The Soccer Thread (Version 7.0)

RvP with a first half hat trick. Absent something extraordinary, Man United gets the title today.

 

So QPR and Reading will still be "alive" when they meet on Sunday.

 

Death, taxes and the sun rising in the east.

Now if Giggs could just get a goal.

 

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

Villa's defense back to its early-season form. Good thing Kagawa didn't feel like piling on more abuse.

 

Looks like Bayern's president is going to prison.

The Schadenfreude force is strong with this one, Luke.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/world/europe/bayern-president-faces-prison-in-tax-evasion-case.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0

 

He'll be a hero on Facebook for his tax stand within a few weeks.

 

It was like playing pick up hoops where the guards are slow and don't commit to running back. They left so much space behind the defense that it was simple to ping balls over the top.

 

Bayern scores first. And they've committed to triggering Mario Gotze's release clause from Dortmund.

 

Barcelona fell asleep tonight.

 

I'd say it's more like consistently playing a back line held together by duct tape and chewing gum finally caught up with Barcelona. They can get away with such things in Spain and in the Champions League group stage, but not against a complete team like Bayern.

Maybe this will be the wake-up call Barcelona needs to quit neglecting its defense -- Puyol can't play forever, Abidal can't seem to stay healthy and Mascherano is still a converted midfielder. If the club can wave silly money in front of Neymar, it can come up with a few million to fix obvious problems at the back.