I think the big thing is that squad is in a bit of a transition between old and young.
They have added some good young pieces in their early 20s but none of them are really quite ready for the prime time yet, and their veterans that led them to the 4 champions league titles just aren't the same guys anymore whether it's injury or age.
Ramos is 33 and slowing down.
Marcelo is 31 and battling injuries and age.
Kroos is 29 and has battled injuries.
Modric is 34 and hasn't been the same since the World Cup in 2018.
Isco is 27 and has battled nagging injuries and hasn't been in form.
Benzema is 31 and always worked best with Ronaldo.
Bale is 30 and everyone knows about his struggles at Madrid.
So I'm not sure it's the coach...the team got old.
Last edited by SuperMatt18; 09-17-2019 at 07:01 PM.
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I'm struggling to see the point of VAR so far. Obvious dive by Napoli on the penalty and VAR doesn't overturn it. It really only seems useful when it comes to calling offside.
I didn't see the penalty today, but the implementation seems to be just about confirming calls and not actually making any others. They don't want to overturn calls or anything like that. But you're definitely right... they're calling players who are a mm offside. It's perplexing.
I didn't see the penalty today, but the implementation seems to be just about confirming calls and not actually making any others. They don't want to overturn calls or anything like that. But you're definitely right... they're calling players who are a mm offside. It's perplexing.
It looked like a penalty when it was live, but it's a clear dive in the replay. The only contact was after the dive started when he drags his leg into Robertson. Seems to me like it should have been a perfect opportunity for VAR to get the call right.
Lionel Messi wins his 6th FIFA player of year award, with Virgil van Dijk and Ronaldo finishing 2nd and 3rd.
Full FIFA team of the year:
Alisson Becker
Sergio Ramos, Matthijs de Ligt, Virgil van Dijk, Marcelo
Luka Modric, Frenkie de Jong
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Eden Hazard
I have absolutely no clue what Marcelo, Ramos and Modric did last season to even deserve a nomination.
I would replace Marcelo with Robertson, Modric with Kevin de Bruyne and Ramos with Kalidou Koulibaly.
And at least one of Salah or Mane deserves it more than Hazard IMO.
Madrid are pretty much a disaster and have three players there, Man City are possibly VAR away from the Quadruple and don't get a single player. Makes sense.
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