Football (Soccer) Thread

[Josephus]

I imagine Southgate will be with them until the end of the next WC cycle. A 1-1 draw against Ukraine in Poland is not a bad result, all things considered.

[Josephus]

And Germany fires their coach. I think this decline of the great European superpowers is an interesting phenomenon, and I wonder just how much an impact the fact that the big leagues import so many players has on the development of the national teams.

[Josquius]

And Germany fires their coach. I think this decline of the great European superpowers is an interesting phenomenon, and I wonder just how much an impact the fact that the big leagues import so many players has on the development of the national teams.

Nah. People have always said this about England but it doesn't really add up.
Spain has had large numbers of foreign players for a long time. Back to their wc win.
England has lately been the relatively strongest they've been maybe ever (relatively being key word). Certainly stronger than in say the 80s and 90s when foreigners were few.

It's just natural that international teams tend to have ups and downs as players age in and out . Sometimes they get lucky and a lot all hit their prime at the same time. This usually then hurts particularly bad when their time is up

[FunkMonk]

Yeah there isn't anything remotely like a general decline of Europe in international football right now.

Germany just sucks huge ass right now, man.

[Sheilbh]

And Germany fires their coach. I think this decline of the great European superpowers is an interesting phenomenon, and I wonder just how much an impact the fact that the big leagues import so many players has on the development of the national teams.

It's an argument you often have in England about the Premier League.

I'd argue possibly the opposite. I am really glad Argentina won in Qatar because it felt like, for a pretty long time, the great Latin American footballing nations weren't able to win internationally. All the stuff around Messi but also Brazil's long malaise. That Argentine win ended 20 years of Euro dominance which was unheard of - and there wasn't an Asian or North American team winning instead.

I can see the point but from an English perspective I think there's zero doubt that being open to players and managers from all round the world have helped transform English football. Although at club and international level I think the cost has perhaps been a loss of diversity in style - which I think is a shame.

My instinct - and I could be totally wrong - is that's been better for and heped entrench Euro-dominance and it has hurt Latin American football as increasingly there is a pipeline for talented Latin American teenagers into often Portugal or Spain and then into the various national leagues. The globalisation of football watching has, I think, damaged the leagues, clubs and football in Latin America especially as, for many, their business model is increasingly finding and developing talented players to sell into the European leagues.

Having said that, I'm not sure what's going on with Germany's team because they've had a pretty prolonged dip and it feels like they maybe need a cultural reset of some sort? I thought keeping Low was a really odd decision (even if he had earned a lot of trust)

[Sheilbh]

Although slightly amazed that apparently this is the first time the manager of Germany has been fired since the role was created in 1926

[Tamas]

Although slightly amazed that apparently this is the first time the manager of Germany has been fired since the role was created in 1926

*Insert joke about Germans sticking by their leaders through thick and thin*

[FunkMonk]

Although slightly amazed that apparently this is the first time the manager of Germany has been fired since the role was created in 1926

*Insert joke about Germans sticking by their leaders through thick and thin*

 

[Josquius]

On international players and effect on national teams....
In a British context I have heard some say the problem is quite the opposite of the mainstream view, and this explanation i do think holds more validity.
Namely that the issue isn't too many foreigners in the Premier league and rather too few Brits in top leagues outside of England.

[Sheilbh]

Agree and Jude Bellingham is an incredible example that I think is really exciting.

But they both have the same cause - the 20th team in the Premier League can afford incredibly high wages compared to most teams in the other big leagues. So English players are very expensive - you can earn a lot more as a journeyman in mid-table Premier League sides than a best of the rest team in, say, La Liga.

I think that means it's weirdly more common at the very top/"super-league" style teams.

[Barrister]

Hey since it happened while I was on holidays, but was there any discussion about how Canada's manager John Herdman, has quit and will become the manager of Toronto FC?

It seems like the collapse of Canada Soccer continues, as absent internal issues I can't see why someone wouldn't prefer to be a national team manager over an MLS team.

[Jacob]

Money?

[Barrister]

Money?

I mean that might be it, but it only begs the question of why Canada Soccer wouldn't have enough money to pay Herdman at least as much as an MLS team.

[Grey Fox]

Money?

I mean that might be it, but it only begs the question of why Canada Soccer wouldn't have enough money to pay Herdman at least as much as an MLS team.

Canada Soccer is out of money because it was taken to the cleaners by the owners of the CPL teams and their money loop of the TV/Streaming rights.

[Sheilbh]

It seems like the collapse of Canada Soccer continues, as absent internal issues I can't see why someone wouldn't prefer to be a national team manager over an MLS team.

I think they can be quite different jobs. Certainly in Europe I think club managers are seen as the bigger/better job.