Champions League Thread

[OhForAGreavsie 6,073]

So, despite all of the problems, and the poor start to the group stage, here we are in the last sixteen. The first order of business is to decide which of the January signings makes the CL squad for the knockout round(s). We can add up to three of the new boys. Two of them will fill empty slots from the group stage squad, but including a third newcomer means dropping one player from the original squad. Who would you like to add to the squad and, if you are adding three, who are you leaving out to accommodate the third newbie?

My selection -

IN:

• Mudryck
• Enzo
• Badiashile

OUT:

• Bettinelli (Lucas Bergstrom can be added to List B as third choice keeper.)

 

Omitting Joao Felix is controversial I know, and may even be contrary to what he was promised when joining, but I reckon we are more likely to suffer from Badiashile's absence than from Felix's. There are more, and better, alternatives to Felix than there are to Badiashile.

Edited February 3, 2023 by OhForAGreavsie

[nyikolajevics 2,698]

2 hours ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

So, despite all of the problems, and the poor start to the group stage, here we are in the last sixteen. The first order of business is to decide which of the January signings makes the CL squad for the knockout round(s). We can add up to three of the new boys. Two of them will fill empty slots from the group stage squad, but including a third newcomer means dropping one player from the original squad. Who would you like to add to the squad and, if you are adding three, who are you leaving out to accommodate the third newbie?

My selection -

IN:

• Mudryck
• Enzo
• Badiashile

OUT:

• Bettinelli (Lucas Bergstrom can be added to List B as third choice keeper.)

 

Omitting Joao Felix is controversial I know, and may even be contrary to what he was promised when joining, but I reckon we are more likely to suffer from Badiashile's absence than from Felix's. There are more, and better, alternatives to Felix than there are to Badiashile.

I think it was predictable. Mundryk ad Enzo are huge money marquee signings. It was not even questionable they will be included.

 

Felix is a luxury player, we payed huge fee for him and his massive wages aswell, and don't use him in CL? No way.. Maybe this few months will be his only spell at Chelsea. Use him in PL only for 17 games? Quite a waste.

 

 

[Pizy 18,909]

Ooof. Auba has been a big time disappointment but I think it’s extremely harsh to drop him out of the CL squad.

Why not remove Pulisic who is both injured for a while longer and most importantly we have his position very well covered now? With both Mudryk and Sterling fit Pulisic was highly unlikely to play any role in the CL. Auba was our only actual striker and could’ve been useful. Especially since he’s already helped us early in the competition.

 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,818]

2 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Ooof. Auba has been a big time disappointment but I think it’s extremely harsh to drop him out of the CL squad.

Why not remove Pulisic who is both injured for a while longer and most importantly we have his position very well covered now? With both Mudryk and Sterling fit Pulisic was highly unlikely to play any role in the CL. Auba was our only actual striker and could’ve been useful. Especially since he’s already helped us early in the competition.

 

Auba can become toxic when he is not playing. It might be a wise decision based on his past to not have him traveling with the team. 

[OhForAGreavsie 6,073]

25 minutes ago, nyikolajevics said:

I think it was predictable. Mundryk ad Enzo are huge money marquee signings. It was not even questionable they will be included.

 

Felix is a luxury player, we payed huge fee for him and his massive wages aswell, and don't use him in CL? No way.. Maybe this few months will be his only spell at Chelsea. Use him in PL only for 17 games? Quite a waste.

 

 

Yes, including Felix was predictable. Just not what I would have done. 🙂 

[Pizy 18,909]

10 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

Auba can become toxic when he is not playing. It might be a wise decision based on his past to not have him traveling with the team. 

I just think Auba as much as any player in our team this season has suffered from our horrible lack of creativity and service. In many of his appearances he gets on the pitch and barely touches the ball. 

But we’ve now signed 3 brilliantly creative players in Enzo, Mudryk, and Félix who could’ve worked well with Auba if he came on as a sub if we’re chasing a goal.

[Blue Armour 4,439]

The fact that Potter dropped Badiashile when him and Silva are the best thing about us in the past 3 games shows you what he knows.

What's the point of a CL push without a working defence. 

 

[Vesper 30,177]

37 minutes ago, Blue Armour said:

The fact that Potter dropped Badiashile when him and Silva are the best thing about us in the past 3 games shows you what he knows.

What's the point of a CL push without a working defence. 

 

Potter out.

[OhForAGreavsie 6,073]

That draw didn't go so well. 😞 

In the same half as, probably, the three best teams in Europe. At least we have the second leg at home against Real. Small crumbs.

Edited March 17, 2023 by OhForAGreavsie

[MoroccanBlue 5,382]

On 04/02/2023 at 00:09, Blue Armour said:

The fact that Potter dropped Badiashile when him and Silva are the best thing about us in the past 3 games shows you what he knows.

What's the point of a CL push without a working defence. 

 

I mean Koulibaly and Cucurella managed to step up?

[TheHulk 2,454]

 

[cosmicway 1,333]

The draw was not bad.
Ok Inter or Milan would have been the theoretically easy takes, but we 'd have to face one of the big boys eventually.
The positive is City and Bayern were drawn against one another so we have three "giant opponents" now but we will be left with one if go through.
Next Napoli and Benfica I expect will both be in the semis and they are of course decent sides both.

RM have Vinicious but they are not unbeatable.
In 2021 we disposed of them with relative ease, last year despite having much improved they were superlucky (Mendy's gift - Rodrigo through the eye of the needle in the replay).
 

Edited March 17, 2023 by cosmicway

[Mário César 1,261]

I like that second game is not in bernabeu. its more easy to us but welll it would be a massive game

lets wait and see

[ulvhedin 526]

I know that apart from first 30 minutes vs Liverpool they beat them very easily but other than that Real is very shaky this season. Neutralizing Vinicius makes them basically toothless

[Mário César 1,261]

glad second leg is at the bridge 

[cosmicway 1,333]

It's predetermined however that we play against the winner of City v. Bayern in the semi !
That does n't affect our chances of winning the champions league but limits our chances of becoming the finalists.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,818]

RM is a little banged up right now. Would rather face them now then when they get healthy.

[Mário César 1,261]

9 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

RM is a little banged up right now. Would rather face them now then when they get healthy.

if the second leg was in bernabeu would much more hard for us 

and I would hope play against bayern than against city in the sem final, if Chelsea won versus real

I think they are not good as last year and they lack of deep but we can not make mystake like the last year (mendy goal)

[LAM09 7,052]

If we're going to go all the way, we'll have to do it the hard way. This RM side are more than beatable, as we've shown in previous years.

The less said about the other side of the draw, the better. Napoli won't have a better chance of reaching a European final.

[Blue Armour 4,439]

3 hours ago, MoroccanBlue said:

I mean Koulibaly and Cucurella managed to step up?

Let's hope it stays that way.