The Official Football/Soccer Thread: 2017-2018 Season
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Barca doesn't need a goalkeeper. They need a defensive midfielder, badly. Yaya Toure of Monaco is being mentioned a lot And a wing back, preferably a new right back. Zambrotta can play either on the left or right but most believe he's better on the left. Chivu of Roma is being talked about but he's a left/center back. Deco is on the market and will be sold if the price is right. He came in late from the Christmas holidays and his play went down after club officials had apparently asked him to be more influential both on and off the pitch. The directors are in favor of cashing in on him now. Someone brought Henry's age factor on a football board I frequent. With Henry relying on speed, in two years time he may be faded somewhat, but he'd be ideal for being a so-called supersub, the "Henrik Larsson role" we all call it. I'm sure Rijkaard had this in mind when signing him.
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Got this from the Reebok Store page of their website.
Henry shocked everyone last year when he decided to leave Nike for Reebok. One year later, and it's amazing to read the stuff Reebok put out then. Check these out... http://www.rbk.com/us/rbkfootball/downloads/TH_EN_wallpaper2_800x600.jpg http://www.rbk.com/us/rbkfootball/downloads/TH_EN_wallpaper1_800x600.jpg For you Spurs supporters out there.
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So how's everyone enjoying the football so far?
USA won the CONCACAF Gold Cup, defeating Mexico 2-1 in the final. Brasil and Argentina will be playing for the Copa America title on Sunday. And after only two matches, Australia are ready to send in an application to FIFA for a return to Oceania.
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Which league do you all think has brought in the best players from other leagues? Bundesliga Carlos Alberto (Porto to W.Bremen) Luca Toni (Fiorentina to Bayern) Franck Ribery (Marseille to Bayern) Angelos Charisteas (Feyenoord to Nürnberg) Junichi Inamoto (Galatasaray to Frankfurt) Premier League Florent Malouda (Lyon to Chelsea) Claudio Pizarro (Bayern to Chelsea) Fernando Torres (Atletico to Liverpool) Ryan Babel (Ajax to Liverpool) Owen Hargreaves (Bayern to Man Utd) La Liga Christoph Metzelder (Dortmund to Real Madrid) Timo Hildebrand (Stuttgart to Valencia) Thierry Henry (Arsenal to Barcelona) Yaya Touré (Monaco to Barcelona) Éric Abidal (Monaco to Barcelona) And the winner is...
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unclesox:
Which league do you all think has brought in the best players from other leagues? Bundesliga Carlos Alberto (Porto to W.Bremen) Luca Toni (Fiorentina to Bayern) Franck Ribery (Marseille to Bayern) Angelos Charisteas (Feyenoord to Nürnberg) Junichi Inamoto (Galatasaray to Frankfurt) Premier League Florent Malouda (Lyon to Chelsea) Claudio Pizarro (Bayern to Chelsea) Fernando Torres (Atletico to Liverpool) Ryan Babel (Ajax to Liverpool) Owen Hargreaves (Bayern to Man Utd) La Liga Christoph Metzelder (Dortmund to Real Madrid) Timo Hildebrand (Stuttgart to Valencia) Thierry Henry (Arsenal to Barcelona) Yaya Touré (Monaco to Barcelona) Éric Abidal (Monaco to Barcelona) And the winner is...
well, if I had to play in 5 people-football (indoor football) against them. I'd prefer not to play against Metzelder Abidal Toure Hildenbrand Henry.
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unclesox:
Barca doesn't need a goalkeeper. They need a defensive midfielder, badly. Yaya Toure of Monaco is being mentioned a lot And a wing back, preferably a new right back. Zambrotta can play either on the left or right but most believe he's better on the left. Chivu of Roma is being talked about but he's a left/center back. Deco is on the market and will be sold if the price is right. He came in late from the Christmas holidays and his play went down after club officials had apparently asked him to be more influential both on and off the pitch. The directors are in favor of cashing in on him now. Someone brought Henry's age factor on a football board I frequent. With Henry relying on speed, in two years time he may be faded somewhat, but he'd be ideal for being a so-called supersub, the "Henrik Larsson role" we all call it. I'm sure Rijkaard had this in mind when signing him.
Defensive midfielder?.. Edmilson, Marquez, Motta, Zambrotta could do it... Xavi, Iniesta and Deco are not bad defending anyway. But here it is Toure. Well, if Henry is not in the starting them. Something like... Valdes (sorry, I don't like him
) Zambrotta Marquez/Diego Milito Puyol Abidal Xavi Toure Iniesta Messi Etoo Ronaldinho I think the team "camaradery", the feeling in the team disappearead last year. And I think, like happened with Real Madrid, it doesn't matter who they sign, they're not gonna play well.
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La Liga has more money that the Premier
, the money on the Premier is focused in 4 clubs. But not the Spanish League. Well, what about "my" team... Real Madrid
The most epic league ever has just been won. It seemed a movie instead of reality. With goals in the last minute of every match... Watch out for the "superb" newcomers to the team Pepe 30 milion euros
: uh? Saviola, not playing in Barcelona Metzelder, yet another defender... like Pepe, Cannavaro, Helguera, Sergio Ramos, even Emerson and Diarra could play there too. Okey, how we're gonna score goals?
Now Beckham is not to kick long balls... Where are the "offensive" midfields?, the ones that play the ball. Guti plays one day good and the next is bad, and he's 32. It seems we're gonna play the Capello way anyway but without Capello...
Casillas Sergio Ramos Metzelder/Pepe? Cannavaro Torres (that guy is good) (now the trouble comes...) mmm... Robinho Diarra Emerson Guti/Reyes Raul Van Nistelroy
: but maybe with a team like that we win anyway... the Spanish League.
But there not would be a match worth to watch...
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Edmilson is likely on the way out. Newcastle and Man City have shown interest. Motta has been told he won't be back. Marquez isn't on the market but it's believed if the right offer is made Barca would consider letting him go. As of now, Yaya looks to be the starter with Marquez possibly backing up. Zambrotta plays wing back more than anything. In 2003 when he first arrived, Rijkaard was asked what formation he liked to play. His answer: 4-2-3-1 Zambrotta -- Puyol -- Milito -- Abidal ------------------- Yaya --------------- --------------Deco --------------------- - Messi ----- Ronaldinho ------ Henry ----------------- Eto'o -----------------
... but I doubt we'll see it much unless they're down a goal with 20-25 minutes to play. Lack of motivation was the killer last season. It was obvious in October/November. The Eto'o/R'dinho situation was blown way overboard. Otherwise one of them would've been gone by now.
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Barca gave up the lead in the standings after drawing 1-1 with Betis, and then Oleguer didn't know how to play the offside trap against Espanyol. Barcelona lost the league rather than Real Madrid "winning" it. And yet Madrid the still sack the coach.
For all the problems Barca supposedly had with team camaraderie, Real still needed the tiebreaker to lift the trophy.
After losing the title in such a manner, Barca should be very motivated this season. 30m for Pepe? Typical Madridista overspending. No idea why they even went for him. Metzelder is quality.
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As for Saviola, him not playing in Barcelona is nothing new. He wasn't playing last saeason either. El Conejo made ?6m last season because of Gaspart's overspending. Laporta was able to get everyone to renegotiate their contracts, but Saviola continuously refused. That's why he was always being loaned out to Monaco and Sevilla. Before last season Barca said that whatever club was willing to pay his ?6m contract salary for 2006-07 could've had him with no transfer fee attached. There were no takers. Saviola was offered a new contract in April, but it only paid 2m a season...
He rarely played last season, and only Eto'o and Gudjohnsen were ahead of him? Who's in front of him now at Real? Van Nistelrooy, Raul, Robinho, Higuain, Soldado has been bought, Baptista has returned... who else? Enjoy El Hasenpfeffer.
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unclesox:
Who's in front of him now at Real? Van Nistelrooy, Raul, Robinho, Higuain, Soldado has been bought, Baptista has returned... who else?
Reyes, Cassano...
well it depends of how Saviola will play... he could be in the starting, I don't know... By the way, suprisingly for me... Brazil 3 - Argentina 0, final of the America's Cup. Brazil played with kind of the not 11 better players, the ones that wouldn't play in a World Cup.
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21st Century Paul:
unclesox:
Who's in front of him now at Real? Van Nistelrooy, Raul, Robinho, Higuain, Soldado has been bought, Baptista has returned... who else?
Reyes, Cassano...
well it depends of how Saviola will play... he could be in the starting, I don't know... By the way, suprisingly for me... Brazil 3 - Argentina 0, final of the America's Cup. Brazil played with kind of the not 11 better players, the ones that wouldn't play in a World Cup.
ANOTHER CHOCOLATE Why surprise? Brazilian football won 5 times the world cup, it wasnt a surprise for me, it was very predictable. Playing a good or not good football, Brazil is Brazil and it is not a surprise when they win. I dont know why people are repetitive. In 2004 the same thing happened, people believed Argentina would win, heh. Let´s get real, final is final, and Brazil is Brazil, the biggest champion of all World Cups until now. Bi Champion, sorry
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my fave team is Tottenham Hotpurs...on a Brit football site i frequent it is stated "I have heard from a reliable source that tottenham are to make "the biggest signing in the clubs history".' but no info yet....... Anyone heard anything about whom this can be? The only things I heard maybe Kevin Prince Boateng or Bastian Schweinsteiger? I guess time will tell. Thanx.
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Love Sculpture:
ANOTHER CHOCOLATE Why surprise? Brazilian football won 5 times the world cup, it wasnt a surprise for me, it was very predictable. Playing a good or not good football, Brazil is Brazil and it is not a surprise when they win. I dont know why people are repetitive. In 2004 the same thing happened, people believed Argentina would win, heh. Let´s get real, final is final, and Brazil is Brazil, the biggest champion of all World Cups until now. Bi Champion, sorry
What the hell does winning the World Cup in 1958 have to do with 2007?
: You're always quick to mention Brazil's World Cup triumphs as if Didi and Tostao are running around on the pitch today. If it played such a part in Venezuela, why didn't their history help them out in Germany last year? What about Pato and the team in Canada? Boca Juniors proved where the best football in South America is currently being played.
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Andrea1:
my fave team is Tottenham Hotpurs...on a Brit football site i frequent it is stated "I have heard from a reliable source that tottenham are to make "the biggest signing in the clubs history".' but no info yet....... Anyone heard anything about whom this can be? The only things I heard maybe Kevin Prince Boateng or Bastian Schweinsteiger? I guess time will tell. Thanx.
Does "biggest signing" equate to "most expensive signing", I wonder? Schweinsteiger would be an amazing capture, but I'd be shocked if Bayern were to let him go. From what I've heard about Boateng, he's 20 years old, plays for Hertha Berlin and has tremendous talent. He's also an arrogant a--hole. In March he allegedly threatened German coach Joachim Löw that if he didn't pick him for the national team he would go play for Ghana (he has dual citizenship). This after he refused a call up to play for Ghana at the World Cup last year. One name I've heard linked with Spurs recently would interest American fans; Freddy Adu. Performed very well at the U-20 World Cup.
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Love Sculpture:
21st Century Paul:
unclesox:
Who's in front of him now at Real? Van Nistelrooy, Raul, Robinho, Higuain, Soldado has been bought, Baptista has returned... who else?
Reyes, Cassano...
well it depends of how Saviola will play... he could be in the starting, I don't know... By the way, suprisingly for me... Brazil 3 - Argentina 0, final of the America's Cup. Brazil played with kind of the not 11 better players, the ones that wouldn't play in a World Cup.
ANOTHER CHOCOLATE Why surprise? Brazilian football won 5 times the world cup, it wasnt a surprise for me, it was very predictable. Playing a good or not good football, Brazil is Brazil and it is not a surprise when they win. I dont know why people are repetitive. In 2004 the same thing happened, people believed Argentina would win, heh. Let´s get real, final is final, and Brazil is Brazil, the biggest champion of all World Cups until now. Bi Champion, sorry
I mean Brazil was playing with not the... main players, the ones that should be the starting team in the World Cup, you know... Ronaldinho, Kaka, Adriano, Ze Roberto, Dida, etc. but kind of with the second team.
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Incredible announcement by shaken officials at Brazilian football club Gremio FBPA, recent runners-up in the Copa Libertadores South American club championship, that the team was scheduled to be on the Airbus A320 operated by TAM Linhas Aereas that took off from Porto Alegre and crash landed at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo late-Tuesday night, skidding off the runway and colliding into a building that housed cargo and fuel. All 186 passengers as well as a number of people inside the building are believed to have perished. Gremio coach Mano Menezes made the decision to switch flights to avoid the flight delays that had been prevelant on Brazilian flights since last year's September 29 Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes disaster which killed 154 people after crashing in the Amazon, Brazil's worst air crash. The Gremio players and coaching staff were forced to change flights at the last minute and took a plane to Brasilia instead. Gremio were on their way to Goiania for a Thursday match against Goiás in the Paulista State League, a match which may now be postponed.
Thoughts and prayers to the families of those who didn't survive.
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thank you Unclesox for your feedback on Tottenham Hotspurs...very good points you make (as usual)
I guess just have to wait and see.
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Torres, Voronin, Babel, someone else and a couple of others who's names I've forgotten. If Liverpool don't win the Premiership this season or next there ain't no hope.