News: Leaking Goals? Plug the Dijk - the OTT [R]

Lets go Graham Potter

 

Another good showing from an English team today (albeit vs a poor Ostersunds team).
Batshuayi scored another brace today, including the game winner. He's really found his groove with Dortmund. Confidence is everything sometimes.

 

Arsenal Fan Tv feeds off the club's failures - Hector Bellerin

www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/11252806/hector-bellerin-criticises-arsenalfantv-for-feeding-off-clubs-failures

 

West Brom investigate after four players involved in ‘incident’ in Spain

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...n-taxi?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

 

Inside the Sporting Lisbon academy, where Ballon d'Or winners are made

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...on-dor?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

 

Portugal in general will be competing for World Cups after the Ronaldo era. Mark my words. They have a lot of talent that surpasses the likes of Italy Holland and is almost on par with Germany and France.

 

Fallout from the Valentine's Day CL encounter between Real and PSG.

www.bleacherreport.com/articles/2759759-well-always-have-paris-neymar-ronaldo-and-triumphalism-in-madrid

This tie is definitely not over yet and we're set up for what could be a fantastic return match at the Parc des Princes. Neymar needs to seriously step it up though: that's why PSG obliterated the world transfer fee after all.
No excuses, especially being at home for Neymar (but also Cavani and Mbappe). The backline and midfield for the most part did their jobs. If the attack follows suit, they at the very least, will give Real a fright in the return leg.

 

Jonny Evans, Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill have issued an apology after stealing a taxi while breaching a club curfew on a recent trip to Barcelona. 🚕😂 pic.twitter.com/jRmukshaQ6

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) February 16, 2018

 

Or Evans, Barry, Livermore and Myhill's own version of the Hangover.

 

Wtf?????

 

Neymar's father slams the "vultures" who have been critical of his son after PSG's defeat vs Real.

www.bleacherreport.com/articles/2759781-neymars-father-hits-out-at-vultures-slams-critics-after-psgs-ucl-defeat

I get that he's his father and his natural instinct is to defend his son, but boo-hoo Neymar was just not good. He's the most expansive player in the world and this was supposed to be his game.
Expected him to put up a show to prove he deserves to be in the same conversation currently as Messi or Ronaldo. Ronaldo had a so-so game himself, but the 2 goals he scored will help people forget about that.
Let's see what Neymar can do in the 2nd leg...

 

Lucas opens his Tottenham account ... but Spurs face an FA Cup replay after a last-gasp equaliser for third-tier Rochdale. ⚡️⚡️#UCL pic.twitter.com/kzi2B1GaGW

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 18, 2018

 

Looks like teams may have dodged a bullet missing out on Belotti. Every time I've watched him this season he's been miserable. His first touch is below Lukaku's level.

 

With only one season where he proved to be really effective and lethal, he always looked a pretty big gamble. Especially at the money Torino were asking for him.
He's young and may still come good, but it's a longshot Torino will get as much as they could have last season, when Chelsea, among others, offered £60mil or so for him.

 

I love the way he attacks the ball and even though I wanted him in the summer I admitted he was easily the biggest gamble. His movement is great, he attacks the ball well on crosses, and his finishing is decent. But he struggles with the ball and is looking more and more useless in his linkup play due to his awful touch.

 

Real Madrid get to 6000 in record time! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/7eVndyHjPD

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 18, 2018

6 - Real Madrid’s special scorers en la Liga:
1 - Lazcano 1929
1000 - Pahiño 1950
2000 - Paco Gento 1963
3000 - Juanito 1981
4000 - Zamorano 1994
5000 - Guti 2008
6000 - MARCO ASENSIO 2018
History. pic.twitter.com/qaVVkTbMIm

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) February 18, 2018

 

Referee Ovrebo admits he made some mistakes in the 2009 CL semi final between Chelsea and Barca.

www.skysports.com/football/news/11945/11257497/referee-tom-henning-ovrebo-admits-to-errors-in-chelsea-vs-barcelona-in-2009-champions-league

Easily one of the most most worst refereed games ever. And in hindsight, given how Barca end up turning United over so easily, it's not that hard to think that things might have turned out differently had we met Chelsea again in the CL final that season.
That game was a perfect advertisement for VAR, if there ever was one...

 

There is no perfect advert for VAR.

 

Getting major decisions consistently right is enough of an incentive for VAR. It's close to a mortal certainty that pretty much anyone related to Chelsea is not really over that game and how they were screwed by Ovrebo.
The same the famous non call on Drogba's offside goal at OT during the 09-10 season (which effectively gave the title to Chelsea at our expense), still very much sticks in my craw (and surely many other people affiliated to United).

 

Too many calls are subjective or open for interpretation.

 

There are more than enough calls that are open and shut, if they can be subjected to review. And those are the ones in particular that have to be called correctly.
Decisions that are hard to call one way or another, really form a small minority of controversial decisions...

 

Will Grigg!

 

Come on Wigan, come on Wigan!

 

How much did Kyle Walker cost again?

Unbelievable. Even before the goal, he was getting exposed.

 

The FA will somehow find a way to ban Mourihno for Aguero and Guardiola's behavior today