Other clubs' transfers

[Lazarus]

2 minutes ago, Wullie said:

It's not about the money, it's about the Champions League, it's all players at that level are interested in winning. Domestic titles are so last century.

 

That's not an endorsement of that position, I think it's a grim outlook for the game.

 

Legacy award innit

[KaKa]

PSG will not win the Champions League and so I'll be looking forward to them flopping in that immensely.

[Guest neesy111]

1 minute ago, KaKa said:

PSG will not win the Champions League and so I'll be looking forward to them flopping in that immensely.

Why won't they win it?

 

Came pretty close 1 season back....

[samptime29]

I think PSG will win it. They will play 5-2-3 in the big games. More solid back but still with strong attacking talent.

[KaKa]

They'll continue to come pretty close.

 

They'll have a fancy front three, but I still don't trust their midfield and defence to hold up defensively in support of them.

[Wullie]

22 minutes ago, Decky said:

Exactly. So many clubs who regularly win titles were prepared to throw their domestic leagues into the shit just a few months ago.

 

We talk about the importance of winning things, "Kane has to move to win things" but actually if you're a player of that sort of calibre, winning things is really really fucking easy. Move to Bayern Munich. There you go, there's a major league title in the bag before a ball is kicked. PSG, Juventus, Man City, these moves are a guarantee of success. If you don't win the title this year, you'll definitely win it next year because whichever team beats us will lose all their players. If Kane moves to Man City he'll win a load of stuff that they would have won anyway. Him winning 3 titles there doesn't prove anything about him that staying at Spurs wouldn't prove.

 

It's not even an achievement any more to win a domestic title, unless you're Leicester City and do it against the odds. But top players do want to feel fulfilled by success, that's why the Champions League is what they all want, because it's hard to win. It's the same tournament though that has made the clubs so rich and powerful, and made them too good for their leagues. I love the Champions League, the late stages are as good as football gets, but it has absolutely poisoned the well of European football over the last 20 years.

[Decky]

The experience of Ramos and Messi is going to be huge for them.

[gjohnson]

19 minutes ago, Wullie said:

It's not about the money, it's about the Champions League, it's all players at that level are interested in winning. Domestic titles are so last century.

 

That's not an endorsement of that position, I think it's a grim outlook for the game.

That's all well and good, but if you've got a bunch of excellent players not being challenged most weeks, when it comes to the challenge they'll fail.

 

Scotland is a good example of this on a cheaper scale...Rangers/Celtic walk their league every year but as soon as they encounter any European opposition of similar/better quality they consistently fail.

 

If this approach worked PSG would already have a Champions League trophy. It's all well and good winning the 3 leg donkey race every week when you're the only 4 legged one, but as soon as you're in a horse race as a donkey you're stuffed.

[Lazarus]

All their rivals are selling arnt they?

 

Very few cloobs will be able to challenge them i think.

[Wullie]

1 minute ago, gjohnson said:

That's all well and good, but if you've got a bunch of excellent players not being challenged most weeks, when it comes to the challenge they'll fail.

 

Scotland is a good example of this on a cheaper scale...Rangers/Celtic walk their league every year but as soon as they encounter any European opposition of similar/better quality they consistently fail.

 

If this approach worked PSG would already have a Champions League trophy. It's all well and good winning the 3 leg donkey race every week when you're the only 4 legged one, but as soon as you're in a horse race as a donkey you're stuffed.

 

How do Bayern Munich factor into this rather overly simplistic equation? 

[KaKa]

7 minutes ago, gjohnson said:

That's all well and good, but if you've got a bunch of excellent players not being challenged most weeks, when it comes to the challenge they'll fail.

 

Scotland is a good example of this on a cheaper scale...Rangers/Celtic walk their league every year but as soon as they encounter any European opposition of similar/better quality they consistently fail.

 

If this approach worked PSG would already have a Champions League trophy. It's all well and good winning the 3 leg donkey race every week when you're the only 4 legged one, but as soon as you're in a horse race as a donkey you're stuffed.

 

Exactly. I think this is a big part in why Mbappe in particular has not quite progressed as many had originally anticipated. Think the environment he's in at PSG has really stunted his growth.

[triggs]

Even with the talent they have up front it isn't going to work in the CL if none of them track back. Even towards the end of MSN at Barca it wasn't good enough in the CL because they kept getting overran. The team would probably work better with Di Maria starting instead of Neymar IMO

[toon25]

I'll be surprised if Poch lasts the season. The pressure on him will be huge.

[ponsaelius]

21 minutes ago, Wullie said:

 

We talk about the importance of winning things, "Kane has to move to win things" but actually if you're a player of that sort of calibre, winning things is really really fucking easy. Move to Bayern Munich. There you go, there's a major league title in the bag before a ball is kicked. PSG, Juventus, Man City, these moves are a guarantee of success. If you don't win the title this year, you'll definitely win it next year because whichever team beats us will lose all their players. If Kane moves to Man City he'll win a load of stuff that they would have won anyway. Him winning 3 titles there doesn't prove anything about him that staying at Spurs wouldn't prove.

 

It's not even an achievement any more to win a domestic title, unless you're Leicester City and do it against the odds. But top players do want to feel fulfilled by success, that's why the Champions League is what they all want, because it's hard to win. It's the same tournament though that has made the clubs so rich and powerful, and made them too good for their leagues. I love the Champions League, the late stages are as good as football gets, but it has absolutely poisoned the well of European football over the last 20 years.

 

This is true enough like. You only have to look at somebody like Danilo who is just about the most successful player of all time by simply bouncing around the top clubs.

[Wullie]

8 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

 

This is true enough like. You only have to look at somebody like Danilo who is just about the most successful player of all time by simply bouncing around the top clubs.

 

Oh if you get your feet under the table at these clubs and prove you can put semi competent performances in for them you're absolutely laughing career wise.

 

Once you're on a big wage at one of them, the only ones who can afford you are the others. So players like Morata go from one to the next to the next, winning every trophy under the sun, all while being bog average (relatively speaking of course). It just absolutely amazes me what that guy has won and the clubs he's played for.

[Deuce]

26 minutes ago, triggs said:

Even with the talent they have up front it isn't going to work in the CL if none of them track back. 

[Doctor Zaius]

Maxwell was another one. One of the most decorated players of all time. Not sure if he was actually any good. 

 

https://thesefootballtimes.co/2019/03/27/maxwell-the-most-decorated-club-footballer-in-history/

[TRon]

55 minutes ago, KaKa said:

They'll continue to come pretty close.

 

They'll have a fancy front three, but I still don't trust their midfield and defence to hold up defensively in support of them.

Agree. They've been down this route before, but teams that win the CL tend to be well balanced and have a solid spine. Chucking too many attacking players on the same pitch can sometimes lead to overplaying and the game slowing down while everyone struts their stuff. 

[SEMTEX]

1 hour ago, Decky said:

Fucking hell I forgot they also have Icardi. He’ll surely be on his way back to Italy or something. How many games is he realistically gonna play.

 

 

 

 

I guess we'll quickly find out if Messi hates him or not. 

[mrmojorisin75]

Have you lot seen their fucking team/squad?  You're acting like they've added Messi to a bunch of clowns.

 

They've more than enough to win it, comfortably, they just need to find the balance really.

 

 

[Lazarus]

11 minutes ago, Doctor Zaius said:

Maxwell was another one. One of the most decorated players of all time. Not sure if he was actually any good. 

 

https://thesefootballtimes.co/2019/03/27/maxwell-the-most-decorated-club-footballer-in-history/

 

He was hugely under rated.

[rgk_lfc]

1 hour ago, Wullie said:

 

How do Bayern Munich factor into this rather overly simplistic equation? 

 

Well, there is a school of thought that the challenge from Klopp's Dortmund in a way motivated Bayern further pushing them to the treble in the early part of the previous decade. Not quite sure I ascribe to that but I can understand their point. Basically, if you can coast through matches winning the league playing at 50%, finally when you are challenged in the CL semi-final say for example, it is difficult to suddenly bring your intensity up to 100%. 

 

Even if one believes in that theory, I don't think that will be a problem with this PSG team with characters like Ramos in the team. 

[Kanj]

City should try and get Icardi in as their main striker. He’d be fantastic under Pep and with all that creativity around him. 

[Kanj]

Paris should absolutely win the CL with that team. Frightening attack, there will always be space for 1-2 of their attackers. Wijnaldum will add a ton to their midfield, Ramos will provide some much needed leadership and steel back there and they have the best Gk in the world now. 

[Wullie]

8 minutes ago, rgk_lfc said:

 

Well, there is a school of thought that the challenge from Klopp's Dortmund in a way motivated Bayern further pushing them to the treble in the early part of the previous decade. Not quite sure I ascribe to that but I can understand their point. Basically, if you can coast through matches winning the league playing at 50%, finally when you are challenged in the CL semi-final say for example, it is difficult to suddenly bring your intensity up to 100%. 

 

Even if one believes in that theory, I don't think that will be a problem with this PSG team with characters like Ramos in the team. 

 

Bayern Munich have won the Bundesliga in all of the last 9 seasons. In only 1 of those seasons was the points gap less than 10 points. It is an absolute procession for Bayern every single year, no less than PSG, who have at least fucked things up to come second twice in the same period.

 

I think the "no competition to test themselves against" thing is increasingly offset against, in England at least, by the sheer number of competitive games played.