2018-2019 Calcio Futbol Football Thread

[echappist]

I'll get things started with a NYT article on Sarri, he who came so close to guiding SSC Napoli to a scudetto on two occasions.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/s...-stories-below

[wc1934]

Originally Posted by echappist

I'll get things started with a NYT article on Sarri, he who came so close to guiding SSC Napoli to a scudetto on two occasions.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/s...-stories-below

Thanks for sharing this - Napoli will surely miss him and ADL (with his huge ego) should not have let him go. Sarri was a quiet man who accepted ADL's crap but never publicly jousted with him.

Because of the parting of Courtois, Chelsea paid a bunch for their new keeper.

[Climb01742]

Watching my Gunners fall rather feebly to MC today, one thought kept coming...the new boss is the same as the old boss. I feel a long season coming.

[Mzilliox]

Originally Posted by Climb01742

Watching my Gunners fall rather feebly to MC today, one thought kept coming...the new boss is the same as the old boss. I feel a long season coming.

spineless performance, but a few positives. Lichtensteiner was solid when he came on, and once Torreira and lacazette were on, the team came to life. there is something wrong with Mesut Ozil, every pass was behind or in the feet of his teammates, and for a player who wants to wear the 10, he sure seems to have an aversion for being on the ball all the time. Ive never seen a 10 who is on the ball so little, it blows me away.

[JACKS]

As an United fan, gonna be an ultra long season watching City and Liverpool battle for the title. Jose's gotta go for a fresher mind like Low the German national coach.

[Climb01742]

Originally Posted by Mzilliox

spineless performance, but a few positives. Lichtensteiner was solid when he came on, and once Torreira and lacazette were on, the team came to life. there is something wrong with Mesut Ozil, every pass was behind or in the feet of his teammates, and for a player who wants to wear the 10, he sure seems to have an aversion for being on the ball all the time. Ive never seen a 10 who is on the ball so little, it blows me away.

I hope you're right about the positives. It's only one game but their play was so disspirited. I had hopes for a clean slate. Instead, it felt more like a blank slate. About Ozil...I wonder if his psyche is damaged from all the fuss in Germany?

I knew MC was gonna be brutal, but damn, Liverpool looks tough too.

[wc1934]

Originally Posted by JACKS

As an United fan, gonna be an ultra long season watching City and Liverpool battle for the title. Jose's gotta go for a fresher mind like Low the German national coach.

United fan? You need to start rooting for DC United - Rooney seeking the highlight films - I don't like him but must admit that yesterdays performance was pretty good.

[echappist]

Originally Posted by wc1934

United fan? You need to start rooting for DC United - Rooney seeking the highlight films - I don't like him but must admit that yesterdays performance was pretty good.

that said, something's awfully wrong when you have Rooney commanding that high a salary (something like $8M USD/year?) when you have others barely scraping six-figures.

Originally Posted by Climb01742

I hope you're right about the positives. It's only one game but their play was so disspirited. I had hopes for a clean slate. Instead, it felt more like a blank slate. About Ozil...I wonder if his psyche is damaged from all the fuss in Germany?

I knew MC was gonna be brutal, but damn, Liverpool looks tough too.

Compare and contrast the following (easy to do, as both mainly play as 4-3-3)

Attack: 3 from the group of Aguero, Sterling, Jesus, Sane, Silva (POR), and Mahrez vs
3 from the group of Sturridge, Firminho, Mane, Salah, Shaqiri, and Lallana

Midfield: 3 from the group of KdB, Silva (ESP), Gundogan, Fernandinho, Foden vs
3 from the group of Keita, Fabinho, Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum

Defense: 4 from the group of Delph, Mendy, Otamendi, Stones, Laporte, Kompany, Walker, and Danilo vs
4 from the group of Robertson, Moreno, van Dijk, Lovren, Matip, Klavan, TAA, and Clyne

In any cup tie between the teams, I'd take the Scousers over MC (little known fact, Klopp is the only coach with a winning record against Guardiola). Over a season, however, MC has more depth overall at least for now, with maybe slightly more depth for LFC for midfield. I'd actually take LFC's first choice defense over that of MC, but other than Clyne, they are really thin.

As for x-factor, Klopp has shown to be astute in identifying and incubating talent. We all smirked when they paid for the underwhelimg Ox; no one was laughing at the end of the season. One of their starting outside backs played on a relegated Hull team; the other an academy product who wasn't able to buy a beer at the start of 2017-2018, but few would trade the pair for any other Premier League pairing now. So who knows, perhaps they'll have fringe players step up to boost depth.

Regardless, would love to see them do well.

------------------------------------------------

On another note, not sure if it's good or bad that Champion's League coverage is now on Turner Sport. For all their bloviating commentators, Fox at least showed most of the games from group stage onward...

[JACKS]

indeed it was a wonderful pace and skill to make that play.

Originally Posted by wc1934

United fan? You need to start rooting for DC United - Rooney seeking the highlight films - I don't like him but must admit that yesterdays performance was pretty good.

[JACKS]

i believe it will comes down to which team have a better record against the Top 6. that should be decider.

Originally Posted by echappist

that said, something's awfully wrong when you have Rooney commanding that high a salary (something like $8M USD/year?) when you have others barely scraping six-figures.



Compare and contrast the following (easy to do, as both mainly play as 4-3-3)

Attack: 3 from the group of Aguero, Sterling, Jesus, Sane, Silva (POR), and Mahrez vs
3 from the group of Sturridge, Firminho, Mane, Salah, Shaqiri, and Lallana

Midfield: 3 from the group of KdB, Silva (ESP), Gundogan, Fernandinho, Foden vs
3 from the group of Keita, Fabinho, Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum

Defense: 4 from the group of Delph, Mendy, Otamendi, Stones, Laporte, Kompany, Walker, and Danilo vs
4 from the group of Robertson, Moreno, van Dijk, Lovren, Matip, Klavan, TAA, and Clyne

In any cup tie between the teams, I'd take the Scousers over MC (little known fact, Klopp is the only coach with a winning record against Guardiola). Over a season, however, MC has more depth overall at least for now, with maybe slightly more depth for LFC for midfield. I'd actually take LFC's first choice defense over that of MC, but other than Clyne, they are really thin.

As for x-factor, Klopp has shown to be astute in identifying and incubating talent. We all smirked when they paid for the underwhelimg Ox; no one was laughing at the end of the season. One of their starting outside backs played on a relegated Hull team; the other an academy product who wasn't able to buy a beer at the start of 2017-2018, but few would trade the pair for any other Premier League pairing now. So who knows, perhaps they'll have fringe players step up to boost depth.

Regardless, would love to see them do well.

------------------------------------------------

On another note, not sure if it's good or bad that Champion's League coverage is now on Turner Sport. For all their bloviating commentators, Fox at least showed most of the games from group stage onward...

[goonster]

I've been a Liverpool fan for twenty years, and have never felt this kind hope, positivity, optimism, etc. This is the year that everything will click.

Van Dijk is tremendous, and the team's defensive record since he joined speaks for itself.

Offensively, they actually have decent depth now. I hadn't really seen Naby Keita play for RBL, but he is exactly the right player to raise this team another notch, i.e. not a guy who sprays the ball in the Xabi Alonso style, but somebody who can carry the ball, draw defenders and then release the ball at exactly the right moment. Shaqiri and (a healthy) Sturridge* are also quite good at football.

Of course the league is Man City's to lose, and Pep has shown that his teams can handle that pressure, but then there was the 2011-2012 season when he failed to defend the title a year after fielding one of the greatest sides ever.

Liverpool can't control whether Man City drop points, but in the head-to-head games Klopp's teams are like the mongoose to Pep's cobra.

When it all comes crashing down, I'll have a party and y'all can dance on the smoldering pile that was the dream.

(* = a blessing unto your hamstrings . . .)

[echappist]

Originally Posted by goonster

I've been a Liverpool fan for twenty years, and have never felt this kind hope, positivity, optimism, etc. This is the year that everything will click.

Van Dijk is tremendous, and the team's defensive record since he joined speaks for itself.

Offensively, they actually have decent depth now. I hadn't really seen Naby Keita play for RBL, but he is exactly the right player to raise this team another notch, i.e. not a guy who sprays the ball in the Xabi Alonso style, but somebody who can carry the ball, draw defenders and then release the ball at exactly the right moment. Shaqiri and (a healthy) Sturridge* are also quite good at football.

Of course the league is Man City's to lose, and Pep has shown that his teams can handle that pressure, but then there was the 2011-2012 season when he failed to defend the title a year after fielding one of the greatest sides ever.

Liverpool can't control whether Man City drop points, but in the head-to-head games Klopp's teams are like the mongoose to Pep's cobra.

When it all comes crashing down, I'll have a party and y'all can dance on the smoldering pile that was the dream.

(* = a blessing unto your hamstrings . . .)

that'd be really really cruel, given what happened last year and Gerrad's slip with two games left to play (almost Buckner-esque)

out of curiosity, why is your username Goonster as opposed to Scouser?

As for Keita, he's a real dynamo, and I agree with your assessment. Think of it this way, dude excelled playing the box-to-box role is a counter-attacking 4-4-2 system. That role requires a great engine as well as ball-winning abilities. That he can dribble is the (rather useful) icing on top. His only downside is that he may get sent off on a straight red once or twice/season. I think he'll perform Ox's role quite well.

[goonster]

Originally Posted by echappist

out of curiosity, why is your username Goonster as opposed to Scouser?

My name is Goon, but I am not a gooner.

[gary_a_gooner]

gooner checking in.

[macaroon]

Originally Posted by wc1934

United fan? You need to start rooting for DC United - Rooney seeking the highlight films - I don't like him but must admit that yesterdays performance was pretty good.

I watched that about three times today; it was so good to see. Maybe we'll get him back in the England team if he continues like that :-D

I just wish he had the mindset of Ronaldo; he had the talent to become one of the best in the world but he didn't seem to want it enough.

Iniesta's first goal for his new club is worth a watch in case anyone's missed it. Two absolute legends combining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LR_1J6JhHA