Tuesday 1st May - Real Madrid (4) 2-2 (3) Bayern Munich (SF 2nd Leg)

[The Artful Dodger]

19 minutes ago, Marc said:

A lot of people are saying RM aren’t s good team and are lucky etc. They were poor against Bayern tonight but they've still came through the toughest group and then had the toughest draw in every knockout round! They’ve knocked out Bayern, Juve and PSG! German, Italian and French champions.

They are clearly a good side, especially in Europe it seems and they should be big favourites to win it. I think they are below their level of last season where they concluded the season as a juggernaught blowing teams away. They just get the job done, reminiscent of Ferguson's Manchester United in the league. I think Liverpool will cause them problems but if Kroos and Modric can get a foothold, which they didnt much against Bayern Munich, they can shape the game. I dont think Liverpool will concede goals as bad as Bayern Munich did though.

[bozziovai]

1 hour ago, Marc said:

A lot of people are saying RM aren’t s good team and are lucky etc. They were poor against Bayern tonight but they've still came through the toughest group and then had the toughest draw in every knockout round! They’ve knocked out Bayern, Juve and PSG! German, Italian and French champions.

that's the whole point.   Not a very easy path towards the Finals.

many Haters of Madrid bitching about the offsides and bad refereeing but hey, through out the years we've seen ugly decisions given by the referees.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/video/5-instances-when-barcelona-progressed-in-the-uefa-champions-league-due-to-bad-refereeing

[Samuel Eto'o]

At least he's honest about it: https://kwese.espn.com/football/real-madrid/story/3480338/real-madrids-marcelo-admits-handball-vs-bayern-munich-the-ball-hit-my-hand

[SirBalon]

[Panna King]

Madrid have played a great game in Europe this season apart from Tottenham away and Juventus at home,  they have been effective that is why they are in the final. 

[SirBalon]

5 hours ago, Marc said:

A lot of people are saying RM aren’t s good team and are lucky etc. They were poor against Bayern tonight but they've still came through the toughest group and then had the toughest draw in every knockout round! They’ve knocked out Bayern, Juve and PSG! German, Italian and French champions.

This is true...  They weren't just poor against Bayern but poor the whole season. Infact statistically this is their poorest season in over two decades with a type of football that's been dour. But what they've come through in the Champions League this season is quite frankly amazing considering how crap they've been. 

[Panna King]

27 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

This is true...  They weren't just poor against Bayern but poor the whole season. Infact statistically this is their poorest season in over two decades with a type of football that's been dour. But what they've come through in the Champions League this season is quite frankly amazing considering how crap they've been. 

They are saving themselves for Europe. They rather be European champs then Spanish.  

[Stan]

48 minutes ago, Teso dos Bichos said:

First team to reach the final 3 years in a row (TWICE)

 

they're silent on the pitch then in the league to continue his analogy. 

[Cicero]

At the end of the day, the Champions League is a cup competition. 

In the famous words of Brian Clough, 'I would gladly give up the European Cup, League Cup, and FA Cup if you guarantee me winning the league" 

 

[Cicero]

1 minute ago, Teso dos Bichos said:

Zidane didn't care about the league this year.

Because they aren't good enough 

[bozziovai]

this year, madrid is undermanned.   no depth in the squad.      but on the other side of the coin, they had a poor start to the season that ever since week 1 they're playing catch up with Barcelona that they are on panic mode, Zidane didn't utilize well the young guys.

[Cicero]

1 minute ago, bozziovai said:

this year, madrid is undermanned.   no depth in the squad.      but on the other side of the coin, they had a poor start to the season that ever since week 1 they're playing catch up with Barcelona that they are on panic mode, Zidane didn't utilize well the young guys.

Well that's simply not true. You lot have the best bench in world football 

[bozziovai]

3 minutes ago, Cicero said:

Well that's simply not true. You lot have the best bench in world football 

kindly read my other point  

[Cicero]

4 minutes ago, bozziovai said:

kindly read my other point  

I did. And I reiterate, that is simply not true. Asensio, Bale, Vasquez, and Kovacic as bench options? All 4 of which would be first teamers in any other league. 

You did shit in the league because Zidane is an average manager and is relying on certain players; experience and big game performances to ride his luck in the Champions League with a very effective playing style (cross football) that seems to work well with his players. Literally no plan B

He's out of his depth when it comes to management in the league, whereas last season it took Barcelona literally giftwrapping you the league

[bozziovai]

7 minutes ago, Cicero said:

I did. And I reiterate, that is simply not true. Asensio, Bale, Vasquez, and Kovacic as bench options? All 4 of which would be first teamers in any other league. 

You did shit in the league because Zidane is an average manager and is relying on certain players; experience and big game performances to ride his luck in the Champions League with a very effective playing style (cross football) that seems to work well with his players. Literally no plan B

He's out of his depth when it comes to management in the league, whereas last season it took Barcelona literally giftwrapping you the league

Bale - the glass prince.   half this season he has been out injured.  it's better to sell him but the problem is no one can or willing to buy him.     But yes, those trio of young guns, Lucas, Marco and Kovacic should have been starters.    Instead we're seeing the inconsistent Benzema always starting ahead of Asensio.

we'll see next season IF zidane is still at the helm if he can prove to everyone that he isn't a one-tactic-manager ......

[Carnivore Chris]

19 hours ago, El_Loco said:

Tolisso and Thiago dominated the midfield tonight for most of the game. Ox is a big loss to Liverpool, but I can see Kroos and Modric having problem with the physicality and pace imposed by Liverpool. 

As @The Rebel CRS mentioned, Real haven´t been convincing this season. I expect big changes in the summer. 

Last season they were brilliant, but this season they look there for the taking in every game they play almost. With this said, I can't see anything other than them winning the final.

Klopp doesn't win finals in European competitions, he's good at reaching them, but he can't win them. Real are also masters in finals and never lose them these days.

 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, The Rebel CRS said:

Last season they were brilliant, but this season they look there for the taking in every game they play almost. With this said, I can't see anything other than them winning the final.

Klopp doesn't win finals in European competitions, he's good at reaching them, but he can't win them. Real are also masters in finals and never lose them these days.

 

I unfortunately have to agree with @Cicero here. Barcelona literally giftwrapped Madrid the league last year as they also weren't great and grinded out most of their wins. 2 examples, the 4-2 win against Bayern at the Bernabeu and the 3-3 draw at home to Las Palmas. They weren't that good even comparing back to when Ronaldo first arrived at the club. However, they are a big game team and show up when it most matters. I remember they didn't give Napoli a sniff when they were in form and Real Madrid were out of it. Same with Juve, when they faced a clearly superior side, they clicked into the side they really are.

Definition of a cup team that got a bit lucky in last years La Liga, but I wouldn't call them "shit". They know how to get the job done and still have the best team in the world on paper. Some people often forget about that because they convinced so many in that UCL final, but they weren't any different then they are this time around.

[ASF]

The Champions League » the league title.

Even more so when you have a run like Real did (playing the French, Italian and German champions). 

I think it's just in England, where you see that fans care more about the league than the Champions League.

[Panflute]

Poor performance from both sides frankly. It was a contest in becoming the biggest bottlers, with Madrid nearly squandering an ideal away result again and Bayern wasting many good opportunities. You could say it's bad luck on Bayern's behalf but if you play 2 back-to-back games like that, dominating play but not getting the result, there is something more going on.

Anyway, Madrid get away with a dubious performance again, but it doesn't matter as now they have to show up for one match to take home another title.

[Viva la FCB+]

19 hours ago, Panflute said:

Poor performance from both sides frankly. It was a contest in becoming the biggest bottlers, with Madrid nearly squandering an ideal away result again and Bayern wasting many good opportunities. You could say it's bad luck on Bayern's behalf but if you play 2 back-to-back games like that, dominating play but not getting the result, there is something more going on.

Anyway, Madrid get away with a dubious performance again, but it doesn't matter as now they have to show up for one match to take home another title.

Pretty much sums up my thoughts. If you cant finish the chances you dont deserve anything. You can blame individual mistakes or injuries but it doesnt really matter; at the end of the day the match/tie was there to be won. 

 

Anyways this is one of the saddest pictures after all the players went to the room he stayed out on the pitch. I wont blame Ulreich, he has played extremely well this season, you can tell hes caught in two minds on the play, not the mention a pretty bad back pass. 

 

 

[bozziovai]

14 minutes ago, Viva la FCB said:

Pretty much sums up my thoughts. If you cant finish the chances you dont deserve anything. You can blame individual mistakes or injuries but it doesnt really matter; at the end of the day the match/tie was there to be won. 

 

Anyways this is one of the saddest pictures after all the players went to the room he stayed out on the pitch. I wont blame Ulreich, he has played extremely well this season, you can tell hes caught in two minds on the play, not the mention a pretty bad back pass. 

 

 

 

very sad indeed.     he might be replaying that blunder over and over again in his head.     

[Carnivore Chris]

18 hours ago, ASF said:

The Champions League » the league title.

Even more so when you have a run like Real did (playing the French, Italian and German champions). 

I think it's just in England, where you see that fans care more about the league than the Champions League.

This isn't a case of caring more about the league than the Champions league mate. It's a case of a team that should be fighting for BOTH.

Real Madrid have been able to pamper and rest all their players before and after every Champions League game, while teams such as Barcelona were having to play their strongest line-up for 90 minutes, 3 times a week, due to being in 3 competitions still. Fighting for 3 competitions(one being over 38 gruelling games) is far more difficult than putting all your eggs into one basket and focusing on one competition.

Have you ever worked on a bank holiday week before where you have the Monday off? Then have you ever done a full 7 days in a week? The difference in tiredness and fatigue at the end of both of those weeks is HUGE. If Barcelona, or even City, were able to have half of a season off and pamper and rest all their key players before every Champs league game, then they would likely have no problems at all in reaching the final.

Real Madrid's season has been a half arsed one, by their standards, in which they would simply be covering up the cracks by winning a Champions league, a competition they haven't even been convincing in at that. They were out of 2 competitions by Christmas and are now able to put all their focus into the one tournament. I mean, how can you be the best in Europe when you're barely 3rd best in your country?

As for Liverpool, their situation is different. It's been a fantastic season on their behalf as they aren't title challengers, don't have the strongest squad in world football and weren't expected to win anything at the start of the season, whereas Real have the strongest squad in the world, they have players on their bench who would even walk into Barcelona's starting 11, yet they can't even compete for their league over 38 games? It's still a success to win the Champions league in their situation, although for me it's not more of an achievement than winning a domestic double undefeated, not if you win the Champs league at the expense of being 16 points behind the leaders. It's not like they are second and 3 points behind, they are miles away.

If winning the Champs league and being miles behind in your league is what makes a team great, then what is the point of domestic football? They may as well just scrap it altogether and create a European Super League.

 

As for Liverpool, they have been fantastic in this tournament and the by far best team in every round they have played. Play great football, score a lot goals and Salah is an absolute beast to watch, well, their front 3 have been in general. They will have to up their game defensively though in the final.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Carnivore Chris]

By the way, I'm not taking anything away from Real's achievement itself if they do win it, as it's the biggest competition in club football and they will be winning it for a 13th time, which is incredible, but when you can put all your eggs in one basket and have a squad like theirs, it gives you a big advantage. With that squad, they should atleast be in the title race until the end. 16 points behind is terrible.

What I would say this final shows, is the quality in both England and Spain, when you have 2 sides who can't get near their league, but yet look like they can't be stopped in this. This is why it's not only the Champions in it anymore, as that would make for a wank tournament. The 3rd and 4th placed teams in countries such as England and Spain are far superior to the Champions in most countries if we are honest.

[Cicero]

Crazy to think how it took Real 12 years to win their CL title against Atletico. They've now won 2 in 3 years, potentially 3 in 4 

Unless it's a fairly one sided league, the league title should always be seen as the main priority of silverware. It is the pinnacle and mark of a great team. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

23 minutes ago, Cicero said:

Crazy to think how it took Real 12 years to win their CL title against Atletico. They've now won 2 in 3 years, potentially 3 in 4 

Unless it's a fairly one sided league, the league title should always be seen as the main priority of silverware. It is the pinnacle and mark of a great team. 

Agreed - the league is the mark of who's the best in their country. And in a competitive league, I think that's the bread and butter for big clubs. Which is why I fucking hate how we haven't won the league in forever and have only really contested for it just a few times in decades.

The CL is great and I think it's the best cup tournament in football. But the winner isn't the "best club in Europe" just for winning the European Cup after the final. They're the club that's won the most prestigious cup in Europe, which is a major deal. Whereas with a league table, you can clearly say "this side at the top has objectively done the best."