Ancelotti is still happy because while he did looked like they are going to do badly, they recovered and didn't end up like City, they are winning and doing fine right now. He knows that, with Mbappe getting used to playing here as well, we are talking about a situation where they are actually winning and could end up winning the title in the end.
At their own league, they have one opponent, who is Atletico Madrid and they know that they can win even longer, whereas they also know that at UCL they did badly, but they recovered and will go to playoff stage and there aren't many teams that can beat them there neither, so they should be able to do fine. All in all, I feel like this is the most important part, if they can do fine, they will be happy with what they are dealing with. So there is still a possibility of them winning all of the titles, not saying they will, but the possibility is there and that's the most important thing right now.
Topic: UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Season - page 17. (Read 72259 times)
It's hard to understand what is going on with them and not it will become interesting. They extended Guardiola's contract and it would be ridiculous if they sack him weeks later, so I suppose they are going on with him no matter what's going to happen.
Sacking Guardiola will be a poor decision because this is only the first time his team has struggled this much so if the team doesn't trust him in a time like this, it means they don't deserve him. As you said, it's difficult to explain what is really wrong with them, but we have to remember that Rodri was not the only player he missed. He was without KDB, Doku, Grelish, Ake, Dias, and Stones at a certain point in this season.
I believe with a few players in strategic positions Pep can get his team back to winning ways. Players like Walker and Gundugan have failed to live up to expectation so people shouldn't regard them as top players. KDB has been too injury prone to be at top level. Worst of all, Pep's system relies on a DM and without a reliable DM they'll struggle.
The changes are quite necessary considering Man City's performance so far in the Champions League and in the Premier League looks really bad. Pep Guardiola has said some weak points in the team and maybe there will be an effort to recruit new players to cover those weaknesses. Every coach has been in a golden age and then will face a decline, this is a natural thing to happen but what Man City experienced was too fast because they should have been much better when Pep Guardiola was able to see the problem and evaluate it.
Because considering the next match in the Champions League for Manchester City will take place at the end of January, of course it is very appropriate for Manchester City to resolve its weaknesses before that match takes place. And this is certainly very reasonable because if in the next two matches Manchester City cannot win, clearly there is no hope for Manchester City to qualify for the playoffs in the Champions League this season. In addition, if the team's weaknesses are better known by Pep Guardiola, of course the wise steps that will be taken by the team can also be quite easy without having to think about other less important things.In any case, I think it's clear that we are going to end up with some different results for the long term, and for that reason I believe that we are going to end up with a much better result with time, so it can't be really getting a greater deal on this situation. I believe City has to just get a win and not really deal with anything at all, they can't make it work anyways and we can't make it go any better at all, Pep has to figure out a way and he has to do it quickly without losing anytime.
I'm curious about why there is such a big time gap between Round 6 and Round 7. 
Next games are starting by January 21. I don't remember such a big interval during the group stage in the old format honestly. This kind of a break was only given during the time between the end of the group stage and last 16 phase. I miss the games already.
The points are still really close in most parts of the standings. Balances can change very easily to determine top 8 qualifiers and teams joining playoffs. I'm wondering what Real Madrid, Manchester City and especially PSG will do.
Next games are starting by January 21. I don't remember such a big interval during the group stage in the old format honestly. This kind of a break was only given during the time between the end of the group stage and last 16 phase. I miss the games already.The points are still really close in most parts of the standings. Balances can change very easily to determine top 8 qualifiers and teams joining playoffs. I'm wondering what Real Madrid, Manchester City and especially PSG will do.
In the past seasons, how the format use to be before now, this is the time the long break is always given and the final stage of 16 usually begins in February. But since we have many matches to be played now and the time allocated for them couple with International breaks too, they had to adjust somethings. When this first round of the competition is over, we may not see a long break between this first round and the round of 16’s, it’s going to be a back to back kind of entertainment. Will be anticipating for the next round to kick off by January 21st, I want to see the fate of this three teams you’ve mentioned.
Their experience is one thing they keep leveraging on and never letting any situation at any time be a reason to back out or fall back in their pursuit and change for the league title, even when every other person be thinking or seeing that they may not be able to win, they still stay very optimistic and resilient in their chase and most often they get the best rewards off it so seeing and hearing this from ancelotti isn't like a surprise and he always believes he's got his shit together and Indeed he does.
I also have not giving up on Real Madrid yet in the champions league. They always come out victorious all the time, despite the difficulties they face in the league title. The La Liga is very much one part that they won’t joke with and they’re already dominating there even though they started poorly. The champions league is one of their major competitions they never joke with, so I’m still expecting a performance from them that will see them through to the round of 16. Champions league is going to be very intriguing as usual and Real Madrid could still be a major contender.
There might be some real changes incoming for Manchester City. One thing that I didn't fully understand is the contract extension for Pep Guardiola. I think he wanted to send a signal to the team and the people supporting Manchester City, but as of now it rather looks like the wrong decision. It's insane how the best coach in the world is not able to solve those problems. Because this is no coincidence anymore. When they lost like a couple of games, I thought ok it can happen to anyone, but this is now getting really bad. They could theoretically drop out of the top 24, which would be the worst defeat ever and nobody would have ever seen that coming.
PSG away from home is a serious deal and since Manchester City has so much pressure now, I think the last game against Brugge won't be easy either as Brugge has nothing to lose, but can win so much there.
The changes are quite necessary considering Man City's performance so far in the Champions League and in the Premier League looks really bad. Pep Guardiola has said some weak points in the team and maybe there will be an effort to recruit new players to cover those weaknesses. Every coach has been in a golden age and then will face a decline, this is a natural thing to happen but what Man City experienced was too fast because they should have been much better when Pep Guardiola was able to see the problem and evaluate it.PSG away from home is a serious deal and since Manchester City has so much pressure now, I think the last game against Brugge won't be easy either as Brugge has nothing to lose, but can win so much there.
PSG played well in Ligue 1 but not much better than Man City when playing in the Champions League so the chances in the match are still quite difficult to predict. But if you look at the abilities of both teams and the experience they have, I am a little more confident that Man City will win the match even though the match will be much more difficult for them.
Yes but Pep Guardiola is still a relatively young manager and this decline is not because he went to a club that has weak finances and a weak team. They have just had the world's best footballer in their line-up with Rodri. I know that they are missing him badly now, but he can't be the only reason for this decline. If the rest of the team wouldn't be of a certain quaity, Rodri would have not won the title for the best player in the world either. It is still a team performance to some degree.
If you take into account all the players that played against Aston Villa, the team is still brutally strong. Haaland, Silva, Foden, Grealish, then players like Kyle Walker, Doku and De Bruyne sitting on the bench. This team is still outstanding, but some of the best players are obviously not in shape or otherwise Walker and De Bruyne wouldn't be sitting on the bench.
This is what the independent.co.uk has posted recently
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There had been hints of decline last season, camouflaged by another league title and a five-month unbeaten run. They were more pronounced this season, with a lack of clean sheets, with a reliance on late goals, but obscured by results that suggested they were still serial winners. Now there is no obscuring them, no camouflaging the problems.
They lost the FA cup final, but this happens to the best teams in the world. It was against Manchester United, which was quite a shame, but they played better football in that game. In the Premier League they had the best offense and the second best defense. In the Champions League they dominated Real Madrid in both games, but ok it is still Real Madrid and they got the upper hand in the penalty shootout, which again is not something that is unacceptable.
It's hard to understand what is going on with them and not it will become interesting. They extended Guardiola's contract and it would be ridiculous if they sack him weeks later, so I suppose they are going on with him no matter what's going to happen.
When Real Madrid was having a difficult start to the season, many people were of the opinion that it'll take too long for them yo bouce back to their best again but personally, I had a different view and that's because of the records of the club manager. In recent weeks, we can attest to the fact that Real Madrid is performing exceptionally again and that's why I also think they'll surely reach the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League competition even when I know they're currently not in a good position now.
Against all odds, I will always trust Carlo Ancelotti to always deliver and I'm happy he's doing that at the moment
I also have confidence that Madrid can qualify for the next round. especially if you look at their opponents in the remaining 2 matches. I don't think they will be as strong as the 6 teams they have played before.Against all odds, I will always trust Carlo Ancelotti to always deliver and I'm happy he's doing that at the moment
maybe most fans are starting to be dissatisfied with the team's performance. but we will see how Madrid will rise. they are a UCL giant and it will not be easy to get rid of them.
Since the competition began, I have no doubt that Real Madrid will qualify, despite their dismal record in the Champions League. They will qualify after playing their remaining games; I am confident they will do all necessary to win all of their remaining games and advance to the next round of the Champions League. And Ancelotti has said they will qualify to the final in the ucl, so I am really sure that Madrid has come back to their true form because what they played in the last game was very impressive and they will do anything possible to achieve the ucl again. Ancelotti will like to win for the last time before he leaves the team because I think he will not retire in Real Madrid he can probably leave the club if he as won it back to back and the laliga tittle. Let see how the group stages will end and see who will qualify to next rounds of ucl after the remaining matches in the ucl competition.
The schedule for the 7th match of the Champions League is still a long time to wait, but many of us have started predicting the results now. There are no big matches apart from Manchester City vs PSG, but there are many matches whose results may be difficult to predict. The match between Atletico Madrid vs Leverkusen is one of them, but we know who will really be the favorite.
Atletico Madrid's performance in their last 3 matches in the Champions League has been perfect, but Leverkusen also has strength and good results. Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid are in good form, so it is a bit difficult to guess the final score. Even if one of them wins, then this is not a match with more than 3 goals in my opinion.
Atletico Madrid's performance in their last 3 matches in the Champions League has been perfect, but Leverkusen also has strength and good results. Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid are in good form, so it is a bit difficult to guess the final score. Even if one of them wins, then this is not a match with more than 3 goals in my opinion.
Several teams such as Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal and several others have been considered to automatically qualify for the round of 16, while other teams in the playoff zone have to work hard to win the same ticket.
We know which team can be the favorite at this stage and which team has the best chance of winning the ticket, but nothing is certain because each of these teams will do the best job possible in hopes of getting to the round of 16. The top team can lose, while the bottom team can win, this is not impossible.
If the game goes in favour for them and vice versa for the other teams .
Thus, for the second class aswell... it holds same just as you've said the top team can loose while the bottom wins , which means both sides will have to fight for their survival although one is on a more safer side than the other but any mistake they drop and that's if the bottom wins their next game
We know which team can be the favorite at this stage and which team has the best chance of winning the ticket, but nothing is certain because each of these teams will do the best job possible in hopes of getting to the round of 16. The top team can lose, while the bottom team can win, this is not impossible.
The playoffs has made the champions league group stage to become very interesting as teams has tried all their best to win automatic tickets to the round of 16. The teams that'll play the playoffs will make that stage also very interesting as they'll be trying their best to win so they can keep playing in the champions league. We're not yet in the playoff stage as we still have two games left and some teams winning the remaining two games will make them to get automatic tickets to the round of 16. Liverpool has already qualified and are just playing the remaining games to fulfill the obligation of playing the full games as they'll still be qualifying regardless of the results.
I'm curious about why there is such a big time gap between Round 6 and Round 7. Next games are starting by January 21. I don't remember such a big interval during the group stage in the old format honestly. This kind of a break was only given during the time between the end of the group stage and last 16 phase. I miss the games already.
For us as spectators or football fans, of course such a long break is very annoying. But for the team and coach, of course this long break is very good, even with this new format, aren't many coaches complaining about the tight schedule? Next games are starting by January 21. I don't remember such a big interval during the group stage in the old format honestly. This kind of a break was only given during the time between the end of the group stage and last 16 phase. I miss the games already.But whatever the reason for this long break, of course it's because it's the end of the year and it's already the holiday season. This may be the policy of all parties, except for the EPL which doesn't recognize holidays.
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The points are still really close in most parts of the standings. Balances can change very easily to determine top 8 qualifiers and teams joining playoffs. I'm wondering what Real Madrid, Manchester City and especially PSG will do.
Yes, everyone must be curious about the teams that will qualify for the last 16 or the teams that qualify for the play-offs. Moreover, there are big teams that are even favorites but are still not safe in the remaining two matches. However, if you look at the current performance improvement, I predict that Real Madrid will qualify with PSG, while Man City will fail to advance to the next round because their confidence has decreased, both coaches and players, just look at them continuing to lose and that will definitely have an impact on the remaining two matches, especially since they will also face a tough match against PSG. 
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It has been adjusted and maybe there is a consideration where there is such a long break, because the schedule is tight and it is also approaching the end of the year. Indeed, I also feel the same way where there is a long break and that makes us have to be more patient waiting until the next match. If we use the old format, then actually we already know which teams will qualify for the next round, but with the new format we have 2 more matches and there is even a play-off match to compete for the last 16 from 16 teams in the standings from position 9 to position 24.We know which team can be the favorite at this stage and which team has the best chance of winning the ticket, but nothing is certain because each of these teams will do the best job possible in hopes of getting to the round of 16. The top team can lose, while the bottom team can win, this is not impossible.
...
It is very clear that after Klopp left, many people lowered their hopes for Liverpool this season. Because everyone doesn't really know slots either. Apart from his achievements at Feyenoord, which are actually quite extraordinary. But it turns out that Slot has indeed succeeded in bringing something surprising to Liverpool. He brought Feyenoord into a strong team before going to Liverpool. And now he is also able to keep Liverpool's strength strong after being left by Klopp. And even some improvements occurred in this team after being coached by Slot.And what amazes me is that he was even able to prevent Liverpool from losing so far in the UCL. Even though the opponents Liverpool faced in the UCL were actually not weak opponents but a collection of strong teams such as Real Madrid, Leverkusen and Girona. And Liverpool was able to overcome all of this in an extraordinary way. Slot now only needs to maintain the team's current performance. And if he can maintain it then the championship title will definitely await this team.
This was mostly a concern about track record and what Klopp has achieved was amazing. He brought Liverpool up to the strongest competitor for a Manchester City that was almost unbeatable and Klopp has a PPG average of a bit more than 2.1. That brings him to averaging 80 points per season and it should not be forgotten that when he got started in Liverpool, the team was not among the best anymore. Guardiola had a financial advantage as well. I am not claiming that Liverpool was poor at the time, but Klopp had to develop more of younger talents or rather undiscovered players while Guardiola whichever player he wanted.
Klopp has proven to be a real team developer in Dortmund and that is why Liverpool wanted him and he delivered so well.
They then had a worse season I think during COVID times, but except for that the competitive level between Manchester City and Liverpool was unbelievable and a joy.
Now there are two things that nobody anticipated and that is that Slot is doing much better while Guardiola is doing much worse. It is still not over though and while it looks dark at the moment, two losses for Liverpool and two wins for Manchester City would make it look less dark.
When Real Madrid was having a difficult start to the season, many people were of the opinion that it'll take too long for them yo bouce back to their best again but personally, I had a different view and that's because of the records of the club manager. In recent weeks, we can attest to the fact that Real Madrid is performing exceptionally again and that's why I also think they'll surely reach the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League competition even when I know they're currently not in a good position now.
Against all odds, I will always trust Carlo Ancelotti to always deliver and I'm happy he's doing that at the moment
I also have confidence that Madrid can qualify for the next round. especially if you look at their opponents in the remaining 2 matches. I don't think they will be as strong as the 6 teams they have played before.Against all odds, I will always trust Carlo Ancelotti to always deliver and I'm happy he's doing that at the moment
maybe most fans are starting to be dissatisfied with the team's performance. but we will see how Madrid will rise. they are a UCL giant and it will not be easy to get rid of them.
I also don't think that Real Madrid will face any major obstacles in their path to qualify for the next round. I think Real Madrid is in very good form at the moment. Real Madrid also performed well against Sevilla in the last match of La Liga. Mbappe is trying to adapt quickly to the Madrid squad. We are also getting quite consistent performances from Mbappe now.
Real Madrid will play against Salzburg in their next match of the Champions League. This team is one of the weakest teams in the Champions League. Salzburg is at the bottom of the points table in the Champions League. I don't see any possibility of Real Madrid losing points in this match. Usually Real Madrid can perform well against weak defenses. It will be a bit difficult for Real Madrid to win against Brest in the last match. However, Madrid is a very experienced team. Madrid has a high chance of winning against Brest as well.
When Real Madrid was having a difficult start to the season, many people were of the opinion that it'll take too long for them yo bouce back to their best again but personally, I had a different view and that's because of the records of the club manager. In recent weeks, we can attest to the fact that Real Madrid is performing exceptionally again and that's why I also think they'll surely reach the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League competition even when I know they're currently not in a good position now.
Against all odds, I will always trust Carlo Ancelotti to always deliver and I'm happy he's doing that at the moment
I also have confidence that Madrid can qualify for the next round. especially if you look at their opponents in the remaining 2 matches. I don't think they will be as strong as the 6 teams they have played before.Against all odds, I will always trust Carlo Ancelotti to always deliver and I'm happy he's doing that at the moment
maybe most fans are starting to be dissatisfied with the team's performance. but we will see how Madrid will rise. they are a UCL giant and it will not be easy to get rid of them.
Moreover, if Ancelotti recruits new players in the January transfer market, then it is likely that Real Madrid will be able to talk a lot. Although disappointed, Real Madrid fans can certainly understand the ups and downs of performance that have occurred, I think if it weren't for Ancelotti, Real Madrid might have slumped even worse when faced with the injury storm yesterday.
When Real Madrid was having a difficult start to the season, many people were of the opinion that it'll take too long for them yo bouce back to their best again but personally, I had a different view and that's because of the records of the club manager. In recent weeks, we can attest to the fact that Real Madrid is performing exceptionally again and that's why I also think they'll surely reach the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League competition even when I know they're currently not in a good position now.
Against all odds, I will always trust Carlo Ancelotti to always deliver and I'm happy he's doing that at the moment
I also have confidence that Madrid can qualify for the next round. especially if you look at their opponents in the remaining 2 matches. I don't think they will be as strong as the 6 teams they have played before.Against all odds, I will always trust Carlo Ancelotti to always deliver and I'm happy he's doing that at the moment
maybe most fans are starting to be dissatisfied with the team's performance. but we will see how Madrid will rise. they are a UCL giant and it will not be easy to get rid of them.
Indeed. Real Madrid is always a tough team, they won't give up to get the best result in this competition. Even if they are in 20th place, they will keep fighting to reach the final stage of the competition. Sure, the must improve their performance if they want to get the best result. I'm very sure Ancelotti has evaluated many things to change Real Madrid game. Although there are many critics from the fans, Real Madrid will handle it wisely. I also still believe in Real Madrid and their great records for many years. If we really support them, just wait for their return to the best performance...
Source: Ancelotti
Source: Ancelotti
Against all odds, I will always trust Carlo Ancelotti to always deliver and I'm happy he's doing that at the moment
Slot has done an amazing job in maintaining Liverpool momentum after Klopp departure, although this season is his first season coaching, but he is able to bring an effective approach to improving the game that Klopp has built before, although it may be too early for us to say if slot will be able to match Klopp achievements at Liverpool, but at this time the probability of bringing Liverpool to EPL and UCL champions is almost 90% in my opinion, his ability to optimise each player is key in building Liverpool to be better.
Salah has shown that age is not a barrier to keep performing optimally and consistency in scoring goals.
Yes, we can't rush to say that Liverpool's achievements with Jurgen Klopp can be matched by Arne Slot, because the time spent by Jurgen Klopp with Liverpool is a very long time, while Arne Slot has just joined Liverpool this season. However, it is not impossible that Arne Slot will be able to match Jurgen Klopp's achievements or even exceed the achievements presented by the previous Liverpool coach. I can speculate like this if Arne Slot can be consistent with what he is currently showing. Because usually a coach can be successful in his first season, and then experience a decline. Salah has shown that age is not a barrier to keep performing optimally and consistency in scoring goals.
Yes I think hardly anybody thought that Liverpool would be standing where they are after Klopp left the club. But to be honest Klopp left a team behind that was so well coached and prepared. Now since Slot was totally unknown, I thought that the team spirit might decline significantly, but he managed to keep everyone in shape and they play an impressive game. If they score a goal, it is so hard to fight back against them because as you said their counter attack football is so effective. And Salah is still doing so well. I thought he may have had the best years of his life under Klopp, but he is still world class level.
Slot replacing klop initially came with too many uncertainties as there were some kind of doubts if he's capable enough to carry on with the legacy of klop, but as time goes on, we see that klop did left Liverpool in a very good and safe hand, they are doing as good as they have done under klops management, some persons including myself never taught of Salah still this optimal at this point, but interestingly he's not passed his performing prime just yet and Liverpool still have the potential to scale further heights this season and probably beyond.Salah has shown that age is not a barrier to keep performing optimally and consistency in scoring goals.
A title is a title, plus it's not the kind of title that's won in trash tournaments, to qualify for it you need to win the Champions League. Ancelotti has become the most decorated coach in Real Madrid history thanks to this title. I think he is happy, as are the other players who are pleased to get a tick in a long list of various trophies.
If we are to look at performance after players retire from their footballing career, what speaks for you is the trophies you have in your cabinet or on the shelf or wherever you choose to display those winning days. It doesn’t even matter if you won them off the bench. You’ve got something to show for your footballing career that a lot of other players don’t.The team you might have won that from doesn’t matter too. So yeah, Real Madrid might suck at the moment but, they’ve made good of the squad. We would most likely want to see them in their formal glory but, it is what it is at the time.
Yep. Take Camavinga for example - he came to Real in 2021 and has already won every title that can be won in club football. Sounds pretty good. Now let's take Kane
He is 31 years old and this season he will get (with a probability of 97%) his first title in the form of a Bundesliga winner. These are different levels.It is clear that different titles have different values, but it is obvious that no one would deliberately give up any title.
You can use Madrid as an example, the are the best because they have won more titles than any other club. Big titles not small one and that is why they're also the richest.
A title is a title, plus it's not the kind of title that's won in trash tournaments, to qualify for it you need to win the Champions League. Ancelotti has become the most decorated coach in Real Madrid history thanks to this title. I think he is happy, as are the other players who are pleased to get a tick in a long list of various trophies.
If we are to look at performance after players retire from their footballing career, what speaks for you is the trophies you have in your cabinet or on the shelf or wherever you choose to display those winning days. It doesn’t even matter if you won them off the bench. You’ve got something to show for your footballing career that a lot of other players don’t.The team you might have won that from doesn’t matter too. So yeah, Real Madrid might suck at the moment but, they’ve made good of the squad. We would most likely want to see them in their formal glory but, it is what it is at the time.
Yep. Take Camavinga for example - he came to Real in 2021 and has already won every title that can be won in club football. Sounds pretty good. Now let's take Kane
He is 31 years old and this season he will get (with a probability of 97%) his first title in the form of a Bundesliga winner. These are different levels.It is clear that different titles have different values, but it is obvious that no one would deliberately give up any title.
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