La Liga - 2014/15

Last minute penalty stops Moyes winning away I see.
 
This Luciano Vietto guy ain't bad, is he?

Scored another 2 today, match isn't over yet either.
 
Spanish refs and common sense don't go together... Ridiculous straight red to Pina :wenger:
 
This Luciano Vietto guy ain't bad, is he?

Scored another 2 today, match isn't over yet either.


Yep, he's completely usurped Gio dos Santos' spot in the line-up as well, a Gio who had a pretty great season last year. He could become the next great foreign forward at Villarreal. It's usually Atléti who have the biggest rep of having great goalscorers, but the Yellow Submarine has had its fair share of goalgetters as well, Sonny Anderson, Nihat, Forlán, Rossi, Nilmar...

Meanwhile, RM loanee Denis Cheryshev with his 8th assist of the campaign, bringing him level on top with Koke and Cristiano.
 
RM loanee Denis Cheryshev with his 8th assist of the campaign, bringing him level on top with Koke and Cristiano.

Cheryshev seems to have really settled in. He disappeared without trace for a while at Sevilla but he's doing well for Villareal.

Vietto has adapted so fast to Spain. I had to go to Wikipedia to check his pedigree because he appeared to come out of nowhere, even looking at his history it seems he wasn't much of a goalscorer before the move so it's even more impressive. I've always had a lot of respect for Villareal's scouts and it looks like they've done it again.

Meanwhile, thinking of loans to Sevilla, I'm reading reports that Everton might buy Deulofeu. I've got to say, he didn't seem like a Emery player to me, so how is he getting on at Sevilla? I've seen him in a couple of Liga highlights show sort of moments but I can't remember seeing him play a full game.
 
Its great to see Villarreal doing well. I hope they make a deep run into the Europa.
 
First goal scored in the Atlético game from a set piece tonight and for once it's not them who score it. 1-0 Athletic Club.
 
Haven't been able to watch to many Athletic Bilbao games this season unfortunately. How is Iturraspe doing this season?
 
Not the best person to answer either of the above questions to be honest (other than to say Iturraspe isn't playing tonight). I'm only really watching when the commentators get excited.
 
Aduriz should have added a second, just wasted a great one-on-one chance.
 
What a fckin build-up on that goal, seriously impressive stuff.. battling it out in the centre, then ridiculously fast, intricate interplay and ball out wide to Juanfran who's just such a key attacking outlet for them. Great cross, great leap. Game on!

Simeone's bear-hug on Juanfran :lol:
 
Pen to Atléti! Whatever Simeone said or did at HT certainly did the trick. Very soft looking though... can't even see any significant contact there, though you could argue the defender impeded Tiago's run anyway.

1-2, Raúl García converts with ease.
 
Losing diego costa was catastrophic for atletico. Really don't see where they are going to find another one.
 
Griezmann with his 2nd, great first touch and composure after the slip from Gurpegi... again some excellent work in the build-up from Arda to keep hold of the ball and shake off his marker... then Gabi with a great assist to put Griezmann 1v1.

1-3 Atléti
 
Losing diego costa was catastrophic for atletico. Really don't see where they are going to find another one.

Meh, they've never exactly had trouble finding/creating goalgetters... the thing that made Diego Costa so special was that he fit Simeone's system so perfectly that they could keep playing very negative, defensive style but still have him creating loads of danger and chances on his own and finishing those chances. Mandzukic is having a tougher time, as he's a more traditional service-requiring forward than Costa, but still scoring a decent amount so far. Griezmann has also had a slow start, but he's revving up. Great performance from him today.
 
Losing diego costa was catastrophic for atletico. Really don't see where they are going to find another one.
Not catastrophic at all, not great of course, but in no way carastrophic. Atletico have been doing fine without him. Mandzukic - suspended today - is not of the same quality, but he has still scored a few goals and works hard for the team as well.
 
Griezmann loves playing Athletic, his 7th career goal against them already? Hat-trick, slightly fortunate, but very unselfish play and gets it in the end.

1-4 Atlético, what a performance in the 2nd half, what a turnaround, 1-0 down at HT, then 4 goals in 35 minutes.
 
Hold on:If you pass the ball to a player who is behind the goalkeeper, regardless of the pass being backwards, is that not offside?

Griezmann was offside by all definitions, anyway, but I thought that was one of the more esoteric rules.
 
Hold on:If you pass the ball to a player who is behind the goalkeeper, regardless of the pass being backwards, is that not offside?

Griezmann was offside by all definitions, anyway, but I thought that was one of the more esoteric rules.

Yeah, unless there is more than 1 defender behind the GK. Only just now realized it myself, that goal was offside on several levels :lol: same as Cristiano's goal against Depor this season, also ahead of the GK... Spanish refs/linesmen just don't know the rules, what else is new :D
 
Yeah, unless there is more than 1 defender behind the GK. Only just now realized it myself, that goal was offside on several levels :lol: same as Cristiano's goal against Depor this season, also ahead of the GK... Spanish refs/linesmen just don't know the rules, what else is new :D

Shocker from the linesman!
 
Godín gets elbowed by his CB partner Giménez :lol: that nose might be broken, good amount of blood anyway... suddenly loads of casualties, Siqueira doesn't even realize he's been subbed after getting treatment for so long, wtf :lol:

Giménez has been a rock btw, so much potential that lad. Hopefully he won't go the way of Coates, who completely plummeted after an exceptionnal Copa América campaign back in 2011.
 
I thought as long as the player that receives the pass is behind the ball, and the ball is passed backwards, it's onside?
 
Hold on:If you pass the ball to a player who is behind the goalkeeper, regardless of the pass being backwards, is that not offside?

Griezmann was offside by all definitions, anyway, but I thought that was one of the more esoteric rules.
Goalkeeper is irrelevant. If there are two opposition players closer to their goals than you are, then you're not offside.

That's one of the reasons it's not such a great idea to have a player guarding each post during corners.
 
I thought as long as the player that receives the pass is behind the ball, and the ball is passed backwards, it's onside?
You can never be offside if you're behind the ball. If you're in front of the ball there need to be two players closer to the goal when the pass is made. Usually one of those players is the goalkeepers but he doesn't have to be one of them.
 
I thought as long as the player that receives the pass is behind the ball, and the ball is passed backwards, it's onside?

Griezmann was ahead of the ball and everyone else as well when Raúl García passed it back, so... this situation was clear offside.

That equaliser 30 sec after 2nd half kick-off just epitomizes Simeone's Atléti through and through: tough, relentless battling for the ball combined with fast, intricate interplay in tight spaces and finished off with a neat header from a pacey cross.
 
Meh, they've never exactly had trouble finding/creating goalgetters... the thing that made Diego Costa so special was that he fit Simeone's system so perfectly that they could keep playing very negative, defensive style but still have him creating loads of danger and chances on his own and finishing those chances. Mandzukic is having a tougher time, as he's a more traditional service-requiring forward than Costa, but still scoring a decent amount so far. Griezmann has also had a slow start, but he's revving up. Great performance from him today.
Exactly, mandzukic isn't going to provide what costa did even though he isn't a poor player. The thing is they didn't improve the other divisions of their team enough to compensate for the loss of costa. The difference between the quality of the side last season to this one is quite literally the difference in quality between costa and mandzukic.

Costa guaranteed that they'd be a threat in practically every match even when under ridiculous amounts of pressure and that is what made them get such results vs the big boys. When he played for them he played in a way that he could get them points in matches they sometimes didn't deserve to. Those days are well in the past atm.
 
Yep, he's completely usurped Gio dos Santos' spot in the line-up as well, a Gio who had a pretty great season last year. He could become the next great foreign forward at Villarreal. It's usually Atléti who have the biggest rep of having great goalscorers, but the Yellow Submarine has had its fair share of goalgetters as well, Sonny Anderson, Nihat, Forlán, Rossi, Nilmar...

Meanwhile, RM loanee Denis Cheryshev with his 8th assist of the campaign, bringing him level on top with Koke and Cristiano.
Gio has been injured, though. When he's 100% fit I can see them both playing, but who knows? He certainly has a lot more competition now. Villareal really deepened their squad.