[Chetan_Rao]

Wow! City have fallen apart in less than 2 minutes at the end of 90.

Edit: This is meant as a compliment: Real 'the cockroaches of Champions League' Madrid. You could nuke them twice just to be sure and still not be sure!

What a tie across two legs. A modern classic.

[Chetan_Rao]

What a fantastic end to the Premier League season! Title undecided until 15 minutes to go, can't ask for more.

Manchester City and Liverpool, take a bow.

[Snowflakes]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

What a fantastic end to the Premier League season! Title undecided until 15 minutes to go, can't ask for more.

Manchester City and Liverpool, take a bow.

Newly joined t-bhp forum , There is thread for every topic
I am Liverpool fan & it's so disheartening to loose by a point. 90 points would have won you a title in different times but not now. Liverpool and City are like Federer & Nadal relentless.

[ABHI_1512]

What drama at the end of the first half of the Champion's League final, Real Madrid- outplayed for most of the part, almost got the goal that they wanted !

[ABHI_1512]

And Real Madrid are the champions … only befitting for how they played the knockout stages. Karim Benzema finally playing the way he should through the games and it’s wonderful that he ended up on the winning side although the final turned out to be little boring in the end !!

Originally Posted by Latheesh

I fell asleep for few minutes in the first half. Courtois won it for them.

First half was all Liverpool and they should be credited for that. Salah was almost bottled up and that created some confusion and Real utilised to their advantage. And yes, Courtois did the work for Real when it mattered the most.

And it was great to see Marcelo taking the cup ..super gesture from the team.

[Chetan_Rao]

Wonderful game of football. Chaotic (reportedly) in the build-up outside the stadium and a delayed start, but well worth the billing on the pitch once it got going.

Thibault Courtois, how often is a keeper the man-of-the-match in a European Cup final? Take a bow big man, fantastic performance.

P.S. A word of commiseration for Liverpool. Yes it's a results game and yes it's a bitter pill to swallow having come so close to a perfect season, but they went all the way in every competition they played in, and the players and fans alike should be proud. They'll catch some stick from opponents and their fans for 'failing', but you bet beyond all that banter, they'd all bite your hand off if offered the same opportunity.

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

although the final turned out to be little boring in the end !!

I fell asleep for few minutes in the first half. Courtois won it for them.

[ABHI_1512]

Anyone watching the Finalissima 2022 between Argentina and Italy ?? Looks like Argentina is in fine nick and as far as I see, they are almost toying with Italy. It’s only half time but they are already 2 goals up and I don’t know why but I like what I am seeing from Argentina now. The World Cup might turn out to be quite an interesting one for them this year !!

[am1m]

Been thinking about this for some time, so thought I'd put it up here for comments/views- given how sedate Lionel Messi's career has been with PSG, did Messi need Barca as much as Barca needed Messi?

It was always a given that Barca would fall from their high standards post-Messi. But it also seems to be working in the other way too.

And as much as I would hate to admit it (I'm a huge Messi fan!), does this indicate CR is actually a more bankable footballing asset (I'm not using the word 'better' here ) than Messi? Given how he's improved the standing of each club he's moved to?

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by am1m

Given how he's improved the standing of each club he's moved to?

This is the reason I believe Maradona to be the greatest of them all. The greatest to play football. What he did in his life is simply something no other great has even tried.

Maradona went to a nondescript club in Napoli, a club that had won almost nothing in their whole existence, and took them single handedly to their golden era. Not only would they win things domestically, but also they would win European honors. I think this is a feat that is unprecedented and something very very rare. Maradona was not just himself a top player but he improved the team he played for and didn't need other great players for his success.

Messi is undoubtedly a great player (definitely should be counted among greatest of all time) but he has had great support cast during his best years. The Barca teams he played for were some of the best ever teams assembled to play football. In contrast he didn't have as much success with his national team.

With Ronaldo I agree he also improved every team he played for, but generally he also played for some great teams. He did improve Real Madrid significantly when he joined them as at that time they were struggling. But still I think Maradona's feats are more spectacular.

[vamsi.kona]

Originally Posted by am1m

Been thinking about this for some time, so thought I'd put it up here for comments/views- given how sedate Lionel Messi's career has been with PSG, did Messi need Barca as much as Barca needed Messi?

It was always a given that Barca would fall from their high standards post-Messi. But it also seems to be working in the other way too.

And as much as I would hate to admit it (I'm a huge Messi fan!), does this indicate CR is actually a more bankable footballing asset (I'm not using the word 'better' here ) than Messi? Given how he's improved the standing of each club he's moved to?

There seems to be few things at play here.

Messi played his entire career at a particular place with a certain philosophy. So adjusting to a completely new kind of philosophy, team culture, can take some time, especially for an introvert like Messi. Now he is more of a playmaker who requires some one to be a finisher. Admittedly in Mbappe and Neymar he has two of the best finishers, Neymar was injured a lot and Mbappe and Messi still need to understand each other more to work on same wavelength. We just have to see the kind of understanding Alba or Alves had with Messi. That makes a lot of difference.

Secondly Messi has moved out when he is nearing his retirement and his usual pace and as such his ability to dribble past defenders as easily as earlier obviously diminished a lot. This can be seen with Ronaldo as well in his stint with Juventus and Man U. Even if he continues to be amongst the top, he has declined by his own lofty standards, which is natural.

Another thing I noticed, though I haven't seen him play much for PSG is that he seems quite disinterested, kind of detached while playing for PSG. Which is completely opposite to how he played with Barca and Argentina. Probably this season might throw better light on how he adjusts and if we can see at least some of the old joyful Messi. But given that the world cup is scheduled in a few months, I believe try to preserve himself rather than go all out.

[KL01toKA03]

Is anyone playing fantasy premier league this season? If anyone has created a league, please send the details.

[androdev]

Messi has not been a leader and warrior like Maradona. I would say Messi has been tragically unlucky with the national team (so many excruciatingly painful losses in finals - fans like me get very morbid just thinking about 2014 WC final) and also with FCB post Neymar departure due to that clown president Bartomeu who destroyed FCB. If he had a bit a luck in 2014 WC final or with better management at FCB since 2017 - he would have been beyond any debate of GOAT etc. Maradona had character like no other, it’s impossible not to be touched by his exploits and the drama. Messi lacked all that drama though he is very competitive but from a footballing point of view Messi has no match. I rarely bother with sports but I stayed almost all nights to watch FCB and ARG games to watch Messi.

I think he redeemed himself with the national team in recent years. Previous edition copa America loss to Brazil was the turning point in his influence as a leader of ARG team. There has been a remarkable turn around in his relationship and team dynamics post that match. ARG team now looks like a war machine with Messi inspiring everyone to fight like it’s now or never. One always needs a bit of luck to win WC but ARG team looks great and they are enjoying themselves a lot as a team.

His club and individual career has ran its full course and there is nothing more to look forward to. His focus and aspirations are all about ARG now and fans like me, though realistic and once bittern twice shy, are hoping WC 22 would be the finishing touch to his incredible journey.

Most of us India do not have the luxury to watch league matches due to horrible timings and lack of access to content. Public opinion is shaped by highlights, stats and general marketing. WC is a terrible stage to appreciate players, so many great players play for mediocre national teams and some random dude scores an all important goal and becomes an immortal. League and UEFA matches are the best to appreciate players. Just my opinion.

[Panko]

Barcelona have not improved under Laporta as well. In fact, they have gone worse. They are signing lot of new players, when they should bring some financial stability and sort out the internal problems. They are also forcing FDJ out of the club as they are not able to register new signings. They are prioritizing short term goals over the long-term ones. Hope better sense prevails and soon.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Panko

Barcelona have not improved under Laporta as well. In fact, they have gone worse. They are signing lot of new players, when they should bring some financial stability and sort out the internal problems. They are also forcing FDJ out of the club as they are not able to register new signings. They are prioritizing short term goals over the long-term ones. Hope better sense prevails and soon.

Unfortunately, if you don't remain relevant as a brand, you will quickly fade away and it's very difficult to regain your brand cachet. Something like AC Milan. FCB is trying to put together a strong team that will be a serious contender and conversational topic, it can surely backfire big time but I think it is a fair gamble in order to strengthen the "brand" of FCB post Messi era. When the entire business model is built on "brand cachet/legacy, etc.", you can't afford to become irrelevant for few years with the hope that you will get back to the top. IMO the current approach is lesser of the evils. Most of the financial problems you read about are related to "financial fair play" to buy and register players. The asset quality of FCB as a business is very healthy IMO - it is a massive global brand.

FDJ is being pushed out of the club is very sad indeed but I can understand the factors influencing his situation. FDJ exit will give a lot of breathing space in terms of financial fair play and he is the only player who can bring in that type of money. You get transfer revenue (which can be booked immediately) and lower salary budget. Cost of buying a new player will be amortised over few years and salary will also be lower. As a result, buying and selling players is a great accounting trick to balance the books. Financially speaking, FDJ exit is a no brainer for FCB. Sporting context is more complicated. FDJ is an exciting player with massive talent. Tactical style of FCB unfortunately doesn't suit FDJ especially under Xavi who is a fanatic of positional play and it's unrealistic to expect that FCB will build their tactics/team around FDJ which is why he hasn't has much success with FCB so far. FDJ doesn't want to leave FCB because he loves to play for the club, he has a very good contract, the current project is exciting, he believes he can succeed and of course Barcelona is a great city.