Doubly ironic if it turns out that his best chance of a CL winners medal might have come if he had not been picked to start in 2019!
No club has ever had a long run in the CL unless they are in the top 6 in revenue. Villa are nowhere near that and still wouldn't be even if they won it. You can't maintain a strong enough squad without spending upwards of £150m a year unless you get very lucky with signings. If you are Arsenal (and the same applies to us) overspending while you are out of it is a good option because the extra £100m from having a good run in it makes a big difference if you are 4th to 6th in revenue.
We lost £61m in 2022. Think that will reduce a bit last year but this year will probably be loss making again.
I hope he does - I don’t want any of the other likely candidates to win it - but it’s a long shot given their form. They were outclassed last year. Kane was the missing piece of the jigsaw (supposedly) because they hadn’t replaced Lewandowski, but I think this season has shown that a few other pieces are down the back of the sofa too.
Viktor Gyokeres has scored 30 goals in 33 games for Sporting this season. He scored 22 in 50 for Coventry in the previous one. I wonder why he couldn't break through at Brighton? Maybe just age and experience?
About 100 Lazio fans visited a brewery in Munich on Monday that's linked to Hitler. He announced the Nazi Party official program there in 1920. https://apnews.com/article/lazio-hitler-fascist-songs-munich-20cca53e83e68e234ca1786c54de4b18 They sang about Hitler and Mussolini, while making fascist salutes. Classy club.
Watched Real Madrid v Leipzig.Great game.Thought Real lucky today.Should have been 4-0 down by half time!Anyway Leipzig looked like they might win it until they bought on Mr Modric 15 mins from the end.They still had more chances than Real! I'm surprised Ancellotti wasn't choking on his bubble gum!
Roma hammer Brighton. I think this season has been a step too far for De Zerbi's side, who are probably paying the price of being a good 3-4 years ahead of schedule. They'll probably harbour hopes of selling Neil Maupay to Chelsea for £105m in the summer and then they'll go again.
After qualifying for a UEFA tournament for the first time. the next incremental step for a PL team is to finish the next season in the same position. but having got at least to the KO stage in said tournament. Brighton may not do this, due to having weak squad strength. To do the above and not now enter a vicious circle, they have to avoid being repeatedly "asset-stripped" by those clubs above them.
Luckily for them, it seems that clubs may be looking at Brentford to be carved up - especially as clubs haven't blinked when they set transfer fees at whatever number they could think of, as demonstrated with Raya last summer, and are watching to see if Second Season Syndrome makes the job of carving them up a little easier
Not sure why they are ahead of schedule. They are 23rd in the Deloitte money list which puts them just below Villa and above Roma. So should be top half in the PL.
They've been decimated by injuries and fitness issues, IIRC. That's going to take a toll when you've got European football and limited experience in it.
So this is it, the last time we have to listen to Klopp and Guardiola fawning over each other in the media. Unless they meet in the FA Cup. And the CL. Then we'll have to stomach it all over again.
