Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

[steveeeeeeeee]

I'm heading off to Alvalade XXI to watch this match in about 20 minutes and I'm really looking forward to it because I've got a sneaky suspicion that Sporting are going to stuff them.

Since Simon Vukcevic and Paulo Bento decided to put there differences to one side for the sake of football (the differences are still visably there and will also remain so), Sporting have really looked twice the team they were in the first half of the season. Izmalov, Moutinho, Vukcevic, Derlei and Liedson form a formiddable attacking team reminiscent of Deportivo de La Coruņa at the start of the decade. I also like Pedro Silva. the new right back at Sporting, who's finally starting to get the nod over the fairly useless Abel.

[Guest]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

Vukcevic on the bench tonight -- maybe Bento still nurses his animus after all . . .

Bayern have picked a very attack-minded-looking lineup.

[Incandenza]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

steveeeeeeeee wrote:

I've got a sneaky suspicion that Sporting are going to stuff them.

Well...

[hobbes]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

Poor Steveeeeeeee...

[Ant van Oviedo]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

Cursed for calling them "Sporting Lisbon", I suppose.

[Guest]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

Incandenza wrote:

steveeeeeeeee wrote:

I've got a sneaky suspicion that Sporting are going to stuff them.

Well...

Stevee mistyped, he meant to say "... going to stuff them in the return leg. Benefit of the doubt and all!

[Tactical Genius]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

I love Steveeeeeee as he never sits on the bench and everything is either really brilliant or completely shit.

However, this is a thread that must cause him embarrassment.
Chin up mate we all have days like this........ Well I don't of course but the rest of you do.

I am watching the goals now and it seems like the Lisbon team sacked thier centre-halves before the game and replaced them with the leaders of the Lisbon chapter of the Bayern Munich supporters club.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

I'm a bit drunk, so let's have it...

See, the problem with everybody on this board is that all you see is the final score and the highlights on Sky news, whereas I actually go to 20 odd games a season. Hence The Mighty Hudson's snarky comment yesterday about everybody wanting to meet Porto or Atletico in the next round when anybody who actually watched the match would be able to tell you that Porto walked all over Madrid and the only dodgy thing about them was their abominable finishing which left them ending the game at 2-2 rather than winning 5-1 (Helton's f+ck up considered)

F*ck knows what Paulo Bento was thinking tonight, for the last 15 minutes of the game the Sportinguistas were singing "Paulo Bento, f*ck off you big cock" (it sounds better in Portuguese). It was a suicidal selection tonight, your team annihilates their fiercest local rivals in style on Saturday so what do you do? Take out two of the most influential players in that game and replace them with dross like Abel and Romagnoli. To top it all, he took off Izmalov when he eventually brought on Vukcevic. Bento is f*cking nuts.

Overall, apologies for believing.

[Tactical Genius]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

The defending was suspiciously poorand got worse and worse.
The was one where a big looping cross was put in that seemed to be in the air for about 5 seconds whilst the Lisbon defender stood next the the Munich striker (klose or Toni) pointing to the part of the goal he should head it in to.

Teams only play this badly on purpose.

[Guest]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

steveeeeeeeee wrote:

I'm a bit drunk, so let's have it...

See, the problem with everybody on this board is that all you see is the final score and the highlights on Sky news, whereas I actually go to 20 odd games a season.

[...]

Overall, apologies for believing.

Nah mate, don't apologize. Screw the losers who drop in to point and laugh. I totally believe as well (different teams) and I've learned to tune out the nattering nabobs of negativity.

[erwin]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

I'm with you, steveee - it was worth a shout after the really impressive display at the weekend, then Paulo Bento just invents willy nilly. Tonel hadn't played for ages. Romagnoli would be a waste of space against someone like Vitória de Setúbal, so against Bayern ... Vukcevic on the bench?

Having said that, (and I only saw extended highlights), Sporting had the bettwer of the first half, it seemed. But that first Ribéry goal really deflated them, and unlike Porto on Tuesday, they didn't have the stuff to come back.

[Tactical Genius]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

The first goal was hillarious, it was something out of a roy of the rovers comic as the nippy winger runs through the two big centre-halves who attempt to sandwich him but end up tackling each other.
Real sunday morning alehouse stuff.

[Guest]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

Having watched Sporting's two frankly pitiful performances against the Huns in last season's UEFA Cup, I have to say I'm not surprised by this scoreline in the least.

[Guest]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

steveeeeeeeee wrote:

For the last 15 minutes of the game the Sportinguistas were singing "Paulo Bento, f*ck off you big cock" (it sounds better in Portuguese).

It sounds pretty excellent in English to be fair. Certainly better than 'who are yer', etc.

[Ray de Galles]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

steveeeeeeeee wrote:

See, the problem with everybody on this board is that all you see is the final score and the highlights on Sky news, whereas I actually go to 20 odd games a season.

Ooooooooooooooh , get her!

There are quite a few of us who do the same or more you know, and they're very odd games some of them.

[Etienne]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

I think steveeeeeeee meant in relation to Portuguese football.

[Ray de Galles]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

Yes, that's entirely possible.

Both games he's talking about could have been watched in full in the UK though, not that many people did though I'm sure.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

I was talking in general and I must admit, even as I was typing p1ssed-up last night I was thinking that there are people like Moitie, Rick, GO and Harri who probably put my own annual match attending to shame. So, apoloies to you guys. However, it's extremely rare that any of you will ever be quick to point the finger at a failed prediction or misjudged statistic. On the whole the people who regularly attend games seem more inclined to report on the event as a whole rather than the result, which I find far more engaging.

Saying that, I love stats too.

[Tactical Genius]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

Come on Steveeeeeeee, we are laughing because of your prediction. We were expecting Sorting to do to Munich what Munich did to Sporting.
Also an aggravating factor was the comedyness of the goals conceeded.
A bit of advice from the Tactical Genius when it comes to match predictions, wait for the teams to be named, if you cannot do this then put in a caveat that reads like, "if the coach picks players X,Y,Z the team will win"

This covers me when making predictions of tinkermen managed teams like Liverpool.

[Moonlight Shadow]

Sporting Lisbon V Bayern Munich

Steveee mate, I've been to three games this season, I've kind of given up on the whole thing...