Magic Lamps

Realized he's left footed? He is listed as right footed on most sites but he always crosses with his left.

At least he sells merchandising products as good as anyone, but why need to play him?

We always fuck up big time with that team. Wnat drogs back.

Oscar's been useless outside the CL

Obiously we have a striker who does not get chances and does not score and a striker who does waste all his chances

we do not get to finish. We lack guy who can score from 20+ yards. Our problems are: - calamitous defending gifting the opponent goals - extreme wastefuleness in front of goal

Myhill has a unnaturally bright day

Sturridge is just so wasteful, that's hi problem. What a pass from mata and a good run, too, but he should have run past myhill or shot into the other corner.

We once again created enough chances but are guilty of being responsible for our own downfall.

how does long always win these jostles gainst Cahill. Gary is far bigger and stronger than Long

THAT is why Studge is better than Torres. Studge makes the fuckin run, Torres would only stand by.

That is efficiency, WBA had only 4 chances scored 2. We had shitloads of chances, scored one

Once again our wastefulness is the major factor in our play.

our shooting is terrible today. WBA make it very clever and I think they will come away with it. Their defending is slick as is there forward movement.

Formulated it unclear, maybe. mikel and busquets are the only ones that do nothing special but are more than average. The average guys are the people at the other clubs no one knows. Makelele was so great because he was so good at it.To be good as a D means either to be perfect in the Makelele way or to offer sth different. Romeu does not so there is a reason why he seldom plays.

Romeu is a decent midfielder, however he is by far our worst. Of course he is still very young (esp as DMs use to come class much later than most players, same way as CBs and many Goalies) but as said he has all the attributes, right size, still mobile, quick minded, good technique, nice passing but I think he is not so much more than Mikel. Look, any player can become-given he is coached the right way- sharp, pressing and decisive. But attributes that enable you to star in match-deciding moments are much harder to develop. Ask Mikel, does never score goals, seldom gives the decisive pass or assist and is never seen making crucial tackles on the other side of the pitch. Great midfielders that are not only a complementary part but a major part of the squad can do that. We have seen Lamps doing all this at any time, regardless of his age. Remember him robbing Messi and incenting the counter? Remember him working himself past three defenders and setting up Anelka against villa in 2009, rmember him incenting a counter himself, sprinting forward to collect the ball, dribbling past to defenders and hitting one with his left foot from 18 yards into the far bottom corner (vs mancity in 2008? Remember all these stunning goals that proved to be crucial, testament of his technical brilliance, vision, determination and power? These are the moments that stay in the people's memories, that make a worldclass midfielder. Mikel, Busquets and all these average guys every club has to make sth. of the hard work. If they do nothing more than that, no-no one will remember. Even guys like Schweinsteiger or Ramires have those moments. Makelele could as Xabi Alonso does now pass like a god and forsee how the play goes. U simply have to offer sth more than only being the player Romeu is, if not your only a less experienced Mikel.

Everyone rating Pep so much over RDM. I think in the direct duel between the two of them, there was an comprehensive outcome, even though Pep had the far better initial situation with the far better team, RDM tactically outfoxed him completely.

Only lack of lack stops him from being one of the bundesliga's topscorers with his amazing shots. Look at that video vs schalke, he has the pace, the dribbling skills and the trickery to begin and finish a counter attack himself, if only the bundesliga would not be pussy league where the ref always blows in favour of a diving defender, he would have scored an amazing solo golazo after skipping past papadobpolus (who is one of the best defenders in that league). But because the league is so pussy it also allows young, technical players to shine without having to struggle with the rather physical approach of some EPL-teams. But the league is so slow it also makes a decently fast player like de Bruyne look cracking pacey. bundesliga teams even use to have their fastest winger track him back cos he'd easily break through midfield everytime if not. Imagine he would be able to do so in EPL, he would be an ultimate weapon. He seems comfortable as regista as well as no8 and i am convinced he can be great in either position. Maybe we could arrange taking him with us to Japan. Cover in his position will be needed badly.

Those international friendly breaks are so unnecessary. Good to hear he won't play. Screw international football, nothing is more an instrument of the Fifa functionaries' glutton greed than all these friendly and qualifying games. International football has nothind to do with the competition of countries any more. Its only sake is for the corrupt Fifa/uefa system to survive and nurture its own abortions. AS if it wasn't clear who will qualify in most cases. There simply are too many games in football, this overload robbs special great games and tournaments off their particularity.

Neither is worth 40m. But yes I'd rather have Fellaini than Schweinsteiger here, esp as Schweini is 28 and already declining whereas Fellaini is 24 and his best is yet to come. No idea which period of time these statistics cover, but Xabi has detoriated this season, maybe i'll check that out. And yes, buLi is shit. Don't know what that has to do with Dortmund playing good football. Also Shakthar play good football and Ukranian league is shit. It was luck Bayern won against ManU (2010) and Real (2011). Their other opponents in the k.o. stages were fiorentina, lyon and Basel, Marseille. All those teams ARE shit as is the bundesliga. Even if they were in finals. Narrowly missing out is no success. Unfortunately, German football is not even close to being as great as everyone says, esp as most Germans persuade themselves of, I also had to face that. Narrowly beating a far superior side on two occasions is fairly possible with luck, as a Chelsea fan might know, but it is no coincidence the trophy board of German football has not changed at all since 11 years.

Ahem... because Bundesliga is shit and Bayern have extreme luck in any of their CL runs. Their only strong opponents were Real and ManU and both somehow fucked it up completely, losing the game in munich due to late, late goals bayern always score because of what we call "Bayerndusel". But trust me as an experienced watcher of Bundesliga and German national team, Schweinsteiger does not only have anything to do with their "success" ( Neither Bayern nor Germany nor any other German Team have won a single major trophy on whatever level in more than 10 years) he's been constantly the guy fuckin it up in crunch time. Schweini never was and never will be the world class player the German media wish/dream he was. The last one is ridiculous. Neymar is also better than (ok, it would be unfair to say Torres^^) Nils Petersen or most strikers currently playing CL without ever having done so himself.

who would be better Neymar or Falcao? Neymar surely would be the better long term solution, as Falcao is already 26 and no-one knows he'll get better whereas Neymar's best is yet to come.

ha wonder whether he's kept himself fit till now. Is 36 by now and only thing he could do is provide some cover. Vidal and Schweini are not that much better than Fellaini. Schweinsteiger simply is one of the most overrated players in the world. He has his moments but is general stats goalscoring, tackling, passing are average and in England he would play as he needs space and time to thrive on. Back in 2009 I fuckin knew not signing Yaya Toure would gonna haunt us, even though we had Deco, Ballack and Essien, lampard even in a sort of form at that time and even tough he is a cunt. Think it is a good idea to buy an older midfieldr not to impede Josh/Kdb's development, but you have to remember, neither kdb nor probably even josh are players for a double pivot better than for a 4-3-3 ( I wonder if there actually are player suited for double pivot that are younger than 25)

Back to that Plan B. Our 4-2-3-1 is not only a striker shy of perfection but also a decent pivot. Mikel and Ramires look average in a pivot, cos both are better in a mid-three. We need to apply a fuckin 4-3-3 at times. imagine 2 or even all three of our maestros are not available or must be rested, it would be pointless to play a 4-2-3-1. But in a 4-3-3 Ramires pace and engine is more of a weapon than at double pivot and we could use Lamps diagonal balls, late runs and finishing again, which have carried us for 10 years. It also would put Mikel in his natural position between two CMs.

5 out of 6 can also be a coincidence. It is only West Brom so an absolute must-win, if we want to maintain 3rd spot at least. Will probably be too early for Lamps but he also played well in the last fixture against Juve, so he could return then at least as a sub. My forma this game: Azpi-Cahill-Iva-Bert ---Romeu-Mikel---- Moses---Mata---Marin ---------Studge-------