Topic: UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Season - page 275. (Read 60497 times)

Source: https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1832029979556655133?t=0wPmU0edTer0ZW-tyi0KKA&s=19

At the beginning of this season, Real Madrid was really unlucky because the list of injuries to their players continued to grow, even though they still had some players they could rely on, but Carlo Anceloti still had to rearrange his strategy, especially since this season they would be busier than previous seasons. The players would experience fatigue and, perhaps, at worst, injury, so the coach had to be smart in rotating players so that they could continue to fight until the end.

Surprise has different levels and years ago, Atalanta already made big surprise in Champions League. That year, in 2020, they went to Champions League quarter final and I am sure with you, their quality and position in 2024 season is better than years ago. They just won a first title in Europe, Europa League title last season. It increases quality and confidence of Atalanta a lot and they can go through group phase in Champions League 2024 - 2025 season, they can do it.

Going through group phase is possible and achievable for Atalanta but farther than that, I am unsure. It depends on their next opponent after group phase and always enough of luck. Knock out matches in Champions League can  be decided by one or two single moments and if Atalanta play well, have enough luck they can go far.

But in all that has happened until the implementation of the new format for the UCL which started in the 2024/25 season, there are indeed good things and there are also bad things, I think everything has been considered lot and this is the best for European football.
What I like about the new format like this is that we can see more matches and we will be able to see many big matches by bringing together each strong team more guaranteed, the competition can make the UCL much more interesting competition.
In addition, there are more opportunities for each team whose performance is below the top team to be able to survive and participate in the competition when they reach the last 16 later, at the beginning they will compete for points and after that there will be play-off round that provides an opportunity for middle to lower team for the UCL standings later.
But on the other hand, some people think that the new format does complicate the competition, they think it will be much more difficult for the favorite team to win the title.

Injury have dealt with Real Madrid, out of reach for Real Madrid and this have been nothing but a chronic headache for the club especially for the players that are underpressure. Real Madrid are no longer the formidable club I used to know previous season, alot of things have changed and this is probably not the Real Madrid 2.0 that transformed when Carlo Ancelotti took over the managerial role in Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos are yet to improve this season and we totally understand the flowing standards that will coupled up with the current squad.

Real Madrid
We can see the entire Real Madrid squad in the 2024/2025 season in full above. They have a very good squad, both those who will be the main players and those who will be substitutes sitting on the bench. Almost every season they always have a luxurious squad and they can use it well to achieve success in the competitions they participate in.
Now their job is to make sure that the squad they have is reliable, and I think it is the coach's job to organize everything well. Because it is very unfortunate when they have a luxurious squad like that, it cannot be maximized properly. For those who are injured, I think they still have a balanced strength between the main players and substitutes.

I totally agree with you. Real Madrid has many injured players and that is worrying because they are so talented. But it is great to see that team has many good players so they can still win games even with injuries. About Mbappé  I think same as you. He is very motivated player who tries his best on the field. He wants to win Ballon d'Or and make his fans happy. You can see how much he cares about playing well and that is why he might win the award.

It's very true , when we take a look at the Injured Madrid players we can Worry a lot , because they are very good , but seeing that there are so many and so good that they are doing Well , well one Says that from there come Two easy and high level Teams that can Maintain a good Streak , and what you say about Mbappé is a fact , the player is super motivated ,  I think he is playing with his Soul , his heart, this player has Everything in his Name , for me he Wants to fight for that Ballon d'Or , Apart from Earning all the love of his Fans and the new white Fans.

Underestimating a strong Italian club like Atalanta I don't think will be done by anyone who understands the basics of football as well as have advanced knowledge of Atalanta. In the last four years, they've been doing exceptionally well in Europe which was why they were able to hand Bayer Leverkusen their only defeat of last season in the UEFA Europa League final.
That being said, I think Atalanta are still trying to get back to their best as they've been poor with their performances in big games this season. Their first game of the season was the UEFA Super Cup game against Real Madrid which they lost and their game against Italian champions last weekend was also a poor outing for them as they were also convincingly beaten. I believe they'll get back to their best in no distant time and even if they're very unlikely to end up winning the UEFA Champions League title, I believe they'll do with in the competition this season.

It is undeniable that Real Madrid's performance in the Champions League is very dangerous even though Real Madrid in the favorite polls to win the Champions League is in second or third place and so on but Real Madrid's mentality and experience in the Champions League are unquestionable.

Last season Madrid's chances of winning the UCL were below Man City but they were able to beat Man City, so this season Real Madrid's chances are in second place and Man City in first place as the favorite to win, but Real Madrid remains the toughest competitor for Man City. Moreover, Real Madrid's attack line is getting stronger after Mbappe joined.

Moreover, if we talk about Real Madrid's weaknesses, currently Real Madrid has many weaknesses, especially the defense line, and their game has not yet found chemistry with each other, we can see this in the domestic league. Real Madrid's weakness this season is in defense because they have limited defenders with a lot of schedules, of course this is very vulnerable for players to get injured. However, we also know that Ancelotti is very good at using existing players to cover these shortcomings, and there is still plenty of time to improve the team by bringing in several defenders. Indeed, the Champions League has many surprises, Man City, Real Madrid and several other teams can become champions, but for now because the Champions League has not started, my favorite to win the UCL is still Real Madrid.

Some teams are certainly the main focus in the matches they will play, Atalanta or Leverkusen are certainly a big concern because these two teams are newcomers who are full of ambition to repeat the good performance they did last season. But don't forget the strong teams that are ready to provide a stronger challenge for newcomers. I think the teams from the premier league this season are much stronger compared to other leagues but also don't consider them weak. From Laliga Barcelona's performance this season is also very good, of course they have not escaped our attention. Especially their coach who has experience, he will be able to bring many changes to the team.

Even if what we have been seeing is quite different from what we get to rate Madrid playing in the Champions league, we can't over exaggerate neither under speculate their performance but for sometime watching their La Liga fixtures haven't shown a more decent style of play or result that proves the better version of the team considering the Mbappe influence. Mbappe is a nice value to the team, not a hype and surely we may get to see the long awaited contribution to the team, just a little more time to blend in perfectly.

That’s the nature of Atlanta. Theirs always starts the season with very slow motion, but when the season has gone far, they will begin to perform much better against any team they meet with, but upon all their strongest in the middle of the season, it will be difficult for them to beat Arsenal and Real Madrid because those are the tough teams in the champions leagues that every team is afraid, especially Real Madrid, which signed up a better squad this season.
Nevertheless, I will not say that Atlanta will not get to the round of 16, but they will face a lot of challenges against some teams team before passing through, because even though they have good chances to win other games, there’s some games that they can definitely fail to win them. That’s all about football.

I am very sure Atalanta will make it to the round of 16 in the Champions League. They play Arsenal, Shakhtar, Celtic, Stuggart, Young Boys and Real Madrid. The only fixtures that look impossible for them here are Arsenal and Real Madrid, other than that they have a good chance of winning the rest of the other games.
Atalanta have started the season in a slow form and that has always been a problem of theirs. They start the season slowly and begin to get better as the season goes further. Despite that, I believe they will qualify for the round of 16.
I do not know if they will make it past the round of 16 because I don't know who they will be paired against, but I know they will get to the round of 16.

I don't think Atalanta is one of the teams that most interests me in the Champions League this season, but about Liverpool, yes.
Liverpool have improved under their new coach this season, but it is still too soon to give him much confidence. The Champions League is always difficult and not easy to predict, but there is optimism about Liverpool progressing to the last 16 considering the opponents they will face.

Leverkusen is one team that actually caught my attention. Their performance has declined in the Bundesliga, but they have time to improve it. Especially in the Champions League, Leverkusen is expected to play well and present some surprises, but they are not my favorites to be at least in the quarter-finals.

Atalanta was underestimated by Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League finals last season but Atalanta gave them the defeat of the season but watching them in the league this season they yet to play as expected this season because they have not been winning matches S expected as a top team and the current Europa League champions. Atalanta game against Real Madrid did not end as expected because everyone wrote them  off since Real Madrid is already a bigger team who will not make mistakes that will see them lose the game against Atalanta and they final won but not in an easy way. Atalanta may manage to get to the knock out stage in the champions league but getting to the finals is not going to be easy for them unless they will work on the improvements of the performance of the team.

As my instincts currently tells me, Madrid can still perform wonders this tournament and probably carry the trophy home once again. In fact I expect more from them this tournament with the advent of Kylian Mbappé into the team he called his dream team. I expect that Mbappé will perform exceptionally working with the Real Madrid team than he did in PSG. Although the PSG club gave Mbappé the comfortability to exercise his talent, besides his salary was also good enough to cater for his life outside the pitch.

Real Madrid is already a big team that's known for their adequate strategies to achieve their goals through the ability to scout the best players and to bring out the best part of such players by grooming them effectively. Mbappé's zeal to work with Real Madrid and the club's management skill will drive them to success this season.

Last season, Atalanta made a surprise by beating Liverpool in the European League, which allowed Atalanta to advance further in the European League and ultimately win the European League title. And I'm curious whether Atalanta will be able to make a surprise in the Champions League too. And the opponent that Atalanta will face in the first round is one of the giants from the Premier League, namely Arsenal. The strengths of Arsenal and Liverpool are not much different. But it looks like I will predict Atalanta will experience defeat in this match. Because Arsenal under Arteta's coaching has turned into a strong team. Meanwhile, Atalanta has lost several important players in the transfer market. But I also consider Arsenal's mentality in the UCL which is sometimes not as good as when playing in the Premier League. So it's possible that my predictions could be wrong.

Meanwhile, if we talk about Liverpool then I am sure they will go far in the UCL this time. Because Arne Slot really looks like he can bring Liverpool to very good performance. He continued the job left by Klopp very well. But in the first round Liverpool will also directly face one of the big clubs from Italy, namely AC Milan. But Milan is currently not in good shape in Serie A. They have not managed to find good quality of play at the start of this season with their new coach. So I doubt AC Milan at UCL this time.

Honestly, Atalanta's performance was really good last season, but I don't think they had to be that great at the start of the competition. It was toward the middle of the season that their performance was well recognized, and they were in good form. Even this season, it is very possible that they will still do well. Losing matches in their domestic league doesn't mean that they are weak or that they won't improve later. The season has just started.

What people are worried about regarding their performance now is because they won the Europa Trophy last season. People's expectations are really high for the team. Even Real Madrid has dropped points in their domestic league, but that doesn't mean they won't win their league or even the Champions League. Let's see what happens in their upcoming matches.

This is among the reason I wasn't worried or really having doubts in Mbappe quality especially from the fact that Messi and Ronaldo when they left Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively to PSG and  Juventus, settling there wasn't easy at first, it took them time to get on the scoresheet on the league there.

I think Real Madrid would sign some players if need be during the January transfer window especially if they suffer much more injuries woes or maybe Ancelotti may just opt for academy players though I don't know how good are they but I think he will be able to sort things out since I know he doesn't really like signing players to avoid so many players lacking game time

Mbappe so steal the spotlight that people failed to see or consider that all these is just to build a deadly trio on their attack ones it finally clicked then, things will just be much more better and probably makes us remember the BBC (Benzema, Bale and Christiano Ronaldo).

I understand your point but I will want you to stop using emotions when making decisions in football. We have seen how bad Madrid team was last season, yet they eliminated your team Manchester City, and this season they have more attack than last season which I think should be easier for them to win the Champions League ahead of your team because the Champions League experience Madrid have was what exactly is helping them to win the title always, and it’s the reason why they are always considered consistently as the favorites to win the Champions League.
Nevertheless, they Madrid are also not perfect, they also have some lapses in their squad especially when it comes to defense, they also there are other teams in the Champions League currently that can also defeat them. I am not denying the fact that Madrid and Manchester City are the top favorites to win the Champions League, but I am not sure if any of them can win it, I am thinking the Champions League will be won by another team.