Football: A Feast for Forwards

[ljkeane]

He's been amazing. A giant.

Yeah but he's still basically doing what he's always been good at; reading the game well and making tackles/interceptions. Which is fine but he's still 4 feet tall, which you'd think would be a problem at some point playing centre back.

[Renasko]

Lionel Messi is the world's best player by SUCH a huge margin. Unbelievable.

Poor man's Paddy McCourt. ;)

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

I was watching a Spanish feed. Anyone know what happened after Marcelo's dirty tackle? How'd Ozil get involved?

[Black Wizard]

Poor man's Paddy McCourt. ;)

Is he able to complete ninety minutes yet?

[BLU-RAY]

By the way, I just wanted to mention it's been really gratifying to see folks like Bill Simmons (one of the most-read "sportswriters" in the US, though he's not a reporter; he writes columns from a "fan's" perspective, and is sometimes witty, sometimes smart and incisive, sometimes a pretentious bore, and often a Boston homer) go from essentially mocking soccer four years ago to tweeting things like "Barca-RM is the best rivalry in sports" today.

It's been somewhat less gratifying to see Chelsea open the season with a draw away to Stoke. #@%!

[Jon AS]

I was watching a Spanish feed. Anyone know what happened after Marcelo's dirty tackle? How'd Ozil get involved?

Yeah, what the fuck happened there? Just after I'd extolled the virtues of Mesut Özil he gets himself sent off after having already been substituted. Clearly the club is a bad influence on the kid.

And Mourinho grabbed someone by the ear? And all this over a ridiculously clear red card?

Ugly ending to a great game of football.

[baxus]

And Mourinho grabbed someone by the ear? And all this over a ridiculously clear red card?

and apparently, got what he deserved for what he's done.

EDIT:

i dislike mourinho more and more every season, great coach but not as great sportsman.

also, it's nice to see fabregas win a trophy :)

[Mme Erzulie]

Yeah but he's still basically doing what he's always been good at; reading the game well and making tackles/interceptions. Which is fine but he's still 4 feet tall, which you'd think would be a problem at some point playing centre back.

I'm sure he'd struggle against Carroll, but yesterday, he was outstanding. I realised I'd forgotten what a world class player he is, and how much we miss him and Alonso in our team.

I'll definitely be tuning into every other Classico this season. That was unbelievably entertaining.

CRonaldo is an amazing specimen of a human being, with speed, technique and ball control bordering on the incredible, but he's just not a team player. It's all about him. And in the second half, Barca's defence controlled him completely.

And Marcelo should have had a red card for his "hidden" fly kick on Messi (I think?) earlier in the match.

I'm not a Barcelona fan, but watching the two teams as a neutral spectator, it doesn't take long to discover which team you're rooting for.

Was great to see Barca just turn it on again after Real got the scrappy 2-2 goal. The commentators were saying that Barca hadn't really been able to create much in the second half. Clearly, that was not from not being able.

[BigFatCoward]

beautiful back heel from pique as well for the second.

[mormont]

Mourinho speaks:

"Marcelo got a red card because we all know what happens after tackles in certain areas of the pitch."

"It was a spectacular game from the first to last minute. But from the first minute of the second half, and I don't criticise it because I know people do it, the ball boys hid the balls. It happens with small teams when they find themselves in difficulties."

And on the ear-pinch:

"I have been polite and played like a man and not fallen to the ground at the first touch. I don't know who Vilanova is."

I say 'speaks'. 'Sulks' is more accurate. Shortly after this I imagine he went home and told his mum how it's just not fair and they were all picking on him because he's such a great manager and they're just jealous, before punching his teddy bear and demanding hot chocolate with marshmallows.

[Slick Mongoose]

Who cares about Mourinho, the big game is tonight. ;)

[mormont]

Who cares about Mourinho, the big game is tonight. ;)

Pfft. A formality. Agent Jordan has already nobbled your midfield. And Vlad picked the team himself! How can we lose? :P

[Jon AS]

"I have been polite and played like a man and not fallen to the ground at the first touch. I don't know who Vilanova is."

:rofl:

Because ear pinching is clearly the way real men settle differences. Pah, I say if Mourinho was really hardcore, he'd have gone for hair pulling.

[polishgenius]

Yeah, what the fuck happened there? Just after I'd extolled the virtues of Mesut Özil he gets himself sent off after having already been substituted. Clearly the club is a bad influence on the kid.

In fairness to Ozil, what apparently happened from what I can see is that while he was doing what everyone else as doing, no more vociferously and perhaps actually trying to keep the peace, Villa slapped him across the face. At which point Ozil quite understandably lost it.

There's no excuse for that tackle or Madrid's general petulance, but it never takes more than five minutes for Sergio Biscuits to remind me why I always end up rooting for whoever Barca are playing, even when it's Real. They've just got so many wankers.

[Jon AS]

There's no excuse for that tackle or Madrid's general petulance, but it never takes more than five minutes for Sergio Biscuits to remind me why I always end up rooting for whoever Barca are playing, even when it's Real. They've just got so many wankers.

I feel similarly about Real. Just looking at Mourinho and the band of thugs they deploy regularly, I just can't help but root against them.

[polishgenius]

Don't get me wrong, I think if someone kneecapped Sergio Ramos they'd be doing a service to the game, because at some point he's going to cripple somebody. If I had any say I'd ban him for life just on principle, he belongs with animals like Chris Morgan, Cristian Poulsen, Ben Thatcher and Stephen fucking Hunt.

But players like Busquets and Alves get on my tits so much and there's an air of holier-than-thou smugness about the whole Barca setup that sets my teeth on edge. Real have a few scumbags but I'd much rather someone like Ozil or Hugain or Casillas than anyone who plays for Barca.

Even yesterday; Guardiola in fairness to him says both sides need to take responsibility for the fact that every game seems to end in a mass brawl, and Fabregas actually played down the tackle on him that started the whole thing off, but then you've got Pique (who I don't normally mind) saying things like "There is talk about the Catalans, but the problem is with Madrid" as if it didn't take two to tango. And Xavi coming out with guff like "The image of Real Madrid is pathetic!… [Marcelo's tackle on Cesc] was a criminal and bestial foul. We try to play football."

That said, Mourinho needs a serious-length touchline ban, because trying to gouge someone's eye is just not on.

[Black Wizard]

Jose Mourinho is no Neil Lennon.

What sort of side are Tottenham likely to field this evening? We all know that Harry is not the biggest fan of this competition plus King, Gallas, Hutton, Sandro, Jenas, Modric and Huddlestone are all unavailable due to injuries (that's not like Spurs at all). Rafa VDV should be available so that should mean seventy minutes of him dictating the game before he gets taken off.

Hopefully Spurs don't get an early goal as I fear that may cause Hearts do a 'Scottish team in Europe' i.e. collapse. What the tie needs is a traditional Spurs defensive performance (i.e. don't) to give Hearts a chance.

You're missing a trick here mormont. Spurs have been forced into staying in a St. Andrews hotel because of the Edinburgh festival. Maybe it's time to replicate the events of May 2006. Just pop along to their hotel, slip something in the soup and bobs-your-uncle.

[lessthanluke]

I'm going to join polishgenius in the Barca hate. I reallllyyy hope they lose every time I watch them.

[Alcibiades]

I love the way Barca play, but I can't stand the way they act like their shit doesn't smell.

[Horus Ex Machina]

Just watched it on DVR bc I was too sick yesterday to watch: OMG finally, finally, finally, an American club has won in Mexico.

FC Dallas 1, UNAM Pumas 0.

Amazing work from MLS as we've qualified all of our teams so far, we've won all of our group stage matches so far and just came off of a year when we went to our first final. We've improved in this competition every season and this time I think we will win it. Mexico's dominance is about to end. They need to start to take us seriously now. USA, USA!

::Note:: Upon further research this is actually only the second American club to win in Mexico but the first MLS club. Apparently a club called NY Hungarian won in Mexico back in 1963 at CD Oro de Jalisco.