European Football Thread

[Fernando]

First topic message reminder :

To be used for discussing European transfers and matches from Anywhere but the PL

La Liga
Bundesliga
Ligue 1
Seria A etc

The Bundesliga & Ligue 1 start today with Big Spenders PSG in Action as are German Champions Bayern Munich

[Dolphin Ziggler]

The little red and white block are the Atletico fans

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Diego Costa off injured

[Ent]

Very cruel for atletico, Costa and Turan off injured.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

WHAT A FINISH ALEXIS 1-0

[Ent]

Great strike.

Feel sorry for atletico for the injuries they have suffered, wonder where a goal will come from.

Also not sure what planet this referee is on.

[Ent]

And here come diving Barcelona.

[NickisBHAFC]

ffs. Come on Athletico!!!!

Costa poor lad, crying as he will miss the final next week. Passion, i love it.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Got to worry about him for the World Cup too. Is there any update on Ronaldo's injury earlier?

[Ent]

Hard to see where atletico are going to get a goal.

[GSC]

Eh, Atletico have had their chances to wrap this title up and failed to do it. Knew needing anything at the Nou Camp last day was risky

[Ent]

Yeah they've had wobble but barca have hardly chased them down, just need to see how real and Chelsea faltered with the cl progress.

So difficult to challenge on all fronts now.

[GSC]

Yeah but Atletico have had so many chances to wrap this up from Real and then Barca. Been somewhat a choke

[Dolphin Ziggler]

I feel for Atletico. Probably gonna get second in both. They have a fanbase that you sense is proud of their team rather than crumbling with the possibility of failure

[Ent]

Madrid choked massively they had 4 very winnable games - 7tg or 8th at home was there hardest.

Not choking now lol!!!

[Dolphin Ziggler]

HAHAHA CHOKE CHOKE...WAIT!

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Carlo Ancelotti expects Cristiano Ronaldo & Karim Benzema to be fit for Champions League final #SSN

[Ent]

Tanks empty for atletico, only desire keeping them going.

Gonna be some drama.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

They did it!

[GSC]

They left it very late but Atletico win La Liga

[Ent]

Well deserved from atletico.

Great attitude and strength coming back from a goal down having lost their 2 best attackers.

[GSC]

Aye, great achievement.

You do wonder what chance against Real without Costa and possibly Turan

[Dolphin Ziggler]

You'd have said that when they lost two players at the Nou Camp and then went a goal down. There's bottle in this team

[GSC]

Maybe, but 1-1 only has a 50% chance of cutting vs Real.

You'd imagine there goes the last chance for Martino

[NickisBHAFC]

AMAZING!!!

ATHLETICOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Biggest achievement in recent history in the world of football.

[kiakahaaotearoa]

Thank God for that. Happiest of all for Simeone. Deserved something after this year.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

 

[Guest]

Imagine some difficult decisions need to made by the Barcelona hierarchy this summer. End of an era is an understatement for some of these legendary players.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Tata says ta ta! Enrique up next

[Fernando]

Bayern win German cup 2-0. Dortmund had a goal not allowed despite being clearly over the line at 0-0

Valencia have been bought by a billionaire.

Atletico    Kia

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Valencia have been bought by a billionaire.

Now that is very interesting, any indications of how willing he/she (but we all know its he) is to spend?

[Fernando]

Peter Lim new owner of Valencia

The Singapore business man has finally completed his takeover of the former Champions League finalists

Goal can confirm that Singapore businessman Peter Lim is the new owner of La Liga side Valencia.

The debt-ridden Spanish club had been on the lookout for a new owner to takeover the club's debts and Lim's Meriton company has been chosen by the club's administrators.

Aurelio Martinez, the president of the Valencia Foundation, announced that Lim will invest €60million this summer in new signings.

He will also invest an additional €100million for his shares and Lim will also make the commitment of having the new stadium finished by 2019, in time to mark Valencia's centennial celebrations.

Lim's stake in Valencia is reportedly at 70.4% and was unanimously chosen by members of the club's foundation.

Lim will also have the immediate task of negotiating with Bankia for the payment of the club's current debt and he has to reach an agreement before May 27, when the deadline expires.

Valencia are reportedly 300million Euros in debt and Lim has a reported value of £1.4bn according to Forbes magazine.

The Singaporean had most recently been linked with a takeover of AC Milan although the Berlusconi family have rebuffed claims and offers of a sale.

[AberdeenSteve]

Bayern beating Dortmund is a travesty, I hate everything about Munich.

Bastards.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Incredible achievement and resilience from Atletico

Can they put the icing on the cake next weekend?

They'll have my support

[The Special Juan]

It could be a long summer for Barcelona. I can see nearly half of their starting XI leaving and probably more. The new manager will have a thankless task. Moyes?

[kiakahaaotearoa]

There was the frightening possibility of coming away with the season with nothing after months of hard graft. The injuries were bad enough and then the freak goal by Alexis Sanchez (payback perhaps for Diego's equally freakish goal in the Champions at Camp Nou) and there was a moment when Atletico let their frustrations show too much. Half time couldn't have arrived at a better time because another ten minutes of that and they could've been a man down.

Simeone had them humming after that break and they were pressing for a second goal to make it sure but then Barcelona got the ball for much of the remaining second half. There was no cutting edge to their attack though and their big names offered very little on attack and apart from a Dani Alves speculator and the disallowed goal, Courtois didn't need to do much: his defence and midfield were doing the damage.

Part of me thinks next week's final is a step beyond this team. They'll be without Costa and quite possibly Arda Turan so their attacking firepower is blunted substantially. After the big games in the Champions, Atletico have looked out on their feet. It's true the Champions mid-week games offer less recovery time but mentally I think the impact is more draining. It's difficult mentally to come back from the euphoria of closing out the league and put yourself in the right frame of mind for a Champions final. Will the hunger be there or will a League celebration hangover be more apparent?

However, the other part of me thinks what is this man Simeone capable of in terms of inspiring his players? Atletico have struggled often at times against the lesser teams. They had the opportunity to close out the League against a mid-table Levante coming off a defeat, an uninspired Malaga side and the only thing that saved them was Real Madrid and Barcelone were equally incapable of securing a win in their final games. But when it comes to the big stage, this team has a frightening focus and belief. Even goals against them don't rattle them. Indeed, you could argue that they inspire this team to bigger things. Goal down against Chelsea and they come back the stronger. Concede a goal at Camp Nou in the Champions and they hold out valiantly for an all important draw. Real Madrid score in the Calderon and they come back. Away at an unbeaten Athletic at home and they come from 1-0 down to win 2-1. This team likes to perform on the big stage. A Copa del Rey, a UEFA title, A SuperCup, A 10th League and now an opportunity to get their first League win. Ronaldo is doubtful and is similar to Costa who hasn't been given enough time so even though you'd have to say Real Madrid are favourites, I can see them having a tough time against a team who won't afford them any space up front and who won't be rattled if they find themselves a goal down. If Madrid can score quickly and early and find another, then they could well run away with it. The longer the game goes on without a score, the more I like Atleti's chances.

Going to watch the game in the Calderon. Free entry for season holders and watch the game on a big screen and share the spoils of this year with all the fans. Nice compensation for not getting a ticket to the final. Vamos los rojiblancos!

[Dolphin Ziggler]

It could be a long summer for Barcelona.  I can see nearly half of their starting XI leaving and probably more.  The new manager will have a thankless task.  Moyes?

They're going to get in an ex-Barca man in Luis Enrique (and what a player he was by the way) and probably throw all of their money into this window in the knowledge that bans are coming. With Valdes and Puyol definitely gone and rumours around Mascherano, Dani Alves, Fabregas, Song and Sanchez, I'd expect he'll be able to craft his own squad. David Luiz seems a likely name to begin with, whilst Jeremy Mathieu was suggested before the Valencia takeover was confirmed.

I think they could go for it big this window. I hope so, will be very entertaining.

[Ent]

I just wonder if their cycle has ended.

Xavi is coming to the end of his career and messi doesn't look hungry anymore. Along with iniesta they had 3 all time greats in peak form at the same time and that has been the reason behind their success.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

With modern football as it is, the brands these teams have become, and their historical shared dominance of Spain anyway, I don't think their cycle of being a very good team will end. Of being the worlds best? Probably. Generally after the dominance of one in Europe comes a time where a few jump in and out. Madrid, Bayern, City and Chelsea are all likely to be in and around the CL crown, and Juventus will have to come into that picture sooner or later. And Barca wont be far off, if off at all.

[Ent]

Been 10 years since Madrid won a cl, with then breaking the transfer record 3 times (allegedly) and much more to get close.

Will be interesting to see what happens.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

But they havent exactly faded away. They've won cups and leagues and bought very good players. Barcelona will too.

[The Special Juan]

Aren't Barca historically a cyclical team? They have a great spell, then not a lot, then a great spell, then not a lot?

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Aren't all good teams?

[Hammersmith harrier]

Think it's fair to say they tend to be a very patchy club Juan, have never had a sustained period of success, brilliant for a few years then fall away then come. It's hard to argue that we've dominated the Premier league era or at least we did but even at their pomp Barca have tended to lose as many titles as they have won.

[The Special Juan]

Aren't all good teams?

Yeah the majority are. You get a few teams that are freakishly dominant like Man Utd over the Fergie era but as HH said, Barca never really have had a sustained period of dominance (that I can remember anyway).

[Dolphin Ziggler]

But they have produced possibly the best club side you'll ever see. And since the 90s (if we go by that being the modern era and when football started) they have the dominance over La Liga with 12 wins in 24, RM with 7 and then Valencia, Atletico and Deportivo in there. In that same period Man United have 13 titles. In the same period of time they've won the CL four times to United's 2.

[Fernando]

It's fair to say Andres was sad on Saturday

“We were relying on winning this game,” Iniesta is quoted as saying in the Daily Express.

“We haven’t and that makes this season disappointing, because if we had won, everything would be different.

“The season is over – lots of things are over.”

^ this intrigues me, Can't see him leaving certainly doesn't sound very happy at all though.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

I think he's as aware as anyone else that there is an overhaul going on. Valdes, Puyol, a good few others likely to leave.

[kiakahaaotearoa]

Simeone is the suspicious type. having won the UEFA wearing black he now does the black shirt thin tie look for all his games.

Iniesta was probably sad he was just as ineffective as Messi. A heavily marked man. Dani Alves was probably the most cutting on attack Alexis' goal notwithstanding.

[Ent]

Think that was tactical, atletico were happier to deal with Alves crosses than leave messi with space.

He just didn't look interested to me, was very surprised.

[GSC]

I don't think Messis gotten over his injuries this season

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