The Association Football Thread

#5,026
#5,026
Lot of smoke around the Gotze thing. I'm 50/50 on it. He's an outstanding player, no doubt, but we already have a crowded midfield at his position. Granted, Ribery is getting a bit long in the tooth, and Robben will probably get sold. But it weakens our main competition, Dortmund, and I think it's safe to say Dortmund's rise has challenged Bayern to be a better team. If Bayern doesn't have that rival, they likely become complacent again.
 
#5,027
#5,027
Honestly....I think Series A is the deepest.....La Liga is top heavy and the EPL has the same 4 or 5 very freakin year, then a considerable drop....Bundesliga is on the rise...but are top heavy also....

I'm not saying the Italians brand of football is better, but their league is deeper....
 
#5,030
#5,030
And it's D-day. Nervous like I used to be before a Tennessee Florida game.

We will see today if Bayern have crossed that mental barrier it takes to be a champion.
 
#5,031
#5,031
More I think about, the more I like to Gotze signing. It's got Pep written all over it. Obviously you're not going to lure Messi from Barca, so getting an Ozil or Goetze for that role is the next best thing for a German club. We're crowded at that spot with Kroos and Muller, but Kroos is being groomed to eventually take over for Schweinsteiger, and Muller is better on the wing. Gotze can also play wing, which probably means that Robben is out.
 
#5,033
#5,033
And for all the talk La Liga gets for being a two man league and how everyone else sells their players to the two giants, Bayern just ruined German soccer. It would be like Barcelona selling Iniesta to Real Madrid.
 
#5,035
#5,035
volball625 said:
And for all the talk La Liga gets for being a two man league and how everyone else sells their players to the two giants, Bayern just ruined German soccer. It would be like Barcelona selling Iniesta to Real Madrid.
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He was going to get offers elsewhere. I'd rather see him stay in Germany than go to Madrid, City, etc. Barca is rumored for Dortmund's CB Hummels and Lewandowski rumored at several clubs like United. It's unfortunate but at the root of the matter is German league rules that disallow ownership by billionaire owners. If FFP ever gets enforced against the likes of City and not just Malaga or smaller eastern European clubs, then German teams will be in more of an equal footing.
 
#5,039
#5,039
volball625 said:
The second best team selling one of the brightest young domestic players to the best team in ridiculous.
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Dortmund placed a 37 Euro release clause on his contract which Bayern paid. The negotiations were between Gotze and Bayern. Dortmund wasn't involved in the negotiations.
 
#5,040
#5,040
I think all he's getting at is that with German talent, all your base are belong to Bayern.

Which I think can be the case. Spains elite talent is shared between Madrid and Barça and a couple other clubs, England's elite talent is fairly well distributed, Italy's elite talent is shared between the top 4-5 clubs in Serie A. Germany's best prospects all seem to get funneled to one club.
 
#5,041
#5,041
Frackin meetings this afternoon. Will go radio silent and not come back on until I get a chance to watch game when I get home.
 
#5,042
#5,042
milohimself said:
I think all he's getting at is that with German talent, all your base are belong to Bayern.

Which I think can be the case. Spains elite talent is shared between Madrid and Barça and a couple other clubs, England's elite talent is fairly well distributed, Italy's elite talent is shared between the top 4-5 clubs in Serie A. Germany's best prospects all seem to get funneled to one club.
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which is why pep will flourish...unfortunately
 
#5,043
#5,043
milohimself said:
I think all he's getting at is that with German talent, all your base are belong to Bayern.

Which I think can be the case. Spains elite talent is shared between Madrid and Barça and a couple other clubs, England's elite talent is fairly well distributed, Italy's elite talent is shared between the top 4-5 clubs in Serie A. Germany's best prospects all seem to get funneled to one club.
Click to expand...

I agree. I would like to see a stronger Bundesliga which is why I have mixed feelings about this. Werder used to be a very good squad before they lost Ozil to Madrid and a few other key players. Bayern needs to sign players like Gotze to compete with the Barca and Madrids of the world but the other German clubs need to step up their game, too. It's up to the DFB however to change their rules regarding ownership.
 
#5,044
#5,044
Predictions for today?

I say 1-1. Bayern will try and ugly the game up. I think it will be ugly as Bayern play rough to break up any possession by Barcelona.
 
#5,045
#5,045
volball625 said:
Predictions for today?

I say 1-1. Bayern will try and ugly the game up. I think it will be ugly as Bayern play rough to break up any possession by Barcelona.
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Hard for me to say objectively. I'm taking a stab and say 2-1 Bayern. I agree with your prediction of ugliness. I don't think it's going to be the beautiful game everyone is anticipating.
 
#5,046
#5,046
If Robben plays like he did last yr when he was excellent....I see that giving Barca defenders a difficult time....if he is a no show like he does too frequently, then Bayern will have a difficult time...now I'm no expert on Bayern but from all the games I have watched of them in Champions League/Bundesliga, alot seems to hinge on how good he plays out wide and if he is distributing the ball or being selfish....
 
#5,047
#5,047
Godfatha said:
Hard for me to say objectively. I'm taking a stab and say 2-1 Bayern. I agree with your prediction of ugliness. I don't think it's going to be the beautiful game everyone is anticipating.
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2-1 Bayern as well

I think it will be an exciting match, though. This matchup should have been the final.
 
#5,048
#5,048
Barcelona line-up (official): Valdes - Alves Bartra Pique Alba - Xavi Busquets Iniesta - Pedro Messi Alexis

Bayern line-up (official): Neuer - Lahm Boateng Dante Alaba - Robben Schweinsteiger Muller JaviMartinez Ribery - MarioGomez
 
#5,049
#5,049
Godfatha said:
Hard for me to say objectively. I'm taking a stab and say 2-1 Bayern. I agree with your prediction of ugliness. I don't think it's going to be the beautiful game everyone is anticipating.
Click to expand...

Bayern is going to do their damnest to prevent Barcelona from playing their usual style. Even if it means that the game is ugly. They are going to take the Real Madrid approach
 
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