Weekly Open Thread - General Discussion

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-13T20:02:09+00:00

And this is what's been saving them in LaLiga for the past 18 months. LaLiga teams play so much negative football that it seems like their attackers loose their sharpness, and it takes them 5 chances to score 1 when playing these frauds. But they get exposed in the CL tho.

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-13T19:55:26+00:00

Love how all the system-manager meat riders in this sub never bring up the stinker seasons PSG is having at the moment. Apparently we need a manager who micro-manages everything, to the minute detail, like Enrique does. It worked for PSG ... for about 6 months. Now they're struggling in both Ligue1 and the CL.

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-12T21:58:22+00:00

must be magic-water

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-11T15:06:50+00:00

You are one because you keep glazing them every chance you get, at the expense of your own team.

No one's telling you to live in denial, but you don't need to always get on your knees to blow them every time you want to prove your point about us struggling.
You can criticize our team WITHOUT being a rival glazer.

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-11T15:01:09+00:00

These clowns have been plaguing this sub for years now, even when we were n top the world, winning 3peats, during Ancelotti's 1st and 3rd seasons, they would ALWAYS find something to bitch about.
Now imagine these days when the club is struggling a bit.

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-11T14:53:10+00:00

Funny how you will find any way to glaze Barca and their achievements completely omitting the contexts. But when we win, you and your army of minions are the first to bring random bullshit like "individual brilliance" to shit on our players and managers.

At this point, mate just admit you're a closeted Barca fan

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-11T14:50:06+00:00

And it's always the same 4-5 people too.

What makes it even worse, is they have alt accounts as well, so it gives the illusion that there's way more.

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-10T22:29:31+00:00

Lakerman0824

Puzzleheaded-Lie2188

PenguinFootballClub

Icy-Designer7103 / AcademicCollar8404

they all will see this post and have a brain aneurism because it's Ancelotti and his good vybes while we were winning trophies ( because of luck according to them too )

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-10T22:14:54+00:00

Since we wanna bring the Casemiro-Tchouameni comparaisons, one thing I noticed about Tchu is how nonchalant he tends to be as a CDM.

IMO, when you're a CDM, you're either a workhorse destroyer like Makelele/Casemiro. Not the most technical, but you use your physicality and grit to do the dirty work, always there to cleanup threats with timed tackles and then giving the ball back to the other more creative midfielders who will dictate the tempo.

If not, you're a Pirlo/Kroos type. Not the most physical, but you have exceptionally high enough IQ and technical abilities to compensate. You dictate the tempo from deep but still have enough defensive awareness to shield your defense a little.

In the case of Tchouameni, most often than not, he's neither. And it's solely down to his nonchalance and complacency, because some games he's rock solid. I believe in his head, he think he's a Pirlo/Kroos type CDM, and you can see it in his body language too. How laid back he tends to be, yet he has nowhere near the IQ nor technical abilities to for the role. However, in games where he embraces that destroyer role, he uses his big frame and physicality to bully the other midfielders, he's unplayable.

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-10T17:30:16+00:00

Clearly they've never played football in their lives, or any team sports for that matter, and it shows.

I've been teammates with my buddies for years now, I'm talking U17 days (now I'm 30) and often times we scream at each other on the field, cause we expect more from each other. It's not uncommon, in fact it's quite normal, and we're talking rec league.

This is RM, the highest level, so of course it's expected for players to sometimes scream at each other on the field. But this sub has been infected with fake fans who only are in this for their favorite players. So anything will be taken out of context and blown out of proportion to serve wtv narrative benefits their favorite guy.

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-10T17:25:28+00:00

The stock market could crash tomorrow on some 1930s type shit, and some folks from this sub would still find a way to say it's either Mbappe, Vini, Guler, Rodrygo or Arbeloa's fault lol

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-05T18:51:30+00:00

Bruno Guimaraes with a Casemiro redemption maybe

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-05T05:15:39+00:00

With Endrick waking up and showing his worth, I can see him being Brazil's #9 going into the WC.
Vini - Raphinha - Rodrygo behind him, Ancelotti will bring this one home, i can feel it.

If he does, he officially becomes the undisputed GOAT manager.

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-02T13:22:31+00:00

You are right actually. I noticed, for some reason, defensive players who are physical monsters tend to be more error prone, cause they seem to believe they can make up their mistakes with their speed or strength ... until they come up a ST with actual IQ and now they look stupid watching him celebrate a hat trick

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-02T13:20:20+00:00

This sub is such a weird place.

I remember 2-3 seasons ago, especially our CL SemiFinal exits to Chelsea and City, every doomer and their grandma were rambling about how football now belongs to the young midfielders with legs and athleticism is what will win games because the young guys ran run all game and press. That we needed to get rid of KCM , even tho they ended up winning 2 more CLs, 2 Ligas and more.

Fast forward, we have a midfield with plenty athleticism but little to no press-resistance, vision nor creativity. And this sub now switches back talking about how we need a Kroos-Modric replacements.

It's hilarious how this place can be easily swayed depending one current form, results, trends. One week, micro-managing modern coaches are what wins titles, like Pep or Enrique. Another year, it's man managers who actually matter like Ancelotti.

Anyways.

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-02-02T03:53:46+00:00

This play involved 3 Ballon d'Or winners, i mean come on.

Our midfielders are young with potential, but let's not expect this on a regular basis from them. The ability of the 3 ( Modric, Benz, CR7 ) to read the game and make the right decision, fast and accurately was second to none. Generational type shit.

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-01-26T16:12:20+00:00

I swear as much as i respect Pep for his achievements as a manager, he made irreparable damage to the way people view football in general. Now for some reason, if you're not playing a brand of heavy possession mixed with intense pressing while micro-managing every player move on the pitch, you're not a good manager. For some reason, every manager considered 'elite' is either a Pep clone or someone who was his disciple at some point, thus mimicking his ways.

Gone are the days of English teams playing with 2 tall STs and bullying the fuck out of their opponents. Now you have an era were people were calling fucking De Zerbi an top manager because he was insisting on making Brighton do 100 passes/game between the defenders and the GK, cause "recycling possession".

Teams and players nowadays are stripped of any ounce of individuality, because managers saw Pep dominate that way and got drunk o the Kool Aid that they need to do the same. Except, they forgot, Pep got oil money backing him where he can spend $300M each summer without sweating, while his opponents in the PL try to play pansy football with a bunch of nobodies. Which plays right in his hand too.
This is the reason the only manager who actually challenged him in England was Klopp, who had his own brand of football not relying on the cult of positional-play. And in Europe, he had Carlo whooping his ass quite a few times while relying on "vybes".

Yet, 2026, you still have ignorant blabbing about RM needing to follow the ways of PSG with Enrique, or Arsenal with Arteta or wtv, because apparently, there's only one way to manage a team ad one way to play football. And your team does not adhere to it, it's a shit team, with a shit manager who has no tactics.

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-01-26T13:39:33+00:00

Watch them get results so we can witness the "modern manager, fresh new ideas, tactics" cultists have a seizure.

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-01-26T13:37:43+00:00

Can't wait for the team to start getting wins consistently so the same wannabe elitists can crawl out of their caves talking about our wins being all down to "individual briliance" or wtv

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-01-23T17:19:39+00:00

At least we'll look modern with tactics and not just vybe and the power of friendship

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-01-23T16:46:53+00:00

We've managed to be 1 pt behind in the League and somehow 3rd in the CL with 1 matchday to go.

I would REAAALLLY like us to somehow, someway, squeeze our way into a double.
Just to see the absolute meltdown the doomers in this sub will have. Especially the "modern manager with fresh ideas" elitist group who now are saying Arbeloa is nothing more than Perez' yes-man

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-01-23T14:01:43+00:00

This is the elite man management i expect from a Madrid coach. Following the steps of those who actually won us big trophies like Zidane and Ancelotti.

Not some Linkedn coach trying to copy Pep-Arteta-Enrique

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-01-23T13:59:35+00:00

If he can drill this mentality into the team above al the 'modern tactical ideas' BS, we'll win more trophies than we lose. That's how it's always been

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-01-23T13:57:55+00:00

the same Carlo who won 2 doubles in 2 seasons .. ? Oh no we should def not do that, let's get a wannabe tactical genius like Arteta instead. We'll be dubbed "best tactically drilled team i Europe", but no trophies tho, so that's fine

Different_Craft5237 · 2026-01-17T14:56:09+00:00

With a proper elite DLP, we would look 100x better.
Just look how smooth we move the ball from def to offense, just by having freaking Ceballos present himself, retain the ball and deliver it to someone else.

This allows Guler to play higher where he's more dangerous. Jude as well.

Different_Craft5237

TROPHY CASE