What's the betting we get a reunion with Ashley in the R16?

What's the betting we get a reunion with Ashley in the R16?

barca! nailed on.

barca! nailed on.

That's what I'm thinking.

...That's what I usually think any time there's a ucl draw.

barca! nailed on.

 

I think Barcelona will finish top of their group so i can see us avoiding them.

was just looking at some permutations over who we could face...tell you what, there might not be too many easy options if city, arse and liverpool all get second place

I don't think Liverpool are getting out of their group. Basel will win at Anfield.

In current form, we would give Real Madrid a damn good game. 

I don't think Liverpool are getting out of their group. Basel will win at Anfield.

I hope so

I'm concerned that if Liverpoil don't qualify they'll be able to concentrate on getting into the top 10.

He's the lone striker, of course he will be getting the goals. That's not being reliant, it's just him doing the job he's being tactically designated to do. 

 

They aren't any more reliant on him than any other team and their best player.

 

Despite Costa being nearly as good as Aguero so far this season, you could hardly say he has been carrying the team even though we also play with 1 striker, and that is because there has been consistently good performances from virtually everyone.

 

Cannot say the same about City.

Is it too much to ask for to hope Arsenal lose to Dortmund tonight and lose away to Galatasaray in two weeks time, whilst Anderlecht beat Galatasaray and Dortmund? Lol

Although it's hilarious seeing Arsenal get their annual humiliation in the last 16.

Would be wonderful but I can't see it

There was a post a few days ago about the frive goal-keepers short-listed for the FIFA World XI. The short-list for the defenders was announced earlier today. Here it is. Am surprised that Dave isn't listed. Also no JT.

 

David Alaba (Bayern Munich); Jordi Alba (Barcelona); Dani Alves (Barcelona); Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich); Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid); David Luiz (Paris St-Germain); Filipe Luis (Chelsea); Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid); Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund); Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea); Vincent Kompany (Manchester City); Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich); Marcelo (Real Madrid); Javier Mascherano (Barcelona); Pepe (Real Madrid); Gerard Pique (Barcelona); Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid); Thiago Silva (Paris St-Germain); Raphael Varane (Real Madrid); Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City)

Not sure how Luiz made that list? 

 

Fashionable name rather than form me thinks. 

 

Which might explain why JT didn't make the list, he's retired from international duty and in a World Cup year won't get the recognition. 

Part of the defence that came 4th at the world cup and before the loss to germany luiz was actually the highest castrol ranked player in the tournament. Whatever that means.

Part of the defence that came 4th at the world cup and before the loss to germany luiz was actually the highest castrol ranked player in the tournament. Whatever that means.

 

Just seems strange for a player to be considered for a World XI based on 5 games within the same tournament when during the course of a (for arguments sake) 60 game season he rarely played for his club and when he did it was often "out of position" in midfield.  

How any of the Brazil back line on the field for that 7-1 loss got into the nominations while JT and Dave didn't, I have no idea 

Does anyone think Pellegrini looks like a corpse?

There was a post a few days ago about the frive goal-keepers short-listed for the FIFA World XI. The short-list for the defenders was announced earlier today. Here it is. Am surprised that Dave isn't listed. Also no JT.

 

David Alaba (Bayern Munich); Jordi Alba (Barcelona); Dani Alves (Barcelona); Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich); Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid); David Luiz (Paris St-Germain); Filipe Luis (Chelsea); Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid); Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund); Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea); Vincent Kompany (Manchester City); Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich); Marcelo (Real Madrid); Javier Mascherano (Barcelona); Pepe (Real Madrid); Gerard Pique (Barcelona); Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid); Thiago Silva (Paris St-Germain); Raphael Varane (Real Madrid); Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City)

 

Who the hell comes up with that list ? So many of them shouldn't even be on the list.

 

I think Varane will become a world class CB but he's only played 25 games for Real Madrid in the last season and a quarter.

 

David Luiz had his worst season for us last season and got ripped apart in the World cup.

 

Jordi Alba played 25 games for Barcelona last season because of injury and was really poor in the world cup.

 

Gerard Pique has been crap forever.

 

I thought Pepe was quite poor from what i saw of him last season.

 

Dani Alves isn't playing as well as he was a couple of seasons ago.

 

Out of all of the Chelsea players i would not have had Ivanovic ahead of Terry, Cahill and Azpilicueta.

 

That list is bias. Even if a player has been playing crap or hardly any games at all they still make the list because of the teams they play for.

Edited November 26, 201411 yr by Scott Harris

These lists are mostly just the highest profile players, not the players who have played the best.

Yeah, don't take any notice of these lists. It will be forever filled with Barcelona/Real Madrid/big names. I think it was 2012/13 where Bayern ripped apart Barca 7-0 and won the quadruple yet the team of the year was full of Barca midfielders and defenders.

Afternoon all, Great result last night albeit not the best performance, We were playing well when they had 11 but the moment they went down to 10, We got confused, The initial game plan was let them have the ball and be compact and hit them on the break. Then against 10 men we didn't know whether to stay with the initial plan or to try and dominate them, We did neither and they came into the game again and absolutely bossed us. With 5 minutes to go I was going nuts, Thought, Oh boy, Another take a paracetamol before going to bed night after a CL game and then up stepped Sergio.

 

When opposing fans label us a one man team, I think they're ignoring Silva being out but to be fair to them, It does have the feel of what was happening at Spurs when Bale was there, Lampard had a good game but everything was about Aguero, We were playing the balls into the channels for him to try and find other players in advanced areas but no one was making themselves available. Fernando had his best game, Jovetic tried and Mangala had a decent performance, Having said that, If it wasn't for Sergio can you imagine the headlines today, Not only do we lose but our fiercest rivals put in a Barcelona-esque performance against Schalke, Our season was basically finished.

 

I do have one gripe though, What is this English obsession with pimping our best players to Barca and Real? Every time we have a player hit world class form in the Premier League, The first thing we say 'Watch Real take him in the summer', Imagine if Bale and Suarez were still playing in the Premier League at the moment along with Aguero, Hazard and Di Maria, How good would that be?

Not sure if this has been posted (and I'm in a bit of a rush so I can't go back and read everything) if not it's worth a laugh., if so I apologise.

 

 

Our official twitter account making fun of Arsenal, pure gold!

And AC Milan

I do have one gripe though, What is this English obsession with pimping our best players to Barca and Real? Every time we have a player hit world class form in the Premier League, The first thing we say 'Watch Real take him in the summer', Imagine if Bale and Suarez were still playing in the Premier League at the moment along with Aguero, Hazard and Di Maria, How good would that be?

 

Well, we got Ozil and perhaps Di Maria because Bale went to Madrid, and Sanchez because Suarez went to Barca. Those two clubs, Real in particular tend to go for the flavor of the month type player and there is not much you can do to stop them. But there will be players coming the other way too and not necessarily of lower quality. 

Footballoholic, Why can't the Premier League clubs put their foot down and force the big two Spanish clubs to look for flavour of the month players in Ligue 1, Serie A and Bundesliga? So instead of them getting Bale and Suarez, They can look at players such as Verrati, Pogba and Reus? Having said that if we sold Aguero or you boys sold Hazard,  Luckily we have Liverpool and Spurs mistakes to learn from, Instead of buying quantity, You could replace an Aguero with a combination of players such as Koke, Reus and Benzema/Cavani.