UEFA Champions League R16 1st Leg (Feb 13/14 & 20/21)

[Paperino]

They been average this season they maybe couldn't believe their luck they winning against team like Bayern

They can thank Upamecano.

 

[MutableEarth]

Prime time Giroud would have done very well for us.

Annoyingly true. Tbh he's better now than he was for us. I'd have Giroud of the last few years over "prime" Giroud!

 

[Tir Na Nog]

 

[Rasmi]

Not spectacular, but that's the kind of game it was. No one stood out really.

Him an Rice midfield is dead midfield. Way too defensive imo

 

[GoonerJeeves]

Annoyingly true. Tbh he's better now than he was for us. I'd have Giroud of the last few years over "prime" Giroud!

Aging like a fine wine, our man from Montpellier

 

[Trilly]

Mbappe looks awful.

Top tier football knowledge from you again

 

[Gooner Zig]

Would love for Bayern to go out, makes us 3rd favourites imo.

Think our fans need to chill about our CL chances, even our greatest ever team couldn't win it. I'll be wrapt just to get over Porto - getting to QF would be huge

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Is there a more creatively stifling coach than Tuchel?

Even perceived defensive coaches like Conte, Allegri and Simeone you see attacking players flourish a lot more.

Let's not forget he made loads of defensive mediocre signings for PSG, same with Chelsea. He's obsessed with bringing in loads of average defensive players and playing 5atb most of the time.

 

[GoonerJeeves]

Is there a more creatively stifling coach than Tuchel?

Even perceived defensive coaches like Conte, Allegri and Simeone you see attacking players flourish a lot more.

Let's not forget he made loads of defensive mediocre signings for PSG, same with Chelsea. He's obsessed with bringing in loads of average defensive players and playing 5atb most of the time.

Great dungeon though.

 

[jones]

I need AMs unbiased view on this, might be my dislike of him as a person that clouds my judgment.

Is Nagelsmann objectively gross looking? People told me he looks normal and it's just him coaching clubs I hate/having a sh*t personality making me say that but imo he's got a repulsive face.

 

[HattoriHanzo]

Aging like a fine wine, our man from Montpellier

He definitely improved since he arrived to AC Milan.

Best finishers

Giroud has conversion rate of 41%, highest in top 5 european leagues.

Obviously players can improve their finishing.
There is a hope for G. Jesus, even for Havertz.

 

[Synical]

 

[Farzad Stoned]

Anyone watch a player we sold for pennies; after he started 50 matches in our midfield as a kid; boss Bayern for Lazio in CL? Mik didn’t even give Guendouzi who was what 20 a second chance. Lot of people that age do stupid things. I don’t care what anyone says he is a way better midfielder and player than Kai.

 

[berric]

You'd think we're Copenhagen FC with these results—embarrassing performances and put into perspective why fans were toxic. Every year the same old ****, rinse and repeat. That Monaco loss was something else.

 

[GDeep™]

Jamie Carragher saying the CL is boring.

 

[Batman]

He definitely improved since he arrived to AC Milan.

Best finishers

Giroud has conversion rate of 41%, highest in top 5 european leagues.

Obviously players can improve their finishing.
There is a hope for G. Jesus, even for Havertz.

His conversion rate is higher because it's a weaker league. It's the same reason Jesus seems to put everything away against group stage farmers in the CL.

 

[HattoriHanzo]

His conversion rate is higher because it's a weaker league. It's the same reason Jesus seems to put everything away against group stage farmers in the CL.

So what?
Serie A is weaker and slower than Prem, defenses are more tactical.
Therefore it is probably even more difficult to score goals because defenses have more time to prepare.

Fikayo Tomori, as defender who played in Prem and now plays in Serie A spoke about that:
“In England, it’s more like basketball,” says Tomori. “Everything’s end-to-end, there’s more intensity, a lot more happens reactively. In Italy it’s more like American football. It’s like you have ‘plays’. When the ball’s here, I need to be here. When the ball goes, I know I have to be two metres over in that direction, or be looking for this particular player …

“In England it’s very much off the cuff and things happen so fast. You can be attacking one minute and the next the ball’s flipped over your head and you’ve got to run back 30 yards, then you’re back on the attack. Here it’s more like: ‘OK, the ball’s there, where’s my teammate? Where’s the opposition?’ If the ball goes over the top I need to be in a position where I can leave the striker and get there, but if the ball goes into feet I’m in a position to go press.”

Tomori about Serie A

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Anyway, conversion rate has much more to do with player's decision making and calmness than with league strength.
You really think if you put G. Jesus right now to AC Milan that his conversion rate would immediately increase?

 

[Batman]

So what?
Serie A is weaker and slower than Prem, defenses are more tactical.
Therefore it is probably even more difficult to score goals because defenses have more time to prepare.

Fikayo Tomori, as defender who played in Prem and now plays in Serie A spoke about that:
“In England, it’s more like basketball,” says Tomori. “Everything’s end-to-end, there’s more intensity, a lot more happens reactively. In Italy it’s more like American football. It’s like you have ‘plays’. When the ball’s here, I need to be here. When the ball goes, I know I have to be two metres over in that direction, or be looking for this particular player …

“In England it’s very much off the cuff and things happen so fast. You can be attacking one minute and the next the ball’s flipped over your head and you’ve got to run back 30 yards, then you’re back on the attack. Here it’s more like: ‘OK, the ball’s there, where’s my teammate? Where’s the opposition?’ If the ball goes over the top I need to be in a position where I can leave the striker and get there, but if the ball goes into feet I’m in a position to go press.”

Tomori about Serie A

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyway, conversion rate has much more to do with player's decision making and calmness than with league strength.
You really think if you put G. Jesus right now to AC Milan that his conversion rate would immediately increase?

I love when people contradict themselves and falsify their own arguments leaving me with basically nothing to do. Basic common sense suggests that it's easier to be calm and make decisions in a slower paced league where you have more time. It's why Cristiano Ronaldo is scoring nearly every match in Saudi Arabia in a slow, weak league where he has all the time in the world when he was looking finished at United in the fastest paced league in the world. I'm not sure what you think the Tomori quotes do for your argument either, he's saying that the PL is more intense and more reactive, both conditions that lend themselves to a more difficult environment to finish chances, not an easier one.

As to your question about Jesus, yes of course his conversion rate would increase playing in a weaker league. That's basic common sense. The U21s are a weaker league, no? Would he not put away his chances at a higher rate against opponents less capable of stopping him? Of course he would and to argue otherwise is nonsensical, particularly when we have the evidence in front of us from this season that he's got the same number of goals scored in the CL against weaker opposition in 4 matches(and less than 1/3 of the minutes) as he has from 17 PL matches where his conversion rate is considerably lower. That's actual tangible data, not "So what?" and then a bunch of lines of horsesh*t that disprove your claim if anything.

 

[HattoriHanzo]

I love when people contradict themselves and falsify their own arguments leaving me with basically nothing to do. Basic common sense suggests that it's easier to be calm and make decisions in a slower paced league where you have more time. It's why Cristiano Ronaldo is scoring nearly every match in Saudi Arabia in a slow, weak league where he has all the time in the world when he was looking finished at United in the fastest paced league in the world. I'm not sure what you think the Tomori quotes do for your argument either, he's saying that the PL is more intense and more reactive, both conditions that lend themselves to a more difficult environment to finish chances, not an easier one.

As to your question about Jesus, yes of course his conversion rate would increase playing in a weaker league. That's basic common sense. The U21s are a weaker league, no? Would he not put away his chances at a higher rate against opponents less capable of stopping him? Of course he would and to argue otherwise is nonsensical, particularly when we have the evidence in front of us from this season that he's got the same number of goals scored in the CL against weaker opposition in 4 matches(and less than 1/3 of the minutes) as he has from 17 PL matches where his conversion rate is considerably lower. That's actual tangible data, not "So what?" and then a bunch of lines of horsesh*t that disprove your claim if anything.

You wrote BS here, not me.

Serie A is weaker than Prem, but difference is not so big.
AC Milan was better last season in CL than Sp**s in both matches, and this season they were better than Newcastle in both matches.
Inter wasn't inferior to City in CL final last season, had Lukaku scored his chances Inter could have won.

Basic common sense also can suggest that if league is slower paced there is more time for defenses to prepare, therefore more difficult for strikers to score.

Average goals per match In Prem in seasons Giroud played for Arsenal is 2.7.
Average goals per match In Serie A in 2 full seasons Giroud played for AC Milan (2021/22 and 2022/23) is 2.7.
So, more-less same number of goals has been scored in both leagues.

Throughout his Arsenal years, Giroud scored 13-14 goals per season in league (average) and had 4-5 assists per season (average).
In his first full 2 seasons in AC Milan, Giroud scored 12 goals per season in league (average) and had 4-5 assists per season (average).

So far this season in Prem 767 goals have been scored (3.22 per match)
So far this season in Serie A 612 goals have been scored (2.58 per match)
Is it easier to score in league with 3.22 goals per match or in league with 2.58 goals per match?

Giroud has this season (after 24 matches) 11 goals and 8 assists.
If he continues to score at this rate, this might be his best season.
For me this is improvement (in league with less goals per match than in EPL).
It is also worth to mention that Serie A is historically famous for strong defenses (Baresi, Maldini, Nesta, Cannavaro, Costacurta, Chiellini, Bonucci, Materazzi and many others).

So, stop writing BS about weaker league, it is more difficult to score in Serie A this season than in Prem.
And my original comment about Giroud's high conversion rate refers to this season.

 

[Batman]

You wrote BS here, not me.

Serie A is weaker than Prem, but difference is not so big.
AC Milan was better last season in CL than Sp**s in both matches, and this season they were better than Newcastle in both matches.
Inter wasn't inferior to City in CL final last season, had Lukaku scored his chances Inter could have won.

Basic common sense also can suggest that if league is slower paced there is more time for defenses to prepare, therefore more difficult for strikers to score.

Average goals per match In Prem in seasons Giroud played for Arsenal is 2.7.
Average goals per maztch In Serie A in 2 full seasons Giroud played for AC Milan (2021/22 and 2022/23) is 2.7.
So, more-less same number of goals has been scored in both leagues.

Throughout his Arsenal years, Giroud scored 13-14 goals per season in league (average) and had 4-5 assists per season (average).
In his first full 2 seasons in AC Milan, Giroud scored 12 goals per season in league (average) and had 4-5 assists per season (average).

So far this season in Prem 767 goals have been scored (3.22 per match)
So far this season in Serie A 612 goals have been scored (2.58 per match)
Is it easier to score in league with 3.22 goals per match or in league with 2.58 goals per match?

Giroud has this season (after 24 matches) 11 goals and 8 assists.
If he continues to score at this rate, this might be his best season.
For me this is improvement (in league with less goals per match than in EPL),
So, stop writing BS about weaker league, it is more difficult to score in Serie A this season than in Prem.
And my original comment about Giroud's high conversion rate refers to this season.

So you wrote all that to say you don't understand pace of play after your prior post emphasizing the disparity in the pace of play. If the game is slower with less chances being produced, it can still be easier to convert the chances that are produced while there are less goals overall. You trying to argue that Serie A is not a vastly inferior league is just so ridiculous. His number are similar to his PL numbers despite him being ancient because the league is a lower level. It's the same reason Pulisic has looked better there. Then as the icing on the cake you used Tottenham failing as some kind of evidence of the other team's ability. Embarrassing, truly.