El Profesor

I read recently a rumour about Rodrygo possibly moving to Liverpool. 

I really hope this move actually happens. 

Rodrygo is way too talented to play second fiddle. 

Due to his versatility, he's moved to the right-wing, but his best position is in the left. 

He needs to move to a team where he always play LW and where he is the focal point of the attack, especially considering  the Mbappé signing.

His two goals tonight against Bilbao show how good he can be when his potential is maximized.

Haven't seen much of Liverpool this season, but the impression I have is that the lack of a realiable source of goals ,other than Salah, could cost them in the Premier League race.

1 hour ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I agree with everything you've said - except the bit about only intervention from the Americans can bring it to an end. Obviously America has to get involved, because it's the superpower and they're a big part of the reason Israel is the way it is. But I don't think any sort of peace process that's just involving Israel, the US, and Palestine is going to be seen as legitimate in the eyes of many Palestinians who view Israel as an imperialistic project by the US, UK, and Europe to have a foothold in the Middle East.

The Arab world needs to be involved as well. This is obviously made more complicated by the fact that the most influential Arab nation does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. But I can't see any sort of US-only intervention in the region being seen as anything more than furthering the notion that Israel is a western colony in the Middle East. Arab leadership needs to be involved in bringing about peace - especially when for decades the plight of the Palestinian people has been a rallying cry to unify "the Arab world." If not the Saudis, because of their lack of diplomatic relations, I think Egypt, Jordan and Oman all need to be involved.

And they need to be involved in something more than their recent ceasefire deal which just calls for an immediate ceasefire without meeting Israel's pretty reasonable requirement for the ceasefire: releasing the hostages. Of the remaining hostages, I really do wonder how many are still alive and being used as human shields to prevent Hamas leadership from being bombed.

But I think without Arab countries working to create some kind of solution, any intervention by the US won't be taken seriously by Palestinians (and Arabs generally) - I think it will just be seen as Israel and the US bullying an the already oppressed Palestinians.

But can any arab government sit at the table with Israel at this point without losing its legitimacy before its own population?

In my opinion, restraining Israel is imperative for the americans in terms of damage control.

The notion that the Global South will unite over the palestinian cause is obviously pure fiction. But at the same time, the images coming from Gaza definitely hurt american image worldwide and, most especifically, the Biden administration. 

The impression I have looking from afar is that after the events from October 7th, the israeli government settled on solving their "Gaza Strip problem" once and for all.

 In other words, ethnic cleansing Gaza.

Netanyahu and co. probably calculated that the Hamas terrorist attacks had generated a wave of sympathy towards Israel from the international community, and that they could push an extremely tough strategy without much public condemnation in the West. 

More, they probably counted that Europe, sooner or later, considering the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, would end up accepting thousands of palestinian refugees, in a repeat of 2015. 

Obviously, all their forecast failed miserably and know they don´t really seem to really a plan. It seems that they´re killing innocent people due to a strange state of inertia.

As the Vietnam War shows, even if one of the combatants kills a large number of enemies, it´s impossible to win a war if one doesn´t have a clear objective.  

This is a terrible tragedy, and the worst part of it is that only an intervention from the americans can bring it to an end. Unfortunately, it seems that one of the few bipartisan consensus in Washington is supporting Israel no matter what.

13 hours ago, Carnivore Chris said:

Vitor Roque has scored 2 in his last 2 off the bench for Barcelona. Even in the games before that, he missed chances but got into great positions in the first place. His red card was laughable though. No way deserved.

 

 

 

 

Hopefully those two goals can give him confidence and also more minutes. 

IMO The whole "Essequibo is venezuelan" is a diversion by Maduro. 

In order to the US lift its sanctions against Venezuela, Maduro promissed fair and free elections. The problem is, if that happened he would inevitably lose those elections. 

The chavistas are trying to create the poison and at the same time sell the antidote. The goal is to destabilize America's backyard with the intention of getting the Biden administration to make concessions on that promisse of free and fair elections. 

I don't believe guyanan oil reserves are the main aspect of this conflict. I mean, even if Venezuela got hold of them, they wouldn't able to do much. Chavez and Maduro turned PDVSA, the state-run oil company, into a shadow of its former self. It's incredibly corrupt and inefficient, I don't see how they would be able to increase production. 

5 minutes ago, Goku de la Boca said:

Tite is looking good by this point. You and I both know he was THE Brazilian manager.

2 failed World Cup's in a row means it genuinely is time for a foreigner.

I agree. Tite is still the best brazilian coach and yet he looked completely out of depth in 2 World Cups. 

The level of coaching in Brazil leaves a lot to be desired. 

3 minutes ago, Goku de la Boca said:

Fuck off, Venezuela equalize.

I would love to see Venezuela qualifying for the World Cup just to see Soteldo playing at the highest level. He's very underrated due to his height, but he's such a fun player to watch. 

2 minutes ago, Goku de la Boca said:

That result could well get Diniz sacked. That's Brazil's historical home form broken once and for all. First defeat at home for Brazil in WCQ ever.

Yep. The Diniz experiment has been a huge failure. He simply doesn't have enough experience and expertise at this point of his career to coach Brazil, even if it's on a temporary basis. 

The worst part of it is that Ancelotti is close to extending his contract with Real Madrid. 

There are not good options in Brazil and the squad is simply not that good. I think CBF should give Mourinho a call. 

Endrick should be on the pitch. He's much more of a thread than Raphinha at RW.

1 minute ago, Goku de la Boca said:

They definitely did it on purpose mate. They know Argentina won't have a better chance of breaking your home record than tonight.

It is stupidity not malice. The Libertadores final was a mess well.

I don't think this game will end well. The players are nervous.

2 minutes ago, Goku de la Boca said:

Also I need to bring up again that the Brazilian police have got to be the most brutal in the continent. Every time there is even the minimal amount of trouble or insults, they attack.

Definitely. Especially the Rio police, they shoot first and then ask questions. And they have a long history with the argentinian barras. 

I still can't believe CBF thought it was a good decision to mix argentinian and brazilian fans. Anyone with a brain knew it was a bad idea. Those idiots think we are in Europe. 

A fight broke out between argentinian and brazilian fans in Maracanã. 

Really stupid decision not to assign a sector of the stadium for the visiting fans. This is South America. 

9 minutes ago, Goku de la Boca said:

It is the first time I genuinely feel Brazil could lose at home in qualifying.

Yes. I would say it's the most probable result.

Brazil and Argentina tomorrow. Brazil coming from two defeats versus Uruguay and Colombia. 

I am really pessimistic, especially with Diniz sticking with a formation with only two midfielders. 

Hopefully, Endrick gets some playing time. That's all I am hoping for. 

I understand the anger of the argentinian people. Fernandez completely destroyed the economy.

At the same time, Milei seems more of the same. Argentina already tried liberalism with Menem in the 90s.

Dollarization and privatization has already been done in Argentina and it didn't end well the first time. 

The relationship with Brazil is one to watch here. Milei said he wouldn't trade with Brazil and China, since both countries are governed by leftists, but Brazil and China are their most important trade partners. He will need to back down, if only out of pure pragmatism. 

Having said that, Lula was extremely unwise to use his weight so the Development Bank of Latin America loaned 1 billion dollars to Argentina during the elections. Brazilian government clearly tried to influence the result of the argentinian election. 

Bellingham is unreal. So good. 

Bruno Guimarães with the assist. He didn't start the season at his usual level, but now he's playing very well again. I guess it should have been expected as it naturally takes some time to get used to Tonali in the midfield.

I think the two Bayern matches are crucial for ten Hag, considering Bayern's recent past of absolutely crushing opposition in Europe. 

3 hours ago, Carnivore Chris said:

Joao Félix is quality when he has his day. Such a talent but needs to learn how to unleash it more consistently. Maybe he can for Barcelona. 

Lewandowski now getting back into scoring form.

I can see Xavi's strongest front 3 as Yamal - Lewy - Félix as the games go by. Torres has improved this season, but for me is better as an impact sub. As for Raphinha, he's talented but he's not the player Barcelona need to go forward at all.

Balde starting this season as he was last season, brilliant.

Liking this team, it's only going to keep improving. 

 

Hopefully João Felix can find again his best form. He was so good at Benfica. 

On Raphinha, I agree. That was actually a weird signing. The numbers could prove it otherwise, but the eye-test says he's not a good fit for a team coached by Xavi. Tje way I see, his passing is a bit erratic for a team like Barça, that puts so much emphasis on ball possession. 

Glass Half Full: there are lots of questions around 777 Partners, but there are also some reasons for optimism for evertonians. 

From what I've seen at Vasco, 777 at least is willing to put significant ammounts of money to strenghten their teams. Their lack of success here in Brazil, so far, is not a fruit of insuficient investiment. Their budget at the start of the season was over 20 million dollars, which is a considerable ammount for brazilian football. They also spent a lot more recently, before the transfer window closed, in order to save Vasco from relegation, including the signings of Dimitri Payet and Gary Medel. 

The problem seems that they hired the wrong personnel to be put in charge of the club. Probably due to inexperience in how to manage a football club. At least now they have a really good coach in Ramon Diaz and, like I've mentioned earlier, signed better players. One could point that they are learning from their mistakes.

Everton fans should expect a significant ammount of reinforcements for Everton in the winter transfer window.

IMO part of their lack of success is certainly due to the inexperience but also due to the fact that almost all clubs they bought were in a tough position to begin with. Vasco despite being one the biggest football teams in Brazil had already 4 relegations behind them in the last 2 decades. 

Lastly, Everton is clearly the most valuable asset from their football portfolio. They have every reason to try to make it work. Milan in a super tight spot when another american group, Elliot, took over and look where they are now.

After the match against Peru, Richarlison told the press he is going to seek psychological help when he returns to England.

Hopefully he can get it together. His case reminds me of Harry Maguire, once you become the target of banter in social media, it can be really tough to perform. 

At the same time, I don't think his lack of performance is only due mental reasons. Everton fans probably know better, but it seems to me that Richarlison's best position is as a winger who works his socks off without the ball and produces a decent ammount of chances. I don't really think he finishes well enough to be a striker.

I thought van Gaal had retired from coaching after the World Cup. Having said that, I think he's a really good option for Germany. He's someone who can build a team and give it cohesion in a short time, and you can definitely count that he will demand german players to give it all. 

Germany needs a quick fix, to be somewhat competitive in less than a year and that was exactly what he did for Netherlands in last year's World Cup. He took over in 2021 and while his dutch team didn't play brilliant football, it was a really tough team to beat.

3 hours ago, Spike said:

You’d think that a club that has been in the premier league for the entire duration would have financial stability just from the TV revenue. The club should bloody run itself at this point.

Are there any teams in football that consistently make a profit from TV and attendance revenues? 

Brighton may make some decent money, I guess, but I am not sure it's sustainable to depend so much on player sales. I mean, you are always in need to find replacements and there is always a huge risk in recruiting new players.

In contrast to the american major leagues, it seems that football clubs have a really hard time from a financial point of view. 

I guess that's why 777 can take over a traditional club like Everton in Premier League for 600 million pounds, whereas even a team with a really small fanbase like the Miami Marlins was sold for more than a billion dollars. 

7 hours ago, The Palace Fan said:

After quickly googling 777 partners I'm astonished they're going to pass the fit and proper owners test.

Definitely. They own Vasco da Gama here in Brazil. So far, 777 has done a horrible job. The club is in the relegation zone, after their worst season start in history. If I'm not wrong, it could be 777's third relegation, after Genoa Hertha Berlin. 

A terrible record. Hopefully Everton can find a better ownership. 

2019/20 Bayern is one of the strongest teams I've ever seen, so I expected it Flick to do very well with the german NT. 

He seems completely lost though. Even if it that's not the best generation of players, Germany has a pretty good squad on paper. Funny thing is 06 team was weaker imo and Klinsmann is a worse coach than Hansi Flick. 

Any chance they ditch Hansi for Nagelsmann?