My bets were on Arsenal too for the title this year. I'll stick to it, even though their display was not a fine one to watch. It's as if being ahead of Chelsea too early was something they didn't aspire to.
Mourinho would have been quite happy with the result...

I didn't think Payet would settle in so quickly. He was really really good.
For Swansea, Montero was a treat to watch too (that's his second season, yes).

This bullshit with Mourinho and Carneiro is pissing me off big time. The ego of Mourinho has gone to stupid levels and it may come to bite him on he ass soon. The worst thing is Carneiro's predecessor has pipped up and said


How is she being made into the bad guy in all this when Mourinho was way out of line for what he said?! Absolutely ridiculous.

The best thing would be Wenger deciding to hire her. Tat would just be brilliant.

Would love to see abramovich overrule jose and reinstate her. Assuming that wont happen, I agree, her being signed by a rival team would be great. Sometimes I can see the funny side of mourinhos egomania. Other times I just think hes a nasty cunt with no class. This is definitely an example of the latter.

just tuned it to the last few minutes of bayern's crucifixion of sucky hamburg

looks 5-0 at '88. will have to see the replay. good thing i actually can-- sweeeett.

Maybe. Just maybe this season will go ok. Barcelona getting dicked last night and Everton thrashing Southampton today. Now all we (by 'we' I mean 'I') need now is to get laid, and Bruce Springsteen to announce a UK tour, then my life will be sorted. For today that is.

dortmund-gladbach about to start

big game...



===

reus!!! what a shot!!

aubameyang scores with a beautiful header from a schmelzer cross. that's 2-0. dortmund is back!

YEEEEEEEESSSS.

--

some motherfucker just stepped on reus's left foot. LEAVE REUS ALONE!

--

holy shit 3-0 aubameyang to mkhitarian dortmund ON FIRE. ON FUCKING FIRE. 3-0 up at 33' and gadbach was 3r place last year conceded record low goals but now this dortmund sweeeeeeeeeeettttttttttt.

--

lucien favre (gladbach coach) cannot believe this shit-- caught on camera with his mouth agape. his team just not allowed to play by massive dortmund pressing, possession, and firepower.

---

4-0 in the end. total domination by dortmund. amazing.

weidenfeller has been relegated as starter for the europa league, and it feels right. he was slow, had to stay close to his goalpoast, and burki comes out forward instead.

I really hate this thing where the transfer window carries on into the start of the season. Surely it'd make more sense to have it open straight after the CL final and then close at the end of July, or something along those lines. How can managers plan the start of a season with so many question marks in their squad? It makes no sense to me at all.

i agree with that, i don't know why the hell they do it this way-- start with the team you bought in the off season, roll the dice, etc.

if anything, the january transfer window allows for corrections.

oh, bundesliga is down in january though-- you guys aren't.

Another reason why the Prem should have a winter break.

Great article by Barney Ronay on NBC's new Prem League TV deal.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...ted-states-nbc

Breadcrumbs.

"Baseball on TV is basically bulky, anxious men wandering around spitting and frowning while suddenly every four minutes someone’s shouting about a pizza."

just finished watching the replay of last weekend's bayern-hamburg game.

yes, hamburg was the easiest of opponents, but still, it looks like douglas costa is going to be a holy terror this season.

It really is only ok at the ballpark. There it seems to go by much quicker pace and you can look at what you want to.. on TV it is one of most boring things in human history..

true

so, back to the fútbol subject, what's on the schedule for Team America World Police in the upcoming international break?

I've been to a baseball game and loved it, but did think while I was there that it wasn't a game that lends itself well to TV.

Howard is coming back. Guzan was over his head and Nick Ramando is actually younger than Tim yet somehow older..
Two warm up matches against Peru and Brazil in September before that stupid playoff against Mexico because USA got too cocky and Jurgen is increasingly a dumbass

so that's in the aug 31-Sept 8 break? good.

====


bayern-hoffenheim turned out to be a fun crazy little match. bayern conceded a goal on the 9th second, then tied late in the first half, 2nd half boateng got himself thrown out for playing volleyball in the barrier, hoffenheim's polanski shot his penalty kick to neuer's goalpost, then near the end lewandowski from a costa-then-gotze pass managed to pull off the 2-1. great 2nd half.

--

also this past week dortmund was getting beaten 3-0 by a norwegian team and came back to win 4-3. insane. see here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ZyLnfpr3s

Well at least we know West Ham definitely won't be getting into the Europa Cup on fair play rules. Lol.

And it's Big Sam on MOTD tonight. Ooh Demo, feel for you.

It's gonna be a looooong season.

after a constipated first half dortmund beats newcomer ingolstadt (the illuminati!) 4-0.

if i'm correct they've scored 12 goals in their last 3 games.

sweetttttt

Who's Dortmund's manager now?

thomas tuchel (tuchel, not tuchus, ha ha)

was kloppo's successor at mainz-- and sort of handpicked by him as his replacement for dortmund as well, from what i understand

they're the same/near "new wave" generation of german coaches, or whatever it is they call them.

tuchel was last year on hiatus after a successful multi-year campaign with mainz. they're not a big club by any means but they're now "stable" on the bundesliga after many struggles. (and today they just beat monchengladbach--last year's 3rd place--2 to 1)

here's a little read about him from the pre-season (well, april, but he wasn't working then)

http://www.dw.com/en/rule-breaker-tu...und/a-17503661

Listened to a podcast today where they were really singing Tuchel's praises. Some of it sounded a bit OTT but he's obviously someone worth following.

Stones hands a transfer request. Well we might as well write off Everton's season potential now. Gutted. And all this does is make Martinez look like a cunt.

Well I take it back on the Stones affair. Well done to Kenwright/Martinez for holding firm and standing up to Abramovich/Mourinho. I really hope you do keep him. It'll send out a great message to the bullies.

wolfsburg without debruyne beating schalke 1-0 at halftime with a bas dost goal

not sure about the debruyne deal status, but fuck man city's petrodollars regardless.

De Bruyne looks like a done deal. According to the people at Wolfsburg the price offered by Man City was "astonishing" and not one they could refuse. Now it just looks like both teams agreeing on the details.

I'm interested to see what all the fuss is about. He did nothing when he was at Chelsea but has obviously improved massively since then. Also interested to see where he fits in MC's midfield. Have to assume he's replacing Navas on the right wing but from what I've read he plays in the centre for Wolfsburg. Surely he won't displace Silva out to the right (assuming Navas is still the player being ousted).

lol wolfsburg is winning 3-0 without him right now.

gotta say i miss his good dribbling and excellent passes but wolfsburg is showing they are not a one-man team. then again schalke isn't doing that great right now.

de bruyne was signing autographs and taking photos with fans on the stands during halftime. they're not playing him because his mind isn't there, they're saying. perisic also on the way out it seems-- leaving for inter, not even on the bench today.

Maybe not a one man team but talk here is that, cos Wolfsburg are in the same CL group as Man U, City have probably done United a big favour in getting De Bruyne.

Group A - Real Madrid, Paris St Germain, Shakhtar Donetsk and Malmo.
Group B - PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, VfL Wolfsburg
Group C - Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, Astana
Group D: Juventus, Manchester City, Seville, Borussia Monchengladbach
Group E: Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma, BATE Borisov
Group F: Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Olympiakos, Dinamo Zagreb
Group G: Chelsea, Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Group H: Zenit St Petersburg, Valencia, Olympique Lyon, Gent

Horrible group for Man City.

Jeez. This season is already looking like a Bundesliga style run away for City. Oh and thanks West Ham, thanks.

You're so very welcome :)

meanwhile, dortmund started this weekend at the top of the bundesliga table, ahead just on goal difference.

they play again tomorrow.

bayer/bayern starts right now!

...

xabi ----------- > costa ==> muller = golaaaaaaazo!

-

eta: weird bayern defensive lineup: xabi and alaba as cb? bernat left, lahm right. (boateng redcarded, benatia injured, dante... sleeping?)

--

3-0 after 2 stupid penalties, i'm only half-watching at this point. leverkusen started the game with good pressure on bayern's goal but by now have been completely skewered. costa is making me a little sad for ribéry who is now firmly benched.

leverkusen missing son who was just sold to spurs.

Today's win is literally the first time I've seen us beat Liverpool at home in my lifetime. 53 years since it last happened. 53 years!

This'll be the one time I won't begrudge Gomis doing that fucking celebration.

Fucker ruined my fantasy football score this week.