Champions League, Round of 16

67YAZ

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Dec 1, 2000
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He was pretty successful at Napoli. The team was coming off a fifth place finish and they went 2, 3, and 2 his three years there.

Chelsea started off slow last year but played well down the stretch. Go back and see people wondered how his style would work with the players at Juve. Especially Dybala.
How many top sides still play with an all-out striker who does no tracking back minimal pressing? Ag Napoli, Sarri has 3 attackers and 3 midfielders who flew around pressing with ferocity and a very solid back line to sweep up anything that got through. It took the better part of a season, but Chelsea squad met Sarri halfway, though they were always hamstring by trying to jam Jorginho and Kante onto the pitch together.

In other words, it was just stupid to hire Sarri, a guy with an uncompromising tactically vision, to coach a squad featuring Old Man Ronaldo. It was doomed from the start. Juve needs an arch-pragmatist manager if they hope to make it work.

Edit: LOL, see the Pirlo post now.
 

teddykgb

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Jul 16, 2005
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That Pirlo appointment could be a real disaster. Ronaldo is a handful to manage from a tactical perspective and even from a team perspective. You need a manager who has a plan for him and the squad and can command the respect of all parties as both a man manager and a tactician. Pirlo was a brilliant player but it makes no sense to me to spend all that money on Ronaldo and then keep taking chances at manager.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

Found no thrill on Blueberry Hill
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Sarri was no good, but it so it’s interesting how ho hum the Scudetto has become that Juve winning it doesn’t even seem to matter any more. One down year in a weird year in Europe shouldn’t matter much.
 

Mighty Joe Young

The North remembers
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Sep 14, 2002
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That Pirlo appointment could be a real disaster. Ronaldo is a handful to manage from a tactical perspective and even from a team perspective. You need a manager who has a plan for him and the squad and can command the respect of all parties as both a man manager and a tactician. Pirlo was a brilliant player but it makes no sense to me to spend all that money on Ronaldo and then keep taking chances at manager.
I think the fact they only gave him a two year contract would seem to indicate Juve may share your reservations.
 

SocrManiac

Tommy Seebach’s mustache
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Apr 15, 2006
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Sarri’s team, on paper, should have blown Serie A away. They consistently underperformed and looked awful for huge stretches. Juventus couldn’t put the league away to concentrate on Europe, and there’s a huge drive to lift the big ears again. I’d kill to see Buffon life it as a player, even if it’s as backup.

Pirlo has had one match in charge of the U23s so far. Clearly there’s a feeling he’s got some Zidane in him. I don’t see it.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
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Wait, my FIOS sub has CBS Sports Network--why the hell can't I watch online without doing the CBS All-Access crap?
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
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Gotta get that $, soak the affluent US fans.
Not sure if you have TUDN in your FIOS package but BAR-NAP is on there.
Nope.

But every other network, if game is on the channel and you subscribe, you can watch online.
 

thehitcat

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Nov 25, 2003
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That is bullshit that was clearly his chest. I HATE VAR all this standing around after a good goal and it gets taken away for nothing. I'm done with it get it out of the game.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

Found no thrill on Blueberry Hill
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I guess some rough justice in that the first goal should not have counted for a fairly apparent advantage gained on a shove.
 

teddykgb

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I had to watch Llorente literally control with his hand last year and it is a good goal and now we are chalking off goals like that... I agree with the sentiment that I’d be happy to see VAR fired into the sun
 

teddykgb

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I think this is one of the worst situations for refs and VAR. I don’t know what defenders are supposed to do when they are kicking a ball and someone puts their body in the swing. It’s weird how much this keeps happening lately. I have no idea what would be a just outcome, it feels cheap for it to be a penalty but visually it is a clear kick on a player.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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I think this is one of the worst situations for reds and VAR. I don’t know what defenders are supposed to do when they are kicking a ball and someone puts their body in the swing. It’s weird how much this keeps happening lately. I have no idea what would be a just outcome, it feels cheap for it to be a penalty but visually it is a clear kick on a player.
Maybe some cases but that’s a clear penalty for me even though it effectively ends what I was hoping would be a better game. Messi was a shoulder clear and might have won the ball in dangerous position for a goal.

I think it’s fine to have fouls where the defender doesn’t do anything necessarily wrong but the offensive player does something right.
 

teddykgb

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Maybe some cases but that’s a clear penalty for me even though it effectively ends what I was hoping would be a better game. Messi was a shoulder clear and might have won the ball in dangerous position for a goal.

I think it’s fine to have fouls where the defender doesn’t do anything necessarily wrong but the offensive player does something right.
I think for me the problem is that it’s a challenge from the wrong side since it behind. It feels natural to me that if a player is challenging from behind he is held responsible for any contact which ensues because he is the only one who can see the contact before it happens. In this case, a good play for the attacker is just to take a kick of his foot which he can nearly guarantee since he can see it happening and the other player cannot
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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I think for me the problem is that it’s a challenge from the wrong side since it behind. It feels natural to me that if a player is challenging from behind he is held responsible for any contact which ensues because he is the only one who can see the contact before it happens. In this case, a good play for the attacker is just to take a kick of his foot which he can nearly guarantee since he can see it happening and the other player cannot
I hear what you’re saying and maybe I am swayed here by the fact that it is Messi and I feel like he was actually a candidate to get to that ball and take a chance but for the kick given his skills. I guess I have seen worse.
 

ElUno20

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Jul 19, 2005
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What an effort by Chelsea. So much walking up and down the pitch from minute 1. Very health conscious
 

67YAZ

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Dec 1, 2000
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I didn’t watch the Barca-Napoli match, but why the hell aren’t you talking about this absurdly ridiculous goal?