The objective with Higuain was specifically to add the missing piece: a top CF. As noted it almost worked. The only CF who could have guaranteed a CL was Ronaldo
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Champions League 2025-26 (13 Viewers)
- Thread starter Mark
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I'm talking about the decision to sign him more than his impact. As a forum we've been over this many times but looking back the other signings we made alongside Ronaldo were piss poor and contributed to the squad collapsing. If we'd made better choices the team could have maintained the level it had been at.
Higgers was to be the missing piece. We spent so much on him because (apart from that we had the money) he was a cast-iron guarantee of goals, excepting the scrutiny over his record in big games. We were world class across the squad except at CF. We did have Mandzukic but he wasn't properly banging them in (though Dybala was). In the end Higuain delivered and we did return to or even imo surpass the level of the Berlin team but it still wasn't enough.
With Cristiano as the CF in that squad we'd have won the CL. The later squad with CR7 was in shambles and wasn't a terrifying football machine like the Cardiff team.
Higgers was to be the missing piece. We spent so much on him because (apart from that we had the money) he was a cast-iron guarantee of goals, excepting the scrutiny over his record in big games. We were world class across the squad except at CF. We did have Mandzukic but he wasn't properly banging them in (though Dybala was). In the end Higuain delivered and we did return to or even imo surpass the level of the Berlin team but it still wasn't enough.
With Cristiano as the CF in that squad we'd have won the CL. The later squad with CR7 was in shambles and wasn't a terrifying football machine like the Cardiff team.
I know this sport is all about cash nowadays, but I think Uefa should go back to the days when you had to win the league to play in the CL. What we see in Serie A these days is clubs like the current Juve that just barely hobbles into 4th place so they can secure CL participation and then never actually contend for the CL title in any meaningful way. It's such a waste of time.
That Bayern vs Real Madrid game was everything that is fun about football. It was just back and forth with both teams attacking and trying to score goals. At the end of the game, it was almost as if both teams forgot there was a 2nd leg, and were just exposed in the back with chance after chance trying to get another goal. I can't believe it finished 2-1.
That performance by Neuer, at age 40, was all time. Even the goal he gave up he got his hand on and almost made an incredible save.
That performance by Neuer, at age 40, was all time. Even the goal he gave up he got his hand on and almost made an incredible save.
Michael Oliver to officiate tomorrow's first leg between Real Madrid and Bayern at the Santiago Bernabeu.
