Euro: Champions League Semifinals

maclean

Registered User
Jan 4, 2014
8,380
2,546
Their decision making went from ESP-level to "who am i" pretty rapidly, was tough to see
 

These Are The Days

Oh no! We suck again!!
May 17, 2014
34,124
19,688
Tampa Bay
Can the Spurs win?
Absolutely they can. If these two games have taught us anything it's that anything can happen on any given night. The only certainty I have is that thousands of hearts will be broken harder than I think any runner up and thousands will rejoice greater than any champion come June 1st.

How often do you see a final where the teams playing so truly deserve it like this after all the adversity they've been through?
 

Pavel Buchnevich

Drury and Laviolette Must Go
Dec 8, 2013
57,230
23,101
New York
So you mean every single team in the last 16 teams should look at Ajax and Spurs, because EVERY single other team spent money.

Don't fool yourself. To win the CL it takes tons of money. The last team that didn't spend tons of money to win the CL is probably Porto in 2003.
And frankly, Spurs are not exactly a great example. They're a rich team, and can pay good salaries.
Ajax is a better example and even then have a huge financial power in their own league.

You are making this about winning the Champions League. I’m not.

Ajax and Spurs are well run clubs and they’ve had success in this competition and domestically relative to what they spend because they have a different conception of football than some of the dinosaur clubs out there that think all there is to being good is outspending other teams in the transfer market. That can work for some teams, but often it doesn’t.

The best things these clubs could do is try to have a good coach make the players at these clubs better, supplement the squad on the transfer market instead of thinking that solves all problems and be willing to use younger players without huge accolades. You mentioned the PSG lineup today of players they sold. PSG has cost themselves a lot of depth and quality due to their unwillingness to develop these players instead of throwing money at mediocrity.
 

Evilo

Registered User
Mar 17, 2002
61,958
8,526
France
You are making this about winning the Champions League. I’m not.

Ajax and Spurs are well run clubs and they’ve had success in this competition and domestically relative to what they spend because they have a different conception of football than some of the dinosaur clubs out there that think all there is to being good is outspending other teams in the transfer market. That can work for some teams, but often it doesn’t.

The best things these clubs could do is try to have a good coach make the players at these clubs better, supplement the squad on the transfer market instead of thinking that solves all problems and be willing to use younger players without huge accolades. You mentioned the PSG lineup today of players they sold. PSG has cost themselves a lot of depth and quality due to their unwillingness to develop these players instead of throwing money at mediocrity.
So you are making this about reaching the final :facepalm:
Outspending often doesn't work? What? AGAIN, take a look at the CL winners, finalists, or heck even the league winners. Who's winning in Germany against this year? The biggest spender. It's the same in Italy, France, England and this year in Spain. Just like that the top 5 leagues.
I'm not questionning PSG losing their youth is stupid, I said so.
But let's be real, how many Spurs starters are academy players? How many in Liverpool starting XI?
PSG has Areola and Kimpembe. Rabiot too until the contract dispute.
Spurs academy is not even half PSG's. Then again, Paris is arguably the epicenter of football talent in the last 20 years or so.
 

Albatros

Registered User
Aug 19, 2017
12,276
7,723
Ostsee
So we're going to be treated with "EPL uber alles" stuff even though EPL teams cleverly avoided a single CL final FIVE straight years the year before last? Even though they're EASILY the richest league in the world?
Germany had an all german CL final in 2013 and nobody (except some fools) called the Bundesliga the best league in the world.
Besides, having 4 candidates EVERY ****ing year is one heck of an advantage, an advantage UEFA wants to stress even more in every single change of format.

There should be 6 English candidates, for at least that many potential winners come from the Premier League. Can Getafe win it? No. So why should Spain have 4 CL spots? Can Atalanta? No. So why should Italy? Eintracht Frankfurt? Give England 7.
 

Machinehead

GoAwayKakko
Jan 21, 2011
141,276
109,804
NYC
There should be 6 English candidates, for at least that many potential winners come from the Premier League. Can Getafe win it? No. So why should Spain have 4 CL spots? Can Atalanta? No. So why should Italy? Eintracht Frankfurt? Give England 7.
I mean can United or Arsenal win it?
 

Pouchkine

Registered User
May 20, 2015
2,731
294
Well that was one hell of a game, could have finished 6-6 or something. Full credit to Spurs but really Ajax should have sealed it before. As a fan of the game I'm happy even though I was rooting for Ajax. It's been a long time since we had seen that much great games, quality and suspense incredible.

After many years of Spanish total domination, funny to see the EPL roaring back with Arsenal and Chelsea tomorrow as well. Will it last though?
 

Evilo

Registered User
Mar 17, 2002
61,958
8,526
France
There should be 6 English candidates, for at least that many potential winners come from the Premier League. Can Getafe win it? No. So why should Spain have 4 CL spots? Can Atalanta? No. So why should Italy? Eintracht Frankfurt? Give England 7.
Meh, make the EPL a new formed CL while you're at it.

I mean the last all EPL final was 2008. While being the richest and having more teams than anybody, they couldn't make another all EPL final until 2019.
During that span, Germany had one all german final and Spain had two.
Heck, over those 10 editions (2009-2018), the EPL won one single CL, and reached 3 finals. Same number as the Bundesliga. 1-3.
Liga BBVA was 6-2.
 

Evilo

Registered User
Mar 17, 2002
61,958
8,526
France
You also have to go back to 1982 to find an EPL team reaching the CL final other than Arsenal (once), United, Chelsea and Liverpool.
So don't use the "Spain is only 2 giants" argument since Valencia and Atletico reached mutiple finals.
 

Albatros

Registered User
Aug 19, 2017
12,276
7,723
Ostsee
I mean can United or Arsenal win it?

Unlikely, but more because of even stronger EPL competition than because of the likes of Getafe or Atalanta. Wolves, Everton, Leicester, Watford. All are much better teams than these foreign "giants".
 

Pouchkine

Registered User
May 20, 2015
2,731
294
Unlikely, but more because of even stronger EPL competition than because of the likes of Getafe or Atalanta. Wolves, Everton, Leicester, Watford. All are much better teams than these foreign "giants".
You are like rain on a beautiful summer sunny day...
 

Merya

Jokerit & Finland; anti-theist
Sep 23, 2008
2,279
418
Helsinki
Huge congratulations to all Spurs fans. That was yet another insane drama game in this season of champions league. I really rooted for ajax to face us, but hats off to Moura, Pochettino and the whole team.
 
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Cassano

Registered User
Aug 31, 2013
25,610
3,818
GTA
Posts like these are why we get the EPL backlash on this forum.
I mean he isn't wrong. Arsenal took a dump on 2nd place Napoli. Utd humiliated PSG, champions of France. 6 of the best 12 teams in the world are in England.
 

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