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.

[Hammersmith harrier]

Rooney scores but that block by Smalling is different class.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Actual scream for

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONEY

[NickisBHAFC]

Lovely goal by United.

[Hero]

Cracks with paper over them spring to mind right now.

[compelling and rich]

yeah fact still remains that this is still terrible to watch and all that has happened is rooney whos been poor all game has got himself few more games in the team

but least were winning and scored one whole goal!!

[Hammersmith harrier]

We played better tonight than we have in the past few games, just need to sort out that final ball.

[Guest]

New boys starting to hit form for Man City - Sterling and Bony. Can't see beyond Man City for the Premiership. Man City now qualified for the next stage of the Champions League.

LVG doing enough to get results. Looks like Man Utd will be joining them in the next stage too, although more work to be done.

[Ent]

At least we won and scored, hopefully a bit of pressure off.

Still think line up needs altered.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

So City are through and United top their group.

I thought the premier league was meant to be awful

[GSC]

Is United topping that group really that impressive. Major beneficiaries of UEFA changing the seeding

[Guest]

It seems LVG main focus is defence and "control" of the game.

[Guest]

united should be topping that group, it's not impressive at all, especially when you take into account their rivals lost key players that got them into the competition group stage in the first place. psv lost wijnaldum & depay & cska are god awful, especially away from home. de bruyne leaving wolfsburg, again aided united. united's performances are nothing but papering over the cracks. the group stages have little quality, the competition doesn't get exciting or even to a standard to represent the best of european football, until at the least the QF's, when the garbage has finally been knocked out.

[GSC]

Benzema arrested for blackmailing a fellow international with a sex tape (supposedly Valbueana)

As you were

[socal1976]

Its going to be very tough for Arsenal against Bayern, Bayern won't be surprised this time around by dogged defending and waiting to pick them off on the counter. Plus I think it hurts us that we have no pace up top with Walcott and I think Ox out as well. This will help Bayern press us high up the pitch as they don't have to worry about the pace. Plus Bellerin is hurt as well so again more problems out wide where Bayern are so good in the attack with Costa and Arjen "Louganis" Robben.

Still I think we can wrap them up, the key will be not to give up an early goal and close them down hope for something on a set piece or counter. But very concerned that the pace was what hurt them last time and almost all our fast wide guys are hurt for this one. Not putting it passed us to get a result or win but this will be a very tough test.

[GSC]

You'll get thrashed

[Dolphin Ziggler]

So City are through and United top their group.

I thought the premier league was meant to be awful

Damned if you do, damned if you dont

[Guest]

1-0 Lewandowski

[Hero]

Arsenal being torn a new one in Munich.

[Jermaine2015]

Excellent performance from FC Bayern tonight, some of the recent performances have been pretty average. Alaba with a superb strike.

[Hero]

If this was a boxing match the ref would have stopped the fight by now.

[Jermaine2015]

It's a drubbing!

[Guest]

not a surprising result. Given the injuries, the state of play in the group & the position arsenal find themselves in the premier league, think heads were not in this comp. anymore.

[Guest]

ending up in the europa league though, does them no favours either, so don't buy that really. they just came up against a quality side.

[monty junior]

So City are through and United top their group.

I thought the premier league was meant to be awful

I think that was more off last season and the 5/6 losses to start this group stages. Things have turned round since, they won't go past the quarters but they are beating the inferior teams now.

[monty junior]

united should be topping that group, it's not impressive at all, especially when you take into account their rivals lost key players that got them into the competition group stage in the first place. psv lost wijnaldum & depay & cska are god awful, especially away from home. de bruyne leaving wolfsburg, again aided united. united's performances are nothing but papering over the cracks. the group stages have little quality, the competition doesn't get exciting or even to a standard to represent the best of european football, until at the least the QF's, when the garbage has finally been knocked out.

Exactly i don't know why it is probably the seeding system and the "champions route" but there are so many rubbish groups this season. PSV as a top seed is an absolute farce, they need to change that, the Dutch league is atrocious! Talking of Wolfsburg they lost Perisic too to Inter and really haven't replaced any of them, Draxler is nothing on De Bruyne yet and they can't score unlike last year.

I'd so much rather have had teams like Lazio and Sporting in than some of the absolute dross that get's in through the champions route. Least it wasn't Celtic with Ambrose and Boyata manning the defense

[NickisBHAFC]

Cheers Arsenal for letting England down.

Much needed win for Chelsea, think they will easily get out the group.

[GSC]

You'll get thrashed

Yup

[Guest]

You'll get thrashed

Yup

Not a difficult prediction, given Bayern's home record. That outcome wasn't a surprise, for me. Injuries, state of play in the group & the domestic league now a possibility, meant Arsenal heads were unlikely to be committed to this. Bet a few players had their eyes on Tottenham this weekend, instead of the Bayern game, given the fact the PL, is now seen as the priority for them.

[GSC]

Its Bayern in the Allianz fella. Only trips to the Bernabeu or Camp Nou are bigger in club football right now.

If you cant get motivated for that, when will you.

[Guest]

If you look at the circumstances, think you will understand fella. Even Liverpool did the same at Madrid.

[GSC]

Yes, because Brendan Rodgers is a shining example of how to execute a European and Domestic campaign in parallel.

Arsenal beat Bayern in their last meeting, had to win to keep their destiny in their own hands and are playing in one of the biggest stages in Europe, motivation should have not been an issue.

[GSC]

Benzema under a formal investigation for blackmail.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

If you look at the circumstances, think you will understand fella. Even Liverpool did the same at Madrid.

Even the holy Liverpool?! I'd rather than was seen as the embarrassment that endorses the rule.

Arsenal got trashed because they were not good enough, not because they are focusing on the league.

[NickisBHAFC]

Tottenham and Liverpool winning tonight.

Almost a clean sweep, thanks a lot Arsenal.!

[Guest]

Olympiacos have been put to bed after 21 minutes

[NickisBHAFC]

Arsenal and Chelsea 1-0 up. Lovely stuff.

[Fernando]

2-0 Arsenal

All down to the match in Greece if stays like this. Would be the jammiest getting out of the group in CL history Really don't deserve to.

[Guest]

Can see Arsenal probably doing it, but then getting Barcelona or something & just going out anyway.

Two clear teams, just on another level in this competition, the rest are pretty much making up the numbers.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Man United are making Mourinho's recent sides look sexy

[compelling and rich]

f%*king awful! no attacking threat whatsoever

[GSC]

City come up short against Europes best consistently when it counts.

As for United, its same old LVG's United side, take no risks, never press on the gas pedal. Must wear thin after a while. Sort of like a richer mans Tony Pulis in regards to substance over style.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Probably gonna have to win away at Wolfsburg to qualify. Certainly have to to top a weak group.

If they lose to Leicester and then get knocked out of the CL he has got to be close to the edge

[GSC]

Tbh I'd be surprised. Still on track to be in and around the title shakeup, steady after David Moyes.

[GSC]

United will top the group only if they win.

If PSV better their result, they will go through at Uniteds expense.

In United favour, Wolfsburg only need a draw so may play with the handbrake on somewhat to avoid losing.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

I generally like Man United, but I hope they don't go through. The coefficient be damned, this team don't deserve to succeed like this.

[Hero]

United will top the group only if they win.

If PSV better their result, they will go through at Uniteds expense.

In United favour, Wolfsburg only need a draw so may play with the handbrake on somewhat to avoid losing.

Utd are permanently playing with the handbrake on nowadays.

[compelling and rich]

Probably gonna have to win away at Wolfsburg to qualify. Certainly have to to top a weak group.

If they lose to Leicester and then get knocked out of the CL he has got to be close to the edge

The thing is he's losing the fans and quickly with these God awful performances, and once you lose the fans there's no going back. Most United fans I know don't want him. And it's hard to blame them, this season alone I've seen 4/5 worse games ive ever seen for United, especially at home. City, boro, cska and psv just to name a few

[daraghj82]

Probably gonna have to win away at Wolfsburg to qualify. Certainly have to to top a weak group.

If they lose to Leicester and then get knocked out of the CL he has got to be close to the edge

The thing is he's losing the fans and quickly with these God awful performances, and once you lose the fans there's no going back. Most United fans I know don't want him. And it's hard to blame them, this season alone I've seen 4/5 worse games ive ever seen for United, especially at home. City, boro, cska and psv just to name a few

I agree the only thing that's saving him atm is that utd are in 2nd place in the pl, their play is so predictable and pedestrian at times

[Guest]

The only thing saving him, is the god awful PL & how all their usual rivals, having gone backwards or stagnated. He won't be sacked though, his tactics are embarrassingly succeeding in this supposed great domestic league & a top 4 will be achieved with ease. I doubt the Glazers are actually even judging him on Europe, given the state of the squad & how far behind they are, to the likes of Barca/Bayern. Fan power might get him out this summer, but I doubt it.

[compelling and rich]

Rooney nominated for fifpro world 11

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