Football Thread No. 9

[pesgores]

Actually Cardozo is a great player.

Mancini, I don't know what he'll do, I think the entire club spent too much time whining about referees (when they got a lot of decisions their way) and focusing on Tevez instead of building up their lead. I also think Fergie's mind-games might unsettle them just enough for them to lose a further one or two points and United only ned to not lose at Eastlands to be on their own from there onwards.

Daily topic in Portuguese football, but our referees are bad. Even though it's the same every season, nobody does anything to fix it.

 

[Josu]

Daily topic in Portuguese football, but our referees are bad. Even though it's the same every season, nobody does anything to fix it.

Is there any country in which referees are not bad?

 

[Takhisis]

After yesterday's penalty for Barcelona…

San Marino?

 

[Josu]

After yesterday's penalty for Barcelona…

San Marino?

And before?

I do not know which perception has people about referees in La Liga, but I have always belived that they are scum
Most people here would change without discussion referees from La Liga by Referees from premiership. Okay, maybe Madrid or Barcelona supporters would not change....

 

[pesgores]

Is there any country in which referees are not bad?

The perception we have is that we talk about it too much, to the point the personal data of the referees of the professional leagues has been leaked online. Referees that consistenly turn into magicians midgame and spot penalties nobody else sees, all of this constantly against the same clubs.

Some months ago, one of such referees got beat up in the mall right next to the benfica stadium.

 

[MCdread]

So what do you do now if you're Mancini? Stick with Plan A because 2.3 points a game is still a cracking pace, you have the most expensive set of players, and you will have occasional blips, and the thing to do is not panic, and the luck will go your way again soon?

Or do you suspect something is suddenly wrong with the team - only 5 points from the last 4 games, leaking goals aplenty, Silva suddenly looks ineffectual, and an away game at Arsenal coming up - if you don't change things and restore the team's ability to win now, then the season will have slipped away from you in a fortnight's time?

I don't know which is the best/right path. And I guess this is where there is the advantage of having someone like Ferguson in charge, because he can probably tell when his team is in Scenario A, and when in Scenario B.

A third possibility is Mancini trying to figure out why, more often than not, his teams seem to fade at the later stages of the season and never quite manage to get the ultimate goal (save for those scudetti won by Inter post calciopoli when there wasn't any competition, one of which he almost bottled to Roma after giving away a 10+ point lead).

Actually Cardozo is a great player.

He surely has a cannon left foot and his size makes him a good target man if his team is dominating possession and putting in crosses, etc. Other than that he's a lamp pole that will not cut a defence open with a clever pass or move or find spaces. Good player, but not 'great' by any possible criterion.

I also think Fergie's mind-games might unsettle them just enough for them to lose a further one or two points

If that so much affected them as to drop points and ruin the season, then they certainly don't have what it takes.

 

[Josu]

Huge row in La Liga due to Sporting Gijon's coach said to a journalist that some day he will told to the journalist's son that his father is an "unpresentable" (do not know how to impresentable to enghlish) and that he is fooler than a stones bag.
Aparently the journalist and Javier Clemente (the coach) were not having good relantioship, since Clemente arrived to Sporting.

I wish there is having a good show tonight in Barcelona so that media speaks just about football.

 

[MCdread]

I wish there is having a good show tonight in Barcelona so that media speaks just about football.

Too bad they (some of them at least) want to speak about the 2nd penalty.

To be fair it's one of those things that happen in every set piece and the refs rarely whistle, Puyol is deliberately attempting to block Nesta and Busquets seems to also be grabbing Nesta's shirt. However, and from the place where the ref stands, it's such a blatant and clumsy grab that he's right to call it.

Barça is the best team around but I don't think they're as fluid as in previous seasons. Milan though was very disappointing and showed too much respect. They had to work harder and run more, but apart from 2 or 3 players, Barcelona's were all quicker, more committed, pressed harder and tackled more.
Most of the time they also defended with a line of 4 inside the box and a line of 3 just outside. I can understand why they did it - they don't have pace in the central defence - but it just made breaking in counter attack almost impossible while Barça played the ball just outside or inside the box any time they wanted. Besides, with Alexis Sanchez out the only player whose main occupation would be to use pace to get behind defenders (Cuenca) was playing out wide, never in the center.

Anyway, just sums up this years' disappointing CL. The only clash that seems like it can lift the enthusiasm before the final is Bayern-R.Madrid, but I'm not sure about Bayern's defence yet.

 

[Takhisis]

On the other hand, we have a terribly exciting Europa League.

Pity that Faux Sports wrestled the broadcasting rights from ESPN and made it pay-per-view so I could watch only one or two matches each day, the groups phases had great matches and the first few knockout rounds were unwatchable.

 

[warpus]

Chelsea vs Barcelona again, I'm not exactly looking forward to this one.. but in a way I am.

We're huge underdogs, wonder how Di Matteo will handle this one

 

[pesgores]

Sporting is through to the semifinals of the UEL! Next opponent on our way to Bucharest: Athletic Club (come at me Josu!)

Other semifinalists are Atlético Madrid and Valencia.

 

[Josu]

Sporting is through to the semifinals of the UEL! Next opponent on our way to Bucharest: Athletic Club (come at me Josu!)

Other semifinalists are Atlético Madrid and Valencia.

Athletic club was not in eurpean semifinals since 1977!! Finally, we played the final against Juventus, it was 1-0 in torino and 2-1 in Bilbao. Every single Athletic Club's interested in history fan remembers that Juventus' goal in San Mames was scored by Bettega. This year, at least I wish we watch good matches.

Match in Lisboa is in the 19th, insn't it? When season began I had the idea of attending one away match in EL. I not sure, but I think I won't be able to schedule a visit to lisboa with my job's calendar. I am starting to think that milestones in my project has been scheduled in several dates intentonally, I was not able to visit manchester, and won't be able to go to lisboa I will have to check it on tuesday, after easter.

In any case I am pretty happy on how the season is going for Atheltic Club, we are not very fine in Liga, but we are allready in Copa's final and we are making a name in Europe

 

[pesgores]

Athletic club was not in eurpean semifinals since 1977!! Finally, we played the final against Juventus, it was 1-0 in torino and 2-1 in Bilbao. Every single Athletic Club's interested in history fan remembers that Juventus' goal in San Mames was scored by Bettega. This year, at least I wish we watch good matches.

Match in Lisboa is in the 19th, insn't it? When season began I had the idea of attending one away match in EL. I not sure, but I think I won't be able to schedule a visit to lisboa with my job's calendar. I am starting to think that milestones in my project has been scheduled in several dates intentonally, I was not able to visit manchester, and won't be able to go to lisboa I will have to check it on tuesday, after easter.

In any case I am pretty happy on how the season is going for Atheltic Club, we are not very fine in Liga, but we are allready in Copa's final and we are making a name in Europe

Congratulations then

Yes, the first leg is in Lisboa in the 19th, my season ticket doesn't cover European matches but I'll try to go for this one. The last great European campaign was on 2005, when the Final of the UEFA Cup was at our stadium and we made it to the final. Unfortunately we lost...

 

[Takhisis]

Cofcof offside cofcof.

 

[MCdread]

In any case I am pretty happy on how the season is going for Atheltic Club, we are not very fine in Liga, but we are allready in Copa's final and we are making a name in Europe

I guess Athletic has already qualified for Europe next season by playing the final of the Copa right? Qualifying for the CL was always going to be tough, so I guess you guys should just take it easy in the league and focus on the Europa League and in the final of the Cup, 2 competitions you can definitely win.

Incidentally Sporting are in the exact same situation: they've had a bad league season, but are in the semis of this competition and in the final of the portuguese cup.

 

[Josu]

Cofcof offside cofcof.

Yes, in second goal I thought that the referee was saying offside

I guess Athletic has already qualified for Europe next season by playing the final of the Copa right? Qualifying for the CL was always going to be tough, so I guess you guys should just take it easy in the league and focus on the Europa League and in the final of the Cup, 2 competitions you can definitely win.

Yes, that's the idea, we have had awfull results in league in the last 6 matches, so the possibility of CL has almost escaped. In any case as Barcelona is allready clasified for CL, the cup's runner ups are allready qualified for EL. We should win 2 or 3 matches more to avoid relegation mathematically and then take it easy

 

[Takhisis]

Interesting results in the EPL today.

 

[Lambert Simnel]

Yeah. Good to see the mighty 'Pool taking a point off Villa. The King Kenny Revolution continues on! And Chelsea shouldn't have needed the lineman's help again Wigan, but it's good to know someone's got your back, you know?

 

[MCdread]

I wonder what's the average number of points per game won by Hodgson and King Kenny. It's surely not that different by now...

 

[Lambert Simnel]

City lose to Arsenal in a submissive, "lie down and take it" fashion (Balotelli and his tackles aside). 5 points from 5 games - not sure there's any way back for City now.