Football 2025-26

[kaosmark2]

Bayern looked excellent today.

[charlierc]

Manuel Neuer being man of the match and making some really good saves at 40? Pretty impressive ngl. 

 

I also did clock Southampton winning 5-1 at Wrexham. Didn't expect it to be that one sided. Feel like the path is smoothing out for them to be in the playoffs now. 

[pink_triangle]

13 hours ago, charlierc said:

 

 

I also did clock Southampton winning 5-1 at Wrexham. Didn't expect it to be that one sided. Feel like the path is smoothing out for them to be in the playoffs now. 

It may be recency bias but I’m not sure I have seen a better team than that play Wrexham. They could have had 7 or 8. Think on current form they are the best team in the championship.

[charlierc]

1 hour ago, pink_triangle said:

It may be recency bias but I’m not sure I have seen a better team than that play Wrexham. They could have had 7 or 8. Think on current form they are the best team in the championship.

Timing can be everything in football tbf. At Christmas, they went on a run of no wins in 7 and many were saying they'd made a big mistake promoting the caretaker. Now, it suddenly seems like its all clicked together. Hell, with them being 6 points off the automatic promotion spots and still having to play Ipswich, its not impossible they could catch them up.

[charlierc]

La Liga: Why are teams playing in retro shirts this weekend in Spain? - BBC Sport

 

I heard about this idea a few weeks ago and think it'd be cool to do something like this in the Premier League tbf. Admittedly many clubs do regularly raid their archives for designs - our first designs back with adidas deliberately referenced our 2001-03 home, 1995-96 away and 1999-2000 away kits - but still.

[charlierc]

Well, much of the last few pages had been dedicated to diagnosing Liverpool's problems and looking at the Champions League game going on right now, I guess some more commentary on their antics might be coming down the tracks. 

 

Although a word's certainly there on PSG. A few months ago I thought they were looking unconvincing, with Lens giving them a tough time in the league, an injury crisis and some suspect European performances, not least in drawing with Newcastle. And yet here we are. Seems like they've rebooted and re-found the gears they had last season.

 

If it is to be PSG v Bayern in the semis, that would be pretty tantalising viewing. Hell PSG v Real would still be fascinating in its own way given I don't think PSG have played Mbappe (or at least outside the Club World Cup nonsense) since his walk-out.

Edited April 8 by charlierc

[pink_triangle]

PSG were comfortably the better team. Liverpool played decent at times, but just couldn’t get through the PSG defence. The only thing that annoyed me is everyone of their players going down like a tonne of bricks every time they were tackled.

[thetime]

Vitinha what a player he is, master class from him and ran Liverpool ragged. 

 

Portugal got to be in with a chance of the World Cup with there squad. 

Edited April 8 by thetime

[kaosmark2]

48 minutes ago, thetime said:

Portugal got to be in with a chance of the World Cup with there squad. 

Not if they keep choosing to only play with 10.

[Ben7amin_]

Portugal are my pick for world cup winners -  they have some absolutely great options 

[charlierc]

7 minutes ago, Ben7amin_ said:

Portugal are my pick for world cup winners -  they have some absolutely great options 

I feel like Portugal are holding themselves back by still playing Ronaldo up front. At both the last World Cup and Euros, he felt to me like pulling the handbrake on their attempts to play quick attacks. 

[charlierc]

9 hours ago, pink_triangle said:

PSG were comfortably the better team. Liverpool played decent at times, but just couldn’t get through the PSG defence. The only thing that annoyed me is everyone of their players going down like a tonne of bricks every time they were tackled.

I didn't watch it live but I heard Liverpool played 3-5-2, and as they failed to force a shot on target, seems like this approach didn't exactly work in an attacking context. 

[andyrhodes24]

42 minutes ago, charlierc said:

I didn't watch it live but I heard Liverpool played 3-5-2, and as they failed to force a shot on target, seems like this approach didn't exactly work in an attacking context. 

Thing with Liverpool trying 3-5-2 anytime, let alone in a high stakes European quarter final, is that you need three good centre halves. Liverpool barely have one these days. What was Konate doing nearly giving away a late pen for a random shove?

[thetime]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

I didn't watch it live but I heard Liverpool played 3-5-2, and as they failed to force a shot on target, seems like this approach didn't exactly work in an attacking context. 

 

They got lucky, PSG should of got 5 or 6. Some really poor finishing, Dembele being a big culprit. 

Edited April 9 by thetime

[charlierc]

3 hours ago, andyrhodes24 said:

Thing with Liverpool trying 3-5-2 anytime, let alone in a high stakes European quarter final, is that you need three good centre halves. Liverpool barely have one these days. What was Konate doing nearly giving away a late pen for a random shove?

Yeah there were two late penalty shouts against him. I thought the one that was rescinded after VAR review could've been a spot kick but that push was pretty reckless. 

 

Certainly, they need new blood in that department in the summer. Along with 2/3 other positions.

2 hours ago, thetime said:

 

They got lucky, PSG should of got 5 or 6. Some really poor finishing, Dembele being a big culprit. 

Aye I saw the highlights. Liverpool's keeper did make some decent saves as well.

 

It's curious tbf given Slot went on about wanting to emulate PSG or enjoying the challenge of the PSG v Liverpool tie last season yet last night really doesn't seem to have been the toughest test PSG have been faced with. Certainly Bayern or Real in the semis feel like they'll both be a step up. 

[thetime]

34 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Yeah there were two late penalty shouts against him. I thought the one that was rescinded after VAR review could've been a spot kick but that push was pretty reckless. 

 

Certainly, they need new blood in that department in the summer. Along with 2/3 other positions.

Aye I saw the highlights. Liverpool's keeper did make some decent saves as well.

 

It's curious tbf given Slot went on about wanting to emulate PSG or enjoying the challenge of the PSG v Liverpool tie last season yet last night really doesn't seem to have been the toughest test PSG have been faced with. Certainly Bayern or Real in the semis feel like they'll both be a step up. 

 

Is it part of a bigger problem? Where the premier leagues basic style, is easy to play against? Especially against the big guns and top managers. As soon as the top teams took it seriously in the knockouts. 

 

Even Arsenal will no doubt be found out, when they play one of the top teams. 

[kaosmark2]

5 hours ago, charlierc said:

I feel like Portugal are holding themselves back by still playing Ronaldo up front. At both the last World Cup and Euros, he felt to me like pulling the handbrake on their attempts to play quick attacks. 

I think they're not just holding themselves back but ruining their chances. 

[Skip997]

1 hour ago, thetime said:

Certainly, they need new blood in that department in the summer. Along with 2/3 other positions.

We already have two new CB’s, one signed this season and injured immediately and one lined up for next season.

[andyrhodes24]

21 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

We already have two new CB’s, one signed this season and injured immediately and one lined up for next season.

Genuine question as I don’t keep up with Liverpool but how could you afford Isak, Wirtz, Ekitike, Frimpong, Kerkez, Leoni? Surely getting on for £400m in that lot

[Skip997]

6 minutes ago, andyrhodes24 said:

Genuine question as I don’t keep up with Liverpool but how could you afford Isak, Wirtz, Ekitike, Frimpong, Kerkez, Leoni? Surely getting on for £400m in that lot

The thing that is seldom mentioned is that (if I remember correctly) is that Liverpool sold over £200m worth of players at the same time, including Diaz and Nunez. They also only bought one player in the previous summer 

[andyrhodes24]

24 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

The thing that is seldom mentioned is that (if I remember correctly) is that Liverpool sold over £200m worth of players at the same time, including Diaz and Nunez. They also only bought one player in the previous summer 

The books will add up but it does seem like the big boys are playing in a different league to the likes of my team (Leeds) who have the means but not the PSR headroom to spend beyond £100m.

[thetime]

13 minutes ago, andyrhodes24 said:

The books will add up but it does seem like the big boys are playing in a different league to the likes of my team (Leeds) who have the means but not the PSR headroom to spend beyond £100m.

 

Wouldn't be like Leeds spending money they haven't got. 😉

 

[charlierc]

53 minutes ago, andyrhodes24 said:

Genuine question as I don’t keep up with Liverpool but how could you afford Isak, Wirtz, Ekitike, Frimpong, Kerkez, Leoni? Surely getting on for £400m in that lot

£450mil I think was the official figure for last summer's splurge. But as said, Liverpool are high earners who didn't really buy anyone the season before and sold high last summer. Though I believe they do have the league's highest wage bill so that could be an issue eventually, but obviously not yet. 

 

Tbf there's questions about the financial sustainability of all this. It's one thing that the Championship is a casino with clubs throwing millions they don't have at gambling this is the year they make it to the Premier League but League One clubs are now racking up extreme losses as well. 

Edited April 9 by charlierc

[andyrhodes24]

6 minutes ago, thetime said:

 

Wouldn't be like Leeds spending money they haven't got. 😉

 

Set myself up for that one didn’t I 😂

 

5 minutes ago, charlierc said:

£450mil I think was the official figure for last summer's splurge. But as said, Liverpool are high earners who didn't really buy anyone the season before and sold high last summer. Though I believe they do have the league's highest wage bill so that could be an issue eventually, but obviously not yet. 

 

Tbf there's questions about the financial sustainability of all this. It's one thing that the Championship is a casino with clubs throwing millions they don't have at gambling this is the year they make it to the Premier League but League One clubs are now racking up extreme losses as well. 

There was a very good article on the BBC this week about it, and Kieran Maguire looked at the accounts of League One clubs this week (below). Brum spending £27m in League One is insane, imagine if that gamble had backfired as you say!

 

 

[balti-pie]

I dont have a lot of time for PSG at all but good god, theyve got some wonderful players to watch. Vitinha, Doue and Kvaratskhelia are so much fun. Dembele as well, for entertainment reasons - he doesn't have many days when he's completely on it, but when he is, he's absolutely unstoppable. (just a shame they're such a plastic nonsense of a club, i suppose!)