What's new

UEFA Champions League 2019 semi-final: Tottenham Hotspur vs Ajax. Who will win?

UEFA Champions League 2019 semi-final: Tottenham Hotspur vs Ajax. Who will win?

  • Total voters
    11
A

Abdullah719

T20I Captain
Joined
Apr 16, 2013
Runs
44,825
Spurs through after an epic game against City. Ajax through after some stunning displays, beating Real Madrid and Juventus. Who'll make it to the final?
 
Rooting for Ajax, but I have a sad feeling that Spurs will luckily end their dream.

In any case, Barcelona have won the Champions League already.
 
No Son either for the first leg and Sissoko recovering in time would be a miracle, its a tall order now. Hopefully Dele is back and makes a statement. Dele and Llorente should be a pretty good combo upfront
 
Ajax.

As a Rotterdammer I am rooting for Ajax.

Ajax deserves to go to the final, they have played brilliant football.
 
I would like Ajax to go through and I'll back them to go through as well.
 
Very hard one to call tbh. Eriksen, Sanchez, Alderweireld and Vertonghen all will be facing their former club , and I reckon that will work in Spurs favour, so I have voted for them to narrowly pip out Ajax, but you know what Spurs are like, so could go either way! But I'm sticking to my word and voting Spurs
 
So are we looking at a shock Ajax victory soon?
 
pakistani pride said:
Dont think it will be a shock. I am a die hard Feyenoord Rotterdam supporter but Ajax Amsterdam has one of the best teams in Europe ATM.
Click to expand...
Hopefully the fortunes of Feyenoord will change after Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Martin van Geel leave.

Feyenoord needs some new ideas.

Also looking forward to Feyenoord City!
 
Ajax will do Spurs in a closely fought semi. If Kane is fit by then Spurs will have a much better chance but I am still going for Ajax.
 
Spurs will bottle it. They just don't have it in them to go all the way whereas Ajax have a brilliant team who have already knocked out Juventus and Real Madrid. They'll walk all over Spurs.
 
Champions League semi-finalists Tottenham can "achieve anything", says manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Spurs host Dutch league leaders Ajax - who have knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus - in the first leg of their semi-final on Tuesday (20:00 BST).

It is Tottenham's first Champions League semi-final but they did reach the European Cup last four in 1962, losing to eventual winners Benfica.

"It's going to be a very competitive game," said the Argentine.

"We must show respect for our opponents and Ajax fully deserve to be where they are.

"We have a spirit in the team that we can achieve anything and all is possible - that's our strength. We have a great opportunity to be here playing the semi-final. It has not happened often."

Tottenham picked up only one point from their first three group games - but then wins over PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan and an away draw at Barcelona took them into the knockout stages.

They eliminated German side Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 and Premier League rivals Manchester City in a dramatic quarter-final.

Spurs will be without top goalscorer Harry Kane, who is out with an ankle ligament injury, and fellow forward Son Heung-min, who is suspended.

Midfielder Moussa Sissoko is back in training after missing three games with a groin problem, while defender Jan Vertonghen is set to return after being rested for the 1-0 loss to West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday.

With Kane and Son both unavailable, Brazilian Lucas Moura is set to feature and he said: "It's a big moment for me. Its a dream to play in this competition. I need to enjoy this opportunity and play my best."

Moura said he hoped Kane would be fit for the second leg in Amsterdam on 8 May, but Pochettino said he did not expect that to happen.

"Harry Kane is doing well, his rehab has been good," added Pochettino. "He is started to run a little bit but we cannot create an idea that we cannot achieve. He's in a good place so we will see what happens."

Ajax, ahead of PSV Eindhoven on goal difference at the top of the Dutch Eredivisie, last played in the Champions League semi-finals in 1996-97.

Erik ten Hag's side twice drew with German giants Bayern Munich in the group phase and have eliminated Real Madrid - winners of the competition in four of the past five seasons - and Italian champions Juventus in the knockout phase.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48093611
 
Mamoon said:
Rooting for Ajax, but I have a sad feeling that Spurs will luckily end their dream.

In any case, Barcelona have won the Champions League already.
Click to expand...

I'm curious as to why you feel Barcelona will easily beat Liverpool? You seem to insinuate this by saying they've "already won it" despite the fact that this Barcelona team only scored against United due to mistakes from their players. Pique is declining and their defensive organisation has been laughable at times with Umtiti being injured.

Their attack has been underwhelming outside of Messi compared to Liverpool for a worrying period of time. Suarez has had a poor record in the competition for a while now not having scored an away goal since 2015 with his attacking instincts not being able to carry him as much anymore. Coutinho has struggled, while Dembele is inconsistent and Malcolm isn't trusted.

Barcelona's midfield is the only reliable part of the team outside of Messi. Jordi Alba looks suspect defensively too.
 
WC-Passion said:
I'm curious as to why you feel Barcelona will easily beat Liverpool? You seem to insinuate this by saying they've "already won it" despite the fact that this Barcelona team only scored against United due to mistakes from their players. Pique is declining and their defensive organisation has been laughable at times with Umtiti being injured.

Their attack has been underwhelming outside of Messi compared to Liverpool for a worrying period of time. Suarez has had a poor record in the competition for a while now not having scored an away goal since 2015 with his attacking instincts not being able to carry him as much anymore. Coutinho has struggled, while Dembele is inconsistent and Malcolm isn't trusted.

Barcelona's midfield is the only reliable part of the team outside of Messi. Jordi Alba looks suspect defensively too.
Click to expand...

I don’t have faith in Klopp to deliver the big trophies for Liverpool. He is a brilliant manager but he doesn’t seem to have that winning mentality and that extra bit of luck to win trophies.

He has already lost three finals at Liverpool, and while he is getting acclaim for their league campaign this season, the reality is that Liverpool bottled a 7 points lead.

I fully expect Liverpool to either produce two ordinary performances against Barcelona or to get outplayed. Either way, I will be shocked to see them make the final.

Unless City fail to win either of the next two games, Klopp is heading for another trophy-less season with the world’s most expensive CB, GK, Salah, Mane and supposedly the best LB in the country. However, he is media’s darling so he is not going to be criticized.

Anyway, this season was/is Liverpool’s best chance to win the league. It will be hard to keep the likes of Salah and Van Dijk if Madrid or Barca come calling, plus City will reinforce their squad as well to finally win the Champions League.
 
Last edited:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ajax fans bring Leicester Square to standstill in raucous scenes ahead of Tottenham clash <a href="https://t.co/veu6s4ilZd">https://t.co/veu6s4ilZd</a> <a href="https://t.co/WKEtvmk9ns">pic.twitter.com/WKEtvmk9ns</a></p>— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/MirrorFootball/status/1123231628443172871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Gotta give credits to Ajax Media Team, they have made some inspiring videos.

Ajax has made a song with a famous Dutch rapper and this song is going viral.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">and this is the result of allowing a player to return to the field of play when they've had a serious head injury. incredibly irresponsible. <a href="https://t.co/lccnTQqS8A">pic.twitter.com/lccnTQqS8A</a></p>— amadí (@amadoit__) <a href="https://twitter.com/amadoit__/status/1123314996803448833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Abdullah719 said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">and this is the result of allowing a player to return to the field of play when they've had a serious head injury. incredibly irresponsible. <a href="https://t.co/lccnTQqS8A">pic.twitter.com/lccnTQqS8A</a></p>— amadí (@amadoit__) <a href="https://twitter.com/amadoit__/status/1123314996803448833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Click to expand...
Really felt for Vertonghen.

Wish him a speedy recovery, hopefully it isn’t a serious injury.
 
Yeah I was surprised they let him back on.

He looked woozy as he went to change and couldn't even breathe through his nose as he stepped onto the ground. Medics need to be held accountable for nonsense like that.

Risking someone's health to such an extent is crazy.
 
In the first half Ajax had Spurs in their pocket making them chase shadows. They were unlucky not to score a crucial second when the ball hit the post the rebounded to safety. Ajax will complete the job easily at home where they score for fun. Man City would have given Ajax a much better match then the inept Spurs.
 
Ajax play as a team, very organised and smart in their play. They were unlucky to hit the post, 2-0 up and the game was over.

Spurs still have a chance but need to score first. If Ajax score first, I cant see Spurs scoring 3 goals.
 
Wonderful to see Ajax win. It appears that Spurs used all their luck against City. This really should have been City vs Ajax.
 
Mamoon said:
I don’t have faith in Klopp to deliver the big trophies for Liverpool. He is a brilliant manager but he doesn’t seem to have that winning mentality and that extra bit of luck to win trophies.

He has already lost three finals at Liverpool, and while he is getting acclaim for their league campaign this season, the reality is that Liverpool bottled a 7 points lead.

I fully expect Liverpool to either produce two ordinary performances against Barcelona or to get outplayed. Either way, I will be shocked to see them make the final.

Unless City fail to win either of the next two games, Klopp is heading for another trophy-less season with the world’s most expensive CB, GK, Salah, Mane and supposedly the best LB in the country. However, he is media’s darling so he is not going to be criticized.

Anyway, this season was/is Liverpool’s best chance to win the league. It will be hard to keep the likes of Salah and Van Dijk if Madrid or Barca come calling, plus City will reinforce their squad as well to finally win the Champions League.
Click to expand...

He has won the Bundesliga twice with Dortmund so it's not like he doesn't have the mentality to win trophies at Liverpool, besides, this is the first season I've since his Liverpool team not have gaping holes in them, previously Liverpool suffered from a lacklustre defense and a lack of attacking depth in midfield.

All of those final loses were pretty harsh to blame Klopp on directly. Against City, the penalty shootout is purely down to the players, whilst against Sevilla, there was three clear handballs that would've been given had VAR been in place then. As for the Real Madrid final, an injury to your best player and your GK making two massive mistake in the same game is very unlucky, especially since Karius was in pretty good form previously.

City reinforcing their squad is not going to help too much. Chucking money at the problem isn't what they need to do to win the UCL and in reality, if they do win it next season, it will be because of Pep not using his bizarrely defensive and poor tactics. For example, playing a rotated XI against Spurs away from home and playing a deeper line was a very poor decision and it seemed quite odd for a manager who hasn't currently done any better in the UCL with City than Moyes did with United.

Even at Bayern, Pep restored to a 3 man defense in that big QF game in his last season there, despite Bayern not using it for the most of the season which to me shows that Pep had bottled and failed to trust his defenders.

I personally don't see how Liverpool don't give Barcelona a good run for their money. At Anfield, it will be very difficult for Barcelona if Liverpool are up for it if they don't kill the game at home.
 
WC-Passion said:
He has won the Bundesliga twice with Dortmund so it's not like he doesn't have the mentality to win trophies at Liverpool, besides, this is the first season I've since his Liverpool team not have gaping holes in them, previously Liverpool suffered from a lacklustre defense and a lack of attacking depth in midfield.

All of those final loses were pretty harsh to blame Klopp on directly. Against City, the penalty shootout is purely down to the players, whilst against Sevilla, there was three clear handballs that would've been given had VAR been in place then. As for the Real Madrid final, an injury to your best player and your GK making two massive mistake in the same game is very unlucky, especially since Karius was in pretty good form previously.

City reinforcing their squad is not going to help too much. Chucking money at the problem isn't what they need to do to win the UCL and in reality, if they do win it next season, it will be because of Pep not using his bizarrely defensive and poor tactics. For example, playing a rotated XI against Spurs away from home and playing a deeper line was a very poor decision and it seemed quite odd for a manager who hasn't currently done any better in the UCL with City than Moyes did with United.

Even at Bayern, Pep restored to a 3 man defense in that big QF game in his last season there, despite Bayern not using it for the most of the season which to me shows that Pep had bottled and failed to trust his defenders.

I personally don't see how Liverpool don't give Barcelona a good run for their money. At Anfield, it will be very difficult for Barcelona if Liverpool are up for it if they don't kill the game at home.
Click to expand...

Meant to say SF's against Madrid.
 
WC-Passion said:
He has won the Bundesliga twice with Dortmund so it's not like he doesn't have the mentality to win trophies at Liverpool, besides, this is the first season I've since his Liverpool team not have gaping holes in them, previously Liverpool suffered from a lacklustre defense and a lack of attacking depth in midfield.

All of those final loses were pretty harsh to blame Klopp on directly. Against City, the penalty shootout is purely down to the players, whilst against Sevilla, there was three clear handballs that would've been given had VAR been in place then. As for the Real Madrid final, an injury to your best player and your GK making two massive mistake in the same game is very unlucky, especially since Karius was in pretty good form previously.

City reinforcing their squad is not going to help too much. Chucking money at the problem isn't what they need to do to win the UCL and in reality, if they do win it next season, it will be because of Pep not using his bizarrely defensive and poor tactics. For example, playing a rotated XI against Spurs away from home and playing a deeper line was a very poor decision and it seemed quite odd for a manager who hasn't currently done any better in the UCL with City than Moyes did with United.

Even at Bayern, Pep restored to a 3 man defense in that big QF game in his last season there, despite Bayern not using it for the most of the season which to me shows that Pep had bottled and failed to trust his defenders.

I personally don't see how Liverpool don't give Barcelona a good run for their money. At Anfield, it will be very difficult for Barcelona if Liverpool are up for it if they don't kill the game at home.
Click to expand...

I guess that big if was key. Barcelona seemed to have killed the game from more magic from the best player of all time.
 
WC-Passion said:
I guess that big if was key. Barcelona seemed to have killed the game from more magic from the best player of all time.
Click to expand...

Klopp cannot take Liverpool to Premier League and Champions League glory. Just not ruthless enough. This capitulation was expected.

Congratulations to Barcelona on winning the Champions League. Easily the best team of the millennium.

Messi isn’t even worthy of discussing anymore. He is God’s gift to this game.
 
Spurs unfortunate
They don't have the squad in the first place to play 3 games a week, let alone doing it when they are depleted. Poch demands a lot of pressing from his team and playing a high line and squeezing up the pitch.
Ajax on the other hand had the weekend off.

Spurs need to play reserves at the weekend if they are to have any chance
 
Mamoon said:
Klopp cannot take Liverpool to Premier League and Champions League glory. Just not ruthless enough. This capitulation was expected.

Congratulations to Barcelona on winning the Champions League. Easily the best team of the millennium.

Messi isn’t even worthy of discussing anymore. He is God’s gift to this game.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it was a capitulation, the performance was actually semi-decent. Those shocking misses from their front three was the main reason the game ended so poorly for Liverpool.

It's not all over for the UCL this season because football is unpredictable at times, but unfortunately it looks like Barcelona will comfortably win it over Ajax(?) in the final. The level Barcelona play at is quite crazy especially since Barcelona fans still think that Valverde shouldn't be at the club.

As for Messi, he's a unique specimen that shows the peak of human ability. It's very surreal just to watch him play and I am just happy to be alive at a time to witness him in full force, live.
 
Mamoon said:
Klopp cannot take Liverpool to Premier League and Champions League glory. Just not ruthless enough. This capitulation was expected.

Congratulations to Barcelona on winning the Champions League. Easily the best team of the millennium.

Messi isn’t even worthy of discussing anymore. He is God’s gift to this game.
Click to expand...

Klopp has beaten the all time record for premier league points for Liverpool and if we win both remaining games he will have the second best points tally with 97 points. He has turned LFC into one of the strongest club teams in world football. If Barcelona were in the Premier League imo they would be way off the mark for the title right now, with or without Messi.
 
KingKhanWC said:
Klopp has beaten the all time record for premier league points for Liverpool and if we win both remaining games he will have the second best points tally with 97 points. He has turned LFC into one of the strongest club teams in world football. If Barcelona were in the Premier League imo they would be way off the mark for the title right now, with or without Messi.
Click to expand...

Messi has been prolific against the top 6 in England. I don't see him struggling at all in England.
 
The Viper said:
Messi has been prolific against the top 6 in England. I don't see him struggling at all in England.
Click to expand...

I didnt say Messi would I said Barcelona would not win the premier league. Messi would do well in the PL no doubt but wouldn't get the free kicks he does in Spain/Europe.
 
KingKhanWC said:
I didnt say Messi would I said Barcelona would not win the premier league. Messi would do well in the PL no doubt but wouldn't get the free kicks he does in Spain/Europe.
Click to expand...

It would be close but i could see Messi inspiring them to the title.
 
The Viper said:
It would be close but i could see Messi inspiring them to the title.
Click to expand...

It would be fascinating to see. There are talks of a European league in the future which Im not too keen on as this will devalue the Premier league which is the best sporting league in the world. English football is very different to Spanish esp with the physical side. I would go as far to say right now winning the Premier league is harder than the Champions league. Of course Man City failed but they were nowhere near their best in the tie v Spurs, everyone inc the Spurs fans/manger were shocked they beat City.
 
KingKhanWC said:
Klopp has beaten the all time record for premier league points for Liverpool and if we win both remaining games he will have the second best points tally with 97 points. He has turned LFC into one of the strongest club teams in world football. If Barcelona were in the Premier League imo they would be way off the mark for the title right now, with or without Messi.
Click to expand...

Barcelona would rack up around 90 points in the Premier League, which means both City and Liverpool would have lesser points as well.

It would be quite a fascinating three horse race, but I would back City or Barcelona to win the title because of Klopp’s talent for going home empty-handed after playing brilliant football all season long.
 
KingKhanWC said:
It would be fascinating to see. There are talks of a European league in the future which Im not too keen on as this will devalue the Premier league which is the best sporting league in the world. English football is very different to Spanish esp with the physical side. I would go as far to say right now winning the Premier league is harder than the Champions league. Of course Man City failed but they were nowhere near their best in the tie v Spurs, everyone inc the Spurs fans/manger were shocked they beat City.
Click to expand...

Premier League has evolved a lot, and the physical aspect is no longer very relevant. It is a technical league now and the smaller teams have started to move on from hoofball as well.

In terms of competitiveness, it used to be great but Man City and Liverpool are turning into Barcelona and Madrid - they are too good for the rest and they are likely to be the top two teams for a while.

However, both fall short against Barcelona and Madrid over and over again. City are likely to get even better but I wonder if Liverpool will be able to hold onto their best players if they continue to win nothing.

One more trophy-less season and surely the likes of Salah, Van Dijk, Mane etc. would evaluate their options. They can walk into most teams (if not every) in the world.
 
Mamoon said:
Barcelona would rack up around 90 points in the Premier League, which means both City and Liverpool would have lesser points as well.

It would be quite a fascinating three horse race, but I would back City or Barcelona to win the title because of Klopp’s talent for going home empty-handed after playing brilliant football all season long.
Click to expand...

Mamoon said:
Premier League has evolved a lot, and the physical aspect is no longer very relevant. It is a technical league now and the smaller teams have started to move on from hoofball as well.

In terms of competitiveness, it used to be great but Man City and Liverpool are turning into Barcelona and Madrid - they are too good for the rest and they are likely to be the top two teams for a while.

However, both fall short against Barcelona and Madrid over and over again. City are likely to get even better but I wonder if Liverpool will be able to hold onto their best players if they continue to win nothing.

One more trophy-less season and surely the likes of Salah, Van Dijk, Mane etc. would evaluate their options. They can walk into most teams (if not every) in the world.
Click to expand...



You know nothing about Klopp, he is a genius of a manager. Klopp took a lower level team and won the league in Germany before being recruited by Dortmund who were at the time in a financial mess. Klopp took Dortmund to the title and more than once against a strong Bayern team. He knows how to win leagues and within his first full season having the squad he wants, he will likely achieve 97 points which is remarkable.

The Premier League is still a very physical league, this will never change because this is the nature of English football. Anyone who has played the game here or has been to watch teams in various divisions will know this.

Barcelona have conceeded 10 more goals than Liverpool so far this season in the league. A league which is inferior to the Premier league, so it's fair to assume they would have leaked another 5 at best meanign way behind City and Liverpool. Goals scored is very similar with LFC at 84 and Barca at 86.
 
KingKhanWC said:
It would be fascinating to see. There are talks of a European league in the future which Im not too keen on as this will devalue the Premier league which is the best sporting league in the world. English football is very different to Spanish esp with the physical side. I would go as far to say right now winning the Premier league is harder than the Champions league. Of course Man City failed but they were nowhere near their best in the tie v Spurs, everyone inc the Spurs fans/manger were shocked they beat City.
Click to expand...

City bottle it every year in the UCL knockouts. They're basically the English P$G, and it doesn't help that Pep has been massively underachieving in the UCL ever since he left Barcelona, despite managing immensely powerful sides.
 
Muhammad10 said:
City bottle it every year in the UCL knockouts. They're basically the English P$G, and it doesn't help that Pep has been massively underachieving in the UCL ever since he left Barcelona, despite managing immensely powerful sides.
Click to expand...

Its not easy when you are going for 4 trophies. Yes they should have done better but im sure they will win it in the next 4/5 years.
 
KingKhanWC said:
You know nothing about Klopp, he is a genius of a manager. Klopp took a lower level team and won the league in Germany before being recruited by Dortmund who were at the time in a financial mess. Klopp took Dortmund to the title and more than once against a strong Bayern team. He knows how to win leagues and within his first full season having the squad he wants, he will likely achieve 97 points which is remarkable.

The Premier League is still a very physical league, this will never change because this is the nature of English football. Anyone who has played the game here or has been to watch teams in various divisions will know this.

Barcelona have conceeded 10 more goals than Liverpool so far this season in the league. A league which is inferior to the Premier league, so it's fair to assume they would have leaked another 5 at best meanign way behind City and Liverpool. Goals scored is very similar with LFC at 84 and Barca at 86.
Click to expand...

No he didn't. He took over at Mainz in 2001 and helped them achieve promotion to the Bundesliga in 2004. In 2007, they were relegated back to 2. Bundesliga (second tier of German football) and he resigned in 2008 when they failed to get promoted again. That is when he took over at Dortmund.

He dominated Bundesliga with Dortmund from 2010 to 2012, but Bayern at that time were not the dominant force they later on became under Heynckes and Guardiola. This is reflected in the results from 2006 onwards.

Bundesliga champions by year:

2007 - Stuttgart
2008 - Bayern
2009 - Wolfsburg
2010 - Bayern
2011 - Dortmund
2012 - Dortmund

As you can see, four different teams won the Bundesliga from 2007 to 2012, and Bayern were unable to defend the title. They started dominating German football only from 2012 onwards when they started to exercise their financial power and started buying Dortmund's best players like Lewandowski, Gotze and later Hummels etc.

That eventually led to Klopp's resignation in 2015 because he knew that he couldn't end Bayern's domination. He is a brilliant manager who has improved every team he has coached, but he doesn't win as many trophies as he should and there is no excuse for it.

So far, he has not won a single trophy with Liverpool and there is no excuse for it considering the quality of players that he has at his disposal and the money that he has spent. At some point, he will have to bring trophies back to Liverpool because there is no point in accumulating 97 points and whatever if you eventually go home empty-handed. He hasn't even won the FA Cup or the League Cup.

He has lost three finals with Liverpool and now is on the brink of a semifinal exit as well. Winning trophies is not just about building great teams but you also need to have winning mentality and a bit of luck as well. On these fronts, Klopp is similar to the likes of Pochettino and Simeone and pales in comparison to the likes of Guardiola, peak Mourinho and even Zidane.

Another trophy-less season and Liverpool will be sweating to keep the likes of Salah, Van Dijk, Allison etc. at the club, and if they leave, Liverpool will be back to square one and all the hard work of the last few years will go to waste because Liverpool have won nothing on Klopp's watch.

As far as the physicality of the Premier League is concerned, as I said, it is a myth these days. I am not talking about the lower divisions who don't have the resources or the stature to attract technically good, foreign talents. The Premier League is no longer a true representation of English football ever since the influx of tv money. Even small clubs are now investing in technical players and have started to slowly move on from the traditional English style hoofball.

It is a myth that Barcelona players will struggle with the physicality of the Premier League. Not a single technically sound, world class player has failed to adapt to the Premier League in the last 10 years or so. Liverpool have conceded 10 less goals, but that is because they have not faced Barcelona twice in the league. You bring Barcelona to the Premier League and they will put 5-6 goals past Liverpool and Man City over the two league games.

Barcelona will make the Premier League a three horse race and it will indeed be very tight between them, City and Liverpool.
 
WC-Passion said:
I wouldn't say it was a capitulation, the performance was actually semi-decent. Those shocking misses from their front three was the main reason the game ended so poorly for Liverpool.

It's not all over for the UCL this season because football is unpredictable at times, but unfortunately it looks like Barcelona will comfortably win it over Ajax(?) in the final. The level Barcelona play at is quite crazy especially since Barcelona fans still think that Valverde shouldn't be at the club.

As for Messi, he's a unique specimen that shows the peak of human ability. It's very surreal just to watch him play and I am just happy to be alive at a time to witness him in full force, live.
Click to expand...

Liverpool completely lost the plot after the second goal, and another 10 mins or so and they have lost 5-0. This is why I was confident that Barcelona would get the better of them. At the moment, Liverpool don't have the mentality of winning trophies at the moment and Klopp has failed to instil that culture.

He is cut from the same cloth as Simeone and Pochettino - high quality managers but things always go wrong for them in crucial junctures and the wheels come off. Be it their strikers missing sitters, defenders losing their marbles, referee blunders etc. Something always happens eventually.

Barcelona had the trophy in the bag the moment Juventus and Man City were eliminated. Ajax will put up a fight in the final but unfortunately they are not good enough to beat Barcelona.

It is true that their fans are not convinced with Valverde in spite of the fact that they are on a brink of a treble. Their fans don't just want success but they want to win trophies in a certain way. Valverde doesn't subscribe to Barcelona's philosophy is too defensive for their liking. They are not happy with the way he has treated Dembele and how Arthur is benched for Vidal in big games.
 
Mamoon said:
Liverpool completely lost the plot after the second goal, and another 10 mins or so and they have lost 5-0. This is why I was confident that Barcelona would get the better of them. At the moment, Liverpool don't have the mentality of winning trophies at the moment and Klopp has failed to instil that culture.

He is cut from the same cloth as Simeone and Pochettino - high quality managers but things always go wrong for them in crucial junctures and the wheels come off. Be it their strikers missing sitters, defenders losing their marbles, referee blunders etc. Something always happens eventually.

Barcelona had the trophy in the bag the moment Juventus and Man City were eliminated. Ajax will put up a fight in the final but unfortunately they are not good enough to beat Barcelona.

It is true that their fans are not convinced with Valverde in spite of the fact that they are on a brink of a treble. Their fans don't just want success but they want to win trophies in a certain way. Valverde doesn't subscribe to Barcelona's philosophy is too defensive for their liking. They are not happy with the way he has treated Dembele and how Arthur is benched for Vidal in big games.
Click to expand...


At least Simeone has won a league and some other trophies as well . He just hasn't found a way to get across the line in the champions league.

Valverde is benching Arthur right now because he is out of form and Vidal has the experience at this stage of the season. Dembele has been consistent and also has attitude issues. Barcelona fans who want Valverde out are pathetic.
 
Mamoon said:
Liverpool completely lost the plot after the second goal, and another 10 mins or so and they have lost 5-0. This is why I was confident that Barcelona would get the better of them. At the moment, Liverpool don't have the mentality of winning trophies at the moment and Klopp has failed to instil that culture.

He is cut from the same cloth as Simeone and Pochettino - high quality managers but things always go wrong for them in crucial junctures and the wheels come off. Be it their strikers missing sitters, defenders losing their marbles, referee blunders etc. Something always happens eventually.

Barcelona had the trophy in the bag the moment Juventus and Man City were eliminated. Ajax will put up a fight in the final but unfortunately they are not good enough to beat Barcelona.

It is true that their fans are not convinced with Valverde in spite of the fact that they are on a brink of a treble. Their fans don't just want success but they want to win trophies in a certain way. Valverde doesn't subscribe to Barcelona's philosophy is too defensive for their liking. They are not happy with the way he has treated Dembele and how Arthur is benched for Vidal in big games.
Click to expand...

I guess we'll have to see but Klopp is definitely proving you right currently. I'm honestly surprised since Liverpool have such a good record vs the better teams and their style is suited to knock-out football competitions.

Diego Simeone has still won the league title in an era of Real Madrid and Barcelona dominance which was a pretty crazy feat, overshadowed by that UCL final loss. I feel like there was always a lack of star quality outside of Griezmann in that team, who choked himself in one of the finals, missing a penalty.

I guess Ajax's best chance is Messi being out with injury/illness, I don't see how they stop that ruthless wing-play especially with their first choice fullbacks missing some games.

Dembele has a severe attitude issue and he's turned up late to training several times. Before going to Barcelona, he trashed his house and went AWOL, which is a massive red flag no matter how talented a player is. As for Arthur, his form has dropped off quite significantly since the winter and Vidal has been pretty good since.

Barcelona fans are too entitled, even Real Madrid fans would probably be happy with a treble even if it wasn't the greatest football (strange to even say this because it's certainly brining the best out of Messi at his age) and that's says a lot about Barcelona fans.
 
Time for Tottenham to create history too?
 
WC-Passion said:
I guess we'll have to see but Klopp is definitely proving you right currently. I'm honestly surprised since Liverpool have such a good record vs the better teams and their style is suited to knock-out football competitions.

Diego Simeone has still won the league title in an era of Real Madrid and Barcelona dominance which was a pretty crazy feat, overshadowed by that UCL final loss. I feel like there was always a lack of star quality outside of Griezmann in that team, who choked himself in one of the finals, missing a penalty.

I guess Ajax's best chance is Messi being out with injury/illness, I don't see how they stop that ruthless wing-play especially with their first choice fullbacks missing some games.

Dembele has a severe attitude issue and he's turned up late to training several times. Before going to Barcelona, he trashed his house and went AWOL, which is a massive red flag no matter how talented a player is. As for Arthur, his form has dropped off quite significantly since the winter and Vidal has been pretty good since.

Barcelona fans are too entitled, even Real Madrid fans would probably be happy with a treble even if it wasn't the greatest football (strange to even say this because it's certainly brining the best out of Messi at his age) and that's says a lot about Barcelona fans.
Click to expand...

Not after last night. What Klopp did cannot be put into words. Not many managers in the world can motivate a team to breathe fire like Liverpool did last night. It wasn’t about tactics it was about desperation and heart.

As far as Valverde is concerned, he is done now. He has to pay for what happened against Roma and Liverpool, and Barcelona fans are not looking too much into the league win this year because Madrid have been all over the place.
 
Mamoon said:
Not after last night. What Klopp did cannot be put into words. Not many managers in the world can motivate a team to breathe fire like Liverpool did last night. It wasn’t about tactics it was about desperation and heart.

As far as Valverde is concerned, he is done now. He has to pay for what happened against Roma and Liverpool, and Barcelona fans are not looking too much into the league win this year because Madrid have been all over the place.
Click to expand...

Klopp has always been good at this. He's done it before when Liverpool were down 3-0 against Dortmund at Anfield. Anfield just seems to have the best European atmosphere for galvanising players, everytime the players come out of the tunnel and onto the pitch you know something special might happen.

I knew there was a reason for why I was quite surprised at Barcelona potentially comfortably beating Liverpool after the first leg, everytime I watch Liverpool in Europe at Anfield, it's almost like they're in a movie with plot armour.

It's crazy how Valverde can go from being on the verge of a treble to being on the chopping block. It has to be a mentality issue in the squad too, I don't think Valverde is the sole reason. Even Enrique's Barca got beat 3-0 by Juventus away from home and 4-0 by PSG away from home the season before Valverde came in. To blame it all on Valverde would be very naive.
 
Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur go Spurs go :nawaz

An all English finale

Liverpool vs Spurs
 
Mamoon said:
I don’t have faith in Klopp to deliver the big trophies for Liverpool. He is a brilliant manager but he doesn’t seem to have that winning mentality and that extra bit of luck to win trophies.
Click to expand...
I am sorry, but did you just say that Liverpool can't win because a lack of luck?

What does luck have to do with anything here? It's a sport, there is no such thing as luck, either a player uses the right amount of power on the ball with the perfect angle to net the ball or fails, one of many examples.

If a keeper isn't as confident or not having a good day and the ball goes past where it shouldn't then that is not luck, just the keeper's fault.
 
Spurs cannot concede first as it will play into Ajax hands. If Spurs cant score at least keep it a 0-0 for as long as possible.

Should be a cracker of a game, best of luck to both teams!
 
KingKhanWC said:
Spurs cannot concede first as it will play into Ajax hands. If Spurs cant score at least keep it a 0-0 for as long as possible.

Should be a cracker of a game, best of luck to both teams!
Click to expand...

Ajax 1-0 Spurs....
 
WC-Passion said:
Klopp has always been good at this. He's done it before when Liverpool were down 3-0 against Dortmund at Anfield. Anfield just seems to have the best European atmosphere for galvanising players, everytime the players come out of the tunnel and onto the pitch you know something special might happen.

I knew there was a reason for why I was quite surprised at Barcelona potentially comfortably beating Liverpool after the first leg, everytime I watch Liverpool in Europe at Anfield, it's almost like they're in a movie with plot armour.

It's crazy how Valverde can go from being on the verge of a treble to being on the chopping block. It has to be a mentality issue in the squad too, I don't think Valverde is the sole reason. Even Enrique's Barca got beat 3-0 by Juventus away from home and 4-0 by PSG away from home the season before Valverde came in. To blame it all on Valverde would be very naive.
Click to expand...

ten Hag has what Xavi would refer to as “Barcelona DNA”. He was coach of Bayern B during Guardiola’s time and like Barcelona, his football philosophy is based on Cruyff.

de Jong will join Barcelona in the summer and de Ligt will most likely follow as well. Barcelona will most definitely be eyeing him as a replacement.
 
CricFan2012 said:
I am sorry, but did you just say that Liverpool can't win because a lack of luck?

What does luck have to do with anything here? It's a sport, there is no such thing as luck, either a player uses the right amount of power on the ball with the perfect angle to net the ball or fails, one of many examples.

If a keeper isn't as confident or not having a good day and the ball goes past where it shouldn't then that is not luck, just the keeper's fault.
Click to expand...

Luck plays a big part in football. At the end of the day, it is a sport of very fine margins.
 
MenInG said:
Ajax 1-0 Spurs....
Click to expand...

Such a poor goal to concede from a corner.

Spurs had Trippier who is much smaller in height trying to mark de Ligt who is very tall and as expected got free to power in the header.

On a positive Spurs still need 2 goals to win in 90 mins(away goals rules).
 
Fantastic goal. Ajax are outclassing Spurs with elite football.
 
A shame they are going to lose their two best talents (de Jong and de Ligt) this summer. de Jong has already agreed a contract with Barcelona and de Ligt will probably join them as well. Brilliant signings.

ten Hag has done a marvelous job with Ajax, and he also seems like a future Barcelona coach.
 
Champions League 2018-19 will be remembered for ages.
 
Hakim Ziyech running like a superhero, the energy is incredible considering he was fasting until the 21st min!

Anyones games this, next goal will surely win it.
 
This is so heartbreaking. Ajax don’t deserve this. Gutted for them.

Lucas with one of the greatest hat-tricks of all time.
 
Ajax started celebrating when hotspur missed that corner. A big lol.
 
We are going to watch total EPL in Europe Ladies & Gentleman ..... tomorrow another two will make the Final and none of those 4 are defending or most likely latest EPL champions either.... It's a bit different from 2 horses race with one of those two horses limping these days ......

Now, someone might definitely feel a bit empty without a touch of EPL in career :)
 
Abdullah719 said:
Lucas is seriously under-rated. What a player.

Everyone is crying :))
Click to expand...

That shows the low quality of English Premier League .... imagine, a PSG flop in French League - won't even start for Levente or Getefe or Espanyol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

The Bald Eagle
  • Poll Poll
PSG edge past Arsenal 1-0 in the first semi-final of UEFA Champions League 2025
Replies
6
Views
610
Cricket Warrior
Cricket Warrior
BouncerGuy
  • Poll Poll
PSG maul Inter Milan by 5-0 in the UEFA Champions League final 2025 to claim their maiden UCL title [Update@ Post#40]
Replies
73
Views
6K
Amjid Javed
Amjid Javed
The Bald Eagle
  • Poll Poll
PSG defeat Arsenal 3-1 on aggregate to advance to final of UEFA Champions League 2025
Replies
11
Views
354
Ball Blazer
Ball Blazer
BouncerGuy
UEFA Europa and Conference League (2024/25) - Discussion Thread
Replies
68
Views
3K
Cricket Warrior
Cricket Warrior
MenInG
  • Poll Poll
Will Tottenham Hotspurs effectively end Arsenal's Premier League title challenge on Sunday?
Replies
60
Views
1K
MenInG
MenInG
Back
Top