Football (Soccer) Thread

[FunkMonk]

So, Aubameyang has flown to Barcelona 

Apparently he went there by himself without knowledge of either club. Man is desperate 

Reports in Spain say Barcelona weren't expecting Aubameyang to show up. The same is true at Arsenal, where they were similarly taken by surprise to discover he had already made the trip to Catalonia.

https://twitter.com/jamesbenge/status/1488144055334809602?t=ma5AMLiyHY_y_wgWWz99QA&s=19

Guy is a child

[Grey Fox]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Canada's going to the next world cup. 

Hopefully this time we can score a goal.

[Josquius]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Canada's going to the next world cup. 

Hopefully this time we can score a goal.

What is the Canadian/Canadien split in the team I wonder?
Always been curious about how comms work in teams from multi-lingual countries.

[Duque de Bragança]

So of course Spurs are striking out on winter signings. Traoré said "lol", Diaz went to Liverpool, and we signed 2 nobodies from Juve...

Diaz was sold too quickly, with intermediaires taking their huge fees so Porto won't get as much as it could have been possible, were not the club mismanaged.

[The Larch]

Apparently Burnley (the most "hoof it up into the box and pray" team in the PL) have signed a really tall Dutch forward. This tweet sums it all. 

sorry but if Burnley signing a 6ft 6in centre forward doesn't get you going then this isn't the sport for you

[Grey Fox]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Canada's going to the next world cup. 

Hopefully this time we can score a goal.

What is the Canadian/Canadien split in the team I wonder?
Always been curious about how comms work in teams from multi-lingual countries.

All the Franco players speak english (5 of them iirc). It's true for most of pro sports athletes.

[Sheilbh]

Apparently Burnley (the most "hoof it up into the box and pray" team in the PL) have signed a really tall Dutch forward. This tweet sums it all. 

sorry but if Burnley signing a 6ft 6in centre forward doesn't get you going then this isn't the sport for you

And the announcement video
https://twitter.com/BurnleyOfficial/status/1488104351897849856?s=20&t=i21slh_GsaBy9vVsItqRhg

I'd defend them against hoof it and hope though - they're not full Allardyve even if Dyche plays up to it. Totally agreed with Joey d'Urso's take:

Joey D'Urso
@josephmdurso
I hope Burnley stay up. The Premier League needs diversity of vibes. Brentford, Fulham, Bournemouth, Watford, Brighton, Norwich, nothing against any of them, but all similar vibes.

Turf Moor, Sean Dyche, big strikers, nasty tackles - keeps the league more interesting.

[Sheilbh]

What is the Canadian/Canadien split in the team I wonder?
Always been curious about how comms work in teams from multi-lingual countries.

Surely it's just the same as for any club team?

[The Larch]

So, it seems that Lampard will coach Everton.

[Josquius]

What is the Canadian/Canadien split in the team I wonder?
Always been curious about how comms work in teams from multi-lingual countries.

Surely it's just the same as for any club team?

To an extent. But there they've the local language serving as the primary.
Though I have heard you do end up with cabals of different language speakers sometimes. And apprently black and white British players end up in different circles.

[HVC]

What is the Canadian/Canadien split in the team I wonder?
Always been curious about how comms work in teams from multi-lingual countries.

Surely it's just the same as for any club team?

Yeah, I would imagine the average PL team has more English as a second language players then team Canada.

*edit* and I'm not even including speak English but with a funny accent players

[The Larch]

Though I have heard you do end up with cabals of different language speakers sometimes.

Anyone that knows anything about how the internal dynamics in the locker room work knows that's the case most of the time. Some teams even have the unofficial policy of not signing too many players of the same background in order to avoid cliques from forming.

[Sheilbh]

*edit* and I'm not even including speak English but with a funny accent players

Yeah there'll be players with immaculate English just slightly Dutch or German accented suddenly confronted with a raging Glaswegian or scouser

Though I have heard you do end up with cabals of different language speakers sometimes. And apprently black and white British players end up in different circles.

There are always cliques in clubs from what I've read - I don't know about black and white players in modern football being cliques.

But it makes sense that it'd often be on the basis of language and culture and I think at Premier League level clubs think about this stuff a lot more about trying to help a player who have moved country and culture quite drastically settle in because their happiness is probably a really important part of that transfer succeeding or not. There's probably all the other stuff that we all deal with in work - people who you just get on with, have something in common with, maybe a similar age/stage of life.

And the flipside happens with the international teams where you have cliques based on club because they're the colleagues you spend all your time with, not the corporate conference calling in all the different teams.

So, it seems that Lampard will coach Everton.

Yeah

It's weird to me to have a new coach who has been managed by the previous two managers but in this case might be helpful because in terms of man management I feel like Ancelotti and Benitez are polar opposites - so Lampard probably knows what the players have gone through in that transition. Separately it's weird how old he is. In my head Lampard is still very much "young coach" etc but apparently he's older than Martinez, Moyes or Silva were when they took over

[Duque de Bragança]

Though I have heard you do end up with cabals of different language speakers sometimes.

Anyone that knows anything about how the internal dynamics in the locker room work knows that's the case most of the time. Some teams even have the unofficial policy of not signing too many players of the same background in order to avoid cliques from forming.

PSG is infamous for that with South American cliques (Portuguese vs Spanish) at the very least. Messi joining upsets an already volatile situation. 

[FunkMonk]

Seems the Barcelona move is off. Auba coming back to Arsenal. Arsenal fans literally weeping in the streets. This window is a disaster.