On the bright side for US fans: Dest is getting a lot of playing time at Barcelona and actually looks like of their better players.
On the bright side for US fans: Dest is getting a lot of playing time at Barcelona and actually looks like of their better players.
What would you say.....ya do here?
M2 (10-29-2021)
M2 (10-29-2021)
Juve, which lost today to Hellas Verona, is also stumbling. It's currently 9th in the league and could be 16 points out of 1st if Napoli and Milan win their games. It's not quite as dire for them and Champions League slots. They're only 4 points out (7 if Roma wins its game in hand) out of 4th, but the league title is probably gone as Inter is up near the leaders too. Could be a rough season for the Old Lady.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
To be fair, it shouldn't be a shock that he finishes like a halfback. The problem is Barcelona has turned to a halfback to give them some semblance of a threat up top. Demir and Braithwaite aren't up to the task. Griezman, Trincao and Moriba headed for the exits before the season. I suppose the break-glass-in-case-of-disaster option is Coutinho, but that's not to go well if they try it.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Excellent 2nd goal for Atalanta vs. ManU - https://twitter.com/ParcerosUnited/s...46604007022603. And it only counted because VAR properly judged Duvan Zapata to be onside. The refs thought he was off.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Atalanta beat ManU for 95+ minutes, but Cristiano Ronaldo beat Atalanta for five seconds. So they ended up in a 2-2 tie.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Spain qualify for WC 2022 with a Morata rebound off an Olmo rocket that Olsen saved but couldn’t hold.
Croatia qualify also, with a Russia own goal on a water logged pitch.
But Portugal does not! Serbia beats Portugal at home to win their group.
Portugal and Italy both need to get n the hard way. Both are in the top 10 in FIFA rankings. Should be fascinating to see the matchups. If they go straight by the rankings, the home-and-home eliminator matchups could look something like this:
Portugal-North Macedonia
Italy-Finland
Sweden-Scotland
Wales-Turkey
Poland-Russia
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Go North Macedonia!
What would you say.....ya do here?
After Tuesday’s matches, UEFA will have 10 out of 13 qualifying countries identified. 12 group runner-up countries will go into a two round, single match playoff format designed to Identify 3 remain qualifying spots. So Portugal, Russia, Italy and Scotland +2 will host the first round match.
M2 (11-16-2021)
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
One round to go in the Champions League group stage and the story is Portugal. Sporting just clinched its spot and knocked Dortmund out of the tournament. Porto is still clinging to 2nd in the group of death, one point ahead of Atletico Madrid and Milan. It's got Atleti at home in the final round while Milan host Liverpool, which has already clinched its slot. And the stars are aligning for Benfica despite getting robbed yesterday vs. Barcelona. Benfica is two points back of Barca, but Barca goes to Bayern in the final round (and Bayern has been a nightmare for them in recent years) while Benfica hosts cellar dweller Dynamo Kiev. If Barca doesn't get a win (tie won't be enough), Benfica can book a slot in the final 16.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
I watched that Sporting Lisbon game. They dominated Dortmund.
What would you say.....ya do here?
M2 (11-24-2021)
The final three European slots for the World Cup just went up a level for intensity. The way they organized it is there's three four-team groups, with one team ultimately emerging from each group after winning two single-game playoffs. But I'm burying the lead, Portugal and Italy got drawn into the same group. Portugal's even got a tough opening game as it hosts Turkey (Italy hosts North Macedonia). Should both win, then they will hold a drawn to see who gets to host the winner-take-all game from their group.
Also, Russia (which has a rich history of choking in these types of play-in games) hosts Poland. Winner of that faces the winner of Sweden vs. the Czech Republic. And in the third group we could see Scotland and Wales faceoff with a World Cup on the line. The fervor at that game would be extreme. Mind you, Ukraine and Austria won't be pushovers.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Fil3232 (11-26-2021),schmidty622 (11-27-2021)
Atletico Madrid pulled it's bacon out of the fire with a 3-0 win at Porto (with some glorious playacting involved), so it's through to the round of 16. That was the only spot up for grabs today. Tomorrow we get high drama.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
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