Topic: UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Season - page 551. (Read 141787 times)

De bruyne can still have at least a few years remaining in manchester city and any rumor that linked him to the other club is only fake news. pep guardiola still needs him to be used as a mentor for the young players.
I have heard that if pep has been targeting a new attacking midfielder to become his successor and i do support the decision from pep to get a new player to be developed. Dani olmo has become the strongest name to be recruited by manchester city,

I hope so but the competition sometimes totally non sense thing. Messi was always winning it even though he was not on european club anymore. It sounds non sense when haaland didn't even win it last season.
De bruyne was still far from retiring to play in the EPL. He will keep active to play there as long as manchester city will be allowing him to stay much longer in the club.

Yes, De Bruyne very important for Manchester City but losing De Bruyne is not too big problems as long as Haaland can still appear in Manchester City.
It's just that De Bruyne is very intelligent player to be able to make the squad cooperation very solid and with this De Bruyne haaland becomes very strong because he is like very perfect player to be able to create scores in every match so that the future of Manchester City can still be said Depending on De Bruyne because to win the title in champions League must have the power of cooperation between very strong players.
De Bruyne has always been an intelligent player and can replace the role of Haaland at that time and after the return of Haaland we will see Manchester City will be successful in Champions League.

We have to remember that Manchester City, like Paris Saint-Germain, had a transfer-oriented mentality before. For a while they thought they could win everything by spending a lot of money on transfers, but they were wrong. Then, after Pep Guardiola took charge of the team, they had some changes and they reached the level they are today. I think if Paris Saint-Germain want to be successful, they should sign a good manager like Manchester City and hand over the management of the team to him. Luis Enrique is the right name for them. Now I think they should give him more initiative and wait.

I don't think there will be such thing for De Bruyne to leave Manchester City at the end of this season. He is one of the most valuable players for the team at the moment. Maybe some people can see him like a little old as he is 32. But does this affect his performance negatively? Not at all. He is one of the very qualified players who don't lose their effectiveness easily by aging.

I would really like to see De Bruyne winning a Ballon d'Or prize before his retirement. Benzema also won this prize at an old age by showing an extraordinary performance for Real Madrid. Hopefully De Bruyne also wins this prize once considering how great he has been performing. 

De Bryune have been very active for Manchester city for quite some seasons now after he left Wolfsburg and joined city in 2015, and he has impacted immensely to Manchester city's success ever since then as he has won the Champions League, and also won the premiership for five good times and some other trophies to his name while at Manchester city so should his contract at manchester ends he will definitely be missed by the club as he is always the best option in the midfield. Though Manchester city can get a replacement when he finally leaves the club but for now I can't really figure out any midfielder that can exploit what Kelvin De Bryune did for Manchester City.

Looking at the past is a good one but they have to take it gradually, they have to bring in players who are ready to play and fight for Paris Saint Germans. The Champions League is tough yes but it's same Manchester City that won for the first time after so many failures to talk about. This season, they wouldn't be able to win the competition because they don't have a very good squad.

Dominating the League 1 division isn't a bas thing, that would definitely reflect on the Champions League if they have a pretty cool performance..
That season it was narrow win for Bayern Munich ( if I can remember Kingsley Koeman ) scored the goal to set them as winners of that Champions League.

But they sell Messi, Neymar, Verratti and Ramos are the sign they're not really want to win the Champions League. They only sign mediocre players in this season and they didn't sign a top coach, so I don't expect they will go anywhere in this season.

Mental could also become one of the factor, since they can't become a champion, it might make them think they're not really deserved in this league and they feel inferior.

Yes, having Haaland will increase the attacking power for the better, but if we flashback to last season when in the semi-finals and final of the UCL he couldn't do anything because his movements were always broken by Madrid and Inter Milan's back line, actually I don't think so either. Haaland can do a lot in the UCL this season, even though he has always been Guardiola's mainstay in the front line. KDB's return is actually more than enough.

Without Haaland, it seems that Manchester City will be fine in facing their opponents in the UCL. I think they will be successful again this season in reaching the final because Manchester City has risen from adversity since KDB managed to recover from injury. I also hope that Manchester City will win the title again this season. this is as perfect as they did last season, no matter without Haaland I think with the main squad which is currently more than enough in my view.

The round of 16 will soon start where they will face Copenhagen who managed to become Runner UP in group A which is quite difficult but they managed to escape with a surprise, I think Manchester City cannot underestimate them, even so they could make things difficult for Manchester City later.

Buying star players and building great squad depth is part of the process for a team that wants to win the title. PSG did it right and they have gone through that stage, but that doesn't necessarily make them successful in the Champions League.

So far PSG have dominated Ligue 1 and that is part of their success in building squad depth so far. The Champions League is a difficult competition, so it is not easy to win even if the squad is good. However, PSG qualified and fought in the Champions League final several seasons ago even though in the end they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich. It was part of an experience they must not repeat if they qualify for the finals next season.

PSG's way of building team is good considering the high quality of players they are signing in their team, the only problem they are having is the coach; they are yet to have a qualified coach that will lead them to the Champions League victory the way Manchester City signed Guardiola and they are successful.
I think PSG need to stop relying on one man (Mbappe) because if he leaves the team, they will struggle to adapt and they will lose plenty matches in that process.

Man City have easy opponent in the knockout stage, but that doesn't mean they must qualify because Copenhagen is not a team to be underrated considering their group stage performance.


Haaland is not the most important player in Manchester City's team, he also contributes to the team's success in the last Champions League victory; If the team have him, it will be an added advantage but without him, they will still play well since De Bruyne is back from Injury.

PSG always wants to achieve everything instantly in every competition because they have a lot of financial support. But that also makes PSG the club least able to reach the top in Europe because they don't know how to fight from zero. Other European clubs such as Madrid, Man United, Barcelona, Chelsea and clubs in Serie A have a long history and bitter journey to reach the top of the UCL championship during their time. What I mean is that almost everything goes through a process that is not easy in building a club from scratch, the twists and turns and obstacles that form the characteristics of a club until it is recognized by the world. Meanwhile, PSG was born directly with sufficient financial support and did not want to go through the bitter process of buying star players as if they would be able to conquer Europe. But the fact is  the UCL competition is not just about big capital but rather the player mentality and emotional closeness to the club.

Manchester City not get difficult opponent team on 16 phase round but its not guarantee they will have easily opponent on quarter final until semifinal phase, no doubt with Manchester City opportunity will easily qualify to quarter final but if face with top teams such as Bayern Munich or Real Madrid I don't sure with The Citizen for defending their Champion League tittle for this season. Have good news after De Bruyne recovering from injury but still have problem with Erling Haaland has possibility to recovery before first leg match against Copenhagen three weeks later or not.

Erling Haaland is most important part for Manchester City and has small opportunity without him will get highest phase in this season, if can't recovery as soon possible I doubt with their opportunity will lead until final round for this season or not.

The UEFA champions league, being the most competitive league at club levels. The 23/24 season has been interesting from group stages which has seen the likes of  Manchester city, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich,FC Barcelona, Arsenal FC, Paris saint- Germain, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, FC Porto, SSC Napoli, PSV Eindhoven, RB Leipzig FC, FC Copenhagen, Lazio Roma, Real sociedad, All qualified for the knockout stages which will begin on the 13-02-2024.
                                Fixtures
    •   FC Copenhagen Vs  Manchester city
This game wil be easy for Manchester city to go through to the next round stages. Because this Denmark side can't match the quality of this English side, with the presence of
Kevin  Debryne and Erling Haaland all back in the squad.

    •       RB Leipzig Vs Real Madrid
Madrid will go into this game as favourites to win this match because of their current form and having a full squad available. But Leipzig can't be underestimated they are good side also but  Madrid will go through to next stages.

    •.   Lazio Roma Vs Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich, are favourites to go through to the next stages. But will face a strong competition, away from home to Lazio in the first leg of this fixture.

    •.    Paris saint-Germain Vs Real sociedad
This will be a very competitive game, both sides are doing well. Home advantage will be useful to both sides but PSG has an edge to go through, it's a match of PSG 52% and Real sociedad 48% to qualify.
 
   •      Inter Milan Vs Atletico Madrid
A very tough and competitive game it will be, both sides have quality good players and can score goals . This fixture either of the team can go through to next stages.

   •.     PSV Eindhoven vs Borrusia Dortmund
Psv are currently unbeaten, at league and have good home record so far in both leagues and champions League. It will be a tough game for borussia Dortmund, but might be team to scale through this fixture.
    
    •        FC Porto Vs Arsenal FC
Arsenal will be favourites, to qualify into the next. Because previous record on this fixture Arsenal has always qualified in this fixture.

    •   SSC Napoli Vs FC Barcelona
Both sides, are on a very poor form. Both teams  are not on their best  it would be a difficult game.

Manchester city, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, are favourites to win this competition this season. But Arsenal FC, inter Milan and Atletico Madrid are underdog's.

I understand that they have so much money to spend on players, it is also very difficult if the founder of PSG still has big ambitions and has a high ego and only wants to win the Champions League championship by relying on the money he has, without having to go through a long process of building a solid team.  However, PSG really took the wrong step and have already spent a lot of money for the sake of their big ambitions. Hopefully the founder of PSG realizes that the process is more important than relying on the money he has to buy what he likes.

The quality of Manchester City's game without De Bruyne is very different from the game with De Bruyne. He has proven to be the motor of Manchester City's attacks, his presence on the pitch makes it easier for Manchester City to score goals and win. I am very sure that De Bruyne's presence will really help Manchester City in defending its title, he will continue to give his best performances to make Manchester City ahead of its competitors again.
His presence will make other players more enthusiastic in controlling the match and organizing attacks, he is also not only smart in providing assists for Manchester City strikers, but can also be relied on to score goals that make it easier for Manchester City to secure victory.

PSG's current team isnt ready to win the UCL. They have great names, but football is more than stars. The complete squad must operate together, and they're overly dependent on a few crucial players. Their group stage performance was lackluster, which is unacceptable in the Champions League. Real Madrid, who have a better team mindset this season, could challenge PSG.

Personally, I think PSG should rethink their strategy. It goes beyond Neymar, Messi, and Mbappe. Man City earned their first UCL title by concentrating on teamwork, not individual brilliance. Considering their performance thus far, PSG may still struggle this season, but I hope they find their groove. They must if they want to keep Mbappe. But this season? I'm not betting.

In my opinion, Man City still has a chance to win the treble because the injured players are slowly starting to recover. Recently De Bruyne returned from injury and has become a differentiator in the Man City squad and in the near future Haaland could also play again. If these two players play together it will be a danger sign for their opponents both in the domestic league and in the UCL league. Real Madrid is just waiting for time to win the treble for the first time. It's just that sometimes they are unlucky in the Copa del Rel, now they have lost one trophy, and fortunately they have won the Supercoppa Espana trophy, so currently Real Madrid still has a chance to win the Treble as long as Real Madrid can be consistent. in all competitions.

It is interesting for us to follow these two great teams, Man City this season has the ambition to maintain the Winner's treble while Real Madrid is struggling to get the Winner's treble for the first time and these two teams have a big chance of winning the UCL.

Superstar players can make the people watch to skip the games in the league. In the last season when PSG had superstar players like Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe on the team, many people started watching PSG games just because of these famous players, and Ligue 1 got more views but if Mbappe leave PSG, not just PSG but the Ligue 1 will be under more pressure.
On the other hand, if he joined Real Madrid, they could be super strong in the Champions League and a hard competitor for any team.

Obviously it will be quite difficult for PSG to measure its strength if its competitors are still quite weak like now, because in the French League PSG can still win with second-tier players and even without star players. But in the UCL, everything must be truly complete for a team that wants to become champions there, from a great coach to truly talented players. And cooperation between players is also really needed because PSG has also proven itself that having several star players does not guarantee success in the UCL.

Kelvin De Bruyne for now is still a Manchester City player and I don't even expect the Belgium international to leave the club till at the end of the current season. Kevin De Bruyne without doubt is one of the best player of the Manchester City squad and that's why the team was actually struggling to win games during the time he wasn't fit to play for the team. His impact in the club's last league game for Newcastle United which also was his first game fro the club in over four months has further explained his importance to the club.

That being said, age is no longer in the side of De Bruyne and I don't expect him to remain at City for the next 2 years. So definitely I know Manchester City are gonna try sign his replacement when he finally leaves the club and I also believe they can get a young player who'll play like him or even more