Arguably the teams would not be there without his contribution. Unbelievable goal against United, sending them through against the odds? For Holland, he scores the decisive goal against Slovakia in the World Cup last 16, as well as a goal in the semis. He's the only player on the Dutch team who is quick enough and intelligent enough to get into those 1 v 1 situations (though some younger players are starting to come through). This is considering that he was actually injured during the tournament and he was meant to miss it (which makes me think, do you know more about the injury situation with the KNVB, ATW? what happened in reality?). Other tournaments: 1. Goal against France in the 4-1 demolition in Euro 2008. 2. Goal against Serbia in the World Cup 2006. 3. Last penalty against Sweden in Euro 2004, sending them through to the semis. First penalty win for Holland, ending a national trauma. Overall, he has been an absolutely crucial member for Holland for the last 10 years and I don't think anyone else in our country thinks differently. You're thinking about the decisive moment in the Final WC 2010 - - Casillas was very lucky that toe just about saved that. It's not like it was a terrible shot from Robben. For Bayern, yes he choked. Misses in the 2012 Final (including penalty) as well as against Dortmund. I'm interested to know whether you also call Messi a choker for Argentina as well. Or other big players that have missed at the decisive moments. Baggio 1994, Zidane 2006, Kahn 2002, the list goes on. Even Ronaldo for Portugal prior to 2012.
Choker is a bit strong though. I'm mostly trying to get under ATW's skin and plant that seed ahead of time
ATW, is so awesome that you get to spend time with the players. Im so envious. I've always liked Bayern but more so now that Pep will be your coach. I envision lots of Cules supporting Bayern in the future. I do agree on Robben coming off a bit arrogant, sort of like CR7.
I wouldn't call Messi a chocker with Argentina but he doesnt perform as magical as with Barca. I blame Higuain for the failures of Argentina in last WC, I lost count of the number of goals he failed to score. People always fail to mention that Messi played a different position with Argentina, sort of a fusion of Xavis and Iniestas position. You really can't call him a chocker for not scoring when that wasn't his function. It's like people expect him to kick the corner and run to the box for a header, smh.
The problem with Bayern is that they generally perform well when they are underdogs and dark horses but as soon as they become remotely favorites, they become big time bottlers. Robben is definitely a choker; choked in the 2010 WC final, had one of the GOAT chokejob in the 2012 CL final and was just pure fail in the 2012 Euro. He must also be one of the few players hated by opponents and teammates alike. In many ways, he is the Kobe of football: when you give the ball to this whiny, selfish cheat, you aren't seeing it back.
We are down to the final 8 with the following: Barcelona Real Madrid Bayern Munich Dorussia Dortmund Juventus Paris Saint Germain Malaga Galatasarey There will be another draw to determine the matchups, but this time teams from the same group and country can be drawn against one another. With 3 Spanish teams left I can see one of the quarterfinal matchups pitting two Spanish teams against one another. While I would love to see another Madrid/Barcelona matchup, I got a feeling Malaga is going to be drawn against one of the "big 2". We don't have to wait long as the draw for the quarterfinals is tomorrow. This is how I see it shaking out. Real Madrid Malaga Paris Saint Germain Juventus Barcelona Bayern Munich Borussia Dortmund Galatasarey How do you see the draw unfolding?
I foresee a Malaga vs Galatasaray finals making this one of the most boring finals since Marseille won in 1993.
Nope, they don't. Müller and Robben, although they often compete for the same position, actually get along great.
Bayern vs. Juve, didn't want that as I see them as dark horses for the title. Let's hope Bayern will be in top form. Real vs. Galatasaray.
