Pickering Angels
Toronto Escorts

The 2016/2017 Soccer Thread

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
Teenage prodigies should not go to the EPL if they want to develop their game, it's an attrition league. They should go to Serie A where they'll be given proper coaching and time to develop their talent. None of the Italian teenagers that jumped the the EPL in the 00's have panned out. Only Giuseppe Rossi and Fabio Borini have had any sort of a career.

Riccardo Kishna has worked his way into the Lazio starting 11. Going into this season he is the starting left winger.
 

AK-47

Armed to the tits
Mar 6, 2009
6,697
1
0
In the 6
Teenage prodigies should not go to the EPL if they want to develop their game, it's an attrition league. They should go to Serie A where they'll be given proper coaching and time to develop their talent. None of the Italian teenagers that jumped the the EPL in the 00's have panned out. Only Giuseppe Rossi and Fabio Borini have had any sort of a career
I was convinced Macheda would be a star.
Didnt pan out. Shows how much I know
 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
Pizza is an excellent comfort food, as a recovery food - forgedboutit. Pep is following Antonio Conte's example, he never allows his players to eat pizza during the season. Nor The Azzurri as well.
 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
Juve are selling Paul Pogba back to Manchester Unted for 100 million Pounds. They max out on his value, now the Frenchman will have all the pressure to lift his team on his shoulders. Lorenzo Rosetti started in his place against the South PRC All-Star and looked very good. I wish Pogba the best of luck. He won't have Bonucci and Chiellini playing behind him and ManU's central defense is a nightmare.

The EPL os going whole hog on transfers but it's a risky more. The value of the Pound Sterling has dropped and Britain's place in the EU open market has yet to be decided. Leo Bonucci has told Antonio Conte that he will not join him at Chelsea - let's see if the Russians are willing to break the bank.
 

Don Draper

Cufflinks & Cognac
Nov 24, 2009
6,364
637
113
Juve are selling Paul Pogba back to Manchester Unted for 100 million Pounds. They max out on his value, now the Frenchman will have all the pressure to lift his team on his shoulders. Lorenzo Rosetti started in his place against the South PRC All-Star and looked very good. I wish Pogba the best of luck. He won't have Bonucci and Chiellini playing behind him and ManU's central defense is a nightmare.
I watch Pogba take the ball from deep in his own end and then move it masterfully up the pitch to the edge of the box. Then it ends.

He then stands there unsure of any decision to make, never executes and makes a mediocre pass to anyone near him while he rushes in to take the pass on a play he should have finished.

If ManU wants to pays this sort of $$$ for this sort of player, so be it. It just reeks of desperation and another example of a league in slow but certain decay with no patience willing to throw $$$ at any attempt to sort their myriad of problems.

ManU will neither win the EPL or UCL next season.
 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
Paul Pogba, may be saving ManU from their own stupidity, he just told La Gazzetta del Sport that he doesn't want to leave Juventus.

If that's the going rate for Pogba, how much is Marco Verratti worth? PSG have locked him up until 2021. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Pogba is a better goal scorer but Verrati is a better passer and creator of scoring opportunities.
But I still wish he was back in Italy.

Don this would be your worst nightmare, but now it won't happen. lol

 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
Tiny Sassuolo qualifies for the Europe League with a 4-1 aggregate over Luzern. Now it's up to Roma to take down Porto in their return leg at the Olimpico. It appeared like a done deal but new acquisition Tomas Vermaelen got himself red-carded and the Portuguese managed a draw.

Italy needs this qualification to give themselves the best possible chance of taking back the UCL fourth spot they lost in 2011 - at the expense of the EPL. The English League has been in decline in Europe since Chelsea won the Champions Cup in 2012 and the trend doesn't appear to be in reversal. So far La Liga has won everything, Europe needs a strong Serie A to restore balance. The Bundesliga has stalled since 2013.
 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
England 1 Slovakia 0

It's official, England will win the World Cup.

Israel vs Italy

Have no idea what to expect for this match in Tel Aviv between two countries that have gotten very cosy. SISMI is an extension of The Mossad and during the Intifada, Israel played their home games in Sardinia.
 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
There was a sense of bonhomie in the air in Israel. The stadium in Haifa went dead quiet when a moment of silence was called for the Amatrice earthquake victims. Italy went down to 10 men but had too much quality over the gutsy Israelis. Nice to see Candreva, Bonaventura and Verratti as the starting midfielders. If we had these players at the Euro, Germany would have been toast.

There wont be any camaraderie when Spain travel to Israel. The Spaniards expelled their Jews after the reconquest. It was bad news for Europe, the Ottoman Sultan welcomed them with open arms. Those that stayed converted to Christianity but it didn't do them any good. The Inquisition burned them all at the stake.

Oct 6 Italy vs Spain
 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
So I go it alone with this thread.

Canada's Men's Soccer Team got eliminated from WC qualifications again. The one positive is they didn't get whacked in Central America, they lost on goal differential.

Joe Hart being Joe Hart, he fumbled a corner kick that Atalanta converted for the winning goal.If he keeps this up he's be sitting on the bench for Torino soon. For the nation that produced Peter Shilton, how did English goaltending get to such a deplorable state?
 

Don Draper

Cufflinks & Cognac
Nov 24, 2009
6,364
637
113
So I go it alone with this thread.

I disagree, my esteemed colleague. I will join you at every opportunity possible. I only wish for the most valuable of life assets: more time.

Did anyone else enjoy the Manchester derby as much as I did? Love watching Mou squirm knowing he is completely outmatched by Pep. His deplorable ego will never allow him to say it though.
 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
His deplorable ego will take a pounding when ManU face Chelsea. He may even be a little intimidated by Antonio Conte.

I would be to!

 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
Europa League:

Feyenoord 1 Manchester United 0
Sassuolo 3 Athletic Bilbao 0

Money can't buy a championship. Tiny Sassuolo, Italy's best nursery team, are going to do major damage. I didn't even know where Sassuolo is, I had to google map the place.

The Spanish announcers are unusually subdued?

 

AK-47

Armed to the tits
Mar 6, 2009
6,697
1
0
In the 6
I still cant believe Feyenooit beat United
 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
I'm not, port cities are extremely hostile places for visiting club and ManU's defense is weak. Sorry AK, your paisan Daley Blind is useless.

On the flipside Stefan De Vrij is back after a season long injury. He looks like the second coming of Leo Bonucci for Lazio.
 

AK-47

Armed to the tits
Mar 6, 2009
6,697
1
0
In the 6
I'm not, port cities are extremely hostile places for visiting club and ManU's defense is weak. Sorry AK, your paisan Daley Blind is useless
Blind was never a centre-back to begin with. He was temporarily converted there because United was running out of backs.
Then Blind started playing reasonably well so they left him there.

But long-term, he doesnt have the physical strength to play CB. He aint no Cannavaro, thats for sure.
The problem with Blind is he's an OK left-back, an OK centre-back, and an OK holding midfielder.
But he doesnt really play any of those positions exceptionally well. So what do you do with him??

I think his best role is backup-player, but what if he doesnt accept that and starts looking for another team where he can start??
 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
Waterford 3 ManU 1

It's all Louis Van Gaal's fault. In truth this was easy money, Mou has never taken full points from a Walter Mazzarri club. After the job he did in rebuilding Napoli I'm surprised to see him at Watford. He deserves a bigger club. Britos, Behrami and Zuniga are at Watford with him. Mou once referred to Mazzarri as an assino, I wonder what he thinks of him now.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/walter-mazzarri-insists-good-relationship-8858056
 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,090
6,425
113
Italy vs Spain WC qualifications Saturday.

Mario Balotelli has been recalled to the Azzurri, Gigi Buffon considers this a positive move but I have my doubts. The big move is at left back with Romangnioli replacing the suspended Chiellini. Bonucci will lead the defense with a player a full decade younger than Shrek. Not sure why these two Internationals are in the same group, UEFA works in mysterious ways.

The days of Italy being branded a racist country may finally be put to rest. There are two black player's on the current lineup, West Ham's Ogbonna being the other.
 
Toronto Escorts