182 Comments
User's avatar
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

I don't think there are many players, in the world, who can kick a ball harder with their left foot than Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane. They'll, uh, be on the same team next season.

Expand full comment
Cousin_Drew's avatar

Bayern's scouting reports: "Basically Arjen Robben - check"

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

Crikey I forgot about Sane...What's weird to me is Boateng is still there. Weren't they willing to drive him to whomever was willing to pay recently?

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

WTFFFFFFFF

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Kicking a Soccer Ball Is Hard, Champions League Semifinal Edition, Version 3.0

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Bayern are gonna be tough to beat if teams keep missing breakaways against them.

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

FT Update:

xG: 3.4 Bayern, Lyon 1.65

Shots (OT): 19 (8) Bayern, 9 (3) Lyon

Final-third passes: 87 Bayern, 52 Lyon

Penalty-area passes: 16 Bayern, Lyon 5

Outside of the first 15-20 minutes, that was not particularly close. Hopefully those two semis were penance paid for prime-time final. My early lean is toward PSG -- look at that xG number for Lyon -- but I'm gonna have to dig into it a bit more before giving my OFFICIAL prediction. Thanks for following along as always. We'll do it on Sunday, too. Also, if you're a premium subscriber, be sure to send in your questions for the next mailbag! See y'all soon.

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Not great from the Lyon midfield there; Aouar especially. But woof. What a goal.

Expand full comment
Sam's avatar

aouar looked like antonio cromartie trying to tackle a rb right there

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Truly elite tackle by Thiago Mendes. It's not easy to get your cleat caught on an opponent's shoulder blade.

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Coutinho Tatis Jr.

Expand full comment
Marc F's avatar

Lyon's first Ligue 1 Uber Eats (lol) match is in 9 days against Dijon

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

HT Update:

xG: 2.81 Bayern, 1.01 Lyon

Shots (OT): Bayern 12 (6), Lyon 4 (0)

Final-third passes: Bayern 34, Lyon 23

Penalty-area passes: Bayern 8, Lyon 1

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

Serge Gnabry has entered the chat.

Expand full comment
Marc's avatar

More like Serjen Gnobben

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Caqueret's hair is straight out of the 1930's. Love it.

Expand full comment
Sam's avatar

looking like hes trying to be in perry mason s2

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

One more pre-game nugget, using Stats Perform's data:

-For Bayern against Barca, their possessions that led shots lasted on average for 10.4 seconds and 3.4 passes. For Lyon against City: 1.3 seconds and 0.6 passes.

Expand full comment
Mike's avatar

this nugget already having a moment in that depay miss

Expand full comment
Philip Johnston's avatar

Mueller, again reading the space to block that Goretzka shot

Expand full comment
Mohit Kumar Manhas's avatar

I don't care who wins this match as long as the winner prevents the human rights abuser from winning the CL

Expand full comment
Ryan Wright's avatar

and this team is adding sane next season, europe is fucked

Expand full comment
Patrick S's avatar

Goretzka truthers hive stand up!!!

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Transitive property: Bayern Munich are three goals better than Lyon, who are two goals better than Manchester City, who are therefore one goal better than Barcelona.

Expand full comment
Rick Mahan's avatar

Spurs are also one goal better than Barca, so spurs = City?

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

OK, since this half is a wash: Lyon creating a couple opportunities but Bayern effectively possessing in their own half and sucking the life out of the game. Given the score and the, I guess, "respect" being shown to them does this mean that Lyon are better than Barcelona?

Expand full comment
Cousin_Drew's avatar

Does "less ridiculously volatile" mean "better"? It might!

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

The thing with Lyon is they like move around and stuff. That could be enough to beat The Ghosts of Barcelona.

Expand full comment
Cousin_Drew's avatar

They are clearly better managed and more cohesive, because you don't get routed 8-2 at this level without a psychological collapse. But I wouldn't favor them in a one off match because I'd still expect Barca to score first and score more, and therefore not collapse, if that makes any sense.

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Who's your early pick in PSG-Bayern? And why? (And yes, let's hope this is a jinx.)

Expand full comment
Mohit Kumar Manhas's avatar

I would rather see football vanish from the face of this planet before I see a team backed by Qatar win CL

Expand full comment
Ryan Wright's avatar

we get it

Expand full comment
Ben's avatar

We get it, you cape for human rights abuses

Expand full comment
Nassim Kezoui's avatar

Ben. You also cape for human right abuses by typing this message.

Expand full comment
Ryan Wright's avatar

Cape for this 🖕🏿🖕🏿🖕🏿

Expand full comment
Matthew Meeks's avatar

PSG 3 - Bayern 2. Think Mbappe shreds the Bayern back line.

Expand full comment
Connor's avatar

Ekambi could have 2/3 tonight. Mbappe could go for 4

Expand full comment
Cesar's avatar

Thinking the same. Mbappe brace

Expand full comment
Alex's avatar

Bayern because of what they did to Chelsea, Barcelona, and Lyon in successive rounds. Also because they haven’t lose in about 43 years.

Expand full comment
Marc F's avatar

rooting for neymar, mbappe, and di maria. but i think bayern will win.

Expand full comment
Marc F's avatar

simply: i think bayern's attack is better organized. bayern might have the better keeper if navas isnt able to go.

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

I've got a nagging PSG feeling. Neymar has been saving his goals for a special occasion...I feel like it depends on how economical PSG are in front of goal. Bayern favs. Maybe 3-2 or 2-1 Bayern.

Expand full comment
Sam's avatar

PSG. I trust their defense to hold up slightly more than Bayern's.

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

"Bayern surely cannot lose from two goals up" is bold-talk from Peter Drury. It's like he 1) hasn't watched Bayern's defense, and 2) hasn't watched Champions League soccer over the past 10 years.

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

(He was talking generally, not about this specific game.)

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Lyon still don't have a shot on target ...

Expand full comment
Harrisen's avatar

What's their xG?

Expand full comment
JC's avatar

but can he do it on a wet, windy night at the Hawthorns?

Expand full comment
Patrick S's avatar

Goretzka hunting his own teammates is a fun new wrinkle

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

That -- and Coutinho's assault on every per-90 statistic there is -- are the only things keeping me from falling asleep.

Expand full comment
Cousin_Drew's avatar

So which mediocre team is going to get the heavily subsidized punt on Coutinho next year? What if it was Liverpool?

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Smart money is with the team that is not-so-secretly run by his agent/manager.

Expand full comment
Cousin_Drew's avatar

Well damn, that is extremely boring.

Expand full comment
Sam Martin's avatar

I just moved from Chicago to Vancouver and Alphonso Davies is going to be my side piece to Christian Pulisic's main squeeze

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

I feel with Muller he's teh type of guy who after training dutifully completes and submits the rest of his players taxes like Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption.

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Soccer players don't do their taxes. We know this by now.

Expand full comment
Harrisen's avatar

Good to see the City "miss a chance, give up a goal" disease is contagious

Expand full comment
Philip Johnston's avatar

Hopefully not airborne

Expand full comment
Mike's avatar

I don't know if it's the frenzied Spanish commentary i'm listening to, but this is really fun.

Expand full comment
Sam's avatar

watched every match since restart on univison b/c i dont want to download cbs all access and have no regrets

Expand full comment
Marc's avatar

With the spanish commentary and the way the game is going, this feels like Mexico v Germany 2018

Expand full comment
Hector's avatar

Are we all cheering for Bayern to set up the dream final or are we still cheering for the upset? Kind of annoyed we’re not watching City-Bayern right now.

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

Remember, all you need to do is eat your dessert before your dinner and you too can be like Robert Lewandowski

Expand full comment
Connor's avatar

When's the next podcast coming out Ryan?

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Recording tonight, should be up some time tomorrow.

Expand full comment
Connor's avatar

On a scale of 1-10

How worried are you about Fufi going rogue and usurping your throne as the host of the world's leading soccer Podcast?

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

At the end of the day, I control the means of production. It's been hard enough trying to teach him how to record his own audio. No chance he ever figures out all the other steps.

Expand full comment
Marc F's avatar

need Yung Fufi's Inter analysis

Expand full comment
Ryan Wright's avatar

shambolic defending

Expand full comment
Philip Johnston's avatar

They’re shook now... too bad I was hoping for a French finale

Expand full comment
Ryan Wright's avatar

still rooting for lyon though

Expand full comment
Mohit Kumar Manhas's avatar

A friendly reminder that Gnabry was let go by Arsenal for peanuts

Expand full comment
Cousin_Drew's avatar

I don't think he was "let go" tbf. Dude kinda forced his way out.

Expand full comment
Eric's avatar

Arjen Robben has entered the chat

Expand full comment
Mohit Kumar Manhas's avatar

I just found out over Twitter that Davies's is dating Jordan Huitema who plays for PSG and will against Arsenal on Saturday

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

Who's better Liverpool, Bayern or PSG? This may seem redundant being that Liverpool are out but there's a reason FIFA are creating the Club World Cup in China. Because these questions need to be answered with even more football.

Expand full comment
Christopher Harwick's avatar

4 shots, 3 on target, 2 goals. Decent night.

Expand full comment
Mohit Kumar Manhas's avatar

If we assume that their attacking forces are a wash, both the eye-test and the xGA suggest that PSG were a slightly better team defensively throught the year. So PSG should be a slight favorite.

Expand full comment
Marc F's avatar

is Navas gonna be available for the final? idk much about their back up keeper Rico but i dont think hes better than Navas

Expand full comment
Cousin_Drew's avatar

Of course the lack of depth in the French league definitely contributes to this

Expand full comment
Kyle Mueller's avatar

I think Lyon are pretty lucky that Lewy has decided to abstain from scoring this game.

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

Surely Bayern will play much deeper in the final.

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Maybe! But also, we haven't really seen them do that much this season, if at all.

Expand full comment
Matthew Meeks's avatar

If they play deeper, I'm curious if that allows Neymar to find those pockets of space between the midfield and defense. PSG have lots of ways to beat you with that front three.

Expand full comment
Christopher Harwick's avatar

It'll be interesting to see if they go back to their previous back 4 with Pavard at RB (Kimmich next to Thiago) that turned into a back 3 as Davies bombed forward. I don't think they played quite as high in that set up as they have the past few matches.

Expand full comment
Cousin_Drew's avatar

The Boateng-Alaba pairing seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Curious if they start Hernandez just for the upside.

Expand full comment
Cousin_Drew's avatar

Bayern COULD, at any point, just play the backline they paid upwards of 100m for.

Expand full comment
Ryan Wright's avatar

can't wait for depay's bayern munich diss track after they lose

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

Is Marco Verratti out of the final?

Expand full comment
Sam's avatar

He came off the bench yesterday, so I assume he'd be fine

Expand full comment
Ryan Wright's avatar

i don't think so

Expand full comment
Harrisen's avatar

Assuming Bayern see this out without much drama, how does everyone here feel about the one-leg v two leg approach? UEFA would never give up the TV revenue of the extra games but a part of me feels like they're more interesting and we got a bit lucky to have a few good quarterfinals to spice things up. Just feels like it'd be more fum if Lyon could nab an away goal

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

These games have been fun, but they don't compare to last season. Two legs -- plus the power-boost of the away goal -- is still the best, imo.

Expand full comment
Marc F's avatar

one leg seemed cool at first with the upsets but now its feeling a little sparse. think europa should be single leg though.

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

Though for Man City it doesn't matter. Either way it ends with Pep on his knees screaming at the night sky.

Expand full comment
Harrisen's avatar

Oh for sure, I'm not actually sure changing it to 2 legs this year changes any of the results honestly...

Expand full comment
Jonathan's avatar

Single-leg is fun because it basically ensures an interesting "second-leg" game. But I like two-legs better because away goals gives the only scenario where a team can go from losing to winning without drawing first.

Expand full comment
Sam's avatar

I keep going back and forth on it. One game samples can lead to more fun upsets, but some of the most memorable matches in recent years were second legs in the Champions League, and that's a more fair way to decide a champion. I'm not sure which style is better for the sport, but like you said, there's no chance UEFA considers changing the format anyway

Expand full comment
Alex's avatar

Give me two legs.

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

Ditto. I'm still a two-legger

Expand full comment
Harrisen's avatar

fun*

Expand full comment
Ryan Wright's avatar

i'm so scared of bayern in the final

Expand full comment
Connor's avatar

Looking forward and assuming Bayern sees this out:

How does Bayern tactically contain Mbappe/Neymar when PSG have the ball? Memphis/Ekambi are a problem, and I think that PSG's attack is quite a bit better.

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Think it really depends on who you think is better suited to a change in style: Bayern or PSG? I don't think either team is really built to stop the other team's strengths. PSG do seem a little more flexible to me -- or at least, they're able to dominate a game through different kinds of levers of control. If you gave Bayern the same balance of chances from today's match against PSG on Sunday, they'd absolutely take it and run.

Expand full comment
Cousin_Drew's avatar

I would assume they don't and aim to win 4-3

Expand full comment
Alex's avatar

I would think Bayern would have to boss midfield and possession to limit the opportunities for those two.

Expand full comment
Connor's avatar

But in heavy possession don't you see PSG turning and burning on the counter? Boateng is still super skilled, but fast he is not

Expand full comment
Alex's avatar

As ridiculous as it is to think with this Bayern team, a more conservative and patient approach would likely be in their favor. The sort of pace they are playing with today would be suicidal vs PSG imo. We saw it yesterday.

Expand full comment
Ryan Wright's avatar

aouar 2nd half masterclass incoming

Expand full comment
Sam's avatar

at least goretzka still goretzkaing

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

Appraently Alaba really wants go to Barcelona. Why?

Expand full comment
Sam's avatar

Maybe he wants to get wildly overpaid in his mid-thirties

Expand full comment
Marc F's avatar

i wonder why no big English club has tried to grab him? if he has no interest then so be it, but id think that Chelsea and United could definitely use him.

Expand full comment
Cousin_Drew's avatar

Contract expires 2021, and he'd be 30. Bayern don't like extending players after 30. Barca do.

Expand full comment
Miguel's avatar

We'll call it the Alaba Alba Pension Plan

Expand full comment
Cousin_Drew's avatar

Lewa...missed...a clear chance?

Expand full comment
Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

It's like last season all over again.

Expand full comment