2017-18 Champions League
- Thread starter Titans Bastard
- Start date
Looked like Walker got flustered by Salah stepping up to take the pass to Ederson away.
If there’s one flaw in Guardiola’s philosophy IMO (noted football savant that I am) it’s that there’s no release valve when the back line / keeper are under pressure. Walker was set up to fail there
I've had my criticisms of Ter Stegen but he was absolutely in the right place doing the right thing and made a great save there.
I don't agree with this at all. Defenders have to pass and you risk the occasional embarrassing goal but make up for it with numerical advantage most of the time. Just have to accept that occasionally things go haywire and try to deal with it.
Where does this result rank in upset history? Roma is fourth in Serie A and Barcelona has lost once all season.
Props to Roma. They wanted this match more, played physical to knock Barca off their game, and Dzeko was a real problem all match. EV will be in for some legitimate criticism for keeping Dembouz on the bench until it was too late and not reacting quickly enough.
Now the wait.......I may try to splurge to get to Anfield for the Semi's if it doesn't cost me a kidney!
I think a huge flaw in Guardiola´s system or roster construction is that if they need a goal or are down, they still have to play their style. And everybody knows what´s coming. When he was at Bayern, he at least had Mandzukic(early) or Lewandowski as superb headers. I don´t think it´s the best strategy to just bring up your CBs and hope for a header. You need someone that can hold the long balls or convert the crosses.
Roma's result seems fair. though... after all, they put 6 goals into the Nets over this tie while Barca only put in two.
(Dzeko had two. De Rossi and Manolas each put two goals up as well... one for Roma and one for Barca)
(Dzeko had two. De Rossi and Manolas each put two goals up as well... one for Roma and one for Barca)
I think you guys are overthinking it. It's knockout football. You need a mix of luck, officiating, and skill to win. The sample sizes are too small to say there's a flaw in the system.
It takes nothing away from Liverpool to say that they had all 3 over the two legs. So they move on. This is the nature of a tournament.
It takes nothing away from Liverpool to say that they had all 3 over the two legs. So they move on. This is the nature of a tournament.
You mean beyond the imminent and already announced purchase of Griezmann? On a more serious note, I don't think they need too many changes. They need Griezmann and a young striker to groom but the overall approach should be focused on bringing on young players to round out the squad. EV has done minimal rotation in the second half of the season so there are 2 major problems.
Whoops, that is what I get for following a match solely on SoSH! I figured the away goal differential was because Roma had scored three on the road, but I forgot they scored one goal in the first leg.
Edit: Just watched the highlights; "Manolas the Greek god in Rome!!!" was a pretty good call from the PBP man.
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Oh shit I had forgotten, I don't know how but I had and I just let out the cackle to end all cackles.
Just rewatched the first half, which was a much more enjoyable experience without the anxiety. Liverpool played like dogshit, but City truly forced them into it. Their high press was fast and furious. The formation was balls out - defend with 3, attack with 8 - and the amount of attacking talent on the field was unbelievable. City were unlucky that Bernardo hit the woodwork and the offside call on Sane truly could have for either way. But Liverpool held on and didn’t cave. This should be a massive confidence boost for the entire squad and a real formative experience for TAA, Robertson, Karius, and Ox - all younger guys with various questions about them who have suddenly been battle tested on a massive stage. Whew.
This backhanded compliment is Barcelona-fanesque. Does that come with Guardiola being your manager?
Depends on whether you consider Pique hanging out as the frontmost member of their formation to be an attack asset or a defensive liability.
(the dude's been nails on defense, but it's still just bizarre to see a CB joining the attack so centrally and thoroughly)
Yeah I'm sure @ConigliarosPotential heard that one and gave the old glass-of-scotch 'cheers' gesture towards his screen.
Er...I believe the call you're referring to was made by Peter Drury, formerly of ITV (and the BBC before that). He used to be a bigger deal in British soccer commentary before now becoming a lesser light at BT Sport, and his relative decline is in no small part down to the sort of posh, pretentious hype and hyperbole he regularly uses, as seen in that clip. As a one-off, that call sort of works, but when that's his regular shtick, it loses its charm rather quickly. (I myself probably like Drury more than most except when he goes into McDonough-esque squeaking at hugely dramatic moments, but he's not exactly a commentator of the people.)
I don't really know what you mean to be honest. There's certainly no intention of a backhanded compliment. I'd have said the same about City if they had won. To do so, they'd have needed Lovren to be a cm shorter so Bernardos shot goes in and probably for the ref to make a spectacle of himself awarding penalties for City, etc. I don't even feel this is controversial this is why knockout football is so high stakes
I'm mostly having fun, but to be honest I think saying you need luck, officiating, and skill to win sounds a bit...I don't know, bitter? It may be because I feel you complain about officiating a lot so it seemed like it was a passive aggressive way to say you felt City got boned.
You just need to outplay the other team, which Liverpool certainly did. Yes they had a decision go their way but when you lose 5-1 over two legs, its because one team outplayed the other one.
I may have read too much into it though.
You just need to outplay the other team, which Liverpool certainly did. Yes they had a decision go their way but when you lose 5-1 over two legs, its because one team outplayed the other one.
I may have read too much into it though.
God, no. Between that and Barca’s loss, the two of them will run out and buy De Gea, Nainggolan, Reus, Pjanic, Strootman, Pogba, Salah, DeBruyne, Lewandoski, Alderweireld, Courtois, Eriksson, Dybala, Hazard, Pogba, Lemar, and Giorgio Chinaglia’s exhumed corpse.
