All Activity

Should be one we go for in that 50 mil range. Isak would have been great but people here acted he was average after a little dip where he no doubt knew he was leaving. Wouldn’t be shocked to see people dismiss this move as well.

Yeah it's a super long shot. Still, it's one game, and they've fucked up against lesser teams before; it does not happen often, but it does happen. Early yellow or red for an important player and everything changes. A blunder, and it's a different game. Yes, we are more likely to make blunders than they are 😅 still one can hope. It's an exciting moment, and I'm sure Poch is telling the players exactly that. After all the pressure is on them, and not our young side.

If we don't have a good defense, we won't be competitive in the premier league. Getting results like 3-2, 4-3 etc is not sustainable. Palmer is the star right now but you can bet going into next season that he will definitely be aggressively marked by the opposition players and they will start the tactical fouling (just like how teams used to go for Hazard with those nasty challenges). That would mean we remain in 10th spot for 2+ seasons and there is every chance players will start to leave without European football. Poch isn't the answer, he can help in the short term but if we want to get back to being in the mix for top 4, we need a better manager and a much much better defensive structure.

KDB could play a cameo role from the bench and he'd destroy our defense for fun. Either way, it won't matter. If City's players feel like turning up and putting in a decent shift, they'll get the win.

Barcelona have opened talks with talented midfielder Marc Casadó over a new long-term deal. Talks are ongoing and advancing well over a three-year contract until June 2027, as Barça consider Casadó an important talent for the present and future. Ronald Araújo on Gundogan’s comments on his red card after the PSG game: “I’d rather keep to myself what I really think… I have my own codes and values that I think you need to respect.” Ronald Araújo: “The subject of extending my contract is going well. At the end of the season we will sit down together with the club. I am very happy in Barcelona and I am always going to give everything until the end.” Luis Enrique open to becoming Barcelona manager again [3Cat]

Twist in Ronald Araujo saga https://thedailybriefing.io/i/143738370/huge-twist-in-ronald-araujo-saga What I can say is that right now, there's no negotiations ongoing. His agents and Bayern Munich spoke and negotiated a lot during the month of January, that much is true. But an important issue is the manager of Bayern Munich next season. I know that Julian Nagelsmann, who was one of the candidates to take over but has renewed his deal with Germany, loved Ronald Araujo. This could impact matters. Bayern will have a a huge budget for signings for this summer, but the talks between Bayern and Araujo are from months ago. It remains the case that Araujo still hasn't reached an agreement over a new contract with Barcelona, but we shall have to wait to see how it plays out in the coming months. Nagelsmann was a big reason that the deal could have happened though, and he wanted Araujo, but now it could depend on who the next Bayern coach is.

Jonathan David has two Serie A giants after him, but Premier League move still likely https://thedailybriefing.io/i/143738370/jonathan-david-has-two-serie-a-giants-after-him-but-premier-league-move-still-likely Jonathan David is liked by several Italian teams, Napoli and Milan are the ones that have enquired about him. But the crucial matter is the cost of the deal. Between the price, and the fact that David is asking for a high salary, this makes it difficult for Milan and Napoli, and so I'm told that the Premier League is still his most likely destination.

I am not sure. When the CL winner is among the top 5, one place gets pushed down the table but I am quite sure the same would not happen if the EL winner also came from that country. But if Roma or Atalanta finish 6th or worse and win EL, then yes, there will be 6 Italian teams in CL

Former Chelsea Women first choice keeper Ann-Katrin Berger (33), who recently found herself relegated to third choice, and whose contract was due to expire this summer, has signed for Gotham FC in the NWSL. The NWSL has been flexing it's financial muscle leading into its latest season which started last month. For a long time the US league was regarded as the best in the world and attracted all of the top players. European leagues, most notably the WSL and Ligue 1 in France have gained ground, but the NWSL has decided to reassert itself. It must be said mind you that many of it's captures this year have been in the veteran stage of their careers. These include former Blues superstar So Yun Ji (33) who joined Seattle Reign in January after leaving Cobham in July 2022. Meanwhile Canadian Captain Jessie Fleming (25) also moved Stateside from Chelsea to get more playing time with Portland Thorns. https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/ann-katrin-berger-completes-transfer-to-nj-ny-gotham-fc Thank you AKB. All the best in the USA.

Once again, you are only talking about the Starting XI. Please, count how many times during a season the same players who start a game play for the 90 min these days. I can tell you right now if you don't want to check: zero. I agree that Kovacic does not offer anything up front, and yet he's still better passer than Caicedo who offers even less in the final third. That was the case before City signed him, wasn't it? So, I suggest that regarding Kova, the fault is in your analysis, not the player. My reading of his game is that he's an excellent short range passer, and master at keeping possession: he can withstand pressure by quick changes of direction and short dribbling having full control of the the football at all times. You are talking about quality, or perceived quality as each to his own, but I'm referring to characteristics; what can a player do on the pitch versus what a different player can do even in the same position. Is one better than the other in every aspect of the game? I don't see that very often at this level exception to a few WC players. I usually see tradeoffs with most players. Is Enzo better than RLC? yes, far higher value too. Can RLC do things Enzo can't do? absolutely! He has an aerial presence, size and power to play in tight spaces. Fact is we have very few options in midfield at this time, especially in terms of characteristics. Lavia is a funny one though: I've been hearing he will help us in the final third, and now you are saying he will help as a DM; dunno where he will be able to help us, but so far he's just a fad. And? He's still fairly young. Will you think the same if in a year or two from now he recovers his fitness and form, and delivers good performances for club and country? I tend to give credit to players who once played very well vs others who never did, but that's me. Has Mudryk done any better than Mount's last 2 seasons?

Kova for example offers nothing in the final third. Gallagher and Enzo are having much superior season. Conor has 5g 8a and Enzo scored 7. Their biggest problem is that they don't have Rodri behind them or in our case Lavia. Chris is always exposed in back 4. This version of Mount of last 2 seasons is not even worth mentioning. Nkunku out was big blow but Palmer showed Kai and others what was expected from them and they were nowhere near.

kova and havertz are playing shit in city and arsenal respective Im looling at bluemoon and arsenal mania and there are several critics to both

Disagree, we miss them all very much so. You are thinking Starting XI - would still disagree there as Pulisic and Mount both shit on Mudryk - but considering our bench options, I have a hard time understanding how we'd not be missing good players (regardless of how one rates them). We even miss RLC because he'd be able to come in an offer something different from what we have. 🤷‍♂️ Rudi is a World Class, agreed. That's besides the point though, we have a total of one WC playing in the squad right now (and another one by name only).

Put Haaland in pocket twice. Told Lunin where Kova gonna shot and scored last pen. Leader we need. People like to romanticize our ex players for example no we don't miss Kovacic, Mount, Havertz, Christensen... But Rudi is different kind.

Don’t know where else to post this https://nltimes.nl/2024/04/19/dutch-football-strips-vitesse-18-points-slowing-russia-sanctions-investigation

Even if Coventry got to the final by a miracle , poch will still piss himself

The thing is even in the unlikely case we beat them by some lucky charm I could never celebrate cos we are guaranteed to lose the final.

People still deluding themselves that poch isn’t complete dogshit and will actually win trophies given enough time 😂

Drawing with sheffield and Burnley isn’t momentum , we will get torn apart vs arsenal , Tottenham and city tomorrow too.

We didn't lose 12 games. 2 and a half months.

Agree, they will both play. Would Alvarez be such a downgrade from Haaland at this time? maybe at pure finishing inside the box, but an actual improvement in other areas too.

I wager they both will play. This smells like Pep bullshit mind games.

We are on the up and I expect to finish the season strong. Despite last season that we finish woeful. So I see that as momentum.

The 2024–25 Premier League will be the 33rd season of the Premier League and the 126th season of top-flight English football overall. In keeping with previous commitments made to clubs to address the congested schedule across Christmas and New Year, arrangements will be made to allow more rest time over three of the festive match rounds, with no club playing within 60 hours of another match. There will be no fixture on 24 December 2024. The fixtures are set to be released on Wednesday 19 June at 09:00 BST The 2024–25 season will consist of 33 weekend rounds, four midweek rounds, and one Bank Holiday Matchweek. This season will be the first to utilize Semi-Automated Offside Technology, as Premier League clubs unanimously agreed to its introduction. The technology will be ready to be introduced after one of the autumn international breaks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024–25_Premier_League

Haaland and Du Bruyne are doubtful for tomorrow.