***Official*** English Football Season 2018-19

[andmark]

Was the game as one-sided as the match stats suggest?

Was hoping someone who watched the game would reply to you, but following it on the radio, it did sound like Liverpool really were on top to a significant extent. The YouTube reactions of fan channels and Sky Sports Football suggests it was one-way traffic sort of stuff. Mourinho has also said Liverpool's pressing was so hard in the first 20 minutes that he's getting tired just looking at Andy Robertson (hard to find a bigger bargain anywhere).

Edit: The Match of the Day highlights seem to suggest that the above is correct.

 

[Tangles]

Mostly one sided yes. United were a chance of gettting a completely undeserved point until the 2nd goal. Which is what Jose was trying to do anyway.

 

[sledger]

Didn't see the match, but wouldn't be surprised if it was all Liverpool. Liverpool are great and Utd are awful at the moment. People (rightly) bang on about the state of Utd's centre backs but their midfield/link up play is incredibly pedestrian.

I've not followed them as much as some here no doubt, but I have probably watched 5 or 6 games of theirs this season, and it is always the same. They get to the edge of the opposition box and just run out of ideas. They realise they have nobody on the pitch who can thread a pass through or create a chance (because Mata is usually on the bench) and it's left to someone like Rashford or Martial to try and play a silky pass, which is inevitably cut out by the first defender (the Gael Clichy style of attacking football). Then after about 60 minutes of that it's Fellaini time.

 

[Uppercut]

Yeah it was completely one-sided. At 1-1 it looked like we could have hung on but the gulf in class was obvious from start to finish.

 

[Uppercut]

Schalke v Man City
Atletico Madrid v Juventus
Man Utd v PSG
Tottenham v Borussia Dortmund
Lyon v Barcelona
Roma v Porto
Ajax v Real Madrid
Liverpool v Bayern Munich

Hopefully we're vaguely competent at football the time these games come around.

 

[Spikey]

oh man if PSG somehow crash out

 

[OverratedSanity]

Schalke v Man City
Atletico Madrid v Juventus
Man Utd v PSG
Tottenham v Borussia Dortmund
Lyon v Barcelona
Roma v Porto
Ajax v Real Madrid
Liverpool v Bayern Munich

Hopefully we're vaguely competent at football the time these games come around.

Wouldn't put it past PSG bottling it royally

 

[sledger]

They will imo. But not against Utd.

 

[Uppercut]

People talk a lot of shite about PSG, but they're very good. Deeply, deeply, obnoxious, but very good.

 

[andmark]

Gutted for Ajax drawing Madrid but at least now is about as good a time to face them as ever.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

People talk a lot of shite about PSG, but they're very good. Deeply, deeply, obnoxious, but very good.

as you're a Man Utd fan, I trust your opinion on obnoxious but very good teams

 

[Niall]

I really wish and its not just football that ex pros and pundits would stop moaning about sports peoples "obsession " with social media. Pogba gets it a lot, but his social media activity is not that hectic and heck he probably plays little part in it. Heck it not as if those guys were angels back in their time.

So predictions guys?

Schalke v Manchester City

Atletico Madrid v Juventus

Manchester United v Paris St-Germain

Tottenham v Borussia Dortmund

Lyon v Barcelona

Roma v Porto

Ajax v Real Madrid

Liverpool v Bayern Munich


Barcelona, PSG and City are easy calls and while not vintage Madrid will dispose of Ajax comfortably enough.

The other ties though are very hard to call and look great on paper at least.

 

[Tom Halsey]

I would pick Juventus rather than Atletico, but that is the closest call of the lot IMO. Would agree on the rest.

EDIT: Actually, would pick Porto over Roma too.

 

[andmark]

Schalke v Manchester City

Atletico Madrid v Juventus

Manchester United v Paris St-Germain

Tottenham v Borussia Dortmund

Lyon v Barcelona

Roma v Porto

Ajax v Real Madrid ()

Liverpool v Bayern Munich

Might be being too pessimistic about Liverpool. Juventus's attacking qualities should be enough to get past Atletico but it wouldn't surprise me if Atletico won. Similar thing with Spurs and Dortmund.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Hopefully we're vaguely competent at football the time these games come around.

Don't see how this can happen tbh.

 

[Uppercut]

I think Spurs might squeeze past Dortmund. Not sure Dortmund can sustain their current level into February. Should be a great game though.

Juve have to be favourites to beat Atletico too. One of very few teams that can match Atletico's *********ry, then they have Ronaldo on top of that who lives for the CL knockout games.

 

[Cabinet96]

Agree with both those. Would have Juventus as one of the three favourites at the moment with City and Barca. Also I'm not sure Dortmund will consider a European exit to be quite as bad as it is most years for them.

Not sure about Liverpool-Bayern. Wouldn't shock me if Bayern come out strongly after their winter break and van Dijk will be suspended at Anfield.

 

[Uppercut]

You'd think Bayern would improve but their squad lacks a bit of firepower. Ribery and Robben got old and Muller lost form, and suddenly they're left with a lot of half-decent wide options but no one anywhere near the Mane/Salah level. They also don't match up well against Liverpool stylistically with all the space they leave in behind.

 

[Furball]

I really wish and its not just football that ex pros and pundits would stop moaning about sports peoples "obsession " with social media. Pogba gets it a lot, but his social media activity is not that hectic and heck he probably plays little part in it. Heck it not as if those guys were angels back in their time.

So predictions guys?

Schalke v Manchester City

Atletico Madrid v Juventus

Manchester United v Paris St-Germain

Tottenham v Borussia Dortmund

Lyon v Barcelona

Roma v Porto

Ajax v Real Madrid

Liverpool v Bayern Munich


Barcelona, PSG and City are easy calls and while not vintage Madrid will dispose of Ajax comfortably enough.

The other ties though are very hard to call and look great on paper at least.

I don't think Real will do it as comfortably as you're expecting.

 

[Furball]

By the way, what is the point in keeping Mourinho employed?