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The 2024-2025 Football Thread

Apple fanboy said:
To be fair didn't he rest a few key players for the CL game in the week?
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Yes, he did, and several others are out injured, some of them suffering from long term injuries (the sort that will keep them out until next season).

Nevertheless, Everton is a game that we would have been - should have been, that is, with a reasonably full squad - expected to win, and win comfortably.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
Yes, he did, and several others are out injured, some of them suffering from long term injuries (the sort that will keep them out until next season).

Nevertheless, Everton is a game that we would have been - should have been, that is, with a reasonably full squad - expected to win, and win comfortably.
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No should haves in football. Moyes has done a terrific job at Everton since his return. Taken them from relegation fodder to safety. I wish him well.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
No should haves in football. Moyes has done a terrific job at Everton since his return. Taken them from relegation fodder to safety. I wish him well.
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Indeed.

You make a fair point.

Moyes has indeed done well, and is consistently under-rated by commentators and others, simply because he is Old School in so many ways. He did well at West Ham, also.

And I would never argue that we are not blameless, as some of our choices (not least in terms of player recruitment) have been inexplicable.

Nevertheless, while it could be argued that Everton obtained (and converted) a fairly "soft" penalty, I don't believe in condemning referees for their actions - they receive more than enough ill-informed and excessively emotional (and sometimes threatening) grief from players, fans, managers and commentators as it is; had Arsenal taken their chances, the outcome of that penalty would have been moot.

In any case, these days, I can never not squirm, - that awful uncertainty, that agonising tension, - in advance, on a day whenever Arsenal play.

And I recall that season of "The Invincibles" with fond affection - as it was the only time I was ever relatively relaxed whenever Arsenal took to the pitch.
 
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After going a goal down, happy with the drawer. But as we can’t get relegated or into Europe I feel like this season is kind of done for me already. Just hope next season is better.
 
That was quite a dour derby yesterday, one of the most inconsequential ties between the two clubs in a long, long time.

I'll take the glass is half full view of United's performance: they never looked too uncomfortable defending and had the better chances to score, but the lack of a final ball or a decisive finish are major issues that need to be addressed.

The Europa League tie against Lyon this week is far more important.
 
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Silencio said:
That was quite a dour derby yesterday, one of the most inconsequential ties between the two clubs in a long, long time.

I'll take the glass is half full view of United's performance: they never looked too uncomfortable defending and had the better chances to score, but the lack of a final ball or a decisive finish are major issues that need to be addressed.

The Europa League tie against Lyon this week is far more important.
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Dour derby, yes, agreed, but City's relatively poor form (and the poor choices made by Guardiola both in those he selected to play, how he played them, and when - and who - he substituted) seem to me to be even more telling.

Only very recently, City were such a meticulously constructed, - and ruthlessly efficient, functional machine, that obtaining a draw would have seemed almost impossible, a dream outcome.
 
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Well welcome to the uefa champions 2025-26 Newcastle,
just win a match or two this time?

EIEIEI-O
OFfF TO THE EUROS WE (well they) GO!
 
Most, if not all of you won't know this gentleman. Aurélio Pereira. He passed away today.

But you probably know some of his work as the main Sporting scout. He found and developed among many others Cristiano Ronaldo, Luís Figo, Paulo Futre, Ricardo Quaresma or Nani. The Euro 2016 winning team of 23 had 10 players worked by him.

ir__0621.jpg


Above all he was a gentleman and a wonderful person.
 
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Arsenal running riot against against Real Madrid at the Emirates. Two absolutely top drawer free kicks from Declan Rice and a wonderful first-time finish from Merino. Gunners are flying and Real is up against it.
 
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Silencio said:
Arsenal running riot against against Real Madrid at the Emirates. Two absolutely top drawer free kicks from Declan Rice and a wonderful first-time finish from Merino. Gunners are flying and Real is up against it.
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daneoni said:
Genuinely surprised but Arsenal have deserved it. Fair play. Inter doing well too.
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Terrific victory for Arsenal, who put in a superlative performance.

Declan Rice was outstanding.
 
That win also means the EPL will get a 5th UCL slot. I imagine Newcastle, Villa, City & Chelsea are grateful to Arsenal tonight.
 
daneoni said:
That win also means the EPL will get a 5th UCL slot. I imagine Newcastle, Villa, City & Chelsea are grateful to Arsenal tonight.
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Not a fan of that. We have too many spots already. How can it be a Champions League when 4 of the teams (just from the PL) aren’t Champions?

Just a way to keep the rich clubs richer.
 
Apple fanboy said:
Not a fan of that. We have too many spots already. How can it be a Champions League when 4 of the teams (just from the PL) aren’t Champions?

Just a way to keep the rich clubs richer.
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Fair point. The counter argument will be that 3 of the 4 did well in a supposedly harder UCL format.
 
Had zero expectations and didn't even start watching till the second half. But i will hold my hands up and eat the humble pie.

Thats probably the best UCL performance in the Emirates era. Even more so if we see it through at the Bernabeu

The second free kick is also my goal of the season. Its was perfectly executed against one of the best keepers in the game who simply had no chance

Thank heavens we got Saka back in time

And take a bow Ser Rice. Thanks to you, i have another game to go back and watch over and over again.
 
Apple fanboy said:
Maybe instead of the Champions League they could call it the ‘I finished 20 points behind the Champions League’?

Incessantly that’s how far off the CL spots we (West Ham) are!
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You still have a European trophy which goes a long way to compensate i'd imagine.
 
Wonderful game by the Gunners. I thought when this tie was announced that it was hard to predict, but Real have a habit of doing what is needed in those situations, it might have been a couple of tight games.

But Declan Rice made the difference with a brace of superbly struck free kicks. The first was glorious, and the second was even better. I’ll be very surprised if Real even get close to levelling the tie at the Bernabeu.
 
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Meanwhile, here in Germany, we see once again why the 2nd Bundesliga (in which my favourite club plays, and so does my second favourite club) seems so much more exciting than the Bundesliga: Bayern Munich, last time only in third place, are once again almost uncatchable. How incredibly boring that must be for the fans...
 
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