Football

[Gen]

D day for Verratti today.. they will assess him and see if he will be fit enough to play.. he will be crucial agains Leipzig their midfield is very good and very organised. It also frees Neymar up a bit..we saw against Atalanta that Neymar did a lot of work deeper in the midfield starting the attacking play.. with Verratti in the team that changes as Verratti is the start point of the attack. Which means Neymar will get possession higher up and able to do his Neymar things in more dangerous areas of the field. While Marquinhos is really good he is not quite as effective in that regard I would expect they would prefer to have Verratti alongside him..

 

I wonder if they will go with a similar approach as against Atalanta..what they did really well is strech Atalanta as Atalanta competed for every single ball and this lead to tired legs later on that could not deal with Mbappe when he came on...the have so much quality in their squad .

Edited August 16, 2020 by Gen

[RoddieJ]

That’s it! The bad news in Manchester continues...

 

Well done to the gritty performance by Sevilla, as expected.

[RoddieJ]

And Utd heavily favored in the odds to take them next round... wouldn't be at all surprised if Sevilla take them out.

Good call there :thumbs:

[Gen]

That’s it! The bad news in Manchester continues...

 

Well done to the gritty performance by Sevilla, as expected.

Sevilla do what Sevilla do..correct, a gritty effective job done..[emoji122] Edited August 16, 2020 by Gen

[Andrew Steer]

I recall someone, a couple of weeks ago, taking about how uncompetitive the football is in Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1...

 

Well, now we have the last 4 in Champions League between 2x French and 2x German teams... :fencelook:

That was me... well, kind of - specifically was with relation to Serie A and the French league if I recall. German league is very competitive, even if the Bayern dominance is obvious, they have lots of strong teams these days... 

 

Reading too much into one off results doesn't provide much insight in my books... and easier league = fresher players for this tournament, it's a huge factor any which way you look at it.

 

French teams are very well rested and have been able to line this comp up from a long way out. German teams also had a nice break before this.

 

English, Spanish, even Italian teams all look knackered from this run of games over a relatively short period of time... and the results show

 

 

[Gen]

That was me... well, kind of - specifically was with relation to Serie A and the French league if I recall. German league is very competitive, even if the Bayern dominance is obvious, they have lots of strong teams these days...

 

Reading too much into one off results doesn't provide much insight in my books... and easier league = fresher players for this tournament, it's a huge factor any which way you look at it.

 

French teams are very well rested and have been able to line this comp up from a long way out. German teams also had a nice break before this.

 

English, Spanish, even Italian teams all look knackered from this run of games over a relatively short period of time... and the results show

 

 

SERIE A teams finished their season last, days before the CL kicked off again... it was a hectic few months and it showed with Juve and Atalanta..there was just not much left.

 

In saying that Juve should never had themselves in the position where an away goal knocked them out..IMO.

 

In all honesty besides Lyon who played themselves into form I honestly believe the best teams (as I mentioned earlier) during the whole competition are in the semi's. And I base that on performance as well as results.

Edited August 17, 2020 by Gen

[Gen]

FabrizioRomano on twitter

 

Tottenham have reached an agreement with Joe Hart to sign him as a free agent, here we go [emoji1666]

 

Spurs are also considering to open talks soon to extend Hugo Lloris contract. No chances atm to include Ivan Perisic in a swap deal with Inter for Ndombele. [emoji836]️ #THFC #Spurs

Edited August 17, 2020 by Gen

[RoddieJ]

FabrizioRomano on twitter

 

Tottenham have reached an agreement with Joe Hart to sign him as a free agent, here we go [emoji1666]

 

Spurs are also considering to open talks soon to extend Hugo Lloris contract. No chances atm to include Ivan Perisic in a swap deal with Inter for Ndombele. [emoji836]️ #THFC #Spurs

As much as I don’t rate Joe Hart, Spurs need an experienced ‘keeper on the bench since Michel Vorm has left.

The Ivan Perisic deal should have been done in the last transfer window, but alas... I think Tottenham are going to offload Ndombele and probably to get either Castagne or Skriniar

[Gen]

 

 

As much as I don’t rate Joe Hart, Spurs need an experienced ‘keeper on the bench since Michel Vorm has left.

The Ivan Perisic deal should have been done in the last transfer window, but alas... I think Tottenham are going to offload Ndombele and probably to get either Castagne or Skriniar

It's a pity it didn't work out with Ndombele..I still rate him.

[RoddieJ]

It's a pity it didn't work out with Ndombele..I still rate him.

I do too, I was so looking forward to seeing him integrate into the side... He has the talent.

But I also think that Tottenham have an abundance of midfield options so a swap/sale for credible defensive players makes a whole lot of sense.

I can understand Mourinho’s desire for central defenders who get stuck in, so I’m inclined to think he really wants to get Skriniar in.

[marko35s]

As much as I don’t rate Joe Hart, Spurs need an experienced ‘keeper on the bench since Michel Vorm has left.

The Ivan Perisic deal should have been done in the last transfer window, but alas... I think Tottenham are going to offload Ndombele and probably to get either Castagne or Skriniar

The rapid decline of Joe Hart has been a weird watch, it isn't that long ago that he was considered top class player and withing a few seasons he finds himself as third choice at a mid table team.

Possibly a sign of just how important confidence is in a keeper, not unlike Karius at Liverpool once the  positive mentality goes they are done.

[Gen]

The rapid decline of Joe Hart has been a weird watch, it isn't that long ago that he was considered top class player and withing a few seasons he finds himself as third choice at a mid table team.

Possibly a sign of just how important confidence is in a keeper, not unlike Karius at Liverpool once the positive mentality goes they are done.

It was that Pirlo penalty that started it all..he was never quite the same after that[emoji6]

 

But on a serious note goalies are flippen important..not just for obvious reasons but ultimately they organise the defense.

Edited August 17, 2020 by Gen

[IceCreamMan]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53803874

 

Joe Hart to Spurs.... i like Joe and at age 33 i think he still has much to offer the game. 

 

Edit, aha , i should read more and post less. 

Edited August 17, 2020 by IceCreamMan

[Baldrick]

The rapid decline of Joe Hart has been a weird watch, it isn't that long ago that he was considered top class player and withing a few seasons he finds himself as third choice at a mid table team.

Possibly a sign of just how important confidence is in a keeper, not unlike Karius at Liverpool once the  positive mentality goes they are done.

I don't understand a keepers mentality of sitting on the bench every week hoping that the number one gets an injury. If he's desperate to play then go down a division. On the other hand earned several tens of thousand Pound a week  getting splinters isn't such a bad job.

[Gen]

I don't understand a keepers mentality of sitting on the bench every week hoping that the number one gets an injury. If he's desperate to play then go down a division. On the other hand earned several tens of thousand Pound a week getting splinters isn't such a bad job.

They are often brought to train with certain individuals when it comes to set pieces, penalties etc.. and then played during certain less important games and or early domestic cup games.

[Baldrick]

They are often brought to train with certain individuals when it comes to set pieces, penalties etc.. and then played during certain less important games and or early domestic cup games.

That's a bit like sitting on an indoor trainer while all your mates are going racing