2018-2019 Calcio Futbol Football Thread

[wc1934]

Originally Posted by echappist

@wc1934, not to make you miss him too much, but did you know that both Sarri and his dad were cyclists as well, and that his dad was a pro cyclist? I didn't until I saw this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-CnlRJRaF0

I really don't like Chelsea (with their hooligan fans) and its owner (who built his wealth via figurative looting of assets), but having Sarri there makes them a little bit more likable

Hey Jim,
Thanks for the link - I did not know much about Sari's early life.
I agree that it is hard to root for Chelsea because of Abramovich, but I guess I my appreciation of Sarri outweighs my dislike of Roman. They do have a decent roster and should be very competitive.

[JACKS]

i don't think he will last till the January transfer window. there's seems to be way too much senior management power struggle and different philosophy. i am not looking forward to this season. smells like David Moyes all over again.

Originally Posted by wc1934

wow -
After today many are saying that Jose's got to go - period.
If things keep going downhill, do you think he will last the season?

[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

The latest article from Football Italia:

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri ‘doesn’t miss’ Aurelio De Laurentiis claims it is the other way round because the Napoli chief ‘talks about me’.

De Laurentiis took his latest swipe at Sarri on Friday morning, claiming the Coach won nothing despite being given ‘everything’ at the San Paolo, and the Coach responded to his former employer.

“De Laurentiis talks about me because he misses me,” he continued at his Newcastle United Press conference.

“For now, I don’t miss him. It’s true that we didn’t win anything at Napoli, but we set the club points record at 91 and we qualified for the Champions League twice.

“I think Naples and Napoli must be proud of these results. We faced a Juventus side who, in the last few years, have won everything in Italy.”

[echappist]

@wc1934, did you need to reach for any heart meds today?

at this rate, you may need to get the double strength by next month. And to think, they aren't at full strength yet, which should bode well

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

The Liverpool v Brighton match was surprisingly close. That front line just isn't syncing correctly at the moment, but should be a real menace in a few weeks.

[wc1934]

Originally Posted by echappist

@wc1934, did you need to reach for any heart meds today?

at this rate, you may need to get the double strength by next month. And to think, they aren't at full strength yet, which should bode well

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

The Liverpool v Brighton match was surprisingly close. That front line just isn't syncing correctly at the moment, but should be a real menace in a few weeks.

WHEW - nail biter and I was cussing at the tv being 2 down. I really didnt want them to lose to Milan (Higuain and Reina). With Milik starting (finally healthy after 2 acl surgeries on both knees) they now have a true no.9 . So far Mertens has accepted his role of coming off the bench.

[echappist]

but Mertens surely has proven his worth the last two years? perhaps he can go back to playing as a winger? Though with somany competitions, it may be good to have a rotation.

also, you think it was a good idea to let Reyna go? Dude is getting up there in age but didn't seem to lose too much

[goonster]

"Lads, it's United."

[wc1934]

Originally Posted by echappist

but Mertens surely has proven his worth the last two years? perhaps he can go back to playing as a winger? Though with somany competitions, it may be good to have a rotation.

also, you think it was a good idea to let Reyna go? Dude is getting up there in age but didn't seem to lose too much

Totally agree that Mertens has proven his worth the past two years (was even better after Higuain left). And he played very well in the WC. I was afraid that he wouldn't re-sign as his wife didnt like the smog, but she apparently disliked China even more.
I was surprised that Reyna left Napoli to accept a backup role at Milan, but he is getting older so they went with youth - Meret is only 21 (unproven, but Conte liked him enough to add him to the WC qualification squad). He is now injured (but I do support the youth movement). So, Ochoa is now wearing the gloves. I didnt know much about him before this WC, but he had a nice run with a number of clean sheets.

Sarri still undefeated - they beat Newcastle and Benitez (who I think set Napoli back during his tenure).

[wc1934]

Originally Posted by goonster

"Lads, it's United."

"Lads, it's United - smoked again."

[echappist]

Originally Posted by wc1934

"Lads, it's United - smoked again."

you guys beat me to it

one may say that performance by ManU was Spursy AF, but that'd require ManU to be actually leading at some point before losing.

Originally Posted by wc1934

Totally agree that Mertens has proven his worth the past two years (was even better after Higuain left). And he played very well in the WC. I was afraid that he wouldn't re-sign as his wife didnt like the smog, but she apparently disliked China even more.

how bad is the smog in Naples? as you mentioned, can't be any worse than it is in China. they really ought to be wearing respirators while playing in China...

had an allergic reaction to the air last time I was in China. It wasn't even that bad, and I didn't engage in any exercise, but within one week, I thought I came down with a really bad cold. In reality, it was my lungs having issues with the particulates, despite wearing a respirator while outside...

I was surprised that Reyna left Napoli to accept a backup role at Milan, but he is getting older so they went with youth - Meret is only 21 (unproven, but Conte liked him enough to add him to the WC qualification squad). He is now injured (but I do support the youth movement). So, Ochoa is now wearing the gloves. I didnt know much about him before this WC, but he had a nice run with a number of clean sheets.

Sarri still undefeated - they beat Newcastle and Benitez (who I think set Napoli back during his tenure).

Ochoa as in Memo Ochoa?

Oh my, where do i start. I think he's inconsistent, and he's never played at a high level club before. I believe that two years ago, his La Liga club got relegated...

[echappist]

so there's apparently a top-of-the-table clash this weekend.

i'm talking the Watford-Spurs match on Sunday, of course. Bit surreal. Watford not dropping a single point so far this year. Then again, they started hot three years ago and faded

[BobC]

Originally Posted by echappist

so there's apparently a top-of-the-table clash this weekend.

i'm talking the Watford-Spurs match on Sunday, of course. Bit surreal. Watford not dropping a single point so far this year. Then again, they started hot three years ago and faded

As a long-time Watford fan, their 3-0 start just means they are 31 points from safety. Last week's match against Palace was UGLY. Spurs are at a different level. I just hope they acquit themselves well.

Overall, Hornets are a solid squad without Deulofeu healthy yet, so I am optimist they will not figure in the relegation battle drama. Midtable would be nice.

[echappist]

Originally Posted by BobC

As a long-time Watford fan, their 3-0 start just means they are 31 points from safety. Last week's match against Palace was UGLY. Spurs are at a different level. I just hope they acquit themselves well.

Overall, Hornets are a solid squad without Deulofeu healthy yet, so I am optimist they will not figure in the relegation battle drama. Midtable would be nice.

I think they may even have a tilt at top half. As you said, 9 points in the bank means 31 points from the next 35 matches, and the advantage here is that the later a team needs to secure those points, the more mentally draining it becomes. Big leg up over the likes of Burnley, who's expected to do well but got tripped up by Europa qualifying matches.

And speaking of European football, what a farce that LFC is in the 3rd pot, while Lokomotiv Moscow is in the 1st pot. Also hugely unfair is the 5-year rolling window for accumulation of UEFA coefficient points. Really should be capped at three years. BVB and Benfica really don't deserve to be seeded this high...

[echappist]

What a joke of a draw. We have joke groups like Groups D, E, & F, each with only one quality team, while the likes of Groups A, B, C, (and possibly H) all have three contenders...

apologies to @wc1934, another year Napoli gets drawn into a group of death

[wc1934]

Originally Posted by echappist

What a joke of a draw. We have joke groups like Groups D, E, & F, each with only one quality team, while the likes of Groups A, B, C, (and possibly H) all have three contenders...

apologies to @wc1934, another year Napoli gets drawn into a group of death

PSG and Liverpool!!!! Something is not right!