Tomori is a beast. That mishap on their goal can happen to anyone, but the security he gives to our backline is undeniable. Best CB we've had since Thiago Silva.

Agreed.

28m is a total steal

And I know you hate it when I mention this, but he'll most likely be a 100m plus players in a few years' time imo. So for that money, he can still be looked at as an amazing investment from the perspective of Gazidis and Elliot

Just when you want Juve to win...

Maybe in the long run this serves us better, as Atalanta tend to drop more points randomly rather than in the big games

Interestingly enough if Napoli win tonight then Juve will find themselves tied with 5th place. Their CL participation next season becomes a huge question mark at this point.

Pirlo is a joke of a coach. Which makes me kind of happy.

As for our performance today, well... it seems like the team lost energy and spirit. I don't want to repeat myself but this tends to happen to Pioli managed teams often: it did so with Fiorentina and Lazio. I fear Pioli is the kind of coach that burns out fast and perhaps loses the team. Someone like Lucien Favre who's won several winter champions titles, yet no real championship.

I also must say that playing Kalulu or Dalot is a hard choice. Both have some qualities, both are sometimes frustrating to watch. Diaz was terrible today, ruined every counter attack we had. Krunić is Krunić. Hernandez played the usual uninspired and bleak performance. We simply lack a player that could light the spark and give a confident and consistently good performance.

That player should be Calhanoglu, but the guy has become as frustrating to watch as Leao. Another anonymous performance today.

Meh, I think Juve will make it in the end. For me, keeping 2nd place would still make this a successful season, overall in terms of initial goals set. I'm still miffed about the way we went out of the EL as we deserved to go through in that tie. But then I think about having to play 2 extra games in such a crucial part of the season now and I have to bow my head that ultimately we do not have the squad for that.

I think everything hinges on CL next season. If we do finally make it back. We'll see some really good moves in the market and the renewals will be quickly sorted. If not, everything will become convoluted for us and we risk losing important players and going backwards again after 2 years of working on improving this team.


Lazio and Fiorentina are notoriously spastic teams though. And he did well enough with both imo. I think you have to factor in the ceilings of both clubs he coached before you can simply stick him with a label like that.

This season he has had a lot to deal with in terms of personnel issues. Add covid to the injuries we had and for me getting us to CL would still be a huge achievement. This when most pundits didn't even have us finishing top 4 before the season even started.

I still think that the players are behind him. We've had a few games where I want to literally band players' heads together, but you have to factor in the fact that what we think of as our best 11 have barely ever played together this season. There are only a handful of games where we have been able to field all 11 together this season. Getting us to the CL under these conditions is still considered a success imo (if that happens that is, still not a guarantee at this point)


Well Hakan has had his own issues as well this season. But I have to say, watching both him and Donnarumma today and considering the numbers they're both requesting for their renewals is a non starter playing like this imo.

Donnarumma made 2/3 mistakes which could have cost us while Hakan was not at his best again

If they want the money they're asking for, they should be doing their best to show why they are worth it at this point. Not playing like this

Having spent all of that post talking about CL, I just saw on twitter the new about the Super League blowing up

It looks like we're involved as well along with 2 other Italian teams, 6 English teams and 2(?) Spanish teams

I think this could be a power play on UEFA, but it could happen. And if it does, the possibilities could be endless for us imo

Got to love UEFA acting like this has anything to do with solidarity instead of them actually sh!tting their pants at the thought of losing out on the huge piles of money

Not true. After how we finished last season we were one of the main candidates to make it in the Top 4 this season.



The funny thing is that even when we had our injuries we still managed to get the 3 points. The moment we gradually started recovering our players, i.e. the last two months, that's when we started losing points and eventually slipped to -11 from Inter.



What's that supposed to mean? He's perfectly fine now, isn't? He's been fine for a couple of months. And he's still been mostly crap.

I hate it when players are justified in one way or another. These are professionals who train every day and win millions just to kick a ball. Injuries and whatnot are part of their job. But even when they're fine we gotta say "oh, but he's had a few issues this season"? No, f*ck it. Let's just acknowledge that Hakan Calhanoghlu is an inconsistent overrated player and move on, please.

Indeed. But I gotta side with them for this one. This whole Super League bullshit is ridiculous.

christ if you were a bigger queen on here you'd wear a tiara.

Agreed.

Inter losing undeservedly against Napoli

I saw a lot of pre-season talk having us out of the top 4 as well. Let's not forget, this team has flattered to deceive for a while now. And with teams like Atalanta and Napoli being more favourited than us, it's understandable. Of course there were ones who predicted we would do well as well

The issue with the players returning, is more complicated than just saying, oh we got so and so back into the team, we should be better. Most of the players returned having been out for weeks and had to regain fitness and form

Agreed on Hakan, When I said issues I meant injuries and Covid mostly. Hakan was symptomatic when he had Covid, it's different to when you don't have any symptoms like Ibra for example, who returned like he didn't have anything.


Hmm, but why? UEFA is a BS organisation, that only enforces the rules when it's beneficial to them. Case in point the BS FFP stuff.


Says the man whose thrown a b!tch fit at anyone on here who's disagreed with him...

The one time I want them to actually do well...

1-1 Inter

Because it would create utmost chaos.



Good result.

Super League seems like it's happening.

It seems like we might get fucked because of this..

Crap, it's actually official. All 12 clubs just announced it.

Yep, I'm ashamed to be a Milan fan atm... wtf are we thinking?

What?

https://www.acmilan.com/en/news/articles/cl...gue-competition

Imagine UEFA banning us, Juve and Inter from CL starting from next season just as we managed to make it back again after a decade.

Hm, strange. I always thought this is just somewhere in the air.

Why are things starting to change all the sudden? When I was a kid I thought the Champions league and the World cup would be untouchable constants. Now all of the sudden every next year someone tries to reform and reinvent the CL while the WC is practically ruined with expansions and don't know what...

Call me a romantic, but it's a bit sad, isn't it?

Oh you two should stop bickering. This formu is almost dead, let's keep it in good terms. The days of Portugal and Ducrul are long gone...

The implications from this announcement are huge. I was reading on Gazzetta that UEFA and FIFA, backed by the European Club Association and every national league are preparing a 50/60 billion cause against the 12 founding clubs. It seems everyone is against it, and I can see why. This will change things forever, and it would put all the power in the hands of a handful of powerful clubs.

But why?

It's about time that clubs stood up to UEFA imo. I'm sorry that this kills the nostalgia. But CL died a long time ago. When state owned clubs got wavered to do as they please while we got banned and fined by an organization that is corrupt trying to act all high and mighty, that was the last straw for me.

UEFA can go f@ck themselves and FIFA, the even worse organization who has people actually dying in Qatar so they can cash out on a WC competition that literally cannot be played in the summer can go f@ck themselves as well imo.


Nah. You think all these clubs have not thought things through. JP Morgan are behind this. This is not some whim that was just conceived overnight.

You think the lega will bna Milan, Inter and Juve??? If that's the case they might as well just close shop now. The league would not survive without those clubs, same sane be said for the Spanish and English leagues.

Yeah the EPL will get billions for broadcasting their league without Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, etc in it... Dream on!


You're right. Sorry Danny. Will try to be less of a drama queen towards you


I think you're making too much of a big deal out of this. The aport has gone through massive changes over the years. This would just be another one. UEFA and FIFA are trying ro hold the moral high ground over everyone when they do not have a corrupt leg to stand on.

If this does happen, everyone will be forced to move in line woth these clubs because they hold all the power

State funded clubs? What do you mean by that?

Just so I'm clear guys - you lot have been whining about FFP, about UCL, about elitist clubs for the past 10 years, the greed of EPL, UEFA, FIFA - and now something comes along to shake it all up and potentially change the landscape forever, and you... OPPOSE that?

I might be the only fan on earth who actually likes the fact something has come along which opposes the monopoly of UEFA and FIFA and the PL.

Why SHOULDN'T clubs use their brand to grow even more? Milan are garbage, but we have a decent brand - and now we have a new avenue to grow properly.

And the knock on effect sees smaller clubs given more of the spotlight in big leagues because the heavy hitters have left.

Must be the only fan who isn't worried about this at all.

Isn't that what PSG and City are essentially?

Honestly, I don know why fans of participating clubs are acting like this is a bad thing

It''s an amazing thing for all involved. Especially clubs outside of the EPL who do not have astronomical TV deals from their national league but are expected to comply with corrupt FFP rules

Once again. F@ck FIFA and UEFA

Some updates

Agnelli has resigned from president of the ECA
The Lega is having a meeting today with all clubs barring us, Inter and Juve

Wow!

This changes everything!

I can't believe you're all supporting this.

This kills the spirit of competition. It creates a feudalistic notion based on power and not on meritocracy. Who are these elitist clubs to ground the rules as they please? Last time I checked football was for everyone.

And blaming this on UEFA and FIFA is foolish. Yes, we all think FFP is unfair, but nevertheless I know that any club who puts their heart and soul into the game can achieve success. Clubs like Leicester and Atalanta earned their right to win the league or qualify and fight for the Champions League. Clubs like Milan and Arsenal have no right to sit on top with the best clubs when they've been absolute sh*t.

What is the point in fighting for the top spots in your respective leagues when you know very well that your access to the Super League is secured nevertheless? Right now, if the Super League was a thing, with Inter having virtually won the scudetto, what point would there be for the remaining games till the end of the season?

What about the other clubs? What incentives would they have? Napoli, Roma, Atalanta, Lazio, Leicester, Valencia, Sevilla, the German, French, Portuguese clubs and so on.

If this happens it would be the death of football.

"I'm absolutely DISGUSTED!" | Gary Neville's verdict on the European Super League proposals

Wise words.

Yeah, all 12 clubs.

The idea that a league will be governed by directors of these clubs, and rules are in place so that they can never lose their place. It's utterly disgusting.

I'm not thinking of this as the death of football. It's the rebirth. We created the first football league. A league that existed and flourished without these 6 companies.

Many clubs have succeeded. Earned their way to success. Fallen off. That's competition, that's football.

Football in England without these 6 clubs will be exactly that. Football. 20 Premier League football clubs with supporters. Losing 6 companies and their customers are no loss. It's a massive net gain.

There's also a huge, huge correlation between those that support the ESL and those that don't attend football matches. Customers, not fans.

I agree with this, based on the point that these clubs LEAVE their domestic leagues.

Let the worldwide customers have their franchises. Let us fans have our football clubs.

This is the irony of all this.

People complaining about UEFA, FIFA, PL, etc... they act like they're "against the system" and sit here backing the richest clubs, who haven't even earned their place in this league. All of this, while it literally kills 95% of leagues across Europe.

Teams in the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia... leagues with historic clubs from big nations who have won International tournaments, European trophies. These leagues aren't going to be able to ever attract better players. They could through qualifying for the CL, having great European seasons. Now? Their domestic TV rights will plummet, the CL will be lesser than it was and the TV rights there were plummet. Hundreds of clubs will probably cease to exist.

The money in football will now all be funnelled through a few teams. Well done for supporting a monopoly. I hope none of you guys have android phones or buy stuff from anywhere except Amazon. Support the monopoly, help the rich get richer!

*waves* hey Kurt. Well, yes, they'll be kicked out their domestic leagues, no? That's part of it.

That's just it, it isn't, and hasn't been for decades X. The elitist system is in place already and has been ensured by the PL, UEFA and FIFA. All that's happened here is clubs have got sick of those governing bodies. Those corrupt bodies.

Never thought I'd see the day when they were being portrayed as the good guys and the clubs the baddies!

This isn't about corruption, its about money. If it were an anti-corruption campaign, you really think Barca, Madrid and Man City would be invited?

Alright, two things:

First of all, nobody is siding with UEFA and FIFA because they believe their honesty and integrity are being jeopardised. This isn't about them, it's about the game of football, and what the game of football represents: competition. With the Super League you are literally killing competition. Furthermore, just because you're opposing UEFA and FIFA doesn't automatically put in you in the right either.

Secondly, what really irks me is how apparently this Super League is coming to fruition because these clubs are not benefitting from their large investments anymore. Expenses are too high and revenues can't cover them, and the Covid crisis only worsened this aspect. I'm sorry, but who was it that drove player prices and wages to INSANE amounts? It wasn't UEFA or FIFA, but the clubs themselves. It was the Chelsea's and City's and Madrid's and Barcelona's and Juventus' of this world. Never would I have imagined 20 years ago that spending 70-80 million on some random player would become the norm, that a player's price would surpass 200 million, that a player would be earning 15-20 million every year just on wages. All of this as the world-wide economy suffers every year. Who spent 60 million on Kaka and 100 million on CR7 in 2009 when the world was in the middle of a global economic crisis?

Everyone is at fault here, UEFA and FIFA included for allowing the creation of such a bubble that it would eventually burst at some point.

And now these clubs are playing the victims of a system they themselves created, and their solution is building an even worse system that just keeps enriching them whilst everyone else fades into obscurity.

And in all of this the game of football and the fans that support it aren't even being considered anymore. All that matters is money, money, money. As Kurt rightfully said, this isn't about corruption, it's just about $$$. And it's disgusting.

Nah, han is right. And why stop at club football?

The World Cup should just be England, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Argentina + 1 invitee each year. Of course the FAs of those countries would run the competition and employ the referees.

No point in other countries entering, they don't put enough money in to football.

+1

Can't believe you guys are so coldly supporting this. It kills all the joy and fun, and most probably will become dull in a matter of years.

I disagree to a point here because the CL and this SPL can still co-exist along with the domestic leagues

The purpose of this new league is to replace the monopoly UEFA have on european football.

I'm sorry, but I think UEFA have only themselves to blame for this. This has been in the works for years now and UEFA always called the clubs' bluff on this. The pandemic just made sure that the big clubs won't mess about on this anymore. The fact that UEFA keep a huge chunk of the CL money to themselves while having the audacity to only give clubs, namely the ones who are breaking away just a small fraction of that money when they are the cash cows in all of this is what is the issue here.

UEFA trying to act like they're the moral authority of football is what is so ridiculous and laughable here. I say good for all involved. The rest of the clubs will still be able to play the CL btw. Just without the 20 teams involved. So the football pyramid will still be there should this go through

And btw, a club like Leicester cannot even be compared to a club like Atalanta. An EPL team is highly advantaged simply for playing in that league. So as you can see a form of super league already exists in Europe with the EPL already creating a huge imbalance in the system.


I'm sorry kurt but I have to disagree with you there, especially re the EPL as a whole. The EPL in and of itself is a breakaway league, simply formed for the money. Simple as that really. The obscene TV deal which puts EPL clubs in a huge advantage over their European counterparts only exists because of the top 6 clubs which are going to form this super league. Now tell me what happens to the EPL as a whole and that TV money should the FA and the EPL ban those 6 from the league?

This goes for La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga (reports saying Bayern are also a part of this now) as well.


Agreed. And it's why UEFA are throwing a hissy fit as well. You think they care about football? The grass root of the game? The fans? No. They want the money and the authority over football. I'm sorry but their time is up and they deserve all that is coming to them imo

That's another thing. There won't exciting games among big clubs anymore because it will be the norm every week. As they say in the Incredibles movie, "When everyone is super, no one will be".

And I personally think that fans going in favour of UEFA just doesn't make any sense either.

UEFA and FIFA are probably 2 of the most corrupt "legit" organisations in the world. They've held the monopoly over football for too long imo

A great vid on FIFA as an organisation for anyone who hasn't seen it. UEFA are basically the same thing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlJEt2KU33I

Nobody are saying UEFA are perfect, far from it.

But a league created, population and governed by a few clubs being the better option? LOL

If you think it's easier for Leicester to compete with a bunch of billionaire state owned teams, that Atalanta competing with a few semi-rich clubs, you're living on a different planet.

Leicester are the reason this league exists. Because the money clubs don't like the idea that teams who buy and play smart can beat them when they're throwing money at everything.

The ONLY people that support these league are armchair customers. If you support this, you are not a football fan. You are a customer.