AUGUST: Europe, fitba and the MAGIC OF THE CUP

[mugbull]

Strangely bitter but ok

[Giggles]

I’d forgot about the champions league. We’ll nearly have the two of them crossing over now will we? What stage was that last night?

[niko_cee]

City was last 16 (same tonight) and I think there was some qualifying as well last night.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It’s more that you don’t know him personally. Don’t let that F1 wankery slip into soccer.

I do know him personally. It's just that he doesn't know me.

[randomlegend]

Sarri sacked by Juve.

I have it on ITK authority that they are getting Poch.

[Lewis]

Ronaldo throwing a sly thumbs down to Gianni Agnelli as he walks off the pitch.

[Raoul Duke]

Smallpockets at Juve could be great

[Shindig]

Eddie Howe would be even better.

[Giggles]

Is there nobody else for a club that size?

[phonics]

Andrea Pirlo has been appointed Juve bin man.

[Shindig]

He's took over at the reserves last week and he's already with the first team?

[phonics]

Tha

[SincereTheRebel]

How does a binman not be labelled as a binman anymore?

[Kikó]

Sarri sacked by Juve.

I have it on ITK authority that they are getting Poch.

:harold:

[Lewis]

I wonder whether Italian football is impervious to binman magic. The managerial churn is unbelievable, and half the club legends out there have previous with rival clubs, so can they ever be so thoroughly associated with a particular club to personify its club blazer to the requisite extent? Somebody like Francesco Totti or Paolo Maldini could, but they have smartly avoided torching their reputations like everybody the latter played with at Milan, who have burned through half of their modern greats looking for a binman; but Andrea Pirlo is just some bloke who had a few seasons successfully poncing about at Juventus. He could binman for Twitter.

[Shindig]

It'll be the match-fixing.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Great start by Chelsea.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

30 minutes in and both games are effectively over :\

[Lewis]

Bayern/Chelsea was over six months ago.

[Waffdon]

Sarri sacked by Juve.

I have it on ITK authority that they are getting Poch.

Lol

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

But that wasn't from the good ITK who never gets anything wrong...

[-james-]

One of Atalanta's star players walking out on the team after having a breakdown caused by walking in on his missus mid-coitus with another man is the under-rated story of lockdown for me.

It's also the most obvious pile of Twitter bollocks I've ever heard.

Not sure why I thought that game was tonight. Bayern are now 27 for 6 in their last 6 games vs London teams. Bundesliga m8.

[Waffdon]

You say that after England just had an all European final in both competitions:lol:

[-james-]

I've got City - Bayern as impossible to call. Probably City edge it but those are easily the two best teams at the moment.

[Waffdon]

Simeone will probably win it now Ronaldo is finally out

[Shindig]

I wouldn't count Barca out.

[Raoul Duke]

Barca are mince beyond their first XI. Look at their bench tonight.

Pirlo vs. Gattuso in battle of the Serie A binmen next year

[phonics]

It's also the most obvious pile of Twitter bollocks I've ever heard.

Not sure why I thought that game was tonight. Bayern are now 27 for 6 in their last 6 games vs London teams. Bundesliga m8.

Incredible that we’re responsible for over half of those despite not being in the competition for 3 years.

[Lewis]

Simeone will probably win it now Ronaldo is finally out

I was thinking this. If they can comfortably out-tactic Liverpool they can do any of the others.

[Spoonsky]

VAR was terrible in Barcelona tonight, clear foul on the first goal and then Messi had a beautiful goal disallowed because of the slightest and most insignificant handball you'll ever see.

[niko_cee]

I was thinking this. If they can comfortably out-tactic Liverpool they can do any of the others.

This one-off format could help them in this regard. When it's 2-legs they always chuck in one stinker over the 7 games you need to win it which they then can't get themselves out of. Save for that one time they got completely skanked by Real in the final I suppose.

Someone really should have brought Mourinho in as a short term 'one-off game consultant' for these. It's perfectly set-up for his particular brand of highly tailored opposition specific dirgeball.

[-james-]

Incredible that we’re responsible for over half of those despite not being in the competition for 3 years.

Nah I'm just counting the two 5-1s and the batterings Spurs took this season.

[SincereTheRebel]

Surprised it's taking this long for Chelsea to fire Lampard.

[-james-]

The industry's a joke. This trend of appointing Club Knowers over Thorsten von Gegenpress from Erzgebirge Aue is going to look so silly in a few years.

[-james-]

Or, you know, Pochettino.

[niko_cee]

If PSG don't reach the final of this mini-tournament they'll probably need to find their own binman.

What's Youri Djorkaeff up to these days? What does a one club man look like for PSG? Does someone like Rai get close?

[Spikey M]

Poch would be their Binman, no?

[SincereTheRebel]

May as well give Claude Makelele a blast

[Lewis]

Pauleta would be the PSG binman.

[phonics]

Neymars dad is the correct answer.

[Giggles]

Simeone will probably win it now Ronaldo is finally out

Two of them have the rona now.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1292510023508275201

:cool:
Don.

Edit: It's not even Moise Kean :(

[Manc]

Racist fuck.

[Don]

The point is, we all believed because that is the Moise Kean we all dearly love. Lol at Everton for having to instead keep with that fucking giraffe-limbed wanker for at least half of next season too because of his passport.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Greenwood :drool:

His finishing ability is ludicrous.

Edit: Shame he's offside.

[randomlegend]

Greenwood's finishing is out of this world.

[Don]

Jesus, I thought Man Utd were good enough to breeze past shite like this. There's me thinking they might compete with us and City next season. Lol.

[Mellberg]

:D

Not bad for a 0-0. Extra time and pens tonight?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

:D

Not bad for a 0-0. Extra time and pens tonight?

Yep.

These European "mini-tournaments" could be quite tasty.

[Ian]

I reckon my week will be about 40% better if I don't have to sit through another half an hour of this shit.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I thought Martial was going to walk it in.

[Don]

The Transfer Committe are lining up a bid for this Falk lad of theirs as we speak. He's swanning about beating men for fun making the likes of Maguire, Matic and Lindelof look ordinary.

[Lewis]

Aaron Wan-Dyspraxia.

[Manc]

Jose will be loving this.

[Danny]

The Transfer Committe are lining up a bid for this Falk lad of theirs as we speak. He's swanning about beating men for fun making the likes of Maguire, Matic and Lindelof look ordinary.

He has looked pretty lively. Seems to breeze past his man with ease.

[-james-]

Not sure Local Lad Brandon Williams is up to much either.

[CJay]

Do penalties ever get rescinded with VAR? Nothing in that one.

[Mellberg]

BT commentators are useless and skirting around calling it a dive. I don't think that was a pen.

[Spoonsky]

It was clearly a dive.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Do penalties ever get rescinded with VAR? Nothing in that one.

We'd have had about 50 this season if they didn't.

[Pen]

Do penalties ever get rescinded with VAR? Nothing in that one.

There was a relatively funny one in the last minute of the Inter game today.

[Mellberg]

Mouthpiece Walton fighting the cause as well.

I don't mind a wrong decision and they don't tend to bother me. This whole collective fingers in the ears and not even questioning it winds me up though.

[Don]

I switched over to see the Beirut scenes on the news but let me tell you, I am shocked to have returned to see them having broke the deadlock via a penalty. Sign of a top side that.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I don't mind a wrong decision
Obviously...

https://talksport.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/06/villa-goal.jpg?strip=all&quality=100&w=680&h=406&crop=1

[Don]

Get off the Gyppos cock already, too. I'm one more fucking piece of praise away from starting the Pogba BLM protests ffs.

[CJay]

Basically, because the ref gave it, it stands. If the ref had waved play on and it was ‘checked’ it would never have been awarded retrospectively.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

This keeper is on something.

[Lewis]

Superkeepered off some fisherman. The shame of it.

[Danny]

This is a proper FM'ing

[Ian]

Does BT coverage have a single redeeming feature?

[CJay]

Does BT coverage have a single redeeming feature?

I have to stay their streaming quality has been very good tonight. I’m a first timer on the monthly pass. Compares very favourably to Sky Go.

Happy to know my money is going towards funding quality pundits like Scholes and Savage.

[Mellberg]

Obviously...

https://talksport.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/06/villa-goal.jpg?strip=all&quality=100&w=680&h=406&crop=1

The tears :drool:

This Scandi keeper is loving it.

[Don]

Yeah BT's app allowing you to rewind on a timeline to all notable events is great (although admittedly not for us purists who watch a gane properly as opposed to having it as background filler to our TikTok sessions).

Aside from that, it's the fucking worst and their offices need bombing.

[Luca]

Yeah BT's app allowing you to rewind on a timeline to all notable events is great (although admittedly not for us purists who watch a gane properly as opposed to having it as background filler to our TikTok sessions).

Aside from that, it's the fucking worst and their offices need bombing.

Says the chap who left The Group to pursue TikTok fame full time.

[SvN]

Do penalties ever get rescinded with VAR? Nothing in that one.

We had one rescinded in the same game.

[SincereTheRebel]

Sevilla Europa league record is nice. But im confident Wolves will run them over one leg.

[Manc]

End of the road imo.

[SincereTheRebel]

Jimenez missed a penalty and its 0-0 at half time. Sevilla keeping possession really well without threatening the goal

[SincereTheRebel]

25% possesion for wolves after 70 minutes. Still 0-0

[SincereTheRebel]

1-0 Sevilla after 87 minutes. Banega and Suso have ran the show and they deserve the win. Wolves have looked tired.

[ScousePig]

William Storey is in Sunderland today with a view to buying our club. Does anyone have anything positive to say about him?

Please.

[bruhnaldo]

The Rich Energy guy from Haas? lol bless you, son.

[phonics]

Hahahahah

[ScousePig]

The very same. At the moment we appear to be at the 'his figures sound good but we're yet to see any proof he has the money' stage.

Sound about right?

[phonics]

He's an attention whore that wants to be in a netflix documentary.

[ScousePig]

He'll be disappointed then.

[Baz]

Well there aren’t many clubs with Netflix documentaries.

[bruhnaldo]

What a banger that song is on the intro but I bet it was awkward to be sat in the stadium when they came and performed it.

"Oh great the theme song to our sadness on film, hurray."

[ScousePig]

:D

Pretty much.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Spoiler alert: he doesn't have the money.

[ScousePig]

As above.

[Shindig]

If the Saudis had any bottle, they'd throw a bid in for you guys out of spite.

[Manc]

Or kill someone.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Neymar :harold:

Clearly got his bottling boots on.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Is the audio out of sync for anyone else? 'Fletch' commentated on the goal going in before it did on my screen.

Atalanta :cool:

Edit: Clearly 10 seconds or so for me :\

[CJay]

Yeah same. Knew Atalanta had scored before they were anywhere near the box

[bruhnaldo]

Seems fine here on CBS ALL ACCESS™

[Baz]

Yep dodgy on my BT1

[Don]

I switched over for five mins to (hear and then) see the filthy cunts concede. Ander Cuntface is starting and mans were talking of a train :D

[Foe]

Simon’s brother sending us towards safety by December. :cool:

[Baz]

Fuck off Lineker with your pronunciation of Miocic. :nono:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Zapata is crap.

[Danny]

1293630510774865921

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

*Nine.

Edit: Or not, seems that they're keeping Navas on.

[bruhnaldo]

They also would have needed to score tbf

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Balls.

[bruhnaldo]

ffs

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

:(

[Bob Sacamano]

Never in doubt

[SincereTheRebel]

No way.

[niko_cee]

Quite glad I didn't make the disparaging comment about Maxim Choupo-Moting I had in my mind earlier now.

[Baz]

lol

[bruhnaldo]

holy fucking shit bro

[Waffdon]

Quite glad I didn't make the disparaging comment about Maxim Choupo-Moting I had in my mind earlier now.

:D

My thoughts exactly. Set the first goal up with that cross too

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Muriel you twat.

[Ian]

Fuck off, Atalanta, you gimps.

[Manc]

Hopefully PSG play City in the final and we can end football.

[Don]

I didn't watch it but only way PSG get into final is if the other opponent gets wiped out by COVID.

[Shindig]

That's not so far fetched.

[Giggles]

PSG and City would be great just for all the shrieking and knicker twisting from the purists. Jimmy would end

[SincereTheRebel]

Neymar was brilliant last night, besides his shooting. Navas also made some big saves that kept PSG in it.

[Jimmy Floyd]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53763244

He has the most sack-friendly name/face combo I've ever seen.

[Ian]

He must have a nice Christmas holiday planned for which he could do with a bit of extra cash on the hip.

[Spikey M]

That is the most Soviet face I have ever seen.

[Yevrah]

Ivic has no experience of English football as either a player or a manager

Sounds like he might not be a Proper Football Man.

[Spikey M]

If that jawline tells you to win, you fucking win.

[Josh]

At least supporting Watford means you get to be excited for a couple of weeks until you realise the manager is shit.

Better than appointing the likes of Pardew, Allardyce etc and knowing how shit it will be before even starting.

He certainly has a winning mentality. Only lost once in the league last season but that was in the bloody Israeli league. Our last Serbian manager got us promoted so who knows?

Chances are he will be gone by Christmas but hopefully we get rid of Deeney, play some of the younger players and try to play football that is more attractive and effective. There's plenty of potential there but as always, it depends on which players we retain etc.

New kit is horrendous too so this is shaping up for a promotion or relegation. Genuinely couldn't tell you which one is more likely at the moment.

[Pleb]

Spicy opening in the Athletico game.

[SincereTheRebel]

Simeone animated on the sidelines, asking the referee to book players for every tackle, spitting on the floor, barking at his players :lol:

[Don]

This really should have been the best team in the world putting on a show and entertaining the world amidst a global pandemic. Instead I'm getting shit on a stick football.

Who tf scheduled this to clash with McGill semi and then forcing us to choose between our own children tomorrow ffs.

[niko_cee]

PSG will probably rinse either of these, so the question is who is the better final opponent? I can see the end of history case for City, but actually I think it's our earnest Bavarian brothers, who would seethe themselves into the abyss if Qatar beat them.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Upamecano apparently has a 42m Euros release clause that activates next Summer.

Everyone should be after him.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Olmo :cool:

[Jimmy Floyd]

PSG will probably rinse either of these, so the question is who is the better final opponent? I can see the end of history case for City, but actually I think it's our earnest Bavarian brothers, who would seethe themselves into the abyss if Qatar beat them.

Yeah, the old world vs new money final would be the best, like a more pronounced version of 2012 (lol at them then). New money vs other new money, well, who cares.

[Lewis]

From a purely sporting point of view the whole Red Bull football set-up is worse than what the human rights abusers have brought to the game, and yet people seem to overlook it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Fuck 'Atleti'.

[Lewis]

Liverpool losing to these lot before the break suggests City could have come back in the league. Get that asterisk next to the title.

[CJay]

So satisfying to see these twats losing it. Gimenez in particular has been a particularly fun chimp out to watch for the last 10 minutes.

[Lewis]

Did Diego Simeone get his hair transplant off a nineties black man?

[niko_cee]

Poor old 'Atleti'.

Said no one ever.

Fuck off Diego. Such a contemptible team.

[Manc]

Simeone looked lost at the final whistle. Time to move on.

[Giggles]

That’s some neck :D


1294213242231951360

[Don]

That's superb. Was hoping for us to get a solid number 2 in but if he's going to establish cult banter status like this I can support him.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Tommy Mother Fucking Muller :cool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Shit :moop:

Tremendous finish tbf.

[SincereTheRebel]

Has Suarez dyed his teeth? They look extra white and vampire'ish

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Both defences are all over the place.

[Don]

This is the pinnacle of the purists' game. Jose Mourinho, Sean Dyche, melts, they're all taking a night off tonight :drool:

[SincereTheRebel]

This Bayern high line is amazing. They dont give a fuck

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Barcelona's goal kicks are pissing me off.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If I was at IFAB, it would be a straight red for any goal kick which doesn't carry to the halfway line.

[Lewis]

Hans-Dieter 'Binsi' Flick. Adolf Binler. Binmann Goering. Recycling-bin Heydrich.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Bayern :drool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The pass over the top by Goretzka was brilliant.

[Don]

Someone give this Hansi lad a knighthood and the keys to the sport. See someone sticking this much of finger up to Messi's talents (Davies helps) and being rewarded with a raping :drool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

This is going to be a real dicking.

[Lewis]

It's always good to see a fellow Big Club being led out of its post-2013 malaise. The Super Cup NARRATIVE writes itself if they bother with it.

[CJay]

This should see Barca’s manager sacked. Yes, they’re an inferior side, and yes, physically they can’t compare. But the tactics they’ve employed are ridiculous. Playing straight into Bayern’s hands.

[Don]

Got Steve Fucking McManaman with his 90s footballing education and 60s perm talking of a Barcelona defensive failure muchlike the other day with whoever it was doing City-Real. Shut the fuck up amd drink it in :drool:

Fucking De Jong and Suarez looking to break from the halfway line is some lols.

[niko_cee]

City Bayern, assuming City don't fuck up against Lyon which I guess is always a possibility (I'm sure they did as much a few years ago in the groups) could be a game for the ages.

Enjoyable as this has been it doesn't compare to the blitzkreig Jupp unleashed on Barca way back when. They've been a shambles for a while and they've gone next level binman with this Disciple of Cruijff nitwit (god bless his heftily well feathered retirement nest). Maybe they can tempt Arteta out of Arsenal or Brendan to sort them out.

Bayern's defence is a mess as well, it should be noted.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Barcelona will go binman (Xavi) next.

[niko_cee]

Isn't he waiting for the next president, whenever that is decided?

[niko_cee]

Also, Coutinho, Dembele and Griezmann. £300m+ of Barcelona spending starting on the bench, nearly half of which is on the other team's bench. That's their problem in a nutshell.

[randomlegend]

I don't watch Barca, but apparently they've looked really good the few times they've played with Messi as a 10 behind Suarez and Griezmann, but they immediately revert back the next game every time.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Alphonso Davies is brilliant.

[John]

Fucking hell Alphonso Davies.

[Trancemeister]

Davies :eek:

[randomlegend]

I'm sorry, Pique has been paid off. Literally what was he doing there? He walked backwards and gave him a free run through.

[Lewis]

Spanish John Stones. He's always been crap.

[CJay]

I don't watch Barca, but apparently they've looked really good the few times they've played with Messi as a 10 behind Suarez and Griezmann, but they immediately revert back the next game every time.

Hmm. I think the ‘really good’ has always been relative to their other performances. Still stodgy and terrible in midfield and defensively.

[bruhnaldo]

5-2 lol?

[bruhnaldo]

Tyler Adams scored winning goal yesterday
Alphonso Davies still running riot

MLS baby :drool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Coutinho should score and do an Adebayor.

[SincereTheRebel]

Thiago is a don

[SincereTheRebel]

Coutinho should score and do an Adebayor.

Barca probably forgot to put a clause in the deal to prevent him from playing

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Pussy couldn't even be bothered to celebrate.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I liked Messi losing the ball in the build up and barely being bothered to walk back towards his goal.

[randomlegend]

Barca probably forgot to put a clause in the deal to prevent him from playing

The commentators made it sound like that's not allowed in the Champions League but I'm not sure.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[bruhnaldo]

Oh let him get a hat trick ffs

[CJay]

This is the end of Barca in the Messi era. No way back from this with their financial problems.

Hilarious what they’ve done with Coutinho.

[niko_cee]

The commentators made it sound like that's not allowed in the Champions League but I'm not sure.

It's not.

[randomlegend]

This ref's been great with the Barca players :D

[Kikó]

Do Barca need to drop the binman model? Read more in the Athletic.

[Lewis]

Hopefully there is a fan movement against Lionel Messi being a wage hog and ruining everything, like that brief turn against Siralex Ferguson for leaving David Moyes a load of shit as if he meant to do it.

[Reg]

Do Barca need to drop the binman model? Read more in the Athletic.
:D

This is the end of Barca in the Messi era. No way back from this with their financial problems.

Hilarious what they’ve done with Coutinho.
After the fifth or sixth or twelfth or whatever goal it was, I wondered whether he’ll leave. Must really want another CL before he retires.

That must be the worst I’ve ever seen them play. I mean the Liverpool and PSG games of recent years weren’t great but that was dreadful.

Fun game. PSG drawing Leipzig is some luck because Bayern and Man City must be comfortably the best teams.

[Lofty]

Barcarsenal

[niko_cee]

8-2's one of those scorelines that feels like end of an era/staring into the abyss sort of stuff.

[Manc]

Just goes to show at the very top level you simply cannot carry individuals. Attackers must defend.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm feeling not bad about our 7-1 aggregate shoeing now.

[Waffdon]

Lol at Messi. One CL in ten years and he was carried by Neymar for it. A lot of humiliations along the way too

[Ian]

The dream not-gonna-happen scenario is that Barcelona properly go off the deep end, give Messi a player-manager role and he drives them into 12th place.

The slightly more realistic dream scenario is that he joins Neymar at PSG for a billion quid a week and still doesn't win the Champions League again.

[Danny]

Lol at Messi. One CL in ten years and he was carried by Neymar for it. A lot of humiliations along the way too

The one in 11 doesn’t count?

[Gray Fox]

Barca(mate) manager gone already by the sounds of it.

[randomlegend]

The one in 11 doesn’t count?

Bit much expecting him to have got his maths right. At least he's had a go ffs.

[Dquincy]

Just goes to show at the very top level you simply cannot carry individuals. Attackers must defend.
Yeah, but even their defenders weren't defending.

Not sure why all the Messi bashing on here. The man is the most talented player to ever grace a football pitch.

[Waffdon]

Bit much expecting him to have got his maths right. At least he's had a go ffs.

It’ll be over 10 years by the time he could win another. How’s your ITK going son x

[Lewis]

The Ronaldo fanboys winning the long game. I think it was only us and Multi at one point battling away. :cool:

[John Arne]

Whilst Barca's transfer policy has been fucking awful for 10 years, Messi demanding that they sign better players whilst picking up £600k-£1.2m a week of the wage budget is a little ballsy.

[niko_cee]

Unconfirmed reports that Barca will have to pay out some sweet sweet add-on money to Liverpool if Coutinho wins the Champions League with Bayern. That'd be beyond funny.

[Mellberg]

Enjoyed last night. Barca are a fraudulent club and watching them suffer is a favourite hobby of mine. Spanish football could be in for a few years of doing fuck all. Madrid might push on, but Barca are done for a while and Atletico have just blown their big chance.

It tends to work in cycles, so are England about to have a strong decade? City and Liverpool are obviously there. United probably aren't too far away for the first time in a while. National team looks in half decent shape too. And obviously Villa are class.

I don't see much competition at the minute anyway. Bayern. PSG. Erm...

[phonics]

I think reverting back to 2 legged ties will make grander conclusions drawn from this year irrelevant.

[Mellberg]

The number of games means next to fuck all. If you're shit, you're shit.

[randomlegend]

I think reverting back to 2 legged ties will make grander conclusions drawn from this year irrelevant.

Yeah Barca would definitely have come back from 8-2 down if there'd been a second leg.

[phonics]

Raul Sanllehi has been sacked. Rumour is that this lawyer Kroenke appointed to the board looked into his deals (specifically Pepe) and there’s a load of dodgy accounting.

[Mellberg]

At least Arsenal look to be on board for the upcoming period of English dominance.

[Gray Fox]

Madrid are now at the end of that dominant teams life. Ramos, Marcelo, Modrid, Kroos, Benzema etc are all over the hill now and ready to move on. Their original attempt to rebuild hasn't been great either.
Barcelona in a similar situation. Aside from Ter Stegen and De Jong, all the way down the middle of the team needs replacing with starters.

PSG are about as good as they'll get being in that league, but Bayern seem to threaten the big time once every few years.

I'd suggest we may see English winners for a few years.

[Waffdon]

Madrid have recruited quite well. Definitely with the future in mind, Hazard aside.

[Don]

Getting pre-pubescent bums from Rio's favelas does not constitute good recruitment.

[randomlegend]

Madrid have recruited quite well. Definitely with the future in mind, Hazard aside.

On paper it looks not bad but apparently most of the hyped youngsters they've brought in have been dogshit.

[Kikó]

Yeah Barca would definitely have come back from 8-2 down if there'd been a second leg.

I know you're being flippant but obviously both teams approaches would have been different.

[phonics]

I also wasn’t referring to specifically Barca. Atletico are a 2 leg team. Juve are a two leg team. Madrid are a two leg team. City have gone out on away goals 2 years running etc.

It’s two very different sort of matches.

[SincereTheRebel]

The big players Barca have bought are not bad. The likes of Coutinho and Dembele were just overpriced and didn't meet the high Barca expectations. Which was always going to sting them on the resale value. That was clear from the start.

[Shindig]

I feel tempted to have a look at the La Mesia graduates and see where they're at.

[Lewis]

We were meant to be four Champions' League wins into Messi feeding Giovani dos Santos and Bojan by now.

[CJay]

The Ronaldo fanboys winning the long game. I think it was only us and Multi at one point battling away. :cool:

Didn’t his team just get knocked out in the second round by some goat herders from France?

[Lewis]

He's scored every knock-out goal Juventus have scored since he got there.

[phonics]

And they got to multiple finals/semi-finals before he was there so maybe he's the issue?

[Lewis]

He was the issue then when he used to eliminate them on his own.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EfdthyHX0AAD46v?format=jpg&name=large

:D

[Waffdon]

Didn’t his team just get knocked out in the second round by some goat herders from France?

He’s the greatest big game player of all time. Best player to compete in the CL and it isn’t close. Does Messi even have 15 knock out goals

[niko_cee]

For the greatest big game player of all time he's done well to amass a penalty miss and the 4th in a rout as his only notable European Cup final contributions (I'm probably ignoring something here).

Bale and Ramos have carried him.

And he sat out his country's biggest moment.

No doubt he can (could) get you there, less certain he wins it for you.

Messi did actually don that United final.

[Danny]

2017 doesn’t count?

He also scored United’s goal in 2008. Yes he missed a penalty but I would consider opening the scoring in a 1-1 notable.

Edit: I swear that comment on ignoring something wasn’t there :lol:

[niko_cee]

I did say I was probably forgetting something, I haven't really followed his career with any sort of interest and a Juve - Real Madrid final is the sort of thing you hope ends up in a major terrorist incident.

[Waffdon]

Before Cristiano Ronaldo joined Real Madrid, they were knocked out in the R16 of the Champions League in 5 consecutive seasons. When he arrived they reached the semi-finals for 8 seasons in a row and won the Champions League 4 times in 5 seasons.

GOAT.

[phonics]

Bale did most of that and cut 3 strokes off his golf handicap.

[niko_cee]

Karim Benzema.

[niko_cee]

Additionally, I have a real, probably irrational, hatred of the GOAT concept (and probably people who extol it). The number of people in any given field it could feasibly apply to is vanishingly small, and neither Messi nor Ronaldo can sustain such a claim due to the existence of the other. If there is some guy up the road basically matching your achievements stride for stride, you are not Don Bradman.

[Waffdon]

It’s not that deep mate

[niko_cee]

It's lazy and antagonistic, although I appreciate the second part is intended.

[Shindig]

On a sidenote, I watched a Pele vs Maradona compilation this morning. For a team game, those two really, really ran matches.

[SincereTheRebel]

They played against men who had 12 pints and a hit of cocaine before games

[niko_cee]

What's going on with Joe Hart's neck? Has it always been like that? Puts Cronaldo to shame.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

"Memphis" lolling City out would be ideal here.

[niko_cee]

I also wasn’t referring to specifically Barca. Atletico are a 2 leg team. Juve are a two leg team. Madrid are a two leg team. City have gone out on away goals 2 years running etc.

It’s two very different sort of matches.

Late to pick up on this, but, away goals meaning losing 5-1 to Liverpool yeah?

It was the year before they got done by Monaco (was it?). Was that away goals?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Cornet :cool:

What a start.

[Waffdon]

Pep really doing his fraud status no harm if he gets thrown out here.

Lyon will probably win the whole thing with an ex Celtic player in their defence. Dembele to come on and finish the game off

[Waffdon]

Mahrez should be starting every game for City

[niko_cee]

Fucks' sake. City need to sort themselves out.

Agreed on Mahrez, he contributes so much more than his role in the squad suggests. Was probably their best player since the restart.

[Lewis]

'Pep'. It's Lyon. Play your best side.

[Raoul Duke]

Best side = Aguero. Jesus is bobbins

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Cornet has been watching a bit too much of Neymar.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Been coming, Lyon have just been inviting pressure.

[Waffdon]

Hopefully Sterling gets the winner if they do go on and win

[Gray Fox]

If City defend like this against Bayern we're in for a Cricket score.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

:eyemouth:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Waffdon]

There he is. Dembele :cool:

[randomlegend]

How has that been allowed to stand :D

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Holy shit that miss.