It would not destroy domestic leagues, those teams would still play in domestic leagues and the in the SCL were going to play in both domestic and the SCL. The fans are strange....they b**** and moan about the owners not spending enough to make them win, then when owners do something that would unlock more money to spend, they cry foul.... I think the messaging is what got screwed up here, but I don't think the target was anything more than UEFA which has ZERO skin in the game, it is a group that is getting rich off other people's risk and product. DD
I'm torn between who I would like City to face because as much as I would like to payback Chelsea for knocking us out of the FA Cup, I would really like to beat Real who knocked us out a few years ago in the semis which was as far as City had gotten until this year. Plus beating Real would probably be extra for Pep who's career was at Barca.
Chelsea and City were simply the 2 best teams...unfortunately. I'll take it over an all-Spanish final any day, though...and having Pulisic in the Champions League Final is very awesome. I hope Teuchel has some sense about him and starts CP over Werner who, despite the goal today, has still not been good at all. Can't even chalk his goal today up to anything other than accidentally being in the right place at the right time and managing not to screw it up. Pulisic is the better player and creates so much for them. I think he has to be on the field from the start if they want to have any chance against City.
Didn't get to watch the game, but I heard Chelsea dominated Madrid. La Liga is still anyone's to win so they still have a good chance at winning a major trophy.
Strongly disagree. The Super League teams would've had substantial financial advantages so they could sign any player from the other teams without having to care about their budget in years to come, because they knew they cashed-in anyways due to not having to qualify (most of the Southern European teams already act that way, which is why they are so desperate now). The domestic league would lose significance until the point that major players would load management this competition into meaninglessness sooner or later. Their exit from the domestic leagues and hence a two-class society just became a matter of time. European sports is based on relegation and qualification systems, the leagues aren't decided by single games in a few weeks but by cosistency during the whole season. We don't need and don't want an American franchise system. Most fans prefer not having an owner at all. Nah, Chelsea got lucky they were drawn on the right side of the bracket. Any team from that side would've fallen in two games to either Bayern or the two sheiks clubs.
Pulisic played really well and was a problem for City the last time they met in the FA Cup Semis. His pace and skill created problems for City when Chelsea were able to counter. Pulisic is the one player on Chelsea who scares me from a attacking standpoint. Anytime he is out wide I hope we can have Walker on that side as he is probably the only guy in that back 4 who can match up with him.
Not sure about that, if you watched how they played vs Real and also their record vs the top English teams this season. Their defense is one of the best in the world atm and hasn't conceded a goal to many of the top teams, also beat City in the FA cup recently. Not sure why a PSG that is about to lose the title race to Lille and looked like trash vs City would've been favourites to beat them.
That's why I wrote "in two games". One of the oldest rules in football: English teams lose about 50% of their qualities once they're off their island. True, they might have stopped PSG with Mbappe out and Tuchel knowing his former players, but I don't see them survive our guys. We whipped the floor with them just a few months ago and they're not THAT much better now so that they would've survived in Munich. PSG did, that's why I'd give them the edge. Champions again, btw. And Lewandowski is at 39 goals right now, one shy of Gerd Müller's record.
CL final WILL be played in Istanbul. Seems the "red" travel designation was politicized after all. I hope someone takes note of fat cats at the game appearing at events in London a day or two later.