

dukeman
Reputation Activity
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dukeman got a reaction from Pseudo in The European Competitions Thread
I'm not a City fan, nor a Chelsea fan, but doesn't it somehow feel bad for you Chelsea fans to see a fellow English squad being slaughtered like that?
In the eyes of a neutral football fan like myself it feels a bit like English football is highly overrated in any aspect of football. Genuine question.
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dukeman reacted to Styles in The European Competitions Thread
It's the only valid tactic against all the top Spanish teams and Bayern. There isn't a single English team that could try and take on any of those teams and outplay or dominate them; it's just park the bus and hope you get lucky.
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dukeman reacted to DYC. in The European Competitions Thread
It's funny how City and Arsenal are the most impressive sides on the ball in England, but look no more than decent when facing top sides. No wonder why our own Chelsea struggle so much in possession against quality sides. Simply embarrassing how Barca have made City look at times. Not the least bit surprising either.
Sometimes you just have to be honest and admit your inferiority. The English top sides haven't even declined compared to 7-10 years ago imo. In fact, they are very similar and that's the problem. The game has evolved, the demands for top quality have changed and they haven't adjusted in the manner they should have.
The importance of proactive defending, the importance of technique in all areas of the pitch (ball-playing defenders, highly technically gifted players in advanced positions), the importance of tactically clever players rather than fighters (you need both but clever players are more important and valuable). The elite sides of today have simply surpassed the old standards of brilliance by quite a margin. English sides still don't value those demands as they should. Italian teams went through a very similar problem, though they're 'decline' was more extreme because they lost their financial power (bye bye quality players)
Football will always be unpredictable, and the CL is a cup competition, so there will always be upsets. But the English top sides will never look as impressive as the current elite. Just keep convincing yourself the PL is the best in the world because of the financial power. Unless they change, they'll continue to lag behind.
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dukeman got a reaction from DYC. in The European Competitions Thread
Well, it seems like I'm fooling myself over this every season, thinking it was a day off from the English squad. But it seems to be a consistent occurence, unless Chelsea is parking the bus against them. Which is the only valid tactic for any English squad against the current Barcelona I think. Thanks for the honest answer.
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dukeman got a reaction from DYC. in The European Competitions Thread
I'm not a City fan, nor a Chelsea fan, but doesn't it somehow feel bad for you Chelsea fans to see a fellow English squad being slaughtered like that?
In the eyes of a neutral football fan like myself it feels a bit like English football is highly overrated in any aspect of football. Genuine question.
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dukeman got a reaction from Styles in The European Competitions Thread
Well, it seems like I'm fooling myself over this every season, thinking it was a day off from the English squad. But it seems to be a consistent occurence, unless Chelsea is parking the bus against them. Which is the only valid tactic for any English squad against the current Barcelona I think. Thanks for the honest answer.
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dukeman got a reaction from Styles in The European Competitions Thread
I'm not a City fan, nor a Chelsea fan, but doesn't it somehow feel bad for you Chelsea fans to see a fellow English squad being slaughtered like that?
In the eyes of a neutral football fan like myself it feels a bit like English football is highly overrated in any aspect of football. Genuine question.
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dukeman got a reaction from Mufassir08 in 🇧🇪 Romelu Lukaku
That's what was said last season when he was loaned out. It's in Chelsea's hands to confide in him or not and he clearly doesn't feel any trust in his qualities from the manager. And hearing all the strikers linked to Chelsea getting closer to a new transfer window, next season will be exactly the same as this season. Better for him to leave and find a manager who actually helps him.
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dukeman reacted to mac.bo in 🇧🇪 Kevin de Bruyne
Latest news is he is ok ,hope he comes back to Cfc fighting fit and ready to raise his game or he will be 6th choice of the magic 3 ! Looks like Willian is progressing nicely nicely . Jose needs these at their peak Hazard/Mata/Oscar/Scurrle/Willian/Be Bruyne at least we can rotate this season ,happy days.