Premier League 2020/2021 Thread

[weasel]

Best way to beat a Pep team? Easy, same as the best way to beat Pool (pre the mass of CB injuries). City tuck their full backs in when they attack. The idea is to have extra bodies in midfield/centre of the pitch to swarm the other team if they lose the ball. What that means is they have huge gaps out wide. So get two wingers who can actually cross, tell them to stay high and wide and never track back and then tell the rest of the team to just hoof it to where the City full backs should be, and where their wingers will be, and hey presto.
Hodgson did it a few years ago. One of his players even admitted after the game they had been told as soon as they got the ball, not to even look but just hoof it to where City's full backs should be.

Now you probably need a striker high up the pitch as well, so you are leaving 3 men up high that means defending with 8. That's a big ask against City. But if you can set up a solid defensive line, you have a chance.
I am amazed Burnely have never done this. They are great at "the low block" ie parking the ****ing bus, and they have a few half decent wingers. Yet they just seem to insist on losing 5-0 (four times in a row I think).

You all know my opinion on Jose.

Yer man's red card. PROBABLY a fair enough call! Lol

https://twitter.com/PubitySportIG/status/1372669701445197824

 

[edd_jedi]

Anyone heard from @edd_jedi :? :?

What are you talking about, I've been busy in the Europa League thread

No that was a disgrace as Hugo called it. I was annoyed about the Arsenal result because a few things didn't go our way (regardless of the rivalry) but last night was just pathetic. On the plus side it was 18/1 for Zagreb to qualify and I put a fiver on it

Is Jose finished? Probably, and as the manager he'll take the fall, but I completely agree with Hugo's interview that so many players are to blame for our current form and situation. There are at least five who are either incompetent, don't care, or in a couple of cases both.

 

[lejackal]

Anyone heard from @edd_jedi :? :?

On the plus side it was 18/1 for Zagreb to qualify and I put a fiver on it

You essentially bet on Spurs being Spursy? :lol:

 

[edd_jedi]

You essentially bet on Spurs being Spursy? :lol:

It was a dead cert!

 

[theforceuk]

18-1 [mention]edd_jedi[/mention] you can afford a Stormtrooper now!

 

[weasel]

18-1, good effort!

Maybe I should start betting on Liverpool's opponents every week. I'd have made a killing this year.

 

[lejackal]

You essentially bet on Spurs being Spursy? :lol:

It was a dead cert!

Even Google knows about your defence apparently :lol:

 

[theforceuk]

Bloody funny, you been editing [mention]lejackal[/mention] ?!

 

[lejackal]

Bloody funny, you been editing @lejackal ?!

Not me mate, just google the word 'dodgy' end google does the rest

 

[edd_jedi]

Maybe I should start betting on Liverpool's opponents every week. I'd have made a killing this year.

You would have lost a lot last year though! I very rarely bet against Spurs, only when the odds are crazy. And as you will understand I literally never bet on them winning :lol:

 

[Robstyley]

**** me what a game of football I'm gutted we lost the win but fair play to Arsenal, they were on fire in the 2nd half. Great game, very entertaining

 

[lejackal]

I can't take many more games like that :lol:

 

[edd_jedi]

Yes it was a very entertaining game, loads of chances at both ends, could have been 10-10! Not sure if it was great attacking or poor defending, a bit of both probably. That's three own goals Arsenal have benefited from in their last two league matches, add that to the 'penalty' against Spurs and they're getting plenty of balls in the net recently without actually scoring, so they've been a bit lucky with their recent results IMO.

Loads of people moaning about Harry Kane's penalty, sure he may have put himself between the player and the ball but it was as much the right decision as Lacazette's against us the weekend before. It seems harsh in both instances to award a penalty when the goal scoring chance has already passed, something VAR should intervene with to award an indirect free kick instead or something?

 

[lejackal]

Both situations are a free kick if they happen anywhere else on the pitch so both are a penalty IMO

 

[edd_jedi]

Yep you're right by the letter of the law both were the correct decision so can't really complain. Anyway I don't know about anyone else but I'm relieved about this international break, I might grow a few hairs back :lol:

 

[weasel]

I hate the International break, and International football in general.

The tournaments are fine, although UEFA have destroyed what was the best by allowing more teams in the Euro's. previously it was 16 fairly evenly matched sides who knew the top 2 in each group went through. Now with 3rd enough teams play not to lose and that's just soo exciting. It's like watching a Jose team play week after week. Or Rafa playing an away leg with the 04/05 Liverpool side.

The friendlies are an utter waste of time, who cares about them, really!? Does anyone give a **** how England do in a friendly with Macedonia!? Can anyone even point to Macedonia on a map, or name of theirt players!?
Would anyone mind if their country played 4 less friendlies a year!?

That league of nations thing works as well as it can, but really, it should be scrapped. Ratehr than trying to make friendlies meaningful, sit back and realise that they are a ****ing watse of time, and scrap them. Don't move things about and try to make fans care. Realise that fans don't care because they are nonsense, and there are far far far too many of them each year.

Condense the domestic and club European season, start it in August (say) and run it until April. Then May and the start of June are for tournaments and friendlies, or qualifiers (in non tournament years) and friendlies. Then the season starts in August again. The start and end months are obviously flexible, but removing the stupid International breaks will allow the domestic season to finish earlier and then Countries can play games in the summer. It also lets International managers see how players cope with something close to tournament football. You can organise 4 games in ten days, all over Europe and take a squad of 22 and get a much better feel for the players than if you play 1 or 2 games every 3 months.

 

[theforceuk]

I don't like the international break either, although this one is welcome as I've had enough of watching Man Utd play with a back 6 twice a week. I can't believe Rashford has joined the England squad, the guy is injured and running himself into the ground. If he wasn't in the squad yesterday why should he go in the England squad to play San Marino, Albania and Poland the next day. A 2 week brake would be perfect for him now, he probably needs longer though and will end up missing the Euros.

 

[edd_jedi]

Agreed friendles are fairly pointless, however I enjoy international tournaments more than I do the domestic ones, maybe it is because they are sparse compared to other competitions so it feels like a real event. I think the international managers would argue that friendlies are the only practice they get, but I guess part of the charm of international tournaments is that they're a bit of an exhibition between players who hardly know each other, a bit like the NBA All Star game (although taken more seriously!)

 

[edd_jedi]

also interesting headline today: "It is in the Manchester United manager's job description to win trophies!"

I'm not sure I agree with this. The ultimate measure of success of course is trophies, but it's not the only measure. If it was, 90% of football teams have never had any success. 90% of players have never had any success. Messi is a failure because he's never won the world cup. I could go on...

I may be a bit biased on this as a trophy dodging Spurs fan, but successes can be small and don't have to be the big prize IMO. Of course it's nice to win one now and again, but I'd like to see a United fan support a team like West Ham who haven't won anything for over 40 years, yet still have plenty of loyal fans who I'm sure could tell more recent stories of success. In some ways I miss the days of 95-2005 where Spurs regularly finished about 15th and just winning the odd game was a nice feeling, rather than expecting to win most games like I do now.

 

[weasel]

I take your point.

I guess it's all relative. If, say, Liverpool had won the worthless cup or the FAC this year, does a trophy make that a more successful season than two years ago when they came second in PL with 97pts and won no cups!? Not for me it doesn't. Sadly, football is about money now and getting in to the CL is worth more to a club (and it's long term future) than an FAC or worthless cup.

I guess you judge it by progress. If your club goes from mid-table also rans, to challenging for top four and wins a domestic cup, that's progress and a "good" season. If you are Man City and all you win is the LC or FAC then that is a poor season. City have higher expectations and targets. With their budget a domestic cup is in no way a "good" season. They need a PL or a CL, even a CL final.

That's a long winded way of saying, your definition of a "successful" or a "shite" season will depend on your club. The big 6 will probably hope for a PL and to do well, or win, the CL (or EL for those in it). A club outside the big six is probably a lot happier with a domestic cup. I don't mean that in an arrogant way, it's just how often does a non big 6 side win a cup? Not very. Hence it is an achievement.

That definition of success or failure needs to be constantly amended too. If at the start of the year you told me Pool would come 4th and make the CL quarter finals (obv, CL is still on going so that may improve). I'd say that was a disappointing season. Given the fact they have played the vast majority of the season with one or no fit CB's, making the CL via the PL would be a superb performance. I'd bite your hand off for it now.
Ditto SU, if at the start of the season you had offered them 17th and staying up on GD, they may well have taken it but they would consider it a real disappointment. If you offered them it now, they would be delighted. And from where they are now, it would be a fecking miracle/a superb result.