Excellent. Typical Italian stereotypes out the window, then. Pity the tournament will be played at such an hour as to render it invisible to us in Europe...

Indeed; unless Gentile manages to pull off several of those brain transfers beloved of Looney Tunes cartoons, the defence will leak like a sieve as soon as they come up against a quality team.

I've got a ticket to the final, I'll let you know how it goes.

I'll let you know how it goes right now. Argentina 5, someone-or-other 0.

If Mascherano gets injured, I will personally raise the Belgrano, and sink it again.

Ronaldinho, Robinho and Diego have been named to the Brazil squad, as Dunga tries to win back the Great Brazilian Public after the Selecao's recent inept performances in World Cup qualifiers.

That squad in full (from l'Equipe): GARDIENS : Diego (Almeria), Renan (Internacional)
Défenseurs: Marcelo (Real Madrid), Ilsinho (Chaktior Donetsk), Rafinha (Schalke 04), Thiago Silva (Fluminense), Alex Silva (Sao Paulo), Breno (Bayern Munich).
MILIEUX : Lucas (Liverpool), Anderson (Manchester United), Hernanes (Sao Paulo), Ronaldinho (FC Barcelone), Diego (Werder Brême), Thiago Neves (Fluminense)
ATTAQUANTS : Robinho (Real Madrid), Alexandre Pato (AC Milan), Rafael Sobis (Betis Séville), Jo (Manchester City).

Based on his most recent form you can't help but think selecting Ronaldinho is a major risk by Dunga. He already has Diego and Thiago Neves to run the team. Adding Ronaldinho also meant dropping Cruzeiro's Wagner a pretty darn good player. The upside if Ronaldinho comes in shape and plays up to potential Brasil will be a medal contender. The down side is a failed team and the likely end of Dunga's time as coach of the selecao.

I like the look of the rest of the team though. How about this as a starting XI: Diego Alves- Rafinha, Thiago Silva, Alex Silva (Breno), Marcelo- Anderson, Lucas- Diego, Ronaldinho- Alexandre Pato, Robinho

If Ronaldinho is on, that is a team which can contend for the title.

Benvenidos, Merengue (he says through clenched teeth, being a Barca socio).

I think your first paragraph is spot on, though there are other people on here who watch the Brasilero more closely (principally Sid James and Pitaco da Gringo, who does it for a living).

QUOTE:
Abate is likely to be the starting keeper and is Milan's great hope for the post-Dida era

He's a winger though, isn't he? You might be confusing him with Christian Abbiati, or even Beniamino Abate, the former Inter 'keeper, or both, or neither.

You're right.

Both about the mistake and its source(s), though I was also misled by a Milanista colleague.

Otro Madridista! Genial! Bienvenidos, merengue. You'll find we're very much in the minority here. Well, it's just you and me in fact. Hence my excitement.

ursus - I've always meant to ask - why do you alway write Benvenidos? Are you mangling Italian/Spanish or (possibly) Catalan/Spanish on purpose or by accident?

In this case it was on purpose, but it may well not have been in other cases. My typing and spelling are decreasing in quality as my post count increases.

Gracias Jon! I am surprised there aren't any other madridistas here. I guess that explains why I couldn't find any threads on Madrid or really on Spanish football yet. I am sure some will turn up soon.

pitacodogringo is the one who referred me to this message board by the way. He and I also post on another board too.

I just read a wire service story that Werder Bremen and Schalke are trying to prevent Diego and Rafinha from playing in the Olympics but my understanding is clubs are obligated to release U-23 players. It is only overage players where the clubs, if they wish, may block a player going to the Olympics. This is what Bayern Munich did to Martin Demichelis who Argentina wanted to call up.

We'll learn some other Olympic team rosters soon too. I am curious to see who Holland, Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast will call up.

D'oh--two madridistas now? A while back, we ranked clubs in order of feelings towards them, assigning more points to "main" clubs and less to others. I think Jon put West Brom higher than Real Madrid, so my choice of the Galaxy as my top club meant that they were more followed than Real Madrid on the board.

Merengue, the board moved recently to a new location.

The current Futbol Espanol thread is here.

And last season's (rather longer and read only) thread is here.

Breaking News.

Barca are refusing to release Ronaldinho for Beijing.

Why on earth are clubs allowed to do this?

"I think Jon put West Brom higher than Real Madrid, so my choice of the Galaxy as my top club meant that they were more followed than Real Madrid on the board."

No, I'm fairly sure I put them both on the same number of points, Inca. 'Swhat I usually do anyway. Maybe there were a few other sympathisers of the Galaxy.