The Soccer Thread

[Guest]

So Spurs are the good-bad team in the EPL right? Can't beat anyone in the top half of the table but beat everyone (except West Ham) below them.

[wolf stansson]

AVB out. Nothin like letting someone spend 100,000+ of your pounds and then having to fire him for misspending those pounds.

[Guest]

AVB out. Nothin like letting someone spend 100,000+ of your pounds and then having to fire him for misspending those pounds.

 

I think it's too early to say that they misspent the money. They might have, I just think it's too early to tell. Largely the problem has been finishing. For most of the year, they've looked like a team that had a bunch of new players who hadn't played together, which they are. Often, it takes time to work the kinks out. Two games excepted, they've played great defensively. Take out two games and they've given up 10 goals in 14 games. However the scoring hasn't been there because they've managed one goal in open play from their strikers in the league this year. Soldado and Defoe have combined to play in every game, they've taken 48 shots combined with 16 on goal and they've scored once. There's been a lot of talk about Soldado not getting service but when he does, he sails shots over the bar over and over. The three games in between City and Liverpool, they played well and scored 6 goals but even then it should have been more. They shouldn't have had to sweat out Fulham and Sunderland on the road.

 

I still think the team will be fine but I'm fine with AVB being fired. He didn't seem to have any imagination and didn't change things up depending on the situation. His subs would always be like for like. When trailing, he'd never put two strikers on. He'd always sub Dembele and Sandro for each other. Same for Holtby and Erikson, the outside mids, and Soldado/Defoe. They'd always line up in the exact same formation no matter what the score or the opponent.

[Guest]

Elsewhere, City drew Barcelona and Arsenal drew Bayern Munich again.

[USSoccer]

I'm not sure how you can say that the BaleCash wasn't misspent. They blew it all on unproven (EPL wise) players. A smarter decision would have been to buttress the continental players brought in with some EPL-experienced players to help in the transition.

 

Instead, he outthought himself and has a boring team that can't score.

[biittner77]

I don't think it speaks highly of Jurgen's expectations for this Cup. If he was super confident, he'd wait and negotiate with more power.

 

Anyway, lots of action in MLS today. Kenny Cooper traded to a club yet to be named, Zakuani to Portland from Seattle, Chad Marshall to Seattle and Bayern Munich is officially next year's all-star opponent.

 

I don't pretend to know how these things work in Soccer but it seems to me that if they do really well this time he'd still be able to get out of his contract for a better opportunity, wouldn't he? A lot can happen between now and then.

 

Also, would any coach really feel confident considering the teams in their group?

[jersey cubs fan]

AVB out. Nothin like letting someone spend 100,000+ of your pounds and then having to fire him for misspending those pounds.

 

100,000,000+ pounds?

[wolf stansson]

AVB out. Nothin like letting someone spend 100,000+ of your pounds and then having to fire him for misspending those pounds.

 

100,000,000+ pounds?

No question about it.

[shnsajax]

Elsewhere, City drew Barcelona and Arsenal drew Bayern Munich again.

 

Pretty much a given Arsenal would draw either Bayern or Barca.

[Exile on Waveland]

I'm not sure how you can say that the BaleCash wasn't misspent. They blew it all on unproven (EPL wise) players. A smarter decision would have been to buttress the continental players brought in with some EPL-experienced players to help in the transition.

 

Instead, he outthought himself and has a boring team that can't score.

 

The early signs aren't good, obviously, but it can take awhile for soccer teams to mesh. It took a few years after City started splashing the cash for them to become very cohesive. And they maybe are only starting to do so continentally.

 

Whatever, I don't care. 5-0, 5-0, 5-0; Suarez 17 goals, Spurs 15.

[Exile on Waveland]

I still think the team will be fine but I'm fine with AVB being fired. He didn't seem to have any imagination and didn't change things up depending on the situation. His subs would always be like for like. When trailing, he'd never put two strikers on. He'd always sub Dembele and Sandro for each other. Same for Holtby and Erikson, the outside mids, and Soldado/Defoe. They'd always line up in the exact same formation no matter what the score or the opponent.

 

The high defensive line absolutely killed them yesterday, especially coupled with the lack of aggressive pressing. Lack of pace with a high line is death against Suarez. That was a Dusty Baker-esque level managerial decision.

[wolf stansson]

The early signs aren't good, obviously, but it can take awhile for soccer teams to mesh. It took a few years after City started splashing the cash for them to become very cohesive. And they maybe are only starting to do so continentally.

This is all obviously true, but the problem is that City started splashing cash knowing full well that they had unlimited reserves of cash going forward. The Bale money was a one-time windfall. Mess that up, and they're back to the old budget. Spurs aren't walking the tightrope over City's net.

 

The high defensive line absolutely killed them yesterday, especially coupled with the lack of aggressive pressing. Lack of pace with a high line is death against Suarez. That was a Dusty Baker-esque level managerial decision.

They were keeping EVERYBODY on side. That was hilarious.

[Exile on Waveland]

The early signs aren't good, obviously, but it can take awhile for soccer teams to mesh. It took a few years after City started splashing the cash for them to become very cohesive. And they maybe are only starting to do so continentally.

This is all obviously true, but the problem is that City started splashing cash knowing full well that they had unlimited reserves of cash going forward. The Bale money was a one-time windfall. Mess that up, and they're back to the old budget. Spurs aren't walking the tightrope over City's net.

 

Yeah, that certainly should be an addendum to my points. City could afford to make mistakes spending; they could always just out-spend their mistakes. Spurs cannot. If they blew this chance, it will set them back awhile.

[Guest]

I'm not sure how you can say that the BaleCash wasn't misspent. They blew it all on unproven (EPL wise) players. A smarter decision would have been to buttress the continental players brought in with some EPL-experienced players to help in the transition.

 

Instead, he outthought himself and has a boring team that can't score.

 

Because it's been 3 1/2 months and they brought in 9 new players (including the two who were on loan)? It's going to take some time. They might end up being failures. They might end up being great. All I'm saying is that it's too early to declare either way.

 

You keep harping on this unproven EPL players thing like there's never been foreign players who succeeded in their first EPL stay. Sure, some of these guys come in to lower clubs before moving up. But there are plenty who go straight to big clubs. Sometimes they play well. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes they play great right off the bat. Sometimes they don't. You're casting a blanket over all of them as if buying a player who has never played in the EPL is a bad thing.

 

And it's not as if they've been terrible either. They've actually got one more point through 16 games than they did last year. The goal differential is worse but that's largely a product of two horrible games. This year its 27pts/15GF/21GA while last year was 26pts/29GF/25GA. They've also pitched 7 shutouts this year vs. 2 last year. A couple goals here and there and they're in the top four right now. They're first in shots, tied for fourth in shots on goal and second in corner kicks. The players just have to start finishing.

 

The new manager is going to have some work to do, but I don't think a complete revamp of the team is necessary.

[wolf stansson]

I'm not 100% sure the money was misspent. I am 100% sure that AVB wasn't flexible enough to get the best out of his talent. That was obvious last year. We'll see what the next manager can do with that talent.

[wolf stansson]

Two goals from the run and 1 in PK's by ArJo.

 

http://www.noshortcorners.com/2013/12/six-degrees-of-makin-bacon.html

[shnsajax]

Suarez is kind of good.

[Guest]

If Arsenal loses to Chelsea on Monday, they'll fall from first to fourth in the span of a weekend.

[wolf stansson]

After a down year, Tim Howard is playing some elite, intimidating goalkeeper. Best I've seen this year.

[Guest]

Adebayor doing Adebayor things again. Can't wait for him to string a few performances together, get his place back and then stop trying again.

[wolf stansson]

LA sold Jose Villareal to Cruz Azul. Interesting.

[Guest]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnqF0U7JaGc

 

Gervinho being Gervinho.

[wolf stansson]

Eddie Johnson is "the worst."

http://www.soccerwire.com/news/leagues/mls/raw-talent-bridges-burned-with-seattle-sounders-eddie-johnson-set-for-stunning-d-c-move/

 

Lol. He's gonna burn DC to the ground. What a dick.

[USSoccer]

I think it's really telling that he has that little faith in his own bluster that he was unwilling to "get paid" in LigaMX for fear of failing and losing his NT spot.

[wvcbxl]

Clint back to Fulham is confirmed by the team.