LILLE vs REAL MADRID | UEFA Champions League - League Phase Match #2 | 02.10.24 | 21:00 CET

This new CL format has importance of Goal scoring difference in terms of position

 

I was tongue in cheek calling for a James comeback, but I think it's clear we miss Kroos. Nico Paz might be a player who can play his role in the future, hopefully he continues to do well in Italy.

On the other had we changed formations and the tactics to accomodate Mbappe and he got injured and didn't start the last 2 games so we had to throw out everything the team had been working on so far this season.

Then add to that the club let Joselu go and didn't replace him with another natural #9 center forward to play as a target man, which is the type of player you need in these games or against teams the park the bus like Atletico.

Kind of hard to blame Carlo when we are asking him to build a team using square pegs for its round holes.

 

Guy is just not it. I'll say it all day, 6/10 player.

He's okay at passing, covering, shooting, aerial threat and frankly not so great at tackling. He'll have another decent game after the NT break and people will be back to singing his praises for some reason.

He's a player that doesn't really fit any type of profile in midfield. I'd be a bit more comfortable with him playing the Khedira role next to an orchestrating mid. Ideally, he's a CB.

 

Haven't seen that much of Nico Paz, but from what I have seen (and the stats) he seems more like a final pass/ball carrier type attacking midfielder than a regista/passing controller like Kroos/Hakan. Nontheless, a good talent.

 

🤮🤮🤮 https://t.co/OuWktRvcvX

— 🫵🏽 (@idoxvi) October 2, 2024

 

Other than being a CM with a good passing technique, I don’t see him as a similar profile nor being good enough to run our midfield. He is slower on the ball with his decision-making and thus easier to press. Nor does he have the ability to orchestrate the game like Kroos did. He is doing fine at Inter and let it be that way.

I see it more likely the club going for someone like Wirtz and playing him deep.

 

Too bad Brahim wasn’t feet for this game.

 

if we’re relying on Brahim to be the difference here…. Then we’re
In much deeper problems than that.

We should expect our leaders to get us out of this jam.

 

He is most definitely an attack orchestrator. Yes he isn't as press resistant as Kroos, but he has improved massively in this regard too. He would walk into this Madrid's midfield which is completely lacking creativity.
Playing Wirtz deep is one of the most hilarious shouts I have seen in a while. Why waste one of the best players in the world in a position that doesn't suit him?

 

It’s disappointing but we can’t win every game. Learn and move on to the next one.
HALA MADRID

 

However bad it gets, at least we don't support Manchester United.

 

The team outside the pitch looks happy. During a game, the football we play isn’t happy. Sometimes hard to watch. Especially 1st half’s.

Maybe the players not hunger anymore? Maybe it’s just laziness..

 

Kroos was press resistant? Press as in the media, right?

 

Yes he was.
Ball retention under pressure top 5: Darlington Nagbe (93.4%), Rodri (92.1%), Frenkie de Jong (91.8%),Toni Kroos (91.8%) and Granit Xhaka (91.6%)

 

I believe my eyes before these stats. Kroos in his last 3-4 years was a liability under pressure and was targeted by opposition in such scenarios.

 

Kroos was not press resistant lol. BUT, when paired with athletic midfielders like Jude, Valverde, Cama, etc... he's very good at moving the ball to them in a good position for them to then break the press.

A more telling stat is both: 1) how long a player holds a ball under pressure and 2) what his retention percentage is. Context is everything.

To me, at his prime, Modric was the king of killing presses because he actually held the ball and broke the presses.

 

So far... I've resisted saying: How do you like the farmer's league now?! Beaten both Barca and Madrid this season.

 

We're only into October and the core players already look gassed, which is highly concerning considering we're not getting any reinforcements. The squad is simply too thin. There isn't a quality midfield option off the bench that I'm seeing, tall task ahead. Rudiger, Fede and Carvajal have basically absorbed every minute in the last 12+ months, something has to give.

People clowned on him, but we badly badly miss Joselu's profile. So far our player profiles just don't seem to mesh.

 

Just never been our style. Not worth thinking about something that could never happen under Flo.

On the other hand, I wonder why we didn't go after Joao Neves for example. He's exceptional and is in the same profile as Modric. Oh well.

If you're gonna go old, go get Kante from Saudi. He can still really really play now that he's healthy.

 

We're too slow to find reinforcements for positions. The RB problem has been there for what feels like five years now. Carvajal is a warrior and has played at a high level. Lucas is okay, but last year we should have been looking to find an understudy. Instead we wait for TAA to come on a free deal.

Our CBs we should have brought in someone young last year and now this year is a problem.

 

Disagree. Jude needs to be closer to goal, I'll die on the hill that his best position is that false 9/hybrid 10 role. Doesn't make sense on paper, but he thrives there on the pitch. He's a natural finisher, provides a focal point and is an aerial threat. Bellingham's a handful for CBs and creates more space for Vini/Mbappe to do their thing.

 

Lol who dafuq is Darlington Nagbe. I wanna see how Kroos would've done in MLS. Probably 100% ball retention.

 

Wow reading your guys comments, I’m glad I missed this one then. Would have been frustrating to watch for 90 mins, AGAIN.

 

If things continue, the manager is the first person to go. Hope Carlo finds a solution fast because this has been a rough season so far. Horrible start, got slightly better thanks to some lucky/controversial pens. Now back to freefall again.

I am genuinely curious to know what Carlo's vision is for this team. So far the biggest challenge for Real Madrid was Atletico Madrid. It will keep getting tougher from here.

 

The result leaves Madrid with three points from two Champions League group phase games so far, and in 17th place in the 36-team table.

After eight games, the top eight will directly reach the round of 16 while teams in ninth to 24th will go into a playoff round which sees each tie play out over two legs. The playoff winners also make it to the round of 16 while the losers are eliminated along with the clubs that failed to make the playoffs. At that point, the familiar knockout format returns and the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final is the UCL roadmap that every competitor will be following.

Visualize it for me…
Breaking it down into its simplest format:

• A 36-team "league" ranked by a single table.
• With eight games played against two teams from four different pots.
• The top eight-ranked team advance to the regular UCL round of 16.
• Positions nine to 24 go into a two-legged play-off to reach the round of 16.
• Eight playoff winners continue in the UCL round of 16 while the losers are eliminated.
• Positions 25 to 36 are eliminated from all forms of European soccer for the season.
• Familiar two-legged knockout format of round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals returns to produce two finalists.