It certainly paid off. Glad I swooped him out of this week's FF team.
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The 2022-2023 Football Thread
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It's one gamble he won't be charged for, though.
Brentford were excellent and deserved the three points. As they did against Man U, and City. I like Brentford; a small club without pretension or delusion, great local support, and they seem to have a very good manager in Franck. I wish them the best of luck.
Liverpool's midfield has collapsed; Fabinho has had too many injuries, and Thiago just isn't up to the standard needed. Henderson and Milner are ancient, and should have had replacements lined up 2 or 3 years ago. Keita has been a waste of money, pretty much. Without the steel of Henderson and Milner of previous seasons, Liverpool are very vulnerable and it's much easier for teams to cut right through them. They just aren't defending high enough up the pitch, which is leaving the defence exposed all the time. And they aren't scoring; much is being said of Nuñez not getting goals, but neither is anyone else. The midfielders aren't goalscorers, and Salah has definitely lost a bit of form. So individual players are under immense pressure across the pitch, and this is what is contributing to mistakes and a lack of effective communication. The youngsters like Elliot, Jones and Carvalho are great young players with loads of potential, but none of them are midfield generals. This is why Liverpool need at least 3-4 signings very soon, to help shore things up. There are positive signs; Bajcetic looks like one for the future, Gakpo will help offset the temporary loss of Diaz and Jota, and Joe Gomez is having a mini revival, but a lot of work is obviously long overdue. The intensity of last season was always going to have a significant impact on a squad lacking the out and out strength in depth in every position like City have, but Klopp has picked them up before, and he will again.
Liverpool's midfield has collapsed; Fabinho has had too many injuries, and Thiago just isn't up to the standard needed. Henderson and Milner are ancient, and should have had replacements lined up 2 or 3 years ago. Keita has been a waste of money, pretty much. Without the steel of Henderson and Milner of previous seasons, Liverpool are very vulnerable and it's much easier for teams to cut right through them. They just aren't defending high enough up the pitch, which is leaving the defence exposed all the time. And they aren't scoring; much is being said of Nuñez not getting goals, but neither is anyone else. The midfielders aren't goalscorers, and Salah has definitely lost a bit of form. So individual players are under immense pressure across the pitch, and this is what is contributing to mistakes and a lack of effective communication. The youngsters like Elliot, Jones and Carvalho are great young players with loads of potential, but none of them are midfield generals. This is why Liverpool need at least 3-4 signings very soon, to help shore things up. There are positive signs; Bajcetic looks like one for the future, Gakpo will help offset the temporary loss of Diaz and Jota, and Joe Gomez is having a mini revival, but a lot of work is obviously long overdue. The intensity of last season was always going to have a significant impact on a squad lacking the out and out strength in depth in every position like City have, but Klopp has picked them up before, and he will again.
Some very good points, but you haven't mentioned the poor form of Virgil van Dijk, who was, (until his serious injury, a few seasons ago and I do wonder whether he has ever fully recovered from that, not just physically but psychologically), not just a key player in Liverpool's success, but an absolutely vital one.
When van Dijk is not available, or, not playing well, Liverpool's form tends to suffer.
If you look at the budget, squad depth, and individual player performances (including player health), you will see that Liverpool overperformed in their trophy winning (and near-winning) seasons.
You can't punch above your weight forever. The only way to beat Man City consistently is to outspend them, and nobody can afford to do that.
You can't punch above your weight forever. The only way to beat Man City consistently is to outspend them, and nobody can afford to do that.
I guess FSG saw this coming which is why they've made themselves open to offers. They've invested and won 7odd trophies. But most of 'Pool's big hitters are/approaching the wrong side of 30 and they've been overworked in the last two seasons. And the young ones are still raw. They need a rebuild. Questions are does Klopp still have the hunger to oversee a rebuild and essentially start again. And how much are FSG willing to keep spending to remain competitive whilst ensuring the stadium and facilities are up to date. It's a big ask for non-state clubs.
As for Spurs, one thing that annoys me about Conte is that he is never responsible for any of the problems, blames everyone but himself. Talks down his players.
Always thought he was a poor fit for Spurs. Even though they thought they'd won the lottery with him.
Levy doesn't seem to have learnt his lesson with Mou. Both manager's aren't chefs, they like ready-made meals. So if you're not ready to buy a year's supply of HelloFresh or Tesco's Finest...don't bother.
Also 3-4-3 is a geriatric style of play, whilst it can have its uses, it should not be any modern EPL team's 'identity'.
I hear Poch is available, although i'd rather he went to West Ham.
Meanwhile Chelsea look set to buy Enzo Fernandez for €102m...good job
/s
As for Spurs, one thing that annoys me about Conte is that he is never responsible for any of the problems, blames everyone but himself. Talks down his players.
Always thought he was a poor fit for Spurs. Even though they thought they'd won the lottery with him.
Levy doesn't seem to have learnt his lesson with Mou. Both manager's aren't chefs, they like ready-made meals. So if you're not ready to buy a year's supply of HelloFresh or Tesco's Finest...don't bother.
Also 3-4-3 is a geriatric style of play, whilst it can have its uses, it should not be any modern EPL team's 'identity'.
I hear Poch is available, although i'd rather he went to West Ham.
Meanwhile Chelsea look set to buy Enzo Fernandez for €102m...good job
/s
I did that in 2018 or 19 I think I just enjoyed football and that was a great season for me.
this season I am supporting Arsenal because they deserve some silver.
Newcastle is great to watch now, while the Chel$ea demise is the best!
and
I have noticed that Liverpool plays "too nice" lately.
they need the Gerrard-Kuyt days were they stop hugging each other after a every goal.
Ah, Dirk Kuyt [sighs]. Big Dirk Kuyt fan here. Though that era was far more disappointing thank this one in terms of results.
I have turned a new leaf in my approach to the game - more neutral. There are a couple teams I will always loathe, and it will be impossible not to be biased towards Columbus and 'Pool, but the game is so much more fun, and far less painful, when enjoying it as a neutral.
Welcome
Although i have a soft spot for Newcastle, Palace, and Brentford these days...purely because of their managers.
Re Spurs, - and I write this as an Arsenal fan - I am still sorry that they didn't manage to win anything while Poch (Mauricio Pocchettino) managed them; they were an excellent, stylish and attractive team, playing lovely football, and, unfortunately, in terms of trophies or titles (if that is how "success" is measured) had little to show for it.
My sense with Liverpool is that they are burned out; under Klopp, they have been consistently excellent, and have over-performed superbly for an incredible span of time, but have now run out of steam, and this has had an enduring (and increasing) impact on player health.
Very true. City are bankrolled by a state with an appalling human rights record, as are Newcastle and PSG. Such clubs are used to 'sportswash' dirty money, all with the help of our governments. This is surely the new model of football ownership, and sadly, I don't think any club is immune to takeovers. That Capitalism. City will win until the next corrupt state wants it's own slice of glory. Sad to see NUFC fans celebrating their team's recent rise, whilst ignoring where the money is coming from. Human rights abuses don'tmatter if they aren't happening to you. I have no doubt FSG have done their fair share of dodgy dealings, but they're at least nowhere near the likes of the Gulf states. Likewise the Glazers, so Man U fans should be careful what they wish for.
That's Mourinho's MO. Never his fault...
That tackle by Pickford on VVD, which went unpunished, was despicable. A dreadful failure of the officials to apply the rules correctly; some guff about the passage of play had stopped because it was offside, but dangerous conduct is dangerous conduct. Inexcusable. It was a malicious tackle with intent. I don't know if VVD is still affected by that, more that he has no confidence in the layers in front and around him. In previous seasons, nothing was coming past the midfielders, so his job was a lot easier. Now, it's as leaky as a sieve. There simply isn't enough quality in defence. TAA and Robertson are great attacking players when needed, but there has to be someone tracking back to mop up as well, and with Milner and Hendo both past it, Liverpool are very vulnerable, and teams have exploited that.
All true. What people fail to recognise, is the amount spent by City on training and backroom facilities, and wages. Players might not sign for such huge amounts, like Haaland, but they are certainly getting paid more than most. So of course they will attract the best players. Huge sums of money don't necessarily guarantee success; look at Coutinho. A shadow of his former self. But City can attract the best, season after season, because they have so much money. And if a player doesn't work out, no problem they can take a hit on him and move onto the next one.
This is exaclty what is wrong with football these days; glory hunting. Pick a team and stick with it; that's what loyalty is all about. Man U enjoyed huge revenues because of exactly this; glory hunters buying shirts etc, paying loads to watch pre season games in far flung places, huge merchandise markets in countries which hadn't even heard of football previously. The number of people I've heard around the world, expressing a love for Man U; couldn't even name any players ffs. That's not what football's about. Such glory hunting is ruining the game.
100%. Players look knackered. You can't keep expecting players to perform like machines. But Liverpool don't have the money to keep a revolving door of top class players like City...
I would qualify that with what I said earlier - there is nothing wrong with being a neutral fan. But yes, here in the US especially I cringe when I see an Old Firm, Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barca, PSG, or Juve shirt in a pub. 99% of the time it's an obnoxious Johnny-come-lately bragging about 'their' team's dominance and showing 1) a lack of respect for everyone else, 2) an embarrassing level of ignorance of the game in a broader sense.
When Liverpool won the CL/PL the same thing happened. I had previously very rarely run across glory-hunter 'Pool fans. For obvious reasons. But after 2020 if I saw a fan with a new Liverpool shirt I became cautious before getting chatty. I bet a few of those 2020 Liverpool 'fans' used to support another CL-winning club, And they are probably back to their Real Madrid shirts now...
That's a major part of it. Between the gegenpressing style, fixture congestion, aging players, and the smaller size of the squad compared with some rivals, this team has a ton of mileage on it. Bear in mind if it weren't for Man City's incredible consistency at stratospheric levels, this squad would probably have won at least one, probably two more league titles. They have achieved a lot.
Sustaining success is much, much harder than achieving it. Klopp's challenge is the most difficult of all for a manager - to rebuild a worn-out championship-winning team into a new championship-winning team. I personally think Klopp is up to that challenge, but I seriously question whether FSG have the stomach for it. It is clear to me that they think, as I do, that they have punched above their weight as long as they can, and another major round of investment will not guarantee another title. It might bag one, but the most likely outcome from FSG continuing with the project is another couple 90+ point seasons, where we still lose the title to Man City by a hair.
Loyalty, schmolalty!
I tried and tried
but I can support a club that I do not agree with on and off the pitch.
and on the pitch they embarrassed me way too much for my support.
I feel so much better just enjoying the sport, I dont really care who wins anymore.
As a West Ham fan I’ve never been a glory hunter! But in my youth and living 100’s of miles from Liverpool they were the most supported team in my area. Of course this was back when they won everything.
I grew up with a mate who switched teams 3 times. We took the p out of him something chronic. But funny thing is he got divorced 3 times as well. Obviously loyalty isn’t high on his agenda!
Divorce happens, one can even change for Android but changing club? That's heresy.
Well, I have supported Arsenal since childhood, - a distant era that is now some decades ago - through various stages of success and failure, a support that meant that, at times, a tolerance for tedium was called for.
I think the glories of the English 1966 World Cup winning team - I seem to recall that West Ham had three players on that team, Bobby Moore, Martin Peters, and - obviously - Geoff Hurst - gave West Ham an attractive reflective glow; for that matter, success in the old First Division was also somewhat more egalitarian, or more widely spread - in that 'mid-ranking' clubs could expect to be home to great players for most of - if not, all of - their footballing career, in a way that is almost unknown and unheard of, today.
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this is a funny story......as for me I just can't personally support a club that is not what ummmm should be true?
anyways I'm wishing Asrenal to win but really wanting newcastle
don't tell anyone!
/headcase!
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I supported West Ham as my godfather used to take me as a boy. Not quite the glory boys off 66, but not too long after. It was also my most local division one club.
In those days it was standing on the terrace and the chants were not very PC. Especially if Spurs were at our place! As a young boy I didn’t really understand half what they were singing.