Two massive results for the German sides that I don't think anyone quite predicted but both totally deserved victories. For the past few years the Spanish has ruled the roost over European football, especially Barcelona, but do you think their time is up? Will Bayern exert the same dominance in the next 3 years that Barcelona have shown in the previous 3? I certainly think Barcelona's time is up as the top team, mainly due to having ageing players and their tactics getting found out. Certainly not the force they were a couple of years ago. Madrid I thought would win the CL this year, purely down to the Mourinho factor but they'll do well to recover from tonight. They always strengthen though and they will spend big as always to remain competitive. Bayern are the team to beat at the moment and the addition of gotze from Dortmund for next season is frightening. Be interesting to see how Dortmund cope without him and possibly Lewandowski. Without them two I can't see them being a serious threat in Europe like they are this year. Credit to them though for what they have achieved. On a side note it is hilarious to think that Dortmund have a lower wage budget than Queens Park Rangers and Chris Samba earns more than any Dortmund player.
The whole Spanish dominance thing has been a bit overstated imo. They've only won two out of the last six CLs, which is the same as England and Italy, and if Bayern prevail against Barca then they will have reached their third final in four seasons. And only Barca out of the Spanish teams have done anything worthwhile - for all the money he has had to spend Mourinho hasn't really gotten to grips with the challenge of the Madrid job. It's certainly been a much tougher job for him than Porto, Chelsea and Inter, and I think the Special One has had a good dose of reality having to deal with a domestic rival with similar resources and talent. I wonder if that will put him off going back to Chelsea - if he went back this time then Chelsea wouldn't have the massive financial advantages they had in previous years, and he'd have to struggle to get their current squad up to a level to match Utd and City. Wonder if he'll see PSG as chance to get back to what he does best - utterly dominate with the richest club in the league. Likewise I think predictions of German dominance are wide of the mark too. Bayern are the biggest club in Germany, and their European record over the past decade or so has been pretty similar to ours. So like us, they will always be there or thereabouts, under performing in some seasons and going further in others. Reckon they'll win it this season but, as many other clubs have found out, it's almost always harder to defend the trophy than to win it. Dortmund are simply a great example of how a club with a good squad and some top players can always do well in the CL with a good run of performances and a slice of luck. Like you say, I doubt they will replicate it next year - I reckon they will probably end up like Arsenal, regularly qualifying from the group stage and putting together the occasional strong run, but I would be very surprised if they beat Bayern in the final and they will struggle a lot with players likely to leave over the summer.
I think I let the Spanish national team's success cloud my original thought of that first post tbh! But the fact remains that Barcelona have been considered the team to beat in Europe in recent years. Do you not consider that Bayern will be that new 'team to beat' in the next few seasons? Strong squad and already added quality with Gotze. Agree with you about Dortmund's position in coming years though!
Real Madrid are the most overhyped side in world football, haven't even reached a final in Europe since like 2000, yet because they spend millions and millions every summer, and won the Euro Cup loads of times in the 50s and 60s. Everyone thinks there something special. All they are is a very average side, with 1 top class player, and the rest just hang on to his coat tails
Average is bit harsh I think! They are on par with Utd, as shown by the two games earlier this season that Utd were just edging until the red card. So unless Utd are a very average side.....?
We had them by the bollocks before the outrageous sending off. Average yes is abit harsh, but there still nothing special, and were incredibly fortuitous to even be in the semi final. Delighted that they got a good thrashing
The easiest way I can sum up Real and United is this, No player/manager at United is bigger than the club. At Real the Ego's are through the roof!
I was happier to see Barcelona get dicked. Hopefully it'll force them to consider a plan B. I find their possession football just tedious to watch 95% of the time.
I don't mind Barcelona so much, as atleast when they've had success there humble. Mourhino is an arrogant big shot, and I love to see any of his teams get a good pasting as they did tonight
new German era starting? not sure yet, let us wait another season .. what is sure though is that since 10 years they started a plan to encourage young teams within the clubs more to generate more talents after some disappointing Germany sides in late 90s .. sure that policy is paying off now regarding Barca, i like their style of football .. i rather have them over City negative style of football
German era, not so much I think, for a league which is set to utterly butterly dominated by one team for at least a few next years. Dortmund have done extremely well in CL, but not been impressive on their league, when I've watched them at least, which is a bit like Arsenal and Liverpool in recent past. I think, the biggest potential is still in the PL, because there are more elite teams and you can back anyone of them on a given night. Bayern, for all the credit they receive, seem to nick all the rivals' top players.
Some funny comments, Real at least on a par with United. Real have been poor in the CL this year, last night just proves that even further and yes Nani got sent off but also, your lot did not deal with Modric, that was why you went out, blaming the red card for anything other than going down to 10, if ye had defended better the current score before the red would have seen you through, Real still needed 2 goals a **** real needed two goals but your team lost its head and you manager failed to change it to cope with the introduction of Modric. It ain't all the refs fault, yet I hear you lot blaming refs for having less CL titles when none of those games were the final. City negative football, was it not united playing defensive counter attack football v City City this city that, so Swarbs said when they fail to win anything this year yaya and co will be off, the same Yaya that has signed a long term contract Wishful thinking come to naught eh. barcelona found out Just lost possibly one of the best managers around, Some key players off form and lets be honest, their midfield is the be all and end all of that team, if three of their players in the middle at not at their usual best and they have been the most consistent trio in the world over the past 5 years, then that team suffers. Messi Xavi and Inestia have not been as great of late and yet they still made it to the semi and still wrapped up the league, found out? Some bollox that is, when you dont win every year you bitch when people say you are in decline and now here you are saying Barca are in decline because they didn't make the final they are tedious? Divers? Cheats? in none of the games v United did they dive and cheat. They played brilliant football and have played brilliant football, tedious?! seriously, some real ABBs out there and most of them support the teams they beat in the PL, Arsnenal Chavsky and yernited. As for Bayern, they are the form team in the CL and have, lucky 1999 final apart bettered yernited in the CL face to face almost every time, Dortmund have done well but they possibly should have gone out against Malaga both their goals to give them the win, one off side and one blatant fouls in the build up. For all of Bayern's dominance v barca and they did dominate, 1 goal off side and the other a blatant block on the defender, so 2 0 would not have been so assuring going to the Nou as AC Milan found out, they failed to make the most of many chances as they did against Chelsea in the final last year but Pep and the new players coming on board, I don;t think the current United squad can compete with them head to head, I am sure you will disagree.
I don't really see this as any more a period of dominance to the one the premier league was meant to enjoy. Like United, Bayern will reach three finals in quick succession, probably winning one. Like previously one will be in all likelyhood all German, like it was with us v Chelsea. And like the premier league, they have another club who generally get to the knock out stages - PL, Arsenal; Bundesliga, Schalke. Bayern look very strong though for next year, already signing Gotze and possibly now Lewandowski (or even Suarez). This will in turn weaken Dortmund though. It's all cyclical in this tournament, we (the PL) will come again, as will Spain, and Italy could throw themslves into the mix along with PSG. I'd lay money on a German team NOT winning it next year.
I don't personally see the whole 'team to beat' thing as being relevant in Europe. It's relevant in the league where you have to play every team, but you could feasibly win the CL without playing either Barca or Bayern so it's not like you start the season purely targeting those clubs. That's just a media cliche for lazy pundits desperate for something to talk about. Also worth noting that Bayern have yet to win the CL, so definitely a bit premature to talk them being the top team in Europe right now.
Neither the Germans nor Spaniards have exercised the same dominance we have over the last decade. We've had 3 winners (Liverpool, United and Chelsea), the same as La Liga (Barcelona x3 in the same period), while the Germans have had none. We've had 8 final appearances (Arsenal once, Chelsea x2, Liverpool x2, United x3), Spain has had 3 (Barca x3) and Germany just 2 (Bayern x2). We had finalists for 5 consecutive years, and for 3 years running we had 3/4 semi-finalists (2006/7, 2007/8 and 2008/9). Detractors will claim this is all down to money, but no one spends more than Barca and Madrid. And the Premier League's biggest spender (City) has done nothing in Europe, whereas our most successful team in Europe (United) have spent less than most of the others I've mentioned. I'm sure we'll be back too.
Counting fail Chelsea are currently higher ranked in Europe unless you are talking european titles, which it is still not United. As for dominance, other league's top teams ebb and flow as they do in the PL. Also individual runs to the final don't show dominance, Liverpool had 2 finals in 3 years and you've already put that down to not competing in the league late in the season when suits now its England dominating Europe, you use stats one way then the other to suit to contradicting arguments, Chelsea were you lot say lucky and now they are being used to prove dominance players its all players, for that spell the PL was a destination for top players, now Spain and Italy and German ones remain in Germany as well as go to Spain. Since the exodus of the likes of Ronaldo Alonso Masc Fab and the like the showing in Europe has not been as great.
There's only one destination top players will go in Germany, Bayern. Italy, only Juventus seem to be attracting top talent, but I'm sure that last on most players preferences on top leagues on Europe to play in at the moment. Spain just has Madrid and Barca. England has Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea attracting the top talent from aroun the world, with Arsenal and Spurs in the use below and could very well get a big name or two this summer. So England have had two poor years in the CL, and England still had a team win the Champions League. With Mourinho coming to Chelsea, and rumors of United spending big this summer, and I think City will finally make out of a group stage, we'll have 3-4 teams coming out of the group stage with United and Chelsea within a good chance of making it deep into the knock out rounds.
