Euro: 2019 Champions League Final

[Live in the Now]

It's not hot right now, come August it will be hot.
Just no excuses, Liverpool knew how to play in order to maximize chances to win and that's what they did, boring but effective, I think most football people will associate Liverpool's title with a great team and good quality and great games than the boring final

Almost everyone here isn't used to the kind of heat we have in LA and Spain. Spurs didn't take a long training camp in Spain and that might have something to do with it.

 

[cupcrazyman]

 

[StupidityKills]

Yikes

Did that not happen for you? Perhaps because I am still on the free trial portion.

 

[Power Man]

Did that not happen for you? Perhaps because I am still on the free trial portion.

I didn’t watch the whole celebration tbh, I had to go buy some Raid, f***ing spiders

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Almost everyone here isn't used to the kind of heat we have in LA and Spain. Spurs didn't take a long training camp in Spain and that might have something to do with it.

Being used to it in the sense of sitting around having a drink or taking a walk is also different to engaging in elite level athletic activity in it. The pace of the match is pretty much always slower when teams from cold weather climates play in hot weather. I thought it was very obvious that the temperatures played a role.

 

[Live in the Now]

Being used to it in the sense of sitting around having a drink or taking a walk is also different to engaging in elite level athletic activity in it. The pace of the match is pretty much always slower when teams from cold weather climates play in hot weather. I thought it was very obvious that the temperatures played a role.

Agreed and this cannot be stated enough. The reverse is true as well with hot weather teams playing in cold weather. It's also why almost every World Cup/Euros in hot weather is absolutely dire.

 

[New Jersey]

still partying.

we’re back.

european royalty.

 

[Live in the Now]

In the aftermath of the game, I couldn't think of a more deserving player of ours to lift that trophy first. A player who got shit from absolutely everyone including myself. During his first season he got the most shit because he was nightmarish. The manager wanted to swap him for f***ing Clint Dempsey, could not, and got very upset. Think about that now. Henderson then goes on to be forced into a role that isn't his best even though he does reasonably well, he gets more shit because frankly that was correct and we needed a better #6. Then people hear about him going back to playing box to box and are furious because in their mind it's still 2011. For the record I never complained about this because I thought him being a #6 was like trying to tame a wild horse.

We'd be nowhere near this final, or this league challenge without Henderson and that's just a fact. I don't think any of our players has ever gotten more shit than him. They won't be able to take this away from him. I can only imagine what he was thinking when he lifted this trophy.

The last time we won a final we took it to penalties against a f***ing Championship team! And for me, that was the only trophy, won during an absolutely abysmal season. As stated before, the other trophies were not something I could enjoy in any context at all. From glory that obviously would not last due to owners that nearly brought the club into bankruptcy, to mid-table which at the time was alright. After all, would rather have this club than another club. Lower table would have been great too considering the very real alternative of the Championship circa fall 2010. Then, after some mid-table seasons, to a false dawn, back to mid-table and another failed final, and finally a rise to what the team is now. The false dawns were the worst part by some distance and rather miserable. When Liverpool had that money from the Champions League and from selling Coutinho (hello son), hardly anyone thought they wouldn't waste it. They didn't waste it and this victory is directly tied to that. The job these players did to make it to these two finals, regardless of the performance here, is legendary stuff. This was a team that this season just would not give in.


For the ones who said James Milner would never win anything (and there were millions of these f***ers) and that Liverpool were thick for signing Robertson over Kolasinac (and there were millions of these people out there again), for the two players who left in the last year because they thought they were too good for Liverpool, this one's for you. Liverpool was too good for them.

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

I've seen a World Series (several actually, but I was young when the Yankees had their dynasty), a World Cup, two Superbowls, and a bunch of other assorted stuff. This blows all of it away.

Best of luck at Inter. There's so much history at that club and it would be nice to see them become an elite side again.

I'm cautiously optimistic. I know there are people who aren't thrilled with having an ex-Juve head on the management staff as well as, of course, Antonio Conte, who's Juve credentials speak for themself. Without getting into any of the conspiracy theories that float around the Intersphere (this isn't the place for them), I'll just say that there have been a lot of areas where Juventus have been kicking Inter's (and everyone else in Italy's) ass in recent years, and that I can subscribe to the idea that both Beppe Marotta and Conte are professionals who aren't gonna, you know, be "moles" trying to poison the Inter well from the inside out. Which, in other words, could they both do poorly? Sure. Would it surprise me? No. But I wouldn't ascribe that to nebulous intentions. I'm more hopeful that they can import the winning culture from Turin and help impose one in Milano.

The thing is, at Liverpool, what you guys have been able to do since Klopp came aboard in Nov. 2015 is, while it's no Dortmund operation being run there, you've been able to build through increments. Incremental improvement up the table, and incremental improvement in the quality of players you have, which in turn has also led to better player sales figures (the Barcelona board should've been allowed on the field to lift the CL trophy today as honorary members for the Coutinho deal but, hey, you guys saw a fantastic sale opportunity with a player who was begging to go there and you milked that cow for everything it was worth; that's good f*cking business, yo). Better sales figures, better placement revenues, and revenues from making a deep run in the Champions League last year which enabled, among other things, the Alisson and Keita signings.

Where you guys have an advantage over what Inter has is, primarily, in that beautiful, luxurious Premier League revenue stream. Huddersfield made more through PL television revenue this year than Atletico Madrid made in La Liga. It's stupid money floating over there. Italian sides, thanks in part to being simply a less popular league, having a language barrier (not many countries speak Italian), and being run by idiots, can't quite tap into something like that. What Inter does have, finally, is being out of settlement agreement hell as of this next transfer window. Thank g-d for that. Conte is the epitome of a short-term manager, but the foundations he helped lay at Juventus proved sturdy and were continually built upon to the point where Juventus is a powerhouse today. He's won trophies. Does he have a great European résumé? Not really, but I don't care so much about that. Walk before you can run. I want to see Inter challenging Napoli for positioning in Italy next year, not having to survive a relegation side missing several Grade A scoring chances at the death to qualify for the Champions League (F*CK YOU FOR PUTTING ME THROUGH THAT LAST SUNDAY). Show improvement in Italy, then we can talk about going for the championship of Europe. In the meantime, get rid of a bunch of utter donkeys within the club, shape up everyone else, get good transfers in here, maybe advance from the group stage in the CL if you get a favorable enough draw (Pot 3 this year compared to Pot 4 this past season), and build incrementally. Better placement, higher prestige, hopefully increased revenues. The controlling ownership group at Inter is rich as hell, though there's some other stuff regarding Chinese foreign investment restrictions and such that a) I'm not qualified to discuss because I'm not well-versed in it and b) this isn't the place to discuss it.

In any case, what Liverpool has represented in recent years is the perfect combination of having a vision, executing it with laser precision, and having a requisite degree of luck along the way (no shame in that; you earn your own luck to some extent anyway). I don't like your ownership group one bit, because of the MLB franchise that they own (for that matter, you wouldn't like that part of them either, though I must assume your Liverpool fandom precedes FSG's ownership), but they deserve a great deal of credit for the support they've provided the club these past few seasons. I see a role model for other dormant big clubs in Europe when I see Liverpool's recent success. And, you know what? Up until today, Inter had won the Champions League more recently than Liverpool had, so I don't see any reason other than Inter's own ineptitude (which they're more than capable of, trust me) why they can't have the same kind of ascendancy in the coming years.

Fingers crossed, anyway. I definitely didn't mean to write this much, and no hard feelings if you either didn't read all of it or just skimmed it (this applies to anyone else reading this, too).

 

[YNWA14]

I always knew Hendo had it in him.

 

[Savant]

My hangover is going to be very bad

 

[YNWA14]

 

[koyvoo]

Madrid drops to pot 2 in next year’s seeding

Champions League seeds confirmed for 2019-20

 

[hatterson]

Agreed and this cannot be stated enough. The reverse is true as well with hot weather teams playing in cold weather. It's also why almost every World Cup/Euros in hot weather is absolutely dire.

Why I’m super excited for the next World Cup!

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

Why I’m super excited for the next World Cup!

I wish there was a football organization out there that didn't also double as a criminal organization.

 

[Nalens Oga]

I'm a neutral, gave up on the game after 60 minutes. One of the worse finals I have ever seen. Or maybe it's that I'm getting older and losing my sense of loyalty to sports when the game is bad and just turning it off and watching something else.

Younger me would happily sit through any game for the sake of seeing it, I saw Greece's entire Euro 2004 run.....

I just dunno if it's worth it anymore.

 

[koyvoo]

 

[Los merengues]

Worst CL final in forever. Probably shouldnt be suprised since it was contested by two EPL teams. Only plus is that Liverpool won.

 

[Corto]

I mean, I was rooting for Liverpool, but as mostly neutral, that was probably the least eventful and worst final in forever.

I'd say Milan-Juve was as devoid of events, but the actually quality of football was higher.

Last night was just running around and punting the ball forward from both teams.

Don't mean to take anything away from either team, both deserved to be there, but yeah, it was largely a let-down IMO.

Also, it being decided on a fluke handball where there was no danger to the goal is pretty harsh on the Spurs.
It even hits his body first, poor Sissoko.

 

[les Habs]

Worst CL final in forever. Probably shouldn't be surprised since it was contested by two EPL teams. Ridiculous penalty decision might well have ruined the match. Only thing separating the teams was Origi's finish.

I don't get the Liverpool supporters reaction here either. I would get it if it was an "I'll take it" reaction with some disappointment in the performance, but rather amazing the reaction considering the performance.

And yet people will argue that a Man City team that won the EPL by the skin of its teeth and lost to this same Spurs club is better.

I wouldn't and I've said so, but I suppose it depends on your argument. City beat them in the league which is probably the best measure in deciding who is better taking 4 out of a possible 6 points in the process. They you've got the FA and League Cup wins as well. And let's be honest about Liverpool here. They were given the Semifinal by their opponent and won the final based on a bogus penalty decision and an excellent finish after the ball pinballed in the box. Spurs otherwise created better chances and had more than double the shots on goal.

Now for me, as I mentioned in whatever other thread the discussion came up, City for me are behind Liverpool or Barcelona. I'd say that's based on how I see them head-to-head, which indeed goes against results, but that's how I see it. I'd say Liverpool and Barça are even with City right up there but just slightly behind. I suspect that changes next season.

Just keep this nucleus together because I'm having trouble thinking of teams that can beat it consistently. Not when Klopp has them playing with this level of focus and execution. City already has had enough problems with Liverpool for years now, we all saw what happened to Barca, and the Reds back end literally ate the 3rd ranked English team for supper.

Yeah, they'll be competitive for a while, but everything after your first sentence is pretty ridiculous.

 

[Nordiques1979]

Man Klopp is the perfect mix of modern and old school management. He absolutely loves his players, but couod be hard as the rock.

 

[Live in the Now]

Man Klopp is the perfect mix of modern and old school management. He absolutely loves his players, but couod be hard as the rock.

I don't want to say he's the perfect manager because he does make mistakes. He made one today with Firmino starting and another with starting Gomez in Barcelona. But, man. The tactics today were boring but they were what we needed in order to maximize our chances of winning. I couldn't take losing another final and I don't think he could either despite some of the things he said about losing last year. I don't know what it would be like to plan so well to get to all those finals and lose them, and in some cases rather have them taken from you. His tears in the aftermath of this game tell that story. So, with how last year's final ended, and the three second place finishes, and all the other lost finals that stuck with me for years, I would have been cool with Liverpool playing like a Mourinho team in order to win this one.

There were some comments in the buildup about how he is definitely as hard as a rock, but that he doesn't hold grudges unless someone pisses him off over and over again. The common theme with this season was that never happened. Anyway, what I was thinking and almost forgot, was that I do think Liverpool will continue to be successful although it may not always culminate in a trophy. Maybe it never will again, but a collection of players and manager this good usually wins trophies. I'll enjoy this while it lasts I don't even care if it happens again right now. We waited years for anything like this.

 

[Evilo]

I said "the heyday of catenaccio". That was not the 1990s.

Really? Save from the 60s, the most famous catenaccio users were in the 90s.

 

[Stray Wasp]

I said "the heyday of catenaccio". That was not the 1990s.

The first European Cup won by a Catenaccio team was a come from behind victory (though if memory serves Milan kicked one of Benfica's players out of the game, leaving them with a man advantage in those pre-substitution times). But Benfica played a pretty open game, and created a fair few chances.

Herrera's first European Cup was a 3-1 scoreline in which Sandro Mazzola excelled (and Real Madrid perpetrated a couple of howlers).

The year after they beat Benfica 1-0, and I seem to recall accounts of the game suggesting that was a boring kickfest.

The 1967 European Cup final, as long-term site participants know, has won internet votes for the Greatest Game in Footballing History, the Greatest Painting Produced by the Bauhaus School of Art, and the Greatest Brand of Toaster Ever Made (amongst many other titles it can claim).

The 1969 final produced five goals.

So, on the whole those finals weren't short of incident. No doubt it helped that the games tended to pit the catenaccio sides against opponents who were happy to play.

 

[Evilo]

I'll be the one to say they did sort of park the bus. The bus was parked way further up the pitch in a mid-block though.

Nah, bus was parked in front of the box all game long.
Pragmatic win I guess, but as a neutral, I can't find any satisfaction of a catenaccio win over a bogus penalty.