And another draw (leaking a goal in the last ten minutes as per usual) for Arsenal; good grief - eleven draws the season alone.
But, by all accounts, Sheffield United deserved the draw and their point.
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The 2019-2020 Football Thread
- Thread starter Lord Blackadder
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And another draw (leaking a goal in the last ten minutes as per usual) for Arsenal; good grief - eleven draws the season alone.
But, by all accounts, Sheffield United deserved the draw and their point.
Whenever you see Arsenal leading 1-0 late in the match, you assume a draw. Wolves's comeback against a good Southampton team is probably the result of the weekend thus far - no goal for Ings despite him being on a hot streak at the moment. Man City's draw with Crystal Palace is slightly surprising given City's recent form, but Crystal Palace love an upset. Leicester can draw level with Man City in the table (behind on GD) if they win tomorrow.
Norwich-Bournemouth was a classic six-pointer, and the Canaries bagged a priceless win though they are still in deep trouble.
That’s my fault. I put Ings in my FF team so I suspect it will be an injury next.
These days, unfortunately, you do, yes, that is, until Mikel Arteta manages to plug those holes, increase there fitness, and put an end to those lapses in concentration, in that defence.
No, unlike Emery, I think Arteta will manage to bing about some positive changes.
However, it will take at least two transfer windows to see whether, firstly, he will be able to get something better from some of the players on his books, by way or coaxing, persuading, and training, and secondly, who he will target, and whether he will be able to buy his selected targets.
Arteta seems to have a clear plan and started on the right foot with the players. All signs point to him knowing what he is doing. The question is whether what he can achieve with Arsenal matches with the expectations of the Club ownership and
The Newcastle-Chelsea match is a bit of a snoozer thus far.
I think Arsenal would settle for a top six finish.
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I think you said the same about Emery. Any news on the possibility of any January arrivals?
This season expecting anything more would be unrealistic. Liverpool, Man City, Leicester, Chelsea, and Wolves are inarguably better than Arsenal, and it is debatable whether they are better than the other remaining teams above them in the table. With an ace center back and another defender or two in the squad they could be a top four team next season if things fell their way. But this season is a wash.
Agreed.
I think Arteta - who has apprenticed under one of the best managers currently available - does know what he is doing, but it will take him some time to put his imprint on the team.
However, studying the table, I cannot really see Arsenal making the top four - who are already beginning to pull away - this season.
For now, I think the fans are with him, and a little realism from that quarter will not hurt.
As for the Club ownership, they also need to take a long hard look at themselves, for they have allowed executive functions at the club to deteriorate dramatically over the past few years.
No, re Emery I lived in hope - I would have preferred Thomas Tuchel to have been appointed in 2018 to Emery, - rather than expectation. I was prepared to accept him, but for a variety of reasons (and the entitled fans are not blameless) the appointment didn't work out.
However, agreed: A top six finish is the best we can hope for, and frankly, a top ten finish is a lot more likely.
Agreed.
Some decent defenders added, either now or summer, and a centre back would make a considerable difference to the squad.
Newcastle absolutely stole a win at the death against Chelsea. One of those results that is a total gut-punch for the losing team, but Newcastle did defend very stoutly and Chelsea couldn't break them down. A draw would have been a fair result but when the score is 0-0 in stoppage anything can happen.
Wednesday, who looked unbeatable for two weeks in a row, go back into "Jekyll and Hyde" mode and get clobbered 5-0 vs Blackburn.
Clobbered is a lovely verb; in this instance, - I read the match reports - it sounds both accurate and appropriate.
We’ve all been there. Sometimes a good beating can galvanise a team into putting things right.
...or it can precipitate a total implosion. Though, hopefully that is not the case for the Owls.
No.
That sort of "good beating" rarely works as future motivation, unless pride - professional pride - is also involved, something that cannot be said for some professional footballers.
If team confidence and cohesion and belief are prone to collapse as a result, then, possibly yes.
Actually if you look at the statistics a team well beaten rarely loses their next game.
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Occasionally. Not often. Usually they just sack the manager!
....and breathe.
Liverpool could have scored several more than the two they got (looking at you especially Mo, but you made up for it in the end), but the clean sheet was the key today. Virgil van Dijk ran a masterclass.
Man Utd. were slightly lucky to be in the game as long as they were, but they did work hard till the end and did create a couple good chances.
Liverpool could have scored several more than the two they got (looking at you especially Mo, but you made up for it in the end), but the clean sheet was the key today. Virgil van Dijk ran a masterclass.
Man Utd. were slightly lucky to be in the game as long as they were, but they did work hard till the end and did create a couple good chances.
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At this stage of the season, yes a little over half way, agreed, Liverpool are well on course to claim the Premiership. Their form this season has been outstanding, in that they have shown a capacity to do what champions do - win easy, win hard and win ugly by grinding out wins when necessary.
A lead of 16 points is not to be sneezed at - another team would require at least six wins would to overhaul them.
Rashford is going to be out for an extended period (2-3 months it seems) with a double stress fracture in his back. He's been playing injured, it seems, and worsened it to the point that he can't go on. A big blow for United, but they have been leaning heavily on him and he is still young.
The England forwards are dropping like flies...Danny Ings is surely going to get a shot at another cap now?
Much is being made of Klopp, the players, and many Liverpool's fans' unwillingness to relax (me included) in the face of an (admittedly) big lead at the top of the table, but Liverpool were one point short last season and failed to win the CL final the season before that. And let's not forget the infamous slip, though that was not, in reality, all that meaningful except in terms of narrative. No less a person that Roy Kean was crowing about all that just this morning. Virgil van Dijk said after the game:
"I think everyone wants us to say something about it but we won’t. We won’t get carried away. We cannot, and we won’t. I think what we experienced last year is something that made our mentality like this. We just want to go one game at a time, try to stay fit, try to improve."
...and I think that is the right attitude. If Klopp intends to take Liverpool as far as they can go this season, whether that be the title, a double, whatever - this is the mentality the players must have.
The England forwards are dropping like flies...Danny Ings is surely going to get a shot at another cap now?
Much is being made of Klopp, the players, and many Liverpool's fans' unwillingness to relax (me included) in the face of an (admittedly) big lead at the top of the table, but Liverpool were one point short last season and failed to win the CL final the season before that. And let's not forget the infamous slip, though that was not, in reality, all that meaningful except in terms of narrative. No less a person that Roy Kean was crowing about all that just this morning. Virgil van Dijk said after the game:
"I think everyone wants us to say something about it but we won’t. We won’t get carried away. We cannot, and we won’t. I think what we experienced last year is something that made our mentality like this. We just want to go one game at a time, try to stay fit, try to improve."
...and I think that is the right attitude. If Klopp intends to take Liverpool as far as they can go this season, whether that be the title, a double, whatever - this is the mentality the players must have.
I’d be surprised if Vardy doesn’t get a call to test his resolve to stay retired. But agree Ings should be in the squad.
I could be mistaken, but I think I've read somewhere Southgate has recently been in touch with Vardy and made it clear he is still in the picture if he wants to make himself available.
Ings should be a reasonable short-term solution though, and who knows? If his good form continues he may force his way into more caps.
Or a move from Southampton. Yes I’m sure I read Southgate had made contact.
I have no quarrel with not relaxing until the title has been won; that stands to reason.
However, I would argue that for the past year Liverpool have been an exceptionally good team, .
After all, Liverpool did win the Champion's League last season, and were runners-up in the Premiership - losing to Manchester City by a solitary point, while they had managed to reach the CL final the previous year (something Manchester City never achieved).
That is a very impressive record, and, while I will not attempt to argue that the title is won - that would be presumptuous, and perhaps also serve to tempt fate - I will say that as of now, it is Liverpool's to lose.
Remember, Liverpool lost only one game all last season, (in contrast to the three matches where Manchester City had been defeated) and so far, this season, they have yet to be defeated.
An Arsenal-supporting friend of mine has been in a season-long sulk - not so much because Arsenal are in the wilderness at the moment, but because he fears Liverpool will go undefeated and "take the Invincibles season away from us. That's all we have left!"
For the record, while it is certainly possible, I doubt Liverpool will do it. They still have to go to Man City, for one thing. There is a reason only two teams have ever done it In English top division football (with a shout out to Preston North End 1888-1889, the original Invincibles). I do think Liverpool will finish the season with substantially fewer draws than Arsenal did in 2003-04 (13), though perhaps not fewer than Preston's Invincibles managed (just 4, wow!).