Real Madrid (A) Post Match Thread

[hilts]

Maybe, just maybe tasting such a gut wrenching defeat will give the players more steel, passion and desire to go again next year. We’ll still be in it unlike United and we will strengthen the team. I’m sure the players and management will feel as gutted as We all are at the moment, but hey remember the 90’s!

You could have in fact maybe you do post that every year when we get knocked out because we collapse like a pack of cards

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

Game was everything I love about football tbh. Had it all..

(apart from the result obvs)

So said my Liverpool supporting colleagues in work today, who incidentally are pleased to be facing Madrid rather than us.

 

[BlueRhubarb]

Can we:
1. Stop with the Pep blame. This is not on him. The atmosphere when the goal went in was like nothing I've ever heard before and the players panicked. We were fatigued, clearly rattled and Madrid capitalised. Learns are for the players not the manager.
2. Be more accepting of Pep / the club for not buying a striker good enough to make us better. There are very few players in that position that would offer us more than we currently have playing the 'false 9'. Kane is one...but Spurs made it clear they wouldn't be selling him. Haaland is another and hopefully we see him line up in Sky Blue come the start of the season. Buying a striker for the sake of buying a striker was not the answer. See Lukaku for ref.
3. The biggest eye opener for me was just how much impact a noisy crowd can make on the home team. The Madrid players grew in that atmosphere and we shrank. We'll never be able to recreate that at the Etihad, and I'm sure that isn't the norm for Madrid home league games but it goes a long way to help the team win big games.

As a club we must bounce back strongly on Sunday. Everyone needs to contribute and I'm a little bit worried that if we don't score early the crowd and players will get anxious and the outcome will not be what we all hope it will be.

 

[rowarta]

was their first shot on target in the 90th minute?

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

So said my Liverpool supporting colleagues in work today, who incidentally are pleased to be facing Madrid rather than us.

All my mates who support other teams have been very good about it all, no gloating, makes it even worse. You know you've been at the end of a fucking tragedy when opposing fans are putting a firm hand on your shoulder. Fucking hell.

 

[laplandblue]

We didn't go out purely because of last night though so it's not nonsense. We could and perhaps 4 nil up after the 30 mins of the first leg. Mahrez has to pass, Phil drags a great chance wide. Benzema then scores a goal out of nothing and for the rest of the whole tie,swings one way and another. Is there any excuse for blowing it in the last few minutes like we did? No. But we take our chances and great chances at that when we get them, then and we avoid putting ourselves in a position to be done.

Near the end when City were two goals to the good on aggregate I just thought, stay calm and see the game out. We have seen time and again when it comes to luck and refereeing decisions, City almost always come unstuck. That's what is so disappointing. I don't know what happened. It seems surreal. Every ounce of luck seemed to go their way. I know deep down that City should still be proud, competing with Real Madrid and being the better side over two games in a semi final but it's still sickening. I agree with you though, once again if City would have taken their chances the officials wouldn't have been able to turn the game. City will be stronger for it though. Of that I have no doubt.

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

Yep. And any manager who is making subs for extra time with 20 to go and leading when the other team don't look like scoring shouldn't be managing at this level.

The gameplan and subs were perfect. Absolute vintage, perfect away European performance. Until whatever the fuck that was in the last five minutes.

I have no issue with Pep at all last night and don’t understand those that do.
The subs were working fine, but the team let him down in the last ten minutes.
Jack could have put the game to bed and was unlucky twice not to score and yet was not up to speed with the closing down of the cross for the first goal.
Little things that Pep has no control over.

We need more speed and energy in midfield. Hopefully that will be addressed in close season.

 

[BlueRhubarb]

Some of this comes down to the manager.

Very little in my book.

 

[blue whippet]

I do wonder whether UEFA really didn't want another all English final, back to back.

I'm sure they didn't but that's not the reason we didn't go through.

 

[oddfellows]

Because Cancelo can't defend. He's failed to cut out the cross for the first goal with a half-arsed effort.

Same half-arsed effort Grealish attempts to stop the cross for the second.

We failed to so the basic things in the biggest moments.

Nail on head.

I was taught at school that when playing full back your main job is to stop the cross coming in that's not rocket science even for our highly paid professionals or coaches to grasp.

Basics.