The 2019-2020 Football Thread

[Lord Blackadder]

Chelsea fumble the chance to consolidate their league position with that loss to the Blades.

Re focus, I think Liverpool's issue does not come down to the drinks breaks, but the fact that they have already won the Premier League in a season well beyond when they would normally have expected to have been playing in a domestic league, and that their focus, concentration and motivation is somewhat erratic as a consequence.

They've certainly relaxed a bit after the title, even if they don't feel it themselves. The drinks break didn't directly lead to the goal but it was a game of fine margins and I think the breaks can be a factor in terms of robbing one team of momentum or giving a collapsing team a chance to regroup.

Klopp wants to keep pushing at 100% and I'm all for it, but you can't expect the team to show the same level of focus when they know the title is already in the bag. Milner and Henderson, both of whom were absent today, often provide that extra leadership on the pitch that drive the team forward. Had either been on the pitch we might have had a different result. But Burnley were very resilient.

 

[pachyderm]

WEDNESDAY WIN!!... I'm as shocked as anyone...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

And, elsewhere, the death of Jack Charlton - who played for Leeds for 20 years, (those great tough, Leeds teams, winning a FA Cup medal and a League title with them), who played on the World Cup winning English team in 1966, and who was a legendary manager of the Republic of Ireland, where he was revered, - was reported.

 

[Apple fanboy]

And, elsewhere, the death of Jack Charlton - who played for Leeds for 20 years, (those great tough, Leeds teams, winning a FA Cup medal and a League title with them), who played on the World Cup winning English team in 1966, and who was a legendary manager of the Republic of Ireland, where he was revered, - was reported.

Very sad. I recall him more as a manager than a player to be honest. I’ve met two of the ‘66’ team. Geoff Hurst and Alan Ball.
I’m not sure how many are left now.

 

[circatee]

Next up, The North London Derby.
This will be interesting...

 

[circatee]

If not Kolasinac, then it is bloody Luiz. Ugh...

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Villa give themselves a little boost today, but unless West Ham or Watford collapse in the next couple matches they are still going down. It does keep the pressure on though.

If not Kolasinac, then it is bloody Luiz. Ugh...

Luiz is a calamity but this one wasn't his fault, Kolasinac put him in an impossible situation with that mistake.

St. Totteringham's day is on the line now....

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Next up, The North London Derby.
This will be interesting...

If not Kolasinac, then it is bloody Luiz. Ugh...

These days, I cannot relax until an Arsenal game has finished (preferably with a victory or a draw), and suffer a nervous shudder every single time a member of our defence touches the ball.

How I long to feel the careless and insouciant complacency of the era of the legendary Invincibles.....

Anyway, on the pitch, it is a goal apiece between Arsenal and Spurs.

 

[circatee]

Considering the performance of our defence, rather weird we're not near the relegation zone.
I would like us to win today, and for Auba & Saka (if he comes on) to score, too.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Villa give themselves a little boost today, but unless West Ham or Watford collapse in the next couple matches they are still going down. It does keep the pressure on though.



Luiz is a calamity but this one wasn't his fault, Kolasinac put him in an impossible situation with that mistake.

St. Totteringham's day is on the line now....

Well West Ham’s next game is Watford (Friday). The winner is safe. A draw probably also condemns Villa.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Granted, there has been improvement (in attitude, focus, and results) since Mikel Arteta took the reins, but, Arsenal still remain a work in progress with the sort of school report that reads "could do better."

 

[Apple fanboy]

Granted, there has been improvement (in attitude, focus, and results) since Mikel Arteta took the reins, but, Arsenal still remain a work in progress with the sort of school report that reads "could do better."

And now you have gone behind. Can you get a late equaliser?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

And now you have gone behind. Can you get a late equaliser?

Where are the Arsenal defence?

Martinez should not be under siege.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Where are the Arsenal defence?

Martinez should not be under siege.

Mia for a change!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Mia for a change!

No, MIA as per usual, and inexplicably asleep on the job.

This is nothing new, an endlessly recycled loop of similar mistakes, repeated ad nauseam.

Spurs deserved to win, but Martinez, like Leno, should not be expected to have to rescue Arsenal all of the time from their own folly.

 

[circatee]

Well, that was that. Repeated mistakes by us, and Tottenham took advantage.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Well, that was that. Repeated mistakes by us, and Tottenham took advantage.

I don't mind "repeated mistakes" in a particular match; every so often, each and every team has a horror of a game where everything possible goes wrong.

What bothers me with Arsenal, is that these "repeated mistakes" occur in game after game, suggesting an inability - or an unwillingness - to learn from them, and an equal inability to avoid making them in the future.

 

[JamesMike]

Arsenal's lack of defense was a bit much!

 

[JamesMike]

Bournemouth just scored its 3rd goal! Did not expect this!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

What?

4-1 to Bournemouth (against Leicester).

Very late in the day for both Villa and Bournemouth to think about beginning an improbable (and difficult) attempt at resurrection.

 

[Apple fanboy]

What?

4-1 to Bournemouth (against Leicester).

Very late in the day for both Villa and Bournemouth to think about beginning an improbable (and difficult) attempt at resurrection.

But worrying none the less for a Hammers fan.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

The worst thing about the loss from an Arsenal perspective is that Spurs really didn't play all that well either, so it should be seen as an opportunity lost. Spurs have been better at defending than Arsenal for a few seasons now, and that was the difference.

Meanwhile, in MLS, Columbus hammered Cincinnati 4-0 last night in one of the few matches that has gone off without a hitch in the MLS is Back tournament. I am worried how this is going to go from here.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The worst thing about the loss from an Arsenal perspective is that Spurs really didn't play all that well either, so it should be seen as an opportunity lost. Spurs have been better at defending than Arsenal for a few seasons now, and that was the difference.

....

Unfortunately, there is too much truth in that observation for comfort.

 

[pachyderm]

The worst thing about the loss from an Arsenal perspective is that Spurs really didn't play all that well either, so it should be seen as an opportunity lost. Spurs have been better at defending than Arsenal for a few seasons now, and that was the difference.

Meanwhile, in MLS, Columbus hammered Cincinnati 4-0 last night in one of the few matches that has gone off without a hitch in the MLS is Back tournament. I am worried how this is going to go from here.

View attachment 933288

Stupid idea and stupid format, IMHO, anyway.

Nashville SC was "Covided Out".

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Stupid idea and stupid format, IMHO, anyway.

Nashville SC was "Covided Out".

The basic idea of a tournament was sound on paper, but the detail planning and execution was sloppy and the decision to host it in Florida was stupid (and, as I said before, likely ESPN's idea or at least one they welcomed). Florida is perhaps the biggest COVID hotspot on the planet. It wasn't at the time the tournament was being planned, but things have changed since April and May - and as the numbers skyrocketed statewide and the Florida governor refused (and still refuses) to mount any meaningful response, why did they go ahead send all our professional football teams there anyway? At the moment Florida is registering more new COVID cases every day than the entire EU. I shouldn't have to comment further on the wisdom of continuing with this tournament.

Columbus' backup keeper Matt Lampson is a cancer survivor and is immunocompromised. He has been vocal about the risks and while many players have said they feel safe many others have voiced concerns, and some - like LAFC star Carlos Vela - have stayed home.