Football (Soccer) Thread

[Duque de Bragança]

Sporting has not played the CL for a while, and I can't remember them qualifying for the round of 16. Not even getting relegated to Europa League would be still a disappointment.

I believe they did it once before being trashed 12-1 aggregate by Bayern. Moutinho was still at Sporting. It seems it was in 2009.

Not a bad draw I believe, got one of the best possible draws from pot 2, a reasonable one from 3 (at least it's not Atalanta or Leipzig) and one of the worst from 4, but hey at least it's from the last pot.

I believe it will be an even group and Sporting has around 30% chance to pass the group and maybe 50% to finish in 3rd. Not bad.

On the other end, both Porto and Benfica groups seem terrible.

Ah yes, 2009, I remember now. Same year Porto, after getting rid of Atlético Madrid, was eliminated by Man U in quarters following a terrific goal by Ronaldo. Back then, he would never score those kind of goals with the Selecção.
Benfica got thrashed some years later 5-0 by the likes of FC Basileia/Basel during the group phase and lost the game at home as well.

[FunkMonk]

RM: we need super league or football will diee

RM: hi qatar here is 170,000,000 for mbappe!!

[Sheilbh]

RM: we need super league or football will diee

RM: hi qatar here is 170,000,000 for mbappe!!

Didn't Perez explicitly say part of the reason for the ESL was because it's impossible for Madrid to get players like Mbappe?

[The Larch]

For Florentino that kind of expenses are part of routine operating costs, basically overhead. 

[FunkMonk]

Saw this on Twitter but it's basically like a few clubs sending themselves into space because they don't know what else to do with all their money. 

Why not spend 200m on one or two players? Maybe next summer spend 300m for good measure, and 400m after that.

[FunkMonk]

I mean, I hated the idea of the Super League, but I remember football pundits completely spazzing out over it saying how it would destroy the egalitarian ideas of football, and now these same people are jerking off over Sancho for 80m to United and City buying Jack fucking Grealish for 100m 

[Gups]

I mean, I hated the idea of the Super League, but I remember football pundits completely spazzing out over it saying how it would destroy the egalitarian ideas of football, and now these same people are jerking off over Sancho for 80m to United and City buying Jack fucking Grealish for 100m 

No, people were complaining that it would destroy the meritocratic basis of football (promotion/relegation). Nobody claims that football is egalitarian - that ship sailed a long time ago.

[The Larch]

Europa League groups (blatantly copy/pasted from a Spanish site, so sorry for the lack of translation, although I think it's quite easily understandable):

Grupo A: Olympique de Lyon, Rangers, Sparta de Praga, Brondby

Grupo B: Mónaco, PSV, Real Sociedad, Sturm Graz

Grupo C: Nápoles, Leicester Cty, Spartak de Moscú, Legia de Varsovia

Grupo D: Olympiakos, Eintracht de Frankurt, Fenerbache, Royal Antwerp

Grupo E: Lazio, Lokomotiv de Moscú, Marsella, Galatasaray

Grupo F: SC Braga, Estrella Roja, Ludogorets, Midtjylland

Grupo G: Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic FC, Real Betis, Ferencvaros

Grupo H: Dinamo de Zagreb, Genk, West Ham, Rapid de Viena

[Josquius]

What the fuck is a Moscuuuuu

[The Larch]

What the fuck is a Moscuuuuu

It's a city with teams called Spartak and Lokomotiv, take a guess. 

In different topics, matches in Group E could pass for a Europe wide crash course on hooliganism.

[clandestino]

Portuguese press says that Ronaldo is about to sign for City.

It's relevant since it's being related by serious people not the usual guys (Record, A Bola).

[The Larch]

Portuguese press says that Ronaldo is about to sign for City.

It's relevant since it's being related by serious people not the usual guys (Record, A Bola).

It is being reported in many different sources, so I guess it can be taken almost for granted.

I can't really see it working out.

[Sheilbh]

Apparently United are or are trying to hijack it

As Jonathan Wilson put it - the Alexis Sanchez Protocol.

[FunkMonk]

Twitter pundits saying City's off and now United are planning to sign him 

[The Larch]

Apparently United are or are trying to hijack it

As Jonathan Wilson put it - the Alexis Sanchez Protocol.

Don't get that reference, what's the Alexis Sánchez Protocol?