2022/23 International Club Football Thread

[devo22]

Chelsea have obviously been dominant, but that is a nice goal for Salzburg. Hope they can survive those last 10 minutes, 1-1 would be a great result.

[Locke]

JFC Haaland....are you goddamned serious with that goal? Holy...

[Senator Clay Davis]

Yeah it feels like we say this every week now, but this guy is just not a human being. Cancelo is also one of the best ever with the outside of the boot passes.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1570152313477820416

[devo22]

looking at Juventus, maybe Tuchel should start learning Italian soon.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by devo22

looking at Juventus, maybe Tuchel should start learning Italian soon.

Allegri has never been a great manager, even when he was getting results the fan base didn't love him. Honestly no idea why Juventus brought him back.

Still makes no sense that they gave up so soon on Cancelo either.

I doubt it would be Tuchel...but Zidane might be willing to go there for a year or two and manage another one of his former clubs.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I mean 50/50 Conte will be available at the end of the year, although maybe they'll be weary of another re-hire after this one.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I mean 50/50 Conte will be available at the end of the year, although maybe they'll be weary of another re-hire after this one.

I don’t know about 50/50 that he’ll be available. At this point, he seems pretty happy in London, but I guess you never know.

[devo22]

watching Ronaldo these days is nothing but painful. Those legs are gone.

Christian Eriksen though ... wonderful footballer. How I have longed for a midfielder who actually plays forward passes into channels.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by devo22

watching Ronaldo these days is nothing but painful. Those legs are gone.

Christian Eriksen though ... wonderful footballer. How I have longed for a midfielder who actually plays forward passes into channels.

Ronaldo must venture to far reaches of a mystical land known only as 'Bulgaria' from there he must trek to a temple at the lowest depths of Blagoevgrad, there he must seek 'The Master.'

The one who perfected the craft of 'Contribution through Stillness' who will teach Ronaldo his ways.

He is known only as....'The Berbatov.'

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by devo22

watching Ronaldo these days is nothing but painful. Those legs are gone.

Christian Eriksen though ... wonderful footballer. How I have longed for a midfielder who actually plays forward passes into channels.

I’m loving Malacia. See him push Martinez into LB, and for a short while played like a 5/6. I’d like for Eriksen to fall into that 6 more often. Seems he’s on it for 2/3 of the match.

The contrast when Shaw and Harry came on, and the back passes to DDG was glaring.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by devo22

looking at Juventus, maybe Tuchel should start learning Italian soon.

to add to this, Juventus lost 1-0 to Monza today. Doubt Allegri will have the job for much longer.

[Locke]

Barcaleaks!!

Messi's insane 2020 Demands for a new Barca Contract.

1. A contract extension of three years: Lionel Messi was 33 at the time. He was the reigning Ballon d'Or winner and had shown no signs of slowing down.

2. A private box for the families of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez: According to the report, Messi requested for a private box, not only for his family, but that of Luis Suarez at Camp Nou for game days.

3. Private plane: Lionel Messi demanded that his whole family will be given a private Christmas flight for a visit to Argentina.

4. A renewal bonus worth €10 million: Kylian Mbappe was slammed for receiving a renewal bonus for extending his contract with PSG. Apparently, Lionel Messi had demanded a €10 million renewal bonus before the Frenchman, back in 2020.

5. Elimination of release clause: Lionel Messi wanted his release clause removed before extending his contract. His clause back in 2022 was reportedly around the region of €700 million but Messi wanted it lowered to €10,000. Remember, Spanish football operates with the release clause system, that allows other clubs to trigger a clause in the player’s contract to move ahead with direct negotiations.

6. Repayment of wage cuts: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the playing body of Barcelona took a pay-cut to help the club overcome their financial challenges. . However, Lionel Messi, who was the captain of the team, demanded the club to pay back his wages, and with an interest rate of 3%.

7. Wage raise with tax: Messi wanted an increase in remuneration in the event of an increase in taxes by the Spanish government. He wanted the Blaugrana to compensate the difference so that his net salary will not be reduced.

8. Renewal of his personal assistant's contract: Lionel Messi employed a personal assistant, Pepe Costa. However, Costa was on the payroll of Barcelona. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barcelona wanted to terminate Costa's contract but Messi demanded he continue.

9. Commission to his brother: Lionel Messi asked Barcelona to pay a renewal bonus to his brother, Rodrigo Messi, as well. Rodrigo was agent for Ansu Fati at the time and could have been instrumental in the youngster's renewal, so the club agreed to this, too.

Reports suggest that Bartomeu agreed to all but two of Lionel Messi's demands: lowering his release clause to €10,000 and the €10 million signing bonus.

https://sportsbrief.com/football/bar...contract-2020/

[CroFlames]

Wow. No player is worth that.

[nik-]

Those release clauses are a requirement of Spanish law, not the teams or La Liga. Not sure what his expectation was there.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by nik-

Those release clauses are a requirement of Spanish law, not the teams or La Liga. Not sure what his expectation was there.

It looks like he wanted it set so low that almost any team could meet it and allow him to walk away.

[Locke]

Thomas Muller and Joshua Kimmich have tested positive for COVID-19 and have gone into isolation, Bayern Munich said on Saturday,

https://global.espn.com/football/bay...-covid-19-test

Not ideal news for Bayern or Germany, or maybe it could be? Maybe they get a bit more rest?

This year is so wild, its going to be a helluva ride.

[Bagor]

Indonesian soccer match riot leaves more than 120 dead.

Clashes between supporters of two Indonesian soccer teams in the East Java province killed 125 fans and two police officers, mostly trampled to death, police said Sunday.

Several brawls between supporters of the two rival soccer teams were reported inside the stadium after the Indonesian Premier League game ended with Persebaya Surabaya beating Arema Malang 3-2.

The fights prompted riot police to fire tear gas, which caused panic among supporters, said East Java police chief Nico Afinta.

Hundreds of people ran to an exit gate in an effort to avoid the tear gas. Some suffocated in the chaos and others were trampled, killing 34 almost instantly.

More than 300 were rushed to nearby hospitals to treat injuries but many died on the way and during treatment, Afinta said.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/47...-than-120-dead

[CroFlames]

Oh my God. 120+ people killed? That is insane.

[Locke]

What a group of results.

Liverpool with a decent win, Napoli putting the absolute boots to Ajax, Spurs with a draw and Barca with a loss to Inter.

[MillerTime GFG]

Originally Posted by Locke

What a group of results.

Liverpool with a decent expected win, Napoli putting the absolute boots to Ajax, Spurs with a draw and Barca with a loss to Inter.