I'll quote from another topic:
(quoted: How we are playing this season, chances are extremely slim that we will win a CL.)
Sorry, but that's just nonsense
Mate, that is just my opinion.
It can turn into an awesome season, or easily into a horror season.
What I don't like:
1. too large squad, Lucho can lose it with too many rotations, he is not an expert in that area
2. MSN, imo, I don't think we'll ever again see the magic from 2014/15. Messi is getting older and more tired each new season, Suarez is good, and Neymar is, well, Neymar. So, I am not convinced into our MSN power anymore.
That doesn't mean that we can't play good from time to time. But overall, I don't think that we will ever again see 2015's MSN's magic.
3. Key midfielders Iniesta and Rakitic are getting older and older
4. new signings, it is hard to tell which players are actually players who will strengthen the team and which are players who will be gone in 1-2 years. Also, it is questionable how much time we will need to gel those 2-3 subs into a team so that we don't see a huge drop in quality when any of 11 starters don't play
5. don't ask me why, but I have a gut feeling that we will have hot and cold season this year because all of this above. Something like September's matches.
On "our" night, we will trash anyone 6:1 or 8:1, but way too often we will drop points in 1:1 and 1:2 matches against (too many) midtable/average teams, just 3 or 7 days later.
More or less, what RM was doing in the past few years, when they were trashing some teams 10:1 and 8:1, and then playing 0:0 on the next matchday.
Don't ask me why. I watched Van Gaal's cycle, Barca's poor 00's cycle, Rijkaard's cycle, Pep's cycle, Lucho's cycle. Each cycle usually had a good/fresh start, some fall in the middle and more or less bad end after 3-4 years.
Pep managed to keep players on the highest level for the longest period, but even his team started to fall in the 4th year.
Other coaches lost the momentum from first 1-2 seasons way earlier.
About my remark about us probably not winning a CL this season, that is just my gut feeling.
It is not related to our footballing skills, we are the best or in top 2-3 in that area with RM and Bayern.
I just have a bad gut feeling about team's chemistry, Lucho's ability to keep the motivation of players high in a 3rd year in a row, our mental strength, our overall motivation (we are team filled with too many players who won all trophies way too many times, Messi, Iniesta, Pique, Busi, Mascherano, to some extent Raki, Suarez, Neymar, Alba).
Also, I hope that I am wrong, but I have a feeling that Lucho's 2014/15 was something like Rijkaard's 2005 and 2006, when the team was growing and growing till one point (winning a CL). Again, I have a feeling that our current squad and the current and upcoming seasons will be like Rijkaard's 2006/07 and 2007/08.
Anyway, let's see.
I hope that I am wrong, but I have a lot of concerns about that mental strength/motivation part (of our team) and how a coach can handle everything.
As the time goes by, coaches usually have more and more problems in the locker room with egos, superstars and motivation of players.
Again, we can trash any team 7:1.
The question is: can we win 10+ matches in a row this season?
