football: the beautiful game

[polishmike]

How can you finish above number one?

I can't see it to be honest. I think if they finish 4th it will be a success. Berbatov needs to show his quality in the EPL and not only in UEFA or FA cups. He might be able to do it with Bent next to him. They should be a scoring machine but they won't get 4th if they let in 54 goals like this season.

[>++fishb0neR]

i'm personally praying for a multitude of red cards and violent bench-clearing brawls in the matches between the 'top 4,'

A Rooney v. Crouch battle would be hella cool, and more fun to watch than anything i can think of...

'Cesc' v Cristiano is another good one for the title of 'biggest ego under the age of 25 in europe'

and finally, i'll take a classic Lampard v Gerrard showdown in the center circle..weapon of choice: slappers only!

with them all injured and/or suspended, Spurs can casually slide up the table;)

[tomtom]

im an arsenal season ticket holder and im honestly not bothered about henry going. he should of gone last year when we would of got double what we will get this summer

after watching him in paris at the champions league final i no longer liked him, he pranced around like a fucking fairy, he was injured at 65minutes but instead of leaving the field he hoped around like a cripper for the last 25minutes

im more worried about wenger going, we cant loose wenger. its far too difficult to replace a manager like him

[polishmike]

im an arsenal season ticket holder and im honestly not bothered about henry going. he should of gone last year when we would of got double what we will get this summer

Completely agree, you would get silly money for him last season. The only thing that bothers me is the 16mil. How the fuck can he be worth same as Bent? He will be missed in the EPL as I always liked to watch him play.

So who do you recon will come in? Owen Martins? I think Van Persie is a quality forward but I'm sure you need someone else to fill the gap.

[Bona Drag]

How can you finish above number one?

I can't see it to be honest. I think if they finish 4th it will be a success. Berbatov needs to show his quality in the EPL and not only in UEFA or FA cups. He might be able to do it with Bent next to him. They should be a scoring machine but they won't get 4th if they let in 54 goals like this season.

i meant finish above liverpool in the table

absolutely agree that the defense needs to tighten up dramatically

but if liverpool doesn't get a true weapon up front, i could see them fighting with arsenal for fourth in points

and losing

[>++fishb0neR]

yes, the tottenham defense has been horrid..

stalteri and lee are shite, and at one point early last season iirc Lee was quoted in Korean papers as wanting out of WHL.

I just hope Kaboul fills in for/learns a lot from King. Dawson was great, and i like Zokora where he played- those long runs slicing though midfield, though i would like to see him help a bit more. Chimbonda got turned around a few too many times, and the defense as a whole was caught ball-watching several times a match.

they could leave the rest of the team virtually untouched, focus transfers solely on defense (and giving robinson less food to eat so he can move faster lol), and easily finish 5th or better

[Guest kertez04]

tottenham have the potential to finish top 5 next season but they just need to play better

i hope Arsenal continues with youth focus for summer signings in the absence of Henry...in a few years they'll be tops for sure

And if Henry comming to Barca means the departure of ronnie or etto i would be very angry

[Bona Drag]

can't see how it wouldn't

those two already have alpha dog issues; throw in another superstar and you're asking for trouble and probably wasting money

[beast]

With all the happenings on the scene, I feel this thread needs to be updated.

Man U: Nani and Anderson will play a periphery role to take over Giggsy and Scholes soon. They would not be key players next season unless they did a Rooney and exceed all expectations. Park may even be dumped. His form hasnt been as good as in PSV.

Hargreaves will for sure be the anchor with Carrick. Giggsy will partner with Ronaldo and what about Tevez. He will partner with Rooney. I think its wrong to put Ronney upfront and both of them are too similar. Fergie should retain at least another auxiliary striker. Saha should be going. Smith rumoured to go too. Who will Fergie have left for additional fire power? Dong? Rossi is still on loan.

Which brings us to ... ...

Chelsea: Last season despite the silly goals conceded and the internal turmoil, the premiership went down close to the end. So with the squad being strengthened, Chelsea would be an even greater force. Provided Mourinho wont be replaced by Grant.

All their other new players seem to be reserve players except for Malouda. You know for sure, Cole, Robben or Wright-Phillips will lose their place due to him. Mourinho love to sub his wingers when they are not performing.

Tal Haim though good will not be take over Carvalho much less Terry in Central. He may take over left back if Ashley and Bridge gets injured and most likely right back which is still up for grabs unless Dani Alves comes in.

Sidwell will never take over Essien, Makelele, Lampard and Ballack in midfield. Less said about Alex the better. Pizzaro? Surplus to Bayern's requirement. Dont have the magic touch Larsson has.

But if Mourinho keeps his squad strong, the premiership will go down the wire this time.

[beast]

Liverpool: 20.2 Million pounds for Torres seems a great deal. I would reckon he would go for much much more. Essien and SWP went for more than that. But they need more players to be genuine contenders. He will partner Kuyt unless Rafa plays 4-5-1 and Kuyt will be on the bench. Crouch will be condemned to seat warmer even if he aint sold.

There are some talks that Torres is not as great a striker as they make him out to be. But I bet he will do better than Bellamy and Crouch.

Benayouin doesnt strike me as great. Rafa needs better wingers as well. The options there seems to be running thin. They should have grabbed Malouda, French player of the year.

Arsenal: Definitely will suffer with Henry gone. Gallas following suit likely. Adebayor is not good enough to hold the line and unless Wenger can mould and shape his new buys into top contenders, they may finally lose 4th spot to Spurs.

Spurs: Looking good. But I still feel they should dump Jol. At least they have not sold any of their best prospects. Mido can go. Maybe Defoe since they have 3 good strikers now. Bent would not like to be a mere cup player and EPL sub. With Ledley King injury free and Pascal not sold, they should be doing better defencewise. Otherwise Robinson would lose his England No. 1.

[polishmike]

I think Nani will come in straight to the squad and Anderson will be a replacement for Ronaldo when he has to take a day off. I don't really see Carrick and Hargreaves playing together. He needs them both to challenge for the title and champions league. Tevez and Rooney in one side will be very interesting. Tevez is a great player and he can play off Rooney on the top but they both tend to come back deep. I think Saha is hurt so he will be staying.

Sidwell will play when Essien goes to the African Cup, he might also come in for Ballack or Fat Frank when they need a rest. Pizarro will play when Drogba is away and he might be useful against packed defenses thanks to his heading ability.

I can't wait to see Torres playing in epl. I have a good feeling that Liverpool can challenge for the title this year. Benayoun is not set to be a winger, he's a replacement for Luis Garcia. Babel was signed to play on the wing and Kewell is also fit (thank god) this year and I think he can do better job than Malouda if he stays fit. Rafa will sign at least one more player so stay put.

I really can't be arsed to comment on Arsenal or Spurs.

[beast]

Barcelona: The trophyless last season really hit them hard. Henry is a short term solution. Messi would never be sold. But Ronaldinho and Etoo could be sold. There is a thinking Ronnie's prime is gone and though good, they should cash in on him now. If AC is willing to pay over 80 million pounds, hell! Take it!

Etoo is too volatile and disruptive to the team. Imagine saying his best friend on the team is the kit man and refusing to be sub in. But where can he go? Not to AC if they get Ronnie. Inter is too jam packed with stars and strikers. Real will never take him back again. Chelsea seems to stop their big spending. Man U have already spent 50 million excluding Tevez. Liverpool needs to save the money for their new stadium and wont spend another 20 million pounds on another striker who will take shirt no. 9 and Rafa cant seem to handle him. Wenger doesnt look to be the sort who spends 20 million on strikers.

Real: Bad mistake to fire Capello. They will never capture La Liga or UCL next season. Capello spent time and money gelling the team together. Schuster has no track record like Mourinho of turning another Manager's team into his own winning team. Expect come January, more transfers in and out of Real and Schuster to get the boot.

[beast]

I think Nani will come in straight to the squad and Anderson will be a replacement for Ronaldo when he has to take a day off. I don't really see Carrick and Hargreaves playing together. He needs them both to challenge for the title and champions league. Tevez and Rooney in one side will be very interesting. Tevez is a great player and he can play off Rooney on the top but they both tend to come back deep. I think Saha is hurt so he will be staying.

Sidwell will play when Essien goes to the African Cup, he might also come in for Ballack or Fat Frank when they need a rest. Pizarro will play when Drogba is away and he might be useful against packed defenses thanks to his heading ability.

I can't wait to see Torres playing in epl. I have a good feeling that Liverpool can challenge for the title this year. Benayoun is not set to be a winger, he's a replacement for Luis Garcia. Babel was signed to play on the wing and Kewell is also fit (thank god) this year and I think he can do better job than Malouda if he stays fit. Rafa will sign at least one more player so stay put.

I really can't be arsed to comment on Arsenal or Spurs.

1. Fergie wont be chasing Hargreaves for more than a year for him to be a sub or alternate with Carrick. Fergie seem to be souring on Saha who gets constantly injured. Saha would be offloaded once he gets fit. When it comes to Fergie and players no matter how good, Fergie wins. Look at Becks, Keane and Ruud. And Saha aint in that category, good as he is.

2. Jose plays 3 in midfield. There is one holding midfielder, Makelele or Essien or Lassana or Mikel. One Lampard and one Essien or one Ballack (dont know why he is untouchable). If Lamps or Ballack gets suspended or injued or Ballacks gets lazy and needs rest, Mikel and Essien will fill in except for African Cup. But if during that run, Lamps, Ballack and Makelele and Lassana are fit, Sidwell will be on the bench except for cup matches. Looking at Sidwell in the Royals, he looks great in a good team but I doubt he was the midfield talent.

Pizzaro can be the 2nd Kezman who was sub for so long, he is ineffective on field. You know unless Drogba is injured, he will play every match. Less said about Sheva the better. I think Grant is a smooth talker who conned Abramovich. Portsmouth wasnt good due to him but to Redknapp. Chelsea should have actively looked for another pure out and out young striker. Even Etoo will do.

[polishmike]

I just don't see how he can play Carrick and Hargreaves with Ronaldo (who you agree, has to play every game) and most likely Giggs on the other wing? That's a pretty defensive lineup. Maybe

Nani-----Scholes----Ronaldo

--------Hargreaves--------------

or

Giggs----Nani----Ronaldo

--------Carrick--------

there is still Anderson, Richardson, Fletcher, Park(will be hurt for sometime)

Carrick has to learn to go forward more to be able to play with Hargreaves. I think the later will start and Carrick will be used in other games. Even Xabi Alonso sits on the bench sometimes and I think he's a better midfielder than both of them. I think Fergie is building a strong squad and it will be hard to get back the trophy from them.

Oh and I fucking hate them so much

[beast]

I just don't see how he can play Carrick and Hargreaves with Ronaldo (who you agree, has to play every game) and most likely Giggs on the other wing? That's a pretty defensive lineup. Maybe

Nani-----Scholes----Ronaldo

--------Hargreaves--------------

or

Giggs----Nani----Ronaldo

--------Carrick--------

there is still Anderson, Richardson, Fletcher, Park(will be hurt for sometime)

Carrick has to learn to go forward more to be able to play with Hargreaves. I think the later will start and Carrick will be used in other games. Even Xabi Alonso sits on the bench sometimes and I think he's a better midfielder than both of them. I think Fergie is building a strong squad and it will be hard to get back the trophy from them.

Oh and I fucking hate them so much

Back line will be Van der Sar.

Defence: Rio, Vidic, Evra and Phil Neville.

Midfield will be Ronaldo - left wing, Giggs more midfielder than winger given his age, Hargreaves - more on the back to destroy passes and get passes to Man U and Carrick - doing god knows what.

Front - Rooney and Tevez.

This will be a jammed packed midfield because Tevez must drop to roam, what Rooney used to do. Giggsy more midfield and only Ronaldo more left.

If Scholes' form didnt improve, I bet Fergie would have ditched him.

[>++fishb0neR]

all i'm going to say is that ManUre (if healthy) is going to win the double..league and maybe even CL- they are STACKED, and more importantly, confident...Spurs will finally win something- at least the FA cup, if not UEFA (thinking positively, of course)

anyone bold enough to make some predictions?:

1. Man Ure/ Chelsea

2. Chelsea/ Man Ure

3. Liverpool (Babel + Torres sealed it, imo)

4. Tottenham Hotspur....YID ARMY

5. Bolton

6. Newcastle

7. Arsenal

8. Reading

discuss

[englandmj7]

Anyone going to see Chelsea v. Club America in Palo Alto this weekend?

[Tisswat]

Congratulations to Iraq for winning the 2007 Asia Cup. Finally some good news for the Iraqis as they beat Oman, Australia, Thailand and in the final Saudi Arabia with a team consisting of Shi'a, Sunnis and Kurds. That's awesome!

[ILLset]

yeh congrats to Iraq.

sick goal from Van Persie, if he can stay fit could quite easily be THE forward in the Prem next season.

and finally Hleb is playing in a position he is most comfortable in. I'm not his biggest fan but if he's going to play it needs to be as a playmaker or on the left. where he was great for Stuttgart, not on the right.

[Kelvyno]

Any of you Juve fans? I have to rant about them hiring Ranieri as a manager. As much as him single handedly saving Parma last season, the dude hasn't won anything in his career, thats right, not even some mickey mouse friendly cup. Apart from that, since coming over to Juve he's sold or loaned out all the youngsters that were vital to bring Juve back to Serie A. They all played big roles, and Deschamps, during his reign, was keen to develop their potential. Juve did a huge re-branding campaign after the scandle, with loyalty, honesty and humility being huge PR objectives, and theyre still one of my favorite teams, but it seems now, they've reverted to a big business once getting theyre feet back in Serie A, and their loyalty to the players who've worked so hard to bring them back up was simply left behind in Serie B. Anyhows, with this being said, I blame Ranieri, he calls the shots and so far, all he's been is a twit. What do you guys think?

[beast]

Any of you Juve fans? I have to rant about them hiring Ranieri as a manager. As much as him single handedly saving Parma last season, the dude hasn't won anything in his career, thats right, not even some mickey mouse friendly cup. Apart from that, since coming over to Juve he's sold or loaned out all the youngsters that were vital to bring Juve back to Serie A. They all played big roles, and Deschamps, during his reign, was keen to develop their potential. Juve did a huge re-branding campaign after the scandle, with loyalty, honesty and humility being huge PR objectives, and theyre still one of my favorite teams, but it seems now, they've reverted to a big business once getting theyre feet back in Serie A, and their loyalty to the players who've worked so hard to bring them back up was simply left behind in Serie B. Anyhows, with this being said, I blame Ranieri, he calls the shots and so far, all he's been is a twit. What do you guys think?

Raineri would be best suited for B clubs like Man City, Newcastle and not top teams like Juve. Dont know how Juve will shape up for Serie A but AC is still bent on getting some top player but looks less and less likely with Eto'o not leaving and Inter still jam packed with stars but played crap in Emirates Club although due to the Argies on holidays. Serie A should be more interesting next season.

Juve should try to entice Capello back. Now thats a top notch proven coach.

[Kelvyno]

I agree. I mean the fella signed an Italian celebrity to play for Parma last season, for kicks! And the guy was around 40+... I dont see Juve winning anything with him at the helm. I dont really like Milan, but Ancelotti is a trialed and proven tactician, Im sure they'll win something next term, dont forget they have Ronaldo. As for Capello, as proven as he is, he seems to rub players and top management the wrong way alot. Not really an ideal partnership from my POV. I say stick to Deschamp or entice Lippi back. Now Lippi, he's in a class all on his own.

[beast]

I agree. I mean the fella signed an Italian celebrity to play for Parma last season, for kicks! And the guy was around 40+... I dont see Juve winning anything with him at the helm. I dont really like Milan, but Ancelotti is a trialed and proven tactician, Im sure they'll win something next term, dont forget they have Ronaldo. As for Capello, as proven as he is, he seems to rub players and top management the wrong way alot. Not really an ideal partnership from my POV. I say stick to Deschamp or entice Lippi back. Now Lippi, he's in a class all on his own.

Ronaldo is old, fat and got motivational problems. There was fear he would clash with Kaka who is definitely much higher in the pecking order than Ronaldo. They need another top notch striker to replace Sheva and Crespo. Inzaghi wont cut it. Thats why they were hunting for someone like Eto'o who dont appear to be leaving Barca at least this opening of the transfer market.

I dont think topping Serie B would be much of a problem for Juve but the 07/08 season would be more competitive with Juve and AC fighting Inter. Inter seems to have stock piled a better crop of players than them.

[Caps Lock]

Pretty excited about Feyenoord's new transfers that they have in, its gonna be a good season.

[beast]

Congratulations to Iraq for winning the 2007 Asia Cup. Finally some good news for the Iraqis as they beat Oman, Australia, Thailand and in the final Saudi Arabia with a team consisting of Shi'a, Sunnis and Kurds. That's awesome!

Well I thought Asia Cup is a bore. So many penalty shootouts.

Compared that to Copa America's goals galore and the shock drubbing of Argies in the finals despite their obvious superiority to almost everybody even including Brazil.

The skills level in Asia is much much lower than in Copa and in Europe too.

I half expected the finals to end in another penalty shootout until the solitary 71st min goal.

[beast]

Im sure they'll win something next term, dont forget they have Ronaldo.

Actually Ronaldo's case brings to mind the transfer market. Think he was bought for 6 million pounds. A far cry of what he was worth. Thierry Henry's stock dropped by half in less than a year and Barca got a great deal. Can Sheva fetch 30.1 million pounds, the amount Chelsea paid for him? They will be lucky if he can fetch 20 million pounds.

If Torres is not a superstar on his debut, his 20 million pounds price tag next season will get slashed tremendously. And what about Sabroa Simosa. Worth 20 million pounds from Athletico Madrid? I think not. And Carlos Tevez? Worth 30 million pounds rumoured?

[Tisswat]

Well I thought Asia Cup is a bore. So many penalty shootouts.

Compared that to Copa America's goals galore and the shock drubbing of Argies in the finals despite their obvious superiority to almost everybody even including Brazil.

The skills level in Asia is much much lower than in Copa and in Europe too.

I half expected the finals to end in another penalty shootout until the solitary 71st min goal.

I never said it was an entertaining tournament to watch. To be honest, I didn't see a single game, apart from some highlights. I was just very happy to see an Iraqi team with such an ethnic diversity win a popular sport tournament. The image of Iraqis celebrating in the street and the different ethnic groups joining together for celebration put a smile on my face. This is why I think football is the greatest sport in the world. It can actually change people's minds the world over and transcends the cultural/ethnic/language barriers.

The last world cup in Germany had a similar effect - although they didn't win the title, German national pride was in some way reinvented and people got to see the country and its people in a whole new way. I've never seen so many German flags being waved around with such pride. The way Germany played and the resulting passion of the fans had a real positive impact on the way people perceive the country - at least in western Europe.

[chrisj]

Torres going to be a flop for Liverpool? His performance was less than mediocre in the Barclays Asia Cup Final even though I am pretty sure they were not going at 100%.

[beast]

Torres going to be a flop for Liverpool? His performance was less than mediocre in the Barclays Asia Cup Final even though I am pretty sure they were not going at 100%.

Its hard to be a superstar on your debut in EPL. Tevez started slow. So slow, Pardew and Curbishley did not think of putting him in as a regular. Drogba and Henry didnt score 20 goals in their first season. Neither did Kuyt.

The expectation on Torres would be high. Much higher than Cisse, the previous most costly import who originated from a smaller french club. If Torres dont score 20 goals or Liverpool ends the season without a trophy, questions would be asked.

Also, I seem to recall Torres scoring many of his goals via penalties (like Lampard) and him performing so badly, they removed him from one of the matches Spain played. They either punctured the mystique of Torres or he is suffering a purple patch for the moment. Either way, the pressure is on especially since the target this season is EPL. Which is a very difficult task since Rafa have not shown to be ruthless in crushing the mid and lower table teams much less Ferguson.

[Kelvyno]

Ronaldo is old, fat and got motivational problems. There was fear he would clash with Kaka who is definitely much higher in the pecking order than Ronaldo. They need another top notch striker to replace Sheva and Crespo. Inzaghi wont cut it. Thats why they were hunting for someone like Eto'o who dont appear to be leaving Barca at least this opening of the transfer market.

I dont think topping Serie B would be much of a problem for Juve but the 07/08 season would be more competitive with Juve and AC fighting Inter. Inter seems to have stock piled a better crop of players than them.

Yea, but he's still a player that gets you 12-15 goals a season. Im pretty sure he'd perform in a club like Milan, together with a coach like Ancelotti. Real have been imploding for the past couple of years, Im not surprised most of the players there are unmotivated or uneager to play good football.

About Inter, I dont really fancy them as a club, seeing how they buy and sell like nobodies business. Further more, they dont breed young talent and more than 3/4 of their squad arent Italian. Theyve more or less become the Italian Chelsea, minus the cash.