2013/14 International Football Thread

[Kramerica Industries]

Bundesliga season began this weekend, and the rest of Europe isn't far behind.

So, umm, yeah.

[crashcarson15]

Top of the :censored:ing Bundesliga table after Matchday 1.

Ha Ho He.

[Berlin Wall]

Incredible how many goals were scored on BuLi Matchday 1. Also today with 3:2 (Mainz : Stuttgart) and 3:3 (Schalke : Hamburg).

And yes! Berlin is the top of the league, as it should be!

Ligue 1 also began this weekend. Paris with a 1:1 draw against Montpellier and Monaco with a lucky win (2:0) against Bordeaux.

[crashcarson15]

This weekend showed why the BuLi's the best league in the world to me. Just all around a great entertainment value watching the Bundesliga from so many angles.

[ninersdd]

You gotta be kidding me Jozy!

[Island_Style]

You gotta be kidding me Jozy!

How fun was that? Some of his kicks were just beautiful today.

[AJM]

Hopefully Jozy can keep this going and really make a mark in the EPL this season.

[Jaffa]

We'll more than likely ruin the lad again. Sorry in advance.

[Don]

We'll more than likely ruin the lad again. Sorry in advance.

Well England sure didnt help Michael Bradley (Sorry Crash)

Hopefully Jozy can keep this going and really make a mark in the EPL this season.

I hope not, says the Newcastle supporter.

[crashcarson15]

We'll more than likely ruin the lad again. Sorry in advance.

Well England sure didnt help Michael Bradley (Sorry Crash)

As Don has alluded to here, if you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that in my opinion, Villa's gross mishandling of Michael Bradley whilst he was on loan at AVFC was the worst thing the club's done in the Randy Lerner era. And, well, that's kind of saying something.

[-kj]

[NJTank]

Jozy from Jersey!!!!

I hope he does this in Brazil next year.

[crashcarson15]

With the Premier League beginning tomorrow, I'll post what I think the table will look like come May!

1 - Manchester City

2 - Chelsea

3 - Arsenal

4 - Manchester United

5 - Liverpool

6 - Tottenham Hotspur

[insert huge gap here]

7 - Southampton

8 - Aston Villa

9 - Fulham

10 - West Ham

11 - Everton

12 - Norwich

13 - Newcastle

14 - Sunderland

15 - Swansea

16 - West Brom

17 - Hull City

18 - Cardiff City

19 - Stoke City

20 - Crystal Palace

I've put the breaks where I feel there'll be gaps in the table. I actually really like Arsenal's outfit going into the early part of the year. They haven't changed much, sure, but they ended last year on a great run of form and I think they'll challenge for the title for a lot of the year. Mourinho won't be as big of a saviour as everyone thinks he'll be for Chelsea but Pellegrini will be the new man everyone praises. United will struggle with Moyes in charge (that's not to say he's a bad manager, I just don't know how well he'll do at Old Trafford) and good Liverpool will show up more often this year provided they keep Suarez. Saintsfan and Jaffa will surely be pleased with where I've put their clubs but at the bottom I just can't see Palace having the quality to stay up. Hope they do though, as I'll always back a club owned by supporters (albeit four of them). Everyone's darling in Swansea'll struggle like Newcastle did last year if the injuries pile up as the Europa League could prove to be dangerous for them. Without Lukaku, we'll learn the Baggies are a poor team at best and of course in the homer pick of the year, Villa will push up the table and Benteke'll grab 25.

Sound off everyone and let's get this damn show on the road!

[Kramerica Industries]

I can't analyze the whole league, so I'll just say swap United and Arsenal and that's pretty much what I would expect at the top as well. I'm also guessing you figure Bale will eventually be shipped to Madrid? Otherwise, I'd still give them a lift above Liverpool, although I do like many of the additions Liverpool made to their squad during this past transfer window. I really like Sturridge, and I'm glad he's not at Chelsea anymore.

Mourinho is one of my favorite managers in the world and I'm going to have a hard time balancing that with him at Chelsea. I have the same (sickly) feeling that you have about Pellegrini, essentially, settling City down and reducing some of the turmoil that was there last year (ditching Tevez also helps, in that regard). I do hope that City has another inglorious crash in the UCL group stages, though. What happened to them last year was a great deal of fun to watch. Yes, they were in the group of death with three other domestic champions, but 0-3-3? They never even led at any point in a game played at Etihad. I think the only lead they held during the entire competition were the two very brief leads they had over Real Madrid in the very first game of the group stages, and that game had its own fun with how they fell apart in the final minutes.

Besides the fact that us 'Merks tend to care more about England than any other European country, I'm guessing we're eschewing any other predictions since, of the five major European leagues (you catch my drift; don't bicker), there is a 85% certainty that Bayern will win the Bundesliga, Juventus will win Serie A, and PSG will win Ligue 1? I mean, the only other of the major league that is any debate is La Liga with Barca and Real Madrid, and I'll just say that I'm very impressed with how the Ancelotti unit in Madrid has been coalescing to this point; I'm not even sure they need Gareth Bale to do some major damage domestically and continentally this season. I'd pencil them in as the favorites to win La Liga, personally, and probably #2 behind only Bayern for the European crown.

[pluggerplugger1]

I'm surprised there was no "EPL Prediction" thread, but I'll put one out here:

1. Manchester City

2. Chelsea

3. Manchester United

4. Arsenal

5. Spurs

6. Liverpool

7. Aston Villa

8. Swansea City

9. Everton

10. West Ham United

11. Southampton

12. Norwich City

13. Fulham

14. Newcastle United

15. Sunderland

16. West Brom Albion

17. Cardiff City

18. Stoke City

19. Hull City

20. Crystal Palace

I'm partial to Liverpool, and 6th place may be a bit optimistic but that's my pick!

[Jaffa]

17th has to be the aim post-promotion, really. We're capable of staying up but equally capable of going down. We'll just have to see.

[crashcarson15]

I can't analyze the whole league, so I'll just say swap United and Arsenal and that's pretty much what I would expect at the top as well. I'm also guessing you figure Bale will eventually be shipped to Madrid? Otherwise, I'd still give them a lift above Liverpool, although I do like many of the additions Liverpool made to their squad during this past transfer window. I really like Sturridge, and I'm glad he's not at Chelsea anymore.

Mourinho is one of my favorite managers in the world and I'm going to have a hard time balancing that with him at Chelsea. I have the same (sickly) feeling that you have about Pellegrini, essentially, settling City down and reducing some of the turmoil that was there last year (ditching Tevez also helps, in that regard). I do hope that City has another inglorious crash in the UCL group stages, though. What happened to them last year was a great deal of fun to watch. Yes, they were in the group of death with three other domestic champions, but 0-3-3? They never even led at any point in a game played at Etihad. I think the only lead they held during the entire competition were the two very brief leads they had over Real Madrid in the very first game of the group stages, and that game had its own fun with how they fell apart in the final minutes.

Besides the fact that us 'Merks tend to care more about England than any other European country, I'm guessing we're eschewing any other predictions since, of the five major European leagues (you catch my drift; don't bicker), there is a 85% certainty that Bayern will win the Bundesliga, Juventus will win Serie A, and PSG will win Ligue 1? I mean, the only other of the major league that is any debate is La Liga with Barca and Real Madrid, and I'll just say that I'm very impressed with how the Ancelotti unit in Madrid has been coalescing to this point; I'm not even sure they need Gareth Bale to do some major damage domestically and continentally this season. I'd pencil them in as the favorites to win La Liga, personally, and probably #2 behind only Bayern for the European crown.

I actually don't think Bale will be shipped to Madrid because Daniel Levy's an idiot and he'll get hurt and/or not be as good.

If "good Liverpool" shows up most days, they're better than Spurs and should push for a top four spot.

And I won't be making Bundesliga predictions, just holding my breath that Hertha end the elevator madness.

[Kramerica Industries]

Yay for early season Piers Morgan Suicide Watch.

[Viper]

I had a bad feeling about the summer window, and the season, when Arsene Wenger bungled the Gonzalo Higuain transfer (he went to Napoli instead). That seems to be justified now.

[crashcarson15]

The issue is that Arsenal supporters are all hung up about Higuain when what they need isn't a striker, it's defenders who can cope with pace. Penalty or not on the second one, it was given purely because Koscielny couldn't keep up with Agbonlahor's pace and had to go to ground in the box which is always a dangerous proposition.

But who the hell am I kidding, Up the Goddamned Villa!