EPL Season

originally posted by .sasha:
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by richard slicker:
it's all getting very weird, no?

i never thought i'd ever feel bad for manure, but right now, i do.

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I couldn't go quite that far.

Holy crap, did you see how Mourihno sucked up to Fergie and the OT fans? "The best team lost." Christ, he wants that job.
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the best team with an awesome creative midfield of carrick and cleverley, especially when compared to amateurs like ozil, modric, di maria and kaka, not to mention those purely defensive goons like alonso and kheidira

SAF was so busy trying to beat Barcelona on the wings with Young and Co., he forgot about the other part of the game.
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Alonso was poor. I can't recall seeing him play so poorly. He is a player I usually relish watching. I thought Kheidira played well. That Varane certainly looks the part.

Modric was interesting. That shot was incredible.

Carrick played great, I thought. He's what Wenger is trying to make Arteta into.

Van Persie was mostly shite, which I loved.

SAFs obsession with Barca looks like it bit him in the ass yesterday. Mourihno's squad look built to win this tournament. I thought Bayern or Real would win it and nothing has changed that view.

Do you think Bayern would beat Barca over two legs? Bayern wouldn't (and couldn't) take the Mourihno approach, so how would that shake out?
 
Everything you say about the ManU/Real game is true, but my point was elsewhere - trying to contain guys of that caliber for 90 minutes is extremely difficult, unless you put them away early, which admittedly United had a chance to do. Both Ozil and Alonso could have bad games and still produce a game winning pass ( did you see France outplay Germany in a recent friendly and still lose? ). And there are just too damn many of them on the field at the same time. I suspect some of them look more favorably because defenses are preoccupied with Ronaldo.

As soon as the last 16 was set, I wanted Bayern to face United or Madrid, rather than Dortmund, Barca or Juve. It's not that Real isn't awesome, and if they keep up this form I would not put it past them to win the whole thing, but rather that those three teams make Bayern uncomfortable. Don't know if you saw Bayern's 1-0 victory over Dortmund in the Pokal, but they hadn't solved the Dortmund problem; rather they treated the symptoms of the Dortmund problem thanks to a mammoth game from Javi Martinez and some alert play from Dante. Barca would be even less comfortable, although given the sliver lining of Badstuber's injury they may actually avoid embarrassing themselves. Juve is an entirely different problem altogether, and you only need to go back to the Euro 2012 semi between Germany and Italy to look for some answers. Madrid would be incredibly tough, but the difference is Bayern will at least play their own game.

Damn, I wanted United though.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
My Life is so Emptyhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/sports/one-way-to-cheer-up-cheer-harder.html?hp
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a vulgar little monkey superfan at duke home games sounds about right
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
My Life is so Emptyhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/sports/one-way-to-cheer-up-cheer-harder.html?hp
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"You probably think rabid sports fans are a bunch of lonely, disoriented souls who try to fill the holes in their lives by attaching themselves to a team."

i thort this is what teh wine boreds is for?

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fucking espn fc
the only time Ribery makes the front page there is when he is too injured to play against an English team
OK, maybe during another incident, but that had nothing to do with football
 
why couldn't it be Arthur Schnabel or Joseph Hoffmann????? WTF?!

Lang Lang at the Säbener Strasse
The club welcomed a VIP guest to training on Sunday when superstar pianist Lang Lang dropped in to see his favourite club. The world-famous Chinese musician, a dedicated Bayern fan, was in Munich for concert appearances at Münchner Philarmonie on Friday and Saturday, but seized the opportunity to visit the club’s headquarters and training facility the following day. Lang Lang was greeted by a clutch of Bayern players prior to training, with the group coming together again after the morning workout for a chat and to take souvenir snaps.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
NOT HIM !!!why couldn't it be Arthur Schnabel or Joseph Hoffmann????? WTF?!

Lang Lang at the Säbener Strasse
The club welcomed a VIP guest to training on Sunday when superstar pianist Lang Lang dropped in to see his favourite club. The world-famous Chinese musician, a dedicated Bayern fan, was in Munich for concert appearances at Münchner Philarmonie on Friday and Saturday, but seized the opportunity to visit the club’s headquarters and training facility the following day. Lang Lang was greeted by a clutch of Bayern players prior to training, with the group coming together again after the morning workout for a chat and to take souvenir snaps.
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good to see gibbs and jenkinson back.

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And I thought I was joking when I said Lang Lang would be playing left wing.

Wasn't far off, was I?
 
I thought PSG were pretty impressive over 2 legs. IMO, they played better overall. Lucas Moura is a real talent. They're weak at fullback on both sides, but Verratti was impressive as well. They're not far off.

I still haven't seen anything that makes me change my thoughts from before the season. Either Bayern or Madrid. If they play each other, I'd shade towards Madrid.

Since when did they do a draw for the semis? Is that new this year?
 
originally posted by VLM:
I still haven't seen anything that makes me change my thoughts from before the season. Either Bayern or Madrid. If they play each other, I'd shade towards Madrid.
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In theory, and I've been saying this for weeks, I would much rather face Mourinho over two legs than in the final. He's got tricks up his sleeve along with superb understanding of opponents, but 180+ minutes is a long time for his team's attention span.

In practice, however, one can't overlook the absence of Kroos, given what he did to Madrid last year, and the fact that Lahm is one yellow away from suspension, with CR7 to guard.

Since when did they do a draw for the semis? Is that new this year?
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It is new compared to last year. They are doing whatever the fuck they want.

Also, yellows not expiring from the start of group stage till the end of the season is madness.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
originally posted by VLM:
I still haven't seen anything that makes me change my thoughts from before the season. Either Bayern or Madrid. If they play each other, I'd shade towards Madrid.
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In theory, and I've been saying this for weeks, I would much rather face Mourinho over two legs than in the final. He's got tricks up his sleeve along with superb understanding of opponents, but 180+ minutes is a long time for his team's attention span.

In practice, however, one can't overlook the absence of Kroos, given what he did to Madrid last year, and the fact that Lahm is one yellow away from suspension, with CR7 to guard.
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I forgot about the Kroos injury. I love him as a player. My favorite German player in a long time. Ozil, Reus, and Kroos makes a formidable attacking trident for 2014. Hell, you can still start Klose and win the whole thing.

I think the real crux of any Bayern-Real matchup is whether Bayern can disrupt Xabi Alonso. My guess is that Mourihno doesn't even start a traditional striker up front with Ronaldo. I think he puts Contrao down the left with Ronaldo to pin back Lahm. Issue there is that if Ronaldo won't defend, them Lahm gets to run the game from right back (I still marvel at that).

I think the key for Dortmund is to play without hesitation or attempted guile. They are at their best when they throw caution to the wind and just play. There isn't a lot of nous running through that squad and I would love it to see a team win playing a naive game.

I love how Barca's weaknesses are so glaring, yet fucking Messi just changes the entire motion of play. It's stunning. Wonder how Cesc is feeling about now. Maybe really happy. Song? Not so much.

Since when did they do a draw for the semis? Is that new this year?
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It is new compared to last year. They are doing whatever the fuck they want.

Also, yellows not expiring from the start of group stage till the end of the season is madness.
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UEFA are such assholes. The yellow card thing is just terrible.
 
I am convinced Kroos had been playing hurt since very late February, possibly without knowing it. He disappeared for about a week in March with something unspecified, but then returned to continue showing poor form. I don't think this double tear came out of nowhere. Just shows you how tricky these things get, even with arguably the best medical staff in Europe.

I will be very curious to see him develop. I don't yet know that he has the mental toughness that Sammer has demanded since his first day at the office. Yes, he declined to participate in the penalty shootout in last year's final, but, unlike Boateng, Gustavo and Robben, he never got anything but positive reinforcement from the management this season.

Ironically, I never thought he should have started against Juve. He was never going to annoy Pirlo to the extent that Muller could, which was one of the keys to the tie. Particularly given his recent form.

So Bayern is now without a #10, not that Kroos occupied that slot with the same permanency as say Ozil, throughout a game. Will this matter? It certainly will to the extent that the team becomes more predictable and will have to put up with all the baggage that comes with Robben. And yet I think of Xavi and wonder if Kroos would have been as ineffective around him as he was against Pirlo? Think Euro 2012 semis.

I wish Shaqiri was further along with the playbook. Maybe there is still time? He could play in all the league games, they've already won it.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
not getting much help this Spring, are we?
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nope. though the upcoming fixtures will sort some things out. chelski spuds espec.

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chelski spuds espec.
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after today, those two should be playing each other three times, to make a difference

I would place much more value on the bacon face visit in town
 
originally posted by .sasha:
chelski spuds espec.
fb.
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after today, those two should be playing each other three times, to make a difference

I would place much more value on the bacon face visit in town
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as the old saying goes, it is in our hands. if teh face of bacon and van pur$e can't inspire the gooners, what will?

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I remember, during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, one Russian newspaper proposed an exchange: "We'll give you Yeltsin for Clinton".

Man, would I love to have this guy on *my* team.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
SuarezI remember, during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, one Russian newspaper proposed an exchange: "We'll give you Yeltsin for Clinton".

Man, would I love to have this guy on *my* team.
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chomp.

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