The European/World Football Thread III
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Original post by aa22
Definitely agree about Neto.. wouldn't mind seeing him first choice at all. Pepe had a poor season.
15m shows how much PdC believes in him.. as long as he wins the league, he'll be forgiven for any losses. And yeh, it's Europe that counts. I like how even Porto want to make it to the CL final just to rub it into Benfica's face..
And tbh, I think Costinha is a very, very bad appointment for Pacos... he has absolutely no credibility whatsoever as a manager, he hasn't done anything to deserve to take that job. He got relegated with Beira Mar and now gets to manage a club going into the Champions League for the first time... I hope I'm wrong as I want to see Pacos do well, but I really don't see this ending well..
15m shows how much PdC believes in him.. as long as he wins the league, he'll be forgiven for any losses. And yeh, it's Europe that counts. I like how even Porto want to make it to the CL final just to rub it into Benfica's face..
And tbh, I think Costinha is a very, very bad appointment for Pacos... he has absolutely no credibility whatsoever as a manager, he hasn't done anything to deserve to take that job. He got relegated with Beira Mar and now gets to manage a club going into the Champions League for the first time... I hope I'm wrong as I want to see Pacos do well, but I really don't see this ending well..
The problem is now there is no game until the end of September isn't it? By then the new season kicks off and i guess it depends what may happen to Pepe. I feel regardless of what state Pepe is in Bento will always pick on him being first choice! Sadly.
I know, big sum of money to stick on a manager. Rubbing it in Benfica's face will just be part of it but if i was to see Lucho pick up the CL Trophy for Porto...
, however, i can't see us winning it again for a long, long time. I have to completely agree with you. I feel it is a huge mistake by Paços to appoint Costinha, especially with like you said he doesn't deserve to be the manager after the time he's just had with Beira Mar. It'll be interesting but again, like yourself i hope we are wrong!
Original post by The Assassin
Hey, you're a Porto fan aren't you? How consistent has Mangala been this season? I haven't watched a huge deal of the Portuguese league this season (well, not to the extent of other leagues) but from what I have watched I have liked his performances. But apparently some have said that overall, he's been poor? (As you've heard we're apparently interested in him, lol).
That’s probably Mangala’s main flaw. Sometimes you don’t know which Mangala will show up but he has certainly improved as the season has progressed as he became more involved in being first choice. He’s a biggish guy so he is pretty strong and good in the air so he’s a good target for when there is a corner or a free kick that goes into the opponents box. Not just a good target for his head but he is quick to pounce on the ball too. His goal against Nacional this season was more of a strikers finish than a defenders with the little flick. Skip to 2 minutes... and yes a big suspicion of offside in the goal too.
Sometimes he shows this sudden burst of pace out of nowhere as well. I see the price tag that is being suggested is around €30m as that’s his release fee but I have to say I can’t justify spending that much on him. It's a lot of money for him and although he has had been important this season for Porto i still think that's a hell of a lot of money for him BUT i guess this is the case with a lot of our players being high priced and whether they're worth that much! He’s young so I guess he has that advantage and I think he will probably continue to improve if he can play first team football regularly. He does keep reiterating how happy he is at Porto though but usually when Chelsea come calling it’s rare they will turn it down!
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by 419
Is strootman really that great a player? Have only seen an handful of apperances by him and, well he didn't really excite me. Must have caught him on off days I guess.
Any games in particular?
The fact he's being watched by Man U says he can't be a bad player.
He's one of PSV's best players, similar situation to Carrick in a way, he's a bit underrated because of his position. He'll give it 100%, box to box and has a fantastic shot...
Original post by boumavilla
Any games in particular?
The fact he's being watched by Man U says he can't be a bad player.
He's one of PSV's best players, similar situation to Carrick in a way, he's a bit underrated because of his position. He'll give it 100%, box to box and has a fantastic shot...
The fact he's being watched by Man U says he can't be a bad player.
He's one of PSV's best players, similar situation to Carrick in a way, he's a bit underrated because of his position. He'll give it 100%, box to box and has a fantastic shot...
Just mainly from the u21s. And a few other matches that I've watched sporadically. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that he's mediocre or anything just that he might be a victim of overhype, ironically imo because of his position and age, kinda like M'villa was.
Original post by ra-ra-ra
That’s probably Mangala’s main flaw. Sometimes you don’t know which Mangala will show up but he has certainly improved as the season has progressed as he became more involved in being first choice. He’s a biggish guy so he is pretty strong and good in the air so he’s a good target for when there is a corner or a free kick that goes into the opponents box. Not just a good target for his head but he is quick to pounce on the ball too. His goal against Nacional this season was more of a strikers finish than a defenders with the little flick. Skip to 2 minutes... and yes a big suspicion of offside in the goal too.
Sometimes he shows this sudden burst of pace out of nowhere as well. I see the price tag that is being suggested is around €30m as that’s his release fee but I have to say I can’t justify spending that much on him. It's a lot of money for him and although he has had been important this season for Porto i still think that's a hell of a lot of money for him BUT i guess this is the case with a lot of our players being high priced and whether they're worth that much! He’s young so I guess he has that advantage and I think he will probably continue to improve if he can play first team football regularly. He does keep reiterating how happy he is at Porto though but usually when Chelsea come calling it’s rare they will turn it down!
That’s probably Mangala’s main flaw. Sometimes you don’t know which Mangala will show up but he has certainly improved as the season has progressed as he became more involved in being first choice. He’s a biggish guy so he is pretty strong and good in the air so he’s a good target for when there is a corner or a free kick that goes into the opponents box. Not just a good target for his head but he is quick to pounce on the ball too. His goal against Nacional this season was more of a strikers finish than a defenders with the little flick. Skip to 2 minutes... and yes a big suspicion of offside in the goal too.
Sometimes he shows this sudden burst of pace out of nowhere as well. I see the price tag that is being suggested is around €30m as that’s his release fee but I have to say I can’t justify spending that much on him. It's a lot of money for him and although he has had been important this season for Porto i still think that's a hell of a lot of money for him BUT i guess this is the case with a lot of our players being high priced and whether they're worth that much! He’s young so I guess he has that advantage and I think he will probably continue to improve if he can play first team football regularly. He does keep reiterating how happy he is at Porto though but usually when Chelsea come calling it’s rare they will turn it down!
Thanks a lot - I appreciate your response!
. Quite liked that flick there haha. Under Mourinho he could develop into a fine player...
Eduardo did an interview with arsenal.com recently and in the second part of it he talks about life with Shakhtar Donetsk and what he thinks about football in Ukraine. Thought it might interest some of you.
Original post by aa22
x
I see Benfica have signed Steven Vitória. A good signing, on a free too. I also see the Portuguese papers are loving all this with Rui Patricio. One minute he's going to Porto, next Benfica, then over to the EPL to either Liverpool or Arsenal. It's a shame that it has had to come to this for him and that he needs to leave purely because Sporting need to free up some cash.
Original post by ra-ra-ra
I see Benfica have signed Steven Vitória. A good signing, on a free too. I also see the Portuguese papers are loving all this with Rui Patricio. One minute he's going to Porto, next Benfica, then over to the EPL to either Liverpool or Arsenal. It's a shame that it has had to come to this for him and that he needs to leave purely because Sporting need to free up some cash.
Yeh, good signing. He was really good when we drew against Estoril at the end of the season so I'm glad we managed to get him before anyone else, but I think he'll be more of a squad player rather than a straight replacement for Garay...
Patricio should go abroad... Liverpool or Arsenal would be good for him.
Also. You following the U20 World Cup this time around? I remember I watched it in 2011 (staying up late at night to watch the matches) when we made it all the way to the final and narrowly lost out. We are in it this year as well and have a lot of recognisable names in the squad.
We won against Nigeria 3-2 today and Bruma was excellent. Defensively we're quite bad though..
Original post by aa22
Yeh, good signing. He was really good when we drew against Estoril at the end of the season so I'm glad we managed to get him before anyone else, but I think he'll be more of a squad player rather than a straight replacement for Garay...
Patricio should go abroad... Liverpool or Arsenal would be good for him.
Also. You following the U20 World Cup this time around? I remember I watched it in 2011 (staying up late at night to watch the matches) when we made it all the way to the final and narrowly lost out. We are in it this year as well and have a lot of recognisable names in the squad.
We won against Nigeria 3-2 today and Bruma was excellent. Defensively we're quite bad though..
Patricio should go abroad... Liverpool or Arsenal would be good for him.
Also. You following the U20 World Cup this time around? I remember I watched it in 2011 (staying up late at night to watch the matches) when we made it all the way to the final and narrowly lost out. We are in it this year as well and have a lot of recognisable names in the squad.
We won against Nigeria 3-2 today and Bruma was excellent. Defensively we're quite bad though..
I know, i was kinda hoping we would snap him up because it sounds like Mangala and Otamendi are getting quite a bit of interest at the moment but you got in there first. Managed to score quite a few goals for Estoril this season too! I'm still expecting Garay to be leaving too.
What's with Benfica going all Serbian? Forget about the South Americans and raid the Serbians instead!
It doesn't sound like it'll be Liverpool anymore as they seem to be getting Mignolet but Arsenal would be a good move for him. Just a shame for Sporting that it has had to come to this though.
Was it really two years ago when Mika was great in goal during this tournament? I remember speaking to you about him, i didn't think it was two seasons ago though! I only managed to catch the remaining 10 minutes because i've been at work. Not great losing a two goal lead and Nigeria's first goal was terrible defending by us. I really hope Bruma stays with Sporting as i feel he will get quite a few first team opportunities this season. At least we can score but the defence needs sorting.
Original post by aa22
We won against Nigeria 3-2 today and Bruma was excellent. Defensively we're quite bad though..
We won against Nigeria 3-2 today and Bruma was excellent. Defensively we're quite bad though..
Both teams' defenses were really shocking. But at least you made the nigerians work for their goal rather than gifting it to them like they did to you. Most say though, I expected better from the Portuguese team. They just seem unable to do the basics right and crumbled to the Nigerian pressure and this only improved when the Nigerians were tired and had lost their ability to put pressure on the ball, and to a lesser extent by the Portugues No10 (don't know his name) when he came on.
Original post by ra-ra-ra
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I was just wondering, what are your opinions on tiago ilori? Also he's supposedly eligible for england as he lived in england when he was younger.
Yes this is slightly FM related(found out about him a year or two ago on the game) but I've been hearing a lot of big clubs being linked to him so was intrigued.
Original post by jam277
I was just wondering, what are your opinions on tiago ilori? Also he's supposedly eligible for england as he lived in england when he was younger.
Yes this is slightly FM related(found out about him a year or two ago on the game) but I've been hearing a lot of big clubs being linked to him so was intrigued.
Yes this is slightly FM related(found out about him a year or two ago on the game) but I've been hearing a lot of big clubs being linked to him so was intrigued.
A lot of the Sporting youngsters have managed to grab quite a bit of attention. He mainly started off for Sporting B this season but because the club is in a messy situation a few of these youngsters were given a chance by Jesualdo Ferreira in the second half of the season. Tiago Ilori is very quick, it's not often you see a CB that fast, he is good with his head which is what you want from a CB but he's also good with his feet too. Apparently there was an offer of €4m or so for Tiago Ilori from Liverpool not too long ago. He's still quite young though and i think the best thing for him is to stay at Sporting as he will get a lot more first team opportunities. This should help improve him to gain a bit more experience as sometimes you can tell he is a young defender. The problem for Sporting is they need money so every offer becomes rather tempting for them to accept.
I have to say i know nothing about him living in England for a bit but he usually plays for Portugal in the "under" categories... He was in the Portuguese Toulon Tournament team last month and he is currently in the Portugal U20 World Cup squad.
Original post by Aky786UK
Pep unveiled as Bayern boss. Seems he did the press conference in German as he had been taking lessons.
I did German at school to a basic level but listening to him there, he seems to have done very well to pick it up sufficintly to do the conference.
I did German at school to a basic level but listening to him there, he seems to have done very well to pick it up sufficintly to do the conference.
It seems the Germans were pretty impressed as well, from Rafa Honigstein's account of things.
Original post by Aky786UK
Pep unveiled as Bayern boss. Seems he did the press conference in German as he had been taking lessons.
I did German at school to a basic level but listening to him there, he seems to have done very well to pick it up sufficintly to do the conference.
I did German at school to a basic level but listening to him there, he seems to have done very well to pick it up sufficintly to do the conference.
He's fluent in english as well.
Original post by jam277
He's fluent in english as well.
And Italian as well. He played for Brescia and Roma after leaving Barca in the 90s.
Original post by aa22
...
Not very convincing at the back again despite bringing Ilori in. He was actually quite poor after my high praise of him! There was nothing anyone could have done about their first goal though, cracking finish. Mica was very unlucky with that shot that hit the bar, that would have been a cracking goal too. At times these youngsters look good but then they switch off for a bit. On the plus side Bruma continues to impress.
Hey guys, in case you haven't seen it yet, I just wanted to let you all know about the Draft Game that's happening in the Football Forum: basically, we're into the third iteration of a game where sixteen participants have chosen players based on certain frameworks to build teams and compete against each other. Here's the general thread for the current game - you can view the rules in the OP. Basically, the 'matches' themselves are voting affairs, so that's where you can participate at this stage - here's the match being currently played and it's the final!! 
, so if you're interested check it out and cast your vote! It's the final so we would really like as many people to vote as possible!
, so if you're interested check it out and cast your vote! It's the final so we would really like as many people to vote as possible!Original post by Zerforax
Blanc appointed at PSG then. Before being appointed by France, he had a growing reputation tbh..
Tbh he did do well with france. The defeat to spain was bad but it was always going to happen.
I think it's a decent enough appointment. He's young, french and wants to enhance his reputation, I doubt he'd leave for a bigger club unless he wins the CL with them.
Original post by jam277
Tbh he did do well with france. The defeat to spain was bad but it was always going to happen.
I think it's a decent enough appointment. He's young, french and wants to enhance his reputation, I doubt he'd leave for a bigger club unless he wins the CL with them.
I think it's a decent enough appointment. He's young, french and wants to enhance his reputation, I doubt he'd leave for a bigger club unless he wins the CL with them.
I think he only has 2 or 3 years on his new contract so I imagine PSG will continue looking for a big manager name. Still links to PSG trying to lure Wenger to Paris next year for example.
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