2024-25 UCL Final: PSG vs Inter (5-0) Hakimi, Doue (2), Kvarashelia, Mayulu FT

[mcal]

...I wonder the silence in the dressing room, and flight back to Milan. What hit them?

[txj]

Feel bad for Inter. The loss of form over the last 2 months truly came at the wrong time for them

Football is often about timing...

And not to take anything away from PSG, because they are the best team in Europe, but they met Inter at a point that they were in a poor phase.
A bit similar to Liverpool, who were coming off a brutal phase in the season...

Yup! Couldnt have put it better.

I happened to watch their match against Christian Chivu's Parma and thats when I knew Inter was finished for the season. Thereafter, they just tried to stumble through games.

They could have won the treble this season and everything just melted off in the last 7 weeks - trophyless!

I am sure you are looking for an Inter fan forum to go and troll them now. Vampire!

I know about 2 or 3 inter fora. I watched them when Mourinho was their coach. But I dont have time. I am getting ready to head to the stadium to watch a sh1t MLS game.

Which one? I'm watching Chicago Fire spank Orlando.

Just came back. Saw the NY Red Bulls vs Atlanta.

Its a tough watch but there're some good games...and the diversity in match experience and playing styles makes it a really good study..

[The YeyeMan]

Football is often about timing...

And not to take anything away from PSG, because they are the best team in Europe, but they met Inter at a point that they were in a poor phase.
A bit similar to Liverpool, who were coming off a brutal phase in the season...

Yup! Couldnt have put it better.

I happened to watch their match against Christian Chivu's Parma and thats when I knew Inter was finished for the season. Thereafter, they just tried to stumble through games.

They could have won the treble this season and everything just melted off in the last 7 weeks - trophyless!

I am sure you are looking for an Inter fan forum to go and troll them now. Vampire!

I know about 2 or 3 inter fora. I watched them when Mourinho was their coach. But I dont have time. I am getting ready to head to the stadium to watch a sh1t MLS game.

Which one? I'm watching Chicago Fire spank Orlando.

Just came back. Saw the NY Red Bulls vs Atlanta.

Its a tough watch but there're some good games...and the diversity in match experience and playing styles makes it a really good study..

I've started to play closer attention to the MLS as I'm using it as a test bed for my betting model for home wins and over 2.5 goals per game. I'm seeing a lot of variation against expected results.

[The YeyeMan]

Simone Inzaghi rumoured to have a boarding pass for the same plane as Osimhen to the sand dunes.

Being quite an interesting CL season, one that clearly underlined the importance of periodization to enable a team continue to grow through the course of a season...

Also showcased the changing trends in midfield and the dominance of athleticism. With all the teams possessing elite fitness and conditioning, as well as nutrition, the ability to add a technical edge to the game, is increasingly the difference.

PSG have won thru dominance in midfield, but not in the manner of the dominant Jurgen Klopp Liverpool of Hendo, Fab and Gini.

The PSG MF trio of Vitinha, Neves and Ruiz are not only capable of the level of elite athleticism, but, especially in small spaces and under pressure, are able to perform at an even more elite level.

I suspect that this will be the trend moving forward. But football is constantly evolving.

Will be interesting to see the battle next season between Barca and Madrid in MF, with the Madridistas built on power first and the technical second, in MF and Barca the other way round.

And in the EPL, Arsenal bringing in Zubimendi, City likely Reindjers, with Rodri back, but still lacking...
And Liverpool looking to add Wirtz...

I'm glad LFC is missing the CWC this summer. I think clubs who are participating in it will see a drop off in performance as the season wears on. And then there's a World Cup in the summer....

[wiseone]

THAT PSG midfield could be the next great midfield of world football - to succeed Casemiro-Kroos-Modric, Busquets-Iniesta-Xavi, Beckham-Keane-Scholes-Giggs etc. The movement and passing of PSG's midfield was mesmeric.

The best demonstration of that midfield's talent was PSG's third goal. Vitinha ran back to take a FK in the CD position (what on earth was he doing back there?!), then ran to the RB position, then sprinted into CM, and then dribbled from his own half deep into the Inter half to set up Doue. He did all that in one continous sprint from one end of the pitch to the other without stopping.

He started a move deep in his own half, then helped to finish it deep in the opposition's half a few seconds later.

https://x.com/eurofootcom/status/1929531327461695645

Also showcased the changing trends in midfield and the dominance of athleticism. With all the teams possessing elite fitness and conditioning, as well as nutrition, the ability to add a technical edge to the game, is increasingly the difference.

PSG have won thru dominance in midfield, but not in the manner of the dominant Jurgen Klopp Liverpool of Hendo, Fab and Gini.

The PSG MF trio of Vitinha, Neves and Ruiz are not only capable of the level of elite athleticism, but, especially in small spaces and under pressure, are able to perform at an even more elite level.

I suspect that this will be the trend moving forward. But football is constantly evolving.

Will be interesting to see the battle next season between Barca and Madrid in MF, with the Madridistas built on power first and the technical second, in MF and Barca the other way round.

And in the EPL, Arsenal bringing in Zubimendi, City likely Reindjers, with Rodri back, but still lacking...
And Liverpool looking to add Wirtz...

[wiseone]

Can someone please explain why fans of a team that won the Champions League by a record scoreline need to rampage and damage their own city?

https://x.com/thecasualultra/status/1928913529039470633

[danfo driver]

Just came back. Saw the NY Red Bulls vs Atlanta.

Its a tough watch but there're some good games...and the diversity in match experience and playing styles makes it a really good study..

They brought in Sandro Schwarz who was at Mainz and you can see his philosophy on the pitch and even the way the team trains. He took the team to the MLS finals last year and this year, they are definitely trying to win it, with the transfer of Choupo-Moting.

Watching Choupo, who was a player I never really rated in Europe, its like night and day when compared to the striker the team had last season.

Significantly sha... the best player on the team and frankly, I rate him as one of the best in the league is Emil Forsberg. I have seen this guy in matches and training and his relationship with the ball is unbelievable. But at 33, the fact that he is head and shoulders above any player on the pitch in almost every game and even scores hattricks just makes me not respect the league at all.

[txj]

Just came back. Saw the NY Red Bulls vs Atlanta.

Its a tough watch but there're some good games...and the diversity in match experience and playing styles makes it a really good study..

They brought in Sandro Schwarz who was at Mainz and you can see his philosophy on the pitch and even the way the team trains. He took the team to the MLS finals last year and this year, they are definitely trying to win it, with the transfer of Choupo-Moting.

Watching Choupo, who was a player I never really rated in Europe, its like night and day when compared to the striker the team had last season.

Significantly sha... the best player on the team and frankly, I rate him as one of the best in the league is Emil Forsberg. I have seen this guy in matches and training and his relationship with the ball is unbelievable. But at 33, the fact that he is head and shoulders above any player on the pitch in almost every game and even scores hattricks just makes me not respect the league at all.

The orientation of football development here is too skewed towards the physical.
I saw it first hand at youth level while helping out with a travel soccer team.

A bit understandable for MLS teams because the conditions can be brutal- heat, cold, high humidity, altitude..

Except for the Crew and some of the Canadian teams

[txj]

Conventional wisdom from across a broad spectrum of pundits is that PSG are favorites.

I do not understand why. Inter has always been my dark horse for this competition.

They have a game model that is better suited to winning tournaments. They are the best expression of the 3 centerback formation in global football...

But PSG are the more dynamic, especially with the two Portuguese wizards in MF.

The KEY TACTICAL QUESTION ahead of the game for me is this:

To Do(ue) or not to Do(ue)....

I refer of course to Desire Doue.

If Barcola starts, its an indication of intent from Luis Enrique, to attack the space behind Denzil Dumfries

If Doue starts, its more an inside game, with the swift rotations...

Txj....

You know the rest.....

[ohsee]

Hakimi (a Moroccan international) is no less eligible for the AFOY award than the current holder Lookman (who was born and raised in South London)...

Hakimi, surely African player of the Year. No contest.

Coachito nwokem, is Hakimi really African? Born and bred in Spain.

Wow! That's how much I am following events in African football. I had no idea Lookman is AFOY.

[ohsee]

https://x.com/thecasualultra/status/1929096105691607265

...just like in America, when a pro team wins a championship fans from the city vandalize the their own city. Makes no sense. Oyinbos na wah for them.

No be only Oyibo. I heard that some people died when Naija won the Olympic football. Don't know how far it is true.

[ohsee]

A lot of folks are picking PSG but Sleep on Inter at your own peril.

The football genoose txj picked Inter too. Anyway, I won't yab him because I too feared those anti-football Italians would score first and close shop. Thank the gods of footie that it didn't happen.

[wiseone]

I sincerely hope you are joking, otherwise that would be a criminal information blind spot for a football fan.

Back to topic, former APOY winners like Kanoute and Mahrez (both born and raised in France ) show that place of birth is no barrier. Otherwise Erling Haaland (born in England) would be ineligible for Norway's footballer of the year award.

Wow! That's how much I am following events in African football. I had no idea Lookman is AFOY.

[Thelastoneleft]

I sincerely hope you are joking, otherwise that would be a criminal information blind spot for a football fan.

Back to topic, former APOY winners like Kanoute and Mahrez (both born and raised in France ) show that place of birth is no barrier. Otherwise Kevin de Bruyne (born in Burundi) and Erling Haaland (born in England) would be ineligible for their countries' footballer of the year awards.

Wow! That's how much I am following events in African football. I had no idea Lookman is AFOY.

Kevin de Bruyne was born in Belgium! It's his mother that was born in Burundi, not Kevin.

[wiseone]

Thanks for the correction. I mentally conflated his and his mother's places of birth. I have edited the post.

Kevin de Bruyne was born in Belgium! It's his mother that was born in Burundi, not Kevin.

[txj]

I sincerely hope you are joking, otherwise that would be a criminal information blind spot for a football fan.

Back to topic, former APOY winners like Kanoute and Mahrez (both born and raised in France ) show that place of birth is no barrier. Otherwise Erling Haaland (born in England) would be ineligible for Norway's footballer of the year award.

Wow! That's how much I am following events in African football. I had no idea Lookman is AFOY.

That's what happens to grumpy old uncles

[ohsee]

I sincerely hope you are joking, otherwise that would be a criminal information blind spot for a football fan.

Back to topic, former APOY winners like Kanoute and Mahrez (both born and raised in France ) show that place of birth is no barrier. Otherwise Erling Haaland (born in England) would be ineligible for Norway's footballer of the year award.

Wow! That's how much I am following events in African football. I had no idea Lookman is AFOY.

Guilty as charged of the "crime" of losing interest in African footie, which seems to be going downhill and dependent on European players passing for "African."

[ohsee]

I sincerely hope you are joking, otherwise that would be a criminal information blind spot for a football fan.

Back to topic, former APOY winners like Kanoute and Mahrez (both born and raised in France ) show that place of birth is no barrier. Otherwise Erling Haaland (born in England) would be ineligible for Norway's footballer of the year award.

Wow! That's how much I am following events in African football. I had no idea Lookman is AFOY.

That's what happens to grumpy old uncles

Uncles become grumpy when they have to face flapdoodle from pompous pretenders on a daily basis.

[green4life]

A lot of folks are picking PSG but Sleep on Inter at your own peril.

The football genoose txj picked Inter too. Anyway, I won't yab him because I too feared those anti-football Italians would score first and close shop. Thank the gods of footie that it didn't happen.

PSG was the favorite going in so I was hoping for a good game similarly to Inter's performances vs Barca.

However, Inter fell apart spectacularly. Inter that can be counted on to be defensively organized conceded from a most elementary offsides trap error not seen in decades at this level. The deflected second goal late in the first half sealed Inter's fate. Congrats to PSG and their fan(s) ... do we have any on this site?

[wiseone]

TBF European countries have been using African players to bolster their national teams for decades; going back to the days of Eusebio in the 1960s and Basile Boli in the 1980s. So this is simply returning the favour.

Morocco (semi-finalists at the last World Cup) suggest that African football is not "going downhill". We will get a better sense of African football's strength at the next World Cup when Africa will have 10 teams.

Guilty as charged of the "crime" of losing interest in African footie, which seems to be going downhill and dependent on European players passing for "African."

[ohsee]

A lot of folks are picking PSG but Sleep on Inter at your own peril.

The football genoose txj picked Inter too. Anyway, I won't yab him because I too feared those anti-football Italians would score first and close shop. Thank the gods of footie that it didn't happen.

PSG was the favorite going in so I was hoping for a good game similarly to Inter's performances vs Barca.

However, Inter fell apart spectacularly. Inter that can be counted on to be defensively organized conceded from a most elementary offsides trap error not seen in decades at this level. The deflected second goal late in the first half sealed Inter's fate. Congrats to PSG and their fan(s) ... do we have any on this site?

Having been a fan of good footie all my life, I hereby anoint myself a fan of PSG. The game they played on Saturday sweet me no be small. Unfortunately, I can't do a superior tacticul anal-yshitt like thextrajunksta.

[camex]

I sincerely hope you are joking, otherwise that would be a criminal information blind spot for a football fan.

Back to topic, former APOY winners like Kanoute and Mahrez (both born and raised in France ) show that place of birth is no barrier. Otherwise Erling Haaland (born in England) would be ineligible for Norway's footballer of the year award.

Wow! That's how much I am following events in African football. I had no idea Lookman is AFOY.

Guilty as charged of the "crime" of losing interest in African footie, which seems to be going downhill and dependent on European players passing for "African."

What we are seeing is fewer investments in Africa in fotball, or in the youth in general. A talented cameroonian has more chances to reach his potential if he was born in Paris instead of Yaounde.

[ohsee]

TBF European countries have been using African players to bolster their national teams for decades; going back to the days of Eusebio in the 1960s and Basile Boli in the 1980s. So this is simply returning the favour.

Morocco (semi-finalists at the last World Cup) suggest that African football is not "going downhill". We will get a better sense of African football's strength at the next World Cup when Africa will have 10 teams.

Guilty as charged of the "crime" of losing interest in African footie, which seems to be going downhill and dependent on European players passing for "African."

Well, I hope we (Africans) accomplish something this time, even if it is with "African" players born and trained elsewhere. If any African teams play in Toronto, I may withdraw my ban on watching any FIFA games live after my disappointing experience in Brazil.