Ode to the beautiful game... (Soccer)

I know there was surprise back in the fall that MU hadn't scored better in the transfer period. Fellaini came in last minute and overpriced IIRC, giving the impression of a panic move. How much of that was Moyles's fault, who knows. Also if the team was already on the older side an extra year can't help. But clearly he wasn't inspiring the players like Ferguson had. Best of luck to his replacement, it'll be interesting for sure to see if this season is a blip or more prolonged slump for MU.

Meanwhile, hope Arsenal can get the FA Cup win or this will have been a very disappointing season after their strong start. I'm wondering, do they have to finish top 4 above Everton to have any chance of being in the Champions League next season or does 5th allow them a chance to qualify? From what I understand, they've made it the last 16 seasons but weren't always automatically in so had to play a qualifying round.

And congrats to Liverpool for being in the driver's seat, especially since Mourinho wants to rest Chelsea's players for the Champions League. Seems fitting given the Hillsborough anniversary!
 
Lara said:
And congrats to Liverpool for being in the driver's seat, especially since Mourinho wants to rest Chelsea's players for the Champions League. Seems fitting given the Hillsborough anniversary!
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I must admit I would live to see Liverpool get the title this year - they have really played well when it counts and kudos to them for that. Still I think we won't know the champions until the final day of the season - I love it when it goes to the final day instead of being decided with 2 or 3 weeks to go.
 
So last weekend's loss from Liverpool to Chelsea put Man City back in the driver's seat, especially after City's win over Everton. Bummer.

Chelsea itself needed a win today to have a real chance but they drew with Norwich (who'll likely be relegated along with Fulham and Cardiff).

Arsenal secured fourth again and a Champions League qualifying spot after Everton's loss yesterday.

Fingers crossed for Liverpool against Crystal Palace tomorrow! Hopefully it'll come down to the wire for the Championship. :)
 
Congrats to Manchester City on winning the EPL title. And no European play for my boys Spurs will instead make it to the final Europa League spot. :(
 
After a crazy end of season last year, Benfica Lisbon bounced back and won the national title, the portuguese cup and the league cup. In Europa League, Benfica reached the final for the second season in a row but lost on the penalty shoot-out (in my opinion they were robbed big time by the ref). Great season for them.
 
Van Gaal is Man U's new manager and Giggs is his assistant. Best of luck to them and I am hoping for a better season come fall.
 
Good luck to Van Gael, I hope it works out. At the very least I think they'll get back to the Europa League.

Also slightly belated congrats to Atletico Madrid for winning La Liga in the deciding match against Barcelona! Huge accomplishment considering how dominant Barca and Real Madrid have been. Now they meet Real in the Champions League final, a win there would really be a fairy tale season. :)

And Arsenal won the FA Cup. :cheer2:
 
Some WC news:

1) Mario Balotelli was again racially abused by fans during an open training session for the NT.
2) Toronto FC's Michael Bradley, and Julio Cesar have been called up for their national teams but Jermain DeFoe has not.
3) Big things are expected of the Dutch this time around it would seem. I guess their manager wants a nice sending off since will soon be Man U's new boss.
4) Brazil says they are too anxious to sleep these days. I wonder why... :P
5) The cost of living in many of the cities hosting WC matches has skyrocketed leaving many with no choice but to live in shanty towns.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/uk-brazil-worldcup-saopaulo-idUKKBN0DU1P620140514
 
Madrid derbi in the Champions final :cheer2: (RTVE final promo)

I have friends that are Real or Atleti fans so I´m quite neutral. I just hope we can see a great and fair game although I´m afraid both teams will be very nervous as they can make history, Real winning "la décima" (the tenth title) and Atleti their first.

A big number of madrileños have travelled to Lisboa, I guess Madrid will have the lowest participation in an European Election ever tomorrow :D.
 
Real won 4-1 but Atletico lead 1-0 in the 92nd minute and then Ramos scored followed by Bale. A very exciting game :cheer2:
 
Buzz said:
Real won 4-1 but Atletico lead 1-0 in the 92nd minute and then Ramos scored followed by Bale. A very exciting game :cheer2:
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That was a fantastic match. I don't think Atletico deserved to lose by such a margin, but they just ran out of gas after using up their substitutions too early. I love how Casillas planted a huge kiss on Ramos's cheek for saving his a** after his awful mistake in the first half allowed Atletico's goal.
 
alexikeguchi said:
That was a fantastic match. I don't think Atletico deserved to lose by such a margin, but they just ran out of gas after using up their substitutions too early.
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I agree, not the best football but a very exciting game, and Simeone admitted it was a mistake Diego Costa, who was injured just a week ago, started playing. Atlético players were physically very limited, when the third Real Madrid goal some of them barely could walk.

Their fans were great, as usual, even if the disappointment was heartbreaking, since it was similar as how the lost their first Champion final forty years ago, with the other team scoring over the 90 minutes.

alexikeguchi said:
I love how Casillas planted a huge kiss on Ramos's cheek for saving his a** after his awful mistake in the first half allowed Atletico's goal.
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That was great :lol:, Casillas told Sergio Ramos he was the "freakin boss", I guess he was imagining his mistake :yikes: was going to be in all the Madrid newspapers frontpage. And when they arrived to Madrid he conceded to Sergio Ramos, who is the second captain, the honor of presenting the trophy and dressing Cibeles fountain with the Madrid scarf.

Some fun videos:

Xabi Alonso jumping to the field to celebrate Bale´s goal

The usual suspects (Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Pepe) and some friends invanding Ancelotti press meeting. Some kisses too.
 
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Expired food has been found in hotels in Rio which are going to be hosting the English and Italian national teams.

The warning is the second setback for the preparations in less than 24 hours after hotels where England’s World Cup squad and Italy’s team are due to stay faced fines after out of date food was found. Officials who raided the five-star Royal Tulip Hotel in Rio de Janeiro confiscated 700g of butter, 400g of Parma ham and nearly 1.2kg of salmon past its sell-by date.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...state-of-emergency-declared-in-host-city.html
 
Buzz said:
There were more protests against the cost of putting on WC in Brazil. Protesters believe the money would have been better spent on social programs.
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014...s-world-cup-2014-preparations-met-by-protest/
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The main problem (in my view) were the non fulfilled promises.

We were promised that, at cities that already had stadiums, the renovations/re-building were not to be paid with public money, but with the teams that owned the stadiums own resources, and that the government was to fund and make sure to finish some pretty big (and very necessary) infra-structure projects, such as airports, roads and city mobility projects (proper public transportation, better streets, etc.).
They had seven (!!!!) years to do things and almost nothing is truly complete. What will be complete, will be so at the very last minute. And that includes the stadiums (which ended up having public money into them).
Bad management, deviated money, general corruption, people pointing fingers instead of actually solving problems and Brazil's very typical lack of "planning ahead" skills are to blame for this mess.

Most of us thought, when the WC was given to us in 2007, that there was no way we could mess up that. "It's OUR sport!"
But now the time has come and we have very little to show.
I don't agree with the nature of the protests now (what is attacking the Brazilian team bus going to solve?), but I do agree that the tax payers' money would have been put to much better use on NOT building stadiums.
 
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