European teams - new opinion?

[brian the blue]

I get the impression that we'd beat any other Italian team quite comfortably. Napoli were always going to be a tough team (and unique with their 3 at the back system) and even though they aren't doing amazingly domestically they were so fired up for playing us and in the CL on a whole that their game and workrate improved greatly. (kind of like Spurs were last year).

If we had gotten any other team out of pot 4 (apart from maybe Dortmund) then we'd have come 2nd in this group or maybe even had won it.

I think its just inexperience and errors made by ourselves that has cost us our place in the next round as opposed to the 3 other teams being better. (does this mean the Spanish league is shit because we beat Villarreal twice by the way?)

 

[The game 161]

Re: European teams -new opinion?

1) We've not gone out yet.

2) Don't remember anyone say we would walk this group when the draw was made.

It was named the group of death when it was announced and still remains the same.

 

[waspish]

BaconChops has been at the scum for 25 years and won 3 yes thats right a MASSIVE 3 european trophies he is a shocking manager in Europe FACT

 

[remoh]

Arsenal beat Barcelona in the champions league last season. Spurs knocked the holders out (Inter Milan) And then knocked AC Milan out as well. All with english style, attacking prowess down the wings. They couldn't live with it up them. Players like Lucio and Maicon torn to pieces. We could've done with some of that style of play, last night. Getting behind defenders and making them turn towards their own goal. All of our play is down the middle and quite predictable if you've done your homework and watched us play. We have two strikers over 6ft and hardly give them any crosses from open play.

It might just be that European teams are used to playing against Mancini's style of play. If we changed it up a bit and stuck AJ on one wing and Nasri on the other for 20 mins and tried to get some crosses in, we might have come away with something. Dzeko was unplayable for Wolfsburg in the air, but we're not playing to his strengths.

Much truth and often noted on here.
If we'd had Clichy and Richards on last night and they had both played to their best, it could have been a different game, without sacrificing strength down the middle. Pace down the wings and quality crosses will undo the very best defences.

 

[mmadave1]

I have always thought that playing in the champions league you have to use simple but complex tactics and to use the wide men a lot more than what you normally would do as I have seen teams in the past use this method successfully.last night I feel that at times we should of used our heads a bit more and not have been so forward thinking and instead sat back and invited the pressure on and frustrated them and hit them on the counter attack.we conceded two goals last night that I think should have been defended better and they were costly errors.we have to start using our heads a little bit more in the European matches.One thing the other European teams do is they make the occasion a massive night and the fans pass that onto the players when there on the pitch.They also see the champions league a better prize to win rather than there own league tittles in my opinion due to the whole pride and passion thing when they play teams from other countries.

 

[Cobwebcat]

Don't let the facts spoil a good story eh fellow blues? Will Napoli be back next year? It's lunacy to look at one game and say the winners must be better than the losers overall. Ever heard of the FA Cup?

The facts:

The English league is by far the strongest.

The EPL has more teams in European competition than any other league in Europe.

The EPL is the only league to still have all it's teams still in Europe.

http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/data/method4/crank2012.html

So stop moaning and shut the fuck up ;-)

 

[bayern blade]

Don't let the facts spoil a good story eh fellow blues? Will Napoli be back next year? It's lunacy to look at one game and say the winners must be better than the losers overall. Ever heard of the FA Cup?

The facts:

The English league is by far the strongest.

The EPL has more teams in European competition than any other league in Europe.

The EPL is the only league to still have all it's teams still in Europe.

The premier league has only one club definitely through after five games, and Arsenal are in a fairly easy group where Dortmund are on the same learning curve as City.
In years gone by three or four of the English teams would be through by now. The English league is like the other top leagues, four or five good sides at the top and most of the rest are cannon fodder.

 

[afhald]

Don't let the facts spoil a good story eh fellow blues? Will Napoli be back next year? It's lunacy to look at one game and say the winners must be better than the losers overall. Ever heard of the FA Cup?

The facts:

The English league is by far the strongest.

The EPL has more teams in European competition than any other league in Europe.

The EPL is the only league to still have all it's teams still in Europe.

The premier league has only one club definitely through after five games, and Arsenal are in a fairly easy group where Dortmund are on the same learning curve as City.
In years gone by three or four of the English teams would be through by now. The English league is like the other top leagues, four or five good sides at the top and most of the rest are cannon fodder.

i agree with the german

 

[jimbo101]

Why do you think we can rip seemingly any team apart in the Premier League this season, yet struggle in the Champions League?
It's because European football is different - not neccessarily better but different, & we have to get used to it & adapt. That takes time & experience.

I've never seen a team play like Napoli before. A front three who offer nothing defensively, but just sit, poised in their starting blocks ready to tear you to shreds as soon as their defence wins the ball back form you.
They have no midfield to speak of, they just give it to the front 3 who are lethal going forward but are passengers the rest of the time.

We need to develop a style of playing in Europe against technically excellent, predominantly counter attacking teams.

 

[VOOMER]

Re: European teams -new opinion?

Sorry but I don't believe Napoli are a better team than us. Mancini is not a good manager in the Champions League competition, end of! He's never had success in the Champions League with any of the teams he has managed, that's why he was sacked from Inter. Mancini will probably win us the Prem and a couple of tin pot Trophy's but the big prize- no!

And whats the ratio for fungus? Seriously, if we take whisky nose as the measure, Bobby needs another 3 league titles before he wins a champions league final, or lets have a look at Wegner, or should we even bother.