23/24 UCL Knockout Stage

The Demon of Carthage wrote:Very impressed with the team honestly. I really didn't think Madrid would beat City in the return leg, especially considering we were playing with many key players out injured.

When City equalized, I really thought the game would shift to City's favor, but Madrid held on brilliantly and didn't lose hope, event at times when City was viciously attacking on all fronts.

Bravo to them, I didn't want City to win it back to back and Madrid made sure of that.

I've seen it quite a few times in the league, as well. Against teams that defend well, including bottom table teams, City dominate possession and turn it into a battle of attrition instead of utilizing their superior, individual quality. I'm sure there are arguments that it's a sensible tactic that leaves the least room for risk, but it's backfired more than once and you'd think they'd learn from it over time. It's why they've struggled against the likes of Wolverhampton and Brentford this season.

Thimmy wrote:

The Demon of Carthage wrote:Very impressed with the team honestly. I really didn't think Madrid would beat City in the return leg, especially considering we were playing with many key players out injured.

When City equalized, I really thought the game would shift to City's favor, but Madrid held on brilliantly and didn't lose hope, event at times when City was viciously attacking on all fronts.

Bravo to them, I didn't want City to win it back to back and Madrid made sure of that.

I've seen it quite a few times in the league, as well. Against teams that defend well, including bottom table teams, City dominate possession and turn it into a battle of attrition instead of utilizing their superior, individual quality. I'm sure there are arguments that it's a sensible tactic that leaves the least room for risk, but it's backfired more than once and you'd think they'd learn from it over time. It's why they've struggled against the likes of Wolverhampton and Brentford this season.

To be honest, they came very close to scoring on a couple of occasions, and the brutal possession-based approach they have makes most teams break under pressure. So the only antidote for the visiting team is to put out a perfect defensive approach with zero mistakes. It's extremely hard to do that, but when you do, Pep has no answer to that.

Only hoped and prayed for Arsenal to get koed. Thought Citeh were too strong for Madrid at home. So, bloody fricking brilliant they too got done. Thanks a ton, you beauties Bayern and Madrid.

The Demon of Carthage wrote:

Thimmy wrote:

The Demon of Carthage wrote:Very impressed with the team honestly. I really didn't think Madrid would beat City in the return leg, especially considering we were playing with many key players out injured.

When City equalized, I really thought the game would shift to City's favor, but Madrid held on brilliantly and didn't lose hope, event at times when City was viciously attacking on all fronts.

Bravo to them, I didn't want City to win it back to back and Madrid made sure of that.

I've seen it quite a few times in the league, as well. Against teams that defend well, including bottom table teams, City dominate possession and turn it into a battle of attrition instead of utilizing their superior, individual quality. I'm sure there are arguments that it's a sensible tactic that leaves the least room for risk, but it's backfired more than once and you'd think they'd learn from it over time. It's why they've struggled against the likes of Wolverhampton and Brentford this season.

To be honest, they came very close to scoring on a couple of occasions, and the brutal possession-based approach they have makes most teams break under pressure. So the only antidote for the visiting team is to put out a perfect defensive approach with zero mistakes. It's extremely hard to do that, but when you do, Pep has no answer to that.

Yeah, I get the idea behind it. But then they also have more individual quality than most teams, and you can't help but suspect that they would've won those 90% possession matches this season if they had allowed their players the freedom to influence the match, as opposed to prioritizing possession and minimizing risk. They lost to fricken Brentford with that brilliant strategy

El Gunner wrote:

https://twitter.com/Ahmed91Gooner/status/1780858764230349036

I think most, if not all of their regular starters have been injured at some point this season.

BarcaLearning wrote:How tf did Real beat MAn C again Seems like Man C wasted many chances, n Real got that goal from that counter as usual, n as it went to pens there were only one winner cos Real r so experienced at it... ffs... plssss someone stop these fkers from winning again Dread of thought they winning it again even b4 Mbappe comes is nightmare coming true lol... they gonna have 20+ CLs by the time Mbappe/Vini retires with them ftw XD

Oh yea n Pep n Haaland etc flopped again... love of Grealish helped kill the tie for Real lol...

N Arsenal, never rated them, overhyped as expected... losing to the worst Bayern in over a decade

Mbappe do one over Real b4 u join them pls, PSG PSG PSG~~

Thimmy wrote:

The Demon of Carthage wrote:Very impressed with the team honestly. I really didn't think Madrid would beat City in the return leg, especially considering we were playing with many key players out injured.

When City equalized, I really thought the game would shift to City's favor, but Madrid held on brilliantly and didn't lose hope, event at times when City was viciously attacking on all fronts.

Bravo to them, I didn't want City to win it back to back and Madrid made sure of that.

I've seen it quite a few times in the league, as well. Against teams that defend well, including bottom table teams, City dominate possession and turn it into a battle of attrition instead of utilizing their superior, individual quality. I'm sure there are arguments that it's a sensible tactic that leaves the least room for risk, but it's backfired more than once and you'd think they'd learn from it over time. It's why they've struggled against the likes of Wolverhampton and Brentford this season.

Pep’s city yesterday looked like Spain’s seleccion 2010 and later!

Real Madrid are gonna be unstoppable for the next 10 years or so I guess.

Secured all the current and future best talents as well. And some of them are French. Their squad literally looks like a talent factory right now.

I'm sure Sports will reconsider his decision of not supporting Madrid in a year or two.

Ancelotti is soccer's Godfather, has to be said. Even Mou would be proud of this one.

I actually had to check the whole "worst Bayern in 20 years" line and technically (from a Bundesliga standpoint), they aren't. The worst would be the 06/07 Bayern which finished 4th with 60 points. I apparently have no recollection of this event.

However, this version of Bayern is easily within the top ten of the worst editions in said time frame so, not too far off.

I say all that to say that Arsenal fans (mostly Twitter/X) really should have seen this coming after they put themselves in a place to be mocked relentlessly when things didn't work out. Which it didn't.

Lord Awesome wrote:Ancelotti is soccer's Godfather, has to be said. Even Mou would be proud of this one.

Bellingham said in the post game interview that they have no passing patters and structure like in other clubs and they just wing it when they get out on the pitch.

It's just good vibes in there and it somehow works. Probably works well to be unpredictable in a knockout tournament.

El Gunner wrote:

https://twitter.com/MadridXtra/status/1780871063187968009

Play 4 cbs at the back and sit deep, did this guy graduate la masia or the jose mourinho unviersity?

Pep wants his teams to behave like a robot, there are no rooms for creative individual freedom, every player is just a cog in Pep's machine.

I can understand why players like Bellingham wouldn't accept something like that.

@Myescats the great GODFATHER Ancelotti was clearly inspired by the measly Arteta

El Gunner wrote:@Myescats the great GODFATHER Ancelotti was clearly inspired by the measly Arteta

Nothing wrong with that. Arteta has had success against city and Carlo noticing and used it in formulating his tactics. Also Arteta, despite initially being written off by most of this forum, has proven he is a good coach in getting Arsenal to CL two years in a row. I credit all this to his Spanish genes!

halamadrid2 wrote:That's not what he said lol

That is what he said

" Our biggest strength is [Ancelotti] finds a way to let the boys play with freedom. Other teams are structured with their patterns of play but we’re so off the cuff "

If Pep can be beat by pure improvisation then every team would do it. Conditioning a defense to cut opposing passing lanes, triangle manuvers, and dummy runs as well as disciplining your backline to not make any unnessecary tackles isnt an easy thing to do. On top of that City's players know how to dribble past most teams and have aerial options during set plays. City litterally have everything to attack with and only managed a goal from a mistake by Rudiger. While RM over here are improvising Bellingham as a false 9 and lose Tchouameni at the back and still managed to get to penalties. All of that, and Ancelotti still managed to eliminate Pep again.

Despite all of that organization, discipline and whatnot, he’s only won the Champions League once since leaving his legendary Barcelona side behind. Barcelona won it again after he left, while he kept failing to win it with incredibly strong Bayern and Man City sides. I’d argue his teams have even been favorites to win it prior to last season, and he still failed to reach the final.

He’s certainly creative with his shuffling of player positions and tactical setups, and that’s presumably the reason why he’s considered a genius, but sometimes I really can’t help but wonder if he’d be more successful if he took some risks in the Champions League. Minimizing risk-taking may pay off in a long, league season, but the teams he’s managed are never the underdogs.

He’s got plenty of players who can make a difference when given the freedom to do so, but instead they predictably prioritize the possession game that honestly hasn’t served him all that well in this tournament considering the talent he’s had at his disposal.

yea for a coach known for his expressiveness and innovation to modern football he certainly becomes very "rigid" in the CL... don't know why, maybe he just overvalues it too much and then gets in his own way, but it's definitely his kryptonite post-Messi and Xaviesta

btw where is @Casciavit
fully satiated after Messi's WC win? miss his in-depth analysis

The Champions is simply a different beast than playing any of the leagues. The cup format has historically given lesser squads the opportunity to take down better equipped squads and thus you see it reflected alot of the times.