football: the beautiful game

[fads]

marchisio is like a well chiseled statue from the antiquities lmao

[evisu 2000]

Forza Juve

[Carl]

[ifeelasleep]

inter supporter, since ronaldo. Ive rooted for italy throughout the tournament and i caught so much shit, french people hate the italians.

everyone discards serie a, premier league and la liga are overhyped

Edited June 30, 2012 by ifeelasleep

[Nov Spur]

Fackinel, you people actually watch Serie A? The league is so slow it makes MLS seem watchable.

Anyone genuinely excited about the final needs their head examined. Two teams who never score and like to crowd the center of the park with as many bodies as possible, should be an absolute joy to watch.

[Carl]

Fackinel, you people actually watch Serie A? The league is so slow it makes MLS seem watchable.

Anyone genuinely excited about the final needs their head examined. Two teams who never score and like to crowd the center of the park with as many bodies as possible, should be an absolute joy to watch.

there is more too football then fast wingers and tika/taka

serie a is enjoyable for many reasons. it's the only league where there are true tactical battles (you'll never see a 3-5-2 vs. 4-1-2-1-2 in the prem), it has loads more history, we turn others rejects in stars (and vice-versa...krasic was terrible for juve but will kill it in the prem when he goes to reading/spuds/chelsea), and any team in the top 8 or 9 has a shot most years at the title (when the fuck was that ever the case in the prem or la liga). and are you really going to call teams like napoli or udinese slow? come on my dude, you obviously don't know what you're talking about.

and if you can't appreciate what this final presents in terms of tactics then i pity your attention span

[fads]

the shitty broadcasting presentation for serie a turns off a lot of ppl i think

so bummed napoli's holy trinity is broken

[fads]

epl camera angles r great, but the clubs still need a lot of work...

this analysis is from last year's game, but it is very relevant.

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2011/12/18/manchester-city-1-0-arsenal-tactics/

also this is off topic, but i dont like team italy using all these camoranesi(s). south american loophole such bs.

[Nov Spur]

there is more too football then fast wingers and tika/taka

serie a is enjoyable for many reasons. it's the only league where there are true tactical battles (you'll never see a 3-5-2 vs. 4-1-2-1-2 in the prem), it has loads more history, we turn others rejects in stars (and vice-versa...krasic was terrible for juve but will kill it in the prem when he goes to reading/spuds/chelsea), and any team in the top 8 or 9 has a shot most years at the title (when the fuck was that ever the case in the prem or la liga). and are you really going to call teams like napoli or udinese slow? come on my dude, you obviously don't know what you're talking about.

and if you can't appreciate what this final presents in terms of tactics then i pity your attention span

Ahem, since when is the definition of a 'true tactical battle' when two disparate formations come up against each other? I've seen more games where both teams play 4-4-2 that are a whole lot more tactically exciting than nearly all the recent games I've seen in Serie A. (Oh and re: 3-5-2 vs. 4-4-2 diamond in the prem: Wigan vs. Norwich last season) Sure there are bright spots, like when teams like Napoli occasionally seek to outdo the conservatism of their compatriots, however they are few and far between.

Loads more history? The Italian league is at the very minimum a good thirty years younger than its English counterpart. Yeah sure people can go on about stuff like Maradona playing in Serie A but he's a cunt anyway. And sure, Milan have won the European cup a bunch of times, but so have Madrid.

The rejects into stars argument is 90% of the time due to players taking a step down and coming from leagues with a higher tempo and greater physicality. (ie KPB) Some players are just suited to a slower rate of play.

As for teams having a shot at the title, when is the last time anyone outside of Milan Inter and Juve actually won Serie A? Answer: 2001. In that period of time, England have had 4 winners. Spain 3 as well.

The Premier League, and La Liga to a lesser extent are just as tactically diverse as Serie A (as are quite a few other leagues throughout the world), the difference between them are that PL and La Liga manage to maintain tactical diversity without sacrificing entertainment value and confining their tactics to playing overwrought (and quite often pretentious) formations. Also, reducing the PL to fast wingers (only Spurs and United really use them), and La Liga to tiki-taka only serves to make you look like the person who doesn't know what they are talking about. If you're going to try and make someone look like a fool at least put some thought into it.

Now I have no problem with people watching or even enjoying Italian football, but for someone to call me ignorant because I choose to watch football for reasons other than inducing a late afternoon nap is uncalled for.

Tomorrow's match features two teams who are terrified of their opposition gaining possession. As a result, they shift most of their players into the center third of the park. Spain keep the ball and pray that they can find a player making a run in behind the center of the defense. Italy keep the ball and pray that Andrea Pirlo can pick a long ball up to Mario Balotelli or Antonio Cassano. Both teams have been utterly dreadful to watch this tournament because of their conservatism and unwillingness to alter their play to a more open game. While it may turn out to be an absolute thriller, forgive me for my cynicism.If someone were to weep for my attention span, I'd weep for their lack of appreciation for a team that ventures to win without a fear of losing.

tldr: I know a lot about football and I felt the need to let you know.

Edited June 30, 2012 by Nov Spur

[percy]

i dont completely agree on your analysis of spain and italy for tomorrows match, but i thought the rest of your post was good.

[Nov Spur]

Sorry if that reads a bit bitchy, it's just a little exacerbating being bored to tears by my favorite sport.

Yes that analysis is somewhat truncated as this forum isn't known for football talk, but I stand by the general thesis. Of course I could be completely wrong afterwards.

[Carl]

Ahem, since when is the definition of a 'true tactical battle' when two disparate formations come up against each other? I've seen more games where both teams play 4-4-2 that are a whole lot more tactically exciting than nearly all the recent games I've seen in Serie A.

You're not talking about "tactics" in a 4-4-2 battle, you're talking about individual battles on the pitch in regards to player vs. player or a midfield vs. a midfield. I'm talking about tactical battles, waged by coaches not players, using less then then currently popular formations. How much serie a did you watch last season, honestly? The milan derby? the 3-3 juve/napoli thriller?

(Oh and re: 3-5-2 vs. 4-4-2 diamond in the prem: Wigan vs. Norwich last season)

Nope. Wigan play a 3-4-3, very different from a 3-5-2.

Loads more history? The Italian league is at the very minimum a good thirty years younger than its English counterpart. Yeah sure people can go on about stuff like Maradona playing in Serie A but he's a cunt anyway. And sure, Milan have won the European cup a bunch of times, but so have Madrid.

Hmmmm, these two pictures representing european trophies sure would agree with my assessment...

First up Chamions league:

Next Europa League:

Gee, if my maths don't fail me I'd say serie a has just about the most "history"...not too mention the most Ballon d'or winners. And maradona a cunt? maybe too some but those of us that can truly understand football genius know why your statement is riddled with idiocy.

As for teams having a shot at the title, when is the last time anyone outside of Milan Inter and Juve actually won Serie A? Answer: 2001. In that period of time, England have had 4 winners. Spain 3 as well.

So you count only the "winner" as being successful? I hope you're not a spuds fan then, haha.

Lets take the last 10 years of first through third, prem vs. serie a. In the prem we've had Man U., Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Newcastle. In serie a it's been Milan, Inter, Juve, Lazio, Roma, Udinese, and Napoli. 6 vs 7 homie.

Now I have no problem with people watching or even enjoying Italian football, but for someone to call me ignorant because I choose to watch football for reasons other than inducing a late afternoon nap is uncalled for.

Never claimed you were ignorant, just that you didn't really know what you were talking about and I still hold that claim after dredging through the novel you wrote too me.

Tomorrow's match features two teams who are terrified of their opposition gaining possession. As a result, they shift most of their players into the center third of the park. Spain keep the ball and pray that they can find a player making a run in behind the center of the defense. Italy keep the ball and pray that Andrea Pirlo can pick a long ball up to Mario Balotelli or Antonio Cassano. Both teams have been utterly dreadful to watch this tournament because of their conservatism and unwillingness to alter their play to a more open game. While it may turn out to be an absolute thriller, forgive me for my cynicism.If someone were to weep for my attention span, I'd weep for their lack of appreciation for a team that ventures to win without a fear of losing.

And to top it all off you couldn't have been more wrong about the final yesterday.

I was gutted yesterday watching Bonucci cry. I wanted to jump through the tv and give him a big ol hug. It's ok, baby boy, there is always another scudetto to win next year and a champions league to brutalize

[ordo]

Carl, I think you should just stick to being a hooligan with your Timbers Army buddies and leave the futbol to the non-Americans.

[fads]

remember when harry redknapp instructed roman pavlyuchenko to "fucking run about a bit"

Edited July 3, 2012 by hyun

[Nov Spur]

Never claimed you were ignorant, just that you didn't really know what you were talking about and I still hold that claim after dredging through the novel you wrote too me.

Some of your arguments there are very much suspect, but I'm an adult and I appreciate someone with a passion for football like I have, so let us agree to disagree, especially as a fellow American talking. And at least you're not a sounders/galaxy supporter if ordo is right.

[joeyod007]

Olympic football started today, will anyone be watching? I'm currently watching the Great Britain, Senegal match. Pretty scrappy, but some okay football

[shrimpsoup]

yeah ill be watching.

but honestly all i wanna see is neymaaaarrrrrrrrr

[ssheat]

Just watched the match, watched for oscar mostly being a chelsea supporter and all. It was fun to watch, the brazil wonderkids are surely promising. I like oscar a lot, he's really good on the ball, retains it well, and seems to sort of command the pitch like the good #10s. I'm excited to watch him this coming season.

[joeyod007]

Yeah, it will be interesting to see how Oscar does in his first season at Chelsea, I guess truthfully you can not expect much from a twenty year old. His potential is obvious (and he finished off a great goal today) but he'll be behind eden hazard, marko marin, juna mata, and even ramires who at times played in an advanced position last season. whoever though RDM chooses to play in that attacking four, it will arguably the most exciting group of players in the EPL.

I guess there also so much has been made about Lucas Moura...

[phd.hutch]

just joinin in on this thread, thought you all should know that stevie g is the best midfielder around. who's with me? ynwa!

[percy]

i wish he could pass a ball five metres

[polishmike]

anyone doing a fantasy league?

[fads]

35313-377443

no deadbeats please.

[TheIntelligentHoodwinker]

West Ham fan here, relishing our return to the Premier League, and inevitable relegation in two seasons time. IRONS.

[joeyod007]

First of two El Clasicos, the first tomorrow, then again on the 29th. Predictions?

I'm calling a 2-0 win for Barca.

[fads]

as a hammers fan, do you fancy demel over o'brien?

West Ham fan here, relishing our return to the Premier League, and inevitable relegation in two seasons time. IRONS.

[joeyod007]

does anybody use the forum FBTZ to download games? I use it and even though the Barca Real game is still under way, I am already downloading the first half. Very fast HD uploads of almost every match throughout Europe/South America, in pretty much any language.

Registration is currently disabled, but if anyone would like to use my account or be provided with links, I am happy to help.

Edited August 23, 2012 by joeyod007

[fahim]

for anyone interested in MLS, here's a blog i run about the whitecaps fc

www.whitecapsfcblog.com

Edited August 24, 2012 by fahim

[TheIntelligentHoodwinker]

as a hammers fan, do you fancy demel over o'brien?

Hmm. I'm not sure. Demel was injured for a lot of last season, and to be honest I was surprised that we kept hold of him.

Only saw him play a few of times 'in the flesh'. That included 5 minutes at Reading away, and the Play off final, where he looked slow and struggled big time against Blackpool's winger, Phillips. Then again, he was ok against Cardiff in the semi's.

Personally, I prefer Joey O'Brien. Bit younger, slightly quicker, and a touch more attack minded. Scored a peach against Watford.

Honestly, though, I don't think either of them are great right backs, but what ya' going to do?

Who do you follow, out of interest?

[fads]

o'brien is my cheap backup defender on fantasy, thought he would get a start but came on as a sub...

i like roberto martínez as a manager, so i'm rooting for wigan.