JediMindTricks

BstonBruin

he was definitely more shocked than anything.

Quite a few odd results this week, especially with the Reds and AC...I didn't get up at 4 30 to watch the match but I read about how dominant Marseille was, a team that currently only has 7 points in 9 matches (1-4-4)in Ligue 1. Rafa must be fuming, he did start Torres but to no avail. Should have brought in Voronin a bit earlier

Can't wait till the next round.

F-C

All you need to know is that every Milan player dives, even the gk.

Forza Inter!!!

JediMindTricks

well the guy that slapped dida is going to be banned for every celtic home and away match for the rest of his life.

he should be banned from any match, in my opinion. fans have no reason to be on the field during the course of a game.

with that said, dida did make the most of it. but i do think he was just shocked. remember, this is the guy who got hit with a flare from an *ahem* inter fan. (f-c?)

couple more notes and then i'll move on:
1. zlatan is ON FIRE.

2. never been a big totti fan, but from watching him last season and so far this year, you really have to admire the man. he could walk into ANY club in the world and have won countless trophies and made ridiculous wages. but he continues to not only stick with his boyhood club, but he hardly complains and whines, is willing to play out of position, and keeps carrying the club and its fans on his back. respect.

3. props for celtic and rangers winning. beasley!

4. arsenal continue to amaze me. they've literally grown up before our eyes.

BstonBruin

Completely agree with you, there aren't many players left in any sport that show commitment to the club through everything like he does.

It continues to show just how brilliant Arsene Wenger really is and how well he knows his players.

F-C

To be honest, I've never seen any videos of that incident, only photos. Obviously, the fans were out of line in throwing the flares. However, based on what I read on Inter forums, Dida saw the flare coming at him and didn't even try to dodge it. Anyway, Inter was punished enough for that incident.

No kidding. The guy is amazing. I just hope Mancini is going to rest him a bit so he doesn't get too fatigued.


Yup. The professional game is full of mercenaries. Players like Totti and Zanetti that really love their clubs are rare.

JediMindTricks

and it's not just how well he knows his players, but how good he is at evaluating unproven players.

of the major clubs, managers like SAF and benitez have been going at proven, established players. SAF tried picking young, full-of-potential players but failed miserably with the likes of djemba-djemba, kleberson, bellion, etc.

i mean, wenger definitely has a keen eye at predicting talent. the only real flop that i can think of was jeffers. but he flopped everywhere else he went.

even young guys that wenger let go are still proving to be quality players: pennant, bentley, larsson, etc.

gocubsgo55

"There's only one Arsene Wenger. Arsene Wenger!, there's only one Arsene Wenger"

<====== obsessed supporter of Arsene Wenger's Red and White Army

herbalist

Dida get a two match bad from the Champion's League for simulation.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/AL...sSbGfzpqVPCOEQ

JediMindTricks

if his motive was to get uefa to issue a loss for celtic like inter with the flare, then 2 matches is about right.

i know many of you don't watch mls, but did anyone catch ricardo clark's kick in the head to carlos ruiz a few weeks ago? now, i'm not condoning on-field violence. but carlos ruiz deserved it. the 9 match ban is too much, i think. but he's probably thinking europe anyways.

herbalist

Why do you say he deserved it? Granted I only saw the highlights and it appears that the two player got tangled up and both went down.

JediMindTricks

well carlos ruiz is one of those players that will irk you by pinching, grabbing, diving, crying, etc.

during the gold cup, he displayed an entire arsenal of showmanship against the u.s...he's clever. he'll kick, foul, pinch, pull, hold, etc, and then when a player makes contact in retaliation, he dives.

but there were a couple of altercations between the two that led up to the kicking. and reports say that ruiz actually punched clark in the back when trying to get position for the free kick.

JediMindTricks

lots of action over the weekend.

euro2008 qualifying, friendlies, and world cup 2010 qualifying has started for south america.

got lots on my mind but will just mention the argentina/chile match.

riquelme hasn't played a competitive match in like 3 months and scores on two gorgeous free kicks.

riquelme is football's definition of the gift and the curse.

and i tell you, when he's on, he looks magical in that #10 argentina shirt.

GrandeInter10

Damn right. Il Capitano is a rare breed. Zanetti, Maldini, and Totti have my full respect. Especially Zanetti tho (for obvious reasons). He deserves the Scudetto that we won this past season. He's suffered ridicule and criticism for more than a decade now with the Inter shirt on and he finally got his reward. I'm very hopeful we'll hit that double for our centenary too :-D haven't won the CL since the Grande Inter era in the 60s. Too damn long

JediMindTricks

and i'd add raul, giggs, and g.neville to that list. you know these guys would never want to leave their clubs unless they were forced out. i would have added gerrard to that list too, but i think some part of him really wanted to join chelsea a few years ago. and a few years ago, i didn't think thierry henry would ever leave arsenal.

JediMindTricks

england lose 2-1 to russia after russia score two late goals in a 5 minute span.

england's qualifying hopes are THIN at best.

switzerland vs. usa today!

BstonBruin

I guess the Reds decided they needed to make up for their goal scoring woes as of late by scoring 8. Besiktas was completely outplayed only having 1 shot on goal all game compared to Liverpool's 20 something. The score could have easily been 10-0. How about Babel's goal on the flick.

Seems like Real can't score any goals...what's the problem here?

JediMindTricks

real's been up and down all season, and it's amazing they're still in first place in la liga.

when defenses bunker up and close spaces in the midfield, it's tough for them to play their game. and i think they're still trying to figure out how to fit in robben and sneijder to the midfield.

Pull_T

I'm debating on whether I want to announce my closeted soccer fanaticism in this thread.

For about 15 years, I have been a huge Lilywhites fan. I guess I chose badly back in 91 when Hotspur was the shit in top division. Then again, we can feel good to be able to hang on for 30 years and not get relegated.

I've also been a Netherlands fan for about 20 years, so I support steady mediocrity (Hotspur) as well as wild inconsistency (Netherlands).

I shoulf have just been a Man U fan....I hate soccer.

Pull_T

Lister00169

I was tracking the game on ESPN Gamecast and my heart didn't stop pounding until it was 3-0. I was seriously afraid the Reds would give it up, but my fears were eased when it became 6-0 .

Now, time to take down FC Porto (my gf's team) and Marsielle.

GrandeInter10

Inter for the treble this year. Ibracadabra suckas!

GrandeInter10

Haha Netherlands yes...Man U, no. Bleh. EPL is a horrible league...don't know why so many people rate it so highly. It's usually only the Brits who consider their league the best haha

BstonBruin

Whats horrible about the EPL?? I'm not saying that its the best or the worst, I just think there are four leagues that are pretty even (La Liga, EPL, Bundesliga, Serie A)...all exhibiting +'s and -'s

JediMindTricks

please expand.

by no means am i saying the premier league is the best league. the PL, la liga, and serie a all have their pros and cons, as bstonbruin said.

but why do you say it's a horrible league?

gocubsgo55

Crowd is always to near 100% levels, away support is fantastic regardless of who is playing where, the players and their styles are aggressive and quick-paced, and the officiating has improved SIGNIFICANTLY. La Liga, Serie A, and the Prem all have their goods and bads, but not one is much better than the other.

GrandeInter10

Well, maybe I jumped the gun on horrible, but it's definitely overrated. And yes, in terms of play, Liga, Serie A, and EPL are pretty equal. But in sporting terms most EPL fans think of it as too much of a haven for superstars. Instead of level they to think of their league as superior to La Liga and Serie A. Simply look at the national team. The majority of the squad is EPL talent. What have they done with all that overrated talent? Nothing. Italy and Spain on the other hand won the World Cup and made it to the QFs, respectively, with mostly home grown/domestically based players.

At the time of the WC, the Italian Squad: Buffon(Juve), Zambrotta(Juve), Cannavaro(Juve), Nesta(Milan), Materazzi(Inter), Grosso(Palermo), Perrotta(Roma), Totti(Roma), Luca Toni(Fiorentina). There's more names but I think I made my point. Those players are the major Italian talent in Italy.

At the time of the WC, the England Squad: Wright(West Ham), Ashley Cole(Arsenal), Terry(Chelsea), Ferdinand(Man U), Bridge(Chelsea), Neville(Man U), Lampard(Chelsea), Gerrard(Liverpool), Scholes(Man U), Rooney(Man U)

That's should be a close match according to most EPL pundits, or so they'd like to think. But as we all know, the game isn't played on paper. The EPL's entertaining, fast-paced, touch-style football is not as effective as Italy's more conservative catenaccio style. It's not as entertaining but it wins you trophies. How many WC has Italy won? 4. England? 1. How many UEFA CL have Italian teams won in the past 20 years? 6. English teams? 2

In conclusion, the EPL is simply overrated. It's not a horrible league, and I didn't mean to jump the gun on that, but it's certainly not the best in the world. However, no one can stake claim to that title definitively as we all have a different preference in style. I enjoy tactical, intelligent play, whereas EPL fans seem to enjoy fast-paced, physical football. Although, I also enjoy La Liga for it's fluid, attacking football. La Liga is VERY entertaining. But in the end, it's Serie A for me :-)

GrandeInter10

Well, maybe I jumped the gun on horrible, but it's definitely overrated. And yes, in terms of play, Liga, Serie A, and EPL are pretty equal. But in sporting terms most EPL fans think of it as too much of a haven for superstars. Instead of level they to think of their league as superior to La Liga and Serie A. Simply look at the national team. The majority of the squad is EPL talent. What have they done with all that overrated talent? Nothing. Italy and Spain on the other hand won the World Cup and made it to the QFs, respectively, with mostly home grown/domestically based players.

At the time of the WC, the Italian Squad: Buffon(Juve), Zambrotta(Juve), Cannavaro(Juve), Nesta(Milan), Materazzi(Inter), Grosso(Palermo), Perrotta(Roma), Totti(Roma), Luca Toni(Fiorentina). There's more names but I think I made my point. Those players are the major Italian talent in Italy.

At the time of the WC, the England Squad: Wright(West Ham), Ashley Cole(Arsenal), Terry(Chelsea), Ferdinand(Man U), Bridge(Chelsea), Neville(Man U), Lampard(Chelsea), Gerrard(Liverpool), Scholes(Man U), Rooney(Man U)

That should be a close match according to most EPL pundits, or so they'd like to think. But as we all know, the game isn't played on paper. The EPL's entertaining, fast-paced, touch-style football is not as effective as Italy's more conservative catenaccio style. It's not as entertaining but it wins you trophies. How many WC has Italy won? 4. England? 1. How many UEFA CL have Italian teams won in the past 20 years? 6. English teams? 2

In conclusion, the EPL is simply overrated. It's not a horrible league, and I didn't mean to jump the gun on that, but it's certainly not the best in the world. However, no one can stake claim to that title definitively as we all have a different preference in style. I enjoy tactical, intelligent play, whereas EPL fans seem to enjoy fast-paced, physical football. Although, I also enjoy La Liga for it's fluid, attacking football. La Liga is VERY entertaining. But in the end, it's Serie A for me :-)

JediMindTricks

i agree with you that the premier league is overrated, but i believe that's a result of its marketing and hype.

but you say in terms of play, it's pretty equal to seria a and la liga, but scold its fans for thnking their league is as superior to the other two?

the fact of the matter is, it is a haven for superstars, domestic and foreign, because at the moment, that's where the money is.

but i think the national team's lack of recent success has more to do overrated talent.
1. lack of cohesiveness
2. players out of position
3. questionable callups
4. poor managing and lack of a plan b
5. the big clubs that play in CL and UEFA Cup play mostly foreign players so there's a lack of experience on the european stage

i'm not sure what you mean by the last statement because england have just made the quarter finals in their last three tournaments.

what have spain done with their talent? they have never won a world cup. their best showing was 4th place in 1950. one could argue that spain has more talent on paper than england. yet, they've never played well together as team either. in fact, their national team's fans are typically apathetic towards the team unless it gets on a run like in 06.

once again, i don't think that a players playing for domestic clubs has much to do with the national team's success. players typically decide to play for domestic clubs because 1) it's their hometown club, 2) money, and 3) comfort.

it's the same thing with germany and spain, for the most part. the majority of players play for their domestic clubs.

so really, pointing out that italy's players played for their domestic clubs will null now that a lot of their players have moved abroad.

i will agree that england's fast-paced, direct style isn't effective in the international stage.

but italy didn't play their typical catenaccio style in the 06 world cup. we saw a different italy that attacked, moved the ball forward, and wanted to score.

i'll give you the total world cup wins and CL (i love how people do the "last 20 years" argument) because i think it's pointless. fact is, italy had better teams during a stretch of weeks than england. no argument there.


[/QUOTE]

nobody's saying that the premier league is the best. we all agree that every league has its pros and cons.

BstonBruin

Who would have thought Barca gets beat by Getafe 2-0. Rijkaard needs to figure things out, you can't have all this talent and not score a few every 90 minutes.

How about the Reds, and Torres scoring the goal a few minutes after coming in to the match...class goal.

JediMindTricks

getafe seems to always give barca troubles.

benitez is lucky that he's won the CL trophy and has had success in the CL. otherwise, his rotation policy would have kicked him out the door.

gocubsgo55

Yes, Serie A is MUCH classier than the EPL. Great time to argue that point.

Lister00169

How can a side get any cohesiveness if they don't play with each other consistently? I can understand changing out your strikers to play against the opponents weaknesses, especially when you have opposite strikers like Crouch and Torres.

I think he needs to pick a side and stick with it and sub in when needed.

As for the EPL < all other leagues, that is complete BS as every other league has their own issues. Italian and Spanish clubs are too striker centric and focus on the single player to do the work vs. the entire team.

I like the EPL because it is more of a team focus when it comes to strategy, though this leads to less goals and slower pacing. Also, the EPL doesn't give home grown players enough play time, unlike in Italian leagues where home grown players get a lot of play time.

Either way, a leagues appeal varies from person to person. I say just enjoy the world's sport in what ever way you want.

For an Indian Limey Yank like myself, EPL is the league for me

JediMindTricks

each league has its good and bad points.

and that's why the champions league is so intruiging every single year.

but i disagree that the epl is more of a team focus. it's an attacking league and goals are plenty, and the pace is fast.

uzzmaan

So England look to be out of Euro 2008, going 2-0 down to Croatia within the first 20 minutes, and at halftime there doesn't seem to be much going their way. Seems like Russia and Croatia out of that group advancing to the finals.

uzzmaan

Might've pulled the gun there. Game level.

BstonBruin

What a shame for England not to qualify for the Euro. McLaren is definitely gone

JediMindTricks

mcclaren has a lot of blame, but the players let him down too.

boy, did they looks scared today.

but they deserve what they got. they didn't deserve to go to the tournament.

scotland, on the other hand,

Lister00169

McClaren has to share the blame, along with this players. He chose the wrong squad for the matches and his tactics were suspect at best.

It goes to my point about how the EPL does not allow more home grown talent to be in the fore front of teams.

Oh well, LET'S GO SCOLARI AS THE NEXT MANAGER!!!!

JediMindTricks

i agree on all points.

being england manager is the toughest job in soccer, i believe, because of the expectations, hype, and media.

the same people that are criticizing mcclaren for dropping robinson and beckham are the same ones that criticized him for keeping faith in robinson and bringing beckham back. and these are the same critics that said 4-5-1 was the best option over the past 3 days.

it was a desperation move, and i think he felt if he was gonna go down, he was gonna down guns blazing.

however, he took a risk, and it backfired. he made the wrong choices.

as for the players:
they looked scared today and were very disappointing throughout the entire campaign.

a lot of the criticism has been put on lampard, both fairly and unfairly.

but as much as i admire gerrard, he was very poor throughout the campaign.

this is a humbling experience for england the FA, and i think this will ultimately be good for them.

but the FA really need to get their act straight and do a proper job of finding a new manager. the last time around was just embarrassing.