News: Leaking Goals? Plug the Dijk - the OTT [R]

Here's a weird one...would that CR7 penalty have counted if the CL had VAR? Looked like his standing foot hit the ball first.

 

I'm not arguing that he had a bad game against Spurs. I'm certainly not the first to label Higuain a choke artist. His reputation at Madrid was that he was a guy that scored some special goals but missed a lot of easy chances and tends to score a lot in games against weaker opposition. He hasn't changed much in that regard. He's a good enough goalscorer that he'll always put up good numbers. But he misses too many easy chances to be called clinical and he tends to miss chances in big games.

 

Pool 2-0 up at the break and cruising. Scary to think Mo Salah has 30 in all competitions already this season considering Suarez only had 31 in his 'best' season there.

 

Fair enough. I think the choker thing tends to be a bit silly and applied very unevenly. Every player scores more against weak opposition (for obvious reasons). Who takes flak for it tends to depend on reputations that come about early in a players' career for reasons that are difficult to follow and once you get the reputation it tends to be unshakeable in an unfair way in my estimation. Any big moment doesn't prove that you're clutch while every failure only reinforces the reputation even if the logic is inconsistent (i.e. giving Higuain no credit for the first goal as "clutch" but writing off the miss as an instance of "choking")

 

He's having an absolutely superb season, truth be told. I always thought he would do well after seeing what he did with Roma last season, but it's clear that Klopp's system fits him to a tee.
Really like watching him play: he looks very cool, calm and collected in that frantic style too. And Pool may still be average defensively, but as much as it's painful to say, they're very fun to watch upfront. The trio of Mane (who oddly enough is almost an afterthought now) Firmino and Salah are awesome together.

 

Took a little longer than expected but Real's clear superiority in midfield is really starting to show. Don't know about Emery's choice to keep Lo Celso in there, especially since he's carrying a yellow. On top of that, he's looking a real liability defensively. Unless he's not up to speed yet, Diarra should be in there, no question.

Never a yellow for Rabiot there: Mod tripped over himself. Cavani coming off for Meunier and for Real, Benz coming off for Bale.

 

Pool all but through to the quarter finals now, 4-0 up against Porto, unless they have a complete defensive meltdown, Klopp won't have to worry about the Champions League for at least another month.

 

PSG's defense went to sleep there. Ron gets his brace and puts Real ahead. Vitally important for Real.

Asensio, who has been superb since coming on, finds Marcelo and he makes it 3-1. 2-1 was fine for PSG but they may have a serious problem now.
Real's defense will still give them hope for the return leg, but PSG could play right into their hand, as they can sit back and try to hit them on the break with lighting quick counters, as they like to do.

 

Ronaldo has bad a poor game but the stat line doesn't reflect it. Good players make an impact even when they're struggling.

 

Asensio showing what having a non-inverted winger can offer there. Two quick goals, both from his deliveries out on the left.

 

Well done from Zidane and Real today, but Emery will be kicking himself, especially with his in game management. His starting lineup end up working well enough for a while, but he got his subs wrong in the second half and it cost PSG dear.
Not over yet with the 2nd leg in Paris, but being down 3-1 to the defending champs is just not a good place to be.

 

Higuain is what he was yesterday. He was the best player of the first half on the verge of scoring 3 goals, yet he couldn't convert two chances that would have killed the tie.

Higuain is the CF that gets you to the finals but can't win it. Ronaldo on the other hand can be invisible all match yet make all the difference with 1 or 2 moments.

 

Tottenham played better in Spain than PSG did. Emery tried to settle for a draw & ceded control to Real. It's still not over, but losing even one KO game by multiple goals can be tie ending.

 

That's an understatement to say that Tottenham played better than PSG today. As mentioned, I think Spurs played a very good game yesterday, especially under the circumstances they were in yesterday (the bad start).
PSG were not horrible in the first half, even if I was not a fan of Lo Celso in their midfeld: they lacked defensive solidity and support for Verratti and it really showed in the second half.
I really don't know what Las is worth these days, but even if he couldn't start, I thought bringing him in the 2nd half was a no brainer. It's not over for them but they're in a hole. The game in Paris promises to be fun though, with PSG having to go for it.

 

Both Tottenham and Juve have a better chance of advancing to me compared to PSG. It's just never good to lose even one KO stage match by multiple goals.

Tottenham just need to avoid losing or tying by more than 2-2 while obviously Juve must win or tie 3-3. PSG essentially have to win by two and shut out Real. It's easy to see Madrid scoring at least one so PSG very well must score 4. That seems so unlikely but the CL is crazy.

 

I just acknowledged PSG are in a hole and qualification will be difficult for them, for sure. And it's pretty obvious that both Tottenham and Juve are in a much better situations...
But it's also a fact that Real's defense, as we've seen again today, will still give them a chance, unless they seriously tighten up ahead of the game in Paris.
I also mentioned previously that the situation greatly favors Real because PSG will have to attack them early and as such there should be plenty of opportunities for Real to hit them on the counter: that's literally their bread and butter.
So yes, PSG are in a bad spot without a doubt but hopefully it means we'll get an entertaining 2nd leg, with PSG having to go at Real hard, if they have any hope of making up their deficit.

 

Argee with all this. PSG have the attack to do it, yet Tottenham vs Juve is setting up to be the tie of the round. Then again if Real collapse, their season is over. The best ties are always full of drama which is why the CL is incredible.

 

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'We always say the same things, we always do the same things, and in the end, we are always floored in the same way.'

The French giants, who lead Ligue 1 by eight points, are once again dominating things on home soil this term but it is in Europe where their true ambitions lie.

'It's all well and good putting eight goals past Dijon, but it's in matches like this that you have to stand up and be counted,' a clearly furious Rabiot continued.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...slams-PSG-Real-Madrid-loss.html#ixzz579aMOr5V

 

Rabiot should be mad. Other than his goal he had a poor game and was solely responsible for the third goal.

 

He's not wrong in the least. Him and Verratti worked their butts off in midfield under very difficult circumstances, winning the ball back, doing the graft and going toe to toe with Real's midfield.
Apart from Lo Celso, who was really mediocre on the day (especially defensively) the frontline and Neymar in particular did not show up the way they were expected to, in the least. Neymar, Cavani and Mbappe are the guys getting all the pub and the plaudits and they are the ones who are supposed to be leading PSG, if they're to win this competition. They absolutely have to step it up big time in the return leg.

 

Zidane reverted to the same formation that beat Sociedad with Vazquez and Asensio in the lineup. That was clever. Also removing Casemiro.

PSG did the opposite.

Had Zidane went without Casemiro from the beginning, Real would have won by more.

 

The choice from Zidane to take Casemiro off at the end and try to get the win was an inspired one and it worked to perfection.
But there is little doubt that had he not been there early on, PSG would probably have been winning. Once again, he did pretty well trying to help a pretty fragile Real backline, while providing some support to Mod and Kroos.
Casemiro's role in this Real team is clearly one of the most understated, yet vital in the team. Would be gagging to have a player like him on our side tbh and precisely why as much as I like Jorginho, my first choice is still Fabinho, who is clearly the better of both players from a defensive standpoint, while still strong enough to provide able support offensively as well.

 

Neymar wilts in Madrid as superclub tie descends into Disneyfied dystopia

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-clubs?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

 

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