Good post CK. agree with all of that. The reality this season is that we can't be complacent. If we are, we will get spanked by Madrid and Dortmund. Simple as that. Maybe the fact that we're underdogs like we were in 2010, could result in us causing a bit of an upset. Perhaps we'll play our game with less pressure on ourselves to get a result. 2 wins, or a draw and a win in our first two games against Dortmund and Apoel, may just give us that confidence to get out of the group. I would just really like us to get 1 attacking player who has the ability to add something different from the bench, and keep on the toes of the regulars. I think it'll make a real difference to our domestic and CL campaign, and just give us a bit of a boost, especially with Dele out for half of the CL group matches.
Dortmund finished 2 points above Hoffenheim last season. 18 points, count them good people, 18 points behind Bayern. Okay, Hoffenheim lost 2 good defenders to Bayern this summer but they got butt ****ed by The Mousers; this is not the Borussia Dortmund of a few years ago. Their record was W 18; D 10; L 6. That's not exactly CL winning form and is a little worse than our form in a worse league. We turn up and they can be beaten. If we play like last time out, it's back to the EL. Time to turn up in Europe, boys.
I'm really excited we'll have Real and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. That's great luck, the way I look at it, playing in the home of English football against two of the biggest (foreign) clubs. Of course, bad efforts would not make the occasions seem quite so stellar. But a win against either might go a long way to making Wembley feel like home. There's more to gain than to lose. If worst comes to worst, that group is still a far better lead-in to the Europa than having to nudge aside guerrillas or polar bears after a long plane ride.
haven't checked the comments about the draw but i for one am excited by the prospect Some great games to look ahead to...lets give it a go! COYS
We do have a solution to 1. Familiarity. By the time these games come round we will have played a few games there. Last year it was all strange and unfamiliar.
Possibility of also losing Dembele to Barcelona or if he continues to sulk for not joining that basket case of a club.
You're Goddamn right! The group is likely to come down to the games against Dortmund. Those are BIG games at Wembley and a cauldron of an away ground. If this team has the cojones to turn up on the really big stages and dig in and beat a team that they are the equal of and probably better than, then they may find they have it on them to win something. This is the season we find out about this team. No more talk. Let's bloody do it!
I guess it hinges on who they buy to replace Dembele. £110m gets a choice of strikers who will all want to play for Bayern in a couple of years.
Dembele was immense for BvB last season. His attacking menace covered up the cracks in their defense. 10 goals and 21 assists isn't too shabby for a 19 year old in his first Bundesliga season.
Fraudiola made a cringeworthy attempt to big up City's CL group in his conference today: "I think Napoli are one of the top 3 clubs in Europe today". Erm...right you are Pep. Enjoy your extraordinarily difficult group stage.
No Astra Googoo in the Europa. Once the team full of "seasoned international" dg were confirmed to not be participating this season, our friendly Romanians did not have the heart to try and qualify.
****ing Astra Googoo, to give them their full name, were in the qualifiers again this year. The draw wasn't as kind to them, unfortunately. They drew FC Oleksandriya from Ukraine in the 3rd round and lost 1-0 on aggregate. A penalty from club legend (possibly) Andriy Zaporozhan in the 2nd leg was enough to put them out.
