Soccer 2020

[Shadowlight]

It was just about two months ago when the Indian Wells in California tennis tournament canceled. A week later pretty much all the sports leagues like the NBA and NHL fell like dominoes and stopped on a dime.

So barring glitches ( which one can't discount) the Bundesliga, the German football league, will resume playing without fans next weekend starting May 16th.

I hope they incorporate Zoom technology as a substitute for fans in the stands. It is my contention that without any fan backdrop sports will seem like glorified scrimmages.

That said this news means that the first relevant sports league will start up since the world wide shut down and what a welcome sight. The games are telecast on weekend mornings on the Fox Sports Network but it wouldn't be a bad idea to telecast as many games as possible seeing that the sports landscape is beyond barren right now. Have to wait and see what the TV plans are but it will finally give me something to sink my teeth into.

Looking forward to seeing some of the best young white athletes on the planet including teen wunderkind Erling Haaland ( Dortmund) and striker Timo Werner ( Leipzig). There are other white stars to keep an eye on too so I am jacked that at least there is a sign of life out there.

 

[Sean89]

Haaland on the score sheet, half hour in.

 

[Sean89]

Really exciting front three for Dortmund. Haaland, Brandt, Hazard.

 

[Sean89]

Good weekend for young talent. Hazard, Haaland and Havertz (2) all on the score sheet.

 

[Hartline]

Haaland will be a star for years to come. Incredible player

 

[Sean89]

Haaland with the clutch winner. Big game in Italy 1-1 between Napoli and Inter. Eriksen and Mertens with the goals.
Barcelona 4-0 winners, Messi on the scoresheet, and played an all round great game.

 

[Shadowlight]

The Bundesliga League just wrapped. The Premier League, which has telecast a slew of games since restarting up, has less than a month to go but Liverpool has already clinched the title. There are a few others but the following players have really made their mark and very likely will become the new faces of soccer. They all have big wheels.

Timo Werner (24) Striker just signed a contract to play for Chelsea. Piled up goals in Germany. Speedster is a dangerous goal scorer. I first noticed him at the World Cup.


Erling Haaland (19) Might just be the best teenage athlete in the entire world. Been discussed a bit here. For a player 6'4" his acceleration and quickness is breathtaking. Big time scorer.


Declan Rice (21) Plays for West Ham but chances are he will get scooped up by a higher profile team. Exceptional athletic ability. Can play either defense or attacking midfielder.


Kai Havertz (21) Was on a roll since the Bundesliga League returned but just as I was all set to watch him play for the first time he came down with an injury. Chelsea wants him too. Briefly mentioned above this 6'2" attacking midfielder is elegant and very swift.


Phil Foden (20) Just a few hours ago scored a brilliant goal as his Manchester City squad wiped out Liverpool. Since getting playing time recently it is easy to see why this ultra gifted midfielder is seen by some as the future of English soccer. Sleek athlete. The real deal.


Christian Pulisic (21) The attacking midfielder/winger American has come up big for Chelsea since the Premier League started up again. I am starting to hear comparisons to Eden Hazard. Wow need I say more.

 

[Sean89]

Pulisic in great form. Chelsea will be a team to follow next season, a lot of young pale faces, with huge speed, skill and talent.

 

[Shadowlight]

Sean89 I saw that Pulisic goal too! An explosive couple of steps to the left and a dead eye fire in a tight spot. His play of late deserves a spot on my new faces of soccer watch up above so I will edit him in. By the way that Chelsea 3-2 win was the most exciting match I have seen since the league started up again.

I am sure you noticed the diminutive 19 year old Scots midfielder Billy Gilmour on the Chelsea side. The dynamic youngster composed himself quite well I thought but I was annoyed they pulled him late in the match.

 

[Novice]

Burnley and Sheffield United are both firmly in the top half of the table thanks to almost exclusively to native British isles players.

Burnley currently have a solitary non-white player on their squad who has played more than a single minute - the biracial Dwight McNeil. The Englishmen Ashley Barnes and Jay Rodriguez and New Zealand's Chris Wood have scored a solid 23 goals between them this season. The club have an old-school English toughness, physicality, work rate, and tenacity about them, and I don't think that black players are suitable for a club having those qualities.

Sheffield United have only 2 black players that have started this season: David McGoldrick and Lys Mousset, both of whom are strikers. They've shared playing time with the club's two other strikers Billy Sharp and Oliver McBurnie. The club have conceded the 3rd fewest goals this season due to their back three of Jack O'Connell, Chris Basham, and John Egan, and Dean Henderson in goal.

 

[white lightning]

https://www.espn.com/soccer/chelsea...-to-stars-like-sadio-mane-and-raheem-sterling

 

[Sean89]

The Bundesliga League just wrapped. The Premier League, which has telecast a slew of games since restarting up, has less than a month to go but Liverpool has already clinched the title. There are a few others but the following players have really made their mark and very likely will become the new faces of soccer. They all have big wheels.

Timo Werner (24) Striker just signed a contract to play for Chelsea. Piled up goals in Germany. Speedster is a dangerous goal scorer. I first noticed him at the World Cup.
View attachment 2931

Erling Haaland (19) Might just be the best teenage athlete in the entire world. Been discussed a bit here. For a player 6'4" his acceleration and quickness is breathtaking. Big time scorer.
View attachment 2932

Declan Rice (21) Plays for West Ham but chances are he will get scooped up by a higher profile team. Exceptional athletic ability. Can play either defense or attacking midfielder.
View attachment 2937

Kai Havertz (21) Was on a roll since the Bundesliga League returned but just as I was all set to watch him play for the first time he came down with an injury. Chelsea wants him too. Briefly mentioned above this 6'2" attacking midfielder is elegant and very swift.
View attachment 2938

Phil Foden (20) Just a few hours ago scored a brilliant goal as his Manchester City squad wiped out Liverpool. Since getting playing time recently it is easy to see why this ultra gifted midfielder is seen by some as the future of English soccer. Sleek athlete. The real deal.
View attachment 2936

Christian Pulisic (21) The attacking midfielder/winger American has come up big for Chelsea since the Premier League started up again. I am starting to hear comparisons to Eden Hazard. Wow need I say more.

Nice list. There's a chance 3-4 of those could be at Chelsea next season. Pulisic and Werner could be joined by Kai and even Rice. Emile Smith Rowe will be one to hopefully break through soon, and hopefully Daniel James will kick on next year.

Watching a 24 year old at the minute for Wolves, Daniel Podence, he could be an interesting prospect for next year. Top level speed and agility.
Between Werner, Bellerin, Podence and James there is some serious speed on display in the premier league.

 

[Shadowlight]

Quick play the lottery Sean89. Right after you brought up Daniel Podence he headed in a score. Kismet. Podence caught my eye a couple of weeks ago. His quickness is outrageous. Diminutive Portuguese whirlwind is a super fun player to watch.

Too bad young Chelsea MF Billy Gilmour is out for a few months with knee surgery. Not as serious as an ACL tear so should be ready for 2021.

By the way thanks for the heads up on Emile Smith Rowe. Not with a big squad at the moment(?) but I will keep tabs.

Two other promising youngsters under 20. MF Anthony Gordon played some for Everton today. Sleek looking athlete.

Defender Luke Thomas #56 for Leicester City was marvelous in first game I watched him. Had a couple of unfortunate mistakes in their last game against Tottenham but he looks like a keeper too.

Frustrating season for United's speedy Daniel James this season. A favorite of mine he has been relegated to the bench too often and they often win without him which pours salt in the wound. Hopefully like you say he finds his groove next season. I find he contributes without scoring but the coaches feel otherwise I guess.

 

[Novice]

Wolves winger Adama Traore, born in Spain, represents everything that's wrong about modern football. He's almost a caricature of a "pace & power" afflete.

He was in Barcelona's youth team and moved to Aston Villa in 2015, and didn't start a single league match with them. He then was with Middlesborough in 16-17 and didn't get a single league goal or assist in 27 league matches. He then transferred to Wolves in 2018-19 and picked up just 1 goal and 1 assist in 8 starts. Now at the the age of 24, Traore has had a huge level of hype around him because he has finally shown an end product, scoring in both matches against Manchester City. But he only has a total of 4 league goals this season, less than defender Virgil van Dijk. He also picked up 9 assists, but one factor is that he simply delivers the ball to the striker Raul Jimenez who's in red form 17 league goals this season.

Based on a good three months he had from November - January, there are now transfer rumors with insane fees surrounding him.

https://twitter.com/SheezanShaikh14/status/1284390931983212544?s=20

Have you seen Traore play? He just has pace and physique nothing else. His decision making is ****. I would rather have Cheisa and Traore would also cost arounf 70 millon so he aint cheap

Here's Traore missing an absolute sitter

 

[Shadowlight]

Before I get to some congratulations Traore above is the opposite of a player that represents the "beautiful game." He is built like an American football player loaded up on steroids.

First off people here in the USA often have a snobbish attitude towards England (and France too) but England got things right with their Premier League restart. They packed in the games to go along with a thickly packed USA television package managing to finish their entire season! Contrast that with the half ass restarts of American sports like MLB ( 60 measly games) and the soon to be hackneyed NBA and NHL arrangements which cut some teams' seasons short. Well done Brits I tip my hat.

Jamie Vardy became the oldest player ever (33) to win the golden boot with 23 goals. Such an exciting speedy presence still.

Danny Ings (28) placed second with 22 goals. The Southampton striker has terrific pace and this was a breakout season for Ings elevating him into star status. If he doesn't get front line status on the England National team there should be an investigation.

Jordan Henderson (30) won the Player Of the Year. This crafty, athletic skilled MF is the glue of an otherwise annoying Liverpool team. One of the players he beat out was Manchester City's MF Kevin de Bruyne who flashes similar top grade skills. Both are about the same age.

The four teams to advance to the Champion League are Liverpool ( who won the title some time ago), Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City. Not much of an MU fan now that quicksilver Daniel James has been relegated to the bench. I prefer Chelsea led by the electric Pulisic ( his assist and goal in a recent Liverpool loss were golden) and Manchester City.

I believe the Premier League is delaying the start of the 2020-2021 season until September 12th.

But again they pulled it all off without any hitches. Never underestimate the Brits.

 

[Novice]

Out of the top 4 English clubs this season:

Liverpool has one ugly United Nations-esque squad. In defense are the blacks van Dijk and Joe Gomez at CB, with Alexander-Arnold as the right-back. In midfield, they've had the blacks Wijnaldum, Brazilian Fabinho. And their fringe players in midfield include the blacks Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita. In attack, there's Sadio Mane and the fringe player Origi.

Man City has the blacks Kyle Walker and Raheem Sterling occupying major roles this season. While the Brazilian Fernandinho has been used as a makeshift defender. And the Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus taking a more influential role lately due to Aguero's injuries. At left-back, Pep has rotated the Ukrainian Zinchenko and pitch black Benjamin Mendy.

In Man United, at right-back, the black Wan-Bissaka dominated the position. In midfield, the black Brazilian Fred has been getting increased playing time. The mixed Brazilian Pereira was starting a lot of games in the first half of the season, but has been completely pushed aside by the Portuguese Bruno Fernandes who has been absolutely phenomenal since his arrival in February. Pogba missed almost the entire season, but has returned and started most games since the restart. Attack is particularly problematic, with the club flaunting the "athletic", "pacy" young black attackers Rashford, Martial and Greenwood.

Chelsea was not allowed to acquire players this season due to a transfer ban. In defense, Lampard played the pitch black Rudiger, Zouma and Tomori at CB. At right-back, he also provided heavy playing time to "homegrown" afflete Reece James. In midfield, Kante continued to start matches, though he missed much of the season to injury. In the first half of the season, the black Tammy Abraham got a lot of playing time at striker, but Giroud has fought back and benched him due to excellent performances during the restart. And the black Brazilian Willian had a prominent role on the wings, while the black winger got Hudson-Odoi benched by Pulisic and also Mason Mount.

 

[Novice]

Now at age 35, Ronaldo continues to play at a stunning world-class level, with 52 goals in 63 appearances for Juventus. I reckon he can keep on going until the age of 40.

 

[Novice]

Real Madrid has a thing for Brazilian players, boasting 5 of them in their squad: Marcelo who's been there for 14 seasons now, Casemiro in midfield, and young players Militao at CB, and attackers Rodrygo and Vinicus.

 

[Sean89]

Ferran Torres to Man City. 2o year old winger, pacy with good technique. One to watch.

 

[ENDSIEG]

Hello, you really need to start up a Twitter account. This sort of niche website would be really popular on there...

 

[Novice]

Bayern have undergone considerable blackwashing in the last few seasons. They seem to have looked across the border in France, and have concluded that flooding their squad with black players will somehow produce great results. While Bayern have not failed to win the league title since 2012, their performances in Europe have not been impressive since the ageing of Robben and Ribery in 2015ish

Rewind back to Bayern's golden years 2010-2013. In the 2010 Champions League final, Bayern had an almost entirely white squad plus the Turk Hamit Altintop. In their 2013 Champions League win, they had 4 blacks, 2 of whom were Brazilians Luiz Gustavo and Dante. At the moment, with the signing of Leroy Sane and the signing of random black from Paris Tanguy Kouassi, Bayern have a whopping 10 black players in their squad: the Brazilian Thiago, and also youngster Zirkzee, Tolisso, Davies, Gnabry, Coman, Alaba, and Boateng.

 

[Novice]

Paris Saint-Germain, despite being based in the capital of black soccer, has not boasted very many "homegrown" affletes since acquired by Qatar in the early 2010s.

2011-12: the club spent €100 million on 11 players, including 5 players from South America, 2 Frenchmen, 2 Europeans and 2 blacks Matuidi and Mohamed Sisssoko, with Sissoko lasting only a seaosn at the club.

2012-13: €150 invested in 3 South Americans Thiago Silva, Lucas Moura and Lavezzi, as well as Zlatan, Verratti and black player van der Wiel.

2013-14: €135 million spent on 2 South Americans Marquinhos and Cavani, and 2 Frenchmen Digne and Cabaye

2014-15: Brazilian David Luiz was signed and black Aurier taken on loan

2015-16: €110 million spent on Di Maria, German goalkeeper, and black player Kurzawa

2016-17: €130 million for 5 European players Draxler, Guedes, Krychowiak, jese and Meunier. And the Argentina Lo Celso

2017-18: Neymar was signed for €200 million and also the Spaniard Yuri.

2018-19: 3 blacks Mbappe, Choupo-Moting and Kehrer was signed, as well as Buffon in goal, Argentina's Paredes, and the Spaniard Bernat, for a total of €240 million.

2019-20: €95m spent on 2 blacks, 4 Europeans, and 2 South Americans.

 

[Novice]

Bayern Munich won the Champions League against PSG.

Bayern went with 6 black starters: Davies, Boateng, and Alaba in defense, Thiago in midfield and attackers Gnabry and Coman.

PSG had 3 black starters Mbappe, Kehrer, and Kimpembe.

PSG had a golden opportunity to score in the 45th minute when Alaba disastrously gave the ball away in his own penalty box, and Mbappe shot straight at Neuer from a couple of yards out.

Notably, PSG's Argentine striker Icardi did not get a single minute of playing time for PSG. He scored a total of 20 goals in 34 appearances for PSG this season. PSG's German manager instead brought on mixed race player Choupo-Moting, who stupidly tried to back heel an aerial pass from Neymar in the 90th minute

PSG have spent obscene amounts of money, especially since 2017, in an effort to win the Champions League. €200 million for Neymar, €180m for Mbappe, €50m for Icardi, €40m for Paredes. Even €100m combined for low quality black players Kehrer, Diallo and Gueye. I would say it's hugely disappointing for PSG not to have won a Champions League in the last 10 years when they've had such huge names like Zlatan, Cavani, Di Maria, and recent signings Neymar and Mbappe with the club.

Bayern, by comparison, don't spend as much: €8m for Kimmich, Goretzka for free, Sule for €20m, and €20m for Gnabry

 

[Novice]

Lampard's Chelsea has been making impressive signings.

They've signed rising German talents Werner and Havertz, talented Moroccan winger Ziyech and are linked with Thiago Silva who at 35 should be a great short-term option in defense. Additionally, they're linked to highly regarded left-back Ben Chilwell.

 

[Sean89]

Chelsea will be a serious side to follow if they get those signings over the line.

Werner, Kai and Chiwell can be stars for 10years.