2018-2019 (Soccer) Football Thread

Random Passerby said:
Guess we robbed you again. Those two saved our asses many times this season.
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I wonder who was talking about it being a steal when it happened. Oh who could it have been?

Klopp was interviewed by @Carra23 on Danish tv: “If I knew Allisson was this good - I would have paid double” #LFC
Source

Rub it in, Klopp, rub it all in. If Monchi had known how good Alisson was, he'd have asked for triple. But you can always make it up when we sell you Kluivert and Under this summer.
 
He just needs another CB to perfect his system imo. It's a process to perfect the Special One's philosophy.

I hope he stays for the next 5 years while wasting more money.
 
Apparently Bayern is finally willing to throw some of that money they wipe their ass with. Reports from Spain say they're triggering Lucas Hernandez's release clause, which is around €80m.
 
depth might be the only issue.. Man City can absolutely handle that aspect of it.. but man... it just feels like it's Liverpool.. as long as the attack can stay strong, Firmino is no Suarez.. but if you can get a good 6-7 point lead.. i think it's over.
 
Well that went as expected and people are still throwing shit everywhere and hurling abuse. Arsenal fans at their best atm.

what did everyone honestly think was going to happen..
 
Idk. The way Liverpool have been playing. The decline we all started to see Arsenal in. Liverpool at home. No doubt was going to be a blood bath.

To put up no real fight. Sure I get it. But I felt like it was inevitable.


I don’t get why it’s so hard for Arsenal to just defend well.. how do relegation battling teams find a way to lock shit down when necessary but Arsenal never can.

Wth does Bould even do as a defensive coach lol.
 
Lol i didnt even know there was a discord for Football

And here i have been wasting my time on American football. I'll be sure to drop by
 
So, predictions for the Champions League Round of 16?

I was writing some predictions back in December, but then I realized it was pointless given how much things could change in a month, and they really have. Back then I thought Ajax vs Real Madrid was dead even, with Ajax even slightly favored, and that PSG vs M United looked like the least balanced fixture. Things couldn't be any more different now, some thoughts on the games this week:

Roma vs Porto
Worst attack in the competition vs the worst defense? (Okay admittedly, Schalke's attack is probably worse) This is hard to predict, even though there's no doubt in my mind that Roma has the better squad. But there are too many questions here. Has De Rossi regained match fitness? Is Ünder still injured? Can we expect Roma's young talents to continue shining? Will Pastore play a part? Will Roma's defense ever improve? We already saw last year how dangerous Roma's attack is at full force. The best news for Roma is that Porto's attack looked fairly underwhelming in the easiest group of the competition, even when they were leading their counterattacks weren't particularly dangerous. Good signs for Roma, but they conceded 7 goals against Fiorentina just a week ago, and they also blew a 3 goal lead at Atalanta... But hilariously enough Porto's best forwards (Marega and Aboubakar) are also out for today's game. I'm predicting Roma because I believe that at their best, their attack should be too much for Porto, but I wouldn't risk a single penny betting on them.
Manchester United vs PSG
This looked very uneven a short time ago, but with Solskjaer reviving the team, and with Pogba and Rashford playing the best football in their career this looks like a much more even contest. But while their attack has improved, Manchester United's defense looks as vulnerable as ever, and De Gea won't always be able to cover up for that. Meanwhile, PSG is plagued by injuries, and their issues could worsen if Verratti is booked today, which would prevent him from playing the second leg. At the same time, Mbappe should be too much to handle for United's defense, and he won't be alone now that Di Maria is in great form. This will be a good test to see how good Solskjaer really is, and I expect this game to be one of the most fun of the round.
Ajax vs Real Madrid
This is the best Dutch team since the Ajax that won the Champions League in the 90s, and it is likely the best we'll see for a long time, combining experienced PL players (Tadic, Blind), some of the most prized youngsters in the world (De Jong, Onana, De Ligt) a superstar (Ziyech) and a shrewd coach with a great European record (only 1 loss in 18 games). Yet it doesn't feel like this will be enough, with Real Madrid enjoying their best form of the season, at the same time that Ajax is enduring their worst, with key injuries (Onana and Tagliafico still not fully fit, with De Jong a doubt for tomorrow's fixture) and an unsettled defense. But there wouldn't be any better news for football than seeing Ajax light up European nights again... let's hope for some magic.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Borussia Dortmund
I don't know where to begin with this one, this fixture should be pure chaos and a delight for neutrals. Both teams have their flagship player injured (among lengthy lists of sidelined players on both sides) and they've been totally unpredictable this season, mixing great performances with dreadful ones at times. So I'll be honest I have absolutely no clue about this one, other than it should be very fun, and I'm just flipping a coin to decide my prediction.
Leaving this here if anyone wants to copypaste for predictions:

Roma vs FC Porto
Manchester United vs Paris Saint-Germain
Ajax vs Real Madrid
Tottenham vs Borussia Dortmund
Liverpool vs Bayern Munich
Lyon vs Barcelona
Atletico Madrid vs Juventus
Schalke 04 vs Manchester City
 
Dortmund to rip Spurs apart and United to scrape past PSG. Ajax to score about 109 but concede 207. The winner of the Juventus tie to win the whole thing.

Maybe

I have no idea about Liverpool vs Bayern.

This is probably the best draw in years you could make a case for 8 or 9 of these teams to win the whole thing.
 
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destinyunknown said:
Roma vs Porto
Worst attack in the competition vs the worst defense? (Okay admittedly, Schalke's attack is probably worse) This is hard to predict, even though there's no doubt in my mind that Roma has the better squad. But there are too many questions here. Has De Rossi regained match fitness? Is Ünder still injured? Can we expect Roma's young talents to continue shining? Will Pastore play a part? Will Roma's defense ever improve? We already saw last year how dangerous Roma's attack is at full force. The best news for Roma is that Porto's attack looked fairly underwhelming in the easiest group of the competition, even when they were leading their counterattacks weren't particularly dangerous. Good signs for Roma, but they conceded 7 goals against Fiorentina just a week ago, and they also blew a 3 goal lead at Atalanta... But hilariously enough Porto's best forwards (Marega and Aboubakar) are also out for today's game. I'm predicting Roma because I believe that at their best, their attack should be too much for Porto, but I wouldn't risk a single penny betting on them.
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I wish I had as much faith in my squad as you do lmao.

We were lucky to escape with a 2-1 victory at the Olimpico. Still, Porto is dangerous at home and I can't expect too much from Roma. Under should be back this weekend, but the 2nd leg is still weeks away so who knows maybe someone else will get injured. Dzeko played well and obviously Zaniolo did. Hopefully we see less Cristante in the 2nd leg, too.

Oh, and can we get rid of the away goal rule now?
 
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Kanburi said:
I wish I had as much faith in my squad as you do lmao.
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It’s not so much my trust in Roma and more about Porto’s lack of firepower. Although given the risks Roma tends to take when defending I wouldn’t be surprised if they concede 3 in the second leg. I didn’t watch the game so I’m curious about something, did Roma press high vs Porto as usual or were they more passive?

I agree with latinoheat about the quality of the draw, and so far it hasn’t disappointed. Ajax played great and they were unlucky to lose, it was a heartbreaking result as they were clearly the better team today. Real Madrid somehow keep winning games in Europe despite mediocre performances, and it’s hard to imagine them conceding 3 in the return leg.

It’s a shame because Ajax and Napoli have been the most entertaining teams in the Champions League this season, yet both will end up going out by the slightest of margins. Hoping Lyon upsets Barcelona to make up for it...
 
destinyunknown said:
It’s not so much my trust in Roma and more about Porto’s lack of firepower. Although given the risks Roma tends to take when defending I wouldn’t be surprised if they concede 3 in the second leg. I didn’t watch the game so I’m curious about something, did Roma press high vs Porto as usual or were they more passive?
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We were somewhat passive in the first half (the game was kinda boring tbh), and only started pressing after Zaniolo's opener. But once Porto got their away goal we kind of went defensive to avoid conceding a second. Definitely wouldn't be surprised if we conceded 3 goals in the second leg, either. Hopefully Olsen will be back, though.
 
Kinda nervous for this tuesday match vs Bayern.
Seems like they been in trouble and Kovac had a problem with Thiago who is arguably a top five player for them, gladly, Muller is out of the game.
Kinda nervous by the way we been playing, I'll really don't know what to do if we go trophyless agian.
 
Myzozoa said:
EDIT:
smogon football discord invite: https://discord.gg/XhNUyrC

Time for a new thread.

The code for smogon's epl fantasy group this season is: 689763-306520

we'll see if i remember to update my team after week 1.

this year's op is wondering:

1. Who will finish top 4 in the EPL
2. opinions on new extended CL format
3. Who will win the CL? (it won't be monaco or psg)
4. Who will be the starting 3 midfielders in chelsea's new 4-3-3? Will Jurginho and Kante both start?
Tutuapp 9apps Showbox
thats it. if you have more questions post 'em.
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1/ Liverpool
Man City
Totenham
Manchester United
2/ i prefer the old one
3/ i think real madrid is going to win CL again lol
4/ Kante Jurjinho
 
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  • Wow
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sooooooo.. i think Liverpool slightly have the easier schedule from here on out.. but... I think they're fucked?
 
How hard do you think Ramos is regretting his yellow card right now?

Before Ronaldo:

04/05 - Round of 16
05/06 - Round of 16
06/07 - Round of 16
07/08 - Round of 16
08/09 - Round of 16

Ronaldo joins:

09/10 - Round of 16
10/11 - Semifinal
11/12 - Semifinal
12/13 - Semifinal
13/14 - Winner
14/15 - Semifinal

Zidane joins:

15/16 - Winner
16/17 - Winner
17/18 - Winner

After Ronaldo and Zidane:

18/19 - Round of 16
 
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