Soccer Thread

[Simpleton]

Wenger said he was afraid of failure so this seems like a fair response.

 

[Texas Ace]

City completely outclassing Chelsea in this FA Cup clash.

Silva was outstanding and City are very happy to have Nasri back who has been brilliant in the 10 or so min he has played.

 

[Texas Ace]

Mourinho gets completely outclassed just 24 hours or so after he calls Wenger a specialist in failure.

Eat shit, Mourinho.

 

[Texas Ace]

Big win for Barcelona at City.

Best performance from them against a big club like that in a while.

Vincent Kompany was outstanding. MOTM as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Carl]

Big win for Barcelona at City.

Best performance from them against a big club like that in a while.

Vincent Kompany was outstanding. MOTM as far as I'm concerned.

That was a big win for Barcelona. Kompany and Silva were very good for City, but they are really missing Aguero. The penalty and red card obviously changed the game, but the Ref got it correct. It was a penalty.

 

[Texas Ace]

That was a big win for Barcelona. Kompany and Silva were very good for City, but they are really missing Aguero. The penalty and red card obviously changed the game, but the Ref got it correct. It was a penalty.

I'm a big Pellegrini fan, but he made some mistakes today.

First, he showed Barcelona too much respect. While they are still a great team with tons of talent, they aren't the team that they were 2 years ago that dissected the best clubs in the world and made them look like 2nd division teams. This Barcelona team can be had and City have all the necessary talent in midfield and up front to play openly against anyone and make them pay. To play back and let Barcelona have all the possession in the 1st half was completely unnecessary and it allowed that game to remain one of those where a mistake can change everything, and that is exactly what happened.

Second, he played DeMichelis who is awful. When I saw him in the starting lineup I immediately thought that at some point in the game, he would make a mistake and that's exactly what he did. I don't know why Pellegrini continues to play this guy who is awful. Lescott should be playing in his place.

Finally, while I don't expect City to beat Barcelona in the Nou Camp, especially down 0-2, I do think it's going to be a very good game where City will score twice. Pellegrini will play the way he should have today plus there will be 3 key changes in personnel:

Nasri will start over Navas, Lescott over DeMichelis, and Kun Aguero will be back. I expect a 2-2 draw or maybe a 3-2 Barcelona win, but the 0-2 hole will be too big to climb out of.

It's a shame too, because I've taken a liking to this City team, but it looks like it's the end of the road for them in the CL.

 

[1bigfan13]

 

[Carl]

I really think they need to look at this penalty and a red card rule. It's too much of a punishment. The reason for the red is because you are denying a goal scoring opportunity, then they award a penalty which is a goal scoring opportunity.

Off the top of my head, I'd make let the Captain of the fouled team choose either a penalty or a red card. If he chooses a penalty, the player gets a yellow not a red. Just a thought.

 

[Texas Ace]

I really think they need to look at this penalty and a red card rule. It's too much of a punishment. The reason for the red is because you are denying a goal scoring opportunity, then they award a penalty which is a goal scoring opportunity.

Off the top of my head, I'd make let the Captain of the fouled team choose either a penalty or a red card. If he chooses a penalty, the player gets a yellow not a red. Just a thought.

I agree 100%.

I said the same thing in a soccer forum I frequent. The keeper is almost always going to be the last man, so that rule shouldn't always apply to him unless the foul is a blatant attempt to keep the attacker from scoring and nothing else. On top of that, I'm not sure Robben gets to that ball so I don't agree that it was a clear scoring opportunity.

 

[Texas Ace]

[MENTION=42]Carl[/MENTION], [MENTION=70]Simpleton[/MENTION] - Big loss for Chelsea today.

I know I'm stating the obvious here, but it's City's title to lose now.

6 points down with 3 games to makeup, and no CL games to warrant their attention any longer.

Knowing Mourinho, he'll want to try and put his best foot forward in both competitions, but when it comes down to it, he'll always choose the CL and I can't blame him for that. For that reason, I could even see Chelsea falling to 3rd place if they get further into the CL and Liverpool continue their good run of play.

 

[Carl]

[MENTION=42]Carl[/MENTION], [MENTION=70]Simpleton[/MENTION] - Big loss for Chelsea today.

I know I'm stating the obvious here, but it's City's title to lose now.

6 points down with 3 games to makeup, and no CL games to warrant their attention any longer.

Knowing Mourinho, he'll want to try and put his best foot forward in both competitions, but when it comes down to it, he'll always choose the CL and I can't blame him for that. For that reason, I could even see Chelsea falling to 3rd place if they get further into the CL and Liverpool continue their good run of play.

Very surprising loss by Chelsea today, I thought they would keep just grinding out results. They are in bad need of a striker. That being said, I would still prefer the points over the games in hand, so, gun to head, I still give an ever so slight edge to Chelsea.

 

[Simpleton]

They went down to 10 on a questionable 2nd yellow and Mourinho has never won at Villa for whatever reason, so it's not a complete shocker. It'll be Chelsea or Man City, I don't really care which of them wins as long as it's not Liverpool or Man U, which it obviously won't be.

 

[Texas Ace]

They went down to 10 on a questionable 2nd yellow and Mourinho has never won at Villa for whatever reason, so it's not a complete shocker. It'll be Chelsea or Man City, I don't really care which of them wins as long as it's not Liverpool or Man U, which it obviously won't be.

I think Liverpool definitely has a shot at it.

They're a confident group right now and The Sturridge/Suarez combination is lethal.

Also, Messi became Barcelona's all time leading scorer today and he's just 4 goals away from the being the all time leading scorer in the CL, and he's only 27.

 

[Simpleton]

I think Liverpool definitely has a shot at it.

They're a confident group right now and The Sturridge/Suarez combination is lethal.

Also, Messi became Barcelona's all time leading scorer today and he's just 4 goals away from the being the all time leading scorer in the CL, and he's only 27.

I meant it obviously won't be Man U, I think it's unlikely Liverpool takes it as well but it's much more likely.

 

[Carl]

Julian Green has reportedly decided to play for the US. If true, this is potentially very big for Team USA. He must have been given some promises of his inclusion in the world cup squad.

 

[Simpleton]

That is big and I would gladly give him a spot on the World Cup team if it means locking him up for the next 15 years.

 

[Texas Ace]

What a performance from Andres Iniesta and Leo Messi in the biggest game of the year for Barcelona.

We absolutely had to win this one and we did it despite Madrid being the better team coming in. A 4-3 thriller and one of the best Clasicos in a long time.

Messi is the most well rounded player in the world. Amazing passes today coupled with a big goal before the half and two perfectly executed penalties.

We're now one point behind Madrid....let's do this!

 

[Carl]

What a performance from Andres Iniesta and Leo Messi in the biggest game of the year for Barcelona.

We absolutely had to win this one and we did it despite Madrid being the better team coming in. A 4-3 thriller and one of the best Clasicos in a long time.

Messi is the most well rounded player in the world. Amazing passes today coupled with a big goal before the half and two perfectly executed penalties.

We're now one point behind Madrid....let's do this!

I have alot of time for Ronaldo; but Messi is in a different league. He had a "quiet" game, I counted about 10 touches; yet every goal Barca scored was a result of something he did. I really look forward to watching him mature as a player. His vision is as impressive as his dribbling.

Having said that, the Ref today was not impressive at all.

Do you think Atletico have a chance to win La Liga now?

 

[Texas Ace]

I have alot of time for Ronaldo; but Messi is in a different league. He had a "quiet" game, I counted about 10 touches; yet every goal Barca scored was a result of something he did. I really look forward to watching him mature as a player. His vision is as impressive as his dribbling.

Having said that, the Ref today was not impressive at all.

Do you think Atletico have a chance to win La Liga now?

I've maintained all season that Atletico were legit contenders.

A lot of people thought they'd eventually fizzle out, but I believed all along that they had staying power, and now they are the sole leaders with 9 weeks left.

They have to visit the Nou Camp in the final week of the season, and can you imagine what the atmosphere will be like if that game is for the title?

How about Messi's incredible passing ability? I'm convinced that he can play well into his late 30's as a true midfielder because of his vision and passing ability.

What a player.

 

[Carl]

I've maintained all season that Atletico were legit contenders.

A lot of people thought they'd eventually fizzle out, but I believed all along that they had staying power, and now they are the sole leaders with 9 weeks left.

They have to visit the Nou Camp in the final week of the season, and can you imagine what the atmosphere will be like if that game is for the title?

How about Messi's incredible passing ability? I'm convinced that he can play well into his late 30's as a true midfielder because of his vision and passing ability.

What a player.

His passing, weight of pass and vision to see things is like Platini...but he can do everything else as well. He is one of a kind.