Luis Suarez is banned for 9 international matches and 4 months for all football activities for biting Italys Giorgio Chiellini. He was also fined 100,000 Swiss francs and banned from entering any stadium during his suspension.
http://www.espnfc.com/fifa-world-cup/story/1913701/luis-suarez-banned-fo...
As a serial biter (third time), does Suarez's punishment fit the crime?
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Should be more IMO. But considering it's FIFA, it's acceptable.
I can't help but laugh every time I see the video, so I imagine they only gave him 4 months for the comical relief.
agreed, this is too small a punishment. Should have been at least a year. This level of punishment is what they should do for anyone that gets called for intentionally taking a dive. Also they should review games for intentional dives and apply this fine/suspension after the fact.
If FIFA suspended players for intentional diving, they wouldn't have any players left on the pitch.
That's the point. I would rather they got rid of everyone that intentionally dives. Soccer everywhere would suck at first but then everyone would start playing like Messi. And that's a good thing.
Pretty much every Italian player would have to find other work though...
Or Theo!
That has all the makings of a Hollywood movie about a soccer team's final shot to win the game.
I hadn't seen this goal before, but as a lover of the game and an opponent of diving, this is one of the best, most determined goals I've ever seen. Good for Theo.
best part of this is the score...7-3! also he chips Tim Krul who looked about 10 feet tall in the PK shootout for Holland against the Ticos-he looks about 5 foot nothing in this GIF
I think it's no coincidence that one of the best players in the world focuses on the ball instead of trying to get a penalty call that almost never comes. I really wish the US team played like that: don't care what the rest of the guys do, just do everything in your power to advance the ball. Nothing else matters. Let the pansies fall down all they want, you just keep running through their crap like a badass.
A lot of the US team does play like that. We don't have many divers on our team.
We're definitely gritty and I like that. The one thing I would like to see our team do less is whine for fouls. I saw it a couple times against Germany. I know it's a common thing in soccer, but it drives me nuts. Yes, there were calls that could have been made, but I think that went both ways. Play to the whistle; don't let the other guys run past you with the ball while you're screaming at the ref for a foul.
I could agree to all of that. Luckily I don't think the USA is very bad about it, relatively. At least I usually don't notice too much of it. Back when Lalas was playing though, holy crap. For such a big player, he was such a little b****.
Like a great running back. Vision, speed, balance, and determination.
I'd say that's pretty much the biggest scandal of this World Cup. Diving is supposed to be a mandatory yellow card-the precedent was set when Fred dove in the first half of the first game against Croatia and was awarded a phantom penalty. The announcers have been rightly pointing out the lack of cards for blatant dives during this whole tournament-well when diving gets rewarded in the second-most watched game in the tournament you better believe all the players know what they can and cannot get away with from then on.
This has been called the best world cup...why? because of lots of goals? I think it's been rather poor to be honest, spotty officiating, awful weather in the north of the country and lots of diving. Rather mediocre in my book.
USA has to play in the jungle then in a bog (not to mention having to travel the most of any team in the group stage)...no wonder we had nothing against Belgium (all credit to Belgium though they played some wonderful stuff and were worthy winners).
But anyway only 3 yellows for dives in over 40 games? That's crazy and EVERY team does it, not just Italians...I'd even argue that they're not even the worst offenders (anymore), though they've certainly perfected the art of cheating over the years, hence the constant booing when they played against Costa Rica and Uruguay which was funny on its own since Suarez bit that cheating wank Chiellini in that very game. Parody.
I do think this has been a pretty good cup. I've enjoyed this one a bit more, I think, than South Africa and definitely more than Germany 2006.
I don't know if I'd say it's all the goals that I like so much (even though there have been many), more so that there have been a good chunk of entertaining games (in my book, the 0-0 Mex/Bra game was enthralling).
Big players have mostly stepped up (Robben, Messi, Muller, sans CRonaldo, haha).
Lots of players I didn't know a lot about drew a lot of attention for great play (James Rodriguez, Vlaar, Ochoa).
Some really good goals (James Rodriguez again, Tim Cahill, Jermaine Jones, Messi), but no Maxi Rodriguez-esque goals that immediately became goal of the tournament.
Holland played actual soccer this time instead of just turning the game into a physical mess like in South Africa.
Fewer vuvuzelas. They're cool but after watching three games a day I felt like my head was buzzing nonstop.
The shock of Spain and Brazil.
The efficiency of Germany coming to fruition, finally. Klose getting the record. Muller well on his way.
Argentina finally breaking through to another final. France playing well with a revamped roster.
Portugal being exposed for what they are.
Italy, who I disike, and England not making it through thanks to Pura Vida, who I love.
Miguel Herrera being the most animated coach I've ever seen. Mexico playing really, really well, and with a style all of us have seen in our neighborhoods from our Mexican soccer buddies.
As for the diving, the only one that really gets me is the Arjen Robben dive that gave them the game against Mexico. Mostly because I was rooting for Mexico and Robben is a diver.
Yeah, this has been a good tournament. There's only one thing left I want to see:
Germany up 2-0 on Argentina in the 88th minute. Then, Messi scores. Then, Messi scores again, and then, just as the ref is about to blow his whistle, AGUEROOOOOOO!!!!!!! (like Man City!)
Pretty good summary, there. I guess my thoughts on it were tainted because England got knocked out due to my main man Roy Hodgson carrying on what he did at Liverpool which is basically destroying the confidence of the players at his disposal with his 1950s tactics, but hey he got Switzerland to the WC in 1994 so I guess he knows more than me. Plus, America could've done better (not saying they should) because they sure looked like a team of destiny there-if only Wando had put away that chance at the end of the game....bonkers.
For some reason the Spain 1982 World Cup was my favorite (probably because it was the first one I saw in color) and it had a GREAT final game but as a whole it was a terrible tournament-full of scandal. That was the one that caused all the final group games to be played at the same time and featured the horrific "tackle" by the West German GK Schumacher kung-fu kick a French player (Tigana?) in the semi's...and NOT get punished for it...like at all he played in the Final. It was far worse than Marcus Vick stomping on a hapless WV player. So yes, this has been a great World Cup-any "proper" football tournament that can grasp America's attention must be doing something right.
Anyway, for the purposes of this thread and the fact that we're Hokies I'd even go so far to say that Marcus Vick was our Luis Suarez. Brilliant player but man did he have some issues-he could've had a great career for us if he wasn't such a knucklehead. Similarly for Suarez, absolutely fantastic footballer-in many ways a genius, he'll be impossible to replace for us and will be sorely missed...but wow. It's good to want to win at all costs but to take it that far? I'll always remember Suarez fondly (just like I'll always remember Marcus/Michael with mostly happy memories), except if we have to play FCB in a CL Final then I hope Skrtel tears him apart-he ain't afraid, trust me.
Watching it on TV, Suarez reminds me of Mike Tyson. Tyson was banned for life, then reduced to a year. Punishment is not stiff enough.
Did you see the teeth on that guy? Man, weapons!
Here's a view from a different angle:
YES!! Also, SMB3 on Super Mario All Stars is one of my favorite games ever.
I still have that game. Easily still one of my favs. And I can still dominate it
after all these yrs. ;-)
I still have it as well. Hell, I still have the original box to my super nintendo. I don't know if I'd say I dominate but I like to think I'm still pretty proficient at SMB3 haha
Deserved, though a trifle.
I know very little about this sport.
It appears that they have "Goalies", "Fullbacks", "Wingers" (apparently where all overtly politically extreme players are slotted?), "Forwards" and "Biters".
Is this "Soccer" game some crazy mashed up sport consisting of a hodge-podge of elements involved in Hockey, Football, Politics, Basketball and Heavyweight Boxing?
Yes! Hockey, Football, Politics, Basketball, and Heavyweight Boxing ALL took their cues from soccer.
This guy is a habitual biter. If it were possible, I'd say ban him from the game for life. That, or make him play in the Hannibal Lecter mask.
As a Liverpool fan, I hate that it (potentially) affects my Reds. The incident had nothing to do with Liverpool, the EPL, Champions League, I don't like that he's missing those games. Most of all, I don't want it to kill the chance to sell him. Hopefully Barca or Real keep their interest and pay what he's worth, which is a boatload as long as he's on the pitch and well fed, and we can be rid of the distraction and reinvest in the squad better than Spurs did.
In my eyes, it's not much different from an NFL team drafting a guy with a known history of DUIs, and then having to deal with his suspension when he does it yet again, like Jacksonville and Blackmon. Suarez bit in Ajax, and bit again at Liverpool. They had chances to offload him before it... bit... them in the ass like this.
They had him on a short leash all season and he behaved. It's not right to penalize Liverpool because he acted out in a Uruguay shirt. I'm not saying the signs weren't there, he'll I'm not even saying I don't think the penalty was pretty lenient, I'm just saying it shouldn't be on Liverpool's shoulders. He wasn't banned from International football when he served his Ivanovic ban. If Lebron goes off and punches someone in the Olympics, will his ban carry over to the NBA? Nope. We gave him second chances and he acted a fool again, I'm done supporting him, but banning him for a dozen Liverpool games is absurd to me.
I just don't see it that way. What he did could be considered assault. It doesn't belong on any pitch, international or in England. It sucks for Liverpool, I agree with that. But for me it's more important that he's not on the field.
he's assaulting people, he has no business being on ANY field
The problem is, if Lebron James went all Super Knockout in the Olympics, or started biting people, he SHOULD be banned from NBA play. If he isn't, THAT is the problem.
It's not the sport's governing body that would make it unfair, it would be unfair for the person to do that crap and not get punished for it.
"as long as he's on the pitch and well fed"
I would certainly say he is well fed.
Any lawyers (or people with keen legal insight) in the house? I'm curious to know what the average sentence for assault might be. Say this happened out on the street; how much jail time would he get? Just trying to compare penalties for on-field vs. off-field incidents.
I'm no lawyer, but if any part of me found its way between his teeth, my sentence would be that the next thing he'd taste is two tender pieces of himself.
Asshat shouldn't be allowed to play again. Period. He is a menace and a habitual offender.
Since it took place in Brazil, it would fall under their jurisdiction. Conviction of major assault in Brazil carries a sentence of 1-12 years. Not sure what would constitute major assault, but I'm thinking biting might fall under that, particularly if scarring is possible.
I can't really make up my mind regarding whether I think this is fair or not. Based on the precedent set by his other biting suspensions, I knew he would get about 20 games (which he did), but strictly based on how violent it was, I really don't think he deserves it. For all the people on here whining about assault, I guarantee that in any given game, there is something more violent and just as deliberate as his bite. Hell, Suarez himself will likely do something more violent. Having someone nibble down on your shoulder while you're running away from them might shock you, but it's not really going to hurt.
With all this said, though, I'm happy because I'm a Spurs fan and I cheer for anything that weakens teams vying for top four. With Liverpool actually playing in more than one competition this year, a little lost depth could really go a long way in throwing their season of course.
What Suarez did was wrong. There is no defending his action. This is his third biting incident. The guy needs help. 4 months and $100,000 is not severe enough IMO. I really hope he learned from it because the guy is a great soccer player with a lots of skills.
Whining? Alright then...
Did you not see the bite marks? Let me reiterate. HUMAN BITE MARKS. On another human being. That's messed up to a high degree.
People assault each other ALL THE TIME in sports. It's weird as hell and I'm not condoning it, but it's not like he actually hurt Chiellini. For people to say oh em gee he assaulted him is just kinda funny.
Yeah, but this isn't the whole "heat of the moment, punch the guy in the face" sorta thing. This dude bit another dude. Who does that?? If I'm the head of a sports organization and a guy has repeatedly shown that his response to stress and adrenaline is to start nomming on other people, I don't want him anywhere near my sport.
Except if you know anything about him or his upbringing, then this is exactly a "heat of the moment" thing. He wants nothing more than to bring a world cup to his country and in order to draw a foul he was going to do whatever it takes. I'm not condoning it and I think he fully deserves the suspension and should have received mandatory counseling as well.
Well, then he should consider outlining a coherent strategy, because he just blew any chances his country had to bring home the trophy. And playing in S. America, with him on the pitch, their odds had been decent.
Yeah, I applaud (heavily sarcastic) his attempts to draw a foul by sitting on the pitch holding his mouth, but if you really want to give your team the best chance of winning, you can go right ahead and cross "bite the other guy on the shoulder" off the how-to guide.
I don't think he was trying to improve his team's chances at all.
I think he was just being the feral little monkey he is.
He did assault him. End of story. We can sit here and try to qualify what "hurt" is defined as, but at the end of the day this messed up dude has tried to take a chunk out of 3 fellow professionals and has shown no signs of stopping. He needs to be dealt with.
Right there with you. Sports should be played as an analog thing. Two teams and a referee.
This digital voyeurism will change and ruin sport. As fans we are no talent never had any talent has beens who shouldn't be in charge of what is acceptable on the field of sport. Two teams of professionals and a referee.
The guys Suarez bit are not worth watching and there is a reason for that. Chiellini and Ivanovic are no talent hacks who routinely have to resort to roughing up forwards with talent. Noone wants to talk about Chiellini pushing Suarez right in front of the ref or putting Cavani in a full nelson. When Ivanovic on a goal kick pushed Dempsey on his back to hold him down and jump off his back, Dempsey threw a right elbow which missed, but Dempsey got him with an eye rake that was just beautiful.
Digital voyeurs will have us all watching Ivanovics and Chiellinis. Retaliation is a form of assault. Some are professionals at breaking the rules (Ivanovics and Chiellinis) and some are professionals at playing the beautiful game (Suarez). Some are a little bit of both (Dempsey). They all have their place in an analog sport.
Its the digital voyeurs that have to go.
Im not going to call them no talent hacks, but center backs are the henchmen of the football world. They're there to be rough to the usually smaller, faster attacking players and will do everything they can behind the ref's back. Suarez is targeted because he has opted for an insane, bizarre retaliation and has for some reason stuck with biting, but you don't see anyone going after Pepe who habitually attacks players as they lay on the ground. He got his card, missed 1 game and is free to do it again without any backlash. Suarez should be punished and I don't care if he's banned for 2 years of international matches, as this happened in an international match, but when he's not in Liverpool's care and not speaking with the club psychologist that seemingly had him in a good place last season, the club shouldn't be punished.
Digital Voyeurs? They are called soccer fans...TV viewers.
It is absolutely absurd that you would blame the fans.
Without fans they wouldn't be playing this "beautiful game"
Fans aren't in charge, but by definition we are allowed to have our opinion. That is WHY we watch sports.
So you say that the fans have to go?
This is one of the more ridiculous posts I have seen on TKP.
Actually, he DID assault him. No place for this in the sport, or any sport.
He should be banned for a year minimum and possibly for life.
And isn't this precisely the problem? Regarding the bite, as others said, this guy has a pattern of behavior that deliberately inflicts injury on other people. It is obvious and it is habitual. No one here is whining - it's a fact and this kind of behavior in public would be classified as a crime. The larger issue is, as you point out, that worse things happen. Yep, that's true, and it's a problem. I was having this discussion with some friends the other night. Take baseball, for instance - the sport with probably the least contact between players outside of tennis. Think of beanballs, bat-throwing, bench-clearing brawls, etc. Imagine the equivalent off the field - some guy hauls off and throws a rock at someone's head. That'd be assault, too, and it would land him in jail. Yet if it's on a ball field, it's probably a fine and maybe a game or two suspension. Why is that? Why are we OK with that (or are we)? Sure, to some extent we chalk it up to adrenaline and competitive human nature, but that's not a reasonable defense anywhere else, yet it is in sports. Larger issues here, but all any sporting body can do is punish that which is obviously wrong.
Any time you're labelled a "serial biter," I'm pretty sure you deserve just about any punishment thrown at you.
There are probably quite a few of us on this board who have experience with love bites harder than what Suarez gave these guys.
He hasn't hurt anyone that I know of.
Real human bites are not things to play around with. Show me one bite that required medical attention.
Real retaliation happens in sport. Suarez is a p***y, I'll give you that. But saying he deserves any punishment thrown at you is just nonsense and lowers the game of soccer even lower than it was lowered during that game.
That was the worst ref I have seen in the World cup. Yellow cards given to the wrong players, red cards that didn't need to be red, allowing for pushing in front of him. Nelsons on corner kicks.
The referee should have gotten Suarez' ban. FIFA should have rebuked Suaraz by telling him to stop being a little bitch.
Then maybe someone with options might want to watch and play the sport.
Suarez is professional at playing the beautiful game
VT Slacker,
You got some of it right. Suarez is both professional about playing the beautiful game and biting opposing team players. He scored some great goals and he bit people skin more than once. You dont resort to biting when defenders get on your nerve. You let the referee handle it. Thats why you have multiple refs in professional sports. Suarez needs help.
Therein lies part of the problem, the referees have never seen it. With FIFA's (or the English FA's) messed up justice system, had the ref seen it and given him a deserved red card, he misses a game, end of story. When the ref doesn't handle it, the governing body steps in. In this case I think they went both too easy and too hard. The fine was ridiculous, he makes that much in half a week and it's barely more than Bendtner was fined for having a website name on his underwear. Make him pay something that his bank account is going to feel. Give him mandatory therapy for as long as you want, he needs it. Reserve punishing his club for after his refusal to comply with all the rest.
he assaulted another player (again)... whether you know of anyone he has hurt or not is beside the point, and sure, soccer players have a habit of faking injuries/exaggerating on the field, but this player was able to go up to a ref and show the bite mark on his shoulder.. so to act like it was nothing is absurd
love making has consent involved, I don't think the opposing player consented to being bitten in this case... to compare the two seems to be missing the point.... otherwise I could make a case for rape being no big deal
I didn't think the ref was that bad. Sometimes calls get missed.
You want a bad ref? Remember this game?
It doesn't matter about the missed yellow or red cards. Biting someone is assault. Next time he bites someone he might get his skull busted in.
To try and rationalize his bite is ridiculous.
Love bites?....thats not what this was.
He got off easy.
If I bit someone at work I would never work again and would go to jail.
Just....this:
Gotta give him credit for having a sense of humor.
Chiellini poses for a picture with a hotel worker for fun
From the Tumblr: Zero Focus
Here is an Adidas advertisement featuring Suarez:
And here are what passersby are doing:
There's an example of "no press is bad press" huh. How many people are taking pics by Nike ads?
His teammates in school told him to listen to Skee-Lo for inspiration, but something was lost in the translation:
"...I wish I was a little bit slighter, I wish I was a biter..."
Suarez apologizes and says he wont bite players again.
he then immediately bit the interviewer, at which point he said, "my bad, i'll never do it again."
aaaaaand his transfer to Barca is now official.
Signs a 5 year deal with the club.
I'll admit they paid more than I would have thought (if the reports are accurate). But I won't complain at all. I can't help but think it pushed along the Alexis Sanchez transfer to Arsenal (for a surprisingly low 28m pounds!), and that's something I couldn't be more excited for.
Plus we won't have to play against Suarez anymore.
With Sanchez to Arsenal, I wonder if 'pool go after Balotelli harder now. Can't go into a season with CL with just Sturridge and Lambert, going to need at least another striker and 1-2 CBs and a LB.
Rumors seem to be indicating Markovic is heading your way for about 25 mil pounds. I'm not sure but that would probably rule out Balo since you have several other needs as well.
we have Borini... not the best but played well at Sunderland.
Markovic will be huge. I could see either Lovren or Caulker coming along with Albert Moreno...yeah we had a deal and it was off but now with the $ coming in we can fork up the extra 2-3 mil
Signing lots of attacking midfielders, with Sturridge Lambert and Borini so we should be OK and dynamic...hard to replace 31 goals though. Give me Shaqiri and Bony (not sure why so many Reds dislike him he proved himself last season) and I think it will take some time to gel but will be alright. Any hopes of a PL title are gone now, though. Long term I think this had to be done and I agree, I think he will act out again. Might be good business long term if he gets banned for a year for his next "incident". Our defense, though...need to get that sorted with Agger set to leave and Skrel as well potentially-Lovren is a good player but 25m? not that good...fee for Markovic is 20m sterling...25m euros. if the young players can develop and become cohesive I think we'll be good/great this season. UP THE REDS!
def agree, we have some young talent just will it all mesh. Ibe is nasty and Tiago Ilori could be here as well. So thoughts on the 3rd kit?? Also have you seen the training/relaxfir tops, they're sublime!
meh, it's ok I guess hope we never wear it (though you know we will...book it against Sunderland or Stoke) can't think of a need for it unless we play a team with red and yellow. LOVE the away kit-all yellow. That's the liverpool I grew up with in the early 80s-all red home and all yellow away kit...brilliant.
Not sure what's going on with Illori apparently Rodgers isn't convinced heard he might get loaned out again or even sold to a team in Spain...which I don't get. And wondering what happened to Coates he's got the frame to be a solid Premier League defender.
Forgot to mention Origi, once he gets on board next season (why are we loaning them back our player?) I think we'll be sick going forward, he looked great against us (didn't see the Russia or Argie games) but I was salivating over the prospect of him attacking the Kop.
And the Suarez thing-is it cheating? Well, technically I guess it is...it's certainly morally repugnant but watch the Argentines on Sunday, you probably won't see biting but they'll do whatever they can to get the germans off their game...be it spitting on them, kicking them, stomping their toes, etc. But I do want them to win as I picked them in my pool but I'll have to take a bath for cheering for them (which I'll try not to do).
Still bitter we let Mascherano go for a song a few years ago, though he's known for his gamesmanship as well.
The yellow is awesome, 3rd kit will be champions league kit sadly.. Just a quick hint when LFC play in the USA july 23rd i think it will be on NBCSN so we can get a quick look at the new players. No idea why we are loaning Origi out.. We have 3 strikers on the team Lambert, Sturridge, and Borini<--- if he stays. I would love love love the Bony signing, he can produce with limited help at swansea why not with Stevie ect ect. Coates i think is technically just as bad as aly cisokkho I would think/have heard
Nuts...hope we wear it more than 6 times then. That's great I can watch those games but it's pre-season so don't read too much into it we sleepwalked through those games last year and had a fantastic season. I really wish Borini would play for us like he plays for Italy he'd be massive. Mackems just put in a 8m bid for him which must be tempting, I think we'll sell but I'd like to give him one more year...but he didn't look all that good for Sunderland last year (but I didn't watch them every week).
Coates as bad as Cissokho? God I hope not, as long as he's better than Glen Johnson I'm still for him being in there. a center-back doesn't have to be that technical, just hoof it away-especially against physical teams like West Ham and Stoke. Think he'd be quite useful in at least 10 games next year, as long as he's fit think he tore his knee last off-season.
Markovic could be huge, I still haven't seen enough of him. 25 mil sounds high for someone so young & unproven (we sold Xabi for 30), but if he continues to shine it could look like a steal. 25mil for Lovren is ridiculous, as is the Moreno price tag, but part of that comes with everyone knowing you're getting the Suarez cash coming in. And there's no player that's a good replacement for Luis. Bony has been effective, but he likes to be up front by himself. The beauty of the Liverpool attack last year was the effectiveness of the diamond, where any given attack could have Suarez/Sterling/Sturridge spearheading it with the others plus Coutinho/Hendo/Allen feeding the attack. Bony (right now, by nature) doesn't have the same versatility to swing out to the wing and feed another focal point. Shaqiri has the pace and physicality that I think would fare better, but his final touch seems to let him down a bit much for a possession-based scheme, hence the lack of playing time under Pep. I'd really like to see a push for Griezmann, who did just reject a contract extension. On the defensive side, if Coates hasn't shown anything in the last 4 years, he's not going to. With the aforementioned options being on the pricey side, why not go after Marcos Rojo, he's looked great this summer, can be equally adept at LB & CB, and would probably run half the price of Lovren, making the hit from Moreno more tolerable.
Pretty much agree with everything you said, I'd love to see Griezmann as well as he looked terrific for France and there has been speculation linking him to the Premier League as a result of his contract situation so hope we can pip in there and get him.
People forget that Coates was outstanding for Uruguay in the Copa America a few years ago and he really had only one poor game (against Oldham in the FA Cup a couple of years ago) and didn't really get a look-in before then, BR just doesn't seem to trust him but I think he needs to be given more time, he's still young.
I think Bony would be a good signing-Sturridge has yet to prove he can last a whole season and Bony is a big powerful guy who's also a good finisher-also the fact that we could steal him from the Spuds is reason enough for me-my only question about him is how he and Sturridge can co-exist in the same lineup but I think BR will figure it out.
Seems to me that Allen is not really considered a creative player-he played more of a holding role last season when Lucas was out and he's not quite as physically imposing a guy as you'd like in that position; my guess is he'll split time with Can this season as BR tries to find a better role for him...lots of competition now for the creative role he was touted for when he was signed though so I think he'll continue to fall down the pecking order as the players he's competing for time with seem to be better technically.
Hendo is almost sure to start most games so it'll be interesting to see what the formation will be-the idea of reverting to the 3-5-2 we played in the late 90s is exciting though BR seems to prefer a 4-3-3 which is really a 4-5-1 with the wingers bombing the box frequently (it's even hard to see Sturridge as a striker sometimes as he comes back to defend quite a bit more than you'd expect). The front 6 are pretty interchangeable and I think having the Suarez threat there made us very difficult to defend last season.
Our style has also changed quite a bit from seasons 1 and 2 under BR-the first we were very much a possession team but last year we pressed very high (especially at home) and it worked wonders (the Arsenal thrashing is a prime example-where Cou was brilliant winning the ball and picking out passes); however the second half of season 1 we were great and I think the tactical style of BR changed then to a more pressing game so Shaqiri's all action style might actually suit us much better than Pep's tiki-taka approach at Bayern for him...can't see us signing both Griezmann and Shaqiri though. Apparently Roma are in for Shaqiri though so we have competition.
I'd love to see Rojo, though he's by nature a center back with Flanno on the right and Skrtel along side him I think we just need to find a reliable LB (Robinson?) and that's a fairly strong defensive setup, not too tall though so Coates would come in handy there.
Good stuff, future looks real bright (I don't think Markovic will play much this year he's very much one for the future as the transition from a less physical league to the EPL can be a tough one for a young player, but if he adapts well he could be a great signing) but I think we take a step back this year so making the Top 4 will be good enough for me; but you never know, Rodgers signings have been hit or miss so far so after last years terrible summer transfer window we're due, right? If he gets these signings right....look out. Good to see some fellow Reds who are also Hokies.
You'll Never Walk Alone
I was going to ask if you were going to catch them any this summer but then looked and saw you're in Arizona, that'd be quite the trip. I'll see them when they come to Charlotte but my daughter will be right around 3 months then so I'll probably miss most of the fanfare around the match. I could've gotten passes for a meet & greet with Ian Rush & Robbie Fowler, but I met them along with Stevie & Carragher when they came stateside in '12. Anyone else going to summer games?
yes!!!!!! get that trash out of our club. LFC is bigger than 1 player and always will be. Its disgusting how he acted not once, not twice but three times. And especially with how LFC stood behind him after a racist remark to Evra, a bite to Ivanovic and now a bit to Chiellini
Enjoy Bara once he bites again he will be done for ever.
I doubt that. Barca never has to follow through with any sort of punishment it seems. Like this "transfer ban" that they were supposed to have this summer because of their shady dealings with youth players. That is being "appealed" and therefore "delayed"... but I have no doubt that I will never see another word about Barca being held responsible for that.
In fact I'm expecting Suarez's 4 month ban to be overturned any day now that he's headed to Camp Nou.
Idk, we will see in a year or so
I'm with you, JC. He'll do something stupid that will get him banned for a year but thanks for the 75m Barca! we'll try to put it to good use...actually we should buy Adriano from them who seems to be a forgotten man-very versatile player can play almost anywhere-along with new man Emre Can those two would come in handy filling the defensive mid role the soon departing Lucas Leiva will vacate...and it would be an upgrade. Save Gerrard for the big matches in Champs League and top 4 clashes in the league.