No Champions League football at Stamford Bridge next season for Chelsea then. It will the first time since 2002 or 2003 that they wont be in the Champions League, pretty much the first time since Roman Ambromovich took over.

As good as over now for Arsenal.

 

 

Bayern are on their way out of the Champions League! Their currently losing 2-0 to Juventus. If Bayern go out of the competition then UEFA may as well hand the trophy to Barcelona now.

Bayern are on their way out of the Champions League! Their currently losing 2-0 to Juventus. If Bayern go out of the competition then UEFA may as well hand the trophy to Barcelona now.

 

Juve going through is bad for England wanting to keep their 4th spot.

Juve going through is bad for England wanting to keep their 4th spot.

This season has been such a poor one for English teams in the Champions League, Manchester City will probably get knocked out in the next round as well.

 

I was beginning to wonder if we would get a repeat of last season's final but now the Bayern vs Juventus match has gone to extra time. Hopefully it will go to penalties as well just for entertainment sake.

This season has been such a poor one for English teams in the Champions League, Manchester City will probably get knocked out in the next round as well.

 

I was beginning to wonder if we would get a repeat of last season's final but now the Bayern vs Juventus match has gone to extra time. Hopefully it will go to penalties as well just for entertainment sake.

 

We have, but it contends with us currently being in a poor league. The top teams are littered with average/mediocre players. We have been this way since 2011/2012 really. I think over the next couple of years we'll begin to see a difference again. Lots of really good coaches in the Premier League, and I think the 'bigger' teams will push away again and begin to perform well again in Europe. Just my personal thought, might be 2018 by the time the English league is really strong again.

Wrong way round I think. Look at the teams that our mid-table and bottom half teams are competing with for signings - the TV money and the way it's divided means that our top teams don't have any easy games and their top players are tired or injured by the time the knockout rounds come along.

 

Arsenal had their moments tonight but it's hard to see anyone keeping Barcelona quiet for 180 minutes. 90 maybe.

Wrong way round I think. Look at the teams that our mid-table and bottom half teams are competing with for signings - the TV money and the way it's divided means that our top teams don't have any easy games and their top players are tired or injured by the time the knockout rounds come along.

 

Arsenal had their moments tonight but it's hard to see anyone keeping Barcelona quiet for 180 minutes. 90 maybe.

 

Disagree. Our top clubs are full of average/inconsistent/past it players (Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal). Any league where a relegation candidate goes to title winners is seriously messed up. What Ranieri doing is hardly revolutionary, but it's working.

 

Our league has about 2/3 top, top players. Go back 5-7 years and that's completely different.

We have, but it contends with us currently being in a poor league. The top teams are littered with average/mediocre players. We have been this way since 2011/2012 really. I think over the next couple of years we'll begin to see a difference again. Lots of really good coaches in the Premier League, and I think the 'bigger' teams will push away again and begin to perform well again in Europe. Just my personal thought, might be 2018 by the time the English league is really strong again.

The English performance in the Champions League next season is going to be even worse with Leicester, Tottenham and possibly West Ham taking part. The days of 2005-2012 (2005-07 in particular) where English teams dominated the Champions League by getting to the semi's or even the final every year are long gone now.

Arsenal played pretty f***ing well tonight. No shame in that loss. Barcelona are basically impossible to contend with right now. A good team can keep things level for an hour or so but then they find some magic from nowhere and run with the momentum.

Not forgetting 2008 where we had three teams in the semifinals. That won't happen again for a long time.

Disagree. Our top clubs are full of average/inconsistent/past it players (Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal). Any league where a relegation candidate goes to title winners is seriously messed up. What Ranieri doing is hardly revolutionary, but it's working.

 

Our league has about 2/3 top, top players. Go back 5-7 years and that's completely different.

It's hard to compare because a lot of players don't adapt well to the PL, look terrible and then go back home and do well again (Aspas and Soldado spring to mind). The way football was going in the few years before tiki-taka suited our league's style and happened to coincide with Real and Bayern being relatively quiet. Everything went right for the English game at the same time, it's easy to look back with rose-tinted glasses at the players who were doing well at the time.

Quarter-Final Draw:

 

 

Wolfsburg v Real Madrid

Bayern Munich v Benfica

Barcelona v Atletico Madrid

PSG v Manchester City

 

 

 

This week's results mean that England will start next season with a higher UEFA coefficient than Italy, albeit by a narrow margin if the remaining English clubs go no further.

The English performance in the Champions League next season is going to be even worse with Leicester, Tottenham and possibly West Ham taking part. The days of 2005-2012 (2005-07 in particular) where English teams dominated the Champions League by getting to the semi's or even the final every year are long gone now.

 

Yes. Chances are we will get pooped, but that's because our top teams are not that great in the current context - see Spurs against Dortmund.

 

It's hard to compare because a lot of players don't adapt well to the PL, look terrible and then go back home and do well again (Aspas and Soldado spring to mind). The way football was going in the few years before tiki-taka suited our league's style and happened to coincide with Real and Bayern being relatively quiet. Everything went right for the English game at the same time, it's easy to look back with rose-tinted glasses at the players who were doing well at the time.

 

That's partly true, but the standard a few years ago was so much better, a much higher calibre of players. Suarez, Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Drogba, Bale, Torres, Vidic - all massive, massive players (and I'm sure I missed a lot as well). Top class players in our league right now? Sturridge, Aguero, De Gea. These things go in spits and spides and we will get better again for sure, but will take some considerable time.

 

I mean look at Arsenal, Wenger reckons he can't improve the side with what's available in the market - absolute bullshit.

Yes. Chances are we will get pooped, but that's because our top teams are not that great in the current context - see Spurs against Dortmund.

That's partly true, but the standard a few years ago was so much better, a much higher calibre of players. Suarez, Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Drogba, Bale, Torres, Vidic - all massive, massive players (and I'm sure I missed a lot as well). Top class players in our league right now? Sturridge, Aguero, De Gea. These things go in spits and spides and we will get better again for sure, but will take some considerable time.

 

I mean look at Arsenal, Wenger reckons he can't improve the side with what's available in the market - absolute bullshit.

Yeah, I'd actually add Sanchez and Ozil to that list of top class players and they're testament to the fact that Arsenal are only one or two good big signings away from walking this league. The one thing we have going for us at the moment is the calibre of manager in the top flight - it's getting to the stage where there are very few top managers who haven't (or won't soon) managed in England.

And after 13 seconds, David Luiz will miss the second leg of the quarter-final against Man City after getting booked.

 

 

Wolfsburg already 2-0 up against Real Madrid after half an hour. Could be a surprise there.

 

 

I still think Paris will go through. Not having David Luiz on the pitch might even be a help. :D

Matuidi will be a miss, particularly if Verratti is still out. PSG were favourites before last night but I'd say it's dead even now. City could still get City-itis but they look a completely different team with De Bruyne fit.