Andy

Think it's more to do with the fact the vast majority of their best 11 have declined as players. Aye. Bring that team from four years ago forward in time and they'd still win this world cup. They're just not as good as they used to be in key areas.

Somebody should put all this in a dossier of some kind and send it to the club.

Agreed. England shouldn't be losing to these. Been a vintage Italian performance so far tbh.

He really is beginning to resemble someone we all love. Fred's always like this for Brazil. He has a knack of doing absolutely nowt then scoring.

I'd love to know how Carr feels about all this. Not that buy I into this notion of his scouting being on a prophetic level like some, but Pardew's making him look really shite.

Aye, it's worse

Aye coz Real Madrid never do that do they? Not the set piece part , no. Eh? Of course they do. Have you watched them play against Barcelona at any point over the last decade? Atletico are basically adopting the same approach but doing it better. Under Carlo? Nope. That might have something to do with the fact that they're actually on par with Barcelona this year, though. The likes of Di Maria are as bad as anyone for rolling around looking for free kicks.

Aye coz Real Madrid never do that do they? Not the set piece part , no. Eh? Of course they do. Have you watched them play against Barcelona at any point over the last decade? Atletico are basically adopting the same approach but doing it better.

Aye coz Real Madrid never do that do they?

How many times are Atleti going to make that mistake with Costa?

They were murdered by a Costa-less Atletico in the champions league like.

Better left as a forum IMO. I've always liked the idea of the website being impartial; as soon as you start writing articles, those articles are associated as being the opinion of the site as a whole as opposed to that of the author. A front page that acted as a portal for the forum is more inline with the N-O ethos, I think, but I dunno how much work that would be to set up and maintain - a fair bit, I'd imagine.

Hopefully Atleti will score an early goal, for the sake of the match. Well I surely hope so! If they do, which i very much doubt, I might tune in. Getting an early goal against the best defence in the PL+2 extra defenders away from home is a massive task. I really want so see an all Madrid final though. Would be insane. Yup, it'll likely require a moment of magic from Costa, Turan or Koke, especially since Atletico are better themselves at hitting teams on the break than they are at trying to unlock them. I can easily see this one stretching all the way to penalties tbh.

Hopefully Atleti will score an early goal, for the sake of the match.

Much more fret in that Atletico team this week with Turan and Adrian in (if the good Adrian turns up), would be surprised if they didn't score at least once tonight.

Talking as if Mourinho vs Ronaldo is more "special" than the final being a local derby as well.

Not convinced it's "job done" at all, Clive. Simeone will be perfectly content with not slipping an away goal.

Because Atletico completely outplayed Barcelona in the quarter final both offensively and defensively?

Conserving I think, they're playing with nowhere near their usual energy at the minute.

Ref spoiling this game already here, whistle happy.

Simeone is the manager Pardew wishes he was. Atletico's combination of defensive organisation and transitional, attractive attacking play is absolutely first rate. Great team to watch.

Not sure I agree with that at all. Only their full-backs and Hazard would get into that PSG team for me at the minute.

Verratti wasn't at his best in the first half but he was better in the second when he played at a higher tempo. His style of play isn't always suited to being as deep as he often plays like.

Blanc is very negative at times like, considering the players at his disposal. I find PSG frustrating to watch at times, especially when they go a goal ahead.

Lavezzi and Silva were better imo. Lavezzi MoM. Aye, Lavezzi was definitely the best player on the pitch. Motta is consistently tidy as fuck though, hardly gives the ball away.