And, we’re off.......2018/2019

[ger147]

Another top quality finish, this time from Mata for Man Utd.

 

[ger147]

Not sure what happened there but I'm sure Man Utd won't be complaining. A great delivery but a shambles from Juventus trying to defend the freekick.

 

[ger147]

Fantastic result for Man Utd and Mourinho, very few teams in any competition come away from Turin with anything.

 

[huds1475]

Ronaldo's goal though...

 

[Imurg]

Sterling - £300k a week to kick the ground a foot behind the ball.......right!
That's just embarrassing and, although I know it would never have happened, City should have purposely missed spot kick.
I really am done with football now....

 

[Beezerk]

That might be as bad as it gets from Sterling lol, kick the ground fall in a heap

Just seen it 😂😂😂
I don’t care that he scores lots of goals in the Man City dream team, he’s an absolutely garbage footballer 😂

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Just seen it 😂😂😂
I don’t care that he scores lots of goals in the Man City dream team, he’s an absolutely garbage footballer 😂

Complete rubbish to call him a garbage player - the guy is still only 23 and doesn’t stop scoring for fun for his club where the best manager in the game knows how to play him. Garbage players don’t score goals like this

A goal every other game is a superb record - not sure why Sterling gets so much nonsense spouted about him

And yes I have seen the penalty - believe the player apologised and so did tbe manager - shocking from the officials. Shame the players didn’t say anything but then no one does and hasn’t done in years- they know when it’s not a penalty and say nothing

 

[PhilTheFragger]

If Sterling has any morals, he would have told the ref not to give the penalty.

But how the officials missed that is beyond me

 

[Pin-seeker]

Complete rubbish to call him a garbage player - the guy is still only 23 and doesn’t stop scoring for fun for his club where the best manager in the game knows how to play him. Garbage players don’t score goals like this

A goal every other game is a superb record - not sure why Sterling gets so much nonsense spouted about him

And yes I have seen the penalty - believe the player apologised and so did tbe manager - shocking from the officials. Shame the players didn’t say anything but then no one does and hasn’t done in years- they know when it’s not a penalty and say nothing

Jeez someone forgot their chill pill this morning 😳.

 

[Slime]

From the sublime to the ridiculous.
Ronaldo's goal was just rude and Sterling's trip was just hilarious.
Great result for United against a very top team, great result.
We all know that Sterling was not trying to deceive the officials to gain an advantage, he just kicked the wrong ball!!
But, shame on City for converting a penalty that everybody except the officials knew was never a penalty, even the keeper thought it was hilarious.
How much global credibility would City have received if they'd just rolled the ball back to the keeper?
They were already winning a match they pretty much knew they were going to win so it would have cost them nothing.
Very poor.

 

[Orikoru]

If Sterling has any morals, he would have told the ref not to give the penalty.

But how the officials missed that is beyond me

I expect a lot of people will be saying that today. In reality though very few players would have owned up on that one. I think they see as it as a gift, on another day they go against you, so you take the rough with the smooth. You can guarantee the managers don't want their players fronting up in that situation. Ultimately it didn't matter so much as they smashed Shakhtar off the park anyway.

God knows what the official just beside the goal was doing though. He was looking straight at it from 20 yards away, how has he not seen it?

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I expect a lot of people will be saying that today. In reality though very few players would have owned up on that one. I think they see as it as a gift, on another day they go against you, so you take the rough with the smooth. You can guarantee the managers don't want their players fronting up in that situation. Ultimately it didn't matter so much as they smashed Shakhtar off the park anyway.

You can argue that but now who will believe Sterling when he goes down and cries penalty when the ref ignores it?
City’s integrity would have been boosted had they refused to score and just knocked it to the keeper as has been said. Now they are seen as mercenaries to score at any cost.
They had a choice, but they chose the wrong option. Making comments about it after the event don’t wash, it’s what happens at that moment in time that people will judge them on.

 

[Orikoru]

You can argue that but now who will believe Sterling when he goes down and cries penalty when the ref ignores it?
City’s integrity would have been boosted had they refused to score and just knocked it to the keeper as has been said. Now they are seen as mercenaries to score at any cost.
They had a choice, but they chose the wrong option. Making comments about it after the event don’t wash, it’s what happens at that moment in time that people will judge them on.

I think the major point here is that VAR exists, was successful in the World Cup, but is still not being used for some reason. VAR would have shot it down in seconds.

This will be yet another excuse to shoot down Sterling in the press, but while he looked sheepish it was David Silva who wrestled the ball away from their keeper to go and stick it on the penalty spot, and I believe he was the captain for the night, so I would shoulder more of the blame with him. If anything the captain represents the team so he could have told the ref it wasn't a penalty, or stepped up himself to pass it back to the keeper as you suggest.

As I said though, very few players or teams would have done that. They were only 1-0 up and a game can still go either way at that point, so the manager would have demanded they put the penalty away and debate the morals of it after the game.

 

[Deleted member 18121]

I think the major point here is that VAR exists, was successful in the World Cup, but is still not being used for some reason. VAR would have shot it down in seconds.

Exactly, thankfully its only a matter if time..... the Liverpool goal vs Arsenal would have stood, the spurs goal against watford would have been disallowed. every week big things are happening that could be rectified!

 

[Orikoru]

Exactly, thankfully its only a matter if time..... the Liverpool goal vs Arsenal would have stood, the spurs goal against watford would have been disallowed. every week big things are happening that could be rectified!

I think the rules are wrong on that one though. In my book, Mané only scored because he gained an advantage by being in offside position for the original long ball.

 

[Deleted member 18121]

I think the rules are wrong on that one though. In my book, Mané only scored because he gained an advantage by being in offside position for the original long ball.

100% agree with you, the current rules are a shambles......but rules is rules and it should have stood.

I'm particuarly bitter as we've been on the receiving end twice of that rule being applied and the first time it should have gone for us the officials get it wrong!

 

[Beezerk]

In case anyone hasn't see it...

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-medi...ogressive,q_80,w_800/js8axuk8inc9ev7ab14u.mp4

I could watch that clip all day long

 

[Liverbirdie]

I think Mick McCarthy has a point....

https://www.football365.com/news/mccarthy-delivers-brilliant-response-to-souness-dig-at-jose

 

[Orikoru]

England squad is out.

Marcus Bettinelli (Fulham), Jack Butland (Stoke City), Alex McCarthy (Southampton), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Leicester City), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Michael Keane (Everton), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Ross Barkley (Chelsea), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Harry Winks (Tottenham Hotspur)
Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Wayne Rooney (DC United)*, Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal), Callum Wilson (AFC Bournemouth)

I'm starting to think we're just taking the mick out of Joe Hart now. Bettinelli has lost his place at FULHAM, and Butland still plays in the bloody Championship for God's sake.
Presumably Maguire is injured? Good to see Wilson finally getting a call up.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Rooney being given a call up just makes it a complete mockery and embarrassing tbh. If they want to bring him back to help raise money then it’s a charity match and no one gets any caps.