Everything Soccer

[Rogue219]

Virgil Van Dijk didn't take part in the Southampton team picture today. Injured players did.

Pretty certain now he's going to move.

If this Neymar transfer actually happens, World Football will be upside down if the fee is what they're saying it could be.

 

[NorthDakota]

Virgil Van Dijk didn't take part in the Southampton team picture today. Injured players did.

Pretty certain now he's going to move.

If this Neymar transfer actually happens, World Football will be upside down if the fee is what they're saying it could be.

VVD was born to play for Klopp

 

[Emcee77]

VVD was born to play for Klopp

Speaking of, who do you root for when Liverpool play Bayern? (as they are now, while I type this.)

LFC looked awfully sharp in the first half. Mane and Salah on the wings with Firmino between them ... tasty.

I am surprised Moreno started at left back. Does Klopp intend to hang on to him? I thought for sure he would be sold once Robertson came aboard. But Moreno is certainly playing like a guy who intends to fight for his place. By all accounts he was one of the stars of the first half today.

It's also possible that LFC wanted Moreno to play with the starters as an audition for potential buyers. I've seen clubs play that trick before. For example, two seasons ago, Adnan Januzaj got quality early-season starts for Man U, and then just when you thought it might mean somebody thought he had a future there, he was shipped out to Sunderland.

 

[NorthDakota]

Speaking of, who do you root for when Liverpool play Bayern? (as they are now, while I type this.)

LFC looked awfully sharp in the first half. Mane and Salah on the wings with Firmino between them ... tasty.

I am surprised Moreno started at left back. Does Klopp intend to hang on to him? I thought for sure he would be sold once Robertson came aboard. But Moreno is certainly playing like a guy who intends to fight for his place. By all accounts he was one of the stars of the first half today.

It's also possible that LFC wanted Moreno to play with the starters as an audition for potential buyers. I've seen clubs play that trick before.

I will cheer for whomever has a better shot at winning Champions League.

In friendlies, I don't care. probably Pool, more important for them to have a good start to the season. I have a weird love for Moreno. He makes me so mad but he's such a goofball.

 

[Emcee77]

I will cheer for whomever has a better shot at winning Champions League.

In friendlies, I don't care. probably Pool, more important for them to have a good start to the season. I have a weird love for Moreno. He makes me so mad but he's such a goofball.

I could not agree more. He has been totally unreliable since he came to LFC but he is a guy I root hard for, for some reason. I honestly think it might be that clip of him trying to get Sturridge to teach him the wiggly-arms celebration. One way or another, I would really like to see Liverpool find a way to keep him, in spite of myself.

 

[Rogue219]

Could Moreno have any value as a winger? He's not getting left back time over Milner or Robertson.

 

[Emcee77]

Could Moreno have any value as a winger? He's not getting left back time over Milner or Robertson.

For me, his most natural position is wingback in some sort of 3-4-3 or similar formation, a la Marcos Alonso at Chelsea. Klopp did experiment with a back 3 at times last year, and to the extent he intends to do more of that this year, there might be a genuine argument for keeping Moreno. But it certainly appears from preseason that Klopp is not planning to use a back 3 much, if at all -- which is a real shame for Moreno ... he has Marcos Alonso's brilliant left foot but Victor Moses's athleticism. Could be a really good wingback in the right team. But anyway, barring a change to that kind of system, I don't know where Moreno fits in.

I do not see him as a forward winger for LFC. He is good at getting forward on that left side and getting crosses in, not getting forward and angling toward goal, which is how Klopp tends to like his wingers to play.

The other possibility is that, with Lucas leaving the club and LFC failing to sign a midfielder, Klopp wants to carry Robertson, Moreno AND Milner so that Milner can provide depth in the midfield.

 

[Emcee77]

Wow, so apparently Neymar to PSG is happening?? Messi saying his goodbyes on insta:

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:28.10185185185185% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BXSt62SFYWj/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Fue un placer enorme haber compartido todos estos años con vos, amigo @neymarjr. Te deseo mucha suerte en esta nueva etapa de tu vida. Nos vemos Tkm</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-08-02T13:05:53+00:00">Aug 2, 2017 at 6:05am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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So that means PSG will spend 222M euro to release Neymar from his Barca contract? That's just an outrageous fee.

And it means Barca will be able to throw stupid money at Coutinho. Let's hope PSG can't raise the funds to make this happen.

 

[NorthDakota]

Wow, so apparently Neymar to PSG is happening?? Messi saying his goodbyes on insta:

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:28.10185185185185% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BXSt62SFYWj/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Fue un placer enorme haber compartido todos estos años con vos, amigo @neymarjr. Te deseo mucha suerte en esta nueva etapa de tu vida. Nos vemos Tkm</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-08-02T13:05:53+00:00">Aug 2, 2017 at 6:05am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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So that means PSG will spend 222M euro to release Neymar from his Barca contract? That's just an outrageous fee.

And it means Barca will be able to throw stupid money at Coutinho. Let's hope PSG can't raise the funds to make this happen.

I hope Barca tries... And gets shut down. Pool own Coutinho and have plenty of money. Welcome to the NWO. Prem money is absurd.

 

[Emcee77]

It's true we don't need the money, but I hear conflicting things every day about whether Coutinho is interested in leaving. Coutinho to Barca always seemed illogical to me because I couldn't see how Coutinho would get into Barca's best 11 anyway. Neymar leaving changes that. So for me, it all depends on whether Coutinho decides that now he WANTS to go to Barca. If the player agitates for a move, I could see some dominoes starting to fall. But I hope not.

 

[dublinirish]

It's true we don't need the money, but I hear conflicting things every day about whether Coutinho is interested in leaving. Coutinho to Barca always seemed illogical to me because I couldn't see how Coutinho would get into Barca's best 11 anyway. Neymar leaving changes that. So for me, it all depends on whether Coutinho decides that now he WANTS to go to Barca. If the player agitates for a move, I could see some dominoes starting to fall. But I hope not.

arguably the best reason for phil to go to BCN was to play with Neymar, his buddy. Now Neymar is gone I doubt he would go there.

 

[NorthDakota]

It's true we don't need the money, but I hear conflicting things every day about whether Coutinho is interested in leaving. Coutinho to Barca always seemed illogical to me because I couldn't see how Coutinho would get into Barca's best 11 anyway. Neymar leaving changes that. So for me, it all depends on whether Coutinho decides that now he WANTS to go to Barca. If the player agitates for a move, I could see some dominoes starting to fall. But I hope not.

I think Phil would slide into their midfield?

I like him there more than on the wing anyway.

 

[Rogue219]

For me, his most natural position is wingback in some sort of 3-4-3 or similar formation, a la Marcos Alonso at Chelsea. Klopp did experiment with a back 3 at times last year, and to the extent he intends to do more of that this year, there might be a genuine argument for keeping Moreno. But it certainly appears from preseason that Klopp is not planning to use a back 3 much, if at all -- which is a real shame for Moreno ... he has Marcos Alonso's brilliant left foot but Victor Moses's athleticism. Could be a really good wingback in the right team. But anyway, barring a change to that kind of system, I don't know where Moreno fits in.

I do not see him as a forward winger for LFC. He is good at getting forward on that left side and getting crosses in, not getting forward and angling toward goal, which is how Klopp tends to like his wingers to play.

The other possibility is that, with Lucas leaving the club and LFC failing to sign a midfielder, Klopp wants to carry Robertson, Moreno AND Milner so that Milner can provide depth in the midfield.

Defensively, Moreno's still one of the worst I've ever laid eyes on.

 

[Emcee77]

arguably the best reason for phil to go to BCN was to play with Neymar, his buddy. Now Neymar is gone I doubt he would go there.

I think Phil would slide into their midfield?

I like him there more than on the wing anyway.

Both good points. I have heard that part of Neymar's dissatisfaction with Barca was the absence of any other Brazilians; not sure Couts wants to slide into that same situation, with Neymar gone. And I too would expect Couts's long-term future at Barca to be in midfield, but would he replace one of Iniesta or Rakitic or Busquets right now? I kind of doubt it.

Defensively, Moreno's still one of the worst I've ever laid eyes on.

Totally unreliable defensively, it's true. He's a hard runner who makes good recovery tackles occasionally, but he also makes incredibly bone-headed decisions, and he lacks positional discipline.

 

[Cackalacky]

Proud of Liverpool versus Bayern yesterday. There were some really good points. Mane and Salah look dangerous as wings. Bobby is turning into a great #9. WTF Moreno LOL! Where has that been?

RE: Phil, I think it makes sense for him to stay this year with Liverpool. My guys I get info from however are leaning towards him leaving but the crystal ball is foggy.

 

[nlroma1o]

The word on the street is that Mahrez hopped on a plane last night to get a physical with AS Roma. Could be a great addition to winger depth for Roma.

 

[NDinL.A.]

Barcelona is my number one club team, but for the Premier League, when Fernando Torres was basically the number one striker in the world playing for Liverpool a decade ago, the Reds became my “Prem” team.

So the Couthino thing has had me torn. I have always thought he would be coming to Barca, but I thought it would be next year. His game is puro Barca, and he is natural, perfect replacement for Iniesta. I can’t think of another player in the world whose game fits the midfield at Barca as much as Coutinho.

At the same time, I HATE to take him away from Liverpool this early, especially with the Champions League looking and the Premier League so deep and loaded. I feel bad for my side piece (‘Pool), but with Neymar gone, we simply HAVE to replace him somehow. Coutinho and hopefully Veratti will be the replacements, I believe. We’ll see if it goes through though.

 

[Emcee77]

His game is puro Barca, and he is natural, perfect replacement for Iniesta. I can’t think of another player in the world whose game fits the midfield at Barca as much as Coutinho.

Yes, this. He doesn't have quite as much running power as Iniesta, but other than that, when he plays in midfield, Coutinho reminds me very much of Iniesta. Same smoothness and speed of thought.

 

[ACamp1900]

Celtic just won at Rosenborg,... they are now guaranteed a Europa group stage spot at worst... kind of ridiculous they have to go through all these qualification rounds but whatever.

 

[dublinirish]

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[IrishLion]

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The assist on Cincinnati's goal was from Justin Hoyte, formerly of Arsenal and Middlesbrough fame, for those paying attention. He's still a tremendous defender, and saves the juice for some nice runs when needed.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Who else!!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/baye_djiby">@baye_djiby</a> puts <a href="https://twitter.com/fccincinnati">@fccincinnati</a> ahead in the <a href="https://twitter.com/opencup">@opencup</a>!! His FOURTH goal in the tournament! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIAvCIN?src=hash">#MIAvCIN</a> <a href="https://t.co/TGW7GwMLA1">pic.twitter.com/TGW7GwMLA1</a></p>— USL (@USL) <a href="https://twitter.com/USL/status/892917425104191488">August 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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[Emcee77]

Wow. I mean, what the hell.

La Liga refuses to accept PSG cash for Barcelona's Neymar - ESPN FC

So La Liga refuses to accept PSG's check because they believe PSG is violating financial fair play regulations.

I have to admit, I too wondered whether PSG can really afford to drop 222m euro on one player. But I don't see how it's really any of La Liga's business.

I wonder if PSG is going to have to start selling everybody off. And if so, if Julian Draxler wants to come play for Liverpool, I'd have no problem with that.

 

[dublinirish]

Wow. I mean, what the hell.

La Liga refuses to accept PSG cash for Barcelona's Neymar - ESPN FC

So La Liga refuses to accept PSG's check because they believe PSG is violating financial fair play regulations.

I have to admit, I too wondered whether PSG can really afford to drop 222m euro on one player. But I don't see how it's really any of La Liga's business.

I wonder if PSG is going to have to start selling everybody off. And if so, if Julian Draxler wants to come play for Liverpool, I'd have no problem with that.

i don't think you realise how much cash in the attic the Qatari government has..

 

[NorthDakota]

Wow. I mean, what the hell.

La Liga refuses to accept PSG cash for Barcelona's Neymar - ESPN FC

So La Liga refuses to accept PSG's check because they believe PSG is violating financial fair play regulations.

I have to admit, I too wondered whether PSG can really afford to drop 222m euro on one player. But I don't see how it's really any of La Liga's business.

I wonder if PSG is going to have to start selling everybody off. And if so, if Julian Draxler wants to come play for Liverpool, I'd have no problem with that.

Julian Draxler....yum.

 

[nlroma1o]

PSG can afford a whole squad of Neymar's if they wanted to. Fun fact I learned googling PSG ownership group, their chairman is also the CEO of BeIN Media Group, who was at one time a professional tennis player.

 

[Emcee77]

i don't think you realise how much cash in the attic the Qatari government has..

PSG can afford a whole squad of Neymar's if they wanted to. Fun fact I learned googling PSG ownership group, their chairman is also the CEO of BeIN Media Group, who was at one time a professional tennis player.

Ha no doubt funds are not a problem with all that Qatari natural gas cash ... but FFP is a problem right? Don't they have to be able to show that they haven't spent more over a three year period than they made, plus €90M (€30M/year)? I'm no expert on this so feel free to enlighten me.

Julian Draxler....yum.

Yeah. I would love it.

 

[dublinirish]

Ha no doubt funds are not a problem with all that Qatari natural gas cash ... but FFP is a problem right? Don't they have to be able to show that they haven't spent more over a three year period than they made, plus €90M (€30M/year)? I'm no expert on this so feel free to enlighten me.

Neymar: How can Paris Saint-Germain afford the £199m Barcelona star, what about Financial Fair Play and how do buy-out clauses work? A lawyer explains | City A.M.

How do PSG square such a big one-off fee with FFP?

The buying club paying in instalments or one-off payment doesn’t make much difference from an accounting perspective.

This is because PSG will account for the transfer in their FFP submissions by way of amortisation of the overall fee divided by the years of Neymar’s contract.

Even if it is paid in one lump sum the accounting cost per season will only be, in say a five-year deal, a fifth of the overall number.

It’s likely they will have to push through a lot of pretty lucrative commercial deals or maybe even more likely sell a number of players to recoup enough revenues to adhere to the FFP regulations.

If say, PSG have made profit in previous years for FFP accounting purposes, then that goes some way to subsidising any subsequent loss from the transfer of Neymar.

 

[Emcee77]

Interesting. Just as I always suspected, FFP accounting is black magic.

 

[dublinirish]

Interesting. Just as I always suspected, FFP accounting is black magic.

haha yeah speaking of accounting

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jul/31/cristiano-ronaldo-denies-tax-evasion-madrid-court

In a rare attack of camera-shyness, Cristiano Ronaldo hid from the 200 journalists waiting outside the Madrid court where he is under investigation for tax evasion and then, having promised to make a statement, snuck back out without a word.

The Real Madrid and Portugal forward spent 90 minutes in court being questioned by judge Mónica Ferrer Gómez over allegations that from 2011 to 2014 he defrauded the Spanish treasury of €14.7m in taxes.

It is alleged that he concealed income from the sale of image rights through a financial structure that diverted the money via Ireland to a tax haven in the British Virgin Islands.

He disappointed waiting media and fans when he arrived at court via the back door. However, he said he would speak to the media after the hearing, and journalists from some 20 countries waited for two hours in the 30C heat for him to appear.

B ut instead they were presented with his media representative, Iñaki Torres, who was roundly booed when he announced that Ronaldo had already left for home after the preliminary hearing, which was held in camera. “He didn’t change his mind,” Torres said. “This was always an alternative.”

According to his lawyers, Ronaldo “didn’t break any laws, all he did was follow criteria that the tax inspectors don’t like”. It is not a case of fraud, they insist, but of a difference of opinion.

However, the anti-corruption judges claim that Ronaldo used three shell companies to conceal part of his income.

The allegations have parallels with the case against his great rival Leo Messi, who last year was found guilty of tax fraud to the tune of €4.1m. He was fined €2m and was sentenced to 21 months’ prison, reduced on appeal to 15 months. Under Spanish law, sentences of less than two years can be served on probation.

During the trial Messi said he signed whatever his father, who is also his representative, asked him to, while his father claimed he had acted on what he believed was good advice. However, in such cases ignorance is not a valid defence.

At this stage Ronaldo is only under investigation but if, after the hearing on Monday, the judge believes there is a case to answer, he will face formal charges of tax evasion.

 

[Emcee77]

I still can't believe it's happening.

Barcelona terminate Neymar's contract after accepted €222 million fee - ESPN FC

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Oh Neymar, there is only one direction to go from <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona">@FCBarcelona</a> and that's backwards.</p>— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) <a href="https://twitter.com/GaryLineker/status/892795020411097089">August 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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There's definitely some truth to it. I get that he has his reasons, including the opportunity to play with more Brazilians, I guess? But still.