Would be nice to pull Porto Basel or Monaco in the next round if we get past PSG. Easier quarter final than taking on likes of Bayern and Barca should help with our league form.
I agree with you for a change. Too much is made of a cup competition where one bad game can end it. The only way to gauge how good the teams are is to put them all in a league together. Don't think that will ever happen so it's a bit of a pointless topic really IMO.
Don't agree. Spurs and Liverpool have prioritised their weekend games to try and get C.L football / a trophy and didn't put out their best 11. Even then , Liverpool went out on pens only. The comment about our players is laughable to be honest. Hazard would certainly have a chance getting in those sides, especially Bayern. Our Defence is the best out of all 4 sides IMO and I wouldn't swap them for any defence in Europe. Matic and Fabregas are also more than good enough to play for any team in Europe. The teams like Marid and Barca are not the best teams because all 11 players are amazing and better than anyone else but that they have more world class forwards like Ronaldo, Messi, Bale, James, Suarez etc. You can't convince me that Barca for instance wouldn't be just as good if not better with Ivanovic, Terry and Matic in their starting line up. It's players like Messi and Iniesta that aren't inter-changeable. Most of the rest are.
The reality is though that Arsenal aren't that good a side. They are flat track bullies that get enough good results over the course of the season against the weaker P.L sides to get top 4 but are normally found wanting at the business end of the C.L when they come up against tactically good sides with better players than the likes of Burnley and Palace.
100% agree and have said so myself many times. To get anywhere in the top end of the CL these days you need a manager who knows his tactics and can read the opposition and figure out how to beat em.
Hazard would not get in any of those sides, as the likes of Ronaldo, Bale, Messi, Neymar, Robben and Ribery are all his superior. Hazard has all the tricks, but he lacks an end product. His tally this season looks ok because he takes penalties, but count up his goals in open play, he's really not as effective as some would have us believe. Please do me a favour re Fabregas, we already have evidence of him receiving his marching orders in Spain, and as for Matic If you think Matic is better than the likes of Modric, Kroos, Busquetes, Alonso and Schweinstieger then your on something. As far as your defence is concerned, this is where it gets really amusing You really think any of those teams would have a couple of makeshift fullbacks. Azpilicueta isn't even a left back, the guys right footed. Whilst Ivanovic is far to slow, he's built to be a centre back! I can't imagine Barca having a big lump like Ivanovic charging up the wings for them Mourinho will have him, as he's physical and that suits Chelsea's way of playing, but it wouldn't suit either of the top 3 in Europe. As they try to outplay the opposition, rather than try to physically dominate them. Cahill is not a quality centre back, this is why Mourinho keeps dropping him, as he's been the route cause of any major defensive mistakes this season. Whilst Terry even at his peak would not get anywhere near any of these teams as he doesn't have the pace. Terry is a good defender if you play with a deep defensive line but he is a sitting duck for any pacey attacker when used in a high defensive line. This is why Ferdinand will always be rated superior, as he had the versatility to play for any team. Terry was found out when AVB used the system, and he was found out in big games for England when the defence was pushed up.
The only one of those players I rate NOW are Kroos The rest are past it, except Busquetes who is just **** (nepotism at work)
I literally cant be arsed to reply to all your drivel suffice to say, don't think player are world beaters just because they play for teams largely carried by the brilliance of players like Messi and Ronaldo - it shows frightening lack of perspective. Re Fabregas, the sheer huge numbers of games he played for Barca shows he is more than good enough to get in the top sides. He wont be the first or the last player to be moved on to make room for the latest 'name'. See also Di Maria. Did he get his marching orders too or does it only count for Chelsea players? Matic is a better holding midfielder than all those players you've mentioned (maybe with the exception of Busquetes) - because all the others are deep lying play makers not holding midfielders. Doh!!! http://www1.skysports.com/football/...nks-branislav-ivanovic-is-one-of-europes-best Now who do I believe. Ex pro and 'invincible' Robert Pires whose faced more full back s than I've had hot dinners, or the wally who thinks Peter Crouch is better than Oscar? Mmm tough one.
Casillas Carvajal Pepe Varane Marcelo Bale Lucas Silva kroos Isco Benzema Ronaldo That was the team that played Real's last game. Courtois, Terry, Ivanovic, Matic, Fabregas and Costa could walk into that team depending on systems etc.
Fabregas didn't cut the mustard for Barcelona, whilst he did play a fair few games he was never a guarenteed starter, at his best for them he was used as part of a squad rotation system. Di Maria was a starter for Real, however he was always the first subbed off when changes where made. So I'm not going to delusionally claim he was a star player for them. He was a good player, but he wasn't on Ronaldo or Bales level. In an ideal world I don't think they wanted to sell, but they needed the cash to fund the Rodriguez deal. So they chose him over Di Maria. Regardless of wether one is a deep lying playmaker and the others are holding players. Real play in a way that they don't have a typical holding midfield player, so either Kroos or Modric would still have to be dropped to make room for him, which would never happen. Alonso has been outstanding since his move to Bayern, it has really rejuvenated his form. He's playing like one of the worlds best in midfield. Schweinstieger is another quality player, who was arguably the Germans best player throughout the WC. I really don't think Matic Is on there levels. As far as Ivanovic, like I say the guy is a good defender, but he's not a fullback. Chelsea are happy to use him there as he's physical, but that's not what Barca, Real or Bayern look for in a fullback. Ivanovic is to slow to play in that position for them
OK some of those comments are fair but ultimately you're not allowing any of our players into say Real or Barca's team because they don't fit the way those sides play? Equally you could say certain players from their sides don't fit our way so wouldn't get in. That doesn't mean that our players (or the other top premier league players) are not of the same standard. If I take my own club bias out of it, De Gea, Kompany, Yaya and Aguero would get in practically any side in the world. The sheer amount of goals that Ivanovic gets from full back in big games and his presence in either box on set plays means I'd rather him than some average full back whose got a bit of pace. Fabregas struggled to impact at Barca because of Xavi primarily. Had he not been there or moved on then Fabregas would have made that central role his own. No shame being behind a legend like Xavi. I'm not having that Modric or Kroos or Alonso are better than Fabregas. They are all very very good players and it comes down to opinions and personal preference. We'll see how Alonso fares against better opposition as the C.L progresses as at the moment, there isn't much competition in that German league. I've always been a big fan of his but he's getting on a bit now and prone to mistakes with those legs starting to go.
The Spanish league is dog **** anyway. Outside of Barca, Real and atletico, the rest of the teams are Championship standard. Stick any of them in the PL and they would most likely be relegated.
Going back to the original point, I don't think the English sides take the Europa League that seriously generally compared to other countries and that's bound to reflect in team selections, performances etc. I remember when we beat Benfica in the final in 2013, their players looked genuinely devastated to have lost. The competition needs a major overhaul as well, but that's another debate.
With it having a CL spot I imagine that it'll get pretty good from this point on as teams will start to see that prize.
Part of the reason why English don't take well to it is the Thursday kick offs. Thats a horrible day to play on and the PL are not half as accomodating as other domestic leagues when it comes to re-jigging the fixtures to help their teams in Europe. Also, until this season, there was really no incentive to do well in the Europa League, now the winners get a CL spot so maybe people will take it more seriously from now on.
Come on Bod!! There's Sevilla, Villareal and Valencia who would give any team in the PL a run for their money!!! If you look the PL clubs, then there's 6 clubs who will always be there or thereabouts plus Everton. The rest of the PL can have what are termed good seasons by finishing in the top 10 and then get relegated, bounce back, have another reasonable spell in the PL and get relegated again. Prime examples of clubs in this category being Sunderland, Newcastle, West Ham, and maybe QPR. A few years back WBA were another yoyo club. So any three of these13 PL sides can be PL one season and back in the Championship the next, rather like their counterparts in La Liga outside their top 6 plus Bilbao who have never been relegated!!
The C.L spot is a nice reward but it's still soooo many games and so much travelling to get anywhere near the final. Plus ultimately it is a cup so unpredictable. You can understand why say Liverpool would fancy their chances of getting back into the C.L through the league rather than the E.L and therefore prioritise the league. I enjoyed it when we were in it but holds no interest for me otherwise. It should be knock out from the start with the 'bigger' teams coming in later on like the fa cup. I'd even be partial to 1 leg affairs till say the quarters or semi.
I think there are some good sides in La Liga but for what ever reason they just don't provide enough competition week to week for the big boys. You regularly get 'upsets' in the premier league but happens a lot less frequently in La Liga and the top teams smash 90- 95 points regularly. I can only put this down to the less physical side of Spanish football. I.e someone like a Stoke can out perform a top side in a physical sense then they have a chance of getting a result. In La Liga it's lots of teams playing similarly and ultimately the better quality sides normally win. That's not always the case in the P.L. Also explains Atletico's success in that they have created a very P.L type side that mixes talent and application.
You are right we are an absolutely hopeless team with useless players. Where are we now in the Pl and CL ? How have we gone in the CL past few years? When we get some decent players, we might do OK, though probably not as good as Barca last few seasons.
