Ep. 48: From Intercontinental Cup to League Cup Madness | Football Besides AFCON

In this final club-focused episode before AFCON takes center stage, I take a step back and reflect on a packed and often chaotic week in European football.I start with the Intercontinental Cup, where PSG lifted the trophy after an extraordinary penalty shootout, before moving into a look at the UEFA Conference League and its increasingly strange league-phase format.From there, it’s all about cup football across Europe — with dramatic Copa del Rey upsets, mixed fortunes in domestic cups, and a broader question about whether some competitions still make sense in an already overloaded calendar.With no Austrian Bundesliga action and Milan exiting the Supercoppa early, my focus shifts to the weekend leagues:– Germany, where Leverkusen reassert themselves as Bayern’s closest challenger– Italy, with Juventus quietly climbing back into Champions League contention– Spain and the Netherlands, where Barcelona and PSV continue to set the pace– England, where late drama, red cards, injuries, and fixture congestion once again dominate the conversationI close the episode with thoughts on squad overload, unnecessary competitions, and where European football stands as we head into AFCON season.Use this RSS Link to never miss an episode in your favorite podcast app: https://anchor.fm/s/f9d49078/podcast/rss You can also find me on YouTube: @MySoccerUniverseFootballTalk Also, check out my main Youtube channel @MySoccerUniverse If you want to hear my takes on the Austrian Bundesliga in general, and my team LASK in particular and understand German, you can subscribe to my other podcast, too: @MeinLASKUniversum or https://anchor.fm/s/107a5b448/podcast/rss #FootballTalk#EuropeanFootball#IntercontinentalCup#ConferenceLeague#CopaDelRey#PremierLeague#Bundesliga#SerieA#LaLiga#Eredivisie#DomesticCups#FixtureCongestion#FootballCalendar#AFCON#EndOfYearFootball00:00 Intro – A Different Kind of Football Week03:38 Intercontinental Cup Final – PSG over Flamengo in Penalty Drama07:06 UEFA Conference League – League Phase Final & Playoff Picture13:20 Domestic Cup Action – Copa del Rey, KNVB Beker and Taca de Portugal19:05 Weekend League Review – Germany & Italy26:01 La Liga & Eredivisie – Barcelona, PSV & Missed Chances32:21 Premier League & Portugal – Chaos, Injuries & Title Races40:09 Final Thoughts – What Comes Next