Real Madrid (A) | CL | Post Match Thread

I didn't have high hopes for this game but at the very least, I was expecting to see our boys put 110% effort and determination out there tonight. Unfortunately, that's not what I saw tonight. However, as we've said for a while now, this is a right off season and we move on to Liverpool on Sunday.
CTID !!
 
Not complicated is it. The second big cycle under Pep is over, time for the third. This is a repeat of 19-20 but worsened by injuries and the average age of the squad.

The old lads are done and need moving on. The younger lads are a bit burnt out after giving everything four seasons in a row - one of which was a treble. The new lads need a bit more time to bed in.

Squad's not up to two games a week this season. Glad we're back down to one now. Let's regroup, focus on finishing 4th/5th, and see if we can have another day out at Wembley for the seventh season in a row.

These are incredible days. I can tell you the name of a team not far from the Etihad who are wishing right now that they were getting beat 6-3 by Madrid instead of worrying about relegation.

We'll be reet.
 
I’d say we reached the peak of the mountain against West Ham on the last day of last season and the day after we were caught up in an avalanche on the way down and nose dived into mediocrity. FA cup final tell its own story.
It went south with Rodri's injury and our normally reliable players had decided to start their decline at the same time.
 
Serious questions should be asked about Pep for that starting line up.
Why?

What would have made a difference?

People are living with their heads in the clouds if they think KDB makes the slightest bit of difference in that game...infact I would wager it would have been worse....he tracks back and defends less than Gundo who was completely annonymous today and the only player that you could question whether he should have been on the pitch...but it would have been Kova to replace him and that would have been that

Haaland - injured and couldnt play but again with their midfield dominance he probably makes little difference.

Grealish - has been very poor for a season and a half baring the last 20 mins he played against Madrid in the previous game - but clearly Pep has a problem with something with Grealish and Id wager again its something to do with his lifestyle to put it politely - either way he aint making any difference...

So who else

The squad aint good enough anymore....too many either young and inexperienced players or players that either arent good enough anymore or just cant stay on the pitch long enough

This game again shows the gulf that is growing between our squad and where we once were.

Stones - finished - cant be relied on physically
KDB - finished - Pep knows he aint got the legs hence why he aint played - if he plays vs Liverpool we will see the same problem
Gundo - finished - same problem

The new lads played ok but you can see that with all of them they have a lot to learn and are not at the top level yet - and thats ok as no one can expect that from them but thats another 3 players on the pitch but who would you have played instead of them
Rico at full back would have got murdered.
we have no cover for Rodri as Pep has tried every other possible combination and its been really poor
Mamoush - who starts in front of him tonight with Haaland injured? - there is no one.

SO how does pep actually change it? - answer is he cannt do it.
The real issue is that the senior players who were the cornerstone of our successful squads are now finished. Walker, Stones, KDB, Gundo and probably Bernardo as well.

We lost, deservedly so as that is where we are at in this moment - we are not the team we were 2 seasons ago - no where near and noone could expect that with the decline in KDB, Gundo,Walker, Stones, and the loss of Rodri

Time for people to start to accept this as it has just been laid bare infront of you. We have seen the marker of where we need to get back to and we are 2 steps behind them at the moment.

Rebuild needed and we have started it but not there yet
 
My final comment here tonight, and that is i think a Doku & Savio wing pairing would have given Madrid all sorts of problems.

They are vunrable at the back and we didn’t give them anything to think about.

Goodnight, and bring on the scum on Sunday.
 

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