The win against PSG was incredible but can't help but feel a sense of disinterest/disheartenment regarding the CL upon realising how many top teams are still in the competition. City, Juventus, Liverpool, Barcelona. Those will be very very difficult to overcome. Hopefully we get an easy draw in the next round.
Champions League Round of 16 (12th Feb - 13th Mar)
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
We have beaten Juventus already and probably would have beat Liverpool a week ago if it wasn't for the injuries. It's never going to be easy to win the CL.
We can beat anybody on our day. But these teams are currently better than us and winning over two legs is definitely more difficult. Of course it's never easy to win the CL. But it's even harder when you're possibly the 5th/6th best team out of the last 8. Which is why a nice draw in that phase would be hugely helpful. We've already had one brutal draw in PSG and our domestical cup draws have been very harsh.
on paper the likes of Barcelona, Juventus are on different level to us but its still possible to overcome over two legs. we already beat juventus under the toxic one so our chance now would be even better. we also just held our own against liverpool with ton of injuries and city have yet to be tested this year. no-one expects or demands us to win the competition so lets just enjoy the ride and see what happens.
We are definitely not one of the favourites, but we can beat them on our day, in knockout stages anything could happen.
I wonder if we could hurt Barcelona this year. They seem both efficient yet vulnerable to high intensity opponents. We've got the physicality to cause some problems.
Don't worry about the competition. We are the competition.
This for me.
City vs Juve
Barca Vs Pool
United vs Spurs
Porto vs Ajax
And we get winner of the last one in the semis.
City vs Juve
Barca Vs Pool
United vs Spurs
Porto vs Ajax
And we get winner of the last one in the semis.
We aren't really that bad, are we? At full strength, we can be considered equals to Liverpool and Spurs, can beat City over 2 legs with proper tactics and have an underdog's chance against Juve and Barca. Probably favorites against Ajax and Porto.
Our squad isn't significantly inferior to Liverpool except for their right flank and yet we appear to be more scared than they are about prospects for some reason. Liverpool beat Bayern cause Bayern are shite this season and didn't have Arsenal to fraud their way to the QFs as usual.
I'd fancy us against Pool. Would not be too sad if we get Juve. Barca or City would be tough though.
Really disappointed in Bayern, was confident that they would win given their form but to lose 3-1 at home is embarrassing. Didn't get to see the match but from the highlights it seemed they didn't create much of a threat for Pool. Some really deep thinking required from Bayern on how to go about things in the future, they have an ageing squad that doesn't seem to be replaced with adequate youngsters (Goretzka, Gnarby and Coman).
Don't think they will be able to recover next season as well, I think it's a long road back for them with consistently poor performances for the next 2-3 seasons. So many players they need to replace, will take a lot of money or a lot of luck with young players coming through the academy.
Don't think they will be able to recover next season as well, I think it's a long road back for them with consistently poor performances for the next 2-3 seasons. So many players they need to replace, will take a lot of money or a lot of luck with young players coming through the academy.
Im the opposite. Give us the hardest teams. If we win it, i want to have won it deservingly. Imagine the history books, Absolute shite for half a season under Mourinho who said the players weren't good enough. Exact same players go on to beat X,Y,Z and win the CL in the same season. Would be insane
Doesn't matter who we play, CL win is a CL win. We have already beaten Juventus and PSG on our way.
Yeah I saw a few posts recently including one in particular saying something along the lines of "we'll have to beat a top team at some point". Didn't we just do that with PSG?
The magnitude of the game is irrelevant really. You simply disagree with the decision, which has been arrived at by both the on-pitch referee and by the group of referees in the VAR studio. There has been more than one call since the beginning of its use where I have disagreed with a decision and couldn’t understand why a team of people afforded the time and various angles to review the incident arrived at the conclusion they did. I don’t think the penalty here was particularly contentious - Correa blatantly puts his hand into the player’s back, soft but easily given for me. Chiellini blatantly impeding him at the death and then hitting the ground and rolling around was a penalty for me, as when you see it from behind Correa he very obviously and forcefully steps into his path. There was no hint at all of it being considered as such though.
Yeah, I don't understand this concept of winning "deservedly". You can only beat the teams you face. Even the Chelsea CL win was totally deserved. Whatever tactics they used is immaterial.
Hoping for Spurs.
Easily the best prospect of progressing, and very little travel.
Definitely dont want Juve.
Easily the best prospect of progressing, and very little travel.
Definitely dont want Juve.
History book really don't care. Nobody remembers whether the draw was easy/difficult.
That assist to Suarez...Iniesta-Xavi stuff...
Well, after that 5-1 and Pool's defenestration of Munich, it's safe to say: BEST Round of 16 of all time.
I think what gets blatantly exposed by the VAR is that referees didn't make the perceived mistakes they commited in the past because those incidents were "hard to see" or due to " bad angles" but because they interpret the rules fundamentally different to the fan base.
I've seen so many VAR reviews which ended in decisions I couldn't get in the slightest. You sit there and ask yourself how in the world somebody could've reviewed that and concluded that this was/was not a foul/handball/whatever. It is even worse when you take a closer at when the VAR intervenes. It is completely inconsistent. In Germany we had situations that were sanctioned by the VAR in one game and when the exact same situation occurred in the next match, they did nothing.
The only situations it really works smoothly in are offside calls because there the rules are clear and there's no room for interpretation.
But the problem was never that refs didn't see things, the problem was that they saw them and came to the wrong conclusions for whatever reasons. And the VAR has the same issue.
Let's be honest, there are 4 clearly better teams now in the competition (Juve, City, Barcelona, Liverpool) and the other 4 who will still excellent on their day, I would have as underdogs against any of the 4 above.
Those 4 would love to be in the same half of the draw and one of the 4 teams above would also love to sneak into such a half and leave the other 3 fighting it out.
I imagine there will be at least 1 all English tie. I just hope we avoid that.
Those 4 would love to be in the same half of the draw and one of the 4 teams above would also love to sneak into such a half and leave the other 3 fighting it out.
I imagine there will be at least 1 all English tie. I just hope we avoid that.
I have a hunch we are going to play Juve again.
It wouldn't be the worst draw. i'd take Juve before Barça or City.
I think that we'll get Liverpool or City.
My friend reckons United are the pick of the draw for every other team!
That would be Porto, United might be second.
Fair enough. But it's hard to determine our potential. Ole is a newcomer at this level and while we looked naive in the first leg against PSG, he showed tactical maturity in Paris with an injury ravaged squad.
It is also hard to determine how good our players are and what is their true level yet. For 4 years, they have been stifled by regressive tactics under LvG and Mourinho, so now really is when we can judge how good they are as a team.
Manager and players are all unknown quantities, but I reckon it actually makes us harder to predict and easier to underestimate. Let the other teams take us lightly at their own peril.
Spurs would be second. First of all, they are Spurs. Secondly, they're experiencing a catastrophic collapse in the league!
Also, I'd put Ajax in third. They played really well against Madrid, but Madrid has been truly shit so it doesn't mean a lot.
This is fair, Spurs have been struggling a lot lately.
Teams will still be wary of United, as an underdog without much pressure and if healthy, they can be a handful.
I actually think if Ajax are willing to attack they can be a handful as well. They play beautiful football.
However, I’m not sure if that Tadic performance can be replicated. That was unreal.
All English final anyone? Would be the first since 2008 right?
Who does your friend support?
I think City, Juve, Liverpool and Barcelona wouldn't be too upset about getting any of Ajax, Porto, Spurs or Man Utd. Not that an upset couldn't happen but those 4 teams are clearly better than the latter 4 imo.
Yeah, the ranking order must be:
City favourites
Juve
Barca
Liverpool
Spurs
Utd
Ajax
Porto
United/Spurs are really close, and we're really not that far ahead of em, but overall, I'd agree with that.
He’s a Derby supporter.
Think he's probably just trying to wind you up.
There are the current odds to win the CL. Barring maybe a slight English bias as its an English website (sky), I'd say they are about right. I'd back the first 4 to beat the second 4 in a tie but wouldn't write off any team now and I wouldn't say Man Utd are the worst team out of that second lot of 4 either.
Manchester City 5/2
Barcelona 3/1
Juventus 4/1
Liverpool 5/1
Manchester Utd 9/1
Tottenham 14/1
Ajax 22/1
Porto 50/1
If it's a Barca/Liverpool final do United fans actually root for Barca? I know they hate both teams
Is this a serious post? Would you root for Real or PSG in a final?
Of course we root for Barca!
I would put my money on Juventus or us with those odds.
We'll be sat watching with our Messi jerseys on.