Midweek European Games

[localny]

he was in a bloody hard group and levelled with the other two, its not as though he was disgraced.

Don't mess with the agenda of the Ross! He loathes winning the CL in 2005! How could the manager do such a thing!

 

[Rosco]

he was in a bloody hard group and levelled with the other two, its not as though he was disgraced.

Hey, I was told not too long ago on here that a bad outcome was 99% as a result of a manager not doing his job well. ( and vice versa)

I personally think that's a load of bollox and too many factors outside of the managers control are always present to be able to place an awful lot of praise or blame on a manager. And I think this is a perfect example of that.

 

[Glen C]

It's amazing that the greatest champions league manager of all time can't get his team through to the knockout stages, but David Moyes can get his there.

Who's ever said he was the greatest champions league manager of all time?

 

[Jack D Rips]

My local team would have qualified from utd's group. Bayer qualified with 10 points, Napoli went out on GD with 12 points in a group with Arsenal and Dortmund. Amazingly Zenit qualified with just 6 points. The luck of the draw I suppose

 

[Ryan]

Yup I think he has been.

But by your logic (and the majority of people on this sites') he's just failed massively.

I wouldn't say that. Did you expect Napoli to win the Champions League? Did you expect them to finish above last year's CL finalists and Arsenal (who's been in the CL for 15 odd consecutive years) in that group?

 

[Jack D Rips]

Napoli are the first team in CL history to get 12 points and not finish in the top two of their group.

 

[Frogfish]

Tough luck Rafa. Would have loved to see Arsenal in the EL ...... and Ross totally pissed off. Hope Napoli go on to win the EL now.

 

[rurikbird]

Meanwhile, Zenit St. Petersburg have been humiliated by Austria Wien 4:1, but still managed to qualify because Porto lost to Atletico Madrid. They set the record of lowest points haul (6) ever for a 2nd placed team and also have a -4 goal difference. So Napoli didn't qualify with 12 points and Zenit qualified with 6, how crazy is that! Even Russian fans are feeling sorry for Higuain right now (and tearing into their team). It's not going to be a happy winter for Zenit, especially since everybody knows that they have almost no chance of advancing beyond 1/8. All the possible opponents are much stronger.

The other Gazprom-sponsored team (Schalke 04) also qualified in part because of the most egregious offside non-decision you'll ever see:

 

[juniormember]

What a poor, poor, decision.

 

[Fox]

Didn't you say that 'winning the Champions League has more to do with luck' though?

By your logic, Rafa has been nothing more than unlucky tonight.

If they hadn't rolled over at Arsenal that may have helped.

Only themselves to blame.

 

[Le Chacal]

Gazprom are one of the main sponsor of the Champions League...

 

[Jack D Rips]

There are a number of things I could call that lino. And honest is not one of them.

 

[King Binny]

My local team would have qualified from utd's group. Bayer qualified with 10 points, Napoli went out on GD with 12 points in a group with Arsenal and Dortmund. Amazingly Zenit qualified with just 6 points. The luck of the draw I suppose

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...el-pellegrini-just-doesnt-add-up-9001745.html

Mathematics in the Champions League? “Tell me about it!” as I think the English like to say. Our Napoli team accumulated 12 points in our group by beating Arsenal at Stadio San Paolo on Wednesday and still did not qualify. The last team to score that many points and not go to the knockout stages was PSG in 1997. What can you do? We look at Zenit St Petersburg who are through from their group with only six points. Repeat: What can you do?!