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The 2020-2021 Football Thread

Atlanta 0-1 Columbus

A big road win for Columbus puts us third in the Eastern Conference. Always satisfying to get a win against Atlanta especially on the road, and missing a bunch of players to international duty. Big Jonathan Mensah powered in a header in the second half and the Crew endured a hairy end to the match. But they took all three points home.
 
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And it would appear that the NZL teams are going to struggle.
USA Women thrashed the Football Ferns (unsurprisingly) and then the Olywhites went and threw away their game against Honduras with some woeful goalkeeping. Adding to that, Winston Reid picked up a knock in the first few minutes, so he's looking doubtful for the rest of the tournament and they left Michael Boxall behind, as he picked up an injury in the MLS just prior to the Olympics...

In better news, it appears that Southampton are reducing their wage bills somewhat, with the departure of Lemina on a $5m transfer to somewhere in France.
 
I've been loathe to say anything on the subject but it looks like it's virtually a done deal now: Raphael Varane is coming to United. This feels like United's most important defensive signing since Rio, a player who Varane reminds me of quite a bit.

Maguire and Shaw should be full of confidence after doing so well at the Euros. Playing alongside a world class defender with a bulging trophy cabinet should really help. I expect Aaron Wan-Bissaka will especially benefit from having Varane playing alongside him, as AWB still needs to improve his positional awareness quite a bit.

The new transfer team is so far doing it's job well and without much drama and angst. Now if they can bring in a MF like Neves or Saul, United will really be in fantastic shape.

I do expect Paul Pogba's time is up, so if they can get a good price out of PSG, that would be great. For Pogba, I'd be equally fine with him staying or leaving — I just want this distracting odyssey to end.
 
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Silencio said:
I've been loathe to say anything on the subject but it looks like it's virtually a done deal now: Raphael Varane is coming to United. This feels like United's most important defensive signing since Rio, a player who Varane reminds me of quite a bit.

Maguire and Shaw should be full of confidence after doing so well at the Euros. Playing alongside a world class defender with a bulging trophy cabinet should really help. I expect Aaron Wan-Bissaka will especially benefit from having Varane playing alongside him, as AWB still needs to improve his positional awareness quite a bit.

The new transfer team is so far doing it's job well and without much drama and angst. Now if they can bring in a MF like Neves or Saul, United will really be in fantastic shape.

I do expect Paul Pogba's time is up, so if they can get a good price out of PSG, that would be great. For Pogba, I'd be equally fine with him staying or leaving — I just want this distracting odyssey to end.
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Personally, I think you're better off without Pogba. It's no secret that I am not a fan, but he's so hot and cold that he can either be the making of a team or on another day the reason for a loss, by taking up precious space on a football pitch that needs people making an effort.

Varane is a very good signing. I have to say, United are looking like a stronger side this season, based on what's going on behind the scenes, but I also think you'd be better served with someone other than Maguire in the backline. Just not a fan.

Considering that Ole was on such shaky ground early on last season, he's ended up looking good and could very well turn out to be the answer to all of the post-Fergie questions.
 
USWNT are hardly looking dominant...but they are still in contention for the gold. Consistency is the biggest problem at the moment and they do not look like the powerhouse of years past. Can they find another gear?

HandsomeDanNZ said:
Considering that Ole was on such shaky ground early on last season, he's ended up looking good and could very well turn out to be the answer to all of the post-Fergie questions.
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For me, OGS has never fully convinced, but neither has he failed. He's shown improvement over time but then again he has access to resources most managers can only dream of, even at the elite level. He'll never approach the success of Ferguson (nobody will), but given the money being spent Man United should win titles under him. That will ultimately be the acid test - can he do it?

Liverpool still have a lot of transfer business to do, though most of it relatively minor, but the Henderson contract worries are unexpected. He's too old for a long-term, top-money contract, but he's also a fan favorite, the team captain, and arguably a key part of the squad's spine along with Alisson, van Dijk, and Salah. Losing him over a contract spat seems unthinkable. More broadly, the squad is being allowed to age a bit and it is clear that FSG do not intend to spend as freely as Chelsea and the Manchester duo, keeping the purchases somewhat more balanced with sales. We might see Saul Niguez still, but it sounds like most of the 'activity' in the transfer market will be departures - Shaqiri, possibly Ox, and other fringe players. The squad is currently at its limit of non- homegrown players, so that will play a role in future moves.
 
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Saul Niguez will be a great pickup for whoever signs him. There's talk of him being a replacement for Pogba at United. He won't have those moments of magic like Pogba does sometimes, but he'll be a more consistent and versatile player and a harder worker overall.

OGS has already stated he wanted to do away with the double pivot in midfield and go with a more attacking setup, but to do this, they'll need a midfielder with more defensive solidity than Fred or McTominay and with younger legs than Matic. It's going to be interesting to see how they manage this, both through new signings and with what they end up doing with Pogba and Lingard.
 
Silencio said:
Saul Niguez will be a great pickup for whoever signs him. There's talk of him being a replacement for Pogba at United. He won't have those moments of magic like Pogba does sometimes, but he'll be a more consistent and versatile player and a harder worker overall.

OGS has already stated he wanted to do away with the double pivot in midfield and go with a more attacking setup, but to do this, they'll need a midfielder with more defensive solidity than Fred or McTominay and with younger legs than Matic. It's going to be interesting to see how they manage this, both through new signings and with what they end up doing with Pogba and Lingard.
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I assume Niguez will be poached by United if they really want him - they can always outbid Liverpool. But United might not prioritize him enough to win a bidding war, and/or the player may prefer one or the other club. We'll see. He's certainly an excellent player.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
... it sounds like most of the 'activity' in the transfer market will be departures - Shaqiri, possibly Ox, and other fringe players....
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I'd love to see Ox come back to Saints...him and Theo in the same team after all these years? That would be magic. Not that we'd pay what he's worth, of course.
Shaq could be a good buy for someone - he's always hungry and now he's slimmed down a little he's a bit more mobile.
I do wonder what sort of fee Liverpool would want and also what his wage demands might be...that could end up being the killer in any potential move.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
I assume Niguez will be poached by United if they really want him - they can always outbid Liverpool. But United might not prioritize him enough to win a bidding war, and/or the player may prefer one or the other club. We'll see. He's certainly an excellent player.
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Ruben Neves might actually be a preferable signing as he is more accustomed to playing deeper, but still offers good versatility — and is already well proven in the PL. Adding a really good DM and selling off Pogba would give van de Bees a better platform to show off his quality. Lots of potential ways to go, but it mostly depends on Pogba leaving.
 
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Hammers 3rd. Nice top.
 
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The Great Britain v Australia women's Olympic match looks worth a watch. USA are still in it but had to take a really tough match against the Dutch to penalties.

Columbus will try to keep their unbeaten streak in MLS alive today at Yankee Stadium (ugh, playing on a baseball field) against NYCFC.
 
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USA Women put in a good performance against the Dutch (finally had a chance to watch the match). USA seem to have a little trouble getting the ball in the back of the net, despite otherwise looking very solid. Nine goals ruled out for offside already this tournament! That is something they need to work on. The forwards are in the right position but they are jumping out too early, or the delivery is just a little too late, or both.

On the other hand USA's penalties during the shootout were world class. They looked focused but not frightened in the slightest. The Dutch, having had a weak penalty saved during regulation, put in a pretty poor showing with their spot kicks two of their three attempts were under-hit and too near the keeper.

And let's not talk about what happened to Columbus in NYC. Ugh. Still we'v already beaten them twice this season.
 
Heartbreak for USAWNT, but a generation-defining win for Canada. I think Sweden are the most likely, and worthy, gold medallists this time around but we still have a final to play. We'll see. USWNT need to pick themselves up for the bronze medal match and beat the Australians.

Back in Vegas, a great win for a young USMNT lineup in the Gold Cup Final after a hard-fought melee of a match that saw USA clinging on for long stretches. Both teams were short on quality finishes but Mexico peppered the US goal pretty often. USA grew into the match somewhat but it was not a fluid affair by any stretch.

Happy to beat El Tri in a meaningful match for the second time this summer. And just s happy to have forward Gyasi Zardes back for Columbus, we need him up top after our disastrous match against New York.
 
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So Harry Kane is not showing up for work because he wants to be transferred to another club. He has a contract until 2024 and he signed this contract willingly. Why do some players not seem to understand what a contract means?
 
Expos of 1969 said:
So Harry Kane is not showing up for work because he wants to be transferred to another club. He has a contract until 2024 and he signed this contract willingly. Why do some players not seem to understand what a contract means?
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It's a symptom of the modern footballing world - agents get in ears, players' egos get away from them and contracts ultimately mean absolutely nothing.
It's no secret he wants out, but Levy is a dog when it comes to negotiations, so he'll make it nigh on impossible for anyone but Man City to bid for him and even then will stick in clauses that make him money long after Kane has gone.
I know the GM at Saints said he'll never negotiate with Levy again. I think he then promptly sold someone to Spurs...so there's not much honesty in football now anyway.
 
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