football anyone? as in soccer...

[excitableboy]

Wellbeck and Young are both useless, no idea how they get games. �Last week against Villa, Kagawa, Rooney & Mata played well together, despite the best intentions of Fallaini who's a disaster - with all their experience of big CL games why weren't they played together tonight? �Daft.�

And I'm a Liverpool fan, ha. �Looking forward to watching them vs Dortmund or Athletico next season.

Edit - good game tonight though.

Mata is not allowed to play CL for United this season.

Barca 1 year transfer ban!  That's huge as they desperately need to strengthen in defense and were going to replace Valdes.

That is definitely a blow for them if the decision stands. Seems pretty unfair too, as every (big) club flies in youth players for their academies from all over the world. Barca is just notorious for theirs and seems to be made an example of with this ban. Though I kind of agree that these toddler hunts are strange, Messi may well never have become the player he is without them.

Edit: the rules actually only concern players 12 years and older. Fifa doesn't mind the toddler hunt.

[Mooley]

Expand Quote

Bayern will probably roll over United at the Allianz. United did well to fight back in the second half after being abysmal in the first, but the result still suits Bayern better, and I can't see them being so wasteful next time around at home. Fellaini was so hilariously useless today. He must have turned the ball over a dozen times on his own.

Also that second yellow for Schweinsteiger was pretty bullshit, he was pulling his legs back and I don't think he ever made contact with Rooney. Their exchange afterwards was pretty funny.

[close]

Got to agree with weedpop, United were hardly 'abysmal' in the first half, if that were true Bayern would have scored on more than one occasion. United had the better chances in the first half easily, and Welbeck's goal should have stood, Martinez ducked into his foot and Welbeck was watching the ball the whole time, was a little harsh.
As for Schweinsteiger, he definitely made contact and definitely fouled Rooney, and while Rooney made a meal of it, you can't be on a yellow and be making tackles like that.

I still think it's a pretty fair assessment. They had one chance off a defender slipping that was wasted in open play, and a goal that was disallowed on the kind of call that happens in midfield all the time with no eyebrows raised at all. Can't feel too hard done by. Bayern played too conservatively to really take advantage though. I don't know if that's a miscue on Pep's part or if they were just looking to ride things out. But they weren't playing quickly at all, and when you're penning United in with 10 behind the ball it's going to be difficult to play that style that says long shots and early crosses are out of the question, 1-2's through the backline and cutbacks from the byline only.



You can be the judge on that, but even Rooney shrugged his shoulders when he got the finger wag afterwards. He knew exactly what he did.

[Alan]

Barca were supposed to sign a kid from "my" club. Kinda sucks if he doesn't get to go...

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/01/barcelona-alen-halilovic-next-lionel-messi

[excitableboy]

Barca were supposed to sign a kid from "my" club. Kinda sucks if he doesn't get to go...

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/01/barcelona-alen-halilovic-next-lionel-messi

Isn't Croatia part of the EU though? Why wouldn't he be allowed to go?

[Mooley]

Expand Quote

Barca were supposed to sign a kid from "my" club. Kinda sucks if he doesn't get to go...

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/01/barcelona-alen-halilovic-next-lionel-messi

[close]

Isn't Croatia part of the EU though? Why wouldn't he be allowed to go?

His deal would have been fine, but the transfer ban means it's probably moot now, same as Ter Stegen's. They're not being punished for that deal, but like 7 others that came before with young kids from other countries outside the EU

[excitableboy]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Barca were supposed to sign a kid from "my" club. Kinda sucks if he doesn't get to go...

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/01/barcelona-alen-halilovic-next-lionel-messi

[close]

Isn't Croatia part of the EU though? Why wouldn't he be allowed to go?

[close]

His deal would have been fine, but the transfer ban means it's probably moot now, same as Ter Stegen's. They're not being punished for that deal, but like 7 others that came before with young kids from other countries outside the EU

I see. I took it the deal was made already whereas the ban is not yet in effect. But of course the actual transfer happens in the window.

Surprising to see by the way that Barca apparently was unable to circumvent these rules. All you have to do is fly the parents out and give them some job. I guess living in Barcelona is not as appealing to regular people as it is to skaters.

[perverted super otaku!]

Can't remember his name but that late goal was siiiick! 

[Decreed Bratton]

Can't remember his name but that late goal was siiiick! 

Pastore.  PSG actually looked better when Ibra came off with a hamstring pull.  Cavani out wide looked wrong and when Lucas came in Cavani could play thru the middle.  PSG was better in the midfield after that and Chelsea had a harder time pressing and countering.  It must be a hard decision as a coach to leave out Ibra or Cavani when both are fit especially with their egos.  Ibra's hammy could be a blessing for PSG in this tie.

[thepman]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Bayern will probably roll over United at the Allianz. United did well to fight back in the second half after being abysmal in the first, but the result still suits Bayern better, and I can't see them being so wasteful next time around at home. Fellaini was so hilariously useless today. He must have turned the ball over a dozen times on his own.

Also that second yellow for Schweinsteiger was pretty bullshit, he was pulling his legs back and I don't think he ever made contact with Rooney. Their exchange afterwards was pretty funny.

[close]

Got to agree with weedpop, United were hardly 'abysmal' in the first half, if that were true Bayern would have scored on more than one occasion. United had the better chances in the first half easily, and Welbeck's goal should have stood, Martinez ducked into his foot and Welbeck was watching the ball the whole time, was a little harsh.
As for Schweinsteiger, he definitely made contact and definitely fouled Rooney, and while Rooney made a meal of it, you can't be on a yellow and be making tackles like that.

[close]

I still think it's a pretty fair assessment. They had one chance off a defender slipping that was wasted in open play, and a goal that was disallowed on the kind of call that happens in midfield all the time with no eyebrows raised at all. Can't feel too hard done by. Bayern played too conservatively to really take advantage though. I don't know if that's a miscue on Pep's part or if they were just looking to ride things out. But they weren't playing quickly at all, and when you're penning United in with 10 behind the ball it's going to be difficult to play that style that says long shots and early crosses are out of the question, 1-2's through the backline and cutbacks from the byline only.



You can be the judge on that, but even Rooney shrugged his shoulders when he got the finger wag afterwards. He knew exactly what he did.

Maybe you're working on the assumption that this season's United are still a passing, flowing, attacking side. For United this season, they played relatively well, they were organised and structured, and worked very hard. Consider that Rafael, Evra, Evans and Smalling weren't available(all first choice ahead of Buttner and Ferdinand) and Jones was out of position, I think we did relatively well, especially because every man and their dog was writing the team off before the first kick of the ball. No they didn't set out to attack, think of that what you will, but we would have stood no chance setting out to attack the best club in the world, especially given our current form.

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Barca were supposed to sign a kid from "my" club. Kinda sucks if he doesn't get to go...

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/01/barcelona-alen-halilovic-next-lionel-messi

[close]

Isn't Croatia part of the EU though? Why wouldn't he be allowed to go?

[close]

His deal would have been fine, but the transfer ban means it's probably moot now, same as Ter Stegen's. They're not being punished for that deal, but like 7 others that came before with young kids from other countries outside the EU

[close]

I see. I took it the deal was made already whereas the ban is not yet in effect. But of course the actual transfer happens in the window.

Surprising to see by the way that Barca apparently was unable to circumvent these rules. All you have to do is fly the parents out and give them some job. I guess living in Barcelona is not as appealing to regular people as it is to skaters.

I think that's matter of legal debate. Ter Stegen's counselor has stated that his client's contract is perfectly fine. On the Fifa webpage it says that Barca has 3 months to explain themselves. That's until July 02. Halilovic's and ter Stegen's contracts start running from July 02 and these have already been signed. I think these two transfers are given a pass. It would be really shitty for the releasing clubs, too. Moenchengladbach (ter Stegen's club) has already signed ter his replacement (Yann Sommer) for around 8 million euros.

[ALT]

Had my annual trip to Stamford Bridge today to see Chelsea play. It was a pretty good game and its always awesome seeing them play in person.

During the pre-match warm up on the pitch Luiz and Torres were doing this exercise when Luiz was booting the ball straight up in the air and Torres had to catch it and control it with his chest. Two times in a row he couldn't control it and it bounced away. He then tried to flick the ball up and head it but he flicked it over his own head. He then tried to just do some keep ups but again he flicked the ball away from himself. He then got pissed off and flicked the ball up and tried to punch it. He swung for it and missed the ball and it bounced off his shoulder. He had enough and kicked the ball away, but it shot off at a weird angle and hit Eva the fit female team doctor in the back.

During the team announcement when they went though the names of the players and everyone cheered after each name was called out, when it came to Torres name being called out it was almost silence in the stadium, seriously nobody in there cheered him. And that just about summed it his day, he was really awful.

Watching Willian play in person was sick. He is seriously so good, easily the best player of the day. He was dominating in the middle, making so many passes and chances, constantly getting the ball back. Dude put in so much work. And his goal was awesome.

Watching Hazard in person was sick as well, he is seriously good. His movement with the ball is insane. And one of the funnier moments of the game was when there was a freekick in about the middle of Stokes half. Luiz stood over the ball, walked slowly back and poised himself ready to shoot. Just as he was about to take it Hazard just ran up in front of him and passed the ball out to the side which everyone cheered.

[Mark Renton]

During the team announcement when they went though the names of the players and everyone cheered after each name was called out, when it came to Torres name being called out it was almost silence in the stadium, seriously nobody in there cheered him. And that just about summed it his day, he was really awful.

I fucking hate everything about this. Short memory silly cunts.


I'm happy for your match day though, I'm still not sure whether going to WHU - Palace or not, >40 quids minimum, 4th highest prices in the whole league, and Sam's way of playing is effective but pretty meh

[chockfullofthat]

Very cool ALT.  Watching Torres for the last 3.5 seasons leaves a bad taste in your mouth regardless of his 2 crucially important goals.  He wasn't booed at least.  He won't be remembered fondly or with too much dislike when he leaves this summer.

[thepman]

Expand Quote

During the team announcement when they went though the names of the players and everyone cheered after each name was called out, when it came to Torres name being called out it was almost silence in the stadium, seriously nobody in there cheered him. And that just about summed it his day, he was really awful.

[close]

I fucking hate everything about this. Short memory silly cunts.


I'm happy for your match day though, I'm still not sure whether going to WHU - Palace or not, >40 quids minimum, 4th highest prices in the whole league, and Sam's way of playing is effective but pretty meh

Haha, love Neville's commentary there. "Aaaaaahh, unbelievable"

[holden caulfield]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Barca were supposed to sign a kid from "my" club. Kinda sucks if he doesn't get to go...

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/01/barcelona-alen-halilovic-next-lionel-messi

[close]

Isn't Croatia part of the EU though? Why wouldn't he be allowed to go?

[close]

His deal would have been fine, but the transfer ban means it's probably moot now, same as Ter Stegen's. They're not being punished for that deal, but like 7 others that came before with young kids from other countries outside the EU

[close]

I see. I took it the deal was made already whereas the ban is not yet in effect. But of course the actual transfer happens in the window.

Surprising to see by the way that Barca apparently was unable to circumvent these rules. All you have to do is fly the parents out and give them some job. I guess living in Barcelona is not as appealing to regular people as it is to skaters.

It's not that the parents don't want to go there, it's that they have to go there for professional reasons, and it's next to impossible to get foreigners work permits when local unemployment is skyhigh.

Anyways this whole thing is bullshit, of all the things they could be going after, they pick this? Millions of kids around the world would kill to go to la masia, accusing barcelona of exploiting children is propostrous. Those kids get a sweet deal, they are guaranteed health care and school until they are 18 even if they get cut from the soccer program. Hopefully barcelona can have the ban suspended while the appeal process plays out and make all the signings they need for the next 2 seasons.

[Tracer]

Anyone get the funny feeling Chelsea will run away with it 3-0? Some score like that, this is a big game Tuesday

[weedpop]

I think they're making an example out of Barca due to their high profile and particularly blatant violation of the rules, even though the rules themselves don't make a lot of sense. Any attempt by FIFA to take the higher moral ground on governance issues is laughable anyway - unless they're maybe just fishing for a bribe???

If Barca can't get the ban overturned/shortened however, they will be screwed. They're gonna need a full central defense transplant and a new xavi if they want to avoid losing further ground to Madrid over the next couple of seasons.

[holden caulfield]

they shouldn't have got rid of thiago that's for sure...at least bartra seems to be stepping up, but agreed that will leave them with no depth whatsoever in the back.

[excitableboy]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Barca were supposed to sign a kid from "my" club. Kinda sucks if he doesn't get to go...

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/01/barcelona-alen-halilovic-next-lionel-messi

[close]

Isn't Croatia part of the EU though? Why wouldn't he be allowed to go?

[close]

His deal would have been fine, but the transfer ban means it's probably moot now, same as Ter Stegen's. They're not being punished for that deal, but like 7 others that came before with young kids from other countries outside the EU

[close]

I see. I took it the deal was made already whereas the ban is not yet in effect. But of course the actual transfer happens in the window.

Surprising to see by the way that Barca apparently was unable to circumvent these rules. All you have to do is fly the parents out and give them some job. I guess living in Barcelona is not as appealing to regular people as it is to skaters.

[close]

It's not that the parents don't want to go there, it's that they have to go there for professional reasons, and it's next to impossible to get foreigners work permits when local unemployment is skyhigh.

Anyways this whole thing is bullshit, of all the things they could be going after, they pick this? Millions of kids around the world would kill to go to la masia, accusing barcelona of exploiting children is propostrous. Those kids get a sweet deal, they are guaranteed health care and school until they are 18 even if they get cut from the soccer program. Hopefully barcelona can have the ban suspended while the appeal process plays out and make all the signings they need for the next 2 seasons.

Exactly. This is so easy to pretext and impossible to verify. I'd say it concerns about a dozen families from outside of the EU, they are hardly impacting the job market there. An eleven-year old from a club near me was signed last summer. Moved out there with his dad. For the few kids who they deem really promising, they'll get the required permits, house the parents, whatever is needed.. No big deal for an institution like that.

These rules will actually only be an incentive to scout kids at even younger ages, like I said they are only about players 12 and up. I imagine there are financial motives for these rules, no idea what but as weedpop mentioned it is laughable to think Fifa is doing this for ethical reasons.

[ALT]

Chelsea!

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

Dortmund had me on the edge of my seat. Once again. It's insane they got Madrid so close to elimination considering half their team is hurt. That was probably the first and last time Jojic and Kirch (!) formed their central midfield.

Reus is pure fucking class!

[Tracer]

Anyone get the funny feeling Chelsea will run away with it 3-0? Some score like that, this is a big game Tuesday

Told yall, a 2-0 Chelsea WALKOFF!

[Decreed Bratton]

Dortmund had me on the edge of my seat. Once again. It's insane they got Madrid so close to elimination considering half their team is hurt. That was probably the first and last time Jojic and Kirch (!) formed their central midfield.

Reus is pure fucking class!

Absolutely the best attacking midfielder in the world for me.  To bad for them.  They almost pulled it.

[chockfullofthat]

You must just have a thing for blonde dudes or hyperbolic statements. 

I missed the Chelsea match, I was desperately trying to follow it with in air WiFi.  Another magical European night for them.  In the knockout stage, there are few teams as entertaining as Chelsea over the last decade.  Cannot wait to see who 'we' get in the semis.

[weedpop]

The last 15 minutes of that Chelsea game were champions league at its best. A total toss up between them going through and getting taken out by Cavani on the counter.

Really interesting to compare the flow of this game with the match in Paris last week. PSG seemed to have a difficult time holding possession once again despite a solid opening spell, however they also created much fewer chances. It seems they may have to reconsider Verratti as the focal point of their midfield going forward since he seems to have such a difficult time protecting the ball against champion's league caliber midfielders. I'm thinking he just wasn't used to getting pressed that hard in Ligue 1 - perhaps a symptom of the overall slower speed or different style of play there (I don't watch a lot of Ligue 1)?

Absolutely the best attacking midfielder in the world for me. 

Ehhh. He certainly embodies all the characteristics traditionally associated with attacking midfielders very well. He's a great player, though still very young, and his style of play fits Dortmund's perfectly. I look forward to seeing him in a Bayern shirt next year (jk, but not really).

[holden caulfield]

Cavani was fucking terrible in both legs. Missed a sitter that would've basically ended the tie late in the second half. As much as I dislike Chelsea they deserved to go through.

[chockfullofthat]

You're right but he isn't fit and was played out of position in the first leg at least.  Can't speak for the second leg just yet.

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

Ehhh. He certainly embodies all the characteristics traditionally associated with attacking midfielders very well. He's a great player, though still very young, and his style of play fits Dortmund's perfectly. I look forward to seeing him in a Bayern shirt next year (jk, but not really).

That won't happen. He already declined a serious offer by Bayern and went to Dortmund instead. Reus seems to be very strongly linked to the local area as well as his family and friends. There haven't been many rumors linking him to Bayern anyway. They seem more focused on signing Julian Draxler from Schalke. And Dortmund will certainly not let him go to Bayern after the whole drama around Goetze and Lewandowski.

[Smell Good]

I am pinning everything on Atletico now. The only remaining likable team/true underdog.

[castillo's curls]

A Madrid derby would be pretty insane I think.