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

Barcelona and Juventus are playing in the Cotton Bowl around that same time. It's really hot in the summer evenings and I have no love for either team but man do I really love soccer at the Cotton Bowl. Wife and I watched Roma and Real Madrid there back when Ronaldo was on the team.

I missed my chance to see some World Cup matches there in 1994 as I was off to the University of Texas for college at that point. I told my kids that we won't make that same mistake again if it gets awarded a World Cup match in 2026. Probably won't get to see one due to the heat. Instead, they'll opt for the Cowboys stadium which is awful for soccer.
 
wokeupnew said:
Finally manage to snag one of these from WorldSoccerShop.com last week in my size too! I’ve only ever seen Small remaining but luckily checked and saw a Large in stock.

These were so popular they sold out in most sizes only a couple of months after first releasing. I could probably turnaround and flog it on eBay for like $250 easily if I wanted to, it’s that popular and sought after.

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That shirt look like a jazz dispensary album cover .
 
wokeupnew said:
That’s a lot of money for a guy who had one really good season. It’s either a master stroke or significant flop, no in between
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I trust in Klopp's vision for what he wants. He brought in Diaz and that was a game changer. He's had some misses like Keita but I'd chalk that more to Keita's inability to stay healthy. Plus, he's pretty young compared to Mane who's now 30. Liverpool is never going win a head to head against City, PSG, Real Madrid, and the like. They have to pick their spots and sell off pieces to keep things going. We also have to go for guys who maybe don't fit fully in their current system or were cast aside like Salah. We were never getting Mbappe or Haaland. I'm also hopeful Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott can take the next step like Trent once did.

Saw your Spurs might be in on Richarlison.
 
wokeupnew said:
That’s a lot of money for a guy who had one really good season. It’s either a master stroke or significant flop, no in between
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It’s an excellent signing imo. He looks a handful already, can play in a few of the forward positions and he’s 22 so there’s so much improvement in there. Also given what Liverpool already have up there he doesn’t need to shoulder the whole burden already, it’s clear he’s not being signed primarily for next year, along with Dias he’s part of the future plan for life beyond Mane/Firminio/Salah. It kinda scares me how clear Klopp and the Liverpool team are in building for both now and the future at the same time, reminds me of Fergie…
 
mdmost said:
I trust in Klopp's vision for what he wants. He brought in Diaz and that was a game changer. He's had some misses like Keita but I'd chalk that more to Keita's inability to stay healthy. Plus, he's pretty young compared to Mane who's now 30. Liverpool is never going win a head to head against City, PSG, Real Madrid, and the like. They have to pick their spots and sell off pieces to keep things going. We also have to go for guys who maybe don't fit fully in their current system or were cast aside like Salah. We were never getting Mbappe or Haaland. I'm also hopeful Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott can take the next step like Trent once did.

Saw your Spurs might be in on Richarlison.
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Lots of Spurs fans don’t like spending that much money (60m~ rumored) on a “bench player”. But that’s why we’ve struggled to take the next step. You guys had Mané but went out and got Diaz and he’s not a starter but has been crucial. Outside of Kane, Son, and Kulusevski, the other options off the bench are paper thin. Son and Kane are both getting up there in age, albeit at their peaks currently, so rest and rotation is important to keep them healthy. Spurs still have a 150m pound war chest that hasn’t been spent yet so there’s cash there and still some leftover.
Joe Mac said:
It’s an excellent signing imo. He looks a handful already, can play in a few of the forward positions and he’s 22 so there’s so much improvement in there. Also given what Liverpool already have up there he doesn’t need to shoulder the whole burden already, it’s clear he’s not being signed primarily for next year, along with Dias he’s part of the future plan for life beyond Mane/Firminio/Salah. It kinda scares me how clear Klopp and the Liverpool team are in building for both now and the future at the same time, reminds me of Fergie…
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Oh I know, I don’t not think it’s a good signing but it’s still a gamble. One excellent season in Portugal may not mean he can do it in a more challenging league. He won’t score 20+ goals off the bat, but for 100m Liverpool should be getting a finished product IMO. He’s got a good system at Liverpool where he won’t need to be the focal point so it could work out well in a couple of seasons.
 
wokeupnew said:
Lots of Spurs fans don’t like spending that much money (60m~ rumored) on a “bench player”. But that’s why we’ve struggled to take the next step. You guys had Mané but went out and got Diaz and he’s not a starter but has been crucial. Outside of Kane, Son, and Kulusevski, the other options off the bench are paper thin. Son and Kane are both getting up there in age, albeit at their peaks currently, so rest and rotation is important to keep them healthy. Spurs still have a 150m pound war chest that hasn’t been spent yet so there’s cash there and still some leftover.

Oh I know, I don’t not think it’s a good signing but it’s still a gamble. One excellent season in Portugal may not mean he can do it in a more challenging league. He won’t score 20+ goals off the bat, but for 100m Liverpool should be getting a finished product IMO. He’s got a good system at Liverpool where he won’t need to be the focal point so it could work out well in a couple of seasons.
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The problem you have is that all transfer fees are gross at this stage so do you spend that on player with room to grow into a replacement down the line or do you spend less on a player who will only ever be a second fiddle. It’s why so many of Spurs’ forward signings have been failures. Because they’ve always been a clear Kane backup they’ve always been second level, but that’s also meant that they’ve never been able to challenge him or push for a regular position.

Also when you reach that point where you’re not building a winning squad but you addressing minor issues, or replacing a player 2 or 3 years before it’s needed, you’re only signing 1 or 2 a year. Once you’ve identified who you think is the right one you spend what it takes to get them in because you don’t have to sign many others alongside them. There’s also so much less pressure on a big money player that underperforms initially and takes time to adapt when the team is winning. Like Grealish at city.

I’d have taken Utd spending that on him but even if he had wanted to we couldn’t afford to, even with a bigger budget, because we have to address 3 or 4 other issues at the same time.
 
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wokeupnew said:
Lots of Spurs fans don’t like spending that much money (60m~ rumored) on a “bench player”. But that’s why we’ve struggled to take the next step. You guys had Mané but went out and got Diaz and he’s not a starter but has been crucial. Outside of Kane, Son, and Kulusevski, the other options off the bench are paper thin. Son and Kane are both getting up there in age, albeit at their peaks currently, so rest and rotation is important to keep them healthy. Spurs still have a 150m pound war chest that hasn’t been spent yet so there’s cash there and still some leftover.

Oh I know, I don’t not think it’s a good signing but it’s still a gamble. One excellent season in Portugal may not mean he can do it in a more challenging league. He won’t score 20+ goals off the bat, but for 100m Liverpool should be getting a finished product IMO. He’s got a good system at Liverpool where he won’t need to be the focal point so it could work out well in a couple of seasons.
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I think Nunez is going to change the offense some. I've seen talk that he'll move Salah possibly over to the right and take the middle spot since he's not as great at assists as Mo is. Diaz is a penciled in starter now. He took Firmino's spot. Jota could push for a starting role now but he needs to reclaim some form. The other question mark is finding someone to push Henderson. He's the Captain but I think he'll start taking on a Milner type role soon. He's definitely the lesser of the Thiago + Fabinho pairing. Carvalho should be a fun, new addition.

It's still City's world and we're going to all be battling for 2nd for the foreseeable future. I'm just glad we have Klopp for a few more years because he pushes Pep and it's a fun rivalry.
 
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mdmost said:
It doesn't help

I think Nunez is going to change the offense some. I've seen talk that he'll move Salah possibly over to the right and take the middle spot since he's not as great at assists as Mo is. Diaz is a penciled in starter now. He took Firmino's spot. Jota could push for a starting role now but he needs to reclaim some form. The other question mark is finding someone to push Henderson. He's the Captain but I think he'll start taking on a Milner type role soon. He's definitely the lesser of the Thiago + Fabinho pairing. Carvalho should be a fun, new addition.

It's still City's world and we're going to all be battling for 2nd for the foreseeable future. I'm just glad we have Klopp for a few more years because he pushes Pep and it's a fun rivalry.
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The issue with Henderson is that you really need a worker in that right channel. With Trent effectively being a right sided attacker for large parts of the match, operating alternately on the winger or in the “de Bruyne” inside right space, and being a pretty lousy defender you need the midfielder on the right of the three to be able to run hard and plug the holes he leaves. Yes you could upgrade Henderson from an on the ball perspective but could such an upgrade disrupt the team balance and do more harm than good. These workhorses aren’t the most “sexy” but they’re often amongst the most important cogs in a successful team.
 
When everyone is fit I think our best midfield is Thiago/Fab/Keita.

I really like Keita, just been injured too much. Did read he was going to sign a new contract which id be really pleased about.
 
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