2022-23 Euro Soccer Thread

[Betterread]

It's interesting me because Madrid is the club he could have gone to this summer. He'd have formed a frontline with Benzema and Vinicius. Yet Rodrygo is taking another step forward and I don't think Mbappe's worth the record transfer fee it would take to get him. All the reasons why he picked PSG this summer are all the reasons why Madrid probably should steer clear of him. Kind of feel like he'll go to ManU, which has big pockets and even bigger needs.

Rodrygo looks fine, but Vini and Valverde are the ones taking a bid step forward. Vini is so quick, he moves like a lizard.

[M2]

Rodrygo looks fine, but Vini and Valverde are the ones taking a bid step forward. Vini is so quick, he moves like a lizard.

Vini's better, going to be a serious Balon D'Or contender in 2023. Fede's continuing the leap he took last year. Yet Rodrygo has turned into their anywhere guy - left, right, middle, in the #10. He's working some really slick combos. He's even with Fede on goals and has an extra assist. He's really good. Mbappe is better, but Mbappe is not €150M better. And if Mbappe wants to play the left, that job's taken.

Side note, I'm really liking Brazil's chances at this World Cup.

[M2]

Taj Buchanan should have earned a penalty v Athletico Madrid, instead Molina got the call and Buchanan got the yellow. Athletic get away with so much dirty play but Club Brugge hold on to the top spot in their group.
and Barca fought back (through Lewandowski) to earn a 3-3 draw vrs Internazionale (they were down 1-2 at 80 minutes).

Club Brugge is through to the knockout round with that win. Barca saved themselves with the tie, but they are staring into the abyss of a return to the Europa League. If Inter beats Victoria Plzen at the San Siro next round (highly likely) or Barca loses to Bayern (also highly likely), they are done. They've got El Clasico on Sunday and I'm hoping Madrid can add to their misery.

[Betterread]

Vini's better, going to be a serious Balon D'Or contender in 2023. Fede's continuing the leap he took last year. Yet Rodrygo has turned into their anywhere guy - left, right, middle, in the #10. He's working some really slick combos. He's even with Fede on goals and has an extra assist. He's really good. Mbappe is better, but Mbappe is not €150M better. And if Mbappe wants to play the left, that job's taken.

Side note, I'm really liking Brazil's chances at this World Cup.

But Madrid’s offense, at the moment, pales in comparison to its Midfield and Defenders. Militao, Alaba,Charvahal and Rudiger are just bossing everyone around. Alaba and Charvajal are nearly flawless in their positioning, passing and tackling. And the squad is trying to blend Rudiger in by playing him in central defense, even though Alaba is far better, so his passing choices are easier. Lewandowski will be a real test this weekend.

[M2]

But Madrid’s offense, at the moment, pales in comparison to its Midfield and Defenders. Militao, Alaba,Charvahal and Rudiger are just bossing everyone around. Alaba and Charvajal are nearly flawless in their positioning, passing and tackling. And the squad is trying to blend Rudiger in by playing him in central defense, even though Alaba is far better, so his passing choices are easier. Lewandowski will be a real test this weekend.

This is Madrid's first post-Sergio encounter with Lewa. After Lewa's somewhat famous hat trick against Madrid in 2013 (which I mostly hang on Diego Lopez in the net), Sergio figured out how to put Lewa in his pocket. Rudiger, who played with Lewa, might have some tricks on that front, but he finished Tuesday's game with a crimson mask and 20 stitches. So no clue how Madrid will line up in the back.

El Clasico is always super tense. On top of wanting to win, I totally want the morbo of compounding Barca's woes after they de facto booked their ticket back to the Europa League. For Barca, they want this to be their "Kill Madrid" team. They've had a rough past three years. Sunday is enormous for them.

[M2]

There's only one Matt Turner, and he should be Arsenal's regular keeper.

[M2]

There's a group in the Europa League with Feyenoord, Midtjyland, Lazio and Sturm Graz (high name values in that group) where are the teams are tied at 5 points with 2 games to play.

[M2]

If you hear a loud noise, that's the collective screams of Barca fans from around the world as they realize their club is headed back to the Europa League.

[Betterread]

Real Madrid’s excellent form has dipped this week with losses to RB Leipzig in Champions league and a tie in the BernaBeu with Girona in la liga.
The referee in the Girona match impacted the result with a bad call on ascension for the Girona penalty and a call that disallowed the winning Rodrygo goal.

[Betterread]

Double post.

[Betterread]

Real Madrid (until this week) were producing such high level performances since the beginning of the campaign in August. Their defense and midfield possession play has been dominant in game after game. The scoring part is the weakest part of the team, but with Benzema not 100% and valverde and Rodrygo improving, but still not quite world class level, it is understandable and fixable, especially with the resources RM commands. And I love that the club is letting Valverde and Rodrygo grow, without the pressure of playing with a prima donna like Mbappe.
Valverde is a player I really enjoy watching, along with Vinicius, of course. Their technical skills are so quick, It is special to watch.
In the past I have been reluctant to follow RM due to the overwhelming self-confidence and extreme product push and placement that are the club’s key strategies. But going to Madrid and seeing some games and practices have persuaded me. This is a sports team that is committed to excellence whatever the cost. So despite signing many overpriced contracts, if the players don’t fit the team, they will not play. Experiencing the whole stadium singing Hala Madrid before kickoff was like being in la Scala for a performance. In the Classico, the volume, the passion and the timing of the singing of that song were such a boost for the squad, you knew Barca had to come up with a special response, which they could not achieve.

[M2]

Real Madrid (until this week) were producing such high level performances since the beginning of the campaign in August. Their defense and midfield possession play has been dominant in game after game. The scoring part is the weakest part of the team, but with Benzema not 100% and valverde and Rodrygo improving, but still not quite world class level, it is understandable and fixable, especially with the resources RM commands. And I love that the club is letting Valverde and Rodrygo grow, without the pressure of playing with a prima donna like Mbappe.
Valverde is a player I really enjoy watching, along with Vinicius, of course. Their technical skills are so quick, It is special to watch.
In the past I have been reluctant to follow RM due to the overwhelming self-confidence and extreme product push and placement that are the club’s key strategies. But going to Madrid and seeing some games and practices have persuaded me. This is a sports team that is committed to excellence whatever the cost. So despite signing many overpriced contracts, if the players don’t fit the team, they will not play.

I actually think their defense has been a little clunky. They're mostly dominant, but they've conceded a few too many from momentary lapses. I'm not worried about it because they can clean that up (they pretty much did when Lunin was in net, which I think forced them to be more attentive). Yet they really do get the sporting side of things right. Most clubs wouldn't bench Hazard and play younger guys over him. Most clubs wouldn't have the nerve to switch out Casemiro for Tchouameni on the heels of winning a double.

And that Madrisimo attitude they carry isn't BS. You can see how it translates from player to player. They don't talk crap before or after the game. They keep their nerve in big games. They don't get swept up in a lot of drama. If Plan A doesn't work, they've got Plans B, C, D, E and F. When they lose they point at themselves. After yesterday's draw they were all saying if they had played better the calls wouldn't have mattered. Culture matters, and they've arguably got the best in the sport. It's been passed from Sanchis to Hierro to Raul to Casillas to Sergio to the current team (at least since I've been a fan).

I'm planning on heading over there next fall. Haven't seen them live since the 1980s. Time to rectify that. Figure we'll swing south (Cartagena, Granada, Ronda, Sevilla) and bookend it with Madrid games. Totally jealous you got to see El Clasico.

[M2]

Champions League draw:

Leipzig (GER) vs Manchester City (ENG)
Club Brugge (BEL) vs Benfica (POR)
Liverpool (ENG) vs Real Madrid (ESP)
AC Milan (ITA) vs Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
Frankfurt (GER) vs Napoli (ITA)
Dortmund (GER) vs Chelsea (ENG)
Inter (ITA) vs Porto (POR)
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) vs Bayern (GER)

Lots of tasty matchups in there. Madrid-Liverpool and Bayern-PSG top the list. Those have both been one-sided rivalries in recent years, those are must-watch contests. Very interested to see how the four German and three Italian clubs do. Napoli is playing like a powerhouse so far this season. And don't sleep on the two Portuguese teams. Benfica in particular has had a strong season so far, and it just got (theoretically) the easiest draw in the round of 16.

And down in the Europa League, ManU and Barca have drawn each other.

[M2]

There's a group in the Europa League with Feyenoord, Midtjyland, Lazio and Sturm Graz (high name values in that group) where are the teams are tied at 5 points with 2 games to play.

And this group ended up with everyone tied at 8 points. Feyenoord won on the tiebreaker. Midtyland took 2nd. Lazio got punted down to the Europa Conference League. Sturm Graz got sent home.

[M2]

Liverpool lost today to Brentford, which leaves it 6th in the Prem. Brentford is right behind it in 7th place. What's really interesting is with Arsenal running way out front and 3rd place Newcastle occupying a Champions League slot at the moment, it means there might only be one CL slot for ManU, Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea. Now, that's drama.