The Title Race - 2023/24

[Fordyboy46]

Tie isn’t done yet
Gonna have to go full strength next Thursday this now means, whereas if they’d won cozily tonight there was the opportunity to rest some players

I can see Klopp tossing this off next week with a 2nd string side being used

 

[Stephen230]

I think our tie is genuinely in the balance. Madrid's pace can be the factor and we aren't great at breaking down defenses. I think, sadly, it could be very very tough for us next week. Hanging on to a narrow lead would have meant an entirely different second leg - or even the old away goals rules...as it is - even with a few of our lads back the deep lying defense we will face is our Achilles heel.

We’ve played nine games in Europe this season and scored three goals in every single one of them.

That doesn’t suggest that breaking down defences is a huge problem.

 

[Coatigan]

I can see Klopp tossing this off next week with a 2nd string side being used

That is quite likely. Great headlines opportunity - forced to use 16 year olds, bright future for the boys, depleted squad that can't compete financially etc etc.

 

[Tolmie scores]

We’ve played nine games in Europe this season and scored three goals in every single one of them.

That doesn’t suggest that breaking down defences is a huge problem.

Agreed, doesn't mean it's bound to continue, but I hope it does of course. Ancelotti is a bright guy, he knows his team can't match ours but staying compact like defenses do in prem against us then use his talented two up top for a counter seems a likely approach. We don't face that in Europe as much but bound to next week don't you think?

 

[shemnel]

Agreed, doesn't mean it's bound to continue, but I hope it does of course. Ancelotti is a bright guy, he knows his team can't match ours but staying compact like defenses do in prem against us then use his talented two up top for a counter seems a likely approach. We don't face that in Europe as much but bound to next week don't you think?

i think we've put Madrid in a conundrum. We drew at theirs last season, they came to us to play and got battered. They really went for the win at theirs the other night....we led twice and again came away with a draw. They're scarred from the 4-0 mess (their perspective) of last season but, personally, i doubt they want to invite pressure on themselves by sitting deep, i'm not sure they're solid enough to handle it.

I think Madrid's best option is to play a midfield game, cautious but higher up the pitch than most Prem teams play at ours. One caveat is they will have seen that teams are actively sitting deep at ours to spring a trap (seems to be working a bit more than previous seasons), so that might be very tempting for them. Should be a great tie.

 

[supercity88]

i think we've put Madrid in a conundrum. We drew at theirs last season, they came to us to play and got battered. They really went for the win at theirs the other night....we led twice and again came away with a draw. They're scarred from the 4-0 mess (their perspective) of last season but, personally, i doubt they want to invite pressure on themselves by sitting deep, i'm not sure they're solid enough to handle it.

I think Madrid's best option is to play a midfield game, cautious but higher up the pitch than most Prem teams play at ours. One caveat is they will have seen that teams are actively sitting deep at ours to spring a trap (seems to be working a bit more than previous seasons), so that might be very tempting for them. Should be a great tie.

They'll expect us to play the same way as we did at home last season and Ancelotti will try and work out the best way of countering that. They couldn't get out. So he'll look at working on transitions, and it will possibly be a pre-planned counter where the ball gets fired into the channels in order for their pace to do us on the counter. Many teams try it, but when we're at it, it's incredibly difficult for teams to play out. Vinicius and Rodrygo don't like defending. Their back 4 isn't great at it either. With the crowd up for it and us pinning them in we become a different proposition and one they're just not used to.

 

[supercity88]

I can see Klopp tossing this off next week with a 2nd string side being used

After the result last night he said he'd have still made the changes because they had to in order to rest players. So I think regardless of what happened he'll still rotate next week and make the same statement if it goes tits up. Either way, there wasn't a huge amount of rotation from what is their strongest 11.

Ignoring why players weren't used, we rested De Bruyne, Walker, Ederson and Ake and still got the draw in Madrid! ;)

 

[shemnel]

They'll expect us to play the same way as we did at home last season and Ancelotti will try and work out the best way of countering that. They couldn't get out. So he'll look at working on transitions, and it will possibly be a pre-planned counter where the ball gets fired into the channels in order for their pace to do us on the counter. Many teams try it, but when we're at it, it's incredibly difficult for teams to play out. Vinicius and Rodrygo don't like defending. Their back 4 isn't great at it either. With the crowd up for it and us pinning them in we become a different proposition and one they're just not used to.

yep, they'll use the channels for sure, did a lot the other night too

 

[mancboy]

Agreed, doesn't mean it's bound to continue, but I hope it does of course. Ancelotti is a bright guy, he knows his team can't match ours but staying compact like defenses do in prem against us then use his talented two up top for a counter seems a likely approach. We don't face that in Europe as much but bound to next week don't you think?

thats exactly what he tried to do in the first leg and conceded 3

 

[Xhavenjoe]

liverpool, with a decent starting eleven, are definitely good enough to go to Atalanta and winby 3 goals or more.
It really depends on what Klopps ambitions are.

Hopefully not but we could be out of the champions league, and arsenal too, by the time the atalanta match takes place.

Our next 3 matches are critical and all in the space of a week. We could be out of any, or all of, premier league, fa Cup and champions league or still in all , and favourites, for all of them.

This is now all down to management and best use of players in the run in.
It is now time to be focused as much on a relegated threatened Luton as it is on the previous winners to us of the champions league, Chelsea and Madrid.
For me anyway, arsenal and Liverpool, getting knocked out if Europe, is a good thing, as it may demoralise them