Antonio Conte (29 Viewers)
- Thread starter Dostoevsky
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I wish people would stop comparing us to Atletico and Dortmund... We're not built on a similar model to those teams. If we were, we'd have already sold Pogba and Vidal and replaced them with young prospects that have a 50/50 shot (or more accurately 25/75) of turning out. We'd have sold most of out players that would turn a profit. That's not the model we're trying to build. That leads to having maybe two or three years of results every so often when a good run of prospects comes through and develops well. Then you have the flip side. 5 years of obscurity. Atletico might sell half their team and come 5th in La Liga next year. They went out in the round of 32 Europa last year, to Anzhi. Dortmund's success might end up a little more sustainable as they seem to at least spend a little in replacing sold stars, but even they are not built to be a team that contends every year. You don't constantly sell your best players if that is the goal. Especially not after a single season of performance. If we go for this model, sure we might make a UCL final, even win, but we also are likely to not even qualify for the UCL half the years as it is very hit or miss whether a young player will actually live up to potential. We're trying to work toward a model of sustainable success where QFs are minimum every year, and we never finish outside top 3 in Italy, where players don't see us as a development club and a stepping stone like they definitely see Atletico and Dortmund. This takes time. We're likely 2-3 years away from being where we want to be in terms of financial power and stability. And then sustained European (and domestic) success which Dortmund and Atletico don't have, will arrive. I'd say patience is a virtue, yet here, it would likely fall on deaf ears. Calling Conte a pussy for being a realist is beyond inane. He knows we're 2-3 years from joining that top tier of 5-6 clubs in Europe that are considered UCL favourites every year. Saying so, isn't being defeatist, it's called honesty, and I appreciate it in a coach. If you think our players don't already know this and will be discouraged by Conte's words, you are crazy. They have signed on as well, for a long term project, I'm pretty sure they all know we are not currently a top 5-6 club in the world. They also all know that this is what we are working toward.
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The worst part is that we outplayed our opponents in each of those 3 finals, and our finishing was absolutely appalling. Heartbreaking is right. It's one thing to be outclassed and deserve to lose, but to lose 3 straight UCL finals where aside from finishing, you were the better side, is quite tragic.
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The worst part is that we outplayed our opponents in each of those 3 finals, and our finishing was absolutely appalling. Heartbreaking is right. It's one thing to be outclassed and deserve to lose, but to lose 3 straight UCL finals where aside from finishing, you were the better side, is quite tragic.
That was the worst. How BvB had so much luck in that match is beyond me.
Though Nedved being forced to miss 03 because of that joke of a yellow was pretty tragic.
98 just made me angry as Madrid won on an offside goal and were basically pathetic all game. If Davids and Zidane hadn't choked away there chances... Still mad about that one.
Though Nedved being forced to miss 03 because of that joke of a yellow was pretty tragic.
98 just made me angry as Madrid won on an offside goal and were basically pathetic all game. If Davids and Zidane hadn't choked away there chances... Still mad about that one.
you just keep twisting facts dont you, reached the final is not winning, and we did beat the danes.
I'm not talking about buy and sell players, I only talk about the difference on the pitch. Atletico would dream to have players like our team. Individually, we're better than Atletico. Yet AM got the right tactics and mentality even they have less CL experience than us. You can argue that it's only one season wonder for AM but their no fear attitude create their own luck to defeat other bigger teams (Barca, Chelsea,...) on their road to the CL final. That's something luxurious to us. We're on the back foot most of the time in CL.
We're on the back foot most of the time? Against who? We outshot Gala 26-7 at home in the 2-2 draw. In the draw against FCK we outshot them 31-6. In the snow fest in Turkey, no one had feet. We weren't on the back foot in either leg against Madrid. Last year, possibly Shakhtar at home was the only match we were really pressured up until Bayern, and Bayern crushed everyone that year. The reason we did poorly in UCL this year was woeful finishing and the occasional defensive brainfart, that we should have overcome with better finishing. Our draws against Gala and FCK were embarrassing only because of how pathetic our forwards were at finishing chances.
This speaks a little to mentality though, the fact our finishing suffered on the big stage in Europe, this year. Perhaps the wrong approach mentally is being taken with our forwards and something needs to be done to help them stay more composed in and around the box when the lights are brightest. Who knows. But we certainly we're never on the back foot this year.
This speaks a little to mentality though, the fact our finishing suffered on the big stage in Europe, this year. Perhaps the wrong approach mentally is being taken with our forwards and something needs to be done to help them stay more composed in and around the box when the lights are brightest. Who knows. But we certainly we're never on the back foot this year.