Jack14Bojangles

I am glad that Gordon—whom I only watched this season—went to Barca. I like Bayern, they have a very cohesive team. I found Gordon to be a very selfish player. He could have done a lot of damage to the team dynamic with his personality. Let him seek his fortune at Barca. However, I doubt he will manage to establish himself there.

Villa's individual class is simply too good for Freiburg. The Germans need to rely on a cohesive team performance—something, however, they aren't managing particularly well today.

Yes, I think so too. The experts say that players moving to the Premier League from other leagues need a full season to settle in. So, for that reason, I also think his output is okay. I’m also hopeful for next season. Eddie seems to be warming to the idea right now of playing Osula up front with Nick deployed just behind him. Plus Barnes—someone Nick links up with very well. What really pleased me were the Woltemade chants at SJP.

I share DC Magpie's impression. You are so negatively disposed toward Nick that you can't even offer him praise without adding a "but." I simply don't buy that you genuinely want to give him a chance at Toon. That is the impression I get—and am sharing here. I actually hadn't intended to post here anymore, because, unfortunately, there are several forum users who treat Nick in exactly the same way you do. That has really taken the enjoyment out of posting here for me. Some people here deny Nick any quality whatsoever. Yet today we saw once again that our best passers are Bruno and Nick—well, I’d count Barnes in there as well—but the rest follow a distant second. No, I’m not going to tilt at windmills again; I’m bowing out of this conversation now. Good night.

Article fom Kicker: Why PSG Goalkeeper Safonov Deliberately Kicked His Goal Kicks Out of Play His goal kicks sailed out of bounds with remarkable regularity. However, behind PSG goalkeeper Matvei Safonov’s absurdly poor passing accuracy on Wednesday evening lay not a lack of skill, but rather tactical calculation—a strategy that paid off. What business does a goalkeeper like this actually have in a Champions League semi-final? Anyone watching Matvei Safonov on Wednesday evening could hardly be blamed for asking themselves that very question—at least initially. One goal kick after another sailed out over the touchline, met with mocking applause from the stands of the Allianz Arena. Yet, the more frequently this spectacle unfolded, the clearer it became that there was only one possible conclusion: This was not simply the work of a technically limited goalkeeper; this was a player executing his coach's game plan. In total, Safonov took 13 goal kicks during the return leg in Munich; only two reached a teammate. Seven flew directly out of play, while with several others, it looked as though Safonov had aimed them there. By the end of the evening—taking all his passes into account—the Russian goalkeeper’s pass completion rate stood at 21.2 percent. This marks the lowest figure recorded by a player who played the full 90 minutes in a Champions League match in nearly four and a half years. In December 2021, Villarreal goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli had managed a rate of just 19.5 percent during his side's 3–2 victory in Bergamo. Incidentally, Safonov’s counterpart, Manuel Neuer, boasted a pass completion rate of over 70 percent on Wednesday evening; the Russian himself averages 55 percent in the Champions League this season. At first glance, this appears surprisingly poor for the goalkeeper of a coach who, barely a year ago, ousted the outstanding shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma—precisely because he deemed him too weak with the ball at his feet. However, anyone who takes a closer look at Luis Enrique and Paris Saint-Germain will quickly realize that there is tactical calculation behind those goal kicks sent out of play. The detail-obsessed Spaniard is constantly working in Paris to limit the influence of chance in his team's game—and, in doing so, specifically to make those situations predictable that *can* be planned. Together with his staff, he implements a strategy for throw-ins tailored to his own squad, as well as one for their own kick-offs. And this is precisely where the goal-kick strategy now comes into play. Ultimately, this new tactical device is merely an evolution of the kickoff strategy that PSG has been employing in key Champions League matches since last season: when taking a kickoff, the ball is played backward to Vitinha, and the Portuguese player hammers it out of play—the closer to the opposing corner flag, the better. On Wednesday evening in Munich, too, PSG adopted this approach at the start of the second half. The rationale behind it: PSG can immediately occupy the opposition's half, initiate a press, and close down space, thereby placing the opponent under immediate pressure. PSG seeks to turn the inherent disadvantage a team faces during its own throw-ins—specifically in terms of range and tempo—into an advantage; in doing so, they deliberately concede possession. The same logic underpinned Safonov’s goal kicks. Because this approach allows the team to subsequently play to its strengths, this variation is simply more promising—particularly given that PSG operates without a tall, aerial-threat striker who could reliably win goal kicks in duels against defenders like Jonathan Tah or Dayot Upamecano. However, a look at the direction of Safonov’s goal kicks suggests yet another conclusion: Twelve of the 13 kicks on Wednesday evening flew to the left—from the goalkeeper’s perspective—including every single one that went out of play. Wait a minute—isn’t PSG’s left defensive flank actually FC Bayern’s right attacking flank? And isn’t that where Michael Olise plays—a player you’d be better off keeping the ball away from? Especially when he is up against a player like Nuno Mendes, who was booked early on and is now walking a tightrope on the verge of a sending-off? In principle, that is all correct—and yet, at the same time, not quite. For a throw-in automatically results in that flank becoming overloaded with players. In other words: less space. Space that Olise needs to bring his abilities to bear most effectively. Or to put it another way: Had Safonov kicked the ball out of play to his right, PSG would have been just one quick cross-field switch by Bayern away from seeing Olise go one-on-one against Nuno Mendes with a running start. However—particularly in the second half—this happened almost never at all; and, as implausible as it may sound, this was also linked to Safonov’s much-maligned goal kicks. A minor detail, perhaps—yes. But one that, at this level, can make all the difference.

Luis Enrique is a magnificent coach. He has turned PSG into a true team. Their pressing is unique, and their transition play is fabulous. Before Enrique, PSG was a mere collection of world-class individual players, but now it is a footballing powerhouse. PSG are the favorites against the Gunners. However, I will be rooting for the English team.

Forest are on the rise. It’s going to be a tight contest again. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the Magpies.

Last year, when PSG won the Champions League, it was even worse. They're all idiots.

The game is over. Congratulations, PSG. Unfortunately, it's well-deserved.

It pisses me off that PSG AND Real get favored by the referees so often.

Either you're blind, or you're a PSG cunt? The slow-motion replay clearly shows that Laimer plays the ball with his thigh.

Are you blind? The slow-motion replay clearly shows that it was his chest and thigh.

And then that shitty referee actually blows the whistle to call Kane back—who was running through on goal all alone—instead of waiting to see if it was offside.

The PSG defender should have received his second yellow card for handball. But that cowardly rat of a referee invents a handball by Laimer.

I hate PSG, I hate the Ref.

3-0. The Gunners are improving their goal difference and putting City under pressure. Good, keep it up.

In my opinion, he only has two strengths – speed and tackling ability. And these two strengths are, of course, essential for the Premier League. What he lacks: passing and vision. He's also far too twitchy on the ball and gives it away too often. But at the moment, he's impressing with his strengths, and the other strikers are out of form.

Hey man, you really have empathy. I'm impressed. You're just going to stir things up again to vent your negativity towards Nick. Maybe he just got bitten by a mosquito, at his scrotum. Do you know? But like I said, I just don't feel like arguing with guys like you...

My comments were general in nature. Nick had a tough time at Werder Bremen because the coach didn't recognize his potential and only used him as a substitute. In those appearances, he scored some sensational goals. You could see that in that goal video of him. Coach Hoeness at Stuttgart then gave him a real boost. Nick then impressed at Stuttgart, with the U21 World Cup, and with the national team. He also played brilliantly at Toon in his first few months there. And now I really don't want to write anything more about it. I feel like Don Quixote.

Osula is currently Toon's best striker. Without a doubt. He's getting the most out of his potential.

I've only been following the Premier League closely since this season. For me, Wissa remains one of the most incompetent strikers. You saw that in the last match and again today. And before you all start badmouthing Nick again, you don't need to. Nick is leagues better. Your talk won't change my mind.

Nick showed great quality in his first few months. Then something must have happened that caused his form and confidence to plummet. Whether it was the player, his teammates, or the coach, I can't say. None of us really have any insight into what's going on behind the scenes. I just find it a shame how some people here on the forum are throwing mud at him now that things aren't going well for him and denying him any quality. Like I said, I don't know who's to blame. But Eddie's playing philosophy doesn't suit Nick. I really don't know why he bought him for so much money. Nick probably won't be playing for Toon next season (loan or sale). But Toon will remain my favorite club in England. Nick's critics have their opinions, and that's not going to change. We're going in circles here. Everything's been said. I accept everyone's opinion, but I won't add anything more to the discussion.

Now even Wissa missa is being favored. That's the end of it.

Big Nick is on the bench again. One thing you have to give Eddie credit for: he sticks to his (unsuccessful this year) lineup relentlessly.

For me, that wasn't a penalty, as the ball went from the thigh to the hand.