UEFA Champions League 2022/23 Season

[indah rezqi]

Their problem is that they haven't found Pique's replacement. Pique is already 35 years old and his physique has declined. Even Pique always has a hard time facing a striker who can run quickly. I think Xavi should start thinking about the central defender.

Pique's replacement will be Araujo, but he had to undergo surgery due to an injury after playing for his country during the last international break. Without Araujo I think Barcelona's defense is in trouble, plus the absence of Crhistensen has made it difficult for Xavi to find a suitable replacement. Kounde isn't perfect after his injury either, but Xavi might take a lot of risks to play him in El Clasico.

Then instead of that, Roberto who is actually good at playing in midfield had to play at left-back because Bellerin was also injured. Xavi has really had problems with his defense especially in important matches and coincidentally when they have to play against teams like Inter, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. They are all a big team, so it's really not good to expect Barcelona to be without problems when their best player at defender is injured.

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[Silence Scream]

They are still a young team, which explains their current situation. Barcelona haven't stabilised yet and progressing with such a situation is difficult. Barca fans may feel uncertain about this team, especially if they look at Barca back-line.

Their problem is that they haven't found Pique's replacement. Pique is already 35 years old and his physique has declined. Even Pique always has a hard time facing a striker who can run quickly. I think Xavi should start thinking about the central defender. I think he should be brave to start the rotation,for example by installing Kounde as the starting line up. Because Xavi is carrying a mission of improvement and he deserves to give more playing time to the younger defenders.

They can actually find young defenders.  I'm sure Xavi is following the Bundesliga and Serie A.  From here, he can assemble a young defender with the features he wants into the team.  Pique's performance may be one or two more years, nothing more.  A young and strong defender with advanced physical features makes Barcelona very comfortable in high-level matches.

[nara1892]

Their problem is that they haven't found Pique's replacement. Pique is already 35 years old and his physique has declined. Even Pique always has a hard time facing a striker who can run quickly. I think Xavi should start thinking about the central defender. I think he should be brave to start the rotation,for example by installing Kounde as the starting line up. Because Xavi is carrying a mission of improvement and he deserves to give more playing time to the younger defenders.

Playing with young defenders are always a big gamble, all other positions you can fill youngsters but especially central defenders need to be experienced. Major clubs like Barcelona have no luxury to play with inexperienced defenders.
I don't think Barcelona had any chance left in Champions League anyway. They should go to Europa League route and try to win that trophy.

There is always a risk when placing young players in the line-up, especially the central defender position. That's a crucial position for defense that must be filled by players who have experience, composure and can read the direction of the ball. It's hard to find a centre-back with that kind of quality. But I agree that player rotation can be one way before the transfer market opens. However, we cannot know the quality of a player without giving him a chance to play. It is very risky indeed, but at least there is an effort to find players who can fill these positions.

[imamusma]

Playing with young defenders are always a big gamble, all other positions you can fill youngsters but especially central defenders need to be experienced. Major clubs like Barcelona have no luxury to play with inexperienced defenders.
I don't think Barcelona had any chance left in Champions League anyway. They should go to Europa League route and try to win that trophy.

I don't think Kounde is too young a defender, he must have had quite a bit of experience at Sevilla before. Then Eric Garcia isn't a young defender either, but he might not be the best if Kounde and Araujo are fit to play the game.

Pique is not young anymore, then Busquets is the same. But Xavi hopes they can give Barcelona peace of mind so that the team's performance is not chaotic. But it didn't stop there, they both made many mistakes that made their team lose. Not blaming them, but Xavi should be brave enough to put them on the bench if they don't perform well.

[ILuckyGuyI]

As far as I can see Club Brugge are the only team that haven't conceded any goal in the first four group games. Even Manchester City have conceded one goal. I would never expect such performance from the Belgium club before the group stage started. I was seeing them even one of the weakest teams of the group. I just waited too much from Porto and Atletico Madrid actually. I just believed in their high experience in the Champions League.

But we see these two teams fighting for the second place instead. I really appreciate Club Brugge's high effort in defense especially. They have improved their performance in the Champions League too much compared to the previous years. I don't know if they can reach a bigger stage than last 16 but even this is a good success for them in a tough group like this.

[YuginKadoya]

Here is the result for my picks last October 13, 2022

SSC Napoli VS Ajax Amsterdam GOAL 4 - 2 - WIN

Close game or not but the game stats is surely close enough, but Napoli's accuracy was pretty much sharp, in getting those 4 goals with Ajax's 2 shots, it sure that Napoli is pretty much the one that is likely dominating group A in the championship and if this continues then they will likely take on Liverpool but surely Liverpool is one tough team to crack,  

Bayer 04 Leverkusen VS FC Porto GOAL 0 - 3 - LOST

I feel so sorry about Leverkusen they are not the same team anymore as last season, they are surely getting Bayern Munich a hardtime of their lives, but right now they are only a mere husk of their former self, and right now I will not take a bet on another Leverkusen again, ever!  

FC Barcelona VS FC Inter Milano GOAL 3 - 3 - LOST

Barcelona seems struggling to win against, Milano, it was not enough even though Lewandowski makes 2 goals of his own, and it was not really enough to just have Lewandowski if you got teammates that are relying so much on Robert Lewandowski,

FC Viktoria Plzen VS FC Bayern Munich GOAL 2 - 4 - WIN

Bayern Munich is pretty much dominating Group C and right now they in a whole new level in beating Viktoria Plzen,

[alpamar99]

There is no doubt that Xavi has done well for FCB so far, but I think there are several transfers that are questionable at the moment. As an example, it would always be better to get a first-team player rather than buying three or four average players. In comparison to buying three players, this will be a more efficient solution.

Just take a look at the attacking options they have available to them. Dembele, Lewa, Raphinha, Traore, Depay, as well as many more, are among the players they have. In fact, they don't even play them in the same position all the time. And I haven't even begun to talk about their defense yet.

Traore? Adama Traore has left Barcelona and returned to Wolves at this time.
But indeed to find players I quite agree with you that it is better to maximize the opportunities that exist because it is true that their young players like Ferran and Ansu are also very unfortunate that they have to stay on the bench and always change during rotation.
Instead of spending money again and again in the midst of a financial crisis, they are now better off maximizing what is available.

[rby]

CONGRATULATIONS TO KARIMBENZEMA [Ballon D'or 2022]

Karim Benzema has just been announced the Ballon D'or winner 2022. The award was presented to him by his fellow country man and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.
Award well deserved. Last Champions league, Madrid wasn't a strong contender but Benzema with his wonder performance pushed them to finals eliminating strong Psg, Chelsea and Manchester City.

[bekti3]

The problem is in the actual performance.
For Chelsea this is still possible and the chances are still very big but for Milan or Salzburg it is definitely a little different. Even though Milan are still favored because they have a good squad in terms of players, their performance is still not very reliable, not to mention we already know that Salzburg is one of the clubs with a pretty good defense in my opinion.

You are right. but for Chelsea it is the biggest chance of qualifying. even I'm pretty sure that Chelsea will qualify easily. because of course we can see the performance of chelsea which is now getting better after they got a new coach, namely Graham potter. But I doubt Salzburg if they can get the points in the next game. because the next match Salzburg will be against Chelsea and Milan. and I think the chances of winning are still held by Chelsea and Milan. in group E I think Chelsea and Milan have more chances to qualify. because Milan's performance is now starting to improve. and in Serie A we can see Milan starting to be consistent in every game. but that's just my prediction. because the reality is always a lot of surprises that happen. and opportunities in Group E are still open to all teams. but based on Performance I see Chelsea and Milan the most likely to qualify.

This will determine whether Salzburg will be able to get a slot to advance to the next phase or not.
They failed last season because there was Manchester City and PSG but now they are faced with Milan and Chelsea.
It's actually a challenge, with the points they have now whether they can beat Milan because they are the one to go through but if they can't then it means they will return to the Europa League like last season.

[RockBell]

CONGRATULATIONS TO KARIMBENZEMA [Ballon D'or 2022]

Karim Benzema has just been announced the Ballon D'or winner 2022. The award was presented to him by his fellow country man and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.
Award well deserved. Last Champions league, Madrid wasn't a strong contender but Benzema with his wonder performance pushed them to finals eliminating strong Psg, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Well deserved, Benzema actually deserves it, after Benzema was un-stoppable and after Ronaldo left Madrid it actually took some time for Madrid  to perform well, who would have believed that Madrid will be the winner of champions league but Benzema actually brought light to Real Madrid, it was very challenging for them to have played a lot of tough clubs  as mentioned especially psg and mancity does clubs are challenging clubs to play with but they played well, congrats to the big Benz ones again more wins.

[ShowOff]

CONGRATULATIONS TO KARIMBENZEMA [Ballon D'or 2022]

Karim Benzema has just been announced the Ballon D'or winner 2022. The award was presented to him by his fellow country man and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.

Legit, he deserved it and congratulations to Karim Benzema. The 2022 Ballon D'or is Benzema's first time, he should be happy for the achievement especially when he may have been far from the peak of his career.

Look at the expression on his face "image from google", happy but good. 

[Jody.Drummer]

CONGRATULATIONS TO KARIMBENZEMA [Ballon D'or 2022]

Karim Benzema has just been announced the Ballon D'or winner 2022. The award was presented to him by his fellow country man and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.
Award well deserved. Last Champions league, Madrid wasn't a strong contender but Benzema with his wonder performance pushed them to finals eliminating strong Psg, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Well deserved, Benzema actually deserves it, after Benzema was un-stoppable and after Ronaldo left Madrid it actually took some time for Madrid  to perform well, who would have believed that Madrid will be the winner of champions league but Benzema actually brought light to Real Madrid, it was very challenging for them to have played a lot of tough clubs  as mentioned especially psg and mancity does clubs are challenging clubs to play with but they played well, congrats to the big Benz ones again more wins.

Yes it is a deserved tribute to Benzema with what he has given last season. His performance was extraordinary and he was always the decisive factor for Real Madrid's victory. When he has to miss Real Madrid matches he always struggles, it shows that he is a player who really contributes to Real Madrid. Hopefully this award can be a greater motivation for him to always show the best in every match at club and country. Last season was a fantastic season for Benzema.

[Rana590]

CONGRATULATIONS TO KARIMBENZEMA [Ballon D'or 2022]

Karim Benzema has just been announced the Ballon D'or winner 2022. The award was presented to him by his fellow country man and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.
Award well deserved. Last Champions league, Madrid wasn't a strong contender but Benzema with his wonder performance pushed them to finals eliminating strong Psg, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Karim Benzema deserves this Ballon D'or and he has spent a great season in Madrid. His dedication for Real Madrid is absolutely brilliant and he is one of the key players behind winning of Madrid's champion league. I was almost sure that Benzema would win this year. Congratulations Karim!!

[lixer]

Lewandowski is a fucking clown. He deserves what he got. He made all this mess with the scandalous departure from Bavaria, although he could have played at the highest level for at least a year (and most likely even further) and become the top 1 scorer in Bayern history. Now his achievements look doubtful - yes, he has a good average performance in Barcelona, but in the "big" games his performance sags a lot.
Barcelona have a formal chance of reaching the next round, but what can they do there with such a rotten game?

I doubt that they would win enough games to go to next stage, but at the same time I wouldn't be really that hard on bayern neither, it just doesn't feel the same way. I mean Lewandowski is a person and he has every right to go to any team he wants.

This isn't talked about when players go back to their childhood club, like if today Ronaldo decided to leave for sporting, nobody would say a thing because it’s obviously not for achievement but because it’s his childhood club, and sort of same happened for United too. But when Lewa wanted to move to Barcelona, why did people assume it was for success or traitor to bayern? Bayern is a better club anyway, he just wanted it for personal reasons.

[Rabi3]

I'm looking forward to the Barcelona-Bayern game with great interest, not because I believe in Barcelona's comeback, but because it's interesting to see how Bayern will play this game without the motivation to win. I think even in such conditions they can win big.

I don't think Bayern Munich doesn't have any motivation to win against Barcelona, if they lose in this match, Barcelona has a chance to qualify for the next round since Barcelona will play against weak club while Inter Milan need to face Bayern Munich. If Barcelona losing this match, it's a sweet revenge by Bayern Munich since there's no chance for Barcelona to qualify for the next round. Lewandowski will sad here lol.

Until the last sentence, I could not understand what the "sweet revenge" would be for  Barcelona is a stable supplier of points for Bayern and if the management of Bayern chose which to let Inter or Barcelona in the playoffs, then I'm sure they would choose Barcelona as a victory over them seems more reliable than over Inter. But the situation with Lewandowski completely changes the case, I agree. Bayern go further, and Lewandowski without Bayern goes only to the Europa League - sounds very mocking!

Lewandowski is one of the best players in the world, Lewandowski deserves a better club than Barcelona. It would be really sad for Lewandowski if Barcelona were to be eliminated from the Champions League altogether. If Barcelona are lucky enough to go through to the next round, they will be well on their way.

a better club like who ? Bayern Munich ?? why did he leave then ? Barcelona is decent enough for one of the best players in the world to shine with, but i think that Lewandowski is not a player that can make a difference in a team like Barcelona, he can only score when playing against some weak teams, and he can barely do that, i'm not expecting a lot from him.

[Sebas.tian]

CONGRATULATIONS TO KARIMBENZEMA [Ballon D'or 2022]

Karim Benzema has just been announced the Ballon D'or winner 2022. The award was presented to him by his fellow country man and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.
Award well deserved. Last Champions league, Madrid wasn't a strong contender but Benzema with his wonder performance pushed them to finals eliminating strong Psg, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Karim Benzema really deserve the award, because his performance has helped Real Madrid to achieved a lot of things from many competitions that made people to start predicting for the favour of Real Madrid. His performance made Real Madrid to eliminated mighty Manchester city in the final to embraced the last league champion title. I think, Karim Benzema will definitely achieve more award before the end of this season, because his performance has increased again to lead Real Madrid to win this UEFA champions league title to make their fans happy again.

[onecall123]

CONGRATULATIONS TO KARIMBENZEMA [Ballon D'or 2022]

Karim Benzema has just been announced the Ballon D'or winner 2022. The award was presented to him by his fellow country man and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.
Award well deserved. Last Champions league, Madrid wasn't a strong contender but Benzema with his wonder performance pushed them to finals eliminating strong Psg, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Karim Benzema really deserve the award, because his performance has helped Real Madrid to achieved a lot of things from many competitions that made people to start predicting for the favour of Real Madrid. His performance made Real Madrid to eliminated mighty Manchester city in the final to embraced the last league champion title. I think, Karim Benzema will definitely achieve more award before the end of this season, because his performance has increased again to lead Real Madrid to win this UEFA champions league title to make their fans happy again.

In 1998, Zidane won the Ballon d'Or, and now Karim Benzema as a Frenchman does as well. I have never seen a player win the Ballon D'or undisputedly for so long. Neither a single soul nor a single person can deny his victory. His victory took some time, but no one can question the style he used to win it. This UEFA champions league title was won by Real Madrid due to his hard work in the last season. In order to succeed, you must be patient, resilient, consistent, and hardworking.

[makishart]

CONGRATULATIONS TO KARIMBENZEMA [Ballon D'or 2022]

Karim Benzema has just been announced the Ballon D'or winner 2022. The award was presented to him by his fellow country man and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.
Award well deserved. Last Champions league, Madrid wasn't a strong contender but Benzema with his wonder performance pushed them to finals eliminating strong Psg, Chelsea and Manchester City.

No doubt. This guy is almost the same like marcelo. Marcelon has been retired from madrid with giving it 23 trophies and benzema was also the best team mates for marcelo. Karim is the best player in the world. Lewandowski was an overrated striker to be compared with benzema. Remember when this team under zidane and madrid has been winning some UCL in a row. That proves that if benzema is a very good striker even if was getting even older.

[Docnaster]

No doubt. This guy is almost the same like marcelo. Marcelon has been retired from madrid with giving it 23 trophies and benzema was also the best team mates for marcelo. Karim is the best player in the world. Lewandowski was an overrated striker to be compared with benzema. Remember when this team under zidane and madrid has been winning some UCL in a row. That proves that if benzema is a very good striker even if was getting even older.

Both Benzema and Lewandowski are world class players, none is overrated. Lewandowski has been good and consistent for years, how about the covid-19 season that he was super exceptional. For the season under review, Benzema was better and that is why he was given the award. It doesn't mean that we should bash Lewandowski. Anyone that made it to the top4 of the award can't be overrated

[Die_empty]

Karim Benzema really deserve the award, because his performance has helped Real Madrid to achieved a lot of things from many competitions that made people to start predicting for the favour of Real Madrid. His performance made Real Madrid to eliminated mighty Manchester city in the final to embraced the last league champion title. I think, Karim Benzema will definitely achieve more award before the end of this season, because his performance has increased again to lead Real Madrid to win this UEFA champions league title to make their fans happy again.

Last year FIFA and France Football disappointed most football fans when they announced that Lionel Messi was the winner of the 2021 Ballon d'Or. Although they defended their actions it was glaring that Robert Lewandowski the Polish prolific striker was the right person for that award. Robert had an outstanding season and everyone was just waiting for the announcement. Karim Benzema deserves this award in all reification and I want to appreciate the organizers of this award for not denying him this farewell gift.

Yeah, I called it a farewell package because I don't think Benzema would ever play to the standard he achieved last season. Age and injury might be his undoing this season. But he deserves all the accolades because he achieved this feat at 34 because of hard work, and determination.


Source

His selflessness and support for others are commendable. Congratulations King Karim Mostafa Benzema