Issue 7 - An Imperfect Ten

Before we get into the cut and thrust of this issue, a big thanks to everyone who has subscribed up until now. Not only do I now have 25+ subscribers, you also seem to be engaged. Massive help in this early stage, time to keep on moving. Can we get to 30 by the end of the week? Keep spreading the word.

The Worst Opening Weekend

To little fanfare whatsoever, the plumper version of the FIFA Club World Cup has got underway and when you look at the first two results that have been recorded, it could have not got off to a worse possible start.

With any tournament, you want the opener to try and set the tempo for what is to come and with Inter Messi (sorry Miami) being given the honour or perhaps the pressure of doing so, the expectation was that they would easily get the better of Egypt’s Al-Ahly.

However, that was far from the case and not only did Al-Ahly have the better chances in the opening 90 minutes of the competition - none more so than a saved penalty but they also kept the mecurial Argentine at bay.

A goalless draw was not a result that got already feint pulses racing and did little to show the MLS or African club football in anything resembling a positive light. Game 1 and it’s already a struggle, only another 62 to go.

Bayern Blitzkrieg

Which then propelled us to Sunday and although there was always going to be an element of fascination in what can only be described as a mis-match, the meeting between Bayern Munich and Auckland City never felt as if it was going to be competitive.

Why would it? Part-time minnows representing the crumbs that are fed through to Oceanic football versus the largesse that comes with Bayern Munich and their embarrasment of riches both on and off the field.

Those who read the previous issue, would have seen me start the bidding at a 6-0 win for Bayern. Even that slightly conservative estimate looked like it was going to be blown out of the water and by half-time, Auckland’s goalkeeper Conor Tracey (no relation, thankfully) had conceded five.

Double the damage in terms of scoreline come the final whistle but just how much damage has a 10-0 defeat done not just for Auckland City but the image of a competition that nobody is buying into.

Quite a lot when you try to pick apart the fallout from Sunday’s crushing in Cincinatti. Wounded pride for those representing the Kiwi outift and this is before they have to pick themselves up before additional group games against Benfica and Boca Juniors.

More importantly, it’s what the 10-0 Bayern blitz has done to the image of the competition. A competition that has now highlighted the one thing that FIFA has been trying to hide.

That of course being the huge imbalance between European football and everyone else. This was never meant to be a competition for the World to enjoy on the same level of the World Cup, this is just an attempt to try and create a Champions League of their own.

If the Champions League is the envy of everyone, then it is understandable that FIFA want to replicate it but that is the ultimate problem, its a mere replication with some international clubs to fatten out the early rounds.

Summer football always feels like more of a chore outside of the World Cup or the European Championships. When its not those two tournaments, there’s a sense of “i am mentally drained, do I want to be watching the Copa America final?”

The answer is probably not.

Got This Already

Therefore, it feels like we are being served nothing more of a pale immitation of the Champions League at a time when football fandom is being placed into a state of warm-weather hibernation.

By the time this competition reaches the quarter-final stage, it will likely feel like Champions League ‘lite’ 6, 7 or even 8 European clubs in the business end of the tournament, playing for nothing more than big business in terms of prize money.

The whole point of summer football is that it is meant to offer something different. Usually the absolute elite of either European or global football duking it out to be the best in the continent or the world.

By comparison this just feels largely pointless - unless you are the team that will eventually scoop up £97m in prize money.

A competition that has not captured the American sporting fraternity (stranger still when its being played at the same time as the CONCACAF Gold Cup - where the US Men’s National Team is currently playing the equivalent of the Euro’s).

A competition that sees tickets almost impossible to be given away.

A competition that should be set for failure but because of it being underpinned by Saudi money, it can afford to fail. Which means by pure brute force, this will eventually become more of a ‘thing’.

Underwritten by a blank cheque, the empty seats that are currently on display are nothing more than issue that can be solved next time around - solve that by taking it to a number of Middle Eastern countries who would bend over backwards to host it.

Which means, we best get used to this Club World Cup being a staple of the summer football calendar every four years with 2029 being earmarked as the next staging of the new 32-team format.

Too much football in the modern game? Maybe, maybe not.

Not enough quality in the modern game? Absolutely.

UEFA Pick On The Minnows

The ongoing summer plot as to whether Crystal Palace will be allowed to play in Europe next season has taken a potential twist on the other side of the Irish Sea and it comes in the shape of Drogheda United’s expulsion from this season’s Europa Conference League.

In a similar situation to what Palace currently find themselves in, Drogheda United are part of an ownership group that also owns Danish outfit Silkeborg and wouldn’t you know, Drogheda picked up a somewhat unlikely cup success to earn European football.

The problem is that their Danish cousins also managed to secure Europa Conference League football through their Superliga competition. Once again, any opportunity to place shares in a blind trust were missed because it was felt such a move was not needed.

Basically, every parallel between Drogheda United and Crystal Palace is there and with UEFA handing out a punishment of this kind for the first time ever, the Eagles will have to wait and see whether they now suffer the same feat by the end of the month.

The Filter Five

Five more bitesize opinions for you to chew on.

WSL Expanding

The English Women’s Super League (WSL) has confirmed plans of its expansion to 14 top-tier teams for the 2026-27 and more importantly, relegation is still going to be part of the competition format.

The one thing that the WSL has lacked is bottom of the table jeopardy and the view is that with more teams being able to fall through the trapdoor due to two relegation and one relegation playoff place soon to be in place, the flow of clubs between the top two tiers should be quicker.

Not good news if you have been comfortably mid-table in the WSL for the past few years. Great news for the likes of Newcastle and Birmingham have been turbo-charging their Women’s departments over the last couple of years.

Tevez Falklands Flashback

Whether you decided to follow up Bayern vs Auckland City on Sunday with the latest serving of Soccer Aid or just watched it as main event viewing, there is no doubt Carlos Tevez took centre stage.

Coming on as a sub, Tevez said “what charity match” and slammed home four goals at Old Trafford in the space of 20 second-half minutes, taunting a pro Man United Old Trafford crowd each time.

In doing so, Tevez has not done a great deal for ongoing English-Argentine relations. Then again, I doubt he cares.

Bale At The Pilgrims

News that Gareth Bale is part of a US-based consortium looking to takeover League One outfit Plymouth has broken and although this does seem to have legs, the former Real Madrid star will only likely play a small role in such investment.

Similar to Luka Modric’s entry into Swansea or Tom Brady at Birmingham, Bale will be used as the very public face of any takeover but will only be given a small percentage of any shareholding in the process.

Still, this kind of investment vehicle is very much in vogue and if Plymouth are the next club to fall into US-based ownership, they will hope to go the same way as Wrexham and Birmingham who spent big before earning a ticket to the Championship.

Next Brentford Boss

With Thomas Frank moving across London, Brentford’s search for a new manager looks like it could be a rather simple one. Current set-piece coach Keith Andrews is the clear favourite to take the GTech Baton and although this would certainly offer continuity, it does seem something of a gamble.

Then again, Brentford can be considered as another ‘conveyor belt’ club in terms of management and players thanks to their data-led background and if the Bees’ board think Andrews is the right man, then who are we to argue?

What To Do About Robertson?

In the previous issue I touched on Liverpool’s potential change of shape now that Florian Wirtz has arrived and if the Reds were to move to a back-three, it could quicken the exit of Andy Robertson from Anfield.

After that showing against Fulham towards the backend of last season, you do feel as if the legs may have gone for the cut and thrust of the top tier and although he would not look out of place at a place such as Craven Cottage, the touted move to Atletico does make a lot of sense. Trent versus Robbo in Madrid derby? Picture that!

Admin

Right, that’s the end of issue 7. Big thanks to everyone who not only subscribes but more importantly reads the newsletter. I have an open rate of nearly 60% which is really good for a new project such as this.

Also, feedback is certainly going to help drive this forward. If you want to take the time to tell me what you liked, what you didn’t like and/or what you want to see.

Consider these summer issues as a ‘soft launch’ - the concepts and ideas will be free-flowing when the season starts, I promise you there’s more to come!

My email for correspondence is

[email protected]

Issue 8 will be out on Friday June 20th

Thanks for reading

Dan