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      Champions League: Round of 16

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      Ribapuru
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      Re: Champions League: Round of 16
      Reply #161: Dec 20, 2018 08:27:19 am
      He’s obviously hasn’t watched us play for a while - can’t wait for this
      VVD is suspended remember.
      heimdall
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      Re: Champions League: Round of 16
      Reply #162: Dec 20, 2018 12:10:07 pm
      Bayern is strong. They made it through the group stage with much ease while we came out of a a very tough group with napoli and psg, not forgetting we have to put up with those bowling pins of psg and some shady refeering. We were badly wounded along the way with some below par performances and poor results. But that's the past.

      Over the years, i do notice that whoever barely made it out of a tough group stage is like a wounded tiger and they will rise to the occassion thereon and LFC is gonna be a very dangerous opponent to face. We have faced one of the best in psg and napoli and we are ready to face anyone. Bayern is to be respected but not feared and for that matter if it is barca we will still have to face them and think of a way to beat them.

      Bayern had one of the easiest groups whilst we, along with Spurs, had one of the toughest so I don't think there is much to read into that.
      Over 2 legs I really fancy us to beat them, just a shame that we could have the home match as the second leg, but hopefully we'll have  enough of a cushion after the first leg to see us through.




      So we'll only have Gomez, Lovren and Matip to chose from then, oh God, we're screwed!! Come on mate we are not a one man team any more, we do have other excellent defenders besides VVD. Plus that first leg is at home where we'll be on the front foot, if it had been the first leg away without VVD I'd be a tiny bit more nervous.
      Ribapuru
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      Re: Champions League: Round of 16
      Reply #163: Dec 20, 2018 12:16:20 pm
      Bayern had one of the easiest groups whilst we, along with Spurs, had one of the toughest so I don't think there is much to read into that.
      Over 2 legs I really fancy us to beat them, just a shame that we could have the home match as the second leg, but hopefully we'll have  enough of a cushion after the first leg to see us through.



      So we'll only have Gomez, Lovren and Matip to chose from then, oh God, we're screwed!! Come on mate we are not a one man team any more, we do have other excellent defenders besides VVD. Plus that first leg is at home where we'll be on the front foot, if it had been the first leg away without VVD I'd be a tiny bit more nervous.
      i think we'll win.. but this is going to be hard. Harder than Napoli but easier than PSG.
      ruthcity
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      Re: Champions League: Round of 16
      Reply #164: Dec 20, 2018 03:44:08 pm
      Even without VVD, we've the world's best defender. A great ball playing CB.
      MIRO
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      Re: Champions League: Round of 16
      Reply #165: Dec 21, 2018 06:53:49 pm
      it will be 60 years since Shankly to over at Anfield next year it would be nice to celebrate that with a league and CL win I don't think I am being greedy.

      It would.
      What a fitting tribute to the Great Man himself.
      lfc across the water
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      Re: Champions League: Round of 16
      Reply #166: Dec 23, 2018 07:08:59 pm
      Quote from ThomasMueller
      You definitely have to watch out for Lewandowski, Müller, Coman, maybe Gnabry and the fact that we won a lot matches, nobody believe we could do at this point or just let it be a match like the United matches 2010. Somehow we won 2:1 in Munich and at old trafford we were down 3:0. After 90 minutes it was 3:2 and we were through the next round.

      Remember it well. Great night it was, for Bayern and Liverpool fans.

      Kovac was a strange choice to go and win the 7th Bundesliga in a row. Most new trainers struggle at the start of a new job, but they don't get a lot if time at Bayern. Rummenigge will keep him for now, until it looks like the team won't qualify for the European Cup. And the team looks like it will qualify, so Kovac will stay in the job.

      We are not used to VAR yet, so its still new to us, but we will have it so that all the big decisions are right. Bayern are at home in the second leg, so I expect most neutrals think they will qualify, but I don't know which team will win, it's really  impossible to say at this time.
      stuey
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      Re: Champions League: Round of 16
      Reply #167: Feb 19, 2019 05:08:38 pm
      Hey there everybody,

      I just registered here to write a few words about our current situation. "Our", that means I'm from Germany and a Bayern Munich Fan. Excuse me for my bad english.

      So, where do we start? Last year, we still had a pretty good Team. Everyone, who saw the semi final against Real, could see, that actually we must win these two matches, but we didn't use our chances and Ulreich + Rafinha made some bad mistakes, that costs us the final against.. right, Liverpool. With Heynckes we had a great Coach with a lot of experience, but now the reality is Kovac and 80% of our fans are against him. It's like the Mourinho/United Situation. You know, there is no chance in hell that these managers will be succesfull with the team and bring them to the Champions League Final. Kovac is like "The Chosen One". Great with a midclass team and even beat Bayern last year for the DFB Pokal, but he isn't made for a big team. He has so many tactical Problems (when he was Croatia Coach he once said "Tactical things doesn't matter, it's all about the heart), it's awful and until a few weeks ago german media talked about 13 (!!) players, who were against him. When he brought Thomas Müller in the 70. Minute of a match his wife (!) posted on instagram:"Finally he has a good idea.." and bullshit like that happend the whole season. We fans are totally dissatisfied with Kovac and our whole board (Salihamidzic, Hoeneß and Rummenigge). The Board didn't want to fire Kovac, cause they are to proud to say "Okay, you're right, we made a big mistake to hire Kovac" and so they let him go on.

      So therefore the question was - what to do now? The players and Kovac had a conversation und since that conversation we play definitely better again. Before that we tied against Augsburg, Düsseldorf and Freiburg and these teams you can compare to Huddersfield, West Ham and Burnley. Now? We won 3:0 against Nürnberg, 4:0 against Hannover which are also on this level, but we beat them and played really good. Also Benfica when we beat them 5:1. The guys seems like they are a team again and Kovac learned a little bit. Since a few matches, he plays with Goretzka and Kimmich in the central midfield, which is fantastic right now and Müller plays behind Lewandowski, central offensive midfield. THIS is his position and nothing else. In the last years he often played for an injured Robben at the right side, but he can't play that a good way. And thanks to Müller, Lewandowski scores and scores. So if your defense has to care about someone, than it's Lewandowski and Müller.

      Our forwards Robben and Ribery brought us the Champions League 2013, but now? They're too old and don't have a Chance against better opponents like you and I think, if nobody is injured at this Point, Kovac will start against you with one of Robben/Ribery (because of their experience, nothing else) and one of Coman/Gnabry. The last ones are our future. High potential, Coman is 22 years, Gnabry 23, both of them are playing really good, but they need a few years to get the class of Salah/Mané or Ribery/Robben in prime time. But Coman, I think, is already on the level to scare your defense a few times. He moves like Salah and has his speed.

      So, i talked about Kimmich and Goretzka. These 2 + Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen) are germany's future in the central midfield. Think about my words in a few years. The Problem is: Kimmich usually is our right back since we don't have Lahm anymore and if he plays in the midfield, we only have Rafinha as right back and what should I say? Mané will enjoy the 2 matches, if Kovac plays with Rafinha as right back.

      Our Central Backs Boateng, Hummels and Süle this Saison? My God, give me Klavan and Matip and we have a better defense. Seriously, Süle is a little out of form, but actually he's a f***in' beast and damn good, but Hummels and Boateng are sh*t, just sh*t. There is not a single game, in which they don't do a big mistake this Saison, it's unbelieveable and that's the main reason, why we are afraid of playing Liverpool. In Germany we love to watch the Premier League and myself? I watch every Liverpool game, cause every of your match is just enjoying Football. It reminds me of the time, Klopp was at the Dortmund and we had big issues with them. So, the point is, Salah, Mané and Firmino will play our defense dizzy. Is it dizzy? I think so. Alaba always was a Defender, who was worldclass offensive, especially with Ribery on the left side, but in the defense? Pheeew and year after year it get's more worse.

      Thiago, someone here said Thiago. Great Player if the whole team plays awesome on a day or if we play against weak teams, but can he bring the Turnaround in a big match? No, he never has.

      Javi Martinez once was one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, but nowadays? Just a shadow of himself.

      Actually the best Player in our squad is James. Worldclass, absolutely brillant. Problem? He's still in a fight with Kovac. Already before the Saison started, there were rumours, Kovac don't like James, he wants him to leave and we fans were like, what the bloody hell? Now James is injured, but he will back after the winter break and then? We'll see. In this form, Müller won't be out of the first 11 and if there is Müller in the first 11, there is no James unfortunatelly. Media says he's still in a fight with Kovac, just like Hummels by the way. They don't like each other. It's a situation like Pogba/Mourinho with the two of them.

      I forgot Neuer. Worldclass Keeper? Yes, at least until he was injured for nearly a year. Since the world Cup? You could play with Karius and would not see a difference. I think, now you can imagine, how good Neuer is in the last months.

      So, now I wrote a lot and for sure you're already tired to read. So what's the Conclusion? Usually you should not have any problems with us. Right now, you're the better team, absolutely. You have the better players, the better manager, we need a rebuild in the summer (Rafinha, Boateng, Hummels, Robben, Ribery, Martinez.. all out). In the winter, you don't get a good player normally. Van Dijk doesn't like that, yeah, but we? Maybe we get an injured Parvard from Stuttgart and Ante Rebic from Frankfurt. This would be the best, we can get in the winter.

      That doesn't mean we lose both matches 5:0, no. You definitely have to watch out for Lewandowski, Müller, Coman, maybe Gnabry and the fact that we won a lot matches, nobody believe we could do at this point or just let it be a match like the United matches 2010. Somehow we won 2:1 in Munich and at old trafford we were down 3:0. After 90 minutes it was 3:2 and we were through the next round.

      I'm just looking forward to 2 nice matches and if you beat us, I hope you finally win the Champions League and the Premier League. Your team and your Club is what Football is all about and the love we share to this game.


      That's some kind of record!  Three posts with 32 likes!
      Words of wisdom my friend,
      redtiler
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      Re: Champions League: Round of 16
      Reply #168: Feb 19, 2019 06:58:52 pm
      First of all, thanks to all of you for welcoming me :)

      Yes, the gegenpress is our biggest problem. It always was. Already at the time Klopp was BVB Coach, we couldn't handle it really and this season? Just watch our matches against BVB (2:3) and Ajax (1:1 and 3:3). We're overwhelmed with this kind of play and have a lot of problems. Next thing is, we don't have the top fitness anymore. In the last couple of years in my opinion we always were one of the fittest teams in europe. No matter if our Coach was van Gaal, Heynckes or Pep. Except Ancelotti (funny story that his Fitness Coach is chain smoker and our players said that they don't train enough and do some Training sessions by themselves, cause they feeled not fit enough) and except Kovac. In the matches against BVB and Ajax you could see, that we were not on a high intense level as soon as we reached the ~70. minute. Yes, the last Match against Ajax we still turned around to 2:3 (and should have won it, cause the last Ajax Goal was offside), but it was a complete crazy match and we saw, that Ajax had the better fitness and thinkin about you, Jesus. One of the fascinating things about you is, that you never become tired. Even in the Man City matches last CL season, nothing. You just kept going on and on, just awesome. A german reporter wrote after your United match on sunday "Every Liverpool match is a celebration at this time, every single one." Btw., in my opinion Pep will never win the CL again if he never learns that his defence should not stand so far at the top. The reason, why Bayern never got into the final with him. Counter-attacks killed us. Anyway.

      A few words about Dortmund: Yes, this season you have to fear them more than us. With Favre they have a great manager. One of the best, we ever had in the league and whereever he was, he was successful. Zürich, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hertha BSC Berlin, Nizza and now BVB, Favre is a genius. Especially his in game coaching is fantastic. Just one of the things, that makes him a better manager than Kovac. And Dortmund just have a brillant Team. Delaney, who btw. always dreamed about playing in the premier league and last season was close to an Everton move, and Axel Witsel are an awesome central midfield. In the front I don't have to say anything to Marco Reus I think, but just look at Jadon Sancho. I wait for a Premier League Team to buy him for 80 Million or something like that in 1 or 2 years. Christian Pulisic, here in Germany are a lot of rumours that Chelsea definitely wants him, no matter how much he will cost them. Paco Alcacer, not good in Barcelona, but now in Dortmund no words needed. His first 10 Goals took him exactly 10 shots. Yes, really. And Favre often brings him in the second half, because most of the goals he scored, he did in the second half. Everytime he comes in, he scores, it's unbelieveable. And Mario Götze. After Klopp there were Tuchel, Bosz, Stöger. 3 Managers and nobody made it, to get Götze to the level he was a few years ago at his first time in Dortmund and I think he never will be (Götze has a metabolic disease, which is also the reason why he sometimes seems a little bit to thick and is not so powerful and maneuverable anymore), but Favre thought what can I do to help him and finally found a position and a way to play that Götze perfect fits in and plays in a way he hasn't for a long, long time.

      So, Dortmund has an amazing offensive and midfield, but the defence is also their problem. Diallo (22), Akanji (23), Hakimi (20) are in the first 11. All of them have the potential to become worldclass players, but now they are too young to beat teams like you, Barcelona, PSG for example.

      Well, if you face Dortmund in the next rounds, you already have a little assessment ;)

      Appreciate your valued insight Mate

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