23/24 International Club Football Thread

[devo22]

why? What would that solve/improve?

Cup Winner's Cup was a good idea when the Champions League really was Champions only. It would be pretty redundant these days, which is why it was rightly scrapped back then.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by devo22

why? What would that solve/improve?

Cup Winner's Cup was a good idea when the Champions League really was Champions only. It would be pretty redundant these days, which is why it was rightly scrapped back then.

You could make the cup more important if only the results of the cup qualified for this tournament. For example, if the Cup winner qualifies for Champions League, take the finalist, and then the next team. You might even have playoffs.

It would also make the cup more important for mid-tier teams and you wouldn't have a Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final. And if you did, 2nd Division Kaiserslautern would be going to Europe!

Make it a tournament of just cup winners, and maybe finalist if some countries still have spots.

You'd have ManU, Bilbao, Lyon, Kaiserslautern, Lazio or Fiorentina, etc... in a competition

[Addick]

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

Yeah I think the Conference league is actually one of the better football ideas of the last decade. Seeing the smaller clubs/countries have a European away day is superb

In a World where the smaller guys are increasingly getting pushed out or dominated by the bigger guys, the Conference League works quite well for small clubs and larger ones.

• The fans of European giants get to visit new grounds.
• Clubs attempting to join the Top 2/4/6 get to play in Europe as the big fish in the pond.
• Clubs attempting to join the Top 2/4/6 have to balance European success and maintaining domestic progress.
• "Small" clubs have a genuine outside chance at winning or hosting the final.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

These Madrid players are flopping like mad (how has Vinicius not gotten a yellow for that yet?!) but Dortmund can’t keep getting yellows for dissent

Fantastic first half thus far

[Locke]

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

These Madrid players are flopping like mad (how has Vinicius not gotten a yellow for that yet?!) but Dortmund can’t keep getting yellows for dissent

Fantastic first half thus far

It was a fun first half but I've seen this show before. Dortmund have squandered too many opportunities. Madrid are going to get 1 and that'll be that.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

Yep. The black magic will probably come through. Dortmund needed to bury something

Hummels continues to play with the form of his life. Cleaning up everything back there

Madrid needs to get Kroos on the ball more. One of the best (if not the best) midfielder of his generation. Such a treat to watch. In a team full of Ronaldo/Bale/Benzema/Modric/Vini/Rodrygo/Bellingham/so many more, they always played to the beat of Kroos’ drum

[Locke]

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

Yep. The black magic will probably come through. Dortmund needed to bury something

Hummels continues to play with the form of his life. Cleaning up everything back there

Madrid needs to get Kroos on the ball more. One of the best (if not the best) midfielder of his generation. Such a treat to watch. In a team full of Ronaldo/Bale/Benzema/Modric/Vini/Rodrygo/Bellingham/so many more, they always played to the beat of Kroos’ drum

Hummels is having a hell of a game. I'm pulling for Dortmund, but I'm just getting that ol' Madrid feeling.

Kroos is one of my favourite players of this generation, having a midfield with Kroos and Modric is practically criminal.

[The Big Chill]

It’s inevitable, they always find a way.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

It’s inevitable. They always win

Shame that giveaway robs of us what could’ve been a grandstand finish

[Locke]

Like I said. I've seen this show before.

[Beninho]

Crazy they will be adding Mbappe when they already have the best LW in the world. Real Madrid problems lol

[MegaErtz]

Alphonso Davies too, don’t forget.

[devo22]

VfB Stuttgart predictably getting gutted after finishing 2nd in the Bundesliga. It's inevitable, especially since pretty much all of their key players have release clauses in their contracts. It really pisses me off that they all stay in Germany though.

Hiroki Ito is joining Bayern Munich
Waldemar Anton is joining Dortmund
Serhou Guirassy is also joining Dortmund

and it's widely expected that Chris Führich will also leave ... and join either Bayern or Dortmund. This #### always happens though, Bayern are always happy to gut rival teams and although Dortmund have been on the receiving end of this tactic when Bayern raided them for Götze, Lewandowski and Hummels back then, they are more than happy to do it themselves.

I guess all you can do in the end is have a laugh about it.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1805243446107516949

[The Big Chill]

I imagine Leverkusen will be in the same boat next year too. They might be able to resist the gutting for one more year since Xabi is staying.

[devo22]

reading up on FC Como, who have just been promoted to Serie A, has been fascinating. Just so, so random.

- they went bankrupt both in 2005 and 2017, the latter bankruptcy leading to the club being re-founded and starting in Serie D (4th tier)
- before the second bankruptcy, the wife of Michael Essien bought the club via auction
- Dennis Wise (a name I haven't heard in many years) has been a key figure as CEO over the last few years, while Thierry Henry is also a stakeholder in the club
- they've been promoted three times over the last six years
- Cesc Fabregas, who was an assistant coach there last year, has today been promoted to head coach
- the squad features names like Pepe Reina and Alberto Moreno, but also former top talent Patrick Cutrone and Andrea Belotti, with Raphael Varane apparently also joining

weird stuff.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by devo22

reading up on FC Como, who have just been promoted to Serie A, has been fascinating. Just so, so random.

- they went bankrupt both in 2005 and 2017, the latter bankruptcy leading to the club being re-founded and starting in Serie D (4th tier)
- before the second bankruptcy, the wife of Michael Essien bought the club via auction
- Dennis Wise (a name I haven't heard in many years) has been a key figure as CEO over the last few years, while Thierry Henry is also a stakeholder in the club
- they've been promoted three times over the last six years
- Cesc Fabregas, who was an assistant coach there last year, has today been promoted to head coach
- the squad features names like Pepe Reina and Alberto Moreno, but also former top talent Patrick Cutrone and Andrea Belotti, with Raphael Varane apparently also joining

weird stuff.

Is this the same club that DAZN had a short-lived series on a few years ago? I watched that and I think it was them?

[lazypucker]

Originally Posted by devo22

reading up on FC Como, who have just been promoted to Serie A, has been fascinating. Just so, so random.

- they went bankrupt both in 2005 and 2017, the latter bankruptcy leading to the club being re-founded and starting in Serie D (4th tier)
- before the second bankruptcy, the wife of Michael Essien bought the club via auction
- Dennis Wise (a name I haven't heard in many years) has been a key figure as CEO over the last few years, while Thierry Henry is also a stakeholder in the club
- they've been promoted three times over the last six years
- Cesc Fabregas, who was an assistant coach there last year, has today been promoted to head coach
- the squad features names like Pepe Reina and Alberto Moreno, but also former top talent Patrick Cutrone and Andrea Belotti, with Raphael Varane apparently also joining

weird stuff.

Nothing too strange, just an ex-player bought the club and invites his former-star (using the term pretty loosely) friends over to play. Como is a resort town too so it is appealing for these old geezers to go stretch out their careers...

Same situation happening for Inter Miami, basically Beckham using his star power (and $$) to get Messi and half of the 2017 Barcelona squad...

[devo22]

sad news out of France. After being relegated to the third league due to financial problems, Girondins Bordeaux have now renounced their professional status, effectively folding the club. Pretty crazy ... they've been a top club in France basically since I can think, often qualifying for the Champions League. Won a league title only 15 years ago, still finished 6th in 2018. Now this. Sad.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1816504314740818416