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The 2013-2014 Football Thread

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Another day another United defeat at OT. That average team of the last 2-3 seasons is being found out in the absence of SAF.
 
The last two matches have provided the best possible demonstration of how critical Sir Alex Ferguson has been for Manchester United over the last couple decades. And, to a lesser extent, how much they have relied on Rooney and RvP of late.

pachyderm said:
We will win our group.
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You're mad as a march hare, but I admire your optimism. :D

EDIT: Raheem Sterling is frustrating the Liverpool faithful today, missing some wonderful chances. It should be 3-0 or 4-0.

EDIT2: A scrappy match for Liverpool, but scrappy goals still count. Gerrard looks to have pulled a hammy and Nolan got sent off for a horrible rake on Henderson's leg - that's two men down on my fantasy squad. A great day for Liverpool table-wise with Man City and Chelsea both dropping points.

After all the (largely justified) criticism I see about Liverpool's defense, I look over at Chelsea and see swiss cheese…giving up six goals this week alone.
 
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He can always rejoin the in January. But he'll have to battle Bendtner for a spot in the squad. ;)

On a more serious note, he didn't look to be in great shape today. Keeping him healthy will be a major concern for Moyes.
 
It's crunch time now. Helps that others dropped points today but if we at least get 8pts...preferably 10pts in the next 4 games I'll be happier. It's possible but it's not a certainty either. I'm worried about the City match because it's fresh after the Naples game, and it's an early kickoff, and it's away.

Good move that Wenger rested some players on Wed. Would've like Ozil to be rested too but oh well.

I'll be interested to see what would happen if we played Vermaelen alongside Arteta as a Flamini replacement in CDM. Think it could work beautifully but who knows.
 
Next two injuries for Dortmund, Sahin and Bender..ugh. Bad times right now.

Agreed about being sour because of France's easy group :D
 
The MLS Cup Final is here! The match today is between two "small-market" teams, Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake. I'm definitely pulling for KC in this one, Real Salt Lake have the silliest name in the league and knocked Columbus out for the playoffs more than once.

Temperature is 20F for the final - colder than a week night in Stoke. :eek:

Spurs win again but not convincingly…disappointed for Altidore, he seems to have regressed since moving to Sunderland.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
The MLS Cup Final is here!

<snip>

Temperature is 20F for the final - colder than a week night in Stoke. :eek:

Spurs win again but not convincingly…disappointed for Altidore, he seems to have regressed since moving to Sunderland.
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Been a lot of chances but no break thru in the MLS final. It looks like it's frigid there! Those poor announcers look miserable.

Spurs get another. Glad to see it. They still aren't a well oiled machine yet, but it does feel like they could be close.
 
10 rounds in the MLS Cup Finals shootout. So fun to watch. Thought Zusi's miss was going to be their undoing in Rd 5. Big fan if his. Hopes he makes the USMNT.
 
Penalties is not my favorite way of ending a match, but in a one-off final it's always a possibility. Congrats to Kansas City, as MLS once again demonstrates the parity within the league. LA and NY might get all the attention, but they do not dominate the league the way "big" teams do in Europe.
 
This weekend in the Eredivisie.

PSV 2 - 6 Vitesse

PSV are a bit like Manchester Utd, sans the money and glamour, a club in trouble, that cannot catch a break. Vitesse are the team in form, and PSV were able to hold their own until the 60th minute. Vitesse just then ran away with the game.

Ajax 4 - 0 NAC Breda

Ajax had no problems with NAC.

AZ 1 - 2 FC Twente

Twente played the better football and took their chances when they came.

Go Ahead Eagles 4 - 1 PEC Zwolle

This is derby is one of the bitterest in the Netherlands, and always full of drama.

The Eredivise with 16 played

1 Vitesse 33pts
2 Ajax 31pts
3 FC Twente 30pts
4 Feyenoord 27pts

9 PEC Zwolle 22pts
 
daneoni said:
*sigh* Everton! :mad: :rolleyes:
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Everton look like a solid squad this season. They are a far more cohesive unit under Martinez than either Man City or Chelsea. I shudder to think where they would be if they had a player like Suarez or Agurero up front.

Arsenal missed a big chance to open a gap there. I thought Giroud was going to steal the win at the last second with that volley - he had Howard beaten but just failed to find the upper corner.
 
Yeah it's annoying. The United result gave them too much belief hence the mentality change when we scored. Oh well still 5pts clear.

A point or more from each of the Chelsea and City matches will make me happy. Want us to turn over Napoli though.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Everton look like a solid squad this season. They are a far more cohesive unit under Martinez than either Man City or Chelsea. I shudder to think where they would be if they had a player like Suarez or Agurero up front.

Arsenal missed a big chance to open a gap there. I thought Giroud was going to steal the win at the last second with that volley - he had Howard beaten but just failed to find the upper corner.
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i still think walcott was offside on that goal....
 
Lord Blackadder said:
^ It's going to be impossible to keep Suarez in England after the WC - he'll be getting bullets in the mail every day. I wonder what Stevie G will say to him if he takes a big flop in Brazil against England.

...
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"That takes me back, just like Michael Owen." ?

The papers are always right, so Suarez is off to Real Madrid - followed by Aguero and RVP to Barcelona. Liverpool qualify for the Champions League and he is happy with the summer signings? Rooney, Phil Neville, Beckham, and Ronaldo survived - fallout from internationals isn't the reason the last two went to Spain.

takao - '...also in good news: Belgium has a change to succeed .. in absence of my squad i'm holding my thumbs for them'

Hoping they don't self-destruct like Denmark in 1986.

Kariya and Lord Blackadder,

The average/below average is two midfield positions - three without Carrick. One problem is the inconsistency of players who have at some point shown they have the ability, e.g. Nani and Anderson - injuries and confidence? Losing Morrison and Pogba hasn't helped. Can they get in January what has been required for at least 5 years?

Cheers,
OW
 
oscillatewildly said:
The papers are always right, so Suarez is off to Real Madrid - followed by Aguero and RVP to Barcelona. Liverpool qualify for the Champions League and he is happy with the summer signings? Rooney, Phil Neville, Beckham, and Ronaldo survived - fallout from internationals isn't the reason the last two went to Spain.
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If Liverpool qualify for the CL Suarez may stay, and it may allow us to sign a marquee midfielder and/or defender to bolster the squad. Still, I don't think we can count on Suarez hanging around and have to be prepared to replace him. This summer (assuming he doesn't get injured at the World Cup) he will attain his highest possible sale value. If we get offers in the 60-70 million range we'd be fools to keep him.

I'm still pretty skeptical of a top four finish for Liverpool, but when I look at the teams currently 5th-9th I do feel Liverpool have a good chance of fending them off from that fourth spot. This is especially true if Suarez maintains his form and the defense can show some moderate improvement. Which are biggish ifs. I can't see Man City, Chelsea or Arsenal failing to finish outside the top three though.

oscillatewildly said:
The average/below average is two midfield positions - three without Carrick. One problem is the inconsistency of players who have at some point shown they have the ability, e.g. Nani and Anderson - injuries and confidence? Losing Morrison and Pogba hasn't helped. Can they get in January what has been required for at least 5 years?
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Rooney is still young, but RvP is not and he is beginning to show a little of his old fragility. Unless Welbeck develops considerably that is going to leave you short a striker in the not-too distant future.
 
Hull City pick up a point away at Swansea. Four points behind Man Utd, Jaffa. :)

In other news, Samuel Eto'o is supposedly eyeing a move to MLS. We won't need him at Columbus. Our forwards are just as unproductive - but younger and cheaper. ;)
 
Fizzoid said:
Well, if Roy Keane is right, he's clearly not exerting his influence enough!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25307471

Unless of course you're an Arsenal fan ;)
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Nor Hell a fury and all that.

Lord Blackadder,

'Bambi' Welbeck needs to see a shrink/hypnotist re losing control of his body in the box.

RVP:

How much is down to a change in training? When I first heard Moyes was going to do more on the physical side, I thought great, whip Rooney into shape, and he has, but one size doesn't fit all. Also thought the team would be able to press more, but :(. If RVP is being put through the same tailored training as last season, then it looks like he's creaking - part of the gamble.

On the striker front:

At the moment there is cover, it's just there isn't service. In the future; they've probably factored in another two years for RVP, so they will be looking. They are also trying to develop Henriquez, Will Keane etc. - obviously no guarantee. They may decide they don't need four strikers; Kagawa and the like behind, front three, and so on. I think strikers will be fine, sort the :eek: midfield.

Cheers,
OW
 
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