2007 English Premier League

[slitz]

Originally Posted by Ossoi

What part of Red card and penalty do you not understand?

Well penalty and / or red card does not equal goal. High probability yes, I won't deny that, but it's still not a goal.

[Waedar]

red cards and penalty are not a gurantee. granted a pk can be a very good chance but they get missed

me personally i blame Arsenal's loss on Gallas and his bad luck (sarcasm) as for bringing up the goal i'm trying to stress that LP have had trouble getting past Chelsea in the semis in the CL. a 1-0 win at anfield in 05 and it went to PKs last year at anfield. hopefully (if espn's schedule is correct) having the 2nd leg at the bridge this time will make a difference

as for being a fan of chelsea blame it on working with 4 guys from london that pretty much got me into football. but it seems the 2 teams i really support have a habit of going out in the semis for the local competitions while doing strong in the domestic leagues (the other team being Houston who have had a bad habit of loosing to Pachuca in the semis yearly)

[Akileese]

Originally Posted by Waedar

red cards and penalty are not a gurantee. granted a pk can be a very good chance but they get missed

me personally i blame Arsenal's loss on Gallas and his bad luck (sarcasm) as for bringing up the goal i'm trying to stress that LP have had trouble getting past Chelsea in the semis in the CL. a 1-0 win at anfield in 05 and it went to PKs last year at anfield. hopefully (if espn's schedule is correct) having the 2nd leg at the bridge this time will make a difference

as for being a fan of chelsea blame it on working with 4 guys from london that pretty much got me into football. but it seems the 2 teams i really support have a habit of going out in the semis for the local competitions while doing strong in the domestic leagues (the other team being Houston who have had a bad habit of loosing to Pachuca in the semis yearly)

If Arsenal don't go out and spend the maximum amount of money they possibly can to get the best central defender money will buy I will be outraged. I know that isn't how they operate, but Gallas is fucking nuts, Toure hasn't been the same since the African Cup of Nations, and Senderos is well, he's fucking awful. I can't even think of anything nice to say about him. I'm pretty sure he's cost us 3 games on his own mistakes alone.

Then again, Gallas has won or tied a fair amount of matches. Say what you will about the man, but he seems to get big goals on set pieces. IDK, I seem to think if you pair up Gallas with a top notch CD (Off the top of my head, I can't name any, but I'm sure there are some out there), he'll great improve not having to be the anchor of that defense.

[Ossoi]

There's a host of reasons why Arsenal lost last night above and beyond a few disputed decisions. I was reaching the conclusion that it was sheer exhaustion, mainly of Fabregas and Flamini, especially as they both played 90mins on Saturday.

Watching the game again just now you can definitely see Fabregas crying and wiping his face with his shirt as Gerrard puts the ball down, clear sign that in his head he's already conceded the game.

The kid has been overplayed since he was 16 by Wenger and needs a rest.

[Amahk]

Originally Posted by Ranvier

I don't know yet, but hope the Chelsea vs. Liverpool tie has the second leg at the Bridge.

IF it isn't then Chelsea need to not be lazy and kill the tie off in the first leg at the Bridge. If Chelsea score 2 or 3 goals and keep a clean sheet then and only then will they knock out Liverpool if second leg is at Anfield. Chelsea's defense is significantly stronger than Arsenal's (assuming Cech or Cudicini is fit) so I don't think Liverpool will sneak in that many goals at Anfield.

The only Liverpool player that really makes me fear the worst for Chelsea is Gerrard. Give players like Torres and Babel a good marker like Alex/Terry (depending on who is fit) and Carvalho, respectively, and they won't cause much problem. Torres knows how to finish and is clinical, but he doesn't do anything special...he doesn't have any tricks like Ronaldive. Babel just runs head strong into defenders, but unly players like Ashley Young he doesn't get much done. Our back four are experienced enough to get in tackles and stop the man in his tracks (hopefully we don't get some retarded Carvalho tackle). Gerrard though is fucking unpredictable. He runs at defenders, splits them apart, and can shoot cannons from range.

Despite Lampard scoring 20+ goals a season I still like Gerrard more and would prefer him in the team. Liverpool has a subpar team, but he is really good.

Do you watch football regularly?? Wait nevermind you must call it soccer...I'm still trying to get over you saying "give Torres a good marker". There are different types of players and Torres doesn't need tricks like Ronaldo. A striker with 'tricks' makes no sense if you've ever played football. Maybe a supporting striker or a more attack minded midfielder aka Ronaldo. The top strikers in the world(Henry, Shevchenko, Etoo, Inzaghi, v.Niilsterooy, Owen etc) unless they are Brazilian, don't use tricks to score. it's a combination of goal awareness, strength, speed, acceleration and very importantly...touch. All of which Torres possesses. I am not a Liverpool fan nor do I adore Torres but I'm defintiely giving him his jacket. He is a world class striker. His past at Atletico and what he's done at Liverpool have shown that already and he's still young.

Liverpool definitely don't have a subpar team. How does a subpar team make it to the CL finals twice in 3 years?? Yes, Gerrard, Carragher and Torres are the strong points of that team but Babel does his role and so does Alonso when he's not stifled in midfield. How do you mark someone like Babel when they have so much speed. Walcott's run through the Liverpool midfield is a great example of this. I'm not saying Liverpool have the game in the bag already however they've beaten Chelsea twice already and I am sure Chelsea fear them somewhat.

[Amahk]

Originally Posted by Ossoi

There's a host of reasons why Arsenal lost last night above and beyond a few disputed decisions. I was reaching the conclusion that it was sheer exhaustion, mainly of Fabregas and Flamini, especially as they both played 90mins on Saturday.

Watching the game again just now you can definitely see Fabregas crying and wiping his face with his shirt as Gerrard puts the ball down, clear sign that in his head he's already conceded the game.

The kid has been overplayed since he was 16 by Wenger and needs a rest.

I thought he was crying because it was an emotional rollercoaster. They had the game in the bag with 3 minutes left only for a dubious penalty to be called. That kid is 19 years old. He's not tired. Him and Flamini are workhorses and they both play with so much heart. They're always ready to fight and back down from no one. I remember versus Chelsea, when Lampard tried to oppose Fabregas and that Blackburn game with Robbie Savage doing the same thing. Fabregas thrives on that and yet he still has those silky passes. And yes I am a huge Fabregas fan

[Ossoi]

Originally Posted by Amahk

I thought he was crying because it was an emotional rollercoaster. They had the game in the bag with 3 minutes left only for a dubious penalty to be called. That kid is 19 years old. He's not tired. Him and Flamini are workhorses and they both play with so much heart. They're always ready to fight and back down from no one. I remember versus Chelsea, when Lampard tried to oppose Fabregas and that Blackburn game with Robbie Savage doing the same thing. Fabregas thrives on that and yet he still has those silky passes. And yes I am a huge Fabregas fan

The sheer heartbreak of the moment undoubtedly contributed to his tears but he definitely needs a rest. By the same age players like Rooney, Gerrard, Owen (who were all playing first team football) had played less than half the number of games Fabregas has.

Compare the player Owen was at 20-21 (fast, electric pace) to the player he is now and there is no doubt that his body has suffered down the years. Am I suggesting the same will happen to Fabregas? No, but at some stage he is going to need a rest. Unfortunately for Arsenal, the big games couldnt be afforded to be rested on saturday, whereas Babel, Gerrard and Torres all were.

And regarding Ranviers analysis..

the first leg is at Anfield not at Stamford Bridge

I actually agree with you that a good marker can stifle Torres, one only has to look at the two Man Utd games for evidence of that. The first leg vs Arsenal Clichy did an excellent job in keeping him quiet, largely thanks to the fact Clichy can match him for pace.

Can Chelsea do the same? Considering Torres skinned Ben Haim for his first goal in English football, and that Ashley Cole aside the Chelsea defence isnt that quick I dont think so.

As for Torres as an invidual, doesnt do anything special? are you on crack? Everyone of his goals this season has been different and spectacular, I don't think he's scored a tap in or a dirk kuyt special (bounce off the knee). The biggest thing about him is the way he ghosts past defenders as if theyre not there, I certainly havent seen anything like it..its just a feint one way, a knock the other and a burst of pace that takes them out the game.

Considering Jose is a better manager than Avram Grant, and Benitez knocked Jose out twice, I'd say advantage has to be with Liverpool.

Liverpool v Man Utd final, I dont think I could handle losing to Utd in Moscow but its set up perfectly for Liverpool to win it having eliminated Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd in the process, what a result that would be.

[Ranvier]

Originally Posted by Amahk

Stuff

Actually, I call it football - you will notice in my posts. And you are from Atlanta LOL. Are you some guy pretending to be English? Grab a small cup of tea, stick out your little finger, sip (don't slurp).

Who do you support anyway? You seem like the bandwagon-jumping type to me.

And actually, Liverpool IS a subpar team. Making it to the CL final whatever times in a row doesn't mean jack when domestically you perform SO poorly consistently that you start panicking half way through the season of not being in the top four and missing out of next season's CL.

I will give this to you though that Carragher is a good defender...but he has given away so many penalties too its frightening.

Also acceleration and speed ARE tricks because not all footballers posses it and those that do aren't masters at it (unlike say Henry or Berbatov).

Torres is good, but he isn't amazing and he is extremely predictable unlike players like Henry, Ronaldive, Ronaldinho, etc. I have watched every Liverpool game this season (and have watched Torres in the past during '06 WC and Atl. Madrid games) and none of his goals are memorable. He scored a bunch of hat tricks, but a lot of the time its some winger getting to the touchline with the ball and pulling it back to Torres for him to finish it off from 6yards. There are others out there who are his age who are much much better than him...Benzema comes to mind if you watch Ligue 1 (I only watch Lyon and Bordeux games).

Hey its my opinion that I don't think he is amazing. If you disagree then just live with it.

[Ranvier]

Originally Posted by Ossoi

As for Torres as an invidual, doesnt do anything special? are you on crack? Everyone of his goals this season has been different and spectacular, I don't think he's scored a tap in or a dirk kuyt special (bounce off the knee). The biggest thing about him is the way he ghosts past defenders as if theyre not there, I certainly havent seen anything like it..its just a feint one way, a knock the other and a burst of pace that takes them out the game.

Bleh, I don't know...they didn't really stand out for me or anything. They aren't like Gerrard goals.

[Akileese]

Originally Posted by Ranvier

Bleh, I don't know...they didn't really stand out for me or anything. They aren't like Gerrard goals.

Gerard made a living out of 25-30 meter strikes.... Torres is downright fucking dazzling.

Also, I'm officially starting the bring back Thierry Henry movement just to pair him with Adebayor. Ade has matured now and Henry misses England. It's a perfect match. Make it happen Arsene.

Also, RVP with a thigh injury now. Christ, the poor fuckin kid hasn't been healthy since he scored that miracle goal against Man U last year that broke his foot. I feel for him, but it's getting near the point where a healthy Van Persie is a bonus and not a necessity for this team.

I'm calling Barce vs Liverpewl. Barce earn a 0-0 draw at OT and win 2-0 at the Nou Camp. I say Liverpewl 4-1 on aggregate. 1-1 at the Bridge, 3-0 at Anfield.

[Ranvier]

I hope RVP gets well before next season and doesn't get any long term injuries again. He is really good to watch (that pre-season goal this year was just insane). I would love to see Henry back in the Premiership because he still has a LOT to offer and Barcelona just have so many people...Bojan, Messi, etc.

Doubt he will return though

[BembianEQ]

Originally Posted by Akileese

Gerard made a living out of 25-30 meter strikes.... Torres is downright fucking dazzling.

Also, I'm officially starting the bring back Thierry Henry movement just to pair him with Adebayor. Ade has matured now and Henry misses England. It's a perfect match. Make it happen Arsene.

Also, RVP with a thigh injury now. Christ, the poor fuckin kid hasn't been healthy since he scored that miracle goal against Man U last year that broke his foot. I feel for him, but it's getting near the point where a healthy Van Persie is a bonus and not a necessity for this team.

I'm calling Barce vs Liverpewl. Barce earn a 0-0 draw at OT and win 2-0 at the Nou Camp. I say Liverpewl 4-1 on aggregate. 1-1 at the Bridge, 3-0 at Anfield.

0-0 at Old Trafford is a bold prediction, I don't care who's coming in.

[Akileese]

Originally Posted by BembianEQ

0-0 at Old Trafford is a bold prediction, I don't care who's coming in.

Yeah. I know. But I'm gonna stand by it.

[Mimirswell]

Barcelona's defense hasn't been exceptional on away games (conceding 4 goals in 5 games) while Manchester United have not failed to score the last 11 games at Old Trafford (all of which they won) in the Champions League. The odds are very long on that happening, very long. Barcelona scoring 0 at Old Trafford is probably correct given that Manchester United have only conceded 1 goal at home. Furthermore, your prediction of 2-0 at Nou Camp is also unlikely considering that Manchester United has scored in every single away game (every game in fact, 18 goals in 10 games) in the Champion's league though admittedly, Barcelona have also only conceded 1 goal at home making it at least plausible.

A more likely scenario given the two teams is for a 1-1 on aggregate with both wins at home or a 2-1 favoring one side.

[Ossoi]

none of torres goals memorable? Now youre just showing your retard status