It Could Get A Bit Messi In Here - The Football Thread.

Joe Mac said:
Look the success of leagues is cyclical. In the 90s Italy had the most money, and so the best players, combined with the most inovative coaches. Serie A was brilliant. Equally all of Europe used to shit on the English league back then as passion over substance.

Right now England has that. Spain has Barcelona and Real Madrid who financially transcend the league. Similarly France has PSG and Germany has Bayern who do the same, but for very different reasons.

There isn’t an Italian club team that convinces me on the international scene, you don’t need to watch the league to see that, you need to watch the champions league and none of them challenge consistently. I’m sure their time will come again but right now its someone else’s go.
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Idk. I just feel like Serie A is thought of as a farmers league, when it absolutely isn't.
I totally get where you are coming from though, spending power and whatnot puts Italy at the bottom of the barrel, can't spend with the top teams. It definitely isn't the 90's anymore lol.
 
HAIMtime said:
Idk. I just feel like Serie A is thought of as a farmers league, when it absolutely isn't.
I totally get where you are coming from though, spending power and whatnot puts Italy at the bottom of the barrel, can't spend with the top teams. It definitely isn't the 90's anymore lol.
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I kinda hate that line because even the most one sided leagues are highly professional and skilled, it’s just there are vast financial discrepancies. In my brothers year at school was a lad who came through the ranks at our local league two team and ended up as a solid championship right back/centre half who played really well in his one PL season. He was a Zidane in my recollection of schoolboy football!

Anyway I digress. I think Juve’s spending power in a league that didn’t have that in general really hurt Italian club football over the last decade. At least their self-inflicted implosion has made it an exciting league again. And the quality of football is good. It’s just not Italy’s time on a European level. I think Lukaku’s relative successes at the sharp end of the PL and Serie A kinda show where both are at right now.

The Italians will be back at some point though. The country is too football mad for them not to be!
 
Joe Mac said:
I kinda hate that line because even the most one sided leagues are highly professional and skilled, it’s just there are vast financial discrepancies. In my brothers year at school was a lad who came through the ranks at our local league two team and ended up as a solid championship right back/centre half who played really well in his one PL season. He was a Zidane in my recollection of schoolboy football!

Anyway I digress. I think Juve’s spending power in a league that didn’t have that in general really hurt Italian club football over the last decade. At least their self-inflicted implosion has made it an exciting league again. And the quality of football is good. It’s just not Italy’s time on a European level. I think Lukaku’s relative successes at the sharp end of the PL and Serie A kinda show where both are at right now.
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Yeah I agree 100% about Juve's spending power ruining the league.
And yeah, Lukaku's Chelsea run does not look good on Serie A lol.
I hope we can agree to disagree as I will continue to dream of a Milan run in the CL lol.
 
HAIMtime said:
Yeah I agree 100% about Juve's spending power ruining the league.
And yeah, Lukaku's Chelsea run does not look good on Serie A lol.
I hope we can agree to disagree as I will continue to dream of a Milan run in the CL lol.
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Honestly I have such a low opinion of Lukaku after his time at United that his first time around at Inter really made me think.

Always! I’d like nothing better than to see something new in the champions league, so I’d love you to prove me wrong, I just don’t see it I’m afraid!
 
Joe Mac said:
Honestly I have such a low opinion of Lukaku after his time at United that his first time around at Inter really made me think.

Always! I’d like nothing better than to see something new in the champions league, so I’d love you to prove me wrong, I just don’t see it I’m afraid!
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All good man, I love shooting the shit about football!
I totally forgot Lukaku had a run at United. He is such an enigma, so class with his first run at Inter, but quite shit literally everywhere else lol.
Honestly anything other than the usual suspects in CL will be super enjoyable.
 
Joe Mac said:
I kinda hate that line because even the most one sided leagues are highly professional and skilled, it’s just there are vast financial discrepancies. In my brothers year at school was a lad who came through the ranks at our local league two team and ended up as a solid championship right back/centre half who played really well in his one PL season. He was a Zidane in my recollection of schoolboy football!
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My one friend who I go to games with always asks me if I think I would hang out there. I always think of the one young coach I had back in high school that played semi pro Locally. He used to dribble around us like we were cones. There is no way I could have ever played professionally. I’m a better than average rec player that has decent touch an accurate pass, a good shot on small fields, and willing to play as a team. But that dosen’t stop me from telling my 6 year old son I used to play for the galaxy when we go to games 😂
 
HAIMtime said:
All good man, I love shooting the shit about football!
I totally forgot Lukaku had a run at United. He is such an enigma, so class with his first run at Inter, but quite shit literally everywhere else lol.
Honestly anything other than the usual suspects in CL will be super enjoyable.
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Yeah he’s a clinical finisher but he’s just so weird is that he has pace but is kinda strange and cumbersome and can’t seem to be able to work in a pressing system. I can see how in a front two he could be brilliant but you can’t win the PL anymore with a front two, which is so ironic given England’s history, and Spain is so influenced by Holland that’s it’s all 4-3-3 these days.

The Milan team of 93-95 and Juve team of 96-99 are all time favourites of mine. Especially that Juve team, when United were starting to get good at continental level again they were the bar and I used to love the tussles with them and using them as a barometer for how good we were getting!
 
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Dtknuckles said:
There are rumors that their could possible be a Suarez vs Chiellini rematch if Suarez signs for the Galaxy. They will call it Brunch at the Bank (not my joke).
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We just need to get mad Paddy, who is absolutely one of my all time favourite players, out of retirement to line up alongside Georgio!
 
Joe Mac said:
Hahaha! No! I’m the eldest! Him and my bro are 3 years younger! I am from a pretty rough industrial town and scraps were a kinda unavoidable part of a young fellas life though…
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Speaking of scraps, did anyone catch the Rooney documentary on Amazon Prime? As someone not super familiar with his story (youngest goal scorer in PL history! Red card for stomping on Ronaldo! Hookers!!) I was fascinated by it.
 
Joe Mac said:
Yeah he’s a clinical finisher but he’s just so weird is that he has pace but is kinda strange and cumbersome and can’t seem to be able to work in a pressing system. I can see how in a front two he could be brilliant but you can’t win the PL anymore with a front two, which is so ironic given England’s history, and Spain is so influenced by Holland that’s it’s all 4-3-3 these days.

The Milan team of 93-95 and Juve team of 96-99 are all time favourites of mine. Especially that Juve team, when United we’re starting to get good at continental level again they were the bar and I used to love the tussles with them and using them as a barometer for how good we were getting!
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Oh yeah...those were some all time teams.
I still long for the days of Maldini and Nesta, many many moons ago lol.
 
tvham said:
Speaking of scraps, did anyone catch the Rooney documentary on Amazon Prime? As someone not super familiar with his story (youngest goal scorer in PL history! Red card for stomping on Ronaldo! Hookers!!) I was fascinated by it.
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Hahaha! Randy teenage Wayne the granny shagger! He was only 18 and spent the rest of his career having every away fan England singing “You’re just a fat granny shagger” at him!

To be fair he stamped near, but not quite on, Cavalho, and he was a right shithouse of a player. Ronaldo just lead the appeals to have him sent off and infamously winked after it happened. They did link up quite wonderfully for the next 3 years in the best United team I ever saw!
 
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HAIMtime said:
Oh yeah...those were some all time teams.
I still long for the days of Maldini and Nesta, many many moons ago lol.
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Oh I’m talking a decade before that! Maldini, Baresi and Costscurta at the back with the Dutch trio of Rijkard, Guillt and van Basten! van Basten is the only centre forward I’ve seen that’s even close to being in the orbit of the original Ronaldo.
 
Unfortunately Maldini and those teams are my earliest memories. I very much wish I was around for the peak.
I have watched so many Van Basten highlight reels, the man was legendary for sure!
I am hoping one of these days we get a Milan vs United CL game, it is long overdue!
 
HAIMtime said:
Unfortunately Maldini and those teams are my earliest memories. I very much wish I was around for the peak.
I have watched so many Van Basten highlight reels, the man was legendary for sure!
I am hoping one of these days we get a Milan vs United CL game, it is long overdue!
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Yes! United weren’t at the level to challenge that great Milan side. Despite quality players the English ban after Hysel set the game back to a point that it took a while for English teams in Europe to catch up again. We did have a couple of excellent battles with Milan in 2005 and a 2007 that we ended up on the wrong side of. By 2010 Milan were on a downward spiral and I don’t like to think of that game as representative. Hopefully in the next few years both teams can get back to a point where it’s a good competitive tense game again!
 
Joe Mac said:
Yes! United weren’t at the level to challenge that great Milan side. Despite quality players the English ban after Hysel set the game back to a point that it took a while for English teams in Europe to catch up again. We did have a couple of excellent battles with Milan in 2005 and a 2007 that we ended up on the wrong side of. By 2010 Milan were on a downward spiral and I don’t like to think of that game as representative. Hopefully in the next few years both teams can get back to a point where it’s a good competitive tense game again!
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Oh yeah...a downward spiral is being generous. Us Milan fans call it the banter era. A decade of mediocrity. It is hard to even conceive being back on the big stage lol.
Hope we are both back on the map soon.
BTW, do you rate Dalot? Loved him when he was on loan at Milan.
 
HAIMtime said:
Oh yeah...a downward spiral is being generous. Us Milan fans call it the banter era. A decade of mediocrity. It is hard to even conceive being back on the big stage lol.
Hope we are both back on the map soon.
BTW, do you rate Dalot? Loved him when he was on loan at Milan.
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Dalot is a weird one. Actually both our right backs at the moment are. Dalot can’t defend for shit. Decent going forward if he stopped shooting and just passed and crossed. Wan Bissaka the compete opposite. Given how football had evolved he’s the best shot out of the two but I’m far from convinced that he’s a long term solution for us.
 
Joe Mac said:
Oh I’m talking a decade before that! Maldini, Baresi and Costscurta at the back with the Dutch trio of Rijkard, Guillt and van Basten! van Basten is the only centre forward I’ve seen that’s even close to being in the orbit of the original Ronaldo.
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That’s more like 88-91 innit
 
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