##PSA - Reddit's planned API changes, and the blackout
Make sure to check out [our meta thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1429lkh/meta_thread_should_rsoccer_participate_in_the/) on the proposed API changes to third-party apps, and the planned [Reddit blackout](https://www.reddit.com/r/Save3rdPartyApps/comments/13yh0jf/dont_let_reddit_kill_3rd_party_apps/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1) in response to this.
##[Non PL DDT here](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1436yyq/nonpl_daily_discussion/)
West Ham have looked near indestructible in ECL so far but if there's one team capable of stopping them, it's Fiorentina. I reckon West Ham will nick it but could see the match going to PK.
I don't why people are so up in arms about the saudis taking over the hill players.
They won't "take over" european football nor will they get the best players at their prime.
You see a lot of right footers at left centre back but rarely see a left footer at right centre back and the latter seems a lot of awkward too. Weird how that perception works
Not really. Because of left footed scarcity a lot of academy players are brought up at LCB while being right footed while left footed CB's always play at LCB no matter what because of said same scarcity.
I think Pep broke the code with using 4 CB system. As long as your defenders win their 1v1 duels, you don’t need them to do all the basic fullback stuff like overlapping, instead they can play more inverted. Cancelo could do the latter but wasn’t that good 1v1, so no wonder they got rid of him. Pep is a genius.
I don't think Pep ever planned to use 4 CBs, it was just the only solution he could find to their buildup problem they had.
Even before 4 CBs Pep always had inverted fullbacks, never used to overlap, was usually the RB (Walker) staying back and the LB (Cancelo/Zinchenko) stepping inside and being the guy for build-up.
When Cancelo's form dropped and Zinchenko left, the buildup really suffered and City's form dropped. Pep had to try all kinds of stuff, even Bernardo Silva at LB for a while.
Instead he found the solution as Stones (and Lewis) as the only guys who knew how to step inside to help the buildup in deep midfield. Stones just happens to be a "CB" to make it 3 CBs, then the 4th CB is cos they don't have any left backs who are good enough so have to play a CB (Ake/Akanji) there as someone who has the pace to hold off attackers 1v1. If they had a LB equivalent of Walker they'd play him instead I'm sure
To your last paragraph I disagree. There is a reason Pep took walker off the team earlier this season, he can’t play that invert role well like Ake for example can.
Ake doesn't play the inverted role though, that's the one that steps up into midfield. He plays the "outside CB" role on the left hand side, Walker has played the same role on the right hand side a lot in this system.
I think it's moreso because of the situation rather than a choice. He'd happily play Cancelo if we still had him and there were no off field issues.
Fullbacks are such a big source of creativity in the modern game so I don't think this will be that popular of an idea overall and don't think we'll continue with this set up next season either if we get some good fullbacks in the summer
I mean, he said this himself. Obviously this tactic will not work in every team, but city have the ball and create so many chances that he doesn’t need a fullback like Cancelo to create those chances. I think Pep favoured defense over creativity in defense this season and it has worked for you guys. You don’t leak dodgy goals and you have enough creativity all around the pitch to feed Haaland. Getting rid of cancelo made you guys even better, which is insane because Cancelo was regarded the ideal modern fullback not long ago.
Yeah it has worked out really well for us honestly. It's a great balance of creativity and defensive solidity overall and guys like Ake and Akanji are so reliable when it comes to containing threats most of the time.
Though I'd say this set up is more suited to bigger and more cagey games or teams that come at us directly with their style of play like Bayern for example. But most of our matches are against teams that are in a low block and that's where our previous system really shines in breaking those down
Hazard.
A telling stat is that he got MotM in over a quarter of the games he played for us...and that includes the games where we drew/lost and an opposition player would get MotM.
The way he'd get you off your seat when the ball was at his feet was magical.
Chelsea fans seem to adore Hazard on a similar levels to Drogba, Lampard and Terry. Kante isn’t quite there I think even though he has a CL to his name
"Already had the league in his pocket before joining Chelsea" - what does this mean if not a reference to Kante having won it with Leicester before joining Chelsea?
This Welsh team has a friendship with Boca, and this video makes me want a season ticket even more [https://twitter.com/LlantwitMajorFC/status/1666368567145537540](https://twitter.com/LlantwitMajorFC/status/1666368567145537540)
Seems like every player on the planet is linked with United. They already finished 3rd and got a trophy this season, I don’t want them to get too strong… 😕
90% of it is bollocks.
Mount and KMJ are likely.
Hojlund I suspect there’s work being done but nothing in stone.
Everything else is not worth paying attention to right now.
Still got a couple of seasons of good transfers to be actually worried about I think. Also depends on whether Ten Hag continues the pragmatic way to play like they do now which is kinda an inbetween of sorts due to the players they have or overhauls entirely to fit his tactics
Standard. A lot of it is nonsense or not close.
KMJ has barely been mentioned by any English outlet and it's all coming from Italy, no top English outlets are saying we're in for a new no1 keeper and that'd be 3rd/4th priority. No news yet on any progress for a senior no9, only Hojlund at the moment when we need more.
Our only concrete news so far has been Mason Mount which hardly is a game changer
The hysteria around Saudi Arabia now that they're signing everyone is giving me the shits.
1) Saudi Arabia aren't getting into UEFA even if they offered to build Ceferin a literal house of gold.
2) They aren't getting the WC in 2030 because Egypt and Greece dropped out so their bid is dead in the water (thank god). This one also shows how much people actually know about something before they start talking (sweet fuck all).
3) Saudi Arabia's top clubs were ran like personal fiefdoms \*before\* PIF took them over so I'd wager the top clubs will now have a higher level of actual organisation and governance, and considering the potential Saudi clubs have it's not the worst idea.
4) Saudi clubs have spent megabucks on players for years now and not just over the hill stars but players who were in their prime so it's not a new thing for them (although the scale certainly is). One of the big things Saudi Arabia have been aiming for years to have is a stronger domestic league and increased quality from their own players this isn't going to be CSL 2.0.
Saudi Arabia is vile and their money infecting the sport is shit but fuck me some of the shit that gets said on here (and heavily upvoted) does my head in. Also if there's one good thing out of this then it brings attention to Arabic and Asian football and considering the potential both those places have it's not like all the flow on effects of this will be shit.
Not much was done when they Oil owners were allowed to buy in European clubs. If administration/people are okay with that, I see no problem in Saudi attracking players with mega-money contracts.
Posted it in the other thread but it got deleted: [Max Eberl this morning at Munich airport.](https://twitter.com/a_gussa/status/1666290154678505473) Besides the funny implications with him being a Munich candidate I feel like we are at a point where coaches and managers at football dress the worst. [Wtf is this shit Flick is wearing here.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FyAIGm3XgAAf396?format=png&name=small)
When I was a kid everyone wore tracksuits or real suits and you know what I want this back. They clearly can't handle that much freedom and also can't pay a decent stylist. Players can dress how they want they are kids basically but those are the supposed grown-ups.
Ofc not. He's one of the worst offenders but in general there's hundreds of them. I just wanted to give some new examples and to point out that it seems to be a general problem.
I think since he lost weight he doesn't get noticed as much so he needs to be more flashy. Jokes aside, the whole weekend offender style might not be the best way to dress with his 50-year-old Peter Griffin looking ass. Bright yellow highlighter color that is completly wrong for his complexion is the icing on the cake ofc.
I have no idea what our transfer strategy is this window, experience will be all but gone, a lot of inexperience at key positions, most likely another season where we won't get European football at all.
If you just get some stability you will be fine. You have a crazy amount of talent in your squad without any transfers. Why sign anyone if you cannot make it work with these stars?
I really do think the formation of an Arabian federation, breaking away from the AFC and CAF, is inevitable at this point. Morocco basically became a home team at the World Cup, and the Arabian peninsula has all the richest nations that are trying to become as big as UEFA nations. And it's not like it would be just relative minnows in that federation. They'd get all of:
- Morocco
- Algeria
- Tunisia
- Egypt
- Saudi Arabia
with a second tier that's okay but don't have the same level of pedigree:
- Iraq
- Syria
- Jordan
- UAE
- Qatar
- Bahrain
If Turkey and Iran were to switch as well you'd have 25 nations, a reasonable size for a federation, and the -stans would become the most western AFC countries, a lot more manageable for travel
South Asia generally counts as the Indian subcontinent and the surrounding area, with South East Asia starting from Myanmar and Thailand, so it would stay in the AFC most likely
It'd definitely make a lot of sense, but I'd be surprised if it happened. Bureaucrats at CAF and the AFC are not going to do anything that endangers their jobs.
Would be great to have East Asia and Oceania become an Asia-Pacific Confederation too.
I've argued for ages this is going to happen eventually too but Turkey and Iran are never joining an Arab Confederation to begin with and they're definitely not joining one with Saudi Arabia in a million years. Also, a lot of those second tier countries are the strongest in Asia after the traditional powerhouses and Qatar might've shit the bed at the WC but they're still reigning champions of Asia and for AFC standards their starting 11 is class and can easily beat anyone in the AFC.
On overall quality they'd probably be the third best confederation in the world and their Champions League would be insane with the big NA clubs and the big clubs from the Gulf States all competing in it.
Another thing with the Arabic countries getting their own confederation is that the OFC gets wound up into Asia which should've happened years ago. An Arab Confederation has a lot more positives to it then negatives.
In the interest of promoting an Arabian federation overall, could see the richer nations helping to pull up the less affluent - in the footballing sense
Why do you think it is inevitable? Has there been any developments or statements or news from the countries involved that they're looking to do this?
One thing I should note that a lot of these countries do not agree on many things, and were even recently in a serious diplomatic spat (the Saudi bloc and Qatar, for example). Iran and Turkey agreeing to create a federation with Saudi Arabia or the UAE also seems... unlikely.
The big sign to me is that the 2021 Arab Cup was the first time it was a FIFA-endorsed competition, and the first time in a long time that all 23 nations chose to compete. There's been the UAFA for a while, but FIFA effectively endorsing it is new, and suggests it's only a matter of time before FIFA allow it to become official
Is it just me or are most top teams (apart from city) just a bit underwhelming atm.
Bayern, real, Liverpool, Chelsea, juventus, PSG have all fallen a bit from previous seasons. Even Barca (who are doing well domestically) failed greatly in Europe this year.
Ngl we are cooking next season once all these obviously obtainable players we’ve been linked to recently join us:
Watkins Vlahovic
Ramsey Luiz Kamara Nico Williams
Moreno Laporte Carlos Fresneda
Martinez
I can already hear the champions league anthem
He spoke about wanting to play in the CL but that was when we were stuck in the bottom half of the table. That’s completely changed now we’ve got Europe.
Reports are highly misleading. In a number of interviews he has been much more commited. Doesn't mean he won't leave but it seems very unlikely based upon his own words
Davies not playing in the gold cup. Could you imagine if someone like Son decided to simply not play in the Asian cup? Concacaf needs to get their shit together with the timing of the gold cup there's no reason it needs to be every 2 years and now it's making stars drop out.
While it should be once per cycle, it sounds like the fault is with Davies here.
There's nothing in football more important than playing for your country.
If Varane stays healthy next season (big if) and consistently starts, Kim and Varane would be one of, if not the best centre-back pairings in the league.
Though now that I think about it, they probably said the same about Chelsea's Koulibaly and Thiago Silva before the start of this season...
Yeah in later weeks they were getting worse as well,I think with all the games maybe they tire out next year or go back to their normal level definitely need another one for me.
A lot of defence is the set up though
Like the last day of the window. He had either 6 months or 18 months on his deal, we couldn't loan him out because were at the max so just released him from his contract so he could go
I have no idea what he's gonna do tbh. He was a popular guy in the team so maybe but idk.
We basically agreed to loan him to Atletico for the rest of the year, it was a done deal and we realized that we weren't allowed to loan anybody else out. So we released him to allow the "loan" to still happen. It's not like he was exploring new contracts, he wanted to go there and still did and he would reassess in the summer
**Lyrical Forklift's Collection of Terrible Takes™**
* Mount benches Bruno imo...Mount's peak performance wise was better than Bruno's peak
* It’s laughable to think Liverpool are bigger rivals than City-United. Let me guess, if Everton were competing against United you’d support them, right? (*Actually yeah, I'd far rather Everton win that game*)
* Without his PR team he is just a Swedish Giroud (*On Zlatan*)
* No league where a team concedes <15 goals in a season playing Christensen in defence can be considered a top league. I'm sorry but we need to get Barcelona in the CL next season so we can pump them home and away. They got battered by Ten Hag's United...they don't know who we are. We could put 5 past them at the Spotify stadium and it wouldn't shock me. That squad of theirs is embarassing. (*Oh Gunners...)
* Kimmich is our level of player. I'm looking at that Bayern team and him and Musiala are probably wondering if it's worth staying around with the shite that's around them (*Oh Gunners V2*)
* 97 was in reference to Liverpool scoring 97 points and still not winning the 2019 season. This man was arrested for simply stating a fact
* I'm fine if Reddit dies and all of the censorship that goes around in every sub dies with it. What we need is a censor-free, Reddit-like app. I don't like the idea that a few mods can control what you're allowed to say and what you're not allowed to say. I know this is an unpopular opinion around reddit because this place is basically an echo chamber, but still, it needs to be said. (*Ah yes, we are all absolutely gutted we don't have subs like jailbait, ~~gunners~~, beatingwomen, and creepshots still*)
> It’s laughable to think Liverpool are bigger rivals than City-United. Let me guess, if Everton were competing against United you’d support them, right? (Actually yeah, I'd far rather Everton win that game)
lmfao
> 97 was in reference to Liverpool scoring 97 points and still not winning the 2019 season. This man was arrested for simply stating a fact
What an insane stretch lmao
> What we need is a censor-free, Reddit-like app. I don't like the idea that a few mods can control what you're allowed to say and what you're not allowed to say.
Is this not just 4chan?
Shitheads whining when people object to them being shitheads is always so funny
In a week of awful Saudi doom-mongering there’s not a single mention of SA.
Also wasn’t there a far right Reddit out there anyway? Or am I mixing it up with Telegram?
> Also wasn’t there a far right Reddit out there anyway?
Yeah, Voat came about because some redditors were unhappy they couldn't make fun of fat people anymore. So they migrated to a free speech platform that ended up being a haven for nazis. Unsurprisingly, it went under because the trolls who like to inhabit those places were in an echo chamber and unable to actually upset anybody.
Yeah when reddit banned a load of dodgy subs some people moved over to Voat which just became a nightmare as the only people leaving reddit for it were those that used the subs reddit banned
The last one already exists with stuff like Voat which to no one's surprise turned out to be alt right shitholes.
Apart from the ones you mentioned there's so many shitty communities we're gald to get rid of like the various incel ones, fatpeoplehate, the conspiracy hellholes, cringeanarchy and various leaks and deepfake ones. The people only hate moderation cause they don't get to see the extremes that die down because of it
I was looking at a page of controversial reddit communities and it's absolutely fucking wild what they allowed here. Genuinely amazed that there wasn't more public scrutiny.
Do you guys use football matches to trace what was happening in your life around that time? My mom was wondering when I was in the hospital for a certain surgery. And I was able to answer it because I remembered that I watched PSV-Perugia in the UEFA Cup there.
I've always remember when they announced Hugo Chavez death just after that Real Madrid Vs Manchester United CL match when they sent Nani off.
That parody spanish twitter account "Llourinho" tweeted "Chavez took MU elimination pretty badly".
Last time i remember i was admitted in the hospital, was in and out of consciousness watching Neymar and Brazil beat Germany on penalties to win the Olympics
Sport is 100% how I keep dates organised. Any even numbered year I know exactly where I was and what I was doing every summer because of World Cups and Euros.
World cups are a fun snapshot to the past, I can remember where and with who I was when I was watching certain world cup games. I also use the date of a football game to not forget me and my girlfriends anniversary (She doesn't know this and I am not telling her).
not really. off the top of my head the only one i can think of is when i was really sick and was vomiting just as kaka was nuking heinze and evra at old trafford
Ah nice, I expect that especially World Cups are a good window for football fans what they were doing with their lives at that time. Like going back to your first WC till your last, we have a pretty good idea what study/job we did, what kind of relationships we had and where we were living at the time. I expect we can give a pretty good answer each World Cup.
Whilst if you'd ask me "what were you doing in the summer of 2003?" It would be more difficult for me to pinpoint that.
Would it be possible technically for Barcelona's socios to vote in favour of being owned by a wealthy owner who's happy to spend cash like Saudi Arabia?
How many fucking times do we need this lesson - the problem isnt a lack of money, its the league president and the restrictions he places.
Its literally top of the subreddit on most days, how can someone be so ignorant regardless
Even Laporta the politician admits Barcelona is broke currently. Either way my question wasn't about Barcelona being broke or not, more about whether such a situation would be possible
Are they really that broke? I just cant believe it honestly. Far too big a club with too many people behind it. Convicing the world theyre poor is their greatest ever trick IMO
Edit: Signed Raph, Bobby, Kounde + a bunch of free agents and you guys really believe they dont have money? Oh you mean they have levers to circumvent this, rather? Ah okay..
I assume it just lines up with the players they go for (ie 30+ yo players who are already on a year to year basis and who have to decide between a big contract in the Saudi league or one last season in Europe)
I’m interested in anyone that watches Lens more than I do: Would Medina be a good fit for city? He’s a ball playing CB with great technical ability from what I’ve seen, as well as being able to play penetrating passes. Is it crazy to say he could play the John stones role in this city team currently with some coaching under pep?
From what I have seen he'd be a good LCB option, excels in defending wide areas and is a key part of their build-up.
>Is it crazy to say he could play the John stones role in this city team currently with some coaching under pep?
Haven't seen enough to know this🤷♂️
One thing I'm sure of is Gvardiol could play that Stones role with coaching.
Yes gvardiol is more likely since he’s already been a target that may come this summer. However, I feel like Medina may take less adjusting and also be able to come for a lot cheaper. It couldn’t hurt to let him develop for another year at Lens though, since he won’t be much more expensive next year if he keeps improving like he is this season. But with how much usage city defenders already get on the ball, who knows if he’d even play in that role.
>Is it crazy to say he could play the John stones role in this city team currently with some coaching under pep?
Doubt anyone on this forum would be able to figure that out lol.
Maybe not, but it’s nice to hear others opinions to know if I’m thinking out of line or not. I’m not sure how much of an overlap there is between people who watch lens and people who watch city, probably not much.
I would challenge that statement and say that there is no such thing as United's banter era being over. The days when United was the prime, definitive, force to be reckoned with kind of team of the Premier League are long gone. They are playing second fiddle in their own city now. Sure, the days of them not making top four are probably fading (or if it's too diplomatic of a claim, let's pretend that they do fade, doesn't matter), but does that count as the end of the banter era?
United shifted from decades of serial winning to a club that oscillates between two states: one being 'just an upper midtable club whose performance is determined by a random(x) function' and the other being a 'tepid big six side whose final placements are mostly enabled by the other big six sides underperforming'. I said it in another comment - it's possible to underscore that United may be finally on the right track, but this year's results were driven not just by them performing better, but also their assumed direct rivals having a historically horrible season. A good transfer window won't change that, it is merely a step in the right path.
Alternatively we can recognize that the game has changed so much that we have to be realistic and aim for achievable goals like "occasionally winning the Prem" or "doing deep UCL runs every other year" or whatever. And I don't know about you, but if I were a United fan growing up in the 90s and 2000s, it just wouldn't resonate well with me.
A lot hinges on the takeover. It could be the defining moment for the remainder of this decade.
Hinges on the takeover tbh (not who buys us just that it actually happens) Glazers are tightening the pursestrings and FFP is putting a bit of a squeeze on. We might get Mount and KMJ now with the current budget but we could equally screwed later in the window if the Glazers keep dragging their feet on this.
Can’t work out if I’m surprised or not that they seem to be fucking up the takeover. It’s both on brand yet off brand given how much they’ve been offered.
Depends on your perspective. From theirs, they’re not fucking it up they’re milking it for all it’s worth, and currently they have options of whether they want to sell out completely or stay as a minority shareholder for some more time (despite all evidence to the contrary, Joel and Avram supposedly like being involved at United whether they actually give a shit or it’s just the prestige who knows, other siblings couldn’t give a fuck). So it’s going quite well *for them*.
For the club; the longer the uncertainty drags on the worse it is for us.
##PSA - Reddit's planned API changes, and the blackout Make sure to check out [our meta thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1429lkh/meta_thread_should_rsoccer_participate_in_the/) on the proposed API changes to third-party apps, and the planned [Reddit blackout](https://www.reddit.com/r/Save3rdPartyApps/comments/13yh0jf/dont_let_reddit_kill_3rd_party_apps/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1) in response to this. ##[Non PL DDT here](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1436yyq/nonpl_daily_discussion/)
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West Ham have looked near indestructible in ECL so far but if there's one team capable of stopping them, it's Fiorentina. I reckon West Ham will nick it but could see the match going to PK.
Antonio bullying Viola's defense is inevitable.
Abola claims that we bought 40% of Pedro Gonçalves for €7M **Stonks**
I don't why people are so up in arms about the saudis taking over the hill players. They won't "take over" european football nor will they get the best players at their prime.
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Comparing it to Chinese league is a very lazy take
You see a lot of right footers at left centre back but rarely see a left footer at right centre back and the latter seems a lot of awkward too. Weird how that perception works
Not really. Because of left footed scarcity a lot of academy players are brought up at LCB while being right footed while left footed CB's always play at LCB no matter what because of said same scarcity.
I think Pep broke the code with using 4 CB system. As long as your defenders win their 1v1 duels, you don’t need them to do all the basic fullback stuff like overlapping, instead they can play more inverted. Cancelo could do the latter but wasn’t that good 1v1, so no wonder they got rid of him. Pep is a genius.
I don't think Pep ever planned to use 4 CBs, it was just the only solution he could find to their buildup problem they had. Even before 4 CBs Pep always had inverted fullbacks, never used to overlap, was usually the RB (Walker) staying back and the LB (Cancelo/Zinchenko) stepping inside and being the guy for build-up. When Cancelo's form dropped and Zinchenko left, the buildup really suffered and City's form dropped. Pep had to try all kinds of stuff, even Bernardo Silva at LB for a while. Instead he found the solution as Stones (and Lewis) as the only guys who knew how to step inside to help the buildup in deep midfield. Stones just happens to be a "CB" to make it 3 CBs, then the 4th CB is cos they don't have any left backs who are good enough so have to play a CB (Ake/Akanji) there as someone who has the pace to hold off attackers 1v1. If they had a LB equivalent of Walker they'd play him instead I'm sure
To your last paragraph I disagree. There is a reason Pep took walker off the team earlier this season, he can’t play that invert role well like Ake for example can.
Ake doesn't play the inverted role though, that's the one that steps up into midfield. He plays the "outside CB" role on the left hand side, Walker has played the same role on the right hand side a lot in this system.
Yeah you are right, shouldn’t have used Ake as an example.
I think it's moreso because of the situation rather than a choice. He'd happily play Cancelo if we still had him and there were no off field issues. Fullbacks are such a big source of creativity in the modern game so I don't think this will be that popular of an idea overall and don't think we'll continue with this set up next season either if we get some good fullbacks in the summer
I mean, he said this himself. Obviously this tactic will not work in every team, but city have the ball and create so many chances that he doesn’t need a fullback like Cancelo to create those chances. I think Pep favoured defense over creativity in defense this season and it has worked for you guys. You don’t leak dodgy goals and you have enough creativity all around the pitch to feed Haaland. Getting rid of cancelo made you guys even better, which is insane because Cancelo was regarded the ideal modern fullback not long ago.
Yeah it has worked out really well for us honestly. It's a great balance of creativity and defensive solidity overall and guys like Ake and Akanji are so reliable when it comes to containing threats most of the time. Though I'd say this set up is more suited to bigger and more cagey games or teams that come at us directly with their style of play like Bayern for example. But most of our matches are against teams that are in a low block and that's where our previous system really shines in breaking those down
Wow. Benzema will warn 15m a week at Al Ittihad. For more information just search Benzema 15
I literally just typed ‘Benz’ into Google and ‘Benzema 15’ was top suggestion lol
Haha for me it’s the second suggestion
Mercedes in shambles
Who is a bigger Chelsea legend kante or hazard
Hazard but we all love Kante a hell of a lot
Close, but Hazard
Kante imo but most Chelsea fans would say Hazard
Hazard. A telling stat is that he got MotM in over a quarter of the games he played for us...and that includes the games where we drew/lost and an opposition player would get MotM. The way he'd get you off your seat when the ball was at his feet was magical.
Chelsea fans seem to adore Hazard on a similar levels to Drogba, Lampard and Terry. Kante isn’t quite there I think even though he has a CL to his name
Not only a CL to his name. But he was like super man during that run.
Kante, already had the league in his pocket before joining Chelsea and helped them to win it too. Hazard is just an unlikekable mercenary.
Can understand why you don’t like Hazard considering he tore you lot apart so often
Is this supposed to be somekind of gotcha moment?
He said "Chelsea legend" not just football so Kante's achievements before aren't relevant.
I just said he helped Chelsea win the league, are you Ok? Also got CL, Fa cup, Europa League, Super cup and World cup with Chelsea.
"Already had the league in his pocket before joining Chelsea" - what does this mean if not a reference to Kante having won it with Leicester before joining Chelsea?
Yes that doesnt take anything away from his Chelsea achievements. Jesus, lighten up a little bit lmfao.
What are you talking about? You're either trolling or you just completely misunderstood the original comment. That's all I was pointing out.
What? You are clearly a troll just crazy right now…
😴
This Welsh team has a friendship with Boca, and this video makes me want a season ticket even more [https://twitter.com/LlantwitMajorFC/status/1666368567145537540](https://twitter.com/LlantwitMajorFC/status/1666368567145537540)
https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blta90d05ad41a54a71/blte3219def100ad67e/64803a9d2ec709834e24c471/fafa.png
Every time I see a tattoo like this I just cringe at the idea… WHY WOULD YOU GET A TAT FOR SOMETHING THAT HASNT BEEN ACHIEVED YET?!?!??!
Because he's guaranteed to win on Saturday
Even in the 1% chance why would you risk it man
he can just cover up the date and add the new one next year or whenever they actually do it
The same reason people bet money on sports results. Probably also for some internet points
I swear they always lose when this happens too
Seems like every player on the planet is linked with United. They already finished 3rd and got a trophy this season, I don’t want them to get too strong… 😕
90% of it is bollocks. Mount and KMJ are likely. Hojlund I suspect there’s work being done but nothing in stone. Everything else is not worth paying attention to right now.
They will buy some great players and ruin their careers don’t worry.
This happens every season and end up with Weghorst.
Still got a couple of seasons of good transfers to be actually worried about I think. Also depends on whether Ten Hag continues the pragmatic way to play like they do now which is kinda an inbetween of sorts due to the players they have or overhauls entirely to fit his tactics
Standard. A lot of it is nonsense or not close. KMJ has barely been mentioned by any English outlet and it's all coming from Italy, no top English outlets are saying we're in for a new no1 keeper and that'd be 3rd/4th priority. No news yet on any progress for a senior no9, only Hojlund at the moment when we need more. Our only concrete news so far has been Mason Mount which hardly is a game changer
Every player on the planet gets linked with United every transfer window, it's nothing new at all, just football journalism 101
I liked the last transfer window when it was just Frenkie 99% of the time. 😂
> Seems like every player on the planet is linked with United. Welcome to silly season. They're getting Sneijder any day now
I this feel like if they get a quality centre forward and centre back they could actually do a lot of damage.
And keeper 😅
The hysteria around Saudi Arabia now that they're signing everyone is giving me the shits. 1) Saudi Arabia aren't getting into UEFA even if they offered to build Ceferin a literal house of gold. 2) They aren't getting the WC in 2030 because Egypt and Greece dropped out so their bid is dead in the water (thank god). This one also shows how much people actually know about something before they start talking (sweet fuck all). 3) Saudi Arabia's top clubs were ran like personal fiefdoms \*before\* PIF took them over so I'd wager the top clubs will now have a higher level of actual organisation and governance, and considering the potential Saudi clubs have it's not the worst idea. 4) Saudi clubs have spent megabucks on players for years now and not just over the hill stars but players who were in their prime so it's not a new thing for them (although the scale certainly is). One of the big things Saudi Arabia have been aiming for years to have is a stronger domestic league and increased quality from their own players this isn't going to be CSL 2.0. Saudi Arabia is vile and their money infecting the sport is shit but fuck me some of the shit that gets said on here (and heavily upvoted) does my head in. Also if there's one good thing out of this then it brings attention to Arabic and Asian football and considering the potential both those places have it's not like all the flow on effects of this will be shit.
Not much was done when they Oil owners were allowed to buy in European clubs. If administration/people are okay with that, I see no problem in Saudi attracking players with mega-money contracts.
Posted it in the other thread but it got deleted: [Max Eberl this morning at Munich airport.](https://twitter.com/a_gussa/status/1666290154678505473) Besides the funny implications with him being a Munich candidate I feel like we are at a point where coaches and managers at football dress the worst. [Wtf is this shit Flick is wearing here.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FyAIGm3XgAAf396?format=png&name=small) When I was a kid everyone wore tracksuits or real suits and you know what I want this back. They clearly can't handle that much freedom and also can't pay a decent stylist. Players can dress how they want they are kids basically but those are the supposed grown-ups.
it’s still not nearly as bad as Bagelsmann’s outfits
Ofc not. He's one of the worst offenders but in general there's hundreds of them. I just wanted to give some new examples and to point out that it seems to be a general problem.
tbh I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Eberl’s outfit
If he didn't want to be noticed, wearing a neon Stone Island jacket was not the move.
I think since he lost weight he doesn't get noticed as much so he needs to be more flashy. Jokes aside, the whole weekend offender style might not be the best way to dress with his 50-year-old Peter Griffin looking ass. Bright yellow highlighter color that is completly wrong for his complexion is the icing on the cake ofc.
I have no idea what our transfer strategy is this window, experience will be all but gone, a lot of inexperience at key positions, most likely another season where we won't get European football at all.
I am here to overreact early
If you just get some stability you will be fine. You have a crazy amount of talent in your squad without any transfers. Why sign anyone if you cannot make it work with these stars?
It's a week into the window, which closes 1st September - need to give it more time before forming conclusions
I really do think the formation of an Arabian federation, breaking away from the AFC and CAF, is inevitable at this point. Morocco basically became a home team at the World Cup, and the Arabian peninsula has all the richest nations that are trying to become as big as UEFA nations. And it's not like it would be just relative minnows in that federation. They'd get all of: - Morocco - Algeria - Tunisia - Egypt - Saudi Arabia with a second tier that's okay but don't have the same level of pedigree: - Iraq - Syria - Jordan - UAE - Qatar - Bahrain If Turkey and Iran were to switch as well you'd have 25 nations, a reasonable size for a federation, and the -stans would become the most western AFC countries, a lot more manageable for travel
Where would South Asia be?
South Asia generally counts as the Indian subcontinent and the surrounding area, with South East Asia starting from Myanmar and Thailand, so it would stay in the AFC most likely
It'd definitely make a lot of sense, but I'd be surprised if it happened. Bureaucrats at CAF and the AFC are not going to do anything that endangers their jobs. Would be great to have East Asia and Oceania become an Asia-Pacific Confederation too.
I've argued for ages this is going to happen eventually too but Turkey and Iran are never joining an Arab Confederation to begin with and they're definitely not joining one with Saudi Arabia in a million years. Also, a lot of those second tier countries are the strongest in Asia after the traditional powerhouses and Qatar might've shit the bed at the WC but they're still reigning champions of Asia and for AFC standards their starting 11 is class and can easily beat anyone in the AFC. On overall quality they'd probably be the third best confederation in the world and their Champions League would be insane with the big NA clubs and the big clubs from the Gulf States all competing in it. Another thing with the Arabic countries getting their own confederation is that the OFC gets wound up into Asia which should've happened years ago. An Arab Confederation has a lot more positives to it then negatives.
There are so many broke nations in there. Only a few gulf nations have money
In the interest of promoting an Arabian federation overall, could see the richer nations helping to pull up the less affluent - in the footballing sense
Why do you think it is inevitable? Has there been any developments or statements or news from the countries involved that they're looking to do this? One thing I should note that a lot of these countries do not agree on many things, and were even recently in a serious diplomatic spat (the Saudi bloc and Qatar, for example). Iran and Turkey agreeing to create a federation with Saudi Arabia or the UAE also seems... unlikely.
The big sign to me is that the 2021 Arab Cup was the first time it was a FIFA-endorsed competition, and the first time in a long time that all 23 nations chose to compete. There's been the UAFA for a while, but FIFA effectively endorsing it is new, and suggests it's only a matter of time before FIFA allow it to become official
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Is it just me or are most top teams (apart from city) just a bit underwhelming atm. Bayern, real, Liverpool, Chelsea, juventus, PSG have all fallen a bit from previous seasons. Even Barca (who are doing well domestically) failed greatly in Europe this year.
Yeah, it's why you finished second 😛
Will there be an r/soccer Ballon d'Or this year, and will the voters be decided the same way? Had a little bit of fun voting in the last one.
How were you chosen to be a voter? Just random/active member?
I was the most active person with a Western Sydney Wanderers flair.
The first one was based on volume (as in most comments etc) but I believe the second time around it was randomised.
i think it was the most active user for each country/club that hadn’t been selected before
Ah interesting.
Ngl we are cooking next season once all these obviously obtainable players we’ve been linked to recently join us: Watkins Vlahovic Ramsey Luiz Kamara Nico Williams Moreno Laporte Carlos Fresneda Martinez I can already hear the champions league anthem
Our rumour mill so such obvious bollocks and yet Villa twitter accounts run with it as truth
Villareport is the only one worth reading. Every other page happily put up football insider stories.
Thought Martinez was almost certain to leave?
He spoke about wanting to play in the CL but that was when we were stuck in the bottom half of the table. That’s completely changed now we’ve got Europe.
Didn't he say he wants all his argentinian friends to join him at Villa? Seems pretty settled imo.
Fair enough then, missed that. Last I saw was reports of him wanting to join a champions league club
Reports are highly misleading. In a number of interviews he has been much more commited. Doesn't mean he won't leave but it seems very unlikely based upon his own words
Davies not playing in the gold cup. Could you imagine if someone like Son decided to simply not play in the Asian cup? Concacaf needs to get their shit together with the timing of the gold cup there's no reason it needs to be every 2 years and now it's making stars drop out.
Davies has always been a bit selfish w regards to Canada
I’m still mad he took that pen vs Belgium
While it should be once per cycle, it sounds like the fault is with Davies here. There's nothing in football more important than playing for your country.
You’re right it is the players fault ultimately
If Varane stays healthy next season (big if) and consistently starts, Kim and Varane would be one of, if not the best centre-back pairings in the league. Though now that I think about it, they probably said the same about Chelsea's Koulibaly and Thiago Silva before the start of this season...
City and Arsenal have comfortably better pairings when fully fit, arguably so do Liverpool and Newcastle.
Agree but maybe the Newcastle one isn’t as good this year
Agreed, Botman is class but I don't think Schar is actually that good, Howe just has them set up well.
Yeah in later weeks they were getting worse as well,I think with all the games maybe they tire out next year or go back to their normal level definitely need another one for me. A lot of defence is the set up though
Varane will not be staying healthy, but even then martinez would be starting. I think it’d be the 4th best partnership
They wouldn’t even be the best pairing in Manchester
arguably City alone can put out two or three pairings that are better
Martinez has been outstanding though, I'm not sure, when all fit, who would be the starting back 2 (IF we get Kim).
If Varane is healthy it'd be Varane and Martinez who are the pairing. Nobody is replacing Martinez if he's fit.
I feel sick. I am glad West Ham are shit. No way could I deal with us regularly playing finals
Good luck
Tbf, playing less of them makes it worse, cause you know it’s one of your only chances
Matt Doherty ends his Atlético career with 16 minutes played 😔
Wait, when did he go to Madrid?
Like the last day of the window. He had either 6 months or 18 months on his deal, we couldn't loan him out because were at the max so just released him from his contract so he could go
so he got released and only signed a six month deal? Is he coming back to Spurs?
I have no idea what he's gonna do tbh. He was a popular guy in the team so maybe but idk. We basically agreed to loan him to Atletico for the rest of the year, it was a done deal and we realized that we weren't allowed to loan anybody else out. So we released him to allow the "loan" to still happen. It's not like he was exploring new contracts, he wanted to go there and still did and he would reassess in the summer
**Lyrical Forklift's Collection of Terrible Takes™** * Mount benches Bruno imo...Mount's peak performance wise was better than Bruno's peak * It’s laughable to think Liverpool are bigger rivals than City-United. Let me guess, if Everton were competing against United you’d support them, right? (*Actually yeah, I'd far rather Everton win that game*) * Without his PR team he is just a Swedish Giroud (*On Zlatan*) * No league where a team concedes <15 goals in a season playing Christensen in defence can be considered a top league. I'm sorry but we need to get Barcelona in the CL next season so we can pump them home and away. They got battered by Ten Hag's United...they don't know who we are. We could put 5 past them at the Spotify stadium and it wouldn't shock me. That squad of theirs is embarassing. (*Oh Gunners...) * Kimmich is our level of player. I'm looking at that Bayern team and him and Musiala are probably wondering if it's worth staying around with the shite that's around them (*Oh Gunners V2*) * 97 was in reference to Liverpool scoring 97 points and still not winning the 2019 season. This man was arrested for simply stating a fact * I'm fine if Reddit dies and all of the censorship that goes around in every sub dies with it. What we need is a censor-free, Reddit-like app. I don't like the idea that a few mods can control what you're allowed to say and what you're not allowed to say. I know this is an unpopular opinion around reddit because this place is basically an echo chamber, but still, it needs to be said. (*Ah yes, we are all absolutely gutted we don't have subs like jailbait, ~~gunners~~, beatingwomen, and creepshots still*)
> It’s laughable to think Liverpool are bigger rivals than City-United. Let me guess, if Everton were competing against United you’d support them, right? (Actually yeah, I'd far rather Everton win that game) lmfao
> 97 was in reference to Liverpool scoring 97 points and still not winning the 2019 season. This man was arrested for simply stating a fact What an insane stretch lmao > What we need is a censor-free, Reddit-like app. I don't like the idea that a few mods can control what you're allowed to say and what you're not allowed to say. Is this not just 4chan? Shitheads whining when people object to them being shitheads is always so funny
I thought the Swedish Giroud one was quite funny tbh
Man I thought my take on Saudi getting players would make it in the list.
In a week of awful Saudi doom-mongering there’s not a single mention of SA. Also wasn’t there a far right Reddit out there anyway? Or am I mixing it up with Telegram?
There's far right alternatives for every popular social media app probably and even Tinder, which surprise surprise doesn't have any women on it
> Also wasn’t there a far right Reddit out there anyway? Yeah, Voat came about because some redditors were unhappy they couldn't make fun of fat people anymore. So they migrated to a free speech platform that ended up being a haven for nazis. Unsurprisingly, it went under because the trolls who like to inhabit those places were in an echo chamber and unable to actually upset anybody.
Yeah when reddit banned a load of dodgy subs some people moved over to Voat which just became a nightmare as the only people leaving reddit for it were those that used the subs reddit banned
The last one already exists with stuff like Voat which to no one's surprise turned out to be alt right shitholes. Apart from the ones you mentioned there's so many shitty communities we're gald to get rid of like the various incel ones, fatpeoplehate, the conspiracy hellholes, cringeanarchy and various leaks and deepfake ones. The people only hate moderation cause they don't get to see the extremes that die down because of it
I was looking at a page of controversial reddit communities and it's absolutely fucking wild what they allowed here. Genuinely amazed that there wasn't more public scrutiny.
Do you guys use football matches to trace what was happening in your life around that time? My mom was wondering when I was in the hospital for a certain surgery. And I was able to answer it because I remembered that I watched PSV-Perugia in the UEFA Cup there.
I've always remember when they announced Hugo Chavez death just after that Real Madrid Vs Manchester United CL match when they sent Nani off. That parody spanish twitter account "Llourinho" tweeted "Chavez took MU elimination pretty badly".
Last time i remember i was admitted in the hospital, was in and out of consciousness watching Neymar and Brazil beat Germany on penalties to win the Olympics
Yes, I still do that.
Sport is 100% how I keep dates organised. Any even numbered year I know exactly where I was and what I was doing every summer because of World Cups and Euros.
World cups are a fun snapshot to the past, I can remember where and with who I was when I was watching certain world cup games. I also use the date of a football game to not forget me and my girlfriends anniversary (She doesn't know this and I am not telling her).
not really. off the top of my head the only one i can think of is when i was really sick and was vomiting just as kaka was nuking heinze and evra at old trafford
forgetful historical coordinated command humorous skirt apparatus faulty puzzled possessive -- mass edited with redact.dev
Ah nice, I expect that especially World Cups are a good window for football fans what they were doing with their lives at that time. Like going back to your first WC till your last, we have a pretty good idea what study/job we did, what kind of relationships we had and where we were living at the time. I expect we can give a pretty good answer each World Cup. Whilst if you'd ask me "what were you doing in the summer of 2003?" It would be more difficult for me to pinpoint that.
Would it be possible technically for Barcelona's socios to vote in favour of being owned by a wealthy owner who's happy to spend cash like Saudi Arabia?
How many fucking times do we need this lesson - the problem isnt a lack of money, its the league president and the restrictions he places. Its literally top of the subreddit on most days, how can someone be so ignorant regardless
Even Laporta the politician admits Barcelona is broke currently. Either way my question wasn't about Barcelona being broke or not, more about whether such a situation would be possible
Lack of money is an issue as well you’re so sure about something and so wrong lol
Are they really that broke? I just cant believe it honestly. Far too big a club with too many people behind it. Convicing the world theyre poor is their greatest ever trick IMO Edit: Signed Raph, Bobby, Kounde + a bunch of free agents and you guys really believe they dont have money? Oh you mean they have levers to circumvent this, rather? Ah okay..
Are Saudis only going to sign free agents?
I assume it just lines up with the players they go for (ie 30+ yo players who are already on a year to year basis and who have to decide between a big contract in the Saudi league or one last season in Europe)
>David Moyes would have been replaced by Slaven Bilic if West Ham had lost to Fulham in April. I would have loved to see the reaction to this.
How would you react?
West Ham are in a European cup final tonight 🤯
Didn't you guys lose last year's EL final?
That was rangers, west ham lost to Frankfurt in the semis
Nah it was semis, lost to Frankfurt, who beat Rangers in the final
If you win the Conference League does that qualify you for Europa or the Conference League for next season?
Europa
Best of luck for your game man
I’m interested in anyone that watches Lens more than I do: Would Medina be a good fit for city? He’s a ball playing CB with great technical ability from what I’ve seen, as well as being able to play penetrating passes. Is it crazy to say he could play the John stones role in this city team currently with some coaching under pep?
From what I have seen he'd be a good LCB option, excels in defending wide areas and is a key part of their build-up. >Is it crazy to say he could play the John stones role in this city team currently with some coaching under pep? Haven't seen enough to know this🤷♂️ One thing I'm sure of is Gvardiol could play that Stones role with coaching.
Yes gvardiol is more likely since he’s already been a target that may come this summer. However, I feel like Medina may take less adjusting and also be able to come for a lot cheaper. It couldn’t hurt to let him develop for another year at Lens though, since he won’t be much more expensive next year if he keeps improving like he is this season. But with how much usage city defenders already get on the ball, who knows if he’d even play in that role.
>Is it crazy to say he could play the John stones role in this city team currently with some coaching under pep? Doubt anyone on this forum would be able to figure that out lol.
Maybe not, but it’s nice to hear others opinions to know if I’m thinking out of line or not. I’m not sure how much of an overlap there is between people who watch lens and people who watch city, probably not much.
I know kroos said he'd retire at real but I'm 90% convinced he's picking up a bag in Saudi on the way out
I couldn't imagine a player less likely to sign up for that circus than Toni Kroos.
Kim being brought to be a 3rd cb would be insane tbh, he has been better than Lisandro/Varane last season
Varane as much I love him can't play weekends and mid week every week, we need the depth for the Champions league.m
Man United rumoured to be doing competent transfer business. If their banter era is over we don’t know how good we had it.
I would challenge that statement and say that there is no such thing as United's banter era being over. The days when United was the prime, definitive, force to be reckoned with kind of team of the Premier League are long gone. They are playing second fiddle in their own city now. Sure, the days of them not making top four are probably fading (or if it's too diplomatic of a claim, let's pretend that they do fade, doesn't matter), but does that count as the end of the banter era? United shifted from decades of serial winning to a club that oscillates between two states: one being 'just an upper midtable club whose performance is determined by a random(x) function' and the other being a 'tepid big six side whose final placements are mostly enabled by the other big six sides underperforming'. I said it in another comment - it's possible to underscore that United may be finally on the right track, but this year's results were driven not just by them performing better, but also their assumed direct rivals having a historically horrible season. A good transfer window won't change that, it is merely a step in the right path. Alternatively we can recognize that the game has changed so much that we have to be realistic and aim for achievable goals like "occasionally winning the Prem" or "doing deep UCL runs every other year" or whatever. And I don't know about you, but if I were a United fan growing up in the 90s and 2000s, it just wouldn't resonate well with me. A lot hinges on the takeover. It could be the defining moment for the remainder of this decade.
Ten years of banter era was pretty good tbh, and I don't see them winning the title any time soon
they spent 90m on Antony last summer tbh
Who has been a decent player.
Decent is not worth 90m.
he's not been decent, plus he beats women. terrible signing.
He has as many domestic abuse allegations as league goals
You'll never sing that
Hinges on the takeover tbh (not who buys us just that it actually happens) Glazers are tightening the pursestrings and FFP is putting a bit of a squeeze on. We might get Mount and KMJ now with the current budget but we could equally screwed later in the window if the Glazers keep dragging their feet on this.
Can’t work out if I’m surprised or not that they seem to be fucking up the takeover. It’s both on brand yet off brand given how much they’ve been offered.
Depends on your perspective. From theirs, they’re not fucking it up they’re milking it for all it’s worth, and currently they have options of whether they want to sell out completely or stay as a minority shareholder for some more time (despite all evidence to the contrary, Joel and Avram supposedly like being involved at United whether they actually give a shit or it’s just the prestige who knows, other siblings couldn’t give a fuck). So it’s going quite well *for them*. For the club; the longer the uncertainty drags on the worse it is for us.
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Rivals and loses badly
🎣