PSG are given some credit for winning the Champions League but surely a European ban is looming after all that trouble.
Send your views to theeditor@football365.com
His name is Rio…
Rio Ferdinand called PSG winning the Champions League a win for all football; the only win for all of football this evening is the fact we won’t have to listen to him anymore.
Robert Welbourn
…15 minutes to go in the final of the Champions League and I’m filled with joy knowing that I’ll never have to listen to Rio Ferdinand commentate on a football match ever again. Heaven. Oh…and PSG have been pretty good.
Dave AFC
Now ban PSG, UEFA
Well done PSG.
Best TEAM won this year. (Despite what Arteta may believe)
But sadly I assume they will now be banned from the Club World Cup and all European football after, once again proving that they are uncontrollable hooligans?
Two people are dead and Paris burns in ‘celebration’….
This is after the the Liverpool v Madrid final where the ‘ultras’ raided the queues and robbed people and caused violence and chaos and many other instances of Paris ‘fans’ (not the right word) being like a 70s /80s English Danny Dyer film..
Ban them.
I dare you UEFA you pathetic excuse for a governing body.
Shame for the players who did so well.
But surely a few million euros ‘fine’ from the rich people into the Uefa coffers will sort out that issue.
Jokers.
Al. Not totally shocked. LFC
…”Two dead and hundreds arrested in France after PSG Champions League win”
Imagine if they were Liverpool fans. All the pearl clutching.
Robert Beattie
Well done PSG
PSG truly are an outstanding side. Imagine losing the best striker in Europe on a free, having a young side, and winning a Treble, despite not even being the “best team in the CL”? Also, what “Phase” is Luis Enrique in?! £9.5m a year and he’s winning a maiden CL for PSG, now established in the elite.
A penny for the thoughts of Messers K Mbappe (left to win the CL at Madrid) and Señor Antonio El Pulizon (£15m a season, managing the “best team in Europe” but can’t even banter the Palace or Spurs managers 😂😂😂)
Stewie Griffin (Chelski had no European pedigree, now miles clear of Arsenal. PSG same. Swear Brentford will join Europe’s elite before Arsenal lol)
Or not
The Champions League final was further proof of the rule Manchester City have worked hard to establish since 2009: Throw enough money at a team with no history of.pedigree or achievement, you’ll break any barrier eventually. I’m sure Newcastle’s day will come.
Sam
…Pacho, Vitinha, the Georgian lad, Dembele taking the Robben Route and waiting till his late 20s to become elite level, Doue. Deary me, Doue. The balls on that kid.
F*** Madrid, Barca, Bayern, City and everyone else that sat back and watched that abomination of a club build this ridiculous team.
Eamonn, Dublin
READ: Liverpool, Chelsea signings at risk of losing place in XI of best signings made by Champions League winners
Luis Enrique is da bombWhile watching Enrique’s PSG humiliate an Inter team which are actually very good a question popped in my mind – has any other manager done the treble twice?
Without googling all I could come up with was pep who did it with Barca and also city.
Luis Enrique won a treble at Barca with largely the same team pep did playing a very similar brand of football but more direct.
So why then do we never talk about Luis Enrique as being one of the best managers in football past and present? Maybe some people do but I’d wager money that if I asked 100 people to name the top 3 managers in football the vast majority wouldn’t list Enrique at all.
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong but as the only two managers to have don’t the treble twice they are without a doubt the top two right? Yet everyone fawns over pep non stop and I rarely hear anyone mention Luis Enrique.
Lee
Inter Milan: So poorWhere do we start?…
– Okay let’s begin-I’m an Arsenal, so I wanted inter to win.
– PSG clearly targeted (first half)Demarco’s side as a weak link on the left side of the 3-5-2 formation… he was jittery and couldn’t compensate for his mistakes-poor passing, poor tackling, poor making, all leading to easy penetration of the inter defence.
– The 3-5-2 formation was a disastrous choice against a well oiled attacking 4-3-3 formation which could easily penetrate especially in the wings where the wing back and centreback found themselves in 3 vs 2 situation with psg’s fullback +attacking midfielder+winger ergo Inter’s defence became stretched, leaving holes for exploitation (see goal #3).
– Inter’s midfield was lethargic, unable to create anything from counter attacks, unable to match psg’s quick+quick+slow motion and though heavily marked they should have been able provide support to the defence, thus the defence became isolated and even though there were three centrebacks, they couldn’t pass freely and were regularly found out in wide areas where they pressed by two PSG players (striker+winger), while the wingbacks (Dumfries+Demarco) were closely marked by the PSG attacking midfielder thus leading to launching long balls instead of passing from the back.
– It’s fair to remember that all the above done by PSG while they kept maintaining their shape(either when defending or attacking), a thing that can not be said of -Inter’s 3-5-2 formation was a disastrous idea adding to that-poor centrebacks(who were slow to react and didn’t have a coordinated approach when it came to passing or defending), poor wingbacks, an overrun midfield and isolated strikers who couldn’t get any service leading to a low shot count(few on target).
– As for Inter’s strikers-Thuram was a good lump who held up play well but didn’t do anything else well(frequently dispossesed, backward passing and a poor dribbler), Lauro was almost invisible, with his play as the second striker being crowded out by PSG whenever he got the ball(a clear tactic that PSG has isolated him as a threat). That said, Inter could have achieved more had they provided more service to their strikers or changed formation to allow for a much more attacking approach.
– PSG are vulnerable in the air…. A clear weakness that Inter should have exploited- at set-pieces you could see how vulnerable and jittery they were, they were also out-muscled (thuram vs pacho) or unable to compete with(thuram vs marquinos).
– PSG are an aesthetic team-Inter should’ve played with a more physically aggressive approach which would have denied PSG the play they so desire. This approach has been tried and tested against such teams in the past (Barcelona, Arsenal, Man city) with a predictable successful result.
– Inter’s 3-5-2 formation was played with a low block when not in possession while PSG played with a high press.However Inter played to PSG’s hands when they were drawn out of position while PSG maintained shape with revolving positions (see Hakim, vitinho and Dembele). As Inter was drawn out , they created space in behind the wings where PSG exploited by launching their wingers whose crosses were met by meticulously planned darting runs made from players from the opposite flank who were unmarked.
– It’s my belief that Inter could have challenged PSG if they rattled them through a more aggressive physical approach,good utilization of setpieces (see Inter height advantage over PSG) and a different flexible formation to counter PSG’s free flowing football
Jamo, Nairobi
Champions League final conclusions from a F365 writer’s perspective
Luis Enrique could have become Man Utd manager at some point in his career but the Man Utd board made a huge blunder by not signing him.
Inter Milan lost the final but at least they’ll be competing in the Champions League next year *unlike Man Utd*.
Inter Milan lost because they had Matteo Darmian and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, players who used to be good but then signed for Man Utd and then became rubbish and lost a Champions League final.
The final was played at the Allianz Arena, a stadium where Man Utd have previously played and lost.
Man Utd are having a terrible year following Jim Ratcliffe’s £1 billion takeover, was going bad under Ten Hag, worse now under Amorim etc etc. (stretch this one out for 5 paragraphs) no need to actually mention PSG or Inter.
Pete, Poole
Let’s have some positivity…starting with Brighton
I know negativity gets clicks but there must be some people who are happy about how their teams have performed this season.
As a Brighton fan I’m delighted with this season, even if the club just missed out on their target of European football. Having read several articles on your website covering Brighton players I was genuinely surprised that you wrote that Rutter’s first season was underwhelming. That hasn’t been the impression for most Brighton fans who’ve seen him light up games with his performances and dynamism that drives the team forward.
His injury, along with Adam Webster’s coincided with Brighton’s slump after the March international break. Similarly, Igor Julio was, dismissed despite having a decent season prior to his injury in January. Lewis Dunk was also written off that he should be replaced, ignoring the experience he brings to the squad despite a slight drop off in form again due to injury. I’m sure the club are preparing for his departure with the rumours of new signings which are inevitable to plan for the future, but I’m hopeful he’ll recapture his form next season after a decent break.
This season was Brighton’s second highest finish in 124 years, with a young squad, a new manager and at times a crippling injury list. Whilst there have been low lows, like the defeat at Forest and Palace’s double over Brighton for the first time in many years, there have been some amazing highs. Beating Man City at home, plus Liverpool, Chelsea (twice), Man Utd (home and away) and Spurs (home and away). We’ve also seen the rise of a raft of young players, such as Baleba, Hinselwood, Gruda, Gomez and Minteh, all of whom look like they have the potential to become top quality players in the future.
So I put it to other mailbox readers and contributors to pick out the best parts of their seasons and fill the mailbox with some positivity.
David Williams
Red lines in the white sand
I’ve supported Spurs since I was a young kid and stuck with them. I’ve lived in the US for the last 2 years, I watch almost every match available to be. This season has been the closest I’ve followed things probably since Christian Gross and Jurgen coming back on loan to save us. Point I make is I’m not a fair weather fan.
And yet there are absolutely red lines. When ‘Arry was in charge I seriously fell out of love with Spurs because we were managed by an (allegedly) corrupt lying charlatan who damages clubs while taking no responsibility and self promoting at all times. Sherwood had the same effect on me too.
I was always a fan of London Irish until they signed Paddy Jackson and were bullish an unapologetic in doing so. That ended my association with that club.
If Spurs signed Mason Greenwood, or Ronaldo, or any other known domestic abusers or rapists or, l don’t know, Vince McMahon bought the club, I’d be out too. I wouldn’t become an Arsenal fan, I would just drift a bit and lose interest in the club until something changed, I’d still watch and enjoy football in general, as I did when Redknapp was there. I’m sure I’d struggle if right now if I were a City or Newcastle fan too but unless it came to Spurs I don’t know how I’d actually feel.
I’d like to assume you’re exaggerating or joking for comic effect but I’m puzzled about the “mother” comment. I have close, dear friends whose mothers were awful and there are complicated feelings there, certainly in at least one case, love is not a factor. It seems bizarre to call someone deranged on a political viewpoint where there are shades of gray and nuance and then to expect a sweeping, blanket rule on something as layered as family.
If you have a political or social or personal red line, it’s fine to tap out on your club. Maybe it’ll come back round in the future, maybe it won’t. There’s also room for willing and/or unknowing hypocrisy in all of this. If you don’t have those red lines, that’s fine too. We are all different. Football is the thing that unites us.
So basically, don’t gatekeep being a football fan, or a fan of anything. It’s supposed to be fun and entertainment right?
Chris, Spurs until I die they hire another d*ckhead