Champions League Semi-Finals

[Marvin]

Bayern over ran Real Madrid's midfield.

Robben was the best player on the pitch, and always is

Going to be a great 2nd leg. I think Bayern will do it, but they will probably need 3 goals to go through

 

[scotty123]

I can see an all Madrid final. it'll be all out bore.

Corrected for you :)

I'v decided to go pushing people in canals instead

 

[supercrystal7]

They are not hard to call. Robben is just better than Bale. He can do everything Bale does, but actually has more vision and can link up play more. Robben has also done it time and time again in the big games. This is before we look at Ribery who too is better than Bale. Or Muller, who is a very different player. Muller cannot play upfront and so Benzema is the much better option.

Schweinsteiger and Modric is not that close either. Schweinsteiger is superior physically, scores more and has the leadership advantage.

Madrid have improved their squad, but Bayern's squad is almost too strong. Thiago, Gotze, Robben, Shaqiri, Rafinha and Badstuber are just some of the options they have
Bayern have the best squad and the best team I have ever seen at club level.

To quote Zlatan's friend. Pep with Bayern is like a man being given a ferrari, but driving it like a fiat.

Robben is very different than Bale but to say that either he or Ribery is definitely better is a big stretch imo. Bale has 14 goals and 12 assists this season. Robben has 12 goals and 5 assists, and Ribery has 9 goals and 10 assists. So Bale is higher than each of them in both areas. I know stats aren't everything but Bale definitely is on about the same level as either Robben or Ribery.

Also agree, their team last season played some of the best football I've seen. That was due to the style that Heynkes put in place as well. Pep has brought his inferior Barcelona style there and taken them backwards imo.

As you said stats are not the whole story. I would imagine that Rooney has better stats than Silva this season, but Rooney has not been fit to lace Silva's boots.

I don't see how Bale gives you anything that Robben does not. Yes Bale is faster and stronger, but Robben is still a speed demon and has a habit of scoring spectacular goals himself. Robben having done so multiple times on the big occasions. Purely on the counte Bale may be better, but Robben is much more than that. He has superior control and short passing technique. When teams park a bus he has better close dribbling and can spot a pass. These are things Bale cannot do and in a lot of games this season he has been criticised for it.

Bad tactics does not suddenly make a player any worse in quality. People have an obsession with tactics recently. Ancelotti did not give a tactical master class today, it was blindingly obvious. Heynckes did not reinvent the wheel either. He played a sensible formation, which most top managers would replicate with the same players. Pep just refuses to change and values possession more than goals.

 

[greasedupdeafguy]

Thought Madrid were superb, looked like scoring everytime they had a counter attack. Pepe, Alonso and Modric were brilliant.

 

[TCIB]

They are not hard to call. Robben is just better than Bale. He can do everything Bale does, but actually has more vision and can link up play more. Robben has also done it time and time again in the big games. This is before we look at Ribery who too is better than Bale. Or Muller, who is a very different player. Muller cannot play upfront and so Benzema is the much better option.

Schweinsteiger and Modric is not that close either. Schweinsteiger is superior physically, scores more and has the leadership advantage.

Madrid have improved their squad, but Bayern's squad is almost too strong. Thiago, Gotze, Robben, Shaqiri, Rafinha and Badstuber are just some of the options they have
Bayern have the best squad and the best team I have ever seen at club level.

To quote Zlatan's friend. Pep with Bayern is like a man being given a ferrari, but driving it like a fiat.

Robben is very different than Bale but to say that either he or Ribery is definitely better is a big stretch imo. Bale has 14 goals and 12 assists this season. Robben has 12 goals and 5 assists, and Ribery has 9 goals and 10 assists. So Bale is higher than each of them in both areas. I know stats aren't everything but Bale definitely is on about the same level as either Robben or Ribery.

Also agree, their team last season played some of the best football I've seen. That was due to the style that Heynkes put in place as well. Pep has brought his inferior Barcelona style there and taken them backwards imo.

As you said stats are not the whole story. I would imagine that Rooney has better stats than Silva this season, but Rooney has not been fit to lace Silva's boots.

I don't see how Bale gives you anything that Robben does not. Yes Bale is faster and stronger, but Robben is still a speed demon and has a habit of scoring spectacular goals himself. Robben having done so multiple times on the big occasions. Purely on the counte Bale may be better, but Robben is much more than that. He has superior control and short passing technique. When teams park a bus he has better close dribbling and can spot a pass. These are things Bale cannot do and in a lot of games this season he has been criticised for it.

Bad tactics does not suddenly make a player any worse in quality. People have an obsession with tactics recently. Ancelotti did not give a tactical master class today, it was blindingly obvious. Heynckes did not reinvent the wheel either. He played a sensible formation, which most top managers would replicate with the same players. Pep just refuses to change and values possession more than goals.

So he gives more power and pace, i would suggest that is a fair bit of an extra option against a very powerful defence for example.

 

[supercrystal7]

Robben is very different than Bale but to say that either he or Ribery is definitely better is a big stretch imo. Bale has 14 goals and 12 assists this season. Robben has 12 goals and 5 assists, and Ribery has 9 goals and 10 assists. So Bale is higher than each of them in both areas. I know stats aren't everything but Bale definitely is on about the same level as either Robben or Ribery.

Also agree, their team last season played some of the best football I've seen. That was due to the style that Heynkes put in place as well. Pep has brought his inferior Barcelona style there and taken them backwards imo.

As you said stats are not the whole story. I would imagine that Rooney has better stats than Silva this season, but Rooney has not been fit to lace Silva's boots.

I don't see how Bale gives you anything that Robben does not. Yes Bale is faster and stronger, but Robben is still a speed demon and has a habit of scoring spectacular goals himself. Robben having done so multiple times on the big occasions. Purely on the counte Bale may be better, but Robben is much more than that. He has superior control and short passing technique. When teams park a bus he has better close dribbling and can spot a pass. These are things Bale cannot do and in a lot of games this season he has been criticised for it.

Bad tactics does not suddenly make a player any worse in quality. People have an obsession with tactics recently. Ancelotti did not give a tactical master class today, it was blindingly obvious. Heynckes did not reinvent the wheel either. He played a sensible formation, which most top managers would replicate with the same players. Pep just refuses to change and values possession more than goals.

So he gives more power and pace, i would suggest that is a fair bit of an extra option against a very powerful defence for example.

When you are as fast as Robben then the difference in much terms is negligible. Bolassie maybe slightly faster than Zaha, but they are both so fast that it does not make a difference on the pitch. However, Robben's close control, passing, vision and movement make a hell of a difference in matches.

 

[TCIB]

As you said stats are not the whole story. I would imagine that Rooney has better stats than Silva this season, but Rooney has not been fit to lace Silva's boots.

I don't see how Bale gives you anything that Robben does not. Yes Bale is faster and stronger, but Robben is still a speed demon and has a habit of scoring spectacular goals himself. Robben having done so multiple times on the big occasions. Purely on the counte Bale may be better, but Robben is much more than that. He has superior control and short passing technique. When teams park a bus he has better close dribbling and can spot a pass. These are things Bale cannot do and in a lot of games this season he has been criticised for it.

Bad tactics does not suddenly make a player any worse in quality. People have an obsession with tactics recently. Ancelotti did not give a tactical master class today, it was blindingly obvious. Heynckes did not reinvent the wheel either. He played a sensible formation, which most top managers would replicate with the same players. Pep just refuses to change and values possession more than goals.

So he gives more power and pace, i would suggest that is a fair bit of an extra option against a very powerful defence for example.

When you are as fast as Robben then the difference in much terms is negligible. Bolassie maybe slightly faster than Zaha, but they are both so fast that it does not make a difference on the pitch. However, Robben's close control, passing, vision and movement make a hell of a difference in matches.

That is your opinion only though bud.
How can you say Bale having an inch more pace and power would not get the ball past the last defender for example in a close call ?

You can't quantify these variables at all and any attempt to do so is folly imo.

 

[supercrystal7]

So he gives more power and pace, i would suggest that is a fair bit of an extra option against a very powerful defence for example.

When you are as fast as Robben then the difference in much terms is negligible. Bolassie maybe slightly faster than Zaha, but they are both so fast that it does not make a difference on the pitch. However, Robben's close control, passing, vision and movement make a hell of a difference in matches.

That is your opinion only though bud.
How can you say Bale having an inch more pace and power would not get the ball past the last defender for example in a close call ?

You can't quantify these variables at all and any attempt to do so is folly imo.

Yep at the end of the day it's all down to opinions. In my opinion the pace difference does not make enough of a difference compared to everything else Robben has in his favour. In the off chance that Pep plays a sensible formation and Bayern win then everyone will change their mind again.

 

[TCIB]

i will tell you one thing, i would not mind the headache of having both in my squad :D

 

[MSP]

Neuer and Kroos would imo.

Kroos is rapidly becoming one of the most overrated players in world football, I really don't see what the fuss is about. I'd far rather have Modric over him any day of the week. Don't think Alaba would get in ahead of Marcelo and Coentrao either.

Well I've rated Kroos for a long time, I thought he was one of Bayern's best players years ago and I remember him being the best player on the pitch in Bayern's semi-final against Real in 2012.

I would definitely want Kroos over Modric.

Modric is twice the player.