news and gossip (and some pics, not much)
Chatter from the sidelines
- Arsenal and Liverpool BOOSTED as Napoli concede Gonzalo Higuain WILL leave Well, damn. Liverpool can we get him?
- Hamsik to become 'world-class' after making £20m Man Utd, Chelsea or Arsenal move well, hell, are they having a firesale or something
- Should Napoli launch a Parma raid? huh, this has shades of Bayern about it
- Jackson Martinez wants Seria A move, not Premier League makes sense, Serie A would suit his game more
- Schurle to Wolfsburg most Chelsea supporters don't seem fussed? That's how deep their talent is
- Champions League’s #AskCourtois fan interaction takes predictably daft path funny article
- Pogba will leave Juventus, says Raiola Welp, that's direct
- Mario Balotelli will leave Liverpool for €60-70m or ‘die there’, says agent "And there’s no sense in asking whether Liverpool is the right place: it’s the only place.” Well, hell. We're up the spout then.
- Ezequiel Lavezzi Liverpool Transfer Close, Ruben Neves Eyed in Latest Reds News *mutters* Lavezzi knows his way around a box all right- I have seen the pictures- but not the one that suits LFC's needs at this time
- La Liga: Fernando Torres scored again for Atletico Madrid against Barcelona but why is he back in the goals? LOL, depends on whom you ask. It's known that Torres thrives on belief though. He's supposedly sensitive like that, and Simeone is an excellent man manager in getting you to buy into what his ethos is. On top of that, he's back at the club that gave him everything
- Angry Gulf nations leading charge to kick Australia out of Asian Football Confederation but where would Australia go? UEFA has enough, CONMEBOL is too good (and crowded), and CONCACAF too far
- Premier League: Five Diego Costa flashpoints since he joined Chelsea from La Liga Well, we won't be bored. I'd say more, but I have another hat to cast on
- Diego Costa set to miss Chelsea vs Manchester City title showdown as Blues contest against violent conduct charge we will see
- Asier Illarramendi struggling to live up to Xabi Alonso benchmark at Real Madrid don't worry, they'll push him out soon enough
Websites of Interest: The game behind the game
- statsbomb.com came across my dashboard recently. Like I say, I'm pretty cautious when it comes to the stats culture in football, but there's a place for it in moderation
- The Adolescence of Soccer Stats Grantland has good articles, beyond the 'transbaiting scandal' (I have my issues with how the furore around that article was handled, tbh but this is not the post). This is one of them
- Spielverlagerung.com is a site I visit from time to time. I was referred to it when researching tactics for a football fanfic (and then dropped the fic because it was for a rare pair, in the English FA competition, and not even my beta was interested in reading it, especially when I started the whole delineation of the English game vs the hybrid of the PL that I touch on sometimes, and did a byline on Martinez' thoughts about the English second game vs the Spanish second game, and how those sports influence the character of each country's approach to football. Why am I telling you all this. This is me. Shutting up. Yes. Now.). This site is a goldmine when it comes to tactics, understanding the manager's mindset vs results gotten, etc. P.S. - if you're uninterested in these links and websites, let me know in the post, and I will refrain from linking them in the future.
Pictures
Social network
The Spanish lads over here seem to really get on. No matter their team banner, they still meet and greet, it seems. Well, strangers in a strange land, it helps
LOL, I get you Akinfenwa
Copa del Rey: Getafe 0- 1 Villareal
we all live in a yellow submarine/yellow submarine/we all live in a yellow submarine! Say hello to Villareal's newest loan because he can't catch a break with Arsenal's starting XI. Hey, Joel Campbell (Costa Rica)
Villareal is in fine form as of late. Since my teams have all fallen by the way side in this Copa del Rey (La Real, Atletico Madrid), I'm now looking for a team to back.
A team that makes me sing yellow submarine immediately upon seeing them can't be that bad, no?
Sevilla 1- 0 Espanyol
Well damn, Sevilla still in this? To be fair, they're a stronger side than Espanyol at the moment, and I do rate their coach, but still, surprised!
Athletic Bilbao 1- 0 Malaga
Ah, I can't find much pictures of this match. Someone must care! Not even Illarramendi cares, they want him and he's all, NOPE, even though Real Madrid is going all White Stripes and saying, "There's no home for you here now, go away"
Asian Cup
Not many pictures, I don't think they're posted yet
OP: as usual, any broken links, dodgy pictures, misinformation, missing information and what not. Put in the post, and I will amend when I have time. Oh, I am repeating this for emphasis - from time to time I will give links to websites that discuss the game in detail in terms of stats, tactics, anything of academic interest. If the links are boring, uninteresting or beyond the remit of the posts, please say so, and I will remove and abandon that option going forward. Oh, because this postscript isn't long enough- any knitters/ravelers on this board? I need to knit a ladies hat with a pom pom, preferably in dk weight yarn, about 300m? If you have any patterns please link me in the post? I need it for reasons