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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (7 Viewers)
- Thread starter jpeace121
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Good Posting Judge
Footballguy
So from 20-30 yards?
dparker713
Footballguy
Seems like everything for Chelsea has been geared to winning the CL, not league play of late. Its all tea-reading anyway with Abramovich.
Good Posting Judge
Footballguy
BTW:
Terry's a c###. Sorry. Knee someone from behind and off the ball for no clear reason and get the a straight red, fine. But don't say afterwards that it was an accident. C'mon.
Terry's a c###. Sorry. Knee someone from behind and off the ball for no clear reason and get the a straight red, fine. But don't say afterwards that it was an accident. C'mon.
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CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
Cletius - this ones for you man.
Cheers Native. I'm washing away all that pain from 2009 with some Laphroig 18 tonight.I guess I can stop sending hate emails to Tom Ovrebo now.
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
They were still getting some good looks until the very end, so its hard to say what they might have done. I just think the endless tiki-taka around the box, with no intensity or urgency and this constant air of arrogance they have would have driven me crazy if I were a Barca fan. Its like they expect goals to drop from the sky into the net if they string together enough one-touch passes. I guess that has been Barca's experience against most teams. Maybe they could dump it in once in a while and see what happens, try a few long crosses into the box or drop Messi back a bit and try to give him some room to run or at least draw the defense out a bit.
Good Posting Judge
Footballguy
What air of arrogance? The entire Chelsea team was dropped back into the box. If there's no lane to shoot, there's no lane to shoot, I don't see the sense in getting Englandy about it and firing a uselesss blast twenty rows up. Messi had a nice opp. in the 2H that hit the post that was from distance. But that's how they play: control possession, and wait for an opportunity, which will eventually present itself if you control possession long enough. It's worked pretty well overall. If you don't think they had any intensity or urgency, I'm not sure which game you were watching. The stakes were well-known. They did their best to try and score, but they're not a team that's built to Stoke it up and lob in innumerate crosses over and over. They're small. They thrive on passing around and through a defense. Just like Chelsea would be useless in a wide-open game against a team like Barcelona, Barcelona is not made to score when 3/4's of the field is conceded to them. No team can do everything.
I think their real undoing occurred this summer, when they eschewed getting any help for their backline. Worse than scoring only two goals over 180 minutes is giving up two (I won't count Torres' goal, as Barca was pushed so far up in desperation to score) having conceded so little possession. Pique's been pretty bad this year even before he got knocked out of this game (Pep was wise to get him out of there, he was not right), Puyol is old, Alves is basically a forward at this point, Abidal's gone, Adriano's OK, Montoya is out for the year with an injury, and there's only so much Mascherano can do. Cesc and Alexis allowed them to weather the injuries to Villa and Affelay, but I think they would've ultimately been better off if they'd foregone one of them in lieu of defensive help. There are a lot of things about this iteration of Barca that are improvements on the last one (Thiago, Cuenca, Alexis most of the time), but they weren't enough to make up for the dips in form of Pique especially, and other players to a lesser degree.
FWIW, I thought the handball before Torres' goal should've been called, but Cesc also got away with a dive to draw that penalty, so I suppose they even out. Terry's card was obviously deserved. I don't think the refs were unfair, but I also think the "UEFAlona"-related claims are just as silly.
Barca supporters have nothing to cry about. They've won the most prestigious club competition in the world two of the last four years, and reached the semis in the other two. They've also won one of toughest leagues 3 out of the last 4. They're a team with a lot of money (even with the past administration's financial misdeeds) and a loaded youth system. They got caught by a decent team in good form that plays a style that's tough for Barca to handle. #### happens.
The Gator
Footballguy
I had read somewhere that said if Di Matteo gets Chelsea past Barcelona he'd be sign on as permanent manger. I'll try to find a link.
The Gator
Footballguy
Great game. One of the most exciting games of the year for me.
I know Barcelona's been scuffling the past few weeks, but this was a phenomenal defensive display from Chelsea. Well deserved win. Chelsea simply looked like they wanted it more. This is definitely not the same Barca team that slit ManU's throat last May.
Xavi, Abidal, Villa (confidence was shot even before the injury), Puyol are pretty much done and Pique probably needs to get out of Spain. Luckily Tello and Cuenca look pretty good.
Going to be a very interesting summer at the Nou.
I know Barcelona's been scuffling the past few weeks, but this was a phenomenal defensive display from Chelsea. Well deserved win. Chelsea simply looked like they wanted it more. This is definitely not the same Barca team that slit ManU's throat last May.
Xavi, Abidal, Villa (confidence was shot even before the injury), Puyol are pretty much done and Pique probably needs to get out of Spain. Luckily Tello and Cuenca look pretty good.
Going to be a very interesting summer at the Nou.
SmoovySmoov
The Way of the Samurai
My comment had nothing to do with Chelsea. It was all about what a shame it would be for Newcastle, after the season they have had, when at the beginning most people wouldn't have predicted they would even be in the top half of the table, to miss out. That's all. Sheesh.Chelsea's junior team has little chance in the final, but please explain how it would be a "travesty" if the Champion were allowed to defend its title in the tournament next year over a 4th place team? Some of us old codgers think its a bit of a joke that the "Champions" league started admitting 2nd, 3rd and 4th place non-champions anyway. Liverpool finished 30 points behind Chelsea the year they won it and I, along with most people, had no problem with the concept that they should defend the title.So I agree with the irony of a Liverpool fan talking about someone losing out on a CL spot when its Pool who made this possible and I am the ####? Wow. I guess the true irony is a Liverpool fan going on the internet, not understanding what is being said and acting like an #### while stating someone else is an #### on the internet....Yes it would be a travesty for Newcastle to lose out. Not denying this. Would be sad for Tottenham and Arsenal too. MyNo, it's really not good posting. It would be a shame if Newcastle didn't make the Champions League regardless of who won the Carling Cup, but I appreciate the fact that once again Man U fans act as ##### on the internet.was in reference to both the travesty and the statement of irony. So relax, have a carslberg and be sure to shake my hand if ever we get the pleasure of meeting...
Good Posting Judge
Footballguy
Xavi and Puyol can still play part-time roles, I think. They just can't be relied on the way Messi is relied on. I'm not ready to write off Pique after one lousy year. Maybe he's lost focus because of Shakira's ###### or something. But it's not like he's over the hill.Tello's obviously not ready for primetime, I think a year on loan would do him some good. Villa is probably best sold to the EPL once he returns.
El Floppo
Footballguy
the game I watched, Ramires was through- nobody around except for some guys chasing him. But I'm sure this particular comment will get argued down as I read the rest of the trhead.
El Floppo
Footballguy
I thought Mireilles and Ramires were both incredible for both games.Some other thoughts:
Poor old Xavi- Ramires ran right by him before getting that amazing feed from Lampard to score that wonder goal. More evidence that Xavi is struggling.
The way Barca always overcommit to the man all over the field, that play seems like what's typically beaten them (from the games I've watched where they get beat). Once a guy on the ball in MF can beat his man, Barca is suspect on the second ball straight down route 1. Ramires did it repeatedly last game, and where it counted yesterday.
I ####### hate Busquets. I could be reading into things based on that hate, but it seemed like in the first game Busquets pulled some typical Drogba-esque histrionics early- and against Drogba too- which then sent Drogba into overdrive of antying you can fake, I can fake better. Seemed like the switch got thrown for Drogba based on Busquets (not that either need any prodding at all). And for somebody that is one of the worst in the sport at faking and whining, he whines the loudest when other players do it back at him. Takes one to know one, I guess.
Funny- I found myself routing for the underdog here, so against Barca (even though I love the way they play). And I routed against them even more as CHelsea lost the man, got the stunning goal, and fought so bravely. I kept routing against them until the final whistle... after which I realised that I wasn't going to get to watch this Barca team play another meaningful match for a long time. And given the way the players seem run down- well, at least Xavi as mentioned, I wonder if we'll ever get to see this Barca team again? In the 35 years I've been watching and playing the sport, I've never seen a team at any level- club or national- play as well as this incarnation of Barca. And I'm not sure I ever will again.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
I don´t think you could be more wrong in your analysis of the Barça players.Xavi has 2 years left, assuming they don't run him into the ground, Villa was a missing piece for their attack IMO, and Piqué isn't leaving Barça any time soon. He's a future captain, ahead of Cesc. Abidal and Puyol might be on their last legs though. One more season for both of them might be it. They need to find another centerback not another defensive midfielder that can play at the back.
El Floppo
Footballguy
As a positive, I thought Iniesta has looked amazing lately.But without Xavi pulling the strings, this becomes a different team sadly. Hopefully- for all of us non-partisan fans of the sport- a summer completely off will help him regroup for another year getting Barca playing the way we've grown accustomed.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Dunno about Xavi. Unless he's been battling an injury the last month, he has lost a step and the team isn't playing the way they have. Messi is forced to drop back and they are forced to play the ticky-tack all the way up into the opponent's six. Now yeah- they'll do that more often than not anyways, but with Xavi playing well and Messi pushed further up, they can and do play those dangerous diagonal sliced balls that get behind the defense- even if they're not long balls. That dimension appears to be gone without Xavi playing up to speed.
jonessed
Footballguy
He was through on the right, but there were two trailing defenders coming down the middle about a yard back. There wasn't a lane to cut back into the middle. He would have cut back into the trailing defenders. He was always going to have to shoot from the right.Anyway, I think Valdez came out too far. I've seen this opinion shared around some blogs, while others disagree. It's not meant to take away from Ramirez' shot.
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The Z Machine
Footballguy
I think he's just run down right now. He started off this season on fire, but has faded down the stretch. I think that he can still be effective assuming that Barça can adjust to not playing him every match. The problem is who to replace him with? Cesc? I don't think Thiago Alcantara has the ability just yet to replace Xavi without a huge drop off in quality.Xavi has played in 61 games (55 starts) during the 2011-2012 season. He's missed 8 matches this season. That's a LOT of football for a 32 year old body.
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Native
Footballguy
Dayum. Thats some day. Good luck today! For your sake, lets hope Robben doesnt limp off in the first half and Van Halen skips its 'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge' set!Today's schedule:Get off work earlyDrive from Charleston to Columbia.Watch the match in a bar in Columbia.Drive from Columbia to Charlotte to see Van Halen.
FC Bayern - Stern des Südens!
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Branislav Ivanovic
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CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
No doubt JT is a first -class #### (also screws his teammates girlfriends, misbehaves in nightclubs and likely makes racial taunts during games) but Sanchez' flopping was despicable. He also drew an undeserved yellow on Mikel. It was an effort that even Busquets himself would be proud of.
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
Hopefully you'll sober up soon.In the meantime, have the biggest guy you know knee you in the tailbone or the butt muscle and get back to us on whether it hurts or not.
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
I'm referring to the fact that there was almost no contact and Sanchez flew into the air backwards while waving to the ref. Sanchez is up and running moments later. It's an absurd flop, but a deserved red nonetheless just due to the sheer stupidity of it.'wdcrob said:
The Z Machine
Footballguy
I have to admit that I like seeing the Barça fanboys get their panties in a twist about losing like that.
El Floppo
Footballguy
btw- that Terry play is almost identical to the story I relayed earlier (playing in Germany), except I did mine waaaaaay off the ball and Terry did his right in the middle of everything.And IMO- Sanchez was diving/embellishing all game (Mikkel yellow) AND Terry kneed him legitimately (and redonkulously idiotically) in the hammy. He might have made the most of that play, but he took genuine contact IMO.And yeah- Terry trying to somehow explain this away as "accidental" or whatever
El Floppo
Footballguy
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Of the 4 top leagues in Europe, (Spain, Italy, Germany, and England), which has the most foreign born players in it?
This is not trivia as I do not know the answer.
My guess would be, from most to least
England, Italy, Spain, Germany.
This is not trivia as I do not know the answer.
My guess would be, from most to least
England, Italy, Spain, Germany.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
I'm happy that Barça's dominance is falling off, at least this season. It's my biggest (only?) gripe against them.That said, I really dislike ALL the teams left in CL. RM, Bayern, or Chelski? Yuck.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
If you changed it to the top 8 leagues in Europe, I think that Holland would be it. It's possible that Serie A has more foreign born players than the EPL, although that might depend if you include Welsh and Scottish players in the "England" bucket.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Agree, with England >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> than the rest. Italy and Spain are a push, I'd guess.Good question though.
http://www.economist.com/node/21015338By percentageEnglandItalyGermanySpainCoincidentally - I think that is also the order in raw numbers as well.
El Floppo
Footballguy
no way. Just guessing here, but when I watch serie A, most of the teams are almost exclusively Italian players- outside of the big clubs. In the EPL, even teams like Bolton are stocked with non-Brits, whether you count Wales or not. Scotland has it's own league so shouldn't really count.
Ok- who's digging this up?
The Z Machine
Footballguy
Shows that I only watch the big games in Serie A...no way. Just guessing here, but when I watch serie A, most of the teams are almost exclusively Italian players- outside of the big clubs. In the EPL, even teams like Bolton are stocked with non-Brits, whether you count Wales or not. Scotland has it's own league so shouldn't really count.
Ok- who's digging this up?
El Floppo
Footballguy
but from Finn's link, you were almost dead-on with the whole "brit" thing.Shows that I only watch the big games in Serie A...no way. Just guessing here, but when I watch serie A, most of the teams are almost exclusively Italian players- outside of the big clubs. In the EPL, even teams like Bolton are stocked with non-Brits, whether you count Wales or not. Scotland has it's own league so shouldn't really count.
Ok- who's digging this up?
jonessed
Footballguy
Sanchez flopped after, but Terry hit him pretty hard. Terry looked down right before he kneed him just to make sure he hit him in the muscle. That had to hurt.
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NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Thanks for the info on the foreigners.
I wonder if those stats are foreigners or foreign born? For example, we have a bunch of "Americans" in the Bundesliga that were not foreign born.
I wonder if those stats are foreigners or foreign born? For example, we have a bunch of "Americans" in the Bundesliga that were not foreign born.
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jonessed
Footballguy
Inter is pretty much all foreign born players and obviously gets a lot of play time. Most of the other clubs seem to be largely Italian. I wonder if the diversity in the leauge has more to do with diversity in the nation's culture, depth of talent, or money. Revenue sharing in England I think makes it a deeper league which may allow importing a more diverse talent pool of foreign players.Shows that I only watch the big games in Serie A...no way. Just guessing here, but when I watch serie A, most of the teams are almost exclusively Italian players- outside of the big clubs. In the EPL, even teams like Bolton are stocked with non-Brits, whether you count Wales or not. Scotland has it's own league so shouldn't really count.
Ok- who's digging this up?
Site with more detailed studies on the top-5 leagues
I am not digging in, but if you really are interested, I am sure they have some good data.
I am not digging in, but if you really are interested, I am sure they have some good data.
Moe.
Footballguy
The Z Machine
Footballguy
LOLPredictions on the game today?
I think RM take it 2-0. Then again, I thought that Barça would take it 2-0 yesterday.
El Floppo
Footballguy
The Z Machine
Footballguy
The 75% "internationals" is a pretty incredible stat. Most of the other 25% are English I would wager. It's also related to how the work permit thing works, since the FA has to approve the work permits and they base it on international success more than anything else (at least it seems that way in Football Manager...)
Stats: Only four clubs have ever overturned a first-leg deficit in a Champions League semi-final to progress - AC Milan, Liverpool (both 2007), Juve (2003) and Ajax (1996).ETA - I think RM adds to this list 2-0 sounds about right, maybe 3-1LOLPredictions on the game today?
I think RM take it 2-0. Then again, I thought that Barça would take it 2-0 yesterday.
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