UEFA Champions League

B-Train

Kennel Immortal
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Messages
32,591
Reaction score
48,171
City 2-0! It's about time they made a UCL final.. Now they have to win it and Pep can reclaim his mantle as the best manager of the last decade plus. (Even if he has only managed superclubs)
 

JayBee

Kennel Legend
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
10,782
Reaction score
4,017
City 2-0! It's about time they made a UCL final.. Now they have to win it and Pep can reclaim his mantle as the best manager of the last decade plus. (Even if he has only managed superclubs)
You cannot question quality.

You might question the bankroll he has had to work with, plus the talent pool he was blessed with.

But Tikka Takka football is something that he has really mastered at all the clubs he has played with and it has showed. Since 2009, he was won 9 league titles with 3 different clubs. Beast
 

B-Train

Kennel Immortal
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Messages
32,591
Reaction score
48,171
You cannot question quality.

You might question the bankroll he has had to work with, plus the talent pool he was blessed with.

But Tikka Takka football is something that he has really mastered at all the clubs he has played with and it has showed. Since 2009, he was won 9 league titles with 3 different clubs. Beast
Yeah he's been blessed with the clubs he's worked at done a good job at all of them.. While he's had an up and down time at City and struggled in the Champions League, this is his chance to further enhance his legacy.
 

JayBee

Kennel Legend
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
10,782
Reaction score
4,017
Yeah he's been blessed with the clubs he's worked at done a good job at all of them.. While he's had an up and down time at City and struggled in the Champions League, this is his chance to further enhance his legacy.
Even the best struggle in the CL. SAF only won 2, and appeared in 4. Mourinho sits on 2.
Ancelotti is on 3. Zidane for me is doing a remarkable job with RM and has won 3.

You have to contend with travel, a larger pool of world class teams, different weather conditions and it’s all about how you adapt.

I believe this will be Peps 3rd CL Final appearance, after taking Bayern twice in 09 and 11.
 

B-Train

Kennel Immortal
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Messages
32,591
Reaction score
48,171
Even the best struggle in the CL. SAF only won 2, and appeared in 4. Mourinho sits on 2.
Ancelotti is on 3. Zidane for me is doing a remarkable job with RM and has won 3.

You have to contend with travel, a larger pool of world class teams, different weather conditions and it’s all about how you adapt.

I believe this will be Peps 3rd CL Final appearance, after taking Bayern twice in 09 and 11.
He also won it twice with Barca. It isn't easy to win, even at the big clubs but that was the sole reason he was signed by City after years of them failing in the CL. Hopefully he wins it this year. If he does, I can see him leaving City soon after as he's always said he won't be at the club for too long.
 

coach

Kennel Legend
Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
11,447
Reaction score
6,504
Man city be heavy favs but anything can happen in a single game
2 legs man city would be 1.01 favourite to advance but a single game anyhting could happen
 

B-Train

Kennel Immortal
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Messages
32,591
Reaction score
48,171
It's great to see Chelsea go through and cool to see an all EPL Champions League final. Like Coach said, City are expected to win but Chelsea have proven they can upset anyone are playing so much better now under Tuchel.
 

dogzofwar

Kennel Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 3, 2014
Messages
2,759
Reaction score
3,327
Man city be heavy favs but anything can happen in a single game
2 legs man city would be 1.01 favourite to advance but a single game anyhting could happen
Would definitely be favourites our finishing let’s us down could have won 5-0
 

B-Train

Kennel Immortal
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Messages
32,591
Reaction score
48,171
That's the second all English CL final in three years and it features four different clubs.

Is it a fluke, a sign of the dominance and spending power of EPL clubs or an indictment on the other leagues and how far the Serie A and other leagues have fallen off?
 

coach

Kennel Legend
Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
11,447
Reaction score
6,504
That's the second all English CL final in three years and it features four different clubs.

Is it a fluke, a sign of the dominance and spending power of EPL clubs or an indictment on the other leagues and how far the Serie A and other leagues have fallen off?
Could be an all English europa final toowith a different English club from last time
Not to mention Chelsea Arsenal final a few years ago
 

JayBee

Kennel Legend
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
10,782
Reaction score
4,017
That's the second all English CL final in three years and it features four different clubs.

Is it a fluke, a sign of the dominance and spending power of EPL clubs or an indictment on the other leagues and how far the Serie A and other leagues have fallen off?
Means nothing for mine, tbh.

All leagues go through ebbs and flows when it comes to the CL. You could argue the indictment part of your statement, but I think it's just the nature of the beast of the Champions League - incredibly tough league to win. Italian teams had a nice little era in the early 00's, followed by English teams (all English final in 08), we had an all German final in 2013, and then its been virtually all Spain since then (carried largely by RM, but Barcelona and AM have also appeared in a couple between them. We also had TWO all Spain Finals in the last 5-6 years.

On todays' game - RM are a spent force, and our mate Perez is going to have to dig deep into his pockets to rejuvenate this squad. They have so many good young players coming through, but it is still very reliant and top heavy when it comes to players over the age of 30. I am not doubting their quality at their age, but when you have Modric, Kroos, Benzema, Hazard, Marcelo - all staples of yesteryear - still almost walk up starts (probably with the exception of Marcelo) for your team, then you're at risk.

Zidane has done a remarkable job getting them to where they are at (SF after a shaky start to their CL campaign) and after this weekend, could be top of the table with a few rounds to go (AM v Barca happens this weekend, and could be a title decider). But this is a big window for them.
 

B-Train

Kennel Immortal
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Messages
32,591
Reaction score
48,171
Means nothing for mine, tbh.

All leagues go through ebbs and flows when it comes to the CL. You could argue the indictment part of your statement, but I think it's just the nature of the beast of the Champions League - incredibly tough league to win. Italian teams had a nice little era in the early 00's, followed by English teams (all English final in 08), we had an all German final in 2013, and then its been virtually all Spain since then (carried largely by RM, but Barcelona and AM have also appeared in a couple between them. We also had TWO all Spain Finals in the last 5-6 years.

On todays' game - RM are a spent force, and our mate Perez is going to have to dig deep into his pockets to rejuvenate this squad. They have so many good young players coming through, but it is still very reliant and top heavy when it comes to players over the age of 30. I am not doubting their quality at their age, but when you have Modric, Kroos, Benzema, Hazard, Marcelo - all staples of yesteryear - still almost walk up starts (probably with the exception of Marcelo) for your team, then you're at risk.

Zidane has done a remarkable job getting them to where they are at (SF after a shaky start to their CL campaign) and after this weekend, could be top of the table with a few rounds to go (AM v Barca happens this weekend, and could be a title decider). But this is a big window for them.
Yeah it's probably a flukey thing as Bayern, Barca, PSG, Real etc will always be up there but for a while there English clubs were struggling to even make the semi finals and all we heard was how great the Bundesliga and La Liga were and now even the non dominant teams like Spurs and Chelsea are making the CL final.

So I'd say it's a bit of both. Flukey in that we won't see too many more all English finals but a sign of the depth of the other leagues slipping with teams that have made the final in recent years like Athletico, Inter, Dortmundt etc not what they once were.

The drop off in the Serie A in the last ten years is the biggest worry. They used to be the strongest league with La Liga and now their teams struggle massively.
 

B-Train

Kennel Immortal
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Messages
32,591
Reaction score
48,171
Now I'm reading that UEFA are considering lengthy UCL bans for clubs that are still yet to distance themselves from the Super League.. So Barca, Real and Juve.. As if they'd have a CL without those teams for several years. They'd cost themselves a fortune.
 

JayBee

Kennel Legend
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
10,782
Reaction score
4,017
Yeah it's probably a flukey thing as Bayern, Barca, PSG, Real etc will always be up there but for a while there English clubs were struggling to even make the semi finals and all we heard was how great the Bundesliga and La Liga were and now even the non dominant teams like Spurs and Chelsea are making the CL final.

So I'd say it's a bit of both. Flukey in that we won't see too many more all English finals but a sign of the depth of the other leagues slipping with teams that have made the final in recent years like Athletico, Inter, Dortmundt etc not what they once were.

The drop off in the Serie A in the last ten years is the biggest worry. They used to be the strongest league with La Liga and now their teams struggle massively.
Yeah for sure, and I think you're seeing that with the ebb and flow of the big teams. Many of them going through transitions, if that's what you want to call it.

Bayern, Juventus, Real Madrid - I wouldnt really put Atheltico in this bucket just yet. Suarez has really invigorated their team this year, and they're finally seeing their moneys worth out of Felix. Diego Simone is just a constant threat with his teams. Probably the coach who gets the most out of his players consistently across the entire coaching ranks in Europe - been their for 10 years, has not shifting his philosophy too much, and gets consistent results.

And personally, from a CL perspective, yes the Serie A teams have fallen off to a degree. But remember, it was only last year we had Atalanta in the QF's with Juventus and Napoli dropping out in the round of 16. And more than that, the Serie A has not been this exciting in about a decade. Inter Milan hit beast mode since the turn of the year, and just carried on that form. AC Milan gave the title a good shake. Juve the falling giants - not sure if Pirlo is the man for the job, as they need to re-build.

Good bit of theatre about this final. Tuchel would be filling vindicated in being fired from his post.. takes the reigns at Chelsea, and goes further than his previous team and lead them to a CL final. Expecting it to be a good final, I think Chelsea really in with a chance here. They marshal very well defensively. Werner finally starting to show signs of his Bundesliga exploits, Mason Mount is performing better than any porn star with his name could, Thiago a rock for them at the back - and Azpilicueta - probably (at least I think) one of the most underrated RB's from a defensive stand point.
 

B-Train

Kennel Immortal
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Messages
32,591
Reaction score
48,171
Yeah for sure, and I think you're seeing that with the ebb and flow of the big teams. Many of them going through transitions, if that's what you want to call it.

Bayern, Juventus, Real Madrid - I wouldnt really put Atheltico in this bucket just yet. Suarez has really invigorated their team this year, and they're finally seeing their moneys worth out of Felix. Diego Simone is just a constant threat with his teams. Probably the coach who gets the most out of his players consistently across the entire coaching ranks in Europe - been their for 10 years, has not shifting his philosophy too much, and gets consistent results.

And personally, from a CL perspective, yes the Serie A teams have fallen off to a degree. But remember, it was only last year we had Atalanta in the QF's with Juventus and Napoli dropping out in the round of 16. And more than that, the Serie A has not been this exciting in about a decade. Inter Milan hit beast mode since the turn of the year, and just carried on that form. AC Milan gave the title a good shake. Juve the falling giants - not sure if Pirlo is the man for the job, as they need to re-build.

Good bit of theatre about this final. Tuchel would be filling vindicated in being fired from his post.. takes the reigns at Chelsea, and goes further than his previous team and lead them to a CL final. Expecting it to be a good final, I think Chelsea really in with a chance here. They marshal very well defensively. Werner finally starting to show signs of his Bundesliga exploits, Mason Mount is performing better than any porn star with his name could, Thiago a rock for them at the back - and Azpilicueta - probably (at least I think) one of the most underrated RB's from a defensive stand point.
Hopefully it's a good game and hopefully City win! It's good to hear the Serie A is getting more competitive. Juve winning year after year almost killed the league. They just seem to lack the funds/big investors to compete with EPL and La Liga clubs in the transfer market though and probably rely more on scouting and development than just going on spending sprees.
 

JayBee

Kennel Legend
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
10,782
Reaction score
4,017
Hopefully it's a good game and hopefully City win! It's good to hear the Serie A is getting more competitive. Juve winning year after year almost killed the league. They just seem to lack the funds/big investors to compete with EPL and La Liga clubs in the transfer market though and probably rely more on scouting and development than just going on spending sprees.
Conte coming back played a huge part. Had a huge contingent of EPL players in his squad (Eriksenm, Lukaku, Sanchez, Darmian, Young) who all contributed pretty massively to their achievement. Zlatan @ AC rejuvenated them as well.

If it was not for COVID - I would think we are up for one of the biggest transfer windows in recent memory.

With the likes of Messi and Ronaldo more than likely on the move, Aguero changing clubs, Pogba a year to run on his contract, Haaland and Mbappe itching for bigger clubs, the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona looking to make wholesaler changes, Juventus as well... then you have City and Liverpool who will not rest on their laurels of recent success... a lot could happen. Plus Bayern with Flick moving on to the German national team, could leave some of their questioning their role...

Pardon the many mini stories mate - my wife gave birth about 9 months ago, so I have been supplementing many early mornings with whatever is on TV - and it's mostly european football, which has been a blessing. Hence the detail of my posts hehee - been enjoying it!
 

B-Train

Kennel Immortal
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Messages
32,591
Reaction score
48,171
Conte coming back played a huge part. Had a huge contingent of EPL players in his squad (Eriksenm, Lukaku, Sanchez, Darmian, Young) who all contributed pretty massively to their achievement. Zlatan @ AC rejuvenated them as well.

If it was not for COVID - I would think we are up for one of the biggest transfer windows in recent memory.

With the likes of Messi and Ronaldo more than likely on the move, Aguero changing clubs, Pogba a year to run on his contract, Haaland and Mbappe itching for bigger clubs, the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona looking to make wholesaler changes, Juventus as well... then you have City and Liverpool who will not rest on their laurels of recent success... a lot could happen. Plus Bayern with Flick moving on to the German national team, could leave some of their questioning their role...

Pardon the many mini stories mate - my wife gave birth about 9 months ago, so I have been supplementing many early mornings with whatever is on TV - and it's mostly european football, which has been a blessing. Hence the detail of my posts hehee - been enjoying it!
Haha, nah keep it coming, it's great. I appreciate the wisdom and knowledge of all the clubs. There will definitely be some crazy transfer movement. It will be interesting to see what happens.
 
Top