GWT: Champions League Semifinals.
- Thread starter Halladay
- Start date
Theokritos
Global Moderator
- Apr 6, 2010
- 12,541
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Power Man
Grrrr
No.
Morata's been shining in "Real B", where he, James, Isco, Kovacic, Vasquez and Co. have been playing "lesser" games and resting the "first 11" for the CL and big matches in La Liga (Barca, Atleti, Sevilla, Valencia, etc.).
Benzema has been struggling with scoring, but partly because he's been playing more out wide - and partly, yes, because he's missed a number of chances.
But his hold up and link up play has been stellar all season.
There's a reason why Zidane starts him in all the big matches over Morata - and it's not because they're both French.
Power Man
Grrrr
I mean, all in all, Atleti put their hearts and soul into this game, and they stormed onto the pitch, the 2-0 lead was deserved.
Then they sort of fell off, Modric and Kroos slowed the game down, and from the 25th minute onwards, Real was in control.
I do wish that UEFA would put a rule (A RULE, not a guide line, not an advice, A RULE) against crowding the ref and complaining.
Players on both teams were absolutely disgusting with it in the first half.
(it faded out a bit after the Isco goal)
Run to the ref screaming, whining and complaining, asking for cards for the opposition, crowd him, etc - automatic yellow.
Do it twice, and live with the fact you likely killed the game for your team.
I swear, the ref thing, video replays, and retroactive bans on faking injuries and diving is the way to at least start bringing respect back into football.
Then they sort of fell off, Modric and Kroos slowed the game down, and from the 25th minute onwards, Real was in control.
I do wish that UEFA would put a rule (A RULE, not a guide line, not an advice, A RULE) against crowding the ref and complaining.
Players on both teams were absolutely disgusting with it in the first half.
(it faded out a bit after the Isco goal)
Run to the ref screaming, whining and complaining, asking for cards for the opposition, crowd him, etc - automatic yellow.
Do it twice, and live with the fact you likely killed the game for your team.
I swear, the ref thing, video replays, and retroactive bans on faking injuries and diving is the way to at least start bringing respect back into football.
Scandale du Jour
JordanStaal#1Fan
Scandale du Jour
JordanStaal#1Fan
Ceremony
blahem
- Jun 8, 2012
- 113,232
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Their appearance in the final against a team historically famed for unfair refereeing bias against them all but guarantees it imo
PeteWorrell
[...]
- Aug 31, 2006
- 4,664
- 1,788
I partially agree with you.I hate it when the players crowd the referee like that but he brought it upon himself.He was very strict at the beginning of the game by handing yellows like candy.After that he somehow decided to keep the cards in his pockets and only started to pull them out again when players were complaining why there suddenly weren't any cards.
Vamos Rafa
Registered User
I don't think a ref can win in that situation.
The home crowd are screaming for a decision no matter how obvious the play went the other way (and it doesn't matter if it's V. Calderon, Bernabeu, Nou Camp, Delle Alpi, whatever... always the same), and the players are diving, faking injuries, complaning, whining, screaming at him and crowding him.
I mentioned the rugby analogy and the respect that exists between the players and officials there - I wish we had something remotely close in football.
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I agree with you. In the meantime those referees should better start to have balls again because this crap of favoring the big teams and not wanting to make the big calls is destroying the game.
Hadoop
Registered User
Fifth year in a row the CL final will be contested by a team I like and a team I loathe. If the previous four finals are any indication the ref will favour the bigger club and I will again be bitterly disappointed on June 3rd.
So Glik says his foul was pretty bad and basically admits he did it on purpose and was wrong about it.
Good.
UEFA is looking into it for a suspension.
Good.
Meanwhile Mandzukic has remained silent about his deliberate elbow to Fabinho's face in the box which was vicious and likely won't face a UEFA investigation.
Bad.
Good.
UEFA is looking into it for a suspension.
Good.
Meanwhile Mandzukic has remained silent about his deliberate elbow to Fabinho's face in the box which was vicious and likely won't face a UEFA investigation.
Bad.
This is one of the "elbows", I'm guessing?
https://www.clippituser.tv/c/wgbnz
Here's also a reddit thread on it with comments on it from fans from 30 different teams, most of them being confused why Mandzukic got a yellow there and not Roberto.
Some comments are from Barca and Juve fans (and Real, who obviously are baised), but most are from neutrals.
https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/64tcys/mandžukić_yellow_card_vs_barcelona/
(no yellow for anyone would've been the right decision... it was a simple "guarding" arm, with no extension to Roberto, after which Roberto lost his footing and made the scissor tackle)
But please, link the elbow plays.
I'm always trying to link videos in these sort of posts, but people tend to just ignore it if it doesn't suit their original viewpoint.
I mean, whatareyougonnado eh...
...
As for Gilk vs Mandzukic situation, there is no Gilk vs Mandzukic situation.
Gilk stamped on a guy, and admited it was on purpose.
Mandzukic made a dumb movement with his elbow, but never connected with the face, and realized he was doing a dumb thing as soon as he started the motion and extended his arm to do a "getting in front of the player"
Fabinho falling over like he was shot didn't help his case with the ref either, I assume.
Here's the link, from 0.28-0.30 you can see there's no contact with the elbow - after which Mandzukic extends his forearm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwaZ-GBcFHU
Now, to be clear, Mandzukic is a player you can describe with the "c" word. He's a gaping "as*hole", as Major Rawls would put it.
He thrives on conflict and emotion, he's like a player version of Atletico Madrid. Hated by opponents, loved by teammates, blah blah... You know the type.
But assuming that incident above is one of the "elbows to Sergi Roberto's head" (feel free to link the other one, couldn't find anything online); that's no elbow and it's a joke to call it that.
The Fabinho elbow thing is more complicated. It was a dumb movement with questionable intent - but it never connected and Mandzukic mellowed out with the swing before finishing it.
Either way, it has nothing on Glik - assuming nothing was lost in translation and he flat out admitted the stomp was deliberate.
Now, if something was indeed lost in translation, or sensational journalist blew it up... Then that's something else again.
Fabinho faked the actual hit, gave it a whirl, probably 90% of players would do the same, I'm not saying he did anything wrong...
Another ref maybe buys it and Mandzukic ends up getting sent off for a stupid motion (regardless of how it ended up in the end), and could only blame himself.
If I'm Allegri, I'd be fuming if my player did that. But Mandzu has never been the sharpest tool in the shed.
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Edo
The Mightiest Club
They have by far the best structure in their game out of all the teams in the last 8.
Allegri also has the "ego" thing down as well, noone says a word when they're substituted or benched (well, Bonucci did, ended up getting benched vs Porto, apologizing, paying dinner fo the team etc.).
It's MUCH easier for the manager to function if he knows players will be acting like grown ups and not throwing hissy fits and killing team morale and spirit every time they're substituted.
Also, all the players are either very experienced and still capable of high level play (Buffon, BBC, Dani Alves, Lichtsteiner) or simply in their prime or entering it (Higuain, Dybala, Pjanic, Alex Sandro, Khedira, Mandzukic, Cuadrado).
Pjaca still developing (injured now anyway), Rugani will succeed Chiellini one day, but most of the squad is either in their prime, or close to it - and almost everyone very experienced.
One more thing that's to be admired.
They have a (very) short bench, especially with Pjaca out.
Their "first 11" have played almost every game in Seria A and CL, with very few rotations. Compared to Real, who has the best depth on the planet, they should be absolutely exhausted - but somehow, they aren't.
And they're still in the hunt for the treble.
You mean he doesn't get insulted like the best coach of all Zinedine Zidane?
I don't know the stories about Zidane's man management (I'm sure there are some out there), but I was refering more to the players and their petulance and selfishness and disrupting the lockerroom atmosphere when getting benched or subbed off, rather than the coach feeling insulted if the player sulks in the first place.
To me, the problem starts with selfish players acting like children when they're getting subbed off, and not with the managers.
Though some managers handle the situation different than others.
Ronaldo's been sulking the couple of times Zidane took him off this season, there's the famous incident a couple of years ago when Enrique was calling Messi to be subbed off in a done game (3-0 up or something, with 15 mins to go) and Messi saying "no" and ignoring Enrique (he took Nemyar off instead), Sanchez at Arsenal, Bonucci at Juve, etc.
The difference is, Allegri can afford to have a confrontation with Bonucci (or anyone else at Juve), the board and fans will be behind him. (so could Wenger, for all the hate he gets)
A manager gets into a "me or him" situation with Ronaldo or Messi, they're toast.
And the team knows it, the players know it, etc.
So I'm sure Enrique and Zidane have to be extra careful to keep their generational stars happy.
I mean, you can replace a manager. You can't replace Messi.
...
But anyway, my point wasn't about sensitive managers having their authority questioned, but about petulant, immature players throwing tantrums in the first place - and that Allegri killed it at Juve.
And it's much easier to manage and coach and sub players and switch systems if you're not bound by unwritten obligations to not step on their stars toes.
BTW, I know there'll be doubters saying Benzema's move was down to bad defending (it partly was, Savic was just weird there), but it was still one of the highlights of the season.
Watching it again, I don't know what Savic is doing there, it's like he doesn't know he's allowed to step off the pitch and the only way the ball has to travel past the three of them.
A superb play that ended up being CL-final worthy.
Watching it again, I don't know what Savic is doing there, it's like he doesn't know he's allowed to step off the pitch and the only way the ball has to travel past the three of them.
A superb play that ended up being CL-final worthy.
