Topic: UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Season - page 541. (Read 141809 times)

Why we must feel doubtful with Pep Guardiola? He already proved everything, he won all the prestigious trophies.
If he returned to Barcelona, he must have the chance to make Barcelona strong again. However, it is impossible to do if Barcelona management has no money. It is the same as Xavi, he has good ability as a manager but he can't do much to improve Barcelona because Barcelona management has no enough money. Buying quality players require money, how to sign them if Barcelona has no money? The main problem of Barcelona isn't about the quality of manager (coach) but it is all about the funds (money).

I think you can't claim that Barcelona still has good squad. If they have good squad, they won't be defeated by Girona. The defeat from Girona in matchday 16 proved that Barcelona has some problems. Barcelona attackers can't play effectively, they just made many shots but less of goals. The defense also looked very weak, how can Barcelona could have 4 conceded goals? According to the result of this match, Barcelona have weak attackers and defenders. The coach needs to rebuild the players on these 2 lines (attacking and defense).

I agree with you about newcomers in the Champions League which makes it harder for many new teams in this tournament to bring victory while thinking a team like Real Madrid can have the best chance for the Champions League like they always had. Real Madrid is also trying to improve the team by hiring players like Mbappe or some other superstar player and not just because I'm a fan of Real Madrid but think there are not any other teams on the same level as Real Madrid.

In 3 weeks the games will start and I confess that as they get closer to the games many things are happening to the teams, I know that the European champions league games often make us spend hours thinking about how it is possible for a team to that has serious problems in the local league manages to beat another team that is doing very well in the local league. this is something that has happened a lot in the european champions league, for example last season inter and milan were doing very badly in series a, while napoli was doing very well, so napoli played against milan in the European Champions League but lost, while in Serie A Napoli easily beat Milan

Inter, who lost against weak teams from Serie A, managed to beat strong teams from the European Champions League to the point of reaching the final and playing very well, even though it was a game against Manchester City, which is a very strong team and even last season they were very strong, but they were having difficulty scoring many goals in the game against Milan, the funniest part is that Napoli, who were a good team in Serie A last season, failed to reach the final of the European Champions League. This shows that in the European champions league it is difficult to predict who will be champion. Even a team that is doing very poorly in the local league can still do well in the European Champions League

Pep Guardiola holds the stronger hands this season. Reaching the quarterfinals does not appear challenging for Manchester City; they are the most significant club in terms of performance, constantly rising to the top and refusing to stop until they have finally hit the jackpot by winning major trophies. Manchester City has risen to prominence as the UCL's reigning champions. Pep Guardiola has a distinct ratio with his opponents, who have been awarded with good scores. Pep Guardiola is the best coach in the EPL, having led Manchester City in the past and current.

The UEFA Champions League is not for newcomers; the major challengers are experienced and prestigious clubs, and the greatest teams always emerge victors. Does giving Porto to a competitive EPL team seem appropriate? Mikel Arteta has made intentions to settle down and become affluent at elite clubs. Arsenal will qualify for the following round if they can maintain their winning record against their opponents. Checking on the other hand, Porto have become a fierce club, meaning they're competitive rival, Mikel doesn't have to underestimate any club.

Guardiola has a lot of experience... in defeat  If I'm not mistaken, he is already a record holder or close to first place among coaches who reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Moreover, he always did this as a favorite and almost always lost, hehe. Therefore, I don’t know how good he is in this regard, as paradoxical as it may be to say that he (or his team) does not have a champion’s mentality. I will always remember the season before last when Real beat them and it was clear from the faces of the City players before extra time that they understood who would win.

If for example Pep Guardiola returns to Barcelona, I personally believe Pep Guardiola will be able to restore Barcelona's performance. But yes, if for example Pep Guardiola still fails to restore Barcelona, then this will be proof that Pep Guardiola can only succeed at a club that has good finances . Therefore, it seems like it would be interesting if, for example, Pep Guardiola dared to return to Barcelona because yes, if Pep Guardiola managed to restore Barcelona with financial chaos like this, then Pep Guardiola would be the greatest coach of course . Because yes, basically Barcelona still has a squad that can be said to be good and therefore, if for example Pep Guardiola returns to Barcelona, I personally still believe Pep Guardiola will still be successful.

The picture of the round of 16 this time presents a match that brings together equal strengths and some that don't. Overall, to get a glimpse of the clubs that can advance to the quarter finals, we can only refer to their respective domestic leagues to assess their latest performance, but of course this cannot be a complete reference. We understand why Madrid, Man City and Bayern Munchen are very favorites when playing in the UCL, besides that we also cannot ignore the surprises that might be created by clubs that are not so favorites.

Among all the contestants in the round of 16, in my opinion Napoli is the team that has the lowest chance of qualifying, because their performance in Serie A is very unstable. Moreover, the opponent they faced was Barcelona, even though Xavi squad was not much of a favourite, it was difficult for the Italian representatives to win the match. On the other hand, maybe Copenhagen fate will be the same as Napoli, but their scenario of qualifying from the group phase yesterday was better than PSG, but they had to face the defending champions which made their chances of qualifying very low.

When you think about it, these teams are pretty good because of the money they have. City, Bayern, Real, they are all rich clubs who has a lot of money and that is why it makes sense for them to be going for the title every year, it doesn't make sense for a team like Arsenal, or Porto or whoever, to go for that top situation because they do not have the same amount of money.

When you lack 100+ million a year, how could you become better than the teams you are going against? In the end, they are going to end up with a situation that would be a lot more interesting one way or another, and should be considering the deal to be based on just a few teams. This is why Super League was considered, so big clubs would play against each other and make the most money.

Starting with Barcelona, I think Barcelona fans should instead be happy that the name of their club appeared on that list that he made. If I were to be the one who compiled the list, Barcelona will in nowhere be in that list. If you check the history of Barcelona since Xavi became their coach, they do not have any good record in the Champions League. Even when they were in a better form to make their mark in the Champions League they did not do, let alone now that they appear to be the shadow of its own. I do not take Barcelona seriously in anything pertaining European competition. They might be outstanding in their local League but not in Europe. This is exactly what Xavi needs to go and study.

Talking about the first spot, giving it to Real Madrid is not wrong prediction and also giving it to Manchester City would also not be wrong because these two clubs are just outstanding. I would have accepted that Real Madrid would be at the top indisputably if KDB had not return for the Manchester City side. The presence of KDB in Manchester City midfield will surely propel Haaland to a greater level of scoring.

Let's just follow first, how is the development of each team that will compete in the round of 16, playing their matches first in their Domestic League. the reason is, the round of 16 matches still have enough time lag, each team will play their match in the last 16. First, they will play their matches in their Domestic League. some want to secure their position, some are preparing, and so on. plus, if a player is injured before the round of 16 match begins. That means it will be a problem for that team. and, the betting market will also change to suit the condition of the team in trouble.

Speaking of City, Haaland has now trained with the regular team. This means that he will need to be prepared again to play his matches both in domestic competitions and when he visits Copenhagen in the next match. Likewise with Leizpig, when they host the first leg against Real Madrid, Marco Rose will prepare his team to provide fierce resistance. Bayern versus Lazio, Arsenal versus Porto, Inter and Atletico, will all make thorough preparations when this competition starts again. For now, I don't have much to say, let alone speculate and assume.  At a minimum, I want to first follow the teams that are in the round of 16 playing their matches in their domestic league. plus, reviewing his readiness ahead of this competition. Even though we can speculate by making rough predictions, that's too fast for me personally.  So, just enjoy this moment.

The UCL round of 16 is sef to kick off next month and for some teams, it's going to be a serious tussle and for some it'll be a minor jump through to the next stage. Judging based on team strength, City has a better chance to advance than Copenhagen, so does PSG, Dortmund and Bayern. For the remaining fixtures, the teams are strong and the result is just unpredictable.

 Arsenal and Porto are in good form, same performance range, the probability is shaky, thesame with Napoli and Barcelona. For Madrid and Leipzig, one would say Madrid are in a better position to advance but the German side shouldn't be underrated though, they're also good in their own way. For Inter and Atletico, it's going to be a serious battle, none of them would allow the other to just go freely without making it tough. Hopefully these teams would use their home advantages wisely and to the best of their ability too.

Copenhagen has done great work to be able to qualify for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League when people didn't expect them to qualify in UEFA Champions League Group A. I think Copenhagen will pose no threat to Manchester City when they meet next month because Manchester City players are more experienced than Copenhagen players.

A very different performance can be shown by Barcelona in their next UCL fixture as that's the spirit that comes with UCl so it won't be fair enough to just rule them out because of some sense of struggle around Barcelona after all they have been winning their games in their domestic league recently so they could be on the track of improvement without you knowing.

Until the round of sixteen is over I wouldn't be ruling out any team not minding their strength because I know for sure how much most teams would wan to participate in an elite league such as the UCL and a chance to have gotten to the round of sixteen isn't on they will make a joke with so they are definitely going to put in that required efforts such that underestimating any of them maybe to your own detriment so even the bigger team should be wear too lest they loose embarrassingly to a side they would consider weak.

Barcelona level this season is still very far below Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Maybe they can overcome Napoli in the round of 16 because after being left by Spalletti their performance has decreased, I doubt that Barcelona will be able to reach the semifinals with their inconsistent performance. Manchester City is still able to maintain its performance after winning the trophy last season, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are trying to avenge their defeat last season to prevent Manchester City from winning the trophy twice in a row.

Luckily Manchester City is managed by a great coach, Pep Guardiola always has the right strategy to overcome other strong teams. I'm excluding Barcelona this season, while Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will be competing against each other to get into the final.

People who think Barcelona is strong definitely a Barcelona fans that can't judge something base on objectivity, similar to Manchester United fans.

Barcelona is a failed team after Messi's left for Inter Miami, the socios aka Barcelona's supporters need to sell their team to the rich person. So they will have money to rebuild the team by signing popular players.

Barcelona doesn’t deserve to be on the list, in my opinion, because they are not in good shape. They are passing through some difficult times and are looking for ways to continue winning matches. So I think Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and lastly Manchester City. However, Inter Milan are doing very well this season; they play well, and I love the way they dominate all of their matches so far. Real Madrid are also doing well, but where I think I will disagree with you is that when you mention Manchester City first, seriously, Manchester City performance is not up to Inter Milan and Real Madrid performance in the Champions League competition this season, therefore I think Inter Milan should be the first.

In round with knockout system like this, we will see that each match will be more interesting and of course each team will fight for victory to be able to qualify for the next round, of course in match like this lot of drama will occur.
One of the dramas that is quite dangerous is injury, if an injury is done and experienced by mainstay player then the strength of team will also decrease so every player must be careful and every coach will prioritize safer game.
It can be proven from various domestic competitions that when team experiences player crisis due to injuries, they experience setbacks and every win is more difficult to obtain, especially in knockout round matches like this.
If problems like that occur then it is clear what will happen.
It just that everyone hopes that the competition for the title can be taken over by big team in the future such as Real Madrid, Manchester City or Bayern Munich.
If these teams can enter the final, who knows who among the three, it will make the final hot match.
There will be fight for the title which will present really fierce match and it is match like this that all football fans are really waiting for.

Though I don't see Copenhagen going any further is the champions league due to the strong opponent they're facing in the round of sixteen but regardless, I think Copenhagen deserves some accolade by the country (Denmark) they're representing in the Champions league because it's not for the club to reach the knockout stages for twice now as their first was in 2010/2011 season and now the second time and they've also reached Europa league quarter finals in the 2019/2020 Europa season. So this is a very good achievement for the Denmark club in their European history and if they continue making improvements in European competitions then they might achieve a surprise European trophy one of the seasons.

I know they won't be going too far in this season champions league because Manchester city doesn't gamble with mediocre teams like Copenhagen at all though they made a very good attempt in their match against Bayern Munich by holding Munich to a goalless draw and some people may be thinking that they can also do the same with Manchester city, though the impact they've created is very impressive by looking at their group stage matches that they conquered some stronger and more experienced clubs and made their way to the knockout stages but definitely, Manchester city may not actually give them that opportunity the other clubs gave them while they were in the group stages.

There are many strong teams and they always have surprises in the UCL, that's why I don't really want to underestimate other teams, we've also seen Munich since Kane joined there, they've played very well in the UCL, that's why they should also be taken into account as a team that might be able to qualify for the final. I might believe that Manchester City can qualify for the final as long as Guardiola is really serious about setting a good strategy and doesn't underestimate his opponent.

The round of 16 against Copenhagen should not be a difficult opponent if Manchester City can beat Copenhagen of course their path will be better to reach the quarter-finals and if they meet a strong club like Munich that will be very good because Munich could be eliminated by Manchester City in the quarter-finals and can qualify for the next round until the final and I'm not sure Madrid will be able to get to the final if they meet Manchester City in the quarter-finals or semifinals. If you look at the statistics of their meetings last season, Madrid seems to find it difficult to beat Manchester City as the defending champion in the UCL.