Champions League, Round of 16
- Thread starter bosox4283
- Start date
Atletico are completely incapable of winning a match without resorting to bullshit. That’s nothing to be proud of. They’ll lose later on like they always do, because this type of shit never rises.
Sour grapes? Absolutely. Are they gutter trash? Without debate.
Sour grapes? Absolutely. Are they gutter trash? Without debate.
Yeah, I don’t disagree. I’m in too deep now. Love to love them and love to hate them.
Friggin Adrian. I can hate their style but a simple clearance means no first goal and the second goal never happens. Bush league defending on that second goal too by the way.
If it makes you guys feel better, now that Rugani has tested positive I doubt they’re going to finish the Champions League this season.
I don't enjoy it either, but it's undeniably effective. They've made 2 CL Finals playing this way and took both to extra time.
Congrats @bosox4283 - as a fan of a team that employs Brad Marchand I have to grit my teeth and bear Atléti's antics. I don't think any other defense in the world gets through that second half at Anfield without conceding
“That's the first time Marcos Llorente has scored two goals in a game (at senior level anyway). Had only scored six goals before tonight, EVER.”
Adrian is and is not to blame. He was never brought on for the CL, and his run of form arguably helped the side run away with the league while Alisson was out. His hallmark has always been worldies and howlers, often within moments of each other. I’m more concerned about Alisson’s durability and criticality to the side. If he’s such a lynchpin and lands soft tissue injuries with this frequently, it could easily spell the end of silverware hopes year over year.
I have zero respect for how Atletico played this draw and can’t congratulate them. You could argue they’ve exploited a moneyball-style undervaluing of skill, but it isn’t one that anybody should be proud of. They’re up against Real and Barcelona, which is like being third place in Serie A, Bundesliga, or Ligue 1. They don’t have the financial resources to compete at playing football, so they’ve copied a South American style that encourages malice, deceit, and anger rather than skill and talent. Its unpleasant to watch and especially effective in the Champions League where teams typically don’t have the experience to cope. What baffles me is that referees do not take action. Early yellow cards for time wasting, yellows for simulation, enforce substitution laws (leave from nearest touchline)... Establish that they need to play within the laws of the game early within the match and a lot of this goes away. The only tip of the cap is that they’re exploiting something without consequence (and, indeed, encouragement). Silverware is all that matters, and that is every team’s ultimate goal.
I have zero respect for how Atletico played this draw and can’t congratulate them. You could argue they’ve exploited a moneyball-style undervaluing of skill, but it isn’t one that anybody should be proud of. They’re up against Real and Barcelona, which is like being third place in Serie A, Bundesliga, or Ligue 1. They don’t have the financial resources to compete at playing football, so they’ve copied a South American style that encourages malice, deceit, and anger rather than skill and talent. Its unpleasant to watch and especially effective in the Champions League where teams typically don’t have the experience to cope. What baffles me is that referees do not take action. Early yellow cards for time wasting, yellows for simulation, enforce substitution laws (leave from nearest touchline)... Establish that they need to play within the laws of the game early within the match and a lot of this goes away. The only tip of the cap is that they’re exploiting something without consequence (and, indeed, encouragement). Silverware is all that matters, and that is every team’s ultimate goal.
I thought that that was the best Liverpool have looked the entire year .. completely dominated Atletico who had no business of winning. Bloody Adrián .. that was my main worry coming in and it came to pass ..
oh well .. caring about sports seems kind of pointless lately ..
oh well .. caring about sports seems kind of pointless lately ..
I always get sick of this description of them. While they don't get as much TV money as Real and Barca, they get far more than anyone else in La Liga.
They are a seasoned European competitor that win ugly. Liverpool won a lot of ugly European ties under Benitez, so I won't criticize them. But they aren't poor.
Oblak was the highest transfer for a keeper until Kepa signed with Chelsea. They spent 120 million on Joao Felix last summer. Simeone is the highest paid manager in the world.
Michael Cox
@Zonal_Marking
I can’t believe Atleti have actually won this on the night, as well as the tie overall. They were largely dreadful tonight. Incredible tie through, a great ending to the Champions League season.
@Zonal_Marking
I can’t believe Atleti have actually won this on the night, as well as the tie overall. They were largely dreadful tonight. Incredible tie through, a great ending to the Champions League season.
Simeone is a drag. But he’s elevated the team to heights we never could have dreamed. We take the good with the ugly, relishing these victory while lamenting the pathetic displays of football that often plague this team.
In terms of football, Simeone has occasionally shown sighs of playing “nice” football, matching tactics with skill — especially for a team that had Griezmann and could buy Joao Felix. What frustrates Atletico fans is that Simeone quickly retreat to his comfort zone — defensive, ugly football — when against top-tier competition.
But he’s our guy and continues making moments to cherish. It’s fun to get lost in it, regardless of how ugly and frustrating the style may be. Simeone ought to abandon his “no one respects us” mentality and should embrace the team’s stature as a rich club but he doesn’t. It’s annoying most of the time, expected nights like tonight when we get to celebrate this team and give in to the moment and believe in a thing bigger than ourselves for an instance. It’s irrational. I want good football, but I also want to enjoy this ride and get caught up in the passion.
A few things. First, your description of Atletico's style is not limited to South America. You see it all over the world. I don't like to watch it and FIFA are trying to legislate it out of the sport, but please be careful with how you characterize/describe this type of thing going forward.
Second, I thought the referee was overall very good tonight. He had players from both sides diving in the box and he didn't fall for any of it. He let the game breathe with physicality but not overly so. I agree he could've gone to the book a bit sooner on Atleti but thought it was reasonable for him not to.
Third, I think Atleti have absolutely found a moneyball inefficiency with high-level defensive-minded players throughout the squad. And that is certainly something to be proud of. Simeone has them playing an ugly style, but moneyball specifically didn't care about stuff like that and looked primarily at data and results. I'd take Thomas on any team I supoort any day and Oblak showed was a world class keeper looks like in action tonight.
Liverpool remain the class of Europe in my mind even after this defeat. Adrian had a brutal goof that turned the tie, but Liverpool were wasteful and snakebit and ran into a team that can punish mistakes brutally. Otherwise, they are an insane blend of fitness, physicality, skill, and class that is a wonder to watch.
Permit a bit of a thread hijack--but watching this match also shows how poorly the Barca squad is currently constructed. Both of these teams went deep into their bench with real quality (well, maybe not at keeper but I digress) and while Barca may be able to matchup well 1-7 or 8, it falls off a cliff after that.
I was coming to post that quote:
Jack Sear
Klopp couldn't resist a bit of a dig at Atletico at the end of his interview with BT Sport. “I don’t understand to be honest with the quality they have why they play this kind of football. But it’s right, the winner is always right."
Klopp: "When I see players like Koke, Saul, Llorente, the players they have, they could play proper football, but they sit deep in their half and have counter-attacks. "They beat us and we accept that. Congratulations to Atletico. But it doesn’t feel right tonight to be honest."
And we're back!
Quarter-final draw
1. Real Madrid (ESP) / Manchester City (ENG) vs Lyon (FRA) / Juventus (ITA)
2. Leipzig (GER) vs Atlético (ESP)
3. Napoli (ITA) / Barcelona (ESP) vs Chelsea (ENG) / Bayern München (GER)
4. Atalanta (ITA) vs Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Semi-final draw
1. Winner quarter-final 1 vs winner quarter-final 3
2. Winner quarter-final 2 vs winner quarter-final 4
Where we stand
(first club at home in the second leg)
Juventus vs Lyon (0-1)
Manchester City vs Real Madrid (2-1)
Bayern vs Chelsea (3-0)
Barcelona vs Napoli (1-1)
Fixtures
7–8 August: Round of 16 second legs (home teams' stadiums)
12–15 August: Quarter-finals (Lisbon)
18–19 August: Semi-finals (Lisbon)
23 August: Final (Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisbon)
Quarter-final draw
1. Real Madrid (ESP) / Manchester City (ENG) vs Lyon (FRA) / Juventus (ITA)
2. Leipzig (GER) vs Atlético (ESP)
3. Napoli (ITA) / Barcelona (ESP) vs Chelsea (ENG) / Bayern München (GER)
4. Atalanta (ITA) vs Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Semi-final draw
1. Winner quarter-final 1 vs winner quarter-final 3
2. Winner quarter-final 2 vs winner quarter-final 4
Where we stand
(first club at home in the second leg)
Juventus vs Lyon (0-1)
Manchester City vs Real Madrid (2-1)
Bayern vs Chelsea (3-0)
Barcelona vs Napoli (1-1)
Fixtures
7–8 August: Round of 16 second legs (home teams' stadiums)
12–15 August: Quarter-finals (Lisbon)
18–19 August: Semi-finals (Lisbon)
23 August: Final (Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisbon)
That's a great draw for everyone in the bottom half of the bracket. One of Leipzig/Atletico/Atalanta/PSG is going to be in the final. Meanwhile, the Spanish Champions, German Champions, Italian Champions, the best player, and the best team are all on the other side of the draw.
So according to this chart, Atletico drew in less in TV revenue than West Ham & Newcastle United.... I get that they are far from being a tiny club, but the gulf between their resources and Europe's Elite Clubs is huge. https://www.premierleague.com/news/1225126I always get sick of this description of them. While they don't get as much TV money as Real and Barca, they get far more than anyone else in La Liga.
They are a seasoned European competitor that win ugly. Liverpool won a lot of ugly European ties under Benitez, so I won't criticize them. But they aren't poor.
Don't hate on Simeone for being what Jose Mourinho wishes he was.
So Lyon and PSG only have the CL competitions to play in. Certainly benefits them from optimizing their lineup and rest perspective, but they'll likely show a whole lot more rust than the other teams left in competition.
The condensed schedules especially coming off the long break will probably make a big difference for the teams that still have to focus on multiple competitions. Bayern can focus only on the CL with their clinch. Leipzig only has a 3 point lead for CL qualifying spot. Juventus is pretty darn close to clinching the league, and should be able to optimize for the CL. Atalanta is pretty secure in their CL qualifying. Napoli still has to fight for a EL spot. Real Madrid and Barca still have a tough fight for the league. Atletico won't catch RM/Barca, but need to pull enough points not to allow Villarreal to catch them for a CL spot. Man City doesn't care about the PL at this point, but are in the semis of the FA Cup. Chelsea is fighting for top 4, but it's unlikely they'll come back vs Bayern anyway.
The condensed schedules especially coming off the long break will probably make a big difference for the teams that still have to focus on multiple competitions. Bayern can focus only on the CL with their clinch. Leipzig only has a 3 point lead for CL qualifying spot. Juventus is pretty darn close to clinching the league, and should be able to optimize for the CL. Atalanta is pretty secure in their CL qualifying. Napoli still has to fight for a EL spot. Real Madrid and Barca still have a tough fight for the league. Atletico won't catch RM/Barca, but need to pull enough points not to allow Villarreal to catch them for a CL spot. Man City doesn't care about the PL at this point, but are in the semis of the FA Cup. Chelsea is fighting for top 4, but it's unlikely they'll come back vs Bayern anyway.
The Bundesliga season is completed. Napoli, with their Coppa Italia win, has already clinched a spot in the EL group stage.
Good catches. I forgot the Bundesliga has 18 teams and saw the 34 GP and thought they each had 4 more to play.
Good. Doesn’t always need to be the blue bloods in the final. It’s fun to see different teams on the biggest of stages. I’m all in on Atalanta anyways, so anything that helps them get to the final. Most fun team in the world to watch for me over the last two seasons. Is there a more diverse and entertaining trio than Duvan/Ilicic/Papu Gomez? Far and away the leading scorers in Italy (I know, I know) and first Serie A team with 3 players with 15 goals since the 1950s. Spent most of the season without some of their top players and a home field due to a renovation project. From Bergamo, the center of the European Covid outbreak.
Sure, they could lose 7-0 at any time given the reckless way they attack , but they’ll be fun and different.
I don't think rest is going to be much of an issue for most clubs. Barca for example finish their Liga season on July 19th and are out of the Copa. So they'll have over 2 weeks to rest.
CBS released its broadcast schedule. Only the final and two round of sixteen second legs will be on television.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
https://viacomcbspressexpress.com/cbs-all-access/releases/view?id=55692
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
| Friday, August 7: | ||
| Manchester City vs. Real Madrid (Round of 16) | 3:00 PM | CBS All Access / CBS Sports Network |
| Juventus vs. Lyon (Round of 16) | 3:00 PM | CBS All Access |
| Saturday, August 8: | ||
| Barcelona vs. Napoli (Round of 16) | 3:00 PM | CBS All Access / CBS Sports Network |
| Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea (Round of 16) | 3:00 PM | CBS All Access |
| Wednesday, August 12: | ||
| Quarterfinal 1 | 3:00 PM | CBS All Access |
| Thursday, August 13: | ||
| Quarterfinal 2 | 3:00 PM | CBS All Access |
| Friday, August 14: | ||
| Quarterfinal 3 | 3:00 PM | CBS All Access |
| Saturday, August 15: | ||
| Quarterfinal 4 | 3:00 PM | CBS All Access |
| Tuesday, August 18: | ||
| Semifinal 1 | 3:00 PM | CBS All Access |
| Wednesday, August 19: | ||
| Semifinal 2 | 3:00 PM | CBS All Access |
| Sunday, August 23: | ||
| Final | 3:00 PM | CBS All Access / CBS Sports Network |
https://viacomcbspressexpress.com/cbs-all-access/releases/view?id=55692
One month free of all access for a trial right now. There's no way I'm not going to watch this and it's all within the one month, so this is an easy call at least.
Of course, you have to remember to cancel.
Of course, you have to remember to cancel.
Nearly all the games will be on TUDN (the artist formerly known as Univision Deportes) if you have it in your cable package.
That tv coverage schedule is the only bright side to Liverpool fading out of the competition last round. Hard to believe someone could be worse than Turner. Maybe they can get a hockey player to host the studio show.
they're not going to broadcast the high-stakes Chelsea match to an American audience? Who the hell is making these decision? Yeah yeah, Barca and Messi, any other country (Except the UK) and I get it. Oh, and I guess Chelsea are down 0-3 going into Munich, whereas Barca-Napoli is 1-1 going to Camp Nou. Okay, fine. But I'm grumblin'.
And yeah, the QFs and Semis - no excuse for that. What the hell else do you have to broadcast on your sports network at 3:00pm on a weekday that's going to get more viewers?
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 3-6: Tiki [Barber] and Tierney
Saturday 3-6: This weekend it's World Team Tennis, next it'll be the UCL R16 obviously, but after that - what, baseball? Won't even be the NBA playoffs yet.
So aside from Saturday the 15th, you're skipping televising 5 of the best soccer matches in the world, in favor of... a pre-taped talking-heads show about NFL football.
Seriously, WTF. Tiki will understand.
And yeah, the QFs and Semis - no excuse for that. What the hell else do you have to broadcast on your sports network at 3:00pm on a weekday that's going to get more viewers?
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 3-6: Tiki [Barber] and Tierney
Saturday 3-6: This weekend it's World Team Tennis, next it'll be the UCL R16 obviously, but after that - what, baseball? Won't even be the NBA playoffs yet.
So aside from Saturday the 15th, you're skipping televising 5 of the best soccer matches in the world, in favor of... a pre-taped talking-heads show about NFL football.
Seriously, WTF. Tiki will understand.
Besides walking 10 miles, through snow, to walk to school when I was a kid - I remember paying a lot more than a month of CBS All Access to watch matches on PPV as recently as the final of Euro 2004. Fox and Turner placed matches behind paywalls. Pony up or watch with Spanish announcers.