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

I'm reading reports of Arsenal meeting with Balotelli.

How I'd love to see a triumphant return to the prem.

Supposedly Puma is pushing for it, he is their #1 guy and Arsenal will be their #1 team.

Yup, that's what I've read as well. Would love to have someone of his talents at the club, his mentality....well I don't think Wenger is fond of it :lol so it's hard to see a deal happening
 
Yup, that's what I've read as well. Would love to have someone of his talents at the club, his mentality....well I don't think Wenger is fond of it :lol so it's hard to see a deal happening
Assuming the club is winning and Mario is bagging goals, Balotelli will endear himself to Emirates quickly. That's the good. But you have to deal with and take the bad.
 
:{ :{ :{

For the second time this season, I can't rub an Arsenal W in the faces of my Man U supporter friends. Jokes about Man U coming from a gooner this season hold no value |I

This :hat
a friend of mine has been trolling my FB page since the start of this season...
haven't heard from him since the match ended today so that's good... :lol
 
Yup, that's what I've read as well. Would love to have someone of his talents at the club, his mentality....well I don't think Wenger is fond of it :lol so it's hard to see a deal happening
Assuming the club is winning and Mario is bagging goals, Balotelli will endear himself to Emirates quickly. That's the good. But you have to deal with and take the bad.

But Wenger has a history of not signing players because of their attitude/personalities. But we'll see what happens


Italian soccer club Lazio denies claims that 17-year-old youth player is actually in his 40s. http://foxs.pt/1bNVM23
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This dudes head is kid cudi size.

About Toure, I'm with Tom. Dude has to be throwing games at this point.
 
i've always thought of it too...
he made that horrendous backpass which allowed West Brom to score two matches ago...
won't matter too much though,he's just filling in until Sakho and Agger return from their injuries...


This dudes head is kid cudi size.

About Toure, I'm with Tom. Dude has to be throwing games at this point.

I hope so cause even when they are healthy, he still gets playing time over them. Jose Enrique, Sakho , Agger and Glen Johnson should be returning soon. So it will be interesting to see how the back line gets shaken up.
 
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when nbcsn pointed Mata's defense ugh i really wish crossing would be absolutely no more im sick of it, nobody can cross the ball properly
 
Maybe Ozil will have someone to finally finish off his assists now...

.... :lol .....kidding



.....kinda
 
No they don't have a humility class but outside of football skills & a top notch education, La Masia do try & help raise these boys not only to be a good sport but also a good person. This has been the mission since La Masia's inception. It's almost run like a Jesuit school. It's funny that you seem so dismissive about this. :rolleyes ;)

Carles Folguera, Director of La Masia said it best, "We teach the boys the same principles ​that any wise parent would teach to their children. These principles are respect, responsibility, commitment, work, discipline, self-demanding and, above all, humility."



I'm being dismissive because you think the club should sell one of it's biggest young talents on the basis of an exaggerated perspective you have about his attitude. At La Masia there are academic classes, training, and free time - that's about it. Of course, good values are strongly encouraged, like they are at just about any academy, but it's really not all that different to IMG down in Florida - primarily aside from training methodology. Don't idealize it - Jesuit schools don't kick out young kids after a year or two because they aren't good enough Jesuits. :lol

Emphasizing a PR quote doesn't lend any credence to your argument - though I'm not entirely sure what is being argued. That he should have flawless character because he came through La Masia? And because he doesn't, the club should get rid? IMO, you're being very harsh on the lad. Like I said, most of that is overstated, and he's still maturing on and off the field as he's only 19.
 
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No argument...discussion. How many Barca "starlets" have come back from loan recently to become first team regulars? It looks like the Toffees will get to keep him another year....
 
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This dudes head is kid cudi size.

About Toure, I'm with Tom. Dude has to be throwing games at this point.

:lol

@samuelj29060 Lazio say 17-year old Joseph Minala (who has told an African website he is 41 in past) had a "difficult childhood"
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How didn't we win :{
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We really miss Rambo and Theo
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No argument...discussion. How many Barca "starlets" have come back from loan recently to become first team regulars? It looks like the Toffees will get to keep him another year....

I fail to see how that's relevant. Are you now suggesting he's not sufficiently talented? Whether he fulfills his promise remains to be seen, but it's unanimously agreed upon that he is one the biggest talents to graduate from La Masia recently. He was player of the year in the second division last year and needed a step up- only he would have been behind too many players in the pecking order at the first team. I'm sure he would have beaten out Tello the one trick pony at some point, but a loan was logical.
Anyway, I can't think of anyone recently, though only lately has there been a need to use the system as it was only after Pep came in that there was a huge influx of canteranos to the first team. And though they weren't technically loaned, Cesc, Pique, and Alba all benefited from going elsewhere to get playing time which is functionally the same thing. Rafinha will certainly be back next season, so that's been successful.
 
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Small, but you can definitely see how angry Moyes is for that last backpass in the final play at the Emirates...

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No argument...discussion. How many Barca "starlets" have come back from loan recently to become first team regulars? It looks like the Toffees will get to keep him another year....

I fail to see how that's relevant. Are you now suggesting he's not sufficiently talented? Whether he fulfills his promise remains to be seen, but it's unanimously agreed upon that he is one the biggest talents to graduate from La Masia recently. He was player of the year in the second division last year and needed a step up- only he would have been behind too many players in the pecking order at the first team. I'm sure he would have beaten out Tello the one trick pony at some point, but a loan was logical.
Anyway, I can't think of anyone recently, though only lately has there been a need to use the system as it was only after Pep came in that there was a huge influx of canteranos to the first team. And though they weren't technically loaned, Cesc, Pique, and Alba all benefited from going elsewhere to get playing time which is functionally the same thing. Rafinha will certainly be back next season, so that's been successful.

Your not upset are you? I hope this is just a discussion between 2 cules...

No I never said he wasn't talented. I agree that he's possibly the most talented kid from La Masia in a while. I enjoyed seeing what he & Jese were capable of on the U19 team. Also enjoyed watching Deulofeu on Barca B (when I could). Talent wise, the kid is ready now (I think).

But the point I brought up is very relevant. Zubi & co haven't managed the talent coming out of La Masia very well. In addition, most of the loaned players have failed miserably. I also get the impression there's no plan in place either. It seems like Zubi & co are flying by the seat of their pants.

It looks like Deulofeu will stay with the Toffees for another year which I think is a great move for him. I love that he's playing under Martinez & in addition to his talent, the loan agreement gives Everton every reason to play him as often as possible.

If he were to come back now or a year later, how would you reconfigure the team up front? You certainly can't have him sit like Tello does.

I would also think you'd have to off load either Pedro or Alexis to get him consistent playing time (in addition to Tello). If you do, which one would you keep? Pedro because he can play multiple positions well or Alexis because of his ability to create in space via his dribbling & his scoring capabilities?

I just don't see a clear cut path on how this team is going to be shaped in that regard. Also, why would they send him of instead of Tello because quite frankly (even though I like Tello), Deulofeu shouldn't have been the one loaned out.

I don't want to discount Rafa either (even though that hasn't translated to wins for Celta Vigo). Where's he going to play whenever he comes back?

Edit - I'll also add than the mental aspect of an athlete is vital to a successful career. If you don't have your head screwed on right, you will flame out pretty easily or see your career meander all over the place if you don't wash out immediately. Just look at Balo... He should be an absolute beast out there right now but the kid just doesn't have all his marbles in one bag...
 
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:lol No, I'm obviously not - don't know what gave you that idea. On the other hand, you seem to personally dislike a kid you've never met, and I'm not the only one to have pointed it out.

I've written about the incompetence of the board, but even they know that Gerard is a big talent and should have his chances with the senior team eventually. He can take Tello's minutes, accumulate sub appearances, and get cup games until he shows he's ready to feature more. Rafinha can play everywhere in midfield and attack so it shouldn't be a problem getting him PT. He's done very well for a Celta side that were expected to be in a relegation scrap.
 
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I just had a look at those FA cup fixtures this weekend...and seeing Liverpool facing Arsenal again. I'm thinking, Wenger can't be happy with these games. Giroud and even Ozil have looked lackadaisical recently, and coming off a big match hitempo against Liverpool, then into United, then back to Liverpool for the cup, it's clearly showing Wenger should have bought over January. I'm not going to sit and bash Arsenal saying they'll only build you up and let you down :lol but I think it's plain to see that all of this football is slowing his team down...
 
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:lol No, I'm obviously not - don't know what gave you that idea. On the other hand, you seem to personally dislike a kid you've never met, and I'm not the only one to have pointed it out.

I've written about the incompetence of the board, but even they know that Gerard is a big talent and should have his chances with the senior team eventually. He can take Tello's minutes, accumulate sub appearances, and get cup games until he shows he's ready to feature more. Rafinha can play everywhere in midfield and attack so it shouldn't be a problem getting him PT. He's done very well for a Celta side that were expected to be in a relegation scrap.

I don't take sports talk personally. I do like a good healthy debate ever now & again (when a opportunity presents itself).

I don't rely on pundits or what I read to formulate opinions about anything. My opinion of Deulofeu is solely based on what I've witnessed while watching him play on the U19 Spanish side.

There were about 2 occurrences that I remember where I saw when he was on Barca B where he got into arguments with coaches for getting subbed off, one was particularly heated. Remember, there was a period of time in his last stint with Barca B where he didn't play for a period of time. It was rumored that he was suspended.

So you think Barca could simply keep everyone on the squad & add Rafa & Deulofeu while just taking away minutes from everyone?

I'm not sure that would work. If you were to bring both back, ideally I think one would have to off load 3 players. If so, which ones would you get rid of?
 
I don't take sports talk personally. I do like a good healthy debate ever now & again (when a opportunity presents itself).

I don't rely on pundits or what I read to formulate opinions about anything. My opinion of Deulofeu is solely based on what I've witnessed while watching him play on the U19 Spanish side.

There were about 2 occurrences that I remember where I saw when he was on Barca B where he got into arguments with coaches for getting subbed off, one was particularly heated. Remember, there was a period of time in his last stint with Barca B where he didn't play for a period of time. It was rumored that he was suspended.

So you think Barca could simply keep everyone on the squad & add Rafa & Deulofeu while just taking away minutes from everyone?

I'm not sure that would work. If you were to bring both back, ideally I think one would have to off load 3 players. If so, which ones would you get rid of?
I don't think Barca can keep everyone. Tello will need to be offloaded when Deulofeu comes back. Rotate Messi, Neymar, Pedro, Alexis, and Deulofeu up top.

Rafinha comes back, Song would leave, push Masche up behind Busquets, new CB. 
 
Say you get rid of the Tello, I don't think you can keep Pedro & Alexis either if you bring Gerry back. He would end up sitting like Tello does. It wouldn't make sense to bring him back only to have him sit. So my question again is which would you get rid of, Pedro or Alexis?
 
Say you get rid of the Tello, I don't think you can keep Pedro & Alexis either if you bring Gerry back. He would end up sitting like Tello does. It wouldn't make sense to bring him back only to have him sit. So my question again is which would you get rid of, Pedro or Alexis?
That's tough. Alexis has been ballin as of late, and Pedro have been consistent for years up top. If i had to choose, i would say keep Pedro and get rid of Alexis.
 
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