Euro: 2019 Champions League Final

[DashingDane]

Anyone else watching Bleacher Reports "The Champions"? I find it hilarious!

 

[Albatros]

Also Korean movies and television are very popular, in soccer it's overwhelmingly English football and nothing else can really compare although there can be temporary trends like Barcelona because of Iniesta recently or Milan or Dortmund before.

 

[Live in the Now]

I will be the honest one before I go in for this first test I guess.

I think Liverpool are a far better team and should smash Spurs. I'm not saying that's what's going to happen, but that's what should happen. Liverpool has superior players the whole way down the team. We've been hurt many times before so I full well know that Liverpool has a good chance of losing, but on paper I think the teams speak for themselves. 26 point difference in the table, this would be a crushing defeat if it happened.

 

[hatterson]

I will be the honest one before I go in for this first test I guess.

I think Liverpool are a far better team and should smash Spurs. I'm not saying that's what's going to happen, but that's what should happen. Liverpool has superior players the whole way down the team. We've been hurt many times before so I full well know that Liverpool has a good chance of losing, but on paper I think the teams speak for themselves. 26 point difference in the table, this would be a crushing defeat if it happened.

I think Eriksen and one of Spurs CBs are the only players in the starting XI I think would make Liverpool’s XI.

Liverpool is definitely the more talented team, and *should* win, but the game could go either way. City should have dominated Spurs as well and we know how that went.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

I think Eriksen and one of Spurs CBs are the only players in the starting XI I think would make Liverpool’s XI.

Liverpool is definitely the more talented team, and *should* win, but the game could go either way. City should have dominated Spurs as well and we know how that went.

Obviously Liverpool's system is built to fit Firmino, so Bobby would start for Liverpool over Kane, but I am of the opinion that Kane is (slightly, it's close) better than Firmino.

 

[Juve]

Anyone else watching Bleacher Reports "The Champions"? I find it hilarious!

Yep

B/R Football presents This is The Champions Episodes! (Season 2 EP 5 the concert edition is out!)

 

[hatterson]

Obviously Liverpool's system is built to fit Firmino, so Bobby would start for Liverpool over Kane, but I am of the opinion that Kane is (slightly, it's close) better than Firmino.

Yea I don't disagree with that.

 

[Cassano]

1 more day until football is ruined ore saved

 

[Havre]

No question that Liverpool are favorites, but I can’t help thinking the media is exaggerating the difference in quality between the two teams.

Not that long ago Son was listed by the same newspapers as a player that could win the player of the year award. He slows down a bit and that is all forgotten. I don’t think Son, Kane, Eriksen and Alli have hit it off the way they can at their best this season, but that group really isn’t that much weaker than the front three Liverpool got when they do. And I would take Lucas over anyone Liverpool got on the bench. Similar situation in defense. Liverpool got a lot more depth in midfield but if Winks and Sissoko are good to go then they have shown quite recently they are up to the task playing Liverpool.

Personally I’m more worried about the lack of form Spurs have shown through the whole season than the overall difference in quality. I was expecting Spurs to get a slow start with so many players away during summer, but they never got going. Can only pray that by some miracle it will happen now. If not there is a risk Spurs will be eaten alive.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

I think Eriksen and one of Spurs CBs are the only players in the starting XI I think would make Liverpool’s XI.

Liverpool is definitely the more talented team, and *should* win, but the game could go either way. City should have dominated Spurs as well and we know how that went.

Vertonghen/Alderweireld and Kane would absolutely make it.

Eriksen would make it even if he has had a mediocre season.

Could make a case for Sissoko (fully serious) and Sonny too.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Personally I’m more worried about the lack of form Spurs have shown through the whole season than the overall difference in quality. I was expecting Spurs to get a slow start with so many players away during summer, but they never got going. Can only pray that by some miracle it will happen now. If not there is a risk Spurs will be eaten alive.

They were second place in January, so I'd say that they got going. It all went downhill after that Burnley game.

 

[Savant]

No question that Liverpool are favorites, but I can’t help thinking the media is exaggerating the difference in quality between the two teams.

Not that long ago Son was listed by the same newspapers as a player that could win the player of the year award. He slows down a bit and that is all forgotten. I don’t think Son, Kane, Eriksen and Alli have hit it off the way they can at their best this season, but that group really isn’t that much weaker than the front three Liverpool got when they do. And I would take Lucas over anyone Liverpool got on the bench. Similar situation in defense. Liverpool got a lot more depth in midfield but if Winks and Sissoko are good to go then they have shown quite recently they are up to the task playing Liverpool.

Personally I’m more worried about the lack of form Spurs have shown through the whole season than the overall difference in quality. I was expecting Spurs to get a slow start with so many players away during summer, but they never got going. Can only pray that by some miracle it will happen now. If not there is a risk Spurs will be eaten alive.

Well thats why the layoff is better for Tottenham. Resetting benefits them much more than it does Liverpool

 

[YNWA14]

Vertonghen/Alderweireld and Kane would absolutely make it.

Eriksen would make it even if he has had a mediocre season.

Could make a case for Sissoko (fully serious) and Sonny too.

Kane wouldn't play over a healthy Firmino, and he isn't displacing Mane or Salah. I'd take Vertonghen/Alderweireld and Eriksen as Hatterson mentioned but no way Sissoko or Son (as much as I like him) would start for Liverpool.

Also I just don't see any way Kane is as good of a footballer as Firmino, system or not.

 

[hatterson]

Vertonghen/Alderweireld and Kane would absolutely make it.

Eriksen would make it even if he has had a mediocre season.

Could make a case for Sissoko (fully serious) and Sonny too.

I don't think Kane would mesh well with Mane/Salah which is why I wouldn't take him, although I'm willing to say he's better in a vacuum than Firmino.

Sissoko is arguable and Son doesn't make it over Mane.

If I'm strictly comparing teams at each position I'd say Liverpool has the advantage in goal, they have the best CB although as a pair I'd say Vertonghen/Alderweireld is on par with VVD/?, they have a very clear advantage at fullback, midfield is at best a wash, and attack goes to Liverpool even if Kane is better than Firmino

 

[YNWA14]

I'm willing to say he's better in a vacuum than Firmino.

Out of curiosity what makes Kane better than Firmino?

 

[Evilo]

Ouch.

 

[Live in the Now]

Yeah I'm not a big fan of comparing Kane and Firmino. Kane's role is to score and Firmino's is to make sure that the other players score as much as possible by creating chances or dropping deep to fully open up the field for Salah, Mane, and the two fullbacks. I don't think either one would fit in the other team. We saw that when Salah played with Dzeko for example, he did have slightly higher assists and Roma almost won the Scudetto, but there is no way to know how Mane would play with a player like that and as a result I wouldn't want to do it.

But I definitely wouldn't take Sissoko over Wijnaldum or Henderson. Eriksen and Alderweireld would fit great into our team. Fabinho is the best midfielder on either team.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Yeah I'm not a big fan of comparing Kane and Firmino. Kane's role is to score and Firmino's is to make sure that the other players score as much as possible by creating chances or dropping deep to fully open up the field for Salah, Mane, and the two fullbacks. I don't think either one would fit in the other team. We saw that when Salah played with Dzeko for example, he did have slightly higher assists and Roma almost won the Scudetto, but there is no way to know how Mane would play with a player like that and as a result I wouldn't want to do it.

But I definitely wouldn't take Sissoko over Wijnaldum or Henderson. Eriksen and Alderweireld would fit great into our team. Fabinho is the best midfielder on either team.

I love Fabinho a lot, I always have, and I was and am mad that Liverpool snagged him so cheap, but Eriksen is better than Fabinho.

 

[Live in the Now]

I love Fabinho a lot, I always have, and I was and am mad that Liverpool snagged him so cheap, but Eriksen is better than Fabinho.

I value defensive midfielders way more than most I suppose. I think he was the largest catalyst in our huge unbeaten run, the difference that every Liverpool team in the last nine years has not had since Mascherano.

 

[YNWA14]

I value defensive midfielders way more than most I suppose. I think he was the largest catalyst in our huge unbeaten run, the difference that every Liverpool team in the last nine years has not had since Mascherano.

Our defensive record is better with Winnaldum as the 6 than Fabinho, but I think Fabinho is a...fabulous player. Not our best midfielder though.

 

[Live in the Now]

Our defensive record is better with Winnaldum as the 6 than Fabinho, but I think Fabinho is a...fabulous player. Not our best midfielder though.

That is more related to the style of play than anything else. See: Belgrade and Napoli. Our attacking play became far better when Fabinho was in the team. Also, see: Belgrade and Napoli.

 

[Havre]

They were second place in January, so I'd say that they got going. It all went downhill after that Burnley game.

I don’t agree to that. You don’t need to play great football to take points off Huddersfield, Cardiff etc. You can muddle along for a long time with a bit of luck. Especially when teams like Chelsea, Arsenal and Utd were equally average.

In my opinion this is probably Pochettino’s weakest season at Spurs. Even under his first season I thought we had more good games (probably also more bad ones to be fair). Could just as well have ended up going out in the group stages and ending up 5th as being in the final and ending up 4th. Very marginal.

Not that you need to play fantastically well to win a cup tournament or that doing so for most of the season means you will have to win something. Look at Tampa.

 

[Corto]

Yeah I'm not a big fan of comparing Kane and Firmino. Kane's role is to score and Firmino's is to make sure that the other players score as much as possible by creating chances or dropping deep to fully open up the field for Salah, Mane, and the two fullbacks. I don't think either one would fit in the other team. We saw that when Salah played with Dzeko for example, he did have slightly higher assists and Roma almost won the Scudetto, but there is no way to know how Mane would play with a player like that and as a result I wouldn't want to do it.

But I definitely wouldn't take Sissoko over Wijnaldum or Henderson. Eriksen and Alderweireld would fit great into our team. Fabinho is the best midfielder on either team.

Eriken is the best midfielder of the lot IMO, and quite clearly so.
Also, Sissoko has been absolutely lights out this season and didn't take half of it to heat up like Fabinho.
I'd even see Wijnaldum has been better overall than Fabinho.

Kane is also very good at dropping deep and being involved in the play - his task is to score goals, but he does so much more.
He's not an Icardi-like poacher. Sometimes I think that as much as the English media tended to overrate him, everyone else seems to underrate him.

I mean, Liverpool are the favorites, and it's theirs to lose, especially in light of all the Spurs injury and fitness troubles.
And I'll be rooting for them.
But it's not like it's a 90-10 game, it's 55-45 and the Spurs best 11 is formidable and capable of beating and controlling the game against any team in the world, on their day.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Eriken is the best midfielder of the lot IMO, and quite clearly so.
Also, Sissoko has been absolutely lights out this season and didn't take half of it to heat up like Fabinho.
I'd even see Wijnaldum has been better overall than Fabinho.

Yeah, I think Wijnaldum, Sissoko and Eriksen is the best combined midfield.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

26 point difference in the table, this would be a crushing defeat if it happened.

It was about 4 points before Spurs got nailed with injuries, Liverpool was much healthier all year and have a much deeper squad over a long season.

But best 11 vs best 11.....it's close.