Premier League 2020/2021 Thread

[weasel]

I didn't see the Utd game, was putting munchkin to bed. I saw Pogba's goal and it was a great dig. Just think what a player he would be if he tried every week.


As for that City goal, apparently the letter of the law sattes Rodri is onside cos he "receives" the ball after Mings plays it. Mings playing it makes Rodri onside. Effectively like a backpass. Rodri is offside if his own team pass to him, but if a defender, in this case Mings, passes to him then he is onside.
My problem is Mings doesn't pass to him, nor does Rodri "receive" the ball. He goes and wins it by tackling Mings. Which is surely different from being passed to. The first one involving him being active, the second one involving him doing FA.

I just can't get my head round HOW that is a goal. I just can't help but feel had that been Villa scoring against City, it would have been given as offside.

 

[edd_jedi]

Well if by the letter of the law that is allowed it's going to become the new trend, Fat Sam will just get his two strikers to stand in the opponents penalty area and wait until one of them can sneak up on a defender. I still can't fathom how there are MORE bad decisions and controversey with VAR than there ever was without it!?

 

[jayjedi]

Now calm down Weasel, its just a game and you are only 6 points behind Utd, who are awful, so plenty of opportunity to catch up...Have a glass of Claret & unwind :lol:
This is what happens when you don't reinforce in the Summer, even when you win the league by record margins, Fergie, City and Chelsea always spent on reinforcements even when they won the league.

 

[theforceuk]

They will still knock Man Utd out of the FA Cup on Sunday, long way to go. Amazing how the goals have dried up though, they had to loose at home eventually, that record was ridiculous.

 

[jayjedi]

Yes they will and I still think they will win the league if City have a stutter.

 

[edd_jedi]

Yeah I didn't realise it had been four years, incredible

 

[weasel]

Now calm down Weasel, its just a game and you are only 6 points behind Utd, who are awful, so plenty of opportunity to catch up...Have a glass of Claret & unwind :lol:
This is what happens when you don't reinforce in the Summer, even when you win the league by record margins, Fergie, City and Chelsea always spent on reinforcements even when they won the league.

I don't drink, though the way Pool are playing I am tempted.

As for strengthening ehhh Thiago isn't a bad player.


No idea where to start on last night. The same shite we have seen since, actually possibly the Spurs game. Slow build up play letting the other team get set up, then lots of lovely sideways passing 10-15 yards from their goal. Followed by an aimless lofty cross into the box. I mean it didn't really work against, WBA, or Newcastle, or Saints, so it's bound to work against Burnley. Everyone knows Burnley are a team of midgets who don't like heading the ball, and Salah, Mane and Firmino are all big lanky Andy Carroll's :roll:

Even at that, luck still wasn't with Pool. Origi's shot that hit the bar/angle was a bad miss, but an inch lower..... Firmino's deflection in the latter stages, flew straight onto a Burnley defender. If Pool were 2 up or that was last season, that shot flies past him and into the net. It's the fine margins that aren't helping ATM.

Then Obv Burnley score with their only really decent chance in the game. They had a few other shots on target, as did Pool, but I would have saved all of them so I don't count them, and the two great saves Alison did make were both from players who were offside (and flagged) so, again, they don't count.

Last season Pool dropped 15pts, a large chunk of them after they had won the league. In the last 5 games they have dropped 12. And scored ONE goal. Teams that do that, tend not to win leagues. Nor do they deserve to.

That was also Mane, Robertson, Fabinho, Shaqiri, Ox, Salah and Alison's first home PL defeat.

FAC this w/e which is good cos I don't have to watch it and I genuinely don't care who wins.
Then a lovely trip to play Spurs. Right now Pool are absolutely there for the taking, so watch Jose go safety first. If he went for it Spurs are quite capable of putting 4 on Pool in this form.

No idea how Jurgen fixes this, he has tried to give the squad boys a run out to shake it up a bit, but Ox looks half the player he was pre injury, Origi looks like a donkey and Minamino has never looked like a footballer.
Getting the team to play a bit faster would help. All too often the passes go, LB, Left sided CB, Right sided CB, RB and aimless ball down the line.

 

[edd_jedi]

Yes the next PL game between Spurs and Liverpool is going to be very interesting, both teams on a (relatively) bad run so it could go either way. Saying that, credit to Liverpool for still being in the top four when the next team with worse form than them is Palace in 13th!

 

[jayjedi]

As for strengthening ehhh Thiago isn't a bad player.

No but my two Liverpool supporting friends think as excellent a player he is, that he is often the one slowing the pace down akin to more European football. Now I don't watch a lot of football anymore as it is my belief it is a terrible decision to continue playing with the Covid outbreak still at horrific levels. Plus that they keep getting caught breaching the same rules the rest of us have to stick too, normally the day after they have told their millions of followers on Instagram to stay home to save lives... but Klopp has today said he is not the one making the transfer decisions which seems really odd, if you are the manager surely it is you who should determine if you want another player and who that should be!

 

[theforceuk]

I don't think you can say footballers are the only ones breaking the rules!

 

[weasel]

I don't think you can say footballers are the only ones breaking the rules!

Agreed. They are just more high profile.

As for Klopp's comments about transfers. Pool have a transfer committee. It was created after the Ballotelli farce. As far as I know there are 3 people on it. Klopp is one of them. So, I guess in the strictest sense, he doesn't control the transfers but it's not quite Chelsea/Real where the owner buys whoever he wants and the manager has to try make them into a team.

I suspect his frustrations are partly cos Pool are playing so badly and partly cos he wants a new CB and the club are refusing as they plan 2 or 3 windows ahead and don't have any money. The latter point is prob true as no club has money, bar those owned by Billionaires or sovereign wealth funds. Look at how little activity there has been since the transfer window opened.
I think the club are conscious that Jan is a bad time to buy. Selling clubs add a premium as they don't like selling mid season. Add to that the fact everyone knows Pool r desperate and the obligatory "You're an english club, you're rich" and that's two more premiums. Suddenly a 20m player is closer to 40 or 50m and pool don't have that.

I can see both sides. Pool are screaming out for a CB, it is a bit daft to try and play a whole season with ONE CB. Especially one made of chocolate like Matip. BUUUUTTTTT, why spend £40-50m on someone who will be back ip, at best, next season?
Pool aren't gonna b able to afford Koulibaly or upameco as both would be 80m plus, so buying someone who could start most weeks next season isn't really an option.

Personally, I'd like to see them sign/loan an older player on his way down. Sorta Gary Cahill or Diego Godin-esque. Someone who could play the last 3/4 months of the season but who wont mind being a squad player next year. A solid, but unspectacular player. Problem is, I can't think of anyone who fits the bill, both age wise and ability wise.

 

[lejackal]

Mustafi is available......

 

[edd_jedi]

Mustafi is available......

I was going to say he can have Sanchez :lol:

 

[weasel]

Mustafi is available......

Yeah, ehhh, I'll stick Hendo and the kids, thanks.

I was going to say he can have Sanchez :lol:

Ehhh, see above. Thanks, but no thanks!


And, No, I don't want Phil Jones or Rojo before any Utd fan tries to offer them.

 

[theforceuk]

Mustafi is available......

Yeah, ehhh, I'll stick Hendo and the kids, thanks.

I was going to say he can have Sanchez :lol:

Ehhh, see above. Thanks, but no thanks!


And, No, I don't want Phil Jones or Rojo before any Utd fan tries to offer them.

You don't want Phil Jones for 80k a week? He's well rested hasn't played since he got injured at home training in the first lock down!

 

[edd_jedi]

I'm sure everyone has seen by now, but Lampard has been sacked. Who would have thought he'd go before Arteta a month ago? Funny how quickly things can change

 

[lejackal]

It's a bit of a joke really, no one is saying him, Arteta or OGS are the greatest managers BUT Utd have stuck with OGS, backed him up with transfers and are now looking more like a team that can compete. Maybe Chelsea should've been more patient (not their strong point)?

 

[edd_jedi]

I guess from their point of view he had 18 months which is longer than a lot of managers last. But I agree that considering how well he did last year, getting sacked after a run of <10 bad results is harsh. Knowing how ruthless they are, I imagine they got Frank in until the transfer ban was over, and a 'real' manager would be interested. They've probably been waiting for an excuse for months

 

[lejackal]

Here's a tongue in cheek view....
https://newsthump.com/2021/01/25/next-chelsea-manager-to-be-offered-45-minute-rolling-contract/

 

[weasel]

I guess from their point of view he had 18 months which is longer than a lot of managers last. But I agree that considering how well he did last year, getting sacked after a run of <10 bad results is harsh. Knowing how ruthless they are, I imagine they got Frank in until the transfer ban was over, and a 'real' manager would be interested. They've probably been waiting for an excuse for months

Sums it up very well.
He, of all people, knew what he was getting himself in to. Given how much he had to spend, when everyone else spent the sum total of FA squared, he can't be too surprised to be given the boot. Granted it takes time to integrate all those players, and at Chelsea you never know how much say the manager gets, but Lampard knew all of that before he started.

I wonder where his next managerial job will be? No other big 6 club will want him and will he take another PL job, or drop down the leagues to learn the job out of the spotlight!?