Osti didn't save the point. I thought it was good except the fifteen minutes after the first Madrid goal.
Missed this one but the result is not surprising. Second place is still an acceptable and realistic goal.
Felt we deserved at least a draw out of this one. Madrid just punish every mistake and have so much quality everywhere but I have to say I didn't think we were very far off them. A loss but head up, this is probably the best or 2nd best team in the world.
They put 3x as much money on the bench as we do. I think we did really well all things considered. A little more consistency and we could have had the point, but it would have taken a bunch of luck to get a win at this point. It's a good measuring stick. We're progressing but we're not there yet.
The coach prepared the team well, agree with the points he made post-match, but RM just has more experience than almost any other team out there. And the individuals, I was afraid of Bellingham and Vinicius, and of course, both of them scored. We had to fight hard for each one of our goals, while at the same time we gifted them theirs. While their individual quality shined with goals, ours did so with errors. Even if you compare Kvara and those two, you can see the difference. Still, the game was altogether a good one for us. There are those who keep acting like Napoli is the only team in the universe. RM schooled us yesterday, but we were schooled with as much honour as there could be. We will most probably lose the game at the SB, but I have faith in the lads, so let us prepare well and get the 2nd place. And who knows, maybe there will be a surprise even with RM. Let us hope that all the woodwork and the good headers Osimhen has not yet scored from, will show up in that game.
Today's game should be a reminder that we should focus on finishing as high in the league as possible. Though we created more chances than Real Madrid, it also showed that some players are not viable at this level. Ostigård, Meret and Anguissa look very questionable - I dont think any of them have shown enough. Ostigård lacks behind defensively, Meret is just all around a GK more suitable for a midtable club whilst anguissa rarely has good performances anymore. Their ceilings are too low and a mismatch compared to the other players on the roster. It is a shame since I fully believe could be a top player but he looks lost and not motivated to work hard- wish we had Allan over him. For God sake even Zielinski works harder than anguissa.
Also Garcia needs to stop sabotaging the team by playing osimhen, simeone and raspadori at the same time. You never see any top managers ever messing up a midfield like that. Raspadori, simeone and Osimhen all play the same position naturally - which is why ideally only one of them should play at a time. Gaetano or elmas should be vice Zielinski, not the striker (false 9) Raspadori!
Sure. If you're scouting within Serie A, he is probably the best option. Emergency buys: I also like Bijol at Udinese and Erlic at Sass
I really think we need to continue developing Natan as the LCB, we need someone who can play on the right and likely send Ostigard out on loan. I wish we could work out a deal like Inter did with Acerbi. Need someone with a little more experience.
We will not repeat or improve upon last season's success with this group under Garcia. I'd like to believe we are a couple of signings away from a team that can challenge for everything, but chances are we will have to sell key players and drastically depart from our current approach. It's frustrating because this was a very beatable Real Madrid. Ancelotti effectively closed up shop the moment he brought Tchouameni onto the pitch at the start of the second half and was content to sit on 2-1. We got a penalty call that should never have been and equalized, unbelievable luck, but we failed to capitalize on the momentum. Not a disaster, but it's not good enough for a team that wants to achieve greater success. It's a shame. I feel like we are folding a hand that is almost a royal flush.
I actually see things in a much more positive light. We just went toe to toe with Real Madrid who've won 7 of the opening 8 rounds in La Liga, conceding only 6 (3 of which came in 1 match where they lost 3-1 to Atletico). Otherwise, they've been perfect. I don't think a loss was a fair reflection of the game despite the penalty that I don't think should've been given. Their players took their moment and ours didn't (Osimhen's header). Real Madrid on paper is almost perfect when you compare them to every other team in the world, and that's what we were competing against yesterday. We were on top and even had them on the ropes for decent spells of the game and the statistics further this too. We'll be competing for the Serie A and Champions League this season.
Rewatching the game because im trying to make my son sleep. The amount of times Zielinski lost the ball because he tries to do nutmegs is striking. Wished he was more reliable on the ball, then he could be a world class midfielder.
I fully agree but would add Olivera and Mario Rui to the list. I would give Osti time. Prefer him over Rrahmani. Maybe the solution is to play Cajuste or Elmas or got 4231 with Zielinski and Lobotka in the middle and Raspadori behind Osimhen.
I was at the stadium and our shape in midfield is off. Yes Ostigard is naive and Di Lorenzo and Meret made mistake but our shape in midfield looks very odd both offensively and defensively. i think we played very well in second half but felt Real turned on when they wanted to and we had no chance. This is not a game to be mad about. Nut we need to beat Fiorentina and do it playing well.