I don't know that we'll have much to say in this thread before the group stage draw, but thought we should get this thing started anyhow.
I wish I was going to be there to attend the matches! My last CL match at Westfalenstadion was our 2-1 victory over Arsenal in October 2002. Yes, Koller dived. That play happened right in front of me.
Are there any certain clubs you guys are hoping we get in the group stage?? I would care, but since I won't be there to go to the matches anyhow, I really don't care myself.....
I want an English team because I can definitely get tickets for these games, no matter which club. So, lucky as I usually am, it means we will not play against an English team.
Keith, I thought about writing that too. AC Milan and especially Manchester City aren't unbeatable and I think that Italian teams might suit our playing "style".
Exactly. I don't "want" a hard group, but there are very few clubs out there I wouldn't give our boys a chance against.
UEFA doesn't want to see that group themselves. People think I'm crazy when I say this, but I truly believe these draws can be manipulated.
Actually, thinking about it more, it is a list of just two and you won't agree with one. They are the two clubs who were in this past season's CL Final. Barcelona and Manchester United. And really, there are only two reasons for this. 1) We Still Make Too Many Mistakes: Too many times last season, we made error, after error, after error and our opponents weren't good enough to make us pay for them. In the CL, people will make us pay for them. Especially the two clubs listed above. I think clubs made us pay for enough of our mistakes in last season's Europa League too..... 2) We Still Waste Far Too Many Chances: This was the main thing that killed us in the Europa League last season. I still believe we played well enough not only to win our group, but to go far in that competition. However, we were made to pay for leaving far too many goal chances on the pitch. And, as mentioned above, making too many mistakes. Even in the Super Cup and our match this past Saturday, we wasted far too many chances. It didn't cost us last season because we had a "dream season." Mark my words, if we do that same shit this season, it will definitely cost us dearly. I'm not crazy enough to believe we're going to have the same kind of luck we had for almost all of last season. My final sentence above does not mean I think our entire season last season was luck. But you're crazy if you believe luck didn't play a role. We had crazy ass good luck last season. Believe me, we are very good, but no matter how good you are, you need that bit of luck. I can stand not repeating as BL Champions as long as we finish in the top three and do well and both the German Cup and the CL. I usually don't give a rat's ass about the German Cup, but for some reason, this season, I do.........
Voted for quarter finals. We can do it if everything would fit perfectly, not to mention even later knockout stages... )
Round of 16, assuming you don't get in a ridiculous group with City & Barcelona. Still like Footy said it all depends on the draw, Scheisse made the semi-final last year and look at their squad...
What I don't understand is how teams like Zt. Petersburg or Leverkusen are above us in the pots. We're better than teams like that. Anyways, I voted that we get to the quarters, which is definitely manageable for our team. We're a team everyone else wants to avoid from Pot 3-4 in the draw, for sure. I'd fancy a draw like this: Porto Zenit St. Petersburg Borussia Dortmund APOEL F.C. We'd surely advance from a group like this, in great fashion I might add. All we need is a little bit of luck in the draw, and we'll do great in the Champions League this year, I feel.
The reasoning is actually pretty simple. It is because they've done more in European play over the past five years than we have. UEFA seeding isn't based on domestic league play.