UEFA Champions League/Europa League 4/5/6 December *** Spoilers ***

mmj_uk said:
Would any other English team have gotten out of City's group? arguably 6pts against Ajax is not out of the question but both Dortmund & Madrid are great teams and all of the top English teams just cannot seem to defend this season.
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I think it would be expected from any of the English clubs to get at least something from those games, even if it was only a couple of draws.
 
Would it? I think United could have come out of that without a win. We were easily bettered by Ajax last year and the other two are far, far better than any team we've beaten in Europe for years.
 
Tom84 said:
Ajax maybe (although they showed how technically good they are not only in the games against you but also the games against us last season) but Dortmund now have to be genuinely considered as one of Europe's top teams I mean even those who may of thought the results against City were a fluke this is a team that almost beat Madrid on their own patch and then did beat them in their home game.

No one will want to draw Dortmund in the next round (I fear we will though)
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yes, and no, ultimately Dortmund were in the Europa league, with City 2 years ago and went out in the group stage while City went further, and last year Dortmund came rock bottom of their group.

A manager with far less experience than Mancini has taken an inexperienced european team, adapted to european competition quickly and progressed at a huge speed, tactically, mentally and they most certainly IMHO, can't be remotely considered one of the best teams in the competition. Real Madrid this season aren't a patch on last season and they've lost games too FAR worse teams than Dortmund in la Liga already.

That should be the ultimate problem for City, Mancini who has been in the champs league many times, with a squad full of champs league experience, with several champs league winners included(I'm actually not sure who has, Yaya I presume, Tevez with Utd? Balotelli with Inter?), and yet he's created a team that look scared, timid and tactically unaware in Europe. A top manager can take top players and make them perform and improve year on year, Dortmund would be the example, Mancini has a more experienced, more champs league experience team, doing worse. Yeah, it was a tough group and I for one don't remotely believe City deserved to go through because they won a prem league or should go through because of money spent.

THey shouldn't have looked so poor for so much of all the games, and they shouldn't have limped out so tamely. Had they put up a real fight and just missed out, that would be completely acceptable given the group, getting no better, having no answers, and Mancini still scrambling around with bad idea's with no hint of turning it around just reek's of Mancini not being capable.
 
Ahleckz said:
Going to Celtic tonight for their game against Spartak Moscow. I'll be in the Celtic end, but I'm not a fan (though rather Celtic than Rangers ;)). Hoping it should be a good match, and Celtic will have to go out there playing to win as they need to better Benficas results against Barca.

First time at Celtic park as well, so that'll be interesting. Shaping up to be a chilly night in Glasgow though.
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Celtic Park is a special place for European games, enjoy mate :)
 
Biz.Kid09 said:
Its easy to forget some players we have but many are up there with the best in the world in their respective positions so you can be forgiven surely when you think you shouldn't be completely overrun and outclassed like we were?
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By the same token though the likes of Lewandowski & Götze for all intents and purposes are just the latest Aguero & Silva just waiting for their big money moves to happen (which will occur sooner or later). You say City have got some of the best players in the world and they do but right now Dortmund also have some of the best players in the world

I dont think any team will face Dortmund this season and expect to beat them (bar maybe Barcelona and man that would be a very interesting game)

mmj_uk said:
Would any other English team have gotten out of City's group? arguably 6pts against Ajax is not out of the question but both Dortmund & Madrid are great teams and all of the top English teams just cannot seem to defend this season.
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That's a hard question simply because how good actually are Real Madrid? I mean under Mourinho they've been very sheltered when it comes to testing themselves against top European sides; in his first season they played Spurs (big deal) and then were knocked out of Europe by Barca a team they play on average about 3 times a season as it is so we didn't learn anything about them from those games, last season they played the mighty CSKA followed by the even mightier APOEL before being knocked out by Bayern (who then in turn lost at home in the final to a pretty poor Chelsea side) and then this season they've lost away to Dortmund, almost lost at home to them as well and although dominating City technically gave away 2 pretty soft goals at home and could only score 1 away.

I dont know how we'd of done in that group, I reckon we'd of done better than City though but that's more due to us having Fergie in the dugout.
 
So Chelsea have to win, and Shaktar have to win to put Chelsea into the next round... hmmmm.
 
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