The Evo-Web Football Thoughts Blog

The state of football. Nottingham Forest and Barcelona should get together and help wash the sand out each other's vaginas. Ref get things wrong, players get things wrong, managers get things wrong. Fucking deal with it. Same goes to all of my fellow Aberdeen fans crying about the lack of a penalty at the weekend. The vast majority of conversations I have and I read about football just now is about officiating. People expect it to be perfect because of VAR, well it's only going to get worse because no fucker will want to be a ref in 10 years' time.
 
rockstrongo said:
I hate VAR, it has ruined so much of football imo, but goal line technology, absolutely.
But La liga refused that because of the cost, and now they can stand there pants down after what should/could have been a goal in the biggest club match on the planet.
Fucking amateurs
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Initially when they were first introducing VAR I could have sworn they said they were just going to use it for goal line decisions (which I agree would be fine) but they use it way too much. I’d rather they use it for goal line only and tough shit if someone cheats and gets away with it. It’s the refs job to spot that. At least it used to be!
 
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I'm so fackin happy and proud!
 
PES4eva said:
Initially when they were first introducing VAR I could have sworn they said they were just going to use it for goal line decisions (which I agree would be fine) but they use it way too much. I’d rather they use it for goal line only and tough shit if someone cheats and gets away with it. It’s the refs job to spot that. At least it used to be!
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Its a damn shame, millimeter decisions gets flagged off, while others dont, so pretty much like it was before, but now with 10 plus min extra time every game.
For goals, and reviewing bad fouls afterwards would be perfect, but otherwise, fuck it
 
Flipper the Priest said:
The state of football. Nottingham Forest and Barcelona should get together and help wash the sand out each other's vaginas. Ref get things wrong, players get things wrong, managers get things wrong. Fucking deal with it. Same goes to all of my fellow Aberdeen fans crying about the lack of a penalty at the weekend. The vast majority of conversations I have and I read about football just now is about officiating. People expect it to be perfect because of VAR, well it's only going to get worse because no fucker will want to be a ref in 10 years' time.
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Funny thing is, Nottingham Forest's owner, Marinakis, does the exact same thing in Greece with Olympiacos too, always complaining about the referees, VAR, and that the league is corrupted when things don't go his way, but he forgets the fact that he was one of the most prominent figures in Greek football when the corruption scandals of 2011 and 2015 rose to fame.
 
shumway said:
That's why I love to get on my bike at the weekends and spent my time at amateur football games nearby. Besides the absense of the whole commercial shit one can enjoy shitty refs without VAR and other technologies. :Y1
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Complaining about the ref used to be a fun aspect of football, as was debating decisions with your friends. Now it’s the same as when you have a discussion about something and instead of debating it someone just brings their phone out and Google’s the answer, thus ending the conversation.
 
shumway said:
That's why I love to get on my bike at the weekends and spent my time at amateur football games nearby. Besides the absense of the whole commercial shit one can enjoy shitty refs without VAR and other technologies. :Y1
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Totally agree. Grass roots football and lower leagues is more old school. Lets shun the over hyped/ over paid/over scrutinized, badge kissing tosspots. ;)
 
Carles P. said:
:CRY:

Goodbye trophies opporturneties for LFC's last season with Klopp.



:RSCARF:YNWA
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LFC were absolutely poor, lacked discipline and fell apart. They were running out of the gas right now. This was against none other than their town rival Everton that were still fighting for the relegation as a result of those pesky point deduction for FFP issues (along with Nottingham Forest).
The shock defeat against eternal rival Manchester United in the FA Cup on the dying moments really derailed the whole team. Not to mention, they were still struggling without notable key players due to the injuries. Some of them were still yet to make a return after a long period term injuries.
I hope LFC fans will understand this loss and try to bounce back on the next season with their new manager. After all, they weren't even the same good team again without Klopp, similar to how Manchester United fell apart after SAF's retirement.
 
H_G said:
Well Konami always gave him a new hairstyle since the PS2 era, since 2003 (except 2005-2006, where they used the hairstyle of April 2005)
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I remember playing PES on the PS1 and had to start a new master league over and over again because Beckham kept changing his hairstyle and it only implemented the change on a new game. Was so annoying! 😂
 
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The Greek League has a quite different recent history from what I thought. Even though I was under the impression that Olympiakos and Panathinaikos were recently dominant, I just read that Panathinaikos' last league title came 14 years ago (2010)! This is a surprise to me.

Olympiakos has won 19 leagues in this century, while Panathinaikos has 2, AEK has 2 (and might be on their way to their third this year, based on current standings) and PAOK has won 1. There is a real domination by Olympiakos this century.

Kinda makes me want to play a Panathinaikos Master League, kind of like a "fallen giant" story, looking to recapture their rivalry against Olympiakos!
 
millossobek said:
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The Greek League has a quite different recent history from what I thought. Even though I was under the impression that Olympiakos and Panathinaikos were recently dominant, I just read that Panathinaikos' last league title came 14 years ago (2010)! This is a surprise to me.

Olympiakos has won 19 leagues in this century, while Panathinaikos has 2, AEK has 2 (and might be on their way to their third this year, based on current standings) and PAOK has won 1. There is a real domination by Olympiakos this century.

Kinda makes me want to play a Panathinaikos Master League, kind of like a "fallen giant" story, looking to recapture their rivalry against Olympiakos!
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Panathinaikos were nowhere after 2011 (in which they unfairly lost the title to Olympiacos with shitty refereeeing decisions and whatnot) and they also entered an era in which they were full of debts so their performance basically dropped off, after 2017 I think they never qualified in Europe either until last season.

However, the last 3 seasons they have been pretty good, winning the cup in 2022 and being a contender for the league both last season and this season (although this season they basically have been a laughing stock despite the fact they are league contenders), but yeah a Panathinaikos rebuild story by you would be incredible to see as a Greek man.
 
millossobek said:
View attachment 276871

The Greek League has a quite different recent history from what I thought. Even though I was under the impression that Olympiakos and Panathinaikos were recently dominant, I just read that Panathinaikos' last league title came 14 years ago (2010)! This is a surprise to me.

Olympiakos has won 19 leagues in this century, while Panathinaikos has 2, AEK has 2 (and might be on their way to their third this year, based on current standings) and PAOK has won 1. There is a real domination by Olympiakos this century.

Kinda makes me want to play a Panathinaikos Master League, kind of like a "fallen giant" story, looking to recapture their rivalry against Olympiakos!
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In the past, Greek League is used to be the "Farmers League", with only one team being so dominant in this competition. Same for the Scottish Premiership, which is still currently ruled by two Glasgow sides, Celtic and Rangers.
Rangers had even won the Premiership 3 years ago after what happened in 2012, when the club somehow went bust.

Billy Jov said:
Panathinaikos were nowhere after 2011 (in which they unfairly lost the title to Olympiacos with shitty refereeeing decisions and whatnot) and they also entered an era in which they were full of debts so their performance basically dropped off, after 2017 I think they never qualified in Europe either until last season.
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As you may know, the last time Panathinaikos played in the Champions League was when they finished last in the group that contained the golden team of Barcelona. That group also contained Copenhagen, who somehow qualified for the CL knockout stages (which was repeated again this season). That was such an embarrassing stats, considering that they had some historic results in Europe, particularly becoming the only Greek club to play in the European Cup/Champions League Final back in 1971.

Olympiacos' last appearance in the Champions League happened 3 years ago, when they were in a group with the 3 CL winners (Porto, Marseille, and of course, Manchester City, who won it the last season). Nowadays, the Greek champions must play in the qualification rounds due to the weak coefficient they had in the past 5 years, which is somewhat "unlucky" for them.
 
I've been watching a bit of Premier League matches lately, mainly some of the top teams, and it pretty much confirmed a trend that I dislike about modern football at the highest level. I think things have gotten too robotic.

What do I mean by that? As analytics have taken over the game, now players are expected to play the most statistically efficient pass, to execute the highest percentage play. It seems like more and more teams are playing the high-press, run run dispossess run run, ultra-fast game championed by several of the Premier League's top sides.

It might be more efficient, lead to more goals or goalscoring chances, but I think that it hurts the game. Individual creativity is being stifled, players are now expected to be a cog of a more relentless machine, and stick too much to their strict roles. Deviate a little bit from these pre-established roles, and efficiency decreases, but at what cost?

While I was watching these top flight matches, most of the time it was press press press, up and down football, everyone running at top speed all the time. I found it repetitive, and a bit soulless. It didn't seem like human football to me. It felt engineered, pre-ordained, a tactical computer programmed outcome, built to maximize efficiency and maximum speed, like holding down the sprint button all the time in FIFA or PES.

I like variation in football. Yes, speed it up at times, but also have periods of slowing down and thinking. Threading the needle, pace variation, space for flair and individuality, changes of pace, creativity, human error, subtle yet flashing displays of individual brilliance paired up with teamwork. Football at the top level is becoming homogenized.

I for one, am not a fan of this ultra-fast, ultra-efficient, ultra pressing football. Yeah, it might lead to more expected goals or any other metric, but football to me, growing up, was a subtle art. A sport that had lulls, moments of action, and players like Zidane, Okocha, Ronaldinho, Riquelme, making something out of nothing. Yes, perhaps today's City is a world beater, but in terms of entertainment value, I am finding much more style, more personality, in other leagues.. Yes, the quality might not be the same, but the purity, the art of the game, I can still feel it in lesser known leagues.

It really makes me think of that commercial from the early 2000's, players vs robots, flair vs brute physicality. Kudos to you who enjoy this new trend, but I feel like something's missing in these top-level matches. Efficiency and sabermetrics are starting to replace the Art of Football, and it's a shame. I think something needs to happen to reverse this trend, to bring back the artistry, subtlety, and a sense of variety. Yes, I understand that things change. But change can happen while respecting the soul of our dear game, the game we grew up loving.

PS: I have nothing against the EPL, per se. In fact, I used to really like it, and I don't mean to single out the Premier League, but it's just an example of where I think top-flight football unfortunately might be heading (albeit not in all leagues, and not at the same pace).
 
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@millossobek Ive got to agree with most of that but i often ask myself… is it just something an old person would say? Lol I remember my grandad saying similar things about my generation of football and then my dad the same thing. Now I’m saying it about this generation of football. All I see in this generation is 433 or variation, play it down the wing, dribble, repeat. So I’m not sure whether football was better “in my day” or whether I’m just old 😂
 
Congratulation to the FC Bayern (not Bayer) Munich women team for your german league winner title, you deserve it!

Personaly I would prefer Wolfsburg more as a champion because of my favorites players Jule Brand and Tabea Sellner (born Waßmuth). But the FCB girls played very well the whole season and have the better manager than Wolfsburg.
 
@PES4eva I think nostalgia plays a part of it. For us who grew up in the 90's and 00's, we can definitely see a difference now, for sure. Same goes for previous generations of football fans. But I also think that regardless of era, there are peaks and valleys in terms of football personalities and unfortunately, right now I believe we are in a valley. Like you mentioned, many teams play similar now. But what I find most boring is that "always sprint button" style football that seems so prevalent, I think we can objectively say that there were more styles 10-20 years ago.. I remember how excited I was to see Özil signing with Arsenal for example, a true playmaker and I thought artist with the ball, but now unfortunately in the top flight it seems physicality reigns supreme..
 
millossobek said:
@PES4eva I think nostalgia plays a part of it. For us who grew up in the 90's and 00's, we can definitely see a difference now, for sure. Same goes for previous generations of football fans. But I also think that regardless of era, there are peaks and valleys in terms of football personalities and unfortunately, right now I believe we are in a valley. Like you mentioned, many teams play similar now. But what I find most boring is that "always sprint button" style football that seems so prevalent, I think we can objectively say that there were more styles 10-20 years ago.. I remember how excited I was to see Özil signing with Arsenal for example, a true playmaker and I thought artist with the ball, but now unfortunately in the top flight it seems physicality reigns supreme..
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Yes physicality and pace are the go to attributes for many managers when signings players. There’s a reason they are forced to do this though and it’s because everyone else does this, so they’re basically trying to level the playing field. However, I still feel that a good passing team will almost always beat a team with pace even in todays football. The fact is that there isn’t a player alive that can run faster than the speed of a ball.
Players like Riquelme (as you mentioned) and De La Peña do seem to be missing from the game with some exceptions like De bruyne. I do feel that’s more to do with how they’re trained for formations these days. A playmaker would generally be behind a front two and since everyone plays 433 or a variation there’s simply no room for that position so they end up becoming wingers or central midfield players.
 
@Carles P. I've seen far worse Champions League ties than that one. Hummels was incredible over both games (today was arguably one of the best defensive performances I've ever seen) and PSG was also pretty unlucky over 180 minutes, hitting the woodwork coupled with some wasteful finishing.
 
PSG aren't really deserved to reach the Champions League Final, nor winning it at all, after their poor showings over two legs vs Borussia Dortmund. I think they are supposed to be the favorites after the quarterfinal draw, it wasn't. They should have been eliminated in the group stage, if it wasn't for harsh referee decision against Newcastle United in Paris (after the previous encounter in England ended in a 1-4 humiliation). The penalty, which was an equalizer for PSG, should never be existed because the handball foul for Newcastle player was too soft. Then, they got a very easy draw against Real Sociedad, who were struggling in the La Liga after their brilliant performance in the group stage. Last, but not least, people might knew that they would have been eliminated by Barcelona after losing the 1st leg quarterfinal tie (once again, in Paris), until yet another harsh referee decision (particularly, the red card for both Ronald Araujo and their manager Xavi) changed the course of the game.

As for Real Madrid, they might be the favorites to win the entire thing. They won 6 out of 6 group stage games, along with Manchester City, who defeated them in the quarterfinal. However, it's quite hard to predict the outcomes of such a tougher games. Real Madrid didn't look pretty well against RB Leipzig, especially the 2nd leg, which was also played at the Bernabeu. They also played negatively against Manchester City in the 2nd leg, and should have been eliminated if Manchester City players didn't hit the woodwork so much with some wasteful finishing. Despite earning a draw in Munich, Real Madrid's overall performance wasn't too great. The 2 goals (both by Vinicius Jr) happened because Bayern's defenders made a big mistakes. Bayern Munich might not be the best team for this season, as the Bundesliga is now currently owned by Bayer Leverkusen, but reaching the semifinal is still a great achievement, especially after beating Arsenal in the quarterfinal, who were at their best form in the Premier League this season.

In addition, even though Bayern didn't eliminate Real since that 2012 semifinal win on penalty shootout, they still showed a good fight at the Bernabeu. The 2018 semifinal, which was the last time both sides met in the Champions League, was such a big example. In the 2nd leg at the Bernabeu, Bayern had almost scored the third goal that would have sent them to the Final (because of the fact the away goal rule is still in effect, at that time) after making the scoreline 2-2. That happened after the 1st leg defeat in the Munich, which was robbed (just like the 2017 encounter).

A potential German Final rematch, just like 2013 (which was played at Wembley, the same stadium that hosted this year's final), would be hillarious to watch.
 
Carles P. said:
Poor PSG and boring BVB. Unbelievable for a semifinal, really bad football.
Hopefully tomorrow will be more interesting match for a non FCB nor Real fan.
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Personally I loved it. I don't support either team but I'll take a proper football club knocking out a vanity project with hard work, organisation, discipline, and no lack of skill! BVB found the net instead of the posts and therefore thoroughly deserved it!
 
Silverdome94 said:
@Carles P. I've seen far worse Champions League ties than that one. Hummels was incredible over both games (today was arguably one of the best defensive performances I've ever seen) and PSG was also pretty unlucky over 180 minutes, hitting the woodwork coupled with some wasteful finishing.
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Flipper the Priest said:
Personally I loved it. I don't support either team but I'll take a proper football club knocking out a vanity project with hard work, organisation, discipline, and no lack of skill! BVB found the net instead of the posts and therefore thoroughly deserved it!
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Yea everything ok. I only share my toughts.

I don't like such a style of football, 2 times 90 minutes + and just one goal each. Once a long ball and one after a standard situation.
And the others a mixture of lack of ideas and like the rabbit before the snake in the game structure. Just don't get an opponent's counterattack.
I prefer it if there is an open mind between both teams.

Well, now the Spanish LaLiga champions are playing against the fifth team from the Bundesliga.

Just not my UCL season. I was hoping, like I said weeks ago, for a final between Inter and Atletico.
 
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