Yesterday I told you what would happen in the group stage, today I tell you what will go down in the knockout stage and who will be crowned world champions. By the way, I haven't been able to play soccer in forever because of this rain, IT NEEDS TO STOP. Hopefully it wont rain this much in Brazil, even if it did, they probably have world class pitches. Anyways...
The knockout stage of any tournament is scary, if you lose you go home and your hopes of winning are over. First off, lets say I predicted everything right in the group stage. The knockout matches would start off like this:
Brazil vs. Spain! What a spectacle to have in the second round, not even the quarterfinals! This is a final worthy matchup happening in the round of 16. Spain is a great team, but Brazil is quick and flashy, two things Spain needs to catch up on. This will be a re-run of the confederations cup final of last summer, Brazil will dominate, and Brazil will win. The Ivory Coast and Uruguay will be a great game to watch if it actually happens. Even though the Ivory Coast should have a dominating group stage performance, Uruguay edges this one out. France and Bosnia will also be a very interesting game. As long as the French do not lose their minds I think Bosnia's Cinderella run will end there. An upset could be lurking though. Germany and Russia should be a pretty easy game for the Germans. Russia is a European team but their footballing talent is not what it once was. The Netherlands and Croatia might be a pretty physical game. The Dutch will pull out the win with their "total football". Italy and Columbia should be a fun game to watch. Without Falcao, the Columbians wont have enough power to get past Italy. Argentina and Switzerland, unfortunately for the Swiss they will not have a chance. Look for Argentina to slice through them like chocolate. Belgium and Portugal, doesn't get much better than that for a Round of 16 match (except Brazil vs Spain of course). The young Belgian squad will face their toughest opponent yet and it will not be easy at all. It might go into extra time, but Hazard and the rest of the Belgium squad can pull out a win.
Now into the quarterfinals. By now most of the mediocre teams are out and it all gets pretty exciting. Brazil vs Uruguay, a South American matchup. Uruguay has some great attacking quality and their defense isn't as bad as one might think. Although they stack up nicely against Brazil, Brazil's overall talent and momentum they will carry from beating Spain will push them through into the semifinals. Next up, a European match up, France vs Germany. France has plenty of talent but unfortunately for them they will meet up against a team that has even better talent. Germany advances to the semis. Another thrilling quarterfinal matchup is possible. I hope it happens because it will be very entertaining. The Netherlands vs Italy. This game could really go in either teams favor but I have the Italians advancing. Argentina will end Belgium's run. The Belgians will be even more dangerous in 4 years.
Ahh, the semi finals. Now you are so close to final you can taste it. No matter if the semi final games turn out to feature the same teams I have in them or not, they should be great games. My first semi final game involves two teams that are top favorites to win the whole tournament. Brazil vs Germany. This should be a cracker of a match. It could go deep into extra time or even into penalties but the home team, Brazil, will pull out the win under immense pressure. The other semi final has two big teams in it, not exactly favored teams to get that far, but still very good teams. Argentina vs Italy. Argentina has great attacking players and Italy just wont be able to handle it on South American soil. Argentina advances to set up an all South American final. Doesn't get much better than that.
Brazil vs Argentina. The atmosphere in Rio would be absolutely crazy. Whether this final happens or not, one of those teams will definitely be in it, Brazil. That's because Brazil will hoist the World Cup trophy on home soil. Playing at home will give them a huge boost of confidence. They have plenty of talent in all positions. Goalie, defense, and of course the midfield/forwards. Argentina is great up front but that can only carry you so far, that's why Brazil will win the 2014 World Cup.
Tomorrow I will post the third edition of the best feature on this blog: Best and Worst Jerseys. Of course it will be World Cup Edition so come back and read!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Monday, June 9, 2014
World Cup Predictions: Part 1
This is it. What we have all been waiting for. My World Cup predictions. While slugging down some coffee I will tell you all you need to know about what I think will go down in Brazil. Since starting this blog this will be the biggest tournament I have covered yet. No need to fear though, I would say I did pretty well covering the Euro's two years ago, so how different could it be, wink wink.
The World Cup does not really have a clear favorite this year, well in my opinion. Many nations will travel to South America with plenty of star power along with the occasional young gun stepping up. The eyes will be on the host nation, Brazil. Having home field advantage and having a good pool of talent, they are expected to do big things. The pressure will be immense and Neymar is the key to their success. Last season at the Confederations Cup, although not the biggest and best tournament out there, Neymar proved that he was more than just fancy street skill moves. Now on a much bigger stage he can lead his country to the most valuable prize possible.
The group stage, the key to the knock out rounds, the path to the final starts there. The group stage should be filled with some pretty interesting matches. I don't see many upsets taking place in any of the groups, or at least not any big upsets. Group A gives the host nation a pretty easy ticket into the second round, playing Cameroon, Mexico, and Croatia on home soil might secure them 9 points. With Brazil easily advancing, the battle for second will be much more interesting. Many of the so called experts favor Mexico but I think Croatia will advance. I just can't stand Mexico and I think they are a horrible team that does not deserve to be in the World Cup. Although star power doesn't mean everything, they just do not have the power that Croatia has. I am looking for Modric and Mandzukic to lead them on the next round, along with the support of Olic, Jelavic, and Eduardo.
My group B predictions might be surprising to some, well a lot of people actually. Yes I have Holland and Spain advancing, but the Netherlands will win the group. Spain's ticky-tacka football can only work for so long. I think they are aging and their style of play is getting left behind. Although Holland's defense can be shaky at points, their power going forward is tremendous. Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie can lead the Dutch to a first place finish in the group. Chile could have made the group interesting but I think the injury to Vidal totally eliminates their chances (although there is a chance Vidal could play, but they still will not advance).
In Group C I have the Ivory Coast finishing first with Columbia in second. Yaya Toure had a great season at Man City and the team will look to him for leadership. Yaya isn't the only player on the team with a good amount of talent, Drogba maybe old but he can still finish. Gervinho usually impressed at Arsenal and I hear that he had a great season at Roma, so hopefully for the African team he can continue that form. Wilfried Bony is not a bad back up to have in case Drogba tires out. Columbia might have won the group but without Falcao it will be tough for them. Greece and Japan are not the strongest opponents out there but they can pack a punch every now and then.
Group D is a very interesting group with three teams that really feel like they have something to prove. One of those teams being England. I like England a lot and I think they have some great talent, but their problem is that they always do not use their talent to their full potential. Unfortunately I do not have the English advancing. Italy wins the group with Uruguay battling hard for second. Italy is another team I like. If Balotelli doesn't lose his mind and the rest of the Italian team plays to their full potential, they will impress. Uruguay is playing on South American soil and will need to play smart to advance in this group. England will make it hard for them but with players like Cavani and Suarez (Suarez could miss one or two games) along with Forlan and Godin I think Uruguay can pull off the second place "prize".
France should handle Group E easy. Playing against the Swiss, Honduras, and Ecuador should not be a test for them at all. They have looked great in friendlies and have two very good strikers in the Arsenal man, Giroud, and the Real Madrid man, Benzema. Ribery will miss out on Brazil which is deeply saddening to see a player with his quality get injured. The back line for France also has some key players like Koscielny and then Lloris in goal. Switzerland will finish second in the group but Ecuador could surprise them.
I expect great things from Argentina in Brazil. In group F they do not have a tough challenge. Nigeria might bother them a bit, along with Bosnia, but they should advance easily. The second place prize in this group will be awarded to Bosnia- Herzegodzeko. They are an underdog really but they could be very surprising. There is really no pressure on them because no one knows who they are. When they put a few up on Nigeria and Iran the world will definitely know who they are. Along with the star stirker from City Dzeko, the Stoke giant Begovic guards his goal like an oven door guards freshly baked cookies. Also look out for the St. Louis native Ibisevic.
Group G is what my country will be watching with hope. The USA got pretty much the worst possible group they could get. Their old foes from Ghana will be their best chance to get 3 points. After that it just gets harder and harder. Portugal and Germany will be next to impossible to beat and maybe even to tie. THE USA WILL NOT GET OUT OF THE GROUP STAGE! Germany and Portugal on the other hand will. Many people have the Germans lifting the trophy in Rio, and they will win the group, possibly with 9 points. Their squad is just too good and full of talent, although Reus is out. I really like Reus and he is a fun player to watch so I'm sad he won't be there. The group will be a little harder for Portugal but they should advance.
Finally, Group F. This group should belong to the Belgians and the Russians. Belgium has a squad overflowing with talent, but lacking in experience. Some people are picking them to go very, very far in the tournament. Their lack of experience could hurt them in the later rounds but having a group with Russia, Algeria, and South Korea should guarantee them a spot in the next round. Russia will finish second in the group. Although Russia is not as strong as they once were, they got a nice draw so they should slide into the next round.
Well that's it for tonight. Tomorrow I will tell you what will go down in the knockout stages, and of course, who will lift the world's biggest prize in Rio. Come back and read please.
The World Cup does not really have a clear favorite this year, well in my opinion. Many nations will travel to South America with plenty of star power along with the occasional young gun stepping up. The eyes will be on the host nation, Brazil. Having home field advantage and having a good pool of talent, they are expected to do big things. The pressure will be immense and Neymar is the key to their success. Last season at the Confederations Cup, although not the biggest and best tournament out there, Neymar proved that he was more than just fancy street skill moves. Now on a much bigger stage he can lead his country to the most valuable prize possible.
The group stage, the key to the knock out rounds, the path to the final starts there. The group stage should be filled with some pretty interesting matches. I don't see many upsets taking place in any of the groups, or at least not any big upsets. Group A gives the host nation a pretty easy ticket into the second round, playing Cameroon, Mexico, and Croatia on home soil might secure them 9 points. With Brazil easily advancing, the battle for second will be much more interesting. Many of the so called experts favor Mexico but I think Croatia will advance. I just can't stand Mexico and I think they are a horrible team that does not deserve to be in the World Cup. Although star power doesn't mean everything, they just do not have the power that Croatia has. I am looking for Modric and Mandzukic to lead them on the next round, along with the support of Olic, Jelavic, and Eduardo.
My group B predictions might be surprising to some, well a lot of people actually. Yes I have Holland and Spain advancing, but the Netherlands will win the group. Spain's ticky-tacka football can only work for so long. I think they are aging and their style of play is getting left behind. Although Holland's defense can be shaky at points, their power going forward is tremendous. Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie can lead the Dutch to a first place finish in the group. Chile could have made the group interesting but I think the injury to Vidal totally eliminates their chances (although there is a chance Vidal could play, but they still will not advance).
In Group C I have the Ivory Coast finishing first with Columbia in second. Yaya Toure had a great season at Man City and the team will look to him for leadership. Yaya isn't the only player on the team with a good amount of talent, Drogba maybe old but he can still finish. Gervinho usually impressed at Arsenal and I hear that he had a great season at Roma, so hopefully for the African team he can continue that form. Wilfried Bony is not a bad back up to have in case Drogba tires out. Columbia might have won the group but without Falcao it will be tough for them. Greece and Japan are not the strongest opponents out there but they can pack a punch every now and then.
Group D is a very interesting group with three teams that really feel like they have something to prove. One of those teams being England. I like England a lot and I think they have some great talent, but their problem is that they always do not use their talent to their full potential. Unfortunately I do not have the English advancing. Italy wins the group with Uruguay battling hard for second. Italy is another team I like. If Balotelli doesn't lose his mind and the rest of the Italian team plays to their full potential, they will impress. Uruguay is playing on South American soil and will need to play smart to advance in this group. England will make it hard for them but with players like Cavani and Suarez (Suarez could miss one or two games) along with Forlan and Godin I think Uruguay can pull off the second place "prize".
France should handle Group E easy. Playing against the Swiss, Honduras, and Ecuador should not be a test for them at all. They have looked great in friendlies and have two very good strikers in the Arsenal man, Giroud, and the Real Madrid man, Benzema. Ribery will miss out on Brazil which is deeply saddening to see a player with his quality get injured. The back line for France also has some key players like Koscielny and then Lloris in goal. Switzerland will finish second in the group but Ecuador could surprise them.
I expect great things from Argentina in Brazil. In group F they do not have a tough challenge. Nigeria might bother them a bit, along with Bosnia, but they should advance easily. The second place prize in this group will be awarded to Bosnia- Herzegodzeko. They are an underdog really but they could be very surprising. There is really no pressure on them because no one knows who they are. When they put a few up on Nigeria and Iran the world will definitely know who they are. Along with the star stirker from City Dzeko, the Stoke giant Begovic guards his goal like an oven door guards freshly baked cookies. Also look out for the St. Louis native Ibisevic.
Group G is what my country will be watching with hope. The USA got pretty much the worst possible group they could get. Their old foes from Ghana will be their best chance to get 3 points. After that it just gets harder and harder. Portugal and Germany will be next to impossible to beat and maybe even to tie. THE USA WILL NOT GET OUT OF THE GROUP STAGE! Germany and Portugal on the other hand will. Many people have the Germans lifting the trophy in Rio, and they will win the group, possibly with 9 points. Their squad is just too good and full of talent, although Reus is out. I really like Reus and he is a fun player to watch so I'm sad he won't be there. The group will be a little harder for Portugal but they should advance.
Finally, Group F. This group should belong to the Belgians and the Russians. Belgium has a squad overflowing with talent, but lacking in experience. Some people are picking them to go very, very far in the tournament. Their lack of experience could hurt them in the later rounds but having a group with Russia, Algeria, and South Korea should guarantee them a spot in the next round. Russia will finish second in the group. Although Russia is not as strong as they once were, they got a nice draw so they should slide into the next round.
Well that's it for tonight. Tomorrow I will tell you what will go down in the knockout stages, and of course, who will lift the world's biggest prize in Rio. Come back and read please.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Well 4th place trophies aren't everything...
Okay, its been awhile since I wrote. But now it is summer and you know what that means, or what it should mean. More time to post. The last time I wrote was May 4th and since then many things have happened. Trophies have been distributed, injuries have happened, and a witch doctor from Ghana has affected the world cup.
WOO! That is right people... SUMMER! First off, lets get out of the way what happened last month. Although Arsenal did win another fourth place trophy, we actually won a real trophy too, the FA Cup. After we got down 2 nil in the first 9 minutes I thought we had blew another chance to lift the silverware, but with an excellent free kick from Santi Cazorla the rally started. Koscielny, who doesn't score a lot of goals but when he does they're big, scored another goal late on to send it into extra time. "HE'S BETTER THAN BALE, HE'S BETTER THAN BALEEE, AARON RAMSEY, HE'S BETTER THAN BALE". Ramsey scored off a fantastic strike off an even better pass from Giroud to let Vermaelen undeservingly lift the cup at Wembley. Vermaelen played like 3 minutes the whole season but since he's the "captain" I guess he has the right to lift the trophy.
On a much sadder note Atletico did blow their chance at trophy, the champions league trophy. After getting ahead 1-0 over their cross town rivals they just could not hold on in stoppage time. They ended up losing 4-1. But Atletico fans should not be disappointed with their season, or really the past few seasons at all. Winning the Copa Del Rey last year and the WHOLE LEAGUE this year, I would be very proud of a team that used to live in the shadows behind Barca and Real. By the way, those horrible guys on ESPN FC (not all of them are horrible, just most) said that the way Simeone ran on the field twice just ruined everything he had achieved the past few years. That might be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I'm sure people will always remember him as a great coach and still love him.
Now that the most important stuff from the club season has been covered, it is time to switch our focus to Brazil. The World Cup that is. The most popular sporting event in the world. There has already been plenty of drama leading up to the world cup, which unfortunately I haven't written about at all. From Donovan getting left behind, Marco Reus getting injured, to Ronaldo getting injured due to some crazy magic, the build up to the world cup has been very exciting. Come back and read over the next few weeks... it is going to be fun.
WOO! That is right people... SUMMER! First off, lets get out of the way what happened last month. Although Arsenal did win another fourth place trophy, we actually won a real trophy too, the FA Cup. After we got down 2 nil in the first 9 minutes I thought we had blew another chance to lift the silverware, but with an excellent free kick from Santi Cazorla the rally started. Koscielny, who doesn't score a lot of goals but when he does they're big, scored another goal late on to send it into extra time. "HE'S BETTER THAN BALE, HE'S BETTER THAN BALEEE, AARON RAMSEY, HE'S BETTER THAN BALE". Ramsey scored off a fantastic strike off an even better pass from Giroud to let Vermaelen undeservingly lift the cup at Wembley. Vermaelen played like 3 minutes the whole season but since he's the "captain" I guess he has the right to lift the trophy.
On a much sadder note Atletico did blow their chance at trophy, the champions league trophy. After getting ahead 1-0 over their cross town rivals they just could not hold on in stoppage time. They ended up losing 4-1. But Atletico fans should not be disappointed with their season, or really the past few seasons at all. Winning the Copa Del Rey last year and the WHOLE LEAGUE this year, I would be very proud of a team that used to live in the shadows behind Barca and Real. By the way, those horrible guys on ESPN FC (not all of them are horrible, just most) said that the way Simeone ran on the field twice just ruined everything he had achieved the past few years. That might be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I'm sure people will always remember him as a great coach and still love him.
Now that the most important stuff from the club season has been covered, it is time to switch our focus to Brazil. The World Cup that is. The most popular sporting event in the world. There has already been plenty of drama leading up to the world cup, which unfortunately I haven't written about at all. From Donovan getting left behind, Marco Reus getting injured, to Ronaldo getting injured due to some crazy magic, the build up to the world cup has been very exciting. Come back and read over the next few weeks... it is going to be fun.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
One Crazy League and Arsenal wins another trophy!
Before writing a paper for geometry, writing a script for English, and doing some crazy calculations, I decided to write a blog post, because that's more entertaining than school anyways. My fingers will be busy typing the next few hours so why not get them warmed up by starting with the Premier League action this week.
At the beginning of the season I picked Manchester United to win the title, probably the worst prediction I could have made. Even a few minutes after I hit publish, before Man U even stepped on the pitch in August, I knew I had made a bad decision. Although I did not think it would turn out the way it has for the club, I did think they would not win the title back to back. Unfortunately I couldn't go back and edit the post, well I might have been able to, but anyways after I made the click of destiny I thought, "hey Mourinho is coming back to London, surely Chelsea will win the title, or wait maybe the money flowing Manchester City will win", never did I think that Liverpool would come in first and lift the trophy. They haven't yet, and right now its in City's hands.
I did however pick the Reds to come in 5th which is higher than some people might have chosen. I got fourth place right, or well I should. Arsenal secured their Champions League spot on Saturday when City defeated Everton 3-2, which means another 4th Place Trophy! Man I love winning that title every single year. Although, this year we do have a chance for a real trophy, the FA Cup. I'm glad we qualified for the Champions league so quickly (well with 36 games played) so that way Wenger and the team can focus on the Final at Wembley. Hull City is not the scariest opponent out there, but as we all know a final can pump the smallest of teams up to greatness, ask Manchester City how they've dealt with Wigan lately.
The title race is very exciting going into the final week of Premier League action. Liverpool takes on Palace tomorrow in what should be a win for Liverpool, but going to South London can be tricky for some clubs. Even if Liverpool wins out, because of City's great goal difference, they will not win the title if City wins out. City plays Aston Villa on Wednesday in Manchester and I just don't see them losing that one. They play once again at the Etihad stadium on Sunday against West Ham. Liverpool better be pulling for West Ham to hammer out a miracle because City at home are almost invincible. On the other side Liverpool has Newcastle at Anfield on Championship Sunday which should be very winnable. It will be very exciting to watch how the week plays out. With Arsenal already qualified for the Champions League I wont have to worry much on Sunday, all I have to do is hope we don't have any injuries to any big players with the FA Cup final on its way.
Chelsea sunk their title hopes today with a draw at the bridge to Norwich. Being mad at Hazard and for some strange reason not playing Oscar, Mourinho set his team up for a hard day. Chelsea has the summer to improve, which they will. I'm sure the money will be pouring out and new players will be shipped into London. The chances of Courtois and Lukaku coming back should give them promise. Depending on how Atl. Madrid do in the Champions league final and how Belgium perform in the world cup, demand for Courtois and Lukaku could be very high by the end of summer. Next year, Chelsea could be very, very dangerous.
My prediction for who will be lifting the trophy on Championship Sunday is *drum roll* Manchester City. They are just too good at home, have amazing depth, and play great attacking football. I'm going to be sad after Sunday, the Premier League title race and just the league as a whole has been filled with great games and amazing plot twists this year. Now every weekend I'll be missing the soccer filled mornings while drinking my coffee. At least we have the World Cup this summer...more on that later.
At the beginning of the season I picked Manchester United to win the title, probably the worst prediction I could have made. Even a few minutes after I hit publish, before Man U even stepped on the pitch in August, I knew I had made a bad decision. Although I did not think it would turn out the way it has for the club, I did think they would not win the title back to back. Unfortunately I couldn't go back and edit the post, well I might have been able to, but anyways after I made the click of destiny I thought, "hey Mourinho is coming back to London, surely Chelsea will win the title, or wait maybe the money flowing Manchester City will win", never did I think that Liverpool would come in first and lift the trophy. They haven't yet, and right now its in City's hands.
I did however pick the Reds to come in 5th which is higher than some people might have chosen. I got fourth place right, or well I should. Arsenal secured their Champions League spot on Saturday when City defeated Everton 3-2, which means another 4th Place Trophy! Man I love winning that title every single year. Although, this year we do have a chance for a real trophy, the FA Cup. I'm glad we qualified for the Champions league so quickly (well with 36 games played) so that way Wenger and the team can focus on the Final at Wembley. Hull City is not the scariest opponent out there, but as we all know a final can pump the smallest of teams up to greatness, ask Manchester City how they've dealt with Wigan lately.
The title race is very exciting going into the final week of Premier League action. Liverpool takes on Palace tomorrow in what should be a win for Liverpool, but going to South London can be tricky for some clubs. Even if Liverpool wins out, because of City's great goal difference, they will not win the title if City wins out. City plays Aston Villa on Wednesday in Manchester and I just don't see them losing that one. They play once again at the Etihad stadium on Sunday against West Ham. Liverpool better be pulling for West Ham to hammer out a miracle because City at home are almost invincible. On the other side Liverpool has Newcastle at Anfield on Championship Sunday which should be very winnable. It will be very exciting to watch how the week plays out. With Arsenal already qualified for the Champions League I wont have to worry much on Sunday, all I have to do is hope we don't have any injuries to any big players with the FA Cup final on its way.
Chelsea sunk their title hopes today with a draw at the bridge to Norwich. Being mad at Hazard and for some strange reason not playing Oscar, Mourinho set his team up for a hard day. Chelsea has the summer to improve, which they will. I'm sure the money will be pouring out and new players will be shipped into London. The chances of Courtois and Lukaku coming back should give them promise. Depending on how Atl. Madrid do in the Champions league final and how Belgium perform in the world cup, demand for Courtois and Lukaku could be very high by the end of summer. Next year, Chelsea could be very, very dangerous.
My prediction for who will be lifting the trophy on Championship Sunday is *drum roll* Manchester City. They are just too good at home, have amazing depth, and play great attacking football. I'm going to be sad after Sunday, the Premier League title race and just the league as a whole has been filled with great games and amazing plot twists this year. Now every weekend I'll be missing the soccer filled mornings while drinking my coffee. At least we have the World Cup this summer...more on that later.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Moyes, Magical Madrid
The footballing world has really changed since the last time I wrote. It has had some crazy flops, flips, and fouls the past few months and many of the competitions have been thrilling to watch. I went to an FC Dallas game in person which is the closest I've been to a professional pitch in a while. It was a pretty entertaining game in which Dallas secured 3 points against the Timbers by winning 2-1. Right now Dallas is tied for 1st in the Western Division with Seattle. In more Europeanish news Man Who... Oops Man U has fired their coach David Moyes and the Madrid Derby will take place in Lisbon.
"Glory Glory Man United" is not a song that should've been heard at Old Trafford this year unless United fans support boring, tasteless, and bad football. Whether it was Moyes fault or not, the former Everton and now former United boss is gone. Fired by the club for a season which will end with Manchester United out of the top four. There are many Moyes haters out there, and whether I think he should've have been fired or not, I think Sir Alex left Moyes with a sinking ship. Yes they did win the EPL last year but that does not mean the next season you can be mediocre. A lot of players at Manchester United seemed to be getting a little old, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, and Darren Fletcher were a few names. On the other end, there seemed to be a lack of experience from a few players. Mostly young players like Januzaj and Buttner are not quite Premier league level yet but might be in the future. A person that I would've like to see Ferguson get into the line up more was Kagawa so maybe he would've been ready for Moyes to use. Kagawa was always exciting to watch in the Yellow and Black, but maybe he was not cut out for the more challenging English game. Not everything can be blamed on a "sinking ship" left for Moyes. He had opportunity to spend big bucks in both transfer windows but only brought in Fellaini and Mata. I'm sorry, but Fellaini was never a Manchester united player. I thought that before United bought him he would never work out. Of course he would've already known Moyes coming from Everton, but he wouldn't fit in on the field for the Red Devils. Mata on the other hand might work well in the United system later, but for now I cant see him making much of an impact. Although, the first game he played for United he made some good passes and looked like he was ready to play. Other things we don't know about could have affected United's football, like if the players got behind Moyes' messages and coaching or if they didn't like anything he said. For a while at the beginning of the season Wayne Rooney seemed like the only player interested in winning at all. Robin Van Persie has only participated in 18 games out of the 35 United have played due to injury. They probably needed the services of the Dutchmen very bad. In the end, I probably wouldn't have fired him because most managers need more than one year, but oh well, I don't like United anyways, hopefully they'll keep falling.
A manager that I would like to see fired is everyone's favorite Pep Guardiola. I hated him when he was at Barcelona (a team I don't really care for so it didn't matter then) and I hate him even more at Bayern (a team that I actually like). Why would Munich fire Jupp Heynckes, I think that story about early retirement is just partially true, when he won the treble is crazy. Yes they had made the agreement to let him go before he won the Bundesliga, German League Cup, and Champions League, but they should've given him till the end of the season. Now look where they are, out of the Champions league. You know who I blame it on? That's right everyone's favorite, Guardiola. He went into Bayern, changed their interesting, entertaining play to ticky-taca, possession ball. Yes they have won the Bundesliga title but they just haven't looked as good. This can be highlighted by their Semi Final exit. Real Madrid defeated Bayern Munich on a 5-0 aggregate score to advance to the finals in Lisbon. I was really hoping the German Giants would win back to back Champions league trophies but Real was just too good for them. After an impressive performance in the first leg at the Bernabeu, Madrid pulled off an even more impressive second leg at the Allianz.
Something I am thrilled about in terms of the Champions league is that Atletico Madrid knocked Chelsea out of the champions league... AT STAMFORD BRIDGE. "Oh they'll never beat us at the bridge, we are too good there." HA! A quick note about the last game: Many people criticized Mourinho for playing the way he did, not because they got a bad result out of the game, but because it was boring. Who cares if it was boring, yes I want a match to be fun to watch too, but if that's the best strategy for a team, then let them do it. They are here to win and if they think that's the best way well let them do it. With Chelsea there are many more things to complain about, trust me.
A year after the all German final, this final will not only be all Spanish, but both teams are coming from the same city. A derby for a final! The atmosphere should be tremendous and absolutely deafening. I'm pulling for Atletico although Real are the favorites. Atletico manages to surprise us over and over again with thrilling victories. It should be an exciting match. Both mangers are very good at what they do and both teams have attacking players that should create many chances. Atletico better win this year, because like Arsenal, I have a feeling a few of their players will be departing next year.
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"Glory Glory Man United" is not a song that should've been heard at Old Trafford this year unless United fans support boring, tasteless, and bad football. Whether it was Moyes fault or not, the former Everton and now former United boss is gone. Fired by the club for a season which will end with Manchester United out of the top four. There are many Moyes haters out there, and whether I think he should've have been fired or not, I think Sir Alex left Moyes with a sinking ship. Yes they did win the EPL last year but that does not mean the next season you can be mediocre. A lot of players at Manchester United seemed to be getting a little old, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, and Darren Fletcher were a few names. On the other end, there seemed to be a lack of experience from a few players. Mostly young players like Januzaj and Buttner are not quite Premier league level yet but might be in the future. A person that I would've like to see Ferguson get into the line up more was Kagawa so maybe he would've been ready for Moyes to use. Kagawa was always exciting to watch in the Yellow and Black, but maybe he was not cut out for the more challenging English game. Not everything can be blamed on a "sinking ship" left for Moyes. He had opportunity to spend big bucks in both transfer windows but only brought in Fellaini and Mata. I'm sorry, but Fellaini was never a Manchester united player. I thought that before United bought him he would never work out. Of course he would've already known Moyes coming from Everton, but he wouldn't fit in on the field for the Red Devils. Mata on the other hand might work well in the United system later, but for now I cant see him making much of an impact. Although, the first game he played for United he made some good passes and looked like he was ready to play. Other things we don't know about could have affected United's football, like if the players got behind Moyes' messages and coaching or if they didn't like anything he said. For a while at the beginning of the season Wayne Rooney seemed like the only player interested in winning at all. Robin Van Persie has only participated in 18 games out of the 35 United have played due to injury. They probably needed the services of the Dutchmen very bad. In the end, I probably wouldn't have fired him because most managers need more than one year, but oh well, I don't like United anyways, hopefully they'll keep falling.
A manager that I would like to see fired is everyone's favorite Pep Guardiola. I hated him when he was at Barcelona (a team I don't really care for so it didn't matter then) and I hate him even more at Bayern (a team that I actually like). Why would Munich fire Jupp Heynckes, I think that story about early retirement is just partially true, when he won the treble is crazy. Yes they had made the agreement to let him go before he won the Bundesliga, German League Cup, and Champions League, but they should've given him till the end of the season. Now look where they are, out of the Champions league. You know who I blame it on? That's right everyone's favorite, Guardiola. He went into Bayern, changed their interesting, entertaining play to ticky-taca, possession ball. Yes they have won the Bundesliga title but they just haven't looked as good. This can be highlighted by their Semi Final exit. Real Madrid defeated Bayern Munich on a 5-0 aggregate score to advance to the finals in Lisbon. I was really hoping the German Giants would win back to back Champions league trophies but Real was just too good for them. After an impressive performance in the first leg at the Bernabeu, Madrid pulled off an even more impressive second leg at the Allianz.
Something I am thrilled about in terms of the Champions league is that Atletico Madrid knocked Chelsea out of the champions league... AT STAMFORD BRIDGE. "Oh they'll never beat us at the bridge, we are too good there." HA! A quick note about the last game: Many people criticized Mourinho for playing the way he did, not because they got a bad result out of the game, but because it was boring. Who cares if it was boring, yes I want a match to be fun to watch too, but if that's the best strategy for a team, then let them do it. They are here to win and if they think that's the best way well let them do it. With Chelsea there are many more things to complain about, trust me.
A year after the all German final, this final will not only be all Spanish, but both teams are coming from the same city. A derby for a final! The atmosphere should be tremendous and absolutely deafening. I'm pulling for Atletico although Real are the favorites. Atletico manages to surprise us over and over again with thrilling victories. It should be an exciting match. Both mangers are very good at what they do and both teams have attacking players that should create many chances. Atletico better win this year, because like Arsenal, I have a feeling a few of their players will be departing next year.
Share this blog, tell your friends and pets about it! Make sure it gets spread around! More exciting posts are still to come: World Cup's Best and Worst Jerseys, a preview of the Champions League final, and many others!
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Title Race Fun
What, I'm actually writing a blog post? I know, crazy right!? Well I'm on Spring Break and I've finally got around to writing. While I drink Donut Shop Coffee fresh out of the Keurig, I'll inform you about all the details of the soccer world since the last time I wrote, okay maybe not since the last time I wrote because that would be 2,000,000 things. Anyways...
As the football leagues across Europe get closer to their ending, a title favorite for each league must be emerging. The Bundesliga is the only league out of the big three (La Liga, Premier League, and Bundesliga) that really has a clear favorite. Lets be honest, since the beginning of the season, Bayern Munich was really the favorite the whole way. Although they've climbed back up to second, Dortmund got off to a horrible start and really let Bayern run away with the league straight away. I think, according to Bayern's Instagram, they can clinch the title today.
The La Liga has really been an interesting league this year. At the moment, no one is in the lead for the title by a huge amount of points. The Spanish league is having a good race, impossible!!! Even thought the rest of Spain has sucked as usual, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona are in an intense race right now that can only end with one winner. The El Classico was two days ago and Barca came out on top in what is seen as the best El Classico in many years. Even though the Catalonians won, many still see Real as the title favorites. I don't think Barcelona will win it, but I don't think Real is just the outright favorites. Many "experts" are giving Atletico no chance, but with the form of Diego Costa they are a good contender in the race. In the end, unfortunately, I think Real will come out with the title. I'm pulling for Atletico and I even think they will give Barca a good battle for second.
Now to my favorite league and what can be seen as the best league in the world at the moment, the English Premier Leauge. Following the trend of the last few years, the EPL race is a very close and an entertaining one. Arsenal and Liverpool started out the season sprinting ahead. For Arsenal, they've pulled an Arsenal. Although this year we haven't really had to fight for 4th place, we find ourselves there again. That's pretty annoying because we are supposed to be a very high class team, but we haven't really challenged for the title in a while. Liverpool is still in pretty good shape and they are sitting in second right now. But the two main contenders are Chelsea and Manchester City. Both seem to have the depth of an ocean and both are playing very good at the moment. Oh, and Manchester City have a few games in hand. I'm thinking Chelsea will end up with the title, but no doubt City will not make it easy for them.
Today there are a few matches including: The Manchester Derby (City vs United), Bayern Munich vs Berlin (Munich can clinch the title with a win), and a couple of Serie A matches. Come back and read more. Don't forget to share these blogs!
As the football leagues across Europe get closer to their ending, a title favorite for each league must be emerging. The Bundesliga is the only league out of the big three (La Liga, Premier League, and Bundesliga) that really has a clear favorite. Lets be honest, since the beginning of the season, Bayern Munich was really the favorite the whole way. Although they've climbed back up to second, Dortmund got off to a horrible start and really let Bayern run away with the league straight away. I think, according to Bayern's Instagram, they can clinch the title today.
The La Liga has really been an interesting league this year. At the moment, no one is in the lead for the title by a huge amount of points. The Spanish league is having a good race, impossible!!! Even thought the rest of Spain has sucked as usual, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona are in an intense race right now that can only end with one winner. The El Classico was two days ago and Barca came out on top in what is seen as the best El Classico in many years. Even though the Catalonians won, many still see Real as the title favorites. I don't think Barcelona will win it, but I don't think Real is just the outright favorites. Many "experts" are giving Atletico no chance, but with the form of Diego Costa they are a good contender in the race. In the end, unfortunately, I think Real will come out with the title. I'm pulling for Atletico and I even think they will give Barca a good battle for second.
Now to my favorite league and what can be seen as the best league in the world at the moment, the English Premier Leauge. Following the trend of the last few years, the EPL race is a very close and an entertaining one. Arsenal and Liverpool started out the season sprinting ahead. For Arsenal, they've pulled an Arsenal. Although this year we haven't really had to fight for 4th place, we find ourselves there again. That's pretty annoying because we are supposed to be a very high class team, but we haven't really challenged for the title in a while. Liverpool is still in pretty good shape and they are sitting in second right now. But the two main contenders are Chelsea and Manchester City. Both seem to have the depth of an ocean and both are playing very good at the moment. Oh, and Manchester City have a few games in hand. I'm thinking Chelsea will end up with the title, but no doubt City will not make it easy for them.
Today there are a few matches including: The Manchester Derby (City vs United), Bayern Munich vs Berlin (Munich can clinch the title with a win), and a couple of Serie A matches. Come back and read more. Don't forget to share these blogs!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Dinosaurs Rule
So like the last time I actually posted on this blog was when team T-Rex took on Team Triceratops in the Jurassic league final (team triceratops won in penalty kicks because the ball got impaled on one of the goalies horns). A lot has happened in the soccer world, and a lot has really happened everywhere. The Sochi Olympics have been going on, although the summer Olympics are better in my opinion, the winter games have still been pretty entertaining. In the soccer universe Arsenal have dropped out of the lead in the English Premier League, Ibrahimovic's ponytail and nose are still having a competition to see who can be the longest, Bayern is still dominating the Bundesliga, Ronaldo won an award, and the champions league started back up today.
Although that wasn't everything, those have been the big headlines lately. In my soccer life I've made my high school soccer team, gotten in pretty good shape because we run a lot, and got some new cleats. You might remember somewhere long ago that I got the NEW stylish awesome Kangaroo leather Puma King SL cleats last year. Well they had been through many games, practices, rain showers, and even the occasional snow/ice. So, I decided to retire them, they were coming apart anyways. So then I had to search for new cleats, which is always a daunting task. Hours were slaved over a computer screen filled with countless options. Ranging for low priced to high dollar fancy steak restaurant price. After I thought about switching to Nike and looking at what Adidas had to offer too, I decided to stick with Puma. After all, they had given me a great soccer year. Unfortunately they don't make my version of the kings anymore. So more hours dropped over the computer screen looking for my long lost friend. Then finally I found a pair that looked nice, and was from a reputable store. I order them and received them a week or two ago. They've been working great so far.
Hopefully this short little segment of a blog post today is a good sign that I will actually start posting again. With my homework and coffee drinking self, you never know when I might just pop up with an outstanding, super-tastic, courageous post.
Although that wasn't everything, those have been the big headlines lately. In my soccer life I've made my high school soccer team, gotten in pretty good shape because we run a lot, and got some new cleats. You might remember somewhere long ago that I got the NEW stylish awesome Kangaroo leather Puma King SL cleats last year. Well they had been through many games, practices, rain showers, and even the occasional snow/ice. So, I decided to retire them, they were coming apart anyways. So then I had to search for new cleats, which is always a daunting task. Hours were slaved over a computer screen filled with countless options. Ranging for low priced to high dollar fancy steak restaurant price. After I thought about switching to Nike and looking at what Adidas had to offer too, I decided to stick with Puma. After all, they had given me a great soccer year. Unfortunately they don't make my version of the kings anymore. So more hours dropped over the computer screen looking for my long lost friend. Then finally I found a pair that looked nice, and was from a reputable store. I order them and received them a week or two ago. They've been working great so far.
Hopefully this short little segment of a blog post today is a good sign that I will actually start posting again. With my homework and coffee drinking self, you never know when I might just pop up with an outstanding, super-tastic, courageous post.
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