Tonight is the final of the Champions League and two teams that finished in the PL top-four, but were not champions of their league, are in it.
It is nice that for once none of the BBRm are in the final. Barcelona, Bayern and Real Madrid were ousted in previous rounds. Instead we have a Sheikh competing with an Oligarch; massively deep pockets have turned Chelsea and Man City in big success machines. As an Arsenal fan am I bitter? I don’t think so. Winning silverware this way would not give me much satisfaction to be honest. I am sure the Chelsea and MC fans will care less, if at all, about how they have made it to finals and silverware ever since the many hundreds of millions were pumped into them.
Football is now totally determined by money and I cannot see a way out of it unless the governments would intervene, which is very unlikely. For sports to be really enjoyed there needs to be the romantic, yet reasonable, idea that any team at some point can win the biggest prices. A good team and a good manager, with a clever, financially astute BoD should still be able to win the Champions League these days. This is nigh impossible of course. Totally gone are the days when a Nottingham Forest or Aston Villa, a Porto, Feyenoord, Steaua Bucharesti, Benfica or Celtic, etc will win the Cup with the Big Ears.
If this does not matter to you then enjoy the final.
By TotalArsenal.
Bergkampesque 
You might be a dreamer, but you ate 100% right!
In the battle of gluttonous pig spending teams, I prefer Chelsea to win. City have taken overspending to the highest level. The only team to have 2 overpriced players who could start at every position, and for many years they’ve been doing it. Would have been better for the league if Ferguson could’ve kept them down forever. Also if scum lawyers didn’t negate financial fair play.
Chelsea have some nice signings that weren’t top dollar, who are good role players. Giroud, Azpilicueta, some that they bought very young and developed on loans. Some solid but not spectacular back up players like Kovacic, Jorginho. If a team has basically unlimited funds, or if Arsenal had that, I’d prefer us to use the Chelsea method over City’s, by far. Selling the overrated Hazard was brilliant and a huge profit. Also letting Cech and Willian go as they did were not bad moves.
Not sure whether I agree, J. Don’t think MC bought big stars but had to overpay due to their financial status.
This one will hurt for Guardiola.
The thing is, Jync, Chelsea outspent City last summer to bring in Ziyech, Kai, Pulicic, Werner and Mendy (?). Those together came in excess of £200m. Fact is they no different from City.
Having said that, unlike you, I wanted (expected) City to win, guns blazing. Turns out Chelsea had their tactics down to a T and smothered the City threat masterfully. I can only congratulate Chelsea, but rather grudgingly.
PS: I expected the caption of the article to bring the Chelsea fans over here, like flies. London will be too noisy.
I just think City over the years has paid far more for the second player at every position. Chelsea went crazy spending last summer after a transfer ban, to more than make up for the pause. They were smart enough to make getting Kante a priority, and I respect that kind of move.
City also destroyed any hope for some financial fair play with their lawyers. It was always going to be tough to enforce, but they decided not to accept it in their arrogance and ruined it for any fairness to be impressed on the big clubs. They did that, instead of moderating slightly, which UEFA probably would have accepted. They’ve also taken feeder clubs to another level. They are a cancer on the sport. Not the only one, but maybe the biggest. I have same disdain for PSG and said a few weeks ago, here, I think. PSG vs man city in the semi final was like a derby for the privilege to lose in the final to either Chelsea or Madrid. As old and weak as Madrid is right now, Pep would have found a way to blow it against them also. That’s a special kind of genius.
And lastly. Kevin Debruyne is, in a way, like Harry Kane. He’ll have to leave City if he wants to win a champions league. I much prefer Klopps liverpool winning the Prem to the gluttons of Manchester.
“Tonight is the final of the Champions League and two teams that finished in the PL top-four, but were not champions of their league, are in it.”
So who won the EPL? I thought it was City…
Vladimir Putin 1-0 Wealthy Oil Rich Gulf State.
I thought that Brentford vs Swansea was the better, more entertaining game tbh.
Whenever has this been different TA? Real since, the war has bought the most expensive players, soon followed by Barca, PSG, etc. City can afford la creme de la creme but have not really excelled at producing home grown or youth players like Arsenal has. Forget the Fa, the FIFA or the natrional associations, all of whom are profiting hugely from the love of Football. The superrich tried to bamboozle us into a Superleague and what did the politicians and boffins at EUFA,FIFA or the FA do but whine about how they didn’t like it and how they’d punish these rebels. $$$ runs the beautiful game and status,trophies, crim inal owners and greedy agents/players have corrupted it. Is it redeemable….not until a paradigm shift occurs and you can bet, like everything else where $$$ reigns, nothing will change until it is forced to change.
after all the last day of season banging my head on the walls with all the different permutations going on then , I was just happy to watch a few games just for the entertainment value. They did not disappoint , except now Toney will be 10m dearer, but hey we arent buying my wish in Vlahovic either.
I had no jealousy over money , just enjoyed as a neutral. So refreshing 😉
” Tonight is the final of the Champions League and two teams that finished in the PL top-four, but were not champions of their league, are in it. ” And which league were Man C champions of then?
Boring match with one brilliant pass from Mason Mount and error by Man C backline. Man city were poor with only 7 shots with only 1 on target. Chelsea only better with 8-2. Chelsea did look a better team than Man C and were in the face of Man C all night. Might I say Man City didn’t like it and couldn’t cope with that. I bet nobody in the media will point that as they are not Arsenal.
Overall a pot game to watch especially the second half. What’s the point of spending so much money and giving such a drab game for a show piece event. As kev mentioned Championship play off are probably a better spectacle.
Next season would be interesting. Somehow I haven’t been impressed with Man City and I think they haven’t been tested enough. They may have expensive players but I don’t find them attractive to watch. Pep will spend more money and go all out for CL. Arteta should instill confidence in the team and remove the inferior feeling in the team. He should be more aggressive and target top 4 and a cup final. I think it’s possible but let’s see what happens in the summer.
James, you are mixing the seasons up.
Last message was for Billy not James..
OMG, although money played a role in the 60,70 and 80ies it did not totally dominate proceedings
and there was high risks for the bigger clubs. This has now all disappeared.
Morning all,
I must say that the most exciting games to me this past season were 1) the FA Cup final and watching the pure emotion and exhilaration in both the Leicester City players and in the owners – to see the the owner dancing up and down with the players was such a wonderful change from the straight faced owners who sit stiffly in the stands (ie Kkonke).
Secondly it was the Championship playoff final and seeing Brentford return to the top flight after 74 years – there is still magic left in football. In both cases it didn’t take shed loads of money but sheds loads of desire – oh how I miss the days of yore…………………
The result of the second leg of our BK playoff is very easy to record – everybody that made a prediction struck out and scored ZERO.
So that confirms that Eris won the playoff with his 5-0 win over Kev in the first playoff game and he is the winner of the competition and wins an Arsenal shirt – well done Eris’s for winning both the seasons predictions and the playoffs.
Thank you Kev for giving us all an exciting season watching you and Eris battle it out at the top – you both left the rest of us trailing in your dust.
Eris to claim your prize you will need to Email Bergkampesque with your shirt size and mailing address.
Thanks for the play off update, GN5. And thanks for all the great efforts you put in to the competition this season. You have helped tremendously with making BK a nice home for us. 😊
Well done, Eris. ⚽ ⚽ Please follow GN5s instructions.
GN5, thanks for staying with the Predictions game all season and being such a meticulous umpire. Looks like I have to make a victory speech so (takes a bow)….. The “season” was a long and arduous one and the competition was stiff, but with some bit of work and luck, I found myself in the top 2/3 spot and occasionally, it was a ding-dong affair with Kev. Credit to Kev for his doggedness and staying power. It made it all the more exciting. And to the rest of the guys who played along (even those who dropped off midway), wish you better luck in the coming season, should the blog come up with some other competition to keep us zoned in. 😅 (that wasn’t so hard).
TA, I shall be reaching out, as prescribed. Cheers, all.
Well done Eris and thanks GN5, I really enjoyed the contest and hope we can repeat it next season.
In other news Xhaka has said he’s flattered by the interest of Roma but that he still has two years on his contract and he’s very happy in London. I hope that puts an end to that nonsense!
That’s good news Kev. Happy to hear about a player who wants to stay with us.
Great speech, Eris. You and Kev kept it exciting till the end. If GN5 wants to run it again we will do another one next season.
Good to hear XhakA say the right thing
Yes J, let’s hope that those words from the horses mouth will calm everything down. If Granit is happy then I’m sure that Arteta is happy and everyone can refocus on those players we really want to see depart.
Morning all,
Thanks guy’s I will be more than happy to run the EPL predictions next season and I going to add a second one, that I think PB suggested, where we can predict the points for each Arsenal game and possibly I’ll keep it going through the whole season..
However prior to that we will have a Euro 2020 competition but I still have to think through the details as it’s a daily competition once I’ve figured it out I will post in good time for you to make your predictions.
That’s great news, GN5 ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽
As long as you feel you have the time and energy.
TA,
Check your Email.
It’s very quiet today so I thought I would give you the opening group of games of Euro 2020 to give you all 10 days to figure out your choices.
Here are the rules for the competition:-
1. Predict a win, draw, or loss for the home team a correct choice gets – 1 point.
2. In each group of games there will be 3 games where you predict the correct score – a correct score gets – 2 points
3. The person who gets the most predictions in item one correct gets a bonus of – 4 points.
4. The correct score games are indicated with the asterisks.
There will be 4 groups of games falling on consecutive days, they will vary in the number of games due the date the games will be played.
The next round of predictions will be posted on June 6th to give you ample time to make your next set of predictions.
It’s just for fun and everybody is welcome to loin in…………………
“”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
June 11th Turkey v Italy ***
June12th Wales v Switzerland
June12th Denmark v Finland
June12th Belguim v Russia
June 13th England v Crotia ***
June 13th Austria v Macedonia
June 13th Netherlands v Ukraine
June14 th Scotland v Czech Reb
June14 th Poland v Slovakia
June14 th Spain v Sweden ***
“””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Here are my selections:-
June 11th Turkey v Italy ***- A (0-3)
June12th Wales v Switzerland – H
June12th Denmark v Finland – D
June12th Belguim v Russia – H
June 13th England v Crotia *** – H (2-1)
June 13th Austria v Macedonia – H
June 13th Netherlands v Ukraine – H
June14 th Scotland v Czech Reb – A
June14 th Poland v Slovakia – D
June14 th Spain v Sweden *** H (2-0)
England’s 26-man squad for Euro 2020
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Manchester United), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton).
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds), Declan Rice (West Ham).
Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Raheem Sterling (Man City).
Thanks for this, GN5 ⚽ ⚽ ⚽
Everton can confirm that Carlo Ancelotti has left his position as manager to take up the role of Head Coach at Real Madrid.
Ancelotti, who joined Everton on a four-and-a-half-year contract in December 2019, said: “I would like to thank the Board of Directors, the players, and the Evertonians for the tremendous support they have all given me during my time at the Club.
“I have complete respect for everyone associated with Everton and hope they can achieve the exciting opportunities they have in front of them.
“While I have enjoyed being at Everton I have been presented with an unexpected opportunity which I believe is the right move for me and my family at this time.”
Everton would like to place on record its thanks to Carlo for his service to the Club over the past 18 months.
Can’t blame him for leaving Everton when an opportunity like that lands in your lap.
He did a decent job at Everton but no better than Arteta at Arsenal.
Tottenham will be twitchy as the Toffees will be looking to bring in the same type of managers as them now and competition will only increase the cost. Joe Lewis will not be pleased.
Thanks for that GN5, I’ll sleep on it and have a go tomorrow.
May I join the fun?
June 11th Turkey v Italy ***- A (0-1)
June12th Wales v Switzerland – D
June12th Denmark v Finland – H
June12th Belgium v Russia – H
June 13th England v Croatia *** – D (1-1)
June 13th Austria v Macedonia – H
June 13th Netherlands v Ukraine – H
June14th Scotland v Czech Rep – D
June14th Poland v Slovakia – H
June14th Spain v Sweden *** H (2-0)
June 11th Turkey v Italy ***- ……..Away (0-2)
June12th Wales v Switzerland –..Home
June12th Denmark v Finland – …Home
June12th Belguim v Russia – …..Home
June 13th England v Crotia *** –.Draw (2-2)
June 13th Austria v Macedonia –Home
June 13th Holland v Ukraine – …Home
June14 th Scotland v Czech ……Draw
June14 th Poland v Slovakia –…Home
June14 th Spain v Sweden ***…Home (3-1)
Welcome to the game Stuart it’s great to have a new participant.
Thanks, GN5. I shall send in my predictions tomorrow.
To think Ancelotti could have been at Arsenal. Who’s to know if he wouldn’t have abandoned ship in similar manner, soon as Madrid came calling. The club is like a drug for some of its ex-coaches.
Thanks for your efforts and enthusiasm, GN5.
Here are my predictions for the first round:
June 11th Turkey v Italy ***- D (1-1)
June12th Wales v Switzerland – A
June12th Denmark v Finland – H
June12th Belgium v Russia – H
June 13th England v Croatia *** – H (3-1)
June 13th Austria v Macedonia – H
June 13th Netherlands v Ukraine – H
June14th Scotland v Czech Rep – A
June14th Poland v Slovakia – D
June14th Spain v Sweden *** H (4-0)
Saka scores the only goal in England’s friendly against Austria.
Thank you for your predictions PB.
To maintain the interest I will post the to date scores each morning.
Alan Miller, Arsenal goalkeeper under George Graham, RIP, only 51…. Terrible news.
Sorry to hear about Alan Miller passing away, Kev. Far too young.
I am very busy with dog and family right now but should have time tomorrow for a issuing a new post. We will relaunch GN5’s competition then too.
Good night FFGs ⚽⚽⚽
Here are my predictions:
June 11th Turkey v Italy ***- A (1 – 3)
June12th Wales v Switzerland – D
June12th Denmark v Finland – W
June12th Belguim v Russia – H
June 13th England v Crotia *** – H (2 -1)
June 13th Austria v Macedonia – H
June 13th Netherlands v Ukraine – H
June14 th Scotland v Czech Rep – D
June14 th Poland v Slovakia – D
June14 th Spain v Sweden *** H (2-1)
Thanks, GN5I
Eris, Thank you for your predictions – who do you want to win game three, I need either an A or H.?
Total, I sent you an Email.
That was very observant of you, GN5. I meant to state H (home). I will just repeat the whole thing:
June 11th Turkey v Italy ***- A (1 – 3)
June12th Wales v Switzerland – D
June12th Denmark v Finland – H
June12th Belguim v Russia – H
June 13th England v Crotia *** – H (2 -1)
June 13th Austria v Macedonia – H
June 13th Netherlands v Ukraine – H
June14 th Scotland v Czech Rep – D
June14 th Poland v Slovakia – D
June14 th Spain v Sweden *** H (2-1)
New Post 📯