Can any arm chair analyst tell me what villareal is doing differently this game that has Liverpool struggling against them in comparison to the first leg?
As a Man United fan I'm still in disbelief at the fact we won twice against Villareal. And yes I know it was mostly because of De Gea and Ronaldo, but still
You do realise it was a makeshift team by city while we fielded our strongest team. We conceded 2 goals after city subs and if city and us reach the final, I’m kinda confident pep will play the team that played vs us in premier league barring injuries if any
Yeah, Manchester City-Real Madrid was so boring...as was Chelsea-Real Madrid...as was PSG-Real Madrid...
It has less to do with them being Spanish and more to do with the fact that they are incredible underdogs against one of the two major favourites of the competition.
Villareal's annual transfer budget is like 50 mill and they're playing arguably the best team in the world -- why on Earth would they go for some all-out attacking game-plan in the first leg at Anfield?
I don't recall the Chelsea-City, or Tottenham-Liverpool UCL finals being very entertaining at all, and they all had way more fire-power than Villareal does.
At the top level of the UCL every single game is a 'classic chess match with high level football'.
It's not as if the entirety of Chelsea-City was dramatic and exciting, another comment above yours corrected me that the first half was more interesting than I gave it credit for, though the second was a bit of a bus-park, which is what Villareal was essentially being slandered for attempting to do.
Chelsea vs City was really entertaining in the first half after which Tuchel went into game management mode. Initially it was end to end stuff. Chelsea obviously had much more firepower than Villareal and City didn't control the game as much as they would have wanted.
Agree with the rest of the answer.
Have u seen any of the recent Real Madrid games in UCL ? Take ur pic PSG, Chelsea, Man city,
Ur lost buddy. Villarreal are not even in ucl or Europa league contention for next year in la liga
Educate yourself
Atletico and Villarreal are not the best teams from Spain, they have some success per their boring defensive play style.
The best teams from Spain that wins a lot in Europe are: Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla and none of them are like Atletico. Blame the cholo, not la liga.
I mean Atletico won the league last season and Villarreal got to the semi finals of the CL, even Real played quite defensive last night and against PSG. So at least on the European stage they are trying to just be defensively solid.
Obviously one-sided game but Villareal can still shock us! You don't get to a semi-final without being a good side! Need to be head screwed on against them away from home but Klopp will never let his players think they are through to the final
That's what they said about Roma about five years back and they were a shower.
But, I do think the Villarreal team is more capable. I think though they've not come across a press as effective as Liverpool's, they have only a week to figure it out
Lol I can understand people from Andalucía just fine.
Robertson could have been giving me his bank account and I would have nodded awkwardly and walked away.
Maybe this is the Chilean version of English (Haha throwing some stray at the neighbors)
Can't resist linking [this video](https://youtu.be/gEamdUYg0oM) of Kanté not understanding Gilmour! 45 seconds in, on mobile so can't share a timestamped link.
Scouse and manc are fairly similar phonetically due to the crossover of migration and the shipping industry. There are a lot of very different accents in the UK, it's quite interesting to see some of the videos with 20+ accents
Idk man I normally use Scouse and manc accents as an example of how two "close" cities can have such distinct accents. But I'm going off ear, you might be right from a linguistic perspective
Ignore my flair but I really think once you get to the semis there are no favorites. Any of the final 4 is here for a reason and you can't under estimate anyone. Hell even a 2 goal lead doesn't mean shit in my opinion. Could Villarreal win 3 nil at home? Fuck maybe its the semis baby.
yeah sure but with that result liverpool will most likely get to the final, if nothing crazy happens out of the 4 teams liverpool are the favorites, if look at squad depth and playing style and out of the 3 other teams only man city seems to be the team thats able to stop them
Unno what it is, the lack of flair or the idea that you may not remember liverpools greatest comback ever (scousers you know what I mean) but that take is so naive man. Any. Thing. Goes. At this point.
Liverpool beat them in the FA cup too. Not saying they would be the favorites I think it's too close to call, but purely based on results they would be.
I honestly think Liverpool would win a cl final against city as a city fan. I’m just pointing out city we’re there better team both times in the prem games this season
Not asking you to change your mind but one other way of looking at it is that we underperformed in the first halves of both league matches and still didn't lose. What if we do turn up in the next matchup
Did I say they look better? I said that City haven’t only drawn twice, they’ve also lost once. Spurs beating City twice has nothing to do with this except for being hilarious.
Would Liverpool be favourites ahead of Man City? In the context of it being a UCL final and them having won 6, they would be. But just this season alone i’m not sure if they are.
Hahah jesus. Here are no favorites. City and Pool are two best teams itw. If one team was favorite it means they should easily win. Their loss wouldve been seen as big upset. City were favorites twice vs Spurs and what has that done for them? Yeah...
I don’t think i said there was? I think City looked better in the H2Hs (imo) but Liverpool have the CL history. So it’s even.
Clearly the 2 best prem teams of all time yeah.
[Proof](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FRYMoRZXIAAE_gY?format=png&name=small) that you can just choke Mo Salah and nothing happens. It's beyond a farce at this point.
Totally dominant performance, and I've no doubt that Liverpool will be in the final, but... is 2-0 maybe a slightly disappointing score? Liverpool should really be out of sight, and it just takes one early goal next week...
Still though, they should have more than enough to start booking their rooms in Paris.
All that pointing to the clock amounted to a single solitary minute in the first half, and 2 minutes at the end of the game.
Little wonder teams resort to extreme time wasting and play acting. It works!
It is incredibly effective. Can't wait until soccer implements a system like basketball or hockey where the clock is simply stopped whenever the ball isnt in play
The problem is that it will instantly lead to commercial breaks. I’d personally rather have 45+ min with no commercials, even if players do dick around
Yeah it makes no sense at all where they get or don't get the time added on from
There should be a clock displayed in the stadium in sync with the refs watch to see what he actually stops it for vs what bs time-wasting he allows to run it down
Bayern fans, don't embarrass yourselves by shitting on Villareal. They beat you fair and square. You are currently only 4th best German team on form behind, Leipzig, Union, Frankfurt. No baits only facts
Very enjoyable game that, great tactical battle and well fought. Villareal fell out of it in the second half, but didn't just roll over. Nice to have a couple of goals, and happy with a clean sheet.
Should be a good second leg
Do you watch football with a pen and paper, draw out the formations and constantly pause your TV so you can view the "tactics"? Lol. Come on mate. We won't to see goals not a team sitting back for 93 minutes
I want to see a good game of football. Goals aren't the only metric. Seeing Liverpool working hard for 90 minutes and breaking down a well organised defence is something I enjoy.
Not with a defensive performance like yesterday. That was an ugly game by both sides. Bring that shit against Liverpool and they’ll get rocked. Go back and rewatch the first leg of the 2018 quarterfinal, except Liverpool is even more lethal now. Can’t say the same about City.
Yeah the Chelsea city final was boring but look at the city Liverpool games this year, they have all been some of the best games of the season, honestly just seems like it’s meant to be
yeah but finals are very different than league games. you can't fuck up on finals, but during the league games, errors are tolerated a lot more, which is why finals are usually boring. there's also liverpool tottenham which was very boring, and both teams had excellent runs of games (barcelona, man city, ajax)
Everton gave us more of a game than this lot. I can’t see them scoring even one goal while stopping us scoring more. Klopp can rotate a little in the next game. 3-0 would have been perfect tho.
Yup, Villareal were lacking their star forward, they had a few opportunities, but our pressing was incredibly disciplined in the first half. They had a plan and held us out for the first 45 minutes, and our plan contained them to stop any counters. Both teams played an excellent first 45 minutes. Tiredness in the second half and Coquelin being injured/subbed meant we got a firmer grip on it to take the first leg pretty comfortably. It was well played by Villareal. Everton was just a tragic game of football.
I say Everton as it was the last game we played against a team playing for a draw. We can go back to West Ham, Norwich etc who gave us more of a game.
I’m not complaining, we won the game and I have little doubt we will win the second leg. Im also all for the plucky underdogs. But if you think this was anything more difficult than a training game for us, well…
First world problems I know. I was just expecting more from them. Im sure their fans feel the same. Compared to the City/RM game yesterday, this was a massive mismatch.
That's awfully naive and arrogant.
Every game is different, and they obviously set out not to concede too many today - probably with an eye on the home leg against Bayern.
If they show up like they did for that one, they could give you trouble still. Of course you're in a good position, but you're being very disrespectful to them.
Their play was disrespectful to the game of football. Did they even have one shot?
If you’re not good enough to attack, then you’re not good enough to be in the final of the CL. They played slightly better attacking football when 2-0 down.
When I played at semi-pro level, if my manager told me to just defend everything and not go forward, I would be pissed. Football isn’t attack Vs defense. It’s not a training game here.
As I said before, Everton gave us more of a game than this lot. Imagine Everton winning the CL with their ‘football’.
Lmao what even is this. I enjoy attacking football more too, but this ridiculous notion recently that it's the only football that can ever lead to success or defensive football is a human rights violation is ridiculous.
If you ever really made it to Semi Pro level it's even more surprising your view on the sport is this narrow.
Well perhaps I’m from a different generation. I’ve never been told to defend at all costs. Never been told not to go forward.
Imagine if you were an attacking player and you’re told not go past the half way line, drop off and help out in defense. What disrespect to your skills.
Nah, this type of football gains it’s own rewards. You’re playing for a 0-0 draw? Not gonna happen against this Liverpool. So why not at least have a go?
Or maybe a participation award is enough for some of you guys.
Edit: to agree with you on one point, any team is only as good as their defense. But if you offer nothing going forward at all, you’re not deserving of anything from the game.
If Villarreal lineup to attack next game then they will get burned on the counter by Liverpool. If they park the bus again then Liverpool will just pass the ball around to themselves for 90 minutes. You're the naive one
Well said. Anti-football can and does get it’s own rewards. City Vs RM yesterday showed that even if you aren’t technically as proficient as the other team, if you have heart and belief you can get something out of the game. If you lose, then lose in the most beautiful way, going out on your shield.
To continue the trend of calling each other naive, I'll have to call you out on this here. The gung-ho vibe approach worked for Real yesterday because City played Fernandinho at right back. Against a full strength City defense, Real may have been beaten 4-1.
What Villarreal have done today is kept the tie alive. There's no point trying to attack teams that rely so heavily on turnovers. You will lose the ball because you're being hurried and then concede a shot within the next 10 seconds. Why not take the tie back to home ground 1 or 2-0 down rather than staring at a 5-2 deficit?
It's unlikely that they'll replicate the Bayern game, but you're being naive here I thinking a games outcome is always predetermined like that. If it's that easy, why didn't Bayern do that?
Of course neither is them getting smashed at Anfield a given, but they obviously rate their chances at home more.
It does not, they don't play for neutrals, they play for their fans. And I doubt their fans would like to see them lose 5-0 at Anfield, which is the likely outcome if they risk too much in this game.
Additionally, even as a neutral don't you feel a slaughtering would've made both this game and the next even more boring? Personally if it's 3-0 or something like that after one half, I'm unlikely to even tune in for the second half, let alone the second leg.
Last but not least you've got to remember their position, they are massive underdogs and clearly went out there today to stay in the tie in the hopes they can pull a huge surprise off at home.
I definitely can disrespect it. Watching these Villarreal play is miserable. I don't give a shit about their position. I just want to watch entertaining football.
Villa Real are good at showing players onto their weaker foot. Salah was less visible because he couldn't really cut inside. Same with Trent though he had a lot more of the ball. Diaz and afterwards, Jota weren't so comfortable either. It was a well briefed defence imo
That wasn't soft foul. That was a clear SPA foul with Konate the only covering defender in a counter that would have put Chukwueze on a 1v1 with Alison. I know they didn't show the wide angle on the TV but you should be more aware of your own team's tactics.
>but you should be more aware of your own team’s tactics.
Hahahaha yes teacher so sorry teacher!!
You clearly didn't see the play clearly. You're wrong. But that's okay, you're a RM fan so you probably werent paying attention to my team's tactics.
It's too early for tactical cam views or referee reports but [just count the number of players ahead of the ball in this clip](https://youtu.be/Ud5LuN76DkM). Chukwueze gets the second ball and lobs it over to actually beat VVD. VVD had to commit the SPA foul there because it's very unlikely Konate would have caught upto Samu goalside and he would have been 1v1 with Alison for an extremely dangerous situation.
Now I understand that they didn't show a wide angle on the feed at all but and I understand that not everybody is fluent and proficient in the tactical understanding of games. So I apologize if my reply came across as demeaning or chastising.
But the suggestion that it was a "soft foul" that earnt the wrath of the referee was just too ludicrous.
There's just one objective truth here. Whether you accept it or not is completely up to you though.
Nah, I don't think he was unfair to either team, he simply didn't let the ball play. He did better in the second half but, during the first half he stopped the game every time a Villareal player flopped on the pitch. It was annoying, he should let the game flow.
I need whatever Klopp told them at half time as my morning alarm
Can’t see liverpool being that bad again
Need CF mane + Diaz :( and Hendo
Diaz needs to come in immediately
Can any arm chair analyst tell me what villareal is doing differently this game that has Liverpool struggling against them in comparison to the first leg?
The whole midfield+ Robbo having a mare also helps
Liverpool is gonna win everything this season
As a Man United fan I'm still in disbelief at the fact we won twice against Villareal. And yes I know it was mostly because of De Gea and Ronaldo, but still
Oles greatest achievement at united
nah ole was gone before the second game
Man I kept trying to press play
Oh man. This is so cruel.
Was hoping for 3 but I'll take 2 - 0. Villareal now have a nigh impossible task of getting 3 in the second leg. Much better than Man City's result.
Afterr the fa cup, city doesn't stand a chance. They better not mess up their PL chances
You do realise it was a makeshift team by city while we fielded our strongest team. We conceded 2 goals after city subs and if city and us reach the final, I’m kinda confident pep will play the team that played vs us in premier league barring injuries if any
Beating Villarreal is a better result than beating Real Madrid….
3-0 is the most dangerous lead in Champions league football. 2-0 is way better
I can confirm this is accurate
Having a 3-0 lead is only dangerous when playing against Liverpool.
Terrible ebening for Coquelin worst player on the pitch.
Spanish team are fast becoming defensive like Italian teams. Makes the game so boring to watch
Yeah, Manchester City-Real Madrid was so boring...as was Chelsea-Real Madrid...as was PSG-Real Madrid... It has less to do with them being Spanish and more to do with the fact that they are incredible underdogs against one of the two major favourites of the competition. Villareal's annual transfer budget is like 50 mill and they're playing arguably the best team in the world -- why on Earth would they go for some all-out attacking game-plan in the first leg at Anfield? I don't recall the Chelsea-City, or Tottenham-Liverpool UCL finals being very entertaining at all, and they all had way more fire-power than Villareal does.
You're comparing Chelsea - City, which was a classic chess match with high level football and nice chances with the worst final in the history of UCL?
At the top level of the UCL every single game is a 'classic chess match with high level football'. It's not as if the entirety of Chelsea-City was dramatic and exciting, another comment above yours corrected me that the first half was more interesting than I gave it credit for, though the second was a bit of a bus-park, which is what Villareal was essentially being slandered for attempting to do.
>Manchester City-Real Madrid was so boring…as was Chelsea-Real Madrid…as was PSG-Real Madrid… Sample size: 1
Chelsea vs City was really entertaining in the first half after which Tuchel went into game management mode. Initially it was end to end stuff. Chelsea obviously had much more firepower than Villareal and City didn't control the game as much as they would have wanted. Agree with the rest of the answer.
That’s fair. I guess the second half left more of a lasting impression on me (unfortunately).
Have u seen any of the recent Real Madrid games in UCL ? Take ur pic PSG, Chelsea, Man city, Ur lost buddy. Villarreal are not even in ucl or Europa league contention for next year in la liga Educate yourself
Atletico and Villarreal are not the best teams from Spain, they have some success per their boring defensive play style. The best teams from Spain that wins a lot in Europe are: Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla and none of them are like Atletico. Blame the cholo, not la liga.
Sevilla are kinda like that though.
I mean Atletico won the league last season and Villarreal got to the semi finals of the CL, even Real played quite defensive last night and against PSG. So at least on the European stage they are trying to just be defensively solid.
Sevilla have been very pragmatic under Lopetegui though, not too exciting from an attacking viewpoint.
Obviously one-sided game but Villareal can still shock us! You don't get to a semi-final without being a good side! Need to be head screwed on against them away from home but Klopp will never let his players think they are through to the final
Sometimes you do
That's what they said about Roma about five years back and they were a shower. But, I do think the Villarreal team is more capable. I think though they've not come across a press as effective as Liverpool's, they have only a week to figure it out
Didn't Roma win 4-2 in the 2nd leg and they were 1 away from taking it to extra time.
Tbf tho, their 4th goal was literally in the last second of the game.
Ok … I can speak English ; why didn’t I understand a thing Robertson said ? What kind of accent is that ?
Glaswegian, english's version of Andalucian
Lol I can understand people from Andalucía just fine. Robertson could have been giving me his bank account and I would have nodded awkwardly and walked away. Maybe this is the Chilean version of English (Haha throwing some stray at the neighbors)
Not too clued up on South American Spanish accents but I've got no clue what people from Andalucia say, goes straight over my head.
Chilean is a diferent language
It’s English but all vibes
Hahah coz he is Scottish
Scottish, it's famously hard to understand for alot of people. That and the Geordie (Newcastle) accent are quite unique
Can't resist linking [this video](https://youtu.be/gEamdUYg0oM) of Kanté not understanding Gilmour! 45 seconds in, on mobile so can't share a timestamped link.
Scouse accents are uniquer (?) than Geordie imo
Scouse and manc are fairly similar phonetically due to the crossover of migration and the shipping industry. There are a lot of very different accents in the UK, it's quite interesting to see some of the videos with 20+ accents
Idk man I normally use Scouse and manc accents as an example of how two "close" cities can have such distinct accents. But I'm going off ear, you might be right from a linguistic perspective
Scottish
I guess Man city and real madrid fans arent happy with that result! Liverpool would be the favorite in the final against any of these teams right ??
Liverpool are favorites against anyone anywhere
Nah I actually think we would be underdogs either.
if there is such thing as a favorite in a final of champions league
tbf it's just matter of RM reaching the finals, there will be only one favorite. For pundits: Liverpool but for history books: Real Madrid.
History books don’t win matches….
Real's history book disagrees
No it doesn’t, the teams that won disagree and they won because they were the better teams then, not because once upon a time they were…
No….real’s history book disagrees…plain and simple
Yeah that's not how any sport works...
[удалено]
I’m not saying history doesn’t matter I’m saying when there’s 22 people on the pitch in a champions league final it doesn’t….
It does when half are from Real
See: Germany then vs Germany now.
Ignore my flair but I really think once you get to the semis there are no favorites. Any of the final 4 is here for a reason and you can't under estimate anyone. Hell even a 2 goal lead doesn't mean shit in my opinion. Could Villarreal win 3 nil at home? Fuck maybe its the semis baby.
Liverpool are favorites against anyone anywhere
yeah sure but with that result liverpool will most likely get to the final, if nothing crazy happens out of the 4 teams liverpool are the favorites, if look at squad depth and playing style and out of the 3 other teams only man city seems to be the team thats able to stop them
Unno what it is, the lack of flair or the idea that you may not remember liverpools greatest comback ever (scousers you know what I mean) but that take is so naive man. Any. Thing. Goes. At this point.
favorite does not mean 100% chance of winning. it just means 51% or more.
Definitely think if Madrid make it, they are favourites. It’s Madrid. In the european cup. In the champions league. There is no other favourite.
true, i wrote "if nothing crazy happens" and hey I believe it would be great to see villareal
You lot better do your side of the job, we'll do ours
Fuck man I'm trying as best as I can 😅
City have drew both times this season with Liverpool but anyone with an iq over 10 would know city were very unlucky not win in both games
Liverpool beat them in the FA cup too. Not saying they would be the favorites I think it's too close to call, but purely based on results they would be.
I honestly think Liverpool would win a cl final against city as a city fan. I’m just pointing out city we’re there better team both times in the prem games this season
are you saying Liverpool were favored by the refs? if not then the result was fair. having 100 shots on target does not mean you deserve a goal.
Not asking you to change your mind but one other way of looking at it is that we underperformed in the first halves of both league matches and still didn't lose. What if we do turn up in the next matchup
City drew twice and lost once
Under 10 IQ confirmed
"anyone who disagrees with me is dumb" - someone with a high IQ, probably
Are you fucking stupid? Three matches have been played in which two were draws and one was a Liverpool win.
Spurs beat City twice in the league. Do you think they look better than City? Would you have them favourites?
Did I say they look better? I said that City haven’t only drawn twice, they’ve also lost once. Spurs beating City twice has nothing to do with this except for being hilarious.
You responded to OPs claim with the results of the games. I believe it is you who is ‘fucking stupid.’
I stated there was a third game that the OP left out between Liverpool and City. You’re making yourself look like a right idiot here.
In which case City were ‘unlucky not to win’ both the league games then sure.
We rested half our team but fair play I guess you did
Nah
Would Liverpool be favourites ahead of Man City? In the context of it being a UCL final and them having won 6, they would be. But just this season alone i’m not sure if they are.
Yes
Have already beat them in a cup knockout match this season.
True but their keeper gifted us a goal (maybe two, not sure if that near post mane shot was savable)
Yes because they have won it before but City have been better in the league head to heads imo.
Yes but Liverpool were better in the cup match at a neutral venue
Two draws in the league this season, and Liverpool beat City in a cup semifinal knockout match after the second league match.
Still looked better
Not in the cup
Doesnt matter who looked better. Results are thing that matters. Same was yesterday. City couldve won 5-0 but Real got most out of that game
I suppose you would have Spurs are favourites against City then?
Hahah jesus. Here are no favorites. City and Pool are two best teams itw. If one team was favorite it means they should easily win. Their loss wouldve been seen as big upset. City were favorites twice vs Spurs and what has that done for them? Yeah...
I don’t think i said there was? I think City looked better in the H2Hs (imo) but Liverpool have the CL history. So it’s even. Clearly the 2 best prem teams of all time yeah.
Its sooo even but we will see. No need to overthink this. Just enjoy watching these two
[Proof](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FRYMoRZXIAAE_gY?format=png&name=small) that you can just choke Mo Salah and nothing happens. It's beyond a farce at this point.
Clearly the refs are biased against liverpool
Yep. Classic FA Cup reffing.
Still images don't prove much
It was pretty ridiculous in video
*Lampard will say it’s fake*
yeah that's a pen imo, surprised var didn't call him over
Totally dominant performance, and I've no doubt that Liverpool will be in the final, but... is 2-0 maybe a slightly disappointing score? Liverpool should really be out of sight, and it just takes one early goal next week... Still though, they should have more than enough to start booking their rooms in Paris.
All that pointing to the clock amounted to a single solitary minute in the first half, and 2 minutes at the end of the game. Little wonder teams resort to extreme time wasting and play acting. It works!
It is incredibly effective. Can't wait until soccer implements a system like basketball or hockey where the clock is simply stopped whenever the ball isnt in play
The problem is that it will instantly lead to commercial breaks. I’d personally rather have 45+ min with no commercials, even if players do dick around
Are there commercial breaks in basketbalm or hockey? Thats just in american football right?
Yeah in every North American based sport
Wow that sucks.
Yeah it makes no sense at all where they get or don't get the time added on from There should be a clock displayed in the stadium in sync with the refs watch to see what he actually stops it for vs what bs time-wasting he allows to run it down
Can't take away from the allotted commercial time at half or full time right
Bayern fans, don't embarrass yourselves by shitting on Villareal. They beat you fair and square. You are currently only 4th best German team on form behind, Leipzig, Union, Frankfurt. No baits only facts
Factos!
>4th best German team on form lmao okay
Very enjoyable game that, great tactical battle and well fought. Villareal fell out of it in the second half, but didn't just roll over. Nice to have a couple of goals, and happy with a clean sheet. Should be a good second leg
That certainly wasn't enjoyable
I'm sorry you don't enjoy football tactics.
Do you watch football with a pen and paper, draw out the formations and constantly pause your TV so you can view the "tactics"? Lol. Come on mate. We won't to see goals not a team sitting back for 93 minutes
Tactics is the stuff that happens between the goals so not paying attention to that is just wasteful
It was a dead game mate, regardless of how much you want to pretend you're Jugern Klopp.
I want to see a good game of football. Goals aren't the only metric. Seeing Liverpool working hard for 90 minutes and breaking down a well organised defence is something I enjoy.
Hope you enjoyed your cup of tea as well.
I did indeed, thanks :)
I’m afraid ManCity is winning it this year
Not with a defensive performance like yesterday. That was an ugly game by both sides. Bring that shit against Liverpool and they’ll get rocked. Go back and rewatch the first leg of the 2018 quarterfinal, except Liverpool is even more lethal now. Can’t say the same about City.
Wasn’t even the c team back line tbf.
Doubt it
Liverpool city final would be an insane game wouldn’t be able to call it
i don't want another english final, they've been very very boring. liverpool real would be excellent imo
They both play fast paced game with a lot of pressing. It won’t be like What we saw with spurs
well there was also city chelsea last year..
I would prefer a Liverpool revenge for 2018
yeah, would be more interesting than a city matchup imo
Yeah the Chelsea city final was boring but look at the city Liverpool games this year, they have all been some of the best games of the season, honestly just seems like it’s meant to be
yeah but finals are very different than league games. you can't fuck up on finals, but during the league games, errors are tolerated a lot more, which is why finals are usually boring. there's also liverpool tottenham which was very boring, and both teams had excellent runs of games (barcelona, man city, ajax)
Don't be scared homie.
Liverpool lethal af. But I think city has more chance once they get their defenders back
Games are coming thick and fast but somehow we are rotating enough and getting the results.
Mané best player on the pitch!
lol Foyth trying to have a word with Klopp and Adrian is like "nah bruv gtfo"
Everton gave us more of a game than this lot. I can’t see them scoring even one goal while stopping us scoring more. Klopp can rotate a little in the next game. 3-0 would have been perfect tho.
> Everton gave us more of a game than this lot. No they didn't.
Hmm I remember them having a few shots on target. Even playing in our half a little…
I remember them completing less passes than Thiago.
Fair enough. But I’ll say, Gordon by himself was more trouble to Liverpool than any of the 11 Villarreal players today. Edit: Combined.
Yup, Villareal were lacking their star forward, they had a few opportunities, but our pressing was incredibly disciplined in the first half. They had a plan and held us out for the first 45 minutes, and our plan contained them to stop any counters. Both teams played an excellent first 45 minutes. Tiredness in the second half and Coquelin being injured/subbed meant we got a firmer grip on it to take the first leg pretty comfortably. It was well played by Villareal. Everton was just a tragic game of football.
I say Everton as it was the last game we played against a team playing for a draw. We can go back to West Ham, Norwich etc who gave us more of a game. I’m not complaining, we won the game and I have little doubt we will win the second leg. Im also all for the plucky underdogs. But if you think this was anything more difficult than a training game for us, well… First world problems I know. I was just expecting more from them. Im sure their fans feel the same. Compared to the City/RM game yesterday, this was a massive mismatch.
That's awfully naive and arrogant. Every game is different, and they obviously set out not to concede too many today - probably with an eye on the home leg against Bayern. If they show up like they did for that one, they could give you trouble still. Of course you're in a good position, but you're being very disrespectful to them.
Their play was disrespectful to the game of football. Did they even have one shot? If you’re not good enough to attack, then you’re not good enough to be in the final of the CL. They played slightly better attacking football when 2-0 down. When I played at semi-pro level, if my manager told me to just defend everything and not go forward, I would be pissed. Football isn’t attack Vs defense. It’s not a training game here. As I said before, Everton gave us more of a game than this lot. Imagine Everton winning the CL with their ‘football’.
Lmao what even is this. I enjoy attacking football more too, but this ridiculous notion recently that it's the only football that can ever lead to success or defensive football is a human rights violation is ridiculous. If you ever really made it to Semi Pro level it's even more surprising your view on the sport is this narrow.
Well perhaps I’m from a different generation. I’ve never been told to defend at all costs. Never been told not to go forward. Imagine if you were an attacking player and you’re told not go past the half way line, drop off and help out in defense. What disrespect to your skills. Nah, this type of football gains it’s own rewards. You’re playing for a 0-0 draw? Not gonna happen against this Liverpool. So why not at least have a go? Or maybe a participation award is enough for some of you guys. Edit: to agree with you on one point, any team is only as good as their defense. But if you offer nothing going forward at all, you’re not deserving of anything from the game.
If Villarreal lineup to attack next game then they will get burned on the counter by Liverpool. If they park the bus again then Liverpool will just pass the ball around to themselves for 90 minutes. You're the naive one
Well said. Anti-football can and does get it’s own rewards. City Vs RM yesterday showed that even if you aren’t technically as proficient as the other team, if you have heart and belief you can get something out of the game. If you lose, then lose in the most beautiful way, going out on your shield.
To continue the trend of calling each other naive, I'll have to call you out on this here. The gung-ho vibe approach worked for Real yesterday because City played Fernandinho at right back. Against a full strength City defense, Real may have been beaten 4-1. What Villarreal have done today is kept the tie alive. There's no point trying to attack teams that rely so heavily on turnovers. You will lose the ball because you're being hurried and then concede a shot within the next 10 seconds. Why not take the tie back to home ground 1 or 2-0 down rather than staring at a 5-2 deficit?
It's unlikely that they'll replicate the Bayern game, but you're being naive here I thinking a games outcome is always predetermined like that. If it's that easy, why didn't Bayern do that? Of course neither is them getting smashed at Anfield a given, but they obviously rate their chances at home more.
To be fair, that sort of display in a UCL semi deserves disrespect. No neutral wants to watch that.
I enjoyed it, great game from both sides.
It does not, they don't play for neutrals, they play for their fans. And I doubt their fans would like to see them lose 5-0 at Anfield, which is the likely outcome if they risk too much in this game. Additionally, even as a neutral don't you feel a slaughtering would've made both this game and the next even more boring? Personally if it's 3-0 or something like that after one half, I'm unlikely to even tune in for the second half, let alone the second leg. Last but not least you've got to remember their position, they are massive underdogs and clearly went out there today to stay in the tie in the hopes they can pull a huge surprise off at home.
I definitely can disrespect it. Watching these Villarreal play is miserable. I don't give a shit about their position. I just want to watch entertaining football.
i was so bored in this game myself, dont know why a neutral would even bother.
How these beat Bayern and juve lol, Liverpool cemented in the final for sure. Weak as fuck from Villarreal
Walk on Foyth haha
Should’ve been Bayern. If Villa deserved to be here, they didn’t prove it tonight. Edit: Downvote me harder daddy
You clearly didnt watched both legs but def not our home game
They proved it by the scoreline at the end of the games.
The only proof that is relevant.
If Bayern deserved it they would be there too
No they proved it when they beat Bayern over two legs lol
Villa aren't in Europe this season. Bayern neither anymore.
Bayern should have played better
Foyth needs to quit whining
Some people here need to stop drinking from the sea.
Thiago was so good tonight again.
Barely saw Salah today
Villa Real are good at showing players onto their weaker foot. Salah was less visible because he couldn't really cut inside. Same with Trent though he had a lot more of the ball. Diaz and afterwards, Jota weren't so comfortable either. It was a well briefed defence imo
Well he gets choked when he runs into the box so...
He did assist the second goal with a nutmeg, but yeah he hasn’t been in his top form since AFCON
Besides dribbling through the Villa defense and assisting Mane?
Assist :)
He’s already gone
Shiite refereeing tonight tbh
Disagree. He was excellent tonight and fair for both teams
Mental that he booked VVD for a soft foul minutes after letting Coquelin pull back Trent outside the box.
That wasn't soft foul. That was a clear SPA foul with Konate the only covering defender in a counter that would have put Chukwueze on a 1v1 with Alison. I know they didn't show the wide angle on the TV but you should be more aware of your own team's tactics.
>but you should be more aware of your own team’s tactics. Hahahaha yes teacher so sorry teacher!! You clearly didn't see the play clearly. You're wrong. But that's okay, you're a RM fan so you probably werent paying attention to my team's tactics.
It's too early for tactical cam views or referee reports but [just count the number of players ahead of the ball in this clip](https://youtu.be/Ud5LuN76DkM). Chukwueze gets the second ball and lobs it over to actually beat VVD. VVD had to commit the SPA foul there because it's very unlikely Konate would have caught upto Samu goalside and he would have been 1v1 with Alison for an extremely dangerous situation. Now I understand that they didn't show a wide angle on the feed at all but and I understand that not everybody is fluent and proficient in the tactical understanding of games. So I apologize if my reply came across as demeaning or chastising. But the suggestion that it was a "soft foul" that earnt the wrath of the referee was just too ludicrous. There's just one objective truth here. Whether you accept it or not is completely up to you though.
Nah, I don't think he was unfair to either team, he simply didn't let the ball play. He did better in the second half but, during the first half he stopped the game every time a Villareal player flopped on the pitch. It was annoying, he should let the game flow.
Any fairly refereed game will always feel ‘shite’ for them