football anyone? as in soccer...

[Decreed Bratton]

I don't know much about the new Barca coach Luis Enrique, but it looks like he's cleaning house and might change things up.  Fabregas, Sanchez and I think Xavi will probably be gone too.  Looking like they might try to not go full on tiki taka.  I think Suarez might do rather well at Barca.  He is really unselfish a lot of times and I think when he gets the ball will play Messi or Neymar in if he doesn't have a shot on himself.  He really made Sterling and Sturridge better this year.

[foureyedjim]

didn't think it'd take that long for Germany to score.

[MostlyLurkin']

Messi got the Golden Ball award.. WHAT A FUCKING JOKE.

[thepman]

I can't believe how much money the top level attacking players are going for these days. I don't think any player is really worth that much money as far as the actual value they bring to their organization, except for maybe Ronaldo/Messi. It seems especially weird given suarez's ban and his infantile tendencies (not good for marketing), but I guess Barca just wanted to lock him up instead of haggling and risking losing out to some other team.

I also find it difficult to imagine a player as individualistic as Suarez fitting into such a tight system, but stranger things have happened. Lots of question marks around Barca this coming season, especially with what I would consider their first "real" attempt at a long term coaching appointment since Guardiola left.

I think Suarez signing for Barca is less of a tactical move and more of a statement of intent. It's a 'marquee' sigining, they're not bringing him in because they need him, they're bringing him in to remind Madrid and the European teams that Barca are still to be reckoned with after the shit season they had.

Congrats to Germany! More than worthy winners, played some wonderful football, Neuer is incredible, can see a lot of keepers becoming sweeper-keepers and following his example. Messi getting the Golden Ball is bullshit though, can think of at least 20 other players who had a better tournament.

[pica]

Messi got the Golden Ball award.. WHAT A FUCKING JOKE.

this.

[foureyedjim]

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Messi got the Golden Ball award.. WHAT A FUCKING JOKE.

[close]

this.

Messi's face said it all.  I think he even knows.

[weedpop]

Messi isn't a great choice for the golden boot but not a terrible one either. I would have given it to Arjen Robben or James Rodriguez but Messi was able to bail his team out several times during the group stages when it looked like they would drop points. he just wasn't able to carry them the whole way on his back, which is apparently the crime of the century if you have the misfortune of being considered the best player in the world.

I wish Argentina had won but that game really showed a lot of their flaws. With Messi being surrounded by 3-4 players every time he touched the ball they had absolutely no-one else to play through in the middle of the pitch. As a result they conceded too much possession to Germany and, once their wing players tired, they basically had no way of carrying the ball up-field and getting out of their defensive shell. Sabella must be cursing Di Maria and Aguero's injuries right now as they would have been able to play a completely different game with those two at full fitness.

Congrats to Germany though. They definitely had the depth and talent to deserve the win.

[Frank]

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didn't think it'd take that long for Germany to score.

[close]

Same--what an incredible game! Great playing on both sides. Kramer should not have returned to the field, and Thrasher should give Schweinsteiger a Hall of Meat.
What's the atmosphere like in DE? My folks are in Eltville but have long since turned in for the night.

no shit, i grew up half an hour from there. i'm in hamburg tho and it sounded like civil war broke out outside.

[Tracer]

Horrible final, I even went to the track and watched.  BOTH teams got shutout after 90 minutes. These are the two best countries in soccer, getting blanked in 1 1/2 hours?? Club soccer is much, much better, GO LIVERPOOL

[Matze]

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didn't think it'd take that long for Germany to score.

[close]

Same--what an incredible game! Great playing on both sides. Kramer should not have returned to the field, and Thrasher should give Schweinsteiger a Hall of Meat.
What's the atmosphere like in DE? My folks are in Eltville but have long since turned in for the night.

[close]

no shit, i grew up half an hour from there. i'm in hamburg tho and it sounded like civil war broke out outside.

Reeperbahn was full of shitty persons yesterday, that was as bad as Schlagermove.

But yeah, the title well deserved. Now throw away your flags and continue your life.

[Mark Renton]

Damn I feel bad for Messi.
Besides that, it ended the way it should have ended, Germany surely earned and deserved the cup.

[thepman]

Horrible final, I even went to the track and watched.  BOTH teams got shutout after 90 minutes. These are the two best countries in soccer, getting blanked in 1 1/2 hours?? Club soccer is much, much better, GO LIVERPOOL

Were we watching the same game? That was a really decent final, a lot of chances from both sides, just poor finishing let them both down. And just because you get to the World Cup final doesn't necessarily make you the 'best country for soccer.' I'd still say Holland and France are both better than Argentina, as are Columbia. Argentina never really convinced this whole tournament.
God I hate americanisms in football, 'shutout'? 'blanked'?

[chockfullofthat]

God, I hate elitist British cunts pointlessly whinging about soccer terms.  That was not a good final, but that is very typical imo.  The first half was exciting, but halfway through the second half I was hanging on.  If Higuain would've scored that early chance, Germany would've had to come forward and the match would've been excellent.

Onto the premier league...what is Van Gaal going to do with that back 4 at United???

[thepman]

God, I hate elitist British cunts pointlessly whinging about soccer terms.  That was not a good final, but that is very typical imo.  The first half was exciting, but halfway through the second half I was hanging on.  If Higuain would've scored that early chance, Germany would've had to come forward and the match would've been excellent.

Onto the premier league...what is Van Gaal going to do with that back 4 at United???

I heard he wants Vermaelen? Not entirely sure why though, couldn't even get into Arsenal's first team last year. Luke Shaw will be solid at left back and if Rafael can find his 2012/2013 season form then they're sorted for full backs.
I think at least another midfielder, a winger and a centre back are needed. Give Phil Jones at least half a season at centre back, there's a reason why Fergie compared him to Duncan Edwards.

[Decreed Bratton]

I'm interested to see what everyone's take is on their team for the upcoming season.  The transfers, the manager and how they see their team doing.

Chock - Chelsea
Pman - United
Mostly Lurking - Spurs
Smell Good - Arsenal
Mooley - Liverpool
anyone else is welcome?  I'd like to hear from even non PL teams like Bayern or Barca fans too.

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

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didn't think it'd take that long for Germany to score.

[close]

Same--what an incredible game! Great playing on both sides. Kramer should not have returned to the field, and Thrasher should give Schweinsteiger a Hall of Meat.
What's the atmosphere like in DE? My folks are in Eltville but have long since turned in for the night.

[close]

no shit, i grew up half an hour from there. i'm in hamburg tho and it sounded like civil war broke out outside.

Wtf?! Two guys with connections to Eltville on here? I live about half an hour from there as well. For those who don't know, Eltville is a pretty small town in Germany with a population of 17,000. Pretty random...

Here in Mainz, it remained surprisingly calm last night. Maybe because I expected hell to break loose, which didn't quite turn out to happen.

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

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didn't think it'd take that long for Germany to score.

[close]

Same--what an incredible game! Great playing on both sides. Kramer should not have returned to the field, and Thrasher should give Schweinsteiger a Hall of Meat.
What's the atmosphere like in DE? My folks are in Eltville but have long since turned in for the night.

[close]

no shit, i grew up half an hour from there. i'm in hamburg tho and it sounded like civil war broke out outside.

[close]

Reeperbahn was full of shitty persons yesterday, that was as bad as Schlagermove.

But yeah, the title well deserved. Now throw away your flags and continue your life.

Watch your mouth, sir.

PS: I don't quite consider Wolfgang Petry schlager (but poetry/philosophy/you-name-it), but I still take offense 

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

Pretty epic, albeit rude, interview... Kind of a dick move but funny nonetheless.

[chockfullofthat]

My take...

I think this team looks quite nice.  Good enough for 1st or 2nd.


Reasons to be optimistic:
-Matic in Champions League
-The best defense in the league has improved again
-No fancy overseas summer tour to give the boys a decent rest for once
-Other teams signings are not particularly frightening so far, or they haven't addressed their weaknesses well enough imo.

Reasons to be unsure:
-How Diego Costa and Fabregas will impact the team, I'm quite optimistic about these signings, but others are not.
-I have no idea what the back up strikers will offer if Lukaku is loaned again.
-The unstable psyche of Jose Mourinho
-Brutal end of the season run if they progress far in the Champions League.
-How the Cech-Courtois sideshow will develop
-Terry's age

[Smell Good]

I'm interested to see what everyone's take is on their team for the upcoming season.  The transfers, the manager and how they see their team doing.

Smell Good - Arsenal

I fully expect Arsenal to win the quadruple like I do every season 

it's been a good and comfy summer for me as an Arsenal fan. Stadium debt is at a level now where Wenger can really flex his muscles a bit on the market with more comfort along with the sponsorship deals adding a decent amount of funds to the cash the club already has.

Primary areas of concern are the goalkeeper, central defense, and right back positions. Apparently Janmaat is close to signing for Newcastle so that bodes quite well for the Debuchy deal.

Big question mark over Vermaelen. I'd like him to stay because that is an area that completely lacks depth. Apparently Julio Pleguezuelo is very close to breaking into the Arsenal first team but I know very little about him to comment. There's actually been very few stories linking Arsenal to any central defenders.

Khedira would be nice but I'm reading that his wages are a big stumbling block. It wouldn't be the end of the world for me if Arsenal don't manage to sign Khedira.

Also, Joel Campbell should be back for preseason and will probably be sticking around. Where once we only had Park, Bendtner and Sanogo as backup to Giroud, we now might have Sanchez, Campbell and Sanogo that could all possibly play striker. I'd say that's a nice improvement.

[thepman]

Pman - United

There's a lot of dead wood at United, so many awful players still in the squad: Young, Nani, Smalling, Bebe, Cleverley, Anderson should all be sold while Fellani and Valencia really have something to prove having been poor.

Having already signed Shaw and Herrera with Evra probably going to Juve, realistically we need to sign a back up LB, one maybe two CBs, another centre midfielder and another winger. However knowing how bad we were at getting signings done last summer I reckon we'll only get another centre mid (papers saying Vidal - I hope so) and a centre back. The Rooney/LVG relationship will be interesting, Van Gaal usually only likes to play one striker which will obviously be RVP, so will Rooney play behind the striker when arguably Mata and Kagawa are better there?

Realistically I think next season we'll get 4th, if i'm being optimistic 3rd, we just really need to get back into the top 4.Then next summer we can build the squad more and hopefully by the season after we can challenge for the title. This upcoming season I expect Chelsea to win the league but I really think Arsenal will challenge again, and obviously City and Liverpool will sustain a challenge (everyone's saying they'll struggle without Suarez but i'm expecting Strurridge to really step up to the plate.) It's gonna be very interesting.

I got a lot of faith in LVG and I think he'll deliver, providing that Woodward and the board know how to deal with him.

[brycickle]

I've heard chatter of Van Gaal trying to bring Wesley Sneijder in...

[Hash Slinging Slasher]

didn't think it'd take that long for Germany to score.

[Mooley]

I'm interested to see what everyone's take is on their team for the upcoming season.  The transfers, the manager and how they see their team doing.

Mooley - Liverpool

Firstly, Suarez.
He was never going to be worth more. He's the best player I've ever seen in a Liverpool shirt and I'm disappointed he couldn't be around longer. I'm glad now I went through something similar already with Torres, or it'd be much worse. All told it was pretty much settled last summer he wouldn't be around much longer -- so for him to take his dream move now after having played an absolutely incredible, disciplined, and entertaining season that almost delivered a title is all I could have asked. I wish him well, he's going to tear it up in La Liga.

As for transfers, there's so much left to fall into place I'm not sure I can assess things really right now. Lallana's a perfect pick up for the system, Lambert's a great story and a useful player, and Origi, Markovic, and Can are very promising additions to a long list of wonderful youth talent. Suarez's fee hasn't been spent yet, so what remains will be crucial. A left back, a central defender, and most likely an attacker left to buy. The attacker will be the big one, I think Sturridge is poised to have a great year but there's questionable depth behind him. Lambert and Borini can be good depth players but there needs to be another prime threat or we'll be missing too many goals without Suarez to overcome other shortcomings. Just don't know if they want to splash cash and dump pressure on some expensive forward to go out and try to replace the irreplaceable.

I don't know what to expect from next season, it's going to be tight. Arsenal are starting to look serious and United won't be as shit, so there's that much more competition at the top now. If we can scrape top 4 in the league, and somehow get through what will be an absolutely monstrous group in the Champion's League that will be success enough for now. Would love to see a thrilling season spent at the top again, but realistically I think it's more about maintaining the staying power now than making another push right away.   

[whale]

Little bit about City:

Yaya is a big question mark.
Really hoping it all gets sorted.

Aguero, Dzeko and Jovetic wreak havoc assuming they all stay fit.

Out: Richards, Garcia, Milner

In: nobody, use your younger squad. HA!

[Decreed Bratton]

Little bit about City:

Yaya is a big question mark.
Really hoping it all gets sorted.

Aguero, Dzeko and Jovetic wreak havoc assuming they all stay fit.

Out: Richards, Garcia, Milner

In: nobody, use your younger squad. HA!

Interesting takes on everyone's opinions.  I like what everyone has to say.  Whale a City fan too? Cool.
My addition to City.

City are limited with FFP to spend  under 50mil pounds this summer.  So far we have...

Sagna - Free transfer.  He will come in and rotate with Zabaleta who looked quite tired at the end of the season.  Assuming we go deep in 4 competitions they will get a fair share of games like how Clichy and Kolorov did on the left.

Fernando - 12mil from Porto who is called the octopus because of his defensive midfield skills.  Hopefully he will relieve some pressure on whoever he is paired with in the center of the park as well as our center backs because City like to throw numbers forward.

Willy Caballero - 6mil from Malaga.  He'll push Hart and hopefully make him better.  If Hart slips up it's a good guy to bring in.

Mangala from Porto isn't done yet, but he would take up a majority of the money at around 32mil.  A lot for a defender, but he's young and hopefully worth the money in the long run.


As far as the league I hope City can repeat of course, but everyone is getting stronger so it won't be easy. It took a while to sort out the away games last season and hopefully Pellegrini in his second year has more knowledge of the league and does better.   Realistically I say finish 2nd or 3rd.  Hopefully a better CL campaign, but it all depends who you are drawn with.

The one concern is that of the number of foreign players compared to homegrown.  The one thing I am envious is that a lot of teams have a number of good homegrown players.  Guys like Boyata, Richards and Sinclair just can't cut it at City.  I'm still hopeful that Rodwell comes good and hope he doesn't get sold.  Milner is an okay fringe player, but only Hart can get into the first 11.  I heard City was in for Ross Barkley, but I don't think it's realistic unless 1 or 2 players get sold so I can't see it.

I hope Yaya gets sorted out too.  I think he will stay, but even so he will go to the African Cup of Nations in Feb.  Other players need to step it up.  Also Aguero can't seem to stay fit.  May need extra rest in the beginning of the season.  I want 1 full season of this guy and Silva together please!

[Smell Good]

With Antonio Conte resigning from Juventus, it's pretty likely that Vidal and Pogba will find new homes.

United and PSG/Real Madrid respectively?

[weedpop]

With Antonio Conte resigning from Juventus, it's pretty likely that Vidal and Pogba will find new homes.

United and PSG/Real Madrid respectively?

If Juventus really do sell Pogba he's going to end up somewhere really big. Based on his recent form I think any club in Europe would be happy to have him but I'm not convinced that Juve would let go of two of their star players in one transfer window. United would really benefit from having someone like Vidal who can play the "box-to-box" role well. Just think though, they could have had both of them if Fergie had been willing to throw Pogba some starts a couple years ago (at a time when United's midfield was relatively shit anyway).

I'm gonna be rooting for Liverpool in this upcoming EPL season, but I don't have much faith that they'll be able to replicate their success from last season. The top six is going to be even more competitive this season, and last year's team was so dependent on the attacking trident of Suarez, Sturridge and Sterling/Coutinho to win games that I fear their lack of depth in midfield and defense will be exposed. On the other hand, Brendan Rodgers is a very good manager and has shown the ability to adjust tactics on the fly in the past. The thing I'm most worried about is Steven Gerrard's age. Lallana and Henderson are both pretty good at what they do but they don't really have anyone to take over that deep-lying playmaker/distributor role when Stevie needs a rest or gets injured.

[whale]

Forgot about the cup of nations, this yaya thing needs to get sorted.
If they obey the ffp rules I'd pass on mangala for now, maybe get a winger with more goal threat than navas.

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

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didn't think it'd take that long for Germany to score.

[close]

Same--what an incredible game! Great playing on both sides. Kramer should not have returned to the field, and Thrasher should give Schweinsteiger a Hall of Meat.
What's the atmosphere like in DE? My folks are in Eltville but have long since turned in for the night.

[close]

no shit, i grew up half an hour from there. i'm in hamburg tho and it sounded like civil war broke out outside.

[close]

Wtf?! Two guys with connections to Eltville on here? I live about half an hour from there as well. For those who don't know, Eltville is a pretty small town in Germany with a population of 17,000. Pretty random...

Here in Mainz, it remained surprisingly calm last night. Maybe because I expected hell to break loose, which didn't quite turn out to happen.

[close]

Haha that is pretty wild! Mom's from Bad Kreuznach and her brother now lives in Eltville--lots of good memories of summer trips over there, skating that little box/quarter pipe/bank park along the Rhine then going out to Sektfest. I'll hit you up next time I'm around!

It is. I'm quite surprised about it, too.

Yeah, it's a bummer Mainz doesn't have a proper outdoor skatepark. It ain't too bad, but a lot of smaller towns have better skateparks.

That would be too cool! However, I'll be moving to the States in about a month. I'll probably leave Mainz for good. Which kinda bums me out, because I grew fond of the place...