Arq

How freaking good is Kagawa?

No, they won't have Alaba and Badstuber for the CL final against us. On paper, it'll be worse.

I'm jealous.

That's definitely the midfield, wingers, and striker we're going to see. I'll be interested to see how it plays out. I'm seeing word that Lahm is going to possibly stay on the right with Contento on the left (Tymo and Boateng as your CBs). Thoughts on that?

The new Liverpool kits are just... Bland. The whole collar and neck design make them even worse. Reminds me of just a plain long-sleeve shirt.

Yes, this is definitely the case. New Balance is based out of Boston and has very close ties to New England Sports Ventures. Since NB owns Warrior, well you get how it goes.

AVB did at least one thing right... He hired RDM as his assistant.

Well done youth team! Bravo! The fans are proud, enjoy it!

Definitely a ploy. Well timed too after the Liverpool loss. Bunch of media pricks.

Exactly. Well put Ozz. Yes, he was Löw's first choice but Podolski has been on a tear so it's hard for Joachim to leave him out. Schurrle will get playing time though. He adds more pace than Podolski. He's another "runner". Kid has a motor and can run for days. Comparing him to Ramires as far as that goes is also accurate. Put him on the wing in Blue and expect to see him flourish. For 15 million, I would definitely take a flyer on this kid.

Rambo for me. He was always working hard out there.

Not only have we played 7 matches in 20 days but haven't we played 59 matches to date this season? That's a long haul for a team that is admittedly older. RDM needed to play a balancing act with rotating our personnel and he's done quite well to this point. He's also taken a calculated gamble. As we've progressed since he's taken charge, we haven't moved up the league like we would have wanted. Realising that getting 4th place was quite tough, he's put all of his eggs in the basket of winning the CL. And he developed the strategies to get us there. Say what you want, but very few souls predicted us to get past Napoli after being down in the first leg. To get past that hurdle, Benfica, and Barca to the CL final? Simply put, the squad and RDM have done brilliantly to get to this point. They will be up for it on the 19th. RDM will establish his legacy or fail trying. Either way, he's shown me that he's a manager with a set of brass ones. Isn't that what we need? He's proven to be an excellent "man manager" (at least to date) and isn't afraid to make decisions. The only question left is can he rebuild/retool the squad so we compete on all stages in the future. We take that risk with any manager, regardless of who it is, so why not see what happens on the 19th and go from there? If RDM can orchestrate one last beautiful symphony and win us that coveted CL trophy, RA best give the man the f**king job ASAP. The question of whether or not he's earned it would no longer be valid.

Not necessarily. We beat them to win the FA Cup. If we don't win the CL, we're out of next year's CL. I'm pretty sure that's more important to Roman than the FA Cup. And we also lose out on the CL money if we don't win on the 19th. That could have a ripple over the next couple of years.

Anyone that likes a dungeon crawl but isn't into Diablo can check out Torchlight on Steam. It's really well done and fairly inexpensive. I'm playing it right now to get my "fix" while I wait for D3 to release on the 15th.

Obviously a horrible performance. I hope this propels the lads for the upcoming final.

I agree with you, except I wouldn't call Gomez ordinary. On the International stage he is but he's really stepped it up for Bayern. He can't carry a team like our Drogs can, but he's certainly not ordinary. There are a couple of things to point out... First, we all have some sort of emotional attachment to Drogs and with good reason. Over the years he's provided us with moments of brilliance that no other striker can match. When he's in the mood, he can take over a game and carry the team on his shoulders. I don't believe Torres, Sturridge, or Lukaku can do that for us. Heck, I'm not sure anyone out there can do that for us (Benzema would be the closest but would RM really sell him?). However, when Drogba is off his game, he's just out there. With FFP looming, we need to be smart about all of our signings. We need to sign someone that could be out there for most of our games and not just the big ones. It's the sum of the parts that makes the whole. So can we afford to give Drogs the salary and years he commands for someone on the wrong side of their playing career? Can we find a striker who's willing to sit out some of the bigger games so Drogs can get in there? I don't believe any striker previously mentioned would want that. To add to the confusion, we have a possible change in manager. If RDM is our manager, he seems to be able to balance the egos of the strikers. I'm not sure our next manager will be able to do that. If we can find a way to have Drogs and Striker "x" coincide then I'm all for it. Give him the two years, and let him bow out wearing the Blue. Lots of variables to consider, that's for sure.

Personally I feel Bayern should keep him out so he can be in top form for Germany in the Euros.

I had forgotten that Villa won the CL back in 1982. Hopefully on the 19th we'll have number 18.

Alright, let's be real. You're joking as far as comparing Kroos to Romeu or Essien. Kroos is better as it stands right now. He's younger, faster, and has more playmaking abilities. The one thing that Essien has over Kroos is more big time experience. Essien clearly hasn't looked the same since his injury. Having Gustavo out will limit Kroos because of the drop to DM but he's still very dangerous. Romeu is also coming back from injury. I don't believe he's 100%. Lamps is playing lights out, but don't underestimate Schweinsteiger at even 75%. BS at even 75% will give us fits. Of course I'll take Mata. I wouldn't trade Mata for anyone right now (and I'm serious). However, if we put Mata on the wing we still have the issue of tracking back and our wingers need to track. Mata is our best playmaker and needs to stay in the 10. We could put Studge out right with Kalou out left but that leaves a Studge/Bossy combo to try to negate Lahm and Ribery. Sorry, that doesn't inspire confidence. We have the talent, and certainly the heart, but don't underestimate Bayern which you seem to be doing. They will want this as bad as we do and they have talent all over the pitch.

If we don't have Cahill and Luiz we're in serious trouble. Let's assume we have them for a moment. My guess is that we'll line up like this (Cech obviously in goal): --Bossy--Cahill--Luiz--Cole-- ---------Lamps-----Mikel-------- ---Kalou-----Mata----FloMo--- ---------------Drogba-------------- We've seen RDM deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation most of the time and I believe he'll do it again for the CL final. Drogs will spearhead and we'll rely on Kalou and Malouda for tracking back. Malouda has worked well with Cole in the past, and Kalou will be responsible for tracking Lahm. We need Mata in the 10 role and he will provide us opportunities. RDM has nothing to lose, so he may put Torres on LW but I think he's going to save him for a change up front if it's not working with Drogs. I believe Zippy is right and Bayern have fielded their 11 today. If Kalou does his job, we should be in good shape. Badstuber being out is going to allow Drogba to attack the CB's. He will have opportunities. Bayern will really miss Gustavo. With Gustavo out, Kroos will not be able to fill in the 10 role. I expect Kroos will have to drop to be a DM. I also expect Müller to take over that 10 role. Here's how I see them line up: -Contento--Timo--Boateng--Lahm- -----Schweinsteiger----Kroos--------- ----Robben-----Müller-----Ribery----- -------------------Gomez------------------ Neuer obviously in goal. Bayern have the advantage on the wings. The problem with using Torres and/or Studge on the wings is tracking back. We will need Kalou to do a good job shadowing Lahm. Gomez is a fantastic finisher. If Lahm can get him crosses, he's going to finish. Müller is naturally a winger so expect to see Kroos float into the CAM role especially if Bayern is attacking for a good portion of time. I'm definitely not sold on Malouda as our starting LW, but I'm not sure who else we could put out there. This is going to be extremely tough. Having JT, Ivan, Rambo, and Raul out could really hurt us.

I think a two year contract is perfect for RDM. That's enough time to see what Robbie will do as far as revamping the squad. We know it has to be done, so why not let him have a go at it. The difference between him and AVB (or possibly some other manager) is that the players WANT to play for him. He's a consumate professional and the lads will realize that they still have roles even if it's with not as much playing time. We've seen that he's respected in the clubhouse, something that was sorely lacking with AVB. Why start that whole process over? A two year contract will also not be overly expensive if it has to be terminated for whatever reason. If he does well then get an extension during or just after that second year.

I hope Gem breaks the picture posting record on the 19th...

Gem, these as always are fantastic! Keep them coming!

Cech for me. That save not only solidified the win, but took some steam out of the Scousers. Well done to everyone at CFC though, they deserve to lift the trophy!

What a great day! We were clearly the better team for the first 60 minutes, and held like madmen for the last 30. Cech, beast of a f**king save! Save of the year! Did my own little celebration around the house, and just in a great mood! Thanks for the birthday gift CFC and enjoy the FA trophy, you've earned it!