Juve & The CL ? (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter Juve_The_Best
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I wouldn't say it is easier or more difficult, the ways to apporach both is totally different. Both need consistency, but the CL since it is a cup-like competition, a team can give it all in one game, something you cannot do in a league.
I say each has its own difficulties, with some luck needed in the CL.
I say each has its own difficulties, with some luck needed in the CL.
I concur with most of that, however inferior clubs such as Udinese, Everton, Shaktar Donestk, and others certainly have basically no chance of winning the Champions League this term. Previous winners Liverpool and Porto had the squads and coaches to win Europe, and even though they were underdogs they still had enough to win. The first few clubs I mentioned are even below the status of "underdog" to be honest, cuz there chances of winning are almost zero.
League and Champions League campaigns are extremely difficult to compare in terms of which one is more difficult. Some teams are more capable of turing up the heat in Europe, while others such as our boys can win league after league yet seemingly faulter in the CL. Juventus does not always have the extra spark to step it up for big European matches, while in Serie A we become a result machine. Perhaps in this respect winning the Serie A is much easier, considering you can basically step out on the pitch with basically the same gameplan every weekend (just about).
League and Champions League campaigns are extremely difficult to compare in terms of which one is more difficult. Some teams are more capable of turing up the heat in Europe, while others such as our boys can win league after league yet seemingly faulter in the CL. Juventus does not always have the extra spark to step it up for big European matches, while in Serie A we become a result machine. Perhaps in this respect winning the Serie A is much easier, considering you can basically step out on the pitch with basically the same gameplan every weekend (just about).
Any league is about grinding out the right results, week after week. It's about consistency.
A knockout competition like the CL, is about showing up in the games that matter, something Juve has had difficulty doing in recent times. Case in point our appalling record in CL finals...
Which is more difficult? That's debatable, but luck certainly influences the outcome of the CL more. Liverpool last season is a good example of that.
Btw, great avatar, Gino. :thumb:
A knockout competition like the CL, is about showing up in the games that matter, something Juve has had difficulty doing in recent times. Case in point our appalling record in CL finals...
Which is more difficult? That's debatable, but luck certainly influences the outcome of the CL more. Liverpool last season is a good example of that.
Btw, great avatar, Gino. :thumb:
Definitely agreed. But I would argue that Udinese might have better odds of winning the CL than they'd have to win the Scudetto this season. In fact, someone should check with the betting oddsmakers... it would be interesting to make a comparison for people putting their money where their mouth is on this.
I just checked, and Udinese's odds of making the top three in Serie A are currently about 1/66 whereas their CL winning odds are about 1/100. So that, at least, supports your theory of the CL being harder overall. (And when you compare 32 teams to just 18 or so, that's going to be a factor as well.)
Good point about the consistency you can pull in your gameplan over the long haul in Serie A ... which would undoubtedly have greater chances of failure in an elimination tournament like the CL. Juve didn't have a real gameplan to win in the CL beyond the "grind it out on defense, score an opportunistic goal" plan -- which is very one-dimensional. (Even though this worked like a charm for Greece in Euro 2004, and every opponent knew it was coming.)
The pitfall of the CL, however, is that Nedved's one-time, untimely suspension can contribute heavily to losing the tournament whereas it would generally be insignificant -- just noise -- in a Scudetto campaign.
I just checked, and Udinese's odds of making the top three in Serie A are currently about 1/66 whereas their CL winning odds are about 1/100. So that, at least, supports your theory of the CL being harder overall. (And when you compare 32 teams to just 18 or so, that's going to be a factor as well.)
Good point about the consistency you can pull in your gameplan over the long haul in Serie A ... which would undoubtedly have greater chances of failure in an elimination tournament like the CL. Juve didn't have a real gameplan to win in the CL beyond the "grind it out on defense, score an opportunistic goal" plan -- which is very one-dimensional. (Even though this worked like a charm for Greece in Euro 2004, and every opponent knew it was coming.)
The pitfall of the CL, however, is that Nedved's one-time, untimely suspension can contribute heavily to losing the tournament whereas it would generally be insignificant -- just noise -- in a Scudetto campaign.
Capello made a mistake with Vieira. Liverpool broke Juve down because of the way they played.
We were plain, defensive, hardworking, and slow. Liverpool were active, and spontaneous.
We should have gone for a more dynamic player with some fantasista quality, capable of keeping the opposition on the wrong foot as they struggle to deal with him. This keeps them from attacking.
We were plain, defensive, hardworking, and slow. Liverpool were active, and spontaneous.
We should have gone for a more dynamic player with some fantasista quality, capable of keeping the opposition on the wrong foot as they struggle to deal with him. This keeps them from attacking.
Although i agree that Capello could've made an effort to switch to a more fluid and attacking formation, and tried employing a fantasista, i think the fact that he wanted to stick to the 4-4-2 meant that Vieira was really the best purchase in terms of a upgrade, we could get.
And now with Mutu in the fold, i think our offensive option upfront are going to improve immensely, as Del Piero will have a more dynamic player to potentially link up with, and with Vieira, we will be able to start attacking from the middle. Sure, he doesn't have the vision or passing range of an archetypical playmaker that's because he's a DM, but he's still a good passer of the ball, and he does contribute well to build up play. This in tandem with Nedved's hopeful resurgence, plus Emerson's and Camo's continuing good form, and we have a mighty fine midfield.
Vieira is still the player that was the focal point in midfield of Arsenal's free flowing and offensive football. There's no reason why we couldn't conceivably be that for us as well. Although whether Capello's tactics will allow this, only time will tell.
And now with Mutu in the fold, i think our offensive option upfront are going to improve immensely, as Del Piero will have a more dynamic player to potentially link up with, and with Vieira, we will be able to start attacking from the middle. Sure, he doesn't have the vision or passing range of an archetypical playmaker that's because he's a DM, but he's still a good passer of the ball, and he does contribute well to build up play. This in tandem with Nedved's hopeful resurgence, plus Emerson's and Camo's continuing good form, and we have a mighty fine midfield.
Vieira is still the player that was the focal point in midfield of Arsenal's free flowing and offensive football. There's no reason why we couldn't conceivably be that for us as well. Although whether Capello's tactics will allow this, only time will tell.