Football News

Tony Montana (United States)

Posted on 3/9/2013 at 3:12 AM 0 I dislike ronaldo and im a Barca fan...but...Iniesta is not a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo... Just look at stats... Ronaldo had more assists than iniesta and 40 more goals... Xavi is more important to barcas midfield than iniesta ... Just truth... Iniesta only plays 75% of the time as well... Both are great players but Cristiano is the king of Futbol...and Messi is Dios...

Abs (United States)

Posted on 3/8/2013 at 8:39 PM 0 @Fred: Because he is not !!

aka Mr. D (Peru)

Posted on 3/8/2013 at 3:21 PM 0 Iniesta could be the 2nd best if he played more often. He seems to need more rest than most players his age and has had a history of injuries. Also, far too often he's played as a winger instead of a wide midfielder.

Johnny (Thailand)

Posted on 3/8/2013 at 10:27 AM 0 @Fred-yo ! Iniesta slipped by me. Guilty as charged.

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 3/8/2013 at 10:21 AM 1 @Fred, I do think Iniesta is second best.. but there are others out there that are not far off.. only Messi really sticks out.

Fred (Hong Kong)

Posted on 3/8/2013 at 9:40 AM 0 I wonder why no one considers Iniesta as the second best player in the world.

Johnny (Thailand)

Posted on 3/8/2013 at 4:51 AM 0 I'm no big fan of CR7, but I remember that one year with United when the guy was a force of nature. I watched a bunch of United games then and for my money Ronaldo was certainly #2, if not #1. No question Messi has passed him, as a scorer of goals, assists, and as for personality...no contest. But for me, presently, only Falcao comes close to being in the same class as Ronaldo, and with Messi clearly at the top. Bale is beginning to make a case, which would be a little easier for him if he would quit F*&^(*g diving. My 2 cents, though nobody asked.:)

Tony Montana (United States)

Posted on 3/8/2013 at 4:24 AM 0 Angel out for two weeks..should be back for qualifiers w/o any setbacks.... http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1365993/real-madrid-winger-angel-di-maria-(hamstring)-out-2-weeks?cc=5901

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 3/7/2013 at 6:42 PM 2 I agree @Fred. Christiano, we can all agree he is fast, strong, skillful, has flair, is great in the air, shoots well with both feet and has a very powerful and tricky freekick.. BUT.. that is also mixed with poor team play (he is better now, he used to drive me nuts isolating himself for a dribble on the wing while the opponents defense solidified and his teammates lost chances). Both at Man.U and at Madrid it feels to me that other great players are working hard for him.. and I dont see him improving the performance of his team mates.. the opposite. He takes wild and low low percentage shots from crazy angles and distances while his team mates are open and in much better placement to score.. I can think of more than one occasion where his greediness and diva attitude GOT IN THE WAY of his team mates shooting and scoring.. he stole a ball from Higuain last year as he was tapping it in and caused him to muss the shot. The vast majority of his goals come from tap ins, freekicks and the billion shots he takes.. its much harder to do what Messi does by scoring the hard goals and assisting your team mates. What is the last time Christiano dribbled past a locked defense, stayed on his feet (he is a constant diver) and scored? The fact that he is an egotist does not help my impression of him. I would much rather have Aguero, Pirlo, Iniesta, Falcao, etc, etc in my team. I feel they are just as skilled and improve the performance of all those around them. He is good, but he is not second.. he is fighting with many others for that spot. How does he perform for Portugal ( a much weaker team )? I have yet to be impressed by him internationally.

shOvwar (United States)

Posted on 3/7/2013 at 4:12 PM 0 Anyone can tell me when Sabella is coming out wit his squad list for the Qualifiers against Ven. and Bol? My squad would be something like this. _______________________Romero_______________________ __Zaba________Fernandez_____Garay__________Ansaldi__ ______Lamela__________Mascherano_________Banega_____ ______Higuain_____________LEO___________Pastore_____ Angel, Gago and Aguero are out injured. MY SUBS: Lavezzi, Campagnaro, Colo, Icardi, Costa/Montillo. I would love to see Peruzzi and Scocco...But I dont think Sabella would call them... Please gimme your feedback....Thanx Fellas

pablo.d (New Zealand)

Posted on 3/7/2013 at 2:16 PM 1 cr takes 4 shots to messi 1 and messi still out scores him :)

Fred (Hong Kong)

Posted on 3/7/2013 at 11:59 AM 1 CR7 has too many wasteful shoots when being marked, in tight angle and without space. I don't think he is the second best. I am particularly annoyed by his wasteful shoots. Yes he scored a lot of goals. But it is because of the quality of RM and the services of all other RM players. In RM he squeezes the space of the striker who often has to plays wide. Of course similar argument applies to Messi.

aka Mr. D (Peru)

Posted on 3/7/2013 at 11:17 AM 1 I may hate CR7 but if not for Messi, CR7 would hands down be considered the best in the world. I really don't see how people can say this guy is overhyped. It's hard to say he's overrated when he'd the second best in the world.

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 3/7/2013 at 10:55 AM 2 I think, while a great player.. Christiano (there is only one Ronaldo).. is one of the most over-hyped and overrated players in the last 5 years. He is very good, very talented.. but to me he falls short of all the noice around him.

Tony Montana (United States)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 10:52 PM 0 @shovwar....I would never count barca out of anything but the worse RM and Ronaldo do the better it is for Messi and barca ...from a rivalry and comparison stand point....it's just funny how quickly people forget how historical Messi played over the last year....in one week uneducated soccer people think Cristiano is the front runner for Ballon DOr....comical! Lol

Abs (United States)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 8:58 PM 0 Wow .. Di Maria, Gago, and Kun are all out !!

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 8:29 PM 0 As much as its incredible that Messi has like a bizillion goals, 20 trillion trophies etc, beats every record.. at the end of the day, I dont really care. What I care for is the magic, the intelligence. Expecting from him the unexpected. Grande Diego, Grande Leo and Grande those after them.

Salem (Indonesia)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 8:10 PM 0 @asjbest are you indonesian?hehe vamos albiceleste!!

shOvwar (United States)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 4:43 PM 1 @Tony Montana....RM luckily beat ManU, Does not mean they are the champions yet...And Barca is still officially in the tournament and mathematically can still progress...Its too soon for conclusions...Messi is way ahead of anyone else in terms of goals and assists and ofcourse in the race of La Liga Crown....

Tony Montana (United States)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 2:42 PM 0 Yellow card...not red... How quickly that game was ruined ! Shame for Man U and Messi.... Why Messi.... because if Madrid was elimated it would make Messi's chances for a fifth ballon D'Or that much better....

Pino (United States)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 11:24 AM 0 Finally, all the measuring sticks should be gone by thursday call up, Brana, Clemente, and company...Montillo is probably going to start against Velezuela.

hi2suresh (India)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 10:00 AM 0 @elpipita I am guessing FIFA is not going or wont go for camera footage review in football as it may affect match fixing or betting markets. This is just my guess.

Aslam (Qatar)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 8:05 AM 0 Predicting the lineup against Venezuela. ---------------------Romero------------------------ Zaba-------Fernandz---------Garay-----------Ansaldi ----Agusto---------mascherano---------Banega------- ---------------------Messi------------------------- -------------Higuain------------Aguero-------------

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 4:39 AM 0 Yeah johnny it was a bad call and even the "special one" conceded that the better team lost. It really shocks me how archaic FIFA body are with their continuing refusal to use camera footage to help with the decisions; not to mention that they're just starting to implement the goal line tech now after so many dodgy decisions and goals awarded over the years (although it did help argentina in the WC so I shouldn't complain, but it did rob lio off a legit goal against sweden so all things balance out at the end).

Johnny (Thailand)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 3:33 AM 0 OFF TOPIC-what a poor decision by that ref with the red card against Nani ! Nani is an idiot, but PLEASE ! That foul wouldn't have been a red card in Argentina...EVER !!

Tony Montana (United States)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 3:15 AM 0 Just looked at Argentinas record ...they have only lost 1 game in the last 27 matches! Only loss to Venezuela in October 2011..... (This is not counting Argentina domestic team games against Nigeria, Poland and two against Brazil....)

Tony Montana (United States)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 3:13 AM 0 Aguero should play along side Messi with higuain up top.... And pastore, Sosa, Pamela...whomever on the other side of Messi...

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 1:12 AM 1 As much as I like pastore (was a big fan of his when playing for palermo) I don't really think he fits into Sabella's current system. Pastore is an enganche, the man connecting the midfield to the strikers. In Sabella's system messi plays the closest thing to an enganche so good luck replacing him anytime soon. As for Lamela, well I'd love to see what he can do in the NT, as it's not only his skills/form that have impressed me but also his versatility. The kid was an enganche at River, a winger during his first season at Roma and now an out and out forward and he's done well in all these positions. I think he can potentially cover for di-maria, kun and even *sigh* messi if need be. The only limitation with the kid is his defensive work rate and the fact that he's been playing as a forward for almost 2 years now I don't really know whether he can play pure midfield and do his defensive duties.

asjbest (Indonesia)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 12:42 AM 0 it's time for Banega and Pastore to shine Romero Zabaleta Fernandez Garay Rojo Masche Banega Messi Pastore Lamela Higuain

el principe (United States)

Posted on 3/6/2013 at 12:21 AM 1 Nice article: Angel Di María turned sharply inside then out again, leaving Carles Puyol performing the in his penalty area. His shot was saved by José Pinto but the ball dropped to Cristiano Ronaldo, who brought the ball down on the chest and finished the tie off. Less than 10 seconds earlier Barcelona had been on the edge of the Real Madrid penalty area; now the ball was in the back of their net. A long punt from Sami Khedira, six touches from Di María, two from Ronaldo and a place in the Copa del Rey final. Lionel Messi had warned: "Madrid kill you on the break." But knowing that and stopping it are not always the same thing, just as it is not enough simply to stop Ronaldo. Others can damage you, Di María especially. The electricity and tenacity of the 25-year-old's game are central to Real Madrid's success: the way he screeches round the pitch, sprinting into space, closing down opponents with that characteristic running style, feet seemingly pointing upwards as if locked at the ankles, knees high, almost rocking from side to side as he runs. He is busy, that is for sure. José Mourinho talks of his enthusiasm. aaHe notes: "Angel has the kind of personality that makes him think everything is possible." If that enthusiasm had departed, it is back. It is not so long ago that Mourinho complained after a defeat at Celta Vigo that some players had not made an effort. "It's cold, it's the cup …" he said. What he did not say was that Di María was the man at whom he was pointing the finger but, having taken him off at half-time, he did not need to. He had been withdrawn at half-time in Sevilla, too, and after a defeat at Osasuna the coach said he had done nothing. At the turn of the year he was confiding to his staff that he did not know what was wrong with his right-winger. But Di María announced his return to form in the 5-0 demolition of Valencia in January, provided the assist for Ronaldo's goal against Manchester United in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie and has now left Puyol on the floor. Mourinho's remarks were striking because he has long been an admirer of Di María, a defender of him even. It was his decision to bring him from Benfica for €25m – a fee that many in the Spanish capital considered too high and a far cry from the 25 footballs it cost Rosario Central to pick him up as a kid. The son of a coal seller, nicknamed El Fideo, the noodle, he had moved to Benfica with his family aged 19; in his final season in Portugal he topped the assists charts, Benfica won the championship and Mourinho was adamant, even if at international level, following a disappointing 2010 World Cup, some remained unconvinced. In his first two seasons at Madrid he scored 16 goals and made 34 assists while for Mourinho there were other equally important qualities: during one game he played as an emergency left-back and when he was taken off, Mourinho ostentatiously led the applause. Yet it was up front, a left-footer on the right, where he was really making things happen, pressuring opponents and creating chances. "He gives us something different," Mourinho says. "With space he is dangerous; even without it he can find a way to go one-on-one." His game has evolved, too. From assists that largely came from in-swinging crosses, cutting back on to his left foot, or bursts of speed and the final pass, he began to develop a more subtle side. He still mostly played as if stuck on fast forward but he appeared to have periodically found the pause button, producing angled passes, expertly timed and perfectly placed, more reminiscent of Mesut Ozil or Xavi Hernández. Playing on the right and being almost entirely left-footed allowed for that, yet there was also a flaw – at times, the advantage he had gained with his speed was lost as he sought to check and come back, the beaten defender finding Di María coming towards again, offering a second chance to tackle him. Indeed, perhaps the three most significant moments of his Madrid career all came on his more natural side: two startlingly similar assists for Ronaldo against Barcelona and Manchester United, and the dash through the middle, turning to his left foot, on Wednesday night. There were other problems, in part a product of his style. Last season he missed more than 20 games because of a muscular injury that took longer to clear than expected and this season his performances dipped dramatically. The acceleration and the enthusiasm that really defines him appeared a little diminished. He is not even in the top 20 assist providers in La Liga. Yet in the Champions League he has provided more assists than anyone, averaging one every 92 minutes, and that enthusiasm is back now. He is a man to stop. The question is how. As Jürgen Klopp, the Borussia Dortmund manager whose side faced Madrid in the group stages, said: "You can't mark Di María."

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 11:31 PM 0 Oh FFS, might as well ask Messi to get injured as well. Di Maria and Gago are 2 of the most important pieces of the puzzle.

cleanball (Indonesia)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 10:38 PM 0 I am dreaming Licha Lopez will get call from Sabella

Dinucci (Argentina)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 9:57 PM 0 why not icardi? Higuain can play on the left if they do a 4-3-3, or maybe icardi on the left? i hope ansaldi plays. Banega is taking Gagos place for sure.

Ayrton18 (United States)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 9:26 PM 0 well if they are injured sabella should try a 4231 vs venezula with .... zabaleta-fernandez-garay-ansaldi mascherano-costa lamela-messi-pastore higuain this will get a chance to play lamela and pastore to see if they really want to be in the national team and i really liked ansaldi and should be given another chance also fernandez makes many mistakes maybe we can see rojo as a centerback or maybe colocinni also i want to see riquelme assist when argentina trains

messi (Lebanon)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 8:48 PM 0 Am a die hard barca messi argentina dan, but i admitt that di maria is the most influential player for argentina and even real madrid. Today madrid was lucky with the ref ,not gonna talk to much but remeber all arg matches and classicos since copa del rey final till now.ronaldos overrated he only taps in. Btw higuain played really good today he deserves to be nmbr one not benzimiss,

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 7:42 PM 0 I think we'll see more of a traditional 4-3-3, but TBH I'm not worried Sabella knows what he's doing and has showed it.

CERNESTO (Panama)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 7:10 PM 0 As a matter of fact, Di María has a yellow card ban for the game against Venezuela anyway... It is a perfect opportunity to test drive Sabella's Plan B like you guys mention... But my guess is that, instead of what we think he is going to do (use same tactic and change names, like Banega for Gago or Lamela for Di Maria) he is going to change the tactical drawing to a 4-4-2 or maybe even a 5-4-1 (the formation he used for the latest Super Clasico against Brasil)... What you guys think?

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 5:56 PM 0 Hopefully this will turn out to be a good thing, a "plan B" if you will, As Di Maria an Gago are our two most important players (besides Messi of course) so it will be good to see how Sabella handles it.

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 5:41 PM 0 Yeah unfortunately kun, di-maria and gago are all injured, Gago will miss the WCQ not sure about the other 1/2 of the fantastic-4-hoursmen. But like you guys have mentioned previously there could a silver lining here where we get to see what Sabella does when there is a possibility of 3 of his core players being out of the match. Aslam Kun hasn't been at his best but the kid is still world class, check out the finishes against liverpool and sweden if you don't believe me. Kun is essential to the NT's equation of success. While I believe its personal probs thats got him down, he'll come back roaring sooner or later because god knows the albicelestes need him bad.

Aslam (Qatar)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 4:59 PM 0 Yes Aguero also injured.But Mancini reveled hes going to miss next City game, FA Cup (09-03-2013). That means he may be available next week. But hes no more the same Aguero. Recently he plays badly, lacks precision and seems lost confidence after the last injury ( or may be personal issue ??).

rey (United Kingdom)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 4:43 PM 0 Augero was not playing on the weekend? Is he out longterm?

Dinucci (Argentina)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 4:42 PM 0 gaitan sub?

Tony Montana (United States)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 3:49 PM 0 at least he walked off...tweaked something..hopefully he will be ready and healthy in 2 1/2 weeks...

Aslam (Qatar)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 3:45 PM 0 So fast ??? I wish its minor injury..!! Now it will be nice to see how Sabella plays with out his two key players, Dimaria and Gago. Hope Sabella use different tactics.

Roy (Canada)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 3:41 PM 0 Kenneth, I'm watching the game, yeah. That's both Di Maria and Gago who could be out.

pablo.d (New Zealand)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 3:41 PM 0 step up lamela

holytoledo (United States)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 3:40 PM 0 LPM!!!!

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 3/5/2013 at 3:39 PM 0 This was fast! Watching the game eh roy?