UEFA Champions League General Thread 23/24

[Yousif Arsenal]

A.Madrid Simeone basically at thier peak reach into finals being hard to beat. End to end stuff you'll get destroyed. I'd put Inter ahead of us as 4th favourite imo

 

[Red London]

A.Madrid Simeone basically at thier peak reach into finals being hard to beat. End to end stuff you'll get destroyed. I'd put Inter ahead of us as 4th favourite imo

We could be more set up defensively this year than we would have been last year with Rice and also Timber eventually returning, with Tomiyasu being in better form.

However the question will be goals. In the CL you need a proven number 9 as city have shown and Madrid, Bayern etc in the past.

We don’t have a player who is addicted to scoring goals which will drastically reduce our chances, although Jesus is a different man in the CL if he can stay fit…. His record is great in Europe.

 

[Riou]

Player quality, I would say that's about right...we have a very good team to be fair, though admittedly European football isn't in the best state in the 2020s so far.

I am still looking at quarter finals as a respectable first time back in it in 7 years, maybe semis if we can get a good draw... but the lack of experience in our squad will cost us in this tournament 100%.

It's some of our players and even our manager's first Champions League campaign ever, ffs

 

[2Smokeyy]

It's some of our players and even our manager's first Champions League campaign ever, ffs

Gabriel, Jesus, Zinchenko, Havertz, Jorginho and I think Ødegaard feature in the comp before

Saying that I’ll exclude the players however other managers have done it in their first season in the CL. Pep, Zidane, Enrique and Di Matteo…I could be forgetting a few but that’s enough ammunition for @Farzad

 

[Riou]

Gabriel, Jesus, Zinchenko, Havertz, Jorginho and I think Ødegaard feature in the comp before

Saying that I’ll exclude the players however other managers have done it in their first season in the CL. Pep, Zidane, Enrique and Di Matteo…I could be forgetting a few but that’s enough ammunition for @Farzad

To be fair Baldy, Zizou and Enrique were taking over all time teams...Di Matteo team wasn't great but had a lot of tough characters in that team Chelsea side even if he was on the decline, kinda like our 2006 team.

Just don't think the current team or manager is quite there yet, tbh.

 

[Farzad Stoned]

Gabriel, Jesus, Zinchenko, Havertz, Jorginho and I think Ødegaard feature in the comp before

Saying that I’ll exclude the players however other managers have done it in their first season in the CL. Pep, Zidane, Enrique and Di Matteo…I could be forgetting a few but that’s enough ammunition for @Farzad

He has to eventually win something right? Cl probably easier than winning Pl right now. The idea that only Mik could take us from a 5th place finish year before he took over; and to now 4th place and a domestic cup after hundreds of millions of pounds and 4 years is insanity. The tetsexuals act like being in CL and winning a one off cup 4 years in is Mik doing miracles only he could emulate.

 

[2Smokeyy]

To be fair Baldy, Zizou and Enrique were taking over all time teams...Di Matteo team wasn't great but had a lot of tough characters in that team Chelsea side even if he was on the decline, kinda like our 2006 team.

Just don't think the current team or manager is quite there yet, tbh.

The guy played Ryan Bertrand LWF, Kalou RWF, Bosingwa on the right of Luiz and Cahill against a star studded Bayern team with Robben, Ribery and Muller

People don’t want to hear it but anything can happen in cup competitions especially in a one off game. That’s why I don’t buy into giving him baby steps. He has to prove himself in Europe as he hasn’t done so thus far in his career.

 

[Riou]

The guy played Ryan Bertrand LWF, Kalou RWF, Bosingwa on the right of Luiz and Cahill against a star studded Bayern team with Robben, Ribery and Muller

People don’t want to hear it but anything can happen in cup competitions especially in a one off game. That’s why I don’t buy into giving him baby steps. He has to prove himself in Europe as he hasn’t done so thus far in his career.

Di Matteo in 2012 was like a once in a lifetime thing, Chelsea should have been battered in every knockout round to be honest

That's not really proving yourself in a cup comp, that's just getting very lucky...Di Matteo hasn't got even close to any tournament since that season in the FA cup and Champions League, you need to do it consistently...like Wenger or Emery, for examples.

Cups are more random and shorter than leagues, so "weaker" sides would have a better chance of winning it I agree...we do have a chance at it, but you can show you are proven in cups too by at least constantly getting to the semis every season, then you are just looking at a bit of luck here and there...our side hasn't done that yet, imo.

But I look at Arteta , out of the 11 cup comps we have had under him...1 win, 2 semis, then 8 very early exits.

I want him to win trophies and hope he does, but he isn't a proven cup manager either...so I can't say I KNOW he's going win this tournament as much as I like it, as he still has things to prove to me...hopefully he can add to that this season.

 

[UpTheGunnerz]

I fancy our chances against all teams in this year competition, most difficult is definitely City. Bayern and Real we could take I feel ( but they can take us too ofc)

 

[2Smokeyy]

Di Matteo in 2012 was like a once in a lifetime thing, Chelsea should have been battered in every knockout round to be honest

That's not really proving yourself in a cup comp, that's just getting very lucky...Di Matteo hasn't got even close to any tournament since that season in the FA cup and Champions League, you need to do it consistently...like Wenger or Emery, for examples.

Cups are more random and shorter than leagues, so "weaker" sides would have a better chance of winning it I agree...we do have a chance at it, but you can show you are proven in cups too by at least constantly getting to the semis every season, then you are just looking at a bit of luck here and there...our side hasn't done that yet, imo.

But I look at Arteta , out of the 11 cup comps we have had under him...1 win, 2 semis, then 8 very early exits.

I want him to win trophies and hope he does, but he isn't a proven cup manager either...so I can't say I KNOW he's going win this tournament as much as I like it, as he still has things to prove to me...hopefully he can add to that this season.

Hate to break it to everyone but I don’t think we’ll ever reach the stage that people will be fully convinced that we’ll win the CL. As long as Real Madrid, City and Bayern are around then we will never be regarded as favourites in the competition, that’s not to say that we can’t win it.

Our best chance is just getting a favourable draw and riding our luck after the QF’s/Semis hoping we don’t draw any of those three teams.

 

[Riou]

Hate to break it to everyone but I don’t think we’ll ever reach the stage that people will be fully convinced that we’ll win the CL.

Probably, you never know though.

We were definitely one of the strong favs to win it back in 2004 and maybe a few other times around that period too, so it can happen...though it will be very unlikely as you say.

 

[Farzad Stoned]

I fancy our chances against all teams in this year competition, most difficult is definitely City. Bayern and Real we could take I feel ( but they can take us too ofc)

No way the Spanish Tosser beats Don Carlo in European knockout tie. Can you picture Havertz running away from crosses at the Bernabue? The Madridistas being the fans they are would boo him more mercilessly on our behalf than our east end hipsters at Emirates ever will, guy might start crying on Tv. Their number 8 is Bellingham ours is Kai.

 

[LookingForEric]

View attachment 19683

Based on the above, I fancy our odds

Talk about backing your team Jesus

 

[Gooner Zig]

I'll be disappointed if we don't reach the QFs - just think there's not that many teams in Europe who are clearly better than us.

 

[Gooner Zig]

Ironically our sufferball generally seems to be more effective in knock out comps

 

[Bucephalus]

Hate to break it to everyone but I don’t think we’ll ever reach the stage that people will be fully convinced that we’ll win the CL. As long as Real Madrid, City and Bayern are around then we will never be regarded as favourites in the competition, that’s not to say that we can’t win it.

Our best chance is just getting a favourable draw and riding our luck after the QF’s/Semis hoping we don’t draw any of those three teams.

This, but more optimistically. The only team in the world I don't think we can beat over two legs is City. And we've shown we can beat them in a one-off.

No, I don't think we could make it through a gauntlet of QF-Spanish Giant, SF-City, F-Bayern. But if we got a good draw and only had to beat one Spanish Giant/Bayern, then take our chances on final day, it could happen.

 

[Farzad Stoned]

This, but more optimistically. The only team in the world I don't think we can beat over two legs is City. And we've shown we can beat them in a one-off.

No, I don't think we could make it through a gauntlet of QF-Spanish Giant, SF-City, F-Bayern. But if we got a good draw and only had to beat one Spanish Giant/Bayern, then take our chances on final day, it could happen.

I think you are dreaming if you think we match up with Madrid. Even Atletico out farmerball’s Mik with a better manager. We got a midfield that has one big hole in it they have 5 amazing midfielders at least. Who can play in different spots. Their wingers will roast our fullbacks. Bellingham on Kai or a gimpy Ode. Don Carlo v. Mik. How do we match up well with Madrid?

 

[Entropics]

Ironically our sufferball generally seems to be more effective in knock out comps

Not really, early cup exits are a meme for a reason

 

[Bucephalus]

I think you are dreaming if you think we match up with Madrid. Even Atletico out farmerball’s Mik with a better manager. We got a midfield that has one big hole in it they have 5 amazing midfielders at least. Who can play in different spots. Their wingers will roast our fullbacks. Bellingham on Kai or a gimpy Ode. Don Carlo v. Mik. How do we match up well with Madrid?

I'd favour Madrid. I'd favour Bayern and Barca, too. But the gap is no longer so wide that it's impossible. And fluking a draw where we only need one upset and then get to roll the dice in a final is entirely possible. Wigan won an FA Cup for Christ's sake.

 

[Farzad Stoned]

I'd favour Madrid. I'd favour Bayern and Barca, too. But the gap is no longer so wide that it's impossible. And fluking a draw where we only need one upset and then get to roll the dice in a final is entirely possible. Wigan won an FA Cup for Christ's sake.

Mik has a better shot at CL than league, but marginally so. The gap increased this year not decreased