When the real CL season starts in a few months, it might be better to avoid Bayern or Real by then. Like Juve, those teams won't peak until later in the season. It won't be easy for City or PSG to sustain this momentum all season. Regardless of whether Juve finish 1st or 2nd, they could draw top teams either way.
Teams can say the same about Juve's leaky defense. Allegri must find a solution or it won't matter who Juve draw.
Man city are prob legit going to the CL Finals... they score fast and they score often. Look at this list of all the games they played in and look at the score lines. http://www.espnfc.us/club/manchester-city/382/fixtures They would put in at least 2 goals on us in a match... Gabriel Jesus is just finding his bearings too, hes going to get better as year goes on. Their defense is pretty dam stout too... the most impressive thing about them is that they have not had one match where they didnt show up, we have had a few games where our guys did not deliver as expected. They are a very well rounded and complete team, they have fantastic attacking players and a solid back line who is fantastic on counters. KDB running the midfield is a huge asset for them, when he is on... you see very attractive football City keeps defying expectations tho... They would be hands down the worst draw for us, I would say the second worst draw for Juve would be Spurs( who dismantled us in the preseason, yes i know its preseason) or Real. But there are many threatening teams this year... Roma and Napoli look for real, United has an interesting project that can yield surprise upsets, PSG is a unknown because they havent played anyone, but they are stacked on paper.
The biggest thing Juve needs is to rotate guys so every one is healthy in knockout rounds, but more importantly... we need the guys on the bench to be IN FORM and able to contribute. We need to be able to throw a impact sub on the field in the 60th-70th minute and have him change a deadlock game or equalize if we are down. Having a gamechanger on the bench is a requirement to win the CL. I have no doubt we will find ourselves in that situation as we typically do... we know we have guys who can come in and stabilize the game, but who will come in make a key goal/assist and change the game. Look at what benching Gonzalo did for him, hope Max treats everyone that way this year. The biggest thing is he was supportive of Gonzalo, he didnt say your being punished, he said you are thinking right and you need to relax and stop forcing things, enjoy the game and Gonzalo has been back on form since. I think on paper or in his head, max has this idea where Sami just is workhorse and gets ball to Pjanic who plays great technical passes to Gonzalo or to the wings and then the ball is played into the box where it is finished. Sometimes they do it, they do it in Serie A... but we have had several reminders this year and last... it just does not translate to Serie A. I also think he is hell bent on using Juan because of his speed which is a huge asset, it is a shame that Juan never learned to really dribble creatively because he really needs to have a move to beat the outside back... he fails often when he takes it outside to touch line, his only real success comes from cutting inside, but he only has Gonzalo right in front of him or Paulo to play to, the mids are often not crashing into the 18 fast enough... so play just gets slowed down. Teams see this on game film and that is why he can be contained, they know whats coming. That is why I like Berna, he has some skill on the ball, he plays well with a man on his back and he can whip in shots and crosses alike from range. Maybe it's time to try out Juan as a right back? it cant hurt if we are seriously letting MDS play soft out the back and letting Stu have a crack at it. One thing is for certain, we dont have a solid option back there right now.. Maybe Howedes is that guy.
A big part of it is Harry Kane honestly, he may be the best pure striker there is playing right now. I don't think he is going to have a drop off unless he gets a serious injury. He idol worships Tom Brady and is hell bent on emulating his preparation and commitment so that he can be the soccer version of him. City's only real weakness is that new young keeper, but he is gradually getting more assertive and aggressive, he has a great set of traits to help him excel tho.. I remember how shaky he was in the first few games for them, but he has quickly assimilated. I think Pep is a great players coach too, he knows how to get guys to buy in and how to keep them motivated, but also optimistic as well as how to enjoy playing despite the pressure. Contrasting that with Jose is why I know United will falter, I expect United to make a upset in the CL, but I know they will splinter off and break apart once they go under against a quality team. Also United is a much better team without Pogba... I wonder how that is going to play out when he is inevitably back in the lineup during the knockout rounds. Paul's constant whining and yelling at mates rubs off on everyone else and they lose that chemistry they currently have. Which is something I dont like about Gonzalo, he too makes too much of a game about himself and can be seen complaining and whining during games if the service is not adequate... typically he gives his mates a thumbs up early on in the game, but as the game progresses, he gets more anxious and he doesnt handle it very well. Ronaldo chased him out because he said Gonzalo was being too selfish at Real... I guess it takes one to know one tho. Thank god Paulo and Mario are so selfless.... well Paulo sometimes, Mario is the voice of reason... wish they would follow his example more .
Anybody else think Madrid might just be getting a little old, sometimes that can work in a teams favour come the ko stages of the cl, ancelottis milan come to mind they still had too much class and guile for most teams, but I think it's telling a young spurs team are the ones to have done them over.
Barca will score unless Allegri finds a way to cut out stupid individual errors. I just want Juve to qualify asap whether 1st or 2nd.
Yes all of this is true, but you are forgetting that this is normal for Pep Guardiola. Pep's teams usually always show up in the small games. Just remember his Bayern days. I highly doubt Man City are better than the Bayern who smashed Roma 7-1 or the Bayern that barely beat us in 2015-16. Most of the huge score lines are against teams that can upset but normally just because its the EPL. Most of those teams are not even good and cannot defend for their lives. Again don't let score lines fool you. And yes by the way they did not turn up against Everton. They drew 1-1. Not to mention Everton is in a relegation spot at the moment. Also they struggled against Chelsea. I myself watched that game. They won but only by 1-0 and it was a real struggle for them.
All teams struggle at times even vs poor opponents. City and Pep deserve credit. It isn't easy to win away to Napoli. With that said, being in form now is one thing. It's far more important to be playing well in a few months. The CL doesn't begin until the KOs.
Yeah they do deserve credit for getting as far as they have. And yes beating Napoli in Italy is not easy, but it is not impossible either. Honestly I would fancy Juventus to win at Napoli unless it is prior right to a really important UCL match. Same with Roma. When Inter went there earlier this season, Napoli failed to score any goals. Yes I know Napoli beat Roma at the Olympico, but at that time, Roma were just starting to gel. If they replayed again now, I would fancy Roma. But yeah anyway though the real UCL doesn't start until knockouts. With the new format, most teams goal is just to get out of their group. Topping the group isn't really a priority anymore. I believe Juventus and Real Madrid will be in much better form when that time comes. Historically that is really when both teams really start their season. Allegri has even said that himself about us numerous times.
I think they are too Ronaldo-reliant. If Ronaldo is struggling, especially in the CL, it's very rare to see someone like Benzema try to impose his will on the game. They had a great year last year. They are the team to beat. I'm sure a lot of managers including Allegri were watching last night. Right now, this season is threatening to be an anti-climax for them.
Marcelo, Ramos, Nacho, and some kid were on their backline. Their defensive depth is worse than Juve's. Plus, it can't be easy to motivate a group after winning as much as they have. I still think they will come go in the CL since they probably won't be in contention for the league by Feb. Their focus will be on the CL.
Just like most other years we struggled, im hoping we are getting our mistakes out of the way and learning. Allegri takes us to the edge then pulls us back. If we find a way to balance our defense we’ll be good to go. However next round of CL will be tough. Easiest teams we can hope for are Liverpool, Monaco, Sevilla which are all no pushovers. Rest will be 3-4 English teams, Bayern, RM (pick your poison)
LOL Besiktas will top the group. Although still not a pushover. Nobody in Round of 16 will be easy, its the UCL. I wouldn't mind an EPL team honestly as long as its not Tottenham. Not that I think we would lose against them, but they are the team that would cause us most problems in EPL.
It honestly looks like nothing is going to be easy this year in italian football... and that is a good thing, its been too long since it's been like this. I enjoyed seeing Roma come from behind to tie with Chelsea in the first game, i really liked seeing them just pick them apart in the most recent one. It was also nice to see Napoli getting such honest and candid compliments from Pep. rivalaries aside, it is going to take Italy being full of good teams that upset and advance in Europe so that Italian teams can stop being a developmental league or a place where ineffective veterans get sent off to see their days off. There is a new generation of star players playing right now and an entirely new generation of guys waiting for their next big chance... Italy can really cement it's self as a place that is respected and desired if Napoli, Roma, and Juve put on a show in CL this year. I am tired of seeing players leave here and really tired of seeing the "most attractive" (richest with best marketing and public relation campaigns) clubs coming in like vultures in the summer to pick off the stars and prospects who play in this league. If it means one of Juve's rivals having success, I am fine with it... as long as they dont knock us out should we end up facing them in CL... then it is back to the default state of mind regarding them. I also dont want to see people call SerieA "lol, juve wins" any more on the internet. The EPL has great parity and it benefits everyone.
I use to want Italian teams to do better in Europe for the league. Then I saw the money and the hate growing off the back of our success. Fuck them and their supporters. I hope they crash out every year from the qualifiers or groups. Its simply to much money to leave behind to the petty, unorganized, terribly managed, jealous oponnents of the league. Take the cash and buy their stars. Win as much as possible and leave them in their dusty empty trophy rooms.
sure they are....with the money they spend, they SHOULD be winning. The fact that teams like Tottenham, Liverpool, ManU, City have failed last 5 years is shameful. I'm 100% sure if it was Italian or other countries, the PL pundits would be talking shit forever. But when its PL, they dont say shit. They are so quick to play this "best league" bullshit when they win a game or 2, but when they lose, its hush hush. dont forget Leicester wont their league recently with Ranieri Their champion got hammered by Roma Even 2 years ago we beat their champs twice so yea lets wait til QF or semis before we start praising these failed projects
i agree but lets not forget coefficients are still important. Italy needs to stay top 4 to get automatic 4 spots. There will come a time when we'll stop winning Scudetti and could finish 3rd or 4th, we wouldnt want to miss CL qualification. But my heart says fukk these people and their fans. So for now i hope they crash so we cash in but ultimately we need most of these teams to collect points for the league.
So thoughts on the Barca game? Shits not looking good for us. Everyone is hoping for a draw at home which is pathetic. Im hoping he deploys 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2 But most likely itll be the usual 4-2-3-1 i just hope its Matuidi instead of Khedira
This might surprise you but I am confident we can win the game. Barcelona are without a few key players: Dembele, Sergio Roberto, etc. I believe we will win 3-1. Usually we step it up against the big teams as well. Barcelona struggled in Greece and away record is not as good. I am fine with the 4-2-3-1 honestly. It worked against them back in April, so I am confident it will work well. However I hope to see Pjanic and Marchisio, and Bernardeschi or Douglas Cotsa instead of Cuadrado.
Seriously, what from this season makes you think we are going to beat one of the best teams in the world 3-1? I am certainly hoping for a win, I just don't know if we mentally have it in us.