Soccer/football thread 2022 | Page 15 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Soccer/football thread 2022

The diving is relentless (Mina with another flop just now), but Everton are pressing like crazy today, very different to the compact shape they had against Liverpool. They're up for it, but time will tell if they can sustain the intensity over 90 minutes.

I'm just hoping the recent Chelsea mediocrity extends to the FA Cup final, though I suspect it mostly has to do with them not having much to play for in the league, with third locked up but second out of reach.
 
Mina has started the “leg cramp toe stretching” at the 65th minute. A bit early for a top level athlete, mate.


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The Spanish side are off to a flying start.


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robertv19 said:
The Spanish side are off to a flying start.
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🤢

EDIT: Absolutely overrun in that half. Villarreal came out flying, Liverpool caught between wanting to attack and wanting to defend, did neither. Definitely need a Klopp halftime, and likely a change to include a steadying presence like Henderson in midfield and the spark of Diaz on attack. Maybe playing two finals a week is finally starting to show. Defending was absolutely shocking on the second goal, with TAA just standing about and zero support. Best hope is Villarreal burn themselves out and Liverpool is able to steady things long enough to take control like the first leg.
 
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Oh, thank f**k. This ref let Atletico get away with murder in Spain against Liverpool in 2020, was worried about a repeat (though the awful first half was definitely not the ref's fault!)

Double goaltender nutmeg. Hope he doesn't take too much blame, hated when Karius got so exposed in the 2018 final.

Still lots of time left, just need to choke the life out of this one and get those legs into an ice bath...
 
I don’t see Villareal scoring 3 goals let alone 4 now. Congrats! Allez Les Rouges!


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Whew. Possibly the worst first half I've seen Liverpool play this season, completely unprepared for the onslaught and struggled to find any defensive shape. Full credit to the Villarreal supporters, and some credit to that team for playing their hearts out for about 67 minutes (the nastiness of the last 10 minutes was uncalled for, with the foul on Mane being particularly dangerous). Hopefully making it through that will help with handling the pressure as things proceed.

Liverpool will now play every possible game they could in a single season, which is all I could ask for as a fan.

(Watching the BT Sport post-game coverage, as DAZN has nothing, and it ranges from good (Crouchy), mediocre (Owen), awful (Ferdinand) and embarrassing (whoever the idiot host is). Need me more of the Carra and Neville double act...)
 
Priller said:
Whew. Possibly the worst first half I've seen Liverpool play this season, completely unprepared for the onslaught and struggled to find any defensive shape. Full credit to the Villarreal supporters, and some credit to that team for playing their hearts out for about 67 minutes (the nastiness of the last 10 minutes was uncalled for, with the foul on Mane being particularly dangerous). Hopefully making it through that will help with handling the pressure as things proceed.

Liverpool will now play every possible game they could in a single season, which is all I could ask for as a fan.

(Watching the BT Sport post-game coverage, as DAZN has nothing, and it ranges from good (Crouchy), mediocre (Owen), awful (Ferdinand) and embarrassing (whoever the idiot host is). Need me more of the Carra and Neville double act...)
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I was trying to work out why the play was so schizophrenic. Only thing I could come up with was the really soggy pitch (it had been pouring down all day) and the rowdy fans took 45 mins to get used to. After that the second half was awesome as a Liverpool fan to watch except for a few missed chances oddly enough. I worry when they don’t dispatch sitters and it looked like there were a few especially a 4 on 2 near the end and one where Salah hit wide after a fumble.

I like the double act too, good commentators who add some light relief. Ferdinand is ok, Crouch had his own series of shows so he’s pretty comfortable in front of the camera.
 
jc100 said:
I was trying to work out why the play was so schizophrenic. Only thing I could come up with was the really soggy pitch (it had been pouring down all day) and the rowdy fans took 45 mins to get used to. After that the second half was awesome as a Liverpool fan to watch except for a few missed chances oddly enough. I worry when they don’t dispatch sitters and it looked like there were a few especially a 4 on 2 near the end and one where Salah hit wide after a fumble.
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I genuinely think the 2-0 scoreline was partially at fault. Not enough to relax, sit in and work on the counter, but enough to hold them back from being really aggressive on the press. What they ended up with was neither, and played a halfway approach where they wanted to get forward but instead were tentative and didn't press hard enough to let the high line work. When you add the absolute intensity of Villarreal, who gave them no time to regroup or discuss, you ended up with confusion and disarray. Klopp said afterwards that he asked for tape at halftime of them executing the plan properly to show the team, but was told by Krawietz that there were no examples.

I thought they needed the steadiness of Hendo in midfield to direct traffic, but it turns out that adding Diaz's energy and directness was more important. One thing I'll say about this most recent iteration of Klopp's Liverpool: they rarely get outplayed coming out of the break. In his early days of mega intensity heavy metal football, they were often out of steam by about 70', and needed to hang on to whatever lead they had built. Now they're more measured and rarely lose the second half...
 
Are y’all taking about Peter Crouch? Did he finally hang up the boots?


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'Ol Crouchinho has converted his robot dance into being a decent presenter and pundit, though he doesn't offer much beyond comic relief. His podcast is worth a listen, though I think he hasn't done a new episode in ages...
 
Here’s my fever dream for the City game:

1. De Bruyne gets sent off in the 89th minute of the match
2. Score at full time is 4-4 with every Real Madrid goal being a Panenka style goal dinked over a diving keeper except for one which is a Grealish own goal.
3. After 30 minutes of extra time every City player has been half hacked to death by Spanish studs
4. It goes to penalties, with Real scoring every penalty kick with a Panenka style goal. It comes down to Grealish to score but he shoots it 20 feet above the bar because his hair band slipped over his eyes. The Real keeper scores with another Panenka kick, with his eyes closed, to win the game.

City are too tired and mentally defeated for their next premiership games and lose every one. Liverpool win the league and the Champions League.
 
jc100 said:
Here’s my fever dream for the City game:

1. De Bruyne gets sent off in the 89th minute of the match
2. Score at full time is 4-4 with every Real Madrid goal being a Panenka style goal dinked over a diving keeper except for one which is a Grealish own goal.
3. After 30 minutes of extra time every City player has been half hacked to death by Spanish studs
4. It goes to penalties, with Real scoring every penalty kick with a Panenka style goal. It comes down to Grealish to score but he shoots it 20 feet above the bar because his hair band slipped over his eyes. The Real keeper scores with another Panenka kick, with his eyes closed, to win the game.

City are too tired and mentally defeated for their next premiership games and lose every one. Liverpool win the league and the Champions League.
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I'll take it! So many panenkas! Clearly you've been reading The Secret and are putting things out into the universe.

I'm ambivalent about who I want to go through today. Madrid has their (just soft enough, unlike the too soft France and Germany) league wrapped up already, so could spend the next three and a half weeks focusing purely on the final. But then too much time between meaningful games can make a team flat, too. City, on the other hand, are a known quantity who are beatable in finals. They're more likely to come in banged up or understrength, but if they win, listening to the subsequent media fawning over Pep will be unbearable. Also, much as the Madridista thing bugs me, the bloody petro-state PR arm that is City is far worse.

I'll go with Salah and say that I'd prefer Madrid just for the unfinished business of 2018...
 
0-0 HT


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Madrid needs a miracle now. Think they might be out of lives. They've had the ball in some dangerous areas, but terrible touch...
 
jc100 said:
Miracle delivered. My fever dream is coming partway true.
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Pep pulled DeBruyne and Mahrez early, perhaps to protect from dream item 1, perhaps in an overconfident attempt to rest them for the league. Walker going out is a good start for item 3, but there needs to be something from City to take this to penalties now...

Grealish without much impact so far...
 
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