You know competition is in decline when...

a big team(s) have to reach the semifinals before facing a quality team....


Okey, I am specifically refering to Real Madrid, and to a certain degree also Bayern Munich(besides the groupstages) who have yet to face a quality team in the knock-out rounds. Real Madrid have yet to face a ''top''/strong/quality team in the whole competition this season. (no disprespect to Apoel, Ajax, Lyon, but these teams are not or no longer top/strong teams). Real Madrid's first ''test'' will most likely be Bayern Munich in the SEMIFINALS. the semifinals folks. it has been too easy. the teams they have faced, without disrespecting, are not teams that would be of knock-out stages quality just 5-6 years ago. these teams would be competing the lower europa league, not in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. not because these teams have gotten better, as some of you may argue, but simply because the once top teams are no longer at their former strength. Again NO DISRESPECT. IT's just boring Facts that is difficult to argue against.

Is it just me or is the lack of top teams in the worst of all times?

where are your once great Arsenal, Juventus, Valencia, Inter, Liverpool, Chelsea, Lyon, Ajax, Deportivo teams, and I could go on and on. So many top teams nowadays are absolute shadow of themselves. not because they don't have money, but simply because there not that many top players around to be spread around all these top clubs as it once (6-10 years ago) was the case.

The last 5 years imo have seen football decline drastically with la liga becoming an ever increasing 2 team competition, the premier league becoming a 2 team competition, while at best 3 teams, the Serie A is also a two team competition (wether italians admit it or not).

while the Champions League has gotten really noticably weak in the last 2-3 seasons. last season the the quarterfinals were the most onesided afairs in the history of the competition, with the eventuall semifinalists (barca, madrid, utd, schalke) all winning both home and away and with big big scores too in the quarterfinals, the semifinals were pretty onesided as well with Man Utd winning 6-1 on aggregate without any trouble at all and the same with Barca, although with a 3-1 aggregate over Real Madrid. It was simply too easy, not these teams were gods, but it was just too easy. the competition was weak. and now we see it again this season in the champions league. with teams like Apoel, Benfica, Marseille and to a certain degree an alltime weak chelsea making the quarterfinals is a clear indication that football as a healthy competition is going the wrong way in terms of quality/competitiveness. 10 years ago teams that weak wouldn't even come out of the groupstages, let alone making it all the way to the quarterfinals. again not because these so called ''small teams'' are strong, but simply because the competition they have faced have been relatively of low quality.

Now I don't want you think I am nostalgic. I am not, first of all i am lover of Football, and I love healthy competition. That's what makes football so interisting. That there are 90+ minutes of football, and 11 men vs 11 men, with the outcome first know after the 90+ minutes. But these days football as a competition to watch is not as interisting any more. Specially the top tournaments are too predictable. the quality of competition is decreasing. as a lover of the beautiflu game I hope competition get better in the upcoming years. right now it's simply too predictibale and that is what makes uninteristing/boring.

Btw. I have no specific team that I support. I just watch like to watch quality football matches, where both teams can defeat each other. what is not the case in top competition very often nowadays.

okey thanx for reading and i hope we can have a healthy discussion about this topic, as fans of this beatufil healthy sports competition.

I agree with you.

I said something similar in another thread and got roasted for it.

How many shots did Apoel have?

Quarter final of the champions league and not one shot. Fair play to them for getting there but this has been a lame champions league in ages.

Benfica didn't show up either.

Next season when there are more quality teams there it should be indefinitely entertaining.

Well it happens if teams collapse between seasons. Neverkusen were fine last season, but they sucked in this one, but of course they're still in the UCL. Same goes for Marseille. They're potentially a great team, it's just that they qualified in a better run of form than they're in now. Nothing you can do about it.

And it doesn't help that clubs like Real, Barca, Bayern, Milan or the English clubs buy all the talent. :X

If it were up to the people in this thread, we'd have the same exact CL quarters, semis and finals every year for the rest of our lives. What an exciting prospect.....

Some people need to realise this is a tournament not a league and anything can happen when it comes to knockouts, inferior teams or not.

APOEL beating Lyon is one example, Chelsea overturning their result to Napoli and Arsenal almost surprising AC Milan.

The level of teams simply does not matter anything can happen and usually will, as we all know. Look at Inter knocking out Barcelona for instance.

Barcelona has only had to put up with Milan, every other team they have faced has been utter garbage not even slightly inferior.

Man Utd had one of the easiest groups around and yet couldn't get out of the groups.

Give respect to the teams that got there and how they did it.

APOEL has been a breath of fresh air in the comp as a whole imo and I have been pleasantly surprised by their brand of football.

The OP sounds like a butt hurt fan whos team has been knocked out or a Barcelona fan take your pic, but either way I am right lmao

REWB wrote:Its UEFA giving Madrid APOEL!!, its fixed ffs, they just want RM to win the CL!!. The amount of week teams RM have been getting these past two years in the Quarters, last 16 and the group stages have been ridiculous.

"The amount of weak teams Real has been given in the quarters over the past two years" - I'll take a wild guess and say it was "two", "two weak teams, over the past two years in the quarters" - am I right?

suddenly totenham become weak even though they beat you at home last season

VivaStPauli wrote:

REWB wrote:Its UEFA giving Madrid APOEL!!, its fixed ffs, they just want RM to win the CL!!. The amount of week teams RM have been getting these past two years in the Quarters, last 16 and the group stages have been ridiculous.

"The amount of weak teams Real has been given in the quarters over the past two years" - I'll take a wild guess and say it was "two", "two weak teams, over the past two years in the quarters" - am I right?

Apparently getting AC Milan last season in the groups and Barcelona in the semi's is having it rigged so we win it lmao

Lex wrote:If it were up to the people in this thread, we'd have the same exact CL quarters, semis and finals every year for the rest of our lives. What an exciting prospect.....

I'd rather watch united vs juventus, Madrid vs Milan, Barca vs Bayern every year than real Madrid thrash Apoel 99% of the time ect.

With the other teams mentioned at least there's always a greater chance of a more entertaining game.

Not a crime at all.

Soooo...........

Did anyone else watch the 2009 and 2011 finals......?

I suppose not.

@ crimson where did i say semi finals?

and last season milan were much weaker than this season, they didnt have ibra etc and they got beat by spurs....

REWB wrote:@ crimson where did i say semi finals?

and last season milan were much weaker than this season, they didnt have ibra etc and they got beat by spurs....

lol what????, Ibra was playing and so where all their other star player, including Pato and them lot.... i bet they had as many shots on target as Apoel did

nonsense, the only quality team with the logic some have that we can face is Barca because all the others are inferior..... watch people say the quarters between Bayern and Marseille was fixed if Marseille knock them out

*sigh*

REWB wrote:@ crimson where did i say semi finals?

and last season milan were much weaker than this season, they didnt have ibra etc and they got beat by spurs....

everything is right in this except the ibra part, it's his 2nd season with us. but yes, we were much weaker last season in overall quality and depth.

REWB wrote:@lord hades, WTH are you talking about? spurs are inexperianced in the CL, and so what if they beat us at home its the league ffs, fulham beat us at home does it mean they are a strong team? wtf lol

Fulham have given Man U more trouble than your team will ever do

halamadrid2 wrote:

REWB wrote:@ crimson where did i say semi finals?

and last season milan were much weaker than this season, they didnt have ibra etc and they got beat by spurs....

lol what????, Ibra was playing and so where all their other star player, including Pato and them lot.... i bet they had as many shots on target as Apoel did

nonsense, the only quality team with the logic some have that we can face is Barca because all the others are inferior..... watch people say the quarters between Bayern and Marseille was fixed if Marseille knock them out

*sigh*

FYI, half our squad was injured for the games against Tottenham and we dominated in possession and shots on target in both legs... you clearly didn't watch the games... or was your comment sarcastic?

What's entertaining about monotony?

It obviously won't always be the same result though will it with the teams mentioned competing.

Unlike Apoel were they will lose 99% of the time.

I think people forget you don't have to be a minor team to be an underdog.

You can only beat who's in front of you.. Not our fault those traditionally big clubs didn't make it

Btw I wouldn't mind those 'big clubs' every year.. That's why I'm all for the European Super League

Forza Rossoneri wrote:
FYI, half our squad was injured for the games against Tottenham and we dominated in possession and shots on target in both legs... you clearly didn't watch the games... or was your comment sarcastic?

no offense to Spurs, but does that really matter???? i mean your B team should be better than them

not only that but you qualified for the knock-out stages in the last match day(or the one before)

My comment was of our game, and yes it was slightly sarcastic since you had a number of shots...

so this whole Madrid never face quality teams is just a myth since we did face a quality team last year and did well, what other quality team is left, Chelsea??? Benfica??? oh lord

Cassius_Case wrote:Unlike Apoel were they will lose 99% of the time

So how did APOEL top their group and make it past Lyon?

Cassius_Case wrote:It obviously won't always be the same result though will it with the teams mentioned competing.

Unlike Apoel were they will lose 99% of the time.

I think people forget you don't have to be a minor team to be an underdog.

wow that 1 % carried them all the way to the Quarter Final, knocking out teams like Porto, Shaktar and Lyon along the way.... dat statistician

Lex wrote:

Cassius_Case wrote:Unlike Apoel were they will lose 99% of the time

So how did APOEL top their group and make it past Lyon?

I mean in the quarter finals ect vs the likes of Madrid, Barca, Bayern and Milan in the champions league.

It's not a farcry to say they will be beat 99% of the time.

I'm not afraid to give credit out and credit goes to them for beating Lyon, even though Lyon aren't as great as they used to be there are way bigger than Apoel which deserves respect.