The Daily bets, Banter & Accumulators thread III

Franco Salty Seal wrote: »

Rubin Kazan

Single
@2.05

Djurgardens DC
St Patricks DC

Double
@2.12

No :,(

Dundalk v BATE
Over 1.5 Total Goals

1.40

I know its not much but its a safe bet considering both teams had over 3.5 goals in both their second legs in previous round.

The Talking Bread wrote: »

Dundalk 1-0!

Yaaaaaay

The Talking Bread wrote: »

sarcasm I presume! Not the scoreline that helps my bets but brilliant going for Irish football

Sorry, not sarcasm. Just delighted for Dundalk. Corners bet now,ya?

Franco Salty Seal wrote: »

Dundalk v BATE
Over 1.5 Total Goals

1.40

I know its not much but its a safe bet considering both teams had over 3.5 goals in both their second legs in previous round.

Well done dundalk, good luck to them in the remaining minutes.

More importantly as a rebel, Corcaigh Abú amárach!

Monaco
Single

1.90

Preview
While an unfortunate injury to goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis forced youngster Loic Badiashile into action last Wednesday, Monaco looked none the worse for wear. Yes, a 2-1 loss to Fenerbahce was less than ideal, but given their away goal, the tie is far from over. Indeed, with first-choice goalkeeper Danijel Subasic back in training, as well as newly arrived centre back Kamil Glik and freshly minted European U-19 champion Kylian Mbappe, Monaco look to be stronger top to bottom compared to last Wednesday. Leonardo Jardim‘s 4-4-2 made its maiden voyage without much incident, the players willingly taking up their roles within it.

Up top, Valere Germain and Radamel Falcao hardly represent the archetypal strike partnership, but they seem to relish the system. Germain was fantastic on loan at Nice last season, scoring freely but also showing great determination and work ethic. His movement was integral in creating space for Hatem Ben Arfa, and while Monaco used a double pivot as opposed to a diamond, Germain’s ceaseless efforts (and goals) were key to his returning to his parent club. More of a surprise, though, was a similarly gritty performance from Falcao last Wednesday.

Following an undistinguished pair of loan spells in England with Manchester United and Chelsea, little was expected of the Colombian, his presence in the first eleven seemingly down to his wages and reputation. This new system represented a novel approach from Jardim, who has preferred a lone striker through a variety of systems, but given the glut of center forwards on the club’s roster has moved to the current system. It should be said, that there may be logic to Jardim’s thinking beyond roster composition. After all, while Falcao had impressed at Porto, he truly cemented his status as a world-class center forward under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, where the team won their first major honors playing a double pivot with two center forwards, Diego Costa partnering him in attack.

Obviously, Germain and Costa are different types of players, but both are willing to get stuck in and create space when necessary. With Falcao himself displaying a surprising amount of energy in pulling defenders about to create options for Thomas Lemar, Monaco weren’t without opportunities, and the work-rate of the two strikers was key to that. Nabil Dirar hit the post from a tight angle, and with a goal from a free-kick harshly ruled out for offside, there was every chance that the match could have swung the Monegasques’ way. This is not to say that the team’s performance was flawless.



Fabinho and Tiemoue Bakayoko played as the double pivot, and while each are full of promise, they may equally have revealed their limitations. Bakayoko is still very young (21) and inexperienced, his development hindered by missing large portions of each of the last two seasons. Seen as the heir apparent to Geoffrey Kondogbia, Bakayoko is of a similar type, tall and a fine tackler, but he lacks the Inter Milan player’s ability to make those dynamic Toure-esque runs from midfield. Likewise, Fabinho, schooled as a right-back, is a fine defender, and is decent playing the ball out from the back, but is essentially as limited as Bakayoko. Without the likes of Jeremy Toulalan or Joao Moutinho alongside them, the two-man midfield becomes necessarily restricted. Adama Traore, although generally used in more advanced positions at Lille and with his national team, is an intriguing option, given his dribbling skills and range of passing. With Monaco needing a goal, the young Malian at least deserves consideration.

The defense was also a bit problematic, as they struggled a bit to cope with Fenerbahce’s 3-5-2. Long balls, either over the top or played in from the wings, are a fairly simple attacking philosophy, but the two center backs looked at sea on numerous occasions. Jemerson, the young Brazilian, is highly thought of, but struggles with his positioning, being over-reliant on his pace to atone for his errors. His partner, Andrea Raggi, is slower of foot and better in the air, but with Jemerson featuring just four times last season, the two have had little opportunity to develop any sort of chemistry. Marcel Tisserand is an option from the bench, and Kamil Glik is training with the team after returning from the European Championships, but with match fitness being so important at this stage of the season, Jardim would do well to persist with the same pair as last week.

The two new Frenchmen, fullbacks Djibril Sidibe and Benjamin Mendy, played decent enough last week, but were often forced to sit deep and narrow to contend with the bulky center forward pairing of Emmanuel Emenike and Fernandao. With some better chemistry between the center backs, the hope here is that those two can show more attacking impetus, providing width as the likes of Lemar, Dirar and Bernardo Silva cut inside. As it was, they did little going forward, and Mendy was guilty of allowing Gregory van der Wiel to play the pass for the winner. They are certainly, as their transfer fees attest, more than capable players, but a combination of nerves and an unfamiliar system limited the pair.

Monaco were a hairsbreadth away from a draw or even a win in Istanbul. While Jardim’s changes are somewhat radical in the context of his history, the players did a fairly decent job in executing his plan, and if they persist with a bit more focus, the team should have enough to progress, giving hope of a third French team in the knockout stages.

ref: frenchfootballweekly

unplayable wrote: »

Leicester @12s v barca seems
Very high imo! Barca missing loads

They are in their dungie wungie....