CL matchday 6 and "manager knows best"

Couple thoughts as this Monday draws to a close.

First is Champions League, as the group stage is mercifully set to end. Maybe that's harsh. Certain groups and matchdays have been fun, but by and large it's been dull. Part of that is the fans mostly not being in grounds, which is still a weird phenomenon, but that's not the point here. Groups C, E, and G are finito. In truth, I don't care about F. Dortmund are through, Zenit are out, and if Lazio don't completely fall apart they'll win/draw against Bruges and go through. That brings me to the groups with fun to be found.

In H, Leipzig play Man United in Germany. The English club wiped the floor with the energy drinks in the first match, but TBH that was one of those where at 2-0 the losing team stops trying and it goes off the rails. I still think United go through, because they won't lose to a bottling club like Leipzig. PSG have a home game they should win (or be publicly shamed forever) against Erdogan's club. It's possibly the most hated group ever, and deservedly so.

There's one spot up for grabs in group D. Personally, both Ajax and Atalanta aren't what they were, and whoever goes through will lose in the round of 16 to a superior team. Ajax need to win, and I actually think they will, and here's why. They are coming off a loss to Twente, while Atalanta had their game at Udinese postponed due to rain. This is just a hunch, of course, but the extra time off will hurt them rather than help, and Ajax will want to destroy their next opponent after embarrassing themselves at home.

The fun group is B, where anything can happen. Gladbach and Madrid face off in Germany, while Inter host Shakhtar. Personally, I'm preparing for the worst, which is both Inter and Madrid winning at home and going through. I don't know what to say about any of these teams, other than it would be a fluke to see any of them win the competition this season, although we all know Madrid have done that multiple times in their illustrious history. I wouldn't mind a scenario where Inter finish 4th and can focus on the league, while Gladbach and Madrid go through.

Lastly, I just want to comment on this weird narrative you often hear/see in the media or online. Basically, to put in concisely, it's that "normal people" aren't smart enough or know football well enough to question tactics of managers. Frankly, it's a ridiculous notion, and I don't get the point of punditry or people talking about the sport if you must be a manager to know anything about tactics. Just from this weekend I have two obvious examples, both Spaniards, in Arteta and Lopetegui. It's dead obvious the tactics each one employs, and why they don't work. They both like to have the ball at times, doing nothing with it, and hoping to find the head of a striker with a basic cross from the wing. Arsenal is super guilty of it, if you look at the pass maps and consider how poor they are in front of goal. What I don't get is this idea that you can't criticize them. What has Lopetegui ever won as a manager? He got sacked from two clubs in a span of months. Arteta has been a manager for a year, parking the bus to win an FA Cup, a competition nobody prioritizes, and a community shield, which is a glorified friendly. As soon as Arsenal come up against a team that isn't naively open, they can't break them down. Oh, and another is Brendan Rodgers. That game against Fulham was shambolic, in terms of his system. To seriously play 5 defensive minded players, plus a DM and 2 CM's that do the same thing (Praet and Tielemans), is off the rails. Fulham are slightly above Championship level (if that), and to have Barnes and Under on the bench with that lack of ambition starting is insane. Rightly lost as well, despite Fulham doing their best to allow the Foxes back in. And to persist with a slight variation of that against Sheffield United, who IMO are worse than Fulham, is almost sackable. Even the fact that Luke Thomas is the only mobile individual who's left footed in the entire squad after selling Chilwell is incompetence, and I said that as soon as they bought Castagne. It's like Southgate at England with his persistence with all these right footers everywhere on the pitch, despite having left footed players available. Just grinds my gears seeing people blindly defend stupid decisions and trains of thought just because these guys have the title of manager. I mean, look at how Rodgers had Firmino and Sterling in all kinds of crazy positions in his last season at Liverpool. Another example of this is Graham Potter playing Ben White in midfield, along with three other CB's, despite his success at Leeds last season partnering Liam Cooper. I don't think that Brighton team is that talented, but they should be nowhere near the calamities that are Burnley, Fulham, She. United and West Brom.