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ScottyAdams
Pepchoninga
Lux
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Football thread Uefa-champions-league

Note: this is the thread about the REAL football!


So with another exciting season approaching...let's get into heated conversation!


I'd like to say a few words before that, though. 


Please do not go too hardcore when commenting with trolls and stuff. We'll be trying to hold a nice discussion here!


We'll be covering all sorts of leagues and Champions League, of course. Feel free to discuss anything related to Football.

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I love fifa...

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Who doesn't? Razz 


So...


Community Shield game tommorow between Manchester United and Leicester City (Eh, I think that United is gonna get that one).


European Supercup between Real Madrid and Sevilla on Tuesday (as Barca fan I hope Madrid loses but seriously I do not care if they win or lose).

And fuckin' season is starting!


Barca lost 4-0 to Liverpool  Football thread 576792747


Not too much concerned about that though. Mathieu seems bad. So does Arda. And we need someone better at the RB or Vidal needs to step his game up. He's poor at defending, no matter how good he is on offense. 

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Ok now let's get a real football expert in here...

I love fifa...

Now for real xD
Community Shield: Honestly as seen in pre-season both teams are having some problems. Firstly as a die-hard United supporter i might be a litlle bit biased, so sorry. In United's Pre-season the toughest opponent they faced was Borussia Dortmund, and we lost quite badly 4-1. There seems to be a new way of thinking thats trying to be introduced in the play style of the team, but as it's well known with a new manager, an entirely different philosophy and a lot of new players it takes some time for the team to get running. Mourinho himself said that it might take even some of the beginning of the season till we truly start playing the way the Special one wants to. So that means that United might have the same problem in the community shield clash wich might cost us the game ultimately. On the other side we saw a big improvement when Ibrahimovic joined the squad as well as the returning frim holidays England and France players as shown in the match againt Galatasaray wich ended 5-2 in favour of United. It is clear for us all that there are good times ahead with a clear minded mentality and a philosophy that want to achieve only one thing win. Will this mentality at the moment be enough to cover the still not perfect bond between the players and the manager we wull have to see. As for Leicester they most definitely had the harder pre-season playing against some of the elite of Europe that they might also be facing in the championship. They at least from what i could observe didn't show the same spark and mentality to win that we saw throughout the last EPL season. I don't think that they are a one season wonder tho as seen in there matches with PSG and Barcelona mostly, they did show that alongside these giants they are still a small team. The departure of Kante is sure to break up a crucial part of the system that was so unbreakble last season, tho Reniery is not a nobody manager, so im sure that they could still rise and remain on there road, to becoming a domestic giant and maybe some day, just not quite now, an european giant as well. This tho will be a hard path that probably would not mean an EPL title every year but if anybody can do it, it's probably Leicester. Tho still i do think that right now United will have just enough to break them and edge in the match, tho i dont think it will be a domination since both teams are in the phase of evolution. My predicted score for the match is 1-0 for United.

European Supercup: For me Real Madrid are clear favorites not just because it's Real Madrid but mostly because i think that Sevilla as in the process of bonding and re-building as well. The 3 times in a row winners of the Europa League have lost the manager that lead them to this great achievement in the fave you Unai Emre who departed for PSG. They have also lost there star striker Gameiro to Atletico Madrid and rock-solid midfielder  Krychowiak who reunited with his old manager Emre at PSG. I don't know all the sales that they have made, but they have brought some very good names in the striker position in the face of Ben Yedder and a young striker from Atletico ot loan if im not mistaken. This of course is all good but still those are big changes and it will take times as stated before to make the system work again. But even without those big changes i still think that Real Madrid would be the favorites in the match simply for the fact that they are always solid, and now that Zidane has had more time to polish his team into a well working machine with all the major talent they have there i do belive they will be able to edge Sevilla even it was a close call. Tho it the cenario that we have now for me Real Madrid have this in the bag even with the injury of there star man Cristiano Ronaldo. My predicted score for this game is 3-0 for Real Madrid.

Now for the game between Liverpool and Barcelona i can say that i was very impressed by the game Jurgen Klopp's men played, but I'm also very scared as a United fan. Even tho business that Klopp has done so far in this window seems a litlle meh for me, this genius of a manager shows yet again that he can get a player that people would never consider "world class" material and make them into total monsters. From the start Liverpool started with the mind to win and in the end they shocked Barcelona in a very special way. They seemed a little like they didn't know what there doing (especially the Barca defense) tho this didn't stop Messi from making Milner fall in his feet...again...Suarez didn't seem up for the game really and as a whole they underestimated Liverpool and they are definitely regretung this now. Overall tho this is only pre-season so this loss is probably a pro for the Barcelona coaching staff as they got the see how there team can be countered and on what they needed to work to make sure that this humiliation doesn't happen when the official season starts...

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Liverpool are winning the league. No more evidence than beating Barca 4-0 required.

nah, just kidding, tho hopefully we can finish top 4.

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I ain't reading that @Pepchoninga lol

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@Anzo you seriously hurting my feelings right now...i wrote it just for you...it has a hidden love letter incrted within it and if you find it i will give you blue kandy...

And a well Liverpool are gonna be pretty darn good this season...definitely the underdogs in my opinion. But with the purest passion for football and a squad full of players that all want to show the world that they no less better then the players at other so called giant clubs.

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Pretty good analysis Peppy! 


I predict 2-1 in United's favor.


And well this is my Top 4 for the next season in BPL without specific order: Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool/Arsenal.


I feel like we'll have pretty good season between the giants. Anything else would be a dissapointment Wink 

And any surprise is welcomed Smile 



For the European Super Cup, I don't think that Ronaldo absence will hurt Madrid. They have pretty good squad without him.


And for the best signings so far in the summer, I would say it is:


Kante to Chelsea. Any team benefits with having Kante.
Renato Sanches to Bayern. Before the EUROs I though that €30 mil for him is a robbery. But dude is a fuckin' beast! 
Mane to Liverpool. Saw him yesterday, he is excellent. 

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And hows mah grammar? Pretty darn good ain't it xD

My prediction for the top half (the top 7 really) of the table is probably something like that:
1. Manchester United - Yeah I'm probably a little bit biased and also you never know how things are gonna shape trough out of the season and if the manager is gonna actually work, even tho he is the Sepcial One and is the best manager in the world (Show that to aahil so he can get mad af :D), but overall from the buisness we've done and the way we are trying to play i think that we are definitely one of the favorites at least before the season starts

2. Arsenal - I do believe that even though they haven't done any major good buisness apart grom Xhaka wich is yet to be seen if it will be one of the best or the worst signings of the season, they still have a very strong pull of players - Cech (Golden Glove winner), Ozil (Most assists in the season if I'm not mistaken), Sanchez (One of the best players at the Copa America), Ramsey (one of the most impressive players at Euro 2016) and many more. Also with many of the other big teams re-building this might be a good year for the well working machine that Arsene Wenger has created.

3. Liverpool - Yeah, not a fan of them, but even i have to admit that they are gonna be the underdogs, the silent assassin of next season. Even last season they showed that they can take on the elite of English football and defeat them very comfortably sometimes, and now they showed that with the right mindset they can defeat some of the European elite as well. So with that i wouldn't be surprised to see them sneak in at third place even tho i do think its gonna be very close for the second to last and last champions league places.

4. Manchester City (Sponsored by Emptyhad) - I do predict a forth place finish for the second year for the citizens mostly because even tho they do have some good players they still, even with the new sighnings that Guardiola is making, wont be good enough at least this season to fight for the title, but that doesn't mean they wont have a good season finishing again at the last champions league place.

5. Spurs - I do see the great combination of a young ambitious and also undoubtedly talanted manager and the mixture of experienced international start and great up and coming England talent still being very effective this season as well even if its not enough to get them in the champions leagues next season as well due to the growing competition for the top 4 places.

6. Leicester/Chelsea - I'm hoping its Leicester but for me there are really 2 or maybe even 3 teams that could end up at this position and the other would have to settle for the 7th and 8th place. Even tho they will be having a hard time this season with the addition of champions league football definitely making there schedule a lot harder, i do belive that the only thing they need from last season to make them capable of getting to this place is the passion they played with trough last season. With it i do believe that they will make another step forward to getting the status of a real big english giant and not just a one season wonder. I do hope they prove the haters and doubters wrong, tho that does mean that they will most likely have to sacrifice europe at least at this stage of there development.

7. Chelsea/West Ham - Chelsea are a big team. As much as I don't wanna say it it's true. It's also true that the man i call the best manager in the world almost got them relegated and crushed the brutal force that was Chelsea trough the 2014-2015 season when theynonce again became champions. Conte now knows how to win, he's won a lot, we've seen it at Juventus. He also knows how to take a team with that's lost all motivation and has lost it's glory and return them to the mainstream and hearts of the people by making a big comeback as we saw with Italy at Euro 2016 where they showed that they are still one of the best international sides in Europe. So i do think that Chelsea in the next years will again be seen fighting up there with the best for the best prizes, but for now they for me will be fighting for the last Europa league spots. I'll just add that depending on the way that West Ham handle there striker problems we will determine what are there chances of a european finish yet again this year. I'm putting them to finish 8th in my prediction but they can just as easily finish 6th for me.

===================================================================

Well for me the best sighnings so far are: 
- Ibrahimovic to Man U - I'm biased yet again but just look at that overhead kick goal he scored against Galatasaray. Also from a person that watches all the games, he does bring alot of flare and skills to the play of the game wich we so truly need. So i would say this is a 10/10 transfer.
- Kante to Chelsea - Proven in the premiership and probably one of the best players one season will be a great player to push Matic to the limits and make mhim play great again or completely sighn his transfer request. He is one of the best interceptors and workhorse wich is just what Chelsea need ti bring back the stability of the team. For me this transfer is a 9/10
- Higuain to Juventus - Top sighning for the unbelievable fee of 90 milion euros making him the 3rd most expensive player ever. He is an amazing striker that is sure to score you a lot of goals and make defneders pee in there pants. He is known tho to go mising in the big games as seen again in the Copa America final this year. Even so inwould rate this transhef as a 7/10

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Hm, interesting.


I don't see Chelsea that low, especially with Hazard back in form.




As I said, I predict top 5 to be Chelsea, two Manchesters, Liverpool and Arsenal. Very exciting season is ahead of us.


And I don't know why have you put Higuain to your best signings list. Yep he is good but no near €90 mil fee. One Suarez costed Barcelona €80 mil and he is without a doubt the best striker in the world for past few years. Though if Higuain will bring as many trophies to Juventus as Suarez did to Barcelona, then maybe he is worth that money. 

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mane's proving to be a very good signing so far. I mean, we know he's a good player but my issue was with the price that we paid for him. I felt like 15-20m was enough for him, but hey, he's been good so far. We'll have to wait and see how it works out over the course of the season though. Also, wouldn't be football season without a Sturridge injury concern lol. I can't see Chelsea being as poor as they were last season; I can see Arsenal/Manchesters/Liverpool battling it out, with teams like Spurs/West Ham on the fringes.

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Chelsea will need time to recover mentally at least and lets not forget that other teams are becoming better as well so i dont know if Hazards for will be enough. They could maybe sneek into 5th place but I seriously don't see them this year in the champions league places.

Higuain is for me one of the 2 best striker types. He is a direct, brutal, strong and with a briliant finish. He is there to score you goal. That and that only. And Higuain is one of the best at that. Yes Lewandowski and Suarez are the same type and are definitely better, but what Higuain does is not much worse. He got a wooping amount of goals last season and it's just what Juventus needs to go to the next level. In today's market the price is really just number. If they have the money they will spend it, because they wont get a better striker for that money then Gonzalo. Yes he is probably around 40-50 mil at max, but maybe we should stop thinking how much he probably is, and start thinking how much clubs will actually pay for him. Do you think Pogba is worth 120 mil? Probably not, at least not in our way of thinking right now. I myself would rate him max 55 mil. Do you think Mane is the 36 mil Liverpool paid for him? No you don't. But at the end of the day do you really care how much they paid if the players performs and is gonna help your team to get better? No, in the end the 90 mil that they paid for Higuain is gonna become just a fact that in year may not be anything special. Thats why don't rate the transfer based on the money paid except if it's not a steal. Rate it on how much is it gonna benefit the team and how much will it fit there system. 

Yeah Scotty Sturridge at it again. This guy could've been one of the best strikers in the world but his physice is terrible and his luck is even worse...Chelsea will definitely no be as poor as last season and with each season they will become better and better till we see them again in the top 3 fighting it out for the title. For now tho i think theynwill be fighting for those precious Europa league places lol...

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Also, Pogba(back) to United is looking more and more likely. Will be good to see how he adjusts to English football (again) after just how far he's progressed with his career at Juve. top quality player and we could see United pushing for the title this season.

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Good thing is that Pogba is still very young 23 so even if it takes a bit of time to adjust to football in england he still has all the best years ahead of him. And let's not forget that at just 23 he is already achieved and developed more then many world class midfielders have over the course of there entire careers, so i do believe Pogba has the chance to become one of the best players of his generation and one of the best midfielders ever to grace to game of football. With him United truly will be feared again and hopefully with them and all the other English elite coming back to there glory days, English football can finaly be taken back to where it belongs and it will finaly be able to compete with the overwhelmingly powerfull domination of Spainish teams in the european competitions.

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Chelsea will need time to recover mentally at least and lets not forget that other teams are becoming better as well so i dont know if Hazards for will be enough. They could maybe sneek into 5th place but I seriously don't see them this year in the champions league places.


I think that you are wrong. "Other teams are becoming better as well". That's why Leicester won the title last year? Wink 


They have good players who are getting hang of it, I just think they need new RB and CB to improve their defense which seems bad at the moment. But I still think Chelsea is hitting Top 4 this season.



Higuain is for me one of the 2 best striker types. He is a direct, brutal, strong and with a briliant finish. He is there to score you goal. That and that only. And Higuain is one of the best at that. Yes Lewandowski and Suarez are the same type and are definitely better, but what Higuain does is not much worse. He got a wooping amount of goals last season and it's just what Juventus needs to go to the next level. In today's market the price is really just number. If they have the money they will spend it, because they wont get a better striker for that money then Gonzalo. Yes he is probably around 40-50 mil at max, but maybe we should stop thinking how much he probably is, and start thinking how much clubs will actually pay for him. Do you think Pogba is worth 120 mil? Probably not, at least not in our way of thinking right now. I myself would rate him max 55 mil. Do you think Mane is the 36 mil Liverpool paid for him? No you don't. But at the end of the day do you really care how much they paid if the players performs and is gonna help your team to get better? No, in the end the 90 mil that they paid for Higuain is gonna become just a fact that in year may not be anything special. Thats why don't rate the transfer based on the money paid except if it's not a steal. Rate it on how much is it gonna benefit the team and how much will it fit there system. 




I agree about the price part. But you should check this: https://twitter.com/SquawkaNews/status/762281624428015616/photo/1

Also, Pogba(back) to United is looking more and more likely. Will be good to see how he adjusts to English football (again) after just how far he's progressed with his career at Juve. top quality player and we could see United pushing for the title this seaso


He is going to medical in the coming days (UTD confirmed it on Twitter), so yeah, he is coming back!


Good thing is that Pogba is still very young 23 so even if it takes a bit of time to adjust to football in england he still has all the best years ahead of him. And let's not forget that at just 23 he is already achieved and developed more then many world class midfielders have over the course of there entire careers, so i do believe Pogba has the chance to become one of the best players of his generation and one of the best midfielders ever to grace to game of football. With him United truly will be feared again and hopefully with them and all the other English elite coming back to there glory days, English football can finaly be taken back to where it belongs and it will finaly be able to compete with the overwhelmingly powerfull domination of Spainish teams in the european competitions.


I agree, Pogba is a huge potential. But at the moment, I can list at least 5 better midfield players than him. One of the best midfielders ever? Not a humble prediction, only time knows. 

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Oh well i guess we have different opinions on the matter. I've seen alot of great teams have a bad season and need a couple to get back to where they were. Yes there are some times that a team can like win a title after a shit season with a new manager and new players, but mostly it's the other way around. So for me Chelsea will not be aiming realisticly for a top 4 spot, at least not this year till they get the hang of it again. 

And yeah if you think about it, last year the English "giants" were pretty terrible, apart from Man Man City in the Champions league maybe. United had another unsatisfying season with poor possession football. City apart from CL where they again mostly had luck in my opinion, even thothey did play some good matches, but in the premier league they were not impressive. We are not gonna talk about Chelsea...Arsenal were the best of the bunch and that's saying alot, tho they as well were inconsistent like every year and thats mostly why they again never really were able to make a real push for the title. Liverpool needed time to get themselves running, so they didn't have enough time to really make a real impact on the title race. Only good teams were Spurs and partly West Ham. It was a weak season overall but that was overshadowed by the incredible spirit and passion that Leicester used to win the title. But this is not gonna happen again. Teams are getting better? Yes they are: United with a new manager, incredible pull of new players and soon a Pogba in our ranks. City with a tactical genius and some young energetic and ambitious players to rejuvenate there ranks. Chelsea are gonna start the process of getting great again. And Arsenal are probably gonna do the same thing they do always. So yeah teams are getting better.

Yep Pogba is really coming home and i think all football fans will be happy to see him in the premiership.

Also i would like to hear those 5 midfielders that are doing a better job then him...in his exact playing style wich is a box-to-box CDM/CM/CAM. There are better players atm then him obviously but what I'm saying is that he is already at the level of some of the very best. Not all, but some. For me atm Pogba is playing better then a Matuidi or a Yaya Toure, or a Matic and many more players that are world class no doubt about it. And he is 23 while those who i listed are at there peak or early decline. And well lol, this isn't said only by me, this is believed by many football critics, he could definitely get to the lever of Iniesta, Xavi, Scholes, maybe even Zidane. This of course is early to be stated but if he continues to develop his game the same way and so rapidly I don't think there will be anything stoping him from achieving just that and maybe even more. 

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Now I'm gonna say some of the bigger matches that happened today and open a discussion about them. (Unfortunately I didn't watch any of the games including, to my sadness, the Comunity shield game (GLORY GLORY MAN UNITEEEEED ^^) tho i did watch the extended highlights.

1. Wender Bremen vs Chelsea - 2-4 - Seems like it was a pretty fun game and a high score one as well. Good to see the former PFA Players of the Year Hazard on the scoring sheats yet again after scoring a brace against Real Madrid wich does indicate only good things for the new talisman of the blues.

2. Manchester City vs Arsenal - 2:3 - this is a game im so bugged I wasn't able to see since it would've been a great example of what we could expect from both of those big teams in the season ahead tho it seems that at this stage of development Arsenal still have what it takes to knock Guardiola's army down, tho it seems like it was a close game.

3. Mainz vs Liverpool - 4:0 - a funny thing indeed but it's something that we did see a lot in the games of Loserpool under Kloop last season - a big win against a great team, followed by an embarrassing defeat to a much lesser team - so the same problem seems to be there and I'm sure that Kloop will definitely try and not allow those things to occur again when the new season kicks in.

4. Leicester City vs Manchester United - 1:2 - YES! We did it! (GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED) The new era is starting full on and thats just the beginning, first trophy of a bunch to come. Amazing win. Now from the highlights i saw, the game was pretty balanced, even tho United did have more possession for the majority of the game and had more clear cut opportunities. That doesn't mean Leicester hadn't had good chances it's just that they seem to be overshadowed by the solid defending of a young name that is gonna be known some all over the world just like Raphael Ravane a few years back, going by the name of Erik Baily who was also voted the man of the match and with a great reason it seems. Lingard getting his inner Messi and scorin a superb solo goal glazing trough 4-5 players and neatly finesing it past the keeper.That boy honestly loves scoring at Wembley lol xD An incredibly stupid defensive error by Fellaini gave Vardy the opportunity to go one on one with De Gea and that most of the time is a known outcome. And finaly a solid header by our new star striker Ibra-Cadabra getting his first professional goal on his first professional game, winning his first trophy with the club. And that goal was assisted by non other then Valencia, who is just giving assists from that right back position like its nothing. 

Anyways, what did you make of this game and all the others in general. If you watched any of them post your opinions. I might have missed some big game, since i only saw this in my 30 minutes on Facebook :D In other news Higuain looks fat as shit, and really @Lux i might take my statement back after seeing that belly xD

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Yes there are some times that a team can like win a title after a shit season with a new manager and new players, but mostly it's the other way around. So for me Chelsea will not be aiming realisticly for a top 4 spot, at least not this year till they get the hang of it again. 


Before I start I just want to tell I respect your opinion Pep. We are just having a little discussion here (and you probably know it) Smile 


You know, it's funny how you predict that future for Chelsea while United also has a new manager and new players and you predict them the title (I know you are their supporter and all).


And I have predicted Community Shield's result correct, congrats on the title Football thread 3974120512 


And I agree on you about teams getting better. I hope they will finally fullfil their potential. Big guys have a great managers at the board. 



Also i would like to hear those 5 midfielders that are doing a better job then him...in his exact playing style wich is a box-to-box CDM/CM/CAM. There are better players atm then him obviously but what I'm saying is that he is already at the level of some of the very best. Not all, but some. For me atm Pogba is playing better then a Matuidi or a Yaya Toure, or a Matic and many more players that are world class no doubt about it. And he is 23 while those who i listed are at there peak or early decline. And well lol, this isn't said only by me, this is believed by many football critics, he could definitely get to the lever of Iniesta, Xavi, Scholes, maybe even Zidane. This of course is early to be stated but if he continues to develop his game the same way and so rapidly I don't think there will be anything stoping him from achieving just that and maybe even more. 




You can find 4 better midfielders in Barcelona and Real Madrid alone. Iniesta, Busquets, Kross and Modrić. 


Payet and Kante both had a better season than Pogba (not calculating the trophies or statistic, just judging off their perfomances) and overshadowed him at the EURO's. Tbh, Pogba was shit at the EURO. And you know it (But then again, you can count on fingers players who were not shit at the EURO...whole EURO was shit in general).


Pogba is a potential, yeah, we will see how he will perform. He is one for the future transfer and if when you look at Fellaini in the midfield...I would pay that price for Pogba too Football thread 3974120512 


And eh, haven't watched any of those games either cuz' I wasn't at home. I saw highlights of the Chelsea's and MUTD games. Chelsea definitely needs another or two defenders (RB+CB, or LB so Azplicueta can go to his natural position, RB). Nothing much to tell about United's game except congratulations on the trophy and Ibra did it in style! Seems like Leicester will be able to hold their back against the big guys this season.


And to give some credit for the goal to the Vardy too, dude recognized a chance and showed an amazing pace. 

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Lol i want some colour as well to my beautiful post ^^


No worries mate i respect your opinion as well, it's just a little fired up when it comes to football :D And also looking at this topic already it isn't just a little discussion.


Now look. Firstly since when do you like Chelsea so much? Second there is one big difference in the situations of Chelsea and Man United...While there are some similar problems they need to get trough the big difference is the mentality and psychological condition of the players and staff and even the atmosphere at the club. Chelsea were a complete shadow of what they were in the 2014/2015 season while evene though frustrating to watch, United did build on there season and made improvements even if they were minimal. And i can tell you when you get from Premier League champion to a posible relegation threat at Christmas, it's probably a big blow to everybody at the club. So it takes time to recover from that. Conte needs to make them believe in themselves  (wich he seems to be doing by the way Hazard is playing), then look to make his team better and work on there weaker positions and then teach them his philosophy. This takes alot of time...sometimes a whole season. United at the end of the day tho did win a trophy and not a bad one at that. All that Mourinho had to do is come, make them go back to there attacking roots and buy some good players to make a title winning side...the other thing happens with games. So i do believe Chelsea have more work to do, that's why i think they wont be able to get in the top 4 this year. This is not a biased opinion.


You know,  better performers atm? Yes. Tho better players overall? Not necessarily. I do believe Pogba is on the level of Kroos, Rakitic and maybe even Busquets. Not quit Modric and Iniesta level maybe. But even so, you can't really comepare any of them to Pogba apart from Kroos, since they are all having different styles of play and roles. Pogba and Kroos are box-to-box midfielders, while Iniesta and Modric are creative midfielders and Busquets is a CDM. And I'm not backing my statement because i think that Polly Pogs is getting to his peak if his ability already and the only way he can go is superseding it. 


Payet had a great performance at the euros but lets not forget that he is not necessarily a midfielder. And tbh, Kante didn't have an all that impesive Euro's either. He has had one great season at the top flight of English football and has a lot to prove at Chelsea next season, while Podba has had a couple of great seasons already so he has proven his skill in the top divisions. (lol I thought the Euro's were pretty exciting, it had very surprising results, an incredibly unexpected winner and some trilling goals. All that you would need from a major international tournament like that.) Um excuse me, even tho Fellaini made an incredibly stupid mistake yesterday, he is not that bad of a midfielder. At the very least he is a great utility player, since he brings something new to the table, he is a brute. He attacks the ball well, has good presence in the ear and can definitely stop alot of high balls and counter attacks. I can definitely see him being in the plans for next season. 


Yeah Chelsea's biggest weakness is there defence. Mainly Terry in my opinion, even tho Conte did say he wants Terry to be the captain and be in his team. They haven't been linked with any world class defenders tho, so i dont see how this will happen. Kante should be able to fix a bit pf the problem but defense deffo needs cover. Uniteds game was pretty balanced from the stats and highlights i sas and you predicted the score, wich i think was a fair one. Both teams played well, tho i think we deserved it more. Leicester will hopefully get back on track when the season starts, because even tho they look menacing if they don't show the big teams they can still win games they will lose the factor of fear very fast the same way Chelsea lost it last year. And Vardy's goal was great, nothing about it, but it was basically a gift, so that's why im pissed. We all know Vardy has the skill to finish like that, so to give the ball in such an easy situation is just unexeptable.

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Lol i want some colour as well to my beautiful post ^^


No worries mate i respect your opinion as well, it's just a little fired up when it comes to football :D And also looking at this topic already it isn't just a little discussion.


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ow look. Firstly since when do you like Chelsea so much? Second there is one big difference in the situations of Chelsea and Man United...While there are some similar problems they need to get trough the big difference is the mentality and psychological condition of the players and staff and even the atmosphere at the club. Chelsea were a complete shadow of what they were in the 2014/2015 season while evene though frustrating to watch, United did build on there season and made improvements even if they were minimal. And i can tell you when you get from Premier League champion to a posible relegation threat at Christmas, it's probably a big blow to everybody at the club. So it takes time to recover from that. Conte needs to make them believe in themselves  (wich he seems to be doing by the way Hazard is playing), then look to make his team better and work on there weaker positions and then teach them his philosophy. This takes alot of time...sometimes a whole season. United at the end of the day tho did win a trophy and not a bad one at that. All that Mourinho had to do is come, make them go back to there attacking roots and buy some good players to make a title winning side...the other thing happens with games. So i do believe Chelsea have more work to do, that's why i think they wont be able to get in the top 4 this year. This is not a biased opinion.


Drogba was my favorite player for a while when I was a kid. So I was a Chelsea supporter back then Wink 
See, each team has it's own recovery speed. United is in struggle for 3-4 years already, but I expect them to be more competitive this season. But reasons are not too important. Unlike MUTD Chelsea didn't change many of their players and 90% of their squad is the same like last two seasons (+Add Kante and Batshuayi). So it's pretty much the same team that dominated the league and had an awful season. I do not expect them to win the league (in fact I don't think they'll be in a race for the title, but I have nothing against if they will Smile) but I think that the Top 4 spot is highly likely. Especially because rival teams have European competitions and Chelsea does not Football thread 3974120512 




You know,  better performers atm? Yes. Tho better players overall? Not necessarily. I do believe Pogba is on the level of Kroos, Rakitic and maybe even Busquets. Not quit Modric and Iniesta level maybe. But even so, you can't really comepare any of them to Pogba apart from Kroos, since they are all having different styles of play and roles. Pogba and Kroos are box-to-box midfielders, while Iniesta and Modric are creative midfielders and Busquets is a CDM. And I'm not backing my statement because i think that Polly Pogs is getting to his peak if his ability already and the only way he can go is superseding it.

Payet had a great performance at the euros but lets not forget that he is not necessarily a midfielder. And tbh, Kante didn't have an all that impesive Euro's either. He has had one great season at the top flight of English football and has a lot to prove at Chelsea next season, while Podba has had a couple of great seasons already so he has proven his skill in the top divisions. (lol I thought the Euro's were pretty exciting, it had very surprising results, an incredibly unexpected winner and some trilling goals. All that you would need from a major international tournament like that.) Um excuse me, even tho Fellaini made an incredibly stupid mistake yesterday, he is not that bad of a midfielder. At the very least he is a great utility player, since he brings something new to the table, he is a brute. He attacks the ball well, has good presence in the ear and can definitely stop alot of high balls and counter attacks. I can definitely see him being in the plans for next season. 


So...to begin. Better perfoming = better player? No? Pogba is faaar from level of Kross. He is better to Rakitić (simply because I do not find Rakitić as talented as Pogba is), and hell, nah, he ain't better than Busquets either at the moment. I agree that you cannot compare them as they are not the same position/role but you can compare them based on their contribution and importance to the team. Rakitić, Iniesta and Busquets are basically the heart of Barcelona. Their absence is always well seen. In my opinion, it's the best midfield at the moment. Kross and Modrić are also very important to Real (especially Modrić, who is as important to Madrid as Ronaldo) and they stepped their game up also after Casemiro was added behind them as a guard. Also, judging of the EURO's, Payet's role was FAR more important than Pogba's. When Payet would be subbed out France was creating a lot less chances and their game usually went downfall. Pogba was far more easily replaced. And Payet is a midfielder. He can play as LM and CAM. Sometimes he was playing as LW in French squad, but he would actually serve as a playmaker during the game. 


I agree about the Chelsea's defence part. Both Terry and Cahill are old n' slow. I think Terry needs a young blood next to him. That would be a good mix. 

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Well lol i guess that's the best we will get to a relatively close opinions on the Chelsea matter tho i still don't  see them in the top 4 tho when the season ends we will see...i have no worries if i was to be proved wrong.


Now yes. It is on that scale, but not always. What i meant is just because a player didn't have the best season it doesn't necessarily make them any worse of a player. For me Pogba is definitely at the level of Kroos, tho Kroos has a lot of unseen potential in my opinion, since he is misused at Real Madrid. Yeah well Busquets not as well...but still thinking about it you just can't compare...non of them had the achievements that Pogba has at this age...this off course doesn't mean he will for fill all the potential that he has. But just the fact that we are trying to compare them with the very best midfielders in the world atm is unbelievable. He is 23 ffs. Like people were talking like that for a 23 year old when Messi and Ronaldo and now Neymar were that age. I don't wanna delve into more into this matter since now that he is a United player i will do anything to protect him, and this will become pointless...so let's just leave it with wishing him good luck and hopefully one day he will fully deserve to be compared to these magicians of the modern football era...

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Pogba's better than what United have now (Fellani's absolute garbage and Carrick WAS good at one point in time, but is now merely a decent player). Plus, he still has room to grow. Is he worth 90m? No, but he has the potential to grow into something special and the signs are already there.

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Well it's OFFICIAL! Paul Pogba has signed with Manchester United! (Always wanted to say that lol xD) 


I do agree on that matter Scotty. Pogba definitely has the most potential and i think quality as well in our midfield atm, tho Fellaini if usud properly could, as i stated previously, be a great utility player. Carrick is on the same boat really, tho I woudnt be surprised to see him as a starter with Pogba at the 2 CM spots this season, since he is one of the most intelligent midfielders ever to grace the world of football. He has never really been in the spotlight and all, but is definitely a world class player. He still is, if you can use him properly and i think Mourinho could definetly do that. Tho i would say for me the best midfielder to play alongside Pogba is Ander Herrera. He is a wonderful player, great on the ball, passes and constantly moves, so he makes the tempo of the game faster wich is just what we need. 


Again money is not really a thing you should worry about. All you need is to watch and see how he is going to perform throughout the seson.

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non of them had the achievements that Pogba has at this age...


Wrong. Busquets had better achievements at the age of 23. 


Pogba: 4 Serie A titles, 2 Italian cups, 2 Italian Supercups and one CL Final.
Busquets: 3 La Liga titles, 2 Copa Del Rey titles, 3 Supercup titles, 2 CL titles, 2 European Supercups, 2 FIFA  Club World Cup titles, 1 Fifa World Cup, 1 UEFA Euro.


I think that it's pretty clear that Busquets HAS over-archievement Pogba at the age of 23. 


Though, in Pogba's favour, he has 3 more individual awards.

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I think you didn't get what I meant...Busquets has definetly more achievements to his name, and is also a much more mature player and is what holds Barcelona's really. But did Busquets had the titles and individual awards that Pogba has at that age? That's what i meant. So for such a young age, he is one of the worlds finest...

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Perhaps I didn't get what you meant, but neither did you get what I meant. 


The trophies I listed for Busquets ARE trophies he got until 23. He has plenty more of them now when he is 28. 

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to break things up a lil: John Stones has officially gone to man city for 47.5m.

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I dont think that is worth it. It is too much to pay, they could have got somebody way better for that price...... *Cough Terry ( BEST DEFENDER...... 3FAST5U ). Nah but they could have done better

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I'll just lol at that. Nothing surprising from City.

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Really? Didn't know barca had so many CLs in the last 10 years lol...and i dint think that at 23 Busquets was a regular...nor that he was so integral to the team. While Pogba has already been named in various prestigious team of the years and team of the seasons, has had a good amount of great individual awards as well as had the highest rating in the Italian League for last season. That's pretty darn impresive. Busquets might be an unsung hero, but Pogba makes sure everybody knows him and how good he can be. Thats really what I tried to prove as a point. Lel let's really leave this subject, shall we? 


Let's just lol at Man City. Yeah Stones is tiped to be a great future star, but really his performances have been anything but not worthy of that amount. Off course money is not all that important for me when we look at all the crazy transfers that are happening around us, but Stones doesn't deserve this much of a burden. He is making bad mistakes the whole season and when i was watching the Rooney testimonials this didn't seem to have changed. For that Mooney you could probably buy a Varane, or a Marquinios, players that are around the same age as Stones, and are incredible performers and much more solid and mature players in my opinion. Denying that Stones isn't talanted is a big mistake, since i have seen him do some great stuff on the ball and catch on to some of the fastest strikers in the league, but for me such a big money move to such a litlle club (I hope City fans don't kill me, tho I doubt they could, since they are...short in numbers... Football thread 1151057309) will put even more pressure on the boy and that could ruin his career the same way that we have seen with many other great players. Tho on the other hand he is going to one of the best coaches in the world with one of the best records of making legends in the game of football. If there is anybody that can get all the potential out of Stones it's probably Guardiola. And let's not forget that in today's market younger players are becoming much more expencive - John Stones - 47.5 milion <> Mats Humells - 30+ milion...that's football for you...time will tell if this enormous sum, especially for a defender will be justified by his performances and development.


In other news: Congratulations to Real Madrid FC on winning the Super Copa against Sevilla after a trilling game that finished 2:3 in favor of Real Madrid. Even short of there 5 starters Real showed why they were crowned european champions for a reason. Played a great game, with some hit in miss defneding at times, tho overall a very good showing of the work that Zidane has done over the summer. Props to Sevilla tho, who played a tremendous game, but just wasn't enough to stop the team of Galacticos and that superb goal by Carvahal in the 117' minute. Definitely one of if not the most underrated right back in the world. And let's not forget there captain Segion Ramos who again performed when he is most needed scoring for the 3 consecutive time in a final. A great game to watch - what are your thoughts.


Also another big transfer that happened in the last few days related to Real Madrid: PSG have sighned the young winger Jese Rodriguez from Real Madrid on a permanent deal worth 26 milion. 

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Well, yeah, Barca has won CL in 2006, 2009, 2009 and 2015 (pretty sure they will win another one soon too) in last 10 years. You might think that but I did a little research and Busquets had a little bit bigger role than what you think Wink 


2008-09 = 41 apps
2009-10 = 52 apps
2010-11 = 46 apps
2011-12 = 52 apps


And yeah, Busquets really is an unsung hero! 


Tbh, I don't really believe in Stones price. British teams are ruining the market by paying a high price for their young stars. 

I'll also congratulate to Real Madrid for winning European Supercup! Can't wait to compete them in the league! 

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