[AnandB]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

So, Chelsea's cheat code is expiring after long!

Will they find a sugar daddy with another cheat code or will they have to operate like most other clubs do?? Will be interesting to see how this unravels.

They have a very good setup especially with the academy one of the best right now and they are able make good amount back by selling players. As long as someone completely opposite of Roman doesn't comes in the club will be fine. A Chelsea supporter here.

[Chetan_Rao]

Karim Benzema, you beauty!

Underrated, often not spoken of in the same breath as other star names in European football, but the chap is world class where and when it truly matters, on a pitch.

PSG, much like Manchester United, need to give their heads a shake and clear out some stars for a real team instead.

[pandey.jai]

Agreed. Benzema got overshadowed by Ronaldo for a long time, and then some of his issues with French team took its toll on his image/brand, which meant he was not spoken as highly in the media.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

PSG, much like Manchester United, need to give their heads a shake and clear out some stars for a real team instead.

Manchester United appear to not have learnt their lesson and will likely appoint another “has been” manager in Poch, instead of getting their team/structure with a proper long term vision and building a team, like what SAF used to do.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by pandey.jai

...SAF used to do...

Ironically, the one guy they need to ship out post haste from footballing matters, is the specter of their past success.

The likes of Ferguson and Wenger are a bygone era, the modern game needs a more decentralized structure and approach.

Solksjaer is no world-beater, far from it, but they were beginning to point in the right direction, and could've built on that with a shrewd football/technical director & coach combination.

What they got instead was the ego and sentiment driven Ronaldo saga, preceded by sacking managers instead of shipping out the prima donnas, disrupting the style of play and Ferguson constantly commenting publicly who and how they should play.

United need a renewed footballing identity first and foremost (like their two fiercest rivals City & Liverpool), and it won't happen until they truly put the era of Ferguson to rest and start anew.

[AnandB]

Originally Posted by pandey.jai

Agreed. Benzema got overshadowed by Ronaldo for a long time, and then some of his issues with French team took its toll on his image/brand, which meant he was not spoken as highly in the media.

Quality player but what he did off the pitch rightly deserves the treatment.

[vb-san]

After the sanctions on Abramovich, it will be interesting to see how Chelsea shape up forward. Their shirt sponsor Three also backed out. From a sports perspective, not ideal at all.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by AnandB

As long as someone completely opposite of Roman doesn't comes in the club will be fine.

The law of averages certainly caught up with Chelsea thick and fast this week, didn't it?

As The Guardian said, "this endlessly giving hand, had been chopped off at the knees by the British government."

I don't think, these restrictions can sustain for long in a massive cultural entity like a Football Club but it certainly looks very tough out there as of now! How will they travel for away matches? How will the club pay that massive wage bill??

3 has already pulled out, and it remains to be seen what decision will be taken by Hyundai and Nike and how it pans out in the long term.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The law of averages certainly caught up with Chelsea thick and fast this week, didn't it?

First team players out of contract will find other clubs, even those with contracts could find other takers if they remain unpaid.

The ones getting screwed are the nameless, faceless staff in the background nobody hears of but keep the whole thing running, and young players who would've gotten signed on by the academy or offered their first contracts as they came of age.

Given the club aren't allowed to earn/sell anything and are unlikely to have hundreds of millions in bank balance, the large wage bill is going to pull them under pretty quick unless the govt. makes concessions.

[AnandB]

Yes it doesn't look good and it can't stay this way for long. Frankly the club already owed 1.5bn to Roman and its not like he was profiting from it. The staff and people that did business with club will suffer. Already the least essential staff laid off yesterday.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Given the club aren't allowed to earn/sell anything and are unlikely to have hundreds of millions in bank balance, the large wage bill is going to pull them under pretty quick unless the govt. makes concessions.

All these will go away if the Govt. is able to finalize a buyer soon! And there are a lot of interested parties as the valuation has dropped a lot from what Roman was quoting earlier.

The Govt. is just making sure nothing from the sale goes back to Roman or his entities. And a sale can happen very fast if he doesn't stand in the way, which I don't think he will.

The biggest irony is that Chelsea are playing Newcastle this weekend. And no one seems to give a fish' bottom for the people in Yemen. Maybe because Saudi coalitions buy its ammunition from the UK.

[Chetan_Rao]

Italy to miss their second World Cup in a row! Beaten by North Macedonia in their play-off semi-final. Portugal got through beating Turkey in the other semi.

Another giant killing on the cards?

Gareth Bale put in a performance to get Wales through their semi (a shame the man's club career stalled at Real), will have to wait until June for their final opponent to emerge from a rescheduled Scotland-Ukraine semi.

[am1m]

I don't follow Bundesliga, so wanted to ask- seems like I've been hearing about Haaland's transfer possibilities for about a year now. Is it finally drawing to a close? And is the player that good? Seems like a lot of newsprint has been devoted to his transfer saga.

[AnandB]

He is very good and would have loved if Chelsea hadn't signed Lukaku and waited for him. Man City seems the favorite now with Mbappe likely going to Madrid. Haaland's lower release clause becomes active end of this season i believe.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by am1m

I don't follow Bundesliga, so wanted to ask- seems like I've been hearing about Haaland's transfer possibilities for about a year now. Is it finally drawing to a close? And is the player that good? Seems like a lot of newsprint has been devoted to his transfer saga.

Not just a year, It's been going on since the day he chose Dortmund over the traditional powerhouses for his move away from Salzburg. He's prolific, but still young and developing.

It's all driven by celebrity agents (Mino Raiola in this case) and economics. Agent fees have become astronomical, and they often seem more interested in their pound of flesh, prioritising a player's commerical draw over their sporting prospects. They pit prospective clubs against each other, trigger bidding wars, take shots at teammates and club staff, and be disruptive in general. A good player that stays fit will probably sign 2 or 3 lucrative contracts in their playing career, so the window to earn big bucks for and off them is relatively short.

Honestly, any team that cares about harmony and long-term stability should steer well clear of players who threaten to become bigger than the collective. Recent case in point, Pogba. His transfer saga is in its third year(?), and he's apparently miffed he's flushed five of his prime years down the toilet at Old Trafford.

Compare that to Manchester City and Liverpool, they bring in players that fit their system and don't try to hold onto wantaway stars. City let Leroy Sane and Ferran Torres go, Liverpool let Wijnaldum leave last year (probably their most technically gifted central midfielder in recent years), and seem unwilling to pay Salah outside their pay structure just to keep him, and are scouting replacements if he chooses to leave (Luis Diaz already brought in, Rapinha seems to be on the cards).

A lone superstar's brilliance might win you the odd high-profile game or trophy, sustained success needs a working system and willing players, not prima donnas with a large pram full of toys pushed by their parasite agents.

[Chetan_Rao]

Benzema ripping Chelsea apart!

Two headers: one for power, one for placement.

Madrid 2 up less than 25 mins into the tie. Wow!