That’s not my reading at all. Real Madrid’s tactical approach was not to give us 4-5 gilt edged chances, and hope our finishing was off.
They we’re rattled, and if we’d had our forwards on point we’d be looking forward to semi-final.
10 Likes
Bullets! Sooo disappointing! Chances given, chances lost! I watched RM’s defense really closely in the second half and they were awesome. They flooded the area in front of the goal all the time blocking any clean shots we might have made. Oh well, no silver no parades this year! I sure hope we get our shit together for next season. Hopefully Virgil will be back and in full form!
1 Like
well guys onto the next one… i believe we win all our remaining games we will make the CL… we have more time to train now as well…
Christ lad. The pair of them were fucking brilliant tonight.
13 Likes
Disagree. We tried. There was some energy and heart, just not enough to overturn a 1-3.
1 Like
Proud of every one of them. They gave it their all but wasn’t to be on the night. Mo and Bobby might have had three or four but not tonight. If we can continue that form we can get a top four finish. Well done lads.
1 Like
Can not expect to go true when you miss so many big chances.
Would have started Tiago over Wijnaldum and Jota over Mané and would never have taken Milner of
2 Likes
Review:
Trent looked good so did Nat Phillips. I don’t think we need another CB next year, Joe, Virg, Kabak/Konate, Nat. Looked brilliant BUT why wasn’t he in the box at the end when we just crossed hopelessly, we still had a flat back 4 playing.
We were too slow and not clinical up top when it counted, really needed that Mo goal in the first few minutes.
We played well, the first leg performance cost us. Hopefully it’s a platform to build upon.
2 Likes
In the first half yes, at times, but not in the second. The last thirty minutes was an absolute cake-walk for them.
but that has been the story all season mascot. teams are more than happy to give us the ball fully knowing we wont score
3 Likes
That’s my standard opening when we lose or, as in this case, get knocked out.
Never in doubt = we won
Meh = we drew
Well, that was shite = we lost/got knocked out
4 Likes
Can’t fault the effort and the approach tonight, Did everything well apart from finding the net. The game was lost in the first leg. Sorry, but that Keita gamble was utter stupidity.
The return leg, much better. The pressing had a thought process behind it, rather than the headless chicken approach of the midfield in RM’s training ground. We carved out enough chances to progress.
Fast start with the chance created for the person you would want it most to fall to, but the weak shot by Mo straight at the keeper who was scrambling to cover one side of goal summed up our finishing.
Moan of the match: our players not getting in the ref’s ear when RM taking an age to take a throw or goal kick.
Example: 38 seconds in injury time for the goal keeper to take the goal kick. Our players standing right beside the ref in silence.
Speaking of the ref, an obvious pull by RM to stop Gini, waves play on, and of course no card.
Brilliant? No. They were better than their abysmal performances in Spain, which helped put us in the hole we were in coming into this match. They were better than that, but that is not good enough anymore.
1 Like
That’s the problem with ifs though. They could have gone at us if needed, sadly they didn’t have to.
I think cakewalk is pushing it, but the subs on sixty and the move to 4231, is going to be our ‘now or never’ play. Madrid saw out the game well in the end, but they will be very relived to get through that.
Of the 8 spots available for defenders over the two legs, Real were able to fill only 2 of them with a first choice player, and he the weakest of the their first choice. That is the side we scored just 1 goal against in 2 games. There are many possible, likely overlapping explanations of why, but this really is the big issue with this side.
By next season I expect our CBs and midfield to look far more like our recent best versions. I worry this forward line has run its course.
7 Likes
Can’t fault the effort. It was a good team performance up until the most important thing which is putting the ball in the bloody net. We couldn’t score in a brothel that’s giving away free shags. The finishing is fucking abysmal. Been watching the same shite now for far too long.
It’s draining for the players and in the end no one wants to take the responsibility for missing the next sitter so we just play pass the parcel round the edge of the box until someone tries a gentle dinked ball straight to a defender. So depressingly predictable. What a shit season. I’ll be glad when the proper football’s back.
4 Likes
Sadio has gotta be in dire need of some rest and recharging.
You cannot go from where he was to what he is doing now.
It’s deadset fucking impossible.
3 Likes
And yet, if we scored and RM “had gone at us”, then we could’ve picked them off as we played much better tactically and with nous in this game.
That first leg played right into their hands.
1 Like