Football Thread 2013/2014 |OT1| Moyes, Master of Muppets

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Is Ranieri still in charge at Monaco? Surprised Mancini hasn't been appointed.

3Sixty said:
Damiao's agent has confirmed we are in talks.

Though im not overly hyped about him, good player no doubt but 20m Euros i dunno.
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Yeah I know the interest is real, but whether its a feasible deal - or one that makes sense both footballing and business wise - I'm not so sure. Wanyama is a realistic one though, and he'd be fucking top alongside Schneid.

Koko said:
Replace Maxwell with Digne. I agree that they might not go to far but a Semifinals appearance it's not that far.

Besides they can always gain experience and wait for Wenger.
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Digne confirmed?

Don't see Wenger ever leaving Arsenal to be honest, he'll retire there.
 
qindarka said:
Don't worry too much. This is Lampard's final season and Essien isn't long for the club either. Players like De Bruyne and Van Ginkel are not youngsters, they are first team players who are being brought in to contribute immediately. Mourinho's record with young players isn't that bad, he was the one who gave a 19 year old Mikel a lot of playing time in an unfamiliar position back when we still had one of the best midfields in the world. Sure, we may be a little overcrowded but better to have a bit more depth than necessary than to be short of players at a crucial point of the season.

As it is, we have Lampard, Essien, Mikel, Ramires and Van Ginkel competing for two midfield spots, assuming we stick to a 4-2-3-1. Seems just right to me. If players like Chalobah are good enough by next season, they could come in to fill in the spot left by Lampard or Essien. I am assuming that Romeu will be going on loan and doesn't have much of a future here and that someone, probably Mikel, may leave now if we get another midfielder in.

And if Luiz never players in midfield again, it will be too soon. We are hardly stacked at CB as it is.



Don't even think about it. The CL is difficult enough to win as it is and we are still a ways behind the truly elite teams like Bayern.
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I think we'll definitely be looking for a CB once this striker drama plays out. Zouma perhaps?
 
qindarka said:
Even then, Bayern might well have lost the final if not for some refereeing errors in the final, especially the preposterous decision not to send Dante off. Not saying they didn't deserve it but goes to show how it could so easily have turned out differently. And I'm going to predict that Bayern will not repeat this year, they are favorites but surely have less than 50% chance of winning.
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Well they definitely won't win, no one wins it twice in a row. Pep is fucked from the start.
 
PrematureQuiche said:
He does work at the club TV channel but I wonder how much he knows. They were all speculating on Jose till a couple of days before he actually signed so I don't think they know much haha.
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I do think Chris Cohen is privy to some info and he isn't really lying or anything but I think he may have jumped the gun a little. Was probably genuine interest but the deal was likely not complete and he shouldn't have said anything.

GQman2121 said:
I think we'll definitely be looking for a CB once this striker drama plays out. Zouma perhaps?
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Been hearing that Omeruo might be staying at the club this season.
 
justjohn said:
Also I'd love to see chelsea really go for the treble this year. If they're going to have a huge squad they might as well use it properly.
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I think we have a better shot at the league this year, but I don't see us nailed on as champions either. Our run in at the end is soft, so if we're in a position by the last 6-7 matches we could take it. As it has been the past few years, I see our best shot at silverware being the FA Cup. CL I have no idea, like it's been said, you need that luck. "written in the stars", "name on the cup" etc. etc. etc.
 
Gonna be a pisser when Thiago leaves for Barca in 4 years time.

I'll get the campaign off to an early start.

#dontgothiago

#moyesboys4eva
 
I thought Dortmund's name was written in the stars last year after the Malaga and Madrid games, and when taking Bayern's domestic superiority into account and then the Götze move. Alas, it wasn't to be :'(
 
Wilbur said:
I thought Dortmund's name was written in the stars last year after the Malaga and Madrid games, and when taking Bayern's domestic superiority into account and then the Götze move. Alas, it wasn't to be :'(
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This is Moysey's year.

He's brought the old boys back so they can be a part of the CL success next year.
 
Chelsea’s reshaping of their squad under José Mourinho continued last night, with Demba Ba holding talks with Anzhi Makhachkala. The striker could be followed out of Stamford Bridge by John Obi Mikel after the club agreed a deal to sign Marco van Ginkel, the Holland Under-21 midfielder.
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from The Times. Expected that he would leave but that means we need to bring someone in for sure.
 
Since United are appointing all our old players to our staff, we should just go all out and make Cantona our press officer.

Ando could sell the pies at half time.
 
To be fair to PSG, they're a good team, they got to the Champions League quarter finals last year, they're not some random joke team who go out at the group stages 2 years running.
 
Depressing news about Alberto Masi. Had an amazing pre-season and I remember we were all so excited that we signed our next big defender.

Well, he had an awful season.

Adam Digby summarizes:
Alberto Masi (Ternana) If Liviero’s fall was predictable, the dramatic fall from grace of the former Pro Vercelli defender was among the most surprising events of the season for Juventus. The 20 year old went from seemingly a favourite of Conte’s – remember he was a sub on Serie A’s opening day! – to back to his former club in co-ownership and then on loan to the Rossoverdi who have an option to purchase Juve’s share in him. His form improved at Ternana and he may yet find a home in the top division next season, just don’t expect it to be with Juventus!
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Who is going to challenge Juve this season? With reports of Cavani heading off from Napoli, their absolute best player. Milan being Milan who look weaker by the day.

Which leaves Inter, i have more faith in Mazzarri than Strama, but i still question whether they can really challenge over the lenght of a season and be consistent enough to stay close to Juventus in the race. Though Inter does not have to worry about CL, so they have all the time in the world to focus on the league.
 
LegoArmo said:
To be fair to PSG, they're a good team, they got to the Champions League quarter finals last year, they're not some random joke team who go out at the group stages 2 years running.
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They've got a worse manager now though. Not that that is the only thing that matters (hello baby confuziz xoxo) but if Blanc comes up against a Pep or Mou it'll have to be the team that does most of the legwork. He's a good coach, but he pretty much failed with France and winning the French League when Lyon were suffering a dip and there was no moneybags shit about isn't exactly the biggest indicator of genius.

Quarters again, I think.
 
Into said:
Who is going to challenge Juve this season? With reports of Cavani heading off from Napoli, their absolute best player. Milan being Milan who look weaker by the day.

Which leaves Inter, i have more faith in Mazzarri than Strama, but i still question whether they can really challenge over the lenght of a season and be consistent enough to stay close to Juventus in the race. Though Inter does not have to worry about CL, so they have all the time in the world to focus on the league.
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Inter will come closer than they did last year because of the exact reasons you mentioned. Milan will definitely strengthen and it depends how much Allegri has learnt from last year. De Jong's back as well isn't he? Should be a big boost, there's not many better at doing what he does.

Fiorentina, provided they buy well and don't lose too many - and it only looks like Jojo and potentially Pizarro who could be on their way out - could challenge more, especially if they bring in Gomez. And Napoli will be able to reinvest a fucking hefty amount with a top coach. It'll be interesting, that's for sure. I still expect Juve to win comfortably but they'll also be focusing on Europe more.

double post, fuck the h8rz
 
So when do the first Pre Season friendlies start for Premier League teams start? I need to watch some fucking football. I know Chelsea is not till the 17th but that is it.
 
GQman2121 said:
Anyway, reading up on the news today and it seems like clubs have been busy.

Our midfield is starting to get clogged. I worry about the futures of Chalobah, Piazon, KDB, McEachran and now 20 yr old Marco van Ginkel (MvG). They're at that age where they're going to expect to get time if they practice with the first team.

Ramires, Lampard and Essien will all likely feature, but will any of these kids find a way into Jose's rotation? He doesn't exactly have a track record of taking chances on young talent. If we hold on to Luiz, well he play him in the midfield where it seems he is better suited? What about Mikel and Romeu? I think they're both expendable at this point, but what if they're on the roster in six weeks?
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Romeu will almost certainly go out on loan to get regular match time following his lengthy injury. Lampard's probably in his final year or two, and while Mourinho loves Essien, I doubt he's long for the club. KDB will play further forward in one of the AM positions.

For this season, that means we'll realistically be rotating between Lampard, Ramires, Mikel, van Ginkel and Essien as backup. Chalobah would be great as a backup player, but would benefit more from a PL loan right now, assuming Chelsea can find the right club. McEachran's got huge promise but feedback from Boro fans said he faded towards the end of last season, so he too probably needs a season of regular PL football before being ready to compete for a place in our team. With Lampard, Essien, Romeu and Mikel's long term futures at the club in question (whether due to age or interest in looking elsewhere), I'd say our youngsters have a good chance of breaking through in a year or two. There's every chance we'll also have to make room for Ruben Loftus Cheek and Lewis Baker a few years after that too. As for Piazon, he's good but I'd be surprised if he made the grade as a regular starter. Kakuta was a much better prospect back in t'day and he's pretty unlikely to make it with us now. More interesting to see what happens to Jeremie Boga.

More interesting is what will happen with our attacking midfielders. It's hard to imagine Mourinho playing fewer than three at a time considering the wealth of talent at his disposal, and while Mata and Hazard surely have to be considered automatic picks, there's still Oscar, De Bruyne, Schurrle and Moses to choose from for one remaining position. Schurrle's a good player, but I'm not sure why we bought him to be honest: he's inconsistent and doesn't offer much we don't already have in abundance, and KDB is a better player with a skill (crossing) we're lacking. I suspect Moses will be the one to fall short.
 
Into said:
Who is going to challenge Juve this season? With reports of Cavani heading off from Napoli, their absolute best player. Milan being Milan who look weaker by the day.

Which leaves Inter, i have more faith in Mazzarri than Strama, but i still question whether they can really challenge over the lenght of a season and be consistent enough to stay close to Juventus in the race. Though Inter does not have to worry about CL, so they have all the time in the world to focus on the league.
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Milan weaker now? How is that? De Jong is back and we have Poli and Honda as well. Having those 3 would mean we could get rid of useless players such as Nocerino, Traoré and fucking Muntari. To be honest, Milan's weak point is the midfield and it seems those signings could turn things around. Considering Milan sans reinforcements was the team who got the most points from October on, I really think it's silly to think the lads won't put up a fight.

Inter is not doing shit this season either, there's just no way. So basically the Serie A comes down to Milan vs Juve.
 
flippedb said:
Milan weaker now? How is that? De Jong is back and we have Poli and Honda as well. Having those 3 would mean we could get rid of useless players such as Nocerino, Traoré and fucking Muntari. To be honest, Milan's weak point is the midfield and it seems those signings could turn things around. Considering Milan sans reinforcements was the team who got the most points from October on, I really think it's silly to think the lads won't put up a fight.

Inter is not doing shit this season either, there's just no way. So basically the Serie A comes down to Milan vs Juve.
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Like you said, its really the midfield that seems so weak right now. Granted they could make a few good signings, plenty of time for that, but as of right now i am not sure if they can contest with that midfield.

I hope El Shaarawy is not sold, as some places have rumored, as that weakens the competition and league. With Inter you just never know, its Inter, on paper you go "oh they will be fine!" but its Inter, so i naturally think "how will they fuck it up?". Cassano is at least not there to cause drama, but i am sure someone else is.
 
Wilbur said:
I reckon Lukaku will be Chelsea's main striker next year. Mourinho loves his top target men.
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It's definitely possible as he'll reportedly be sticking around rather than going on loan again, but considering he's only had one year's PL experience, I'm still expecting a striker to be brought in. Lukaku and Ba, assuming Torres leaves (please!), doesn't represent a strong enough strikeforce to be challenging on multiple fronts for me. It sounds as though Cavani has been priced out of a deal, but if Lewandowski's also out of the question (gone quiet on him recently), I'd like to see us go for Mario Gomez. Ridiculously talented player and probably available at a decent price considering he's no longer wanted at Bayern. At 27, we could get three or so years out of him before handing the starting slot over to Lukaku.
 
xandaca said:
It's definitely possible as he'll reportedly be sticking around rather than going on loan again, but considering he's only had one year's PL experience, I'm still expecting a striker to be brought in. Lukaku and Ba, assuming Torres leaves (please!), doesn't represent a strong enough strikeforce to be challenging on multiple fronts for me. It sounds as though Cavani has been priced out of a deal, but if Lewandowski's also out of the question (gone quiet on him recently), I'd like to see us go for Mario Gomez. Ridiculously talented player and probably available at a decent price considering he's no longer wanted at Bayern. At 27, we could get three or so years out of him before handing the starting slot over to Lukaku.
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Yeah I'm surprised Chelsea or Madrid haven't gone for Gomez. I'm not a huge fan of him but he definitely knows how to put the ball away. I reckon its just that his qualities have been absolutely damned this season with Mandzukic proving how exactly a solo target man should play whereas Gomez isn't particularly excellent at much apart from scoring.

For 20m odd or so, he'd be good value for money.
 
xandaca said:
It's definitely possible as he'll reportedly be sticking around rather than going on loan again, but considering he's only had one year's PL experience, I'm still expecting a striker to be brought in. Lukaku and Ba, assuming Torres leaves (please!), doesn't represent a strong enough strikeforce to be challenging on multiple fronts for me. It sounds as though Cavani has been priced out of a deal, but if Lewandowski's also out of the question (gone quiet on him recently), I'd like to see us go for Mario Gomez. Ridiculously talented player and probably available at a decent price considering he's no longer wanted at Bayern. At 27, we could get three or so years out of him before handing the starting slot over to Lukaku.
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Torres aint walking out the door.
torreshdnspf.gif
 
Into said:
Like you said, its really the midfield that seems so weak right now. Granted they could make a few good signings, plenty of time for that, but as of right now i am not sure if they can contest with that midfield.

I hope El Shaarawy is not sold, as some places have rumored, as that weakens the competition and league. With Inter you just never know, its Inter, on paper you go "oh they will be fine!" but its Inter, so i naturally think "how will they fuck it up?". Cassano is at least not there to cause drama, but i am sure someone else is.
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Midfield this season consisted of Ambrosini, Montolivo, Nocerino, Muntari and Traoré. Of that list, only Montolivo plays at a good level. Ambrosini is too old and the rest are just shit.

This season we have Montolivo, Poli, De Jong which are miles better than what we had as a first team last season. Plus, Honda and Boateng can play a little forward to create some chances for Balo and El Shaa, who by the way, is already off the market.

I still believe another midfielder could be great for us, hopefully Galiani signs someone good.
 
Will Thiago's dad open up a new restaurant in Manchester?

That will bring the number up to three.

Shame Tevez has left.
 
flippedb said:
Midfield this season consisted of Ambrosini, Montolivo, Nocerino, Muntari and Traoré. Of that list, only Montolivo plays at a good level. Ambrosini is too old and the rest are just shit.

This season we have Montolivo, Poli, De Jong which are miles better than what we had as a first team last season. Plus, Honda and Boateng can play a little forward to create some chances for Balo and El Shaa, who by the way, is already off the market.

I still believe another midfielder could be great for us, hopefully Galiani signs someone good.
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Don't forget Saponara and Cristante either. Vergara who seems really promising and Balotelli with a full pre-season with us will make us stronger as well.
 
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