The Soccer Thread (Version 9)

Lukaku with the dime store version of his WC dummy in the League Cup

 

Love the banner.

 

As long as the 50+1 rule is in place, the Bundesliga is unlikely to turn into the kind of oligarch's playground that is necessary to compete with the English and Spanish elite. It's hard to see how else the league would grow revenue outside of TV deals, and there is a decent argument to be made that TV money is what drove the Bundesliga's 1990s renaissance. Can't say I blame the league for trying to maximize revenue options, but for people in the seats it must feel unseemly seeing games kick off at odd hours or clubs go on marketing junkets in a desperate scramble for attention in 'untapped' markets like China and the US.

 

A player born in 2003 made his debut for Fulham against Millwall

 

United could not be more toothless today. That squad is broken and I can see Mou not making it too the weekend

 

I think you're right, but I don't think it's his fault.

 

I don't know why the front 4 isn't clicking. You have a great target striker in Lukaku, 3 players who are great wide (maybe Alexis has lost a step and i would put him 3rd behind Rashford and Martial) and Pogba should be a great attacking midfielder. I think that they are just turgid though.

I've blamed the subpar back 4 (especially the CBs), but Mou has picked/stayed with these guys. Valencia and Young are wingers and are only at their best going forward with a rock solid pair of CBs. Both are also past their sell by dates, especially Valencia, who has fallen off of a cliff.

I also think that Matic is too slow against the best players and that you can't play him and the Fro together unless you really want a 0-0 draw. As someone wrote recently, Pogba needs a Kante to allow him to roam. 2018 Matic is no Kante.

 

Damn it!

Christian Pulisic suffers torn calf muscle, Dortmund announces

 

Ronaldo facing rape investigation in Vegas?

Cristiano Ronaldo omitted from Portugal squad for upcoming friendlies - CNN

 

Man, Juventus really needs a better crisis management person after tweeting

"Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus."

"The events allegedly dating back to almost 10 years ago do not change this opinion, which is shared by anyone who has come into contact with this great champion."

 

I was just about to post something about that. What the fuck? How about something like we've spoken to the player, he has denied it and we will let the legal process play out? Or say nothing at all?

 

Or just reword Nike's response?

"We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation."