Champios League 2011/2012 - 2nd Round

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BarcaKizz wrote:Don't care, we'll flog them all

I really am not concerned about anyone other than Real Madrid. For me its like this:
Barca, Madrid
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...the rest.

Bayern could prove a little difficult... and Milan and a couple of others won't be pushovers but we should really be making the final again.

Yes kizz. Many pundits are saying the UCL trophy can only go to Barcelona or Real Madrid. Bayern Munich are third favorites but at a considerable distance from these two. So if all goes up to play either Pep or the one who I just can't stand will make history. Also we don't know how the fixtures will pan out. Barca and Madrid could meet as early as the quarter final and the winner could have a comparatively easier path then onwards.

alexjanosik wrote:I really do believe this is our CL to lose.
I would be very very surprised if we are not the champions come June.
We finally have a terrific squad,have figured out how to win away under Pep in the CL and none of the other teams are even remotely near us.
If we dont win it this year,I would be very very disappointed.
So for me any of those teams is not a problem.We will smash them all.

alex, the biggest problem is the constant experimentation. Who knows if Pep will play three defenders in a crucial match and/or an unstructured midfield?

I largely agree but with you but in all honesty I take Real Madrid more seriously than you do.

It's hard but I will still attempt to rank the teams we could face.

Here is my list - from the most preferred opponent to the least.


1. Lyon
2. Basel
3. Marseille
4. CSKA
5. Zenit
6. Leverkusen
7. Napoli

A quick word on Manchester United. I didn't expect them to get knocked out in the group stage but I didn't rate them anywhere near as high as some people did. One individual made a comment during the summer that they have their best team in years now and that comment made me laugh outrageously then as now. Overall I am not too surprised by what's happening to them. What they did last season was I think a case of overachieving beyond realistic possibilities which still remains a huge feather in Fergie's cap. However when you do so much with so less you can't keep it up and after a while your shortcomings become a bit too visible.

As for Manchester City, the blame will probably be on Roberto Mancini and some of his weird lineups and decisions. Mancini has actually shown himself to be a very capable coach when it comes to the league and I mean this right from his time in Italy but as far as UCL is concerned it wouldn't be too unfair to call him a dumbo. After all how many times can a top coach fail in Europe and still be considered a top coach? Milan 2005. Villarreal 2006. Valencia 2007. Liverpool 2008. And now Bayern-Napoli 2011. Above all though it's a million kudos to Napoli because it's truly incredible achievement at the expense of a team that is so much more expensive than theirs and from a league that is supposedly much better than theirs.

Lastly I'll eat humble pie and admit that Arsenal's surprised me. I didn't expect them to re-establish themselves so soon after losing both Fabregas and Nasri. Considering everything they are now actually one of the better teams around. The level of most teams has deteriorated so much. Barcelona and Real Madrid are the only two truly strong teams left. Bayern Munich come next but their defense is not totally convincing and both Robben and Ribery are injury prone. Milan have something going for them but not too much. Inter are running totally on champions DNA and minus that are about as weak as a top team can possibly be. Chelsea are also struggling and are quite inconsistent which is understandable because aging players can't perform day in day out. So Arsenal with a fully fit Robin van Persie can lay claim to being as high as the fourth best team left which I would have never thought possible a few weeks back.

I want Marseille or Leverkusen.