mario

[Lancet Fluke]

After all the slagging off of Serie A on here, and how Mario has found his level, wouldn't it be hilariously ironic if both Italian teams went through whilst the two English teams go out.

The current Premier League is poor, I certainly don't think it is any better than Serie A. People in England are deluded about the quality of the Prem. Saying Mario has found his level is unfair but I do think the style and pace of football is totally different in Italy so it is more that he is back playing in a league where the football suits him.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

After all the slagging off of Serie A on here, and how Mario has found his level, wouldn't it be hilariously ironic if both Italian teams went through whilst the two English teams go out.

The current Premier League is poor, I certainly don't think it is any better than Serie A. People in England are deluded about the quality of the Prem. Saying Mario has found his level is unfair but I do think the style and pace of football is totally different in Italy so it is more that he is back playing in a league where the football suits him.

Maybe Mario is just a good player who has run into form.

Italians are not exactly known for being poor defenders.

 

[decmancity]

Playing every game when possible is why he is performing IMO.

He had one serious run of games last year and he was fantastic. Leading up to the 6-1 he scored in 5 consecutive games.

He is a confidence player so it was never surprising to me when he would come off the bench and do nothing.

Always used to frustrate me when Mancini talked him up saying he can do this and that yet never gave him a run of games to show it. Balo would put in a great performance v Wigan scoring the winner and then drop him.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

The current Premier League is poor, I certainly don't think it is any better than Serie A.

<a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_coefficient" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_coefficient</a>

 

[Joe hart's itchy scalp]

The current Premier League is poor, I certainly don't think it is any better than Serie A.

<a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_coefficient" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_coefficient</a>

Yes, because england are the second best national team in the world.

 

[supercrystal7]

Barcelona were very good today, but they were by no means unbeatable. Messi and Iniesta shone. The Milan team was just not experienced or mentally tough enough yet. To go into the second leg against this Barcelona team and get a result, you need an incredibly strong team. I think in the last 8 years only Inter Milan and Chelsea have managed to do it, with two unbelievably strong teams.

The defining moment of the match was Niang's chance before Messi's second brilliant goal. If Milan go into half time 1-1 with Barcelona needing to score 3 in one half, then it changes everything.

I personally would have gone with experience. You cannot win anything with kids. Having said that if Balotelli was playing today, I think Milan may have pulled off the result. I expect he will be the best traditional striker in the world in 2 years time.


As for the comparison between Serie A and the Premiership? Our top 6 is very strong, but the quality of the league really tails off after that. I am not even sure our top two our much better than Milan and Juventus. In Serie A the bottom teams are much stronger. Even when they lack quality they are all mini Norwich's. Mentally strong with discipline and perform well above their level.

 

[baildon blue]

I bet the lad`s sad tonight.Barcelona smashed A.c Milan tonight fantastic.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

The current Premier League is poor, I certainly don't think it is any better than Serie A.

<a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_coefficient" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_coefficient</a>

Yes, because england are the second best national team in the world.

I think you need to master your material more thoroughly before trying to be sarcastic with me, sunshine.

Country coefficient
The country coefficient is used to rank the football associations of Europe, and thus determine the number of clubs from an association that will participate in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League

English club sides, not the national team form the basis of the second (soon to be third, I suspect) ranking to which you presumably refer.

The England national team ranking on that link was fifth, not second, for 2009 and 2011, as your hastily conceived post seems to boldly suggests.

I'd suggest picking a fight with someone nearer your own size next time. Choose your battles more carefully.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

The current Premier League is poor, I certainly don't think it is any better than Serie A.

<a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_coefficient" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_coefficient</a>

The coefficients are done over a few years arent they? When I said I don't think the Prem is currently better than Serie A, I am talking about this season. I think the Prem has gone really down hill in the last two years and is currently very ordinary. I also think those co-efficients will be skewed by Chelsea's lucky winning of the CL when they were actually a very poor team. The coefficients are a reasonable guide but they are just that, a guide, I don't think they prove anything.
Edit: Also, looking at those figures, am I right in thinking that Serie A currently has a marginally higher coefficient for this season than the Prem?

 

[Lancet Fluke]

After all the slagging off of Serie A on here, and how Mario has found his level, wouldn't it be hilariously ironic if both Italian teams went through whilst the two English teams go out.

The current Premier League is poor, I certainly don't think it is any better than Serie A. People in England are deluded about the quality of the Prem. Saying Mario has found his level is unfair but I do think the style and pace of football is totally different in Italy so it is more that he is back playing in a league where the football suits him.

Maybe Mario is just a good player who has run into form.

Italians are not exactly known for being poor defenders.

I have no doubt he is a good player and I actually said I think that Serie A is at least as good as the Prem currently so I certainly don't think defences in Italy are worse than over here. I actually think that defending in the Prem is fucking terrible at the moment, by and large. And despite defending being poor, he still didn't quite cut it here imo. I think it would be difficult to argue that the tempo and physicality (apologies for using such a shite word) of the Prem aren't very different from Serie A and I just wonder whether the different pace of the game suits him over there. That's all.