UEFA Champions League 24/25 - Playoff Round - 11/02/25 - 12/02/25 and 18/02/25 - 19/02/25

[DJ_21]

I mean, a lot of teams have made them look average this season. The only big team we have beaten this season Wouldn’t look too much into it.

Ye but there’s beating them and then there’s making them look like this tonight. Half of the league have beaten them yes… but they don’t dominate them where they hardly create anything

 

[KKidAA]

Can someone tell me what Gvardiol is meant to be good at?

Ruining first goalscorer bets a few times early on in the season. I think thats about it.

 

[Mike Smalling]

He's injured, but seems like they wanted him on the bench anyway.

Played almost a full game in the weekend.

 

[Acheron]

From Vini right ?

Yeah, it landed awkwardly between Rodrygo and Mbappe but the play after that was amazing. Rodrygo doesn't get as much credit but he's also been very good.

 

[stepic]

being a Madrid supporter is a cheat code

 

[saivet]

I found it odd why so many doubted Mbappe for having a fairly underwhelming start at Madrid. Personally, I don't think he was even that bad.

 

[kouroux]

Yeah, it landed awkwardly between Rodrygo and Mbappe but the play after that was amazing. Rodrygo doesn't get as much credit but he's also been very good.

Great pass between Gundogan's legs.

 

[No Idea For Nickname]

Hope someone is thinking about Pep, have to make sure he has enough bottles. That one looked very small.

 

[Morty_]

Haaland is having an injury, he didn't get benched for no reason.

 

[kouroux]

Has City even shot the ball ?

 

[TsuWave]

Ye but there’s beating them and then there’s making them look like this tonight. Half of the league have beaten them yes… but they don’t dominate them where they hardly create anything

City held 5 against Arsenal. Held 4 vs PSG. Held 4 vs Spurs

Just accept that the notion that Real Madrid is the only team in Europe that can make them look average just isn't true. It's OK

 

[Antisocial]

Played almost a full game in the weekend.

Didn't he get injured at the end of that game? Or has he played since that one where they thought he might've done his ACL or something? (which he clearly hasn't)

 

[rimaldo]

this is really like 19 year-old men against 16 year-old girls.

 

[Dazzmondo]

We should sign that Mbappe fella. He looks alright

 

[Red00012]

Has City even shot the ball ?

Madrid is having the possession

 

[Red00012]

We should sign that Mbappe fella. He looks alright

We’d knock that alright out of him

 

[DJ_21]

City held 5 against Arsenal. Held 4 vs PSG. Held 4 vs Spurs

Just accept that the notion that Real Madrid is the only team in Europe that can make them look average just isn't true. It's OK

And each one of them they had more than 1 shot no? The other teams beat them but didn’t outplay them. Except maybe PSG

 

[Mike Smalling]

Didn't he get injured at the end of that game? Or has he played since that one where they thought he might've done his ACL or something? (which he clearly hasn't)

Thought that was against Madrid last week, but I could be wrong.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

So are City saving themselves for the Liverpool game?

 

[Todd]

I found it odd why so many doubted Mbappe for having a fairly underwhelming start at Madrid. Personally, I don't think he was even that bad.

It's wild that he was pretty much universally considered underwhelming for a decent chunk of a season in which he's going to wind up scoring 35-40 goals across all competitions.

If this is an underwhelming Mbappe, then every club in the world would love to have an underwhelming Mbappe.

 

[ThierryHenry]

I can’t believe all the money City spent in Jan with no meaningful improvement to that midfield.

 

[Kwabs]

I found it odd why so many doubted Mbappe for having a fairly underwhelming start at Madrid. Personally, I don't think he was even that bad.

Because people are clueless. Including a lot of people on this forum. It's quite simple.

 

[Florida Man]

We should sign that Mbappe fella. He looks alright

Based on the last French forward we had, Mbappe will have some big boots to fill.

 

[Morty_]

Pep teams have been pretty suspect away from home in UCL, even when they were on top, so guess it shouldn't be surprising they look so poor here.

 

[RG77]

It's wild that he was pretty much universally considered underwhelming for a decent chunk of a season in which he's going to wind up scoring 35-40 goals across all competitions.

If this is an underwhelming Mbappe, then every club in the world would love to have an underwhelming Mbappe.

Because he was underwhelming. Absolute low point in November iirc. He picked up the pace since December or so.

 

[Malkovich]

Almost every Madrid player is extremely fast or strong, apart from their technique of course. And then the goalkeeper is 6'7.

 

[RedRocket9908]

Just seen the Madrid goals, Khusanov is really poor isnt he?

 

[RoyH1]

I can’t believe all the money City spent in Jan with no meaningful improvement to that midfield.

They seem like long term investments. Not much happening with them right now.

 

[Florida Man]

Almost every Madrid player is extremely fast or strong, apart from their technique of course. And then the goalkeeper is 6'7.

They’ve certainly been eating their carne and patatas

 

[Sylar]

We should sign that Mbappe fella. He looks alright

We probably will when he's 32

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

I found it odd why so many doubted Mbappe for having a fairly underwhelming start at Madrid. Personally, I don't think he was even that bad.

Yeah the Mbappé thread is full of ignorant posts from November about people writing the obituary on his career and a lot of agendas against Ligue 1 saying that he could do it there and not against elite opposition. He’s got 3 in this tie, if he gets 2-3 against Leverkusen/Atletico and they go through all of a sudden he’s probably favourite for the Ballon d’Or.

 

[Mike Smalling]

We probably will when he's 32

8 year deal. Here we go.

 

[padr81]

So are City saving themselves for the Liverpool game?

Ah, no we're getting murdered there as well.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

8 year deal. Here we go.

Coming off an injury hit season.

 

[frostbite]

We should sign that Mbappe fella. He looks alright

But can he defend?

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

8 year deal. Here we go.

Even 40 year old Mbappé would still be better than Hojlund is now.

 

[padr81]

Angriest I've ever been at Peps set up. No one on the left wing which causes the second goal albeit helped by the Gvaridol comedy show. Playing a left winger as right sided striker, playing the actual striker is some kinda weird left half forward position, playing a no. 10 on the right wing. Khusanov at RB. Dias, Stones and Gvaridol in the clown positions he's clearly learned from studying the circus, Gundogan given the role of ghost and Bernardo told to play like a headless chicken and do the work of 3 men simultaneously.

No structure, no fluidity, nothing. Completely baffling set up. Madrid will hit us for at least 5 here. We're a poor team but this selection/set up is incredibly stupid. Couldn't just put the lw on the left wing, the striker at striker, the rw on the right wing and the no.10 at no.10. No way that'd make sense.

 

[TsuWave]

And each one of them they had more than 1 shot no? The other teams beat them but didn’t outplay them. Except maybe PSG

So your metric for average is not having that 1 shot? What?

 

[Lay]

What kind of set up is this?

 

[rainey]

Yeah the Mbappé thread is full of ignorant posts from November about people writing the obituary on his career and a lot of agendas against Ligue 1 saying that he could do it there and not against elite opposition. He’s got 3 in this tie, if he gets 2-3 against Leverkusen/Atletico and they go through all of a sudden he’s probably favourite for the Ballon d’Or.

I did a bit of ELO calculating a few weeks back and it said that there's a bigger rating difference between RM and their opposition in La Liga than there is between PSG and the rest of Ligue 1 teams. Meaning it's easier for Mbappe to score for RM than it was for PSG; just to put a bit of perspective at just how this dude designed his career path. A career split between 2 teams that essentially have 1 rival (Barca) between them, while the rest of the clubs they face - week in and week out - are cannon fodder.