Ode to the beautiful game 2

[Buzz]

I am but to speak of it might expose just how little I actually know about football so I now like to leave the in depth discussions to others. LOL

 

[Maofan7]

Wait, no-one is following the drama in La Liga and BPL?????

Barcelona 1 - 2 Valencia. That enough drama for you!

 

[tamuno]

you betcha!! I want Real to win La Liga. Barca annoys me. Too perfect! although their defense is atrocious. Buzz, don't be intimidated.

Also Leicester pleeeeeaasssss HANG ON!! They did hit an adversity but I hope they push on to the end. I don't like Spurs and Harry Kane looks to angry to me.

 

[Buzz]

For a team that has spent most of it's history lower Leagues Leicester City certainly has done very well this season. It is extremely nice to see a new face at the top and I am cheering for them! Well if my boys can't win anything this season I might as well cheer on Leicester.

 

[Maofan7]

Manchester United beat Everton 2-1 to make it through to the FA Cup final where they will face either Crystal Palace or Watford

The only down side to this result is that if Man U go on and win the cup, it could save Van Gaal from the sack

 

[Buzz]

I think Van Gaal is a goner no matter what happens in the FA Cup final.

 

[Katha]

Yeah, the trouble for LVG has been the showing in the league, the CL and the style of play he has often employed (i.e. uninspiring), the FA Cup final doesn't really change the overall picture IMO.

Meanwhile, the Spanish league looks surprisingly exciting. After their mini-collapse starting with the Clásico, Barcelona seem to have stabilized again. And so far neither of FCB, ATM and RM have blinked and dropped points in their league encounters.

 

[Lorac]

For a team that has spent most of it's history lower Leagues Leicester City certainly has done very well this season. It is extremely nice to see a new face at the top and I am cheering for them! Well if my boys can't win anything this season I might as well cheer on Leicester.

What is even more impressive is that they narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship last season so this run has been totally unexpected. I was worried last week when bad referring nearly cost them - though it also gave them the last gasp penalty to get the point. Spurs are not holding back though and are still on the Foxes tails - it is going to be a fight to the end but my fingers are firmly crossed that Leicester can do it.

 

[Buzz]

Am I a terrible person for feeling disappointed that Leicester City did not beat Man U yesterday?!

 

[alexikeguchi]

You're not terrible. It looks like Tottenham is only getting a point today, so it will still work out for Leicester. It's a very chippy game, kind of like hockey.

 

[Lorac]

Am I a terrible person for feeling disappointed that Leicester City did not beat Man U yesterday?!

Not really. I am sitting here listening to the Spurs Chelsea game hoping that Chelsea can hold on and ensure Spurs don't get the win - never thought I would ever cheer for Chelsea

ETA: And Leicester are Champions with 2 games to go. . What an awesome accomplishment - they have won for the first ever time in their history.

At the start of the season the bookies were giving odds of 5000-1 for this accomplishment. Some people are going to be winning some money on this!!

 

[tamuno]

YESSSSS! Congratulations!!!!!

 

[Xela M]

Whilst the genius ( ) Pep is struggling to win the Bundesliga with Bayern, the modest Ranieri has just won the Premier League with Leicester!!

Genius coach! Amazing man! Well done!

P.S. Thank you Hazard for choosing this game out of the whole season to actually play some football Had Spurs won the league I'm afraid Wenger would have had to emigrate!

 

[Buzz]

Congratulations to Leicester City and their fans! I guess those Buddhist monks know their stuff!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...-karma-the-buddhist-monks-behind-the-foxes-d/

 

[alexikeguchi]

And now Bayern is out of the CL. What a totally crazy season, but so refreshing. The last shall be first...

 

[Xela M]

And now Bayern is out of the CL. What a totally crazy season, but so refreshing. The last shall be first...

I have always said Pep was wayyyyy overrated! How can he not win the CL for 3 years with THAT squad playing as phenomenally as they did tonight (and do most nights)?! Ancelotti is a way way better manager! They will win the CL with him no doubt.

Simeone has the look of a killer, but omg what a manager! I can't see anyone stopping them now.

Can they win La Liga and the CL?!

 

[Buzz]

All I need right now is a final answer to whether or not Man U is going to give the manager position to Mourinho.

Bummer about Bayern! I had them picked to win it all. LOL

 

[Xela M]

It would be crazy for United to keep Van Gaal another season. I just can't see that happening.

 

[Buzz]

The anticipation is doing bad things to my nerves! I am terrified Mourinho will flip the club the bird and move on.

 

[Xela M]

The anticipation is doing bad things to my nerves! I am terrified Mourinho will flip the club the bird and move on.

But before he does that he will win you titles! This is Mourinho's dream job. He has waited for it for so long and he is dying to show everyone (especially Sir Alex who promised him the job and then gave it to Moyes) what he can do.

It won't be pretty, but win you will.

 

[Buzz]

And then hopefully my suffering will end! LOL Because it really isn't pretty to see a grown woman cry...

 

[Katha]

Man, did anyone tell City that they were in a CL semifinal? I mean, I understand being cautious because they didn't want to concede, but surely once they were a goal down they needed to show some sort of desire to attack? Guardiola will have his hands full with that bunch.

It's been rather fun watching Zidane basically learn on the job in the last few months, though. Perez appointing him was the typical kind of crazy knee-jerk thing Perez does, yet he's been doing reasonably well. They're in the CL final, they're still in with a shot in the league, they beat Barca in the Camp Nou. They're a great club on paper of course, but they're so dysfunctional. The squad is imbalanced because Perez buys all the bright shiny toys without considering if they're actually needed (Casemiro is, like, their most important player because he's the only proper defensive midfielder they have!), there's a bunch of galacticos and egomaniac primadonnas. The medical department is supposedly awful, resulting in loads of injuries. And you got Perez trying to constantly interfere with coaching decisions.

The way Zidane is seemingly stitching together a bunch of stuff he picked up at Juve, things he picked up playing under Del Bosque, things from Mourinho, things from Ancelotti etc. is hilarious, it's not a bad idea though. At the end of the day he needs to win games at RM, not create some "philosophy". Morale seems good, they are more or less coherent now as a team and he's not cracking under the constant crazy pressure from all sides. No one is ever RM manager for long, but he's making a case for himself to survive the summer (which is probably more than anyone would have predicted ) and for potential jobs elsewhere (if he wants that). Mostly I'm just glad that another legendary player isn't making a fool of himself as a coach, Maradona-style.

 

[tamuno]

Why would they sack Zidane??? Benitez I understand but Real is doing well under him. I hope they are not that crazy. I am waiting for the big surprise no one saw coming at La Liga (Barca conceding at the final minutes of a match to settle for one point, Athletico in a surprise loss and Real winning it all at the final match!!!! )
Yes, that's what I foresee in all seriousness. I don't particularly like Athletico but I have no real reason. It's like if you like Man U, you can't like Man C and so on.

Ok, it's unlikely Barca will lose but you never know........

 

[Katha]

Whilst the genius ( ) Pep is struggling to win the Bundesliga with Bayern, the modest Ranieri has just won the Premier League with Leicester!!

Now that all the leagues are over you get all these "manager philosophies" think pieces and it drives me batty! The hipster hype machine is so obnoxious. Guardiola is a very good manager, but he doesn't walk on water. For a time (and still in some corners) he's been treated like an infallible deity, no one can live up to that kind of idolization. Now he's been "found out" in the sense that it's not as easy to deny any more that he has weaknesses as a manager, that not everything he does works. In short, that he's a very good manager and not a sparkly unicorn.

Simeone is the hipsters' new darling. And it'll be the same with him. Now he's all new and exciting, with his bad boy image and his machismo defense tactics. In time backlash will set in, then his antics on the sidelines will be condemned and his teams will be branded as cheaters and anti-footballers. There's already some grumbling about his behaviour and the way they play, it'll get louder. Don't believe me? Another coach with a preference for disciplined, robust play and flamboyant sideline and press conference behaviour has gone through various cycles of media fascination and backlash already: Mourinho. That's how this stuff works. They'll build you up, then tear you down.

And it's all so daft, because coaching is not witchcraft. There are different styles and methods, there's incompetent coaches and good ones. Sometimes a particular coach doesn't fit at a particular club, but does elsewhere. It's a job. Yet it's stylized to be some esoteric "genius philosophy artistry" in the press, and then they throw temper tantrums if the results don't reflect their fave pet theories.

 

[Buzz]

According to the BBC Manchester United is set to name Jose Mourinho as their new coach.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36351371

 

[Lorac]

According to the BBC Manchester United is set to name Jose Mourinho as their new coach.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36351371

However neither Van Gaal or his backroom staff appear to know anything about it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36353943

The United board are I suspect a bit confused about what they are doing to whom and when - especially after they just won the FA Cup

 

[Buzz]

Oh gross...

 

[Buzz]

Louis Van Gaal has been fired as manager of Manchester United and Jose Mourinho is expected to be named as the new manager soon.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36356584

 

[Lorac]

Louis Van Gaal has been fired as manager of Manchester United and Jose Mourinho is expected to be named as the new manager soon.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36356584

This is the 2nd time in as many managers that the current Man Utd manager has learned of their firing through the media. Pretty low really.

 

[Katha]

It's not a surprise, really. IMO Van Gaal's football wasn't great and the results weren't great either. For the kind of budget he has, not making Champions League qualification is probably seen as unacceptable. The FA Cup was just window dressing on an unsatisfying season, and they didn't even manage a convincing win against Crystal Palace. His sacking has probably been in the making for the last few weeks, without him knowing anything about it. That is indeed gross, unfortunately I don't think that sort of behaviour is unusual in football. The way stories about player discontent with LVG are leaking now is also not pretty, though the content isn't exactly a shock. Football is a ruthless business.