Weekend Football Thread *spoilers be inside*
- Thread starter Tummy
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Soldato
I really enjoyed El Clasico I thought there was some fantastic football played.
I didn't think Messi or Barca were anywhere near their best, but I thought Real were quite good. Kaka made some wonderful runs and Ronaldo was massively uneffective. Messi surely comes from planet football
English football is so poor in comparison to Spain and South America.
I hardly think that game was an advert for Spanish football.
I hardly think that game was an advert for Spanish football.
The technical ability of each player is far better then the Premierships.
I've said it before, I'll say it again, Sky are the only reason people think the Premier league is the best in the world, they're trying to sell their product.
The Premier League isn't the best in the world, it just pays the most.
Man of Honour
Not the first manager to complain about that and the complaint itself is correct.
It was a pointless mid season friendly, and now the club that pays his wages is left without a first team player.
It's unlucky foremost, but managers are right to moan about it.
Spot on.
Any manager that loses a player for Premier league games when he was injured in a nothing friendly has every right to be annoyed.
It's a problem facing managers that manage at a top team / level.
Any manager that loses a player for Premier league games when he was injured in a nothing friendly has every right to be annoyed.
It's a problem facing managers that manage at a top team / level.
Very true, although tonights game wasn't much the Barca/Madrid games have been some of the best matches i've ever watched.
Most of the big 4 matches in the EPL usually end up dull as all hell, yet hyped to the max.
Who will ever forget Ronaldinho v Real @ the Bernabeau....epic.
I'm surprised any Arsenal fan isn't disgusted with todays performance ....and Nix thinks we just need one good forward??? that's fine if he is going to bang 4 in against Chelsea. We got battered @ home by a Chelsea team who were in 3rd gear .....posession makes little difference when you do nothing with it and can't defend.
Caporegime
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- 1 Mar 2008
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Believe it or not, friendly matches are key in helping any international side gel and for the manager to see how the squad performs against different opposition. There are things that can't be done/seen purely from the training ground.
Not quite the 6-2 thrashing of last 
I remember watching that was incredible lol
Tonights was good, that beating last time was what led to this mass spending really from Real!
The ability of some of those guys is just next level though and it pee's on the guys in the EPL no where near the same level player for player.
<3 Iniesta/Xavi best Midfielders in the world and well Messi he takes no introduction
I remember watching that was incredible lolTonights was good, that beating last time was what led to this mass spending really from Real!
The ability of some of those guys is just next level though and it pee's on the guys in the EPL no where near the same level player for player.
<3 Iniesta/Xavi best Midfielders in the world and well Messi he takes no introduction
La liga is certainly more entertaining, but on current form Chelsea would beat either Barca or Real with ease.
I know that it gives players chances to gel, and managers time to see / test the team. Which can only be a posititve re England.
I don't feel interupting the domestic calander is right though.
Same Chelsea that lined up with 10 men against Barca last season? over two legs?
I agree Chelsea are in good form, but Barca destroyed Inter and out classed Real tonight, they're a real quality side.
La Liga is more entertaining and has a better standard of Football.
English teams are only succesful in the Champions League (which is slowly changing) they do nothing in the UEFA league thing.
Sky will never admit that the Premier League isn't the best in the World as it's not how you sell your product. Personally I enjoy watching La Liga and Serie A and South American football (which is nuts).
Friendly matches have to fit in somewhere and injuries are part and parcel of football. What needs to change is the attitudes of both club and international managers.
FA's need to compensate clubs if and when players get injured because as it stands there's nothing to lose for International managers when deciding to risk a half fit player, be it a friendly or not. I've lost count of the amount of times Torres has picked up a knock in training before an international game, been passed fit to play (often in a non-competitive game) and then ended up being out for a month for us. Then you get situations like Kuyt picking up a knock playing for us then traveling all the way to Australia to play a friendly without any training in the build-up and then getting injured again. But equally we all know that club managers take the **** by pulling players out of squads with phantom injuries only for them to be fine 3 days later and while that's happening it's easier to understand why international managers aren't so sympathetic.
Soldato
Just got back from the arsenal game, A waste of 2 n a half hours travelling
totally! This is one game where I wouldn't of wanted to be there.
Caporegime
But at the same time Barcelona lost to Rubin Kazan and Real got beaten by AC Milan not so long ago. It's easy to pick a few results and draw a conclusion. I still think overall the English league is stronger, the top two in Spain are pretty far ahead of the rest of them, I think the top 8 in England would do pretty well against the top 8 in Spain.
Barca last season and the season before played the best football I've ever seen. It was so evident the difference in class when they matched up against Man U. Is it just me who thinks Man U look a different team against the best of Europe? (AC Milan 3 years ago.)
It's not surprising most top footballers eye up the big spanish two given our ghastly weather. I went to Madrid in september and one day it was freaking 37 degrees
It's not surprising most top footballers eye up the big spanish two given our ghastly weather. I went to Madrid in september and one day it was freaking 37 degrees
I think the Spanish league is better quality, and have better players, deffinately technically. I think the Spanish league is better over all, not by much but enough.
United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, City... struggling to find another English team who could compete against the top 6 of Spain.
Caporegime
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Not really, Utd had their worst game in a while, that happens, partially down to the other side, but simply mistakes and poor passing even when unpressured weren't down to Barca. Barca lost, and drew this year with a massively worse team than Utd, people lose. Before this game the supposedly fantastic Barca, were 2nd in the league to a honestly fairly damn poor Real over the last 4-5 games with some truly dodgey performances and they went out 4-1 on aggregate to an essentially non league team in the cup, playing a 95% first team squad for the games except Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has had like, 10 mins in the CL as a come back from two months out, its not surprising he wasn't very good. If it weren't for Puyol, Real could have won, and likewise Barca had chances. At this stage of the season neither has any consistancy and both have lost a bunch of very poor games in all competitions.
Ronaldo has had like, 10 mins in the CL as a come back from two months out, its not surprising he wasn't very good. If it weren't for Puyol, Real could have won, and likewise Barca had chances. At this stage of the season neither has any consistancy and both have lost a bunch of very poor games in all competitions.
Soldato
Pique and puyol were massive yesterday and was very impressed by how they played as a cb unit. Always covering for each other, i think barca are not rated enough on their defensive qualities.
Arsenal fans can't be too angry about yesterday imo, Chelsea did the same to Barcelona in the peak of their form last year in the CL, they're just very good at defending. I think there was a bit of luck in getting the second goal before half time too and Arsenal had no good luck