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The 2019-2020 Football Thread

Apple fanboy said:
Oh dear. At home as well.
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Yes, at home, as well, though - for now - I'm not sure how much that feels like "home"as yet. It took Arsenal ages to settle in at the Emirates, and - privately - Mr Wenger always preferred Highbury.

I know that they have moved to a new stadium (as with Arsenal at the Emirates) such things take a while to settle, and I know that they are somewhat was-strapped at the moment.

However, while they are a very good team - they did make it to the CL final last year - and Mauricio Pochettino is an excellent manager - I get the sense of a team that has been taken almost as far as they can go.

The squad has been stretched thin for years, and denied the necessary resources to build and develop.

The pity of it is that they don't have more by way of silverware, or other competitions to show for what is a very, very good team.

But, this was a serious thrashing, and may well beg questions of motivation, spirit and direction of the team.
 
This isn't even a vintage Bayern team either - albeit still a good one - so it's quite humiliating for Spurs. One wonders if Poch is quite a bit more fed up in private than he is showing in public, and this feeling is infecting the squad. A squad that was arguably punching far above its weight already - not so much in terms of talent, but depth (or lack thereof).

Meanwhile, Zidane's managerial flaws, well-concealed by the incredibly stacked squad he was handed on arrival, continue to be exposed now that he has serious issues to contend with. He completely flubbed his handling of Bale, and that continues to bite him on the backside. The loss to Ajax last season and this season's draw with Brugge reinforce my belief that Real Madrid are an unmanageable side. They win through sheer force of talent, confidence, and experience. But a far less talented team can - if sufficiently well-drilled and committed - disrupt them, and once shaken they can fall apart. Many Spanish teams have developed a permanent funk of defeatism when facing them, but those that try - Atletico being the obvious example - have had their fair share of success.

Zidane may be a good manager, but it's impossible to tell so long as he's at Real Madrid.
 
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Oddly enough, I was happy to get draw at United. But, I will add, Chambers was being ran ragged on the wing. He seemed knackered, and was being pushed hard, too.
 
A weird, frustrating, exciting match at Anfield. Liverpool won the match easily - then nearly lost it, then won it again. The initial plan worked brilliantly and Salzburg were sliced to ribbons. But then the Liverpool players collectively took their foot off the gas...a foolish thing to do with a team as dangerously talented as Salzburg. They pounced ruthlessly. Klopp ultimately won the match by making the tactical shuffles necessary to re-establish control and giving his talented front line the opportunity to find a winner.

This was another lesson Liverpool can just about afford to learn now in the group stages - all the more so now that that Napoli have dropped points - but in the knockout rounds leaking three goals will cost them. Yes, I know all about Barca last season - but for heaven’s sake Liverpool, spare my heart this time around!!! It can’t handle too many nail biters. And next time, don’t faff about with RB Salzburg.

Also, a shout out to RB’s manager Jesse Marsch, one of the few Americans managing at anything approaching a high level in Europe.
 
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Lord Blackadder said:
A weird, frustrating, exciting match at Anfield. Liverpool won the match easily - then nearly lost it, then won it again. The initial plan worked brilliantly and Salzburg were sliced to ribbons. But then the Liverpool players collectively took their foot off the gas...a foolish thing to do with a team as dangerously talented as Salzburg. They pounced ruthlessly. Klopp ultimately won the match by making the tactical shuffles necessary to re-establish control and giving his talented front line the opportunity to find a winner.

This was another lesson Liverpool can just about afford to learn now in the group stages - all the more so now that that Napoli have dropped points - but in the knockout rounds leaking three goals will cost them. Yes, I know all about Barca last season - but for heaven’s sake Liverpool, spare my heart this time around!!! It can’t handle too many nail biters. And next time, don’t faff about with RB Salzburg.

Also, a shout out to RB’s manager Jesse Marsch, one of the few Americans managing at anything approaching a high level in Europe.
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Great post, and most enjoyable to read.

An extraordinary match.

Every time an opposing player as much as approaches Arsenal's defence, - even at a gentle stroll, my nails get gnawed, too.
 
A very tough match for the Reds tomorrow, albeit at home. Leicester are an excellent side and I won’t be a tiny bit surprised to see Liverpool drop points. With that being said, Liverpool are the better team and a win would be a statement to Man City.
 
Strelok said:
Wow Tottenham just continues falling apart. There’s almost no effort from anyone and it feels super disjointed.
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No, it is not that they are "falling apart".

Rather, that they have never had strength in depth, and were stretched too thinly, and that has now come back to haunt them. They were runners-up in the CL last summer, and have been consistently in the top four of the PL for the past few years, finishing in second place a few years ago.

Moreover, Pochettino is an excellent manager, but he has probably taken them as far as he can.

However, it would seem that some of this particular group of players are no longer entirely committed to Spurs and have been seeking to engineer a departure from the club to greener pastures ever since the summer.
 
As I thought, a super tight match at Anfield today. Both teams probably had enough opportunities to win the match in regular time, and both failed to fully capitalize. Liverpool struggled to break down Leicester but that is not because Liverpool had an off day - Leicester were just that good. Mane sold the penalty but I don't see a problem with the call - that's a penalty in 2019.

In the end I think Liverpool just about deserved the win, but the return fixture is going to be scary. If it was this close at Anfield, I fully expect Liverpool to drop points at Leicester.

Liverpool now have the opportunity to match the Premier League winning streak record at Old Trafford in their next match. Narrative. Man Utd are pretty poor right now but I am sure they will be up for this match more than almost any other this season.

pachyderm said:
Fixed that one for ya. ;)
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Poch has tuned out, you have to think he's already thinking about his next job. Few managers could do better in his shoes, so I'm not sure why (some) Spurs fans are complaining about him. The problem is Levy, not Poch. Levy is the reason Spurs have not won any silverware under Poch.
 
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Lord Blackadder said:
As I thought, a super tight match at Anfield today. Both teams probably had enough opportunities to win the match in regular time, and both failed to fully capitalize. Liverpool struggled to break down Leicester but that is not because Liverpool had an off day - Leicester were just that good. Mane sold the penalty but I don't see a problem with the call - that's a penalty in 2019.

In the end I think Liverpool just about deserved the win, but the return fixture is going to be scary. If it was this close at Anfield, I fully expect Liverpool to drop points at Leicester.

Liverpool now have the opportunity to match the Premier League winning streak record at Old Trafford in their next match. Narrative. Man Utd are pretty poor right now but I am sure they will be up for this match more than almost any other this season.



Poch has tuned out, you have to think he's already thinking about his next job. Few managers could do better in his shoes, so I'm not sure why (some) Spurs fans are complaining about him. The problem is Levy, not Poch. Levy is the reason Spurs have not won any silverware under Poch.
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Not because they’ve had to bank role their new stadium? Arsenal were no different for years when they moved from Highbury.

Not every London club can be gifted a stadium :)
 
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win.png
 
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Lord Blackadder said:
As I thought, a super tight match at Anfield today. Both teams probably had enough opportunities to win the match in regular time, and both failed to fully capitalize. Liverpool struggled to break down Leicester but that is not because Liverpool had an off day - Leicester were just that good. Mane sold the penalty but I don't see a problem with the call - that's a penalty in 2019.

In the end I think Liverpool just about deserved the win, but the return fixture is going to be scary. If it was this close at Anfield, I fully expect Liverpool to drop points at Leicester.

Liverpool now have the opportunity to match the Premier League winning streak record at Old Trafford in their next match. Narrative. Man Utd are pretty poor right now but I am sure they will be up for this match more than almost any other this season.
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An excellent victory for Liverpool - but a draw would not have been an unfair result, and would not have been unfair to Leicester, for Leicester are that good.

However, Liverpool are building up a nice reputation and a nice cushion; this could well be their season.


Lord Blackadder said:
Poch has tuned out, you have to think he's already thinking about his next job. Few managers could do better in his shoes, so I'm not sure why (some) Spurs fans are complaining about him. The problem is Levy, not Poch. Levy is the reason Spurs have not won any silverware under Poch.
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Agree.

Pochettino has taken this team very far, and probably as far as he can can take them; in fact, as Spurs manager, he has been excellent - the fans (if they are complaining) don't know how good they have had things, and how good Pochettino has been.

And agree, too, that the fault is Levy - more resources should have been made available to Pochettino.

While I see the point about how unsettling a move to a new stadium can be, the truth is that Spurs haven't invested intelligently or bought wisely; their finances might be okay, but their team - always stretched thinly, as they ever had strength in depth - is now fraying.

Add to that the fact that some of the players are clearly plotting and planning their exits, and one can see why Pochettino would be tiring of the place, tuning out, and losing interest.

But, this is not his fault.

The serious injury suffered today by Hugo Lloris - which will probably keep him out for the rest of the season - adds to their growing woes.
 
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I'm so done with this United team. From the Glazers to Ed Woodward to Old Gunnar Solskjaer to the vast majority of the players, there is such a high level of stubbornness and denial, I can't even figure out where to begin. The Glazers won't sell and Woodward won't give up his power over transfers, so nothing's going to change for a long, long time.

I've had just about enough of Solskjaer's management, as well. Keeps on playing Pereira on the right even though he's awful on the wing, insists on playing Mata and Lingard at the 10 even though they've both been awful, keeps playing Rashford up top even though his finishing confidence is totally shot. They were happy going in to the reason with Greenwood and Gomes as attacking cover, but they are still awfully young and inexperienced to count on very heavily. I am no longer convinced that Solskjaer is the right man for the job, but sacking him isn't going to change anything.
 
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Silencio said:
I'm so done with this United team. From the Glazers to Ed Woodward to Old Gunnar Solskjaer to the vast majority of the players, there is such a high level of stubbornness and denial, I can't even figure out where to begin. The Glazers won't sell and Woodward won't give up his power over transfers, so nothing's going to change for a long, long time.

I've had just about enough of Solskjaer's management, as well. Keeps on playing Pereira on the right even though he's awful on the wing, insists on playing Mata and Lingard at the 10 even though they've both been awful, keeps playing Rashford up top even though his finishing confidence is totally shot. They were happy going in to the reason with Greenwood and Gomes as attacking cover, but they are still awfully young and inexperienced to count on very heavily. I am no longer convinced that Solskjaer is the right man for the job, but sacking him isn't going to change anything.
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Room on the SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY bandwagon ... just saying.
 
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An extraordinary week-end; Liverpool still magisterial and eight points clear at the top of the table - no mean achievement so early in the season - while Spurs, Manchester United, and - much more importantly, Manchester City - all suffered defeats.

Elsewhere, Chelsea and Arsenal emerge victorious, but both clubs are really very much works in an uneven and sometimes erratic progress.
 
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Almost a perfect weekend for me (Columbus lost their last match of the season, but we were out of the playoffs anyways).

The results in the Premier League could not have been better for Liverpool. Going into the international break Man City are experiencing the kind of slide that could prove fatal in the long run if not rectified immediately. Everyone else below them are either inconsistent or in crisis, though Chelsea and Leicester are gradually emerging as the most convincing top four contenders thus far. Spurs are a shambles and have gone from firm favorites for third to who knows?

Granted, Man City had a couple of slips last season -Liverpool were ten points clear in December if I recall - and still won the title. Also, it is only October, so there are a lot of matches left to play. But Pep's problems in defense are not going to be easy to solve. They will still overpower most teams, but right now it's advantage Liverpool.
 
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Silencio said:
I am no longer convinced that Solskjaer is the right man for the job, but sacking him isn't going to change anything.
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The club's risky decision to hire Solskjaer as interim manager appeared to be inspired at the time, and could still even be called a qualified success; their decision to hand him the job permanently, especially when there was no need to make such a decision at the time, was pure madness. Solskjaer bears a small amount of the blame for current results but the ownership, and suits like Woodward, are really responsible for United's desperate form and lack of a strategic - let alone sporting or tactical - plan.
 
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Lord Blackadder said:
The club's risky decision to hire Solskjaer as interim manager appeared to be inspired at the time, and could still even be called a qualified success; their decision to hand him the job permanently, especially when there was no need to make such a decision at the time, was pure madness. Solskjaer bears a small amount of the blame for current results but the ownership, and suits like Woodward, are really responsible for United's desperate form and lack of a strategic - let alone sporting or tactical - plan.
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While OGS is inexperienced at this level, and it was probably a mistake to have appointed him permanently to this position, he is a decent and honourable man, and I would argue that the real problems lie with the suits, the players, and the fact that the team is a mixed bunch of individuals with different skills, levels of talent and confidence who have never mastered the art of playing together as a unit, a team, with a unified vision of what they want to achieve and how they wish to achieve it.

Howsoever talented some of these players individually are, - and some of them are very talented indeed - as a group, this particular group of individuals simply do not play together as a team with an instinctive (or learned) understanding of one another and of their individual respective roles when playing together as part of a larger coordinated unit.

It is not simply that in the years since the departure of the Sainted Sir Alex that Manchester United have appointed far too many managers with differing visions (who have purchased players accordingly), - though that is undoubtedly a factor - it is also the fact that this rot had already set in during the tail end of the Sainted and Venerated Sir Alex's tenure, but he was able to ensure that the growing deficiencies were masked and compensated for.
 
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