2021/2022 Champions League: Not the Super League

SoxFanInCali

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If Milan could somehow get a winner against Atletico, everyone in the group would still be alive going into Matchday 6.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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I can’t imagine you’d be too upset if United snags Poch.
I wouldn’t judge Poch too much on the incoherence of this PSG team. Tuchel’s PSG were only somewhat more coherent, and then he was immediately able to make Chelsea terrifying. It is impossible to make PSG more than the sum of their parts or to get them to press in any way.

United have some similar problems at the top of their roster, but also have young hungry guys who could make sense on a Poch team and who might actually play his game if he asks them.
 

SoxFanInCali

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Milan did end up beating Atletico, so Porto goes into Matchday 6 with 5 points, and Atletico and Milan each have 4. Porto host Atletico while Liverpool will likely send a reserve side to Milan.
 

Dummy Hoy

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I wouldn’t want Poch anywhere near my rivals…he’s over-achieved everywhere he’s been.
This PSG nonsense isn’t his fault- what is he supposed to do with a front 3 that doesn’t play D and a back 7 that largely doesn’t play offense? The team is poorly assembled and he probably shouldn’t have taken the job, but it was an interesting project to try for a season.
if I’m him I don’t touch the United job without certain assurances.
 

Zomp

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I mean a City or Liverpool fan will sleep just fine because they have 2 of the best 4 managers in the world. Teddy likes to be arrogant about his team but that’s what happens when you’ve had nothing but success since you started following the team. To be fair it’s all I knew til 2014 or so. Then karma was nice enough to knock United back a peg or three as I got married and started a family so football could take a back seat.


But aside from Pep, Klopp, Conte, and Tuchel I think Poch is in the next tier of managers and may top the list. I’ve posted it many times but the United board and management team is so bad that I don’t expect any hire to be straightforward but so far the permanent names (Poch, Ten Hag, Rodgers) and the interim (Valverde, Farvre, Garcia) are all good names and the quality that they should be looking at.

It’s a good squad. Sure, it’s a bit lopsided in certain areas but in a way I’m glad the Conte thing passed. I just couldn’t see them in a 343 with the attacking talent they have. I’m still excited for Bruno, Sancho, and Rashford playing together. Sancho’s Premier League career has started slow but there Is a quality player there. He’s improved the past few games and was the best player on the pitch vs Valencia.

my hope is that Poch can’t get the PSG squad to buy in to his ways and it’s best if he leaves. As Dummyhoy said it’s a difficult situation. How do you manage a squad that’s so imbalanced yet waltzes through their league this year.
 
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67YAZ

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I mean a City or Liverpool fan will sleep just fine because they have 2 of the best 4 managers in the world. Teddy likes to be arrogant about his team but that’s what happens when you’ve had nothing but success since you started following the team. To be fair it’s all I knew til 2014 or so. Then karma was nice enough to knock United back a peg or three as I got married and started a family so football could take a back seat.


But aside from Pep, Klopp, Conte, and Tuchel I think Poch is in the next tier of managers and may top the list. I’ve posted it many times but the United board and management team is so bad that I don’t expect any hire to be straightforward but so far the permanent names (Poch, Ten Hag, Rodgers) and the interim (Valverde, Farvre, Garcia) are all good names and the quality that they should be looking at.

It’s a good squad. Sure, it’s a bit lopsided in certain areas but in a way I’m glad the Conte thing passed. I just couldn’t see them in a 343 with the attacking talent they have. I’m still excited for Bruno, Sancho, and Rashford playing together. Sancho’s Premier League career has started slow but there Is a quality player there. He’s improved the past few games and was the best player on the pitch vs Valencia.

my hope is that Poch can’t get the PSG squad to buy in to his ways and it’s best if he leaves. As Dummyhoy said it’s a difficult situation. How do you manage a squad that’s so imbalanced yet waltzes through their league this year.
Poch has become under-appreciated because it has been a while since he had real success. His last Spurs season ended with a wimper, he took almost 2 years off, and now he’s managing a grab bag of Galactiques whose expectations are not proportionate to the squad composition. Poch is a great “buy low” candidate.
 
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bosox4283

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Milan did end up beating Atletico, so Porto goes into Matchday 6 with 5 points, and Atletico and Milan each have 4. Porto host Atletico while Liverpool will likely send a reserve side to Milan.
If Atletico somehow managed to advance -- which I think means winning at Porto by a greater margin than Milan wins against Liverpool -- it is, frankly, undeserved. Atletico has looked horrible in this group stage. Simeone has a lot of work to do to get this team in a better spot, both defensively and offensively.

I've read way too much about the team's dismal performance, and I think it breaks down to three things:

1. Atletico has a very talented squad but the team isn't deep enough in some positions. For instance, there is no reliable substitute for Trippier, who is out with a shoulder injury, and the lack of substitute leads Simeone to put an out-of-position Llorente here. There is a total lack of a trusted left-back as Hermoso and Lodi both have obvious weaknesses. And while Hector Herrera and Kongdobia were supposed to be that defensive midfielder that gives the team defensive stability and better offensive flow, they have not met expectations, which forces Simeone to put Koke here even though it is not Koke's best fit.

2. Despite Atletico's talent, a few players are clearly not at the Champions League level. For instance, while Luis Suarez can still score goals, he really limits the team with his speed and workrate. Atletico may have been at their best when Simeone played Griezmann and Joao Felix together -- more speed and give the team more options.

3. A really tough group means that there are no breaks and Atleti cannot rely on luck. All matches required strong performances, and Atletico barely got there. From basic defensive mistakes to poor passing, the team has just been very poor.
 

bosox4283

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We don't have a Juventus thread, so I thought here is as good of a place as any -- how grave is the concern that Juventus will face consequences for what is being alleged?

"This weekend’s events were foreshadowed in September by Juventus’s annual financial report, which included a note stating that the Italian market regulator, Consob, had opened an investigation into the club’s revenue from player trading. They and the public prosecutor have both been acting in part on information provided by Covisoc, a commission set up by the Italian Football Federation to monitor teams’ finances."
 
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Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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We don't have a Juventus threat, so I thought here is as good of a place as any -- how grave is the concern that Juventus will face consequences for what is being alleged?

"This weekend’s events were foreshadowed in September by Juventus’s annual financial report, which included a note stating that the Italian market regulator, Consob, had opened an investigation into the club’s revenue from player trading. They and the public prosecutor have both been acting in part on information provided by Covisoc, a commission set up by the Italian Football Federation to monitor teams’ finances."
I think they might be in pretty big trouble. It is tempting to say "Ahh its Italy, its all corrupt and they'll get off with a slap on the wrist." But Juventus is a publicly traded company, there are regulators involved, and potentially significant financial crimes were committed in terms of misrepresenting assets and revenues. They might have done it to evade FFP regulations but what they allegedly did makes it not just an issue for the sporting authorities.

The markets seem to think its pretty serious. This is their share price today.

46833
 

Zososoxfan

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Wowza! This is the first I've heard of that story, so I'll just read instead of talking. But I just watched the Netflix Bad Sport episode regarding Calciopoli and it's a great watch for anyone unfamiliar with the events. I thought it was limited to Juve, but really it was a coterie of clubs both big and small. Moggi was made out to be the bad guy at the beginning but by the end I sorta bought his perspective that what he did wasn't terribly different from other DoFs. Bottom line, it was a proper [gesticulates in Italian] spettacolo di merda.
 

SocrManiac

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The similarities to SpyGate and Calciopoli are there. It's not an exact fit, but it's not far off. Juventus were absolutely (and justifiably) whipped for it, but to award the Scudetto to a team that shared the guilt (and who pushed the narrative) was pretty shitty.

If the current allegations are true, the penalties need to be harsh. My love for the club has been waning since the Ronaldo signing and Buffon's final exit. There's nothing fun about them anymore. Maybe a massive kick in the ass is what's needed.
 

HowBoutDemSox

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Final group stage match week:

Tuesday, December 7
12:45 pm EST
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Club Brugge

12:45 pm EST
RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City

03:00 pm EST
AC Milan vs. Liverpool

03:00 pm EST
FC Porto vs. Atletico Madrid

03:00 pm EST
Borussia Dortmund vs. Beşiktaş

03:00 pm EST
Ajax Amsterdam vs. Sporting CP

03:00 pm EST
Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan

03:00 pm EST
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Sheriff Tiraspol

Wednesday, December 8
12:45 pm EST
Juventus vs. Malmö

12:45 pm EST
Zenit St Petersburg vs. Chelsea

03:00 pm EST
Benfica vs. Dynamo Kiev

03:00 pm EST
Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona

03:00 pm EST
Manchester United vs. BSC Young Boys

03:00 pm EST
Atalanta vs. Villarreal

03:00 pm EST
RB Salzburg vs. Sevilla FC

03:00 pm EST
VfL Wolfsburg vs. Lille
 

teddykgb

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Another strange CL night under Pep. Result is irrelevant but heading into the Xmas period with a thin team and he named half the youth squad on the bench and played a 2nd choice XI of senior players. Now Walker has a pointless kickout to earn a direct red and will miss the round of 16 first match.
while some players like KDB probably needed a 90 I have no idea why he didn’t rotate more here given what is ahead
 

Dummy Hoy

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Permutations:
Group A- City wins, PSG second, based on results today Leipzip to Eruopa
Group B- 'Pool wins, Porto, Milan, Atleti all still alive, Porto on 5, the others on 4
Group C- Ajax wins, Sporting through, Dortmund to Europa, Besiktas out (baring a 10 goal swing on GD for 2nd)
Group D- Madrid and Milan through, Milan needs a win at Bernabeau to win group, Sheriff to Europa
Group E- Bayern wins group, Barca is two points ahead of Benfica but have an even GD; Benfica gets to host Dynamo Kyiv while Barca has to go to Bayern. Could be spicy
Group F- United are through, any points clinch 1st, Atalanta hosts Villareal and a win puts them through. Villareal needs only a draw to get through but could win the group with a big win.
Group G- Everyone can almost everything (Lille can only drop to 3rd and Wolfsburg can only advance or go home)
 

bosox4283

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Paramount+ seems to have an error opening/loading Atletico game. Is anyone else getting this error?

Edit: When I click into the match, I get SHK-SHE (I'm too lazy to look up these teams).
 

SoxFanInCali

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Liverpool have Alisson at the back and Salah/Mane up top, but pretty much everyone in between is a sub. Nat Phillips gets a run out in the middle of central defense along with Konate. Minamino, Ox, and the legend that is Divock Origi are in as well.
 

Zososoxfan

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Porto is DOMINATING in the match against Atleti. Atleti has no chance without a win whereas Porto could progress with a draw, but it's the Portuguese squeezing Atleti in their own third.
 

SoxFanInCali

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Atletico score and Liverpool take the lead, bad couple of minutes for Milan.

That's Origi's 4th ever goal in the Champions League. The others? Against Barca in the semifinals (2) and Spurs in the final.
 

SoxFanInCali

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Atletico still leading but now down to 10 men. A Porto equalizer would put them through.

Salah and Mane are subbed off. Salah actually got a good ovation from the Milan fans.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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Chelsea defense getting thrashed vs Zenit
Backline and non-attacking midfield spots have been less successful than everything further forward at the whole "3 world class players for every spot" thing they seem to be going for. When you see Sarr/Saul/Barkley in a lineup, you know you can punch Chelsea in the nose.