Marcelo's improved massively this season.
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Football Thread 2011/12 |OT8| Made it to the Championship play-offs
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Marcelo's improved massively this season.
Agreed he has been very very good lately.
Phoenix Fang
Banned
Adam wins above all.
The race is on between Carroll and Torres - at least Torres has been playing well recently. If he can end with 10+ goals this season I think that'll be a decent return - I feel bad for Carroll though.
Carroll vs. Adam. First to hit the post wins.
FootballFan
Member
Ibrahimovic:
"It seems like Uefa wants a certain two teams in the Champions League final. Now I understand how Mourinho feels every time he comes to Camp Nou."
lol.
And about Marcelo, yeah he has improved a lot.
"It seems like Uefa wants a certain two teams in the Champions League final. Now I understand how Mourinho feels every time he comes to Camp Nou."
lol.
And about Marcelo, yeah he has improved a lot.
True, on a serious note. Torres has been contributing very well. Even through out the darkest spells, his all around play was good.
Carroll it is.
Phoenix Fang
Banned
Those three are of Messi caliber when compared to Adam.
Erm we're talking about actual football players...
Vivalaraza
Member
Yay, Wayne Rooney love in time.
He's fantastic. For me certainly the best player in the league. He's very complete now, scores goals consistently and of all kinds. Good in a few positions and his range of passing is key to that, such a luxury for us to have a forward who can play the ball as well as him.
It's just a shame he lacks raw pace or quick feet because that would really elevate him onto another level and give him an unpredictability which would make him far more dangerous. 5-10 is about right, sadly, some days, he doesn't even look like he'd make the top 50, when his touch deserts him it really does make me wonder what on earth is going on. He's been more consistent this year though. He hasn't been able to be instrumental every week but alot of that is down to how many different roles he's been played in.
It's a shame he's gone and got himself suspended for England because you'd fancy him to do well at the Euro's the season he's had. What's impressed me most about him over the last 12 months is that he's performed well in almost all our big games, a proper big game player now.
I've been really impressed with Torres - he's learned to adapt to our system and is contributing with goals and assists. Carroll, it seems, has struggled to adapt to Liverpool's system, for whatever reason.
I think this has been his most consistent season. There's been games in the past where's he's been out of this world but for all round good performances he's been fantastic this year. The media deification of him sometimes leads people to call him massively overhyped, but he's great. Top 10 for me definitely.
I don't really know exactly who would be in my top ten. Off the top of my head...
Messi, Iniesta, Ronaldo, Xavi, Schweinsteiger, Busquets, Rooney... probably Vidic, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva.
Much love for Yaya, Ozil and Robbery as well.
Phoenix Fang
Banned
Oh my bad.
I don't know what was going through my head to think he was an actual football player.
Vivalaraza
Member
The top 4 are Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta and Xavi. That's the only certainty for me.
After that you can argue for so many players and at certain times some players will seem like good shouts, when on hot streaks, and at others it'll seem crazy, when not so hot. Rooney comes in the bracket of the next ten players for me, there's alot of great players there. Robben I would definitely pick over Rooney; I probably wouldn't actually because he is injured so often, but if we excuse that...I think he's a better player. The others, as I say, it's a toss up. Just glad we managed to keep him really.
Rumours linking United with Aly Cissokho. His agents been on the radio saying he's rejected moves elsewhere because he wants to come to England and to United. Interesting. I remember Fergie went to watch Lille vs Lyon and everybody thought he'd gone to watch Hazard, perhaps it was Cissokho. I remember him being great for Porto, not sure how he's done as Lyon though. We do need a LB so if true I'm glad we're looking into it.
FootballFan
Member
Yeah that's a tough one.
Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta and Xavi are solid top 4, don't think arguments can really be made about that.
The other 6 is hard though. Schweini, Yaya, Robben, Rooney etc. Hard to pick between them
So let me get this straight.
Barca win with the help of the refs and a massive UEFA conspiracy. Except when they don't, then if they are denied two clear penalties it's just a normal refereeing error.
This conspiracy thing is becoming more ridiculous every year. I thought the infamous Unicef comment last year was when it hit rock bottom, but somehow it's getting even worse.
Where was the conspiracy in 2010 when Milito score from an offside position in the first leg, and Bojan was denied the winner in the final minutes of return match because of a bogus handball on Toure? I guess Platini only managed to help get Motta sent off that day.
Even in 2009 vs Chelsea, Henry was denied a clear penalty in the first leg, and Ballack was on a yellow card but somehow avoided being sent off even after he hit Iniesta in the face with his arm. That was also in the first leg, where a goal for Barcelona would have changed everything for them in the second leg.
Refereeing errors happen. It's okay to complain about them and it's a problem that should definitely be remedied as soon as possible. But there is simply no way that there is any kind of conspiracy at play here. People also seem to cite Platini's press quotes where he praises Barcelona as evidence. If there is really a pro-Barcelona conspiracy, would it be logical to keep praising them in the press?
edit: Just to clarify, I'm not aiming this at anyone in particular. I'm just venting my frustration after reading Twitter and this thread. I hate conspiracy theories.
Barca win with the help of the refs and a massive UEFA conspiracy. Except when they don't, then if they are denied two clear penalties it's just a normal refereeing error.
This conspiracy thing is becoming more ridiculous every year. I thought the infamous Unicef comment last year was when it hit rock bottom, but somehow it's getting even worse.
Where was the conspiracy in 2010 when Milito score from an offside position in the first leg, and Bojan was denied the winner in the final minutes of return match because of a bogus handball on Toure? I guess Platini only managed to help get Motta sent off that day.
Even in 2009 vs Chelsea, Henry was denied a clear penalty in the first leg, and Ballack was on a yellow card but somehow avoided being sent off even after he hit Iniesta in the face with his arm. That was also in the first leg, where a goal for Barcelona would have changed everything for them in the second leg.
Refereeing errors happen. It's okay to complain about them and it's a problem that should definitely be remedied as soon as possible. But there is simply no way that there is any kind of conspiracy at play here. People also seem to cite Platini's press quotes where he praises Barcelona as evidence. If there is really a pro-Barcelona conspiracy, would it be logical to keep praising them in the press?
edit: Just to clarify, I'm not aiming this at anyone in particular. I'm just venting my frustration after reading Twitter and this thread. I hate conspiracy theories.
Vivalaraza
Member
I think Toure is a better footballer than Busquets. I really do rate Busquets VERY highly but I think Yaya Toure just has so much more to his game that I'd have to rate Yaya above him in a straight up choice. If I was picking between one of them to play DM, I'd probably go for Busquets.
That's the flaw of these lists though, I know it's all just a bit of fun, but really, it means nothing. Selecting an XI is a better way to go about it.
Cassillas or Buffon probably won't make any top 10 lists...but they're two of the very best and most important players in the world for their clubs and nations.
Also, I don't really see much of Thiago Silva but if he is better than Vidic than he must be one incredible incredible player.
That's the flaw of these lists though, I know it's all just a bit of fun, but really, it means nothing. Selecting an XI is a better way to go about it.
Cassillas or Buffon probably won't make any top 10 lists...but they're two of the very best and most important players in the world for their clubs and nations.
Also, I don't really see much of Thiago Silva but if he is better than Vidic than he must be one incredible incredible player.
the whistle had already gone after bojan shot, should have been yellow carded.
Thiago Silva is the best centre back in the world. No doubt. He's better than Vidic for me.
Yeah XI is probably the way to go, but then I wouldn't know how to accommodate Messi and Ronaldo when looking at it logically haha
Vivalaraza
Member
The_Hitcher89
Member
Great move if true. Either he lights a fire under Evra's arse and you get a brilliant left-back, or he displaces Evra and you've got a brilliant left-back anyway
Vivalaraza
Member
We were close to signing him, he was thinking about it and them BAM, Madrid. Sucks. I guess we wouldn't have signed Phil Jones if we got Varane so we did get a good player still but Varane really does look fantastic.
Meus Renaissance
Member
We were close to signing him, he was thinking about it and them BAM, Madrid. Sucks. I guess we wouldn't have signed Phil Jones if we got Varane so we did get a good player still but Varane really does look fantastic.
Oh damn, had no idea he was linked to United. :x Hope Jones works out well for you guys, though.
FootballFan
Member
^^Yawn
-Ronaldo----------------Robben
---------------Messi-------------
----iniesta-------------Xavi-----
--------------Yaya---------------
Abidal---Silva---Vidic----Alves
--------------Neuer---------------
Though I think Puyol could be in there or Valdes/Casillas. Can't think of any really good left-backs at the moment. Abidal, Marcelo...
Forgot about Schweini, he could go into that Yaya spot
Mine would be:
-Ronaldo----------------Robben
---------------Messi-------------
----iniesta-------------Xavi-----
--------------Yaya---------------
Abidal---Silva---Vidic----Alves
--------------Neuer---------------
Though I think Puyol could be in there or Valdes/Casillas. Can't think of any really good left-backs at the moment. Abidal, Marcelo...
Forgot about Schweini, he could go into that Yaya spot
Vivalaraza
Member
Pep's reply was pretty good. Said he couldn't comment on that but he could speak about Zlatan's performances against Inter in 2010.
FootballFan
Member
Lol perfect reply. Wish the reporter replied to him with that.
José Mourinho
cocknose
Fortunately I was out and missed all the Barcelona madness (hate the sods). Hilarious reading back and watching their supporters use excuses like, "we were due two pens in the first leg" as if in the world of dodgy decisions Barcelona haven't got the lions share.
Uggh please footyfan, you seem to be ready for one of those topic gaga vs madonna or aguilera vs britney. Just enjoy your robbed match as Milan enjoyed theirs in the first leg, silently.
No need to whine if someone points out the obvious.
Of course you would say that. You hate the sods.
These kinds of posts are helping no one, by the way.
José Mourinho
cocknose
But what if I grew to hate them due to extreme amount of bad decisions that go their way? Rather than what you're assuming, which is that I hate them, and therefore incorrectly and subjectively assume they get the decisions.
Edit: and just because I dislike them, doesn't make my assessment any less true. I hate MUFC and I hate how they score last minute goals, but that's how you win leagues and I respect that. I don't respect Barcelona and their referee chums.
i just looked it up out of curiosity and cissokho wasn't playing, nor on the bench, in the lyon-lille match fergie went to.
would love a new left back though.
I know, but this topic is full of people actually TALKING about football, I enjoy reading it even if I post only when my team plays. And I wouldn't like this to become the stardard discussion, an infinite NO U cycle.
Again, I'm sorry, I'll vanish immediately.
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