Roiling football blather

[version]

I only saw the goals, but Bayern looked incredible from those five minutes. Some of those Gnabry strikes - wow. And each of Lewandowski's goals required a pretty special striker's eye.

Much as I've historically disliked them, I do like the thought that Bayern could be building a new team to compete at the top table with Coutinho, who I've long liked but wasn't much cop/allowed to be much cop at Barca by all accounts (I rarely saw any of their matches). At the moment Europe needs some iconic teams to rise up, since an Ajax will never be allowed to flourish beyond one season in today's game, and the Spanish game seems to be going through a crisis.

I'd be surprised if this wasn't City's year to break through in Europe, at least to reach the final.

I think Bayern really lucked out in Lahm retiring and instantly having the perfect replacement in Kimmich.

 

[version]

Speaking of Lewandowski, he's on fire at the moment. Nine goals in five league games.

"Robert Lewandowski this season in CL, Bundesliga and DFB Pokal - 9 games, 14 goals, at least 1 goal in every game, goal scored every 55 minutes."

 

[version]

Inter beating Barca at their own game.

 

[IdleRich]

Was out tonight... wish I coulda watched the footie.

 

[IdleRich]

Seems as though Suarez has a few moments left in his tank... does he save 'em for the big European nights though?

 

[entertainment]

Suarez was dire the entire game, though. He's been doing this thing for years now, playing like shit and then scoring the occasional banger. Still think Barca should get rid of him asap.

What he brings, you can't really build anything from it going forward.

 

[version]

Busquets and Suarez need to be benched, imo. The game completely changed when Vidal came on and Arthur and de Jong dropped back.

 

[yyaldrin]

amazing

 

[IdleRich]

But you can have a player who does nothing else all game as long as he bangs in two amazing goals I think.

 

[version]

Inter v Juve tonight; Barca v Sevilla too.

 

[version]

Suarez bicycle kick.

 

[entertainment]

Weird game that. Sevilla go in looking like the best team and then suddenly find themselves down by three.

 

[IdleRich]

Seems like you've given Suarez the reverse kiss of death or something by saying that he was useless at the moment.

 

[version]

I don't think there's anything in football I'm more confident of than Messi scoring free kicks.

 

[IdleRich]

The goal vs Inter was even better I think (the first one), it didn't even look like a chance.

 

[version]

You wouldn't think Messi was just coming back from his second injury.

 

[entertainment]

He's been this way since 2016. Fucks up easy passes all over the pitch and then bangs in a wondergoal. If he can still do it in key Champions League games, he'll have my blessing, but he hasn't for a while.

 

[IdleRich]

He's been this way since 2016. Fucks up easy passes all over the pitch and then bangs in a wondergoal. If he can still do it in key Champions League games, he'll have my blessing, but he hasn't for a while.

As an aside, I watched the highlights of Barce v Inter on youtube and it showed chance after chance for Inter, they seemed to be well on top and basically to be lose purely cos of failure to take their chances at one end and moments of genius at the other. But the stats said Barca had sicty-five percent possession or something. Were the highlights biased or was that just a particularly good example of the famous "sterile possession" of Barcelona?
Either way Juventus are looking ominous this time round if everything I'm reading about the gulf in class v Inter at the weekend is true.

 

[version]

Barca's problem, imo, is a lack of width. The only real wide player who gets forward and poses a threat is Alba as each of the front three prefer to cut inside and they still haven't properly replaced Alves on the right. You look at a lot of their games and they often end up with Messi playing behind Suarez and absolutely nothing coming from the right so the defense can just flood the centre in the knowledge that nobody's gonna be out there stretching them and posing a threat. There's also the issue of crosses being completely useless due to the size of their players and their weakness in the air.

Suarez's goals against Inter came when Messi stayed wide on the right and gave him more time on the ball by dragging the defenders away from the centre. That doesn't happen anywhere near enough because Messi's also expected to link the attack and midfield through the middle. What normally happens re: sterile possession is they keep the ball but keep running into a wall of defenders in the area and being funneled into the corners where they can't do anything.

 

[entertainment]

As an aside, I watched the highlights of Barce v Inter on youtube and it showed chance after chance for Inter, they seemed to be well on top and basically to be lose purely cos of failure to take their chances at one end and moments of genius at the other. But the stats said Barca had sicty-five percent possession or something. Were the highlights biased or was that just a particularly good example of the famous "sterile possession" of Barcelona?
Either way Juventus are looking ominous this time round if everything I'm reading about the gulf in class v Inter at the weekend is true.

I don't think Inter were the better team. I don't know if you're familiar with the xG thing, but Barca did create slightly better chances for themselves. 1.4 against Inter's 1.0, I believe.

I really don't like this coach, but it's a bit of a new side this year and still too early to assess what they can really do.