22 May 2024 23:09:20
Fair play Atalanta beat us and Leverkusen to win the Cup. Well deserved and perhaps take a bit of the sting out of our loss. They obviously aren’t mugs.
23 May 2024 06:46:44
Football is a funny old game and Lookman has obviously found life to his liking in Bergamo. I mean who wouldn’t?
It highlighted to me that we should believe we can win any game but not expect to win every game. The difference is subtle but quite important.
Well played Leverkusen for an amazing season. They still have one more trophy to play for.
Well played Atalanta, what a season for them. And yes, it makes our loss more palatable.
23 May 2024 08:53:45
Yup, fair play to Atalanta, they played exactly the same game as they played against us at Anfield, just no room to breathe for a second, such a hard working team with some real dynamism on the flanks, I was really impressed, and was lovely to see Gasperini celebrate his first trophy win. And I agree, takes a bit of the sting out of it to say we lost to the eventual winners!
23 May 2024 10:47:06
I Think Alonso might’ve shown a little bit of inexperience and stubbornness, to be brutally honest. Why on earth was Frimpiong playing as the main attacking outlet? Dropping both Schick and Boniface was a very poor decision. And not even in hindsight, it was obvious about 5 minutes into the game. So it wasn’t great he doubled down on the mistake by waiting too long to change things.
I’m sure he’ll bounce back and hopefully he wins a very impressive domestically unbeaten double at the weekend. What he’s done in less than 2 years with a team that was in a relegation battle when he arrived, is nothing short of sensational. Sometimes in the big finals it’s easy to overthink things rather than stick to what got you there. Even the great Guardiola has done it several times.
23 May 2024 11:28:30
Tbh I’m surprised Alonso didn’t move on this year unless he has guarantees of the Real Madrid job. His stock will never be higher imo and if he loses a few players and they have an awful season next year with champs league interfering with league performance this decision could totally backfire.
23 May 2024 11:41:24
The unbeatables got gubbed.
Xabi has made a mistake staying at Leverkusen, he’ll learn.
23 May 2024 11:58:47
I suspect Atalanta would have beaten anyone put in front of them last night, including City and Real. The aggression in the press was unreal - especially for a May final. A masterclass from Gasparini.
Was it refreshing? Yes. Is it sustainable? No.
23 May 2024 12:19:19
Don’t see how people can say xabi has made a mistake staying put. By that reasoning if he would have joined us and we won the prem a champions league in first season he should have then moved on to probably Madrid? Maybe he wants to try and do a shanks and build a dynasty? Hats off to him I say.
23 May 2024 12:43:47
Mistakes teach people the way of life. God knows I made many in my life and many of us have, all of us have anyway. Alonso is at the beginning of his managerial career, mistakes and bad decisions will only make him better. He's intelligent enough to learn from them. We can't learn if we don't make mistakes.
I believe he made the right choice staying there I must say. But I also believe next season he will leave and go on to do well at a bigger club, where? Who knows. Good luck to the fella.
23 May 2024 15:50:35
The point is Scouse John it’s virtually impossible for him to build a dynasty at a club like Leverkusen because as soon as they do well all of their best players will be poached.
That being said from a moral standpoint I think he was right to stay put. He’s a living legend there so for him to give them at least another season and lead them into the Champions League was absolutely the right thing to do.
Would you want a manager who just jumped ship as soon as a better offer came along?
He’ll move next summer if the right offer comes in I’ve no doubt about that and he’ll still be loved and revered in Leverkusen for what he has done.
Similar to Slot in many ways, he won the league with Feyenord last season and had offers from Spurs and Chelsea which were no doubt very lucrative but stayed to honour his commitment.
23 May 2024 16:30:07
Beckers I get that the club could pull the rug from under him and take offers on players that there though is reason to to say ah f this. See what happens this summer I suppose.
23 May 2024 18:46:58
Of course, MKS. Xabi himself, recognises he is not experienced enuff at this level. There is a reason why Xabi wanted to stay at Bayer and ply his trade and learn. He went up against a guy in Gasperini who has been in the trenches for decades and frankly, Xabi got his arse handed to him which in the end, was not surprising cos it is part of the learning curve.
As for Atalanta, they would have battered whover played against them last night, as @Pelican said. We all would like to believ that we could have beaten them. Sorry, we had NO chance against such a well-coached, well-drilled team with the way we were playing at the time, fact.
Hats off to Gasperini (career validated right there, IMO), the team and esp. Lookman who scored 3 absolute belters in a European final to the point that I am having a hard time picking the best of his 3 goals even tho, Im leaning towards his 3rd goal.
23 May 2024 20:45:19
Leverkusen will go the same way as Leicester and Blackburn.
Bayern had a rare bad season. BL had a purple patch.
It happens, once in a blue moon.
BL won’t win it again.
They also won’t do anything in the Champions League, you need years of competing in it to challenge.
So his players will be sold. Bayern will bounce back and champions league will be a fruitless distraction.
He’s peaked in BL, the only way is down.
24 May 2024 15:07:44
A bit harsh in your judgement there, Ron. Let's give it som time to see what Xabi learns from this beat-down moving forward.