Association Football 2023/2024 Discussion Thread

[buritobr]

Brazil looked for an European coach because there was a growing perception in the media and in the audience that Brazilian coaches became old fashioned. Brazilian squad failed to reach the top 3 in the World Cups in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 despite still having players in top European clubs.

[Santander]

Brendan Rodgers is coming back to Celtic.

In his last stint at Celtic, Rodgers won two Domestic trebles, and he later went on to win a pair of trophies with Leicester City (the 2020-21 FA Cup and the 2021 Community Shield) before being sacked this season.

A fantastic hire for Celtic.

He is hated by the fans. They will hate him even more when he leaves mid-season again to take some bottom-half job in England next season.

[NewYorkExpress]

Brendan Rodgers is coming back to Celtic.

In his last stint at Celtic, Rodgers won two Domestic trebles, and he later went on to win a pair of trophies with Leicester City (the 2020-21 FA Cup and the 2021 Community Shield) before being sacked this season.

A fantastic hire for Celtic.

He is hated by the fans.

As common in most sports, the fans usually do not know what is best for the team. At the time he left, Leicester was a better job than half the English Premier League. It arguably is still a better job than several teams in that league, despite their relegation.

[NewYorkExpress]

Chelsea signs Christopher Nkunku from Red Bull Leipzig.

This isn't a bad signing for Chelsea, and the Blues do need a forward, but Chelsea really needs to be selling players first to avoid Financial Fair Play, plus, he isn't really the type of forward Chelsea needs.

Chelsea really needs Harry Kane (assuming Tottenham would even sell to them), or someone like Dusan Vlahovic or Lautaro Martinez if Kane is not available.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

https://twitter.com/BiHFootball/status/1671258624730206209

https://twitter.com/TheEuropeanLad/status/1671256730016051200

Bosnia lost to Luxembourg
Poland lost to Moldova

Earlier Armenia won versus Wales.

Kazakhstan and Scotland with a great start in Euros qualification.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Likelihood of being in a pot for each team



Likelihood of qualifying

Scotland already at 98.5% to qualify

The teams that had their odds to qualify dramatically increase today are Albania and Luxembourg. Over the entire window, Romania and Turkey did do a great job. Scotland did a fantastic job. Hungary, Finland and Czechia did well too.

A team like Luxembourg now has a bigger chance to qualify than Sweden.

[NewYorkExpress]

Honestly, Faruk Hadzibegic and Fernando Santos should probably be fired on the spot (especially Fernando Santos. How on earth do you blow a 2-0 lead to Moldava of all countries?).

[NewYorkExpress]

https://twitter.com/ittihad_en/status/1671291493112225798

N'Golo Kante becomes the latest star to come to Saudi Arabia.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin claims the Saudis are making a mistake signing aging superstars rather than developing their own players.

I'm inclined to agree with Ceferin here. The reason European countries and leagues are so good, is because they develop their own stars, rather than import them. Ceferin's criticism of Saudi Arabia is very much warranted here, as they are essentially trying to buy talent rather than developing their own, which risks turning off the Saudi fanbase.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

https://twitter.com/LuxembourgFooty/status/1671259672375091200

https://twitter.com/cjob500/status/1671291812529446912

My favourite neighbouring country lol

[LAKISYLVANIA]

https://twitter.com/SweeperPod/status/1671257155692011521

That's why i love these qualification games lol.

[NewYorkExpress]

Ilkay Gundogan is signing with Barcelona on a free transfer.

Barcelona cannot afford to get transfers wrong. Gundogan is a fantastic player, and he immediately makes the midfield better...but it's an open question whether the Blaugrana really can afford to sign him.

[NewYorkExpress]

Kai Havertz expected to head from Chelsea to Arsenal in a deal that could be worth up to $85.8 million.

For Chelsea, this deal was necessary as they look to balance the books from last season's insane spending.

For Arsenal...is Havertz the missing piece needed to win the Premier League title? He didn't really score enough at Chelsea, though he arguably is an upgrade over several players in the Gunners's side. The deal might take them out of contention for Declan Rice, however, as I can't see how they'd be able to fit another signing of $100 million+ into their summer window.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1672125331237646342

I can't imagine that this is the kind of signing that would convince Harry Kane to stay, but Tottenham Hotspur does need a young goalkeeper, as their top two goalkeepers, Hugo Lloris and Fraser Forster are 36 and 35 years old respectively.

[NewYorkExpress]

Celta de Vigo with an absurdly good hire, bringing in Rafael Benitez to fill their managerial vacancy.

Benitez is, among his many trophies, a two time La Liga winner with Valencia, a UEFA Champions winner with Liverpool, a Club World Cup winner with Inter Milan, and a Europa League with Chelsea.

If Celta de Vigo, already a midtable side in La Liga most years, is willing to spend money to back Benitez, making the Champions League is possible in my opinion.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1672354875139584000
Inter Miami bringing in the most impactful MLS additions since David Beckham came to MLS a decade and a half a ago.

[Santander]

Celta de Vigo with an absurdly good hire, bringing in Rafael Benitez to fill their managerial vacancy.

Benitez is, among his many trophies, a two time La Liga winner with Valencia, a UEFA Champions winner with Liverpool, a Club World Cup winner with Inter Milan, and a Europa League with Chelsea.

If Celta de Vigo, already a midtable side in La Liga most years, is willing to spend money to back Benitez, making the Champions League is possible in my opinion.

Rafa Benitez is a washed up punchline who is hated by owners, players and fans alike at almost every club he's been at since he left Liverpool. His tactics are outdated, he constantly squabbles with ownership and his man management is appalling. Three times he took over European champions and made them worse, he nearly got Everton relegated, and he did get Newcastle relegated.

Watch him do something characteristically stupid like fall out with Iago Aspas, complain Celta have no money (when they, indeed, have no money) and get sacked with them sitting in or just above the relegation zone.

[NewYorkExpress]

The United States will be hosting the expanded 2025 Club World Cup.

[JGibson]

Kai Havertz expected to head from Chelsea to Arsenal in a deal that could be worth up to $85.8 million.

For Chelsea, this deal was necessary as they look to balance the books from last season's insane spending.

For Arsenal...is Havertz the missing piece needed to win the Premier League title? He didn't really score enough at Chelsea, though he arguably is an upgrade over several players in the Gunners's side. The deal might take them out of contention for Declan Rice, however, as I can't see how they'd be able to fit another signing of $100 million+ into their summer window.

As far as Declan Rice goes, Arsenal are the favorites to nab him. CB/RB Jurriën Timber is set to go to Arsenal.

[NewYorkExpress]

The United States opens up their Gold Cup campaign with an embarrassing 1-1 draw against Jamaica at Soldier Field, in a game that they really should have lost.

For Jamaica, which has been out of form for a long time (this is the Reggae Boyz's eleventh straight match without a win since defeating Suriname at 2022 CONCACAF Nations League), this is an impressive result, and a good building block going forward for them.

[NewYorkExpress]

Declan Rice is heading to Arsenal.

Not only does this move make Arsenal the top contender to take the Premier League away from Manchester City, but this might actually make the Gunners contenders in the Champions League as well.

Fantastic signing.

[JGibson]

Declan Rice is heading to Arsenal.

Not only does this move make Arsenal the top contender to take the Premier League away from Manchester City, but this might actually make the Gunners contenders in the Champions League as well.

Fantastic signing.

I am so happy he's joining Arsenal.

[Santander]

£105m for Rice is so stupidly overpriced, but that's what you get with English players. More than twice the price paid for Ruben Neves, lol. At least it makes more sense than Maguire for £80m.

[NewYorkExpress]

The United States won easily against a St. Kitts and Nevis team that was just lucky to be at the Gold Cup, 6-0, in St. Louis.

We still need a win over Trinidad and Tobago on Monday to feel secure about advancing, but we're in very good position going into the final game of the Group, and we've got a very good chance of finishing atop Group A.

[NewYorkExpress]

Mason Mount is heading to Manchester United in a deal worth at least 55 million pounds.

Not as good a signing as Declan Rice's signing with Arsenal, but he's one of the best midfielders in England, and being away from the spiraling mess that is Chelsea can only be good for him.

[NewYorkExpress]

More big changes at Chelsea, with Nicholas Jackson arriving from Villarreal, and N'Golo Kante and Kaldou Koulibaly leaving for Saudi Arabia.

With just a transfer fee needing to be agreed to, it looks like Christian Pulisic might be heading to AC Milan.

Could a journey to Serie A be what revives Pulisic's club career? For all of his success with USMNT, he's only won two major club trophies (the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League and the 2021 Club World Cup), when it can easily be argued that he should have several more from his time at Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea.