Hindsight isn't 2020 - The 2019-20 Season Thread [R]

The weird thing I’ve noticed is that after missing two months of training flaming Rakitic looks trimmer , fitter and faster !!

What the hell !!

 

These guys all have their own gym's in their houses so not that surprising.

 

How can he be slimmer and fitter though ... unless we just don’t have the players fit enough ?

 

How about us?

 

Reason why some teams are favorites to win UCL:

Bayern: Had a great season. Solid defense, balanced midfield and dangerous attack.

Man City: Play the finest football in Europe, team is hungry for titles.

Barça: Messi had the same haircut last time Barça won UCL.

 

We can only hope that Pep comes home and bladdy quick . There’s rumours he he’ll leave City soon - then there’s their European ban ..

 

He'll definitely be at City next season, so that would means the earliest he could return is for 2021/22 season, Assuming he would want to of course, there are to many variables, my own feeling is that he would want to manage in Serie A. The club can't afford to sit round waiting for Pep. at this moment the club would not be able to attract one of the top managers, the club is too much of a basket case, so no Klopp for us. Which then means we go down ex-player route ie Xavi or an up and coming manager who is currently doing well, personally I would look at current manager of Wolves if we go down that route. But it's all if and buts and we are just as likely to appoint a 70 year who has only managed non-league teams as our next manager.

 

We play Asspanyol 2 days before LPB play their 35th match. So 4 matches in 12 days.

Assuming that the final match is on Sunday, July 19. Guess its possible they move LPB’s final match to Monday along.

 

If we've learned anything this season, it is that not much else matters until the 2021 elections and a complete sweeping of the first team decks to start a fresh project. Whomever takes over Setien's place for 2020-2021 will just be a seat warmer until elections. I can't see any sane younger manager taking the job pre-elections. It would have to be someone like Arsene Wenger who has little to prove, and who knows how to manage big egos. Neither Valverde or Setien knew how to manage these kinds of players.

For a new project, give me either one of Xavi, Nagelsmann or Ten Hag to start from scratch hopefully under the leadership of Victor Font at the top.

 

Many are skeptical of Xavi, but if you have really studied his background and read "Senda de Campiones" by Marti Perarnau, you will learn there is no one in the world more equipped for this club than him after Pep and the late great Tito Vilanova.

 

Ultimately we will only know if he will be a success or failure once he's been appointed. Given that we are incapable of attracting a top manager we may as well go for Xavi

 

Messi decided to stop talks on hia contract renewal, which had already begun a few days ago. In addition, Messi is seriously considering leaving Barcelona at the end of is contract, on June 30th, 2021. Messi is tired of being blamed for everything (via
@ellarguero)


Zidane (Madrid coach) "Messi possibly leaving Barça? We don’t expect that. We want the best for the league, but we don’t know what might end up happening." (tv3)

Messi's idea right now is to finish his contract in 2021 and then leave Barça. [ser]

Messi is fed up. His entourage say he's angry that there are reports which claim he makes decisions at Barça. He feels these "leaks" are being made up by the club itself. [ser]

One of these inventions is that he demanded Tata Martino as manager for the 2013/14 season, something made up by then Barça president Sandro Rosell. [ser]

 

Seeing as how Bartomeu will be gone in 2021 I would (like to) think Messi will stay as long as a Rosell/Barto crony doesn't win the election.

 

Or sell Messi in August after we lose CL for $200+ mn (or for Lautaro plus 100mn). Bring in Xavi and let him use that money to shore up the midfield and defense. Let Coutinho and Griezmann play their natural positions and see what happens. F$*k it

 

If Messi is sold in August the current board won't wait for Xavi since he won't arrive until "after the elections" (his quote). Barto will spend that 200m and there's little to suggest it would be spent wisely.

 

That idiot would spend £200 million on Willian and he's out of contract.

 

for the sake of the club, Bartomeu should resign.

but for the sake of Bartomeu, he won't.

 

Leroy Sane has been handed the No 10 shirt at Bayern Munich - the number currently worn by Philippe Coutinho.

The Brazilian has spent the year on loan at the Bundesliga champions but they have decided not to purchase the player permanently, according to reports.


It leaves Coutinho's future in doubt with parent club Barcelona unsure as to whether they see him as part of their long-term plans.

 

There is absolutely no need of any calculations anymore. The season in La Liga is over. Madrid are the champions not because they are so good, but because we screwed it up way too many times after the Corona break. And we will finish this season in turmoil and internal confrontations.

 

Alena scored his first for Betis

Real Betis steamroll Osasuna 3️⃣-0️⃣ at the Benito Villamarin 💥

🇪🇸 Watch the #LaLigaonbeIN #highlights 🔗 https://t.co/8yWEXcLgmx pic.twitter.com/9YpY7kiF7L

— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) July 8, 2020

 

Looking ahead to the CL... what do you guys think are our chances of beating Napoli? Getting to the semis?

 

Really interesting article says that Messi, Suarez, and to a small extent Diego Simeone are behind Grizmann's new position and mini-resurgence (we did not look so great against Espanyol so hard to get too excited) but lots of positives in this article about how Griez is finally part of the club as Messi realizes that Neymar is not coming back so he better work out how to use Griez's talents better.

Good read: https://www.espn.com/soccer/barcelo...lona-resurgence-by-making-him-one-of-the-gang

 

In the road to Istanbul (now Lisbon) thread I posted both the bookies's odds and the computer odds from 538: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/2...he-road-to-İkitelli-istanbul-r.2105988/page-6

Glad our match v. Napoli is still in Barca (not Lisbon) but I think that we have work left to do to just get to the quarterfinals. 538 used to over-state our chances I think but now gets it about right at 77% chance: https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/soccer-predictions/champions-league/

We are just no good at bunkering for a 0-0 result (to advance on away goals), so we will attack and leave room for them to counterattack, if they get the early/first goal they'll surely bunker. If we score first however they really have to attack and that could open things up for us to get a comfy win, or they could level the whole thing...

As for beyond advancing past Napoli, too much of it depends upon the draw (and a little bit on the other 3 games to get to final 8, such as can Lyon press their advantage and eliminate Juve?), but either way the favorites are ManCity (unless Real pulls a massive comeback) and Bayern followed by PSG and us if we get past Napoli.