Real Madrid (3) 3-1 (2) PSG - Wednesday 9th March, 2022

[Cicero]

It's funny how Mbappe is the one leaving yet both Messi and Neymar are playing like they don't want to be there. Disjointed attack that doesn't press nor come back to help in defence. 

Verratti covered the ground for all three of them. He should be livid. 

[Asura]

2 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

I spit on the ground Real Madrid walks on. 

Can you be my friend 

[LFCMike]

32 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said:

I'm not watching the game because I cant be bothered but getting rid of the away goal rule was a good decision for me. It killed ties when a team got an away goal 

I was a fan of the away goal rule. Looking back over ties from a Liverpool point of view I think the jeopardy it created made Barcelona in 2019 all the greater achievement and the feeling when an away goal killed the tie against Man City a year earlier was unbelievable. I can definitely appreciate the other view point though. Real Madrid ended up getting 3 goals tonight but you have to question if they'd have got that had the away goals rule was in play. Mentally it did kill teams.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Just now, Devil-Dick Willie said:

Nah I disagree. 

It's well known I hate Neymar, and Icardi, and I think Mbappe is the pinnacle of PSG being overhyped bottlejobs

But one of these clubs is a top French club elevated by dirty money, the other is the father of the super league. I spit on the ground Real Madrid walks on. 

That's a fair point, and I think Real Madrid would never have been the club they were if they weren't elevated by Franco's meddling with Spanish football...

...but still, Real Madrid are European royalty and PSG are a club founded by a TV channel & bought out by sportwashing cunts that took an already plastic club and thought "let's make it so plastic, people will wonder if they can recycle it"

[Asura]

2 minutes ago, Cicero said:

It's funny how Mbappe is the one leaving yet both Messi and Neymar are playing like they don't want to be there. Disjointed attack that doesn't press nor come back to help in defence. 

Verratti covered the ground for all three of them. He should be livid. 

I thought Messi did alright, he retrieved the ball around his own box a couple of times when the others were tying to pass around and soak up the pressure from madrid in a scary way ... 

[Cicero]

1 minute ago, Asura said:

I thought Messi did alright, he retrieved the ball around his own box a couple of times when the others were tying to pass around and soak up the pressure from madrid in a scary way ... 

He's been playing in the same disinterested way since he's joined. Either this is an early pre-retirement for him, or he's just saving himself for the WC. 

Maybe both. 

[Devil-Dick Willie]

1 minute ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

That's a fair point, and I think Real Madrid would never have been the club they were if they weren't elevated by Franco's meddling with Spanish football...

...but still, Real Madrid are European royalty and PSG are a club founded by a TV channel & bought out by sportwashing cunts that took an already plastic club and thought "let's make it so plastic, people will wonder if they can recycle it"

Nah fuck off with your European Royalty shit. I hate it. No club has more of a right to be a success than any other. Sure, I can hate PSG or Chelski or City for their horrid owners, but Real being great in the 70s means fuck all to me. 

[Rick]

3 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

Nah fuck off with your European Royalty shit. I hate it. No club has more of a right to be a success than any other. Sure, I can hate PSG or Chelski or City for their horrid owners, but Real being great in the 70s means fuck all to me. 

They’ve been consistently great for decades and decades. 
 

I hate the cunts. But I hate more about this CURRENT PSG team. The likes of Neymar, Messi, DiMaria…detestable. 

[Machado]

Peak Mbappe is wasted at PSG.

[Dr. Gonzo]

7 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

Nah fuck off with your European Royalty shit. I hate it. No club has more of a right to be a success than any other. Sure, I can hate PSG or Chelski or City for their horrid owners, but Real being great in the 70s means fuck all to me. 

No club has the right to be more successful than others. Clubs earn the right to success by: being better than their opponents.

But the clubs that are successful over long periods of time are pretty impressive and imo more fun to watch in prestigious competitions than any Fizzy Pop FC or OilyBoy FC side could ever be. And if Real Madrid didn't have more of a right to success in this year's tournament, they wouldn't have managed to knock PSG out.

[Devil-Dick Willie]

8 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

No club has the right to be more successful than others. Clubs earn the right to success by: being better than their opponents.

But the clubs that are successful over long periods of time are pretty impressive and imo more fun to watch in prestigious competitions than any Fizzy Pop FC or OilyBoy FC side could ever be. And if Real Madrid didn't have more of a right to success in this year's tournament, they wouldn't have managed to knock PSG out.

So Athletico had more of a right when they floored you? Or you had more of a right when you arseholed Barca from a sneaky behind? That's bullshit too. 

Also, I don't measure how much I enjoy a game by who's got the biggest trophy cabinet, I want to watch teams who play good football. Or, watch teams I hate lose. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

12 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

So Athletico had more of a right when they floored you? Or you had more of a right when you arseholed Barca from a sneaky behind? That's bullshit too. 

Also, I don't measure how much I enjoy a game by who's got the biggest trophy cabinet, I want to watch teams who play good football. Or, watch teams I hate lose. 

Yeah? Of course they did. Atletico profited off shithousing and capitalising off mistakes we made despite "playing better" - of course they had the right to play like that and if they could capitalise off mistakes when we couldn't make the most of our chances... why wouldn't they have more of a right to continue in the tournament?

If Barca had more of a right to carry on in the tournament, they wouldn't have assumed they'd fucking won despite only winning one leg of the tournament. They maybe could have given themselves the right to carry on if they hadn't shut down on that corner we took quickly.

Their keeper was shouting at his defenders to be paying more attention while defending that corner... as the ball was 2/3 of the way to Origi who would then go on to score the winner  if they had the right to carry on that year, they wouldn't have been dogshit at Anfield and let us score 4 with no reply... and with 2 of our better attacking players missing. Like how on earth would Barca have had the right to carry on to the final after that? 

Today a side I hate, but respect, ended up knocking out a side I hate and don't respect. So I'll enjoy that.

[RandoEFC+]

Suggesting that Real Madrid's success is more legitimate than PSG's because they've been an elite club for longer speaks to the same "pull up the drawbridge" mentality that led to the whole Super League fiasco, just to a lesser extent.

Since football started accepting the capitalism on steroids which allowed Real Madrid, Man Utd and the other rich and elite clubs to set their advantages pretty much in stone, when they could have introduced budget caps or other measures to at least make sure that these teams didn't establish themselves as permanent top/rich clubs even when they were absolutely incompetent (see Man Utd post-Fergie), the only way to actually become an elite club then was to get the backing of someone insanely rich like a Russian oligarch or a human rights-abusing Royal Family from the Middle East who need to improve their image.

This situation was created by your Real Madrids when they invested their energy into becoming multinational powerhouses instead of football clubs so that they'd have an absolutely crushing headstart on their rivals every season, instead of earning their place at the top by being actually better than everyone year in, year out.

Nowadays, we have Financial "Fair" Play, which stops teams from fully doing a PSG or Man City by introducing a budget cap which actually punishes the teams who are not already being incredibly wealthy and successful and reduces their opportunities to mix it with the elite through good investment, recruitment and decision-making, which is what should actually be rewarded in sport.

So we've gone from the only way to "earn" a place at the top table is to buy it, to there is no viable way to reach the top table. A lot of fans of the Super League clubs were horrified at the idea of it because it "pulled up the drawbridge". There is no drawbridge. Man Utd and Arsenal don't "earn" their place in Europe every season because they're run better than Leicester or make better decisions than Brighton. They couldn’t get themselves relegated if they tried. They stay up there because they created a landscape years and years ago where they can never fall below a certain point. PSG, Chelsea and Man City created the same advantage for themselves using the only options that were left open to them.

[Devil-Dick Willie]

3 minutes ago, RondónEFC said:

Suggesting that Real Madrid's success is more legitimate than PSG's because they've been an elite club for longer speaks to the same "pull up the drawbridge" mentality that led to the whole Super League fiasco, just to a lesser extent.

Since football started accepting the capitalism on steroids which allowed Real Madrid, Man Utd and the other rich and elite clubs to set their advantages pretty much in stone, when they could have introduced budget caps or other measures to at least make sure that these teams didn't establish themselves as permanent top/rich clubs even when they were absolutely incompetent (see Man Utd post-Fergie), the only way to actually become an elite club then was to get the backing of someone insanely rich like a Russian oligarch or a human rights-abusing Royal Family from the Middle East who need to improve their image.

This situation was created by your Real Madrids when they invested their energy into becoming multinational powerhouses instead of football clubs so that they'd have an absolutely crushing headstart on their rivals every season, instead of earning their place at the top by being actually better than everyone year in, year out.

Nowadays, we have Financial "Fair" Play, which stops teams from fully doing a PSG or Man City by introducing a budget cap which actually punishes the teams who are not already being incredibly wealthy and successful and reduces their opportunities to mix it with the elite through good investment, recruitment and decision-making, which is what should actually be rewarded in sport.

So we've gone from the only way to "earn" a place at the top table is to buy it, to there is no viable way to reach the top table. A lot of fans of the Super League clubs were horrified at the idea of it because it "pulled up the drawbridge". There is no drawbridge. Man Utd and Arsenal don't "earn" their place in Europe every season because they're run better than Leicester or make better decisions than Brighton. They couldn’t get themselves relegated if they tried. They stay up there because they created a landscape years and years ago where they can never fall below a certain point. PSG, Chelsea and Man City created the same advantage for themselves using the only options that were left open to them.

Hit the nail on the head. FFP was hastily brought in not to 'protect clubs from carless investors' but to save the elite from the emerging Manchester city, PSG, Malaga and Anzi class that had popped up over the last decade. Now, they peddle their snobbery as a means of shaming fans into following them, and investing their money into the 'old money' European clubs over the new class. 

It's sickening. Fuck the established order. 

[Viva la FCB+]

I dont like Madrid but seeing that PSG collapse warmed my heart a bit. That team goes as far as Veratti and Mbappe can carry them. Neymar was his usual garbage self and Messi was average again.. will probably win another Ballonfuck though.

[Dr. Gonzo]

15 hours ago, RondónEFC said:

Suggesting that Real Madrid's success is more legitimate than PSG's because they've been an elite club for longer speaks to the same "pull up the drawbridge" mentality that led to the whole Super League fiasco, just to a lesser extent.

 

16 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

If Real Madrid didn't have more of a right to success in this year's tournament, they wouldn't have managed to knock PSG out.

I’ve said I hate both clubs and I’m glad to see PSG knocked out?

Apparently PSG deserved to win because of the Super League & we should just disregard the 3 goals they shipped because they’re trying to buy success at the expense of the “old guard clubs”?

But what about the 3 goals scored by Benzema that PSG had no answer to? What about people that have absolutely no love for PSG at all? They basically represent almost everything I hate about modern football, tbh.

And tbf a half-Iranin guy with family back in Iran is never going to like a club owned by Qatar, the UAE or the Saudis because those clubs directly profit off the economic war waged against ordinary Iranians, so as far as I’m concerned those clubs are all irredeemable scum and shouldn’t be allowed to exist.

Fuck pulling the drawbridge up, it’s not like spending guarantees success. United have spent more than City in 10 years and struggle to keep up. Everton have spent absolute shitloads and are battling to stay in the league.

Forgive me for finding Real Madrid, a despicable club, more appealing than a club designed to sportwash the Qataris.

Loved seeing their president’s tantrum after the match. Too bad he’ll go home to his comfy life

[RandoEFC+]

5 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Apparently PSG deserved to win because of the Super League & we should just disregard the 3 goals they shipped because they’re trying to buy success at the expense of the “old guard clubs”?

Never said any of this.

5 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

But what about the 3 goals scored by Benzema that PSG had no answer to? What about people that have absolutely no love for PSG at all? They basically represent almost everything I hate about modern football, tbh.

Never said any of this either. I was responding to the perceived "illegitimacy" of PSG's success compared to Real Madrid. I didn't even watch the game. I, myself, came in this thread to laugh a bit at PSG because I'd seen that the score had changed from 2-0 on aggregate to 3-2 the other way.

7 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

And tbf a half-Iranin guy with family back in Iran is never going to like a club owned by Qatar, the UAE or the Saudis because those clubs directly profit off the economic war waged against ordinary Iranians, so as far as I’m concerned those clubs are all irredeemable scum and shouldn’t be allowed to exist.

I can't remember if I covered this in my original post but I very much object to the activities off the pitch of PSG and Man City's owners. However, the criticism consistently lobbed at them is about how they "buy success", not where the money comes from. The gross immorality of those owners is one issue, whether it's more "legitimate" to fast track a pathway to the top table through unthinkable spending than to merely exist at the top of the pyramid because that's where you happened to be when the pecking order got locked into place is a separate issue.

11 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Fuck pulling the drawbridge up, it’s not like spending guarantees success. United have spent more than City in 10 years and struggle to keep up. Everton have spent absolute shitloads and are battling to stay in the league.

If this is true, then why do Man Utd still qualify for Europe every season. Spending alone doesn't guarantee success but it does determine your position in the food chain within certain limits. Man Utd are at the bottom of where they can feasibly fall. They don't keep finishing in the top 4 or at least the top 6 every year because their management, recruitment, decision-making is the top 4 or the top 6 in England. It happens because they're fucking loaded. And they're loaded because they earned their place at the top throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. There is no feasible possibility that Man Utd can actually fall any further down the food chain because of this.

You mention Everton, clubs like us are guilty of the same thing on a smaller scale. The way Everton has been run in the last decade is the absolute image of incompetence, we don't deserve to be in the Premier League. The management of the club has been one step short of outright sabotage for the same period of time as Man Utd. There are easily way more than 20 clubs whose sporting operation is superior to ours. But because we have a significant financial advantage over the vast majority of these clubs, it hasn't mattered. It has taken 6-7 years of setting ourselves on fire for us to be at serious risk of losing our top flight status.

My point is, football is supposed to be a sport, and the balance between financial advantage and sporting competence determining the pecking order is completely out of whack. In this regard, PSG and Real Madrid are no different. 

I don't have any beef at all with hating PSG or Man City. In fact, I hate Manchester City so much because of their ownership that I even flirt with preferring to see Liverpool win the league ahead of them. For the reasons I've laid out in both of my posts, though, I do believe that if you place the very clear human rights issues surrounding the ownership of these sorts of clubs to one side, and comment purely on how "legitimate" or "earned" the success of an oil club is compared to one of the long-time European greats, it isn't that much different. Both of them have 99% of the competition beaten before they get out of bed.

And to be clear, I had no beef with your specific comments if that's what you thought. Just adding my two cents on peoples' general attitude.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Fair points, & I think we would all agree football would be more interesting if it could go back to how it was in the 60s and 70s when a promoted side could suddenly be immediate title contenders back when the record fees (which were honestly probably huge at the time) don’t seem anywhere near as obscene and grotesque as they do now.

Also I guess I took what you said personally for no reason  whoopsies.

Like I said earlier, much of Madrid’s early success is also built on being a propaganda tool for Franco - so it’s not as though they got to the top with clean hands either.

I just really fucking hate PSG

[Viva la FCB+]

18 hours ago, Tommy said:

David Alaba though. 

I noticed that too wtf 

[RandoEFC+]

1 hour ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Also I guess I took what you said personally for no reason

No worries, I can relate .

[Happy Blue]

Well if we get Madrid next i hope they can give us a game 

[Viva la FCB+]

I choose to believe every single one of these claims is true.

According to Marca, Neymar and Donnarumma became involved in a blame game and the argument became more heated at the final whistle. The two players had to be separated in the dressing room to prevent them coming to blows, the Spanish newspaper said.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino faces the sack as the Parisians’ wait for their holy grail Champions League win goes on. Le Parisien in France said both Pochettino and the French club’s Sporting Director Leonardo would both pay the price for the defeat.

‘The present is all I can deal with,’ said Pochettino. ‘As for the future, what will be will be. We play to compete and to win. It’s a hard blow to take but we have to keep a calm head now.’

Football Espana:

Following Paris Saint-Germain‘s Champions League elimination at the hands of Real Madrid, President of the French club Nasser Al-Khelaifi went on a rampage through the bowels of Santiago Bernabeu. The story, carried by Diario AS, was described as ‘frankly unpleasant’ by reporter Monica Marchante who witnessed the incident.

Incensed by yet another collapse in the Champions League, Al-Khelaifi was seen charging through the corridors of the Bernabeu, shouting. Supposedly, he was on the hunt for the changing room which housed match referee Danny Makkelie.

Unable to find the Dutch referee, he burst into the office of Real Madrid delegate Megia Davila. One Real Madrid employee was recording the incident on their phone, which enraged Al-Khelaifi even further as he slapped the phone out their hand.

According to Javier Herraez of Caden SER, the PSG owner had demanded that the employee delete the images. Accompanied by Sporting Director Leonardo, Herraez confirmed that Al-Khelaifi had been heard shouting “I’m going to kill you.”

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

7 minutes ago, Viva la FCB said:

I choose to believe every single one of these claims is true.

I really hope the claims are true, that is hilarious