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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (1 Viewer)

CL draw earlier today for the first knockout round games in Feb/March.Chelsea v JuventusVillarreal v PanathinaikosSporting Lisbon v Bayern MunichAtletico Madrid v PortoLyon v BarcelonaReal Madrid v LiverpoolArsenal v RomaInter Milan v Manchester United
I was really hoping that Bayern would draw an English club. ESPN has such a crush on the EPL if you support a non English club you have to hope you at least play one to get some air time.
 
CL draw earlier today for the first knockout round games in Feb/March.Chelsea gets to face their old coach Claudio Ranieri. Chelsea v JuventusVillarreal v PanathinaikosSporting Lisbon v Bayern MunichAtletico Madrid v PortoLyon v BarcelonaReal Madrid v LiverpoolArsenal v RomaInter Milan v Manchester United
There are some great matchups. Thankfully, Barcelona isn't one of them. The top four English clubs could really take a beating this round.
 
CL draw earlier today for the first knockout round games in Feb/March.Chelsea gets to face their old coach Claudio Ranieri. Chelsea v JuventusVillarreal v PanathinaikosSporting Lisbon v Bayern MunichAtletico Madrid v PortoLyon v BarcelonaReal Madrid v LiverpoolArsenal v RomaInter Milan v Manchester United
Very excited about some of these. Can't wait till February.
 
CL draw earlier today for the first knockout round games in Feb/March.Chelsea gets to face their old coach Claudio Ranieri. Chelsea v JuventusVillarreal v PanathinaikosSporting Lisbon v Bayern MunichAtletico Madrid v PortoLyon v BarcelonaReal Madrid v LiverpoolArsenal v RomaInter Milan v Manchester United
There are some great matchups. Thankfully, Barcelona isn't one of them. The top four English clubs could really take a beating this round.
Very happy with this draw for Barcelona. Inter-Man U should be fantastic.
 
Arsenal's draw could've been a lot worse. Roma are still in awful form, sitting in 10th in the Serie A a full 16 points out of first....they played well in the group stage though...if Arsenal can get their #### together, I could see them progressing with a close win at home and a draw at the Stadio Olimpico....

If they drop the home leg though, it's case closed...

 
CL draw earlier today for the first knockout round games in Feb/March.Chelsea v JuventusVillarreal v PanathinaikosSporting Lisbon v Bayern MunichAtletico Madrid v PortoLyon v BarcelonaReal Madrid v LiverpoolArsenal v RomaInter Milan v Manchester United
I was really hoping that Bayern would draw an English club. ESPN has such a crush on the EPL if you support a non English club you have to hope you at least play one to get some air time.
I think part of that is because ESPN is strying to win EPL rights from Fox. But you're right, you just about pencil in ESPN's lineup as:Real Madrid v LiverpoolInter Milan v Manchester United
 
Nachos!!

Crouchy is on fire, one of the hottest players in the EPL

And as far as ESPN showing a lot of EPL games, in all fairness, it is the most popular league in the world. I'd be more than okay with watching CL matches with teams outside England but I mean, 1/2 the games will contain an English team anyway. :shrug:

 
Portsmouth's keeper almost gave away the equalizer by stumbling over the kick after the ball was played back to him.

 
Nachos!!Crouchy is on fire, one of the hottest players in the EPLAnd as far as ESPN showing a lot of EPL games, in all fairness, it is the most popular league in the world. I'd be more than okay with watching CL matches with teams outside England but I mean, 1/2 the games will contain an English team anyway. :shrug:
One to go!
One month? You've been dishing out a lot of smack towards my boy. I think you need to really suffer. I say that for you it starts the day after he gets his 8th goal and ends at the kick-off of the 2009-2010 EPL season.If you're going anti-OU, I'll bear the shame from the end of the EPL season through the end of OU's 2009 regular season schedule.
I think I could swing that length of time, but let's up this thing to 8.5 goals. Upon further review, 7.5 is too low.
:lmao: Alright. Don't ever let it be said I'm not a good sport.
Deal. Z Machine - UNDER 8.5 goalsChristo - OVER 8.5 goals:handshake:This makes me fully committed to the Crouch-hate club, and with him, Portsmouth included. I hope they get relegated.
NACHOS! :goodposting:
 
CL draw earlier today for the first knockout round games in Feb/March.Chelsea gets to face their old coach Claudio Ranieri. Chelsea v JuventusVillarreal v PanathinaikosSporting Lisbon v Bayern MunichAtletico Madrid v PortoLyon v BarcelonaReal Madrid v LiverpoolArsenal v RomaInter Milan v Manchester United
There are some great matchups. Thankfully, Barcelona isn't one of them. The top four English clubs could really take a beating this round.
Very happy with this draw for Barcelona. Inter-Man U should be fantastic.
Really with the exception of Barcelona-OL these are some very even draws that I could see going either way easily.
 
Entertaining match so far with Arsenal-Liverpool on FSN.

Liverpool has just tied it before half but I swear it's about the third time that Liverpool looked like they got away with offsides.

 
I'm watching it but a bit behind on the DVR....Keane's goal was pure class....99% of strikers don't even come close on a strike like that.

Just getting to halftime now on my TV, 1-1

 
Through 52', Liverpool thoroughly destroying Arsenal at the Emirates.

Almunia, IMO, is standing on his head in goal and keeping Arsenal in it.

Djourou is atrocious and got caught out of position on the Keane goal.

Clichy, as usual, looks really good...Liverpool not getting a lot of chances on his side, other than a little slip that allowed a Kuyt a shot in the first half.

Liverpool looks great when they attack Sagna/Djourou...

 
ARE YOU ####### KIDDING ME?Adebayor sent off for a second yellow.Two questionable bookings....
I thought the first yellow was kind of weak. I could see where the ref thought the second yellow was deserving after watching the replays on full speed. Liverpool failed to capitalize though. After Adebayor was sent off Liverpool looked pretty unorganized. For a little while (especially after the Sanga yellow) I thought the Arsenal players were going to start a brawl.
 
12 would have been a better over/under number for Crouch. I think he nets 10 easily with an upside in the high teens.
I took some pretty good shots for this one back in August, but it doesn't seem so out of the question now does it?
 
Bump for the EPL Boxing Day matches. Chelsea is abusing West Brom right now. 2-0 at half but it could easily have been 4 or 5.

 
:confused: :lmao: :lmao:

Wright-Phillips cracks the defense and plays a ball through the box to Robinho

4-0

City have 3 goals from low crosses from the right edge of the 18....Hull's left back is getting abused...

 
:bs: :unsure: :lmao:Wright-Phillips cracks the defense and plays a ball through the box to Robinho4-0 City have 3 goals from low crosses from the right edge of the 18....Hull's left back is getting abused...
...So rather than take them into the tunnel and to the locker rooms for a halftime dressing down, manager Phil Brown makes them sit like schoolboys in front of their own goal and bends their ears for all the stadium to watch. :lmao:
 
[mild hijack]

So...........I haven't posted in this thread for a minute, but some of you may remember that I'm probably the lone Newcastle fan on the board, leftover from the days of Alan Shearer. Now, I'm no fair weather fan, and have always stuck by my teams through thick and thin (I'm a Cubs and Bears fan, for Pete's sake), but it's becoming increasingly difficult to be a fan of Newcastle. I have never seen a professional sports team in more disarray. And now, Michael "Has Been Injured 85% of the Time" Owen will be leaving, and probably everyone else that has any name value whatsoever. So, I put it to you............what should a fan do? Stick with them, in hopes that they can ever turn it around, or start watching someone else?

If I go with the latter, I'm leaning towards either Liverpool or Arsenal. I hate ManU and Chelsea, so they're right out. But I do like Gerrard and Fabregas, so I'm leaning in one of those directions. It's hard to turn fandom on and off, though.

[/mild hijack]
"You'll Never Walk Alone" :thumbup: :hifive: :thumbup:
:thanks: After years of debating, I've decided to root for Liverpool. The Beatles came from that town, Gerrard is a world class player, and anything that gets 45,000 fans singing in unison is waaay cool (see sig).

Hopefully I'll get my Liverpool scarf today.

 
Liverpool has just tied it before half but I swear it's about the third time that Liverpool looked like they got away with offsides.
DVR'ed the game and watched it yesterday. On the goal that Liverpool got, it DEFINITELY looked like offsides.
 
:excited:

The other 3 all won this matchday...

I'll officially be worried about Arsenal's state of affairs if they lose today.

If they lose at Villa Park, Villa goes 6 points up on Arsenal for 4th place at the halfway point...all title aspirations are pretty much gone, but with the reported financial troubles, we NEED the Champions League next year....:nervous:

 
Dear God....Eboue, Denilson, and Song all starting in the midfield....and Diaby teaming up with van Persie up front...

Diaby??

I'd rather see Vela....or Bendner, regardless of his "I don't play enough" comments from the other day. :excited:

 
:thumbup:

Denilson!

Completely against the run of play, Arsenal gets a semi-lucky bounce and Denilson catches Friedel in no-man's land

1-0 to the Arsenal!

 
Aaron Ramsey in for Alex Song....too bad too, because I think Song is actually a decent player and the 2nd best in the midfield right now after Nasri...looks like he's a pulled a muscle, doesn't look serious though.

 
Wow - Gunners missing some excellent chances to put the match away. They better hope it doesn't come back to haunt them.

ETA: Another Gallas gaffe in a terrible season gets Villa back into the match, 2-1.

 
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And not much mention of it in here, but one of my "other" teams along with TFC, Boca Juniors, won the Apertura 2008 (Opening Tournament, Argentine seasons are split into 2 halves, the Apertura and the Clausura, if you're confused).

There was a 3-way playoff between Boca, San Lorenzo, and Tigre, and Boca came out on top... :tumbleweed:

I got lucky and was able to watch the final game between Boca and Tigre...Boca needed to not lose by 2 goals to win the title....they went down 1-0 in the 68th and were on the back foot for the rest of the match, but held for a 1-0 loss and the title.

 
Watch out for those Scousers

Liverpool captain Gerrard arrested in brawl

7 hours ago

Thank You20

LONDON (AP) — Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was arrested early Monday in connection with an assault at a bar that left a disc jockey with facial injuries.

The England midfielder was celebrating after Liverpool extended its lead atop the Premier League to three points with an emphatic 5-1 victory at Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.

Police arrested the 28-year-old Gerrard and five other men at 2:30 a.m. in Southport, and Gerrard remained in police custody, a person close to the investigation said on condition of anonymity. British police do not publicly identify suspects unless charges are brought.

Officers began interviewing the suspects Monday afternoon and expected the questioning to continue until late in the evening. Gerrard's wife, Alex Curran, was seen near the police station but drove off without answering reporters' questions.

In the fracas outside the Lounge Inn, the bar's 34-year-old disc jockey sustained cuts to his forehead and a broken tooth but later was released from the hospital, the official said.

Officers began interviewing the suspects Monday afternoon and expected the questioning to continue until late in the evening.

The Lounge Inn, a modern restaurant that becomes a nightclub later in the evening, is in the seaside town of Southport, less than 10 miles north of Gerrard's home in Formby in Merseyside.

The other men held are not believed to be soccer players but are from the Huyton area of Liverpool, where Gerrard grew up and was spotted by Liverpool scouts at the age of eight playing for Whiston Juniors.

Gerrard is Liverpool's most influential player and crucial to its bid to win the English league title for the first time since 1990, scoring twice and setting up another goal in Sunday's win.

Gerrard, who has played 70 times for England, led Liverpool to the Champions League title in 2005 and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

 
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylt=ApAp...o&type=lgns

Spain reigns supreme on world’s best XI

By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports Dec 29, 3:01 am EST

Yahoo! Sports

Iker Casillas (right) Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas (right) also stood tall for Spain at Euro 2008.

(Getty Images)

Spain’s glorious triumph at Euro 2008 was one of the stories of the year, and the manner of victory played its part in the makeup of Yahoo! Sports’ Best XI from the last 12 months.

Four members of the Spanish squad that won the country’s first major tournament in four decades made the list, which was based on performances during 2008 for club and country.

Narrowing things down to just 11 standout performers in domestic, continental and international action was no easy task. But here is our selection of the stars that rose to the top in 2008.

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Goalkeeper

• Iker Casillas (Country: Spain, Club: Real Madrid). Casillas was inspirational at Euro 2008 and maintained his exceptional standards despite Real’s recent struggles.

Defenders

• Maicon (Brazil, Inter Milan). He is the best right back in the world and a pivotal figure for Inter. Fiery and competitive, Maicon is one of Serie A’s shining lights.

• Rio Ferdinand (England, Manchester United). Possibly the best defender on the planet, Ferdinand helped United to an English Premier League-UEFA Champions League double and shows no sign of letting his standards slip.

• Nemanja Vidic (Serbia, Manchester United). Vidic doesn’t get as many plaudits as teammate Ferdinand, but his technical excellence and consistency demands his inclusion in this team.

• Yuri Zhirkov (Russia, CSKA Moscow). Zhirkov made Europe sit up and take notice in the summer, with his powerful forward runs, crossing ability and resolute defensive skills.

Midfielders

• Cesc Fabregas (Spain, Arsenal). Fabregas held together an Arsenal team that was in danger of falling apart and was a key component of the brilliant Spain midfield at the Euros.

• Xavi (Spain, Barcelona). For years one of the most underrated players in Europe, the 28-year-old got the sort of attention he deserves with the Euro 2008 player of the tournament award.

• Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina, Inter Milan). Cambiasso provides an imposing barrier in front of the Inter back four and has put together the best individual year of his career.

Attackers

• Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Manchester United). Sir Alex Ferguson thinks Ronaldo will become an all-time legend like Pele and Maradona. A few more years like the one he compiled for United with 42 goals in ‘08 will help lift him up to that exalted status.

• Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona). The little man is thrilling to watch and just keeps getting better. The 21-year-old has all the tricks and skills to go with a fierce competitive spirit.

• Fernando Torres (Spain, Liverpool). Torres made a huge impact after joining Liverpool and is arguably now the most feared striker in world soccer.
 
Spain reigns supreme on world’s best XI
These are pretty good choices. I've always wanted to start a world best XI debate in this thread, so I'll just jump right in and talk about where I think they get it right and where I might differ.I always wonder what these teams are meant to represent. The players who had the best 2008, or the player you'd pick for that position if everyone were healthy and in form? I think this team presents that question a few times. On to the players.GK -- Can't really argue with Casillas considering the year he had. I still think Gigi might be a bit better, but Iker is the other keeper that will always come up in conversation and he had more success this year.Center Backs- Rio and Vidic were almost impregnable last season. I have no complaints. I might have considered Carvalho, who I felt significantly outplayed John Terry at Chelsea last season. Of course, he's been hurt so far this season. I don't see enough Spanish teams unless they're in the Champions league, but the usual suspects I hear about from Spain (Puyol, Pepe, ...) haven't blown my mind when I've seen them. Full Backs -- I have to admit that I haven't seen enough of Zhirkov to know if he deserves the nod or not. I seem to remember being impressed with him at the Euros. No left back has really jumped out at me this year. I like Maicon a lot, but right back is probably up there with the attacking players in that there's a real glut of players you could include. Boswinga might be the player of the year in the EPL this season. Serigo Ramos certainly had a great year. This time last year, Maicon wouldn't have been the first Brazilian picked at right back. Daniel Alves would have been.Midfielders -- Xavi is a no brainer. He's been the straw stirring the drink at Barcelona this year and had a great Euros. I think Cesc is a great player. He should be in these type of teams a lot of times in his career, but I don't think he deserves in yet. He was a sub at the Euros (a very good sub, but still a sub) and he faded last year in the EPL. Considering Roma's 2nd place Serie A finish last year, I'd have been tempted to add Daniele de Rossi. Cambiosso is always a good choice as an anchor man, but I don't think any player impressed me more at the Euros than Marques Senna. Considering he also got his team to the Champions League, I'd have picked him.Attackers-- OK, if I had to pick the "best player in the world" it would be Leo Messi. But he was dinged up a lot in 2008. He didn't have much club success last season. He played well in the Olympics, but didn't dominate that competition and nobody thinks the Olympics is a true World Cup/Euro caliber competition. Should he be in? I don't know. If we do include him just because we know he's great, do we then have to include Eto who I believe is the best striker in the world when healthy? Beats me. Torres is a fine choice, David Villa has every bit as strong a case. Like him or not, but Ronaldo is up there with Casillas and Xavi as the easiest choice to include on the team.
 
I :banned: Gallas!
You weren't saying that on the 26th :lmao: Good for him and for Arsenal. Are they going to make any player moves in January?
Actually, I didn't say anything bad about Gallas in regards to the Villa game...he's one of the few players that I know can excel at this level...sometimes he has a bad game, but rarely is it a real glaring poor performance, IMO.I'm not sure if they're going to sign anyone. Rumor has it they're in financial trouble (to the point where no Champions League next year = free fall) and I'm not sure how much money they have to spend.
 

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