⚽UEFA Champions League Discussion Thread -- 2021/22 winner - Real Madrid!

[logfiles]

I'm a Liverpool fan and I must admit, Our defence was awful today. But just so you know, nothing remains perfect forever. I'm not in anyway saying our defense will collapse, coz it won't. The point I'm trying to drive home is that everyone has their good and bad days. Even the Big boys like Barcelona and Real Madrid are struggling to keep up these days. Another possible cause could be the absence of our first choice goalkeeper. Just one of those days. But I'm glad we got all 3 points.

One thing i noticed about Liverpool is that they play a high line of defense( I think it's a Klopp style just like he did at Dortmund) which is not good if a team is very tactical and can catch you on the break. Maybe Klopp could do some reinforcing in the near future.

I have been a Real Madrid Fan for a long time and one thing for sure is, defense has never been our thing. Yes we have brilliant individuals at the back, but they are mostly attack minded, that's why we barely keep clean sheets. Now this has been worsened as they age and there are no perfect replacements.

[1715268143]

1715268143

[notblox1]

Not a bad day for my picks with Champions League today.
I predicted correctly WIN for Borussia Dortmund, and they where better team for sure,
and I predicted boring draw with no goals in Genk vs Napoli

Liverpool was fantastic match, I could never expect to see 7 goals in one game

[nelson4lov]

~Snipped~

One thing i noticed about Liverpool is that they play a high line of defense( I think it's a Klopp style just like he did at Dortmund) which is not good if a team is very tactical and can catch you on the break. Maybe Klopp could do some reinforcing in the near future.

I have been a Real Madrid Fan for a long time and one thing for sure is, defense has never been our thing. Yes we have brilliant individuals at the back, but they are mostly attack minded, that's why we barely keep clean sheets. Now this has been worsened as they age and there are no perfect replacements.

Playing the high defensive lines have helped us on several occasions. However, despite the many benefits like keeping our opponents boxed in, It leaves so much space for our opponents to break through. Once they do, the attack gets critical. Against Tottenham in the UCL final, Spurs took advantage of our high defensive line and exploited it however they deemed fit. But don't forget that not all opponents can take advantage.

[Apes]

Messi's contribution to this match was very good even though he had just returned from an injury, provided assists and several key passes. Barcelona are lucky to still be able to win the match thanks to a late goal from Suarez.  
barcelona is still in second place in the group F table.

[tomahawk9]

Leipzig vs Lyon - btts / Valencia vs Ajax - O1.5 / Liverpool win and O2.5 /@3.84 ✘

FFS! didn't expect Leipzig to screw me over, they were playing at home and they play offensive football! what happened today?

Today is a bad Champions League matchday for betters from around the world. Favourite teams showed a weak play in attack. Several games were won won by the odd goal.
What happens to Liverpool ? They lost first CL match in Naples and today on Anfield stadium missed 3 (!) goals from the Austrian championship leader Salzburg. Klopp really have to change something in defence otherwise champion won`t be able to defend the title this year.

But they have been praised for having a very good world-class Centre half in Van Dijk and the awesome full backs (Robertson and Alexander-Arnold) - They actually contributed to one of the goals.

Anyway, it was an eye-opener for Liverpool and the "Undribbleable" Van Dijk

https://i.imgur.com/3ZxUw7m.png

You said it yourself, "they have been". For some reason (maybe because it's been only one month of competitions) something's not clicking in the Liverpool defence, i actually expected Pool to finally get a clean sheet at home this season against a low-tier opponent like Salzburg, but jesus christ, i didn't watch the game but to let Salzburg make a such a comeback it's something Klopp will not be happy about. He should be satisfied with getting 3 pts, obviously, but they've conceded 5 goals in just two CL games :/

But, maybe this is just part of the plan (?), you know? Juts like last season, play fucking bad in the group stage, make everyone believe you're terrible in the CL, then suddenly win the whole thing at the end of the season LOL Klopp and his boys are playing 4D intergalactic supernova chess  

[logfiles]

You said it yourself, "they have been". For some reason (maybe because it's been only one month of competitions) something's not clicking in the Liverpool defence.

I said it in reference to how they performed last season. Van Dijk was solid at the back and also sometimes getting forward to score some crucial goals. The keeper also had some excellent displays... Not saying that they were not conceding goals at all but it was much better upgrade at the back than the previous seasons with the Likes of Karius between the sticks, the clynes 

[Barcode_]

Even top tier English Premier League teams would struggle hard to score 3 goals at the stadium of Anfield against Liverpool, and Salzburg have managed to score 3 goals against Liverpool. Even though Salzburg have lost the match to Liverpool by the scoreline of 4-3, but I think the fighting spirit of Salzburg are really strong as they are willing to try and equalize the score after falling 3 goals behind. 

I believe Liverpool and Napoli would need to be more cautious when they are playing Salzburg away from home, as Salzburg might be the dark horse in Group E which could eliminate either Liverpool or Napoli from the Uefa Champions League.

[rizkyrz]

Messi's contribution to this match was very good even though he had just returned from an injury, provided assists and several key passes. Barcelona are lucky to still be able to win the match thanks to a late goal from Suarez.  
barcelona is still in second place in the group F table.

Very good contribution from Messi in the game. Suarez also played very well and was a decisive winner of Barcelona in the UCL match last night, although still in second place in the standings, there are still a few matches left.

[steveabrahams]

Even top tier English Premier League teams would struggle hard to score 3 goals at the stadium of Anfield against Liverpool, and Salzburg have managed to score 3 goals against Liverpool. Even though Salzburg have lost the match to Liverpool by the scoreline of 4-3, but I think the fighting spirit of Salzburg are really strong as they are willing to try and equalize the score after falling 3 goals behind. 

I believe Liverpool and Napoli would need to be more cautious when they are playing Salzburg away from home, as Salzburg might be the dark horse in Group E which could eliminate either Liverpool or Napoli from the Uefa Champions League.

Yes i'm surprised with result. Did you see Hwang hee chan humiliated van dijk on the first goal for Salzburg? Damn that was a nice goal. Well, win is a win even with ugly win, precious 3 points for Liverpool on this second match of Champions League. On the other hand, Dortmund win against Slavia, such a nice odds for Dortmund to win.

[Juggy777]

I'm a Liverpool fan and I must admit, Our defence was awful today. But just so you know, nothing remains perfect forever. I'm not in anyway saying our defense will collapse, coz it won't. The point I'm trying to drive home is that everyone has their good and bad days. Even the Big boys like Barcelona and Real Madrid are struggling to keep up these days. Another possible cause could be the absence of our first choice goalkeeper. Just one of those days. But I'm glad we got all 3 points.

One thing i noticed about Liverpool is that they play a high line of defense( I think it's a Klopp style just like he did at Dortmund) which is not good if a team is very tactical and can catch you on the break. Maybe Klopp could do some reinforcing in the near future.

I have been a Real Madrid Fan for a long time and one thing for sure is, defense has never been our thing. Yes we have brilliant individuals at the back, but they are mostly attack minded, that's why we barely keep clean sheets. Now this has been worsened as they age and there are no perfect replacements.

@nelson4lov Liverpool’s defence was humiliated yesterday and Klopp will have to work on this, despite their defence crumbling they yet won the match. Real Madrid’s season is turning into complete disaster, and now they’re on the verge of exit from Champions League and if that happens Zidane will be sacked right away.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/10/02/liverpool-vs-rb-salzburg-champions-league-live-score-latest/

https://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2019/10/02/5d9504d822601df6028b4606.html

Messi's contribution to this match was very good even though he had just returned from an injury, provided assists and several key passes. Barcelona are lucky to still be able to win the match thanks to a late goal from Suarez.  
barcelona is still in second place in the group F table.

Very good contribution from Messi in the game. Suarez also played very well and was a decisive winner of Barcelona in the UCL match last night, although still in second place in the standings, there are still a few matches left.

Messi and Squarez magic helped Barcelona beat Inter Milan, who now find themselves in a difficult position as they’ll have to win their remaining fixtures to qualify. Is it just me or others too have noticed that Inter Milan has been performing well in Italian League, but somehow they are unable to replicate that form in Champion League.

[CryptopreneurBrainboss]

I believe Liverpool and Napoli would need to be more cautious when they are playing Salzburg away from home, as Salzburg might be the dark horse in Group E which could eliminate either Liverpool or Napoli from the Uefa Champions League.

The truth of the matter is, the champions league is a totally different ball game all together. Can't remember the last time Liverpool conceded 3 goals at home or away to any side in the premier league but in last seasons champions league defeat to Barcelona they did conceded 3 goals without replying back. Not saying Liverpool's defence can't handle the pressure of the champions league game but they're not always on their 100% best.

Salzburg, just proved they shouldn't be underrated. One of the problem of big teams in the champions league is that they underrated small teams and sometimes this teams used that to their advantages. We saw how Ajax surprised everyone last season. The home game of Salzburg against Liverpool would be an interesting match to watch. Hopefully Liverpool can win that too, I'll love to see them defend the title, win the premier league and probably more trophies as they do deserve it.

[Naida_BR]

Great comeback for Barca, Vidal changed the rules of the game.

The second half was dominated by them and they managed to score 2 goals.
Now is a very bad spot for Inter, Real is still in a good spot for an easier group.

It's going to be very hard for Inter to qualify from the group stages now except they can get 4 points from the two consecutive fixture coming up against Dortmund. While Barcelona is in a very good position as they should comfortably get 6 points for Slavia Prague.

It's still possible. They just have to win away Dortmund and get wins in the games that will take place in Milan.

[Coyster]

Salzburg, just proved they shouldn't be underrated. One of the problem of big teams in the champions league is that they underrated small teams and sometimes this teams used that to their advantages

Other than the fact that coming up against a smaller team in the UCL can make the bigger teams feel complacent, another big issue is the fact that most times in the UCL, you're playing a team from a different league, an unfamiliar team that you've probably not faced before or if you have, some years back.
It makes the match tougher as it'll be difficult to understand their style of play. Liverpool are used to playing spurs, Chelsea, Newcastle etc, so it'll be easier for them to gameplan this teams as they know all their strength and weaknesses, but against Salzburg, the coach would really need to watch clips to be able to come up with a winning strategy.

To me that's what makes the champions league fun and tough, when teams square off against unfamiliar foes and must have to adapt to come out on top. Liverpool did well to win last night.

[yoseph]

Messi's contribution to this match was very good even though he had just returned from an injury, provided assists and several key passes. Barcelona are lucky to still be able to win the match thanks to a late goal from Suarez.  
barcelona is still in second place in the group F table.

Very good contribution from Messi in the game. Suarez also played very well and was a decisive winner of Barcelona in the UCL match last night, although still in second place in the standings, there are still a few matches left.

Without Messi in the game, I really don't see how Barcelona  could have won the game sure Suarez had a great game overall by scoring the two goals but the match would have ended in a draw without the Messi assist in the 84th minute of the game.

And I will think Liverpool were very lucky to get all three points at Anfield, they seemed to become cocky when they returned from the break and underestimated Salzburg and almost paid the price for it.

[Upgrade00]

Very good contribution from Messi in the game. Suarez also played very well and was a decisive winner of Barcelona in the UCL match last night, although still in second place in the standings, there are still a few matches left.

Decent performance from Barcelona, that has been typical of their home games, and they extend their unbeaten run at the New Camp to 33 games with over a hundred goals scored and very few conceded.
Currently work needs to be done on the defense, as inter Milan had very good chances when they were on top of the game and the brilliance of Ter Stegen kept Barcelona in the game.

[Murat]

Once Again, Messi proved why he is the GOAT. Impressive performance from him on second half helped the Barcelona team to comeback against Inter Milan. Though I think Inter milan deserve to win this match but Barcelona won anyhow. Most interesting thing is, Inter scored at the camp nou after 49 year's.  

The cureent UCL winner Liverpool seal a hard win against Red bull by 4-3. Mohammad Salah saved the day for Liverpool. Red Bull scored 3 at Anfield, unbelievable performance from the team.     

[leea-1334]

One thing i noticed about Liverpool is that they play a high line of defense( I think it's a Klopp style just like he did at Dortmund) which is not good if a team is very tactical and can catch you on the break. Maybe Klopp could do some reinforcing in the near future.

I have been a Real Madrid Fan for a long time and one thing for sure is, defense has never been our thing. Yes we have brilliant individuals at the back, but they are mostly attack minded, that's why we barely keep clean sheets. Now this has been worsened as they age and there are no perfect replacements.

It was one game. No need to panic,,, seriously. If it was like my team where we are constantly conceding then I would be worried. But one game where they let in 3 goals was because their defense had a bad night. And they still have the best defense in premier league. So I would not be worried at all.

Spurs? I am afraid for them seriously.

[rizkyrz]

Very good contribution from Messi in the game. Suarez also played very well and was a decisive winner of Barcelona in the UCL match last night, although still in second place in the standings, there are still a few matches left.

Decent performance from Barcelona, that has been typical of their home games, and they extend their unbeaten run at the New Camp to 33 games with over a hundred goals scored and very few conceded.
Currently work needs to be done on the defense, as inter Milan had very good chances when they were on top of the game and the brilliance of Ter Stegen kept Barcelona in the game.

I admit that Barcelona is always great when playing in their own stadiums, I'm not surprised if Barcelona score a lot of goals in every season because they have players who are always ambitious in scoring goals. Regarding defense, I agree that it is important for Barcelona to evaluate what has happened.

[iMark]

One thing i noticed about Liverpool is that they play a high line of defense( I think it's a Klopp style just like he did at Dortmund) which is not good if a team is very tactical and can catch you on the break. Maybe Klopp could do some reinforcing in the near future.

I have been a Real Madrid Fan for a long time and one thing for sure is, defense has never been our thing. Yes we have brilliant individuals at the back, but they are mostly attack minded, that's why we barely keep clean sheets. Now this has been worsened as they age and there are no perfect replacements.

It was one game. No need to panic,,, seriously. If it was like my team where we are constantly conceding then I would be worried. But one game where they let in 3 goals was because their defense had a bad night. And they still have the best defense in premier league. So I would not be worried at all.

Spurs? I am afraid for them seriously.

Yeah Van dijk is not a perfect player, he can't always be brilliant, always onfire and play well every week. sometimes he has a bad night, which is normal for every player. Come on man this is only 1 game? before never has anyone scored more than 3 goals when Virgil played, that doesn't mean that Liverpool defense has begun to falter, this is only 1 game. and I'm sure Klopp will fix it soon and Virgil cs will start to learn better, which is far more important to them is they win the match.

[SummerBliss]

~snip~

The Barcelona XI for the match has been declared and guess what? Messi is starting the game!!
The main reason for Barcelona's struggle in Laliga away games this season is the absence of Messi in team. But now he has fully recovered and ready to fire!
Also tonight XI has De Jong, Arthur and Busquets in midfield along with Roberto, Lenglet, Pique and Semedo in defence. It is interesting that Valverde chose Semedo above Firpo to start as Left Back. Let see how it goes. Also I would love if Barca substitute Suarez with Dembele in second half and we will see Griezmann, Messi and Dembele trio for the first time ever!

My Prediction: Barcelona 5 : 1 Inter

You might confuse Inter for  Milan when you made this prediction

Joke aside, and with all due respect to Messi, as Barcelona is completely different team when he is on, i don't think that 5-1 is realistic result, 2-1 would be my prediction. But of course anything can happen, we saw it last night on Spurs vs Bayern game

Not bad! You got prediction absolutely right. 
Actually Barcelona is my favorite team and I get quite sentimental every time they play. Therefore, my 5:1 prediction was quite sentimental one, lol. But it was beautiful game, every second of the game was awesome. I enjoyed it thoroughly especially the second half. What an enthralling performance from both, Messi and Suarez.