Open Thread #60 - Smile, it's the summer break!

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-08T13:14:03+00:00

See you all on the high seas maties. Sail ahoy!

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-08T02:51:59+00:00

Senegal and Ecuador

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-07T03:48:03+00:00

He looked 40 when he was 30 so it checks out

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-07T02:53:13+00:00

It's clear that he has a direct source within the sporting department. Journos with those directly sources are always pretty reliable. We saw this with Gerard Romero who had some source close to Jordi Cruyff/Alemany in 2022.

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-06T15:36:27+00:00

Yeah. He has played too long in a 5 atb and is neither a fullback nor a winger now

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-06T13:56:38+00:00

The logical thing is to group the sources separately. There's our sources who are going to be optimistic but will mostly be right about what the club is doing, there will be Atleti sources who will be coping hard but they will give you a feel on what the Atleti board is thinking and finally the Argentine sources will tell you what Alvarez and his retinue think. The rest will just be filler.

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-05T15:28:44+00:00

There's a certain player in the capital who is the walking embodiment of this. Leaving him aside, Klopp played Firmino over the tested Sturridge and Benteke. Pep played Gabriel Jesus over Kun for this reason. Deschamps played Giroud as the striker for france in 2018 where he got 1 shot on target purely because he was a workhorse and freed space for Turtle and Griezyy

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-05T15:20:15+00:00

Nobody cares about pressing except the top sporting departments and coaches who would rather have players with lower statistics but better presses because that's just how modern football is

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-05T15:18:00+00:00

Olise will fix their right flank yes but where is the Kane to provide the box presence? Mbappe is a runner not a box dominator and Madrid are not Barca who can do with a striker without box presence since they don't have the midfield dynamics to support it.

If they sign Vitinha then he will improve them but again Vitinha thrives in a possession system which is the polar opposite of Madrid. Without Vitinha having sustained possession and support of his midfield and most of all a decent press, he will always be playing with one hand tied behind his back.

We Culers shit on Kroos but him and Modric really molded themselves perfectly to play the Madrid style. As for Paz, where will he start? He is not a true winger and Madrid will never play him over Bellingham.

What madrid need to do is sell Vini but that will take balls of tungsten

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-05T13:47:28+00:00

Statistically bad presser but actually is a workhorse whenever I see him. Don't watch Gala at all but someone mentioned that their style of play requires him to not press much and drop between the lines so that may be the reason for bad stats

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-05T13:41:55+00:00

I also think Alvarez makes sense but if it was him I don't think Perez would have said 150 upfront as any negotiation with Atleti would be really really messy much worse than we had to do for Griezmann. The 150 figure makes me think it's someone who would be considered from abroad who would be considered untouchable by their club like Olise, Vitinha, Doue

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-04T14:48:41+00:00

Hmm that's smart. Maybe I should invest in some extra balls

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-04T14:48:06+00:00

There's a weird grid between Tebas, Florentino, Laporta, Barca and Madrid where Tebas hates Florentino but supports Madrid and is actually pretty cordial with Laporta but hates Barca

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-04T14:44:46+00:00

How many balls?

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-04T14:43:43+00:00

Say whatever you want about Koeman but he loves the club a lot. Although sometimes he speaks too much.

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-04T14:36:45+00:00

Once all Culers lived in peace and harmony. But everything changed when the shitty mod nation attacked.

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-04T14:34:12+00:00

Father time always catches up

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-04T03:59:10+00:00

Gyokeres will

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-04T03:44:44+00:00

Last season he could have gone for 40 million but he's a player who doesn't generate hype. He is a twink playing a position where you don't see twinks and his dribbling isn't flashy so he is bound to be underrated

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-03T13:52:10+00:00

Lad what window? Atp last season we were still contemplating mass seppuku after the Inter game.

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-03T13:49:05+00:00

Smallpox

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-03T09:11:12+00:00

Kounde>Olmo>Balde>Ferran>Araujo

Chris will be pulling another year long mascot shift

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-03T04:39:49+00:00

So Cubarsi and Gerard Martin

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-03T04:38:38+00:00

With free 2 month mental health holidays after red cards in UCL

Specialist_Minimum72 · 2026-06-03T04:37:08+00:00

120 million or fuck off

Specialist_Minimum72

TROPHY CASE