La Liga 2009/10

[g force]

Sid Lowe is back with a wonderful article about the genius that is David Villa:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/aug/12/david-villa-valencia-worlds-best-striker

So very true....wish we'd signed him but it was clear the Zlatan move was to somehow get Eto'o out the door at the same time - maybe no one wanted Sammy either.

I'm not convinced we won't sign him come the winter break if Zlatan's not working or Henry gets injured.

 

[g force]

Well here we go!!! The Season has started - predictions anyone?

I suspect Real will win the legaue TBH...their squad has a lot of strength in depth, whereas Barca, we have a great starting 11 but the squad looks a little thin and I think we made a mistake selling Eto'o.

Madrid started with a win against Depor, Valencia looked good beating Sevilla who weren't helped by Kanoute's sending off. Atleti....WTF? 3-0 loss at Malaga and they looked terrible.

 

[TrippyLondoner]

I saw the madrid game, was a good game but madrid still need to buy some defenders that can defend. Diarra/alonso looks a good partnership though.

 

[agricola]

Atleti....WTF? 3-0 loss at Malaga and they looked terrible.

The baleful influence of Everton is felt even across a continent, it seems.

 

[Concrete Meadow]

Zlatan scored his first - a header - today (Barca 3 Sporting 0)

So I'll do the first table?

Apres Week no. 1:

Club Pld Pts W D L F A

Getafe 1 3 1 0 0 4 1
Barcelona 1 3 1 0 0 3 0
Málaga 1 3 1 0 0 3 0
Mallorca 1 3 1 0 0 2 0
Valencia 1 3 1 0 0 2 0
Real Madrid 1 3 1 0 0 3 2
Athletic Bilbao 1 3 1 0 0 1 0
Zaragoza 1 3 1 0 0 1 0
Osasuna 1 1 0 1 0 1 1
Villarreal 1 1 0 1 0 1 1
Almería 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
Valladolid 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
Deportivo 1 0 0 0 1 2 3
Espanyol 1 0 0 0 1 0 1
Tenerife 1 0 0 0 1 0 1
Sevilla 1 0 0 0 1 0 2
Xerez 1 0 0 0 1 0 2
Racing Santander 1 0 0 0 1 1 4
Atlético Madrid 1 0 0 0 1 0 3
Sporting Gijón 1 0 0 0 1 0 3

 

[Diamond]

Buying Zlatan is tactical suicide.

There, I said it. This season will prove me right.


I think.

 

[TrippyLondoner]

I disagree.

 

[agricola]

I disagree.

He looked his usual sulky self until he scored, tbh.

 

[TrippyLondoner]

He looked his usual sulky self until he scored, tbh.

Hmm, i didn't pay much attention, just saw the goal really and thought something must've been working.

 

[Diamond]

Hmm, i didn't pay much attention, just saw the goal really and thought something must've been working.

That's the level of Barca's purchase strategy too......

 

[TrippyLondoner]

That's the level of Barca's purchase strategy too......

 

[g force]

I think it's a mistake....he goes missing too often whereas Eto'o got stuck in more. What an odd side we put out...not sure it really worked but I guess with the injured players still getting back to fitness he had to experiment. Youth academy seems to have found another couple of decent players and Maxwell looked good on his debut.

Still think our squad is too small to win it this season, esp with WC qualifiers meaning Messi will travel a lot and African Cup meaning we'll be without Toure and Keita for about 6 weeks.

 

[Concrete Meadow]

We'll be without Bojan and Maxwell as well. Bojan's hamstring injury will put him out for 2-3 weeks

As for Messi, he will play 4 WCQ matches (2 this month and 2 in October). If Argentina do not qualify (!) he will do the play-off in mid November.

We will have to see what happens if/when we wean ourselves from that thing called Messi-dependence.

 

[g force]

Any team would miss him...but the lack of options is a real concern. Okay we have Henry and Pedro looks okay but really I still can't understand why we didn't just sell Eto'o and get Villa.

 

[Discordia]

Any team would miss him...but the lack of options is a real concern. Okay we have Henry and Pedro looks okay but really I still can't understand why we didn't just sell Eto'o and get Villa.

Cos Valencia were being total muppets apparently. "Yes we want to sell him" "No we don't" repeat.

The strange side was surely because the league doesn't really start for a couple of weeks. Which is dumb!

And since it's no fun otherwise, I'll put my marker down now: Ibra will be brilliant. Not as brilliant as Messi, but there's no shame in that.

Oh and huge squads are overrated.

 

[leftistangel]

One of the most bizarre tranfers I've ever known. Looking at it on purely footballing terms, you sell probably one the finest strikers in the world, someone who is proven at every level, who was an integral part of your success, in exchange for (PLUS a fee) for someone older who only looks good against second rate Serie A sides and is completely ineffectual at the highest level.

 

[agricola]

Comedy in the Sevilla - Zaragoza game as Pennat is replaced by Kevin.

 

[Discordia]

One of the most bizarre tranfers I've ever known.

The sum is bizarre, nothing else is.

Looking at it on purely footballing terms, you sell probably one the finest strikers in the world, someone who is proven at every level, who was an integral part of your success,

You left out "is a big problem in the dressing room, and is in the last year of his contract and doesn't want to renew". It's unclear how big a part of Barca's success he was anyway. Any forward playing for Barca would score bags of goals, would they score as many as Eto'o? Guess we'll find out.

in exchange for (PLUS a fee) for someone older

Younger...not by much at all, but definitely younger.

who only looks good against second rate Serie A sides and is completely ineffectual at the highest level.

No, Inter have been habitually ineffectual in Europe. And spare me the "Serie A is rubbish (if you mean he's been ineffectual in big Italian games, well you're just talking rubbish then!)" nonsense, please. It's not. It's a little weaker than Spain and England, but it's far from rubbish. Ibra is class, don't blame Inter's issues on him.

Goal and assist today, hum. Messi scoring with headers will never cease to amuse me.

 

[mrkikiet]

madrid weren't supposed to win last night, the cornella fortress has crumbled already

 

[TrippyLondoner]

Nice shot by henry in the 1st min,and now its 1-0!!!!!!!!!!! ibrahimovic! 3 in 3!

 

[TrippyLondoner]

Where's the doubters now eh?

 

[TrippyLondoner]

2-0 messi! 15 mins

 

[agricola]

2-0, this could be loads.

 

[TrippyLondoner]

Alves with a great freekick-3-0 30mins

 

[agricola]

thats the worst one-on-one i have ever seen

 

[TrippyLondoner]

fucking hell that was great to watch once again, 4-0!

 

[agricola]

4-0, and could easily be ten by the end of the night if this continues.

 

[TrippyLondoner]

great skill by messi eh.

 

[TrippyLondoner]

4-1

 

[agricola]

Aguero shows Forlan how its done, 4-1.