The Real Football Thread

[jsem94]

Lmao Lovren was horrible. Klopp should have bought Manolas or De Vrij or Davinson Sanchez or whomever. There were plenty of options out there besides Van Dijk. Terrible transfer window. #kloppout is getting stronger. The most away goals conceded in the league by a considerable margin, that's just embarrassing for a club of that stature.

 

[The Hitch]

I saw Fifa had their player of the year award yesterday.

Why is that taking place in October with 2 full on football months still to play?
European leagues still have 1/4 of their 2017 games left to play

And why is Iniesta in the world xi

 

[Brullnux]

It's more of a best player of the season award I'd say. Ohterwise Bonucci would not have been in the world xi, not even near it. And Ronaldo has done extremely little this season so Messi would have won it. Mind you, Messi was objectively better last season (goals scored, chances created, assists) yet since Real won more trophies, Ronaldo won it; so the award is really just best-player-on-best-team of the season.

And I have no idea why Iniesta was on the world xi. Reputation?

 

[The Hitch]

TBF Ronaldo, once we take Champions League into account, was pretty awesome as well. Hatrick in the quarter and Semi finals. 2 goals in the final. And that was against the real opposition (whereas La liga is against a lot of easy teams)

 

[Brullnux]

TBF Ronaldo, once we take Champions League into account, was pretty awesome as well. Hatrick in the quarter and Semi finals. 2 goals in the final. And that was against the real opposition (whereas La liga is against a lot of easy teams)

I included champions league when I compared the two. Messi has very similar stats, just didn't get as far. Ronaldo also had most impact towards the end of the year so it's fresher in the memory.

 

[jsem94]

Not sure if the new World Player OTY is supposed to be of the calendar year but it can't be. CR7 was garbage all autumn and only really showed up in spring. He was the best player for about 2-3 months, but come on, isn't it supposed to be how one measures up the whole season? Modric was IMO more deserving than CR7 of the award.

FIFPro is a bit of a joke anyway. Ugh.

 

[Brullnux]

Great games today, Tottenham thrashing Real and City beating Napoli away. It's a shame that Napoli, a genuinely very good side who really pushed City (4-2 is flattering - City were more clinical and their goals came from set pieces superiority and counter attacks, not pure domination; there was also a couple of miracle saves from Ederson and a crossbar from Insigne) will very probably be knocked out now. Even weirder that Dortmund and Monaco will join them.

 

[del1962]

Nice to see the spurs beaitng Real, actually nice to see pretty much anyone beating Real.

 

[jsem94]

Some really weird early exits actually. But Napoli shot themselves in the foot by losing away in Ukraine.

 

[Tonton]

I don't like Evra, he's a punk, he betrayed the national team, and as much as I think that his reaction was unprofessional, that he deserves a sanction, I feel no sympathy for the thug who got kicked in the head.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Hahahaha

Don't worry my Italian friends, we can weep together over the downfall of our national football teams.

At least now us Dutch can have a holiday somewhere in southern Europe this summer without being laughed at everywhere.

Congrats Sweden. Please do well in the World Cup so we look less silly in hindsight losing to you guys.

 

[jsem94]

Ventura should probably flee Italy. What a heroic performance over two legs to get us to the WC. Italy will be missed though.

 

[bob.a.feet]

At least Italy still have cycling

 

[Brullnux]

Ventura is unbelievably dim. The worst c.t in the history of Italian football. Just think about how Italy, man for man, are far better than two years ago when they destroyed Belgium and Spain and came very close to beating Germany. Sweden completely deserved it, no complaints about that. Some complaints about Mateu Lahoz missing about four penalties (two for both sides) and being completely random with what counts as a foul and what doesn't, but I think Swedes will have some of those as well.

I do not know how Ventura thought crossing the ball into the box to defenders who are taller than the strikers was going to get a goal. I am even more confused at how even after 180 minutes he didn't realise this. He also didn't realise that, even after countless games, Immobile and Belotti as a partnership just do not work. In fact, they both play better alone. And Insigne, El Sha and candreva all work better with space. And jorginho is good (in think he knew that but was xenophobic), and even better if you put Verrati next to him. Honestly, the team was set up perfectly for a 4-3-3 and yet Ventura tried a 3-5-2 and a 4-2-4. It's ridiculous. I hope this causes a revolution at the top of Italian football.

But good luck to Sweden in June. You deserved the trip.

 

[May0maniac]

This, there are enough good players that a good coach could use to built a good team.

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

This, there are enough good players that a good coach could use to built a good team.

Exactly. Even if Ventura had qualified and got to the world cup, ant further than the round of 16 would've been a miracle. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I feel sorry for the retirees but hopefully now there is actually a generational team. My ideal team for 2020 (assuming Chiellini retires) has only one player over 30, and everyone else (bar insigne who will be 29) below their theoretical prime. What I've worked out in national teams is that it is the manager and tactics that build 75% of a performance and the players' quality the last 25. That's why Sweden beats Italy and Belgium and Argentina are still very poor. Someone like Ancelotti, Spalletti hell even Allegri or Sarri would be fantastic.

 

[Ivan_Basso_77]

Re: Re:

This, there are enough good players that a good coach could use to built a good team.

Exactly. Even if Ventura had qualified and got to the world cup, ant further than the round of 16 would've been a miracle. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I feel sorry for the retirees but hopefully now there is actually a generational team. My ideal team for 2020 (assuming Chiellini retires) has only one player over 30, and everyone else (bar insigne who will be 29) below their theoretical prime. What I've worked out in national teams is that it is the manager and tactics that build 75% of a performance and the players' quality the last 25. That's why Sweden beats Italy and Belgium and Argentina are still very poor. Someone like Ancelotti, Spalletti hell even Allegri or Sarri would be fantastic.

Italy needs a complete revolution, starting from the junior teams. Just look at Juventus and Napoli. How many Italians do they have at all, let alone how many of them play regularly? Only Ancelotti, Conte and posiibly Spaletti can bring the team back to where it should be. A World Cup without a four-time world champion is just not the same... :redface: Forza Italia!

 

[Robert5091]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-sports-bribed-fifa-for-tv-rights-ex-marketer-testifies

Fox Sports Bribed FIFA for TV Rights, Ex-Marketer Testifies

A man who says he worked with the network to pay off soccer officials is now working with Uncle Sam.

Fox Sports paid bribes to soccer officials to retain broadcast rights, a former sports marketing executive testified in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday.

Alejandro Burzaco said that Fox Sports partnered with his firm to pay off officials at the South American Football Confederation, one of FIFA’s six continental sub-groups. Five Spanish-language broadcasters also bribed FIFA officials, Burzaco testified.

Fox Sports used sham contracts to cover up some of the payments, Burzaco alleged, pointing to a 2008 contract for $3.7 million between an ex-Fox Sports official and a company called Somerton Ltd. It was ostensibly payment for Somerton's work in extending Fox's broadcast rights for major South American tournaments.

"T&T is interested in appointed Somerton to negotiate the extension of the television rights currently granted to T&T for Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana," the contract reads.

It's not a real contract and no such work took place, Burzaco testified.

A Fox Sports official signed the contract on behalf of T&T. Somerton, a Turks and Caicos company, was owned by Jose Margulies, who served as an intermediary for bribes to FIFA officials and pleaded guilty in 2015.

Burzaco said Fox hoped to use the tournaments to expand its reach in "all of the Americas from Argentina to the U.S.A."

This could mess up Sky/Fox in Europe - merger, TV rights etc

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...id-bribes-for-soccer-rights-fifa-witness-says

The allegations further tarnish Fox’s image just as the media giant tries to persuade U.K. regulators to allow the acquisition of full control of Sky Plc, the satellite-TV provider. The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority is looking into issues of corporate culture at Fox, including sexual harassment allegations at Fox News, as part of its review of 11.7 billion-pound ($15.4 billion) bid for the rest of Sky.

 

[Gigs_98]

Lots of big teams missing the WC. It's not only italy and netherlands, but also chile in south America and although they weren't favorites anyway the US not qualifying is extremely surprising as well. I'll really miss these teams. I have to say it's quite hard to imagine a wc without italy, although it's reality now.

 

[The Hitch]

Lots of big teams missing the WC. It's not only italy and netherlands, but also chile in south America and although they weren't favorites anyway the US not qualifying is extremely surprising as well. I'll really miss these teams. I have to say it's quite hard to imagine a wc without italy, although it's reality now.

Many of these teams don't end up actually offering much at world cups anyway.

Its just pre tournament hype. Italy at the last 2 world cups combined have 1 win. Portugal were pathetic as well as were obviously England.

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

This, there are enough good players that a good coach could use to built a good team.

Exactly. Even if Ventura had qualified and got to the world cup, ant further than the round of 16 would've been a miracle. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I feel sorry for the retirees but hopefully now there is actually a generational team. My ideal team for 2020 (assuming Chiellini retires) has only one player over 30, and everyone else (bar insigne who will be 29) below their theoretical prime. What I've worked out in national teams is that it is the manager and tactics that build 75% of a performance and the players' quality the last 25. That's why Sweden beats Italy and Belgium and Argentina are still very poor. Someone like Ancelotti, Spalletti hell even Allegri or Sarri would be fantastic.

Italy needs a complete revolution, starting from the junior teams. Just look at Juventus and Napoli. How many Italians do they have at all, let alone how many of them play regularly? Only Ancelotti, Conte and posiibly Spaletti can bring the team back to where it should be. A World Cup without a four-time world champion is just not the same... :redface: Forza Italia!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAZ2ofHK6XU

 

[djpbaltimore]

Lots of big teams missing the WC. It's not only italy and netherlands, but also chile in south America and although they weren't favorites anyway the US not qualifying is extremely surprising as well. I'll really miss these teams. I have to say it's quite hard to imagine a wc without italy, although it's reality now.

Many of these teams don't end up actually offering much at world cups anyway.

Its just pre tournament hype. Italy at the last 2 world cups combined have 1 win. Portugal were pathetic as well as were obviously England.

US has qualified out of the group stages in 3 of the last 4 tournaments. Chile has qualified out of the last 2. Are either of those teams realistic threats to make the semis or finals? No. But their inclusion (and other teams like Ghana) improves the group stages. I fear that the group stages in Russia will approach the tedium of the group stages from Euro 2016.

 

[Brullnux]

It's one of the weakest world cups of recent years. The fifth favourite is a pathetic Argentina side that is being carried by Messi and lost at home to Ecuador and away to Bolivia. Russia (!) is given 40/1 on many betting websites. 10th best. Poland is in Pot 1. I think it might be a flukey Portugal 2016 win. Only Spain, Germany and Brazil looked good in qualifying.

I'm hoping for Iceland and England to be in the same group, and Iran and Saudi Arabia.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Re:

It's one of the weakest world cups of recent years. The fifth favourite is a pathetic Argentina side that is being carried by Messi and lost at home to Ecuador and away to Bolivia. Russia (!) is given 40/1 on many betting websites. 10th best. Poland is in Pot 1. I think it might be a flukey Portugal 2016 win. Only Spain, Germany and Brazil looked good in qualifying.

I'm hoping for Iceland and England to be in the same group, and Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Hmmm I think a certain team who were undefeated in their qualification and might line up an attack of Hazard, De Bruyne, Mertens and Lukaku might need a mention in that post.

I mean, they've been underperforming consistently last couple of years, but with the quality they have in that team, they ought to be mentioned as one of the favourites in my opinion.

 

[Brullnux]

"As long as we don't have a good tactical system, we will struggle against teams like Mexico" - Kevin de Bruyne. Going unbeaten in qualifying means very little as the likelihood of you facing another decent team is low. Belgium had the weakest of the second place finishers in Greece. Lukaku is wildly overrated as a player (great finisher though) and while the talent is obviously there (they have some of the best names out of anyone) their problem two years ago was that they play as individuals, not as a team. It seems the same now, so I don't think they can warrant the 'favourites' tag. Definitely strong outsiders, but not favourites.