World Football Thread XV - Life after the World Cup

[duke o' york]

We're not playing until Wednesday.

[Colon™]

Originally posted by Cort Haus


He wants to be a Manc, obviously.

Why are the mancs bothering?

[Cort Haus]

Lack of squad depth. They have a serious title bid going against a far better-resourced Chelsea, but start running out of experienced players quickly.

How they'll use him remains to be seen.

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
Arsenal 3 Spurs 0

I didnt see the game but apparently Lennon was playing on the left wtf? And some experienced players were left out like Lee, and Defoe? I dont know whats going on with Defoe.

It makes total sense to me that we're doing so well in Europe but badly in the PL, when Jol insists on constantly starting his new signings when they dont have enough PL experience, but are clearly good enough in Europe.

[Cort Haus]

Lennon played on the left in the second half, after not getting much change out of Clichy in the first half. Lee came on as sub later on.

The real European test will come in the last 32, when the ex-CL sides join in, but in the last couple of years Liverpool, Arsenal and 'Boro have all shown that it's possible to do well in Europe despite poor form in the EPL.

[MikeH]

You must be very pleased that Arsenal have managed to amass as many points as Reading. Well done.

[Cort Haus]

You forgot the game in hand.

[MikeH]

We've both played 15. Just need to beat the rubbish Newcastle away on weds to leapfrog Portsmouth and Liverpool into the Champions League slots. :beer:

[Cort Haus]

Jolly good. In fact I was very pleased about Reading beating Bolton. I hate Bolton.

[Imran Siddiqui]

It seems the US has gotten their man after all, and instead of settling for Pekerman (Hell of a person to settle for, mind!), Klinsmann seems set to the US's next manager... though not confirmed:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/soccer/12/05/klinsmann.us/index.html

SAN FRANCISCO (SI.com) -- The U.S. Soccer Federation will name German legend and former Germany national coach Jürgen Klinsmann as head coach of the United States men's national team, according to a report by Foxsports.com.

Klinsmann has been linked to the job ever since he stepped down after coaching Germany to a third-place finish at last summer's World Cup. He will reportedly be officially announced as the U.S.' new coach in the next two weeks.

Klinsmann and USSF president Sunil Gulati have held lengthy discussions about the possibility of the former German star forward succeeding Bruce Arena, who coached the team for 7½ years and was let go by Gulati after the World Cup. A source told The Associated Press that negotiations are ongoing and no deal has been reached yet.

As a coach, Klinsmann is respected for turning a staid German team into an exciting, flashy group, which went against the methodical sterotype often attributed to die Mannschaft. Klinsmann will have to similarly turn around a U.S. team that is in desperate need of new ideas and better ways to utilize its significant talent.

The United States is scheduled to play its first game since the World Cup on Jan. 20, an exhibition against Denmark in Carson, Calif. A Feb. 7 exhibition against Mexico in the Phoenix area also has been discussed.

Two tournaments highlight next year's U.S. schedule. The Americans will defend their title at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean, to be played in six U.S. cities from June 6-24. The U.S. team also was invited to the Copa America, the championship of South America, to be played in Venezuela from June 26-July 15.

Among Klinsmann's other challenges will be to name a new captain now that Claudio Reyna has retired from international play and to improve the U.S.' youth system.

The 42-year-old Klinsmann is fluent in English, lives in Newport Beach, Calif., and has considerable knowledge in the U.S. game. He was considered the best choice from a group of candidates that included former Argentina national coach José Pekerman, Manchester United assistant Carlos Queiroz and MLS coaches Bob Bradley and Peter Nowak.

As a player, Klinsmann enjoyed a 17-year career that included stints with VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, AS Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich. He also has 108 apperances for the German national team between 1987 and '98 and was a featured striker on the team that won the '90 World Cup in Italy.

[Lord Avalon]

Ausgezeichnet!

[MikeH]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
Jolly good. In fact I was very pleased about Reading beating Bolton. I hate Bolton.

To be honest, I just like looking at the league table at the moment. :beer:

[Cort Haus]

It's all a bit close at the moment - only one point between 3rd and 9th. The last two CL spots are wide open.

[MikeH]

Top ten finish would be amazing.

[Cort Haus]

I expect Reading are Carlo Cudicini's favourite team now.