Barcelona lost the Club World Cup Final in 2006 against Internacional.
On 2024-07-16 06:13, Mark wrote:
Barcelona lost the Club World Cup Final in 2006 against
Internacional.
I assume the author discounted this (And the nations' league
final in 2021 where France beat Spain) as not being a final of
a major competition.
As has often been discussed here before, I kind of agree for
the WCC.
As for the Nations' league, I still have hopes of it growing
in importance.
On 2024-07-16 10:16, Blueshirt wrote:
For me, there's too many international breaks...
For me there is too much club football !
MH wrote:
On 2024-07-16 06:13, Mark wrote:
Barcelona lost the Club World Cup Final in 2006 against
Internacional.
I assume the author discounted this (And the nations' league
final in 2021 where France beat Spain) as not being a final of
a major competition.
<gasp> Don't go there!!!
As has often been discussed here before, I kind of agree for
the WCC.
I've only ever come across one person who considered the WCC a
"major" competition... but FIFA would be hoping that next year's
revamp might increase the profile of this club competition. I
think in time it might work out for them.
As for the Nations' league, I still have hopes of it growing
in importance.
It seems like a waste of time for me and just an excuse to get
players released from club duties by having a 'competition'
instead of international friendlies, which funnily enough always
used to crop up at a time when certain players at big clubs were
<cough> injured.
For me, there's too many international breaks...
On 2024-07-16 10:16, Blueshirt wrote:
MH wrote:
On 2024-07-16 06:13, Mark wrote:
Barcelona lost the Club World Cup Final in 2006 against
Internacional.
I assume the author discounted this (And the nations' league
final in 2021 where France beat Spain) as not being a final of
a major competition.
<gasp> Don't go there!!!
As has often been discussed here before, I kind of agree for
the WCC.
I've only ever come across one person who considered the WCC a
"major" competition... but FIFA would be hoping that next year's
revamp might increase the profile of this club competition. I
think in time it might work out for them.
As for the Nations' league, I still have hopes of it growing
in importance.
It seems like a waste of time for me and just an excuse to get
players released from club duties by having a 'competition'
instead of international friendlies, which funnily enough always
I kind of like the fact that UEFA has tied it in to qualification
processes, and the promotion and relegation. It gives each team 6
matches that are at least semi-competitive, against opposition roughly
equal to themselves. Much more useful than friendlies.
MH wrote:
On 2024-07-16 10:16, Blueshirt wrote:
For me, there's too many international breaks...
For me there is too much club football !
Wash your mouth out with soap!
Club football tops international football for me.
the players wages, so the club game should get priority.
'Tournaments' like the UEFA Nations League are just distractions
from the real thing.
However, there does need to be less games played in a domestic
season. In England the Football League Cup is a Mickey Mouse
trophy in the big scheme of things
teams if the club is in European competition. The Premier League
should be two teams less as well. And 18 team Premier League
would take some of the pressure off fixture congestion. After
saying that, neither is likely to happen any time soon because
less games = less money!
I'd send an international 'B' team to the Nations League too!
There's not enough B team fixtures these days. So for the
smaller games a nation's B team is the perfect bridge for
players that are between the U-21 side and the senior squad.
On 2024-07-16 12:05, Blueshirt wrote:
MH wrote:
Club football tops international football for me.
Perhaps that is because you are an avowed and long term fan of
a particular club.
However, there does need to be less games played in a
domestic season. In England the Football League Cup is a
Mickey Mouse trophy in the big scheme of things
and yet, the big teams do their utmost to win it once they get
to about the quarter final stage.
I'd send an international 'B' team to the Nations League too!
There's not enough B team fixtures these days. So for the
smaller games a nation's B team is the perfect bridge for
players that are between the U-21 side and the senior squad.
Interesting idea, and of course that option is open to the
managers of the bigger sides. Not sure it would make the
clubs any happier, though, since some of the players on the
fringes of the national teams could well be reasonably regular
starters for teams like Chelsea, Arsenal, Bayern, Real Madrid,
Barca, Atletico, Dortmund, Man United, Spurs, Man City,
Liverpool, PSG, etc.
I remember 'B' internationals being a thing, once upon a time...
until Chris Sutton told Glenn Hoddle to shove it when he got
called up for the 'B' team!
MH wrote:
On 2024-07-16 10:16, Blueshirt wrote:
For me, there's too many international breaks...
For me there is too much club football !
Wash your mouth out with soap!
Club football tops international football for me.
Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
Club football tops international football for me.
Understandable from a Chelsea point of view.
Nothing but trouble when the lads are travelling by
themselves.
On 2024-07-16 15:18, Blueshirt wrote:
I remember 'B' internationals being a thing, once upon a
time... until Chris Sutton told Glenn Hoddle to shove it
when he got called up for the 'B' team!
But again, who would populate such a team ? For England right
now, maybe Grealish, Alexander Arnold, Elliot, Jones,
Quansah, White, SMith-Rowe, Rashford, .. and so on. For
Germany maybe Werner, Henrichs, Klostermann, .... etc. all
players that their teams would miss just as much as the
regular starters for the national team - perhaps with more
effect on the 3-6 placed teams than the top 2 in some leagues.
MH wrote:
On 2024-07-16 15:18, Blueshirt wrote:
I remember 'B' internationals being a thing, once upon a
time... until Chris Sutton told Glenn Hoddle to shove it
when he got called up for the 'B' team!
But again, who would populate such a team ? For England right
now, maybe Grealish, Alexander Arnold, Elliot, Jones,
Quansah, White, SMith-Rowe, Rashford, .. and so on. For
Germany maybe Werner, Henrichs, Klostermann, .... etc. all
players that their teams would miss just as much as the
regular starters for the national team - perhaps with more
effect on the 3-6 placed teams than the top 2 in some leagues.
If we are using England as an example... of the England U21 team
that won the UEFA U21 Championship last year (2023) quite a few
players have not made the full transition to senior level yet,
but are over 21 years of age...
So, the likes of Harvey Elliot, Emile Smith-Rowe, Curtis Jones,
Levi Colwell, Anthony Gordon, Cameron Archer (etc.) would be
candidates for this [theoretical] international 'B' team. Along
with other senior squad players that didn't get much pitch time
in Germany... or get called up in the first place, like some of
the players you mentioned. That would be what I would consider a
'B' team as being for, the bridge between U21 and senior
levels... and the UEFA Nations League would be perfect for that
sort of team, which coincidently in England's case is "League B"!
On 17.07.2024 12:53, Blueshirt wrote:
Understandable from any rational point of view... cheering on
international players that you'd normally be hoping break
their legs at the weekend when they are playing against your
team in the PL never really made any sense to me!
If they're "diving bastards" one day, they shouldn't be
heroes another day. (It's a simple but effective POV that
helps me sleep easy.)
But as unsavoury as the Enzo Fernández affair is, don't you
think it also shows how international competitions fulfill a
certain almost atavistic need, at least for some players? It's
hard to imagine that he would have let loose (and bared his
prejudices) nearly as much in a scenario where he wins a trophy
with Chelsea (as far-fetched as that sounds :P)
It's a bit similar in hockey - the NHL might willfully ignore
it, but the fact remains that David Pastrňák has been
celebrated as a national hero in his home country this year
way more than if he had won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins,
and it was obvious how much he enjoyed it.
Werner Pichler wrote:
It's a bit similar in hockey - the NHL might willfully ignore
it, but the fact remains that David Pastrňák has been
celebrated as a national hero in his home country this year
way more than if he had won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins,
and it was obvious how much he enjoyed it.
Bettman will NEVER acknowledge - or contemplate even - that the
IIHF World Championship is bigger than the Stanley Cup!
(Pastrňák was just on holiday in Czechia!) But I wonder what the
player himself would prefer to win given the choice? The Czech
fans probably don't give a hoot about the Stanley Cup anyway as
North America is so far away... a bit like me preferring to see
Enzo Fernández win the UEFA Champions League [with Chelsea] than
the Copa America with Argentina, but an Argentinian in Buenos
Aires would feel the exact opposite.
It's a bit similar in hockey - the NHL might willfully ignore it, but
the fact remains that David Pastrňák has been celebrated as a national
hero in his home country this year way more than if he had won the
Stanley Cup with the Bruins, and it was obvious how much he enjoyed it.
On Thu, 18 Jul 2024 21:34:34 +0000, Blueshirt wrote:
Werner Pichler wrote:
It's a bit similar in hockey - the NHL might willfully
ignore it, but the fact remains that David Pastrňák has
been celebrated as a national hero in his home country
this year way more than if he had won the Stanley Cup with
the Bruins, and it was obvious how much he enjoyed it.
Bettman will NEVER acknowledge - or contemplate even - that
the IIHF World Championship is bigger than the Stanley Cup!
(Pastrňák was just on holiday in Czechia!) But I wonder what
the player himself would prefer to win given the choice? The
Czech fans probably don't give a hoot about the Stanley Cup
anyway as North America is so far away... a bit like me
preferring to see Enzo Fernández win the UEFA Champions
League [with Chelsea] than the Copa America with Argentina,
but an Argentinian in Buenos Aires would feel the exact
opposite.
You too !
rec.sport.hockey is this way ------>
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