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

[tokeweed]

Messi wasn't singlehandedly carrying but he had the most impact on the pitch for Barcelona. We also cannot deny the impact players like Xavi, Iniesta or Neymar had but Messi had the most impact. Before Neymar and Suarez joined, he had the duty of scoring goals and he did that very well. Even scoring 91 goals in a calendar year.
(I dunno how he did that) After Neymar and Suarez joined, he moved to the right flank and assisted them with tons of goals also while he scored lots by himself.

In my opinion, this is a biased statement - Xavi and Iniesta made the greatest contribution to the team. If you remember Xavi and Iniesta won the 2008 European Championship, then the 2010 World Championship and then again the 2012 European Championship - the greatest achievement. They did it without Messi, and without them, Messi himself failed at the 2010 World Cup and then at the 2011 America's Cup.

At everytime Barcelona always has great players.
Players like Eto, Ronaldinho, Ibrahimovic, Ture Yaya, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Neymar, Saurez etc.
These players have their best and played their quota in making the club great.
Yet, there impacts divers based on the time they arrived, their wings and loyalty.
Xavi and I Iniesta had great impact because they span to different generations and were doing it when it seems no one else could handle the midfield.
Messi having rose to arguably the best player in the world, still remained with Barcelona in what seems like a life contract.
So, their levels of loyalty differed according to their roles and how the club made them. I think Messi was Barca made and he gave back to Barca.

Messi was actually a La Masia ‘graduate’ and moved up the ranks from the B squad then finally moved up to the first team by none other than Pep Guardiola.  I think Barca got him when he was 13 years old.  And there were some stories about him having a growth problem and Barca helped him overcome it be giving him the best medical care at the team.  So yeah...  Who wouldn’t be loyal.  The club took care of him and made him.

If it weren’t for the whole mess behind the scenes within Barca, I don’t think he would’ve left.

[diyetisman]

Ajax have been one of the fascinating teams of the Champions League. They achieved a big success in the group stage by winning all of their games. And they scored 20 goals while conceding only 5 goals in 6 games. They were having a great time there and now their matchup in last 16 round is Benfica. And Benfica seem to be no match for them currently to tell the truth. They are a strong team of course but I don't believe that they are strong enough to eliminate Ajax yet. So Ajax can move on to the quarter finals.

[AakZaki]

You are not wrong I have to say. PSG were always like the team who always had the potential to win the trophy for the past few years but they were not able to. Maybe this season they have more probability to win but in order to win the CL, the stars have to align right and the team also needs to play well on the specific matchday. But so far what worries me is that the Messi, Neymar, mballe trio is still not gaining the needed chemistry, right?

I'm not sure PSG are currently capable of winning UCL. The arrival of Messi and Ramos was not enough to make them strong. PSG need the mentality to win, relying on their coolness will not be successful enough. They need the mentality of all the players to be with the champions. In two seasons, they reached the quarter-finals. But they always fail at the end. This season they have spent a lot of money, but in the knockout phase they will play with Real Madrid. It was a tough test, I still wanted Real Madrid to win during the match.

[blackened515]

Ajax have been one of the fascinating teams of the Champions League. They achieved a big success in the group stage by winning all of their games. And they scored 20 goals while conceding only 5 goals in 6 games. They were having a great time there and now their matchup in last 16 round is Benfica. And Benfica seem to be no match for them currently to tell the truth. They are a strong team of course but I don't believe that they are strong enough to eliminate Ajax yet. So Ajax can move on to the quarter finals.

Ajax is indeed good, and have a stable squad compared to Benfica. Their performance in the Group stage was quite impressive, they ended the group stage unbeatable. Am afraid Benfica won't be able to withstand Ajax. Although, am not underestimating them, we all know Benfica to be a strong team. However, I think Benfica might resist Ajax and play draw in the 1st Leg, because they will probably be hosting. But, Ajax is the favorite in the game, and have high probability of moving to the quarter finals.

[dataispower]

Paris saint Germans Haven't been more of a consistent team this season, we have seen that several occasions in the Ligue.
How did the arrival of Messi and Ramos improve the team ? I find the incorrect,null and invalid.
They haven't done much, likewise the arrival of Pochetino, Thomas Tuchel seems to be much of a better coach than he's been for the Ligue 1 champions.

[EdenHazard]

Ajax have been one of the fascinating teams of the Champions League. They achieved a big success in the group stage by winning all of their games. And they scored 20 goals while conceding only 5 goals in 6 games. They were having a great time there and now their matchup in last 16 round is Benfica. And Benfica seem to be no match for them currently to tell the truth. They are a strong team of course but I don't believe that they are strong enough to eliminate Ajax yet. So Ajax can move on to the quarter finals.

For no reason i think ajax wil get slipped in round of 16 .

when everyone thinks the same , and even bookies favorited the one side team ... that time it's often the unexpected occurred. i bet benfica are the one who will get through to the next round , being underdog makes them will play it free from any pressure.

[poldanmig]

Ajax have been one of the fascinating teams of the Champions League. They achieved a big success in the group stage by winning all of their games. And they scored 20 goals while conceding only 5 goals in 6 games. They were having a great time there and now their matchup in last 16 round is Benfica. And Benfica seem to be no match for them currently to tell the truth. They are a strong team of course but I don't believe that they are strong enough to eliminate Ajax yet. So Ajax can move on to the quarter finals.

This season, Ajax performance in the group phase of the champions league is indeed extraordinary, as a team that is considered an underdog, Ajax managed to advance to the last 16 without even experiencing a single defeat, I think Ajax is one of the strong candidates for a team that is able to advance to round 8 big later, because in my opinion Ajax performance now is much better than benfica, besides that the head to head of the two teams so far shows that ajax always manages to beat benfica when they face off in the champions league, from the last 6 meetings the both teams, Ajax have won 4 times and got 2 draws against Benfica.

[KingsDen]

Paris saint Germans Haven't been more of a consistent team this season, we have seen that several occasions in the Ligue.
How did the arrival of Messi and Ramos improve the team ? I find the incorrect,null and invalid.
They haven't done much, likewise the arrival of Pochetino, Thomas Tuchel seems to be much of a better coach than he's been for the Ligue 1 champions.

Some teams might be good generally but will be unable to lift the champions league. Infact it can be correct to say that individuals win champions league than team. That was why Juventus went for Ronaldo but they couldn't scale to the finals.
The season that Liverpool was all set to lift the champions league, Ramos and Ronaldo denied them the opportunity.
So, if psg meets the final, Ramos and Messi can give them the trophy.

[AndySt]

You are not wrong I have to say. PSG were always like the team who always had the potential to win the trophy for the past few years but they were not able to. Maybe this season they have more probability to win but in order to win the CL, the stars have to align right and the team also needs to play well on the specific matchday. But so far what worries me is that the Messi, Neymar, mballe trio is still not gaining the needed chemistry, right?

I'm not sure PSG are currently capable of winning UCL. The arrival of Messi and Ramos was not enough to make them strong. PSG need the mentality to win, relying on their coolness will not be successful enough. They need the mentality of all the players to be with the champions. In two seasons, they reached the quarter-finals. But they always fail at the end. This season they have spent a lot of money, but in the knockout phase they will play with Real Madrid. It was a tough test, I still wanted Real Madrid to win during the match.

To begin with, it would be desirable for the trio of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe to appear together on the football field, because due to a number of medical reasons this does not happen, so to say that this bundle does not give the necessary effect is a sin against the truth The current Paris Saint-Germain is really difficult to call an unambiguous favorite of the current Champions League draw, especially since the club got such an opponent as Real Madrid, which has gained good form in the national championship and is its leader. And there are still at least English clubs and Bayern Munich, which also have a good chance of winning the title. Therefore, if before the start of the season everyone called PSG the favorite of the tournament because of the transfer company and the presence of superstars, now the alignment has changed a little and everything does not look so unambiguous.

[hahay]

Paris saint Germans Haven't been more of a consistent team this season, we have seen that several occasions in the Ligue.
How did the arrival of Messi and Ramos improve the team ? I find the incorrect,null and invalid.
They haven't done much, likewise the arrival of Pochetino, Thomas Tuchel seems to be much of a better coach than he's been for the Ligue 1 champions.

Some teams might be good generally but will be unable to lift the champions league. Infact it can be correct to say that individuals win champions league than team. That was why Juventus went for Ronaldo but they couldn't scale to the finals.
The season that Liverpool was all set to lift the champions league, Ramos and Ronaldo denied them the opportunity.
So, if psg meets the final, Ramos and Messi can give them the trophy.

Trough Juventus always failed touch the final because Ronaldo there and now we are waiting what Juventus can do without Ronaldo again, can take the champion league final or not because last several season almost Juventus and many great player fault with Ronaldo is not working team and make Juventus never touch the final. Although success on group stage just one match loss from Chelsea I think Juventus is not enough and become favorite team will take to the final, looking on domestic league Juventus as the only one team right now out from top four position as lead qualify champion league next year.

The team that looks more consistent in almost all competitions is probably Manchester City which of course, it seems we will not doubt Pep Guardiola's proven strategy. Now it seems like big players like Messi and Ronaldo have finished their golden era, because now is the era where other players who will become stars or even teams that can be said to be mediocre can make a surprise in the UCL event this season. Nothing is certain there even though they have Messi and Ronaldo, because this season only Lewandowski has been the most consistent player and continues to shine with his team.

[Swordsoffreedom]

The team that looks more consistent in almost all competitions is probably Manchester City which of course, it seems we will not doubt Pep Guardiola's proven strategy. Now it seems like big players like Messi and Ronaldo have finished their golden era, because now is the era where other players who will become stars or even teams that can be said to be mediocre can make a surprise in the UCL event this season. Nothing is certain there even though they have Messi and Ronaldo, because this season only Lewandowski has been the most consistent player and continues to shine with his team.

Not only Manchester City, Bayern Munich is also the most stable team. But I don't think either of these two teams can win the title. This is my personal opinion. Manchester City also played great in the Champions League last season. But in the final they lost to Chelsea.
Messi and Ronaldo's team PSG and Manchester United, respectively, can not be said to be strong. They are not stable as a team. However, Ronaldo has scored 6 goals in 5 matches and Messi has scored 5 goals in 5 matches. If these two star players can maintain the continuity, then they also have a chance to win the title.

[Juggy777]

The team that looks more consistent in almost all competitions is probably Manchester City which of course, it seems we will not doubt Pep Guardiola's proven strategy. Now it seems like big players like Messi and Ronaldo have finished their golden era, because now is the era where other players who will become stars or even teams that can be said to be mediocre can make a surprise in the UCL event this season. Nothing is certain there even though they have Messi and Ronaldo, because this season only Lewandowski has been the most consistent player and continues to shine with his team.

Not only Manchester City, Bayern Munich is also the most stable team. But I don't think either of these two teams can win the title. This is my personal opinion. Manchester City also played great in the Champions League last season. But in the final they lost to Chelsea.
Messi and Ronaldo's team PSG and Manchester United, respectively, can not be said to be strong. They are not stable as a team. However, Ronaldo has scored 6 goals in 5 matches and Messi has scored 5 goals in 5 matches. If these two star players can maintain the continuity, then they also have a chance to win the title.

@hahay since we’re in champions league thread I would say Liverpool is one of the teams that can win it, and second team I would select is Bayern and for third I would obviously pick Manchester City. Also it’ll take a miracle but I’m sincerely hoping that Ronaldo can fire Manchester United to the semis at least, but yea I’m aware it’s extremely unlikely it’ll happen but I can’t stop supporting the club I love even despite their current form.

[joker_josue]

Not only Manchester City, Bayern Munich is also the most stable team. But I don't think either of these two teams can win the title. This is my personal opinion. Manchester City also played great in the Champions League last season. But in the final they lost to Chelsea.

It's true that the strongest team doesn't always win in football. Proof of this was last year Man City lost to Chelsea. But at the time Chelsea were going through a period of results, which left them very motivated and with little pressure, and that helped.

Either way, no two games are the same or two seasons are the same. This season Man City and Bayer are simply dominating, it seems that nobody can stop them.

Of course things can change from one moment to the next, but the only reason I see these two clubs not reaching the final is if they meet before the final.

[kro55]

The team that looks more consistent in almost all competitions is probably Manchester City which of course, it seems we will not doubt Pep Guardiola's proven strategy. Now it seems like big players like Messi and Ronaldo have finished their golden era, because now is the era where other players who will become stars or even teams that can be said to be mediocre can make a surprise in the UCL event this season. Nothing is certain there even though they have Messi and Ronaldo, because this season only Lewandowski has been the most consistent player and continues to shine with his team.

Not only Manchester City, Bayern Munich is also the most stable team. But I don't think either of these two teams can win the title. This is my personal opinion. Manchester City also played great in the Champions League last season. But in the final they lost to Chelsea.

PSG and Man United are not the winners of this season at least, in my opinion. PSG front trio still doesn't have the chemistry needed. Mess_Neymar_mbappe are still not clicking with one another this saddens me.    

Messi and Ronaldo's team PSG and Manchester United, respectively, can not be said to be strong. They are not stable as a team. However, Ronaldo has scored 6 goals in 5 matches and Messi has scored 5 goals in 5 matches. If these two star players can maintain the continuity, then they also have a chance to win the title.

Both Man City and Bayern seem like very good contenders for the title in my opinion. Bayern have Lewandowski who is scoring every game and Man City are playing so well as a 'team'. I won't be surprised if any of these two win the trophy.  

[Swordsoffreedom]

It's true that the strongest team doesn't always win in football. Proof of this was last year Man City lost to Chelsea. But at the time Chelsea were going through a period of results, which left them very motivated and with little pressure, and that helped.

Chelsea's players were much more confident the previous season. So they easily overcame all the obstacles. Chelsea had won all three of their matches against Manchester City last season. I would say that Chelsea's performance in the previous season was so strong because of the confidence of the players.

Either way, no two games are the same or two seasons are the same. This season Man City and Bayer are simply dominating, it seems that nobody can stop them.
Of course things can change from one moment to the next, but the only reason I see these two clubs not reaching the final is if they meet before the final.

These two teams are regular, very strong. But the Manchester United and PSG teams are strong enough though irregular. The PSG team has a lot of star players. Although their performance is irregular, they are not weak. Their main weakness is their match-strategy. If Zidane takes over as PSG coach, the PSG team will become stronger.

[joker_josue]

These two teams are regular, very strong. But the Manchester United and PSG teams are strong enough though irregular. The PSG team has a lot of star players. Although their performance is irregular, they are not weak. Their main weakness is their match-strategy. If Zidane takes over as PSG coach, the PSG team will become stronger.

Really Zidane would be a great asset for PSG. But I have some doubts that he will accept to join the project in the middle of the season.

What makes Man City and Bayern, is the consistency they have. They have almost the same players for 2 or 3 years, with no major changes in the squad. This helps players get to know each other well, and in turn have incredible regularity.

[CryptoBuds]

You are not wrong I have to say. PSG were always like the team who always had the potential to win the trophy for the past few years but they were not able to. Maybe this season they have more probability to win but in order to win the CL, the stars have to align right and the team also needs to play well on the specific matchday. But so far what worries me is that the Messi, Neymar, mballe trio is still not gaining the needed chemistry, right?

I'm not sure PSG are currently capable of winning UCL. The arrival of Messi and Ramos was not enough to make them strong. PSG need the mentality to win, relying on their coolness will not be successful enough. They need the mentality of all the players to be with the champions. In two seasons, they reached the quarter-finals. But they always fail at the end. This season they have spent a lot of money, but in the knockout phase they will play with Real Madrid. It was a tough test, I still wanted Real Madrid to win during the match.

To begin with, it would be desirable for the trio of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe to appear together on the football field, because due to a number of medical reasons this does not happen, so to say that this bundle does not give the necessary effect is a sin against the truth The current Paris Saint-Germain is really difficult to call an unambiguous favorite of the current Champions League draw, especially since the club got such an opponent as Real Madrid, which has gained good form in the national championship and is its leader. And there are still at least English clubs and Bayern Munich, which also have a good chance of winning the title. Therefore, if before the start of the season everyone called PSG the favorite of the tournament because of the transfer company and the presence of superstars, now the alignment has changed a little and everything does not look so unambiguous.

^ I think Mbappe, Neymar & Mess alone cannot win them the trophy, they need better midfielders in my opinion.
Because for a good attack trio to work well, they need better support from the midfield. Marco Verratti is good but they need another quality midfielder like Kevin De Bruyne or Toni Kroos, who can assist them well. But so far they are lacking a lot of team chemistry and I still don't know how they will fix it.

[swogerino]

You are not wrong I have to say. PSG were always like the team who always had the potential to win the trophy for the past few years but they were not able to. Maybe this season they have more probability to win but in order to win the CL, the stars have to align right and the team also needs to play well on the specific matchday. But so far what worries me is that the Messi, Neymar, mballe trio is still not gaining the needed chemistry, right?

I'm not sure PSG are currently capable of winning UCL. The arrival of Messi and Ramos was not enough to make them strong. PSG need the mentality to win, relying on their coolness will not be successful enough. They need the mentality of all the players to be with the champions. In two seasons, they reached the quarter-finals. But they always fail at the end. This season they have spent a lot of money, but in the knockout phase they will play with Real Madrid. It was a tough test, I still wanted Real Madrid to win during the match.

To begin with, it would be desirable for the trio of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe to appear together on the football field, because due to a number of medical reasons this does not happen, so to say that this bundle does not give the necessary effect is a sin against the truth The current Paris Saint-Germain is really difficult to call an unambiguous favorite of the current Champions League draw, especially since the club got such an opponent as Real Madrid, which has gained good form in the national championship and is its leader. And there are still at least English clubs and Bayern Munich, which also have a good chance of winning the title. Therefore, if before the start of the season everyone called PSG the favorite of the tournament because of the transfer company and the presence of superstars, now the alignment has changed a little and everything does not look so unambiguous.

^ I think Mbappe, Neymar & Mess alone cannot win them the trophy, they need better midfielders in my opinion.
Because for a good attack trio to work well, they need better support from the midfield. Marco Verratti is good but they need another quality midfielder like Kevin De Bruyne or Toni Kroos, who can assist them well. But so far they are lacking a lot of team chemistry and I still don't know how they will fix it.

I think the forwarding in PSG is the greatest of all time they had and I think one of the best in the whole world having three great players like Mbappe,Neymar and Messi.I don't think they need that much of an help here,pretty much Messy and Mbappe can also play very well in the midfield if necessary while Neymar can only play as an attacker.

The lack of chemistry I think is because they haven't had that much serious games to play at,in the Ligue 1 they are the absolute winners and in Champions League things start to heat up right this February where I think we will see the true PSG,can't wait for that to happen and I am going to bet little money on them to win the Champions at near 10 of an odd.

[laurenB7742]

Paris saint Germans Haven't been more of a consistent team this season, we have seen that several occasions in the Ligue.
How did the arrival of Messi and Ramos improve the team ? I find the incorrect,null and invalid.
They haven't done much, likewise the arrival of Pochetino, Thomas Tuchel seems to be much of a better coach than he's been for the Ligue 1 champions.

Some teams might be good generally but will be unable to lift the champions league. Infact it can be correct to say that individuals win champions league than team. That was why Juventus went for Ronaldo but they couldn't scale to the finals.
The season that Liverpool was all set to lift the champions league, Ramos and Ronaldo denied them the opportunity.
So, if psg meets the final, Ramos and Messi can give them the trophy.

In order to win the CL trophy, two things need to happen.
Firstly, every player in the team has to perform in every game.
Secondly, they will also need a bit of luck
as the trophy can be lost within a matter of 90 minutes and only that team wins whoever plays well in that specific 90 minutes. Also PSG this season have been an unstable team with injuries, off-forms, and whatnot. In fact, the front trio still haven't figured out their chemistry.

[Luzin]

The lack of chemistry I think is because they haven't had that much serious games to play at,in the Ligue 1 they are the absolute winners and in Champions League things start to heat up right this February where I think we will see the true PSG,can't wait for that to happen and I am going to bet little money on them to win the Champions at near 10 of an odd.

PSG will face a strong and experienced team in the round sixteen of ucl. Of course I want Madrid to win because I'm a fan of them. But if I look objectively I keep betting for Madrid's victory. Maybe I could be wrong but my instincts say that. PSG are a great team they have a lot of good players, but they haven't come together yet. They're trying to make history that's still hard to do. They've just become a big team and they still lack experience as a team. I think they still need a long process.