I know nothing about French football. I should say that from the off. I also have very little interest in the Champion’s league normally, because I find it frankly boring, with practically the same teams involved every year.
But obviously, I’m taking more notice this year and have been watching the games.
I’ve come to the conclusion that while some sides are very good, it seems to me that many are overhyped. Or is it just that we’ve excelled in our previous qualifiers? It’s a very subjective thing, but I don’t think we’ve looked very good in our games, the Bayern one apart. Mind you, I don’t think we’ve looked very good for most of the season, but the reality is we’re still very much in the mix.
That’s not to say I think Monaco are rubbish. I don’t think much of Ligue 1, a few teams apart but they do have a few decent sides, of which Monaco appear to be one. They’re a very young side, the third youngest in their league, but reading around tells me they’re very tenacious. They’ve made the most tackles, ball recoveries and second-most interceptions of any team in the French top flight. They’re also fourth in the table. So definitely no mugs then, although I should probably add that they’ve been on a poor run of late.
Hence it would seem it’s by no means going to be easy. My lack of European football knowledge makes it a bit tricky to give an opinion, but I can have a guess or just give my feelings.
And while I don’t want to jinx us, I do think we can get something from this game. A win wouldn’t make us mathematically certain to qualify automatically, but it would put us in a very strong position and however you look at it, that would be some achievement.
A draw obviously wouldn’t be as good, but you’d have to think that with our last game being Celtic at home, we would still be in with a very good chance
And that’s what I’m going for.
We always look like we’re going to concede, although it seems we’re looking to address this weakness, with a young full back, Andreas Garcia announced as having been signed from Levante just this morning and a central defender being in the offing who will replace Diego Calos who is apparently going to Fenerbache, if Wolves can’t persuade him to join them.
Squad news and John McGinn remains out with injury. He’s also looking doubtful for the Celtic game. Amadou Onana limped off against Arsenal on Saturday and is also very doubtful. Ross Barkley and Pau Torres are both injured and Diego Carlos is suspended, which is probably academic anyway, if he is indeed off to Turkiye. New signing Donyell Malen isn’t eligible.
As for Monaco, it’s all a bit vague but from what I can see, they have several players coming back from injury or illness, with Denis Zakaria, as well as Aleksandr Golovin who was ill, Christian Mawissa and Wilfried Singo all available and it appears they’re practically at full strength.
So if Monaco are going to get one goal, logically we’re also going to get one. In which case, could it be Duran who gets it? My guess is yes he will. The big question there is will he start or come on as sub?
Either way, that’s my prediction. A 1-1 draw.
UTV!
Bollocks. Bollocks. Bollocks.
A piss poor performance. Duran and Watkins on the pitch at the same time clearly doesn’t work. Strange that the ineffective Bailey was taken off and we got worse. Moving Rogers to the right side didn’t work either. Like I said before, we can’t keep gifting the opposition a goal with the first effort.
That was really poor!
We couldn’t pass to each other
We couldn’t play one good corner
We couldn’t adapt to their style
We over play at the back
Without Torres playing out of the back we need a rethink- Konsa and Mings are not up to it
I thought Buendia showed something and I would keep around
Bailey has reverted to his first couple of seasons – useless
Now have to beat Celtic to be in top 8. Not sure we will win that one if we keep pulling performances es like this out the bag.
Far be it from me to ask questions of Emery but withdrawing Tielemans to a deep defensive position dented our creative play – I said this would be our undoing.
Why not start with Bogarde alongside Kamara and keep Tielemans in an attacking position. Can’t fault Buendia tonight but he doesn’t have the range of passes and he’s short of match practice.
My other gripe is starting with Bailey – had that been Ramsey, at least one of the chances Bailey had would be in the back of the net.
Bailey had better find some form or he’ll be polishing his backside on the subs bench. Malen has to start against West Spam.
Nice to see the Prince at the game even if we couldn’t produce a royal show.
All is not lost – it’s an easy equation – beat Celtic.
Shit that if we don’t finish top 8 we’ve only got ourselves to blame how disappointing against a team that hasn’t won for ages
Was their pitch a mix of turf and stitched plastic? They said beforehand it was very heavily watered. The ball was spinning off all of our players all night.
We use Duran better when we invite pressure and Duran sprints from the half way line. Monaco were extremely compact. We had no space.
Our direct corners were awful. Should have gone short. Still a totally shite evening.
Awful performance, starting to think our glorious leaders is a bit of a one trick pony only capable of one size fits all football?
I stick by early comment, they were shite, around a half decent championship side and there to be blown away but no tippy tappy, tippy tappy, sideways backwards, repeat.
Boring boring boring.
Their goal came from 2 howlers, Mings under-hit pass and a crappy stop from Emi who should have caught the ball or palmed it over the bar.
Mings was joined by other defenders who discounted any chance their telegraphed pass could be intercepted. Mings was shot of confidence by half time.
We pay McPhee to sort out corner routines. Yet we encounter a keeper who comes to claim the lofted corners and we do not try any short corner routines having seen the first two.
Poor performance!
Said it for ages – we have players who ain’t top 4 class I could name um but too many to mention
Unai needs to show um the Bologna game – we moved the ball so quickly they couldn’t lay a glove on us
We are predictable , slow laboured build up – I get it , keep the ball etc etc
However MOVE THE BALL around quicker , you never know
Exactly, mate. Move the ball faster than the opposition can react. Usually equals goals, which is the point of the game.
How many times did their keeper catch the ball with ease from our corners? We didn’t seem to learn anything and why didn’t MacPhee try something else? We seem to get a decent amount of corners in our games but with very little coming from them. Also free kicks around the box doesn’t get me excited. Time for a new set piece coach probably worth a shot.
I read that Carlos is off to Fenerbache according to Fabrizio Romano. We need to act quickly now with a replacement. Can we get another winger in to challenge Malen and offload Bailey while we can still get a snickers and a packet of crisps for him? I’ve had it with the guy. He is a little flake who gets brushed off the ball without any resistance. When you have a coach who likes possession football, the last thing you want is a player who loses the ball practically every time. He’s lucky that Philogene didn’t offer any competition for that position.
So, so pissed off. We could be 2nd.
Mings did fluff but made some killer blocks.
Hate to say it, but it was mess tonight. Where was our focus and fight? This is the Champions League FFS! We fought to be here!!! And we treated tonight like a Zenith Data Systems game…
We need that new blood in urgently, just to shake things up. Even though there are very few players in our squad who are poor, we need something to fire us up.
Results not to bad clinging on in eighth before tomorrow’s games should absolutely kick ourselves if we don’t get top 8 need a good win next week
Watched the Holy Trinity show about the Arsenal game and while doing so the memory jogged back several months. “All showboat but no end product”. Who is that? Buendia. On the ball tonight he probably played the disguised passes and beat his man better than any other Villan. But he has done that before – the rest of the team either cannot read him or stop running and watch, so he achieves no scores and no assists. As said by others, Bogarde on and Tielemans further forward as they finished at Arsenal might have fashioned a chance.
Little Emi nearly provided the ball that Ollie (?) fluffed. H bamboozled 3 or 4 Monaco players. Should have scored from that. In fact I think we had 6 good shots at goal last night and we should have scored at least a couple. 🙁
Not his fault if he’s more intelligent than his teammates, OLL. He is more than capable of splitting defences with incisive through balls. And scoring all sorts of goals, including long range when you need to pull a rabbit out. To me, that’s exactly what we’ve been missing all season and it’s up to Unai to unlock that skills set. We were in for Felix in the summer. Why? For the skills Buendia already possesses.
It is a results business BFR. Being more intelligent than his teammates is a hindrance in a team sport. Football teams can lose their star player and put on a better performance because the other players shoulder more responsibility, instead of leaving it to the star.
Asked by his father why he got a 3rd class degree in Economics, John Maynard Keynes replied ” I evidently knew more of Economics than my Examiners.” As he subsequently proved, but he might have got a 1st if he had given the teamwork answers.
Not a great performance and similar to the Bruges game. The commentators said it and I agree, we were knackered. Unlike every other European FA, we don’t help our clubs in Europe by scheduling matches to give as much rest time as possible. Monaco played on Friday and so had a day’s more rest than we did.
Anyway, I think that Monaco probably deserved the three points. Although they’ve had a bad patch they are a good team and this was one I had down for a loss as soon as I heard the fixtures. If we can beat Celtic next week then we’ll still be in a good position.
My notion of CL success on our first go was to finish in the top 24 and then get into the last 16 via the play-offs which is still eminently possible.
Don’t want playoffs, 1874. As you’ve already stated, players are knackered. Have to beat Celtic and hope for the best. Neither beating Celtic nor qualifying are guaranteed.
Ye keep Buendia he’s a fantastic player hope results will go for us tonight
Bailey is a busted flush.
As the great Bill Shankly once perceptively asked – ‘is he a great player having a good game, or a good player having a great game’
In Bailey’s case he’s a not very good player back to his average standard after one stand out season. No time to get rid now but he has to go in the summer.
I don’t want to see Bailey anywhere near the team; Malen must start Saturday and Ramsey on Wednesday – if McGinn not fit then give Bogarde a chance alongside Kamara, Tielemans moved forward and Rogers back in the centre – he’s wasted out wide.
My team for Saturday – Martinez, Cash (who again put a shift in last night), Konsa, Mings, Digne, Kamara, Bogarde, Tielemans, Malan, Rogers, Watkins
That all assumes Onana is still on his sick note!
Good call Hitch. Same team that I would pick against West Ham. I don’t think Emery will start Bogarde or Malen but hope to be surprised.
Cash, Buendia and Digne were our best players last night. Question is why do we need two defensive midfielders against lesser teams? Kamara is good enough to cope in front of the back 4 with Tielemans and Buendia threading passes to Watkins, Rogers and Malen (hopefully)
I hope we go for the throat at full throttle rather than the slow let’s get into our stride approach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoiOXhW6IQk
Must see Unai’s post-match interview:
– Scathing of the set pieces. MacPhee must have been cringing and hanging his head.
– Full of praise for Buendia.
– Strong hints that some players are not following his instructions.
– Admitted he got it wrong with two strikers.
Fair play – can’t argue with that.
He said Villa did not follow the plan, then name-checked all those who did, leaving us to sieve the guilty. Bailey, Watkins, Duran, Maatsen and Digne! A bit hard on Digne.
At the fateful corner we line up for an in-swinger even though the taker is coming sideline side of the pole. The out-swinger floors us.
Oh wow, I’m watching the post-match and Unai is pissed.
When asked if he can elaborate on who’s not following, he just points to his head – mentality. He’s not a happy chappy. Full respect for admitting several times that he got it wrong with the two strikers.
Who do we think he’s referring to? Bailey, perhaps?
Oh and apparently Rogers was ill, which explains the substandard performance.
It seems Barkley was also ill.
It’s easy to criticise without the full facts.
True.
Fingers crossed that Shakhtar hold on to their 2-0 half time lead against Brest. Brest will overtake us if they were to win
I look at it this way ,Unai again made a bad choice in players and yet he’s the saviour of our club , I have seen my beloved club climb back from oblivion and large gates back at the ground. Only he knows why things go wrong and I’m sure he will get it right. I don’t think Unai was in the best of health be honest and certainly Rodgers wasn’t, so why did it take so long for Ramsey to come on knowing that. I firmly believe he needs to take a look at our coaching staff and change our way of defending, most of the goals are from our wings and long balls over the players. I still believe in Unai and things will improve under him .
Well Brest got stuffed by Shaktar and Sporting Lisbon lost away to Leipzig who, until today, hadn’t racked up a single point.
CL away fixtures are no pushover whoever it is you play.
Whatever the results tonight it’s a simple equation – beat Celtic and we’ll be in the top 8
Hitch, I hope your right but I dont see that. We are 9th at the moment’ If we beat Celtic 1-0 (for example) Monaco winning 3-0 or Lille or Brest winning 4-0 would put them above us. And teams in 5,6,7,8 one of them has to lose. Please correct me if I am wrong
Well anything can happen and it probably will. Fully expected Bayern to overtake us and they get stuffed 3-0. We’re in the conversation for the top eight with one game to go which is still great going.
Fair points but Monaco beating Juventus away 3-0 would rank as a major upset.
Maybe I should have said – beating Celtic is our only chance of finishing in the top 8.
If we don’t teams 9th to 16th are seeded and play first legs away. Team 9 plays team 24 and so on. It risks us having to play teams like PSG or Citeh in the play off round!
Right. The way the results went tonight, PROVIDING we beat Celtic, Atalanta and Athletico both have potentially tough away fixtures as their last game, Atalanta’s is at Barcelona! I’d say they are the vulnerable ones in the top 8. Better one of their final results and it’s automatic qualification for us.
Leverkusen host Sparta Prague who are already out but may snatch something for the sake of pride.
Now we just have to beat Celtic. Play like last night and we’ve no chance…It’s completely achievable.
Win by 3 we’ve a great chance otherwise 9th could see us face citeh gonna be a nervy last day
That is correct. Probably win by 2 is enough. Most of the teams around us have easy games against the dungeon dwellers. Barca could do us a favour if they don’t field the stiffs against Atalanta – but that is just what they usually do.
In an amazing coincidence the four team that could overtake us are playing each other. I am adding Fayenoord who need to win 4-0
There are more than 4 teams who could overtake us if we lose and have 13 pts.
On 13pts Bayer L, Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille, Brest, on 12 Borussia MG, Bayern M, Real M, Juve, Celtic, on 11 PSV, Brugge, Benfica, PSG.