UEFA Champions League 2026/27 Season

[Iamgoat]

After Ancelotti was sacked, Xabi was appointed as the new head coach of Real Madrid. The fans had high hopes that he would improve the team and Real Madrid won one El Clasico during his time but could not maintain that performance. Xabi's time at Real Madrid was not very long. He had to be sacked after 6 months for not being able to make visible improvements to the team. Taking charge of a large and traditional club is both an honor and a challenge. We expected that Xabi would probably do well but his arrival caused more damage to the team and the differences between the players increased. His relationship with some of the team's players also deteriorated. Overall, we are waiting to see how much José Mourinho is able to improve the team.

At first, let’s not try to compare Jose Mourinho with Xabi Alonso. Mourinho is a well experienced manager and has handled several teams at different levels. I don’t mean Xabi is not good enough, as a matter of it, I am a fan of Xabi and I love what he did with the Bayer Leverkusen. However it does not change the difference in the teams, knowing how big and traditional a club like Real Madrid is as compared with Bayer. The pressure and challenges which comes with it like you mentioned are not the same, making it harder for Xabi Alonso to find the balance.

[BIT-BENDER]

That's right Jose Mourinho took over as manager at the right time and as we see it he has spent a long time to build this team but this manager has brought in some players from different clubs who are very good in their respective positions and It can be said that has added star players like Diomande, Cucurella and also extended Vinicius Junior's contract until 2032, so it seems that this team will be unstoppable next season.

You only mentioned most of the good things Mourinho has done, but you forgot that he still hasn’t been able to bring in a midfielder. In fact, Madrid’s biggest problem and weakness is their fragile midfield. They don’t have a player who can properly replace Toni Kroos and control the midfield.

At first, it was very impressive to see him bring in some of the players you mentioned, but seeing that Mourinho still hasn’t signed the midfielder who should have been a higher priority makes me a little doubtful about what kind of results Madrid will achieve later on.

They actually had great midfielders in the year that they resigned supreme in Europe, they had the leaders like Toni Kroos, Luka modric and others but they haven't replaced those guys.
Silva is not a fully dedicated midfielder because he is always exploring the wings most of the time, Rodri would have been the perfect fit but maybe he won't be able to work under Mourinho system.
But don't take away quality from the players Madrid have, their midfielders has the potential but we haven't see it on play.

[karabiber]

I guess after this result we would be able to get past Sturm Graz comfortably.    We could have actually got a much bigger score gap than this. But the opponent's goalkeeper did a pretty good work!

Talisca is doing a really nice job in the absence of a real striker. Greenwood also scored an amazing goal in his first starting 11 match. I just hope we don't fail in reaching beyond playoffs in qualification stage.

Fenerbahçe is having a great start to the season in the qualifying matches. In this match, Skriniar played flawlessly, practically not giving the opposing attackers a moment’s respite. Ake, meanwhile, has already adapted to the team. Kerem put in a strong performance in this match his first since joining the team. His support in running back to help the defense was excellent, and we saw that he could be effective when he wasn’t shouldering the entire offensive burden and was able to find open spaces. Greenwood and Asensio, on the other hand, were not yet at full physical capacity, which was clearly evident in this match. Once Fenerbahçe’s roster is fully established, we’ll see a much better team.

[Judith87403]

I don't care about what the bookmarks might have predicted it, one thing I'm certain is Paris Saint Germain is not repeating that this season I'm very much sure about this, don't get it twisted I have been their fans from the first and the second they've won the UEFA Champions League title, but this time I don't really think they are going to repeat, teams like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, are coming back stronger this time and they won't give such chances anymore to the Paris Saint Germain team.

Of course that was what most of us said last season that PSG can't win the Champions League back-to-back but in the end, they won it. This season, most people are also saying that PSG can't win it for 3 consecutive seasons but let's see how it plays because we can't say that they won't win it again while the other big teams can still lose it to them. Most big teams has added more quality players to their squad but we can just argue on paper but the reality of it is that PSG is still same squad as they were in the past 2 seasons.

[Cryptmuster]

Fenerbahçe is having a great start to the season in the qualifying matches. In this match, Skriniar played flawlessly, practically not giving the opposing attackers a moment’s respite. Ake, meanwhile, has already adapted to the team. Kerem put in a strong performance in this match his first since joining the team. His support in running back to help the defense was excellent, and we saw that he could be effective when he wasn’t shouldering the entire offensive burden and was able to find open spaces. Greenwood and Asensio, on the other hand, were not yet at full physical capacity, which was clearly evident in this match. Once Fenerbahçe’s roster is fully established, we’ll see a much better team.

Fenerbahce are playing well in the Champions League so far, and they have some very important matches coming up, which means they don’t have much time to improve. They need to be better already, because their next opponent will be even tougher, either Sparta Prague or Lyon. Both teams are incredibly difficult opponents, and Fenerbahce will have to beat one of them. So far Fenerbahce has had easy opponents and has outperformed them, but things could get more difficult in the next round.

[Curious T]

Do they also mean that Jose Mourinho will be sacked if he doesn’t perform well in his first few games at Real Madrid, I actually doubt that but I hope he’ll manage to uplift the team to become better than what they are now. Jose Mourinho is an experienced coach haven spent many years in his managerial career journey, so I’m expecting good results from him.

The main reason Alonso was sacked was that he lost the dressing room. It was not just because of the team's performance. I believe Mourinho will be given the whole season, except if things get very bad. If Mourinho finishes the season without winning a trophy, he would be fired. Madrid is not a team that would allow a manager who isn't winning trophies to stay. Even if the team is not playing very well, as long as they win a major trophy, there is a chance he will remain. With the kind of players Mourinho has and the ones that have been given this summer, he has no excuse. he needs to perform and win trophies or be sack.

[icebar]

Before Anceloti started having this challenge of managing the team well he has brought a lots of victory and glory to the team and I will say it was same thing that happened to Pep Guardiola but that of Guardiola is a bit different because he later bounced back as a great manage that he is. I think Xabi was selective that was why he didn't do well but I hope Real Madrid will do better because Jose Mourinho is a no nonsense man.

Personally I like Ancelotti as a coach more than Mourinho, and I like his approach to the overall process, how he gives players more freedom, how he values ​​the relationships between players, and how he pays so much attention to the atmosphere in the dressing room. I think he's significantly superior to Mourinho in this regard. And I think Pares made a mistake when he sacked Ancelotti, because I don't think Real Madrid played so poorly that Ancelotti deserved to be sacked. But now it's Mourinho's time, it's unexpected, I think for many, including me, but we'll see what he can achieve at Real Madrid.

I'll also prefer Ancelotti over Mourinho but the person that can revive Real Madrid back to their previous strength is Mourinho, it was obvious that a manager that could discipline some players was needed and Mourinho can perfectly play that role than Ancelotti, players like Mbappé don't need too much freedom else his pride would make him disrespect the manager.
 It's something Mourinho won't tolerate, he loves players who respect and obey his instructions and won't tolerate anyone that goes against it. Do not forget that Ancelotti failed to secure a trophy and even got kicked out of the Champions League which is why Perez sacked him.

We are aware that Mourinho is a well disciplined manager, but Mourinho also has his own problems, and that is why they easily sack him. He may try to resolve some issues that are going on at Real Madrid, but it is still possible that Real Madrid will not continue getting good results from his for over long seasons.And one thing again: being a very good manager is not all about making hard decisions. Sometimes, you have to be friendly with the players and know how to motivate them, and that is how you can continue getting good results.For a player like Mbappe, Mourinho cannot just continue making certain decisions about him, like keeping him on the bench, just because he did not change. He is a very important player for Real Madrid. If Mourinho decides to punish him by keeping him on the bench, no matter how some fans may start reacting, it could create more problems.So, if Mourinho wants to achieve better results at Real Madrid, he has to remain calm and also know how to manage the players properly.

Coaches often have to be strict to get players on the right track. If keeping them on the bench was part of the coach's plan, then I would say Mourinho made the right decision. Now, those who are ignorant about Real Madrid will only say why Mbappe is not being played on the field. There are several reasons for this. According to you, if the coach punishes Mbappe and puts him on the bench, then I personally agree with the coach. Because now the team does not need good players, it needs balance. This balance in the team can win the Champions League again.

There is another special reason, and that is that there is no need to play the main player of the team in pre-season. Mbappe's own training will give good results. In pre-season matches, the coach mainly observes the performance of a few players. So, I think there is no need to put the main players of the team on the field in all these matches.

[sergiorus]

Do they also mean that Jose Mourinho will be sacked if he doesn’t perform well in his first few games at Real Madrid, I actually doubt that but I hope he’ll manage to uplift the team to become better than what they are now. Jose Mourinho is an experienced coach haven spent many years in his managerial career journey, so I’m expecting good results from him.

The main reason Alonso was sacked was that he lost the dressing room. It was not just because of the team's performance. I believe Mourinho will be given the whole season, except if things get very bad. If Mourinho finishes the season without winning a trophy, he would be fired. Madrid is not a team that would allow a manager who isn't winning trophies to stay. Even if the team is not playing very well, as long as they win a major trophy, there is a chance he will remain. With the kind of players Mourinho has and the ones that have been given this summer, he has no excuse. he needs to perform and win trophies or be sack.

I would bet he was given a credit for 2 full seasons. The squad is not the strongest currently to say the least and there aren't
many world class managers available at the moment.

Mourinho has the track record (including with Real Madrid many years ago) so it would be stupid to fire him after just a season without trophies, as long as he has the team's respect and they work hard on the pitch for him.

[Bigjoe33]

Do they also mean that Jose Mourinho will be sacked if he doesn’t perform well in his first few games at Real Madrid, I actually doubt that but I hope he’ll manage to uplift the team to become better than what they are now. Jose Mourinho is an experienced coach haven spent many years in his managerial career journey, so I’m expecting good results from him.

The main reason Alonso was sacked was that he lost the dressing room. It was not just because of the team's performance. I believe Mourinho will be given the whole season, except if things get very bad. If Mourinho finishes the season without winning a trophy, he would be fired. Madrid is not a team that would allow a manager who isn't winning trophies to stay. Even if the team is not playing very well, as long as they win a major trophy, there is a chance he will remain. With the kind of players Mourinho has and the ones that have been given this summer, he has no excuse. he needs to perform and win trophies or be sack.

I would bet he was given a credit for 2 full seasons. The squad is not the strongest currently to say the least and there aren't
many world class managers available at the moment.

Mourinho has the track record (including with Real Madrid many years ago) so it would be stupid to fire him after just a season without trophies, as long as he has the team's respect and they work hard on the pitch for him.

Jose Mourinho is not a baby coach that would just be toasted around anyhow by a club or the board. This doesn't mean he can't be sacked, nope, he can. But I think sacking a coach doesn't just depend on him winning trophies or not alone, your relationship with the boys also matters. You leadership qualities, your dominance both on the pitch and outside the pitch, the dressing room too, etc.

Jose Mourinho should have a lot to offer this season. He took over a not impressive real Madrid. But even at that, we are expecting them to do the extra ordinarily. They already have good players, for all wing . Some players have been added, and some are yet to arrive soon, and who knows, Jose might add more to the list. Smiles. Am sure they will compete stronger this time I'm Laliga. Though, even if it they fail to lift a trophy this season, I think he would still be given opportunity to push on and see what more he can do.

[Smartvirus]

At first, let’s not try to compare Jose Mourinho with Xabi Alonso. Mourinho is a well experienced manager and has handled several teams at different levels. I don’t mean Xabi is not good enough, as a matter of it, I am a fan of Xabi and I love what he did with the Bayer Leverkusen. However it does not change the difference in the teams, knowing how big and traditional a club like Real Madrid is as compared with Bayer. The pressure and challenges which comes with it like you mentioned are not the same, making it harder for Xabi Alonso to find the balance.

I like to entertain the idea that a tested and proven manager would be able to do it again especially, when his given a huge budget to bring in just the kind of players he needs and wants to work with in a elite force like we have in Real Madrid but, one thing we should note is that; there comes a point in time when these guys become history and I really hope that wouldn’t be the case with Mourinho in Real Madrid, we expect him to perform and not just make Real Madrid uncertain like he did with Benfica in the Portuguese league without having to lift the trophy.

[abaeze]

After Ancelotti was sacked, Xabi was appointed as the new head coach of Real Madrid. The fans had high hopes that he would improve the team and Real Madrid won one El Clasico during his time but could not maintain that performance. Xabi's time at Real Madrid was not very long. He had to be sacked after 6 months for not being able to make visible improvements to the team. Taking charge of a large and traditional club is both an honor and a challenge. We expected that Xabi would probably do well but his arrival caused more damage to the team and the differences between the players increased. His relationship with some of the team's players also deteriorated. Overall, we are waiting to see how much José Mourinho is able to improve the team.

At first, let’s not try to compare Jose Mourinho with Xabi Alonso. Mourinho is a well experienced manager and has handled several teams at different levels. I don’t mean Xabi is not good enough, as a matter of it, I am a fan of Xabi and I love what he did with the Bayer Leverkusen. However it does not change the difference in the teams, knowing how big and traditional a club like Real Madrid is as compared with Bayer. The pressure and challenges which comes with it like you mentioned are not the same, making it harder for Xabi Alonso to find the balance.

A coach can be great at one club but the same person may not be as successful at another club. That is normal and the reality is that it does not seem logical to me to look at Real Madrid's results alone to prove Xabi Alonso a failure. Because being successful at Bayer Leverkusen and being successful at Real Madrid are completely different challenges. Big clubs do not only mean good players and more money, but there are historical expectations, fans' expectations, media pressure and a strong judgment on the results of each match.

However, I do not agree with the statement that the arrival of Xabi has caused a distance between the players and more damage to the team because no matter how good the coaching is, winning a victory or a trophy may not mean that it will be repeated later.

[Hewlet]

After Ancelotti was sacked, Xabi was appointed as the new head coach of Real Madrid. The fans had high hopes that he would improve the team and Real Madrid won one El Clasico during his time but could not maintain that performance. Xabi's time at Real Madrid was not very long. He had to be sacked after 6 months for not being able to make visible improvements to the team. Taking charge of a large and traditional club is both an honor and a challenge. We expected that Xabi would probably do well but his arrival caused more damage to the team and the differences between the players increased. His relationship with some of the team's players also deteriorated. Overall, we are waiting to see how much José Mourinho is able to improve the team.

At first, let’s not try to compare Jose Mourinho with Xabi Alonso. Mourinho is a well experienced manager and has handled several teams at different levels. I don’t mean Xabi is not good enough, as a matter of it, I am a fan of Xabi and I love what he did with the Bayer Leverkusen. However it does not change the difference in the teams, knowing how big and traditional a club like Real Madrid is as compared with Bayer. The pressure and challenges which comes with it like you mentioned are not the same, making it harder for Xabi Alonso to find the balance.

A coach can be great at one club but the same person may not be as successful at another club. That is normal and the reality is that it does not seem logical to me to look at Real Madrid's results alone to prove Xabi Alonso a failure. Because being successful at Bayer Leverkusen and being successful at Real Madrid are completely different challenges.

The success of a team is not just hinged on how a coach performs in that team or even in the previous team he has managed. sometimes the internal dynamics of a club can even frustrate a good coach that has the best of plan that is capable of yielding the right result in a team. if the players are still looking at themselves as stars that are not ready to play collectively as a team, a coach effort can do barely little to giving them the expected success fans are yearning for. Madrid is a big club with a lot of complexity from players and management. there failure per season is not always a coaching issue but most times a player and management issue.

[Italian Panic]

In the analysis of the last two seasons, it was clear that Barcelona were a few steps ahead of Real Madrid in La Liga and they won four more matches than Madrid last season and gained 8 more points but I noticed that Madrid are trying to get back into a terrible shape again in preparation for the upcoming season. This team has added a lot of players in the transfer window but my idea Barcelona can beat them if they can give Manchester City and Spain's reliable midfielder Rodri a place in their squad.

That's right Jose Mourinho took over as manager at the right time and as we see it he has spent a long time to build this team but this manager has brought in some players from different clubs who are very good in their respective positions and It can be said that has added star players like Diomande, Cucurella and also extended Vinicius Junior's contract until 2032, so it seems that this team will be unstoppable next season.

Analysis is very important, but I have to say that Barcelona and Real Madrid are set for a real battle this year. First of all, they have managers who are evenly matched; perhaps Hansi Flick has a more innovative approach to football than Mourinho, but the Portuguese is a master tactician and can turn things round even without significant resources.
They’ve made some excellent signings in the transfer market, though I don’t understand how Barcelona can afford such big-money moves when they’re so heavily in debt.
Florentino Pérez isn’t happy about the Rodri debacle and will want Mourinho to make Barcelona pay for it on the pitch. In Europe, however, history is on Real Madrid’s side, with PSG as their main rival.

[aipercoin]

I like to entertain the idea that a tested and proven manager would be able to do it again especially, when his given a huge budget to bring in just the kind of players he needs and wants to work with in a elite force like we have in Real Madrid but, one thing we should note is that; there comes a point in time when these guys become history and I really hope that wouldn’t be the case with Mourinho in Real Madrid, we expect him to perform and not just make Real Madrid uncertain like he did with Benfica in the Portuguese league without having to lift the trophy.

Real Madrid is full of elite players and they also gave him a nice budget to spend, Mourinho must not make mistakes. He has to take Real Madrid to the top again and they have to win, he can't make any mistakes. They took it to win and become great again in the Champions League, they have to fight to win the most important competition.

[Daniel91]

I watched the match between Dinamo and Kauno Zalgiris and the difference in the quality of these 2 teams is such that there is no chance that Kauno will make some crazy turnaround in the return match and advance to the next round of the Champions League qualifiers.

Turkish teams are always strong at home but usually play weaker away from home and I think that there might be some chance for Sturm.
2:0 is a nice advantage but not unattainable, especially if Sturm scores the first goal early.

Ok, got the conclusion from your POV, mate.

Dinamo Zagreb was indeed the favorite from the start, consequently Kauno Zalgiris essentially stood no chance. Five goals aggregate deficit makes matters even worse for Kauno Zalgiris, so they can no longer harbor any hopes for the second leg.

On the other side, you remain confident in Sturm Graz, provided they secure an early lead. IMO, even though Sturm Graz scored an early goal, it wouldn't change anything, the difference in player quality is the decisive factor in the match between these two teams.

Ok, I'm glad we agree on at least one thing, that Dinamo is a much stronger team than Kauno Zalgiris and that they have practically already secured their place in the next round of the Champions League qualifiers.
I also agree that Fenerbahçe is a better team than Sturm and that they have a better chance of advancing to the next round of the qualifiers, but I don't agree with you that Sturm has no chance.
In the last round of the qualifiers, Fenerbahçe had big problems against the Polish champion Gornik and in the end they only advanced by 1 goal, playing 1:1 in Poland after a minimal 1:0 victory in Turkey.
Gornik and Sturm are teams of similar quality so I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Sturm has a chance against the Turkish team, especially with an early goal.
By the way, Turkish teams play much better at home in front of their "euphoric fans" and usually win, but achieve much worse results away from home.
In any case, we will find out very soon which of us was right.

[pewboy]

A coach can be great at one club but the same person may not be as successful at another club. That is normal and the reality is that it does not seem logical to me to look at Real Madrid's results alone to prove Xabi Alonso a failure. Because being successful at Bayer Leverkusen and being successful at Real Madrid are completely different challenges. Big clubs do not only mean good players and more money, but there are historical expectations, fans' expectations, media pressure and a strong judgment on the results of each match.

However, I do not agree with the statement that the arrival of Xabi has caused a distance between the players and more damage to the team because no matter how good the coaching is, winning a victory or a trophy may not mean that it will be repeated later.

Not everyone manages to win at the big clubs, Xabi Alonso is a good coach who did very well at Bayern Leverkusen, unfortunately for him he didn't do the same thing with Real Madrid. But he is still young and will be able to make up for it, perhaps his time to coach Real Madrid made up of so many champions had not yet come. It's not easy to train champions.

[Just Say]

That's right Jose Mourinho took over as manager at the right time and as we see it he has spent a long time to build this team but this manager has brought in some players from different clubs who are very good in their respective positions and It can be said that has added star players like Diomande, Cucurella and also extended Vinicius Junior's contract until 2032, so it seems that this team will be unstoppable next season.

You only mentioned most of the good things Mourinho has done, but you forgot that he still hasn’t been able to bring in a midfielder. In fact, Madrid’s biggest problem and weakness is their fragile midfield. They don’t have a player who can properly replace Toni Kroos and control the midfield.

At first, it was very impressive to see him bring in some of the players you mentioned, but seeing that Mourinho still hasn’t signed the midfielder who should have been a higher priority makes me a little doubtful about what kind of results Madrid will achieve later on.

Jose Mourinho has managed to bring in a midfielder from Manchester City and you should also note that City's Bernardo Silva has joined the team on a free transfer, even we all saw it he has signed a two-year contract with Real Madrid. It is true that Jose Mourinho may have brought in a midfielder but he cannot replace Toni Kroos and it is likely that Madrid's new signing Silva will not be able to control the club's midfield as well as Toni Kroos.

I noticed this too the German player was the most reliable player in Madrid's midfield, having spent ten years at the club and won five UEFA Champions League trophies, so it seems that if Real Madrid want to take their midfield to that level, then perhaps they should add a more trained and talented midfielder than Silva to the team this transfer window.

[cande86]

The success of a team is not just hinged on how a coach performs in that team or even in the previous team he has managed. sometimes the internal dynamics of a club can even frustrate a good coach that has the best of plan that is capable of yielding the right result in a team. if the players are still looking at themselves as stars that are not ready to play collectively as a team, a coach effort can do barely little to giving them the expected success fans are yearning for. Madrid is a big club with a lot of complexity from players and management. there failure per season is not always a coaching issue but most times a player and management issue.

The success of a team depends above all on the players, but if things don't go well it's always the coach who pays. Real Madrid is a team made up only of champions and it is not always easy to make them play well together, sometimes the problem of the player and the management is tru, but they must be good at understanding it too.

[Inwestour]

Tomorrow sees the return leg between Lyon and Sparta Prague, it is crucial for Lyon to win this match, as they lost the first leg away. A draw would be enough for Sparta, and I believe that is exactly what they will try to achieve. I think Lyon can beat Sparta at home, but the situation is far from simple for them, and a solid defensive performance could allow Sparta to advance to the next round.

[Emjay24]

That's right Jose Mourinho took over as manager at the right time and as we see it he has spent a long time to build this team but this manager has brought in some players from different clubs who are very good in their respective positions and It can be said that has added star players like Diomande, Cucurella and also extended Vinicius Junior's contract until 2032, so it seems that this team will be unstoppable next season.

You only mentioned most of the good things Mourinho has done, but you forgot that he still hasn’t been able to bring in a midfielder. In fact, Madrid’s biggest problem and weakness is their fragile midfield. They don’t have a player who can properly replace Toni Kroos and control the midfield.

At first, it was very impressive to see him bring in some of the players you mentioned, but seeing that Mourinho still hasn’t signed the midfielder who should have been a higher priority makes me a little doubtful about what kind of results Madrid will achieve later on.

You're correct, even though they've brought Bernardo Silva into the squad, he's still not a holding Midfielder and there would still be pressure on the Madrid defense because Bernardo cannot do it alone. I don't know if Mourinho plans rotating players like Valverde, Tchoumeni and Camavinga in that holding midfield position, but I doubt it's effective for longer. He needs someone experienced in that position to fill it up and he needs the person very fast because of the they continue playing this way, clubs might exploit that obvious leak to punish them this season.