Premier League 2019/2020 Thread

[weasel]

Oh aye I agree, every team has **** performances. And you're right, Pool and City do have a habit of grinding out 3pts when they have off days. But then all title winning sides do. That tends to be the difference between the top 3/4/5 and the sides that are genuinely in the running to win the title.

I guess you take the silver lining that you are through and that's all that really matters. Although Sevilla totally dominated Wolves last night. Play like you did again Copenhagen and you won't get that lucky again.

As for Wolves, I felt. A bit sorry for them. They did quite well. They were pinned in their own half but they had limited Sevilla to only a few chances. Had Yer man not ****ed up his penalty that would have been a totally different penalty. And **** me that as a **** pen. Those slow slow run ups always scream "nerves" to me. Some get away with it as it is the way they take them every time. Yer man last night just looked like he was gonna stuff it up as soon as the whistle went and Started to **** about.
A lot to be said for taking pens either Julian Dicks/Kevin Pressman style (one almighty whalop that takes the keeper into the back of the net with it) or Caseragi style (1 step and a shot either footed). Or the Jorginho style wee fruity jump, though I suspect it will be banned soon enough.

 

[theforceuk]

Think I prefer Seville to Wolves next. That said both are games Man Utd should win, we all no that's not the case with Man Utd any more.

 

[weasel]

If I was Utd I dunno who I would prefer. Sevilla are the better side but Wolves know how to beat Utd. Fingers crossed Utd lose anyway lol

 

[theforceuk]

I don't think you need to cross anything! Yeah that's how I feel, Wolves always get something from us when we need a win, but then Seville could give us a pasting if were not up for it.

CL is looking interesting, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Athletico Madrid ans PSG all have a good chance. Oh and then you have Man City.

 

[weasel]

I didn't see the game but Bayern looked very good from what i have heard.
Barac are bang average. A weaker 1 man side than last year when Pool humped them.

I hope Atletico don't win for their anti-football ehhh football. Ditto PSG for being such a bunch of whiney diving spoilt little rich man's play things.

 

[theforceuk]

My moneys on Bayern Munich, a summer tournament held in Europe. The Germans will win.

 

[weasel]

I reckon they will hoke Barca tonight. Barca were looking distinctly unfit the other night.

Good to see Atleti get beaten too.

 

[theforceuk]

I reckon your right, Bayern Munich will surely win it now they look really good although Barca are abysmal! 4-1 with 37 minutes gone!

 

[jayjedi]

What a game that was, cannot believe Barca would let their own player play against them!

 

[theforceuk]

Yeah that game reminded me of Brazil 7 - 1 Germany in the 2014 world cup. Man City have got a game on their hands if they get through. Barcelona were soooooooo bad though, its hard to tell how good Bayern were or are?

 

[weasel]

Bayern tore Barca a new one. I have been saying for years now that Barca were Messi and a few ageing stars with a bunch of bang average shirt fillers. Bayern exposed that massively. No way you fix that Barca side in 1 or 2 windows either. Given their record on transfers makes Bournemouth look good and they have no money......they are ****ed.


As for City, Pep over thinks things in the latter stages of the CL again, again, again, AGAIN.
Play three at the back cos you are playing........... the seventh best team in France!?
What!? Play your normal game and hump them 4 or 5-0.
Not sure where City go from here. Bayern would have beaten them it they got anywhere near the level they hit against Barca. City have one of the best managers in the world but continually **** up in the latter stages of the CL. They are almost like Arsenal were, make CL, cruise your group, then lose as soon as you face a half decent side. Calling Lyon a half decent side is a stretch too.

Saying that, you often find after a massive win like Bayern had, the next game is a struggle as everyone has subconsciously taken a quarter of a foot off the gas, thinking they are great, and that's all it takes. Bayern will either beat Lyon 4/5 or lose 1-0 or 2-1 With Lyon having 2 shots on the 2 occasions they make it out of their own box.

'Mon Sevilla :wink:

 

[theforceuk]

Ha, Ha! You can't make it up, by far the better team and we should have had a second pen! Well done Seville though and good luck in the final.

 

[weasel]

Yeah, better side and that could well have been a pen. Although Utd cant exactly complain about not getting a pan given how many they have had this year and how soft some of them have been (Villa). Even at that, Utd missed enough chances to win the game and only have themselves to blame. Sevilla's keeper had a blinder but Utd should still have won. Similar to Pool losing to Atleti, best side lost cos the other team's keeper had a blinder. Tho DDG didn't pass straight to Sevilla's CFA 30 seconds after Utd had gone ahead, like Adrien did.

If I was a Utd fan I would be a bit worried about next season. You are getting the shortest rest period of any PL side and you currently play with a squad of about 15. Your starting 11 is solid enough but bar Shaw/Williams and Fred/Mctominay/Matic there is virtually no back up. Towards the end of the domestic season your starting 11 locked shattered. What are they going to be like nxt yr if they have to play 38 games AND have the CL on top!? Last yr you could play kids/squad players in EL that won't be an option in the CL. Injuries are gonna cripple Utd if they don't get 3 or 4 more 1st team members in.

 

[edd_jedi]

When your number 1 goal keeper is nearing the end of his career, who do you sign? Joe Hart :lol: I guess it's a free transfer, but I don't really understand the logic from Spurs.

 

[weasel]

Agreed. Good move for Joe Hart. Not sure what Spurs thinking is. Unless he is happy to play second fiddle and has reasonable wages.

 

[edd_jedi]

On the subject of bizarre appointments, Barcelona are apparently going to hire Ronald Koeman, the manager who famously led Everton to... the relegation zone! Barca are ****ed.

 

[theforceuk]

Koeman is only going for 1 season I think, until Xavi can take over. Joe Heart to Spurs is a bit odd, but he must be back up. How old is Lloris?

 

[weasel]

On the subject of bizarre appointments, Barcelona are apparently going to hire Ronald Koeman, the manager who famously led Everton to... the relegation zone! Barca are ****ed.

They are, but not cos they appointed Koeman. He is about the best they could have got. FFS other names in the runner where Xavi and Theiry Henry. Henry!? Who has 6 months experience nearly taking Monaco down. Xavi is smart enough to know the problems at that club and to realise he cant fix them. Poch was never likely to get it given he is an ex Espanyol player and manager. He was just talked about because he is available and friends with the president. Koeman has experience and will know what the club needs to try and sort itself out. Whether he is allowed to do it, is another matter.

Barca's problem is money. They have none. They spent 140m on Coutinho, 100m on Dembelele and over 100m on Greizeman. None of them have worked out. Add in a lot of ageing stars on massive wages Biscuits, Suarez and Pique, and Messi's wage of 600kpw (after tax) and you can see the issue. They have the biggest wage bill in world football.
Who is going to pay Biscuits, Suarez or Pique a salary that would tempt them to leave? You are talking about probably half a dozen to a dozen clubs, at most. How many of those clubs are going to want to pay big wages for players who are past it? Not many.
Barca will struggle to shift those wages off the books. Until they do there won't be any money for transfers. They were looking to sell players this summer, before Bayern humped them.

Even if they do find some money from somewhere, the last signing they made that worked out, was Luis Suarez. That was six years ago. Would you trust a club with THAT kind of record to fix their problems, even if they had money!?

Tiz the end if an era. They will continue to dominate in Spain, as it's a two team league, and they collect the bulk if the La Liga tv rights money. But I suspect their time as a major force on the European scene is coming to an end.

 

[weasel]

Apparently Barca are 700m in debt and spend 70% of their income on wages. You don't need to be a business genius to realise that's utter ****ing madness.

 

[theforceuk]

And they are having the New Camp revamped! Spain is completely bankrupted in general though, very sad times for them.

I take your point on Man Utd needing 4 or 5 top players, I don't think anyone can dispute that and when I say 4 or 5 top players I mean 4 or 5 Bruno Fernandes type signings! The only point I would make is when a team does win the league they don't usually get many injuries, one or two perhaps but they have a settled side.

I'm not saying if this Utd team gets no injuries next season they have a chance at all. I really don't think the present set of players and staff combined have what it takes. You never no though Leicester won the league, so stranger things have happened. I can't see past Liverpool again next season, but it never really goes to plan.