2021/22 Soccer Thread: It's Euro 2020 until it becomes 2021

slazev wrote:

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The Serbian players were promised 1 million if they won against Portugal and they did their duty.
It's quite amazing how Portugal has such great players and how it continues to play so horribly defensive. And the coach just keeps hanging on to the job making the sorriest of excuses. The federation is mostly to blame here as they keep accepting the excuses. It's off to the playoffs.

What a pathetic lineup.

I love Moutinho and he's had a great career but I'm not even sure how he's on the squad let alone starting at the age of 35.

I guess if there's a World Cup to miss it's Qatar.

This Harry Kane lad looks not bad.

One of the big teams should snap him up.

I mean, to be fair, San Marino are only slightly better than us.

Cold, heavy snow expected for Canada and Mexico’s World Cup qualifying match in Edmonton

Environment Canada is calling for heavy snow during the day Tuesday, followed by what could be -11 C temperatures around kickoff — and that’s before the wind chill is factored in.

*Ralph Wiggum voice* "We're CONCACAFing too."

Mexico being less than impressive so far this cycle and Canada being kind of good has me worried the awful pitch and cold weather will actually hurt us more this time around. Hopefully Lozano will be less terrifying this match.

But it should be fun.

Won't that hurt Mexico more? They probably aren't used to that kind of weather.

slazev wrote:

The Serbian players were promised 1 million if they won against Portugal and they did their duty..

Update on this. They donated the money. That was cool of them.

Italy is also going to the playoffs.

omni wrote:

Sure, Rangers will be in Europe every year in some form, but Gerrard would no doubt back himself to get Villa up into European places down south, too. Unless you're playing Football Manager and taking your favourite team to the top, then IRL money talks and I think any SPL manager would be crazy not to take the chance of being success down south. In Gerrard's case, it would also likely lead him closer to the Liverpool job as his ultimate destination. Going straight there from Rangers may be too big a gap. It's one thing winning dometic leagues as a huge fish in a tiny pond, and making marginal waves in the Europa League... but Liverpool are expected to win the EPL and Champions League, not just take part in it.

He'd certainly be a loss for the SPL, in much the same way as Brendan was when he left. There's only really any interest in SPL football from down south if one of "theirs" is up here. It was players, in the 80's and 90's when English teams were banned from Europe, now it's a couple of high profile managers. Without any English focal point, we'll just go back to being a country pub league (in their eyes).

Welp, you pretty much nailed this one.

Roke wrote:

Cold, heavy snow expected for Canada and Mexico’s World Cup qualifying match in Edmonton

Environment Canada is calling for heavy snow during the day Tuesday, followed by what could be -11 C temperatures around kickoff — and that’s before the wind chill is factored in.

*Ralph Wiggum voice* "We're CONCACAFing too."

Mexico being less than impressive so far this cycle and Canada being kind of good has me worried the awful pitch and cold weather will actually hurt us more this time around. Hopefully Lozano will be less terrifying this match.

But it should be fun.

Check out "Snow Clasico" on Youtube if you haven't already seen what that looked like.

Fedaykin98 wrote:
Roke wrote:

Cold, heavy snow expected for Canada and Mexico’s World Cup qualifying match in Edmonton

Environment Canada is calling for heavy snow during the day Tuesday, followed by what could be -11 C temperatures around kickoff — and that’s before the wind chill is factored in.

*Ralph Wiggum voice* "We're CONCACAFing too."

Mexico being less than impressive so far this cycle and Canada being kind of good has me worried the awful pitch and cold weather will actually hurt us more this time around. Hopefully Lozano will be less terrifying this match.

But it should be fun.

Check out "Snow Clasico" on Youtube if you haven't already seen what that looked like.

I remember that! It was a lot of fun.

Only supposed to be -6 at kickoff with no snow falling so it shouldn't be too bad.

I don't rate long shot goals as much as most people, but Michael Antonio's goal for the Reggae Boyz against the USMNT today was nice.

https://twitter.com/ProjectFootball/...

Dying at Adekugbe celebrating the 2nd goal by jumping into the snowbank.

https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status...

Top of the Octagon!

(God, that last 10 minutes was hell)

With four teams having 16, 15, 14, and 14 points, it could be a real dogfight for the three directly qualifying spots!

Man falls over, gets penalty

This was in the Ghana v South Africa world Cup qualifier and cost SA their place.

You be a bit cross really

Thirteen goals before half time in the Premier League today and both games on NBC are nil-nil.

Meanwhile, here's SwedeMason.

Big game for Arsenal today, I am worried

Like, you gotta fire Ole before the postgame presser now. I don't even care if you don't have a soul lined up, he's gotta go.

@BassTunedToRed
United’s goal difference per 90 in the league this season:

Without Ronaldo on the pitch: +1.8
Total: -0.1
With Ronaldo on the pitch: -1.0

Brilliant signing.

So, it looks like Arsenal are good, but not near aren't even close to top-tier yet, and Ramsdale is having a hell of a run of form.

Apart from the top 4 and, strange to say, Palace everyone is zero or negative GD

*checks*

Huh. I'll be damned.

Prederick wrote:
Apart from the top 4 and, strange to say, Palace everyone is zero or negative GD

*checks*

Huh. I'll be damned.

Everton are Par.

Ole sacked, finally.

A shame. I enjoyed the "good enough to not get sacked, not good enough to build Man UTD back up" experience.

Roke wrote:

Ole sacked, finally.

A shame. I enjoyed the "good enough to not get sacked, not good enough to build Man UTD back up" experience.

That’s OK. Zinedine Zidane is going to give them ample experience of just how much worse it could be.

How is Poch on United's shortlist? PSG are already 11 points clear and are likely to qualify for the knockouts. Is the board THAT pissed that they might finish 2nd in the group?

EDIT: Ah

It is understood Pochettino would be keen to take the job. The Paris Saint-Germain manager was coveted by United during his tenure at Tottenham but the timing was never right for him. However he has never played down his interest in United.

PSG, who have no desire to change manager mid-season, activated a one-year option on Pochettino’s contract in summer after he was linked with a return to Spurs. His deal runs to June 2023 but an agreement allowing him to leave could be possible at the end of this campaign. In a 13-year, four-club managerial career Pochettino has won only one trophy – last season’s Coupe de France.

Despite PSG being 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1, Pochettino has been heavily criticised for his team’s performances. He is still living in a hotel in Paris, with his wife, Karina, remaining in the family home in London.

I don’t think Poch has enjoyed his time at PSG. It’s a club run by its players, not by the manager.

However, given United’s while ‘we want an interim manager until the end of the year’ spiel, I suspect he wouldn’t be moving until the end of the season anyway.

United really are a shower at the moment. All that money and no idea. I increasing think City’s brief courtship with Ronaldo was actually a ploy to make United sign him and totally mess things up. Shame it was a little too effective really.

Steve Bruce open to being Manchester United's interim manager and boy would that be a nice Xmas present.

Poch would be a good get for them, but I think they still have structural problems with the way the club is run that a manager won't fix.

It would be weird as a Tottenham fan to see Poch at ManUre. Loved Poch as our manager, want to keep on loving him.

Low-key excited for the Conte era right now, btw.

Right. So of course Ronaldo scores the winner. And Sancho (remember him?) gets the gloss.

Of course.

Prederick wrote:

Right. So of course Ronaldo scores the winner. And Sancho (remember him?) gets the gloss.

Of course.

It's all good, Michael Carrick will be signing a new 3 year deal tomorrow morning. Crisis averted and job done.

The Brazilian Premier League?

Top-flight soccer clubs in Brazil are one step closer to establishing a breakaway league following a U.S.-based private equity investment said to range between $750 million and $1 billion.

The group behind the new venture includes former ESPN executive Scott Guglielmino, Relevent Sports co-founder Charles Stillitano, sports lawyer Lawrence Magrath, and English Football League chairman Rick Parry.

“There have been failed attempts to realize a better league in the past,” Sao Paulo FC president Julio Casares told Sportico. “This time, the big difference is having a group of executives who come from the market with the experience.”

A breakaway league would replace Brazil’s current top-flight league, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, which has struggled to serve the best interests of its clubs and players due to oversight by the Brazilian Football Federation, the country’s top soccer authority.

The federation places the majority of its focus on the Brazilian national team.
It forces clubs to participate in state tournaments.
It’s created an 11-month season with no international breaks.

The new league would begin competition as soon as 2022 but is likely to “to kick off in 2023.” Its clubs would retain their broadcasting deal with Brazilian media giant TV Globo, which runs through 2024.

EDIT: Oh, and Benzema found guilty.

Goals from Jesus, Messias and Mohamed today.

Prederick wrote:

Goals from Jesus, Messias and Mohamed today.

Ah, but only Thiago's was divine