The Footie Thread

[4LEX]

heyup LT, hope alls well.

Re Messi, flippin eck where do you start. Re figures, am not sure anyone knows exactly what the true cost of Messi would be to City. Read a piece that City would be able to renegotiate sponsor deals as everyone would want Messi under there sponsorship name. Don’t know how much there is in that. Maybe a few brown envelopes from the Middle East might cover it. Am positive that UEFA are watching with great interest. As much as I would want him at City, priority is defence. That said most Ciy fans have been bogged off for years with not taking those chances and putting games to bed. Am not talking Watford ( no disrespect to them), more along the lines of the Lyon game. Could Messi be that clinical finisher.
Read another piece that said could Messi be a modern day Rodney Marsh signing.
Me I will believe it when it happens. Ave picked a good year to pack in with the season ticket ???

Pep will never sort the defence out! Attack is the only form of defence in his eyes. He views fullbacks as wingers or inside midfielders. It's Messi or no title I think. He's exactly what City need too. He can play on the right and create/score, he can drop deep or he can play as the main striker and move around.

FFP is dead now, look at Chelsea. Go and spent £500m on Messi, I really want to see him in England. Lucky enough to see him in person a fair few times and he's the only player that I spent most of the game shaking my head in amazement at. He will make David Silva look like Steve Lomas!

 

[Papas1982]

Pep will never sort the defence out! Attack is the only form of defence in his eyes. He views fullbacks as wingers or inside midfielders. It's Messi or no title I think. He's exactly what City need too. He can play on the right and create/score, he can drop deep or he can play as the main striker and move around.

FFP is dead now, look at Chelsea. Go and spent £500m on Messi, I really want to see him in England. Lucky enough to see him in person a fair no few times and he's the only player that I spent most of the game shaking my head in amazement at. He will make David Silva look like Steve Lomas!

What about Chelsea? Wasn't their ban for deals with youngsters?
So they now have two transfer windows worth of funds to spend having sold Hazard for 100m

 

[4LEX]

What about Chelsea? Wasn't their ban for deals with youngsters?
So they now have two transfer windows worth of funds to spend having sold Hazard for 100m

Well Chelsea, PSG and City are the main clubs that have benefitted from outside investment over the years. Chelsea also wasted a lot of money on rubbish like Drinkwater, Bakayoko and Kepa. That's £150m alone there so you can offset monies received from the likes of Hazard to a degree.

Now is a great time to bulk buy young or peak players and ignore FFP as City have shown it to be worthless. Personally think it's great to see Chelsea spending and Werner especially will be a huge star.

 

[Papas1982]

Chelsea spent bug prior to ffp being a thing.
Since its inception I really don't think it's been a factor hence me querying your op.

In the last 5 years I reckon they've spent similarly to other clubs. Yes they improved due to the money. But they're there now, and imo don't continue due to any further help from outside pl finances.

 

[Dan2501]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1301210289283780610

Fee agreed for Doucoure. Allan and James on the brink of being announced. Building some midfield.

Donny van de Beek is a United player too. Teams starting to make moves now.

 

[Bazz]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1301210289283780610

Fee agreed for Doucoure. Allan and James on the brink of being announced. Building some midfield.

Donny van de Beek is a United player too. Teams starting to make moves now.

I wish mine would. We've got enough for a 5 a side.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1301210289283780610

Fee agreed for Doucoure. Allan and James on the brink of being announced. Building some midfield.

Donny van de Beek is a United player too. Teams starting to make moves now.

Fancy a manager spotting a weakness and actually buying appropriate players to deal with it. It will never catch on ?.

Happy so far. We just need to move a useless ones on still.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Think United have done well with Van Den Beek.

Gareth Bale on Sky Sports News moaning that Real are refusing to let him go (again). Think he only played around 16 times last season (doubt he started many) and at 31 time isn't on his side to come back and make a lasting impression. Can see him idling the rest of his contract away playing little. Can't help him or Wales

 

[Dan2501]

Fancy a manager spotting a weakness and actually buying appropriate players to deal with it. It will never catch on ?.

Happy so far. We just need to move a useless ones on still.

Good isn't it. Ancelotti has obviously given Brands an area of importance he wanted to improve and Brands has gone out and got the guys Carlo wanted. Some real quality added to the squad with those 3.

I'm just curious how we're going to line-up tactically. Surely not sticking with the 4-4-2 now. To me, the logical tactic would be a 4-3-1-2 with a midfield 3 of Allan, Doucoure and Gomes with James free to roam and create in front of them with DCL and Richarlison up top. Get width from the wing-backs and with the strikers free to go out wide if need be (especially Richy). Seems to me that's how we'll go unless Carlo's thinking he can use James out wide on the right with Bernard, Iwobi or Walcott out left and stick with the 4-4-2. Who knows, well, hopefully Carlo does . Excited to see what happens the rest of the window, plenty of rumours floating around about a new RB (Arias strongly rumoured) and a new CB so we'll see what happens.

 

[Deleted member 1740]

I listen to Tim Vickery the South American expert and he’s very knowledgeable of SA players.

I’m not sure Allan with last once the boo boys get back in the stands.

James has had a very poor last few seasons and has barely played any football, imo it’s a very risky signing.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Good isn't it. Ancelotti has obviously given Brands an area of importance he wanted to improve and Brands has gone out and got the guys Carlo wanted. Some real quality added to the squad with those 3.

I'm just curious how we're going to line-up tactically. Surely not sticking with the 4-4-2 now. To me, the logical tactic would be a 4-3-1-2 with a midfield 3 of Allan, Doucoure and Gomes with James free to roam and create in front of them with DCL and Richarlison up top. Get width from the wing-backs and with the strikers free to go out wide if need be (especially Richy). Seems to me that's how we'll go unless Carlo's thinking he can use James out wide on the right with Bernard, Iwobi or Walcott out left and stick with the 4-4-2. Who knows, well, hopefully Carlo does . Excited to see what happens the rest of the window, plenty of rumours floating around about a new RB (Arias strongly rumoured) and a new CB so we'll see what happens.

Interesting times indeed. Not sure I see the need for another CB, why block Holgate, Keane is now solid, Mina can rotate in. Add in the young lad from Carlisle who we can blood this year, save our money there. RB, we need a challenge for Seamus but does Kenny not fit that role? This is the year he either breaks through or we sell him on as not good enough.

Rumours are picking up about the utd spare keeper, Romero. I would happily take him and focus the mind of Pickford.

The thought of Iwobi or Walcott starting games sends shudders through me. They are bench players at best. That right side is the weak spot for me, unless as you say, he plays Rodriguez out there cutting in.

Going in the right direction ?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I listen to Tim Vickery the South American expert and he’s very knowledgeable of SA players.

James has had a very poor last few seasons and has barely played any football, imo it’s a very risky signing.

James could undoubtedly be made of glass, his legs may have gone. To counter that, Ancelotti has worked with him twice and so knows what he is getting. He know the budget is limited, wage bill needs to be reduced, and yet still wants to take him. We have to trust the manger, if you don't then he is not the right manager.

We will only know the answer to this one come next May. Whatever, it can not be worse than setting fire to £40m, plus wages, on Iwobi last summer

 

[Dan2501]

James barely played last year which is worrying, and seems to have fairly regular calf and knee problems but if we can get him on the pitch consistently he could be a real asset. The season he played at Bayern he bagged 7 goals and 4 assists in 20 games which is a very tidy return, and last season was his only blank season in terms of a return in goals/assists since he moved to Real. Also when he does play he has excellent xGA (expected goals/assists) and his expected assists are up there with anyone in Europe - last 3 seasons has an xA of 0.41, 0.37 and 0.39 per 90 mins, which in comparison to what we already have, Walcott is our highest with an xA of 0.2 with Digne following at 0.17. He's also much more progressive with his passing than what we have at the club already - our midfield 3 last season completed 5 (Davies), 4.93 (Sigurdsson) and 4.88 (Gomes) progressive passes per game; Rodriguez completed 9 and 10.9 per game in his last 2 completed seasons. So get him on the pitch and he's going to be a massive improvement on what we've already got and help bring some real creativity to our attacks which we sorely missed last season. Credit to this Reddit user for the stats

As for Allan, I can't see the "boo boys" getting on his back. He's our proper Gueye replacement, a tenacious tackler and ball winner. Goodison loved Gueye and they'll love Allan, especially when he starts clattering people in the derby.

 

[Orikoru]

Did Everton really need an entirely new midfield though? How is Doucoure, Allan, Davies, Gomes, Delph, Sigurdsson and James R all going to work? With no wingers as suggested above? Is somebody leaving?

I can only speak from Football Manager experience but whenever you try and sign James he wants 300 grand a week. I imagine he has slightly softer demands in real life if he's going to Everton, but it still won't be cheap. I think it's a big gamble.

 

[Dan2501]

Did Everton really need an entirely new midfield though? How is Doucoure, Allan, Davies, Gomes, Delph, Sigurdsson and James R all going to work? With no wingers as suggested above? Is somebody leaving?.

Question 1: YES. Absolutely YES we did. Post-lockdown our midfield were absolutely shocking. Carlo realised that and has begun a massive, much needed overhaul.

How will they work? I think if we play a 4-3-1-2 then we're going to need plenty of back-up so don't think we necessarily need to sell. Delph will probably also stay as he can back Digne up at LB seeing as Baines has retired. I could potentially see Sigurdsson leave, or Davies go out on loan but don't think there's a major need to sell but it depends on the formation Carlo's looking to play. If he's sticking with 4-4-2 then I guess guys will have to leave.

 

[PJ87]

Rumours of soucek having to isolate after coming into contact with someone who's tested positive for covid on international duty

Should we really be having international games right now?

 

[larmen]

Should we really be having international games right now?

No. Germany is playing Spain right now. Didn’t the whole thing ‘start’ here because Barca or Real were playing in Manchester? Spain is a quarantine country as well.
Sweden will host France this match day, I guess they might be unhappy too.
I know there are no fans and footballers are tested, but travel from high risk countries should probably be avoided.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Always thought this Euro Nations was a mickey mouse idea and hasn't done anything to improve standards compared to friendlies. Sack it all off until we get Covid under control. Not overly convinced about any of the European club comps given the travel and some areas being more susceptible than others

 

[Orikoru]

Always thought this Euro Nations was a mickey mouse idea and hasn't done anything to improve standards compared to friendlies. Sack it all off until we get Covid under control. Not overly convinced about any of the European club comps given the travel and some areas being more susceptible than others

Agreed. Nobody cares about the Nations League, they could have quite easily binned it to prevent unnecessary travel. It's ridiculous that it's happening really.

 

[Kellfire]

Agreed. Nobody cares about the Nations League, they could have quite easily binned it to prevent unnecessary travel. It's ridiculous that it's happening really.

Small countries are relying on the money to prop up their local football. Without it, many domestic leagues would go to the wall.