City have a chance. Juventus would be tough for them also though.

Arsenal would struggle against all 3 and Juve too, Arsenal just haven't got the style or the quality to seriously challenge, no offense intended.

Arsenal just play way too open, and they haven't got the quality to sit back against these teams and nick a goal and then counter, so Arsenal have to play but then usually go 1-0 down and then have to duly open up even more to try and attack and then get caught. Happens every year and Wenger never changes, You haven't even got a consistent goalscorer or striker.

It's Atletico Madrid who are best placed to take advantage of any weakness in the big 3, not Arsenal.

Man City have the best chance of the English sides.

Who is a match winner for Arsenal?

City have the likes of KDB + Aguero
Juve have Higuain plus a midfield with the likes of Pjanic and Marchisio
PSG have Cavani, Verrati, Matuidi, Di Maria
Madrid have Ronaldo, Bale
Barca have Messi, Neymar, Suarez
Bayern have Robben, Ribery, Muller, Lewandowski
Arsenal have Sanchez who is very good but is clearly not a striker and is pretty easy to mark out of a game with 2 people on him and an inconsistent Ozil

That's the difference, you need match winners and a rock solid defense. Spurs probably have a better chance

See all of that and i even forgot all about Atletico probably the best defense in europe plus a match winner in Griezmann

Not sure how Bayern have had an indifferent start. They'd won every game prior to the weekend. Would hardly call Madrid shocking under Zidane, they've only lost twice since he's been coach.

Not that this matters when it comes to judging them come the knockout stages. They'll still be the teams to beat I reckon.

Aresnal will draw barca and go out 5/-0 on aggregate, it's the standard script. City, who knows, not good enough to win it as the big euro teams are still too far ahead. But they should do quite well.

Most pundits agree Bayern haven't been great Zlatan and the last two results had been coming.

I agree it's early though.

It's form March-May that matters and that's where Arsenal always fall down in the CL.

Arsenal will win it easily

I honestly can’t see past United this year. I think the stength and power of Zlatan and Pogba will be too much for European sides who won’t be used to that type of player in their leagues. Can see a United Barca final, with United blowing Barca away 3 or 4 nil with goals from set pieces.

Still wouldn't call five wins and a draw from six games an indifferent start.

comment by Zlatan The King Ibrahimovic (U10026)
posted 12 minutes ago
Still wouldn't call five wins and a draw from six games an indifferent start.
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I think the atletico result is also being considered here but I get your point hence I said it hasnt been bad. Its actually Ancoletti who I question more than anything.They have a wonderful team Bayern, almost as good as Barca.

You did say indifferent domesic campaigns, to be fair.

I do agree to an extent with regard to Ancelotti's league winning credentials having question marks over them.

Though I think their squad is just too strong for him to fail at Bayern.

comment by Into the Sunset, or into the Abyss I'm always cruising baby (Formerly Oscar).Haven 2015/16 H2H League Winner (U12980)
posted 53 minutes ago
Who is a match winner for Arsenal?

City have the likes of KDB + Aguero
Juve have Higuain plus a midfield with the likes of Pjanic and Marchisio
PSG have Cavani, Verrati, Matuidi, Di Maria
Madrid have Ronaldo, Bale
Barca have Messi, Neymar, Suarez
Bayern have Robben, Ribery, Muller, Lewandowski
Arsenal have Sanchez who is very good but is clearly not a striker and is pretty easy to mark out of a game with 2 people on him and an inconsistent Ozil

That's the difference, you need match winners and a rock solid defense. Spurs probably have a better chance
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If you are going to list Cavani then you may aswell put Giroud there.

I get your point about being solid defensively and having match winners but Bayern and Barca have won the competition playing open and Dortmund got to the final playing the same way.

Even Fergies last united played some open stuff and only got ripped by barca in the final at Wembley.Sometimes your progression in the CL can depend on the turmoil or instability at the top clubs aligned with some luck.

We may not have the worlds best match winner but we arent rubbish either and our record in europe is far superior to both city and spurs although I must admit city have had some tough draws in the last few seasons.

comment by taxidriver (U21039)
posted 8 minutes ago


We may not have the worlds best match winner but we arent rubbish either and our record in europe is far superior to both city and spurs although I must admit city have had some tough draws in the last few seasons.
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Our record is terrible, Spurs have got to a CL quarter final more recently than us ffs and City got to the semis last season - something we haven't done in 7 years. Even when we had really good teams our record was average. We're just not equipped for the CL and I get the impression the manager doesn't prioritise it.

Yeah thing with that is that you're jumping the gun with regard to this supposed turmoil and instability at the top clubs.

The main question marks over Madrid and Barça are their managers, which is almost a paradox considering both lifted the CL in their maiden seasons at those clubs. The main secret of their CL success is not their tactical acumen (which seems rather limited), but that they've known how to man-manage at clubs where the players are (somewhat arguably in the case of Real Madrid) bigger than their managers.


Anyhow, form in October might offer a few clues, but as far as the CL's concerned, it's more about pacing yourself initially (doing enough to qualify top of yourgruop), and then hitting top form at the sharp end.

Btw, OP, Madrid's first win against Atlético didn't go down to penos, it finished 4-1 a.e.t.

The op doesn't let little things like facts get in the way of his waffling on, ioag.

comment by Zlatan The King Ibrahimovic (U10026)
posted 14 minutes ago
The op doesn't let little things like facts get in the way of his waffling on, ioag.
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That's true and if we win it would be there with Chelsea's win in terms of shock value. Still, though, when you see stuff like this coming out:

"Arsenal just play way too open, and they haven't got the quality to sit back against these teams and nick a goal and then counter, so Arsenal have to play but then usually go 1-0 down and then have to duly open up even more to try and attack and then get caught. Happens every year and Wenger never changes, You haven't even got a consistent goalscorer or striker."

you wonder if people ever actually watch us play. Pretty much every big game we've played over the last two or three years since that season when we constantly got smashed in every big game, we've played a counter attacking game and done well from it. Our problem is we get knocked out by the garbage sides. We also have a good defence; it's our attack that's the problem.

Our problem is we get knocked out by the garbage sides.
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Don't your recent eliminations read something like United, Barça, Milan, Barça, Bayern, Bayern, Monaco, Barça?

Monaco was a shock, Milan perhaps unexpected, but garbage is a bit strong looking back at that record...

Barca have had very few games this season when they’d had the front three starting. It’s like the potent front 3 of Rashford Rooney, Lingard without Rooney. It just doesn’t work, so hard to judge their form on that.

Conceding goals has certainly been a problem for Arsenal in the knock out stages of the CL, though.

I think with Arsenal it’s not who knocks them out but who provides the knock out assist. They get knocked out by Barca, Bayern etc because they lose in the group to Olympiakos or the Maldives or such and finish second, setting up the tie with the top sides.

Bore off Barry. You were tedious a few years ago and you still are now.

Wouldn't read too much into the form of clubs right now in all honesty. Some teams gear their training to enable them to peak at certain times.

Barca's issue is that last year they were burnt out later on in the season so they've added to the squad to keep them all fresh.... however Luis Enrique is making too many changes at times which leaves them looking disjointed.

And they aren't as good without Messi.