Yeah same here. Switching off time. As I did when City won the league. Feck off football and we go next season from a blank slate. It's not like I know many Liverpool fans either.
UEFA Champions League Quarter Final fixtures (9th - 10th, 16th - 17th April 2019)
- Thread starter Sandyman
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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.
Also who is Ajax's manager and should we be keeping an eye on him ?
Liverpool's midfield needs to be looked at in context of Klopp's system. They are meant to be hardworkers and "destroyers" so the 3 forwards can flourish and the fullbacks can play as almost wingers. 2 of the 3 midfielders need to cover the space that the fullbacks leave behind when they get so far forward. That's their job.
Also, you forgot that Liverpool played City this season and they certainly didn't get destroyed. The midfield also did well beating City 5-1 in last season's CL.
I also heard this before Liverpool played PSG, Napoli and City this season and the midfield held their own.
Should never have sold him. Good footballer. Intelligent, solid technical ability.
I laugh at Trump all the time.
Good chance of that happening. Also a decent chance of them taking the lead and then your lot chasing shadows for the rest of the tie.
I do think they are there to be exposed and Livepool and City are the kind of teams to do it. But it can go either way with the quality they have in their team.
Barcelona v City final definitely going to happen. I'm gonna puke.
Ten Hag is Bayern bound but i also think that Barcelona should be looking at him when they decide that Valverde time is up.. i want personally to see him stay at Ajax for a next few years because well we all know whats gonna happen this summer with our current squad. We have some new young players coming up and our transfer strategy under VDS and Overmars is quite good so i am not too worried but the keeping of our coach is essential if we want to maintain this level.
No,there is not an official or not official rumours yet but during the CL group stage games against Bayern there were some positive feedbacks about Bayern's board keeping an eye of his work.. He was after all their B team coach few years ago and has an excellent relations with Bayern's hierarchy..
Yea but I think Kovac's improved form with Bayern in the second half, and that they'l likely win the double again this season, may mean they will keep him at the helm for another season and give him a much stronger squad to compete in Europe with.
I'm looking forward to the City-Spurs game tonight. Maybe league City shows up and they'll win convincingly, but I really hope that they put in another lethargic CL performance like last week. They looked devoid of ideas and Pep didn't do anything to change that. Could go either way, really.
As for our own game, the difference between my feeling right now and after our 3-0 against City in last season's QFs is night and day - I was nervous for days in advance back then but now I'm pretty confident we'll go through. I could see us starting on the back foot if Porto come out of the gates flying, but I can't see us not scoring, neither will they score 4 most likely.
Gonna go Spurs-Ajax and Barcelona-Liverpool in the SFs.
As for our own game, the difference between my feeling right now and after our 3-0 against City in last season's QFs is night and day - I was nervous for days in advance back then but now I'm pretty confident we'll go through. I could see us starting on the back foot if Porto come out of the gates flying, but I can't see us not scoring, neither will they score 4 most likely.
Gonna go Spurs-Ajax and Barcelona-Liverpool in the SFs.
I would love a Spurs v Ajax semi final but I can't see how City won't score at least twice at the Etihad. Spurs have a lead to protect and if they start even close to how we started our second leg against City last season, they'll get demolished.
The Porto match is no walk in the park for us either. True, if we score once, they have to score 4 but stranger things have happened. I also don't get the over-confidence of a Barca semi-final either. They're not the Barca of 5 years ago but they're still top class and have an attack that can wipe you out within seconds. It'll take a huge effort over the next (hopefully) three games if we want to make the final. We're capable of it but so are Barca.
The Porto match is no walk in the park for us either. True, if we score once, they have to score 4 but stranger things have happened. I also don't get the over-confidence of a Barca semi-final either. They're not the Barca of 5 years ago but they're still top class and have an attack that can wipe you out within seconds. It'll take a huge effort over the next (hopefully) three games if we want to make the final. We're capable of it but so are Barca.
If we go through, I really don't mind Barcelona. Gotta beat the best to be the best and you won't get a team like Roma in the semis every year. Suarez and Coutinho back at Anfield, Messi at Anfield playing like he currently is, I really would love to see that. Think we'd have a 50/50 chance to go through and maybe even slight favourites considering we're at home in the second leg.
It would be my first time seeing Messi live so I can't wait, plus a semi-final second leg at Anfield against a European great would be a very special night! I think we can beat them but others are saying that we'll practically steam-roll them which I don't agree with at all.
They literally are, check the table
You'd dispatch them quite easily IMO, I can only imagine what a proper pressing team would do to their midfield, imagine Firminho on Busquets who didn't look comfortable at OT. Imagine the aggressiveness of the full backs pinning them back and the counter attacking ability of Mane and Salah against their incohesive defence.
Barca really aren't that great to be honest especially on the road, we saw that last season against Roma, Utd could have got something out of the first match if they didn't setup cowardly. Barca took advantage of poor defending and individual errors against Utd but Liverpool have a far better defence than Utd so they will have to rely on Messi and I don't think he'd be able to do it all by himself.
Again, it's all about form, and barcelona have been coasting in 2nd gear for months. Suddenly turning it up to 5th isn't easy when you haven't done it in months. Liverpool are in better form right now. They've been tested by better opposition too, recently, and come out on top.
If barcelona show up at their best, they win, sure. But it's a big if
If barcelona show up at their best, they win, sure. But it's a big if
Must be hard for anti-Barça Utd. fans to rot for them in the semis vs Pool. Am I right?
And in the probable final vs City.
And in the probable final vs City.
Having doubts is one thing, to make comments like "easy pass", "will be ripped to pieces", is just... disrespectful, arrogant, ignorant and completely alienated from reality. But the thing that gets me is, these people make these comments again every single round as if nothing changed. As if their earlier assessment never requires re-evaluating after new information has been provided that contradicts the information (or lack thereof) upon which an earlier decision was made.
In fact, these people start making excuses to why their assessment was still correct, even though their prediction was entirely wrong (and in making these excuses completely contradict themselves of course as it meant their assessment of the opposition would have been wrong). At no point do they consider that they might have simply been off. That's just about ego, not about legit doubts.
That's what bothers me. The deliberate complete lack of self-critique and narcissistic doubling down.
I bet that even if Ajax manages to win the CL and would school Barça for 90 minutes (which I doubt would happen, but hey, at this point one can still dream), they will still provide reasons for why it's not a 'real' real achievement and they won because Barça was bad, not Ajax being good enough to make Barça look bad and had everything been perfect according to their predictions (the key here, THEIR predictions and assumptions are accurate, it's just reality that resented following them), it would never have happened. For example suggesting that "This was the weakest Barça ever", "Messi is over his top" or "he had an off-day, but if he had played as normal...", "Player X was missing", "They were tired from the competition match", "Barça players made individual mistakes", blablabla. None of the reasons will involve the option that Ajax was simply better and declassed an opponent fair and square.
Spurs has ex-Ajax players though.
Potentially 4 starters tonight yeah - they'll be well up for it with a return to the ArenA for a CL semi-final as a reward, I'd reckon.Spurs has ex-Ajax players though.
I can see Ajax beating the Spurs and reaching the final. But not City.
If you can't see, even considering the mere possibility, that this fearless Ajax - which has schooled the likes of Bayern, Real and Juve this season - could similarly beat City to reach the final, I'll guess you haven't seen any of their matches.
Hard to predict what happens in the Spurs/City game tonight. Called the Ajax/Juve game very confidently, but the Manchester game really could go either way very easily.
Hoping Spurs can do it.
Hoping Spurs can do it.
Spurs or Ajax winning would be a victory for football, unfortunately I think they will play each other and then get slaughtered in the final due to inexperience.
If Ajax beat Real, Juve, and then Spurs/City to get to the final, I'm certainly not going to be ruling them out for lack of experience
I do see what you mean, but damn, they just play with so much freedom & energy. I just can't see that all going to pot because it's a final.Going to be very disappointed if we don’t beat Tottenham to progress now, not that it’d be a walkover fixture but this really would be the easiest run we could’ve possibly had to the final. I think Ajax are very good though, much better than I expected before watching them last night and against Madrid.
If Ajax beat Real, Juve, and then Spurs/City to get to the final, I'm certainly not going to be ruling them out for lack of experience
They waste way too many chances in my opinion, and that is due to the inexperience. You don't have a second leg to make up for missed chances, a final has a mental aspect to it not present in two-legged games.
True.
Anyway, this video of Ajax fans celebrating De Ligt's goal is awesome
I wish I was Dutch. Hardstyle & beer all day.True.
Anyway, this video of Ajax fans celebrating De Ligt's goal is awesome
I'll be rooting for Ajax to go all the way, and usually a team like Juventus is the one that knocks them out (similar to Monaco a few seasons back). I have a feeling that Messi will win another CL because he is the best player on the planet by a mile.
Agreed. I see it like this...
Barcelona
(Man City)
[Liverpool]
Ajax >= (Spurs)
[Porto]
If Man City don't go through tonight, I think the overwhelming likelihood is that the winner comes from our side of the draw. Imagine if Porto somehow turned it around versus us & beat Barca, though
Ajax/Porto final would be mad.City are a lot better than Real and Juve. Ajax are no mugs but City will have too much for them.
Not in the CL - lost twice in their piss easy group stage, and looked bad in their first difficult KO tie last week.
Any chance Porto grab an early goal tonight and make the Vermin sweat at the very least?
Doesn't matter if they do. If we score 1 they'll need 4, and there's no way they stop us from scoring one. Not gonna watch the match.
Historically, City never beat Ajax though.
2012-2013 results: 2-2 and 3-1 against PL and FA Cup runners up ManC (who were defending champions that season). ManC drew against Dortmund, Ajax and Madrid in the group stages and lost the three other matches by one goal each. I can't say that was a weak team, just a very strong group and Ajax clinged the third place in the group owing to that victory and draw (4 pts over ManC's 3 pts).
Back then it was a less experienced, 'less in a flow', less balanced Ajax team who got utterly humiliated by Madrid at home and away and sadly lost to Dortmund in some fun games to watch (with sad ending), whereas City was doing quite well in the PL at the time.
This year, quite the opposite is true. Ajax is on a roll, balanced, experienced, fit, daring and City... is not much different from back then, got lucky some times and lost several matches in the CL already.
As such, I'd give this Ajax team far more of a chance against City than I gave the team then and you should probably as well.
Would still prefer facing Spurs, not in the least because of general dislike towards 'arbitrary oligarch plaything' clubs like ManC, but also to see Verthongen & Co. back at their nest.
No, unfortunately, can't see it. Barcelona will be a tougher test, hopefully Dembele will be fit for them for both legs.
I can see City winning tonight, but only by 1 goal and then going out on away goals, probably 2-1 or 3-2. They will then be super motivated for the league game on Saturday.
One word: Guardiola.
Is this the same Guardiola who was too stubborn to make changes against Spurs when it was clearly not working out, despite having the most expensive bench/squad ever assembled?