Soccer Thread 2013-14

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

That was a whole bunch of nothing, wasn't it?

I really enjoyed it myself - was a great battle, thought Rooney played very well and fought incredibly hard ... considering the undoubted pressure around him he showed a lot of professionalism and maturity.

[cubboyroy1826]

Yeah I really liked Rooney's play in the match. I know coming in with all of the talk of Jose targeting Rooney I was interested to see how he would play. One of his shots was a rocket and it barely looked like brought his leg back.

[cubboyroy1826]

Okay so I have watched quite a bit of Premier League soccer over the past couple weeks. I am amazed at how much of a soap opera the behind the scenes maneuvering can be as well as how fragile some of the player psyches (not sure if that is the right word) seem to be. No different from the major American sports but maybe magnified a bit because it is the Premier League. Would you guys agree?

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by cubboyroy1826

Okay so I have watched quite a bit of Premier League soccer over the past couple weeks. I am amazed at how much of a soap opera the behind the scenes maneuvering can be as well as how fragile some of the player psyches (not sure if that is the right word) seem to be. No different from the major American sports but maybe magnified a bit because it is the Premier League. Would you guys agree?

1) Behind the scenes maneuvering

Yeah, there is a ton, especially as the transfer window starts to close. Teams intentionally try to unsettle star players of other teams. Soap operas pop up all over the place.

2) Players psyche

There are so many more factors than in the US. Soccer players in Europe come from all corners of the globe. Language, a new country, different styles of the game, different reffing, etc. There are a lot of different things most American NFL players do not have to go through.

Add in all the stuff the US players do have to go through (media pressure, contract expectations, personal life invaded, personal or team slump) and you have a powder keg to deal with.

[saldana]

wtf is wrong with people

Paraguayan Soccer Player Kicks a Referee in the Face After a Red Card | Bleacher Report

[whomario]

Celtic ! Epic game, those fans went crazy the whole game.
Admittedly, a team from Kazakhstan would have added some novelty, but Celtic and the atmosphere there is just great to have on the big stage.
I sincerely hope them and Dortmund get drawn in the same group, those 2 games would be epic in terms of atmosphere (fans are friendly with each other, too)

Schalke qualified as well, making it 4 Bundesliga teams. Very lucky to win yesterday with the story of the game being Max Meyer. 17 year old kid who gets subbed in, then makes a brilliant assist for the 2-1 lead almost immediately and then gets subbed out again for tactical reasons after just 8 minutes of play due to a red card to Jermaine Jones.

[cubboyroy1826]

Where can you catch soccer games from other European soccer leagues?

[SirFozzie]

Here are the pots for tomorrow's Champions League group stage draw

Pot one: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, FC Porto, Benfica.

Pot two: Atletico Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan, Schalke 04, Marseille, CSKA Moscow, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus.

Pot three: Zenit St Petersburg, Manchester City, Ajax Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund, FC Basel, Olympiakos, Galatasaray, Bayer Leverkusen.

Pot four: FC Copenhagen, Napoli, Anderlecht, Celtic, Steaua Bucharest, Plzen, Real Sociedad, Austria Vienna.


Let's see, group of death for Celtic:

Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid
Man City (forgot the no-same nations rule)
Celtic



Or the Group of Cake

Benfica
CSKA Moscow
Basel
Vienna

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by cubboyroy1826

Where can you catch soccer games from other European soccer leagues?

German, Argentina, Holland: GolTV
English Championship (2nd division of England), Italy, Spain, Russia: BeIN Sport
Scotland, extra UEFA Champions League/Europa League, FA Cup games: Fox Soccer Plus

[cubboyroy1826]

Thanks Foz

[SirFozzie]

what cable provider do you have?

[cubboyroy1826]

Direct TV

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Here are the pots for tomorrow's Champions League group stage draw

Pot one: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, FC Porto, Benfica.

Pot two: Atletico Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan, Schalke 04, Marseille, CSKA Moscow, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus.

Pot three: Zenit St Petersburg, Manchester City, Ajax Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund, FC Basel, Olympiakos, Galatasaray, Bayer Leverkusen.

Pot four: FC Copenhagen, Napoli, Anderlecht, Celtic, Steaua Bucharest, Plzen, Real Sociedad, Austria Vienna.

Arsenal are WAY overdue for a brutal group.

I'm thinking:

Arsenal
PSG
Borussian Dortmund
Napoli

[DaddyTorgo]

I thought Juve were going to be in Pot 3. That's a nice surprise. If you ask me they deserve Pot 1 over one of Porto/Benfica, so hopefully they'll be up there in a couple years.

[cubboyroy1826]

Wow just check and Fox Soccer Plus is $12.99 by itself. Those of you who have FSP what are your thoughts about the amount of good soccer available? BeIN is part of the Sports Pack which includes a whole bunch of other channels.

[SirFozzie]

I like it, but that's because I like the rugby and aussie rules football that comes with it. For soccer itself? I wouldn't.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by cubboyroy1826

Wow just check and Fox Soccer Plus is $12.99 by itself. Those of you who have FSP what are your thoughts about the amount of good soccer available? BeIN is part of the Sports Pack which includes a whole bunch of other channels.

I had fox soccer plus last year and it was fine, but without all of the EPL games I don't think there will be much on it at all. I cancelled it for this year.

[finketr]

Originally Posted by Alan T

I had fox soccer plus last year and it was fine, but without all of the EPL games I don't think there will be much on it at all. I cancelled it for this year.

i'm thinking about doing this. Need to check with TWC and see what else is in the package...

Then again, I wonder if I'm ever going to get CBS again.

[SirFozzie]

Ouch. Barcelona, Milan AND Ajax for Celtic???

Arsenal get shit on as well (Dortmund, Marseille, Napoli)

ManYoo with the easy group (as usual)

Poor FC Copenhagen (Galatassaray, Juventus, Real Madrid)

Chelski with an eminently survivable group (Basel, Schalke, Steau Bucharest)

Edit: Full Group Draw:

Group A: Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Sociedad

Group B: Real Madrid, Juventus, Galatasaray, Copenhagen

Group C: Benfica, Paris St-Germain, Olympiakos, Anderlecht

Group D: Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, Manchester City, Viktoria Plzen

Group E: Chelsea, Schalke, Basel, Steaua Bucharest

Group F: Arsenal, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli

Group G: Porto, Atletico Madrid, Zenit St Petersburg, Austria Vienna

Group H: Barcelona, AC Milan, Ajax, Celtic

[cubboyroy1826]

So Foz when do the next stage of games take place?

[SirFozzie]

Here's the Group Stage schedule

1: 17-18th of September
2: 1-2nd of October
3: 22-23 October
4: 5-6 November
5: 26-27 November (shame that thanksgiving is the day after, although there'll be some Europa League games I'd bet )
6: 10-11 December

[bigdawg2003]

Group A: Donetsk, United
Group B: Madrid, Juventus
Group C: PSG, Benfica
Group D: Bayern, Man City
Group E: Chelsea, Basel
Group F: Dortmund, Arsenal
Group G: Atletico, Porto
Group H: Barca, Milan

Groups F and H look like the Groups of Death, but I think Group A is going to be sneaky tough for ManU

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Arsenal are WAY overdue for a brutal group.

I'm thinking:

Arsenal
PSG
Borussian Dortmund
Napoli

Ugh, so close. Just missed on PSG. I knew it would be tough and we deserve to have a brutal group after many, many years of cakewalks.


If we get to the group stage this year, we earned it.

[MIJB#19]

Perhaps I should bring back the champions league predictions competition after a one-season hiatus?

[whomario]

If this Bayern-Chelsea game was a preview, we are in for some great matches this season.
Chelsea with a decent game, but still Bayern was clearly the better team overall. (even before the sending-off of Ramires). 37-14 shots, 69% posession.
And that was with still a few guys missing (Schweinsteiger, Thiago) or rounding into form (Götze, Martinez) and the system still being reshaped.

[Marc Vaughan]

The Liverpool vs Man Utd game was awesome - deserved victory by Liverpool imho, they looked incredibly organised and fought hard ...

Rogers philosophy seems to be making progress and they're definitely gaining confidence in themselves

[SirFozzie]

Does this start mean that Liverpool are legitimate Top Four contenders (or more?), if Suarez comes back well...

[TroyF]

Well, we'll see if any money is spent tonight and tomorrow, but the "crisis" looks to be essentially over for now.

Sagna out sick and Wilshire leaves in the middle out sick and Arsenal controlled that game. Lloris was sensational or it would have been a blowout. Yes, I realize some major signings for Spurs have been there less than a week, but I do believe Arsenal will add. (maybe that's just me dreaming tonight?)

Arsenal were dumped by Tottenham on March 3. After the game, they were 5 points short of 4th in the EPL with 10 games left. They were 7 points behind Spurs. From that point on, Arsenal are 13-1-2 with a goal tally of 31-9 in all competitions.

This is what makes me so mad about the lack of spending. You add some depth to this squad and they could have been serious contenders this year. Whatever happens, great win and it will be a nice couple of weeks before the next inevitable "crisis" occurs.

Liverpool look good and might be dangerous when Suarez comes back. Their keeper looks pretty damned good too. After 3 games in, only Liverpool have all 9 points.

[BishopMVP]

Bale to Real complete. Just a casual 100m euro transfer fee.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Bale to Real complete. Just a casual 100m euro transfer fee.

Silliest transfer to date.

Bale is a very good player, a great player. One of the best all around left wing players. But we've seen this story over and over the past decade with dozens of players in this realm of talent. They just get bought so they can't develop their skills elsewhere and can't make the competition any better. I'm not even worried about the pressure of the 'expensive player' tag, it'll fly over. In Madrid he'll ride the bench sooner or later (my guess January 2015) and get sold for 15M. I hope Bale gets the chances to prove me wrong, if he gets them.

Still, 100M is a silly amount in this day and age (granted, so is something like 25M) of 'crisis' and unemployment. Bale doesn't have the charisma and recognition of Cristiano Ronaldo or David Beckham, he won't play at the 2014 World Cup, they won't make 100M on merchandise and ticket sale improvements to get the investment back. And Platini reportedly encouraged the transfer. What financial fair play?

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Bale to Real complete. Just a casual 100m euro transfer fee.

Scuttle on Twitter says that Ozil has asked to leave and will be joining Arsenal. I say that's scuttle, because knowing Arsenal it's all a play and he'll actually sign for ManU, PSG or Kansas City tomorrow.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Does this start mean that Liverpool are legitimate Top Four contenders (or more?), if Suarez comes back well...

I think they're in with a shot for the top-4 IF their players stay fit, their main problem is lack of depth really.

(I also think that Suarez returning could cause problems with their balance - at present their team is really well organised and hard working, everyone is working for each other and no one appears to be playing the prima donna ... much as I dislike some of his reported actions, Suarez on the pitch is a great player and has worked hard for the team in the past, if he slots in cleanly then they're in with a decent stab at a CL spot imho ...)

[bhlloy]

Troy - has your opinion of Ramsey changed at all, given his excellent start to the season?

[SirFozzie]

This actually happened a week ago, but I'm just catching up to it via DVR.

Real bizarre game between Monaco and Toulouse FC in France's Ligue 1. Monaco had received a crowd ban due to the celebration (pitch invasion and flares) that happened when Monaco won promotion from Ligue 2 at the end of last season.

So this game is being played in an empty stadium, and yet was broadcast to France (and the US through BeIN Sport). Feels so much different then what I'm used to, and it's kinda interesting all the chatter that you can hear because there's no one in the stands.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Troy - has your opinion of Ramsey changed at all, given his excellent start to the season?

I may have made a comment or two about Ramsey after a bad game, but I have always liked him. You may be remembering my postings about Rosicky, who I've never liked as much as FM or anyone else.

If I had said something about Ramsey at some point, I was really, really wrong. I shudder to think of where Arsenal would be right now without Rambo. First off, Arsenal wouldn't be in the Champions League, because we never would have finished fourth. (sorry for those who hate WE, I just don't care. If you think I feel that I have some impact in the games or am a lunatic who thinks cheering for them means I'm a member of the team, go ahead)

he has been simply amazing this year.

As for Rosicky, I've softened up on him. He's healthy and he's playing very well. I'd rather he be a backup and not a starter and he's slow as hell, but he has more skill than I gave him credit for. (not that I'm a soccer scout or anything, but some of his showings were painful the last few years)

The guy I thought at the start of the year was vastly underrated, will not be considered that way for much longer. I thought Giroud was terrific last year. He's a jack of all trades striker. He may not be world class in any one thing, but he does everything well. He's physical, great header of the ball, decent passer, great with runs off the ball, work rate is outstanding, and his finishing is not as bad as people made it out to be last year.

Well, he's had a terrific start and some special goals already this year. If the rumors are true and Ozil really does come into the team, that guy is going to score a ton.

Cmon Arsene. get us some depth. Sign three or four guys tomorrow. This team can be really, really good.

[Icy]

Spanish press says that Arsenal has offered 45M euros for Ozil and it has been accepted by Real Madrid, but the player doesn't want to leave, still negotiating.

About Bale... i don't think it was necessary for that amount at least, also will create a lot of issues in Real Madrid.

He plays on the left side, like Ronaldo, it means that either Ronaldo is moved to central forward, where he plays way worse back to goal and with no space to run, or Bale is moved to the right side of the attack, sending Di Maria and/or Ozil to the bench. From that, the possible sale of Ozil that is so sad as he is the best goal assist player in Europe by his numbers.

Also soon we will read that Ronaldo is sad again, as he is no longer the most expensive transfer ever, and his ego is too big to swallow that, i bet he is back to the premier next year.

And talking about another bad deal by Real Madrid boss Florentino Perez who is obsessed with signing a big name every year, needed or not. Kaka was signed from Milan for 67M euros 4 years ago, earned 40M himself in those 4 years barely playing, and then he is back to Milan on a free transfer just to get rid of the remaining 20M of salary.

[SirFozzie]

Arsenal and Ozil is apparently a done deal, except for a medical.

[cschex]

.....Trying so hard not to get excited until official confirmation

[ColtCrazy]

Considering celebrating these may be few and far between, very happy Palace got their first 3 EPL points. I've been fairly impressed with them so far, actually, because they've been competitive in every game. Cool to see Liverpool at the top early on. Might be an interesting race this year.

Arsenal did draw a brutal group.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by cschex

.....Trying so hard not to get excited until official confirmation

Agreed. Also hoping for more than just Ozil. We need three or four players today. The other guys can be squad players, but we need multiple of them.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Agreed. Also hoping for more than just Ozil. We need three or four players today. The other guys can be squad players, but we need multiple of them.

Feel like they need a defender or two and not just midfield and strikers.

[MrBug708]

http://whatbaleearns.co.uk/

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by rowech

Feel like they need a defender or two and not just midfield and strikers.

Cannot agree more. Verm is injured and we have played Sagna at CB multiple times this season. I believe we need a BU CB badly. But there hasn't been much scuttle of that at all this year.

Ozil is a massive signing and as an Arsenal fan, I don't want to get greedy. . . but we need a little more.

[whomario]

Özil will propably need to adapt quite a bit, if he does it will be a good thing for the german NT as well ... He unfortunately still has a tendency to be unnerved by physichal play and doesn´t work hard defensively, 2 things that i´m afraid could be a big problem in the PL (sure, the stereotype isn´t as valid as 10 years ago, but week-to-week it´s still a more physichal league than La Liga). But if Mourinho can´t teach you theese things, i´m not sure it can happen. Brilliant offensively of course and likely among the 5-10 best attacking midfielders in the world when he´s on his game.

also, was that really the biggest need ? I mean, he might be an upgrade but is he that big of an upgrade when you have Cazorla and Wilshere ?

Also, a pretty fun picture from ManU trying to hide their signing:

[sovereignstar v2]

Arsenal need steel. They still haven't replace Alex Song. I guess United are buying de Gea again based off of that picture.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by whomario

Özil will propably need to adapt quite a bit, if he does it will be a good thing for the german NT as well ... He unfortunately still has a tendency to be unnerved by physichal play and doesn´t work hard defensively, 2 things that i´m afraid could be a big problem in the PL (sure, the stereotype isn´t as valid as 10 years ago, but week-to-week it´s still a more physichal league than La Liga). But if Mourinho can´t teach you theese things, i´m not sure it can happen. Brilliant offensively of course and likely among the 5-10 best attacking midfielders in the world when he´s on his game.

also, was that really the biggest need ? I mean, he might be an upgrade but is he that big of an upgrade when you have Cazorla and Wilshere ?

Also, a pretty fun picture from ManU trying to hide their signing:

I still think the "biggest" need is at the back. . . but Cazorla plays far better on the left and Wilshire has never really played like a true AMC. He can grow into the position of course, but he hasn't shown the vision yet to be in that role. In his entire career, Wilshire has under 20 assists at the EPL, CL, CUP or National level. Cazorla scores as much as he assists. To put it in perspective, Ozil has averaged more assists in each of the last three years than Cazorla and Wilshire combined.

A lot of people talk about Arsenal's poor finishing, but a huge part of that is they haven't had a true creator since Fabergas left.

As much as I scream defense and getting more depth in the back, it does make sense what they are doing. They finished 2nd in the table last year in goals against. After the 2 penalty/red card fiasco on opening day, they have allowed one goal in 4 games. (and that was after they were up 3-0)

We need more options up front. There are always injuries, especially with Arsenal, but a relatively healthy squad looks pretty damned good now.

[SirFozzie]

Handing in an official transfer request two hours before the transfer deadline (Felliani).. judge it, dick move or not?

[bulletsponge]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Handing in an official transfer request two hours before the transfer deadline (Felliani).. judge it, dick move or not?

stupid. way too hard to get a deal done so soon if it wasnt in the works already

[SirFozzie]

This sounds like the next Ocean's Movie: From the BBC Deadline day ticker:


FRAUD?
Spanish football writer Andy West: "Some bizarre reports coming out regarding United's collapsed Herrera deal. Apparently a group of men claiming to be United representatives spent an hour at the La Liga offices in Madrid today, but it turns out they had nothing to do with the club and were presumably just attempting to get a cut of the deal in an elaborate fraud.
"Must be stressed these are just rumours but the Spanish media have published pictures of men in black suits - supposedly the United "representatives" - coming out of the league offices carrying briefcases.
"All very strange and no doubt the truth will come out in the next few days.

[TroyF]

And it is official. Ozil to Arsenal. Also got a backup keeper. Still hoping for another signing or two, but it doesn't look like it. In fact, it looks like "TGSTEL will be playing as a backup. Can't say I'm happy about that, but Ozil is a game changer on so many levels.

Not only for on the pitch, but off of it. If we can follow this up by having one more year where nobody important takes off and another player or two are added, this could actually be the return of something special.