

Easily the strongest team in England - City have bigger names and better team on paper though, but as a team United are superior in my opinion

chelsea used to have a decent proportion of Englishmen. But yeah United as a team were sensational this year, I think they won it in Nov/Dec where they would have dropped like 10 points if games ended in 80 minutes. Fergie also rates this vintage very highly, and he deserves to, I dont think they are as good as the 2008 vintage, or the '99, but they are very good. Chelsea by comparison, lost it after they played united, that was an atrocious six weeks from that defeat, to losing to West Ham.

Its kind of scary how good these German teams teams were, they just took out two teams which make up the entire World XI an aggregate of 8-1!

JPX wrote:Funny I never heard him mentioned much until tonight, only in passing.

SKy going well OTT on him you have to admit.

Take it you haven't watched much of them in the Bundesliga or champions league? He's the top scorer in the league and already had 6 in the champions league. Great player.

onlytreblewinners wrote:When Southgate said in pre-match at Arsenal vs Bayern that the Munich team don't have any world class players that really riled me. I am a big fan of the Bundesliga and it's great to see what's happening. Jurgen Klopp is one of the best managers in world football and the Bayern Munich team is going to be so strong next season. Then you look at other quality teams throughout, like Schalke, Bayer 04.

What is good about them is that they have a lot of German talent in all of these sides, something you don't see in the English game. Which is why the German national team is thriving and I expect to win the World Cup soon. Man United aside, none of the top PL sides have many English players in.

Southgate's a clown though, reminded me of before the Germany England match in 2010 when "no German players would get in to the England team" when it was really the other way around. Bayern have plenty of world class players but more importantly play as a team.

monty junior wrote:Take it you haven't watched much of them in the Bundesliga

Nah, boring as hell.

It's kind of amusing to hear all these sweeping statements about how the Bundesliga and German football is now the best league and nation in Europe, on the back of a couple of decent results.

Just switch on Adrian Durham, he knows what he's talking about.

JPX wrote:It's kind of amusing to hear all these sweeping statements about how the Bundesliga and German football is now the best league and nation in Europe, on the back of a couple of decent results.

Just switch on Adrian Durham, he knows what he's talking about.

Very true, wasn't La Liga the best league at the start of this season? Just wait for some sort of domination to start before we talk about them being the best league and nation.

JPX wrote:

monty junior wrote:Take it you haven't watched much of them in the Bundesliga

Nah, boring as hell.

Quite the opposite, this season granted has been one sided but usually it's the most competitive of all the top European league.

If Mourinho doesn't win the CL, will his few years at Real Madrid be branded a failure?

With the ridiculous amount of money he's been given then yes, frankly despite reaching three consecutive semi's i never saw them as anything other than outsiders to win. Too individualist, a bit disjointed and really lack a leader, especially without Casillas.

I'd say no.

Sure he didn't land the big one, but hes turned Madrid back in a contender after years of last 16 failure. He also reeled in the best team of this era.

This year was supposed to be the.year for Madrid. We caught Barca last year, and this was supposed to be the year we Pulled away.
Ronaldo, Benzema, Higuain were the best trio in world football, Casillas was the best keeper, Ramos had matured, and Pepe was the last defender who put the fear of God into strikers. Even Ozil was being seriously measured up to Iniesta.

I think the real problem is that Mourinho insulates teams and turns them into a family, with an Us Against the World mentality. Madridistas, by virtue of being the greatest club in the world called bull shirt.

It's entirely possible that Madrid can win this match 3-0 but I don't think they'll keep a clean sheet and I fancy Dortmund to go through by two goals. Madrid on the night, Dortmund for the tie.

Dortmund on the night 2-1.

Unbeaten all the way to the final

Evening all, can I join the chat, I've had just about all I can take of motormouth "I should know, I've played the game" Ray Houghton on TalkSport....................sheesh, boring as hell.

Madrid to win 4-1, win on pens!!!! Hope so anyway, the way Dortmund celebrated after the first leg as though they ahad already won the tie was very disrespectful.

dortmund and bayern double at 20/1. pound on that thank you very much

lets hope real realise there is an enlgish ref tonight

One touch too many for Higuain and good save by Weidenfeller.

Big chance

Come on Real we need a goal!!!

i assume casillas is still inj?

Nailed on penalty!!!!!!

no

yes - Harold has had his orders by the looks of it.

Lewandowski's been pretty average so far, thought he was the new superstar of European football????

amazing how well madrid players can carry the balls at pace and keeping the balls so close to them

That's it Harold, he'll send a Madrid player off as soon as he can.

yes ramos, a stamp. hes the most desperate player ive ever seen

Well, looks like it will be an all German team final, finish the sentence:

That will be as _ _ _ _ _ _ /_ _ /_ _ _ _

a rather fantastic final?

too many letters Jamses

Sitter missed by Lewandowski, what a player.