Champions League - Quarter Finals

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fecking hell, the envy is strong in this one. People trying to make out we're like a mix of City and Psg now, eh?

We've had some of the best teams and players in history and a trophy cabinet the rest of the world would kill for. Let's not forget that just because we haven't won a treble every year. Yeah, I know... or ever, before the smart ass comments appear.

We'll do it next year, this year we'll only be the first club ever who retains the CL. :devil:
Good answer!, you have to come to Marca to give stick to culés :devil:
 
I appreciate Real. If they just signed superstars and won trophies consistently it would be boring. But, they are a great Footballing side who are also one of the great soap operas Even during their best times they always seem on the verge of crisis. Also they do not seem to have the same level of smugness Barca and Bayern have when they dominate.
 
Worried Real Madrid will win the whole thing now. Bayern vs Barça in the final in Berlin would be a great spectacle.
 
Screw Simeone's thugs and anti football tactics, they can all do one. Patetico got what they deserved.

Chicharito got what he deserved too,he worked his balls off tonight. Hero!
Even today you needed a United player to win! Why spend all that money on DDG when we can maybe loan you Johnny Evans next year :p
 
Atletico didnt deserve to go through cause they were defensive as hell, went for 0:0 and penalties it seems. Didnt offer absolutely nothing going forward.

On the other hand Madrid players were milking every Atletico foul, even the smallest ones, rolling around like a mad men, diving, waving at the referee, it was beyond embarrasing.
They have a great side but need to retort to that kind of behaviour to get an opposing player out, or 2. Its always some kind of circus from them.

Also, that side is the biggest group of pricks I've seen in a while with Ramos being the biggest one of course.

Yeah, but I guess it's envy. :rolleyes:
 
This is the point I have been trying to make, there is no elite team in football (currently) it's just top teams with quality players/stars bailing them out. I think United is the only top club not relying on individual quality at the moment and flourishing in a system and winning as a team....which is why we are able to score 4 goals with 4 different goal scorers when our go to guy is on the bench.

I thought something similar watching the semis. Bayern and Barca might be slightly above the others but Bayern lost some steam and are not the "unbeatable Monster" anymore. Barca seems better than last year (Suarez being an important factor here) but not as dominating as they have been some years ago when they beat us in the CL final.
Italian Teams have improved and are back in Europe`s elite. English Teams will invest heavily in the summer and will be back for good next year. I expect at least Chelsea and us to Close the gap to Bayern and Barca within the next 2 years. Not sure about City. If they spend wisely and can maybe convince Kloppo to take over they will be real challengers for PL and CL.

Oh and great game by Chicha yeasterday. Miles better than Mandzukic on the other side of the pitch. What an improvement Lewandowski is for Bayern.
 
I thought something similar watching the semis. Bayern and Barca might be slightly above the others but Bayern lost some steam and are not the "unbeatable Monster" anymore. Barca seems better than last year (Suarez being an important factor here) but not as dominating as they have been some years ago when they beat us in the CL final.
Italian Teams have improved and are back in Europe`s elite. English Teams will invest heavily in the summer and will be back for good next year. I expect at least Chelsea and us to Close the gap to Bayern and Barca within the next 2 years. Not sure about City. If they spend wisely and can maybe convince Kloppo to take over they will be real challengers for PL and CL.

Oh and great game by Chicha yeasterday. Miles better than Mandzukic on the other side of the pitch. What an improvement Lewandowski is for Bayern.
True but Mandžukić had horrible service, if any, not to mention he was often in Atletico's half, too often for a forward.
 
Semi Finals prediction

Madrid - Juventus
Bayern - Barcelona

Juventus vs Barcelona final

Barcelona to win the final comfortably 4-0.
 
Semi Finals prediction

Madrid - Juventus
Bayern - Barcelona

Juventus vs Barcelona final

Barcelona to win the final comfortably 4-0.
I think that will be the draw too but I see Madrid and bayern in the final.
 
I think that will be the draw too but I see Madrid and bayern in the final.

Bayern and Madrid have a thing for each other if you look at the CL over the years, don't they? I haven't looked it up, but aren't they the teams with the most matchups?
 
Bayern and Madrid have a thing for each other if you look at the CL over the years, don't they? I haven't looked it up, but aren't they the teams with the most matchups?
Happened in 2007 (or was it 2008?), 2012 and 2014 as far as I remember.
 
Happened in 2007 (or was it 2008?), 2012 and 2014 as far as I remember.

Not just semis... here I found it on Wikipedia: "Real Madrid versus Bayern is the match that has historically been played most often in the Champions League with 14 matches and the European Cup with 19 matches."
 
Simeone got it horribly wrong with Mandzukic as a Diego Costa replacement. Can't see what was he thinking really, he doesn't suit their style at all (although he offers a threat from set pieces). He's slow as feck, his link up play is beyond average and doesn't even offer one fifth from what Costa used to offer that Atletico side. He's one of the main reasons why Atletico can't reach the heights of last season. A counter attacking side with Mandzukic as the lone striker - it just doesn't make any sense at all. Simeone should just sell the Croatian in the summer and sign a player that suits his style and phylosophy. A player closer to Diego Costa - a fast forward with great link up play that also offers physicality.

Griezmann has been the best thing about Atletico this season. He's got more goals than Mandzukic and has been far more influential.
 
There's a tradition of Bayern beating Real Madrid, that makes Madrid very nervous of Bayern. Ancelotti broke the pattern last year.

There's also a lot of history and emotion tied up in the games as well. They haven't really forgiven Bayern for thrashing them 9-1 in a pre-season friendly 30 years ago. A few years after that, in a European Cup match, feelings boiled over so badly that Juanita jumped on Matthäus, one of the most memorable fouls in European football.
 
There's a tradition of Bayern beating Real Madrid, that makes Madrid very nervous of Bayern. Ancelotti broke the pattern last year.

There's also a lot of history and emotion tied up in the games as well. They haven't really forgiven Bayern for thrashing them 9-1 in a pre-season friendly 30 years ago. A few years after that, in a European Cup match, feelings boiled over so badly that Juanita jumped on Matthäus, one of the most memorable fouls in European football.

Wow, I've never even seen that. Boot on the face, too! I don't think it plays a role anymore, though. My bet is that they play in the semis once more.
 
Bayern vs Madrid would be perfect IMO. Madrid is the best team on the ball that I've seen this season, and great at counter attacking. Bayern seem to be the kings of possession.

Barca on the other hand, miss a certain balance for me. They're ridiculously good in attack and their midfield is too stagnant. Wouldn't be as exciting as the above matchup, for me.
 
Either way a lot of potentially interesting stories. Pep vs Barca, pep vs Madrid who he has tormented, or the Classico itself.
 
Simeone got it horribly wrong with Mandzukic as a Diego Costa replacement. Can't see what was he thinking really, he doesn't suit their style at all (although he offers a threat from set pieces). He's slow as feck, his link up play is beyond average and doesn't even offer one fifth from what Costa used to offer that Atletico side. He's one of the main reasons why Atletico can't reach the heights of last season. A counter attacking side with Mandzukic as the lone striker - it just doesn't make any sense at all. Simeone should just sell the Croatian in the summer and sign a player that suits his style and phylosophy. A player closer to Diego Costa - a fast forward with great link up play that also offers physicality.

Griezmann has been the best thing about Atletico this season. He's got more goals than Mandzukic and has been far more influential.

I agree, even Torres would have been more threatening.
 
A Bayern-Barca semi would be really interesting, and then a Barca-Madrid final would be brilliant, although I'd like to Juventus to win it.
 
If we play Madrid, i hope it is in the Semi Final, not the final. The unbearable thought of losing to them in the final outweighs the joy of potentially beating them in the final.
 
Simeone got it horribly wrong with Mandzukic as a Diego Costa replacement. Can't see what was he thinking really, he doesn't suit their style at all (although he offers a threat from set pieces). He's slow as feck, his link up play is beyond average and doesn't even offer one fifth from what Costa used to offer that Atletico side. He's one of the main reasons why Atletico can't reach the heights of last season. A counter attacking side with Mandzukic as the lone striker - it just doesn't make any sense at all. Simeone should just sell the Croatian in the summer and sign a player that suits his style and phylosophy. A player closer to Diego Costa - a fast forward with great link up play that also offers physicality.

Griezmann has been the best thing about Atletico this season. He's got more goals than Mandzukic and has been far more influential.
Well aye sort of. Mandzukic has 20 in 38, it's not bad by any means. Basically it's worked for the majority of league games where Atletico are in control and can give him the right type of service. Less so when up against the cosh in the decisive matches against Real and Barcelona, although he's got 3 in the 7 games he started there. As a club they've always been heavily reliant on a consistently influential centre-forward for the best part of 20 years now (Vieri, Hasselbaink, Torres, Aguero, Forlan, Falcao, Costa). The challenge for Simeone though is in bringing a centre-forward of that calibre to Atletico when they can get better wages sitting on the bench at richer clubs.
 
Well aye sort of. Mandzukic has 20 in 38, it's not bad by any means. Basically it's worked for the majority of league games where Atletico are in control and can give him the right type of service. Less so when up against the cosh in the decisive matches against Real and Barcelona, although he's got 3 in the 7 games he started there. As a club they've always been heavily reliant on a consistently influential centre-forward for the best part of 20 years now (Vieri, Hasselbaink, Torres, Aguero, Forlan, Falcao, Costa). The challenge for Simeone though is in bringing a centre-forward of that calibre to Atletico when they can get better wages sitting on the bench at richer clubs.
They're looking for Vietto, right? He may be excellent although he is more an Aguerro rather than a Costa.
 
Screw Simeone's thugs and anti football tactics, they can all do one. Patetico got what they deserved.

Chicharito got what he deserved too,he worked his balls off tonight. Hero!

No, no Vato. Atletico Madrid are allowed to play anti football tactics because they are poor. They can't afford to spend €100 million in a summer or £25 million on a winger or £18 million on a champions league winning striker. Anti football is allowed from them.
 
Simeone got it horribly wrong with Mandzukic as a Diego Costa replacement. Can't see what was he thinking really, he doesn't suit their style at all (although he offers a threat from set pieces). He's slow as feck, his link up play is beyond average and doesn't even offer one fifth from what Costa used to offer that Atletico side. He's one of the main reasons why Atletico can't reach the heights of last season. A counter attacking side with Mandzukic as the lone striker - it just doesn't make any sense at all. Simeone should just sell the Croatian in the summer and sign a player that suits his style and phylosophy. A player closer to Diego Costa - a fast forward with great link up play that also offers physicality.

Griezmann has been the best thing about Atletico this season. He's got more goals than Mandzukic and has been far more influential.
His link up play is actually very good.

You could say he doesnt suit them but as Gio said he has been good in the league.
 
I think a Clasico final in Berlin would be fantastic.

Say what you like about the play acting, but the football match itself is always brilliant and full of attacking football.
 
I think a Clasico final in Berlin would be fantastic.

Say what you like about the play acting, but the football match itself is always brilliant and full of attacking football.
Bayern vs Barcelona would be brilliant.
 
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