UEFA Champions League 2024/25

[cwy21]

How does the draw for the play off round work? Are teams seeded or is it a random draw?

It's seeded-ish. The seeds are paired and then drawn into either the top or bottom half of the bracket. So the #1 seed and the #2 seed will have a random draw for that pairing to determine who is top half vs bottom half. Same for 3 and 4, 5 and 6, etc.

So if you finish 1st in the table you may end up playing the winner of 15 vs 18 or 16 vs 17 depending on how the draw works out. I'm guessing it's mostly done to minimize any collusion in the final match day.

 

[Rout-Ledge]

I don’t ever expect to see a player as good as messi or Cristiano Ronaldo again in my life time, I really thought he was something special but I grew up in a time of players like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, rivaldo, van basten, gullit, zidane, Romario, batistuta etc. He’s nowhere near that level. He’s obviously a good player but not the player I’d thought he’d be

Mbappe doesn’t even come close to Suarez imo

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Looked amazing as a teenager but nowhere near the level of previous greats of the game

Just 99 pace and can curl a shot, he's your modern 'fifa' game player but is no where near some previous greats.

 

[UncleBuck]

Madrid having a shocker on the champions league this year.

Just looking at Juventus' lineup, it is nowhere near the level of their glory years. Some decent players, but definitely a way off where they used to be.

I think players these days are built up so much by the press and social media that’s it’s almost ‘brand recognition and endorsements’ that they are famous for and not what they do on the pitch, especially on a prolonged basis.
You see Sterling on tv with his Gillette adverts more than you do playing for Arsenal.
Look at Pogba, would you have him starting ahead of Ballack, Gerrard, Scholes, Inesta, Zidane or even Fabregas?
Absolutely not, I’d sooner have a prime Gareth Barry (who I’ve just seen is now playing in the West Sussex league at 43!), at least you knew what you were getting week in week out from him over a consistent spell.
I just think there’s a top 1% these days that you’d class as ‘world class’ globally compared to fifteen plus years ago you’d have world class players who could make up starting XI’s in four European leagues alone.
The individual brilliance and consistency over time has regressed massively and I don’t think players are as good as they used to be, despite the hype which everyone buys into from the media.
Maybe it’s because players are coached for specific roles and formations these days and everything is a lot more rigid and structured, which then filters down to little Jonny at his local academy because that’s how the coaches have been told they need to coach.

 

[Marty]

It’s not even as a teen, it was until the euros. He’s suddenly lost it

Disagree a bit. He's built his reputation on being brilliant in his breakout season at Monaco and at two World Cups. He was awful in Euro 21 which is easy to forget now, awful in Euro 24, and way more up and down for PSG than one might think.

I think he and Haaland are quite similar in that they're both moments players but contribute fuck all when they aren't on it. To be considered a true great you need to do more than just have a good scoring record.

 

[Marty]

Real and PSG definitely the teams to watch in the last three games.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

'They just don't make em like they used to'

 

[Ribble]

Just looking at Juventus' lineup, it is nowhere near the level of their glory years. Some decent players, but definitely a way off where they used to be.

They've leaned into development more post-CRonaldo, partly because of money but also because they had some talent coming through. Yildiz is the stand-out and a fabulous player but is obviously still developing. Conceicao (who's a new arrival) is having a real breakout season too on the right, proper tricksy little guy and tons of positive running.

 

[Ribble]

I think he and Haaland are quite similar in that they're both moments players but contribute fuck all when they aren't on it. To be considered a true great you need to do more than just have a good scoring record.

Funnily enough I think they'd both be better off if they were swapped around. Haaland is a goal machine yes but he had more to his game than that and Ancelotti would let him be freer, conversely Mbappe would benefit greatly from having Pep demand an actual workrate and discipline from him having been coddled for years at PSG.

 

[Marantz]

I see that Girona has 3 ex Spursplayers playing Liverpool. Gazzaninga, Gil and Danjuma all on.

 

[Romulus]

That sums up Bryan Gil

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Girona are almost always a good watch.

 

[Romulus]

when the going gets tough you can always bet there'll be a Liverpool penalty

 

[aliyid]

when the going gets tough you can always bet there'll be a Liverpool penalty

It’s insane some of the soft penalties other teams get. We never seem to get these decisions go our way like the 2nd pen on Sunday when Palmer just ‘brake tested’ Sarr and threw himself to the floor

 

[werty]

How did Gil play?

 

[philll]

Woo that's a lovely touch and goal by Mbappe.

 

[LannerSpurs]

No way the keeper should be getting beat like that

 

[philll]

Ffs that's unlucky for Atalanta.

 

[midoshairband]

Villa's passing is so quick, direct and crisp, it really is a joy.

 

[midoshairband]

Openda is brilliant.