• Registration is disabled due to constant spammers. Email [email protected] and we will temporarily re-enable registration for you.

2016-17 Club Soccer (UCL, EL, Libertadores, CCL & Domestic Leagues)

goblue96

Disney and Curling Expert


offside_flag.jpg
 

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
So...any ideas on who's coaching Barcelona next year? Cause I have no clue. Shit, just give Xavi the job.

I think Juventus is the favorite to win it but I'd love to see a Monaco-Atletico final since neither has won it before.

FWIW if Juventus wins, at least Buffon would finally win the UCL and Dani Alves gets another one. They deserved to advance.
 
Last edited:

DeadMan

aka spiker or DeadMong
Buffon hasn't won the UCL? That's pretty hard to believe. But I guess since Juventus more or less wandered the desert for a couple of years after 2006, it makes sense.
 

DeadMan

aka spiker or DeadMong
I know it's correct. It's just hard to believe with his career. But then I forget that Juventus were shitty from 2007-2011, and shitty in Europe until 2015. With how good they are right now, it's hard to believe is really all I'm saying.
 

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
Oh I know.

Even with the Chinese money on both sides of Milan now, I don't see anyone stopping Juventus in Serie A anytime soon. They were the first big club to own their stadium and that has been the big game changer.

I do miss good Internazionale and Milan teams though.
 

DeadMan

aka spiker or DeadMong
Oh I know.

Even with the Chinese money on both sides of Milan now, I don't see anyone stopping Juventus in Serie A anytime soon. They were the first big club to own their stadium and that has been the big game changer.

I do miss good Internazionale and Milan teams though.

Dollars to donuts the Milan sale is a scam and/or that it ends up with Berlusconi back in charge. Inter is probably the real threat, but they seem to be a mess, too. I don't see Juventus' dominance ending anytime soon.
 

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
I think Inter's Plan A is get Diego Simeone once he leaves Atletico after next season. There's is no Plan B.

Barcelona's board is already unpopular among most fans and selling Neymar will guarantee them not being re-elected. They've made some really awful buys such as Douglas (not even Barcelona B quality), Vidal (can't stay healthy), Mathieu (Valencia bargain bin), Vermaelen (see Vidal), Turan (his best position does not exist at Barcelona, I said this when he was signed), Andre Gomes (square pass master) and Paco Alcacer (see Mathieu).

In retrospect, signing Cesc Fabregas hurt Barcelona more than it helped. Tito Villanova playing Fabregas instead of Thiago late in the season with the title already won to match Real Madrid's 100 point total the season before meant that Thiago didn't meet his playing time quota thus his buy out went down to an amount Bayern could easily afford. Barcelona could really use Thiago right now.

The year after, with Messi injured, Tata Martino decided to put Fabregas at false nine instead of Alexis Sanchez which meant 0-0 became a very common scoreline during that period and probably cost Barcelona the title and forced Sanchez out of the club. Admittedly, Luis Suarez doesn't come here if Sanchez stays, but the money used to get Suarez probably could have been used to get a Verratti, Cuadrado, etc.

It also doesn't help that Luis Enrique has basically abandoned La Masia. Granted a generation of Xavi, Puyol, Messi, Pique and Iniesta are once in a lifetime and incredibly hard to replace but Barcelona has pretty much loaned out anyone of promise during Luis Enrique's reign (Bartra, Deulofeu, Sergi Samper, Halilovic, Munir, Tello). Only Sergi Roberto has gotten playing time but he is being played out of position at RB.

Just looking at the ages of the starting eleven shows that Barcelona need to make some moves over the summer:

Ter Stegen (24)
Sergi Roberto (25)/Vidal (27)
Pique (30)
Umtiti (23)/Mascherano (32)
Alba (28)
Busquets (28, but an old 28)
Rakitic (29, but an old 29)
Iniesta (32)
Messi (29)
Suarez (30)
Neymar (25)

Only Ter Stegen, Umtiti and Neymar can I see being locks in the starting 11 five years from now.
 
Last edited:

kella

Low IQ fat ass with depression and anxiety
Staff member
Administrator
Operations
Busquets had that old man game when he was 23 :laughing:
 

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
Europa League semifinalists:

Ajax, Celta, Lyon and Manchester United.

Doesn't look like any of these team will qualify for the UCL from their leagues so this should be interesting.
 

goblue96

Disney and Curling Expert
Ajax are a point behind Feyenoord for 1st place with three games remaining. There's a chance Ajax could pass them.
 

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
Ajax are a point behind Feyenoord for 1st place with three games remaining. There's a chance Ajax could pass them.

I know it's Feyenoord and anything is possible, but PSV - Ajax this weekend is huge.

The draws:

Real Madrid - Atletico
Monaco - Juventus

Celta - Manchester United
Ajax - Lyon
 

kella

Low IQ fat ass with depression and anxiety
Staff member
Administrator
Operations
The dude who bombed the Dortmund bus was trying to short the stock.

No, seriously
 

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
Well, the Clasico was good I guess.

Don't forget Sergi Roberto's run out of the back to set up Messi's winner. Hope he gets a chance in midfield next year.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
Sigh.

Ajax title hopes go up in smoke.
Meh-- I'm not too upset about it. Bosz has them playing so much like Ajax than De Boer ever did. I saw a stat scoring is about the same but chances have gone up from 12 to 15 per game and forward passes are up 80-100 per match. They also got rid of some older guys I don't think were ever good and replaced them with much better players. Barring something insane they'll still get a chance to get into the CL via the playoffs.

Still being alive in the Europa League helps as well. Feyenoord was just too good this season. Ajax should end up with about 80 points and that's usually good enough. The points Ajax lost early at home while adjusting to this new system killed them. But I think long term was needed to change the mentality and tactics. I just hope they can hold onto Bosz for the long haul.
 

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
Quick question. Did Univision Deportes stop showing Eredivisie games? Tried to catch the PSV-Ajax game but couldn't find it.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
They are no where. Some strange app bought the rights for last and this year. The app folded sometime last year so this year no one has them English wise and I haven't seen them on any Spanish TV.

When I've been able to watch, I've just gone to the Reddit for soccer streams which is very hit and miss.
 

kella

Low IQ fat ass with depression and anxiety
Staff member
Administrator
Operations
You don't have to bump a thread that had activity 30min ago
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
Damn Ajax looked good... this is greedy too but they were so wasteful late. It almost looked like the attackers were exhausted by all of the sprinting they did.

4-1 is a fantastic result but the tie isn't over yet.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
I think we've got a match in Madrid... Real isn't great at defending and might need an away goal. Athetlico in all out attack mode.
 
Top