He shouldn't play at all in my opinion, at least not against any team stronger than, say, Bremen... okay, that's harsh, but he should be nowhere near the line up against top opposition. It's happened time and again against stronger teams that he manages to pull all our teeth offensively while being a liability defensively. If that's what a pivote is supposed to do, Kimmich is more than up for it. He may actually provide something to the team... but I guess we'll be stuck with Alonso in the starting line up until Pep leaves. I wonder when it will really cost us.
FC Bayern 2015/16
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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.
He shouldn't play at all in my opinion, at least not against any team stronger than, say, Bremen... okay, that's harsh, but he should be nowhere near the line up against top opposition. It's happened time and again against stronger teams that he manages to pull all our teeth offensively while being a liability defensively. If that's what a pivote is supposed to do, Kimmich is more than up for it. He may actually provide something to the team... but I guess we'll be stuck with Alonso in the starting line up until Pep leaves. I wonder when it will really cost us.
I'm looking forward to less complicated football as well. Though, no matter how this season ends, I really enjoyed the ride with Pep.
He was absolutely fantastic in both legs against us. I think he's still valuable, but he shouldn't play as much as he does and he should sit out against certain teams or only come in late in the game if we need more control.
True. Awful against Dortmund (and lucky not to be sent off) in the Champions League that season though. He seemed like he'd just lost a bit of pace dramatically all of a sudden - he was never ever fast, but it got to a point where he was a walking card and couldn't deal with players running at him any more.
Agree with you though that he's still a useful player, just shouldn't be playing as much as he does.
He's a strange player. Over his career he's had some really top class seasons but in between has had some terrible ones (partly due to injury), so it's difficult to assess his career...not that we were.
Kroos has no defensive game whatsoever but is so amazingly classy on the ball. I know he gets criticised but whenever I watch Real he is flawless on the ball, can play so easily out of pressure and if he wants to can find the tough passes too.
That Alonso-Kross swap wasn't ideal for the players or the clubs.
That Alonso-Kross swap wasn't ideal for the players or the clubs.
Well thank feck I held back on making 'The decline of FC Bayern' thread.
Atletico are better suited playing as the underdogs and prefer to sit back. No team besides Barca will want to play them.
No you won't.
Ancelotti loved Alonso and wouldn't be surprised if he continues using him.
either way it made me look a bit of a tool ha
didn't think there were any, lad is a fantastic manager, until he gets to city...
Yeah MSN against our current defense would scare the shit out of me. Hopefully one or two of Boateng, Badstuber and Martinez will be fit until then. Alaba and Kimmich are simply no CB's and Benatia is shit.
Well it wasn't exactly a swap, Alonso was more of a panic replacement. Madrid successfully poached Kroos before because Bayern didn't want to meet his wage-demands. He aparrently wanted to earn as much as the likes of Schweinsteiger, Lahm and Ribery and he simply wasn't that good at the moment and he didn't have the overall standing in the team like one of those legends. So the board decided to let him go. For some a mistake, for some the right thing to do. However in just a few years we went from one of the best CMs in the world with Schweinsteiger-Kroos to Alonso+X. Think about that what you want.
Yeah, I'm never quite sure if I underrate or overrate him. It's really confusing.
He can be brilliant, but he can be rendered useless when he is given absolutely no space at all, as Juve did last night.
Tiki taka get fecked, took a couple of crosses to make things happen
And all strong teams that aren't awestruck like rabbits in a truck's headlight from minute 1 know this, so they will exploit it every time. Once you take away his breathing room, he's just someone slow who takes up space on the field and takes crucial seconds away from our transition game. Not to mention his by now complete inability to stop anybody running at him with decent speed. He's just way past it.
Messi and supporting cast are going to take care of this lot. Can't wait for Muller and co, top players in their own right, feel like 5th tier players again when Messi toys with them.
Time to get their memories refreshed.
Time to get their memories refreshed.
Poor Müller. What a nightmare it must be for him to think back to all the games he played against Messi. No happy memories there, none at all.
Fair play. But you will get squashed by them all the same. You know you will, and Messi will be running rings around world class Boateng again (guess he will stay injured for just after their Cl tie).
Because they don't know how to beat a team with Messi in it... world cups anyone?
Gotta draw them first or make it through to the next round if we draw someone else. I'll worry about Barca once we play Barca.But you will get squashed by them all the same. You know you will, and Messi will be running rings around world class Boateng again (guess he will stay injured for just after their Cl tie).
Because Argentina had such amazing players to support Messi in that final? Di Maria and Aguero both injured.
he wasn't in very good shape during the world cup either, seemed slower and sluggish.
Messi at Barca is a total different animal. And he is better than ever.
Müller and Messi met 6 times in competitive matches I think. 4 of those were club games, 2 were international games.
Müller won 5, Messi won 1.
Messi's only win was Barca's 3-0 against Bayern not too long ago.
Germany 4-0 Argentina (WC QF)
Bayern 4-0 Barca (CL SF 1L)
Barca 0-3 Bayern (CL SF 2L)
Germany 1-0 Argentina (WCF)
Barca 3-0 Bayern (CL SF 1L)
Bayern 3-2 Barca (CL SF 2L)
That was certainly true. The WC fell into one of the worst periods of his career, which is still really good but not at the level he is playing at the moment again.
So what's your excuse for 2010? I'm not saying Messi is bad. I'm just saying you're a bit on the irrational side, talking about Bayern players like 5th tier compared to Barca. Just hope Messi stays fit until the games, otherwise it could be yet another thrashing. If one player is all that's keeping you together, it's not a whole lot of security. :P
And all those statistics won't matter when we see present day Messi strut his stuff together withhis supporting cast. It will be a repeat of last year if they meet. You yourself probably believe so too but Many being pedantic now because they can't stand my guts.
Many on here agreed back then that something was not right and he played within himself. He tried and wanted it real bad but his body didn't agree. It was a clear struggle and he seemed off.
I don't disagree. I'm not saying you were wrong actually. I just wanted to throw some quick facts in in regards to Müller's memories in games against Messi.
No matter who Bayern draw they need to fix their defense. With a leaky defense like that they won't beat the best of the best, especially not against Neymar, Suarez and Messi.
I don't even know you, look at my post count. But may I remind you that Bayern did win the second leg of last season's matchup. That 3:0 was impressive, yes, but Bayern knows how to win against Barca, even with Messi. So unless he suddenly develops wings and literally flies over his opponents, there's always a chance for Bayern.
lol everyone watching that second leg saw that Barca didn't even come out of sexond gear once they got their away goal. It's similar to what Arsenal normally do vs Barca in the Cl, 'threatening' to go out with pride.
Didn't they also take off some top players to rest them at one point? Anyway, it all looked a bit like us vs Madrid at OT second leg (when fat ronaldo scored his hattrick), you always knew they would score when they needed to but we saved pride with a 4-3 win at Ot.
It's not Messi FC vs Bayern. It's Barca, we play with 11 men. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, possible Bayern will never get to play Barca. Don't think they will find it easy against Real as well.
As for that win, Barca was leading 2-1 till HT, 5-1 on aggregate. LE even took off Suarez to give him some rest and players were just ambling around in 2nd half. Hardly a result to gloat about.
Oh ok
Ah so it was even more obvious that Barca were in second gear and totally relaxed once they knew Bayern needed 5 goals in 45 minutes. Took off players and let Bayern have their moral victory. Proves what stats can do to skew people's opinions.
What's with the obsession to tell everyone how Barca will smash Bayern? I really don't get. Everyone agrees that Barca are amazing and favourites, yet some people feel the need to bang on and on about how Bayern will get destroyed. It's mental. Barca is the clear favourite, they're a brilliant side. How about we hope that both teams will be at full strength and face each other at one point and then we'll see what happens.
It's also truely ridiculous to use silly excuses like Di Maria's injury for Messi at the World Cup, yet completely ignore Bayern's injuries last season when half the starting eleven wasn't available. I expect us to lose against Barca even at full strength, but I'd at least like to see us play with a full strength team for once to find out. Because last season's encounter told us as much as the 7-0 smashing we gave Barca in 2013 when they were clearly not at their best.
It's also truely ridiculous to use silly excuses like Di Maria's injury for Messi at the World Cup, yet completely ignore Bayern's injuries last season when half the starting eleven wasn't available. I expect us to lose against Barca even at full strength, but I'd at least like to see us play with a full strength team for once to find out. Because last season's encounter told us as much as the 7-0 smashing we gave Barca in 2013 when they were clearly not at their best.
I'm not the one gloating here. I'm just pointing out the disrespect.
Yes, you let a team have their moral victory in the semi final...
I have the Barca-Bayern matches on tape. Actually the Barcelona defense did not really look better with Müller or Lewandowski than the Bayern defense with Messi, Suarez and Neymar. The only difference was that Müller and Lewy weren't clinical in that days... When a Müller, that is tightly surrounded by 4 Barcelona defenders can loop the ball over to Lewy that is telling, too.
How annoying it must be for Barca fans to see people on here using Argentina vs Germany as some sort of evidence to provide fuel to the Barca vs Bayern 2015 and soon 2016 argument. Heh.
Agree with the rest, hope Robben and co are fully fit when you meet.
After that 3-0 to Barca last year there was no way for Bayern to come back, even if we suddenly had our squad at full strenght for the second leg. It was still nice to go out with a win though, at least that's how I feel.
You can not seriously believe Barca were that bothered anymore at 2-1 up HT with Bayern needing 5 goals. Of course they did not set out to lose, but their intensity was gone while Bayern still had something to 'prove' in front of their publikum.
You don't sub Suarez off early when you are hungry and desperate to win. At one point they were just strolling around... Drop of intensity and need is all the difference in top sport. But believe what you want, it sure was a huge victory for you...