Official European Football 2012 Regular Season Thread

[Dan]

Edit: @Dan

What do you mean?

He was terrible when he was in the EPL with Liverpool. Though, I haven't followed his career since he joined Ajax, so maybe he's greatly improved since then.

I am enjoying this game. Happy to see MC losing.

[Positive A]

That Gnabry is a slick little mother fucker.

[Positive A]

Affellaaaaaaaayyyy!!!!

Who was raped worse:

Andre Santos or Monica Bellucci in "Irreversible"?

[Yohan]

@Dan:

Never been a Babel fan, to be honest. Thought the 18M transfer was a magnificent deal for Ajax. Though I have to say, his return to Ajax has been nothing less than stellar.

Babel has some inherent qualities, but since English teams know jack shit about football, it's no wonder Ajax players struggle to do well in the EPL.

[Dan]

@Dan:

Never been a Babel fan, to be honest. Thought the 18M transfer was a magnificent deal for Ajax. Though I have to say, his return to Ajax has been nothing less than stellar.

Babel has some inherent qualities, but since English teams know jack shit about football, it's no wonder Ajax players struggle to do well in the EPL.

Luis Suarez has done really well. Or are you referring to homegrown Ajax players?

[Yohan]

@Dan:

Never been a Babel fan, to be honest. Thought the 18M transfer was a magnificent deal for Ajax. Though I have to say, his return to Ajax has been nothing less than stellar.

Babel has some inherent qualities, but since English teams know jack shit about football, it's no wonder Ajax players struggle to do well in the EPL.

Luis Suarez has done really well. Or are you referring to homegrown Ajax players?

Homegrown players, to be honest. Vurnon Anita was the last home grown Ajax player to make the jump, but he will fail as well. Small and technical players like Anita have no reason to play in England, where their true skills will always be terribly underappreciated.

Babel was a different story though.

[VideoKilledThe]

German clubs owned today. Can't believe Di Maria wasn't subbed off.

[Req]

LOL, City are done.

[Stoned Starks]

At work, high, drunk, on adderol, and here's some thoughts on some things CL related:

I love that Dortmund team. If they can stay injury free, because their backups aren't nearly as good as the starters, they could make serious noise this year. That stadium is a serious advantage for te knockout rounds and they're great on the counter. Their front 4 are phenomenal and I also really like Gundogan, who only came off the bench tonight, but I think is an excellent player. Not to mention they have one of te best backlines in Europe and a great coach. Love that team. Love em even more for beating Madrid.

Mourinho fuckin up y'all!!! Shit is sunshine and daisies for a Cule. I know their 3 first choice wide defenders are out, and Essien is a shell of his former self, but goddamn! Mou should have switched Ron and Di Maria or at least made changes to offer help to his LB. Thats literally why they lost the game. I know Ronaldo scored, but c'mon, they needed someone to help out that side of the field.

As for the man city-Ajax game read a great analysis on 11tegen11.com that summed that match up well. Hard to see City winning anything this year.

Finally, Barcelona! Winning games they wouldn't have last year! Story of our season so far. Once we get the backline sorted I think they're the favorites.

[Yohan]

I'm usually not a fan of 11tegen11, but he seems to have most things right on last night's game.

The game was won because of a few things:

1. City are shit. 11 players who lack any ambition to play as a team.

2. Eriksen as a false nine. Brittish defenders don't know what to do when a striker drops to midfield. Keep position or mark them high up the pitch? Kompany and Lescott seemed completely lost.

3. City can't handle dynamic wing backs. Van Rhijn and Blind were constantly a threat, because Nasri and other wide player didn't mark them. City's backs were up against 2 players all the time: the wing back and winger. Wingers opted to cut inside all the time, where Lescott and Kompany were confused and didn't know what do if Babel or Sana made a run at them.

4. Tactically, English teams are stunted. 4-4-2 is a shit formation. Mancini is a bad coach. Going down 2-1 and later 3-1, what does he do? Sub out his midfield and add attackers, stripping an already weak midfield even more. This in essence cost City the game. Eriksen regularly dropping in midfield meant Ajax had a numerical advantage, which made itself clear, as the technical superiority of our players made sure players could find eachother easily. Yaya was constantly up against multiple Ajax players, who made quick work of him. Going 4-2-4 without any creativity in midfield meant City's offensive players couldn't be reached. It was very easy to play under the pressure of City. City was only dangerous as a result of set pieces.

5. I'm not sure if the phrase 'working the channels' has any real meaning in England. I don't think I've ever seen such a static team in the CL. Two banks of four are extremely easy to outwit by any team worth something. There's a reason why English teams struggle abroad.

[Positive A]

Epic battle today vs Maribor. Come on you Spurs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RacquetballGangsta]

I love how from year to year great sweeping generalizations are made about the competence of teams from a certain nation...the premier league is the be all end all or conversely the english clubs suck in europe (even though chelski won the CL)..its just laughable. in general, teams with experience, talent, and money do well and those without it dont...regardless of nationality. city are relative novices in the CL...hence they suck. chelsea had been in the CL final four for years..hence they win it. its just a coincidence theyre both english clubs.

didnt see the arsenal game..wonder how they lost so badly. people are really really hard on gervinho lol i think there are worse players at top clubs in the CL...

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/nam ... 45?cc=5901

When the number 27 blinked into life on the fourth official's board, the Arsenal crowd roared in approval. For the first and last time on such a disappointing evening in the Champions League against Schalke at Emirates Stadium, they rose to their feet and broke into spontaneous applause. Poor Gervinho, a one-man incompetence bomb, hesitated for a moment under the floodlights, as if a little unsure as to why he was being removed, then nodded and trotted off to the bench obediently. Still, the Arsenal fans celebrated and thus, having spent the entire night getting things wrong, the hapless Ivorian signed off by politely applauding them for what he seemed to think was their support.

Gervinho has been in English football for over a year now and still the question remains: What is he? What is he for?

He has never been what you might consider a typical Arsene Wenger player, primarily because he doesn't actually seem to be very good at football. Perhaps that's a little harsh. Obviously, he has some plus points. When Arsenal's supporters have calmed down a bit, they'll tell you about his directness, his bursts of pace and his moments of gripping spontaneity. But he lacks the technique and close control of his colleagues, or at least the consistent ability to display it. His reading of the game and his decision-making is so poor that he can occasionally make Theo Walcott look like Teddy Sheringham. There are moments when he can conjure up a game-changing moment of magic, but there are more frequent moments when you wonder what on earth he's doing in this Arsenal squad.

- Same answers, less patience
- Disaster strikes again

There were two incidents midway through the first half of Arsenal's defeat to Schalke that rather summed Gervinho up. In the 23rd minute, he wandered into the middle of an intricate matrix of short, swift passes and quickly snuffed out his own team's threat with one heavy touch. Moments later, he had the chance to make amends. With dazzling pace, he broke clear and scampered into the box, but instead of shooting, he overelaborated, cut inside, drew the attention of another defender, ran out of talent and fell over.

Of course, it wouldn't be fair to ignore the good things that he did, such as they were. In the second half, he dropped deep from the front line and won the ball back with a well-timed tackle. Turning immediately and clattering away into the channels for a return pass, he evaded his man and slipped a well weighted ball across the six yard box. Sadly for Arsenal, there was no-one there to meet it.

It's certainly not a lack of effort that is holding Gervinho back. He's obviously doing his best. Indeed, getting angry with him is like getting angry with a puppy who dutifully brings you your newspaper but then grins and urinates all over the rug while you're saying thank you. Ultimately, it's your fault for not training him better.

He's an awkward winger. The damage he causes when he cuts in is usually neutralised by the lack of awareness of his surroundings. He's certainly not a lone striker, either, regardless of the goals he's scored because he can't provide anything other than a fleeting threat. He's not terrible, but at the same time he's not particularly good.

It is unlikely that any other Champions League knock-out stage stalwart will hold a board meeting this summer where Item One on the agenda is ‘How Can We Sign A Player Like Gervinho?' Manchester City have plundered the Emirates for talent for several years, but it's hard to imagine Roberto Mancini pouncing for this wayward Gunner.

And herein lies the problem. While Arsenal fans and board members fight among themselves at their AGM for the right to influence the future of their club, the present is abundantly substandard. Arsenal may not be able to keep up with the spending of Chelsea and Manchester City, but they're hardly paupers on the world stage and they should be better than this. Despite the gloating of their rivals, their constant qualification for the cash-rich knock-out stages of the Champions League means that they must still be counted as a part of Europe's elite.

Gervinho was by no means the only man at fault for Arsenal's defeat this week. Team-mates, coaching staff and Wenger himself must all share the blame for this debacle. But there comes a time when you have to stop looking for excuses and accept that some of the players just aren't good enough. Gervinho, sadly, is out of his depth.

Iain Macintosh is the UK Football Correspondent for The New Paper in Singapore and the co-author of "Football Manager Stole My Life" from @backpagepress. You can follow him on Twitter on @iainmacintosh

[Positive A]

There certainly are worse players at top clubs. I just think Gervinho blows and watching him, and especially Santos yesterday (whom I don't think is THAT bad tbh...he's a nice passer of the ball) brings me great, great joy.

[RacquetballGangsta]

santos is atrocious defensively. always out of position. something arsenal cant afford.

somewhat unrelated, over the weekend I had an epiphany..arsenal or man u need to sign jagielka to help their shitty defenses. on the face of it, koscielny and vermaelen have been decent, but they pull retard moves every once in a while (esp koscielny).

man u's defense is horrible..but somehow their attack always rescues them. ferdinand is probably the worst defender in the BPL and that brings ME joy...to see him fall over himself when anyone runs at him lmao
they were lucky to be beat braga, who had the misfortune of scoring too early

[mud]

Want to make some money tonight?

Anzhi are 7/2 to beat Liverpool tonight, insane price.

[Positive A]

Atta boy, Gylfi.

[VideoKilledThe]

Oh shit...a Ste Downing sighting!!!

[Yohan]

[Dan]

The US TV rights for the EPL seasons 2013-2016 bidding went down today. NBC Universal has won the rights, which means FOX Soccer and ESPN will no longer carry the EPL after this season.

This is a crushing blow to FOX Soccer since they've already lost Serie A and MLS. I imagine they'll go after the Bundesliga, since beIN SPORT already has the rights to La Liga, Serie A, and npower Championship.

FOX Soccer does have the Champion's League, Europa League, and the World Cup's in 2018 and 2022 (ESPN has it in 2014), but losing the EPL is definitely going to hurt.

NBC has plenty of channels, so there's no reason to think we won't get the same amount of live matches that FOX Soccer/ESPN played. They could split them with NBC Sports Universal, USA Network, and Universal HD.

[odium-LSC]

god damn. I was super pissed when I found out that fox no longer had serie a. such bullshit. I was thinking of getting fox soccer plus but there's no way I'm doing that now.

[Comedy Quaddafi]

Mark Hughes will be sacked by the end of November or before that. Awful manager.

Great to see Sagna and especially Wilshere.

We need a new wingforward who can score goals. A striker too. Things don't look good right now.

[Stoned Starks]

Love the midfield, but yeah.. Y'all need someone who can finish. Falcao would be perfect for ya. Though, to be fair, Falcao would be perfect for EVERYONE. (please not Chelsea)

[VideoKilledThe]

Own goal or not, the Suarez celebration right in front of Dave Moyer was hilarious!!!

[stupidregister]

Merseyside Derby is bananas. So intense.

[Positive A]

Jela will get the winner.

[Positive A]

Should have had it there.

[stupidregister]

What a fucking joke of a match. Fucking ruined it.

[Req]

Agreed, some of the ref's decisions were shockers. Torres should've been sent off for his neck-high tackle on Cleverley earlier in the match. Luiz also had a handball in the box that the ref missed.

FUCK CHELSEA

[b0mbs_of_death]

The Liverpool doc has confirmed that Brendan Rogers is a bag of douche. Dude seriously needs to talk with his hands less.

[jamrage]

Chelsea were really hard done by the refs over the weekend which is a shame because it was a good game up until the first red card was given. Good for the league to see Chelsea take the L though.

Tottenham took care of business against Southampton, things are coming together nicely.

@ the 7-5 Arsenal/Reading score in the Capital One match today. Looking forward to Man U thrashing Arsenal on Saturday.