José C. Pérez
@jcperez_
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Engineer turned science, tech, and football writer. Writes for @ManagingMadrid and @Footballespana_. Find me @jcperezfc on Bsky. Tweets in 🇬🇧 🇪🇸
Eindhoven, NL
Joined February 2011
On that note: do not trust any account around here that says they are "objective". They are not, we all have biases. The way to deal with bias is not to feign objectivity but to be open about your biases so people can take that into account when reading your opinions & analysis.
‘True’ objectivity is a myth, as it should be. The sooner that’s inferred, the better. Sentiments have no on/off button, they’re perpetual - consciously and unconsciously. There’s bias in choice, there’s bias in code, there’s bias in selective data. You CANNOT resist sentiments.
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Marseille sporting director Mehdi Benatia?!?
Marseille sporting director Mehdi Benatia on Jonathan Clauss:. “I was warned about players whose behavior is sometimes borderline. Jonathan was one of these players. He came into the coach's office so that we could explain to him what was expected of him as a leader and a French
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Bordalás in 2010 vs Bordalás in 2021. Not kidding. The man really aged backward.
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That's not a passing network, it's an atomic structure. City's possession game has a level of symmetry that would move mathematicians and physicists to tears.
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Injury time remontada against a team you weren't supposed to be losing against in the first place? Now that's future Real Madrid coach material
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If Real Madrid and Dortmund get to the CL final, the concentration of black magic there could generate enough energy for Europe to transition away from fossil fuels.
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I'm seeing a few misconceptions about Gakpo, so let’s clarify: he’s more ten than striker, more ball-to-feet than runner, and despite his 1.9-m frame, he’s the one sending the crosses, not at the end of them. Let's look at his qualities and how they fit and scale at Liverpool 🧵
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What Griezmann does is not an "oh I'm committed to my team" level of defending, it is an "I'm a sicko who loves suffering" level of defending.
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On that note, Barca and Madrid fans should read @sidlowe's Fear and Loathing in La Liga. An account of both clubs during the Civil War and Franco eras by an actual PhD historian. Much better than listening to the cartoonish narratives sold by both clubs to suit their interests.
Who says watching football isn’t productive? Real Madrid and Barcelona are out here promoting millions to become historians overnight!.
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If I didn't want my country to be perceived as racist, I wouldn't go tell the player of color how he should behave in order to not receive abuse. If you think Vini's behavior is unsportsmanlike, you can reject it in other ways that do not enable more discrimination and abuse.
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We talk a lot about how top agent commissions are getting out of hand, but Morata's agent really deserves every single cent he gets.
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Dani Parejo said once that "the first touch must be the first dribble", and this goal is a beautiful example of the principle. Modric had a defender on him, but a first touch in the right direction was all he needed to create separation + set up the shot.
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Ancelotti's biggest coaching achievement is getting ten league goals out of Asensio this season.
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I am once again asking people to not compare a standard sale of broadcasting rights to a media company (something every club or league has to do) with pawning your broadcasting rights for a quick cash boost.
Real madrid sold 100% of their TV rights from 2006-2013 and it was considered the best deal of all time. Perez also sold training grounds to wipe out the debt. Barca are selling 25% of their TV rights for a much better deal with a buyback clause but Twitter pundits know better.
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Remember the first touch Kroos uses to "dribble" past opponents?. Thiago takes it to a new level: he purposefully uses "poor" body orientation when receiving to invite his opponent to tackle, then aims the first touch behind him and turns, using his rival's momentum against them.
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✅Blame "bad apples" to absolve society from guilt.✅Anecdotes of how you never saw racism.✅Say you have friends of color.✅Explain racist behavior ("letting off stream") . Carvajal's answer was like the condensed manual of how not to respond to racism occurring in your society.
🗣 Dani Carvajal: "I don't believe that Spain is a racist country. I come from a humble neighborhood in Leganés, there has never been any problem. I have friends of a different skin color, and there has never been a problem. Then there are people who go to the stadiums to let
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Analyst hat off, RM fan hat on: this is fucking tiresome. If Barca goes into a Clásico as the more in-form team, they steamroll us. RM comes as the more in-form team, with Barca lacking their three most important offensive players, and we get this performance and result.
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Do not let tonight's poor finishing hide the fact that this was Real Madrid's most dominant offensive performance this season. I hope the underwhelming result doesn't deter Ancelotti from using the Vini-Fede-Rodry-Benz quartet more often. This unit has a huge offensive ceiling.
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A year ago, an injury to Benzema would dismantle Real's offense and end whatever positive streak the team was on. It's amazing to see that Vinicius, Fede, and Rodrygo have grown so much that this absence hurts much less now. Real Madrid's future is in the safest hands. #ATMRMA.
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Love waking up and starting my day with some raw, organic racism on my TL
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If I ever get my ass kicked I want it to be with the outside of Modric's boot.
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Ancelotti to Camavinga
Real Madrid are not exploring the possibility of signing a CB to replace Militao. They will play the season out with Rudiger, Alaba and Nacho knowing that Mendy and even Tchouameni could play there if there's an urgency.
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Friends, that's why we use data, to avoid cherry-picking individual moments in a game that catch our limited attention span and fit our narrative biases. Ronaldo already contributes a lot in the offense, there's really no need to embellish his defensive contributions.
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Don't see why a team with so many attackers with ball-to-feet tendencies (Bruno, Sancho, Martial, Antony, even Rashford has some) would add another one. Just get an actual striker. Got doubts too on how some aspects of his game will scale to the PL. I'll elaborate a bit here.
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Reminds of other cases like Özil, Parejo or even Benzema pre-2019. Players were labeled as lazy or disinterested simply because of a more neutral or less energetic body language, as if we knew what was going on in the player's head.
Anthony Martial on his body language: "Basically, I have to display my disappointment after a missed opportunity so that people don't say 'Ah, he doesn't really care'. I'll tell you simply: I'm a footballer, not an actor." [@francefootball].
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My serious and professional analysis of Barca's midfield issues is that they need a Pedri clone. Or three, just to be sure. Pedri is their most impactful midfielder ahead of the ball, but he can't be there because Barca's buildup phase issues force him to play behind the ball.
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Ah yes, the team that has had Pepe, Ramos, and Militão is not an environment where aggressive style CBs can do well.
Rüdiger won't be half the player at Real Madrid because he'll play in a back two which doesn't suit his aggressive game. Environment is everything for players.
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Scientists should consider using Cox's hate for Rangnick as an alternative energy source. It could power the Earth for generations.
All international football sides reveal an identity through their style of play, from the Netherlands to Spain to Brazil. But, as @zonal_marking argues, Austria's basic-but-effective approach under Ralf Rangnick owes more to a marketing campaign than any national characteristic.
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You have a legendary coach in front of you, a treasure trove of fascinating football knowledge and experience, and you choose to ask him this fucking question. .
🗣️ "Will you do the Guard of Honor to Real Madrid tomorrow as they won La Liga?". Pep Guardiola: "No. This issue does not concern the Champions League. I have nothing to say.". 🗣️ "So, won't you give Real Madrid a Guard of Honor?. Pep Guardiola: "This is a UEFA competition. "
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Isn't it a bit odd that Xavi, who as a player was midfield control personified, built a team where the tempo is controlled by the wingers, not the midfielders?. And with Busquets starting (or worse, Busi + Piqué), that plan scales poorly vs the fast transitions of top opponents.
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Talking about Vidal, this 14/15 Juventus midfield diamond was the bomb. Pirlo dictating play from the back, Pogba dribbling from the left Ronaldinho style, Vidal running into the box, Marchisio smartly compensating any tactical imbalances. My favorite version of Allegri's Juve.
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Mbappé's two goals today are a scary reminder that he can destroy you with either 5 meters of space or 50 meters, and is equally capable of shooting lasers to the near post and the back post. What a demon.
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"I'm not racist, I'm just bringing up the very interesting debate of why black players don't have the IQ and technique to play elite possession football". Dude here supports the team of Yaya and Fernandinho and has the gall to write this.
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The levers were one-time cash injections for the 22/23 season. Barca's 22/23 revenue and €648M salary limit were inflated by the levers. This season, revenue and salary limit have simply regressed to their "real" level. No need to blame Tebas. This is just how the levers work.
So, La Liga have set Barça's salary limit for this season at €270m, compared to the €648m from February. If you think there is an internal fair and square linearly regressed equation to determine this thing, voila, you’ve fooled yourselves. Tebas’ pebbleballs, puny ego and
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Any GOAT Top 10 list that does not feature Di Stefano is a failure and unworthy of further discussion.
FourFourTwo have unveiled their 100 best players of all time. 1️⃣ Lionel Messi.2️⃣ Diego Maradone.3️⃣ Cristiano Ronaldo.4️⃣ Pele.5️⃣ Zinedine ZIdane.6️⃣ Johan Cruyff.7️⃣ George Best.8️⃣ Franz Beckenbauer.9️⃣ Ferenc Puskas.🔟 Ronaldo Nazário. Thoughts?
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Barça fans in the replies be like
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Kind reminder that this comes from the guy whose team just beat Levante in injury time with a Hail-Mary cross to Luuk de Jong 😬.
Xavi on Real Madrid’s advancement: "If we don’t win by playing well, we’re not happy.". The Barca coach was asked about Real Madrid beating Chelsea
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True, why can't Aleñá be more like Gavi, a shining beacon of La Masia values.
Sad to see that former youth captain Carles Aleñá has departed from the values that La Masia has taught him. Bordalas the devil has been whispering things in his ear.
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Carvajal's dad is a cop?! That explains so much lmao.
El padre de Dani Carvajal está escoltando al equipo de su hijo. Otra historia de película. @TheAthleticFC
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Can we move Fede back to midfield and start Rodrygo as RW more often?. Fede as RW makes sense in certain contexts but it shouldn't be the only option for all big games. RM needs his energy more in midfield right now and in Benzema's current form, Rodrygo cannot be on the bench.
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The cultural differences between RMA and Barça are always an interesting subject. If Florentino publically broadcasts a similar speech to this one, he gets jail time in Madrid. For both good and bad, Real's environment doesn't care about path or process, they care about results.
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Most GKs would consider themselves lucky to just get a hand to the shots in the video. But Tibo goes further: in most of these tough saves, he has the reach, strength & technique to purposefully deflect the ball at a large angle away from the goal mouth, preventing rebound shots.
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What did they feed Kroos today? Man is running around, dribbling, and winning tackles like they fused him with Tchouaméni #ElClasico.
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If Ronaldo and Kaká had missed the PKs and Bayern then cruised to victory, honestly it would have been fine. The trauma comes from Iker giving you hope and right as you're riding that high from the saves, Ramos knocks the ball (and your hopes) out of the park.
12 years ago today, the most heartbreaking loss I've experienced following Real Madrid.
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A Barca manager says this and we'd be making fun of them for the rest of the week. And they are most definitely not playing well. Generated almost nothing until Rodrygo came in (see first half xG below).
🎙️ Carlo Ancelotti: "I leave this game very proud. The game was very good. The changes have been very good. We are going to fight until the end every competitions with a lot of confidence".
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So Ralf is hired to coach for a bit (what he's weaker at) and when the time comes to do the work he's good at, United and he agreed to a consulting role that gives him little power to make changes and that he won't do full time. What a fundamentally weird appointment this was.
Official. Ralf Rangnick has been appointed as new Austria coach until 2024. 🇦🇹🤝 #MUFC. “I will take over as national team manager of Austria at the end of the season but will continue consultancy with Man United. I’m looking forward to helping United become a real force again”.
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Kroos doesn't pass forward?. He's near the top of every ball progression metric in European football (packing rates, deep progressions, yardage per min, etc) and is a top 5 chance creator in La Liga despite playing in a deeper role. I think I've had enough Twitter for today. .
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Luis Enrique's assistant coach saying in the Twitch stream that Lucho's got Aspas in his Liga Fantasy team 😭😭.
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I do have Barca among my six favorites, but as Real Madrid has often shown, winning CL not only requires a team to be dominant but to know how to survive when dominated. Barça still has some work to do on the latter. Which is normal, that resilience takes time and experience.
Can’t believe Peter Schmeichel is out here saying Barcelona “aren’t there yet” when it comes to competing for the CL. Their squad is outrageous and they created chances galore in the 1st half. Barcelona should unquestionably be considered one of the six main favorites.
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Man City players complaining about tactical fouling
Manuel Akanji accuses Arsenal of tactical fouling in Manchester City draw
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Two ACL tears in three days to Madrid's two most impactful defensive players.
Parte médico de Militão. #RealMadrid.
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Santi Mina is appealing his sexual abuse conviction, forcing Celta to still respect their contract. So meanwhile, he'll go play on loan for a Saudi club. Btw, Saudi Arabia has no extradition agreement with Spain. So even if the ruling stands, good luck getting him back to Spain?.
Comunicado oficial: Santi Mina.
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McTominay according to this account
McTominay is press resistant, makes lots of passes, is technically secure, progressive where possible, can strike through the ball to switch play, attacks box as an 8. He can do all of this in a single or double pivot. He’s also always available, a physical specimen & a leader.
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If I had to point out Lopetegui's biggest problem as #RealMadrid manager, is that he sacrificed too much of his original possession + pressing game plan to not upset the existing dressing room hierarchy. The team then devolved into a bad, Ronaldo-less copy of the Zidane system.
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"His defensive efficiency was not his strong point". did Deschamps confuse him for one of the other French Mendys?.
🗣️Didier Deschamps on naming Ferland Mendy in France's Euro 2024 squad . "He has evolved his game. He overlaps less and has improved in his defensive efficiency, which was not his strong point, and he is able to project himself better."
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We don't even need to watch the games, the Twitter meltdowns of both fanbases will provide more than enough entertainment.
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Ramos suffered his fair share of mistakes and defeats (those R16 CL eliminations in the late 00s, that PK vs Bayern) before becoming the undisputed boss of Real's defense. Let's see if Varane can learn from this and become an even more dominant defender and leader.
Varane: “this defeat is mine.”.
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Every time I hear United and Mourinho fans brag about their point and defensive record in 2017/18, I have to keep reminding them that their team was bailed about by one of the greatest shot-stopping GK seasons in history. That United team was simply not 81 points good.
Jose Mourinho was a bad Manchester United manager. His best season depended heavily on astonishing David de Gea heroics and the team were imploding by the time he was sacked. Any claims to the contrary are nonsense.
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It's outrageous that he chose to leave now, after one of his best seasons ever, but Toni warned us for years that he'd leave like this. It's just how he does things and that personality is partly what made him who he is: one of the greatest passers of a football we'll ever see.
Comunicado Oficial: Toni Kroos. #RealMadrid | #GraciasKroos.
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I'm tired just from watching the tempo at which Real Madrid played this half. Carlo placed his bets on the energy of the young midfield quartet and while they lacked control and pause at times, they've managed to be more intense than Athletic at San Mamés. That's saying a lot.
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We usually assume Camavinga should play at the base with Fede ahead of him, yet a decisive change in this final was doing the exact opposite. In Kroos' last game with Real Madrid, Fede showed that he's readier than ever to play (with his own style) at the base of midfield.
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Gonna hit like crack when his agent somehow gets Barça to sign him.
🚨🇨🇲 Eric Choupo-Moting leaves Bayern as free agent at the end of the season, decision confirmed. Bouna Sarr and Choupo-Moting will look for new club in the summer.
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The best explanation I have here is that (similar to tennis) the 30+ generation was so damn good that it completely eclipsed the 23-30 generation that immediately followed. The U-23 gen now gets to enjoy more stardom since the 30+ group finally hit their decline.
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Benzema swapping shirts with Reece James after his great performance and Vinicius tweeting at him, I see RM agents at work here 👀. Given the current RB issues, Reece is arguably the Chelsea player who would improve Real's squad the most right now.
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Chad Joselu:.- Barges into Madrid.- Excels as substitute striker (18 goals + 3 assists in just 2121 mins!) .- Brace in CL semis to win the trophy.- Refuses to elaborate.- Leaves. Legendary season. The forward roster for next season is still stacked, but he will be missed.
🚨⚪️ Joselu leaves Real Madrid and he’s set to join Qatari side Al Gharafa, decision made!. Deal at final stages with Al Gharafa as details will be clarified soon with the striker. 👋🏻 Ancelotti wanted to keep Joselu but he’s set for new chapter in Qatar. Here we go, soon 🇶🇦
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Brother is in the MLS at 23 y/o and he really thinks that the four Barca managers who didn't trust him were the problem.
Riqui Puig (LA Galaxy): "I feel totally disappointed with Barça and with Xavi. " [via as] #fcblive.
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You could argue this ten years ago, but it's outdated now. PL teams now hire some of the best coaching minds from abroad to diversify their tactical ideas, while La Liga sides take fewer risks and hire from the same rotating cast of Spanish coaches "who know the league".
"It's different. This doesn't mean better or worse. There are less tactics. On a tactical level, La Liga is much better than the English one. If we talk about intensity, rhythm, the English league may have more. But the Spanish has more tactical quality.". - Carlo Ancelotti.
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I really enjoy how Bayer Leverkusen's players use the distances among them to regulate the speed of play. Buildup is slower, more positional. Players are further apart. When a line-breaking pass occurs, they get closer together to do third-man combos and attack faster. #FCBB04.
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Are United running an experiment of how many toxic players you can put in a single dressing room?.
🚨 Mauro Icardi is on the radar of Manchester United and Galatasaray. His wife and agent Wanda has been contacted by the clubs. (Source: @TyCSports)
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This is basically Florentino's reply to the Telegraph articles of last week 😅.
📈 Cerramos el ejercicio 22/23 con un resultado positivo de 12 millones de euros. #RealMadrid.
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This was the poorest I've seen Barca in a Clásico since that 2017 Supercopa with the Asensio golazos. But at least back then you could say it was pre-season, and Ernesto Valverde had just arrived. We cannot say the same about Xavi's Barca now.
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A garbage article attacking the national team's star for no good reason? . Congrats Canada, you're a proper football country now.
Is Alphonso Davies's celebrity a potential problem for Canada's men's World Cup team?. New from @EnswellJones .
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1) I question whether the system has the accuracy to make a call where the player's shoulder is just a few cms offside. 2) It's absolutely joyless stuff to watch
Oh, fuck off.
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One regular day of no financial illiteracy on Football Twitter. That's all I ask for. Will never happen.
At the end of last FY:.Man United had a net debt of €587M.Tottenham had a net debt €830M Barcelona had a net debt of €680M. Yet you won't see a single Athletic journalist whine when the other two spend big eventhough Barca has much bigger annual revenue than both those clubs.
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Hi, as someone who often fights with Barça fans over the state of their finances, I'd like to say this is a poor thread to know more about the subject. Lots of outdated, wrong, and incomplete information. I'll take the time to debunk some of the most problematic tweets.
IT'S MY OPINION that FC Barcelona are in real trouble financially, and I feel as though the footballing world isn't talking about the seriousness of their current situation enough. We may be years away from a world without FC Barcelona. Here's why, a thread:.
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I read this last week and it now lives rent-free in my head
🚨 | There is no specific time frame for Tyrell Malacia's return – he is still doing rehab. [@INSIDERUTD1]
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I really thought people were exaggerating when they said he had only one career non-deflected goal 😭.
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Not listening to him in 3 years time would be great, keep going nerds.
Van der Vaart: "The 'data people' need to get out of the football world as soon as possible. Otherwise I will quit watching football in 3 years time. I am being serious."
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First half of the season was decent, REALLY rough patch post-WC, better in the last couple of weeks. But my expectations were too high, so I'm disappointed. And **sigh** I have to take the L and admit the "back three merchant" arguments did kinda have a point.
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Miguel was excellent playing out of Athletic's pressure with quick passing combinations. He's also starting to show more confidence to take on opponents. Imo this is not a "he's playing well for a Castilla player" level, this is a "challenge Mendy for a starting spot" level.
Miguel Gutiérrez (@Miguel3Guti) vs Athletic Bilbao (16/05/2021). Second start with the first team and Miguel did it well once again. He’s getting better and better. He should be with the first team next season as Mendy’s backup.
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Varane is a perfect soldier but not a general. Yet teams sign someone of his CV assuming he will be a general. He often looked lost without a defensive leader (e.g. Ramos). And aside from the 2018 WC with France, I've seen no evidence that he can lead a big club defensive line.
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The thing with Vini is that even if you removed arguably his best quality (the dribbling), you'd still have to deal with this kind of creative passing he can do with all surfaces of his foot + his ability to find and attack space. A proper triple threat (dribble, pass, shoot).
Filthy Vinicius pass and filthy Bellingham finish. Real Madrid 2 - 0 Girona.
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Ah yes, it must be so boring to watch tonight's CL games after watching **checks notes** Manchester United playing deep block + counter football vs a relegation-zone side last weekend.
Tonights UCL games are a snooze fest.
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Laporta throws some bait to divert attention from the Barca scandals he's dealing with, and Real Madrid falls for it hook, line, and sinker. I don't see what the club gains from engaging with Laporta on this subject.
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Which #PremierLeague GKs overperform on-target xG?. Fabiański, Alisson, Schmeichel, Heaton on 🔥. De Gea still on bad streak, Kepa underperforms xG for 3rd season in a row 👀. At the bottom: Angus Gunn, the poor Soton GK on the receiving end of those nine #LCFC goals. Data:@fbref
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The reason Simeone gets the highest wages for a coach in world football is that he is the only person who prevents Atleti from collapsing due to the incompetence of their management.
🚨🚨🎙| Miguel Ángel Gil Marín (CEO of Atlético Madrid) to @ElGolazoDeGol on Enrique Cerezo’s words about selling for €40m in order to sign players:. “I think you have misunderstood, that's to be able to register players, it has nothing to do with signing.”.
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Watching this version of Mbappé is tragic. He's trying to do the things he could do 2-3 years ago and just can't do them right now. It's like a Space Jam alien stole his talent, his 1v1 superiority is gone. Gonna be very hard for Madrid to create chances like this. #RMALIV.
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Gakpo discourse is basically a reverse Lisandro Martínez situation, people assume things about his presence and physical superiority just because he's tall.
Gakpo brings even more of a presence to the attack. He's the same height as Darwin.
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João wants to train his mental strength and resilience on legendary difficulty huh.
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This will probably light my mentions on fire, but I think that Neymar is the best Brazilian player since Ronaldo and people argue that Kaka or Ronaldinho are better simply because of nostalgia and titles won by their teams (which is reductionist).
At the top of their game, who are you taking between Neymar and Kaka? 🇧🇷🐐
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