Year Round The Football/Soccer Thread v2

[goldb]

I hope what you said about Torres is also true, it'd be a shame for him to have all that potential be unfulfilled. He used to be so clinical at Liverpool and Spain, now he's even dropped from the latter team. It'd be great to see him back to his best.

Yeah I found out about that website from Imp

 

[jorped]

I just wanted to comment on Chelsea and Villas-Boas.

"Heh."

There, all done

The Russian isn't really smart ... but either way i think Villas Boas should had waited a bit longer till going to such competitive league as Premier.
He would have done much likely a much awesome season if he was on Porto.

But believe me when i say that Villas is a great coach. I am sure he is going to triumph in near future ... but he still has to evolve.
I just hope he doesn't go to Inter. It will be much likely a graveyard like Chelsea's was.

 

[kakashi919]

What!? AVB is evolving!
........
Chelsea stopped AVB from evolving

Seriously though.... they expected him to do any better with a team that has no football style whatsoever? Chelsea is the most boring team to watch... they don't have any kind of playing style. How do you expect Torres to get any kind of service when his teamates ignore him every time he's in a great position? Bosingwa makes some stupid runs up the field, Luiz is a madman and Terry's time has expired.
Though he is partly to blame because he put them in the starting 11 afterall.

Anyway, hope this doesn't hurt the little reputation he has.

Missed the Arsenal game yesterday.... 3-0 is still amazing though.

 

[Bugzee]

What a come back from Chelski.


Chelsea seem to play much better without a manager. Drogba seems to prefer it that way too.






Napoli are out.

 

[goldb]

They managed to complete the comeback that Arsenal couldn't. It's funny to me to see Drogba now performing since AVB was sacked Speculation going around is that some of the senior players almost demanded it and it was orchestrated by John Terry, which I find completely absurd.

 

[kakashi919]

Can't believe Napoli actually let them comeback. I wouldn't say it's better than what Arsenal almost did, Milan is arguably a better team than Napoli. But it's still quite an achievement for a team like Chelsea. Kudos to them, hope they bounce up Madrid or Bayern

 

[Bugzee]

I hope Athletic Bilbao win the Europa League this year. Yea, it was painful to see us lose against them but we didn't deserve to go through anyway. We played crap.

After looking back at some of Bilbao's games in the Europa League (prior to the knock out phase); they fricking ruled this year (so far). I can honestly say they have played some amazing football. I haven't paid much attention to the La Liga games but they've definitely been one of the most entertaining teams to watch in Europe in a long time. They've been pretty much consistent through and through.






...and they have an amazing team.

 

[Doraku]

I hope Athletic Bilbao win the Europa League this year. Yea, it was painful to see us lose against them but we didn't deserve to go through anyway. We played crap.

After looking back at some of Bilbao's games in the Europa League (prior to the knock out phase); they fricking ruled this year (so far). I can honestly say they have played some amazing football. I haven't paid much attention to the La Liga games but they've definitely been one of the most entertaining teams to watch in Europe in a long time. They've been pretty much consistent through and through.

Marco Bielsa is an awesome coach, and It was Pep Guardiola who said so. Unfortunately, Bilbao performance in La Liga is somewhat unstable, much like Levante now. I'm still hoping they could become the champ of Europe tho.

 

[kakashi919]

I was hoping for a Bilbao vs Schalke final.... Bilbao was been on an amazing run in the last few months, they only lost to Barca in la liga last week I think, ending their winning streak. Schalke has been playing some great football since last season's champion's league run, would have been nice to see them win Europa this year.

 

[jorped]

Haven't really see any of Bilbao's game but from what i know they are a really good team with some great and talented young players. But as Portuguese, and even though, my team is FC Porto, i will support Sporting. But i think it will be difficult. If it was Porto and Benfica i would strongly believe, even though both of them are not at the best shape .. but we are talking about Sporting, that even though it's still a great team and one of the most important in Portugal, has been struggling to gain some stability. But the league isn't really going that good for them, so these 2 match will be really important for them ... so everything can happen.

BTW, once again Portuguese teams prejudiced against England's teams. I haven't really see Benfica's match against Chelsea, but undoubtedly they have reasons to protest at least at the first match, where a clear penalty wasn't marked. The same happened with Porto against Man City. Don't remember well, but back at the first game one of Man City should had been expelled, because of a second yellow card, and the referee didn't do anything ... when minutes before had showned an yellows card to Alvaro Pereira for a really similar situation, that forbid him to play the second game in England. And the second game ... City doing faults, Porto protesting .. and in the end Porto receiving all the yellow cards ... when dangerous fault's didn't get any repression by the referee.
To say that the Portuguese's were always pretty unlucky. I mean a lot of players injured *just to see the fact that Benfica had to play without any "true" central defender. And for example Porto had players like Mangala, Danilo injured ... and not to talk about the games itself where both Porto and Benfica play better, but both Chelsea and City have the luck of the game... Don't see any hope or interest on the match between Chelsea and Barcelona ... Barcelona will be on the final .. though against who .. i don't know. Going to be an awesome match .. RM against BM. Hope RM defeats them and wins the CL. I hope Ronaldo wins the best player trophy next year. With the most likely win of la liga and the win of CL and a good campaign i think he can win that trophy .. though we can't really say anything cuz there were already some similiar cases, i think Sneijder, and in the end Messi's won, not fairly imo.

 

[ibra87]

Milan screwed up and Juve won. Let's see if Juve can keep this up, it'll be soo good. Didn't see Estigarribia at all though.

 

[kakashi919]

Hell yeah!!! Juve gonna win two trophies and end this season unbeaten

Can't say the same for Liverpool though
They disappoint me so much I feel to cry

 

[Doraku]

Did anyone see City v. Arsenal match? thrilling match, Arsenal got the upper hand because they played in their home ground (which give some kind of curse to City players). Arteta's goal also very amazing. City deserved to be beaten. Mancini's fate to be sacked is almost certain now.
and I have no comment for Balotelli. He makes me speechless.

 

[goldb]

I just saw the score, completely forgot about that match!

Good going Arsenal, back to third place! City had bad form going into that match so it wasn't really a surprise for us to win, and I don't necessarily think playing at home was at our advantage. Mancini will most likely be sacked as you said, but I hope not; since it's just more work for the team to get used to another system, it slows down the team's progress.

Since the match has been over, this poster has been floating around a few sites:

Spoiler

Balotelli is so dumb sometimes, you can't help but laugh lol

 

[Imperium]

This.

Spoiler

That is it.

 

[Doraku]

Tragic news from Italian football. Piermario Morosini has died. Cardiac arrest is the most dangerous enemy for football players (Muamba experienced same sickness a month ago). Maybe FIFA should regulates that every football stadium should have at least 1 ambulance, just in case if something bad happened to the players.

 

[Imperium]

It's not that easy. There are too many variables for them to consider, especially when it comes to poorer nations. Uefa on the other hand, may have the authority to do it. However most clubs and cities for that matter cannot afford to have a permanent ambulance service waiting at every football match in the country. The premier league in England and the lower leagues do have an ambulance service, but this is only a recent development and even then it is the St Johns Ambulance service that provides the care (an amazing volunteer ambulance service). If a similar volunteer organisation exists that is as large as St John in Italy, I am sure they will be looking into it. But otherwise the local hospitals are impeded from helping other members of the public. Football players are also members of the public and deserve the same level of treatment from public services that other members of the public get. There shouldnt be a special dispensation for players, and sending an ambulance to every match in the country every weekend uses up a valuable ambulance in the likelihood someone gets hurt. It Is impeding them from helping others.

---------- Post added April 17, 2012 at 03:35 AM ---------- Previous post was April 16, 2012 at 05:33 PM ----------

Oh and this is required viewing

 

[Doraku]

It's not that easy. There are too many variables for them to consider, especially when it comes to poorer nations. Uefa on the other hand, may have the authority to do it. However most clubs and cities for that matter cannot afford to have a permanent ambulance service waiting at every football match in the country. The premier league in England and the lower leagues do have an ambulance service, but this is only a recent development and even then it is the St Johns Ambulance service that provides the care (an amazing volunteer ambulance service). If a similar volunteer organisation exists that is as large as St John in Italy, I am sure they will be looking into it. But otherwise the local hospitals are impeded from helping other members of the public. Football players are also members of the public and deserve the same level of treatment from public services that other members of the public get. There shouldnt be a special dispensation for players, and sending an ambulance to every match in the country every weekend uses up a valuable ambulance in the likelihood someone gets hurt. It Is impeding them from helping others.

---------- Post added April 17, 2012 at 03:35 AM ---------- Previous post was April 16, 2012 at 05:33 PM ----------

Oh and this is required viewing

Yes, I agree with you it is not that easy to implement precautionary healthcare rules if such rules exist. I'm proposing that maybe big clubs (at least in Europe) should provide their own ambulance, or if they are not financially strong enough, at least they have their own equipments that is needed in emergency situation like that (for example defibrillators). So they don't have to use public property such as ambulance in case something bad happen.

-----------------------------------
Anyone looking forward to UEFA Champs League semis? I hope Chelsea and Madrid would win tonight and go to Final. Fat chance for Chelsea, tho.

 

[goldb]

I'm very much looking forward to the Semis, we've got a solid line-up this year. I'm rooting for Barca but I don't think it'll be an easy job for them against Chelsea. I think Real have the easier tie in these semis against Bayern, though I hope they lose, but as a football fan it'd be a great spectacle for Madrid and Barca to meet in the finals.

 

[ibra87]

I love the excessive yellow in this match to Real Madrid, even when red cards are supposed to be given (Marcelo!). Seems like they're making sure some of the key players don't get in the final... <.<