2019-2020 Football / Calcio / Futbol / Fußball Thread

[martl]

Originally Posted by Gsinill

Interesting how Barcelona's management seems to get away with putting all the blame for their situation on anybody but themselves.
I am absolutely no fan of Suárez, as a matter of fact I think he should have been banned from football a long time ago, but how they treat him and some other players is ridiculous.
Leave alone Koeman's conduct.
If I were a player, I would think twice about joining them unless they fire and replace the whole leadership.

Messi, if reports are to be believed, pretty much runs the team and 50% of the club, players not in his posse are second tier, he dictates who plays and who not (including himself) and he uses his status with the fanbase to dominate how the whole club is run.
Also he nets 50Mio/annually (which he as a player is worth).

Given all that, if i was in a position to get him to my club, i wouldnt touch him with a 10ft pole. As the CL final tourament has shown, no single player is worth more than an intact team.

fun thing is, Messi never was that much of a Diva (CR possibly is one much more so), it just seems to happen with players so iconic.

[wc1934]

Official: McKennie signs for Juventus:

"Weston McKennie has officially completed his move to Juventus, on loan for €4.5m with option to buy for €18m from Schalke 04, becoming the first American in the Bianconeri jersey".

[echappist]

Originally Posted by wc1934

Official: McKennie signs for Juventus:

"Weston McKennie has officially completed his move to Juventus, on loan for €4.5m with option to buy for €18m from Schalke 04, becoming the first American in the Bianconeri jersey".

Oh boy. Not sure what to make of this.

He certainly is talented, but I'm not sure if it's justified. Step up from Schalke to Juve is significant. What role will he be playing? And will maestro trequartista give McKennie the time of the day?

That said, I wish him the best and want to see him do well

[echappist]

Anyone watch Women's Champion's League finals?

Not a bad match at all. Reminiscent of the Euro 2017 between England and the Netherlands. Quite a bit of proactive, attacking football. I personally think this was quite a bit better than the shyte Women's World Cup matches that were played last year.

[martl]

Originally Posted by echappist

Oh boy. Not sure what to make of this.

He certainly is talented, but I'm not sure if it's justified. Step up from Schalke to Juve is significant. What role will he be playing? And will maestro trequartista give McKennie the time of the day?

That said, I wish him the best and want to see him do well

Schalke needs money badly thats why they welcomed the deal even though McKennie was one of the key players. Of course Juve is a step up as they have a subscription for the scudetto and are CL contenders, but the level of football played is not sooo much higher than at Schalke, who still is a first league club and was second in germany only three years ago.
The only way for a young player to find out if he's got what it takes is to try it out, no.

[wc1934]

Juventus has reportedly agreed to terms with Luis Suarez. Wonder if Giorgio C was consulted - haha.

[echappist]

Originally Posted by martl

Schalke needs money badly thats why they welcomed the deal even though McKennie was one of the key players. Of course Juve is a step up as they have a subscription for the scudetto and are CL contenders, but the level of football played is not sooo much higher than at Schalke, who still is a first league club and was second in germany only three years ago.
The only way for a young player to find out if he's got what it takes is to try it out, no.

For a club that has developed a lot of talent (top of my head, Sane, Ozil, Neuer), Schalke sure seems badly managed financially.

And good point re: your last point. Just that this is a pretty big step up.

Originally Posted by wc1934

Juventus has reportedly agreed to terms with Luis Suarez. Wonder if Giorgio C was consulted - haha.

Oh man, the dismantling begins.

Rakitic is gone, now Suarez...

[martl]

Originally Posted by echappist

For a club that has developed a lot of talent (top of my head, Sane, Ozil, Neuer), Schalke sure seems badly managed financially.
.

Wanna build a CL contender?

Neuer/Nübel/Kehrer/Kolasinac/Matip/Draxler/Özil/Gündogan/Sane/NcKennie

In other news, Thomas Müller, booted from the German national team together with WC heroes Himmels and Boateng only last year, received the ranking "World Class" by football magazine "Kicker" who are notoriously tighta**ed about giving that honor out (in 2019,*no Bundesliga or German player got that) - I wonder how stupid Löw is feeling right now.

[echappist]

Espn could occasionally write a decent article. This one on Gio Reyna

Much of the story, I have known (e.g. passing of his older brother, etc.). What I didn't quite grasp is that he's a 17-year old, all alone in Germany, not old enough to drive. The part about Haaland driving him to places is actually somewhat amusing. Then again, I half remember their fathers used to play on City, though I don't think they actually overlapped.

[wc1934]

Allan to Everton for a reported €25m plus bonuses - reunited Ancelotti.
Pains me to see him go. I cant figure out De Laurentiis - Last year he rejected PSG's €50m offer.

[echappist]

A movie producer, not a proper CEO

[martl]

Originally Posted by echappist

Espn could occasionally write a decent article. This one on Gio Reyna

Much of the story, I have known (e.g. passing of his older brother, etc.). What I didn't quite grasp is that he's a 17-year old, all alone in Germany, not old enough to drive. The part about Haaland driving him to places is actually somewhat amusing. Then again, I half remember their fathers used to play on City, though I don't think they actually overlapped.

No 17 year old is allowed to drive, some are alone, all of them manage (without the financial means of a Bundesliga Pro) . Dortmund ain't exactly rural Indiana.

[echappist]

Originally Posted by martl

No 17 year old is allowed to drive, some are alone, all of them manage (without the financial means of a Bundesliga Pro) . Dortmund ain't exactly rural Indiana.

You know, I thought about this again, and realized that of course, he isn't in that bad a situation (although getting seriously ill, when your parents are an ocean away, is harrowing no matter how well compensated a teenager is). After all, there are many teenagers who study at boarding schools abroad, and their situation (in terms of not having immediate parental care) is not so different from Reyna's situation.

Originally Posted by wc1934

Allan to Everton for a reported €25m plus bonuses - reunited Ancelotti.
Pains me to see him go. I cant figure out De Laurentiis - Last year he rejected PSG's €50m offer.

Also, I realized that that James Rodriguez signed for Everton, (yes, that James). I initially thought it was a joke. It wasn't.

I realize that some clubs will be selling clubs (e.g. Ajax and BvB), but that's gotta be better than clubs of the washed-up.

[wc1934]

The end of Champions League?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/18/s...gtype=Homepage

[wc1934]

The Super League:

"A statement has been sent out by the 12 Founding Clubs of the Super League, including Juventus, Inter and Milan, with Andrea Agnelli as Vice-Chairman and Florentino Perez as First Chairman, expected to start in August 2021.

All 12 clubs have resigned from the ECA (European Club Association), remarkable considering Agnelli was the President of the ECA.

“Twelve of Europe’s leading football clubs have today come together to announce they have agreed to establish a new mid-week competition, the Super League, governed by its Founding Clubs.

“AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, FC Internazionale Milano, Juventus FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid CF and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined as Founding Clubs.

“It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable.

“Going forward, the Founding Clubs look forward to holding discussions with UEFA and FIFA to work together in partnership to deliver the best outcomes for the new League and for football as a whole.

“The formation of the Super League comes at a time when the global pandemic has accelerated the instability in the existing European football economic model.

“Further, for a number of years, the Founding Clubs have had the objective of improving the quality and intensity of existing European competitions throughout each season, and of creating a format for top clubs and players to compete on a regular basis.

“The pandemic has shown that a strategic vision and a sustainable commercial approach are required to enhance value and support for the benefit of the entire European football pyramid.

“In recent months extensive dialogue has taken place with football stakeholders regarding the future format of European competitions.

“The Founding Clubs believe the solutions proposed following these talks do not solve fundamental issues, including the need to provide higher-quality matches and additional financial resources for the overall football pyramid.”

The statement goes on to list the competition format, which is:

“20 participating clubs with 15 Founding Clubs and a qualifying mechanism for a further five teams to qualify annually based on achievements in the prior season.

“Midweek fixtures with all participating clubs continuing to compete in their respective national leagues, preserving the traditional domestic match calendar which remains at the heart of the club game.

“An August start with clubs participating in two groups of ten, playing home and away fixtures, with the top three in each group automatically qualifying for the quarter-final.

“Teams finishing fourth and fifth will then compete in a two-legged play-off for the remaining quarter-final positions.

“A two-leg knockout format will be used to reach the final at the end of May, which will be staged as a single fixture at a neutral venue.”

“As soon as practicable after the start of the men’s competition, a corresponding women’s league will also be launched, helping to advance and develop the women’s game.

“The new annual tournament will provide significantly greater economic growth and support for European football via a long-term commitment to uncapped solidarity payments which will grow in line with league revenues.

“These solidarity payments will be substantially higher than those generated by the current European competition and are expected to be in excess of €10 billion during the course of the initial commitment period of the Clubs.

“In addition, the competition will be built on a sustainable financial foundation with all Founding Clubs signing up to a spending framework.

“In exchange for their commitment, Founding Clubs will receive an amount of €3.5 billion solely to support their infrastructure investment plans and to offset the impact of the COVID pandemic.”

The statement released also included a quote from Real Madrid President and first Chairman of the Super League Florentino Perez.

“We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world. Football is the only global sport in the world with more than four billion fans and our responsibility as big clubs is to respond to their desires.”

The Vice-Chairman of the Super League is Andrea Agnelli of Juventus, who had until today also been the President of the ECA (European Club Association).

“Our 12 Founder clubs represent billions of fans across the globe and 99 European trophies. We have come together at this critical moment, enabling European competition to be transformed, putting the game we love on a sustainable footing for the long-term future, substantially increasing solidarity, and giving fans and amateur players a regular flow of headline fixtures that will feed their passion for the game while providing them with engaging role models.”

The Co-Chairman of Manchester United and Vice-Chairman of the Super League is Joel Glazer.

“By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world-class competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the wider football pyramid.”