weekend news (and matches)

[jazzypom]

Comments

[bea2866]

Hi. *waves*
First post here! I am new, although I have been reading for a while :)
From Germany. Icon says the rest. *g*

Yay for Dortmund. Hope they can keep it up. Bayern needs a good challenge!

And news on the DeBruyne move?

Well, DeBryne is demand

[jazzypom]

Bayern Munich wants him, but you get the whiff that City is swimming in cash (between their oil daddy owner and PL money), and they'll pay stupid amounts to get him in the way that Bayern Munich won't. But DeBruyne seems overwhelmed (his first foray in English football didn't go too well under Mourinho) and with Wolfsburg, he's on the team sheet all the time, in CL league, etc. He's probably better off there, but there's something to be said to strike while the iron is hot, and his form is on a high. So we'll see!

[marsyke]

Here in Belgium, everyone is a bit confused. Most people think it's best if he stays in Wolfsburg because he's a player who needs stability and a fixed starting spot to play his best football. City and Bayern are somewhat of a gamble because of the need to immediately perform and the fight for a starting spot all the time.

But I think everything can still happen at this point.

[the4thjuliek]

Welcome! :)

[mundodeamor]

The JT thing is interesting. One would think a player should retire at a high (as last season was a very good one for Terry) but you also have players who can play at a high level until they're quite older, so the player can't actually know if this is his (last) high or he can play like this for (at least) another year. I mean, Terry went from playing ALL MINUTES in the PL (ie. there were no signs of decline yet) to now being considered to be dropped for good. Perhaps he got a red card on purpose so he doesn't have to be benched. xD I don't remember, who got the armband yesterday when Terry had to leave the pitch

[marsyke]

Real's start to the season was terrible. Gjion played really well, they went for goal without fear. But damn Real has some work to do, they looked really disjointed, no cohesion and the game plan is still somewhat unclear to me. Benitez is lauded for his defensive approach but I saw more of Navas than I was comfortable with.

[askatasun]

I've noticed quite a few NYCFC fans aren't warming to Iraola, and don't think he's a particularly good player. I think they should be patient with him

huh, so Illarramendi is going back to basque country?

[jazzypom]

On one hand, I can understand him wanting to touch roots and 'reboot' as it were. On the other hand, I was hoping that he'd take a chance on a decent English team outside of the top four. Word has it that LFC was after him, and he was linked for a hot minute with Spurs, and at least with either team (more Spurs than LFC, mind), he'd get a run out. But La Real really has a need, and it would be a coup for Moyes to get the player, so, hope it works out. I do remember Athletic coming for Illarramendi in the January transfer window and he got rebuffed, so.

For Barcelona, we will see, but there's a point re: once Iniesta, Messi, Pique, et al retire, there isn't anyone coming up through the ranks. Didn't they shut down one of their programmes (or am I mixing them up with Real Madrid)?

With the NYCFC fans, I'm getting murmurings about Mix, he's kinda overrated for what he is, in their eyes.

RE: huh, so Illarramendi is going back to basque country?

[askatasun]

I think it's more likely that he'll go to England than back to Real Sociedad, but there definitely seems to be interest there. I do think he'll go back, but maybe a few years down the line.

I think Real Madrid scrapped their C team, iirc. Atlético Madrid scrapped theirs as well during the summer after their B team was relegated. I'm not sure about Barca, though.

[marsyke]

I think a lot of people failed to notice the factor luck in that Barca team. The fact that Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Pique, Puyol and Valdes all came together was a bit of luck. Of course La Masia is probably a very good youth academy but they are not a factory of Messi's or Iniesta's. Just like Bayern München only produced one Lahm and one Müller.
If you want to be at the top of Europe nowadays you 15 of the best players around and it's completely impossible to produce that yourself unless you take away all available talent from smaller clubs and that would be an enormous loss for football.

[the4thjuliek]

Perisic is off to Inter :( Illarramendi is off to Real Sociedad. I'm looking forward to Moyes butchering his name. Who knows what's up with Prince Harry.

I think playing Bale in his best position (#10) won't work in Rafa's system. Also, after yesterday's match, it's quite certain that Arsenal are most definitely NOT getting Benz.

Yay, Dortmund are at the top of table! Just give us the title now XD

Also, I'm so nervous about the Arsenal-Liverpool match!

[marsyke]

Yesterday's system was clearly not working at all. And there was no one on the bench left to make a difference at minute 80, which is crazy considering how big a club Real is.