GWT: Champions League Quarterfinals Reaction

[Ducks76]

Final: Barca vs Ajax

 

[koyvoo]

Spurs have been better without overrated Harry Kane tbh

Believe me, I’m as critical as anyone on the general lack of technical ability of English trained players as anyone but Kane is for sure an excellent clinical finisher at the least.

 

[Power Man]

Believe me, I’m as critical as anyone on the general lack of technical ability of English trained players as anyone but Kane is for sure an excellent clinical finisher at the least.

He is but there seems to be more fluidity when he’s not playing

 

[Corto]

Only saw City-Spurs game of the 4, life getting in the way of watching football, eh...

VAR got both calls 100% right.
(even with the handball rule changes next year, I see no why how anyone calls that a handball, it wasn't deliberate, he had no time to react, he didn't extend it to increase the volume of his body, and in the end, ball went in off his hip; offside call was 100% correct as well)

Laporte was brutal, I've never seen him play as shaky as last night.
Dele was pretty bad as well - him and Müller are the world's best "raumdeuters" but when he as pulled back into midfield, he was dire.

Eriksen... I love that man, I think he's a top, top player, but he got bailed out by VAR at the end there.

If Sissoko is injured, they will miss him perhaps more than they will miss Kane and Son in the first leg (Son suspended).
Sissoko has been absolutely brilliant for them this season.

I don't understand why Sane wasn't brought on earlier, or why he's been gone from the starting 11 in the first place.

...

Great game to watch, but loaded with mistakes and poor judgement from a number of players.

I wouldn't count out Spurs vs Ajax... Ajax is young, hungry and exciting (and good)... But Spurs can be as good as anyone if it's their night.

 

[Havre]

That is just not true (on Kane - not Corto´s post).

Not that I think Spurs would have dominated City with Kane, but last night they scored two goals after two big mistakes. And one set piece.

I don´t think what we saw was a Spurs playing with much fluidity.

And it is not like Kane slows down play much. Yes. He can hold the ball up in a way other Spurs players can´t, but he rarely holds on to the ball very long. Often he will turn and play a diagonal pass which opens up space for others.

That said Kane has certainly not been at his best this season. Like before he has struggled after a summer tournament and with the injuries he has never really got going properly.

 

[maclean]

Spurs-Ajax will definitely be an interesting match. Situation is kind of similar for both of them in that they will finally be a team that isn't completely underestimated. As good as Spurs have been, they've been constantly considered the underdog, a position that seems to suit them. Now they will be the "paper" favourites and have to deal with the pressure of that role. Ajax, again as good as they've been, have also been the underdogs - that kind of "well, it would be nice for them to win but we won't keep breaths held" - and now that they've really opened a lot of people's eyes, expectations will be much higher, plus against what many will consider the most "playable" of the remaining teams.

 

[Havre]

I don´t think Spurs are paper favourites. Spurs played very well at home against City, but Spurs were desperately lucky to go through after 180 mins - Ajax would have been robbed if they didn´t. Ajax got a bit of mojo going Spurs just haven´t got.

I think Spurs generally on here have been underrated the last couple of seasons, but now they are overrated. This is a bit of a makeshift team waiting to be exposed. That said - Ajax might come back to earth at some point as well. Spurs were lucky playing Dortmund at a time they clearly struggled. Not a given that Ajax will be flying like this for the rest of the season. Not to mention an injury to de Jong or something would weaken them quite a lot (not that I´m hoping they get injuries).

I really like the core Spurs got (sadly that might not be there next season with Eriksen and Alderweireld potentially gone). And depth isn´t horrible, but like most other teams losing 3-4 of your best players will obviously hurt you. If Kane, Son and Sissoko miss out on the first game then Spurs are without their three best players these days (can´t believe I´m saying that about Sissoko, but right now it is true).

Doesn´t mean they can´t beat Ajax. Maybe they don´t need as much luck as last night to make, but my guess is they need some.

 

[Savi]

Final: Barca vs Ajax

Let's hope so. I'd have zero interest in watching a Tottenham-Liverpool final. Would probably the first time in a long time I'd skip it.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Let's hope so. I'd have zero interest in watching a Tottenham-Liverpool final. Would probably the first time in a long time I'd skip it.

Can't wait for it.

 

[hatterson]

Yeah, it clearly hit his arm. I think changing the rule is actually going to be a disaster. I remember Suarez kicking the ball straight into defender's hands, is that always going to be a penalty now? If so, that's so stupid.

From what I understand the standard for defenders will still be the same. Either intentionally moving your hand towards the ball or intentionally making your body bigger with your hand/arms will count, but situations where the ball is kicked straight into the defenders hand or his hand is against his body won't be a pen.

 

[bluesfan94]

Yeah, it clearly hit his arm. I think changing the rule is actually going to be a disaster. I remember Suarez kicking the ball straight into defender's hands, is that always going to be a penalty now? If so, that's so stupid.

No, the new rule, as I understand it, is only for offensive players.

 

[Pouchkine]

Where are the Pep fanboys?

 

[Power Man]

Barcelona should easily win the CL

 

[Ajacied]

My player grades for Juventus - Ajax

Andre Onana - 7.5
Didn't have to do all too much. Juve didn't record a shot on goal after minute 31, I believe. Hardly to blame for Ronaldo's header. Onana was confident and consistent in net.

Nousair Mazraoui - Incomplete

Daley Sinkgraven - 7.5
The midfielder turned left back filled in perfectly for the injured Mazraoui. I've been tooting his horn for a while now and feel he's the only one in the Ajax selection capable of filling Frenkie's shoes a bit. He's so comfortable on the ball. Was impressed by his smart timing and defending vs Juventus, but I hope he gets an opportunity to play midfield next season.

Daley Blind - 9
In my mind the best player on the pitch. Blind somehow has a bit of a bad rep internationally, because he can make some bad, nonchalant looking errors at times, but he's been rock solid. Cleared everything and was a vocal leader in the back. He and De Ligt complimented eachother perfectly.

Mathijs de Ligt - 8.5
The only reason I have him lower than Blind is because I don't like the way he and Veltman handled that corner which Ronaldo scored on. Whether it was a set screen from Juve or just bad luck; it looked a bit clumsy. With that said, he won every duel with Ronaldo, dominating the air in particular. Scored the game winner and also proved he is a serious threat on set pieces, something he's done multiple times during the domestic season. Just fearless and hard to beat in the air. Not sure if van Dijk is the better Dutch central back right now.

Joel Veltman - 8
Consistent, mistake free. No nutmegs this time. Veltman was steady and was on his opponents like a wet suit. Also impressed by his smart and quick thinking building up. He took part in some entertaining attacks in the second half. I think Ten Hag has a luxery here now, but I'd play Veltman in tight games and Mazraoui when you expect to have more ball possession.

Lasse Schöne - 7.5
Rather unfortunate during the beginning stages of the game, which he tried to compensate with hard and aggressive defense. Should've gotten a yellow for any of his lately timed tackles in the first 20 minutes. Settled as the game went on and especially in the second half proved his worth for this squad with a smart and quick tw0-way game. Assisted on De Ligt's winning header.

Frenkie de Jong - 7.5
Frenkie was a game time decision, but from the get go you could see some inconveniences in his game. Juve also played him extremely close for much of the first half. It was their game plan and worked for larger parts of the first 45 minutes. It wasn't until Juve realized this opened up more room for van de Beek, before Frenkie started to find his groove.

Donny van de Beek - 8.5
Donny was great once again. His offensive awareness was outstanding. He happily took advantage of the extra space that popped up with Juve pressuring Frenkie constantly. Was involved in every dangerous attack Ajax set up, but also neutralized Juve's midfield as much as possible. Scored an important goal, in minute 34 no less:



Seeing this still hurts. Ajax has been impressive with it's home grown talents this CL, with Frenkie and De Ligt getting most of the praise, but it's biggest pearl was always Nouri. Imagine this team with another talent of Frenkie's and De Ligt's caliber. Just insane.

Hakim Ziyech - 6.5
Not his best game. Ziyech in fact has been disappointing lately, also domesticcaly. Just tried too hard where in fact he plays best when he tries to keep it simple. Showed his true colors more in the second half, where he found his teammates more easily and was a main cog in some sweet attacks. I think for such a volume shooter, he needs to develop a better shot. It lacks accuracy and power and looks rusty.

Dusan Tadic - 7
Wasn't involved as much as he'd like. He couldn't be decisive around the box, but with more room popping up in the second half, he immediately looked more dangerous. I like Tadic to shoot more, as he's always looking to pass.

David Neres - 7.5
Just a threat whenever he had the ball. His runs were always creative and opportunistic. He clicked much better in the second half, as did most of his teammates.

 

[Havre]

No, the new rule, as I understand it, is only for offensive players.

I think this is correct. Which is a bit absurd to me. Obviously we already got a bit of it when a tackle outside the box is evaluated differently than one inside. But as far as I know there are no rules that today differentiate as to where the incident happens. I guess one can argue tackles, obstructions etc that stop a clear goal scoring opportunity does. Anyway. To have one handball rule for attackers and another for defenders is just silly in my opinion. I really don’t see how that will make it any easier to ref “fairly”/consistently.

As for Llorente’s “handball” I do wonder if it touches Walker’s head first? How is he then supposed to get his arm out of the way? We will then end up disallowed goals randomly in my opinion. Making it more or less an automatic free kick for the defending team just because the ball brushes someone’s hand is just completely overkill.

I understand it is difficult for me to be objective here of course. But never mind Llorente. In general it would be silly to have such a strict rule in my opinion.

 

[bluesfan94]

I think this is correct. Which is a bit absurd to me. Obviously we already got a bit of it when a tackle outside the box is evaluated differently than one inside. But as far as I know there are no rules that today differentiate as to where the incident happens. I guess one can argue tackles, obstructions etc that stop a clear goal scoring opportunity does. Anyway. To have one handball rule for attackers and another for defenders is just silly in my opinion. I really don’t see how that will make it any easier to ref “fairly”/consistently.

As for Llorente’s “handball” I do wonder if it touches Walker’s head first? How is he then supposed to get his arm out of the way? We will then end up disallowed goals randomly in my opinion. Making it more or less an automatic free kick for the defending team just because the ball brushes someone’s hand is just completely overkill.

I understand it is difficult for me to be objective here of course. But never mind Llorente. In general it would be silly to have such a strict rule in my opinion.

To be fair though, this should help the rule to be more objective.

 

[YNWA14]

My player grades for Juventus - Ajax

Andre Onana - 7.5
Didn't have to do all too much. Juve didn't record a shot on goal after minute 31, I believe. Hardly to blame for Ronaldo's header. Onana was confident and consistent in net.

Nousair Mazraoui - Incomplete

Daley Sinkgraven - 7.5
The midfielder turned left back filled in perfectly for the injured Mazraoui. I've been tooting his horn for a while now and feel he's the only one in the Ajax selection capable of filling Frenkie's shoes a bit. He's so comfortable on the ball. Was impressed by his smart timing and defending vs Juventus, but I hope he gets an opportunity to play midfield next season.

Daley Blind - 9
In my mind the best player on the pitch. Blind somehow has a bit of a bad rep internationally, because he can make some bad, nonchalant looking errors at times, but he's been rock solid. Cleared everything and was a vocal leader in the back. He and De Ligt complimented each other perfectly.

Mathijs de Ligt - 8.5
The only reason I have him lower than Blind is because I don't like the way he and Veltman handled that corner which Ronaldo scored on. Whether is was a set screen from Juve or just bad luck; it looked a bit clumsy. With that said, he won every duel with Ronaldo, dominating the air in particular. Scored the game winner and also proved he is a serious threat on set pieces, something he's done multiple times during the domestic season. Just fearless and hard to beat in the air. Not sure if van Dijk is the better Dutch central back right now.

Joel Veltman - 8
Consistent, mistake free. No nutmegs this time. Veltman was steady and was on his opponents like a wet suit. Also impressed by his smart and quick thinking building up. He took part in some entertaining attacks in the second half. I think Ten Hag has a luxery here now, but I'd play Veltman in tight games and Mazraoui when you expect to have more ball possession.

Lasse Schöne - 7.5
Rather unfortunate during the beginning stages of the game, which he tried to compensate with hard and aggressive defense. Should've gotten a yellow for any of his lately timed tackles in the first 20 minutes. Settled as the game went on and especially in the second half proved his worth for this squad with a smart and quick tw0-way game. Assisted on De Ligt's winning header.

Frenkie de Jong - 7.5
Frenkie was a game time decision, but from the get go you could see some inconveniences in his game. Juve also played him extremely close for much of the first half. It was their game plan and worked for larger parts of the first 45 minutes. It wasn't until Juve realized this opened up more room for van de Beek, before Frenkie started to find his groove.

Donny van de Beek - 8.5
Donny was great once again. His offensive awareness was outstanding. He happily took advantage of the extra space that popped up with Juve pressuring Frenkie constantly. Was involved in every dangerous attack Ajax set up, but also neutralized Juve's midfield as much as possible. Scored an important goal, in minute 34 no less:



Seeing this still hurts. Ajax has been impressive with it's home grown talents this CL, with Frenkie and De Ligt getting most of the praise, but it's biggest pearl was always Nouri. Imagine this team with another talent of Frenkie's and De Ligt's caliber. Just insane.

Hakim Ziyech - 6.5
Not his best game. Ziyech in fact has been disappointing lately, also domesticcaly. Just tried too hard where in fact he plays best when he tries to keep it simple. Showed his true colors more in the second half, where he found his teammates more easily and was a main cog in some sweet attacks. I think for such a volume shooter, he needs to develop a better shot. It lacks accuracy and power and looks rusty.

Dusan Tadic - 7
Wasn't involved as much as he'd like. He couldn't be decisive around the box, but with more room popping up in the second half, he immediately looked more dangerous. I like Tadic to shoot more, as he's always looking to pass.

David Neres - 7.5
Just a threat whenever he had the ball. His runs were always creative and opportunistic. He clicked much better in the second half, as did most of his teammates.

Have to say I've been beating Sinkgraven's drum since his Heerenveen days (I actually have his jersey). His career trajectory to this point has been pretty disappointing for a player of his talent. The Nouri thing is still heartbreaking, and hard to swallow. Even though it's entirely coincidental it must have been really emotional for Donny. This team has really grown even from the start of the season to now and ten Hag has completely turned my view of him around with what he's done this year compared to last at Ajax.

Hoping they make the final...such an exciting run. It's too bad that de Ligt and de Jong don't stay seeing just how special this team could be if they did.

 

[Havre]

To be fair though, this should help the rule to be more objective.

That I agree with. But is that necessarily a good thing? And how easy does it really become?

You could do that with anything and everything. As an example someone pulls someone´s shirt. Automatically a yellow card and free kick/penalty. That would be a better rule in my opinion, because you cannot unintentionally pull someone´s shirt.

The new handball rule will at some point disallow goals that had absolutely nothing to do with a player touching the ball with the hand. And where do you draw the line? Let´s say Llorente doesn´t score, but the ball wobbles around in the area for a second or two. Then someone scores the goal. Should it be disallowed? When is the cut off point? 1s after a handball? 10 seconds? Until the ball goes out of play?

And if we look further on the Llorente situation. Not saying he gets pushed, but Laporte has his arms in his back. If Laporte nudges Llorente into the ball so that it touches his hand - still a handball?

Another one is a player might be with his back to the ball with his hands on his back. The ball randomly brushes him (or her) on the arm. Someone else scores a goal with the next touch. Disallow?

For me, and this is not specific to sports of course, punishment needs to fit the crime. To simplify rules just for the sake of simplifying them is too simplistic in my opinion.

 

[Evilo]

Ajax/Barca final would be most fun out what's left IMO.
Tons of stories.

 

[Evilo]

There shouldn't be differences in rules between a defenseman and a forward. Ever.

 

[Pouchkine]

That I agree with. But is that necessarily a good thing? And how easy does it really become?

But you could do that with anything and everything. As an example someone pulls someone´s shirt. Automatically a yellow card and free kick/penalty. That would be a better rule in my opinion, because you cannot unintentionally pull someone´s shirt.

The new handball rule will at some point disallow goals that had absolutely nothing to do with a player touching the ball with the hand. And where do you draw the line? Let´s say Llorente doesn´t score, but the ball wobbles around in the area for a second or two. Then someone scores the goal. Should it be disallowed? When is the cut off point? 1s after a handball? 10 seconds? Until the ball goes out of play?

And if we look further on the Llorente situation. Not saying he gets pushed, but Laporte has his arms in his back. If Laporte nudges Llorente into the ball so that it touches his hand - still a handball?

Another one is a player might be with his back to the ball with his hands on his back. The ball randomly brushes him (or her) on the arm. Someone else scores a goal with the next touch. Disallow?

For me, and this is not specific to sports of course, punishment needs to fit the crime. To simplify rules just for the sake of simplifying them is too simplistic in my opinion.

There will be problems even with this "new rule" if it goes through. In the last 10-15 years they really have f***ed up the laws by taking out a lot of common sense.

 

[Power Man]

Been playing with Ajax on FIFA 19 lately, it’s awesome

 

[Ajacied]

Been playing with Ajax on FIFA 19 lately, it’s awesome

I rarely play Fifa these days. Only when I am with friends, but I prefer Bayer Leverkussen.

Ajax are horrible in Fifa I think. Just very weak physically it seems and not in the least bit as quick as in real life. Ajax is more fun to play with in FM (or Fifa career mode). They have a bunch of wonderkids popping up each season.

 

[Havre]

Obviously I want Spurs in the final. And since we are playing Liverpool every year anyway I would prefer Barcelona in the final.

For the neutral fan though Ajax - Liverpool could very well end up being the most entertaining. Stats might prove me wrong, but I hate it when Barcelona slow the tempo with their sideways passing (obviously I understand why they are doing it, but it is not entertaining to watch - and I believe they do it far less than they used to). Ajax and Liverpool rarely slows down the tempo at all.

 

[BrokenFace]

I disagree with anyone calling Spurs lucky. Their best goal scorer was out yet City still conceded 3 at home. That's on City. Both calls were correct, and even if the 3rd goal was called back as a handball, does anyone really have confidence that Spurs wouldn't have scored while pushing for a goal for the last 15 minutes with the way City's defense was playing?

Spurs didn't hunker in and try to ride their 1 goal advantage. They came planning to attack and City couldn't stop them. No luck needed to explain why Spurs won.

I support Liverpool, but I like all the teams remaining. I'm happy with all the possible finals matchups and will be happy seeing any of the 4 teams left winning.

Hopefully Spurs are motivated going into the weekend and can upset City again.