Football (Soccer) Thread

[Liep]

A Danish goal, a hattrick by the magician Messi and there's still 45 minutes left.

[Liep]

Messi 4 - 1 Arsenal?

[Josephus]

I've seen the future of football.

If he's on his game, he should win the World Cup for the Argies.

[Warspite]

I've seen the future of football.

If he's on his game, he should win the World Cup for the Argies.

Except Messi is not great when he does not have an amazing team around him: he is no Maradonna. He will not carry a mediocre team, but he can make an excellent team legendary.

Still, perhaps now Wenger will buy that defensive midfielder the fans have been screaming for since 2006. 

[Warspite]

I mean, what the fuck are you doing starting Silvestre against Messi? ARRRRGGHGKSDHGLSDLHF££$(&£%

[Alexandru H.]

I've seen the future of football.

If he's on his game, he should win the World Cup for the Argies.

Except Messi is not great when he does not have an amazing team around him: he is no Maradonna. He will not carry a mediocre team, but he can make an excellent team legendary.

Still, perhaps now Wenger will buy that defensive midfielder the fans have been screaming for since 2006. 

It's really because Maradona is one of the shittiest managers ever. He was so close of making the Argies stay home during the summer... With Messi, it's pure jealousy: after spouting all kinds of nonsense about Pele and other capable players, he finally found a worthy match in a guy that resembles him in all the good ways and is nothing like him in the bad ones.

[Josephus]

I've seen the future of football.

If he's on his game, he should win the World Cup for the Argies.

Except Messi is not great when he does not have an amazing team around him: he is no Maradonna. He will not carry a mediocre team, but he can make an excellent team legendary.

Still, perhaps now Wenger will buy that defensive midfielder the fans have been screaming for since 2006. 

But he does have a pretty good team around him. There's some pretty decent players there. I think the problem as Alexandru said is Maradonna. Still, if he can get that team to gel, they will be dominant.

[Warspite]

WHy does everyone rate Argentina automatically over Spain? You know one of the reasons Messi can be so rampant at Barca is the people around him like Iniesta and Xavi.

If Spain go into the WC with full strength team you've got those two, along with Fabregas on the bench, parked behind Torres and Villa. Oh, and their defence isn't bad either. And we know this lot can play because they managed to lift the European Cup in 2008.

[Alexandru H.]

WHy does everyone rate Argentina automatically over Spain? You know one of the reasons Messi can be so rampant at Barca is the people around him like Iniesta and Xavi.

If Spain go into the WC with full strength team you've got those two, along with Fabregas on the bench, parked behind Torres and Villa. Oh, and their defence isn't bad either. And we know this lot can play because they managed to lift the European Cup in 2008.

Argentina has the best attacking line-up in the world at this moment: Messi, Di Maria, Higuain, Tevez, Milito. Unfortunately, Maradona still manages that team...

[Josephus]

Spain would be the obvious favourites, but they always fall apart. Yeah, I know they won the EC two years ago; but that's not the world cup. I wonder how many teams have gone from winning the Euros to winning the World Cup two years later? I think France did it in recent memory.

Anyways we'll have to start making our picks in a month or so.

[Warspite]

Spain would be the obvious favourites, but they always fall apart. Yeah, I know they won the EC two years ago; but that's not the world cup.

You're right - the average quality of football is higher in the EC :p

[Alexandru H.]

Spain would be the obvious favourites, but they always fall apart. Yeah, I know they won the EC two years ago; but that's not the world cup. I wonder how many teams have gone from winning the Euros to winning the World Cup two years later? I think France did it in recent memory.

Anyways we'll have to start making our picks in a month or so.

West Germany did it (EC 1972, WC 1974). France won the Euro Cup in 2000, but they won it after the World Cup of 1998. 

[Josephus]

Right....so, that's my point---winning the EC does not translate into a WC.

I'm not saying Spain WON"T win....I think there's a few good favourites. Plus the unpredictability of the African nations will make this Cup interesting.

[Alexandru H.]

Right....so, that's my point---winning the EC does not translate into a WC.

I'm not saying Spain WON"T win....I think there's a few good favourites. Plus the unpredictability of the African nations will make this Cup interesting.

Actually it will be a shitty tournament, in the same vein as the 2002 one. That time, the Asians were overpowered by refs and official decisions; this time I predict that an African team will be lifted towards the semis.

[Josephus]

I'm hoping the refs won't ruin this WC. We'll see.