Other domestic leagues 2020/21

[BKIslandersFan]

Maybe that's the thing that will really expose how stupid this playoff system is.

Actually it's not even a playoff system it's just a very dumb and unfair continuation of the championship.

A playoff system would be like in hockey-basketball-football-baseball or even MLS.

In MLS you do get a trophy for winning regular season.

Does not seem like the case for Belgium.

 

[gary69]

I don't see anything for Brazil so I'm posting this here...

Stop me if you've heard this happen before: Inter were playing the final game at home, against an inferior opponent, and they needed to win and also get help elsewhere in order to, in this case, win the league. They got the help they needed elsewhere; São Paulo (who had their own big stakes involved) beat first placed Flamengo, meaning all Inter needed to do was win at home against 10th-placed Corinthians, and their first Brasileirão championship in 42 years would be theirs.

They drew 0-0. They had a goal erased for offside in the 7th minute of stoppage time. Flamengo won the championship by a single point.

Oh brother. Internazionale and Internacional. Truly kindred spirits.

Good to hear, because Flamengo are my favourite club in Brazil (because of the Zico days). Haven't watched the league at all for the past couple of years, though.

 

[Pouchkine]

In MLS you do get a trophy for winning regular season.

Does not seem like the case for Belgium.

But this trophy means nothing at all...

 

[Power Man]

Good to hear, because Flamengo are my favourite club in Brazil (because of the Zico days). Haven't watched the league at all for the past couple of years, though.

Zico

 

[BKIslandersFan]

But this trophy means nothing at all...

A spot in the Champion's League. And MLS fans still consider it a major trophy.

 

[Pouchkine]

A spot in the Champion's League. And MLS fans still consider it a major trophy.

Not at all. MLS fans don't consider it at all. I can tell you all the MLS Cup Champions from 1996 chronologically but I can't tell you one MLS season trophy winner.

It's like the President's trophy in NHL (for regular season first place) NO ONE CARES or remembers it.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Not at all. MLS fans don't consider it at all. I can tell you all the MLS Cup Champions from 1996 chronologically but I can't tell you one MLS season trophy winner.

It's like the President's trophy in NHL (for regular season first place) NO ONE CARES or remembers it.

Are we talking about Major League Soccer? Because if we are you are dead wrong here.

 

[Pouchkine]

Are we talking about Major League Soccer? Because if we are you are dead wrong here.

Are you a NYRB fan? That's the only way I would understand your point.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Are you a NYRB fan? That's the only way I would understand your point.

No, but I am a fan of a team who has not won a trophy yet. And would love to see them win Supporters Shield.

 

[Pouchkine]

Me not at all, I'd prefer finishing 6th or 7th and then winning the only trophy that matters in MLS.

 

[KingLB]

Agree with Pouch here. Only teams that care about the shield instead of the cup are teams that have won the shield recently.

Or Euro snobs that want MLS to “be like the rest of the world” (which always just means the big leagues in Europe)

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

@Power Man

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Can you spot the away players?

 

[Power Man]

@Power Man
https://mobile.twitter.com/SaddickAdams/status/1365750407046258690

haha, this is amazing

Whatever it takes

 

[Savi]

Club Brugge won their 9th straight game tonight, their 12th in 13 matches since early December. Without the Championship Playoff, a win on Sunday would guarantee the title..

Well. Antwerp lost tonight (Club Brugge didn't play this weekend, game was postponed because of the many COVID positives) which means Brugge would have wrapped up the title. They have a 15 point lead with 5 games left, however the tiebreaker in Belgium is number of wins (Brugge have 20 wins, Antwerp 14).
The race for the Championship Playoff (Top 4) is actually pretty crazy but the parity in the Belgian League has been insane (mostly because the top teams suck)

1. Club Brugge 63 pts (still have 2 games in hand)
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2. Antwerp 48 - I think they are pretty safe to get in
3. Genk 46 - they're in freefall so who knows.. it's amazing they're still in 3rd place after only 2 wins in their last 10
4. Oostende 46 - biggest surprise of the season, also have a very soft schedule remaining..
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5. Anderlecht 45 - still think they get in somehow, still have to play Brugge and Antwerp though
6. OH Leuven 43 - they beat Antwerp tonight, they're a giant killer especially at home
7. Zulte Waregem 43
8. Beerschot 41
9. KV Mechelen 40 - hottest team in 2021 after Brugge, they were near the bottom in December
10. Standard 40
11. Charleroi 39 - (one game in hand, at home against Brugge)

That's 9 teams within 7 points fighting for 3rd and 4th place, crazy

 

[Pouchkine]

You remember a couple of years back when Belgian Clubs had a decent European campaign how some "fans" and "experts" tried to say it was because of the playoff format and how it improved the better teams. Now that it's mostly back to normal I hope fans back home are pointing out the stupidity of all this.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Well. Antwerp lost tonight (Club Brugge didn't play this weekend, game was postponed because of the many COVID positives) which means Brugge would have wrapped up the title. They have a 15 point lead with 5 games left, however the tiebreaker in Belgium is number of wins (Brugge have 20 wins, Antwerp 14).
The race for the Championship Playoff (Top 4) is actually pretty crazy but the parity in the Belgian League has been insane (mostly because the top teams suck)

1. Club Brugge 63 pts (still have 2 games in hand)
----------------------------------------------------------------
2. Antwerp 48 - I think they are pretty safe to get in
3. Genk 46 - they're in freefall so who knows.. it's amazing they're still in 3rd place after only 2 wins in their last 10
4. Oostende 46 - biggest surprise of the season, also have a very soft schedule remaining..
-----------------------------------------------------------------
5. Anderlecht 45 - still think they get in somehow, still have to play Brugge and Antwerp though
6. OH Leuven 43 - they beat Antwerp tonight, they're a giant killer especially at home
7. Zulte Waregem 43
8. Beerschot 41
9. KV Mechelen 40 - hottest team in 2021 after Brugge, they were near the bottom in December
10. Standard 40
11. Charleroi 39 - (one game in hand, at home against Brugge)

That's 9 teams within 7 points fighting for 3rd and 4th place, crazy

How has the swedes, Gustav Engvall, Victor Wernersson and Kerim Mrbati been doing this season?

 

[Savi]

You remember a couple of years back when Belgian Clubs had a decent European campaign how some "fans" and "experts" tried to say it was because of the playoff format and how it improved the better teams. Now that it's mostly back to normal I hope fans back home are pointing out the stupidity of all this.

Yeah lol, that was one of the original goals of the playoffs too, "let the top clubs play eachother more, then they will also win more in Europe"
Honestly the football being played in the playoffs each year is worse than in the regular season. Belgian League already is pretty defensive minded and in the playoffs it only gets worse. Most teams look at it like this: since your regular season point totals get cut in half, then really a win in the regular season isn't worth 3 points but only 1.5
With the playoffs, teams get more money and games "feel" more important but it hasn't done anything for the quality of play.

 

[Savi]

How has the swedes, Gustav Engvall, Victor Wernersson and Kerim Mrbati been doing this season?

I like Engvall, he's a good player for Mechelen, he actually makes the team play better football, he just can't get match fit. Feels like he is injured all the time. Think last month he had to go through another surgery procedure.
Wernersson can barely get a game. First he was out for a while with COVID, then when he came back Mechelen got on a roll and pretty much kept their back four intact the entire time.
Mrbati has been the best of those three. Has pretty much been a starter from when he arrived. Always plays one of the three forward positions behind a lone striker. His technique is decent, but his work ethic is incredible, he chips in the occasional goal... I like him, he's very allround.

 

[Pouchkine]

Do you think Brugge will have their best XI tomorrow for the Cup game?

 

[Savi]

Do you think Brugge will have their best XI tomorrow for the Cup game?

Absolutely not, some starters are still in quarantaine, a couple of others are back after having a negative test today but aren't ready to play the full 90 minutes

Also Bas Dost is out with an injury

 

[Pouchkine]

Would you still predict a win?

 

[Savi]

I would, even though it's the Cup and weird things tend to happen. But it's been 7 games since Standard's last win and Brugge despite personnel issues should still be favourites.

 

[Savi]

Well, Brugge are out of the Cup thanks to another amazing example of Belgian incompetence

One of the QF games (Eupen v Gent) didn't have VAR because there wouldn't be enough cameras to record everything. So the FA decided it would be best if the other QF games also didn't have VAR you just knew that somehow, somewhere this would come back to bite them

Now, for the Standard-Club Brugge game. It wasn't a great game by any means. Standard were poor, Brugge were still in COVID mode, a couple of players returned but clearly were not match fit.

Standard pretty much only created one clear chance, right after HT, and scored. The player who assisted on the goal was offside...but no VAR, so the goal counts.

With ten minutes to go, Brugge player Kossounou received a straight red. It was a harsh tackle, but he barely touched the player. Again, no VAR, so not overturned.

90+4th minute, Club Brugge gets a corner kick. Simon Mignolet going forward too. Corner comes in, Mignolet gets pulled down, Stefano Denswil heads the ball in, and forward David Okereke scores the tying goal. All players celebrating, referee whistles.. disallows the goal for a Mignolet handball(???). Huge protests occur, about a minute later suddenly the ref allows the goal.. Brugge players celebrating again.. another minute after that HE DISALLOWS THE GOAL AGAIN Truly amazing to watch.
For a minute I thought the Brugge coaching staff and player were going to leave the pitch, but in the end they did play on but nothing happened anymore, apart from riots almost breaking out after the final whistle.

The ref already had a pretty shocking game but that ending truly takes the cake. It's madness. Not sure what's going to happen now. Such incompetence by the refs, by the FA...
Also a disastrous week for Brugge. Losing half the team to COVID, going out of the Europa against Kiev like that, then being robbed of a Cup semi final. I'm kinda lost for words atm

 

[Pouchkine]

And if I saw correctly something like 12min. of added time. It seems there's more and more garbage like this since VAR came into play even when there's no VAR available because referees are not use to referee for real by themselves anymore it seems. Sad to see.