Champions League Knockout Stages 17/18

IDFD

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Good start to the knockouts with this Juve/Tottenham game.

Entertaining first half. Juventus 1 up inside 2 minutes. Then 2 up inside 10 with a penalty.

Tottenham then missed a glorious chance and should have had a penalty. Eventually got 1 back.

Then Juve get a pen just before half time and miss it.

2-1 at HT.

City 3-0 up with 3 away goals and through.
 
The Juve/Spurs game has been a great to watch.

Eriksen just levelled for 2-2! They could win this now, after the first ten minutes Juve haven’t been great.
 
Spurs were great. Dembele, Erickson, Kane, Vertongen, Sanchez, Ali all had good games. They seem streets ahead of Utd atm.
 
I don't watch other teams on TV ever but last night the Mrs was out and I was bored so I watched the Juve game. I have to say I was so impressed by Spurs. They went to Turin and played against Juve with no fear. They played as a team, the 2 man midfield of Dier and Dembele was outstanding (especially Dembele) and just compounded how poor Pogba and Matic have become together. I really don't like the 4231 due to the way we play it but both Spurs and Juve played it last night and the game was brilliant to watch.

I can only fear how we would have gone there and played.
 
Tonight’s the first time I’ve seen Madrid this season, I think. Based on the first half they lack the speed and dynamism of the Madrid team that we've seen in the last 2-3 years.
 
Going to watch the 2nd half power cut ruled out the first half.
 
They weren’t impressive a few very close moments but they’ve got match winners all over and ruthlessly punished PSG by taking chances that dropped to them.

Think they need a centre forward Benzema & Ronaldo both pull wide leaving no one in the box one of them needs to remain central feels like they both make up for the lack of width in attack by going from the centre out wide.

They miss Carvajal a lot he gives them width on the right but I guess Nacho gave them more protection against Neymar from the left.

Most impressive thing in that 2nd half was the PSG high line Madrid just couldn’t break it such a ballsy tactic but it worked as Madrid couldn’t time the run/pass. Very impressed by Marquinhos tonight.
 
Ronaldo apparently has something like 22 goals in his last 12 champions league games. 11 this season. He may not be the player he was but he’s still great
 
Unreal game to watch that PSG/Madrid game, it scares me how far away we are from these sides with the money we have spent, there so fluid, all one touch, brilliant to watch.

Even Liverpool last night, imagine us going to Porto we would be lucky to scrap a 0-1, seriously worries me at the minute the more I watch these top sides, jesus imagine us over two legs against a PSG/Madrid etc., be a cricket score!
 
European two legged ties against better opposition? Jose's speciality! haha!
 
If PSG get knocked out in the last 16 stage that'll probably be curtains for their manager after the money spent last summer?
 
Haha I thought it was his specialty mate until this season where he can't win a big game if his life depended on it lol

Yeah I think so mate, they seem to be waiting for an excuse to get rid of him, if they go out he will be gone, their game management last night was ridiculous, play that well and lose 3-1 was criminal.
 
Haha I thought it was his specialty mate until this season where he can't win a big game if his life depended on it lol

Yeah I think so mate, they seem to be waiting for an excuse to get rid of him, if they go out he will be gone, their game management last night was ridiculous, play that well and lose 3-1 was criminal.
 
PSG players seem to me to be a bit inexerpierced at this level they collapse like a house of cards once the pressure is put on you can hit them with quick fire goals last night at 2-1 they still flooded forward and even 3-1 it was like they needed to score to stay in it, with the home leg to come you take the 2-1 and get out of town.

The gap is huge especially the way everyone is comfortable with the ball not a clogger in these two sides everyone happy to play it short and take the ball under pressure as they know all the tricks to get themselves out of trouble even the defensive players are pulling off flicks and tricks and dragbacks it's another level to where we are right now.
 
Yeah for the first time in forever Michael Owen actually made a good point on BT saying the huge difference was the experience of Madrid (been there, done it, been in these situations, game management), to the inexperience of PSG who panicked, opened the game up, you attack we attack, didn't think about the 2nd leg where 2-1 and away goal is not a disaster, shut up shop and see out the last 5 minutes, very poor from PSG but good enough for them!
 
I think their manager bottled it a bit as well taking off Cavani for a full back and putting Alves in front sort of doubling up to stop Marcelo when they were actually controlling the game a braver manager would've waited for Madrid to act before making that sub. I think it sent the wrong message and it unsettled the back 4 needlessly.

He also spotted something else about Ronaldo's pen when he planted his foot next to the ball he did it with so much force that the turf moved which popped the ball up so he almost hit it on the volley which might explain why it flew past the keeper with such force.

Wouldn't rule out PSG turning it around at home this Madrid side is still a bit flakey but it seems Ronaldo saves it for the big nights in Europe these days and an away goal would make it tough as this Madrid side know how to dig in and see out a game.
 
Willian scores for Chelsea to make it 1-0 against Barca.

Barca have been pretty poor in truth. Apart from Messi they lack a spark. Obviously Chelsea have defended really well but expected more from them.
 
Chelsea deserved to be further ahead. Great performance from Willian best player on the pitch
 
Willian was class last night and Chelsea should've won it and taken a lead to Barca.

This Barca side look very toothless with only 2 up top as Messi goes deep now to get on the ball leaving Suarez very isolated up top you can see why they were desperate for Coutinho. I assume they'll start Dembele in the 2nd leg and look to open the pitch up a bit more at home and get more like the traditional 3 up top.

2nd round games have been pretty one sided so far when it's been little vs large Bayern battered Besiktas 5-0 last night.
 
Willian was class last night and Chelsea should've won it and taken a lead to Barca.

This Barca side look very toothless with only 2 up top as Messi goes deep now to get on the ball leaving Suarez very isolated up top you can see why they were desperate for Coutinho. I assume they'll start Dembele in the 2nd leg and look to open the pitch up a bit more at home and get more like the traditional 3 up top.

2nd round games have been pretty one sided so far when it's been little vs large Bayern battered Besiktas 5-0 last night.

That will change tonight mate!!! haha
 
100% but while our bank balance and history makes us a big club our recent record in CL is pretty poor since 2013 it's 2nd round, 1/4 final, didn't qualify, 3rd in group, didn't qualify. We are not a European elite we are basically Porto if you're being kind to us.

I think if you look at the pots we're probably lucky to be getting drawn as a pot 2 team into groups these days we've fallen a long long way we haven't beaten one of the top sides in Europe since 2011 when we knocked out Chelsea on the way to the final.

A club with our resources should be going to Sevilla and over 2 legs blowing them away but we don't play that way we try to keep it low scoring rather than gamble on the blow out like Liverpool do we should be going to Sevilla looking to score 2 or 3 goals but we won't we'll go to try and win 1-0.

The games changed in recent years home or away doesn't mean anything anymore so you can kill a team in the away leg
 
Winning the Europa was massive for our coefficient. Often the winners of the Europa actually get more coefficient points as you play more games.
 
Winning the Europa was massive for our coefficient. Often the winners of the Europa actually get more coefficient points as you play more games.

Good point but we were so lucky last year as we had a completely free run at it our hardest game was a pretty good but very young Ajax side we didn't come across anyone who was actually a good side and we made real hard work of it.
 
Oh I agree we got lucky I was just pointing out why we were in pot 2.
 
Seen the teams in the Europa this year compared to last? Chalk and cheese, we got away with murder last year, Arsenal fans will be livid haha.

Yeah gone are the days of grinding out a 0-0 away from home and beating them in the return leg, these days you need 1 maybe even 2 away goals, especially with Smalling and Lindelof at the back lol
 
Spurs up tonight 1-0 against Juve. Son really is a player, he always seems to score or make things happen.
 
I’ve just left the office. First time I’ve worked last in ages. Seen it’s Juve 2-1 get me to a pub for this ending!
 
Missed most of the game sounds like Spurs just had a mad 5 minutes and were punished by Juventus.

As Utd fans we know that pain they were a real thorn in our side through the 90's where it felt like no matter what we did they had our number up until 99 when we finally managed to beat them.
 
Spurs were definitely the better side on the night by a mile. Juventus have been quite disappointing over the two legs but like most Italian sides of the past they get the job done. They are nothing to fear for any side though. Unlucky for Spurs but they’ve made progress this year.
 
This is why Jose knows what he's doing in Europe, everyone raving about Spurs two weeks ago, now look.
 
If Jose was managing Spurs last night they would have gotten through, once Juve changed their tactics Poch had no response, play all the fantastic football you want, at the end of the day, a lot of it comes down to game management, which Spurs, as well as Liverpool and even City (Monaco away last year) do not have.

Spurs looked amazing during most of the two legs, scored some great goals, had some great chances, loads of one touch stuff, great pressing, flicks, tricks.

Juve went through, who remembers all the above now? No one.
 
This is why Jose knows what he's doing in Europe, everyone raving about Spurs two weeks ago, now look.

Lets get past Sevilla before we start sucking off our manager for the way he plays in Europe. Haha! I think we've played a very risky tactic of not going for an away goal which could create a big problem if we let one in at home which looking at the way we defend is very possible.

Spurs are a young team with little experience at this level and from the sound of it they were a bit unlucky last night the bits I saw they missed some big chances to put the game to bed in the first half and paid the price which is what this level is all about especially against one of the best team in Europe over the last 5 years. It's the same reason PSG are out when you are on top you have to kill top teams off and Spurs didn't do that from what I saw.
 

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