Champions League Knockout Stages 17/18

They had a few half decent chances not sure they were big big chances, the Kane header was offside and don't forget Juve had an absolute stone wall pen turned down.

Just goes to show what experience and game management gets you in this competition, two of the hot shot teams tamed by older, past it, over the hill sides in Madrid and Juve.

Hopefully we can follow suit haha won't hold my breath!
 
I was talking about the chance where he went around the keeper and put it wide that was the big one you can't miss that chance even with the tight angle at CL level that needs to be a goal.

Well you have to factor in that in the first leg Juventus were 2-0 up by half time and from what I read battered Tottenham then let that slip.

As for experience what experience do we really have in this team? Utd have history in Europe but apart from the manager and a few players none of them have experience of CL knockout football.
 
Assuming winning the Europa last year counts for nothing then lol think we have a little bit of experience of European knockout football, plus the manager, plus as you say a few players.

Last year under severe pressure to win that competition, will stand us in good stead, the one thing we can do, is manage a game, we might not be this flowing attacking unit like the great Spurs and Liverpool but when we need a result, we can go and do a job, which as Juve proved, is massive in this competition.
 
Assuming winning the Europa last year counts for nothing then lol think we have a little bit of experience of European knockout football, plus the manager, plus as you say a few players.

Last year under severe pressure to win that competition, will stand us in good stead, the one thing we can do, is manage a game, we might not be this flowing attacking unit like the great Spurs and Liverpool but when we need a result, we can go and do a job, which as Juve proved, is massive in this competition.

I don't think our Europa League counted for much because we did it playing against a load of minnows who made our lives pretty uncomfortable at times. Liverpool the year before knocked out us and Dortmund to play Sevilla in the final we played Luhanska which I thought was an airline!

I think Europa League you can make a mistake and not be punished the standard we faced is similar to the mid table prem sides in the CL it's totally different especially at this stage you have to be switched on for 180 minutes because Spurs lost that game based on about 15 bad minutes that awful start in Turin then the second half yesterday.
 
Yeah I get that mate, what I'm saying is dealing with the pressure of quarter finals, semi finals, having to manage games though, we have DDG, Pogba, Matic, Mata, Sanchez, Carrick plus Lindelof knows what its about with Benfica plus the manager, and the others have played in Euros, World Cups, massive games etc., so there is no way we don't have enough experience in the squad.

Were not good enough to win it, probably quarter finals should be our limit but with the above players and Jose background in the competition we will certainly give some of the big guns a game.

Spurs showed a lack of maturity last night, the same as City last year, I just think that although we lack in attacking quality compared to the others, there is a steel/will to win and a determination about us that the others (bar City this season) don't seem to have, which I think might just sneak us through to maybe a semi.

We won't win it as were nowhere near good enough but if we get past Sevilla next week, I think the likes of Real Barca Juve Munich will look at us and think "they could be a pain in the a**"
 
I think i'm right in saying we have 2 european cup winners in our squad Carrick & Mata neither are regular starters.

Sanchez has experienced of getting pumped by good teams from his time at Arsenal, Matic I think has got no further than 1/4 final stage same for De Gea, Young, Lindelof etc etc. Pogba has played in a final while at Juventus & Valencia in a final at Utd. The manager has plenty of experience which is fair enough but he hasn't made the final since 2010 with Inter although he made 3 straight semi's with Real Madrid.

I think Spurs are a much better equipped side to deal with the big boys than us they've been building this teams experience over 2 or 3 seasons now in CL and there's clear progression but the next bit it tough and it took us maybe 4 or 5 years under Fergie to really crack beating the big sides over 2 legs and it's taken City a similar period as well.

I'm probably a pesimist on this stuff but if I was a fan of any of the teams left in this I'd be looking at Utd as one of the weaker sides left as we don't score a lot of goals so if you can get one or two past our worldie keeper over 2 legs you've got a great chance of going through.
 
Mate no offence but your talking like were a team of players who have just come up from the Championship to play in the Champions League, all these players are massive game players who have experience at all levels, players who have played in European Championship finals, won the Copa America, won all sorts and played in massive games and now there not experienced enough to deal with a two legged quarter final in the Champions League? Come on
 
Yeah it took Fergie 4 years as at the time English clubs played 442 whereas European sides played one up front and packed the midfield so it took time for him to adapt, nowadays everyone has caught up and they all play roughly the same way, either like United/Juve etc do sitting back soaking up or like Barca, PSG, City with the high press.

Yeah were not scoring loads of goals at the moment but over two legs with the players we have, we can pose a danger to anyone.
 
Mate no offence but your talking like were a team of players who have just come up from the Championship to play in the Champions League, all these players are massive game players who have experience at all levels, players who have played in European Championship finals, won the Copa America, won all sorts and played in massive games and now there not experienced enough to deal with a two legged quarter final in the Champions League? Come on

My point is the CL is the absolute elite level of football no matter what anyone says nothing else compares to it, which is why winning it is so damn difficult.

De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Bailly, Young, Herrera, Matic, Pogba, Martial, Lukaku, Sanchez

If Utd had a semi final tomorrow and everyone was fit that's probably the team that starts the game. How many of those players have played in a CL or big international semi final match before?
 
Ederson, Walker, Mendy, Otemendi, Stones, Fernandinho, Silver, De Bruyne, Aguero, Sterling, Sane.

City are what joint favourites, how many of them have played in a CL or Int semi final? What makes them so different?

Do you have to play in a CL or Int semi final to have big game experience?
 
People in our side who could easily handle a CL semi expectation/pressure out of that side would be:

DDG
Valencia
Matic
Pogba
Sanchez

Plus Lukaku has played in major tournaments for Belgium.

So 6 out of those 11 going by your requirements, plus in the squad you have Romero (world cup final), Carrick, Mata, Jose, Zlatan, and we lack experience, not for me.
 
Don't think there's that big a leap between a Europa League final and a Champions League final in terms of occasion and pressure. We have a squad that fought a successful Europa campaign just last season, so I don't think we're that wet behind the ears. Most importantly, we have a manager who knows how to win the thing.
 
Ederson, Walker, Mendy, Otemendi, Stones, Fernandinho, Silver, De Bruyne, Aguero, Sterling, Sane.

City are what joint favourites, how many of them have played in a CL or Int semi final? What makes them so different?

Do you have to play in a CL or Int semi final to have big game experience?
I don’t agree that you need to have the ‘big game’ experience to win the CL. Obviously experience counts for something but it’s not the be all and end all. If you have the talent in your side then experience takes a back seat to a degree. Did the Monaco team of last year have lots of experience? When Leicester won the league? We have lots of experience of big games in the league, the odd final here and there - I don’t think we will not win the CL because we lack experience but because we are a class below certain sides. However with Jose anything is possible.
 
I don't agree either JSP, European football is European football. But my main point, Jose has vast experience and he will set the team up and prepare them to win CL matches. Don't under estimate our coach and his experience.
 
I don’t agree that you need to have the ‘big game’ experience to win the CL. Obviously experience counts for something but it’s not the be all and end all. If you have the talent in your side then experience takes a back seat to a degree. Did the Monaco team of last year have lots of experience? When Leicester won the league? We have lots of experience of big games in the league, the odd final here and there - I don’t think we will not win the CL because we lack experience but because we are a class below certain sides. However with Jose anything is possible.

100% agree! Jose has the game management skills of the Juve manager, who done it to a tee earlier this week, he knows how to get results in this competition, the fact that 11 of his players have not played in a final is irrelevant.
 
Liverpool vs City in the quarters.

Juventus vs Real Madrid is the other tie of the round.

Barca vs Roma.
Sevilla vs Munich.
 
I'm pleased with that, odds of one of them winning it dropped by loads.
 
Don't see how you can be happy to draw a team who aggregate score against you this season is 4-8.

Also, surely the point of the european cup is going away to see your team play all accross Europe not popping 45 minutes down the motorway.
 
Anyone watching Juve vs Real. Ronaldo has scored one of the great goals. Sheesh it was good.
 
Man is on a mission since Xmas he smells 3 in a row in the CL and his last crack at a World Cup.
 
23 in 14 since the turn of the year. 37 in 35 for the season. Not bad for someone whose past it.
 
Klopp in a strop, no Manchester club will let him use their training pitches. (apart from the UEFA legal obligation city have to fulfil)
 
23 in 14 since the turn of the year. 37 in 35 for the season. Not bad for someone whose past it.

Think at the turn of the year he had 4 league goals he's now top goal scorer.
 
I've just been browsing the football pages and people are saying how good Ronaldo's overhead kick was. When watching it I thought yeh good goal but it wasn't a stunner as it's being made out to be. His technique was perfect and the direction was good but compare it to Rooneys goal v Man City which was further out, the ball was higher and travelling faster and there is no comparison. Then take Ibra's goal v England from even further out....
 
A goal like that against Gigi Buffon away from home against the best defence in Europe. Deserves a little credit!

He’s got more champions league goals than Liverpool
 

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