The Real Football Thread

[greenedge]

I disagree with this notion that xavi all of a sudden came good with the arrival of iniesta and messi. I remember him in an under 21 game for spain against england in 2001 and he ran the show for 90 mins. Also the 03/04 season himself and davids were excellent in the midfield and the 04/05 season as well. Look at this goal against real madrid in 2004. I remember his performance was excellent in this game and iniesta and messi werent playing either.

Maybe that was a bit harsh sorry. He defenitly was not the reason Barcelona won all their games though.

In bigger news, http://www.foxsports.com.au/footbal...-arsenal-to-sell/story-fn8uzjqx-1226239848156
Ba might be sold ( a pity for Newcastle ) Lampard will apparently be leaving Chelsea and Mancini is still trying to sign Rooney.

 

[craig1985]

No surprise at all to see Messi complete his hat-trick of Ballons d'Or, or golden balls.

I would have been just as happy to see Xavi take it because Leo will win another three or four before he's done.

I was suprised to see the goal of the year go to Neimar, I thought Rooney would get it for the overhead.

I'm biased but I wanted Dejan Stankovic's goal against Schalke to have been up there for goal of the season. Neymar's was pretty good, but that was one hell of a volley by Deki. It was also funny in the nomination process that Giovanni Dos Santos's goal in the Gold Cup, one Mexican fan wanted Dos Santos to win it so Redknapp would give him more playing time. The reason why Dos Santos doesn't get much playing time pal is because he's not very good, they've loaned him out several times since joining Tottenham, now if he was an integral member of the team, this wouldn't be the case.

 

[The Hitch]

For me this was the best goal. Scored too late to be nominated but was a last minute winner that put Marseilles through in the Champiosn League (they were going out). Moreover it completed a comeback from 2-0 down to 3-2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzpHvD2nUNY

 

[l.Harm]

I hate to say it but Gerrard is the best midfield player of the last decade, or maybe Lampard 2004.

Hate to say it because when I was a chelse fan blinded by support for the team, I hated Gerrard loved Lampard and we always had heated arguments in school and maybe even got into a fight or 2 over it

Now I see they are both ****s ( Lampard for his conduct to a radio presenter, Gerrard for beating up some guy because he wanted the song changed), and I think about it without bias. I think Gerrard was one of the best ever.

Lampard was also really really special. Definately a better attacking midfielder than Gerrard, as good as anyone else in that discipline. Dude was scoring like 20 goals a season easy. Chelsea didnt even need to put the ball into the area. Merely giving it to Lamps on the edge of the box was like putting Messi through on a 1 on 1.

But Lampard, like xavier hernandez played well because he was on a great team. hernandez looks so much better playing in the best team in the world with Iniesta and Messi just in front.

Lampard was not on no Barcelona team but it was still a good enough team to provide him with opportunities to show of his talents.

Gerrard meanwhile never had a great team around him but was a hard man and an engine. He could shoot he could tackle he could dribble he could win headers, hold off players he could do it all. He carried the team.

Lampard 2004 where he came 2nd in the world just behind Ronaldinho, was better than Gerrard has ever been but not by much, and Gerrard has kept his top level for much longer.

When Liverpool needed to defend they put Gerrard in defense and when they needed to score they put him up front. And when they just needed to play football they put him in midfield and he would outpass out tackle and outshoot every player on the pitch.
Theres your best midfielder.

How do you explain his bad performances for England then?

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Dim, say it aint true http://soccersearch.forumotion.com/t53-kuyt-to-sign-for-galatasari

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Stevie G and Roberto`s disagreement

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Derby della Madonnina this weekend...craig, u think the Nerazzurris got a chance of winning?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

They should both be sent off - one for a two footed lunge, the other for such a pathetic attempt at a dive.

Big win for Athletic today, 4-0, the team just look so much better with Llorente back even though he didn't score - four goals from four different sources. Nice to see a bit of variety, the last few weeks have been a bit of a struggle in front of goal.

 

[greenedge]

How many points are Athletic behind Real???

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

How many points are Athletic behind Real???

this was cup anyway.

ANyway athletic are midatble i think like 20 points behind, they never realistically had a shot at the title anyway. Two horse race in reality.

 

[greenedge]

Thx for telling it was in the Cup.

What team does everyone think can challenge Barca/ Real anytime soon in Spain?

 

[craig1985]

Derby della Madonnina this weekend...craig, u think the Nerazzurris got a chance of winning?

I hope so, but I'm nervous with Inter winning five in a row, but I think Milan will start as favourites.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Thx for telling it was in the Cup.

What team does everyone think can challenge Barca/ Real anytime soon in Spain?

Spanish football is like Scottish football, but with more clubs and more skill. Only 2 teams can realistically win it, and as long as they are able to bogart the majority of the TV money it will stay that way. Athletic are 9th and realistically aren't going to challenge at any point. They're safely mired in the mid-table after a poor start to the season, and they do look a lot better with Llorente back in the side. Definitely have fears for what may happen if they lose him; they looked pretty toothless with him out as Toquero has a tendency to keep playing as if he's alongside Llorente anyway, Muniain is a small striker who prefers to drop off the target man, and the Basque pickings elsewhere are quite slim; Ibai Gómez is still a bit too raw, and elsewhere there's only really **** and Galán at Osasuna to look for, or Aduriz at Valencia, who has of course been at Athletic before anyway. Also, it's worth asking if it would be worth moving from Osasuna to Athletic at the moment anyway, since Osasuna have a pretty good team together at the moment. And the Real strikers aren't really functioning too well at the moment either, so wouldn't be the most viable of options.

 

[greenedge]

Rhys Williams might be going to Liverpool.
Thx @ Libertine.

 

[craig1985]

I will be watching it closely since milan are playing my team arsenal in the last 16. I do think milan will start as favourites but inter have turned aroud there season after a disastrous start. I said it at the time appointing gasperini was a huge error with bringing his 3-4-3 formation from genoa to inter but in fairness ranieri has steadied the ship.

Craig, i would like to ask you what do you think of ricky alvarez? He came very close to joining my club arsenal with him even announcing on twitter that he hoped the deal would be completed. Zanetti phoned him up personally to make him change his mind and it worked. He looked a tidy player for velez sarsfield when i seen him. It doesnt look like he has set the world a light when i have seen inter this season.

Do you think we missed out on him as a good signing?

Yeah I agree on Gasperini, that's something the board has to take fault for and he should never have been appointed in the first place, they know they system he's always played and when he's asked to change his ways, then there it's always going to end in tears. It really turned to head when in the game away to Novara (who hadn't beaten Inter since the 50's IIRC, and first time in the top flight for 55 years) which Novara won 3-1 and Cambiasso turned around to Ranocchia and said that 'we're playing four at the back'.

As for Alvarez, I think he's finally starting to find his feet and form as it's hard for a young man to move overseas with a different culture and language, although the saving grace is that there are so many South Americans in the team. I'm also thinking for the derby he will be hard to drop for Sneijder.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

looks like palermo will lose to chievo.My beloved Palermo hardly win away from home.

 

[palmerq]

Bad performance by arsenal today. Wenger has stacked the squad full of mediocre players. He is accountable to no one and thats where arsenal is a unique club in the game. He gets paid 7m pounds a year for mediocrity and he has a job for life. All we see is the usual spin and nonsense just like when he said the top 4 is the priority over winning the FA cup coz wages have to be paid. Yeah just to pay your 7m a year. Again all he is interested in is the economics of football over trophies.

You dont hear ferguson going on about the economics in football he leaves that to his chief executive david gill while he runs the team. This is not the same man who first came to england when he brought a winning mentality with him and spent the money he had available to him by signing great players like Vieira, Petit and Overmars. I have literally had enough of him and so has many other arsenal fans as well.

I dont follow english football so much but I would think wegner must be moving closer to the sack :S he did great for a long time but arsenal have turned from a world class team into err maybe tottenham and fighting for 4th place its been going on for a while now I dont think many other people would get away with it...


does anyone watch the bundesliga and hsv? or any koreans here? I have signed some korean guy in football manager from hsv for 20 million quids and in the game he is brilliant and I find it interesting to see how these players are in real life... winter break in bundesliga though so I cant watch.... Guys name is son heung min at hamburg

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Man, Athletic are like a team reborn with Llorente back from injury. Levante may be the fairytale of the season, but they got put to the sword at San Mamés. And of all the people, Mikel San José has two goals in two matches...

 

[palmerq]

rivaldo has signed for an angolan team and plans on opening a church there :S

 

[craig1985]

Bad performance by arsenal today. Wenger has stacked the squad full of mediocre players. He is accountable to no one and thats where arsenal is a unique club in the game. He gets paid 7m pounds a year for mediocrity and he has a job for life. All we see is the usual spin and nonsense just like when he said the top 4 is the priority over winning the FA cup coz wages have to be paid. Yeah just to pay your 7m a year. Again all he is interested in is the economics of football over trophies.

You dont hear ferguson going on about the economics in football he leaves that to his chief executive david gill while he runs the team. This is not the same man who first came to england when he brought a winning mentality with him and spent the money he had available to him by signing great players like Vieira, Petit and Overmars. I have literally had enough of him and so has many other arsenal fans as well.

I was watching ESPN Press Pass recently and they interviewed Martin Keown and he thought Phil Jones would have been the perfect signing for Arsenal, a player both for the now and the future, you have a young player who will be the club for many years and can come in and fill your obvious hole, and if it wasn't for the thrashing at Old Trafford, Wenger never would have signed Santos, Mertesacker, Artea, Benayoun, and Park Chu-Young IMO but his hand was forced to complete those transfers. Despite losing 8-2 his job is safe, Parma get thrashed 5-0 at the San Siro to Inter and Parma fire their manager.

 

[craig1985]

Ideally, if Wenger ever left, who you would want as a replacement?

 

[craig1985]

I have to say I'm not that fussed about the Copa del Rey QF between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

 

[Amsterhammer]

I have to say i am not that bothered either. Maybe thats because they are playing each other so much these days. After these two legs they will have played 5 times already and it could go as far as 8 times with the league game in the nou camp and another possible 2 legged affair in the CL in the quarter finals or semis.

I will watch it but i cant say i look forward to it as much as before.

BTW craig, is it me or what but it seems to me we are the only ones taking over this football thread at the moment.

I understand what you're saying, there is a degree of overkill....but on the other hand, I can't ever get enough of Barca beating up on Real! My dislike of Real goes back many decades, to the bad old days.

As far as the game itself goes, it's certainly the highlight of this week, quality-wise, since these are almost certainly the two best teams in the world this season. It will be interesting to see which team the Special One sends out, the team that can actually play to a high level, or the gang of clogging thugs, led by the animal, Pepe, that we saw last year.

As far as this topic goes, those of us who are really into the game all appear to be singles, i.e. you're the only Gooner here, I'm the only Hammer, and so on. Sadly, there isn't much for me to get excited about this season. It's a blessing in disguise that there's only limited tv coverage of the fizzy pop, otherwise I'd have to watch that shower of sh!te every week.

Maybe we can tempt one or two more out of the woodwork to enliven this topic?

 

[The Hitch]

I have to say i am not that bothered either. Maybe thats because they are playing each other so much these days. After these two legs they will have played 5 times already and it could go as far as 8 times with the league game in the nou camp and another possible 2 legged affair in the CL in the quarter finals or semis.

I will watch it but i cant say i look forward to it as much as before.

BTW craig, is it me or what but it seems to me we are the only ones taking over this football thread at the moment.

I like the fights between Real and Barca.

Also, narcisinho will get another megalomania boost if his Galacticos win, whereas look bad if Real lose, so there is a lot at stake.

 

[Amsterhammer]

I like the fights between Real and Barca.

Typical.

I like to see Barca play Real off the pitch, Messi score, and the trick pony poster boy (again) not score.