LGP Futbol Thread - (CL, EPL, Serie A, Liga, 2014 World Cup)

[Kraftster]

Oh, Arsenal...

Good to see both Giroud and Podolski score. Giroud played by far his best game overall. Seems like he could be the type of player who needs confidence to play well.

[Kraftster]

Pretty nice goal for Villa in stoppage time in the first half against Man U. AV with all of 32% possession in the first half.

[Kraftster]

Wiemann's second. Oh my. 2-0 Villa.

[Avyran]

Aston Villa's finally playing to their potential, IMO. They're a 2nd-tier team in England, and their results haven't shown it at all right now. Though I'm a United fan, I like there to be many competitive teams and people fighting for spots, both top four and 5-7. Seeing Everton playing so well, for example, has been really exciting for me.

Plus, having Guzan be goalie of a successful team is good too, haha.

[Kraftster]

Well, that didn't last long.

[Avyran]

Guess I need to praise opponents more often.

[Avyran]

[GaryRissling]

Dear lord, did LA's attack look amazing last night. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it in MLS (not that I watch a ton games). Keane and Donovan were outstanding again. It was probably addition by subtraction that Buddle didn't play.

[GaryRissling]

It seems Timmy Chandler is verbally committing to play for the US. Interesting that he says this with a three+ month window before the next opportunity for him to become cap-tied; but I don't think he would have made such a direct comment if he wasn't sure. At least I hope not.

“I understand that a lot of people in the USA may be unsure because they think I have said [I’m committed] in the past,” said Chandler. “All I can say is that I am clear in my head about the commitment moving forward. This was about me being ready to accept the responsibility of being a part of the National Team and everything that goes with it, and now I am ready. I hope I will get chances in the future. I am in 1,000 percent.”

http://www.soccerbyives.net/2012/11/cha ... usmnt.html

[jmh470]

Without Cameron the US defense would be absolutely catastrophic rather than merely a serious problem. While the match may have showcased some promising young talent, it also confirmed how the CB cupboard is bare. Howard might need to play that well in every qualifier at this rate.

[Gaucho]

FT Sweden [4 - 2] England

20' [1 - 0] Z. Ibrahimovic
35' [1 - 1] D. Welbeck
38' [1 - 2] S. Caulker
77' [2 - 2] Z. Ibrahimovic
84' [3 - 2] Z. Ibrahimovic
90' [4 - 2] Z. Ibrahimovic

[jmh470]

?

[Gaucho]

Ibra. He's ugly, but a pretty good player.

[shafnutz05]

http://deadspin.com/5960659/zlatan-ibrahimovics-long+range-bicycle-kick-goal-is-a-truly-astounding-athletic-feat

Unbelievable goal by Ibra here...

[Gaucho]

I'd say as far as athleticism goes, only CR rivals him.

And that goal for Ajax is pretty awesome, too.

[Avyran]

Zlatan's goal:

[Rylan]

I wish I learned how to accurately bike a shot. In thousands of attempts I have missed every single one. (not striking the ball but putting it on net, or where I wanted it to go for that matter.)

[largegarlic]

I watched the US/Russia game at work yesterday (meaning I was working, changing the tab when people came by, etc.), so I don't know how legit my impressions of it are, but I thought the US looked reasonably good. Russia definitely outplayed them, and a more just scoreline probably would have been 2-1 to Russia, but the US didn't just park the bus like they did against Italy and Mexico on the road. They had some good spells of posession and passing, and they created several quality chances other than the ones they scored on.

Especially if Chandler is in the fold for good, it looks like the US has the outside back position locked down for the foreseeable future, but central defense is still a bit of a mess. Cameron seems reasonably solid, if unspectacular. Bocanegra still has good instincts, but is slowing down and was never great on the ball. Goodson really isn't good enough against top competition. I know there have been various problems with injuries and scheduling conflicts, but I really wish Klinsmann had brought in some of the MLS central defenders that are getting a bit of hype (Besler, Gonzalez, Okugo, etc.) to see if they provide an upgrade.

[Avyran]

Moment of the day: Shakhtar Donetsk is kicking the ball back to Nordsjaelland after a stoppage of play (one of the Nords' players went down in injury). Luiz Adriano, forward for Donetsk, takes the ball as it comes to him (they were kicking it to the goalie), dribbles past the goalie, and scores, then walks back & wonders why the Nordsjaelland players are pissed off at him.

Not against any rules. But what an ******* move. Can't find any youtube clips, but a video can be found here.

[Gaucho]

A minute later Nordsjaelland got it back, though. The Shakhtar players didn't exactly roll over and died, but their resistance was visibly half-assed. They were definitely embarrassed for their meathead teammate.

[GaryRissling]

So Beckham is leaving MLS. It's been an interesting tenure, to say the least. His arrival was the mother of all farces for LA, the league, and himself; but after he was out of the England team he came good IMO. And while I consider his overall contribution to have been a positive one, I think it says a lot about the improvement of the league that he will not be missed.

I like Beckham a lot as a player though, and it'll be interesting to see where he ends up.

[Avyran]

Chelsea Football Club has parted company this morning with manager Roberto Di Matteo. More to follow... #CFC

Umm... ok. (That's the official Chelsea twitter, by the way.)

[largegarlic]

So Beckham is leaving MLS. It's been an interesting tenure, to say the least. His arrival was the mother of all farces for LA, the league, and himself; but after he was out of the England team he came good IMO. And while I consider his overall contribution to have been a positive one, I think it says a lot about the improvement of the league that he will not be missed.

I like Beckham a lot as a player though, and it'll be interesting to see where he ends up.

That's about how I feel. Lots of initial excitement, followed by the first couple years of him not contributing much to LA and being more worried about England and loans to glamorous Euro clubs, finished by actual production on the field and (seemingly) leadership and championships. He definitely helped the league, but yeah, I'm more interested in the league signing lower-priced, lesser-hyped players that can be just as effective (if not more so) on the field. For example, I've been really impressed with Boniek Garcia the couple times I've seen Houston play. MLS can sign CONCACAF internationals and second-tier guys from top countries (e.g. Javier Morales at RSL), spend less than signing guys like Beckham, Henry, Lampard (who is rumored to a Beckham replacement for LA), and still keep its steady growth by steadily improving the product on the field.

[largegarlic]

Chelsea Football Club has parted company this morning with manager Roberto Di Matteo. More to follow... #CFC

Umm... ok. (That's the official Chelsea twitter, by the way.)

I just saw this too. It seems pretty harsh. I guess winning the Champions League and having your side in good position to challenge for the league title doesn't buy you much job security these days. I wonder if they have some higher profile manager waiting in the wings and just needed an excuse (e.g. Chelsea's likely failure to advance in the CL) to bump Di Matteo out of the way.

[Gaucho]

Chelsea are 0-2-2 in their last 4 league matches and didn't look good in the process. They just got shown up by Juventus. In games against strong opponents Di Matteo looks clueless and overmatched.

Not to mention their CL performances, while successful, were brutal to watch. It takes some nerve and little imagination to have one of the most expensive squads on the planet play that sort of crap.