I still can't believe they paid 50 million for David Luiz if they aren't going to play him at centre back, how they don't trust him there. What was the point in that then, they could have spunked out 50 million on a really good midfielder, baffles me, was it merchandise or recognition? He does actually have a lot of fame in brazil, I believe his own facebook page has more likes than Manchester City or something like that.

I'll back whoever knocks out Barcelona, would hate to seem them win it. 

 

Couldn't care less if Barcelona win it. I just hope Real Madrid or PSG don't win it.

I still can't believe they paid 50 million for David Luiz if they aren't going to play him at centre back, how they don't trust him there. 

 

He plays Centre back for them. He played in midfield twice because of midfield injuries.

Edited March 20, 201511 yr by Stim

I am in the other group when it comes to Barca. I actually enjoy watching them more than any other team (well apart from chelsea, but only when we don't park the bus lol) and the fact they haven't had to spend millions and millions on players every year, and instead use their academy products, is another reason I have a preference for them. However, if I am to support anybody left in the CL, then I'll be rooting for Atletico to go all the way - i have a soft spot for them for some reason. 

He plays Centre back for them. He played in midfield twice because of midfield injuries.

 

But they seemed to have all there midfielders, Matuidi, Verratti, Motta?

In the second leg yes, where he played at CB. First leg Motta was missing. But still, he has played in midfield twice, and at CB 27 times. He is their starting CB with silva

Edited March 20, 201511 yr by Stim

I'll back whoever knocks out Barcelona, would hate to seem them win it.

I'm with you, although I would be gnashing my teeth if Munich or Real were to win it instead. Still, if it's for a good cause...

I am in the other group when it comes to Barca. I actually enjoy watching them more than any other team (well apart from chelsea, but only when we don't park the bus lol) and the fact they haven't had to spend millions and millions on players every year, and instead use their academy products, is another reason I have a preference for them. However, if I am to support anybody left in the CL, then I'll be rooting for Atletico to go all the way - i have a soft spot for them for some reason. 

Theyve spent well over £200m in the past few years, and have spent big quite often. Their hypocrisy and sniffy attitude to any other way of playing football to theirs (strangely especially when they lose) is pathetic, and this "more than a club" bollocks shows them to be as much a bunch of dicks as any other club. The way they played football used to bore me silly, and still does to a point though they are more direct now and actually decent to watch. So in summing up, I hope anyone wins rather than them.

I am in the other group when it comes to Barca. I actually enjoy watching them more than any other team (well apart from chelsea, but only when we don't park the bus lol) and the fact they haven't had to spend millions and millions on players every year, and instead use their academy products, is another reason I have a preference for them. However, if I am to support anybody left in the CL, then I'll be rooting for Atletico to go all the way - i have a soft spot for them for some reason. 

 

Suarez, Neymar, Ibrahimovic and Fabregas and David Villa are all in the top 20 most expensive transfers of all time. 

 

This summer alone they just signed:

Claudio Bravo

Ivan Rakitic

Luis Suarez

Jeremy Mathieu

Thomas Vermaelen

Douglas

 

For around £120m. 

I'm glad PSG got drawn against Barca.

I hope Barca tear them a new one.

The Barca thing is interesting, of course they didn’t promote every one of their players and they have too spend quite a few quid on their current squad.

I think many always go back to the team of around 09-12 when they had Puyol, Xavi, Valdes, Iniesta, Messi, Pique, Pedro and Busquets. That’s around 8 first team players who won the lot with Barca and were part of a European dominant side. That’s bloody impressive if you ask me and it’s a huge success story of La Masia.

However since then a few of those players have regressed or close to retirement and we are still yet to see if the academy will continue the success of that golden era for Barca. They have had to spend quite a bit as pointed out in previous posts to even out the current squad.

Although they did have to buy back Pique, Cesc and Alba.

 

Suarez, Neymar, Ibrahimovic and Fabregas and David Villa are all in the top 20 most expensive transfers of all time. 

 

This summer alone they just signed:

Claudio Bravo

Ivan Rakitic

Luis Suarez

Jeremy Mathieu

Thomas Vermaelen

Douglas

 

For around £120m. 

 

 

I know it can sound a bit ridiculous when you say they have hardly spent, but compare that to Real Madrid and you'll see the difference.

 

Barcelona's academy products has never really been accomplished before, not from what I've known of anyway, Xavi, Messi, Iniesta, Puyol, Pique, Valdes, Pedro, Busquets all from the youth when Barcelona were having there invincible times a few years ago. That's very impressive from any club really.

I know it can sound a bit ridiculous when you say they have hardly spent, but compare that to Real Madrid and you'll see the difference.

 

Barcelona's academy products has never really been accomplished before, not from what I've known of anyway, Xavi, Messi, Iniesta, Puyol, Pique, Valdes, Pedro, Busquets all from the youth when Barcelona were having there invincible times a few years ago. That's very impressive from any club really.

 

United did it to with Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, Butt, P. Neville, G. Neville. 

 

Every now and then it just works out for a club. 

 

The big advantage Barca have is that they have their B team playing an extremely high level of football every single year, which is superb for player development. 

 

If Chelsea for example had Chelsea B playing in the Championship every season our record for player development would be infinitely better than it currently is.

 

But comparing Barca's spending to Madrid's is a bit of stacked argument, everyone knows that Madrid are pretty loose with their money and have been for years now, what with the "Galacticos" team which contained Beckham, Zidane, Ronaldo, R. Carlos etc. 

 

But contrast Barca's spending with the likes of us, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, AC Milan I don't think there would be a particularly big difference. 

I thought Barcelona were a bit more interestying to watch against Cuty than they were under Guardiola.

United did it to with Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, Butt, P. Neville, G. Neville. 

 

Every now and then it just works out for a club. 

 

The big advantage Barca have is that they have their B team playing an extremely high level of football every single year, which is superb for player development. 

 

If Chelsea for example had Chelsea B playing in the Championship every season our record for player development would be infinitely better than it currently is.

 

But comparing Barca's spending to Madrid's is a bit of stacked argument, everyone knows that Madrid are pretty loose with their money and have been for years now, what with the "Galacticos" team which contained Beckham, Zidane, Ronaldo, R. Carlos etc. 

 

But contrast Barca's spending with the likes of us, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, AC Milan I don't think there would be a particularly big difference. 

 

Yeah that's a good point. However I would still say the Barcelona side then was way ahead of the United side in the mid and late 90's.

They made the Europa League quarter-final draw as well:

 

Sevilla - Zenit St Petersburg
Club Brugge - Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Dynamo Kiev - Fiorentina
Wolfsburg - Napoli

Sevilla to retain it? They've done it before

Also if they win it they'll be the first team to win it 4 times

Edited March 20, 201511 yr by Bobbywoodhogan

Just been On Demand on Sky looking at Sky Sports stuff and I noticed they have all the Premier League Years available on there except the three seasons that we were crowned Champions. I just wonder why? Wonder if it's because they're expecting us to win the title and want to air them all together or something.

they've been censored by the Chelsea hating; Liverpool loving SKY media moguls. If they pretend the last decade was just a dream it makes them all feel  a bit better.

Any football tragedy is just that and I say so before I ask this; does the media constantly try to make up to Liverpool for the Sun group's misgivings over Hillsborough? I apologise if that is harsh, but I really do wonder why there is this Liverpool love in.

i think it's a generational thing - the people in charge now are mostly in their 50s, the pundits are drawn predominantly from Liverpool and that helps support a culture that hankers for a resurgence of Liverpool - it's as much nostalgia as anything

 

i had a row with my Liverpool loving brother-in-law about this last Sunday. He hit me with "People hate Chelsea because they are pretending to be something they are not."

 

What do you mean? I asked. "Chelsea make out they are a big club but they're not, not like Liverpool" He replied.

 

I told him it was his problem, not ours. We are afterall the most successful English club in Europe in the last decade, we've won 12 trophies in 10 years, we have a massive world wide fan base and the ability to attract some of the world's best players.

 

In contrast, Liverpool fans in their 50s are hoping for a return to 1978. It's gone, they had their purple patch it's gone. United dominated for 20 years, we've been top quality for more than a decade and now City are competing at a top level.

 

He banged on about history and big club blah blah - so I told him Huddersfield Town were a big club in the 1920s, the only thing that counts is who is winning now.      

I hate that "we're a big club" stuff, it's all bollocks when you get down to it.

big bollocks

I wouldn't mind betting Jose has more than his fair share in the testicular area.