Football thread 14

[Alcibiades]

Callibander,

Perhaps it was a mistake for me to generalize from my experience with Manchester United fans. For that I apologize. It has been my experience however.

And I do think Liverpool were clearly superior on the day. Manchester United, I believe, only had three attempts on goal (if you include the Valencia shot off the crossbar). The other efforts were rather meek.

[Lord Baelish]

Man Utd have been pretty poor for weeks now. They were lucky to escape with 4 points from the home games with Sunderland and Bolton. 1 point was really all they deserved. Against Liverpool, they finally came up against a team with the quality to expose their frailties.

Let's hope Barnsley can do the same tonight. :P

[Fireball07]

Fuck off penalties. :angry: :angry: :angry:

:bang:

[The Iceman of the North]

I get cup bombs were a top team fail to score against a hard working team from down the divisions who'll score a goal on a counter attack, but how can Real Madrid lose 4:0 against a 3rd division team? Granted they have the return match to fix this, but they failed at that last year.

[Jon AS]

I think the Copa del Rey just doesn't have a very high priority for Real Madrid. Both Barca and Athletic Bilbao have won it more often than they have.

I remember a few years ago when I managed to catch a game between Zaragoza and Madrid on TV that ended 6-1 for Zaragoza. That was a lot of fun with Diego Milito and Ewerthon humiliating Real's defense. IIRC they almost turned it around in the second leg but were a goal short.

ETA: Incidentally, with Stuttgart and Dortmund two more 1st Bundesliga teams were eliminated from the German cup by lower league teams yesterday. And since either Frankfurt or Bayern will go out tonight as well, there'll be at most four top flight teams in the quarter finals. I can't see Schalke, Hoffenheim or Werder lose to a lower league team as they're all in pretty good form at the moment, but you never know...

[Fireball07]

I get cup bombs were a top team fail to score against a hard working team from down the divisions who'll score a goal on a counter attack, but how can Real Madrid lose 4:0 against a 3rd division team? Granted they have the return match to fix this, but they failed at that last year.

Real Madrid's defence is shit. There is no avoiding that fact. They are rubbish, they can't defend, and anyone with decent tactics can exploit that very easily.

Sometimes their attacking power can save them, other times it can't. Yesterday it couldn't.

[Mme Erzulie]

Calibandar - the ref clearly favoured Liverpool? Can you supply some stats or other evidence in support of this?

[polishgenius]

Calibandar - the ref clearly favoured Liverpool? Can you supply some stats or other evidence in support of this?

Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United. :P

[Ser Howsmelly]

Up the Arsenal! (Go Merida)

[H von T]

Up the Arsenal! (Go Merida)

It was good to see Simon LeBon score for the Arse as well!

[DJDonegal]

Oh yeah Arsenal. :)

So Celtic, it keeps going wrong ey? Out of the cup now as well. :/

[Renasko]

Considering how the game went, I don't think 'it keeps going wrong', especially when we're sitting top of our domestic table. Sure, it's not nice to be knocked out of the cup, but it's not going to have any serious affect on the management of the club or players.

[DJDonegal]

I know you hit the post and the bar, but it's a results business and you lost, so something didn't go right. And you've only won one of your last six games, so things do "keep going wrong".

[Black Wizard]

Celtic have failed to win any of their last 4 home games, and with Celtic you're always one game away from a crisis.

That was a fantastic match last night though. :) Hearts were actually having a go for once. Even Christian Nade was working hard! You know you have problems when he's the difference between the teams for most of the match.

And to cap it off McManus got sent off. :)

[Mme Erzulie]

Watching the Carling Cup tie yesterday, I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. When I saw the teams, I was dreading a proper drubbing, and was pleased that they put up as much of a fight as they did. Some horrible defending on both sides, but both teams had an attacking mindset, and that led to a very watchable and entertaining game.

Observations:

Voronin: I never realised how small he is before. He's practically pint-sized! He still makes Kuyt look lethal in front of goal, and he basically hands possession over to Arsenal on the first goal, but I'll give him this: he's quite good with the 5-a-side kind of short passing.

Kyrgiakos: I pray that we will never have to play him in the first team again. Woe is him.

Skrtel: Very dodgy performance. Instead of putting pressure on Agger or Carragher, he basically assured their place in the starting line-up.

Ngog: Showing some promise. Seems to have the ability to get past people when they think he's lost possession.

Babel: Dear me. How did he miss that sitter? Just poke it with your left foot, mate.

Insua: Great goal, still gets caught out offensively.

Plessis: Very careful, didn't take any risks, played a lot of backward passes.

Aquilani: Good to see him getting his first team debut. Looked like class. A couple of long passes very reminiscent of Alonso. Positioned himself very deep.

Degen: Very willing to go forward, but seems to lack the quality to convert his runs into goalscoring chances. Also seems like a bit of a dick (if not as much as Bendtner)?

Kuyt: The best Liverpool defender last night. That sounds wrong, and it should.

Arsenal: They have such a wealth of young talent. Their passing game is often close to sublime, and equally often very high-risk. I really admire and commend Arsene Wenger for his footballing philosophy and outlook. It's almost hard to remember we used to call this team Boring, Boring Arsenal.

[Mme Erzulie]

Oh, and forgot to mention: Liverpool were robbed of a clear penalty when Aquilani's overhead kick was blocked by both of Senderos' hands. How much whining about referees have you heard from Benitez?

ETA: On a side-note, I ran into Jay Spearing in Zara and Marouane Fellaini in Tesco today.

[Lord Baelish]

ETA: On a side-note, I ran into ... Marouane Fellaini in Tesco today.

Did you stroke his hair? If not, why not?

Arsenal were great last night and Liverpool weren't very far behind them. Merida's goal (and Insua's) was a touch of pure class. Wenger had better tie him to a long-term contract quick. In Merida and Ramsey, I'd say he has a couple of very good understudies for Fabregas. And that isn't even mentioning Wilshere. Eastmond did a great job in the centre of the pitch too, considering he's only 18 and making his debut.

[mormont]

That was a fantastic match last night though. :) Hearts were actually having a go for once. Even Christian Nade was working hard! You know you have problems when he's the difference between the teams for most of the match.

:stunned:

I didn't see the game, unfortunately, but since Nade's usual definition of 'working hard' is jogging to the centre circle before kick-off it sounds like I missed a once-in-a-lifetime event.

[Black Wizard]

:stunned:

I didn't see the game, unfortunately, but since Nade's usual definition of 'working hard' is jogging to the centre circle before kick-off it sounds like I missed a once-in-a-lifetime event.

In the first minute he got into the penalty area, side-stepped a defender, was one-on-one with Judas Zaluska and his shot was half a shot, half a pass and Hinkel cleared it. He used with size to hustle the defence a couple of times in the first half and won the penalty which won the match. The highlight are on the BBC's site.

[Calibandar]

Oh, and forgot to mention: Liverpool were robbed of a clear penalty when Aquilani's overhead kick was blocked by both of Senderos' hands. How much whining about referees have you heard from Benitez?

Don't know, haven't seen it. Surprised it wasn't the pitch this time around that caused the Liverpool defeat.

Arsenal do have an amazing side of youngsters, but they do have trouble breaking into the first team and become really top class players. I'd never heard of this Merida before, I thought he was Vela ( who wasn't playing again, injured again perhaps).