Champions League 2024/2025

By God

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I’d say united would even give this Bratislava shower a game

Bit of a flaw in the format that allows teams to run up cricket scores and boost goal difference against no hopers like Celtic.

Slovan Bratislava once beat Barcelona in a European Cup Winners Cup Final. They won silverware in Europe before Johnny come lately Citeh as well.

The European model is really broken.

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Celtic need Caroline Currid for the away European fixtures . They go to pieces , the simplest task becomes difficult , their positional sense is shocking .

Rodgers is some can of piss.

There are some diddy teams in this Champions League, Brest for example.

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The pants on Brian Kerr here. :grinning: Real last day of the Louis Copeland sale job.

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They weren’t the ones that made a tit of themselves tonight

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Speaking of Diddy, his 1000 bottles of lube would have come in handy tonight.

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The step up is huge but that scoreline is embarrassing. I expected Celtic to try to go toe to toe with them, based on what Rodgers has been saying all season & how they’ve been playing (yes at a lower level mainly obviously & against a weak matchday 1 opponent).

But @starryplough mentioned the similarities to some hidings suffered by the original Rodgers side in 2016 & 2017 against the elite clubs. Atalanta away next up will be another tough test so if he doesn’t change the approach then he never will.

I don’t think Celtic can commit 6 or 7 men forward to press top class opponents aggressively in their own half. The amount of times they were played through or over & it ended up with attackers racing through at some/all of a retreating back four. And the team generally pushing right up to the half way line & leaving sides with electric pace half a pitch to run into played into their hands.

I think Celtic have played better football under Rodgers & Postecoglou than they did under Strachan or Lennon, but it was the latter two’s teams that qualified for the last 16. I think he’ll need to set the team up in Bergamo to sit deeper, get Idah in from the start as a more physical focal point, restore Hatate to the team & play Valle instead of Taylor, who’s not able for this level. The back four was really over-matched tonight but they weren’t helped by the lack of protection. They’ll have a better chance of not looking ridiculous if there’s a midfield in place in front of them & they’re more streetwise.

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The minute they allowed 3rd and 4th placed teams in the competition was a joke.

I only really count teams who win the competition and their domestic league in the same season as champions. That’s a real European champion.

None of these back door wins.

Is it possible for a team to drop to the Europa League? If so, what position would that be?

No teams drop from the CL to the Europa any more. Top 8 in 32-team league qualify directly for the last 16, 9th-24th play off to join them & it’s seeded (9th v 24th, 10th v 23rd etc with higher ranked side getting home second leg) & bottom 8 eliminated.

I’d say Spurs are nailed on to win the Europa League & maintain Big Ange’s record of always winning a trophy in his second season at a club.

Edit: Nobody spotted my deliberate error(s). It’s a 36-team league & the bottom 12 are eliminated.

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Goals against diddy teams shouldn’t be counted.

This Danny Jamieson chap is a good interviewer.

https://twitter.com/footballontnt/status/1841229495442825252?s=46&t=0sQkcb7z4szDmx1-2Xlm0w

If that Celtic team wasn’t getting paddlings, then I’d say football was broken, they are terrible and deserved everything they got.

On another note, I can’t think of another coach with as charmed a life as Luis Enrique. Take out the 14/15 season and it doesn’t stack up. Arteta turned him upside down in the first 20 minutes and the game was over. PSG played very well for the rest of it and really have a fine young team and very physically strong. They need a top coach though. Would be a great landing spot for Ten Haag if the agent could swing it, egos are all gone.

Bayern v Villa should be a super game tonight. Villa gave Arsenal a great match a few weeks ago and could’ve won. Rogers v Musiala and who can get on it more could decide it.

McAtee the next off the production line from the famous Man City Academy. An incredible victory. Salford born and bred. The peoples Club.

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I wouldn’t be too worried if I was Celtic. Their path to getting the 9-10 points needed to qualify never involved beating Dortmund away.