The TT Football Club

Poisoned Slice

Bionic Poster
What an amazing turnaround. They had to make the decision before it was too late. Winning the title obviously bought him more time than he would have got. Another run of games with bad results could put them at the point of no return. It is crazy, though.
 
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Emperor of Belgrade

Guest
They are in absolute free-fall. No Premier League goals this year and have been awful in the league all season. Do think it could well end up being the right decision although it seems really harsh on Ranieri for doing the impossible last season obviously.

Wenger's likely to finish top 4 and with one foot in the semi-final of the FA Cup, so it's not really comparable. You might say Arsenal have stalled in recent times but they are not at crisis point. Leicester are, just wish they'd waited until after the next game before it happened.
2 FA Cups in the last decade or so is bad. Not being in any of the titles races until the end in this period is bad. For one of England's greatest clubs, this shouldn't be a satisfying result IMO. I wouldn't just blame Wenger, honestly it's never just the manager's fault, but considering how little it takes to get sacked nowadays, it's kind of a miracle that he is still in charge.
:mad::mad: :mad:13 years without winning the league and he still hasn't even been considered for the sack.

My dream manager would be Simeone but thats pretty unlikely so I definitely would want to see Alegri in charge next season, experienced manager with a great resumé in Europe.
Simeone wouldn't suit Arsenal's philosophy but I guess you guys are at that point of slightly preferring results over attractive play. There were rumors about Allegri being on your wishlist for the next season. Would be a good choice IMO.
 

Slice'n'dice

Hall of Fame
2 FA Cups in the last decade or so is bad. Not being in any of the titles races until the end in this period is bad. For one of England's greatest clubs, this shouldn't be a satisfying result IMO. I wouldn't just blame Wenger, honestly it's never just the manager's fault, but considering how little it takes to get sacked nowadays, it's kind of a miracle that he is still in charge.

Simeone wouldn't suit Arsenal's philosophy but I guess you guys are at that point of slightly preferring results over attractive play. There were rumors about Allegri being on your wishlist for the next season. Would be a good choice IMO.

Really the last few years is what's relevant as before that they were still paying for their new stadium and selling their best players every summer. Try winning leagues with that. Last few years are the sticking points when they have had the money to spend as they haven't really pushed on, not to mention the familiar pattern appearing. Being one of 3 teams to be in the Champions League every season for the last 20 years. Not really a miracle that he's still in charge given the club and given he's the greatest manager they've ever had.

Think he will leave at the end of the season (certainly no point saacking him now he always gets top four and they probably wouldn't win the league if they won every game left this season) and it could be the right decision, but it's definitely a risk even if they get a great manager in. It's Wenger's house in Arsenal, you as a Man Utd fan should know how hard it is to follow a manager with a 20 year dynasty. But in order to try and push on and not take steps back before getting forward (a few years out of the Champions League and it gets harder and harder to get back in) so someone with a relatively similar style would be ideal, not sure who that'd be. Maybe Pep if City sack him which could happen depending on how the rest of the season goes. Allegri could be a good shout but it's all a gamble. Arsenal need to be careful what they wish for, the grass isn't always greener.
 

Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil

Talk Tennis Guru
Some big upsets and stories in general in the Europa League.

Tottenham have been knocked out by Belgian side Gent. Drew 2-2 at Wembley after losing the 1st leg 1-0. They showed a lot of spirit even after going down to 10 men late in the 1st half but Kane's own goal and Perbert's deflected effort ended their hopes. Alli made a horror tackle which got him a straight red so no controversial decisions.

Roma lost to Villarreal at home 1-0 but it was harmless as they registered a 4-0 away win in the 1st leg. Previous season's EL semifinalists couldn't contain Dzeko who scored a hat trick in that game.

Another one of the Europa League contenders is out. Athletic Bilbao lost to APOEL from Cyprus. Despite winning 3-2 at home, they couldn't hold to that advantage and lost 2-0 in Nicosia.

Zenit St Petersburg were on the verge of going through. They lost 2-0 away to Anderlecht and were leading 3-0 at home until they conceded a 90th minute away goal. Can't imagine a worse 2nd leg win than that.

Borussia Monchengladbach made a miraculous comeback against Fiorentina. The Italians won 1-0 in Germany and were leading 2-0 at home, but a hat trick from Stindl and one goal from Christensen sealed an amazing win for Monchengladbach.

Shakhtar Donetsk won the 1st leg away against Celta Vigo 1-0 and almost got a goalless draw at home but conceded a 90th minute penalty. Celta then scored in extra time to seal progress.

Ajax defeated Legia 1-0 at home which was enough after a goalless draw in the 1st leg. Rostov knocked out Sparta Prague and continued with their good recent European results which include a memorable win over Bayern in the CL group stages which was vital for them getting the 3rd place for the Europa League spot.
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As things stand, Roma and Manchester United are probably the top two favorites for the title.
 

Poisoned Slice

Bionic Poster
Yep, the grass is not always greener.

It looks like it is impossible to fire the man that brought Arsenal the goat premier league campaign. Yeah, I know it wasn't yesterday or the 3 decades before. Ranieri got sacked for living in the past and that wasn't 10+ years. Not even 10 months. Wenger's house indeed. Statue coming in time.

Arsenal keeps bringing in the champions league money, even if they are only getting to the second round every year now. They are always in the competition.It is a business. Fans want more, but what if this new man can only lead you to fifth, sixth and then you're never back there again. haha Looks like I'm pretty much repeating what has been said above.

Easy to say all this as a United fan.
 

Feña14

G.O.A.T.
Simeone wouldn't suit Arsenal's philosophy but I guess you guys are at that point of slightly preferring results over attractive play. There were rumors about Allegri being on your wishlist for the next season. Would be a good choice IMO.

I've heard Benitez mentioned :eek:

I think it'll probably be a Jardim, Tuchel, Nagelsmann.. if Wenger does leave. The way Arsenal play, the players they have, the culture they've built over the last 20 years etc.. Seems like that's the direction they would go.

I can't imagine a Conte, Allegri or Mourinho type at Arsenal for some reason.
 
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Emperor of Belgrade

Guest
Europa League last 16 draw is out.

Lyon vs Roma stands out as the most promising tie. Two ties will be between teams from the same country. Schalke host Monchengladbach in the first leg while Gent will play Genk. Man United drew Russian side Rostov.

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Slice'n'dice

Hall of Fame
I've heard Benitez mentioned :eek:

I think it'll probably be a Jardim, Tuchel, Nagelsmann.. if Wenger does leave. The way Arsenal play, the players they have, the culture they've built over the last 20 years etc.. Seems like that's the direction they would go.

I can't imagine a Conte, Allegri or Mourinho type at Arsenal for some reason.

Benitez is a great manager, I'm sure he'd do ok, not really the same style though so more of a risk in that sense. Have heard Tuchel mentioned a few times, but what exactly has he done? Done quite well with Mainz and then taken over a very good Dortmund side and kept them more or less at the same level. Nothing wrong with that but I don't know why people think he'd be the answer to all their problems. Although Wenger hadn't exactly done a lot before hé came, but it was a different time. Not heard of the other two but seem largely unproven also would be surprised if they went down that route.

But hey they want to take a massive gamble like that be my guest, one less competitor for top 4.

Europa League last 16 draw is out.

Lyon vs Roma stands out as the most promising tie. Two ties will be between teams from the same country. Schalke host Monchengladbach in the first leg while Gent will play Genk. Man United drew Russian side Rostov.

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Nice easy tie for your guys. Although lots of travelling which is nice. Better not weasel your way into more Wednesday ties. Nice Sunday lunchtime kick off to follow would be nice.

You really should win it now, Tottenham and Man Utd were probably the favourites and given that Tottenham are incapable of winning at Wembley (kind of problematic they'll be playing there all next season you might say) meaning they go out, the path is clear. Looks like you're getting Champions League after all. Much weaker line up than last year and that's for sure.
 
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Emperor of Belgrade

Guest
Nice easy tie for your guys. Although lots of travelling which is nice. Better not weasel your way into more Wednesday ties. Nice Sunday lunchtime kick off to follow would be nice.

You really should win it now, Tottenham and Man Utd were probably the favourites and given that Tottenham are incapable of winning at Wembley (kind of problematic they'll be playing there all next season you might say) meaning they go out, the path is clear. Looks like you're getting Champions League after all. Much weaker line up than last year and that's for sure.
It won't be easy in the 1st leg in Russia but we definitely could have drawn a tougher team. Can't complain. Wednesday ties won't be happening from now on, no two nearby teams anymore.

Well there ares still Roma/Lyon and Ajax. One of the German teams would be dangerous too. I'd much rather get Champions League spots through the Premier League and not worry about our progress in the Europa League. Not winning this competition yet might be some sort of a motivation though.
 

DreddyTennis45

Hall of Fame
Simeone wouldn't suit Arsenal's philosophy but I guess you guys are at that point of slightly preferring results over attractive play. There were rumors about Allegri being on your wishlist for the next season. Would be a good choice IMO.

Simeone plays decent football actually, he is just more defensively minded than other coaches, which is what we need tbh.
 

Feña14

G.O.A.T.
Benitez is a great manager, I'm sure he'd do ok, not really the same style though so more of a risk in that sense. Have heard Tuchel mentioned a few times, but what exactly has he done? Done quite well with Mainz and then taken over a very good Dortmund side and kept them more or less at the same level. Nothing wrong with that but I don't know why people think he'd be the answer to all their problems. Although Wenger hadn't exactly done a lot before hé came, but it was a different time. Not heard of the other two but seem largely unproven also would be surprised if they went down that route.

But hey they want to take a massive gamble like that be my guest, one less competitor for top 4.

I think Arsenal still love what Wenger has done over the last 20 years. The style he played for the first half of his time there, the general approach he had etc.. I think they want that to continue over.

Wenger has just lost it. He's not as sharp as he was, there are no tactics, game plans, handles injuries badly, poor at identifying talent, slow in the transfer market etc..

Finding a young maverick manager who's a bit of a wild card and can bring 10 years of what Wenger did (say 96-06) would be best case scenario, and those 3 probably fit the bill best. Some fresh ideas and the message delivered in a new way will do wonders for Arsenal imo. If that doesn't work then maybe a fresh direction is needed and an all round overhaul.

The owners seem pretty safe and conservative, so i'm not sure they'll be throwing the baby out with the bath water and ripping everything up this summer.
 

Slice'n'dice

Hall of Fame
It won't be easy in the 1st leg in Russia but we definitely could have drawn a tougher team. Can't complain. Wednesday ties won't be happening from now on, no two nearby teams anymore.

Well there ares still Roma/Lyon and Ajax. One of the German teams would be dangerous too. I'd much rather get Champions League spots through the Premier League and not worry about our progress in the Europa League. Not winning this competition yet might be some sort of a motivation though.

Was that the reason being nearby? Don't really understand why that makes a difference. Roma are the only team of those that you wouldn't be heavy favourites against to be honest and would still probably be the favourites. Of course anything can happen but that's an easier path I think. You've had such a great run in recent months but still haven't moved out of sixth. A drop off in form will inevitably come and all those other teams are strong. Two very good teams will miss out on top 4 this season.

I think Arsenal still love what Wenger has done over the last 20 years. The style he played for the first half of his time there, the general approach he had etc.. I think they want that to continue over.

Wenger has just lost it. He's not as sharp as he was, there are no tactics, game plans, handles injuries badly, poor at identifying talent, slow in the transfer market etc..

Finding a young maverick manager who's a bit of a wild card and can bring 10 years of what Wenger did (say 96-06) would be best case scenario, and those 3 probably fit the bill best. Some fresh ideas and the message delivered in a new way will do wonders for Arsenal imo. If that doesn't work then maybe a fresh direction is needed and an all round overhaul.

The owners seem pretty safe and conservative, so i'm not sure they'll be throwing the baby out with the bath water and ripping everything up this summer.

Of course they do, he's the best manager they've ever had and he still gets top four every single season even if he has 'lost it' which is a gross exaggeration in my opinion. Think it's just got a bit stale at Arsenal. He could leave and go to Barcelona next season and probably do very well. Also if what's been said by Ozil and Sanchez about them signing a contract being tied in to Wenger is true then they are ****ed. With 12 months left come the summer, their two best players (plus apparently Bellerin having said something similar, probably the best right back in the league) will not command anywhere near the fee they are worth so replacing them with anyone even close to being as good would be very difficult.

Those three managers are pretty unproven it's a huge gamble to take them on, and with the probable loss of Ozil and Sanchez in the summer the fans would likely quickly realise the grass is most certainly not greener.

From what I hear he's already got a contract offer on the table, the owners want him to stay so it's just if he decides he wants to stay. As I say he won't be short on offers if he does decide to go.
 
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Emperor of Belgrade

Guest
Was that the reason being nearby? Don't really understand why that makes a difference. Roma are the only team of those that you wouldn't be heavy favourites against to be honest and would still probably be the favourites. Of course anything can happen but that's an easier path I think. You've had such a great run in recent months but still haven't moved out of sixth. A drop off in form will inevitably come and all those other teams are strong. Two very good teams will miss out on top 4 this season.
In European competitions recently I am not confident in Man United and English sides in general. The quality on paper has to be proved on the pitch. What happened to Tottenham yesterday could also happen to us later, and it only gets tougher in latter stages anyway. It has been a solid unbeaten run in the Premier League but it featured way too many draws to be praised more than that. Out of 16 games 7 were stalemates, with most of them against clearly inferior teams, at home. Luckily it's a small margin between 2nd and 6th, anyone can qualify or miss out.
 

Slice'n'dice

Hall of Fame
In European competitions recently I am not confident in Man United and English sides in general. The quality on paper has to be proved on the pitch. What happened to Tottenham yesterday could also happen to us later, and it only gets tougher in latter stages anyway. It has been a solid unbeaten run in the Premier League but it featured way too many draws to be praised more than that. Out of 16 games 7 were stalemates, with most of them against clearly inferior teams, at home. Luckily it's a small margin between 2nd and 6th, anyone can qualify or miss out.

Tottenham are in a bit of a mini-rut at the moment. Plus they're European home games are at Wembley this season which seems to be cursed for them. There's not many standout teams left in it except maybe Roma, the fact that you are mentioning teams like Lyon and Ajax as the other bigger sides speaks volumes for that. Anything can happen of course but it really is a great opportunity and I think you're best opportunity for the Champions League. May have been quite a few draws but think that's more to do with where you're team are at the moment, breaking down and beating smaller sides is part of what makes a team good (somewhere Liverpool have lacked also in recent times).

You do have a pretty big squad though which should be capable of fighting on two fronts, playing in Europa League does make the League harder as has been shown over the years, so fingers crossed. Probably a blessing in disguise for Spurs as they don't have such a big squad and as you say anyone could drop out of the top four (except Chelsea of course, unless the have the mother of all capitulations and probably Arsenal because they always do it) and Spurs have a bit of a habit of ****ing some of this stuff up for themselves as such I reckon they're the most likely of the current top four to drop out. Have heard the phrase Spursing it up used for such instances
 
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Emperor of Belgrade

Guest
Tottenham are in a bit of a mini-rut at the moment. Plus they're European home games are at Wembley this season which seems to be cursed for them. There's not many standout teams left in it except maybe Roma, the fact that you are mentioning teams like Lyon and Ajax as the other bigger sides speaks volumes for that. Anything can happen of course but it really is a great opportunity and I think you're best opportunity for the Champions League. May have been quite a few draws but think that's more to do with where you're team are at the moment, breaking down and beating smaller sides is part of what makes a team good (somewhere Liverpool have lacked also in recent times).

You do have a pretty big squad though which should be capable of fighting on two fronts, playing in Europa League does make the League harder as has been shown over the years, so fingers crossed. Probably a blessing in disguise for Spurs as they don't have such a big squad and as you say anyone could drop out of the top four (except Chelsea of course, unless the have the mother of all capitulations and probably Arsenal because they always do it) and Spurs have a bit of a habit of ****ing some of this stuff up for themselves as such I reckon they're the most likely of the current top four to drop out. Have heard the phrase Spursing it up used for such instances
Why are Tottenham playing at Wembley now anyway? Is White Hart Lane getting an expansion or something? Ajax have been regular CL/EL participants for a while now. Lyon have been in a slump considering their standards in the previous decade but they just came down here from the Champions League group stages so they are dangerous. Roma obviously the 2nd best team in Italy for several years now. Weaker field with Tottenham and Bilbao out but right now I wouldn't be very confident against remaining contenders either.

As for those draws, it's GOAT wastefulness. Maybe it's karma striking Mourinho or something, but it's still irritating since our club had nothing to do with any luck he might have had in the past. :D Must be an even worse feeling for you guys when that happens since you rarely ever had someone who was characterized as a villain.

It's a solid squad, though we are fighting on four fronts, or three after this weekend. Yeah, Spurs seem the most likely to drop out, but it wouldn't be catastrophic because it's so tight between several teams. Losing the 2nd spot to Arsenal after being the final contender to Leicester last season was hilarious though. Spursing it up sounds perfect.
 

Slice'n'dice

Hall of Fame
Why are Tottenham playing at Wembley now anyway? Is White Hart Lane getting an expansion or something? Ajax have been regular CL/EL participants for a while now. Lyon have been in a slump considering their standards in the previous decade but they just came down here from the Champions League group stages so they are dangerous. Roma obviously the 2nd best team in Italy for several years now. Weaker field with Tottenham and Bilbao out but right now I wouldn't be very confident against remaining contenders either.

As for those draws, it's GOAT wastefulness. Maybe it's karma striking Mourinho or something, but it's still irritating since our club had nothing to do with any luck he might have had in the past. :D Must be an even worse feeling for you guys when that happens since you rarely ever had someone who was characterized as a villain.

It's a solid squad, though we are fighting on four fronts, or three after this weekend. Yeah, Spurs seem the most likely to drop out, but it wouldn't be catastrophic because it's so tight between several teams. Losing the 2nd spot to Arsenal after being the final contender to Leicester last season was hilarious though. Spursing it up sounds perfect.

They're building a new stadium I believe. Playing in Wembley for European games but still White Hart Lane in the league although next season playing Wembley in the league too apparently so they'll be hoping that curse of Wembley gets finished pretty sharpish. Obviously those teams aren't bad teams per se, but if they are the best of the tournament then it's not exactly a high standard and if Manchester United want to be the team they are aspiring to become again then they have to look at that draw and relish it for the opportunity that it is. Suspect you've got a bit of an anti-jinx mentality with saying such things.

Always annoying but I don't believe in Karma or the world wouldn't be the way it is. Remember a few seasons back we hit the post and bar an absurd amount of times in the season, and you can talk about it being bad luck and it is to some extent but it's on the players not being accurate enough.

Yeah techinically four fronts but given that it's just one match in the League Cup and given that it's Chelsea away in the FA Cup which is obviously a big ask, but the Europa League always seems to be the most problematic, obviously most games and all that travelling for away games, don't see why Thursday-Sunday should be any worse than Wednesday-Saturday but it does seem to bear out that way. Guess we'll see how it does for you going forward, don't think it's conincidence that your good form has coincided with the break from European football over the winter but we shall see.
 
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Emperor of Belgrade

Guest
They're building a new stadium I believe. Playing in Wembley for European games but still White Hart Lane in the league although next season playing Wembley in the league too apparently so they'll be hoping that curse of Wembley gets finished pretty sharpish. Obviously those teams aren't bad teams per se, but if they are the best of the tournament then it's not exactly a high standard and if Manchester United want to be the team they are aspiring to become again then they have to look at that draw and relish it for the opportunity that it is. Suspect you've got a bit of an anti-jinx mentality with saying such things.

Always annoying but I don't believe in Karma or the world wouldn't be the way it is. Remember a few seasons back we hit the post and bar an absurd amount of times in the season, and you can talk about it being bad luck and it is to some extent but it's on the players not being accurate enough.

Yeah techinically four fronts but given that it's just one match in the League Cup and given that it's Chelsea away in the FA Cup which is obviously a big ask, but the Europa League always seems to be the most problematic, obviously most games and all that travelling for away games, don't see why Thursday-Sunday should be any worse than Wednesday-Saturday but it does seem to bear out that way. Guess we'll see how it does for you going forward, don't think it's conincidence that your good form has coincided with the break from European football over the winter but we shall see.
I wasn't aware of Tottenham's poor record at Wembley. Must have lost a lot of recent cup finals and semifinals that they played in. I hardly ever do the anti-jinxing, it's just that I haven't been convinced enough. Of course Man United are the biggest favorite or at least one of them. But I think they still need to play better.

It's going to get less demanding once the League Cup finishes and if we lose to Chelsea. But I'd rather see us end our bad run against them if possible. Pity it's at their ground, it's been a fortress for the most part in the last decade.
 

Poisoned Slice

Bionic Poster
Karma is something like the bible. ''a myth created by the jews.'' :p

Sucks for Henrikh to miss the game tomorrow. He has become a key ingredient in the rebirth of Manchester United.

Simeone plays decent football actually, he is just more defensively minded than other coaches, which is what we need tbh.

Need some hard nuts at the back like Adams, Bould and Keown. Yeah, they are a rare breed.

Arsenal might play a brand of magical football when they are firing, but they don't have the big game mentality. I have to say they don't since they lose most of them.
 
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sarmpas

Hall of Fame
Need some hard nuts at the back like Adams, Bould and Keown. Yeah, they are a rare breed.

They need a different manager then. Adams, Bould and Keown were inherited from George Graham's Arsenal. All the top teams have a few key players who form the backbone, the spine of the team. Wenger doesn't buy or can't sign these these types of players. Graham was successful in his time then Wenger took over and changed the way Arsenal play the game. The Wenger era has been so long they've become stagnate for at least a few years I think it's time for a complete change, get in a realist instead of another idealist.
 

Slice'n'dice

Hall of Fame
Premier League winning managers since 2012:

Mancini - Sacked
Sir Alex Ferguson - Retired
Pellegrini - Replaced
Mourinho - Sacked
Ranieri - Sacked

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You won't lose your job if you don't win the league.

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Well aside from Fergie, probably all the right decisions and obviously he didn't want to go on forever and end up having a heart attack on the touchline (which probably would've happened sooner or later had he carried on). Mancini hadn't done a spectacular job with what he had, was lucky to win the title he had, Pellegrini was better, certainly at first and again tailed off, too early to tell with his replacement. Mourinho a no brainer, the atmosphere around the club was pure poison and he'd lost the dressing room would be hard to argue they aren't better off now. Ranieri seems unbelievably harsh considering what they did last season, but they have been in free-fall with no signs that things were about to improve, plus spending quite a lot of money in the summer and not seemingly spending it well. So it kind of makes sense, relegation could cripple them.

While Arsenal while a great club with big history. Fourth is about par, they don't have the finances of a City or a Chelsea or United. Spending less than loss of other teams too when they were paying for their stadium. But now, probably about 4th biggest spenders, and it does more or less tend to go in that direction. Obviously there are exceptions but it's par for the course, you wouldn't say a golfer should give up golf because he gets par on the course because it's possible to get a birdie or a hole in one. The fury of Arsenal fans over ''only'' getting 2nd to 4th every season is a bit rich. Besides if it is true that Ozil and Sanchez will go if Wenger doesn't sign a new contract, even for Arsenal fans who want Wenger out should probably delay that till next season just to get those two signed up. Because losing their two genuinely world class players in those two with a year left on their contract will completely screw them anyway.
 

DreddyTennis45

Hall of Fame
Need some hard nuts at the back like Adams, Bould and Keown. Yeah, they are a rare breed.

Arsenal might play a brand of magical football when they are firing, but they don't have the big game mentality. I have to say they don't since they lose most of them.

Yep yep. Need to return to the good old days when propa footballers were real men and showed lots of bloody pashun!
 
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Emperor of Belgrade

Guest
It's now 30 wins in a row at home in Serie A for Juventus. o_O And 32 games unbeaten run.

Big two games in La Liga on Sunday. Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona and Villarreal vs Real Madrid. This pair of matches could decide a lot.
 
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Tiki-Taka

Guest
It's very frustrating when playing Atletico Madrid, whose aggressiveness goes way over the edge at times, but wins over them are very satisfying. That's what happened today, away from home. Late goal by Messi got us three points again, I dread to think where we would have been this season without him.
 
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Emperor of Belgrade

Guest
What's with these late goals lately @Noleberic123 ? Can't finish off teams early anymore? ;)
It's very frustrating when playing Atletico Madrid, whose aggressiveness goes way over the edge at times, but wins over them are very satisfying. That's what happened today, away from home. Late goal by Messi got us three points again, I dread to think where we would have been this season without him.
Got to start finding replacements for your star players of the last 10 years. Obviously there is nobody of Messi's caliber but he shouldn't be necessary for competing at the highest level.
 
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Emperor of Belgrade

Guest
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Phew, we could have easily lost today.

Why oh why aren't you a few years younger, Ibra... Absolute world class.
 
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Tiki-Taka

Guest
Happy for most of their players but Manchester United had some luck on their side today.

They are loving Wembley recently. 4 visits there in the last 10 months, 4 wins, all thanks to relatively late goals. Sounds familiar. Time to transfer that form to other competitions to be really back among the very best.
 

Noleberic123

G.O.A.T.
What's with these late goals lately @Noleberic123 ? Can't finish off teams early anymore? ;)

Got to start finding replacements for your star players of the last 10 years. Obviously there is nobody of Messi's caliber but he shouldn't be necessary for competing at the highest level.
We haven't had an easy win over Atletico for years now. Today was a standard Barca vs Atletico match. Good win though. Now it's time for villareal to beat those little devils.
 

Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil

Talk Tennis Guru
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Lucky not to go behind early due to a bad call by the line judge, not a great performance by any means. I guess Manchester United can be forgiven for that because they were playing the FA Cup and Europa League last 32 tie while Southampton had 2 weeks to prepare just for this game. And the trophy obviously makes average performance somewhat tolerable.

Jessie Lingard turning into Mr Wembley. Volley beauty in extra time to win the FA Cup, individual brilliance to open the scoring in the Community Shield and now a nice finish in the EFL Cup final. But let's switch the attention to The King - 26 goals with almost 3 months of the season remaining. Not bad for someone who is having a debut season in England, at 35 years of age. ZLATAN!

Jose Mourinho now joins Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson as the most successful League Cup manager, with 4 titles. Unlike the former two, he has won with two different clubs. Not sure about this one but I think I heard that he is the first manager who won a major trophy for this club in a debut season. Nice compliments given to Southampton after his classy tribute to sacked Ranieri a few days earlier.

Subdued celebration, he knows very well that improvements are needed for him and the club to return to the great glory days, but holding the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the EFL Cup isn't bad for a club in crisis, no?

Now we know Liverpool are not going to return that previous Twitter Bio of theirs anytime soon. Very nice of some @MourinhoMindset guy to warn them one day early to remove it. :D Don't know which trophies aren't considered major (I guess the Shield and some others from the past), but now Manchester United are on top of England both in major and all trophies. Well done lads.

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GGMU!!!
 
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Poisoned Slice

Bionic Poster
Yeah, not the best performance, but it made the match more exciting. Big V was missed for Southampton. Winning is winning. Inch, the mile and Vin Diesel. Yadda yadda.

Jose's winner trait on display. He does that a lot. Calls the other team better after a win. I remember him doing that after Real Madrid beat us. He was looking the United job then. Had to wait a bit longer to achieve his biggest dream and the ball is now well and truly rolling.

I have been told all day that this would be the first time a manager has won a 'major trophy' in his first season with United, even though I would never consider the league cup a real major. More major than charity shield, which is not considered a major. In my view, the league would be like a grand slam, fa cup a 1000 and league cup a 500. Still, it is great to see them all so happy and riding high at the minute. A loss could have knocked us back a bit.

Do not underestimate the league cup.

Even though he didn't get it, Wayne Rooney running about all smiles brought joy to my heart. Great scenes.
 
E

Emperor of Belgrade

Guest
Love the song and all the content of the video. :cool:


Doc I believe the writers of this song are from your city.
Please leave me alone :D
Then don't poke me while the game is in progress. :D Sorry if that made you frustrated, honestly we got quite lucky to get all three points.
 

Poisoned Slice

Bionic Poster
He has won me over. For years, he was just that guy from the over powered pro evo team. He is not the same player as he was then and he doesn't do much, but he does what matters. Scoring important goals.

Talks the talk and walks the walk.

I'm sure Zlatan predicted that he would win me over. Yeah, be wishing he was years younger. Not often you see this sort of impact from a player of his age. Maybe the odd goal and half the appearances. Pretty amazing.
 

Russeljones

Talk Tennis Guru
Officials helping united win once again. Imagine my shock.
kleenex-ReasonWhy.es_.jpg

Yeah, not the best performance, but it made the match more exciting. Big V was missed for Southampton. Winning is winning. Inch, the mile and Vin Diesel. Yadda yadda.

Jose's winner trait on display. He does that a lot. Calls the other team better after a win. I remember him doing that after Real Madrid beat us. He was looking the United job then. Had to wait a bit longer to achieve his biggest dream and the ball is now well and truly rolling.

I have been told all day that this would be the first time a manager has won a 'major trophy' in his first season with United, even though I would never consider the league cup a real major. More major than charity shield, which is not considered a major. In my view, the league would be like a grand slam, fa cup a 1000 and league cup a 500. Still, it is great to see them all so happy and riding high at the minute. A loss could have knocked us back a bit.

Do not underestimate the league cup.

Even though he didn't get it, Wayne Rooney running about all smiles brought joy to my heart. Great scenes.
People should not overlook the fact that Southampton had a proper vacation leading up to this match, whereas United played 2 Europa League ties and Blackburn, if I am not mistaken.
 

Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil

Talk Tennis Guru
Real Madrid went from 1-0 up to 1-3 down (and Bale got sent off) at home to Las Palmas. Then Cristiano Ronaldo scored a late brace to rescue a point. Barca trashed Sporting Gijon 6-1.

Real will only be 2 points ahead if they win their game in hand. You guys are back in the title race @Noleberic123 @Tiki-Taka

Continue the meltdown! :D
 
T

Tiki-Taka

Guest
It was a really enjoyable game to watch live. Messi with a header lob, Suarez with a beautiful volley, Neymar with a great free kick, and Alcacer and Rakitic added one each. This would be a perfect scoreline for us when PSG come here but they are on a whole different level and I don't see us rescuing a disastrous Champions League season.
Real Madrid went from 1-0 up to 1-3 down (and Bale got sent off) at home to Las Palmas. Then Cristiano Ronaldo scored a late brace to rescue a point. Barca trashed Sporting Gijon 6-1.

Real will only be 2 points ahead if they win their game in hand. You guys are back in the title race @Noleberic123 @Tiki-Taka

Continue the meltdown! :D
I was just about to respond. It's been a while since the last time both Barcelona and Real Madrid dropped a bit more points during the season. I still need our players to convince me more with their own performances but I definitely didn't expect the current standings in the table, it's really good. Hope we will keep the pressure on Real who are at least no longer in unstoppable mode that they were in until 1-2 months ago.
 
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