The European Club Association wants to reform the Champions League, but doing so would destroy the integrity of the leagues themselves.
There are bad ideas and there’s bad execution. The European Club Association’s (ECA) proposed “reforms” of the Champions League happen to be both.
On the one hand, they are bad ideas founded purely on the self-interest of a tiny number of wealthy super clubs. On the other hand, the plan has been ham-fistedly executed. It has prompted not only threats of lawsuits and expulsion from domestic leagues, but also failed to rally the public support of other super clubs, thereby negating the leverage…
But for the madness at Anfield in the Champions League semifinal, Barcelona might still be on track for a Treble. It’s worth remembering this when assessing the squad and what the club might do this summer. Instead, they’ve won La Liga and face Valencia in the Copa del Rey final, but Ernesto Valverde’s future is still far from secure. We have analyzed the squad based on the premise that he stays: obviously, should he be replaced by a very different manager, the club’s strategy might be very different…
After another action-packed weekend in soccer, Gab Marcotti reflects on the big talking points in his latest edition of Monday Musings.
Maybe as a kid you didn’t see the point in History class, reading up on all those men (and yeah, they were probably mostly men) of yesteryear, with their outdated ideas and senseless battles won and lost. Maybe you failed to see how events from centuries ago have any relevance to the here and now. And maybe that’s why some annoyed teacher or parent quoted the philosopher George Santayana to you: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
After another action-packed weekend in soccer, Gab Marcotti reflects on the big talking points in his latest edition of Monday Musings.
This is it: there’s one game to go before the Champions League final. Who will advance to meet on June 1 in Madrid? Do Liverpool have a miracle in them vs. Lionel Messi and Barcelona? Will Ajax or Tottenham advance? 
After another action-packed weekend in soccer, Gab Marcotti reflects on the big talking points in his latest edition of Monday Musings.
The Champions League returns and with just four teams left, the path to glory is wide open. Any of remaining sides has a chance but equally, question marks surrounding their challenge. Can Liverpool crack Lionel Messi & Co. to deny their Treble push? And which of the “underdogs” will prevail in the other semifinal?
The FC crew argue the referee was not provided the proper angles to see whether or not a handball was committed on Tottenham’s third goal.