Football season 2020/2021

[RobertoCarlos]

Poch coming 2nd with PSG in ligue 1.

Only he could come 2nd in a one horse race.

[WarBringerPT]

What are your predicitions for the quarter finals? These games feel a lot more tasty than the round of 16. I'll go for this week's games and put scorelines:
City 4-2 Dortmund
Real 2-2 Liverpool
Bayern 3-1 PSG
FC Porto 1-1 Chelsea

45 min done, missing 2 goals for liverpool, lots for mcity-dortmund.

Hoping tomorrow Porto wins, shame it's on neutral ground but we've been happy in there (won uefa cup in 2003 in that stadium).

[DingDongKing]

45 min done, missing 2 goals for liverpool, lots for mcity-dortmund.

Hoping tomorrow Porto wins, shame it's on neutral ground but we've been happy in there (won uefa cup in 2003 in that stadium).

I think Liverpool are far too unstable confidence wise this season to achieve the heights of the last two years.

Even though they won 3 games on the bounce before last night - they don't have the self-belief or nous of last year to be consistent.

Will they overturn the deficit at Anfield? Highly unlikely. This Madrid team doesn't get enough credit for the experience and intelligence they have.

And Liverpool would literally need to roll back the clock 18 months to pull off the result they need to go through. It's unlikely they'll go all the way.

[Henx]

Well the first night's predictions were not the best but not the worst either! I watched the City-Dortmund game and gotta say that Dortmund impressed me a lot. The scoreline reflects the fact that Dortmund were good and not that City were bad. Dortmund played well through the press City created and I think Dortmund have had more attempts than City at around the 60 minute mark, but in the end City raised their intensity a level.

Should have been 1-1 at HT also, the referee didn't seem to know how to use VAR. I really liked seeing the anger from Reus after the game, bring that passion and energy to the return leg and they have a realistic chance of going through. A fit Sancho would also help a lot and Hummels still got it and should be playing in the Euros.

City didn't nearly look invincible, and it was not a case of bad performance. A team of PSG or Bayern quality putting on a good performance against this side could mean big trouble for City. Add to that the fact that Guardiola's City often complicates it in the biggest games.

Regarding Bayern PSG: Lewandowski out and Gnabry has corona... but PSG don't have their midfield duo of Paredes and Verratti (and Florenzi for right back) so I would almost say that PSG suffer more of their absentees than Bayern. Missing a player of Lewa's quality is always a problem but Bayern have other players that can score. Missing your number one midfield duo will most likely make you lose the midfield battle, especially when you're up against Kimmich-Goretzka-Müller, which can easily result in a loss.

[Sughs]

Porto playing better, Chelsea was lucky, 1 shot 1 goal.

[RobertoCarlos]

I think Liverpool are far too unstable confidence wise this season to achieve the heights of the last two years.

Even though they won 3 games on the bounce before last night - they don't have the self-belief or nous of last year to be consistent.

Will they overturn the deficit at Anfield? Highly unlikely. This Madrid team doesn't get enough credit for the experience and intelligence they have.

And Liverpool would literally need to roll back the clock 18 months to pull off the result they need to go through. It's unlikely they'll go all the way.

A lot of madrid players certainly have experience but it was a 17 year old that tore your "world class" defender TAA apart.

[DingDongKing]

A lot of madrid players certainly have experience but it was a 17 year old that tore your "world class" defender TAA apart.

My world class defender? What made you think I support Liverpool? Also, Vinicius Junior is 20. And he’s an excellent footballer who doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He’s young and he’ll only improve year on year. Madrid fully deserved their win because they were flat out the better side. I’m assuming you’re a United ‘fan’, so you see everything through the prism of ‘my team better than yours’. I don’t have a team, so...

[RobertoCarlos]

My world class defender? What made you think I support Liverpool? Also, Vinicius Junior is 20. And he’s an excellent footballer who doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He’s young and he’ll only improve year on year. Madrid fully deserved their win because they were flat out the better side. I’m assuming you’re a United ‘fan’, so you see everything through the prism of ‘my team better than yours’. I don’t have a team, so...

Yeah nah I wasnt having a go at liverpool. You said TAA was world class like 2 pages ago in this thread. I can dig it out if you like

- - - Updated - - -

I don't entirely agree with this, but there's parts I can see. From a pure outsider's perspective, it's less a case of not wanting it the second time but more a combination of the players (and manager) feeling sorry for themselves and also just being extremely burnt out.

Here's the players I would put in the world class category at Liverpool.

Alisson, Alexander Arnold, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Salah, Mane. Out of them, Only Wijnaldum and Robertson have been completely fit throughout the season. They've all missed time either due to COVID or plain old injuries.

So it takes a toll on players when your spine is out for the count.

A rebuild is definitely necessary though. In an ideal world, they need another centre back, a centre midfielder, a creative midfielder and a striker.

They're definitely capable of getting 4 players in during the summer, but the quality will be down to how much money the club's ownership makes available to them. Liverpool fans need to not expect 'names'. It'll be the usual type of signings that fit the club's strategy.

Here we go. This was the one. World class TAA.

[DingDongKing]

Yeah nah I wasnt having a go at liverpool. You said TAA was world class like 2 pages ago in this thread. I can dig it out if you like

- - - Updated - - -



Here we go. This was the one. World class TAA.

He’s a world class player, who’s prone to making mistakes. He’s 22 and has played the highest level of football for almost 4 years, having won two major titles. Yep, he’s having a bad season in a misshapen defence. That doesn’t take away from how talented he is, and he’s not the only top class player in that team underperforming. You’re doing that thing again like you did in the Snyder Cut thread, where you’ll pick a hill to die on for no reason. You’re back on ignore. Enjoy trolling someone else.

[RobertoCarlos]

He’s a world class player, who’s prone to making mistakes. He’s 22 and has played the highest level of football for almost 4 years, having won two major titles. Yep, he’s having a bad season in a misshapen defence. That doesn’t take away from how talented he is, and he’s not the only top class player in that team underperforming. You’re doing that thing again like you did in the Snyder Cut thread, where you’ll pick a hill to die on for no reason. You’re back on ignore. Enjoy trolling someone else.

Wtf? I barely posted in the synder thread just said it was a waste of time. Like putting up new floorboards on rotting wood.

But I see you're one of THOSE posters "going back on ignore even though I reply".....nevermind.

[DingDongKing]

Oh you're one of THOSE posters....nevermind.

Yep, the ones who don’t look for arguments and avoid speaking to people who do. Ta.

[RobertoCarlos]

Yep, the ones who don’t look for arguments and avoid speaking to people who do. Ta.

You can stop replying to me now Mr amazing

[Northern Goblin]

No one cares who ignores who, leave the comments accusing others of trolling out of this as well.

Draw a line under it and move on.

[Tommy T]

How are my Portugeezers doing this morning?

[Henx]

Alexander Arnold is world class at attacking and delivering good balls but he is at the highest average at defending. In todays world one can argue that the fullbacks do not need to be world class at defending, which might be a risk at sometimes.

Regarding Bayern PSG... Bayern had 31 shots, created chances 26 and expected goals 3.79, PSG had 6 shtos, 6 created chances and expected gaols 1.35. Usually I would call PSG something ugly and say that they just parked the bus but can't really say that was the case. It is evident that Bayern controlled the game and with better finishing could have won the game 6-3, perhaps a certain average striker would been good to have but PSG had their absentees + lost Marquinhos to injury during the game, so not-scoring-wise it is all on Bayern themselves. I liked to see how Bayern could easily dominate, which is important for the return leg.

PSG on the other hand did exactly what you should do against this Bayern team. When your opponent defends like Bayern did it would be stupid to not utilize Mbappe in the way they did, and they surely knew that they could not win Bayern controll-wise. Considering that it felt extremely dangerous everytime they got the ball from Bayern, I can only say fair play to PSG, it was not the case where they tried to get to 0-0 at full time. Mbappe btw, what a player, just love him.

The return leg will be difficult, but if Bayern learn to finish and to defend as atleast a Finnish division 5 side perhaps they can pull it off. Lewandowski wanted to get fit for the return leg but I don't see it happening. Here it also comes in handy that PSG have a history of not doing so well in the second leg after a good performance in the first.

And Chelsea shocked me to get a solid 2-0 win, thought it would be much tighter.

[DingDongKing]

No wonder Roberto Firmino has had a tough time in front of goal. He's too busy leading QAnon.

[Zantera]

I guess Lewa might rarely be injured but how can Bayern's second choice be a Stoke reject? Looking at that guy's resume it's baffling how he got into PSG, let alone Bayern.

[UnderwoodSebastian]

I never understood why Chupo Moting is playing for teams like that. Bayern had a good game, and if it were Lewangoalski up in from the result would be different for sure. Man City might struggle with Dortmund, Chelsea will win the 2nd game too. I wish Liverpool beat RM, but it's hard with no defense. TAA is playing like on a championship level...

[DingDongKing]

I daresay that was a...world class finish from a right back for Liverpool. I have no horse in the Trent Alexander Arnold race, but the fervour with which people go after him is kinda mental. There's loads more players at Liverpool responsible for their current malaise than just him.

[Cren]

I daresay that was a...world class finish from a right back for Liverpool. I have no horse in the Trent Alexander Arnold race, but the fervour with which people go after him is kinda mental. There's loads more players at Liverpool responsible for their current malaise than just him.

The issue people have with him isn't about his offensive qualities. Pretty sure that almost everyone agrees that he is world class when it comes to going forward. It's his defensive qualities that people complain about. I mean everyone can have a bad game from time to time, but he has been very bad defensively so many times this season.

I think it's because he doesn't have van Dijk next to him anymore to help defend and now we see how he holds up by himself.