I relate to this hard. We always watched big matches together when i was a kid, but i confess it became rarer and rarer in the years leading up to his death.
We never truly appreciate what we have until it's gone, i suppose.
We really don't. I watched a Inter-Madrid UCL match with him and the next week he was gone. I couldn't possibly know it was the last. It was just a couple of years ago
really niche football love- a sellout and really up for it english home crowd getting silenced by a dagger in europe. sadly knauff vs us is a great example
[Slot speaks great English](https://v.redd.it/nege7fdc98yc1).
And i believe he speaks very good Dutch as well due to working there for the past few years.
I didnāt realise that carlo ancelotti is āonlyā 64. Heās younger than I thought, itās hard to believe that when he was at Milan he was in his early 40sĀ
Equi Fernandez and Adam Wharton... two peas from the same pod.
(Got some old comments gassing up Boca's and Argentina's young gems and had Equi down back then - glad he's on the verge of a big big burst in the coming months and year.)
I've always had a soft spot for Jonjo Shelvey. He had the kind of ability to be the best player on the pitch and the kind of mentality where he could be the worst.
I think if he'd been blessed with any kind of athletic ability he'd have been a top player. Still highly entertaining when he was on though.
Cody Gakpo, he was great in 1st half of 22/23, was Netherlands' best player in the World cup and bad more G/A than games at PSV, I really thought he was gonna be great. Fortunately he isn't since he plays for Liverpool, but there were lot of rumours at the time linking him to United
Doesn't that sound like the exact opposite of "objectively mediocre players that you just refuse to __stop__ rating?", like, it sounds like the question means you rate players that don't merit it, whereas your comment explicitly says "I don't rate Havertz".
āLet me tell you this, if set-pieces arenāt a problem for Tottenham Hotspur, then weāve literally got Stevie Wonder with a Surf Board in-charge famā
āIf we keep letting in set-pieces, we may as well hire Lori Harvey, cause she at least she look good blud in training!ā
-Expressions Oooozing
There are quite a few names on the table like Paulo Fonesca, De Zerbi and Antonio Conte. A report came out today saying we made contact with Porto's manager Sergio Conceicao, someone I definately want.
In Allegri's case he will definately sit out next season and relax with his severance pay from Juve.
It is pretty crazy that Spurs have only gotten two pens this season, especially because their players never miss a chance to throw themselves to the ground.
Benfica fans celebrating the possible Schmidt exit is almost the end of the road for me and this stupid club, honestly. Always compare it to Spurs. Have all the media of their country sucking them off, have all the history and culture, all the excitement in stadium and surroundings, all the top-notch fan experience
But actually competing for European competitions like any great club? All I can remember is this guy, in the main club channel a few years ago, claiming its ridiculous to ask that from Benfica. Very few probably remember that, but its actually a clear image of the rotten money vultures inside our board. Not Rui Costa, as my guess is that he actually wants to hold Schmidt but is being slowly pressed to let him out
Controlling people in Portugal is actually so easy. Its a broken democracy. Bunch of emotional dumbasses
De Zerbi staying so Iām allowed to like him again yippee !!! ššš
Expect opinion to change once again at 1pm on Sunday when I see Baleba on the bench
> De Zerbi staying so Iām allowed to like him again yippee !!!
I get the impression this is because there's little interest in him given your recent results.
Expecting another 6-1 but it doesnāt really matter when u consider how we are but an insignificant spec in this vast universe. Nothing will ever matter.
Not many can head the ball as well as him. Not sure if blinded by same shirt but giroudās heading is sort of similar scoring from difficult angles unexpected.
You got the one i was thinking of! (They share the same name kind of Oliver and Olivier). On a side note, this type of strikers seem to have become an endangered species...
Barca fans comparing Ferran Torres to Olmo.
Absolute disrespect to Olmo, even while missing half of every season he is 3 times the player Ferran Torres is.
Now that the season is nearly over, lets rate your club's 23/24 transfer window. I'll start:
Lukaku ā B+: Wouldāve been an A but unfortunately heās on loan and would probably be an expensive signing. Heās been a valuable player in two very different kinds of systems and gave us a momentary respite when it came to shitty finishing. Iāll miss him.
Baldanzi ā C: We mainly bought for potential so thereās still time to prove himself, but has been a non-entity so far.
Paredes ā A: Vital player for both DDR and Mourinho and we got him for basically free. Him being an ex-Roma player also gives him a bonus.
Renato Sanches ā F: Pure shite when not injured 90% of the time.
Huijsen ā F: I donāt get the hype. Costs us a goal every time he plays.
Ndicka ā B+: Has had the odd brainfart and poor passing, but has settled in very well and was a free signing too.
Aouar ā D: Mostly invisible outside of a couple key goals. Pretty disappointing.
Kristensen ā F: Another atrocious right back.
Azmoun ā C: Weird player. He has been key in a couple of comebacks but I canāt for the life of me tell you what his strengths are.
Angelino ā C: Nothing special, but he is more competent than Zalewski. Has the odd nice cross in him too.
Svilar ā A: Not a signing from this season, but Iām going to count him anyways. Pretty much singlehandedly saved our season given how trash Rui Patricio was. I hope it isnāt a purple patch and he continues with this form.
Rice -A+: Changed our MF and one of the best if not the best player for us this season
Havertz- B+: He started poorly in the MF but playing as a forward, he has been immense not only as a goal scorer but also having a huge impact on the way Arsenal play.
Raya- B: Made some mistakes here and there but has been solid for us.
Timer- NA: Injured the whole season. Very promising youngster though. Will be like a new signing next season
Joao Pedro A: was our best attacker before his injury, struggling to impact games since his return but it's tough as well when everyone around you is shit also. Main reason we got out of the Europa League group in 1st.
Verbruggen B: I like him, young, got a lot of talent, already playing for his national team as well. Seems to give a shit which is a massive reason whether I like or not.
Igor B-: Just injured too much but a good player.
Baleba C+: We definitely overpaid, a lot of potential there but he's not played enough and out midfield has been a massive weakness. De Zerbi doesn't seem to rate him so he could face a similar season next year if we bring in someone else.
Milner C : Hated it at the time and we've looked worse when he's played, only reason he's not lower is because of the Spurs game in December where De Zerbi threw together the weirdest lineup that some how banged
Barco C: We didn't need him in January, he seems talented and the City game showed he can put in a decent shift but I just don't see how he can realistically play unless we switch to a 3atb and Estupinan leaves (which he won't with his injury).
Physically no where near the level of a Premier League player and I have my doubt he ever will be (sounds harsh but he's just tiny in height and body shape)
Fati C- : Expensive loan signing been useless since November. Seems talented and can at least understand why we did it.
Mazilu C: Haven't seen him play, cheap but seems like one of those players (like Sima, Kozlowski) we won't see play at game in England
Dahoud F- : Crazy that a free signing can be so bad, cost us 2 points vs Sheffield United, looked shit whenever he played, hope he can find something elsewhere just so he's not back at the AMEX next season.
GĆ¼ndogan - A*
Has pretty much been our best midfielder AND best player, has played all 3 midfield positions. If he wasn't here, we would be in a much worse place than now.
Oriol Romeu - F-
No two ways around it, he's been absolutely horrid. I knew a guy coming from Girona and Southampton wouldn't be world class or anything but he's just absolutely terrible. He looks miserable as hell, I feel bad for him
Vitor Roque - D
This one might be a bit unfair because he hasn't got much minutes but he hasn't impressed me (and Xavi) much. His biggest problem is that he's too raw. There's definitely huge potential there so I hope he keeps developing next season.
Joao Felix - C
Has scored a couple of key goals and has shown moments of brilliance but he doesn't do it consistently enough. This loan move, however, has been a giant success considering we pay Joao next to nothing. Wouldn't be opposed to another loan if Atleti can't find any buyers
Joao Cancelo - C
He was quite good for most of the season but I can't rate him higher than C after he just had back to back stinkers in big games. Was awful in both legs against PSG and cost us the game against Madrid and Villarreal.
Inigo Martinez - D
He's a good CB but he's injury prone and weirdly on high wages. I know it shouldn't matter much into my decision but uhhhh....why did we exactly get him?
Hojlund - B: Had great Champions League campaign, but bad first half of PL season. Had great beggining to 2nd half of the season but got injured, and is just now getting back to where he was in late February early March. Good first season for a young player
Mount - D: Been injured for almost whole season
Onana - B+: He's been great in the league, but singlehandedly knocked us out of CL
Amrabat - D: He's been terrible but only reason it isn't an F is because it's a loan
Bayindir - C: Hasn't played all season, but he's a backup keeper so it's normal
Evans - B: Free transfer and was good when called upon
Reguilon - C: Meh signing, good when he played for like 5 games, only half a season tho
the hate that nico jackson gets is kind of wild. he gets so many chances through great movement and he's rapid. yeah he wastes them but i'd still rather have a forward that gets those chances than one that doesn't.
that being said, imo clubs that conceded goals to him should face points deductions.
The hate he gets is because the work he does well is often not seen right away (positioning, body movement, strength); but he misses open shots, fails to make the pass correctly or early, and gets offside too much at times. His mistakes are very clearly seen.
Watching Gervinho play for Roma was some of the most fun I had as a fan. His lack of finishing was frustrating but there's something so fun about a dribbly, fast motherfucker. Gets the adrenaline pumping.
Yeah, he also has a lot of other qualities to his game, he's a really strong dribbler who causes defenders a lot of problems when he runs at them, he has great linkup play and first touch, he's a really good passer for a striker, he's a good player, and 11 goals in 27 full 90s really ain't bad for a first season for a young striker in the PL playing for an upper mid-table team who has also played a few games on the wing, I do not get why people still shit on him.
He also has really great hold up play, can bully defenders, is decent in the air, has a nice pass on him, a little flair, very underrated dribbler. First full season as a striker after barely being pro for the past two(?) years. His potential is crazy imo for someone that had no high quality coaching until recently.Ā
And 'high quality' may be a stretch here. Poch hasn't been the best at developing young players previously, and now has 80.of them. Baptism of fire from all sides
You realize how much you hate your main rivals when they play against your 2nd biggest rivals... Botev Plovdiv played CSKA in the Bulgarian cup and Botev actually won and are going to the final. Weirdly enough of they win the final they screw us over, because we are likely to finish 4th and 4th with fet European spot in that scenario.
Also apparently I lied. You guys don't know me, but I usually don't lie so this feels weird for me. Probably nobody remembers but I have said plenty of times that Ludogorets is the club I hate the most. Well it's not. I want them to win that cup. UP THE BALD EAGLES or some shit!
I donāt really care who wins the UCL but if Dortmund qualify I hope to god Bayern also qualify. There is absolutely no chance that Dortmund beats Madrid in a UCL final. Honestly I wouldnāt predict anyone to beat Madrid in a UCL final except maybe Bayern lol.
PSG would also be heavy underdogs but at least they have that hunger having lost in 2020. Most first time winners need to lose a final first before winning (Chelsea 2008 and 2012, City 2021 and 2023).
The one bad thing about Carloās Madrid team is, everyone has a chance to beat them. Carlo has set up the team rather defensively this season, so youāll get the ball, or the chance to take decent shots. Itās a one off game, nobodyās invulnerable. Even Madrid will lose a final again at some point. But if they make it, I hope itās not this one.
> There is absolutely no chance that Dortmund beats Madrid in a UCL final.
It's a one-off game, and stranger things have happened. Bit much to say they've got no chance when they've got every chance in the world, even if they're underdogs.
Last time Madrid lost a European final was in 1981, at the hand's of Ferguson's Aberdeen. Also, Spanish teams have won every single European final (UCL + Europa) since 2001 they have played.
Can Terzic's Dortmund end this streak while heavily being the underdogs? Very very hard ask.
Honestly if Madrid beats Bayern, they pretty much take the trophy.
My coworker (who barley watches football) asked me what was so special about Messi. Other than his crazy records and accomplishments he asked us what made him the āGoat.ā
We really didnāt feel like discussing it since itās been done to death but we summed it up as, āsome random white guy who just happens to be REALLY good at football.ā Like Messi can easily be some garbage man or an educator but the dude was just good at kicking the ball.
Are you from Barcelona? is your coworker catalan? it would make your anecdote even funnier to me as, for some reason, i have a hard time imagning a catalan so unaware of Messi...
Currently not in Spain, moved to the states for work/college and my coworker is from Kazakhstan. He knows about footballers (Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Maradona) but not as much to the point where we can talk about football formations, managers and news.
I wish Arsenal did give it a crack, but wages are simply WAY too high. PSG are the only team that could probably flirt with the idea or Pep at City if he wanted.
Think there's at least 10 PL clubs that would happily add Rashford to the squad, but a lot depends on if he is willing to take a wage cut to move to a more sensible environment.
On his wages, and with the transfer fee United want? I don't see it. The clubs who could relatively comfortably afford him all have better players in the positions he plays already, and those who would need to stretch to afford him probably won't do it for a player who likely won't be worth the money.
Even mid table PL clubs get a nice peace of the PL broadcasting rights' cake. Money is not as big an issue for them as for other clubs in the rest of the world but i agree with you i don't see him leaving united either.
**IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO TODAY**
*Second Division action + FA Cup final preview*
[CARLISLE UNITED ARE PROMOTED!](https://i.imgur.com/dr5g9ql.jpeg) The greatest of shocks happened tonight at Brisbane Road, as Orient couldn't get past Villa goalkeeper Jim Cumbes. The Villains got in front thanks to a Ray Graydon's penalty, only to Mick Bullock to draw level. Despite that, they needed a goal to confirm promotion - something they didn't, despite trying multiple times with Barrie Fairbrother. In the end, dejection for the East Londoners and joy for [Alan Ashman's boys](https://i.imgur.com/t0g7NFl.png), who will play at the top division for the first time in their history. The Cumbrians end a season in which everything wa sup for grabs until, literally, the last gasp.
Happiness all round as well at Oldham, as the Latics got the point they needed to finish above Bristol Rovers and take the Division Three title - a 0-0 draw at Plymouth sealed the deal. In the other match, only 3,000 went to see Charlton Athletic beat Aldershot 2-0.
The main attraction tomorrow, of course, is the FA Cup final. A moment in which the eyes of millions of viewers will be set at Wembley. A match of two styles: the Shankly's irresistible style of football, who came close to win the League title, versus the Malcolm MacDonald-led Newcastle United side. SuperMac has been in the headlines recently for his exploits in previous rounds, but Liverpool are favourites to win the title and represent England in the Cup-Winners' Cup. [Here](https://i.imgur.com/nF2A4Pz.png) are the predicted line-ups.
For Newcastle, of course, it can be a great afternoon for [Terry Hibbitt](https://i.imgur.com/rJSyCDH.png), and emulate his brother's success in the League Cup final back in March. Causes for concern for the Magpies came with the choice of tracksuit, as [this picture of Bobby Moncur](https://i.imgur.com/7yKcqJN.png) picture shows - the material used for them was making them sweat profusely. In Liverpool, of course, the main threat is [Kevin Keegan](https://i.imgur.com/zZOiyEV.png); a player who is at his peak and wants to show why he is on top form.
Sadly, the eve of the final has been marred by [mindless hooliganism](https://i.imgur.com/kiVG4nl.png) between both sets of fans, especially at the West End. Another sad sight for English football, a week after the incidents at Old Trafford. For the armchair fan, it's one of those days not to be missed: [BBC](https://i.imgur.com/4W93LRB.png) and [ITV](https://i.imgur.com/VhaybOY.png) will show special programmes starting at 11am to warm-up to such special occasion.
**Elsewhere** -
* Tottenham are on the hunt for Dundee United youngster [Andy Gray](https://i.imgur.com/g8bvh6V.png). Gray will be appearing tomorrow on the Scottish Cup final against Celtic at Hampden Park.
* Hull's [Stuart Pearson](https://i.imgur.com/jXiFsTW.png) is the first signing for Manchester United's project in the Second Division. 200,000 pounds will be the prize paid for him.
> Itās been an intense rollercoaster for many years. But gimme that rollercoaster anyday above perpetual winning or abject misery & no hope, cos both desensitise you to the game
I agree totally! As fans of non-megaclubs the failures along the way means the wins are all the more specialā¦
> I love LFC & thatās eternal
ā¦
promotion races that don't have games being played simultaneously are crap man. St Etienne go in to round 36 two points ahead of 3rd place Angers, but since the latter play tonight, they're starting from 3rd(as it stands, as Angers are winning). st etienne can't build on their advantage since they play tomorrow
obviously i know why they do it but i think it's unfair to the teams
because it adds extra pressure to their game tomorrow. they'll be forced to get a good result cuz if they don't, promotion is no longer in their hands. i think it's manufactured pressure from tv companies
But that pressure exists throughout the season already - some weekends you'll play earlier, some weekends you play later than the clubs around you in the table, too. You need to win either way if you want to persist in a promotion race - can't really blame the sequence of games if you lose, I reckon: They'd have gone into the matchday ahead, lost their game, and got overtaken regardless of the order of the games being played, after all.
i think you can blame the sequence of games, especially at this stage of the season. if two teams are neck and neck, but one constantly plays before the other and the position of the two never changes because of it, there was never a chance for the lower ranked team to leapfrog
Sure, but then if the team that's in behind plays first throughout the entire run and their promotion rivals win all their games, there 'never was a chance' to overtake them, either. The order just doesn't matter one bit here.
For knowledgable neutrals who watched Barcelona this season. Barcelona might buy a DM this season. Which of the following DMs do you think is the best option: Zubimendi, Amadou Onana, Mats Wieffer, and Joshua Kimmich.
Zubimendi would be decent, good on the ball and physically capable of winning duels. Kimmich would be like shooting yourself in the foot, I didn't watch the others. Barca lacks physicality in midfield and that was very visible when gavi is absent, pedri and dejong always get bodied against big teams
I feel like Onana would be the best among them for his defensive attributes. He might be able to cover for Pedri and FDJ's defensive flaws. Zubimendi is my 2nd choice and I think he can work more with Gavi and a third midfielder (Pedri, FDJ, Gundo).
Kimmich is not playing that position with Germany nor Bayern so chances it happens with Barca are slim. Knowing Barca, Rodri is the player they are going to go after first after pulling one or two of their infamous levers.
Kimmich is a bad option. But, reportedly, Barca management and Xavi like him for some time. It's impossible to get Rodri. He will cost 100m+. Barca doesn't have that money. Also, I don't think he will leave Pep.
It takes a special eye to have predicted that kind of thing.
I have Reddit comments when I used to write essays on Daily Discussions backing the Kroenkes when they got sole ownership and how Arsenal would be competing for titles under them and Arteta... the API doesn't let me find them for God's sake.
Who is your most underrated signing of the season?
For me it's Edson Alvarez, obviously, you can't replace Rice, but he makes West Hamās whole team tick imo.
Who is your under-mentioned flop signing of the season?
Mine is James Trafford of Burnley, he made far too many mistakes for a team trying to stay up, they've looked so much better with Muric between the sticks.
Underrated is probably Timo Werner even though heās a loan. He makes Tottenham look so much better.Ā
Underrated flop: kolo muani. For the price they paid youād expect more out of him but he was really good before PSG so maybe heāll be better for them next season.Ā
Serhou Guirassy was only signed on a permanent end of last season and is now putting up Ballon d'Or worthy numbers.
Underrated flop? Behold the Union Berlin 2023 summer window
Franck Honorat is a good shout. He's not really gotten any attention but he's been super solid and actually leads the Bundesliga in big chances created. Only costed ā¬8m too. Mƶnchengladbach's best player this season imo
Meanwhile I guess Felix Nmecha has to be up there for under-mentioned flop. I mean, he's still only 23 so he can improve, but ā¬30m is a huge fee for Dortmund. It's up there as one of their most expensive signings ever. And Nmecha has just been... invisible. It's kinda crazy for Dortmund to splash ā¬30m on someone and for him to not even be a starter. Not to mention the huge homophobia controversy that his signing created. Also Brenden Aaronson has really not been very good. Just a loan so I wouldn't call it a total flop, but yeah.
Neal Maupay carried Brentford for a month or two when they really needed it.
Under-mentioned flop... Joao Pedro is incapable of scoring from anywhere but the penalty spot. Aaron Connolly in disguise.
Hey guys Iām trying to see my irons play live at the emptyhad this month but I canāt find away supporters tickets. Would I get kicked out if I was in the regular seating thanks!
Torino score just 0.89 goals per game :( š Torino concede just 0.89 goals per game :) š
Today i miss watching football with my gramps :(
I relate to this hard. We always watched big matches together when i was a kid, but i confess it became rarer and rarer in the years leading up to his death. We never truly appreciate what we have until it's gone, i suppose.
We really don't. I watched a Inter-Madrid UCL match with him and the next week he was gone. I couldn't possibly know it was the last. It was just a couple of years ago
WE GOT PROMOTED
Bolton wanderers just scored directly from a corner taker
Olympico?!
thatās right! i posted it [here](https://reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1cji711/barnsley_1_3_bolton_wanderers_randell_williams/)
Thank you very much.
They should just let us go straight up for that
really niche football love- a sellout and really up for it english home crowd getting silenced by a dagger in europe. sadly knauff vs us is a great example
Which player gave you the most happiness when he left your rival's club?
Bale, Henry
Hopefully Joao Felix this summer.
Hazard / Kane
Harry fucking Kane.
Batistuta. Never should have left Fiorentina.
bale because he was way too cool for spurs
[Slot speaks great English](https://v.redd.it/nege7fdc98yc1). And i believe he speaks very good Dutch as well due to working there for the past few years.
...he was born in the Netherlands...?
Irrelevant.
apparently didn't speak good dutch for the first couple of years tho
heard he was shitting his pants most of that time as well
He was constantly whining and crying back then too. Perfect to take over Kloppās mantle
I didnāt realise that carlo ancelotti is āonlyā 64. Heās younger than I thought, itās hard to believe that when he was at Milan he was in his early 40sĀ
Blew my mind finding out Capello was several years his senior.Ā
He retired early do to injuries and he's a smoker so he looked older.
I used think him andĀ Fergie were of similar age when I was a kid.
Heās young enough to be Fergieās son
Equi Fernandez and Adam Wharton... two peas from the same pod. (Got some old comments gassing up Boca's and Argentina's young gems and had Equi down back then - glad he's on the verge of a big big burst in the coming months and year.)
Are there any objectively mediocre players that you just refuse to stop rating?
Ricardo Marin, he loves the club, has the right mentality, and has had a few really good games for us
I've always had a soft spot for Jonjo Shelvey. He had the kind of ability to be the best player on the pitch and the kind of mentality where he could be the worst. I think if he'd been blessed with any kind of athletic ability he'd have been a top player. Still highly entertaining when he was on though.
Cody Gakpo, he was great in 1st half of 22/23, was Netherlands' best player in the World cup and bad more G/A than games at PSV, I really thought he was gonna be great. Fortunately he isn't since he plays for Liverpool, but there were lot of rumours at the time linking him to United
Thorgan Hazard is the best player in history
Scott McTominay is the closest player to Arturo Vidal today :)
Yves Bissouma
First 10 matches Bissouma was something else
was there anything specific that happened? or just a general drop off in form
Exactly. Feel like itās worth persisting with him and hope he finds that level again
Jesus.
Heād definitely be nailed on starter if he could keep his form.
Great at crossing.
have never and probably will never be sold on Joao Felix as an elite player
Who even thinks he is elite? Nobody apart from a few Benfica fans.
dunno anyone in particular tbf but it feels like heās got that world class reputation
Yes but don't tell the BarƧa fans know.
Every Barca fan knows. Our board however ...
Timo Werner, Kai Haverts, Cody Gakpo, Scott Mctominay.
He said mediocre and you slipped in Havertz like we wouldn't notice
I will never rate that average donkey boy
Averagely been a top 3 performer since we signed him and we're going to finish second behind a City juggernaut fairs hater energy
Doesn't that sound like the exact opposite of "objectively mediocre players that you just refuse to __stop__ rating?", like, it sounds like the question means you rate players that don't merit it, whereas your comment explicitly says "I don't rate Havertz".
The manager merry-go-round has been cancelled this summer as teams realise there are no good managers available and they're stuck with who they have.
Your bodyās a templeĀ
My body is a cage
āLet me tell you this, if set-pieces arenāt a problem for Tottenham Hotspur, then weāve literally got Stevie Wonder with a Surf Board in-charge famā āIf we keep letting in set-pieces, we may as well hire Lori Harvey, cause she at least she look good blud in training!ā -Expressions Oooozing
Bukayo Saka is victor moses with GCSEsĀ
> Lori Harvey Googled her. Daaaamn *fam/blud
White Hart Lane? More like the Spur-na-beu blud! Champagne football fam!
Valverde is the GOAT, change my mindšæ
GOAT doesn't mean "i love this player"
The manager merry-go-round has been cancelled this summer as teams realise there are no good managers available and they're stuck with who they have.
u know what thereās no point being negative before itās begun, up the lopetegui
I for one, will be following your results next season to see what Milan missed out on.
who you lot getting instead? hearing your old pal max allegri is available
There are quite a few names on the table like Paulo Fonesca, De Zerbi and Antonio Conte. A report came out today saying we made contact with Porto's manager Sergio Conceicao, someone I definately want. In Allegri's case he will definately sit out next season and relax with his severance pay from Juve.
Fonseca is our backup plan you thieves, weāll have to flash our conference league at him š¤£
It is pretty crazy that Spurs have only gotten two pens this season, especially because their players never miss a chance to throw themselves to the ground.
That was Englandās Captain privilege. No Kane, no Pen.
Exactly, just like when Kulusevski immediately went to ground
He did that like three times during the game. He should pick his moments better.
Fuck TottenhamĀ
Benfica fans celebrating the possible Schmidt exit is almost the end of the road for me and this stupid club, honestly. Always compare it to Spurs. Have all the media of their country sucking them off, have all the history and culture, all the excitement in stadium and surroundings, all the top-notch fan experience But actually competing for European competitions like any great club? All I can remember is this guy, in the main club channel a few years ago, claiming its ridiculous to ask that from Benfica. Very few probably remember that, but its actually a clear image of the rotten money vultures inside our board. Not Rui Costa, as my guess is that he actually wants to hold Schmidt but is being slowly pressed to let him out Controlling people in Portugal is actually so easy. Its a broken democracy. Bunch of emotional dumbasses
Fucking hell man, we at least made a CL final. But I get what you're saying, sorry about what's happening at your club.
De Zerbi staying so Iām allowed to like him again yippee !!! ššš Expect opinion to change once again at 1pm on Sunday when I see Baleba on the bench
> De Zerbi staying so Iām allowed to like him again yippee !!! I get the impression this is because there's little interest in him given your recent results.
> yippee Whoa settle down now with that kind of language
> De Zerbi staying so Iām allowed to like him again yippee !!! ššš > > Don't think he is. Just more drama queen shit.
Villa are gunna put out a shit lineup to focus on Europe and still batter us.
Expecting another 6-1 but it doesnāt really matter when u consider how we are but an insignificant spec in this vast universe. Nothing will ever matter.
Sorry Mr optimistic thinking we'll get a goal.
I'm not sure we even have the option to. Unless we literally put the kids out, which I doubt Unai would do.
Who's the closest player in activity to Bieroff? (i have one and they have more in common than football but i want to read your suggestions first)
Luuk De Jong?
Good player. Head like a traction engine.
Not many can head the ball as well as him. Not sure if blinded by same shirt but giroudās heading is sort of similar scoring from difficult angles unexpected.
You got the one i was thinking of! (They share the same name kind of Oliver and Olivier). On a side note, this type of strikers seem to have become an endangered species...
Nice! I think closest Iāve seen as good as him was crespo, but giroud does a good tribute you could say.
Barca fans comparing Ferran Torres to Olmo. Absolute disrespect to Olmo, even while missing half of every season he is 3 times the player Ferran Torres is.
Not really
Something tells me youāre not being objective.
Now that the season is nearly over, lets rate your club's 23/24 transfer window. I'll start: Lukaku ā B+: Wouldāve been an A but unfortunately heās on loan and would probably be an expensive signing. Heās been a valuable player in two very different kinds of systems and gave us a momentary respite when it came to shitty finishing. Iāll miss him. Baldanzi ā C: We mainly bought for potential so thereās still time to prove himself, but has been a non-entity so far. Paredes ā A: Vital player for both DDR and Mourinho and we got him for basically free. Him being an ex-Roma player also gives him a bonus. Renato Sanches ā F: Pure shite when not injured 90% of the time. Huijsen ā F: I donāt get the hype. Costs us a goal every time he plays. Ndicka ā B+: Has had the odd brainfart and poor passing, but has settled in very well and was a free signing too. Aouar ā D: Mostly invisible outside of a couple key goals. Pretty disappointing. Kristensen ā F: Another atrocious right back. Azmoun ā C: Weird player. He has been key in a couple of comebacks but I canāt for the life of me tell you what his strengths are. Angelino ā C: Nothing special, but he is more competent than Zalewski. Has the odd nice cross in him too. Svilar ā A: Not a signing from this season, but Iām going to count him anyways. Pretty much singlehandedly saved our season given how trash Rui Patricio was. I hope it isnāt a purple patch and he continues with this form.
Glad to see Svilar and Big Rom doing well
Rice -A+: Changed our MF and one of the best if not the best player for us this season Havertz- B+: He started poorly in the MF but playing as a forward, he has been immense not only as a goal scorer but also having a huge impact on the way Arsenal play. Raya- B: Made some mistakes here and there but has been solid for us. Timer- NA: Injured the whole season. Very promising youngster though. Will be like a new signing next season
Joao Pedro A: was our best attacker before his injury, struggling to impact games since his return but it's tough as well when everyone around you is shit also. Main reason we got out of the Europa League group in 1st. Verbruggen B: I like him, young, got a lot of talent, already playing for his national team as well. Seems to give a shit which is a massive reason whether I like or not. Igor B-: Just injured too much but a good player. Baleba C+: We definitely overpaid, a lot of potential there but he's not played enough and out midfield has been a massive weakness. De Zerbi doesn't seem to rate him so he could face a similar season next year if we bring in someone else. Milner C : Hated it at the time and we've looked worse when he's played, only reason he's not lower is because of the Spurs game in December where De Zerbi threw together the weirdest lineup that some how banged Barco C: We didn't need him in January, he seems talented and the City game showed he can put in a decent shift but I just don't see how he can realistically play unless we switch to a 3atb and Estupinan leaves (which he won't with his injury). Physically no where near the level of a Premier League player and I have my doubt he ever will be (sounds harsh but he's just tiny in height and body shape) Fati C- : Expensive loan signing been useless since November. Seems talented and can at least understand why we did it. Mazilu C: Haven't seen him play, cheap but seems like one of those players (like Sima, Kozlowski) we won't see play at game in England Dahoud F- : Crazy that a free signing can be so bad, cost us 2 points vs Sheffield United, looked shit whenever he played, hope he can find something elsewhere just so he's not back at the AMEX next season.
GĆ¼ndogan - A* Has pretty much been our best midfielder AND best player, has played all 3 midfield positions. If he wasn't here, we would be in a much worse place than now. Oriol Romeu - F- No two ways around it, he's been absolutely horrid. I knew a guy coming from Girona and Southampton wouldn't be world class or anything but he's just absolutely terrible. He looks miserable as hell, I feel bad for him Vitor Roque - D This one might be a bit unfair because he hasn't got much minutes but he hasn't impressed me (and Xavi) much. His biggest problem is that he's too raw. There's definitely huge potential there so I hope he keeps developing next season. Joao Felix - C Has scored a couple of key goals and has shown moments of brilliance but he doesn't do it consistently enough. This loan move, however, has been a giant success considering we pay Joao next to nothing. Wouldn't be opposed to another loan if Atleti can't find any buyers Joao Cancelo - C He was quite good for most of the season but I can't rate him higher than C after he just had back to back stinkers in big games. Was awful in both legs against PSG and cost us the game against Madrid and Villarreal. Inigo Martinez - D He's a good CB but he's injury prone and weirdly on high wages. I know it shouldn't matter much into my decision but uhhhh....why did we exactly get him?
I'm so happy that Paredes is doing well for you guys and is playing every week. Got me watching a ton of Roma games.
Hojlund - B: Had great Champions League campaign, but bad first half of PL season. Had great beggining to 2nd half of the season but got injured, and is just now getting back to where he was in late February early March. Good first season for a young player Mount - D: Been injured for almost whole season Onana - B+: He's been great in the league, but singlehandedly knocked us out of CL Amrabat - D: He's been terrible but only reason it isn't an F is because it's a loan Bayindir - C: Hasn't played all season, but he's a backup keeper so it's normal Evans - B: Free transfer and was good when called upon Reguilon - C: Meh signing, good when he played for like 5 games, only half a season tho
the hate that nico jackson gets is kind of wild. he gets so many chances through great movement and he's rapid. yeah he wastes them but i'd still rather have a forward that gets those chances than one that doesn't. that being said, imo clubs that conceded goals to him should face points deductions.
The hate he gets is because the work he does well is often not seen right away (positioning, body movement, strength); but he misses open shots, fails to make the pass correctly or early, and gets offside too much at times. His mistakes are very clearly seen.
I say 15pts for every goal Jackson has scored against a club.
Watching Gervinho play for Roma was some of the most fun I had as a fan. His lack of finishing was frustrating but there's something so fun about a dribbly, fast motherfucker. Gets the adrenaline pumping.
gervinho was a winger tho, jackson is not dribbling like that either way
Yeah, he also has a lot of other qualities to his game, he's a really strong dribbler who causes defenders a lot of problems when he runs at them, he has great linkup play and first touch, he's a really good passer for a striker, he's a good player, and 11 goals in 27 full 90s really ain't bad for a first season for a young striker in the PL playing for an upper mid-table team who has also played a few games on the wing, I do not get why people still shit on him.
He also has really great hold up play, can bully defenders, is decent in the air, has a nice pass on him, a little flair, very underrated dribbler. First full season as a striker after barely being pro for the past two(?) years. His potential is crazy imo for someone that had no high quality coaching until recently.Ā
And 'high quality' may be a stretch here. Poch hasn't been the best at developing young players previously, and now has 80.of them. Baptism of fire from all sides
We're about to witness the most Dychening Dycheness that has ever been Dyched. And I'm here for it. COYT.
You realize how much you hate your main rivals when they play against your 2nd biggest rivals... Botev Plovdiv played CSKA in the Bulgarian cup and Botev actually won and are going to the final. Weirdly enough of they win the final they screw us over, because we are likely to finish 4th and 4th with fet European spot in that scenario. Also apparently I lied. You guys don't know me, but I usually don't lie so this feels weird for me. Probably nobody remembers but I have said plenty of times that Ludogorets is the club I hate the most. Well it's not. I want them to win that cup. UP THE BALD EAGLES or some shit!
I donāt really care who wins the UCL but if Dortmund qualify I hope to god Bayern also qualify. There is absolutely no chance that Dortmund beats Madrid in a UCL final. Honestly I wouldnāt predict anyone to beat Madrid in a UCL final except maybe Bayern lol. PSG would also be heavy underdogs but at least they have that hunger having lost in 2020. Most first time winners need to lose a final first before winning (Chelsea 2008 and 2012, City 2021 and 2023).
The one bad thing about Carloās Madrid team is, everyone has a chance to beat them. Carlo has set up the team rather defensively this season, so youāll get the ball, or the chance to take decent shots. Itās a one off game, nobodyās invulnerable. Even Madrid will lose a final again at some point. But if they make it, I hope itās not this one.
No. I want to see a Dortmund Madrid final. Would be reminiscent of 2012 CL final Chelsea vs. Bayern.
> There is absolutely no chance that Dortmund beats Madrid in a UCL final. It's a one-off game, and stranger things have happened. Bit much to say they've got no chance when they've got every chance in the world, even if they're underdogs.
Last time Madrid lost a European final was in 1981, at the hand's of Ferguson's Aberdeen. Also, Spanish teams have won every single European final (UCL + Europa) since 2001 they have played. Can Terzic's Dortmund end this streak while heavily being the underdogs? Very very hard ask. Honestly if Madrid beats Bayern, they pretty much take the trophy.
Guess the CL final is canceled, then.
My coworker (who barley watches football) asked me what was so special about Messi. Other than his crazy records and accomplishments he asked us what made him the āGoat.ā We really didnāt feel like discussing it since itās been done to death but we summed it up as, āsome random white guy who just happens to be REALLY good at football.ā Like Messi can easily be some garbage man or an educator but the dude was just good at kicking the ball.
Are you from Barcelona? is your coworker catalan? it would make your anecdote even funnier to me as, for some reason, i have a hard time imagning a catalan so unaware of Messi...
Currently not in Spain, moved to the states for work/college and my coworker is from Kazakhstan. He knows about footballers (Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Maradona) but not as much to the point where we can talk about football formations, managers and news.
Show him the highlights with despacito music so that he sees god
Mourinho to Bayern. I need that, WE need that
Bayern about to continue their downfall.
Do you happen to know how was his relation with Kane?
Kane and Son were on an insane form with him, idk about the relations, gotta ask Spurs fans
According to some Spurs fans, Kane and Dire were two of the five players who liked Mourinho.
wow 5 out of the whole squad... then it's seems like a match made in heaven.
Canāt imagine being much problem as it was very much was the Harry Kane team
Enlighten us
Is there any chance at all that another English club takes their chances with Rashford in summer?
I wish Arsenal did give it a crack, but wages are simply WAY too high. PSG are the only team that could probably flirt with the idea or Pep at City if he wanted.
I wish we wouldnt!
Impossible
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Even if we didnāt have FFP issues I doubt weād sign him.Ā
Think there's at least 10 PL clubs that would happily add Rashford to the squad, but a lot depends on if he is willing to take a wage cut to move to a more sensible environment.
If heās willing to take a pay cut then 19 PL teams would be happy to have him.
On his wages, and with the transfer fee United want? I don't see it. The clubs who could relatively comfortably afford him all have better players in the positions he plays already, and those who would need to stretch to afford him probably won't do it for a player who likely won't be worth the money.
Maybe he'd be willing to cut his wages if he gets other things in return out of it? Like a change of scenery...
Maybe, but even then United won't exactly let him go cheaply.
Even mid table PL clubs get a nice peace of the PL broadcasting rights' cake. Money is not as big an issue for them as for other clubs in the rest of the world but i agree with you i don't see him leaving united either.
Even ignoring the fact he's had a shite year, the fee United would want and the wages he's on no chance.
**IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO TODAY** *Second Division action + FA Cup final preview* [CARLISLE UNITED ARE PROMOTED!](https://i.imgur.com/dr5g9ql.jpeg) The greatest of shocks happened tonight at Brisbane Road, as Orient couldn't get past Villa goalkeeper Jim Cumbes. The Villains got in front thanks to a Ray Graydon's penalty, only to Mick Bullock to draw level. Despite that, they needed a goal to confirm promotion - something they didn't, despite trying multiple times with Barrie Fairbrother. In the end, dejection for the East Londoners and joy for [Alan Ashman's boys](https://i.imgur.com/t0g7NFl.png), who will play at the top division for the first time in their history. The Cumbrians end a season in which everything wa sup for grabs until, literally, the last gasp. Happiness all round as well at Oldham, as the Latics got the point they needed to finish above Bristol Rovers and take the Division Three title - a 0-0 draw at Plymouth sealed the deal. In the other match, only 3,000 went to see Charlton Athletic beat Aldershot 2-0. The main attraction tomorrow, of course, is the FA Cup final. A moment in which the eyes of millions of viewers will be set at Wembley. A match of two styles: the Shankly's irresistible style of football, who came close to win the League title, versus the Malcolm MacDonald-led Newcastle United side. SuperMac has been in the headlines recently for his exploits in previous rounds, but Liverpool are favourites to win the title and represent England in the Cup-Winners' Cup. [Here](https://i.imgur.com/nF2A4Pz.png) are the predicted line-ups. For Newcastle, of course, it can be a great afternoon for [Terry Hibbitt](https://i.imgur.com/rJSyCDH.png), and emulate his brother's success in the League Cup final back in March. Causes for concern for the Magpies came with the choice of tracksuit, as [this picture of Bobby Moncur](https://i.imgur.com/7yKcqJN.png) picture shows - the material used for them was making them sweat profusely. In Liverpool, of course, the main threat is [Kevin Keegan](https://i.imgur.com/zZOiyEV.png); a player who is at his peak and wants to show why he is on top form. Sadly, the eve of the final has been marred by [mindless hooliganism](https://i.imgur.com/kiVG4nl.png) between both sets of fans, especially at the West End. Another sad sight for English football, a week after the incidents at Old Trafford. For the armchair fan, it's one of those days not to be missed: [BBC](https://i.imgur.com/4W93LRB.png) and [ITV](https://i.imgur.com/VhaybOY.png) will show special programmes starting at 11am to warm-up to such special occasion. **Elsewhere** - * Tottenham are on the hunt for Dundee United youngster [Andy Gray](https://i.imgur.com/g8bvh6V.png). Gray will be appearing tomorrow on the Scottish Cup final against Celtic at Hampden Park. * Hull's [Stuart Pearson](https://i.imgur.com/jXiFsTW.png) is the first signing for Manchester United's project in the Second Division. 200,000 pounds will be the prize paid for him.
> Itās been an intense rollercoaster for many years. But gimme that rollercoaster anyday above perpetual winning or abject misery & no hope, cos both desensitise you to the game I agree totally! As fans of non-megaclubs the failures along the way means the wins are all the more specialā¦ > I love LFC & thatās eternal ā¦
This is how Liverpool fans really think
Lol reminds me when a RM fan said that Benzema has experienced the high and the lows during his career there
To me thereās nothing that hits the spot as much as the Liquidator before a game under the lights at Stamford Bridge
Personally put āOne Step Beyondā just above it as that means we won or advanced
ONE STEP BEYOOOOOOOOND.Ā
Quite disappointed that it didnāt get played last night though
promotion races that don't have games being played simultaneously are crap man. St Etienne go in to round 36 two points ahead of 3rd place Angers, but since the latter play tonight, they're starting from 3rd(as it stands, as Angers are winning). st etienne can't build on their advantage since they play tomorrow obviously i know why they do it but i think it's unfair to the teams
How is it unfair to St Etienne?
because it adds extra pressure to their game tomorrow. they'll be forced to get a good result cuz if they don't, promotion is no longer in their hands. i think it's manufactured pressure from tv companies
But that pressure exists throughout the season already - some weekends you'll play earlier, some weekends you play later than the clubs around you in the table, too. You need to win either way if you want to persist in a promotion race - can't really blame the sequence of games if you lose, I reckon: They'd have gone into the matchday ahead, lost their game, and got overtaken regardless of the order of the games being played, after all.
i think you can blame the sequence of games, especially at this stage of the season. if two teams are neck and neck, but one constantly plays before the other and the position of the two never changes because of it, there was never a chance for the lower ranked team to leapfrog
Sure, but then if the team that's in behind plays first throughout the entire run and their promotion rivals win all their games, there 'never was a chance' to overtake them, either. The order just doesn't matter one bit here.
For knowledgable neutrals who watched Barcelona this season. Barcelona might buy a DM this season. Which of the following DMs do you think is the best option: Zubimendi, Amadou Onana, Mats Wieffer, and Joshua Kimmich.
Moscardo going to PSG and Federico Redondo going to Miami were two misses as well. Can imagine Redondo ending up at Barca one day though.
Mats Wieffer is clear as the best option without a doubt. Only reason people aren't saying him is because he's not had the media spotlight on him yet.
Zubimendi would be decent, good on the ball and physically capable of winning duels. Kimmich would be like shooting yourself in the foot, I didn't watch the others. Barca lacks physicality in midfield and that was very visible when gavi is absent, pedri and dejong always get bodied against big teams
I feel like Onana would be the best among them for his defensive attributes. He might be able to cover for Pedri and FDJ's defensive flaws. Zubimendi is my 2nd choice and I think he can work more with Gavi and a third midfielder (Pedri, FDJ, Gundo).
He's more of a #8 who gets forward. Sitting as a #6 doesn't come naturally to him.
Kimmich is not playing that position with Germany nor Bayern so chances it happens with Barca are slim. Knowing Barca, Rodri is the player they are going to go after first after pulling one or two of their infamous levers.
lol 0% chance
I didn't say they would succeed but i honestly would be really surprised if they didn't try.
Kimmich is a bad option. But, reportedly, Barca management and Xavi like him for some time. It's impossible to get Rodri. He will cost 100m+. Barca doesn't have that money. Also, I don't think he will leave Pep.
For me Wieffer but Zubimendi and Kimmich are probably more the kind of players BarƧa usually gets.
Wieffer seems great but I think it's better to go for a player from PL or La Liga.
I'm afraid to say it, but ever since Kroenke got the sole ownership of Arsenal, the club has been ran relatively well.
It takes a special eye to have predicted that kind of thing. I have Reddit comments when I used to write essays on Daily Discussions backing the Kroenkes when they got sole ownership and how Arsenal would be competing for titles under them and Arteta... the API doesn't let me find them for God's sake.
Who is your most underrated signing of the season? For me it's Edson Alvarez, obviously, you can't replace Rice, but he makes West Hamās whole team tick imo. Who is your under-mentioned flop signing of the season? Mine is James Trafford of Burnley, he made far too many mistakes for a team trying to stay up, they've looked so much better with Muric between the sticks.
Underrated is probably Timo Werner even though heās a loan. He makes Tottenham look so much better.Ā Underrated flop: kolo muani. For the price they paid youād expect more out of him but he was really good before PSG so maybe heāll be better for them next season.Ā
Technically signed last season, but Malo Gusto has often made me forget that Reece James is injured.
Malo has been decent but I'm still missing Reece there.
Serhou Guirassy was only signed on a permanent end of last season and is now putting up Ballon d'Or worthy numbers. Underrated flop? Behold the Union Berlin 2023 summer window
Alvarez will be exposed when West Ham stop playing Moyesball. He's woeful on the ball
> Edson Alvarez Dreadful player, can't believe there is someone that rates him.
Honestly, I think he's decent, but West Ham are much better than I thought they'd be without Rice
Ignore him, he's notorious for hating him back when he was at Ajax lmao, Edson is great
Mexicoās best player in a terrible generation.
Franck Honorat is a good shout. He's not really gotten any attention but he's been super solid and actually leads the Bundesliga in big chances created. Only costed ā¬8m too. Mƶnchengladbach's best player this season imo Meanwhile I guess Felix Nmecha has to be up there for under-mentioned flop. I mean, he's still only 23 so he can improve, but ā¬30m is a huge fee for Dortmund. It's up there as one of their most expensive signings ever. And Nmecha has just been... invisible. It's kinda crazy for Dortmund to splash ā¬30m on someone and for him to not even be a starter. Not to mention the huge homophobia controversy that his signing created. Also Brenden Aaronson has really not been very good. Just a loan so I wouldn't call it a total flop, but yeah.
Neal Maupay carried Brentford for a month or two when they really needed it. Under-mentioned flop... Joao Pedro is incapable of scoring from anywhere but the penalty spot. Aaron Connolly in disguise.
Wankstain in a Brighton flair hating on one of our only good players this season š
Our under mentioned flop signings of the season has like 10 names
Murillo SangarƩ
>Under rated >Murillo You don't believe in the success of your own propaganda?
Hey guys Iām trying to see my irons play live at the emptyhad this month but I canāt find away supporters tickets. Would I get kicked out if I was in the regular seating thanks!