"We have a bow and arrow and if we aim well, we can hit the target. The problem is that Bayern has a bazooka. The probability that they will hit the target is clearly higher." - Jürgen Klopp.

Barcelona 2-8 Bayern

UCL - Quarterfinals

Venue: Estádio da Luz (66,500 capacity)
Referee: Damir Skomina (YUG)
Kick-off: 20:00 local.

Lineups

Barcelona (4-3-1-2)		Bayern (4-2-3-1)
Marc-André ter Stegen		Manuel Neuer
Nelson Semedo		Joshua Kimmich
Gerard Piqué		Jeromé Boateng	74'
Clement Lenglet		David Alaba
Jordi Alba		Alphonso Davies	83'
Sergio Busquets	69'	Thiago Alcántara
Frenkie de Jong		Leon Goretzka	83'
Sergi Roberto	45'	Ivan Perisic	63'
Arturo Vidal		Serge Gnabry	74'
Luis Suarez		Thomas Müller
Lionel Messi		Roberto Lewandowski
Substitutes		Substitutes
Antoine Griezmann	45'	Kingsley Coman	63'
Ansu Fati	69'	Philippe Coutinho	74'
N/A		Niklas Süle	74'
N/A		Lucas Hernández	83'
N/A		Corentin Tolisso	83'
Manager		Manager
Quique Setién		Hans-Dieter Flick

L'EQUIPE RATINGS

MATCH REPORT

GOALS:

• 0-[1] - Thomas Müller (4')
• [1]-1 - David Alaba OG (7')
• 1-[2] - Ivan Perisic (20')
• 1-[3] - Serge Gnabry (27')
• 1-[4] - Thomas Müller (31')
• [2]-4 - Luis Suarez (65')
• 2-[5] - Joshua Kimmich (72')
• 2-[6] - Robert Lewandowski (82')
• 2-[7] - Philippe Coutinho (84')
• 2-[8] - Philippe Coutinho (89')

All GIFs by the MVP ennuihenry14:
STADISTICS: Expected Goals by OPTA

	BarcelonaBayern
Shots (on target)	7 (5)26 (13)
Ball Possession	49%51%
Passes	491461
Distance Covered	98,3 kms107,6 kms
Fouls	1322
Corners	69
Offsides	42
xG	1,95,1

FULL STADISTICS
FULL MATCH REPORTS:

UEFA: "Barcelona 2-8 Bayern: record-breaking win for rampant Germans."

Hans-Dieter Flick's irresistible side became the first ever to score eight in a UEFA Champions League knockout match as they blew away the five-time winners in Lisbon.
Thomas Müller gave Bayern the lead after beautifully exchanging passes with Robert Lewandowski but that was quickly cancelled out when David Alaba sliced Jordi Alba's cross into his own net. Lionel Messi hit a post but Barcelona then wilted under a ten-minute onslaught.
Serge Gnabry robbed Sergi Roberto and teed up Ivan Perišić for Bayern's second and the floodgates opened. Gnabry himself added the third and Müller turned in Joshua Kimmich's cross to make it four in the 31st minute
Luis Suárez reduced arrears but that only disturbed the hornets' nest again, Kimmich making it 5-2 following a dazzling run by Alphonso Davies. Lewandowski's 14th goal of their European campaign and a late Philippe Coutinho double against his parent club sealed a landmark victory.
Man of the Match: Thomas Müller. "Müller takes the award because he scored two goals, found space between the lines, worked hard defensively. Good attitude. A leader out on the pitch."

The Guardian: "Bayern Munich deliver Champions League demolition of dismal Barcelona" by Jacob Steinberg

It was hard to believe that teams once tried to play like Barcelona. Not any more. Their football is stale, their soul has disappeared and too many players have seen better days. They are a shadow of their former selves and although it is impossible to envisage Quique Setién ever managing them again after overseeing a historic humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich, the harsh reality is that Barcelona’s malaise extends much further than the dugout.
History will not be kind to the people who make the decisions at the Camp Nou. They deserve nothing but scorn for squandering Lionel Messi’s talent. Five years have passed since Messi last won the Champions League and it has reached the stage where he might have to do the unthinkable and leave Barcelona, who are rudderless off the pitch and lethargic on it.
Barcelona are a mess under the watch of their deeply unpopular president, Josep Bartomeu, who must accept a large portion of the blame after witnessing yet another pathetic exit in the knockout stages. In 2018 Barcelona contrived to lose a 4-1 first-leg lead Roma in the last eight. Last year Liverpool overturned a 3-0 deficit to reach the final. But this was worse. Barcelona were gutless. They have misplaced their identity and could not even perform the basics. There was no heart and in the end they were fortunate that Bayern, who will face Manchester City or Lyon in the last four, did not reach double figures.
Even Messi’s head dropped. He was strolling as Bayern, hungry to lift win this competition for the first time in seven years, rampaged forward. The end of an era is approaching and Barcelona’s decline was epitomised by Messi losing the ball before Philippe Coutinho scored the first of his two goals.
It was the cruellest of ironies that Coutinho, signed for £105m from Liverpool in January 2018, rubbed salt in Barcelona’s wounds. The Brazilian, who was loaned out last summer after a difficult spell in Spain, must have been glad to be wearing Bayern’s colours. Playing in a cohesive unit, Coutinho had fun against his parent club, creating Robert Lewandowski’s goal shortly after coming off the bench and walking through to make it 8-2 in the last minute.
Coutinho was not the only symbol of Barcelona’s flawed recruitment. Ousmane Dembélé, bought from Borussia Dortmund when Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain three years ago, was on the bench and there was no place in the starting lineup for Antoine Griezmann, who has failed to hold down a place in attack since signing from Atletico Madrid last year.
Too many buys have backfired. Frenkie De Jong, who helped Ajax reach the semi-finals last season, has struggled to lift the midfield and too many of the old guard have not been replaced. Given that Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Piqué are the wrong side of 30, it is not a surprise that Barcelona are so slow.
Messi’s characterisation of a weak team who shrink when confronted by intensity is spot on. Barcelona were beautiful on the ball but painfully brittle without it, and they conceded from Bayern’s first proper attack. There were four minutes on the clock when Ivan Perisic, breaking into space vacated by Nelson Semedo on the left, found Thomas Müller, who exchanged a volleyed one-two with Lewandowski before firing beyond Marc-André ter Stegen.
At least there was a brief response from Barcelona. Setien’s decision to drop Griezmann and switch to a 4-4-2 system unsettled Bayern at first and there was hope for Barcelona when Messi was on the ball. Barcelona targeted Bayern’s high line and they equalised after seven minutes. A long ball released Jordi Alba, who hurtled behind Joshua Kimmich on the left and crossed for Suárez. David Alaba moved in to intervene, only to slice into his own goal.
Suddenly Barcelona were alive. Suárez, released by Nelson Semedo, just failed to lift a dink over Manuel Neuer. Messi saw an inswinging cross hit the inside of the post. Then he shot too close to Neuer after dribbling in from the right.
Yet Barcelona never convinced at the back. Lewandowski sent a warning shot over and the German champions regained the lead when they pressed Barcelona. Sergi Roberto dithered and Serge Gnabry pounced, robbing the midfielder and releasing Perisic, who drove in a low shot with his left foot.
Barcelona collapsed. Leon Goretzka lifted a clever pass over the top for Gnabry, who finished confidently. After 31 minutes Kimmich joined in an attack and crossed for Müller, whose second goal of the night all but killed the game as a contest.
The strange thing was that Bayern, chasing a treble, were not flawless. Their defence was vulnerable and Barcelona, who threw on Griezmann at half-time, pulled one back when Suárez beat Jérôme Boateng before finishing well.
Yet there was no way back for Barcelona. Six minutes later Alphonso Davies, Bayern’s wonderful left-back, surged into the area after duping Semedo. Piqué, a centre-back whose powers have waned, froze as Davies gave Kimmich an open goal.
With 15 minutes left Bayern sent on Coutinho. Barcelona’s misery was not over yet. They have let Messi down.

MARCA: "An unparalleled humiliation for Barcelona" by Fernando Carnenero

Barça's ends an empty season and receiving the biggest beating in its history in Europe. Time to reflect, look at the wallet and see what can be done. A staff that is becoming older, not well-off but with vices, that needs an urgent change. And perhaps on all fronts because last year's management is something to be analysed.
A change of manager difficult to explain, many names of signings to try to deflect attention, but half a squad for sale to be able to cope with some signing since the current money seems not to be enough for much. Something that is in evidence by changing a 24-year-old player like Arthur for a 30-year-old like Pjanic, just to lighten the payroll. Avoiding the empty season seemed complicated, but with Messi motivated there are no impossibles.
After the practically obligatory paperwork at Naples, the next step was one of the best Bayern in recent years. And against the Germans ended the bet of all or nothing that became the bluegrana season. It has been a long time playing with fire entrusting itself only to the genius of Messi and in Lisbon everything came out red. The red of a Bayern that is serious candidate to take the title after being a bulldozer against Barça.
The start of the match was so intense on both sides that everyone dared to go for it, and that's how it was, but from Bayern. More football was seen in the first half hour than in the other two full quarter-final matches. Although Barça were the first to warn, forcing Boateng to work hard to avoid a Luis Suarez strike that smelled of a goal, it was the Germans who took the lead.
Forced pass from Busquets to De Jong, robbery of Gnabry that opens wide to Perisic, crossing to Müller that plays to Lewandowski, short devolution of the Pole and finish at Müller's pleasure. Goal in the purest Barça style, but from Bayern. Four minutes of play and already it was looking bad. However, the forces were equalized thanks to an own goal of Alaba with a cross from Jordi Alba.
The best of Setien's came right after the draw. They had two great chances to make it 2-1 but Neuer saved a one-on-one against Suarez and a poisoned cross from Messi crashed into the post. But the azulgrana's chances of smelling the semi-finals died after 15 minutes. The next few minutes were an exhibition of German football that, with high pressure, speed, strength and definition, scored three more goals in the blink of an eye. In the 30th minute the score reflected a definitive 1-4 thanks to goals from Perisic, another from Müller and Gnabry. With one hour of play left, Barça's season was over and, hopefully, Setién's on the bench.
The 1-2 arrived after a raid on Sergi Roberto, pass from Gnabry to Perisic and goal from the latter with a crossed shot. With barely enough time to breathe, the third arrived thanks to a sensational pass from Goretzka that left Gnabry alone to beat Ter Stegen. And with Barça broken all over the place, and the defence in trouble, the fourth arrived after a steal on Semedo that ended up in a cross on the other side after a change of play that Müller finished off by beating Lenglet. It took half an hour of play, everything was resolved, but Bayern wanted more. Barcelona didn't have anything working, they were slower (age doesn't forgive) and were crying out for a break. Ter Stegen avoided another goal before Skomina sent them into the dressing room and in the second half, Griezmann came out for Sergi Roberto. Setién was able to regain the 4-3-3 formation, but the German powerhouse did not care about the systems. Flick's midfield was a perfect machine and Müller's distribution of play in midfield was enough to get past the Culé defence time and time again. After two good runs from the Munich side that Ter Stegen disrupted, Luis Suarez cut back on Boateng and Barcelona thought they could play the flute. But it all came to nothing six minutes after a play by Davies on the wing that exposed Semedo and left the goal on a plate for Kimmich to make the fifth. A goal made by both full-backs, which says it all about how the game went.
Setién got Ansu Fati out for Busquets and Barcelona ended up playing with a 4-2-3-1. But that was the least of it for Bayern, who were doing their thing against a team that was asking for the hour and giving up a game in which they were being far inferior, something they are not used to. For more inri of the day, Flick took out Coutinho, a player on loan from Barça and with whom they do not know what to do for next season. Another story that is not understood in Bartomeu's club.
Bayern had scored five yet Lewandowski, their top scorer, had not socred. But the Pole was in the mood and made the sixth when he headed home a cross from Coutinho. The Brazilian went out with a vengeance and after giving the sixth, he scored the seventh and eighth... Message for the Culé Board of Directors: This team is a bulldozer - it has won 26 of its last 27 games - and may have signed the end of the cycle in a Barcelona that needs a deep cleaning and has little time to do so because September is just around the corner.

Kicker: "A unique Barça disaster: Bayern München smashes Messi & Co."

The FC Bayern München has reached the semi-finals of the Champions League with a crashing, historic and for FC Barcelona disastrous result. The German record champions overwhelmed the defensively-catastrophic Catalans with no less than 8:2!
Barcelona's manager Quique Setien changed his starting line-up in two positions compared to the 3-1 draw with Naples in the second round of the round of 16, and responded with a slightly more defensive approach to the strength of form of the German record champions: Busquets returned after suspension for Rakitic (bench), and former Bavarian Vidal was allowed to play in place of world champion Griezmann (bench).
Bayern coach Hansi Flick, on the other hand, left the same eleven players who had recently bagged a clear 4-1 win over Chelsea FC in the second leg of the round of 16. Meaning: Perisic started in place of Coman, who was available as a wild card, Boateng and Davies cured their wounds in time, Kimmich helped out the injured Pavard as right-back, and Thiago was to pull the strings in midfield with Goretzka.
And that's what the two did for the most part during the first 45 minutes, creating permanent pressure for the team from München. It was the very courageous offensive pressing in particular what rocked the Barça backline, which at times showed acute negligence from experienced players like Piqué - and very often caused them to fall.
The result was 1-0 for FC Bayern in the fourth minute, with Perisic escaping on the left wing after Gnabry's steep pass before his next cross landed in front of the penalty area at the lurking Müller. The 2014 world champion played a quick one-two with Lewandowski waiting in the penalty area - and then took a jovial exit to take an early lead. However, the Catalan side were still able to recover from this setback as they exerted a great deal of pressure on themselves throughout the first half of the game. For example, in the 7th minute they forced a 1-1 draw, which Alaba undercut with an own goal after an accidental rescue. Neuer had no chance to defend, but saved a short time later in a one-on-one with Suarez (9') and watched as one of his opponents' crosses hit the post after a slight Busquets contact (10'). In addition, Messi approached with a typical solo run, but finished too imprecisely (20'.).
Up to this point, it looked like an entertaining Champions League evening with highlights on both sides, but this was to be reversed from now on. All of a sudden Barcelona's rear men made a series of mistakes, positioned themselves incorrectly and failed to close gaps.
The consequences were obvious: After Sergi Roberto lost the ball, Perisic scored from a sharp angle with the slight assistance of Lenglet to make it 2-1 (22'), before Gnabry cut metres from Lenglet in a running duel to reach Goretzka and shot in an as dry as a bone shot in front of the crossbar to make it 3-1 (28'). But that was not enough, because Kimmich was still free to cross and find Müller. Müller stood his ground in the five-meter area with simple means against Lenglet, who was always the center of attention, and was happy about his simple shot to make it 4-1 (31'). In the end, Barça could even be happy that after a ter Stegen pass that was too short, Lewandowski, who had been relatively inconspicuous until then, missed the goal freely in front of the goal - the DFB goalkeeper parried strongly with his leg (29.). Or that Perisic missed (36') and again Lewandowski did not head well enough (39').
Barça manager Setien took more risks with the restart, bringing Griezmann for Sergi Roberto, but it didn't help much on the pitch. Bayern continued to dominate for a long time before Jordi Alba came out of nowhere to serve target player Suarez. The Uruguayan danced Boateng out with a simple hook and scored with his left for a 4-2 goal (57'). New hope for Barcelona? Not at all! Just six turns of the clock later, the Catalan defence made the next negative outburst, with Davies hitting hard the passive Semedo, pulling inside and serving the free-standing Kimmich, who only needed to push the ball in to make it 5-2.
The rest is quickly told: Barça surrendered to his fate, approaching only halfway through the game - and was still to fall further under the wheels. Coutinho, on loan from the Catalans, came into the game and prepared Lewandowski's 6-2 header with an elegant chip (82'), before the Brazilian himself started the double from close range (85' and 89'). The result was an incredible 8-2 on the scoreboard, the highest scoring knockout in the competition. A historic victory for the German FCB as perfect as the historic humiliation for the Spanish FCB and the completely fed up Messi.
POST-MATCH INTERVIEWS & QUOTES

• Quique Setién Post-Match Press Conference.
• Hans Flick Post-Match Press Conference.

Quique Setién:

• "It's a tremendously painful defeat, I think it's too many goals, many of them are certainly deserved. The team has been overwhelmed at times, they've been very effective. We started well, but the strength of this team has exceeded us."
  
• "When you make a reflection like that (Pique's) something must be true. The reality is that there is enormous frustration and all that remains is to draw conclusions and make decisions with the future in mind. The Barça is a club so great that this do much damage. Now it's all too near to think whether I'm going to continue or not. It is not up to me, we must have a reflection, taking into account the situation and the importance of this humiliating and painful defeat
  
• "I know what a defeat of this caliber means. We need to look at what happened today from a broader perspective. I know that a manager's credibility is diminished when something like this happens. This is not what I care about right now. You have to deal with a loss like this. We've been outplayed by a very good team. With the exception of the first few minutes, we were clearly outplayed for the rest of the game "
  
• "There's no constructive message that can work right now. We are extremely frustrated. This is tremendously painful for the fans. We, as professionals, are hurting too, and we have to deal with it. We have to think that the future will be better. We must recover from the image we have given today, thinking about the future"
  

Flick:

• ""We played an incredible game. We are happy and satisfied, but there are still games to be played to be champions. We know that anything can happen. We're very happy with today's performance, of course. Starting tomorrow, we'll be charging our batteries for the semi-final. Today was impressive."
  
• "After an 8-2 I don't think I should answer a question like that (about what it is left to improve). You can take the positives out of it. The pressure, the recovery, things that we wanted to do and have done perfectly. We will analyze the game in other moments to see which things to improve.
  
• "This is a victory that will go down in the history books, but it would have been too if it had finished 3-1. It's impressive and it's a signal we've sent to the other teams. We have players with a lot of experience. We need to concentrate on the next game. Now we have to analyse what happened and prepare for it in the best possible way. But we know it's going to be very hard."
  
• "I'm happy for Nagelsmann and for Tuchel too. We are among the four best. I know this feeling. We are among the best in Europe and we can be happy. Now we all want to reach the final. Let's hope there can be a German final."
  

Piqué:

• "I'm in pain. We all are. We can't compete like that. It's very, very tough to take. We must change the dynamic we are on. We've hit the bottom. If I have to leave to get some new blood, I'm leaving. In Europe we don't compete and in la Liga we don't succeed anymore. You just can't mask it anymore. A disgrace, I can't say anything else. It's not the first or the second time. The club now needs changes of all kinds"

Müller:

• "We worked so hard, with such intensity, it's tough for anyone to beat us. We had so much fun out there today. Barcelona have special players and we had to be even more aggressive, come back again and again. It's a big statement but the semi-final starts at 0-0."

Kimmich:

• "Nein" (asked if he was sad for Messi).

STATS AND FACTS

• La Liga will not be represented in the European Cup semi-finals for the first time since the 2006-07 season (Manchester United, Milan, Chelsea and Liverpool).
  
• It is the worst European defeat in Barcelona's history and the worst defeat in Messi's career (beating Bolivia 6-1 Argentina in 2009).
  
• Barcelona is the fifth team in conceding 8 goals in the Champions League after Deportivo la Coruña (2003), Besiktas (2007), Malmö (2015) and Legia (2016).
  
• Barcelona closed the season without a single official title, something that had not happened since the 2007-08 campaign.
  
• Bayern München have won their last 19 matches in all competitions, a record run in German top-flight football in all competitions.
  
• Bayern Munich have reached their 12th Champions League semi-final - only Real Madrid have done so more often (13).
  
• Bayern manager Hans-Dieter Flick became only the third manager in Champions League history to win his first six matches in charge, after Fabio Capello in 1992-93 and Luis Fernandez in 1994-95.
  
• With the Germans Hansi Flick, Julian Nagelsmann, and Thomas Tuchel, three managers from a single nation are in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time ever. Record.
  

THE ROAD TO PORTUGAL:

Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final
BVB 2-3 PSG
ATA 8-4 VAL	PSG 2-1 ATA
ATM 4-2 LIV		PSG vs LEI
LEI 4-0 TOT	ATM 1-2 LEI
			??? vs. ???
CHE 1-7 FCB	FCB 8-2 FCB
FCB 4-2 NAP		FCB vs ???
RMA 2-4 MCI	MCI vs. OLY
JUV 2-2 OLY

What is left?

• Saturday 15 August 2020, at 20:00 local in the Estádio José Alvalade, Manchester City vs Olympique Lyonnais.
• Tuesday 18 August 2020, at 20:00 local in the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain vs Leipzig.
• Wednesday 19 August 2020 at 20:00 local in the Estádio José Alvalade, Manchester City/Lyon vs Bayern.
• The final will be on Sunday 23 August 2020 at 21:00 CET at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica.

POINTS OF DISCUSSION

• I) Pochettino vs ten Hag: How would you rate the tactical decisions from the Argentinian and the Dutch? Was Pochettino's a masterclass? Was the Dutch a disaster in the last half as Mourinho said? why?
• II) How would you rate this Ajax against other surprising teams of previous years?: Stronger or weaker than Roma 2018 or Monaco 2017? or Man City 2016? maybe even BVB 2013? How truly strong was this team in your opinion?
• III) What do you think that will happen in the final?: An English final, what do you think will happen? is there a favourite team?

The idea of creating Next-Day Discusion Threads is to offer a platform for those who have seen the match, and inform those who haven't, while also encouraging more in-depth discussion than in the original thread. Here is a link to the original Post-Match Thread.

These threads are made using the icons and bars that the soccer CSS offers for the old Reddit design, so it is heavily recommended to use a PC, old.reddit and ideally also RES while being here.

PaddyPower pays out £650 to someone who reaches 10 referrals in a month, so a referrer paying £10 each can make £550 off the back of your signup, while you make peanuts.
Instead I’ll split the bounty much more fairly. (Up to 70% for all of you, 30% for me)

1. Sign up to paddypower using my referral link and select the risk free bet welcome offer.
   
2. Bet £10 on a single selection with odds over 1/2 or 1.5. If it wins you get profit, if it loses you’ll get your £10 back, no harm done.
   
3. I will pay you proportional to the number of people who sign up this month using my referral.
   

• 1 person = £13
• 2 people = £17 each
• 3 people = £20 each
• 4 people = £23 each
• 5 people = £26 each
• 6 people = £29 each
• 7 people = £32 each
• 8 people = £35 each
• 9 people = £38 each
• 10 people = £45 each

It doesn’t matter if you are the first, fifth, tenth referral or whatever, you’ll still get the same amount.
I’ll pay you £13 once your referral goes through, and then the remainder at the end of the referral month or once 10 referrals reached.
Please comment below and/or message me for the referral link.

Non-ref: www.paddypower.com
Terms:
Who can take part? The promotion is available for new and existing customers with registered Paddy Power accounts registered in the United Kingdom and Ireland, aged 18 or over. Applies to online, mobile, phone and text bets only. Does not apply in retail shops. To be eligible for this promotion, you must share your referral link from the promotion page on or after October 1st 2019.
How and when can I qualify? Share your unique referral link with anyone who does not have an existing account with Paddy Power, which they follow and sign up through. For each person you successfully refer to Paddy Power you will be awarded £20 in cash plus additional cash rewards for referring more than one friend in a month. Rewards credited as per paytable below:
In order to receive the payment for each referral, the referred customer must:

• Set up a Paddy Power account using your referral link.
• Stake £10 or more on Paddy Power Sports or Lotto bets in their first 14 days (Only bets consisting of one bet are valid i.e. singles, doubles, trebles and accumulators).
• Bets involving multiple bets will not count towards this promotion (i.e. Canadian, Goliath, Heinz, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63, Patent, Super Heinz, Trixie, Yankee).
• Qualifying bets can be placed on any sport and will qualify if the odds are 1/2 (1.5) or greater.
• Free bets used will not count towards the staking requirement.
• Your family or any persons at the same postal address as you, and you yourself cannot be Referred Customers. In this context ‘family’ means your spouse, partner, parent, child /sibling and any other persons with the same surname.
• Multiple bets on the same selection do not count (for example if you place 5 bets of £2 on Manchester United to beat Arsenal only 1 of these bets will count towards the offer).

UK or Ireland only
PaddyPower pays out £650 to someone who reaches 10 referrals in a month, so a referrer paying £10 each can make £550 off the back of your signup, while you make peanuts.
Instead I’ll split the bounty much more fairly. (Up to 70% for all of you, 30% for me)

1. Sign up to paddypower using my referral link and select the risk free bet welcome offer.
   
2. Deposit and Bet £20 (no more, no less, and must be with a debit/credit card) on a single selection with odds over 1/2 or 1.5. If it wins you get profit, if it loses you’ll get your £20 back, no harm done.
   
3. I will pay you proportional to the number of people who sign up this month using my referral.
   

• 1 person = £13
• 2 people = £17 each
• 3 people = £20 each
• 4 people = £23 each - pending
• 5 people = £26 each
• 6 people = £29 each
• 7 people = £32 each
• 8 people = £35 each
• 9 people = £38 each
• 10 people = £45 each

It doesn’t matter if you are the first, fifth, tenth referral or whatever, you’ll still get the same amount.
I’ll pay you £13 once your referral goes through, and then the remainder at the end of the referral month or once 10 referrals reached.

Please comment below and/or message me for the referral link.

Non-ref: www.paddypower.com
Terms:
Who can take part? The promotion is available for new and existing customers with registered Paddy Power accounts registered in the United Kingdom and Ireland, aged 18 or over. Applies to online, mobile, phone and text bets only. Does not apply in retail shops. To be eligible for this promotion, you must share your referral link from the promotion page on or after October 1st 2019.
How and when can I qualify? Share your unique referral link with anyone who does not have an existing account with Paddy Power, which they follow and sign up through. For each person you successfully refer to Paddy Power you will be awarded £20 in cash plus additional cash rewards for referring more than one friend in a month. Rewards credited as per paytable below:
In order to receive the payment for each referral, the referred customer must:

• Set up a Paddy Power account using your referral link.
• Stake £10 or more on Paddy Power Sports or Lotto bets in their first 14 days (Only bets consisting of one bet are valid i.e. singles, doubles, trebles and accumulators).
• Bets involving multiple bets will not count towards this promotion (i.e. Canadian, Goliath, Heinz, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63, Patent, Super Heinz, Trixie, Yankee).
• Qualifying bets can be placed on any sport and will qualify if the odds are 1/2 (1.5) or greater.
• Free bets used will not count towards the staking requirement.
• Your family or any persons at the same postal address as you, and you yourself cannot be Referred Customers. In this context ‘family’ means your spouse, partner, parent, child /sibling and any other persons with the same surname.
• Multiple bets on the same selection do not count (for example if you place 5 bets of £2 on Manchester United to beat Arsenal only 1 of these bets will count towards the offer).

PaddyPower pays out £650 to someone who reaches 10 referrals in a month, so a referrer paying £10 each can make £550 off the back of your signup, while you make peanuts.
Instead I’ll split the bounty much more fairly. (Up to 70% for you, 30% for me)

1. Sign up to paddypower using my referral link and select the risk free bet welcome offer.
   
2. Bet £10 on a single selection with odds over 1/2 or 1.5. If it wins you get profit, if it loses you’ll get your £10 back, no harm done.
   
3. I will pay you proportional to the number of people who sign up this month using my referral.
   

• 1 person = £13
• 2 people = £17 each
• 3 people = £20 each
• 4 people = £23 each
• 5 people = £26 each
• 6 people = £29 each
• 7 people = £32 each
• 8 people = £35 each
• 9 people = £38 each
• 10 people = £45 each

It doesn’t matter if you are the first, fifth, tenth referral or whatever, you’ll still get the same amount.
I’ll pay you £13 once your referral goes through, and then the remainder at the end of the referral month or once 10 referrals reached.
Please comment or bid below and/or message me for the referral link.
Non-ref: www.paddypower.com
Terms:
Who can take part? The promotion is available for new and existing customers with registered Paddy Power accounts registered in the United Kingdom and Ireland, aged 18 or over. Applies to online, mobile, phone and text bets only. Does not apply in retail shops. To be eligible for this promotion, you must share your referral link from the promotion page on or after October 1st 2019.
How and when can I qualify? Share your unique referral link with anyone who does not have an existing account with Paddy Power, which they follow and sign up through. For each person you successfully refer to Paddy Power you will be awarded £20 in cash plus additional cash rewards for referring more than one friend in a month. Rewards credited as per paytable below:
In order to receive the payment for each referral, the referred customer must:

• Set up a Paddy Power account using your referral link.
• Stake £10 or more on Paddy Power Sports or Lotto bets in their first 14 days (Only bets consisting of one bet are valid i.e. singles, doubles, trebles and accumulators).
• Bets involving multiple bets will not count towards this promotion (i.e. Canadian, Goliath, Heinz, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63, Patent, Super Heinz, Trixie, Yankee).
• Qualifying bets can be placed on any sport and will qualify if the odds are 1/2 (1.5) or greater.
• Free bets used will not count towards the staking requirement.
• Your family or any persons at the same postal address as you, and you yourself cannot be Referred Customers. In this context ‘family’ means your spouse, partner, parent, child /sibling and any other persons with the same surname.
• Multiple bets on the same selection do not count (for example if you place 5 bets of £2 on Manchester United to beat Arsenal only 1 of these bets will count towards the offer).

UK or Ireland only
PaddyPower pays out £650 to someone who reaches 10 referrals in a month, so a referrer paying £10 each can make £550 off the back of your signup, while you make peanuts.
Instead I’ll split the bounty much more fairly. (Up to 70% for all of you, 30% for me)

1. Sign up to paddypower using my referral link and select the risk free bet welcome offer.
   
2. Deposit and Bet £20 (no more, no less, and must be with a debit/credit card) on a single selection with odds over 1/2 or 1.5. If it wins you get profit, if it loses you’ll get your £20 back, no harm done.
   
3. I will pay you proportional to the number of people who sign up this month using my referral.
   

• 1 person = £13
• 2 people = £17 each
• 3 people = £20 each - pending
• 4 people = £23 each - pending
• 5 people = £26 each
• 6 people = £29 each
• 7 people = £32 each
• 8 people = £35 each
• 9 people = £38 each
• 10 people = £45 each

It doesn’t matter if you are the first, fifth, tenth referral or whatever, you’ll still get the same amount.
I’ll pay you £13 once your referral goes through, and then the remainder at the end of the referral month or once 10 referrals reached.

Please comment below and/or message me for the referral link.

Non-ref: www.paddypower.com
Terms:
Who can take part? The promotion is available for new and existing customers with registered Paddy Power accounts registered in the United Kingdom and Ireland, aged 18 or over. Applies to online, mobile, phone and text bets only. Does not apply in retail shops. To be eligible for this promotion, you must share your referral link from the promotion page on or after October 1st 2019.
How and when can I qualify? Share your unique referral link with anyone who does not have an existing account with Paddy Power, which they follow and sign up through. For each person you successfully refer to Paddy Power you will be awarded £20 in cash plus additional cash rewards for referring more than one friend in a month. Rewards credited as per paytable below:
In order to receive the payment for each referral, the referred customer must:

• Set up a Paddy Power account using your referral link.
• Stake £10 or more on Paddy Power Sports or Lotto bets in their first 14 days (Only bets consisting of one bet are valid i.e. singles, doubles, trebles and accumulators).
• Bets involving multiple bets will not count towards this promotion (i.e. Canadian, Goliath, Heinz, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63, Patent, Super Heinz, Trixie, Yankee).
• Qualifying bets can be placed on any sport and will qualify if the odds are 1/2 (1.5) or greater.
• Free bets used will not count towards the staking requirement.
• Your family or any persons at the same postal address as you, and you yourself cannot be Referred Customers. In this context ‘family’ means your spouse, partner, parent, child /sibling and any other persons with the same surname.
• Multiple bets on the same selection do not count (for example if you place 5 bets of £2 on Manchester United to beat Arsenal only 1 of these bets will count towards the offer).

this offer is good til the end of the 31st or December
PaddyPower pays out £650 to someone who reaches 10 referrals in a month, so a referrer paying £10 each can make £550 off the back of your signup, while you make peanuts.
Instead I’ll split the bounty much more fairly. (Up to 70% for all of you, 30% for me)

1. Sign up to paddypower using my referral link and select the risk free bet welcome offer.
   
2. Bet £10-£20 on a single selection with odds over 1/2 or 1.5. If it wins you get profit, if it loses you’ll get your £10-£20 back, no harm done.
   
3. I will pay you proportional to the number of people who sign up this month using my referral.
   

• 1 person = £13
• 2 people = £17 each
• 3 people = £20 each
• 4 people = £23 each
• 5 people = £26 each
• 6 people = £29 each
• 7 people = £32 each
• 8 people = £35 each
• 9 people = £38 each
• 10 people = £45 each

It doesn’t matter if you are the first, fifth, tenth referral or whatever, you’ll still get the same amount.
I’ll pay you £13 once your referral goes through, and then the remainder at the end of the referral month or once 10 referrals reached.

Please comment below and/or message me for the referral link.

Non-ref: www.paddypower.com
Terms:
Who can take part? The promotion is available for new and existing customers with registered Paddy Power accounts registered in the United Kingdom and Ireland, aged 18 or over. Applies to online, mobile, phone and text bets only. Does not apply in retail shops. To be eligible for this promotion, you must share your referral link from the promotion page on or after October 1st 2019.
How and when can I qualify? Share your unique referral link with anyone who does not have an existing account with Paddy Power, which they follow and sign up through. For each person you successfully refer to Paddy Power you will be awarded £20 in cash plus additional cash rewards for referring more than one friend in a month. Rewards credited as per paytable below:
In order to receive the payment for each referral, the referred customer must:

• Set up a Paddy Power account using your referral link.
• Stake £10 or more on Paddy Power Sports or Lotto bets in their first 14 days (Only bets consisting of one bet are valid i.e. singles, doubles, trebles and accumulators).
• Bets involving multiple bets will not count towards this promotion (i.e. Canadian, Goliath, Heinz, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63, Patent, Super Heinz, Trixie, Yankee).
• Qualifying bets can be placed on any sport and will qualify if the odds are 1/2 (1.5) or greater.
• Free bets used will not count towards the staking requirement.
• Your family or any persons at the same postal address as you, and you yourself cannot be Referred Customers. In this context ‘family’ means your spouse, partner, parent, child /sibling and any other persons with the same surname.
• Multiple bets on the same selection do not count (for example if you place 5 bets of £2 on Manchester United to beat Arsenal only 1 of these bets will count towards the offer).

PaddyPower pays out £650 to someone who reaches 10 referrals in a month, so a referrer paying £10 each can make £550 off the back of your signup, while you make peanuts.
Instead I’ll split the bounty much more fairly. (Up to 70% for you, 30% for me)

1. Sign up to paddypower using my referral link and select the risk free bet welcome offer.
   
2. Bet £10 on a single selection with odds over 1/2 or 1.5. If it wins you get profit, if it loses you’ll get your £10 back, no harm done.
   
3. I will pay you proportional to the number of people who sign up this month using my referral.
   

• 1 person = £13
• 2 people = £17 each
• 3 people = £20 each
• 4 people = £23 each
• 5 people = £26 each
• 6 people = £29 each
• 7 people = £32 each
• 8 people = £35 each
• 9 people = £38 each
• 10 people = £45 each

It doesn’t matter if you are the first, fifth, tenth referral or whatever, you’ll still get the same amount.
I’ll pay you £13 once your referral goes through, and then the remainder at the end of the referral month or once 10 referrals reached.
Please comment below and/or message me for the referral link.
Non-ref: www.paddypower.com
Terms:
Who can take part? The promotion is available for new and existing customers with registered Paddy Power accounts registered in the United Kingdom and Ireland, aged 18 or over. Applies to online, mobile, phone and text bets only. Does not apply in retail shops. To be eligible for this promotion, you must share your referral link from the promotion page on or after October 1st 2019.
How and when can I qualify? Share your unique referral link with anyone who does not have an existing account with Paddy Power, which they follow and sign up through. For each person you successfully refer to Paddy Power you will be awarded £20 in cash plus additional cash rewards for referring more than one friend in a month. Rewards credited as per paytable below:
In order to receive the payment for each referral, the referred customer must:

• Set up a Paddy Power account using your referral link.
• Stake £10 or more on Paddy Power Sports or Lotto bets in their first 14 days (Only bets consisting of one bet are valid i.e. singles, doubles, trebles and accumulators).
• Bets involving multiple bets will not count towards this promotion (i.e. Canadian, Goliath, Heinz, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63, Patent, Super Heinz, Trixie, Yankee).
• Qualifying bets can be placed on any sport and will qualify if the odds are 1/2 (1.5) or greater.
• Free bets used will not count towards the staking requirement.
• Your family or any persons at the same postal address as you, and you yourself cannot be Referred Customers. In this context ‘family’ means your spouse, partner, parent, child /sibling and any other persons with the same surname.
• Multiple bets on the same selection do not count (for example if you place 5 bets of £2 on Manchester United to beat Arsenal only 1 of these bets will count towards the offer).

2018 Brasileirão

The 2018 edition of the most competitive league in the world starts this Saturday (14/04), so it's high time /soccer had a guide to it! /futebol has compiled this instructive, complete, and entertaining guide about the Brasileirão.

How does the league work?

The tournament follows a straightforward format of double round-robin with 20 contestants. Unlike many other leagues that may use goal average or head-to-head points as their first tie-breaking criteria, however, the Brasileirão uses number of wins instead.

How can I follow it?

Broadcasting rights vary from country to country; your best bet is to look up which TV stations will air Brasileirão matches at your country at LiveSoccerTV. If you don't mind streaming, TudoTV and Tampa da Bola are reliable, uncluttered services that should air all games.
For discussion and inquiries among supporters, TedBoyMarino's weekly round-up series is always released right after the last fixture of the round with links to all goals and insightful commentary about all matches. Also consider joining /libertadores' Discord server in English.

Which clubs will contest the tournament? What exciting players will take part in it?

I'm glad you asked.

Predicted Table

#	Team
1	Grêmio
2	Palmeiras
3	Corinthians
4	Cruzeiro
5	Flamengo
6	Santos
7	Atlético Mineiro
8	São Paulo
9	Botafogo
10	Internacional
11	Vasco da Gama
12	Atlético Paranaense
13	Fluminense
14	Chapecoense
15	Bahia
16	Sport
17	Ceará
18	Vitória
19	Paraná
20	América

América

Full name	América Futebol Clube
Nicknames	Coelho ("Rabbit")
Supporters	Americanos, Espartanos ("Spartans")
Ground	Estádio Independência (23,018), Belo Horizonte/MG
2017 Season	1st place (2nd tier)
Kits	Home/Away
Best Showing	7th place (1973)
Manager	Enderson Moreira
Starting XI	João Ricardo; Norberto, Messias, Rafael Lima, Giovanni; Zé Ricardo, David, Serginho; Aylon, Luan, Rafael Moura.

América has been, for the past decade, a prime example of an yo-yo club, going from the third tier of Brazilian football to the second to the first to the second to the first to the second to the first all in that short timespan. The historic side from Belo Horizonte has ascertained itself as a club too strong to linger on the lower divisions and, now that it's been promoted to the Brasileirão for the first time in recent times as champions in the tier below (as opposed to its hard-fought promotions as the fourth-placed team in 2010 and 2015), its board has reasons to believe it is high time to aspire higher and establish itself as a permanent fixture in the Brasileirão.
The club seeks to redeem itself from its dismaying 2016 season, which set the record for the worst season in the league since 2007. The board, wary of the mistakes of the past, seems right on track to prevent another embarrassment: manager Enderson Moreira and most of the roster that bested Internacional's superior financial power in the race for the Brasileirão Série B title in 2017 have remained, and adequate reinforcements have arrived at the club. However, América's performance at the Campeonato Mineiro doesn't set supporters' hearts at ease: the team failed to even draw against fellow Belo Horizonte clubs and Brasileirão contenders Cruzeiro and Atlético Mineiro after four encounters.
Being the longest-serving manager in the Brasileirão, Enderson Moreira has earned the trust of the board to implement his offensive brand of football. América's defence is entirely reminiscent of last season's, which conceded only 0.66 goals on average per game: João Ricardo, safeguarding the net at Independência for a record fifth year, is protected by Norberto, Rafael Lima, home-grown talent Messias and Giovanni forming a backline of four. The 21-year-old youngster Zé Ricardo and the 35-year-old veteran David are trusted to hold the midfield, leaving playmaking duties to Serginho, a less illustrious product of Santos' famed youth academy looking to take his career to the next level. Up front, the wings are covered by Aylon and Luan, both regular loanees who have finally settled at América and found their mojo in Belo Horizonte after a long time; highly decorated striker Rafael Moura may be 34 already, but he seems eager to prove that he still has it in him.

Fun fact	América ditched its traditional colours in favour of red from 1933 to 1943 in protest against professionalism.
Familiar faces	None. Overseas observers may not recognise anyone from América's squad, consisting mainly of youth academy players and veteran journeymen.
Star of the show	Aylon. With 6 goals in 11 fixtures, the loanee from Internacional was the club's top scorer at the Campeonato Mineiro.
Wild card	Matheus Sales. The talented 23-year-old holding midfielder and former Brazil U23 international failed to start at Palmeiras' star-studded team but could have a breakthrough year at América.

^{CruzeiroDoSul}

Atlético Mineiro

Full name	Clube Atlético Mineiro
Nicknames	Galo ("Rooster"), Alvinegro
Supporters	Atleticanos
Ground	Arena Independência (23.018), Belo Horizonte/MG
2017 Season	4th place
Kits	Home/Away
Best Showing	Champions (1971)
Manager	Thiago Larghi (interim)
Starting XI	Victor; Patric, Leonardo Silva, Gabriel, Fábio Santos; Elias, Adilson; Otero, Cazares, Luan; Ricardo Oliveira.

Atlético Mineiro is the very first Brazilian champion, winning the first tournament in 1971. After reaching the finals again in the 80's, the team had a big slump, with bad campaigns, financial problems and a relegation. In this decade, the Galo had a ressurection. They picked up their pieces, got their stuff together and, much thanks to the talent of Bernard and Ronaldinho Gaúcho and their 2013 Copa Libertadores title. Both players have since been gone, but the team has used the success brought by those campaings to establish themselves as a top contender in the country once again.
Coming off a early second round elimination from the Copa Libertadores last season, the Galo has done enough to get them back to the continental competition. But the team had internal problems early this year, with manager Oswaldo de Oliveira fired after an altercation with a beat writer after a bad result. The team let go some of their biggest wage earners in Robinho and Fred (who would join their main rivals, Cruzeiro) and sold fullback Marcos Rocha to Palmeiras, but managed to fill one of these holes by signing elite veteran striker Ricardo Oliveira. They still have a good squad, and can give some trouble to their opponents this year.
Atlético hasn't yet signed a head coach after firing Oswaldo de Oliveira (which has started lots of rumors), keeping assistant coach Thiago Larghi as manager until further notice. They have a top level goalkeeper in Victor, a decent 3/4 of defense with Leonardo Silva, Gabriel and left-back Fábio Santos, but big trouble at right-back with Patric. Elias and Adilson do the defensive midfielding, with Otero and Cazares giving international flavor to the midfield, next to winger Luan. At the striker position, the undisputed starter is the reverend, Ricardo Oliveira.

Fun fact	Atlético used to be the owners of a high-level mall in downtown Belo Horizonte. They recently sold it as they're gathering resources to build their own stadium soon.
Familiar faces	Elias. He has played for Sporting Lisbon and Atlético Madrid between 2011 and 2014, then back to Sporting in 2016.
Star of the show	Victor. The goalkeeper has been a solid part of the team's recent ressurection, giving confidence to the team due to his consistency and reliability since 2013.
Wild card	Erik The 23-year-old striker has potential, but didn't get enough first-team time on Palmeiras. He came to Atlético on loan from Palmeiras in the Marcos Rocha deal and has been in the mix since the start of the year.

^TedBoyMarino

Atlético Paranaense

Full name	Clube Atlético Paranaense
Nicknames	Furacão ("Hurricane"), Rubro Negro ("The Red and Blacks")
Supporters	Atleticanos
Ground	Arena da Baixada (42,370), Curitiba/PR
2017 Season	11th place
Kits	Home/Away/Third
Best Showing	1st place (2001)
Manager	Fernando Diniz
Starting XI	Santos; Esteban Pavez, Paulo André, Thiago Heleno; Thiago Carleto, Raphael Veiga, Lucho González, Jonathan, Nikão, Guilherme; Pablo.

Atlético's last years have been consistent, even if not the most glorious ones. Since their return from second division in 2012, the Furacão (hurricane) has snatched a few Libertadores' spots in 2013 and 2016, but usually roams around the mid of the table, like in 2017 with a modest 11th spot.
Atlético is known by a good financial health and management, even though the club don't possess the great revenue that clubs from Southeast have. At the beginning of the year, Atlético contacted Seedorf (Milan and Netherlands ex-player) to be their Manager, like in English clubs, a spot not as usual in Brazilian football. After lots of complications, Furacão's board settled for Fernando Diniz, young manager who achieved the spotlight by conducting an small Audax to the vice-championship of the Campeonato Paulista, defeating fellow Brasileirão contenders such as São Paulo and Corinthians.
Atlético only played the Brazilian Cup and Sudamericana games with the main team. Historically the team chooses to play the Campeonato Paranaense with a U23 side; showing the quality of Atlético's academy, the U23 team won the league only losing a single game, promoting great new players called for the main squad to the remaining season, such as Bruno Guimarães and João Pedro.
Diniz will have at his disposal an team without a great star, but with a strong colletive, a mixup between young academy players and seasoned veterans. Thiago Carleto, former Coritiba, chosen the best LB from the last Brasileirão crosses the city to join Atlético this year. Alongside him, the solid defense is complete by Thiago Heleno, Chilean CB Pavez and a great in form Santos, who made the supporters forget Weverton. At the midfield, Lucho Gonzalez is back to orchestrate the midfield, alongside Nikão and Guilherme, serving the surprise **Pablo, who made a great game against São Paulo in the Cup and should snag the position from Bergson.
Fernando Diniz style is quite unique, favoring the ground play as opposed to long balls so much used in Brazilian football. It requires defenders with passing capabilites and the big question of the season is that if he can mantain the style against stronger sides to aim high this season.

Fun fact	Arena da Baixada is the only stadium in Brasileirão Série A and only host stadium in 2014 World Cup to use syntethic grass.
Familiar faces	Lucho González Started career in River, and played for Porto, Olympique de Marseille and Argentinian NT.
Stars of the show	Santos for so many years in Weverton's shadow, now that he departed to Palmeiras, is having his time to shine with great performances so far.Nikão While contested sometimes, since 2015 is the reference man in Atlético's attack, most of offensive plays pass by Nikão's feet.
Wild card	Bruno Guimarães Elected the best player of the Campeonato Paranaense, he is sure to fight for a spot in the Furacão's midfield.

^darussi4n

Bahia

Full name	Esporte Clube Bahia
Nicknames	Bahêa, Tricolor, Esquadrão de Aço ("The Steel Squadron")
Supporters	Tricolores
Ground	Fonte Nova (50,000), SalvadoBA
2017 Season	12th place
Kits	Home/Away
Best Showing	1st place (1959, 1988)
Manager	Guto Ferreira
Starting XI	Douglas Friedrich, Nino Paraíba, Lucas Fonseca, Tiago, Mena; Gregore, Elton; Zé Rafael, Vinicius, Marco Antônio; Edigar Junio.

After years of bad administration, Bahia looks ready to think higher. After the promotion to the 1st division in 2016, Bahia made their best run ever since the start of the round-robin sistem, getting 12nd place, and being a competitive side against the biggest teams in Brazil. Now, the team expects to reacompplish their spots between the greats and looks to make a run even better than last year, and clinching an spot to dispute international competitions.
The club looked shaky at the start of the year, with bad showings against the weak sides of the Campeonato Baiano and the Copa do Nordeste. But the team appears to have find itself, and won the Campeonato Baiano winning all three encounters against an weak Vitória, who got 5 first team players suspended after the sad scenes of Vinicius' beating and the forced end of the match, with the best attack and the best defence in the state. Their manager, Guto Ferreira, wasn't welcome back after leaving last year to help Internacional to promote for the first division, and the first bad appearances almost cost him his job, but with the Campeonato Baiano trophy, the first place in the group at the regional and 5 consecutive wins at the decisive games, looks like he is staying for some time.
After losing their best academy kids in Jean and Juninho Capixaba, and Renê Junior, their best player from last year, the club went to the market and made some signings to the weaker spots, their RB and LB, buying 2 players for each position, and a new keeper. Bahia also managed to keep Zé Rafael, the second best player and the most important offensively, but he is failing to find his best form until now.
The team starts with Douglas, who played his heart out last year for Avaí, but not enough to save them from relegation, and the central defence is formed by the same players from last year, Lucas Fonseca and Tiago. In the sides of the defense, Bahia has the new signings of Nino Paraíba in the right and the Copa América winner Mena on the left, forming an four backline. Gregore, an young talent that made an great U23 championship last year, and Elton, another new signing from Ponte Preta are the ones to protect the midfield, and Vinicius is doing the playmaking and doing it well with 8 goals and 7 assistances in 19 games, and at his sides we have an uninspired Zé Rafael, who is looking to get to his good form again, and an youngster newly promoted to the first squad, Marco Antonio, who is trying to prove himself after clinching an spot at the first team. Leading the attack Bahia has Edigar Junio, but he wasn't the first plan there. Kayke, who was bought to make Edigar get back to his winger position, didn't had good appearances, and made Ediga again to be improvised at the center of the attack.

Fun fact	Bahia won it's first national title against Pelé's Santos, and was the first Brazilian team to qualify for Libertadores.
Familiar faces	Mena, who won the 2015 Copa América for Chile against Argentina;
Star of the show	Vinicius, doing an great start for Bahia after an really bad 2017 and a lot of criticism, and leading the midfield actions for them.
Wild card	Marco Antônio, recently promoted from the youth squad and already jumping to the first team, can be an outstanding player, or fail to show another good games like the first leg of the Campeonato Baiano.

^nichbd

Botafogo

Full name	Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas
Nicknames	Estrela Solitária ("Lone Star"), Glorioso ("Glorious")
Supporters	Botafoguenses, Alvinegros ("the Black and Whites")
Ground	Estádio Nilton Santos (46.831), Rio de Janeiro/RJ
2017 Season	10th place
Kits	Home/Away/Third
Best Showing	1st place (1968, 1995)
Manager	Alberto Valentim
Starting XI	Gatito Fernandez, Marcinho, Igor Rabello, Joel Carli, Moisés, Rodrigo Lindoso, Matheus Fernandes, João Paulo, Léo Valência, Luiz Fernando, Brenner.

Botafogo is one of the most historical clubs of Brazil, but on the last decade they have been pretty much hit or miss, with seasons like 2013, 2016 and 2017, where they finished top 5 on the league or had a good campaign on Libertadores, or seasons like 2014, where they end up relegated from top flight. Botafogo faced adversities, as every major Rio de Janeiro club, with their stadium being closed due to structural damage caused by failure on the construction, leaving them without their home (and leaving Fluminense and Flamengo without a place to play their home matches while the Maracanã was at the IOC orders), with their former president, Maurício Assumpção, raising the club's already colossal debt with its shady business.
In 2017, Botafogo overachieved. With now Santos manager Jair Ventura on board, they had an amazing playing style that pretty much sealed their defence and let them out on counters, causing them to actually give Copa Libertadores champions Grêmio their most difficult tie on the competition, drawing the first leg on Rio and losing to a 63' minute goal from Lucas Barrios to send them back to Rio with a bitter taste on their mouths, feeling that they could go all the way. But then, the year ended, Jair Ventura, Bruno Silva and some of their other stars left, and they started 2018 on turmoil losing to 4th division Aparecidense on the first round of the Brazilian Cup, leading to the firing of manager Felipe Conceição, and to the appointment of former Palmeiras assistant manager Alberto Valentim, who made a complete turnaround and lead the team to the Campeonato Carioca title.
Their team this year has Gatito Fernandez starting on goal over club legend and former Brazilian International Jefferson, who's going to retire at the end of the year. Forming their 4 man backline, youth product Igor Rabello, nicknamed O General ("The General") by the fans, forms the centerback partnership with experienced Argentine and Campeonato Carioca finals hero Joel Carli, with 21 year old Marcinho and Corinthians loanne Moisés completing the defence. On the midfield, Rodrigo Lindoso and youth product Matheus Fernandes play on a double pivot behind João Paulo and Léo Valência, while the former is sidelined after an horrific injury, he might be replaced by Rodrigo Pimpão, coming from Atlético Goianiense after making an amazing Brasileirão for the relegated side, Luiz Fernando came to Rio and made the spot his own, being one of Botafogo standouts this season playing alongside team top scorer Brenner.

Fun fact	Botafogo is the team that had more players called up to the NT on World Cups, with the last one being Jefferson in 2014.
Familiar faces	Jefferson was the starting goalkeeper before Alisson for the Brazilian NT.
Star of the show	Igor Rabello. After a breakout season for Botafogo in 2017, O General looks to cement his name alongside the best defenders in the league.
Wild card	Keep an eye on Matheus Fernandes, the 19 year old midfielder is one of the hottest prospects on the league right now.

^jggomes14

Ceará

Full name	Ceará Sporting Club
Nicknames	Vovô ("Grandpa"), Vozâo ("Big Grandpa")
Supporters	Alvinegros
Ground	Arena Castelão (63.903), Fortaleza/CE
2017 Season	3rd place (Série B)
Kits	Home/Away
Best Showing	3rd Place (1964)
Manager	Marcelo Chamusca
Starting XI	Éverson; Pio, Valdo, Luiz Otávio e Romário; Juninho e Raul; Wescley, Ricardinho e Felipe Azevedo; Arthur Cabral.

One of the founding members of CBF, Ceará brings a different flavor to the league, being one of the powerhouses of the Northeast region. Having not played in the First Division since 2011, now they're back at the top, hoping for a long stay.
Last year started with an early elimination at the Copa do Brasil, but then the team bounced back with the Campeonato Cearense title and the promotion to top flight. This year, the team shows signs of evolution, getting through the third round before losing to another Brasileirão contender, Atlético Paranaense. Ceará has once again won the Campeonato Cearense, winning the two legs against bitter rival Fortaleza.
Still, as a recently promoted team, their main focus is battling relegation, then to solidify their spot as a top flight team, and as the powerhouse of the Northeast.
Ceará is managed by Marcelo Chamusca, who can be called the "Lower League King", as he's the only manager to have managed promotion from the fourth division to the third (in 2013 with Salgueiro), from the third to the second (in 2016 with Guarani) and from the second division to top flight (last year with Ceará). How his knowledge will be translated to the top division is yet to be known, but he has a pretty good CV to back him up.
The squad is mostly made of loanees and important figures from last year's campaign. Between the posts is Éverson, undisputed starting goalkeeper since 2015. Tall centerback Luiz Otávio is paired up with Valdo. Romário, both a loanee and a key figure from last season, is the left-back while and Pio is the right-back. Homegrown talent Raul is paired with experient Juninho as defensive midfielders, while another veteran, Ricardinho, has a more creative role. The wingers are Wescley and Felipe Azevedo, both played abroad at Asian football leagues. As striker, 19 y.o. Arthur Cabral has been putting his name on the map, being one of the top scorers of the country so far.

Fun fact	Their mascot, the Grandpa, is not due to them being the oldest team of their city, but rather for a former club president, Meton de Alencar Pinto, who welcomed some youth players from a rival team and treating them "like their grandsons".
Familiar faces	Javier Reina. The Colombian midfielder played around South America and for three seasons in South Korea before signing for Ceará. He hasn't been playing a lot so far this year.
Star of the show	Arthur Cabral. It might sound too soon for the teenager, but he has stepped up his game in the Campeonato Cearense, scoring 15 goals so far. Ceará will need good showings from their youth academy jewel for a good chance of survival.
Wild card	Elton. The veteran striker was part of last year's squad. He may have lost his starting spot to the aforementioned Arthur, but he's still a dangerous player.

^Sunny_Ember

Chapecoense

Full name	Associação Chapecoense de Futebol
Nicknames	Furacão do Oeste ("The Western Hurricane"), Chape
Supporters	Chapecoense
Ground	Arena Condá (22,830), Chapecó/SC
2017 Season	8th place
Kits	Home/Away
Best Showing	8th place (2017)
Manager	Gilson Kleina
Starting XI	Jandrei; Apodi, Rafael Thyere, Nery Bareiro, Bruno Pacheco; Amaral, Márcio Araújo, Elicarlos, Héctor Canteros; Guilherme, Wellington Paulista.

From looking at their current state, one would be forgiven for not remembering Chapecoense's tragedy in 2016. The same philosophy of strong local support, financial responsibility and credentialed administration that earned the club a meteoric rise from the Brazilian fourth tier to a consolidated midtable status at the Brasileirão in less than a decade would guide the club to its best season ever, making it to the Copa Libertadores qualifying rounds right on the aftermath of the disaster, and could now lead the club to new heights.
Their hard-earned continental berth, secured on a last-minute goal at the last round of the league, may have been for naught as the club went out to an experienced Nacional but its performance at the Campeonato Catarinense was remarkable: the Furacão do Oeste was dominating at the tournament, with a single loss in 18 fixtures. While the club has excelled in knock-out tournaments throughout its history, manager Gilson Kleina is fonder of long, weary round-robin competitions such as the Brasileirão: when entrusted in the middle of the 2017 season to shepherd the club away from the relegation zone, he exceeded expectations by putting up the best campaign in the second round of the league. The 50-year-old commander has been at the helm of better squads in the past, but the chemistry he's formed with the Chapecoense players is unmatched by any before it.
Gilson Kleina is fond of the "defense wins championships" doctrine: under an orthodox 4-4-2 formation, his side conceded once every 2.25 matches in the Campeonato Catarinense. Under the goalpost, Jandrei arrived on loan in 2017 and he's since become an undisputed starter at the position. At the back, team leader Apodi and lower-league recruit Bruno Pacheco take care of the wings, while Grêmio loanee Rafael Thyere and Paraguayan journeyman Nery Bareiro have formed a strong defensive duo. Kleina relies on Amaral, Márcio Araújo and Elicarlos, perhaps the most experienced players of the squad, with long, multiple spells at major Brazilian clubs, to control the midfield, while former Argentine international Héctor Canteros is the creative brain of the midfield. Up forward, Grêmio loanee Guilherme seeks to become a reliable starter at a top flight club after a season as Botafogo's super sub, while target man Wellington Paulista wants a repeat of his fine 2017 season, in which he was the club's top scorer.

Fun fact	Chapecoense's home ground, the Arena Condá, is named after Kaingang leader Vitorino Condá, who became part of local folklore for securing his tribe's grounds against land invaders in the XIX century.
Familiar faces	West Ham supporters might remember Wellington Paulista's short stay at the club; Canteros' name may sound familiar to Villareal supporters. Apodi has played for Kuban Krasnodar, Querétaro and Brescia in the past as well.
Star of the show	Apodi. The former Brazilian U23 international became a squad leader and a crowd hero during the club's reconstruction, and Chapecoense depends on his good form carrying into this season.
Wild card	Elias. The promising keeper, who performed superbly against Barcelona, will give Jandrei a run for his money should his performances swing over the season.

^{CruzeiroDoSul}

Corinthians

Full name	Sport Club Corinthians Paulista
Nicknames	Timão ("Big Team"), Time do Povo ("The People's Team"), Coringão
Supporters	Corinthianos
Ground	Arena Corinthians (49,205), São Paulo/SP
2017 Season	1st place
Kits	Home/Away/Third
Best Showing	1st place (1990, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2011, 2015 and 2017)
Manager	Fábio Carille
Starting XI	Cássio; Fágner, Henrique, Balbuena, Sidcley; Renê Júnior, Gabriel; Clayson, Jádson, Rodriguinho, Ángel Romero.

Coming strong from a Campeonato Paulista title against rivals Palmeiras, Corinthians is once again one of the front-runners in the title race. The proletarian club from São Paulo has consistently been on the top of the table for the past decade, turning over a new leaf since falling from top flight in 2007, and is gunning for a record fourth title in a decade — a feat yet to be accomplished since the 1960's.
Tite's protégé Fábio Carille is starting his second year at the helm of Corinthians, following a dominant title run in 2017. Once a Timão player himself, Carille had been assistant manager at the club for eight year, serving under Tite and Mano Menezes, who'd eventually be appointed to the Brazil national team. He was remarkably successful in building up from Tite's style of play, and the finely-tuned squad cruised to the title. As 2018 arrived, important players left and suitable replacements came, but the departure of top scorer Jô left an open spot on the squad yet to be claimed.
Standing for a modern brand of football, with an organised, pressing defence and a fast-paced, collective offence, Fábio Carille is perhaps the best manager the Brasileirão has to offer at the moment. Under the goalpost, club legend Cássio still aims for the Brazil national team. In the most altered sector from last year's campaign, bad boy Fágner, Paraguayan international Balbuena, Palmeiras turncoat Henrique and up-and-coming Atlético Paranaense loanee Sidcley form Carille's trusted backline of four. Football journeyman Renê Júnior and Palmeiras reject Gabriel have the critical role of holding the midfield in Carille's side. Opting to play without a striker, Carille fields instead veteran workhorse Jádson and squad leader Rodriguinho to lead creative duties, with pacey dirty worker Ángel Romero and former hidden jewel Clayson at the wings.

Fun fact	Named after Corinthian-Casuals, Corinthians still maintains good relations with the English amateur homonym club, which tours Brazil sporadically to this day.
Familiar faces	Wolfsburg supporters might recall Fágner's name, while Jádson's name might take Shakhtar Donetsk supporters to a stroll down memory lane.
Star of the show	Cássio. At the club since 2012, the long-haired goalie has been a pivotal player at all of the club's honours since then, including the Copa Libertadores and Club World Cup titles.
Wild card	Pedrinho. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder, promoted last year from the youth academy, is the brightest talent coming from Parque São Jorge in years. Still building up physique to last 90 minutes in a professional match, he should be slowly incorporated to the starting squad by Carille thoughout the year.

^{CruzeiroDoSul}

Cruzeiro

Full name	Cruzeiro Esporte Clube
Nicknames	Raposa ("Fox"), La Bestia Negra
Supporters	Cruzeirenses
Ground	Estádio Mineirão (61.846), Belo Horizonte/MG
2017 Season	5th place
Kits	Home/Away
Best Showing	Champions (1966, 2003, 2013, 2014)
Manager	Mano Menezes
Starting XI	Fábio; L. Romero, Dedé, Léo, Egídio; Henrique, A. Cabral; Robinho, Thiago Neves, De Arrascaeta; Raniel.

Cruzeiro is considered one of the powerhouses of Brazilian football, being one of the few teams that was never relegated from top flight and the only team in the to win the Brazilian treble, winning the Campeonato Mineiro, the Copa do Brasil and the Brasileirão in 2003.
Last year, the team got a top-5 finish in the league and won the Copa do Brasil, clinching a spot to the Copa Libertadores group stage. The team lost some notable pieces, selling fullback Diogo Barbosa to Palmeiras, but went on the market to get important depth players and a top striker in Fred. Some specialists consider Cruzeiro as having the best roster in the country.
With spectations through the roof, a high-demanding but present supporter core and friendly ticket prices, Cruzeiro has the highest average attendance for Série A teams this season, with over 25k supporters every match to see the team smash some farmers from the countryside in the Campeonato Mineiro.
After going undefeated in the first stage of the Campeonato Mineiro, including wins against fellow Série A teams Atlético Mineiro and América, Cruzeiro got a bad sequence with the first loss of the season against Racing then a draw at home against Vasco, Cruzeiro show signs of comeback, after coming back from a 3-1 deficent to win the Campeonato Mineiro.
Cruzeiro has a top head coach in former National Team manager Mano Menezes, a club legend in Fábio as goalkeeper (and a elite backup in Rafael), centerbacks Léo, Murilo and injury-free Dedé rotate in the two starting spots making a decent defensive core, but with big problems in set pieces. Egídio and Lucas Romero (a natural defensive midfielder converted as a fullback by the manager) close the back four. Ariel Cabral and Henrique make a good defensive midfielder duo, with Robinho and Arrascaeta as wingers and Thiago Neves as the main playmaker and experienced reference for the team. With Fred out with a serious knee injury, the striker position is up for grabs: speedster Sassá, veteran Rafael Sóbis and home-grown talent Raniel are battling for it.

Fun fact	Cruzeiro has its mascot, the fox mainly because of the smartness and cunningness of a former club president, Mário Grosso. But also, of course, in a reference to their main rivals, Atlético Mineiro, and their mascot, the rooster.
Familiar faces	Lucas Romero. Romero is a known name for any Football Manager fans, being a must-buy especially on FM15. I could talk about Fred here, but he has a torn ACL and MCL and might not even play this season.
Star of the show	Thiago Neves. Being the main thinking head of the team, TN30 has been really leading the team by example since his arrival, in a technical and mental way.
Wild card	Dedé. After yet another season cut short with a knee injury, the 63rd greatest Brazilian of all time is now back to prove he hasn't lost a step and is ready to become once again the best centerback in the country. If he can keep himself healthy, that is.

^TedBoyMarino

Flamengo

Full name	Clube de Regatas do Flamengo
Nicknames	Mengão, Fla
Supporters	Flamenguistas, Rubro-Negros ("the Red and Blacks")
Ground	Estádio Luso Brasileiro (20,113), Rio de Janeiro/RJ
2017 Season	6th place
Kits	Home/Away
Best Showing	1st place (1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1992, 2009)
Manager	Maurício Barbieri (interim)
Starting XI	Diego Alves; Trauco, Réver, Juan, Pará; Jonas, Everton, Lucas Paquetá, Diego, Éverton Ribeiro; Guerrero.

As of the last few years, Flamengo has failed to deliver what its fans ultimately crave for: the Brasileirão title, one more for the club’s cabinet of trophies. The last time that happened was back in 2009, when the club jumped from a 10th position by the end of the first half of the season, to a 1st place finish in order to secure the title. Since then, the perfomances on the national level haven’t been as great for the fans: Flamengo even fought against relegation in 2013, which is certainly not what the expectations are for a club of this size. Still, the 2016 season saw the club at the top of the table for a few rounds, but that was overtaken by Palmeiras, who ended up as champions in that year. It is fair to say that the fans are obsessed with the club's 7th league trophy: the Hepta.
The season started shaky, as manager Carpegiani was fired upon the defeat to Botafogo in the semifinals of the Campeonato Carioca along with footbal director Rodrigo Caetano, causing apprehension amongst fans, since it remains unclear what Flamengo’s plan for a manager is. Interim manager Maurício Barbieri assumed, but he most likely won’t be kept in charge. Other options have been searched, such as Grêmio’s Renato Gaúcho, who preferred to continue in his club.
Despite confusions in the club, something that is clear is that Flamengo indeed has a great squad. Diego Alves was signed last year, and although he is yet to hit his best form, there’s confidence that he can do a good job. It is also fair to claim that the back-line has had at least a slight improvement from last year, seeing as veteran Juan has regained form and been rock solid in defense, and Réver has been great as a defender, just like he was last year. In the left-back, Trauco barely saw play time under Carpegiani, despite being a firm starter in the last year.The right side has the dispute between Pará and Rodinei, both whom can be a liability defensively. In the midfield, Jonas gained more play time compared to last year, and he also did a better job under Carpegiani. Youngster Lucas Paquetá has consistently proved himself as worthy of starting material, keeping up great perfomances, and putting up effort on the pitch. Diego is one of the clubs’ stars, and he remains a key spot in the midfield as he’s able to distribute greatly. Éverton Ribeiro is certainly one of the most talented players in Brazil. Up front, Guerrero is still Flamengo's best bet for the striker position.

Fun fact	The crowd of 194,603 in a Fla-Flu derby at the Maracanã in 1963 went out as the biggest attendance at a football match in history; the 0:0 tie won Flamengo the Campeonato Carioca.
Familiar faces	Foreign observers should all recognise former stars Júlio César, Juan and Diego Ribas and € 45 million wonder kid Vinícius Júnior on the bench as a super sub.
Star of the show	It’s not uncommon for Diego to run the show in Flamengo’s matches, he’s the maestro of the team. Few players have the capacity that he has to distribute the ball in such great sintony with the rest of the team, it’s a gift. Not to mention his ability in taking free kicks.
Wild card	Willian Arão still has things left to prove seeing as he’s not been able to put up perfomances that once guaranteed him in the starting XI. He’s being dropped, and when he does come to the game, he hasn’t been offering much.

^{DarkNightSeven}
This is the first of a two-part post. Click here to go to the second part.

I will pay you £15 (PayPal, CashApp, etc...) for signing up to Paddy Power using my link and completing the requirements:
https://promos.paddypower.com/choose-your-friends-with-benefits-offer?referrerCode=H43LJXC9H
"In order to receive the payment for each referral, the referred customer must:

• Set up a Paddy Power account using your referral link.
• Stake £10 or more on Paddy Power Sports or Lotto bets in their first 14 days (Only bets consisting of one bet are valid i.e. singles, doubles, trebles and accumulators).
• Bets involving multiple bets will not count towards this promotion (i.e. Canadian, Goliath, Heinz, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63, Patent, Super Heinz, Trixie, Yankee).
• Qualifying bets can be placed on any sport and will qualify if the odds are 1/2 (1.5) or greater.
• Free bets used will not count towards the staking requirement.
• Your family or any persons at the same postal address as you, and you yourself cannot be Referred Customers. In this context ‘family’ means your spouse, partner, parent, child /sibling and any other persons with the same surname.
• Multiple bets on the same selection do not count (for example if you place 5 bets of £2 on Manchester United to beat Arsenal only 1 of these bets will count towards the offer).
• Any customer signing up via a referral code will get to choose their exclusive Paddy Power New Customer Offer.

Once the requirements have been met and I receive the sign up bonus from them (£20) I will send you £15. We both receive £5 profit regardless if your bets win or lose.

DISCLAIMER: This could turn into a very long read.
Having played since 2014, and recently rediscovered the magic of this game, I felt the need to tell the story of how my club has come to be what it is today. So, here it is;
The Story of Liveridge Town
“What can I say. Some things you can train. Others you can’t. We pride ourselves on having both.” - Asbjörn Dolk, current club captain
The story of Liveridge Town isn’t one that can be told by depicting this season alone. Although it will go down into history as one of the greatest in club history, it is but part of a grander legacy. To give a fair view of what this season has meant, not only to the players, staff, and coaches, but also to all of those who proudly don the blue of Liveridge on match days, regardless of who they are, we need to start at the very beginning.
Liveridge Bridge, sitting on the southwestern bank of the river Viskan, have done so since the founding of Borås back in the 17th century. Saying that the stadium wasn’t built back then, or that the club wasn’t even founded until centuries later, is beside the point. The magic of the spot where we hold our ground, comes from a history older than just our crest and colors.
Borås, the town which Liveridge Town is proud to call home, was created by no one less than king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in the year of 1632. He did this as it was a pivotal point for trade, the Viskan being a major reason for it. Trade is not the only way to win titles, but having a proud history of it surely has not hurt our ambition either.
Even though Gustavus mainly was a man of great conquest and renown, he was no stranger to flair. The legend has, that before the land was touched, two sets of two trees, spaced about 100 meters apart, had grown for centuries where the goal posts of Liveridge Bridge stand today. Another legend has it that when Gustavinho, as scholars agree on his main nickname for himself, used to overhead kicked a cannonball between a pair of the trunks like it was a heat-seeking missile. Considering what one can find in the trophy [I]cabinets[/I] spread around the ground, it would not surprise me.
The club as it is known today was founded on an exceedingly cold, gray, and rainy day, very much setting the tone for what visitors now know to expect when they arrive here. The very first season, with team after team learning lessons from rookies on the big stage, set forth whispers that would come to roam throughout the world. Whispers of a philosophy, a passion, and a sense of pride which would come to haunt more opponents than anyone ever dared to imagine when the first seeds were sown on what was to become the Liveridge Bridge pitch.
Those blades of grass would quickly come to taste the sweetness of victory, as the debut season for The Blues would come to bring with it a domestic double. The splendor and free-flowing football Liveridge Town introduced to the league system was however but an indicator of what was to come later. The coming three seasons were anything but what the patrons had gotten used to, and the hype of the “new kids on the block” was efficiently neutralized by opponents who cleverly had adapted the groundbreaking tactics. Then yet again, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Early eliminations in the cup, as well as but fighting their way into consecutive promotions spots up to level five, were all the boys and girls in blue could accomplish until the inevitable happened. Heading into their fifth season together, the young men and women of Liveridge Town came to realize that football alone was never going to be enough, but that they also had to further themselves academically. Thus a mass exodus was staged by no one than the coach himself, and the notable stars of their generation left for school. The promise they made though was to come back when they were done, and help with the continuing rise of the club they loved, no matter what that meant to them.
No one was surprised, and everyone involved with the club understood why and accepted it when the 14th spot was claimed on day one, maintained throughout, and had been cemented for a while season five was done and dusted. The following year was no different, and the remaining youngsters fought hard and well, but they couldn’t be expected to pick up where that one set of magical players had left off when they burst upon the scene half a decade prior.
In the seventh season, a final day three spot swing had us fall from fourth to seventh, earning promotion on goal difference alone. Fourth place had been a more telling position for how we played that season, which too was mirrored in season eight, as we claimed the coveted fourth spot, and yet again entrance to the pantheon of football; the Champions League.
Rumors of what the club had managed to achieve reached across the Atlantic, and those who had managed to finish their studies early had no reason not to find their way back to The Bridge as soon as they possibly could, which too was reflected in the results of season nine. Despite the return of some both more mature, and smarter individuals, we couldn’t help losing in the quarters to the invincible champions of that campaign’s Champions League. The return of the prodigal sons and daughters did, however, see The Blues lift the league trophy for our third ever piece of silverware. It came to serve as redemption for the fans from four seasons prior, as instead of being dead last, the title was won by grabbing it by the throat on matchday one, and then never letting it go.
By some, season ten has been claimed to be an opportunity wasted, with an exciting mix of players in their prime, and with youth facilities showing more promising prospects than ever, not getting us beyond the round of 16 in the Champions League. This proved devastating to the sporting, not to talk about the financial side of operations, as a fifth-place finish in the league didn’t even see us make the prestigious tournament for season eleven.
Season ten did, however, see the birth of club legends Henrietta and Magnus Dolks’ first child. It was Henrietta, with Magnus on paternity leave, cheering in the stands with little Inga safely left outside the stadium in her stroller, who got to lift the cup after sealing the final with a majestic, sweet as a nut, left-footed volley. Inga came to be a splendid person in her own right, just not a footballer. Her parents' footballing prowess was instead passed onto her younger brother, but more about him later.
That cup came to be the last trophy the die-hard fans of Liveridge Town would get to see for a while, as more and more came to follow the Dolks’ example. Kids are a natural part of life, for athletes as well as the rest of us, and the priorities of life would come to change with season eleven. The incredible group of talent which helped build, and crawl out of the cradle which is this club, had their last season together, playing a mesmerizing style of football that ended up with us finishing third. Despite the lack of silverware, those who were there to see it argue that how we played that one promised season, still is the best anyone has ever kicked a spherical object on this side of the Viskan.
The end of an era was nonetheless upon us, and the inevitability of life came to make way for what is referenced to be “the blue of the sky coming crashing down.” As the players left to pursue different goals, so did the manager. With Mr. Björkman gone, and his incredible brand of football gone with him, the challenges of level ten came to prove too much.
Facing superior opposition in every single game for seasons on end, the faint light which was lit by a sixth-place finish in season 16 was but a last flicker before the darkest period of the club’s life. When talking to anyone who represents the club in whichever fashion, you’d do best in not mentioning the number 17.
Some say that it was because an existentialist crisis ran through the entire organization, and most people felt it meaningless to keep up operations. Others say that the values of the club were more important than the sporting achievements, and in an act of defiance against xenophobia, the club grounds were turned into a community center for integration instead of football. As this sport is a beacon of light in terms of bridging gaps between people, I find that hard to believe, but the management back in those days were known for having interesting ways to make a statement. People who have no clue at all say that maybe, just maybe they all lost interest and pursued careers in micro fashion.
Regardless of how it happened, season 17 came to be the one where Liveridge ceased to be, and a chapter of football history was closed forever.
As books are written, a new chapter followed the initial one, and like Phoenix rising from the ashes, Liveridge Town’s request to rejoin the footballing association pyramid was accepted for season 18, and the club was reincarnated.
Although gone, with the brand of football which Philip Björkman had imprinted into the very fabric of the organization, a team of players made up of well-coached fans and volunteers, had no problems converting theory to practice, clawing their way to an unpredicted and heavily celebrated eighth-place finish. Not winning a title was no big deal to anyone at the time, as the sheer joy of getting to score worldies and deliver unrivaled drama at the Bridge again was everything they ever could have wanted.
The heat got turned up real quick though, as misinterpretation of the small print in the FA’s laws and regulations had deemed the team kits of that season “too risqué”, and thus disqualifying the club from progressing in the league system. Whether this was really true, or that the FA board was afraid of what this fiery bird was capable of, no one knows. But the Blues couldn’t be held down for long, and with the same team of amateurs and enthusiasts strutting their stuff, season 19 saw us taking the title race to the final day.
Despite winning our last game, the eventual champions put on a freak performance elsewhere, and ended up snatching the trophy out from under our feet. Goal difference had been on our side before, but this time luck was not in our corner. As bitter as it was to lose out in the last dying breaths of the season, something had been awoken. No matter where you went, people were yet again whispering, whispering whispers about titles and glory.
Liveridge Bridge would come to yet again see itself becoming an invincible fort, but that was not for another few years. Seasons came and went, and winning trophies proved harder than expected, this since climbing the ladder proved enough of a challenge in itself. At the start of season 23, it had now been thirteen years, a baker’s dozen of summers had come and gone since Henrietta Dolk, if the legends are true straight out of the maternity ward, fired her way into club history winning the last piece of silverware that the Liveridgians had seen since.
At the academy, a young Asbjörn Dolk was showing great prowess amongst his peers, and despite being only seven himself, played with the under-12’s. The future was promising, sure, but supporters, players, and staff alike were beginning to ache for something to heave into the air, bursting with pride. It was time for another trophy. There was some hope, as a bronze medal in the previous season’s Super League had shown that there could be something worth getting excited for. But halfway into the following season, with all hopes for any league or cup long gone, it was clear that it had been a red herring. The chances of winning them were gone, but the thirst for them remained.
Latifa Bourabia, Edna Hazard, and Elda Westerberg.
BHW might not be as widely recognized on the international stage as MSN, or BBC, but if Liveridgians get to choose, Bourabia, Hazard, and Westerberg would be picked over Messi, Suarez, and Neymar, or Bale, Benzema and Cristiano any day. The story of these three ladies is in itself one to be told with reverie and fascination in front of a bonfire surrounded by good friends, and the way they ended up at Liveridge Bridge is the best part of it.
To describe Latifa, Edna, and Elda as geniuses on the pitch is not giving the trio enough credit, they managed to forge the bond they shared because they were intelligent off the grass as well. Hailing from three different cultures never proved a problem for the “trois amis”, as they all spoke the language of academia and football. Being roommates all the way through college, and winning everything there was to win during their stint in college “soccer”, saw them understand each other unprecedented on a field of green.
Heading into their final semester, the world was their oyster. But weeks away from earning their degrees in applied economics, gender studies, and environmental science respectively, what they all wanted was to together conquer the world. Edna, not knowing how to stop scoring since the day she firsts laced a pair of boots, was the prime target for most of the top clubs in the world. What they failed to grant her though was to also sign the other parts of her three-piece puzzle. If she was to show the world what girls could do, it was to be in the company of her friends or not at all.
Eighteen years earlier, the number 9 shirt which Edna now had made her own, was given to a promising young talent who back then too sought to make herself the best she could be, a certain Henrietta Dolk. If you guessed that this connection has something to do with how the three greatest footballing minds of their generation ended up gracing Liveridge Bridge with their telepathic partnership, you guessed right. After rocketing the most famous left foot volley in club history into the top corner, Henrietta might have hung up her own boots, but was still dead set on sharing her knowledge with those who wanted it. Thus, for the last decade, she had been teaching and coaching the finest young minds known to this world.
What she could, and did offer the “trois amis”, was the chance to let a Moroccan defensive mastermind, a Swedish playmaker on the levels of Shakespeare, and a Belgian goal machine play together, proving exactly why football is a sport for everyone, regardless of gender or culture. Thus, in May of that year, still wearing both square caps and silly looking gowns, proudly clutching their diplomas, Henrietta became the professor who brought the “X-Women” Swedenside.
The news of what happened across the Atlantic traveled quickly back to Borås, and the fans were right to be excited heading into the club’s 24th season. The glory days of operating at level ten were not but a memory in the minds of all Liveridgians, but the superheroes coming in wasn’t the only reason to why the buzz surrounding the club was gaining momentum. Youth facilities were being restored to their former heights, a new stadium was set to be ready for the new campaign, and the training ground had never looked better.
If 17 is a number to fret if you sport the blue, then 24 is one which will see you smile whether you want to or not. What happened in that season was not only what everyone had expected, but it also proved the beginning of an era not even the most die-hard fans could have wished for. The new generation of prodigies coming in also prompted no one than Philip Björkman to come out of exile and yet again put fear into, and frustrating opposition defenses and offenses respectively. With the mercurial talent at his disposal, and the knowledge that Henrietta in charge of the academy guaranteeing talent, including the unavoidable rise of her son, coming through the ranks, the bank of Viskan once more echoed of the great Gustavinho in his prime.
Setting whatever came in their way ablaze, Latifa, Edna, and Elda signed Liveridge Town up for a subscription of both League titles and Cup glory, winning FOUR consecutive domestic doubles. In their fifth year together, season 28, they brought their tenth and final trophy back to the winding halls of the Bridge by winning the league together one last time. However, it is for what they did in winning their ninth piece of silverware in the year prior, that they will forever be cemented in club, and football history, as the ingenious trailblazing footballing minds of their generation.
Domestic trophies in all of their glory, spearheaded by the legendary BHW, the fans knew that if they ever were to boast about etching their name onto the majestic Champions League cup, it was the “X-Women” who could make it happen. Two times they got us close, real close. The girls turned women did all within their power to grant the fans their one wish, but long seasons took their toll, and come the Champions League final each year, there simply wasn’t enough left in the tank to take it all the way.
Doing the same thing over and over hoping for a different outcome is the definition of insanity. Although the line between genius and madness is incredibly thin, Mr. Björkman knew that he could not get away with having his team falling on the final hurdle three years in a row. Enter the Brazilian reptilian, Adriana Barbosa. Like a snake, she weaved her way in and out of defensive lines for the duration of the entire season. The impact she would come to have on the Blues’ third consecutive Champions League final proved no exception.
Having been brought in on the recommendation of, who else than Henrietta Dolk, the South American magician did as she pleased not only with opponents, but also with space and time for one year of spellbinding football trickery. To this day, her scoring all five goals in the shutout win to seal the Champions League title, still stands as most goal scored by a Liveridgian in one game. It might have taken 27 seasons, but good things come to those who wait, and at long last Liveridge Town joined the echelon of teams who have won the treble in one season.
Barbosa stayed on for one more year and was part of the team which one that fifth consecutive league title, but understandably enough, the overcast skies and murky waters of Viskan was no place for a woman who was raised on the sunshine and sand of the Copacabana. As it turned out, although not born and bred on sandy beaches, the prospect of one was as alluring to a certain Moroccan, Belgian, and Swede as well. The saying goes that “birds of a feather flock together,” and when the original trio got extended into a quartet, the bonds that were forged were no different.
Having given everyone who calls Liveridge Bridge enough fantastic memories to last a lifetime, there was no resentment or grief when the “quatro amigas” left for new adventures in warmer climates. If at the inception of Liveridge Town, someone had claimed that the players who eventually would come to define the second rise of the club all would turn out to be women, I don’t think anyone would have bet against you. Even so, getting to see four such purely talented, and seemingly telepathically linked Amazonian warriors don the blue in my stint in this world is something neither of us dared to even hope for.
Call him what you will, but Philip Björkman might be the one who has put the most effort into turning Liveridge Town into “more than a club.” Thus, as he too opted to follow his star players’ example in relocating, increasing his exposure to sunshine by an immeasurable amount, one could argue that he was worth it.
Other more “hardcore” fans were not as quick to let him off the hook, as losing club the record holders for most appearances (Bourabia with 218), most goals (Hazard with 180), and assists (Westerberg with 72) were bad enough, not having the very soul of the club on the sideline anymore, made way for yet another period of stagnation.
The coming four seasons proved to be anything like the preceding five, with no silverware to show for. Still perfecting his trade with the unwavering mentorship of his mother though, Asbjörn Dolk was not a child anymore, and come season 32, he was deemed mature enough to make his first team debut. Only 19 years old at the time, Dolk was not only the reason to why the Liveridgians got to dream again by rifling in 21 goals in 23 games, but his leadership on the pitch also raised the level of those around him, and a second place finish in the league sent ripples throughout the entire footballing world.
Those little ripples had become tsunamis as they reached the shores of Brazil, and Mr. Björkman knew he had no other choice than to once more return to Borås, and make sure that this promised child would come to fulfill the legacy which his parents had started all those years ago. Now, Dolk’s heroics had put the Blues in a situation where they were more green than anything. Level ten had been the dagger which caused the club’s downfall last time around, and season 33 would have us play in the uncharted waters of level eleven.
Faced with decisions to make regarding questions which he doesn’t know the answer to, is where the story of our latest campaign begins. Now, that we know what was expected of Philip on his return to the club he holds so close to his heart, we too understand the responsibility and legacy which comes with pulling the blue shirt over your head, preparing yourself for battle. For if history has told us anything, it is that Liveridge Town is more than just a name, it is more than just a club, it is the embodiment of a philosophy, a philosophy saying that anything is possible.
Up next is the review of Liveridge Town's 33rd season, which as mentioned truly will go down in history as one of the greats.
If you haven't already, I'd encourage you to start your own legacy, as this game is a decent, pocket-sized version of FM which you can enjoy while your save is loading, or when you rage quit from losing out to a fourth-tier team in the FA Cup.
Think this is for you? Then please do yourself a favor by downloading it, and support not only my writing, but also my club, by registering with the link below;
https://topeleven.onelink.me/topeleven/466f7d24/?viral_id=1562061671

R1: I have been browsing GoodEconomics and came across this post(https://np.reddit.com/technology/comments/3sonfk/is_comcast_marking_up_its_internet_service_by/cwz896w) on why Comcast should be regulated. Having read this piece, what is missing here is a lot of history, regulation, and, yes, economic nuance both of networks and of IO. Part of the purpose of this post is to push back against a lot of things people tend to get wrong in this industry, but it is also to collect my thoughts into something more coherent for publication some day. Full disclosure: I work in economic analysis and the tech policy world.
Some Words on Words
twenafeesh begins:

The market is structured in such a way as to give them (telecoms) an unfair advantage.
Let me be clear. There are definitive economic benefits in allowing a company with incredibly high infrastructure costs to have a monopoly over a service area. In economics this is called Natural Monopoly theory. This prevents the duplication of efforts, and allows for a more efficient use of resources, avoiding problems like this and this (early 20th century NYC), where countless companies have overlapping, redundant infrastructure.

First, it is important to note the distinction between the types of companies and the markets involved. Comcast is a cable company that is vertically integrated with NBCUniversal. It is a unique case in having both a programming division and a transmission delivery division. On the other hand, Verizon, AT&T, and Level 3 are more traditionally understood as telecom companies because their base technology is the telephone line. While telecoms is a term used widely in the UK and Europe, the regulation of telecom and the underlying technology is different than cable in the US. Cable-as-TV is regulated under Title VI of the Communications Act, while telephone is regulated under Title II of of the Communications Act. Both cable-as-Internet and telephone-as-Internet were regulated under Title I of the Communications Act, until the FCC reclassified both last year, which is for another post. I should also mention that franchises are the legal contracts stipulating how a video, telephone or Internet providers will service a municipality. Theses include a combination of social regulation and economic regulation, which is what I am going to explore in this post.
A Quick Regulatory History of Cable TV
Cable systems were created to circumvent a problem. Broadcast transmissions couldn’t be received in valleys because the radio waves were cut off by mountains. Even today, the basic technology of cable relies on a satellite dish that collects broadcast transmission and then coax cable to pipe that content to a home. When cable systems first began to appear in the 1950s in the Pennsylvanian valleys, many cities explicitly made a decision to have a monopoly provider of cable by granting them an exclusive franchise in the city and regulating rates, in part to limit broadcasters expansion into this new technology. Franchises were typically coterminous with the municipality, so a cable company had to serve all parts of the city, even those less dense suburban tracts. However, this was not universal and some cities allowed for competing networks. It is important to note that the tenor of regulation changed dramatically right before World War I and especially after the Great Depression, a view completely different than today. Creating monopolies was in vogue by the time that the nascent cable companies came around in the 1950s. For example, the Justice Department settled with AT&T in 1913 under the Kingsbury Commitment, nationalized the telephone system during World War I, then passed the Willis Graham Act, effectively making AT&T a monopoly even though there were typically two phone systems in a region before.
In 1966, the FCC limited cable’s encroachment on broadcasters by requiring the largest ones to import local broadcast TV, cutting off distant signal important to just the smallest companies. In 1972, the FCC required cable to carry all local broadcast signals, banned premium programming and sporting events, and set aside channels for government, education and public access, all of which increased the entry barriers and limited content. In 1977, the courts got rid of the premium channel restrictions and then in 1979 many of the other rules were vacated by the FCC. It was only after a court decision in 1979 that HBO was able to deliver content, which helped to spark the content explosion in the 1980s. It is important to remember that cable, and indeed all transmission services, are complements to the content that they serve. The value of cable comes not from its existence, but what it can put across its wires. By 1989, the number of available channels had trebled and the average number of channels had doubled.
In 1984, the Cable Act was passed which took power from local municipalities and placed it in the hands of the FCC, effectively deregulating prices, which had until then been regulated at different rate in different regions. Between 1986 and 1992 when new regulation was adopted, the market changed, as explained in this often-cited GAO report. Looking from 1986 to 1989, cable prices rose from 39 to 43 percent due to deregulation. However, regions regulated before 1986 had prices that rose faster than those regions which didn’t. Average channel capacity grew from 34 to 40 during that time period, and the average revenue per channel remained constant in nominal dollars but fell in real dollars. One way to interpret this is that the value of cable rose rapidly because of the expansion of content. Thus, transmission and content are complementary goods.
In 1992, the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act was passed which set new requirements on cable, including uniform pricing rules, must carry provisions and what is known as retransmission consent. This law also formally repealed exclusive franchises for the first time, which made it illegal for municipalities to grant an exclusive monopoly contact to the region. Effectively, the damage was already baked in. New cable companies were gradually succumbing to fiber technology, so building a new coax network was considered a bad bet. Moreover, since many franchise contracts had a buildout requirement, any new player in the market would have to provide service everywhere. As one report in 1998 noted, “there are very few actual cases where a cable overbuild has proven successful in the long term and virtually all of those cases involve cable plants that compete in only a small slice of each operator's given franchise area.” Only in 2007 did the FCC take a stab at buildout requirements, however they just limited the most egregious rules at the local level.
All the while, telephone companies were faced with their own regulations, which included limits on providing TV. Those were lifted formally with the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which aimed to spark competition between technologies, pitting cable against copper, and broadcast against both, in what is known now as intermodal competition. Most tech policy is focused on this kind of competition.
All of this is to say that this is incorrect when twenafeesh notes:

Due to the market power this gives a company, they must also be heavily regulated in order to prevent them from taking advantage of their customers. The alternative is to allow governments to take on this function for themselves.
The thing is, all water, gas, and electric utilities are heavily regulated by state and federal agencies in a way that telecoms are not. The three so-called "public" utilities are seen as necessities for life, while telecom has only recently begun to be viewed that way. As a result, public utilities cannot charge excessive fees for service, and in exchange we give them a near-monopoly over their service territory.

When it comes to video law, cable-TV is already heavily regulated and is a result of the local monopoly regulation that only recently came to an end. Basic TV rates are often explicitly rate regulated, but more importantly, TV has additional regulation in the form of social regulation, meant to ensure certain kinds of programs are maintained. This maintains a price floor and shifts the negotiating power away from the service providers to the programmers. For a visual representation of the complexity of video regulation in this space, see this. Keep this in mind for later.
Price Regulation in Telephone
Telephone regulation is also complex, but has in fact gone through many of the same kinds of rate regulations after the 1996 Telecom Act as noted here by twenafeesh:

In California, for example, regulatory requirements only allow gas and electric utilities to make money on capital investments. This gives utilities a direct incentive to invest in new infrastructure, because that's how they make money. This simultaneously removes any incentive to overcharge per kWh or to induce customers to use more electricity - even if they did, California utilities wouldn't make any additional money from this practice.
Instead, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) authorizes a certain rate of return - usually a 5%-10% markup on base electricity cost - based on capital investments and how well the utility runs its business. (Bit of an oversimplification here - this is called "decoupling" if you want to look for more details.)
If we had a policy like that for telecoms, you can bet it would be cheaper and bandwidth would be higher.

There are four basic approaches to price regulation: rate of return regulation, price cap regulation, revenue cap regulation, and benchmarking. Rate of return regulation adjusts overall price levels according to the operator’s accounting costs and cost of capital as determined by the regulator. Price cap regulation allows for price level changes according to an index that is typically comprised of an inflation measure (I) and a productivity offset (X). Revenue cap regulation establishes a similar index for service baskets and allows the operator to change prices within the basket so long as the percentage change in revenue does not exceed the revenue cap index. Benchmarking looks at the performance of an operator and then penalizes or awards them based on relative performance.
The FCC has experience with rate regulation both on the retail side (for consumers) and on the wholesale side (for business), using both rate of return and price cap methods. On the retail side, rate regulation was in place for most of the 20th century with state based public utility commissions regulating local rates and the FCC regulating long distance. Each of the regions often had different prices because the states would regulate the rates differently. The 1996 Act changed this and many localities liberalized (ie got rid of rate regulation). The effect of moving from rate regulation to none seems to have been negligible on prices, though this might be due to wireless competition. The FCC currently has rate of return regulation for the Connect America Fund. Here is their resource page.
After AT&T was broken up in 1982, competition was injected into the wholesale market through the creation of competitive local exchange carriers or CLECs, which have access to many of the backend components of the local telephone system under regulated terms. These unbundled network elements (UNE) are regulated under the total element long-run incremental cost (TELRIC) method. One of the problems with this method is that TELRIC only allows for recovery of only current costs. Second, it under-compensates the incumbent for potentially risky investments. See this NBER paper on the issue. A lot of ink has been spilled on UNE regulation, and I tend to believe that other methods of rate regulation would be preferable if we must have regulation of this type, like revenue cap regulation. See this for an overview.
So here is the rub. For one, retail and wholesale telephone price regulation exists and existed in much the way that twenafeesh is suggesting. I have not seen many papers showing that it is a massive boon to consumers on the retail side, in part because there is variation. This paper finds that it has had negative effects on consumer welfare. Actual consumer rates are a result of federal, state, and local regulation in both retail and wholesale markets in addition to the competition from wireless and the size of the market itself. Please post anything you may find on this issue below.
The Economics of Providing Internet Service - Video
Comcast is a company that provides a bundle, both TV and Internet. As of right now, it would be impossible for a new company to offer Internet service without also offering pay TV service. Why is this? Once you build out into a neighborhood, you need 30% of those people to select your service, which is known as the uptake rate. Because cordcutters are only 15% of the market, you can’t survive on Internet alone.
So you need to provide TV to provide Internet. However, the regulatory system is such that you aren’t on a level playing field with programmers. In most regions you have to provide basic service, which is rate regulated, and that basic service has to include broadcast content. But when you buy this programming, you don't just negotiate to buy the broadcast content, you are negotiating for the whole suite of content. You don’t just get Comedy Central from Viacom, you bargain for all of their properties, including ones that you and your consumers might not want. One of the best ways to see this in action is when program negotiation breaks down, which happened between Time Warner Cable and CBS when CBS pushed for $2 more per TWC customer leading to a programming blackout. At the end of the skirmish, TWC lost 306,000 cable video subscribers.
This is why Verizon went through with the suit to maintain skinny bundles. As one article noted:

Industry analysts saw it as a move by Verizon to test the market strength of -- and customer demand for -- some of the channels, particularly ESPN, that extract high per-subscriber fees from pay-TV providers. ESPN is the most expensive channel for cable and satellite companies, collecting nearly $7 per subscriber.

So, consumers want specific content, typically about 15-17 channels including sports, and each of those properties are spread among many different content providers. It should be noted that American households watch the most television of any country, besting the number two spot by about 77 percent. And with it come cost. As Google Fiber’s Milo Medin noted, video programming is the “single biggest impediment” to deployment since “we may be paying in some markets double what incumbents are paying for the same programming.”
Between 2005 and 2008, about 19 states reformed the video franchising process, creating a state standard instead of many local ones. This paper used a difference-in-difference approach and found that prices for the basic service declined about 5.5 to 6.8 percent, even though there was no change in the expanded basic service packages. However, actual entry in those reformed states was about 11.6% higher than non-reformed states. As the authors concluded,

Our results are consistent with limit pricing models that predict incumbents respond to increased threat of entry, and suggest that the reforms facilitated entry and modestly benefitted consumers in reformed states.

So how would a new player actually enter into a market?
The Economics of Providing Internet Service - Deployment
Building the infrastructure to provide that video is fairly costly on the front end, with high fixed costs and low marginal costs, but the extent of these costs vary widely, depending on population density, local ground conditions, and regulatory costs. In one study of rural consumers, 65 locations per mile translated into about $4-5K per residence for a new fiber buildout. For urban settings, the cost per home drops with higher density, but additional costs can be added due to civil engineering issues ie obtaining permission from the municipality to build.
Google’s cost in providing an overbuild in Kansas city was projected to be between $674 and $500, but the project was completed in waves. That first wave of 12,000 homes was just an 8 percent penetration of its total footprint, costing an additional $10 million on top of the $42 million in Kansas and $52 million in Missouri. In other words, the upfront investment per household on the first day of service was something like $7833.34 per house. In the above cited source, the analysts went on to calculate the cost of a network covering 20 million homes, making it a mid-tier provider, which would have required $11 billion even before a single consumer could sign up.
A couple other cost estimates

• Verizon FiOS was estimated to cost $4,000 per home with a present value of $3,200.
• Minnesota’s DEED grants cost $3,183 per home passed.
• Evanston, IL, a dense city just north of Chicago, awarded a fiber project in the city that cost $2,500.

EDIT: Most in economics would now agree that the variation in cost, from $674 to $4,000, should translate into higher service prices. Among other problems in the original post is the lack of clarity on the barriers to entry, are they signs of market power, or are they merely a cost of production? This is the Bain/Stigler fight in a nutshell. As Bain had defined them, an entry barrier is "an advantage of established sellers in an industry over potential entrant sellers, which is reflected in the extent to which established sellers can persistently raise their prices above competitive levels without attracting new firms to enter the industry." On the other hand, Stigler saw barriers to entry as "a cost of producing that must be borne by a firm which seeks to enter an industry but is not borne by firms already in the industry." In addition to the initial deployment costs, all of the other social and regulatory costs I am laying out in this post should be understood as adding to the cost of production a la Stigler, not necessarily a sign of market power a la Bain. For a discussion on this issue, see this paper.
The development of Google Fiber’s Kansas City network very much changed the negotiating behavior between service providers and municipalities. By publically running a selection process, a number of cities vied for the new service and in doing so, the company was able to dictate the terms of the final agreement. Among the things required for any new city is a quick turn around from the city on rights of way. Indeed, when San Francisco conducted a feasibility study for a city-wide network, it cited “the considerable City’s right-of-way knowledge and utility maintenance capabilities” as an asset.
Again, Medin explains:

Governments across the country control access to the rights-of-way that private companies need in order to lay fiber. And government regulation of these rights-of-way often results in unreasonable fees, anti-investment terms and conditions, and long and unpredictable build-out timeframes. The expense and complexity of obtaining access to public rights-of-way in many jurisdictions increase the cost and slow the pace of broadband network investment and deployment.

It is hard to explain how expensive and costly these deals are in part because some of the contract specifications aren’t detailed publicly and the exact cost is buried in city reports. For example, LA had $35 million in cable franchise fees just sitting in a bank account unused. The cost of franchise fees is something I am currently studying, but most cities have at least a 5% revenue fee. Interestingly, when Google was working to provide municipal WiFi in 2006, the city of San Francisco drug their feet: “talks to come up with a final contract have advanced little since they started and that officials have made unreasonable demands, including a request for free computers and a share in revenues.”
Google was able to route around many of the deployment cost issues that face entrants in Kansas City. In particular, permit applications were contractually obligated to be reviewed within five business days. They have since created a checklist, which had served as a roadmap for general state and federal reform efforts. Google Fiber also choose specific neighborhoods to deploy, which were based on consumer demand, thus circumventing the buildout requirements that will limit entrants.
Putting It Together / The State of Competition on the Internet
The reason for laying out all of this history and regulatory structure is to detail the source of costs in the Internet service market, which leads to the market structure. Saying that “we can't also allow them carte blanche with their price structure” denies that various kinds of economic and social regulation do just that.
And how exactly would we describe the market? Most tend to describe it as oligopolistic, including the DoJ. Now there might be some debate as to the level where competition exists, but according to the most recent FCC data from June 2014, which won’t reflect changes from AT&T’s VIP upgrade and fiber upgrades in 2015, 89% of all census tracts have 2 or more providers at speeds of at least 10 Mbps downstream. While the FCC only just put out data, this report from earlier this year found substitution among cable and DSL providers and suggests that midlevel tiers are typically the competitive level within any specific region.
And while the rising cost of Internet and cable are often detailed in the press, making the firm case that Internet service has monopoly characteristics is a little more difficult. For one, Internet connection speeds have tripled over the last 3.5 years as detailed by the FCC. Yet, there are clear differences in this speed since Delaware and Virginia actually have average download speeds around the same as Japan. At the same time, the CPI for Internet services has basically remained flat over that time, the July index is 76.955 with a 1997 base. As recent as 2006, the CPI was 95. It is also worth mentioning that Internet access isn’t modeled hedonically, so this number is probably off.
Given the available evidence, I tend to think the market is oligopolistic, which is not a sufficient condition for regulation, especially if the market conforms more towards Bertrand competition than Cournot competition, both of which are still lower than the monopoly price. A combination of the two, known as the Kreps-Scheinkman model, is often relied upon in analysis of these kinds of communications firms. In this two stage model, two firms first make a binding choice about future production capacity, which is basically a Cournot decision. In the second stage, each firm chooses a price a la Bertrand.
This basic model seems to jive with econometric analysis of the markets. These researchers found that DSL service gets better when a cable player enters the market, and also when cable operators start to offer DOCSIS 3.0 speeds. This paper found that increased numbers of fixed wireline broadband providers generally have no statistically or economically significant impact on download speeds, suggesting price competition. The authors concluded that,

Quite interestingly and perhaps provocatively, the same model shows statistically significant impacts on fixed connection broadband service quality associated with the presence of larger numbers of wireless mobile internet providers.

In other words, imperfect substitution among wired and wireless broadband providers probably exists. Admittedly, there is a lot I am missing here and I am working on some papers on this subject right now.
Also, a couple other basic points, the net profit margin for Comcast was 10.96% last year, while the utilities sector typically ranges between 8% and 10%. ROIC was 9.53% last year, which is basically the same as the S&P. Comcast also ranks within the top ten in total cap ex. As for telecoms that are derided, and I didn't spend much time on the competitive side of wireless, AT&T and Verizon constantly rank as the highest in total investment with 21.2 billion and 16 billion in 2014 respectively.
Practically speaking, the maintenance of a regulatory apparatus that could deal with the variation in cost is one of the primary reasons why open access regulation is generally preferred. Instead of determining rates of the end user price, you unbundle the network elements and let companies compete down the price. This is what the EU largely maintains. However, this doesn’t come without its own problems. As Laffont and Tirole point out that, and I am going to pull a Rule VI here, ‘‘[T]here is in general a trade-off between promoting competition to increase social welfare once the infrastructure is in place and encouraging the incumbent to invest and maintain the infrastructure.’’ In one study of this phenomena, investment per household in the EU was about half the US. Europe does have many dense urban cities (see figure 35), so a general reduction in long term investment for tradeoff in lower consumer prices this might not be a huge deal, since the total amount of investment for a region will be enough to maintain a fast network. However, given how suburban the US is, this might not be the best.
I’ve written a lot here. Please rip me to shreds. I need to be better.