Liverpool have drawn these in the CL along with Real and Basel. Happy with that.
Soccer 2014 - 2015
- Thread starter PKS
- Start date
I'm sick and fucking tired of Bayern Munich. That's 3 times in 4 seasons we've drawn in the same group as them.
And to top it off we got the toughest team in pot 4. The rest, apart from maybe Arsenal, got off easy.
And to top it off we got the toughest team in pot 4. The rest, apart from maybe Arsenal, got off easy.
Group A: Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Olympiacos, Malmo FF
Group B: Real Madrid, Basel, LIVERPOOL, Ludogorets Razgrad
Group C: Benfica, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco
Group D: ARSENAL, Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray, Anderlecht
Group E: Bayern Munich, MANCHESTER CITY, CSKA Moscow, Roma
Group F: Barcelona, PSG, Ajax, APOEL
Group G: CHELSEA, Schalke 04, Sporting Lisbon, Maribor
Group H: Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Athletic Bilbao, BATE Borisov
Group B: Real Madrid, Basel, LIVERPOOL, Ludogorets Razgrad
Group C: Benfica, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco
Group D: ARSENAL, Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray, Anderlecht
Group E: Bayern Munich, MANCHESTER CITY, CSKA Moscow, Roma
Group F: Barcelona, PSG, Ajax, APOEL
Group G: CHELSEA, Schalke 04, Sporting Lisbon, Maribor
Group H: Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Athletic Bilbao, BATE Borisov
Elerion
N00b
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That's a pretty lucky LFC draw. Could have got easier opposition than Real, and maybe Malmo would have been preferred from tier 4 due to travel time / safety, but drawing Basel from tier 2 is pretty much jackpot. Probably the weakest team in that tier and comfortable away game.
So, Alonso has signed for Bayern. It went from a rumor to reality in 30 hours. Did not see that one coming at all.
I am pretty excited about Liverpool drawing Basel. I live about a 50 minute train ride away from Basel so I'm definately going to try and get tickets. I got to see Liverpool in Bern a couple years ago in the Europa League and the 5-3 shootout Liverpool win did not disappoint, would be great to see something similar this time, although more like 8-0 would be lovely this time (I don't like Basel). All in all a decent draw for Pool, as Elerion mentioned, drawing Basel from Topf 2 is pretty much the jackpot and I can imagine the atmosphere at Anfield for the Real game will be pretty special.
Chelsea got by far the easiest draw, but as was mentioned I think all the English teams will go through, but you never know with the champions league, the APOELs of the world sometimes pull it off. Bring on September 16th, I can't wait!
Chelsea got by far the easiest draw, but as was mentioned I think all the English teams will go through, but you never know with the champions league, the APOELs of the world sometimes pull it off. Bring on September 16th, I can't wait!
The elite are protected so that Arsenal, who last won the title in 2004 and needed to pre-qualify this year, are shielded from the toughest opposition, while Manchester City, reigning champions with two title wins in three years, must again climb a mountain to reach the later stages.
It is warped. Bent in favour of the established elite so that there were more champions in pots B and D than in marquee pot A. This produces ferociously unfair match-ups.
Instead, domestic success counts for nothing and the same teams meet year after year, often with the same results.
This is the third time in four seasons that Manchester City will have faced Bayern Munich at the group stage, and the same applies to Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. How is that healthy, or compelling?
When the Champions League began it felt exotic and new, now the group stage only gets interesting if one of the big boys messes up. It is a routine revenue-generating process, there to fill TV primetime and only undertaken as a means to an end. We know the serious stuff begins after Christmas, once a free draw heralds the arrival of the knock-out stage. Deep down, that is what football?s establishment fears, of course: not being good enough, not being up to the test. It is to UEFA?s shame that they then indulge this naked protectionism. Either Platini is complacent, or foolish; probably both
It is warped. Bent in favour of the established elite so that there were more champions in pots B and D than in marquee pot A. This produces ferociously unfair match-ups.
Instead, domestic success counts for nothing and the same teams meet year after year, often with the same results.
This is the third time in four seasons that Manchester City will have faced Bayern Munich at the group stage, and the same applies to Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. How is that healthy, or compelling?
When the Champions League began it felt exotic and new, now the group stage only gets interesting if one of the big boys messes up. It is a routine revenue-generating process, there to fill TV primetime and only undertaken as a means to an end. We know the serious stuff begins after Christmas, once a free draw heralds the arrival of the knock-out stage. Deep down, that is what football?s establishment fears, of course: not being good enough, not being up to the test. It is to UEFA?s shame that they then indulge this naked protectionism. Either Platini is complacent, or foolish; probably both
Asshat Brando
Potato del Grande
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The seeding is a 5 year average of how you've done in UEFA competitions. LFC was a Pot 1 team up until 2009, now we're pot 3 as we didn't even qualify for CL for 4 years. Pretty sure ManC was a pot 3 team last year as well. There certainly seem to be some redundancies in the matchups lately but would you rather see a Madrid - Munich final or a Madrid - Basel final if Madrid and Munich were in the same groups? I know which one I'd rather see.
Pretty simple really, UFEA own points system ranks each league across Europe - currently Spain, England, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Russia and France.
So the champions of those countries should be the seven top seeds, plus the Champions League holders. This would create a more egalitarian pot A, comprising Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Juventus, CSKA Moscow, Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid. Fairer already.
Pot B would then be taken from the champions of the next eight leagues off the rank, if they had qualified - meaning Ukraine (Shakhtar Donetsk), Holland (Ajax), Belgium (Anderlecht), Switzerland (Basle) and Greece (Olympiacos), plus the second-placed teams from Spain (Barcelona), England (Liverpool) and Germany (Borussia Dortmund)
Using this system, pot C would be Malmo, BATE Borisov, Apoel Nicosia, Sporting Lisbon, Roma, Zenit St Petersburg, Monaco and Chelsea, and pot D the remainder, including Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen, who cannot surely expect to come fourth and be seeded any higher. That way there would be genuine movement in the rankings, and fresh match-ups each year.
The competition is called the UEFAChampionsof league, the champion of each country in the strongest leagues should be in Pot A
So the champions of those countries should be the seven top seeds, plus the Champions League holders. This would create a more egalitarian pot A, comprising Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Juventus, CSKA Moscow, Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid. Fairer already.
Pot B would then be taken from the champions of the next eight leagues off the rank, if they had qualified - meaning Ukraine (Shakhtar Donetsk), Holland (Ajax), Belgium (Anderlecht), Switzerland (Basle) and Greece (Olympiacos), plus the second-placed teams from Spain (Barcelona), England (Liverpool) and Germany (Borussia Dortmund)
Using this system, pot C would be Malmo, BATE Borisov, Apoel Nicosia, Sporting Lisbon, Roma, Zenit St Petersburg, Monaco and Chelsea, and pot D the remainder, including Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen, who cannot surely expect to come fourth and be seeded any higher. That way there would be genuine movement in the rankings, and fresh match-ups each year.
The competition is called the UEFAChampionsof league, the champion of each country in the strongest leagues should be in Pot A
Asshat Brando
Potato del Grande
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Yeah, Chelsea are either the luckiest motherfuckers alive or the Gazprom connections are more truer than expected.
The TV rules in regards to no 2 teams in the same group from a single country or no more than 2 teams in one side of the group setup are more of an issue than what Wanand is crying about. Good luck in changing that though.
The TV rules in regards to no 2 teams in the same group from a single country or no more than 2 teams in one side of the group setup are more of an issue than what Wanand is crying about. Good luck in changing that though.
Lol and the reason I stay out of the thread summed up in one post. I do not support man city or any premier league team. So no I am not bitter about anything just believe the system protects teams who do not deserve. Here is a tip for you there is a world of football outside of the top 4
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Just watched Burnley v Man Utd. UTD should have had a penalty but Burnley hit the bar and looked most likely to score.
Wouldn't 4-4-2 diamond be the best formation to get the most out of UTDs attacking talent, instead of 3-5-2
Rooney and RVP up front, Mata behind. With Di Maria and Herrera in CM, and Fletcher or Carrick behind as DM.
Wouldn't 4-4-2 diamond be the best formation to get the most out of UTDs attacking talent, instead of 3-5-2
Rooney and RVP up front, Mata behind. With Di Maria and Herrera in CM, and Fletcher or Carrick behind as DM.