Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The 2021-2022 Football Thread
- Thread starter Scepticalscribe
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I would not call that design successful...
I believe that Celtic to be hideous...
NSC last night. My first match at our new digs. Our stadium is beautiful.
28,000 plus in attendance.
Sorry, not the best photos to prove my point but it is beautiful.
NSC last night. My first match at our new digs. Our stadium is beautiful.
28,000 plus in attendance.
Sorry, not the best photos to prove my point but it is beautiful.
Darwin Nunez, who was linked to United for some months, has agreed to join Liverpool instead for a hefty fee.
Interesting to see both Liverpool and City signing true number 9's after playing so successfully with false 9's for a while. Haaland will have a more radical impact on City's style of play, but Nunez should fit right in at Liverpool. They are smart and disciplined with their transfer strategy, and their more expensive signings lately have really paid off. Success draws talent which sustains success — I remember when United used to do that.
Both of those signings go to show how undesirable a destination United has become as of late, with no UCL and a lot of toxic negativity and uncertainty to dispel. All I want to see out of the 2022-23 season is signs of clear progress and a clear, modern identity taking shape on the pitch, and hopefully a return to the top 4. Not sure what they'll do for a number 9 themselves, as Ronaldo clearly can't carry that load all season long and there's no one else in the squad that neatly fits that role or doesn't have a ton of question marks themselves.
Interesting to see both Liverpool and City signing true number 9's after playing so successfully with false 9's for a while. Haaland will have a more radical impact on City's style of play, but Nunez should fit right in at Liverpool. They are smart and disciplined with their transfer strategy, and their more expensive signings lately have really paid off. Success draws talent which sustains success — I remember when United used to do that.
Both of those signings go to show how undesirable a destination United has become as of late, with no UCL and a lot of toxic negativity and uncertainty to dispel. All I want to see out of the 2022-23 season is signs of clear progress and a clear, modern identity taking shape on the pitch, and hopefully a return to the top 4. Not sure what they'll do for a number 9 themselves, as Ronaldo clearly can't carry that load all season long and there's no one else in the squad that neatly fits that role or doesn't have a ton of question marks themselves.
These nations league matches have been a grind. It's a real shame because this is actually a good competition...but the players are all exhausted and the product on the pitch reflects that.
How much longer will competitions continue grow in number and expand in scope? At some point we'll surely hit a wall where star players are permanently worn out and/or injured. There isn't enough recovery time to support playing this many matches, but the business side of the game has no limits to its ambitions for expansion.
Nunez cost more than Haaland (not counting Haaland's sickeningly huge agent fee or wages of course), so I think I'm just getting a nosebleed from the price. I think he should be a good fit, he is a number 9 who can also move around - though we don't really have a clear backup for him in the squad. That's not a major worry, as Klopp can now deploy a variety of formations that are all effective.
How much longer will competitions continue grow in number and expand in scope? At some point we'll surely hit a wall where star players are permanently worn out and/or injured. There isn't enough recovery time to support playing this many matches, but the business side of the game has no limits to its ambitions for expansion.
I have reservations about this transfer, though not for any specific reason. At some point the other shoe has to drop after a long string of moderate to smashing successes, right? Especially post-Michael Edwards. Even the less-successful signings like Minamino have not been failures so far. But I hope the trend of buying smart continues.
Nunez cost more than Haaland (not counting Haaland's sickeningly huge agent fee or wages of course), so I think I'm just getting a nosebleed from the price. I think he should be a good fit, he is a number 9 who can also move around - though we don't really have a clear backup for him in the squad. That's not a major worry, as Klopp can now deploy a variety of formations that are all effective.
Yes, the Nations League has been a chore to watch this cycle. It's a better competition than I expected, but you can tell all the players are out of gas, so the quality of the football isn't that great in this current slate of matches.
When you get to the level where Liverpool and City are, you do have to go to the top of the marketplace to bring in players who will move the needle. Definitely makes sense for Liverpool to spend on a player like Nunez, much more so than for United to have done so with so many other glaring needs to fill in their squad. Maybe Murtough and company have learned from Ed Woodward's mistakes, we shall see.
Meanwhile, Australia and Peru are playing in Doha for a spot at the World Cup. Neither of these teams are very good. It's 0–0 at 60'.
When you get to the level where Liverpool and City are, you do have to go to the top of the marketplace to bring in players who will move the needle. Definitely makes sense for Liverpool to spend on a player like Nunez, much more so than for United to have done so with so many other glaring needs to fill in their squad. Maybe Murtough and company have learned from Ed Woodward's mistakes, we shall see.
Meanwhile, Australia and Peru are playing in Doha for a spot at the World Cup. Neither of these teams are very good. It's 0–0 at 60'.
Teams playing catch-up on the org chart seem always to be tempted to sign their halo players before building up the squad with the meat-n-potatoes players needed to support said stars. Everton fell into that trap, you could argue Spurs are constantly doing that, and even at the highest financial tier of the game PSG keep making that mistake. Fans are impatient but apparently owners and the suits are just as bad. They buy Messi when they need Milner.
Speaking of 'moving the needle,' regardless of who wins here I doubt the World Cup needle will be moved much by either teams' presence in the finals. 😆
If Australia make it though, that would be a hell of an escape from what seemed like certain failure on several occasions, though it has to be said they've lost a lot of winnable games on the way here.
EDIT: and it looks like the Socceroos have indeed failed upward into the WC finals via penalties against a tepid Peru side.
The Grey Wiggle managed to finally dance his way to glory - he was being torn to bits by the Aussie fans on Reddit, but when he managed to come away with the win, he was suddenly a hero.
Now for some Herculean efforts from my beloved All Whites against Costa Rica.
I predict a less than perfect end to our fairytale, sadly.
Now for some Herculean efforts from my beloved All Whites against Costa Rica.
I predict a less than perfect end to our fairytale, sadly.
God, that dancing Aussie sub goalkeeper was annoying! So of course he saved a pen and won his team a trip to the World Cup. Pretty funny stuff.
New Zealand should feel hard done after their equalizer against Costa Rica was ruled out by a very, very dubious foul call in the build-up. The Ticos are arguably a stronger side, but you hate to see a bad call prove to be the difference.
Meanwhile in the Nations League, England get destroyed by Hungary on their home turf, 0-4. Gareth Southgate's results are quickly reverting to the mean for him. I know all the English players are tired after a long domestic season, but so are all the other top nations in the league.
There's 5 months to go until the World Cup. Either sufficient time for Southgate to turn it around, or enough of a window for a new coach to get established if England decide to sack him.
New Zealand should feel hard done after their equalizer against Costa Rica was ruled out by a very, very dubious foul call in the build-up. The Ticos are arguably a stronger side, but you hate to see a bad call prove to be the difference.
Meanwhile in the Nations League, England get destroyed by Hungary on their home turf, 0-4. Gareth Southgate's results are quickly reverting to the mean for him. I know all the English players are tired after a long domestic season, but so are all the other top nations in the league.
There's 5 months to go until the World Cup. Either sufficient time for Southgate to turn it around, or enough of a window for a new coach to get established if England decide to sack him.
He’ll be a big hero - till he makes his next mistake and everyone decides he’s a duffer. Fans are oh so fickle.
That was really annoying. The better team won but they didn’t earn it.
The crowd got toxic really fast, seemingly an England speciality.
I don’t see a managerial change being wise at this point, but Southgate will be under substantial pressure from now till the tournament starts. His next two Nations League opponents are going to be tougher than Hungary. If those go badly, England will enter the WC finals in bad form and with the fans and media on their backs.
Haha!! I heard a suggestion of that in the radio, can you imagine? Tabloids already suggesting that.
Get him out and head to the World Cup with a mediocre manager who hasn’t got time to structure the squad. This is what annoys me about football. Observers can be so fickle I think.
It’s irrelevant. We won’t win. We will blame the heat/time of year/injuries. We won’t say we’re not good enough.Haha!! I heard a suggestion of that in the radio, can you imagine? Tabloids already suggesting that.
Get him out and head to the World Cup with a mediocre manager who hasn’t got time to structure the squad. This is what annoys me about football. Observers can be so fickle I think.
I don't watch England any more unless of course they end up in finals lol.
We are so dull and boring plus its always Harry Kane wankfest most of the time.
We are so dull and boring plus its always Harry Kane wankfest most of the time.
England has enough talent to get to the semifinals, but Southgate's lineups and tactics really repress all the attacking talent he has at his disposal. He's living on the goodwill earned by arguably overachieving in their past few major tournaments, but he's got to adapt or get left behind.
He reminds me a lot of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: he got a bump for a number of years on the feel-good factor, dispelling the toxicity around the squad and winning results that were greater than expected, but at a certain point the tactical inflexibility and lack of accountability caught up with a vengeance. I was hoping Ole would learn his lessons, but he never did, and I expect the same will happen with Southgate.
He reminds me a lot of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: he got a bump for a number of years on the feel-good factor, dispelling the toxicity around the squad and winning results that were greater than expected, but at a certain point the tactical inflexibility and lack of accountability caught up with a vengeance. I was hoping Ole would learn his lessons, but he never did, and I expect the same will happen with Southgate.
Personally, I think that the Nations League is an utterly unnecessary tournament, especially after a long, and utterly exhausting season. It is not necessary to have an international tournament every summer.
The players are exhausted - the Premier League is exceptionally physically demanding and, with Covid, football seasons have stretched out over the past few years, allowing little time for players to recuperate and recover from the stresses and strains of the season.
Yes, they players are professionals, yes, they are exceptionally well-paid and remunerated, and rewarded, but, they are not machines, and, moreover, they need an annual rest period each year free from football; exhaustion leads to debilitating injuries that become ever harder to recover from.
Re Gareth Southgate, the fickleness, inflated expectations, delusions of grandeur, (and toxicity) of England's fans are remarkable.
Worse, I suspect that they automatically expect England to enjoy the sort of success of some of the better club teams (Liverpool, Manchester City) - merely because such teams are based in England - and are unable to accept that England lacks the talent - is unable to draw upon the vast resevoirs of talent - available (due to astonishing resources of time, people and money) to the very best club teams.
And, while England does lay claim considerable talent, I very much doubt that the current England team could defeat the top club teams in England (here, I refer to Manchester City, and Liverpool), let alone some of the top club teams on the continent.
Moreover, bear in mind that under Gareth Southgate, whether England have "overachieved" or not, it need hardly be pointed out that England have done better, far better - (they reached the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup, and the actual finals of the European Championships in 2020) - under his stewardship, than have any other England team at any time since 1966, with only Terry Venables remotely approaching his level of success when England managed to reach the semi-finals of the 1996 European Championships.
Southgate is by far the best England manager of the modern era. In any case, I very much doubt whether any successor would be able to come anywhere close to that record.
The players are exhausted - the Premier League is exceptionally physically demanding and, with Covid, football seasons have stretched out over the past few years, allowing little time for players to recuperate and recover from the stresses and strains of the season.
Yes, they players are professionals, yes, they are exceptionally well-paid and remunerated, and rewarded, but, they are not machines, and, moreover, they need an annual rest period each year free from football; exhaustion leads to debilitating injuries that become ever harder to recover from.
Re Gareth Southgate, the fickleness, inflated expectations, delusions of grandeur, (and toxicity) of England's fans are remarkable.
Worse, I suspect that they automatically expect England to enjoy the sort of success of some of the better club teams (Liverpool, Manchester City) - merely because such teams are based in England - and are unable to accept that England lacks the talent - is unable to draw upon the vast resevoirs of talent - available (due to astonishing resources of time, people and money) to the very best club teams.
And, while England does lay claim considerable talent, I very much doubt that the current England team could defeat the top club teams in England (here, I refer to Manchester City, and Liverpool), let alone some of the top club teams on the continent.
Moreover, bear in mind that under Gareth Southgate, whether England have "overachieved" or not, it need hardly be pointed out that England have done better, far better - (they reached the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup, and the actual finals of the European Championships in 2020) - under his stewardship, than have any other England team at any time since 1966, with only Terry Venables remotely approaching his level of success when England managed to reach the semi-finals of the 1996 European Championships.
Southgate is by far the best England manager of the modern era. In any case, I very much doubt whether any successor would be able to come anywhere close to that record.
Last edited:
What’s
There is a certain parallel there. International football is tactically more basic than club football, so people who expect that we should be seeing England mirroring Man City or Liverpool in terms of how they play are asking too much. But Southgate should be getting better performances and results out of his talent pool.
What's Sven up to these days? 🤣
There is a certain parallel there. International football is tactically more basic than club football, so people who expect that we should be seeing England mirroring Man City or Liverpool in terms of how they play are asking too much. But Southgate should be getting better performances and results out of his talent pool.
What's Sven up to these days? 🤣
The players are playing too many matches, but I actually think the Nations League is a good idea. It gives smaller nations more meaningful matches and is one of the few competitions that really does help develop the game - something FIFA is always claiming to do yet rarely achieving any real results. There are other international competitions - not to mention club competitions money-spinning friendly tournaments - that should be curtailed to accommodate this competition.
Not a fan of the nations league either. World Cup and Euros is fine for me. Then you get a year off.
Amongst international manager, Southgate is hardly alone in playing more conservatively than the fanbase would like. Ask any fan of the French national team about Deschamps and you'll get a similar reaction, right?
I found the Nations League, at least the first iteration of it, to be a pleasant surprise in terms of how compelling it was. This current round, right after the end of a long domestic season, feels like overkill.
Vieira vs Arteta season opener for us.
Decent draw in my opinion for Arsenal especially first 4-5 weeks.
October is a killer month.
Decent draw in my opinion for Arsenal especially first 4-5 weeks.
October is a killer month.
The Nations League has been rather fun, it’s been good to see a fair mix of matches rather than the processionals with a few tense nailbiters that qualifying for the big championships usually turns into. There’s been something refreshing about the Nations League.
We start with City. Still it can be a good time to play them. Who knows!
I think most international fans expect too much. USMNT fans tend to be armchair tactical specialists who constantly question how the team is set up and told to play. Most of them overestimate the impact a formation tweak or the inclusion of this or that player would have. We have a mediocre talent pool and get mediocre results. Occasionally we do better or worse. Expecting otherwise is unreasonable. There isn't enough time to drill fancier systems into the squad.*
*the one exception to this rule is when the core of your national squad all play for the same couple teams and you send them out to play the same way they do for their clubs. But neither USA nor England really have the opportunity to do that.