Rafa Watch

[saj]

So average teams should play well at home against the team that played in the CL final a few months ago.

Priceless

How is that pricess? You really are an absolute tool Arn. The point I was making was that a mid tier/average team should always expect to play well at home and they normally do unless they are up against Barcelona! Did you watch Basle play at any point last season in the Champions League? Or Shaktar? Or maybe a very average Malaga team that were 2 minutes away from knocking out Dortmund - last years finalists were lucky to be there if you recall which you probably don't (and normally when you don't recall things, you make things up). Dortmund are not the team they were 2 years ago although they have made a decent start to the season. They have lost their best player. The point I was making was that you would expect a better than average team such as Napoli to play very well at home but they really did not play that well against Dortmund in the first half.

[Arn]

"Forgot" that Dortmund replaced Götze with an even better player and one of the French league best attacking players.

"Forgot" that Rafa had to learn his squad a completely new system and completely new tactic.

"Forgot" that Shakhtar was almost impossible to beat at home and had one of the best squads on the planet.

Dortmund totally outplayed teams like Real Madrid and Man C. I guess that you also forgot that.

Priceless

[saj]

"Forgot that Malaga tore Dortmund a new a-hole"

"Forgot that Dortmund had 10 men against Napoli for 55mins"

"Forgot that Gundogan was not playing either"

"Demonstrated why he is a priceless tool of a poster"

And what new system did the man of your wet dreams have to learn?

Sorry you are right just as you predicted Lucas was a fantastic defensive midfielder when he joined

[little dave hedgehog]

he meant teach. he "learned" them a new system, as they would say in texas.

[RedReet]

Did I? Check my post again

And it makes a big difference. You'd expect even average teams to play well at home and the fact Dortmund were getting chances up to the sending off says that Napoli really didn't dominate them. And doesn't it make a difference if a team is down to 10 men?

It doesn't make a difference that the keeper was sent off because you were arguing that BEFORE he got sent off Dortmund were the better team.

And how many chances did Dortmund have that makes you think they could have turned around a 2 goal deficit, which it would have been if not for the handball? Let's not forget that they were away from home too, so despite the fact you're arguing that even average teams are hard to beat at home, you expected Dortmund to overcome that and score 3 goals in the second half without conceding, even though that never looked like happening in the first half.

[Arn]

It doesn't make a difference that the keeper was sent off because you were arguing that BEFORE he got sent off Dortmund were the better team.

And how many chances did Dortmund have that makes you think they could have turned around a 2 goal deficit, which it would have been if not for the handball? Let's not forget that they were away from home too, so despite the fact you're arguing that even average teams are hard to beat at home, you expected Dortmund to overcome that and score 3 goals in the second half without conceding, even though that never looked like happening in the first half.

I have him on ignore but I had to see what it was all about. Shouldn't have done that. Just the usual personal attacks, not surprised at all. He is like that, thinks it is funny to make personal attacks. Thinks that he will score easy popularity points by make personal attacks on me. I'm laughing my head off.

He really can't admit when he get things wrong. When he do that he make personal attacks.

By the way, he also forgot that Malaga had only lost one game in the CL before they played Dortmund, the game they lost was away to Porto. He also forgot that they had a lot of very good players signed by the very strange owner. Malaga also had Pellegrini as manager, but who cares, they was crap.

Dortmund is still undefeated in the league this season and won the German super cup against Bayern. So yes, they are a team that most CL clubs should have a chance to beat at home, or maybe not.

I wonder what personal attacks he will do now?

It is posting style to do it.

[saj]

If I'm on ignore you won't be able to read this Arn: Rafa smells

[Muddled]

If I'm on ignore you won't be able to read this Arn: Rafa smells

He can now.

Unless I'm on ignore too.

Anyway, as you were.

[Yozza]

He can now.

Unless I'm on ignore too.

Anyway, as you were.

[Arn]

He can now.

Unless I'm on ignore too.

Anyway, as you were.

I'm sure that Rafa smells sometimes when he farts or get sweaty.

[Muddled]

Yup.

[The_weatherman]

That ridiculous "discussion" aside.

I think it's plain to see that Rafa is doing a marvellous job so far in his first season with Napoli. Most of the squad has been playing 3-5-2 counter attacking football in recent seasons but are now using Rafa's 4-2-3-1. He won Milan away after playing in the CL which is not easy and he has a feelgood factor going in the squad.

He bought really well for the season and I can see him winning major trophies with Napoli, this season and next if he continues.

[wiw]

I stuck £10 on Napoli winning the CL so I hope so

I know any team can beat any team on their day, nothing is set in stone, but I genuinely think Rafa could beat ANY team of any era, with for instance Liverpool's 2008/09 squad. That's a specific team I know, but the same goes for this Napoli team, his Valencia team - any team that is at least in his mould - because he is a master at nullifying the oppositions strengths and simultaneously exploiting their weaknesses. I'm not inside the guys head of course but I just have a strong overwhelming feeling that the guy is a ****ing genius at it. In summary; I ****ing love Rafa

[magicalbarnes]

I stuck £10 on Napoli winning the CL so I hope so

I know any team can beat any team on their day, nothing is set in stone, but I genuinely think Rafa could beat ANY team of any era, with for instance Liverpool's 2008/09 squad. That's a specific team I know, but the same goes for this Napoli team, his Valencia team - any team that is at least in his mould - because he is a master at nullifying the oppositions strengths and simultaneously exploiting their weaknesses. I'm not inside the guys head of course but I just have a strong overwhelming feeling that the guy is a ****ing genius at it. In summary; I ****ing love Rafa

[Shaggy]

Love this from Rafa

Of all those he enjoyed working with at Chelsea, perhaps David Luiz stood out the most. The recent furore over his performance against Everton, and subsequent dropping for last night’s match, leaves Benitez unmoved.

‘He’s one of the best central defenders in the world,’ says Benitez. ‘I was coaching him and I can tell you he’s one of the best in the world, because he has everything. You just have to manage him properly — and then he is one of the best in the world.