UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Season

[MarjorieZimmermanGinger]

In his two and a half years in Bayer Leverkusen, he shown his ability to work with available players very well, upgraded players to better versions and winning titles together. In Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso will have more star players than in Bayer Leverkusen and I think he will use them very well too. I also expect him to trigger good growth of some young players in Real Madrid and together make a very quality team for winning titles in La Liga and Champions League. Surely the competitiveness in La Liga is higher than Bundesliga but I believe in Xabi Alonso.

He should be able to achieve this again, now that he's coaching a big club with a much better quality of players than he had at Leverkusen. The typical difficulty for a coach is not having quality players, making it very difficult for them to achieve success. But Xabi Alonso is at a team that has everything, and it should be much easier to achieve success, although the challenges are also much greater. I also believe Xabi Alonso will be successful at Real Madrid, but not in his first season because competing in the Champions League is different from competing in the domestic league.

[tygeade]

Zidane did a really fantastic job when he was coaching Real Madrid, leading the team to win the prestigious Champions League trophy three times from 2016 to 2018, the tournament that is only meant for champions. He is lucky, but his hard work and dedication were crucial to their success. Even after Zidane left Real Madrid, the new coach struggled, times which made him returned for the second time, and still made a significant impact, leading the team to the Champions League semifinals and finishing second in La Liga. I cannot claim that no coach will achieve that, but for now, it will be very tough for any coach to win the Champions League in a row like Zidane.

At this point, I am starting to think that Zidane was great, there is no doubt about that, but he also had a complete team. That was the most important piece of the puzzle, so it's quite important to make it happen some other way. We should be considering this as a good way of moving forward, and we should definitely not put that much success on Zidane alone.

We are going to see this change, and make it so that in a way it would be a lot better for all of us. It's really great for all of us. We are not going to see this be a lot better if we realized that Real Madrid squad was awesome, and while of course winning three times in a row was a huge achievement by Zidane, with that team, it wasn't impossible level neither for all other coaches.

[Lidger]

Ancelotti wasn’t lucky with the players Eder Militao missed a lot due to injury, Mbappe had to adapt, and Bellingham and Vinicius weren’t in the kind of form we know them for. I think Xabi already has well developed tactics and excellent training sessions that will generally prepare the players for the start.

Real Madrid headcoach, Carlo Ancelotti was lucky enough to have the best players around and these players was determined to win games and lift trophies, they got it in them to come out in every game with stellar performance. What change in the Real Madrid team? We've not any scenario where the best team will not come out winning consistently at the top. Eder Militao was eager to play but base on his unfit momentum, we watch him crumbled several time and became one lesser on the pitch. He couldn't meet up the desirable expectations and this got him some flopping performance and stats. He's not only the one but others included.

Real Madrid is definitely not the same team as it was a few years ago. Remember, Real won three consecutive Champions League titles when Zidane was the head coach. I believe Xabi can motivate them and elevate the team to a higher level. They just need to stay healthy and be in top form.

In the history of Real Madrid, most of the managers who have served Real Madrid have been successful in their duties. Real Madrid considers many factors when hiring managers and they hire the best managers for their club. When a skilled manager takes charge of a very strong team, naturally the team and the manager will perform well together and the team will win big titles under the manager.

However, so far, no other manager except Zinedine Zidane has been able to win the UCL trophy three times in a row. Zinedine Zidane is different in this regard for Real Madrid. However, the one who is currently appointed by Real Madrid has enough skills to manage a big team and is also a former Real Madrid player, so I think he will win multiple Champions League titles again under him and Real Madrid.

[Ruttoshi]

In his two and a half years in Bayer Leverkusen, he shown his ability to work with available players very well, upgraded players to better versions and winning titles together. In Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso will have more star players than in Bayer Leverkusen and I think he will use them very well too. I also expect him to trigger good growth of some young players in Real Madrid and together make a very quality team for winning titles in La Liga and Champions League. Surely the competitiveness in La Liga is higher than Bundesliga but I believe in Xabi Alonso.

He should be able to achieve this again, now that he's coaching a big club with a much better quality of players than he had at Leverkusen. The typical difficulty for a coach is not having quality players, making it very difficult for them to achieve success. But Xabi Alonso is at a team that has everything, and it should be much easier to achieve success, although the challenges are also much greater. I also believe Xabi Alonso will be successful at Real Madrid, but not in his first season because competing in the Champions League is different from competing in the domestic league.

Xabi Alonso has the experience to win his target if he is more focused and determined because he has all the resources to make that happen. If he can transform a club like Leverkusen without any top world class players, he can do it in Madrid in his first season. I don't want to expect too much from him, but I have confidence in Alonso that he will give us a big surprise once more.

Everything is in place for the next season to kick off, and let's see what happens on the pitch. Can't wait.

[CryptoBuds]

He should be able to achieve this again, now that he's coaching a big club with a much better quality of players than he had at Leverkusen. The typical difficulty for a coach is not having quality players, making it very difficult for them to achieve success. But Xabi Alonso is at a team that has everything, and it should be much easier to achieve success, although the challenges are also much greater. I also believe Xabi Alonso will be successful at Real Madrid, but not in his first season because competing in the Champions League is different from competing in the domestic league.

Xabi Alonso now has one of the best squads in the world. Every player in this squad is very talented. And that's why Xabi's tasks are also very arduous.

The Leverkusen team was not very strong. We do not see any star players in Leverkusen. On the other hand , Real Madrid has a lot of star players in their squad. And it's difficult to control so many star players. Also, a big club like Real Madrid will definitely play to secure both the Champions League and La Liga titles. Xabi Alonso has never faced such a big challenge in the past. So I think the chances of him succeeding in his first season are a little low. But Xabi Alonso is very talented. He will do his best to secure the La Liga title this season.

[Kaliandra]

Majority of people underestimated PSG in the beginning of the competition. PSG struggled to their last match in the group stage and they have to win that match to enable them qualify for the play off. They became bold and confident in themselves.

Nobody saw them to be the favorite even till the finals. It was when the match started that we saw a different thing entirely to the opposite of our predictions. Barcelona super form ended in the semifinals with a strong fight against Inter but got defeated.

It's true that no one expected PSG to win the Champions League last season. However, it's understandable that PSG weren't widely favored to win the title, as they struggled in the early stages of the Champions League. However, it seems Luis Enrique is starting to find a good strategy, and by the time they reached the round of 16, PSG had truly impressed. I personally wasn't a fan of PSG winning the Champions League trophy, but ultimately, my suspicions were wrong, as PSG demonstrated their formidable ability and ultimately won the Champions League.

The Inter vs. Barcelona match was certainly a fierce contest, with the first leg ending in a 3-3 draw. In the second leg, Barcelona ultimately had to admit that Inter were superior, losing 4-3. But what's unique is that in the final, Inter really couldn't do anything because PSG certainly had a stronger strength, which ultimately led to PSG winning the UCL trophy after successfully slaughtering Inter with a score of 5-0. What an extraordinary achievement PSG achieved at that time. But for next season, I'm a bit doubtful that PSG will win the UCL trophy, do you also think so?

[Inwestour]

He should be able to achieve this again, now that he's coaching a big club with a much better quality of players than he had at Leverkusen. The typical difficulty for a coach is not having quality players, making it very difficult for them to achieve success. But Xabi Alonso is at a team that has everything, and it should be much easier to achieve success, although the challenges are also much greater. I also believe Xabi Alonso will be successful at Real Madrid, but not in his first season because competing in the Champions League is different from competing in the domestic league.

It is quite possible that with higher level players Alonso will be able to achieve greater success. But there is a difference between Real and Bayer because when he was at Bayer no one demanded titles or anything like that from him. There was no such pressure on him, but at Real everything will be different. He will not have time to work with the team for long he will already need to win a trophy in his first season. And that could create certain pressure on Alonso, especially since he is still not a very experienced coach and has never worked with such big clubs.

[joniboini]

But what's unique is that in the final, Inter really couldn't do anything because PSG certainly had a stronger strength, which ultimately led to PSG winning the UCL trophy after successfully slaughtering Inter with a score of 5-0.

To be fair to them, there are contexts around that. Losing some matches, especially losing the domestic title or cup, affects their mentality before the match. After they conceded the first goal or two, some people even argued that the body language or whatever from Inter changed drastically. It isn't as simple as their players' quality isn't up to par, but it is one of the factors for that terrible performance.

I'm a bit doubtful that PSG will win the UCL trophy, do you also think so?

I mean, Chelsea did beat them in the CWC. It isn't impossible to see more teams trying to develop a better strategy to compete against PSG next season.

[Egii Nna]

Especially in the UCL competition, there are so many surprises that happen and we can see those surprises that exist almost every season because not only the quality and strength of the team can be measured but mental readiness is also very necessary so that we find it difficult to predict with certainty for a football match and I am no longer surprised by that because I think it is a common thing because it often happens.

Basically, everyone always focuses more on a team's strength and ability in any competition because surprises are something that no one can clearly predict, even though they occur every season in the Champions League. However, it's still difficult for anyone to make predictions based on other aspects because the true strength and capabilities of the big teams entering the Champions League have yet to be revealed. Therefore, everyone will have to wait and see who the strongest team is in this season's Champions League.

This season’s Champions League will be more competitive, as almost all the top teams have invested in their strike, and from all indications, their squads are getting stronger. So, just as you said, we can’t choose the strongest team for now, but let’s see how the game will go first, then we can see who among them will be the strongest in the league this season. But I know that, even so, it will still be very competitive this season. Let’s just give it more time and see the outcome of the season.

[verdinio]

Especially in the UCL competition, there are so many surprises that happen and we can see those surprises that exist almost every season because not only the quality and strength of the team can be measured but mental readiness is also very necessary so that we find it difficult to predict with certainty for a football match and I am no longer surprised by that because I think it is a common thing because it often happens.

Basically, everyone always focuses more on a team's strength and ability in any competition because surprises are something that no one can clearly predict, even though they occur every season in the Champions League. However, it's still difficult for anyone to make predictions based on other aspects because the true strength and capabilities of the big teams entering the Champions League have yet to be revealed. Therefore, everyone will have to wait and see who the strongest team is in this season's Champions League.

This season?s Champions League will be more competitive, as almost all the top teams have invested in their strike, and from all indications, their squads are getting stronger. So, just as you said, we can?t choose the strongest team for now, but let?s see how the game will go first, then we can see who among them will be the strongest in the league this season. But I know that, even so, it will still be very competitive this season. Let?s just give it more time and see the outcome of the season.

There are certainly many other teams that are coming back and have invested, I think there will be many surprises this year and we will see some great ones, we will certainly see teams never seen before participate and have a very interesting championship.

[Velvet78]

4 years ago, we witnessed a really surprising result by Chelsea. They won the Champions League title with a quite defensive game.

After that they got 2 quarter finals qualification. But in the last 2 years they couldn't even qualify for the tournament. Finally they are back in the arena again!

Seeing their effort against PSG in the CWC was really exciting. I think they shouldn't be underestimated in the Champions League this season. 

[Kaliandra]

He should be able to achieve this again, now that he's coaching a big club with a much better quality of players than he had at Leverkusen. The typical difficulty for a coach is not having quality players, making it very difficult for them to achieve success. But Xabi Alonso is at a team that has everything, and it should be much easier to achieve success, although the challenges are also much greater. I also believe Xabi Alonso will be successful at Real Madrid, but not in his first season because competing in the Champions League is different from competing in the domestic league.

Being at a big club with so many star players certainly won't be easy for Xabi to lead Real Madrid to trophy success. There will certainly be many obstacles, such as managing players who are sometimes selfish, and other issues. This is compounded by the pressure from Real Madrid fans, who undoubtedly want Real Madrid to win the title, as last season saw Real Madrid fail to win a trophy.

His time at Leverkusen will certainly be different from now, but Xabi certainly has a good plan and strategy, which is why he is capable of being the Real Madrid coach. For his first season in the Champions League, my prediction is the same as yours. I also see Xabi Alonso needing time to adapt well at Real Madrid, especially in the Champions League next season. It will certainly be difficult for Real Madrid to win the title. But if Xabi can develop a good strategy, there is certainly potential for Real Madrid to win the UCL trophy. The players and coaches are certainly tense now and will be trying to develop their best strategies.

[Roseline492]

I believe it was just a misconception because a lot of people usually do this, they would be trying to mention a name of the coach that has been managing a club but mistakenly call another name so actually you are right Luis Enrique is the PSG coach whom has been the ingredient to how testy PSG has become and I don't think he has ever coach Fenerbahce before. However he is right because Jose Mourinho hasn't done so well as the coach before him because there was a time when he has not joined the club they were better than Galatasaray but now they are not as the club is under his control.

Yes, I loved Luis Enrique when he coached other teams, but lately he always compliments the teams before playing, and he always does a lot of it, but then if he loses he doesn't know how to do it and starts making excuses and saying nasty things about opposing clubs that have won.

Complementing his team is good because he is telling them he appreciate there efforts and what they can do, it might look a bit somehow for some persons but his reason could be giving his boys confident so that they wouldn't be playing as people who are desperate to win but it gives them the strength to calm the ball and labour there opponent. Also even if after complementing them and he lost the game he will definitely feel bad and promise for more opportunity some other time because that's what every coaches will do, they cannot give up for losing.

[giorgione]

He should be able to achieve this again, now that he's coaching a big club with a much better quality of players than he had at Leverkusen. The typical difficulty for a coach is not having quality players, making it very difficult for them to achieve success. But Xabi Alonso is at a team that has everything, and it should be much easier to achieve success, although the challenges are also much greater. I also believe Xabi Alonso will be successful at Real Madrid, but not in his first season because competing in the Champions League is different from competing in the domestic league.

It is quite possible that with higher level players Alonso will be able to achieve greater success. But there is a difference between Real and Bayer because when he was at Bayer no one demanded titles or anything like that from him. There was no such pressure on him, but at Real everything will be different. He will not have time to work with the team for long he will already need to win a trophy in his first season. And that could create certain pressure on Alonso, especially since he is still not a very experienced coach and has never worked with such big clubs.

exactly, it's very important to understand that the pressure is different and that the clubs also expect different things from him. At Bayern he had much more freedom and tranquility, while here he has to bring home a result otherwise he risks being kicked out. It reminds me a lot of the case of Thiago Motta who moved from Bologna to Juventus and was a disaster.

[Kaliandra]

4 years ago, we witnessed a really surprising result by Chelsea. They won the Champions League title with a quite defensive game.

After that they got 2 quarter finals qualification. But in the last 2 years they couldn't even qualify for the tournament. Finally they are back in the arena again!

Seeing their effort against PSG in the CWC was really exciting. I think they shouldn't be underestimated in the Champions League this season.  

PSG's defeat in the Club World Cup was indeed very surprising. PSG's strength, of course, cannot be underestimated, having won the UCL last season. However, Chelsea actually defeated PSG 3-0, PSG failing to score a single goal against Chelsea. This indicates Chelsea's immense strength. Chelsea's victory against PSG could indeed pose a threat to all clubs qualifying for next season's Champions League. UCL clubs must be wary and not underestimate Chelsea, as they could be a barrier to all UCL clubs' hopes of winning the title next season.

In 2021, if I'm not mistaken, Chelsea won the Champions League. Their opponent was Manchester City. Chelsea played exceptionally well, boasting a strong defense, and ultimately managed to score against Manchester City. Even though Chelsea scored only one goal, it was certainly significant, making Chelsea the Champions League champions that season. Next season, it's possible a repeat of that, but I doubt it.  

[Y3shot]

I don't believe Vinicius will leave Real Madrid, he's too important of a player to go. They just need to get back in form both him and Bellingham and then Real can start thinking about the title, even with a strong Barcelona in the mix. In the UCL , they’re always among the main favorites. We’ll see how Mbappe and the rest of the team will perform

Vini Jr is a very important player for Real Madrid, which I think the team really needs. I know that even though there was no really impressive performance from them last season, it doesn't mean they can't work together and bring out their best quality performances.

Real Madrid needs these three players, and I just hope that this season they will blend very well and Ancelotti will implement the best tactics that will be productive for the team.

[KTChampions]

I don't believe Vinicius will leave Real Madrid, he's too important of a player to go. They just need to get back in form both him and Bellingham and then Real can start thinking about the title, even with a strong Barcelona in the mix. In the UCL , they’re always among the main favorites. We’ll see how Mbappe and the rest of the team will perform

Vinny is replaceable... at least it turned out that there are more left wingers than anyone else  It even seems to me that the probability of his leaving in the next year is higher than that he will stay. He does not want to renew the contract because he wants a salary at the level of Mbappe. Real cannot give him such a salary, and cannot let him go for free (wait until the contract ends) - what is the solution other than selling him before the contract expires?

[BigBos]

I don't believe Vinicius will leave Real Madrid, he's too important of a player to go. They just need to get back in form both him and Bellingham and then Real can start thinking about the title, even with a strong Barcelona in the mix. In the UCL , they’re always among the main favorites. We’ll see how Mbappe and the rest of the team will perform

Vini Jr is a very important player for Real Madrid, which I think the team really needs. I know that even though there was no really impressive performance from them last season, it doesn't mean they can't work together and bring out their best quality performances.

Real Madrid needs these three players, and I just hope that this season they will blend very well and Ancelotti will implement the best tactics that will be productive for the team.

Vini is one of Real Madrid's mainstays. Furthermore, he's still quite young, so I think he'll stay at Real Madrid for a long time. Real Madrid tends to keep their key players for a long time, selling them when they're older and need to regenerate quickly.

However, I can't rule out the possibility that he could leave at any time, especially if the new coach changes and the new coach doesn't fully fit the player's game plan, including Vini. However, I'm quite confident he can earn Xabi's trust.

[banana33]

Yes, Jose Mourinho first half plan was quite poor, perhaps due to the nerves of playing away from home or the Fenerbahçe players lack of warm up time, given the lengthy rest period after the league season concluded. However in the second half, they began to find their rhythm and, frankly were fortunate to capitalize on their few chances. They still have a chance to overturn the aggregate deficit, provided they prepare well and capitalize on their home advantage.

I never liked Jose Mourinho, he was always very lucky as a coach and I have to say that in the last few years he has behaved really well compared to before, certainly less arrogance, maybe it's because of his age but from that point of view he has certainly improved

[Luzin]

Vinny is replaceable... at least it turned out that there are more left wingers than anyone else  It even seems to me that the probability of his leaving in the next year is higher than that he will stay. He does not want to renew the contract because he wants a salary at the level of Mbappe. Real cannot give him such a salary, and cannot let him go for free (wait until the contract ends) - what is the solution other than selling him before the contract expires?

You have to remember everything Madrid achieved last season. Vini should look at his achievements in the last season. Perhaps if Madrid won many trophies, Vini deserves more. He may also deserve a pay raise and bonuses. Currently, Vini's salary is the second highest after Mbappe, so Vini should consider this situation. We should also be aware of Perez's nature. Perez has never hesitated to release players who are difficult to negotiate with. Remember when he released Ramos; the situation seemed similar. Ramos wanted to negotiate and drag out the process, but in the end, he agreed. However, Perez released him after 16 years.