Official Football Thread

And we have a World Cup next summer. I hope this messes (or Messis) up Barcelona's season but I would love to see Messi and Aguero playing at their best together. :eek:

This kind of thing happens to a lot of top players. Torres at Liverpool, Fabregas and van Persie at Arsenal to name a few. It's what happens when a team relies too much on one player. Saying that, Barcelona have a few decent players without Lionel Messi anyway.
 
Black Wizard said:
It's what happens when a team relies too much on one player. Saying that, Barcelona have a few decent players without Lionel Messi anyway.
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They will have no problem winning most league matches without him. But as we saw against AC Milan in the quarter final in March, and even stronger in the semis when they were whacked by Bayern, they don't seem very dangerouos against top opposition without him (or when he's not in form). He is the one who provides the unexpected when the opposition close down Barcelona's attack.
 
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Academy Awards should create another category: best footballer in a diving role.
 
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, before the Barcelona match Allegri asked Balotelli "Would you play yourself from the start?". Balotelli's reply was "Would you let yourself coach the team?".
 
I like Barcelona and it sucks that Messi is out for 2 months but Neymay&Pedro have proven they can be just fine.
And I hate to admit it but if Van Persie got hurt i'd smile for a few seconds before anybody notices. It sucks to do that and it's shameful but like I said I'd smile...
 
Forostar said:
I'll be damned. Since we're one inch above Italy in the ranking, it's still possible. But very unlikely. If Uruguay will loose their play-off match against Jordan, then we've made it.
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If I had one inch of hope, I can forget about that now.

Jordan - Uruguay: 0-4
 
Uruguay are just too strong for Jordan. I have no idea how they managed to be only fifth in their qualification group.
 
Black Wizard said:
There are some pretty good teams in South America: Argentina, Chile, Columbia Radamel Falcao and Paraguay.
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Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil have always been the Big 3 of South America. Closely followed by Chile and Paraguay with Colombia having on and off years.
 
Black Wizard said:
There are some pretty good teams in South America: Argentina, Chile, Columbia Radamel Falcao and Paraguay.
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Yes but Uruguay should be better than all teams you've listed but Argentina. They reached Semi Finals in last World Cup, are the defending Copa America champions and kept their core intact.

Paraguay were placed last in their qualification, below the likes of Bolivia and Venezuela, fyi.
 
I didn't know that, but then again I don't pay attention to South American football. Paraguay are just Oscar Cardozo anyway.

I think Uruguay may have peaked when they won the Copa America as they weren't great in the Confederations Cup in the summer. Having that kid Suarez helps though. By the way, doing well in a World Cup doesn't mean that qualification will be a breeze. France and Italy were the 2006 World Cup finalists but both made a mess of Euro 2008 qualifying (but not as much of a mess as England).
 
South American teams will be some of the most exciting ones to watch in the upcoming World Cup, I think. Firstly because the tournament is in their continent, secondly because there are many teams that are loaded with talent. Leaving the big brothers aside, Uruguay, Chile and Colombia are still very underrated teams in many people's eyes.

Uruguay have one of the best attacking lines in football at the moment with Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan. They have quality players like Cristian Rodriguez, Gaston Ramirez, Alvaro Pereira, Diego Godin, Martin Caceres and Fernando Muslera as well.

Colombia are currently placed 4th in FIFA Rankings. They're not just consisted of Radamel Falcao, actually. Having Jackson Martinez, James Rodriguez, Juan Quintero, Fredy Guarin, Juan Cuadrado, Camilo Zuniga, Cristian Zapata and Pablo Armero as a supporting cast isn't too bad.

And then there's Chile who steadily kept improving over the years. Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal, Marcelo Diaz, Carlos Carmona, Jean Beausejour, Gary Medel, Mauricio Isla and Claudio Bravo will be their main guys.

I share your sentiment about Uruguay, however. I also think they've peaked and are going to be a disappointment in the upcoming World Cup. Colombia look very strong and Chile is the epitome of being a dark horse.
 
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