2018-2019 (Soccer) Football Thread

So if you're interested in some one-of-a-kind continental finals, Boca and River are facing each other in the Copa Libertadores final.

First leg, next week.
 
So if you're interested in some one-of-a-kind continental finals, Boca and River are facing each other in the Copa Libertadores final.

First leg, next week.
It will be nice to watch a real football match for a change compared to the sanitised, money driven, tourist leagues that we get fed in Europe these days.
 
I am all for more opportunities for PSG, Neymar and Mbappe to be exposed.

Arsenal v Liverpool was a good game, still feels like everyone is a step behind City though.
 
Both sides had loads of quality chances. What a fucking match though.. so glad we got a point.. really shows the growth. This match was a true benchmark.

It's wild though how easy it is for Liverpool to be dangerous.. and it takes Arsenal almost 3 times the amount of passes and movement to make a real moment. Sure it was a lot of counter attacking, but nevertheless Liverpool are so damn scary.


Fuck City.. don't talk about those fucks.
 

destinyunknown

Banned deucer.
It will be nice to watch a real football match for a change compared to the sanitised, money driven, tourist leagues that we get fed in Europe these days.
How often do you watch Copa Libertadores (or South American club football in general)? I've tried to watch it myself a few times and it's always very disappointing. It's pretty similar to watching League One (or low tier Championship) games, yeah there's fervent supporters and a lot of aggression, but the games severely lack quality. Libertadores seldom makes for good spectating, sadly.

I say that but I'll probably still watch the final, even though I know I'll end up as disappointed as in previous years. At least this time around there's an extra incentive to watch the final so that's something I guess?

Two bombshells from Der Spiegel today:
Documents Show Secret Plans for Elite League of Top Clubs

As UEFA General Secretary, Infantino Worked on Behalf of Gulf-Owned Clubs Manchester City and PSG

So honestly nothing that we weren't suspecting, but nonetheless pretty huge. FFP is a joke and we should get Salah and Alisson back. This will probably be swept under the rug and business will go on as usual, though.
How does this have anything to do with Salah and Alisson? Do you realize Liverpool isn't Gulf-Owned?

And not even that, do you realize Roma wouldn't pass FFP regulations if they weren't selling players every year? Stop complaining about Roma selling players, they have two options:

a) Keep doing what they're doing until they manage to pay their debts
b) Face bankruptcy

You choose (or start supporting a different club if it annoys you so much), but stop whining about Roma's management being stupid ffs
 
How does this have anything to do with Salah and Alisson? Do you realize Liverpool isn't Gulf-Owned?

And not even that, do you realize Roma wouldn't pass FFP regulations if they weren't selling players every year? Stop complaining about Roma selling players, they have two options:

a) Keep doing what they're doing until they manage to pay their debts
b) Face bankruptcy

You choose (or start supporting a different club if it annoys you so much), but stop whining about Roma's management being stupid ffs
What are FFP regulations? Something you can violate and come up with your own punishment for? Like racking up 200m in deficits, and only having to pay 20m to get out of? I mean Pallotta ain't an Arab but I'm also not trying to say that PSG and City owners being Arabs have to do with anything. But uh, in case you didn’t catch it, I wasn’t being serious about getting them back lmao.

Of course Roma management has been stupid, look at the players we brought in since Monchi took over. It wouldn't hurt as much if his purchases are actually good, but so far only Cengiz and Kolarov have been good, Olsen and N'Zonzi have both been decent in their first seasons. The rest?

Rick Karsdorp: injured for essentially the entire time
Hector Moreno: ass, was sold in the winter transfer window that same season
Maxime Gonalons: ass
Gregoire Defrel: ass
Patrik Schick: potential is there but time is running out for him, literally the only sliver of hope is that he's been alright for Czech Republic
Jonathan Silva: did he even play?
Javier Pastore: inconsistent, more bad than good
Justin Kluivert: hasn't played much, shown flashes but not enough
Davide Santon: inconsistent, more good than bad
Ante Coric: hasn't played much
Bryan Cristante: see Gonalons
Nicolo Zaniolo: not bad, but small sample size
Antonio Mirante: hasn't played
Daniel Fuzato: hasn't played
Ivan Marcano: ass

4 of the 19 players he's brought in have actually put in some work. And I get it, he was brought in to raise money and that he's done well, until Chelsea bought Kepa Arrizabalaga for 80m. How many players on that list can he sell for profit if they've mostly been ass? Olsen and N'Zonzi are close to 30, Kolarov is 32 and none of them are going to get us any profits, so we're really looking at Cengiz and Kluivert, but the latter hasn't looked like he can get us much money. Pellegrini's been linked to England but offers have been what, less than 30m? It's just funny to me that after a historic run to the semi finals, we decided to bring in around 10 new players while selling some of the guys who got us that far. Champions League brings in almost 100m revenue? Yeah let's just cut back on that and go back to selling everyone. Naturally I don't expect to get to the SF every year, but it doesn't even look like we're aiming past the group stage right now.

I bet if Monchi were running this club in 2003 he'd have sold Totti at any cost.
 
Last edited:
How often do you watch Copa Libertadores (or South American club football in general)? I've tried to watch it myself a few times and it's always very disappointing. It's pretty similar to watching League One (or low tier Championship) games, yeah there's fervent supporters and a lot of aggression, but the games severely lack quality. Libertadores seldom makes for good spectating, sadly.

I say that but I'll probably still watch the final, even though I know I'll end up as disappointed as in previous years. At least this time around there's an extra incentive to watch the final so that's something I guess?
Haven't watched much tbh mate so can't really comment on the standard of football there. Just excited to see an important match between 2 massive rival clubs, who have been relatively untouched by the stupid amount of wealth & tourists that we now get with the elite "super clubs" in Europe.

I watch a lot of Scottish football, and although the standard is relatively poor, I enjoy it for the passion/aggression and at least decent rivalries we still get between the "big" clubs & supporters here. Can't talk too much for the other leagues in Europe, but whenever I attend an EPL match for example, the atmosphere is dead, the ground is filled with tourists & the whole competition feels out of touch with reality when you see the vast amounts of money being spent on players/wages.

Also think European football can be somewhat boring (compared to how it was in the past at least) when you get the same handful of teams competing in the latter stages of the Champions League each year. Yeah I'll still watch the Semis & Finals, but the group stages of the competition now feels like a pointless exercise when you know it's the same few teams that actually have a realistic chance of winning it (or even making it to the last 8) - don't really expect people to agree with my points here, but just looking forward to watching a different kind of big match for a change I suppose.
 

destinyunknown

Banned deucer.
What are FFP regulations? Something you can violate and come up with your own punishment for? Like racking up 200m in deficits, and only having to pay 20m to get out of? I mean Pallotta ain't an Arab but I'm also not trying to say that PSG and City owners being Arabs have to do with anything. But uh, in case you didn’t catch it, I wasn’t being serious about getting them back lmao.

Of course Roma management has been stupid, look at the players we brought in since Monchi took over. It wouldn't hurt as much if his purchases are actually good, but so far only Cengiz and Kolarov have been good, Olsen and N'Zonzi have both been decent in their first seasons. The rest?

I bet if Monchi were running this club in 2003 he'd have sold Totti at any cost.
Things take time, look at other teams that have been ''selling clubs'' in the last decade: Atletico and Liverpool for example. Atletico was often forced to sell their best player (look at Agüero and Falcao), but kept reinvesting the money, until they finally found success in the 2013-14 La Liga (plus multiple Copa del Rey and Europa League trophies). Not only that, but after decades of finantial instability, Atletico are finally stable and a consistent Champions League contender.

Same with Liverpool in 2013-14, after a miraculous run that almost got them the title, they were forced to sell their stars (Suarez and Sterling). They had little choice, and fans were understandably hurt, but by reinvesting the money smartly, Liverpool are now a solid contender both domestically and internationally, instead of a 1-season-wonder that can't compete long term.

There's also Sevilla, which were a debt-ridden team moving up and down between the 1st and then 2nd tier before Monchi's arrival, and which are now finantially stable, and consistently a threat in European competitions. This also took time, as well as selling club icons like Sergio Ramos, Julio Baptista, Rakitic, and Dani Alves to name a few.

As for all the players you named, most of them haven't been more than 1 year in Roma, things take time. Some will be flops (look at the flops other clubs have had, Markovic and Benteke in Liverpool for example), and some will succeed, but most of them were bought for low prices so the losses aren't big in that respect. And even Hector Moreno was sold for more than he was bought for despite being a flop.

In short: Rome wasn't built in a day : )
 

Myzozoa

to find better ways to say what nobody says
is a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Past WCoP Champion
lol ander herrera was holding on to the referee to stay upright after getting booted in the head, play continued like 5 secs later and he looked lost the rest of the half. yesterday w spurs and lamela play continued until the ref noticed lamela lying on the ground w his face bleeding. js these head injury concussion procedures are lacking
 
England win

My Brain:

Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it


Me: ITS COMING HOME!!!
 
Imagine conceding a hat-trick to Haris Seferović, I don't care what competition it is or if it is a friendly, that is unacceptable at any level of play.
 

destinyunknown

Banned deucer.
Who cares about some mickey mouse tournament that only serves to waste time and force players to play more games.
There aren't more games than before, teams are playing the same amount of international games, they have simply replaced the meaningless friendlies that players didnt take seriously and weren't even useful for NT coaches to try things out.

And, having watched Croatia vs Spain, Netherlands vs Germany and England vs Croatia... the players definitely care. Both Croatia games this week were some of the best international football I've ever watched. We got to see young talents making their debut at important games, coaches trying new tactics (England has looked amazing in their new 4-3-3), and some amazing comebacks. Much better than the qualifiers vs minnows or the snoozefests also known as friendlies.

On top of that, we get a Final 4 in June (which also replaces friendlies), between 4 exciting, promising sides. The only thing I don't like about it is that Spain didnt qualify, I'd have bought tickets otherwise. Oh and most people won't care about it, but the nations league is also positive for weaker teams since they finally have the chance to play meaningful competitive games in which they won't get stomped. Overall I think the Nations League has been a great idea, which is why North America has already copied the idea.
 
There aren't more games than before, teams are playing the same amount of international games, they have simply replaced the meaningless friendlies that players didnt take seriously and weren't even useful for NT coaches to try things out.

And, having watched Croatia vs Spain, Netherlands vs Germany and England vs Croatia... the players definitely care. Both Croatia games this week were some of the best international football I've ever watched. We got to see young talents making their debut at important games, coaches trying new tactics (England has looked amazing in their new 4-3-3), and some amazing comebacks. Much better than the qualifiers vs minnows or the snoozefests also known as friendlies.

On top of that, we get a Final 4 in June (which also replaces friendlies), between 4 exciting, promising sides. The only thing I don't like about it is that Spain didnt qualify, I'd have bought tickets otherwise. Oh and most people won't care about it, but the nations league is also positive for weaker teams since they finally have the chance to play meaningful competitive games in which they won't get stomped. Overall I think the Nations League has been a great idea, which is why North America has already copied the idea.
That's actually part of the problem. Since they make it a competition, players will be more likely to go all out. With the high amount of games that players play nowadays, they run a high chance of burnout.

Previously, it was a friendly so the players can be half-assed or even rested as the manager tries to blood new players in without pressure. While the manager still tries new things, he will be under more pressure to deliver because of it is now a "competition".
 

destinyunknown

Banned deucer.
That's actually part of the problem. Since they make it a competition, players will be more likely to go all out. With the high amount of games that players play nowadays, they run a high chance of burnout.

Previously, it was a friendly so the players can be half-assed or even rested as the manager tries to blood new players in without pressure. While the manager still tries new things, he will be under more pressure to deliver because of it is now a "competition".
The clubs that are affected by this burnout are the big teams, which usually have enough depth to be able to rotate tired players. If anything, this would also be a positive since more rotation means more chances for academy players.

This has been a talking point ever since the idea of the Nations League was presented, and while it makes sense in theory, it hasn't really been the case in practice. Most of the big teams have given starts to young players, and often with success. Examples being Netherlands and Portugal (both teams have pretty much revamped their whole squad), England (Sancho, Chillwell, Gomez, Winks), Spain (Ceballos, Saul, Jonny), etc

Also important to note that the Nations League games have taken place at the start of the season, so even if injuries / burnout happens it isn't that big of a deal. I would agree on this being an issue if the games took place at the same time as the later rounds of the Champions League, but thankfully it's not the case.
 

Rowan

The professor?
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
That's actually part of the problem. Since they make it a competition, players will be more likely to go all out. With the high amount of games that players play nowadays, they run a high chance of burnout.

Previously, it was a friendly so the players can be half-assed or even rested as the manager tries to blood new players in without pressure. While the manager still tries new things, he will be under more pressure to deliver because of it is now a "competition".
The Nations League gives some exciting international matches instead of having to wait every 2 years for them. I'm a big fan of international football, and I honestly feel that the Nations League has revitalised it, and given international football some meaning again. Qualifiers are always drab, with big teams having to play a load of shit teams just to qualify.
Whilst you can try new players without pressure in friendlies, it rarely gives managers an indication of how they're going to perform in competitive fixtures. The Nations League, as a 'mickey mouse' can give managers the chance to try new players, without it being as important as the World Cup/Euros, but still in a meaningful competitive environment.
If we're gonna talk about burnout, I'd much rather get rid of the League Cup, which really is pointless when the FA cup exists.
 
Whilst you can try new players without pressure in friendlies, it rarely gives managers an indication of how they're going to perform in competitive fixtures. The Nations League, as a 'mickey mouse' can give managers the chance to try new players, without it being as important as the World Cup/Euros, but still in a meaningful competitive environment.
If we're gonna talk about burnout, I'd much rather get rid of the League Cup, which really is pointless when the FA cup exists.
There's actually some pressure because friendlies count towards world rankings, and ultimately seeding in the big tournaments/other qualifiers.

But yeah I've never understood why England has two domestic cups in addition to their league.
 
It should have been the best Copa Libertadores final ever. It instead confirms it's the worst Libertadores ever.

*slams head on desk*
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top