Honestly I'm not trying to be a cnut but was the contact not on the ball ?
CL Semi-Finals 13/14 - April 22,23,29,30
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Honestly I'm not trying to be a cnut but was the contact not on the ball ?
Pep = Keepball
I can admire Pep's style but i'll never be a fan of his approach, much rather watch Football and see each team counter attacking each other.
I missed the game tonight so i can't comment on Madrid/Bayern
But i was surprised at how un-spanish A.Madrid played last night! lots of medium passes (crosses) and looping passes. Could someone educate me by telling me if they play with that style generally?
I can admire Pep's style but i'll never be a fan of his approach, much rather watch Football and see each team counter attacking each other.
I missed the game tonight so i can't comment on Madrid/Bayern
But i was surprised at how un-spanish A.Madrid played last night! lots of medium passes (crosses) and looping passes. Could someone educate me by telling me if they play with that style generally?
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Judas should have scored. Real v Chelsea final most likely
Both games are still wide open imo. A narrow away loss with a home win to go through is classic Guardiola in Europe and Atletico are probably better away from home where they can play on the counter.
Mourinho's Chelsea were pathetic last night. Absolutely pathetic. And this is coming from someone who respects mourinho a lot. I'm sorry, but they weren't even playing bayern or barca at their best who you have to concede the ball to. And they didn't even play on the counter like madrid did today and we used to agin at arsenal. His Chelsea just sat there focusing on killing the game and the contest. Horrible to watch. Luiz, mikel and lampard in midfield says it all.
Lahm: "We were the better team."
Well.....at least we didnt concede more goals, so we arent out yet.
I am okay with most parts of our game, but I really hate, that we completely abandon our fast-paced transition game. Last season we scored a shitload of goals after couterattacks. Now we turn around and wait till the opponent is organized again.
Well.....at least we didnt concede more goals, so we arent out yet.
I am okay with most parts of our game, but I really hate, that we completely abandon our fast-paced transition game. Last season we scored a shitload of goals after couterattacks. Now we turn around and wait till the opponent is organized again.
Yeah they never really play in a "Spanish" way, direct football is common with them. Although usually there wouldn't be as many crosses, that's how they (wrongly imo) decided to cope with the Chelsea gameplan but usually they'd be focused on quick counters.
Anyone else hoping Real Lose so that Ancelotti may become available in the summer should we want him?
They do put a lot of balls in the box but from what I've seen it's quite varied. They cross and long pass a fair deal, given they have a bruit upfront , but they interlink with short passes very well too.
This. Ancelotti was looking to win, he just knew this was the best way for them to go about it.
Mourinho was happy with a draw. A win would have been nice but the important thing was not to lose.
I'm pretty sure Jose will not set up Chelsea to let AM play on the counter, expect another dour dour game.
I´m struggling to understand this level of criticism. It´s like it´s something new from Mourinho. I can remember multiple away games from Mourinho´s team with the same kind of approach. It´s standart procedure. Dare i say, if Hazard isn´t back at Stamford Bridge we will see more of the same given the nature of the 0-0 result. I´d bet on extra time at least.
(Oh apologies didnt see your reply) I'm not doubting his ability. I'd be an idiot if I did. Just like to see it more in the final third.
Difficult for him to do that a Madrid though as he's playing a much deeper more disciplined role.
On a finishing side note. All this talk of Iniesta and Modric makes me realize we got in our midfield.
Lahm: "We were the better team."
Well.....at least we didnt concede more goals, so we arent out yet.
I am okay with most parts of our game, but I really hate, that we completely abandon our fast-paced transition game. Last season we scored a shitload of goals after couterattacks. Now we turn around and wait till the opponent is organized again.
Pep's style is annoying.
It's also clear as day that it only works if you have the best team in the world. Try that style with a team that isn't the current Bayern or Barca 2009-2011, and the opponent will piss on you. That's why I don't rate Pep as highly as many others.
The funny thing is, that the bold is a key factor for Bayern´s loss of form. The extremely early league title killed a lot of the momentum they had. Since that day they struggle and it did not help that Guardiola began to experiment with the formation. Of course the league games did not mean much anymore but it is important to keep the rythm and tension high inside the squad and this is exactly what Guardiola failed to do. I feared before the game that he would be unable to flip over the switch. This is Guardiola´s biggest test as Bayern coach until now and so far he is not delivering.
If he does not find a solution fast, Bayern could finish the season with just one title. Real Madrid is now the favourite and Dortmund, their opponent in the German cup final, is on a very good run right now.
Anyone else hoping Real Lose so that Ancelotti may become available in the summer should we want him?
Yeah it's weird. On the one hand I want him to lose so we can nab him, on the other hand him winning shows exactly why I want him in the first place.
Last night was parking the bus to its most defensive and ugly face.
That's so true, try that with a lesser group of players and they'll be torn to shreds. But to be fair, we've never seen him manage a lesser group, perhaps he can adapt.
I still don't get people are all upset with that strategy last night, it delivered the result he wanted.
Wish we got Modric when he was at Spurs. £40m wouldn't look bad at all if he'd been here for the last few years. Brilliant midfielder.
Good point, never thought of that!
The American commentator I had on called him MOTM
He was OK in the first half but I'm guessing he tired badly in the second, he just became really clumsy on the ball. Ancelotti probably would have subbed him off earlier if he hadn't had to take off Pepe and Ronaldo.
I don't see how he could get a MOTM title though. Modric and Alonso were better. Coentrao as well for that matter.
The match went exactly as I predicted, altough I thought Real would score more. The tactical setup and the formation are bullshit and I really don't know what Guardiola is thinking... we're playing a system that is very weak against counters, yet completely harmless in posession with 3 "defensive" midfielders that never sprint to create space or get forward to provide more threatening passing options to the winger. Result: Ribery, who's completely out of form yet still plays every game, and Robben are well defended, the lone striker is alone amongst a horde of defenders and the rest, apart from Alaba (our only good player today), stays back and watches in awe as cross after cross after pointless long ball gets cleares. The Lahm-Schweinsteiger-Kroos midfield is bullshit, especially against teams that want to counter and are as good at it as Real. It's so easy to defend against...
I just don't get it. If Pep sticks with this idea, we'll bow out and rightly so.
I just don't get it. If Pep sticks with this idea, we'll bow out and rightly so.
I think Bayern were fantastic tonight (especially the first half) The fact that they lost has nothing to do with any loss of form. They were simply facing another mega opponent who was prepared to played extremely defensively and hit on the counter (something in which they are excellent at)
When the best teams in Europe are more than happy to sit back and hit you on the counter or through the corners, it gets pretty nightmarish at times. Just Barcelona since the 2009 semis. When you are the best in the world, this is the shit you will have to put up with all the time.
Thanks for the replies guys @Bob Loblaw @amolbhatia100
"Crossing" has become somewhat of a dirty word, but it was great to see a popular team using it in the way A.Madrid did against Chelsea. I noticed a few times they could have retained possession or passed it into feet, but instead choose the arial approach, even from very close/tight spaces.
They didn't get the results they wished but it was refreshing to see nonetheless.
"Crossing" has become somewhat of a dirty word, but it was great to see a popular team using it in the way A.Madrid did against Chelsea. I noticed a few times they could have retained possession or passed it into feet, but instead choose the arial approach, even from very close/tight spaces.
They didn't get the results they wished but it was refreshing to see nonetheless.
Baffles me why people wanted him this year or last, dreadful football from Bayern tonight compared with how they played last year. They scored soft goals against us in fairness as well, certainly lack the cutting edge now.
Against big teams they normally play the way Chelsea did last night. Sit way back and take their chances. Chelsea doing it to them threw them I think.
Against lesser Liga opponents they're usually more Spanish, though still very aggressive in the tackle, and direct.
Not impressed at all tonight. All pass and no penetration, though it has to be said Real defended superbly. Ancelotti had a plan and they executed it perfectly. They should have scored more, we should have conceded much more than that 1 goal. Once again it showed how vulnerable we are against counters. I'm pessimistic about our chances even more now. 1:0 is a great result from their point of view as I really can't see us stopping them from scoring with the way we played, not to mention we won't score either. We haven't scored in only 1 home game this season but to to win against them by two goals is a big ask considering how we are playing. But maybe I'm just being a pessimistic turd.
Pep's subs should have been made earlier as well. Ribery was virtually non-existent and should have been subbed at HT, Muller added much more to the team in the little time he had on the field. I'm really bewildered at how poor Ribery has been lately. I can't emphasise how much I want to see Lahm at RB and Javi next to Bastian for the return leg, but it probably won't happen. Anyway congrats to the Madrid fans on here, deserved win tonight.
Edit: Just to add, it will take some time for the players to get used to Pep's ideas. I fully believe (okay, maybe hope) that next season would be different. He will have had an entire year to get used to the players and vice-versa so we should expect a better team. Right now I wouldn't exactly say we have improved from last year, but next year should be better, in terms of gameplay at least.
Thiago would have been a massive help tonight.
Pep's subs should have been made earlier as well. Ribery was virtually non-existent and should have been subbed at HT, Muller added much more to the team in the little time he had on the field. I'm really bewildered at how poor Ribery has been lately. I can't emphasise how much I want to see Lahm at RB and Javi next to Bastian for the return leg, but it probably won't happen. Anyway congrats to the Madrid fans on here, deserved win tonight.
Edit: Just to add, it will take some time for the players to get used to Pep's ideas. I fully believe (okay, maybe hope) that next season would be different. He will have had an entire year to get used to the players and vice-versa so we should expect a better team. Right now I wouldn't exactly say we have improved from last year, but next year should be better, in terms of gameplay at least.
Thiago would have been a massive help tonight.
I have to say that this Bayern team is scary, but not as scary as barca in the 10-11 season. With a bit of luck Bayern could have got a result tonight
Dumb question it may be. But if your a Bayern fan can I ask you this question about Ribery?Lahm: "We were the better team."
Well.....at least we didnt concede more goals, so we arent out yet.
I am okay with most parts of our game, but I really hate, that we completely abandon our fast-paced transition game. Last season we scored a shitload of goals after couterattacks. Now we turn around and wait till the opponent is organized again.
Does he go missing in big games? I'm trying to remember specific moments that he's done against big teams and I can't think of any. Maybe my memories sh*te and he's been brilliant against some of them.
Anyway your more likely to know. How good has he really been against top class opposition?
Thanks
. The game is far from over. I still think bayern will go through, but then again I am the most pessimistic fan in the world.Thanks
That's me, feck off!
Not impressed at all tonight. All pass and no penetration, though it has to be said Real defended superbly. Ancelotti had a plan and they executed it perfectly. They should have scored more, we should have conceded much more than that 1 goal. Once again it showed how vulnerable we are against counters. I'm pessimistic about our chances even more now. 1:0 is a great result from their point of view as I really can't see us stopping them from scoring with the way we played, not to mention we won't score either. We haven't scored in only 1 home game this season but to to win against them by two goals is a big ask considering how we are playing. But maybe I'm just being a pessimistic turd.
Pep's subs should have been made earlier as well. Ribery was virtually non-existent and should have been subbed at HT, Muller added much more to the team in the little time he had on the field. I'm really bewildered at how poor Ribery has been lately. I can't emphasise how much I want to see Lahm at RB and Javi next to Bastian for the return leg, but it probably won't happen. Anyway congrats to the Madrid fans on here, deserved win tonight.
Edit: Just to add, it will take some time for the players to get used to Pep's ideas. I fully believe (okay, maybe hope) that next season would be different. He will have had an entire year to get used to the players and vice-versa so we should expect a better team. Right now I wouldn't exactly say we have improved from last year, but next year should be better, in terms of gameplay at least.
Thiago would have been a massive help tonight.
All of THIS!
Ribery has been utterly useless for weeks and I hope Pep finds the courage to leave him out of the starting XI next time.
Not surprised at all that our best chance came from a Müller-Götze-combination. Both should've played from the beginning.
Quite similar to the game at OT. Bayern had over 70% possession, only had one good chance and Real Madrid are a hell of a lot more dangerous on the break than us, unsurprisingly enough.
I don't criticize the use of that tactic nor the result it generated, it was just painful to watch for me.
You don't understand football as the beautiful game and don't have a sporting bone in your body.
Bayern got lucky tonight Real should have had 3 or 4 goals tonight. Unfortunately Bayern look already as stale and sluggish as Barca in Guardiolas last two years they just can't play it fast anymore and have trouble defending.
That I can agree with, but I fell asleep during it, so wasn't too painful.
You're beginning to sound like your manager - the specialist in failure.
Never thought i'd say this but Pepe was absolutely sensational today. What a game from Real Madrid! This truly was Ancelotti at his best. Perfect plan to defend, two narrow lines of four players, with double-teams in the wide areas that didn't allow Robben and Ribery to cut inside, with Alonso dropping deeper whenever needed and forbidding Bayern putting an extra man in the box. They also had a very effective plan to create chances with Ronaldo, Isco Benzema and Di Maria alternately getting wide to receive the excellent long passes from Modric and Alonso and punishing Guardiola for underestimating attacking plays from the wide areas.
Nevertheless, this is far from over. Bayern Munich looked bad because Real Madrid made them look bad. I'd be surprised if they have so much possession in the final third in Munich and don't score. I understand the criticism on Pep, because he inherited a squad that had literally destroyed any obstacle in their way under Heynckes last season, so any sign of "struggling" is now considered a setback. We must not forget that these players were used to play a more direct style of football, which depended on playing from the wings a lot. Right now, Pep has taught them everything except the off the ball movement in between the lines(vertical and diagonal runs in the box and space for through balls). They are closing down their opponents perfectly, their passing is quick, they just can't find the final through pass easily in the big games. Imo he should play Lahm as a RB and use him & Alaba more frequently in the attack and find a way to fit Muller in his starting xi. Bayern could really use his ability to create space for him and his teammates.
Nevertheless, this is far from over. Bayern Munich looked bad because Real Madrid made them look bad. I'd be surprised if they have so much possession in the final third in Munich and don't score. I understand the criticism on Pep, because he inherited a squad that had literally destroyed any obstacle in their way under Heynckes last season, so any sign of "struggling" is now considered a setback. We must not forget that these players were used to play a more direct style of football, which depended on playing from the wings a lot. Right now, Pep has taught them everything except the off the ball movement in between the lines(vertical and diagonal runs in the box and space for through balls). They are closing down their opponents perfectly, their passing is quick, they just can't find the final through pass easily in the big games. Imo he should play Lahm as a RB and use him & Alaba more frequently in the attack and find a way to fit Muller in his starting xi. Bayern could really use his ability to create space for him and his teammates.
After he blocked off Muller's shooting leg.