Football (Soccer) Thread

[FunkMonk]

Arsenal nabbed a 6-0 win over what was effectively West Brom's U23 squad today in the League Cup.

After a torrid first two Matches in the league Arsenal really needed to make a statement, if just to lift the sour mood that seems to always permeate the club nowadays. Arteta fielded an almost full strength squad to face a West Brom side that has seen success in the Championship but was rotated for this match, with their coach fielding a squad consisting mainly of their reserves and some Academy kids. He must have groaned after he saw Arsenal's team sheet.

Saka had a PotM performance but Aubameyang showed echoes of his old form by scoring a hat trick. Pepe was lively while new signing Nuno Tavares looked extremely raw but eager to contribute. He looks like he'll be a fan favorite.

Another potential fan favorite is Aaron Ramsdale, Arsenal's new signing and ostensible number 2 goalkeeper but it is apparent he'll step up to be number 1 after Leno leaves next summer.

Martin Odegaard had a stellar game after signing on a permanent deal. He helped Arsenal immensely in the back half of last season on a loan from Real Madrid so his skill is much appreciated.

All in all, a much needed splash of happiness and excitement for an otherwise depressing month for Arsenal FC.

[The Larch]

It's just been reported that after the Champions League qualification matches that have been taking place the French league has actually been surpassed by the Portuguese one. Messi really went to PSG in the best possible moment, now it can't be said that he's competing in a Top 5 league, which used to be a big deal in other times. 

Nowadays the ranking goes like this:

1) Premier League
2) La Liga
3) Serie A
4) Bundesliga
5) Liga NOS
6) Ligue 1
7) Eredivisie
8) Scottish Premier League
9) Austrian Bundesliga
10) Russian Premier League

Next year the Bundesliga is meant to take over the Serie A as Europe's 3rd best league, but that won't change much in terms in number of teams qualifying for European competitions, which is what this is all about.

Quite surprised about the Scottish Premier League being so high, as well as the Austrian Bundesliga. I also assumed that the Russian league would be higher.

[Duque de Bragança]

Just said that in the previous page but it's nice to have people not primarily interested by the Primeira Liga repeating it. 
Liga NOS is not the current name, it's Liga Bwin now (sponsor naming) so Primeira Liga both more neutral and more accurate.

As for me, the big 5 leagues was always a big joke, a top 4 being more accurate, with the Premier League and Liga being a notch ahead of 1.Bundesliga and Serie A.

Mind you, Primeira Liga was already in the fifth spot in the 2010's following good performances with Porto, Braga and Benfica in the first half of the decade.

It's still very early in the season, a bad draw (Porto and Benfica are in pot 3...) and a good PSG season, almost a given, would return the Ligue des Tas Lents/Ligue Uber Eats (sponsor naming) to the fifth spot. Plus, the 3 French clubs now in the Europa League could fare well, or at least one of them (semi-finals or more).

PS: nice potshot at Messi indeed, Larch. 

[Josquius]

It's just been reported that after the Champions League qualification matches that have been taking place the French league has actually been surpassed by the Portuguese one. Messi really went to PSG in the best possible moment, now it can't be said that he's competing in a Top 5 league, which used to be a big deal in other times. 

Nowadays the ranking goes like this:

1) Premier League
2) La Liga
3) Serie A
4) Bundesliga
5) Liga NOS
6) Ligue 1
7) Eredivisie
8) Scottish Premier League
9) Austrian Bundesliga
10) Russian Premier League

Next year the Bundesliga is meant to take over the Serie A as Europe's 3rd best league, but that won't change much in terms in number of teams qualifying for European competitions, which is what this is all about.

Quite surprised about the Scottish Premier League being so high, as well as the Austrian Bundesliga. I also assumed that the Russian league would be higher.

Agreed, very surprised Scotland is so high.
I guess what they're measuring here is less the quality of the league and rather how well teams from the league do in Europe?
On that Scotland's model of only two good teams and two teams in Europe sort of works.

[Syt]

It's just been reported that after the Champions League qualification matches that have been taking place the French league has actually been surpassed by the Portuguese one. Messi really went to PSG in the best possible moment, now it can't be said that he's competing in a Top 5 league, which used to be a big deal in other times. 

Nowadays the ranking goes like this:

1) Premier League
2) La Liga
3) Serie A
4) Bundesliga
5) Liga NOS
6) Ligue 1
7) Eredivisie
8) Scottish Premier League
9) Austrian Bundesliga
10) Russian Premier League

Next year the Bundesliga is meant to take over the Serie A as Europe's 3rd best league, but that won't change much in terms in number of teams qualifying for European competitions, which is what this is all about.

Quite surprised about the Scottish Premier League being so high, as well as the Austrian Bundesliga. I also assumed that the Russian league would be higher.

Seems Red Bull Salzburg is doing some heavy lifting there for Austria

[Threviel]

On that Scotland's model of only two good teams and two teams in Europe sort of works.

Which more or less is the same model that Portugal and the Netherlands uses, but with three teams in those cases.

[Sheilbh]

Agreed, very surprised Scotland is so high.
I guess what they're measuring here is less the quality of the league and rather how well teams from the league do in Europe?
On that Scotland's model of only two good teams and two teams in Europe sort of works.

I think Celtic and Rangers both have pretty decent records in recent years in the Europa so it sort of makes sense - a bit like RB Salzburg and Austria as Syt says.

[FunkMonk]

Being reported among football twitterati that Ronaldo is going to Manchester City 

[Sheilbh]

Jesus. Competing against literal countries is tough - the one valid point in the whole ESL saga.

Also - penny for Harry Kane's thoughts

[The Larch]

Just said that in the previous page but it's nice to have people not primarily interested by the Primeira Liga repeating it. 

I remember reading your post about the game and the CL qualifiers, but don't remember the part about the UEFA rankings, did you edit that later? 

[The Larch]

I guess what they're measuring here is less the quality of the league and rather how well teams from the league do in Europe?

That ranking is done indeed by measuring the performance in European competitions of teams from each league.

[The Larch]

Being reported among football twitterati that Ronaldo is going to Manchester City 

CR under Guardiola? Somehow I can't really see it...

Edit: Just heard Jonathan Wilson absolutely roasting City for considering CR's signing. It's really funny, if you want to hear it, and it's a bit of a death sentence on that cohort of big name forwards (CR, Messi, Neymar...), and how they basically ruin any club they play for with their astronomical wage demands, forcing the team's tactics to play to their advantage and not doing anything at all on defence.

[The Larch]

Oh dear, Man City and PSG will be in the same CL group. 

Edit: And now also RB Leipzig, all the "plastic" teams in the same group. 

[Sheilbh]

Truly the Iran-Iraq war of the Champion's League

[celedhring]

Club Brugge gets to be Kuwait.