The imaginatively titled Premier League 21/22 Thread

[lejackal]

I'm not really sure how one penalty decision is not a clear and obvious error and one is overturned. If you're dishing out penalties for minor shirt tugs I'll look forward to seeing five or six a match from here on in

 

[edd_jedi]

Yep it was a great game and even I felt slightly sorry for Arsenal, but the red card was as ridiculous as Zaha's against Spurs, you just cannot do that and he cost you the game. There were a few poor penalty decisions today I thought.

 

[edd_jedi]

How good was the first half of the Chelsea Liverpool game, I bet @weasel thought you had it sewn up after 15 minutes! Great comeback and a shame the second half was a bit of an anticlimax

 

[weasel]

How good was the first half of the Chelsea Liverpool game, I bet @weasel thought you had it sewn up after 15 minutes! Great comeback and a shame the second half was a bit of an anticlimax

Summed up well. Albeit I didn't enjoy it as much ad you neutrals. I'm really disappointed in James Milner for conceding the foul for the first goal. There is no need to foul him, stay on your feet and the ball goes out for a goal kick. He's 36 years old and is normally a very switched on player. That one daft foul, he even had a nibble before he cleaned him, is what Chelsea scored from to get back into the game. And it was some dig too.

If you are 2-0 up away from home against a title rival you REALLY can't afford to blow that lead in 3 minutes right before half time. That's the second time this season Pool have let a two goal lead slip and ended up drawing (Brighton was the other one) those four points and the game in hand suddenly mean there is something approximating a title race. Without them, it's City's to try and lose.

That's also the second time Pool have had Chelsea where they want them and not won. Against someone like City you can not afford to drop points like that.

Pool were SOOOOO easy to play through for chunks of that second half. That's not a good thing, nor is it unique to yesterday.


On another note, Pool now have 11 players unavailable, Alison, Matip, Firmino (Covid), Salah, Mane, Keita (AFCON), Thiago, Minamino, Origi, Phillips, and Elliott all injured. From their 25 man squad that leaves 14 players plus kids. If Pool were Newcastle or certain other PL sides they would be asking for a postponement. I think Chelsea are/were similarly affected.

How City have escaped with minimal covid and injuries is beyond me, they must be due an outbreak. That's the only hope for anything approximating a title race. Even then, with their squad, and finances…….

 

[weasel]

I'm not really sure how one penalty decision is not a clear and obvious error and one is overturned. If you're dishing out penalties for minor shirt tugs I'll look forward to seeing five or six a match from here on in

Agreed. Yours looked a pen, apparently MOTD felt he got the ball first. Not on any of the dozen replays I have seen. He gets the man, and none of the ball, how that isn't a pen I dunno.
I do think City's was a pen, albeit ONLY cos Xhaka grabs his shirt. Silva is half way down, and diving, BUT xhaka grabs his shirt as clear as day. As soon as he does that it's a pen.
The inconsistencies in VAR is what pisses me off. The technology is working as it was designed too. It's the morons who are working it. The standard of refereeing in the PL, and thus the VAR standard is appallingly low relative to the standard of football and the clubs really should be kicking up a fuss about it. Some of the clearly obvious errors that go corrected are going to end up costing a team relegation or a CL spot and those are losses of revenue of tens of millions. From a mistake that was clear as day to all and sundry, by the VAR person. There is a lot to be said for taking VAR away from refs and letting Stevie Wonder and Donald Trump work it. They couldn't do much worse.

Ohhh and as @edd_jedi said, the red card was daft and cost you the game.

 

[edd_jedi]

On another note, Pool now have 11 players unavailable, Alison, Matip, Firmino (Covid), Salah, Mane, Keita (AFCON), Thiago, Minamino, Origi, Phillips, and Elliott all injured. From their 25 man squad that leaves 14 players plus kids. If Pool were Newcastle or certain other PL sides they would be asking for a postponement. I think Chelsea are/were similarly affected.

Well you got your wish, the game against Arsenal is off tomorrow.

 

[lejackal]

Given the other year they held the League Coca-Carabao-Carling Jug in such low regard that they put out the under 12s I think they should have been made to do the same again

 

[weasel]

Given the other year they held the League Coca-Carabao-Carling Jug in such low regard that they put out the under 12s I think they should have been made to do the same again

Lol.

I would have no objection to that, you all know how highly I rate the worthless cup.
The issue is the precedent for calling games off cos a side has a COVID outbreak was set when the first PL/EFL games were called off. Personally, I would have been all for "man the **** up and play whoever you have." Albeit that would have suited City even more as Covid seems to be allergic to Man City. But, once you allowed half a dozen PL sides to call games off (Leeds, Leicester, Newcastle, Burnley(?), Spurs(?), Brighton, Norwich) you've set a precedent. Granted, tiz a different competition, but I doubt the sponsors want to see Liverpool field an U11's side in the semi final. The rules even state that from the 4th round onwards the rules for postponements change. Thus avoiding a situation like Orient had where they had to concede to Spurs (who they clearly would have beaten ;-)).

Even at that from what I hear Pool have 5 keepers out with COVID, and the keeping coaches. So, ehhh Milner in nets? He plays everywhere else, so he must be able to do keeper as well.

 

[edd_jedi]

Trippier to Newcastle for 12m seems like a great deal. I still have no idea why we sold him for 20!

 

[weasel]

Trippier to Newcastle for 12m seems like a great deal. I still have no idea why we sold him for 20!

Agreed, though probably not for Newcastle as you would assume he has a relegation release clause (he hardly wants to go from winning La Liga and playing in CL to the championship in a year). So he'll walk for free in June when they go down.

 

[weasel]

So who had Arsenal down to win the FAC!?

 

[weasel]

So who had Arsenal down to win the FAC!?

Time to fess up @edd_jedi, did you do it just to jinx them!?

 

[edd_jedi]

Well they were playing in a Spurs kit, what did they expect!?

 

[weasel]

Sounds like Spurs tried their best to lose.

Leicester played yesterday but don't have enough players to play Everton on Tuesday night. Hhhmmm.
It is a different competition, and thus different rules. The FA basically told clubs to play or forfeit and Leicester had a bench full of kids, who aren't registered in their PL squad. BUT….it looks ****ing daft if a team can play on sat but with no new injuries/covid cases (that I am aware of) then can postpone a game three days later.
Precedent had long been set, and neither side has Europe to worry about (the Europa fizzy cup doesn't count and Leicester clearly don't care about European football), but it is farcical that teams can cancel in one domestic competition but not in another.

The question of clubs, Newcastle in the example I am thinking of, gaming the system by postponing games now in the hope they have a better team, ie sign a tonne of new players, by the time the rearranged game comes round, does have a whiff of plausibility.
It looks like 3 from 4 to go down, all four of whom are woeful. But if I was Burnley or Norwich, neither of whom will be splashing the cash, I would be pissed off about games getting postponed for Newcastle/Watford or even the likes of Leeds/Everton.

 

[edd_jedi]

Yeah he was a bit too relaxed with the starting 11, had to bring on Kane and Moura to avoid embarassment.

 

[weasel]

The Arsenal fans are very quiet!

 

[Michael Sith]

I'm saying nowt given our state at the moment, probably get done by Villa tonight!

 

[lejackal]

The Arsenal fans are very quiet!

Waiting to see how Thursday and Sunday go before poking my head above the parapet

 

[edd_jedi]

Waiting to see how Thursday and Sunday go before poking my head above the parapet

Yes I know the feeling, has anyone else noticed how cup draws almost always seem to land near the corresponding league fixture? We've got to play bloody Chelsea three times in a fortnight!

 

[lejackal]

Yes I know the feeling, has anyone else noticed how cup draws almost always seem to land near the corresponding league fixture? We've got to play bloody Chelsea three times in a fortnight!

Could easily have been 3 back to back NLDs.