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

[cs02132]

I think if the Pato rumours are true, That would be a great signing for Arsenal, If he can get himself motivated (which playing with Ozil surely would) then he would be a good asset for the Gunners

In other Pato news im waiting for my Corinthians authentic Pato jersey to arrive from Brasil, Will get pictures in the Jersey thread when it arrives

I think there is some truth to the rumor. I think Wenger would be able to get a lot out of him. Would indeed be a great signing. Its more likely than Morata coming to us on loan which doesn't make sense.

I hope NBC wins the bid

I only know Pato from FIFA and his name. Where would he play?

 

[ajiiiplatinum]

When are you fools going to listen to me. Ronaldo will never win a Ballon D'Or again. For god sake, the players and coaches voting turnout was low because they rather not vote for Ronaldo.

I don't think there is a conspiracy with FIFA and Messi. With how disorganized FIFA is, that information would have leaked out easily. It's not about Blatter or Messi. It's about how many people hate Cristiano Ronaldo. There has never been a more polarizing figure in the history of football that induces hate, more than Ronaldo. There will also never be a more unappreciated talent in the history of football when he retires.

All that energy going into hating Ronaldo definatly rubs off on coaches, captains, and some media members. More so the players and coaches; they probably hate him even more since they've shared the pitch with him.

I don't think people understand how much Ronaldo is hated out there in the world. This thread is far more Ronaldo friendly than the real world. Also look at our demographic in here, most of us joined NT because of our love for material possessions at one point, we're so much more about the glitz and glamour on NT. Ronaldo plays well with our users.

But out in the real world - where the average joe is looking up at the screen and watching this tall, strong, model-like "commander" on the field scoring goals with such confidence - its extremely damaging to the persona. While Messi is out there looking like the average guy on the street scoring goals left and right with such calm - of course people are going to pull towards Messi more. I often compare Ronaldo to that typical cheesy high school movie "jock" antagonist . You know the character; tall, good looking, arrogant, cocky - everything the audience becomes drawn to hate. While the protagonist (Messi) is some geeky nerd who audiences fall in love with and want to succeed. - Yea, it's like that.

The Ronaldo vs Messi debate isn't just an argument, people take this very seriously in different parts of the world. It's almost like two very different political movements, it draws that type of emotion. But Messi's party, has and always will have more people on his side, by a longshot.

Seriously?

Last time i checked good looks got people ahead and liked, not disliked. I know what your trying to say but people vote based on skills. Messi has been the better player...maybe not this year but there is a consensus he is the best. I have talked to young and old soccer players, mexicans, asians, africans, persians, brits and americans who all agree (90% of time) that messi is the best. The debate is whether he is greater than Maradona or Pele.

The only people that may not like him are Americans. We dont like him because he doesnt speak english well and is not American. We only like American athletes in american sports. Ronaldo and Messi will not win an ESPY award for male athlete of the year anytime soon.


Anyway the Ballon DOr voting is fair. Like Al Davis you to say "Get Ova it"

Kobe...now thats a guy that people love to hate.

 

[Coupé It]

Stop dude.

If you don't think people hate Ronaldo because he's cocky and looks like a male model whose smashing every model out there, I don't know what to tell you.

I'm not talking about there game, I'm talking from personality and impressions.

More people hate Ronaldo in this world than they do Kobe too. If you don't think you can be compared I really want you taking some flights overseas.

 

[ajiiiplatinum]

Stop dude.

If you don't think people hate Ronaldo because he's cocky and looks like a male model whose smashing every model out there, I don't know what to tell you.

I'm not talking about there game, I'm talking from personality and impressions.

More people hate Ronaldo in this world than they do Kobe too. If you don't think you can be compared I really want you taking some flights overseas.

Dude i bet those "overseas countries" that your talking about are England and Germany. Ok so big tall white guys that play physical hate him...so what that is a small percentage. Asians like him cuz he is good looking, Africans like him because he is not white, Latino/Italians like hime since he looks like one of them. Point is most soccer fans dont hate ronaldo. Do most like Messi over Ronaldo? Yes but that is because he is a slightly better player. My dad hates everyone and even he has a Real Ronaldo jersey.

Oh and
Ofcourse more people in this world hate Ronaldo ( than Kobe) since the majority of the world doesnt know who Kobe is...they watch soccer.

I would say 70% of basketball fans hate Kobe (Lebronstans, rape, laker haters, winner, shaq drama)

I would say 10% of soccer fans hate Ronaldo
(Messistans, Barca fans, ManU fans, haters)

 

[quik1987]

Man U fans love Ronaldo, they wish he stayed and they want him to come back.

 

[Coupé It]

Dude you said that 10% of the world hates Ronaldo and you said that Man United fans hate Ronaldo.

Sorry bro, but you are so skewed its ridiculous.

 

[jada2001retro]

Who cares?

CR7 > Messi.

 

[quik1987]

 

[mastamind89]

I think if the Pato rumours are true, That would be a great signing for Arsenal, If he can get himself motivated (which playing with Ozil surely would) then he would be a good asset for the Gunners

In other Pato news im waiting for my Corinthians authentic Pato jersey to arrive from Brasil, Will get pictures in the Jersey thread when it arrives

I think there is some truth to the rumor. I think Wenger would be able to get a lot out of him. Would indeed be a great signing. Its more likely than Morata coming to us on loan which doesn't make sense.

I hope NBC wins the bid

I only know Pato from FIFA and his name. Where would he play?

We would rotate him and Giroud. Bendter is on his way out. I'm not sure when Sanogo will be back from injury

 

[jada2001retro]

Bendtner > Pato.

 

[champcruthik]

Not happy to be working day of Chelsea/Arsenal.

Morata to Gunners rumor makes no sense for either club.

 

[noskey]

Bendtner > Pato.

Nope.

 

[imasoleman18]

Bendtner > Pato.

yep

 

[liljrdn]

I like that Nike is including Ronaldo in all these world cup videos. I just hope that they did a commercial with the OG Brazilian team (Ronaldhino, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, R. Carlos, etc) playing against the "rookies" (Neymar, Thiago S., etc) in preparation for the world cup

 

[ice city fc]

I like that Nike is including Ronaldo in all these world cup videos. I just hope that they did a commercial with the OG Brazilian team (Ronaldhino, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, R. Carlos, etc) playing against the "rookies" (Neymar, Thiago S., etc) in preparation for the world cup

Can someone please forward this to Nike's visual marketing department?

 

[abovelegit1]

I watch every Barca game twice. It's usually due to me not being able to pay attention to the match the way I'd like during the original broadcast (doing stuff around the house). If I had to quantify the times Pique has played well or decently, it's been about 40%. The other 60% of the time he's been horribly out of position.

Also, I can now say I don't think Cesc is effective as a false 9. It's obvious to say but he just doesn't have the ability to attack in that role the way Messi does. I agree with what Gab Marcotti said in his ESPN Monday Musings post -

Playing Cesc Fabregas as a theoretical "false nine" obviously isn't like having Messi in the role. Fabregas doesn't accelerate and take on opponents in the same way. He becomes another guy to hold possession in the middle of the park, which is fine when Xavi and Andres Iniesta are on top of their game, but less so when they're not.

Also, if you're going use Fabregas in that way, you can't keep Alexis Sanchez and Neymar as wide as they were at the San Mames because it means you then lack an outlet or a vertical threat. The result is a lot of possession -- 62 percent for Barca -- but much of it sterile, which is part of the reason why Athletic outperformed Tata's crew both in terms of shots and shots on goal.

Cesc is a midfielder through & through. I guess this recent struggle brings credence to the rumors that Tata wants a tall, traditional striker come January.

Fair enough, you're far from the only one who is fed up with him. I do think he's been somewhat better than that, but inconsistency is killing his overall value to the squad. That said, Barca having the joint best defensive record and he being statistically rated well for a defender according to whoscored suggests he's done alright - though obviously that isn't a comprehensive evaluation.
Def in agreement with Marcotti, basically an elaboration on my point about lack of penetration.

And yeah, that's a rumor with real credence. It just makes sense from a tactical perspective. Unfortunately, I'm not confident in Ro$ell and the board getting anything done.

Also in other LFP news, the 2012-2013 league awards have been announced -

LFP MVP Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

To everyone's confusion, the LFP literally made up that 'new' award seemingly days before the ceremony. And it wasn't even traditionally voted on by the Liga coaches and players like every other award presented - just arbitrarily decided by a 'committee.' This after the rules for the Golden Ball award deadline was suddenly changed. Amusing stuff.

 

[champcruthik]

Humbly realizing my soccer knowledge has significantly decreased since arguing Man City Champions League with abovelegit.

I suppose I'm burning the candle too thin with work and other obligations.

 

[abovelegit1]

Humbly realizing my soccer knowledge has significantly decreased since arguing Man City Champions League with abovelegit.

I suppose I'm burning the candle too thin with work and other obligations.

Vaguely recall that.

I've had long periods of stifling work commitments myself. Your actual knowledge and understanding of the game wouldn't decrease, though. All the latest rumors and happenings and runs of form don't mean too much in the long run- it's mostly just white noise. Checking the weekly results and maybe some highlights should be enough in the interim.

Good luck with the work grind.

 

[mastamind89]

Bendtner > Pato.

The club and him parting ways is over due. Pato unfortunately has a history of injuries.

Not happy to be working day of Chelsea/Arsenal.

Morata to Gunners rumor makes no sense for either club.

I'm working as well, DVRing the Arsenal match. I think Hull will be tougher to beat than I would like. We'll rotate players, we have a hard run of fixtures coming up. But at least we will be at home today.

Also, I hear that Jese might go on loan. They certainly have to keep Morata, buying a new striker doesn't exactly seem to be on the agenda..

 

[blackmomo]

Best player on the team, how he continues to ride the bench is beyond me

As much as i love Mata, Oscar has been the best player for Chelsea this season. It's just unfortunate that both Mata and Oscar both play the same position. I dont like Mata on the wings because he doesnt track back on defence all the time and is often easily beat.

 

[Kimchi Papi]

Fair enough, you're far from the only one who is fed up with him. I do think he's been somewhat better than that, but inconsistency is killing his overall value to the squad. That said, Barca having the joint best defensive record and he being statistically rated well for a defender according to whoscored suggests he's done alright - though obviously that isn't a comprehensive evaluation.
Def in agreement with Marcotti, basically an elaboration on my point about lack of penetration.

And yeah, that's a rumor with real credence. It just makes sense from a tactical perspective. Unfortunately, I'm not confident in Ro$ell and the board getting anything done.

Eww, please don't lump me in with other fans. I like to think I'm far more objective than your average fan ranting about various matters on message boards. In all honesty Pique ranks fairly well statistically because he usually plays at least half of the game well but the other half he plays absolutely horribly. He puts on a clinic on how to play horribly. It's the damned thing I've seen in my years of watching football. I've never seen a player of his caliber regress the way he has when injury wasn't involved. It's his positioning or failure to properly read the play & a lack of desire. The lack of desire maybe due to poor conditioning.

Barca's back 4 in general has regressed as the season wears on. It's a shame because they looked promising. I think Barca will do well in La Liga play, but I can't see the team fairing well in CL play without correcting at least the defensive problems.

 

[eiddyfouw]

Bendtner > Pato.

Pato when not injured or recovering and in form, no.

I don't understand your love for Bendtner.

...oh wait, he plays for Arsenal.

nevermind.

Let's carry on as usual.

 

[fear the ibis]

Best player on the team, how he continues to ride the bench is beyond me

As much as i love Mata, Oscar has been the best player for Chelsea this season. It's just unfortunate that both Mata and Oscar both play the same position. I dont like Mata on the wings because he doesnt track back on defence all the time and is often easily beat.

Oscar has been the best only because he has played every game and Mata has barely played. It's been discussed before but Jose only plays Oscar more because he's better at tracking back and defending. But Mata is far superior as an attacking threat. Oscar is the sedan, great all around but doesn't stand out in any one area. Mata is a sports coupe....flashy, attacking, and dangerous. Almost any other manager would play Mata over Oscar but Mourinho is a defensive minded manager.

My issue is....why the hell are you so concerned with a #10 tracking back to defend? That's what you have defenders and CMs for. It's like having a ferrari in your garage but not wanting to drive it because it gets bad gas mileage.

 

[fear the ibis]

That ball is so meh.

 

[lucho]

Eww, please don't lump me in with other fans. I like to think I'm far more objective than your average fan ranting about various matters on message boards. In all honesty Pique ranks fairly well statistically because he usually plays at least half of the game well but the other half he plays absolutely horribly. He puts on a clinic on how to play horribly. It's the damned thing I've seen in my years of watching football. I've never seen a player of his caliber regress the way he has when injury wasn't involved. It's his positioning or failure to properly read the play & a lack of desire. The lack of desire maybe due to poor conditioning.

Barca's back 4 in general has regressed as the season wears on. It's a shame because they looked promising. I think Barca will do well in La Liga play, but I can't see the team fairing well in CL play without correcting at least the defensive problems.

I blame Shakira for pique's regress haha

It still bothers me the Bartra is not getting the time that he deserves in the middle of the back line. So much promise. Heck, let him replace Pique or Mascherano for a few halves or so. The January transfer window is going to determine the rest of the season. I hope we pick up a CB.