Activate Another Lever and Still Lose to a Madrid Remontada - The Small Teams Thread

I feel sorry for Shef Utd fans. The club was in huge financial troubles and they were a bit of a surprise to most in getting promoted last season. Because of the financial problems, they used the promotion money to sort the club out and stop them going bust, while also selling their best players for the same reason.

They did end up signing some players but not many. They are basically a worse team now than they were last season.

 

🚨 Ligue 1 will no longer be called ‘Uber Eats Ligue 1’.

McDonald’s has bought the naming rights for €20m-a-season, so from next year the Championship will be called ‘Ligue 1 McDonald’s’. 🍟🍔

(Source: @RMCsport ) pic.twitter.com/bYuqmJgkgC

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) March 5, 2024

 

inb4 Eden Hazard announces he is coming out of retirement

 

Man City has won 3 in a row probably might win 4 in a row.
Italy has had 4 different winners in the last 4 yrs

Which one do you think neutral fans tuned to watch last weekend? Napoli vs Juve or Man City vs Man Utd

 

He himself wasn't admitting it few months back. Rather than admit Barca's financial condition is bad, he coupled RM and Barca together and said both can't sign best players anymore.

Now that his buddy Xavi is criticized so much, they are broke and shouldn't have high expectations. Though they managed to spend 200 ME+ in 2022 summer and the narrative was squad is even better with signings like Felix and Cancelo last summer.

 

Yea, Milan derby and Juve vs Milan teams fixture was star studded 20 years back and there used to be a lot of interest. It's been a downward spiral since.

Inter right now have a better team than Utd and Chelsea though. Those two spent billions on trash. Utd brand has stagnated since Moyes era basically. If they continued Fergie era kind of success for another decade, their revenue would be past 1 billion now given the lucrative PL.

 

I agree with you. My point is that different champions every season does not bring significantly more fans. What brings fans to watch are the star players in the league

Between 07 and 2013 French league had different winners every season, No one was tuning in to watch Montpellier win the league nor remember anyone from the team.

I wiIl say more people watched French league with PSG guaranteed to win when Messi Neymar Mbappe Zlatan etc were in the league than when they were changing champions every season

 

Their squad isn't even bad, it's pretty good and complete in most positions. Horrible luck with injuries for sure, but they do have decent depth, especially in attack and in CB. Maybe Xavi is just incompetent, why look everywhere but there.

 

Most of their hyped-up players, especially Vitor Roque and Gavi, are pretty average IMO.

 

Lol. I didn't know it was really called the "Uber eats" league, thought that was a joke. Now this, I'm thinking you can't be serious.

 

Gavi is still a good player in their system though, and Vitor Roque is a backups backup.

 

But UEFA and Premier league fans said that's what the game needs!

 

Please tell me they not renaming the French Ligue 1 McDonald’s?

 

To be honest, I respect McDonald's much more than EA Sports as a business. I'll take a Big Mac over a virtual player card scam designed to rip off kids.

 

Yeah. Manchester City can win the league for another 10 years in a row and more people will still tune in. It's about the players and presentation.

We're at a point where a middling Premier League team can offer better wages to a Serie A winning player and convince them to move. There needs to be really good people running the likes of La Liga and Serie A to make it appeal to a wider audience.

 

Davies starts on the bench.

 

Agreed. Star players and coaches is the biggest attraction to a league
In the 2010s everyone wanted to watch La Liga because of the player quality. Messi vs Ronaldo was enough to shut down all airwaves. Plus the Pep vs Jose wars. Add Zidane
Until other leagues have the money to compete for top player transfer fees and wages, The EPL will continue to rule even if City wins 10 in a row

Now Inter Milan the best team in Serie A has Alexis, Arnautovic, Mikitaryan, Darmian
Milan - Loftus Cheek, Giroud, Pulisic, Tomori

Sounds like a bunch of either past it or flopped youths from the EPL

Thats one reason why Dortmund rehabilitation of former players like Sahin Sancho Gotze will never make them a top side

 

Eden Hazard coming out of retirement to join Ligue 1 again, after the name change pic.twitter.com/6npi1qVwFO https://t.co/CQ32D0LT27

— 🗝️ (@masiglory) March 5, 2024

 

Watching the Sociedad PSG game....Mbappe is insane. Just blew past the Sociedad right back like he wasn't there...almost a goal.

I cannot imagine teams having to deal with him and Vini....ridiculous..