slavo actually follows la liga closely so he'd know more, but i'm thinking there's a 3rd contender now...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv2A6iqMu-8



daaaaamn!

this is from an interview with klopp a few days ago. i added the bold--

----

We need to work seriously and sensibly. We have this amount of money so we can pay that amount. But we lose players. Last year it was Shinji Kagawa."

He hits his head with his palm. "Shinji Kagawa is one of the best players in the world and he now plays 20 minutes at Manchester United – on the left wing! My heart breaks. Really, I have tears in my eyes. Central midfield is Shinji's best role. He's an offensive midfielder with one of the best noses for goal I ever saw. But for most Japanese people it means more to play for Man United than Dortmund. We cried for 20 minutes, in each others' arms, when he left. One year before that Nuri Sahin went because Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world. [Sahin is back at Dortmund after just four appearances for Madrid and an unhappy loan spell at Liverpool]. If players are patient enough we can develop the team into one of the biggest in the world."

---

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...ampions-league

^^ this man rules!

I read that interview and yeah, how could anyone not love him. And I completely agree with him about Kagawa but he's expecting a general mindshift amongst players before anything changes. He may even be right about building a worldbeating side but the problem will always be sustaining it. For the most part players follow the money and even if Dortmund win the next two CLs they'll still be way below the spending power of a Bayern, or a Real, and that's before you get to the bottomless pockets represented by the likes of Chelsea or Man City. (And I'm convinced the Financial Fair Play thing won't make a jot of difference to that.) Klopp represents how the game should be run but it just isn't and I doubt that it ever will.

are you guys seeing this ridiculous larper pregame show?

Wow! Fantastic game so far. Dortmund were a whirlwind for the first half hour and Neuer was keeping Bayern in it. Reus has been fantastic. But Dortmund are starting to give Robben too much space. Lucky for Dortmund so far that Robben only has one foot. Ribery seems not to be there at all.

what the fuck was it?!? Some weekend battle reenactment. Embarrassing.

oh man that was---!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, brilliant game. It really was. Felt sorry for Dortmund but as a spectacle it was about perfect. I need a lie down after that.

great game! not the outcome i wanted to see, but fair enough. until next year!

i guess neymar choose barcelona, im soooo glad the speculation is over.

In the first half hour I seriously started to wonder if Bayern really were gonna choke again but I just think Dortmund were so intense in that period that Bayern simply couldn't handle them. But you could see Dortmund gradually starting to tire after that and making more mistakes (especially Hummels) until a Bayern winner began to look more and more likely. But fair play to Dortmund, they never stopped and with Lewandowski's disallowed goal, I really thought they'd pulled it off. Bayern are more than worthy champions though, without a doubt.


I can't wait to have a proper look at him and really hope he lives up to the hype, even though I've not been massively impressed the (very) few times I've watched him so far - mainly in Brazil friendlies so hardly a good gauge. Besides that though, does anyone know his best position? I'm just wondering how he'll fit into the Barca system, given he'll obviously be a regular starter. It's a massively exciting signing, though, either way. And Barcelona do seem to have a knack of signing just the right Brazilian at the just right time (Ronaldo, Romario, Ronaldinho). It'd be great if Neymar proves to be another one.

i was surprised that dortmund pressed so high up the pitch and played a 4231 instead of what had been predicted would be a 433. reus did great in that new position (gotze's).

also of note: mario gotze trying to look like justin bieber with his little backwards baseball cap was RIDICULOUSLY HILARIOUS.

re: ribéry "not here at all" -- i think at first he was neutralized by piszcek's physicality but in the end he's the one who set up both of bayern's goals.

ps-



he's my hero. also, did you see him vs. grosskreutz? it was like a fox terrier standing up to a great dane.

Yeah Ribery definitely improved as Dortmund seemed to tire but was pretty lucky to avoid a red for that challenge. Schweinsteiger was maybe the biggest disappointment. I actually started to wonder if he wasn't carrying some kind of injury. Hummels was a bit iffy, too. Subotic saved his arse a few times (although he probably deserved a red himself for his challenge on Mueller)

Reus really stood out for me, along with Gundogan. It's a shame Lewandowski looks like he's moving on because together they look like a real threat. Robben will probably get most of the headlines and the goal was fantastic but he still frustrates me more than anything else.

looking forward to the US friendly with Belgium next Wednesday, a good break from all this basketball. I don't like there being two back to back friendlies just before a crucial World Cup Qualifier against Jamaica in two weeks, but hopefully we can just build on it like extended practice. This team is in multiple transitions (coaching and roster) so I guess some more minutes on the field playing together is good to develop that much needed chemistry..

Well it certainly seems like it was a good one, and why was I not surprised to see a last minute goal for Bayern?. However I don't feel that gutted for missing it. Purely because the wedding was just a brilliant day.

before that there was a quasi-goal epically saved by subotic.

if you can find a recording (please say yes), it was a great game all around-- at times so fast as to be almost total chaos. the goalkeepers owned the first half!

there was also the hilarity of seeing gotze in the stands, trying to look like justin bieber, the poor fool.

ps- good to know you enjoyed your friends' wedding.

Yeah, knowing the score will inevitably spoil it a bit but if you can see it, you definitely should. It reminded me of one of those million mile an hour matches we used to see in the Prem a few years ago, before all the managers started eating Tapas and learning bad Spanish. I could've watched it all night and was more disappointed that Robben's goal meant it was likely to end than because it signalled Bayern's victory.

As an aside, the press seem to be saying that Lewandowski is going to Bayern. So just as one game highlights the strengths of the Bundesliga, a transfer rumour highlights its weaknesses. Swings and roundabouts, though.

Bloody hell. yeah. What was he thinking about? Selena Gomez I suppose.

i feel bad for guardiola, he's got nowhere to go but down or at best horizontally.

i feel worse for heynckes because apparently real madrid wants him back and i think he should just retire while he's on top of the world.

I think Real want to appoint either Ancelotti or Benitez short term while they go to work trying to lure Klopp. Although I also wonder if Barcelona aren't stalling over Vilanova for the same reasons. He's definitely the 'it' manager right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdZW0yywihQ

Ha. They did it again.

Three titles in two weeks.

Monaco look like they're spending some serious money. £60m for João Moutinho and James Rodríguez from Porto and now £50m on Falcao. Although I think Falcao will only be a temporary signing, before possibly moving to Real due to some arrangement they have with Atletico not to buy each others players direct. Real may be helping to finance Monaco's signing, using them as a kind of halfway house, with an agreement that he'll move on to Real in a season or so.

Either way, it seems to put a lid on any ideas about Falcao being Prem-bound.

Two words: Jorge Mendes.

(cont.)

(cont.)

Jocker!

Well done to Palace in the play off final. Great game. Nerve wracking even for a neutral. God knows what SonicBebs was going through.

Benítez confirmed at Napoli.

and heynckes really wants to go to madrid... jupp...

Also hearing rumours of Suarez to Real for £40m, although Liverpool insist he's not for sale.

Pepe and Suarez in the same team. It'd be like Slapshot!

if heynckes, suarez, and pepe end up in the same team i might become a fan. oh wait, this face negates all that:



pass!

That's if Ronaldo's even there next season. This transfer window's turning into a bit of an el classico.

you mean mourinho taking him to chelsea?

Mourinho and Ronaldo don't really get along.

Heynckes is unlikely, unless they fail Ancellotti. They've been in talks since January when Mourinho decided to leave.
Zidane has been assigned a management role, so it looks like that's how it's shaping up.

It'd be interesting if some russian oligarch set to make a team with an all bond villain squad.

PSG are still insisting they won't release Ancelotti but he does seem determined to go, and no team wants a manager who doesn't want to be there, and I don't see the appeal of appointing a 67 year old (Heynckes) for what could be something of a rebuild job, especially if Ronaldo does go.

I'm taking a lot of these rumours with a massive pinch of salt but, with so many big names involved, it's great fun speculating on it all.

i was on a pre arranged family visit in manchester so missed the opportunity to go to wembley but i watched the game crouched around a mates blackberry tablet thing on a pub's wifi on a dodgy stream!

i think we fully deserved to win, and if Wilbrahim had had some more game time during the season his confidence would have been higher and he probably would have buried at least 1 of his chances. that said he is not a prem quality striker and with Murray out till christmas we need to get a couple in!

i thought tactically and defensively against Watford and Brighton we were very good, which is a good sign
but we have maybe 3 or 4 players who are prem quality so we need to add some (alot!) more if we're gonna stand a chance next season

It doesn't look like they're keeping Zaha on loan but I hope Phillips stays, if only for another season.

to be honest i think Bolasie is as good as Zaha (just without the hype)

i really hope Kevin Phillips stays. Coming on as a sub midway through the 2nd half really seems to give teams the shits, but i dont think he'd manage a whole 90 minutes

Yeah, I totally agree about Phillips. I've heard that Holloway wants to get Acuna from Real. I've not seen him play, he's been out on loan to Genoa, but he seems to have done all right with them. I've also heard they're competing with West Ham to get Barca's Marc Batra (me neither) on loan.

I did a googleimage search for Acuna and he at least looks a bit like Messi.



Unless they're talking about this Javier Acuna



Can't see Suarez being too eager to bite him if they are.

bayern just won the dfb pokal in an interesting 3-2 match vs. stuttgart, some beautiful goals.

tymoschuck says "99% sure" heynckes going to madrid, heynckes says "no" but he might say something else right after they finish with the trophies. bayern told heynckes that he can stay and do whatever he wants, if he wants.