GWT: Champions League - League Stage

[Epictetus]

PSG in the next round written in the stars ain't it

 

[robertmac43]

PSV or Feyenoord in the next round should be smooth sailing.... Some how I'm still nervous.

 

[les Habs]

Bernardo and Gundogan are done, and Khusanov, Nico and Savinho don't look like City quality. Tough spot to be in for City

Dumping Gundo back on Pep's doorstep as well

And yet last Summer, on this very forum, Cules were bemoaning Gundogan’s deaparture.

@Power Man IMO Bernardo Silva has always been somewhat overrated, but yes, agreed.

 

[Incubajerks]

Two days that have been a "Caporetto", I can only dream of a Roma-Lazio derby in the Europa League.

 

[maclean]

When's the draw?

Tomorrow (Friday) at noon Central European Time

 

[Ceremony]

That boy Khusanov looks like a competition winner. How on earth have City ended up with him?

 

[Evilo]

That boy Khusanov looks like a competition winner. How on earth have City ended up with him?

He's actually very good. But clearly he's not mentally there yet. Pressure of the transfer and all. Not sure he speaks English either.

 

[maclean]

The Guardian did a massively entertaining write-up of the game (City’s zombified figures are haunted by ghosts of themselves in Bernabéu exit | Barney Ronay). Among a large section devoted to the poor Khusanov, the more generous part of it said "Mainly it was a problem for Abdukodir Khusanov, played out of position at right-back and left to endure a public nightmare by his manager on the same side as Mbappé and Vinícius, the graveyard shift, a role he just isn’t ready for."

 

[Ceremony]

He's clearly very raw if nothing else but from what I saw of the highlights last night and what I've seen of him in the league he looks like he's never seen a football pitch before. Definitely not someone to put in a starting role in a team/club in transition like this.

 

[bluesfan94]

PSV or Feyenoord in the next round should be smooth sailing.... Some how I'm still nervous.

Probably because Milan and Juve would have thought the same and because we’re so shallow right now. I feel you.

 

[robertmac43]

Probably because Milan and Juve would have thought the same and because we’re so shallow right now. I feel you.

Overall it feels like a good year to be drawing a premier league team. Everyone is hurt and tired.

 

[Power Man]

Ugh no, no more Vazquez pls

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Ugh no, no more Vazquez pls

I hope it is just PR, because there is absolutely no way in hell Vazquez should start if Fede is healthy. Of course, I prefer to have Fede in midfield, but the midfield options to replace him while he plays RB are much better than starting Vazquez at RB.

 

[Power Man]

I hope it is just PR, because there is absolutely no way in hell Vazquez should start if Fede is healthy. Of course, I prefer to have Fede in midfield, but the midfield options to replace him while he plays RB are much better than starting Vazquez at RB.

Most likely PR to appease the Spanish press imo

Hopefully

Fede is versatile and will do whatever is asked to help the team
Yeah ideally I prefer him in the MF but Ceballos has been great
Now, with Jude’s suspensions, I’m expecting Modric/Cama to share the starting role, mist likely Luka for the 1st leg of the next CL game

 

[Evilo]

He's still young but pretty fair to say Mbappe is entering the UCL goat discussion along with Ronaldo

 

[Evilo]

I hope to never see Brest ever again in the CL. What a massive let down.

I hope you feel the same way about those other teams : Arsenal, Sporting, Bayer, etc...

 

[gary69]

Yes, Real vs Atletico and Bayern vs Leverkusen,

Looking forward Arsenal choking against this PSV in the next round.

This draw would be nice:

PSG - Liverpool
Brugge - Aston Villa
Real Madrid - Atl.Madrid
PSV - Arsenal

Feyenoord - Inter
Bayern - Leverkusen
Dortmund - Lille
Benfica - Barcelona

Went exactly like this.

 

[Evilo]

PSG is the youngest team in the competition and it might be hard for them to beat Liverpool. But their form is bad while PSG is red hot. So that gives hope.

Lille is not favorites against BVB, but that's how they like it. 50/50 IMO.

Bayern will face a tough test. Real too.

Other match-ups should be more straightforward.

 

[Evilo]

Look at that! Arne Slot agrees with many of us on the unfair draws.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Meh, would have preferred to play Leverkusen, not that it is an easier match up, but Atletico games are such a chore.

 

[Savant]

Draw is the Draw. And while tough draw can always happen, feels like “winning” the group stage wasn’t rewarded enough. Don’t know why there was a need to re-draw. But again in a vacuum any draw under the old format could have looked like this too; but old format didn’t have seeding attached.

Win or lose, looking forward to PSG, that will at least be fun. Possibly having to play two other PL teams on the way to the final is just boring though. I hate that more than the toughness PSG draw.

 

[Evilo]

Draw is the Draw. And while tough draw can always happen, feels like “winning” the group stage wasn’t rewarded enough. Don’t know why there was a need to re-draw. But again in a vacuum any draw under the old format could have looked like this too; but old format didn’t have seeding attached.

Win or lose, looking forward to PSG, that will at least be fun. Possibly having to play two other PL teams on the way to the final is just boring though. I hate that more than the toughness PSG draw.

I explained why I think it needed another draw.
Germany/Austria.

 

[Savant]

Look at that! Arne Slot agrees with many of us on the unfair draws.

He isn’t wrong. I mean anyone can get a tough UCL draw in any format. That’s totally fine. But why sell out and try to win the group stage if everything just gets thrown in a blender afterwards. Teams may not take the group stage as seriously next year, and maybe they shouldn’t.

I explained why I think it needed another draw.
Germany/Austria.

I didn’t see the reasoning (or don’t remember) but, either way I’m still going to think this is a goofy process

 

[gary69]

Nah, once PSG and Real Madrid struggled in the group phase, everybody knew there was going to be big matchups facing them.

Belgian and Dutch teams being surprises had nothing to do with draw or not rewarding group stage success.

 

[Evilo]

Nah, once PSG and Real Madrid struggled in the group phase, everybody knew there was going to be big matchups facing them.

Belgian and Dutch teams being surprises had nothing to do with draw or not rewarding group stage success.

They struggled sure but part of it is on the strength of schedule. As we've been saying.
If PSG hadn't faced the Atletico, Bayern, Arsenal, etc... They probably wouldn't have been in this position.

The whole CL format needs to be rethought in terms of strength of schedule.