ponsaelius

The biggest issue is that he's just not really the right kind of player for home games against teams who are looking to defend. Especially when we also play Joelinton on the wing. What works in away games and against big sides isn't right against the weaker sides at home. The biggest missing piece in the squad for me is a creative and versatile midfield player for these kind of games. I personally don't have much interest in signing a 'no6' or any of the physical box-to-box players with terrible goal records we seem to keep being linked to. Certainly don't think it would make an immediate difference to our short term results.

To suggest his ceiling is the Championship is just nonsense. He's been performing well in a side that is in the CL places. He's easily a solid PL player even at his current level.

Tbh I'm definitely a bit of a hater with him. Conversely I'll defend Longstaff because he's a local lad and academy graduate. But Wood cost us a fortune - and he's just nowhere near good enough IMO. It's really pissing me off that Isak has had such an extended lay off.

Don't think he was that bad overall tbh. We know his limitations. But those two finishes were absolutely shocking. He had another opening towards the end where he should definitely have took the shot as well but clearly bottled it because of the earlier misses. All the more annoying because he makes the right kind of runs where he could really do with offering a goal threat - and when he was out on loan as a young player shooting seemed to be one of his strengths.

He's had an incredible career but he's gone out in a way that will add a permanent blemish. I'm sure when he did that ridiculous interview with Piers Morgan he thought he would tear it up at the World Cup and get signed by somebody else. If anything he basically did the opposite and proved he was done at the top level. Messi winning it at the same time as all that nonsense will be what a lot of people remember of him bowing out of the game. That said if he was willing to take a pay cut or change his expectations for starting games there is no doubt there would have been clubs willing to sign him and I'm sure he would have had lots to offer. It's a thing both he and Messi seem to have tbh. Being the highest paid players in the game is all part and parcel of their insationable battle to be the best over the last 15 years. There is absolutely no willingness to reduce their earning potential. Messi signing that deal with the Saudis is probably even part of this decision for Ronaldo.

Wonder if he'll keep playing for Portugal or indeed keep getting selected by the new manager. If he'd stayed in Europe (even in Portugal) then he would have a legitimate justification for a manager to keep selecting him. Now it is absolutely reasonable to essentially view him as retired and stop picking him. If the above happens and Messi keeps playing - there's probably a reasonable chance he could be overtaken on the international cap/goal records.

Well I'd say they don't. They're free to chant whatever they like and rightly hail him as a club legend. And obviously 60,000 people aren't a homegenous block. There was a clear split of Wenger in and Wenger out (with everything in between) for years.

It can be the right time for a manager to leave while also being acceptable to hail him as a club legend (years later).

Paqueta is exactly the same as he was at Milan 3 years ago. Slow, ponderous and a bit weak. I was duped by all the hype from Ligue 1 watchers. Be amazed if he ever has a significant impact in the PL.

We're gonna win tha leeg

It'll never happen because he seems to want to maximise his income but a spell at Newell's would be amazing. Especially now he has fully won over the Argentine public.

Can you not install a VPN add on to Chrome? I've found that's a good way round geolocking and some of them are free

It's been really difficult for me during the tournament to pick between the actual legitimate criticisms of Qatar in terms of its laws and moral code (which there are many) and the stuff that has just come across as bitter European exceptionalism. Found journalists really annoying at times to be honest. The point about Qatar spending £200 billion on the World Cup for example and having X carbon footprint from constructions costs. That's obviously a misnomer designed to shock. You can't include state capital infrastructure projects like a new metro, an airport runway, major highways and new residential areas in a World Cup budget. That's just silly. This is all stuff Qatar has planned to build anyway as its population balloons. The World Cup just fitted into that existing development plan. The long term use of stadiums is the obvious caveat (and this is the major expense which should be calculated - along with all the PR expenditure) but at least they are planning to make most of them mixed use sites within development areas after the tournament. I actually don't think a continent wide tournament is that good an idea. Doha was too small, and accomodation squeeze caused excessive flights to be needed from neighbouring countries, but the principle of a smaller scale world cup with fewer stadiums is clearly implementable and preferable to spreading air travel across a whole continent for teams and fans. The next World Cup will probably be one of the cheapest to host - because the hosts probably won't need to spend a penny on stadiums or infrastructure. But spending on those things for a world cup isn't bad if it's stuff a country should be doing anyway. I've had a cursory look over some of the host stadiums for 2026 and my immediate impression is that car hire companies are probably going to do very well out of it.

Just seen footage that makes it look like Upamecano handballs before Montiel on the last pen. Not seen another angle like but seems a big miss by VAR if the case.

The tournament was obviously rubbish. Very low scoring, a ball that wasn't fit for for purpose and dreadful vuvuzelas ruining the atmosphere. But the champions being as boring as they were was emblematic of this rather than a symptom for me. 8 goals in 7 games, all four knockout games 1-0. Greece-ed it, IMO, just with possession rather than a low block and set pieces. The only Spain team I enjoyed watching was the racist's in 2008. Del Bosque was a misery.

He is, but he's massively patchy. Regularly has runs of not scoring for ages. This has been evident in this tournament.

Yeah that is spot on. All four of their knockout games were remarkably similar really. Only the Croatia one they got that killer goal to prevent a meltdown.

Whinging about a ref that gave them two pens

Spain 2010 might have been a complete side but fuck me they were dull. Give me this Argentina side over them any day to watch.

Ronaldo is top 10 based on power of his achievements and longevity. Suggesting he is the best ever was always nuts. Messi is now ahead of Maradona and Pele after today for me.

Has it been confirmed that Messi is retiring from the national team after today? It's 18 months until the next Copa - so he could probably still contribute. And he's two goals away from 100 for Argentina. But you do kinda feel he'd be better ending now at the highest point.

Gets lost a bit considering what happened after he went off and what almost felt like a different game - but Di Maria was absolutely superb. After Messi he's the player who also deserves his medal.

For all that was probably the best World Cup final since 1954 I barely enjoyed a single moment of it. Was desperate for Messi to win it and desperate for France to lose so just found it mostly unbearable.

Infantino, the Emir and that fucking robe. What a way to try and kill the moment. At least there will be the shot of him kissing the trophy.