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The 2023-2024 Football Thread
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Gritty away performance from Liverpool. Even more so without their main guns. Klopp must be in dreamland.
Arsenal look devoid of confidence. And somewhat hapless and back to their former self. Lots of showing with no end product.
Spotlight now on Arteta. Whats that 4 or 5 games without win? almost in free fall currently. Season low-key unravelling.
Arsenal look devoid of confidence. And somewhat hapless and back to their former self. Lots of showing with no end product.
Spotlight now on Arteta. Whats that 4 or 5 games without win? almost in free fall currently. Season low-key unravelling.
Not just four or five games without a win.
Four or five games without a goal, which worries me a lot more.
(And while - simultaneously - conceding enough to lose these games).
This is on Arteta (and I have long been one of his defenders).
He does seem to have blind spots, has specific limits to his vision, and clearly operates a system of favourites.
Furthermore, there also seems to be a lack of flexibility, a rigidity, in his system, or thinking, along with an inability - a clear inability - to learn from mistakes, because he keeps repeating them.
However, - and more to the point - other teams have now learned how to plan for playing against Arsenal, how to defend against us, and how to attack, and we have not learned how to be able to deal with that.
For my part, I still have questions about Havertz, while the Raya experiment between the sticks has yet to convince me of its worth (although I am quite aware that Ramsdale played today, and I don't blame him for the defeat, although Arteta might yet do so).
You should move heaven and earth to get a striker in January. Toney maybe?
Not just a striker; although we need a striker, the team as currently constituted is profoundly unbalanced.
I'd prefer a good goalie, (have I ever written that we should never had sold Martínez?) and someone in a position of authority who can actually offer alternative opinions to Arteta, who does seem incapable of learning from his (endlessly repeated) mistakes.
And - I harbour some reservations about Toney, (his character) - and dislike a proposed narrative that seems to be suggesting that his purchase is all but inevitable.
Both sides missed free headers, both hit the woodwork. Both are missing important players and it led to some looseness. I thought Arsenal’s midfield looked sharp but the team lacked finishing; Liverpool had to do too much defending, and it got hairy, but a key aspect of Klopp’s game plan is being able to mount dangerous attacks with fresh players for 90 minutes. Our defense is patched up but even without Salah we can still sub in players like Jota and Nunez and Diaz ran their socks off the whole match.
The luck was with Liverpool today with the OG but to be fair the second was just a good attacking move against a winded defense.
The luck was with Liverpool today with the OG but to be fair the second was just a good attacking move against a winded defense.
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The thing is, that last season, our team - as a team - played exceptionally well, and were serious contenders until Saliba was injured.
One other thing - issue - that is of concern, that actually worries me is whether the pressing game - as envisaged and played by Arteta - is leading to too many injuries, and exhausting the players.
Being tired by late spring is one thing, but being exhausted - showing signs of exhaustion - by the Christmas break suggests a serious miscalculation re the capacity for suffering and stress that the team are capable of enduring for a full season.
Too few players (of quality) are being asked to shoulder the burden of playing almost permanently, with little rotation; under current conditions, that will only mean injury, or fatigue, or burn-out, especially when playing a high-energy pressing game each time you appear on the pitch.
Arteta can complain about injuries with some justification (and we are also missing Takehiro Tomiyasu, who has been excellent, as he has departed to compete in the Asian Cup, playing for Japan, and, depending on how well they do, we may not see him return to Arsenal's colours until mid February), - but this is a problem all the way across the division, one that affects most teams to some degree - but, as a manager, he needs to be able to devise tactics and strategies that can compensate for that.
One other thing - issue - that is of concern, that actually worries me is whether the pressing game - as envisaged and played by Arteta - is leading to too many injuries, and exhausting the players.
Being tired by late spring is one thing, but being exhausted - showing signs of exhaustion - by the Christmas break suggests a serious miscalculation re the capacity for suffering and stress that the team are capable of enduring for a full season.
Too few players (of quality) are being asked to shoulder the burden of playing almost permanently, with little rotation; under current conditions, that will only mean injury, or fatigue, or burn-out, especially when playing a high-energy pressing game each time you appear on the pitch.
Arteta can complain about injuries with some justification (and we are also missing Takehiro Tomiyasu, who has been excellent, as he has departed to compete in the Asian Cup, playing for Japan, and, depending on how well they do, we may not see him return to Arsenal's colours until mid February), - but this is a problem all the way across the division, one that affects most teams to some degree - but, as a manager, he needs to be able to devise tactics and strategies that can compensate for that.
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City have more depth than everyone else and arguably an easier schedule. Against that, what can any of the other teams expect to do? Liverpool needs to be an 8/10 or better every week to win the title. City can probably win it by being 6.5/10 every week. We just have to hope they drop silly points to keep the race alive. But I’ve been tipping them for the league title all along.
UP THE OWLS!
vs
01/13
The Saints are on an impressive points run of late: 13 pts from their last 5 matches!
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Rest in peace, Franz Beckenbauer. We're losing too many icons of the game lately.
Indeed. So many legends seem to be disappearing from my youth in sport and music of late.
Good grief.
Just noticed that.
RIP, Franz Beckenbauer, a legend.
Agree completely.
Germany's greatest player, and arguably the greatest defender in the history of the sport, in terms of profile and impact on the game.
First yes. Second no. Greatest ever defender was an Englishman called Bobby Moore.
But agree he had a huge impact on the game.
Agreed.
And yes, also agreed.
Very much so.
I'm laughing, reading this.
Is it possible that you may have been just a little biased, here?
I'll readily accept that Bobby Moore was possibly the greatest English defender in the history of the sport; greatest defender of all, no, not quite.
Agreed.
Biased? Not me!
Personally I enjoy watching either play. But I think the way the game has changed would mean that in todays game they would both have to adapt massively.
Then again can you imagine rolling around on the ground like you had been shot at some of those games in the 70’s? Your life wouldn’t have been worth living!
Both of them are definitely in the conversation, to be sure. I would probably just shade Beckenbauer, because England were a little isolated in Moore's time in terms of the tactical evolution of the game (not Moore's fault), but in terms of talent I couldn't choose between them. And Moore is undoubtedly the one I'd rather have a pint with.
Though, to reinforce your argument Beckenbauer himself called Moore the 'greatest' defender, and Beckenbauer was not a modest man.
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I’m not sure that Lothar Matthaus wasn’t every bit as good as Beckenbauer, and played in a more challenging, more modern game.
I think we can both agree that Beckenvauer was the best coach of the two.
He was a fantastic player. Personally I don't put much stock in the 'GOAT' discussions, I think it's a red herring. But I also think it's fair to say all the players mentioned in this conversation so far are in the very top drawer.
Indeed. As a unit of defence though, you would do well to find the legendary Arsenal back 4. They played together for years. Very effective.
Now on the subject of defending, how are Manchester United only one goal up at Wigan? Still I’d like to see Wigan get the draw at least.
Quite a soft penalty has all but sealed Wigan’s fate. Can’t see them scoring once, let alone twice.
Interesting facts:
Didier Deschamps - Franz Beckenbauer - Mario Zagallo
Franz Beckenbauer was a member of exclusive World Cup-winning club | BreakingNews.ie
Brazilian Mario Zagallo was the first man to achieve the feat of winning the World Cup as a manager having also won it as a player.
www.breakingnews.ie
Franz Beckenbauer was a member of exclusive World Cup-winning club | BreakingNews.ie
Brazilian Mario Zagallo was the first man to achieve the feat of winning the World Cup as a manager having also won it as a player.
www.breakingnews.ie
The discussion about who's the best defender ever, Beckenbauer or Moore is exactly the same discussion that people have about George Best. There are interviews given by the great Pele who has said Best was better than him!!! You look at his 'notable' honours list and they are all with Man United, 2 Division 1 titles, 1 European Cup and 2 Charity Shield cups, not very many when you consider the list of players during his playing time who have won so so much more. A good example of that being Pele. George Best won a very small amount of silverware and yet is considered and still considered one of the best players the world has ever seen. He persistently comes in the top 10 of players of all time, beating players who have won so so much more than him but yet he is always rated on his individual skill as a player rather than based on the amount of trophies he won.
This is why in my opinion what a player has won in their career is irrelevant because Best won very little in his career but is considered one of the best players the world has ever seen. He is persistently judged on his individual football talent/skills which even Pele rates Best as better than him.
This is why in my opinion what a player has won in their career is irrelevant because Best won very little in his career but is considered one of the best players the world has ever seen. He is persistently judged on his individual football talent/skills which even Pele rates Best as better than him.
A great player in an average team will win less for sure.
Just thinking how refreshing to hear these old greats saying others were better than them.
I can’t imagine certain current players being so humble!
Pele vs Moore is one of my favourite games.