Random Football Thoughts is a new series where I talk about things related to football that aren't long enough to be a post yet I find them important to bring up.

The Night Liverpool Cried

It seems that the fall of Arsenal, which lasted a long time sitting on the tree of the English Premier League, caused an earthquake with violent aftershocks, overthrowing Liverpool's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League again and overshadowing the presence of Tottenham and Chelsea in European competitions next season. The tremor brought tears to the Reds, including Salah, who faced the angry crowd with a touching apology, tears shed over spilled titles, accompanied by a promise to stand up again.

The Europa League is no longer a mark of shame for the champions. Many have preceded Liverpool in participating in this tournament, which holds the second rank in Europe. Even Manchester United itself, which dashed Liverpool's hopes on Thursday night, has become a regular guest in this tournament in recent years, and has even won the title with Mourinho, bringing joy and memorable nights to the Old Trafford faithful.

It has become natural to see the elite European champions, led by Barcelona, along with Milan, their neighbor Inter, and Roma, in addition to Arsenal, which came close to winning the current Premier League title. The tournament is no longer just a shadow of the champions with the participation of these great teams.

Yes, the Europa League may not fulfill Liverpool's ambitions, but it is much better than being absent from all competitions. This is the case for Chelsea, who lifted the trophy with the big ears two seasons ago, and Tottenham, who reached the final four seasons ago, both of whom exited the current season's stage with nothing.

In my opinion, the Europa League has become a tournament that carries a lot of importance for the big teams, especially those who qualify directly and do not descend from the Champions League after the group stage. They remain determined to compete without being discouraged, which makes winning the title more difficult for them. We witnessed in the current season the consecutive exits of Barcelona, Arsenal, Juventus, and Manchester United, and the final became a classic with the presence of Sevilla, who specializes in this tournament, despite struggling for tenth place domestically, along with Roma, who barely made it to sixth place after Juventus was deducted 10 points in Serie A.

The tournament should receive more attention from the European Union, and the significant gap between it and the Champions League in terms of prizes and sponsorship should be reduced, as long as the big teams are always guests in its competitions.

The club's passion does not change regardless of the level of the tournament, and the fans flock to support it in stadiums and watch it on screens. Thursday night is no longer just a luxury to watch small teams, but sometimes it becomes more intense than Wednesday nights, where we witnessed the coldness of many matches due to performances that did not match the magnitude of the tournament from teams that only qualified because they were champions in countries far from the top five in Europe.

Messi Bids Farewell to PSG

Yesterday saw Messi's last game in a PSG shirt. This is not exactly shocking as the French club doesn't seem to be the best club in terms of anything besides maybe proximity to the Eiffel Tower as far as Messi is concerned. What was shocking is the fact PSG fans were booing Messi on his last day.

What I find baffling about such behaviour is the aggressiveness with which the PSG fans have been treating Messi in particular. It might be because of the fact that it was Messi's Argentina which prevented France from winning the World Cup, maybe it was the disappointment of another UEFA Champions League exit. Maybe several reasons, but I could never be sure. However, the result is what we saw yesterday.

Messi has 32 goal contributions this season, 16 goals and he leads the assist board with 16 as well. Not the best numbers when we speak of Messi, but more than decent for someone who's due to turn 36 this month.

The problem with these boos is that they definitely do more harm than good. The least harmful part is the fact they completely reroute where the anger should be as the French club hasn't built a team solid all around, a team with a clear identity and playstyle. PSG is just there in terms of football style and attitude, a team that has long hit the point of diminishing returns.

Messi isn't the reason PSG management hasn't brought a manager able of handling these players, nor one with a big personality to steer the club and make sense of the mess that is called the club's summer transfers. However, even that isn't the biggest damage PSG fans have done.

When you treat Messi that way, what is left? I mean, Messi has respectfully announced his departure. He didn't antagonize or blame the fans, he just announced that he'd be leaving and was met with that hostility in his final match with the club. So, when you treat Messi that way, and after the humble and respectful way he acted in return, who wouldn't you mistreat?

The last paragraph is exactly the thought that every non-French star would take into consideration when PSG is on his table. Let's face it, what's so attractive about the French league, to begin with, that would make a move there so appealing?

PSG is also far from being the only club able of paying big wages, so what's there? The only thing winning the French league did for Messi is just add another one to the number of titles he has. There's nothing appealing about the prospect of winning the French league, and definitely not with PSG of all clubs.

With that behaviour, PSG might as well just announce that the only thing the club has to offer is money, which can be found in many other places, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, USA, and many other countries where these players would be worshipped by fans.

Within a month, Messi will find another club that would match or pay more than Messi's salary at PSG, and that would come with the love of fans but could PSG sign another Messi? Do you see any top stars choosing PSG over any top club if the French club didn't have to hugely overpay?