Champions League

[BarcelonaBiondi]

City will win it, QSG will probably never win it. About this season, i believe it's either Barca or Atleti.

Yes everyone seems very impressed by Atletico. Rightfully so.

Messi as captain officially stated that the Champions League is THE priority this season. Is the trophy ours to lose, then?

Think any other English team will make a run?

How about Bayern and Juventus? They stand a chance?

What about dark horses? who'd they be?

 

[Catta]

Yes everyone seems very impressed by Atletico. Rightfully so.

Messi as captain officially stated that the Champions League is a priority this season. Is the trophy ours to lose, then?

Think any other English team will make a run?

How about Bayern and Juventus? They stand a chance?

What about dark horses? who'd they be?

City and Liverpool will make a run, one of them will at least be in the semis, Bayern doesn't seem good enough to me, and Juve is getting massively overrated because of Cristiano, and Real will be in a transition period, they will be dangerous but not like past years.
Atleti, Barca, City, L'pool. I think that in this moment they are the 4 favorites, in this order.

 

[BarcelonaBiondi]

City and Liverpool will make a run, one of them will at least be in the semis, Bayern doesn't seem good enough to me, and Juve is getting massively overrated because of Cristiano, and Real will be in a transition period, they will be dangerous but not like past years.
Atleti, Barca, City, L'pool. I think that in this moment they are the 4 favorites, in this order.

Unless they meet each other beforehand, these do seem likely semifinalists (Atleti, Barca, City, L'pool.)

I think Juventus could surprise a few people. Defo semifinal potential. They remind me of a Chelsea, Bayern or Atletico in that they have consistently made the semifinals and have just recently reached the final themselves in 2015 and 2017.

Chelsea "broke that ceiling" in 2012 after years of semifinals, and Bayern won it the year after reaching multiple finals in years prior. We all know Atletico made the final in 2014 and 2016.

The "Girlfriend of Italy" made some good signings this summer too. Even though they were knocked out by the same 4-3 aggregate score that eliminated Bayern vis a vis Madrid, they had a better showing against Los Blancos (1st leg result notwithstanding) whilst being knocked out by a somewhat controversial Cristiano penalty (he was responsible for three of the six goals scored in the tie).

Juventus are to be underestimated at Barcelona's peril.

That's the thing: why we were so upset by Roma's victory over us. For the past 15 years or so that we (Barcelona) haven't won it, ALL teams that've beaten us in the knockout rounds have invariably made it to the final (at the very least). In other words, "wanna get to the final? gotta get through us first!" That's how high of a standard we've set in the Champions League.

(I must say that we, just like Juventus, have greatly underachieved/underperformed in the Champions League when it comes to winning the whole thing, given both our domestic dominance.)

Roma didn't make the final, which means that we only have ourselves to blame for last season. That "Roma comeback" should NOT have happened. We ended up beating ourselves vs Roma with our complacency, seasonal lack of rotation, and Ernesto's lack of managerial acumen/lack of managerial experience in Europe.

 

[vlad]

Seriously, why barca will be one of the favorites this season, after going out 2 years in a row in quarters in most embarressing way, prior to that, they won it 2015, then again 2014 out in quarters, and every of those years barca was considered one of the favorites, i get why media is pushing that, because messi and because barca is barca, but why barca fans do that? More realistic would be expecting to reach semis, not winning it, in order to win it, barca has to be on top level, like every time when they won CL.

So i dont understand hype this time about barca winning it, because messi said this and that? Messi needs to wake up and realize he isnt match changer anymore, not against top guns in CL, and all those signings, arthur is not new xavi suddendly, dembele still isnt WC player, malcom same, suarez is past his prime.

So for me, barca is not favorite, i still doesnt see them beating atletico over 2 legs, bayern, even juve, in K.O. stages, no one is afraid of this barca anymore, even not teams like roma, so in order to win it, something drasticaly has to change, but i doubt it will, team will not start suddendly play faster football, not let opponent to get back in defense and then passing ball around, messi to press opponent who has ball near him, make runs.


Semifinal this season would be great, that has to be barca goal this season.


Edit: now you have city and liverpool, liverpool will outrun this barca any day, against city, barca would need to counter attack more often, but they cant do it

 

[BarcelonaBiondi]

Juventus signed Cancelo, whom I always rated and was on Barcelona's radar.

I respectfully disagree that reaching the semifinals should be the objective. That's not a winning mentality. We ARE more than good enough. (Talent-wise, anyway).

OK, if not us, who 's winning the Big Ears trophy?

(And yes, I AM absolutely obsessed with winning the Champions League again )

#shadesofberlin

 

[KingLeo10]

Seriously, why barca will be one of the favorites this season, after going out 2 years in a row in quarters in most embarressing way, prior to that, they won it 2015, then again 2014 out in quarters, and every of those years barca was considered one of the favorites, i get why media is pushing that, because messi and because barca is barca, but why barca fans do that? More realistic would be expecting to reach semis, not winning it, in order to win it, barca has to be on top level, like every time when they won CL.

So i dont understand hype this time about barca winning it, because messi said this and that? Messi needs to wake up and realize he isnt match changer anymore, not against top guns in CL, and all those signings, arthur is not new xavi suddendly, dembele still isnt WC player, malcom same, suarez is past his prime.

So for me, barca is not favorite, i still doesnt see them beating atletico over 2 legs, bayern, even juve, in K.O. stages, no one is afraid of this barca anymore, even not teams like roma, so in order to win it, something drasticaly has to change, but i doubt it will, team will not start suddendly play faster football, not let opponent to get back in defense and then passing ball around, messi to press opponent who has ball near him, make runs.


Semifinal this season would be great, that has to be barca goal this season.


Edit: now you have city and liverpool, liverpool will outrun this barca any day, against city, barca would need to counter attack more often, but they cant do it

you started off with a valid point about overly optimistic fans...

then turned ultra pessimistic We're not THE favorites but we're definitely amongst the top 4-5 teams most likely to win. City have not shown anything of note in the CL in their entire history btw. (R of 16 exits galore and the most limp CL semi performance v real).

 

[BarcelonaBiondi]

So the general consensus seems to be that Atletico is this season's undisputed Champions League favourites?

 

[KingLeo10]

So the general consensus seems to be that Atletico is this season's Champions League favourites?

No, but they're our kryptonite in Europe and the team I would least want us to face. Like Liverpool, they absolutely thrive on home advantage and unless we come together like we did post anoeta in 14/15, we are missing the intensity and hunger to eliminate them.

I would give us the slight edge over Bayern and Real, 50/50 with Juve. PSG and city will eliminate themselves. liverpool would also be close to 50/50

 

[Icarium]

General consensus? Hardly. I would put Juve as favourites. Atletico Barca close behind. Bayern real just slightly behind. Then comes everyone else. Won't be surprised if one English club makes a deep run in the CL.

 

[Joan]

Too early to predict anything. Shall see how Juve team clicks together, Real's problems, Atleti's longer run...

Suarez' form, Messi hunger...

 

[BarcelonaBiondi]

No, but they're our kryptonite in Europe and the team I would least want us to face. Like Liverpool, they absolutely thrive on home advantage and unless we come together like we did post anoeta in 14/15, we are missing the intensity and hunger to eliminate them.

I would give us the slight edge over Bayern and Real, 50/50 with Juve. PSG and city will eliminate themselves. liverpool would also be close to 50/50

It's funny that you should mention Liverpool being 50/50. Liverpool was the one team I wanted to avoid at all cost last season. I was confident we could beat everyone else. And yes I do mean everyone else.

Spanish Super Cup aside (a glorified domestic friendly, as it were), we've OWNED Madrid in recent seasons when it comes to results.

Yes, I was that confident. Like I said, that loss to Roma should NOT have happened.

This season is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable yet. Must watch TV, so to speak. Last season was one of the most exciting ones yet in the CL.

Everyone seems to be discounting Neymar's PSG with their new coach. That remains to be seen.

Bayern's an aging squad and Muller hasn't performed well in a long while. When he plays well, the entire team does well in the Champions League

 

[BarcelonaBiondi]

Messi has 9 la Liga titles. 4 Champions League titles.

If he had to pick only one, which one would it be I wonder?

According to him, it'd be the Champions League this season. Priorities.

I, for one, would be ecstatic with a European Double (we've won the most of these too). (Assuming another Treble is too hard to win.)

How on Earth were we able to win those two trebles? Haven't gotten past the quarters three seasons in a row!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_(association_football)#European_Double

 

[FCBfan22]

Messi has 9 la Liga titles. 4 Champions League titles.

If he had to pick only one, which one would it be I wonder?

According to him, it'd be the Champions League this season. Priorities.

I, for one, would be ecstatic with a European Double (we've won the most of these too). Assuming another Treble is too hard to win.

How on Earth were we able to win those two trebles? Haven't gotten past the quarters three seasons in a row!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_(association_football)#European_Double

In 2015 we won it with pure intensity of the front 3.

In 2009 we won it with the best midfield that the world has ever seen.

 

[Joan]

This year is our year.

 

[BarcelonaBiondi]

In 2015 we won it with pure intensity of the front 3.

In 2009 we won it with the best midfield that the world has ever seen.

One can also argue that other teams have adapted to us since then. Football and the world of football has been forced to evolve to solve our vaunted midfield and beat us.

Iniesta was a great loss. In some ways more than that of Xavi (whom I consider the heart and soul of Barcelona).

Zidane and Cristiano leaving Madrid (essentially disassembling Madrid) meant that we never got the chance to go up against the top Madrid team of recent times (some would say the very best Madrid team of all time in Europe) in an El Clasico Champions League Final.

Wonder who would win: 2015, 2011, 2009 Barcelona vs 2014 2016-2018 Real Madrid