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Who do we want in the last 8 of the Champions League?

trevo

(ex?)EU Member
Oct 23, 2007
3,025
3,439
We really are a negative bunch of bastards hahaha

Nobody thought we could be Dortmund but we did in emphatic style.

Obviously City are favourites for the tie but they are certainly beatable, football is a funny old game and you never know what could happen.
It's a game of four halves..
 

Doctor Dinkey

Legacy Fan
Jul 6, 2013
3,591
8,687
Anything can happen in football but right now with the porous defence a non existent midfield protection and not scoring enough goals, it is hard to believe that we will get past one of the best side's the EPL has ever seen.
I am really finding it hard to visualise any scenario in which we get through this tie. My heart is saying there's a chance, but based on current form my head is saying one chance in a hundred....
 

Rout-Ledge

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2005
9,611
21,718
The home leg first is a disadvantage, that's why the group winners play the second leg at home in the first knockout round.

It's an advantage for us in this particular tie. Would you rather we have to go to City first and risk taking a defeat into the home game? I'd rather we play our first CL game at the new stadium with a clean slate. If we can take a win into the second leg, we have them on the backfoot and the opportunity to get an away goal on the break.

Second leg at home is really only an advantage if the games goes to extra-time, which is actually quite unlikely (due to the away goals rule which favours the side playing away in the second leg).

Just look at the last round - away second legs helped us, liverpool, united and ajax get through. Atletico only have themselves to blame for throwing their advantage away too.
 

BringBack_leGin

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2004
27,719
54,929
I hate myself for saying it, but we need to go full Mourinho on this one, two disciples physical banks of four, stay compact, a dedicated man market for De Bruyne (I’d go for Dele as he’s our most athletic player) and hit them on the break.
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
I hate myself for saying it, but we need to go full Mourinho on this one, two disciples physical banks of four, stay compact, a dedicated man market for De Bruyne (I’d go for Dele as he’s our most athletic player) and hit them on the break.

Nah need to press the life out of them especially in the first leg, don't let them settle, the crowd get on top of them, Pep's teams don't like being pressed, that's how you get at them.
 

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,353
87,819
Nah need to press the life out of them especially in the first leg, don't let them settle, the crowd get on top of them, Pep's teams don't like being pressed, that's how you get at them.
Which is funny, because that's exactly what we don't cope well with, either...
 
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worcestersauce

"I'm no optimist I'm just a prisoner of hope
Jan 23, 2006
26,891
45,041
I am gutted we got City not because I'm frightened, we'd most likely had to have played them eventually but because they're an English club and I really wanted a foreign club, that's what European football is all about. Still maybe we'll get Barca in the semi's.
 

CantSmileWithoutYou

Well-Endowed Member
May 20, 2015
3,851
15,419
On the plus side:

If city get to FA cup semi will be before our game and could be Vs United. And if Brighton win we will have a free weekend before the game.
Just hope city get through and so do United in the fa cup. Then get drawn against each other on the 6th...

That'll give them something to think about rather than the pushover in a league game.
 

JCRD

Well-Known Member
Aug 10, 2018
19,153
30,013
The problem is, even against Dortmund, we gave them quite a few chances which a proper side would have buried. It was very last ditch for parts of the tie.

I just don’t think we are a very good side this season so I can’t be too confident about it. If we actually looked really solid at the back and great going forwards then I’d be more optimistic. I just think we have declined as a side and even against Dortmund I thought we got lucky rather than a hugely impressive performance. I don’t think we have a CM capable of controlling a game against City especially over two legs.

Just being realistic, still I will hope this time it will be different. We will have to play amazingly well and be very clinical with any chances and hope their attackers have an off day! I fear the worst!

We havent been a good side but we can still play good football... i think against City there is only one way it needs to go - the way we played against them a couple of seasons back. Press press press... high intensity... yeah they may score but think we will score also.

If we try to sit back - we will be fucked.

If the old spurs turn up we can win
 

CantSmileWithoutYou

Well-Endowed Member
May 20, 2015
3,851
15,419
I am gutted we got City not because I'm frightened, we'd most likely had to have played them eventually but because they're an English club and I really wanted a foreign club, that's what European football is all about. Still maybe we'll get Barca in the semi's.
We'll have Ajax or Juve in the semi. It's already been drawn.
 

mano-obe

Well-Known Member
Mar 2, 2005
4,238
7,518
Group of death, Borussia Dortmund and now one of the best teams in the world. They dont want us having an easy ride eh!?
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,391
To be brutally honest, the situation we're in at the moment, I'd happily go out of the CL and have a guaranteed top 4 place. That probably sounds defeatist and under normal circumstances I'd see things differently, but we have a big, big summer coming up for overhauling the squad and no matter what anybody says, CL is a big attraction for the type of players we want. We're treading water in the EPL and the teams beneath us are licking their lips.
 

shelfboy68

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2008
14,566
19,651
I am really finding it hard to visualise any scenario in which we get through this tie. My heart is saying there's a chance, but based on current form my head is saying one chance in a hundred....
I appreciate that some see it as negative etc but this is probably the worst form we have been in since poch arrived and they are not the same team we put four past a couple of years ago.
 

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
20,779
It has fallen to the Mighty Spurs
to strike a double blow
against the evil forces
of Money,Mansour and Manchester.

We are privileged to have been selected
by fate, destiny and the warmed up balls
of favouritism and prejudice.
to bring low the Mighty
in the Premiership and the Champions' League.
on behalf of the poor and the little guys everywhere.

Do not O Tottenham eschew
this once in a lifetime chance.

JJ2 enterprises; Available for half time and pre-match pep talks ,
Barmitzfahs and Masonic do's.
 

double0

Well-Known Member
Aug 29, 2006
14,423
12,258
Man City isnt the draw I would have picked Porto Ajax would of been favourable but still a banana skin. Lets be honest it is a difficult draw but not one we should be scared off and in a way being underdogs will suite us.

My head tells me Man City my Heart says Tottenham over two leg on form. Liverpool of course continue to get easier draws but glad we avoided them from the remaining English clubs ourselves and Man United are the weakest.
 

PeeEyeEmPee

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
1,925
3,125
with our current form, and theirs, I can't see any realistic scenario in which we manage to beat City over 2 legs. with Top 4 under serious threat now, I also don't think we'll do well with having to compete on more than one front. we've certainly not shown an ability to do so over the last few seasons.
 
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