Juventus v Real Madrid
Champions League Final – Saturday, 3rd June – 19:45 GMT – National Stadium Cardiff
Juventus
History is important. It explains how we reached the Now. It offers suggestion of where we went wrong, where we went right, where we could do better. Yet history offers zero value to the war we face in Cardiff, when those warriors on the front line of our shared cause step onto the battlefield and launch themselves with berserk zeal towards the enemy.
However…whilst some will look back to our record in Champions League finals, our achievements, or failures when reaching the gates of Valhalla, I prefer to simply look back as far as January of this year. To when Allegri understood all too well that regardless of the slow, haphazard procession to a possible, even probable historic 6th straight league title, such was our absence of recognisable form, our inability to present the sum of our parts let alone more, required major innovation, if we were to challenge for the highest accolades. I am glad he reached for divinity. Rolled the dice.
His tactical acumen, decisiveness and determination to throw his all into the new design deserves immense praise. We became more entertaining, trickier to handle and stepped up to present ourselves as one of the finest sides on the planet, perhaps of the ages. Yet despite this warranted lauding, the real test comes tomorrow.
Physically, mentally and emotionally, pretty much everything which matters, we appear perfectly positioned to enter the final confident, organised and brimming with self belief. I cannot see a better position. Everything has fallen into place. Not just tactically, but with the return to the fold of not just Marchisio, but also Alves and in the case of the latter, Max has again shown superb intelligence to understand that Barzagli can cover the CB/RB position, with less pace, but more guile, allowing the Brazilian to apply his experience and technical brilliance higher up the field in place of the vastly improved, yet still prone to drooping Colombian.
Sami will be key. His fitness is one of several factors I see as pivotal in the tie. Since leaving Madrid, where he felt less than respected by the fans, it is easy to suggest and suspect that this is the game he has been waiting for more than any other. Professional as he most certainly is, to produce a performance which silences those thousands, millions, who failed to support him, will be added desire and venom in his approach.
Chiellini, who indeed needs a rest now and then as his body and age catch up with his gladiatorial style, is another key factor in this war of the ages. For he revels in such circumstances, and like Buffon and certainly Barzagli, Giorgio will see this game as potentially the biggest of his life. I have full faith he will step up to the mark.
I want this defence to mark their names in history as one of the strongest of all time. So do they…To concede three goals, all from set pieces, in 12 CL games is an astonishing record, but it counts for nothing if we miss a step at a vital moment at the final hurdle. I really do see this game as the judge and jury over carving a niche in history as Legends, for the BBC + Santo Buffon.
There are no weaknesses in our side. Yet there are defensively and between the sticks of our opponents. Allegri is more experienced, more wily and more hungry than our beloved Zizou. That is another key factor. For yes I must admit that I have been impressed with the frenchman’s progress as manager, but the lingering suspicion remains, of how he has inherited a team which on paper, is stronger than every other on the planet. He still has to manage, to encourage, to guide and yet has he truly been tested tactically?
As odd as it may seem to some, my biggest fear of Real is not Bale appearing (or even starting) nor Kroos, nor that horrendously arrogant pug faced pretty boy who has assumed a position of demigod, Ronaldo, but our old friend Alvaro Morata. Yet I do not wish to tempt fate, so will leave that as a brief mention.
Felix Brych will officiate, and his blood and name offer promise of solidity behind the whistle. He has no history of controversy and seems a solid choice to officiate a game wherein he will face two very different sets of trickery merchants. We are a generally fair team, yet it must be noted that defensively we have one or two prone to the classic italian proclivity of furbizia…It is the antics of the spanish side I worry more for, as their league is littered with fakery, theatrics and far more unsporting behaviour and the protection which meets it, than our side are accustomed to. Still…we have fared well enough with the officials thus far. So why worry of such things, when we have a brick by name, brick by nature to keep all in attendance honest as the forest…
There is a strange sensation of time slowing, until kick off. And not just my life, but the world as a whole perched on a knife edge, paused, awaiting direction of which way to fall and then follow. Whilst I have succumbed to health concerns, babylon morphing into Hades through maulings of my snout, betrayals of those I considered literally flowing through my crimson rivers, my removal from the beastly two wheeled devil steed until next year and my growing awareness of the steady procession towards global apocalypse…there has been one leading light, which has remained bright and resplendent during this wretched storm of hail, blizzard and gale.
Given the woes and traumas which I am well aware for a Gazan would seem mere trifles, yet I am in a different realm, and they matter, they debilitate in every sense and form, I have steered clear of tying myself to the Juve procession towards glory, out of fear that my own path is at odds with their success. Yet now, finally, I understand that their success has buoyed parts of me, it has sent a breeze into the sagging sails of my raft tied together with my own torn out hair, it has added vigour to the defiance in my eyes as I glare at the eye of the storm…
I demand and hope and pray to the lords of the underworld, for nothing less than total commitment. If found, I will remain nervy, anxious, for every second, for every blade of grass fought for, every ball, every tackle, every movement of whistle to mouth…and the furthest I can allow my hopes and dreams to touch, to reach for, is to end the game proud of those warriors in black and white who mean so much to so many.
Tomorrow, we march as One.
Forza Juve
TGP – (follow me on twitter here)
4-2-3-1/3-4-2-1: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Alves, Khedira, Pjanic, Sandro; Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain.
Injuries:
Pjaca (knee).
Real Madrid Q&A
A big thank you to Ali (RM_Insider) for answering your Twitter questions – You can follow him here on Twitter
1. How do you think that Zidane will try to break down Juve’s defence?
I think Zidane will try to make use of set pieces as much as possible considering that it has been this team’s strength throughout the season especially with people like Cristiano & Ramos who have frightened defences with their heading abilities.
2. Would playing Isco be an advantage or a disadvantage?
Playing Isco would definitely be an advantage. With Carvajal & Marcelo in the starting XI, we’ve got our wings covered well & Cristiano could join Benzema upfront. Isco’s presence makes it easier for us to keep possession, rather than focusing on the flanks & speed when Bale plays.
3. If you could take one player out of our starting XI who would it be and why?
I’d definitely take someone from the centre backs. Chiellini or Bonucci I’d say. The chemistry they have in the back & their height makes it very difficult for us especially that we’re depending on set pieces a lot like I’ve previously said.
4. What weaknesses of Juve do you think Real can exploit, and what weakness of Real do you think Juve can exploit?
Real Madrid can definitely exploit Juve’s midfield and try as much as possible to win the battle in the centre of the pitch. On the other hand, Juve can focus on pissing Ramos off ! A furious Ramos makes him reckless and a red card is pretty much on the table, when he isn’t focused.
5. If Bale is fit, should he start ahead of Isco?
I don’t believe so. Bale has been out most of the season and isn’t capable of playing a game of this magnitude. Bale has been Madrid’s main man in the first half of the season but his injury allowed us to benefit from Isco’s brilliance and helped us form a more cohesive team. In my opinion, even Vazquez & Asensio could have more impact on the game than Bale in his current situation.
6. Which area on the pitch do you think you’re weak or need improving?
Our main issue this season I’d say was the striker position. Even though Benzema has shown glimpses of brilliance here and there throughout the season, it’s still not enough for a man like Benzema in a team like Real Madrid. Karim missed way too many chances this season which could’ve cost us a lot . Let’s hope he’s on his day on Saturday.
7. Who are Real’s weak links and how good is Casemiro orchestrating the midfield?
In terms of weak links, I’d say it’s Benzema and that’s a bit of an exaggeration as there is no one player that is holding the team back. Casemiro’s presence in the starting XI is not just about orchestrating the midfield, it’s about holding it together and keeping that link between our midfield and defense. Casemiro is also a very physical player, which is something that we will definitely need against a team like Juventus.
8. Name one thing that makes you fearful of Juve and one thing that you think Juve should be fearful about Real?
Juve can frighten you in so many ways and on so many levels. If it’s not Buffon, it’s their defense. If it’s not their fullbacks, it’s their strikers. Their players are never offline; regardless of how the team is doing, there’s always that one player that can pull the job off for Juve. In terms of Real Madrid, I think Juve should be afraid of their counter attacks and they better not give them the spaces that they always ask for because once they have it, you’re done.
9. Who is going be Real’s most essential/important player in the final?
Based on the last few games and how Real Madrid were doing in the Champions League, I’d say Cristiano Ronaldo who has personally dragged the team into the final during this campaign. Cristiano has been doing great throughout the years at Real Madrid but this season is different as he is much more decisive than ever.
10. What would be your combined Juve/Real XI?
Buffon, Carvajal, Ramos, Bonucci, Chiellini, Marcelo, Kroos, Modric, Isco, Cristiano, Dybala.
11. Which Real player has impressed you the most this season and why?
It’s not secret. I’m a huge Carvajal fan boy and my jaw has been dropping every single time I watch him play. So many players have been instrumental this season but Carvajal’s presence along with Marcelo as well has been astonishing this season.
12. Prediction for the final ?
Sadly, I’d say it’s a 2-1 for Juventus.
Probable lineup:
4-3-1-2: Navas; Danilo, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Isco; Ronaldo, Benzema
Injuries:
Carvajal
Formation
Thank you to Emil for the amazing artwork – Follow him here on Twitter
Come on Juve – go out and beat Real Madrid.They are far from the level of Barcelona two years ago, and we know you can do it =) We are at least as good as two years ago. Be aggressive and press them in the middle.
Man, i can’t wait for tomorrow! Excited and really nervous at the same time.
This, tomorrow, is so much more than a game of football. It’s the moment that all of us juventini have been waiting for in years. It really is time. I can’t see us doing anything other than winning. Let’s do this, Forza Juve !
If you haven’t watched this vid yet i suggest you do, if you still need something to get you pumped up!
https://youtu.be/S6NTHWFH9R8
These images mean so much to me. I have embraced every moment in this video and more. Now its time to finish this off.
tried to get some sleep in between 5 and 9ish as a 415am start is wretched…the idea is to stagger my drinking, so I will try hold off until 10pm, then hit the vodka…saving a bottle of Moet to pop open cum the opening whistle.
I am still considering putting a bottle of Prosecco in the fridge. But the fear of jinxing the game has left me without a bottle in the fridge.
2:45 AM here mate, had few shots to calm myself down otherwise I am being too excited for this one 😀
John Charles will be watching…. Forza Juve!
Juventus vs Real Madrid ZOOMCRICKET. COM
HALALALALA
Here we go guys, the big one! Fucking PUMPED for this one
Forza Juve!! Lets do this!
LET”S GOOOO!!
FanMariotastic!
Already losing my voice, great!
Great game
Dear oh dear…. Must be a mental thing / vibe at the club. Can’t think of anything else to explain it. Oh well, we go again next year. Chin up everybody.
Can’t say that we deserved to win. Real was the better team tonight. I wonder what is missing? If we ever gonna have a side as great as this one? Gigi and the back three has hit their prime now. Or so it seems. We lost the midfield battle big time. Higuain and Dybala didn’t step up to the game. I guess Higuain isn’t much of a big game player, but like I said when he signed the contract. I will judge him after his contract expires. Then we will see if he brought the CL trophy to Turin or not.
I never liked Pjanic and Sami in midfield as a combo. I would always feel better with Marchisio. Simply not enough grit and drive without him imo. In fact Sami can pack his bags along with Lemina for all I care.
RM have winners on their side. They know how to win. We dont. You just cannot make a diplay like that in the second half. Its sad to think we had a whole week for this. IM OVER GUYS STILL CANT BELIEVE WHAT I SAW. AGAIN HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER IN EUROPE AND WINTER ELSEWHERE.
Sami was really good in the start of the season. I remember him scoring crucial goals, but I don’t know if he along with Lemina as you mention is what we really need to get our hands on that CL trophy. Let’s be honest here, that is what we need to do. Strengthen the squad so that we can win the CL. With that we need a solid midfield for starters.
Second half there was no Juve, sad that exactly this game had to prove that we are not the team to lift the trophy.
But we were better most of the first half. We let them score against the run of play. We never made it count.
Guys i give up. I will never see it again. Goodnight love you all.
Don’t give up.
No Mr Black i never believed like this time. Never. For me its over. THANK YOU ALL FOR A WONDERFUL YEAR.
So if we get to next years final you won’t be interested? Come on, if we lost hope so easily we would all have bailed after Serie B demotion.
I am seriously thinking that if dont change everything we wont achieve anything next year. I cant see how can we improve on this year. See the second half. We were abysmal. The worst showing in the last 30years of champions league football.
“A true gentleman never leaves his lady”. These moments are tough. You have to be strong and get on with it. No one can take anything away from us. We built a team out of nothing and Inter and Milan are in the shits. We are carrying Italy. The shame is that the bullshit scandal in 2006 completely fucked it all up; that team was incredibly powerful, and we were going to win everything imaginable. Buffon would’ve won a few by now. But it’s life and you don’t give up. Imagine how the players feel.
Why dont we see it the other way round. I counted the years the months the days the hours. I counted the seconds. I stayed with my lady all the way from hell and back. It was time.
She left me at half time. Never in my life i have seen such a one sided half game. Reminded me of Milan vs Barcellona. Remember that 5 0.
Yesterday I was betrayed.
We stumbled when it mattered the most. Hope 2 finals defeats will not demoralize the whole team. We got to come back next season, we got to win it for Buffon.
The record of so many defeats must weigh on all at the club. I can’t see how it could not?
I will take time to let all this sink in and be able the objectively analyse what was good and not. But for now I have two points three points to point out.
1: Our mental level has always been something that I thought was carrying us to success, but tonight we did not exist in the second half. What went wrong I can’t tell, but definitely it was sad to witness.
2: We need big games stars up front. Higuin just can’t make it happen out of nothing unless he is in the box. He makes me miss Tevez who would get the ball and scramble, dribble and hustle past defenders, Higuin simply has his limits in comparision.
3: We have no alternatives or jokers to shake up the game. Cuadrado is a joke not a joker, or should I say fluke? He hit it against Sevilla, but the performance tonight was more than embarrassing, especially as he let Ramos (who everyone must hate) get the upper hand.
Pjaca got injuried but are we down to Cuadrado and Lemina, when Real fields Bale and Morata? I shows our weaknesses, but unfortunately this is the reality because of so many factors.
Tonight I feel for Buffon, but for the rest I am angry that they can let the game slip like this. Real was the better team and I hope that next year we have more alternative, because although we are a strong team we are lacking the world class to make become winners.
Forza Juve, may we prevail next season
Clearly the better team won today, I have no animosity whatsoever towards Real Madrid we’ll maybe Ramos but the game was lost already. My mind still can’t grasp who that team in the second half was? Allegri also looked completely clueless, instead of pressing them up high he waited to counter attack…. wtf??? Also, where in the f*** was the man marking on Ronaldo?? Was anyone even assigned to him? For a coach that gets so much right majority of the time, when it counts the most he went missing. I don’t even know know what to make of this game and yes I say this game because a full game is 90 minutes. We we’re two classes below Madrid, it’s like they played in the copa del Rey with some 4th division team. Dybala would make Casper get his glasses, pjanic and khedira were almost useless. I need time to let this sink in but this is the biggest joke of a final I have ever seen, at least against Barcelona we believed up until the later part of the game. In the second half we were outdone in every sense of the word, zidane made allegri look like an amateur. That’s not to say my heart doesn’t bleed the black and white, it’s never going to love another team as much. I am just bewildered at wtf happend today, Madrid isn’t even that good overall but wow. Allegri this is mostly on you, in the second half you were outdone by a coach with two years experience, time to reflect.
with you all the way, our strength came from our stability and mental approach, how can we lose this after halftime when the coach has 15 minutes to prep his players?
I just don’t understand where this team in the second half came from, they had 0 shots on goal. This is mostly on Allegri, I can’t believe how poor second half was. Our solution was Lemina and marchisio….. why not throw in Kean in there? I’m going offline for a while, no way to rationalize this, but the defense? So much for those two goals in qualifying, they were all thrash with the exception of Sandro. Again how do you let these pretty boy p****** out of Madrid do this to you.
As I mention in my comment Jas, we are lacking quality. The players and manager have done tremendously to reach the final, but take Mandzukic who made the most out of his talent and compare him with Madrids attacking forces. That explains my point of what we are missing.
Just to elaborate, I think Mandzukic has done wonderful for the team but the guy has his limits and especially if compared to the best of our opponents
Understood but where was dybala and higguain? Big players show up in big games, neither of them are big game players. Maybe dybala will be in the future but gonzalo is a choke artist meant for serie a, a bit harsh but reality is like that.
Juve simply bent over in the second half, Pressure just got to them, It was frustrating and sad
I don’t even think it was the pressure it was simply a lack of effort on the players end, I felt for the team when they lost against Barcelona but today I feel empty, like if they played a million years they’d keep losing.
yea it was as if they won the game without playing it, i think juve felt they where playing a second tier team, when the team made juve look second tier
Fuck this. Dybala and higuain were shit today, absolute shit
Well at least Dybala won’t be so in demand in the transfer market. I can’t think of any other positives right now…..
I see his brilliance and potential, but I can’t be the only one thinking that he in too many matches simply just get lost somewhere in the midfield.
Worst thing is that people just won’t believe we will win it again next time we get to the final. That plus all the smugness from Milan and Inter fans. It is almost unbelievable that we could lose so many consecutive finals. What are the odds?
ikr, we might be the most unluckiest team in the world. What do we need to win this damn trophy? I thought we had the perfect squad, manager and formation. Is it really mental thing? It can’t be. We had a completely different team 2 years ago.
Be doesn’t that point to it, as the team has changed so there must be another constant thread? I think Real and Barca and Munich think big, are big and act accordingly and we don’t really seem to. We have a bit of an inferiority thing going on, a big club in a small shell. I can’t put my finger on it.
Many players are superstitious so even though it is a diffrent squad the “Pshycological thing” can still definatley be there.
Fact is though:
– Allegri lost the chess match com,pletletley
– Our defence waslike that of a bottom team premier league team
– Our attack was useless, Higuain flopped worst than expected, people expected pipita to choke an miss clear chances, but he was straight horrid and creatid nothing
Well Juve made fools of themselves today, Descent first half, Horrid second half! just all around Terrible game! We Where the masters in the art of defending! but today, today we looked like we didn’t know what we where doing in defense!
Dybala was lost
Pjanic was lost
Higuain was usless
Bonucci was frozen
Alves couldent do much
Cuadrado was usless
only good players we had on the field today where Alex Sandro and Mandzukic! they where the only players to show hope and desire, they where the only ones with the dream!
Our midfield lost the game game for us, its crazy i feel like in 2015 we needed we have now and what we need now we had in 2015. If we had Pogba, Vidal, Pirlo we would have one today’s game. Higuain had an off game as did dybala but our midfield was not able to keep possession. We need a better midfield what ever that is I am not sure but we got outclassed in the middle today and Real Madrid pressured us into so many mistakes. Our movements and positioning where horrid today but i am saying it was due to our midfield not being up to par we couldn’t play our game. Real midfield did not even lets us breathe or play the ball into Higuain. Dybala does good when linking up the play but that wont always work especially when Teams have strong midifeld players. Khedira had a bad game he got smashed and there was no midfield pressence it allowed real to press high without any worry’s. Khedira is good but not great we need to refresh our midfield. Next year people we talk about how we bottled the cup this year we must use that work hard and keep our mouth shut i think that will do us good. Lets see what marotta does this summer, keep your heads up fellas keep pushing FINO ALLA FINE
Well said. We must keep our dignity, and go again but learn our lessons. Agree on midfield from 2015 would gave been better for us. Sami is not world class as some seem to think. He is merely good (occasionally). Marchisio should have started tonight.
Damn this is a bitter pill to swallow. Chances are that I like probably a lot of us won’t even get excited if we reach the final again next year because the odds are we’ll probably lose it again !
Anybody else going to have more beer than is good for them tonight? I am.
No Mr Black. Im embracing the little one i left home today. I always placed Juve first but today i was betrayed. It felt like a betrayal. Now she is sleeping in my hands as i type this message. From next year everything will change for me.
oh but it wont, Juve will still be juve and CHL finals will always be rare opportunities.
I too am getting to much, although here it is wine. Only a good nights sleep can help me.
For once I will say, I am in this moment glad I am not Buffon…. Imagine the poor guys thoughts
Tears in my eyes. I have no idea what happened tonight. Juve was by far the best team of the CL this year. Against Barca and Monaco they gave away masterclasses. Every pundit out there and every real football fan called the the most balanced and complete team in the CL.
Tonight from the start it didn’t feel good. I couldn’t see the good organisation that they normally have and not much high pressing. At first I thought: Maybe I’m a noob and I’m not getting the master plan yet. Then I see 1 bad pass after another.
Juve went forward and although it wasn’t very dangerous, i felt it was good to come in the game. minute 11-12 Dybala gets a card for a brainless fault, completely unnecessary. The following 10 minutes Dybala was by far the weakest link of the team. For a player of his calibre, the “next Messi” I was very much surprised to see this. Yes you got a card, fuck it, live goes on. But no, it became worse and worse.
Then comes Ronaldo and makes 1-0. It was a good shot, but the “best CB of the world” fucked it up. If he didn’t touch it, buffon would have had it 95%. It wasn’t completely in the corner. But Bonucci touched it just enough to make it unsavable for Buffon. Where those kind of balls were no problem for the best defense of the world, tonight bonucci was not focussed. Chieleni was doing very well till that moment, pressing and covering Ronaldo well.
Fortunately, with a bit of luck, Mandzukic corrected the error a few minutes later. I thought it would make the team better because it was a miracle goal at the perfect moment. I thought: The boys will get a huge morale boost now because if you can score such a wonderful goal in the final, then the cl easy. yet nothing happened.
The passing on the midfield was terrible. It started in the first half, not the second. Where Alves had a godlike season, this game he played like he was in a training session, trying things out. i could not see our normally top organization.
Thank god, first half ended with the score balanced. I was expecting our top coach to hold a good speech and organize the boys again. I said to myself from the start; the longer this game takes, the less chance we have to fin it. Before the match I was giving 60-40% to win the final. I said that if they weren’t leading by half time it would become 50-50, minute 60 70-30% and if it would go to extra time i would favour real 80% to win it. Simply because Real has a bench full of game changers, world class players that would be starters in every major European team and that could win the cl by themselves. And we have lemina.
In the second half i immediately got my bad feeling back. Sandro, chielini, barzagli, higuain, mandzukic were in the game, the rest was not. Still not. Yes I say Higuain too. They guy is always moving nice and his work rate is decent. but the guy is a pure finisher, not a dribbler. How much nice balls did he get this game that you feel he should have scored? I saw 0.
Real wasn’t playing good, they simply started pressing in the second half. juve couldn’t get out. They cleared 1 ball, only for the next to come 10 seconds later. I was waiting for the 1-2, because it was very obvious it was coming. Juve couldn’t keep the ball for 1 minute, they could make any successful pass. It was like i was watching some local team. then comes the 1-2. And like with the first goal, Buffon couldn’t do anything. The tears came in my eyes when i saw his face. I have never been a footballer but I have been part of teams and i know what he felt. His face said: not again, how many times do i have to safe them, how many years do i have to be the best, i can’t do anything about this. I felt horrible for him. A distant shot from a mediocre player is never a goal against Buffon, now it was.
From there on it was clear the game was over. On the contrary to what other people say, Max couldn’t do much any more. We simply Don’t have 3 high impact subs, we don’t even have 1. James, Bale, Asensio, Morata are all players that can change Reals game with their talents. With Juan we can add pace, but that’s all. Marchisio is a top player, but not in a game changing position. We had to replace Dybala, but we have no1 to do it with, at least not someone world class.
Today we lost hard. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Buffon hangs up his boots now. Juve for me were heavy favourites. They were simply perfect in the other games, well rested, no major injuries. Alves, Bonucci, khedira, Pjanic, Dybala were all very short. the team seemed very nervous. I saw Buffon wanting to take a goal kick, then changing his mind last moment and instead of kicking it out, play it to a defender and bringing his team into danger. I didn’t see Bonnuci clear something well. I didn’t see 1 good Dybala action that had impact. I saw Alves on training, not playing serious. The midfield and attack failed and as a result the best defence of the world collapsed completely.
Maybe I’m just stupid, but i can’t blame max much. The players we have are all talented and experienced enough to know what to do. They simply didn’t perform from the first second of the game.
We need to get rid of our mediocre subs. We need more quality, especially up front. With pjaca injured we basicly didn’t have any replacements except kean for the front 4 of our 4-2-3-1. Thank god we had no injuries in Higuain/dybala/Mario, otherwise we could have had a disastrous season. We must sign a class wb to fall in for alves/sandro, we must sign another world class midfielder and we surely need world class wingers that can change the game when needed. Under no circumstances we can lose Sandro as he was 1 of the most consistent players this whole season and in my opinion he is the best all-round LB of the world.
To be fair i never saw a team displaying that awfullness in my whole life in champions league football. It was a complete betrayal to us.
I’m very curious to see if players will want to leave Juve now because they want to win the CL or because they want more money after this night. I don’t think anyone has the right to leave after this game.
I feel the same as on euro 2016 after Italy got kicked out by Germany. Italy had played godlike against spain and belgium with no stars and mediocre players on some positions. They played well against germany too. it went to penalties. Buffon saves 1, sweinsteiger misses a penalty. I didn’t think anything could go wrong from that point Until I saw an arrogant Pele talking with neuer instead of focussing on his penalty. And if that wasn’t enough, Mr Zaza the balet dancer performed another act and Italy were out after a perfect tournament because of 2 players that let the team completely down. the difference with today is that 5 players let the team down.
I sincerly dont give a damn of what they do. They had 45 minutes. Just 45. Maybe its too early but we are dicussing the most one sided half in the history of the champions league. We had at least 200million worth of players upfront that did not perform or had one fucking single shot in a whole half. You know i think you all know we knocked out Real two years ago in the semi they had the same fucking squad.
As I said, as a team i rated juve 10x better. Real is no team. I know juve has beated them almost every time the past few years. They didn’t even play very good tonight. They simply started pressing high in second half, nothing more. We did the rest for them by clearing balls blind and giving away possession after 5 seconds we finally got to the damn thing. Really don’t get it. Like Barca, they can only attack, their defence sucks. I expected to concede a goal, but i also expected a lot of chances and at least 2 goals by juve. If you take away Mario’s lucky goal, how many good opportunities did we create? The midfield let us down, the defence collapsed because of it. I can’t blame Higuain, he simply didn;t get any good ball.
This will be shown to kids in soccer centres on how NOT to play in the finals. If we go and display that shit performance i wonder not how RM sell more shirts than us. Im very angry today i need a good summer break to ease up the frustration. As i said this time i was betrayed.
You want to know who was horrendous? Dani Alves. Caused their first goal by getting in Dybala’s way, and had lost his mind the whole way. Didn’t play for the team and his side was ravaged. Most of the goals came from his side. I would’ve subbed him out.
The 2-1 completely messed us up. Complete luck that goal and we never got over it.
Whatever happened in the match, i hope everyone in Turin is okay.
Yes, things like that and yet another Islamist terror attack in my home country in an area I know well put a football match into perspective today (for me anyway)
Dont know what went wrong in the 2nd half. I will not blame our manager for our players were disappointing. I will also not want too many moves in the transfer market. Will like to see more players from the youth team being promoted. Nonetheless it was a great run. I am thankful to the entire team for making me believe. Feeling bad for our superman but I know he will turn up again to protect our goal as he has always done.
Juventus don’t have a winners mentality… Simple enough. Madrid attacked full on from 1st min to last, ruthless, didn’t give a fuck, they were trying to get 5 or 6 not just 4. That’s what makes Champions, not equalizing, sitting back, and trying to (Weak ass attempt to) play on the counter. Today in our perspective, we played against Gods, to RM it was just another La Liga match against Leganes. On a side note, Cuadrado needs to somehow improve his decision making, or leave this club, because you can’t play like that for a top level club.
You can’t possibly blame Cuadrado for his second yellow though, that was bullshit. It could have been anyone.
No but he still should’ve been smarter to know Sergio Ramos would pull some shit like that. Plus he provided nothing the entire time he was on, either dribbled it out or or got dispossessed.
Unfortunately he has just been purchased outright! So he won’t be going anywhere. He does need to improve though.
An unfortunate decision, no matter how much the fluke has provided (like in the game against Sevilla
You can not go to a 100$ restaurant with just a 10$ bill in your pocket.Conte was right then and the same applies for yesterday. Real’s bench had Bale, James, Asennsio, Morata and ours Cuadrado and Lemina. A team that plays with 4 up front, had 5,5 players to fight on all fronts! Is not the players fault is plain simple bad management! If we have to excel at all fronts they have to invest in world-class players. You cannot always count on limited players,who play out of position,to perform good enough to claim a title like CL. We now have the money and the status! No more Rincons, Sturaros and Lemina!Spend 200$ on three players and become a Force to be reckoned with, not a European loser!
True, but remember Juve have been building back up to challenge the likes of Real financially since 2006 debacle (remembering that the Agnelli’s made a decision to stop bankrolling the club and make it pay it’s own way). Only now do we start to have the money to buy big names again. Real have had that spending power since 2006 if you compare from that point in time. That is why they have a bench of big names. It will take another few years for us to get there. Having said that I still believe we paid way over the odds for Gonzo, especially as he has no track record of being a big game changer in euro competitions.
That I get,but have a look at our team!They spend 9 on Rincon,10 on Orsolini,17 on the Moroccan who appears so regularly,I do not remember his name!That is a Tolisso kind of transfer money on players who will never play or play regularly.More is not better,better is better!Quality players are there to buy!We were to play a 3 men mid plus a false 9 and the the end of august found us with exactly 4 players for 4 positions!No back up strikers,instead an potential worldvlass winger who they tried to fit in the system,playing him even as box to box until Christmas!
Sad. Our boys looked like kids playing against Madrid. We had absolutely no midfield, even our goal started by a Bonucci ball across the field. Pretty sick goal by Mario, though. I don’t see a reason in blaming Higuain or Dybala, as they rarely received anything anyway. I can’t really blame anyone for our conceded goals, 2 were bullshit ricochet shots anyway, and after the second, our boys just collapsed.
We need more world class players, because you can’t just bring in Lemina for Dybala and expect more goals, for fucks sake.
Cuadrado for Barzagli, Marchisio for Pjanic, Lemina for Dybala; versus Bale for Benzema, Ascensio for Isco and Morata for Kroos.
I hope other teams in Serie A will step it up too, maybe a little more competition will fix us too.
Wouldn’t it be better to splash the cash on a midfielder like veratti or tolisso and start playing 3 mids again with an att mid so that dybala can play upfront with higuain? Maybe that was part of the problem because the attackers have to defend too much and our midfield was overrun yesterday? I know that it’s not only down to a formation that decides a game, i just like dybala more upfront than behind higuain. What do you guys think? Keep this formation next season or start playing with 3 mids and 3 upfront or 2 upfront with an attacking mid? It would solve the problem that the attackers don’t have to defend that much anymore right?
Although they played the 4-2-3-1 against barca too and it worked perfect. It just looked like yesterday the attackers also had to track back too much so whenever they had the Ball they got sloppy due to spending too much energy on the defensive aspect of the game
3 ‘genuine’ mids at least.
We should model after Madrid’s midfield, A German Panzer tank like Kroos, a magician like Modric, and an engine like Casemiro, so 3 guys in midfield. But honestly we need to add quality depth (Not 8 Rincons) to our squad, desperately.
I don’t see Juve winning the Champions League with Allegri. We should make Massimo Carrera a part of our coach shortlist. He is building a good track record where he is going. I think he will eventually become an excellent coach. We would have a coach with very good man management skills, which we are lacking with Allegri.