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

[lfc91]

On another day the Lallana shot from the neat turn on the edge of the box hits the back of the net and Liverpool draw. However, that didn't happen. What did happen is a 1-0 victory for Madrid. Why try to debate potential outcomes or what certain people THINK the outcome could have been on another day, when you can discuss an actual outcome?

To be honest I think the improvements being highlighted by LFC fans may be more clear to us from watching how poor they have been week in week out. If somebody just tuned in for the Madrid matches and saw no notable improvements, then that is their opinion and fair enough. If some people saw an improvement, fair play, that again is their opinion.

Bottom line for me was a better than expected performances/result, and a few players who in my opinion earned a starting berth come Saturday.

[kingraf]

We could of course discuss the outcome. But that's rather boring.
Madrid won
Benzema scored
Modric and kroos ran the game
Ronaldo was below par.
Rodríguez was a little invisible
Marcelo basically had the entire left flank to himself (I'm not even sure who was playing right back tbh).
Arbeloa continues to have the attacking threat of a blunt stencil
Ramos earned a yellow card
Varane looked composed. Certainly better than he's looked for a while.
Another clean sheet for the defense. Think it's think it's five from six or something.
Casillas wasn't booed, which is always nice.
Bale came back.
Isco might not have done enough to warrant retention. Takes way too many touches, but makes up for it with hard work, and X-factor.

Overall I though we were alright. Certainly not our best performance, and a better team might have profited, but luckily Liverpool decided they'd already lost on Sunday.

As for Liverpool, to be fair, I thought they sorta kinda started coming into it in the second half, but then they brought Gerrard. After that the game was a little damp, Benzema missed a bit of a sitter, Think Kolo went on a bit of a run, and Sterling made the most of his abbreviated audition by outpacing and then outmuscling Ronaldo. Anyway Gerrard, slow. He doesn't have the legs to be the DM in a team with 40% of the ball.

[lfc91]

May well be boring RAF, but I find it makes things much clearer when discussing football to discuss what the actual outcome was rather than the whole could have/should have scenario(which i'm sick even thinking about as a liverpool fan.

Positives for me from a liverpool perspective (excluding whats already been mentioned).
-The defense looked relatively solid(compared to what it has been).
-Can played well in the middle (ran out of steam in the second half and was rightly replaced).
- Markovic for the first time looked closer to being worth 20mil (isn't hard considering up until now he looked closer to 20p). Still a LONG way to go mind.
-The 'first team' got a kick up the backside, with the likes of Ballo and Lovren missing out on what could end up being the biggest game of the season (Up until now there was no repercussions for poor performance, just sent back out the next match for more of the same).
-Borini has SURELY guaranteed a starting spot on saturday. He did absolutley everything better than Ballotelli. Held it up, relieved pressure, ran his socks of, tried to bring other players into the game by actually passing. No real chances to score but seeing as Ballotelli has 1 goal in about 11 games, hes not exactly putting pressure on Borini in that respect.

[Duty281]

I fail to see any improvements or positives Liverpool can take away from last night, bar the performance of Mignolet. The defence was as atrocious as ever - Toure was like a little boy lost in a vast metropolis for most of the night - chance creation was woeful and, worst of all, Madrid never even got out of first gear and still cruised.

A more justified result would have been 3 or 4 nil to Madrid. Indeed, if Ronaldo had one of his usual good nights, rather than one of his average ones, the result would have been in that vicinity.

I cannot begin to imagine how players like Henderson and Sterling must be feeling now: they have lost their chance of starting in a big night at the Bernabeu, all for the sake of a game four days later. Watching their manager pathetically surrender is hardly going to inspire them.

I fail to see how Basel will have any problems in beating Liverpool at Anfield, and I would not be surprised to see Ludogorets nick a point.

[lfc91]

Personally i think if we are going to slip up (likely based on form) it will be against Ludogorets away. Based on what i saw in our games against both, for me, Ludogorets away represents a harder task then Basel at Anfield. All just a matter of opinion of course.

[Guest]

I fail to see any improvements or positives Liverpool can take away from last night, bar the performance of Mignolet. The defence was as atrocious as ever - Toure was like a little boy lost in a vast metropolis for most of the night - chance creation was woeful and, worst of all, Madrid never even got out of first gear and still cruised.

A more justified result would have been 3 or 4 nil to Madrid. Indeed, if Ronaldo had one of his usual good nights, rather than one of his average ones, the result would have been in that vicinity.

I cannot begin to imagine how players like Henderson and Sterling must be feeling now: they have lost their chance of starting in a big night at the Bernabeu, all for the sake of a game four days later. Watching their manager pathetically surrender is hardly going to inspire them.

I fail to see how Basel will have any problems in beating Liverpool at Anfield, and I would not be surprised to see Ludogorets nick a point.

Must be how Wenger felt watching his team

[lfc91]

To be honest, at this point there would be no combination of results from those 2 games that would surprise me. Anywhere from 2 wins to 2 defeats is plausible.

[kingraf]

Tbh, I can see you dropping points at Ludogrets. Basel lost there, and we only just about made it out with three points. Plus they are still in with a chance of qualification.

[lfc91]

Finally, something we can agree on RAF

[Guest]

Most likely scenario is 2 comfortable wins and Basle getting something from their game with Madrid to pip us at the post.

Anyway, all this talk about putting out the first team and going for the win is lovely but truth is, Rodgers knew full well that going for the win would leave us totally exposed and we'd have been killed on the counter. There's no way he wanted to have us going in 3-0 at half time again. Better to keep it tight and try nick something at the death....after all that's all Jose did at Anfield but he's a genius by all accounts (depsite coming third last year)

[monty junior]

There's nothing at all likely about Liverpool getting "two comfortable wins" they look completely out of their depth at this level and considering how fortunate at home they were against Ludogorets they will do well to get 4 points.

[Guest]

Yeah, that comfortable home win vs Basle at Anfield is the one I'm looking forward too. Think Chelsea & Mourinho had the same idea last season at Stamford Bridge

[Hero]

Didn't realise City had to play their home game v Moscow behind closed doors as well.

[Fernando]

Bayern Mun1 - 0Roma
HT
Man City1 - 2CSKA
HT
Ajax0 - 1Barcelona
HT
Paris St G1 - 0Apoel Nic
HT
NK Maribor0 - 0Chelsea
HT
Sporting1 - 1Schalke
HT
Ath Bilbao0 - 0FC Porto
HT
Shakt Donsk1 - 0BATE Bor
HT

[kingraf]

City suck monkey balls in Europe.

[Guest]

Pathetic isn't it. Like a morgue at the Etihad. Clichy is so bad it's laughable & I'm sure Navas will be back in Spain, come the summer.

[kingraf]

Christ Bayern are good. Gonna be hard to stop.

[Fernando]

Citeh down to 10

[Fernando]

CSKA escape a red card after ref books wrong player

[Fernando]

Citeh down to 9 men after Yaya gets sent off like a muppet

[Guest]

This is comical!!!!!!!!

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

I thought the arsenal meltdown last night was good yet somehow city have topped it!

[The Special Juan]

City are the anti-Dortmund this year. Good in the league, woeful in the CL! I don't think there's a neutral in Britain who wants them to do well either.

[Hero]

Think they're trying to fill their empty stands with players.

[kingraf]

That should be red for Nasri. It's even worse than the rooney kick out.

[Fernando]

Nasri the lesbian kicks out at Eremenko - No card

[kingraf]

What an embarrassing week... Liverpool might genuinely have been the best English team on display

[Fernando]

Aguero booked for diving and he's actually right the ref

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Think they're trying to fill their empty stands with players.

Should post it on facebook mate, someone might laugh there...oh wait

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Thats a clear penalty

[Fernando]

Now that looks more a penalty...

[Fernando]

FT Citeh 1-2 CSKA - 68 year old man Doumbia sinks the Citizens (i don't get that nickname)

[Fernando]

Citeh now have to beat Bayern and hope Roma/CSKA draw to stay in CL

[Ent]

City are just an embarrassment.

BOGOF for a huge CL clash.

No atmosphere.

Poor performance.

Two red cards.

Toure.

Nasri.

Aguero diving.

Just embarrassing.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

The biggest cheer of the night was when they were clapping yaya toure for being sent off!!!!

[monty junior]

Gael Clichy's defending for the first goal 

[NickisBHAFC]

Makes me happy that City have screwed up the Champions league again. Top cocky for my liking.

[TRUSSMAN66]

City are just an embarrassment.

BOGOF for a huge CL clash.

No atmosphere.

Poor performance.

Two red cards.

Toure.

Nasri.

Aguero diving.

Just embarrassing.

Look on the brightside...At least we aren't 10th in the league and at least we were in it.....

All neutrals love Utd...Don't they.

What a wally you are

[Duty281]

Bye-bye Citeh. Pathetic plastic club going nowhere.

[NickisBHAFC]

Tom Cleverley has won more champions league games than man city have in there entire history. Jesus.

[monty junior]

I don't like either but at least United add some atmosphere and determination to the Champions League.

[Hero]

Cannot believe that City were doing a buy one get one free on tickets tonight, I thought they were to be the club supported by people in Manchester and building extra capacity for their fans?

[Dolphin Ziggler]

3rd and 4th in the league gonna qualify and 1st and 2nd arent

[Guest]

Messi now on 71, becomes joint top goal scorer in Champs Lge history with Raul. Ronaldo won't be happy.

[monty junior]

Two years younger too..

[Marco_Marky - Stuffington]

Glad City lost. Terrible club, terrible fans and an all round unlikeable team. Hopefully they'll continue to flop in the league.

[Liam]

City as a club does not have the player mentality to succeed in the champions league. The reason utd did well in fergie's latter years with what people called one of utd's weakest teams is because our mentality was exactly what was required to make it far in the CL. When things got tough, our heads didn't go down and we believed right till the end we could win. City don't have that. No one wanted the ball last night, no one put their hand up and said 'give it to me, let's take the game to them'. Poor club, poor performance. Glad they're basically out.

[Guest]

Should have fielded a weakened side...they'd have got a lot less stick.

[Stella]

Another bad night for our clubs. Not that I watched any of it. I wonder how Southampton will fare next year?

[Duty281]

Corker of a joke on Sickipedia today:

"Nigel Farage would like to congratulate Manchester City on their desire and commitment of getting out of Europe."

Oh how we can all laugh.

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