If you’re a passionate football fan and looking forward to the upcoming European seasons, Euro 2020 will have you well and truly primed.
The English Premier League launches into action this coming Saturday when newly promoted Brentford do battle with Arsenal, La Liga commences on the same day and Serie A follows suit just a week later.
There will be much interest in Spain as Atletico Madrid faces the challenge of deflecting the likely and passionate resurgences of Real Madrid and Barcelona, and a consecutive fourth-place finish for Juventus appears unlikely in Italy.
Elsewhere, two of the biggest clubs in Europe look to have turned their respective competitions into what could become farces.
Manchester City lost rarely in 2020-21 and will once again be a force, their 12 and 17-point margins over second and third-placed Manchester United and Liverpool saying all that needs to be said when it comes to their dominance and the immense talent they possess.
In recent days former Aston Villa star Jack Grealish has arrived in the Sky Blue camp to complete what could be the most compelling potent attack ever assembled in English football. The £100 million (A$189 million) deal makes him the financial replacement for Sergio Aguero after the Argentinian came to terms with Barcelona FC.
With Grealish just 25 and gifted enough to attract a sum that makes him the most expensive English footballer of all time, it is hard to see how City lose in the deal, particularly considering those destined to play alongside him.
With an attacking arsenal that includes Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres and Riyad Mahrez it is difficult to imagine anything other than City’s newest signing having the most stellar of seasons as his club marches unchallenged towards its fourth title in five years under Pep Guardiola.
Quite frankly, no-one else stands a chance and, barring supporters of the club themselves, one would be hard-pressed to find a single soul who believes that such hoarding of talent could in any way be good for the game of football as a whole.
(Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer/Getty Images)
Across the channel in France something even more ridiculous and deflating is occurring. Paris Saint-Germain has the financial resources to rival the City Group’s buying power, and the club has clearly decided that enough is enough after a second-place finish on the Ligue 1 table behind Lille in 2020-21 but still no Champions League title.
Despite all being free transfers, the salaries of Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Real Madrid stalwart Sergio Ramos and former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum will seriously dent the PSG budget.
Throw in the impressive and expensive acquisitions of Danilo Pereira from Porto and €60 million (A$96 million) signing from Inter Milan Achraf Hakimi and Parisian fans may well feel this is their best chance yet to claim the biggest prize in European club competition.
Should the now seemingly certain arrival of Lionel Messi come to pass in the coming hours, PSG’s potency could be the most dynamic, powerful and unpredictable on the continent. Considering the talent returning for another campaign in the form of Kylian Mbappe, Mauro Icardi, Neymar and Marco Verratti, manager Mauricio Pochettino had best have his squad in front early and briskly extending their league lead.
Otherwise, with consideration of the astonishing tools at his disposal, he will be frogmarched out the door in very quick time.
Personally, I find the entire situation insulting and deflating.
There is no doubt that a City and PSG Champions League final in St Petersburg on 28 May would be something for the ages. While there are no certainties in football or life, should both squads play to somewhere near their potential, it is hard to imagine any other scenario.
I thought we had just been through a re-evaluation of where the world game was in regard to the overzealous spending and creation of league monopolies and duopolies by some of Europe’s biggest clubs. I thought the offensive European Super League mobilised the fans and warned off owners attempting to win trophies and profit through currency alone.
It appears not, with FIFA and domestic administrators seemingly happy for the spending sprees to continue despite the increased dangers of collateral club damage as many struggle in the financial fallout of COVID-19.
It could well be a cracker season for both clubs, with trophies aplenty and fans salivating, while watching potentially two of the best teams we have seen this century.
Sadly for football as a whole it is a loss. An awful, soulless, hollow and disgusting blight on the purest game there is.
Geoff
Guest
Ridiculous. Plastic and manufactured in what sense ? PSG was only formed in 1970, are they plastic as well?
Winter A League is Awesome
Roar Rookie
If I had the time I woud go through the comments. But as an example your reply on this article was that my comment is absurd. No folow up. About summer temps you said the Australia is not the hottest summer league as no chance or somehwere along those lines. Same thing with the foxtel comments. I don't have a dislike for you. I simply ask why you dont elaborate on your one sentence dismissals of my comments and you never follow up.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Ah, Winter. That is a fraudulent comment. Never, ever have I been adamant about Foxtel keeping the game. It appeared there was the chance for renegotiation some time back, but I'd love you to show me exactly where I've stated that the game was 100% destined to stay with Fox. As for your personal attacks about my work, I'll leave that to others to form views based on evidence and not your apparent personal dislike towards me.
Philip Arlidge
Guest
How much money have Manchester United spent on Pogba, Lukaku,Sancho, Fred, Maguire and Fernandes? $589 million perhaps they should be included.Chelsea Havertz, Werner,Chelwell, Kovacic, Kepa, Pulsisic, Jorginho and Morath $495 million, perhaps they should be included?
Jim
Guest
His view also ignores the fact of the 3 titles in 4 years stat quoted: - 1 granted was a procession (mainly because a lot of teams were exceptionally poor that year) - 1 they had to win what was it 17 straight to nab it on the post against Liverpool - in the last season, they came from 10 points I think it was behind in November/December time to win. They haven't been winning every title by 20+ or something, and there is no sign that is going to happen any time soon. I think City are actually very poorly placed to defend their title this season. Grealish will be a very good signing for them, but there is a fair chance they will lose a couple of others (Bernardo Silva ihas been mentioned, perhaps Jesus, Laporte wants more game time) - their overall squad strength is not improved I don't think. And they've had an extremely interrupted pre season- - Foden and De Bruyne both injured at the moment as well. Could easily be quickly off the pace this season.
Jim
Guest
If FFP was truly 'fair dinkum' as you say, why would it care about owners that want to put their own dollars into clubs, in whatever quantities they want to? As long as they are willing to cover the losses that happen, then its far less dangerous then clubs getting into massive piles of debt? FFP is a joke - because it is nothing to do with trying to improve club sustainability, and all to do with the big boys at the top table trying to close the door to anyone else ever joining their table. A quasi approach to achieve similar outcomes to a super league.
Clemenza
Guest
Serves them both right. They have turned Spanish soccer into a duopoly and robbed the fans of the other clubs of a proper competition.
chris
Guest
Apologies - yes as you said, they treat FFP with disdain as it really does not apply to them.
chris
Guest
Jim I agree with your sentiments but how do the City group treat FFP with disdain? They are so rich with petro dollars that FFP really doesn't apply to them. I don't know what the answer to this is but no system is perfect. And who knows, one day sheik whatever might get bored and Roman A might get arrested and it would be all over for some of these clubs.
chris
Guest
frank i couldn't care less what you followed. I was responding to your statement about the born agains.
Jim
Guest
Leicester and Porto stand up to your analysis, but its a fallacy to pretend Italy doesn't have a high quality squad, nor Chelsea (maybe not the superstars of yesteryear but still spent a lof $).
Jim
Guest
PSG should be bracketed by themselves here - they absolutely show complete disdain for FFP and buy their way through their problems. City have, despite the obvious challenges along the way, moving towards a more sustainable model. Real and Barca have created their own problems through poor financial mismanagement - not because they can't compete. United cant compete only because they have owners that take out as many $ as they can - not because they don't have the capacity. Liverpool spend plenty of big $ on transfers too and pay high wages - they've shown a good ability to balance this through good ability to find rough diamonds cheap and also to extract excellent $ for players they sell. To suggest they can't compete is an absolute nonsense.
Jim
Guest
As someone with long term links to the club (my grandfather was born all of about 200 yards or so from Maine Road), I think this 'manufactured club' narrative is really frustrating. Not for one second saying that the modern MCFC is a long way from that of the pre-takeover era, but it is not a manufactured club. It has its own grand history (maybe not trophy laden like other clubs - but plenty of highlights along the way) in its own way - anyone that isn't looking to fill a pre-determined narrative knows that. It frustrates me no end to read people suggesting City are a manufactured club. Their current form is rapidly different from what was once there, but that doesn't make them manufactured. If City are a manufactured club, then all the big clubs are. They've all got there in one form or another through the power of the $ - its just City came to the party at a point where you need a massive external injection to jump the gap that was already there.
Frank
Guest
Chris, as always, I feel like this will be a waste of time with you What I wrote was that I follow the NBL but wouldn’t have a go at anyone for following the NBA On this thread it seems common for people to have a go at those for following European leagues, even on articles related to European leagues. Hence the born again comment, the only way is to solely follow the A League otherwise you will not be saved
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
que?
JGK
Roar Guru
What’s the French word for Sombrero?
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
as long as uefa executives keep getting there bribes from the middle east, much like fifa did with the qatar world cup -things will never change
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
its a standard 'euro snob' comment
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
nope, not possible - that classes you as a casual supporter
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
100% , the sheep