Futebol

Pete Best wrote: A good FA Cup run would do Moyes wonders.

  


The answer to Jasper's Q is

De Gea

Evra
Fabio
Vidic
Jones

Carrick
Fletcher*
Valencia
Janazaj

Rooney
Van Persie

* this would have to be a very impressive recovery from injury to be fair.

Which shows that Man Utd might have though about buying a #8 or #4 in the past 8 years they might not be as shite.

You could put Fellani and Kagawa in the team but would have to be at the expense of Rooney.

i agree with that teamsheet almost 100%. not sure about the relative quality of Fabio vs Rafael when they're both fully fit. i like Valencia/Januzaj as the wingers as you've selected. Valencia makes runs into touch on the right, Januzaj cuts inside from the left.

you still end up with a boxy & static 4-4-2, no creativity in the middle of the field and a suspect central defensive pairing.

i still find it unbelievable that Mancini managed to lose the title last season.

Mancini isn't a very good manager, Chelsea changed boss in season and Arsenal hadn't quite clicked.

Man Utd. didn't have an outstanding squad last year, rode their luck with the amounts of shots the defence was allowing (has caught up with them this year) and Van Persie meant their own shot conversation was very high. It was a short term sticking plaster that worked very, very well.

With last year being one of Rooney's quieter ones he has after a tournament (or once he's signed a new contract) I'd say they were almost as reliant on him as Spurs were on Bale.

Worth noting that Man Utd didn't get that many points in 2010/1 when they won league either.

This is like watching one of those massive elephants in Lord of The Rings die from all those arrow wounds. For those of us that can't stand Man Utd. this has been 20 years in the making and it is fucking awesome.

jasperness wrote:i agree with that teamsheet almost 100%. not sure about the relative quality of Fabio vs Rafael when they're both fully fit. i like Valencia/Januzaj as the wingers as you've selected. Valencia makes runs into touch on the right, Januzaj cuts inside from the left.

you still end up with a boxy & static 4-4-2, no creativity in the middle of the field and a suspect central defensive pairing.

.

No creativity is the fault of their own transfer policy since 2005. Maybe if they weren't spending £50m on debt payments each year they could have bought some central midfielders to replace Scholes, which is what they are crying out for. The likes of Modric post Spurs would have been ideal as well. someone who can act as a carrier, not just a classic #4 or #8 role. They absolutely have to play Carrick to take control of the game in the centre but they don't have anyone who can offset that, keep the wingers and the two forwards. When I see their team sheet with no RVP and Giggs and Cleverly in the centre I just laugh.

Top of their summer shopping list, if not injured or signing new contracts; Khedira or Schweinsteiger.

Phil Jones could do the Mascherano DMC in the back four one day there, probably not with Moyes as boss though.

Pete Best wrote:This is like watching one of those massive elephants in Lord of The Rings die from all those arrow wounds. For those of us that can't stand Man Utd. this has been 20 years in the making and it is fucking awesome.

or the death of Boromoyes



i just imagine Moyes on the sidelines at Old Trafford, unable to hear anything except the faint hum of orchestral music and Gregorian chants, scanning the pitch in slow motion with his beady eyes darting back and forth, turning around and seeing Sir Alex up in the stands as everything turns to black

each of the arrows in Boromir's chest represents another home defeat

Pete Best wrote:No creativity is the fault of their own transfer policy since 2005. Maybe if they weren't spending £50m on debt payments each year they could have bought some central midfielders to replace Scholes, which is what they are crying out for. The likes of Modric post Spurs would have been ideal as well. someone who can act as a carrier, not just a classic #4 or #8 role. They absolutely have to play Carrick to take control of the game in the centre but they don't have anyone who can offset that, keep the wingers and the two forwards. When I see their team sheet with no RVP and Giggs and Cleverly in the centre I just laugh.

Top of their summer shopping list, if not injured or signing new contracts; Khedira or Schweinsteiger.

Phil Jones could do the Mascherano DMC in the back four one day there, probably not with Moyes as boss though.

So many good thoughts in this post!

The collapse of the United transfer infrastructure is incredibly satisfying as an Arsenal fan because it does a little bit to further justify our financial model. United never sells players at a profit, whether key or fringe players. A club like Arsenal would have gotten a double digit transfer fee for a player like Anderson years ago. I still consider United extremely lucky to have gotten RvP for the price they did.

I still rate Modric as one of the top 5 central midfielders in the world. He is a unique and special player. I think, like Bale, he was just keen on Madrid which is why other teams didn't pursue him. He could step into almost any team in Europe.

Cleverly is an embarrassment for a club with United's ambition. He's simply a mediocre all-around midfielder. United already has too many all-around players and not enough specialists. I would almost rather go with Evans/Vidic in defense and Jones in midfield than give Cleverly more starts.

Early returns are that Schweiny will probably sign an extension right? Khedira is an interesting option, especially with the way Real turns over players. With Modric-Alonso-Illara-Isco-Casemiro, they might move on. I think United need both the runner/bruiser midfielder in Khedira and another central midfielder who is more of a playmaker like Herrera.

Robbie Savage, a man who knows plenty about not being good enough for Man United, opines

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25665649

Think he is too harsh on Valencia and too easy on Kagawa but broadly in line with what we have been saving in here.

jasperness wrote:
The collapse of the United transfer infrastructure is incredibly satisfying as an Arsenal fan because it does a little bit to further justify our financial model.

People will obviously point to the fact that it is a financial model that has produced no silverware in a little under a decade.

That said, the funds previously paying for the Emirates should now be redirected towards Ozil-tier talent, thus addressing the silverware issue, vindicating the longterm sustainability model etc.

fingers crossed

thinking about getting a haircut today, can't decide if i wanna go full Giroud, the half-Giroud (Ramsey), or keep my flowing Rosickys

Arsenal on a Monday!

i have been enjoying Cazorla's uptick in form over the past few weeks. still haven't seen the best from him this season.

In the first half of this match Aston Villa:

-Received a yellow card within the first minute of the match
-Got a Nathan Baker concussed by a Serge Gnabry shot from the edge of the box
-Had a 3v2 break multiple times without putting a shot on goal
-Watched Ozil turn the ball over at least 5 times
-Conceded two goals inside of a minute

Can you imagine the gash on display at the Balon'Dor ceremony?

the only football gash on my mind today Nick is of these two presenters (?) from the opening ceremony at yesterday's Benfica v Porto clash, especially the one on the right



the game was great as well. i obviously don't know Eusebio as a player but the atmosphere was tremendous and every player in the Eusebio jersey was a nice touch. i love the Serbians at Benfica and especially Markovic.

jasperness wrote:i love the Serbians at Benfica and especially Markovic.

Matic back to Chelsea for £20 million+   

this only confirms to me that the Chelsea brass think Mikel is as terrible as i do. Mikel is a one trick pony defensive stopper that lacks the concentration or intelligence to play the holding role he is built for. relegating him behind Ramires and Matic (and even Luiz in midfield) is for the best.

i hate what Chelsea is doing in terms of their absurd loan structure and basically holding on to four entire squads of Premier League quality players (first team, reserves, youth team, and loaned players). i'm sure most of you in-the-know people are aware of what's going on at Vitesse Arnhem this season. it's smart and totally legal, but unfortunate for the neutral as these young players could be developing much better with more playing time in smaller leagues or at smaller clubs.

Chelsea is a despicable club and all the American fans that are suddenly hardcore Chelsea supporters are equally despicable.

there's a socially retarded dude at work who used to support QPR but switched to Chelsea during the Abramovich era.

Everybody takes the piss out of him for it. His response to Arsenal fans is "Champions League". His repose to Liverpool fans is "Premier League". Some of the most depressing human interaction I've seen (outside of crack dens).

i've been surrounded by Los Angeles Lakers fans my entire life, the worst people on the planet. West Coast American glory hunters will go on about Kobe's "rings" non-stop.

i can't stand it that i am now rooting for Ivanovic AND Matic on this stupid fucking Chelsea team.

I've just received my away Chelsea ticket with a note on it saying "Persistent standing not allowed". I feel sorry for their home support.

A girl I work with has a husband who is a Chelsea fan so I make fun of him and she Gchats him all shit I talk.

The other day he said Abramovich had nothing to do with his becoming a fan. He said "Chelsea just have really good marketing to American sport fans."

This guy would get his ass kicked in a London pub, right?

Also, this same dude hates Van Halen.

Nick wrote:The other day he said Abramovich had nothing to do with his becoming a fan. He said "Chelsea just have really good marketing to American sport fans."

this is just willfully oblivious. obliviousness is what Chelsea Football Club are all about though. they manufacture that false "siege mentality" and act like it's them against the world when they're maybe the biggest club in the world.

i think its stupid to pretend as a fan that you weren't drawn to Chelsea because they are successful and are likely to be a prominent club in world football for the foreseeable future. that's a good reason to like a team! it raises the stakes for you as a viewer. there's no reason for an American to support a club like Portsmouth, for example. you just can't go turn around and feel like you're entitled to be a dick about their success because you bought in late in the game (i don't even enjoy this aspect of sports among people who have been lifetime fans of something).

i started following Arsenal because they have a cool cannon logo, an old French dude as their manager, and a bunch of continentals with funny haircuts and technical playing styles. that's not really any better reason than glory hunting, but it is honest.

would definitely like to see him as an Arsenal player this month or this summer:

He's going to be far too good for Arsenal in about three years so if you can get three years out of him starting now consider that a blessing.

I'm expecting De Bruyne to rejoin Chelsea in 2016 for £34m. The laughable thjing about Magic is he has been brought in competition for Luiz.

Pete Best wrote:He's going to be far too good for Arsenal in about three years so if you can get three years out of him starting now consider that a blessing.

that's why i'm not sure it would be the worst thing to overpay for him in January. this kid could be a 80+ million pound footballer in a few years, it's not the worst thing to overpay now and get that back when he won't sign a new contract and wants to go to Munich.

what you don't want is PSG or Real Madrid sniffing around at him in the summer and losing him to a European rival while haggling over 5 million pounds. i think that the German contingent Arsenal have and a German speaking manager would be really attractive for a young, developing player who figures to be a national team fixture.

Pete Best wrote:I'm expecting De Bruyne to rejoin Chelsea in 2016 for £34m. The laughable thjing about Magic is he has been brought in competition for Luiz.

wouldn't be shocked about De Bruyne returning after the World Cup, but with players like Atsu, Piazon, Marin, Kakuta, van Ginkel, Traore, etc in the pipeline he might still be blocked after the old guard depart.

i guess i was being somewhat facetious about the Chelsea management agreeing with me about Mikel. though this is the same club that thought Michael Essien (who looks waaaay over the hill to me) would be a contributing squad player for them in a Premier League title race. i would like to think that Matic will start over Mikel/Lampard/Essien, but nothing is guaranteed.

Pete Best wrote:thjing

is he a bright, young, Dutch footballer? :cutie: