Champions League Last 16 games - Feb/Mar 2015

I see you've already forgotten last season's CL. Chelsea fans were telling us all what a genius Mourinho was for getting a 0-0 draw away at Atletico. How did that end up?

Semi finals with the chuckle brothers up front, stuff City or Arsenal could only dream about.
 
So happy for Bayer.
Such a nice team and a great coach.
Big game, big win. Trouble in the last weeks but the CL quali still totally in their hands.
Cup to play for too.
Big for the Bundesliga. There are more teams besides Bayern and Dortmund. Bayer and Wolfsburg show it!
Brilliant stuff!
 
Monaco were missing several starters today?? Who are they??

Kurzawa (was on the bench but returning from injury - first choice LB)
Toulalan (experienced DM)
Raggi (experienced CB)
Carvalho (experienced CB)
Bakayoko (young quality DM)

They had to play Fabinho (first choice RB) in DM tonight to cover Toulalan and Bakayoko.
 
What the heck. Just saw Atletico lost. Well hopefully they go out, don't want to meet them again in the CL.
 
So happy for Bayer.
Such a nice team and a great coach.
Big game, big win. Trouble in the last weeks but the CL quali still totally in their hands.
Cup to play for too.
Big for the Bundesliga. There are more teams besides Bayern and Dortmund. Bayer and Wolfsburg show it!
Brilliant stuff!

Great result for Leverkusen indeed. Be interesting to see if they can hold on to it. I really fancied Atletico to do well in the CL this season.
 
Great Mourinho touchline celebration from Jardim, hop n' skip version.
 
Yes but we have a massively favourable result and I think its karma after all the unmerited criticism from unsuccessful clubs about Joses game plans that only got us a 1-1 away draw with the best team in France.
Put five (quids?) on Tottenham winning this weekend please :p
 
So like the setting of the sun in recent years we are left to Cary England, what a total waste of 3 champions league slots. Liverpool can't get out of their group, City somehow get through but as usual cant escape the 16 and Arsenal draw the easiest first place team and somehow feck it up.

I agree though Joses tactics are so dull and boring and useless, much better we play the 'right way' and get dicked.

Hurry up and get back in this competition United so we have another proper team in the competition.
Hold your horses.
 
Kurzawa (was on the bench but returning from injury - first choice LB)
Toulalan (experienced DM)
Raggi (experienced CB)
Carvalho (experienced CB)
Bakayoko (young quality DM)

They had to play Fabinho (first choice RB) in DM tonight to cover Toulalan and Bakayoko.

Cheers. Wow, makes this defeat look even worse for Arsenal.
 
Mourinho bought Eto'o in the summer. How can you use that as an excuse?

Desperation, he cant even get a game for Sampdoria now. Digressing anyway, im talking about Arsenal and Citys repeated failure to even get out of the groups or last 16. If they used some of the tactics employed by other more astute managers they might actually get somewhere. No way should a team with the quality Arsenal had today be losing so heavily at home to a decent but not special team.
 
Yes but we have a massively favourable result and I think its karma after all the unmerited criticism from unsuccessful clubs about Joses game plans that only got us a 1-1 away draw with the best team in France.

You were lucky to get anything from that game.

And his gameplan of playing for a 0-0 at Atletico away from home cost you last season.
 
Disgusting performance. Absolutely shit.. Bunch of morons playing as if they have the right to win any match. No way they will progress. Totally gutted with such players. Wenger should be put infront of a firing squad or handed over to Piers Morgan.

Nice.

So like the setting of the sun in recent years we are left to Cary England,

Is he on TOWIE?
 
I just don't understand how English football has fallen so far, so quickly in Europe, is it the players, or is the managers?
 
Desperation, he cant even get a game for Sampdoria now. Digressing anyway, im talking about Arsenal and Citys repeated failure to even get out of the groups or last 16. If they used some of the tactics employed by other more astute managers they might actually get somewhere. No way should a team with the quality Arsenal had today be losing so heavily at home to a decent but not special team.
Arsenal and City losing doesn't magically prove Mourinho right. There can be a middle ground between Arsenal's/City's stupidly attacking setup and Mourinho's 'wariness', to put it kindly.
 
I just don't understand how English football has fallen so far, so quickly in Europe, is it the players, or is the managers?
Cant be the players because Chelsea don't struggle in Europe. Even last season an average Chelsea team got to the semi final Under Mourinho.
 
And Arsenal fans were so glad that they did not draw one of the big ones this time...

:cool:
 
I just don't understand how English football has fallen so far, so quickly in Europe, is it the players, or is the managers?
It tends to go in cycles, the Premier League simply isn't what it was a few years ago. La Liga is currently the best league in the world, but it'll be impossible to maintain that standard. Anyway, hopefully we see the Premier League improve on the continental stage by the time Manchester United are reintroduced into the competition.
 
I just don't understand how English football has fallen so far, so quickly in Europe, is it the players, or is the managers?

If you look the matches of the other leagues you might be able to guess why. The EPL is far behind on all of the tactical trends - all is about physics and the individual. You see it with the commentators, too.
 
I'm actually a bit shocked right now, I just can't believe how poor that was, probably one of our worst performances in Europe I've ever seen. A complete and utter embarrassment
 
Great result for Leverkusen indeed. Be interesting to see if they can hold on to it. I really fancied Atletico to do well in the CL this season.

They will miss 2 starters for the defence. And they are more of a "fight team" not a big scoring one.
If Bayer scores 1 they should go through.
If you want a new great United coach, look out for the upcoming Schmidt hype. ;)
I really really rate him. His Salzburg destroyed my Bayern 3:0 in a friendly and we didnt have a chance. A winner in Austria and still very young.
 
It tends to go in cycles, the Premier League simply isn't what it was a few years ago. La Liga is currently the best league in the world, but it'll be impossible to maintain that standard. Anyway, hopefully we see the Premier League improve on the continental stage by the time Manchester United are reintroduced into the competition.

I have every faith English teams will rise again if only through sheer brute force in the transfer market, but to see what we have this week is nothing short of shocking, the premiership will only last so long as the 'top dog' if this bile continues to be served up.

For me though it's a double edges sword I want to see non United English club suffer, and be embarrassed in Europe, but deep down I know we really need to see one of them step up soon for the sake on the Premiership.
 
I have every faith English teams will rise again if only through sheer brute force in the transfer market, but to see what we have this week is nothing short of shocking, the premiership will only last so long as the 'top dog' if this bile continues to be served up.

For me though it's a double edges sword I want to see non United English club suffer, and be embarrassed in Europe, but deep down I know we really need to see one of them step up soon for the sake on the Premiership.
Yep, definitely.

English football, for all it's brilliance (I still believe it to be the most entertaining league in the world), has been a bit hit and miss in Europe. It's never really taken to the Europa League, the seven years between '05 and '12 in the Champions League will be difficult to replicate.
 
Just saw Bellarabi's role in the Leverkusen goal. Nice.

His development this season has been amazing. Became german NT player and is the most successful dribbler in all of Europe's top5 leagues. His decission making and passing is still questionable at times but he is a constant danger for opponents. His rise as player is kinda similar to Reus' and if he improves a few of his weak areas he will be interesting for a bigger club.
 
I hope Arsenal turn it around in France. An exit at this stage is bad news for our top 4 fight.