The European Leagues & Competitions Thread V2

[johnnythefirst 1,076]

Just read that the top four leagues will have 4 guaranteed spots in the CL group stage as of 2018. Really EUFA? How is that fair. It's called the Champions League, not the Finished Fourth League. At least let them play the preliminary rounds like they do now.

It's like they want European football to only have four leagues. 

[Special Juan 27,103]

Agüero has missed 2 penalties 1-0 though but still 

[Cosmin 2,484]

Bad night for our neighbours. 0-5 and this: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/aug/16/steaua-bucharest-dinamo-display-sabotaged

 

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

City played in Bucharest last night, won their 1st leg against Steaua 5-0 and they've basically qualified for Champions League football. Due to the big corruption in Romanian football this league is rubbish - low attendances, low TV ratings, people are simply not interested in football anymore, although this is a country with a population of 20 million. Eight, ten years ago this league used to be similar to the Premier League in terms of league title candidates, there was always at least six teams at the start of the season pumping big money in transfers and wages, all with equal chances to win the title. Fans would go to the stadium, the atmosphere would always be hot. But not anymore since corruption took over and made it possible for most of the big teams to disappear, some of them representing the country's biggest cities. All this to make room for the tin pot clubs founded with money from the local council, ready to bow down to the corrupt sharks from the Romanian football association and pump money into their accounts. Now there are only two big clubs left, Steaua and Dinamo, but these two can't compare to each other in terms of football levels because Dinamo almost went bankrupt a year ago and now they are in a process of reconstruction. 

Last night it was the most embarassing defeat at home in Steaua's history of playing in European competitions. Not only the 5-0 score, but the manner City did it, they completely humiliated Steaua. The truth is that this is a consequence of the state of Romanian football and Steaua was blown out of the park. City scored two (Silva, Aguero), missed two penalty kicks (Aguero x2), hit the post three times and had another two or three huge chances. All this in the 1st half. 2nd half was the same, City scored three times and had tons of other chances. It was attack after attack, after attack, after attack. It ended 5-0, but Steaua should consider themselves lucky because they avoided a bigger humiliation, City should have scored at least 10 last night, if not more.

                          

 

This is how City have looked last night. So they've basically started in a 4-3-3 formation and pretty much looked the same when defending, with Nolito and Sterling coming to help the full backs.

But the tactics changed when going forward. It was a super high line of three defenders with Otamendi, Stones and Kolarov, a full back who we know he likes to bomb forward, but this time restricted from offensive duties. Zabaleta, a right back when defending, went to play as a central midfielder everytime when City attacked, while Sterling stayed on the right wing, coming inside and making runs in behind the defenders. Nolito played the same role on the left, only he was given more of a free role, further up the pitch, was more of an inside forward, rather than a left midfielder. Silva, De Bruyne and Fernandinho the attacking midfielders. It was constant pressure from City and Guardiola stated in his press conference after the match that he hates to play without the ball, this is why he prefers to harras the opponents and take the ball from them as soon as possible. 

Pitch size didn't help Steaua either - match was played in the biggest stadium in Romania and the pitch size is exactly the same as in the Bernabeu and Camp Nou, something we know Guardiola adores. 

[Ryan Fong 2,776]

City played in Bucharest last night, won their 1st leg against Steaua 5-0 and they've basically qualified for Champions League football. Due to the big corruption in Romanian football this league is rubbish - low attendances, low TV ratings, people are simply not interested in football anymore, although this is a country with a population of 20 million. Eight, ten years ago this league used to be similar to the Premier League in terms of league title candidates, there was always at least six teams at the start of the season pumping big money in transfers and wages, all with equal chances to win the title. Fans would go to the stadium, the atmosphere would always be hot. But not anymore since corruption took over and made it possible for most of the big teams to disappear, some of them representing the country's biggest cities. All this to make room for the tin pot clubs founded with money from the local council, ready to bow down to the corrupt sharks from the Romanian football association and pump money into their accounts. Now there are only two big clubs left, Steaua and Dinamo, but these two can't compare to each other in terms of football levels because Dinamo almost went bankrupt a year ago and now they are in a process of reconstruction. 

Last night it was the most embarassing defeat at home in Steaua's history of playing in European competitions. Not only the 5-0 score, but the manner City did it, they completely humiliated Steaua. The truth is that this is a consequence of the state of Romanian football and Steaua was blown out of the park. City scored two (Silva, Aguero), missed two penalty kicks (Aguero x2), hit the post three times and had another two or three huge chances. All this in the 1st half. 2nd half was the same, City scored three times and had tons of other chances. It was attack after attack, after attack, after attack. It ended 5-0, but Steaua should consider themselves lucky because they avoided a bigger humiliation, City should have scored at least 10 last night, if not more.

                          

 

This is how City have looked last night. So they've basically started in a 4-3-3 formation and pretty much looked the same when defending, with Nolito and Sterling coming to help the full backs.

But the tactics changed when going forward. It was a super high line of three defenders with Otamendi, Stones and Kolarov, a full back who we know he likes to bomb forward, but this time restricted from offensive duties. Zabaleta, a right back when defending, went to play as a central midfielder everytime when City attacked, while Sterling stayed on the right wing, coming inside and making runs in behind the defenders. Nolito played the same role on the left, only he was given more of a free role, further up the pitch, was more of an inside forward, rather than a left midfielder. Silva, De Bruyne and Fernandinho the attacking midfielders. It was constant pressure from City and Guardiola stated in his press conference after the match that he hates to play without the ball, this is why he prefers to harras the opponents and take the ball from them as soon as possible. 

Pitch size didn't help Steaua either - match was played in the biggest stadium in Romania and the pitch size is exactly the same as in the Bernabeu and Camp Nou, something we know Guardiola adores. 

So what's the conclusion, Citeh was excellent or Steaua was completely shit?

[Cosmin 2,484]

35 minutes ago, Ryan Fong said:

So what's the conclusion, Citeh was excellent or Steaua was completely shit?

 

Both. 

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

51 minutes ago, Ryan Fong said:

So what's the conclusion, Citeh was excellent or Steaua was completely shit?

Both, definitely. It was the best display I've ever seen from a foreign team playing away against a Romanian team in European competitions in terms of chances created. It was tons. City and Guardiola have been together for only a month and a half, still not gelled enough yet. But if this was December or January, I think they would have scored at least 10.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Anyone saw the roma porto game tonight? De Rossi got red card, Emerson came in to fill the void and got red card 6 minutes later. Just

[MefiX19 1,092]

10 hours ago, BlueLyon said:

Anyone saw the roma porto game tonight? De Rossi got red card, Emerson came in to fill the void and got red card 6 minutes later. Just

Something was wrong with my internet yesterday so i didn't watch Chelsea game, so instead watched that. It was fun game, but i missed 2nd and 3rd goal when i was in the shower

[BlueLyon 9,359]

1 hour ago, MefiX19 said:

Something was wrong with my internet yesterday so i didn't watch Chelsea game, so instead watched that. It was fun game, but i missed 2nd and 3rd goal when i was in the shower

Happens all the time. You go to toilet and germans score 7 goals.

Yeah the game was fun but roma are such bottlers haha.

 

[LAM09 6,552]

Happens all the time. You go to toilet and germans score 7 goals.

Yeah the game was fun but roma are such bottlers haha.

 

Temperament and Spalletti making the wrong choices cost them.

[xPetrCechx 13,548]

 

Shity

[kmk108 1,186]

19 hours ago, xPetrCechx said:

 

Shity

"Look at all those empty seats...let's expand some more."

 

It feels so weird not having Chelsea in the Champions League draw. It's been a long time.

[KevinAshburner 1,270]

this was and is the worst UCL draw and the most awkward and worst run broadcast. The people on stage and that woman on stage was terrible in delivering her lines and speech for the whole draw.

 

[KevinAshburner 1,270]

 

WEST HAM UNITED HAVE FAILED TO QUALIFY FOR THE GROUP STAGES OF THE UEL [UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE]

http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2017/matches/live/index.html?day=-1&session=1&match=2020469

WHU 0 - 1 ASTRA (ROMANIA) [FULL TIME]

WHU LOST AT HOME - LONDON STADIUM

AGG : ASTRA WIN 2 - 1 ON AGGREGATE 

[DYC. 7,542]

Barca have an amazing squad now.

Messi, Suarez, Neymar, Turan, Alcacer, Munir

Iniesta, Busquets, Rakitic, Gomes, Suarez, Rafinha

Pique, Mascherano, Umtiti, Mathieu, Alba, Digne, Roberto, Vidal

Then there's Bayern and Real.

Lewandowski, Muller, Robben, Ribery, Costa, Coman

Vidal, Thiago, Alonso, Sanches, Kimmich

Boateng, Hummels, Martinez, Badstuber, Lahm, Rafinha, Alaba, Bernat

 

Cristiano, Benzema, Bale, Morata, Asensio, Vasquez

Modric, Kroos, Casemiro, Rodriguez, Isco, Kovacic

Pepe, Ramos, Varane, Nacho, Carvajal, Danilo, Marcelo, Coentrao

 

Completely unfair but whatchagonnado. Even Juve are starting to become a bit overkill, though very impressively built looking at the money spent.

Dybala, Higuain, Mandzukic, Pjaca

Marchisio, Pjanic, Khedira, Asamoah, Lemina, Sturaro, Hernanes, Mandragora

Chiellini, Bonucci, Barzagli, Benatia, Rugani, Dani Alves, Lichsteiner, Sandro, Evra

[LAM09 6,552]

Barca have an amazing squad now.

Messi, Suarez, Neymar, Turan, Alcacer, Munir

Iniesta, Busquets, Rakitic, Gomes, Suarez, Rafinha

Pique, Mascherano, Umtiti, Mathieu, Alba, Digne, Roberto, Vidal

Munir's going the other way in the Paco deal.

[xPetrCechx 13,548]