General Football/Soccer Talk

[SoF'nAwesome]

They will win against United, no doubt.

Arsenal & Liverpool matches will be the decider though imo.

[Phil89]

#CFC record v top four under Mourinho (2004-07, 2013-): P24 W14 D8 L2 F36 A13
#CFC v top four under others (2007-13): P38 W16 D6 L16 F53 A54
Something for Phil to get worried about. Though I think City will win it this season though I hate to see them win it. Especially if they win against United today.

Not worried at all. The game is at Anfield and we know what happened the last time the league leaders visited.

Liverpool have turned Anfield into a fortress again this season. 12 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss all season. 42 goals scored, 12 conceded (scoring 5 goals twice, 4 goals five times and 3 goals twice).

And I'm even less worried when I look at Chelsea's away form this season. Draws at Man Utd, Spurs and Arsenal. Losses at Everton, Newcastle, Stoke and Aston Villa.

I'm not saying Liverpool will win, but us Liverpool fans certainly believe we can. It should be a tight game. I feel like it will probably be a draw and will help City win the title. I just hope Howard Webb isn't in charge this time.

They will win against United, no doubt.

Arsenal & Liverpool matches will be the decider though imo.

Another 3-0 home loss for Moyes. And Arsenal draw at home against Swansea.

If Liverpool beat Sunderland tonight we will be 5 points ahead of Arsenal in third place. That is the real race that I'm focussed on.


Oh, and Bayern just won the Bundesliga with 7 games left to play. Crazy.

[stereoxide]

Bayern's Bundesliga matches just look like their warmup games for the CL. I don't think they need to warmup against United though. Even their bench can make a respectable starting XI in the Bundesliga.

[SoF'nAwesome]

Hey! You never know when RVP might score a hat trick to pull them through...wait, there is no RVP.

[Phil89]

Surely £300,000 a week Rooney will get them through? Just bang in a few from halfway.


Woke up to watch the second half against Sunderland. Really poor after we went 2-0 up and nearly threw away a win. Referee was a bit dodgy, but in the end we hung on. We've now won 7 in a row and haven't lost in the league since that game at Stamford Bridge in late December.

Now only a point behind Chelsea. Those games in hand for City are the game changers in the title race though. Exciting times.

[SoF'nAwesome]

With the el clasico this week, I've come to learn that streaks matter very little in the football world. RMad hadn't lost since Barca(last el clasico) but they lost against Barca this week, when it mattered the most. Since then, things went fuckhill for them. They lost against Sevilla today. Which means, most likely Barca will win the league. Athletico are 1 point ahead, but I don't like their odds.

"Everton focus on beating Arsenal to fourth in Premier League table following win over Newcastle"

3 points difference only, it can happen.

[Phil89]

I agree. We've seen this season that the favourites don't always come out on top. Just look at what Aston Villa and West Brom have done this season. Both have won and drawn games against the big teams, despite being close to the relegation zone. That's why I stick to 'one game at a time'.

I just looked at the fixtures and Barcelona play against Atletico on the last day of the season. That could be a title decided one way or another. Whoever wins could be champions, or if they draw Real could be champions.

[Phil89]

Chelsea lost at Crystal Palace and Man City drew at Arsenal. If Liverpool beat Spurs tonight we will go top again by 2 points.

City are still favourites and have 2 games in hand, but now those Chelsea and City games at Anfield become huge.

[SoF'nAwesome]

Wow. ManC disappointed big time. And what happened to Chelsea?

If ManC win the next 2 they will be up by 2 points on Livpool. While Chelsea will be behind 2 points on Livpool if they win against Spurs tonight. What a race!

[Phil89]

Another big home win. 8 in a row and back on top of the league. Only 6 games left and winning the title is in our own hands now, even with City having 2 games in hand.

I just did one of those result predictor things and if Liverpool win all 6 remaining games, and Chelsea and City win all of their games (except the games at Anfield obviously), then Liverpool will win the league by 1 point. Of course it all seems much simpler on paper.

1 Liverpool 89
2 Man City 88
3 Chelsea 84

The way this season is going though I'm not sure if any of the top 3 will win all of their remaining games.

[SoF'nAwesome]

How did Suarez play? Only 1 goal?

[Phil89]

He was dangerous, like always. He could have had 2 goals if Lloris hadn't made a really good save from a header. His goal was a typical goal for him, putting pressure on defenders and taking advantage of a mistake. A lazy 29 for the season now.

Raheem Sterling was the real stand-out against Tottenham though. He has become a genuinely good player this season and is still only 19. Even if we don't win the title this year the future looks bright.

[Phil89]

Nice words from Pep. With all this title talk I'd completely forgotten that we are nearly guaranteed to be in the champions league next season.

[stereoxide]

Only a great Liverpool chokejob will stop them from reaching the CL next season it is all but guaranteed for them. As for the title race it looks like a race between Liverpool and Man City, Chelsea have to face two legs against PSG and it may hurt them in their chase for the title especially if they advance. Arsenal looks like a lost cause now and the others are far away.

[shadowgrin]

Damn 1st of April...

http://metro.co.uk/2014/04/01/arsenal-set-to-target-diego-costa-mario-mandzukic-and-julian-draxler-with-100m-transfer-warchest-4685029/

[SoF'nAwesome]

Champions League people?

ManU?

[Phil89]

Has Mourinho ever taken responsibility for a loss? Always seems to blame his own players, or referees, or the opponents, or Godzilla etc...

[stereoxide]

Well he is very well in danger of not winning any silverware this season, they fucked up in the BPL which they had a good chance of winning. I also just saw that Barcelona has a transfer ban for 14 months no incoming and outgoing transfers for them which is bad because they really need a good keeper while Valdez is out and maybe does not extend his contract after the season.

[SoF'nAwesome]

Valdes has already played his last game for Barca. So, they are pretty much fucked. Besides, the goal that Pinto couldn't save from Diego just showed how desperate they are for a new keeper.

What I'm more interested in now is the possible PSG matchups in the semis. Old manager Ancelotti, last year's Barca or the best of Germany against the best of France?

An el clasico in the semis would be dope as well.

[Phil89]

Well he is very well in danger of not winning any silverware this season, they fucked up in the BPL which they had a good chance of winning. I also just saw that Barcelona has a transfer ban for 14 months no incoming and outgoing transfers for them which is bad because they really need a good keeper while Valdez is out and maybe does not extend his contract after the season.

Do you think Mourinho constantly telling the media that his team won't win the title and that Man City were favourites - even though Chelsea were top at that stage - had a negative effect on his players? Surely the manager publicly doubting their ability to win the title would hurt their confidence.

As for Barca, they apparently had highly rated young German keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen signing from Borussia Monchengladbach in the Summer on a free. But who knows if that will happen now.

Valdes has already played his last game for Barca. So, they are pretty much fucked. Besides, the goal that Pinto couldn't save from Diego just showed how desperate they are for a new keeper.

What I'm more interested in now is the possible PSG matchups in the semis. Old manager Ancelotti, last year's Barca or the best of Germany against the best of France?

An el clasico in the semis would be dope as well.

Sadly for PSG Zlatan could be out for a month with a hamstring injury. The 2nd leg should be interesting.

Clasico would be crazy, but imagine a Madrid derby.

[TOP BIN]

Ok Kids, what do you want to know about Futebol?
Only at the place where it says "nascido para jogar futebol" (born to play soccer), you can see some light.

Brazil. I'm waiting... Feel free to learn. Heheheheheh
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Actually best players : CR and Messi, World Cup plus UEFA Champs is the tiebreaker. Ribery, Neymar and Iniesta running from behind.

At the moment, Iniesta is with Magic Johnson power to find flash deadly passes, Neymar dropped left by Tata (whom take almost a season to make the move), it finishes with his goal against Atletico. The savier tiebreaker.

Messi, destroyed on the Classico with the Hat Trick, but Cristiano two taps gol against Borussia restablish order, only a confrontation in Lisboa will finnally ended any debate forever.

But if i got Money i would bet on Holland (Always find stranks on any place, the most gifted football in europe, despite Spain) the only problem is that this WC is arranged for Brazil, imo. But Argentina get very good combinations. Germany and Portugal will kill each other but pass to playoffs, France and Uruguay, are always a surprise, France is an easy group, and finally england and italy will embrace themselves back home. Uruguay knows how to play in Brazil, Always a very though match against the gaúchos! Argentina isn't the most difficult team in South America, Uruguay is.

UEFA predictions:

- PSG needs just a goal to transform the Stanford Bridge into the Parc of Princes;

- Barça will attack, but Atletico will defend good, almost impossible keep the catalunians without a score, so in overtime if barça scores, Atletico must win, very though task for Simeone's guys, but the Old Traditional Vicente Calderón packed with fans will be the perfect place to attack Barça's fragile defence.

- Bayern thought it would be easy on the Dream Theather... Nananana! Manchester United is a proud team, and battle them to the end of this playoff, kust like 1999, i won't be surprise to an upset here, but Pepe's eleven's best of the World as a Soccer team right now, got plenty of arms to destroy th British at home in Minuch. Robben, Ribery, Schweinsteiger, Muller, Lahn (i guess is out), but Rafinha is playing good, Mandzukic (whom is out of the very first game against Brazil, Croatia nª9 dangerous foward, thanks God!!!!) and Gotze can cause damage outwhere.

- Real plays for only a goal to the semifinals, with that made, Borussia will have the "easy task to score five at least! Good Bye Dortmund. A shame too, cause without the big and wrong Lewandowski they found last year the way to keep Madrid in control.

For me the ideal semifinals and finals...
Barça vs PSG
Real vs Munich

Madrid vs Barça
PSG vs Bayern
Cause the Spanish clássico worthing the UEFA Cup it would be colossal!
And the other leg simulated final, PSG against Bayern is a breathtaking game, fast, hard and boarding to phisics perfection.

I think this year Libertadores Champions got a good shot in the World International Cup of Clubs, why? Cause european domination is too assure right now (2008 - United; 2009 Barça; 2010 Inter Milan; 2011 Barça; 2012 Corinthians; 2013 Bayern Munich... 5 of the last 6 champions!), and the South Americans knows how to handle them in that kind of scenarios.

Who is better Maradona or Pelé?
I'd say Senna. OMG, i left Fangio, Schumacher, Prost and Lauda out!!!

Garrincha, Zico, Romário, Rivelino, Cryuff, Beckenbauer. Platini, Zizou, Gérson, Baggio, Maldini, Cannavarro, Baresi, Guillit, Van Basten, Messi, Leandro, Júnior, Nilton Santos, Didi, Matthaus, Puskas, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Passarella out too!!! Zenga, Buffon, Dassaiev, Yashin, Preud'home, Pfaff, Kahn, Meier and Dida out too! Heheheheheh, just for the beginning.

[shadowgrin]

Pele is overrated.

[SoF'nAwesome]

They both are. Maradona specially. He is an over-rated attention grabbing whore. Always looking to get on them papers.

It will be very difficult for Athletico to win without Costa. But it's not as improbable as ManU making it to the semis.

[TOP BIN]

Pelé scored 500 goals before he was 21 years old;
Won 3 World Cups before 30 years old;
Scored more then 1.200 goals on his brief carrer, cause he can go even further on the National Team and at Santos.
Won 5 Brazilian Cups, 2 Libertadores and 2 International Cups...

Pelé is the greatest soccer player ever, period.
If your scale is overrated, you will say that Pelé is the greatest athlete of alltime. Which is not, cause Jordan and Senna are tied in first.

Maradona is the greatest player i ever seen, i can't see all Zico career (but every single expert said that the 1982 Brazil is maybe the best team ever, and Roberto Dinamite stay out for Serginho and Carlos/Leão for Valdyr Peres, what a damn choice!) and wasn't born to see Garrincha plays against Pelé (Botafogo vs Santos), but i saw the 1986 World Cup Finals, Maradona played in a normal Argentinian squad and make the impossible turns possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02cqGbYcqfk - Argentina 1; Italy 1 - 1986 WC

Okay, let the lessons begin...
Maradona receives the ball after a middle pass in the air by Valdano (i guess), the ball speed is weak, the defender is at least 3 meters ahead of him. He starts running (what a beauty) faster then anyone in that cup! Win the toss against the defender in positioning his body ahaed to shoot. But the great detail here is that Galli is waiting for a left bomb as the ball is falling for the right side of Maradona body... Surprise! Maradona only touches the ball with the right side of his left foot, Galli is so surprise that can't do nothing but look. Goal.

The worst part, Maradona Always knew what is gonna happen. He knew from the first pass to the last shot, genius!
Only who knows that much of soccer made goals like that, very few people in this planet thinks that fast, believe me.

[shadowgrin]

Soccer is overrated.