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The 2025-2026 Football Thread

Scepticalscribe said:
They believe in themselves, a belief that often runs contrary to the evidence offered by their performances, a belief that borders on entitlement, at times.
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Belief, or entitlement? Either way it often gives them an edge. Thank goodness Real are out though.

Good to see Diaz still scoring...just wish, at the moment at least, he was in a Liverpool shirt. With Ekitike out for months I just want this season to end as quickly as possible...it's been bad news for months.
 
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I am actually delighted to see Harry Kane featured as a goal-scorer; for that matter, I daresay that Spurs could do with his services these days....
 
PSG v Bayern should be the game which decides the season in the UCL, it looks like. The question is, can Olise, Kane and Diaz out-score Douè, Dembele and Kvaratskhelia, while Vitinha and co out-muscle Laimer and Kimmich? I suspect Bayern will prove more porous at the back on current form, but it’s really too close to call.
 
Candidly, I cannot see Arsenal progressing further in the Champions League than the semi-finals, which is as far as they went last year (season) as well.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Hearts are down to a single point lead in Scotland...if they can't take the title this season, it spoils the only interesting narrative the league has generated since the 1980s.
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You mean a team with a big points lead has slowly seen it eroded north and south of the border?

I hadn’t noticed the Scottish League closing up, but yes agree someone other than the Old firm winning would be good for the league.
 
Apple fanboy said:
You mean a team with a big points lead has slowly seen it eroded north and south of the border?

I hadn’t noticed the Scottish League closing up, but yes agree someone other than the Old firm winning would be good for the league.
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With Arsenal it is just a very tedious and predictable (and predictably depressing) - and almost inevitable - football take, or tweak, on Groundhog Day.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
Candidly, I cannot see Arsenal progressing further in the Champions League than the semi-finals, which is as far as they went last year (season) as well.
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I can see them going through against Atletico after a couple of tight games. Atletico are also a defence-first team, although they have been scoring goals lately. It’s going to be hard-fought.

But it bothers me that both the Barcelona v Atletico QF and the Bayern v Real Madrid QF were so affected by red cards. It’s not something you like to see, such important matches decided by refereeing decisions.
 
Bodhitree said:
I can see them going through against Atletico after a couple of tight games. Atletico are also a defence-first team, although they have been scoring goals lately. It’s going to be hard-fought.

But it bothers me that both the Barcelona v Atletico QF and the Bayern v Real Madrid QF were so affected by red cards. It’s not something you like to see, such important matches decided by refereeing decisions.
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Sometimes poor, ill-judged, behaviour merits red cards; a little emotion is all well and good, but exercising a modicum of restraint and judgment and responsibility is even better. And, nasty, cynical fouls need to be met with an appropriate sanction, rather than rewarded with averted eyes.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
Sometimes poor, ill-judged, behaviour merits red cards; a little emotion is all well and good, but exercising a modicum of restraint and judgment and responsibility is even better. And, nasty, cynical fouls need to be met with an appropriate sanction, rather than rewarded with averted eyes.
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That’s certainly true, and the Camavinga foul in Real Madrids case was cynical and professional, just a light shove in the back to take the sting out of a threatening position. Not the sort of thing you want to do if you’ve already had a yellow card.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
And, nasty, cynical fouls need to be met with an appropriate sanction, rather than rewarded with averted eyes.
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Like when Dirty Sergio Ramos dislocated Salah's shoulder and concussed Karius in the Champions League final and got away with it, laughing all the while...and Real perennially claim they're the victims.

If I were reffing a match with Real in it I'd give them all yellows at kickoff purely on principle.
 
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Lord Blackadder said:
Like when Dirty Sergio Ramos dislocated Salah's shoulder and concussed Karius in the Champions League final and got away with it, laughing all the while...and Real perennially claim they're the victims.

If I were reffing a match with Real in it I'd give them all yellows at kickoff purely on principle.
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Every team claims they are the victim! I seem to recall Liverpool getting away with a lot over the years.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
Every team claims they are the victim! I seem to recall Liverpool getting away with a lot over the years.
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To my mind, you - one - may seem to, or tend to, get the benefit of questionable decisions when your team is doing exceptionally well - which usually only serves to further reinforce how well they are doing.

Unfortunately, football fans, - unless the offence in question (if committed by a player from the team they support) is especially egregious - tend to be extraordinarily ethically ambivalent on such matters, a classic example of Ye Olde double standard in practice.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
To my mind, you - one - may seem to, or tend to, get the benefit of questionable decisions when your team is doing exceptionally well - which usually only serves to further reinforce how well they are doing.

Unfortunately, football fans, - unless the offence in question (if committed by a player from the team they support) is especially egregious - tend to be extraordinarily ethically ambivalent on such matters, a classic example of Ye Olde double standard in practice.
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Indeed. When things are going your way it seems the world is with you.
When things are not going well it can seem that the world is against you!

As long as Brighton, Wolves and Burnley pick up wins this weekend I’ll be a happy Hammer. Playing Monday means we are (more than likely) going to be in the bottom three again.

But if Spurs lose to Wolves and we beat Palace, then I think they are gone.
 
Will the last fit, unsuspended center back at Manchester United please turn out the lights? Ayden Heaven is the last man left standing. Guess Luke Shaw will probably play CB in a critical away match at Stamford Bridge.

Looks like Mainoo isn't going to make it, either. Sigh.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Not claiming total innocence...but Real are the worst. Nobody gets away with more, yet nobody whinges louder.
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To be fair, intentional fouling has been part of the game for many years, and the game used to be far dirtier than it is now. Referees have improved and the rules have been sharpened and the video referee added, and it has all helped.

As someone who doesn’t interact much with the fanbases or the official club channels online, the game seems to have gotten fairer and less dirty.
 
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