The Ultimate Football Thread 2013-2014 Vol. 4 EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A etc

[8pm at msg]

Always thought that NYC logo looks like Inter's. Is there really even enough fans in NY to have 2 MLS teams? I mean the quality isnt even there on one team let a lone two.

Always thought that NYC logo looks like Inter's. Is there really even enough fans in NY to have 2 MLS teams? I mean the quality isnt even there on one team let a lone two.

You really asking that question about a city of 8.5 million people? And what does NYRB quality on the field have to do with NYFC?

Red Bulls don't even play in New York and a lot of NYers won't support a team that they really associate with New Jersey.

The New Jersey York Giants and Jets beg to differ

Fixed. That's disrespectful

 

[meyer lansky]

Pepe channeling his inner Ol' Dirty Bastard 

 

[flyeed]

Lol athletes always mess around with their hair the most in the offseason

I doubt he's gna be rocking that look in the season

 

[eiddyfouw]

Back in training

View media item 1095927

 

[og chromevapors]

Always thought that NYC logo looks like Inter's. Is there really even enough fans in NY to have 2 MLS teams? I mean the quality isnt even there on one team let a lone two.

Always thought that NYC logo looks like Inter's. Is there really even enough fans in NY to have 2 MLS teams? I mean the quality isnt even there on one team let a lone two.

You really asking that question about a city of 8.5 million people? And what does NYRB quality on the field have to do with NYFC?

Red Bulls don't even play in New York and a lot of NYers won't support a team that they really associate with New Jersey.

The New Jersey Giants and Jets beg to differ

Apples and oranges. Giants/Jets have history and tradition that goes back generations. A history that started with playing in NYC city limits for decades. Those teams could play on the moon and New Yorkers would still identify with them. It's never a good idea to use NFL as comparisons for MLS.

 

[ajiiiplatinum]

OK im back.
Took me longer to recover from that OT loss than expected. In the end the best team beat the team with the best player just like the Spurs beat Lebron and the Seahwaks beat Manning. In the end the loss makes me love my team even more.

Anyway loving the Pumas UNAM jersey

 

[halftime]

Iker coming to Arsenal?

 

[mastamind89]

World Cup 2014 best XI
July 24, 2014


World Cup best XI
Manuel Neuer, Germany

Other goalkeepers have made more spectacular saves, but Neuer’s all-round goalkeeping was by far the best in the tournament.

His performance against Algeria in the second round was remarkably proactive, and the type of display that genuinely might inspire the next generation of goalkeepers to play in a completely different way. He repeatedly swept well outside his penalty area, and on two occasions he wasn’t simply making interceptions or clearances, but instead getting stuck into 50:50 tackles.

When called upon to make saves, he could do that too – a double save from Paulinho against Brazil (albeit when the game was effectively over) was the highlight.

Jerome Boateng, Germany

Perhaps a controversial choice – Philipp Lahm is widely regarded as the best right-back of his generation, and captained Germany to victory. But Lahm spent the first couple of games in the centre of midfield, and didn’t play particularly well, making careless mistakes against both Portugal and Ghana. Had he played the entire tournament at right-back – a move which made Germany a better side – he’d be a shoo-in.

Boateng, however, played well throughout the group stage at right-back – in the game against USA, for example, he was the man who led the attacking with some dangerous bursts and good crosses. In the knockout stage he was switched to the centre and continued to excel. In the final his excellent defensive work compensated for Mats Hummels’ struggles, and he ran Bastian Schweinsteiger close as the final’s best player. Over the tournament, his performances were more consistent than those of Lahm.

Mario Yepes, Colombia

Now 38 years old, Yepes was considered one of Colombia’s weak links heading into this competition – his pace had gone, and he forced Colombia to play too deep as a result. But the absence of his regular centre-back partner Luis Perea meant the more mobile Cristian Zapata played instead, and this helped bring out Yepes’ best.

Zapata provided the pace, while Yepes could concentrate on playing as an old-school stopper: dominant in the air and precise with his distribution on the ground. His best performance actually came in Colombia’s defeat to Brazil, where he was tested more than in the group stage, but held strong and Brazil rarely threatened in open play. He didn’t make any mistakes all tournament, and was always in the right position to make clearances.

Ezequiel Garay, Argentina

Argentina’s defence was surprisingly dependable throughout this tournament, with Mario Gotze’s winner in the final the first knockout stage goal Alejandro Sabella’s team conceded – and that was their third consecutive extra-time period.

Garay is by far Argentina’s best defender – not particularly talented on the ball or flashy in his manner of defending, but simply solid and reliable. Against the Dutch in the semi-final he was particularly impressive – Holland simply couldn’t find a way around him.

Daley Blind, Netherlands

Left-back was arguably the weakest position in the competition, so it’s probably appropriate that Blind only spent part of his time there. Amazingly, he played left-back, left-wing-back, centre-back and central midfield throughout the competition, playing each role excellently, showing great positional discipline but also guile and ambition on the ball.

His opening performance during the 5-1 thrashing of previous champions Spain was his best, and included two fantastic assists from the left flank.

Javier Mascherano, Argentina

The competition’s best holding midfielder by a distance, and having played at centre-back at Barcelona for the past few years, it was highly impressive Mascherano was so consistent in his old, natural position at the base of midfield.

Surprisingly, he shone with his distribution as well as his destructive ability – see his great ball out to Angel Di Maria in the build-up to Leo Messi’s opener against Nigeria, or the way he constantly switched play right, where Argentina looked dangerous, during the semi-final against Argentina. His best moment, though, was the 90th minute tackle on Arjen Robben in that same game – Mascherano didn’t just guard his centre-backs from in front, he covered for them in behind.

Toni Kroos, Germany

In the final he was overshadowed by Bastian Schweinsteiger, and made the game’s biggest mistake with his woeful back-header into the path of Gonzalo Higuain.

But for much of the tournament Kroos was Germany’s key player, commanding the midfield zone with a mixture of physicality and technicality. His passes can be reliable and incisive, but more than anything he understands the situation of the game, boasting a Xavi-esque knowledge of how to position himself, and how to distribute the ball, particularly obvious in the 7-1 thrashing of Brazil.

He also delivered a stream of great set-pieces, which brought some of Germany’s most crucial goals.

Lionel Messi, Argentina

Messi shouldn’t have won the Golden Ball award for best player in the tournament, but he was in the top three.

In the group stage, Messi was more about moments than overall dominance – a fine goal against Bosnia, a long-range cracker in the last minute against Iran, then a thumping finish and a glorious free-kick against Nigeria. In the knockout stage he became a different beast, increasingly patient with the ball in the mould of an old-school Argentine number ten, rather than the turbocharged direct dribbler we’ve become accustomed to.

He ran the game against Switzerland despite being double-marked, and his pass for Angel Di Maria against Belgium in the quarter-final was the best of the tournament.

James Rodriguez, Colombia

The tournament’s best player. Let’s break it down game-by-game.

In the first game, a 3-0 win over Greece, Rodriguez dropped deep to overload the midfield zone, and sprayed some brilliant passes out to Juan Cuadrado to lead Colombia’s charge down the right.

In the second game, a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, he did the same – and also headed in the opener from a corner, then made the crucial tackle high up the pitch in the build-up to the second goal.

In the third game, a 4-1 win over Japan, he was rested as Colombia were already through – yet in 45 minutes as a substitute he scored a clever goal and assisted two more.

In the fourth game, a 2-0 against Uruguay, he again dictated play in midfield, showed clever movement to open up space for others, smashed in the goal of the tournament and added the crucial second.

In the 2-1 defeat to Brazil, he was the game’s best player – the only attacker making things happening in a scrappy, aggressive, horrible game otherwise dominated by fouling.

He scored in all five games, finishing with six goals and two assists. In a way, it was actually his performance against the Ivory Coast that was most impressive – you expect a number ten to be commanding the game and maybe scoring goals, but you don’t expect him to be heading in from a corner and making crucial tackles.

By the time of his elimination, only Robben and Messi were close to matching his level of performance, and while there’s a vague argument that the player of the tournament should get further than the quarter-final, neither Robben nor Messi contributed enough to make them more deserving of that award.

Arjen Robben, Netherlands

From the outset this seemed a different Robben – even faster, even more ruthless, even more determined. His counter-attacking inspired the brilliant 5-1 win over Spain, then he scored another great goal on the break against Australia, and dominated against Chile as the Dutch finished with nine points.

His move out to the right against Mexico prompted the dramatic late turnaround, and then against Costa Rica his dribbling was the only chance of the game seeing a goal – he got four Costa Ricans booked as they attempted to stop him. He was quiet in the semi-final against Argentina, but ran the game in the third-place play-off, winning the penalty in the opening moments, and twice playing clever passes to overlapping players on the right, who crossed for the second and third goals.

Thomas Muller, Germany

Not a vintage tournament for strikers, and Muller actually ended up on the right.

But his hattrick against Portugal showed his quality in that position, combining lethal goalscoring with constant lateral running into wide positions to open up space for others. He also scored a fine goal against USA and the clever opener against Brazil, and when he didn’t score he was always dangerous – setting up goals against Ghana and Algeria, and dangerous in the final as both sides looked to attack down the right.

Like in 2010, Muller finished with five goals and three assists – no-one knows quite what he is, but he’s very good at it.

Reserve XI:

Keylor Navas

Philipp Lahm, Rafael Marquez, Ron Vlaar, Jan Vertonghen

Hector Herrera, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Charles Aranguiz

Alexis Sanchez, Karim Benzema, Neymar

-

Honourable mentions:

David Ospina, Tim Howard, Alireza Haghighi

Gary Medel, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Christian Gamboa, Mats Hummels, Serge Aurier, Fabian Johnson, Kenneth Omeruo, Marcos Rojo

Jose Vazquez, Oscar, Mathieu Valbuena, Luiz Gustavo

Juan Cuadrado, Ivan Perisic, Giovani dos Santos, Tim Cahill, Joel Campbell, Xherdan Shaqiri, Enner Valencia

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2014/07/24/world-cup-2014-best-xi/

 

[mastamind89]

Dmytro Chygrynskiy: Ibrahimovic told off both Iniesta and Xavi
13-02-14 15:21:11

Dmytro Chygrynskiy: Ibrahimovic told off both Iniesta and Xavi
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In an interview to Sovetskiy Sport Futbol weekly, the defender of Shakhtar spoke about his time at Barcelona, about his favourite books and much more.

About Borussia

- I like Borussia because they are daring! And I like their football, the club philosophy and the fact that Henrikh currently plays there. Of course we communicate with him, of course, we exchange messages in WhatsApp.

About the fact that Klopp looks like crazy

- That’s why I like him a lot, and I think that I’m not alone in this regard. He has created the real team. Often, someone builds a team for a year, and then they just get slack. But in his case, he maintains the high standard not for a year or two – in the Champions League, in Bundesliga. About Borussia people also said that they would slacken. No, guys! You won’t find the second team like them, with such football. With the fastest possible transition from defence to attack, with vertical passes. This is fantastic!

About September 12

- September 12? Right, my debut for Barcelona! It happened like this: in August I signed a contract, and in early September I left for the national team duty, played two matches. On September 9 I came back to Barcelona, just met with the team, one training session, another one - and flew away to a game. The events unfolded too fast, I did not have time to respond to them. Frankly, I was surprised, then, when Guardiola fielded me just after two training sessions. I was told later that I played the first match very well, did not lose the ball, played securely, and only after a while I realized that it was a really great debut. You know, sometimes it is better like that: not to bother and not think too much about anything - just come out and play.

About troubles

- It happens. When in the same year we played against Barcelona for the European Super Cup and it was known that after the match I would move to Barca. I understood the hype. Any of my mistakes could be interpreted as follows: his thoughts are with a different team, He has let the lads down. In general, it was easy to discredit myself. Before the match, I did not read anything, and did not watch anything. As a result, Shakhtar played well, they just gave one away in extra time, and there happened nothing that I might reproach myself for. And then the team flew home, and I stayed in Monaco to fly to Barcelona the following day – to have a medical and smooth things over.

About the most memorable thing at Barcelona

- Atmosphere. The phenomenon of Barcelona is not in the coaches and the players, but in the environment. It is so right, warm and homely that it is difficult to convey it in words. And it’s not like they pull your by the hand and say, “come on, come with us,” but you feel at once that you are among your natives. And they can not say anything, just keeping quiet.

On Ibrahimovic

- Wow! As a person, as an individual he is for me bigger and stronger than anyone else in the world. At Barcelona, he was sometimes one against all, against the whole world. The team did not quite accept him, the fans were against it, but he did not bend for a centimetre! At each training session, in every public statement, he said: “I am the best” and he proved it by his performance. Once I talked to Ibra and he said the following: “It is important for me to prove it to myself at every single training. If I am odd there, then later I will be odd on the field.” Do you understand? To himself! He says, “When I'm the best in training, I take to the pitch for the match with the feeling that I am a god!” You should have seen how he works, it's incredible! He cannot lose in nothing at all and just nowhere. He told off both Iniesta and Xavi: you, he said, clown, where are you passing the ball. That is, he gave a scolding to those who made the difference at Barcelona. Now I am not talking about the level of skill, I don’t say that he is the most skillful - in this respect there still were some cooler people. Messi is an alien at all. But as a personality, Ibra is above all! We happened to have some tough fights with him. That’s the special feature of Barca that in training all is corrent, they don’t just “tear one another’s feet off” like we do here. While we did that with Ibra. He was tackling, and I was tackling! After that he respects the man more. Ibra is unbelievable. The outstanding football personality. Yes, he can cause the coach problems in the changing room. But as a teammate and a football player he is the best!

About the last Ballon D’Or

- Initially I was rooting for Ibrahimovic, and when the three finalists were shortlisted - for Ribery.

On comparison of Messi with an alien

- Words cannot describe it. What you see at matches – is some thirty percent of what he does in training, I was lucky to be part of it. Let do it like this: name any player of the-then Barcelona and I will give you an exemplary description of him...

on Iniesta

- He keeps the ball as if the latter always gets in his way. You can pass him the ball as you like - onto the back, on the back of his head, on the heel - he will receive and handle it. So unique is his technique! He gives a pass at the most unexpected moment for the opponent. He is not that quick, but he is flexible and nimble.

About Xavi

- I have not seen a more simple footballer. He does everything as written in the manual, that is, clinically. He will only pass it when he is 110 per cent sure of its accuracy.

Again on Messi

- He has it all: skill, and speed, and assessment of the situation. If Ibra has some manic form to claim his leadership, he needs to declare it, Leo does not. He has mettle, he kind of shines from within. The people around see and understand it. But in everyday life, he gets kind of switched off. This can be explained by the incredible hype. For example, we come to the base, everyone has a locker in the changing room. There is always a big box near Messi’s locker every day: parcels, toys, his portraits, letters, sweets. He cannot go anywhere. Once, I accidentally had lunch with him, we were sitting together, he said: “The situation is such that I do not pay anywhere in recent years for myself. Restaurants serve food to me for free, petrol stations fill it for free...” The hype is such that he switches off and looks for a quiet corner to live an ordinary, normal life. He buries his head into the shell, like a turtle. You can frequently watch him sorting out his phone or just sitting like that. The training is over - and he shuts up within himself, in his thoughts, he closes.

About Guardiola

- Very sentimental man. Ibra just thrashed him to pieces for that, just got him. To motivate the team for the match, he can show a video about climbers conquering the summit and dying. Then he says: “And you have to conquer it.”
He can bring to the base some children from an orphanage or children with disabilities. He always has tears at such moments. Guardiola is soulful, he is concerned with the players’ personal problems. I had a long period when I did not play, at the same time I didn’t lose for a moment the feeling that I am important for Barcelona because every day Pep came, talked to me, asked how I was doing. And he treated in the same way every player, even the youngest. So great an approach! Our coaches often take a different stance: if he doesn’t play, so let him think, let him suffer, we all kind of treat him as nothing, let him prove himself. The guys at Barcelona liked Pep very much. Players said that under Rijkaard and other coaches they had disputes over the time for going to the hotel, whether they needed to do it in advance or not. Someone loved to go to the club, to go out. When Pep came to Barca, he gave people freedom and so endeared himself that everyone began to appreciate it. At ten in the morning we arrived at the base, at eleven – we had a training. Hand on heart – over the year of my spell at Barca, in the morning I did not see a single person, who, say, was in a questionable state. So much everyone appreciated this freedom, so much they loved and respected Pep!

On change of the president of Barcelona

- If I played more frequently and was a sure first-team player, I would have stayed. Although they warned me: when LaPorta leaves, everything may be over...

About Barca’s support

- I root more for the lads. When you know everyone, you worry about them. They are all top, players, the best players. At Bayern, Pep is in a little different situation. As a coach, I will always have a liking for him, but I never supported Bayern, so it just happened.

On the iPad books

- I have been rereading The Old Man and the Sea. Previously, I liked the classic literature more, then I read a lot of psychology stuff. They say the best book is the last you read. One time I was into Robert Monroe, Journeys Out of the Body – the American discovered his ability to leave the physical body in a dream. Very interesting!

Favourite quotes

- I like Conan Doyle's one, I cannot remember in which book about Sherlock: “Evil indeed is the man who has not one woman to mourn him.” Plus it is said somewhat casually. One time I was fond of Kafka, but he's so smooth, he cannot be quoted like that. And I like him for this - simplicity, where someone else would make one long sentence, with lots of commas, he has ten sentences of five words each. Everything is simple and clear, being at the same time succinct and deep. Speaking of Kafka: I really want to go to Prague – they made a museum of his apartment there - to feel his personal tragedy, to understand the man who wrote such books. So ambiguous a personality! Tomas Hubschman is from Prague, he told us about the city...

About happiness of doing things you love

- Of course, and I have a feeling that it will last forever. I'm afraid at one point to become an unhappy man, when I have to give up football. When you have trainings, games, you enjoy it very much, it's just bliss. But, oops, what’s then?! I have friends, the same Yevhen Levchenko, who said when he retires: “Chiga, it's such a void that cannot be filled.” While he seems to be so active - he travels, appears on television, but...

About taking it easy so far

- Right, I'm 27, why should I get stuck on it?..

FC Shakhtar
Press Office

 

[AZwildcats]

Always thought that NYC logo looks like Inter's. Is there really even enough fans in NY to have 2 MLS teams? I mean the quality isnt even there on one team let a lone two.

Always thought that NYC logo looks like Inter's. Is there really even enough fans in NY to have 2 MLS teams? I mean the quality isnt even there on one team let a lone two.

You really asking that question about a city of 8.5 million people? And what does NYRB quality on the field have to do with NYFC?

Red Bulls don't even play in New York and a lot of NYers won't support a team that they really associate with New Jersey.

The New Jersey Giants and Jets beg to differ

Apples and oranges. Giants/Jets have history and tradition that goes back generations. A history that started with playing in NYC city limits for decades. Those teams could play on the moon and New Yorkers would still identify with them. It's never a good idea to use NFL as comparisons for MLS.

I know I was being facetious

 

[Kimchi Papi]

"I never read the small print"

View media item 1096404

 

[captaincrown3]

View media item 1095518

Pepe looking like Crazy Eyes from orange is the new black

 

[APLUS]

Stopped reading the World Cup XI when it said Mascherano's Argentina was playing....Argentina.

 

[mastamind89]

I thought this was already confirmed back in Jan. But he was co-owned by Sassuolo but they bought the rest of his rights. Roma has been rather busy this window

Antonio Sanabria Makes Roma Switch in Five-Year Deal
Roma have confirmed the long-awaited signing of Paraguay international Antonio Sanabria from Barcelona on a five-year deal.
AntonioSanabria
AntonioSanabria Photo by

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Roma have confirmed the long-awaited signing of Paraguay international Antonio Sanabria from Barcelona on a five-year deal.

The 18-year-old was widely tipped to join the Stadio Olimpico club during the January transfer window but the deal was halted by regulations surrounding non-EU players.

Roma are permitted to sign two players from outside the EU per season - with Gervinho and Maicon arriving last term.

Therefore, Sanabria was bought by Roma's Serie A rivals Sassuolo at the start of the year, where he featured just twice as the club narrowly avoided relegation.


A move to Roma was always on the cards, though, and Sanabria has agreed a contract with the Serie A runners-up until 2019.


For Latest News on Transfers Click Here
He will become the latest close-season signing to arrive at the club after Ashley Cole, Salih Ucan, Leandro Paredes and Juan Iturbe.

Roma will pay an initial fee of €2.5 million for Sanabria, which could rise to €7m based on bonuses.

The striker made his Roma debut in Thursday's friendly win over Liverpool in Boston - replacing captain Francesco Totti after an hour.

 

[ROYGBiV]

I thought this was already confirmed back in Jan. But he was co-owned by Sassuolo but they bought the rest of his rights. Roma has been rather busy this window

Roma is gonna put in work

 

[imasoleman18]

avy test

 

[miketysonthekiller]

^I will be more than glad when Yedlin is officially announced for Roma But yea, Roma has a really nice squad right now. Title contenders.

I'm really curious whats gonna happen with Ulises Davila. The young mexican who was signed to Chelsea and was then loaned out to some clubs around europe. Dude was a set player for the promotion of Cordoba to the first division in La Liga, but idk if his time is up with them or what.

I hope to see him rocking the blue jersey in the next few years

 

[Coupé It]

Where in Rome are they putting the stadium? Is stadio Olimpico going to be just for Lazio now?

Roma coming up

 

[ROYGBiV]

Where in Rome are they putting the stadium? Is stadio Olimpico going to be just for Lazio now?

Roma coming up

Not sure about location but yeah the stadio is for the bums now.

We signed Astori? Well loan with option to buy.  

 

[flyeed]

I hate that stadium with the track running around it

 

[ice city fc]

Looks like Yedlin to Roma is finally done. Like actually for real. Just not official yet, as of early in the AM west coast time. 

 

 

[heggsy]

Booked 4 nights in Madrid to watch (hopefully) R.Madrid vs Sociedad, in February

Flights and a 4 star hotel about 20 minutes from the Bernabeu for $200 each from London. Yes please.

 

[mastamind89]

I knew Yedlin was gonna join Roma a few days ago when the owner said that an American was gonna join the club. Good for him

 

[tomdiginson]

Cristiano Ronaldo will be first client of rapper Lil Wayne’s sports management company: report

Looks like Lil Wayne will have to start dropping verses with soccer references.

The New Orleans rapper, an avid basketball fan who has spent time getting kicked out of Oklahoma City Thunder playoff games and giving bizarre interviews at the NBA All-Star Game, is starting his own sports management company, reports TMZ.


The international soccer star and Weezy are good friends, so much so that Ronaldo tweeted out a photo with the Prime Minister of Japan, among other politicians, and they were all throwing up the Young Money/Cash Money sign, used by Wayne and those on his record label of the same name.

The report says Lil Wayne's company will "handle Ronaldo's sports management affairs in the Unites States" and will work with PolarisSports, which is affiliated with GestiFute and CAA, which represents newly re-signed Knicks All-Star Carmelo Anthony.




m.nydailynews.com/sports/soccer/cristiano-ronaldo-client-lil-wayne-sports-management-company-report-article-1.1879523

 

[mastamind89]

^I will be more than glad when Yedlin is officially announced for Roma But yea, Roma has a really nice squad right now. Title contenders.

I'm really curious whats gonna happen with Ulises Davila. The young mexican who was signed to Chelsea and was then loaned out to some clubs around europe. Dude was a set player for the promotion of Cordoba to the first division in La Liga, but idk if his time is up with them or what.

I hope to see him rocking the blue jersey in the next few years

I wonder how many players Chelsea will loan out thisseason.
Kakuta is still on the books