Post Match Reaction - Round 8

[Nick@ManCity]

Missing Sheets


Errors
laz
Error in conditionals (line 10)!!
Reason: Order does not contain enough information
lyo
Error: Player D_Carvajal is suspended
nap
Error: Player P_Gueye is listed twice in the teamsheet

Error Points
laz - 3
lyo - 2
nap - 2

[Derek]

Barca 0 0 Roma

A point away to Barca is a great result.

But given how we outclassed the Spanish Giants it is a massive disappointment not to score.

At least our result wasn't as bad a SDP though

gg Graeme

[Steve@ManUtd]

MARSEILLE 1-0 Lyon

Late-ish sheet and it worked out a treat. A competent performance from the team where the plan was simple, get the ball forward and score then cash the chips late on. Everything we needed to do, we did. We didn't play pretty football by any means but it's a big 3 points for Marseille but with some tough games coming, we can't write home about too much.

[JasonH@Wolfsburg]

Leverkusen 1-2 Sevilla

I feel pretty hard done by with this result, but also felt it coming.

We seem to dominate large parts of the game but not convert the chances to goals, Sevilla on the other hand were clinical.

good game rain god, well played

[Johnboy]

Juventus 4 - Monaco 1

After success in midweek in the DPT we were probably over-confident going into Monaco vs Banks pt2.

Juve will argue, probably rightly, that they deserved a victory in this match and that the scale of victory was about right - however it needs to be pointed out that we lost a defender to injury in the first 5 minutes, had a key defensive midfielder sent off after 7 minutes following VAR intervention and then at the half hour mark we lost a second defender to injury and had to bring on a back up defensive midfielder to complete our back 4.

At 11 vs 11 the scores were equal, but effectively losing 3 of our defensive players it's not surprising that we couldnt get anything from the match.

It transpires that neither injury has lead to any lengthy period on the sidelines, indeed both players are fit to play on Sunday - however with the red card for Haidara, and a 6th card of the season for Pereira we are missing both players for the visit of Schalke on Sunday.

Good game AB, good luck for the rest of the season.

[Westhammer]

RB Leipzig 0 - 2 Lazio

In form Lazio continued there winning streak by comfortably beating Leipzig, whose poor performance was a disappointment to the home fans. As early as the second minute Lazio were on there way to 3 points with Pulisic scoring and early in the second half wrapped up the win with Aouar the scorer. Four shots on target against Lazio's twelve was poor from Leipzig and this needs addressing with Real Madrid up next!

[Freddie]

Schalke 04 0-1 Sociedad

This was a six pointer for both teams given our positions on the league and having both been promoted last season. Fortunately we managed to sneak the win through an early Ibrahim Konate goal (against his old side).
The home side set up E and we went P so no one really had the edge tactically.
Chris is a good manager and I think he will keep Schalke up. To get three points here is a big boost.
Played Chris.

Next up a visit from Barcelona! Should be fun.

[ChrisS]

Schalke 04 0-1 Sociedad

Tough loss for us and like Freddy eluded too it stung a little bit more with Konate providing the match winner. We had our chances but were unable to capitalize. Sociedad was solid defensively. We'll keep working and are looking forward to the arrival of Saul Niguez at the weekend.

Good game Freddy, always a difficult match up but equally fun.

[Livi@Liverpool]

Barcelona 0 Roma 0

There was a temptation to play C or N here as I expected to face the full force of the Roma Way and their 5104A approach. As it is we stuck with a passing style with 3 up top but Derek is correct, they certainly were the better side over the 90 minutes and were unfortunate not to come away with the win based on the stats.

Bit disappointed with how we played to be honest as we always look to win our home games but Roma are a top class outfit so it isn't a total disaster. Couple of players rated up so hopefully that helps.

Played Derek, enjoyable as always.

[Steve@Chelsea]

Sporting Lisbon 2 - 4 Real Madrid

We was feeling hard done by to be 2-1 behind in this game as we were clearly the better team, but our fortunes changed when J_Gimenez saw red in the 60th minute for a 2nd yellow card after multiple infractions from the dirty Lison thugs. Then bang, bang, bang. Like a hitman in the night, Lisbon didn't see us coming - we went through them like Kleenex at a snot party with three rapid fire goals, showing no mercy to the wounded cubs.

The result see's the Los Blancos hit the top spot after PSG's faux pas at home to AC and Roma's 3 forwards firing blanks again.

[Matias@Barca]

PSG 1 - 4 AC Milan

This is the showcase that Milan is being lucky, and my main worry at the moment is to think.. when will be this over?

Si was commenting on chatbox that they were in a run of 25 undefeated matches at home, and he knew it would be over against us, which is a classical play in order to tempt lady luck to side with oneself, and in this case, help him get the 26th victory.

Meanwhile, on our side, we were firstly phased about losing Theo Hernandez to an injury, and debating ourselves how to adjust a 5 DF men tactic to another that would see us lose for the goals-against as possible.

Everyone and their mother was waiting for Milan's classical C, but considering that PSG had been thumping any C they found on their way, we just tried to be creative.

4-1-1-3-1 E was the chosen tactic for Milan, while PSG surprised (not) with a 5-1-1-3 P.

Even with home advantage, and tactical advantage, PSG was in for a nasty surprise when in the 12th minute, Lo Celso assisted Messi for an opener, it was 1-0 for Milan and chaos ensued.

We had set our trap, 1-0 up and to play D, to which PSG replied with a change to A. This should have given the French side the edge, but once again, lady luck would not agree, before the half-hour, Milan scored a 2nd goal, this time Xaver Schlager would take the chance given to play from the start and secure the lead, followed by Perr Schuurs 5 minutes later. This would mean that Milan was heading into the HT 3-0.

Game was not closed, as Milan is known to flop, while PSG could still have a lot of powder in their cannons. This was not the case, as right into the first minute of the 2nd Half, frenchman and captain Antoine Griezmann would do what he knows best, and scored the 4th for Milan.

Second half was dominated by PSG, who found the honor goal through their pichichi Yeremi Pino, but this was not enough. Even when PSG bombarded Mike Maignan, couldn't find another scorcher.

Milan shot 4 times to the goal, all 4 times it was a goal, while PSG had 15 shots to the goal, 14 ended in Maignan's hands.

This helped Milan be one of the 3 leaders, just behind Madrid and PSG by goal difference.

How long will luck last for us? Can we hope for finally a real challenge from Milan or this is just a fluke and Milan will end below top 8 again after a few matches?

In our hopes? Please, let us keep winning.

GG Si

[Matias@Barca]

I am just throwing here the beautiful match comment that ChatGPT4 made for me:

Parc des Princes witnessed a thrilling football match between PSG and AC Milan, with the visitors emerging as convincing 4-1 winners. Lionel Messi's early goal set the tone for Milan's dominance, while goals from Xaver Schlager, Perr Schuurs, and Antoine Griezmann secured their victory. Yeremi Pino scored the consolation goal for PSG.

The match started with an electric pace as Messi showcased his skill by leaving the PSG defenders in his wake before being brought down by Wesley Saliba, who received a talking-to from the referee. PSG responded swiftly as Joao Felix made a dazzling run past Milan's defense but failed to find the target.

PSG's frustration continued as Felix was fouled by Ferran Torres, resulting in a contentious free kick that drew the referee's attention. However, the resulting shot from the set-piece went wide, much to the disappointment of the PSG faithful.

AC Milan's defensive resilience was on display when Mergim Berisha intercepted a pass intended for Felix, denying PSG a clear goalscoring opportunity. The Milan side continued to threaten PSG's defense, and their persistence paid off when Messi struck a powerful shot past PSG's goalkeeper Diego Costa, giving Milan the lead.

AC Milan made tactical changes, shifting to a defensive style of play and deploying Schlager and Messi in midfield. The alterations disrupted PSG's rhythm, and they struggled to create meaningful chances. Meanwhile, Milan nearly doubled their lead when Jonas Hofmann's long-range effort hit the roof of the net.

PSG's Joao Felix continued to be a menace to Milan's defense, but his shot went wide. However, Milan's resilience paid off when Schlager capitalized on a defensive mistake and scored a goal to put his team 2-0 ahead.

PSG's frustration grew, and they made several tactical changes, switching to an attacking style of play. Despite their efforts, Milan remained resolute, and Schuurs extended their lead with a spectacular bicycle kick that left Costa helpless.

The second half started disastrously for PSG, as Griezmann scored early on to make it 4-0, capitalizing on a defensive lapse. PSG tried to rally back with E Smith Rowe, but his shot hit the side netting. The home side finally found the back of the net through Pino's goal, but it was only a consolation.

PSG's dominance in possession and shot attempts didn't translate into goals, as Milan's defense held strong. Milan's goalkeeper, Mike Maignan, made impressive saves to deny PSG's attempts, frustrating the home team's attackers.

In the end, AC Milan emerged victorious with a comprehensive 4-1 win. The match showcased Milan's defensive solidity and clinical finishing, while PSG struggled to convert their opportunities. Yeremi Pino was named Man of the Match for his efforts, but it wasn't enough to inspire a PSG comeback.

The defeat will be a wake-up call for PSG, who will need to regroup and analyze their performance. AC Milan, on the other hand, will be buoyed by their convincing win and will look to build on this positive result in their upcoming fixtures.

[Marshy@Atletico]

Atletico Madrid 3 Bayern Munich 2

GG JB

After a sticky run of form this was a big game for Atletico to try and keep in touch with the top end of the league. The statistics were predictable with an even 17-16 shot count for two evenly matched sides. Atletico were far more accurate producing a 13-6 on-target shot count.

5-rated defender Hernandez opened the scoring, Sancho replied to make it 1-1 at half time. Haaland put Bayern ahead again on 68 minutes but Sancho immediately levelled to make it 2-2. The game looked like ending all square but Sancho was having none of it latching on a Mancino through ball before firing in his hattrick goal for a 3-2 victory.

Manager Simon Marsh commented "Massive goal for us at the end and its those sort of moments that can make all the difference in a season. Sancho has come in and hit the ground running but the rest of the team need to step up now and start scoring more goals".

The win moves Atletico up from 10th to 09th place.

On loan midfielder Zubimendi progressed to an 12-18-5 player

[AB@Juventus]

Juventus 4 - 1 Monaco

A good win against a strong team and manager who we often find difficult to break down.

As John said, an early injury and red card combo put us in firm control and within 17 minutes we were 2 goals ahead with TA against a wounded Monaco team.

We made it 3-0 on 29 minutes and just 2 minutes later, the visitors lost another player to injury and the game was finished.

They did manage to pull a goal back on 39 minutes but we restored the 3 goal advantage in the second half and ran out comfortable winners.

Statistically we dominated the game, limiting them to 1 shot on target...which they scored from.

Good game John

[Guest]

Inter Milan 0 - 1 Borussia Dortmund

a game we deserved to lose, following the Aston Villa game i did not think we could play so bad with P, which is why we stuck to our guns but we were awful, hardly layed a glove on dortmund who scored on the 35th minute and in genral laboured, we have given this tactic a real go as we thought we had something here after the postive game vs Lyon but the games since have just been so poor and may leave this experimental formation and tactic in the bin where it belongs. gg mate

[Ed@PSG]

PSG 1 AC Milan 4
Dominant performance from our visitors as they move level on points with us, them having played much tougher opponents. Could they be this seasons surprise package. We were never in the game and were 4 down inside the first 50 minutes. Wake up call for us. played 3 games against some of the better teams (barca, Inter, ACMilan) this season at home and have 2 defeats and 1 draw to show for it. 2nd worst performing GK in the league despite being 23 rated. going to be a long season.
GG Mati