Madridistas All Over Copa And Euros Collide While Colombians Dominate - The Other Teams Thread

But also - Brighton 0.8 xG including set plays. Neither team created anything whatsoever.

 

You can say what you want about Arsenal’s playing style, but at least they’re well coached & have a clear vision.

I can’t say the same about us right now. We are by for one of the worst coached big teams in the word at the moment. It’s definitely time to eat humble pie on our end & keep quiet.

 

This is why I only watch Real Madrid games nowadays. Maybe a total of 10 other league games from Spain/Italy/England, and other CL knockout when we're knocked out. Fatigue is real.

I even skipped last world cup and I think I'll skip this one too.

As far as NBA is concerned, I used to be obsessed with it from 1999-2006, staying up often to catch a game with my buddies, checking every box score etc. I wouldn't say the product hasn't suffered at all. It's subjective, but since everyone now is a decent shooter, a lot of the game happens from the periphery now and less from inside the lane. TBH with you, I miss the times when three pointers were a rarer thing. But that's just me. Then you look at whatever the slamdunk contest became and you have to despair over the lack of excitement. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy watching a game here and there, but I do think the product was significantly better years ago.

 

You don't even have to go back and watch the worst teams. Watch the 1966 WC final. Today, you almost never see a player as wide open like Hurst was to score that equalizer. And it wasn't just that one play. Most of the 120 minutes were just poor in terms of quality and seemed to be in slow motion.

Anyway, I know that's a bit of an unrelated example because with Arsenal its not about quality but playing style. Yesterday's match went exactly how they planned and wanted it to go, not just due to tactics but they have the quality to execute those (defensive) tactics.

 

It's not just overconsumption though. There are real statistical and aesthetic differences to the game.

For example, on the left is the top 10 in total passes of the premier league in 14/15 and on the right is this year. Notice anything? And this is just one decade of change.




It's simply a fact that the game has changed. There are many stats that point to this, from more passes by defenders to more set piece goals to less take-ons by wingers. It does change the game viewing experience.

 

This is what annoys me the most. Even when Barcelona don't win the league, they're usually competitive 'till close to the end. 2021-'22 might be the only exception I can think of for a season that started off in a hole and never recovered. Whereas just in the last 15 years we can point to 2012-'13 (15 points behind), 2017-'18 (17), 2018-19 (19), and 2022-'23 (10) as seasons where, for all intents and purposes, the season was over no later than the beginning of March, all those deficits were entrenched by those times, if not earlier.

When things don't go our way domestically, we just tend to give up too easily. The only season on that list where I don't care much about our lack of competitiveness was '18-'19 since we all knew that was gonna be a rebuilding year, but there's not much excuse for those other seasons; we were CL semifinalists in all three of those seasons, won it in one of them, obviously quality wasn't a problem, it was other stuff.

 

Messi being real. Poor Mbappe must have hated watching those full matches.

🚨🗣️ Idrissa Gueye: "When I was at PSG, I asked Messi and Mbappé to watch Everton matches with me."

"Mbappé used to come, he enjoyed watching them... But Messi wasn't into it."

"Messi always used to tell me: 'Brother, your team always loses!" pic.twitter.com/u47C3J51gi

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) March 5, 2026

 

I so desperately want Spurs to lose

 

Romero is a massive liability. Van De Ven is the one to go for.

 

Meh, I'd been watching him/Spurs, because a buddy of mine wants him for Barça.

In watching him, yeah he's big, pacy, and left footed. You see the goals scored, and he's 24.

On the other hand, he's always injured, he's gonna cost close to €100MM, and he looks like he's quitting on Spurs. Oh, and he also doesn't look like he takes to coaching all that well.


On balance, he "could be" a piece, but there's a lot of risk in van de ven. If you're looking for a leader/defensive organizer and top player, I think you'll be disappointed. If your club already has someone to lead the defense, and you've got cash to burn on the position/other, healthier and more reliable players, then he could be a fit.



TL/DR: I wouldn't want van de ven for either madrid or Barça, for a variety of reasons.

 

Q. Best trainer you’ve played with?

Bale: “Modric or Kroos… Isco as well.”

Q. Worst trainer?

Bale: “Hazard.” (laughs)

Q. Most skillful teammate?

Bale: “Isco. He was as similar as I’ve seen to Zidane.”

Q. Best player you’ve ever played with?

Bale: “Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Q.… pic.twitter.com/oBHgLl2Xzy

— EH (@EHcomps) March 5, 2026

 

I listened to that interview this morning. I thought he came across well. Said Man Utd tried to sign him when he was leaving Spurs and even offered more money, but RM were the club he knew he wanted to join so turned them down.

 

Van de Ven proceeds to commit the rare red card and penalty

 

Could it be that back in 1966, probably 2/3rds of those players were chainsmokers, that the equipment (boots and balls) were heavy and primitive, and that there were no substitutions in the game back then?

Nowadays, with fitness being an essential piece of the puzzle, basically no one smokes (except for Szczesny), and 5 subs per game means that everyone presses. You've got 20 outfield players with alien-like VO2 max capacities, plus half of them can be swapped out each match. Boots and balls are made from space age lightweight polymers, instead of heavy, durable leather.


The game's changed in 60 years, even in the past 5 or 10.

 

Perfect timing

 

1-2

Oh this is just lovely

 

And another

1-3

 

Is it bad to say that I would take a Tottenham relegation over a Real Madrid trophy this season?

 

That said, you couldn't get away with partying like an animal "back in the day" either. George Best was basically washed up soon after his 26th birthday, which is about when Ronaldinho's career went into the dumpster.

But maybe that kind of thing was more common in the past(?). Not sure, but just the fact that it would've been easier to get away with decades ago makes me think more players succumbed to that temptation.

 

Yet, OPTA still gives Spurs a 46% chance of beating Atletico over two legs. lol

 

Yeah, Georgie didn't commit himself to fitness. Back then, that probably meant switching to those sissy-assed FILTERED cigs, and limiting it to 5 or 6 beers a night during the season.