SinineUltra

Why is Atletico Madrid made out to be this ugly duckling that somehow by miracle (read: solely through the efforts of demigod Diego Simone) have reached this far? I'm not trying to belittle his role ,but we are talking about a club who have in the recent years been in many finals and have won a hefty share of those. They possess great players in their ranks starting with Diego Costa, David Villa, Koke, TB and so on (well over Nemyar's market value). It is hard to shine when you're matched with teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona, but the latter isn't the team they used to be and in real life football the best team isn't necessarily composed of the best, most expensive players. Their financial difficulties might add a little romantic touch to this fairlytale of their's but in the end of the day they have a great squad, great manager and are utilizing their potential. They are a force to be reckoned with and the fact they have reached so far into the competition is a logical progression when we look at their past feats.

I do care, that's why I posted a reply saying what I said. This is a forum afterall, isn't it?

There's nothing wrong with the second picture either as far as I'm concerned(and him seemingly). He has more urgent matter on his mind than passing the fashion quiz. 'Worst dressed manager in the WORLD' makes it sound so dramatic.

The way I see it - if Atletico Madrid won't respect the agreement and insist on playing TB in their goal then we can always recall him. I feel that TB does bring their team to another level and in the end of the day club > player. Though this will have a very negative aspect in the clubs' relations and may push Courtois towards fileing a transfer request

Wow man, you're such a great lad. Always helpful and down to the earth. Could use even more people like you in the world, let alone on this forum. This might be a bit unexpected praise but I mean people don't get the recognition they deserve most of the time.

A hardworking player but not vain in his nature or playing style. A true servant to the club and a team player who - also many others like him - deserves all the recognition they can get. Lucky to have him with us.

haha, that was unexpected for me have to admit.. though the best part was when he was still in the 'zone' and started to instruct players individually

Really hard to pinpoint a certain player - as shown from the different votes in the poll. Though, giving it to Ba for the goal, he brought a new dimension to the game when he came on with the headers etc. Looking forward to the semifinal - Atletico/Barca ; RM or Bayern. Unfinished business with everyone of them.

I get the joy but channel it in a positive way. So far the ones who have commented have been congratulating us so no need to start flaming and sparking arguments. Enjoy the moment!

What a show of spirit - onwards and upwards!

1. Azpilicueta 2. Hazard 3. Terry

A much needed win. Room for improvement come the PSG game, though. Salah MOTM for his contribution but Azpilicueta is close second.

I feel there shouldn't be much sentiment when it comes to selling/buying players. Otherwise the players become complacent and thus the results will suffer. Hopefully Mourinho can be ruthless in the transfer window and mans the needed positions with players of his mindset. It's a given that everyone is grateful to Cech for his amazing years in Chelsea, that being said, the club has also given much to him be it in form of salary, different perks and trophies. I wouldn't risk letting a hungry young GK go, TB is one of the top keepers and we should utilize it starting from the next season.

3500 cal? damn, can only imagine. Then again you are a behemoth standing 1,9m tall. Best of luck with the training, happy you're sticking with it and enjoying (?) it.

@Magic Lamps, How's the regime going?

In Pinto's defence, the effort itself was rather unexpected. I guess he was busy sorting out his ponytail.

... while you guys are at it.

- The Crimean parliament was taken over by heavily armed soldiers. The sitting prime minister was forced to resign and replaced by Sergei Aksyonov. The latter's separatist party had received just 4 percent of the vote in Crimea's most recent elections. As many as 14,000 Russian soldiers have occupied Crimea since late February. - The Kosovo declaration did not involve military pressure or a government overthrow. - The Crimea referendum provides for either joining with Russia or becoming a de facto independent state. There is no status quo option. - Ethnic Russians make up the majority of Crimea's population but ethnic-Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars together make up the remaining nearly 40 percent. While Russians do not appear to be under threat, the Crimean Tatar minority has legitimate cause for concern. Hundreds of thousands were deported from the region by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin in 1944. - Albanians made up 88% of the population of Kosovo around the time of the independence vote. (Still, several enclaves are majority Serbs.) - Rather than seeking independence, Crimea's de facto leaders seek to join Russia. - Kosovo separatists have sought independence, rather than union with another state. - A bit over a month has passed between Kyiv's change of government and Crimea's declaration of independence and referendum on union with Russia. - Kosovo declared independence almost a decade after gaining autonomy. They are not comparable events. Before throwing around cliches, try to understand the subject in depth. Yes- there are similarities, in that I agree with you, but they are not similar. I don't want to turn this into a Russia vs USA debate that somehow develops into a religious dispute. They are as bad as each other but it depends on your geographic location, international relations and most of all historic background when it comes to choosing which super power is best for your country.

He has been playing mainly as a AMC in Sevilla but half of the games he has also been very successful in CM & DM role.

Di Maria has been overshadowing everyone so far... great game.

Regarding the central midfield role I'm surprised Ivan Rakitic's name hasn't come up more often. A motivated player, stable performer and still fairly young -26.

Welcome to the forums! I completely agree with you, PSG can be compared to the Chelsea's or ManCity's story. There were no easy teams to be drawn at this stage of the competition but personally the only team I'd have had over PSG was ManU. It's nothing to do with Ligue 1 level, like you said, it's one of the best leagues in the world (TOP5). It's just that PSG is a not so well oiled machine yet albeit having great names in their ranks, although the future does look bright. The tie can go either way, football is round afterall.

PSG vs Chelsea. Great game to watch I reckon. On paper they seem formidable but we'll have to wait and see. They seem to fit our ideal opposition criteria - emphasis on the big names in attack, leaving them vulnerable at back. Glad to have dodged the Spanish clubs and Bayern.

Mourinho has grown wiser over the years. One heated moment of slating the referee, albeit correctly, doesn't overweigh the touchline bans.

Overall body training is the best way to start when easing into gym routine. Really like the layout of changing the workout intensity up every 2-3 weeks. Seems solid, good luck!