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I'm particularly upset that my Shaqiri song may now be lost to posterity.
Barcelona were lucky to draw. Valdes should have been sent off in the first half, he did a UFC-style flying knee to the head of a Copenhagen attacker.
I vote we keep this thread. I am fed up with switching to new threads and so on while the basketball thread goes on unabated. We have kept this civil, on-topic and alive for a year now. I see no reason to change.
*Spelling edit.
Agree.
Meanwhile, did anyone see the Werder Bremen debacle? That team pisses me off, and this after falling in love during the Sampdoria game that got them in the group stage and all. Now there's a team that can't handle playing both league and Europe.
I don't really care about having new threads, though there is something enjoyable about coming back to this thread and remembering how many of the 100+ pages of it I've posted on, and all the great games it's covered. But if there's some reason it's better for the site to break things up into smaller threads, I'm okay with it.
That said, it does gall a bit that there is this significant effort to get us to make new threads all the time while the basketball one continues on. Has there ever been an explanation of this?
The only thing I can think of is that a few people have complained about this thread among the regular primates, probably because they dislike soccer. It's just another reason to keep this going in my book.
Anyway, a couple of questions:
Why can't continental teams handle Bale? I mean, he's good in the EPL but he doesn't scorch teams like he does against European opponents.
Has anyone ever studied whether it's better for the keeper to throw the ball to a back and build up play from teh back or if it's better for the keeper to just kick the ball forward where you ahve about a 50-50 chance of retaining posession in the opponent's half? Is the more dangerous starting position worth the increased loss of posession?
Surely it depends on your general approach to the game, no?
I know Bale has done it against other teams, but I think the bigger question from yesterday is whether Maicon is toast (either temporary toast or long-lasting permanent toast), especially on the defensive side. He has looked doughy and only occasionally interested throughout Serie A this season.
As for Bale, we're talking a pretty tiny sample size, no? Is it that continental teams can't handle Bale, or is it that he's had a few good games in the Champions League this season?
Obviously it's SSS, but he's run right past the backs he's faced against European teams while EPL teams slow him down and, in some cases, stop him cold. The RB for Twente was helpless against Bale, too and I haven't seen him do that to an English team yet, even the shitty ones. I mean, he's had great games in England, but he hasn't humiliated anyone, either. I just find it odd.
Because of this it may be that the English teams are simply better equipped both in skill and tactics to deal with an onrushing winger where the European teams have focused their defensive strategies on protecting the middle and pushing people outside.
IN other words, styles make the fight.
Everton contained Bale by having Neville play very deep and pushing Coleman and Heitinga over to help out whenever possible. It helped that Neville gave an excellent individual performance as well. United contained Bale by sticking Rafael on him, who is pretty darned quick himself, so Bale wasn't able to just bull rush his way around and past the defender.
Inter don't have any defenders with the legs to keep up with Bale, especially deep into the game. His stamina is just as dangerous as his pace, really. He's got the engine to be going full pelt even after 70-80 minutes of getting up and down that left flank like a greyhound. It could be that the English fullbacks he's up against are somewhat fitter than their European counterparts and so Bale isn't able to leave them for dead in the last 15-20 minutes of a match.
Also, and then I'll shut up about yesterday's awesomeness, it's nice having Luka back!
Just about any other game, and his would've been a MotM worthy performance. He was awesome like a ninja. Bale was like an atom bomb.
EDIT: Setting aside the praise for a moment, I think it is important to recognize that Maicon did indeed look a little sluggish, as frannyzoo noted. Bale was sensational, but we shouldn't get too carried away. Inter as a unit were pretty poor (hardly any pressing from them when they were chasing the game, which I found staggering) and were also missing their main shutdown trio in midfield: Cambiasso, Stankovic, and Thiago Motta.
Glad tidings to Alou as well on the San Francisco Baseball Giants' championship season.
Liverham Tottenpool. Come on you Reds!
Fantastic!
I would take this to suggest Woy's days are numbered.
Three 0-0 draws out of 7 games this morning in England, BTW. Not a great showing for the Most Exciting League in the World (TM).
Goal for Stuart Holden, too. His first for Bolton, I think?
I do have a much higher tolerance for defenses which sit back and absorb, I suppose. But even accounting for that there was a decent amount of excitement, I thought.
I don't really get what all the fuss is about on the supposed penalty in the opening couple minutes. If that's a penalty then there are 20 penalties every game. Which, to be fair, might technically be true.
Samir Nasri's goals this weekend were fantastic. I was in France (Strasbourg) when he signed with Arsenal. I couldn't tell whether it was really a big deal or not, but he did make the news that night. Does he get much play for France's national team?
They've wanted to fire him since they hired him, it seems. Who will be the replacement? One of the usual suspects?
Bobby Robson of course. Only a legend will do. (Though they may be saving him for a time of great peril.)
Oh, most definitely. In my mind, his departure was rolled up in the "World Cup debacle". Which was, admittedly, probably not all that clear to people other than me.
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