[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Can't comment on the Copa America and Pep's instructions may have contributed to his dip in form (MC's defence generally has been shocking) but he's made too many individual mistakes for it to just be about the manager.

but what if his confidence is blown though? what if he's constantly thinking about what pep will say instead of focusing om the game? in that pifia he was so awful. forget about teh copa america--was he ever this awful at barcelona? i dont think so...

and little gotze hasnt been the same since. not ever again. not in dortmund either. broken, like those drug-addicted child actors.

[!@#$%!]

https://www.fcbarcelona.com/football...-breaks-record

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/barcelona-c...leader-1534365

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

but what if his confidence is blown though? what if he's constantly thinking about what pep will say instead of focusing om the game?

Agreed... to an extent, in the sense that he also has to be confident in his defenders; if he sees that what Guardiola told them over the week simply doesn't fly, well...

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

forget about teh copa america--was he ever this awful at barcelona? i dont think so...

Agreed... agreed.

[h8kurdt]

No way Alli will still be at Spurs come next year.

[demonrail666]

I don't see why not. Spurs don't need to sell and they're pretty sure of CL football next season.

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

he DID destroy gotze, so it wouldn't be a first...

 

Götze should have just told The Pep, "Hey, remember a little game called THE LAST WORLD CUP'S FINAL? I scored the only goal on that one. Currently I'm a WORLD CHAMPION. So fuck off, mkay?"

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

Götze should have just told The Pep, "Hey, remember a little game called THE LAST WORLD CUP'S FINAL? I scored the only goal on that one. Currently I'm a WORLD CHAMPION. So fuck off, mkay?"

yes, but the poor little bastard, when he left dortmund with a pocket full of money and a head full of dreams, publicly stated that he was excited to go learn from the great "pep gardiola" like it was the chance of a lifetime. and maybe it was. but it didn't pan out for him.

some players really flourished under pep. not gotze though. he sank. and he hasn't recovered since, not even back at dortmund. he's now overshadowed in the midfield by the likes of mor and weigl and even little pulisic ('merica rah rah rah). hell, even schurrle gets more play time than gotze these days i think. plus there are bigger stars-- like emeric aubameyang, dortmund superhero, and ousmane démbelé, the latest child prodigy. and when he's not injured (or redcarded) marco reus continues to shine-- reus stayed loyal to dortmund while the rats fled to bayern.

ah, bundesliga restarts in 2 weeks! eager to see some fútbol again. friday january 20 bayern vs freiburg.

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

ah, bundesliga restarts in 2 weeks! eager to see some fútbol again.

While each Brit club plays about 127 games during this time of the year, the Germans take their sweet time to chillax. Those BUMS!

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

While each Brit club plays about 127 games during this time of the year, the Germans take their sweet time to chillax. Those BUMS!

the germans know how to do christmas right-- i envy them that (bombs notwithstanding)

OTOH, english business is all about the dark satanic mills forever churning. i do envy their money though-- and can they please give debruyne back? agghhhh

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

the germans know how to do christmas right

I have a theory. Krampus emerged in countries, like Germany, that don't have a full league schedule over the festive season. He never hit Britain because football fans/players/managers have traditionally been able to withdraw themselves from the pressure cooker of family visits, shopping sales and Home Alone re-runs that inspire such rampant anti-Christmas feeling, into a winter wonderland of Prem brilliance.

 

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

and can they please give debruyne back? agghhhh

To Belgium?

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

To Belgium?

to wolfsburg

ha ha krampus

they do get proper shitfaced though

i wanna go see/do that some day, even if some terrist bombs me

but seriously, german labor laws are great. even if that's not the reason the football stops. the rest of us could learn something from it. 'murka for sure is fucked in the vacation department. this country doesn't know how to take a break except for shopping. they even ruined thanksgiving wit black friday

but anyway, TO FOOTBALL, before i tell myself to fuck off--

CL predictions, anyone?

round of 16 looks like fun:

psg vs. barca
benfica-dortmund
madrid napoli
bayern arsenal
leverkusen atleti
pep city monaco
porto juve
sevilla lester

AND any interesting transfers this window?

(julian draxler is leaving wolfsburg--the debacle continues--for PSG)

[h8kurdt]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

I don't see why not. Spurs don't need to sell and they're pretty sure of CL football next season.

They said the same about Modric and Bale but they went to Madrid. Levy is bloody good at eeking every penny from a transfer and he'll do it with Alli.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by h8kurdt

They said the same about Modric and Bale but they went to Madrid. Levy is bloody good at eeking every penny from a transfer and he'll do it with Alli.

Fair enough, although Spurs were never as rich then as they are now. And they've already stated that they won't sell him 'at any price'. They may have to renegotiate his current £55k p/w contract, though.

One rumour I can't quite get my head around is Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea all showing an interest in Ross Barkley.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

CL predictions, anyone?

round of 16 looks like fun:

psg vs. barca
benfica-dortmund
madrid napoli
bayern arsenal
leverkusen atleti
pep city monaco
porto juve
sevilla lester

Some tantalising fixtures there. Only one I'm remotely confidant about is Real getting past Napoli. I think Real have to be currrent faves to go all the way.

[!@#$%!]

so you don't think pep city will crush monaco? they definitely should...

dont know much about psg and barca this season

benfica dortmund should be a really fun game. both teams are mobile, young, and aggressive. i give benfica good chances due to dortmund's possession obsession of late--they still have fast attacks but not what used to be under kloppo.

sevilla lester should be great too--i wanna see that, just based on paper

really looking forward to bayern arsenal... vidal vs. alexis ha ha ha ha

[h8kurdt]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

One rumour I can't quite get my head around is Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea all showing an interest in Ross Barkley.

Honestly, and this is nigh on sacrilege, if he had gone to Liverpool with Klopp or Spurs a couple of seasons ago he would've been a much better player. Martinez fed him so much hype "he's the next Gasgoigne" etc. and teh fact is that Martinez didn't have the knowledge to help build him up to be a better player. It's the same with Stones.

Klopp or Ponch would have been a big help for him from the word go.

On his day (like the Southampton game) he's got all the potential in the world. Shame that that doesn't come out enough.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by h8kurdt

Honestly, and this is nigh on sacrilege, if he had gone to Liverpool with Klopp or Spurs a couple of seasons ago he would've been a much better player. Martinez fed him so much hype "he's the next Gasgoigne" etc. and teh fact is that Martinez didn't have the knowledge to help build him up to be a better player. It's the same with Stones.

Klopp or Ponch would have been a big help for him from the word go.

On his day (like the Southampton game) he's got all the potential in the world. Shame that that doesn't come out enough.

I agree with everything you say. It's especially sad about Stones. Martinez fucked him up just to sell him to Pep who's only making him even worse. His confidence must be shot to bits by now.

Barkley still has time but he needs to go to the right club. I'd even consider it worthwhile if he went out on loan to a lower ranked club, but one with a manager who can put him back on the right track and give him regular game-time. Eddie Howe's Bournemouth wouldn't be a bad option. (Look at how it's helping Wilshire.) Problem if he stays at Everton is Koeman clearly doesn't fancy him and he'll only go backwards while he's stuck on the bench ... the same problem he'd have if he went to somewhere like Chelsea, Spurs or Arsenal. I mean look at how Wenger's ruining the Ox?

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

so you don't think pep city will crush monaco? they definitely should...

Right now I wouldn't back MC to crush anyone.

really looking forward to bayern arsenal... vidal vs. alexis ha ha ha ha

That's the fixture I'm most curious about. I know Bayern aren't doing great at the moment but Arsenal are very hit and miss too. Sanchez is their only consistent threat.

Have to favour Barca against PSG, just because they have such a strong record against them, but I really don't know much about PSG this season.

Atletico seem to be having a real dip at the moment but I've no idea about Leverkusen.

Juve must be favourites against Porto and they're the team I'd most like to see win the trophy outright (if only because I'd love to see Buffon finally lift the fucker before he retires). Their defence still looks solid but not sure how strong they are going forward. God knows about Porto though.

Sevilla vs Leicester. Surely Leicester can't keep this up - although that's what everyone was saying all of last season. Seriously though, surely not.

[!@#$%!]

oh, man, leverkusen is in shit, 9th place at the moment, and the chicharito hype is not helping them because the sucka hasn't scored in ages

didn't watch them much in the group stage

im shocked that you've had such a loss of confidence on MC. im not saying this ironically. i know that pep can disappoint but he's never truly sucked-sucked-sucked.

bayern munich is not doing badly. they're back on top of the table. i think the players are adjusting to their new freedom under ancelotti. mueller has not been able to score all season or maybe he scored a couple of times. but they don't feel like they're in trouble-- they feel more like they need to find their step. and i think they will.

and seconded on the thoughts of juve-- i didn't know buffon hadn't won a CL. he's the greatest.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

im shocked that you've had such a loss of confidence on MC. im not saying this ironically. i know that pep can disappoint but he's never truly sucked-sucked-sucked.

They may pick up in the CL but believe me, even his critics in Germany would be shocked at how much he's struggling in the Prem at the moment. MC made a brilliant start but seem all over the place right now. Individual talent is usually enough for them to beat most teams in the Prem but even when they do beat them, they don't look that convincing. At least not for a little while now. I'm not writing him off or anything but no team playing MC right now should feel particularly intimidated.