The Ultimate Football Thread 2013-2014 Vol. 4 EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A etc

Interesting analysis but that writer over does it (overwrites if you will). He definitely loves to hear himself speak.

From what I can see Moyes' biggest problem is stubbornness & a refusal to adapt which to me is the bench mark for failure in any industry. One can't expect to do a job the same way you did it previously. You constantly have to adapt & embrace/except change. Doing things the way he did at Everton wasn't/isn't going to work at Man U.

eiddy - Do you remember me saying I didn't think Man U should sign Fellaini? At the time I didn't think he was good enough & I thought it seemed like a knee jerk reaction to sign someone just for the sake of saying you signed someone of some note in the summer transfer window. I would've signed Baines over Fellaini.

It's still very early in his career with the Red Devils & I hope he proves me wrong but his play was exactly what I expected. It's fine with the Toffees where finishing top 10 is good enough.

I agree with what you're saying about failure to adapt or embrace change, that seems to be one of Moyes' biggest issues.

:lol agreed, he likes to hear his own voice/read his own words.

But I agree with a lot of what he says.

Truth be told, I think Fellaini should have been a 2nd or 3rd signing. Definitely not a first or only signing. United needs to be refreshed with young strong creative talent. I know it's early, but Moyes has shown absolutely no signs of doing so.

What's also really frustrating about him, is his defensive tactics. You really think you can defend for 60odd minutes after getting a goal? SAF's United would press until the very very very end.

I heard a pundit yesterday saying, the issue that Moyes forgets is this, while players should get behind their manager, Moyes needs to realize, that all of those players have won something, some even the CL, Moyes on the other hand has won nothing. He was saying that technically the manager needs to prove himself to the players, and right now, he's doing a terrible job at it.

On the other hand, I think England media puts so much on players, that it takes away some of the power of managers. The media builds up players in England as if they're greater than the club or the manager. Forgetting that the responsibility all falls on the manager. In this case, I think the players need to pull their socks up and get on with the job, but Moyes needs to motivate players better, bench weak players, create stability in the starting 11 AND MAKE THE RIGHT SUB CHOICES that will create an impact on the game.
 
No one here (that I know of) is Catalan so we Barca fans have a different perspective.

Having said that I've been watching Barca since '90 so I can say I hated seeing Figo go but that was too much money to walk away from.

I've stated before that fans project too much irrational romanticism to their beloved teams & their athletes. It's not like he was a La Masia graduate.

I remember after the first Clasico after Figo joined Los Blancos, all the Barca players & coaches embraced him afterwards. If they were fine with it, why does anyone else need to be bothered by it?

I hate most sports fans though... The level of stupidity & ignorance is staggering to me...
 
Messi to Real Madrid?

Na, Figo wasn't grown in the Barca academy like Messi was. Messi is as Catalan as you can get without being Catalan (if that makes sense). Messi leaving would be way worse.

I think maybe if Neymar becomes and excellent player 5-6 years from now then hypothetically speaking left Barca for Madrid it'd be the same. All I could think about now looking at the roster.
 
We all know FIFA will do nothing about the racism issue in Russia. The World Cup will still be in Russia. All those Russian billionaires line up Blatter's pockets with so much money, he can't do anything.
 
Wow Tottenham!!! 
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  Incredible save... by the defender! 
 
Kick It Out chairman Lord Ouseley says the referee from the Man City - cska game should not officiate again citing failure to do his duty per UEFA guidelines set in '09.

All officials are duty bound to stop the match and ask for warnings to be made over the public address system. If that fails, officials are supposed to suspend the match for a short time, and if the abuse continues the match is to be canceled.

:{ @ this never having been done since then.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24654499
 
It's a bigger crime having the World Cup in Qatar more than it is in Russia.

But hey Germany has held world cups before. Can't punish a country because a faction of it's citizens are ignorant and stupid. Having the World Cup in Russia and having a variety of cultures and ethnicities there visiting can help broaden some horizons down the road. Not everyone moves at the same progressive speed as we do. Education and tolerance is the key.
 
It's a bigger crime having the World Cup in Qatar more than it is in Russia.

But hey Germany has held world cups before. Can't punish a country because a faction of it's citizens are ignorant and stupid. Having the World Cup in Russia and having a variety of cultures and ethnicities there visiting can help broaden some horizons down the road. Not everyone moves at the same progressive speed as we do. Education and tolerance is the key.

xenophobia is too strong in Russia, and the citizens are too stuck on their ways. I'm still puzzled why foreign exchange students, specially those with melanin in their skin go and study in Russia where they are basically constrained to their bedrooms for fear of getting jumped and possibly killed. I think the younger generation is much more tolerant due to the exposure through the internet, but they're probably a minority and most likely don't care enough to make a change at the moment. Too busy doing aerobycs on skyscrapers.
 
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Can't wait to watch El Clasico on Saturday. I am a bit unsure what Barca's lineup will look like, but hope they have a good couple days of training to get into their rhythm. 
 
^ Pique may not be able to play due to a hamstring issue... I think that might be addition via subtraction though... :rolleyes

Zonal Marking has analysis of RM vs Juve & Arsenal vs Dortmund matches. Good read if you care to look over...

http://www.zonalmarking.net/
 
Damb Ibra blasted that **** :lol

Dude must have some strong *** legs/hips. Black belt in TKD + soccer player
 
No, the hamstring injury came sometime during the AC Milan game. Pique's loss of form started waaay before that... Maybe he was never that good... Maybe having the likes of Abi, Alves, & Puyol (in their primes) in the back line helped mask his deficiencies...
 
Cesc Fábregas admits that he would like to return to Arsenal one day
• Barcelona midfielder open to idea of coaching at former club
• Former captain says Arsenal can win title with current squad


Cesc Fábregas admits that he would like to return to Arsenal one day as a coach but says that his departure was good for the club and for Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere in particular.

In a two-part interview to be published in The Guardian on Friday and Saturday, the former captain said that Ramsey and Wilshere have a "brilliant" future. The Barcelona midfielder also praised the signings of Mesut Özil and Mathieu Flamini and suggested Arsenal now have the experience to challenge for the league title.

"Arsenal is in my heart and always will be. It was important for me to leave the right way. I think the fans understood," Fábregas said. "I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to go back and play there one day, or maybe after football. The club's like a family so even if it wasn't as a coach, I'm sure they'd give me the chance to play a role. It's a club that is always going to be there and will always open its doors to me."

Fábregas explained that he departed the London club after eight years for personal reasons and that his departure might have been good for other players, describing himself as a potential "obstacle" for their development.

He said: "I watch the way Ramsey is playing now, how he looks so liberated, and I think maybe I blocked his way. Maybe I was an obstacle. Sometimes you need someone to leave for you to step forward and say: 'I'm here.' I'm saying that about Ramsey just as an example … I could say the same for Jack [Wilshere]. It's the concept I'm talking about, the idea of stepping up. That mental unblocking is so important. Both of them have a brilliant future.

"[They can be] as good as they want. They have quality on the ball and they have the physical attributes. Ramsey's stamina is spectacular. Wilshere is a bit different to the typical English player: he's more of a short passer. Ramsay is one of those that you look at and think: 'He doesn't stand out in any specific quality, but he does everything, everything, well.' His touch is good, his movement's good, now he's scoring goals too, providing assists. He's a kid who as a team player is a beast. Above all, he now has the confidence, responsibility."

"The experience was missing [and] we suffered because of that," Fábregas said of his spell at the club. "Now I think they've found a good balance. They have people there who have a lot of experience like [Per] Mertesacker and Mikel [Arteta] and [Lukas] Podolski. I really do think [that Flamini could make the difference]."

It is the arrival of Özil for a club record £42.5m this summer from Real Madrid, however, that has really captured the imagination of both fans and Fábregas alike.

The Spaniard describes Özil as "a spectacular signing" who could make the difference for a side hoping to end an eight-year spell without a trophy. "If you have the chance to sign Özil, you can't let it pass you by," he said. "I think he's going to enjoy it enormously. He's the man who has to make the difference in the final third. His last pass is brilliant, he'll get more space and with space he kills you. He's going to score more goals himself because of that space. There's no one better than him for that mediapunta [attacking midfielder] role."

Asked if Arsenal could at last challenge for the title this season, particularly with Manchester United struggling, Fábregas responded: "I really hope so. They've started very well. They look very strong; let's see how they last. With Manchester there is always talk about a dip, but it never happens. A lot gets decided over Christmas: the team that hangs in there best, that can resist the best, will take the title."


http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/24/cesc-fabregas-arsenal-barcelona1?CMP=twt_gu





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