⚽UEFA Champions League Discussion Thread -- 2023/24 | Prelim Qualifiers

[emrecemsan]

People are saying now that Manchester city are too reliant on haaland,what if he got injured, they wont do well again, am surprised why in football people has short memories, this same city has won the premier League three times in four years, they last reach the champions just last year and they have been scoring goals for fun before now,is shocking when people say bad words about this wonderful club under pep gaudiola, I just believe haaland will improve them even more.

Manchester City are of course relying on Erling Haaland mostly now.

It is actually the same as Real Madrid's situation in the previous season. As you can remember easily, Real Madrid were relying on Benzema to score mostly. But they still won even the Champions League at the end. Relying on one player is always risky for a team of course. Real Madrid actually had a plan B which was Vinicius Jr. Coming back to Manchester City, I don't know if they have a similar plan now. Haaland is a little injury-prone player as he had some important injuries at Dortmund. There is no player who has scored near the amount Haaland has at Manchester City so far.

I think that they would prefer Julian Alvarez or Foden in his place in case of an injury situation for Haaland. Maybe they would be more ineffective but we are still talking about Manchester City. They are playing under Guardiola's great system so I believe in them to do a good job still. But there is a fact that they need Haaland to win the Champions League title.

[Pokapoka124]

Although some things show that the previous coach Thomas Tuchel was more experienced than Graham Potter who is currently the new Chelsea coach, we still haven't seen how Potter's strategy with Chelsea will be and it's not impossible in the remaining 4 match we can see something new from Chelsea.
At least Chelsea have 4 match left before deciding where they will go, so there is still a chance. After all, of the several clubs competing in group E, only Milan looks tougher than the others. So maybe it won't be too difficult for Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel is a more experienced coach than Graham Potter, he is used to coaching big clubs and big players. Graham Potter isn't as experienced as Tuchel, I don't think he has even coached any big team in his career, I doubt he can improve the squad from it's currently declining state. Chelsea fans have no choice but pray Graham Potter can pick up from where Tuchel stopped for Chelsea and improve the squad and return to winning games.

[Questcry]

People are saying now that Manchester city are too reliant on haaland,what if he got injured, they wont do well again, am surprised why in football people has short memories, this same city has won the premier League three times in four years, they last reach the champions just last year and they have been scoring goals for fun before now,is shocking when people say bad words about this wonderful club under pep gaudiola, I just believe haaland will improve them even more.

I also believe Manchester City have been reliant on Haaland, he is a natural goal scorer, and has been outstanding this season. He comes to the rescue every time they face a tough opponent and it seems now that without Haaland Manchester City could lose some games they have come back to win because of the exceptional strikes from Haaland. Manchester City have really improved since Haaland's arrival.

Well to me when it comes to guardiola great systems of playing i have believe in the coach. In his formation he doesn't use striker, but now that he want to change the pattern i believe he had something in mind, when KUN AGUERO was scoring for man city like Ronaldo, pep guardiola bench him after and then he still produce good result, so i believe even if Haaland was injured, i believe he will still do well, he's a type that doesn't reply on one player unlike other coach

[CryptoPanda]

All of the title contenders can have some struggles in the Champions League of course. The difficulty Manchester City had against Dortmund was exactly like that. Manchester City didn't have an impressive performance most of the time in this match. But they are such a powerful team that they still found a way to turn the match around. These two spectacular goals are still discussed among many people now. Haaland is still a goal machine and no team are able to stop him in any tournament.

The goal record in the Champions League is still secured by Ronaldo (17 goals in the 2013/14 season at Real Madrid). I wonder if Haaland might manage to break this record in this season. He has only 3 goals after leaving 2 matches behind maybe. But there are still many matches ahead of him. If they reach the finale then he will have a huge opportunity to go for it. It isn't impossible for him to break this record for a beast like Haaland. He's already reached 10 goals after 6 matches in the Premier League for example.

Manchester city are very powerful this season, their attack have grown to be formidable, winning games by just scoring goals and the level at which Erling Haaland is playing and outscoring his peers I am afraid he might be the next big player like Ronaldo and Messi because he has all it takes to achieve that height, he is tall, physically strong, very good pace and good scoring techniques and also good in the air and he has been unstoppable this season.

[CLS63]

The only obstacle Manchester City have on the road going to the championship is themselves actually.

They have everything they need for being the champions this season. Erling Haaland has helped the team to be completed finally. Guardiola already has one of the best strategies among all the teams. They didn't have a good luck last season as Real Madrid performed a miracle against them.    This time they need to get lucky also to achieve the title finally for the first time in their history. Guardiola's main target has been winning the Champions League title for years. I don't think he is thinking of leaving the team before achieving this title as well. Maybe this can be their season finally.

[CryptoPanda]

Group B is in a really interesting condition. Club Brugge are the leader and Leverkusen are following them right behind. Atletico Madrid and Porto are in a pretty bad shape recently. It is really difficult to understand what's going on with Porto especially. They did a really great job against Atletico Madrid in Spain despite losing the match by the goals came in the stoppage time. But there was a completely different team against Club Brugge. They played like a farmers league team I mean.    Losing 4-0 home was too heavy and I wonder if they will be able to make up for this horrible start.

Before the group stage started I was thinking like Atletico Madrid would finish as leader and Porto would be right behind them. But the current look is completely the opposite. I don't think that Atletico Madrid would fail in qualifying from the group. But I doubt Porto about that. They need to collect as many points as possible against Leverkusen in the two matches ahead.

This is a tough group, Club Brugge, Leverkusen and Porto and Atletico Madrid,  all four teams are very experienced when it comes to competing in the Champions league and have a reputation also in this competition which makes the group very competitive and in my opinion Club Brugge and Atletico Madrid qualifying from this group at the end of the group stages.

[LittleBitFunny]

The only obstacle Manchester City have on the road going to the championship is themselves actually.

They have everything they need for being the champions this season. Erling Haaland has helped the team to be completed finally. Guardiola already has one of the best strategies among all the teams. They didn't have a good luck last season as Real Madrid performed a miracle against them.    This time they need to get lucky also to achieve the title finally for the first time in their history. Guardiola's main target has been winning the Champions League title for years. I don't think he is thinking of leaving the team before achieving this title as well. Maybe this can be their season finally.

As far as I am concerned, I completely agree with you. As a result of Sergio Aguero's departure, Manchester City have lacked a lethal striker for quite some time now.

As far as Gabriel Jesus is concerned, he was not the right fit and wasn't a first-team option for them. Now that they have brought in the Mobile striker Erling Haaland, their squad is now the most balanced in all of Europe.

With only six games under his belt, Haaland has already scored 10 times in only six games, and it does not look like he is going to slow down any time soon. As I recall, there was even a prediction that if he continues at this rate, he will end the season with 57 goals! Honestly, I do not think he is going to end up with that number, but I strongly believe he will get close or may even surpass the 40-goal mark. Overall, this is the best season for Man City in order for them to win the Champions League and get rid of their Champions League drought.

[D-law]

Although some things show that the previous coach Thomas Tuchel was more experienced than Graham Potter who is currently the new Chelsea coach, we still haven't seen how Potter's strategy with Chelsea will be and it's not impossible in the remaining 4 match we can see something new from Chelsea.
At least Chelsea have 4 match left before deciding where they will go, so there is still a chance. After all, of the several clubs competing in group E, only Milan looks tougher than the others. So maybe it won't be too difficult for Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel is a more experienced coach than Graham Potter, he is used to coaching big clubs and big players. Graham Potter isn't as experienced as Tuchel, I don't think he has even coached any big team in his career, I doubt he can improve the squad from it's currently declining state. Chelsea fans have no choice but pray Graham Potter can pick up from where Tuchel stopped for Chelsea and improve the squad and return to winning games.

Since there's always a first time for things, this is one for Potter
The season hasn't got to twenty games already, we will see how far he can go with the player
But with what I see and can say, player's need come in during January transfer
Potter has not been too bad in the premier league for the past two seasons

[Distraction]

All of the title contenders can have some struggles in the Champions League of course. The difficulty Manchester City had against Dortmund was exactly like that. Manchester City didn't have an impressive performance most of the time in this match.

I don't know how you came to that conclusion, I totally disagree about your statement.
I want you to review the match stats before coming to a conclusion. I also hope you can judge from a technical point of view how Manchester City's players attack. In fact Manchester City have a good advantage in a number of statistics, for example on ball possession, number of shots, number of passes.

Manchester City's goal productivity has also been good so far. They consistently score goals, those are the things that impress them. Until matchday 2, Manchester City only conceded 1 goal and has scored 6 goals. It's a good statistic to have no doubts about the ability and strength of this favourite.

Until they scored the first goal I can't say that they were in a very good condition. They even struggled to find the target for a long time. There was 0 shots on target in the first half and this didn't change for some time in the second half as well. Of course they had the most ball possession and it was very normal. There is no way for nearly any team to have the most ball possession against a team like Manchester City in an away match especially. But ball possession doesn't mean everything in football.

The most important thing is to have as many effective attacks as possible. We don't usually see Manchester City having this much difficulty in even finding the target. They still managed to find these amazing goals in the last ten minutes. But this must have been a warning for them to be more careful from now on.

[Pulsar77]

I thought we'd see Porto and Atletico Madrid at the top of Group B. But Porto have lost both matches, while Atletico Madrid, who are third in the table, have lost one. Leverkusen and Club Brugge played well enough. I think Club Brugge will be able to qualify for the next round. Their performance in the first two matches bought was excellent. Also won the away match against Porto 4-0. I guess we'll see Club Brugge and Atletico Madrid in the round of 16.

This is a tough group, Club Brugge, Leverkusen and Porto and Atletico Madrid,  all four teams are very experienced when it comes to competing in the Champions league and have a reputation also in this competition which makes the group very competitive and in my opinion Club Brugge and Atletico Madrid qualifying from this group at the end of the group stages.

It would be really a big surprise from now on if Club Brugge don't make it to the next stage. They are already the leader with 6 points. They seem like they can beat Atletico Madrid in their home match also. This is their next match by the way. Getting three points here would consolidate their position in the group pretty much. Porto might not even qualify for the next round in the Europa League depending on their results against Leverkusen in their coming matches. Maybe Porto have decided focus on the Liga Portugal championship more which might be the only explanation for their performance in the Club Brugge match.

I think that Atletico Madrid also don't deserve to be in the next stage here. They are a very awkward team above all else. They barely got past the group stage last season but somehow made it to the quarter finals. Manchester City even barely eliminated them by 1-0 on aggregate. They aren't very different now also. I'm not sure if I want to see their boring performance in the next stages again. I respect Simeone's style but it is no fun for spectators at all. 

[Daniel91]

Chelsea will exit from the group stage without getting to the next round because it looks as if they were not prepared for the Champions league this season,and despite the quality players that they signed,they are still unable to show people that they worth the money,so far,it's only Sterling that has showed that he is worth the money spent on him,because his getting goals.

I think the team is just struggling at the main time and it happens to every team once in a while so let us not be so quick to write them off already. They need a little more time, they have a new manager now who hopefully will help improve the squad and bring in new ideas and new strategies to winning games, I believe we will see the impact of these changes in the team very soon. They will come back stronger.

Currently chelsea is really in a period of adaptation again. like a newly formed team. because the new coach must have a different strategy and arrangement with the previous coach. but actually in the last match of chelsea against salzburg chelsea has started to show an improvement in its game. but unfortunately the opposing team's defense cannot be taken lightly. because Salzburg have a good defense. even when Salzburg against Milan ended in a draw. even though milan was in good form at that time.

Chelsea doesn't really have much time to prepare the team and make some big changes.
After two rounds, they are currently in the surprising last place in their Champions League group, and they have two very difficult games against Milan ahead of them.
If they don't win those two games, their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage of the Champions League will be very slim.
Given the strength and quality of the squad, I'm really surprised that Chelsea are doing so poorly in the Champions League.

[RealMalatesta]

I think the team is just struggling at the main time and it happens to every team once in a while so let us not be so quick to write them off already. They need a little more time, they have a new manager now who hopefully will help improve the squad and bring in new ideas and new strategies to winning games, I believe we will see the impact of these changes in the team very soon. They will come back stronger.

Currently chelsea is really in a period of adaptation again. like a newly formed team. because the new coach must have a different strategy and arrangement with the previous coach. but actually in the last match of chelsea against salzburg chelsea has started to show an improvement in its game. but unfortunately the opposing team's defense cannot be taken lightly. because Salzburg have a good defense. even when Salzburg against Milan ended in a draw. even though milan was in good form at that time.

I agree that they are rebuilding right now, after the last owner got out, they found a new one and they spent so much money on the club to make it better which doesn't seem to be working for now, and the new manager doesn't seem like a "better" one, but at the end of the day they are going to need some time.

After a certain time passes, they are going to both get used to playing together, get some experience, build some chemistry but also learn how the manager wants them to play and learn the tactic very too. After all of that is said and done, I am pretty sure that they are going to end up with a lot of wins again because they are a great team for sure.

[kro55]

I think the team is just struggling at the main time and it happens to every team once in a while so let us not be so quick to write them off already. They need a little more time, they have a new manager now who hopefully will help improve the squad and bring in new ideas and new strategies to winning games, I believe we will see the impact of these changes in the team very soon. They will come back stronger.

Currently chelsea is really in a period of adaptation again. like a newly formed team. because the new coach must have a different strategy and arrangement with the previous coach. but actually in the last match of chelsea against salzburg chelsea has started to show an improvement in its game. but unfortunately the opposing team's defense cannot be taken lightly. because Salzburg have a good defense. even when Salzburg against Milan ended in a draw. even though milan was in good form at that time.

Chelsea doesn't really have much time to prepare the team and make some big changes.
After two rounds, they are currently in the surprising last place in their Champions League group, and they have two very difficult games against Milan ahead of them.
If they don't win those two games, their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage of the Champions League will be very slim.
Given the strength and quality of the squad, I'm really surprised that Chelsea are doing so poorly in the Champions League.

Chelsea did not start this season as expected and obviously, right now they are in a rebuilding situation. However, at the end of the season, they cannot use that as an excuse for their poor performance or poor standing at the table. So they will have to tidy things up. And they will have to start performing well really quickly if they want to have a good position on the table at the end of the season.

Yes, they have some really hard matches coming up. But I believe this is a chance, this is a chance for Chelsea to prove themselves that they can make a comeback really quickly and be a menace for the teams at the top of the table.

[CLS63]

The only obstacle Manchester City have on the road going to the championship is themselves actually.

They have everything they need for being the champions this season. Erling Haaland has helped the team to be completed finally. Guardiola already has one of the best strategies among all the teams. They didn't have a good luck last season as Real Madrid performed a miracle against them.    This time they need to get lucky also to achieve the title finally for the first time in their history. Guardiola's main target has been winning the Champions League title for years. I don't think he is thinking of leaving the team before achieving this title as well. Maybe this can be their season finally.

As far as I am concerned, I completely agree with you. As a result of Sergio Aguero's departure, Manchester City have lacked a lethal striker for quite some time now.

As far as Gabriel Jesus is concerned, he was not the right fit and wasn't a first-team option for them. Now that they have brought in the Mobile striker Erling Haaland, their squad is now the most balanced in all of Europe.

With only six games under his belt, Haaland has already scored 10 times in only six games, and it does not look like he is going to slow down any time soon. As I recall, there was even a prediction that if he continues at this rate, he will end the season with 57 goals! Honestly, I do not think he is going to end up with that number, but I strongly believe he will get close or may even surpass the 40-goal mark. Overall, this is the best season for Man City in order for them to win the Champions League and get rid of their Champions League drought.

These are statistics for Gabriel Jesus's last season with Manchester City. Haaland has already scored 14 goals and made 1 assist in only 10 matches. Can you see the huge difference between these players?

Of course I'm aware that these players have different characteristics. Haaland is like a complete forward while Gabriel Jesus is more like a deep lying forward maybe. But the most important thing for the team is to get as much efficiency as possible from their strikers. It was obvious that they needed a forward like Haaland. They were interested in Kane before as you can remember. After failing in this task they went for Haaland. And it looks like they have made the best move they could. Maybe Kane wasn't going to be as effective as Haaland.

[buwaytress]

These are statistics for Gabriel Jesus's last season with Manchester City. Haaland has already scored 14 goals and made 1 assist in only 10 matches. Can you see the huge difference between these players?

Of course I'm aware that these players have different characteristics. Haaland is like a complete forward while Gabriel Jesus is more like a deep lying forward maybe. But the most important thing for the team is to get as much efficiency as possible from their strikers. It was obvious that they needed a forward like Haaland. They were interested in Kane before as you can remember. After failing in this task they went for Haaland. And it looks like they have made the best move they could. Maybe Kane wasn't going to be as effective as Haaland.

Still can't believe there are people who want to compare players coming out from different moulds. I'm not a personal fan of Jesus myself but clearly he's not the same guy as Haaland when it comes to results. I know he's probably rated worst for off-the-ball movement and that's really important when you have a team relying on each other to squeeze the best out, but in a team like City where the worst player probably is a started in any other EPL team, you don't need Haaland for that.

City and Liverpool knew they had to switch things up and both weirdly enough went for almost opposite evolutions in pure strikers. But while City can attract proven players, Liverpool still, because of style, identity and money, can only go for potentials. Still hope Klopp can evolve Nunez the way he did Salah, Firmino, Mane!

[Altryist]

Still can't believe there are people who want to compare players coming out from different moulds. I'm not a personal fan of Jesus myself but clearly he's not the same guy as Haaland when it comes to results. I know he's probably rated worst for off-the-ball movement and that's really important when you have a team relying on each other to squeeze the best out, but in a team like City where the worst player probably is a started in any other EPL team, you don't need Haaland for that.

City and Liverpool knew they had to switch things up and both weirdly enough went for almost opposite evolutions in pure strikers. But while City can attract proven players, Liverpool still, because of style, identity and money, can only go for potentials. Still hope Klopp can evolve Nunez the way he did Salah, Firmino, Mane!

Remember how Nunez started playing at Liverpool, he scored in every match until Haaland was just adapting. But after the match with Crystal Palace, he was suspended for three matches. Nunes has huge potential, but it is difficult to realize it when the team is not playing well. I think he has already proven that he can be a useful player for Liverpool. It is easier for Haaland in City because they needed a striker who would be the leader in attack, and therefore the whole game in attack is focused around him, so he scores a lot, but he also misses a lot of chances, as he did in Borussia.

[mamesso]

~Snip~

I also believe Manchester City have been reliant on Haaland, he is a natural goal scorer, and has been outstanding this season. He comes to the rescue every time they face a tough opponent and it seems now that without Haaland Manchester City could lose some games they have come back to win because of the exceptional strikes from Haaland. Manchester City have really improved since Haaland's arrival.

Haaland who had just signed from Dortmund this summer, immediately showed his sharpness with Manchester City. Since his arrival at the Etihad stadium, Haaland has scored 14 goals in 10 games in all competitions he has played for Manchester City. Haaland presence has boosted the performance of Manchester City attacking line after appearing without a center forward last season. Now Manchester City are very dependent on the figure of Haaland, he has become the new goal machine for Manchester City. Pep Guardiola really hopes that Haaland will always be in a fit condition so that he can help the team when competing in the UCL and EPL.

[posi]

Still can't believe there are people who want to compare players coming out from different moulds. I'm not a personal fan of Jesus myself but clearly he's not the same guy as Haaland when it comes to results. I know he's probably rated worst for off-the-ball movement and that's really important when you have a team relying on each other to squeeze the best out, but in a team like City where the worst player probably is a started in any other EPL team, you don't need Haaland for that.

City and Liverpool knew they had to switch things up and both weirdly enough went for almost opposite evolutions in pure strikers. But while City can attract proven players, Liverpool still, because of style, identity and money, can only go for potentials. Still hope Klopp can evolve Nunez the way he did Salah, Firmino, Mane!

Remember how Nunez started playing at Liverpool, he scored in every match until Haaland was just adapting. But after the match with Crystal Palace, he was suspended for three matches. Nunes has huge potential, but it is difficult to realize it when the team is not playing well. I think he has already proven that he can be a useful player for Liverpool. It is easier for Haaland in City because they needed a striker who would be the leader in attack, and therefore the whole game in attack is focused around him, so he scores a lot, but he also misses a lot of chances, as he did in Borussia.

Liverpool's overall performance is very poor. Bonding between players is low. Also, Nunez still hasn't had enough time to acclimate to the team. Although I don't think Nunez will now become a regular scorer like Haaland. But if he returns to form and can get along well with the players, Liverpool's performance will be more stable. The main reason Haaland is able to perform well on a regular basis is that Manchester City has a strong midfield. Haaland is able to score goals in every match with the help of midfielders. On the other hand, the performance of the Liverpool team is not stable as of now. So I don't expect a great performance from Nunez yet.

[buwaytress]

City and Liverpool knew they had to switch things up and both weirdly enough went for almost opposite evolutions in pure strikers. But while City can attract proven players, Liverpool still, because of style, identity and money, can only go for potentials.

Remember how Nunez started playing at Liverpool, he scored in every match until Haaland was just adapting.

Sadly, I do remember. Nunez made his debut in the Community Shield, where we just blasted City out of the sky (as the underdog too, so it was a great start to my betting season). But yeah, sent himself off, coinciding with our injuries, and then our mojo got shaken. City's definitely had the easier going, and Haaland fit the system really well. They've got actual suppliers, we've got defenders expecting to feed crosses to Nunez haha.

[S A KHAIR]

Still can't believe there are people who want to compare players coming out from different moulds. I'm not a personal fan of Jesus myself but clearly he's not the same guy as Haaland when it comes to results. I know he's probably rated worst for off-the-ball movement and that's really important when you have a team relying on each other to squeeze the best out, but in a team like City where the worst player probably is a started in any other EPL team, you don't need Haaland for that.
City and Liverpool knew they had to switch things up and both weirdly enough went for almost opposite evolutions in pure strikers. But while City can attract proven players, Liverpool still, because of style, identity and money, can only go for potentials. Still hope Klopp can evolve Nunez the way he did Salah, Firmino, Mane!

Remember how Nunez started playing at Liverpool, he scored in every match until Haaland was just adapting. But after the match with Crystal Palace, he was suspended for three matches. Nunes has huge potential, but it is difficult to realize it when the team is not playing well. I think he has already proven that he can be a useful player for Liverpool. It is easier for Haaland in City because they needed a striker who would be the leader in attack, and therefore the whole game in attack is focused around him, so he scores a lot, but he also misses a lot of chances, as he did in Borussia.

There is no doubt that Nunez is a promising player. But he is not playing well now. Still now he can not prove his worth. If we compare Nunez to Haaland, Nunez is far behind. Liverpool's performance is poor. Although their team is strong, there is no consistency in performance. If Nunez can return to form and play well then maybe Liverpool can play consistently well. Also, Liverpool's midfield needs to be more stable.