World Soccer

[Seacoaster(1)]

Watch to the end:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nH67XfSu7s8

[Matnum PI]

Wow...
Also, wow to Lazio. They look good.

[Brooklyn]

Watch to the end:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nH67XfSu7s8

amazing finish

[FannOLax]

Wolves can (and did) beat Man City. And Aston Villa thrashed Brighton 6-1. So we might get a real battle for the EPL crown this year.

The EPL continues to be like a 9-year-old kid who can be trusted neither with the nuclear codes nor to use VAR properly. As a Spurs fan, I want Tottenham to beat Liverpool, but not like it happened Saturday. Plus, it can take a five-minute delay in the game (in a sport known for continuous action) to get a wrong decision. Please, just scrap VAR (or hire the Bundesliga to administer your VAR). Spurs and Liverpool look like viable candidates for the EPL title, but so do Arse, of course Man City, and perhaps another side or two. Arse vs. Man City this Sunday looks like the big match this coming weekend.

[Seacoaster(1)]

Wolves can (and did) beat Man City. And Aston Villa thrashed Brighton 6-1. So we might get a real battle for the EPL crown this year.

The EPL continues to be like a 9-year-old kid who can be trusted neither with the nuclear codes nor to use VAR properly. As a Spurs fan, I want Tottenham to beat Liverpool, but not like it happened Saturday. Plus, it can take a five-minute delay in the game (in a sport known for continuous action) to get a wrong decision. Please, just scrap VAR (or hire the Bundesliga to administer your VAR). Spurs and Liverpool look like viable candidates for the EPL title, but so do Arse, of course Man City, and perhaps another side or two. Arse vs. Man City this Sunday looks like the big match this coming weekend.

Have you listened to the VAR audio recording during and after the check on Diaz's "goal?" Very interesting -- straightforward lack of communication and lack of understanding of what was happening on the field. If Liverpool misses the Champions League by a point, we are going to hear a lot about this in future.

https://www.premierleague.com/news/3718057

Arsenal and ManU both lose to continental teams last night. Ouch.

Postscript: Jurgen asking for a replay of the game after release of the VAR Room audio.

[Seacoaster(1)]

Another postscript: Newcastle thrashes PSG at St. James, 4-1. City beats RB Leipzig 3-1. Love the Champions League.

[Seacoaster(1)]

Good article. Let me know if you hit a paywall

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/06/worl ... l-var.html

[FannOLax]

With Manchester City having lost two consecutive EPL games, it now seems possible that the Citizens won't repeat as League champions. Kevin De Bruyne is out injured, and at Arse on Sunday City seemed bereft of ways to unlock the home defense. I kept wondering why Grealish wasn't playing. Yes, it took a lucky deflection for the Gunners to score and win, but in a chess match of a game, Arsenal seemed to have the better attacking options. Tottenham were very unSpursy Saturday, finding a way to win after being reduced to ten men. Still, they should have been wearing their white jerseys against the dark orange of Luton; I guess someone feels they need to sell more of the change jerseys.

[Seacoaster(1)]

With Manchester City having lost two consecutive EPL games, it now seems possible that the Citizens won't repeat as League champions. Kevin De Bruyne is out injured, and at Arse on Sunday City seemed bereft of ways to unlock the home defense. I kept wondering why Grealish wasn't playing. Yes, it took a lucky deflection for the Gunners to score and win, but in a chess match of a game, Arsenal seemed to have the better attacking options. Tottenham were very unSpursy Saturday, finding a way to win after being reduced to ten men. Still, they should have been wearing their white jerseys against the dark orange of Luton; I guess someone feels they need to sell more of the change jerseys.

Wish I could have seen the Arsenal Man City game. But the loss of KDB has to be coupled with Ilkay's move to Barca. City has really lost some sparkle in the buildup.

[ardilla secreta]

With Manchester City having lost two consecutive EPL games, it now seems possible that the Citizens won't repeat as League champions. Kevin De Bruyne is out injured, and at Arse on Sunday City seemed bereft of ways to unlock the home defense. I kept wondering why Grealish wasn't playing. Yes, it took a lucky deflection for the Gunners to score and win, but in a chess match of a game, Arsenal seemed to have the better attacking options. Tottenham were very unSpursy Saturday, finding a way to win after being reduced to ten men. Still, they should have been wearing their white jerseys against the dark orange of Luton; I guess someone feels they need to sell more of the change jerseys.

Wish I could have seen the Arsenal Man City game. But the loss of KDB has to be coupled with Ilkay's move to Barca. City has really lost some sparkle in the buildup.

Finally a win! Having Rice to manage the midfield is a game changer this year. Arsenal put on the pressure in the second half and eventually all those shots on goal (12) paid off. Saliba was huge in limiting the blonde monster too.

Man, the leagues top half is extremely competitive. Wins are going to be well earned this year. The away kit scheme is out of hand and why are Spurs wearing white shorts? Leicester is tearing it up in the Championship. Hope they endure and make it back. Sunderland is in 4th and playing well. Would be nice to see the Black Cats back in Premiership.

[FannOLax]

...
Man, the leagues top half is extremely competitive. Wins are going to be well earned this year. The away kit scheme is out of hand and why are Spurs wearing white shorts? Leicester is tearing it up in the Championship. Hope they endure and make it back. Sunderland is in 4th and playing well. Would be nice to see the Black Cats back in Premiership.

Traditionally, Spurs have worn all-white (including white shorts) mainly for the European competitions such as the Champions League. There has been no official statement from the club on this, but starting in the 1980s, when all English teams were out of Europe in the wake of the Heysel Stadium tragedy, Spurs have worn all-white for English competitions when they've not been in any European competition.

[FannOLax]

Spurs and Yale both wear white and dark blue. Tottenham Hotspur and Yale lacrosse both played their first games in 1882. Go figure!

[Matnum PI]

FIFA Channel on TV is pretty great...

[FannOLax]

There's an old adage in football (soccer) about 2-0 leads being the most dangerous. We saw that over the weekend as Arse came from 2-0 down at Chelsea to grab a 2-2 draw, while Luton did the same at Nottingham Forest. Don't consign Luton to the relegation heap just yet. Manchester City held on for a 2-1 win over Brighton having been 2-0 up; Tottenham looked like conceding a late goal or two to Fulham, but won 2-0 to go back to the top of the table. Liverpool scored a late second goal to come away with a 2-0 win in the Merseyside derby. Newcastle and Aston Villa posted strong wins to stay in touch with the top four. It's shaping up to be an interesting EPL season.

[Matnum PI]

Champions League today.

12:45pm
Galatasaray vs Bayern München
Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN USA, UniMás, TUDN.com,
12:45pm
Internazionale vs Salzburg
Paramount+, ViX, CBS Sports Golazo, DAZN Canada, HBO Max,
3:00pm
Manchester United vs København
Paramount+, fuboTV, Galavision, Univision NOW, ViX,
3:00pm
Lens vs PSV
Paramount+, ViX, DAZN Canada, HBO Max, Cinemax,
3:00pm
Sevilla vs Arsenal
Paramount+, ViX, Sport 24, DAZN Canada, HBO Max,
3:00pm
Sporting Braga vs Real Madrid
Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN USA, Univision, TUDN.com,
3:00pm
Union Berlin vs Napoli
CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, fuboTV, ViX, DAZN Canada,
3:00pm
Benfica vs Real Sociedad
Paramount+, ViX, CBS Sports Golazo, DAZN Ca

[FannOLax]

If you don't score a goal, you can't win the game. Manchester United had some decent chances, but couldn't score, so City won the Manchester Derby without looking great. When Kevin de Bruyne is back, Man City should be a better team. Tottenham won without looking great. Arsenal and Liverpool also won, as did Aston Villa. West Ham lost at home to Everton. The Toffees are starting to get some results, but will the authorities dock them 12 points for some off-the-field sin? Has the EPL figured out how to use VAR? I don't think so, but that's just my opinion.

[FannOLax]

Man City are back atop the EPL table after thrashing Bournemouth 6-1, benefitting from Tottenham's first loss, a chaotic VAR-dominated battle that saw Spurs reduced to nine men and ending up on the wrong side of a 4-1 scoreline. For me, the best game of the weekend was Brentford's 3-2 win over West Ham. 3-2 games are the best. Nottingham Forest ended Aston Villa's strong run of results as Forest notched a 2-0 home win. Liverpool salvaged a point at Luton, while Arse felt hard done by VAR in a 1-0 loss at Newcastle. The EPL's use of VAR has certainly changed things, and I fear it's not for the better.

[AOD]

Man City are back atop the EPL table after thrashing Bournemouth 6-1, benefitting from Tottenham's first loss, a chaotic VAR-dominated battle that saw Spurs reduced to nine men and ending up on the wrong side of a 4-1 scoreline. For me, the best game of the weekend was Brentford's 3-2 win over West Ham. 3-2 games are the best. Nottingham Forest ended Aston Villa's strong run of results as Forest notched a 2-0 home win. Liverpool salvaged a point at Luton, while Arse felt hard done by VAR in a 1-0 loss at Newcastle. The EPL's use of VAR has certainly changed things, and I fear it's not for the better.

Loved the Liverpool/Luton match for the game and for the backstories. Although the announcers overstated the payroll imbalance (they called it $560 million to $10 million - comparing total contracts rather than annual salary), the David vs Goliath nature was very much evident. LT scored on a wonderful counter with just 5 minutes of regular time remaining, and each minute after seemed like an hour to their fans. And then Luis Diaz scores to tie and pleas for the release of his kidnapped father. Such a satisfying game to watch.

Agree with you on VAR. But its not going away, so they better figure out how to improve it.

[FannOLax]

Agree with you on VAR. But its not going away, so they better figure out how to improve it.

Yes, I am not naive enough to think VAR will be allowed to disappear. The stated standard is "clear and obvious" error. Plus, football/soccer is supposed to feature continuous action. If it's not apparent after one or two viewings, then it's not clear and obvious; move on quickly instead of creating a five minute stoppage. Also, don't re-referee the entire game, just look at key plays, with non-foul calls (that keep the action moving) taking precedence. I think what I just described is pretty much the way the German Bundesliga does it. It's specifically the EPL mis-using VAR. As an aside, I really like the goal-line technology that definitely tells if the ball has crossed the line.

[AOD]

Agree with you on VAR. But its not going away, so they better figure out how to improve it.

Yes, I am not naive enough to think VAR will be allowed to disappear. The stated standard is "clear and obvious" error. Plus, football/soccer is supposed to feature continuous action. If it's not apparent after one or two viewings, then it's not clear and obvious; move on quickly instead of creating a five minute stoppage. Also, don't re-referee the entire game, just look at key plays, with non-foul calls (that keep the action moving) taking precedence. I think what I just described is pretty much the way the German Bundesliga does it. It's specifically the EPL mis-using VAR. As an aside, I really like the goal-line technology that definitely tells if the ball has crossed the line.

Don't disagree. There's also the issue of communicating properly the VAR review to the ref on the field to avoid another needless disaster.