Can't stand Chelsea and don't want Real Madrid to win it so I'll go with Man City as the best of a bad bunch
If Chelsea beat Real Madrid I think they have the ability to beat this City side in the final. They’ve beaten once in a cup and I think they’ve got the measure of this very good city side. City would prefer to play Madrid instead of Chelsea.
Watching PSG tonight just confirms how much against an ESL I am. Imagine having to play the likes of them and Real all the time.
Considering where it is, it would be better if Souness just sticks a Galatasaray flag in the centre circle.
It rather proves that the ESL is needed to keep up with these clubs. Just look at how these two (and PSG) have risen to CL finals without the traditional resources required. Not that I approve of the ESL though, rather disapprove of the nature of those clubs.
I don't think the ESL would do anything to tackle that though? Also, I think the managers have a huge part to play in this. Take Pep out and City aint getting to a CL final. Chelsea on the other hand are an anomaly. They keep changing managers and keep getting to finals (domestic) and still winning trophies. Fck knows how they keep managing that, maybe just luck. Although they've not been anywhere near winning the two most coveted pieces of silverware.
Don't buy that, he's had 5 shots at it with City and got to 1. With the money they've spent they'd have got there in the end, this year (without fans) just so happens to be the year. Think the lack of fans has been a massive help to City, it allows them to be techincal and proficient without the pressure of a crowd. Along with other factors, like the decline in alot of clubs. Perfect year for City to capitalise. Not saying any old manager would have done it, just that it didn't have to be Pep.
City only lost to chelsea a couple weeks back. Imo this is what happens when you get sides who can defend. It'll be a 0-0 or 1-0 final imo. Tuchel is really negative at time and gets one idea how to play and rigidly sticks to it. His side have bags of energy and players with strength and guile. He will drop james and play azpi as a wing back ffs. Anyway city can finally defend better than attack, the cb situation there has massively improved them and they even have a set piece threat. This is why they are successful. The europa is UTC v arsenal potentially. Cant get more ESL than that either. The english press would love to crow about english dominance so will blame others and say the city and chelsea owners were left with no option despite the fact they were involved all along.
You' ve undermined your own point from earlier. If it's taken them 12/13 years there's no need to worry. Pep is one of the top 2/3 managers in the world and it's taken him 5 attempts. Shows how hard it is, even for the best managers to manage it. I don't think they would've got there anytime soon without him although it would've happened eventually. I still don't see how an ESL would improve that.
the message is that sides who defend properly get further in tournaments. simple as. the naivety at times that city showed over the past 5 years under pepe was hilarious. this year they address the defensive side of the game and despite being being nearly so impressive up front and BOOOM easy title and the CL final. Tuchel comes in at chelsea and instantly brings back rudiger and puts a sound defensive line in place including kante and the shuffling jorginho in front. They instantly improve and move form also rans to FA cup finalists and in a good place for CL final as well.
the last non ESL/ desired 15 (including bayern) to win the champions league would be porto in 2003/04 and before that dortmund in 1997. the new system is likely to only reinforce it. I can't see how anyone gets out of the 2 groups of ten that are not in those "elites" maybe one or two per year max.
Neither of those club have won it (yet) though. I find all this talk of ‘traditional resources’ absolutely laughable tbh. Not a mention of Madrid the 13 times champions who have been financially doped for decades, Barca exactly the same only with less wins. Yet City and PSG seem to be put in a different category as they’re nouveau riche lol.
They are all elites, the only difference is one is spending money that directly from a state in an uncontrolled way now. You are absolutely right, there's a massively long history of Madrid doping in a similar way. When the Spanish government bought their training ground before the financial crash for 200 odd million to bail them out for example. It is the same thing. Its also the issue that they consider themselves elite and above others
