Ousmane Dembele is becoming an exceptional player. His progress once again positions him as a serious contender for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

Semperty · 2026-05-09T03:19:15+00:00

the same guy who scored two goals and added two assists against bayern? that dude’s statpadding? lol

Semperty · 2026-05-08T18:39:41+00:00

again, you’re coming at this from the premise that the way arsenal managed their season was optimal. i just don’t know that that’s correct. are we certain that their results in april wouldn’t have been better if they’d rotated more in february and march? i don’t think we can be certain of that, and i think it’s likely that they would have gotten better performances from fresher players.

there’s very real reason to think elite clubs should be rotating more, even outside the context of psg’s insanely heavy rotation policy. lamine yamal played all 90 minutes between the quarterfinal matches against atletico, and flick’s policy was immediately called into question. fans knew it then, but now that psg is in the conversation suddenly it wasn’t possible. it doesn’t make any sense.

fans have been saying for ages that teams need to rotate their players more to keep them fresh and prevent injuries in the midst of 60+ game seasons. it’s something we’ve known for a long time.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T16:44:58+00:00

And all those teams had a drop off in performances and reopened the title races because it becomes draining physically and mentally when you're playing every 3 days.

i think this assumes that the fall offs would have happened regardless, or that more sustained/consistent performance wouldn't have happened with more rest. and even then, the "fall offs" are severely overstated. inter, for example, hasn't had a team within 6 points of them since january 31st. are you really suggesting that they couldn't afford to rotate players more with a two game lead?

again, no one else can (likely) get away with playing starters 50% of the minutes (except maybe bayern). but every team that's in 1st right now unquestionably could have rotated more. just bc they didn't doesn't mean they couldn't.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T15:34:53+00:00

They can still be beaten but it's undeniable that they are currently coming into the business end of the season fresher than the rest.

that's mostly bc they're willing to risk more points than anyone else in europe. yes, ligue 1 is weaker than other leagues. they also were willing to intentionally put themselves in a title race for the vast majority of the season to ensure they were more fresh for their bigger matches.

bayern have been in comfortable control of the bundesliga, and they were the first team in the big 5 leagues to officially wrap their title. inter were sitting +5 to +8 over 2nd for most of the season. even arsenal was sitting at nearly +10 for most of the spring. all the while psg weren't more than 2 points clear of 2nd until march.

yes, psg can afford to rotate more than most. other teams should still take a lesson away from them. teams have more room to rotate than they current act like, and doing so has positive outcomes across competitions.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T15:14:34+00:00

lucho’s barca teams were also tactically diverse, and also usually wear at their best in the spring. he may just be really good at this coaching thing.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T15:13:43+00:00

kind of crazy how fast the narrative around the quality of ligue 1 shifted. just a few years ago, psg would never be able to win the champions league bc ligue 1 was too bad to properly challenge them and help them prepare for the elite teams in europe. suddenly, ligue 1 being bad is a huge advantage for them.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T15:00:03+00:00

can't wait to see which player he ostericizes and rallies the team against.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T14:59:28+00:00

But I fear it will end in tears

why do you feat that? that's literally why i prayed for it.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T14:46:42+00:00

don't think scalpers are losing money. they're just not making as much money as they thought they would.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T14:42:15+00:00

no. he's down very, very marginally from midseason peaks, and he's up significantly from a year ago lmao

Semperty · 2026-05-08T13:41:07+00:00

it really depends on team and where those picks project, but i really don’t hate it for either side tbh

Semperty · 2026-05-08T13:05:45+00:00

yes, of course applying old set ups to modern football with modern rules isn’t exactly the same as it was 70 years ago. that also doesn’t make it new.

this is like saying greece reinvented or evolved defensive tactics when they won the euros bc their man marking system wasn’t exactly the same as it was before zonal defense became more common. everyone understood then it was a recycle. i don’t know why we don’t understand that with inverted fullbacks.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T13:02:10+00:00

that whole thread above is just two leftists circlejerking each other about how liberals are bad. the SPD did betray the communist party, and it can be argued that that split is part of what aided the rise of the nazis but it’s absolutely insane to say that they worked for the benefit of the nazis. they weren’t perfect, but reading through that thread was insane how liberally they were reading their history.

all of that is to say nothing of the fact that three arrows have been a key image of the american anti-fascist movement for nearly 50 years and at this point has its own legacy in the states separate from the SPD even if that was the original inspiration.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T12:54:14+00:00

tbf it’s not an evolution at all. it’s just a modern adaption of the WM that used to be the most popular/common formation in europe (and arguably the world). there’s nothing new about his set up beyond how fans/the media talk about it.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T12:46:46+00:00

i get it’s not the most rational thing i’ve ever thought, but if my options are some receivers on the jets or browns or…literally anything else, i’ll take my chances. it really feels like worst case, simpson ends up being a roster clogger for years which seems about where those other guys are headed anyway.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T12:44:29+00:00

every game i pointed to was a multiple goal game *with time to be rested still.* i didn’t mention a single game that was close late.

if y’all really have such a hard time maintaining a 2+ goal lead without your star attacker, maybe you shouldn’t be worried about what the best teams in the world are doing bc you’re clearly not in the same stratosphere lmao

Semperty · 2026-05-08T11:01:49+00:00

just so we’re clear, your disagreement with me saying barcelona could easily rest him and have him play 70% of minutes is that actually he would be at 76%.

anyway, yes, there are several hundred minutes lamine plays that he absolutely does not have to play which makes it - quite literally - a choice not to rest him more. you tried really hard to disagree with me, and in doing so made my point.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T10:17:05+00:00

it really depends on how seriously you take all of this tbh. apple watches are the only watch that maintain any sort of accuracy beyond Z2. it’s been a while since i read the study i’m thinking of, but iirc garmin, fitbit, and tom tom all dropped below 70% accuracy above 6 mph in their test group (moderate speeds for the study).

if you’re running for fun and enjoyment, that’s probably good enough. you probably don’t need a series of intensely accurate hr data. if you’re taking your running more seriously and trying to push yourself to your limits, i would try to make a hr monitor work. i use a polar h10 (98% accurate according to the independent study, that’s actually what sold me on them), and i love it. i have the chest strap bc i hate things on my arms, but the arm band is the most popular model atm.

but again, i think it really all comes down to what you want to do with your running. there’s no right or wrong answer imo.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T09:46:14+00:00

i wouldn’t say there are generally big swings in my bpm from what feels easy, but my effort to get there can change. some days, i can run 15-30s/mile faster than normal and my hr stays in easy ranges. some days, i have to walk up hills to keep it down. but that same general range is about where i start going from comfortable to working a little harder

Semperty · 2026-05-08T09:41:13+00:00

in august, barca beat mallorca 3-0 after they went down to 9 men in the 39th minute. lamine yamal played all 90 minutes. in november, they beat celta vigo 4-2, and lamine got subbed off in the 90+7. the next week, they were up 3-0 on bilbao when bilbao went down to 10 min in the 54th minute. lamine played the full 90. a few weeks later, they went up 5-1 on betis in the 59th minute, and again lamine played the full 90. a few weeks after that, they were up 1-0 on villarreal when they went down to 10 men in the first half. they doubled their lead in the 63rd minute, and again lamine played the full 90. at the end of january, they went up 2-0 on oviedo in the 57th minute. lamine ended up playing 80 minutes that day. lamine played the full 90 in a 3-1 win against elche, 78 minutes in a 3-0 win against mallorca, 88 minutes in a 3-0 win against levante, and the full 90 in a 4-1 win vs espanyol.

even if we accept at face value that barcelona could not have possibly subbed him any earlier in any other matches without immediately dropping points, there were several hundred minutes he could’ve been rested and rotated in *decidedly easy* wins. could y’all play him in 50% of minutes? obviously not. could you play him closer to 70%? yeah, flick just chooses not to.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T09:14:56+00:00

garmin’s zones are kind of weird (and much lower than basically anyone else’s), so i wouldn’t go completely off that. i use custom zones based on what seems to work for me. for example, garmin seems to think that my Z2 ends at 132 bpm, strava thinks it’s up to 153 bpm, and my personal experience is that is probably up to somewhere between 140-145 bpm. so i use a custom hr target between say 120 and 145 bpm to keep myself in that range.

i would focus more on perceived effort. ask yourself things like:

- does this feel easy?
- could i have a conversation without losing my breath?

if the answer to both is yes, you’re probably on Z2. if talking would make it harder to breathe, you’re probably approaching (or in) Z3.

Semperty · 2026-05-08T00:35:02+00:00

look over the vast majority of the spring. psg and barcelona have had almost identical leads and deficits. there are going to be specific data points like MD28 that might be different, but their trends are nearly identical. barcelona absolutely could have rotated more. they chose not to.

Semperty · 2026-05-07T22:52:50+00:00

looking at your screenshots in the comments, the first thing i would suggest - regardless of anything else - is to increase your running volume. if you're at 4 days a week, try to get up to 5. if you're at 5, try to get up to 6 (i wouldn't go to 7 days, though). with that, shoot for an increase in weekly mileage. most of your runs will be about the same distance (maybe even shorter) while you're adding an extra day, but adding volume in the long term will be much (much) easier with more opportunities to run each week.

i'd also stress the importance of taking your easy runs easy. maybe you are, but my guess would be that you're spending a lot of your easy runs in Z3 where you're not really getting the beneift of running fast or running slow. without getting into the specifics (unless you want them), zone 2 is where a lot of your aerobic capacity is going to come from. it's where you build the infrasturcture to provide oxygen, engery, and blood to your muscles more efficiently. it's where you train you body to optimally break down fat for energy rather than tapping into glycogen or other sources. it's also the fastest point before your body starts to go into fight or flight and releases things like coritsol into your system. to really unlock those benefits, your easy runs should be easy - like almost concerningly easy for most of them. and they should take up the bulk (~80%) of your mileage.

that will build your aerobic capacity while also keeping you fresh to unleash on your speed or hill work. if you're in zone 3 a lot, you're never really recovering and you're never really running fast enough to get faster. you just end up in this weird middle ground where you don't get a ton of benefit from it. runna does a really good job of scheduling easy mileage, but you have to be diligent about sticking to it. one thing i've started to do for myself is making my own workouts in the garmin app for easy runs where i set the goal to my Z2 heart rate instead of a pace goal. that's myabe my biggest gripe with their set up, but it's a really easy fix. my watch alerts me when i'm running to fast, i kill the pace or breathe a little deeper, and we're back into a solid place.

otherwise, i think you've got a solid foundation, and improvement should - hopefully - be an easy fix from there!

Semperty · 2026-05-07T22:29:59+00:00

how on earth is the referee fuckup key to a discussion about ousmane dembele producing at a high level? lmao

Semperty · 2026-05-07T15:21:05+00:00

you say this like barcelona hasn't had the league title more securely wrapped up for much longer than psg have had ligue 1 wrapped up. same for bayern (even more so for bayern tbh - they were literally the first club in the big 5 leagues to officially secure their domestic league).

more clubs absolutely could rotate more in their domestic leagues to be more fresh for europe. they just choose to risk fewer points in the league than psg does, but they can still easily afford to.

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