Futbol 2019-20

[Wombatz]

Good draw for Rats.

also under the new coach nagelsmann rats won't chicken into the group stage like last season, if anything he's too foolhardy. we wanted spurs though.

[surfer]

We definitely did not want Rats, easily best team in Pot 4. Rats are going to be this year's Spurs, inspired by Werner's new contract, darkhorsing their way into at least the Quarters. Spurs I predict go out on Goal Diff or whatever the tie breaker is in the Group Stage.

[surfer]

[surfer]

Some great ties in the Europa League as well. Besiktas / Braga / Wolves is a great group, as is Porto / Young Boys / Feyenoord. How about the Øresund Derby?!?!?!?!

[Antoine]

[DarkAttraktor]

thanks a lot for this surf

the look of sheer existential horror on cr9's face is just priceless

[surfer]

the look of sheer existential horror on cr9's face is just priceless

Its like he saw the shiny blemish-free moisturized skin peeled back to reveal the skull and empty eye sockets beneath.



The video remix at the bottom of the page is koyaanisqatsi: https://deadspin.com/eric-cantona-gives ... wsource=cl

[surfer]

In Split, Hajduk beat Dinamo in the Eternal Derby for the first time since Feb 2018. 0 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw. Each team finished with 10 men. Hajduk played them even in the second half. They're temporarily top of the table.

Quakes dominated Orlando City on Sat night, a match I was at. Nani is a shell of his former self, played all 90 minutes for Orlando, was terrible, gave the ball away, touches off, slow in decision making, rarely tracked back. Quakes scored three first half goals and was on cruise control rest of match.

Spurs were again exceeding lucky to grab a point at the Emirates. Poch keeps trotting out Winks-Lamela-Sissoko (this time with Eriksen) in midfield and they got overrun by the titanic trio of Kolasinac, Torreira, Guendouzi. Pretty pathetic performance and theyve regressed back to what they were doing last season, bypassing midfield entirely, or looking for transitional counterattacking opportunities. Luckily for them, David Luiz and Sokratis and Xhaka are terrible and make some boneheaded mistakes.

With the exception of Aubameyang, its shocking how many ex Dortmund players are EPL busts. Speaking of which, was the Alexis Sanchez - Mkhitaryan THE worst player swap of recent memory?

[Wombatz]

rats 1:1 against bayern to retain top spot might look ok, but clearly they were so much worse than, and even lacked the potential of, a bayern side that seems unfit to really compete internationally. city losing to norwich still makes this a good weekend.

[Antoine]

+ https://www.archdaily.com/924835/austri ... ant-forest

[surfer]

rats 1:1 against bayern to retain top spot might look ok, but clearly they were so much worse than, and even lacked the potential of, a bayern side that seems unfit to really compete internationally. city losing to norwich still makes this a good weekend.

I saw the second half, some saves from Neuer and Gulacsi that defied the laws of physics. And a huge three points against Benfica in Portugal today.

[surfer]

I remember long ago another starry night like this

There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando
Though I never thought that we could lose
There's no regret
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando

[surfer]

city losing to norwich still makes this a good weekend.

25-1 prematch odds on Norwich to win, apparently makes it the biggest EPL upset ever? Dont know but City is struggling to replace Laporte and Kompany

[Wombatz]

rats continue bringing in the points despite still visible creaks in the structure ... (i seem to remember darren says that attitude in football is overrated but) it's just amazing how positive the mentality is and how players keep improving ... last season sabitzer seemed beyond his limits, now suddenly he's a force (like poulsen the year before ... the downside of the carefully groomed vibe being that exciting players with mildly starish airs like jean-kevin augustin get no chance at all). not title-worthy yet, but with dortmund predictably dropping off (like favre teams will), the only hope for a contender in sluggish bundesliga. meanwhile, spurs seem to go for best of the rest this season, but so do a lot of teams, gonna be one crowded midfield ...

oh and p.s. haha i still hear the english say they would use var differently after experiences in the other leagues and international tournaments ... and of course they can't. nobody can because the logic of the thing is to prove contact and millimetres, and that will always win out against spirits of whatever. (i'd be for either a) just use goal-line technology during the game, but review the whole thing afterwards and hand out additional suspensions for fouls and dives or b) get rid of the human referees altogether ... then after each whistle or goal i'd plummet the arena into complete darkness with all eyes glued to a single display counting down from 50 before pronouncing a verdict ... that would integrate the waiting process into the dramaturgy so no loss of atmosphere (where it's dark there's always atmosphere))

[surfer]

oh and p.s. haha i still hear the english say they would use var differently after experiences in the other leagues and international tournaments ... and of course they can't. nobody can because the logic of the thing is to prove contact and millimetres, and that will always win out against spirits of whatever. (i'd be for either a) just use goal-line technology during the game, but review the whole thing afterwards and hand out additional suspensions for fouls and dives or b) get rid of the human referees altogether ... then after each whistle or goal i'd plummet the arena into complete darkness with all eyes glued to a single display counting down from 50 before pronouncing a verdict ... that would integrate the waiting process into the dramaturgy so no loss of atmosphere (where it's dark there's always atmosphere))

Hahaha, I'm all on board with either of those. Although the second sounds tailor made for FIFA sanctioned events. Maybe "No Goal" could be projected in 3-dimensions? Where are my 3-D glasses?

Spurs are a bit garbage right now. B-squad just lost to Colchester in the League Cup.

[surfer]

Shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium, shiny new stadium,

[Wombatz]

do i look silly already for saying bayern ain't very good? ... the coutinho-lewandowski axis could become serious trouble (lewa is anyway), but other teams defend against gnabry (and coman) quite efficiently by not giving them acres of space ... (we still feel the no show at the cl final was the point of no patchuppability)

[surfer]

do i look silly already for saying bayern ain't very good? ... the coutinho-lewandowski axis could become serious trouble (lewa is anyway), but other teams defend against gnabry (and coman) quite efficiently by not giving them acres of space ... (we still feel the no show at the cl final was the point of no patchuppability)

So much went wrong after a relatively decent first half (and high intensity start that had Bayern on their heels for a bit). Lots of people have different theories: the diamond midfield doesnt suit Winks-Sissoko, Ndombele isnt a true #6 and needs a defensive partner, the problem is the wingbacks, our CB pairing has aged overnight, the squad is simply not being motivated by Poch anymore, and of course the supported by evidence theory that many players were looking for off season moves that never materialized (Poch's "different agendas" theory).

For me, maybe its the way I approach football or just my own personal view but I think it all starts in the midfield. There are certainly teams (Spurs last year, Liverpool ongoing) that dont have world class midfields and still can thrive at this level. The direct play of Spurs last year was a bit of a fluke, and Liverpool have a false 9 in Firmino. So for me, the problems are in midfield: no effective #10 (more on that later), a Winks - Sissoko duo that are 1-dimensional, have fatal flaws, and not up to this level of competition, and a lack of a destroyer (vintage Dier/Wanyama) to help shield the CBs. The midfield was a mess last year, and it hasnt improved. Ndombele shows promise but there's too much chaos around him.

There's more analysis I could give but why bother. Every player has faced scrutiny except curiously one. No one seems willing to talk about Dele. He was perhaps the most disappointing player last night, just no influence on the game at all. He just doesnt work as a #10, and I'm not sure what his best role is now with Son in the squad. People used to talk about him as a Thomas Meuller aux striker "space interpreter" making late runs into the box. I dont think we can afford that luxury anymore for someone who is extravagent on the ball, and does so little off it. He has quite clearly been complacent about his development and too often lately lacks the intensity and strength for this type of match. A ghost floating around the pitch.

[walto]

Watched Indiana beat NU 3-1 in Evanston last night. The first two Indy goals were own-goals by the same NU defender (although the official scorer gave the first of them to an Indiana forward, which was generous). Felt bad for this defender. A junior, D-1 athlete--I'm wondering if he ever had as bad/painful a game since he was eight years old.

[surfer]

How about the Øresund Derby?!?!?!?!

Cagey and physical as expected. There was a bloody nose and a dislocated shoulder in the first 15 minutes. FCK opened the scoring with an own goal, and gradually Malmö put them under more and more pressure. They equalized with a header, and had a few more chances, lots of speculative balls into the box. ended 1-1, fairly dull match but not lacking in intensity

https://tinyurl.com/yxphhuzq

Alas everyone left feeling slightly deflated when "one of the best strikers in the world" Lord Bentner failed to materialize.