European Football Thread

[Fernando]

First topic message reminder :

To be used for discussing European transfers and matches from Anywhere but the PL

La Liga
Bundesliga
Ligue 1
Seria A etc

The Bundesliga & Ligue 1 start today with Big Spenders PSG in Action as are German Champions Bayern Munich

[Guest]

Not too shabby like

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

He's quite good that Bale

[The Special Juan]

But is that talent or is it purely genetics? All he did was run really really fast. The finish was cute but you'd expect most strikers to score that against Pinto.

[NickisBHAFC]

Bale OMG!

3rd best player in the world, without question.

[Guest]

His speed was spectacular

The latter bit of it wasnt as good as his pace, he almost blew any chance with his touch and then pinto is hardly that great a keeper

But like I say...not too shabby with his speed, left the defender for dead even after he blatantly tried to foul him

[Guest]

Copa Del Rey final tonight. You really feel Bale needs to step up tonight & win this thing for Madrid without Ronaldo.

Well done Bale, you stepped up with an amazing goal. Completely proved the doubters wrong this season, 20 goals & plenty of assists & a Spanish Cup in the bag. Can't believe people trying to dismiss the goal, if Messi had done it, people would be creaming themselves, same with Ronaldo. As for Pinto being worse than Valdes, maybe, but Valdes was hardly a top keeper. You might want to look at the last Classico to prove that.

Bale   

Martino   

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Dunno why Barca's tactic seemed to be crossing the ball, Messi and Neymar aren't exactly great aerial threats

Messi just seemed disinterested in the end, and really I don't blame him

What a miss at the end by Neymar tho

[J.Benson II]

Bale OMG!

3rd best player in the world, without question.

Without question?
As much as I like Bale, Suarez is better and there is an argument for 2 or 3 others too.

[Mad for Chelsea]

Bale OMG!

3rd best player in the world, without question.

Without question?
As much as I like Bale, Suarez is better and there is an argument for 2 or 3 others too.

he meant after Hazard and Suarez, obviously

[J.Benson II]

Bale OMG!

3rd best player in the world, without question.

Without question?
As much as I like Bale, Suarez is better and there is an argument for 2 or 3 others too.

he meant after Hazard and Suarez, obviously

Hazard and Bale are pretty close. Hazard is the more talented player but Bale is the superior athlete.
Bale is the best athlete in the sport outside Ronaldo for me.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Bale > Hazard for me

Hazard's good, but I'm not sure he's at the level we saw Bale get to last year yet

[GSC]

I'd have Bale over Hazard. Hazards yet to reach the heights Bale hit last season.

As for the goal. I don't think it was quite the wonder goal some are saying but good finish nonetheless

[Fernando]

Atletico take another step towards the La Liga title beating Elche 2-0 last night. Lot of underrated players at Atletico most look towards Costa/Koke/Courtois yet Miranda/Gabi & Turan seem to get overlooked.

[kiakahaaotearoa]

Turan is injured at the moment but definitely class. Good to have Miranda back. He's a threat in the air up front.

Big game away at Valencia coming up next weekend after the players will be tired - more so mentally - against Chelsea. If Atleti can get 3 more victories (2 away at Valencia and Levante - by no means easy matches - and home to Malaga). If they win those games, it doesn't matter what the result is at Camp Nou. Like Simeone says, the remaining matches for Atletico are all finals. That has a mental strain but the games are getting fewer.

[CFCNick]

Berbatov scored a beautiful goal earlier. Just see it on the European Football Show on bt.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

That Laporte for Athletic is one heck of a talent at CB

The French are set for 10/15 years with him and Varane at the back

[kiakahaaotearoa]

Have been drinking all day. At a bar near the ground and I can hear people already at the stadium. Few more minis and I'll join them. Aupa Atleti.

[Fernando]

Barcelona's one-year transfer ban has been suspended while the club's appeal against the sanction remains unresolved.

FIFA has cleared the Spanish club to sign players from July 1, with their case unlikely to be resolved before the transfer window opens for the summer.

They were barred from registering new players for two windows earlier this year by FIFA's disciplinary committee as punishment for signing youth players from overseas in breach of rules designed to prevent child trafficking.

Barcelona have pledged to pursue a further challenge at the Court of Arbitration for Sport if, as expected, they lose the initial appeal at FIFA.

A FIFA statement said: "The chairman of the FIFA appeal committee considered

that the appeal lodged by the club is to be granted suspensive effect."

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Victor Valdes cries

[Dolphin Ziggler]

It's just so transparent you've got to laugh. It does make summer more interesting, all clubs will be making big moves in the market. But just pathetic from the authorities

[GSC]

Told you. Probably reduce it to the Jan window

[kiakahaaotearoa]

Sevilla has done Atletico a favour. With nothing to play for in the League, Valencia will look to replicate their 3 1 home victory in the liga and might well rest their key players this Sunday.

Barcelona play Villarreal away which traditionally is a bogey team and though Madrid won't have Ronaldo playing Osasuna is not as difficult a prospect at home than away. So it's a huge game for Atletico given they have a difficult away match in Levante the following week before a home game against Barcelona. Barca might gift their last game to Atleti just to spite their arch rivals as they have next to no chance of winning but Id much prefer to go to Camp Nou with the title sewn up not least because that home game against Malaga will be a crazy atmosphere. 96 was the last time they won the League!

[kingraf]

Ronaldo with a rocket... Sensational finish

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Barca come back from 3-2 against Villarreal

Alves got a banana chucked at him

[The Special Juan]

And peeled it and ate it. Racism is but one of the reasons I dislike the Spanish. (Anyone see the irony there?)

[Fernando]

Did he dispose of it correctly Juan, We don't want Gerrard slipping over again do we..

#LikeBambiOnIce

[The Special Juan]

Did he dispose of it correctly Juan, We don't want Gerrard slipping over again do we..

#LikeBambiOnIce

Too soon nando!!

[NickisBHAFC]

Dani Alves biggest legend.

[Duty281]

Is the racism problem still not being tackled effectively in Spain, then?

I still remember the sickening abuse our England players, and the U21s, were given over there a few years back.

Top response by Dani Alves, though.

[skyeman]

Is the racism problem still not being tackled effectively in Spain, then?

I still remember the sickening abuse our England players, and the U21s, were given over there a few years back.

Top response by Dani Alves, though.

  

A good % of Spanish and Eastern European fans are ignorant in that way. It will improve in time though. These prejudices always do.

Any of the other two, but not Barcelona. Prejudice in this form is fine by me  

[GSC]

Certain people are just dicks. We've had players abused in this country too. Chalobah was at Millwall (shockingly) earlier this season

[NickisBHAFC]

Every club in this country has idiots without question, just some clubs, tend to have more.

[GSC]

Probably a correlation with number of fans.

[AberdeenSteve]

Wasn't sure whether to post this on or the CL thread but I'll go with here.

What is the consensus on Diego Costa? He has a brilliant season by all accounts, I am not doubting that but would he make it in the Premier League if his rumoured move to Chelsea goes through? His goal scoring record bar this season hasn't yielded more than 10 goals granted they were at average teams but surely if he is as good as people say he'd be firing goals in everywhere.

I for one think he'd struggle in the EPL, and I have the same opinion on Falcao. Different pace, and the I think he'd be the type of striker that wouldn't like playing against the type of defenders they'd face in England.

[Fernando]

I think you probably have to bare in mind that Costa has always been 2nd choice up until Falcao shipped out so this is his 1st chance at being main man in a big side and seems to be doing very well so far. 

Falcao would do very well in PL he's a physical kind of forward, Costa i could see struggling to adapt if goes to the wrong side.

[Fernando]

Barca 2-2 Getafe

[Fernando]

The Coppa Italia Final is finally getting underway. Delayed for 30 mins after a Napoli Fan & Police Officer were shot.

[Fernando]

Fiorentina 0-1 Napoli - Insigne

[Fernando]

Fiorentina 0-2 Napoli - Insigne

[Fernando]

Fiorentina 1-2 Napoli - Vargas

Been a good game this so far.

[GSC]

Should've really been postponed. Italian football covering itself in glory before a tourney again

[Fernando]

3-1 Napoli - FT

Rafa wraps up another tournament win

#Rafa>Jose   

[Guest]

Yeah, good game. Another title in the bag for Rafa Benitez.     

[Fernando]

Levante 1-0 Atletico HT

Momo Sissoko put Costa in a full nelson, Costa headbutted him then Sissoko punched him in the face   

[kingraf]

Is the other Madrid still losing?

[Fernando]

Yeah it's 2-0 now Raf.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

So, Barca to purposefully lose on the last day?

[Guest]

Do Atletico go in the choke column?

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

More racist gestures visibly made toward a levante player in spain

[Guest]

Yeah, very audible monkey chants apparently. Disgusting.

Morons.

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