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Yeah I know you weren't mate, I guess Birdy meant people away from this site really. Like you say they had to sit back with 10 men in a low block due to Bayern's superiority,

He was just lucky to play with far better players than himself. Good player of course but you could have replaced him with several better CBs at Real Madrid and they wouldn't have lost a step. He wasn't integral to their success. Van Dijk is easily better than him yet people who judge by...

I agree with your last two paragraphs mate - believe it or not I don't like Messi as a person and I have zero celebrity worship in me. I simply defend him as a footballer as he's the best I have seen, at least since Maradona anyway. But I definitely don't think he's divine or untouchable or any...

Agree with it all. Excellent post. The caution you call for over playing players too early in their careers while they're still growing and developing mentally and physically is my main take away. I have saw people say the same thing. Pedri and Gavi have already had injury problems due to being...

Also I reread and thought more about OP, and it makes a good amount of sense. There's a lot of fair points raised. I would add two caveats though: 1) I personally liked when Messi dropped deeper and tried to be more creative, and 2) (and leading on from that), I think the OP, while very good...

Yes agree. The only one I would say should really have been different there was Liverpool. Dembele should have killed that at Camp Nou at the end. Still no excuse for the collapse at Anfield. The hammering by Bayern in 2013, Messi wasn't fit. But yes, he has to take some share of...

True. He and Barca should have won it more. There is a decent argument though that when Messi underperformed nobody really 'bailed him out', unlike a certain someone with the Galacticos. However, Messi played with brilliant Barca teams. It just feels like there weren't many times where he...

Fair enough - that is a reasonable point. Barca should have won more CLs - they were a better team than RM for many years and it's a travesty Real won 4 and Barca only 3 in 2008/2009-2017/2018 era. They did destroy RM in the league though and that counts for plenty too.

What people sometimes don't acknowledge with Messi when comparing him to Ronaldo (especially in the CL) is the expectation on Messi is higher. Ronaldo had a good (not exceptional) all-round game before the three in a row, but in the three in a row he was tasked mainly with playing the box and...

I get what you're partly saying there - you're essentially saying Messi plays too deep and is passing to players in advanced areas who aren't him when he'd be the most effective in forward lines. Essentially, the problem is Messi cannot pass to himself and finish. He can't dribble all the time...

Hopefully more fun and games with these lads tomorrow afternoon. Looking forward to seeing how they'll entertain us.

I understand. I think they come at that from a less scientific POV and a more sentimental one i.e. going away to Bayern is a tough game, they'll have to ride their luck at some point, if they dig in they can get something. Whereas you and I just look at the performance. But of course grit and...

Yeah I agree with all you said there. Have to have a better balance of rotating between games, and sub some key players out when games are won. Most teams do that now.

Most people said that Birdy. That Leverkusen were inferior tonight and it's looking like they might not be the team they were last season. No disgrace in that as they don't have the resources Bayern do. But yeah, Bayern were dominant from the parts I saw.

Kudos for admitting his mistakes. It is a difficult balancing act, but does sound like he played first team players when he didn't have to and tonight he paid the price.

Ricky Martin would probably have played better to be honest.

You should never rotate that much for an away game to be fair. Osasuna aren't mugs.

The starting lineup was so arrogant.

Lol what a strike. Looked like he wasn't even trying.

Should be saving that I feel.