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

[1kodumtek7]

I can't believe Chelsea only managed to get second position in their group and the only unseeded team from the Premier League. That was one hell of a game against Zenit. They will probably have a tougher match in the round of 16 because of that but it is what it is.

What changes are there this season?

The so-called away goals rule has been removed, so ties level after 180 minutes will go to extra time irrespective of the number of goals each team has scored at home and away. If the teams still cannot be separated after the additional 30 minutes, the tie goes to a penalty shoot-out.

Opinion on this rule change?

Agreed. I also can't believe that Chelsea failed big time to secure their lead. Zenit weren't a team that they wouldn't be able to beat. They beat Zenit by 1-0 before and they scored even three goals in the match today. But the real problem was related to defending. I still don't understand how Zenit managed to score the same goals. Chelsea just gave away their lead to Juventus.

[AndySt]

If we look at the squad played by Bayern, it looks like Bayern are playing their main player, meaning that Bayern really want to beat Barcelona. Even though Bayern don't have to win games to be able to win Group E, it seems that Bayern want to achieve perfect results. And finally Bayern won very convincingly against Barcelona, With this result Bayern want to show other teams that they are very serious about winning every game
in the Champions League. Apart from Bayern, there are several other teams that have achieved perfect results, such as Liverpool and Ajax. For Bayern and Liverpool I still understand they achieved perfect results, because they both have a lot of star players. But Ajax achieving a perfect result surprised me a bit, even Ajax managed to humiliate Dortmund twice. Since Erik ten Hag became the coach of Ajax, Ajax's performance has
been extraordinary.

Yes, the current Liverpool and Bayern are distinguished by the fact that these teams try to play for victory in any match. Therefore, even in this match, which was more important for Barcelona, Bayern still looked better and were more worthy of victory. Bayern also managed to deprive Barcelona of its signature feature, which previously usually distinguished it from other clubs, namely a higher percentage of possession of the ball. Also, a competent financial policy can be attributed to the plus of Bavaria, when the club correlates its financial capabilities and transfer policy and a situation similar to the one that developed in Barcelona, in Bayern in its current state is impossible in principle.

[waelov]

Barcelona in recent times is no match for Bayern Munich, they aren't what they used to and Bayern just bettered themselves in all grounds, confidence inclusive. Though, I sometimes wonder how they get to draw or even loose a game at there Bundesliga.
Barcelona loosing today was inevitable from the way they played, knowing what was at stake and still presented this form of performance was an accept of defeat for me though, there opponent tonight wasn't one that they could hope for the best.
Chelsea on the other hand came up with a beautiful performance even though the goal ended in a draw. T. Werner should a lot of potential but the edge his won for the team was short lived by that die minute goal. Zenot St. Petersburg escaped defeat by a chance.

As expected, Barcelona is out of the Champions League and moves to the European League. There is a huge difference in the individual and collective levels between Barcelona and the giants of Europe, so his exit now was normal, and at best he would have exited the round of 16.
The current Barcelona needs great patience to return, especially with a lack of financial resources and a weak human stock, but a tournament like the European League suits its players and its current condition more, especially since the team includes a large number of young men who need to experience, play and interact more.
Even at the level of the economic aspect, I think that reaching far in the European League, the semi-finals or more, is equivalent to his gains from the round of 16 in the Champions League.

[Joca97]

Barcelona in recent times is no match for Bayern Munich, they aren't what they used to and Bayern just bettered themselves in all grounds, confidence inclusive. Though, I sometimes wonder how they get to draw or even loose a game at there Bundesliga.
Barcelona loosing today was inevitable from the way they played, knowing what was at stake and still presented this form of performance was an accept of defeat for me though, there opponent tonight wasn't one that they could hope for the best.
Chelsea on the other hand came up with a beautiful performance even though the goal ended in a draw. T. Werner should a lot of potential but the edge his won for the team was short lived by that die minute goal. Zenot St. Petersburg escaped defeat by a chance.

As expected, Barcelona is out of the Champions League and moves to the European League. There is a huge difference in the individual and collective levels between Barcelona and the giants of Europe, so his exit now was normal, and at best he would have exited the round of 16.
The current Barcelona needs great patience to return, especially with a lack of financial resources and a weak human stock, but a tournament like the European League suits its players and its current condition more, especially since the team includes a large number of young men who need to experience, play and interact more.
Even at the level of the economic aspect, I think that reaching far in the European League, the semi-finals or more, is equivalent to his gains from the round of 16 in the Champions League.

After 20 years Barcelona didnt qualify for the Champions league knockout faze and they played so bad that i think Benfica honestly deserved to go in to the knockout faze. Bayern Munich could have scored even more goals in this match if they didnt put a few kids from youth academy

[Bilgent]

Barcelona officialy have said goodbye to the Champions League after being destroyed by Bayern Munich by 3-0 in their away match. And I don't think that this result was surprising for anyone. Yes, I know that they have started making some important changes since Xavi became the new coach. But they are still weak against big clubs seemingly. I wonder what they will do in the Europa League.

[blue Snow]

Liverpool, Ajax, and Munchen have created perfect points (18 pts), but I doubt the team who got the clean sheet will have that title.

we have Barcelona also, who the big team was out in 1st round. this is so unusual for teams like Barcelona and other clubs that were out like Milan and Dortmund.

Maybe there will be another surprise who the next big 4 like who stand in the G group.

Maybe Barcelona have a chance of winning in the Europa League.  

they have to focus because there have a strong opponent, Dortmund.

[diderdrogba]

It was a stay-or-leave game for Barcelona and they had a really tough job to do. And it resulted in "leave" for them as they lost by a 3-0 score. They should be grateful that Bayern Munich didn't score 2 or 3 goals more. Benfica's defeating Dinamo Kyiv ended Barcelona's hopes for the 1/8-finals. Maybe it is going to be awkward to see Barcelona in the Europa League but I really want to experience the feeling as soon as possible.

[snipie]

They should be grateful that Bayern Munich didn't score 2 or 3 goals more.

That's what I was talking about!
I expected Bayern to score more goals in the second half but they just scored 1. After all receiving only 3 goals from Bayern twice is an achievement these days for them..

Maybe it is going to be awkward to see Barcelona in the Europa League but I really want to experience the feeling as soon as possible.

Hopefully the feeling will not be to see them getting kicked from EL too since the early stages because there is fierce opponents there.
BTW not sure whether Sevilla is upset for leaving CL or happy to join their preferred league! and could they lift the trophy this time?

[Mr.Scott]

Barcelona officialy have said goodbye to the Champions League after being destroyed by Bayern Munich by 3-0 in their away match. And I don't think that this result was surprising for anyone. Yes, I know that they have started making some important changes since Xavi became the new coach. But they are still weak against big clubs seemingly. I wonder what they will do in the Europa League.

Champions League now unavailable!
yeah, It's sadden to see Barcelona will play in the Europa League in 2022. Their sufferings never get started, it'll take them at least 2 or 3 years to get back to Champions League. I've no doubt that Bayern could win. So, this is the really unavoidable things we've been standing by a surprisingly long time. Nothing surprised.

[alegotardo]

Barcelona officialy have said goodbye to the Champions League after being destroyed by Bayern Munich by 3-0 in their away match. And I don't think that this result was surprising for anyone. Yes, I know that they have started making some important changes since Xavi became the new coach. But they are still weak against big clubs seemingly. I wonder what they will do in the Europa League.

I believed they would be eliminated, but 3-0 is a shameful score even for Barcelona in the current situation against a powerful team like Bayern.
In any case, Xavi and Barcelona now have time to cool off and make the necessary adjustments in the team to start a new era for the Catalan club.
One of the signings I would like to see materialize is Azpilicueta, I read today that Xavi has already asked for him, who is at the end of his contract with Chelsea.
I've always admired Barcelona and I hope they can get back on their feet.

[Apes]

Barcelona officialy have said goodbye to the Champions League after being destroyed by Bayern Munich by 3-0 in their away match. And I don't think that this result was surprising for anyone. Yes, I know that they have started making some important changes since Xavi became the new coach. But they are still weak against big clubs seemingly. I wonder what they will do in the Europa League.

Europa League is not as easy as imagined even for a team like Barcelona, I suppose they will also struggle in the Europa League.
I am also not surprised by their failure in the champions league this season, their match record isn't impressive anyone could have guessed.
I agree that if Barcelona are still not ready to face a big team under Xavi's care, at least they still need time to adapt.

[Lordhermes]

Barcelona officialy have said goodbye to the Champions League after being destroyed by Bayern Munich by 3-0 in their away match. And I don't think that this result was surprising for anyone. Yes, I know that they have started making some important changes since Xavi became the new coach. But they are still weak against big clubs seemingly. I wonder what they will do in the Europa League.

I believed they would be eliminated, but 3-0 is a shameful score even for Barcelona in the current situation against a powerful team like Bayern.
In any case, Xavi and Barcelona now have time to cool off and make the necessary adjustments in the team to start a new era for the Catalan club.
One of the signings I would like to see materialize is Azpilicueta, I read today that Xavi has already asked for him, who is at the end of his contract with Chelsea.
I've always admired Barcelona and I hope they can get back on their feet.

Ever since Messi left the club,things have not been thesame,this shows that Messi was the person that was single-handedly carrying the team on his shoulder,and it will really take time for the team to get to where it was and where it is suppose to be.

Xavi is trying his best,but at this moment,the team needs to start a rebuilding process,a new thing has to begin for a new change to come.In that match against Bayern Munich, I knew that Bayern were going to with the match,so I bet in favour of Bayern.

[Strongkored]

Agreed. I also can't believe that Chelsea failed big time to secure their lead. Zenit weren't a team that they wouldn't be able to beat. They beat Zenit by 1-0 before and they scored even three goals in the match today. But the real problem was related to defending. I still don't understand how Zenit managed to score the same goals. Chelsea just gave away their lead to Juventus.

I watch the game just first half, I saw how effective Zenit are on the counter-attack, Zenit's have a chance to make the scores 3-1 just in first half but they failed to do that. Early goal from Timo made Chelsea seem stronger but Zenit played really well.
Agree with you defence is Chelsea problem especially in first half.

[batako]

Barcelona officialy have said goodbye to the Champions League after being destroyed by Bayern Munich by 3-0 in their away match. And I don't think that this result was surprising for anyone. Yes, I know that they have started making some important changes since Xavi became the new coach. But they are still weak against big clubs seemingly. I wonder what they will do in the Europa League.

Its not a surprise if Barcelona lost the game against Bayern Munich. Based on the previous games/performances their shown, we can make a rough prediction that Barcelona will find a lot obstacle to win any games nowadays. They arent Barcelona we've used to watch few years back. Without Messi, Barcelona is nothing.

[laurenB7742]

Barcelona officialy have said goodbye to the Champions League after being destroyed by Bayern Munich by 3-0 in their away match. And I don't think that this result was surprising for anyone. Yes, I know that they have started making some important changes since Xavi became the new coach. But they are still weak against big clubs seemingly. I wonder what they will do in the Europa League.

Its not a surprise if Barcelona lost the game against Bayern Munich. Based on the previous games/performances their shown, we can make a rough prediction that Barcelona will find a lot obstacle to win any games nowadays. They arent Barcelona we've used to watch few years back. Without Messi, Barcelona is nothing.

This was the expected result. There is no hope that Barcelona will win. But they had the ability to draw. But they have shown very lightning performance. Their defense was very messy. The defense needed to be more stable before performing against a strong team. However, given Barcelona's poor performances since last season, it was only natural that they would not qualify for the next round of the Champions League.

[Oshosondy]

This was the expected result. There is no hope that Barcelona will win. But they had the ability to draw. But they have shown very lightning performance. Their defense was very messy. The defense needed to be more stable before performing against a strong team. However, given Barcelona's poor performances since last season, it was only natural that they would not qualify for the next round of the Champions League.

I have also predicted that Barcelona will not qualify for the next round in UCL, the club is not good to that extent. Benfica won the club is a chance while Dynamo Kyiv has been so poor. I know Bayern will not mind they have qualified for the next round and mercilessly won Barcelona. This has never happened in many years but happened that Barcelona is finally missing UCL next round. Not only this, also that next year is becoming impossible for Barcelona to be among the clubs that will qualify for Champions League.

[CryptocurencyKing]

Barcelona officialy have said goodbye to the Champions League after being destroyed by Bayern Munich by 3-0 in their away match. And I don't think that this result was surprising for anyone. Yes, I know that they have started making some important changes since Xavi became the new coach. But they are still weak against big clubs seemingly. I wonder what they will do in the Europa League.

Its not a surprise if Barcelona lost the game against Bayern Munich. Based on the previous games/performances their shown, we can make a rough prediction that Barcelona will find a lot obstacle to win any games nowadays. They arent Barcelona we've used to watch few years back. Without Messi, Barcelona is nothing.

The decline in the fortunes of Barca slowly came into effect when their replacements for players who left fell short of the quality that made them dominant in the recent past. Now, it is clear that Barcelona really need top class players to re-enact that form. I believe it was impossible to beat Bayern Munich with that team with of Tiki-taka and they don't have quality to complement their that style of play. It's been clear as day since 2016, this has been coming for Barcelona, failing to build a team when crucial first team members started leaving. Xavi, Mascherano, then Iniesta, Dani Alves, now Suarez and Messi. They failed to start a project, The worst is yet to come. This Barcelona team can't even survive Europa.

[hahay]

Who would have thought that Chelsea seemed to prefer to be runners up and also, Salzburg who can win and qualify for the knockout phase. Basically when Chelsea were able to get ahead quickly because they scored in the 2nd minute I thought it would be a big scoring win for Chelsea, but the final score was 3-3 and I think Chelsea could have won. Also, regarding Salzburg I previously predicted Sevilla would win because this is a good chance to qualify for the knockout stages, but unfortunately after being 1-0 down Sevilla actually got a red card which made it even more difficult to turn things around. Even though it was clear that Sevilla dominated the match, the final result was still not in his favor and Sevilla returned to being part of the Europa League.

[leea-1334]

This was the true exciting group for all neutrals. One team was perfect and one team was absolutely terrible and this was AC Milan. And it was such a heartbreak too after getting the last injury goal in the 5th game,,, Ibrahimovic must be feeling devastated they cannot even continue in Europa League.

Atletico is crazy. Start the last game bottom, finish the group second.

The good thing is, Ibra now has the opportunity to play more in Serie A, this will give Ibra time to rest with less AC Milan's competition schedule. Hopefully, Ibra will not face too many injury problems in the second half of the season, so he can get title again with Rossoneri.

Hopefully this turns out to be true but Milan needed to rely on him less and less already this season,,, not more. So I do not think he is a big factor for them at Serie A on the pitch, they just need him in key moments and at training where his fitness may not have such a big impact as they are now paying him for his experience (I believe).

When all other clubs were playing rubbish. Liverpool had 18 points which means it won all its group stage matches while other clubs had low points, Atletico Madrid had just 7 points and was the second on the table, it was not still encouraging at all.

Yes,,, I can read the table and you are responding kind of like what I was saying I do not think it was so much about playing like rubbish though Atletico had a very good first game against Liverpool, and Porto did as well against Atletico, and AC Milan had a great 5th game. Liverpool just proven too strong that is all. This was the Group of Death remember.

[CryptocurencyKing]

Agreed. I also can't believe that Chelsea failed big time to secure their lead. Zenit weren't a team that they wouldn't be able to beat. They beat Zenit by 1-0 before and they scored even three goals in the match today. But the real problem was related to defending. I still don't understand how Zenit managed to score the same goals. Chelsea just gave away their lead to Juventus.

I watch the game just first half, I saw how effective Zenit are on the counter-attack, Zenit's have a chance to make the scores 3-1 just in first half but they failed to do that. Early goal from Timo made Chelsea seem stronger but Zenit played really well.
Agree with you defence is Chelsea problem especially in first half.

Chelsea are running out of steam. I wont be surprise if they lose to Leeds this weekend. Their performance against Zenit was too inconsistent. Good start, sloppy in the rest of first half, good comeback in second half and sloppy again in the end. This is not going to work. Top teams like Chelsea must play with the same intensity throughout every game. The moment they take the lead then they will start playing the balls backwards and relax and they will also stop defending. Look at the third goal they conceded, nobody was closing the player down. Caesar was watching, James was nowhere to be found. Some players are not up to the task. I think Thomas Tuchel’s starting selection has been shaky recently.