General Football/Soccer Talk

[SoF'nAwesome]

The PSG-Warriors comparison is not accurate, PSG ain't gonna beat Barca or Real when the time comes. They are juggernauts yes, but not unstoppable. It would actually be hilarious if they get knocked out by Barca.

My man Robben didn't deserve to go out like that. Don't know what the fuck has been up with that Netherlands team.

As for the leagues, I didn't expect Madrid to struggle like that after their last season. Bayern and Juve are not having it easy like they have for the past years. Mourinho still chasing Guardiola and my nigga Wenger still around, somehow

[Phil89]

But they have dominated the French league recently and just took their rival's best player. That's all I meant.

They still suck in the champions league


The Italian league actually looks interesting this year with Juventus not racing ahead. Napoli, Inter, Lazio and Roma all look like strong challengers. AC Milan's big spending hasn't really helped much though

[SoF'nAwesome]

Which team are you rooting for in the CL?

[Phil89]

This is the first time in years that I'm actually following the CL closely, because Liverpool are finally back in it

I don't think we can win it because our defense is horrible. But our attackers (Coutinho, Salah, Mane, Firmino) are so fun to watch.

[Phil89]

All the teams for the 2018 world cup are now decided.

Italy, Netherlands, USA and Chile are the biggest names who missed out


Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea
Africa: Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia
North/Central America: Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Peru
Europe: Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia

[[Q]]

Sad to see the Netherlands not make it. USA sucks

[SoF'nAwesome]

No Italy probably the biggest shocker of the qualifying stage.

Imma put my early bet on Germany or France for the WC, what about you guys?

Phil89, if Harry Kewell still played, I would have supported Australia and only Australia for the WC

[Phil89]

Sad to see the Netherlands not make it. USA sucks

I feel bad that Australia had to struggle through playoff games against Syria and Honduras to make it, but surely the USA only really had Mexico as competition. What happened there?

No Italy probably the biggest shocker of the qualifying stage.

Imma put my early bet on Germany or France for the WC, what about you guys?

Phil89, if Harry Kewell still played, I would have supported Australia and only Australia for the WC

Kewell was a beast when he wasn't injured, which was sadly not often. As an Aussie and a Liverpool supporter his injuries were really frustrating to watch.

But we still have old man Tim Cahill carrying our team. We literally have no other competent goalscorers


I'd probably go with one of the regulars (Argentina, Germany, France). Not sure how Brazil will handle the weather in Russia.

[[Q]]

USA didn't play with a sense of urgency and got outhustled and outplayed by Trinidad and Tobago and Honduras and Panama came back from deficits to seal the deal

It's difficult to say what needs to be done but this is seriously the 5th most popular sport in this country so no one really takes it seriously. We would've had a better shot bringing players from the women's team

I'm rooting for Ronaldo and Portugal to win

[SoF'nAwesome]

USA is light-years behind in terms of soccer. I cannot see them becoming an actual threat til 2030.

As for CR7, it seems unlikely. In this season, he just turned into an average player. I would like for Messi to win one but he chokes in the blue-white jersey so...

[Phil89]

There doesn't seem to be a "group of death" this time. They all look pretty even, especially groups A and H.

I'm pretty happy with the draw that Australia got. France will destroy us, but we can beat Peru. The Denmark game will probably be crucial.

[SoF'nAwesome]

Argentina and Brazil will have it easy. Group B probably the most intense group. Group A & H are filler groups

[[Q]]

Group F looks like the toughest group. I'm rooting for Portugal

[SoF'nAwesome]

Is Sweden even that good without Zlatan?

[shadowgrin]

Sweden qualified for the World Cup without him after not qualifying in the last two World Cups with him playing in the qualifiers.

[SoF'nAwesome]

Well, in defense of Zlatan, they had to face Cristiano in 2014 and I don't think he was that godlike in 2010. However, good point.

In my eyes, 2002 WC Sweden will always be the GOAT Sweden squad. Ljungberg, Mellberg, Allbäck, Svensson & obviously Larson.

[shadowgrin]

He was already a good player then scoring 20 goals a season for teams like Barcelona in its prime, Inter and Milan before Serie A became a cesspool like it is now.

[Phil89]

After six months Liverpool finally agree a deal for Virgil van Dijk. A new world record fee for a defender - apparently £75 million

That's probably double what he is actually worth, but fixing our defense is the top priority and if he is the guy to do that then I don't really care what he cost.

[[Q]]

Is Coutinho finally leaving? I hate soccer transfer rumors because even stuff that's reported as "done deals" don't always happen

[SoF'nAwesome]

eventually but not in january i think

[Phil89]

He definitely isn't going anywhere this month, despite how much Barcelona will try to manufacture it.

It's probably 50/50 that he goes at the end of the season. There are a lot of factors that could influence his decision.

- How Liverpool play in the second half of the season. Champions league qualification is essential to keep him.
- Who we sign in the Summer. Van Dijk is a statement signing, as is Naby Keita. Couple more quality players could convince him that we are legit threat for the league.
- Will Barcelona even have 150m odd to spend? They try every trick in the book to lower the prices of their targets, but the Liverpool owners have already shown they won't budge.

I really hope he stays for a few more seasons because he is brilliant to watch.

[SoF'nAwesome]

i just need to understand why barca even need to replace neymar

[Phil89]

Even the best teams need to replace their stars eventually. Messi, Suarez and Pique are all 30, Iniesta and Mascherano are 33, Rakitic, Paulinho and Busquets are all 29.

I almost forgot that they signed Dembele to replace Neymar. Probably because he got injured early on and hasn't played since.

[shadowgrin]

Nike just leaked Coutinho is now a Barcelona player in their store page.
Been fixed already, you can no longer order his jersey as a Barcelona player.

[Phil89]

Until something is announced on the Liverpool website I'm just going to ignore all the Coutinho speculation. It would make no sense to sell him halfway through the season.


Mo Salah has 17 goals and 5 assists in 21 league games now. He is basically playing at the same level as 2013-14 Suarez