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

[Gaucho]

YES!!!

One more, come on!

[Gaucho]

meh

[Rocco]

The Liverpool charity service is back running again. Are you a struggling team who will possibly get relegated? LFC will help.

[GaryRissling]

Have to say I'm a bit concerned about our back line. Would have been nice to have Boca on the roster in case anyone lays an egg...especially at Azteca.

[GaryRissling]

Ugh.



http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/stor ... d-cup-2013

[largegarlic]

Ugh.



http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/stor ... d-cup-2013

Yeah, I saw that Sporting News article this afternoon too. It's certainly discouraging. I'm not really sure who to side with. Klinsmann has definitely made some questionable roster selections, put out some weird line-ups, and gotten some disappointing results.

However, it seems like really poor form for players to come out with this stuff right before a couple big qualifiers, and the players shouldn't try to shirk too much responsibility. I didn't get to see the Honduras game, but I think Klinsmann put out a reasonable line-up for that game given the players he had available. Keeping Bocanegra on the bench was a gamble, but it made sense, since he's slowing down, hasn't been playing much at the club level, and would have been chasing around quick Honduran forwards in the afternoon heat. The US has more talent than any team in CONCACAF other than Mexico. At some point the 11 guys on the field just need to get the job done regardless of formations, their friend being benched, etc.

[GaryRissling]

Ugh.



http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/stor ... d-cup-2013

Yeah, I saw that Sporting News article this afternoon too. It's certainly discouraging. I'm not really sure who to side with. Klinsmann has definitely made some questionable roster selections, put out some weird line-ups, and gotten some disappointing results.

However, it seems like really poor form for players to come out with this stuff right before a couple big qualifiers, and the players shouldn't try to shirk too much responsibility. I didn't get to see the Honduras game, but I think Klinsmann put out a reasonable line-up for that game given the players he had available. Keeping Bocanegra on the bench was a gamble, but it made sense, since he's slowing down, hasn't been playing much at the club level, and would have been chasing around quick Honduran forwards in the afternoon heat. The US has more talent than any team in CONCACAF other than Mexico. At some point the 11 guys on the field just need to get the job done regardless of formations, their friend being benched, etc.

IMO, when it comes to qualifying- especially away qualifying in the jungles of Central America amidst fans who despise us, leadership plays a much more important role than a league game. I'd be okay with the decision if we had other experiences backs, but we don't. And there's not much margin for error. I am very worried about the next two matches.

[pfim]

Ugh.



http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/stor ... d-cup-2013

I think Klinsmann has done a pretty terrible job so far, but a lot of this rings hollow with me. Bob Bradley caught a lot of this type of flack towards then end and he was the exact opposite of Klinsmann.

Having said that, the Bocanegra thing is baffling. If you want to get through a Central American foe, there's no one else in the player pool who is more effective. Look at the roster for these two matches, it's downright scary.

His roster decisions have been terrible and his constant formation shifts have been unsettling. Bradley had his faults, but qualification was assured. I don't think you can say that at this point.

[largegarlic]

I'm not so sure qualification would be a given with Bradley. The US was pretty bad during the last Gold Cup (losing to Panama in the opening round and destroyed destroyed by Mexico in the final).

As I said above, there are plenty of questions to be raised about Klinsmann's approach, but maybe the US is just in the midst of a down cycle. Old stalwarts on defense like Bocanegra, Onyewu, Cherundolo have gotten older, injured, and benched at club-level. Donovan has been injured or otherwise MIA. The midfield has plenty of good defensive center mids, but no effective flank players or creative offensive center mids. Dempsey doesn't fit comfortably into any specific position, and Altidore can't replicate his club form for the national team. Some of the younger newcomers have proven to be solid players (e.g. Cameron, Zusi, Fabian Johnson), but none of them have made themselves into real difference makers at the international level.

If I were put in charge of the team, I really don't know what I'd do to improve things. I'd be tempted to go with a formation and line-up that lent itself to more wide play and creativity from the central midfield, even if that meant playing some players who fit certain roles without being among the best 11 players in a vacuum. However, I think Klinsmann has tried that with players like Torres, Feilhaber, and Diskerud in the middle and guys like Gatt, Rodgers, and Shea on the wings, and for the most part, they've all shown they aren't good enough to be full-time starters at the international level.

Sorry...this is getting long. I'm just really worried about these upcoming qualifiers and see the US not qualifying for the World Cup as pretty much my worst nightmare when it comes to sports-related things.

[pfim]

I just think if Bradley was the coach, he'd still be relying on guys like Bocanegra to get through qualification. Perhaps that's what the US is trying to get away from, but it would work imo.

A starting 11 from Bradley at this point (adjusted for injuries) would probably look something like:

Guzan
Bornstein-Bocanegra-Goodson-Cameron
Edu
Jones-Bradley
Beasley-Dempsey
Altidore

I think if you stick with that or just stick with one formation, perhaps we're talking about how unimaginative the US is, not whether or not they qualify.

[Rylan]

Bradley just made bad decisions that seemed to always come out extremely costly.

[GaryRissling]

This is the very best forum post I've ever read, and it relates to Serbia v Croatia and their respective managers whose national sides meet for the first time ever tomorrow.

http://www.wsc.co.uk/forum-index/27-foo ... 2-mar-2013

[GaryRissling]

Just saw that the Croatia v Serbia game is on Espn 3 at 1pm tomorrow.
As the war in the 1990's was largely started by Serbian and Croatian hooligan groups; the atmosphere should be intense. Really intense.

[shafnutz05]

What an awesome, awesome scene outside of Denver for WC qualifying

[columbia]

Holy crap.

[jmh470]

I suppose it's easier to say now than 24hrs ago, but I want Clint Dempsey leading the US from here on, irrespective of whether the monk returns from his laughable "sabbatical." This guy breaks his back every time he steps onto the field for the US, unlike a certain someone whose mental game was/is infinitely inferior to his physical one.

Bocanegra and Donovan might be useful next summer. Dempsey will be critical.

[Gaucho]

Late March WC qualifier in Mile High City. Genius.

[GaryRissling]

some pics from last night's craziness

[Gaucho]

Madness. That game never should've been played.

[shafnutz05]

Madness. That game never should've been played.

Probably...but it was kinda cool, you have to admit

[columbia]

They kept saying that the ref conferred with both teams and the players wanted to go on. Supposedly the weather was to be even worse today.

[Gaucho]

Madness. That game never should've been played.

Probably...but it was kinda cool, you have to admit

True.

[shafnutz05]

They kept saying that the ref conferred with both teams and the players wanted to go on. Supposedly the weather was to be even worse today.

Aaaaand Costa Rica is filing an official protest. Good luck with that, sounds like sour grapes to me.

[GaryRissling]

All things being equal (meaning no Tuesday qualifier), I wouldn't have minded if they abandoned the match; but the reality is that there was little choice but to play. Personally, I thought the conditions favored Costa Rica with our lack of experience in the back. Beasley slipped twice in or around his box; once when the ball came his way and his man luckily didn't anticipate the ball getting through, and once when the ball could have been played to his man but wasn't - and Guzan badly misjudged a cross.

Our more technical players seemed to struggle, while other than a trademark idiotic foul which led to CR's best chance, J Jones had one of his best matches I can remember for the US. Bradley was next to invisible.

I think CR understood this, which is why they wanted to play; yet now they want to say they're the victims.

[Gaucho]

It's probably the CR federation that is to blame here.