I don’t dispute that or resent anyone from wanting to move there - nor do I challenge the idea that they and Madrid are the two biggest clubs in the world. Personally I find both clubs to be extremely boring but that’s just me.
It feels like the media talk about those clubs as though they were always the two biggest sides in football. Of course Madrid has a genuine claim to that title but Barca are, relatively speaking, young upstarts. Being the new kids on the block is probably why there was so much goodwill for them in the early 2000s that they promptly destroyed by alienating La Masia and cutting their shirt sponsorship with Unicef.
Watching them slowly decline over the last few years has been enjoyable. Too many mistakes in the transfer windows, too much in fighting at board level and with presidents, and now they have the ESL/UEFA struggle to deal with as they’re both holding firm.
Athletico have a real chance as the title again next season if they can refresh their squad a touch, keeping La Liga a bit interesting.
Not really City related, so best to add something about them in this post I guess - City can’t be pissed off at Aguero for his words - he’s just moved to a new club and needs to get off to a good start with the media and fans. What else is he gonna say?
I’ve come to Barca as they’ve offered me a stupid amount of money that I couldn’t refuse. City are the best club in word football
The first sentence could be a little less crude. The second sentence would mark him out as a comedian and I don’t think poor ol’ ‘Kun’ really has the personality for that.
Something like - ‘I’ve come to Barca for a new challenge and to experience playing in front of a full stadium of passionate cules’
‘cules’. ‘kun’ aguero. Why do I think of another four letter word?
Away from Barca, I heard Jonathan Liew describe Man City as clearly the best team in Europe for the last 5 years but haven’t actually proven it.
I understood his point (that they are better than they have shown in European competition) but it is still far fetched to call them the best in Europe.
2020/21: Did well to win a very weird football season with Ilkay Gundogan being their top scorer, which is odd. Failed to win the CL despite an incredibly easy run of fixtures. Good season but not exactly a great one.
2019/20: Finished 18 points behind Liverpool and that is with Liverpool easing off the gas at the end of the year. Knocked out in the QFs of the CL. Liverpool had the better season.
2018/19: Incredible league campaign to edge out Liverpool by 1 point. Lost in QFs of the CL. While Liverpool went on to win it. Arguably Liverpool had the better season.
2017/18: Clearly the best team in England, winning by 19 points. Knocked out in CL QFs to Liverpool, who went on to make the final. City had the better season.
2016/17: Finished 3rd in the PL, 15 points behind Chelsea in 1st. Lost in Last 16 of the CL to Monaco.
Despite three league title wins in that time it’s pretty hard to argue that they have actually been “the best” in Europe for any of them. In fact for three of them it’s probably hard to ignore that other English clubs have had better seasons - Chelsea in 2016/2017 and Liverpool in 2018/19 & 2019/20.
Guardiola/Man City did get a little bit of hyperbolic praise regarding their successes in my opinion.
I get what you are saying but they would still be the best team over that 5 year period wouldn’t they even if they weren’t the best in each individual year?
City
16/17 - 3rd best English club
17/18 - Best English club
18/19 - Second best
19/20 - Second best
20/21 - Best
Liverpool
16/17 - 4th best
17/18 - 4th best
18/19 - Best
19/20 - Best
20/21 - 3rd best
City take it there. Is there a better team across Europe that has done so consistently well over that 5 year period both domestically and either winning or making the late stages in Europe? Bayern maybe?
Madrid and Bayern have been the best over an arbitrary 5 year timeline. Juventus have also at the very least equaled City.
Madrid won La Liga 2x and the CL 2x in that period which trumps City’s 3 PL wins.
Bayern 5x Bundesliga winners, 1x CL winners (admittedly the BL doesn’t mean as much).
Juventus 4x Serie A wins.
You could perhaps argue they’ve been the 3rd/4th best team in terms of absolute consistency but Liew’s argument sounded like he was saying they have been the best team in Europe (read: The World) for every year for the last 5 years but keep shooting themselves in the foot in the CL. It just can’t be true, given that at least twice, arguably three times, in the last 5 years they have not been the best team in England.
They are not the best football club though, not by any metric currently.
I frankly don’t have a clue who is, I think if Lewandowski hadn’t been injured then Bayern would probably have won a second CL.
Mind you if we had a back four we might have done better.
Chelsea certainly aren’t the best team but are by winning the trophy. I would say up to lockdown Liverpool had been for 2 or so years, I think we were better than City in that season we lost by a point and showed that the following year.
It’s hard to say as a metric but one thing is for sure Barca aren’t anywhere near the best team and haven’t been for a couple of years. I don’t think they were particularly brilliant in their 3-0 win over us and they showed that when they collapsed at Anfield the following week.
He can write okay. He just doesn’t seem to understand football. Like he thinks he’s arguing the affirmative or negative in a balanced debate. Like a wannabe posh boy.
Edit:. Just looked him up; seems his sporting interests started elsewhere and writing about football is more recent. That’s consistent with a sense that he just doesn’t fully grasp his subject matter. Wish he’d stick to other sports.
I like him as a writer and journalist but yes I think it’s fair to say he doesn’t seem like someone who knows football as a fanatic might. I think he’s more into his cricket, right?
Jaffod,
I understand your point of view and I don’t mind you telling me straight, I love your posts, especially when they are the iconic rant ones , I always have a smile after reading your posts.
I don’t remember ever Pep was involved in any drug doping situation though
He was caught twice as a player in Italy. Shortly after taking over at Barca his side all missed a scheduled drugs test and at City there have been at least 3 occasions where there have been issues…probably something happened at Bayern too but I can’t remember.
, I always have a smile after reading your posts. 
